Hey all,
Let's finish out our look at the primary colors of character class with the mage.
The mage is archetypically the glass cannon. The fighter charges in, the rogue strikes from the shadows, and the mage calls down fire and arcane energies. Outside of fighting, the mage also fits the archetypes of the scholar. Think of Gandalf's encyclopedic knowledge of middle earth, Kvothe's scholastic background, or even the Elric brothers' quest for knowledge. Even a character like Tony Stark can fit the archetypal role of the party's mage using his specialized knowledge of threats, and powerful one-off attacks like the omni-beam. All of these are indicative of the classic mage.
While the fighter is termed our feat monkey, and the rogue fits in as our skill monkey, the mage is the spell monkey. They have a suite of specific and powerful abilities with which to alter their surroundings or turn the tide of battle. In OGL systems, the mage leans hard into Intelligence and Wisdom. They are the brains of the group.
The mage's strength is in the pursuit of knowledge, whether scientific or arcane, with which they can reshape the world as they see fit. The mage can rely on devastatingly powerful one-off attacks as well as their brilliant insight and thorough knowledge. However, there is a flip-side to the glass cannon. The mage tends to be the most physically weak and vulnerable of the group. They may use their knowledge to cast or to invent ways to mitigate their physical limitations, but without such measures, they are easy pickings for an enemy.
The stereotypical mage is usually the party's expert, guide, or even the voice of reason. They can have a reputation for arrogance, scholasticism, dogmatism, or brilliance.
Within fantasy, there are a slew of mechanical and narrative variations on the mage. These include wizards, illusionists, druids, clerics, warlocks, bards, shamans, and sorcerors. In other settings, a player may play up the mental excellence, magical ability, or both. Such characters might be: telepathics, telekinetics, doctors, translators, navigators, accountants, professors, inventors, cultists, scholars, researchers, investigators, tech experts, chemists, etc.
In more light-hearted settings, the mage tends toward the mad scientist or light wielding zealot archetypes. In some ways, a religious mage or scholar can be very similar to a gag fighter, but with a different skill set.
Additionally, acting as the agent of an inept or capricious deity can add a lot of humor to a campaign.
In the mad scientist vein; the more absent-minded the inventor, or the more amoral the researcher, the better. Try to pepper in phrases involving "Those fools at the academy" or "The prudish sensibilities of the masses" or even "The, frankly, anti-intellectual will-to-live so often found among test subjects."
That said, we reach the end of our examination of the primary colors of character classes in tabletop roleplaying games. What are your thoughts on the mage? Any fun stories of your own adventures in magery? Tell us about them in the comments below. Until next time, happy gaming, all.
Monday, December 18, 2017
Monday, December 11, 2017
The Primary Colors: The Rogue
Hey all,
In the last post, we took a closer look at the fighter. This time, we're moving through the list to take a closer look at the rogue.
The rogue is what I'll call an indirect combatant, or even a misdirection combatant. Where the fighter is straightforward, the rogue is anything but. The rogue has the most to do with the Dexterity, Intelligence, and Charisma attributes in OGL (open game license) systems. In d20 systems, the rogue could accurately be called the "skill monkey". However, in other systems and settings, the rogue can also act as a "face", or charisma-based spokesman for the group. Basically, if your character is liable to talk their way out of a fight, sneak away from a fight, fight from the shadows, fight dirty, or turn tail and run; they're probably some kind of Rogue.
This even includes adventuring nobles and politicians. This is under the logic of what kind of nobles in fiction tend to gravitate toward adventuring. These individuals tend to be swashbuckling rogues.
The rogue's strengths tend to be in their diverse and versatile skills. Where the fighter specializes, the rogue diversifies. An assassin rogue might be a master of disguise, stealth, escape artistry, marksmanship, lockpicking, poisons, courtly intrigue, and might even, in a pinch, negotiate their pay themselves. Conversely, the vanilla fighter is probably good with either melee or ranged weaponry, and maybe a shield. However, rogues tend to be reliant on gaining and keeping the upper hand. Taking the enemy by surprise, fast talking, slipping into the shadows, and other tactics can give the rogue the upper hand; but if they lose the advantage, they lose their momentum, and the entire encounter can go pear-shaped in a hurry. Simply put, they need the advantage, and will usually lose a fair fight.
The stereotypical rogue tends to be the party's: hired gun, face, wheel man, thief, or security expert. Typical traits for a classic rogue might be: sly, smooth, cunning, witty, and even cynical or misanthropic.
Within fantasy, rogues are probably the class least represented in other class variants. They are basically either assassins, thieves, and sometimes spies. In other genres, the rogue is the character defined by speed, whether that's quick movements, quick thinking, or quick wits, the rogue is just plain quick. Other genres could see some love for the rogue in the form of: hackers, technicians, information brokers, brothel madames, government men, bank men, snake oil salesmen, press-ganged sailors, merchantmen, privateers, hitmen, drug dealers, pickpockets, husslers, reporters, scavengers, and merchants.
Finally, let's look at how the rogue works in gag campaigns. The rogue can be a lot of fun in a lighthearted setting. Typically, this will manifest as some form of Chaotic Stupid alignment.
Some rogues play up the "thief" element in spades. If it's not nailed down, it's fair game. Think Rocket Raccoon, especially if you've seen the second Guardians of the Galaxy movie. Theft for the sake of theft, sometimes there's a plan, sometimes it was shiny, sometimes a thief is staying sharp, and sometimes the explanation is as a simple as "*shrug* I dunno, I was bored, I guess."
They also tend toward the "rule of funny". Sure, we're all in the deepest dungeon of a murderous psychopath king, but we had some laughs, huh?
The other classic for the rogue is to play up how vulnerable they are compared to the fighter and play them as an absolute coward. Scooby and Shaggy are probably the best examples in media of portraying a coward in an endearing way.
So, with that, let's move on and let the rogue rest for a bit. Next time, we'll plan to finish out the primary colors with our last entry, the Mage. What did you think of my write-up of the rogue? Anything you'd add? Any fun stories of your rogue you'd like to share? Feel free to share in the comments below.
In the last post, we took a closer look at the fighter. This time, we're moving through the list to take a closer look at the rogue.
The rogue is what I'll call an indirect combatant, or even a misdirection combatant. Where the fighter is straightforward, the rogue is anything but. The rogue has the most to do with the Dexterity, Intelligence, and Charisma attributes in OGL (open game license) systems. In d20 systems, the rogue could accurately be called the "skill monkey". However, in other systems and settings, the rogue can also act as a "face", or charisma-based spokesman for the group. Basically, if your character is liable to talk their way out of a fight, sneak away from a fight, fight from the shadows, fight dirty, or turn tail and run; they're probably some kind of Rogue.
This even includes adventuring nobles and politicians. This is under the logic of what kind of nobles in fiction tend to gravitate toward adventuring. These individuals tend to be swashbuckling rogues.
The rogue's strengths tend to be in their diverse and versatile skills. Where the fighter specializes, the rogue diversifies. An assassin rogue might be a master of disguise, stealth, escape artistry, marksmanship, lockpicking, poisons, courtly intrigue, and might even, in a pinch, negotiate their pay themselves. Conversely, the vanilla fighter is probably good with either melee or ranged weaponry, and maybe a shield. However, rogues tend to be reliant on gaining and keeping the upper hand. Taking the enemy by surprise, fast talking, slipping into the shadows, and other tactics can give the rogue the upper hand; but if they lose the advantage, they lose their momentum, and the entire encounter can go pear-shaped in a hurry. Simply put, they need the advantage, and will usually lose a fair fight.
The stereotypical rogue tends to be the party's: hired gun, face, wheel man, thief, or security expert. Typical traits for a classic rogue might be: sly, smooth, cunning, witty, and even cynical or misanthropic.
Within fantasy, rogues are probably the class least represented in other class variants. They are basically either assassins, thieves, and sometimes spies. In other genres, the rogue is the character defined by speed, whether that's quick movements, quick thinking, or quick wits, the rogue is just plain quick. Other genres could see some love for the rogue in the form of: hackers, technicians, information brokers, brothel madames, government men, bank men, snake oil salesmen, press-ganged sailors, merchantmen, privateers, hitmen, drug dealers, pickpockets, husslers, reporters, scavengers, and merchants.
Finally, let's look at how the rogue works in gag campaigns. The rogue can be a lot of fun in a lighthearted setting. Typically, this will manifest as some form of Chaotic Stupid alignment.
Some rogues play up the "thief" element in spades. If it's not nailed down, it's fair game. Think Rocket Raccoon, especially if you've seen the second Guardians of the Galaxy movie. Theft for the sake of theft, sometimes there's a plan, sometimes it was shiny, sometimes a thief is staying sharp, and sometimes the explanation is as a simple as "*shrug* I dunno, I was bored, I guess."
They also tend toward the "rule of funny". Sure, we're all in the deepest dungeon of a murderous psychopath king, but we had some laughs, huh?
The other classic for the rogue is to play up how vulnerable they are compared to the fighter and play them as an absolute coward. Scooby and Shaggy are probably the best examples in media of portraying a coward in an endearing way.
So, with that, let's move on and let the rogue rest for a bit. Next time, we'll plan to finish out the primary colors with our last entry, the Mage. What did you think of my write-up of the rogue? Anything you'd add? Any fun stories of your rogue you'd like to share? Feel free to share in the comments below.
Monday, November 20, 2017
The Primary Colors: The Fighter
Hey all,
I thought now would be a good chance to take a look at the classes in tabletop gaming that I'd call the primary colors. The reasons should be obvious, there's three of them, and every other class can be described as one of these three "but" . . .
The three classes I'm talking about are, of course, Fighter, Rogue, and Mage. This is tabletop gaming, so these won't be the same as MMOs' "Holy Trinity" of Tank, DPS, and Heal. We'll start with the most straightforward of these classes: the fighter.
The fighter is what I'll call a blow for blow combatant. At the most basic level, these are martial experts who are intended to both deliver and receive the physical violence of the adventure. Their most important attributes in the OGL are Strength, Dexterity, and Constitution. In d20 systems, the fighter is what we'll call the "feat monkey". Fighters collect feats, and feats make fighters more and more specialized for a specific form of combat.
The fighter's twin strengths are his defensive and offensive might. The fighter is difficult to best in head-to-head single combat. However, the fighter can easily become so specialized that they lose any battlefield versatility, and their lack of need for mental and social stats places those traits lower in their priorities. Fighters are not necessarily dumb and brutish, they simply often lack intrinsic motivation to improve mentally or socially.
The stereotypical fighter fills the party role of the muscle, the intimidator, the enforcer, and more often than other classes: the leader. They are commonly associated with traits such as: stoic, harsh, blunt, uncharismatic, tough, brutal, and disciplined.
Within fantasy, many variants on the fighter exist: the knight, the ranger, the barbarian, and the monk are some of the classic modified versions of the vanilla fighter. In other genres, the fighter is simply the blow for blow combatant who puts his faith in strength of arms. Soldiers, mech pilots, gunslingers, sheriffs, dockworkers, bouncers, prize fighters, raiders, gladiatorial slaves, and even some career military officers would best be played as variants of the basic fighter.
Now, on to the fun part: in a gag campaign, there are a lot of fun ways to add humor to the stereotypes and archetypes of the fighter. "Lawful stupid" is the classic, and it turns the fighter into anything from a penal-code spouting deputy all the way up to a raging inquisitioner.
Their inaptitude for all things magical opens up some opportunities to make mischief through ignorance. Just say "Oooo, what does this rune do?" in your best Deedee impression, and let the shenanigans commence.
Their hero complex can also be played for laughs. Zap Brannigan gets laughs for a reason, and JourneyQuest had one of the best lines, as the dim-witted Glorion boasted "Mercy? Perf, I'm far too brave to show you mercy!"
Finally, you can pick your airplane. B.A. Baracus from The A Team is a fighter in every sense of the word, and yet, his fear of airplanes not only draws a laugh, but humanizes his character amazingly well. Think of Indiana Jones and snakes. Think of Son Goku and needles. The classic humor route for the larger-than-life bringer of the pain is a major fear of a minor thing.
So, with that, we close for now on our discussion of the fighter. Did you agree with my thoughts on the fighter class? Do you have anything to add on what makes this "primary color" class what it is? Let's talk about that in the comments below, and until next time: happy gaming, all.
I thought now would be a good chance to take a look at the classes in tabletop gaming that I'd call the primary colors. The reasons should be obvious, there's three of them, and every other class can be described as one of these three "but" . . .
The three classes I'm talking about are, of course, Fighter, Rogue, and Mage. This is tabletop gaming, so these won't be the same as MMOs' "Holy Trinity" of Tank, DPS, and Heal. We'll start with the most straightforward of these classes: the fighter.
The fighter is what I'll call a blow for blow combatant. At the most basic level, these are martial experts who are intended to both deliver and receive the physical violence of the adventure. Their most important attributes in the OGL are Strength, Dexterity, and Constitution. In d20 systems, the fighter is what we'll call the "feat monkey". Fighters collect feats, and feats make fighters more and more specialized for a specific form of combat.
The fighter's twin strengths are his defensive and offensive might. The fighter is difficult to best in head-to-head single combat. However, the fighter can easily become so specialized that they lose any battlefield versatility, and their lack of need for mental and social stats places those traits lower in their priorities. Fighters are not necessarily dumb and brutish, they simply often lack intrinsic motivation to improve mentally or socially.
The stereotypical fighter fills the party role of the muscle, the intimidator, the enforcer, and more often than other classes: the leader. They are commonly associated with traits such as: stoic, harsh, blunt, uncharismatic, tough, brutal, and disciplined.
Within fantasy, many variants on the fighter exist: the knight, the ranger, the barbarian, and the monk are some of the classic modified versions of the vanilla fighter. In other genres, the fighter is simply the blow for blow combatant who puts his faith in strength of arms. Soldiers, mech pilots, gunslingers, sheriffs, dockworkers, bouncers, prize fighters, raiders, gladiatorial slaves, and even some career military officers would best be played as variants of the basic fighter.
Now, on to the fun part: in a gag campaign, there are a lot of fun ways to add humor to the stereotypes and archetypes of the fighter. "Lawful stupid" is the classic, and it turns the fighter into anything from a penal-code spouting deputy all the way up to a raging inquisitioner.
Their inaptitude for all things magical opens up some opportunities to make mischief through ignorance. Just say "Oooo, what does this rune do?" in your best Deedee impression, and let the shenanigans commence.
Their hero complex can also be played for laughs. Zap Brannigan gets laughs for a reason, and JourneyQuest had one of the best lines, as the dim-witted Glorion boasted "Mercy? Perf, I'm far too brave to show you mercy!"
Finally, you can pick your airplane. B.A. Baracus from The A Team is a fighter in every sense of the word, and yet, his fear of airplanes not only draws a laugh, but humanizes his character amazingly well. Think of Indiana Jones and snakes. Think of Son Goku and needles. The classic humor route for the larger-than-life bringer of the pain is a major fear of a minor thing.
So, with that, we close for now on our discussion of the fighter. Did you agree with my thoughts on the fighter class? Do you have anything to add on what makes this "primary color" class what it is? Let's talk about that in the comments below, and until next time: happy gaming, all.
Monday, November 13, 2017
The Sovereign Sponge
Hey all,
Thought I'd share a little bit of gamemasterly insight with y'all today. So . . . storytime!
Today I was thinking about how swords don't tend to work well against gelatinous enemies in fantasy settings. Typically, dungeons will include some variety of mold, slime, or ooze that blindly devours all in its path: rubble, player characters, what-have-you.
Now, I don't know why this became a thing. I'd probably attribute it to Gygax, but I'll admit, that's just a guess. I can't think of anything like this in Tolkien, so Gygax is a fairly safe bet.
Still, it's basically a fight against a giant jello mold. Real-life jello isn't best dealt with using blades, but it's also not something you'd normally take care of with blunt force. All that really leaves is a sponge.
Enter, the sovereign sponge (and yes, the name is an homage to sovereign glue). Simply toss the sponge into an ooze, and it draws in the entire enemy into itself. Naturally, such an item would be fairly valuable to the right brand of adventurer.
Of course, this leads to the next question, what if someone drops one into the ocean? This lead me back to a fantasy theory I'd seen before. Someone once pointed out that the magical spell "create water" is worded in such a way that, so long as the water gets consumed, it remains in the world permanently. Based on that, the theory went, it makes perfect sense that flooding would one day become an issue.
How does that relate to the sovereign sponge? It not only explains how the world can survive a sovereign sponge dropped into the ocean (the sponges absorb water at a rate that offsets the average rate of water creation from the "create water" spell), it actually explains why the invention of the sovereign sponge was necessary. This was made as a magical countermeasure to the effects of a widespread, low-level magical ability.
With all of this, we've established a very tenuous balance in the natural world. This gives us plot hooks for a campaign built around the concept of the sovereign sponge:
-In drought conditions, a mage decides to calculate and carry out a ritual spell that will neutralize all existing sovereign sponges to raise water levels worldwide.
-As magic becomes more widespread, many coastal towns are putting out bounties for the reagents necessary to have more sovereign sponges crafted to deal with the rising ocean levels.
-The death of magic, in addition to everything else attendant on the trope, comes with a mad max style loss of the world's oceans, as the create water spell ceases, but the sovereign sponges carry on unabated.
-A golem constructed from sovereign sponges constitutes a world-ending threat, and sparks deep philosophical questions about a sentient being's right to exist.
- Guild secrets about the manufacture of sovereign sponges are both closely guarded, and pursued for the promise of lucrative rewards for anyone who can duplicate the technique.
These are just a few campaign hook ideas for the sovereign sponge. What would you do with the sovereign sponge in your own campaign worlds?
Thought I'd share a little bit of gamemasterly insight with y'all today. So . . . storytime!
Today I was thinking about how swords don't tend to work well against gelatinous enemies in fantasy settings. Typically, dungeons will include some variety of mold, slime, or ooze that blindly devours all in its path: rubble, player characters, what-have-you.
Now, I don't know why this became a thing. I'd probably attribute it to Gygax, but I'll admit, that's just a guess. I can't think of anything like this in Tolkien, so Gygax is a fairly safe bet.
Still, it's basically a fight against a giant jello mold. Real-life jello isn't best dealt with using blades, but it's also not something you'd normally take care of with blunt force. All that really leaves is a sponge.
Enter, the sovereign sponge (and yes, the name is an homage to sovereign glue). Simply toss the sponge into an ooze, and it draws in the entire enemy into itself. Naturally, such an item would be fairly valuable to the right brand of adventurer.
Of course, this leads to the next question, what if someone drops one into the ocean? This lead me back to a fantasy theory I'd seen before. Someone once pointed out that the magical spell "create water" is worded in such a way that, so long as the water gets consumed, it remains in the world permanently. Based on that, the theory went, it makes perfect sense that flooding would one day become an issue.
How does that relate to the sovereign sponge? It not only explains how the world can survive a sovereign sponge dropped into the ocean (the sponges absorb water at a rate that offsets the average rate of water creation from the "create water" spell), it actually explains why the invention of the sovereign sponge was necessary. This was made as a magical countermeasure to the effects of a widespread, low-level magical ability.
With all of this, we've established a very tenuous balance in the natural world. This gives us plot hooks for a campaign built around the concept of the sovereign sponge:
-In drought conditions, a mage decides to calculate and carry out a ritual spell that will neutralize all existing sovereign sponges to raise water levels worldwide.
-As magic becomes more widespread, many coastal towns are putting out bounties for the reagents necessary to have more sovereign sponges crafted to deal with the rising ocean levels.
-The death of magic, in addition to everything else attendant on the trope, comes with a mad max style loss of the world's oceans, as the create water spell ceases, but the sovereign sponges carry on unabated.
-A golem constructed from sovereign sponges constitutes a world-ending threat, and sparks deep philosophical questions about a sentient being's right to exist.
- Guild secrets about the manufacture of sovereign sponges are both closely guarded, and pursued for the promise of lucrative rewards for anyone who can duplicate the technique.
These are just a few campaign hook ideas for the sovereign sponge. What would you do with the sovereign sponge in your own campaign worlds?
Monday, November 6, 2017
All Funnies and Games Update
Hey all,
Just to update the regular readers; thing have been branching out pretty far from the blog itself. My Youtube channel has been going well: with let's plays, game-related vlogs, unboxings, and more. I've been working on my twitter presence (slowly), and am looking at more content avenues in the future.
In the meantime, I do want to let everyone know that I'll be deleting the old Friday Funnies segments from the archive soon. I tried to link to the original content as often as possible, and, as a result, those posts are mostly collections of now-dead links. I'll probably be doing that in the next few days.
If you've been reading for a while, you probably have a good idea what this blog is all about, but I'd love to hear some feedback on the type of content you'd like to see moving forward. Leave comments below, or tweet them to me @JosephCoupal. I'd love to get my readers' feedback as I get ready to take this blog forward.
Thanks for reading, all.
Just to update the regular readers; thing have been branching out pretty far from the blog itself. My Youtube channel has been going well: with let's plays, game-related vlogs, unboxings, and more. I've been working on my twitter presence (slowly), and am looking at more content avenues in the future.
In the meantime, I do want to let everyone know that I'll be deleting the old Friday Funnies segments from the archive soon. I tried to link to the original content as often as possible, and, as a result, those posts are mostly collections of now-dead links. I'll probably be doing that in the next few days.
If you've been reading for a while, you probably have a good idea what this blog is all about, but I'd love to hear some feedback on the type of content you'd like to see moving forward. Leave comments below, or tweet them to me @JosephCoupal. I'd love to get my readers' feedback as I get ready to take this blog forward.
Thanks for reading, all.
Monday, October 30, 2017
"Show Your Work" the 3d4 vs 2d6 follow-up
Hey all,
This Saturday, I posted a video to the All Funnies and Games Youtube channel. If you haven't seen it already, you can watch the video here.
What's there is enough to answer our question, which was, "If you can select either 2d6 or 3d4 for a best two out of three roll-off, and leave your opponent with the other, which should you pick?" However, that's not all of the supporting number-crunching necessary to be sure of the result. (The result was 3d4, by the way). So, here, I'll be posting a chunk of dice mechanics-related content to, hopefully, give you some food for thought in looking deeper into these mechanics yourself.
Defining the Formula
- We will write our formula as xdy.
- x = the number of random number generators whose outcomes will be added together
- y = the highest possible outcome of each random number generator used, these random number generators can only produce a whole number between 1 and y
- each random number generator will produce one outcome, all outcomes will be added together, the sum of these will be called the "result" of xdy
Rules
Rule 1: The lowest possible result of xdy will always be x
Rule 2: The highest possible result of xdy will always be x times y
Rule 3: The number of possible die results will always be (x times y) - (x-1)
--For the purposes of rule 3, results does not differentiate a 7 made from a 2 and a 5, from a 7 made from a 1 and a 6, etc.
Rule 4: The number of possible die results made from different combinations of die faces will always be y^x
--For the purposes of rule 4, results DOES differentiate a 7 made from a 2 and a 5, from a 7 made from a 1 and a 6, etc.
Rule 5: The likelihood of getting either the most or least likely result is always 1:y^x
Rule 6: If (x times y) - (x-1) results in an even number, the most likely result will NOT be a whole number.
Rule 7: IF (x times y) - (x-1) results in an odd number, the most likely result will be a whole number.
Rule 8 [(y+1)/2] times x = average result of xdy.
Tables
Here's hoping this is some information that'll come in handy as you look into dice and statistics yourself. What resources have helped you plan probabilities in your own tabletop games? Let's talk about that in the comments. Happy Gaming, all.
This Saturday, I posted a video to the All Funnies and Games Youtube channel. If you haven't seen it already, you can watch the video here.
What's there is enough to answer our question, which was, "If you can select either 2d6 or 3d4 for a best two out of three roll-off, and leave your opponent with the other, which should you pick?" However, that's not all of the supporting number-crunching necessary to be sure of the result. (The result was 3d4, by the way). So, here, I'll be posting a chunk of dice mechanics-related content to, hopefully, give you some food for thought in looking deeper into these mechanics yourself.
Defining the Formula
- We will write our formula as xdy.
- x = the number of random number generators whose outcomes will be added together
- y = the highest possible outcome of each random number generator used, these random number generators can only produce a whole number between 1 and y
- each random number generator will produce one outcome, all outcomes will be added together, the sum of these will be called the "result" of xdy
Rules
Rule 1: The lowest possible result of xdy will always be x
Rule 2: The highest possible result of xdy will always be x times y
Rule 3: The number of possible die results will always be (x times y) - (x-1)
--For the purposes of rule 3, results does not differentiate a 7 made from a 2 and a 5, from a 7 made from a 1 and a 6, etc.
Rule 4: The number of possible die results made from different combinations of die faces will always be y^x
--For the purposes of rule 4, results DOES differentiate a 7 made from a 2 and a 5, from a 7 made from a 1 and a 6, etc.
Rule 5: The likelihood of getting either the most or least likely result is always 1:y^x
Rule 6: If (x times y) - (x-1) results in an even number, the most likely result will NOT be a whole number.
Rule 7: IF (x times y) - (x-1) results in an odd number, the most likely result will be a whole number.
Rule 8 [(y+1)/2] times x = average result of xdy.
Tables
Here's hoping this is some information that'll come in handy as you look into dice and statistics yourself. What resources have helped you plan probabilities in your own tabletop games? Let's talk about that in the comments. Happy Gaming, all.
Monday, October 23, 2017
My Hero Academia: Bottom 5 from 1-A
Hey all,
Today, we're talking My Hero Academia again. Last time was a lot of fun, so I thought I'd do the reverse of that. Today, we're doing the bottom five of class 1-A. These are the worst of the best, so they're still a cut above the rank and file, but by 1-A standards, there's something to be desired. We'll start with fifth from the bottom, and end with the worst student in class 1-A.
#5 Rikido Sato AKA Sugarman
It's a bad sign that we didn't even know this hero's power until the last arc of season 2. His power is . . . okay? Sugar makes him strong, and also dumb. More sugar = more strong and more dumb. To be fair, he barely made this list. There's nothing specifically terrible about him, he's just really, really, meh.
#4 Hanta Sero AKA Cellophane
This is literally the first image when you look up "cellophane" on google. "Cellophane mha" didn't yield any better results, and "cellophane" did not have one image of the My Hero character before reaching the load more results button. Every single time Cellophane is on screen, my first reaction is "Oh yeah, they have a tape guy." He is a silence from Doctor Who: I think his real quirk is that everyone, audience included, purges his existence from their memory whenever he is out of sight.
#3 Yuga Aoyama AKA Can't Stop Twinkling
This guy is everything done right in other characters, all done wrong in one character. Tenya is upright and knightly in a better way. Yaoyorozu is aristocratic in a better way. His ranged attack is not shown to be more powerful than Bakugo's or Todoroki's. On top of all of that, his weakness is that he gets stomachaches from using his quirk. In his own words: "Shooting my beautiful beam for more than a second hurts my tummy." A second? That's a seriously low threshold for a superpower. Also, sorry, dude. You can't be a superhero if you say "tummy".
#2 Katsuki Bakugo
Bakugo might turn things around, and, honestly, I hope he does. His quirk is real cool to watch, and he's had enough backstory investment that, sure, I get why he's how he is. Still, how he is, is arrogant and violent. He attributes his strength to birthright. Thing is, we've seen people raised to not respond well to criticism. We've seen characters who believe that the strength of their birthright entitles them to be better than others. We've seen everything wrong with Bakugo. We saw it in Avatar: the Last Airbender, when we met Azula. Bakugo's an intersting character, but right now he makes more sense as a villain than as a hero, which is a problem in hero school. He would be a better fit for the League of Villains.
#1 Minoru Mineta AKA Grape Juice
Alright, here he is. Mineta is the worst member of class 1-A. His powers are odd, but they're actually not bad. He says that if he uses them too much, he'll bleed, but that's got to be a high threshold, because we've never seen it happen. He has a decently tactical mind, and has proven useful in several tests, made a respectable showing in the sports festival, and played a key role in defending the USJ. However, his behavior is absolutely reprehensible. We know the reputation lawyers have for unscrupulous behavior, and Mineta would have been drummed out of law school for sexual harassment at this point, let alone hero school. Frankly, the inappropriate touching could, in most cases, be attributed to unfortunate hand placement and claimed as an accident, but the comments he's made, and his attempt to peep through the wall between the locker rooms should have has him drummed out of any reputable institution. Barring that, I hope the creators clean up his act, or at least take him out of the spotlight, in the seasons to come.
So, there's class 1-A's bottom of the class, in my opinion. While Bakugo kind of needs a plot resolution at this point, the rest could disappear without much notice (and I think Aoyama might have already dropped off. I can't remember the last time I saw him in an episode). If you enjoyed the article, share it with a friend, or check out what I've got on youtube at All Funnies and Games. Thanks for reading, and have a great day.
Today, we're talking My Hero Academia again. Last time was a lot of fun, so I thought I'd do the reverse of that. Today, we're doing the bottom five of class 1-A. These are the worst of the best, so they're still a cut above the rank and file, but by 1-A standards, there's something to be desired. We'll start with fifth from the bottom, and end with the worst student in class 1-A.
#5 Rikido Sato AKA Sugarman
It's a bad sign that we didn't even know this hero's power until the last arc of season 2. His power is . . . okay? Sugar makes him strong, and also dumb. More sugar = more strong and more dumb. To be fair, he barely made this list. There's nothing specifically terrible about him, he's just really, really, meh.
#4 Hanta Sero AKA Cellophane
This is literally the first image when you look up "cellophane" on google. "Cellophane mha" didn't yield any better results, and "cellophane" did not have one image of the My Hero character before reaching the load more results button. Every single time Cellophane is on screen, my first reaction is "Oh yeah, they have a tape guy." He is a silence from Doctor Who: I think his real quirk is that everyone, audience included, purges his existence from their memory whenever he is out of sight.
#3 Yuga Aoyama AKA Can't Stop Twinkling
This guy is everything done right in other characters, all done wrong in one character. Tenya is upright and knightly in a better way. Yaoyorozu is aristocratic in a better way. His ranged attack is not shown to be more powerful than Bakugo's or Todoroki's. On top of all of that, his weakness is that he gets stomachaches from using his quirk. In his own words: "Shooting my beautiful beam for more than a second hurts my tummy." A second? That's a seriously low threshold for a superpower. Also, sorry, dude. You can't be a superhero if you say "tummy".
#2 Katsuki Bakugo
Bakugo might turn things around, and, honestly, I hope he does. His quirk is real cool to watch, and he's had enough backstory investment that, sure, I get why he's how he is. Still, how he is, is arrogant and violent. He attributes his strength to birthright. Thing is, we've seen people raised to not respond well to criticism. We've seen characters who believe that the strength of their birthright entitles them to be better than others. We've seen everything wrong with Bakugo. We saw it in Avatar: the Last Airbender, when we met Azula. Bakugo's an intersting character, but right now he makes more sense as a villain than as a hero, which is a problem in hero school. He would be a better fit for the League of Villains.
#1 Minoru Mineta AKA Grape Juice
Alright, here he is. Mineta is the worst member of class 1-A. His powers are odd, but they're actually not bad. He says that if he uses them too much, he'll bleed, but that's got to be a high threshold, because we've never seen it happen. He has a decently tactical mind, and has proven useful in several tests, made a respectable showing in the sports festival, and played a key role in defending the USJ. However, his behavior is absolutely reprehensible. We know the reputation lawyers have for unscrupulous behavior, and Mineta would have been drummed out of law school for sexual harassment at this point, let alone hero school. Frankly, the inappropriate touching could, in most cases, be attributed to unfortunate hand placement and claimed as an accident, but the comments he's made, and his attempt to peep through the wall between the locker rooms should have has him drummed out of any reputable institution. Barring that, I hope the creators clean up his act, or at least take him out of the spotlight, in the seasons to come.
So, there's class 1-A's bottom of the class, in my opinion. While Bakugo kind of needs a plot resolution at this point, the rest could disappear without much notice (and I think Aoyama might have already dropped off. I can't remember the last time I saw him in an episode). If you enjoyed the article, share it with a friend, or check out what I've got on youtube at All Funnies and Games. Thanks for reading, and have a great day.
Tuesday, October 17, 2017
The Royal Game of Ur
Hey all,
Not a full post today, but I had to share this video I saw. This is such a wonderful celebration of what games are and have been and could be: and I wanted my readers to get to see this too, and enjoy it like I have. Happy gaming, all.
Not a full post today, but I had to share this video I saw. This is such a wonderful celebration of what games are and have been and could be: and I wanted my readers to get to see this too, and enjoy it like I have. Happy gaming, all.
Monday, October 16, 2017
My Hero Academia: Top Five from 1-A
Hey all,
With the recent conclusion of My Hero Academia season 2, I thought it'd be fun to revisit the series and go over some of my favorite characters. To be clear, I've only seen the anime, and know nothing of these character's actions in the manga.
This top five will include only the students of class 1-A, and Deku gets the honorable mention of being a Shonen protagonist, and so, the plot of the series is on his side too much to make it a fair contest if he's involved. We know more about him than anyone, and the universe he lives in goes out of its way to make him as awesome as possible.
So, with Deku excluded, let's look at the best of class 1-A. Spoilers ahead, obviously.
#5 Ochaco Uraraka AKA Uravity
With the recent conclusion of My Hero Academia season 2, I thought it'd be fun to revisit the series and go over some of my favorite characters. To be clear, I've only seen the anime, and know nothing of these character's actions in the manga.
This top five will include only the students of class 1-A, and Deku gets the honorable mention of being a Shonen protagonist, and so, the plot of the series is on his side too much to make it a fair contest if he's involved. We know more about him than anyone, and the universe he lives in goes out of its way to make him as awesome as possible.
 |
| Looking at you, Great Will of the Macrocosm Yeah, she's not in My Hero, but come on, Deku's got plot armor. |
So, with Deku excluded, let's look at the best of class 1-A. Spoilers ahead, obviously.
#5 Ochaco Uraraka AKA Uravity
Uravity has been a principal in the series since episode 3, but it wasn't until the tournament arc that we saw more than the cheerful exterior charm to this character. Not only did she come up with the same plan that Deku was going to suggest, but she improved on it. She turned making things float into a powerhouse attack that could go toe to toe with at-will explosions. Her performance rightfully shocked the audience, and she's only become more of a combat threat since her internship with Gunhead.
#4 Mina Ashido AKA Alien Queen AKA Pinkie
Ashido is the least narratively fleshed-out character on this list, yet we do have some key details about her character, personality, and quirk. She consistently operates from a place of optimism. When things start to look dark her first thought might be mild panic, but she's one of the few characters to avoid outright defeatism and melancholy. Her quirk seems like it could be pretty powerful, and I hope the summer training arc ahead shows us some more of what she's capable of. Also, unlikely as it may be, I think an internship with Best Jeanist and a name change to Acid Wash would be a fun direction to take the character.
#3 Tenya Iida AKA Ingenium
Tenya Iida is not only 1-A'a class rep, but he's the epitome of the "class rep" archetype. Straight-laced, rules oriented, and visually carrying the classic black hair and glasses look that absolutely screams "the responsible one in this show." Kyoya Ootori would be proud. Yet, there's an intensity of character to him that fits the other common archetype to adopt these looks and mannerisms. There is something of the cruel mastermind to his character. The glasses and hair are also reminiscent of the Gendo look. With Tenya, there is a mixture. His law-abiding nature quickly devolves into bitter vengeance at the injury of his brother. Though he regrets this lapse of morals, there's no guarantee that Tenya's darker side won't surface again as the battles intensify and the mathematics of war seek to corrupt the innocent heroism he once aspired to.
#4 Tsuyu Asui AKA Su AKA Froppy
Froppy is just great in a way that few characters can attain to. She's got nearly Ashido's optimism combined with a hearty portion of sass and blunt truth. What's more, she showed a greater capacity for practical heroism in her internship than any other hero. Granted, some had far less opportunity to shine, and some heroes like Best Jeanist and Uwabami, did very little in comparison to the hands-on training provided by Selkie. Even without the drug bust, Selkie expected more of his intern; and Froppy rose to the occasion. Not only did she show herself a capable combatant, but well capable of taking orders and working on a team without letting ego cause problems. To date, almost no one else has shown the ability to follow into battle quite like Froppy.
#1 Shoto Todoroki
Todoroki has, from the start, been one of the most consistently powerful characters on the show. He was admitted to UA on recommendation, which carries some distinction. He also spent season one and a bit of time in season two essentially operating at half power. His back story is dark, and to sum it up briefly, his mother was forced into a marriage intended to create children with powerful quirks, and Todoroki gets his white hair, brown eye, and ice powers from her. His father, Endeavor, is a pro hero who used his status to force the marriage and breed an heir powerful enough to challenge rivals Endeavor couldn't fight on his own. From his father, Todoroki inherited his red hair, blue eye, and fire powers. His arc has been one of accepting himself, and accepting his heritage as his own to do with as he wishes. He has learned to accept his fire powers without accepting the criminal actions of the father he inherited those powers from. Through all of this, he has emerged as a potent and heroic character with the potential to truly be one of the greats as the series goes on.
So, there we have it, my top five favorite members of class 1-A in My Hero Academia. I'll probably do more of these types of articles to cope with the hiatus, however long that turns out to be. If you enjoyed the article, share it with a friend, or check out what I've got on youtube at All Funnies and Games. Thanks for reading, and have a great day.
Monday, October 9, 2017
Ultra-Instinct vs Super Saiyan
Hey all,
For those who didn't know, I've been writing episode reviews of Dragonball Super on My Looney Bin, check them out and take a look at what else is there, it's good stuff. Anyway, the latest two-parter put me in the mindset to compare the origins of Super Saiyan against what we're seeing so far in Ultra-Instinct.
Super Saiyan first appeared in as Goku was fighting Freiza on planet Namek. On the upside, there was a lot of build-up in the lore. We probably heard the phrase Super Saiyan at least half a dozen to a dozen times before we saw one, which made the power-up feel like a part of the world that predated this incident and didn't feel like a deus ex machina. Ultra-extreme on the other hand has really only been built up in the audience's meta-understanding of things, i.e. Goku didn't get a new form last arc, so it's bound to happen. I think Android 17 said it best when he said, "But, somehow Goku instantly overcame that overwhelming difference in power." Rinse, and repeat. Super Saiyan felt like something brand new, and, while I can't rag too hard on how absolutely amazing Ultra-Instinct looks, these power-up forms are less incredible and more routine.
So, if Ultra-Instinct is a little routine, and kind of out of the blue at the same time, what's it got going for it? For starters, the aesthetics of both the character design and the fight choreography are absolutely amazing. These fights might have surpassed the high points of the Zamasu arc as the best fighting in Super so far. What's more, Ultra-Instinct is doing what Super Saiyan should have done as far as slowing down the future power creep a little. Once Goku powers down from Ultra-Instinct, he can't just hop right back in, and he genuinely seems to have some trouble understanding what he's achieved, and it suggests he might not know how to turn it back on, even when he has the energy again.
So, some pluses and minuses; but enough still here that, no question, I'll be coming back to see where this arc's going.
For those who didn't know, I've been writing episode reviews of Dragonball Super on My Looney Bin, check them out and take a look at what else is there, it's good stuff. Anyway, the latest two-parter put me in the mindset to compare the origins of Super Saiyan against what we're seeing so far in Ultra-Instinct.
Super Saiyan first appeared in as Goku was fighting Freiza on planet Namek. On the upside, there was a lot of build-up in the lore. We probably heard the phrase Super Saiyan at least half a dozen to a dozen times before we saw one, which made the power-up feel like a part of the world that predated this incident and didn't feel like a deus ex machina. Ultra-extreme on the other hand has really only been built up in the audience's meta-understanding of things, i.e. Goku didn't get a new form last arc, so it's bound to happen. I think Android 17 said it best when he said, "But, somehow Goku instantly overcame that overwhelming difference in power." Rinse, and repeat. Super Saiyan felt like something brand new, and, while I can't rag too hard on how absolutely amazing Ultra-Instinct looks, these power-up forms are less incredible and more routine.
So, if Ultra-Instinct is a little routine, and kind of out of the blue at the same time, what's it got going for it? For starters, the aesthetics of both the character design and the fight choreography are absolutely amazing. These fights might have surpassed the high points of the Zamasu arc as the best fighting in Super so far. What's more, Ultra-Instinct is doing what Super Saiyan should have done as far as slowing down the future power creep a little. Once Goku powers down from Ultra-Instinct, he can't just hop right back in, and he genuinely seems to have some trouble understanding what he's achieved, and it suggests he might not know how to turn it back on, even when he has the energy again.
So, some pluses and minuses; but enough still here that, no question, I'll be coming back to see where this arc's going.
Monday, October 2, 2017
Session Brainstorming: Dark New World
Hey all,
Thought I'd share some brainstorming I've been going through for what might be my next tabletop excursion as a GM. Some of you might know that at the moment I'm going through a Fallout inspired game in the GURPS system, and I'm looking at where to go after that. I've thought a lot of this through already, but I'll try to retell it in the stream of consciousness from my initial planning, just to give some insight into the campaign planning process.
For starters, inspiration on this one comes a lot from the music of Alestorm. Metal album covers have been inspiring fantasy roleplaying since the earliest days of the hobby, and there's no reason for modern times to be an exception to that. So, we start with intense metal that drives home the chaos and uncertainty of the seafaring lifestyle: what next?
Well, just for the sake of being ready for player assumptions, it seems like a good idea to be prepared for a Pirates of the Caribbean influence, at least in character design and player expectations. That's fine, the cover of Black Sails at Midnight was taking us toward dark fantasy elements anyway.
So, what else helps with this tone? Personally, I think the setting is well rounded out by the Cthulhu mythos, which, combined with the other elements we've already drawn from, creates a great dark retelling of European journals of the new world. If everything Cortez reported was true, and had it's origins in the mythos, that's a fun setting to play in.
Naturally, we've got to go with World of Darkness or Call of Cthulhu or something like that for the rules. Dread might work for short format, but I'm feeling something a little longer.
I want to introduce the unknown early, and establish a mystery that, true to Lovecraft, never really resolves. The goal is not full understanding, and, in fact furthering understanding of the threats of the new world is the enemy of sanity. We'll need to keep things mysterious and desperate, with only a fool's hope to go on.
So, let's establish early that a sister expedition is being sent a hundred miles north, and will leave about a month after arrival. From there, we can shipwreck our players at the hands of some Eldritch horror of the sea, and leave them no recourse but to strike across the untamed jungles: braving the cyclopean ruins, the cultish natives, and the strange and monstrous wildlife in a desperate race to reach the last ship home to Spain. Yeah, that'll be a fun little romp. ;)
What are some of your favorite settings for good rpg games? Let's chat that in the comments below. Happy gaming, all.
Thought I'd share some brainstorming I've been going through for what might be my next tabletop excursion as a GM. Some of you might know that at the moment I'm going through a Fallout inspired game in the GURPS system, and I'm looking at where to go after that. I've thought a lot of this through already, but I'll try to retell it in the stream of consciousness from my initial planning, just to give some insight into the campaign planning process.
For starters, inspiration on this one comes a lot from the music of Alestorm. Metal album covers have been inspiring fantasy roleplaying since the earliest days of the hobby, and there's no reason for modern times to be an exception to that. So, we start with intense metal that drives home the chaos and uncertainty of the seafaring lifestyle: what next?
So, what else helps with this tone? Personally, I think the setting is well rounded out by the Cthulhu mythos, which, combined with the other elements we've already drawn from, creates a great dark retelling of European journals of the new world. If everything Cortez reported was true, and had it's origins in the mythos, that's a fun setting to play in.
Naturally, we've got to go with World of Darkness or Call of Cthulhu or something like that for the rules. Dread might work for short format, but I'm feeling something a little longer.
I want to introduce the unknown early, and establish a mystery that, true to Lovecraft, never really resolves. The goal is not full understanding, and, in fact furthering understanding of the threats of the new world is the enemy of sanity. We'll need to keep things mysterious and desperate, with only a fool's hope to go on.
So, let's establish early that a sister expedition is being sent a hundred miles north, and will leave about a month after arrival. From there, we can shipwreck our players at the hands of some Eldritch horror of the sea, and leave them no recourse but to strike across the untamed jungles: braving the cyclopean ruins, the cultish natives, and the strange and monstrous wildlife in a desperate race to reach the last ship home to Spain. Yeah, that'll be a fun little romp. ;)
What are some of your favorite settings for good rpg games? Let's chat that in the comments below. Happy gaming, all.
Monday, September 25, 2017
The MMO I want to see
Hey all,
I was out of town last week and spent some time thinking about what blog post to do next. Finally, I landed on something that's been knocking around my head for a while. Disclaimer, I am not anywhere near capable of actually making an MMO, so this is more of a wishlist of what'd be great to see in the genre.
1) Very Basic Character Creation
At the start of the game, a player picks their gender, chooses either the human or dwarf race, and then begins play as a commoner. This is to fuel the later class systems in the game.
2) Randomly Assigned Home Town
Rather than having various towns for players of different levels, a handful of walled cities of roughly equal accommodations will form the core of the town-play experience.
3) Instanced Roads
Travel from town to town is dangerous, and typically, players will want to form parties to take on the "dungeon-esque" paths from town to town.
3) Career Classes
During play, a player may acquire new classes that work something like Elder Scrolls guild membership. Players can attain minor lordship, conscript, mercenary, or one of many criminal professions like assassin, robber, burglar, etc. Some of these are done for their own reward, and some receive in game currency from NPCs.
4) Subtle Stealth
A character who enters a criminal career, will eventually learn a suite of stealth abilities like having their name overhead appear just like an NPC name, having their name not appear overhead at all, and more traditional camouflage abilities.
5) Prestige Classes
Prestige classes can be begun at max level. A max level character may, after completing a quest, play the game again beginning at level one of a prestige class. These include knight, cleric, and magical acolyte. Knight can then prestige again as general or paladin. Cleric can prestige again as paladin or druid. Magical acolyte can prestige as Sorcerer/Sorceress, and then AGAIN as Wizard/Witch. Every prestige class is a substantial statistical improvement over the class before it.
6) Tempted Wizards
From magical acolyte onward, experience gain is slowed drastically on the magic track. A magician may advance at the slower pace, but will often be encountered by dark powers who promise power in exchange for servitude. Procedurally generated quests that make such player a liability will come to them from time to time, and will usually leave the means open enough that the player has some chance of completing the quest without raising suspicion right away. However, the frequency of these quests will be set to ensure that the player base becomes mistrustful of all magic eventually.
7) Hunted "Monsters"
Crafting would require materials from several possibly sapient creatures, such as elves, fairies, kobolds, goblins, orcs, and hobgoblins.
8) Secret Prestige Races
Granted, in the modern age of community forums, very little would stay secret for long. However, in addition to the prestige classes, there would be a harder to obtain category of prestige races. These would be triggered by very specific events, and would allow the players to play as elves, fairies, kobolds, goblins, orcs, and hobgoblins. Tutorial quests would narratively drive home the hunted feel of these races, and communication between these races and the "known" player races would not be possible. Most classes would be available in one form or another in these races, and pursued by mostly the same means.
So, there you have it: the bare bones mechanical concepts of an MMO world of dangerous roads, frightening thieves and assassins, world-shattering wizards, and a constant war between fantasy races who may not even realize the other is a real person. You can see, I hope, why the idea keeps cropping up. If you know of an MMORPG that fits what I've been wanting all these years, let me know in the comments. Happy gaming, all.
I was out of town last week and spent some time thinking about what blog post to do next. Finally, I landed on something that's been knocking around my head for a while. Disclaimer, I am not anywhere near capable of actually making an MMO, so this is more of a wishlist of what'd be great to see in the genre.
1) Very Basic Character Creation
At the start of the game, a player picks their gender, chooses either the human or dwarf race, and then begins play as a commoner. This is to fuel the later class systems in the game.
2) Randomly Assigned Home Town
Rather than having various towns for players of different levels, a handful of walled cities of roughly equal accommodations will form the core of the town-play experience.
3) Instanced Roads
Travel from town to town is dangerous, and typically, players will want to form parties to take on the "dungeon-esque" paths from town to town.
3) Career Classes
During play, a player may acquire new classes that work something like Elder Scrolls guild membership. Players can attain minor lordship, conscript, mercenary, or one of many criminal professions like assassin, robber, burglar, etc. Some of these are done for their own reward, and some receive in game currency from NPCs.
4) Subtle Stealth
A character who enters a criminal career, will eventually learn a suite of stealth abilities like having their name overhead appear just like an NPC name, having their name not appear overhead at all, and more traditional camouflage abilities.
5) Prestige Classes
Prestige classes can be begun at max level. A max level character may, after completing a quest, play the game again beginning at level one of a prestige class. These include knight, cleric, and magical acolyte. Knight can then prestige again as general or paladin. Cleric can prestige again as paladin or druid. Magical acolyte can prestige as Sorcerer/Sorceress, and then AGAIN as Wizard/Witch. Every prestige class is a substantial statistical improvement over the class before it.
6) Tempted Wizards
From magical acolyte onward, experience gain is slowed drastically on the magic track. A magician may advance at the slower pace, but will often be encountered by dark powers who promise power in exchange for servitude. Procedurally generated quests that make such player a liability will come to them from time to time, and will usually leave the means open enough that the player has some chance of completing the quest without raising suspicion right away. However, the frequency of these quests will be set to ensure that the player base becomes mistrustful of all magic eventually.
7) Hunted "Monsters"
Crafting would require materials from several possibly sapient creatures, such as elves, fairies, kobolds, goblins, orcs, and hobgoblins.
8) Secret Prestige Races
Granted, in the modern age of community forums, very little would stay secret for long. However, in addition to the prestige classes, there would be a harder to obtain category of prestige races. These would be triggered by very specific events, and would allow the players to play as elves, fairies, kobolds, goblins, orcs, and hobgoblins. Tutorial quests would narratively drive home the hunted feel of these races, and communication between these races and the "known" player races would not be possible. Most classes would be available in one form or another in these races, and pursued by mostly the same means.
So, there you have it: the bare bones mechanical concepts of an MMO world of dangerous roads, frightening thieves and assassins, world-shattering wizards, and a constant war between fantasy races who may not even realize the other is a real person. You can see, I hope, why the idea keeps cropping up. If you know of an MMORPG that fits what I've been wanting all these years, let me know in the comments. Happy gaming, all.
Monday, September 11, 2017
Gaming Terms
Hey all,
This week, I'll be going through some useful gaming terms and acronyms. This post will cover some very basic terms to help explain the hobby to people outside of the tabletop community. Later on, I'm considering more of a "master-class" level explanation that will cover much more obscure and specialist terms for intense hobbyists and developers.
Narrative: The story of a game. This includes the roles played by the players. For example, the narrative of Clue is that a man is dead, and the players assume the role of house guests who must discover the murderer.
Mechanics: The mathematic elements of gameplay. To return to the clue example; rolling two six sided dice to determine how many squares your game piece may move, and the system by which other players are required by the rules to respond to your accusations all contribute to the mechanics of clue.
PVP: (Player versus Player) A style of game in which one or more players will be declared the "winner", and the remaining players will be implied to be the "losers".
Co-operative Play: All or most of the players work together on a single team with the objective of defeating either the game itself, or something similar.
Board Game: A board game is what most people think of when they look at tabletop gaming. Classic examples include Monopoly, Battleship, Parcheesi, Chess, etc. The rules, ideally, are written in a way that ensures that specific rulings apply to any scenario possible within the rules. While the premise may include story elements, the narrative of the game is secondary to the mechanics of play. Typically, board games tend to reward PVP playstyles, but some recent games have adopted a co-operative playstyle in which the players work collaboratively to beat the mechanics of the game.
RPG: (Role-Playing Game) A style of game which involves players creating characters for themselves, and which tends toward co-operative play and a narrative focus. Typically, the game is directed by someone known as the Game Master.
Game Master (a.k.a. Dungeon Master, Storyteller): A person designated to manage a game world for a role-playing game. They create a series of challenges and encounters which all of the other players work together to overcome. The Game Master will usually have a rulebook for the game; however, deviation from these rules is allowed and even encouraged in service of emphasizing narrative over mechanics.
Tabletop Gaming: A catch-all term for referring to tabletop role-playing games, board games, card games, dice games, etc.
D&D: (Dungeons and Dragons) A role-playing game developed in the early to mid 1970s. It is only one of many tabletop role-playing games, and should not be used synonymously with the hobby as a whole. Non D&D tabletop role-playing games include: World of Darkness, Shadowrun, FATE, GURPS, Pathfinder, Dungeon Squad, Mutants and Masterminds, Legend of the Five Rings, Call of Cthulhu, Lamentations of the Flame Princess, Cascade Failure, Argyle and Crew; you get the idea.
Core Book: This is the book that gives the rules necessary for playing a tabletop role playing game.
Sourcebook: These are peripheral books for tabletop role playing game that contain optional rules, settings, and various other changes that may be incorporated into the game in the core book. Some groups will use or not use some or all available sourcebooks at the Game Master's discretion.
XdX: This is how a number of dice is typically written out in tabletop role-playing games. The first X is how many dice you roll, and the second X is how many sides those dice should include. For example, 2d4 indicates that two four-sided dice should be rolled. 3d6 indicates that three six-sided dice should be rolled. The dice results should be totaled together unless otherwise indicated.
Hope this helps as a quick guide to the hobby. Happy gaming, all.
This week, I'll be going through some useful gaming terms and acronyms. This post will cover some very basic terms to help explain the hobby to people outside of the tabletop community. Later on, I'm considering more of a "master-class" level explanation that will cover much more obscure and specialist terms for intense hobbyists and developers.
Narrative: The story of a game. This includes the roles played by the players. For example, the narrative of Clue is that a man is dead, and the players assume the role of house guests who must discover the murderer.
Mechanics: The mathematic elements of gameplay. To return to the clue example; rolling two six sided dice to determine how many squares your game piece may move, and the system by which other players are required by the rules to respond to your accusations all contribute to the mechanics of clue.
PVP: (Player versus Player) A style of game in which one or more players will be declared the "winner", and the remaining players will be implied to be the "losers".
Co-operative Play: All or most of the players work together on a single team with the objective of defeating either the game itself, or something similar.
Board Game: A board game is what most people think of when they look at tabletop gaming. Classic examples include Monopoly, Battleship, Parcheesi, Chess, etc. The rules, ideally, are written in a way that ensures that specific rulings apply to any scenario possible within the rules. While the premise may include story elements, the narrative of the game is secondary to the mechanics of play. Typically, board games tend to reward PVP playstyles, but some recent games have adopted a co-operative playstyle in which the players work collaboratively to beat the mechanics of the game.
RPG: (Role-Playing Game) A style of game which involves players creating characters for themselves, and which tends toward co-operative play and a narrative focus. Typically, the game is directed by someone known as the Game Master.
Game Master (a.k.a. Dungeon Master, Storyteller): A person designated to manage a game world for a role-playing game. They create a series of challenges and encounters which all of the other players work together to overcome. The Game Master will usually have a rulebook for the game; however, deviation from these rules is allowed and even encouraged in service of emphasizing narrative over mechanics.
Tabletop Gaming: A catch-all term for referring to tabletop role-playing games, board games, card games, dice games, etc.
D&D: (Dungeons and Dragons) A role-playing game developed in the early to mid 1970s. It is only one of many tabletop role-playing games, and should not be used synonymously with the hobby as a whole. Non D&D tabletop role-playing games include: World of Darkness, Shadowrun, FATE, GURPS, Pathfinder, Dungeon Squad, Mutants and Masterminds, Legend of the Five Rings, Call of Cthulhu, Lamentations of the Flame Princess, Cascade Failure, Argyle and Crew; you get the idea.
Core Book: This is the book that gives the rules necessary for playing a tabletop role playing game.
Sourcebook: These are peripheral books for tabletop role playing game that contain optional rules, settings, and various other changes that may be incorporated into the game in the core book. Some groups will use or not use some or all available sourcebooks at the Game Master's discretion.
XdX: This is how a number of dice is typically written out in tabletop role-playing games. The first X is how many dice you roll, and the second X is how many sides those dice should include. For example, 2d4 indicates that two four-sided dice should be rolled. 3d6 indicates that three six-sided dice should be rolled. The dice results should be totaled together unless otherwise indicated.
Hope this helps as a quick guide to the hobby. Happy gaming, all.
Friday, September 8, 2017
Superhero Wiki Week: Day 5
Hey all,
Well, it's been fun, but Superhero Wiki Week is finally drawing to a close. For today's post, we'll be looking at the villain for our heroes to face.
Day One: Cobalt Blade
Day Two: Wraith Mage
Day Three: Skyfire
Day Four: Boiler Plate
Before we do today's post, I wanted to add in a fun combination I decided not to use for a drawing. I think it'd be the god-figure in this universe I've been making this week. He got the powers of Zinc Manipulation and Spatial Lordship. So, he basically controls all of creation, but considers zinc to be his favorite and greatest creation.
Anyway, as to the villain. He was granted the powers of Toxikinetic Blade Construction as well as Benevorous. So, he wields a poison blade and literally feeds on the goodness of his enemies. To finish off Superhero Wiki Week, may I introduce Toxivore.
Thanks for coming along for Superhero Wiki Week. We'll be back to our normal fare on Monday. It's been fun, happy gaming, all.
Well, it's been fun, but Superhero Wiki Week is finally drawing to a close. For today's post, we'll be looking at the villain for our heroes to face.
Day One: Cobalt Blade
Day Two: Wraith Mage
Day Three: Skyfire
Day Four: Boiler Plate
Before we do today's post, I wanted to add in a fun combination I decided not to use for a drawing. I think it'd be the god-figure in this universe I've been making this week. He got the powers of Zinc Manipulation and Spatial Lordship. So, he basically controls all of creation, but considers zinc to be his favorite and greatest creation.
Anyway, as to the villain. He was granted the powers of Toxikinetic Blade Construction as well as Benevorous. So, he wields a poison blade and literally feeds on the goodness of his enemies. To finish off Superhero Wiki Week, may I introduce Toxivore.
Thanks for coming along for Superhero Wiki Week. We'll be back to our normal fare on Monday. It's been fun, happy gaming, all.
Thursday, September 7, 2017
Superhero Wiki Week: Day 4
Hey all,
Welcome back to superhero wiki week. Today will be the last hero before tomorrow's reveal of our new villain. Before we get ahead of ourselves though, let's take a look at the fourth and last member of the heroes side.
Day One: Cobalt Blade
Day Two: Wraith Mage
Day Three: Skyfire
Today's hero had a great power set to round out the others on this list. He ended up with Thick Skull, and Concussive Force. This makes for a front line brawler who shakes the battlefield with headbutts and charges. I decided to give him a metal plate across his head to better visually convey the power set. Ladies and Gentlemen, welcome Boiler Plate to our superhero team.
Don't forget to come back tomorrow when we conclude superhero wiki week with our heroes' nemesis: Toxivore.
Welcome back to superhero wiki week. Today will be the last hero before tomorrow's reveal of our new villain. Before we get ahead of ourselves though, let's take a look at the fourth and last member of the heroes side.
Day One: Cobalt Blade
Day Two: Wraith Mage
Day Three: Skyfire
Today's hero had a great power set to round out the others on this list. He ended up with Thick Skull, and Concussive Force. This makes for a front line brawler who shakes the battlefield with headbutts and charges. I decided to give him a metal plate across his head to better visually convey the power set. Ladies and Gentlemen, welcome Boiler Plate to our superhero team.
Don't forget to come back tomorrow when we conclude superhero wiki week with our heroes' nemesis: Toxivore.
Wednesday, September 6, 2017
Superhero Wiki Week: Day 3
Hey all,
We're back with the next installment of Superhero Wiki Week with another exciting new hero. While we're at it, have some links to the previous posts.
Day One: Cobalt Blade
Day Two: Wraith Mage
Today's got, in my opinion, a really fun mash up of powers that creates a new variant of an old standby. We've got Weather Manipulation paired with Green Fire Manipulation. This makes, essentially, a weather controller whose default attacks use a strange green fire in the sky. It might be ghostly or simply meteorological, but it gets the point across regardless. Welcome our newest hero to the mix: Skyfire.
Come back tomorrow to catch a look at our next hero: Boiler Plate.
We're back with the next installment of Superhero Wiki Week with another exciting new hero. While we're at it, have some links to the previous posts.
Day One: Cobalt Blade
Day Two: Wraith Mage
Today's got, in my opinion, a really fun mash up of powers that creates a new variant of an old standby. We've got Weather Manipulation paired with Green Fire Manipulation. This makes, essentially, a weather controller whose default attacks use a strange green fire in the sky. It might be ghostly or simply meteorological, but it gets the point across regardless. Welcome our newest hero to the mix: Skyfire.
Come back tomorrow to catch a look at our next hero: Boiler Plate.
Tuesday, September 5, 2017
Superhero Wiki Week: Day 2
Hey all,
We're back with the next entry in Superhero Wiki Week!
Day one: Cobalt Blade
Today's hero got an interesting power set, he's a White Arts magic user, with an Animated Shadow. So, he's not exactly got the power set that I'd have thought of; but that's the fun of a random draw like this. So, welcome to the blog, Wraith Mage.
. . . and don't forget to come back tomorrow for a look at Skyfire.
We're back with the next entry in Superhero Wiki Week!
Day one: Cobalt Blade
Today's hero got an interesting power set, he's a White Arts magic user, with an Animated Shadow. So, he's not exactly got the power set that I'd have thought of; but that's the fun of a random draw like this. So, welcome to the blog, Wraith Mage.
. . . and don't forget to come back tomorrow for a look at Skyfire.
Monday, September 4, 2017
Superhero Wiki Week
Hey all,
We're gonna have some fun with something special this week. I'm drawing inspiration from this episode of Drawfee, and pulling powers from the Superpower Wiki. Two random powers combine to make one hero.
After watching some My Hero Academia, and thinking through characters for superhero rpgs, I wanted to just make some superheroes, and so here we are. We'll have a new hero Monday-Thursday this week, and a nemesis for them all on Friday.
Monday: Cobalt Blade
Powers: Skin Color Manipulation, Telekinetic Cutting
Make sure to come back tomorrow for a look at Wraith Mage!
We're gonna have some fun with something special this week. I'm drawing inspiration from this episode of Drawfee, and pulling powers from the Superpower Wiki. Two random powers combine to make one hero.
After watching some My Hero Academia, and thinking through characters for superhero rpgs, I wanted to just make some superheroes, and so here we are. We'll have a new hero Monday-Thursday this week, and a nemesis for them all on Friday.
Monday: Cobalt Blade
Powers: Skin Color Manipulation, Telekinetic Cutting
Make sure to come back tomorrow for a look at Wraith Mage!
Monday, August 28, 2017
Encounter Tables for the Survival Crafting Experience
Hey all,
About a week ago, I was talking with a co-worker who also does tabletop gaming, and the question came up as to why survival crafting games are engaging, but that that type of play doesn't seem to work well in tabletop games.
For one, there's a very rigorous inventory system inherent to the mechanics, but beyond that, there's an issue of how harvesting missions seem to lose some of their urgency and excitement in tabletop games. As a first crack at this problem, I've worked out a series of tables based on a classic example of tabletop design: the random encounter table.
I've kept the tables as system-neutral as I know how, and kept descriptors only just specific enough to be useful, in the intention that they'll fit a broad set of scenarios. I've included the document as a free pdf resource for game masters. Grab it at the link below, and happy gaming, all.
Survival Crafting Table
About a week ago, I was talking with a co-worker who also does tabletop gaming, and the question came up as to why survival crafting games are engaging, but that that type of play doesn't seem to work well in tabletop games.
For one, there's a very rigorous inventory system inherent to the mechanics, but beyond that, there's an issue of how harvesting missions seem to lose some of their urgency and excitement in tabletop games. As a first crack at this problem, I've worked out a series of tables based on a classic example of tabletop design: the random encounter table.
I've kept the tables as system-neutral as I know how, and kept descriptors only just specific enough to be useful, in the intention that they'll fit a broad set of scenarios. I've included the document as a free pdf resource for game masters. Grab it at the link below, and happy gaming, all.
Survival Crafting Table
Monday, August 21, 2017
The Human Factor
Hey all,
There's something that I really enjoy about Sci-fi and Fantasy: something called the human factor. It comes down to a few elements that make up this human factor:
1: Need for Relationship
Humans, even nerdy bloggers, need relationship. Not necessarily romantic, thought that is a vital part of the human experience, but just camaraderie, friendship, and rivalry go a long way toward making a story feel human. It's what separates shows like Firefly or Farscape from shows too caught up in events to really invest in characters. Even shows like Star Trek, in which rank and title are paramount to the world portrayed, the deep and wonderful character moments occur between friends and compatriots.
2: Humor
Joss Whedon once said, “Make it dark, make it grim, make it tough, but then, for the love of God, tell a joke.” There's something very human about that, and it's why even very dark war stories like Band of Brothers, or Life is Beautiful have moments of humor and levity; it's not to detract from the horror, but to humanize it, and to show human beings trying everything at their disposal to cling to sanity in a world gone mad.
3: Human Flaws
This one is a big deal for me. Consider that in real life, people have left the nuclear football at a party or that nuclear launch operators have been found asleep by pizza delivery guys. Consider that cost-cutting measures put soldiers on the field in worse armor than the best that exists, and that political missteps have armed today's allies to become tomorrow's threats to democracy. Humanity is flawed. If a terrible fantasy dictator constructs the ultimate death fortress, that doesn't mean that his door guards won't be made up of a rookie who was given this assignment by a leader who didn't want to do the work to train him, a man still hungover from the night before, and a man preoccupied by a snide remark his wife made earlier that day. People are people, and worlds that reflect that feel more vibrant and real than worlds that don't.
So, think about this human factor in your own gaming and writing endeavors, and, as always, happy gaming, all.
There's something that I really enjoy about Sci-fi and Fantasy: something called the human factor. It comes down to a few elements that make up this human factor:
1: Need for Relationship
Humans, even nerdy bloggers, need relationship. Not necessarily romantic, thought that is a vital part of the human experience, but just camaraderie, friendship, and rivalry go a long way toward making a story feel human. It's what separates shows like Firefly or Farscape from shows too caught up in events to really invest in characters. Even shows like Star Trek, in which rank and title are paramount to the world portrayed, the deep and wonderful character moments occur between friends and compatriots.
2: Humor
Joss Whedon once said, “Make it dark, make it grim, make it tough, but then, for the love of God, tell a joke.” There's something very human about that, and it's why even very dark war stories like Band of Brothers, or Life is Beautiful have moments of humor and levity; it's not to detract from the horror, but to humanize it, and to show human beings trying everything at their disposal to cling to sanity in a world gone mad.
3: Human Flaws
This one is a big deal for me. Consider that in real life, people have left the nuclear football at a party or that nuclear launch operators have been found asleep by pizza delivery guys. Consider that cost-cutting measures put soldiers on the field in worse armor than the best that exists, and that political missteps have armed today's allies to become tomorrow's threats to democracy. Humanity is flawed. If a terrible fantasy dictator constructs the ultimate death fortress, that doesn't mean that his door guards won't be made up of a rookie who was given this assignment by a leader who didn't want to do the work to train him, a man still hungover from the night before, and a man preoccupied by a snide remark his wife made earlier that day. People are people, and worlds that reflect that feel more vibrant and real than worlds that don't.
So, think about this human factor in your own gaming and writing endeavors, and, as always, happy gaming, all.
Monday, August 14, 2017
Beastiary Supplemental: The Grootslang
Hey all,
Every so often, I come across something and wonder why it doesn't turn up in tabletop role playing games. Usually it's a trope, like love story or coming of age stories. Sometimes it's a genre, and I've written another post about some of those. This time, I've found a creature that might be the most fantasy RPG thing I've ever heard of that I've also somehow never seen in an official rule book. Without too much delay, then; let's meet the Grootslang:
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Grootslang, sometimes called the Grote Slang, is a creature that purportedly lives in a cave beneath the Richtersveld in South Africa. The Richtersveld is a mountainous desert, marked in places by either coastal plains, jagged volcanic mountains, or the lush banks of the Orange River that cuts through the territory.
The Grootslang was created early in the making of things, when the gods were new to the art, and was simply made too powerful for the world. The gods destroyed this great beast and divided it's traits between the first snakes and the first elephants. Yet, some of the Grootslang escaped, and one hides in its deep cave, where it feeds on local elephants.
The lair of the Grootslang is brimming with diamonds, yet the beast hungers for more. It's lust for cruelty is only tempered by it's desire for precious gems, and it's unwary victims may perhaps buy their lives for a kingly sum of gemstones.
The Grootslang is a massive creature, like a snake with a malformed head like a hellish mockery of an elephant's.
Everything I just wrote is official lore of the Grootslang. This is all part of real-world accounts of a legendary cryptid. The gems, the ability to barter free, all of it. HOW IS THIS NOT A THING IN EVERY RPG BEASTIARY ALREADY?
Alright, done ranting. Seriously, though, y'all best up your Grootslang game when the errata rolls around.
Happy Gaming, all.
for more on the Grootslang:
Wikipedia: Grootslang
Giants, Monsters, and Dragons
Disappearances Feed Grootslang Legend
New Cryptozoology Wiki (includes list of sightings)
Every so often, I come across something and wonder why it doesn't turn up in tabletop role playing games. Usually it's a trope, like love story or coming of age stories. Sometimes it's a genre, and I've written another post about some of those. This time, I've found a creature that might be the most fantasy RPG thing I've ever heard of that I've also somehow never seen in an official rule book. Without too much delay, then; let's meet the Grootslang:
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Grootslang, sometimes called the Grote Slang, is a creature that purportedly lives in a cave beneath the Richtersveld in South Africa. The Richtersveld is a mountainous desert, marked in places by either coastal plains, jagged volcanic mountains, or the lush banks of the Orange River that cuts through the territory.
The Grootslang was created early in the making of things, when the gods were new to the art, and was simply made too powerful for the world. The gods destroyed this great beast and divided it's traits between the first snakes and the first elephants. Yet, some of the Grootslang escaped, and one hides in its deep cave, where it feeds on local elephants.
The lair of the Grootslang is brimming with diamonds, yet the beast hungers for more. It's lust for cruelty is only tempered by it's desire for precious gems, and it's unwary victims may perhaps buy their lives for a kingly sum of gemstones.
The Grootslang is a massive creature, like a snake with a malformed head like a hellish mockery of an elephant's.
Everything I just wrote is official lore of the Grootslang. This is all part of real-world accounts of a legendary cryptid. The gems, the ability to barter free, all of it. HOW IS THIS NOT A THING IN EVERY RPG BEASTIARY ALREADY?
Alright, done ranting. Seriously, though, y'all best up your Grootslang game when the errata rolls around.
Happy Gaming, all.
for more on the Grootslang:
Wikipedia: Grootslang
Giants, Monsters, and Dragons
Disappearances Feed Grootslang Legend
New Cryptozoology Wiki (includes list of sightings)
Monday, August 7, 2017
Pokemon: Should Ghost-type Show Itself Out?
Hey all,
In one of my more recent posts, I talked about Pokemon's gen 1 pokedex, and ghost-type came up as a type with few species and little combat usefulness. Since then, the subsequent generations have made a few additions:
Gen 2 (Gold, Silver, Crystal)
So, a few interesting ghost-types among a handful of forgettable or regrettable ones. At this point, ghost-type is a full and entrenched element of the franchise. However, there was a point at which ghost-type could have bowed out with some dignity. In the 2nd generation, a new type was added: dark-type. Umbreon, Murkrow, Sneasel, Houndour, and Houndoom rounded out the new type as something really interesting. Additionally, the dark-type was what ghost-type had failed to be in Gen 1: dark-type was the answer to psychic-type.
Hop up the list again. Gen 2 added one ghost-type pokemon, making for four ghosts out of a pokedex of just over 250. At time of writing, there are now 43 ghosts (46 if you include mega evolutions) out of 802 total pokemon. In Gen 2, when ghost-types were getting the least amount of love they ever got from the devs, ghost-type should have been renamed to the dark-type, and included in with the new dark-type pokemon. This would have spared us some of the worse ideas, (looking at you honedge), and made ghost-type, renamed dark-type, what it should have been all along, the only strong and viable counter to the psychic-type.
What do you think? Have I picked on your favorites, or do you think the pokemon franchise missed a chance to trim the fat? Leave a comment below, and until next time, happy gaming, all!
In one of my more recent posts, I talked about Pokemon's gen 1 pokedex, and ghost-type came up as a type with few species and little combat usefulness. Since then, the subsequent generations have made a few additions:
Gen 2 (Gold, Silver, Crystal)
- Misdreavus
- Shedinja
- Sableye
- Duskull
- Dusclops
- Shuppet
- Banette
- Drifloon
- Drifblim
- Mismagius
- Spiritomb
- Dusknoir
- Froslass
- Rotom
- Giratina
- Yamask
- Cofagrigus
- Frillish
- Jellicent
- Litwick
- Lampent
- Chandelure
- Golett
- Golurk
- Honedge
- Doublade
- Aegislash
- Phantump
- Trevenant
- Pumpkaboo
- Gorgeist
- Hoopa
- Mega Gengar
- Mega Sableye
- Mega Banette
- Decidueye
- Oricorio (Sensu Style)
- Sandygast
- Palossand
- Mimikyu
- Dhelmise
- Lunala
- Marshadow
So, a few interesting ghost-types among a handful of forgettable or regrettable ones. At this point, ghost-type is a full and entrenched element of the franchise. However, there was a point at which ghost-type could have bowed out with some dignity. In the 2nd generation, a new type was added: dark-type. Umbreon, Murkrow, Sneasel, Houndour, and Houndoom rounded out the new type as something really interesting. Additionally, the dark-type was what ghost-type had failed to be in Gen 1: dark-type was the answer to psychic-type.
Hop up the list again. Gen 2 added one ghost-type pokemon, making for four ghosts out of a pokedex of just over 250. At time of writing, there are now 43 ghosts (46 if you include mega evolutions) out of 802 total pokemon. In Gen 2, when ghost-types were getting the least amount of love they ever got from the devs, ghost-type should have been renamed to the dark-type, and included in with the new dark-type pokemon. This would have spared us some of the worse ideas, (looking at you honedge), and made ghost-type, renamed dark-type, what it should have been all along, the only strong and viable counter to the psychic-type.
What do you think? Have I picked on your favorites, or do you think the pokemon franchise missed a chance to trim the fat? Leave a comment below, and until next time, happy gaming, all!
Monday, March 27, 2017
Are Filler-Free Watch/Read Lists Worth It?
I thought about this over lunch today. I was thinking back over the Animorphs series, and my fading memories of that experience. My brother once started the series, since I had them all, and quit somewhere in the teens saying, "They're too predictable. The twist always comes in chapter 17."
I couldn't really argue that point with him, but I do remember that the series as a whole takes a turn around book 45, but that always seemed like a heavy initial investment to get to "the good part." Smash cut to about fourteen years after finishing the series, and I've since entered and exited at least two otaku phases, maintained a sincere enjoyment of children's shows, and generally stayed the circles that would eventually bring me to this idea of a filler-free list. The concept has stayed around in anime circles mostly, but other shows have their own "skippables".
Still, I have to wonder if it's worth it to carve away pieces of the history of a fandom; even for the sake of lowering the bar of entry for new fans. Some of these "fillers" have quirky and off-beat charm to them, and I wouldn't enjoy some of my favorite properties as much without the weird pieces like "Doctor Who"'s Love and Monsters or "Avatar"'s The Great Divide.
Then you look at something like "Steven Universe" and have to wonder, is the show's tone set for the cluster without the earlier body horror of Frybo? Is charm lost without Garnet's Universe? Without Open Book, we're cutting into moments of charm and heart, and if you're not watching for that, then why are you even watching?
Then we can look at how hotly contested some of these lists can be. Even the most agreed upon list a person can manage is going to slice out someone's favorite episode.
Still, the barrier to entry is real. I get it. There's things I love, and I want my friends to love them too. When something makes me happy, it's instinct to shove it down the throat of everyone in my life who I want to be happy, too. That's fandom, and we all get that sometimes. If saving the "worst" episodes for last means getting them to watch the show at all, maybe that's worth it. 'Cause if the best the show has to offer gets them hooked like you think it will, they'll get every episode eventually, no doubt.
So, maybe there's not an easy answer, here. What do you think? Jump in the comments with your thoughts on filler free lists. Have they helped pull you in, or have they torn the heart of it out? Until next time!
I couldn't really argue that point with him, but I do remember that the series as a whole takes a turn around book 45, but that always seemed like a heavy initial investment to get to "the good part." Smash cut to about fourteen years after finishing the series, and I've since entered and exited at least two otaku phases, maintained a sincere enjoyment of children's shows, and generally stayed the circles that would eventually bring me to this idea of a filler-free list. The concept has stayed around in anime circles mostly, but other shows have their own "skippables".
Still, I have to wonder if it's worth it to carve away pieces of the history of a fandom; even for the sake of lowering the bar of entry for new fans. Some of these "fillers" have quirky and off-beat charm to them, and I wouldn't enjoy some of my favorite properties as much without the weird pieces like "Doctor Who"'s Love and Monsters or "Avatar"'s The Great Divide.
Then you look at something like "Steven Universe" and have to wonder, is the show's tone set for the cluster without the earlier body horror of Frybo? Is charm lost without Garnet's Universe? Without Open Book, we're cutting into moments of charm and heart, and if you're not watching for that, then why are you even watching?
Then we can look at how hotly contested some of these lists can be. Even the most agreed upon list a person can manage is going to slice out someone's favorite episode.
Still, the barrier to entry is real. I get it. There's things I love, and I want my friends to love them too. When something makes me happy, it's instinct to shove it down the throat of everyone in my life who I want to be happy, too. That's fandom, and we all get that sometimes. If saving the "worst" episodes for last means getting them to watch the show at all, maybe that's worth it. 'Cause if the best the show has to offer gets them hooked like you think it will, they'll get every episode eventually, no doubt.
So, maybe there's not an easy answer, here. What do you think? Jump in the comments with your thoughts on filler free lists. Have they helped pull you in, or have they torn the heart of it out? Until next time!
Monday, March 20, 2017
Gym Leader: Pokemon Gen 1 Challenge Run
Hey all,
It's been a while and I'm still kind of figuring out what this blog will look like moving forward. In the meantime, I wanted to share a special challenge run of pokemon that some friends and I tried once, I had to do a little research to figure out the difficulty levels, but I think this could be a fun rehash of a game that, to me, remains an old favorite. I set this up for Gen I, but the principle should apply in any generation.
You are a gym leader, and your team is themed accordingly. Choose a type from the original fifteen and get started. You may take your starter (but if one starter is, or will evolve into, your type, you have to take that one), but otherwise, you cannot catch a pokemon unless it fits your type or will evolve into a pokemon which fits your type. You may decide to also allow catching pokemon that can be traded in-game for pokemon in your type, but only if that pokemon can only be obtained by trade. Below, I've set up a breakdown of the difficulty levels. HM slaves are allowed, so long as that's all that they're for.
Very Easy Run: (3 types)
On Very Easy, you'll likely get less of a challenge run, but you'll still get the chance to play with a team outside of your standard go-to. This is more of a change of pace than a severe challenge.
Normal: These are available right off the bat in Pidgey and Rattata, and there are fifteen families with twenty-four total pokemon that include the normal type.This gives quite a bit of variety, even early on.
Flying: Again, with Pidgey right there on route 1, this is a good pick to try out the run. Thirteen families include flying pokemon somewhere in the evolution with nineteen total pokemon in the games with flying typing.
Poison: People don't think too deep into it, but poison pokemon are populous and common. Thirteen families bring a grand total of thirty-three pokemon whose types include poison, and these may be found after Viridian City in the Nidoran families and the Weedle evolution line.
Easy Run: (5 types)
On an easy run, you should actually start to see some of the challenge to the run. These types are a little harder to find, and don't offer quite the same variety as the very easy runs, but the difficult still hasn't ramped up TOO drastically.
Fighting: This family might seem somewhat limited. Mankey's line, Machop's line, Hitmonlee and Hitmonchamp are the only pure fighting types, with Poliwrath picking up the Fighting type on evolving. Still, the early availability of Mankey and, to a lesser extent, Machop, means that this type is one that can be started in on early.
Ground: Ground has some options left. Nine families include fourteen total pokemon, which leaves some options for your party. It's worth remembering that Nidoqueen and Nidoking both gain the ground type, and are worth picking up early.
Rock: Rock can be a bit of a slog, as your first chance to pick something up won't come until Mount Moon. However, this is a fairly strong type and with six families bringing eleven pokemon to the table, this type would seem to give a little bit of a challenge without too much difficulty.
Bug: I debated where to put this one. Bug types are fairly populous, with six families boasting a total of twelve bug type pokemon. In addition, the pokemon you need for your team are available early on with some powerful status abilities. However, bug types are difficult to play well with. They tend to be underpowered, and battles may prove difficult with this type.
Water: Water-types are tricky, since until getting the fishing rods, there's little opportunity to find them. Still, fishing rod in hand, this type has a breadth of options and are easy to find. Sixteen families include thirty-two types of pokemon to choose from.
Moderate Run: (4 types)
Moderate playthroughs are going to narrow down the options even more, and include pokemon that can't be obtained early in the game. This is where the challenge really kicks up.
Fire: Fire types are difficult to find, and aside from Flareon in Celadon City, and the choice of either Growlithe or Vulpix outside of Celadon (depending on whether you're playing red or blue), they can't be found before you're almost ready for the gym on Cinnabar Island. Beyond this, they are not the best in combat, as water types are plentiful and fire's advantages are not very common. Seven families include twelve pokemon to choose from.
Grass: Grass takes some doing to make it work well. Paras is part grass type, and some other fairly early options are available in the area around Cerulean City. There are fourteen grass pokemon divided between six families in this type.
Electric: If you don't have the patience to catch a Pikachu in Viridian Forest, then you're not going to do well in an electric run. There are nine electric pokemon in six families in the game and most of these are only available in the power plant.
Psychic: Psychic pokemon are going to be an odd challenge. Abra is notoriously hard to catch. Mr. Mime and Jynx need to be traded for in-game. Drowzee and Slowpoke may be your mainstays for a while by default. There are fourteen psychic pokemon in eight families. Still, if you can pull this off, you've got a team of gloriously potent pokemon.
Hard Run: (3 types)
I don't recommend this. Honestly, these ones seem too hard to really be fun. Still, if you need an intense challenge, give it a go.
Ghost: Gastly, Haunter, Gengar; these are your options. Ghost was supposed to be the answer to psychic, but all of these are Ghost/Poison, and poison is weak to psychic. This left psychic overpowered, and ghost was cleaned out of most utility.
Ice: Dewgong, Cloister, Jynx, Lapras, Arcticuno; these are your options. Ice is available so late game that most of your playthrough will likely feel like a challenge run where you only get your starter.
Dragon: Dratini, Dragonair, Dragonite; these are your options. Forget Lance's claims, these are the only dragon pokemon in the Gen 1 pokedex. You can get Dratini at the Rocket Game Corner, or by fishing at the Safari Zone. This is more potent than Ghost, but available later in the game.
So, there we go. A gen 1 pokemon challenge with various difficulty options. Obviously, these rules would work in other generations, but the challenge ratings may be different based on how those later titles were balanced. If you decide to give this a try, let me know in the comments how it went.
Happy Gaming, all.
It's been a while and I'm still kind of figuring out what this blog will look like moving forward. In the meantime, I wanted to share a special challenge run of pokemon that some friends and I tried once, I had to do a little research to figure out the difficulty levels, but I think this could be a fun rehash of a game that, to me, remains an old favorite. I set this up for Gen I, but the principle should apply in any generation.
You are a gym leader, and your team is themed accordingly. Choose a type from the original fifteen and get started. You may take your starter (but if one starter is, or will evolve into, your type, you have to take that one), but otherwise, you cannot catch a pokemon unless it fits your type or will evolve into a pokemon which fits your type. You may decide to also allow catching pokemon that can be traded in-game for pokemon in your type, but only if that pokemon can only be obtained by trade. Below, I've set up a breakdown of the difficulty levels. HM slaves are allowed, so long as that's all that they're for.
Very Easy Run: (3 types)
On Very Easy, you'll likely get less of a challenge run, but you'll still get the chance to play with a team outside of your standard go-to. This is more of a change of pace than a severe challenge.
Normal: These are available right off the bat in Pidgey and Rattata, and there are fifteen families with twenty-four total pokemon that include the normal type.This gives quite a bit of variety, even early on.
Flying: Again, with Pidgey right there on route 1, this is a good pick to try out the run. Thirteen families include flying pokemon somewhere in the evolution with nineteen total pokemon in the games with flying typing.
Poison: People don't think too deep into it, but poison pokemon are populous and common. Thirteen families bring a grand total of thirty-three pokemon whose types include poison, and these may be found after Viridian City in the Nidoran families and the Weedle evolution line.
Easy Run: (5 types)
On an easy run, you should actually start to see some of the challenge to the run. These types are a little harder to find, and don't offer quite the same variety as the very easy runs, but the difficult still hasn't ramped up TOO drastically.
Fighting: This family might seem somewhat limited. Mankey's line, Machop's line, Hitmonlee and Hitmonchamp are the only pure fighting types, with Poliwrath picking up the Fighting type on evolving. Still, the early availability of Mankey and, to a lesser extent, Machop, means that this type is one that can be started in on early.
Ground: Ground has some options left. Nine families include fourteen total pokemon, which leaves some options for your party. It's worth remembering that Nidoqueen and Nidoking both gain the ground type, and are worth picking up early.
Rock: Rock can be a bit of a slog, as your first chance to pick something up won't come until Mount Moon. However, this is a fairly strong type and with six families bringing eleven pokemon to the table, this type would seem to give a little bit of a challenge without too much difficulty.
Bug: I debated where to put this one. Bug types are fairly populous, with six families boasting a total of twelve bug type pokemon. In addition, the pokemon you need for your team are available early on with some powerful status abilities. However, bug types are difficult to play well with. They tend to be underpowered, and battles may prove difficult with this type.
Water: Water-types are tricky, since until getting the fishing rods, there's little opportunity to find them. Still, fishing rod in hand, this type has a breadth of options and are easy to find. Sixteen families include thirty-two types of pokemon to choose from.
Moderate Run: (4 types)
Moderate playthroughs are going to narrow down the options even more, and include pokemon that can't be obtained early in the game. This is where the challenge really kicks up.
Fire: Fire types are difficult to find, and aside from Flareon in Celadon City, and the choice of either Growlithe or Vulpix outside of Celadon (depending on whether you're playing red or blue), they can't be found before you're almost ready for the gym on Cinnabar Island. Beyond this, they are not the best in combat, as water types are plentiful and fire's advantages are not very common. Seven families include twelve pokemon to choose from.
Grass: Grass takes some doing to make it work well. Paras is part grass type, and some other fairly early options are available in the area around Cerulean City. There are fourteen grass pokemon divided between six families in this type.
Electric: If you don't have the patience to catch a Pikachu in Viridian Forest, then you're not going to do well in an electric run. There are nine electric pokemon in six families in the game and most of these are only available in the power plant.
Psychic: Psychic pokemon are going to be an odd challenge. Abra is notoriously hard to catch. Mr. Mime and Jynx need to be traded for in-game. Drowzee and Slowpoke may be your mainstays for a while by default. There are fourteen psychic pokemon in eight families. Still, if you can pull this off, you've got a team of gloriously potent pokemon.
Hard Run: (3 types)
I don't recommend this. Honestly, these ones seem too hard to really be fun. Still, if you need an intense challenge, give it a go.
Ghost: Gastly, Haunter, Gengar; these are your options. Ghost was supposed to be the answer to psychic, but all of these are Ghost/Poison, and poison is weak to psychic. This left psychic overpowered, and ghost was cleaned out of most utility.
Ice: Dewgong, Cloister, Jynx, Lapras, Arcticuno; these are your options. Ice is available so late game that most of your playthrough will likely feel like a challenge run where you only get your starter.
Dragon: Dratini, Dragonair, Dragonite; these are your options. Forget Lance's claims, these are the only dragon pokemon in the Gen 1 pokedex. You can get Dratini at the Rocket Game Corner, or by fishing at the Safari Zone. This is more potent than Ghost, but available later in the game.
So, there we go. A gen 1 pokemon challenge with various difficulty options. Obviously, these rules would work in other generations, but the challenge ratings may be different based on how those later titles were balanced. If you decide to give this a try, let me know in the comments how it went.
Happy Gaming, all.
Monday, January 16, 2017
Changing Gears
Hey all,
I've been doing some thinking. I've been doing the blog thing for a while, and, honestly, I'm not sure what I'm hoping to accomplish here. I've still got some thinking to do going forward, and this isn't a "farewell", but I want to be intentional about letting this be a more sporadic thing. Maybe I'll go back to a harder schedule on this later, but for now, I'll just be chiming in when I've got an idea I like.
I've been doing some thinking. I've been doing the blog thing for a while, and, honestly, I'm not sure what I'm hoping to accomplish here. I've still got some thinking to do going forward, and this isn't a "farewell", but I want to be intentional about letting this be a more sporadic thing. Maybe I'll go back to a harder schedule on this later, but for now, I'll just be chiming in when I've got an idea I like.
Thursday, January 5, 2017
Prepping a One-Off
Hey all,
Welcome back, and here's hoping you had a great Christmas and New Years.
I thought to kick things off this year with an idea that turned out to take a little longer than I'd anticipated, but I think it's an idea worth going into: how to prepare for a one-off tabletop game.
Firstly, what do I mean when I say "one-off game". A one-off is a game intended to be played in a single tabletop session instead of played over the course of several weeks, months, or even years. This longer format is more common, and most players would call it a campaign. A one-off is a single story, meant to be told over the course of roughly 2 to 6 hours, depending on the time available for your session.
Secondly, why would you want to prepare a one-off game? There's several good reasons to want to get into this format. Convention games are best prepared as one-offs, as are attempts to familiarize a party with a new system before committing to something bigger. The best reason I can think of, though, is to have a story ready to run if your regularly scheduled RPG group misses a night but still has the players to make something happen. Whether this is to fill in for a missing GM, or to replace a session that's down to half-attendance for a week, this can keep the ball rolling when it might have come to a stop.
That out of the way, let's look at how we can plan a one-off. Some of these guidelines will apply broadly to any RPG game planning, but they are specifically important when bringing the format down to a single sitting. A year-long campaign might include a bad week for one player that doesn't spoil the whole experience, but the same can't be said for one-offs.
I'll be going into a few specific things I look into when preparing one-offs.
Premade Characters
It is critical to start by establishing premade characters for one-off sessions. With a longer session, you can begin with a character creation session, but no one's going to want to spend one week making characters to play as in the next week, and then never look at again. Even if they wanted to, the best use of one-offs won't leave time for that.
This is also your chance as the GM, if you're not yet familiar with the system, to figure out how it all works. Making half a dozen characters is a great way to learn what the system is good at, and prepare for the central mechanics of what player characters CAN do.
Work to include only the spells, skills, mechanics, etc. that you know you understand. Not needing to continually consult the rule book will smooth out the gameplay, and help make sure you finish inside of your time window.
. . . But What Makes a Premade Character Good?
Or, since you're making all of the PCs, what makes a premade party good? Since you can't predict just how many people you will be GMing for, (most of the time) you won't be able to assemble the perfect team. Think about Q in the James Bond movies. That near-clairvoyant ability to put the right tool in the right place may seem like just the thing you're capable of, as game master and character designer; but that kind of thinking can hammer the rails down hard. If you decide that this puzzle will be Penelope's moment, while this puzzle over here is where Rick's combat skills will be showcased, then you lock down alternate solutions to your problems. As a rule for all tabletop gaming: NEVER plan for a single solution to any problem you present the players. Instead, plan out the world, and be prepared for a multitude of solutions to the same problem.
That said, the characters should be very different from one another. I like to try to include one of each class and one of each race in classic d20 systems, while dividing characters between primarily mental, social, and physical archetypes in classless systems. Lean a little more toward the Jack of all Trades than you normally would, to allow players to act outside their archetypes when they have a fun or cinematic idea. That said, do design the characters to be strongly differentiated from one another. I like to include character sketches on the backs of the character sheets to help players made snap decisions about who they'd like to play. This is a good time to do BRIEF write-ups of the characters' backstories and also to plan motivations that will lead them to say "Yes" when the call to adventure comes.
All that to say, DO plan to create slightly more characters than you think you'll need, and DO go into the event with a very specific plan for deciding who gets which character. A random drawing is a very fair way of doing things, but can pair players with characters they really don't connect with. A selection-style means players choose which character they want, but this can be tricky as far as arbitrating whenever players argue over a specific character. The method you pick is less important than that you have a method picked and ready to go.
Module Preparations
Now, we come to the crux of it. You've got your plan, you've got a pool of characters from which your party will be drawn, and it's time to put together your module. One thing I like to do at this stage is try to think through what a linear, non-game story would look like, and parse that down to the barest bones of narrative direction. So, if the plot of a traditional "the artist is absent" story would involve a character getting into a fight with a giant monster, chop that down to simply be an encounter with said giant monster, to open the field back up into sneaking options, combat options, high-adrenaline chase, or even social options if someone can manage to soothe the beast.
Keep the structure of your plan simple, and vary the types of challenges faced. If one challenge is crossing a river, another is an encounter with a vicious tribe, another is an encounter with a wild beast, and another is a fact-finding mission at a local watering hole, this gives players and characters of all skill sets a chance to step to the forefront of the story.
In general, I like to plan for two or three smaller events, followed by a climactic end. This usually fits in the 2-3 hour window that I operate in for these types of one-offs. However, you may have to dial this in as you become experienced as a GM, and you may also have to tweak it slightly to find the length that best fits your session time.
Beyond this, it flows about like planning a normal campaign. So dive in, get something ready, and turn up with an adventure in your pocket the next time it looks like your game night might fall through. Happy gaming, all.
Welcome back, and here's hoping you had a great Christmas and New Years.
I thought to kick things off this year with an idea that turned out to take a little longer than I'd anticipated, but I think it's an idea worth going into: how to prepare for a one-off tabletop game.
Firstly, what do I mean when I say "one-off game". A one-off is a game intended to be played in a single tabletop session instead of played over the course of several weeks, months, or even years. This longer format is more common, and most players would call it a campaign. A one-off is a single story, meant to be told over the course of roughly 2 to 6 hours, depending on the time available for your session.
Secondly, why would you want to prepare a one-off game? There's several good reasons to want to get into this format. Convention games are best prepared as one-offs, as are attempts to familiarize a party with a new system before committing to something bigger. The best reason I can think of, though, is to have a story ready to run if your regularly scheduled RPG group misses a night but still has the players to make something happen. Whether this is to fill in for a missing GM, or to replace a session that's down to half-attendance for a week, this can keep the ball rolling when it might have come to a stop.
That out of the way, let's look at how we can plan a one-off. Some of these guidelines will apply broadly to any RPG game planning, but they are specifically important when bringing the format down to a single sitting. A year-long campaign might include a bad week for one player that doesn't spoil the whole experience, but the same can't be said for one-offs.
I'll be going into a few specific things I look into when preparing one-offs.
Premade Characters
It is critical to start by establishing premade characters for one-off sessions. With a longer session, you can begin with a character creation session, but no one's going to want to spend one week making characters to play as in the next week, and then never look at again. Even if they wanted to, the best use of one-offs won't leave time for that.
This is also your chance as the GM, if you're not yet familiar with the system, to figure out how it all works. Making half a dozen characters is a great way to learn what the system is good at, and prepare for the central mechanics of what player characters CAN do.
Work to include only the spells, skills, mechanics, etc. that you know you understand. Not needing to continually consult the rule book will smooth out the gameplay, and help make sure you finish inside of your time window.
. . . But What Makes a Premade Character Good?
Or, since you're making all of the PCs, what makes a premade party good? Since you can't predict just how many people you will be GMing for, (most of the time) you won't be able to assemble the perfect team. Think about Q in the James Bond movies. That near-clairvoyant ability to put the right tool in the right place may seem like just the thing you're capable of, as game master and character designer; but that kind of thinking can hammer the rails down hard. If you decide that this puzzle will be Penelope's moment, while this puzzle over here is where Rick's combat skills will be showcased, then you lock down alternate solutions to your problems. As a rule for all tabletop gaming: NEVER plan for a single solution to any problem you present the players. Instead, plan out the world, and be prepared for a multitude of solutions to the same problem.
That said, the characters should be very different from one another. I like to try to include one of each class and one of each race in classic d20 systems, while dividing characters between primarily mental, social, and physical archetypes in classless systems. Lean a little more toward the Jack of all Trades than you normally would, to allow players to act outside their archetypes when they have a fun or cinematic idea. That said, do design the characters to be strongly differentiated from one another. I like to include character sketches on the backs of the character sheets to help players made snap decisions about who they'd like to play. This is a good time to do BRIEF write-ups of the characters' backstories and also to plan motivations that will lead them to say "Yes" when the call to adventure comes.
All that to say, DO plan to create slightly more characters than you think you'll need, and DO go into the event with a very specific plan for deciding who gets which character. A random drawing is a very fair way of doing things, but can pair players with characters they really don't connect with. A selection-style means players choose which character they want, but this can be tricky as far as arbitrating whenever players argue over a specific character. The method you pick is less important than that you have a method picked and ready to go.
Module Preparations
Now, we come to the crux of it. You've got your plan, you've got a pool of characters from which your party will be drawn, and it's time to put together your module. One thing I like to do at this stage is try to think through what a linear, non-game story would look like, and parse that down to the barest bones of narrative direction. So, if the plot of a traditional "the artist is absent" story would involve a character getting into a fight with a giant monster, chop that down to simply be an encounter with said giant monster, to open the field back up into sneaking options, combat options, high-adrenaline chase, or even social options if someone can manage to soothe the beast.
Keep the structure of your plan simple, and vary the types of challenges faced. If one challenge is crossing a river, another is an encounter with a vicious tribe, another is an encounter with a wild beast, and another is a fact-finding mission at a local watering hole, this gives players and characters of all skill sets a chance to step to the forefront of the story.
In general, I like to plan for two or three smaller events, followed by a climactic end. This usually fits in the 2-3 hour window that I operate in for these types of one-offs. However, you may have to dial this in as you become experienced as a GM, and you may also have to tweak it slightly to find the length that best fits your session time.
Beyond this, it flows about like planning a normal campaign. So dive in, get something ready, and turn up with an adventure in your pocket the next time it looks like your game night might fall through. Happy gaming, all.
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