In Which The Warlock Reveals His Coming Project!

Sorry about the delay, but real life has taken its toll once more.  However, this time around, it's in a good way:  the PlatinumChick and I just bought our first ever new vehicle.  As in, not used...brand new!  Our new Kia Soul(+) had just 11 miles on it when we drove it off the lot earlier tonight!  Exciting, to say the least!

But, that's not what you want to hear about.  Rather, you want to hear about my latest project!

As I mentioned in my last entry, I've been retooling the mechanics and concepts behind my first attempts at a board game, Dungeon Slam!, into a new genre with some streamlined mechanics.  While I don't yet have a name for my concept, here's the elevator pitch:

As a budding super-scientist, you've been putting in 80+ hours at the top-secret Twin Valley Research Facility for the past month and a half.  It's Friday, and you've scheduled Monday off:  three days of nothing but sweet, sweet sleep.  That was before your superiors rang down, saying that you have to finish up that big project you've been tinkering with.  No one gets to go home until their project is done.

That was before the rift opened in the main reactor room, leaking in otherworldly energies and strange monsters.  Surely the security team can lock down that leak, right?  All you've got to do is find your three Prototypes and make your way to the time clock before the lab gets locked down entirely!

Much of the essence is the same:  avoid or kill monsters, kill or steal from other scientists, and assemble your "MacGuffins" before the others to win the game.  While I've eliminated much of the complicated advancement mechanics of Dungeon Slam!, I've kept elements of item upgrading, which is now framed as "mad science" advances:  your crowbar can now be Tesla-powered or Irradiated! 

Dungeon Slam's character sheets were originally incredibly complex, with six stats on slider scales, Health and Mana pools, and at least 4 abilities for each archetype.  As you can see below, I've trimmed that down massively!

Preview for my yet-as-unnamed Lab Tech board game!

Each scientist is down to four stats--Speed, Combat, Science! (yes, with an exclamation point!) and Health.  Rather than 4 laborious special abilities, each scientist gains one, focusing on their expertise. 

While I have yet to run a playtest--any takers out there, by the way?--I think this game really has some promise.  Idiomatically, it appeals to that mad-science/steampunk/Portal-loving crowd, with homages to games like Half-Life, Portal, and Bioshock.  I have yet to see a real board game cover this idiom/genre well, so it's untold territory that's waiting to be taken up!

Here's for hoping that it'll go over well!

Oh, one more thing, friends and neighbors!  The PlatinumChick and I are heading out to go camping in Ohio's glorious Hocking Hills this weekend.  So, with no internet out there, there's no weekend entry this week!  I'll catch up with you guys on Wednesday!  Cheers!

In Which The Warlock Makes a Major Alteration...

So, let's talk about something that I haven't brought up in quite a while:  Dungeon Slam!

I've occasionally broken out DS! now and again in the last year or so, but I haven't exactly been doing a whole lot of substantial revision on it.  The biggest issue keeping DS! from being a "real game" is the run-time:  I can't seem to get it under two hours without making major changes to the game mechanics and the way that chance is involved with the game itself.

Risk--has anyone finished that game?

That's a major problem, because few games run longer than two hours while maintaining an element of fun.  Ask yourself, when was the last time that you played a game of Risk for more than two hours, before the novelty of Risk wore off and a clear winner was evident, and everyone else worked to stave off that winner for an extra hour or so.  Don't get me wrong:  Risk can be fun, but it often takes so long to play that few manage to ever complete that game.



A session of Dungeon Slam!
from Origins 2008.

Similarly, Dungeon Slam! also suffered from a pretty major issue that many rpgs also suffer from:  Contested Roll Syndrome.  Contested rolls--also called opposed rolls or contests--have a propensity to slow games down immensely, as they make every chanced encounter (which are fairly common, natch!) into a minimum of two dice rolls, rather than one.

Imagine, if you will, a "static" system like Savage Worlds or even d20.  Each dice roll is compared against a number, which varies based on the difficulty of a task.  Modifiers are then made based on the circumstances facing the situation and the person acting within it.  However, in a system based on contested rolls--such as Dungeon Slam! as well as Marvel Heroic Roleplaying and several other games--that static modifier is replaced by another roll, on the act-ee's part.

While you'd figure that this wouldn't slow down the game too much, once you start adding in modifiers, re-rolls, and other chance-altering mechanics common to most games, the game slows down to a crawl, which brings us back to the core problems with Dungeon Slam!.  It simply takes too freaking long.

But, with its numerous problems and several competitors on the market--Super Dungeon Explore, Munchkin Quest, and Dungeon Run come immediately to mind--I've decided to put Dungeon Slam! on the shelf indefinitely.

That said, writing Dungeon Slam! hasn't been a waste in any sense of the word.  In fact, I learned a lot from the act of writing it--particularly in how to structure a game and how to format a prototype for Publisher and Adobe.  And, there's a lot I can take from the best elements of Dungeon Slam!...

• The PvP race structure.
• The item upgrades mechanic.
• The open-board motion.
• The ability to actively screw your neighbor without specifically engaging them.
• The fundamental stats and mechanics (minus the opposed rolls).

And, friends and neighbors, that's just what I've been doing for the past two weeks.  I've been reformatting the best bits and piecees of Dungeon Slam! into a new game with a new genre and idiom...

...but to see the fruits of my labors, you'll have to tune in for the next entry!

In Which The Warlock Makes a List and Checks it Twice...

Man, I just can't seem to stick to my schedule in recent days!  Yesterday, the PlatinumChick joined Lion-O, EEE, and Will the ManMan for a summer excursion to go see Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides.  As such, the weekend blog entry was relegated to today. 

You see, in amongst all of the chaos of the school year ending, I've been compiling exactly what I have to do this summer.  All in one place, it's a little frightening, children!  Take a look:

June:

• Revision for SunnyVale Acres
• Begin work on [EXPURGATED RESULT] for Cubicle 7.
• Finalize ICONS scenario:  "The Near-Orbit Mass-Driver Blues"
• Character Sheets
• Table Tents
• Revised Outline and Villain Stats
• Revisions of Origins Scenarios:
• Deadlands--"Westward on the San Juan Express"
• WEGS--"...WEGSthulhu"
• CoC--"Chrysalis"
• D&D--"Lawfully Blonde"
• Prepare game supplies for Origins
• Minis
• Scenarios
• Character Sheets/Table Tents
• Pack for Origins
• Buy gamer chow and other necessaries
• Pack suitcases
• Origins 2011
• Run 6 games
• Play in various events.
• Live-blog notes for seminar--"Dirty Secrets of Game Design"
• Handle donations for Sauer family.
• Buy swag!
• Live-blog (with photos!) each night.
• Contact Slugfest Games, re: SunnyVale Acres

July:

• Mail out donations to Sauer family.
• Continued work on [EXPURGATED RESULT].
• Outline and write manual for Lumberjack Wars
• Begin revisions on "The Yawlamoo"--2-3 passes.
• Process game feedback forms from Origins.
• 5 day weekend in Reading, PA for wedding.

August:

• Organize day-trip to GenCon Indy.
• Revise and rebuild Dungeon Slam
• Finalize drafts for [EXPURGATED RESULT].
• Submit SunnyVale Acres to interested parties.
• Prep for next school year
• Shopping
• Syllabus and lesson plan organization.

As you can see, friends and neighbors...this is going to be a busy, busy summer!  If I thought I wrote a lot earlier, I've got even more on my plate now!

In Which The Warlock is Made of Plastic...So Fantastic!

Each year, my family asks me to write a Christmas list for them.  Being a typical nerd, they rarely know how to shop for me, regarding presents, so they want some suggestions.  By and large, most of my suggestions are pretty par for the course:  this year, I'm hoping for the Inception dual copy, the so-called World's Greatest GM Screen, and copy of Dragon Age: Ultimate Edition for my new PS3 (yay for Black Friday!), among other things.

But, they always ask me about gift cards, as well.  Again, most of the stores are ones you'd expect--Best Buy, Wal-Mart, etc.--but one stood out to even The PlatinumChick:  The Container Store. 

You see, friends and neighbors, I have a problem.  I'm having a love affair with Sterilite.

When it comes to my gaming supplies, organization has become more and more important to me, particularly when heading out on the convention circuit.  If I can't get what I need from Point A to Game B and back to Hotel Room C, I have a definite problem!  This idea has even spawned whole threads on rpg.net as gamers try to keep their goods sorted and close at hand.  And, it's been Sterilite containers (and their ilk) that have kept me running efficiently.  Really, it's become a little bit of an obsession...

So, I figured it's come time to take a look at how I've been doing it!


The Minis carrier!


Once 4e came out, my minis collection had been growing almost exponentially.  So, when finding somewhere to put the little guys, I figured that I'd need something large, with a lot of small compartments to hold the minis relatively in place.  This Plano tackle box has been holding my minis ever since.  And, at $25, it wasn't unreasonable in terms of price, either.  Definitely better than the Games Workshop army carriers, which retail between $60 and $100!

Minis carrier, expanded.

However, this isn't without its own drawback.  While I'm able to hold a lot of minis in the Plano, they do tend to be just a touch loose, which can lead to chipping and the like, if the minis aren't properly sealed.  Wear and tear does take its toll, all told.  However, the sheer amount of figures it's able to hold--at least 200, right now--plus the bottom storage area--make it a really efficient way to get the minis around.  Plus, the Plano is equipped with a really high quality handle and two solid latches, which keep it sealed when you want to keep it closed.  This was definitely a solid investment on my part.



Dungeon Tiles and More!

In terms of storing Dungeon Tiles and other items, though, I needed to find something smaller.  Two of the biggest things I look for in Sterilite containers are high quality latches and ease of carrying.  I made that mistake with our painting supplies, and the container broke while I was carrying it from at Wittenberg game-night.  The Tiles container has the added advantage of having removable sections, which are customizable.  As you can see, I'm able to fit all but the largest of tiles in this container (pictured are 5 full sets of Dungeon Tiles!), which in turn I keep in the Plano. 

Organizing SunnyVale Acres!

Even SunnyVale Acres hasn't escaped my organizational hand.  One of the nicest things about producing SVA has been the fact that it fits in a relatively small box, which in turn fits the small bead box full of troops.  It's easy to transport, easy to get around, and, once it hits publication someday, will make for a slim, sleek game.  Dungeon Slam! works much the same way, but is somewhat more component heavy, which makes things a little more difficult in that regard.  That's what Draft 5 will be for, children!




Art tubes make map carrying easy!

And, finally, one of the best ones I've come across.  I can't even take credit for it, though--this one was all L-train's idea!  When heading out for AnCon last year, he needed a way to carry large, printed map for his "d20 Zombies" scenarios.  So, he headed out for the local Hobby Lobby and picked up one of these:  an art tube!  For $14, the price is spectacular, and it easily fits two Chessex battle-mats.  Plus, you can sling it over your shoulder, which keeps your hands free for carrying other supplies and opening doors.

With the 2011 con season rapidly approaching, I'm hoping that this Christmas brings some additional Sterilite for all the new gaming acquisitions!  After all, all the minis, tiles, and accessories in the world won't mean much unless I can get them where they need to be!

In Which The Warlock Rants Just a Little Bit...

This is going to sound like heresy to some of my gaming friends, particularly in the Springfield area. Really, this is going to sound like heresy to the PlatinumChick even, as it's going to sound a little off-putting, even though it fits.

I, your friendly neighborhood Warlock, can't stand EuroGames.

By EuroGames, I'm referring to the genre of board games that have been coming out of Europe for the past decade or more, which include "Settlers of Catan", "Carcassonne", and "Galaxy Truckers". U.S. developers and the like have been creating these as well, with games like "Kingsburg" and the like. Eurogames are epitomized by their 'friendly' nature--they're built for the family and the like to sit around and kibitz. They're rarely competitive, because people are only rarely "knocked out" of the gameplay. They're rarely involved, because they're meant for a whole family to play, which means that they tend to be unfocused.

They bore me. To tears.

The passive agressive nature of conflict in these games aggravates me beyond belief. Even the most aggressive PvP player in "Settlers of Catan" can only build from their own starting position, and only pursue other players with The Robber when the dice allow. Strategy isn't involved--it's pure dice luck, as you're more focused on building up your own cities.

"Kingsburg" is a really killer in that nature. For the entirety of the game, you have no contact with the other players, aside from placing your dice. And, even then, the most aggressive that you can get is placing your dice in a space that another desires.

That's miserable. That's sad.

Conflict is, and must be, at the root of all games. It's human nature to want to win, and to use our wits (and other resources) to do it. When a game removes that conflict, it becomes nothing more than a table-piece--something to decorate your room with.

Without conflict, what's the point?

As I set out on the 5th (and hopefully submission!) draft of "Dungeon Slam!", I've been keeping this idea deeply in mind. "DS" has really become something different than everything out there. At every level of the game--from start to finish, and from high to low powered--there are ways to interfere with other players. Even a freshly dead, weakened character can make the life of a fully beefed-out champion into a living hell.

Smirk and Dagger Games have always done a great job with this, as have a few other companies, such as Fantasy Flight. Of course, Steve Jackson's "Munchkin" series emphasizes this philosophy, but it's a true rarity in a sea of Euro-trash. Most uniquely, "Arkham Horror" (and games of its ilk, like "Fury of Dracula") include conflict, but rather force the players to group together, as they attempt to defeat the game itself. Conflict remains, whereas games like "Settlers" leave me wanting.

Alack, alas, fellow gamers...a great void exists for us cut-throat bastards, who want nothing more than to stab their brethren in the back, betray them in underhanded manners, and break their words. With any luck, "Dungeon Slam!" and its follower "SunnyVale Acres" will break new/old ground in the gaming world!

In Which The Warlock is "Mal Carne"...

As I've mentioned several times throughout this blog, I'm a self-proclaimed foodie. Our TV is nearly always turned to the Food Network or Travel Channel, and I'm a fiend for the original run of Iron Chef. As such, it's really no surprise that one of my favorites is the culinary outrider Anthony Bourdain: author of Kitchen Confidential: Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly and host of Travel Channel's No Reservations. I've read all but one of his books--can't find the last one!--countless times, and I rarely miss an episode.

About 2/3 of the way through Kitchen Confidential, Tony gives us a culinary glossary: all the lingo that you might hear if you wandered into one of his kitchens. Among them are standards that you'd expect--"burnt" for a steak well-done, "a deuce" for a two-person table--as well as assorted Spanish and Portugese profanity, usually used as a term of endearment.

However, only one term fits where I'm at right now: I'm in the weeds.

To paraphrase Bourdain, a chef that's "in the weeds" is the guy getting slammed with orders left and right, his tickets backing up and stacking up, and his mise en place (his prep station) running out of everything. A chef in the weeds is one that's in over his head and sinking quickly, with literally too much on the burner.

I've always said that I often feel like a juggler at certain times of year, tossing up knives, chainsaws, balls, and priceless Ming vases. In terms of my gaming schedule, it's just best that I don't look up, and just keep on slinging.

--My Pirates of the Underdark is headed towards its climactic finale...a little earlier than anticipated. With one of our players bowing out, and a second about to move to northern Ohio, I have exactly three sessions to wrap up our convoluted plot, tie in all of the various sub-plots, and reach a plane-shattering end with the demon lords Dagon and Lascer.

--Simultaneously, I need to wrap up my Tuesday Eberron game before the Wittenberg semester is out. My players just managed to find their way deep into the Xen'drik jungle, in search of a House Cannith archaeological dig. The game's been going well so far, and it's a shame to pull it to an end, but it's been pretty rough on me as I've been running it mid-week in Springfield...and waking up for work at 6:30 the next morning. Much fun, but rough on the sleep schedule.

--After hitting a new set of playtests with Draft 4 of Dungeon Slam!, it's appearing more and more like I need to do a full board revision for the next go-round. Draft 5 will hopefully be tighter and faster, especially considering the time the last playtest took; I thought I had the time-issues under control...apparently not.

--In addition, I'm currently in development of another board game! Yes, you heard it here...I'm already starting my second game, even before DS starts getting submitted.

SunnyVale Acres, my second game, centers on the geekiest, most brutal gated community in the Nine Worlds, with cowboys, pirates, ninjas and more vying for the coveted position of Community Chairperson. I'm hoping to have a draft out in time for either the New Year or for WittCon VII.

--Speaking of our con schedule, we've all got to get locked and loaded for this year. We're averaging about one con per month, starting in March with WittCon VII! Afterwards, we'll hit FopCon II, C2E2 in Chicago, Origins, and possibly even GenCon (as it's a week earlier, and will come before I start up back at school!). Plus, with the WittKids looking to run events at Origins this year, we'll be up to our eyeballs in planning.

That's just a sampling of the balls in the air right now. I'm still waiting on one last chapter of WEGS 101--Dice Rules!, which will rock the WEGS community's socks off, once it's finally out...

Let's just hope I don't drop the ball, here!

In Which The Warlock Rolls Out the New Skills!

I was excited to actually find myself in the possession of some time, here through the end of my summer vacation. In the midst of wedding plans, moving, prepping for the WittKids' debut at FOPCon in Huber Heights (more on that, next entry!), and getting ready for the new school year....I managed to set aside some time to finalize the 4th Draft of Dungeon Slam!.

As I had mentioned a few entries ago, one of my biggest personal pet peeves was the relatively low impact that the various elemental types (Fire, Ice, Lightning and Shadow) were having on game play. One of my first changes, then, was simple: add in Resist X skills!

On top of that, I had noticed that, in all of my playtests thusfar, not one player took MageBane/WarriorBane/etc. Simply put, they weren't worth taking. However, that's been swiftly remedied, as the skills have been lumped together as one simple item: PlayerBane. Fight any other player, and you get the bonus, regardless of class. Can't beat it with a Midnight Flail!

In addition, I've built in skills that have heretofore been unseen! If you're around, check out "Quick Study", which lets you gain new skills at a faster rate, or Precognition, which lets you get a glimpse of the coming room tiles.

My favorites, though, speak for themselves. Enjoy!

Benevolence
Whenever another Player allows you to Heal them, or if you trade an item with another Player, you gain 25 Gold.
If you already have Benevolence, you may spend an Arcana to allow another Player to re-roll a failed Test.

Malevolence
Whenever you kill another Player (through combat) or force them to re-roll a successful Test, you gain 25 Gold.
If you already have Malevolence, you may spend an Arcana to force any other Player to re-roll a successful test to Run Away when in combat.

In Which The Warlock Takes a Reprieve...

Sorry to get your hopes up, oh faithful few--there's no entry this week.

I'm about to set out for PA, to set up entirely too many wedding plans. Stay tuned for next week's entry--a sneak peek at Dungeon Slam!'s new skills!

In Which The Warlock Posts on Life...

A few posts ago, I made mention that there really weren't a whole lot of summer movies that I was really looking forward to and, because of such, I didn't do my usual "Summer Movie Rundown". Perhaps, in the end, that's for the best.

You see, it appears that I'm going to have more than enough to do as it is!

The PlatinumChick and I, as I've mentioned before, are preparing for our wedding in October, which has taken up a good deal of our time. While much of the "big stuff" has been taken care of--the hall, the catering, the ceremony itself--there are a ton of odds and ends that are still on-deck, which we're wrapping up.

On top of this, I'm still plugging away at Dungeon Slam!, and will hopefully have my elusive 4th draft out sometime this summer. I have a ton of playtesting notes that I have yet to really put into effect, which will hopefully streamline the draft and give it that final push towards submitting it for publication. Here's for hoping, right?!

Oh, and the big news. Just this weekend, the PlatinumChick and I put in an offer on a house in Englewood, just north of Dayton proper. After some negotiation, we settled on a price and are now in the stages of getting the house inspected and getting all of our mortgage paperwork signed. With any luck, we'll be closing on the house before we ship out for Origins!

The whole process right now is massively intimidating--no lie. The sheer massive amounts of money getting bandied about in paperwork scares the poo out of me, but it's been something that we've really been wanting to do for a long while. The apartment we're currently in is affordable, and good for what it is...but it's always been lacking in the things we really wanted: a sizable kitchen, a true office in which we can work, and space to entertain (and game!). Luckily, this house has it all... :D

And so, the madness begins this week. Just as the school year ends, it seems like everything's actually heating up!

In Which The Warlock Takes a Deep Breath Before the Plunge...

Every year, there's always a lull in the schedule...a calm, once the end of the school year hits and we're gearing up for the Geek Storm itself: Free Comic Book Day, Lionel's Annual End-Of-Year LARP, and Origins.

It's in this lull that I'm usually just gearing up--getting ready for the chaos about to hit the fan. But this time, no...not so much.

Rather, I find myself in the midst of my own planning, trying to get everything together.

Firstly, the minis I ordered for WEGS SuperZ (and some other games) just arrived, which means that I've got to find some way to organize them all. The PlatinumChick is getting a little testy about having 200 odd minis cluttering up the apartment. Q, one of our kitties, keeps stealing them, if we leave them within paw's reach. Sterilite, here I come!

On top of this, I'm in the midst of putting together a full on D&D PvP blast session for some of the guilders. After developing some refresh mechanisms, as well as some random treasure tables for the players, they're getting ready to throw down some nastiness. Here's for hoping that it all goes down well this Sunday!

This is to say nothing of my own baby, "Dungeon Slam!" which is looking at getting a full revision before Origins! With a little luck, we'll throw down some Slam! on one of those late Columbus nights.

On a more serious note, though, I'd like to beg your indulgence for one of our fellow gamers:

Our good friend and fellow Witt-Wegger Nick, known to some of you from "The Life and Times of Nick", was recently involved in a motorcycle accident. It was a low speed crash, and he was lucky to survive. Nick, however, is currently in University of Cincinatti Medical Center, recuperating from significant facial surgery.

If you have a spare moment, give a prayer/thought/meditation/vibe out for Nick, who will hopefully be rolling with us again very quickly. And, if you ride...please, please wear your helmet.

In Which The Warlock Uses His Time Productively...

One of the nice things about being an English teacher is the fact that once you set your kids on a research project, your days are pretty much just troubleshooting. There's no real "lesson planning", per se; it's all much more of helping each kid at whatever step that they're at. Because of this, I've had a significantly larger amount of "free-ish time" during my teaching day...which I've put to good use, of course!

Firstly, I managed to get some of my revisions for Dungeon Slam! done. On the 4th draft now, I managed to re-build all of the character cards from scratch. One of the biggest problems with the current incarnation is the amount of tokens necessary for Health and Arcana. Rather than tracking them with tokens, though, I now have a slider at the top and bottom of each character card--one for each stat. So now, players only need one token, which they can slide to their current Health and Arcana, and adjust as necessary.

Also, I've been reformatting many of the skills. Some of them were just outright too damned good. Others, like the Alchemists' Unique Skill--Brewmaster--were utterly weak. I've worked towards balancing these, but the results have yet to show fruit--that's what playtesting is for, children!

That said, the easy part is over with. The (much) harder part is to rebuild the monsters, the items, and the skills. That comes next...proably over spring break!

Speaking of playtesting, though, I also managed to finish my work on something that's currently being referred to as WEGS SuperZ Alpha. While I can't say too much about this one, mainly due to some unsurity on how it exactly fits into El Willy's WEGS-verse and the like, I can say that the first playtest went swimmingly! We had some issues with the Braintrust character, who was way overpowered, using Napalm Blast over and over, as well as with the Health and Spoint regeneration General Skills, but by and large, the Arks were performing exactly as intended!

Finally, I managed to finally put together enough cash for a subscription to Dungeons and Dragons Insider--Wizards of the Coast's online initiative for D&D 4e. My first impressions, thusfar, have been really positive, particularly with the Character Generator, but I haven't had my subscription long enough to provide a full review--expect one next week, cats and kittens.

So, what have we learned? When your kids are pretty much autonomous, you can just let 'em roll and get on with what's important: gaming!

In Which The Warlock's Dice Fall on Natural 20!

So, with a few exceptions, everything's been coming up Aces out here in Witt-Wegger land, which leaves me barely able to catch my breath, with all the madness that's ensuing. While work's been a bear recently, with multiple in-services and a massive state-qualifying debate tournament to judge, there's been a lot to celebrate out here!

First off, WittCon VI: "Have you Hugged an Orc Today?" is officially a WorldWide D&D Game Day premier site! We've already received the downloadable registration pack, complete with the scenario, characters, and even a trivia pack. While I haven't read the info thoroughly, I'm looking forward to busting out this scenario on some hapless adventurers on March 21st!

Further, I've finally decided what I actually want to run at this year's WittCon. While I've been tempted to run another session of Dungeon Slam!, I've been doing a lot of playtesting on the weekly game nights, which makes it a little less...well, novel. I had kicked around doing straight up 4e, perhaps with a Ravenloft or Planescape twist, but with the WorldWide D&D Game Day info coming through, that option's already covered. I had kicked around doing Stargate or Conan d20, but...eh. Nothing was coming to mind. And with Jules already planning a trip to Zendik Farms for her Call of Cthluhu game, what was left?

Oh yes...Dark Heresy! Indeed, we return to the depths of the Warp with a wicked little scenario I'm calling "Survival of the Fittest". Players will be in the role of Acolytes, searching for missing Inquisitor Xanthippus, who disappeared on the war-ravaged world of Thanatos during an Orkish invasion. But, as always, things are not as they seem...

On the plus side, my Monday Heroes Unlimited game has been utterly rolling. Our first session was spent getting the group together, as they investigated a mysterious warehouse housing a crime scene, which seems to be off of both the mob's and the polices' books. Kat's psychic, based on Scheherezade of the "1001 Arabian Nights", is slowly losing her grip on Sanity, as she delves into Object Reading and the like, while Will's Austrian strongman Manifesto utterly devastated some nosy dockworkers...

And oh, I can't wait for the arrival of my villain....they call him Mr. Kisses... :D

The only real down-side to recent events is that last year's WittCon vendor, Bob "Don't Call Him the Diceman" Kindle, was unable to make it down for this year's event. Hopefully, as the dread date nears, we'll have someone out for all your gaming supply needs!

In Which The Warlock Looks Forward to the Coming Months...

Finally, back on time! Naturally, I'm procastinating from my usual work, but that's life...I'm used to it.

I must say, though, I am utterly excited. This part of the year always stands as the beginning of great things across the board, but particularly in gaming terms.

First off, there's the upcoming gaming. With "Shadows of the Cold War" about to start, and Fred's 4e game in full swing, I'm up to my eyeballs in great gaming. Twice a week, at least? Can't beat it with a stick.

Further, I managed to sneak in a little playtesting of Dungeon Slam! this weekend, as well. While many of the issues that came up have been ones I'm much aware of--relative weakness of spellcasters, need for more Health and Arcana, overall game speed--this game was an utter success, as the players really went for the throat on the PvP. Between the Malevelolent Teleporter uses (which are just a touch overpowered), the Astral Thievery, and the utter wrath with which players went after one another...the game was fantastically played! I was utterly amazed at the virulence with which they went at it! When the Martial Artist got marooned in Skull Sanctum after having used Resist Arcana on several other players, I was laughing my head off! Karma works, children!

What amazed me most about all this was the fact that, with one exception, all of these players were brand new! Within the span of one evening, they caught onto the game faster than even some of the veterans I've had play. With no lies, I've never seen the Swashbuckler played as well as the way he was this past time. The player said it seemed somewhat broken, but I had to break it to him--the way he was rolling was exactly the way I'd intended it! He just stumbled onto some great combinations!

This gives me some real promise for the upcoming revision of DS. I really want to pump out a new revision before WittCon VI, which is coming up in March. Can't wait for that!

Further, the great Con season begins again! February begins with UD Con, over at University of Dayton, followed by WittCon VI in March, and then GloryCon after that...

...can't beat the gaming, particularly at Origins after that! :D

In Which The Warlock Fails His Saving Throw vs. Poison...

Apologies on the delay, faithful readers. I realize that when I post late, I usually open with an apology but this time...I have a legitimate excuse: food poisoning.

You see, your friendly-neighborhood Warlock has given up pop--carbonated beverages have been kept at a minimum since October, and I've kept to that pretty well by sticking to Kool-Aid and juice. Unfortunately, it was the latter that caught up with me. By the time that I was 3/4 of the way through the juice bottle...Jules had noted that it was over 3 months expired.

I, consequently, spent the last three days unable to eat anything, and have been pretty much latched to the toilet.

On the plus side, I am much on the mend and am looking forward to a full weekend of geekdom to come. On the downside, though, I missed out on much of last weekend's festivities...which included a portion of a visit from my former roommate, Karl!

However, we did have some time to wedge in a WEGS scenario--based on the D&D Tiny Adventures creation "The Haunted Streets of Agamentar--with some sweet LEGO props! I joined him behind the screen at first, but when a player had to leave early...it was up to Nordling the XIV to take to the fore!

Unfortunately for Nordling and his krew...the odds and gods were not on their sides. In the crypt of a dread lich, they fell quickly and mercilessly beneath no less than 5 consecutive Good Shots by Karl's dice...

Never fear, though! This Saturday brings some more "Dungeon Slam!" and hopefully some karmatic vengeance!

In Which The Warlock Celebrates His Centennial!

Well, devoted readers--oh, few of you!--we've reached our first real milestone. This, right here, is my 100th blog entry, and (almost) my 2 year blogging anniversary.

Well, I suppose I can't actually say the latter portion. I held a personal blog during college, which promptly disappeared, as the blog-service that I was using vanished. However, it's nearly the 2 year anniversary of this blog, so it warrants celebration.

To be perfectly honest, I'm somewhat surprised that I've been as on-time and as up-to-date with this blog as I have been. Averaged out, 100 entries over 2 years is almost exactly 1 update per week. Now, you and I both know that's not exactly the case--this past Origins alone had daily posts, which skews the average quite a bit--but still! Success!

I really wasn't sure what to write in this entry, though, to be perfectly honest. But, with it being New Year's Eve...I figured that I might as well go ahead with some New Year's Gaming Resolution:

1. Keep updating on-time! Been doing well so far, but Sunday's the day to shoot for...

2. A stronger focus on writing. Managing game design with Dungeon Slam!, writing up campaigns and WEGS Supers ideas, and doing the whole 'teaching thing' isn't exactly easy, but it's a balance that's gotta be struck. I can't just leave Dungeon Slam! as a summer project! Doesn't work that way...

3. More gaming-based reviews. While the movie reviews this year were a nice change--particularly considering the utterly loaded summer blockbuster season--this is a gaming blog...sort of. Speaking of, I've got some strong opinions on WotC's 4e Manual of the Planes that need to be divulged...to say nothing of some other recent purchases.

4. More insight into design. Some of my favorite entries of the past two years have been the ones based around understanding the principles of game design, as well as observations on the practical application of these. I remember particularly the entry on "how the Warlock changed 3e/4e"...that was glorious.

5. More pictures! Especially with how much the PlatinumChick and I have been painting, it'd be nice to set up a weekly painting progress book!

6. More "tales from the table" With a weekly D&D game once more, and my Watchmen-esque Call of Cthulhu/Heroes Unlimited game coming en route, there'll be plenty of gaming tales to be had. Here's for seeing some of those here!

Cheers, all! Happy New Year! Good gaming to all, and to all...well, something they enjoy, I suppose.

The Warlock's Review: "Munchkin Quest" by Steve Jackson Games

When Munchkin Quest was announced formally, just about a year or so ago, I had already known about it--there were whisperings of it at Origins 2007, and there was a little bit of available for demo, on the final day of said convention.

This didn't stop me, mind you, but there was a little bit of a niggling doubt in the back of my head as I began work on Dungeon Slam!, asking me "Why are you going to start on a tile-based, backstabbing, dungeon-crawler boardgame when Steve Jackson--a man much more important than you--is about to do the same thing?"

My mental response was, of course, "huh?"

In this case, ignorance was the correct answer. While Munchkin Quest does a good job of putting forward the base Munchkin card game as a board game, it leaves much to be desired as a real dungeon-crawl.

Munchkin Quest begins just as the card game begins, with the characters at level 1, and they're quickly trying to blast their way through a series of monsters on their way to hitting level 10. While I only played the 2 player version of the game, I felt like the quintessential "backstabbing" of Munchkin was almost completely absent. Lionel and I spend most of our time on opposite ends of the dungeon, only staying together long enough to help each other through the lower levels.

While the Munchkin Quest game was a fun little diversion, it loses much of the simplicity of its card game predecessor. In addition to the expandable board--quite colorfully and boldly done in laminated cardboard, the sheer number of pieces and cards becomes almost mind-boggling. Lionel owns a 6 person dining room suite, and we very nearly took up the whole of it with the various pieces, cards and room tiles. That's a feat that Arkham Horror has a hard time doing, even with the 4 expansions it has!

Coupled with the sheer volume comes the complexity of the game itself. There are something along the lines of 5-7 major phases to each person's turn--again, longer than even an Arkham Horror. One of the more needless phases to me seemed to the monster movement--set to a colored die, the movement of each monster is determined by what color entrances and exits are lableled on the room tile that it is on, as well as whether the hallway pieces are "doors", "locked doors" or "secret doors". And this has to be done for each monster! This was a little much for me...

Similarly, each individual turn seems to last an inordinate amount of time. Despite only having 3 movement points, I (as a 3rd-4th level character) fought 5 monsters in one turn, looted 3 different rooms and bought and sold items. This is to say nothing of the massive amount of "Treasure" and "Deus Ex Munchkin" cards that I had gained through this, and consequently had to read and wrangle.

The raw simplicity of Munchkin was just...gone. Sylish, yes, and definitely capturing the feel of the original game, but there's just too much here. Speaking as someone who loves piece-heavy board games--again, AH is one of my favorites--the sheer volume of items, pieces, and tiles here make Munchkin Quest more tedious than anything else.

If you're a fan of the game, you'll definitely enjoy it. I was, once upon a time, and would have reveled in this game, had it come out 4 years ago. But now...it's a bloated, overly complex inflation of Jackson's storied franchise.

...At least I don't have to worry about Dungeon Slam! being too similar!

The Warlock's Holiday Schedule Unfurled...

As the holiday season rolls through, everyone finds things more hectic. Same old thing, here. With grades rolling through, and final projects getting turned in, the teaching life takes up more and more of my time...however, there's always time for gaming, but never enough!

My biggest priority right now, gaming-wise, at least, is to pump out a new revision for "Dungeon Slam!". It's been since last WittCon that I've done a full card revision, which means that it's high past due. Many of my cards are getting so marked up, that it's hard to read them!

What's more, the character cards--probably more than anything else--are getting somewhat beaten up. They're a little too small to read comfortably, and they really could use some more room to be functional on. In addition, I'd like to finally implement the "Health/Arcana" track system that I've been talking about doing. Formatting these in Publisher is difficult, but not impossible--finding the time, though...ugh.

Ideally, I'd like to have this revision done before the Christmas/Festivas/Boxing Day/etc. holiday, as many of the errant Witt-Weggers are rolling back into the Miami Valley. We'll see if this actually happens, but it should be an admirable goal, any way that you look at it.

My premiere notes for the WEGS Superz idea have come to somewhat of a halt, but only for a want of feedback. Definitely, I'd love to work up the Blaster and the Mystic/Psychic before break's end...What a New Years' Present that might be!

So, I guess it's time to take a deep breath and take the plunge. The holidays await, citizens!

In Which The Warlock Can Finally Breathe!

Thanksgiving has always been my favorite holiday--there's no pretenses about it whatsoever. You get together with your friends and family, eat until you can't move, watch football, then take a nap. Life is good, right?!

Well, this Thanksgiving signals the beginning of a definite slowdown in the Platinum-Life, which is much needed at this rate. With my fall slate of IEP meetings in the bag, and Parent-Teacher conferences completed, I can now get focused on some of the stuff that matters--the gaming!

Under a sort-of challenge from El Willy, I took it upon myself to start work on a new project--a total redux of his WEGS 101 system, moving from medieval swords-and-sorcery, to 4 Color, Silver Age, superheroes! So, I've been throwing down my 2d10 and 2d6, writing up skills and new rules for the pre-existing system, turning it into a 60s-styled beat 'em up! What's strange is the fact that this is actually working. It's almost easy, picturing the old-school Avengers as WEGS Arktypes...

Speaking of WEGS, I got the opportunity to throw down a brand new adventure, courtesy of El Willy, with a Thanksgiving twist: Hobgobble's Eve! Tossing down twice last weekend--once for our usual Friday night gaming group, and once more for the Witt-Weggers--the players found themselves in the midst of a HobGobbo feast, as they fought the leather-clad Gobbo Grandma, and the particularly cranky Grampa Umm-Lumm, in pursuit of the ancient Blunderboomer!

Thanksgiving brings with it the chance to actually head home for a while (and, hopefully, grab some wings at Dino's), but also a chance to actually work on "Dungeon Slam!" for once. With a good deal of Witt-Wegger Alumni coming back into town following the Christmas holiday, I'd love to get another printing done for them to sample. That'll take a fair amount of editing, though...but hopefully I'll be up to the task.

For all though, enjoy your day of feasting! Life is good, fellow gamers! Cheers!

In Which The Warlock Experiences a Bit of a Slowdown, but Gives Some Props...

There's not a whole lot on the horizon going on right now, so I figure that I'll catch up on a few other things while I have the chance.

--The new kitty is great, and Tikka is finally getting used to the idea to having a friend is finally starting to appeal to her. We've even caught them cuddling once in a while! Who knew?

--4e is a ton of fun to run, and to play. As one of our regular players for Dark Heresy has been out of town recently, we've been running a 4e one-off in our usual Friday slot. Also, Lionel's begun to run Keep on the Shadowfell, and my Dwarven Warlock Ignatius has barely survived his encounter with Irontooth. We're about halfway to our first level, and our team has finally started to work together as a group. All is well...

--Dungeon Slam! is moving apace, in its 3.5 incarnation. I have a lot to do, particularly in terms of skills and the like, but it's really starting to become a real game. Here's for hoping that I can start contacting companies about all this!

--GenCon's still a possibility at this point, but it's looking rough at this point. That said, it may be worth going if for no other reason than the WEGS specials that El Willy is giving away. An honest-to-goodness Copper Pot alone might tempt me to make the trip!

--As I mentioned previously, Laura gave me some kudos for my work on this blog. I don't really read a lot of blogs, aside from the ones in my blogroll, off to the side, so I guess I'll give some shout-outs to those sites that I spend my time playing around on:

1) Zero Punctionation (at The Escapist). Ben "Yahtzee" Crowshaw may well be one of the funniest game reviewers on the face of the planet. Delivered in his trademark breathless style, he delivers scathing bile and well-constructed criticism in the same breaths. (Link is in my link-index).

2) Aaron Williams, of Nodwick and Full Frontal Nerdity fame, spends a ton of time not only on his quality geekdom comics, but also blogging on various geeky topics, including Flash games, Nodwick

3) The Table-top Gamers forum, hosted in Cincy, is currently the home of WEGS-goers nationwide on the web. Kain (and his accompanying hottie) are good people, and being able to chat with El Willy, Wt2, and their crew is always a plus. TableTop Gamers--WEGS Forum

4) For a really unique take on a D&D game, check out Sigil Prep. Imagine, if you will, a college for adventuring--full of modern anachronisms and Buffy the Vampire Slayer references--set in Sigil, the weirdest city in D&D-dom. Read through it, and enjoy... Sigil Prep

and, finally:
5) If you love Settlers of Catan, you've got it made here! JSettlers

Origins 2008 Blog! Post-Con Wrap-Up...

Whew.

That’s about my whole mentality right now. Origins is a ton of fun, but it’s a massively exhausting venture. Now that I’ve finally gotten a chance to sit down and relax, I feel like I can give a little bit of a retrospective.

• I may have been a little too virulent in my distaste for the RPGA. While I’ve had quite a few bad experiences in the “Living” games, my game this year—“Return to the Moathouse”—was a really pleasant surprise. The other players, there, were a generally jovial group who really knew their game. I was a touch frustrated at the general lack of roleplaying, but it was really nice to see the tactical rules in action. I know that it’s a con game, so you typically get one or the other, but I may have to give the RPGA a second shot, now that we’re in 4e.


• 4e is a fantastic little system, but it definitely is going to require some changes to the way I game. I really like the speed of the rules, as well as the simplicity on the DMing end, but the way that combat is currently situated, it definitively needs a battlemap. My purchases, as I’ll talk a little bit later, kinda reflect that. That said, it really fosters imagination in terms of rituals and the like, which makes DMing authentic. I love it, but it’s going to take some changing on my end.


• I really should have had a little more variety in terms of my gaming. While all of my games were really well put together, I feel like I spent Origins playing the same things over and over—-WEGS, D&D, Dark Heresy, and Call of Cthulhu. Not that any of those are bad, but trying out some new things is all about what Origins is. I was somewhat jealous of Jules’ schedule, which had a fantastic variety. Her Saturday game alone—a d20 Modern conversion of the classic 2e D&D adventure “Expedition to the Barrier Peaks” was a unique little throwback. Lionel, as well, had a varied schedule, with a ton of new boardgames and the like. My schedule was fantastic, but was really very vanilla. Next year? Some spice!


• Late nights make for early-morning killers. The idea of playing Dungeon Slam! with El Willy and his crew has been a long time in coming, but doing it at 1:30 in the morning? Not such a great idea. Same thing with the Friday Midnight Session of WEGS…playing a game until 3:00 am utterly leaves you devastated the next day, no matter how late you sleep in. I was utterly astounded that so many of our little group wanted to play in a 2:00 am Mutant Academy game—luckily for them (sort of), it was cancelled, as the GM never showed.


• The gaming industry is really one of friendliness, across the board. All of the designers I’ve been able to meet—El Willy, Steve Jackson (last year), Mike Mearls, Michelle Nephew, Curt Covert—have been absolutely fantastic and completely receptive. Talking shop with Curt was an absolute pleasure, and gave me some solid ideas on how to change things. It’s Michelle, though, that’s given me the most to think about. I’m not a big note-taker, but I ended up with 5 pages of notes. And because of this…


• I have a ton of work to do on Dungeon Slam! A ton. That’s not even putting it mildly. I was somewhat embarrassed as the cards for the demo on Wednesday night were messy and hard to read, with all of the hand-written revisions I’ve made. Michelle had said that, when submitting to a company you want your product to be “as neat and as professional as possible, without spending”. The next few months are going to be hectic, as I keep working on DS 3.5e.