Press "Enter" to skip to content

Category: Gaming

Flying fingers

July 25, 2004
3 Comments

I just completed my 24 Hour RPG. Phew. Started: 1 PM, 7/24/04; finished: 1 PM, 7/25/04.

Above The Earth is a superhero game designed around resource management mechanics. It’s flexible enough to handle street-level superheroes and cosmic powers, all in the same fight. “You have a hundred six sided dice; when you run out, you run out.”

I started this one with the example of play, which made writing the rest of the game almost painless. I wish I’d had another hour to review it and in particular double-check the math in the example of play; I looked at it a few times but I’m convinced I missed something. C’est la vie.

I also forgot to add the section on using HeroClix figures and maps, which was intended for people who really like tactical maps. I wanted to point out that rules-light systems could still support that kind of thing. Perhaps there’ll be a Extended Remix Edition at some point.

If there is, I will definitely have better art and formatting. I really wanted to make it easy to print this out and fold it into a booklet, which meant 5×8 pages printed two-up, but I couldn’t figure out how to get the PDF right using just Microsoft Word, so I punted to a columnar layout. Which works, but I couldn’t do page numbers properly, which is why there aren’t any of those.

Not that a twenty-four page book needs those, but still… hey! I hit 24 (small) pages exactly. Keen. The final word count is 6,300 words.

I also wanted art. I spent an hour looking for public domain superhero art on the Web. No luck. So the look is pretty boring. But functional.

I didn’t lose any sleep writing this; in fact, I even took time out to go see The Bourne Supremacy which actually revitalized my energies nicely. And I thought about the game design during the previews, so it wasn’t totally lost time.

As a whole, I’m pretty happy with the project and the result.

Monday Mashup: Um, Yeah…

July 14, 2004
2 Comments

So yeah, missed this week’s mashup too.

I was going to try and hit 52 and call it a series and take a break. I am, however, not going to get that done, at least not with weekly posts. I am burned out on doing clever things to original texts. I can come up with ideas for a mashup subject all day long, but I cannot so much come up with good things to do to the subjects. It makes my brain hurt.

Thus, my current plan is as follows: I will continue to do sporadic mashups on Mondays until I hit #52. Then I will take a nice long break till I feel like doing ‘em again.

Thanks for your patience. I apologize if anyone is disappointed or dejected, although I suspect it’s no big deal and I feel a pretty complete lack of angst about it.

Top ten

June 30, 2004
4 Comments

“He was known throughout the world for his engineering accomplishments, also.”

“He was probably one of the greatest living experts on geology and archaeology.”

“He was a wizard with electricity.”

“Ham looked what he was – a quick thinker and possibly the most astute lawyer Harvard ever turned out.”

Excellence is a core aspect of any good pulp game. In order to establish this for Huey Long’s Men of Action, I’m going to steal a trick from San Angelo: City of Heroes and write down some top ten lists. Top ten doctors, top ten boxers, top ten research scientists, top ten aviators, top ten criminal masterminds, top ten archeologists, top ten diplomats… what else? Suggestions for more lists are welcome.

I’m thinking it’d make sense to share these with players as a means towards creating a shared conception of the world. Some entries will be “Unknown.” Some of those will be known to me, but not to players. Not too many, though.

Monday Mashup #44: Richard Thompson

June 29, 2004
2 Comments

Hey, did I miss a week? Yes I did, without so much as a word to the wise. I apologize, but I do not promise that it will not happen again. I haven’t produced a mashup I’d really want to run for a month or so and since I’m doing this for myself first and foremost… well.

However, this week I got something going. I think. Our mashup for the day is Richard Thompson. Unlike Madonna, I’m thinking of the man’s songs rather than his person, although I suppose if you want to base a campaign idea around a cheerful middle-aged man who sings songs about angst and love lost and pain and happens to be one of the best guitarists on the face of the planet — who am I to stop you?

Start your word processors.

Continue ReadingMonday Mashup #44: Richard Thompson

Feed me, Flora

June 27, 2004
3 Comments

So Rachel Ray, Bobby Flay, Anthony Bourdain, Emeril Lagasse, Frederic van Coppernolle, Jamie Oliver, and Alton Brown get kidnapped by Princess Florimel to compete for the post of Head Chef of Amber Castle…

Cooking ensued. Lots of fun, despite the fact that I am somewhat Food Network challenged. Mostly posted for the sake of my foodie friends, who can now proceed to be properly amused.

Game Dream #1: Voice

June 20, 2004
1 Comment

Doc has taken over the Game WISH, renaming it the Game Dream. Cool! Question 1:

When Role Playing Games are discussed, the subject of first-person versus third-person character narratives sometimes surfaces. When you play a character, do you assume first-person, using your voice as his or hers, or do you use third person, simply describing what he or she is doing? Do you switch between first and third person, or try to adhere to one? When other players are in character, does the use of first or third person affect your immersion in the game?

As a player, I usually go first person, dropping third person when — hm, just about never, now that I think about it. I do use third person when I’m talking about my character’s motivations, though, probably because I regard that as out of character information. I tend to muse on that sort of thing when I’m making decisions (“Hm, Paul’s awfully tempted by that, because of his love of France…”) both to give the other players an idea why my character might do something insane and so as to give the GM a hand. Since the musings aren’t something that’s visibly happening in-game, I drop to third person to express them.

As a GM — more or less the same, except that I always third person physical actions. I very rarely go third person for NPC dialogue, though. I’d rather use accents.