An awful lot of PBeM or PBmB games fold after a few moves, but I have to wonder if this is taking things a bit too far?
I seriously want to run a ‘non-game’ where we would have a game we were planning to play, create characters, discuss settings and plotlines, maybe even do a scene or two, but not ever intend to actually play it.
I seems to have sparked quite a lot of interest; I suspect it may well end up spawning an actual game or two.
If talk of Shoggoths, Deep Ones and Great Old Ones has you totally confused, Dodgeblogium explains everything you need to know about The Things Man Was Not Meant To Know.
I’m beginning to suspect the real reason some ‘libertarians’ appear to be in denial about global warming is that they actually want a major global rise in sea levels. Why? Because they’re in league with the Deep Ones, of course!
Reason the blog’s been silent all weekend is that I’ve been to another gaming convention, Conjuration, held in Cambridge. It’s the first time I’ve been to this convention, and it’s well worth the four-hour trip to get there.
It’s a smallish convention, with less than a hundred attendees. It’s a quite different atmosphere to something like Gencon; it’s small enough you can actually speak to most of the people there. It also boasted a real ale bar, which lasted until about 2.30pm on Sunday when the beer finally ran out.
A great many games in a great variety of systems took place. Someone even ran a game of Skyrealms of Jorune (anyone else remember that one?). One game conspicuous by it’s absence was d20 in all it’s forms. So much for D&D taking over the universe. Somebody suggested this may be because of the age range; the average age of attendees was closer to 40 than 30.
The first game I played in was the Dying Earth LARP, a systemless freeform game with sixteen players, in which we were the apprentices of sixteen magicians who had vanished, and were charged with the task of appointing a leader, otherwise the sun would go out, and the world would end. The rules of the election were held in a document called “The Monstrament”, of which three of us had copies. Unfortunately not only were the three copies different, but all were in Dingbats, which we couldn’t read. Much fun was had by all, although I got injured by failing to keep a straight face during a Dark Ritual.
As well as LARPS, there were plenty of more conventional RPGs; I played in games of Call of Cthulhu, Hero Quest (the new name for what is really the second editon of Hero Wars) and GURPS, the latter set in the very wierd “Madness Dossier” universe created by the convention’s guest of honour, Ken Hite, in which all history before the year 535 is completely made up. Best moment was the CoC game when those of us that failed one SAN roll too many were transformed into invisible cats the size of double decker buses, to rampage through central London. It’s a pity I couldn’t think of a good in-game excuse to climb the Post Office Tower. The GM accused us of having far too much fun playing the giant cats that we lost interest in actually trying to solve the mystery! I think she was probably right.
OK, so which Illuminati just played the Ketchup is a Vegetable card?
Don’t know what I’m on about? All I can say is “Fnord!”
A poster on Pyramid Online asked the following:
I’m running a kind of “kitchen sink,” modern, horror, dark fantasy game. The characters are currently in a sort of alternate realm. At the end of the adventure I want them to think that they’ve come back to their reality. Of course, they haven’t. It’s a parallel timeline but the differences are so subtle they don’t notice them until well into the next adventure.
I know it’s a fairly broad question, but does anyone have suggestions for subtle, not easily noticed differences between alternate Earths?
People came up with a lot of interesting ideas, from the expected “Betamax not VHS is the standard for video tape” and “America has used the metric system since just after the civil war” to “Crude oil is transported in gel form to avoid the risk of oil spills”. Here are the suggestions I came up with:
David Edelstein (Amadán to his friends) has posted some wonderful Online GMing Tips on the DreamLyrics Message Board.
Population: One: Monday Mashup #2
We have a new gaming meme, the Monday Mashup. And this week it asks:
Pick a roleplaying world and talk about how you’d use the specified book/movie/TV show/whatever as an inspiration for a campaign or one-shot set in that world. You can post on your own blog or LiveJournal or in the comments here, as you see fit.
This week, your mashup subject is Invasion of the Body Snatchers. (The 1978 remake is also valid fodder.)
I tend not to GM much using published settings, preferring to develop my own. So let’s set Invasion of the Bodysnatchers in Kalyr. I ran a five year campaign using the setting a few years back, and currently run two on-line games set there. As well as the odd convention scenario.
For those of you not familiar with the setting, Kalyr could be described as a science-fiction setting dressed in fantasy clothes. Psionics is quite common, and technology has become more arcane, the principles by which devices work lost or obscured. And the whole world is ruled by secretive and sometimes hidden elites.
Kalyr already had a race of psionic shape-changing aliens, the Drarth. As a race they’re not particularly malevolent, although a small percentage of them are insane, at least by human standards. So far, the ‘bad’ Drarth tend to be loners, so an organised Drarth conspiracy would not be expected. They’re too few to attempt a takeover of any of the larger cities (and my games set in this world have so far been largely city-based), especially since any significant population of psis are likely to sniff them out pretty quick. A small outpost might be a different matter, if the Drarth can eliminate or subvert any psis present. Or perhaps one very powerful Drarth could do it on it’s own, replacing one individual and using it’s psionic powers to control everyone else? And just what might their agenda be?
Alternatively, we could go for the technological route. One secretive group in Kalyr possesses the technology to produce clones. Taking the Cold War metaphor into Kalyr’s own Cold War, we’ll have them in league with the “Evil Empire” of Kalyr, Karmork. Their agenda is much more straightforward, to expand their brutal and chauvinistic empire. (They’re really closer to Nazis than to Communists) They’ll be substituting their clones for important members of the societies they plan to subvert and soften up. Such a plan would be very long term, would need large numbers of agents to gather the required DNA samples of their chosen victims, and significant effort to remove them (by kidnapping or assassination) so as to replace them with the clones. They won’t go to the trouble of trying to replace a large fraction of the population, just a small number of influential people; city administrators, military commanders or influential religious leaders. Can the heroes thwart their plans before the clones betray the city to the invading army marching out of Karmork?
Game Wish 56 asks about Friends and Associates
Do your characters have friends and associates who play a regular role in the game? What about henchmen and hirelings in the old D&D sense or Champions-style DNPCs? How does your group handle playing them? What sorts of things are they used for in the game? Is their influence good, bad, or indifferent?
In on-line games I like to give my characters friends and relations, as much to give the GM a few plot hooks to play with as much as anything else. Of course, when I’m playing in a game where 99.8% of the population dies from a plague, the same GM will kill them all of slowly and painfully while watching how my character reacts emotionally. Similarly, the first incarnation of goth-metal guitarist Karl Tolhurst came complete with the rest of the band (one of whom was dead and another undead), as well as several members of his family.
The long-running AD&D game I played years ago had a large cast of henchbeings of assorted, considerably outnumbering the actual player characters, and a major reason why combats tended to go on all night.
As a rule, I dislike henchpeople when I’m GMing, because I have a tendency to forget them and let them fade into the background. Character’s friends and family are another matter entirely; they’re a valuable source of plot hooks. I always try to make them individuals in their own right that have lives of their own.
One character that gave me real problems was when the player character was the bodyguard to a powerful mage. The mage a character of a much higher power level than the mostly “street level” PCs, and whenever she was around she tended to dominate things. I eventually had her kidnapped by bad guys (using a teleportation machine) just to take her out of the picture for a while, and force her bodyguard PC to take the initiative.
With the UPC Bar Code Character Generation, you can turn a household object, publication or any other product with a barcode into a D&D character! (Thanks to John Crimmins for the link)
Some examples:
The new album “Permission to Land” by The Darkness is an untrustworthy religious dwarf
Gender: Male
Race: Dwarf (Height: 3’11″, Weight: 154 lbs.)
STR: 16 [+3]
DEX: 12 [+1]
CON: 13 [+1] [+2 CON racial bonus]
INT: 17 [+3]
WIS: 7 [-2]
CHA: 7 [-2] [-2 CHA racial penalty]Total ability modifier: +4
Where you were raised: (see Hero Builder’s Guide for details)
Temperature Zone: Cold (arctic or subarctic)
Terrain: Plains
Community Size: Delve
Family notes:
Economic Status: Military Support
Social Standing: Lower Class
Family Defense Readiness: Medium
Private Ethics: Untrustworthy
Public Ethics: Undeserved
Religious Commitment: Strong
Reputation: Outstanding
Political Views: Loyal Opposition
Power Structure: Matriarchy
Ancestors of Note: Prophecy, Spell CreatorEducation:
Early Childhood Instruction: Multicultural
Formal Education: Natural History
Learning a Trade: Special Military TrainingLife Events (thus far):
Early Childhood events: Undertook a Long Journey
Youth Events: Battle
Pivotal Events: No Pivotal EventsRelationships:
Parents: Two Living Parents
Siblings: Only Child
Grandparents: Three Grandparents Alive
Extended Family: Many Living Relatives
Friends: Few
Enemies: No Enemies
Instructors: No Instructors of Note
Meanwhile a Minitrix N Gauge Swiss Re460 Locomotive comes up as human heretic. Not sure what class he’d be
Gender: Male
Race: Human (Height: 5’10″, Weight: 204 lbs.)
STR: 14 [+2]
DEX: 13 [+1]
CON: 12 [+1]
INT: 14 [+2]
WIS: 14 [+2]
CHA: 15 [+2]Total ability modifier: +10
Where you were raised: (see Hero Builder’s Guide for details)
Temperature Zone: Warm (tropical and subtropical)
Terrain: Hills
Community Size: Village
Family notes:
Economic Status: Poor
Social Standing: Newcomer
Family Defense Readiness: Mixed
Private Ethics: Fair
Public Ethics: Normal
Religious Commitment: Open Heretics
Reputation: Unknown
Political Views: Dissatisfied
Power Structure: Matriarchy
Ancestors of Note: NoneEducation:
Early Childhood Instruction: Religious
Formal Education: Politics
Learning a Trade: HealingLife Events (thus far):
Early Childhood events: Undertook a Long Journey
Youth Events: Great Romance
Pivotal Events: No Pivotal EventsRelationships:
Parents: Two Living Parents
Siblings: Fraternal Twin
Grandparents: Grandparents Unknown
Extended Family: Few Living Relatives
Friends: Some
Enemies: Arcane Rival
Instructors: Exotic
The Ordnance Survey 1:25000 scale map of Manchester and Salford comes up as this evil Half Elven Fighter/Mage
Gender: Male
Race: Half Elf (Height: 5’6″, Weight: 177 lbs.)
STR: 18 [+4] ()
DEX: 10 [+0] ()
CON: 13 [+1] ()
INT: 18 [+4] ()
WIS: 10 [+0] ()
CHA: 11 [+0] ()Total ability modifier: +9
Where you were raised: (see Hero Builder’s Guide for details)
Temperature Zone: Temperate
Terrain: Desert
Community Size: Elven Dominated Area (Elven City)
Family notes:
Economic Status: Military Support
Social Standing: Lower Class
Family Defense Readiness: High
Private Ethics: Evil
Public Ethics: Undeserved
Religious Commitment: Strong
Reputation: Mostly Bad
Political Views: Dissatisfied
Power Structure: Elders
Ancestors of Note: NoneEducation:
Early Childhood Instruction: Magic
Formal Education: Finishing School
Learning a Trade: HealingLife Events (thus far):
Early Childhood events: Survived Childhood Danger
Youth Events: Crime
Pivotal Events: Community CrisisRelationships:
Parents: Parents Lost or Unknown
Siblings: 2 older brothers
Grandparents: Father’s Parents Alive
Extended Family: Many Living Relatives
Friends: Some
Enemies: Diabolic Enemy
Instructors: Exotic
So it wasn’t a Shoggoth after all. The beached “blob” was a whale carcass. Well, that’s what they want you to believe. (Link from Adam Lipscombe)