Monday, August 6, 2012
Tuesday, March 27, 2012
What is Pulp?
Every couple of years 'pulp' becomes the popular genre in the gaming community, and then is cycled out of favor to be replaced by something else (I think super heroes is the current popular genre). Now, some may call me an elitist or a snob, but I am a firm believer in using literary genre labels to describe RPGs of differing genres. To this end, I am afraid to tell you gentle readers that there is no such thing as a 'pulp' genre. Still, the tag seems to be used by nearly everyone in the industry to describe any game set in the 1920's and '30's. In a sense, it has become shorthand for high action adventure, often with some nod to a historical period, set before WWII yet after WWI. Sometimes the decades are expanded to include the latter part of the Victorian period, and often conflated with both that era and the following Edwardian era.
So, what does pulp actually mean? In short, it is a type of paper, a low grade and thus cheap paper that was used for popular fiction magazines from the 1890's to the 1950's. These magazines were themselves often genre specific; there were detective pulps, western pulps, horror pulps, fantasy and science fiction pulps, even romance or true crime pulps. These magazines were aimed at the working classes amongst whom there was a growing literacy rate, and prior to the advent of radio and TV, provided a much-needed form of entertainment. They were not something that 'proper' people read (though they did, like most things 'proper' people don’t do). The quality of the writing was generally poor, the illustrations pushed the limits of the decency laws of the time, and the stories themselves were lurid, sensationalist, often violent, nearly always fairly far-fetched, and in general considered at the time to be of little literary value. However, it is out of these pulps that some of the greatest writers of the age came, most notably Bradbury, Chandler, Heinlein, Howard, L'Amour, Leiber, London, Lovecraft, Wells, and even Vance. Notice any names on that list that had a large and positive influence on fantasy, sci-fi, horror, and RPG's? Yes, the literary critics of the day were shortsighted in their view of the pulps, neglecting to see that amongst the rough there were pearls. We should all learn a lesson, especially those of us who are elitists, that being a snob is the antithesis of elitism, for we must always strive for and seek the best, no matter what rags it may wear.
Thus, pulp is not a true genre, but a style of publishing and writing. How then is it a genre of RPG's? Ignorance would be my best guess, but partially through the means by which a language grows and changes. It is quite normal for words to take on different meanings, though it can be very annoying when one is speaking of technical terms, and those who use pulp as a means of defining a genre should not be chastised for it (at least not too much or too frequently).
A pulp game should be high on the action, short on the plot, and thoroughly done for the fun of it. It should tend towards sensationalist and over the top behavior by the PCs and NPCs, and most of all should keep the action flowing. Character development should follow a relatively shallow track, we're not doing Masterpiece Theatre here, and emotionally responses should be played up almost to ridiculous heights. The Rule of Cool needs to be in effect, and a large amount of suspension of disbelief on the part of all involved is not just expected, but required. In this way you are holding true to the pulp magazines of yore, and to the style they put forth. Sex was often a selling point of the pulps, at least on the magazine covers, and although your game needn't be explicit, it should have some titillation. Fur and chainmail bikinis are optional, but both genders should receive a fair amount of 'cake' if you know what I mean. Why, there was even a 'caged heat' genre aimed at heterosexuals and homosexuals of both sexes (though it should be noted that these and other highly sexual pulps were rare and sold under the counter).
By treating pulp as a style and not a genre, you can then apply it to any genre you desire, thus emulating the magazines (and the crappy paper) that yielded the name. Considering that the pulps were the birthplace of many of the genres we now enjoy, from Sword and Sorcery to Super Heroes, this is not just appropriate, but nearly a requirement. Looking at gaming this way, I can safely say my current Barbarians of Lemuria game is a pulp fantasy (and made more so by the introduction of the PC named Sexy Fat Man). Many of the games I have ran in the past are pulp styled, and that's fine, it’s a style I love and love to see more of. It's just not a genre per se.
So, what does pulp actually mean? In short, it is a type of paper, a low grade and thus cheap paper that was used for popular fiction magazines from the 1890's to the 1950's. These magazines were themselves often genre specific; there were detective pulps, western pulps, horror pulps, fantasy and science fiction pulps, even romance or true crime pulps. These magazines were aimed at the working classes amongst whom there was a growing literacy rate, and prior to the advent of radio and TV, provided a much-needed form of entertainment. They were not something that 'proper' people read (though they did, like most things 'proper' people don’t do). The quality of the writing was generally poor, the illustrations pushed the limits of the decency laws of the time, and the stories themselves were lurid, sensationalist, often violent, nearly always fairly far-fetched, and in general considered at the time to be of little literary value. However, it is out of these pulps that some of the greatest writers of the age came, most notably Bradbury, Chandler, Heinlein, Howard, L'Amour, Leiber, London, Lovecraft, Wells, and even Vance. Notice any names on that list that had a large and positive influence on fantasy, sci-fi, horror, and RPG's? Yes, the literary critics of the day were shortsighted in their view of the pulps, neglecting to see that amongst the rough there were pearls. We should all learn a lesson, especially those of us who are elitists, that being a snob is the antithesis of elitism, for we must always strive for and seek the best, no matter what rags it may wear.
Thus, pulp is not a true genre, but a style of publishing and writing. How then is it a genre of RPG's? Ignorance would be my best guess, but partially through the means by which a language grows and changes. It is quite normal for words to take on different meanings, though it can be very annoying when one is speaking of technical terms, and those who use pulp as a means of defining a genre should not be chastised for it (at least not too much or too frequently).
A pulp game should be high on the action, short on the plot, and thoroughly done for the fun of it. It should tend towards sensationalist and over the top behavior by the PCs and NPCs, and most of all should keep the action flowing. Character development should follow a relatively shallow track, we're not doing Masterpiece Theatre here, and emotionally responses should be played up almost to ridiculous heights. The Rule of Cool needs to be in effect, and a large amount of suspension of disbelief on the part of all involved is not just expected, but required. In this way you are holding true to the pulp magazines of yore, and to the style they put forth. Sex was often a selling point of the pulps, at least on the magazine covers, and although your game needn't be explicit, it should have some titillation. Fur and chainmail bikinis are optional, but both genders should receive a fair amount of 'cake' if you know what I mean. Why, there was even a 'caged heat' genre aimed at heterosexuals and homosexuals of both sexes (though it should be noted that these and other highly sexual pulps were rare and sold under the counter).
By treating pulp as a style and not a genre, you can then apply it to any genre you desire, thus emulating the magazines (and the crappy paper) that yielded the name. Considering that the pulps were the birthplace of many of the genres we now enjoy, from Sword and Sorcery to Super Heroes, this is not just appropriate, but nearly a requirement. Looking at gaming this way, I can safely say my current Barbarians of Lemuria game is a pulp fantasy (and made more so by the introduction of the PC named Sexy Fat Man). Many of the games I have ran in the past are pulp styled, and that's fine, it’s a style I love and love to see more of. It's just not a genre per se.
Tuesday, March 20, 2012
Evil PCs
Every couple of years this topic seems to come up in one of my games, namely someone wants to play a member of the party that is an evil PC. Most of the time I simply will not allow it, but occasionally a good concept comes my way and the evil PC enters the campaign. The question always is, what do you do with that character? Evil PCs have different motivations than good aligned heroes, and are not always moved by wealth or fame like other PCs. Usually when someone decides they want to play evil, its not just to be a money-grubbing villain or anti-hero, they want to do bad stuff, or at least work for an evil agency of some type.
Once you have allowed an evil PC into the campaign, the next question is what to do with it. You don’t have to do anything special, you can just let the evil PC develop and play out as any other character, however you would then be missing out on some great opportunities for storytelling, not to mention letting less than pleasant things into the game without some form of payback for the extra work and headache. Four good options are to play out a plot arc based on redemption, descent into madness, betrayal, or just retribution.
A redemptive storyline is the most positive option to play, but requires a good role-player to pull off. Basically, you should sit down with the player of the evil PC and determine why he is evil and what will turn him towards the light. This can either be a long process where the cause of the character's evil inclinations is slowly worked away, or possibly a face turn situation. In a face turn situation, the PC has a moment of revelation where he is forced to confront his evil and decides to turn away from it. However the decision to become one of the good guys happens, the road to redemption should be a long one fraught with temptation and peril. Eventually the PC faces his demons (possibly literally), makes good the damage he has done (or learns to live with the guilt and shame) and becomes a good guy in the campaign. Just keep in mind that one good act of redemption does not make, no matter how big that act (unless it is self-sacrificing, the redemption in death trope is a good one), a good aligned hero.
One of the most difficult story lines to play out, but one that can be a lot of fun, is to have the evil PC descend into madness. This is a classic in some genres; the bad deeds and horrible acts wear away at the character's sanity until the inevitable break with reality occurs. At this point the PC is thoroughly evil, but may not be entirely responsible for his actions as he is now insane. Be careful not to creep out the other people at the table, but make sure it is obvious to the other characters that one of their own is now bat-shit crazy. This sets up a couple of story lines, such as the other PCs having to put down their rapid-dog companion, seek out a cure, or possibly the evil PC finds redemption through madness.
Betrayal is a dangerous plot arc to follow, and can lead to bad feelings amongst the players. Basically, set it up before hand that the evil PC will at some point betray the party to their enemies. This should be something big, not a petty turning them over to the local tribe of orcs, but instead something along the lines of handing the artifact they have been questing for to the campaign's big bad guy. This should lead to the other PCs hunting down and brining the evil PC to justice, or if they fail some other force for good within the campaign will do the dirty work for them.
Finally, the evil PC can be allowed to run amok with the understanding that at some point law and order will catch up to him. This might be in the form of another PC, or it may be the local authorities, but some how, some way just retribution for his evil acts will come down upon him. Playing a character who it is predetermined will be taken down is not for everyone's liking, but it does set up a nice plot arc. Consider what the reaction of the other characters will be when one of their number is imprisoned, charged with a crime, or pursued by bounty hunters. Will they defend their companion, or turn him over? This sort of situation is one that good drama, and good role-playing, is made of.
Once you have allowed an evil PC into the campaign, the next question is what to do with it. You don’t have to do anything special, you can just let the evil PC develop and play out as any other character, however you would then be missing out on some great opportunities for storytelling, not to mention letting less than pleasant things into the game without some form of payback for the extra work and headache. Four good options are to play out a plot arc based on redemption, descent into madness, betrayal, or just retribution.
A redemptive storyline is the most positive option to play, but requires a good role-player to pull off. Basically, you should sit down with the player of the evil PC and determine why he is evil and what will turn him towards the light. This can either be a long process where the cause of the character's evil inclinations is slowly worked away, or possibly a face turn situation. In a face turn situation, the PC has a moment of revelation where he is forced to confront his evil and decides to turn away from it. However the decision to become one of the good guys happens, the road to redemption should be a long one fraught with temptation and peril. Eventually the PC faces his demons (possibly literally), makes good the damage he has done (or learns to live with the guilt and shame) and becomes a good guy in the campaign. Just keep in mind that one good act of redemption does not make, no matter how big that act (unless it is self-sacrificing, the redemption in death trope is a good one), a good aligned hero.
One of the most difficult story lines to play out, but one that can be a lot of fun, is to have the evil PC descend into madness. This is a classic in some genres; the bad deeds and horrible acts wear away at the character's sanity until the inevitable break with reality occurs. At this point the PC is thoroughly evil, but may not be entirely responsible for his actions as he is now insane. Be careful not to creep out the other people at the table, but make sure it is obvious to the other characters that one of their own is now bat-shit crazy. This sets up a couple of story lines, such as the other PCs having to put down their rapid-dog companion, seek out a cure, or possibly the evil PC finds redemption through madness.
Betrayal is a dangerous plot arc to follow, and can lead to bad feelings amongst the players. Basically, set it up before hand that the evil PC will at some point betray the party to their enemies. This should be something big, not a petty turning them over to the local tribe of orcs, but instead something along the lines of handing the artifact they have been questing for to the campaign's big bad guy. This should lead to the other PCs hunting down and brining the evil PC to justice, or if they fail some other force for good within the campaign will do the dirty work for them.
Finally, the evil PC can be allowed to run amok with the understanding that at some point law and order will catch up to him. This might be in the form of another PC, or it may be the local authorities, but some how, some way just retribution for his evil acts will come down upon him. Playing a character who it is predetermined will be taken down is not for everyone's liking, but it does set up a nice plot arc. Consider what the reaction of the other characters will be when one of their number is imprisoned, charged with a crime, or pursued by bounty hunters. Will they defend their companion, or turn him over? This sort of situation is one that good drama, and good role-playing, is made of.
Tuesday, March 13, 2012
XP=GP
I have begun experimenting with a little old school style gaming with my weekly Pathfinder game. First of all, the campaign is set in the Forgotten Realms in the year 1368 DR, basically the AD&D Second Edition era. Second, the factor that is a true experiment is that I am handing out experience points for gold pieces. That's right folks, I am putting my campaign into the way-back machine and giving one experience point for each gold point worth of loot the PCs manage to pick up. Extreme? Maybe, but we'll see how it goes.
I am doing this because I feel that one of the things lost in recent editions is the encouragement to explore and to find non-combat related means of resolving issues. True, the GM has some leeway in how XP is handed out, and can reward the type of game play the campaign encourages, but often this is a rather fuzzy metric and not clearly defined in the rules, or at the table. BY giving the PCs a definite bonus that they know ahead of time, they can calculate the risks and rewards better when deciding their character's actions.
There are a few issues that are apparent with this experimental XP award system. First, there is already a built in reward for finding treasure, and that ties directly into the magic item economy inherent in Pathfinder. Since we are playing in the Forgotten Realms, magic item shops are rare, but still present in a few cities. In effect, the characters are getting rewarded twice for loot, once as XP and a second time as what that loot can purchase (or in the case of found magical items, once for the GP/ XP value of the item and once for its utility). This is Ok, as what I am trying to do is encourage exploration and, for lack of a better word, 'lateral thinking'. Finding ways around the problems brought about by the plot that are not tied to the 'kill them and take their stuff' mentality. Another issue is that this increases the amount of XP a party receives, but this can be compensated for by using the slow progression column on the level table.
If you get more XP, and thus faster level progression and thus more cool powers by looting than by killing, it changes the game play. Caution becomes more important than simply charging in and attacking. Stealth and good planning replace amount of damage dealt per round as the primary means of success. Finally, since the set up for the campaign is work as caravan guards, and the PCs are allowed to do some trading of their own on the side, this double reward means that attention paid to the mercantile side of the campaign gains greater importance.
I am doing this because I feel that one of the things lost in recent editions is the encouragement to explore and to find non-combat related means of resolving issues. True, the GM has some leeway in how XP is handed out, and can reward the type of game play the campaign encourages, but often this is a rather fuzzy metric and not clearly defined in the rules, or at the table. BY giving the PCs a definite bonus that they know ahead of time, they can calculate the risks and rewards better when deciding their character's actions.
There are a few issues that are apparent with this experimental XP award system. First, there is already a built in reward for finding treasure, and that ties directly into the magic item economy inherent in Pathfinder. Since we are playing in the Forgotten Realms, magic item shops are rare, but still present in a few cities. In effect, the characters are getting rewarded twice for loot, once as XP and a second time as what that loot can purchase (or in the case of found magical items, once for the GP/ XP value of the item and once for its utility). This is Ok, as what I am trying to do is encourage exploration and, for lack of a better word, 'lateral thinking'. Finding ways around the problems brought about by the plot that are not tied to the 'kill them and take their stuff' mentality. Another issue is that this increases the amount of XP a party receives, but this can be compensated for by using the slow progression column on the level table.
If you get more XP, and thus faster level progression and thus more cool powers by looting than by killing, it changes the game play. Caution becomes more important than simply charging in and attacking. Stealth and good planning replace amount of damage dealt per round as the primary means of success. Finally, since the set up for the campaign is work as caravan guards, and the PCs are allowed to do some trading of their own on the side, this double reward means that attention paid to the mercantile side of the campaign gains greater importance.
Monday, March 5, 2012
Who's Yer Con 2012 Wrap Up
This past weekend, Con Team Alpha attended Who's Yer Con in Indianapolis, a free local convention put on by Who's Yer Gamers. We ran games to promote Northlands Saga and Interplanetary, and although we had poor attendance on Friday; Saturday and Sunday picked up and we got to show off our games to several people, and meet some great gamers at the same time. In short, a good time was had by all.
Who's Yer Con is small, I don’t have the attendance figures for this year but would guess at less than five hundred attendees. The Pathfinder Society games were packed, and some of the other venues saw a fair number of people at tables. The exhibitors' hall was tiny, but had five exhibitors plus the convention's raffle table. This is one feature I really liked, as they raffled off hundreds of prizes throughout the con. I won a copy of Atlas Games' Cults of Cthulhu, but as I am not a boardgamer I traded it at the Arsenal Game Room and Café booth for some old Forgotten Realms titles. The convention had several other nice features, a large open play area, a game library, and several ongoing free demo events (in addition to ours). There was a film hall, LARPs, and costume contest, the usual things one expects at any decent gaming convention. The convention staff was generally friendly and helpful, and even the ones who were less than helpful were still friendly. We will be back next year, but most likely only for Saturday, the cost in time and dollars is too much to warrant a full weekend.
We ran three sessions of two events, Spring Rites for Northlands Saga and Terror on New Cumberland for Interplanetary. Sadly, Spring Rites ended up being at bad times, Friday (a day of low attendance) and early Saturday (again, few people at the con at 9am). At a larger con the numbers would have been better, but there simply was not enough people to be able to attract a decent table size. We did have better luck Sunday morning, and had a full table for Spring Rites. This group did very well, rescuing the three daughters of Jarl Olaf without loss of any PC. I was introduced by one of the participants to the Viking themed metal band Amon Amaruth, and will have to check these guys out. The session ended with everyone having a good time, and lots of interest in Northlands Saga.
Of our three Interplanetary events, we had full tables at two and a half table at one. In all cases it was a fun time as the marines of the USSN corvette Ira Hayes dropped on the tiny mining colony of New Cumberland and proceeded to investigate the causes behind a garbled distress call. Aliens were met and vanquished, mysteries were (sometimes) resolved, and colonists were rescued to varying degrees (one session only took away two survivors of the hundred and fifty trapped on the colony). This led one player to rename the site of the colony "The Valley of Bad Decisions". In nearly every event the dam was blown and the colony flooded, putting an end (hopefully) to the alien menace.
A few new contacts were made, especially with the Arsenal Game Room and Café and the IUPUI Gamers' Guild. Con Team Alpha will have a presence at their events in April, more on that in the weeks to come. If you missed Spring Rites and Terror on New Cumberland at Who's Yer Con, both events, as well as the Northlands Saga event Spears in the Ice and The Archangel Incident for Interplanetary will be ran at Gen Con 2012. Don’t forget, this year we are introducing Con Team Alpha Character Upgrade Tokens. Attend one Con Team Alpha event and get a wooden token you can keep. Bring it back to another event, and get an upgrade to your character. Your tokens carry over from convention to convention, so hoard them up and show them to your friends!
Con Team Alpha is a group of genetically engineered elite gamemasters who escaped from a federal penitentiary for crimes they wanted to commit. They escaped to the RPG underground and now travel the Midwest promoting games written by their dark master, Ken Spencer.
OK, maybe not, but we are highly experienced gamers who love to run games at conventions and promote Ken Spencer Freelancing. Currently, Con Team Alpha consists of Ken Spencer, Matt Carlson, Jeremy Hedge, and Ted Snider.
Who's Yer Con is small, I don’t have the attendance figures for this year but would guess at less than five hundred attendees. The Pathfinder Society games were packed, and some of the other venues saw a fair number of people at tables. The exhibitors' hall was tiny, but had five exhibitors plus the convention's raffle table. This is one feature I really liked, as they raffled off hundreds of prizes throughout the con. I won a copy of Atlas Games' Cults of Cthulhu, but as I am not a boardgamer I traded it at the Arsenal Game Room and Café booth for some old Forgotten Realms titles. The convention had several other nice features, a large open play area, a game library, and several ongoing free demo events (in addition to ours). There was a film hall, LARPs, and costume contest, the usual things one expects at any decent gaming convention. The convention staff was generally friendly and helpful, and even the ones who were less than helpful were still friendly. We will be back next year, but most likely only for Saturday, the cost in time and dollars is too much to warrant a full weekend.
Games at Who's Yer Con
We ran three sessions of two events, Spring Rites for Northlands Saga and Terror on New Cumberland for Interplanetary. Sadly, Spring Rites ended up being at bad times, Friday (a day of low attendance) and early Saturday (again, few people at the con at 9am). At a larger con the numbers would have been better, but there simply was not enough people to be able to attract a decent table size. We did have better luck Sunday morning, and had a full table for Spring Rites. This group did very well, rescuing the three daughters of Jarl Olaf without loss of any PC. I was introduced by one of the participants to the Viking themed metal band Amon Amaruth, and will have to check these guys out. The session ended with everyone having a good time, and lots of interest in Northlands Saga.
Of our three Interplanetary events, we had full tables at two and a half table at one. In all cases it was a fun time as the marines of the USSN corvette Ira Hayes dropped on the tiny mining colony of New Cumberland and proceeded to investigate the causes behind a garbled distress call. Aliens were met and vanquished, mysteries were (sometimes) resolved, and colonists were rescued to varying degrees (one session only took away two survivors of the hundred and fifty trapped on the colony). This led one player to rename the site of the colony "The Valley of Bad Decisions". In nearly every event the dam was blown and the colony flooded, putting an end (hopefully) to the alien menace.
A few new contacts were made, especially with the Arsenal Game Room and Café and the IUPUI Gamers' Guild. Con Team Alpha will have a presence at their events in April, more on that in the weeks to come. If you missed Spring Rites and Terror on New Cumberland at Who's Yer Con, both events, as well as the Northlands Saga event Spears in the Ice and The Archangel Incident for Interplanetary will be ran at Gen Con 2012. Don’t forget, this year we are introducing Con Team Alpha Character Upgrade Tokens. Attend one Con Team Alpha event and get a wooden token you can keep. Bring it back to another event, and get an upgrade to your character. Your tokens carry over from convention to convention, so hoard them up and show them to your friends!
What is Con Team Alpha?
Con Team Alpha is a group of genetically engineered elite gamemasters who escaped from a federal penitentiary for crimes they wanted to commit. They escaped to the RPG underground and now travel the Midwest promoting games written by their dark master, Ken Spencer.
OK, maybe not, but we are highly experienced gamers who love to run games at conventions and promote Ken Spencer Freelancing. Currently, Con Team Alpha consists of Ken Spencer, Matt Carlson, Jeremy Hedge, and Ted Snider.
Monday, February 27, 2012
One Setting to Rule Them All
There is something special about starting a new campaign, the opening of possibilities, the nearly limitless directions it can go, and the chance to try something new. Unfortunately, I have had far too many campaign starts in recent years. Part of this is because of GM ADD, part just the way things play out. I am a tough GM who doesn't shirk from killing a PC, or a whole party if that's how it falls out. Still, I have seen lots of campaigns come crashing down, and its time to have at least one keep going.
One way to break this chain is to learn to focus, not just in what campaigns I run, but what I purchase. Partially it’s a problem with being in the RPG industry, I get exposed to so many new games, and I want to play them all. There are games I have to buy and read for work, there are ones I am sent for review, and there are ones I hear about because I need to keep my ear to the ground and look for trends in the industry. This is a lot of exposure, and it should be no wonder that I dream up at least the seed of a new campaign about every two to three days. On top of this, when I have spare cash, or it’s a gift receiving event (like my upcoming birthday), those who are close to me know I want games.
I have tried a variety of techniques to push myself to focus, ranging from trying to stick to one system to choosing campaigns that can branch across multiple genres (usually through world hopping). In the end, none of them have worked. The next game book shows up and I'm off on a new campaign. Really, it's just a matter of willpower, of telling myself to keep on task. The real hard part is I feel like I have disappointed my players by pulling the rug out form under them. It should be no wonder that many of those who regularly play with me have stopped putting a lot of effort into creating well-rounded PCs with back-stories and plot hooks. Why should they when the campaign will only last a few sessions?
To aid in keeping things on the straight and narrow, and building a long-term campaign, I am focusing this year on one setting, the Forgotten Realms. It is a huge setting, one of the largest in the hobby, with plenty of room to run several campaigns in. Plus, it spans several editions of Dungeons and Dragons, and between that and my general disregard for system, there is plenty of options available. I could use BRP, Barbarians of Lemuria, Labyrinth Lord, OSRIC, Swords and Wizardry, or even XDM.
Weekly Pathfinder is now going to be set in the Realms a few years after the Time of Troubles. We are going to be joining a caravan running from the Dales to Waterdeep, and passing through Sembia, Cormyr, the Western Heartlands, and up the Sword Coast. Lots of adventure there, and the PCs may drop out of the caravan at anytime (though this may cause some problems with the caravan master). My monthly game is already in the Realms, and the PCs are oWoD splats trapped in the Literary Realm of the Umbra. All they have to do to get out is finish the story, which considering they are in the AD&D 2e version of the Realms means they need to do the whole adventurer to ruler path. Encounters this season is also based in the Realms, though it’s the 4e iteration, which I know little about (I may pick up the books, but I doubt it, 2e is the Realms for me and frankly, I have a hard time with settings changing).
In addition to the various FR game books, I have two other outlets for my year of the Realms. First, there are a ton of FR novels, some at the library, some on my bookshelf, and more that I can cheaply purchase at used bookstores. I don’t often read fiction, but when I get the urge I can go Realms, which is good because fiction tends to strongly color my gaming choices. Finally, FR ties in with Spelljammer, so there is always that to add in. Unless I want them to wander into Ravenloft.
One way to break this chain is to learn to focus, not just in what campaigns I run, but what I purchase. Partially it’s a problem with being in the RPG industry, I get exposed to so many new games, and I want to play them all. There are games I have to buy and read for work, there are ones I am sent for review, and there are ones I hear about because I need to keep my ear to the ground and look for trends in the industry. This is a lot of exposure, and it should be no wonder that I dream up at least the seed of a new campaign about every two to three days. On top of this, when I have spare cash, or it’s a gift receiving event (like my upcoming birthday), those who are close to me know I want games.
I have tried a variety of techniques to push myself to focus, ranging from trying to stick to one system to choosing campaigns that can branch across multiple genres (usually through world hopping). In the end, none of them have worked. The next game book shows up and I'm off on a new campaign. Really, it's just a matter of willpower, of telling myself to keep on task. The real hard part is I feel like I have disappointed my players by pulling the rug out form under them. It should be no wonder that many of those who regularly play with me have stopped putting a lot of effort into creating well-rounded PCs with back-stories and plot hooks. Why should they when the campaign will only last a few sessions?
To aid in keeping things on the straight and narrow, and building a long-term campaign, I am focusing this year on one setting, the Forgotten Realms. It is a huge setting, one of the largest in the hobby, with plenty of room to run several campaigns in. Plus, it spans several editions of Dungeons and Dragons, and between that and my general disregard for system, there is plenty of options available. I could use BRP, Barbarians of Lemuria, Labyrinth Lord, OSRIC, Swords and Wizardry, or even XDM.
Weekly Pathfinder is now going to be set in the Realms a few years after the Time of Troubles. We are going to be joining a caravan running from the Dales to Waterdeep, and passing through Sembia, Cormyr, the Western Heartlands, and up the Sword Coast. Lots of adventure there, and the PCs may drop out of the caravan at anytime (though this may cause some problems with the caravan master). My monthly game is already in the Realms, and the PCs are oWoD splats trapped in the Literary Realm of the Umbra. All they have to do to get out is finish the story, which considering they are in the AD&D 2e version of the Realms means they need to do the whole adventurer to ruler path. Encounters this season is also based in the Realms, though it’s the 4e iteration, which I know little about (I may pick up the books, but I doubt it, 2e is the Realms for me and frankly, I have a hard time with settings changing).
In addition to the various FR game books, I have two other outlets for my year of the Realms. First, there are a ton of FR novels, some at the library, some on my bookshelf, and more that I can cheaply purchase at used bookstores. I don’t often read fiction, but when I get the urge I can go Realms, which is good because fiction tends to strongly color my gaming choices. Finally, FR ties in with Spelljammer, so there is always that to add in. Unless I want them to wander into Ravenloft.
Friday, February 17, 2012
What is Your Favorite Edition of D&D?
With a new edition of Dungeons and Dragons coming, a lot of talk has been floating around about people's favorite edition of the world's most popular fantasy role-playing game. My answer is unequivocally AD&D 2nd Edition, for a lot of reasons. First of all, I feel it had the best presentation and artwork of any editions. I am sorry, but the art for 3rd era, Pathfinder, and especially 4e doesn’t do it for me. I look at the illustrations and I don’t feel the urge to play out the scene depicted, it doesn’t tell me a story, and frankly the proportions of the bodies, both male and female, are completely unrealistic. They don’t say 'fantasy' to me as much as anime, but WotC's target audience has never been old grognards like me.
Barring the rather subjective issue of artwork (or maybe not, someone explain to my why dragonborn and wildlings have breasts), What really sits 2e apart in my mind is the strength of the system and the richness of the settings. This is a system that could take a lot of beating and still produce a fun game, and wow did TSR beat it apart. Unlike AD&D 1e or even the old Basic Set, 2e was more flexible, possessed the concept of optional rules right in the Player's Handbook, and provided a varied game play. When you consider all the options added by the Complete Handbooks series and the Player's Options series, you have a system that even the designers were willing to admit didn't suit everyone's purpose, but could be altered to taste.
Not to say the system is perfect, there were glaring issues that were fixed in later editions. Racial level limits always seemed silly to me, and I never enforced them in games I ran. The proficiency system needed some paring down and rationalization, I am sorry but fire building is part of basic survival and doesn’t need to be a separate expenditure of those rare non-proficiency slots. A lot of people did not like THACO, but for them all I have to say is learn some basic math you slacker.
One of the things about 2e that really resonated with me was the kits. I think this was possibly the best idea to come out of the edition, and I wish they had made it into 3e (4e has its themes, which are close, but are often too over the top for the types of games I normally enjoy). Instead of playing a fighter, you could be a swashbuckler, myrmidon, or even peasant hero. Here was a game mechanic that aided in the creation of character back story and personality, you know, role-playing, as well as granting a small mechanical bonus. For the most part the kits were well balanced, though some of the racial books got a little too far beyond what I would consider fantasy and entered the realm of super-heroics.
The settings, this is where 2e shines, and the best part is these can always be used with any edition. Forgotten Realms, Dark Sun, Dragonlance, Ravenloft, Greyhawk, Planescape, Birthright, Council of Wyrms, and especially Spelljammer, if you want to see me nerdgasm get a Spelljammer game going! The sheer amount of source material in these is amazing, and far better than what happened with setting material in 3e and 4e. As D&D became more mechanic driven, the fluff started to disappear (or worse, became horribly dry), giving way to new feats, new prestige classes, and new spells.
Balance and character optimization were not design features, and this was good. There was little you could do to 'optimize' your character, other than choosing a race. Class, kit combo, but even then your basic ability scores needed to be good enough to qualify for these. Some things were unbalanced, and that was fine, we didn’t expect them to be. There was also no formula for a balanced encounter, like you see in 4e and Pathfinder. GM skill was important, just as important as player skill.
This brings us to one of the big pluses of older editions of Dungeons and Dragons. There was less of an emphasis on character power and more on player skill, as well as a different power dynamic between the DM and the rules. It began in character creation, even with a kit, you had to develop your character's personality based off of only a handful of numerical sources, this encouraged role-playing in a way that I have rarely seen in games that feature a lot of mechanical character personality and background options. Once play began, you were a fragile little adventurer on his way up in the world, but one who would only survive through good decision making, not the use of powers and feats, or other special abilities. You were encouraged as a player to innovate, use strategy and tactics, and to not make every fight one to the death; running for it was a reasonable option.
So much of the rules of older editions were left to DM discretion, whereas today there is a rule and stat line for everything, including how to design adventures. This takes the power, and a lot of the fun, out of the DM's hands and places them in the rules. I think this development over the past decade is what has led to the growth (in fringe parts of the hobby at least) of GM-less games. When you take away a lot of what makes a DM special, of course you find out you don’t need him. Go right ahead if that's your thing, I won’t tell you how to have fun, but for me that's akin to decaffeinated coffee, missing the whole point.
All this is not to say that I don't like Pathfinder or 4e, I do. I run a weekly Pathfinder game and write for Frog God Games in their Pathfinder adventure series (Northlands Saga for those of you unfamiliar with my work). Golarion is like a throwback to the great settings of 2e, lots of fluff, imaginative settings, and well written. 4e falls short on the setting department, but does give two great settings, the updated Dark Sun (which I love) and the Points of Light/ Nentir Vale mini-setting. I also greatly enjoy the planes in 4e, and I may be the only grognard who never liked the Great Wheel cosmology. Of course having spelljammers in it helped. I also like the Feywild and Shadowfell, in fact I will be playing in a 4e Feywild game that starts in March, and my only concern is what class for my pixie PC.
Barring the rather subjective issue of artwork (or maybe not, someone explain to my why dragonborn and wildlings have breasts), What really sits 2e apart in my mind is the strength of the system and the richness of the settings. This is a system that could take a lot of beating and still produce a fun game, and wow did TSR beat it apart. Unlike AD&D 1e or even the old Basic Set, 2e was more flexible, possessed the concept of optional rules right in the Player's Handbook, and provided a varied game play. When you consider all the options added by the Complete Handbooks series and the Player's Options series, you have a system that even the designers were willing to admit didn't suit everyone's purpose, but could be altered to taste.
Not to say the system is perfect, there were glaring issues that were fixed in later editions. Racial level limits always seemed silly to me, and I never enforced them in games I ran. The proficiency system needed some paring down and rationalization, I am sorry but fire building is part of basic survival and doesn’t need to be a separate expenditure of those rare non-proficiency slots. A lot of people did not like THACO, but for them all I have to say is learn some basic math you slacker.
One of the things about 2e that really resonated with me was the kits. I think this was possibly the best idea to come out of the edition, and I wish they had made it into 3e (4e has its themes, which are close, but are often too over the top for the types of games I normally enjoy). Instead of playing a fighter, you could be a swashbuckler, myrmidon, or even peasant hero. Here was a game mechanic that aided in the creation of character back story and personality, you know, role-playing, as well as granting a small mechanical bonus. For the most part the kits were well balanced, though some of the racial books got a little too far beyond what I would consider fantasy and entered the realm of super-heroics.
The settings, this is where 2e shines, and the best part is these can always be used with any edition. Forgotten Realms, Dark Sun, Dragonlance, Ravenloft, Greyhawk, Planescape, Birthright, Council of Wyrms, and especially Spelljammer, if you want to see me nerdgasm get a Spelljammer game going! The sheer amount of source material in these is amazing, and far better than what happened with setting material in 3e and 4e. As D&D became more mechanic driven, the fluff started to disappear (or worse, became horribly dry), giving way to new feats, new prestige classes, and new spells.
Balance and character optimization were not design features, and this was good. There was little you could do to 'optimize' your character, other than choosing a race. Class, kit combo, but even then your basic ability scores needed to be good enough to qualify for these. Some things were unbalanced, and that was fine, we didn’t expect them to be. There was also no formula for a balanced encounter, like you see in 4e and Pathfinder. GM skill was important, just as important as player skill.
This brings us to one of the big pluses of older editions of Dungeons and Dragons. There was less of an emphasis on character power and more on player skill, as well as a different power dynamic between the DM and the rules. It began in character creation, even with a kit, you had to develop your character's personality based off of only a handful of numerical sources, this encouraged role-playing in a way that I have rarely seen in games that feature a lot of mechanical character personality and background options. Once play began, you were a fragile little adventurer on his way up in the world, but one who would only survive through good decision making, not the use of powers and feats, or other special abilities. You were encouraged as a player to innovate, use strategy and tactics, and to not make every fight one to the death; running for it was a reasonable option.
So much of the rules of older editions were left to DM discretion, whereas today there is a rule and stat line for everything, including how to design adventures. This takes the power, and a lot of the fun, out of the DM's hands and places them in the rules. I think this development over the past decade is what has led to the growth (in fringe parts of the hobby at least) of GM-less games. When you take away a lot of what makes a DM special, of course you find out you don’t need him. Go right ahead if that's your thing, I won’t tell you how to have fun, but for me that's akin to decaffeinated coffee, missing the whole point.
All this is not to say that I don't like Pathfinder or 4e, I do. I run a weekly Pathfinder game and write for Frog God Games in their Pathfinder adventure series (Northlands Saga for those of you unfamiliar with my work). Golarion is like a throwback to the great settings of 2e, lots of fluff, imaginative settings, and well written. 4e falls short on the setting department, but does give two great settings, the updated Dark Sun (which I love) and the Points of Light/ Nentir Vale mini-setting. I also greatly enjoy the planes in 4e, and I may be the only grognard who never liked the Great Wheel cosmology. Of course having spelljammers in it helped. I also like the Feywild and Shadowfell, in fact I will be playing in a 4e Feywild game that starts in March, and my only concern is what class for my pixie PC.
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