[RPG] Wonderland Session 1

Last night was the beginning of my Wonderland campaign.

I had more players than I expected, which was a very good thing. I explained the world and background to them, and answered a LOT of questions from a player that is new not only to the system, but roleplaying as a rule. It was really fun being able to explain things in a way that made sense, but gave the sense of mystery and uncertainty that a "new world" offers. I started them off on Miracle City, one of the islands in the ocean of the void. The city itself was Steampunk/Victorian in overall setting. 

I had them roll up characters, and I wound up with the following people: A Sorceress, A Drunk Cop, The Ghost of a Samurai, A Crazy Explorer, An Engineer Plumber and a Miming Clown. 

Adventures of Boss Lady: When Employees Make Mistakes

Part of my lessons in being a Boss Lady have been delegation and telling people to do things instead of asking (in the "do me a favor tone" rather than "do you mind" tone). A lot of my on-the-job training for being a Boss has boiled down to confidence/and or competence. If I assert it, things seem to go better for me than if I let folks know I "don't know what I am doing".

Maybe not this, yes?

Mistakes are a part of life and will happen. I don't mind this as it is part of my reality at my "day job". I have great coaches/bosses who help me learn through the mistakes and put me on the right path towards learning to do things well next time. It's pretty cool. I'm attempting to model the same thing to my employees when things need correction, but I'm finding it difficult as I don't have a lot of experience in this field. 

I am finding that a lot of things "I just know" because I have done them for so long need to be spelled out so that there are clear expectations and my employees can see the direction I want things to go for the business. I am also finding that very smart people say very dumb things, and I have to help them learn not to do so (in front of customers). 

This Boss Lady process is also full of ME making mistakes, but as the Boss Lady, I have to deal with it differently. And then talk to my employees about how to handle things so my mistakes don't impact them negatively. 

I hope I get better at this, but I am really excited by how much I am learning.

[40K] Grey Knights VS Blood Angels

This was the beginning of our new league. I decided to give it a whirl, and after a lot of debating, decided to play the Grey Knights (or "Cheese" as my buddy FunDave calls them). 

I played against a guy I've known since the day I was introduced to gaming. He's new to the league, but has been stopping in to watch for almost a year. Our guys know him, but might not know his idiosyncrasies as well as I do. 

He's an old grognard/neckbeard, one of those guys that takes perverse pleasure in reading, examining, questioning and just generally ingesting games of all kinds. He also discusses games in a strange hybrid of kvetching/arguing that many people could easily view as misanthropy. I've gotten used to it over the years and don't think twice about his rumblings- I sort of hear them on another wavelength. 

Having effectively taken care of customers, I found a table and broke out my dudes, and my friend broke out his. His list was something like this:

Baal pred

2 las plas razorbacks 

2 five man assault squads melta powerfist

and here's what I brought: 

storm raven

4 terminators (troops) with a psilencer 

1 Justicar Tharn 

I was a little absentminded when we were setting up the table, and I sort of missed something important. Take a look. 

Notice anything? (Besides my hand on the right.) Yeah, there's not a lot to see.

We rolled mission and deployment. He won first but held off and kept his guys in reserve, letting me go first. We had to score an objective, and his was behind a ruin. Mine was on behind a bunker to the way left from what you see here. 

I moved forward towards the objective. He waited. I moved forward again.

I actually scooted around the ruin and sat on the objective.  I thought I was in good shape, and I was trying to follow the "keep the guys in the armored box" rule I keep hearing.

Yeah. Then he rolled all 3 reserves on and the one that was flanking came in on the side my bird was on.

The bird got blown up- totally exploded. The guys inside- 3 lived.

My poor, poor raven!

Then my guys ran away because they lost more than 25% of their squad. And at least one of them got blown up by the barrage of shooting he threw at me.

And you know, I never learn. I charged right at those tanks- with just 2 guys.

The roll to hit. This was probably the only thing that made the night not entirely terrible on a game standpoint.

I got completely surrounded. And the psicannon just refused to die. He was pretty crafty. Thawn died - a lot.

Of course the rolls to pen weren't so good. Can't win 'em all, right?

The game came down to 2 Lasplas Razorbacks and a Ball Predator shooting Thawn every time he got up. And then he didn't, and my friend won.

Overall recap: My friend got lucky with his reserve and shooting rolls. I didn't suck as much as I have in the past. I still lost.

About my opponent: I sort of covered this in the bat rep above, but I like him and get along with him fine. I know other people find his tendencies to discuss things to death somewhat annoying. 


What I learned: Trying new stuff is ok. Even if you lose.

In all seriousness, I was trying to apply some things I've watched or heard. I was debating between BT with a LRC and dudes inside or a StormRaven, and you know... I really wanted to play it. It was a birthday gift and I really like it. So I went with GK. I definitely need to read the Codex more thoroughly.

There's next week to try again at 500... I don't know what I'll bring yet.

[40K] Black Templar Questions Again Plus AWESOME Pictures!

So I've recently been checking out other people's lists in an effort to get better as a list designer. Or maybe it's that I'm making crib notes/outright stealing ideas. Either way, I have seen something pretty disturbing that I do not understand.

I am seeing BT lists with EC tricked out with things other than AAC. And for the love of killing Xenos scum (sorry, Leebo), I honestly can't fathom why.

Can anyone help a girl out?

Also on the "Stuff I'm thinking about" list is my StormRaven. Some of you that have been reading a while may remember that TheDude gave it to me for my birthday.  It is finally converted, assembled and primed and I want to show it off! It's only 6 months later so I don't feel even a little bit lazy! (And I truthfully shouldn't as I did none of the work. FunDave did it all, and tried to claim my bird for himself, the turkey.)

So here we have some shots of her all dressed up:

Front view of the lady of death [I cannot tell you how much I am smiling. I just LOVE HER!!!]

And of course,  you have to have a profile shot! You cannot see the tail conversion well in any picture, but I had the tail turned "upside down" because I liked the look much better.

Hurrican bolters for the win, baby! 

Or, a door if you want troops. 

This is how FunDave did it- the cross bar is totally invisible from the outside, but keeps the doors/bolters on perfectly.

So there's my girl... I now need a reason to take her out for a drive/ride/killing spree ...

And as an extra special treat...


I've talked off and on about my Orks from way back when. I know I discussed at length how horrifically ugly and putrid they were- and how I did it on purpose. I gave these guys away, so I didn't have them available to show photographic evidence of how terrible they really are.

You're in luck- the Orks were on loan to a guy who is learning the game and I got some primo pictures to share with you.. bask in their hideous glory.

There's more...

And here's one I was sort of proud of at one time-

and his back ...

[40K] Starting Over

So I am not the only person at our FLGS trying to learn either a new army or 5th Edition rules.

My buddy FunDave has been an Eldar player for as long as I've known him. He loves his space cows (inside joke) and I was really surprised to hear him not only TALKING about another army, but building a list for one. Even stranger (to me) was that it was a Marine army. FunDave's been pretty vehement that he doesn't "DO" Marines, and to see him pushing dudes with backpacks around seems very odd to me.

However, he wanted to try something different, and so he broke out Space Wolves the other night. He borrowed the guys to make up his list from another regular, and tried his hand at Puppies. I'm absolutely astounded to say that he won, despite being blown almost entirely off the board by his opponent. He seemed to have a good time, but I heard a lot of "what does that do, again?" over the chatter in the room. I guess starting something new wasn't so hard to someone that's actively been playing a lot for several years now. I'm glad to see FunDave doing something new. It means a shift in the balance of the meta at our store, and maybe will make him deploy differently. (He loves the all-reserve approach.)

Another friend was looking to get back into Eldar after at very long break. He wrote and brought a list based on old assumptions and discovered the units he used previously just weren't as good anymore. I think (but could be wrong) the drastic differences in effectiveness and editions really threw him off. He is trying again- looking at what he has and seeing how to use it (perhaps proxies or changing parts to be something else) so that he can join us. I'd love to see him play with us- he's really fun and I think our group is sufficiently without extra cheese that he'd have a good time.


Doing something new or different can be pretty scary. I know I waffled on playing again for a lot of reasons, but I am really glad I'm back in the game. I'm making friends, learning something, painting again (I FINALLY found a scheme I like after about 5 or 6 test runs) and enjoying the company. I'm playing like a total idiot, but I'm having fun (for the most part).

The store has renewed and/or fresh blood; new eyes and new perspectives, and I like that a lot. Our playing will be enhanced and our friendships will be enriched. It's pretty nice to see.

[Weekly Whimsy] A Deeper Look, Part 1

[Welcome to Weekly Whimsy! A different discussion, delivering data dealing with determinations and debate; deconstructing dames, DMs and discourse.]

Hear the voices

All the people- INXS, All the Voices

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I ran short of ideas for something completely new this week, but I've been musing on something “recycled” for a bit now. I was motivated to pick it up again after my post Friday. I touched on a cognitive difference in understanding, using and manipulating an entire system, and to some extent I attributed this to gender.

My own comments got me ruminating about gender differences in gaming (again) and caused me to recall the FGRT. I wanted to revisit my responses (as I was uncharacteristically brief) as well as talk a little bit about those that responded as an overall group.

I dropped a note to Zak, and he kindly agreed to let me take over his blog (sort of), so here I am with my unrestrained commentary. These opinions and thoughts are mine. I don't speak for all lady gamers.

In fact, part of my point today is that the female gamer demographic is exceptionally difficult to pin down, even when given the opportunity.

The roundtable was held here- on a massively popular gaming blog, and the post got tons of redistribution across the web. Despite all that, only about 15 women responded to the questions. I noted this on my blog and I think I came across in a way I didn't intend. I didn't mean that Zak wasn't doing a good job of reaching women – in fact, I think the opposite. My point was more one of- why the heck aren't they responding? Out of 600+ followers (which might be a fraction of actual readers); only FIFTEEN women commented? REALLY?

What could be causing this? I know there are active, intelligent and interesting women out there who game. Many of them have their own blogs and are producing compelling and creative content. Folks like 20 Sided Woman, Commissar Carrie, Hurricane Girl/Cami and more are out there with fascinating voices.

Why is it so hard to get them talking; especially to EACH OTHER?

I do wonder how much of the reticence to reply was solely out of respect to the sheer number of questions. If it had been 2, 3, or even 4 questions it's possible there would have been more plentiful responses. It's hard to know, but I'll be reexamining both the questions and replies very shortly, so perhaps some conversation will be rekindled.

One of the things that struck me most out of the replies was that out of the 15 or so responders, only 3-4 of the women GM. While most all of the gals had tried it, not many continued to do so. Is this due to lack of confidence? Performance anxiety? Deference to more dominant personalities? Concerns about balance and structure? Fear of developing worlds, settings  or characters that exist merely to fulfill wishes or personal fantasy, rather than exciting places and people?  I can't speak for other women, but I know I've been struck by all of these and more. I'm working to change my own personal reticence to run a game, and hope to be up and at 'em within a few months.

I've been blessed to be surrounded by an imaginative, embracing and truly supportive gaming community for as long as I can remember. I've made innumerable friendships that are becoming essential to growing my skillset and developing my talents so that I can be a fantastic GM. I know that not all of female gamers are so lucky, but might want to take a stab at running the show.

What can the gaming community do to help grow creative, evocative and capable female GM's?

I'm more than just a bit intrigued by the possibilities of more communicative and active female gamers, and specifically GMs. I think we'd all benefit from having more women around- and for reasons much deeper than scenery.

In my local meta, I am NOT alone as a lady player. I personally know  a good 10-15 ladies who game, and I'm AWARE of at least a dozen more via a LARP community. This particular sense of solidarity has given me a sense of security and protection in some of the games I play. This has allowed me to explore some very dark and non-traditional roles without any fear of imbalancing the game. I've grown out of my "nice girl" confines and become something close to fearless when it comes to playing rougher, darker and more nuanced characters - with a good amount of credit going to the other women around me.

The IDEA that I'm not alone has given courage when it comes to doing things that interest me, that are compelling, and are richer in nuance and voice. All of these points are in effect solely by having women as compatriots in or around the game.

What would it do to all of us in terms of gaming if the head of the table were a lady? Wouldn't we be enriched, challenged, driven and tested more; or at least differently? A woman's view of far-off worlds in action (rather than in print such as fiction) might reveal a lot, and give us much to develop.

I'd love to find ways to address this chasm, and maybe I'll strike on some ideas for myself as I continue on in examining the roundtable. Next week, I'll be looking at the questions a  little more closely; with my illustrious tag full in effect. I hope you'll join me, and even throw some comments my way!



Be Well,

H/'Lo

[RPG] [WOD] Mage, the Awakening + Other Cool stuff

Check this out, yo! I went from somewhere in the high 20's, low 30's to 12! I am pretty sure the new readers came on the heels of my giveaway contest, but I'll take whatever I can get. I'm truly excited to be able to reach folks in so many genres and categories.
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On the RPG front, I started reading the nWOD Mage, The Awakening book (again). Last time, I did not get very far into it- I just got a feel for what it was all about and put it aside because it was not for me. It completely baffled me and was nigh incomprehensible beyond the "power corrupts" theme. Well this time, I don't get to say "I don't like it"- I have to learn it. I have to admit, I'm more than a bit intimidated.

Before I really got too far into it, I read the credits pages- the writers, designers, playtesters etc. Folks, this book was totally dreamt up by dudes. There is ONE woman's name in the dizzying array of guys.

I think I finally understand why I don't understand this book- it's completely written in dudespeak. Overall, I do tend to understand the weird dialect used by the three legged mammals, but there are some times when I just do not know what the heck you fellows are saying. This book (to me) is nothing short of a boys-only club handbook, ala Lil' Rascals. Maybe this is why there are so few kick-ass lady mages?

I don't generally fall into the stereotype crap, and I'm not a big fan of leaving ANYTHING to "the boys" simply because it's a "typical" male subject or because it might be easier. I'm far too stubborn, and even when I'm over my head, I keep at something until I have at least a semblance of a clue. [Seriously. I took Algebra three times because 1- my dad made me, and 2- I really DID want to learn it.]

So I refuse to let this book get the best of me. I will figure out a way to understand it and get into the world the White Wolf folks have created. What strikes me as odd about this book that every OTHER WW product I've read makes complete and total sense to me. Even without completely understanding the mythos or fluff, I've grabbed onto all the other White Wolf stuff fairly easily.

Perhaps the difference is the book approaches the topics as if you already know everything about the world, or because there's so much symbolism and synergy- but M:tA is KILLING me. In addition to the massive verbiage, there's all of the mechanics to learn as well.

Help!

If you love the game, or have any handy ideas on how to break it down into less confusing chunks, I'd love to hear what you have to say. But in the meantime, I am reading that darn blue book and swearing a lot under my breath.

Be Well,

H/'Lo

[40K] Old Stuff Day - Repost: A Newer Player's Questions: Army Building

 In honor of "Old Stuff Day" for 40K bloggers, I thought I'd repost one of my favorite previous posts. It was not only well received (lots of comments) it's still pretty relevant for a new player. I wound up doing a series of posts as a 'spin-off' of this post, which were all really informative and helped me gather a large portion of the 40K for Beginners' project material..

 Enjoy!
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I'm thinking this might be a series until I get a better handle on what the crap 5th Ed is all about.

Yes, I think I have * FINALLY * decided what army I'll play. I just have to get figures. And that leads me to the question of the day:


What comes first in army building: the figures or the list?

I don't possess any figs of my own yet. I'm of the opinion that I shouldn't just buy crap willy nilly- I should have a purpose and an army or list in mind. However, there's been some encouragement to use available figs as proxies, building a list to suit them.

Going with the first option gives me control over what goes in my list, what I like and don't like, as well as what flavor or type of army I field. Going with the second limits me to what I have available, but I get to see if I really like the intended army before spending a metric crapton of cash.

Either way, I've discovered that I need one of those Army Builder things (I just happen to be testing one out right now) because it's not the math -it's the details and the math combined. I know I'll get better, but at the moment, I can't keep track of all of it at once.

So at the moment, I'm playing with numbers and imaginary dudes, trying to get a handle on point allowances and Force Org (you're supposed to have a lot of troops, right?) . See you at the next installment.

[40K] Post # 200, Bat Rep #3 and Star Wars Imperial Guard!

I got in another 40K game during League play on Monday. It's an escalation league at 1250 points.

I missed the 1000 point games so I jumped from 750 to 1250. It's a big jump, and I'm not entirely sure I put together the best list to play- but I gave it a shot.

I played a CSM player whose list was roughly like this:

Defiler

4 Oblits

2 Demon princes

10 Man Squad with mark of Khorne

Dedicated Rhino

10 Man Squad

Dedicated Rhino
someone on that list had Lash, but I don't know who (I think it was an Oblit???)

Mine was something like

EC, AAC

7 Initiates, 2 Neophytes (1 power sword, 1 flamer)

frag & krak

Dedicated Rhino

7 Initiates, 1 Neophyte (1 lascannon, 1 flamer)

Frag & krak

2 landspeeders

1 Typhoon Missile launcher

1 Multimelta

Predator Annihilator

Turret TLLC

(side sponson las)

terminator Sword brethren

3 Storm Bolters, CCW

1 Typhoon Missile Launcher

1 Assault cannon

1 venerable Dred,

Extra armor

Multimelta

We used the ROE to determine deployment and neither of us liked the results, so we re-rolled to get pitched battle. My primary win condition was to destroy his objectives and my secondary was to hold any two.

Dark Eldar

This is where I will post links and information for Dark Eldar players.

I do not have any at this time. 

Blood Angels

This is where I'll put links and information for new Blood Angels players.


WIP.

Space Wolves

This is where I will post links and information for Space Wolves players.

I have not heard back from blog owners to add links on this yet. 

Necrons

This is where I will post links and information for Necrons players.

I do not have any at this time. 

Tyranids

This is where I will post links and information for Tyranids players.

For a whole new approach, take a peek over at Kennedy's blog. 

Chaos Daemons

This is where I will post links and information for Chaos Daemons players.

Check out Brent at Strictly Average

His collection of battle reports, hobby stuff and other wisdom is worth your time.

Orks

This is where I will list links and information for Ork players.

[40K] [Beginner's Project] Target Priority

Last night I went to the 40K night at the FLGS. Due to it being winter break for the local university, holiday break for the public schools, it being "free play" rather than league, and a butt ton of snow coming down, there was a pretty small crowd.

I wound up hanging out with some friends and the guy that runs one of the role-playing games I am involved with. Some of our conversation was roleplay related, but we did talk about real life and joke around a lot. The guy chose to spend time hanging with us, rather than play 40K. The Imperium was not his target priority last night.

That choice of where he was focusing his attention got me to thinking about the strategies involved in chosing primary targets in an actual game. I've learned through a little bit of watching and a lot of listening that mech needs to die as quickly as possible if you're smart at all. Other than that, I don't really know- but I know it's important.

How do you decide what targets need to be eliminated first, and wat alters those plans? How do you respond to a "Death Star" in such a way that doesn't scream "panic"? Do you let target priority interfere with capturing objectives and/or win conditions? Are there other factors I should consider, and why?

Thanks, guys. I'm getting a lot closer to confident.

[40K] [Beginner's Project] Advice

This will be added to later. 

 Here you'll find advice aimed at newer players, collected from folks willing to share their wisdom and points of view. Please feel free to ask questions and offer anything that you think should be added.

sonsoftaurus said...
- Best advice I could offer is that rules come and go, so don't build an army just for a current set of good rules. Build the army you like.
Also in the same vein:
-  Think ahead


Nikephoros said...

    1. Pick an army you find aesthetically pleasing first and foremost. If you hate the look of your minis you wont want to paint them, and you wont want to play them.

    2. Start small. Two troop choices and an HQ. Play with just that until you get the swing of things and decide you want to commit your time and money to wargaming.


Wienas said...

    Play at lower point levels to start out with. You can find the Combat Patrol rules (aka 40k in 40 minutes)online. This set of restrictions keeps the games quick and without super-powerful units. You can play 3 games in the same time as a 1500-1750 point game. It's a good way to wrap your head around the rules.


Dave G _ Nplusplus said...

    Agreed with the others, pick an army that appeals to you both via fluff and appearance. Enjoy your choice nomatter what others say.

    Enjoy painting for yourself rather than trying to emulate others.

    Take your time modding and painting - if you rush, they won't look so good and then whatcha gonna paint?

    Play some games down at the local store using their minis or with friends / family using theirs.

    Play the game for fun, not to win.

    Don't get hung up on rules, be casual.

    Own the board and have a plan - the moment all you're doing is reacting to your opponent, they're winning. (Though defensive play is a good way to start)


kennedy said...

    I've got 3, I suppose.

    Some of the best advice, in my opinion, is: Don't listen to too much advice. Pick one or two people you can really trust and LISTEN TO THEM. Don't let the many flapping mouths of the Internet weigh you down with BS.

    Another thing I'd say is: Stick to your first force until you know it inside and out. Don't start a new army before you're really ready. I see loads of new players with 3 crap armies and no idea how to play any of them. It's better to become a good player with 1 army and then go from there.

    Lastly, but not least: Don't get married to ideas. If you start an army with the idea that you're gonna play X style, don't be afraid to deviate if that is what ends up happening. Let yourself grow and change.


Von said...

    Listen to Kennedy. He talks sense.


The Antipope said...

    I would actually suggest to the new player to do a bit of a soul-search before picking up a new army. What are his motives first of all? Does he have more of a "gamer" attitude and likes to play tough games and win? Then a competitive army would be most fitting (IG,SW).
    Does he enjoy painting more? Then maybe an army with a lot of fresh, cool looking models would suit him/her best (like the new DE).
    So, yeah I think it all depends on his/her attitude torwards the hobby.


Thor said...

    Anything I've had said has already been said. All great advice above.
 

Max said...

    With hobby stuff, try out lots of things and don't worry that you might screw up. With paint you can always just strip the mini and try again. With greenstuff, just slice it off and try it again.

    Don't be afraid to go back and change things- how I went about painting my Guard was start with the basics on everything at first. Then when I learned a few new painting techniques I went back and updated my models with my new skillz. I'm still doing that, and they just keep on getting better and better.

    Game wise, play lots of games. There is no substitute for experience. Make sure you're with someone who knows the rules down cold and, after you've played a few make sure that you are allowed to make mistakes. Nothing teaches you to remember to run/assault than not doing it and having your unit blown away.
 

Admiral Drax said...

    Enjoy losing and make it cinematic!

[40K] Beginner's Project: Weapons

I'm planning a Space Marine variant, so my questions are about SM weapons. I'm sure there are other questions out there, and I'll try to hit them as I can.

Please explain the difference between the following weapons:

Plasma Gun
Las(er) Gun
Melta Bun/Bomb
Flamer Gun

What benefit does each offer and what scenarios are each best at?

For Eldar, the Shuriken cannon seems pretty dubious alone. Is this a weapon that's better in a large volley of fire? 

[Shout-out] QUICK- look over there!

Thor, an amazing source of all manner of knowledge and resources, has posted his response to the interesting thoughts posted in my comments earlier this week.

You need to check it out. Like ...now.

He's over there at Creative Twilight.