#RPGaDay2015 - 3rd - Favorite New Game

It's August 2015, and to follow on with the success of last year's #RPGaDay event, David Chapman at Autocratik has created a new list. Each day in August, I'll be posting my "answer" to that day's topic.

Today's post—favorite new game of the last 12 months—was harder than it should have been. I was overthinking really. Is it new or new to me? Do setting count, since they're not a game in and of themselves? I've decided to just write about what I've liked the most this last year.

Dungeons & Dragons 5th Edition is my favorite edition of the game. Previously, my answer would have been 2nd Edition, but 5th Edition is just that good. I love having most of the character abilities rolled back into the classes. I love the simplicity of the inspiration die and advantage/disadvantage. I'm not a fan of Forgotten Realms, but that's just made me want to re-visit setting design, maybe even try a hexcrawl. For the first time in 15 years, I have no complaints about the holy trilogy of gaming: Player's Handbook, Dungeon Master's Guide, Monster Manual.

Many settings released this last year for my favorite RPG, Savage Worlds. Two of them stand out for me: East Texas University (ETU) and The Last Parsec. You can look to yesterday's post and find why ETU is one of this year's favorites, but The Last Parsec, I'll explain here.

The Last Parsec is Shane Hensley's love letter to Star Frontiers. Why is that a big deal? The very first game I GMed was not D&D; it was Star Frontiers. As a kid, I was a much bigger fan of Sci-Fi than I was fantasy, especially Star Trek. I was all about exploring strange new worlds. I remember the Yazirian felt like something between a Klingon and a Wookie to me. I used one as my GM character for that game. The Last Parsec works seamlessly with the Core Rules and the Science Fiction Companion, and Shane & Company certainly captured the feel of my belovedStar Frontiers.

Long Time, No Write

Has it really been six months? Time flies. I plan to start posting regularly to G:TB, so I figured it'd be a good time to update you on what I've been up to, gaming-wise and gaming-related-wise.

For starters, I've been podcasting again. Kristian Serrano over at the Savage Bloggers Network has been kind enough to let me join him on his new weekly podcast, summarizing the news that flows through his feed. If you're a Savage Worlds fan, you should totally check it out. We also do monthly Google Hangouts On Air, where we interview different Savage Worlds personalities. The best place to get into all this is the SBN site. I look forward to seeing you there!

On the gaming front, I've actually been doing less than usual, to include paring back my GMing time. Most Fridays, I play in a Marvel Cinematic Universe Fate Core game, where I am reprising an old Savage Worlds character, the vigilante, Revenant. On Sundays, I am a part-time GM in a 13th Age game, and, starting this Sunday, a Last Parsec game. Once I month, I try to hit my FLGS, Isle of Games on their RPG day, and play in whatever is on the docket. Again, I GM, but only occasionally.

That pretty much sums it up. I've got some ideas floating in my head, begging to find a new home. I also have a couple reviews I would like to get done. I hope you enjoy it!

Crit or Get out of the Chair

Now that I've made my interest in fifth edition Dungeons & Dragons known, I'm considering running a game. This may seem like a no-brainer, but honestly I have some anxiety around running D&D. To be completely honest, I've had very little luck with the game since my teen years.

In the late '90s, I ran second edition just a couple times—a "default D&D" game and a Ravenloft game. Neither moved into campaign play, and the Ravenloft game was a complete failure. The only saving grace of those sessions was that my wife had fun and I introduced my sister-in-law to gaming too.

When third edition came out, I liked what I read and attempted to run The Sunless Citadel. I never finished the module, handing over the DMing reigns to another player. I did get to play a full campaign in third edition, though, at least to 12th level. And I did run some X-Crawl which, while not purely D&D, went well and gave me a chance to flex my dungeon design muscles.

When fourth edition hit the shelves, I was really excited about the possibilities in the system. I attempted to run Keep on the Shadowfell, and for various it just didn't go well. Before long, I realized that fourth edition just didn't feel like D&D to me, and it stood as the last time I got involved with the game.

So here we are with the fifth edition of the best-known roleplaying game in the world, and frankly, I have no idea how to run it.

I certainly have a desire to run the game. Actually I've been itching to get D&D right for years. I think it's part of the reason I've had a tough time keeping other campaigns going—I get the fantasy itch and can't find a way to scratch it. Pathfinder is too complex for my tastes these days, and no other  game system has the feel I recall. I toyed with some retro-clones, but it felt weird "going backwards."

One thing the third and fourth editions taught me is that I need to not run modules, and one related thing in my favor is the amazingness that is the fifth edition Dungeon Master's Guide. If I do run D&D, I'll likely use the DMG to build my campaign and design my adventures. The plan would be to create a homebrew setting, semi-on-the-fly. I'd lean on my players for background information. For example, if a player selected a cleric, they'd help me design their deity.

If I run it, I'll report on the whole journey here.

Until next time, do good, avoid evil, and play more games!

Goodbye 2014; Hello 2015

The year I just left behind was bittersweet for me, to say the least. My family made its second big move in less than 3 1/2 years—back to where we left in 2010. I've returned to Tucson with a  greater appreciation for the place and with one additional family member. I left behind an amazing gaming community in Denver, but there have been great strides made in finding my place back in Tucson's community. My wife and I tried to revive our classic podcast, The Game's the Thing. That didn't work for various reasons. My own weekly gaming has been met with a myriad of challenges in terms of scheduling, player group, Ooh Shiny Syndrome, and my own drive and conviction. Although there were both good and bad, I have to say I'm glad 2014 is over and the prospect of a "clean slate" is an attractive one.

It's my intention to start blogging here again whenever I can. I have a lot of new things I want to try in 2015, from games to gaming techniques and styles. I intend to expand my writing beyond blogs too, and I hope to wax about that here. In addition to the printed word, I am working on a new podcast which will feature me talking with my friends, but minus my beautiful better half, Veronica. There's another podcast and project I'm working on with a friend (Veronica is involved, too, but you won't typically hear us together), which I'll talk about as soon as I can—all I'll say for now is you'll be hearing more about me as a gamer father.

So here's to new beginnings. Keep an eye on this space.

My Own Slump and Evolving My Style

I've been thinking about writing a post about how my gaming is evolving by necessity, but I've had a hard time framing the story. Until now. One of my favorite blogger's, Phil Vecchione over at Gnome Stew, recently released an article about getting into a slump. You should go read it. If you haven't already read it, I'd have to wonder why my blog isn't secondary to many others, especially the excellent Gnome Stew, and an article written by the guy behind the phenomenal Never Unprepared. Think of this article as a response to Phil's, or more appropriately, an attempt to commiserate with him--and hopefully you, if you're going through the same thing.

I've been in my slump for years. I'm not just talking about my well-documented "Ooh, Shiny" Syndrome (going forward, referred to as OSS), I mean a slump. I've spent the better part of the last few years miserable about my GMing, and wracked with guilt about changing the game on my players in search for what I needed to change how I felt. There have been several times I've almost quit GMing completely, but I love it so much I couldn't let it go. That said, it's become apparent that something has to change.

Presently, I'm involved with my friend, Sequoyah's, Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay 3rd Edition game. (Sequoyah's a blogger in his own right; you should check it out.) Sequoyah's game is unique in that he only runs it in short bursts of a few sessions. He also often changes out the players from time-to-time, me being an example. Despite the semi-fleeting nature of the game, Sequoyah manages to have an ongoing story, which still allows for a payoff for both him as a GM, and those players who stick around for more than one of his stories. Whether you're an old hand at his game, or a newcomer, you're guaranteed a solid, well-thought-out story.

Now my OSS prevents me from running the same setting in the way Sequoyah does (and I'm finally comfortable with that notion), but I think I can take something from this. This coming year, I'm starting a new way of running games. I am simply going to prep a story in whatever system/setting I'm feeling at the moment; then I'll invite folks to play. Over time I intend to build a stable of players, while checking off my bucket list of shiny new (and old) games I'd like to run.

I may go back to games from time-to-time--I'll tell my players to keep their characters just in case--but I won't promise anything. Players will be promised an engaging story, but with no long-term commitment, I won't have to feel guilty about changing the game. I'm hoping to expand my GMing skills by trying different styles of games. I want to challenge myself, and know if something doesn't work I can just move on to the next thing. It's also my hope to break my slump.

I can already talk about my first hurdle in this new endeavor. My OSS is thus far preventing me from deciding on my first game! Hopefully I'll be able to get past this and move on with my big plans.

I intend to keep my readers informed about the results of this little experiment, so stay tuned!

@ReverbGamers Master List Number 31

#31: How would your life be different if you'd never gotten into gaming?

Everything would be different. I have a gamer wife (and now a gamer daughter), most of my friends game, I podcast about games, I'm designing three games... See the point here?

I might have more money. I don't even want to think about how much money I have spent on games since that fateful day in 1984 when my friend Tony showed me AD&D. Of course is the money spent indicative to gaming or just part of my personality? Would I own a couple muscle cars or a dozen high-end radio controlled cars if those hobbies had stuck? Who knows?

I don't think I'd be as socially comfortable as I am. I think I became a gamer because I'm social, but I think I've excelled at the art of talking to people because I'm a gamer.

These "what if" questions are always so weird...

Would I go back and change it if I could? Oh, hell no!

@ReverbGamers Master List Number 30

#30: What lessons have you taken from gaming that you can apply to your real life?

I think this question is worded poorly, so I am going to have to answer it twice.

Is the question meant to be: "What lessons have you learned in-game that you've applied to real life?"


To answer it this way, which is the way I think it's meant, I'd have to say sort of. Roleplaying is a very social activity for me. So I've learned how to be more social. I've learned to take chances. And as a GM, I've been semi-forced into looking closely at why people do things and how do different people think. These are all useful things in "real life".

Is the question meant to imply that people who game are not experiencing "real life" when they do so?

I hope this is just a poorly-worded question because otherwise it would be a little insulting. To imply gaming isn't part of real life would be wrong-headed and ignorant. Roleplaying is a part of my life. I roleplay with friends, typically. When I roleplay in public--stores and cons--I make friends. So for me--at least partially--gaming is an activity I take part in as a vehicle for hanging out with my friends. It's very much real life. Have I learned things about "real life" while doing it? Sure. Because I'm talking with people.

@ReverGamers Master List Number 29

#29: What does the word "gamer" mean to you? Is that different than what other people seem to think it means?

I'll answer the second question first. The meaning of the word has changed within my lifetime. So I'll give the progression here.

When I was a kid, the word typically meant a person who plays RPGs and/or, to a lesser extent in the '80s, wargames (in the '70s there was a lot more overlap, I'm told). It was used to self-identify by gamers, and it was used in a derogatory way by non-gamers. "Oh, he's a gamer." I think it was derogatory, mostly to people who didn't understand it.

Today, the word has been co-opted by video games. If you self-identify as a gamer, people typically assume you play a lot of video games. I don't think being labeled a gamer is as negative as it used to be (geek chic and all).

I've taken to calling myself a tabletop gamer or pen and paper gamer or roleplayer. Then I have to explain it. I've also found people who play primarily board games use the term among each other. So essentially, if you are a gamer, and you're not a video gamer, you probably have to explain yourself--that is assuming it matters enough to you to explain.

@ReverbGamers Master List Number 28

#28: Do you have any house rules when you game? What are they, and why do you use them? If not, why not?

There are two house rules. The first one is pretty common. I believe the second one is becoming common.

1) Floor dice don't count. If the dice hit the floor they get re-rolled. This rule is an old one for me. I think it comes from worrying about people cheating when they pick up their die. I'm not so much worried about that today--if cheating is what floats your boat, and it's not negatively affecting the other players, go for it. These days, this rule is just tradition.

2) This rule is completely non-negotiable. Those who play in my house must be kid friendly. This rule is about eight years old at the time of this writing. My wife and I have a daughter. She can be loud and obnoxious. She's been known to interrupt the game on occasion. And we don't apologize for her. If this is a problem for you, you may game elsewhere. Our current weekly game consists of mostly parents and one kid friendly non-parent. The other parents bring their kids too. The reason for this is pretty simple. We want to game. And we would like for our daughter to look at gaming positively. To encourage this, we don't ship her off to a relative or babysitter when we game. It's just something that happens in our house.

Heck, these days, we game with out daughter on occasion.

@ReverbGamers Master List Number 27

#27: If you were an Ent, what kind of Ent would you be? Or, what other NPC creature would you be? Why?

If I could be a creature it would be a dragon, only I wouldn't have a compulsion for gold. I'd rule a large swath of land with benevolence. I'd fight off armies and protect my people.

And that is all.

@ReverbGamers Master List Number 26

#26: Who or what was the most memorable NPC you've ever encountered? Why?

That'd be my version of "One-Eyed" Hank Ketchum. Again, I'm going back to my classic Deadlands campaign. He ended up being in Veronica's character, "Black Widow" Beth's, background as the guy who recruited her. I brought him in as a one-off to kick off the campaign. He was well-liked by the group, so I ended up making him recurring.

He wasn't one of those GM characters that stayed with the group or anything, but he did show up now and then to give the group a mission or nudge them in one direction or another. I never had him saving the day or anything--that's never fun for a group when a GM character has to bail them out all the time.

@ReverbGamers Master List Number 25

#25: If you game enough, you're bound to run into someone being an ass. What's the most asinine thing someone's done in a game with you? How did you react? Did that experience change the way you game?

A long time ago my wife (who was then my girlfriend) and I were playing in a roleplaying game (you'll see why I don't even want to name it here in a moment) with another couple we knew. The game master had a habit of doing really bad crap to his wife's character at every turn. His wife hated it, but he continued. It was kind of dickish and made my wife and I really uncomfortable, but we continued to play because we were friends. One week, this guy had his wife's character beaten and raped. After that session, we just kind of stopped playing. It was too uncomfortable and shocking to even say anything at the time. (These days I'd likely call him on it and walk away on the spot, but I care a lot less what people like that think of me.) We maybe saw the couple one or two times after that--having worked really hard to avoid them--before we moved out of state. To this day, Veronica has an unreasonable hatred for that game.

That situation was more than asinine--it was kind of sick--but there ya go.

@ReverbGamers Master List Number 24

#24: Have you ever been to a game convention? What was it like to be surrounded by so many other gamers? If not, would you like to go to one? Why or why not?

I've definitely been to conventions. Here in Denver, I've been to Genghis Con and TactiCon. In Arizona I've been to the late, greats, RinCon and RandomCon. In North Carolina, I've been to MACE. And I've been to Origins.

I simply love it. Games are my favorite pastime and gamers are my favorite people. Conventions give me the opportunity to try new games and meet new people, either through playing or GMing.

I began attending game conventions after I started The Game's the Thing, so cons also give me the opportunity to meet friends I've made through the show, be they listeners or gaming professionals or both.

The bottom line is, there's no better atmosphere for me than to be surrounded by gamers. It's electric, and if I could, I'd go on a convention tour every year.

@ReverbGamers Master List Number 23

#23: Have you ever experienced Total Party Kill (TPK), or been close to it? What effect did that have on you personally? On your group of players? Have you ever used retroactive continuity (retcon) to save yourself? Why or why not?

I'm not counting convention/demo games or games where that was the point (tournament modules) because there's really no emotional investment in it for me. It's just a fun time where stuff happens. I've never been on the player side of a TPK. I've always been the GM when it comes up.

In the first instance it was during my long-running Deadlands classic campaign I've often discussed. The protagonists were going up against a Native American cult who were using artifacts to drain people of their blood for power. The party split up and ran smack dab into two different encounters, each of which were designed for all of them. I decided to try them out, as is. It was pretty epic, as I  was running two combats, simultaneously. I quickly figured out they weren't going to survive either one, so I ramped up the crazy. One player was left hanging upside down from a rafter, about to be drained. Another player had his arm ripped off and was beaten with it. Finally, as they were all in the process of dying, I used one of the characters killer hindrance combo of Heavy Sleeper and Night Terrors to keep the party alive. My last sentence of the night was, "And that, my friends, is why you don't split the party."

I don't actually believe that advice anymore, but it was still an epic moment in gaming. Once everyone realized their character wasn't dead, they started laughing and admitted to having a good time. It's still talked about, semi-regularly, to this day.

The rest of my TPKs have been related to a combination of overpowered enemies and bad party planning.

There was a Deadlands classic game where I underestimated the toughness of the walkin' dead. Shane Hensley takes his zombies very seriously.

Then in Savage Worlds, the first three times I ran it resulted in a TPK. This was mainly from the players not understanding tactics mattered in Savage Worlds. They weren't using cover well or ganging up, things like that. At one point, Veronica announced she'd never play Savage Worlds again. These days it's work getting her to play anything else.

As far as the effect of a TPK... it depends on the person. For me, I'm disappointed when it happens because I feel like I've done something wrong (and sometimes I have). Other players at my table react in different ways. Some get very emotionally invested in their characters and want to protect them; others couldn't care less because they like changing characters.

I've seen TPKs kill campaigns. One of the three Savage Worlds incidents killed an Evernight campaign we were starting--a campaign I never got to restart or go back to. These days, unless I'm running a tournament module or a crazy campaign game, I avoid them as a GM.

@ReverbGamers Master List Number 22

#22: Describe the worst game you've ever played in. What made it so bad? Did your fellow players help, or make it worse?


I was playing in a Witchcraft game several years ago. A good friend was running the game. He wasn't an experienced GM, but he was not the reason the game was so bad. I was.

I'm a really convincing guy. I could sell Bill Gates an iMac if I needed to. Seriously. And my friend running the game is a really nice guy, and kind of a pushover.

Basically, I ran roughshod over him and the game with my ideas. I got him to say yes a lot, and the game stopped being a game. The other players joined in, and they ran all over him too. I felt really bad about it. The game didn't last long, and I've never seen him GM since.

Heck, I've never run or played Witchcraft since. Suckage.

@ReverbGamers Master List Number 21

#21: What's the best bribe you've ever given (or received as) a GM? What did you get (give) for it?

Wow, I'm not proud of the answer coming, but it's the truth. As recently as the late nineties, I would give players extra XP or special items for their characters if they bought me supplements for the game I was running. The sad part of it is I had many takers.

Bribery isn't the sort of behavior I'd engage in anymore, but it sure was easier on my gaming budget in my younger days.

@ReverbGamers Master List Number 20

#20: What was the most memorable character death you've ever experienced? What makes it stick with you?

There was a regular Mage: The Ascension game I was playing in at a coffee shop. I played a Euthanatos mage who had the delusion flaw. He thought he was an action hero. It was a lot of fun playing this guy because I had to figure out how to use Entropy in ways that I could reason would make my character look like an action hero.

Anyway, there was this huge battle with the Technocracy. All the marbles were on the line. My character used his power to essentially save the day, and to hell with the Paradox in doing it. Basically, he kind of exploded. It was spectacular--skin bulging and pulsing until BOOM!

It was one of those "holy crap!" moments in gaming I'll never forget. Best. Suicide. Ever.

@ReverbGamers Master List Number 19

#19: What's the weirdest character you've ever played? How did you end up with him/her/it?

In a previous post, I mentioned my wife took a stab at GMing Deadlands. Soon after that stint it was time for a new campaign, and she agreed to back me up by sharing the GM role. One of the goals we had was to have a story reason for us to switch off. Enter "Black" Jack and "Red Hand" Jill.

Jack and Jill were huckster twins who lost a deal with the devil (heh... that even reads like a sick nursery rhyme). The result was they were both forced to occupy the same space--only one of them could exist at a time. When one was in the world, the other was off being tortured in some other dimension. The whole thing made for some interesting storytelling and allowed us to switch off when necessary. Also, the group always had a huckster.

We didn't get to play them long. The campaign died due to the curse of Canyon o' Doom--an adventure which, every time we started it, it killed our campaign. It was no fault of the adventures content; it was just cursed. Seriously.

@ReverbGamers Master List Number 18

#18: Have you ever "cheated" on a die roll/random chance outcome, or looked up a quest solution on a fan site? Why or why not? If yes, was it worth it?

As a player, I'd love to say no, but it isn't technically true. When I was a teen, and into my early 20s, I did fudge the occasional die roll when the GM wasn't looking. I had a need to "win" at the time, as it was long before I understood the value of falling forward in a game or the growth that comes from failure. I also think it was at least partly a result of the "whiff factor" prevalent in so many games. It's hard to take when you're facing down the "big bad" only to roll a "2" on your d20. I don't do it any more. I let the dice fall where they may.

As a GM, I used to fudge rolls all the time, all in the name of "story." In recent years, I've taken a "roll in front of the screen" mentality. It's improved my games because my players know there's real danger when I roll the dice. That said, I don't typically let a die roll be the sole arbiter of character death--I always involve the player when that comes up.

Since I've learned failure can have more to do with intent than the listed action, I take some liberty with that, as well. Hanging off a cliff and botch your climb roll? Rather than fall to your death, I may beat you up a bit on your way down. And if you want to get to the top of that cliff, you won't be climbing there. Find another way. This beats the heck out of: "You die. Here's a new character sheet."

@ReverbGamers Master List Number 17

#17: What was the best reward you've ever gotten in a game? What made it so great? How much do you need tangible rewards (loot, leveling, etc.) to enjoy a game?

Probably the best in-game reward was in a D&D 3.x game. Our whole party received custom magic items that leveled with us. Basically new powers and abilities were added as the game went on. The DM gave us a little control (in the form of requests) as to how they changed over time. Mine was a cloak, which was fitting for a rogue. Aside from the leveling aspect, what made it so great was these items tied in to adventurers from history, and their spirits were eventually there to help us beat the "big bad" of the campaign. So having a story tie-in was the main thing.

In general, I like characters that upgrade--new levels, abilities, etc.--but I think that has more to do with conditioning than any sort of need. I played in a FATE campaign, where it turned out I was just as happy being able to swap skills around and modifying aspects was just as gratifying. My character never actually got better. I think this means I'm less about the trappings of change and more about the change itself.

Hmm... There's something to this revelation. I think I will delve into it in a future post.