The Feast of Welcome began and ended almost as quickly. We were seated in the middle of a large arrangement of pews when, during a huge thunderstorm I might add, the stain glass windows blew in. By the time things calmed down, we discovered the primary attendant dead, his throat slit. By what? We have no idea and are just beginning to investigate.
I suppose, representing both the Emporer and our Inquisitor, we will police both part of the clean-up and investigation. That's were we need to make our major decisions and move forward. I'd like to shake down a few nobles and access some of the contacts we made in our previous (four weeks) adventures. Hopefully, at least some of us will make a few rolls and gather some helpful intel.
We spent some time discussing the possible political fallout and planning our next move. Those of you have have followed the campaign, know that a major characteristic of our party is the inability to make a decision, commit, and act. This week was no different, which is why my update is the size it is.
Oct 31, 2010
B Horror Movies & Gaming
Note of Warning: These movies are accurately described by Wikipedia as "breath-takingly awful". If watch you must, do so at risk of your own waste of time.
It's been a hard week filled with work and sickness, so my wife and I decided to take it easy today. We ordered pizza and settled on the couch for a few low budget horror flicks: Halloween 3: Season of the Witch, Return to House on Haunted Hill, Fright Night, and after trick or treating, Howling 2. All of this while I kept a mental countdown for The Walking Dead, which starts tonight. For those of you who have seen these films, you know they each present their own brand of shortcomings. In some cases these shortcomings are pervasive and overwhelming. Each, however, offer ideas for the open-minded referee.
Halloween 3 doesn't seem to relate to the previous films in any direct way, instead focusing on a robot-building entrepreneur-druid hoping to sacrifice thousands of children on Halloween night. The story could easily translate to a Beyond the Supernatural (BtS) story or campaign. Palladium's ley lines and places of high magic power match the use of Stonehenge stones in the film.
Return to House on Haunted Hill would fit equally well in a modern Cthulhu or BtS game. A totem (called the idol of Baphomet) of one of the Elder Gods has been in a house/sanatorium for so long that the atrocities and many people who have been killed there are now trapped as vengeful ghosts. The house itself has an interesting design which includes a lock-down mode in which no inhabitant can leave. This would be a good trap for the game, and the house is large and varied enough to test several different skill sets. The diversity of patients and victims makes for an excellent variety of ghosts/opponents. It's also worth noting that Jeffry Combs, famous for the much loved Re-Animator and other Lovecraft-inspired films, stars as the principal antagonist.
In Howling 2 a clan of werewolves in Transylvania terrorize an American couple bent on revenge. Even though the flick (I can't bring myself to use the term "film" anymore, especially with this one) has a modern setting, the story would carry to an OD&D game very well. There are mages, halflings, clerics (played by Christopher Lee no less), warriors with battle axes, and (duh) sex-crazed werewolves galore. There are also really cool magic items and spells. For example, Stirba the Werewolf Queen has a living gargoyle/demon-bat magic staff. The characters, overacted or obnoxious in the movie, would be really fun in a campaign.
A few more review quotes in case you didn't heed my earlier warning:
"... a horrendous waste of time..."
"completely arbitrary"
"a fairly nondescript eighties horror flick"
" ...manages the not easy feat of being anti-children, anti-capitalism, and anti-Irish all at the same time."
Happy Halloween!
Oct 30, 2010
House Rule: Criticals
I like the idea behind critical strikes; they make combat a little more exciting for players. Finding the right balance, mechanically, however, takes some thought. I'm not a fan of auto-kill because that can ruin the fun too easily. Nor do I like maximum roll damage because that could happen anyway. I want the critical strike to be an exciting above average strike, but not a game changer. What I've settled on is a natural roll of 20 is a critical strike that does maximum damage plus one damage roll. For example, a d6 sword, on a critical strike does 7-12 (6+1d6) damage and a d4 dagger would do 5-8 (4+1d4). This will be appropriate with both lower and higher level characters because, presumably, the advanced players will have high damage weapons.
The Red DM mentions that a downfall of crits on a natural 20 is that it "isn't influenced at all by the AC of the target". If the d20 to-hit roll includes (philosophically), not only the physical aspects of combat, but the strategy and other cognitive aspects, we can allege that the critical strike is exceptional planning or battle strategy such as feinting, high/low combinations, exploiting the environment, etc. Or, we can just say a character got lucky.
Inversely, I also like the idea of a critical fumble to balance out the critical strike. It isn't essential, but I like the the dichotomy and tension it brings to the players. Finding the proper balance of increasing immersive fun without killing a character is equally difficult. Zero damage isn't enough, and self-inflicted damage can cause significant player anger, so I go with player loses one turn on a natural roll of one (critical fumble). This can be seen as a trip, or really bad attack strategy.
The Red DM mentions that a downfall of crits on a natural 20 is that it "isn't influenced at all by the AC of the target". If the d20 to-hit roll includes (philosophically), not only the physical aspects of combat, but the strategy and other cognitive aspects, we can allege that the critical strike is exceptional planning or battle strategy such as feinting, high/low combinations, exploiting the environment, etc. Or, we can just say a character got lucky.
Inversely, I also like the idea of a critical fumble to balance out the critical strike. It isn't essential, but I like the the dichotomy and tension it brings to the players. Finding the proper balance of increasing immersive fun without killing a character is equally difficult. Zero damage isn't enough, and self-inflicted damage can cause significant player anger, so I go with player loses one turn on a natural roll of one (critical fumble). This can be seen as a trip, or really bad attack strategy.
Tabletop Industry
I've been reading a few posts about the gaming industry and thinking about blogging a reply when I realized that wasn't where my heart was. In many ways I agree with Blackrazor in that the beauty of role playing is the immersive nature of the game where you are social, but more importantly, imaginative. I love the various genres and flexibility of rpg's compared with board or video games. Even so-called sandbox video games don't come near the variability of a good campaign. Railroad modules, themselves, are easily opened up by a good referee. I care less and less about industry reports when I see all the new modules reviewed at Grognardia and that are available for extremely reasonable prices.
We will always dream of new and cool products (and that is extremely fun), but what I like about the OS community I've recently joined is that we're doing that already. Every week high-quality (and, admittedly, low quality) home brew products hit the web. I look forward to opening Google Reader each evening as much as clicking through eBay or visiting my not-so-local gamestore.
We will always dream of new and cool products (and that is extremely fun), but what I like about the OS community I've recently joined is that we're doing that already. Every week high-quality (and, admittedly, low quality) home brew products hit the web. I look forward to opening Google Reader each evening as much as clicking through eBay or visiting my not-so-local gamestore.
Oct 26, 2010
D&D Cartoon
I remember watching a few episodes in my youth, though I much preferred Transformers and Robotech. I was seven when the show initially aired in 1983 and was just getting into Basic when it was canceled two years later.
It was fun to watch for sake of nostalgia, and I suppose there is food for adventures. Despite being a kid's show, it features far more violence than, say, GI Joe from the same general time. Some of the creatures and characters are interesting enough to become PC's. I'm sure someone has done this, I haven't taken the time to search the net for this yet.
The character's solutions are frequently singular and simple, and there are plenty of nonsensical "whaaa?" moments, but, as I said, it's a guilty (and cheap) pleasure from D&D's heyday.
Oct 24, 2010
Rules Light Vs. Rules Right part 1: The Horror
It's been a great weekend. I spent nearly ten hours driving South to visit my mom for her birthday. There have been some fantastically detailed posts about old school rules in some of my favorite blogs (see list below, right) and the drive was a great chance to mull them over. I'm currently working on bringing elements of Cthulhu in to a red box game with a few house rules. I have Shane and JB to thank for the inspiration. It's OK that I can't afford a first or second edition of Deities & Demigods at the moment since I want to create the rules anyway. Combat and Horror are the two arenas for house rule creation. Halloween is around the corner, so I'm starting with Horror and am putting aside Call of Cthulhu (CoC) for the moment to see what other publications have to offer.
I generally agree with New Fish in that we gamers should try to understand and use rules before we ignore or modify. There are plenty of reasons to do this, but the big one is that planning games and reading gaming books, while immensely fun, is an abstract process. Even the most seasoned referee, in reading a new set of rules, won't be able to fully understand the mechanics and affects on game play until it is played. Play testing is a critical part of any game. House rule creation, an honored tradition amongst most old school gamers, is best done after several sessions of full or nearly-full rule implementation. In this case, I'm fairly familiar with Basic rules, which are fairly light anyway. Which leads me to...
Rule complexity is another issue. I don't see rule complexity and general fun as antagonistic or extremes on opposing sides of the same dimension. There are cases where complexity for some games and some gamers heightens enjoyment. Complex rules can allow for more strategy in a game and often reward knowledgeable players in important, but intangible ways. Conversely, overly simplified games often miss player accountability, which is an important part of immersion. Horror, in any game featuring monsters, magic, or violence, is a large enough component to warrant its own mechanic. (Rolling multiple concepts in to a singe roll is a great topic for another day, see the D6 damage discussion.)
This concept of immersion, to me, is critical in house rule design and implementation. I take it in to account before fun and relative realism. Complex rules and simplified rules can take a player out of immersion and its the referees goal to dip back in that pool of imaginative game play. Simplified game play may be easier to pick and play, but may not provide enough limited interactivity with the game world to sustain campaigns (and campaigns are my ultimate goal).
That said...
What is terror? How does a referee handle the horror genre? These are tough questions and, I have to give Erik Wujcik credit for his attempt in "A Game Master's Guide to Beyond the Supernatural". In this treatise, Wujcik covers familiar story telling ground, but also asserts that the horror story in a RPG is an advanced skill. He creates some interesting "Rules of Horror and the Art of Role-Playing" with some specific examples of storytelling.
In terms of mechanics, Siembieda, in BtS, likens his horror factor to a "mental parry" (p.47). A failed roll results in a temporary stun. This means they lose a turn and perform all action last. After a turn, they regain their senses and function "as normal". I like using a d20 to do a "mental parry", but think characters shouldn't automatically resume normalcy after a turn. There should a possibility of this happening, but an automatic recover removes some of the potency of the Old Ones. Palladium includes an insanity table, but it doesn't appear easily compatible to a D&D system. Dark Heresy tracks a character's Insanity and offers a similar random table that the player must roll at various sums of accumulation. I like having both an immediate effect of horror, and an on-going accumulation that ends with insanity. Is a d20 mental parry, random insanity table, and a cumulative insanity stat what I'm looking for?
I generally agree with New Fish in that we gamers should try to understand and use rules before we ignore or modify. There are plenty of reasons to do this, but the big one is that planning games and reading gaming books, while immensely fun, is an abstract process. Even the most seasoned referee, in reading a new set of rules, won't be able to fully understand the mechanics and affects on game play until it is played. Play testing is a critical part of any game. House rule creation, an honored tradition amongst most old school gamers, is best done after several sessions of full or nearly-full rule implementation. In this case, I'm fairly familiar with Basic rules, which are fairly light anyway. Which leads me to...
Rule complexity is another issue. I don't see rule complexity and general fun as antagonistic or extremes on opposing sides of the same dimension. There are cases where complexity for some games and some gamers heightens enjoyment. Complex rules can allow for more strategy in a game and often reward knowledgeable players in important, but intangible ways. Conversely, overly simplified games often miss player accountability, which is an important part of immersion. Horror, in any game featuring monsters, magic, or violence, is a large enough component to warrant its own mechanic. (Rolling multiple concepts in to a singe roll is a great topic for another day, see the D6 damage discussion.)
This concept of immersion, to me, is critical in house rule design and implementation. I take it in to account before fun and relative realism. Complex rules and simplified rules can take a player out of immersion and its the referees goal to dip back in that pool of imaginative game play. Simplified game play may be easier to pick and play, but may not provide enough limited interactivity with the game world to sustain campaigns (and campaigns are my ultimate goal).
That said...
What is terror? How does a referee handle the horror genre? These are tough questions and, I have to give Erik Wujcik credit for his attempt in "A Game Master's Guide to Beyond the Supernatural". In this treatise, Wujcik covers familiar story telling ground, but also asserts that the horror story in a RPG is an advanced skill. He creates some interesting "Rules of Horror and the Art of Role-Playing" with some specific examples of storytelling.
In terms of mechanics, Siembieda, in BtS, likens his horror factor to a "mental parry" (p.47). A failed roll results in a temporary stun. This means they lose a turn and perform all action last. After a turn, they regain their senses and function "as normal". I like using a d20 to do a "mental parry", but think characters shouldn't automatically resume normalcy after a turn. There should a possibility of this happening, but an automatic recover removes some of the potency of the Old Ones. Palladium includes an insanity table, but it doesn't appear easily compatible to a D&D system. Dark Heresy tracks a character's Insanity and offers a similar random table that the player must roll at various sums of accumulation. I like having both an immediate effect of horror, and an on-going accumulation that ends with insanity. Is a d20 mental parry, random insanity table, and a cumulative insanity stat what I'm looking for?
Oct 18, 2010
Dark Heresy Red Wake part 3
The Feast of Welcome in a giant hall filled with factious nobles continues and the plot thickens. We approach the Lord Regent of Malfi; Fafsa Bellasco. While many smaller noble families have their own religion, it seems that Fafsa is working to bring them all together under one roof, in this case literally. This move; consolidating religion and politics, will probably give Mafli greater power generally, and weaken the lesser nobles. This, however, is speculation on my part.
We spent nearly half of our gaming session essentially pumping the Lord Regent for information regarding the various nobles and their squabbles, before blending back in with the crowd (as much as possible). Oddly enough, a minor noble approached our Vindikar Assasin calling him out on a duel. Chuck (our assassin) promptly declared, "I shoot him." After which he rolled a 2d10, got a bonus d10, and rolled high enough for a righteous fury (essentially a critical strike). Think of our assassin's handgun as a silenced Desert Eagle and you get the idea. The minor noble's head was no more. All of this, mind you, at point blank range and with amazing speed and dexterity. In fact, no one actually saw Chuck commit the murder... except the one person who sent him over to draw us out. Ahem.
After smoothing things over with a hurried and overworked Deacon Ensor, who happens to be in charge of nearly everything superficial, we encountered a Lady Cheska Duquesne, AKA Helena Nefram. It was she who sent the noble over in what we assume was an attempt to get a read on our abilities. She had set up the entire situation to see how much of our hand we would expose. Apparently, everything.
An interesting discussion ensued, wherein our party is informed that there have been many other, more highly qualified people, up for the religious leader who disliked the pomp, only to be passed up. We were interrupted by a brief thespian performance causing a stir. It was conducted by people loosely affiliated with the Pilgrims of Hate. This is a group we have tangled with successfully before.
As you can see, this game is heavy on diplomacy and is set in a rich world. I admit to not reading the books as perhaps I should. There have been many nights where much of the important content glides peacefully well above my head as I wait for the next demon to fight. It is what it is, and seems to get more political and less action-oriented month by month, especially after essentially converting to Ascension. I enjoy this game because I'm role playing with good friends and I'm learning a new and complicated system, but sometimes I hanker for a Kobold head to bash in.
We spent nearly half of our gaming session essentially pumping the Lord Regent for information regarding the various nobles and their squabbles, before blending back in with the crowd (as much as possible). Oddly enough, a minor noble approached our Vindikar Assasin calling him out on a duel. Chuck (our assassin) promptly declared, "I shoot him." After which he rolled a 2d10, got a bonus d10, and rolled high enough for a righteous fury (essentially a critical strike). Think of our assassin's handgun as a silenced Desert Eagle and you get the idea. The minor noble's head was no more. All of this, mind you, at point blank range and with amazing speed and dexterity. In fact, no one actually saw Chuck commit the murder... except the one person who sent him over to draw us out. Ahem.
After smoothing things over with a hurried and overworked Deacon Ensor, who happens to be in charge of nearly everything superficial, we encountered a Lady Cheska Duquesne, AKA Helena Nefram. It was she who sent the noble over in what we assume was an attempt to get a read on our abilities. She had set up the entire situation to see how much of our hand we would expose. Apparently, everything.
An interesting discussion ensued, wherein our party is informed that there have been many other, more highly qualified people, up for the religious leader who disliked the pomp, only to be passed up. We were interrupted by a brief thespian performance causing a stir. It was conducted by people loosely affiliated with the Pilgrims of Hate. This is a group we have tangled with successfully before.
As you can see, this game is heavy on diplomacy and is set in a rich world. I admit to not reading the books as perhaps I should. There have been many nights where much of the important content glides peacefully well above my head as I wait for the next demon to fight. It is what it is, and seems to get more political and less action-oriented month by month, especially after essentially converting to Ascension. I enjoy this game because I'm role playing with good friends and I'm learning a new and complicated system, but sometimes I hanker for a Kobold head to bash in.
I Love eBay
All through the nineties as I started attended gaming conventions, one of the elements I looked forward to the most were the auctions. Piles of games to look through whilst imaging the game sessions. Then waiting through hundreds of auction items as Frank Mentzer moved ever so closer to the coveted item. Finally, the thunderous applause as an original Chainmail goes to the highest bidder and the winner stands triumphant; acknowledged by his rightful peers.
Anyway, these days the auctions aren't what they used to be with eBay and PDF's. While I do miss the comraderie/social element of the older auctions, I have come to love making RPG discoveries on eBay. Above is my latest haul; nine books for twenty dollars payment and eight dollars shipping.
It strikes me that for the cost of one 4e PHB, I got all of these wonderful, some might say classic, texts to puruse at my liesure for days to come. Even if I don't use all of them in gaming sessions (I'm looking at you, Vampire Kingdoms) I still appreciate them on their own as reading material. Is that wrong?
Oct 17, 2010
Effective Music in Gaming
Thinking back to some of my most memorable games, music was a part of only a few. However, of those few, I can remember more details and emotion from those games. I believe the specific music; though, is largely irrelevant. That is, the style, composer, or band isn’t the reason I associate positive memories with various gaming sessions. I suspect that association with a generally good game paired with music I already prefer, coupled with a decade of nostalgia is enough. Does music have a place in gaming?
The initial answer is easy: Yes, if the players want it. I know some referees who put on some of their favorite music for sake of nostalgia and others who carefully compile music they believe will enhance the experience. I think general politeness would lead player or referee to make sure the music selected is appropriate, i.e., at an acceptable volume and style.
The laptop is now at most gaming tables, bringing with it, not only libraries of PDF’s and probability software, but music, too. The urge to find music on the fly via YouTube, iTunes, or some other avenue can be difficult to resist. I’m not a fan of this approach. If it’s the player doing this, it is distracting and suggests that his/her mind is elsewhere. If the referee does this, it also can cause a break impeding natural gaming momentum. This break takes players out of the game. If music is used, it should be carefully selected beforehand.
Music is a powerful medium, not just for associations. Music can increase short term memory (Baddel & Salame’, 1989). This study and others indicate that music without a human voice is processed in such a way to compliment certain cognitive activities. In this case; gaming. It's important to note that most of these studies were done with either Baroque or new age minimalist tonal and fugue music. If a referee chooses to use music, selections in this vein could enhance game play and player memory. Hopefully this increases general enjoyment, too.
As others have pointed out, many referees turn to soundtracks and nostalgic albums for their gaming. In addition to these, I would recommend video game soundtracks. Movie soundtracks tend to have massive variations; they progress from quiet background music to thundering choruses designed to grab your attention. Video game soundtracks, however, are generally designed to accentuate game play in an innocuous way and, therefore, tend to compliment tabletop game play as well.
You can preview many of these suggestions on YouTube and other such sites. These are just a few that I have used to enhance gaming experiences.
Movie Soundtracks*
28 Days Later by John Murphy
Bladerunner by Vangelis
Conan the Barbarian by Basic Poledouris
Dracula by Wojciech Kilar
Dune by Toto
Lord of the Rings by Howard Shore (especially “The Shire and The Hobbits”)
Legend by Tangerine Dream
Suspiria by Goblin
Brian Eno
M84
Phillip Glass
Robert Rich
Sara Ayers
Ulrich Schnauss
Videogame Music
Doom 3 by Chris Vrenna
Fallout 3 by Inon Zur
Riven by Robyn Miller (I highly recommend this one!)
Resources
Baddely, A., Salame’, P. (1989). Effects of Background Music On Phonological Short Term Memory. The Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology, 41/1, 107-122.
* In many cases there is more than one composer.
Oct 12, 2010
A Case of the Red Box
Admit it, how many of you lined up at Gen Con this year to step into the red box cover? The opportunity to get a free signed Elmore poster and hold that little plastic sword was too much to pass up despite the hecklers. I felt like the little kid who marveled at this cover at length and spent many evenings tracing and then free-handing the iconic image. If it wasn't iconic before, it most certainly is now that WotC has released their relatively cheap Starter Set and marketing campaign which harkens back a few decades. It's currently selling on Amazon for less than fourteen dollars despite a list price of $19.99! Will it bring new sheep into the fold as many bloggers suspect? I'm happy to see sales reports that indicate a relatively competitive game market, so this isn't an absurdity.
The red box issue has made the blog rounds with expected frequent old school/new school dichotomies. New Fish seems to have a healthy balance in this regard, in addition to apparent respect from the OSR community. I also appreciate his healthy Mentzer defense. Like him, I hope to buy this far more sturdy red box to fill in the original BECMI. It looks as if a new generation of kids may develop a stubborn case of the Red Box. (I hear it's contagious and, despite general dissipation of symptoms after the initial exposure, likely to manifest at various times in one's life.)
Oct 10, 2010
Organizing Your Game Library
It's gotten to the point where one 2'x2'x7' bookshelf won't hold all of my roleplaying books and boxes. There has been a general infestation of science fiction in my American History and I think the fantasy horror tomes have given my education bookshelf a growing case of Lovecraft and King. On top of this (soon that will be literal) my new Ebay RPG lot purchase will arrive next week. Let's not even go into board and card games.
While I don't have an easy physical answer for the moment (and perhaps I don't really need one), I do have a virtual one: librarything.com. This is a cool website for cataloging, organizing, reviewing, and sharing texts of all sort, including (of course) roleplaying games. Nearly every roleplaying book I've checked is in their database, though my personal collection doesn't get overly obscure. It's also another way to meet like-minded people and compare libraries. Librarything gives you the option to sign up and write book reviews in return for free books. The website also offers library word clouds and a multitude of ways to look at your collection. If you have a really large collection, you can buy a cheap scanner and scan all your books in.
You can log your first 200 books free, but it must remain public. To go private and exceed 200 there is a small monthly, or one time payment fee where you name the price. You can see my personal library, warts and all, here.
While I don't have an easy physical answer for the moment (and perhaps I don't really need one), I do have a virtual one: librarything.com. This is a cool website for cataloging, organizing, reviewing, and sharing texts of all sort, including (of course) roleplaying games. Nearly every roleplaying book I've checked is in their database, though my personal collection doesn't get overly obscure. It's also another way to meet like-minded people and compare libraries. Librarything gives you the option to sign up and write book reviews in return for free books. The website also offers library word clouds and a multitude of ways to look at your collection. If you have a really large collection, you can buy a cheap scanner and scan all your books in.
You can log your first 200 books free, but it must remain public. To go private and exceed 200 there is a small monthly, or one time payment fee where you name the price. You can see my personal library, warts and all, here.
Oct 9, 2010
Sandbox Tabletop Gaming Lego Style
One of the many perks that comes with having a sixteen month old is being able to loiter in the toy section of various stores without social anxiety. Today I stopped by Target and took the opportunity to peruse the toy isles while my daughter played with various Halloween items (the life-sized animated witch, by the way, delighted rather than terrified her. I, however, flinched a bit.)
I came across the new (at least, new to me) Lego game series. Being a middle school teacher I am aware of the Lego MMORPG and the 3D online Lego-building. The games, however, were new to me and I immediately starting working out RPG applications. Not only do you build the board, but you can build the dice as well. This is a product all game designers will enjoy. We all can go out and buy blank die to label and a box of Legos, but these games offer ready rules to master, then provide the plasticity and uniform bits to grow and develop one's own game.
I thought back to my own childhood playing the Dungeons and Dragons Labyrinth Game. This electronic game has you build a labyrinth as you look for treasure and pray the dragon doesn't wake and chase you down. I had hours of fun with this game. One of the main reasons I enjoyed it so much was the plastic nature; it was different each time and I felt that I was building the labyrinth. It was a blend of Battleship and Legos, but with really cool miniatures. There was even a large dragon mini that felt heavy in my nine year old hands.
Oct 8, 2010
Miniatures & Roleplaying
Are miniatures an important tool for roleplaying? I enjoy miniature games such as Warhammer Fantasy and 40K, but have rarely used minis with my OD&D, White Wolf, or Palladium games in the past. No one in my old group was much of a mini player and it never felt right.My new group however, is run by a creative and talented GM who has an impressive collection that he has painted in detail himself. Furthermore, the minis, themselves, are often endorsed by Fantasy Flight. When I asked my GM why he used minis in a roleplaying game, his answer, aside from the general pleasure of painting them, was that miniatures add objectivity and clarity to combat and generally enhance the experience. Interestingly, when he started gaming with the original D&D booklets, he used washers, nuts, etc.
I haven't played or read 4e D&D, but I see their miniatures filling the shelves at my local Borders book store. With that, and the success of Dark Heresy, ongoing growth of Warhammer, and newer mini game systems such as Clix, it is clear that miniatures are growing in popularity. It also seems that many board games have adopted both a CCG and miniature element. For some reason, I still seek the simplicity of OD&D sans minis. Why is that?
Dark Heresy Red Wake part 2
We got started a little later, so the overall story of the campaign didn't progress but a few pages of descriptions. The ceremony is still looming, Inquisitor Graves is still sorely missed, and we're doing our best to represent authority on a planet full of feuding royals.
There was an effort to locate a guest list. Also our group psyker tried to do a little reconnaissance and was promptly found and thrown in the brig. Well, he was hovering in shadows on the vaulted ceiling.
The bottom line is that very little discovery happened. We clarified the power of the position about to be bestowed. We also determined that the person selected is an outsider. We haven't decided what to do, though I did switch out of my ornamental dress suit in favor of my carapace armor regardless of how many dirty looks I get. I've come to the conclusion that I'm going to get those no matter what I wear.
Aside from some other housekeeping and a half-hearted attempt to send our Vindikar Assasin out on a little open-ended info hunt, very little was accomplished. This brings me to a point about our particular gaming group. Each group develops its own dynamic and this one is firmly set in discussion mode. Very little actually happens in the story. It's gotten to the point where our GM starts using a timer to get us moving. The discussion is usually on-topic, but far ranging. I have come to enjoy the setting despite my first reservations, but I find myself longing for a little sword swinging action and reading great blogs such as Grognardia only intensify this.
Having moved to Northern Ohio recently, I find myself five hours away from my old gaming groups. As much as I'd love to run a Labyrinth Lord game or two, I don't see it happening. At least, not until my daughter gets a little older.
Note: Over time I'm sure there will be many typos and innacuracies regarding the world of Dark Heresy in this series of posts. I take some notes during our sessions, but don't do much fact-finding research or spell-checking. Nor am I familiar with the world in general.
There was an effort to locate a guest list. Also our group psyker tried to do a little reconnaissance and was promptly found and thrown in the brig. Well, he was hovering in shadows on the vaulted ceiling.
The bottom line is that very little discovery happened. We clarified the power of the position about to be bestowed. We also determined that the person selected is an outsider. We haven't decided what to do, though I did switch out of my ornamental dress suit in favor of my carapace armor regardless of how many dirty looks I get. I've come to the conclusion that I'm going to get those no matter what I wear.
Aside from some other housekeeping and a half-hearted attempt to send our Vindikar Assasin out on a little open-ended info hunt, very little was accomplished. This brings me to a point about our particular gaming group. Each group develops its own dynamic and this one is firmly set in discussion mode. Very little actually happens in the story. It's gotten to the point where our GM starts using a timer to get us moving. The discussion is usually on-topic, but far ranging. I have come to enjoy the setting despite my first reservations, but I find myself longing for a little sword swinging action and reading great blogs such as Grognardia only intensify this.
Having moved to Northern Ohio recently, I find myself five hours away from my old gaming groups. As much as I'd love to run a Labyrinth Lord game or two, I don't see it happening. At least, not until my daughter gets a little older.
Note: Over time I'm sure there will be many typos and innacuracies regarding the world of Dark Heresy in this series of posts. I take some notes during our sessions, but don't do much fact-finding research or spell-checking. Nor am I familiar with the world in general.
Oct 6, 2010
Fallout 3 The Tabletop RPG?
I enjoy board games and video games as much as role playing games and recently got the Fallout 3 Player Guide for my Xbox 360 version of the game. While playing this immensely enjoyable game and supplementing with the player's guide mentioned, I came to think what a wonderful module (or even game itself) the player's guide would make. The level of detail is wide ranging and specific enough to easily lend itself to nearly any role playing system. There are maps, player character stat descriptions, characters, weapons, flowcharts, event tables, and probability tables. Many of the game elements are based on probability and so lend itself amiably towards a percentile system.
Oct 4, 2010
Dark Heresy Red Wake part 1
"Man does not fail to plan, he just fails to plan."
-Frederick Douglass
We've been playing in this campaign for over a year, our game master having used many of the Dark Heresy official supplements and a few of his own. We've recently made the jump to Ascension, which I liken to D&D's Master Rules (black box). Combat, in particular, is likely to change to emphasize our advanced level.
We have recently landed on planet Malfi to attend a ceremony of the Central Church. Shortly after landing, our boss, Inquisitor Graves, announced that he was leaving and we were to stand in for him. This is strange, especially as one of our hosts, Inquisitor Castalan is looking for Graves in a large central building called the Spire. The ceremony focuses on Clorens Zan as he is to be sworn in as the new religious head of the Ecclesiarches. We must walk a fine line of authority and deference. There are many feuding noble houses on this planet and it will be a fine line to walk indeed without setting off one or another.
We showed up for the ceremony and garnered plenty of haughty looks from attendees who seem disappointed we weren't Inquisitor Graves. We're leery of something very bad happening soon. Solomon suspects something will happen during dinner tonight. The ceremony, however, looks like it may take several days, so we may have to play nice a bit longer. As usual, we have no particular plan. We did, however, have the foresight to use Cherubims to hold unseemly weapons and armor.
Our Party
Solomon Reese: Interogator
Din: Psyker Primeris
Juri Akadia: Sage
Chuck: Sindicar Assassin
Karek: Crusader (me)
-Frederick Douglass
We've been playing in this campaign for over a year, our game master having used many of the Dark Heresy official supplements and a few of his own. We've recently made the jump to Ascension, which I liken to D&D's Master Rules (black box). Combat, in particular, is likely to change to emphasize our advanced level.
We have recently landed on planet Malfi to attend a ceremony of the Central Church. Shortly after landing, our boss, Inquisitor Graves, announced that he was leaving and we were to stand in for him. This is strange, especially as one of our hosts, Inquisitor Castalan is looking for Graves in a large central building called the Spire. The ceremony focuses on Clorens Zan as he is to be sworn in as the new religious head of the Ecclesiarches. We must walk a fine line of authority and deference. There are many feuding noble houses on this planet and it will be a fine line to walk indeed without setting off one or another.
We showed up for the ceremony and garnered plenty of haughty looks from attendees who seem disappointed we weren't Inquisitor Graves. We're leery of something very bad happening soon. Solomon suspects something will happen during dinner tonight. The ceremony, however, looks like it may take several days, so we may have to play nice a bit longer. As usual, we have no particular plan. We did, however, have the foresight to use Cherubims to hold unseemly weapons and armor.
Our Party
Solomon Reese: Interogator
Din: Psyker Primeris
Juri Akadia: Sage
Chuck: Sindicar Assassin
Karek: Crusader (me)
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