In Which The Warlock Illumines the Unobtained...

I've been lucky enough in 15-odd years of gaming to have run and played in huge variety of campaigns, one-shots, convention games and more.  And, through this blog, I've been able to share--at least somewhat--my experiences with you, oh glorious reader.

But, y'know...there's a lot that I haven't done.  A lot that I'd love to be able to do, but just haven't quite managed it yet.  And so, fellow gamers:  I present to you the start of my "Gamer Bucket List!"

• I want to play Planescape.  Oh, my yes.  In all of its Victorian-philosophizing, genre-bending weirdness, I've never actually gotten to play in a Planescape game.  I'd love to see that change sometime soon.

• I want to run a LARP.  Still haven't managed to do this one, despite the WittKids having one every semester for the past few years.  I think my penchant for causing inter-party strife would make an excellent asset for a diceless showdown.

• I want to play in a swashbuckling, high-adventure game.  Not sure this one is going to be on the horizon, either, but I have a tendency to shy away from games with 'derring-do' in favor of more 'serious' games with elements of horror and suspense.  Just once, I'd like to be able to cut loose and run a dashing swashbuckler with a devil-may-care attitude.

• I want to be scared in a horror game.  Not saying that I want blood, gore, and entrails all over the floor, but I'd love it if a game actually managed to put some fear into my jaded gamer heart.

• I want to wean myself off of Savage Worlds.  Not to say that it's a bad system--far from it!  It's becoming my go-to system for all things.  But, there are some things that it just doesn't do particularly well:  actual horror, for one. 

• I want to do some more reading.  While I've done a fair amount of reading in terms of game-books, my actual reading list has shied away from genre-fiction in the last 5 years and more towards heavier literature or (for light reading) comics.  I haven't touched sci-fi or fantasy novels in years and, judging by the field out there, it's not likely that I'll return anytime soon.

• I'd love to be able to field-test a new system.  While writing Cold Steel Wardens, my influences are pretty evident--4e D&D, Savage Worlds, ICONS, Heroes Unlimited, and Mutants and Masterminds to name a few--but it'd be great to see someone else going through the playtesting process.

• I want to run one of the classic campaign arcs for a chosen system.  This could be any number of games:  the "Dime Novels" of Deadlands, the original Temple of Elemental Evil series for D&D, or the plot point campaign of Necessary Evil.  I've had a lot of fun with "The Flood," but there are so many classic campaigns out there to sample...

I suppose all of this is just a start--there's tons more that I'd love to do before I hand in my dice for good.  Any other suggestions?

In Which The Warlock Summons a Supplemental Elemental...

People often wonder how I come up with such weird things for my games.  I'm known for something of a twisted imagination--just take a look my contributions on "Flying Polyps" in my work on The Mythos Dossiers for "The Laundry".  When I pitched the idea of "sentient f***ing cancer!" to my fellow writers, I could almost hear the jaws hitting the floor. 

But, I readily admit:  like any other writer or GM, I look for inspirational material all of the time.  So, you want to see where my ideas come from?  Here's a sample!

Serene Knowledge

• This site's fantastic, and full of creepy ideas suitable for any modern and even most fantasy style of games.  When I was running "Shadows of the Cold War" at Wittenberg, I pulled a good deal of the Cthulhian themes from this site.  The series at the end, "The Holders of X" can make for a fantastic campaign on its own.

The SCP Foundation

• Another great site for horror links, this one is essentially Warehouse 23 cranked up to 11!  While the information in these links ranges from the absurdly humorous to the outright terrifying, this site makes for great fodder for any modern game.  Running "The Laundry", "Delta Green", or "Dark Matter"?  You need to visit this site NOW.

Unused Lovecraft Story Hooks

• Want to really build up the fear?  Why not work with the ideas of the master himself?  These ideas come from a recently (as of 2011) discovered chapbook of Lovecraft's.  While some of the ideas he's obviously used, the vast majority are fresh and ripe for the picking.  The "one line" elements like "For has not Nature, too, her grotesques—the rent rock, the distorting lights of evening on lonely roads, the unveiled structure of man in the embryo, or the skeleton?" provide for great bits of inspiration on their own, even for a non-Lovecraftian game!

Seventh Sanctum

• One of the things that trip me up constantly is the search for the right name.  It's something I've always struggled with, whether writing or GMing.  However, Seventh Sanctum provides tons of names at the mere click of a mouse.  Not happy with the selections so far?  Click again...and again...and again.  Then, a few hours later, you might get back to writing! 

Creative Writing Prompts

• Working on writing daily or journal-style writing?  I use this site with my students for 2-3 times weekly writing assignments.  With 340-odd prompts, ranging throughout fiction and non-fiction, this'll keep you busy for a while.  For an added challenge, try writing all of them from a single perspective--maybe a character you've been working with or arounds a single, central theme.