Dungeon Clubbing

Hot Topics

2008-05-10T08:31:52Z

Religion can be a hot button topic in games.

I remember running into a group of players using straight DnD rules for a campaign with Christians, Jews, and Muslims during a crusades-style game. The question of whether they were all one god or not was handled by *most* spellcasting priests actually being sorcerers, with cleric s and druids rare. Even so,. I had trouble seeng how you could not either have paladins crossing swords with each other (which isn't impossible, alignment doesn't always breed alliance), or decide that one side was, flat, WRONG and likely shouldn't have any successful, non-evil clerics.

I;'ve also run into a lot of games using Wicca as the template for witches, run by people who don't understand what Wicca is (and what it isn't -- there are so many traditions using that name, I think a Wiccapedia is called for). Some of those games weren;t a problem for me. Some, especially some modern ones, were.

For my own games, I never use any real-world religion, including never using ancient gods as neo=pagans often still revere them. It's actually easier for me to decide the Skulf, barbarian northmen, worship Hatan the All-Seeing Father and Knodur the White Storm than to decide what versions of Odein and thor to use. Sure, people know where I am drawing my inspiration from, but they also know I can make such changes as I see fit, and I'm not claiming that's how Vikings worshipped any given deity. And if I decide Yevethia is a montheistic deity who had a son Avram who sacrificed himself so mortals would be forgiven of their sins, and a single prophet Johud, none of my Abrahimic friends need to be offended (and a lot like what I've done with that religion).

Even in modern gams, I avoid real-world religions (which at one point lead to the Shebarine Nuns in a game of mine, with no one being sure what they were nuns of, religion-wise).

But even if you stay away from real world religions and the baggage they contain, religion can still be a land mine. I ran a plot once that included a Goai (priest) of the Cult of the Earth Dragon (a major good-aligned religion in that game) who was seduced by a blasphemer (a monster of mine), and turned to such evils as human sacrifice to gain knowledge from the dead. He was clearly evil, but when the PCs brought him to the Cult, the Cult simply accepted he was a bad egg, and thanked the PCs for stopping him. For two of my players, that wasn't enough, Since the authority of the Cult had helped the Goai do his evil, they felt the structure of the cult itself had to be dismantled. They felt, in all earnestness, that the *existence* of an organized religion would inevitably lead to evil abuses, and thus the cult had to eliminate its upper ranks, and become a series of small, interconnected temples with no high authorities. Their mistrust of organized religion, as a concept, prevented them from accepting that such a move wouldn't prevent local Goai from using their local authority to become local evils.

This is a good example of "Assumption Clashes" as detailed in the Advanced Gamemaster Guide, and I used that guide to get through that problem. I also learned to talk to players a bit about major religions before each game, so we'd all start on the same page, or at least I could see if a player insisted on being on a different page.

How do you all handle religion in games?

No Fury, Part II

2008-05-06T18:27:05Z

I had hoped this would be a weekly thing, but it looks like it's going to be more a monthly thing. That said, part II of my first fiction effort, No Fury, is now up at:

http://imbercorvus.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=49&t=7&p=138#p138

Feel free to take a look and tell me what you think!

Kor Kammor (again!)

2008-04-25T08:59:00Z

I did a bonus post, to make up for the long wait for the last one.

http://paizo.com/paizo/messageboards/community/gaming/campaignJournals/blackDaysOfKorKammorGameOne&page=5#516973

Kor Kammor!

2008-04-24T08:18:51Z

The next Black Days of Kor Kammor post is up at Paizo. You can read it here:
http://paizo.com/paizo/messageboards/community/gaming/campaignJournals/blackDaysOfKorKammorGameOne&page=5&source=rss#512616

Love You All!

2008-04-20T17:12:46Z

Hey folks!

I;ve been busy, sorry. I'm working on the campaign Journal for Paizo, the next No Fury story entry, and some thoughts about the GSL, but I barely have time to sleep right now.

I do have some interesting news. It turns out that my two games, Skiffs and endgame. are now represented by Lone Shark games. Nothings done until its done, but I suspect these will see print in some form.

Hee!

More posting when I can carve out the time.

Did You Feel That?!

2008-04-18T17:15:35Z

I woke up early this morning with the odd feeling that there had been a crash, or the building was shifting. I decided it was a dream, and went back to sleep.

Now I am learning it was, apparently, an earthquake! First one I ever recall feeling.

Weird.

DM Support

2008-04-14T05:26:21Z

What do we, as DMs want, in the way of setting support?

I'm sure people smarter than me have examined this question, but I can't help but take my own stab at it. It's worth noting that I have never run long campaigns in published se4ttings. They just never match my needs well enough to use whole-cloth, and that's fine. What I DO use them for is grabbing pieces and stitching them together into my own Frankenstein's Monster of a setting, and I suspect I'm not alone in that.

So, from that point of view, here are the DungeonGrrrl points of quality for setting material.

1: New ideas.
It's easy to say, but hard to do. That's what makes it useful to me. Any good new idea, from a new monster to a new evil plot to new spells to new religions can be a big helpo for me. Note that most "new" ideas are obviously re-hashed old ideas (which have their place), but here I am talking abut the really new, or at least new to me.

2: Relationships
One good way to create something new from the old is to put it together in new relationships. For example, I love that in Midnight the good guys are the underdogs (and thus forced to work together), and that in Arcana Evolved humans aren't the dominant species, giants are. None of the ideas from those settings are genuinely brand new, but how they fit together often are.

3: Names
Cool names can be worthwhile all by themselves. If I get a setting and like nothing but the names, I may still consider it a worthwhile purchase. It's a bonus when my players don;t immediately recognize those names.

4: Sparks
I'm not sure how better to describe this. Some settings, when I read them, spark totally different ideas in my head. Often it's a cryptic remark or bit of backstory with just enough detail to make me wonder what it means, causing me to come up with my own answers. Not ALL incomplete builds do this, and I don't know how to tell the first type from the second, but the first type is a big help to me.

5: Stats
Pre-written anything is a big help for me. I have monster books stacks a yard high for a reason. This would be rated higher, expect it requires the book be for the exact game I'm playing. I can glean ideas for my Kor Kammor game from anything from Mage to Magic: The Gatrhering, but game stats have to be pretty close to 3.5 D&D.

6: Tactical Maps
I don't need continent maps – I'll make my own. But taverns, ships, castles and even towns are a big help.

What kinds of things to you find useful as a DM for support material to run your games?

My First Fiction

2008-04-06T07:55:53Z

I'm trying my hand at a bit of fiction. It's a serial story called The Fury, and it's only found at:

http://imbercorvus.com/forum/viewforum.php?f=48&sid=ff1f418b8eed83c38f11c11a8591466c

Come check it out, and help us build a community from the ground floor!

Wanna Support a Fellow Fan?

2008-04-04T17:13:33Z

A new site is just getting going. Ever wanted to be one of those folks who was around at the beginning of something? This is your chance. Give it a try, and if you like it in a few years you make get to look at flamewars over 4.5 edition and say "Back when these forums started..."

http://imbercorvus.com/

More DG Games!

2008-04-02T20:51:41Z

Okay, I joked Mike Selinker might convince me to spend more time doing Jetan variants. Here's the only chess variant I have ever written that my group actually ever plays for fun.

ENDGAME
A quicker chess game skill and luck

Each player has 23 points. Secretly spend those points to buy pieces. You can't have more than 6 pawns, 3 knights, 2 bishops, 2 rooks, or 2 queens. Some pieces have different costs if you buy more.

Pawns A through D: 1 point each; Pawns E or F 2 points each (no en passant)
Knight A: 3 points; Knight B: 3 points; Knight C 4 points
Bishop 1: 3 points. Bishop 2: 4 points
Rook A through B: 4 points
Queen A: 9 Points. Queen B: 11 points.
King A: Free and required. (Can't castle)

Each player then takes turns places a piece of theirs on the board. Your opponent does not know what pieces you have until you place them. Placement is done randomly using 2 d8s of separate colors (one for the rank, the other for he column, of the 8x8 normal chess board). A placer rolls the dice, then decides what piece to place in the indicated spot.

If the piece is a pawn, it is placed on n the first 4 ranks from its side (row results of 5-8 are treated as 1-4).You cannot place a bishop so as to be on the same color you already have a bishop. [*1*] If all pieces other than the player's bishop and king have been placed, the bishop may be placed on a square adjacent to the one rolled, if that is the only way to place it on a square of opposite color to an existing bishop of the player.

When you have placed all your pieces except your king, you put the king on the edge of the board. If you opponent has more pieces to place, he may continue to place them randomly until he has placed all but his king.

Then, white player chooses a square in your first four ranks to place his king. Then black does the same. Then white takes the first move, and play proceeds normally.

Note, no pawn can capture en passant, and the king cannot castle. If a pawn reaches the far rank it is promoted, but ONLY to a piece you bought with your starting points.

We like this game because people of different skills can play more evenly (the early random distribution screws with a lot of "good" chess players, putting them in positions they would NEVER get into in a normal chess game), and it's MUCH faster. We *do* find people tend to have preferred combinations (one of our players ONLY uses a two-queen, three pawn buy, and is always fighting a war to advance one or two pawns), but not everyone.

We have toyed with adding additional, non-traditional chess pieces (from Jetan or Dragonchess or "traditional" chess variants) but have never done so.

[*1*]: edited due to feedback from gobermunch. Let me know if this is clearer!

Support My Nickie!

2008-04-02T06:19:45Z

Go here.

http://www.sinisteradventures.com/

Be active. Support Nickie, so he will write more stuff for me to run!

I have spoken!

Gamer Fudge

2008-03-31T16:33:35Z

So, here's a big question I have seen come up more than once. Should a DM fudge die rolls to make an rpg more fun?

Well, duh. Of course she should. It's a game, and the DM should do whatever she can to make it more fun. (Well, within reason. I very rarely play strip D&D, even though I suspect a lot of my groups would have more fun if I did it more often.)

But she should fudge rolls only if, and this is a big if, doing do makes games more fun. Not just immediate fun, either, but more total fun over the long run. For some people this is easy. They hate blowing a rool against the BBEG, and the Dm fudging never gets tired for them.

But for a lot of players, it also removes something from the game. A sense of accomplishment is diminished by the sneaking suspicion it wasn't earned. Players become dissatisfied if they feel some OTHER player has received an excess of favorable fudging. Players deciding they might as well not struggle to do their best, since they'll survive/succeed anyway. And then, the big one.

Players who want a different story than the DM.

See, the thing I see most often brought up in favor of fudging is "A god story shouldn't be ruined by a bad die roll." Well, sure. But if you start fudging the die rolls then you, as DM, are deciding on the story. Maybe the player would have more fun if he's petrified by the beholder, only to be reanimated in a few years by a band of lower-level heroes who need his help. Yes, a DM has to be ready to think fast (I try to have a Plan Z ready for any major encounter – and don't always even need it. See my Kor Kammor campaign journal on Paizo to see the kinds of things I prepare but rarely end up using), but allowing the story to change and mutate is a lot of the fun for us. We THOUGHT this was the Last Stand of the Beholder Queen, but it turns out she captures the heroes and keeps them alive as prisoners so she can turn them into beholderkin to be her generals in the invasion of a new plane of reality.

Bad die rolls can be the path less travelled, and that works for us.

If fudging the die rolls works for you, fine. But I heartily recommend you consider; are you actually getting the MOST fun by fudging die rolls, or are you cutting out an opportunity for Everyone to be surprised by how things turn out?

En -Visible Woman

2008-03-28T16:47:20Z

Just for the record, I am not normally actually online much. So if you see me in a chatroom or instant messenger, feel free to drop a line, but understand that MOST likely, I forgot to log out and aren't actually at my computer. For those who have made the effort only to have me not reply, I wasn't ignoring, you, I was just at work (or cleaning, or sleeping, or whatever).

Sorry! ;D

Reorganizations

2008-03-24T23:57:03Z

So, I notice there have been changes to the Paizo Messageboards. That only makes sense. They have their new Pathfinder RPG to promote and discuss, and they'll want that near the top of their page. Fair, and smart. Two things I tend to associate with Paizo. :D

But I *also* notice they've moved the Campaign Journals board up on the overall listings. They used to be below 3.5 and 43 D&D threads. Now they are the topmost thing in the general Gaming tag. The highest thing I see that isn;t directly related to a current of past Paizo product.

Now, there are two ways to look at this. They may have demoted all other games, to drive fopcus towards the Pathfinder rpg. Or, they may have wanted to bring more attention to the Campaign Journals. Perhaps, because one or two journals are really drawing a lot of attention? And that's driving more eyes to look at Paizo, and my favorite writers and publishers?

Okay, I am vane. But I still like the theory.

A BAd Game

2008-03-16T21:40:52Z

I was asked in the comments to describe a bad game of my groups. I dont everyone to think our games always workout, so it seemed like a good idea. In general if we find a campaign isnt cutting it, we stop playing, and fast.

Well, okay.

We played a M&M game called The C Team. In it we were heroes with modest powers in a world where the likes of Overman (Superman), Overgirl (Wonder Woman), Hardshell (Iron Man), Professor Infinity (female Dr. Strange), Ukon Vasara (Thor), Aquatica (female Namor/Aquaman combined with hydrokenesis) and Cosmic Man (Green Lantern) were common. In fact, about 2/3 of all heroes and villains were at their power level.

Of the remaining groups, about 2/3 were B-Teams, like Ratel (female wolverine), The Inspector (Batman/Punisher hybrid), Wind Warlock (male Storm), Kestrel (Hawkgirl), and Coldfront (Iceman).

Only a little less more than 10% of the world’s heroes and villains were the C-Team power level, and that was were we sat. We had Steel Fist (guy, unbreakable hands), Limelight (girl, supernaturally attractive, could generate normal green light), Street Razor (guy, could run at 45 to 60 mph), Skyborne (girl, flew), Airtight (guy, didn’t need to breath, good but not Batman-level detective), Unseen (male Question/Rorschach type), and Bounceback (girl, rubbery and hard to hurt). We were the Green Line, the “official” heroes of the Kingstown Sept, a poor neighborhood of Crown City in Amsterdam State on the East Coast.

However, Crown City had it’s own A/B/C Team for the whole city, the Crown Guard (led by Overgirl and the Inspector). And Amsterdam State had it’s own A/B hero team, The Vigilant (led by Hardshell and Kestrel). And the US had it’s national hero A team, the Overwatch (Lead by Overman and Aquatica).

Now, we knew this set-up from the get-go. The idea of being heroes who were considered the bottom of the superhero barrel appealed to us. I think the main problem is that about half the players were thinking in terms of the Mystery Men, some of us were thinking a kind of Watchmen set-up with a gritty underside, and the GM was just trying to do something different. Soon, it was clear it was a mess.

Limelight got captured, enslaved and gang-raped in the first session, and the group decided they couldn’t take on Mind Master to free her, and called the Crown Guard. Only the guard was busy with a Chlichinich invasion, and had to “get to it later.” The GM was just trying to encourage the players to do this themselves, but they took it as an insult and proof the Crown Guard didn’t like them or take them seriously. Limelight was largely written off by everyone but Airtight. When he tried to find and rescue her himself he got captured and treated similarly. When the group found out, Unseen became convinced Airtight was a mole, and the whole thing was a trap. So they didn’t go.

Then in the third game two new characters were introduced to replace the lost heroes (Roadblock, a male with good defenses, and Jackdaw a female “Crow” type who was really the returned spirit of the now-dead Limelight), and a third character of anew player desperate for superhero action (Detroit, a junkyard armor suit build from cars). The group saw Wind Warlock get punched out of the sky by Demolitron (Ultron), who then sent Demolibots to finish him off while he kept fighting the rest of the Vigilant. The idea was the Green Line would save Wind Warlock’s life, as the GM tried to prove we really were heroes and could make a difference.

During the fight the Green Line had a series of terrible rolls, and hero points weren’t enough to save them. Skybourne and Steel First were killed. Bounceback was ricocheted into a different Sept (and taken out of the fight since she couldn’t get back to it in time). When Unseen decided a retreat was in order, Roadblock got so mad he punched Unseen out. This resulted in Street Razor turning on Roadblock, and Detroit facing the Demolibots on his own.

About then, we decided this game was not going to make it. We mutually agreed to stop playing.

It’s a shame really, because I love the game world. I played Limelight, and I really could deal with everything that happened (I ended up seeing Limelight not as her own character, but as background history for Jackdaw), but the group as a whole was not having fun. Someday, I may see if I can convince the GM to let me have his game notes a take a run at the campaign myself.

But I may not either, because no one else in my groups is interested in playing it again.

Part III

2008-03-12T13:34:54Z

From the friendly DrJones72, we have a series of getting-to-know-you questions I promised to go over, so here's the post I do that in. :D

How long have you been gaming?
I guess I've been gaming about 7 years now. My first games were in high school, but I don't remember exactly when - sometime in my last three years. (I remember what building I was in, but not for sure which class.) Those first few years were very much a mixed bag. For starters, it was a mix of long-running 2nd ed games and 3rd ed material that I found very clunky. But the guys I played with were a much bigger factor.

My first DM was a lech and an asshole. He was also in my church, and very popular with my family. As a result, they *encouraged* me to spend time in his family's basement, alone with him and three other guys, for hours on end (especially on the weekend.) I was fascinated by the very idea of the game, which played off my love of planetary romance, the first LOTR movie and pulp adventure. But I had no experience with it, and I admit I fell to peer pressure.

That guy saw me as a manipulable victim, and he was right. I was "forbidden" to read the rules myself, because I "was not ready" yet. Also, he only allowed me to play sex slaves, cursed princesses (imagine the move Ella Enchanted as a porn),

Worse, he required sexual activities from me both IC and OOC. This stuff used to be painful to talk about, but I have long since realized who *ought* to be ashamed about it, and it isn't me. I was required to gamed topless. I did things both during gaming and afterwards anyone but Bill Clinton would consider sex. I had to describe my character's reaction to horrific acts in details that would earn $9.99/hour on a phone line.

It may seem strange I put up with all this, but it really wasn't. My home life was nothing to write home about. My parents *loved* this guy, and clearly hoped we'd get married so he could run the family finances and move into our house. The church loved him, because his public face was very whitebread. I was constantly told he was a fine young man and I should be happy to be allowed to spend time with him and his friends.

On top of that, even his terrible, horrendous, misogynist games were better than real life, and I loved hearing about dragons, castles and magic swords. Especially magic swords. My very first character spent a lot of her career protecting the sword Tearfang, which was cursed but also very powerful. Anytime I considered not gaming anymore, the DM would either make Tearfang more powerful, or put it in danger. I realize how dumb this sounds now, but that thing was important to me.

And when we weren't gaming in his basement, we were watching anime I am pretty sure is illegal in 14 states. Again I loved the new world it opened up, but all his examples reinforced the style of fantasy he was requiring I play.

I put up with this for about two years. Then, they Dm and players got out of hand one night, and I fled at best half-clothed and in tears. My version of what happened did not jive with theirs (not a surprise), and suddenly my church a: blamed me for trying to smear "good boys" names and B: D&D was seen as satanic. For about six months I didn't play, and life was really, really bad.

Then I met a wonderful woman, who took some time to show me that A: what had happened was NOT about me or my choices and B: that roleplaying should be about *everyone* having fun. I never games with her, but I did sit in one some of her games. They were different. And he belief in a faith that wished to harm none was a major revelation for me. And then, I went to college.

There I found for the first time I could investigate questions for myself, and come to my own conclusions. Within a few weeks, I was gaming. First it was with an all-girl group, but soon I was gaming with lots of people. I really think those early games in college (mostly 3e, btw) helped me stay sane, and find out who I was. I didn't know, and the games let me explore questions of morality, faith, friendship and courage with much less risk than joining the marines or going on a crime spree would have.

What's your gaming resume look like, what games have you played, systems, genre? Which ones did you like, why and which ones didn't you and why?
I mostly play d20 (DnD, SW, Modern), though I hang out with some major Warhammer freaks (both 40k and WFRP) and know enough to keep my bolter handy. I have also played GURPS, Hero, Vampire and BESM, but the system I consider home is DnD and it's offspring. It's also the system I am comfortable running games in.

I like all genres, if a group is good. I prefer games with cultures of adventurers accepted. For example, I love fantasy and PA, because running around killing things is more acceptable. On the flip side, I love modern games where that behavior makes you a sociopath, and you have to be very careful before you pull a trigger. I'm not sure why the difference. I think Star Wars is the only space-based setting I really enjoy, but if a group looked fun I'd try anything once.

As a DM, what materials do you bring with you to a game session? What books do you bring? Minis? Map? Etc?

I have a few small trays of minis, but mostly I let others bring those because my budget is limited. I do have a trust Crystal Caste map I can draw on, and often do maps well in advance. I have a few books I physically bring (the Rules Compendium is now on my short list, before even the PHB), but most of my game materials are legal pdfs on my "borrowed" laptop. [I realized a few months ago this thing is actually a gift, because I've borrowed it for more than two years now, but it's owner is trying to prevent me from feeling like a mooch. :)]

For most of our games, we network the laptops so the DM can send private messags to players about things only they notice. When I have time, I often have descriptions written in emails in advance I can then send when they come up (usually knowledge check results of thing I know will get asked about and treasure, tracking and <i>identify</I> results.)

If we can at all manage it we also have a whiteboard for other information management. I also have an index card box of adventure ideas and monsters, I whip out as needed.

How much of your game sessions, the ones outlined in the Paizo campaign journal, is planned and how much is on the fly?
The big story arcs are always planned out, though I modify them as time goes on to fit the characters and player desires better. I generally have a good idea what I have planned, with both a Plan A and a Plan B to get the PCs to it. If those fail, I whip out the index box and run something for the group, then figure out how it fits into the big picture later. (I confess I have a game designer friend I can IM when I am stuck – sometimes during a game session if he's online).

How many players do you have for that campaign?
It fluctuates. Everyone *wants* to play, but schedules don't always cooperate. There are five "core" players, and often one ro two others for stretches of time.

How do you discuss with the players mature topics and themes before the campaign starts?
I use the guidelines laid out in Green Ronin's Advanced Gamemaster's Guide. I talk about sensitive topics then rate them as Minimum, Low, Medium, or High intensity. We discuss what those intensity levels mean, and what to expect as appropriate on-screen and off-screen activities and consequences. Doing this before a game starts, and whenever a new player joins, has saved me a lot of grief.

I also discuss my own DM biases, and campaign themes, all from the AGMG, to new players (or for a new campaign), so people know where I am coming from and what to expect in a given game.

How do you discuss those topics after they occur in session?
First, I ask if anyone has any issues AT ALL right after a game session. Then I make sure they jot them down. Then I get with everyone one-on-one to see what's up. If someone is acting dodgy, I also get with them. I just tackle any issue, beating around the bush doesn't help anything. But each player needs time alone with the DM to avoid peer-pressure issues if they are the only one with a problem.

Whats your favorite food?
Thai fried rice, especially with peanuts.

Whats your favorite color?
Green, or yellow. Hard call.

What do you want to be when you grow up?
Comfortable.

A dream and/or goal?
Home ownership. Someplace with a big, ready-to-convert basement and plush carpet.

How can an interested party get an invite to your LARP games? ;)
You wink, so I know I can safely answer. You gotta play with us a lot before you're in that inner circle. It kind of evolves naturally. The normal course is gaming, to hanging out, to making out, to Larping.

In Case You Care, pt II

2008-03-09T05:26:58Z

I guard a lot of personal information for safety sake, but here is a way to get to know me without me breaking any of my own rules... a Meme!

I have done [99] of the following:

[1] I have read a lot of books.
[] I have been on some sort of varsity team.
[2] I have run more than 2 miles without stopping.
[] I have been to Canada.
[] I have been to Europe.
[3] I have watched cartoons for hours.
[4] I have tripped UP the stairs.
[5] I have fallen down an entire flight of stairs.
[6] I have been snowboarding/skiing.
[7] I have played ping pong.
[8] I swam in the ocean.
[] I have been on a whale watch.
[9] I have seen fireworks.
[] I have seen a shooting star.
[] I have seen a meteor shower.
[10] I have almost drowned.
[11] I have been so embarrassed I wanted to disappear.
[12] I have listened to one CD over and over and over again.
[13] I have had stitches.
[] I have had frostbite.
[14] I have licked a frozen pole and got stuck there.
[15] I have stayed up til 2 doing homework/projects.
[16] I currently have a job.
[] I have been ice skating.
[17] I have been rollerblading.
[18] I have fallen flat on my face.
[19] I have tripped over my own two feet.
[20]I have been in a fist fight.
[21] I have played videogames for more than 3 hours straight.
[] I have watched the Power Rangers.
[] I attend Church regularly.
[22] I have played truth or dare.
[23] I have already had my 16th birthday.
[24] I have already had my 18th birthday.
[25] I've called someone stupid.
[26] I've been in a verbal argument.
[27] I've cried in school.
[] I've played basketball on a team.
[] I've played baseball on a team.
[28] I've played football on a team.
[29] I've played soccer on a team.
[30] I've done cheerleading on a team.
[] I've played softball on a team.
[31] I've played volleyball on a team.
[] I've played tennis on a team.
[] I've been in the marching band.
[32] I've been swimming more than 20 times in my life.
[33] I've bungee jumped.
[34] I've climbed a rock wall.
[35] I've lost more than $20.
[36] I've called myself an idiot.
[37] I've called someone else an idiot.
[38] I've cried myself to sleep.
[] I've had (or have) pets.
[39] I've owned a spice girls CD.
[] I've owned a britney spears CD.
[] I've owned an N*Sync CD.
[] I've owned a backstreet boys CD.
[40] I've mooned someone.
[41] I have sworn at someone of authority before.
[] I've been in the newspaper.
[] I've been on TV.
[] I've been to Hawaii.
[42] I've eaten sushi.
[43] I've been on the other side of a waterfall.
[44] I've watched all of the Lord of the Rings movies.
[45] I've watched all the Harry Potter movies.
[46] I've watched all of the Rocky movies.
[47] I've watched the 3 stooges.
[] I've watched "Newlyweds" Nick & Jessica.
[] I've watched Looney Tunes.
[48] I've been stuffed into a locker/I have stuffed others into lockers.
[49] I've been called a geek.
[50] I've studied hard for a test and got a bad grade.
[] I've not studied at all for a test and aced it.
[] I've hugged my mom within the past 24 hrs.
[] I've hugged my dad within the past 24 hours.
[] I've met a celebrity/music artist.
[] I've written poetry.
[51] I've been arrested.
[52] I've been attracted to someone much older than me.
[53] I've been tickled till I've cried.
[] I've tickled someone else until they cried.
[54] I've had/have siblings.
[55] I've been to a rock concert.
[56] I've listened to classical music and enjoyed it.
[] I've been in a play.
[] I've been picked last in gym class.
[57] I've been picked first in gym class.
[58] I've been picked in that middle-range in gym class.
[59] I've cried in front of my friends.
[] I've read a book longer than 1,000 pages
[] I've played Halo 2.
[] I've freaked out over a sports game.
[] I've been to Alaska.
[] I've been to China.
[] I've been to Spain.
[] I've been to Japan.
[60] I've had a fight with someone on AIM.
[61] I've had a fight with someone face-to-face.
[62] I've had serious conversations on any IM.
[63] I've forgiven someone who has done something wrong to me.
[64] I've been forgiven.
[65] I've screamed at a scary movie.
[] I've cried at a chick flick.
[66] I've watched a lot of action movies.
[67] I've screamed at the top of my lungs.
[] I've been to a rap concert.
[68] I've been to a hip hop concert.
[69] I've lived in more than 2 houses.
[70] I've driven on the highway/been on the highway.
[71] I've driven more than 40 miles in a day/been in a car that went more than 40 miles in a day.
[72] I've been in a car accident.
[73] I've done drugs.
[] I've been homesick.
[75] I've thrown up.
[76] I've puked on someone.
[] I've been horseback riding.
[] I've filled out more than 10 myspace surveys.
[77] I've spoken my mind in public.
[78] I've proved someone wrong.
[79] I've been proven wrong by someone.
[80] I've broken a leg.
[81] I've broken an arm or a finger.
[82] I've fallen off a swing.
[] I've swung on a swing for more than 30 minutes straight
[] I've watched Winnie the Pooh movies.
[] I've forgotten my backpack when I've gone to school.
[83] I've lost my backpack.
[84] I've come close to dying.
[85] I've seen someone die.
[86] I've known someone who has died.
[87] I've wanted to be an actor/actress at some point.
[88] I've done modeling.
[] I've forgotten to brush my teeth some mornings.
[] I've taken something/someone for granted.
[89] I've realized how good my life is.
[90] I've counted my blessings.
[] I've made fun of a classmate.
[91] I've been asked out by someone and I said no.
[92] I've slapped someone in the face.
[] I've been skateboarding.
[93] I've been backstabbed by someone I thought was a friend.
[] I've lied to someone to their face.
[94] I've told a little white lie.
[95] I've taken a day off from school just so I don't go insane.
[96] I've fainted.
[] I've had an argument with someone about whether cheerleading is a sport or not.
[] I've pushed someone into a pool.
[97] I've been pushed into a pool.
[98] I've been/am in love.
[99] I have had sex in public.

Kor Kammor Spotlight

2008-03-08T23:57:07Z

So, most of my D&D games take place in a hodge-podge setting called Kor Kammor. I have an ongoing campaign journal for the most recent of those (Black Days of Kor Kammor, all the titles are something-something Kor Kammor) at Paizo's wonderful site (http://paizo.com/paizo/messageboards/community/gaming/campaignJournals/blackDaysOfKorKammorGameOne). Several people have asked me if this is a homebrew campaign, or just a collection of things stolen from elsewhere.

Yes.

Whenever I can. I let pro designers do my work for me. I have things from a half-dozen game companies in Kor Kammor, from Freeport to Liberty to Hallowfaust to Haven and even some stuff from Wizards. I take classes, monsters, ideas, plots and locations from everywhere to save myself time. Then I tie it all up with a lot of our own ideas my group has developed over the years.

Here is one of those ideas, a little tiny bit of color that helps make Kor Kammor feel different from any of the settings it steals from.

<B>Skiffs</B>
Skiffs is a simple gambling game. It is believed by most to be of elven origin, though Spring elves refute that and Winter elves hate the game.

Draw out a grid of three boxes by three boxes (a tic-tac-toe board). For professional sets it's actually nine little boxes with the tops all open. This is the "lake."

Each player has a number of small round tokens ("Skiffs") equal to 18 + the number of players. (As many as 8 players can be in the same game of skiffs, though 2-5 is most common.) All skiffs from all players are placed in a bowl. The bowl is flipped over the lake in one smooth motion, so all the skiffs fall into one of the nine boxes. (If the grid is drawn, a skiff is placed where more than half of it lays. If there is a disagreement, the person to the right of the skiff's owner decides where it goes, and each disputed skiff is handled in order.)

Starting with the player to the right of the one who flipped the bowl, each player takes a turn. On your turn you can do one of the following:

*Remove one skiff other than your own, as long as it's not the last skiff in its square.
*Remove one skiff of your own as long as it's not the last skiff in its square and any other one skiff, even if it is the last skiff in a square.
*Remove one skiff of your own, and any two skiffs in the same square. (There must be two other skiffs in the square to do this).
*Move one skiff of your own into one adjacent square, as long as that square does not have only one skiff in it.

You must take one of these actions if you can. No player may have his skiffs removed by another player two turns in a row.

In the simple version of the game, everyone plays with copper pieces for skiffs, marked by player (wither with a crude mark, or by being from different cities). You get to keep the coins you remove, so the more you remove the better the chances you break even or make some money. (In professional games balls called "orbs" are used, and are often silver or gold).

When there are only nine skiffs left, the game is over. Whoever has the most points on the board wins all remaining coins. You get two points for a skiff of your alone in a square, and one point for every other skiff you have on the board.

If at any point during the game you have three-in-a-row single skiffs in squares (like a winning tic-tac-toe hand), you win and get all remaining skiffs.

More advanced versions of the game allow betting on who is going to win, place and show, and how many rounds the game will go.

My group and I have actually played this game, and it can be pretty fun. We're pretty sure there are winning tactics, but we haven't developed them yet.

Skiffs is the most universal betting game in Kor Kammor, common among goblins, ragebloods, elves, humans, dwarves and even dragons. Soldiers often play it, and sometimes it is used for lots rather than coins, with lots then being "spent" to ern spoils of war (ranging from weapons to women to land).

There you go, a unique part of my Kor Kammor setting.

Are you my friend?

2008-03-06T21:13:36Z

Hey people!

If you have friended me, and I haven't friended you, drop me a line! I *meant* to friend everyone who was kind enough to do me first, but I'm afraid there are getting to be so many of you wonderful people I'm losing track. I dont want to miss anyone, so feel free to drop me a message if I didn't manage to get you added to my friends.

Anyone who cares what I say is automatically interesting enough that I want to know what you say.

I bow before you

2008-03-06T11:00:55Z

Someone anonymously gave me the gift of a much bigger paid livejournal account, with lots and lots more icon space. No one asked if I'd like more icons, and no one asked me for anything in particular in return. I have hated having to get rid of old icons, and I hated having ads, and now I don't have to worry about either. Since no one has stood up to claim it, I'm just going to pretend it came from all of you.

So, thank you, thank you, thank you. I'll try to keep coming up with icons worthy of your attention.

And occasionally some gaming posts for you to claim to be reading. ;D

DG

Thrice We Praise You, departed friend

2008-03-05T09:05:51Z

You have to understand I believe in magic. Not in the hocum-blather of people trying to make special moments more special by labeling them as "magical," but in the real, tangible, testable ability of thoughts and rituals to change the world.

I'm not alone in this, of course. Call it what you will, but anyone who prays, meditates or has "lucky dice" believes in the power of will and deed over reality to one degree or another. My belief is just more direct.

So I believe in the power Gary built up over a lifetime, and I believe it will do him in good standing at this point. His actions brought much joy to many more people than most can ever believe. Even if he is just one of the earliest snowballs in the avalanche, he is still father of much of what has come.

Gary won't see 4th edition, but it will carry a part of his spirit. As will all of us who ever cheer over a critical, tremble over a save, or thrill in battle with a goblin. Those emotions, those actions, are all tribute to his life work. They are all, to a small degree, the energy of his magic.

Blessed Be, My Gygax, from one small, wet-eyed fan of the children of your thoughts.

Sex and RPGs

2008-03-02T18:19:37Z

So, let's get it out in the open. My game groups include sex in a lot of their games. Sometimes, explicit sex. Sometimes, sex talk you can't broadcast on the radio. Sometimes, we even get into Larping scenes a bit. It is all very decadent, and sometimes may violate the obscenity laws of some states.

In short, while it is far from universal, we sometimes get nasty when gaming, in exactly the way so many people find immature, silly, pointless or just plain wrong.

Well, I am unapologetic about that. Sex is a major part of fantasy and adventure genres, and even if most of that is done off-screen in pop fiction even that limitation is far from universal. And when it is, it often doesn't make sense. (Just what DID Jabba plan to do to that dancing girl she objected so strenuously to?)

The written word can be sexy as hell. So can the spoken word. And yeah, we have to be good friends who have almost all made out at one point or another (and many combinations involving 3 or more of us) to do it without giggling, but sometimes we want to include those explicit scenes, even with other players present, in detail, in our games. Sometimes it's a plot point. Sometimes it doesn't make any more difference than when characters look for boots of speed that match their cloak of elvenkind, but we roleplay those moments too.

I never assume a game is going to be hitting the porn end of the spectrum, and I always check to make sure everyone is comfortable with the idea. (Or I always do now, after realizing I needed to thanks to some good DMing advice). And there *are* people I wouldn;t be comfortable gaming that way with (though mostly they"re people I just dont want to game with, that isn't quite universal). And no, not everyone in my main groups has dated even one of the rest of us (bless his heart).

But we include sex play with our violence play, romance play, and exploration play. We have rules we use when we need them, and we don't shy away from the dark places adventures can go. That's who we are, and we like it that way. It is an element, like bigotry, fear, foolishness, greed, heroism, or curiosity we use in our games. We mostly don't focus on that element more than any other, but we don't shy away from it either. We like it, it's fun for us, and it can be great when we *are* dating within group.

Because folks, what's the point of a bad guy having slave girls if he doesn't bend them over the altar once in a while? And if you sneak into his evil temple disguised as a slave girl, what do you think is going to happen?

There, I said it. No shame from my end.

Orgamesm

2008-02-21T18:10:59Z

Definition: The nearly sexual joy of getting to game again after a week or more of scheduling difficulties.
2: The same feeling acheived when first playing a long-awaited video game release.
3: Faking pleasure at a GM's offerings just so he'll keep running a game since it's better than nothing.

Thank goodness I'm getting that first definition tonight.

It is a Dark Time...

2008-02-18T02:27:03Z

So, our Warhammer game Mark of Chaos has, indeed, folded. I'll miss Rat Fane, my pox-ridded "gutter courtesan", but the game was getting a bit gamey at the edges, I admit.

So to replace it, we get a brand new Star Wars Saga game, which makes me giddy with pleasure. I've run one, briefly, but mostly only played in 1-shot pick up games. This is sad, because I love the new game. So, I am happy as a Dungeon Grrrl can be in space to be playing in somene else's ongoing game.

The campaign is "Before a Thousand Dawns," and it's a Dark Times game set after the fall of the republic, and before the Rebel Alliance really exists. The name comes from the idea it's darkest before the dawn, and in a galaxy you can have a lot of just before the dawn, meaning it can be really, really dark.

The game just started, so I'm not exactly sure where it's going yet. It's currently set on the Mantellian Basilisk, a 50-meter long dagger-shaped Concealer-class Imperial Prison Ship in the Outer Rim. Oriignally a prison transport ship commissioned during the Clone War, it is now used to shuttle dissadents from ex-CIS systesm to slave mines. The Duro old Republic captain was forcibly retired, and a new human captain, Gernin Jangos, was put in place with his own security staff and "morale officers" to ensure the crew's loyalty to the new Empire.

Captain Jangos is a sadist, but son of a politically important senator and COMPNOR member. His ISB aid and independent security staff have free run of the ship, and the old crew must toe the line to avoid abuse. Prisoners don't have that option.

The characters of the other players are: The first mate (from the old crew), a male human noble/soldier named Dak Breemar. Dak is suffering pangs of moral outrage, and wondering if Jangos is an aberration, or representative of the new Order. A female twi'lek scout engineer named Sysel Syn, who washed out of padawan training as a youth and is doing anything she can not to be reported by the new security troopers. A male Trandoshian soldier named Kruung, who fought as a mercenary for the CIS and is one of the most feared prisoners on board. And a female half-Mandaloran female scoundrel/scout named Fera Bliss, who is hiding on baord looking for an opportunity to kill Jangos who killed her whole family.

My character is a Wroonian (blue near-human) scoundrel/soldier Jakelian knife-dancer and prisoner named Isra Iffire. Isra was a performer who fell on hard times during the Clone Wars, and hooked up with a CIS military until. She was captured by clone troopers, then turned over for hard labor. She's caught captain Jangos attentions, and is currently held in chains in his chambers.

In our first game. A CIS until that wasnt ready to admti the war was lost attacked the Basalisk, and tried to baord to ruin the hyperspace engines (and steal some repalcement parts). Since the captain's quarters are on deck 3, prionsers on deck 4 and hyperdrive on deck 5 all near the back, the fight included all PCs at one time or another. Without doubt Kruung is the most dangerous of us, so much so Fera Bliss attributed her few stealth kills to him, and no one questioned it (before she snuck back into hiding).

The characters have met, and fought together, but do not yet trust each other. Jangos is enraged and convinced the attack was an inside job (and it may have been), and is muttering about spacing people until someone confesses. Dak hopes the captain is going to calm down.

Enemies' Album

2008-02-14T16:19:24Z

Since a friend of mine has been so kind as to edit this from a post I made at Paizo, I thought I'd put it up. These is the kind of monster my minds comes up with, and I sprinkle such nightmares through ym games. This wasn;t in my Kor Kammor journal, so I thought some poeple might enjoy seeing it.

Back in the heady days of the first OGL releases, my group thought we were going to write up a campaign we had going at the time, Last Legends, turn it into a book, and sell it. (We were wrong.) As a result, the group decided to use a monster of mine I had just introduced (in a different game) to replace the beholder in our Last Legends Enemies Album. (Wow, that's an even cheesier title than I thought it was at the time)

Not designed for this role originally, the monsters creeped out a few of my players badly, and is still a mainstay in many of my games. Thus I won't give exact game mechanics, just flavor fluff.

Blasphemer
(Always pronounce "blas-femur")

Appearance
A blasphemer is a 22-foot long Huge tube of flesh that looks like jaundiced skin, yellowish and slightly puckered. It has a slight sheen to it, but is covered in tiny wrinkled texture (like the skin of old fruit) rather than seeming smooth or rubbery. Along this boneless body are 16 pairs of short limbs. Each ends in a foot-hand with 3 thick opposable thumbs. The front of the blasphemer has a horrific, vaguely human "face", while the tail ends in a scorpion stinger.

The face of a blasphemer has a vaguely hairless human appearance. Its lips are too thin, its teeth too big and square, it has no ears, its tongue is thick, black, long and pointed and its nose a small vertical slit, but the basic shape is that of a humanoid. However, instead of eyes it has two smaller mouths, each covered with a single upper lip (resulting in a "blinking" look ever time the two smaller mouths close). The three mouths can all speak, and at any given moment at least one of the three is doing so. All three have different, deep voices. They never speak to each other, but can vocalize three entirely different thoughts at once.

A blasphemer can crawl along any surface at the same rate as it runs. It can sprint at x10 speed once every minute. It can use its limbs as hands or feet, but needs at least 10 pairs free to run. If it rears up, lifting the front half of its body, it can use 8 pairs as hands, but then can't move other than a 5 foot step. It can use up to 32 rings or hand-held magi items, but has no other magic item slots.

A blasphemer can speak in any language. One mouth is always whispering foul religious lies and half-truths in a swirling mix of the languages spoken by all present. This can confuse or even enrage or madden listeners. Which mouth does this is constantly shifting. At the same time it can countersong with a pained scream, cast verbal-only spells, and shout with such volume as to deafen all in an area (making it difficult for casters to complete verbal components). The tail of a blasphemer does considerable damage, but it's bite is what is poisoned. Many blasphemers know a random selection of spells.

Blasphemers are driven to acquire followers, rings, and political influence. Many are the center of dark cults of humanoids wishing to learn some dread secrets from the blasphemer's constant mutterings. (Listening to a blasphemer has a 1% chance per hour of acting like a [i]commune[/i] spell for one question in your mind.) Blasphemers always have arms-length relationships with these groups, rewarding those that give them more worshipers and treasures, and eating those that displease them, without ever explaining why or even talking to their followers. (A friend of mine called them Skinner Monsters, and that's fair). Blasphemer never accept actual priests or divine servants of any kind into their cults, but love having those that claim to be such servants. They also take *fallen* divine servants with pleasure, and help them disguise their loss of divine powers. A blasphemer will happily talk to a, priest, drying to drive him from his faith, but won't allow him into a cult until he forsaken his old gods.

Blasphemers like to eat living intelligent creatures, but only do so out of battle. They extend their largest mouth to slowly suck down helpless but living victims. If it is a spellcaster, they absorb one of its spells. Once a year, a blasphemer can regurgitate a swallowed victim as a Medium blasphemer. These lesser heretics always serve their sire until they grow to Huge size themselves, which normally take 2-3 years.

Blasphemers love to tear down churches and governments, for no known reason. They gather treasure, but value magic rings above all else. Hey are proficient with all weapon but never carry them (but may use ones laying around or taken from an enemy during a fight).

Notes
The deafening babble was thought by my friends to be a good stand-in for the anti-magic cone. I don't know that I agree, but it does seem to work better mechanically in battle. Blasphemers all have Improved Disarm, and love taking things from foes. They crawl on walls and ceilings as easily as the floor, which helps give them that alien "moving in 3 dimensions" feel. The random spells have some rules (level of spell cant exceed half the blasphemer's HD and so on), and they can only cast a set number of spells per day (regardless of level of spell). They are creatures of chaos and amorality, and are supposed to be found behind bigger plots (the Bishop has actually fallen under the thrall of a blasphemer he originally sought to find a cure for his daughters curse, and now the Bishop is building a cult to destroy the church and take down the kingdom – that kind of thing).

A blasphemer is a dangerous combatant, but fighting one should be the *end* of an adventure dealing with its cults, those driven mad by it, and a rash of heresies and madmen running about the countryside. They are the horrendous thing in the last 15 minutes of the movie of weirdness, not the creature that jumps out in the opening half hour.