tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12564793695308135672024-03-08T00:17:48.166-08:00Castle DragonscarA Blog About RPGs and Other WeirdnessNickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15271590915482399360noreply@blogger.comBlogger96125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1256479369530813567.post-60253223424078545282014-06-03T18:12:00.002-07:002014-06-03T18:12:32.610-07:00Support My Friend's Patreon Page Cause He's AwesomeHey guys, if you like supporting independent artists / musicians and
creative types then please check out my friend Mike TV of the band Get
Set Go's Patreon page. Give his video a watch and if you are so
inclined then throw a few quatloos in his direction. He's a good guy,
super creative, and a fellow D&D player to boot!<br /><br />Find the page here:<a href="http://www.patreon.com/getsetgo" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"></a><a href="http://www.patreon.com/getsetgo" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">www.patreon.com/getsetgo</a><br /><br />Thanks<br />NickNickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15271590915482399360noreply@blogger.com56tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1256479369530813567.post-69444564792678031492013-05-16T15:53:00.000-07:002013-05-16T15:53:05.233-07:00RPG Musings: Setting and MechanicsThere is an interesting aspect of rpg design which I've only recently begun to contemplate: the connection between setting and mechanics. You'll notice that many games keep the mechanics and the setting separate. These games sell themselves on their generic qualities. GURPS is the most extreme version of these sorts of games. Sure, in these types of games if it is a fantasy game there might be rules for magic or whatever, but the magic rules are often rather vanilla giving no particular flavor or uniqueness to the setting. It could be any standard fantasy world. There are advantages to this approach as many players and GMs do NOT want the setting that the game has supplied to them. They'd prefer to make up their own setting. I must confess this has almost always been my feeling about games. I was much more interested in what I had in my head than what the game's author was trying to get across to me.<br />
<br />
This feeling so predominates in the rpg field that it is a real consideration whether to include a default setting in your game or not. Many of my favorite games do not include a baked in setting. There are exceptions: <i>Pendragon</i>, <i>Empire of the Petal Throne</i>, <i>Talislanta</i>, <i>Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay</i> all contain very definite settings that I'd be more than reluctant to lose. Removing the setting from these games would lead me to ask the question: what is the point now? The setting in those games, for me anyway, IS the whole point. This isn't to say you shouldn't imaginatively own the setting and make it yours--that is, in my opinion, absolutely essential for satisfying play to happen. My Arthurian Britain is not going not look like yours. My Tekumel is not going to be Prof. Barker's Tekumel. That's as it should be with a good rpg setting. The designer has, hopefully, left plenty of white space for you to fill in. When companies tried to more tightly control their campaign worlds, we saw the late eighties and nineties explosion of books with the setting "metaplot." To get the "real" setting required that you also purchase the latest product. Both the indie gaming scene and the OSR have eschewed this approach, as they rightly saw that these sorts of practices were both an unsustainable business model and actually toxic to the health of the RPG hobby itself.<br />
<br />I think many different approaches can work when you're dealing with setting. The question is really: what is your ultimate design goal here? The setting might be deep and exceedingly detailed or it might have just a light touch--where the game approaches being generic, but it doesn't really go all the way.<br />
<br />
Do you like when games provide setting, or do you like to make it up yourself? Or are you somewhere between? Or does it depend on the game you're playing?Nickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15271590915482399360noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1256479369530813567.post-59169534942789802112013-05-08T08:27:00.000-07:002013-05-08T12:39:10.077-07:00Fantasy RPG Design Draft Update<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEReyxvuQnZT0nim0AnwHwdhmGCvZacPBqQwVizR6IkqTT72toQr_mhoIUh5tPSY3qS1jQ9jyMFHdD6IovsnPpKAbWr4gbdizAHj-iAI1UqRJZZF4HKHw6FWOE62FWXtU02Ny-akRUfuRe/s1600/empire1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEReyxvuQnZT0nim0AnwHwdhmGCvZacPBqQwVizR6IkqTT72toQr_mhoIUh5tPSY3qS1jQ9jyMFHdD6IovsnPpKAbWr4gbdizAHj-iAI1UqRJZZF4HKHw6FWOE62FWXtU02Ny-akRUfuRe/s320/empire1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<b>A Grim world of Perilous Game Design:</b><br />
<br />
Okay, so I've got around twelve pages of a design draft for this thing I've been tinkering with. Right now, it is a bit of a Frankengame (see<a href="http://odd74.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=general&action=display&thread=8782"> here</a>), but I keep drifting things so that (hopefully) I end up with something that isn't totally derivative. That said, I'm also not trying to reinvent the wheel with this game--it is both mechanically and content wise a homage to those games of the past that I have loved. It just brews them into a slightly different package. I've no illusions that the world wants or needs ANOTHER fantasy roleplaying game, but I've always wanted to do this for my own satisfaction. So far it has been fun. The pain will come later I suspect. So, what's next? <br />
<br />
Once, I do another pass or two on the design draft my next goal would be to play the game to see how it runs. I'll post about that after it happens, but it may be a while as my group is finishing up this fifteen month Amber campaign that we've been playing. After I play the game, I have to do some serious thinking about where I'd like to go next. Do I try to develop this into a coherent game text? Doing so would mean some serious writing as I could see the design draft expanding to eighty or a hundred pages once everything is explained so that other people could play and run the game.<br />
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One of the other things I do want to include is some kind of beastiary, but I haven't even turned my mind to that yet.<br />
<br />
There will be a setting in the game, but it is my intention that as with Chaosium's <i>Runequest</i> the game could easily be adapted to your own dark fantasy campaign world. The world right now is a mix of old school <i>Warhammer</i>, <i>Ravenloft</i>, <i>A Song of Ice and Fir</i>e, and real world gritty medieval. However, the imagined playstyle the game supports is a semi-sandbox that the players can wander around in, and there will be concrete advice on how to set up this up. When I say semi-sandbox I mean that the map space the characters wander around in will have opportunities for the characters to use their skills, attain a bit of gold, and even achieve personal goals--it isn't exactly the pure sandbox of old school D&D, but it is a close relative. I'm not interested in a "missions" or railroads as that's not usually a playstyle I particularly enjoy (Uther-period <i>Pendragon</i> being a notable exception).<br />
<br />
<br />Nickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15271590915482399360noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1256479369530813567.post-2432402110516952612013-04-05T13:45:00.003-07:002013-04-05T13:45:55.947-07:00Franco v Colbert Tolkien Smackdown IISteven Colbert is awesome.
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/IxqDoVaLqhc" width="560"></iframe>Nickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15271590915482399360noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1256479369530813567.post-49847668847130755772013-04-04T21:58:00.001-07:002013-04-04T21:59:21.473-07:00Awesome Comic Books Artists Drawing Stuff on a French TV Show from the 70s<br />
Here are some of the best comic book artists ever on a French TV show where they collaborate on a drawing. <br />
<br />
In this one Druillet amazes me as always with what pours out of his pen. Hogarth is wonderful, and who can resist John Buscema drawing Norrin Radd?? <br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/1xTe7212GQc" width="420"></iframe> <br />
<br />
I've always loved Moebius and Neil Adams, but it was Joe Kubert who blew me away here.<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/tY3Rf0i9hgU" width="420"></iframe><br />Nickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15271590915482399360noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1256479369530813567.post-26707042006528115242013-04-03T14:06:00.002-07:002013-04-03T14:07:04.999-07:00In the Weeds of Game DesignI've been working on my previously mentioned and untitled Fantasy Roleplaying Game. I'm well into the weed in a few areas, but I also have some really daunting work ahead of me. Game design is a bizarre and sometimes painful process. As was indicated in my last post, the game is definitely heading in an old school simulationist direction right now. It feels to me like an unholy combination of Runequest, Top Secret/SI, AD&D 1e, Rolemaster, Stormbringer, and Palladium Fantasy. I've also stolen a few "new school" ideas from games like Burning Wheel (which I feel like a spiritual successor to some of the games above).<br />
<br />
Right now there are sixteen professions and working through those is taking longer than I thought.<br />
<br />
And the magic system is a bit of a mess right now.<br />
<br />
And so it goes.Nickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15271590915482399360noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1256479369530813567.post-53133731023115707672013-04-01T14:54:00.000-07:002013-04-03T11:13:25.199-07:00Simulations & Dragons (or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and do my own Fantasy Heartbreaker)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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There is an ancient tradition of people trying to do the their own Fantasy Roleplaying Games. For much of the early years of our hobby this consisted of people trying to do D&D "right" or more even "realistically." Examples of this particular design path include games like: Runequest, Chivalry & Sorcery, Harnmaster, Palladium Fantasy (1st Edition), Rolemaster, Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay, and many others. Even my beloved AD&D 1st Edition can be seen as an outgrowth of this impulse in response to the original 1974 D&D Boxed set. I've always been attracted to these more complex games, and the idea of simulating in great detail my own fantasy characters and the kingdom they live in has always been a powerful draw for me.</div>
<br />
To that end, I've started tinkering with my own game system that definitely draws inspiration from these types of games. Right now it consistes of a mass of notes in a notebook, but it's edging up on eight or nine pages of rough notes right now. I've no intention of publishing this for sale, but maybe I'll make it available as a free pdf eventually, and I don't really know where this is going though. Conceivable, I could wake up tomorrow and decide this is a terrible idea.<br />
<br />
Right now I'm excited about though. I'll post more about it if I continue to make progress. <br />
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Old school simulationists unite!<br />
<br />Nickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15271590915482399360noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1256479369530813567.post-11680772663722928572013-03-19T07:56:00.000-07:002013-03-19T07:58:56.445-07:00Heritage's Knights & Magick now available from The Gaming Gang<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://thegaminggang.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/KMFeat-400x186.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="148" src="http://thegaminggang.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/KMFeat-400x186.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
Heritage Model's Paint and Play sets <b>Caverns of Doom</b> and <b>Crypt of the Sorcerer</b> were formative games in my introduction to the hobby. A friend of mine got <b>Caverns of Doom</b> the same Christmas I received the Moldvay Basic Set. A few years ago, I got interested in trying to track down copies of the games and while I did manage to locate the rules--alas, I don't own the actual miniatures that came with them. In the process of all this, I remembered seeing ads for other miniature sets Heritage produced like <b>Merlin</b> (which written written by Greg Stafford) and <b>Knights of King Arthur</b>. However, I also learned that Heritage had produced a more extensive miniatures rule set called <b>Knights and Magick</b>. Now I've always been interested in minis, but I didn't really own any until I started buying D&D Plastic minis a few years ago.<br />
<br />
Despite this lack of real metal minis I became really intrigued by this little rule set. I realized that I really wanted to check it out, but sets of this game were pretty pricey on the secondary market. One of the issues surrounding the game was figuring out who actually owned the Knights and Magick IP. Heritage Models went into bankruptcy in the mid 1980s, and their miniature lines were sold off to a number of companies (including Reaper). Apparently, what happened is that Heritage didn't bother to sell the rights to the rules of Knights and Magick to anybody! That means that the only people who could claim rights to the game was Heritage Models, and they no longer existed as an entity.<br />
<br />
Enter the guys over at the Gaming Gang podcast who spent some time talking to Heritage's former IP holders and asking them if they minded if they went ahead and made the Knights and Magick rules available again. Nobody seemed to care, so they've taken the plunge.<br />
<br />
So Knight and Magick is now available as a PDF for $12.95. They also have physical copies available from Lulu. Moreover, they're planning on producing a new edition of the game later this year!<br />
<br />
Check out their pages:<br />
<br />
<a href="http://thegaminggang.com/2013/01/knights-and-magick-classic-miniatures-rule-set-back-in-print-here-at-tgg/">http://thegaminggang.com/2013/01/knights-and-magick-classic-miniatures-rule-set-back-in-print-here-at-tgg/</a><br />
<br />
and here:<br />
<br />
<a href="http://thegaminggang.com/2013/02/knights-and-magick-now-available-as-sofcover-hardcover-or-coil-bound-books/">http://thegaminggang.com/2013/02/knights-and-magick-now-available-as-sofcover-hardcover-or-coil-bound-books/</a>Nickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15271590915482399360noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1256479369530813567.post-69417801654064191822013-03-08T10:25:00.003-08:002013-03-08T10:29:53.474-08:00Adjudicating Combat in OD&D<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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</xml><![endif]-->The apparent lack of an initiative system in OD&D is
something that I've been thinking about recently.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This might be obvious stuff to seasoned
OD&D players, but my perspective on this has shifted a bit recently.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I think I was looking at the game too firmly
through the lens of what came later--rather than seeing what may be suggested
by the rulebooks themselves.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So here’s
my thoughts on OD&D and Combat.<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
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We can see that various later editions tried to deal with
this issue by instituting various solutions such as tracking initiative by
Dexterity rating (Holmes) or by rolling a d6 (AD&D, Moldvay).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Both of these approaches can be extrapolated
from Men & Magic.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
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However--the whole point of the referee is to adjudicate
these kinds of situations!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So with that
in mind:</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
First, the referee looks at situational factors like
surprise.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Does it seem likely that any
of the participants are surprised?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Is
there a chance that the PCs may be alerted in some way?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>How do we determine this?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The referee adjudicates the situation FAIRLY
based on situational factors.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That is, I
think, the default system implied by the OD&D rulebooks.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Second, assuming that combat has been joined--what happens
next?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Who goes first?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Well how fast and skilled are the PCs?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(this is where Dex becomes a factor as it
indicates in Men & Magic)<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Are there other
factors that need to be accounted for?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>If the PCs are heavily armored Dwarves using heavy axes fighting a group
of Orcs wearing leather armor and armed with lighter short swords and
crossbows--might the Orcs gain initiative?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Or what if one the players is so quickly decisive that she immediately
declares that her PC is charging the Orcs and yelling the ancient battle cry of
the Dwarves?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Might this PC gain
initiative before the Orcs even if the other Dwarves do not?</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Other factors such as weapon reach etc. can also be factored
in through adjudication.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
If it looks like it’s a too close to call--you can always
fall back on the d6 as a "tie-breaker" as Holmes suggests.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Other factors such as additional strikes (ripostes etc.) can
be adjudicated as well.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In this regard
I'd use Chainmail as a guideline as to situational factors that might play into
this.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The referee or the players makes attack rolls as usual with
the DM adjudicating the effectiveness of hits etc.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Use d6 or variable damage here as you
will.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>One of the main jobs of the
referee here is to make combat vivid and exciting.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Don't just drone on about hit points
lost--give us some real description of what's happening!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>D&D combat is very abstract, and it is up
to the referee here to make it sing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Season with whatever level of gore you and your players are comfortable
with.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Bad things happen when people hit
each other with sharp pieces of metal!</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
This approach really comes out of OD&D's wargame roots
but it also veers close to what's today called "freeform."<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The referee has as many tools as they want
here.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Lots of folks might feel like
they're flying without the net of the rules here--to that I say: Welcome to
OD&D! </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Lots of folks have obviously seen the advantages to this
approach which was lost to one degree or another in all later iterations of the
game.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Indeed, so many people complained
about this to TSR that they felt they needed a more solid rules based edition
that didn’t leave so much to the referee.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Thus Advanced Dungeons and Dragons was born.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I love AD&D but there’s something very
freeing in all the open spaces of OD&D. </div>
Nickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15271590915482399360noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1256479369530813567.post-85337836568813080242012-09-11T09:05:00.001-07:002012-09-11T09:05:56.223-07:00Large Size OD&D Campaign Hex Map Here are a few pictures of the hex map I made up for the OD&D campaign I was running a few months back. I've had the Armory hex paper for about seventeen years. Figured I might as well finally use it for a big sandbox game. We played about seven sessions of this before moving on to our current (and super awesome) Amber game, but I'd like to go back to the sandbox OD&D game at some point.<br />
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I included the rulebooks we're using for size reference in one picture.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8ekoIStfMHI6jDW7hLtnbTA4zGgIsa4ApHiYJQHu15U1fLDXYDa-apkudnke25KFsZu2ktqCk0YfWRCAg342QpHMHB3ikRAyBAaZpKRYjbN0JzPk9Yif4Q3C5Kv0QF9ugBbigdlmUqIoz/s1600/PA191867.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8ekoIStfMHI6jDW7hLtnbTA4zGgIsa4ApHiYJQHu15U1fLDXYDa-apkudnke25KFsZu2ktqCk0YfWRCAg342QpHMHB3ikRAyBAaZpKRYjbN0JzPk9Yif4Q3C5Kv0QF9ugBbigdlmUqIoz/s320/PA191867.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<br />Nickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15271590915482399360noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1256479369530813567.post-60787469883970991002012-08-09T14:58:00.002-07:002012-08-09T15:03:08.366-07:00Proper Musical Accompaniment for Rodney Matthews' ArtworkListen to this while looking at my previous post.
<iframe width="420" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/lKOQ0BzEZ6k" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>Nickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15271590915482399360noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1256479369530813567.post-47916503396992805332012-08-09T12:29:00.000-07:002012-08-09T12:34:14.531-07:001970s Fantasy Art: More Rodney Matthews AwesomeFolks seem to have really liked my previous Rodney Matthews gallery and so here is another helping of his particular brand of fantasy weird. These would make an amazing inspiration for a campaign world. I mean who wouldn't want to play in a campaign where wizards ride giant wasps and the moon is a fanged skull? I'm in.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh00y13-mwkWD95YQr_nCsCnPzCF4fgoC02xwm3538L53BREa8INmNogY2e-WeFYrSzkN_FBnimEeGs4ZpTsFDb4OSvQp3GGbfUNRBXI0ynPiE4Zwcjh-vbroxHg0Kx07P-ULzLSlWm7ap/s1600/Matthews_Rodney_148_Time_Tells_No_Lies.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="163" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh00y13-mwkWD95YQr_nCsCnPzCF4fgoC02xwm3538L53BREa8INmNogY2e-WeFYrSzkN_FBnimEeGs4ZpTsFDb4OSvQp3GGbfUNRBXI0ynPiE4Zwcjh-vbroxHg0Kx07P-ULzLSlWm7ap/s320/Matthews_Rodney_148_Time_Tells_No_Lies.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Nickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15271590915482399360noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1256479369530813567.post-22610541084098460812012-08-09T11:14:00.000-07:002012-08-09T13:27:52.971-07:00Gaming History: Interview with Dave Wesley.<div class="fullname">
Check out this interview with Dave Wesley conducted by Clyde Rhoer for his podcast <b>Theory from the Closet</b>. Clyde makes it clear to his listeners that he doesn't really do any editing so what you'll hear is the conversation as it happened warts and all. I find this approach oddly refreshing. I'm a sucker for a good interview and this one is particularly interesting for Old School gamers--especially if you have an interest in wargames and the early days of the hobby. </div>
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Dave Wesley is the guy who might be described as the first GM. His game <b>Braunstein</b> inspired a guy named Dave Arneson (who you might have heard of) to run a fantasy version of Braunstein for his Twin Cities wargaming group in the early 1970s. Dave later hooked up with another wargamer from the Lake Geneva area named Gary Gygax and here we are in 2012 still enjoying the can of worms opened up by these gentlemen.</div>
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I find Dave's description of the freewheeling days of wargaming particularly inspiring. DIY was the order of the day even then.</div>
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Here the link to the show (also on iTunes):</div>
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<a href="http://www.theoryfromthecloset.com/shows/tftc_show060.mp3">LINK</a></div>Nickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15271590915482399360noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1256479369530813567.post-34212229452389921832012-08-07T11:22:00.002-07:002012-08-07T13:01:48.849-07:00Abstraction and the Narrative of CombatI’ve been researching the rules for Squad Leader via the internet, and one of the things that people often comment about SL and ASL is the way the game builds a narrative of events. As play unfolds we answer the question: what’s going to happen when these forces come into contact with each other? In the original SL the main unit of time is the 2 minute turn. This means that while there is a lot of specific information coming our way throughout the turn—there is still some level of abstraction going on. I think that open abstraction is one of the key elements to the game. We can fill in the blanks based on what happens as the turn unfolds. And in SL/ASL these will likely be terrible, terrible things (that’s what happens when you fire high velocity pieces of metal at groups of human beings).<br />
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So we get this strong narrative unfolding in the game which allows us to fill in the details as we see fit. This principle is the secret of what makes tactical games like SL/ASL so much fun. This idea of narrative is an element of many boardgames and it is largely ignored in the rules which concern themselves with resolution and determining what happens. Who wins?<br />
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Interestingly, these ideas are the primary fuel in RPGs. Building a narrative is what RPGs are all about, right? So when folks complain about the 1 minute round in AD&D as being “too abstract” I thinks they’re missing that Gary Gygax was a wargamer. He was probable very comfortable with the abstract nature of D&D combat because he saw it simple as a fun way to resolve what happened and build that narrative of combat. That means it is incumbent upon the DM and the players to make this stuff come alive. Add or subtract your level of gore to suit your group’s taste.<br />
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So next time you’re in combat: remember to make it come alive and tell the story of what happens. Be descriptive. Make it live. The dice give us information, and we have to put it back into the fiction of the game.Nickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15271590915482399360noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1256479369530813567.post-88388035877658544212012-08-06T12:46:00.002-07:002012-08-06T14:29:53.744-07:00Runequest 6 Video PreviewI've been curious about Runequest 6 for a few months now. I never bought Mongoose's Runequest II (now Runequest 5), but about a year ago I acquired a copy of the old Runequest 2nd edition by Chaosium which is an amazing game (and quite innovative for the time). This new edition sounds like it is exactly what I'm looking for.<br />
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Fantasy toolkit.
Intuitive system. Check.<br />
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Optimized for an ancient world / sword & sorcery setting (although medieval and later fantasy worlds are still possible). Check.<br />
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A number of different magic systems which can be customized for effect. Check.<br />
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Gritty and vivid combat. Check.<br />
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Social and societal background has an effect on character creation. Check.<br />
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Religion and cults. Check.<br />
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Social mechanics. Check.<br />
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Lots of GM advice on how to make running Runequest better. Check.<br />
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Passions and hatreds (similar to Pendragon). Check. <br />
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And if you'd like a look at the book you can check out Lawrence Whitaker's preview video of what you get.
Check it out:<br />
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<iframe width="560" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/C0MxSk4gEAU" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>Nickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15271590915482399360noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1256479369530813567.post-1873316789347581492012-08-06T00:29:00.001-07:002012-08-06T12:45:05.456-07:00I've come down with Avalon Hill Syndrome<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdma8kVZxip_ed7n-b7HIIB8k3vUOVcgmlyjI6iSdCbAkWAerSYcsOdVxZGKdHzNKLKnvBk_1kHknW_iEodmANVRMZoqEuAB1QFL31MFKoEjM0ziq8cU60bg67ssntisQcqcETYRbmqKwk/s1600/Squad+Leader.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdma8kVZxip_ed7n-b7HIIB8k3vUOVcgmlyjI6iSdCbAkWAerSYcsOdVxZGKdHzNKLKnvBk_1kHknW_iEodmANVRMZoqEuAB1QFL31MFKoEjM0ziq8cU60bg67ssntisQcqcETYRbmqKwk/s400/Squad+Leader.jpg" width="295" /></a></div>
The last few weeks I've been bitten by a "nostalgia" bug which has never hit me before. I've become obsessed with trying out some of the old Avalon Hill wargames. I remember looking at these bookcase games back in the day, but I found them too intimidating for whatever reason. Now I've only limited experience with real wargames, but I'm determined to give a few of these a go. Only problem is I don't own any of these games! So I'll be looking to get one or more of these in the next few months. My experience of wargaming comes down to a handful of various boardgames like <b>The Game of Thrones </b>boardgame and <b>Harpoon</b> a naval simulation game by techno-thriller writer Larry Bond and which helped inspire his friend Tom Clancy to write <b>The Hunt for Red October</b>.
Here are two of the games on my hit list:
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<b>Squad Leader</b>: I've been looking at the box for this game for a huge section of my life. It might be my favorite box cover ever even though I've never owned the game! I'm super excited to play this along with the first expansion <b>Cross of Iron</b>. From what I've read with Cross of Iron is where the game's design was at its strongest point. The two later gamettes added lots more "chrome" to the basic engine of Squad Leader and began to pull toward the total simulation of what would become <b>Advanced Squad Leader</b>. <b>ASL</b> is still in print and has a large active fanbase (which is great), but I'm not looking to invest that much in a game right now. I'm just looking to finally get a chance to play the original Squad Leader.
<b> </b><br />
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<b>Panzer Leader</b>: This game covers some of the same ground as Squad Leader in that it is a tactical WWII game featuring tanks, but it is really an entirely separate game. It is the sequel game to the popular <b>Panzerblitz</b> which was criticized for a number of rules that Panzer Leader manages to fix.
I'll try to report back about the outcome of my foray.Nickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15271590915482399360noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1256479369530813567.post-56304863586446140502012-01-29T00:39:00.000-08:002012-01-29T00:43:44.292-08:00Awesome Games I OwnHere's a picture of some of my favorite games. Bask in their glory. <br />
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(And yes, those ARE my crappy ancient slippers on the left side)Nickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15271590915482399360noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1256479369530813567.post-9142683476318358012012-01-25T00:02:00.000-08:002012-01-25T00:02:27.926-08:00Awesome Books I OwnI've got a digital camera, and I am therefore going to show you pictures of awesome books I own:<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8hfCguzY9IxKN3z2a6lK_yMbOd_GK0Ldc_8p2kF04_aox9lV-cBiPxUfff1GMiCydsZ7vHWc2ieMkVD90dfMziMq9LZdOQho0stLhlrDFyh2Em1uPPeWulDanB6HB8nJ6TMsci1Y3Y7_G/s1600/P9021837.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="299" width="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8hfCguzY9IxKN3z2a6lK_yMbOd_GK0Ldc_8p2kF04_aox9lV-cBiPxUfff1GMiCydsZ7vHWc2ieMkVD90dfMziMq9LZdOQho0stLhlrDFyh2Em1uPPeWulDanB6HB8nJ6TMsci1Y3Y7_G/s400/P9021837.JPG" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbw3JH4lHGlFZqZmRWpxAPvNaHVQ-hzqxRWz92n45tbDw72b1fy0IwezQtjluyG-NaDZ-FwZ9cWm7wI6RYEhCP9XGlyLS6WFjbLvvSfl_j1FB5aY8ziKp7sUjGmJgdfYl5pkc5VzPgcp6S/s1600/P9021836.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="299" width="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbw3JH4lHGlFZqZmRWpxAPvNaHVQ-hzqxRWz92n45tbDw72b1fy0IwezQtjluyG-NaDZ-FwZ9cWm7wI6RYEhCP9XGlyLS6WFjbLvvSfl_j1FB5aY8ziKp7sUjGmJgdfYl5pkc5VzPgcp6S/s400/P9021836.JPG" /></a></div>Nickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15271590915482399360noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1256479369530813567.post-32698126227854489132011-12-22T15:09:00.000-08:002011-12-22T15:09:08.650-08:00The Free City of ImiraHere's the map of the starting town in my newly minted OD&D campaign:<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzXN4z8wFGQtWesSJa-ZsLlSUgq489G4FL-2qMtFn__UJUsJXfI8yjYLICw0bcuN05v4kwdCTTrtr-iwAP7jH4vcC8cPbjulMh7xx0tSSGEsdTUapdPMMTqJ7udJ0M5N_jZ3g7q_A6095v/s1600/Freecityofimira.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="400" width="309" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzXN4z8wFGQtWesSJa-ZsLlSUgq489G4FL-2qMtFn__UJUsJXfI8yjYLICw0bcuN05v4kwdCTTrtr-iwAP7jH4vcC8cPbjulMh7xx0tSSGEsdTUapdPMMTqJ7udJ0M5N_jZ3g7q_A6095v/s400/Freecityofimira.jpg" /></a></div>Nickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15271590915482399360noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1256479369530813567.post-26614117448179302522011-12-16T12:16:00.000-08:002011-12-16T12:16:21.404-08:00Tolkien on Elves, Dwarves, and MenHere's a brief except of the Professor discussing the races of his secondary world.<br />
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<iframe width="420" height="315" src="http://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/OimOIk__pE4" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>Nickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15271590915482399360noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1256479369530813567.post-15772226763724925442011-12-01T13:28:00.000-08:002011-12-01T13:33:33.325-08:00Reflections on Tolkien and his LegendariumJ.R.R. Tolkien is the author who still continues to astound me. Before I loved Moorcock and Lovecraft and Wolfe, I was a reader of Tolkien. Middle Earth is still in many ways, for me, THE primal fantasy world. I recently finished the excellent biography of Tolkien by Humphrey Carpenter, and I've fallen into his works once again. This time, I find myself appreciating things that I never did when I was younger: his intensive control over language, the songs, and the total willingness to be himself in defiance of literary conventions of his time. In regard to <i>The Hobbit</i>, I find I'm realizing just how funny the book is.<br />
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When I was younger, after having read both <i>The Hobbit</i> and <i>The Lord of the Rings</i>, I read <i>The Silmarillion</i>. The early chapters were daunting at first and after a time I put the book aside. This is a very common story that I hear over and over from many people who loved The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit. They find themselves unable to find a way into <i>The Silmarillion</i>. There are no Hobbits here to ground us into the fiction. We are off flying deep into the secondary world and it is, perhaps, too much of a leap for some. I was very fortunate that I DID find a way into <i>The Silmarillion</i>. I happened to pick up the book one afternoon and for some reason I decided to skip to one of the later stories. What sounded interesting? The chapter I read was simple titled "Of Beren and Luthien" This tale, little did I know, is, along with the story of Turin Turambar, one of the key stories in all of the Professor's Legendarium. It's a tale of love and adventure and loss like no other. After that, I was hooked. I went back and read from the beginning and this time it was different bacause I'd already fallen in love with this world that he was showing me. I can't say it enough. If you enjoy Tolkien and you haven't read the Silmarillion--try to find your way in--you won't regret it.<br />
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Here's Tolkien reciting one of his poems in Elvish:<br />
<iframe width="420" height="315" src="http://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/6de_SbVUVfA" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>Nickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15271590915482399360noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1256479369530813567.post-28601569987750843932011-11-30T09:12:00.001-08:002011-11-30T09:12:17.839-08:00Gandalf's Reflection (The Hobbit Soundtrack 1977)<iframe width="420" height="315" src="http://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/f4TysZL6YiA" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>Nickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15271590915482399360noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1256479369530813567.post-11734494008478519762011-10-20T12:25:00.000-07:002011-10-31T23:55:45.000-07:00Another clip from Ranking Bass' ROTK<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxruKfQtI5n0jvmUKhSJ3EucxRH_GuCSbiDhp65HavExQh6WOIAVrUx6mBb9v00Y1LaHWJ-7-bsimoV0eyQt_Dr5rOH10gkreBnk74pa9aqdHZRiT_QK4bwSi3TFSQQbp4xpcaZ0ZRYqJH/s1600/return-of-the-king-book-record-1980.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="388" width="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxruKfQtI5n0jvmUKhSJ3EucxRH_GuCSbiDhp65HavExQh6WOIAVrUx6mBb9v00Y1LaHWJ-7-bsimoV0eyQt_Dr5rOH10gkreBnk74pa9aqdHZRiT_QK4bwSi3TFSQQbp4xpcaZ0ZRYqJH/s400/return-of-the-king-book-record-1980.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8GeE0CpS_jc9aec48HSM4RDhTOcft7MMtzvkBycMjwBNfRTqP0DPl6D706YxPpEifgP8Rhyo8LfJlGgCTV68M1VTYSOPVkQqb3mNKhjifXUUKroFS64JNPxq7626H-MuxN5y1hi9GT6op/s1600/hobbit-lp.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="400" width="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8GeE0CpS_jc9aec48HSM4RDhTOcft7MMtzvkBycMjwBNfRTqP0DPl6D706YxPpEifgP8Rhyo8LfJlGgCTV68M1VTYSOPVkQqb3mNKhjifXUUKroFS64JNPxq7626H-MuxN5y1hi9GT6op/s400/hobbit-lp.jpg" /></a></div><br />
This clip from the Rankin-Bass Return of the King also has a certain something to it. I've got lots of problems with this animated adaptation, but this scene isn't one of them. GO GROND!!<br />
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Most of my good feeling about the film comes from the fact that I first saw it when I was seven and that I had a book and record set telling the story of the film. I also had the book and record set of the Hobbit which was just about my favorite thing in the world back then. Much of my fondness for fantasy (and subsequently D&D) come from seeing these movies. I didn't get around to reading Tolkien's books for another three years, but these films were enough to get me started.Nickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15271590915482399360noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1256479369530813567.post-26124485438306707552011-10-20T09:13:00.000-07:002011-10-20T09:13:08.095-07:00In some ways this is better than the Peter Jackson film. . .I've had a love-hate relationship with the Rankin-Bass naimated Tolkien adaptations since the 1970s. Return of the King, for one example, has way too many goofy songs! However, it has its moments too. I always liked this moment in the film:<br />
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<iframe width="420" height="315" src="http://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/q5mgjE9t114" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>Nickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15271590915482399360noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1256479369530813567.post-16628699581195318512011-10-18T08:02:00.000-07:002011-10-18T08:16:28.880-07:00Low Anthem!This video is the perfect collision of image and music. It haunts me.<br />
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<iframe width="560" height="315" src="http://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/7D3v9VkCdjQ" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>Nickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15271590915482399360noreply@blogger.com0