This past week has been rather busy. Scratch that. These past few weeks have been rather busy.
An increase in my work load and the preparation for and execution of two games for RECESS, combined with family and other obligations has significantly slowed my posting to the blog. A bummer, since I am more inspired and jazzed about gaming than I have been in some time.
Well, I never lose my love of gaming, I simply go through periods of liking it and loving it. The love is back and in full force I assure you.
Part of the reason for this is RECESS, which never failed to jumpstart my ideas and I'll admit my ego. There were twenty-six GMs at this particular event and I sincerely hope they all got the kind of feedback and experience I did.
Like, this happened...
I am in a conversation with jenskot/John, one of the fellows who runs the event, when a cute, young lady with glasses bounces up to us.
Cute, bouncing young lady: "Excuse me, Mr. Alien? You're Barking Alien right?"
Me: "Yes...I suppose I am." (I see her name tag - Emi - she looks familiar)
Emi: "My boyfriend was in a game of yours last RECESS and wants to know if you are running anything in the second slot this RECESS. Are you the one doing 'The Incredibles' game?"
Me: "Your boyfriend...? Will! Yes. Yes I am. I remember you now. You were in the Muppets game."
Emi: "Yes! Oh he will be so excited. He really wanted to play in one of your games again. He's very likely to get in. He has ticket #1!"
Will got in, did great and it was in one of the best one-shot games I've ever run. Seriously it was that fun. So fun in fact that Will and another player from that game named Ed (and possibly a third) are joining my once a month Traveller game. Also, people were standing around outside after the event finished and brokedown talking about it. Once again a bunch of people said how great it was right in front of two of the RECESS coordinators, John and Ryan. Hoody Hoo!
I want to talk about sooo many things. That game, the Fraggle Rock game before it and my upcoming Traveller game which is now nearing 11 players! Eleven! Holy Hivers!
A more detailed post will have to wait however, as I am currently off to run my Ars Magica game which has been on hiatus for a few weeks.
Good gaming to you all and talk to you soon,
AD
Barking Alien
PS: 151 Followers! Ha-cha-cha!
Showing posts with label NerdNYC. Show all posts
Showing posts with label NerdNYC. Show all posts
Saturday, January 26, 2013
Monday, January 21, 2013
Old Dogs Says...Mass Produce
The post below is a long time coming, having originally been written a week and a half ago. Between January 9th (my last post) and today, January 21st, I have worked nearly 14 days straight without a day off because of my two jobs and one client in particular needing some weekend assistance. Add to that the preparation for running two games at RECESS and then the actual running of said games at RECESS this past Saturday and you can imagine how title time or energy I had for posting.
I am pretty darn exhausted to be honest with you, metahuman endurance or not.
Now, as I get back to production on my upcoming Traveller campaign (which is slowly but surely adding players*), I really want to get these GM advice posts out of the way. I want them over and done so I can talk about so many other things, including my experiences at this past RECESS event and of course the aforementioned Traveller.
While I really can't say if my posts here have been any help to anyone, I can say that I feel validated and more than a little ego boosted thanks to the people at RECESS and NerdNYC. I had one player send his girlfriend to find me and when check to see that it was definitely me running the second session event he was interested in. He had previously been in my Galaxy Quest game and liked it so much he wanted to be in another game of mine. He may end up a regular in my Traveller game as well. I also got the usual kudos for my Muppets RPG (this time featuring Fraggle Rock) and a fellow GM bummed that she had to run something. She apparently told a mutual acquaintance of ours, "Damn. I wouldn't have run something in the first slot if I knew he (Me) was running Fraggle Rock at the same time. I would've played."
So in the end if there are those who read my GM Advice and think, 'Well this guys ideas don't sound all that special', that's just fine. Real people in real games really like what I do. I'm in happy land.
Last thing two things and we can get to the last of the 'Old Dog' posts for now...
I now have 149 followers. Wow. That is awesome. But...I want more. That is, my goal for some time now has been 150. If you don't hate this blog, please recommend it to a friend. Thanks.
Happy Birthday to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.!
OK, let's get to it...
***
This post is not so much GM advice but rather an explanation of how I do a thing that a lot of gaming people see and ask me, "How do you do that and still have time to eat, sleep and pee?"
Well, I eat quickly, don't sleep much and sometimes forget to do that last one.
Where was I? Oh yeah, the actual question is, "How do you generate so many NPCs?"
It's actually really simple. Don't use the system and don't create what you don't need.
I don't think I have ever rolled up a NPC. Ever. I didn't know that anyone did that when I started. The guys who made those TSR modules didn't roll-up the goblins in it. Did they? Or the lord of whatever keep was important to the preface? There were just goblins there. The lord was your patron and they needed a patron lord for the fluff so, they made one. So if I know I need a Spaceport Dockmaster or Captain of the Royal Guard, I don't roll anything, I just write down 'Dockmaster' and 'Captain of the Royal Guard' and throw on some appropriate numbers.
You don't need to know all the stats of a Shuttle Pilot in Star Trek or a Bank Clerk in Deadlands or the guy who sells the adventuring gear in Dungeons & Dragons. You need to know what they're good at and it should be their jobs. If not, that's interesting too but the point is, it isn't necessary to write up a whole sheet on someone who is only there to drive you to the adventure and back.
Here's what a typical D&D NPC 'Record Chart' looks like for me:
I am pretty darn exhausted to be honest with you, metahuman endurance or not.
Now, as I get back to production on my upcoming Traveller campaign (which is slowly but surely adding players*), I really want to get these GM advice posts out of the way. I want them over and done so I can talk about so many other things, including my experiences at this past RECESS event and of course the aforementioned Traveller.
While I really can't say if my posts here have been any help to anyone, I can say that I feel validated and more than a little ego boosted thanks to the people at RECESS and NerdNYC. I had one player send his girlfriend to find me and when check to see that it was definitely me running the second session event he was interested in. He had previously been in my Galaxy Quest game and liked it so much he wanted to be in another game of mine. He may end up a regular in my Traveller game as well. I also got the usual kudos for my Muppets RPG (this time featuring Fraggle Rock) and a fellow GM bummed that she had to run something. She apparently told a mutual acquaintance of ours, "Damn. I wouldn't have run something in the first slot if I knew he (Me) was running Fraggle Rock at the same time. I would've played."
So in the end if there are those who read my GM Advice and think, 'Well this guys ideas don't sound all that special', that's just fine. Real people in real games really like what I do. I'm in happy land.
Last thing two things and we can get to the last of the 'Old Dog' posts for now...
I now have 149 followers. Wow. That is awesome. But...I want more. That is, my goal for some time now has been 150. If you don't hate this blog, please recommend it to a friend. Thanks.
Happy Birthday to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.!
OK, let's get to it...
***
This post is not so much GM advice but rather an explanation of how I do a thing that a lot of gaming people see and ask me, "How do you do that and still have time to eat, sleep and pee?"
Well, I eat quickly, don't sleep much and sometimes forget to do that last one.
Where was I? Oh yeah, the actual question is, "How do you generate so many NPCs?"
It's actually really simple. Don't use the system and don't create what you don't need.
I don't think I have ever rolled up a NPC. Ever. I didn't know that anyone did that when I started. The guys who made those TSR modules didn't roll-up the goblins in it. Did they? Or the lord of whatever keep was important to the preface? There were just goblins there. The lord was your patron and they needed a patron lord for the fluff so, they made one. So if I know I need a Spaceport Dockmaster or Captain of the Royal Guard, I don't roll anything, I just write down 'Dockmaster' and 'Captain of the Royal Guard' and throw on some appropriate numbers.
You don't need to know all the stats of a Shuttle Pilot in Star Trek or a Bank Clerk in Deadlands or the guy who sells the adventuring gear in Dungeons & Dragons. You need to know what they're good at and it should be their jobs. If not, that's interesting too but the point is, it isn't necessary to write up a whole sheet on someone who is only there to drive you to the adventure and back.
Here's what a typical D&D NPC 'Record Chart' looks like for me:
NPC Record Chart for Character in a High Elf City
The first thing I need is the character's name. Why? 'Cause somebody is going to ask. It's often the first thing people ask when they meet a NPC and decide to talk to them. For this particular list of NPCs I am using the naming convention my players and I devised for the High Elves of Aerth, my homebrew D&D-But-Not world. Their first names generally sound Kryptonian. Seriously. Not my idea but it was me who first noticed an Elf named Kal-El or Dev-Em StormStrike would not be out of place. Last names are based on the High Elven Family Houses which, for the most part, are based on foul weather. The most popular and common family names are Rain, Hale, Gale, Snow, Blizzard, etc. Noble families include Thunder, Wind, Lightning and Storm, which is the last name of the King and Queen.
The oddities in the above chart are those citizens of the High Elven City who are not, themselves, High Elves. These characters therefore have names that reflect the naming conventions developed for the other Elven cultural subgroups.
Race and gender are next and pretty self-explanatory. Notice that the first names are not always gender specific (meaning there are a number of female characters with male sounding names and vice versa).
Next up is class and level. I have never understood the concept of NPC Classes. I mean, I barely like the idea of classes at all, now you're going to make these things PC and NPC specific? Please. For me, the Baker is the Baker but if I need to know what he attacks as, how many hit point he should get, etc. I have a guide line. Baker - Rogue, 5th level. Sage - Magic User**, 4th level. Blacksmith - Fighter, 6th level, etc. The Baker can't hide in shadows, the Sage doesn't know any spells and the Blacksmith doesn't wear a full suit of Chainmail all the time. The Class/Level combos are just easy ways for me to figure out how skilled and experienced these people are and how many hit points they might have.
Important stats are just that; These are the stats that are important. Everything else is a 0. Average. Don't worry about it as it isn't important. Writing them out this way also means the chart is useful regardless of edition (for the most part).
Something makes this individual special. Somethings it's what they can do, sometimes its what they own. On some characters what I write is more specific, on others more vague. If I were statting out the average citizen as opposed to those who might be more involved in an adventure, their Ability/Talent/Item entry might be Can Talk Fast, Dwarven Desserts, Heirloom Necklace.
Finally we have notes. These are the things that make this person matter in the adventure or encounter in which you meet them. I usually start small and often more specific than many of the ones I have listed on this particular chart. These are sometimes catalysts for more in depth descriptions later on if the NPC becomes a reoccurring part of the campaign.
So that's basically it. I figure out the bare bones minimum of what I need for quick reference, set up some ground rules, make a chart and then start filling it in. Sometimes it's simple, sometimes it's more elaborate.
Check out this one for a TMP era Star Trek campaign:
Well that's about the size of it ladies and gents. Nothing more magical to it than that. My one special gift as a GM may simply be that coming up with names, an element that seems difficult for many, is really easy for me. Yes, my names may seem corny (especially in D&D - but then, D&D names are always corny. Bilbo Baggins. Jon Snow. Krull. Really? Krull is your character's name?!?)
That's the end of the Old Dog segments for now. Need to get to work on Traveller. So happy to finally be back doing Science-Fiction I can't even put it into words. Yet. Maybe next post.
AD
Barking Alien
*A number of players I met at RECESS are interested in joining in on my upcoming Traveller campaign at the Compleat Strategist in NYC starting this February. NerdNYC - Gamer Networking That Works!
**I wrote Magic User, a name I generally despise, because I don't know what Wizards are currently called in the game of your choice. Mage, Wizard, Sorceror...figure out what works for you.
Sunday, September 23, 2012
The RECESS Report - Part II
There will be a bit more recap-i-ness coming up after this post and then, onward to some new ideas.
I was only able to talk to a few of my fellow GMs at RECESS and all but for the briefest of moments. However, one mini-conversation in particular bares sharing but again, not until the recaps are over.
Now you've got something to look forward to and a reason to return to Barking Alien. Aren't I a clever pooch.
***
Following the Muppets RPG session I went to lunch with my girlfriend Jenn, her friend and hopefully now mine Lisa and my good buddy and GM of our current Hunter X Hunter campaign, Ray. Lunch was good, the beer I had was surprisingly tasty and I was ready to return to the frontlines. The ladies left us to do their own thing and Ray and I went back in to RECESS, he to his game (He ran Marvel Heroic) and me to mine...GALAXY QUEST!
***
'A Riddle, Wrapped In A Mystery, Inside An Enigma'
***
Taking in a little of R&R over at a Thermian Space Station while their vessel underwent some important repairs and upgrades, the commander and crew of the NSEA Daring, NTR-6269, receive an emergency request from the station's Chief Administrator.
It seems the Thermians have intercepted a weak and continually fading distress call from the NSEA cruiser Vindicator. The Vindicator, commanded by our own commander's long time rival, is a tough and powerful ship. What could cause it's CO to call for help?
Highlights!
First - AWEsome Characters!
The Commander was played by my good friend Andy who I know through the group I gamed with and ran for over at my FLGS, The Compleat Strategist. His character, Commander Thaddeus Shaw, was a almost a cross between Futurama's Zap Brannigan and Ben Stiller in Zoolander. He seemed to have the miraculous ability to slip out of his NSEA uniform and into a floor length, velvet robe, complete with martini in hand, and back again in the blink of an eye.
The Science Officer was played by a great guy named Ed who I got the chance to game with at my first RECESS. He played the Security Chief in a game of Starships And Spacemen run by the incomparable E.T. Smith. Here, in the Galaxy Quest game, he did not disappoint.
In addition to being the Science Officer, he was also the Token Alien. A member of the Cerebellian species, his name "To you would be a stream of unintelligible static. Do not try to say it, you do not have the parts. Call me Primus." To say Primus was pompous and full of himself and his vast intellect would be an understatement. He was hilariously, gratingly intelligent. Any time anyone said pretty much anything, Ed would reply, "Yes. I know."
The Pilot was played by a fellow named Don and he worked out a bit of backstory on the actor playing his character, Lt. JG Clive Britten. Originally a popular actor on the British version of 'Galaxy Quest', where he played the Commander, the actor was let go when budget constraints eventually forced the BBC to cancel the show. Now, getting this second string part on the American version, with its better special effects but weaker writing (heheh, so British), the actor has turned to smoking up a bit and trying recreational pharmaceuticals. This last bit has been worked into the character of Clive Britten, an ace pilot hooked on 'Space Drugs'.
A really nice and interesting guy named Will played The Doctor. Will, it turns out, is the boyfriend of Emi, who was in the morning Muppets game. Will played Old Hock, an old country doctor with a preference for moonshine, banjo music and Kentuky Blue Grass underneath his feet. He had replaced a section of the floor in his Med Lab with soil and grew a mini lawn, "Right 'thar on the gol-durn spaceship."
I say Will was interesting because he did several things that impressed me. Most notably, his boisterous, 'Southern Redneck' accent was hysterical and nothing at all like his regular voice which was mellow and subdued. Also, he stated that this was only the 4th or 5th RPG session he had ever participated in. None of his previous games included any form of D&D, so I took a liking to the guy right away (snark!). Furthermore, he felt by creating this neat character, he also created a situation where he didn't interact with the other characters or the adventure very much. Old Hock didn't want to leave his comfort zone and sure as hell thought all this other folks on board were plum crazy. He thought that he may have designed him 'wrong' for the adventure.
I told he that if he was having fun, it wasn't wrong. We make the characters we want to play because before we sit down (especially at RECESS) we really don't know what kind of adventure it's going to be exactly. On the other hand, if you think it would be more fun to get more involved, find a way.
He honestly thanked me, we talked a bit more and I must say, it was a great experience to feel like I helped a new gamer find their gaming zen as it were. He eventually opted to join in by helping get a Shuttlepod over to this alien object we found floating in space. The object absorbed energy from starships but Old Hock had, in the ship's docking bay, an old solar sail shuttle that might be able to get around the issue. He also had some ideas, modified by the all knowing Science Officer, on how to vent oxygen to move the shuttle with resorting to powering up the systems. We imagined his shuttle was held together by duct tape and baling wire. It had a gun rack and an old confederate flag draped over one of the bunks in the back. It was referred to a few times as 'The General Lee'.
Almost forgot, Old Hock was also The Prodigy. What Geordi LaForge has for sight, Old Hock has for hearing. Large headphone like domes with TV antennae sticking out cover his ears enabling him to hear everything from a tiny pin drop to the subspace wake creating by an enemy starship hiding behind the fourth moon.
The Engineer was Shayara 'Zero-Gee' Jones, a firecraker of a young woman played by a firecracker of a dude named Floyd. No one asks why they call her 'Zero-Gee' and she ain't telling. Lots of great Technobabble from Tech Sgt. Jones, who was so in tune with her ship she could feel a power coupling loosen on 'A' Deck while walking through the cargo hold on 'U' Deck. There appeared to be a bit of a rivalry between the Engineer and the Science Officer to see who was smarter and more knowledgeable about NSEA technology and Sci-Fi physics.
Finally, where would Galaxy Quest be without the Glorified Extra, Security Chief Harkin. Yes, he got a name! Actually he did so well, the other players voted him Ensign Harkin by sessions end! With one hit point but jacked up combat skills, this brave and stalwart Crewman (played by a nice guy named Hans) saved the Vindicator with a well timed barrage of Pulse Missiles launched into a time travel slingshot effect that enabled the Daring to save her sister ship and then arrive to warn the Vindicator before it got into trouble in the first place.
Ridiculous you say? What part of 'Sci-Fi-Space-Opera-TV-Show' did you not understand?
In the end, the bizarre space artifact, named 'The Black Spot' by our Science Officer (even though it is not actually black. Nor a spot), turned out to be a manned satellite/space station of an alien species who were merely studying the region of space where the satellite had been placed. With the help of the Doctor, Ensign Harkin made first contact with the sexy, female alien captain before the Commander moved in and presumably made second, third and perhaps even fourths contact with her.
Great game, many, many laughs and a wonderful group of guys. I may run this again next RECESS, although I am not sure as there are a number of other things I want to try. We shall see.
***
A lot of inspiration on a good number of topics lately so, more to come.
If you're not hanging out with the cool kids on Google +, come round, take a load off and I'll put on a pot of coffee so we can talk.
AD
Barking Alien
I was only able to talk to a few of my fellow GMs at RECESS and all but for the briefest of moments. However, one mini-conversation in particular bares sharing but again, not until the recaps are over.
Now you've got something to look forward to and a reason to return to Barking Alien. Aren't I a clever pooch.
***
Following the Muppets RPG session I went to lunch with my girlfriend Jenn, her friend and hopefully now mine Lisa and my good buddy and GM of our current Hunter X Hunter campaign, Ray. Lunch was good, the beer I had was surprisingly tasty and I was ready to return to the frontlines. The ladies left us to do their own thing and Ray and I went back in to RECESS, he to his game (He ran Marvel Heroic) and me to mine...GALAXY QUEST!
***
'A Riddle, Wrapped In A Mystery, Inside An Enigma'
***
Taking in a little of R&R over at a Thermian Space Station while their vessel underwent some important repairs and upgrades, the commander and crew of the NSEA Daring, NTR-6269, receive an emergency request from the station's Chief Administrator.
It seems the Thermians have intercepted a weak and continually fading distress call from the NSEA cruiser Vindicator. The Vindicator, commanded by our own commander's long time rival, is a tough and powerful ship. What could cause it's CO to call for help?
Highlights!
First - AWEsome Characters!
The Commander was played by my good friend Andy who I know through the group I gamed with and ran for over at my FLGS, The Compleat Strategist. His character, Commander Thaddeus Shaw, was a almost a cross between Futurama's Zap Brannigan and Ben Stiller in Zoolander. He seemed to have the miraculous ability to slip out of his NSEA uniform and into a floor length, velvet robe, complete with martini in hand, and back again in the blink of an eye.
The Science Officer was played by a great guy named Ed who I got the chance to game with at my first RECESS. He played the Security Chief in a game of Starships And Spacemen run by the incomparable E.T. Smith. Here, in the Galaxy Quest game, he did not disappoint.
In addition to being the Science Officer, he was also the Token Alien. A member of the Cerebellian species, his name "To you would be a stream of unintelligible static. Do not try to say it, you do not have the parts. Call me Primus." To say Primus was pompous and full of himself and his vast intellect would be an understatement. He was hilariously, gratingly intelligent. Any time anyone said pretty much anything, Ed would reply, "Yes. I know."
The Pilot was played by a fellow named Don and he worked out a bit of backstory on the actor playing his character, Lt. JG Clive Britten. Originally a popular actor on the British version of 'Galaxy Quest', where he played the Commander, the actor was let go when budget constraints eventually forced the BBC to cancel the show. Now, getting this second string part on the American version, with its better special effects but weaker writing (heheh, so British), the actor has turned to smoking up a bit and trying recreational pharmaceuticals. This last bit has been worked into the character of Clive Britten, an ace pilot hooked on 'Space Drugs'.
A really nice and interesting guy named Will played The Doctor. Will, it turns out, is the boyfriend of Emi, who was in the morning Muppets game. Will played Old Hock, an old country doctor with a preference for moonshine, banjo music and Kentuky Blue Grass underneath his feet. He had replaced a section of the floor in his Med Lab with soil and grew a mini lawn, "Right 'thar on the gol-durn spaceship."
I say Will was interesting because he did several things that impressed me. Most notably, his boisterous, 'Southern Redneck' accent was hysterical and nothing at all like his regular voice which was mellow and subdued. Also, he stated that this was only the 4th or 5th RPG session he had ever participated in. None of his previous games included any form of D&D, so I took a liking to the guy right away (snark!). Furthermore, he felt by creating this neat character, he also created a situation where he didn't interact with the other characters or the adventure very much. Old Hock didn't want to leave his comfort zone and sure as hell thought all this other folks on board were plum crazy. He thought that he may have designed him 'wrong' for the adventure.
I told he that if he was having fun, it wasn't wrong. We make the characters we want to play because before we sit down (especially at RECESS) we really don't know what kind of adventure it's going to be exactly. On the other hand, if you think it would be more fun to get more involved, find a way.
He honestly thanked me, we talked a bit more and I must say, it was a great experience to feel like I helped a new gamer find their gaming zen as it were. He eventually opted to join in by helping get a Shuttlepod over to this alien object we found floating in space. The object absorbed energy from starships but Old Hock had, in the ship's docking bay, an old solar sail shuttle that might be able to get around the issue. He also had some ideas, modified by the all knowing Science Officer, on how to vent oxygen to move the shuttle with resorting to powering up the systems. We imagined his shuttle was held together by duct tape and baling wire. It had a gun rack and an old confederate flag draped over one of the bunks in the back. It was referred to a few times as 'The General Lee'.
Almost forgot, Old Hock was also The Prodigy. What Geordi LaForge has for sight, Old Hock has for hearing. Large headphone like domes with TV antennae sticking out cover his ears enabling him to hear everything from a tiny pin drop to the subspace wake creating by an enemy starship hiding behind the fourth moon.
The Engineer was Shayara 'Zero-Gee' Jones, a firecraker of a young woman played by a firecracker of a dude named Floyd. No one asks why they call her 'Zero-Gee' and she ain't telling. Lots of great Technobabble from Tech Sgt. Jones, who was so in tune with her ship she could feel a power coupling loosen on 'A' Deck while walking through the cargo hold on 'U' Deck. There appeared to be a bit of a rivalry between the Engineer and the Science Officer to see who was smarter and more knowledgeable about NSEA technology and Sci-Fi physics.
Finally, where would Galaxy Quest be without the Glorified Extra, Security Chief Harkin. Yes, he got a name! Actually he did so well, the other players voted him Ensign Harkin by sessions end! With one hit point but jacked up combat skills, this brave and stalwart Crewman (played by a nice guy named Hans) saved the Vindicator with a well timed barrage of Pulse Missiles launched into a time travel slingshot effect that enabled the Daring to save her sister ship and then arrive to warn the Vindicator before it got into trouble in the first place.
Ridiculous you say? What part of 'Sci-Fi-Space-Opera-TV-Show' did you not understand?
In the end, the bizarre space artifact, named 'The Black Spot' by our Science Officer (even though it is not actually black. Nor a spot), turned out to be a manned satellite/space station of an alien species who were merely studying the region of space where the satellite had been placed. With the help of the Doctor, Ensign Harkin made first contact with the sexy, female alien captain before the Commander moved in and presumably made second, third and perhaps even fourths contact with her.
Great game, many, many laughs and a wonderful group of guys. I may run this again next RECESS, although I am not sure as there are a number of other things I want to try. We shall see.
***
A lot of inspiration on a good number of topics lately so, more to come.
If you're not hanging out with the cool kids on Google +, come round, take a load off and I'll put on a pot of coffee so we can talk.
AD
Barking Alien
Wednesday, September 19, 2012
The RECESS Report - Part I
I'd like to preface this entry by saying it should have been posted much sooner but it's been a doozy of a week lads and lasses.
In additional to seeing my girlfriend Jenn perform last Wednesday, running two games at RECESS and spending additional hours at the Learning Center on Sunday (more about that at a later time), my Mom hooked me up some freelance illustration work. A client of hers needed some drawings to go with a presentation of some kind. While I love being about to get paid to do something I enjoy, it wasn't the easiest job and had a very tight deadline.
So, on maybe seven hours sleep in the last two days, here is my report on the one, the only...RECESS!
***
A Day At The Races, A Night At The Muppet Theater
***
This RECESS was unique and special to me in many ways. First, and foremost, my girlfriend came to watch me GM. She has sort of seen me in action before but mostly what she's witnessed is the BSing my regular group does before we actually start playing. It was sooo awesome to have her there.
At her gig last week in New York's Greenwich Village, I met one of her friends, a woman named Lisa who, it turns out, has known Jenn since they were little kids. It also turns out that Lisa is a huge Muppets fan. Jenn told her a bit about what I would be doing at RECESS (that is, running a Muppets Role Playing Game) and Lisa wanted in.
I met up with Lisa at the event after I found my table and we waited for Jenn and for the game sign ups to get underway. At about 15 minutes to game time I had only 1 person signed up for the Muppets, not including Lisa who was waiting for the staff to call her number.
I decided to go up front and play barker (as in Barking Alien? Aaahh! See what I did there?) in an attempt to drum up some interest. No sooner had I asked the crowd, "Hey gang, what's up? No love for the Muppets?", than one of the staff members tapped me on the shoulder and said, "Dude, you've got 5 people already".
I did an honest to gosh double take. In the 25 seconds it took me to get up to the front of the room, whirl around, and start my pitch, four more people signed up for the game. Lisa confirmed the time.
I ended up with the following players: An incredibly tall fellow named Matt, his equally towering brother Chris, Matt's wife Lily, Lisa, and Emi, a young lady who's boyfriend would end up playing in my later session of Galaxy Quest.
Neither Lisa nor Lily had every played a role playing game before and I was ecstatic to be the one to usher in their inaugural experience. It's like I've said many time, I don't know why people automatically assume D&D is a good starting point to get non-gamers interested. What's always worked for me is recognizable brands or IPs these people would be familiar with thanks to pop culture so there is little need to explain what the game is about. Have you read a Spider-Man or Captain America comic? You have? Awesome. Marvel Heroic is like that (as an example).
On to the game itself...
***
Matt: As Bunsen: "Oh Kermit! I am so glad we found you."
Me: As Kermit: "Not now guys, I'm in a jam. The guest cancelled and the show is about to start."
Bunsen: "Then you're in luck Kermit. Say hello to our latest invention - The Muppet Lads Celebrity Time Displacement Shower."
Emi: As Beaker: "Bee-bee-mee!"
Kermit: "Time Displacement...Shower?"
Bunsen: "Celebrity Time Displacement Shower. It can transport any celebrity in the past from their shower to this one. All we have to do is match the water temperature, adjust the suds, close the curtain, and power it up."
Kermit: "...Will it work?"
Bunsen: "Well, it has yet to have a full fledged test run but in theory it should work perfectly."
Kermit: "You know what guys...go for it. I believe in you. That's what the Muppets are all about isn't it? Get this thing up to the guest's dressing room and bring us a star."
Bunsen and Beaker head upstairs, set up the machine and within a minute or two the device is whirring and banging, steam and flashes of light are all around it. After a loud pop and a bright, white flash, the two Muppet Labs scientists can hear singing in the shower. Then another voice. Then a honking horn. Startled, they pull back the shower curtain to reveal...
Just then, Scooter enters...
Lisa: As Scooter: "Bernie Brillstein...Fif...WHA?! THE MARX BROTHERS?? Um...OK...Fifteen seconds to curtain Marx Brothers!"
In additional to seeing my girlfriend Jenn perform last Wednesday, running two games at RECESS and spending additional hours at the Learning Center on Sunday (more about that at a later time), my Mom hooked me up some freelance illustration work. A client of hers needed some drawings to go with a presentation of some kind. While I love being about to get paid to do something I enjoy, it wasn't the easiest job and had a very tight deadline.
So, on maybe seven hours sleep in the last two days, here is my report on the one, the only...RECESS!
***
A Day At The Races, A Night At The Muppet Theater
***
This RECESS was unique and special to me in many ways. First, and foremost, my girlfriend came to watch me GM. She has sort of seen me in action before but mostly what she's witnessed is the BSing my regular group does before we actually start playing. It was sooo awesome to have her there.
At her gig last week in New York's Greenwich Village, I met one of her friends, a woman named Lisa who, it turns out, has known Jenn since they were little kids. It also turns out that Lisa is a huge Muppets fan. Jenn told her a bit about what I would be doing at RECESS (that is, running a Muppets Role Playing Game) and Lisa wanted in.
I met up with Lisa at the event after I found my table and we waited for Jenn and for the game sign ups to get underway. At about 15 minutes to game time I had only 1 person signed up for the Muppets, not including Lisa who was waiting for the staff to call her number.
I decided to go up front and play barker (as in Barking Alien? Aaahh! See what I did there?) in an attempt to drum up some interest. No sooner had I asked the crowd, "Hey gang, what's up? No love for the Muppets?", than one of the staff members tapped me on the shoulder and said, "Dude, you've got 5 people already".
I did an honest to gosh double take. In the 25 seconds it took me to get up to the front of the room, whirl around, and start my pitch, four more people signed up for the game. Lisa confirmed the time.
I ended up with the following players: An incredibly tall fellow named Matt, his equally towering brother Chris, Matt's wife Lily, Lisa, and Emi, a young lady who's boyfriend would end up playing in my later session of Galaxy Quest.
Neither Lisa nor Lily had every played a role playing game before and I was ecstatic to be the one to usher in their inaugural experience. It's like I've said many time, I don't know why people automatically assume D&D is a good starting point to get non-gamers interested. What's always worked for me is recognizable brands or IPs these people would be familiar with thanks to pop culture so there is little need to explain what the game is about. Have you read a Spider-Man or Captain America comic? You have? Awesome. Marvel Heroic is like that (as an example).
On to the game itself...
***
Matt: As Bunsen: "Oh Kermit! I am so glad we found you."
Me: As Kermit: "Not now guys, I'm in a jam. The guest cancelled and the show is about to start."
Bunsen: "Then you're in luck Kermit. Say hello to our latest invention - The Muppet Lads Celebrity Time Displacement Shower."
Emi: As Beaker: "Bee-bee-mee!"
Kermit: "Time Displacement...Shower?"
Bunsen: "Celebrity Time Displacement Shower. It can transport any celebrity in the past from their shower to this one. All we have to do is match the water temperature, adjust the suds, close the curtain, and power it up."
Kermit: "...Will it work?"
Bunsen: "Well, it has yet to have a full fledged test run but in theory it should work perfectly."
Kermit: "You know what guys...go for it. I believe in you. That's what the Muppets are all about isn't it? Get this thing up to the guest's dressing room and bring us a star."
Bunsen and Beaker head upstairs, set up the machine and within a minute or two the device is whirring and banging, steam and flashes of light are all around it. After a loud pop and a bright, white flash, the two Muppet Labs scientists can hear singing in the shower. Then another voice. Then a honking horn. Startled, they pull back the shower curtain to reveal...
Just then, Scooter enters...
Lisa: As Scooter: "Bernie Brillstein...Fif...WHA?! THE MARX BROTHERS?? Um...OK...Fifteen seconds to curtain Marx Brothers!"
The basic plot of the episode was that the Marx Brothers were sent through time to be on the show but would have to return so as not to damage the time stream.
At the same time, the machine that brought them here, a steampunk contraption of Muppet Labs origins, had both a leak and a clog in its pipes creating numerous time paradoxes and time travel hazards.
For a subplot of sorts, entertainment critic P. Hamilton Monstros (of the South Hampton Monstroses of course, as he never tired of reminding everyone) has come to the Muppet Theater to do research for an article series he is writing. Kermit is initially excited until Mr. Monstros reveals the series is entitled, "Modern Vaudeville: A Really Bad Idea". Kermit vows to show him he's wrong, if only the guests, the Muppets, and time itself will oblige him.
Highlights!
Matt's Bunsen and his technobabble theories of how the Time Machine Shower worked.
Matt as Bunsen and Emi as Beaker had great timing and worked well together.
Chris as Gonzo The Great, gets inside a cannon that is then placed inside another, larger cannon. So one cannon fires out another cannon which fires out Gonzo. It would've proved a fantastic stunt if it had worked. No chickens were harmed in the making of this scene.
Next up...Session 2...GALAXY QUEST
AD
Barking Alien
At the same time, the machine that brought them here, a steampunk contraption of Muppet Labs origins, had both a leak and a clog in its pipes creating numerous time paradoxes and time travel hazards.
For a subplot of sorts, entertainment critic P. Hamilton Monstros (of the South Hampton Monstroses of course, as he never tired of reminding everyone) has come to the Muppet Theater to do research for an article series he is writing. Kermit is initially excited until Mr. Monstros reveals the series is entitled, "Modern Vaudeville: A Really Bad Idea". Kermit vows to show him he's wrong, if only the guests, the Muppets, and time itself will oblige him.
Highlights!
Matt's Bunsen and his technobabble theories of how the Time Machine Shower worked.
Matt as Bunsen and Emi as Beaker had great timing and worked well together.
Chris as Gonzo The Great, gets inside a cannon that is then placed inside another, larger cannon. So one cannon fires out another cannon which fires out Gonzo. It would've proved a fantastic stunt if it had worked. No chickens were harmed in the making of this scene.
Lily did a very cool and active Miss Piggy. Great routine between Piggy and Groucho. She also did a pretty good Sam the Eagle and we did Sam with Chico and Harpo in a routine that mixed parts of 'A Night At The Opera' and 'Horse Feathers'.
Lisa must be applauded for her Pepe, the King Prawn, Hokay? Very good and very heroic portrayal. Pepe, being a Prawn, offered to swim down the drain, through 'de time stream, hokay? and find out what was clogging the drain. He did so and it turned out to be the fur of Bobo the Bear. Bobo, still attached to said fur, was trying hard not to drown or be swept back in time. Needless to say, he had his hands (paws?) full.
One of the better Veterinarians Hospital sketches. I helped as Rowlf who no one chose to play initially.
***
Behind The Scenes Notes
The guest who had to cancel was Bernie Brillstein and his Beatnik, Barber Shop Quartet.
The magazine P. Hamilton writes for is called We Know Entertainment! And You Don't.
The 'P' is his name stands for Pretentious. Character name is a joint effort by my girlfriend and myself.
I actually found Hamilton in the garbage about three weeks before the game day. He is one of the F.A.O. Schwartz Toy Store 'Build Your Own Muppets' and someone just threw him away. I picked him up and checked the puppet for stains and damage. None. He was on top of (not inside) a thick shopping bag and must have been disgarded very recently when I saw him.
One player told me I did an excellent Harpo Marx impression. I reminded her that Harpo is the one who doesn't talk. She said, "And still...I know it's him every time."
During a minor lull used to take bathroom and food runs, one or two players suggested doing the sketch where Kermit interviews the guess star. I said sure, we could do that, but right now I am playing all the parts myself. I was Kermit, Groucho, Chico and Harpo. The players said that was no problem. One said, "I am fine with listening to you just riff off yourself for the next twenty minutes. You're hilarious."
In addition to the Marx Brothers, the leak in time brings forth Vikings, Cowboys, and Roman Legionnaires from the past.
I am a huge Marx Brothers fan, as was my Grandfather. Thanks in large part to him I have seen virtually every Marx Brothers movie a dozen times, as well as Groucho's days as the host for the game show 'You Bet Your Life'.
This Muppet Show session of the Muppets RPG was dedicated to my girlfriend Jenn for all the inspiration and support she gives me and the late Jerry Nelson, who recently passed.
***
Lisa must be applauded for her Pepe, the King Prawn, Hokay? Very good and very heroic portrayal. Pepe, being a Prawn, offered to swim down the drain, through 'de time stream, hokay? and find out what was clogging the drain. He did so and it turned out to be the fur of Bobo the Bear. Bobo, still attached to said fur, was trying hard not to drown or be swept back in time. Needless to say, he had his hands (paws?) full.
One of the better Veterinarians Hospital sketches. I helped as Rowlf who no one chose to play initially.
***
Behind The Scenes Notes
The guest who had to cancel was Bernie Brillstein and his Beatnik, Barber Shop Quartet.
The magazine P. Hamilton writes for is called We Know Entertainment! And You Don't.
The 'P' is his name stands for Pretentious. Character name is a joint effort by my girlfriend and myself.
I actually found Hamilton in the garbage about three weeks before the game day. He is one of the F.A.O. Schwartz Toy Store 'Build Your Own Muppets' and someone just threw him away. I picked him up and checked the puppet for stains and damage. None. He was on top of (not inside) a thick shopping bag and must have been disgarded very recently when I saw him.
One player told me I did an excellent Harpo Marx impression. I reminded her that Harpo is the one who doesn't talk. She said, "And still...I know it's him every time."
During a minor lull used to take bathroom and food runs, one or two players suggested doing the sketch where Kermit interviews the guess star. I said sure, we could do that, but right now I am playing all the parts myself. I was Kermit, Groucho, Chico and Harpo. The players said that was no problem. One said, "I am fine with listening to you just riff off yourself for the next twenty minutes. You're hilarious."
In addition to the Marx Brothers, the leak in time brings forth Vikings, Cowboys, and Roman Legionnaires from the past.
I am a huge Marx Brothers fan, as was my Grandfather. Thanks in large part to him I have seen virtually every Marx Brothers movie a dozen times, as well as Groucho's days as the host for the game show 'You Bet Your Life'.
This Muppet Show session of the Muppets RPG was dedicated to my girlfriend Jenn for all the inspiration and support she gives me and the late Jerry Nelson, who recently passed.
***
Next up...Session 2...GALAXY QUEST
AD
Barking Alien
Thursday, July 26, 2012
One Hundred And Fifty Percent Pure Awesome!
RECESS is on!
Yes, boys and girls my prayers have been answered! Er...ok...my psychic emissions have been acknowledged. Yeah, that sounds more like me.
I have submitted two RPG game entries, one for my ever popular Muppets RPG and one for a session of my homebrew Galaxy Quest game.
I will keep you posted on the results.
Yay! I am a happy camper!
Ooh...do you think I can convince my girlfriend to go to RECESS with me? Good grief, I am so excited I am vibrating all my molecules at superspeed. I need to relax or I'll phase through the fl...
AD
Barking Alien
Yes, boys and girls my prayers have been answered! Er...ok...my psychic emissions have been acknowledged. Yeah, that sounds more like me.
I have submitted two RPG game entries, one for my ever popular Muppets RPG and one for a session of my homebrew Galaxy Quest game.
I will keep you posted on the results.
Yay! I am a happy camper!
Ooh...do you think I can convince my girlfriend to go to RECESS with me? Good grief, I am so excited I am vibrating all my molecules at superspeed. I need to relax or I'll phase through the fl...
AD
Barking Alien
Monday, March 5, 2012
Make Mine...Marvel? Maybe
Interesting.
This is the first and last word I heard from many a mouth at the Marvel Heroic Launch Party on Saturday, March 3rd for the release of Margaret Weis Productions new Marvel Heroic Role Playing Game. I was a co-GM at the event. 'Co' because after a week or so of trying to understand the rules I could only comprehend about 15% of them. Thankfully my friend and fellow NerdNYC GM James took the reins and really did all the hard work.
Unfortunately, due to some printing or shipping snafu or other, the game itself was not available for purchase. Pity. I would very much have liked to buy it and the reasons are both positive and less so.
So what the heck is Marvel Heroic?
The Marvel Heroic RPG is a variant on the Cortex System, the 'house' system used by Margaret Weis Productions for its various role playing games such as Leverage and the licensed games of Smallville, Battlestar Galactica and Serenity. Now I am only generally familiar with the mechanics of those other games, having played a single session of Serenity and having looked at Leverage for not more than a few minutes. Those more familiar with Cortex tell me Marvel has some shared characteristics but it actually quite another animal.
It is a game heavy on narrative storytelling techniques and light, very light in fact, on what most gamers are used to from an RPG. Oddly, I found the game extremely hard to wrap my head around even though I am an indie-gaming, storytelling kind of guy. Why? Well there are a few reasons I will get to later but the main thing was and is this...
It's a Superhero Comic Book RPG for Comic Book fans not for Superhero Comic Book RPG gamers.
Look at the Supers RPGs that have wowed gamers and taken the lion's share of the market. Basically, Champions and Mutants & Masterminds. Steve Kenson, creator of M&M, made another Supers game called ICONS to much fan fare and you hardly hear about it now. Why? Too simple. Not enough fine detail for the Superhero gamer.
Yes, in a given scene in any given comic book we don't really know if Spider Woman is stronger than Iron Man or if the Thing moves faster than the Abomination but in a game, you do know these things. In Champions and M&M, the preferred favorites, you know all about the specific advantages, disadvantages, bonuses, limitations, speed, carrying capacity and many other minute details of your character and his or her powers, abilities, equipment, etc. Supers games that are popular are also crunchy.
Even someone like me, who generally dislikes a lot of crunch, seems to like it in Superhero RPGs. Why? Not sure. Maybe it provides answers to those age old questions that eternally plague our schoolyards like, can Thor beat up Superman? Who knows? Let's stat them up and find out.
Marvel is a 360 degree spin kick to the head to that way of thinking. It is a game of vagueness. It is a game not unlike Risus, where cliches/knack/skills like 'Straight Shooter' and 'Girl Next Door' are valid and even encouraged game mechanics.
At the same time a system of rules much more complex then Risus is in play. There are very specific means of forming the dice pool you roll to determine if you accomplish what you wanted to and how well. There are rules for the GM (called The Watcher) to determine how miserable he can make the heroes lives. The Plot Points of the game are not the typical Hero Points found in most but a much more distinct form of game-mechanic economy, spent to improve your chance of success, maximize your effect, buy off disadvantageous situations or execute special effect maneuvers.
Dang, I am running late for the real world and not nearly finished with my review and ponderings on this most unusual and quite intriguing game. Oh well, I shall continue my musings later this evening.
Excelsior everybody!
AD
Barking Alien
This is the first and last word I heard from many a mouth at the Marvel Heroic Launch Party on Saturday, March 3rd for the release of Margaret Weis Productions new Marvel Heroic Role Playing Game. I was a co-GM at the event. 'Co' because after a week or so of trying to understand the rules I could only comprehend about 15% of them. Thankfully my friend and fellow NerdNYC GM James took the reins and really did all the hard work.
Unfortunately, due to some printing or shipping snafu or other, the game itself was not available for purchase. Pity. I would very much have liked to buy it and the reasons are both positive and less so.
So what the heck is Marvel Heroic?
The Marvel Heroic RPG is a variant on the Cortex System, the 'house' system used by Margaret Weis Productions for its various role playing games such as Leverage and the licensed games of Smallville, Battlestar Galactica and Serenity. Now I am only generally familiar with the mechanics of those other games, having played a single session of Serenity and having looked at Leverage for not more than a few minutes. Those more familiar with Cortex tell me Marvel has some shared characteristics but it actually quite another animal.
It is a game heavy on narrative storytelling techniques and light, very light in fact, on what most gamers are used to from an RPG. Oddly, I found the game extremely hard to wrap my head around even though I am an indie-gaming, storytelling kind of guy. Why? Well there are a few reasons I will get to later but the main thing was and is this...
It's a Superhero Comic Book RPG for Comic Book fans not for Superhero Comic Book RPG gamers.
Look at the Supers RPGs that have wowed gamers and taken the lion's share of the market. Basically, Champions and Mutants & Masterminds. Steve Kenson, creator of M&M, made another Supers game called ICONS to much fan fare and you hardly hear about it now. Why? Too simple. Not enough fine detail for the Superhero gamer.
Yes, in a given scene in any given comic book we don't really know if Spider Woman is stronger than Iron Man or if the Thing moves faster than the Abomination but in a game, you do know these things. In Champions and M&M, the preferred favorites, you know all about the specific advantages, disadvantages, bonuses, limitations, speed, carrying capacity and many other minute details of your character and his or her powers, abilities, equipment, etc. Supers games that are popular are also crunchy.
Even someone like me, who generally dislikes a lot of crunch, seems to like it in Superhero RPGs. Why? Not sure. Maybe it provides answers to those age old questions that eternally plague our schoolyards like, can Thor beat up Superman? Who knows? Let's stat them up and find out.
Marvel is a 360 degree spin kick to the head to that way of thinking. It is a game of vagueness. It is a game not unlike Risus, where cliches/knack/skills like 'Straight Shooter' and 'Girl Next Door' are valid and even encouraged game mechanics.
At the same time a system of rules much more complex then Risus is in play. There are very specific means of forming the dice pool you roll to determine if you accomplish what you wanted to and how well. There are rules for the GM (called The Watcher) to determine how miserable he can make the heroes lives. The Plot Points of the game are not the typical Hero Points found in most but a much more distinct form of game-mechanic economy, spent to improve your chance of success, maximize your effect, buy off disadvantageous situations or execute special effect maneuvers.
Dang, I am running late for the real world and not nearly finished with my review and ponderings on this most unusual and quite intriguing game. Oh well, I shall continue my musings later this evening.
Excelsior everybody!
AD
Barking Alien
Monday, February 27, 2012
A Super Spectacular Saturday in The Mighty Marvel Manner!
This Saturday, yours truly will be among several talented Gamemasters (how they let me in I don't know) running the upcoming Marvel RPG by Margaret Weis Productions. Pop in anytime between 11 am and 4 pm and try out the all new, all different Marvel Heroic Role Playing Game at the Compleat Strategist in New York City!
Bring your web spinning, your shield slinging and of course, your 'A' game.
AD
Barking Alien
Bring your web spinning, your shield slinging and of course, your 'A' game.
AD
Barking Alien
Tuesday, January 17, 2012
Reflections on RECESS
Attending RECESS is fast becoming my favorite venue for gaming outside of running a long term campaign with my closest buddies.
Since running a long term campaign seems to get harder and harder, the thrice a year RECESS events are starting to feel like oasises in times of gaming drought.
As it stands right now, my Champions campaign is on indefinite hold because one of the three players just got married (Congrats again Jeff!). No matter, that universe is frozen in time until it's needed once more and we move on to something else. But what?
The game most in demand is, of course, my least favorite, Dungeons & Dragons. Granted, my version of D&D is a bit atypical in style but seriously, I just don't want to play D&D. I'm bored of it. Even my own.
This leads me back to my affection for RECESS...
While there is no short supply of people running and playing D&D in its various incarnations (including Pathfinder), I am constantly astounded and heartened by what else I see at the RECESS events.
This past RECESS saw people running a hack of Dogs in the Vineyard, Dread, Leverage, MAID, Psi Run, Steal Away Jordan and even some wacko's homebrewed Muppets RPG. Heheh.
It is an amazing feeling to see this kind of gaming diversity, at least for me. It is moving, inspiring and just so dang cool in my opinion. There are times when it feels like no one is playing anything out there except the one game I don't particularly care for. That can make you feel lonely and even a bit singled out. Then you enter a room of 75 to 100 people and overhear discussions about Gumshoe and Carnage Amongst the Stars.
With all the buzz about D&D 5th Edition coming out, I can't help but wonder what you happen if we actually started teaching our next generation 'next generation' RPGs. D&D, even the original Basic set, is no where near as simple in mechanics or concept as Toon, Faery's Tale Deluxe and even Psi Run. If we started with those and then when on to D&D and others, would we still see D&D have such a dominant position. We as a hobbyist community seem to be reinforcing Wizards of the Coasts prominance ourselves. Even if you play Labyrinth Lord or Pathfinder, you're playing D&D and WotC is the owner of that game.
Start a young player on a diet of diversity and maybe they'll be more likely to taste new things as they grow up. Or, we can continue to feed them Happy Meals and wonder why they end up being so picky the only thing we can get them to eat is Mickie D's.
Sorry, entered rant space there for a bit.
Anyway, one last little tidbit that made me feel great about RECESS...
I walk into the room where they are calling out the numbers each person has so that individual can come up and sign in for their game of choice. I hear someone call me name. I turn and see a fellow I don't recognize. As I smile and go to shake his hand, he tells me that no, we don't know each other. He says he reads my blog. This blog. He tells me how much he enjoys it. Highlight of my day, maybe my week. Thanks again, man.
OK, off to bed and dreams of my new projects. I've got a bunch.
'Night,
AD
Barking Alien
Since running a long term campaign seems to get harder and harder, the thrice a year RECESS events are starting to feel like oasises in times of gaming drought.
As it stands right now, my Champions campaign is on indefinite hold because one of the three players just got married (Congrats again Jeff!). No matter, that universe is frozen in time until it's needed once more and we move on to something else. But what?
The game most in demand is, of course, my least favorite, Dungeons & Dragons. Granted, my version of D&D is a bit atypical in style but seriously, I just don't want to play D&D. I'm bored of it. Even my own.
This leads me back to my affection for RECESS...
While there is no short supply of people running and playing D&D in its various incarnations (including Pathfinder), I am constantly astounded and heartened by what else I see at the RECESS events.
This past RECESS saw people running a hack of Dogs in the Vineyard, Dread, Leverage, MAID, Psi Run, Steal Away Jordan and even some wacko's homebrewed Muppets RPG. Heheh.
It is an amazing feeling to see this kind of gaming diversity, at least for me. It is moving, inspiring and just so dang cool in my opinion. There are times when it feels like no one is playing anything out there except the one game I don't particularly care for. That can make you feel lonely and even a bit singled out. Then you enter a room of 75 to 100 people and overhear discussions about Gumshoe and Carnage Amongst the Stars.
With all the buzz about D&D 5th Edition coming out, I can't help but wonder what you happen if we actually started teaching our next generation 'next generation' RPGs. D&D, even the original Basic set, is no where near as simple in mechanics or concept as Toon, Faery's Tale Deluxe and even Psi Run. If we started with those and then when on to D&D and others, would we still see D&D have such a dominant position. We as a hobbyist community seem to be reinforcing Wizards of the Coasts prominance ourselves. Even if you play Labyrinth Lord or Pathfinder, you're playing D&D and WotC is the owner of that game.
Start a young player on a diet of diversity and maybe they'll be more likely to taste new things as they grow up. Or, we can continue to feed them Happy Meals and wonder why they end up being so picky the only thing we can get them to eat is Mickie D's.
Sorry, entered rant space there for a bit.
Anyway, one last little tidbit that made me feel great about RECESS...
I walk into the room where they are calling out the numbers each person has so that individual can come up and sign in for their game of choice. I hear someone call me name. I turn and see a fellow I don't recognize. As I smile and go to shake his hand, he tells me that no, we don't know each other. He says he reads my blog. This blog. He tells me how much he enjoys it. Highlight of my day, maybe my week. Thanks again, man.
OK, off to bed and dreams of my new projects. I've got a bunch.
'Night,
AD
Barking Alien
Monday, January 16, 2012
Muppet Mondays! - RECESS Replay - Part II
The second game I ran for RECESS was one I've run there before, the Muppets RPG utilizing the characters and continuity (such as it is) of The Muppet Show. For this session however I wanted to do something different. I wanted to incorporate a new mechanic and change the standard Muppet Show episode format into a more open ended game designed to resemble one of their motion pictures (where things seem to be really happening (Real) as opposed to being part of a show (Staged)).
The main inspiration for this adventure was 'The Cheapest Muppet Movie Ever Made', a proposed idea for a Muppet film by Jim Henson, Frank Oz, and Jerry Juhl that never came to be.
It went over well, very well in fact, but I can honestly say it almost didn't. I made a few poor choices in how to set up the adventure and I broke a few of my own cardinal rules. Part of the reason for this was that I was exhausted after not enough sleep and the earlier Sesame Street game being awesomely draining. In retrospect however, the fault lies largely with my spending too much time over the previous weeks working on the Sesame Street RPG and the Muppet game's mechanics and not the story for the Muppet game and how to time it out like I usually do.
Eventually I was able to get things back on track, thanks in part to some great players who got what I was going for and ran with it.
***
To which I hear the fellow observing behind me say, "This...is the greatest game...ever."
Oh, almost forgot...so the Muppets all enter Scribbler's house but he's nowhere to be found. We notice he has two guard dogs on the back porch. Someone tells Rowlf, "OK Rowlf, you're on!". The woman playing Rowlf proceeds to mimic playing the piano. The group asks Rowlf what he's doing.
Rowlf: "Aren't I playing us out?"
Scooter: "No Rowlf, this is your chance to shine."
Kermit: "Yeah Rowlf. You can do something here only a dog can do."
Rowlf: "...?...Pee on the furniture?"
The other players meant talk to the guard dogs to find out where Fleet Scribbler went.
Hilarious group. Awesome portrayals.
The big Muppet Fan couple from the first (Sesame Street) game were back for this one too. The young lady (sorry I am so bad with names - remind me in the comments if you see this) did an amazing Miss Piggy. It wasn't so much the voice but the mannerisms, the style of speech, and the attitude. Fantastic.
The young lady playing Gonzo was incredible too. She really nailed his weirdness. She didn't play him as crazy like some do but rather as an eccentric artist who is sure that his ideas are brilliant on a level most have yet to realize. He is bringing both excitement and avant garde culture to the masses using flaming torches and the Hungarian Hatchet Dance.
It's all so clear to me know.***
Anyway, great games, great people, another great RECESS. I actually have some more stories to tell about the event and some things I'd like to say about ideas the event inspired but I'll save that for tomorrow.
Until then,
AD
Barking Alien
The main inspiration for this adventure was 'The Cheapest Muppet Movie Ever Made', a proposed idea for a Muppet film by Jim Henson, Frank Oz, and Jerry Juhl that never came to be.
It went over well, very well in fact, but I can honestly say it almost didn't. I made a few poor choices in how to set up the adventure and I broke a few of my own cardinal rules. Part of the reason for this was that I was exhausted after not enough sleep and the earlier Sesame Street game being awesomely draining. In retrospect however, the fault lies largely with my spending too much time over the previous weeks working on the Sesame Street RPG and the Muppet game's mechanics and not the story for the Muppet game and how to time it out like I usually do.
Eventually I was able to get things back on track, thanks in part to some great players who got what I was going for and ran with it.
***
The Muppets - Big Time Hollywood Movie!
So the plot...
Following their smash hit film, the Muppets decide to begin work on another movie since their comeback motion picture was such a success. Unfortunately, after paying all the actors, the crew, allotting for damages caused by special effects, etc., most of the profits from the movie are gone. The Muppets must therefore produce this new film on an extremely limited budget.
The script and plot ( written by a Muppet staff writer who is not revealed until the end of the session) basically deals with the Muppets trying to make a movie while an unscrupulous film producer attempts to sabotage them so he can steal their story and put it out first. The result is a sort of movie within a movie within a movie as that is exactly what starts to happen around the Muppet studios lot.
When a pair of Pigs kidnap Miss Piggy, it is at first thought to be part of the film (since such a scene is in the screenplay). Realizing it is the real deal, the Muppets team up (near commando style in the case of Sam the Eagle, Gonzo and Animal) and try to rescue her. Some of the best, craziest Muppet moments we've ever had were in this sequence, yet after Piggy is safe we sort of meandered for a moment as to what to do next. Sam and Big Mean Carl step in to interrogate the Pigs and it turns out the plot of the movie is happening in 'reality'.
The Muppets eventually track down the culprit, who has also stolen an experimental special effects item from Muppet Labs. Bunsen reveals he was working on Pop Rocks that basically act like a fragmentation grenade or those Russian missiles that open up to fire lots of smaller missiles (forget the name). Once wet, the kernel sized rocks will break into smaller rocks, firing randomly in all directions at a hundred miles an hour. When asked why he would invent such a thing the fellow playing Bunsen said, "Kermit, do you really think working here PAYS for most of my research? We have defense contracts you know."
Anyway, the big bad ends up being Fleet Scribbler, former 'reporter' from the Daily Scandal who was fired from the Muppet Show beat and eventually from the magazine. He attempted to become a film critic but failed at that as well.
As the player playing Bunsen, Rizzo and Sam the Eagle said, "He couldn't make it as a film critic? Is there anyone more pathetic?"
Eventually he saved up enough money to start his own studio. He hired the recently out of work Moopets and stole a copy of the Muppets' screenplay. Now he is attempt to make his own movie and get it out before the Muppets.
After a massive and mad battle featuring machine gun firing Pop Rocks, Swedish Chef's deadly use of a match and a can of oven cleaner, interruptions from the Newsman, frantic rewrites of the script to change what was happening and Bill Shatner, the Muppets manage to put an end to Scribbler's plans and incapacitate the Moopets.
***
The New Mechanic:
The Budget - Very simply, for this 'Movie Style' adventure, the players had access to a pool of bonus dice that represented the film's budget. Want to make a bigger explosion, summon a cool vehicle, have a famous star make a cameo? No problem but it comes out of the budget. Remember not to blow too much 'money' to soon. You're likely to need some extra cash for that big finale.
***
Highlights...
A newly constructed, virtually life size, Starship Swinetrek, on loan from ILM, piloted by Link Hogthrob and Dr. Strangepork, attempts to head off two Pigs in a truck cab pulling a trailer containing Miss Piggy. The vessel dives from orbit, shrouded in flames due to improper operation of the shields, careening toward the Earth at Mach 20 or there abouts.
To save the two Pigs in Space stars, Gonzo gets on a motorcycle, has the cycle and himself loaded into a cannon and fires himself through a window on the ship to access the bridge. Amazing dialog and rolls result in the ship and its occupants landing safe if not so sound.
Sam the Eagle, Rizzo and Bunsen were played by an older fellow and his wife played Rowlf, Beaker, the Newsman and...I forget. They were both incredible. And by older I mean probably my age or just a tad over - if you guys are reading this I do not mean old! You guys were AWESOME! They uttered some of the funniest lines of the game whether on purpose or accidentally.
Sam uses a huge American flag from his personal collection to blind the front windshield of the truck being driven by the two Pig henchmen. Animal then climbs up on top of the truck and tries to get at the driver but can't. The flag is in his way. Animal begins to chew through the flag to get to the Pig.
Sam: "Kermit, stop him! He is eating the flag! My god there goes Rhode Island!"
Animal: "Mmmm. CA-LA-NIES. Tastey."
Sam: "I don't trust this Shatner fellow."
Kermit: "William Shatner? He was Captain Kirk."
Sam: (Whispering) "He's a Canadian."
Kermit: (Softly) "I'm sure he's a citizen by now..."
Sam: (Whispering forcefully - with menace) "Once a Canadian, always a Canadian."
Sam: "These people are criminals of the worst sort. Jail is to good for them."
Kermit: "What did you have in mind Sam."
Sam: "Three words. GUANtanAMO."
This last line (above) had the entire table in stitches except for one fellow who wasn't there at the time. He had left the table with his young son to use the bathroom and upon returning both father and son wanted to know what he missed. There was no way to tell him because, as one player put it, "So...many...levels." Hopefully he can read it here now.
Another key moment came when one of the organizers of RECESS and a fellow I've had the pleasure of gaming with at a previous event walked by as I said...
"OK, just to be clear. Gonzo, you and William Shatner are on a motorcycle. You are driving. Both of you have a hatchet in each hand. You are driving up to the curb and then wheelie-ing into a jump to smash through the front door of the house. Correct?"
So the plot...
Following their smash hit film, the Muppets decide to begin work on another movie since their comeback motion picture was such a success. Unfortunately, after paying all the actors, the crew, allotting for damages caused by special effects, etc., most of the profits from the movie are gone. The Muppets must therefore produce this new film on an extremely limited budget.
The script and plot ( written by a Muppet staff writer who is not revealed until the end of the session) basically deals with the Muppets trying to make a movie while an unscrupulous film producer attempts to sabotage them so he can steal their story and put it out first. The result is a sort of movie within a movie within a movie as that is exactly what starts to happen around the Muppet studios lot.
When a pair of Pigs kidnap Miss Piggy, it is at first thought to be part of the film (since such a scene is in the screenplay). Realizing it is the real deal, the Muppets team up (near commando style in the case of Sam the Eagle, Gonzo and Animal) and try to rescue her. Some of the best, craziest Muppet moments we've ever had were in this sequence, yet after Piggy is safe we sort of meandered for a moment as to what to do next. Sam and Big Mean Carl step in to interrogate the Pigs and it turns out the plot of the movie is happening in 'reality'.
The Muppets eventually track down the culprit, who has also stolen an experimental special effects item from Muppet Labs. Bunsen reveals he was working on Pop Rocks that basically act like a fragmentation grenade or those Russian missiles that open up to fire lots of smaller missiles (forget the name). Once wet, the kernel sized rocks will break into smaller rocks, firing randomly in all directions at a hundred miles an hour. When asked why he would invent such a thing the fellow playing Bunsen said, "Kermit, do you really think working here PAYS for most of my research? We have defense contracts you know."
Anyway, the big bad ends up being Fleet Scribbler, former 'reporter' from the Daily Scandal who was fired from the Muppet Show beat and eventually from the magazine. He attempted to become a film critic but failed at that as well.
As the player playing Bunsen, Rizzo and Sam the Eagle said, "He couldn't make it as a film critic? Is there anyone more pathetic?"
Eventually he saved up enough money to start his own studio. He hired the recently out of work Moopets and stole a copy of the Muppets' screenplay. Now he is attempt to make his own movie and get it out before the Muppets.
After a massive and mad battle featuring machine gun firing Pop Rocks, Swedish Chef's deadly use of a match and a can of oven cleaner, interruptions from the Newsman, frantic rewrites of the script to change what was happening and Bill Shatner, the Muppets manage to put an end to Scribbler's plans and incapacitate the Moopets.
***
The Budget - Very simply, for this 'Movie Style' adventure, the players had access to a pool of bonus dice that represented the film's budget. Want to make a bigger explosion, summon a cool vehicle, have a famous star make a cameo? No problem but it comes out of the budget. Remember not to blow too much 'money' to soon. You're likely to need some extra cash for that big finale.
***
Highlights...
A newly constructed, virtually life size, Starship Swinetrek, on loan from ILM, piloted by Link Hogthrob and Dr. Strangepork, attempts to head off two Pigs in a truck cab pulling a trailer containing Miss Piggy. The vessel dives from orbit, shrouded in flames due to improper operation of the shields, careening toward the Earth at Mach 20 or there abouts.
To save the two Pigs in Space stars, Gonzo gets on a motorcycle, has the cycle and himself loaded into a cannon and fires himself through a window on the ship to access the bridge. Amazing dialog and rolls result in the ship and its occupants landing safe if not so sound.
Sam the Eagle, Rizzo and Bunsen were played by an older fellow and his wife played Rowlf, Beaker, the Newsman and...I forget. They were both incredible. And by older I mean probably my age or just a tad over - if you guys are reading this I do not mean old! You guys were AWESOME! They uttered some of the funniest lines of the game whether on purpose or accidentally.
Sam uses a huge American flag from his personal collection to blind the front windshield of the truck being driven by the two Pig henchmen. Animal then climbs up on top of the truck and tries to get at the driver but can't. The flag is in his way. Animal begins to chew through the flag to get to the Pig.
Sam: "Kermit, stop him! He is eating the flag! My god there goes Rhode Island!"
Animal: "Mmmm. CA-LA-NIES. Tastey."
Sam: "I don't trust this Shatner fellow."
Kermit: "William Shatner? He was Captain Kirk."
Sam: (Whispering) "He's a Canadian."
Kermit: (Softly) "I'm sure he's a citizen by now..."
Sam: (Whispering forcefully - with menace) "Once a Canadian, always a Canadian."
Sam: "These people are criminals of the worst sort. Jail is to good for them."
Kermit: "What did you have in mind Sam."
Sam: "Three words. GUANtanAMO."
This last line (above) had the entire table in stitches except for one fellow who wasn't there at the time. He had left the table with his young son to use the bathroom and upon returning both father and son wanted to know what he missed. There was no way to tell him because, as one player put it, "So...many...levels." Hopefully he can read it here now.
Another key moment came when one of the organizers of RECESS and a fellow I've had the pleasure of gaming with at a previous event walked by as I said...
"OK, just to be clear. Gonzo, you and William Shatner are on a motorcycle. You are driving. Both of you have a hatchet in each hand. You are driving up to the curb and then wheelie-ing into a jump to smash through the front door of the house. Correct?"
To which I hear the fellow observing behind me say, "This...is the greatest game...ever."
Oh, almost forgot...so the Muppets all enter Scribbler's house but he's nowhere to be found. We notice he has two guard dogs on the back porch. Someone tells Rowlf, "OK Rowlf, you're on!". The woman playing Rowlf proceeds to mimic playing the piano. The group asks Rowlf what he's doing.
Rowlf: "Aren't I playing us out?"
Scooter: "No Rowlf, this is your chance to shine."
Kermit: "Yeah Rowlf. You can do something here only a dog can do."
Rowlf: "...?...Pee on the furniture?"
The other players meant talk to the guard dogs to find out where Fleet Scribbler went.
Hilarious group. Awesome portrayals.
The big Muppet Fan couple from the first (Sesame Street) game were back for this one too. The young lady (sorry I am so bad with names - remind me in the comments if you see this) did an amazing Miss Piggy. It wasn't so much the voice but the mannerisms, the style of speech, and the attitude. Fantastic.
The young lady playing Gonzo was incredible too. She really nailed his weirdness. She didn't play him as crazy like some do but rather as an eccentric artist who is sure that his ideas are brilliant on a level most have yet to realize. He is bringing both excitement and avant garde culture to the masses using flaming torches and the Hungarian Hatchet Dance.
It's all so clear to me know.***
Anyway, great games, great people, another great RECESS. I actually have some more stories to tell about the event and some things I'd like to say about ideas the event inspired but I'll save that for tomorrow.
Until then,
AD
Barking Alien
Muppet Mondays! - RECESS Replay - Part I
As I mentioned previously, this past Saturday I attended the first RECESS game event of 2012, running two sessions of my Muppets Role Playing Game. The first was a Sesame Street adventure called 'D is for Dungeon' and the second was a variant Muppet Show adventure called, 'The Muppets: Big Time Hollywood Movie!'.
Where as in the past I've given you guys the complete, play-by-play breakdown as a session recap, this time I'm just going for the highlights. Trust me, there were a lot of them.
At the same time, I will mention that the second of the two had a somewhat slow start. I was really afraid it wasn't going to go over well. For starters, it used a more open ended framework instead of the structure of a typical Muppet Show episode. In order to run a Muppets RPG, you kind of need that structure to give the craziness form, otherwise it can turn into either an amorphous blob of silly or fall flat to the ground and go inert. I feared we were in danger of the latter. It was totally my fault as I'll explain in the next post but I also figured out how to save it about half the way through so 'yay' me.
Sesame Street - D is for Dungeon
So the plot...
As Susan reads fairy tales to some kids and monsters, a few other kids are playing at being knights and wizards. When someone asks, "Were there really Knights andWizards and Kings and Monsters and Castles?" Susan and Gordon clarify that while Knights, Kings and Castles were real long ago, much of the other stuff is from stories.
*POOF!* That's when a wizard shows up and says the magical fairy Abby Cadabby is trapped by a Dragon and an evil wizard in a castle beyond a mystic forest. It's not far actually. It's a few blocks past The Count's castle and the Amazing Mumford's castle. You can't miss it.
The wizard claims he tried to save her but his wand was broken. After convincing various characters to go on a quest to rescue her he heads to Luis and Maria's Fix-It Shop to get his wand repaired.
After facing numerous perils including as a smelly, slimey swamp, a puzzle at the front door, a terrible timpiece and a lightly sleeping Dragon, the heroes manage to reach Abby who is trapped in a large, birdcage like prison. Eventually, it is revealed that the wizard the PCs first spoke to is actually the evil nasty of the castle. In truth, Abby broke his wand while they were dueling before her capture. In the end, the quick thinking of Bif and Sully, Ernie, Snuffleupagus and Elmo saved the day.
Where as in the past I've given you guys the complete, play-by-play breakdown as a session recap, this time I'm just going for the highlights. Trust me, there were a lot of them.
At the same time, I will mention that the second of the two had a somewhat slow start. I was really afraid it wasn't going to go over well. For starters, it used a more open ended framework instead of the structure of a typical Muppet Show episode. In order to run a Muppets RPG, you kind of need that structure to give the craziness form, otherwise it can turn into either an amorphous blob of silly or fall flat to the ground and go inert. I feared we were in danger of the latter. It was totally my fault as I'll explain in the next post but I also figured out how to save it about half the way through so 'yay' me.
Sesame Street - D is for Dungeon
As Susan reads fairy tales to some kids and monsters, a few other kids are playing at being knights and wizards. When someone asks, "Were there really Knights andWizards and Kings and Monsters and Castles?" Susan and Gordon clarify that while Knights, Kings and Castles were real long ago, much of the other stuff is from stories.
*POOF!* That's when a wizard shows up and says the magical fairy Abby Cadabby is trapped by a Dragon and an evil wizard in a castle beyond a mystic forest. It's not far actually. It's a few blocks past The Count's castle and the Amazing Mumford's castle. You can't miss it.
The wizard claims he tried to save her but his wand was broken. After convincing various characters to go on a quest to rescue her he heads to Luis and Maria's Fix-It Shop to get his wand repaired.
After facing numerous perils including as a smelly, slimey swamp, a puzzle at the front door, a terrible timpiece and a lightly sleeping Dragon, the heroes manage to reach Abby who is trapped in a large, birdcage like prison. Eventually, it is revealed that the wizard the PCs first spoke to is actually the evil nasty of the castle. In truth, Abby broke his wand while they were dueling before her capture. In the end, the quick thinking of Bif and Sully, Ernie, Snuffleupagus and Elmo saved the day.
***
"I'd like to thank you all for coming and choosing to play this game. I also think we should thank NerdNYC and RECESS for their awesome event. Also, I'd like to thank The Children's Television Workshop, The Association for Public Broadcasting, The Sears-Roebuck Foundation and a grant from The Helena Rubenstein Foundation. And remember, we couldn't do this without the contributions and support of viewers like you."
My opening monologue for the Sesame Street RPG, paraphrased from what we hear before the show airs in New York on the Public Broadcasting Service/Channel 13.
My opening monologue for the Sesame Street RPG, paraphrased from what we hear before the show airs in New York on the Public Broadcasting Service/Channel 13.
***
***
Me: "Any last questions before we get started?"
Player: "Yes, on Mr. Snuffleupagus's character sheet it says he has...Snufflekinesis."
Me: "Yes."
A fellow by the name of Carl who runs BrickQuest at RECESS played Forgetful Jones and Sherlock Hemlock, among others, totally flooring me with his portrayal of these rather obscure characters. It's incredible but it never fails. At every session someone turns a third or fourth string Muppet into a star.
We had two couples playing and it was awesome. One couple were huge Muppets fans (and in fact, the fellow ran a Fraggle Rock game using the PDQ system on Sunday. Sadly I had to work and couldn't attend. If anyone knows how it went please tell!). The other couple was simply very in sync and did an excellent job playing as the Two Headed Monster (one head per player).
Other notable characters and actions included Bert's player trying to use Windex to clean a swamp, Oscar (played by the same player) ignoring the adventure to bath and play in the swamp, Cookie Monster showing responsibility with Gordon's Metrocard (only to eat it at the very end), Elmo and Mr. Snuffleupagus teaming up to spend Sunny Days and literally Sweep the Clouds away by blowing enough air through Snuffie's trunk (or Snuffle as it is properly called) to part the dark clouds above and let the Sun shine through. This had the effect of ruining the mean wizard's powers and clearing the darkness (much to Oscar's dismay).
More to come,
AD
Barking Alien
Player: "Yes, on Mr. Snuffleupagus's character sheet it says he has...Snufflekinesis."
Me: "Yes."
Player: "What is Snufflekinesis?"
Me: "What's telekinesis?"
Me: "What's telekinesis?"
Player: "The ability to move or manipulate objects with your mind."
Me: "Right. So what's Snufflekinesis?"
Me: "Right. So what's Snufflekinesis?"
Player: "The ability to move or manipulate objects with your...Snuffle?"
Me: "Exactly."
Me: "Exactly."
***
A fellow by the name of Carl who runs BrickQuest at RECESS played Forgetful Jones and Sherlock Hemlock, among others, totally flooring me with his portrayal of these rather obscure characters. It's incredible but it never fails. At every session someone turns a third or fourth string Muppet into a star.
We had two couples playing and it was awesome. One couple were huge Muppets fans (and in fact, the fellow ran a Fraggle Rock game using the PDQ system on Sunday. Sadly I had to work and couldn't attend. If anyone knows how it went please tell!). The other couple was simply very in sync and did an excellent job playing as the Two Headed Monster (one head per player).
Other notable characters and actions included Bert's player trying to use Windex to clean a swamp, Oscar (played by the same player) ignoring the adventure to bath and play in the swamp, Cookie Monster showing responsibility with Gordon's Metrocard (only to eat it at the very end), Elmo and Mr. Snuffleupagus teaming up to spend Sunny Days and literally Sweep the Clouds away by blowing enough air through Snuffie's trunk (or Snuffle as it is properly called) to part the dark clouds above and let the Sun shine through. This had the effect of ruining the mean wizard's powers and clearing the darkness (much to Oscar's dismay).
Here's a Sesame Street News Flash!
A few Easter Eggs and in jokes from the Sesame Street game...
D and M are the letters of the days. As in Dungeon Master, since the whole thing was a D&D parody.
Although the adventure is 'D is for Dungeon', there is technically no dungeon in the adventure. The PCs enter the front of the castle and progress upstairs, higher and higher into the place.
The smelly swamp around the castle is a reference to the 'Bog of Eternal Stench' from Labyrinth.
The description of the castle itself was a homage to Jareth's (David Bowie) castle in Labyrinth and the castle of the Skeksis in Dark Crystal.
The Terrible Timepiece on the second level of the castle was inspired by Jim Henson's 1965, experimental short film, 'The Timepiece'.
The dragon on level three was Delbert, the La Choy Dragon.
When the clouds part at the end, breaking the wizard's spell and freeing Abby, the scene is a homage to the end of The Dark Crystal.
A few Easter Eggs and in jokes from the Sesame Street game...
D and M are the letters of the days. As in Dungeon Master, since the whole thing was a D&D parody.
Although the adventure is 'D is for Dungeon', there is technically no dungeon in the adventure. The PCs enter the front of the castle and progress upstairs, higher and higher into the place.
The smelly swamp around the castle is a reference to the 'Bog of Eternal Stench' from Labyrinth.
The description of the castle itself was a homage to Jareth's (David Bowie) castle in Labyrinth and the castle of the Skeksis in Dark Crystal.
The Terrible Timepiece on the second level of the castle was inspired by Jim Henson's 1965, experimental short film, 'The Timepiece'.
The dragon on level three was Delbert, the La Choy Dragon.
When the clouds part at the end, breaking the wizard's spell and freeing Abby, the scene is a homage to the end of The Dark Crystal.
More to come,
AD
Barking Alien
Friday, January 6, 2012
Blockbusters and Art Films
My good and oft mentioned friend and player Dave is fond of placing my games into one of two categories.
When I run games at the Compleat Strategist that are meant to appeal to a large number of players, he tends to call these my 'Blockbusters'.
When I run smaller games, often featuring some crazy idea that I just need to try out to either prove to myself it can be done or get it out of my system so I can move forward and work on something else, he calls those my 'Art Films'.
The analogy isn't perfect but it is appropriate. Often the games I want to run as Blockbusters are really Art Films I am better off saving for a small group of really open minded gamers who want to give something really nutty a go. I sometimes need Dave to point this out as I don't see it myself.
Dungeons & Dragons (in whatever form), most Superhero RPGs and IPs like Star Wars or Smurfs fit best in the Blockbuster category. Mass market appeal, not deep knowledge necessary and easily playable with a large group of differing tastes.
Ars Magica, Hunter Planet and IPs like Oz or Red Dwarf seem to fall into the Art Film area.
THe Muppets is an odd beast (that comes complete with odd beasts for convenience!). It seems more indie/Art Film in concept and system but seems to appeal to large numbers of people. At least, that's the impression I get from the NerdNYC/RECESS attendees and those you responded positively to the project on my blog.
I guess it has to do with how well known or accessible the subject is.
On a sort of related topic, last night was awesome. I got to attend the event at the Soho Gallery of Digital Art with some of the NerdNYC guys and gals and talk gaming for about four hours with two very different sets of gamers.
One group was old school, die-hard D&Ders, including one fellow who had a White Box signed by Dave Arneson from the fellows formative days playing with Gary and friends in Gygax's basement. These guys were serious. They ate 20 siders and bled charts. OK, maybe not but it was weird for me to be in the presence of those who said stuff like, "OK, he has the highest Intelligence score so he should roll for figuring this out." Gah. Heartburn.
The second group was smaller (of course) but consisted of a good number of people I knew who organize and run games at RECESS. This group discussed wild concepts for games, unusual mechanics and some really innovative approaches that, they admitted themselves, might work and might not. These was the indie gamers and I felt really comfortable walking among them.
The fellows running the event were Tavis (who I knew from RECESS/NerdNYC) and Tim (who had more to do with the art exhibition itself). Tavis is Tavis Allison, author of Adventurer Conqueror King and quite old school. Tim was very indie and is working on this awesomely awesome project that I will hold off speaking about for the moment as it's his baby. It's crazy cool though.
Best part was all these people intermingled, talked without the biting nastiness that you see here on the internet and had a wonderful time. I was incredibly inspired by the whole thing.
But what do I want to produce? Will it be a big budget, extravaganza Blockbuster or a deep and introspective Art Film on the meaning of existance. Any way for it to be both?
Going to try...
AD
Barking Alien
When I run games at the Compleat Strategist that are meant to appeal to a large number of players, he tends to call these my 'Blockbusters'.
When I run smaller games, often featuring some crazy idea that I just need to try out to either prove to myself it can be done or get it out of my system so I can move forward and work on something else, he calls those my 'Art Films'.
The analogy isn't perfect but it is appropriate. Often the games I want to run as Blockbusters are really Art Films I am better off saving for a small group of really open minded gamers who want to give something really nutty a go. I sometimes need Dave to point this out as I don't see it myself.
Dungeons & Dragons (in whatever form), most Superhero RPGs and IPs like Star Wars or Smurfs fit best in the Blockbuster category. Mass market appeal, not deep knowledge necessary and easily playable with a large group of differing tastes.
Ars Magica, Hunter Planet and IPs like Oz or Red Dwarf seem to fall into the Art Film area.
THe Muppets is an odd beast (that comes complete with odd beasts for convenience!). It seems more indie/Art Film in concept and system but seems to appeal to large numbers of people. At least, that's the impression I get from the NerdNYC/RECESS attendees and those you responded positively to the project on my blog.
I guess it has to do with how well known or accessible the subject is.
On a sort of related topic, last night was awesome. I got to attend the event at the Soho Gallery of Digital Art with some of the NerdNYC guys and gals and talk gaming for about four hours with two very different sets of gamers.
One group was old school, die-hard D&Ders, including one fellow who had a White Box signed by Dave Arneson from the fellows formative days playing with Gary and friends in Gygax's basement. These guys were serious. They ate 20 siders and bled charts. OK, maybe not but it was weird for me to be in the presence of those who said stuff like, "OK, he has the highest Intelligence score so he should roll for figuring this out." Gah. Heartburn.
The second group was smaller (of course) but consisted of a good number of people I knew who organize and run games at RECESS. This group discussed wild concepts for games, unusual mechanics and some really innovative approaches that, they admitted themselves, might work and might not. These was the indie gamers and I felt really comfortable walking among them.
The fellows running the event were Tavis (who I knew from RECESS/NerdNYC) and Tim (who had more to do with the art exhibition itself). Tavis is Tavis Allison, author of Adventurer Conqueror King and quite old school. Tim was very indie and is working on this awesomely awesome project that I will hold off speaking about for the moment as it's his baby. It's crazy cool though.
Best part was all these people intermingled, talked without the biting nastiness that you see here on the internet and had a wonderful time. I was incredibly inspired by the whole thing.
But what do I want to produce? Will it be a big budget, extravaganza Blockbuster or a deep and introspective Art Film on the meaning of existance. Any way for it to be both?
Going to try...
AD
Barking Alien
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