We are back, fully rested. But I can’t promise the same for tomorrow’s post. It’s another late, early shift pattern.
“Why has your favourite game stayed with you?”
I’ve already said in a previous post I don’t really have a favourite RPG. However if we went with my most played game instead (which by implication would be a game I enjoy playing). Then we will for this answer go with D&D.
I love fantasy. Whether it’s the rich depth of Tolkien’s Middle Earth, Dragonlance, The Witcher, and so on.
So there is that hook into why D&D has stayed with me.
There is also a nostalgia reason.
D&D as I have said previously, was my first ever RPG that I purchased. So there is that whole emotional link there.
I also like how well the game is supported not only by WotC and third parties. There is such amazing third party products out there, from adventures, to DM tools such as the Lazy DM books.
On the whole the D&D community is great, and supportive. Which also makes a big difference when you need advice or help.
“Past, Present, or Future? When is your favourite game set?”
I really don’t have a favourite game, as I’ve not played everything I own to make that decision.
I play D&D mainly. There has been a session of Paranoia. But I’ve not got Twilight 2000, The One Ring, or any of the others to the table. Games I really want to play.
Now we know I am a fan of the cyberpunk genre. I have Cyberpunk Red and The Shadow of the Beanstalk sourcebook for Genesys, just waiting to get to the table one day.
But if there is one setting I’m a bigger fan of then that is Middle Earth. I’m a Tolkien fan. I love Lord of the Rings.
I think you would answer for this question it is more a mythical past than the past.
A mythical past that has heavy Middle Ages influences granted.
Yesterday I had a chance to get Portal the Uncooperative Cake Acquisition Game to the table. But you will have to wait to hear about that.
In the meantime it’s time to look at todays navel gazing question, “Who would you like to Gamemaster for you?”
An interesting but difficult question. A variation of the who would you have at a dinner party if you could chose anyone?
A lot would I’m sure say one of the two Matt’s (Mercer and Colville), or maybe Jim Murphy or Sly Flourish.
I wouldn’t be surprised to see a large number going the big Hollywood celeb route with Joe Manganiello, Vin Diesel, or Jack Black.
If there weren’t some out there going the Wil Wheaton route with their answer I’d be shocked.
I suppose I could go with Deborah Ann Woll or Becca Scott as a tip to the RPG celeb route.
Although I’m pretty sure I’d have a fun time at their tables this isn’t my answer to the question.
I’d like my friend Cameron who first GM’d for me back in my days at Brighton Polytechnic.
We lost contact decades ago.
I hope he kept his interest in RPGs over the years, and life has been kind and generous to him.
But it’d be super cool to reconnect and start crafting stories together again. Especially if it was using The One Ring second edition so once more we were in Middle Earth, and Dram the hobbit would once more be wandering the hills and meadows of the Shire.
I know a day or late on this one. But better late than never. Besides I do have this whole #RPGaDAY2022 thing going on at the moment if you hadn’t noticed.
Plus I had my last shift at my current store yesterday before moving to a new one and a new role.
I’ve been really taken aback about how supportive and kind everyone at work has been. There’s a bit of me that thinks it doesn’t deserve all these kind words.
Yesterday my boss came in to say good bye, thank me, and give me a card and a bottle of Monkey Shoulder whisky. Charla a friend gave me a couple of chocolate cup cakes (I do have a whole cake thing going on). Then at the end of the shift I was given a card signed by lots of friends and colleagues, lots of chocolate and a chocolate birthday cake.
That last bit nearly made my eyes leak.
I’m kinda sad I won’t be working with them all. However it’s not a good bye. More I’ll see you around. As I’ll still be shopping there, and possibly picking up the odd overtime shift.
Anyway I digress and you want to know more about the blog post title.
Friday was once again that time for another Fenland Gamers club night at our hosts Wisbech St Mary Sports and Community Centre.
As per usual I was there early to get set up. With the help of Charlene, Colin and Ben we put up three tables, and some chairs. Got our refreshments in, and waited for others to turn up. My waiting included ordering and enjoying a banana split.
When Jonathan arrived he pointed out we didn’t have enough tables out! He was expecting seventeen people to turn up! Seventeen!
That is the club record that was broken. We’ve never had that many attend before. That’s massive for us.
Despite having so many attending I did get to game with Jonathan on a club night. Which as I’ve said before is a rarity these days.
But then I did have a couple of games Jonathan was interested in trying with me.
Our first game was The Bloody Inn. A game I came last in. I had an engine built that was good for bribing guests. But that took far too long to set up, and I let it too long before bumping off and burying guests.
Marcin on the other hand took quick and easy points and ran away with the victory.
Our second game of the evening was a new arrival that day Santorini New York.
I quiet enjoyed play this. It’s definitely a much better multi player experience than Santorini. Which is a two player game only. Never play it with more.
There are some nice twists to the core Santorini game play in this new version.
I like the different ways to win. There are now three ways. Two require that you meet the win condition and be the current player with the Statue of Liberty. The third just be the last person standing.
That requiring to be the player with the Statue of Liberty in order to win is nice. It creates some interesting decisions when it comes to selecting a card to play. Possession of the statue goes to the person who played the highest valued card each round. However that also means that person is going last that round.
There is the whole hand management side to the game deciding which and when to play a card. Even which card to keep for the next or future round.
I like the fact everyone has access to the same “god” powers. Although it’s possible to get a hand of cards that are mostly the same ability. In our second game on our final round I had three engineer cards out of the five cards in my hand.
Placing skyscrapers is a nice new addition, and adds in a whole new decision of how best to place to screw over an opponent. Ideally blocking them in so they have to lose a worker.
Visually like it’s predecessor New York looks stunning on the table. A real wow factor.
But there is a but! A big but!! The quality of the game board and cards is atrocious. It really lets the game down. I know it’s not an expensive game. But a better quality game board would be worth an extra couple of pounds to the price of the game.
There is room for both versions of the game in my collection. Especially considering that merits of both games. If I was just playing with another player it’d be Santorini every time. It’s an amazing game, and a better game. But want to play at a higher player count it has to be Santorini New York. That’s where it’s strength is compared to Santorini. It’s a much better multi player experience.
Results of Fridays games
When I left what seemed like the longest game of Ticket to Ride Europe was going on. I think they are still playing!
This was an amazing evening of gaming. So great to see so many people playing games.
After yesterdays near slip up and just about posting within the days deadline (by the UK time zone that is). I’m writing todays hash tag entry before I’ve even had my first coffee of the day!
So let’s get on with this so I can have my coffee.
“Suggestion Sunday: Roll 1d8+1, and tag that many friends and suggest a new RPG to try.”
I’m not going to follow this to the letter today. Instead I’m going to suggest to who ever reads this blog a couple of new RPGs to try and why.
These won’t be RPGs I’ve played. But they will be ones I own. The reasons I give to try them are basically what attracted me to the RPGs and why I want to eventually get them to the table.
My first recommendation is the FFG series of RPGs, The End of the World.
There are four books in this series, Zombie Apocalypse, Wrath of the Gods, Alien Invasion, and Rise of the Machines.
I own two of them, Zombie Apocalypse and Alien Invasion.
So why should you play them?
Firstly the players play as themselves usually in whatever town/city you live in. Their starting equipment is whatever they have in their pockets and in the room the game is played in. You also if you are the GM get to kill yourself off in some gruesome way right at the start of the game. There has to be a reason you aren’t taking part in the adventure after all.
I find this first reason so, so cool. It also makes the whole game so personal. All of a sudden it’s not some npc villager dying and coming back to life as a zombie, it’s John Satt who you went to school with. Wait that’s my best friends house those aliens just blew up.
The second reason is the d6 system used by the game. It’s very narrative based. Very similar mechanics wise to the FFG custom narrative dice used in the Genesys system. So no special dice needed. Very quick and light to use.
The third and final reason is the variety of choice of apocalypse you want to experience. Each book has at least three variants based around that books theme. These books theme and variants inside can be said to be inspired by one or two movies. Which I love.
Ok on to the next recommendation.
I think you should try either the Labyrinth RPG or the Dark Crystal RPG.
Most definitely if you are a fan of either or both the movies. But I think you might enjoy these even if you are not.
Each book is the complete adventure, you only need add pen and paper, plus d6 dice in the case of the Dark Crystal.
These are rules light systems. Very accessible.
They look fun.
I love both movies. So I was sold on the theme.
Let me know if you’ve played these and what you thought about them.
“How would you change the way you started RPGing?”
I don’t think I would change anything about it really.
Sure it would have been fun to have started playing with my friends that I grew up with, and went to school with.
I’m not sure if that had happened I would have actively searched for an RPG society at Brighton Polytechnic. But instead been happy to play D&D with my friends whenever I returned home (which I did often).
I made some good friends playing MERP. Unbeknownst to them they were helping me through a very difficult part of my life. They played games with me, treated me normally. Something I needed at the time.
Wednesday morning saw me visiting Diego’s Pad once again to play VtM Rivals.
It was a chance to try out the changes I made to my blue deck. Diego was also trying out his first built Rivals deck.
Below are our two leaders for the mornings games.
Our leaders
Our first game was a victory for Diego by knocking out my last vampire in my coterie. I’d shuffled my deck too well and wasn’t hitting the newly added reaction cards. Or when I did it was too late. I also remember running dangerously low on my prestige in this game too. Which meant I also wasn’t hitting any of my prestige generating cards.
Game two ended in an agenda points win for Diego.
Something I was unable to stop.
In this game I failed to control the streets, so there was a build up of citizens and vagrants.
The game did last a lot longer. The control side was working really well. The reaction cards were impactful.
I did mill Diego! And for a couple of rounds had Diego down to zero or one card in hand. Having two copies of mental block out meant a lot of pain for Diego.
I’m happier the deck is working a lot better.
Ok here is the bit folks really want to see, the new deck list.
Blue V2.0
Leader, Haven, and Agenda
Agenda – Death is Only the Beginning
Haven – Eternal Life Mortuary
Leader – Annika (Hecata)
Vampire Deck
Faith Gray (Tremere)
Lorenzo Murik (Tremere)
Anjali the Samedi (Hecata)
Bianca Giovanni (Hecata)
Kristin (Hecata)
Nathaniel (Hecata)
Library
Second Tradition: The Domain (Action Ongoing)
Sleep of the Damned (Ritual) x 2
The Shakedown (Action) x 3
Clairvoyance (Action) x 2
Blood Makes Noise (Ritual)
Truth of Blood (Ritual)
Mental Block (Unhosted Action Ongoing) x 3
Tenebrous Avatar (Reaction) x 3
Fortify the Inner Facade (Reaction) x 3
Defense of the Sacred Haven (Ritual) x 2
Grave Robbing (Action) x 3
Early Grave (Action) x 2
Seek Knowledge (Ritual) x 2
Fourth Tradition: The Accounting (Action) x 3
Flesh of Marble (Reaction Special) x 2
Spirit’s Touch (Action) x 2
Hardened Flesh (Reaction)
The Mighty Fall (Attack/Reaction) x 2
Slap in the Face (Reaction) x 2
Thoughts
So approximately a third of the deck are reaction cards! That’s a pretty big commitment.
With me milling Diego in game two I want to try this deck with the Disheveled Shelves agenda.
I’m also thinking maybe cutting back the rituals and adding in the wraith cards!
I still need rituals to increase the havens secrecy. But I’m not really getting the opportunity or deciding to play them. Which means the vampire slots might be open to consideration also.
We are fastly approaching the mid point of this thing. The time is flying by. I think this years focus definitely so far seems so much more personal. I must catch up on some of the other content creators and see what they are doing.
Let’s see what todays soul searching question is.
“Why did you start RPGing?”
I think it’s been established my teenage years were the 80’s and the UK home computer boom. Living in a fenland market town.
Over in the states they had the whole satanic panic stuff going on. Which never really was a thing over here. So we weren’t really aware of it.
What I was aware of was the “moral majority” in the US and their campaign against heavy metal. After all I was into KISS and other metal groups, reading the then monthly Kerrang! and driving my parents and neighbours crazy with loud rock. So this sort of thing got reported in Kerrang!
In the UK we didn’t escape the moral crusade of others. Here we had Mary Whitehouse and her campaign to censor tv and video. We had the whole video nasty thing. Plus a wanna be Mary Whitehouse called Victoria Gillick who was trying to impose her catholic beliefs on the country and control girls bodies. Fun fact about Victoria Gillick she lives in Wisbech. So we often saw her round town. I went to college with one of her daughters. Plus a few years ago her husband was a UKIP town councillor.
The nearest I got to hearing about the religious fundamentalist campaign against D&D was seeing the Tom Hanks movie Monsters and Mazes (rented and watched on video).
There is a certain picture being painted over these types of posts. I certainly think comparisons could be made between Wisbech and say a mid west American town. It was (and still is) Hicksville.
It certainly feels looking back that it was in its own little bubble. Although it still has the whole “are you local?” thing going on.
I’ve already said previously the home computer boom expanded my world.
Despite owning a copy of the Basic D&D Starter set. I hadn’t actually played it. None of my friends were interested.
I think I could be best described at the time as D&D or RPG curious!
Playing an RPG seemed the natural progression from adventure and RPGs on the home computer.
They were something I wanted to try. I thought I would enjoy them. Although to be truthful, I wasn’t entirely sure what they were, and how you played them.
I think I’d owned the Starter set for a couple of years before going off to Brighton Polytechnic.
I joined the role playing society at Brighton Poly so I could try an RPG for the reasons mentioned above.
Maybe in a future post we will get to explore the Brighton years in more depth. Until then catch you in the next post!
