Or... registering for Origins event tickets this year.The title is a quote from the Gencon forums re Origins Registration this year.
They hired a contract firm to upgrade their deeply awful web registration. Alas, evidently meeting deadlines (the opening of registration was postponed, postponed again, and then was pretty much impossible to connect to), and any kind of testing aren't part of the contract.
Actually, I'm pretty sure they are, as Trey Riley says "heads will roll". None of which helps the majority of us who can't get our frickin' events. I empathize - hell, I quit IT because I couldn't deal with the level of stress any more. It's not good for Origins, though. Their web interface has always been a poster child for poor customer interfacing, and this just piles more on top of that growing bad reputation.
It's a good thing that Origins is a totally rockin' con, where I meet up with some of the best players and GMs I've ever known, 'cause otherwise I'd have given up.
I did, after hours and hours of attempting, slip through a hole in the endless "enter address" loop, and finally dodged the "you must buy a badge" after you click "credit card" wall to get the tickets that I manged to squeeze into my cart in one lucky transaction sometime during yesterday's 8 hour ordeal. I can't buy the last ticket I need because, well, now vast tracts of events have just disappeared from the event list. Which, btw, currently only shows the first 25 (lowest) numbers, and is relatively impervious to efforts to see anything else.
I hope they get it fixed, and soon. I understand that the problem is probably the contractor, but well... management hired the contractor. No matter how you spin it, it's EPIC FAIL.
If you use Twitter, the tags are #Origins2009 and #OriginsFAIL.
My schedule (I hope)... There's a distinct lack of early morning events, and I've left Saturday wide open in case Blackmoor is in dire need. And I'm actually playing! That's because I expect most of Gencon to be work, work, work, with the launch of Blackmoor 4th ed.
Wednesday 6/24/09
- 1:30 PM 6049 WitchHunter - Dark Providence: Redemption That which was stolen must be returned; that which is free must willingly return to captivity.
- 7:00 PM 6102 Strange Times: I Am Mythos Lou Grant meets the Tick meets Cthulhu in this game of horror and humor.
- 8:00 AM 6251 WitchHunter - Dark Providence: Corruption Along the Italian Alps a poison spreads; a pact once sworn has been broken. The pact must be avenged before the oaths can be restored.
- RUN 1:30 PM 6381 Star Mage Prophecies: R001 - Reborn The StarMage Prophecies is a continuing RPG campaign that launched at Origins 2007. It is *not* Living Dragonstar reborn.
- 7:00 PM 6516 WitchHunter - Dark Providence: Salvation Death walks the land. The hand that set the stone to roll may be forever severed if the memory of the hunt is keen.
- RUN 1:30 PM 6780 Fellowship of the white Star: A208 The Fat Lady's Song, (Part Four of the Faulty Towers series ) An Interactive Event. Origins Premiere #4. A semi-historic d20 horror campaign module set in San Francisco 1906.
- RUN 7:00 PM 6902 Star Mage Prophecies: R001 - Reborn The StarMage Prophecies is a continuing RPG campaign that launched at Origins 2007. It is *not* Living Dragonstar reborn, but it could be considered Living Dragonstar reincarnated.
- RUN 7:00 PM 7245 Blackmoor: Episode 49 Heroes on Ice (1-4) With Dave Arneson's Blackmoor: The MMRPG, you can play at home or at any one of the great conventions that run Blackmoor games. We have released over 40 Episodes for home play and more popping up all the time!
- SUN 1:30 PM 7502 Pathfinder Society Scenario #25: Hands of the Muted God "When the man who would be the Muted God wordlessly stepped beyond the gates of the Starstone's Cathedral, his thousand and one faithful ringing the Ascendant Court watched with the silent contemplation that is their highest sacrament. When he failed to emerge, many of his penitents abandoned their vows but a small sect remained loyal and worshipful. You and your fellow Pathfinders are sent into the mountains north of Absalom to follow the path of a doomed party and uncover the secrets of the Muted God. His loyal band of followers, called the Hand, will stop at nothing to keep you away from their shrine--even forming an alliance with some of Golarion's most evil denizens."
- Mood:
frustrated - Music:Superman: Lazlo Bane
I knew Dave, not well enough to call him a friend or even acquaintance, though I flatter myself that he might recognize me. He was only six years older than I am now. The First Generation is passing far too rapidly.
From the family:
Shortly after 11pm on Tuesday, April 7th, Dave Arneson passed away. He was comfortable and with family at the time and his passing was peaceful.
The Arneson family would like to thank everyone for their support over the last few days, and for the support the entire community has shown Dave over the years.
We are in the process of making final arrangements and will provide additional details as we work them out. We will continue to receive cards and letters in Dave's honor. We are planning to hold a public visitation so that anyone wishing to say their goodbye in person has the opportunity to do so.
Cards and letters can continue to be sent:
Dave Arneson
1043 Grand Avenue
Box #257
St. Paul, MN
55105
Visitation will be on April 20th
Time: yet to be determined
Address:
Bradshaw Funeral Home
687 Snelling Avenue South
St. Paul, MN 55105
And the best eulogy I've read yet, from Ken Hite's Out of the Box column:The Arneson family would like to thank everyone for their support over the last few days, and for the support the entire community has shown Dave over the years.
We are in the process of making final arrangements and will provide additional details as we work them out. We will continue to receive cards and letters in Dave's honor. We are planning to hold a public visitation so that anyone wishing to say their goodbye in person has the opportunity to do so.
Cards and letters can continue to be sent:
Dave Arneson
1043 Grand Avenue
Box #257
St. Paul, MN
55105
Visitation will be on April 20th
Time: yet to be determined
Address:
Bradshaw Funeral Home
687 Snelling Avenue South
St. Paul, MN 55105
Dave Arneson invented this column.
Dave Arneson invented the reason you read this column.
Dave Arneson invented the reason the website that hosts this column exists.
Dave Arneson invented "armor class." He invented "hit points." He invented the "cleric." He invented the "dungeon." He invented "so, last week you cleaned out the dungeon, and now you've heard about another, even scarier dungeon, over the ridge there." He invented "everyone plays one guy, and I play all the monsters."
Dave Arneson co-invented Dungeons & Dragons.
Dave Arneson invented role-playing games.
On a personal note, he was a friendly, generous person who genuinely liked games and gamers; seeing him at a convention, or a store appearance, was always a delight - for me, for the fans, and (as far as I could tell) for him. I had the good fortune to talk to him a lot at various shows; he was a demigod adept at playing a mere tenth-level game designer, or first-level fan, but he also liked hanging out and talking about the Civil War, or his students, or what was going on in my life.
I first met him at GenCon 1997, right after Wizards took over TSR. He was sitting alone, near the Wizards booth, wearing a badge but otherwise inconspicuous. Certainly, there should have been throngs of worshipers bestrewing his lap with rose petals, or a shaft of light from the Fifth Heaven, or an honor guard of bugbears, or something. But I got to shake his hand and thank him for inventing my spare time, and my career.
And now he has leveled up.
Dave Arneson invented the reason you read this column.
Dave Arneson invented the reason the website that hosts this column exists.
Dave Arneson invented "armor class." He invented "hit points." He invented the "cleric." He invented the "dungeon." He invented "so, last week you cleaned out the dungeon, and now you've heard about another, even scarier dungeon, over the ridge there." He invented "everyone plays one guy, and I play all the monsters."
Dave Arneson co-invented Dungeons & Dragons.
Dave Arneson invented role-playing games.
On a personal note, he was a friendly, generous person who genuinely liked games and gamers; seeing him at a convention, or a store appearance, was always a delight - for me, for the fans, and (as far as I could tell) for him. I had the good fortune to talk to him a lot at various shows; he was a demigod adept at playing a mere tenth-level game designer, or first-level fan, but he also liked hanging out and talking about the Civil War, or his students, or what was going on in my life.
I first met him at GenCon 1997, right after Wizards took over TSR. He was sitting alone, near the Wizards booth, wearing a badge but otherwise inconspicuous. Certainly, there should have been throngs of worshipers bestrewing his lap with rose petals, or a shaft of light from the Fifth Heaven, or an honor guard of bugbears, or something. But I got to shake his hand and thank him for inventing my spare time, and my career.
And now he has leveled up.
- Mood:
sad - Music:Imagine - John Lennon
![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif){kind=small}
wampameat , Mike and I all started trying for Gencon 2009 rooms at noon, and scored the Hyatt on the 2nd try (point to Vic!). There was no problem logging in, no lockups, no eternal screen refreshes... it looks like they've finally actually and genuinely upgraded the computer system! Yippiee! Welcome to the 21st century, Gencon!I'll mostly be tied up with the 4th edition launch of Dave Arneson's Blackmoor, but I traditionally run one slot (at least) of my own. I haven't submitted yet because, well, I'm just not sure what I want to run. I've got "Something In the Dark", a Colonial Gothic that I'm working on (considerably LESS dark than last year's), and I always enjoy running some form of Firefly, and of course there's always Cat, or Savage Chill...
Last year I barely got to play, so I want to remedy that this year. My role for DAB is as much organizational as anything, and the modules WILL be ready well ahead of time. 11-12 slots... probably half of those given over to DAB. So, one slot, maybe two, that I'll run something. Oh, and of course I need to make sure I sleep enough. Drat old age...
Any requests from the peanut gallery?
- Mood:
contemplative
seankreynolds's entry on 4E and the "revised" archons, simply because it's so utterly brilliant, and because it completely expresses the way I feel about the apparent design decisions in 4E. It's down a ways in the comments, but I encourage you to read all of the comments.I don't dislike 4E - but I have a lot of cognitive dissonance every time I play. I have to deliberately sit myself down and remind myself that this is a whole new game, and not D&D as I've known it for 30+ years. I still get that jarring "step off an unexpected curb" sensation dozens of time per game, as core concepts kinda leap up and moon me with either their radical changes or complete disappearance.
The game has intrinsic value and playability, but the only reason it's called D&D is because that IP is owned by the people who put out the game. Any other similarities appear to be entirely coincidental.
Sean says:
Let's say I like muscle cars, the Chevy Camaro in particular. I've been buying a new Chevy Camaro every 10 years because I know the company, I know the machine, I like how it handles, I like the slight upgrades. Then 2008 rolls around and Chevy is trying to get me excited about the new Camaro (though they sold me one just three years ago). Except this "Camaro" "muscle car" is actually a Geo Metro that they stuck the name "Camaro" on.
A Geo Metro has very little to do with a Chevy Camaro. They're both cars, sure, but one is a muscle car, and the other is a highly fuel-efficient lightweight supermini. Heck, the Metro isn't technically a Chevrolet, it's a Suzuki.
I, as the long-term, brand-aware Camaro buyer, is pissed that they're calling this new car a Camaro. It's not a damn Camaro!
You, as the relative newcomer to the car scene, may have driven a real Camaro before or at least ridden in one, but you don't really car, you just want a car you can drive. You try out and like the new "Camaro" (i.e., Suzuki), like it, and buy it. You wanted a light, fuel-efficient small car, and it's perfect for you.
My CDs play in my car and your car. I can even hang my fuzzy dice from your rear-view mirror. We both drive using the same general rules of the road, though my acceleration, mileage, seating capacity, and crash survivability may be different than yours.
I'm not stupid for liking the original Camaro.
You're not stupid for liking the new *choke* Camaro-Suzuki.
But Chevy is stupid for trying to call its new non-Camaro car a Camaro and expecting its existing customers to swallow that one whole. If they called the new car a Cappucino and stopped producing the old Camaros, you'd still have angry fans of the old Camaro model but you wouldn't be insulting their intelligence by insisting that the supermini was really a Camaro.
So....
I'm not stupid for liking 3e.
You're not stupid for liking 4e.
Wizards is stupid for changing so many things in D&D to fit their definition of what D&D should be, ignoring that the existing players have been playing D&D the previous way for 30 years and might not want to change that.
A Geo Metro has very little to do with a Chevy Camaro. They're both cars, sure, but one is a muscle car, and the other is a highly fuel-efficient lightweight supermini. Heck, the Metro isn't technically a Chevrolet, it's a Suzuki.
I, as the long-term, brand-aware Camaro buyer, is pissed that they're calling this new car a Camaro. It's not a damn Camaro!
You, as the relative newcomer to the car scene, may have driven a real Camaro before or at least ridden in one, but you don't really car, you just want a car you can drive. You try out and like the new "Camaro" (i.e., Suzuki), like it, and buy it. You wanted a light, fuel-efficient small car, and it's perfect for you.
My CDs play in my car and your car. I can even hang my fuzzy dice from your rear-view mirror. We both drive using the same general rules of the road, though my acceleration, mileage, seating capacity, and crash survivability may be different than yours.
I'm not stupid for liking the original Camaro.
You're not stupid for liking the new *choke* Camaro-Suzuki.
But Chevy is stupid for trying to call its new non-Camaro car a Camaro and expecting its existing customers to swallow that one whole. If they called the new car a Cappucino and stopped producing the old Camaros, you'd still have angry fans of the old Camaro model but you wouldn't be insulting their intelligence by insisting that the supermini was really a Camaro.
So....
I'm not stupid for liking 3e.
You're not stupid for liking 4e.
Wizards is stupid for changing so many things in D&D to fit their definition of what D&D should be, ignoring that the existing players have been playing D&D the previous way for 30 years and might not want to change that.
- Mood:
impressed
I've been a fanatical consumer of (and proselytizer for) Z-Man Games B-Movie card game since I discovered it years ago. I'm not a big card player, but this is fast and fun. The objective is to "build" a b-movie while emptying your hand, before someone plays the "roll credits" card. What makes this fun is that you attack each others movies (sabotage is your friend!), and the cards are absolutely hysterical. It's de rigeur to read the card when you play it. Last year I gave all of my closest friends decks for Christmas.Each deck is a send-up of a different genre, and Skippy the Wonder Dog appears in every deck. (As does - Is that a tentacle?). I ordered the latest release, Silent But Deadly NIght, sight unseen, though I was a little troubled that it cost more than any of the other decks had*.
It arrived yesterday, and now I see why it's a little more. Besides the usual two packs of cards and instructions, it's packed in a custom holiday tin, with a tiny plush "Skippy the Wonder Dog" ornament.Guess what' I'm taking to the New Year's Party (along with the Dr. Horrible Sing Along Blog DVD, of course).
*Point of reference - the decks are:
- Grave Robbers From Outer Space (2001)
- Cannibal Pygmies in the Jungle of Doom (2002)
- Kung Fu Samurai on Giant Robot Island (2003)
- Grave Robbers from Outer Space 2: Skippy's Revenge (2003)
- Bell-Bottomed Badassses on the Mean Streets of Funk (2004)
- Berserker Halflings from the Dungeon of Dragons (2005)
- Scurvy Musketeers of the Spanish Main (2006)
- Bushwhackin' Varmints out of Sergio's Butte (2007)
- Silent But Deadly Night (2008)
- Mood:
mischievous
I read a lot of RPG blogs. A lot... Lately I've been finding so much good stuff that I have to share some of it. Or at least store it where I can find it later.- One Sentence NPC Generator - an oldie but goodie from RPGTips. Stuck for NPC ideas? Click this puppy till you find one you like. A few examples:
- Clumsy, drunken wizard morbidly afraid her own sobriety.
- The town witch doctor, reputed as a medical miracle worker, is actually nothing more than a lucky fraud, in way over their head.
- Highly superstitious about local fey, the blacksmith only takes payment in silver for fear of being duped with 'faerie gold.'
- Depressed elementalist has forgotten how to summon all but the nicest of weather.
- 5 NPCs That Won’t Put Your Players to Sleep - From Dungeon Mastering Some good general tips for designing interesting NPCs. I've used a few of these myself and will probably use more of them in the future.
- Nerdy Chix - Web site by and for female MMORPG , videogame and RPG players.
- D20 end of year deals from montecook . "WotC pulled the plug on d20, so that anything with the d20 logo on it can't be sold after the end of this year." I didn't realize that. eek!
- Delta Green Rules for Survival - from RoleplayingPro - I just discovered this blog, and it's full of nifty, interesting stuff. If you've ever played Delta Green (or the shared world campaign Delta Files) this will ring really true. If you haven't, and you're within driving distance of Lansing MI, email me and we'll set something up. X-Files meets Cthulhu for the win!
- How to Get Players More Involved again from RoleplayingPro. Oh, heck, just go read everything there!
muskrat_john , is a bit of gaming holiday shopping advice (humor).- Mood:
busy
( More cats + snow below the cut )
- Mood:
amused
2. Post a reasonably-sized picture in your LJ, NOT under a cut tag, of something pleasant, such as an adorable kitten, or a fluffy white cloud, or a bottle of booze. Something that has NOTHING TO DO WITH POLITICS.
3. Include these instructions, and share the love.
(gacked from
amnesiack )- Mood:
nervous
I love running Chill, and I have a group of wonderful players. Until I took a hiatus a month ago, we'd been running weekly for a couple of years. I tend to long, involved scenarios deeply linked into the backgrounds of the characters. That made for a lot of good play, but Real Life has reared its monstrous head. Odds are good that no more than 3 of my six players will be able to make any given week night session, which ends up limiting my story options. What do I do if I've centered the story around a character who can't make it that week - or for several weeks?
I don't want to replace the players who can't make it often - they're great players, they just have Real Life conflicts. I want to make my game more "absence friendly" without losing the personal connection that I feel is so important in a horror game.
I'd like to go to a more episodic approach (a la Supernatural, Friday the 13th the Series or Poltergeist: the Legacy), but I'm kinda stalled. I don't want to do tired old stuff - these folks are all pretty well mired in the horror genre. I'd like to string the episodic events into arcs so that eventually they'd look at them an realize that this and this and OMG THAT all apply to their personal arcs, and it's time to batten down the hatches.
So I turn to you, my fellow evil geniuses, for a burst of ideas for short (3-4 hr) torture sessions...er... games.
Edit: Game blogs are available at: www.chillrpg.net/chilldetroit
- Mood:
determined
O wise and adventuresome Flist... Have you come across any really good fan replacements for the Bard, the Druid (and other missing classes in 4E)?
Edit:
Looks like the job has been done - The Advanced Player's Guide from Expeditious Retreat Press includes 4 new classes that sound like they might fit the bill...
- "Martial Artist (Monk analogue.) Divine Striker. More kung-fu than the 3e monk, nonetheless all the pieces that you would associate with a monk, along with some neat extra mechanics.
- Nature Priest (Druid analogue.) Divine Controller. Very similar in feel to the existing controller, the Wizard, plus some extra powers to conjure. Many of the powers have similar names to older Druid spells.
- Savage Warrior (Barbarian analogue.) Martial Defender. The Savage Warrior gains extra abilities when bloodied, and is master of the charge. In fact, the Savage Warrior fills his Defender role by marking when he charges, which is a great idea.
- Troubadour (Bard analogue.) Arcane Leader. Like the other Leaders, he gets a “Healing Word” type power, though for some reason it follows a different progression in healing power than the other leaders we’ve seen. The Troubadour also has other similar powers to assist allies, like granting re-rolls and extending ranges.
- Spellbinder (Illusionist analogue.) Arcane Controller. Uses mostly powers from other classes, mainly the Wizard and Warlock.
All the classes, with the exception of Spellbinder, have their own Paragon paths that also are call-backs to previous editions. You can see the complete list in the free preview PDF. Additionally, there are a few more generic paragon paths that have some familiar faces, including the Acrobat (Thief-Acrobat), Merciless Assassin (Assassin), Specialist Mage (School-focused wizard, but more like the Elementalist), and Stalwart Cavalier (Cavalier.)" quoted from the linked review
- Mood:
creative - Music:Police - Wrapped Around Your Finger
litagemini 's campaign at our club next month, and am building a 4E wizard to complement the party. Also because I want to learn the magic rules. I'm also a semi-serious City of Heroes player (if only I didn't have such alt-itis!), so Phil and I made toons for our characters. So... here they are. Mine's the female mage (magic controller, ice/force). |
| From Dragon's Maw |
- Mood: amused
- Music:Chicago: You're the Inspiration
( Beneath the cut out of consideration... )
- Mood: thoughtful
- Music:Phil Collins - Another Day in Paradise
Take a picture of yourself right now.
Don't change your clothes, don't fix your hair...just take a picture.
Post that picture with NO editing.
Post these instructions with your picture.
- Mood: amused
As you were...
And for amusement value, I present this entirely appropriate definition icon.
- Mood: amused
- Music:I Ran - A Flock of Seagulls
“We have normality. I repeat, we have normality. Anything you still can't cope with is therefore your own problem.”
- Mood:
depressed
Who would have thought that a major gaming company would fail to provide free, short intro adventures for their big new product? I mean, seriously, you want to hook people into your game, you give them something their first level characters can dip their toes in, right? Oh, wait... we're talking about WotC, aren't we?
*sigh*
Okay, here's my problem. I've been blithely assuming such a thing exists and scheduled a "make a character and play" session for this weekend. Saturday, to be precise. And now that I've lined people up... no adventure. *head*desk*head*desk*.
And so, I come to you, my brilliant, connected, GAMER friends, to see if any of YOU have something I might be able to use. I've got a 4 hour slot, probably half of which will be character building. I just need an itty bitty demo that will showcase a little of what makes 4th Ed D&D interesting enough to play again.
:: looks around hopefully ::
Anybody?
- Mood: frustrated
- Music:Ticket to Ride; The Beatles
On the other hand, I *need* to have my first slot in the morning off as much as possible, because I'm just too darned old to go on less than 5 hours sleep for more than a day. Nor am I willing to give up the stuff I have tickets for, as each and every one is something I'm dying to play. There are some holes in my schedule though, that I'd left open to hang with friends or pick up a game, so those I can fill with Blackmoor. I'm willing to run any of the intros at the drop of a hat, and a fair number of the rest of the library. I suck as a tactical/combat judge, so I won't run the high level/high combat mods that have become the staple of the campaign over the past year. Fortunately that still leaves quite a few modules.
I'll update here as I get new information.
- Play 8/14 Thurs 9 am Chill "Whatever happened to Chester Brown?" (RPG00079)
- Play 8/14 Thursday 2 pm Supernatural "Seeds of Chaos" (RPG00251)
- Run 8/14 Thursday 7 pm Colonial Gothic "Bonestown" (RPG00251)
- Run 8/15 Friday 1 pm StarMage Prophecies SMP01-06 "Rat Queen's Bane" (RPG01680)
- Play 8/15 Friday 6 pm Trail of Cthulhu "Incident at Killgul Island" (RPG01515)
- Run 8/16 Saturday 9 am Blackmoor "Welcome to Blackmoor"
- Play 8/16 Saturday 2 pm The Dresden Files (RPG01536)
- Run 8/16 Saturday 7 pm Blackmoor "Welcome to Blackmoor"
- Run 8/17 Sunday 11 am Cat "Home Alone" (RPG01887)
- Mood:
stressed - Music:Signals - William Elwood
Part of it isn't my fault - the StarMage creator found that the cheapest air ticket he could get was $1000. That's an awful lot of moolah when there were only half a dozen people signed up over all of the slots. So, I picked up the slots where there were tickets purchased and we canceled the rest. Unfortunately, two of those fell over games I was going to play. Ah, well... In addition, I'm now Plot Coordinator for Blackmoor, so it seemed to me that I really have to be willing to run at least a couple of slots to help the cause. I would always rather be on staff at LARPs than attending, so I volunteered for the WitchHunter Interactive. And, of course, I started the whole thing by deciding to run a scenario for Colonial Gothic (which sold out the first day, I'm happy to say).
Yup, there's where my Origins went... I'll need to find someone to buy the tickets for two games that I don't need any more.
And mind you, I do enjoy running these games, or I wouldn't have said yes. I just didn't realize I was going to be running so many slots...
| Run | 6/25/08 | 7:00 PM | Colonial Gothic - Bonestown |
| Run | 6/26/08 | 1:00 PM | Blackmoor Intro Archive |
| Run | 6/26/08 | 7:00 PM | VH:DP LARP - Celebration of Innocence |
| Run | 6/27/08 | 8:00 AM | Blackmoor Intro Archive |
| Run | 6/27/08 | 1:00 PM | SMP Market Mayhem |
| Play | 6/27/08 | 7:00 PM | WH:DP 1-14 Fair Trade |
| Play | 6/28/08 | 1:00 PM | FWS-A109: The Rock |
| Run | 6/28/08 | 7:00 PM | SMP01-06 Rat Queen's Bane |
- Mood:
pensive - Music:Aerosmith: Don't Want to Miss a Thing
Dang, but it's fun! I love the character creator, while I still yearn for even MORE options for clothing, faces, and in particular footgear for female characters. There are not enough "shoe" choices, imho, or body shape options. I tried to make a toon that looks somewhat like me, and simply couldn't make one fat and dumpy enough. It's more like me after a successful weight loss regimen, though my chum Philsie did observe that she has a "big butt", so I guess I got in the general neighborhood. I wish we had all of the costume tools that they have for the NPCs, like tie-died t-shirts and middle-aged spread. And more than 3 kinds of women's shoes.
Game play continues to hold my interest because they keep making changes and improvements. I'm *not* a hard core gamer, and my reaction time is pretty slow. I appreciate that I can still play the game (even if I do spend a lot of time running into walls and corners) and be a useful part of a team.
I like the team/hang out with your friends aspect the most. I can spend the evening with dear friends who are far away, beating up bad guys (or good guys in City of Villains), chatting on Skype and generally basking in camaraderie. I'd say that's why I've been playing so much, except that I've also spent a lot of time playing solo.
It's also a good avoidance tool -- and I don't really need more of those. It's soooo easy to fire it up and play on the laptop....
So, I'm cutting myself off for a couple of weeks. With any luck it'll be like my off and on relationship with coffee. I love coffee, I even need it, but since the last time I broke the caffeine addiction I can take it or leave it. Ideally I'll be able to go back to playing CoH a couple of times a week like before.
But first... man, have I got a lot to do in the 2 weeks before Origins!
- Mood: determined
- Music:Jungle Love
Erick Wujcik died Saturday from pancreatic cancer. He was 57, and my heart is breaking. We were not close friends, but he played a pivotal role in my early gaming, and he was always a joy to talk with. His contributions to the industry are many, and you can check the links for them.I will remember Erick best as he appears in this photo, with his leather cap and a quizzical, challenging expression on his face. He was one of the first people I met when I started gaming in the wide world. He was running a small con in the Detroit area (maybe 40 people) and I was the only woman there. I had a tremendously fun time, and found Erick funny, welcoming and full of ideas that were new to me. Before that, "gaming" meant D&D - after, I realized how much more there could be.
Erick continued to challenge my mind and open my eyes with seminars on “How to Win at RPGs” on being a better player, and in general as a GM how to understand your world on a macro level so you can improvise on a micro level. Erick used Zen koans to help illustrate, and while they made perfect sense at the time, I've never been able to understand or remember them well enough to share with others. His philosophies of gaming, though, I embraced and made my own. He started me on the road to enlightenment as a gamer, and growth as a human being.
The world is a lesser place for his loss, and a greater world for his contributions. I will miss him sorely.
Now cracks a noble heart. Good night, sweet prince, And flights of angels sing thee to thy rest! (Hamlet)
- Mood: sad
wickedthought and jediwiker have brought up this challenge. It's a subject where I have strong feelings, so I'm jumping on the bandwagon.Why is that, as a culture, we are more comfortable seeing two men holding guns than holding hands?" -Ernest Gaines
We would like to know who really believes in gay rights on livejournal. There is no bribe of a miracle or anything like that. If you truly believe in gay rights, then repost this and title the post as "Gay Rights." If you don't believe in gay rights,then just ignore this. Thanks.
I've pretty much had it with the vast seas of intolerance that are passing for society these days. Time to show a little human respect for everyone.
Edit:
wickedthought makes a good point - many people don't like to post memes, and while they might believe in gay rights, they might not want to feel that they're being forced to post 9on the subject. It certainly isn't my intention to do that. Post it or don't - I won't judge.- Mood: determined
A moment of silence, please, for the passing of one of the Great Masters. E. Gary Gygax died today at his home, of a heart attack (according to what I've read thus far). He was 69.Love him or hate him, without him the hobby I so love would not exist. When he and Dave Arneson got roleplaying on their wargaming, they created something magnificent, something that created a culture I am proud to be part of.
Most of my dearest friends came to me through gaming, and it still forms the core of my leisure life.
Thank you, Mr. Gygax. I wish you all the best as you begin your legendary journey to your next destination.
- Mood: sad
It's that time of year again, for the benign manufactured holiday for role players - GM's Day! It's a day to let your GMs know how much you appreciate their hard work in making a world for you to play in.Here's a link to my previous entry on this subject.
Do something nice for your favorite GM this week.
- Mood: busy
Just one pair right now... I see I need to save the larger size of the icon - I like the look of the text bottom/top.Yes, I know I need to get a life.
- Mood: amused
- Mood: creative
- Mood: creative
- Mood:
curious
I made this graphic, inspired by this cartoon from Something*Positive (warning, NSF language), as a representation of having hit the wall, hard today, with regards to gaming. Which is, as most of you probably know, the general center of my life.
If you're feeling constructive, feel free to offer ideas on re-energizing in the comments.
Also an icon, if you want to nab it for your own LJ.
Below is an extended whine...
( Extended self indulgent whine below. I'd skip it if I were you... )
- Mood:
exhausted
Urged by friends whose taste I trust as similar to mine, I took in the matinee of Cloverfield yesterday. (Warning - site link does launch the trailer.) It was f***ing fantastic. If you like monster movies, go see it. If you like well told stories, go see it. If you're prone to motion sickness, take your Dramamine first, as it's all shaky-cam. It's not revolutionary filmmaking, but it takes immersive storytelling and does it right. I jumped, I gasped, I cried. Twice.I won't share my high concept reaction because it is a spoiler. See it unspoiled if you can. On the other hand, if you want to be spoiled or you've already seen it, Wil Wheaton's review says everything I'd want to say, and better.
Any number of times during the movie, I found myself thinking: "This is just what my Chill game is like on its best days." (No ego here, nope, not at all, move along.) Regular people in unimaginable circumstances, trying to deal and being heroic along the way. I have one player for whom Hud's remarks in the subway tunnel are perfectly in character. Some of their decisions are ill considered - even stupid - but they're plausible, and that's what makes the movie for me.
I also kept wondering if they were going to bring out a video game. I think it would make an amazing videogame.
I will be taking the pacing and sensibility of this movie into my game.
Go see it. Seriously. It's that good.
- Mood:
bouncy
- Mood:
groggy
Chauncey and Edgar are elves, with old-school-tie accents.
Edgar says... "That's not something you see every day, Chauncey."
Chauncey says... "What's that, Edgar?"
Edgar says...
"A half orc waving bye bye."
"A glowing halfling riding a priest."
"A half orc in braids and satin pants."
(you get the idea - fill in the blank)
When I saw these cats, I had to caption them in honor of Chauncey and Edgar.
Edit: Unable... to... resist... obscure... reference... Ask if you really want the story.
- Mood:
geeky - Music:Elton John - Rocket Man
They all come from Action Cat.
 |  |  |  |  |  |
 |  |  |  |  |  |
Edit: I added two more, one at the end of each line, that I'd forgotten.
Edit: Aaaand - one more.
- Mood: amused
My players, $deity love 'em, have a pet name for me. The story (which I will tell beneath the cut) goes back a number of years, and I take great pride in my nickname. I run horror, for the most part, and if they don't cordially hate me, I'm not doing my job. The trick is to scare the jeebers out of them, but to make it so intriguing and so personal that they keep coming back for more.
So... this is how I became the Evil, Evil, B****
- Mood:
satisfied - Music:Unstoppable - Camino Palmero
Tonight I finish editing a module for Blackmoor. This one has been a real challenge, requiring some major surgery to get a plot flow that makes sense. Sleep is for the weak.
Saturday and Sunday are a CARP game weekend, and I'm running both WitchHunter and Fellowship of the White Star while others run Blackmoor. I'm really losing my taste for running D&D, especially as we hit a patch of Blackmoor modules that are, shall we say, more strategically oriented than I enjoy.
WitchHunter, on the other hand, has a very fast, very cinematic system, and the judges are empowered to let the players be as cinematic and flashy as they want. Mind you, they don't always succeed, but at least they can try! Both WitchHunter and FWS are historical horror, with WH set in 1689 and FWS in 1904. FWS is D&D based, but is more investigative than combat oriented, so I enjoy that as well.
And it almost goes without saying that I'm all about the horror...
Saturday evening, weather willing, we'll be back in Damara in the Forgotten Realms, if any of us can remember what it was we were doing... of course, there's always the trouble my swashbuckler can get into with her new lightsaber... er... artifact-empowered-semi-psionic rapier. :: chuckle ::
- Mood:
chipper - Music:I Just Died In Your Arms - Cutting Crew
In particular:
I won't be coming home tonightand
My generation will put it right
We're not just making promises
That we know, we'll never keep.
Now this is the world we live inI've been itching to run a Heroes-inspired game, but haven't found the time yet. This would make a good basis, perhaps along with Mike and the Mechanics' "Silent Running".
And these are the hands we're given
Use them and let's start trying
To make it a place worth fighting for.
This is the world we live in
And these are the names we're given
Stand up and let's start showing
Just where our lives are going to.
- Mood: creative
- Music:Land of Confusion, Genesis
The big gaming event, for me, was running the finales of the Living Death campaign for CARP. I wore the t-shirt I'd bought at the beginning of the campaign to run the final chapter. It seemed only fitting.The campaign lasted ten glorious - and terrifying - years. I played it at the premiere, and my remaining high level character, Miss Evangeline Pennyworth, expired at the official finale at Winter Fantasy (er, the DNDXperience) last winter. I was sad then, but it was somewhat lightened by the knowledge that I'd be running modules for the club for the next year. Now, alas, it is over. I ran six characters (3 deaths) to a very satisfying conclusion on Monday, and there were no dry eyes at the table as I read the final text through tear-blurred vision. The ending was right and proper, and I wouldn't have had it any other way. All campaigns should end when the story is well and truly told, the villains banished for all time and the heroes - bloody and weary, but not beaten - victorious in the end.
- Mood: melancholy
I intend to blog at length with pictures about my Canadian adventure over at my "life" blog, but that may be a couple of days. Meantime, I just wanted to let everyone know I'm safe at home and feeling incredibly blessed by the quality of the people who choose to call me friend.
Canada's wonderful, but I'm really happy to be home again.
- Location:Home (okay, at work)
- Mood:
relieved - Music:Christmas carols
doctor_toc| Your Ultimate Roleplaying Purity Score | ||
| Category | Your Score | Average |
| Hacklust | 41.51% Will kill for XP | 53.5% |
| Sensitive Roleplaying | 6.33% There is no player. There is only.... Zuul. | 54.7% |
| GM Experience | 9.42% Worldbuilder, storyteller... Master. | 69.3% |
| Systems Knowledge | 78.39% Local rules guru | 90.4% |
| Livin' La Vida Dorka | 20.69% Carries dice in pocket 'just in case' | 63.3% |
| You are 34.99% pure Average Score: 68.8% | ||
- Mood: amused
krrayn1 question...
1 chance...
1 honest answer...
That's all you get...
Ask me 1 question.
Any 1 question, anything,
no matter how crazy it is.
An honest answer.
No catch.
Except one. All comments will be screened so your question stays private between you and me, and only you will get to see my answer to your question.
But I dare you to repost this
and see what people ask you.
My own addendum: If the question/answer are something I don't mind sharing with the internet, AND you don't mind having it unscreened, I am willing to unscreen individual comments/answers. Mention screened/public in your reply. If you don't, I'll assume screened.
- Mood: pensive
robin_d_laws Player Types. (I took that quiz a while back, recorded here.) I see portions of my GMing style in a number of the different types, but am inclined to agree that Master of Ceremonies reflects the bulk of my style.
GM types by Georgios
You are the GM that really gives Players a full range experience.
Take this quiz!
Quizilla | Join | Make A Quiz | More Quizzes | Grab Code
Take this quiz!
Quizilla | Join | Make A Quiz | More Quizzes | Grab CodeI'm going to quote the initial post here, because I think it's useful and it's on a forum (and they are notoriously ephemeral). All credit goes to Georgios, who originally posted it in German as was kind enough to also post it in English. Go read the original discussion.
(Caveat: these GM-Types, much like those by Laws, aren't mutually exclusive of course. Many, if not most GMs fall somewhere in-between. And two GMs of the same kind aren't necessary alike. But I feel that they give you at least a rough idea, of what to expect and what is expected of you.)
The World Builder has the goal of presenting an in-depth game world. It's not just some random place, where faceless NPCs wander around boring building. The game world has a history. The landscape is diverse and exciting. NPCs are part of a living, breathing world, that features a nearly endless amount of details. The World Builder is someone who draws on sourcebooks, non-fiction books and genre literature to have a wealth of information to make the game world come alive. You might call the game world his work of art, and the players his audience.
Playstyle: If you're playing with the World Builder you should take an interest in the setting and enjoy the complexity of the world. Especially when the World Builder uses a published setting, you'll find many references (and also some intentional contradictions) to pick up on.
The Duelist is looking to compete with the players. He relishes playing the opposition to the characters. To him the game only starts when the group is fighting for something. That is not to say, that the Duelist only values combat. It's more that he's out to challenge the players. He loves victory to be hard-earned and have the players avoid defeat by a hair's breadth. But if the players display great tactical or strategic skill he will not deny them their well-deserved win. To him it goes without saying that his rule calls must be hard, but fair. Otherwise every victory is shallow and meaningless.
Playstyle: If you're playing with the Duelist you should never walk away from a challenge or base your decisions on anything other than tactics or strategy. With the Duelist you really have to work for everything you want, and have to prove yourself again and again. The Duelist's word may be law, but it would be an offence to his honour as a gamer to be biased and give anybody (let alone himself) an undeserved advantage.
The Plotmeister considers himself the master of puppets, where all threads come together. He brings a complex and multilayered plot to the game, that the players have to unravel. To him the game world is not so much a place, as it is a web of cause and effect, with the characters caught in the middle. This can sometimes lead to even the simplest and most common plot hooks leading to a wide fog of surprising twists and unexpected developments. It's the Plotmeister's goal to constantly baffle and surprise the group, but doing so with plot developments which, looking back, are both consistent and sensible.
Playstyle: With the Plotmeister you should always pay attention to what happens and never lose track of even the smallest of details. He likes to give the players all the pieces of the puzzle, but it is up to them to piece together the big picture. As a player you should make notes and constantly exchange theories with each other. Never take any assumptions for granted and test them in the game first.
The Master of Ceremonies is all about running a very atmospheric and immersive game. A game with the Master of Ceremonies should be unique and allow the players to dive into a whole new world. He likes to use all kinds of aids to make the game more vivid and real. He'd use things like lighting, background music, carefully crafted props and fancy handouts. It's also important to him that his NPCs talk and behave appropriately, that is to say.. authentically. To the Master of Ceremonies a roleplaying game is above all an experience and an act of escapism.
Playstyle: Gaming with the Master of Ceremonies requires the players to suspend their disbelief and keep heckling to a minimum. Nothing makes you more unpopular with him, than an out-of-character comment at the wrong time or an action that breaks the atmosphere. He especially disapproves of any kind of metagaming (which can include purely tactical/strategic play).
The Actor pours all his effort into the NPCs. He wants to present the players with many different NPCs with peculiar features or at least NPCs that are clearly and easily distinguishable. For the Actor the game world consists of characters with their preferences and dislikes, their strengths and quirks. To him roleplaying is all about character interaction. That of course requires the NPCs to have a consistent personality that is not subordinate to any rules or constraints of the game. The Actor wants the characters and their interaction with the players to be memorable.
Playstyle: To get along with the Actor your character needs to have character. Just like you have the opportunity to find out more about the NPCs and their motivation, the Actor wants the game to reveal more about the players' characters. Who are they? Why are they the way they are? Contradictory actions of a character must always stem from some inner conflict. On no account should it be because the player didn't care if his actions today are consistent with those from before.
The Director considers roleplaying a medium to create stories together. In order for this creation to be exciting and entertaining he draws from all available means of roleplaying games (e.g. adventure structure, great challenges, dramatic conflicts, etc.) but also from any and all narrative art he's familiar with (e.g. three act structure, genre rules, cinematic language, etc.). The Director is only interested in playing the „important stuff“. Actions that don't advance the plot or reveal something about the characters, he prefers to avoid or completely cut out of the game.
Playstyle: The Director expects the players to work on bringing their vision to the game. That means, they should actively look for situations where they can forward the story. In other words, they should take charge in specific situations and push the story into a new direction. The Director wants the players to surprise him.
The Provider is the kind of GM, who doesn't have his own stake in the game. He has fun, because the other players have fun. Many Providers simply enjoy the company and are only GMing because nobody else wants to do it. The adventure is often made up of the player's preferences and he implements them according to the rules and to the best of his abilities. He's also willing to give the players more power, if that would increase the player's enjoyment of the game. The Provider feels obliged to meet the player's expectations halfway.
Playstyle: It doesn't take much to get along with the Provider. It's one of the reasons why most players consider him the best kind of GM. But there are two things, with which any group can push him away. As a player you must have at least a general idea of what you enjoy in a roleplaying game. Nothing is more frustrating for a Provider than players who claim to like one thing, but in reality want something completely different. Additionally, the Provider – more than any of the other types of GM – needs confirmation that the game was fun. A group that doesn't regularly tell him that he did a good job and they enjoyed themselves in his game, is practically chasing him towards burnout.
The World Builder has the goal of presenting an in-depth game world. It's not just some random place, where faceless NPCs wander around boring building. The game world has a history. The landscape is diverse and exciting. NPCs are part of a living, breathing world, that features a nearly endless amount of details. The World Builder is someone who draws on sourcebooks, non-fiction books and genre literature to have a wealth of information to make the game world come alive. You might call the game world his work of art, and the players his audience.
Playstyle: If you're playing with the World Builder you should take an interest in the setting and enjoy the complexity of the world. Especially when the World Builder uses a published setting, you'll find many references (and also some intentional contradictions) to pick up on.
The Duelist is looking to compete with the players. He relishes playing the opposition to the characters. To him the game only starts when the group is fighting for something. That is not to say, that the Duelist only values combat. It's more that he's out to challenge the players. He loves victory to be hard-earned and have the players avoid defeat by a hair's breadth. But if the players display great tactical or strategic skill he will not deny them their well-deserved win. To him it goes without saying that his rule calls must be hard, but fair. Otherwise every victory is shallow and meaningless.
Playstyle: If you're playing with the Duelist you should never walk away from a challenge or base your decisions on anything other than tactics or strategy. With the Duelist you really have to work for everything you want, and have to prove yourself again and again. The Duelist's word may be law, but it would be an offence to his honour as a gamer to be biased and give anybody (let alone himself) an undeserved advantage.
The Plotmeister considers himself the master of puppets, where all threads come together. He brings a complex and multilayered plot to the game, that the players have to unravel. To him the game world is not so much a place, as it is a web of cause and effect, with the characters caught in the middle. This can sometimes lead to even the simplest and most common plot hooks leading to a wide fog of surprising twists and unexpected developments. It's the Plotmeister's goal to constantly baffle and surprise the group, but doing so with plot developments which, looking back, are both consistent and sensible.
Playstyle: With the Plotmeister you should always pay attention to what happens and never lose track of even the smallest of details. He likes to give the players all the pieces of the puzzle, but it is up to them to piece together the big picture. As a player you should make notes and constantly exchange theories with each other. Never take any assumptions for granted and test them in the game first.
The Master of Ceremonies is all about running a very atmospheric and immersive game. A game with the Master of Ceremonies should be unique and allow the players to dive into a whole new world. He likes to use all kinds of aids to make the game more vivid and real. He'd use things like lighting, background music, carefully crafted props and fancy handouts. It's also important to him that his NPCs talk and behave appropriately, that is to say.. authentically. To the Master of Ceremonies a roleplaying game is above all an experience and an act of escapism.
Playstyle: Gaming with the Master of Ceremonies requires the players to suspend their disbelief and keep heckling to a minimum. Nothing makes you more unpopular with him, than an out-of-character comment at the wrong time or an action that breaks the atmosphere. He especially disapproves of any kind of metagaming (which can include purely tactical/strategic play).
The Actor pours all his effort into the NPCs. He wants to present the players with many different NPCs with peculiar features or at least NPCs that are clearly and easily distinguishable. For the Actor the game world consists of characters with their preferences and dislikes, their strengths and quirks. To him roleplaying is all about character interaction. That of course requires the NPCs to have a consistent personality that is not subordinate to any rules or constraints of the game. The Actor wants the characters and their interaction with the players to be memorable.
Playstyle: To get along with the Actor your character needs to have character. Just like you have the opportunity to find out more about the NPCs and their motivation, the Actor wants the game to reveal more about the players' characters. Who are they? Why are they the way they are? Contradictory actions of a character must always stem from some inner conflict. On no account should it be because the player didn't care if his actions today are consistent with those from before.
The Director considers roleplaying a medium to create stories together. In order for this creation to be exciting and entertaining he draws from all available means of roleplaying games (e.g. adventure structure, great challenges, dramatic conflicts, etc.) but also from any and all narrative art he's familiar with (e.g. three act structure, genre rules, cinematic language, etc.). The Director is only interested in playing the „important stuff“. Actions that don't advance the plot or reveal something about the characters, he prefers to avoid or completely cut out of the game.
Playstyle: The Director expects the players to work on bringing their vision to the game. That means, they should actively look for situations where they can forward the story. In other words, they should take charge in specific situations and push the story into a new direction. The Director wants the players to surprise him.
The Provider is the kind of GM, who doesn't have his own stake in the game. He has fun, because the other players have fun. Many Providers simply enjoy the company and are only GMing because nobody else wants to do it. The adventure is often made up of the player's preferences and he implements them according to the rules and to the best of his abilities. He's also willing to give the players more power, if that would increase the player's enjoyment of the game. The Provider feels obliged to meet the player's expectations halfway.
Playstyle: It doesn't take much to get along with the Provider. It's one of the reasons why most players consider him the best kind of GM. But there are two things, with which any group can push him away. As a player you must have at least a general idea of what you enjoy in a roleplaying game. Nothing is more frustrating for a Provider than players who claim to like one thing, but in reality want something completely different. Additionally, the Provider – more than any of the other types of GM – needs confirmation that the game was fun. A group that doesn't regularly tell him that he did a good job and they enjoyed themselves in his game, is practically chasing him towards burnout.
- Mood: impressed
- Music:Sting and the Police: Message in a Bottle
- Mood: amused
Ever since WotC's "April Fool's Joke" about "My Little Pony: The RPG", I've been noodling around (along with litagemini) about creating a real "My Little Pony" RPG. The stories are all about cooperating to solve problems, and the ponies divide naturally into classes. I thought it was criminally stupid of WotC, whose parent Hasbro owns the My Little Pony TM license, to NOT make such a game.I was happy to see at Gencon that at least someone else has embraced the idea with Bella Sara. It's not a role playing game, it's a card game with an online component, but it was one of the hottest things at the show.
I think they might have something there...
- Mood: amused
I've done it before and am happy to do it again. There are some truly wonderful people on my flist, and they make my world better every day.
Gacked from
varianor- Mood: chipper
As you can see, every slot is busy. On the up side, I might be able to slip away to the dealer's room after my marshaling is done for those slots, assuming that there's someone to cover the campaign resource table. But no drinking the night away for me, not with that 8 am Marshalling. Gah.
Needless to say, I've done very little on my WWAWM entry... fortunately, it's Cat, and it will be fun for the players even if I make it up on the spot.
- Mood:
anxious
robin_d_laws continues to be brilliant in this entry on Risk in RPGs.What's clarified for me here is something I find very frustrating in play, but never found a definition to fit it.
Years ago (in the late 1980's) I started advocating for a play-style I called "cinematically correct". If it would look good on film, it was good.
If I was playing, I'd seek out mechanics that would let me crash through the skylight and land on my feet, or at least have something really interesting happen if I failed. If I was running, I'd flat out tell players that if they could persuade me something would look good on film, and frame it like a shot, I'd do my best to help them find a way to make it happen in the game. Or at least have something really interesting happen if they failed.
Go read it. Robin Laws is Brilliant.
In other news, halfway through the month all I've done on Toccata and Fur in A Minor is develop a map of the neighborhood and begin drafting personalities for sample cats. I do have an outline of the events, but it needs fleshed out big time.- Mood: stressed
- Music:Yanni - The One Who Knows
The challenge - write an adventure scenario (to share) in the space of a month. I've certainly written modules faster, and as for slow... well, I never did finish Safari, my homage to Man-Eaters of Tsavo.
My scenario for the month is: Toccata and Fur In A Minor, a scenario for the Cat RPG. I'll be running this at both Origins and Gencon this summer, so it seems like a good candidate. I'm infamous for finishing my module as I run it - I'll be trying to avoid that, for a change.
Here's the blurb:
A new family has moved into the neighborhood, and from the melancholy music you hear it seems that not all is well. Misery & Boggins - always together, and you're just the cats to deal with both. Cat is set in a mythic suburbia where the player characters are feline pets that are our secret guardians, keeping humans safe from an unseen world of gremlins and evil. This simple system encourages family play and all age groups' participation.My 32 pages will include maps and pre-generated characters.
So far, though, all I have are some sketchy ideas based on a session I ran for some friends in DC.
- Mood: creative
- Music:Deuter: Vibrant Disc
This article, from BoingBoing, conflates the 400th anniversary of Jamestown with the whole Zombie trope. And all of a sudden the plot bunnies are breeding, and I find myself wanting to write a scenario about early colonists dealing with a zombie infestation in the New World.To quote:
those pilgrims were starving to death, and living in absolute horror. It got so bad, some were reduced to subsisting off old shoes, rotting corpses, pools of blood left behind by the sick and dying, the salted flesh of murdered spouses, and -- BRAIINNNNNSSSSSS! The story of Jamestown and Pocohontas and Thanksgiving was not so much a Disney movie, explains radio producer Nate DiMeo in the voiceover -- it was more like a Wes Craven movie.
Oh, yeah... but what system? Chill could certainly handle it, or maybe the upcoming Witchhunter: The Invisible World or Colonial Gothic. Hrm....
Be afraid, be very afraid...
- Mood: naughty
- Music:Llewellyn - Sacred People
Getting Feedback - Repeat, Clarify, Probe
First, ask specific questions. Were the scenes and encounters too hard? Too easy? Too long? Did they feel railroaded, did they feel 'adrift'? Stuff like that.
Second, repeat what they tell you. When they answer a question, put it in your own words, and ask if that's what they meant, just to make sure you're understanding clearly.
Third, probe for details. That is, ask about various little bits of what they said that seem to be leading somewhere. The dragon wasn't too tough, just a bit simple. What struck you as "simple"?
Fourth, clarify. Recap everything you've learned by asking. Thank the players for their feedback, and pay attention to it. The players are telling you not only how their priorities were served, but what those priorities are. Try to look at their answers in light of what they are telling you is important about the game.
- Mood: productive
- Music:Gene Newton - Safe Passage
1. Come For A Good Time
If your primary goal at the table is something other than having an experience you enjoy, and that others can enjoy with you, you should be doing something else. Generally speaking, that means having fun. Sometimes it might be more specific - crafting a satisfying story together, or having the experience of seeing things from the perspective of your character, either in addition to or instead of classically fun stuff. But if what you want when you sit down at the table on any given night isn’t enjoyable to you, or does not allow enjoyment for others, do not sit down at that table. Not gaming is better than bad gaming.
2. This Is Your Gamespace, These Are Real People.
Accept and understand that the players around you are real people that are also here to have fun. Nobody comes to the table to watch one player discuss their personal character’s stuff with the GM when it could wait, or to watch two players crack inside jokes at each other and exclude everyone else. Nobody comes to the table to be treated to the personal aroma of another player, or to closely observe their food being chewed. Nobody hosts a game hoping for a marathon cleanup session at the end. Nobody comes to the table to be the ego-boosting kick-toy of anyone else. Never, ever, forget that you are playing the game with real people.
3. Accept Responsibility
Taking the same point as #2, and bringing it into the game - what you do at the gaming table is your responsibility, and you should accept this. What others do is their responsibility, and they should accept that, too. This absolutely includes what you decide that your character does. This absolutely includes the actions of the GM as world. If playing your character as written could very well interfere with the fun of others, you need to decide where to go with that – it’s your call, though; excuses are lame. If you ruin the game by playing your character or the world ‘correctly’, then you still ruined the game.
4. Give Feedback
Anything from telling the GM “I had a good game tonight” to “here’s ten specific moments of play I really liked, and ten moments I really didn’t”, can help. For the GM, telling the players what they loved about their play, and what they found dull, works the same way. The GM can’t read the minds of the players here (or anywhere else), and the players don’t know what’s going on internally for the GM either. Unless they tell each other. This doesn’t need to be formal – in fact, it seems that it often works best if it isn’t. But the clearer it is, the better; and it’s often good to get a quick idea of this stuff before you start.
5. Share Creativity
No one person at the table has full control over what happens in the game. If someone does, you get some really boring shit. At the very least, a player generally controls most of one character in the game. There are an infinite number of little variants on how the GM and the players share control over who gets to put stuff in, and things work best once the group hits a level of input from each person at the table that they’re comfortable with. Find that level. If you’re looking for ways to muck about with that level of input, there are quite a few ways to do that.
6. Seek Consensus
The people at your table have, if your game is actually running at all, a consensus. The ideas in their heads of what the game is and does match up well enough to produce good play. Sometimes a group will hit on little moments when their ideas just don’t match up, and they’ll need to talk about what this specific thing looks like in their heads and agree on one way to go about it. Once in a while, one of the people at the table will want to bring something in that they aren’t sure will match up with what the others have in their heads, and it’s a good idea for them to mention that before they do.
7. Negotiate Honestly
When problems come up in your group, the first step is to make sure that everyone at the table is onboard with at least the basic ideas of the first five things here – they don’t have to be “skilled” at these things; being onboard is plenty. If they aren’t, I don’t really have any good advice for you – for myself, I likely wouldn’t play with them for much longer. If they are, and you still have a problem, then it’s time to sort that out. Now, my own recommendations on doing that are below, but they aren’t really ‘polished’ and they’re kind of artificial; if you’ve got any ideas on that, I’m really interested. But here’s another standard saying that ties into this – it’s usually a very bad idea to try and solve out-of-character problems with in-game events. That’s dishonest, and doesn’t generally work. Also, using the rules to ‘punish’ your players or ‘get back’ at your GM? Same thing.
8. Consider Your Options.
When someone makes an attempt to alter 'your part' of the fiction - the world if you're the GM, your character if you're a player, you have choices. You can simply agree, or disagree; you can put it to the mechanics, you can modify what they’ve stated and give it back to them. Limiting your options in this case is silly; most advice to limit these options in a ‘positive’ way comes from a desire to keep the energy of the game high, or allow for trust between players above and beyond the basic average; those are good goals, but instead of using limits on yourself and others to achieve them, simply remember that your decisions will affect those things as well as the specific matter at hand.
9. Watch The Spotlight.
At any given instant of play, someone has the spotlight. This doesn’t just mean ‘one person is talking’. It means that if there are a whole string of scenes, one person is usually “center stage”; the scene revolves around their stuff, whether that’s world stuff or character issues or whatever. If that person isn’t you, then you’re a supporting character in that scene; try to play good support, whether that means keeping quiet, offering support or advice, playing up the effects the setting has on your character a bit, whatever. If that person is you, then fill that scene; it’s there for you to step into. If nobody is sure who should have the spotlight, then act as support for each other, until the focus hits. But watch that spotlight, too. If you’re getting more than a fair share, work to make more scenes about other characters. If you’re getting less than your share, then when a scene doesn’t really have a focus, step up and take it. Now, sometimes the players will think that different people are getting too much, or not enough spotlight time – we’re people, it happens. Talk about it; most of the time, whoever’s being a hog or hiding away just needs to know about it - and on those occasions when that isn’t true, work it out.
10. Play the Game At The Game
This is a close partner to sharing creativity. Sometimes, you’ll have an idea about the game before you sit down at the table, about something you’d like to see happen there. Sometimes, you’ll have a whole string of them. That’s good stuff. But when those ideas start to look like a whole storyline, you need to be careful with it. A storyline like that is great raw material, but don’t get too attached; if you get too attached to that storyline, you’ll find yourself pushing to make it happen, and ignoring or working against all the other good ideas and creative input at your table. Remember, at all times; raw material is good. But don’t play the game before it starts – play the game when you’re at the game.
11. Show Your Stuff As You Go.
Almost everybody wants to feel like the fictional world, and the characters in it, are real to them enough to imagine. This is, of course, achieved by describing things. But nobody wants to be bored by drawn-out description, or huge whopping chunks of detail. If the GM rattles of ten facts about the place the characters are standing, only the first few will sink in; likewise if a player does this when describing their character. So, the key is to describe as you go. If a player wants us to know that her character Jill is a graceful woman, she shouldn’t simply tell the group that at character creation; her character should ‘glide’ and ‘move nimbly’ in play – her description at creation need only be a single, vivid image, that she can build on by describing not only what the character does, but how. This works in the same way for the GM; when the characters walk into a abandoned study, it can simply be an old, dusty study, smelling of books; as the characters interact with it, the GM can note the thick books, the puffs of dust as things are moved. One key to a good description that’s often missed is that it starts simple and vivid, and grows as you go, so that it’s never boring.
12. Learn To Speak The Same Language.
This is an ongoing effort that every group needs to make together. Every single person thinks that different phrases and wordings imply slightly different things, and this is one of the biggest things that can knock down even an honest attempt at talking to other people. Your group, to communicate both well and quickly, will sometimes need to hash out things related to this; accept that it’s going to happen and try not to get too serious about a problem until you’re sure this isn’t it.
Feel free to add to this list...
- Mood: impressed
- Music:The Marquis Ensemble - Echoes of Tuscany
And lookie here - GAMA's Games for Troops program!
Let’s get those games out there!
Update: SPC Amberson says they're expecting around 300 people. Not bad for a war zone! Martin Rayla of Treasure Tables reminds me that Amazon will ship to military addresses, in case you'd like to use them.
Update:
muskrat_john aka John Kovalic (he of Dork Tower fame) is not only spreading the word via his LJ, he also says:I'm making damn sure everyone at the con gets a comic book or two. I'm also sending a ton of trade paperbacks for door prizes, as well as Out of the Box games, Munchkin, Chez Geek, Mag*Blast and, of course, Chez Grunt.Update: Additional places to send gaming stuff - Games for GI's. They send stuff to all forward deployed troops.
We are currently at an address where we can ship all care packages through military means free of charge. If you’d like to find out more making a contribution or volunteering, or if you’d like a copy of our needs list, I may be contacted at zacharythefirst@hotmail.com. Additionally, if you have a friend or loved one you’d like added to our care package list, contact us, and we’d be happy to do so.The address and central distribution point to send your contributions is:Update: from Dave Amberson - they would be delighted to get PDF products as well. They have laptops and access to printers...
Games For G.I.s
c/o Zachary Houghton
PSC 62 Box 6902
APO AE 09643
Update: More love, this time from
![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/community.gif){kind=small}
pandemonium_bks in Cambridge, Mass. They will take donations via Paypal to add to the shipment they're sending out May 2nd.- Mood:
energetic
