Monday, November 14, 2016
Monday 11-14
Sick, blogging later. I keep saying I'll make these ahead of time one day. We'll see. Later, y'all.
Wednesday, November 9, 2016
Cool Music
Hey all,
Thought I'd take today to share some cool music with ya. For a theme, I guess it's covers and mash-ups. I'll credit the covering artist here, and the original artists are covered in the links.
Major Songs in Minor by SteveTerreberry
Lady Judas by Wax Audio
Can't Help Falling in Love by Evan Edinger
Crocodile Chop by Neil Cicierega
Pirates of the Caribbean meets Rock Guitar Cover by Jeff Heiskell
Happy listening, all.
Thought I'd take today to share some cool music with ya. For a theme, I guess it's covers and mash-ups. I'll credit the covering artist here, and the original artists are covered in the links.
Major Songs in Minor by SteveTerreberry
Lady Judas by Wax Audio
Can't Help Falling in Love by Evan Edinger
Crocodile Chop by Neil Cicierega
Pirates of the Caribbean meets Rock Guitar Cover by Jeff Heiskell
Happy listening, all.
Monday, November 7, 2016
Game Bump: Cascade Failure
Hey all,
I'm honestly a little embarrassed that it's taken me this long to bump Cascade Failure. This is easily one of the most elegantly designed R.P.G.s I've ever played, and has facilitated some fantastic events at the gaming table. This comes from three basic things that streamline the design and make the entire game run more smoothly than many games with similar tone.
#1: Roll Under:
Cascade Failure uses a roll under system for attribute and skill checks. What this means is that, while you roll the classic O.G.L. array (STR, DEX, CON, INT, WIS, CHA), you then play with the goal of rolling a d20 and getting a result less than the score to succeed. So, if your score is a 16, you want a 16 or less. For a score of 8, you'll want an 8 or less. This means that bigger scores mean better abilities (which prevents the confusion of things like THAC0), and that rolling becomes substantially simplified for the players.
#2: Temporary and Permanent Damage:
Temporary damage is handled, as players might expect, through hit points. Permanent damage and death, however, are dealt in the form of attribute damage. This lets players feel a little bit tougher, while making potentially deadly fights more consequential. Once hp drops to 0, damage starts to reduce attributes. A dead party member is less narratively interesting (IMHO) than a maimed party member.
#3: Simplified Skills and Saves:
Skills and Saving Throws at level one are determined by your choice of race, class, and your ability scores. This makes an interesting challenge for power gamers while keeping character creation streamlined for plot players.
Combine all of this with a compelling setting, an intuitively overhauled alignment system, and a host of interesting races and classes to choose from at character creation, and you find a glorious system with a bit more crunch and direction than a rules-light, but drastically less granularity than many modern d20 systems.
The best part of all of this is that it's free on drive thru rpg. Honestly, I have no idea why this is free. I will say that the system has a few small areas where improvement is possible, but the core is strong enough to build on and what's already there is simple enough to facilitate easy house ruling without the same risk of game-breaking mistakes as you'll encounter in more complicated systems. Eventually, I'll plan to share a few of my own house-rules to the system (once I can dig them out of my R.P.G. shelf, it's been a while). Until then, you can find Cascade Failure here. Check it out. Happy gaming, all.
I'm honestly a little embarrassed that it's taken me this long to bump Cascade Failure. This is easily one of the most elegantly designed R.P.G.s I've ever played, and has facilitated some fantastic events at the gaming table. This comes from three basic things that streamline the design and make the entire game run more smoothly than many games with similar tone.
#1: Roll Under:
Cascade Failure uses a roll under system for attribute and skill checks. What this means is that, while you roll the classic O.G.L. array (STR, DEX, CON, INT, WIS, CHA), you then play with the goal of rolling a d20 and getting a result less than the score to succeed. So, if your score is a 16, you want a 16 or less. For a score of 8, you'll want an 8 or less. This means that bigger scores mean better abilities (which prevents the confusion of things like THAC0), and that rolling becomes substantially simplified for the players.
#2: Temporary and Permanent Damage:
Temporary damage is handled, as players might expect, through hit points. Permanent damage and death, however, are dealt in the form of attribute damage. This lets players feel a little bit tougher, while making potentially deadly fights more consequential. Once hp drops to 0, damage starts to reduce attributes. A dead party member is less narratively interesting (IMHO) than a maimed party member.
#3: Simplified Skills and Saves:
Skills and Saving Throws at level one are determined by your choice of race, class, and your ability scores. This makes an interesting challenge for power gamers while keeping character creation streamlined for plot players.
Combine all of this with a compelling setting, an intuitively overhauled alignment system, and a host of interesting races and classes to choose from at character creation, and you find a glorious system with a bit more crunch and direction than a rules-light, but drastically less granularity than many modern d20 systems.
The best part of all of this is that it's free on drive thru rpg. Honestly, I have no idea why this is free. I will say that the system has a few small areas where improvement is possible, but the core is strong enough to build on and what's already there is simple enough to facilitate easy house ruling without the same risk of game-breaking mistakes as you'll encounter in more complicated systems. Eventually, I'll plan to share a few of my own house-rules to the system (once I can dig them out of my R.P.G. shelf, it's been a while). Until then, you can find Cascade Failure here. Check it out. Happy gaming, all.
Wednesday, November 2, 2016
Shortened Week
What with Halloween and the associated festivities, I'm calling a short week this week: be back Friday with the Friday Funnies.
Later, all.
Later, all.
Monday, October 31, 2016
Book Review: The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson
The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde
Author: Robert Louis Stevenson
Publishing Date: 1886
Setting: Victorian London
Narrative Genre: Mystery, Science Fiction, Horror
Themes: Duality in Human Nature, Original Sin, Addiction
Subjective Length: A day or so
Overall 7/10. This is a classic work of literature which sets out to explore dual nature in humanity. At the heart of it, it deals with the distinction between what man aspires to be and what he, nevertheless, often is. This work establishes classic tropes of this theme, and its influence can be felt in the countless parodies, as well as in such popular works as Dragonball and The Incredible Hulk: as man seeks to either excise his own darker side or to "control the raging spirit that dwells within".
Controversial Themes
This is a work that hinges on good and evil. Definite terms are given here, and a black and white morality permeates the piece. It is somewhat disconcerting to see callous disregard as the first sign Hyde's evil, in an incident which might not be remarkable to a modern audience.
**SPOILERS AHEAD***SPOILERS AHEAD***SPOILERS AHEAD***SPOILERS AHEAD**
The story opens with a conversation between Mr. Utterson and Mr. Enfield in which Enfield relates the circumstance of seeing a man called Mr. Hyde trample a young girl. This Mr. Hyde then delivers a check in the name of a prominent and respected member of the community. Mr. Utterson reveals that he knows the unnamed benefactor to be Dr. Jekyll, and the reader learns that Dr. Jekyll has, for no discernible reason, written his will to strongly favor Mr. Hyde.
What follows is a mystery novel. Mr. Utterson learns more and more incomprehensible details of the relationship between Jekyll and Hyde, and becomes more concerned for his friend as time goes on. Finally, Utterson and one of Jekyll's servants break into his laboratory, seeking to find out the doctor's fate. They find the body of Mr. Hyde, and through letters, assemble the improbable conclusion that Jekyll and Hyde were the same man. Jekyll, corrupted by his own experiments to remove his baser desires, had created an alter ego of himself: a being of pure evil. Eventually, becoming Hyde became an addiction, and it became easier to put on Hyde, and harder to return to Jekyll.
The story deals with uptight morals of Victorian England, and makes its hero of Utterson, a more moderate and human person than Jekyll. Jekyll is a pure paragon, constrained to the point that enjoyment itself is beyond his public face. Jekyll begins to lead a dual life, and both the deception inherent in this, as well as the addiction of the chemical nature of the change both suggest to the reader a sense of corruption in his behavior.
What will, perhaps, strike a modern reader most is that this story is, at heart, a gothic mystery. Most modern retellings depict the story from the perspective of Dr. Jekyll. In fact, living in modern society is to have the twist of Jekyll and Hyde spoiled. It is so well known, that the mystery origins of the story can easily be forgotten.
Author: Robert Louis Stevenson
Publishing Date: 1886
Setting: Victorian London
Narrative Genre: Mystery, Science Fiction, Horror
Themes: Duality in Human Nature, Original Sin, Addiction
Subjective Length: A day or so
Overall 7/10. This is a classic work of literature which sets out to explore dual nature in humanity. At the heart of it, it deals with the distinction between what man aspires to be and what he, nevertheless, often is. This work establishes classic tropes of this theme, and its influence can be felt in the countless parodies, as well as in such popular works as Dragonball and The Incredible Hulk: as man seeks to either excise his own darker side or to "control the raging spirit that dwells within".
Controversial Themes
This is a work that hinges on good and evil. Definite terms are given here, and a black and white morality permeates the piece. It is somewhat disconcerting to see callous disregard as the first sign Hyde's evil, in an incident which might not be remarkable to a modern audience.
**SPOILERS AHEAD***SPOILERS AHEAD***SPOILERS AHEAD***SPOILERS AHEAD**
The story opens with a conversation between Mr. Utterson and Mr. Enfield in which Enfield relates the circumstance of seeing a man called Mr. Hyde trample a young girl. This Mr. Hyde then delivers a check in the name of a prominent and respected member of the community. Mr. Utterson reveals that he knows the unnamed benefactor to be Dr. Jekyll, and the reader learns that Dr. Jekyll has, for no discernible reason, written his will to strongly favor Mr. Hyde.
What follows is a mystery novel. Mr. Utterson learns more and more incomprehensible details of the relationship between Jekyll and Hyde, and becomes more concerned for his friend as time goes on. Finally, Utterson and one of Jekyll's servants break into his laboratory, seeking to find out the doctor's fate. They find the body of Mr. Hyde, and through letters, assemble the improbable conclusion that Jekyll and Hyde were the same man. Jekyll, corrupted by his own experiments to remove his baser desires, had created an alter ego of himself: a being of pure evil. Eventually, becoming Hyde became an addiction, and it became easier to put on Hyde, and harder to return to Jekyll.
The story deals with uptight morals of Victorian England, and makes its hero of Utterson, a more moderate and human person than Jekyll. Jekyll is a pure paragon, constrained to the point that enjoyment itself is beyond his public face. Jekyll begins to lead a dual life, and both the deception inherent in this, as well as the addiction of the chemical nature of the change both suggest to the reader a sense of corruption in his behavior.
What will, perhaps, strike a modern reader most is that this story is, at heart, a gothic mystery. Most modern retellings depict the story from the perspective of Dr. Jekyll. In fact, living in modern society is to have the twist of Jekyll and Hyde spoiled. It is so well known, that the mystery origins of the story can easily be forgotten.
Wednesday, October 26, 2016
Monday Follow-up: Theming your Contribution to Magic Cube Pot Luck
Hey again,
So, on Monday, I talked a bit about how to make an event out of having everybody bring Magic cards to combine into what's called a "cube". That article is here in case you missed it.
With all of that level of event hosting-type logistics out of the way, it's time to think about your own contribution to the cube. You'll have a single color to use, for our example, let's go with Green; but that leaves a lot of leeway in terms of what actually shows up to the table. Today, I'll go into a few different ways to approach this, counting down from five.
#5: All-Stars
This is what you'll typically see in a standard cube. Just go through your color and choose some of the best individual cards available. There might be some issues with cohesion of strategy for the player(s) who choose your color, but the quality of individual cards could offset that, especially when considering that players will be taking them home to add to their own decks. In green, you might have cards like Concordant Crossroads or Exploration.
#4: Borrow the Set
When I say "borrow the set", what I mean is to pull all of the cards from the same block, or even the same expansion. This will give a narratively strong set with a cohesive tone, and many of the cards will work well together. That said, you are, in the end, just borrowing on the set design Wizards of the Coast has already done. For highly popular and thematic sets, like the Kamigawa block, the unique feel and relative obscurity of some of these cards might be worth it; but this may not be the way to go for everyone. If you do this, try to find a set that feels "right". The Innistrad feel could come through strong in white, black, or maybe green, but that gothic tone might not translate as well if you're bringing red or blue to the table.
#3: Creature Tribes
This is a slightly modified version of borrowing the set, as Wizards of the Coast has explored single creature sets in the past. However, with MTG's long backlog of cards, some creatures could form an entire set despite never having come together like that before. One thing you'll want to be sure of, if you want to make this really mechanically viable, is to include cards that have benefits to using that creature type. Green could work well with Elementals, Spiders, Wolves, Elves, or find one that looks good to you.
#2: Single Keyword
This is where you'll probably start getting players well on board with your choices for the color. If you build your color strong for a single keyword you'll start to see a clear strategy that players can immediately grasp and get behind. Certain keywords are better than others. "Defender" probably won't be much good, and "Reach" is a risky proposition, as you're counting on someone else having thrown enough "Flying" into the block to make it worthwhile. For our example of Green, the obvious go-to would be "Trample", but you could also shoot for "Hexproof", "Delirium", "Landfall", or anything else there seems to be enough of to make it work well.
#1: Modified Deck
. . . and now we come to the point where this could be too specific, or just specific enough, to make or break your color in the cube. For this one, you're essentially building a single strategy deck and modifying the numbers to make ti work well in a draft format. In Green, this might be a mana-ramping deck, a pit-fighter deck, or even a modified version of a deck you already own (best to pick up all the cube cards as a separate purchase though, since you won't necessarily be getting the same cards back). By this point, you're just taking a deck strategy and making it the definition of that color in that cube.
So, there we go, a few different ways to think through building a contribution to a pot luck cube for your next MTG draft. Hopefully, between Monday and today, you've got the info you need to make this great format a reality for your group.
Happy gaming, all.
So, on Monday, I talked a bit about how to make an event out of having everybody bring Magic cards to combine into what's called a "cube". That article is here in case you missed it.
With all of that level of event hosting-type logistics out of the way, it's time to think about your own contribution to the cube. You'll have a single color to use, for our example, let's go with Green; but that leaves a lot of leeway in terms of what actually shows up to the table. Today, I'll go into a few different ways to approach this, counting down from five.
#5: All-Stars
This is what you'll typically see in a standard cube. Just go through your color and choose some of the best individual cards available. There might be some issues with cohesion of strategy for the player(s) who choose your color, but the quality of individual cards could offset that, especially when considering that players will be taking them home to add to their own decks. In green, you might have cards like Concordant Crossroads or Exploration.
#4: Borrow the Set
When I say "borrow the set", what I mean is to pull all of the cards from the same block, or even the same expansion. This will give a narratively strong set with a cohesive tone, and many of the cards will work well together. That said, you are, in the end, just borrowing on the set design Wizards of the Coast has already done. For highly popular and thematic sets, like the Kamigawa block, the unique feel and relative obscurity of some of these cards might be worth it; but this may not be the way to go for everyone. If you do this, try to find a set that feels "right". The Innistrad feel could come through strong in white, black, or maybe green, but that gothic tone might not translate as well if you're bringing red or blue to the table.
#3: Creature Tribes
This is a slightly modified version of borrowing the set, as Wizards of the Coast has explored single creature sets in the past. However, with MTG's long backlog of cards, some creatures could form an entire set despite never having come together like that before. One thing you'll want to be sure of, if you want to make this really mechanically viable, is to include cards that have benefits to using that creature type. Green could work well with Elementals, Spiders, Wolves, Elves, or find one that looks good to you.
#2: Single Keyword
This is where you'll probably start getting players well on board with your choices for the color. If you build your color strong for a single keyword you'll start to see a clear strategy that players can immediately grasp and get behind. Certain keywords are better than others. "Defender" probably won't be much good, and "Reach" is a risky proposition, as you're counting on someone else having thrown enough "Flying" into the block to make it worthwhile. For our example of Green, the obvious go-to would be "Trample", but you could also shoot for "Hexproof", "Delirium", "Landfall", or anything else there seems to be enough of to make it work well.
#1: Modified Deck
. . . and now we come to the point where this could be too specific, or just specific enough, to make or break your color in the cube. For this one, you're essentially building a single strategy deck and modifying the numbers to make ti work well in a draft format. In Green, this might be a mana-ramping deck, a pit-fighter deck, or even a modified version of a deck you already own (best to pick up all the cube cards as a separate purchase though, since you won't necessarily be getting the same cards back). By this point, you're just taking a deck strategy and making it the definition of that color in that cube.
So, there we go, a few different ways to think through building a contribution to a pot luck cube for your next MTG draft. Hopefully, between Monday and today, you've got the info you need to make this great format a reality for your group.
Happy gaming, all.
Monday, October 24, 2016
How to Pot Luck a Magic the Gathering Cube
Hey all,
I've done this once with friends, and we keep talking about trying to plan another. This is a pot luck MTG cube. To start, let's go into a bit of terminology:
Magic: the Gathering: (a.k.a. "MTG") a trading card game designed by Wizards of the Coast. A good article of the basics of the game can be found here. It may be easiest to learn the game from experienced players if you have the opportunity.
Booster Draft: a trading card game draft is a way of opening booster packs while building a deck. Here is an article that goes into how a draft works, though it does assume some prior knowledge of how MTG works.
Cube: A cube is a set of cards that is used in lieu of booster packs for drafts. The cards in the cube are divided into fifteen card "packs" and used like booster packs; however, the contents of the cube are completely player defined.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Alright, that out of the way, let's talk about your pot luck cube.
Most cubes are made by a single player and are used to turn classic drafting into something more like a deck building game. The cards are in a box, they come out for the game, and they all go back in at the end of the game. If you're looking to make something a little like Magic, but with a board game tone and feel, consider building a cube this way.
Additionally, since most cubes are carefully constructed sets built by a single player; they involve one person working to develop a balanced game, design their cube, and bring others over to play. This is not the style of play we're talking about today.
For a pot luck cube, the game's a little less predictable. Not only are you left wondering what your opponent's are building, but it gradually comes out in subsequent packs what the cube even looks like. You'll know your own contribution, but that leaves a lot of cube that you'll only know when you see it.
The setup for this kind of event involves first bringing together the group to play. You'll ideally want five or six people to play this type of draft. As people RSVP for the event, have them choose a color not yet taken by a prior RSVP. You'll want to get these commitments in early. About a month before the draft, send out a message to let people know who has what color. Stick with single color assignments. For five players, players choose between Red, Blue, Green, White, or Black. For six players, include the option to contribute Colorless to the cube.
For a normal three pack draft, tell each player to bring three rares, nine uncommons, three lands, and thirty commons in their assigned color.
At the event, shuffle together all rares into one pile, all uncommons into another pile, all commons into a third pile, and all lands into the last pile. Once these stacks are shuffled, make each pack with ten commons, three uncommons, one rare, and one land per pack. Some people prefer not to include lands in the drafts, but for this, I like to include them. This gives contributors the option to add non-basic lands to the set.
Then, draft the packs as normal. It's a good idea as well to offer prizes for the contributor elected to have made the best color in the set. This incentivizes people to do well at every stage of the draft, including in building their own contribution to the cube.
. . .and that's it. A pot luck cube can be a bit chaotic, but it's real fun in a casual enough group. What I like best is that, unlike the standard cube, this is a real draft, in that, you bring forty-five cards, and you leave with a different forty-five cards. You get to keep what you draft, unlike standard cubes where the cards get boxed back up for next time.
Happy gaming, all.
I've done this once with friends, and we keep talking about trying to plan another. This is a pot luck MTG cube. To start, let's go into a bit of terminology:
Magic: the Gathering: (a.k.a. "MTG") a trading card game designed by Wizards of the Coast. A good article of the basics of the game can be found here. It may be easiest to learn the game from experienced players if you have the opportunity.
Booster Draft: a trading card game draft is a way of opening booster packs while building a deck. Here is an article that goes into how a draft works, though it does assume some prior knowledge of how MTG works.
Cube: A cube is a set of cards that is used in lieu of booster packs for drafts. The cards in the cube are divided into fifteen card "packs" and used like booster packs; however, the contents of the cube are completely player defined.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Alright, that out of the way, let's talk about your pot luck cube.
Most cubes are made by a single player and are used to turn classic drafting into something more like a deck building game. The cards are in a box, they come out for the game, and they all go back in at the end of the game. If you're looking to make something a little like Magic, but with a board game tone and feel, consider building a cube this way.
Additionally, since most cubes are carefully constructed sets built by a single player; they involve one person working to develop a balanced game, design their cube, and bring others over to play. This is not the style of play we're talking about today.
For a pot luck cube, the game's a little less predictable. Not only are you left wondering what your opponent's are building, but it gradually comes out in subsequent packs what the cube even looks like. You'll know your own contribution, but that leaves a lot of cube that you'll only know when you see it.
The setup for this kind of event involves first bringing together the group to play. You'll ideally want five or six people to play this type of draft. As people RSVP for the event, have them choose a color not yet taken by a prior RSVP. You'll want to get these commitments in early. About a month before the draft, send out a message to let people know who has what color. Stick with single color assignments. For five players, players choose between Red, Blue, Green, White, or Black. For six players, include the option to contribute Colorless to the cube.
For a normal three pack draft, tell each player to bring three rares, nine uncommons, three lands, and thirty commons in their assigned color.
At the event, shuffle together all rares into one pile, all uncommons into another pile, all commons into a third pile, and all lands into the last pile. Once these stacks are shuffled, make each pack with ten commons, three uncommons, one rare, and one land per pack. Some people prefer not to include lands in the drafts, but for this, I like to include them. This gives contributors the option to add non-basic lands to the set.
Then, draft the packs as normal. It's a good idea as well to offer prizes for the contributor elected to have made the best color in the set. This incentivizes people to do well at every stage of the draft, including in building their own contribution to the cube.
. . .and that's it. A pot luck cube can be a bit chaotic, but it's real fun in a casual enough group. What I like best is that, unlike the standard cube, this is a real draft, in that, you bring forty-five cards, and you leave with a different forty-five cards. You get to keep what you draft, unlike standard cubes where the cards get boxed back up for next time.
Happy gaming, all.
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