I enjoy making and running horror-themed games and, while I have taken inspiration from movies, I have never used movies as part of the game play experience. Lately I’ve thought about ways to use video that would not detract from the mental immersion, but enrich the experience. Below I outline a few steps for building just such a combination. I even wonder if this method, when combined with a relatively simple mechanic system, couldn’t be used to introduce people to role play-style gaming. Caveat 1: While I focus on horror movies for this post, I don’t see why it couldn’t work equally well for non-horror genre. Caveat 2: I have ran horror-movie based games, but I haven’t used this method yet. It’s pure speculation at this point.
To start, scroll through a list of horror movie synopsis until you find something that you would enjoy running. There are plenty of top ten-style lists that are easy to find online. The IMDB horror section is a good place to start because they offer a huge database, concise storyline, trailers, and complete list of characters. There are, however, lots and lots of horror movie lists and they are easy to find.
The most important part comes next; you have to select a movie based not on the possibly enticing storyline, but on a combination of storyline, YouTube trailer, and playable characters. Once you’ve found an interesting selection, watch the trailer on YouTube, look at the cast of characters on IMDB and decide if it would make a good game. If so, create character sheets for each major player. I recommend that you make more characters than you have players in case there is an unfortunate death (we are talking horror movies, after all).
Next, conceptualize an exciting setting/s and have some events or plot twists ready that you can employ to spice things up. This may be especially relevant early on as the players come into their stride and learn how they want to play their character.
Finally, show the players the video trailer and play. You may want to pause at various times to help embed images of characters into each player’s memory.
A few simple suggestions for new gamers.
• Make the character information fit on an index card. It would also help to print pictures of each character and fix them to the cards.
• Let them go with the flow. When I ran a game with some new gamers, I reminded myself when they stepped into the game master’s shoes a bit to let them. With Remake, the focus is clearly placed on having a good time. Leveling up, impartiality, and other common concepts will come with time and other games later one (hopefully).
• Don’t have your gaming group watch the entire film, unless you make your game the sequel. Since this method is titled “remake” I’ll focus on either a trailer or small part of the movie.
• I suspect it’s also important that the game master select a movie that none, or at the very least, very few, of the players have seen. Otherwise, it is likely the players will simply recreate the movie’s basic storyline. If the players are horror fans, it may take some digging, both online and into your friend’s filmography, to come up with an original selection.
• Alcohol’s not a bad idea.
Example
Storyline: Seven teens head up to a cabin on the lake for spring break. Mike has studied all horror films on video, and recognizes the signs of foreshadowing of doom. The others dismiss his concerns as the workings of a person that watches too many videos, but there really is something out there, and the teens begin experiencing an attrition problem when they start stumbling into all the cliches found in a typical teen horror film.
Setting: Small town and cabin near lake in country.
Characters: Mike, Doreen, Jim, Stacy, Nick, Janet, David, Sally, Plumber, Police Officer.
Plot Twist Ideas: Random NPC becomes possessed and attacks characters. Odd, thick mist rolls in on lake. Loud screams come from forest. Violent rednecks attack cabin. All electricity goes out.
Jul 28, 2011
The Hybrid Speaks
Strength
Dexterity
Charisma
Constitution
Wisdom
Intelligence
“A closed system lacks the ability to renew itself.”
When I look at how psychologists and cognitivists have broken down human performance, I see that our game (D&D) is not a simulation, because, in all reality, a simulation probably wouldn’t be all that fun. No, D&D is a game that has progressed from Chainmail concrete to abstract, and that transition, coupled with relative popularity, is when the floodgates opened, so to speak, of our multitudinous input towards an increasingly subjective social activity.
Existential Ability is one of the stats for a new role-playing/simulation system I’m working on. Existential Ability (E) is the ability to “contemplate phenomena or questions beyond sensory data, such as the infinite and infinitesimal. Careers or callings which suit those with this intelligence include shamans, priests, mathematicians, physicists, scientists, cosmologists and philosophers.” (Wikipedia) This is magic. While I hate shoving my own mismanaged words into other people’s mouths, I doubt Lovecraft, Ellis, King, Crowley, Lenape Shaman, or Gygax himself (happy birthday, BTW) would offer a logical disagreement that holds water.
However, E is a learning style. Learning style! I need performance styles for a game. You know?
Anyway, why even bother with creating a game system, aside from the mental masturbation aspect? There are a huge range of options that already exist; open game license and not, already. And besides, what is a game system, anyway? I’m going to eschew that question for now and focus, instead, on the purpose. What does a game system do?
We’re all looking for a game system that does… what, exactly? Replicate reality? Heighten reality? Highlight facets of a romanticized life that we dream about, but do not, in fact, have a realistic appreciation of? These systems, AD&D, B/X, D20 and so on, when coupled with the appropriate setting, feed our nostalgia, our egos, and inclinations towards strategy. But is there anything more? Can we learn from such activities? If so, what can we learn from such activities?
Why do most OSR pundits emphasize the player’s intellect in figuring out in-game mysteries when such characters, in the real world, could never wield a sword or face a demon without shitting their drawers? This, of course, is rhetorical, a red herring, and fallacious. Appeal to the past is independent of reality. The reality of mechanics, nostalgia, and cultural mores does more to explain such emphasis than I could ever dream of doing here.
Given such logical meanderings, how then do I create a simulation independent of the established norm? My answer is both simple and complex and comes from my background in learning theory. As a school teacher I am familiar with various method of intellectual evaluation. I am also painfully aware, at times, of the limited scope of such assessments and activities on which “public education” gives such great emphasis and which I, at equal times, neglect my conscious for the sake of making my mortgage payment.
Well then. I’ll stop for tonight. I’ve nearly finished another bottle and tomorrow brings more responsibilities illuminated by the light of day. What have I said here tonight, aside from grammatically atrocious meanderings? Really, not much. In fact, I must admit, Netflix has been roaring through the final episodes of Battlestar Galactica on the glass teat even as I compose.
My final thoughts focus on what I think was my biggest fallacy: This whole essay disregards the escapism and fantastic that these games may bring.
Dexterity
Charisma
Constitution
Wisdom
Intelligence
“A closed system lacks the ability to renew itself.”
When I look at how psychologists and cognitivists have broken down human performance, I see that our game (D&D) is not a simulation, because, in all reality, a simulation probably wouldn’t be all that fun. No, D&D is a game that has progressed from Chainmail concrete to abstract, and that transition, coupled with relative popularity, is when the floodgates opened, so to speak, of our multitudinous input towards an increasingly subjective social activity.
Existential Ability is one of the stats for a new role-playing/simulation system I’m working on. Existential Ability (E) is the ability to “contemplate phenomena or questions beyond sensory data, such as the infinite and infinitesimal. Careers or callings which suit those with this intelligence include shamans, priests, mathematicians, physicists, scientists, cosmologists and philosophers.” (Wikipedia) This is magic. While I hate shoving my own mismanaged words into other people’s mouths, I doubt Lovecraft, Ellis, King, Crowley, Lenape Shaman, or Gygax himself (happy birthday, BTW) would offer a logical disagreement that holds water.
However, E is a learning style. Learning style! I need performance styles for a game. You know?
Anyway, why even bother with creating a game system, aside from the mental masturbation aspect? There are a huge range of options that already exist; open game license and not, already. And besides, what is a game system, anyway? I’m going to eschew that question for now and focus, instead, on the purpose. What does a game system do?
We’re all looking for a game system that does… what, exactly? Replicate reality? Heighten reality? Highlight facets of a romanticized life that we dream about, but do not, in fact, have a realistic appreciation of? These systems, AD&D, B/X, D20 and so on, when coupled with the appropriate setting, feed our nostalgia, our egos, and inclinations towards strategy. But is there anything more? Can we learn from such activities? If so, what can we learn from such activities?
Why do most OSR pundits emphasize the player’s intellect in figuring out in-game mysteries when such characters, in the real world, could never wield a sword or face a demon without shitting their drawers? This, of course, is rhetorical, a red herring, and fallacious. Appeal to the past is independent of reality. The reality of mechanics, nostalgia, and cultural mores does more to explain such emphasis than I could ever dream of doing here.
Given such logical meanderings, how then do I create a simulation independent of the established norm? My answer is both simple and complex and comes from my background in learning theory. As a school teacher I am familiar with various method of intellectual evaluation. I am also painfully aware, at times, of the limited scope of such assessments and activities on which “public education” gives such great emphasis and which I, at equal times, neglect my conscious for the sake of making my mortgage payment.
Well then. I’ll stop for tonight. I’ve nearly finished another bottle and tomorrow brings more responsibilities illuminated by the light of day. What have I said here tonight, aside from grammatically atrocious meanderings? Really, not much. In fact, I must admit, Netflix has been roaring through the final episodes of Battlestar Galactica on the glass teat even as I compose.
My final thoughts focus on what I think was my biggest fallacy: This whole essay disregards the escapism and fantastic that these games may bring.
Jul 25, 2011
New Adventure Module!
My 200th Post!
I'm proud to present my next fantasy module; The Cell Within. At eleven pages, it is my largest project to date. I've included three maps and several pieces of original artwork. I also want to thank David Brawley, Brent Jans, and Dennis Laffey who agreed to edit. Any errors remaining are entirely my own.
While I designed this adventure for a B/X fantasy setting, it would easily work as a Call of Cthulhu adventure by turning the main antagonist into a cultist in Germany during World War 1.
I hope you enjoy and I'd love to know what you think!
You can get the PDF free by clicking here or by looking under the "Products" tab at the top of this blog.
I'm proud to present my next fantasy module; The Cell Within. At eleven pages, it is my largest project to date. I've included three maps and several pieces of original artwork. I also want to thank David Brawley, Brent Jans, and Dennis Laffey who agreed to edit. Any errors remaining are entirely my own.
While I designed this adventure for a B/X fantasy setting, it would easily work as a Call of Cthulhu adventure by turning the main antagonist into a cultist in Germany during World War 1.
I hope you enjoy and I'd love to know what you think!
You can get the PDF free by clicking here or by looking under the "Products" tab at the top of this blog.
Jul 22, 2011
Red Box, Borders, & Bloodsuckers
My local Borders book store, as you probably know, is holding a closeout sale to get rid of all inventory. Today was the first day, so there was plenty of product, but the games (which is all I was really interested in today) and newer books were only 10% off. The low percentages were a little disappointing, but I took the opportunity to buy the new red box Dungeons and Dragons (4e). Not so much because I want to play the system, but more so to add to my collection and use the punchouts, which are high quality.
I oscillated a bit on the Gamma World boxed set, but all the descriptions about playing cards cooled off what little cash that was left smoldering in my pocket. So, I bought my daughter a really cool backyard bug investigation kit, a bunch of magazines (they were 40% off), and my wife a few beach-side novels. All in all, a fairly good score.
Then, just because I had a little cash left, I stopped by Half Price Books, which I love by the way, and found a 1976 first edition Ballantine Interview with the Vampire. I first read Interview in my middle school days, then dove into the vampire genre full-tilt in high school. During this time frame (early 90's) I read a lot of Rice, Brite, Barker, and a few other authors who were breathing new life into the genre. This was, obviously, well before Twilight (which I refuse to comment on here) and the genre revolution, perhaps "revolution" is too strong, Meyers was a part of.
It was during this time that I also started playing Vampire the Masquerade, then quickly switched to Dark Ages as soon as it was released. I ran my own Dark Ages weekly game religiously for over a year before moving to Cleveland.
Anyway, this book features a photograph on the back that I have never seen and find immensely interesting. The back cover features a photograph of Lestat, Louis, and Claudia all in white. In fact, the cover of the book is also all pastels with a lace pillow, doilies, and - well, you can see for yourself. I presume Louis is seated and looking at Claudia and a (brunette!) Lestat is the only blood sucker looking the camera dead on.
This is a very different type of aesthetic as presented both by future cover art and the movie. I wonder if Interview wasn't marketed more towards women at the onset. This makes sense given Rice's previous works, but was something I had never realized, even in my shallow adolescent fandom. One year before, Stephen King had published his vampire of a completely different cast in Salem's Lot, but I've read that Rice had written Interview in '73. And while King's primary influence was Stoker (as admitted in his On Writing), Rice took a fundamentally different perspective.
Cool. Plus, it only cost me a buck twenty-five.
I oscillated a bit on the Gamma World boxed set, but all the descriptions about playing cards cooled off what little cash that was left smoldering in my pocket. So, I bought my daughter a really cool backyard bug investigation kit, a bunch of magazines (they were 40% off), and my wife a few beach-side novels. All in all, a fairly good score.
Then, just because I had a little cash left, I stopped by Half Price Books, which I love by the way, and found a 1976 first edition Ballantine Interview with the Vampire. I first read Interview in my middle school days, then dove into the vampire genre full-tilt in high school. During this time frame (early 90's) I read a lot of Rice, Brite, Barker, and a few other authors who were breathing new life into the genre. This was, obviously, well before Twilight (which I refuse to comment on here) and the genre revolution, perhaps "revolution" is too strong, Meyers was a part of.
It was during this time that I also started playing Vampire the Masquerade, then quickly switched to Dark Ages as soon as it was released. I ran my own Dark Ages weekly game religiously for over a year before moving to Cleveland.
Anyway, this book features a photograph on the back that I have never seen and find immensely interesting. The back cover features a photograph of Lestat, Louis, and Claudia all in white. In fact, the cover of the book is also all pastels with a lace pillow, doilies, and - well, you can see for yourself. I presume Louis is seated and looking at Claudia and a (brunette!) Lestat is the only blood sucker looking the camera dead on.
This is a very different type of aesthetic as presented both by future cover art and the movie. I wonder if Interview wasn't marketed more towards women at the onset. This makes sense given Rice's previous works, but was something I had never realized, even in my shallow adolescent fandom. One year before, Stephen King had published his vampire of a completely different cast in Salem's Lot, but I've read that Rice had written Interview in '73. And while King's primary influence was Stoker (as admitted in his On Writing), Rice took a fundamentally different perspective.
Cool. Plus, it only cost me a buck twenty-five.
Jul 20, 2011
Peephole Trap
Below is a trap from my upcoming module. Bwa ha ha ha.
Door Peephole Trap: A razor sharp long sword blade is set into the door, five or six inches below the door peephole, but concealed in a seam. When the victim presses their forehead against the door to see out the peephole, the blade slides out suddenly causing 1d12 damage to the victim’s neck.
Jul 18, 2011
Do You Like The Wine?
Roll 1d6 for Wine & Effects
1 Normal Wine
2 In Vino Veritas: Whoever drinks from this bottle of delicious dark red wine can only speak the truth until sundown of the next day.
3 Seducat: A biting, dry white wine causing whoever imbibes to be unable to tell the truth until sundown of the next day.
4 Amicus: A sparkling red wine. The drinker will not attack anyone for one hour for each glass consumed.
5 Cantio: A sparkling white wine. The drinker will effectively be charmed by the first person who speaks to them after they have finished drinking. Charm duration = 1 hour for each glass consumed.
6 Salutem: A delicious fortified port wine. If the drinker has one glass, they can permanently add 1d4 HP. For every glass past the first one that they drink, they will not gain any HP, but instead lose one HP. 1 glass=add 1d4HP, 2 glasses=subtract 1HP, 3 glasses=subtract 2HP, etc. Effects don’t activate until one hour after consumption.
Jul 17, 2011
Female Armor Sucks
This video highlights the common perils of female armor, despite the best counter-arguments made by a dwarf and human fighter. Hilarious!
I just had to do this first:
Tassels of Intimidation: Strips of bright pink colored animal raw-wide hung from the breast plate of female armor. When swung in a clockwise direction (from the viewers standpoint) all observers must make a magic devices savings throw or fall into a trance lasting 1d8 turns. If the tassels are swung in a counterclockwise direction (from the viewers standpoint) all observers must make a magic devices savings throw or fall to a charm spell. If the wearer of the Tassels of Intimidation makes a DEX check, they are able to rotate one tassel clockwise and the other counterclockwise. This results in a spell called Pecuniam Motus. All coin-based money of the observer is magically teleported to the wearer of the tassels of intimidation. These spells will only effect male targets.
Watch the video here.
Jul 16, 2011
Jul 14, 2011
Awesome Russian Role-Play
Subtitle: Wait, are those real arrows?
The Russians sure know how to role-play. Good grief, this video is awesome! It demonstrates many of the realities regarding plate mail, spears vs. swords, and the advantage of an entrenched position. With steel equipment no less! Plus, it's hard to go wrong with Rammstein.
My personal favorites include the 1st level fighter hacking away with frustration at the wooden logs of the fort and the dude who "lucked" out on a low damage roll when he gets his ear split in half. No, really.
Please note the video linked below depicts grueling (reenacted) medieval warfare.
Click here to see video.
Jul 10, 2011
Sweet Sorrow (part 2)
Another blog I've long enjoyed, A Hamsterish Hoard of Dungeons and Dragons, is now shut down. After noticing several other bloggers either close shop or discuss the real possibility, I can't help but wonder if this is a general trend and if so, what are the causes?
Is it the occasional mean-spirited Troll comment? Dying enthusiasm? General burn out? The time factor?
What are some of your strategies in dealing with these blog-killers?
Is it the occasional mean-spirited Troll comment? Dying enthusiasm? General burn out? The time factor?
What are some of your strategies in dealing with these blog-killers?
Jul 8, 2011
Sweet Sorrow
A week ago I finally got around to posting a list of the gaming blogs I more or less follow on my own blog. I decided on a public Google spreadsheet so that fellow gamers could download it easily and that I could edit with equal ease. You can find the list at the top of this blog titled “Blogs”.
Right away this was put to the test as several gamers I was previously unconscious of requested inclusion. This was a good thing; finding new gaming blogs to explore.
It also heralded bad news. Returning from a week-long visit to Cincinnati, I discovered that both Aldeboran and Destination Unknown had gone down. Christian, in particular, was not only a gamer, but fellow zine publisher who visited this here blog regularly and added his two cents to my own zines.
My greatest joy in blogging, aside from a soapbox for my own products, is to dialogue and collaborate with fellow gamers. In the, perhaps futile, hopes that these blogs may be reactivated, I will leave them on my blog list for another couple of weeks before hitting the key all windbags such as myself avoid; delete.
RIP, blogger brothers. This Orc will miss you.
Right away this was put to the test as several gamers I was previously unconscious of requested inclusion. This was a good thing; finding new gaming blogs to explore.
It also heralded bad news. Returning from a week-long visit to Cincinnati, I discovered that both Aldeboran and Destination Unknown had gone down. Christian, in particular, was not only a gamer, but fellow zine publisher who visited this here blog regularly and added his two cents to my own zines.
My greatest joy in blogging, aside from a soapbox for my own products, is to dialogue and collaborate with fellow gamers. In the, perhaps futile, hopes that these blogs may be reactivated, I will leave them on my blog list for another couple of weeks before hitting the key all windbags such as myself avoid; delete.
RIP, blogger brothers. This Orc will miss you.
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