Today's word is evolve. I have to be quick due to time constraints, but this prompt lends itself well to the entire RPG hobby. Back in the 70's the mainstream didn't know much about it. In the 80's they were big enough to become the cause of most of the problems of the teenage world and were a big feature of the Satanic Panic--D&D is most infamous in this regard, but I remember seeing 'Cyberpunk' on the list of evil before I even knew what Cyberpunk was--, in the 90's the whole thing was on the verge of collapsing and it became even more of a niche thing, the 00's--thanks to the open gaming license IMO--the market was a bit flooded with D20 material and now we're here to day in the 10's where RPGs are bigger in the mainstream than ever before: D&D 5th was/is ab ig deal and dare I say "cool", Virtual Table Tops, Streaming Games--Critical Role breaking Kickstarter Records--and of course self-publishing and Kickstarter and other crowd funding sites giving every Mike, Ken, and Gary with an idea for a decent RPG the legit chance to pull it off. I say the hobby has 'evolved' into something bigger than it ever has been. This doesn't even address how the audience has grown to be a fairly inclusive group--I hate PC buzz words but there you go--no more is it a boys only club in their mom's basements. Everybody has discovered--at least for the moment--what we've known all along. RPGs are fun.
Thursday 29 August 2019
Wednesday 28 August 2019
RPG A Day 2019--August 28th--Love
I'm a day late on my current side of the world, but it's still the 28th of August in the homeland, so I'll go ahead on and address today's topic 'Love'.
When it comes to most of my RPG sessions and campaigns, love stories don't get too much play. Characters may be motivated by their love of their homes or to win the heart of a princess or something like that. However, I'll point out a couple of things I have seen or read about:
1. I have had characters get married or have all of their actions in fact be about gaining the love of someone or going all John Cena/Liam Neeson/Keanu Reeves and have to save their wives, kids or dogs or stuff out of love.
2. I may allow what might be considered misogynistic behavior nowadays to go on with the PCs and various tavern wenches and the like as tends to come up. It depends on what group is at the table and whether or not they get offended. "Love Making" scenes, nevertheless, are always PG-13 and such act happen off camera. When feelings aren't mutual between the PC and the NPC--and there have been times when that has happened--it's no longer "love" once it becomes a crime and there will always be a big brother/bouncer/law man around to put a stop to it--and me to check the alignment of the character. It's also weird because when we're all guys playing who's going to want to talk to each other about those kinds of shenanigans? Luckily, it's never happened at any game I've been at or run.
So, I guess that's all the love/romance/me too behavior you get in one of my games.
When it comes to most of my RPG sessions and campaigns, love stories don't get too much play. Characters may be motivated by their love of their homes or to win the heart of a princess or something like that. However, I'll point out a couple of things I have seen or read about:
1. I have had characters get married or have all of their actions in fact be about gaining the love of someone or going all John Cena/Liam Neeson/Keanu Reeves and have to save their wives, kids or dogs or stuff out of love.
2. I may allow what might be considered misogynistic behavior nowadays to go on with the PCs and various tavern wenches and the like as tends to come up. It depends on what group is at the table and whether or not they get offended. "Love Making" scenes, nevertheless, are always PG-13 and such act happen off camera. When feelings aren't mutual between the PC and the NPC--and there have been times when that has happened--it's no longer "love" once it becomes a crime and there will always be a big brother/bouncer/law man around to put a stop to it--and me to check the alignment of the character. It's also weird because when we're all guys playing who's going to want to talk to each other about those kinds of shenanigans? Luckily, it's never happened at any game I've been at or run.
So, I guess that's all the love/romance/me too behavior you get in one of my games.
Tuesday 27 August 2019
RPG A Day 2019--August 27th--Suspense
How do you keep a moron in suspense....?
How many of you are going to use that same dad joke...?
I like suspense in my games and most of the time it comes at the end when we have a cliff hanger. Hopefully, players will want to come back next session to see how it all turns out. The other way to make a game suspenseful is to stack the deck against the players. It's a hard thing to do nowadays because getting people to play together regularly is very difficult. Once a regular player character is created--and I don't care which system it is--it's pretty hard to kill them off. If you get the old TPK there's a good chance that's the last session for the campaign. So, it gets pretty suspenseful when a character--or the whole party--is on the verge of being wiped out and nobody knows for sure if fate--or the game master--is going to step in to keep hope alive.
Unfortunately, the way I get suspense from most of my Roll * 20 games is the moments from start time to 15 minutes after start time when I--and usually one other player, but not always the same one--are waiting around to see if anyone else will turn up. It's also suspenseful to see who's going to drop out of the campaign first. In defense of my flaky players, most of them would like to play, but then work gets in the way. I envision the suspense they feel as their schedule is being set up at work--will I play or won't I? I'm sure it's the same feeling I get when asking my wife's permission to head out to a game night.
How many of you are going to use that same dad joke...?
I like suspense in my games and most of the time it comes at the end when we have a cliff hanger. Hopefully, players will want to come back next session to see how it all turns out. The other way to make a game suspenseful is to stack the deck against the players. It's a hard thing to do nowadays because getting people to play together regularly is very difficult. Once a regular player character is created--and I don't care which system it is--it's pretty hard to kill them off. If you get the old TPK there's a good chance that's the last session for the campaign. So, it gets pretty suspenseful when a character--or the whole party--is on the verge of being wiped out and nobody knows for sure if fate--or the game master--is going to step in to keep hope alive.
Unfortunately, the way I get suspense from most of my Roll * 20 games is the moments from start time to 15 minutes after start time when I--and usually one other player, but not always the same one--are waiting around to see if anyone else will turn up. It's also suspenseful to see who's going to drop out of the campaign first. In defense of my flaky players, most of them would like to play, but then work gets in the way. I envision the suspense they feel as their schedule is being set up at work--will I play or won't I? I'm sure it's the same feeling I get when asking my wife's permission to head out to a game night.
Monday 26 August 2019
RPG A Day 2019--August 26th--Idea
For this the 26th consecutive day of posting about my hobby 'ideas' about what to write about are in short supply. Having just completed my first day of school--no young hellions nor set schedule yet, but both I have been assured are on the way--I also have no idea if I'll be able to get into any game out here any time soon. My latest Roll*20 campaign--which ended and/or was put on hiatus with a whimper was scheduled to make a return this September. Now, with all the stuff I just saw on my plate, I'm not so sure. If you ever find yourself out this way, I can happily report that Roll*20 does at least work with a VPN connection.
Not every entry can be a winner and this one surely isn't, but what can you do when you're all out of ideas?
Not every entry can be a winner and this one surely isn't, but what can you do when you're all out of ideas?
Sunday 25 August 2019
RPG A Day 2019--August 25th--Calamity
Here we are at day 25 already and the word for today is 'Calamity'. The first thing that popped into my mind with this prompt was 'Calamity' Jane. Thanks to Wikipedia I know that the real-life Calamity Jane was a frontierswoman named Martha Jane Cannary who cared a lot for the sick and helpless out on the frontier. She famously appeared in Wild Bill Hickock's Wild West Show wherein she recalled how she got the nickname 'Calamity'. She said it was because of saving a famous General of that time from a 'calamity' involving an American Indian uprising--others said it was because when men tried to date her that they were 'courting Calamity'. Whatever the case may be the nickname is what I remember--that and the character of the same name from the original Deathrace 2000. So today I'm going to tell about some of my characters with memorable names and nicknames and explain the jokes--which are possible good for a mild chuckle to older people and most probably completely lost on the young people I generally play with.
Darville Frostbeard--a Mountain Dwarf D&D character who sold bootleg ale--of course comes from Smokey and the Bandit. The bandit's real name was Bo Darville--surely you knew that.
KiraKira--my Ryujin character from Ryuutama. The Ryujin is unique to Ryuutama. It is a character that the GM runs by design. The Ryuujin has three forms--an innocuous small form for which I chose a pixie marionette, a winged humanoid form, and a dragon form. KiraKira is the Japanese word for Glitter which was the name of the pixie character in the Kidd Video cartoon from the 80's.
Caladium Araceae--Speaking of pixies, D&D 4E had real rules for playing them, so of course I took advantage of that. Caladium is a poisonous plant from the family of Araceae. The plants themselves have interesting nicknames that I applied to the character on the one hand it can mean 'Angel Wings' but on the other hand it can mean 'Elephant Ears'. She took it as the former while her friends took it as the latter.
Syllan Blackleaf--Dungeons and Dragons Elf Ranger. The surname of course came from the anti-Dungeons and Dragons Jack Chic tract from the 1980's.
Gnissa Fumblebuck--so she's a gnome for starters and I went with the old Great Space Coaster "joke" featuring the puppet newscaster, Gary Gnu who used the cringe worthy tagline 'No Gnus is Good Gnews' every time I could come up with such a pun it got less and less punny. Fumblebuck was also an obvious play on the suggested gnome gname--see not punny at all is it?--of Stumblebuck from the player's handbook. Gnissa had a pet rat named Baldric who was named for the character from the Black Adder TV show. I knew nothing of famous fighter and his tiny rat sidekick at the time I created this character, but I find that I was doing a lot of the same schtick.
CoCo Lopez--Cyberpunk media character who goes by the handle COLO she was named after a drink mixer I used to stock all the time at the grocery store where I worked. She has a cousin who runs with a Nomad crew whose name was Manuel Labor.
Amber "Spade" Spayed of the Gar Fields tangent of the Heath Cliff Clan--She's a 5E Tabaxi character. If you haven't looked into creating one I'll tell you they get a first name, surname, nickname and tells where they came from. I never had her announce all her names unless it was to annoy my friends. Everyone just called her "Spade". "Spayed" is like birth control for pets. Garfield and Heathcliff are famous orange comic-strip cats.
There are probably some more "good" ones that I've forgotten over the years, but surely I'll never forget these fine characters.
Darville Frostbeard--a Mountain Dwarf D&D character who sold bootleg ale--of course comes from Smokey and the Bandit. The bandit's real name was Bo Darville--surely you knew that.
KiraKira--my Ryujin character from Ryuutama. The Ryujin is unique to Ryuutama. It is a character that the GM runs by design. The Ryuujin has three forms--an innocuous small form for which I chose a pixie marionette, a winged humanoid form, and a dragon form. KiraKira is the Japanese word for Glitter which was the name of the pixie character in the Kidd Video cartoon from the 80's.
Caladium Araceae--Speaking of pixies, D&D 4E had real rules for playing them, so of course I took advantage of that. Caladium is a poisonous plant from the family of Araceae. The plants themselves have interesting nicknames that I applied to the character on the one hand it can mean 'Angel Wings' but on the other hand it can mean 'Elephant Ears'. She took it as the former while her friends took it as the latter.
Syllan Blackleaf--Dungeons and Dragons Elf Ranger. The surname of course came from the anti-Dungeons and Dragons Jack Chic tract from the 1980's.
Gnissa Fumblebuck--so she's a gnome for starters and I went with the old Great Space Coaster "joke" featuring the puppet newscaster, Gary Gnu who used the cringe worthy tagline 'No Gnus is Good Gnews' every time I could come up with such a pun it got less and less punny. Fumblebuck was also an obvious play on the suggested gnome gname--see not punny at all is it?--of Stumblebuck from the player's handbook. Gnissa had a pet rat named Baldric who was named for the character from the Black Adder TV show. I knew nothing of famous fighter and his tiny rat sidekick at the time I created this character, but I find that I was doing a lot of the same schtick.
CoCo Lopez--Cyberpunk media character who goes by the handle COLO she was named after a drink mixer I used to stock all the time at the grocery store where I worked. She has a cousin who runs with a Nomad crew whose name was Manuel Labor.
Amber "Spade" Spayed of the Gar Fields tangent of the Heath Cliff Clan--She's a 5E Tabaxi character. If you haven't looked into creating one I'll tell you they get a first name, surname, nickname and tells where they came from. I never had her announce all her names unless it was to annoy my friends. Everyone just called her "Spade". "Spayed" is like birth control for pets. Garfield and Heathcliff are famous orange comic-strip cats.
There are probably some more "good" ones that I've forgotten over the years, but surely I'll never forget these fine characters.
Saturday 24 August 2019
RPG A Day 2019--August 24th--Triumph
What comes to my mind when I think of the word 'triumph'? When it comes to entertainment--including RPGs--I think I'm a softy at heart because I want good to triumph over evil. This may be surprising given yesterday's entry and my love of dystopian settings and horror, but it's true. I'm going to spoil some old movies in this one.
So is 'triumph' synonymous with a "happy ending"?...ultimately yes, but not necessarily the traditional old-fashioned 'Hollywood' ending. I think of the Rocky movies--and now the Creed ones which I also enjoy--and how most of the time 'triumph' didn't mean winning the fight in the ring. The victories in these movies--as heavy handed as they were sometimes--didn't come without loss. Most of the time the message of the Rocky/Creed films was 'going the distance'. The triumph didn't come from winning the title, but from getting up no matter how many times you get knocked down. Working hard and never giving up is a triumph whether you win or lose.
Another great boxing film is 'Million Dollar Baby'. I don't give it as many repeat viewings as I do the Rocky/Creed movies because on the surface, it's such a downer. However, it's the kind of movie that sticks with you. Hillary Swank's character fought through adversity all the way until the end. Ultimately, the character didn't make it through the movie alive, but she stood up for herself and ended her life on her own terms. I'm not sure how much I agree with what the character did or the influence such actions may have on the viewer, but I still feel the character was triumphant in her spirt and once again stood up for what she thought was the right choice--although she had to pay the ultimate price for it.
An example of an incredibly bad ending would be 'The Mist'. It was a perfectly serviceable--dare I say good--horror film wherein our protagonist was an honorable man who did his best to do what was right. Ultimately, in the face of what appeared to be a certain, horrible death for the man, his son, and his new found allies, the character makes a gut wrenching decision--mercy killing everyone via a bullet in the back of the head rather than letting the otherworldly monsters torture and eat them. Unfortunately, there wasn't a bullet left for our main character and he'd have to live with what he did for the rest of his life...In addition, about two seconds later the military shows up and kills the monsters. Had the man only waited, he would have saved his son and his friends. Instead he just has to lie there crying in the dirt. There isn't any triumph in an ending like that. The lead character here was a good man who deserved better.
It's true that our final fates in the real world--if we live long enough and the Lord tarries--are going to be more akin to the downer endings of MDB and The Mist than they are the upbeat ones of the R/C movies. However, our fiction--books, movies and RPG games--can and should be better than the real world. I would hope that no GM gives their campaign a 'Mist' ending. It's memorable, but for the wrong reasons. An ending like that doesn't lift you up and doesn't give even a glimmer of hope. My advice is to let the characters triumph--some may have to sacrifice their very lives to do it--but at least let that hard choice mean something.
Friday 23 August 2019
RPG A Day--August 23rd--Surprise!
You may or may not be surprised when I say that Cyberpunk is my favorite genre of RPG when it comes down to it. I was pleasantly surprised when the video game Cyberpunk: 2077 by CD Project Red was announced and rekindled interest in the tabletop RPGs that inspired it namely--Cyberpunk (2013) and Cyberpunk 2020--we don't like to talk about Cyberpunk 3.0 A.KA. CP203X or "Barbie Punk"; let's just say decisions were made...mostly decisions by the players to keep playing CP2020 instead of the new edition, but I digress.
Although there is a lot of cross-over between fans of video games and table top RPGs, not everyone enjoys both, so ICYMI, the company CD Project Red is apparently a big deal because of the critically acclaimed Witcher video game among others. CP2077 has been in development for years--even in danger of becoming so-called "vaporware"--but things really started picking up over the past couple of years culminating with an appearance by Keanu Reeves at this year's E3 gaming trade show/convention. Reeves was revealed to be starring in the game as the infamous Johnny Silverhand--a favorite Rockerboy character from CP2020. Maybe even more importantly, a release date was finally announced for April of 2020. Of course with popularity like that Cyberpunk needed a new tabletop edition and since there will be a forty plus year gap between 203X and 2077 what better way to create this new edition than by setting it in those gap years. This is where Cyberpunk: Red comes in
Cyberpunk:Red takes place between 203X and 2077 detailing the rebuilding of Night City after a small nuke was detonated therein during the 4th corporate war. The fallout from the blast created "Red Skies" and although most of the fallout has diminished, during sunrise and sunset the entire sky again becomes a blistering red--thus the punks call this era, "The Time of the Red". As of this entry, only the beginners box called the jumpstart kit is out. Physical copies sold out at Gencon, but more will be on the way. Drive-thru of course has the PDF ready for download. I really like what it looks like so far, and even if I don't get to play, I love reading the lore.
When I think about the Cyberpunk RPG--remember the fiction of "Cyberpunk" does take place before the game and authors of such works are even mentioned in the game--I am very surprised about how many future events and technological achievements were successfully predicted. Almost every crazy thing in the games has either already happened or is currently in development. Stories about: chimeras, bionic limbs, implantable skill chips, fully functioning A.I., Self-driving vehicles, designer drugs, rabid media reporters and savage corporations sometimes read like they are ripped from today's headlines--er, newsfeeds--from a game created back in the late 1980's. Almost everything is spot-on...except one thing--no, not the nukes or astroids--I'm talking about smartphones and a wireless net.
In the CP "universe" there is still a reliance on paper products--FAX Machines and even the, then futuristic, "print on demand" Screamsheets--for example are still prevalent and relevant. Today in the real 2019 you almost never need a FAX and newspapers are going the way of fidget spinners. Old guys like me still love the physical media, and--to a certain extent--I supposed there will always be a niche market for such, but the kids these days...they don't want it. Almost EVERYTHING is digital and you're using your wireless smart phone to do it--no hacking needed.
I have said for years that I now live in a dystopian present and the fact that I love the CP genre so much is one of the reasons I'm able to cope without going into technostress. In just four days in China I've seen things...seen things you little people wouldn't believe. First of all, right off the plane you buy a Chinese SIM card, if you're smart. The card activates your number and gives you X amount of time including data. You'll download a multitude of apps, the most important of which is called WeChat. They are practically in a cashless society now with this WeChat--it's everywhere--and it's so easy to use. ATM we have cash because we just got here, but once I start getting a salary it will all be deposited electronically into my account. I won't even have a check stub unless I print one off. Almost everything is purchased using this app to scan QR codes--even if you want to buy a little toy from a gumball machine or use a massage chair--you gotta scan the code. Coins don't work. (I'm only being slightly facetious, you can probably find an old machine somewhere, but I haven't seen them) There are other 'pay' apps but WeChat is the big one. I know it's available in the States as well, but it certainly isn't the big deal it is out here. Next, you get the Chinese version of Uber in an app called DiDi this connects to your WeChat which is connected to your bank. I book cars without ever talking to the guys. If I did have to talk, I could use the Youdao Fanyiguan app like a universal translator. They have robots in the mall that can give you directions...they recognize your face and know you're standing right next to them. They don't know that I don't speak a lick of Chinese (yet) and they aren't compatible with the translation app--possibly a user problem from my end--but still. Now all of this stuff happened...and continues to happen...before we reached the actual year 2020. Can you imagine what might come around by the time "real" 2077 gets here? If technology continues to advance the way it has, it wouldn't surprise me if a lot of us are here to see what transpires first hand.
Although there is a lot of cross-over between fans of video games and table top RPGs, not everyone enjoys both, so ICYMI, the company CD Project Red is apparently a big deal because of the critically acclaimed Witcher video game among others. CP2077 has been in development for years--even in danger of becoming so-called "vaporware"--but things really started picking up over the past couple of years culminating with an appearance by Keanu Reeves at this year's E3 gaming trade show/convention. Reeves was revealed to be starring in the game as the infamous Johnny Silverhand--a favorite Rockerboy character from CP2020. Maybe even more importantly, a release date was finally announced for April of 2020. Of course with popularity like that Cyberpunk needed a new tabletop edition and since there will be a forty plus year gap between 203X and 2077 what better way to create this new edition than by setting it in those gap years. This is where Cyberpunk: Red comes in
Cyberpunk:Red takes place between 203X and 2077 detailing the rebuilding of Night City after a small nuke was detonated therein during the 4th corporate war. The fallout from the blast created "Red Skies" and although most of the fallout has diminished, during sunrise and sunset the entire sky again becomes a blistering red--thus the punks call this era, "The Time of the Red". As of this entry, only the beginners box called the jumpstart kit is out. Physical copies sold out at Gencon, but more will be on the way. Drive-thru of course has the PDF ready for download. I really like what it looks like so far, and even if I don't get to play, I love reading the lore.
When I think about the Cyberpunk RPG--remember the fiction of "Cyberpunk" does take place before the game and authors of such works are even mentioned in the game--I am very surprised about how many future events and technological achievements were successfully predicted. Almost every crazy thing in the games has either already happened or is currently in development. Stories about: chimeras, bionic limbs, implantable skill chips, fully functioning A.I., Self-driving vehicles, designer drugs, rabid media reporters and savage corporations sometimes read like they are ripped from today's headlines--er, newsfeeds--from a game created back in the late 1980's. Almost everything is spot-on...except one thing--no, not the nukes or astroids--I'm talking about smartphones and a wireless net.
In the CP "universe" there is still a reliance on paper products--FAX Machines and even the, then futuristic, "print on demand" Screamsheets--for example are still prevalent and relevant. Today in the real 2019 you almost never need a FAX and newspapers are going the way of fidget spinners. Old guys like me still love the physical media, and--to a certain extent--I supposed there will always be a niche market for such, but the kids these days...they don't want it. Almost EVERYTHING is digital and you're using your wireless smart phone to do it--no hacking needed.
I have said for years that I now live in a dystopian present and the fact that I love the CP genre so much is one of the reasons I'm able to cope without going into technostress. In just four days in China I've seen things...seen things you little people wouldn't believe. First of all, right off the plane you buy a Chinese SIM card, if you're smart. The card activates your number and gives you X amount of time including data. You'll download a multitude of apps, the most important of which is called WeChat. They are practically in a cashless society now with this WeChat--it's everywhere--and it's so easy to use. ATM we have cash because we just got here, but once I start getting a salary it will all be deposited electronically into my account. I won't even have a check stub unless I print one off. Almost everything is purchased using this app to scan QR codes--even if you want to buy a little toy from a gumball machine or use a massage chair--you gotta scan the code. Coins don't work. (I'm only being slightly facetious, you can probably find an old machine somewhere, but I haven't seen them) There are other 'pay' apps but WeChat is the big one. I know it's available in the States as well, but it certainly isn't the big deal it is out here. Next, you get the Chinese version of Uber in an app called DiDi this connects to your WeChat which is connected to your bank. I book cars without ever talking to the guys. If I did have to talk, I could use the Youdao Fanyiguan app like a universal translator. They have robots in the mall that can give you directions...they recognize your face and know you're standing right next to them. They don't know that I don't speak a lick of Chinese (yet) and they aren't compatible with the translation app--possibly a user problem from my end--but still. Now all of this stuff happened...and continues to happen...before we reached the actual year 2020. Can you imagine what might come around by the time "real" 2077 gets here? If technology continues to advance the way it has, it wouldn't surprise me if a lot of us are here to see what transpires first hand.
Thursday 22 August 2019
RPG A Day 2019--August 22nd--Lost
Hopefully, we all make exponential gains in our lives and continue--in as much as possible--to move onward and upward with one success building on top of another. As we become productive members of society, we then use our well-earned experience--and subsequent money--to help others along life's journey. Each and everyone of us prospering together toward bright futures--Unfortunately, that isn't always the case. People get in the doldrums and in ruts. Most of the time the changes that come around in life aren't going to be for the positive. If you live long enough, friends and even family move on. You grow up and leave your parents, you might have kids of your own...who suddenly grow up with kids--and problems all their own. Along the way we lose people here and there and that's probably the worst feeling in the world. Is it any wonder why we lose our creativity and imagination?
~This is the part as a Christian gamer--especially when the topic is 'lost'--where I'd be remiss if I didn't say there is joy to be had even in the mundane world and that you truly never lose anyone, as long as one knows the One who holds tomorrow...but that's probably not why you called~
I think that gaming--and other positive hobbies--helps us to get back some of what we've lost. I'm very blessed to live a life wherein I've been able to see the world, but many people just can't do it. Playing RPGs gives them a chance to explore. For some RPGs are an outlet for anxiety and plus, it gives them time to reconnect with their friends. Depending on how long the group has been together, they may be reliving their childhoods, and what's more, unlike the other forms of media where you are at the mercy of the director, the writer, or the programmer, a GM worth his salt is going to let his players have enough agency to be in control--or enough rope to hang themselves with at least. Computers and VR might get there one day, but at the moment RPGs are among a very short list of activities where you can truly flex your creativity in a group setting--as long as you have an active mind, there's no place you can't go.
~This is the part as a Christian gamer--especially when the topic is 'lost'--where I'd be remiss if I didn't say there is joy to be had even in the mundane world and that you truly never lose anyone, as long as one knows the One who holds tomorrow...but that's probably not why you called~
I think that gaming--and other positive hobbies--helps us to get back some of what we've lost. I'm very blessed to live a life wherein I've been able to see the world, but many people just can't do it. Playing RPGs gives them a chance to explore. For some RPGs are an outlet for anxiety and plus, it gives them time to reconnect with their friends. Depending on how long the group has been together, they may be reliving their childhoods, and what's more, unlike the other forms of media where you are at the mercy of the director, the writer, or the programmer, a GM worth his salt is going to let his players have enough agency to be in control--or enough rope to hang themselves with at least. Computers and VR might get there one day, but at the moment RPGs are among a very short list of activities where you can truly flex your creativity in a group setting--as long as you have an active mind, there's no place you can't go.
We don't stop playing because we grow old; we grow old because we stop playing.
Wednesday 21 August 2019
RPG A Day 2019--August 21--Vast
There are so many things that pop into my head when I think about 'VAST', today's prompt for RPG A Day 2019.
I've touched on this before--way too many times in fact--but the first thing is the vast number of years that I've been playing RPGs in one way or another. I can't say an exact year, but I know it's over thirty years. If I look at the D&D cartoon as a starting point that puts us back to '83 and myself as a nine year old. I also read the Choose Your Own Adventure and Time Machine Books around the same time. If I had known that the adult me would still be playing, I might have tried to record an exact date for posterity. You know you are getting old when you are using dice that are older than the members in your gaming group.
In all those years, I have amassed a vast collection of products as well as dice. Over several moves throughout the years I've lost things and culled others. One thing is for sure, I'm always kicking myself somewhere down the line, wishing I'd have found a way to save my stuff.
The vast majority of games that I've played and run have been fantasy in the same line as Dungeons and Dragons. For some D&D and RPG are practically synonymous. The brand-name is more famous than the product. I find when I'm home in Georgia that all soft drinks are called Coke. That makes sense as the Coca-Cola company is right there and all, but surprisingly, in my travels throughout the world all facial tissue is called Kleenex. That's what you have to call brand saturation. The guys I teach often struggled with English, but they all knew Kleenex. When it comes to the RPG hobby, it's a bit of a double-edged sword. D&D--right or wrong--is the granddaddy of them all. When the vast majority of casual people think about RPGs--in those rare occasions when they do--they're thinking D&D. Cool for us, but some people don't like the fantasy setting, so they close themselves off to the entire hobby. If only they knew of the vast amounts of systems and settings that are out there, they could have a lot of fun.
I've touched on this before--way too many times in fact--but the first thing is the vast number of years that I've been playing RPGs in one way or another. I can't say an exact year, but I know it's over thirty years. If I look at the D&D cartoon as a starting point that puts us back to '83 and myself as a nine year old. I also read the Choose Your Own Adventure and Time Machine Books around the same time. If I had known that the adult me would still be playing, I might have tried to record an exact date for posterity. You know you are getting old when you are using dice that are older than the members in your gaming group.
In all those years, I have amassed a vast collection of products as well as dice. Over several moves throughout the years I've lost things and culled others. One thing is for sure, I'm always kicking myself somewhere down the line, wishing I'd have found a way to save my stuff.
The vast majority of games that I've played and run have been fantasy in the same line as Dungeons and Dragons. For some D&D and RPG are practically synonymous. The brand-name is more famous than the product. I find when I'm home in Georgia that all soft drinks are called Coke. That makes sense as the Coca-Cola company is right there and all, but surprisingly, in my travels throughout the world all facial tissue is called Kleenex. That's what you have to call brand saturation. The guys I teach often struggled with English, but they all knew Kleenex. When it comes to the RPG hobby, it's a bit of a double-edged sword. D&D--right or wrong--is the granddaddy of them all. When the vast majority of casual people think about RPGs--in those rare occasions when they do--they're thinking D&D. Cool for us, but some people don't like the fantasy setting, so they close themselves off to the entire hobby. If only they knew of the vast amounts of systems and settings that are out there, they could have a lot of fun.
Tuesday 20 August 2019
RPG A Day 2019--August 20--Noble
For today's prompt we have the word 'noble'. From my hotel in China where I just arrived this morning I can only think of one thing.
There is one job that carries the label of the 'noblest profession'--it happens to be my very own vocation, teaching. I went through the trouble of looking up the phrase and why teaching got that nickname. The writer of the article says that because teachers touch all of the other professions--and even shape the world at times--that the role of an educator becomes a noble one. Teachers sacrifice better paying, less demanding careers in order to shape every other career. I can buy into that in some ways, but personally, I consider myself more of a sell-sword. I'm a lot like the COBRA character, 'Firefly' from the 80's version of G.I. Joe especially the part on his file card about making no guarantees and giving no refunds.
I believe a disproportionate number of teachers are into RPGs. Several schools have had RPG clubs and usually one or more teachers get involved. I've tried several times to get an RPG club going in my schools. In the UAE it worked in getting the teachers together, but I'm afraid my foreign students just can't get into it enough. They loved seeing the different dice and rolling here and there, but the storytelling and critical thinking elements--among the only reasons you can use to sell an RPG club--are the things they didn't care about. Truly they liked Roll playing over the Role playing...and it really wasn't too long before got bored of that too and started throwing the dice at each other. The UAE students, for the most part, really weren't academically inclined and the culture isn't a reading one.
RPGs take a lot of reading. I didn't do it for very long--one or two attempts--but the students from Taiwan wherein I started my noble career did a little better. It was ten years ago and I guess the zombie craze had only just started. We played a game of 'All Flesh Must Be Eaten' and every time one of the characters killed off a zombie, I gave the player a piece of candy. I think I contributed more to their risk for early onset diabetes than I contributed to their learning, but you can't blame a guy for trying. Now that I'm in China, it could be the year when I have a club that takes off. Tomorrow the word is 'Vast'.
There is one job that carries the label of the 'noblest profession'--it happens to be my very own vocation, teaching. I went through the trouble of looking up the phrase and why teaching got that nickname. The writer of the article says that because teachers touch all of the other professions--and even shape the world at times--that the role of an educator becomes a noble one. Teachers sacrifice better paying, less demanding careers in order to shape every other career. I can buy into that in some ways, but personally, I consider myself more of a sell-sword. I'm a lot like the COBRA character, 'Firefly' from the 80's version of G.I. Joe especially the part on his file card about making no guarantees and giving no refunds.
I believe a disproportionate number of teachers are into RPGs. Several schools have had RPG clubs and usually one or more teachers get involved. I've tried several times to get an RPG club going in my schools. In the UAE it worked in getting the teachers together, but I'm afraid my foreign students just can't get into it enough. They loved seeing the different dice and rolling here and there, but the storytelling and critical thinking elements--among the only reasons you can use to sell an RPG club--are the things they didn't care about. Truly they liked Roll playing over the Role playing...and it really wasn't too long before got bored of that too and started throwing the dice at each other. The UAE students, for the most part, really weren't academically inclined and the culture isn't a reading one.
RPGs take a lot of reading. I didn't do it for very long--one or two attempts--but the students from Taiwan wherein I started my noble career did a little better. It was ten years ago and I guess the zombie craze had only just started. We played a game of 'All Flesh Must Be Eaten' and every time one of the characters killed off a zombie, I gave the player a piece of candy. I think I contributed more to their risk for early onset diabetes than I contributed to their learning, but you can't blame a guy for trying. Now that I'm in China, it could be the year when I have a club that takes off. Tomorrow the word is 'Vast'.
Monday 19 August 2019
RPG A Day 2019--August 19th--Scary
I haven't really played a "scary" RPG that effectively scared me. I've tried to get into it. I've run and played the Ravenloft setting for D&D and I had some ghost pirates/pirate ghosts in my 7th Sea campaign, but it just doesn't click with me very much. I enjoy it, but I'm not scared by it.
I can look back through my jangled 'Mandela Effect' affected memory to the 1980's when parents were scared of--or at least bothered by--Dungeons and Dragons specifically, if not RPGs in general. I never quite got that. The artwork was suspect, I suppose, and LARPing of any kind always comes with a risk, but unless someone was already deeply mentally disturbed, I just can't buy into RPGs as being something to fear.
What scares me then? Sometimes late at night--particularly if I've seen a very scary movie or listened to a very effective sermon--I can make myself scared. From time to time it can get bad enough that I won't have a good night's rest. When I see news reports from the States, especially anything that hurts kids, I feel scared for the state of the world. I am a Christian, so I'm never really overwhelmed by these fears, but I do need to leave my bedroom sometimes and pray for better days and nights.
In a few short hours, I'll be on that long-mentioned flight to China. I don't think anxious is the same as scared, but they're definitely cousins and I'm not expecting a good rest tonight.
Tomorrow--should I have the time and ability to check-in, the prompt will be 'noble'.
I can look back through my jangled 'Mandela Effect' affected memory to the 1980's when parents were scared of--or at least bothered by--Dungeons and Dragons specifically, if not RPGs in general. I never quite got that. The artwork was suspect, I suppose, and LARPing of any kind always comes with a risk, but unless someone was already deeply mentally disturbed, I just can't buy into RPGs as being something to fear.
What scares me then? Sometimes late at night--particularly if I've seen a very scary movie or listened to a very effective sermon--I can make myself scared. From time to time it can get bad enough that I won't have a good night's rest. When I see news reports from the States, especially anything that hurts kids, I feel scared for the state of the world. I am a Christian, so I'm never really overwhelmed by these fears, but I do need to leave my bedroom sometimes and pray for better days and nights.
In a few short hours, I'll be on that long-mentioned flight to China. I don't think anxious is the same as scared, but they're definitely cousins and I'm not expecting a good rest tonight.
Tomorrow--should I have the time and ability to check-in, the prompt will be 'noble'.
Saturday 17 August 2019
RPG A Day 2019--August 18th--Plenty
The word for today is plenty.
I'd say I'm somewhat quick to let it be known of my vast gaming experience--especially in forums wherein I should be speaking to my fellow gamers. I'm not sure that it's a badge to be flaunted--all it means is that I'm old. Nevertheless, in over thirty years of gaming, I doubt that there has ever been a time when role-playing games and the people who play them have been as plentiful as they are now.
Back in my day...we had an FLGS somewhat close at hand, relatively speaking, and it's where my brother and I would buy all our comics and game supplies. It's worth a mention that they also sold hobby related toys--comics related, wrestling toys, horror etc.--that you didn't find so much at the regular shops. I had a love/hate relationship with the FLGS because of this. On the one hand, I could understand the shop having to charge so much for their toys because they were buying retail and then reselling through the shop. On the other hand, if the jerks didn't rush out to every Wal-Mart scooping up the toys from the shelves, regular kids like me could just pick them up in the wild for far cheaper. I digress, and thankfully, I don't think that practice carries over so much today because so much is available online. The same is true of RPGs as almost always you can pick up a digital copy of a game system for relatively cheap...cheaper than cheap if you're crooked.
Living in the digital age has saved us from a lot of hassle. I wanted the Cyberpunk Red Jumpstart Kit that was available at Gen-Con this year, there was no way for me to go there no matter how much I might have wanted to. All copies sold out at the event with the promise that there will be more on the way--but what good does that do me? If we still lived in my day, the FLGS may have had a copy trickle in by Christmas time if I was lucky. If the product was deemed to be a niche item, I might have to battle the other guy in town that also wants it. I can only imagine the difficulty of getting anything like that shipped overseas back in the old days. Today, I went on Drive-Thru and had the same Kit as the convention goers the same week they did. The digital version will never "sell out" as long as the servers stay up. I can't get the physical items like the dice, but as 3-D printers get better and better, I could see a time when print on demand happens in comfort of one's own home.
I've talked about virtual table tops many times through the corse of RPGaDay, so I won't revisit that in this entry, but I will say, for those willing to run a game, there are plenty of potential players just chomping at the bit to join your campaign. I wish more of those potential players were players with potential, but at least there are plenty of them and you never know if you'll find the diamond in the rough...or if you're lucky enough you can latch on as a player. DMs/GMs are still relatively scarce in this time of plenty.
Last but not least, there are now plenty of systems available to play. Thanks to the digital age, archives and less savory sites have every game you can imagine available for download with the click of a button. Kick-Starter has so many interesting RPG products in need of funding that I had to start avoiding the site. For those with the disposable income and time for them there are plenty to choose from and plenty more on the way.
Tomorrow's topic is SCARY...it'll be scary for me because it's my last day before heading out to China.
I'd say I'm somewhat quick to let it be known of my vast gaming experience--especially in forums wherein I should be speaking to my fellow gamers. I'm not sure that it's a badge to be flaunted--all it means is that I'm old. Nevertheless, in over thirty years of gaming, I doubt that there has ever been a time when role-playing games and the people who play them have been as plentiful as they are now.
Back in my day...we had an FLGS somewhat close at hand, relatively speaking, and it's where my brother and I would buy all our comics and game supplies. It's worth a mention that they also sold hobby related toys--comics related, wrestling toys, horror etc.--that you didn't find so much at the regular shops. I had a love/hate relationship with the FLGS because of this. On the one hand, I could understand the shop having to charge so much for their toys because they were buying retail and then reselling through the shop. On the other hand, if the jerks didn't rush out to every Wal-Mart scooping up the toys from the shelves, regular kids like me could just pick them up in the wild for far cheaper. I digress, and thankfully, I don't think that practice carries over so much today because so much is available online. The same is true of RPGs as almost always you can pick up a digital copy of a game system for relatively cheap...cheaper than cheap if you're crooked.
Living in the digital age has saved us from a lot of hassle. I wanted the Cyberpunk Red Jumpstart Kit that was available at Gen-Con this year, there was no way for me to go there no matter how much I might have wanted to. All copies sold out at the event with the promise that there will be more on the way--but what good does that do me? If we still lived in my day, the FLGS may have had a copy trickle in by Christmas time if I was lucky. If the product was deemed to be a niche item, I might have to battle the other guy in town that also wants it. I can only imagine the difficulty of getting anything like that shipped overseas back in the old days. Today, I went on Drive-Thru and had the same Kit as the convention goers the same week they did. The digital version will never "sell out" as long as the servers stay up. I can't get the physical items like the dice, but as 3-D printers get better and better, I could see a time when print on demand happens in comfort of one's own home.
I've talked about virtual table tops many times through the corse of RPGaDay, so I won't revisit that in this entry, but I will say, for those willing to run a game, there are plenty of potential players just chomping at the bit to join your campaign. I wish more of those potential players were players with potential, but at least there are plenty of them and you never know if you'll find the diamond in the rough...or if you're lucky enough you can latch on as a player. DMs/GMs are still relatively scarce in this time of plenty.
Last but not least, there are now plenty of systems available to play. Thanks to the digital age, archives and less savory sites have every game you can imagine available for download with the click of a button. Kick-Starter has so many interesting RPG products in need of funding that I had to start avoiding the site. For those with the disposable income and time for them there are plenty to choose from and plenty more on the way.
Tomorrow's topic is SCARY...it'll be scary for me because it's my last day before heading out to China.
RPG A Day 2019--August 17th--One
For today's entry "One", I'm going to talk about a one-shot I played in one of the GRC mini-cons.
About a year ago I played a one-shot for Black Void. It was a Kickstarter from a creator that I actually knew from the Gulf Roleplaying Community. I didn't get to see step-by-step behind the scenes--although the UAE looks small on the map, there's a great amount of distance between Dubai and the province out in the western desert of Liwa--but I did get to play in a play test one-shot and see the first dummied up GM screen. That was kind of neat for me. I even gave a little KS advice about shipping and handling and the trouble it has caused with projects. Here's the Drive-through RPG description of the game:
“A dark fantasy tabletop roleplaying game
about the fall and resurgence of humanity”
In the days when Babylon was the greatest city on Earth, mankind lived in placid ignorance of the grandeur, vastness and horror of the cosmos. Following cataclysmic events on Earth the fragile veil between reality and the Void was shattered and the truth of existence revealed. As mankind cried for salvation they were torn from their homeworld by Void-torrents and the surviving peoples of Earth were scattered among the stars. Countless were lost and mankind seemed all but perished. Over the decades the survivors, stragglers and ragged remnants of mankind’s tribes struggled for their lives across countless uncaring worlds. However, a few managed to go beyond mere subsistence and travel the Void-currents to congregate in fabled Llyhn, epicentre of the cosmos.
You can check it out here:
https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/285707/Black-Void-Core-Book
For our one-shot we played as pre-gens. My character was a former cultist/gang member who tried to lead the rest of the party to a macguffin take it from my former allies and lead them to a ship waiting in the harbor. Other characters included one who wouldn't trust me and a couple of others to play off the both of us. Lots of fun was had and we of course got things done. Great success all around.
I'm not just shilling for my friend, Chritoffer S. Sevaldsen's RPG, but also for one-shots in general.
1. One-shots give you a chance to play a lot of different games without making a lot of investments in them
2. You usually get a chance to meet a lot of different people too.
3. When you play a pre-gen character you generally won't worry too much about preserving them, so you play balls to the wall and usually that's a lot of fun or at the very least a different feel than your regular campaigns.
4. The GM is also generally playing with the gloves off, so he isn't afraid to kill off a character.
5. You usually do finish the story. A lot of campaigns peter out at some point without closure whereas your one-shot will wrap up in one session.
For tomorrow the topic is...Plenty
Friday 16 August 2019
RPG A Day 2019--August 16th--Dream
Dreams. I've been interested in dreams all of my life. I think a lot about dreams and how if we could REALLY and consistently dream lucidly, that it would be the ultimate RPG. I'm sure everyone has had a lucid dream on occasion. You know that you are dreaming, but almost the instant that you realize it--at least in our perception which is really all that counts--you tend to wake up.
Since I've done a lot of research into dreams over the years, I know that we go through cycles of sleep throughout the night. The deepest level is where REM--rapid eye movement--and dreaming is said to take place. We enter that level several times throughout the night. We don't always wake up in the middle of that state even though it often feels like we do.
Some ways to increase lucid dreams are:
1. Keep a dream journal next to your bed. If you have the time, write down every detail of your remembered dream as soon as you wake up. It's good to have a special journal and pen that you only use for the purpose of documenting your dreams.
2. If you can remember, ask yourself every hour or so--Am I dreaming?. This supposedly creates a loop in your head, and at some point you will ask yourself and realize that you are indeed inside a dream.
3. Surround yourself with what you want to dream about. Any little collectibles or pictures that you can keep in your bedroom to remind that you want to dream about 'X'.
4. This one is tricky to do and tricky to explain. Keep your hand up by your side as you are lying down to sleep. When you actually fall asleep your hand should fall, but it shouldn't be enough to disturb you out of sleep...only enough to wake you in the dream.
So how has it worked out for me? I can say after trying these techniques off and one for nearly two decades and I've only had a handful of very memorable lucid dreams, but they are fun when you can have them. There are books on the subject--I know some came out when A Nightmare on Elm St. was popular, and I assume they came out again when Inception was popular--but, they tend to go off in new age/occult directions that I like to reserve strictly for fantasy.
I start travelling toward Manila and onward to China tonight, so we'll see if I can keep the streak going tomorrow with the prompt 'One'.
Since I've done a lot of research into dreams over the years, I know that we go through cycles of sleep throughout the night. The deepest level is where REM--rapid eye movement--and dreaming is said to take place. We enter that level several times throughout the night. We don't always wake up in the middle of that state even though it often feels like we do.
Some ways to increase lucid dreams are:
1. Keep a dream journal next to your bed. If you have the time, write down every detail of your remembered dream as soon as you wake up. It's good to have a special journal and pen that you only use for the purpose of documenting your dreams.
2. If you can remember, ask yourself every hour or so--Am I dreaming?. This supposedly creates a loop in your head, and at some point you will ask yourself and realize that you are indeed inside a dream.
3. Surround yourself with what you want to dream about. Any little collectibles or pictures that you can keep in your bedroom to remind that you want to dream about 'X'.
4. This one is tricky to do and tricky to explain. Keep your hand up by your side as you are lying down to sleep. When you actually fall asleep your hand should fall, but it shouldn't be enough to disturb you out of sleep...only enough to wake you in the dream.
So how has it worked out for me? I can say after trying these techniques off and one for nearly two decades and I've only had a handful of very memorable lucid dreams, but they are fun when you can have them. There are books on the subject--I know some came out when A Nightmare on Elm St. was popular, and I assume they came out again when Inception was popular--but, they tend to go off in new age/occult directions that I like to reserve strictly for fantasy.
I start travelling toward Manila and onward to China tonight, so we'll see if I can keep the streak going tomorrow with the prompt 'One'.
Wednesday 14 August 2019
RPG A Day--August 15th--Door
Today's prompt is 'Door'. When I think about doors, I think about choices.
I remember the game show, 'Let's Make a Deal' wherein host, Monty Hall, would give the contestants a choice between doors number 1, 2, or 3 to get the best prize at the end. I think they were curtains sometimes--maybe every time, Damn Mandela Effect--but, the point is the contestants had a choice.
I think about the saying, "When God closes a door, He opens a window". The phrase really isn't in the Bible, but there are similar passages with the same meaning. One opportunity or path may have been cut off to you, but another way is usually around if you look for it.
I think about the story, 'The Lady or the Tiger', wherein the protagonist has but two doors to choose from. One contains a beautiful lady that he'll be able to take for a wife, while the other contains a ferocious, man-eating tiger. He only has a fifty-fifty shot, and the story never lets us know what he chose.
I think about running the 'Death House' introduction to Ravenloft for D&D 5E and how one of my players classically listened with his ear pressed firmly against a door that turned out to be a mimic. It was really a great thing,
I think about my real-life and how I'm standing in front of the door to China...just five days away now. I already made the choice and opened that door back in April, but I still don't know what lies beyond it. To go through that door, I had to leave my semi-comfortable "room" in the UAE. You can do one or the other, but you can't do both. I just hope a lady is behind one of those doors.
Tomorrow is...Dream.
I remember the game show, 'Let's Make a Deal' wherein host, Monty Hall, would give the contestants a choice between doors number 1, 2, or 3 to get the best prize at the end. I think they were curtains sometimes--maybe every time, Damn Mandela Effect--but, the point is the contestants had a choice.
I think about the saying, "When God closes a door, He opens a window". The phrase really isn't in the Bible, but there are similar passages with the same meaning. One opportunity or path may have been cut off to you, but another way is usually around if you look for it.
I think about the story, 'The Lady or the Tiger', wherein the protagonist has but two doors to choose from. One contains a beautiful lady that he'll be able to take for a wife, while the other contains a ferocious, man-eating tiger. He only has a fifty-fifty shot, and the story never lets us know what he chose.
I think about running the 'Death House' introduction to Ravenloft for D&D 5E and how one of my players classically listened with his ear pressed firmly against a door that turned out to be a mimic. It was really a great thing,
I think about my real-life and how I'm standing in front of the door to China...just five days away now. I already made the choice and opened that door back in April, but I still don't know what lies beyond it. To go through that door, I had to leave my semi-comfortable "room" in the UAE. You can do one or the other, but you can't do both. I just hope a lady is behind one of those doors.
Tomorrow is...Dream.
Tuesday 13 August 2019
RPG A Day 2019--August 14th--Guide
For what is suddenly the 14th day of RPG a Day for this year we get the word 'Guide'.
In this hobby I think having a guide is important. It is so easy for a beginner to get overwhelmed by the ruleset of even the simplest RPG. To steal from Scott Garibay--another YouTube RPG commentator--Rulebooks are like candy for me. They really are. I'm currently reading the new Cyberpunk Red Jumpstart Rules and I'm loving every minute of it. CP:Red is one that I intend to run, but other systems and rulesets I read in my leisure time with no intention of ever playing or running the game. However, that's not the norm I'm afraid to say. Most people--even enthusiasts--don't have time to read pages and pages of rules even if they have the inclination to do so. That's why having someone who can be a guide is a good thing,
At my live table this past year we had an older player--possibly the oldest I've ever played with--who had never played any games before. She was a colleague of the GM. While she was there visiting with his wife as they used to do some crocheting together, she started to listen in on our sessions. Although the wife had no interest in giving it a go--my own wife won't try either. She is competitive and doesn't understand about a game that you can't "win"--the older lady really dug what was going on. It wasn't long at all before she made a character--Antigone, a human, lawful good Paladin--and joined in. Unfortunately, she was greener than grass.
The rest of us tried to guide her as best as we could. She was very good at the role playing end of things, but the mechanics were--and in some ways still are--beyond her grasp. We were all patient because she was fun to play with and consistently showed up for sessions. I wish I could say the same for myself but it was a tough year. Anyhow to make a long post less long, being patient and being a good guide helped the entire group to have fun and it took some of the load off of the GM. Throughout the year she continued to improve and will be returning with the rest of the group next year. Again, which is more than I can say for myself. I really closed a chapter of my life this past year. I am six days out from beginning my new chapter in China. I hope to find or form a group when I get out there.
Tomorrow--Door.
In this hobby I think having a guide is important. It is so easy for a beginner to get overwhelmed by the ruleset of even the simplest RPG. To steal from Scott Garibay--another YouTube RPG commentator--Rulebooks are like candy for me. They really are. I'm currently reading the new Cyberpunk Red Jumpstart Rules and I'm loving every minute of it. CP:Red is one that I intend to run, but other systems and rulesets I read in my leisure time with no intention of ever playing or running the game. However, that's not the norm I'm afraid to say. Most people--even enthusiasts--don't have time to read pages and pages of rules even if they have the inclination to do so. That's why having someone who can be a guide is a good thing,
At my live table this past year we had an older player--possibly the oldest I've ever played with--who had never played any games before. She was a colleague of the GM. While she was there visiting with his wife as they used to do some crocheting together, she started to listen in on our sessions. Although the wife had no interest in giving it a go--my own wife won't try either. She is competitive and doesn't understand about a game that you can't "win"--the older lady really dug what was going on. It wasn't long at all before she made a character--Antigone, a human, lawful good Paladin--and joined in. Unfortunately, she was greener than grass.
The rest of us tried to guide her as best as we could. She was very good at the role playing end of things, but the mechanics were--and in some ways still are--beyond her grasp. We were all patient because she was fun to play with and consistently showed up for sessions. I wish I could say the same for myself but it was a tough year. Anyhow to make a long post less long, being patient and being a good guide helped the entire group to have fun and it took some of the load off of the GM. Throughout the year she continued to improve and will be returning with the rest of the group next year. Again, which is more than I can say for myself. I really closed a chapter of my life this past year. I am six days out from beginning my new chapter in China. I hope to find or form a group when I get out there.
Tomorrow--Door.
Monday 12 August 2019
RPG A Day 2019--August 13th--Mystery
Today's keyword is Mystery. I am a fan of Cyberpunk and the genre often lends itself to mystery. In fact, the Cyberpunk 2020 module that I ran for my most recent CP2020 campaign was "Thicker Than Blood" which revolves around a mysterious kidnapping. I won't spoil it, but it's a pretty good one.
I've never played call of Cthulhu or Leagues of Adventure, but I understand that both systems have mystery elements as their draw.
The game I really want to talk about is 'Those Meddling Kids" by Pandahead Productions. Believe it or not, this is also one that I've never played, but I have the PDF and I hope if 'Ponies' doesn't draw my daughter into the hobby, that TMK might. The game is basically Scooby-Doo. It's written for youngsters, but it can be fun for anybody who likes the genre. A group of mystery solving teens explore a mysterious situation with their side-kick--which for this game is called the Wild Card. This Wild Card can be your talking dog, little green man, or unfrozen caveman whichever wacky side-kick your hippie teens need to solve the mystery. The GM is running this 'Wildcard' which is a mechanic that I have liked ever since playing 'Ryuutama'. One mystery for me is why so many GMs hate having this permanent NPC available. I love having a 'voice' apart from my GM and regular NPC voice joining the party and this 'Wildcard' would fit nicely here. Another aspect of TMK that I think will be nice is that allegedly it only takes one hour or less to play. I really want my daughter--and any subsequent kids we might have if I hurry up and have them--and her friends to get into RPGs but a three hour session is a little too much of a good thing with their attention spans. The recommended age for TMK is seven and older. The daughter is only four ATM and I sure don't want to rush it, but I hope someday that I'll be able to introduce her to the hobby and this may be the way to do it.
Those Meddling Kids can be found here https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/83837/Meddling-Kids It seems there are a few modules available. I am not sure of the current level of support for the game.
Tomorrow's topic...Guide
I've never played call of Cthulhu or Leagues of Adventure, but I understand that both systems have mystery elements as their draw.
The game I really want to talk about is 'Those Meddling Kids" by Pandahead Productions. Believe it or not, this is also one that I've never played, but I have the PDF and I hope if 'Ponies' doesn't draw my daughter into the hobby, that TMK might. The game is basically Scooby-Doo. It's written for youngsters, but it can be fun for anybody who likes the genre. A group of mystery solving teens explore a mysterious situation with their side-kick--which for this game is called the Wild Card. This Wild Card can be your talking dog, little green man, or unfrozen caveman whichever wacky side-kick your hippie teens need to solve the mystery. The GM is running this 'Wildcard' which is a mechanic that I have liked ever since playing 'Ryuutama'. One mystery for me is why so many GMs hate having this permanent NPC available. I love having a 'voice' apart from my GM and regular NPC voice joining the party and this 'Wildcard' would fit nicely here. Another aspect of TMK that I think will be nice is that allegedly it only takes one hour or less to play. I really want my daughter--and any subsequent kids we might have if I hurry up and have them--and her friends to get into RPGs but a three hour session is a little too much of a good thing with their attention spans. The recommended age for TMK is seven and older. The daughter is only four ATM and I sure don't want to rush it, but I hope someday that I'll be able to introduce her to the hobby and this may be the way to do it.
Those Meddling Kids can be found here https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/83837/Meddling-Kids It seems there are a few modules available. I am not sure of the current level of support for the game.
Tomorrow's topic...Guide
Sunday 11 August 2019
RPG A Day 2019--August 12th--Friendship
So today's word is friendship. I could talk about all the friends I've made through playing RPGs, but I'm sure I've talked about that before, so today I'm going to talk about a favorite show of mine and what should be the next RPG purchase I am likely to make--depending on how quick Cyberpunk: Red gets released--My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic.
I'm sure you guys don't live under a rock so you kind of know about MLP:FIM and how it became popular with a general audience of all ages instead of the "little girls and their young moms" target they were going for. Hasbro--who also owns Dungeons and Dragons through their subsidiary Wizards of the Coast--didn't exactly expect nor completely embrace this surprise audience, but at the same time, they didn't show us the door either. The "super-fans" of MLP:FIM are called Bronies and among all the fandoms that I am a part of, they take quite the ribbing...until people actually watch the show and find out that it's kind of cool. The fan community itself--I skew older than the typical "Brony" and can also get away with watching no questions asked nowadays because of my four year old daughter--is a fairly large and supportive one. There have been several conventions over the years, although I'm not so sure if the excitement is still there as it once was. I wouldn't call MLP a fad, but this "generation" of the ponies is coming to a close as the ninth--and final--season of Friendship is Magic is airing as of this writing.
So, why might a gamer like MLP:FIM? The writing is very good, there are jokes for adults and the overall fantasy setting. Aside from the talking ponies--earth, pegasus, unicorns, and alicorns--there are also other fantasy creatures such as: dragons and griffins, and this one time Fluttershy--best pony BTW--once stared down a cockatrice and won. I'd say the writing is silly yet clever, it's more likely to get a chuckle from pop culture savvy older folks like a good episode of 'The Flintstones' or 'Rocky and Bullwinkle', than it is to make you laugh out loud like 'The Simpsons' used to. On the other hand, It certainly isn't reveling in adult humor like 'South Park' or 'Family Guy'. At its core it remains a cartoon written with children in mind, but it's an enjoyable one that is worthwhile for more than just selling toys...and hopefully selling RPGs.
I don't know much about My Little Pony: Tales of Equestria other than to say that it is the officially licensed MLP:FIM RPG--that enough letters for you--and that it was apparently released back in 2017. I am very interested in using it as a gateway for my little girl into RPGs. It looks as though Hasbro--in spite of being the parent company of WOTC--licensed the ponies out to a company called River Horse games. They have a lot of other licensed games on their website, but I'm not sure what, if any, connection they have with Hasbro in general and I'm not going to get smart about it tonight. The game does have a starter box-set that I intend to purchase along with a big all encompassing rulebook ala Pathfinder (and others) . It appears that the line has been and is still being supported with modules. I'm sure to be visiting https://riverhorse.eu/our-games/my-little-pony-tails-of-equestria/ as soon as I'm settled and have established a home address. Maybe you'll consider doing the same.
Tomorrow's word--Mystery!
I'm sure you guys don't live under a rock so you kind of know about MLP:FIM and how it became popular with a general audience of all ages instead of the "little girls and their young moms" target they were going for. Hasbro--who also owns Dungeons and Dragons through their subsidiary Wizards of the Coast--didn't exactly expect nor completely embrace this surprise audience, but at the same time, they didn't show us the door either. The "super-fans" of MLP:FIM are called Bronies and among all the fandoms that I am a part of, they take quite the ribbing...until people actually watch the show and find out that it's kind of cool. The fan community itself--I skew older than the typical "Brony" and can also get away with watching no questions asked nowadays because of my four year old daughter--is a fairly large and supportive one. There have been several conventions over the years, although I'm not so sure if the excitement is still there as it once was. I wouldn't call MLP a fad, but this "generation" of the ponies is coming to a close as the ninth--and final--season of Friendship is Magic is airing as of this writing.
So, why might a gamer like MLP:FIM? The writing is very good, there are jokes for adults and the overall fantasy setting. Aside from the talking ponies--earth, pegasus, unicorns, and alicorns--there are also other fantasy creatures such as: dragons and griffins, and this one time Fluttershy--best pony BTW--once stared down a cockatrice and won. I'd say the writing is silly yet clever, it's more likely to get a chuckle from pop culture savvy older folks like a good episode of 'The Flintstones' or 'Rocky and Bullwinkle', than it is to make you laugh out loud like 'The Simpsons' used to. On the other hand, It certainly isn't reveling in adult humor like 'South Park' or 'Family Guy'. At its core it remains a cartoon written with children in mind, but it's an enjoyable one that is worthwhile for more than just selling toys...and hopefully selling RPGs.
I don't know much about My Little Pony: Tales of Equestria other than to say that it is the officially licensed MLP:FIM RPG--that enough letters for you--and that it was apparently released back in 2017. I am very interested in using it as a gateway for my little girl into RPGs. It looks as though Hasbro--in spite of being the parent company of WOTC--licensed the ponies out to a company called River Horse games. They have a lot of other licensed games on their website, but I'm not sure what, if any, connection they have with Hasbro in general and I'm not going to get smart about it tonight. The game does have a starter box-set that I intend to purchase along with a big all encompassing rulebook ala Pathfinder (and others) . It appears that the line has been and is still being supported with modules. I'm sure to be visiting https://riverhorse.eu/our-games/my-little-pony-tails-of-equestria/ as soon as I'm settled and have established a home address. Maybe you'll consider doing the same.
Tomorrow's word--Mystery!
RPG A Day 2019--August 11th--Examine
For 'Examine', I've decided to take a close look at some of my playing habits in recent years.
This past year I exclusively played in D&D 5E games. The live table where I was but a humble player was a home-brew of sorts, but we were still in 'Forgotten Realms' whereas the Roll*20 game I ran was a 5E supplement called 'Journey to Ragnarok' which I mashed-up with Index Card Role Playing Game. JTR is a Norse Mythology setting for 5E created by a bunch of Italian guys--but it's really good in spite of not being about pasta, pizza, plumbing or the mafia ;)
For the past nine years I have enjoyed what I think is the productive habit of trying out different games annually. Unfortunately, ICRPG not withstanding, I didn't get to try any "new" systems this year. The large group I've mentioned before, Gulf Roleplaying Community, only held mini-conventions in Dubai this year, and as I had one foot out the door and was a regular participant in my local game anyway, I didn't make the 6+ hour round trip out there, and again, being a short-timer meant not backing any new KickStarter projects. Side note--all my physical books being relocated from UAE to China by way of the Philippines has not been a cost-effective endeavor to say the least. I won't know the full extent of this trouble until August 20 when I enter the People's Republic. If I back any KS projects this year, they will probably be digital only. I still have two physical books in the wind that I rerouted to the U.S.
As a player, I typically play female characters. This year was no exception. At the live table I played the never--um...ever-popular, Reganlief Torbjorn. She was a human beast master ranger of the chaotic good alignment. The backstory was that she was a part of a somewhat well to do family of hunters which made their fortune on exotic furs and the like. On one expedition, Reganlief, her father, and her brother were attacked by an unknown creature. Although badly wounded, broken and scarred, Reganlief was the lone survivor of the attack. She vowed revenge. She left her mother--and the family fortune--scouring the lands in search of the elusive creature. The gimmick for her was that she was a cutter who would never let the scars on her face heal. I purposely created her using 5E RAW for Beastmaster Rangers which everyone knows is kind of weak because I wanted to see how bad it was. I eventually multi-classed her to cleric because of this weakness and the fact that the party needed a cleric anyway. My DM this year was really good about weaving our backstories in to the campaign. The creature Reganlief was after ended up being a Peryton--a magic creature that was a cross between a giant eagle and a stag, known for tearing the still beating hearts from its victims--which the party dispatched of in two rounds...sometimes winning that initiative is half the battle. Very quick and final aside--As a GM we can do whatever we want, but being fair and playing within the rules these days means the players--DM's caveat and/or fighting beyond their level not withstanding--are almost kill proof in straight battles.
That ended up being a long one. Tomorrow's topic is....Friendship
This past year I exclusively played in D&D 5E games. The live table where I was but a humble player was a home-brew of sorts, but we were still in 'Forgotten Realms' whereas the Roll*20 game I ran was a 5E supplement called 'Journey to Ragnarok' which I mashed-up with Index Card Role Playing Game. JTR is a Norse Mythology setting for 5E created by a bunch of Italian guys--but it's really good in spite of not being about pasta, pizza, plumbing or the mafia ;)
For the past nine years I have enjoyed what I think is the productive habit of trying out different games annually. Unfortunately, ICRPG not withstanding, I didn't get to try any "new" systems this year. The large group I've mentioned before, Gulf Roleplaying Community, only held mini-conventions in Dubai this year, and as I had one foot out the door and was a regular participant in my local game anyway, I didn't make the 6+ hour round trip out there, and again, being a short-timer meant not backing any new KickStarter projects. Side note--all my physical books being relocated from UAE to China by way of the Philippines has not been a cost-effective endeavor to say the least. I won't know the full extent of this trouble until August 20 when I enter the People's Republic. If I back any KS projects this year, they will probably be digital only. I still have two physical books in the wind that I rerouted to the U.S.
As a player, I typically play female characters. This year was no exception. At the live table I played the never--um...ever-popular, Reganlief Torbjorn. She was a human beast master ranger of the chaotic good alignment. The backstory was that she was a part of a somewhat well to do family of hunters which made their fortune on exotic furs and the like. On one expedition, Reganlief, her father, and her brother were attacked by an unknown creature. Although badly wounded, broken and scarred, Reganlief was the lone survivor of the attack. She vowed revenge. She left her mother--and the family fortune--scouring the lands in search of the elusive creature. The gimmick for her was that she was a cutter who would never let the scars on her face heal. I purposely created her using 5E RAW for Beastmaster Rangers which everyone knows is kind of weak because I wanted to see how bad it was. I eventually multi-classed her to cleric because of this weakness and the fact that the party needed a cleric anyway. My DM this year was really good about weaving our backstories in to the campaign. The creature Reganlief was after ended up being a Peryton--a magic creature that was a cross between a giant eagle and a stag, known for tearing the still beating hearts from its victims--which the party dispatched of in two rounds...sometimes winning that initiative is half the battle. Very quick and final aside--As a GM we can do whatever we want, but being fair and playing within the rules these days means the players--DM's caveat and/or fighting beyond their level not withstanding--are almost kill proof in straight battles.
That ended up being a long one. Tomorrow's topic is....Friendship
Friday 9 August 2019
RPG A Day 2019--August 10th--Focus
What can I say about focus? Much like yesterday's entry the focus should be on the fun--for everybody in the group; those running the game and those playing. That aside, I've played quite a few games over the years and while combat is almost always going to ultimately be the focus of every game, there are a few that tried a slightly different focus. I'm going to talk about two of them.
1. Ryuutama--I am always proselytizing for this game any chance I get. The focus is on traveling--battling the elements, managing resources, and setting up camp--throughout a long journey. The game has its origins in Japan and has often been called "Miyazaki's Oregon Trail" because you get the whimsical feels of a Miyazaki film and the deadly travel of the old Oregon Trail computer game. Another unique aspect of the game is the Ryuujin character for the GM to run. I am a voice in the wilderness but I can't say enough good things about this game.
2. Seventh Sea--I backed the KickStarter for 2nd edition and at one point it was the most successfully funded table top game. The company is having a little trouble right now, but they are ironing out the problems. Several books were produced for the for the project and are readily available now. The focus for this game is player agency and over the top swashbuckling action. It definitely has a different feel than the average game of D&D.
I was actually planning to talk about a few other games with non-combat focus--but I haven't played too many of them. World of Darkness--old and new as far as I can gather--always focused more on the storytelling. It was sort of their selling point back in the old days. I want to play the "Dread" RPG which uses a Jenga tower for its resolutions--I'm sure tension is the focus there--but I've never had the opportunity. I still use the tower to play regular Jenga from time to time though.
What's next? Examine. That implies a close look at something...I'll have to think about it.
1. Ryuutama--I am always proselytizing for this game any chance I get. The focus is on traveling--battling the elements, managing resources, and setting up camp--throughout a long journey. The game has its origins in Japan and has often been called "Miyazaki's Oregon Trail" because you get the whimsical feels of a Miyazaki film and the deadly travel of the old Oregon Trail computer game. Another unique aspect of the game is the Ryuujin character for the GM to run. I am a voice in the wilderness but I can't say enough good things about this game.
2. Seventh Sea--I backed the KickStarter for 2nd edition and at one point it was the most successfully funded table top game. The company is having a little trouble right now, but they are ironing out the problems. Several books were produced for the for the project and are readily available now. The focus for this game is player agency and over the top swashbuckling action. It definitely has a different feel than the average game of D&D.
I was actually planning to talk about a few other games with non-combat focus--but I haven't played too many of them. World of Darkness--old and new as far as I can gather--always focused more on the storytelling. It was sort of their selling point back in the old days. I want to play the "Dread" RPG which uses a Jenga tower for its resolutions--I'm sure tension is the focus there--but I've never had the opportunity. I still use the tower to play regular Jenga from time to time though.
What's next? Examine. That implies a close look at something...I'll have to think about it.
Thursday 8 August 2019
RPG A Day 2019--August 9th--Critical
This is an easy prompt to answer. What is the most critical thing about RPGs be they one-shots or decades long campaigns? It's critical that everyone have fun. Sometimes that's called the number one rule and I don't disagree. I've learned a few more things in my years of play that could be critical to a successful campaign.
1. Session Zero--the one where everyone defines what the game is going to be about and what characters they want to play. You should have one and get all that stuff out of the way to save you from headaches in the future.
2. Communication--throughout the campaign the group should be communicative about what is working and what's not. What is fun for the player and the DM. It always goes back to rule one. If you are playing with people that you know, most of the time this is easy. If you play a lot of online games or other "league" type games wherein you don't really know everyone, it's a good idea to let someone know if something is offensive to you. It's a snowflake thing, but the 'X' card is good. No explanation needed, just throw up the 'X' and the group--who should all be trying to have fun with each other--should back away from the offensive material.
3. Beware of holidays and long breaks--as a school teacher I find winter and summer holiday to be the bane of my groups. As much fun as RPGs are, it's easier to not play than it is to play. A body at rest tends to stay at rest. If it's not fun for you, then certainly take a hiatus or give it up completely, but if it is a hobby you enjoy, don't let complacency and laziness rob you of the joy of playing.
4. Be good to your DM/GM--we're in a symbiotic relationship and everyone should be kind to everyone...especially if you are all friends, but the DM/GM is putting in a lot of work. If you don't believe it, give it a go yourself and you'll appreciate a good DM/GM more. It's actually a lot of fun to run, but you really do have to put a little time in if you want to be a good one. I think even the best improv guy out there needs to prep a little bit and often it's the DM/GM who hosts to boot. So clean up, buy a beer and snacks and take care of him
That's enough for today. Tomorrow's prompt is focus.
1. Session Zero--the one where everyone defines what the game is going to be about and what characters they want to play. You should have one and get all that stuff out of the way to save you from headaches in the future.
2. Communication--throughout the campaign the group should be communicative about what is working and what's not. What is fun for the player and the DM. It always goes back to rule one. If you are playing with people that you know, most of the time this is easy. If you play a lot of online games or other "league" type games wherein you don't really know everyone, it's a good idea to let someone know if something is offensive to you. It's a snowflake thing, but the 'X' card is good. No explanation needed, just throw up the 'X' and the group--who should all be trying to have fun with each other--should back away from the offensive material.
3. Beware of holidays and long breaks--as a school teacher I find winter and summer holiday to be the bane of my groups. As much fun as RPGs are, it's easier to not play than it is to play. A body at rest tends to stay at rest. If it's not fun for you, then certainly take a hiatus or give it up completely, but if it is a hobby you enjoy, don't let complacency and laziness rob you of the joy of playing.
4. Be good to your DM/GM--we're in a symbiotic relationship and everyone should be kind to everyone...especially if you are all friends, but the DM/GM is putting in a lot of work. If you don't believe it, give it a go yourself and you'll appreciate a good DM/GM more. It's actually a lot of fun to run, but you really do have to put a little time in if you want to be a good one. I think even the best improv guy out there needs to prep a little bit and often it's the DM/GM who hosts to boot. So clean up, buy a beer and snacks and take care of him
That's enough for today. Tomorrow's prompt is focus.
Wednesday 7 August 2019
RPG A Day 2019--August 8--Obscure
Today I wanted to talk about a fun game that I picked up this last year that is becoming less and less obscure all the time. This game is Index Card Role Playing Game--ICRPG from Runehammer Games. I'll post the link to Drive Thru, but since you are the converted you probably already know.
Essentially, ICRPG is D&D 5E stripped down and refined into just the real essentials. It's somehow not dumbed down by any means and fans of the system and the author himself continuously add to it..yet, it's elegantly simple.
I won't spoil everything, but there are gimmicks like: timers, loot, difficulty settings, and milestones that simplify everything. Players are always in initiative. Action is always happening. Even measurements have been refined by using a bannana. Aside from making notes about some of the wild loot you can get and possibly your magic spells, you really don't have to look up anything, and you can easily convert any D&D5E character or monster in a few minutes.
What makes it even better is the it helps out other systems as well. Aside from D&D, I've modded Ryuutama and Cyberpunk as well with varying degrees of success by using the gimmicks. If I wanted to teach a new player about RPGs and they've never played before, I'm going with ICRPG over any starter set or "kids" game that's out today. I plan to give CP2020 another go this year using even more of the ICRPG material--if Roll*20 works in China that is. There is also a wrestling game that I converted that I'm all set for, but haven't tried out yet. You'd be surprised at what you might get into using the GM's Tool Kit...and the book is actually pretty small.
Speaking of using the tools, conversions are not as time consuming as you might think, and it's actually fun for me. The ICRPG book has helped me to understand game design better than I ever have before and I've been playing for 30+years. Even if its popularity does grow--and I hope it does--it will still be obscure in my mind as one of the few games that has really taught me something. Again, that's ICRPG found here:
https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/212262/INDEX-CARD-RPG-Core-2E
...among other places. You can even get a free quick start without resorting to piracy.
Tomorrow's word is Critical...
Essentially, ICRPG is D&D 5E stripped down and refined into just the real essentials. It's somehow not dumbed down by any means and fans of the system and the author himself continuously add to it..yet, it's elegantly simple.
I won't spoil everything, but there are gimmicks like: timers, loot, difficulty settings, and milestones that simplify everything. Players are always in initiative. Action is always happening. Even measurements have been refined by using a bannana. Aside from making notes about some of the wild loot you can get and possibly your magic spells, you really don't have to look up anything, and you can easily convert any D&D5E character or monster in a few minutes.
What makes it even better is the it helps out other systems as well. Aside from D&D, I've modded Ryuutama and Cyberpunk as well with varying degrees of success by using the gimmicks. If I wanted to teach a new player about RPGs and they've never played before, I'm going with ICRPG over any starter set or "kids" game that's out today. I plan to give CP2020 another go this year using even more of the ICRPG material--if Roll*20 works in China that is. There is also a wrestling game that I converted that I'm all set for, but haven't tried out yet. You'd be surprised at what you might get into using the GM's Tool Kit...and the book is actually pretty small.
Speaking of using the tools, conversions are not as time consuming as you might think, and it's actually fun for me. The ICRPG book has helped me to understand game design better than I ever have before and I've been playing for 30+years. Even if its popularity does grow--and I hope it does--it will still be obscure in my mind as one of the few games that has really taught me something. Again, that's ICRPG found here:
https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/212262/INDEX-CARD-RPG-Core-2E
...among other places. You can even get a free quick start without resorting to piracy.
Tomorrow's word is Critical...
Tuesday 6 August 2019
RPG A Day 2019--August 7th--Familiar
I'm having trouble with this one. Should we talk about systems we're familiar with or familiar situations we've been in? In any case I'm not going to spend a lot of time with thinking about it as there are many days and prompts ahead.
When it comes to RPGs and familiarity, I think we tend to stick with the games and even the people that we are familiar with. It's sometimes hard to move from the familiar because we feel safe and contented there. In particular, if you've invested a bunch of time or money in a game or particular edition, it's hard re-invest in something new. Almost every time I go to a Mexican Restaurant I get steak fajitas and a margarita. I might want to try something new, but at the end of the day, if I go outside the familiar and I don't like it, well, I feel like I missed out. Gaming is like that on a much larger scale. There is only a finite amount of money and time. Scheduling a session is rough. We tend not to want to waste that time learning a system we might like to play and would rather jump right into playing something that everyone is familiar with. That's okay, but sometimes you miss out on better by sticking with good.
Tomorrow's word is the opposite direction--Obscure. I'll be talking about a fairly obscure game I enjoy and that I feel is worth stepping away from the familiar for-Index Card Role Playing Game.
When it comes to RPGs and familiarity, I think we tend to stick with the games and even the people that we are familiar with. It's sometimes hard to move from the familiar because we feel safe and contented there. In particular, if you've invested a bunch of time or money in a game or particular edition, it's hard re-invest in something new. Almost every time I go to a Mexican Restaurant I get steak fajitas and a margarita. I might want to try something new, but at the end of the day, if I go outside the familiar and I don't like it, well, I feel like I missed out. Gaming is like that on a much larger scale. There is only a finite amount of money and time. Scheduling a session is rough. We tend not to want to waste that time learning a system we might like to play and would rather jump right into playing something that everyone is familiar with. That's okay, but sometimes you miss out on better by sticking with good.
Tomorrow's word is the opposite direction--Obscure. I'll be talking about a fairly obscure game I enjoy and that I feel is worth stepping away from the familiar for-Index Card Role Playing Game.
Monday 5 August 2019
RPGaDay 2019--August 6--Ancient
Today's word is 'Ancient' which is sometimes how I feel if I'm playing with a 20-something or younger. It's hard to believe that I've been playing RPGs in one way or another for over thirty years.
Back in my day we didn't have any of these Elec-Tronic dice rollers...we actually had to roll dice and sometimes you had to color in the numbers and you were lucky to have more than one set.
We didn't have any of the fancy virtual table tops and applications--if you didn't have friends to play with you had to come up with a way to run solo or else play the Fighting Fantasy, Choose Your Own Adventure or Wizards Warriors and You books.
And forget about video games, they were all text-based and you had to either play Adventure on the Atari 2600 or Gauntlet in the arcade.
Plus, if you did manage to find a group you'd all be pegged as Devil Worshippers anyhow and may make the news as a local coven.
And you wouldn't let any girls play with you and if they did show up, they were already attached to the one "cool guy" in your group, and you'd do your best to run them off and teach them a lesson.
That's the way it was and we liked it... We loved it!!
I was trying to channel Dana Carvey's old man character from Saturday Night Live but even the reference to that comedian and his skits dates me as being more ancient.
In gaming a lot have things have improved for the better since those "Ancient" times in the 1980's--maybe '70's for those more ancient than me--and I'm not a politically correct/SJW kind of guy, far from it, but wouldn't it be nice to go back to the time when kids playing Dungeons and Dragons--and other RPGs--was the biggest problem parents had to worry about.
Tomorrow's word is Familiar
Back in my day we didn't have any of these Elec-Tronic dice rollers...we actually had to roll dice and sometimes you had to color in the numbers and you were lucky to have more than one set.
We didn't have any of the fancy virtual table tops and applications--if you didn't have friends to play with you had to come up with a way to run solo or else play the Fighting Fantasy, Choose Your Own Adventure or Wizards Warriors and You books.
And forget about video games, they were all text-based and you had to either play Adventure on the Atari 2600 or Gauntlet in the arcade.
Plus, if you did manage to find a group you'd all be pegged as Devil Worshippers anyhow and may make the news as a local coven.
And you wouldn't let any girls play with you and if they did show up, they were already attached to the one "cool guy" in your group, and you'd do your best to run them off and teach them a lesson.
That's the way it was and we liked it... We loved it!!
I was trying to channel Dana Carvey's old man character from Saturday Night Live but even the reference to that comedian and his skits dates me as being more ancient.
In gaming a lot have things have improved for the better since those "Ancient" times in the 1980's--maybe '70's for those more ancient than me--and I'm not a politically correct/SJW kind of guy, far from it, but wouldn't it be nice to go back to the time when kids playing Dungeons and Dragons--and other RPGs--was the biggest problem parents had to worry about.
Tomorrow's word is Familiar
Sunday 4 August 2019
RPGaDay 2019--August 5th--Space
Todays word is "space" as I stare at the blank space of this page and try to use the empty space between my ears to fill it. My idea about space today is the great amount of it between me and my gaming groups...and how it's not so big of a problem anymore.
I don't want the whole month to be about Roll*20 and other virtual table tops, but they truly are a godsend. For years and years I had no game to play at all because even a couple of hours travel time removed from the main group made it virtually impossible to attend regularly...and I can't be the flake. Nowadays--especially if you are willing to run it--dozens of games are available and just a click away.
I still have problems getting together with old friends in the States and I'm sure the UAE group is done in as far as my participation in it is concerned~lots of space means different time zones~. I'm not clear how this year's effort will go as I relocate to China. Will I have access to a live group out there? Might I be able to recruit my new students or create a role playing club? Will my virtual table tops even work on their strictly regulated internet? Who knows? However, there is no doubt that the world is a whole lot smaller thanks to our technology and the space between us is a smaller hurdle to participating in the hobby than it has ever been.
Tomorrow...'Ancient'
I don't want the whole month to be about Roll*20 and other virtual table tops, but they truly are a godsend. For years and years I had no game to play at all because even a couple of hours travel time removed from the main group made it virtually impossible to attend regularly...and I can't be the flake. Nowadays--especially if you are willing to run it--dozens of games are available and just a click away.
I still have problems getting together with old friends in the States and I'm sure the UAE group is done in as far as my participation in it is concerned~lots of space means different time zones~. I'm not clear how this year's effort will go as I relocate to China. Will I have access to a live group out there? Might I be able to recruit my new students or create a role playing club? Will my virtual table tops even work on their strictly regulated internet? Who knows? However, there is no doubt that the world is a whole lot smaller thanks to our technology and the space between us is a smaller hurdle to participating in the hobby than it has ever been.
Tomorrow...'Ancient'
Saturday 3 August 2019
RPG A Day--August 4th--Share
I'm cheating a bit in this entry by SHARING one of what I hope is one of my funnier news reports. So many funny ones to choose from, and while these reports are 100% pure Markham, the campaign was the classic "Thicker Than Blood" module and the actions reported on were based on those taken by the players
Setting up the Clip:
It's from a Roll*20 session of a Cyberpunk 2020 campaign I ran around two years ago. I can't imagine any of you not knowing what Cyberpunk is, but just in case, it's a near dystopian future setting wherein we have progressed well technologically speaking, but maybe not so much socially. Some have called it hi-tech low-life. It's kind of like Bladerunner or Alita: Battle Angel. I play as Cocoa Lopez AKA COLO she is a young media personality employed by Network 54 to report on the exploits of a team of edgerunners--the players--which she is embedded with. In these reports are her boss, anchor man, Lyle McClellen, her co-worker and rival, Bobbie Blake, and a few other NPCs.
The Broadcasts:
This is Lyle McClellen with breaking news out of South Night City in the area known as the Hill. Earlier this afternoon an explosion decimated one of the many mill houses in the area resulting in the death of one Marta Anders. The 80-year-old, long-time resident was said to be a pillar of the community to the many undocumented workers that populate this area. NCPD forensics had this to say on the matter:
“Well, one thing’s for sure, it’ll have to be a closed casket funeral. Had to have some of the low-level tech boys blot what was left of her up with handiwipes—hope they get enough to take down to the morgue, so we can try an’ identify her officially.
In what is surely an incredible coincidence, our own Coco Lopez, who is currently embedded with a group of “special investigators” for the hit show ‘Night City: Ride Along’ seen here each night on Network 54, was on the scene only a short time before the tragedy struck. Miss Lopez is there any insight that you can give so that the people of this city can make some sense out of this senseless act?
I didn’t see nuffin.
I'll share another one...but they keep getting smaller...
If you have your jeweler's glass handy, you just might be able to check out one more...
I wish I could make them bigger for you but I think you get the general idea. Tomorrow's topic...SPACE.
and the report...if I can post it...
Setting up the Clip:
It's from a Roll*20 session of a Cyberpunk 2020 campaign I ran around two years ago. I can't imagine any of you not knowing what Cyberpunk is, but just in case, it's a near dystopian future setting wherein we have progressed well technologically speaking, but maybe not so much socially. Some have called it hi-tech low-life. It's kind of like Bladerunner or Alita: Battle Angel. I play as Cocoa Lopez AKA COLO she is a young media personality employed by Network 54 to report on the exploits of a team of edgerunners--the players--which she is embedded with. In these reports are her boss, anchor man, Lyle McClellen, her co-worker and rival, Bobbie Blake, and a few other NPCs.
The Broadcasts:
Of course it was booster gangs…but in a neighborhood like this “Nobody didn’t see nuffin’”…gets worse every year the freakin’ animals. What’s this supposed to be—some kind of accident? What did she do mistake a KG of military grade C6 explosives for Cake mix? What kind of a sicko blows up an old lady anyway? That’s what I’d like to know.
I'll share another one...but they keep getting smaller...
and the report...if I can post it...
Friday 2 August 2019
RPG A Day 2019-- August 3--Engage
It's time to Engage with the entry for today's RPG a Day: Engage
We'll go with the definition that means to take hold or to interact. While we're doing these RPGaDay exercises one can't help but to relate the topic to the activity. Engaging--especially with people outside of your normal circles, but also with different settings and systems--is very important for growth. As a lot of us are getting older--I can't believe that I have better than 30 years of role playing experience--it is important that we don't stagnate or separate ourselves from the community at large if we want to keep playing. Also, if you are particularly fond of an older system or edition, engaging new, younger players with those rules is always a possibility. With the advent of Roll*20 and other virtual table tops as well as the recent groundswell of interest in RPGs, there is no reason to be without a game. Engage with the community at hand, use the technology we have available and who knows what new adventures you may find.
Tomorrow we have "Share"
We'll go with the definition that means to take hold or to interact. While we're doing these RPGaDay exercises one can't help but to relate the topic to the activity. Engaging--especially with people outside of your normal circles, but also with different settings and systems--is very important for growth. As a lot of us are getting older--I can't believe that I have better than 30 years of role playing experience--it is important that we don't stagnate or separate ourselves from the community at large if we want to keep playing. Also, if you are particularly fond of an older system or edition, engaging new, younger players with those rules is always a possibility. With the advent of Roll*20 and other virtual table tops as well as the recent groundswell of interest in RPGs, there is no reason to be without a game. Engage with the community at hand, use the technology we have available and who knows what new adventures you may find.
Tomorrow we have "Share"
Thursday 1 August 2019
RPG A Day 2019--August 2nd--Unique
I believe that RPGs--while possibly not unique in this regard--are at least on a short list of past times that manage to stimulate both sides of our brains at the same time.
When we're playing an RPG--even a computer or video game version--we're using our imaginations to picture settings, characters, battles, and proper dialogue choices. Meanwhile, our left side is doing the number crunching, measurement, problem solving and resource management. Other mental activities such as: expressing emotions, showing empathy, use or lack of use of logic, and enjoying reciprocal feelings of camaraderie and respect are all happening when we play...and happening at the same time whether we realize it or not.
What's happening at the table doesn't even take into account the mental gymnastics required outside of the game to make a campaign a success. You are always planning for the next session, managing your schedule and hopefully showing up for said session, researching new products and engaging with the broader community of hobby enthusiasts--such as during RPG a Day and maybe most importantly, navigating the "unique" personalities one runs into at any given table.
Personally, after most sessions, my mind is still racing and I often need a melatonin or something to slow it down. I don't get this feeling from anything else I do...let's just hope it's good for us.
Tomorrow...Engage
When we're playing an RPG--even a computer or video game version--we're using our imaginations to picture settings, characters, battles, and proper dialogue choices. Meanwhile, our left side is doing the number crunching, measurement, problem solving and resource management. Other mental activities such as: expressing emotions, showing empathy, use or lack of use of logic, and enjoying reciprocal feelings of camaraderie and respect are all happening when we play...and happening at the same time whether we realize it or not.
What's happening at the table doesn't even take into account the mental gymnastics required outside of the game to make a campaign a success. You are always planning for the next session, managing your schedule and hopefully showing up for said session, researching new products and engaging with the broader community of hobby enthusiasts--such as during RPG a Day and maybe most importantly, navigating the "unique" personalities one runs into at any given table.
Personally, after most sessions, my mind is still racing and I often need a melatonin or something to slow it down. I don't get this feeling from anything else I do...let's just hope it's good for us.
Tomorrow...Engage
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