RPGaday2017 day 31 - last call

#RPGaday2017 day 31
What do you anticipate most for gaming in 2018?

Starfinder came out this month, so that's probably going to be huge.

But there are also some really interesting conversations taking place about how to deal with inclusion and sensitive topics in gaming. It's not a one-size fits all solution, unless you count being aware of each other and working so we all have a good time.

I expect to see more about the X-card, Script Change, etc.

RPGaday2017 day 30

#RPGaday2017 day 30
What is an RPG genre mash-up you'd really like to see?

I'm trying to think if there's been a horror/kids show mash up (think Scooby Doo meets HP Lovecraft but without the racism, ableism, etc).You never know if the monster is Old Man Jenkins or a real monster, until the final unmasking. I'm not much of a horror fan, in general but this idea intrigues me.

The same can be done with kids' show and spies; is the home cooking host really bad at cooking or do her recipes conceal secret messages? Or maybe something more like the show Kids Next Door, where the spies/villains are teenagers and/or adults.

RPGaday2017 day 29

#RPGaday2017 day 29
What's the best run Kickstarter I've backed?

My colander like memory strikes again. I don't remember. There have been some very well-run ones, but it takes me forever to remember to check off when I've received my KS award, much less whether it arrived in a timely manner.

RPGaday2017 day 28

#RPGaday2017 day 28
What film/series is the biggest source of quotes in your group?

It used to be Monty Python, hands down. Nowadays, we have a much wider selection. Firefly has some good lines (Let's go be bad, etc). Princess Bride has the oft-quoted 'have fun stormin' the castle' and 'you keep using that word, I do not think it means what you think it means.'

I am wracking my brain and I cannot remember what we quote the most. 

RPGaday2017 day 27

#RPGaday2017 day 27
What are your essential tools for good gaming?

For the games that I play, dice or another random number generator (usually dice). Paper and writing implement, usually a pencil; and if it's a campaign game, my computer so I can take notes. If it's a one-shot, I can get by with longhand notes, but for longer games, I need more complete notes.

And that's it. Anything else is gravy.

Because other people are not tools. And some kind of game book is a necessity, not a tool.

RPGaday2017 day 26

#RPGaday2017 day 26
Which RPG provides great useful resources?

There are three types of resources. There's additional material; settings, rules, maps, etc. There's things like GM screens, tokens, and 'toys' (miniatures, etc). There are things like character sheets, prep sheets (locations, items, creatures, adventure logs, etc).

Most one-shorts don't need much. They might have things like character sheets and tokens but many of them use blank paper or things you can easily find (like glass tokens from a hobby shop). Looking at Monsterhearts as an example, once you have your character sheet, you don't need much else in the way of resources. Although, I do like the idea of each character having a personalized token to share with characters with whom they have a tie.

On the other hand, a game like Pathfinder has maps, splat books, plastic miniatures, and paper miniatures for sale, as well as character folio (if you want more info than fits on a typical character sheet), GM screen and combat pad (to track combat initiative). And they sell adventures; one-shots, short campaign, and long campaigns. Those are all great if you have the money.

On the other hand, FATE and FAE have specialized dice for sale. There are also setting/adventure books. And there's lots of free or inexpensive content available.

And although I can't stand the system, I do have to give a shoutout to GURPS. Their background books are usually excellent. And they have a highly involved community who are very productive.

RPGaday2017 day 25

#RPGaday2017 day 25
What is a great way to thank your GM?

Is only 1 person in the group the GM? Is it a prep-heavy game or one where the GM does most of the heavy lifting?

This answer is highly variable and depends on the specific GM and situation.  And is it a one-shot at a convention? A LARP? A campaign? Is it organized play (like Heroes of Rokugan for Legends of the 5 Rings, or Shadowrun Missions for Shadowrun)?

It might be bringing snacks or drinks for the GM. The specific drink and/or snack really relies on the specific person. I prefer chocolate. I used to have a GM who really like beer.

 Helping new players with rules (especially if there are multiple new players and the GM is helping others) is a good thing to do.  Doing anything to lighten the GM's load, like sharpening the pencils she brought for the players at a convention one-shot game (yes, these are actual examples).

For a campaign GM, how about making or commissioning a portrait of the characters. Or game props to be used in the game (boxes, books, tokens, etc). Host the game, and give the GM's house a break (if the GM is okay with schlepping game materials to your house). I've heard of one group who pooled their money to get their GM's rulebook rebound when it was falling apart; I don't know if they had a special cover made or not.

RPGaday2017 day 24

#RPGaday2017 day 24
Share a PWYW publisher who should be charging more.

Pretty much all of them. There are a couple who price appropriately, but most of them really underprice.

RPGaday2017 day 23

#RPGaday2017 day 23
Which RPG has the most jaw-dropping layout in my opinion?

Honestly, I'm not certain. Are talking technically? I haven't really judged layouts since working on a magazine in college. Layout is one of those things that when it's done well, people won't notice it. The book will just flow. When it's done badly, the flow is jagged and interrupted, that people will notice. 

RPGaday2017 day 22

#RPGaday2017 day 22
 What RPG is easiest for you to run?

Fate and Fate Accelerated have the rules-light ease as well as players contributing to world building to ease running. On the other hand, I've run an Ironclaw one shot with 5-minutes of thought. It was a simple plot (catch the bandit, rescue the kidnapped noble scion), but I know the rules thoroughly enough and foes are classed by challenge level and die size.

FATE and FAE are often cinematic so you can be fast and loose with reality. Ironclaw magic is one of the easiest I've ever seen.* I'd say it's a toss up for either one of those (yes, I'm lumping FATE and FAE together, pbbbt)

*Roll stat and magic skill. Did you beat spell difficulty? Do you have the spell points? You cast it.

RPGaday 2017 day 21

#RPGaday2017 day 21
Which RPG does the most with the least words?

I don't know. There are some great 1 and 2 page games out there, but I haven't played them. My local gaming circle doesn't include folks who enjoy one-shots or frequently trying new games. I'm going to have to take a pass on this one; lack of info to make a reasoned choice.

Although, I do like PocketUniverse.

RPGaday2017 day 20

#RPGaday2017 day 20
What is a great source for out of print RPGs?

Honestly, I rely on my FLGS. They have a bookcase of used game books. I ask him to keep an eye out for a specific game for me.

The local Used Bookstore had a shelf of game books, until they suddenly closed. If I'm desperate, there's eBay.

RPGaday2017 day 19

#RPGaday2017 day 19
Which RPG features great writing in my opinion?

I'm going to try and separate the writing from the mechanics. Although it's hard, because they are often so intertwined.

There's writing to convey the game setting, for setting specific books at least.  In game writing, you're also trying to convey the mechanics in a comprehensible way.

There should be enough setting material for readers to get a feel for not just the genre, but the tone of the game. To borrow some terms from a superhero game; is it street level, stopping thugs and muggers? Is it citywide, stopping robberies some but mostly dealing with disaster-like events or supervillains? Or country wide? Worldwide? Interstellar? Inter-planar? Or does the game handle different levels of threat, and it's up to the players and GM to set it?

Or is it deadly serious in tone, full of angst and gravitas, or lighthearted and even silly? We used to joke that White Wolf's Changeling wasn't in the World of Darkness, it was too whimsical. It was in the world of dimly lit places.

Is there a enough fiction to give a voice to the kind of people you'd expect to play or encounter? Is there so much fiction, the reader's eye just skims it?

 Even if the mechanics are unwieldy and arcane, they can be communicated well. Or the mechanics might be as smooth as melted butter, but the writing feels like swallowing dry salt.

Dresden Files did an incredible job of capturing the feel of the books' characters and settings, both in language and game mechanics. The fiction pieces, side bars, and 'handwritten comments' added to that feel.

RPGaday2017 day 18

#RPGaday2017 day 18
Which RPG have you played the most in your life?

Hmm, are we talking number of sessions? Game world time? Or Real world time?

I had a Shadowrun game that only lasted a 2-3 years game world time, but we played at least weekly at least 5 years.  I was in a Mutants and Masterminds game that lasted 7 years real world time, playing every 2 weeks. And a DandD 3rd edition that went well into 3.5 edition and stayed 3.5 after 4th came out (how long is that?). There was also a Mage game, back in the late 90s/early 2000s. That one lasted for a few years.

It must have been one of those, but I don't know which one.

RPGaday day 17

#RPGaday2017 day 17
Which RPG have you owned the longest but not played?

That's easy, Space Opera. My mom bought it for me at the Sears Outlet store when I was in high school. I have it packed away somewhere, along with my dungeon designs from high school (with the thin dungeon walls, and other follies).

We played D&D, Traveller, and Dr. Who in high school. And in college, we played Star Wars, Shadowrun, Middle Earth Roleplaying Game, Runequest, DC, Marvel, a little Villains and Vigilantes, Champions, with a quick dip into Star Trek and Wizards Realm.

I think the next longest owned but not played game would be Elfquest. I even designed my own tribe for it and populated it, at least with names and relatives. I got that one in college but no one was interested in playing it.

RPGaday2017 day 16

#RPGaday2017 day 16
Which RPG do you enjoy using as is?

I'll limit my answer to games I've actually played or run. The next question; are we talking rules or background setting?

I run and play most of my games as is. I've made some minor changes setting/background to some of them; in my early Shadowrun days, it was rare but you could goblinize as a dwarf or elf. And my co-gm in my 1st game added 'rank' and 'level' to contacts; how important are they within their community and how close is the relationship. But we kept the actual game mechanics as is.

 I guess my answer is Dresden Files. The system is already flexible enough to handle table-level fine-tuning, thanks to aspects. And the setting is rich enough, with enough 'empty' places aka not where the books are set, to fine tune that part, too.

RPGaday2017 day 15

#RPGaday2017 day 15
Which RPG do you enjoy adapting the most?

Are we talking house rules? Or are we talking taking a set of rules and applying them to a new setting or new genre?

Frankly, with all the games I want to play as they are written, I don't have time to adapt any RPGs.  I think the closest I came to 'adapting' a game was a FATE game; and well, literally written to be adapted to different settings/genres.

Years ago, we used DandD 3.5 combat in a Chivalry and Sorcery game, but that's the only time I distinctly recall adapting a game. I'm writing this early, so maybe one will occur to me before I post. If that line remains unchanged, I didn't think of any.

Oh wait, no, I guess ADandD is the one I've adapted the most. We house-ruled so much; from how you generated stats, to dumping racial-based class limits. 

RPGaday2017 day 14

#RPGaday2017 day 14
What RPG do you prefer for open-ended campaign play?

I'm not sure I understand the question. Open-ended versus a module or published adventure? Open-ended versus a pre-scripted plot (ie here's the big bad, the campaign consists of stopping it/them*)?

By open-ended, as in 'here's the game world, here are some plot hooks; what do you want to do?' and the GM or narrator or whatever just kind of flows with whatever the players do (**)? Or open-ended as in 'play until we get tired of the characters' (****) or someone moves away?

I don't think that there's one I prefer for 'open-ended'. I think most RPGs can be played open-ended, by any of those definitions; it depends on the group and the GM. A game with a rich world setting is easier to play open-ended (like Runequest) but if the GM puts some hard work into it, they can fill in any blanks, to suit their own purposes and story ideas (like Wizards Realm).


* like the Mage game that consisted of foiling a nephandi invasion of Earth
**like the GM who found the PCs following a plot-hook he'd planted for when they were 5 levels higher***
***Middle Earth RolePlaying game, if you're interested
**** my high school D&D group

I haven't put links in for any of the games I've mentioned. If you read this, and want links, leave a comment and I'll edit this post to add them.

RPGaday2017 day 13

#RPGaday2017 day 13
Describe a game experience that changed how you play.

I had to really think about this one. I couldn't come up with an obvious answer. I mean, heavy story and roleplay games like Fate have influenced me, but I've always been into roleplay at varying levels, even when the rules didn't explicitly support it.

I think it was running Shadowrun in college. For the first time it was game none of us knew particularly well, and we were all learning the game as we played. We could either stop the game to look up the rule (and we did that sometimes) or I could make a ruling and we'd look it up later.

I learned that my game experience is improved if we concentrate on having fun instead of knowing every single rule in the book (complete with page and paragraph). It's helpful having someone at the table with that kind of knowledge, but if you don't have it, keep rolling.

RPGaday2017 day 12

RPGaday2017 day 12
What RPG do I feel has the most inspiring art?
First, let me define what inspiring art means for me in this context. Inspiring art is art that gives me a sense of the game genre, the game's feel. Is it a gritty and grimdark game? Then I expect to see shrouded streets, trash-filled alleys, and hardbitten character portraits. Is it science fiction or fantasy or superhero? The art should make me want to make a character that fits in that art.

The original Changeling: The Dreaming art did that for me. Don't get me wrong, Shadowrun and some other games did a great job, too, but Changeling had this dreamy quality. It was one step from reality, or reality through a fantastic filter.