First appeal to the Indie Crowd at Story Games

Ok, on the advice of the guys at the Indie Explosion (Independent Game Developers) I put out a call for game testers in the Westchester area. Lets see what comes of that. It would be great to start some focused play testing, at the very least on the ODS system, but also the Mythic Template System as well (not to mention the web application).

Ok, here we go.

You can find my post here:

http://www.story-games.com/forums/comments.php?DiscussionID=5454

Dreamation 2008

Ok, well I had a bunch of schedule conflicts this weekend so I was only able to make it to Dreamation 2008 on Sunday. :(

But it was well worth it to drive to New Jersey, and as a bonus I got to sit in on the Game Design Panel for a second time. That was very interesting and much larger than the one in the summer. A number of people shot the shit about their games and got tons of hard-knuckle feedback, myself included. Overall, I think the reaction to my game was positive, and one item at least was identified as unique to my approach, which was gratifying. I got to hang out with the designers for a while before heading home. Again, I found Luke Crane, John Hicks, Rob Donoghue and the rest of the Indie crowd really high energy, enthusiastic, welcoming, funny, hard-hitting, and fun. I give the experience an A+.

I also got a really great play description about A Wicked Age, btw. We discussed various ways that I might be able to adapt the concept and system for my own way of playing my homebrew system, which the guys were rather enthusiastic about. Adaptation and reuse is a key component of the Indie Scene and encouraged rather than discouraged, which makes it all rather cool. The short version is that it would be possible to utilize components of the game in a variety of ways, and the one that struck me as interesting for my own purposes would be something in the way of using it as the basis for a Social Combat system. I'd have to add a few Wicked Age requisites, and apply the rules in certain circumstances, but it can be done.

The downside of the rules, from what I could gather from the discussion and lots of questions and answers from the guys who played it, and the designer who was hanging out, for *me* (ie - this are downsides only because of my own play biases and not because of any inherent defect in the game itself), is that the game tends to lean towards short term games rather than long term, and it does not really focus on the tactical combat element of the traditional RPG, which is something I happen to be a fan of. I'm with Rich at Overstuffed Dicebag (http://overstuffed-dicebag.blogspot.com/) who in a recent post* pointed out that having a balance between tactics and story is not a bad thing. That said, there are tons of great ideas in the A Wicked Age (the Oracle System is another thing that I think has generic usefulness, potentially), and if I can adapt the elements I like for my own use I certainly will. But first I have
to obtain a copy. The frustrating part was that I showed up without cash, and the ATM at the hotel ran out of money, and the gas station with the ATM the hotel recommended was closed. Bleh. So I couldn't buy anything. And I had a devil of a time getting home, too. But it all worked out in the end.

If you are interested in checking out the game you can look for it here:

http://lumpley.com/wicked.html

I also thought this game showed promise:

http://www.chimera.info/nine-worlds/

But like I said, I couldn't make it this time until Sunday, and so I had no chance to play anything, and little time to browse around. Drat! Well, there's always the summer DexCon.

* http://overstuffed-dicebag.blogspot.com/2008/01/defending-gamist-and-simulationist-play.html

And now back to Elthos Development!


The Elthosian Magican Astro-Tarot Card (late stage draft)

Inching forward...

Ok making slow but reasonably steady progress on the overall Elthos Project. There's lots of moving parts to this including:

Elthos ODS Rules PDF (almost final)
Elthos Website Application (almost finished)
Elthos Communications Channels (in progress)
Elthos Business (in progress)

So there's actually a lot going on. Gee, it turns out this is a lot of work! :P

But I will get there eventually. Patience is a gentle virtue.

Elthos Website...

Well, making steady progress on the Website. While it's not really complete yet, and has a few place holders with blurbs rather than information, it does seem to be shaping up nicely.

I'm also going through the Elthos ODS Rules Book and weeding out extraneous stuff, and slimming it down even further. So that's coming along nicely. Soon...

On other fronts: I finished reading "Dogs in the Vineyard" and am not onto "Shadows of Yesterday". These are two Indie RPGs that have gained a lot of popularity in certain circles and so I want to see what all the hubbub is about. I really must say that in the case of DitV it's got a lot going for it. What I particularly like is the scenario development process. The way DitV establishes scenes along psychological and moral lines is intriguing. I am going to consider that methodology and try to genercise it for my game.

I've only just started with SoY so I'm not sure what I think of it yet. However, I did notice at least one thing of interest, in relation to recent discussions on Lessons in the LRPGSW. The Rules for regeneration of Character points is based on doing things WITH someone else (only). There is a reason for this, and I sense that the author has a "lesson to be learned" from that particular mechanic. Hmmm... interesting.

Well, back to work for me. :) Yay.

Working!

Ok since DexCon 10 things have picked up remarkably. I met some very cool people and learned a lot of important stuff about the RPG marketplace. It's rather a bit different than I had thought. So that's good. Well, what's good is that I now it's different. However the differences are ... hmmm ... well different. I was expecting to find a strong and thriving market, for one thing. Instead I find a market that is extremely weak, in terms of both dollars and unity of purpose.

There seems to be a war going on between the Indie and Traditionalist game players. I have my own views as to what this war is about and they are expressed on the theRPGSite forum:

My bit part in the Great War started here...
http://www.therpgsite.com/forums/showthread.php?t=6833

Thoughts on the state of the industry...
http://www.therpgsite.com/forums/showpost.php?p=124968&postcount=14
http://www.therpgsite.com/forums/showpost.php?p=125406&postcount=33

So the odd thing is that there's this war going on. I didn't expect that. I even got myself roundly trounced for it. Hmmm...

As for the Elthos Project I'm working hard on putting it all together. I have a big old task list now and am working through it. Aside from reading and listenning to the recommended items by those good folk out on LRGPSW, I spent the weekend working on the website and revamping it using Expression Web. That went well.

Next on the list is to finish the Power 19 questions, even if for just myself, and to listen to the remaining podcasts recommended by Tim.

I decided to split out the Rules into a completely separate book from the World Weaving Guide (Setting) and the Gamesmaster's Guide. These will probably turn into three books instead of one.

My reasoning is that the Rules can be played independently from Setting, and so they should be in a separate book without Setting information. But a Settings Book should be available to go with it. By this the GM should KNOW that the two can be decoupled and you can use any Setting you want with the Rules and vice versa. Makes sense to me. The Gamesmaster's Guide is there to provide insight as to how I GM my world, and provide advice on that rather complex topic. It will also include a review of How I made Money Gamesmastering! That should be of interest.

The ODS Toolbox is pretty much finished, as are the base ODS Rules. I figure the book should come to roughly 12 pages of Rules and a few print sheets. The Setting Book (World Weaver's Guide) should be somewhat larger as there's a lot to be said regarding Elthos. I could and probably will make that into a section of the Website under the Member's Area, as well as a downloadable PDF or Lulu printable file.

Once the website and the PDFs are finished I need to optimize the Toolbox and get it online with subscription services. And then I will be ready to launch. Yay.

DexCon 10 - Indie Explosion!

Last weekend I went to DexCon 10 and mostly hung out at the Indie Explosion! It was a blast (eh... bad pun, bad!). I had a great time. I played 'Fae Noir' which I really enjoyed. The game system and the setting are both attractive in so far as the setting is interesting and the game system is suitable for that setting. The world is set in the 1920's. World War I has not ended, but evolved into something completely different. To the surprise of secular civilization, the Fae have decided to return to earth from Arcadia after a 500 year sojourn. And so when they arrive they find the world at war and so they decided that taking over the world could just work for them. Sneaky and magical they infiltrate and begin to succeed. Then, when the humans catch on, World War I morphs into something more like the Great Fae War. What's interesting is that some of the fae like human civilization and switch sides, and vice versa. So the world is a confusing grab bag of magic and technology where you can't be sure whose who or what's what. And gosh, it's a lot of fun. The Gamesmaster for our 'Fae Noir' game was Tom Tancredi, and I thought he showed a good command of the game rules and the setting, and his improvisations were spot on.

I also attended two panel discussions with 'the Indie guys'. The first was on "How to market your RPG". That was great and I got a lot of great advice from Rob Donoghue of EvilHat Games and the other guys whose names I (very) regretably didn't catch in my notes. Darnit. Lesson learned! Anyway, everyone gave me really excellent thoughts and advice. Superior.

I then sat in on Luke Crane's 'Burning Empire' game which was incredible. The game and the Gamesmastering fit together fantastically and I was deeply impressed by Lukes mastery of Gamesmastering. Really fun.

Next I went on to another Panel on "Game Design" with Rob D, Luke, Fred Hicks, Russ Collins, and Don Corcoran. That was really interesting. The guys talked about the Indie scene and where it's going and the challenges. Then when Luke came in they wound up grilling me on my game. I think it went really well in so far as they asked me really challenging questions and I actually produced answers that made sense to them. Nice. It also gave me a chance to really think about the goals of my game and how I'm executing them. Very cool. I got some good bullet point statements out of it for sure.

Generally I milled around and met people and bought a slew of Indie games to read. I want to compare the Indie game rules to my own system. The most important aspect has to do with how the Indie guys are attempting to forge new directions in terms of the the Gamesmaster-Player relationship. There's a lot of friction over the concept of "Player Empowerment" and I want to get a handle on it, and see what the Indie rules have to say. I got 'Dogs in the Vineyard', 'Polaris', 'Universalis', 'Fae Noir', and 'Shadows of Yesterday'. They look great. I'm about halfway through DitV now. So far so good. I particularly like the setting so far. Interesting.

The adventure to New Jersey was great. I'm really really glad I went. Afterwards I got references to links to various useful forums and started this thread at theRPGSite: DexCon 10, Indie Explosion! - Photos which you will see turned into a huge flame war. Wow. Did NOT expect that. However, in the end I think it may have resulted in more good than bad, perhaps. You can catch some of the positive fallout at Q&A: Luke Crane.

This week I've spent assimilating this material and working on a new document which is titled "Aspects of Gamesmastering". More on that another time.

- Mark

On Not Rushing The Story

So ... here we are ... we few ... we Gamesmasters who envision the possibilities of more Literary Quality Worlds ...

We stand at the dawn of a new era of Games with the RPG. It is very exciting. Our Players clamoring for action and adventure before us, our World Woven back-story behind us, our books, charts, papers, pencils, dice on the table ... and what do we do?

In our excitement we rush the story.

We ... must ... gain ... control ... of ... ourselves.

Rushing the story is the equivalent of an author who rushes the book straight into the plot, without any setup or background. As we read the details of the Character actions, we don't get much sense of their lives, nor of the community, nor terrain, nor weather, nor much of what all else is going on in the world, with the exception of those things which directly impact the immediate Plot. In a book I think we'd all agree that this is not what we expect. Nor, usually, does it amount to high quality literary work.

In our RPGs, my question to the group is this: Do we find ourselves rushing the story? How much time do you spend with the Players giving them information about the World itself, before plunging into the Adventure?

Stories like to have a beginning, middle and end. And the Hero's Journey usually begins with the Hero in quite the ordinary world. There is setup. There is back-story. The Hero lives in the little village of Hamfest. His life, before the adventure, consists primarily of ordinary things. Feeding the hogs, cleaning the barn, repairing the leather on his old worn out shoes. At the time of year where the adventure is to begin there is a freezing wind coming down off of the eastern mountains, and the pond is still frozen from the long brutal winter. A hog died this winter, frozen after falling through a crack in the ice of Foxwood stream that bounds
North Stye. Mrs. Hogsworth, the old matron of the household, scolds her children while cooking eggs and bacon for breakfast. Old Jeremiah is whittling a stick at the head of the long wooden table in the kitchen reflecting on the hardships they've all endured, and hoping that this year they can save enough money to mend the door of the barn and if they're lucky purchase a new wagon in the small village of Hamfest, several miles off. He remembers last year's Spring Fare with some small pleasure - the joy the children all got from seeing the sites, the foods, the actors, and the magicians and clowns. He then remembers darkly, his brow furrowing, the strange adventures that began just after the fair, and how in the end the McFearson's house burned down and the little McFearson girl, Mary, was killed, and how the McFearson's moved away after that. The children are all figiting and two of them start an argument over whose turn it is to clean the stalls in the barn. Jeremiah looks up sternly and says, "Gorn, I reckon its your turn today. And make sure you get the corners. Afterwards we'll all head out this afternoon to go look at the McFearson House on the hill - there's been strange sounds coming from up the Hill and I'm thinkin we best go see what it is." Outside the wind begins to howl, and in the distance thunder can be heard. The children all shiver.

That's the setup. Notice the background information about the local area, the region, the homey setting, the ordinariness. This is how adventures begin. It's a story. It has a beginning and the beginning has a texture, a context, atmosphere, history, and gives us an idea of who is who, and what is what. THEN the Adventure
begins.

That's the thought for today, Gamesmasters. I hope this helps. Try stopping for a moment before your Game begins. Breath in. Breath out. Reflect on the back-story of your game World. Think about who your Characters are, and what they do, and what they are doing, and what the mood and setting are. Then when you begin, instead of just starting into the action with "Ok, what are you people doing?", try deliberately setting the mood. Begin the story ... "And so... on this Fourth Day of the Month of Googlak... we find our Heroes trudging through the misty swamps of Hoggoroth, under a cloud of stinging insects, boots drenched with mud, slogging
under heavy loads and pouring sweat as they mumble and mutter curses for the foul luck they've had of late..." ... and so on.

Then, amid the Action, try at logical breaking points (after they've slain the monster, as they are leaving the dungeon, as they enter the town, as they enter the bar - ie - where Scenes break) adding the same kind of flavor and detail.

Some GMs I know are pressured to "Get things going!" by their Players who want ACTION. That's understandable. We all want Action. However, there is a certain enjoyment that comes from a pleasure delayed. And there is a certain story-element that goes missing when the context of the story is limited because we've leap
straight into the action (plot).

Players, I find, really do appreciate it when the GM gives them the context, back-story and setup before the Adventure begins. It draws them into the Story. Into the World.

The Middle of the story is all of the Plot and Adventure where the Heroes engage the World. That we know how to do.

The End of the story is where the Heroes return home. If all went well and they did not perish, they return home to find the Ordinary World is still going along as it always does. Jeremiah at his whittling, Mrs. Hogsworth sweeping the kitchen and scolding her children. The wind is still cold, and the barn still needs to be
mended.

So my advice is to not rush the story. Remember Beginning, Middle and End.

- Mark