In Which The Warlock Revisits Tristram...

If you follow this blog regularly, you're probably well aware of my fascination (read:  utter obsession) with Diablo III.  The PlatinumChick, I'm sure, has gotten sick of me watching videos of beta footage before bed, ranting about rescheduled and reschedule release dates, and agonizing over my inability to play the beta. 

While the first two might remain true...the third?  Oh, there's been a change...

Thanks to a quick trigger finger on my F5 key and the generosity of the fellows at Vox Gamers, I managed to win my very own beta key!

Now, while I'd been lucky enough to play through once, thanks to WoWSonya's husband Sean, this meant that I could really immerse myself in the full Diablo experience, rather than just rushing my way through on a computer that wasn't mine.  I could sit back, relax, and let the monster-slaying, loot-snatching carnage begin in earnest!

Firstly, though, a caveat.  My laptop is nearly 4 years old and is beginning to show its age.  I'm missing two keys, with two more super-glued on.  My dual-core processor, while hefty for its time, is quite out of date now, as Intel's "i3/5/7" series of processors were state of the art when I bought this machine.  My graphics card is still reasonably useful, though my sheer lack of processing power is a definite detriment.  When I get my car paid off--three payments to go!--I'll be looking at a serious upgrade, but until then I'm stuck.

Sith Lightning for the win!

My first play-through was using the Wizard, whom I had been eyeing up for months.  The sheer awesome-factor of "Electrocute" was simply too much to pass up--I mean, who doesn't want to shoot lightning from their fingertips?!  And, while I wasn't disappointed with the Wizard, I had to let out a complacent sigh:  with the changes made the most recent patch, Electrocute was moved to level 11, while the level cap remained at 13.  When I defeated Leoric, the Skeleton King, I had just barely managed to make it to level 10...my dreams of Sith lightning would have to wait for another playthrough.

That said, the Wizard was a blast to play.  Arcane Orb, runed shortly after getting it, produced bluish-purple explosions that sent enemies flying in pieces.  Zombies splattered apart into meaty, rotting shards with the concussive force of my arcane might.  Oh, what fun!  I tried using Shock Pulse over the old standby, Magic Missile, but found that the range on Shock Pulse was simply too short.  Enemies at the range of my screen would stand there, oblivious, as my bolts of electric power fell short of them and fizzled out.  Frost Nova, as well, was something as a let down, as it dealt no damage.  I quickly replaced it with Wave of Force, which sent enemies' corpses flying away from me in a most delightful manner.

This is, however, where my technically-lacking computer came into play.  While playing the Wizard, the numerous particle effects slowed my computer down significantly.  I'd often go through the casting animation, with the actual spell effect only taking place a second or two later, resulting in misses and several near-deaths.  However, upon the advice of ChaoticFrederick, I shut down several background processes and programs, resulting in much smoother playthroughs on the subsequent characters. 

A Demon Hunter unleashes Multishot.

I tried out the Demon Hunter next, which was a class that I'd had my reservations about.  As I started my playthrough, I found myself underwhelmed.  I had no area-of-effect skills, and my Hungering Arrow shot seemed underpowered.  That is, until level 5:  Rapid Fire.  Suddenly, it was as if someone had handed my wanna-be ranger a P90 and let her rip through the dungeon!  Retching Mothers spun as if riddled by automatic weapon fire, before slumping to the ground in a heap.  At one point, I fired up a set of stairs, shearing a zombie in half across its waist...and its upper half slowly tumbled down the stairs, arms akimbo, leading a trail of blood until it stopped, about three stairs from the bottom. 

With a combination of a runed Hungering Arrow (an increased chance to pierce through enemies really helped this one), Rapid Fire, Strafe, and Caltrops, my Demon Hunter blasted her way through the Skeleton King with near impunity.  I'd almost say that the DH is a touch overpowered--while her Hatred resource is meant to be a slow-regenerating one, I found myself mowing down enemies with Rapid Fire almost at-will. 

My latest playthrough was with the Monk--a class that I'd been looking forward to for a while, as I typically played a Paladin in Diablo II.  The spiritual successor to that class, the Monk came loaded with Mantras (echoing the Paladin's Aura skills) and numerous martial arts skills.  However, the Monk came off as very low-impact compared to the other classes.  While the Wizard was a sheer force of devastation and the Demon Hunter ripped apart enemies with incredible speed, the Monk was more methodical and much less visually impressive.  While I could attack numerous enemies at once, the effects were much less spectacular and I felt like it took much longer to kill a pack of enemies with the Monk than its long-range counterparts.

Case in point:  the Monk's resource-generation skills are all combo skills, which have varying effects if used several times in sequence.  However, when using any skills, the Monk's weapon is stowed on their back, in favor of fist strikes!  Even the Wizard manages to actually swing their sword or dagger, when casting a spell.  I don't feel like it'd be unreasonable to have the Monk actually use a staff or weapon, along with their combo skills, but such isn't the case. 

Diablo III  also brought quite a few new features to the party, which I'd been eager to try out.  The crafting mechanics, for one, were at the top of my list.  Rather than using the ubiquitous Horadric Cube to piece together rares or use the nearly-worthless gold to gamble on items (that were nearly-universally useless), DIII's crafting mechanics allow you to break down useless magic items into crafting materials, which can then be used to make whatever you like.  Even rares and (supposedly) uniques are on the table, should you level your blacksmith up enough!  Between expanding my stash, leveling up my blacksmith, and crafting new items, I always felt like there was something to purchase, even outside of the vendors (who had some fairly useful items, particularly early on!).  This is a spectacular change, as it gives a reason for gold to stay in the economy.  No more Stones of Jordan as trade-bait!

Plus, this also gives a pile of options in the Auction House.  DIII has come under a fair amount of fire for its use of a real money--that is, you pay in actual dollars, to purchase an in-game item--but also has a gold-for-items auction house as well, which allows you to find that item your Witch Doctor needs, but you haven't quite been able to find yet.  While I have no intention on blowing real cash on items that only exist on a virtual level, I definitely plan to make use of the gold-based auction house!

The only real issue that I have with the Diablo III beta right now is the skill interface system.  In previous patches, you could view every skill simultaneously, choosing from the ones available at your level.  In this new UI, you're only able to a few skills at a time, grouped together somewhat arbitrarily, based on their function.  This makes it difficult to compare skills and decide upon which suits your character best.  But really, this isn't a deal-breaker for me, and the visceral gameplay and multitude of class/skill/gear options make this one an auto-buy for me.  Can't wait for this one to come in!

As I play through with the rest of the classes, you can be sure that I'll keep you updated here!

In Which The Warlock Post Some Cold Steel Previews...

It's been a while since I've had a chance to play with Cold Steel Wardens, as I've been up to my eyeballs in freelance projects and in other, more mundane tasks.  However, with the weekend nearly here (and a late entry, again...argh!) perhaps it's time to take a look at the three big names in the Greensburg underworld!

(Again, all material here is subject to change and revision.  Copyright pending, 2012.)

Organized Crime

Currently, three major criminal organizations vie for control of Greensburg, each with sharply differing methods and philosophies regarding criminal activity. 

The White Russian—an albino immigrant from Georgia named Piotr Zakrevsky—is believed to be the de facto leader of the criminal underground within Greensburg.  Zakrevsky is an ex-KGB operative, drummed out of Russia following the collapse of the Soviet Union, and amongst the CIA and NSA’s most wanted international targets.  Using his numerous smuggling contacts, Zakrevsky arrived in Greensburg, ready to set up a new organization, building on the corruption already existing in the area.

Zakrevsky’s criminal organization is structured in an almost-feudal manner.  Baklany (normal, street-level operatives) report to pakhan (street bosses), who in turn report to vor v zakonye (lieutenant-level leaders), who report directly to the White Russian himself.  Zakrevsky’s criminal focus lies primarily with international shipping and smuggling, which is done primarily through a ‘legitimate’ British company known as Benson/Hedges Holdings.   The White Russian is known primarily for focusing on illegal narcotics shipments, as well as Soviet-era weaponry, both of which have flooded the streets of Greensburg through black market deals. 

As a former KGB operative, Zakrevsky knows the value of intelligence, and he keeps his vor v zakonye on a very short leash, requiring daily updates on distribution, sales, and resistance.    The White Russian further uses numerous technological measures, both to keep tabs on other criminal elements within Greensburg, but also on other foes, particularly metahumans and vigilantes.  Zakrevsky excels in surveillance, and has a penchant for using high explosives or strange, esoteric weaponry developed during the Cold War. 

The White Russian’s main rival remains the Genovese family, a true-to-life Sicilian crime family that split off from the Cosa Nostra during the mid-1950s.  The Genoveses claim to be the oldest criminal organization within Greensburg, having emigrated from Sicily in 1886.  The original Genoveses were known for their ruthless tactics and ‘take no prisoners’ attitude, leading to a massive crackdown by Federal marshals in the 1930s.  With the family in disarray due to multiple incarcerations, Greensburg was ripe for other gangs to move in.

However, in the 1970s, the Genovese family experienced a resurgence in power that none really saw coming.  Focusing more on ‘social’ crimes such as extortion, money laundering, protection rackets, and the like, the Genoveses grew more and more powerful, until only the White Russian was able to significantly challenge them through the 1990s. 

Since 1978, the Genovese family has been run by Vincenzo Genovese, a 4^th generation member of the family business.  Vincenzo is the epitome of the “hot blooded Sicilian” stereotype, and abides no disrespect, whether from his enemies or from his dearest family.  Vincenzo uses a very traditional structure within his family, similar to that of the original Cosa Nostra, with his loyal nephew, James, acting as consigliere.  Many believe that James was granted this position as Vincenzo hopes to groom the young buck to take his place once he passes on. 

While James is believed to the heir apparent to the Genovese family, the most dangerous member of the group may well be Luciano Bagarella, known on the street as “Lucky Bags”.  An underboss of Vincenzo, Luciano is ambitious, ruthless, and fanatically violent.  He runs several protection rackets throughout the city, and loves nothing more than to get his hands dirty, smearing the blood from a poor shopkeeper across their face after bludgeoning them with his favored weapon—a Louisville Slugger baseball bat.  Bagarella resents James for being a “full-blood” and for already being ‘picked’ to take over for Vincenzo.  However, Bagarella believes wholeheartedly in the code of omerta, which binds the family together…at least for the time being.

While the White Russian and the Genoveses have been content to contest one another for control of Greensburg’s streets, another contender has entered the proverbial ring, opting to instead vie for control of the boardroom, rather than the back-room.  A group of influential lawyers and other politically collected, yet morally bankrupt, members of the Greensburg community have banded together under the leadership of Gerard Warren, a charismatic defense attorney.

The Warren Group, as this organization has come to be known, are master manipulators of the legal system, and are amongst the best-connected members of Greensburg’s political and economic scene.  Nearly every member of the Warren Group is independently wealthy, and values power intensely over any amount of money…though money’s not bad, either.

The Warren Group is truly a criminal syndicate for the new millennium.  Using various legal loopholes and political maneuverings, Warren and his cronies are able to manipulate, extort, pressure, and otherwise influence everyone from major political figures to the police and military, to other gangs!  It’s believed that Warren himself has enough accumulated evidence on both The White Russian and on the the Genovese family to put both behind bars for 12 consecutive life sentences, each.  However, Warren’s motives regarding this evidence seems to be enigmatic at best, as he has the tools to crush his rivals, though not the desire…

In Which The Warlock Previews His Introduction...

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 Levels Up...

I debated quite a bit about this entry, as it's not every day that you hit a milestone! I've had this blog active for quite a while now and, at one entry per week (more during Origins and other live-blogging moments), that makes for four solid years of entries!

200 Entries!

I received several really good suggestions from the PlatinumChick, from Chaotic Karl, Kat, and a few others, but none of them seemed to fit. I had thought about doing a "how did you get into gaming?" entry, but in a blog that's been focusing on newness and innovation in gaming, it seemed like a needless bit of navel-gazing on my part to look back like that. Instead, I'm going to make a few announcements, and show off my preview of "The Pendulum Method"!

--2 Entries a Week. Starting in November, I'd like to try to push out more content and more ideas on a weekly basis. I feel like this will bring in more readership, as well as provide you with more ideas, fresh from my twisted brain. I have yet to choose a second day yet, but I'm guessing it'll probably be a Wednesday/Saturday schedule at this point

--Full Campaign Logs. This is where this blog started off, and I don't mean to get away from that. Besides, the very sessions that we have out here easily become fodder for ideas, adventure hooks, and NPCs in your own games.

--More Previews up Upcoming Content. This one's for me. As I drift from project to project, I have the tendency to leave behind the things that I've been working on, and I don't intend to keep leaving them half-finished. In promising to show you some of my brainchildren, that'll keep me on the ball in terms of revision and (re)drafting, which means that I'll sooner be able to focus on publication.

And, speaking of a preview, here's a section from one of the sample adventure outlines that I'll be including in "The Pendulum Method", once it hits PDF! Enjoy Vegas Nights, Bright Lights, and Encryption Chip 416!

Adventure Overview:
This scenario centers on a lucrative goal for the PCs—a Las Vegas casino vault, which is set to be the site of a massive funds transfer between mafia functionaries. As an elite group of highly-trained, accomplished rogues, the PCs have decided to pool their talents as the “Men in White” in the hopes to disrupt the funds transfer, elude the mob, and make off with the funds themselves.

Reservoir Dogs

That is, that’s what the plot would be, if this was a standard adventure. This, friends and neighbors, is a Pendulum-style plot, which means that there’s more to it than meets the eye! Rather, the PCs will simultaneously be playing the group’s “electronic ops” group as well, the “Men in Black,” as they attempt to remotely disable the casino’s security system…from its owners’ corporate headquarters in Hong Kong.

Film Inspirations and Recommended Game Systems:
• Ocean’s Eleven
• Reservoir Dogs
• Snatch
• Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels
• Inception
• Sexy Beast
• The Italian Job

There are several game systems that would be more than acceptable for this sort of game. The d20 Modern system has several sourcebooks (including the spectacular Spycraft book by AEG and Crafty Games) that would serve admirably in this venue. Pinnacle Entertainment Group’s Savage Worlds would also work well, as would Shadowrun, though the cyberpunk elements may need to be downplayed, given a modern aesthetic. Other generic systems, such as GURPS, may be fitting, as well.
For a d20 Modern game, pre-generated characters should be of approximately 9th level. In Savage Worlds, Veteran would be an acceptable experience level. As always, the GM should have final say over level and experience regarding characters, whether pre-generated or player-generated.

Encounter (-2)—Introducing the Men in White

The PCs should begin this encounter, quite literally, as they walk into the Casino. Having “prepared” prior to their infiltration, the group is in full-on action mode. As part of their final preparations, they have a private suite set aside at the Excalibur Casino and Resort in Las Vegas, held under a false name. After some brief meetings—during which the GM may distribute floor layouts, guard schedules, money transfers, and other information, the PCs may swing into action. However, as they attempt to delve deeper into the casino’s basement and sub-basements, a steel security bars their path…

Encounter 1—White Light’s Dark Shadow

Immediately, the scene changes to a simultaneous operation, far across the world. There, the Men in Black are laying in wait within a darkened warehouse across from the Shun Tak Holdings corporate headquarters. The headquarters is heavily guarded, with armed guards roving the perimeter (as befits a major Chinese corporation). Inside, on the headquarters’ 46th floor, is the remote server room. In order for the Men in White to succeed, it’s critical that the Men in Black hack that server…and do it stealthily. As the PCs make their way through the lobby area, entering the stairwells, the GM should enter a cut scene: A silent alarm has been tripped during their ascent.

The Heist

Encounter (-1)—The Missing Link

With that dire news, the Men in White make their way through the security door. At this point, stealth is of the essence, as mafia guards and flunkies patrol this area heavily. The PCs’ goal at this point should be a side room just outside of a major conference room, which has a series of computer terminals, brightly humming. These are their target—these computers will be used to transfer the funds at precisely 6pm this evening. As the PCs find ways to distract or eliminate the mafia members, their computer-using-comrade runs into a massive snag: a remote encryption chip is relaying a signal that bars the transfer to all those without the 18 digit passcode. The only way to complete the transfer? Find Encryption Chip 416 somewhere within the casino and destroy it!

Encounter 2—Race to the Top

As the Shun Tak security forces close in on the group’s position, thanks to the silent alarm, they receive an urgent message from the Men in White. With the funds transfer being encrypted from a remote transmitter, the Men in Black must not only hack the server on floor 46, but also find a way to trace the signal from the encryption chip, so that it can be eliminated or neutralized. The group must split up, with some members moving up a floor, while the others work their way through the server room. In both cases, the group must manage to both disable the security protocols on the Excalibur’s network, as well as locate the enigmatic chip.

Encounter 0—Follow the Bouncing Ball

At this point, all but madness ensues. With the mafia and the Shun Tak guards knocking on their doorstep, all bets are off. The Men in White must split up and both man the station to initiate the funds transfer and find the missing chip, destroying it before 6pm. The Men in Black must keep in radio contact with the Men in White, so that they can find the chip, while simultaneously pulling down the Shun Tak security protocols. All this while the men with guns move in!