Greenhaven: A Memorable Setting for Any Fantasy RPG
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Welcome back, dear readers! I have quite a backlog of game reviews waiting
to be written, and I’m making it a goal to tackle them every week. This is
the f...
Thursday, March 31, 2005
Pat came over last night and he helped me hash out what I plan to do for my next fantasy campaign. He wants to wait for the other two corebooks to come out before we play Castles & Crusades. That's fine by me, I kinda was considering waiting for the Castle Zagyg series to begin publication anyway. And traditional dungeoncrawlery has little appeal to him compared to some sort of epic thing. That means Arcana Evolved: The Dragon War is slated for my next big project. Let the high freakery commence!
Fun fact: It's hard to schedule an RPGA event when the DM is apparently ignoring your emails. I'm afraid I purchased these Complete books for nought. I guess I can use some of the stuff for my AE game, but still I feel kinda dumb right now.
Got back over to the Dragon's Table today. I got my Carcassonne expansion and retrieved my hat, which I had left atop a stack of old Werewolf books. I also got a D&D module. I can always use more modules, right? This one is Goodman Games' Dungeon Crawl Classics #14: Dungeon Interludes. I love the structure of this thing. It's designed as six separate adventures ranging from levels one to 13, all connected storywise but meant to be run with other adventures in between each chapter. That seems like a great lowkey way to introduce a theme into a campaign without overdoing it. Goodman Games is fast becoming one of my favorite d20 publishers.
Fun fact: It's hard to schedule an RPGA event when the DM is apparently ignoring your emails. I'm afraid I purchased these Complete books for nought. I guess I can use some of the stuff for my AE game, but still I feel kinda dumb right now.
Got back over to the Dragon's Table today. I got my Carcassonne expansion and retrieved my hat, which I had left atop a stack of old Werewolf books. I also got a D&D module. I can always use more modules, right? This one is Goodman Games' Dungeon Crawl Classics #14: Dungeon Interludes. I love the structure of this thing. It's designed as six separate adventures ranging from levels one to 13, all connected storywise but meant to be run with other adventures in between each chapter. That seems like a great lowkey way to introduce a theme into a campaign without overdoing it. Goodman Games is fast becoming one of my favorite d20 publishers.
Wednesday, March 30, 2005
Another use for d20 Modern
If sometime in the future I was going to run another d20M campaign, it would probably be a 'serious' game based off Blood & Relics and the crazy texts that inspired it, perhaps with a dash of OGL O.'.T.'.O.'. and some d20 Cthulhu.
A Visit to the FLGS
Today was such a nice day I decided to spend lunch on a visit to the Dragon's Table, our Friendly Local Game Store. I've been up and down on the FLGS in the past, but today went fairly well. At least up until the point when I was ready to check out and the power went out on the whole block. I can't blame John (the owner) for the power outage, but he does get points off for refusing to look for the mechanical backup to his card reader. At least he agreed to set the item I wanted behind the counter until I came back tomorrow. Still, I shouldn't have to make a second trip. I will make a second trip though, because the item I wanted was the Traders and Builders expansion for Carcassonne, my favoritest German game. Assuming the weather tomorrow is half as good as it is today, it's worth the walk to get one of these. Especially since my sister has Traders and Builders and I don't. Such a situation cannot be tolerated.
I considered getting Fiery Dragon's Counter Collection III for my d20 Modern campaign, but it occurred to me that I may not have much use for modern counters outside my current campaigns. If I bought a set of fantasy counters I would know they would get used at some point, but I can't guarantee ever needed modern tactical markers after my UltraForce Omega and Home Team campaigns fold. This line of thought makes me reconsider my plans to get Green Ronin's Modern screen and various supers products like the Mutants & Masterminds Annual. The screen at least comes with d20M adventure, so maybe that would be worth the purchase. Of course, like every other d20M adventure I've ever seen for sale, I can find nothing that tells me what level range the adventure was designed for. That's very annoying and as far as I'm concerned completely unprofessional. Why is the pretty much entire d20M world like this? Level ranges have been on the cover of D&D modules since at least 1981, why can't these d20M people get this right? There are several d20 Modern adventures I'd buy over at RPGnow if only they'd deign to give me some clue as to the appropriate level range. Some of the free d20M adventures I've swiped from Wizards website are just a little too dark and gruesome for my tastes, so I'd love an opportunity to get some adventures from a different source.
While at John's store I pined over the collectible miniatures. Some days I'm really tempted to get started in one of these. Prepainted plastic figs are just so toy-rific. Between the superhero goodness of Heroclix and Star Wars and the RPG usefulness of both MageKnight and the D&D minis line, there seems to be a variety of these products marketed directly to me. Heck, if someone told me that the DC clicky line had figures for Black Vulcan, Samurai, and El Dorado I'd probably be fielding a Superfriends team in a heartbeat. And now that I own the d20 Star Wars game I could probably get some RPG use out of the 'Rebel Storm'. The other thing that appeals to me about Heroclix and Star Wars is the potential for using cool 3-D urban or sci-fi terrain. It was the kickass platforms and shit that really sold me on Necromunda all those moons ago. A lot of that sort of coolness can be recreated nowadays with snap-together kits or Microtactix paper models.
I considered getting Fiery Dragon's Counter Collection III for my d20 Modern campaign, but it occurred to me that I may not have much use for modern counters outside my current campaigns. If I bought a set of fantasy counters I would know they would get used at some point, but I can't guarantee ever needed modern tactical markers after my UltraForce Omega and Home Team campaigns fold. This line of thought makes me reconsider my plans to get Green Ronin's Modern screen and various supers products like the Mutants & Masterminds Annual. The screen at least comes with d20M adventure, so maybe that would be worth the purchase. Of course, like every other d20M adventure I've ever seen for sale, I can find nothing that tells me what level range the adventure was designed for. That's very annoying and as far as I'm concerned completely unprofessional. Why is the pretty much entire d20M world like this? Level ranges have been on the cover of D&D modules since at least 1981, why can't these d20M people get this right? There are several d20 Modern adventures I'd buy over at RPGnow if only they'd deign to give me some clue as to the appropriate level range. Some of the free d20M adventures I've swiped from Wizards website are just a little too dark and gruesome for my tastes, so I'd love an opportunity to get some adventures from a different source.
While at John's store I pined over the collectible miniatures. Some days I'm really tempted to get started in one of these. Prepainted plastic figs are just so toy-rific. Between the superhero goodness of Heroclix and Star Wars and the RPG usefulness of both MageKnight and the D&D minis line, there seems to be a variety of these products marketed directly to me. Heck, if someone told me that the DC clicky line had figures for Black Vulcan, Samurai, and El Dorado I'd probably be fielding a Superfriends team in a heartbeat. And now that I own the d20 Star Wars game I could probably get some RPG use out of the 'Rebel Storm'. The other thing that appeals to me about Heroclix and Star Wars is the potential for using cool 3-D urban or sci-fi terrain. It was the kickass platforms and shit that really sold me on Necromunda all those moons ago. A lot of that sort of coolness can be recreated nowadays with snap-together kits or Microtactix paper models.
Monday, March 28, 2005
Fantasy Campaign Pro's & Con's
D&D 3.5
Pro: The Big Game is easier to find players for than anything else. People are likely to own or willing to buy the relevant player's books. Lots and lots of support products available. Lots of cool books for the players. Can consider using all sorts of nifty rules, like in the new Unearthed Arcana.
Con: Defaults to bog standard traditional fantasy. My personal handling time for pre-game prep is so large that it discourages me from writing my own materials, limiting the game to largely whatever 3.X modules I can bring to bear.
Arcana Evolved
Pro: No frickin' elves! Great new races and classes that totally replace all the old ones. Nifty magic system. Interesting setting and metaplot. Rules not totally alien to the 3.X folks. Product support from Messrs. Cook and Mearls. Very cool.
Con: No frickin' orcs! Very expensive corebook will discourage other players from buying. Relatively obscure game line, with obscure races and classes.
Castles & Crusades
Pro: Easy as pie for an old schooler to understand. Cheap corebook. All my old stuff is easily adaptable, much of it could be done on the fly. That big epic game would probably be easiest to run with this, though not as flavorful as using AE. Castle Zagyg (Uncle Gary's dungeon) might be available in the forseeable future. Fiddling with the rules seems less intimidating than in the 3.X game.
Con: The classes might seem dull to a d20 wonk. System support is currently a trickle of products.
Conclusions
I can't quite pick a system at this point, but the comparison has helped crystalize 6 possible campaigns in my mind.
Dungeonpunk: The Modulation - 3.5 rules, canned modules
The Dragon War - AE rules and setting, big epic war story
The Crusade - C&C rules, setting undecided at this point, big epic war story
You're All In A Tavern - AE rules and oversetting, small local setting with small local dungeons and small local adventures, in the Grand Duchy of Karameikos style but with AE window dressing
Zagyg Castle & Environs - C&C rules, focus on the Big Dungeon with sidetracks in the surrounding territory
And the Kitchen Sink - C&C rules, adventures and monsters and magic items pulled from all the old stuff in my collection
That last one would no doubt be the easiest to run, but if I could magically guarantee the success of a campaign I would try the Dragon War hands down. With the right setting the 3 C&C options could be folded together, intertwined, or run as a sequence of campaigns. The two AE ideas could be considered as a unit as well, with the age of dungeoneering innocence giving way to an era of brutal draconic war.
Pro: The Big Game is easier to find players for than anything else. People are likely to own or willing to buy the relevant player's books. Lots and lots of support products available. Lots of cool books for the players. Can consider using all sorts of nifty rules, like in the new Unearthed Arcana.
Con: Defaults to bog standard traditional fantasy. My personal handling time for pre-game prep is so large that it discourages me from writing my own materials, limiting the game to largely whatever 3.X modules I can bring to bear.
Arcana Evolved
Pro: No frickin' elves! Great new races and classes that totally replace all the old ones. Nifty magic system. Interesting setting and metaplot. Rules not totally alien to the 3.X folks. Product support from Messrs. Cook and Mearls. Very cool.
Con: No frickin' orcs! Very expensive corebook will discourage other players from buying. Relatively obscure game line, with obscure races and classes.
Castles & Crusades
Pro: Easy as pie for an old schooler to understand. Cheap corebook. All my old stuff is easily adaptable, much of it could be done on the fly. That big epic game would probably be easiest to run with this, though not as flavorful as using AE. Castle Zagyg (Uncle Gary's dungeon) might be available in the forseeable future. Fiddling with the rules seems less intimidating than in the 3.X game.
Con: The classes might seem dull to a d20 wonk. System support is currently a trickle of products.
Conclusions
I can't quite pick a system at this point, but the comparison has helped crystalize 6 possible campaigns in my mind.
Dungeonpunk: The Modulation - 3.5 rules, canned modules
The Dragon War - AE rules and setting, big epic war story
The Crusade - C&C rules, setting undecided at this point, big epic war story
You're All In A Tavern - AE rules and oversetting, small local setting with small local dungeons and small local adventures, in the Grand Duchy of Karameikos style but with AE window dressing
Zagyg Castle & Environs - C&C rules, focus on the Big Dungeon with sidetracks in the surrounding territory
And the Kitchen Sink - C&C rules, adventures and monsters and magic items pulled from all the old stuff in my collection
That last one would no doubt be the easiest to run, but if I could magically guarantee the success of a campaign I would try the Dragon War hands down. With the right setting the 3 C&C options could be folded together, intertwined, or run as a sequence of campaigns. The two AE ideas could be considered as a unit as well, with the age of dungeoneering innocence giving way to an era of brutal draconic war.
Weekly Game Roundup
Every once in a while you get together with your posse, crack open the books, get out the dice, and the night's assigned adventure never quite materializes. That happened to us Wednesday last week at the scheduled Feng Shui with the Pancake Hut crew. We all seemed to be poised ready to go and instead we spent the night engaged in a protracted bullshit session. I like to behave like a 'pro' when it comes to the hobby: show up on time, bring all the necessary equipment, stay on focus during the run, etc. But you know what? Sometimes this sorta thing just happens. You're hanging out with some cool people and you chitchat the night away. Frankly, I take it as a good sign when this thing occasionally happens. If you stay and shoot the breeze it's a pretty good indicator that you're hanging with a good crowd. By 8 o'clock I was dead certain that no run was going to happen, yet I stayed until 10:30. I could've grabbed Pat and gone to get a hamburger or something. The fact that I stayed means that I must like this group.
Friday night's Mutants & Masterminds game went well, I thought. My pacing was off, so a theoretically one issue storyline is now a two-parter. But I managed to introduce a nice little subplot for Cyborg, John's character, and I was able to present a nice little conundrum for the PCs: How do you smash the AIM base when it's located inside the Latverian Embassy? We'll find out Home Team's answer next month, true believers! Also, Don passed me a couple of useful MnM handouts he had found on teh intarweb and let me flip through his copy of the MnM Annual. I think I'm going to get myself a copy.
My folks are playing a game somewhat regularly, a nice little number named Sequence. This game is one of the absolute best family games you can find. If you can read a deck of card and know how to play tic-tac-toe, then you already know most of the rules to play. No gimmicks, just a straightforward game pretty much anybody ages 5 and up ought to be able to play. We played guys versus girls on Saturday. Pa and I took the first round and Ma and Amy won the second hand. We didn't have time for a rematch. Next episode, Blue Laser! Next episode!
This week's games ought to be boardgaming tonight with the usual Monday night gang and d20 Modern on Saturday. Ian and Alex are confirmed for d20M, so unless something changes that game will happen this time. I'm seriously considering hack a d20M SRD to produce a player's book for my campaign. This will allow me to rewrite the gun stats (chopping them down to Heavy Pistol, Light Pistol, etc.), add some stuff from other games (a different Action Point mechanic, the ka-chink rule from Feng Shui, the shotgun rules from Savage Worlds), and I can cleanly add classes I want the players to take while excising any I want them to avoid.
Friday night's Mutants & Masterminds game went well, I thought. My pacing was off, so a theoretically one issue storyline is now a two-parter. But I managed to introduce a nice little subplot for Cyborg, John's character, and I was able to present a nice little conundrum for the PCs: How do you smash the AIM base when it's located inside the Latverian Embassy? We'll find out Home Team's answer next month, true believers! Also, Don passed me a couple of useful MnM handouts he had found on teh intarweb and let me flip through his copy of the MnM Annual. I think I'm going to get myself a copy.
My folks are playing a game somewhat regularly, a nice little number named Sequence. This game is one of the absolute best family games you can find. If you can read a deck of card and know how to play tic-tac-toe, then you already know most of the rules to play. No gimmicks, just a straightforward game pretty much anybody ages 5 and up ought to be able to play. We played guys versus girls on Saturday. Pa and I took the first round and Ma and Amy won the second hand. We didn't have time for a rematch. Next episode, Blue Laser! Next episode!
This week's games ought to be boardgaming tonight with the usual Monday night gang and d20 Modern on Saturday. Ian and Alex are confirmed for d20M, so unless something changes that game will happen this time. I'm seriously considering hack a d20M SRD to produce a player's book for my campaign. This will allow me to rewrite the gun stats (chopping them down to Heavy Pistol, Light Pistol, etc.), add some stuff from other games (a different Action Point mechanic, the ka-chink rule from Feng Shui, the shotgun rules from Savage Worlds), and I can cleanly add classes I want the players to take while excising any I want them to avoid.
Friday, March 25, 2005
Merry Easter, Charlie Brown
This will prolly be my last blog entry until Sunday night. Tonight is my Home Team campaign, our second session using Mutants & Masterminds rules. After that I'll be spending the majority of the weekend at my folks' house. Take care everybody!
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