Scrolls of the PlatinumWarlock

In Which The Warlock Comments on Comments and Consensus...

2012-02-16T20:54:00.000-05:00

I've been lucky enough to have some great comments on my blog posts thusfar, coming from both my gamer-friends throughout the Miami Valley as well as gamers all over the globe. But, my audience is still fairly small--no big deal, really: I enjoy blogging for its own sake, and a small audience allows me to personally reply to any comments that I procure.

But, sometimes that little comment box isn't enough and, lo and behold, DigitalKat has dropped a bomb on me that really needs its own entry. In response to my last entry on the exploits of my Friday night group's exploits in the Weird West, she mentioned:

My only observation would be that, having taken all the shooty fun skills, is that not the game they wanted to be playing, and not the gang rivalry one? Granted, throwing them a curveball every now and again keeps them on their toes, but when you make a party full of courtiers and throw them in a battlezone, or a party full of a warriors and put them in a palace, are you running the game you want to play, or the game they wanted?

Truth be told, this is a subject of some contention throughout gaming! DigitalKat, in fact, tackled this subject herself in an earlier entry, but found herself in the same predicament I find myself in now.

GMing a game, as I'm sure that many would agree, is a method of storytelling that's far outside the norm. While writing a novel or filming a movie allows for a significant amount of directorial/authorial control, the amount of control held by a GM is...well, limited, at best. The other players' actions, the improvisational nature of the game, and even sheer luck itself create for dictates that simply do not exist in other media.

The posse's ride...in Davy Jones' Locker!

Case in point: in our last session of Deadlands: The Flood, our posse's escape route--one of Big Ears Tam's ironclads--was blown up, after the posse were discovered in Warlord Kwan's island citadel. I had anticipated (and done most of my weekly prep assuming...) that the posse would try to sneak into the docks and steal a ship to get back to Shan Fan. My posse, however, decided to row around the mesa, trying to find a place to hole up for the night while the search blew over. While the PlatinumChick's shamaness warned the group against "natural hazards" of doing so, the group was insistent, searching the sea-caves for a spot to bed down.

Thinking quickly, I checked the encounter table for the Great Maze and flipped a card--Black Joker! A mighty Maze Dragon! Immediately, I started dealing out cards, but the PlatinumChick had other ideas...she hoped to distract the Maze Dragon into attacking Kwan's citadel! But, while her plans succeeded at first, the dice had their say: Snake Eyes!

The story being told in our game could not have been told with any single element--player, GM, or chance--but rather, emerges as a strange amalgamation of consensus. While every person at the table may not necessarily advocate a given choice, the understood social contract of the table leads to consent for these story elements to take place. While the PlatinumChick might not have been happy to roll snake eyes--and was certainly less happy with what I ruled about that fateful roll--she was willing to let the story continue.

There's a difference between "unanimity" and "consensus". While everyone would surely love to game with people that share their personal interests in what they want out of a game, people are simply too different for that to be entirely feasible. Achieving a "unanimous" decision on what type of game to run is just...not something one should expect. But, there are going to be similarities and trends between what players like! Making sure that everyone enjoys the game and has the ability to contribute equally provides consensus.

Relying on those trends and those common elements provide a start for story-building. Our group decided to play Deadlands because of a common interest in the setting. I certainly have players more interested in role-play, while others are more interested in the setting, and still others in the mechanics. All are fine, but we achieve balance between all three by enabling collective storytelling. Plus, we find new interests, new combinations, and new likes and dislikes each time we play.

Constructivist Educational Theory:
The Zone of Proximal Development!

In the constructivist theory teaching, there's a term for this concept: the Zone of Proximal Development. When a child learns, there's a "sweet spot"--an area lying in between what a student is capable of performing on their own and material outside of their comfort zone. In this zone--the aforementioned ZPD--the student requires additional reinforcement, guidance, and practice to achieve the stated goals of the curriculum. A teacher in the constructivist philosophy does their best to push the boundaries of the ZPD each day, providing reinforcement and support as necessary to expand the student's "comfort zone".

In gaming, we do much the same. While each of us certainly have our own preferences, we push outside to include other elements, introducing elements to the story that not only make them enjoyable to that player, but also introducing others to elements that they may not have considered or thought interesting previously.

That's the advantage that gamemastery has over other forms of storytelling--by providing collaborative elements through GM, through players, and through pure chance--gamemastery allows us to challenge our own wants, interests, desires, and even our own perceptions of plot, characterization, genre, and story. That's heady stuff, right there! And, that's worth doing...

In Which The Warlock Pushes Player Possibilities...

2012-02-12T17:08:00.000-05:00

As I mentioned a few posts ago, my players are somewhat up to their eyeballs in plot hooks in our Friday night Deadlands game. But, as my players are slowly finding out, it seems that those plot hooks really seem to be playing into their weaknesses.

You see, in amongst the major plot points of The Flood, there are two major background events: an attempted invasion of California from Mexico--which I've hinted at and foreshadowed, but not really pushed as a major point--and a coming conflict between the rival Chinese triads around Shan Fan. After becoming involved with Big Ears Tam so early on in the campaign, my players have become well and truly embroiled in the conflict, particularly ChaoticFrederick's scrapper, Mary-Ellen Hardigan, who's best known as Tam's "delicate little lotus blossom".

The results of the PCs'
actions on Dragon Breath Mesa.

However, when Tam asked Mary-Ellen and the group to investigate a potential alliance between Kang, the ruthless railroad baron of Iron Dragon Railways, and Warlord Kwan of Kwan Province. Unfortunately for our posse, a few botched stealth rolls totally eliminated any chance of escaping unscathed. While the party was able to escape the citadel with the information they needed--mainly due to the Byzantine decorum of the Chinese mob--their ride home out of the maze exploded before their very eyes! And worse, the explosion awoke a nearby Maze Dragon on an adjacent mesa! Eep!

While the posse managed to drive off the dragon--not before Chris II's hexslinger, Angus Cole, picked up a few more scars to go with his already-marred face--the real danger was returning to Big Ears Tam with the news that the mission had been compromised...

...something Tam already knew, after his ironclad failed to return...and after Kwan's ancestral daisho went missing.

Needless to say, Tam was infuriated. While FridayNightWill was astute enough to hide the stolen daisho, Tam not-so-subtly indicated that the insult required vengeance...

...they done messed up good!

And this leaves our players in a bit of a bind. You see, the majority of my players have focused on only a small set of skills. Fighting, Shooting, Notice, etc. are all common, but nearly every party member in the posse seems to have some kind of social faux-pas. And few, if any, have invested in the social skills--Persuasion, Intimidate, Streetwise, and the like.

So, my party has found themselves in a bit of a predicament. How do you settle the highly-delicate social balance between Chinese warlords, when you can't really talk your way out of a paper bag?

This portion really pushes the challenge level up on two fronts: as characters, but also as players. You see, as characters, the posse simply isn't equipped for the situation. Their funds are running low--primiarly because they've had to keep their steam wagon fueled up and ready to go--and they simply don't have the social acumen to run "in the big leagues".

As players, however, the challenge intensifies. Players have to invest more bennies and the like into succeeding at tasks that a more-socially apt character might find easy. But, just as they do this, the players have to find ways to adapt the situation to one more suitable to their own, whether through a convoluted plan or through some other means. Needless to say, that's hard!

So, going into next week's session, my posse is faced with some tough choices to make. They're slowly coming up with a plan, involving implicating the enigmatic Ramirez in the theft of the daisho and peeling apart the alliance between Kang and Kwan, based on the actions of so-called "Emperor" Norton. Time will only tell if they can succeed...and if they can get back to what really matters: taking down Reverend Grimme!

In Which The Warlock Has a Love-Hate Relationship...

2012-02-09T23:01:00.000-05:00

It's been a while since I've done one of these, but I figured that it's about high time that I return to the RPG Blog Carnival. This month's topic, hosted over at Nevermet Press, is "Things to Love, Things to Hate"--essentially, what do you (as a GM or as a player) look for in an RPG, an adventure, a system, etc.

So, take a gander at my personal perks and gripes when looking at games:

Perks:

I love a game system that attempts to echo the genre being played.

My favorite part about Deadlands is the fact that the cards-based initiative, the use of poker-chips, and the dueling/gambling mechanics push the idea of the Wild West, "gamblin' man" action. Similarly, with WEGS, the use of poker chips enforces the idea of an adventurer "gambling with their fate". ICONS uses the FATE mechanics to emphasize in-character actions and Determination points to encourage over-the-top action and power stunting. All of these mechanics are built to better emulate the genre of game being played, and do so admirably, filling holes that a generic system simply can't do.

I love a game that facilitates ease (and speed) of play.

While I can give or take "fiddly-bits," I run far too many convention games to rely on them regularly. Maps, dungeon tiles, miniatures and the like take up far too much room for my taste, and often slow down the pace of a game. This takes away from investigation and fast-paced action, as people fiddle with movement rules or cover mechanics.

I love an adventure with awesome set-piece locations.

The Warlock's favorite adventure!

My favorite adventure of all time is the wacky, fun-house dungeon crawl known as "White Plume Mountain". It's not a particularly well-written adventure, but my goodness, the locations! A fight above a boiling mud pit, with swinging platforms suspended by chains from the ceiling?! A semi-permeable bubble of water?! An enchanted-freaking-water-slide?! Sheer unadulterated awesome! Without locations like this, the adventure would be nothing more than a fetch quest, but these put it way over the top.

I love an adventure with multiple, conditional endings.

One of the things I was happiest about when writing "Westbound on the San Juan Express" was the multiple scenarios that could unfold. Depending on whom the posse supports, the PCs could end up in any of 6 potential end-game scenarios, none of which resulted in a TPK or any sort of "loss". That's a rarity to find, but it makes for sheer, unadulterated awesome!

I love it my players have too many PCs they want to play.

You know how I know when I've picked the right game to run? When my Friday night group starts planning out characters over and over again, and have trouble deciding what they actually want to play. Too much inspiration is never a bad thing!

Gripes:

I hate when a game tries to do too much.

This was my biggest issue while reading through Lost Colony, the Deadlands sequel game. While the system mechanics for Deadlands worked for the base game and for Hell on Earth, Lost Colony seemed to drop much of the horror of its predecessors in favor of introducing sci-fi colonial action. Already a packed setting, it just did...well, too much. Lack of support certainly didn't help it, but Lost Colony definitely felt like a game stretched too thin.

I hate it when a game tries to reinvent the wheel...and gets run over by said wheel.

Wild Talents was my biggest offender here. I picked it up at Half Price Books, while doing research for Cold Steel Wardens. The "width vs. height" mechanic used in the game was particularly innovative...but the game (and the NPCs within it) became so wrapped up in numerics and modifiers that the core game--a dystopian superheroes game--became utterly lost in a sea of numbers. That's anti-fun in a nutshell.

I hate it when an adventure stacks the deck.

Ever have this happen to you in an adventure: your heroes are fighting bandits in their own lair, which is full of nasty traps--caltrops, deadfalls, etc., none of which ever seem to affect them, even when you deliberately try to turn the tables? That's a sure sign of poor adventure writing and inflexible gamemastery. While occasionally such things make sense--fire elementals being immune to environmental hazards in a lava realm, for example--but under normal circumstances, there's no excuse for this poor design.

I hate it when adventures "settle".

Warning! King in Yellow ahead!

There's a fine line between providing an adventure "suitable" to a genre's idiom and becoming utterly predictable. Start hearing word about a strange play and a "yellow sign"? Yeah, it's Hastur again. While there might be investigation and conflict, it's simply a matter of going through the motions. The drama, the challenge...it's gone. Why bother?

I hate it when players don't give me anything to work with...then complain about it.

GMing is hard work. It's a lot of prep, and it's a lot of writing. If I'm asking you, as a player, for a background, that means that I need your help in contributing to the world and to have an active investment in it. It means that I want to engage you as both a player and a character. And, when you reject that? Yeah...that sends a pretty strong message that you don't really care about playing.

How about you guys? Other thoughts? Am I off-base?

In Which The Warlock Mulls Some Problem Players...

2012-02-06T21:00:00.001-05:00

This past weekend, I was lucky enough to throw down some ICONS for the WittKids, as part of their Friday Night one-shot series. In the midst of working on a ton of writing for Cubicle 7 on another book for The Laundry, I managed to cobble together a new adventure. In true Silver Age fashion, I decided to give our heroes a great Nazi-punchin' time!

Ek Balaam--the lost city of Dr. Arrington's desire!

The premise? Famed University of Miami anthropologist Dr. Anthony Arrington has gone missing, seeking out a series of undiscovered Olmec ruins in the jungles of the Yucatan. But, as the heroes arrive at his dig site, they find it being trashed by men in SS uniforms!

I wanted to make this adventure really over the top, including some great challenges for the PCs. One of the ways I did so was through vehicles--the Nazis arrived on scene in the first chapter of the adventure riding on bulldozers, crashing through the underbrush and directly into two of the PCs! I won't spoil the adventure, as I may be running it at FOPCon this time around since their theme is superheroes, but it ended with a fantastic airboat crash in the middle of a huge swamp. Epic stuff!

However, the game wasn't without a few nitpicks. While I had planned on using my pre-built supers group--The Huntsmen--I ended up with 8 players at the table: two more players than I had Huntsmen! Not wanting to turn anyone away, The Journeyman GM and the PlatinumChick rolled up random PCs, and we rolled with 8 players at the table.

Therein lay my biggest problems.

You see, friends and neighbors, I ended up with two players in amongst those 8 that just Did. Not. Get. It. And, while it didn't "ruin" the game by any stretch, it did make GMing fairly difficult, as I tried to keep the rest of the group on track.

ICONS--a four-color system...
...but with grim 'n gritty players?

ICONS, as you may know, is a game very much styled after the four-color action of the Silver Age of Comics. As such, certain things hold true: real heroes don't use guns, heroes don't kill, and villains monologue before the battle is joined. Player one, however--let's call him Bill--just did not get this idea. Despite the fact that he could fling sonic energy from his fingertips, he continually wanted to loot Nazi assault rifles and pass them out to the party as sidearms. As I was narrating through Doktor Schumann's monologue, Bill continually interrupted with what he wanted to do, often talking over other players to do so. Twice, I had to stop halfway through the narration and ask him to stop....which he actively resented, complaining loudly to the rest of the group.

As a GM, I felt I had an obligation to act, so as I mentioned, I asked him to stop--he had been talking over one of the players at the far end of the table, who literally was raising her hand, trying to get my attention. It wasn't fair to her--or to the rest of the table, for that matter--for him to take up the limelight. Further, his actions were actively obstructing the advancement of the plot!

Unfortunately, that wasn't the only issue. Again, as you may know, ICONS is a free-form, narrative system which uses a riff on the FATE mechanics to focus on character development and over-the-top stunts. But, a second player--let's call him Jim Bob--took some issue with this idea. I've gamed with Jim Bob before, and his leanings definitely skew towards more tactical games. Jim Bob complained loudly about the fact that we weren't using a battle mat for combat, instead relying on imagination and GM description. Eventually, I relented, scratching a brief map on the room's white-board, but even that wasn't enough for him. He wanted precise detail in a game that not only doesn't focus on it, but doesn't even have true "ranges" or the like. He wanted something from the game that I simply couldn't give.

Jim Bob also just didn't get the idea of his character's Aspects and Qualities. He decided to play the Huntsmens' stealth and infiltration expert, yet began the game roaming about Playa del Carmen wearing an oversized sombrero, even trying to sneak around with it on! He claimed that the "Sarcastic Joker" on his character sheet prompted him to do this, but actively ignored every other Aspect or Quality on the sheet in doing so. Similarly, where others attempted to use their Aspects and Qualities to refine their actions--primarily through the use of Determination, by power stunting or using determined effort--Jim Bob really didn't do so.

I'm not posting this to rag on the WittKids by any stretch of the imagination. While I was frustrated at the time, it seemed that most everyone at the table--these two included--had a good time with the game. However, I raise these issues as a question: if these two were at your table, how would you adjust your GMing for the circumstance? I'm hesitant to say "deal with them", simply because they're people--they shouldn't just be "dealt with".

How do you, as a GM, alter the situation to better accomodate (or censure) actions detrimental to the game?

In Which The Warlock Leaves Some Plot Hooks Unattended...

2012-02-02T21:31:00.000-05:00

Well, friends and neighbors, it's appearing more and more that our The Flood campaign will be racing towards its conclusion by the time that spring rolls around. Our posse has but 4 glyphs to find in order to bring about the climactic end to this Deadlands excursion. But, that doesn't mean we're close to being done.

The object of Jayne Cobb's desire...

You see, my Friday night group's been slowly sinking deeper and deeper into a heap of trouble. Their continual dealings with Big Ears Tam in Shan Fan--specifically his "delicate little lotus blossom," the cybernetic scrapper Mary Ellen Hardigan--have earned them the enmity of pretty much everyone in Kwan Province, the employees of Iron Dragon, and quite a few others. And, now that the group has agreed to take on a spy mission for Tam, Emperor Norton and Warlord Kwan might just have their revenge for the loss of the Abysmal!

But, that's not all. After FridayNightWill's possession in Jehosephat Cemetary, the spirit in his head has begun communicating with him in most interesting ways. With a great roll to scope out the goings-on in Kwan's castle, Jayne Cobb got a great glimpse of Kwan's ancestral daisho...which, after Cobb's vision fuzzed out and the spirit took control, glowed with an intense arcane aura. Needless to say, his eyes nearly bugged out of his head!

The mysterious Ramirez, perhaps?

And that's not all our good buddy Will saw. Rather, they caught a glimpse of a truly enigmatic figure. You see, back when the posse first managed to meet Big Ears Tam, the group ended up being embroiled in a huge underground 'kumite'--a martial arts tournament held by a ruthless dojo. Mary Ellen, of course, represented Tam. However, the rest of the group spent quite a bit of time roaming about the stadium, placing bets and scoping out the fighters. One of them, particularly, stood out...a fencer known on the stadium-sheets as Ramirez. Ramirez had won several rounds, advancing to the quarter-finals....only to utterly disappear.

Naturally, the mystery man Ramirez made another appearance at Kwan's little soiree, much to everyone's shock.

Yet the mysteries keep piling up. Who are the Children of Hasteli? Where's that final glyph, which the party can't seem to find? Why is there a Hechler & Koch MP5 in Master Antiquarian Wu's shop? And, what's the deal with Eddie, the totally-unharmed man that the party found in Rock Island Prison?

Needless to say, there's a lot still to come!

In Which The Warlock Has Too Much Plated...

2012-01-29T22:23:00.000-05:00

Sorry, but it's a short entry this time, fellow gamers.

I've been staring at a computer screen all weekend, working on a pretty large segment on an upcoming book for The Laundry: tentatively titled "Cultists Under the Bed".

Because of this, I'll save the bigger details on what's been going on in The Flood, as well as what else I've been working on for the mid-week entry. For now, you'll just have to be sated with my upcoming convention schedule for 2012!

In Which The Warlock Mulls a Manifesto...

2012-01-25T21:01:00.000-05:00

Once again, my compadre at The JourneymanGM has stumbled upon something of particular interest. This time, it's a Reddit page, entitled "My Gamemaster Manifesto". Essentially, each manifesto is a series of pledges or promises each makes to their players, as part of the game's fundamental social contract.

A fair amount of these elements are very similar to one another, or are the sort of things that simply go without saying for me. In other cases, the statements are simply impossible to guarantee, making a guarantee less than worthless. Saying "I will provide a story with a beginning, a middle, and an end" or "I pledge to create a game that is fun for both myself and all players at the table".

So, given those caveats, here's my own list...with a few items that deviate a bit from the norm.

1. I pledge to challenge you as a player and as a character while at the game-table.
When I run a game, I intend to challenge the interests, the desires, the strengths and the weaknesses of your character, but also those of you as a player. Whether that means taking advantage of character flaws on your character sheet or pushing your own tendencies as a player, I will not be complacent in challenging you during the course of the game.

2. I will help you play the character you want to play.
Your character is your purview and, barring certain occasions befitting the plot, you are the final arbiter of what goes on your character sheet. If I am running a game, it's because I feel that I have a degree of system-mastery over that game. Further, your character is a primary player in the grander plot. If you are having difficulty with either portion, I will offer unbiased, honest feedback on how to approach your character. However, the final decision as to any character changes belongs to you as a player.

3. I will make the game as interesting and accessible to all members of the table as possible.
Fun is subjective. I can't make you have fun. What I can do is make the game accessible and active, which makes it more likely that you will have fun. What we do at the table may not be to your taste. If that's the case, you're welcome to bow out. However, I intend to make our shared storyline interesting to you and accessible to someone not necessarily a fan of the given genre conventions.

4. I pledge to be true to the given genre.
If I'm running a horror game, you should expect cults, creeping monstrosities, and ancient terrors. If I'm running a steampunk game, you should expect airships and mad science. This is true for both my own creations and for those brought to the table by others. I will be vigilant in maintaining a truth-in-genre for all of my games.

5. I will bring something new to the table each session.
I will not be complacent as a GameMaster, and will challenge myself with each session that we have. I will not rely on 'old tricks' or previously-used techniques simply because they worked once, but rather will refine and hone my technique with each game, each plotline, and each session that we share. Gaming evolves, and so shall I.

6. I will call attention to the positive and the negative.
When you (as both a character and as a player) do something cool, you will receive the attention and adulation deserved. You deserve the opportunity to shine. If the inverse is true, I will speak up, so that the offending behavior/tactic/what-have-you is not repeated. I will not be content to sit back or be passive-agressive in my dealings with you, simply to have another player at the table.

7. I will be open to feedback and will be easily accessible.
Gamemastery is a form of writing--a specialized and shared form of writing, but writing nevertheless. Writing cannot take place without revision. I will listen openly and share honestly about my design and development process and take thoughtful feedback under deep consideration.

Thoughts? Additions? Subtractions? What do you think?

In Which The Warlock Contemplates Some Criticism...

2012-01-22T00:17:00.000-05:00

A few posts ago, you might remember my review of Dragon Age: Origins, which I finished over the holiday break (after only a year of having it sit on my shelf!). Well, what you didn't see is my Facebook feed, which absolutely lit up with anti-recommendations when I mentioned my eagerness to pick up the sequel, Dragon Age II. Apparently, many of my acquaintances and the like were only the tip of the iceberg. In fact, the negative reviews for DA2 seemed to outstrip the positive ones by far!

Call it stubbornness. Call it a determination to go my own way. Call it raw curiosity. I bought DA2 anyway.

And, you know what? I greatly prefer Dragon Age II to its predecessor, as it made significant improvements in nearly every aspect of both game, characterization and story.

But, before I begin my diatribe, let me just put this here: SPOILERS AHEAD! BEWARE!

My biggest problem with the original Dragon Age was its generic storyline. From the very start, your character was the last of the Grey Wardens, attempting to unite the sterotypically fractions factions of elves, mages, and dwarves against a tyrannical usurper and an incoming totally-not-orcs horde. the story could have been easily written by a 12-year-old Dragonlance fan, with only a few stand-out questlines where the story shines.

Varric, telling his story to the Inquisitor...

Dragon Age II rectifies this beautifully by tightening up the narrative structure. While the idea of the epic, world-spanning quest in DA: O is good in theory, in reality it's just unwieldy. The narrative of DA2 is told through the words of Varric Tethras, one of your characters' companions. However, the vast majority of the action in DA2 takes place in Kirkwall, a city in the Free Marches, to which your family has just migrated from fallen Lothering--a locale from the first game. Destitute and looking for work, your main character finds themselves making a name for themselves by attempting to become a partner in an expedition to a dwarven ruin.

However, following various twists and turns, the main character finds themselves in the midst of a city rife with its own problems. A delegation of the militant Qunari have taken up residence in the city, gangs roam the night, and the Circle of Magi have been butting heads with their Templar and Chantry overseers. Hawke (the main character) and their band of motley adventurers quickly find themselves in over their heads, confronted with a coming conflict that none seem to be able to prevent...but more on that later.

One of the biggest improvements DA2 made came in graphics, particularly backgrounds. Often, the backgrounds in DA: O were fuzzy or undefined, and they definitely showed their age, as a game from nearly 5 years ago. But, worst of all, they felt stock and generic.

The Wounded Coast--one of the most gorgeous areas
in Dragon Age II!

In DA2, however, the backgrounds and setting is used to its utmost. Each district of Kirkwall has its own feel and theme, from the posh gardens surrounding the Chantry Courtyard in Hightown to the dingy, unkempt slums in Darktown. Each area has its own design and attitude, which makes the city feel like a living, active place. It becomes easy to tell where you are as you navigate through the city by night or day, simply by landmarks and background elements. The view out over the sea when in the Wounded Coast area simply has no parallel--it's a beautiful, visually stunning area, which made my jaw drop for the first time since reaching the Arreat Summit in Diablo II.

Similarly, combat is much improved in DA2. While the traditional classes of warrior-rogue-mage return, the classes are able to interact through "cross-class combos" that provide additional damage or benefits. For example, if a mage casts Winter's Blast, the target may become frozen, which allows a warrior to deal higher damage. Similarly, if that warrior uses a Shield Bash, the target is knocked off-balance, allowing a rogue to take advantage. With the party AI greatly enhanced--coupled with 20-odd customizable tactics slots available for each party member--it's easy to take advantage of these ability combinations.

While the game suffers slightly with combats that perhaps run too long, and the "wave" mechanic of dropping additional baddies into a scrum grows a little tiresome, I didn't find myself bored with combat as I did in DA: O. Previously, I simply mowed everything down while my party mopped up behind me. In DA2, I felt active and involved, choosing high-priority targets and hunting them down, alternating control of my character with those in my party: Varric (a surface-dwelling "legitimate businessman"), Isabela (a ship-less lusty swashbuckler), and Merrill (my love-interest, an apostate elven mage). I always felt like I had something to do, or some new strategy to try. Plus, the game removed much of the "equipment-juggling" that tends to overcomplicate and clutter many party-based role-playing games, which was a much needed design choice.

My favorite portion of this game, however, comes in one simple piece of understanding, which many critics and even fans seem to have overlooked: the story of Dragon Age II is a tragedy, not a heroic epic.

Under the framing narrative of Varric telling the story of "The Champion of Kirkwall" to a Chantry interrogator, Varric's tone throughout the cut scenes is one of loss, wistfulness, and memories of "better times". And, why shouldn't he feel this way? Nearly everything that Hawke and his companions build up over the course of the 7 years together in Kirkwall comes crashing down, as their own actions spiral out of control.

The result of all Hawke's works...up in flames...

Case in point: Varric himself. Hawke, Varric and the rest are betrayed by Varric's brother at the end of Act I. When Varric's brother resurfaces, he has gone insane, and Varric is forced to kill his own brother out of mercy. But that's not all! Merrill's pursuit of elven history costs her teacher's life, if not the lives of her entire clan. The mine that Hawke invests in--giving hundreds of migrant Fereldans employment--is burned to the ground and destroyed. Hawke's own mother is drawn in, then killed by a serial killer who escaped Hawke's investigation in years prior. Anders, a mage companion, spouts rhetoric not heard outside of Malcolm X or Magneto, decrying the templar oppression from his Darktown clinic, all the while he plans a terrorist attack to start "the coming war".

Hawke's story is one of loss, over and over again. It's the story of the rise and fall of power in amongst a maelstrom of rival factions. Throughout the game, I found my dialogue choices again and again trying to unite rival factions, even as they took up arms against one another. However, I swiftly found a group of moderates--a group of nobles looking for someone to put on an empty throne, following the death of Viscount Dumar. In a last-ditch effort, my Hawke threw her name in as a potential replacement...only to find that Anders' actions had brought about the very war that Hawke was about to prevent.

This! This is tragedy! This is drama! This is the sort of storytelling that can elevate video games to that oft-mused category of "art".

Yes, there are flaws. As I mentioned, the continual waves in combat grow tiresome at times. The various dungeon locales are repeated--albeit with some minor changes--fairly often. And, it would have been nice to have more interaction with two of the major players--the head of the templars and the head of the magi circle--before Act III. But with varied and interesting combat, spectacular visuals, and a story that breathes and revels in pathos, there's no comparison: Dragon Age II far outstrips its predecessor.

In Which The Warlock Presents His Nefarious Plot...

2012-01-19T18:46:00.001-05:00

Apologies for the slightly late entry, but I wanted to hold off until I actually sent off the e-mail to FridayNightWill with the fate of his gunslinger!

Take a gander!

As you drift in and out of consciousness, the shamaness' magic streams over you and through your mind. Images flash into your mind.

All you can hear, though, is the screaming: the wailing and gnashing of spectral teeth, ephemeral fingernails against a stone slab. Screaming, crying, begging, all you can remember is wanting to be free again.

You remember vividly who put you here. You remember the years spent in Rock Island Prison, facing torment after torment, at the hands of Grimme and his men. But you would not renounce your faith...you would not give in. That's when the butchers came, and flayed you alive. That's when they put you here...in this stone tomb.

You remember nothing from your life before. Your memories are hazy, and only come in fragments. You remember a great crowd, speaking before them and leading them across a vast waste. But aside from that? Simply faces in the mist...not even your own name.

Okay, that's the flavor text. Here's the meat.

Something (or someONE!) is living in your head now. A spirit from the graveyard is in your head, with its own motivations, ideas and desires. Above all else is vengeance, coupled with the mystery of who you really are...

Sometimes the mind acts on its own. When it does, it has a power you've never felt, coursing from some unseen source. Unfortunately, sometimes it wants control...and it knows how to get it.

Occasionally, I'll ask for an opposed Spirit test. You want to win these. Otherwise, you may find yourself in some dire straits!

Good luck!

In Which The Warlock Finds a New Way to Challenge a Player...

2012-01-15T18:24:00.000-05:00

Now that our holiday festivities are over, we've finally gotten back in the swing of things with our weekly games out here. "The Flood" has really started to heat up, as our posse have managed to track down a displaced group of Hopi and Apache Indians, calling themselves the "Necessity Alliance". Believing that these natives could hold the key to stopping Reverend Grimme's reign of terror, the posse agreed to help find the shaman Sees-Far-Ahead, tracking him--in a rather grisly way: the severed finger of the shamaness Born-in-a-Bowl--to the Jehosephat Valley overlooking the City of Lost Angels.

An image of Jehosephat Valley...in Jerusalem.
Still, not a nice place to be!

Jehosephat Valley, in the public's eye, is the "potters' field" for Lost Angels--those not of the faithful are buried here in tasteful, if austere, accomodations.

In reality, Jehosephat Valley is deadland. As in: Terror Level 6, "Bad Things Live Here" deadland. In reality, it's where the bones from all of the victims of Grimme's Sunday-afternoon 'feasts' get discarded.

After sneaking into the cemetary, the posse ran afoul of the Jehosephat minister...who swiftly recognized two of the group as wanted fugitives from Lost Angels, and leapt into action. Fleeing the guards, deeper and deeper into the cemetary, as the sun refused to rise...the group saw it: the living, charnel bone-piles discarded by Grimme's feasts.

Now, this is where FridayNightWill got himself into trouble. You see, Born-in-a-Bowl's finger, still twitching and writhing, had freed itself from its box and began bounding along the path, deep into the charnel wastes....leading Will right into the path of some vicious bone fiends.

Separated from the group--the rest were fending off a legion of Guardian Angels--Will fell beneath the blows of the bone fiends, falling unconsious...

...and that's when it came to me. You see, the bone fiends aren't the only denizens of the Jehosephat Valley graveyard. Rather, there are quite a few errant spirits roaming the boneyard, and despite the fact that the PlatinumChick's shamaness managed to get Will back on his feet, there are going to be consequences for this one...but that will have to wait for our next session!

In Which The Warlock Totally Called It...

2012-01-11T21:22:00.000-05:00

A few posts ago, you may recall The Journeyman GM and I making some predictions as per the potential of an upcoming edition of Dungeons and Dragons.

Well, lo and behold: it looks like we were right. In the latest "Legends and Lore" column, Mike Mearls officially outed the current development of a new edition of D&D.

As you can imagine, I'm not particularly surprised. When Monte Cook came back on board and the 4e release schedule slowed to a crawl--much as it had at the end of 3.5e's run--it was fairly easy to tell that something was amiss over in Seattle. When word started creeping in by other industry insiders, such as Margaret Weis, it's hard to deny that something isn't going on.

Honestly, I'm sort of looking forward to a new edition. While I love many things about 4e--the rise of the non-caster character, archetypes such as the warlord getting their due, and the entire ritual system--I almost can't bring myself to play the game anymore. The reliance on minis-based combat, the similar-feeling powers, and the labyrinthine character sheets (particularly in Paragon tier and beyond) just got to be too much. When a character sheet hits 8 pages, there's simply too much to go through!

My biggest worry, however, is summed up best here: in an article for the New York Times by Ethan Gilsdorf.

When 4e came out, the gamer market fractioned. For over a year, Paizo's Pathfinder has either matched or outsold D&D, as disgruntled fans sought their fix elsewhere. I've been a devoted D&D player since 7th grade, and I haven't touched the game since this past Origins. Before that? Almost six months prior. Other games--which tend to have a longer shelf life, simpler rules, and faster play around the table--have attracted my attention. I don't see that changing, to be honest.

It's been stated over and over in the few days since the new edition's announcement that the hope is for a "reunification" of the fractured gamer community. I can only hope that this is going to be the case...

In Which The Warlock Ends an Age...

2012-01-08T00:06:00.000-05:00

As I've mentioned a few times over the past few entries, I finally managed to play through Dragon Age: Origins--the BioWare-developed fantasy opus, billed as a spiritual successor to my beloved Baldur's Gate series, which I still have installed on my laptop.

I've been hesitant to write a review for DA: O, though, because my feelings towards the game have been more than a little conflicted. While there's been a lot to love in the game, I can't help but feel that certain changes could have really put this game up over the top.

Building my Dwarf Warrior

One of the best things about DA: O comes from its titular origins--depending on your choice of race (Elf, Human, or Dwarf) and class (Warrior, Mage, or Rogue), your character's quest against the Darkspawn began with an opening interlude, centering on your character's family. Deciding to play the "dwarfiest dwarf ever", I settled on the Dwarven Noble opening, in which I was the second son of King Endrin Aeducan, and was swiftly embroiled in the byzantine turmoil of dwarven ascension politics. Finding myself on the receiving end of a brutal backstabbing, I was exiled to the labyrinthine Deep Roads and fought my way to an encampment of Gray Wardens, whom I ended up joining.

Playing as a Warrior, I swiftly gravitated towards two-handed weapon talents...and promptly cleaved my way through the game. Even without a shield, my main character was a juggernaut of destruction, simply hacking through most enemies. The "darkspawn"--a not-quite-orc, not-quite-undead horde that swept across the continent of Ferelden--simply posed little challenge. Even my basic "auto-attacks" dealt upwards of 100 damage per swing, felling enemies with a single slash. Often, combat simply meant switching between targets as I faced one, then another, then another...occasionally whipping out a multi-target slash when surrounded, or a high damage ability when facing a major foe.

Even "red" enemies, with increased hit points and special abilities, were little more than meat sacks ready for me to hack through. While the game itself was artfully developed, the enemies grew...well, boring. Some true weirdness in a dwarven tomb was a welcome change, fighting against the hideous "Broodmother", but monsters like that proved to be the exception, rather than the rule. Similarly, the trip through a corrupted mage tower was suitably icky, but that section was marred by a lengthy (and mandatory) puzzle section, which frustrated me much more than it entertained.

Morrigan and Leliana:
Two of my lovely companions in DA: O

The strength of a BioWare game, however, comes from its character writing. And, truly, the developers did not disappoint on this front. In amongst my numerous NPC options, I gravitated towards the sarcastic (though somewhat naive) warrior Alistair, the cynical mage Morrigan, and a "recovering" bard/assassin named Leliana, with whom I began a fledgling romance. I found myself constantly talking with my NPCs, hoping for new dialogue options or a new sub-plot. Since playing on the "Ultimate" edition, my game came pre-loaded with an additional option to play with--the golem Shale, whose barbed commentary was utterly hilarious. While I would have liked to see a few more NPC-specific side-quests, the sheer depth that DA: O has in terms of followers make it worth listening to every cut-scene and dialogue.

Honestly, would you trust someone
who looked like this?

Unfortunately the plot itself didn't quite hold up to the high standard set by character development. A bog-standard fantasy plot, you find yourself betrayed at the outset of the game by a moustache-twirlingly evil advisor to the king, as he bids for control of the throne. Surviving a vicious darkspawn attack, you find yourself assembling a cadre of allies--mages, elves, dwarves, and humans--to help dethrone the usurper and stave off the darkspawn invasion. Naturally, each of these factions has their own problems, which it's up to you to solve, if you want their aid in the coming coup and war. While this plot is structurally sound and full of great NPCs--including the elven warden Zathrian, who made me want to cleave my PS3 with a broadsword out of sheer rage--it's nothing particularly new or innovative.

The brooding Jon Irenicus,
voiced beautifully by David Warner.

I think it's the lack of a solid villain that keeps DA: O from really achieving greatness. In Baldur's Gate II, we were treated to the simultaneously sympathetic and aggravating Jon Irenicus, whose dialogue absolutely stole the show in every cut scene he was present in. Irenicus was voiced by the spectacular David Warner, who may be best known for voicing Ra's Al-Ghul in Batman: The Animated Series, lending Irenicus a cultured menace perfect for villainy. Dragon Age: Origins simply doesn't have a villain of that calibre. While Teyrn Logain--the aforementioned usurper--is meant to fulfill the villainous role, he simply doesn't have enough screen time to develop properly. It's hinted that Loghain feared a foreign invasion and lost faith in the current king, leading him to try for the throne, but Loghain simply lacks the development to feel fleshed-out.

Despite my nitpicks, I really enjoyed my time through Dragon Age: Origins. Immediately after completing the main campaign, I found myself playing through "Witch Hunt"--a downloadable "epilogue" based around the fate of Morrigan, my sardonic mage companion. I'm already planning to make it through the expansion pack "Awakening" over an upcoming holiday weekend, as well as picking up Dragon Age II. While reviews of DAII are mixed, its smaller-scale plot and more dynamic gameplay may be more up my alley. We shall see, I suppose!

In Which The Warlock Ushers in a New Year...

2012-01-04T20:55:00.000-05:00

Ahoy, fellow gamers! Sorry on the delay, but I was doing my best to enjoy my holiday and recover to the best of my ability. Both the PlatinumChick and I have been fighting through upper respiratory infections since around the 20th, which we're only now starting to get over. However, we did manage to have a geek-tastic holiday, which is what matters!

Always the enthusiastic Savage Worlds player, the PlatinumChick got me a copy of the SW "Action and Adventure" decks for Christmas. I'd been eyeing these up for a while, ever since The JourneymanGM started using the cards in his "Heart of Darkness" trilogy. They'll definitely make for a great addition as my players finish out "The Flood".

I also managed to finally fight my way through the remainder of BioWare's Dragon Age: Origins, in anticipation to start the sequel. While I'd love to spill the beans on my opinions here, I'm going to hold off until this weekend, to better accumulate my thoughts.

However, I do have something special for you! Following last year's culinary experimentation, I felt that I needed to one-up myself at this year's New Year's Eve party. As such, I decided to go whole hog...or rather, whole bird, so to speak: a bacon-wrapped Turducken roll! I'd originally intended to wrap a full turducken, but with only 15 or so party-goers this year (compared to the nearly 30 last year), it was simply more prudent to use the roll.

So, take a look, and make sure not to drool on your keyboard!

The fully wrapped roll, pre-cooking...

That same roll, fresh out of the roaster!

A victorious PlatinumWarlock!

The many delicious layers...laid bare for all to see...

In Which The Warlock Wishes Well!

2011-12-24T23:07:00.000-05:00

Happy holidays, fellow gamers!

Just stopping into remind you that I'll be taking the next week or so off, enjoying my holiday break (and hopefully recovering from this respiratory infection while I'm at it!).

But, before I go, some exciting news: I've been pegged to work on a second book in The Laundry series for Cubicle 7! I'll have more information on this one for you, as I'm allowed to divulge more details.

Cheers!

In Which The Warlock Drools All Over the Keyboard...

2011-12-18T02:45:00.000-05:00

This past Saturday was one of the more relaxing we've had in a while, as the holiday season has been rolling on. The PlatinumChick and I, along with ChaoticFrederick and GeoMike, headed off to Columbus to see the WildLights exhibit at the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium. Also joining us was the PlatinumChick's good friend WoWSonya, who we don't see nearly often enough.

That made for a great afternoon, but the bigger treat came for me that night. You see, friends and neighbors, WoWSonya's husband Sean had recently received a beta key for Diablo III! Oh, man! The envy, it must have been streaming off of me when I first heard the news.

Luckily for me, Sean is of the generous sort, and once we returned from dinner, he logged me onto his Battle.net account and let me have at it! I'm pretty sure that you could see my grin from orbit, as I slid into his computer chair and started my quest. So, as you might expect, here are my observations on a single playthrough of the Diablo III beta!

I wanted to be able to jump into the action as soon as possible, without having to worry about fragility or spells, so I knew the Barbarian would be a great fit. I typically played a Paladin in Diablo II, and tend to favor melee classes in most computer games, and I wasn't about to change here.

First up, the gameplay feels like I'm sliding back onto a comfortable couch. The feel of the game immediately brings back memories of Diablo II, with primary skills attached to left and right mouse buttons, and other skills linked to hotkeys. But, while the gameplay felt familiar, it simultaneously felt more...advanced? That's not the right word, but it's close. It was incredibly easy for me to pick up, though I did move around my hotkeys, setting my non-mouse skills and potions onto the home keys, for easy motion.

The mighty Barbarians of Mount Arreat

In Diablo II, characters typically advanced one or two skills--my Paladins typically favored an offensive aura like Holy Shock or Holy Freeze, coupled with Zeal--a low mana cost skill that delivered up to five incredibly fast melee hits with a slight damage buff on each. In DIII, however, you have an entire range of skills at your disposal, which you can swap any time you return to town. While I enjoyed trying out all of the offensive skills--I didn't care much about buffs or defensive skills--I quickly found a combination that worked well for me: Cleave (a multi-hit swing that generated the Barbarian's resource: Fury), Hammer of the Ancients (a close-range, massive-damage Fury-spender), and Weapon Throw (a long-range toss of a barbed axe, dealing tons of damage and "snaring" the target). I did, however, trade out Hammer of the Ancients for Ground Stomp, which dealt sizable damage and stunned all enemies near my barbarous avatar.

Since none of these skills were reliant on skill points or the like, they always worked at their full capacity. Really, there's very little number-crunching necessary in Diablo III. Even the four primary stats are simply representatives of how much damage, critical chance, health and the like your character has. While some have decried this as a lack of customization, it really serves to get you back into the action faster--there's no need to stop the zombie-smashing! And, really--by the time I finished the beta, I was level 10 and had about 12 skills to choose from, which made for plenty of choices already. And with the rune system still on deck? Yeah, choice won't be a commodity here.

Hammer of the Ancients smashes a Cultist
in the Diablo III Beta!

One thing that struck me, however, is how beautiful this game looks. Details are everywhere, and nearly everything can be targetted and destroyed. I was in awe of the blood spatter as I smashed a zombie into the ground with Hammer of the Ancients, then followed up with a Cleave that sent the zombie flying back, with its head neatly severed and spinning on the ground. After acquiring the services of the blacksmith, Haedrig, I picked up an enchanted two handed sword. At first glance, the detail was quality, with a sharp-looking wavy blade and a squared-off hilt, but when I zoomed in, I found that not only did the hilt have a uniquely-designed pommel, but also an etching of an eye on the lower portion of the blade! Gorgeous!

The visceral nature of combat, though, may be the best part. Watching zombies ragdall as I Cleaved through them, hacking my way through barrels and watching the rings scatter across the floor, stomping the ground and seeing baddies stagger backwards...this is the visceral, full-bodied feel of a game that's never going to be tiresome.

Whenever it manages to come out, Diablo III is going to be a massive blast. Can't wait!

In Which The Warlock Mulls Choice and Consequence...

2011-12-12T20:29:00.000-05:00

With the holiday season in full swing and preparations already being made for the impending ChrismaHannuKwanzaRamadanaFest, retailers have been eager to get the newest releases of video games on the shelves, ready for all of us eager consumers to gobble up in amongst our holiday feasting.

Probably the most notable release this season has been The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, a pseudo-Nordic role-playing game that's gotten rave reviews and has already won "Game of the Year" from Spike TV's Video Game Awards. Its fans--including a certain TripleCritting DigitalKat--are rabid and voracious, and the game has already spawned its own series of memes, particularly regarding a number of guards having taken arrows to the knee. Further, Skyrim is produced by Bethesda, who has put out quality work in the past and is revered amongst computer and video game developers.

And yet...I find I just can't get interested in this game. And, finally, I figured out why.

In my (massively limited) spare time, I've been fighting my way through BioWare's Dragon Age: Origins. My parents bought me the Ultimate Edition--which contains all of the major downloadable content--last year, and I'm still only about halfway through the game. While the plot is fairly simplistic, revolving around the acquisition of allies against a usurper-king, Dragon Age's storytelling is strong, and the choices that you make have a lasting effect on the game itself.

Is it worth killing him, to get rid of the demon in his body?

For example, I just completed a quest in which a duke's son became possessed by a demon. Unable to exorcise the demon myself, I was forced to choose whether to: a) kill the child, and the demon along with it, b) exorcise the demon, using the blood of the child's mother as a focus (thereby killing the mother, but saving the son), or c) risk traveling to a nearby mage tower to recruit help. I opted for the third option, cashing in a favor from the mages, but at the expense of their help in a later battle.

Every choice I made during that series of interactions had drastic repercussions on the remainder of the plot. Had I chosen to kill the child (or the mother, for that matter), the people of the town would have likely refused to aid me, which was the point of traveling there in the first place! But, my dwarf wanted to do the "right" thing, trying to save both, even if it meant losing the chance for help later.

While Dragon Age nominally gives you freedom in choosing the order of quests or locations, the game is fundamentally linear. You travel to one place, solve problems there, then move on to another place. Occasionally, you'll revisit locations to complete sidequests or the like, but by and large, the story elements are neatly contained, and provide finite, completable goals with lasting consequences.

While my experience with Skyrim has been limited, such hasn't been the case. The world around you may be graphically gorgeous, massive in scope, and as open as a 'sandbox' gets, there's simply no feeling of impact. The choices and actions within the game are like so much screaming into the wind--there's no sense of repercussions. You can massacre an entire town, rob every NPC blind, or fill your house with the heads of your fallen enemies...and no one seems to care. At all. There are simply no repercussions for your character's actions, which leads to...well, me not caring. If my actions aren't going to have a real impact, then what's the point?

I'm finding the same issue between the original Batman: Arkham Asylum and its sequel, Arkham City. While Arkham Asylum allowed you to revisit areas, the plot proved to be a masterpiece due to its linearity. You always knew exactly what you needed to do next, because one objective led directly to the next. While this might seem simplistic, the unity of theme and effect made for a game experience that was without peer. However, in Arkham City, the plot becomes much less linear, as the designers sacrificed unity of effect for the sprawling, open-world feel of a full city. While this makes for a much more freeform game, the game's tight focus is dropped for the sprawling feel, leading to a less unified experience.

This has been my issue, similarly, with so-called "sandbox" roleplaying experiences. Lacking a centralized plot or storyline, I often find that the PCs have little to do aside from what are typically seen as "side missions". The "submissives"--to use the terminology from my prior entry--find themselves in the uncomfortable position of being dominant, while the GM's role is reduced to rules-arbiter and world-builder, rather than author-director.

I'm not saying that Skyrim, Arkham City or that sandbox games are bad--they simply show a trend that I, personally, don't really care for: the fact that many gamers are willing to sacrifice quality storytelling for a perceived freedom.

In Which The Warlock Postulates Verbage and Bondage...

2011-12-07T19:04:00.000-05:00

In my recent games, it's become more and more apparent that games have begun to fall into a continuum of sorts, when talking about set pieces.

As most English teachers can tell you, verbs come in two sorts: active and passive. Active verbs imply some sort of action: run, jump, climb, eat, eviscerate, disembowel, etc. Passive verbs come from the declension of the infinitive "to be"--is, are, was, were...all of these are passive voice verbs. Writers typically try to avoid passive voice verbs, by and large, but there are several times where passive voice may be more appropriate to a situation or character.

As GMs, we all like to think our games run in the active voice, but rarely is that truly the case. Rather, we're often most content to be on the receiving end of our entertainment. The start of "The Flood" provides a great example of this phenomenon. It seems like a very active-voice introduction--steam wagon battles and ghost-rock bombs drive the plot forward at breakneck speed. But, in actuality, the PCs are merely witnesses, and not participants in the majority of the action. While the Great Rail Wars reach their culmination, the PCs get to watch their NPC counterparts hog the spotlight. This isn't meant to be a knock against the campaign--my players have loved it and I've really enjoyed running it for them--but for all the high stakes, the PCs are skating around under the radar rather than rolling with the movers and shakers.

Much has been made of so-called "sandbox" gaming, where the plot is entirely driven by PC actions and motivations. And, truly, in ideal terms, that would provide a more active gaming experience. However, this requires significant buy-in from all players at the table, with prep work spread across numerous people.

Anthony Bourdain clearly has
the Two-Weapon Fighting edge...

My favorite foodie, Anthony Bourdain, describes the act of eating as a fundamentally submissive, passive experience. Done correctly, Bourdain claims, a diner should feel comfortable enough to hand their minds and palates over to the chef and simply savor. The chef, in essence, dominates the show, determining each flavor, each texture, and each experience as they intend it to be.

Perhaps in this vein, good game mastery, like the act of cookery, should fundamentally be a dominant, active act? But then, what of the active player, eager to break off in new directions? They're in a different position than the eater, whose role has intrinsically less input. Should a gamer be penalized for positive actions that add to a game? Of course not!

Fun...and good for theorizing on
proper Game-Mastery?

As strange as it is to say, the best analogy I can provide would actually come from BDSM, of all places. If a game master is a dominant, then the ideal player would be a submissive that struggles and resists, providing input and suggestions that provide intrigue and nuance to the established norms of the game. And, as one might imagine, the best Dungeon Master (in both senses of the term) is the one that knows when to back off, and let the players play.

As with all things, balance and variety serve as the keystone. While a player might be dominant in one game, they may come off as submissive or passive in another. Similarly, a quality GM should be able to alternate control of the game, passing dominance back and forth amongst players, all the while loosely holding the reins of the ongoing story.

In Which The Warlock Compares Editions...

2011-12-04T16:26:00.000-05:00

As I mentioned a few posts ago, I'd been prepping my Friday night Deadlands group for a what I've been terming an "interlude".

You see, we finally reached the halfway point of our exploits in "The Flood", with the posse gaining several significant allies and having gained a massive enemy in General Kwan, to say nothing of their ongoing struggle against the Church of Lost Angels. Taking some rest and relaxation in Shan Fan, the posse got to kick up their heels, while I prepped my players for a fast foward.

I'd been itching to break out Hell on Earth for quite a while, but I'd never managed to play the original game that led to Savage Worlds. That, naturally, has changed.

"All the way to Reno..."

I spent the last two weeks--in amongst some ongoing illness--writing up six experienced pre-gens in the Hell on Earth rules, as well as something of an "alternate timeline" scenario, in which the players' actual Deadlands posse had failed, and Reverend Grimme was free to spread his cult all the way into the 21st Century. With a horde of Grimme's Faminites heading towards Reno, it was up to our far-future posse to lead the defense of the Biggest Little City in the Wasted West.

Our new posse included:

Edward Castellan--a New Templar from Boise, wielding a massive sword and a sub-machine gun.
"The Main Man" Marlow--a self-styled road warrior out of Junkyard, complete with chainsaw!
Leslie K. Marvin--a Junker from Junkyard, and the creator of several robotic combat drones.
Garret Walker--a Librarian from Sacramento, with his pet bobcat, Felix.
"Doc Neutron"--a heretic Doomsayer from Carson City, capable of blasting foes with raw radiation.
Carrie Ann Waltrip--a Harrowed bounty hunter, who's traveled all over the Wasted West...

While the group loved the change in feel--moving from the steampunk craziness of Deadlands to the desperate post-apocalypse of Hell on Earth--it's the change in rules that really stood out the most. Playing Savage Worlds before this rules-set made the flaws in it stand out particularly highly.

A result of the hit locations
in Hell on Earth...

Particularly, the multiple damage systems were particularly difficult to remember. While I don't have issues increasing the wound modifiers up to -5, I kept forgetting to deal Wind damage on normal attacks. Also, I had to keep reminding my players to roll a d20 for hit location for every damaging attack, which added an additional roll and slowed down combat significantly. FridayNightWill had a great moment while fighting against some undead Faminites: playing as "The Main Man", he chainsawed off a Faminites legs and right arm, before finally managing to get a head shot. It looked like infamous "Black Knight" scene in Monty Python and the Holy Grail, as the undead thing would Not. Give. Up.

Also, the sheer number of stats seemed to be really excessive. Hell on Earth has a separate stat for "Scrounging" and "Survival", which seemed to be a pretty large disconnect for some of my players. But, on top of those, there's also a "Search" stat. What does one do when you're looking for a spare part? Is it "Scrounging" or is it "Search"? The streamlining done in Savage Worlds--looking for that spare part would be a straight up "Notice" check--seems much needed.

While our foray into the original rules for Hell on Earth is going to be short-lived, it's been an interesting (and fun!) experience. I purchased Hell on Earth primarily for the plot points and the setting info, and that hasn't disappointed me in the slightest. When the "Reloaded" version comes out, though, I'll be the first in line to switch over.

In Which The Warlock Ruminates Revision...

2011-11-29T21:47:00.000-05:00

One of the things that any writer learns swiftly is that first drafts are usually a pile of crap. Put out quickly, in a fit of creative frenzy, first drafts almost always have massive flaws which only get fixed during the arduous, painful process of revision.

While working on WEGS products with El Willy, revision is the sum totality of my job. Not just for grammatical errors, mind you, but rather for content and context, to say nothing of the actual game mechanics themselves! I have something of a running joke with El Willy regarding the Dungeoneer from the "Ultimate Dungeon Party" due to the many versions of Hew and Jab we ran through.

When working with the other freelancers on "The Mythos Dossiers" for Cubicle 7, however, revision was a group effort. After completing a draft, we'd upload the document to a series of Google docs, which were then available for mark-up and changes as needed. Ideas and commentary ran freely, and I still have a whole series of e-mails, detailing commentary on ideas between writers.

And now, two sessions out from the end of my alpha testing for Cold Steel Wardens, I'm finding myself wondering how to go about revising this mess. While I have quite a few notes of my own, I'm finding the lack of conversation a little frustrating. While my players have been good about providing feedback, and I seem to be asking important questions, my time with them is limited and the "Q&A" portion of our sessions often comes at 10:30 at night, as we're heading out the door. That doesn't exactly make for great discussion, particularly if I've been up (as usual) since 6:30 for teaching.

I've thought about contacting a freelance editor--I have a few names that I'd go to, primarily contacts I've made through running games or talking with industry people--though I can't say that I have the cash to pay someone in that position. So, I'm figuring that my revisions will be a solo effort...

...which is fine. Really. Most of the drafting for CSW was done in July, meaning I'll be coming back at it with a fresh head, ready to tear it apart. In fact, that's just what's happening with my other ongoing writing project: The Pendulum Method. Yup! Pendulum! Remember that one? Yeah, I've been taking a look at that once again, with my eyes on expansion.

And, at the top of the list for that? A defense of "adverserial game-mastery"...

In Which The Warlock Returns from the Void...

2011-11-21T21:04:00.000-05:00

Apologies for the extended absence, amices. Both the PlatinumChick and I got sick last week and are just now starting to get over it! Between the hacking and coughing out here, we haven't had a chance much to game, though I've been working on my Hell on Earth one-off during the downtime at work.

Old school gaming meets
the technological age!

What's new, though, is my technological edge! Through some means that I'm not privy to discussing (don't worry, they're legal means!), I found myself in possession of a brand-spankin'-new iPad 2!

While I'm obligated to use this iPad at work as part of a new initiative, the iPad is unequivocably mine and can be used for pretty much anything I see fit....including gaming! Obviously, my massive amount of PDFs will go into GoodReads and iBooks, but beyond that, I'm a little stumped.

I'm already familiar with a few 4e D&D and Pathfinder apps that exist, but I'm already on the lookout for more. While TheJourneymanGM's secret senior thesis isn't quite done yet--though I'll be sure to download it when it is!--I need some more!

So tell me, gamer nation--what should I have on my new device? What's proved useful, and how?

In Which The Warlock Lets Slip the Crows of War!

2011-11-13T15:39:00.000-05:00

It occured to me on Friday, as I was driving home, that earlier that evening was the first time I had run some WEGS in almost 6 months! The last time I'd lain out the battlemat to preach the Cold Roll Gospel was at Origins this past June--needless to say, it's been a while!

So, when the opportunity came up a few weeks ago to spend an evening throwing down the 2d10 and dd6, I took advantage of the opportunity. And, boy am I glad I did...it may well have been one of the best WEGS games I've ever thrown down.

I honestly wasn't expecting much on Friday--the attendance was a little sparse at first, as I sat outside our room with my minis case and my Copper Pot, but soon we picked up 5 players and got the game underway. I was running a WEGS classic--the Thanksgiving-themed "Hobgobble's Eve"--which I'd run numerous times before.

I decided, though, that in addition to the normal Arks--Warrior, Ranger, Trickster, Mage, and Sage--we'd also be pulling out the "Ultimate Dungeon Party". Pleased with this decision, they spared no time in pulling out the Monk, the Sneak, and the Dungeoneer. But that wasn't enough...no, no, no. Rather, MissAmber decided to pull out one of my playtest items--El Willy's beta Nekromagicker! Not willing to disappoint, we rolled on out!

As we wrapped up Arkreation, one of my players asked me, "How much Copper do we get?!" I smiled and replied, "None..." then proceeded to explain that the Arks tonight were convicts, all inmates of the Prison City of Ikksplat, who have escaped from the city walls into the surrounding Trollspittle Swamp. Fleeing from the Ikksplatian Guards and their relentless War Dogs, the Arks quickly found themselves hip-deep in swamp-water and in the prescence of some wild Turdragons.

Pluto, Goddess of Undeath,
ready to cast and blast!

It's at this point that I have to extol the powers of MissAmber's Nekromagicker, Pluto. Wielding some "Boneshaker" and "Boneblast", it seemed like every other round she was ripping out some poor Hobgob's skeleton or crushing his bones into powder! I don't think she failed a single "Sense: Undeath" roll in the entire game, and was able to pump off spell after spell, decimating my minions.

In the second encounter, she singlehandedly took on Granny Umm-Lumm, taking her out in two rounds, then going after Granny's beloved Fifi! The other characters did fairly well--aside from our lone Ranger, who couldn't seem to deal any damage whatsoever, and was constantly in threat of getting cornered. Pluto got even more deadly following a lucky draw from the Trove deck, picking up a Dragonscale Vest with two Resist skills, which really bailed her out in facing Grampy Umm-Lumm!

Oh, yes...the final encounter. Grampy Umm-Lumm's den was full of Hobgobs, including two cowardly 4/44 Rangers who had escaped down the stairs rather than face the wrath of Pluto and her minions! But the big story, of course, was Grampy himself, riding his massive War Turdragon and wielding his fiery spear, with his paired War Crows flapping in the midst of the melee.

The War Crows were the real story here. While they're basic 6/66 Tricksters, they have one thing going for them: the Eye-Peck. Instead of attacking as normal, the War Crows can attempt to gouge out an Ark's eye. They need a phenomenal roll to do so--only an 01% to 06% will do!-- but it's a devastating attack, which inflicts a Double Lost Action Phase and reduces an Ark's Ruggedness, Stealth, and Prowess ranks by 15...each!

In the midst of a chaotic melee, my dice decided to finally show up. Against our Dungeoneer, I rolled an 03, with only a fractional chance for him to avoid the War Crow's talons. With a 5 on the Damage Die, he was brought to nearly 0 Wounds with one shot, clutching his ruined eye socket! And, not two rounds later, I managed an 01 against our Monk! Again, a ruined eye!

But, as per the usual when I run WEGS, my minions fell. After pulling himself out of the Double Lost Action Phase, our Dungeoneer flew into a berserk rage, Hewing down both War Crows with a Wicked Success! However, it was Pluto who stole the show. After taking down the War Turdragon, she turned her attention to Grampy. But after Grampy fell, MissAmber came up with a glorious idea--use System Shocker to raise the War Turdragon!

The fruits of Pluto's labor!

I warned her, of course, that this would have a pretty sizable Spoint cost, and would take a pretty fantastic roll to pull off. But, she simply gestured to her sizable stack and picked up her dice. Wouldn't you know it...Wicked Success! With Grampy and his War Crows down, and Grampy's pet now a massive draconic skeleton under Pluto's control, the remaining Hobgobs simply surrendered, awaiting their fate.

What's best in gaming? Seeing your players come up from the table with all smiles, swapping stories of fantastic die rolls, heroic action, and potential characters for next time. That's the way it should be.

In Which The Warlock Plans Something Nefarious...

2011-11-08T18:57:00.000-05:00

Welcome to the Wasted West, amigo!

When I originally pitched the idea of playing Deadlands to my group, they were really jazzed. Little did I know that they were more jazzed about the post-apocalyptic sister setting, Hell on Earth, after I had left the corebooks out following our yearly trip to Origins. The idea of playing a gunslinging Law Dog, a radiation-blasting Doomsayer, or a crafty Junker really had FridayNightWill and Chris I primed for some dice-chuckin'.

We started The Flood and, while they were a little disappointed that the archetypes from Hell on Earth weren't available, they've really been enjoying their excursions in the Weird West. However, I can't help but feel like they might have missed out on something...and that's something that I hope to remedy!

You see, friends and neighbors, I have a plan.

The Friday night group's just reached the halfway point of the Plot Point campaign in The Flood. They're about to have a huge info-dump of plot loaded on them, and the real quest to take down Reverend Grimme and the Church of Lost Angels will begin in earnest. As such, this makes the perfect spot for a dramatic interlude!

But, I don't want this to be any simple 'cut-scene'. No sirree! Rather, I have something bigger planned...

Stone's ready to turn Reno
into a real "Boomtown"!

Taking a page from my Pendulum theory, we're going to "flash-forward" for a few sessions, to the Wasted West--nearly 200 years after the events of The Flood. Under the assumption that everybody's favorite gunslinger--the infamous Jasper Stone--managed to kill our heroes before they took out Grimme, the good Reverend's cult will have spread across the post-apocalyptic wasteland. For this one-off, my players will be taking the roles of a veteran group of wasters, fleeing from Grimme's Faminite hordes to the ruins of Reno, Nevada.

While I'm still formulating the plot, the characters are slowly coming together and my outline will surely follow, I have a good feeling about this little foray into the Wasted West. The characters already have a "Seven Samurai" feel, and the defense of Reno will really make for a fantastic set-piece.

As always, I'll be sure to keep you updated on how things are going!

In Which The Warlock Contemplates Gamer Type...

2011-11-06T15:59:00.001-05:00

I've spent quite a bit of time in the past discussing the various "player-types", as put down by the inestimable Robin Laws. However, it seems that there's another kid on the block: BrainHex. BrainHex is a survey put forward by International Hobo, who's have been putting forward successful books on narrative in video games for several years now.

BrainHex:
Where video games meet science!

I found it interesting that their seven primary categories of gamer--Seeker, Survivor, Daredevil, Mastermind, Conqueror, Socialiser, and Achiever--are each linked to a separate element of the neural system, implying stimulation of a different area.

I can't say I was too surprised at my results: I ended up as a Conquerer (with a rating of 17), with Achiever and Mastermind following close behind (each at 14). When I play video games, I tend to focus much less on story or character interactions and more on strategy, as well as advancing the plot. All in all, pretty different from Laws' types!

What's more, the tendencies of the other gamers following my same mental type have tended to enjoy the same types of games as I--action/rpgs, full-on role-playing games (including my beloved Chrono Trigger), and real-time strategy games. Uncanny!
Take a few minutes to support these guys in their research--you'll enjoy it, I'm sure!

In Which The Warlock Contemplates the Worst...

2011-11-03T21:31:00.000-04:00

As I've mentioned in my effusive praise for Play Dirty, I take great pride in being a "Wickian" GM. My players appreciate a bit of sadism on my part, as I do my best to continually challenge their intellects, their characters' morality, and their own ability to cope with trying circumstances. And, I've got to say, there's a ton of enjoyment in making my players rack their brains on a situation that really pushes their comfort zone as players.

Mary Ellen, perhaps?
This cosplayer did a fantastic job!

A few weeks ago, my Friday night Deadlands group was on the receiving end of such a 'rude awakening', as they've found themselves in the crossfire between rival Chinese-immigrant gangs in The Flood. Taking up the the mantle of Big Ears Tam's champion in an underground martial arts tournament, ChaoticFred's "scrapper" mowed her way through the competition--literally! As in, with a bionic buzz-saw arm! But, as Mary Ellen Hardigan ripped her way through her final opponent, her traveling companions were aghast--that kung-fu fighter was the very leader of the 37th Chamber, with whom the posse wrangled a peace treaty several sessions earlier!

While the posse's new doctor companion was able to save the martial artist's life, he neglected to realize exactly what Big Ears Tam would do to someone who attempted to take out his prize-fighter...and that's even worse! Needless to say, things didn't exactly end well for that fighter!

A great resource for more
"Dread Possibilities!

What really gets my attention, though, is when gamebooks facilitate this sort of GMing, providing possibilities to really challenge players, pushing even the most experienced, jaded gamer into action. In 3.5e D&D's heyday, the Ravenloft books (by White Wolf-subsidiary Sword and Sorcery Publishing) did a spectaculary job of this. In their setting material, the authors included several sidebars noted as the "Dread Possibility," each of which detailed the worst possible result for whatever plot element was being discussed.

The "Dread Possibilities" ranged from noted monster hunters going mad from lycanthropy, to patrons being allied with shadowy cults, to a noted wizard falling in love with a noted (and thoroughly evil) noblewoman. In all cases, though, these ideas push players to their utmost and, used in moderation, make for stories that no player will ever forget.

So, long story short, I 'appropriated' the idea. As I've begun making my way through the final stretch of Cold Steel Wardens, the majority of my time has been focused on my setting--an amalgam of Iron Age cities that I'm tentatively calling Greensburg. And, sure enough, I've included my own sidebars: "The Lights Go Out..."

Here's a sample section, from my information on Greensburg University Medical System, the area's premier medical provider...

The Lights Go Out…--Greensburg University Medical

So, the rumors are true. An underground union has emerged at Greensburg University Medical, and a massive walkout is in the works. The union is being led by an angry young janitor named Mark Holp, who has worked at Miatanka Hospital for 6 years. If the walkout and strike go as planned, GUM will be crippled, as nearly 1/3 to ½ of their workforce simply leaves.

What no one knows—not even Mark Holp himself—is that the would-be union leader is a metahuman, with a latent genetic anomaly allowing him to control light. Holp has been present at several “unexplained incidents” that were a product of his untrained, uncontrolled mutant ability. Triggered by intense emotions, these incidents have grown in frequency over the past few months, as Holp’s frustrations with GUM have reached a boiling point.

As such, the Heroes could face not one but two meltdowns—the utter disassembly of Greensburg’s premier health network, but also the emergence of a powerful metahuman with a grudge to pick against his employers. And, the longer it takes to get the fledgling union to the table with the GUM executives, the more lives are lost as Holp attempts to gain control of his out of control powers.

In Which The Warlock Thinks on a Tricentennial...

2011-10-30T14:47:00.000-04:00

It never ceases to amaze me that this blog has lasted as long as it has. In the midst of all of my ongoing projects and my numerous game nights, I've always managed to come back to this...my little corner of the web.

As the foliage slowly grows brighter, before fading out for the winter, I find myself reflecting on all of the great games that I've been a part of over the years.

I started this blog when the PlatinumChick and I were back in Fairborn, playing in her Eberron game. My dwarven sorcerer Harrigan "the Horrible" made his way across the wilds of Xen'drik and into the farthest reaches of Khorvaire, trying to collect the Destiny Arms. From there, I took over the GMing reins, taking our regular group--Chris the 0th, L-Train, CincinAdam, and ChainMailSarah--into the depths of Saltmarsh. I remember that group really fondly, crammed in the living room of our tiny apartment.

Tikka was just a tiny kitten back then...now, she's a pudgy cantankerous kitty of 5 years old!

Since then, our group has changed and rechanged over the years. We've switched editions and games, we've run lengthy epics and campaigns that have failed after only a few sessions. Our game (and our comics collection, really!) has expanded enormously, overflowing the shelves of our gaming/dining room. Since then, we've been to conventions all over the Miami Valley and beyond, making friends all over the country.

But what do I enjoy most out of all this? Why do I keep coming back, year after year? Why spend so much on books and dice, when there are any number of other things I could be doing?

I love it when the dice find a way to be ironic, even though they're as impartial as could be.

I love it when one of my players comes up with a plan that no one else at the table saw coming...and it works.

I love the well-placed critical--be it success or fail--that can bring a table to cheers with a single die roll.

I love having jaded players...who I still manage to creep out, despite their cynicism.

And, what's most? I love the feel of having designed something that others are able to enjoy. From a well-crafted encounter, to a uniquely built plotline meant to interact with a character's background, to an entire game itself: I love the feeling when everyone gets up from the table saying "I had a lot of fun tonight...on for next week?"

And yeah...we're on for next week.

In Which The Warlock Surmises on Shopping...

2011-10-24T10:53:00.001-04:00

Something strange, friends and neighbors. After all these years, it becomes painfully apparent to me that for a blog meant to discuss the Dayton area gaming scene, I've never really spoken much about the friendly local game stores in the area.

Well, after the Guild's monthly trip to one of our FLGSes, I think that it's high time to change that!

The Mainstay: Bookery Fantasy (Fairborn, OH)

Bookery Fantasy--Comics side!

This is the big one--my personal favorite, and my store of choice. This is where I have my comic file, this is where I get the majority of my gaming supplies, and this is my "home store".

Bookery boasts over a 25 year history in games and comics, dating all the way back to a little video rental shack, which is still owned and operated right next door. With over 16,000 square feet of combined space, spanning 4 storefronts, Bookery claims to be the largest comics/gaming store in the United States and I don't doubt them for a second. And, as you might imagine, a store doesn't get that big or last that long as an accident. Their continual discounts--10% on any new gaming material or trade paperback--and their friendly staff put forward a good business model that keeps people coming back. Plus, Bookery keeps a massive "warehouse" of used comics and graphic novels alongside their games section, where some real treasures can be had! On a whim, I had picked up a pretty rare one-shot--Doctor Strange/Doctor Doom: Triumph and Torment--only to find out that I actually had grabbed a copy autographed by Mike Mignola himself! For only $5! Woot!

Bookery Fantasy--Games side!

Bookery has always been one of the greater supporters of the Guild and of WittCon, as well, even though they don't have a convention prescence themselves (which is a damned shame, if you ask me!). They've provided donations for our costume contest and free advertisement for at least the last 5 years, probably longer.

What's more, Bookery Fantasy is nestled in the "Historic Osborn" section of Fairborn--a historic district located just off of Wright-Patterson Air Force Base. The whole strip there is very walkable, particularly around Halloween, when the Foy's Halloween Stores are in full-swing and the entire street is decorated with ghouls, skeletons, and even a massive 9' tall spear-wielding skeletal ogre! Do yourself a favor and head there sometime soon; you won't be disappointed!

The New Hotness: Epic Loot (Centerville, OH)

Epic Loot's Logo

Out of all of the stores I'll be mentioning, Epic Loot is by far the newest. Just off of Route 48, Epic Loot is located in a strip-mall, but don't let that shy you away--these guys know what they're doing.

The Guild's most recent game-store run came here, and I was eager to go, primarily because I'd only been to Epic Loot once before. While open since July, Epic Loot's managed to fill their store with material, present it attractively, and attract a huge base of regular players--their spacious gaming area is usually pretty hopping! On a Saturday afternoon, they had a few tables open, but not many--even as we wandered through, a Magic: the Gathering tournament was in full swing, and several other tables were taken up by board-gamers.

Epic Loot just implemented a pretty novel reward system, based on etched dice with their logo, and offers regular discounts on certain items. Also, they have a neat system that I haven't seen elsewhere--a locker/storage system! For the low price of $15 a month, you can rent a locker in their gaming room--the room itself used to be a firing range for a sporting good store--and leave your games there in complete security. Pretty spiffy!

I see some really good things in Epic Loot's future. They have a great location, a friendly and helpful staff, and a good amount of saleable product. Check them out, if you're south of the city!

The Con-Goers: Superfly Comics and Games (Yellow Springs, OH) and Bell Book and Comics (Dayton, OH)

I'm lumping these two together, as they're both regulars on the convention circuit and are both fairly similar, even though their locations are pretty disparate.

Superfly Comics & Games

Superfly is somewhat newer, getting their start in 2007 as the offshoot of Yellow Springs mainstay bookstore Dark Star. With a youthful, energetic staff, Superfly's put forward quite the showing, particularly at larger conventions throughout the Miami Valley and even beyond. Superfly's been at Origins for at least the last 2 years, and we were even shocked to see them two years ago all the way at C2E2 in Chicago! They're eager to get their name out there--even Gail Simone is a fan, calling them in the midst of their 4th anniversary celebration/DC reboot party.

Bell, Book and Comic

Bell Book and Comic has been around somewhat longer--in their current location since 2003--and also makes their rounds at the convention circuit, though on a somewhat smaller scale. BB&C's been focusing on the smaller conventions--FOPCon, Gem City Comic Con and the like--while Superfly's been trying on the bigger scenes.

What's also notable about both of these is their utter lack of space. Bell Book is crammed into a tiny, narrow storefront, making it difficult to navigate through without running into other browsing customers. While they have significant space for gaming, it's in a back room that's...well, dank, at best. Superfly doesn't even have that much room--only two tables that would, if full, be a massive pain for anyone to actually move around. While no game store can have everything--well, Bookery and Epic Loot seem to be pretty close!--this is a pretty dire need, if you want to keep people in your store for longer periods of time.

The Rest--Krystal Keep (Kettering, OH) and Main Street Comics and Games (Springfield, OH)

I'll be honest, though. Not all of the game stores in the region are of the premier variety. These two, unfortunately, have some pretty glaring flaws.

Krystal Keep Games & Hobbies

Krystal Keep rose out of the ashes of the former Wexford Hills Hobbies, taking over its remaining stock and former location, albeit with some pretty sizable renovations. Krystal Keep, unlike Bell Book or Superfly, has ample gaming space--they even bought up several restaurant booths for gamers to use for board-games, freeing up space for their numerous minis tournaments. But, what Krystal Keep makes up for in space, they lack in stock. While previously boasting a huge selection of miniatures from all sorts of games, Krystal Keep has near-empty shelves and little to actually be sold.
The staff has countered this with the perennial offer of "We can order it for you!" but that's little consolation. I patronize a FLGS for the sake of patronizing a local business. If I wanted to order a product and wait for it, I'd do it myself through Amazon or the like, getting a substantial discount in the meanwhile.

Main Street Comics and Games
(Former location)

This problem is even worse at Main Street Comics and Games. The sponsor of Champion City ComicCon, Main Street's original store was a cramped, tiny alley, unfit for a business that needs a fair amount of space. Their new location, while better, has almost nothing in the way of basic store necessities: shelves, tables, and displays. Stock is strewn about the room, with boxes of comics sitting on the floor, and a pitiful bookshelf half-filled with graphic novels. The majority of the store is simply empty space, with no purpose or designation. There are no customer incentives or scheduled games, and the store has the feeling of being run by someone more concerned with saying "I run a comics and game shop" than actually running said business.

Both of these stores are suffering major flaws that need to be overcome, if they want to be sustainable as businesses. In-store events, customer promotions, and good advertising all go a long way towards establishing a regular customer base, willing to spend money on what are, essentially, luxury goods. In a recession/depression, convincing people to part ways with their money for a book, a box of miniatures, or a pack of cards is pretty difficult. But not even offering those items, much less at a discount or as part of an ongoing in-store game, makes for bad tidings. Don't get me wrong--I don't want either of these two stores to fail. The more game and comic stores in the area, the better! But, if they want my business, they need to bring something to the table.

The Unknowns: Heroes 4 Sale (Vandalia, OH) and Another Fearless Readers (Englewood, OH)

These two, ironically in my own backyard, are the two I know least about. I've never been to either, though I've heard good things about Heroes 4 Sale from a friend of mine (then again, that friend loved the Green Lantern movie, and thinks the DC reboot is genius, so I take his recommendation with a mound of salt).

I'll be eager to see what these two have in store, considering their proximity. With any luck, I might just have some new places to browse the stacks...

In Which The Warlock Accepts a Journeyman Challenge...

2011-10-18T22:01:00.000-04:00

Last entry, my good friend over at The Journeyman GM (also known as Will the ManMan, my compadre from Witt, who's been throwing down the bones with me for almost 4 years now), issued me a challenge. After reading some ongoing rumors regarding Monte Cook's return to Wizards of the Coast, I put down my official prediction for the new edition of D&D. Will challenged me to put down a few predictions for what I expect to see in said upcoming edition. So, without further adieu...here goes!

One of the more popular changes for the role-playing games industry has come in the resurgence of the "boxed set" as a concept. Fantasy Flight Games experienced great success with this in Warhammer Fantasy, as did Cubicle 7's Doctor Who: Adventures in Time and Space, carrying over their tendency to include "fiddly-bits" from their massively successful board games. WotC has tipped their hand in this regard, with most of their 2011 releases being produced in some form of boxed set, usually complete with an element that couldn't be packaged separately: Madness at Gardmore Abbey, for instance, comes with the Deck of Many Things--a product that may not sell well individually, but when coupled with a mini-campaign-length adventure, makes for a positive price point. I expect that 5e/Anniversary Edition will consist primarily of boxed rules, with "advanced" classes coming out via additional boxed sets.

"Who knows what the future for D&D holds?!"

Further, I'm finding that D&D--and rpgs in general--are starting to trend away from the tactical, rules-heavy concepts that have been in dominance since 3e D&D. It's because of this, I believe, that WotC decided to discontinue their D&D minis line, as well as HeroScape--they simply weren't profitable, based on the numbers of miniatures being sold, when compared to the investment necessary to produce the minis. Coupled with a general trend away from minis-heavy games--look again to Warhammer Fantasy--I expext that 5e/Anniversary Edition will provide only rudimentary rules for miniatures use, but include later conversion rules for a D&D-themed "Chainmail-esque" minis game....which will fail, repeating the cycle of minis-based D&D games all the way back to 2e.

Coupled with the shift away from rules-heavy, minis-necessary gameplay, I believe that streamlined concepts will be on the horizon. As part of a modular-based, box-expansion style game, the base game itself must be kept simple enough to attract new players, while expansion boxes provide options for more experienced, "hooked" players. One example of this, I believe, will manifest in the 'skills' system, which will seem like a bare-bones system at release, but then have substantial expansion in subsequent expansions. However, I do see this skill system being more closely tied to abilities--numerous articles have posited the actual necessity of having skills, when the focus on ability scores or raw stats is so high. Believe it or not, I think that D&D could take a lesson or two from ICONS, in terms of skill development--they greatly resemble 2e D&D's "proficiency" system in importance, and provide reference back to the all-important 6 scores, rather than cluttering a character sheet with more numbers and values.

A few other quick predictions:

No more powers. I see a great return to class abilities--particularly ones that can be defined/explained in less than a sentence, and won't require an 8+ page character sheet.
No feats--at least not in the sense that we understand them now. They'll be too much bookkeeping for a simple, dungeon-crawling game. I see them creeping back in around Year 2.
Themes will be back, in a big way. I see themes providing archetypal support beyond that found in the typical race/class combination, and the rules for them provide great modularity. Plus, they were implemented towards the end of 4e's run, and the later themes have been much less rooted in 4e's design philosophy...
No more dragonborn. For that matter, no tieflings, either. I see a philosophical return to the classic quartet of human-elf-dwarf-halfling, with other races coming through expansion materials.
Additional settings with additional rules. While I could only wish to see a resurrection of Planescape--which might not be out of the question, if Monte Cook is back running the show--I anticipate that we'll see Forgotten Realms, Eberron, Greyhawk and even Ravenloft (especially since the 4e version got cancelled). Unfortunately, I don't see any new settings coming out any time soon.
A split convention prescence. I mentioned above that I anticipate WotC putting out a concurrent minis game to accompany D&D, which I see providing a two-pronged attack for major gaming conventions. The key, though, is to make the minis game appealing to the more "tactically minded gamer" while maintaining involvement on the role-playing side. Unfortunately, as I mentioned as well, I don't see this going well.

All told, I really do think that a new edition will have quite a bit of merit, but I'll have to see how it hashes out before I invest in another round of D&D books. Time will tell, I suppose!

In Which The Warlock Refocuses His Ire...

2011-10-13T16:25:00.000-04:00

In a few past blog entries (mainly here and here), I've spent some significant time discussing--let's be honest, reputing--a series of articles by Mike Mearls, made as part of the "Legends and Lore" series on Wizards of the Coast's D&D site.

Well, for those of you that have been following their site, you may have noticed that the column has changed hands. In a somewhat baffling move, WotC has handed this column off to a new/old staffer--Monte Cook.

Those of you that played 2nd or 3rd Edition D&D probably know Cook very well. Cook was one of the lead designers on 3e, and spent a fair amount of time with TSR, particularly on the glorious Planescape campaign setting, which tossed Victorian-era philosophy and conspiracy into the planar backdrop of the Great Wheel.

Unfortunately, Cook's return to WotC has been...well, rough, to say the least.

Cook's first article showed almost a complete lack of understanding of the 4e skill system. While Cook could be excused for this, if he were working on Pathfinder or on a product for his own company--Malhavoc Press--this is the company that wrote 4e! For Cook to actually have the gall (or ignorance) to put forward the idea of "passive perception" as a new concept--which has existed in D&D for the past 4, almost 5 years--shows a lack of understanding of one of the basic skill systems in the game. Further, for something like that to pass by WotC's editorial staff is almost embarrassing. Was no one really aware that he said something like this? That's almost unfathomable...

Unfortunately, Cook's two most recently articles aren't much better in quality. Cook expounds upon the nature of magic items, as well as waxing nostalgic about Gygax's original concepts of a team-based game. But neither article provides many new ideas or innovation; rather, they simply rehash ideas that have been discussed at length again and again, on role-playing blogs, on forums, and even by these authors themselves.

However, all of this raises a greater question: why is Cook back with WotC? What benefit does it bring them to have him back in the fold?

Therein lies the rub. According to currently circulating rumors, Cook was brought on board for a new version of D&D, set to hit playtest in 2012. Margaret Weis apparently thinks so, and it's a little odd for a company like WotC to utterly deny access to a fairly prolific game designer. But, on top of this, WotC's release schedule is currently blank--there are no products on the calendar for 2012 whatsoever. Even WotC's monthly "In the Works" column has been shifting decidedly away from actual previews and more towards subsidiary material--statuettes, comic books, and other paraphernalia.

If this is the case--as I believe it is--I'm going to go ahead and make my prediction here and now:
Cook has been brought on board to write 5th edition, which will be announced at GenCon 2012. This edition will be billed as "D&D Anniversary Edition" and will premier in the summer of 2013--5 years after the debut of 4e.

And, if I'm wrong...well, we'll see, eh?

In Which The Warlock Finds Little to Talk About...

2011-10-10T00:14:00.000-04:00

I find myself in a weird pickle, oh lovely readers. That is, there's just not a whole lot for me to say right now, regarding gaming or the like.

Weird, right? My weekly Deadlands game is finally kicking back into gear, with the table filling back up and a massive kung-fu battle royale taking place during an underground martial arts tournament in Shan Fan. Plus, with the PlatinumChick's schedule set to change after Halloween, she'll be able to bring back Paqua, her Hopi shamaness, just in time for for a massive plot dump!

Unfortunately, my Cold Steel Wardens playtesting has hit something of a roadblock. I've officially decided to cancel my Saturday group, consolidating those players with those in my Wednesday group. While my Wednesday group has been busy, deliving into the murder of Vincent "Vinny Legs" Moretti, in the hopes to stave off a gang war between the Genovese family and the White Russians, I have yet to even have a real session with my Saturday players.

I haven't actually had a chance to play any games recently, as I haven't even been able to make one of the weekly Wittenberg game nights. Between grading and prep for my own games, it'd be a treat to actually play, rather than have the responsibility of running game for a while. While we got a few rounds of Arkham Horror in while we were down a few players on Friday night.

Lady Blackbird: Adventures in the Wild Blue Yonder

More specifically, I've had a hankering to play a specific game--one that DigitalKat turned me onto a few weeks ago: Lady Blackbird--Adventures in the Wild Blue Yonder. With a simple, easily understood advancement system and inobstrusive rules, Lady Blackbird has all of the makings for a heavily character driven, rollicking good time. My issue is...who would run it? Or play in it for that matter? I'd love to be able to break it out at my table, but it's the sort of game that I'd want to have a handpicked group for--one that really could 'grok' the setting and characterization.

I can't even say that there have been that many great gaming releases recently. There's been little that I've been wanting to pick out of the stacks recently, though word's been slowly coming in on the next Deadlands plot point campaign, as well as the assorted "Trail Guides".

So, yeah...not much out there, fellow gamers. I'll be honest, I've been contemplating taking entries down to one per week again, at least until things pick up out here on the gaming front. Let me know what you think!

The Warlock's Review: "The New Death and Others"

2011-10-04T23:32:00.000-04:00

Being so hectic out here, I’ve had a hard time even getting enough time to keep up with this blog! Between playtests, grading and my anniversary (2 years for the PlatinumChick and I!), I’ve been somewhat slacking on my blogging duties.

As you might imagine, my opportunities to read fiction anymore are even slimmer. While I typically read before bed, I’ve been taking that time to do “research” for Cold Steel Wardens—Iron Age comics, other superhero role-playing games, and even a series of essays entitled The Psychology of Superheroes, which I picked up at Half-Price Books a few months back. While these have been enlightening, as I’ve been working my way through the GameMaster and setting information for CSW, they’re not exactly pleasure reading—at least not in this context.

So, when the opportunity arrived to review James Hutching’s new e-book, The New Death and Others, I decided to leap on the opportunity with both feet, and I can’t say I was too disappointed my decision.

The New Death and Others is unique in that it is a series of short stories, mock parables and poems that bring together three very different styles, each of Hutchings wields with skill. As a whole, The New Death and Others brings together a scathingly funny degree of social satire with elements of the fantastic and imaginative, providing for a quality read.

Hutchings is at his best in a series of Gaiman-esque parables—featuring primarily Death, Fame, and Justice, among others—which expound upon the modern condition. One particularly novel snippet comes in “The Doom That Was Laid Upon Fame”, which lambasts reality television. An even better one comes later, called “Temptation”, which twists a familiar story in such a way that it only becomes apparent at the very end. The titular story, “The New Death” is particularly good, showing a meeting of the minds between the incarnation of Death on Earth with his counterpart from an alien world. “The Jeweled City”, as well, provides a sarcastic smirk and a wave towards struggling writers everywhere, just as it tears down the minaret-studded towers of pseudo-Arabian fantasy.

Hutchings also tries his hand at establishing a sandbox setting in his city of Telelee—which sounds just a touch close to a shoggoth’s cry of “Tekeli-li!” for my taste—to varying results. The descriptions in Telelee are of quality, and put forward the feel of a pseudo-Lovecraftian city in The Dreamlands, somewhere that Abdul Al-Hazred might have wandered freely, expounding upon strange aeons and the deaths within. However, the tales themselves are of mixed quality, with stories like the nearly nihilistic “The God of the City of Dust” overshadowing others, like the somewhat forgettable “Sigrun and the Shepherd”. An early story, "How the Isle of Cats Got its Name" is a particular gem, reminding a reader greatly of Lovecraft's "cats of Ulthar" without being plagaristic--Hutchings takes the creatures in a new direction, both creatively thought-out and well-described.

Unfortunately, The New Death and Others isn’t without its foibles. Hutchings’ poetry, by and large, failed to impress. While most of his poems come from impressive source material—the “weird tales” of Lovecraft, Howard, and Smith, among others—there’s just something off-putting about hearing of the wanderings of Kull put into rhymed couplets. Hutchings’ voice tends to get overpowered by the source material providing his inspiration, thereby shutting out his unique, snarky intonation. Hutchings’ more original poetry, such as “Weary Love” and “The Apprenticeship” are of generally higher quality, though still leave something to be desired and don’t stand up to the parables mentioned earlier.

Overall, Hutchings' work is interesting, provocative, and worth a quick read. Plus, for it's asking price--99 cents on Amazon or Smashwords--it's well worth the cost. If some post-modernist satire with some whiffs of the Necronomicon sounds like it'd be up your alley, give it a download--you won't be disappointed.

Amazon.com: The New Death and Others

Smashwords: The New Death and Others

In Which The Warlock Postulates on Punctuality...

2011-09-27T16:52:00.000-04:00

Okay, fellow gamers...I've got to get this off of my chest.

I haven't gamed in over two weeks, and it's driving me nuts.

Note that this isn't for a lack of trying, friends and neighbors. As you probably know, if you've been following this blog, I'm currently GMing three games a week--two sessions of Cold Steel Wardens, which is making its way through the paces of alpha testing, as well as a weekly session of Deadlands, as my Friday night group makes its way through "The Flood".

For the most part, the prep for these hasn't been too overwhelming. "The Flood" is a pre-made campaign, which means that stats, plotlines and the like are already generated; it's just a matter of executing the game, and making it amusing at the table. My CSW campaign, by and large, is running primarily on cliches--while I do have to stat up adversaries and the like, the plotlines that my Heroes are working their way through are deliberately stereotypical for the Iron Age, meant more to put the system through its paces than to put forward a "masterpiece" campaign.

Neither campaign has gone anywhere in nearly 3 weeks.

This doesn't bother me, under usual circumstances. I'm well aware that life gets in the way of gaming many times, and that sometimes you just have to call it a day. But, these past few weeks, the circumstances surrounding our cancelled sessions have been beyond frustrating.

Mostly, this is because of an utter lack of notice. I don't have any problem with a player missing a session, but when we're around the table, asking each other "Hey, does anyone know if Jim Bob is coming?", that brings the action to a grinding halt and starts us looking for other plans. This has been the case twice in a row our Friday night game, and has left us looking for alternate entertainment. I'm lucky enough to have a large enough game library to accomodate spur-of-the-moment games, but still...I want to run Deadlands!

Worse still is when this happens in my Saturday session, as it did this past Saturday. I got a text message from one of my players just after I woke up, which was fine--I had four other players, which would make for a perfectly viable session. As such, I packed my materials and headed over to Wittenberg...

...only to get a second text message, as I sat waiting for security to unlock the door to the classroom we use. Another player gone. Waiting patiently for the other three...only one showed up. Kung-Fu Jake told me that he'd heard that a second of our players was going to be running significantly late. Our last player was nowhere in sight. After fifteen minutes of waiting, I called the session.

Listen, this is absurdity. If you can't have the common courtesy to at least tell someone when you're running late or can't make a session, why should you expect me to run game for you? I'd love to be able to roll out the chase rules or the other investigation forms for Cold Steel Wardens, but right now I can't even get enough players together for a single session! Hell's bells!

Sorry. I really needed to get that off of my chest. If you have some advice or some ideas on how to change things up, by all means, comment for me!

Oh, and since there's no media for this entry, here's a great perspective on the DC reboot that the PlatinumChick had on her Facebook page. Enjoy:

A 7-year-old girl responds to the DC Reboot

In Which The Warlock Wants a Frost Reaver...

2011-09-22T23:05:00.000-04:00

A few months ago, you may remember some comments that I made about Diablo III's runestone system, and how it could be applied to a potential D&D skill system. As you might imagine, I'm a bit of a Diablo fanatic. While I don't care much for either of Blizzard Entertainment's other titles, the Diablo series (particularly Diablo II and its expansion pack, Lord of Destruction) managed to walk that wonderful line between action game and role-playing game in a deep, horrific environment.

Can we get a release date yet? Please?

I've been specifically excited for the information coming out on Diablo III as it's finally managed to hit its public beta test. While my actual chances of getting into the beta might as well be infinitesimal, the footage from the beta that's been pouring in looks utterly spectacular, and I find myself desperately hoping that the game manages to surface this year, despite Blizzard's continual affirmations that the game will release "when it's ready."

Among the screencaptured pictures and streaming beta footage, Blizzard has also updated their primary Diablo III website, including a skill calculator--complete with all runestone combinations for each skill!--and a database of all the glorious gear that can drop, as your character eviscerates the minions of the Lord of Terror.

And, oh, my! So much gear! So many items and so many modifiers! Armor for defending! Weapons for bashing! Wanga dolls and fetishes for...well...who cares?! They look great!

Flipping through the numerous Legendary and Set Items, something occurred to me: there's a distinct difference between certain role-playing games. Some games are fundamentally gear-driven--the D&Ds of the world, primarily, while others place almost no emphasis on gear.

Pick a card, any card...

There's nothing wrong with either approach, really. There's something to be said about finding a truly unique weapon or a relic that's been the subject of a massive quest spanning numerous game sessions. Items like the Eye and Hand of Vecna, the soul-sucking rune-sword Blackrazor, or the infamous Deck of Many Things provide definition and opportunity for character development, centered around not just the acquisition of said items, but also the use of them. After all, who hasn't had a campaign derailed when someone's taken an unfortunate draw on that Deck of Many Things?

One of the criticisms that I've seen tossed towards 4e D&D is the element of "Christmas Tree syndrome"--characters are expected to have certain elements of gear at certain levels, resulting in a laundry list of items, few of which have any real meaning or campaign relevance. This, I think, may be one of the reasons that I've somewhat dropped D&D for a while.

Johnny Blaze loves his Hellfire Shotgun

On the other end of the spectrum is my current games of choice, Savage Worlds and ICONS. Gear, while not quite irrelevant in Deadlands, only becomes important as a plot point--items like Maerlyn's Grapefruit, the Riggins Hellfire Carbine, and the like were grippingly vital, but mundane weapons and the like are glossed over. ICONS, on the other hand, doesn't even have rules for equipment! It's entirely left to the imagination! Any gear that's listed becomes a plot point, usable for the GM (and the PCs, in some cases) to break the rules!

Neither way is bad, per se, but the key is to make gear matter. A hero's choices should be vital to their core. And, as always, it should look cool...

In Which The Warlock Comments on Continuity...

2011-09-18T17:25:00.000-04:00

I'm going to start this little discussion off by making a disclaimer: while I'm obviously a comics fan, I'm really more of a Marvel than a DC. My favorite characters--Iron Man, Ghost Rider, and Doctor Strange--are all Marvel mainstays, and the books that I collect are typically the Marvel 'teams': Fantastic Four, The Avengers, and the like. The PlatinumChick is the resident DC fangirl in the house, cosplaying as her favorite characters: Huntress and Black Canary.

That said, DC's been making all sorts of headlines with their "New 52"--a complete overhaul and refinement of the core DC books. Note that I didn't say "reboot", even though that term is probably the most applicable here--major changes are being made, major characters are being altered, and major plotlines are being dropped in favor of entirely new plotlines.

There are a lot of things that upset me about how DC's dealt with this reboot. I could talk about the utter dishonesty and duplicitousness that DC's has treated some some of the newest, most original blood in the comics industry. I could talk about DC's hypocritical policy regarding depictions of women in comics, in that "all women must have pants", but characters are continually being shown as nothing more than cheesecake. I could talk about how the editorial staff at DC has treated their fans, when said fans have questioned DC on their continual gender issues.

But none of those are my biggest issue. Rather, my biggest issue comes from two relatively minor characters in the DC universe: Batgirl and Amanda Waller.

Character depth! Novel concept, that!

One of the seminal arcs of the Iron Age of Comics was Alan Moore's limited Batman series, The Killing Joke. (Spoiler Alert! Spoiler Alert!) In it, the Joker attempts to drive Commissioner Gordon mad by shooting and kidnapping his daughter, Barbara, then forcing him to view the images of his bleeding daughter as he travels through a Joker-fied funhouse. Moore's run from this comic was timeless, as it showed not only the strength of Jim Gordon in resisting the Joker's efforts to drive him mad, but also in the fact that Barbara Gordon's injury became canon. In later arcs, Barbara reinvented herself, becoming the "mission broker" and information expert for the Justice League, known as Oracle.

Here, we have a character who refused to give up. She experienced powerful internal conflict in coming to terms with her injury, and managed to find a new (and unique!) way to contribute to the continual war on crime, despite a "career-ending" injury. But, instead of allowing that character to thrive in her chosen role, the editorial staff at DC have all but removed any reference to Moore's seminal arc, to say nothing of the internal conflict that drove Barbara Gordon for so long! While author Gail Simone (already a legend amongst comics writers, male or female), does her best with Batgirl #1, the fact remains that twenty plus years of character development have been tossed out the window, simply to make Batgirl more "accessible".

This is Amanda Waller...

A similar thing has happened to DC supporting character Amanda Waller. Nicknamed "The Wall", Waller's attitude, stubbornness, and ingenuity have allowed her to stand up to even the most powerful members of the Justice League, particularly in the Timm/Dini animated universe, where Waller literally stepped out of her shower and stared down Batman. A tough, no-nonsense woman, Waller ran both Checkmate--a government intelligence organization dealing with vigilantes and metahumans, as well as the Suicide Squad--a metahuman 'recovery program' meant for supervillains to work off their jail sentences.

...not this!

Waller was unique in that she wasn't a stereotypically 'beautiful' woman, in the typical sense. She didn't carry an hourglass figure or a bountiful chest; rather, she was broad-shouldered and squat, and carried quite a few additional pounds. And now....she looks like everyone else. To this, I ask..."Why? To what end is this a good idea?" What benefit could such a change possibly have, aside from matching the depiction of Waller from the Green Lantern movie which was a travesty in its own right? It's an unnecessary change, meant to make Waller more "accessible" by taking away something that made her unique in the comics world.

While I don't know much about making comics, I do know a lot about running campaigns. And I know that if, at my table, I started changing the names of characters, changing what they looked like, or changing minor details about established facts, I would very quickly have an empty table. And, for that matter, if I started totally disregarding entire character arcs or the character development that my players have put into the story....my table would be in open revolt, and that's not worth the 'potential' new player that might like what I'm doing.

In Which The Warlock Features Flaws...

2011-09-13T21:57:00.001-04:00

It's been a while since I've talked about these guys, so it's high time that I devote them a little space: I absolutely love my Friday night game group. For most of the summer we were on something of a hiatus, with ChaoticFrederick and CincinAdam scattered across the U.S., but we're finally starting to get back in action as the seats at our table fill back up. Wanting a change from our usual fare, I've kicked up a series of The Flood, the first of four plot point campaigns for Deadlands: Reloaded.

One of the neatest things to come of this game was a sequence involving ChaoticFrederick's character--the cybernetic 'scrapper' Mary Ellen Hardigan--and Chris I's character, the "new scientist" Dr. Noble. After being rescued from Lost Angels by the posse, Mary Ellen had just been given a cybernetic arm by the enigmatic Dr. Darius Hellstrome, but became addicted to morphine in dealing with the pain of amputation. As such, she's been having to deal with the "Habit--Major" hindrance. This was fine, until a rough combat with some Guardian Angel bounty hunters left Dr. Noble with a broken jaw! When Chris I asked if he could use his Healing skill to fix up his jaw, I said 'no' at first...but then ChaoticFrederick put forward the idea of using the morphine to dull the pain. One Vitals roll of "snake eyes" later, and Dr. Noble was well on his way to becoming a morphine addict...

Obviously, this type of game isn't for everyone, but it raised a great plot point for us--that hindrance is going to be biting them in the butt for sessions to come!

"Snakes...why did it have to be snakes?!"

Now, before we get much further, let's get something straight. One of the things I love most about role-playing is the concept of the "flawed" hero. Flaws, for me, make heroes more realistic and more interesting to role-play. What would my old huckster-fencer, Ramon, have been without his "One-Arm" hindrance? Where would Actorios have been, without his lust for power and his tragic past? And, those are only a few from my recent games; would Indiana Jones have been the same without his fear of snakes? Would Batman be anywhere near as interesting without his psychological drive to avenge his parents, or Tony Stark without his narcissism and alcoholism? And my Deadlands posse from earlier? They just wouldn't be the same without their flaws...the aforementioned addiction, FridayNightWill's "Mean" demeanor, and Chris II's "Ugly As Sin" gunslinger...
Certainly, these flaws make all the difference! Flaws give these characters depth, to say nothing of something to conquer above and beyond Mook #473. They bring another dimension of conflict beyond 'man vs. man' or 'man vs. society'. Rather, they bring in that millenia-old conflict of 'man vs. self.' The worst enemy a character could have, truly, is their own reflection. Character flaws, regardless of media, put this on full display and allow us to achieve catharsis through those heroes...

Tony Stark tells a Congressional
Sub-Committe where they can get off...

...which brings us to Cold Steel Wardens. When writing the rules-set, I debated even including flaws and the like to the rules, not wanting to slide too close to Savage Worlds or Champions, both of which feature flaws or disadvantages as mechanical balancing points. However, vision mattered more. The heroes of the Iron Age of Comics are meant to be deeply flawed individuals, exploring philosophical and ethical questions just as they take to the streets to fight criminal scum.

In the end, I decided to take up what may be a controversial stance. Rather than exclude flaws in general, I decided to make them mandatory. At character generation, every would-be Hero must take at least two Flaws, to round out their character. Further, a Hero can take on additional Flaws, gaining 3 additional points per Flaw taken, adding to that Hero's Skills, Masteries, and even Powers.

While some gamers might object to this, those Flaws have massive importance for one of the other mechanics of the game--the Hero Pool. Each Flaw that a Hero takes, when manipulated by the GameMaster, adds dice to the Hero Pool, allowing all Heroes at the table a better chance of making a critical roll, taking down a rogue metahuman, or even completing their investigation.

Therein lies the rub--while many games leave flaws or disadvantages in the purely mechanical realm, Cold Steel Wardens aims to push them to the forefront, making them active, important aspects of a player's character. So far, things have turned out pretty well in that regard...but only more playtesting will tell!

In Which The Warlock Ponders Playtesting...

2011-09-11T15:00:00.000-04:00

As I mentioned last post, I've finally begun my alpha testing of Cold Steel Wardens this week, running two sessions at Wittenberg: one on Wednesday evenings, and another on Saturday afternoons. Beginning the playtest has been a bit daunting, all told. Each week, I have to focus on new rules, new items, and new situations to test out, that way I can make it through the full rules-set before the semester ends.

What I wasn't expecting was such a disparate set of characters to start the game. Our first session was primarily a character generation session, followed by a sample combat so that the players could get their feet wet.

My Wednesday group was a little shocking. Starting at 6, we ended up with only four players, one of which has never played an rpg in any sense of the word. What's more, this group was particularly low-powered, spending most of their character-creation points on Masteries and Skills. In fact, only one player took any powers whatsoever, and only Sense at that--a power that grants the chooser some form of super-sense such as night-vision or exceptional hearing. Even more shocking were the actions of one of the Heroes during our sample combat! With one of her allies in over his head against some of The White Russian's gun-runners, she simply walked away...leaving him to his fate! Yeesh...some heroism, right?

Character Creation on Saturday Afternoon

In contrast, my Saturday group consists almost entirely of long-time dice-chuckin' veterans, ready to throw down some d8s with the best of them. While I had mentioned that the prior group had very few powers, I was more than shocked to see every player in the group take at least one power! What's more, the themes of each Hero's powers were particularly different. We ended up with a cybernetically augmented hacker (formerly of the Tech Support gang), a knife-wielding teleporter, and even a multi-armed alien!

Already, though, I've begun to find some rules that just don't work. While CSW is fully meant to create flawed, vulnerable heroes, the sheer amount of Flaws that players started with (in both groups) was a bit exorbitant. While I expected some to end up with 4-5 Flaws, especially since Heroes are mandated to have 2 Flaws to start the game, I hadn't expected every player to do so, and more!

Running the sample combat...

Further, it became immediately apparant that my rules regarding critical hits weren't quite right. While critical hits were still fairly uncommon--despite the fact that my first 'mooks' were beyond underpowered--the Mental Strain associated with viewing a critical hit was just way too much. In both sessions, Heroes nearly went mad from blows that they, themselves inflicted! While I still want to assess some degree of Mental Strain for such blows, it definitely needs scaled back.

Next week, I'll be taking a look at our first real Investigation--a concept-map style case, involving a coming storm between two rival crime families. I'm hoping to really hit home the fact that CSW isn't meant to be a 'super-brawl' sort of system; rather, it's meant to emulate tense investigation and gritty, dark choices. With at least one player in each group focused solely on combat, this could be just a touch difficult...

We'll see, friends and neighbors! The work is never done!

In Which The Warlock Requests a Schedule Change...

2011-09-08T23:30:00.000-04:00

It's occurred to me that since my Cold Steel Wardens playtests are going to be occuring on Wednesdays and Saturdays, it's probably not going to be feasible for me to blog on those days.

As such, I'm going to be amending my schedule slightly. While I'll still be updating on weekends--usually on Sunday afternoons or Saturday evenings--I'll now be updating this blog on Tuesdays, instead of Wednesdays.

Look for some of my playtests notes this weekend, as well as impressions on that time-old tradition of character creation! See you then!

In Which The Warlock Previews His Introduction...

2011-09-04T13:16:00.000-04:00

Since today is our big Labor Day party, this one's going to be a quick post for me, with some more preview material for Cold Steel Wardens.

Here's the brief fiction interlude, right at the start of the book--Enjoy!

It’s always raining here. A cold wet drizzle pours down, desperately trying to wash away all of the filth and shame that seems to work its way out into the streets. Even the streetwalkers have decided to pack it up, going back to whatever hovel their pimp has them sleeping in tonight. The gangers are still out, trudging through the rain-slicked streets, but even they’re quiet.

I took out four of them earlier, down in New Corinth. They were hassling a push-cart vendor, because someone didn’t like his pita bread. I broke one’s jaw, and at least one of the others won’t be walking for another three months. Fucker deserved it. He pulled a knife on me. The other two were smart enough to run away—I let ‘em go. They didn’t get into the poor guy’s cash register, at least. Achmed gets to take home his cash box for another day.

I headed back up Sixteeenth Street, and then climbed the Grandview Building. One of those bastards must have gotten a good shot in; my shoulder felt swollen and tender. At least that one didn’t have a knife. I was out of commission for almost two weeks, when one of the Rojo Bastardes caught me in the back with a switchblade.

I think I’m going to start carrying a gun. It’s worked for Double-Tap. Hell, we’re all criminals anyway. The Nornsby Act’s seen to that. When they catch me, I’m looking at 10-12 in Solitary. Double-Tap will probably get life—he gunned down a cop, trying to get back to headquarters. Serves them both right: Double-Tap for being stupid, and the cop for trying to take down one of the good guys. At least the cop lived—he’ll just be in a wheelchair for the next few decades.

At least the gun will mean a little more protection. This Kevlar plate only goes so far, and it’s kind of hard to punch a guy when he’s pumping off .38 rounds into your chest. After all, I don’t have to use it…right?

In Which The Warlock Previews the Iron Age...

2011-08-31T16:21:00.002-04:00

As I've been working my way through the second half of my first draft of Cold Steel Wardens, I decided to devote an entire chapter to the various eras of comics, focusing particularly on the Iron Age itself. In order to understand a run a game dedicated to this specific period, it's important for a gamer to be able to identify their source material!

So, enjoy this preview, friends and neighbors! Alpha playtesting starts next week!

The Iron Age: With the rejection of Silver Age optimism, the fall of theComics Code Authority, and the Bronze Age’s focus on societal issues, the stagewas set for a new era of comics to begin. As the 1980s dawned, comics began to evolve from simplistic superheroisminto deep, nuanced literature.

At its core,the Iron Age of Comics began to apply a level of realism to the timelessarchetypes established of the Silver Age, while maintaining the socialconsciousness of the Bronze Age. FrankMiller’s immortal Batman storyline, “The Dark Knight Returns” deals with thesimple question of what would happen as Bruce Wayne ages and enters the modernera. Alan Moore’s masterpiece,“Watchmen” directly took elements and characters from DC-subsidiary CharltonComics, dropping them wholesale into the Cold War-era paranoia of 1983. Mike Grell’s “Green Arrow: The Longbow Hunters”re-established Green Arrow as a lethal vigilante who narrowly avoids costingpartner/girlfriend Black Canary her life, as he uses morally questionable meansto get to the bottom of a drug ring. Heroes, as such, became less black and white in nature, often taking onviolent, even sociopathic methods for just aims. Rorschach, from “Watchmen” epitomized thistendency, following an absolutist view of morality, yet inflicting horrificviolence against his foes, as he sought out the “cape-killer”.

As one canimagine, the foes for Iron Age storylines were not the gimmicky villains of theSilver Age. Rather, over the top plotsfor world domination were replaced by insidious smuggling rings, arms deals,and other true-to-life crimes. Iron Agevillains only rarely showed overt super-powers, and were often simply mobbosses, corporate CEOs, and corrupt politicians. Iron Age villains with superhuman abilities,however, were forces to be reckoned with, wielding their powers ruthlessly andwith incredible lethality. Venom, one ofSpider-Man’s best known foes, was created during the Iron Age, becoming knownfor its utter brutality and hideous appearance. In several cases—most notably the maiming of Batman at the hands ofBane, a steroid-enhanced mercenary—these villains bested and even killed theheroes that attempted to bring them to justice. Other heroes, such as Green Lantern Hal Jordan and Iron Man, turned ontheir former comrades, in the “Parallax” and “Armor Wars” storylines,respectively.

One of thevisual representations of the Iron Age’s move towards realism came throughsuperheroes’ costumes. In previous erasof comics—particularly the Silver Age—superheroes’ costumes tended to beflashy, colorful affairs, usually with capes. In the Iron Age, this shifted dramatically. Costumes began to emphasize function overfashion, with armored black bodysuits replacing colorful spandex and capesgoing the way of the dodo.

Accompanyingthese cosmetic changes came weapons. While Silver and even Bronze Age heroes rarely used weapons againsttheir foes, Iron Age heroes brought firepower to their crusade againstcrime. High caliber firearms became thenorm, brought into vogue by Marvel’s Punisher and The Comedian from “Watchmen”. Even Frank Miller’s Batman, while stilleschewing firearms, rolled a tank through Gotham City in an effort to take itback from The Mutants gang.

As the IronAge focused more and more on realism and depth in technique, authors andartists began adding in additional themes and ideas usually reserved fordiscussions of classic literature. NeilGaiman’s “Sandman” explored a surreal dreamscape, in which nearly everycharacter represented a metaphysical force. Grant Morrison’s “Arkham Asylum: A Serious House on Serious Earth” provided a harrowing spiritual journeyinto insanity, using symbolism and mythology in ways that echoed Umberto Eco’s“The Name of the Rose”. Symbolicelements, which include mythic and spiritual references, also permeated DennyO’Neil’s run on “The Question”—a resurrected Charlton Comics character whoserved as the inspiration for Moore’s Rorschach, in “Watchmen”.

However,this symbolism and depth was not limited to Western cultural elements. Rather, the Iron Age saw a rise in interestin Eastern mysticism and martial arts. Ninja and yakuza became common adversaries, complete with esotericmartial arts and exotic weaponry. Evenalready established minor characters like Black Canary became known as mastersof the martial arts, learning bizarre and deadly techniques to take down theirfoes.

The Iron Ageof Comics also began to see the rise of superhero comics publishers outside ofthe DC/Marvel clutches. Many writers andartists grew frustrated with the “Big Two”, seeking out companies like DarkHorse and Image Comics. Both grew inpopularity on their hit titles “Hellboy”, “Spawn” and “Witchblade”, amongothers, providing alternatives to the more mainstream titles.

Allcompanies, though, saw the value in unifying their heroes through ‘crossover’events. Marvel’s “Secret Wars”, DC’s“Crisis on Infinite Earths” and other events drew in readers in droves. Such events brought heroes together from allparts of their respective universes to face some massive cosmic threat. Readers ate these events up, and the “eventmodel” dominates the comics industry to this day.

Unfortunately,the success and depth of the Iron Age proved to be its own undoing. As comics grew in depth, they grew inpopularity. Comics companies began toestablish an artificial scarcity in their comics, releasing numerous variantcovers in the hopes to drive up sales. Unfortunately, while this led to increased sales and profits for bothpublishers and retailers through the early ‘90s, the speculators’ marketcrashed in 1996, driving Marvel Comics into bankruptcy.

Further, asthe Iron Age rolled on, many authors and artists began to equate realism anddepth with simple mindless violence. “Gritty” became an excuse for writers to settle for simplistic, violentstorylines with no greater meaning, and artists to put out poorly drawn, rushedmaterial simply to keep up with demand for additional covers.

With Marveldeclaring bankruptcy and many of the classic Iron Age writers and artistscreating their own companies, the Iron Age came crashing down. In its place, though, a new age began torise.

Above allelse, the Iron Age is marked by a move towards realism in terms of aesthetic,themes, and concepts. While marked ascynicism by detractors, the Iron Age marked a darker and more philosophical turnin comics, meant for a more mature, adult reader, rather than thechild-targeted books of the past. IronAge comics are marked by a depth and a complexity that had never been seenbefore in comics, but was inevitably undone by continual drive for profit andsales. Luckily for all of us, the comicsindustry wasn’t done yet…

In Which The Warlock Muses on the Future...

2011-08-28T14:39:00.000-04:00

Last night was Wittenberg's first game night, which is always exciting for us. It's spectacular to be able to meet a whole legion of incoming gamers and share with them all of the exciting events that the Guild puts forward, all of the events and systems that we run, and the cameraderie of slinging dice with your fellow man.

There's really nothing like the first time that you sit down to experience a game. The 'first impression' that one gets just can't be replicated. The first time I slung out the d10s and d6s in WEGS, for example, was a game unto itself. The first time we broke out Arkham Horror, while frustratingly long, got us immediately hooked. The first time we watched someone's dice 'ace' two and three times at a clip in Savage Worlds...it caught the eye like none other.

What to write, what to write?!

But keeping that newness? It's hard! The longer one plays a game, the more apparent the flaws are in the system and the more 'rote' things become. The Journeyman GM and I discussed this tendency on our way home from GenCon this year. By this point, he had run his Blackbeard-based Doctor Who game nearly 12 separate times for various groups across the Miami Valley. I'd been pinging my "WEGSthulhu" adventure and "Westbound on the San Juan Express" just as often.

As such, with the close of the convention season, it comes time for us gamers to think about what comes next: what one-shots are on deck for the coming 2012 season, for the Friday Night One-Shot series at Witt, and what we're excited about. But, that leaves me with a major question: with so many options, what do I write?!

Obviously, my first and biggest option (and my biggest priority!) is my campaign of Cold Steel Wardens. I'm running my alpha test--a campaign that I'm calling "Hard Rain"--at Witt this year, with my tentative players' Heroes making their way into the (ideally forthcoming) book as sample characters. But, one-shots? I have no issue running them at Wittenberg, but I'm not sure if the rules-set is ready for the convention circuit yet.

Last year, I built a series of Deadlands characters specifically for the purpose of using them on the convention circuit. As such, I'm very tempted to bring back those characters for another go. However, I'm at somewhat of a loss of what I'd like that adventure to look like. I'm loathe to put forward another "train-based" adventure, and would like to lean towards something a little more investigative. However, that's the furthest I've managed to think this one out.

The Laundry, similarly, is an appealing option. While I'm more than proficient in the BRP Call of Cthulhu game, The Laundry has its own unique style that makes for a strange balance between absurdist comedy and deadly serious spy-drama. But, that same balance makes it particularly difficult to GM appropriately. Even for a skilled GM, it becomes difficult to shift gears so quickly between tones. I'd been also thinking up a basic Call of Cthulhu adventure based around Shakespeare's "Scottish Play", but that's still in development.

Coming to a game convention
near you in 2012?

I'd also been thinking about potentially revisiting one of my all-time favorite heroes: the Masters of the Universe in the role-playing arena. However, I'm really not sure what system I'd use. While I'd be tempted towards picking up Cartoon Action Hour, I actually think that ICONS would work really well for emulating the over-the-top action. But, again, I haven't really thought out what the adventure would entail, or any plot ideas beyond the simple "He-Man and crew have to team up with Skeletor to take out a greater threat".

And then...there are other options. While I'm swearing off D&D for a while, my gaming stack's still full-up. I'm planning on picking up All For One: Regime Diabolique in the near future, and I just found a copy of Wild Talents at Half Price Books for $5. Also, The Journeyman GM still has my copies of Hell on Earth, while my regular Friday night group is chomping at the bit for some post-apocalyptic action. Oh, and there's always WEGS, particularly with the Ultimate Dungeon Party out now, and the official printing of Dingbitt's Dunge-O'-Doom on the horizon.

So many options, so little time, fellow gamers! What should I run? What would you like to see at WittCon, FOPCon, and all the rest in the next year?!

In Which The Warlock Posits a Deathmatch...

2011-08-24T22:12:00.000-04:00

Friends and neighbors, I have another weird confession to make.

I love watching Deadliest Warrior. Not familiar? It's a show that's been on SpikeTV to cater to everyone's geekiest impulses. Ever wonder what would happen if an Apache warrior fought a Roman gladiator? Or if a black-powder era pirate fought a plate-clad medieval knight? Deadliest Warrior attempts to answer those, in an hour long demo filled with splattered ballistics-gel torsos and pig carcasses.

Which? Is? Deadliest?!

In amongst the gore-coated carnage, the hosts make judgements about the various techniques, technologies and strategies, then run a series of computer simulations to determine a winner. Really, the pseudo-science that Deadliest Warrior is just that--so much fakery. And, for most of the battles, success generally comes down to which warrior has access to the most modern weaponry. However, there's something intensely satisfying to watch a burly stuntman or ex-Marine bludgeon the ever-loving hell out of a pig carcass with an entrenching tool, a medieval flail, or a Zande throwing iron.

The aftermath of a
Deadlist Warrior episode...

In its third full season, Deadlist Warrior has somewhat run out of archetypes to play with, so their focus has switched to actual historical figures. Sun Tzu fighting Vlad Tepes, Joan of Arc against William the Conquerer, and tonight's mind-blowingly awesome episode: Teddy Roosevelt against Lawrence of Arabia!

However, it brought up an interesting question in my mind: what if gaming had a Deadliest Warrior-style competition? Not for the actual gamers, mind you, but rather for the classic NPCs of gaming!

I know this has been done, once upon a time, in the waning days of Dragon magazine. Fantasy heavyweights Margaret Weis and Ed Greenwood faced off with their immortal mages, Raistlin and Elminster. But why stop there?

What would happen if the quintessential barbarian, Conan, faced off against Kratos, the psychopathic anti-hero from the God of War series? Or, better, if Deadlands' Dr. Darius Hellstrome pitted his infernal devices against the steampunk science of Space 1889's Cronus on the war-torn fields of British Mars? Oooh, or better: the immortal gunslinger Stone against the eternal champion, Elric of Melnibone? Or even a war of the monsters: the sleeping god Cthulhu against Demogorgon, the two-headed Prince of Demons!

The Eternal Champion vs. the Undead Gunslinger!
Stormbringer vs. the Guns of the South!
Who is deadliest?!

While, the likelihood of ever seeing these on a fair battlefield is nigh impossible--man, what system would we even use for this?--it's just a touch of wish-fulfillment to see the biggest heavies of gaming face off against one another. If only, fellow gamers...if only...

In Which The Warlock Contemplates Something Odd...

2011-08-21T17:46:00.000-04:00

A few days ago, while trolling around RPG.net, I came across a pretty standard thread in their d20/D&D forums. Quite simply, the thread posted the question "What's the best setting for D&D?"

Immediately, I started running down my favorites in my mind, about to post my opinions. I contemplating picking Planescape, then Ravenloft, then Dark Sun.

But as I deliberated between my options, weighing what I liked and didn't like about each, something strange occurred to me--something that I never really considered throughout all of my years of gaming.

You see, friends...I don't think I actually like Dungeons and Dragons.

I can hear you gasping from here. Please, take a deep breath. You're probably asking, "But, Warlock, you've been playing D&D for years! You constantly regale us with epic exploits, thoughts on your new campaigns, and the like! How can you possibly not like D&D?"

It was about as shocking to me, as well. I've been playing some variation of D&D for over 15 years now, in any number of campaigns and one-shots. But (bear with me here!), I don't think I was actually enjoying D&D.

Not your "typical"
D&D adventurer...

My favorite thing about Planescape isn't the D&D elements to it. Rather, it was the pseudo-Victorian age philosophy, used to justify the archaic D&D alignment system. I love the idea of "good" nihilists in The Doomguard, and the "survival of the fittests" ethos of The Fated. I loved the idea that the "standard fantasy" archetypes were utterly flipped on their head.

My favorite thing about Ravenloft isn't the fact that it's D&D. Rather, it was the vulnerability of the heroes, as they made their way in a world ruled by Hammer movie monsters. I loved the investigative nature of things, the rarity and superstition surrounding magic, and the swashbuckling-action-meets-creeping-horror feel. Again, the "standard fantasy" was thrown overboard.

All of the things that I enjoyed about D&D....were the very things that made them not D&D. These settings were set apart because of their individuality, and TSR/WotC even made significant efforts to keep them separated. Dungeon Masters were encouraged to keep the settings and rules separate, due to their massive differences, while they simultaneously put out game material like Spelljammer, which meant to link them all...

I cut my teeth on Dragonlance, back when I was in high school, but by the time I hit college, I'd all but dropped the series. There were no ethical questions to be explored, no tension-filled investigations to be had, and no inversions to keep me interested. Elves, dwarves and humans were good, kender were irritating, and dragon-men were bad. Everything was so...cut and dried.

Great game...but not for me.

To be honest, I have absolutely no interest in Cubicle 7's The One Ring rpg, despite a beautiful-looking book, and a creative game mechanic. I just have no interest in doing the typical fantasy setting any longer. And D&D? Well, that's what it tries desperately to emulate...and I just don't care for it any more.

While I'd love to revisit Ravenloft sometime, I can tell you right now, I don't think I'd ever use any form of D&D mechanic to run it. Rather, I'd probably use All For One--Regime Diabolique, by Triple Ace Games. If I wanted to play some Dark Sun, I'd probably just use Savage Worlds. For Planescape? Well...I haven't quite figured that one out yet...

But still, there's a bit of an empty void in me right now, realizing that in all actuality, I may never have enjoyed the fundamental game that started the hobby that I love, cherish, and hope to work (more) in. It's a strange feeling....

In Which The Warlock Presents Ramon Perez Francisco Villa-Nueva...

2011-08-17T22:30:00.001-04:00

With The Journeyman GM's game having reached its conclusion, I figured now would be a great time to post the final "known" stats of my Fencer-hexslinger, Ramon. Enjoy the stats!

Ramon Perez Francisco Villa-Nueva

Stats:

Strength: d8 Charisma: +1

Agility:           d10                                          Grit:                6
Vigor:             d6                                            Pace:               6
Smarts:           d10                                          Parry:              8
Spirit:             d8                                            Toughness:     5

Hindrances:

Code of Honor (Spanish Chivalric Code)

Outsider—Raised in Florida, Spain
Enemy (Minor)—Mexican Army and Santa Ana
One Arm (VotWW)
Soul Sympathy (VotWW)

Edges:

Veteran of the Weird West

Arcane Background—Huckster
New Power: Deflection
New Power: Quickness
New Power: Gambler
True Grit (+1 Grit)
High Roller (+1 Card when casting a hex)
Quick Draw (May draw or stow weapon as a free action)
Acrobat (+1 Parry, +2 to all Agility tricks)
Frenzy (may make 2 Fighting attacks as one action, at -2 penalty)
First Strike (make a free attack, if an enemy moves into melee range)
Right Hand of the Devil (Cutlass of Estevanico)

Skills:

Hexslinging—d12

Fighting—d10
Guts—d8
Knowledge: Occult—d8
Knowledge: Philosophy—d8
Notice—d8
Persuasion—d6
Knowledge: Mathematics—d6
Stealth—d6
Investigation—d6

Powers and Trappings:

“Altibajo” (Boost/Lower Trait)—Ramon takes up a new fighting stance, or steels himself for the task at hand.

“Estocada” (Smite)—Ramon’s cutlass flashes with arcane energy, damaging any who touch it.
“Remoto Tajo” (Bolt)—Ramon lunges, and a ghostly form leaps from his body, impaling a distant target.
“Desviar” (Deflection)—Ramon’s form shimmers as he parries away weapons, claws, and even bullets.
“Herir de Tiempo” (Quickness)—Moving faster than the eye can follow, Ramon launches a series of attacks.
“Arriesgarse” (Gambler)—Ramon spends a few moments in quiet reflection, tracing geometric patterns in the ground with his cutlass.

Key Gear:

Cutlass of Estevanico—Relic Cutlass—Strength +2d8

Whip
Boot Knife
Smoke Pellets
Restoration Elixirs and Sampson’s Elixirs
The Heart of Darkness diamond, in a lacquered (and securely locked!) box

Accompanied by “Skippy” the Huckster, whom Ramon helped to release from Rock Island Prison.

In Which the Warlock Defies the Odds...

2011-08-15T00:14:00.001-04:00

Call it a gamist point of view, but I love games that bring a degree of chance to the party. It's all well and good to tell a fantastic story, but if you can't totally throw that story off of the rails with a well-placed die roll...well, then go write a novel.

Pull up a chair, friends and neighbors, it's storytime:

Essex Sho-Toran:
My lucky psion...

Once upon a time, when I was still a freshman at Wittenberg, I played in a D&D 3e game run by a friend of mine named Silas. In the first session of that game, I was utterly worthless. Playing a psion, I managed to knock myself out from psionic feedback in the first round of combat, and spent most of our first session unconscious. However, at the final end battle, I managed to pull off a phenomenal feat...a lucky blow that turned my character from a feeble level 1 caster into a powerhouse of psionic might. After rolling no higher than an 8 all night long, one well-timed Natural Twenty manged to slay a foe far beyond our scope, and turn Silas's campaign on its ear.

So, let's fast forward to our Deadlands game from last week.

After destroying Rock Island Prison while searching for the mysterious "Heart of Darkness" diamond, we found ourselves in the Lost Angels Cathedral on the infamous Bloody Sunday. Reverend Ezekiah Grimme, leader of the Church of Lost Angels, called down hellfire and brimstone...quite literally. Demons swarmed through the cathedral, killing innocents by the score, with our heroes in the crossfire!

Okay, so The Journeyman GM has been using the Savage Worlds Adventure Cards for this game. Each game, we get 5 cards that provide a one-time benefit, of which we may choose 2 to keep. My selections were pretty lackadaisical this time around, aside from one named "Make No Mistake": "Play when facing any kind of creature with Immunity or Invulnerability. One character may ignore those special abilities of the creature for the duration of the combat."

I looked at The Journeyman GM and said, "You know what I will be doing with this...should I take it?"

His reply, "It's the Weird West. That's all I'll say..."

As carnage broke out in the Lost Angels Cathedral, Ramon Perez Francisco Villa-Nueva leapt atop a pew, drew the Cutlass of Estevanico, and challenged Grimme to pay for the crimes he had perpetrated at Rock Island Prison.

From there, things went downhill steadily. Ramon spent the next several rounds being swarmed by demons, hovering around two wounds and trying to throw off his "Shaken" result. Grimme himself, though, answered the challenged, attempting to use a hideous rite to snuff out Ramon's life-force. However, Ramon persevered, took some healing from the PlatinumChick's "gun-nun" Maria Pilar Vasquez, and then lunged for Grimme...

An ace! Not familiar? In Savage Worlds, if your die roll on a skill or ability test gets the highest possible result (a 10, on a d10, in this case), you roll it again and add the results. Raising his cutlass high, Ramon slashed downward through Grimme with a 19 to hit, and an absurdly-massive 46 points of damage--resulting in Shaken and 9 Wounds, penetrating Grimme's Invulnerability and slaying him instantly!

Ramon Perez Francisco Villa-Nueva
rides into the Wasted West...

Okay, yeah...I know it's the Weird West and all...and the metaplot of Deadlands somewhat mandates that Grimme hangs around for a while longer, but still! Wow! My avenging fencer took out the Servitor of Famine in a single, massive blow! Between that, the destruction of Rock Island Prison, and Ramon's old friend Morton "Four-Eyes" Marker heading back to his Texas Ranger brethren with incontrovertible proof of Grimme's villainy, Lost Angels may soon lie in the hands of the Confederacy!

It just goes to show that the dice are a fickle, fickle mistress. Sometimes they hate you, and sometimes they give you a gift that'll provide for "gamer-stories" for years to come...

We just managed to finish the last segment of the "Devil's Tower" plotline this evening, with Ramon (and the huckster companion, Skippy, that the posse broke out of Rock Island) escaping far into the future, with the dangerous Stone in hot pursuit. While the Weird West was saved, and the future altered, who knows what dangers await Ramon in the not-so Wasted West?!

In Which The Warlock Muses on GenCon...

2011-08-11T02:48:00.000-04:00

With my British overlords at Cubicle 7 needing GMs for their games at this year's GenCon, I couldn't help but volunteer my services to run The Laundry. In addition to being able to make good with the muckitty-mucks of C7, I wanted to be able to get a crack at GenCon! Plus, Will the ManMan (also known as the Journeyman GM) joined me out there, running some sessions of Doctor Who: Adventures in Time and Space.

A glimpse of the dealer hall at
GenCon Indy 2011

While it's true I'd been to the "best 4 days in gaming" before, you could hardly call my visit to GenCon last year a true representation of the convention itself. While gaming with Keith Baker was a massive treat, I only managed to spend about an hour in the Dealer Hall or surveying the convention itself. This time, while I was still busy, I got a much better handle on the convention itself!

One of the biggest things that struck me was the sheer size of the Dealer Hall. The hall itself was about half again the size of Origins' hall, with a massive amount of vendors, authors, and publishers. The crowds were incredibly dense, but I didn't feel that they were that much larger than any I'd already seen at the Big O.

Pieces for Fantasy Flight's upcoming
"X-Wing" miniatures game.

One of the neatest things that The Journeyman GM and I got to take part in was a demo of X-Wing--a forthcoming by the new owners of the Star Wars license, Fantasy Flight Games. While still in development, X-Wing was a neat little miniatures game, built to be playable without the need for a map or measuring tape. I'm not too heavily into miniatures games, per se, but the game was quick, enjoyable, and easy enough for newbies to pick up. I'd like to see the ships deal a little more damage, but this was an early prototype, with many changes on the horizon.

But that wasn't why I was there! Rather, I had some Laundry agents to drive mad! I ran three sessions of "Case Goblin Willow" (or, was it Case Goblin Winter? It kept changing with each draft of the adventure I received...), with some great moments of role-play at the table. I was really shocked at the amount of fans for Charles Stross' series--I'm not exactly up on the sci-fi/fantasy scene anymore, but still--wow!

Laundry Agents make their way through
Quarae House, in CASE GOBLIN WILLOW

My favorite session of the three had to be my second session, which got ambushed by two zombies...who promptly managed to nearly kill off two of the agents (with shovels, no less!), and send the others into a fighting retreat. As the police arrived to investigate the gunshots, the agents realized quickly that they still had a corpse lying in the middle of their home-base! With two of the agents hospitalized and three more incarcerated, none stood in the way of the adventure's villain from summoning STAIRCASE DWELLER (read: Yog-Sothoth!) and causing an early occurance of Case Nightmare Green...

One thing that did frustrated me was the layout of the convention center, and the fact that numerous games--RPGs, board games, and many others--weren't even in the convention center proper! Rather, they were in the adjoining hotels, which could be up to 3 blocks away! That makes for a ton of travel time, which makes the whole process much less convenient. Plus, with many of the streets near the convention center under intense repair, it only became much more difficult to get around!

Overall, though, I was really pleased with GenCon. With Origins moving their dates forward, it's looking more and more likely that GenCon will soon become my "con of choice" for a weeklong game-a-thon. All in good time, no?

(See my whole album from GenCon 2011 on Facebook!)

In Which The Warlock Holds His Cards Close to the Chest...

2011-08-08T19:06:00.004-04:00

Sorry about the late entry once more, fellow gamers. I just got back from GenCon Indy last night, after running sessions of The Laundry for Cubicle 7. While I had a blast, and I'm eager to share my thoughts on the games and the convention itself, I'm still organizing all of my pictures, and getting my thoughts together.

So, in the meanwhile, take a look at my first real attempt at making a Cold Steel Wardens character: Crackdown, an urban avenger out to take back the streets!

Name: Crackdown (James Robertson)

Concept: Inner City Avenger

Vitals:

Magnetism:  4
Agility: 3
Force: 5
Intellect: 3
Accuracy:   2
Nerve:   5
Awareness:   4
Psyche:  4

Derived Stats:

Pace: 5 (2+Agility)

Defensive Value: 10 (Agility+Nerve+Boxing Bonus)
Wealth/Status: 6 (Intellect+Reputation)
Physical Strain: 16 (BP=8)

Mental Strain: 14 (BP=6)

XP: 0

Flaws:

Brutal (No non-lethal attacks)
Psychosis (Insomnia)
--Nemesis (The White Russian)
--Obligation (Inner City After-School Program)
--Low-Tech (-4 dice when using high-tech)

Masteries:

Boxing (+2 dice on Unarmed attacks, +2 DV)
Staredown (Intimidate multiple foes, free Intimidate at Init.)
Untouchable (foes at -2 to hit, after successful Intimidation)
Vehicle (Motorcycle)

Powers:

Blast 4 (Electrical Shock)
--Optional Effect: Usable on Unarmed Attacks

Physical Skills:

Athletics 4 (Force 5)

Stealth 3 (Agiliity 3)
Unarmed 5 (Agility 3)

Armed Melee 2 (Agility 3)

Armed Ranged 2 (Accuracy 2)

Investigative Skills:
Notice 4 (Awareness 4)

Investigation 2 (Awareness 4)

Canvass 4 (Magnetism 4)

Examination 1 (Awareness 4)

Research 2 (Intellect 3)

Social Skills:

Persuade 2 (Magnetism 4)

Deception 3 (Magnetism 4)

Intimidation 6 (Magnetism 4/Force 5)

Insight 2 (Awareness 4)

Reputation 3 (Magnetism 4)

Knowledge Skills:

Cultural 1 (Intellect 3)

Criminal 4 (Intellect 3)

Esoteric 3 (Intellect 3)

Historical 1 (Intellect 3)

Scientific 1 (Intellect 3)

Technical Skills:

Driving 3 (Accuracy 2)

Piloting 0 (Accuracy 2)

Mechanical 0 (Intellect 3)

Vehicle Comb. 0 (Accuracy 2)
Fine Manip. 3 (Accuracy 2)

Specialties:

Free-Running (Athletics); Hiding (Stealth); Spot Motion (Notice); Canvass Underworld (Canvass); Bluffing (Deception); “The Stare” (Intimidation); Violent Display (Intimidation); Gangs (Criminal Know); Metahuman Abilities (Esoteric Know); Motorcycle (Drive)

Aspects:

Graduation from Moore College, after growing up in the inner city.

Foundation of after-school program to get kids off of the street.

Death of Sean Williamson, one of James' first "kids".

Motivations:

Take back the streets for the innocent and underprivledged.

Take down the gangs that have infested the ghetto.

Shut down the White Russian's gun-running operation.

Stances:

"If you get in my way, I take you down...hard."

"The cops are in the pocket of the mob anyway."

"I'm not going to hurt a kid; I don't care if he does have a gun."

"Every cent I take from these bastards is a gun off the streets, and new equipment for the kids..."

(As always, this material is playtest only, and is subject to change. Cold Steel Wardens and the MAFIANAP mechanics and game system is copyright A.P. Klosky, 2011, trademarks pending.)

In Which the Warlock Contemplates Game Against Story...

2011-08-03T05:59:00.000-04:00

Okay, fellow gamers. Bear with me for a tick, once more, as I do some rambling.

The games that I tend to enjoy stem from a fairly diverse number of systems and fundamental game theories. But, the systems that I tend to favor most recently all have one major thing in common: the ability to manipulate and even to defeat luck.

The Copper Pot collects some fate...

In WEGS, every Ark comes ready-equipped with a number of Spoints, which can be used on nearly any percentage roll in the game, and even on some non-percentage rolls. It's entirely possible--and sometimes more than desirable!--to use Spoints to achieve a percentage-chance of success that exceeds 100%. While this all but guarantees success--barring a really horrible Bad Shot or a Wicked Failure--luck has effectively been removed from the equation. The spell goes off, the sword strikes true.

In Savage Worlds and its numerous settings, every hero comes equipped with Bennies (or, Fate Chips, if you're playing Deadlands), which can turn a seemingly lethal blow into a near miss, or allow for complete and total re-rolls on skills. In ICONS, heroes get Determination, which allows them to create power stunts, achieve massive levels of success (regardless of dice roll), and even "retcon" details in a scene, changing the narrative.

Not all games include such a system. Aside from a brief flirtation with them in Eberron, D&D has never used such a mechanics. Action points in 4e rarely grant anything but an extra action. Call of Cthulhu and other "atmospheric" games don't use such a mechanic.

So, as I continue working on Cold Steel Wardens, a major question arises. Do I put such a mechanic into the game, or do I "let the dice fall where they may"?

Representation of GNS Theory

I believe that the rub lies in what's referred to within game design circles as GNS Theory or, later, The Big Model. Ron Edwards--creator of the Sorcerer RPG--created this theory as an ongoing set of theory regarding social interactions through role-playing games. It's been one of the longest running controversies within game design circles since Edwards came up with the idea, but for me at least, Edwards' ideas run true. Edwards claimed that players (and the games that they prefer) typically would fall within a given category--Gamist, Narrativist, or Simulationist.

My main impetus in creating Cold Steel Wardens echoes a fundamentally Simulationist. As a representation of the Iron Age of Comics, CSW is built to emulate a certain era of comics, including all of the conceits and hallmarks of that era. As I told ChaoticFrederick--whose commentary and revisions have been invaluable as I've moved forward!--I expect there to be ninjas, I expect there to be lots of guns, and I expect there to be mafia bosses. Those are all stereotypes that are hallmarks of the Iron Age of Comics, for better or worse, and they tend to appear quite often.

However, I have a strong desire towards specific Narrativist goals. The system for Aspects, Motivations, and Stances--which I'm about 2/3 of the way through!--encourages players to test their Hero's assumptions about ethics and morality. While this stems from such storylines like Miller's Daredevil: Born Again and O'Neil's run on The Question, it's a fundamentally Narrativist idea. Further, the investigative nature of the material itself lends itself towards storytelling, on the player level, the GM level, and the table-wide level.

However, the mechanics of CSW also provide for a degree of system mastery and "optimal build", which are hallmarks of the Gamist idea. There's a strong desire for me, as a designer and as a gamer, to try to build "The World's Greatest Detective" or "The Martial Arts Master" in this system. And, as with nearly every system out there, I've spent more than my share of time dealing with combat at this point--the "throne room" of the Gamist player. Plus, the ideas that I've been kicking about, regarding a system for in-depth investigation, are solidly gamist--it's a matter of how well the Heroes can access the clues, and how well the Players can put them together.

So, where does this leave us? Well, with the Hero Pool. This is to say, the fate-defying mechanic I'm debating building into Cold Steel Wardens. It's a simple mechanic--a pool of d8s equal to twice the number of players, which can be used to add to any test. They're one use only--once they're gone, they're gone, unless the GM refreshes them (usually by challenging the PCs in underhanded ways).

One might say that it's a fundamentally Gamist mechanic--it's something built in to defeat luck, and can be exploited. It doesn't add much to the story, says the Gamist, but it lets us hit once in a while. The Narrativist would probably disagree, adding that it adds more creative control to the minds of the players, and allows the Heroes to add in that "last-ditch effort" on a test that really requires a success. A Simultationist might decry such a mechanic, due to lack of "realism", but simultaneously uphold it as a fitting representation of the genre.

So, again, where does this leave us? I'm not really sure. I wouldn't be so arrogant thusfar as to say that CSW is going to be the mystical Zen-center of the GNS spectrum, but it's raised quite a few questions in my mind, as to where CSW is going. Let's see how playtest rolls out, and we'll go from there...

A few links for you, in case you're curious:

The Warlock's Review: Cowboys and Aliens

2011-07-31T19:19:00.001-04:00

Being a geek has its ups and downs. For every Iron Man, The Dark Knight, or Captain America: The First Avenger that comes out, we also get a Green Lantern, a Batman and Robin or Elektra. Excitement and enthusiasm can carry you so far, but at the end of the day, a filmmaker has to make a good film.

Let's get this straight from the outset: Cowboys and Aliens is not a good film.

Cowboys and Aliens
Utterly generic, with massive flaws.

I had really high hopes for this one, tied primarily to my irrational Deadlands obsession in recent months. But, even outside of my fanboy-ism, I had reason to be excited. Daniel Craig's career has been on the rise, and he single-handedly rejuvenated the James Bond franchise with a stellar performance in Casino Royale. Harrison Ford is...well, he's Harrison Ford! If you don't know who he is, crawl out from under your rock! Director Jon Favreau took Iron Man and made it into the gold-standard for comic-book movies. Olivia Wilde provided eye candy for the otherwise-uninspired Tron: Legacy and made it watchable. Where could we go wrong?

Oh, so many ways, as it turned out.

First off, let's talk about the plot. It's razor-thin, and the characters ramble through it like they're lost. Aliens are attempting to infiltrate the earth, looking for gold (we never do find out why, though). They're abducting human specimens to find out our weaknesses, in preparation for a full invasion. Jake Lonergan (Daniel Craig) is an amnesiac survivor of an abduction, with a metal death-ray shooting bracelet attached to his wrist.

As we find out within the first ten minutes--some amnesia, huh?--Lonergan is the leader of a gang of banditos who have robbed the local cattle baron Woodrow Dolarhyde (Harrison Ford). Both Lonergan and Dolarhyde's son get arrested after a brawl in town, but when the titular aliens raid the town, Lonergan is released to lead the town's survivors against the aliens. For the next hour and a half, Lonergan, Dolarhyde and their motley crew of survivors wrangle Lonergan's banditos, some local Apache warriors, and anyone else they can find in a last-ditch battle against the invaders.

Character development is at an utter premium in Cowboys and Aliens. No. Scratch that. Character development is a liability in this movie. The most interesting character, by far, is the preacher who patches up Lonergan at the start of the movie, then joins the posse....but he dies less then a third of the way into the movie. After his death, we meet Dolarhyde's ward--an Apache trail-guide and translator who looks at Dolarhyde as a father, even has Dolarhyde pushes him away. He, too--the only major ethnic character, of course--dies.

Olivia Wilde's only expression in "Cowboys and Aliens"
Also note the utter lack of lighting--the majority of the movie
is that dim, the entire way through.

Lonergan himself is meant to be an homage to Clint Eastwood's immortal Man With No Name, but his Craig's natural charisma is entirely wasted. The PlatinumChick came away from the movie asking seriously whether Craig had more than 20 lines in the whole movie. Harrison Ford--one of the greatest action stars of the modern era, seems more like an old man as he dodders through his scenes. Olivia Wilde exudes no personality as the mystery woman, Ella, and she could have just as easily been playing her computer-program alter-ego from Tron: Legacy. A small bright spot is found in the saloon-owner, played by Sam Rockwell, but his development arc is cut short when the aforementioned preacher is killed.

Cinematography, in addition, suffers greatly. For all of the time spent on CGI and the interesting design on the aliens, we see very little of them. The lighting in Cowboys and Aliens and the speed at which the aliens' scenes are shot make them all but impossible to get a good look at. Hell, most of the film is difficult to see, as the lighting is dimmed to the point of illegibility. I understand that the movie is meant to be a "period authentic" piece, but if the audience can't see what's going on, what's the point?

As if all of this wasn't bad enough, the movie reeks of lazy, poorly designed storytelling. As I mentioned earlier, nearly every character that evolved or developed through the course of the story ended up dead before their arc could be completed. But, instead of developing these characters (or even keeping them around!), the writers replace any sense of genuine emotion or fondness for the characters with...a kid and a dog.

Congress just got blown up, but who cares...
...as long as the puppy survives!

This is lazy, sloppy writing. We don't care about the kid or the dog as characters--we're utterly uninvested in them, outside of the fact that they're a kid or a dog. This is the same poor writing that was bad 15 years ago, in Independence Day. Rather than focusing on actual characters, the writers ride the simple fact that no one wants to watch the fluffy puppy die.

Stepping out of the car last night--we saw Cowboys and Aliens at a drive-in, with some of the other WittKids--the only movie that I could compare Cowboys and Aliens to was Green Lantern. Both were highly hyped, highly budgeted movies with star power, which both collapsed under their own pathetic writing, poor cinematography, and lack of character development. Save your money, fellow gamers. Don't even bother renting Cowboys and Aliens. Watch the trailer two or three times, and you've seen all you need to see. The Warrior's Way was a better offbeat Western movie than this.

In Which The Warlock Muses on Mechanics...

2011-07-27T22:17:00.000-04:00

Since returning from our trip to Pennsylvania two weeks ago, I've been plugging away at Cold Steel Wardens to the tune of 3,000 words a day, on average. Occasionally, I'll take a day off--usually to play in Will the ManMan's Deadlands game or to take in one of the summer blockbusters--but my 5,000-6,000 word-per-day spikes more than make up for those.

Writing all of this from scratch has actually made me a little more respectful for the role-playing game authors who have come before. The vast majority of modern games--D&D, for instance--has entire teams of writers on staff, which allows individuals to focus on individual sections, then exchange those sections for revision and editing. That's precisely how things worked, with my fellow Cubicle 7 freelancers--after one of us finished a piece, it was uploaded to a private GoogleDocs group, for others to read and offer suggestions.

However, I don't have a team for Cold Steel Wardens. It's just me. And that's led to me to realize quite a few things:

Writing equipment sucks. In all seriousness, it's a giant table. You'd figure that it'd be easy, right? Wrong. It's tedious, doesn't fit well in a Word document, and there's always some aspect of it that you're forgetting. You want to offer enough options to keep "hardcore" gamers happy, but be streamlined enough to avoid the problems of a game like Stargate SG-1 d20, which has pages upon pages of equipment rules.
Options create complexity. The more options you have, the more complex the game becomes. Makes sense, right? Problem is, gamers want options. Even in seemingly simple games like ICONS or even Call of Cthulhu, players crave the ability to have different abilities and different focuses. After all, no one wants to play the same character time after time, right? However, for every additional option that I input--for every Mastery that alters a Skill's use or Optional Effect for a base Power--things get more complex. That makes writing difficult, to say the least.
If I pull this off, I'm going to expand the rules-set into a "generic" system for investigation. The MAFIANAP mechanics that I've created are really streamlined and hand-built to focus on low-powered, street-level supers, and criminal investigations. A sourcebook, similar to the Savage Worlds--Explorers' Edition, would be spectacular in this regard--something to put out the mechanics, minus the setting info and the like, in a way that would be useful for games meant to emulate shows like 24, Burn Notice, and Leverage as well as comics like Sin City.
The biggest test for me is going to be a matter of replicating the characters that were an inspiration for this game: Green Arrow and Black Canary, The Question, Huntress, Batman, Daredevil, Marv and Dwight from Sin City, Captain America, and several others. If I can build them accurately with this system, I know I'll have done a great job.
Balance is an illusion, until it hits play. I've done my best, so far, to keep options balanced. A Hero in CSW with no powers will have more points to spend on Vitals, Skills, and Masteries than a Hero with quite a few Powers. However, I know that the real test of balance comes in playtesting. I'm hoping to have the rules-set playable by the end of August, in time for an alpha-test campaign at Witt this semester...

But, it's all coming together, and that's what important! Here's for hoping that someone wants to publish my little brainchild once it's done...

In Which The Warlock Nukes Catan!

2011-07-23T22:44:00.000-04:00

So, at our New Year's party, I came upon the idea of a variant for a certain game that I typically can't stand--Settlers of Catan--to make it a little more "active" in terms of competition. That's my biggest problem with Catan...there's very little active competition with other players. Rather, you simply race to beat your competitors, occasionally hindering them by inflicting "The Robber" on them.

As such, I came up with the "Nuclear Option" for Catan. Simply put, a character could spend 2 Stone and 2 Clay to build a Nuclear Missile, which would be launched immediately. Launching a Nuclear Missile would perform one of three tasks:

Destroy an opposing Settlement.
Reduce an opposing City to a Settlement.
Destroy any two adjoining Roads.

Advance the Doomsday Clock!

We also used a few limiting factors. Players could not use a Nuclear Missile against a foe with only 2 Victory Points, and usage of a Nuclear Missile would add to the "Doomsday Clock". Starting at 1:00, the Doomsday Clock increased by 1 hour with each Nuclear Missile launch. If the clock struck Midnight, then Catan would officially become unliveable, covered in fallout and nuclear radiation.

With FridayNightWill, Chris II, and the PlatinumChick alongside me, we broke out this variant for the first time last night, and the results were...pretty impressive, really!

By and large, gameplay was unchanged. Clay was a premium in our game, due to our utter inability to roll an 8 or a 10 on 2d6, but that didn't stop Chris II from unleashing a nuclear salvo at my roads! After crippling my motion for several turns, he was able to jump out to an early lead, grabbing the Longest Road and tying with FridayNightWill for the lead.

However, I had some plutonium of my own to share! After nuking some of Chris II's roads back to the Stone Age, I managed to slip in, and connect my two original settlements, thereby splitting the map and giving me both the Longest Road, and the victory.

Was it worth it?!

Now, while I said earlier that gameplay was "unchanged," I don't mean that totally. Rather, an interesting conundrum was introduced. You see, with Clay at a premium due to scarcity, an opportunity cost was required in order to build that Nuclear Missile--the ability to build either a Road, a City or even both, depending on the contents of the player's hands. Was it worth it to tear down an opponent, or to spend those resources to catch up to them?

Overall, I was very pleased with the results of this variant, and would be eager to play it again. I can see some problems already, in terms of the various Catan expansions, but for the base game, it's a unique, PvP-centered expansion that adds a much more pleasing dimension to the game. Try it! You'll like it!

In Which The Warlock Stirs the Proverbial Campfire...

2011-07-20T16:55:00.000-04:00

I've made no real secret of the fact that I've become a massive fan of Deadlands. But, what you may not know is the fact that I'm in not one, but two separate Deadlands campaign right now.

Our final destination?
Time will tell!

As I'd mentioned a few entries ago, Will the ManMan--also known as The Journeyman GM --has started running an updated version of the classic Deadlands trilogy known as "The Devil's Tower". However, I've actually begun a second game on Friday nights, replacing our on-again, off-again Eberron game. With ChaoticFrederick in California for a few months and CincinAdam still on the Appalachian Trail, I found it much easier to run a game like Deadlands over D&D 4e, which all but requires group balance, whereas Deadlands does not.

Okay--full confession time. Quite a while ago, the immortal game designer Robin Laws came up with a categorization for player motivations. You might be familiar with some of these: Power Gamer, Tactician, Storyteller, and the like.

As much as I like to think I'm a Tactician and Storyteller. I'm not. I'm absolutely an Instigator. I thrive on conflict, and would much rather put my character at a significant disadvantage or the like, for the sake of dramatic development, than to "play it safe" and avoid such a conflict. Sometimes things don't turn out as I plan, but that's not a problem in my book--that's just opportunity!

When generating characters for the ManMan's "Devil's Tower" game, then, my first question was "Are you going to allow Veteran of the Weird West?" Veteran..., for those of you non-DL players out there, is an edge that can be taken, which grants the character "free" experience...with some unseen consequences. Sometimes those consequences are negligible. Other times, they can be all but crippling--maimed limbs, severe injuries or diseases, psychoses, or an utter betrayal by fate!

Lose the mask and one arm,
add some magic, and you've got
Ramon Perez Francisco Villa-Nueva!

In building my swashbuckling Huckster, Ramon Perez Francisco Villa-Nueva, I was absolutely ready to roll the bones, even with Will warning us about his "new and improved" chart of doom...which ended up with Ramon having only one arm! While this didn't change my character concept too much--one part Zorro, one part Highlander, and one part Inigo Montoya--it's definitely made Ramon's adventures a little more interesting, and difficult. I've had to be exceptionally careful in monitoring what weapon is in my hands at any given time, as switching between Ramon's whip and his relic saber--the Cutlass of Estevanico--is a little harder than I'd like!

The PlatinumChick, similarly, decided to take Veteran..., but ended up with an entirely different set of problems! Her steam-augmented "scrapper", Ruby 'Thunderbird' Spencer ended up with an infamous doppelganger, which provided some confusion for the rest of the party, while the PlatinumChick and I were out of town.

So, where does this leave us now? Well, with my Friday night group about to start making their way across the Sierra Nevadas, in preparation for The Flood, it just so happens that Chris II decided to take Veteran of the Weird West for his hexslinger, Angus Cole. I'd warned him that I was using Will the ManMan's special chart, but that extra experience was simply too tempting for him. Twenty free experience points? Who wouldn't be tempted?!

But, the devil's in the details...and I found a great irony in cards I pulled for Angus's "unforseeen circumstances". One Black Ace, and one Red Eight.

Now THERE'S a
Veteran of the Weird West!

While I'm not at liberty to tell exactly what those cards actually do yet--though, never fear! I'll divulge the dirty details after Chris II's hexslinger finds out the hard way!--I've got to say, the results are pretty fitting...We'll just see how accurate the "Dead Man's Hand" really is!

It all goes to show that a little reward is all it takes to turn a normal player into another conflict-loving Instigator like me. There's always a price to be paid, as Will the ManMan said in his own assessment of the situation, but when that price leads to some great moments of role-playing...that's a big win, right there!

In Which The Warlock Reveals the Fruits of His (and other's) Labor!

2011-07-16T18:18:00.000-04:00

So, as I mentioned a few months ago, I'd been picked up by Cubicle 7 to work on an upcoming book for The Laundry--C7's rpg based on the novels and short stories of Charles Stross, which is something of a mash-up of traditional Call of Cthulhu, James Bond-style espionage, with just a touch of The Office for good measure. I've been holding off on talking about my work there, because I wasn't sure when (or if!) the product would actually hit shelves.

But then, one of my co-conspirators on the project revealed this: newly installed at the Cubicle 7 store for pre-order!

The Laundry RPG--The Mythos Dossiers
the PlatinumWarlock's first-ever real RPG writing gig!

As I'd mentioned earlier, I was alerted to an open call for writers by C7 through Dread Pirate Tim, who dropped me a link on Facebook. The 'audition' material was to write an in-character document, describing one of the "Great Race of Yith"--the conical beings from H.P. Lovecraft's The Shadow out of Time. A few days after submitting, I received word from Gareth--the project lead and staffer from C7--that I was on board.

The Mythos Dossiers is a really unique sort of book. While one could call it the "Monster Manual" of the Laundry-verse, it's...not quite that simple. Rather, all of the material in TMD is written up as a series of files sent to the head of the Laundry organization, compiled by various field agents. As such, instead of just a series of stats or a generic description, the files include first-person sightings, autopsy reports, interviews, scientific reports and more.

Each of the authors--there were about 8 of us, all told!--were in charge of a specific monster (called Primaries), and would submit secondary documents for others' primaries. Yours truly was made Primary for a classic Lovecraftian monster--the burrowing Cthonian! I also submitted secondaries on serpent-people, ghouls, and shoggoths. But, I managed to finish out my personal work early, and was even afforded the chance to work in an additional Primary: Flying Polyps!

While I can't divulge too much about the book itself, outside of what I already have, it'll definitely be exciting to see it hit print! Some of the ideas that made it in really take some of the Lovecraftian classics and turn them on their head. I'm especially proud of the Flying Polyps...the mad scientist Dr. Juurian Groeningen will make for a fantastic NPC adversary for an entire campaign of his own!

Have a nice weekend, cats and kittens! :D

In Which The Warlock Posts Some Random Thoughts in Bullet Point Form...

2011-07-13T07:24:00.000-04:00

With all of the writing I've been doing (and the live-blogging from Origins!), I've been kind of remiss in some of my geekly duties. But, since the PlatinumChick and I are headed out for my old stomping grounds for a few days, I figure that now is a pretty good time to catch up on some of those summertime thoughts that I haven't exactly gotten around to writing about yet!

Green Lantern. Boy, this one was a train wreck, wasn't it? After such hype and so much cash spent on CGI effects, this movie really just fell apart due to poor writing and direction, an uninspired performance by lead Ryan Reynolds, and massive plot holes. One of my non-gamer friends out here is a massive GL fanboy, and I've spent quite a bit of time trying to show him exactly why this movie failed so miserably, but he...disagrees. *shakes head* I keep hearing that the producers are trying to get a sequel green-lit, but I doubt that will ever happen. This might have been DC's best shot to start a Marvel-esque "shared film universe" but that's gone out the window...
Thor. Whooo...how did I miss this one earlier? While it's not quite as good as Iron Man, Kenneth Branagh brought a great amount of gravitas and depth to a movie that many--yours truly included--were worried about. I mean, really, how do you make a hammer-wielding god-alien fit in with the super-science of Tony Stark, Bruce Banner, and Steve Rogers? Somehow, Branagh made it believable, with SHIELD playing a significant role, complete with a cameo from a certain bow-wielding solo agent...
Captain America. Speaking of Steve, I'm really jazzed about this one. The latest trailers have shown something that I suspected since the beginning--that the "icebound" reveal will actually take place during the film itself, and not during the traditional post-credits Marvel Skeletor. I'm not as worried about this one as I was Thor, primarily because of the grounding that Cap has in super-science and Marvel lore. It's a lot easier to tie Cap to Iron Man and the Hulk than it is to Thor, for aforementioned space-god reasons. Plus, Hugo Weaving as the Red Skull? Inspired casting...
The DC Reboot! Ugh. The PlatinumChick was being pissed when she heard about this travesty. For those of you non-comics fans, DC Comics made an overarching decision to restart many of their comics, complete with an art overhaul that eliminates some classic costumes and changes to major characters (like Barbara Gordon, in particular) that destroy some classic character development. While I fall on the Marvel side of the fence in this, I can see exactly what the PlatinumChick is mad about--ignoring or trying to wipe away some of the greatest stories in comics, when that's what draws people in, is folly. Plus, it means that somewhere in Britain, Alan Moore will be putting on his face-fucking boots...
Other Comics! Matt Fraction, while writing fantastically on "Invincible Iron Man" has really frustrated me with Bucky-Cap (Spoilers!). At least the new Deadlands comic line appears to be selling well, and was really entertaining. Hopefully the creators will be able to keep it up. Plus, Ghost Rider is finally back! The last series, while trading hands several times, managed to maintain a neat feel that alternated between Biblical apocalypse and grindhouse movie, which was a blast to read. It still doesn't hold a candle to Garth Ennis' run...
More Movies! Okay, so Pirates of the Caribbean 4 was kind of a disappointment. While amusing, it felt like most of the characters were just going through the motions. Frustrating, considering the source material they used was an actual novel this time, but with Gore Verbinski jumping ship (teehee...ship!), what could we really expect? Next up on our slate is Cowboys vs. Aliens, which has been hyped up beyond belief. I'm hoping that Jon Favreau does us right on this one...he hasn't steered us wrong before.

I think that's about all for now. Stay posted for some updates on our now two weekly Deadlands games this Saturday! Cheers!

In Which The Warlock Ponders Parallelism...

2011-07-09T21:55:00.000-04:00

It's no secret that I'm a writer. I'm up to nearly 300 entries on this blog, to say nothing of my writing and editing within the gaming world. But, even beyond that...I'm an English teacher full-time, with a full Bachelors' degree in English Literature. What you may not know is that I got my start at revision while in undergraduate at Wittenberg. As a member of the Wittenberg Writing Center, I worked part-time assisting other undergrads with their academic papers and the like.

As such, I had to be on top of my game. One of the biggest offenses in most of their writing was something referred to as parallelism.

Parallelism in math...
Parallelism in writing...

Any kid who's taken algebra or geometry should know what parallel lines are--two lines that continue on indefinitely through a two-dimensional plane, in such a way that they will never cross. Parallelism in writing is similar, yet not quite so finite.

Under usual circumstances, parallelism comes on the individual sentence level. To use the example from the Purdue Online Writing Lab,--one of the more pre-eminent writing centers in academia:

Incorrect:
My degree, my work experience, and ability to complete complicated projects qualify me for the job.
Correct:
My degree, my work experience, and my ability to complete complicated projects qualify me for the job.

The 'correct' example uses the same structure throughout the sentence, which is more correct from a grammatical standpoint and is more appealing when read aloud.

Now, what does this have to do with gaming, you may ask? Well, you see, while most RPG manuals are fairly well-edited, parallelism doesn't just stop at the sentence level. Rather, it can (and should!) be continued on a paragraph and even on a piece-length scale.

But what about parallelism within actual game structure?

4e D&D was unique for its verisimilitude between classes. While each individual class received its own class abilities at level 1--Fighters got a Weapon Talent and Combat Challenge, Warlocks got Shadow Walk and Warlock's Curse--every class worked in the same manner: 2 At-Wills, Encounters on levels that ended with 3 and 7, Dailies on levels that ended on 5 or 9.

Many gamers critized for 4e for this maneuver, saying that classes were "too similar", but from a written standpoint, the design was flawless. But, it made me wonder whether parallelism in design could provide a driving force behind a game mechanic....which explains some of the reasoning behind my work on Cold Steel Wardens.

Part of the "MAFIANAP" mechanic--the fundamental system that I'm writing to drive CSW is built on parallelism--players have 8 Vitals, four of which govern Mental faculties and four of which govern Physical ability. The 25 skills are arranged into five groups of five--Physical, Investigative, Social, Knowledge, and Technical.

But, what I'd like to consider the most crucial bit of parallelism to CSW is the "Strain" system. Every hero can take a specific abount of Strain, before bad things begin happening to them. This occurs in both the Physical realm (through fights, wounds, and physical exertioin), but also in the Mental realm (through stress, fear, and mental trauma).

Don't reach your Breaking Point,
or you'll be taking a MAFIANAP!

In either case, every CSW Hero has a "Breaking Point" on each Strain track. The Breaking Point represents a threshold, at which the Hero's resilience has finally broken down. At the Physical Breaking Point, the Strain no longer represents"bumps and bruises", but rather broken bones, shattered ribs, and grievous bodily harm. At the Mental Breaking Point, the Strain no longer represents everyday stress that can be wiped away with a good night's sleep, but rather damage to the Hero's psyche, resulting in psychoses or other mental disorders.

If CSW comes out as planned, the game should be streamlined and easy for newbies to understand, with mechanics that fade into the background during investigation and social encounters. We'll see, though! Next up: Powers!

In Which The Warlock Muses on a New Project...Again...

2011-07-06T20:21:00.000-04:00

One of the biggest residual benefits that I tend to pull from Origins is the "post-convention inspiration". I find that, after our trips to major gaming conventions, I come back with a brain-ful of inspiration, ready to start writing.

This year, I was determined to channel that inspiration into my already-existing projects, and hopefully finish out either SunnyVale Acres or Dungeon Slam!, and possibly even get a playtestable version of Lumberjack Wars up and running. Don't get me wrong, I'm still working on those, but they've taken a bit of a back burner to a new project...

Fantastic Four #1:
In the heart of the Silver Age

Running ICONS at Origins (and talking with Gareth-Michael Skarka, one of the creators!), I was really high on the ability for a simple game-system to emulate the Silver Age of Comics. While light on the rules--really, one of the draws for me--the biggest benefit of ICONS is the way in which it fosters the "over the top" actions as a default. Heroes are encouraged to take risks, try new power combinations, and lay the one-liners on thick and heavy, as they take down alliteratively named villains.

Many superheroes systems have done their best to provide a "generic" view of comics. Mutants and Masterminds, particularly, does its best to appeal to all the eras of comics, providing a "kitchen sink" approach to design--from street-level to cosmic, you can potentially build any Hero in such a system...the system isn't particularly geared for any particular type of gaming. They suffer from "d20 syndrome" in the fact that the system mechanics aren't geared towards supporting the setting. As such, the mechanics become bland and the onus of telling the story resides only with the players and Game-Master, not the game as well.

But, then it struck me. While the Silver Age of Comics has its representation...what about the pinnacle of comics storytelling: the Iron Age?

Rorschach, a seminal
Iron Age anti-hero...

Not familiar with the Iron Age of Comics? Yes, you are. You just might not know it yet. Seen Watchmen? Alan Moore's magnum opus was the seminal work of the Iron Age. Enjoyed The Dark Knight? Yeah, based thematically on Iron Age comics series The Dark Knight Returns by Frank Miller, and The Long Halloween by Jeph Loeb. Don't get me started on the lordly might of comics legend Denny O'Neil, and his character-defining runs on Iron Man, Green Arrow, and The Question.

As such, I set a new goal for myself: write a game based in the Iron Age--my favorite era of comics, and what may well be the greatest era of comics as a storytelling medium. The Iron Age took superheroes away from dealing with fantastical threats, towards a more grounded, realistic series of conflicts. Not satisfied with "villains of the week", Iron Age writers and artists sought to bring depth, experience, and poignancy to a medium often relegated to children. And no role-playing game has dared to try to bring those stories to the forefront, despite the fact that they are perennial favorites of both comics-fans and laymen alike.

That leaves me where I am now: about 20,000 words into what I'm calling Cold Steel Wardens: Adventures in the Iron Age of Comics. Working a typical "work-week"....oh, who am I kidding....working from about 7pm till about 4 am, I manage about 2,500 words a day, with occasional spikes into much higher word counts. Hell, the first day I sat down to write, I pumped out about 9,000 words alone! Plus, I've been able to maintain a feel suitable to the Iron Age--martial arts combat styles, a focus on investigation and human foes, and a visceral damage mechanic...I think I'm onto something here!

With a bit of luck and continued work, I should have a completed rules-set by the end of August, with a completed manuscript, ready for editing, by the end of the year! I'll keep you posted, friends and neighbors! There's more to come!

The Warlock's Origins 2011 (No Longer) Live Blog!--Post-Convention Wrap-Up!

2011-07-02T17:18:00.000-04:00

Okay, I was remiss in my swag report! As I was unpacking my backpack and other gaming materials, trying to get the game-room back in order, I stumbled upon the my bargain of the convention! And, I wouldn't be doing my job if I didn't tell you about:

Innsmouth Escape! While roaming through the Dealer Hall with the PlatinumChick on Sunday, we stumbled across the Twilight Creations booth, tucked away in the back right corner of the Hall. I only really noticed them because they had copies of Dante's Inferno, a game that I picked up at Half Price Books (and still haven't played), and I hadn't seen it anywhere else. Walking over, I was astounded to see that quite a few of their games--including Innsmouth Escape--were on clearance! $5 a pop!

Hell's bells, what a deal! Adventure Retail, who runs the Steve Jackson Games booth, was retailing Innsmouth Escape for $40! I'll gladly take the game for 1/8th of retail price! The minis alone are worth it: Innsmouth Escape comes with 100 Deep One miniatures, in addition to everything else in the game...$5 for 100 minis! Yes, let's!

A few other thoughts on this year's show, though:

Running 6 rpg slots is tiring! I realize that many other gamers ran and volunteered much more time than I did, but wow...six sessions of RPGs are quite a bit. By the end of the convention, I was dragging! Sunday afternoon, while waiting for ChaoticKarl to finish up his last Star Wars game--which ran an hour and a half over--I nearly passed out sitting up in the conference room! While I enjoyed showing off my games and running for some really great gamers, I don't think I'll run this much again any time soon.
Evaluation of the schedule is needed. So, when L-Train put in the schedule for our games, the original intention was for the vast majority of our games to go off at 7pm, so that our games would all be in the same location. However, we ended up scattered throughout the RPGs hallway, which made set-up and tear-down difficult. Looking at the schedule from our good friends at Rogue Cthulhu, we may want to go with something more staggered, to ensure that we have a room to ourselves. If we can manage 5 gamers in a slot, we'd have more than enough to ensure that we'd never have to tear down the banners, and could have a Witt-Guild "headquarters" all convention long.
Gamers' generosity is really high. I was personally astounded at the generosity of the numerous gamers who donated for the Hutchinson boys, as they prepare for the upcoming bone marrow transplant. I'll be sending off two boxes of donations from both companies and individual gamers here in the next few weeks. Spectacular!
Attendance is up? Where is everyone? I'll readily admit that I wasn't around the main halls of the convention center for most of Origins, but while I was out, the halls felt particularly sparse. Even on Friday and Saturday--the most crowded days of Origins--things felt empty. However, the overall attendance (according to GAMA) was nearly 1,000 people over last year's! I'm all right with--more people is good--but it seems a little odd that the convention seemed so sparse, even with more people.
What to do next year? I know already that I will not be attending Origins for the full-show next year. I can't. Plain and simple--can't do it. Because of the impending date change, I'll be in my last week of work which, as a teacher, is finals week. There's no way I could call off whatsoever. As such, I'm not running games last year, which is a real shame, as my review cards were all overwhelmingly positive and I had several repeat players from prior years. As of now, I'm probably going to get a full badge anyway--we get half-price badges through the Witt-Guild--then attend Friday night through Sunday. We'll see, I suppose.
The Date Change Looms... The date change isn't just going to affect me. Dayton Public and Cincinnati City Schools both are in finals week during Origins next year, as are most of their surrounding districts. The Ohio State University and Columbus Public Schools will be in session until mid-June. Looney Labs--one of the biggest event draws at Origins--has officially announced their inability to come next year, as the two heads of the group are both teachers. It's been pretty well documented that public reaction to this date change has either been neutral ("Doesn't matter--I'll go to Origins whenever it is.") or extremely negative ("I cannot go now. Thanks, guys...). GAMA has gotten the message from our petition, though, and has set up a poll on their site regarding the date change:

Scroll down to the bottom of the page and vote to keep Origins' dates in late-June!
Origins Future Dates Poll--GAMA Sponsored Poll!

The Warlock's Origins 2011 (No Longer) Live Blog!--Swag Report!

2011-06-29T21:55:00.000-04:00

All righty! Now we're back in action...back to the normal routine. While Origins is always a blast, it's the sort of vacation that I have to recover from!

But, that doesn't stop us at all. Rather, it just keeps us coming back for more. And, what's one of the best parts about a giant gamer convention complete with giant Dealer Hall? The swag, that's what! Let's take a look at this year's haul:

The PlatinumWarlock's swag from the 2011 Origins Game Fair!

Deadlands: Hell on Earth--Wasted West Companion and Monsters, Muties and Misfits: I've been pretty zealous about my fanboy-ism for Deadlands recently, in all its incarnations. But, I'd been unable to find any copies of these in any of my friendly local game shops. I even thought I was out of luck at Origins, until L-train and Will the ManMan pointed out that the Pinnacle Entertainment/Studio 2 booth had them! Even better--I got my copies signed by Shane Lacy Hensley, head honcho behind Deadlands and Savage Worlds!
Deadlands: The 1880 Smith & Robards Catalog: Yeah, even more Deadlands. Not only does it have all sorts of mechanical doo-dads that would make any Mad Scientist drool, it includes additional rules for Weird Science and how to build Scrappers--steampunk warriors, replete with ghost-rock powered cybernetics!
Savage Worlds Customizable GM Screen: Truth be told, I already own a customizable GM screen. You can even see it in some of my pictures from Origins, as I used it to show off the Guild Shield, as well as signs for my game.. It's a fantastic device, as it lets me fill in whatever inserts I need, and change them out for various systems. My only caveat for my current GM screen was its height--it had 4 panels, all in portrait style, which made it difficult to look over. While that's good for Call of Cthulhu and other horror games, a more cinematic game demands a more accessable screen! I'm not getting rid of my old one, though--the PlatinumChick is getting that one!
ICONS--The Villainomicon: Okay, so totally geeked out with Gareth-Michael Skarka at the Cubicle 7 booth, talking about various ICONS games and the like. I couldn't turn this one down. More bad guys is always good, and the ones made for ICONS are always stylish, iconic, and interesting. This was money well spent...and, besides, GMS signed my ICONS book!
Reaper Minis--Mouslings: The PlatinumChick is obsessed with these. I got her a box of them for Christmas last year, and she's been hooked since then. She's all about the cute little Mousling warriors--I'm kind of shocked she hasn't been playing MouseGuard, all told! She managed to pick up some of the rarer Mouslings, only being offered at this year's convention season. Excitement for her!
Cyborg Commando and SpellJammer: I picked up these from ChaoticKarl, as part of our yearly birthday exchange. A professor at his university was selling off some of his older gaming materials, which he had ChaoticKarl put up at the Origins Auction. But, I couldn't let these ones slip past--they're both spectacular! I haven't gotten around to reading through them yet, but...well, I haven't read most of the stuff that I've bought yet!
WEGS Ultimate Dungeon Party Deck: Oh, yeah! That product I worked on! Yes, sirree, El Willy's UDP came out with a bang, to full demos all convention long. It's a great little deck, full of neat tricks and skills for the advanced WEGS player. I'm looking forward to throwing these down on our home table sometime really soon!

All righty, gang. Almost done with Origins stuff for a while. This Saturday, I'll toss in my post-convention thoughts, and even fill you in on my latest project....I've been busy already, friends and neighbors!

The PlatinumWarlock's Origins 2011 Live Blog--Sunday!

2011-06-26T21:35:00.004-04:00

Exhaustion really does catch up with you, after a while. After day after day of hot gaming action, and night after night of no sleep, I was set to drive ChaoticKarl to the airport at 4:30 this morning for his 6am flight. Unfortunately, I passed out and he forgot to set his alarm, which meant that at 5:20, we were desperately rushing towards Dayton International, trying to get him on to the flight on time! We made it, luckily, but it just goes to show what happens when you're running on empty!

The PlatinumChick and Rogue Rod
conspire in "Severed Seas"

Sunday was the one true day of Origins where I had no real responsibilities. The PlatinumChick and I had one game--a Rogue Cthulhu game called "Severed Seas". The big plus on this one was that we got to play with two of our favorite Rogues, Justine and Rod; we've never managed to get all four of us into one game before, so this was a real treat! Playing high-society Brits (or, in my case, a Russian engineer), we were set to investigate the mysterious crash of the Russian ship Antonov. And, as is the case with all good Cthulhu adventures, horrible things ensue...

While I loved the role-play between characters--though, admittedly, there were probably 2 more seats at the table than really necessary or comfortable--this was maybe the first Rogue game I wasn't particularly enamored of. For the first half of the adventure, tension was high as we began exploring the Antonov and the atoll it had crashed on. Something big had created a huge hole in the hull, and not a single crewmember was to be found. However, as we made our way through the adventure, the GM unwittingly took the horror right out of his own adventure. When a hideous beastie made an appearance, the initial reaction was fear...until he let it slip that they were simple Deep Ones. At that point, the guns came out and bullets flew...and the horror went down the drain. And, for the record, why did everyone have a gun? Surely the physicist and the archaelogist shouldn't randomly be carrying a revolver and a double-barreled shotgun, respectively!

BoardGameKaren and L-Train in
front of the dealer hall...

After the game, the PlatinumChick and I made our way through the dealer hall one last time, to make some final purchases and to day goodbye to the mighty WEGSHogz. On the plus side, I actually got to introduce the PlatinumChick to Angus Abranson, one of the head honchos at Cubicle 7. We had spent quite a bit of time talking earlier about the plans for The Laundry RPG and the demo games at GenCon 2011, but I figured that if I'm going to be writing/running games for them for any extended amount of time, it's a great time to meet and greet!

As I mentioned earlier, I'll post a little more about what I picked up from C7 and the other booths during my Wednesday entry: my swag report and post-con wrap-up. Till then, I'm going to just relax! It's sleepy-time, fellow gamers!

In the meantime, enjoy my pictures from Saturday and Sunday at my my Origins Facebook album!

The Warlock's Origins 2011 Live Blog--Saturday!

2011-06-26T02:21:00.000-04:00

These 4 hour nights of sleep are killing me some and my calves are on fire but, all told, I'm still having a blast, here at Origins!

Today was kind of a unique day in the fact that I finally got to play some WEGS, throwing down at the Ultimate Dungeon Party with Willy the 2 and his minions. Rare is the time where I actually get to sit down and play WEGS, as I'm often running demo games and the like at the Dayton area conventions. Having a chance to sit on the other side of the minions for once--and to try out the new Arks that I've editing over and over--was a massive draw! Plus, having the lovely PlatinumChick and ChaoticKarl along for the ride didn't hurt either!

With an abysmal series of stats, I ended up statting up a Dungeoneer: a grizzled old Warrior ark, who had picked up a few Trickster skills along the way...and a starting 17 in Insanity! The game itself went fairly well, with my Dungeoneer slashing his way through some trolls...only to go grab a drink from his Brew Cask, and find it empty! "Oh noes!" said my gruff warrior, "Mah booze!" Hilarity ensues, of course...

You know what's funnier, though. "Hew" and "Jab", two of the Dungeoneer's skills, have become something of a joke between us WEGSHogz. After going through El Willy's drafts 6 times, the two skills had never ended up the same way twice, with tiny changes being made each time: a Spoint Fee here, a Skill-Free-Inning there, Cold Rolls or Prowess % attacks...it was a mess! I told El Willy point-blank that, the next time he runs a game for me, I'm bringing a Dungoneer with nothing but "Hew" and "Jab", in all its various incarnations!

My actual GMing, though, didn't quite go to expectations today...not that that's a bad thing, mind you. Everyone had fun, and I had some rave reviews for both games. But, wow...totally different directions than I'd expected.

Today brought the second round of ICONS: "The Near-Orbit Mass-Driver Blues", but with a pretty massive change. Early in the game, the PCs were asked to essentially choose between one of three NPCs to join them--Aftershock, a retired hero; Caldera, a wet-behind-the-ears newbie hero; and Lodestone, a villain incarcerated in Gramercy Island Superhuman Penitentiary. Of course, who do they go for? The villain! And stealth to sneak off with an experimental spacecraft? Absolutely not! Why stealth when you can rip apart the off-the-books skunkworks with a magnetism controlling supervillain on your side!

Really, the game went spectacularly, but just not in the direction I intended. The role-playing at the table was spectacular, even with only 3 players (I could have sworn I had more people pre-registered earlier!). The repartee--and horrible puns--flew like Determination points. One thing I would have liked to see was a little more Power Stunting, but I think I was spoiled by the prior group for that mechanic. They're a hard act to follow!

Just the same, my final game of the night, "WEGSthulhu" brought a fantastic change of pace--not only did I get to GM with some of my favorite Rogues, Justine and Rod, but I had a full-table of newbie WEGSHogz ready to hear some Cold Roll Gospel.

"WEGSthulhu" is a unique scenario. At the start of the game, each character is given a face down playing card to determine what their "alignment" is. A red card makes for a true Hero, while a black card means that the character is a degenerate Cultist in disguise. Anyone with a Face card, meanwhile, is undecided and could pick either side whenever they reveal themselves.

Usually, players play their cards "close to the chest"--they fear exposure, whether Cultist or Hero. This time, though? Nooooo! The cultists betrayed High Skolar Armitage and his crew as soon as they got back to Miskytoonic Academy, resulting in a huge brawl in the Special Collections between Cultists, Heroes and the Hounds of Tindalos! Again, a fantastic ending, but not at all what I'm expecting. But, that's the fun of it all...

I did manage to get some time in the Dealer Hall today with Will the ManMan, but I'll cover my purchases in my yearly Swag Report! Suffice to say, there's a lot to be had, with some special "additions"! Stay posted for that, my photos from Saturday and Sunday, and for my final live-blog report this coming week!

The Warlock's Origins 2011 Live Blog--Friday!

2011-06-25T02:48:00.000-04:00

Okay, so remember how I mentioned being exhausted yesterday? Yeah, after an 18+ hour day of hardcore gaming, I am wiped out!!! But, it's all worth it when you're really enjoying what you do. Today was one of those days.

ChaoticKarl and I started the day off at an RPGA game: "Secrets and Shadows". After last year's mess and massacre, I was truly skeptical about going through another game. I even went so far as to make the PlatinumChick and the Enigmatic Mr. Ebbs serve as witnesses that, should this game not go well, I would forswear the RPGA for good.

Karl and our RPGA GM share a laugh...

But, you know what? I really had a good time today. The scenario structure was particularly well-designed, and had significant variants that depended on various ongoing campaign rewards. Further, the GM was flexible and well-versed in keeping players interested. The game ran spectacularly, with tons of opportunity to actually role-play and interact with both NPCs and the other party members. Further, the other gamers at the table were both interesting and engaged with the plot. Truly, this game reaffirmed my faith that the RPGA isn't a lost cause of gaming. Just like anywhere else, sometimes you get poor games and poor scenarios, and other times you get gold. This time, we got some real gold.

Making their way through the Wasted West....

Afterwards, I had to rush to get prepped for my first of two games: another session of "Westward on the San Juan Express." This time around, though, I got a unique opportunity--I got to throw down with some actual, honest-to-god Deadlands players! All of the little homages that I put into the scenario--the little references and details--made for a spectacular game. Honestly: more gold. The game ran spectacularly, with the players taking a totally different route through the game than I had expected, and poor Sam Clemens almost getting taken out by one of the NPCs! Plus, my old buddy Nigel Worthington-Smythe's dirty secret came out...I won't spoil it here, but it's a doozy!

The whole gang, at Buca di Beppo!

Today was another big dinner for us, this time at Buca di Beppo. While most of our meals are all individual, this one is all about the family-style dining. With four massive entrees, and three appetizers, we ended up with even more than our 10-strong gamer flock could manage! Not that that's a problem...the Drury has a mini-fridge, which means that our leftovers won't go to waste! In amongst all of the chaos of tomorrow, I'll actually be able to grab some lunch!

Minnesota Steve moves into position!

We needed to rush just a touch, but we managed to make it just in time for our games at 7pm, and my Origins debut of "WEGS+Cthulhu = WEGSthulhu!" And, really, this scenario really blew me away. while WEGS is a little on the light side in the way of role playing, this game really managed to take the cake. One of my 4 new WEGSHogz, working their way through Miskytoonic Academy with Minnesota-Steve (a veteran WEGSHog!), ended up negotiating with High Scholar Armitage, to try to get a better deal for her church! Fantastic! Unfortunately for that player, the final encounter ended in a massive tragedy as both she came out of Ethereality right in the middle of Randolph Carter, causing both of them to fuse together into a Sanity-warping beastie! Cthulhu emerged, and the few cultist players pulled out a triumph--Ia! Ia!

Today's been a lot of win, but finally, I managed the biggest win: El Willy and his crew, and our WittKids have been trying to manage to wrangle a time to raise a glass together at the Big Bar on 2, in the Hyatt. We've only managed it once, in 4 prior years, and we'd been trying unsuccessfully since Wednesday. Tonight, we finally managed it--hence the late hour of this post! And, you know what? Just being able to sit around with some good friends, particularly ones so distant for most of the year, makes it all worthwhile.

Tomorrow brings some more WEGSing for us, as I'm jumping in on Willy the 2's "Ultimate Dungeon Party" demo game, then back to the GM screen for me, with a session of ICONS and another "WEGSthulhu!" It's going to be a blast, and I'll keep you updated on all the carnage as it goes down!

To take a look at my pics from both Thursday and Friday, take a look at the Facebook album!

The Warlock's Origins 2011 Live Blog--Thursday!

2011-06-24T01:08:00.000-04:00

Whew. Just phew. It's only Thursday--the first "real" day of Origins--and I'm already bushed.

I didn't get much sleep last night, waking up due to a pop-up thunderstorm at 5:30 am, so I've been running on caffeine and pure adrenaline since then. But, that won't stop me from posting for you, oh faithful readers, before I go crash.

After putting together my last few bits and bobs for today's game, Karl and I snagged some breakfast before finding even more of our errant WittKrew: BoardGameKaren (and her boyfriend, Jocelyn), and the Inevitable BLoff. Between the PlatinumChick, ChaoticKarl and I, we managed to get them situated before departing for our first games. For me, that was "Steampunk Beatdown" from the North Coast Gamers. And beatdown it truly was.

L-Train and EEE have had some experience with the North Coast Gamers, who specialize in homebrewed minis games. In "Steampunk Beatdown", the players were cast as a team of tinker and assistant, scavenging parts from the various locales in a Victorian villa, then create automata and weaponry to blow the ever-loving-hell out of the competition.

At least, that was the idea. Rather, I got my tin-plated keister handed to me from the get-go, as my assistant was wiped from the board by the third turn. Further, my scavenging rolls were all but non-existent, often only pulling 1 or 2 parts from a location, while others picked up 7 to 9. By the end game, I managed to muster my tools and put together some armor and weaponry...just in time to get smashed by another player. Wow. Heinous.

The game itself was a lot of fun, and the enthusiasm of the GM really shone through, but this game was an exercise in frustration for me for one reason: simple player courtesy. The player to my left got up from the game for an extended period of time on no less than 6 separate occasions, bringing the game to an absolute halt. In addition, he spent significant amounts of time on the phone, talking loudly, which made it difficult for anyone to hear the GM in the busy Minis Hall. I suppose you can't ever get away from "that guy", who always manages to make their prescence known at an open gaming area, but still...some simple common courtesy would have made the game much more quality.

After a lunch at North Market--mmmm, pastrami!--I scurried over just in time to make it to a session of "Deadlands Reloaded: Clint's Rock", run by Pinnacle's own Chaos Steve. A fun little intro scenario, the game was a pleasant diversion from "Steampunk Beatdown" in the fact that my dice were actually hot for once! My "New Scientist" managed to flamethrower some mutant bears to the tune of 26 damage and 6 wounds! Yowch!

The afternoon also made itself busy for me as I scampered about the Dealer Hall--not to go shopping, mind you: that comes on Friday, once I get paid! But, rather, to take care of some correspondence I've been needing to finalize.

One of the things I've kept somewhat quiet about is the efforts I've been putting forwards towards a gamer family, who are currently missing this year's Origins Game Fair due to some pretty intense health issues: the eldest son requires a bone marrow transplant, and the donor is his younger brother. The family had to cancel their badges and games, in order for the surgery to take place. My heart immediately went out to them, and I knew I had to do something. As such, I've spent much of my off-time this summer, organizing donations and the like from my various contacts in the gaming community. While it's been rewarding and very positive so far from all involved--the outpouring of support for the Hutchinson family from Cubicle 7 alone was huge!--it's been a lot of work!

But, after contacting everyone I've been trying to track down, I still managed to have time to drool over the Deadlands: 1880 Smith and Robard's Catalog and a few other books, and make it to a brief seminar on game design. While the seminar was entertaining, it wasn't particularly enlightening--the one hosted by Atlas Games a few years back was much more specific and focused.

After our annual trip to the Japanese Steak House of Columbus, I wasn't actually expecting to run game. While I was schedule for my first session of ICONS: "The Near Orbit Mass-Driver Blues", I had previously seen not a single soul sign up for my Thursday session! Lo, and behold, three people signed up--including Mike, the organizer of DenCon, who recognized my name--and a fourth joined on generics.

I've got to say: switching this game to ICONS from Heroes Unlimited was a massive success. The flexibility of ICONS and the sheer speed of the game allows for some great role-play opportunity, as well as fantastic avenues of creativity. The power stunts alone at the table were spectacular! Nano-bot dissassembler arrows, an EMP field surrounding a spaceship, Voodoo curses...fantastic stuff!

But, after nearly a full 24 hour day, I'm wiped! ChaoticKarl and I have to be up early for our 8am RPGA game, and I'll be running games for 8 hours afterwards! Yoi and double yoi!

No pics tonight for you guys--I only snapped about 10-12 all day--but I'll have the full album for Thursday and Friday up tomorrow. Till then, fellow gamers!