Wow, you know our 9th anniversary passed us by back in March and I didn’t even mention it. Unfortunately, the reason is that there have been a lot of personal issues going on in my life since last November that have pulled me away from the site and the updates. I’m hoping everything will straighten out soon, but life has a way of taking it’s own course and all we can do to get by is just weather the storm and hang in there. I know most of you out there understand what I am trying to say.
Nonetheless, the site is still here and we have no plans on going anywhere any time soon. While many SWRPG sites come and go we’ve always been in the same spot, doing our thing and trying to entertain and help folks in the RPG community for nine years running and I’m damn proud of that.
Hopefully things will even out soon and my life will get back to some semblance of normalcy and I’ll be able to do something special for our 10th anniversary. For now however, I encourage new visitors to take a while to get lost in our site and enjoy the adventures of Raptor Squad and encourage those of you who are old friends to take a few minutes to poke around and maybe find a nugget here or there you forgot about. And of course, as always, I welcome your feedback, it certainly keeps us going and means a lot.
Thank you all and God bless.
Showing posts with label Role Playing Games. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Role Playing Games. Show all posts
Sunday, May 30, 2010
Wednesday, October 7, 2009
The Black Hat is Back in Original Form.....
I'm back from vacation, tanned, rested and ready to rock!
So to speak.
Look for blog posts regarding my current fantasy game, especially some of the props I use/have created for it.
So to speak.
Look for blog posts regarding my current fantasy game, especially some of the props I use/have created for it.
Friday, August 7, 2009
Why So Serious?
You know, I read a lot of blogs. Being fortunate enough to have a job that literally allows me to work on my hobbies while paying me a crazy amount of money, I fill about six of the eight hours of my day at work by surfing the web, working on fiction and reading the musings of others gamers.
And one thing I noticed is this:
People take this hobby or ours way too damn seriously.
Really...for all of the rhetoric, discussion and emotional investment I've seen people make, in the end, it's just something to do for fun. Now, if arguing and beating your head against the wall is your idea of fun, so be it. But me? I like to just sit down and toss some dice. That’s it, pure and simple.
Sure, I run a website based off an old campaign I used to participate in, but again, that’s more so that I can continue other hobbies I have, namely writing and creating art. The website simply offers inspiration.
But man, a lot of people seem to have a lot to say about something we all seem to do just for fun, and not always in the nicest or most respectable of ways.
I guess it's the need to be heard. Or the need some feel for validation of this hobby, or something. Hell, maybe it's just to try to feel smarter than the next guy because you can stat out a 13th level half human, half dragon wizard blindfolded while sucking on a Popsicle, I really don't know.
Funny thing, and I guess this gives rise to why we hear so much about the Old School Renaissance lately, is that ultimately, the pen and paper RPG is going to die.
Sure, it might take a while, and yeah, there are going to continue to be those who play it, and even those who write homebrewed stuff, but eventually, as technology advances and the generations get further and further away from the original RPG roots, the demand for something as archaic as a pen and paper rpg is going to die off. Hell, it's already happening. You see how small publishers struggle and try to adapt, only, ultimately, to fail (or publish their stuff for next to nothing on the web as PDF's). Even the big daddy, Wizards is struggling and constantly adapting it's business model to try to keep up with the changing desires of its consumers. But that's also just delaying the inevitable, because ultimately, the cost-to-profit ratio will make producing these books bad business, and Wizards will turn away from P&P Rpg's and become enveloped into other areas of Hasbro (which I think is happening already-gradually). It may not be in the next few years, but eventually, as video games continue to evolve (see Project Natal for the 360, but I know you already have, haventhcha?)the new generations of gamers who grew up on video game RPG's won't even look twice at a dice bag, or if they do, they'll wonder what the hell you do with it. That's technology filks, and it's not just hitting the RPG industry...look at Baseball cards, or any other hobby that falls into the category of a "niche" hobby...they have their heyday, then, gradually, disappear as something else takes their place.
I think this whole "OSR" as it's being called is simply older players trying to come to grips with the fact that their hobby will one day be as dead as they will. In many ways, I think this has whole movement is spawned not from a sense of nostalgia, but adult gamers trying to come to grips with their own mortality. And I think what gave it rise with the death of Gary Gygax. When we saw the father of the RPG die, followed by the death of Dave Arneson, it resonated with us, reminding us that we are all mortal, and to a degree, their death foreshadows the death of the RPG as we know it.
So, players and lovers of the game do what we ALL do when faced with the imminent demise of something we love: We try to resurrect it in some way.
Thus the OSR.
At the end of the day, I think we should all put differences, preferences and rhetoric aside and just sit down and enjoy what we have for as long as we have it. And if blogging endlessly about it is your way of taking the game off of the table and into a place where you can enjoy it, well, I guess I can get behind that too.
But the "old school" versus "new school" discussions are laughable, because at the end of the day, on a long enough timeline, it's all "old school".
So seriously, just game.
And one thing I noticed is this:
People take this hobby or ours way too damn seriously.
Really...for all of the rhetoric, discussion and emotional investment I've seen people make, in the end, it's just something to do for fun. Now, if arguing and beating your head against the wall is your idea of fun, so be it. But me? I like to just sit down and toss some dice. That’s it, pure and simple.
Sure, I run a website based off an old campaign I used to participate in, but again, that’s more so that I can continue other hobbies I have, namely writing and creating art. The website simply offers inspiration.
But man, a lot of people seem to have a lot to say about something we all seem to do just for fun, and not always in the nicest or most respectable of ways.
I guess it's the need to be heard. Or the need some feel for validation of this hobby, or something. Hell, maybe it's just to try to feel smarter than the next guy because you can stat out a 13th level half human, half dragon wizard blindfolded while sucking on a Popsicle, I really don't know.
Funny thing, and I guess this gives rise to why we hear so much about the Old School Renaissance lately, is that ultimately, the pen and paper RPG is going to die.
Sure, it might take a while, and yeah, there are going to continue to be those who play it, and even those who write homebrewed stuff, but eventually, as technology advances and the generations get further and further away from the original RPG roots, the demand for something as archaic as a pen and paper rpg is going to die off. Hell, it's already happening. You see how small publishers struggle and try to adapt, only, ultimately, to fail (or publish their stuff for next to nothing on the web as PDF's). Even the big daddy, Wizards is struggling and constantly adapting it's business model to try to keep up with the changing desires of its consumers. But that's also just delaying the inevitable, because ultimately, the cost-to-profit ratio will make producing these books bad business, and Wizards will turn away from P&P Rpg's and become enveloped into other areas of Hasbro (which I think is happening already-gradually). It may not be in the next few years, but eventually, as video games continue to evolve (see Project Natal for the 360, but I know you already have, haventhcha?)the new generations of gamers who grew up on video game RPG's won't even look twice at a dice bag, or if they do, they'll wonder what the hell you do with it. That's technology filks, and it's not just hitting the RPG industry...look at Baseball cards, or any other hobby that falls into the category of a "niche" hobby...they have their heyday, then, gradually, disappear as something else takes their place.
I think this whole "OSR" as it's being called is simply older players trying to come to grips with the fact that their hobby will one day be as dead as they will. In many ways, I think this has whole movement is spawned not from a sense of nostalgia, but adult gamers trying to come to grips with their own mortality. And I think what gave it rise with the death of Gary Gygax. When we saw the father of the RPG die, followed by the death of Dave Arneson, it resonated with us, reminding us that we are all mortal, and to a degree, their death foreshadows the death of the RPG as we know it.
So, players and lovers of the game do what we ALL do when faced with the imminent demise of something we love: We try to resurrect it in some way.
Thus the OSR.
At the end of the day, I think we should all put differences, preferences and rhetoric aside and just sit down and enjoy what we have for as long as we have it. And if blogging endlessly about it is your way of taking the game off of the table and into a place where you can enjoy it, well, I guess I can get behind that too.
But the "old school" versus "new school" discussions are laughable, because at the end of the day, on a long enough timeline, it's all "old school".
So seriously, just game.
Monday, July 20, 2009
New Fiction is up!!!!
Well, I've put off posting the new ficiton long enough! It's as my wife said, "If you wait until you have everything done you want to get done you won't be posting the fiction for at least another month or longer."
Well, she's right! And since this fiction has been ready to go up for the past few months, I see no reason to delay it any longer just so I can be a perfectionist. Anyway! It's here! And it's up! You can follow the link below to find it and I think you will enjoy it. Book III wraps up the Episode: 10 Rebirth story line and ushers in a new age in Raptor Squad mythology. Questions are answered, new ones are asked and the teams heads in a different and exciting direction. The tension and drama are ramped up in this one folks, and the sparks begin to fly! Friendships are broken, people are betrayed and characters die! So! Enjoy the read and of course we would love to hear your feedback.
Raptorsquad.Net
Well, she's right! And since this fiction has been ready to go up for the past few months, I see no reason to delay it any longer just so I can be a perfectionist. Anyway! It's here! And it's up! You can follow the link below to find it and I think you will enjoy it. Book III wraps up the Episode: 10 Rebirth story line and ushers in a new age in Raptor Squad mythology. Questions are answered, new ones are asked and the teams heads in a different and exciting direction. The tension and drama are ramped up in this one folks, and the sparks begin to fly! Friendships are broken, people are betrayed and characters die! So! Enjoy the read and of course we would love to hear your feedback.
Raptorsquad.Net
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
Walkin' & Talkin'
My wife Elfgirl and I went for a walk the other night around our neighborhood, and the following discussion transpired. I thought it was interesting and wanted to go ahead and post it here, and to me, this sums up the difference as to why I prefer D6 above all other systems I’ve played.
Enjoy
Me: You know what I don’t understand…you and your sister used to play old school D&D when you were young, where character deaths occurred like, every five minutes.
Elfgirl: True. In the Temple of Elemental Evil we went through a few characters each.
Me: Right. So now, when your characters die, or even get close to dying, you guys act like I just ran over your kitten with a lawn mower. What gives? Shouldn’t you guys be numb to TPK’s and character death by now?
Elfgirl: Well, it’s not the same.
Me: How so? And speed up, you’re lagging.
Elfgirl: Well, in old school D&D you really had no control over your character’s stats. They were randomly generated and you had whatever you rolled. You were basically “trapped” by whatever the dice came up. In D6 you can customize your character- put your D wherever you want and in what abilities you think the character will utilize the most.
Me: Ah…
Elfgirl: Yeah, it makes you more in tune and connected to your character. When you can craft your PC from the ground up, customizing what they are and what abilities and skills they have, it’s a greater investment as a player, rather than having some random rolls determine what your character is good at.
Me: So when your creation is threatened, it’s not just some character that was effectively thrust on you that you had little real control over creating (outside of a name), it’s more disconcerting.
Elfgirl: Right. We, as players, have invested a lot of time crafting our PC’s to be what we want, so when they take a beating or die, there is a greater sense of loss.
Me: Gotcha. Well that makes sense. Still, the game is pretty lethal, so at the end of the day, your PC’s, and by extension, you the players, need to start using your heads a little more and investing some time in studying your inventory and what you have and what you can use in certain situations. It’s not my job to remind you that you have a potion or scroll that would help you out of a bind, it’s YOUR job to remember these things, and if you don’t? Well, I see that as little different than taking an ill-advised course of action that results in a PC’s death. At the end of the day, in my game, as in life, ignorance is no excuse.
So!
An interesting discussion I thought.
Enjoy
Me: You know what I don’t understand…you and your sister used to play old school D&D when you were young, where character deaths occurred like, every five minutes.
Elfgirl: True. In the Temple of Elemental Evil we went through a few characters each.
Me: Right. So now, when your characters die, or even get close to dying, you guys act like I just ran over your kitten with a lawn mower. What gives? Shouldn’t you guys be numb to TPK’s and character death by now?
Elfgirl: Well, it’s not the same.
Me: How so? And speed up, you’re lagging.
Elfgirl: Well, in old school D&D you really had no control over your character’s stats. They were randomly generated and you had whatever you rolled. You were basically “trapped” by whatever the dice came up. In D6 you can customize your character- put your D wherever you want and in what abilities you think the character will utilize the most.
Me: Ah…
Elfgirl: Yeah, it makes you more in tune and connected to your character. When you can craft your PC from the ground up, customizing what they are and what abilities and skills they have, it’s a greater investment as a player, rather than having some random rolls determine what your character is good at.
Me: So when your creation is threatened, it’s not just some character that was effectively thrust on you that you had little real control over creating (outside of a name), it’s more disconcerting.
Elfgirl: Right. We, as players, have invested a lot of time crafting our PC’s to be what we want, so when they take a beating or die, there is a greater sense of loss.
Me: Gotcha. Well that makes sense. Still, the game is pretty lethal, so at the end of the day, your PC’s, and by extension, you the players, need to start using your heads a little more and investing some time in studying your inventory and what you have and what you can use in certain situations. It’s not my job to remind you that you have a potion or scroll that would help you out of a bind, it’s YOUR job to remember these things, and if you don’t? Well, I see that as little different than taking an ill-advised course of action that results in a PC’s death. At the end of the day, in my game, as in life, ignorance is no excuse.
So!
An interesting discussion I thought.
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
Days of Future Past
Small update this time. Cleaned up the Links section and doctored up some code on various pages. Wow, in deleting some of the links from the site it appears the state of SWRPG websites is kinda depressing. No worries though, your pals here at RS will be around for quite a while.
The above sentence was written almost eight years ago.
Man how things have changed- and not necessarily for the better.
I’m not going to waste time reminiscing about how the SWRPG community used to be, suffice to say though, that it was a hell of a lot better than it is now-especially because there was a community. Now? Now I honestly can’t say that.
It’s sad really, to see sites wither away and die off. Hell, the laundry list of great sites that have disappeared goes on and on:
StarwarsRPG.net
Tales of the Lost Star Warriors
Jedi Sanctuary
SWRPG Reviewed Sites
Elrood Sector: Tales of the Freespirit
Servais Sector
Just to go to those pages and see 404 messages or placeholder pages makes my stomach churn.
Yeah, I know a lot of it is because people get older, responsibilities change and they lose interest. But that doesn’t make it any better.
Ultimately, I know Raptor Squad won’t last forever either. I’m sure, some day in the future I’ll fall prey to the ravages of real life (and have already in some cases) and the site will cease to be updated with new content.
But I can guarantee you this folks: As long as it’s within my power, the site isn’t going anywhere. And I have a few things to do before I hang it up for good. We’ve been going strong for over eight years and too much work and sweat and effort and cash has gone into this site for me to just shut it down and walk away.
I’m proud of what I’ve created, because I feel like it’s unique and special and not something you can see just anywhere, and to let it die off like some sites have would be a disservice not only to the community but to what the site stands for and the people who have worked hard to make it what it is.
So! We’ve still got some gas in the tank, still have a few destinations to hit before we wrap up this crazy wild trip, and I can keep going for a few hundred more miles at least (course’ every now and then I might need to pull off at a rest stop and take a break), hopefully you folks will sit tight and see where we take you.
I promise you it will be worth it.
The above sentence was written almost eight years ago.
Man how things have changed- and not necessarily for the better.
I’m not going to waste time reminiscing about how the SWRPG community used to be, suffice to say though, that it was a hell of a lot better than it is now-especially because there was a community. Now? Now I honestly can’t say that.
It’s sad really, to see sites wither away and die off. Hell, the laundry list of great sites that have disappeared goes on and on:
StarwarsRPG.net
Tales of the Lost Star Warriors
Jedi Sanctuary
SWRPG Reviewed Sites
Elrood Sector: Tales of the Freespirit
Servais Sector
Just to go to those pages and see 404 messages or placeholder pages makes my stomach churn.
Yeah, I know a lot of it is because people get older, responsibilities change and they lose interest. But that doesn’t make it any better.
Ultimately, I know Raptor Squad won’t last forever either. I’m sure, some day in the future I’ll fall prey to the ravages of real life (and have already in some cases) and the site will cease to be updated with new content.
But I can guarantee you this folks: As long as it’s within my power, the site isn’t going anywhere. And I have a few things to do before I hang it up for good. We’ve been going strong for over eight years and too much work and sweat and effort and cash has gone into this site for me to just shut it down and walk away.
I’m proud of what I’ve created, because I feel like it’s unique and special and not something you can see just anywhere, and to let it die off like some sites have would be a disservice not only to the community but to what the site stands for and the people who have worked hard to make it what it is.
So! We’ve still got some gas in the tank, still have a few destinations to hit before we wrap up this crazy wild trip, and I can keep going for a few hundred more miles at least (course’ every now and then I might need to pull off at a rest stop and take a break), hopefully you folks will sit tight and see where we take you.
I promise you it will be worth it.
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
Ep 10 Book 3 is DONE!
Finished! Completed!
However, not quite ready to post yet.
Still working on the artwork for this installment, but start to finish, Episode Ten (all 3 books) has weighed in at a whopping 547 pages.
WOWZER!!
I'm really happy with it as well, and I think this fiction really was a breakout for me..in terms of plotting, pacing and overall craft I think I really made some strides in it's creation.
I still have a lot to learn in regards to writing, but I'm also of the mind you never really quit learning in life, so I'm comfortable with that. I learned a lot while writing this fiction and in the eighteen months since I began. One of the most important things I learned is that when you hit a wall and the words just aren't coming to you- forge ahead. Get past the writers block and keep moving. Sitting around and trying to figure out how to overcome it doesn't work, you've got to put your nose down and stay focused and keep writing, because ultimately you will always come back to rewrite what you don't like anyways. What you first put down on paper (or screen) is seldom the end result...merely a foundation that gets reworked until you are happy with it.
So! Hopefully you fans out there will be seeing this new fiction posted by the time my summer vacation comes around at the end of the month and I hope you enjoy it. I know I enjoyed writing it and more importantly enjoyed advancing the adventures of our Big Damn Heroes.
For those who have already asked me, yes, I have every intention of compiling Episode 10 into one physical paperback novel you can hold in your grubby little hands. I'll post when I have more info on the cost and whatnot and you can feel free to e-mail me and I'll send you the deets.
However, not quite ready to post yet.
Still working on the artwork for this installment, but start to finish, Episode Ten (all 3 books) has weighed in at a whopping 547 pages.
WOWZER!!
I'm really happy with it as well, and I think this fiction really was a breakout for me..in terms of plotting, pacing and overall craft I think I really made some strides in it's creation.
I still have a lot to learn in regards to writing, but I'm also of the mind you never really quit learning in life, so I'm comfortable with that. I learned a lot while writing this fiction and in the eighteen months since I began. One of the most important things I learned is that when you hit a wall and the words just aren't coming to you- forge ahead. Get past the writers block and keep moving. Sitting around and trying to figure out how to overcome it doesn't work, you've got to put your nose down and stay focused and keep writing, because ultimately you will always come back to rewrite what you don't like anyways. What you first put down on paper (or screen) is seldom the end result...merely a foundation that gets reworked until you are happy with it.
So! Hopefully you fans out there will be seeing this new fiction posted by the time my summer vacation comes around at the end of the month and I hope you enjoy it. I know I enjoyed writing it and more importantly enjoyed advancing the adventures of our Big Damn Heroes.
For those who have already asked me, yes, I have every intention of compiling Episode 10 into one physical paperback novel you can hold in your grubby little hands. I'll post when I have more info on the cost and whatnot and you can feel free to e-mail me and I'll send you the deets.
Monday, June 22, 2009
No Time For Love Dr. Jones
Simply put, I just don’t have enough time anymore.
This realization didn’t come on out of the blue of course, but gradually, day by day, I'm realizing I just don't have the time I used to to invest in the things I love and enjoy.
Without getting super personal, I've had to reallocate some of my free time lately (not much, but some) to my family situation. In addition, I've rededicated myself to getting physically fit, so you can yank at least another 7-8 hours a week out from my free time pool. I'm still almost single handedly creating artwork for the fiction I'm writing for the Raptor Squad site, which, if I'm lucky takes 1-2 hours a day (if I'm lucky) away from me. Oh and of course there is the new feature I rolled out in April on the RS site, "Bounty Hunter of the Month" which I can't really fold up for at least another nine months because, well, that would just be lame.
And I also happen to be running a monthly game of D6 Fantasy for my gaming group that takes a while to prep for and create.
And of course there is this pesky job that I have to attend for at least eight hours a day to keep me in Cheetos and video games.
So what is the end result?
Not enough time, unfortunately.
Short of winning the lottery I really don’t know what I can do, other than scale some things back, which I hate doing. Partly this is because I (sometimes, ok, oftentimes) set unrealistic expectations for myself, but the fact is that I can't keep up this pace any more, despite how much I would like to.
So, solution?
Well, I can’t quit my job (yet), I won’t shortchange my family (where else would I spend Christmas?) and I love creating artwork and fiction too much to give that up. As far as longevity goes, I won’t/can't give up working out as it relieves stress (which I deperately need some days) and gives me more energy and as we all know more energy=more productivity.
So...my monthly game.
Yeah, I think I might have to scale that back some. I've been Gm'ing almost full time in some capacity for almost four years and I might have to start taking a break here and there and letting some of my players handle the heavy lifting for a while. Not forever, as I love Gm'ing too much- but maybe seeing if one of them would like to take a spin behind the GM screen every other month or so. Plus I think it owuld be good for them to see exactly what goes into creating a game and what it's like.
Plus it would be nice to sit on the other side of the screen and just be a player every now and then- a luxury not often afforded.
This won’t free up a ton of time, but it will take a load off of me for a while and allow me to get caught up and recharge my batteries a bit. Hopefully that will be enough to allow me to realign my schedule and streamline my life a little better so I can get everything accomplished I need to in the time allowed.
Ugh, this was a lot easier when I was a teenager and had nothing going on and more than enough free time.
Anyway, we'll see what happens.
This realization didn’t come on out of the blue of course, but gradually, day by day, I'm realizing I just don't have the time I used to to invest in the things I love and enjoy.
Without getting super personal, I've had to reallocate some of my free time lately (not much, but some) to my family situation. In addition, I've rededicated myself to getting physically fit, so you can yank at least another 7-8 hours a week out from my free time pool. I'm still almost single handedly creating artwork for the fiction I'm writing for the Raptor Squad site, which, if I'm lucky takes 1-2 hours a day (if I'm lucky) away from me. Oh and of course there is the new feature I rolled out in April on the RS site, "Bounty Hunter of the Month" which I can't really fold up for at least another nine months because, well, that would just be lame.
And I also happen to be running a monthly game of D6 Fantasy for my gaming group that takes a while to prep for and create.
And of course there is this pesky job that I have to attend for at least eight hours a day to keep me in Cheetos and video games.
So what is the end result?
Not enough time, unfortunately.
Short of winning the lottery I really don’t know what I can do, other than scale some things back, which I hate doing. Partly this is because I (sometimes, ok, oftentimes) set unrealistic expectations for myself, but the fact is that I can't keep up this pace any more, despite how much I would like to.
So, solution?
Well, I can’t quit my job (yet), I won’t shortchange my family (where else would I spend Christmas?) and I love creating artwork and fiction too much to give that up. As far as longevity goes, I won’t/can't give up working out as it relieves stress (which I deperately need some days) and gives me more energy and as we all know more energy=more productivity.
So...my monthly game.
Yeah, I think I might have to scale that back some. I've been Gm'ing almost full time in some capacity for almost four years and I might have to start taking a break here and there and letting some of my players handle the heavy lifting for a while. Not forever, as I love Gm'ing too much- but maybe seeing if one of them would like to take a spin behind the GM screen every other month or so. Plus I think it owuld be good for them to see exactly what goes into creating a game and what it's like.
Plus it would be nice to sit on the other side of the screen and just be a player every now and then- a luxury not often afforded.
This won’t free up a ton of time, but it will take a load off of me for a while and allow me to get caught up and recharge my batteries a bit. Hopefully that will be enough to allow me to realign my schedule and streamline my life a little better so I can get everything accomplished I need to in the time allowed.
Ugh, this was a lot easier when I was a teenager and had nothing going on and more than enough free time.
Anyway, we'll see what happens.
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
Not just another Pretty Face!!!
Just updated the RS site and added this months "Bounty Hunter of the Month!"
She is a hunter named Velena and she's got more in her arsenal thatn just a blaster! So head on over and check her out!
Raptorsquad.Net
Enjoy!!!
She is a hunter named Velena and she's got more in her arsenal thatn just a blaster! So head on over and check her out!
Raptorsquad.Net
Enjoy!!!
Monday, June 1, 2009
Damn Rust Monsters!!!
You know, there has been a lot of hubbub lately on other RPG related blogs about “old school” vs “new school” gaming and which is best and why. Truth be told, I don’t really have a dog in the fight so I could care less. See, fact is that while I tried to get into playing D&D in about ’81, I was never really successful until about 84-85, and even then the amount of gaming I did was sporadic at best. My fellow gamers had parents who were very religious, so most gaming was done below boards and as there was no real consistency among our group or experience levels most games fell flat and died before they ever had a chance to start.
Fast forward to 1992 and I dabbled in a few hack n’ slash games with some friends, but as we were more interested in the ladies and our newfound freedom at this point, again, the games were scattered and half-assed at best. Then, between 1992 and 1999 I dropped out of gaming entirely.
Without rehashing a lot of old and boring history, that time was filled with various failed relationships and a failed marriage (which was doomed from the start, so shed no tears for me Argentina!) and included me moving out of town and away from any potential gaming buddies for about three years. So, in 1999 I moved back to my hometown, single and with a lot of free time and found that my friends were still gaming and tossing some dice. So it was in March 1999 I found myself learning and loving WEG’s D6 system, and for the next seven years was content to exclusively play the Star Wars RPG.
So, after that campaign ended, I found myself faced with a dilemma: Keep playing Star Wars or branch out into something new. My gamer wife and her sister played D&D back when they were kids, so there was already two players who were interested in branching out into a fantasy setting- throw in another player and all of a sudden I had a group willing to try something new. Needless to say, I was thrilled that D6 had thrown their hat into the fantasy ring with D6 Fantasy and before I knew it I was running my players through a good old sword and sorcery campaign.
Now, let’s clarify something right here. As much as I love roleplaying, I’ve never been an RPG fiend like some folks. I’ve had friends who had all of the RIFTs and D&D books, but, save for a handful of sourcebooks I got for my birthday that wound up being stolen a few days later by a so-called “friend” I never possessed much more than the core ruleset (and the “friend” got his karmic payback when he was busted a while back and sent to prison for bringing illegal reptiles through an airport- trust story).
So where does all of this lead us and how does it relate to Rust Monsters?
I guess it comes down to the fact that while I’ve been playing/Gm’ing games for the last decade, I’m not what you would call a gaming connoisseur. I don’t have the AD&D rules memorized, nor do I have every result on the potion miscibility table in the original DM’s guide memorized. I’d never mapped out a “Dungeon of Doom” before a year ago and you know what?
It’s great.
Really. Think about it, all of you old school (and new school) guys. Think about what it would feel like if you opened those books for the first time, un-jaded by all that you’ve seen and done already and lost yourself in the magic and wonderment that you first felt back when you were a kid.
Cause that’s what I’m experiencing right now baby!
So you can understand my surprise and amazement when my group came across a trio of Rust Monsters this past Saturday while making their way through a city’s underworld.
See, Rust Monsters (as most, if not all) of you know, are bad.
But what’s worse?
A Dwarven Monster Slayer who is easily goaded into rash actions by the GM.
Heh.
Yeah, just a few thinly veiled cracks about his honor and bravery and about how a real Dwarven badass would go in and “take care of bidness” and *poof*.
One regular Battle Axe: Gone.
One Magical Warhammer: Gone.
One suit of Magical Chainmail: Gone.
The end result of seeing what these little bastiches can do and those adventurers- the same who took down a Red Dragon and survivors of countless battles with Trolls, necromancers and all other manner of badass- ran.
Fast.
It was crazy, wild and completely unexpected and the players were as stunned as I was.
In just 2-3 combat rounds the dwarf was almost naked and weaponless and another PC had lost a nice suit of half-plate armor. But what was damaged more than their gear was their morale. And due to the terrible draws made from the “Deck O’ Many Things” last game session, this last encounter literally stripped the group down to a bare-bones magical inventory that is almost laughable compared to what they were toting around at the beginning of the year (so many items they actually lost track of what they had).
And as the group ran wildly to get away through the dark tunnels beneath the Imperial City, their valuable items reduced to a bedtime snack, a piece of advice regarding magical items and powerful PC’s passed on to me by Uncle Angus, an old-school GM just a week before rang through my mind:
“Sometimes, you just have to do some pruning.”
Indeed Uncle Angus. Indeed you do.
Fast forward to 1992 and I dabbled in a few hack n’ slash games with some friends, but as we were more interested in the ladies and our newfound freedom at this point, again, the games were scattered and half-assed at best. Then, between 1992 and 1999 I dropped out of gaming entirely.
Without rehashing a lot of old and boring history, that time was filled with various failed relationships and a failed marriage (which was doomed from the start, so shed no tears for me Argentina!) and included me moving out of town and away from any potential gaming buddies for about three years. So, in 1999 I moved back to my hometown, single and with a lot of free time and found that my friends were still gaming and tossing some dice. So it was in March 1999 I found myself learning and loving WEG’s D6 system, and for the next seven years was content to exclusively play the Star Wars RPG.
So, after that campaign ended, I found myself faced with a dilemma: Keep playing Star Wars or branch out into something new. My gamer wife and her sister played D&D back when they were kids, so there was already two players who were interested in branching out into a fantasy setting- throw in another player and all of a sudden I had a group willing to try something new. Needless to say, I was thrilled that D6 had thrown their hat into the fantasy ring with D6 Fantasy and before I knew it I was running my players through a good old sword and sorcery campaign.
Now, let’s clarify something right here. As much as I love roleplaying, I’ve never been an RPG fiend like some folks. I’ve had friends who had all of the RIFTs and D&D books, but, save for a handful of sourcebooks I got for my birthday that wound up being stolen a few days later by a so-called “friend” I never possessed much more than the core ruleset (and the “friend” got his karmic payback when he was busted a while back and sent to prison for bringing illegal reptiles through an airport- trust story).
So where does all of this lead us and how does it relate to Rust Monsters?
I guess it comes down to the fact that while I’ve been playing/Gm’ing games for the last decade, I’m not what you would call a gaming connoisseur. I don’t have the AD&D rules memorized, nor do I have every result on the potion miscibility table in the original DM’s guide memorized. I’d never mapped out a “Dungeon of Doom” before a year ago and you know what?
It’s great.
Really. Think about it, all of you old school (and new school) guys. Think about what it would feel like if you opened those books for the first time, un-jaded by all that you’ve seen and done already and lost yourself in the magic and wonderment that you first felt back when you were a kid.
Cause that’s what I’m experiencing right now baby!
So you can understand my surprise and amazement when my group came across a trio of Rust Monsters this past Saturday while making their way through a city’s underworld.
See, Rust Monsters (as most, if not all) of you know, are bad.
But what’s worse?
A Dwarven Monster Slayer who is easily goaded into rash actions by the GM.
Heh.
Yeah, just a few thinly veiled cracks about his honor and bravery and about how a real Dwarven badass would go in and “take care of bidness” and *poof*.
One regular Battle Axe: Gone.
One Magical Warhammer: Gone.
One suit of Magical Chainmail: Gone.
The end result of seeing what these little bastiches can do and those adventurers- the same who took down a Red Dragon and survivors of countless battles with Trolls, necromancers and all other manner of badass- ran.
Fast.
It was crazy, wild and completely unexpected and the players were as stunned as I was.
In just 2-3 combat rounds the dwarf was almost naked and weaponless and another PC had lost a nice suit of half-plate armor. But what was damaged more than their gear was their morale. And due to the terrible draws made from the “Deck O’ Many Things” last game session, this last encounter literally stripped the group down to a bare-bones magical inventory that is almost laughable compared to what they were toting around at the beginning of the year (so many items they actually lost track of what they had).
And as the group ran wildly to get away through the dark tunnels beneath the Imperial City, their valuable items reduced to a bedtime snack, a piece of advice regarding magical items and powerful PC’s passed on to me by Uncle Angus, an old-school GM just a week before rang through my mind:
“Sometimes, you just have to do some pruning.”
Indeed Uncle Angus. Indeed you do.
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
Hitting the Motherlode!
I just wanted to send a big shout-out to my wife’s Uncle Angus (and yes, everyone should have an Uncle Angus) who saw fit to bestow upon me a great treasure for a GM running a fantasy game- about two decades worth of TSR's Dragon and Dungeon magazines!
Yeah!
For books over twenty years old these are in great condition! And these magazines are great, outside of the obvious new material and adventure ideas and stuff, it’s a trip down nostalgia lane looking at the old advertisements for other games, like James Bond and Paranoia and of course WEG’s Star Wars.
So again,a big thanks to Uncle Angus for his unparalleled generosity!
Now I just need to buy another big bookshelf to hold all of these!!!
Yeah!
For books over twenty years old these are in great condition! And these magazines are great, outside of the obvious new material and adventure ideas and stuff, it’s a trip down nostalgia lane looking at the old advertisements for other games, like James Bond and Paranoia and of course WEG’s Star Wars.
So again,a big thanks to Uncle Angus for his unparalleled generosity!
Now I just need to buy another big bookshelf to hold all of these!!!
Saturday, April 18, 2009
D6 Goodness!
I've recently become a moderator over at The WEG D6 Fan Forums:
WEG D6 Fan Forums
It's a great community and full of really solid folks. Great conversation and interesting discussions abound, so if you have any interest in D6 RPG's at all, it's definitely worth a look!
WEG D6 Fan Forums
It's a great community and full of really solid folks. Great conversation and interesting discussions abound, so if you have any interest in D6 RPG's at all, it's definitely worth a look!
Saturday, April 11, 2009
Raptor Squad Update!
The Raptor Squad site has been updated with a brand new feature!
Enjoy!
WWW.Raptorsquad.Net
Enjoy!
WWW.Raptorsquad.Net
Wednesday, April 8, 2009
The Deck o' Many Buttkickings
Yeah, lots of folks don't like this item in D&D but I found the concept intriguing. And he, why not use it, right?
Well....
In my last game of D6 Fantasy, after my players defeated the baddie and saved the day, he granted them draws from the deck. And, because he's an evil bastard, re-draws.
Ouch.
The deck was modified to fit into the D6 system by me, So, here is the major draws my players drew from the deck:
First:
The Bard drew the IDIOT card.
This Reduced his KNW Attribute by 1d Permanently. It also allowed him the option to draw again, which he did.
The Bard re-drew and drew the JESTER Card.
This card gave him the choice of 100 cp's or two more draws from the deck. He chose the 100'cp.s
Second:
The Ranger drew the DONJON card.
This card immediately signifies Imprisonment. Either by the Imprisonment spell or physical imprisonment. All gear and items are stripped from the PC. This means that he is imprisoned somewhere and his stuff has been taken from him (but he could still get it back).
He disappeared from the game for now.
Third:
The Dwarf drew the STAR card.
Immediately gained 1D to any attribute score.
Fourth:
The Mage drew the TALONS card.
When this card is drawn, every magic item owned or possessed by the character is instantly and irrevocably gone.
Fifth:
The Cleric drew the TALONS card.
When this card is drawn, every magic item owned or possessed by the character is instantly and irrevocably gone.
NEXT
The Baddie offered more draws for anyone who wished to take them (Eeeeeeeeviillllllll!)
Sixth:
The Bard re-drew and drew the VOID card.
This black card spells instant disaster. The character�s body continues to function, as though comatose, but her psyche is trapped in a prison somewhere�in an object on a far plane or planet, possibly in the possession of an outsider. A wish or a miracle does not bring the character back, instead merely revealing the plane of entrapment. Draw no more cards. ***
More on this below.
Seventh & Eighth:
The Dwarf re-drew and drew the GEMS card.
The character must change to a radically different alignment. If the character fails to act according to the new alignment, they lose 2d off all skills. The Dwarf chose to loose the 2d off ALL skills.
Ninth:
The Cleric re-drew and drew the FOOL card.
Loose 3D from all of your skills and you MUST draw again.
Yeah, again, ouch.
There were a few decent draws in there, but overall this group appears to have the absolute worst luck, well, ever.
One of the things I do like is how the deck can change the course of a game. Before, my players had a few things on their plate, but now? Now they not only have to find and rescue their Ranger from a prison they have no idea the location of, they then have to track down and find out what happened to the soul of their Bard.
Yeah, it kind of shook things up a little- which I like. It makes things interesting and in addition now gives my players a definite path and goal, so while it bites that they drew some of the worst possible cards, it's great becuase it instantly created several adventures for me.
So, has anyone else used this? Do you like it? Dislike it? Did it result in any wild or unpredictable things happening?
Oh, and for those interested, I used the following deck:
http://www.greenronin.com/store/product/grr3004.html
Well....
In my last game of D6 Fantasy, after my players defeated the baddie and saved the day, he granted them draws from the deck. And, because he's an evil bastard, re-draws.
Ouch.
The deck was modified to fit into the D6 system by me, So, here is the major draws my players drew from the deck:
First:
The Bard drew the IDIOT card.
This Reduced his KNW Attribute by 1d Permanently. It also allowed him the option to draw again, which he did.
The Bard re-drew and drew the JESTER Card.
This card gave him the choice of 100 cp's or two more draws from the deck. He chose the 100'cp.s
Second:
The Ranger drew the DONJON card.
This card immediately signifies Imprisonment. Either by the Imprisonment spell or physical imprisonment. All gear and items are stripped from the PC. This means that he is imprisoned somewhere and his stuff has been taken from him (but he could still get it back).
He disappeared from the game for now.
Third:
The Dwarf drew the STAR card.
Immediately gained 1D to any attribute score.
Fourth:
The Mage drew the TALONS card.
When this card is drawn, every magic item owned or possessed by the character is instantly and irrevocably gone.
Fifth:
The Cleric drew the TALONS card.
When this card is drawn, every magic item owned or possessed by the character is instantly and irrevocably gone.
NEXT
The Baddie offered more draws for anyone who wished to take them (Eeeeeeeeviillllllll!)
Sixth:
The Bard re-drew and drew the VOID card.
This black card spells instant disaster. The character�s body continues to function, as though comatose, but her psyche is trapped in a prison somewhere�in an object on a far plane or planet, possibly in the possession of an outsider. A wish or a miracle does not bring the character back, instead merely revealing the plane of entrapment. Draw no more cards. ***
Seventh & Eighth:
The Dwarf re-drew and drew the GEMS card.
The character must change to a radically different alignment. If the character fails to act according to the new alignment, they lose 2d off all skills. The Dwarf chose to loose the 2d off ALL skills.
Ninth:
The Cleric re-drew and drew the FOOL card.
Loose 3D from all of your skills and you MUST draw again.
Yeah, again, ouch.
There were a few decent draws in there, but overall this group appears to have the absolute worst luck, well, ever.
One of the things I do like is how the deck can change the course of a game. Before, my players had a few things on their plate, but now? Now they not only have to find and rescue their Ranger from a prison they have no idea the location of, they then have to track down and find out what happened to the soul of their Bard.
Yeah, it kind of shook things up a little- which I like. It makes things interesting and in addition now gives my players a definite path and goal, so while it bites that they drew some of the worst possible cards, it's great becuase it instantly created several adventures for me.
So, has anyone else used this? Do you like it? Dislike it? Did it result in any wild or unpredictable things happening?
Oh, and for those interested, I used the following deck:
http://www.greenronin.com/store/product/grr3004.html
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
Ten Years Man...TEN.....YEARS!
Woah!
I almost forgot! My old age must be creeping up on me!
This month marks my tenth year straight of gaming!
Long history short...I came to my senses back in 1999 and got divorced. Living in Cincinnati, I had no real family or friends, so smart money was on moving back home to the Louisville area where I was originally from.
I did so, and upon my return, a good friend of mine, "Scout" asked if I wanted to run a game his brother "Linny" was running. At first I didn't have much interest...a lot was going on...I almost even skipped the first Saturday morning session we had planned after I worked late the night before.
But I showed up and it literally changed my life forever.
I met new friends (both online and off), it gave my future wife and I something to talk about (and she eventually joined the group after I decided I was going to keep her around for a bit) and a lot of pluses and minuses came out of it.
But I don't dwell on the bad stuff, Life is too short- I focus on the pluses.
So! Here I am, ten years later and I can honestly say it's been one hell of a ride and I got an E Ticket that I don't plan on turning in any time soon. I still got plenty of years of gaming left in these bones and there are still lots of stories to tell over at www.RaptorSquad.Net
But I do want to say this, to my friend "Scout", "Linny" my old GM, and the other fellas that allowed me to sit down at that table on that cool March morning way back in 1999 and bring a PC named "Vic Palisades" to life:
Thank you. It opened up a whole world for me and despite anything else that has happened between all of us, I appreciate what you did and what you allowed me to participate in.
That's it folks! I've got work to do on the site so I better get back to it.
Here's to another ten years!!!
I almost forgot! My old age must be creeping up on me!
This month marks my tenth year straight of gaming!
Long history short...I came to my senses back in 1999 and got divorced. Living in Cincinnati, I had no real family or friends, so smart money was on moving back home to the Louisville area where I was originally from.
I did so, and upon my return, a good friend of mine, "Scout" asked if I wanted to run a game his brother "Linny" was running. At first I didn't have much interest...a lot was going on...I almost even skipped the first Saturday morning session we had planned after I worked late the night before.
But I showed up and it literally changed my life forever.
I met new friends (both online and off), it gave my future wife and I something to talk about (and she eventually joined the group after I decided I was going to keep her around for a bit) and a lot of pluses and minuses came out of it.
But I don't dwell on the bad stuff, Life is too short- I focus on the pluses.
So! Here I am, ten years later and I can honestly say it's been one hell of a ride and I got an E Ticket that I don't plan on turning in any time soon. I still got plenty of years of gaming left in these bones and there are still lots of stories to tell over at www.RaptorSquad.Net
But I do want to say this, to my friend "Scout", "Linny" my old GM, and the other fellas that allowed me to sit down at that table on that cool March morning way back in 1999 and bring a PC named "Vic Palisades" to life:
Thank you. It opened up a whole world for me and despite anything else that has happened between all of us, I appreciate what you did and what you allowed me to participate in.
That's it folks! I've got work to do on the site so I better get back to it.
Here's to another ten years!!!
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