My Ryuutama Campaign Stories entry 1

Wow! Nearly one hundred people read my last entry about my RPG playing history—I don’t know if it will get anymore looks and I didn’t get a single +1 from anybody, but I appreciate the views. That’s like 10x the amount of almost anything else I’ve written. I read the thing over again myself, and it was very rough in spots, so I don’t blame anyone for snubbing me. That’ll teach me to write without proofreading. Today, I’ve decided to write a little bit about RPGs again, starting with my current Roll*20 Ryuutama campaign and plug a Kickstarter that I’ve recently backed. Hopefully, this one will be shorter yet better than the last one. 

Roll*20 Stuff: 

 

First of all, I talked about Roll*20 in the last entry. For those who aren’t in the know—and I’m very surprised at the number of people who don’t know, even among my FB groups—Roll*20 is one of the virtual tabletops available online that allows groups to play many different game systems using, in this case, a free suite of tools for both DMs and Players. Maps, tokens, music/Sound f/x, voice/video/text chat and just about anything else you imagine needing have been built and continue to be refined. Like always the DM will have to put in a bit more work, but there are ways to share the load. It takes a bit of learning, but even folks with rudimentary computer skills should be able to pull it off in no time. I started as a player which was no problem at all, but I soon decided to try my hand at running a campaign. Although I won’t be winning any prizes for implementing all the bells and whistles, what I do use is straightforward enough and I’m learning new things all the time. I can’t recommend it enough for people who are separated from their friends or otherwise can’t find a live table to play at. It’s the next best thing. BTW, these virtual table tops, and there are more, such as Fantasy Grounds to name one, are not video games or MMPRPGs. They are basically a delivery system for the game that you would play at the live table if you could. 

Downsides:

1.       Flakiness due to the online environment—you never know who you’re going to meet, their ages or maturity levels, or what their schedules are like, and I find they’ll ditch you for someone or something else at the drop of a hat.

2.       Fickleness of the technology—The Roll*20 built-in voice and video chat are infamously bad. Most people will use Hangouts, Skype or Discord as an alternative. Personally, I prefer to run text only simply because if one person gets a bad connection, it kills it for everybody, and I’m usually the one with the bad connection.

3.       Finding a game to join as a player—A DM can write his own ticket and are in high demand. Did you know some people are charging players to be in their games? I guess there’s nothing wrong with that, especially with “name” guys that you see on YouTube, but there are a lot of regular Joes charging people to play in their games. I don’t know if I’d ever go that route. Most the time I’m just happy to find people who want to play. 

      Ryuutama Campaign Intro: 

 

I’m currently running a Ryuutama campaign. Ryuutama is a really cute RPG system out of Japan that has been called “Hayao Miyazaki’ Oregon Trail”. It was translated into English and a part of a successful Kickstarter campaign a couple of years back. I hear it’s been translated in different languages all around the world. It may not be a household name, but it should be. I missed backing it, but upon seeing the book, I immediately ordered it. You could buy the PDF alone and one comes as a package deal with the physical copy, but for me it’s that physical copy that you want. Such a beautiful book. It’s also a deceptively complex, but fun and easy to homebrew system that focuses on travel more than combat. Although, I’ve been running the Hell out of the combat and the players have really loved it. I’ll put a link at the end because I want more people to play the game. I promised to keep it short this entry so I’m opting not to write about our latest sessions just yet. Next time I’ll tell you because something very interesting happened from my end of things. Long story short—the throwaway Halloween themed sessions that I launched in October as what was meant to be a one-or-two shot is still going on now. Next time details…

Recommended  Kickstarter: 

Before I wrap up this entry I wanted to tell you all about the new Kickstarter that I backed. If you are an RPG fan clicking on my long-winded blog, you probably have already heard, but if not, do please consider backing Matt Colville’s Strongholds & Streaming . It is primarily a D&D 5E supplement detailing Stronghold options for the players—but he funded so quickly the book promises to also contain rules for Gem Dragons, New Items, and an Adventure. There’s a stretch goal in the wind that would bring a Pirate Ship stronghold—it’s sure to be forthcoming there’s too much money raised already to falter on the stretch goal. In addition, you can back Gem Dragon minis—although they were too rich for my blood—and actual streaming of the games. If you haven’t checked out his YouTube channel you should even if you don’t decide to back the project. Colville is one of the most entertaining YouTubers out there. 

Links:

For Ryuutama look here:

www.kotohi.com/ryuutama

To check out Matt’s Kickstarter…and be tempted to spend tons of money on others look here:

 https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/255133215/strongholds-and-streaming?ref=nav_search&result=project&term=strongholds

My RPG Life

I'm a part of a few Facebook groups, YouTube channels and other forums about roleplaying games. Because Dungeons and Dragons or D&D is considered the granddaddy of all RPGs those terms are often used interchangeably. Thus, when you come across posts speaking in hushed, reverent tones about playing the "Game" they may or may not mean D&D specifically. Nowadays, some younger players might not know why a lot of us older guys continue to use "hushed, reverent tones" or are otherwise secretive when referring to RPGs. They're just games after all is said and done. I wouldn't say the hipsters are completely wrong. There are some pretentious, old grognards that are so full of hot air that they could probably use a good kick in the pants, but the younger sect doesn't always understand how people reacted to the hobby back in its infancy. The "Satanic Panic" of the 1980's is well documented and I would direct anyone with an interest to search for information at their leisure. As kid growing up in Georgia in the southern part of the U.S. it's a wonder that I got into RPGs at all. I was and do remain a Christian, but I've never seen anything wrong with the hobby--and fortunately, for me neither did my parents. It's too bad for the game that this stuff still comes up from time to time. Beyond being allegedly fueled by demons, there were even more issues. Today all things geek are in--for how long who knows?--but back in the old days, you were considered an outcast if people knew that you had geeky hobbies, and the older you got, the worse "normal" people's perceptions of you became. Stereotypes become stereotypes for a reason. It is true that a lot of us figuratively were living in our parents' basements and for the most part that we were shy, introverted males. I know it was true for me. Young guys today have it easier, what with real, live girls wanting to play and all that. I even hear tales that some of these girls aren't being dragged to the table by their boyfriends or husbands and may even be available--imagine that. In my day you rarely saw a girl and even if you did she probably didn't want to be there and/or the guys would run her off in short order. Even today if there is one real danger in RPGs it is that you can spend a lot of time and money in enjoying it. If you are a single guy and there aren't any girls at your table...you might need to go on a hiatus from playing for a bit...don't let us old, marrieds make you complacent in pursuits of the heart. So, with these kinds of stereotypes and sometimes outright hostility toward hobbyists in mind, it's easier to see why people aren't or weren't as open about discussing their past time with others. It also helps to explain why some older DMs will be more 'protective' of their games and less likely, in some cases, to give the amount of 'player agency' that has come to be expected in modern games.

As for my own history with the game, I was introduced to RPGs in the early 80's around when the D&D cartoon and toy-line came out. I "ran" games for my younger brother and his friend for a few years--mostly the old Marvel Superheroes game--before getting into a semi-regular D&D game with friends my age in the 90's. I learned later that we were mostly playing Advanced Dungeons and Dragons 2nd edition, but we played all sorts of systems including original World of Darkness, original Deadlands, Warhammer Fantasy RPG and many Palladium games among others. I had a slight hiatus in the 00's because I couldn't find anyone to play with and the wife wasn't and isn't into it. I more or less missed all of 3 and 3.5. In the 10's with the advent of Roll 20 and sheer luck of finding a group out here--I work in the UAE--, I'm currently playing more often and with more varied systems than I ever have before. I have every intention of getting my daughter involved as soon as she is old enough, so hopefully I'll keep playing for years to come.

Is there a point to all that exposition? Not much, but to say in all those years, across different editions and games, with different formats and even while living in different nations, I've been lucky enough to avoid much of the drama that I read about in the Facebook forums or see on YouTube . Here I want to give what I think have been my "rules" for success:

1. Be understanding of each other and remember you are playing because it's fun. If there's a lot of diversity in age/sex/background/game experience among the players around the table, look at it as a good thing. Use your RP skills to try to have empathy with others around the table. Most of the time we're playing with people who are already our friends, but if you are meeting and playing with new people cut them some slack.

2. Let the DM/GM have his way because it's his job. You may run differently when you are in the chair. It may even turn out that you are actually incompatible with this DM's style and need to find a new group, but when the game is on, I find it best to let it go. Does this mean being railroaded? Not necessarily. A good DM won't buffalo you, and players should be collaborating with each other and the DM to create a fun session. What you don't want to do is to get hung up on one ruling or another and derail the whole night. Also keep experience in mind--both the DM's and the other players around the table. It may seem the DM is favoring one player over another--be sure that player isn't a rookie getting extra help before you complain. Maybe it's a spotlight for that character this week and others will get the same opportunity in coming weeks. Maybe the player getting all the attention is interacting heavily while the rest of the players are sitting around and saying anything. Maybe the DM really isn't any good and he's trying to hit on a girl who managed to appear at his table by favoring her character. It may be an undigested bit of beef, a blot of mustard, a crumb of cheese, a fragment of underdone potato or any other reason that is keeping him from doing what you consider right--but for the sake of expediency and for the people around the table that night, you try to be the adult and let it go.

3. Session Zero. This is the "boring" session where players and DM should decide what kind of campaign is going to be run and you work together to create a character. I find that it's imperative to have this session and almost any other problems that may come up with the campaign can be avoided by taking the time to up front to let the players and the DM know what they are getting into. There are a lot of good videos on YouTube about session zero. Look them up. If new people come in mid-campaign there's no need for a second zero session, but it wouldn't be a bad idea for the whole group to help work the new character in. At the very least the DM should make sure that the new character is compatible with the rest of the players before the introduction.

4. Real World. Try not to commit to running or playing in a game unless you are going to have the time to make the commitment. You have to let the real world have its place. Don't lose your job, marriage or quality time with the kids over our silly hobby. As I'm typing this I'm missing a session because my toddler is sick. Now, I'm not doing much more for her than mother could by herself, but my being here means if something pops up I can lend a helping hand. If your players or DM have to layout once in a while, cut them some slack. Try not to be a flake though if you can help it--this is where I'd be giving the Forest Whitaker eye to most the folks I play with on Roll 20--although I have met some good players there too.

5.Watch your time and your money. Pretty much same as 4, but ya gotta have a top 5. The real danger of RPGs is enjoying them too much. Nowadays depending on how crooked you are, you can get most stuff for free. Even if you are Lawful Good, most companies will offer you enough free material that is completely legal to get you playing. Yet, if you aren't careful you can spend a small fortune trying to collect everything or just getting overly involved in the newest products to come out. I should practice what I preach, but Kickstarter has ushered in a golden age of niche products and almost everyone of them is something that I want to buy. Also, keep in mind that time is something you have to be mindful of. If you are a young single male, I must reiterate, beware. Not all gamer geeks grow up to be Vin Diesel. You might wake up in the parents' basement one day trying to run the game for a bunch of stray cats. Go out and make friends with varied interests and recruit them to the game. Don't skip out on exercise and taking care of yourself. Enjoy the game and make it work for you.

Anyhow, that was one long rant. I like getting it out of my system though.

About a Dragon...but not Dungeons and Dragons.

As a part of my 2018 initiative to write more, I'm presenting this mini-rant/dissertation or reading of the song Puff the Magic Dragon. Why? Well, about a year ago one of my older teaching friends mentioned the song on a Facebook post. To this day people still think it has something to do with pot smoking or 'puffing the magic dragon' if you will, but they would be wrong. It's easy to see why people think this way as the song comes from that hippy-dippy  60's era--according the Wikipedia entry it was written in '59, recorded in '62 and the popular release by folk group Peter, Paul and Mary was in '63--when the drug culture was coming around, but it was never about that. A stronger argument could be made about one HR PuffnStuf, but we'll save that for another entry. Puff is actually a song about growing up and how we sometimes lose our imagination and childhood wonder...and on an even deeper level, how we lose people that we care about as we get older. It's pretty deep for what is looked at as a kid's song--is it still a kid's song BTW? The most popular kids songs I hear to day are godawful covers of pop music. Was the world waiting the Kidz Bop version of Ke$ha's latest hit? Again, that's for another day, but let's get on with my personal take on Puff.

As I mentioned before the song was written and originally released many years ago. It's much older than I thought. However, by the time I came around in 1974, the song had become a standard for kids. It may be hard for some people to remember such things today, but back then compilation albums would be advertised on TV. Among the Freedom Rocks and Hey Love compilations--No, my brother, you have to buy your own--you would also find lots of kids songs and nursery rhymes. These inevitably made the elementary school circuit, and I remember hearing Puff the Magic Dragon, among others, very often. This resurgence in popularity eventually led to a cartoon of some acclaim back then with the same kind of annual showing you expected from Charlie Brown and the Grinch, but sadly, as far as I can tell, it only exists as YouTube nostalgia today. As a kid, I never caught on to anything particularly sad about the song...maybe a little in the way it was performed, but I liked hearing about the dragon and all the adventures. Little did I know how sad the song was and how sad it would yet be.

When I had a little age on me--actually didn't start to hit me until mid-20's/early 30's though I believe this epiphany could come around to anyone at any time after graduating from high school--I started to realize that I was Jackie Paper in the song. I was getting older, and yes, even I was moving on. I had held on to my youthful joys for so long--and I still try to in as much as I can--but what was "cute"in  my early 20's with excessive rapidness started to become more and more pathetic the closer I got to 30. Dragons live forever, but we humans do not--at least not while we're on this Earth. It took a good long while, but I got married. It wasn't long after that the new wife and I left my parents' home never to be their boarders again. It was a big thing. I'd left home a couple of times before to live with male friends as roommates, but those situations were never going to be permanent. I'd never even gone away for college like a lot of people do, but there at last at the ripe old age of 29 I'd taken my 23 year-old bride and began to seek my fame and fortune. The wife straightened me out. I really did start growing up--at least in as much as an anime lover with a weekly game of D&D can be said to have grow up. I eventually went back to university to become an English teacher. When I was about a year from earning my degree, my Mom and Dad moved in with us. Under the same roof again but more as roommates than anything. I graduated and ultimately decided to work as a teacher overseas, and once again I had to leave my parents--and for the first year, my wife--behind. That year as a single man--for all intents and purposes, except I didn't cheat--was about as much independence as I'd ever faced. It was a year in Taiwan as a rookie teacher. My childhood and even young adulthood finished up then. I went home after the first year out there, found my current placement in the UAE, collected my wife and the pair of us were off again. I lost my Dad before the year was out. He was only 65. All my new friends and colleagues agreed that it was an untimely passing nowadays. I don't know about all that. There aren't many ball teams looking for 65 year-old center-fielders. He had lived a fairly long and at least somewhat fulfilled life. He never ran off or abandoned his family until the day he died, but it would be a lie to say it wasn't a financial struggle for him throughout, and his own childhood was far from ideal. I love that rascal and still miss him. I hope he knows it. Seven years have rapidly passed since then. My mom's still out there living in the house my wife and I are still paying for--one which I only lived in for one year--as best as she can. She too is a lot like Puff in his cave because the nest is very much empty. My dad has now long passed, my brother and his wife have moved far away, and of course we're half a world away and don't get to visit nearly as much as we should. It really is a sad song to hear when you're Jackie Paper...

...But wait there's more...It's even sadder when you realize you aren't Jackie Paper anymore. You're Puff! Could it be any more depressing? At least I caught on quick. I have a daughter who is now three years old...She's Jackie...she really does bring me bits of strings and other 'fancy stuff', but there's going to be a time when she won't do that anymore. We're not sure if we will try to have any more kids, but even if we do, that day will come for them too. So, I make it a point to pay close attention to her. I try my best to limit the time I spend on doing things that aren't fun. In as much as I can, I spoil her hoping not to turn her into a brat. I want her to keep visiting Kings and Queens with me as long as she can...and of course her mother feels the same way. But, is there any hope in the song? One that actually can make me tear up even thinking about it like I am now.

Yes, with a but...according to Wikipedia there was one more verse in the poem where Puff finds a new friend to play with. It's been lost to time, but it's good to know that it was there. In most of the later performances by Peter, Paul and Mary the song remains as written, but for the last chorus. Instead of saying Puff lived by the sea and frolicked in the Autumn mist...it is changed to lives and frolics. That makes a big difference. Sure he was sad for a while, but he was able to move on. I like that version better. It works that way for me too. Although we don't get to visit nearly as much as we would like, my daughter is always glad to see her Nana and talk to her on the phone or with Skype. It would have been a better story if PopPop would have lived long enough to have met his granddaughter, but one of these days we'll all be living by the sea and frolicking in Autumn mist. 

2018: February Update

I promised to keep up with the blog this year...among other resolutions. And one month in--sitting at the computer technically just going into the 2nd of Feb--I'm trying to motivate myself to take in a late night/early morning workout. Probably won't happen this time, but at least I'm thinking about it.

January Final Tally:

Weight Loss Struggle: Could be worse. At turns I'm showing signs of improvement and being my lazy self. Always shocking how fast a week of not working out can add up while a week of actually working out properly drags. Anyhow for the month I ended up with a 13/27--this assumes taking one scheduled recovery day a week--for 48%. Hope to do better this month, but that's not too bad. I'm currently taking a modified "military diet" which is just calorie reduction based. I don't drink sodas and try to stay away from sweets in general. This one is three days on four days off, but these aren't four cheat days.

RPG Update: The group wound up getting back together on Roll 20 and we went 3/4 for an even better avg. than my workouts. I've managed to return to my live table group as well. Nothing of significance or humor to report though. I'm just glad to be back. Holidays are the bane of RPG groups so I'm glad we weathered that storm.

Bible Reading Update: Currently in the books of Leviticus, Psalms, Isaiah, and Luke. I've finished Genesis, Exodus, Proverbs, Song of Solomon, Ecclesiastes, Matthew, and Mark. I've tried many times to read through over the years, but this time I just might make it. Started this back in October technically, but I'm very far ahead of the plan because of it. Not going to lie, Exodus and Leviticus are slogs. The saying is true that every book of the Bible has been written for you, but not written to you. These books about the priests and the temple duties aren't all that exciting for me. Isaiah is pretty good and Luke is going okay, but he really did put a lot of detail into getting the facts down.

There's not much to say on my other topics. I haven't watched too many movies or done much with my other hobbies aside from the role playing. I started a WIX website, but I haven't finished it, and as to the deplorable things...it's been a relatively quiet month. There's some memo thing and a state of the union thing, but really I haven't been all that interested in it lately.

There's one monthly update down. I hope I have something more interesting to write about next month, but I'll just be glad if I can stay the course.