Sour Grapes

Everyone loves a little internet dustup.

My recent "review" post of James Spahn's White Star (I hate to use that term, since I'm just listing my most critical thoughts, rather than a comprehensive evaluation) touched off some negative feelings over at Tenkar's blog. Specifically he feels that my "rant" (Tenkar's term...I don't really think my critique fits the bill of an "angry tirade") stems from bitterness that Mr. Spahn has released a successful publication of similar design to a project that I myself have sitting on the shelf. Bitter...or perhaps jealous...that he's making money that should rightfully be in my pocket. The inference being that I'm pissing all over the game because of said bitterness, envy, whatever.

Sour grapes, in other words. As defined by Merriam-Webster (online):

unfair criticism that comes from someone who is disappointed about not getting something

The "something" in this case being all the satisfied customers of Mr. Spahn.

SO...in the interest of clearing the air and moving on from the subject, let me just say that I am absolutely, totally jealous of Mr. Spahn and his success.

Still good for making whine...er, wine.

Yes, I have envy...one of those Seven Deadly Sins that we've been warned about since Moses came down from Mt. Sinai with that second tablet of Commandments. There's lots of stuff that I get jealous of: the readership other blogs command, the money that other publications make, the artwork that other authors can commission (or draw themselves), the sheer creativity of folks like Rose and Logan. I'm envious that WotC holds the IP for for D&D (and so many other games), I'm envious that FFG holds the license for Star Wars (and has production values that no one can compete with). I'm jealous that Monte Cook can just attach his name to a product (Numenera) and raise half a million dollars in short order via Kickstarter. I'm envious that Raggi lives in a country where the government will subsidize a start-up game company while I live in a country that doesn't even have a post office.

I'm your average, normal human when it comes to jealousy: I see things other folks have and I think, boy, I wish I had their success, or their talent, or their good fortune, or their work ethic and organizational skills that allows them to accomplish so much more than I can achieve. Hell, I get envious of the sheer amount of TIME folks have to work on their blogs or publishing projects...you kids in college, or young adults without children, probably don't realize how precious such a commodity is. I know that I didn't realize it when I was younger.

But, specifically regarding White Star: yes, I'm most definitely jealous of its success. And it's for an even baser reason than "that's money I could have been making." No: it's the prestige. To be perfectly vulgar (and to coin a phrase from my brother's banking industry days): I want to be the Big Swinging Dick when it comes to game design. I want to be the guy people say, "Ooo, look at what he's done." I want to be "The Expert" or (more accurately) "The Master." And I especially want to be a guy who originates ideas and concepts. This particular character flaw, an attachment to looking Large and In Charge, is NOT standard to all people (the way jealousy is). Astrologically, it comes from having Pluto in the 10th house and pretty damn close to the Midheaven...but it's emphasized by the fact that Pluto rules both my Sun and Ascendant sign.

[at least, that was the astrological interpretation a few years back...I haven't kept up with the recent changes in astrological thinking that have occurred since the demotion of Pluto from "planet" status...maybe we've gone back to the old ruler of Mars]

NOW: having admitted all that, please allow me to say that despite my jealousy, I've got no "bitterness" about White Star. Bitterness over this kind of thing is something I got over a loooong time ago. Folks probably remember I once put a book called the B/X Companion (published in 2010, though the writing was finished in 2009), an alternate to the Companion rules of the BECMI edition. What folks might NOT remember is that Barrataria Games put out their own "alternate Companion rules" months before mine was published. They took a different tact with their project, but the fact is THEY did it FIRST...and no, it's not like their book was terrible or something.

I blogged about this, and about the "low ebb" to which it brought me, a long while ago. I was very upset and, yes, bitter...extremely bitter...that I hadn't done more, worked faster, focused harder at being the guy to hit the market first (this was before I had two kids, mind you). I even considered chucking the whole project in the trash...really. But I didn't, and I published the thing anyway despite second-guessing myself, and I had some moderate success (the book is still selling electronic copy), and I used that money to do another book, and I carved myself a little hobby business.

And doing THAT dispelled all my bitterness and all my resentment, even as it gave me a heaping pile of confidence and satisfaction. Time...years spent doing this self-publishing thang...has given me some perspective on the hobby...perspective that has dulled the hyper-competitiveness I once had. Allow me to elaborate:

WE ARE BLESSED. I'm pretty sure I've said this before, but allow me to reiterate: we (and I'm talking about myself and anyone with a computer who can read this) are extremely fortunate to live in a time when publishing our ideas...sharing our creativity...is So Damn Easy. Look at this blog...I get to use blogger free of charge, and if I wanted to I could monetize the thing and get paid while using it free of charge! The fact that we have the time and energy to worry about squabbles on the internet instead of...oh, say, starving in poverty...should give everyone a big fat smile when they wake up in the morning. But for the wannabe publishers, these are truly blessed times.

WE ARE BLESSED TO BE GAMERS. All you readers who are suffering post-traumatic stress from being labeled a "nerd" in high school need to wake up and realize how good you've got it. Not everyone realizes the amazing flights of fantasy that tabletop gaming facilitates in the imagination. Not everyone has had the pleasure of experiencing the joy of escapism and world-building and role-playing that we have. We can be anything we can imagine...and we get to play in our imaginations with others who share our joy! The whole world could benefit from such play...but for most people, even if they have the leisure to do so, they haven't figured out the potential fun they're missing. Even for those with no interest in being an "elven wizard," the sheer variety of games on the market means there's (more likely than not) something there for anyone's taste in fantasy.

And that just ADDS to the blessings of the self-publisher. The community of gamers and (more importantly) game buyers means there's a support system to facilitate the publishing hobby. It doesn't matter if someone else "beats me to the market" with their game. I could knock-out a PDF of "B/X Star Wars notes" and sell it tomorrow and someone would buy it, if only to see how it's different from White Star, or to see if my stuff could be adapted to their WS game. White Star only helps the self-publisher to make money...there's nothing there to be bitter about!

Look, people: my review was nearly 2000 words long (1928, not counting the smiley face at the end). If you cut out my normal, meandering preamble, it's still 1642 words. Cut out the last couple paragraphs (about "what I'm going to do") and the post is down to 1482. Of that 1482 count, I spend exactly 97 words (one paragraph) comparing ways in which White Star was "spookily similar" to a project I was working on years ago...that's under 7% of the total "review proper." The other 93% is me critiquing (and sometimes crediting) the book. I don't see where I say "I could have done it better." My criticisms were regarding things that I found annoying, lacking, and/or problematic...which is the usual thing I offer when "reviewing" games. In White Star's case, I find that I am less-than-impressed with Spahn's design...that's not bitterness, that's just what I think.

Funny enough, I almost wrote something to the effect of "it's going to be hard to write a review without this sounding like jealousy and sour grapes, but..." and then decided against it.

HAVING SAID ALL THAT:

I realize that some people may have misconstrued my offering (at the end of my post) to serialize a SW-esque work of mine as some effort to sabotage or "show up" White Star or something. No, no...the game of mine that shared similarities to White Star (with the working title "B/X Starkillers") is dead and (nearly) buried...portions of it were incorporated into other projects, but I gave up on it some time ago, for a number of reasons. The X-Plorers supplement I'm offering to serialize is "Star Wars-esque" but it ain't no White Star. For one thing, it's "Jedi-centric;" for another, it's no stand alone game...you need Bezio's X-Plorers to make it work. There are two major reasons I haven't already published this supplement (aside from the fact that it's not quite complete):

A) I have less enthusiasm (i.e. "juice") for it then for other projects I've been working on.

B) When I realized the extent to which my "supplement" was clarifying/modifying Bezio's game, I thought, 'Jeez, I should just rewrite (i.e. "clone") and incorporate X-Plorers into this document and publish it as its own, complete game!' Fortunately, I never did that because (upon reflection) I realize not only is this a totally selfish and solely-for-the-sake-of-ego-aggrandizement thing to do, BUT it's pretty stupid: it's a bunch of extra work simply for the sake of saying, 'Hey, look...a "complete" game (not a "supplement").'

Fact is, there's no need to fatten the page count...as I said, people will buy the thing (if I wanted to sell it), just to see how it works with X-Plorers. Keeping it a "supplement" makes me money AND makes Bezio money...that's a double-win for TWO publishers. And the gamer customers aren't getting screwed on the deal, because they can still pick up the free version of X-Plorers (to use with my supplement) or the free (serialized) version of my supplement (to use with X-Plorers)...only ponying up cash if they've got it to spend and if they think it's worth investing (for artwork and such).

And while I'm talking about X-Plorers now, this reasoning likewise applies to White Star. WS has got an OGL...folks can develop supplements for it and make money off Spahn's groundwork, should they so choose. Again, I can be jealous that James Spahn is getting the prestige and credit for making an "Old School Star Wars-esque" game, but there's nothing to be bitter about. Fact is, I could take my X-Plorers supplement, adjust it, and resell it AGAIN for use with White Star. With such profit-making potential why would I go and piss all over the thing...I should be talking it up! Telling everyone how great it is as a "tool box" for space opera play! Getting people fired up so they'll buy both WS and anything else people (i.e. "me") makes for the game!

But the truth is, even if my prior post appeared to be "sour grapes," it's not. There's some disappointment for me with White Star. It's not disappointment that Spahn did something that I didn't...it's that there were some design choices made that weren't especially good ones. As I said, it's a quality product for $10 and it's the closest thing to a B/X Star Wars game that I've seen...but it falls short (for me) in a few ways. Not that this matters: posting my thoughts on the game gave me blog fodder for, well, two days now. If folks are distressed my the negative tone...well, there's no such thing as "bad publicity," right? I could have kept my thoughts to myself, I suppose, but that's not really my thang.

I mean, I'm a blogger, yeah?
; )

2012, Earth Changes, and 5th Edition

As the Broncos continue to march through the play-offs due in no small part to the faith-powered arm of Tim Tebow, I’m well aware that “the End of the World” is on a lot of folks’ minds. Hell, if Tebow finds a way to beat the Pats at Foxboro, many Denver residents may spontaneously Rapture.

[actually, I checked the numerological implications of Tebow just to see what exactly was going on there; turns out a lot of things point to his potential as a MAGICIAN. While I’m pretty sure Tim isn’t a closet occultist, most of the principles of real magic are based on BELIEF and VISUALIZATION, made possible by a mind disciplined by MEDITATION (which is, in many ways, the equivalent of passive, humble PRAYER). Possibly #16 is working real magic – what a Christian might call Biblical SORCERY – though without knowing it. The power of belief generated by his loyal fans doesn’t hurt much, either]

In all seriousness, I know that there’s been a lot of “2012 talk” buzzing around since the New Year: my wife told me there was an SNL skit based on the Mayan Tzolkin/2012 predictions, and even a local brewery (Tangletown in Green Lake) is offering a series of new Apocalyptic Beers over the next 12 months as we await The End. Oh, yeah…and I heard something about it on CNN the other day, too, when I was watching the Republican debate coverage.

The fact that people are talking about it…even if they are making light of it…tells me that the idea IS out there, and the possibility of the world getting snuffed is probably of at least minor concern nagging the back of some people’s minds. I figured I’d offer my two cents on the issue since I’ve been studying the subject since 1997 or so…longer than some of my blog readers have been playing Dungeons & Dragons.

#1: Sure, We Will All Die. It’s always possible a global disaster (meteor strike, solar eruption, global pole shift) might wipe out the planet. It’s also possible that something else might kill us, individually, and equally remove us from this life we enjoy and all our friends and loved ones. Don’t you people ever watch Spike TV’s “1000 Ways to Die?” Life is a precious, precious thing and both stronger and more fragile than what we generally assume. But it WILL eventually end for each of us (and for our loved ones, our spouses, our children, etc.) and tough as that is to come to grips with, it is the reality of our present, material existence. I’m not saying this to be a downer; I think that embracing our mortality can help us appreciate what we have Right Now…which is one of the best things we can do to live our lives with as much joy and love as possible.

#2: The Earth Will Probably Live. The Earth Changes that have been predicted by most prognosticators mainly spell doom for humanity, NOT the planet. From my studies, the most likely thing to happen is a shift/flip in the Earth’s axis which would devastate civilization, shift continents and oceans, and turn the planet upside down. But the planet (and life on the planet) will continue to exist, even if humanity does not. Should a man-made disaster (global warming, nuclear holocaust, bioengineered disease) cause the destruction of the race, life will STILL survive on the planet, and the planet will eventually recover and repopulate without the destructive interference of humans. And IF humans survive, there will still be a planet for those who are left. For those worried about the ecosphere, this planet will outlive us.

#3: Destruction May Be Avoidable. No, I’m not saying you should move to Montana or build a bomb shelter in your backyard. Most of my readings indicate that any Earth Changes that would cause the massive destruction of human society is directly linked to the actions and karma of the human race: a Cosmic Karmic House-Cleaning if you will. There is precedent in the mythic stories of our race (Noah and the Flood, the Great Deluge of Atlantis, etc.) where God or “the gods” were displeased and rained destruction down upon us…also, that individuals of righteous virtue were saved from death. Whether or not you want to survive and live in a post-apocalyptic world is a matter of debate (I’m not sure I do!), but if that’s your thing the universe is MORE likely to let you live if you have something positive to contribute to what will certainly be a “new world.” AND there is possibility (mentioned in some texts) that the universe will spare us the possible conflagration IF enough of us are on-board with the Universal Will and acting as contributors to the good of our fellow man. Living a “good life” (paying your taxes, treating people with respect, practicing unselfish kindness, etc.) is a start, but STANDING for an ideal, modeling it for others, NOT hiding your light, and CONTRIBUTING to the good of your community (however you can, based on your own individual ability…and, no, not just contributing judgment or “evangelizing,” I’m talking WORK)…that kind of POSITIVE ACTION is needed on a large scale (i.e. from multiple people) if we want to be a group worth saving. And if we’re NOT that…well, perhaps the universe will be better off without us. Try to see it from a universal (non-human-centric) point of view. How are we treating the Earth, really?

#4 Change Will Come Regardless. Whether we have wholesale destruction of the world we’ve built or a sea change in attitude towards our fellow humans and planet, changes WILL come eventually. We are constantly evolving as we journey through life: growing, changing, learning. Whether we do so slowly/gradually or quickly (often with great upheaval/upset to our normal routine) is USUALLY up to us; but sometimes the universe/God steps in and throws us a major Final Exam; whether it be an Ice Age or a World War. For the most part, these “disasters” (“natural” AND man-made, both) are caused by our own actions…karma, the law of cause and effect. And predictors seem to be pointing to the possibility of one of these “final exam moments” in the near future.

Only time will tell what shape such change will take. From an astrological perspective, 2012 looks to be a bumpy ride. Pluto and Uranus will square each other no less than half-a-dozen times this year, starting in June. Uranus is the planet that represents explosive upheaval, and when it interacts with planets it tends to cause upset in aid of cleaning up outmoded patterns and keeping things authentic. Pluto, on the other hand, is the planet that represents volcanic transformation and titanic shifts in consciousness as well as our deep-seated emotional attachments (some of which are left over from past lives). “Square” aspects in astrology are challenging interactions…they tend to be very uncomfortable and have lots of energy and planets in square alignment feel like they’re fighting each other. The coming squares between Pluto and Uranus promise dramatic changes for the entire planet as they are actually aspecting each other, not necessarily planets in individuals’ natal charts. But who knows how that dramatic change will show up? Maybe Ron Paul will cause a major rift in the Republican Party.

Now what does any of this have to do with 5th Edition D&D? Not much, as it’s doubtful anything will be released/published in 2012. However, it is possible that “dramatic changes/shifts of consciousness” will be occurring with the designers working on the latest version of the game. Even so, I’m not sure how much practical impact that will have in the development of the project. For one thing, the game (or rather, the brand) is still owned by Hasbro and as such its design and development is still deeply tied to the normal corporate profit-making requirements. The designers are soliciting feedback from individuals, but many of the young, internet-vocal folks ready to respond are likely to give info that moves 5E farther away from the game’s role-playing origins, developing instead social networking, smart-phone/IPad-style apps, and otherwise incorporating 21st century technology into the game…all wrapped in a new business model that still allows Hasbro to squeeze profit from the consumer (through monthly subscription and/or “collectible” aspects). Even when corporate executives give a rat’s ass about something their hands are tied by the business of business…pandering to share-holders and whatnot. The likelihood anyone will institute an “older approach” to gaming in the design/business model is pretty damn slim, in my opinion, as is the chance of older (“competing”) editions being made available as .pdfs. Far more probable is that the adaptation of certain “old school aesthetics” or even “retro-3rd edition-stylings” in an attempt to woo the OS fan base and Pathfinder players even while moving the game farther away from its original, simple, semi-ambiguous form for something slick and stream-lined and simplistic if “updated for a new century/generation.”

From my point of view, such updating is likely to be a less-than-good-thing (as incorporating technology only increases the likelihood of alienating/disconnecting folks from real human interaction). But, hey, we may all get buried under several tons of rock and water and lava long before that…and if we do the appearance of 5E is sure to be a moot point.
; )

The Astrology of Gary Gygax (Part 2)

[continued from here]

Anyway, the following might be wildly off (I never knew Mr. Gygax after all, and he’s not around for me to question the accuracy of my interpretation) so take it with a grain of salt:

PLUTO (still a planet for an astrologer’s purpose) is a transcendental planet that represents one’s karmic evolution…it’s placement by HOUSE shows where we have deep emotional attachments…and where we need to evolve. For me, it’s one of the best methods of narrowing down a person’s birth time, based on the Dharma of their life. Gandhi, for example had a fairly obvious Pluto in the 11th House (traditional House of Aquarius, iconoclasm, and fighting for equality, and the individuation of humans). Based on Gary’s life and that last quote, I would place his Pluto in the 5th House.

While Mr. Gygax was a writer, and a publisher, and a business man…as well as a husband, father, grandfather, Christian, and probably a lot of other things…what he wanted to be remembered for was as guy who “really enjoyed playing games and sharing his knowledge and fun pastimes with others.” The 5th House, which resonates to the sign of Leo, is the House that represents game playing (sports, cards, gambling) as well as sharing creativity (it also represents children, the spawning of one’s creativity). It would appear Gary had a pretty deep attachment to his creative process…the worlds he created, the words he wrote, the legacy he made, and the children he sired…and this would all point to a Pluto in the 5th House. 5th House Pluto individuals are sometimes seen as being immature or refusing to “grow up,” and often they tend to relate better to children than adults. This “young at heart” interpretation could certainly be applied to Gary Gygax…I don’t think he went to all those conventions just to sell product or power-trip over lesser individuals.

Not that he didn’t want to make money. By placing Pluto in the 5th House, we end up throwing Saturn into the 2nd House. Like Pluto, Saturn is a trans-personal planet…one that takes so long to travel through signs (it is “generational”) that the placement by House is more useful to an astrologer. SATURN represents our “duty” in life. It’s the thing we’d rather not do…it’s the item on our plate that we least want to eat, even though it’s “good for us.” It’s the thing we feel COMPELLED to do…it’s the big burden (like the world on Atlas’s shoulders) that we’re always carrying around. Pluto is also something that we need to carry around with us, but our job is to evolve with it (and we will, one way or another!). Saturn doesn’t evolve…it’s just something we eventually master.

A 2nd House Saturn would traditionally indicate that the realm of finances, or “personal resources,” was Gary’s Saturn to carry. This doesn’t just mean he was “worried about making money” (though that might have been part of it). It meant that his karmic burden was managing What He Had: his talents, his health, and yes, his income or revenue stream. I recall reading some on-line interview of his where he decried the fact that he’d prefer to just write and play for fun, but that his writing was money and his time needed to be spent doing that. Practical? Sure…we all have areas of our life in which we are practical and diligent (and those of us with more Capricorn influence have more). But Saturn is a Bitch, man…and I’m not surprised to see it in the 2nd house for Gary.

I, too, have a prominent 5th house (though not like Mr. Gygax…mine is something I have to do or I get angry/upset (Mars), while his is ALSO his way of being (Sun)). But people with prominent 5th houses have another general pitfall/weakness I didn’t mention earlier: gambling. Speculation. Squandering resources on games of chance (remember that idea, “oh I am the Sun?” It’s a bit of this over-confidence). Fortunately, I have a Capricorn 2nd house…I don’t like to lose money which keeps my gambling pretty low scale. Gary’s 2nd house Saturn would have a similar mitigating effect (though having the 2nd house ruled by fiery Aries, he might still make an impetuous decision or two regarding his resources that his 2nd house Saturn would deeply regret later).

Let’s see; what else can we say about this placement:

Well, we have some non-planet, significant points we could talk about. The pars fortuna (Part of Fortune) is where one could traditionally be expected to “hit the jackpot.” Gary’s is in the Aquarius in the 12th house, meaning a field that’s cutting edge and eclectic while being imaginary and escapist. Or prisons…I suppose he could have made a killing installing televisions in jail cells instead of chaining kids to kitchen tables rolling strange dice, but I prefer the road he took. The dispositor (“ruler”) of the pars fortuna is Uranus in the 3rd House…indicating he’s probably going to make money in the “fantasy realm” through communication (i.e. writing, doing stand-up presentations).

With this particular placement we have a North Node/South Node axis along the 9th/3rd House. The South Node has been linked to Karma and the North Node to Dharma and they work like this: the South Node is the area that you are already talented/good at but that gives you little-no lasting fulfillment…the North Node is the area that you (at first) can’t imagine yourself doing but, once you learn it, is oh-so-much-more satisfying. Gary’s South in 3rd indicates he’s already good at reading/writing and speaking…the North in 9th indicates a need to disperse and distribute those ideas to the world (publishing). It can also mean a need to not just collate and collect, but to codify and intuit…create paradigms. Having the asteroid Vesta up there (the only asteroid I look at), means that being A Law Giver is not just what he must learn…it is a capital-S Sacred Duty.

The 9th House is the House of Law and judges…a good placement of both Vesta and the North Node for one of the first Dungeon Masters (at least if DM = judge/referee; world builder or power trippers would want to look at 5th, 8th, and 10th House locations).

Gary’s Ascendant (what is called “the Rising Sign”) is also based on time of birth, and in this case not having known the man makes it harder to pin down, as just a few minutes means the difference between being a Pisces-Rising or an Aquarius-Rising…even after nailing down Pluto, Saturn, and the Nodes. Our Rising Sign is how we appear to the world…it is the first impression we make. To borrow a term from Vampire the Masquerade (sorry), if the Sun sign is our Nature, the Ascendant sign is our Demeanor. Just judging by the Hawaiian shirt in that photo, I would say Gary was an Aquarius rising (the crazed professor look)…but Pisces-risings tend to “blend in” with their surroundings (actually, “melt-in” would be the better term) and maybe this is just typical “convention-wear. “

In some ways, though, the actual Rising Sign is less important with this particular time-placement as the planet Jupiter sits directly on Gary’s Ascending horizon…either just before or just after. A planet that is conjunct a person’s Rising sign kind of takes over and colors it…as if the sign the planet represents was the Rising sign. Jupiter is the ruler of Sagittarius, and it tends to be expansive, confident, and magnanimous, as well as an expressive, often intuitive communicator (though one that can be honest to a fault as well). The Sun-Mars conjunction might not keep the individual from looking bad (despite still being “likeable”) for particular foot-in-mouth moments. And I’d expect a tongue-lashing to be fairly loud and long from an individual with this placement.

Interestingly, Jupiter is the traditional ruler of Pisces (prior to the discovery of Neptune). And if Pisces is the ruler of role-playing games, it’s only fitting that Gary Gygax shows up as “Mr. Imagination” (and if his Ascendant IS Pisces, with that conjunct Jupiter he’d be Mr. Double-Imagination).

I should note also that the placement of Jupiter is where we feel most expansive, confident, and lucky. It’s our “right-brain/artistic” side as well, and its placement shows where we receive intuitive flashes. Gary’s Jupiter is in the sign of Pisces…that is one super-imaginative guy! If it is also in the 12th House (traditional House of Pisces) based on time of birth, that’s kind of like saying the guy feels at his best when doing imaginative things in an imaginary world. It would appear Mr. Gygax found a good niche for his brain, as he might have spent a lot of time day-dreaming in a more staid profession.

Of course, with a lot of this placement planet-sign-house placement could easily have indicated a person with a spiritual/religious calling. Though with the North Node in the 9th (instead of the South) he’d probably have to make up his own denomination. And that Mars conjunct the Sun in Leo? That’s a guy with a warrior’s spirit and a Big Fat Ego.

[again, no disrespect intended…these are base tendencies…we all have Free Will to behave as we choose]

Let’s see…talked about the Sun, Jupiter, Saturn, Pluto, Nodes, Rising…hmm, Mercury in Virgo, possibly in the 6th (the House of Virgo). A Virgo Mercury would indicate an intelligent mind and a critical thinker/writer (in every sense of the term “critical”), as well as a clinical one. The 6th House tends to be how we work best…the 2nd House tends to be how we make money. Any planets in the former indicate that work, doing work is an important part of our psyche. Any planets in the latter tend to indicate we WILL make money, somehow at some point. The 10th House though (the 3rd and final “Earth House”) indicates what our reputation is and what our legacy will be.

If my timing is accurate, Gary’s Mid-Heaven (the sign on the cusp of his 10th House) would be Sagittarius: Gary will be remembered as a publisher, as a judge, as a Law Giver (or “rule giver”)…as the Pope or “head cleric” of his own role-playing religion. No planets in the 10th House though…those titles weren’t important to him. He’s got the legacy, but the thing he wanted remembered was that he “really enjoyed playing games and sharing his knowledge.” Well, that latter does feed into the Vesta/North Node 9th house, so I guess his legacy was at least complimentary with what he found important.

Last couple things: Mars and Venus.

Mars is our ego drive. It is what gives us energy. When we “do” our Mars, we gain energy. When we are prevented from doing our Mars, we lose energy. We also get frustrated and angry. Mars in Leo in the 5th House (House of Leo) with the dispositor Sun in Leo (also possibly in the 5th House) conjunct the Sun in Leo? This is a guy that needed to shine. The more he found ways to shine, to show his creativity (through gaming through publishing his ideas) the more “juice” he got. This guy was practically a Zero-Point energy battery…once he got started. Of course, stifling that energy (cutting off his publishing legs for example) could possibly cause a terrible break-down or a lot of depressed, low energy, self-pity. If Gary had ever come to me for astrological advice regarding depression it would have been the simplest of simple to counsel him: Go out and game. Write something cool and share it with someone. That’s all you’d have to do to jumpstart the battery.

Venus is our feelings and our essential needs. Not our emotions (the story we tell ourselves about our feelings)…that’s the Moon. “Essential needs” are just that: essential. Where our Venus is indicates the things we absolutely will do…even if doing so is self-destructive. We WILL find a way to meet our essential needs, one way or another.

Gary’s Venus is in Virgo, perhaps in the 7th House (Libra) disposited by Mercury in Virgo, perhaps in the 6th House (the House of Virgo). Gary’s essential need is to be a craftsman, one who deals in the minutia of things, hopefully in service of his fellow humans. His need involved communicating, quite possibly writing, and yes critiquing and criticizing. Of course, there’s always the possibility of being hyper-critical…especially of others, and quite possibly of significant others and partners. The important advice here (were he to ask it) would be to find a balance, making sure his analysis contains constructive points…and that there is such a thing as too much minutia. At some point one has to come to the realization that the journey is one of constant refinement, not “perfecting.” This could apply to many, many issues.

Of course, with Uranus trine that Venus, his analysis and critique is going to receive epiphany “bolts from the blue;” just hope those thunderbolts he throws don’t cause too much upset! At least the Neptune conjunct the Venus softens it…I hope, hope, hope…

Okay, okay...I realize Mr. Gygax is no longer with us (we miss you, sir!), so offering advice is a fruitless endeavor. This was a fun exercise (if a little long), and something I’ve been meaning to do since last July. In the end, though, much of what I’ve written here has to be taken with a large helping of salt as it is mostly dependent on a hypothetical time of birth. Hell, maybe his Pluto was in the 10th House and he REALLY did want to be master of all he surveyed! Boy, would THAT change my interpretation!

Till later folks…

; )

Generations

Cultural definitions are a strange beast. One can definitely notice trends and similarities in people but it can be excruciatingly difficult to nail defining end points for where one generation ends and another begins. Often there is over-lap between generations, and always there are exceptions that muddy the waters. Generational trends are easiest to notice over long periods of time, but any such generalizations tend to fall apart with any close scrutiny.

As an astrologer, I take more than a passing interest in generations and generational trends, specifically to provide better interpretations for the psychology of individuals. For example, if one understands how one person’s Jupiter and Neptune combination affects their life, perhaps some insight can be drawn for another individual with a similar configuration. This is, of course, trickier than it sounds as position of planets in relationship to each other at one’s time of birth is often the fashion in which these “trends” or generational influences manifest, and determining that underlying cause (the “trends”) can be challenging when one is distracted by the manifestation (as often the manifestation feels more important than the underlying cause anyway).

ANYway, as an astrologer, I have two different ways to explain these generational exceptions that occur in folks:

a) There are more than one generational planets (called trans-personal planets) which act in combination or (do to placement or aspect with other planets) act in a way different from how one would expect.

b) People have free will.


The second may seem fairly obvious but it’s funny how some folks’ free will seems “more free” than others. From an astrological stand-point, it’s the person who “knows themselves” better that is more able to deal with his or her own quirks and idiosyncrasies. But there are a lot of people out there who are perfectly satisfied “living inside the box,” uninterested in self-analysis and these often appear to be “slaves to their signs.”

Anyway, what the heck does that have to do with gaming? Well…

A person (specifically: me) might think that there’s some generational cut-off between gamers of different editions of Dungeons & Dragons…or different decades of role-playing in general. After all, I’m not the only one who uses terms like “2nd generation gamer.” Or 3rd, or whatever. Because of the differences in gaming as a sub-culture…and because of its RECENT history, much of it available in written form…it’s possible to study the phenomenon of role-playing games and its changes over its limited 30-40 year time span.

Now when I define gaming generations, I generally start with D&D as the touchstone, and count it something like this:

1st generation: these are the originators of the game, from Gygax and Arneson to their immediate game table to the people that attended the first Cons and spread the hobby through the midwest; folks that started playing pre-1980 in other words. Pertinent editions of 1st generation gamers would be OD&D, its supplements, and AD&D.

Holmes is the sticky part: released in 1977, it is definitely designed to introduce new people to the game. But as contemporaries of the originators, can the game have really changed enough to call them a “new generation?” They’re just a step behind, and I can’t help but think they generally catch-up pretty quickly (especially as they’d quickly exhaust the gaming possibilities of 1st through 3rd level and need to jump into either AD&D or OD&D).

2nd generation: these are people that were brought the game in the 1980s. TSR is an established powerhouse, old books from the 70s are being reissued with better production values (specifically many of the old “classic” modules) and D&D and AD&D have separated into two distinct entities with players needing to choose which version they want to play. B/X D&D is self-contained up to level 14 and has its own adventure module support, providing years of game-playing without ever needing to touch AD&D or the older stuff, and Mentzer’s BECMI is a continuation of that, along with a more kid-friendly branding, nearly coinciding with the release of the (kid-friendly) Saturday Morning Cartoon series. As these kids mature, they generally “grow into” AD&D, seeking a more mature game (as the term “Advanced” implies).

AD&D 2nd edition is the sticky part: released in 1989 it made AD&D “kid-friendly,” following the same image re-branding that 1983’s Mentzer did for B/X. Now it’s no longer an issue of D&D being for kids and AD&D being for adults…games are all aimed at “kids.” Personally, I’ve found the cut-off for people that like AD&D2 to be somewhere around 1974, but often depending on whether there introduction to “D&D” was the Mentzer version (1983) or the Moldvay/Cook version (1981) with the former taking easier to AD&D2 than the latter.

3rd generation: these are the folks that were brought into the hobby right around the release or concurrent with the release of 3rd edition AD&D in the year 2000. Generally, these appear to be children of 2nd generation players…these “kids of the 1980s” grew up and had their own kids and either returned to gaming to re-live their youth and/or teach their children something they had fun with themselves as kids. A game with a higher learning curve, many of these players were introduced to role-playing at a later age (early to mid-teens) than 2nd generation gamers. 3rd generation gamers have little if any experience with the simpler RPGs of the past. Just as earlier generations of players have certain “learned expectations” of role-playing, this minimal exposure to anything but post-1990 games will influence the 3rd gen:

- Less random, more option
- Skills systems and consistent mechanics
- More heroism, less character death

3rd generation gamers that “look back” at older versions have got to be a weird crew. Either they have been severely influenced by an older Grognard mentor, or they have an insatiable curiosity of history (at least as pertains to gaming), or they're just outright weird…or some combination of these things.

Now I don’t know this next bit for sure, but I’m theorizing a bit:

There isn’t a 4th generation of gamer…yet.

The folks that are playing 4th edition D&D and LOVING IT are two specific types of gamer: 3rd generation gamers (who see 4th edition as a logical progression of DND3 and 3.5) and earlier generation gamers who, for whatever reason, are unduly influenced by video games, specifically of the MMORPG variety.

Those cranky Pathfinder guys who liked D&D3 but spurn 4th edition? Pretty sure most of them are 2nd generation gamers that were only willing to “bend so far.”

The 1st generation guys? In general, they’re playing the same version of D&D they always have: their own. They’ve picked and chosen from everything that’s come out along the way, but if they are still playing, it’s probably a pre-1980 version of the game with house rules and mods.

The OSR? We’re mostly 2nd generation gamers and 1st generation malcontents with some of those few “odd” 3rd gen kids that can’t get with WotC’s mind control program.


Astrology-wise, what’s more interesting generation-wise is NOT "which generation falls into a particular category (Old School, New School, whatever)", but which generation is RESPONSIBLE for each design iteration of Dungeons & Dragons.

With the exception of Grandfather Gygax and Mr. Holmes, all the designers of what we generally call “Old School” versions (OD&D, B/X, AD&D, BECMI, AD&D2) were all members of the “Me Generation,” that is the planet Pluto was passing through the sign of Leo (the Big Showboat of the zodiac) at the time of their birth. This includes Dave Arneson and Dave Cook, Mentzer and Moldvay, Kask and Kuntz.

The designers of DND3 and what we might consider “modern game designers?” They are all from “Generation Slack,” or “Generation Critical,” born with Pluto in the sign of Virgo (Cook and Tweet, Rein-Hagen and Ron Edwards). Actually, I’m not sure of Skip Williams as I couldn’t locate his birth year anywhere, but if he’s the same age as Ernie Gygax that would put him in the 1959-1961 age which would indeed be the same group.

[FYI: Astrologers consider Pluto to be a good marker of generations because, with an orbit of 248 years, it generally takes 20 or so years to pass through each sign of the zodiac, marking dramatic, long-range changes in society]

I find it fascinating that the originators of RPGs comes from a generation known for, well, putting a bit of emphasis on themselves. Rather than play games or read stories they thought, “how can I play a game where I AM the protagonist of the story?” And while all those versions of AD&D are slightly different and refined in some ways, all seek to do this…whether the PCs are heroes or mercenaries, they’re still the protagonists of the adventure.

Meanwhile, Virgoan game designers have said: “the game’s not SPECIFIC enough! It needs MORE MINUTIA!” These later games are filled with options and calculations and codified stats…things Virgos in general love, by the way…and ways to to make the games less organic and more mechanical. Even Ron Edwards with his “Story Now” games seeks to codify story-telling mechanically…providing mechanical rules for originating theme and addressing premise. That’s somewhat crazy (from a traditional art/story-telling standpoint) even if it is also crazy-cool.

Now I suppose the next question is, how will MY generation…the Libran Plutos…design games, and how will our games look that is different from those that have come before us? Will they be watered down in an attempt please everyone in a balanced fashion? And the Scorpionic Plutos, few though they are, what will they do when it’s their turn to contribute to the grand tradition of game design? Hopefully they’ll create games both passionate and transformative in nature.

By the way (for those who are curious), My. Gygax was of the generation that had Pluto in the sign of Cancer. I'm not sure how the "mother of the signs" played into his game design specifically, but I'm pretty sure he considered D&D to be his baby, and all RPGs (and their players) to be children by extension.

: )