The Funnel

"I started out not really caring about any of these four peasants," said Jack, "but now I am really attached to this guy... he's becoming a hero!"

This statement, made at the end of our first ever attempt to play DCC RPG, really made my ears prick up. I was paying attention to that one. That was important.

"Yeah," added Will, "It's really cool that I started with one guy I was hoping would make it, but who died. My last guy is really precious now. I want him to make it out alive."

What was going on?

The Funnel

DCC RPG has a rule that I didn't want to try. 

Players roll up 3-5 characters, all of whom are basically expendable peasant spear-fodder. These are totally random characters: 3d6 across 6 stats, let the dice fall as they may. Each one gets a crude weapon, an item or two of equipment, and maybe one thing that they're lucky with. That's it. You take the band of peasants into a dungeon. Whoever survives gets to Level-Up and choose a Character Class.

On Thursday, needing a pick-up game for the four 12-13 year old boys I game with at school, I decided to try it. What the hell,eh?

Wow. We had a blast. 16 peasants went in. 7 are still alive, and we're around 60% of the way through the adventure. But we had a blast.

Heroes we care about?

Oddly, having chosen from 20 random characters (which I generated using the cool web-tool from Purple Sorceror), the guys threw their 16 "mooks" into the dungeon. We had some really fun, and slightly chaotic, roleplaying right from the start because they didn't really care what happened to these peasant scum. And yet...

As the first casualties mounted the guys began to realise the mortality of their surviving wannabes. When one player decided to quite casually have one character risk his very life to allow another to succeed, we had the makings of our first hero. Something changed. THAT guy became valuable. We wanted him to "win".

It was a lot of fun, with some tragically comic moments... even desperate acts. Yet, by the end of that first session two things happened: 1. the guys were treasuring the survivors; 2. they were desperate to see the story through to the end.

What happened?

Normally characters are heroes set apart and special. Yes, they are mortal... but the conceit is that we won't kill them without it meaning something. 

In DCC RPG characters are meat. Nothing. Until they become something more... through their actions, by their deeds. 

That feels good.

We care.

What happened there?

Fate Accelerated... For Girls

Here's the situation: the boys at the school club have been setting up and playing a fantasy-genre game using the Imagine RPG. Over the past few weeks, as a player, I've been taking part in the entertaining efforts of our newbie GM. As a reward, he has attracted a total of three new players to his campaign, taking the table total (including me) to seven.

At the same time, I've noticed at least three girls at the school (all of whom I teach) who are deeply into storytelling and who are very creative. Unwilling to try mixing up with the boys group, I am wondering if the girls might enjoy things more if we pull together an all-girl newbie group alongside the regulars.

Enter the conundrum: how do you set up a cool roleplaying experience for three (perhaps more) 11-13 year old teenage girls?

Enter Fate Accelerated... For Girls.

Fate Accelerated...

Fate is a very flexible storytelling game which has had a big make-over via Kickstarter. It's a fast-paced, adaptable, and easy-to-learn system for modelling... well, anything dramatic.

Fate Accelerated is Fate Core minus around 250 pages. It's super-lite, quick to grab and play, and designed for newcomers. What really appeals more, however, is that it's capable of handling pretty much any idea that's thrown at it... and it can do so while beginners do their learning piecemeal.

Fate can handle characters created in a few minutes using just two short phrases and six values. Come up with a High Concept and a Trouble for your hero: what are they all about and why do they end up in hot water? Order your six Approaches (how you do stuff) from Good down to Mediocre. You're set.

As you play, you are invited to add in two more Aspects (those short phrases that define your hero) and choose a Stunt (something cool that gives you a bonus). These can arise naturally from the story you're telling, so players get to choose them as they feel they've discovered something new about their character.

Fate is intuitive, simple, and allows details to emerge from play. 

...For Girls

The issue for me is that I'm trying to game with three (or more) newbie girls. Never one to wish to sound prejudiced about gender, I'm going to admit one thing: it's slightly daunting to know what to offer.

Chatting on G+ yesterday was interesting: male players make similar assumptions about girls. These include the belief that girls will downplay violence, want to be more collaborative, and seek to play feisty Princesses. Hmm.

All I know for sure is that these girls already enjoy adventure stories. They are readers of fiction. What I am hoping is that the love for stories will translate into a love for storytelling.

To be honest, I think that the best approach will be to go with a blank sheet of paper and ask them what kind of stories they enjoy. From there, through a discussion, we should be able to begin to create some characters and a setting. It'll be down to me as GM to improvise the rest.

Bailing On The Boys?

Well, not exactly. Certainly, if this project gets any traction, I'll be dipping out of the boys' campaign. But I'll be sitting around 2 metres away in the same room, gaming with another group. That makes me accessible for their inevitable queries and interruptions.

In truth, what I've been seeking to do is take a group of players into the hobby and make them independent. Right now, with their own budding GM, the lads are starting to fly. One session without me certainly won't hurt. If the ladies like playing, which I hope they will, it's no big deal to have me drop aside longer term.

To be honest, I think the boys will actually enjoy the freedom to play.

Game on!

Star Wars: Edge of the Empire

This weekend, having left the book on my reading pile for months, I finally took the time to take a look at Fantasy Flight Games' Star Wars: Edge of the Empire.

My usual approach to new games is to browse through the introduction and then design a character. Having already played the system, using the excellent Introductory Game, I was able to jump in and do just that.

What I have found was... very encouraging.

Fringers, one and all...

The first thing to say is that this incarnation of the Star Wars RPG is focused on the thing that I love most about the whole setting: edgy fringers clinging on for dear life in a hostile universe.

This isn't a Jedi game, like the Saga Edition, and it's grittier than the old d6 version. It's also designed to encourage story-telling and cinematic action, despite the funny dice. 

In an hour, working from scratch and reading the rules as I went, I was able to come up with my very own Star Wars character... and it was pretty straight-forward to customise him to my taste too.

Careers and Specialisations

What I particularly liked was the way in which you pick an archetypal Career for your hero and then get to choose one (or more) Specialisations - easily thought of as "the job you do right now" - to fit your concept. 

I've chosen to build a thief - a kind of ex-ganger who steals for a living. That made him a pretty good fit for a Smuggler with the Thief specialisation. What is neat is that the game gives you lots of cool choices to make your hero your own, whilst retaining a template-building system.

Obligation

Of all the things that I like about this game, however, by far the best is the system for Obligation. Basically, everyone owes someone for something... and your obligations can get you into trouble. This wonderfully emulates the kind of things that come up in the Star Wars movie - think of Han getting a "talking to" from Jabba, all because Han owes the Hutt a dropped cargo, and you've got the idea.

My hero betrayed his gang boss and had to flee Coroscant, stowing away in the smuggling compartments of a friend's freighter. He owes his friend and he may have to face the consequences of his betrayal. Both of these past events might rear their heads during the campaign. It's a neat system to encourage some cool background stories... and include the past in the present action.

Getting a Game

The only barrier to a game will be, as mentioned last week, persuading players to take an interlude and try a session. With all the games vying for my attention, including Shadowrun5, this game is going to have to wait in line. And yet... it's really slick, neat and very atmospheric. It leaves me itching to play it now.

Game on!

Of Tikhon and Realm Works

As a Backer of the Realm Works Kickstarter last year, I have recently become privy to the Beta testing.

While I can't talk about any of the specifics of the software, I wanted to comment on how incredibly cool it has been to work with it over the past couple of weeks.

Tikhon Campaign

As you're probably aware, I've recently been GMing an ongoing campaign set in the collaboratively designed world of Tikhon. 

Our "Mortenburg Chronicles" game is several months old now... but it's been amazing to see how much more detail I've been crafting in response to Realm Works.

All I've been doing is entering information to the database for my own realm of Tikhon, but the way the system works has helped me to both see how much we've created already and what comes next.

Session Prep

Over the past few days I've been prepping for the next session. Only a month ago I took the time to create some templates to help streamline my prep... but these are already obsolete due to Realm Works.

Yes, it's tedious to input data to what is (in reality) a highly-specialised database. Yet... as I've been progressing through the outstanding notes from last session, I've found myself adding and tweaking in response to the various fields in Realm Works.

What Realm Works does really well (apart from linking all of your notes into a coherent, encyclopaedic whole) is prompt you on stuff you could do with fleshing out further. As a GM, this is invaluable because it helps me to be less lazy and prep in more depth than I might otherwise be tempted to do. It also makes prep quicker because anything already in the system can be accessed, or even recycled.

Player Access

The Beta allows me to show players information that they have learned. The next step for me is to test this out during a gaming session. I aim to set up a second monitor and show players partially-explored maps and summary information live in-game. Although I'm not used to having a PC at the table, I suspect that this will quickly become a "very cool" feature of having taken the time to codify my realm using Realm Works.

On my wish-list for the software will be the ability for the software to create both a GM-only and Player-only version of the data, presented in something like a Wiki. Pointing my players at such a resource, generated automatically from the data in the system, would be priceless.

I might also like to see Roll20 integration to allow the players to see Player-only views on screen across the web too.

What's Next?

Having nearly finished inputting the data from my paper notes into the system, I aim to spend time detailing new locations, characters and stuff for the campaign. As it's all so easy to manipulate using Realm Works, I think that prep might just become a lot more fun.

If you've not backed the product, fear not! It's due for release later this year and will have most of the kinks ironed out by then, no doubt. My tip: start re-organising your notes and check out the Kickstarter video:

Prep Revisited

A little over a year ago I reviewed, "Never Unprepared" by +Phil Vecchione.
I hailed the book as...

...a seriously useful book for any GM. Never Unprepared is exactly what it says on the cover: "The complete Game Master's guide to session prep".

Back then simply adding in Phil's core process and setting aside time was a big leap forward. A year on, however, I needed to go back and complete the job...

Time Changes Circumstances

A year ago the prep plan I devised suited my needs well. A year on... well, things have changed.

I noticed that I was getting less and less prep done, despite the best intentions of the plan. Was this GM burnout? Was I becoming jaded again? Neither was true. I was simply noticing that my plan was out of date.

First step for me last week, now that I have some holiday time, was to revisit the book. A fresh audit of my lifestyle and time revealed why my prep was being squeezed - I'd gone from around 20 spare hours in the week down to around 10. I also noticed that my "heat map" (the measure of when I'm most creative) had also changed. At first it wasn't pretty... but some jiggling around has given me a new plan.

Appropriate Prep Tools

More valuable even than finding the time, however, was a review of my prep tools. 

When I first read Phil's book it seemed like a big chore to create some "templates" for prep: session, scene, combat, GMC... Meh! More work! In my head, I was holding out for Realm Works and making do with paper for "a few months". Well... despite a successful Kickstarter, we're still waiting for that software... but my group still plays.

This week's session, a week behind on prep, was looming. I have to say that, by taking Phil's advice, creating some new templates has really helped me focus my time. I got six scenes (including backup combat plans) prepped, along with maps and the creation of a full GMC character sheet inside 4 hours. 

Session Template

The idea of a Session Overview template was something I interpreted in a specific way that suits me. It's a one-sheet summary which covers off the basics of what I need to know. The scene "list" isn't meant to be linear, but just a reminder of which scenes might come up.

Here's a link to my template for the curious: UbiquitousRat's Session Template

Scene Template

Following on naturally has come the Scene Template. This directly places information onto one sheet of paper so that I can plan and cover all the bases that I find useful. 

What was really valuable here was the addition of a space to make quick "dialogue notes" - not to write out speeches (not enough room!), but just to note key phrases. This was particularly useful for noting down useful taunts and barbed remarks from key GMCs.

For the curious: UbiquitousRat's Scene Template

Combat Template

And yes... for some scenes I also made a separate Combat Template to record additional tactical notes. I printed this sheet onto the back of my Scene Template, allowing for a quick turn-over to access the vital data. It worked a treat!

Best additions? Objectives and Victory Conditions.

For the curious: UbiquitousRat's Combat Template

Simple Advice

Now, remember kids: my templates are designed for me. 

Phil's book is excellent and filled with useful advice... but it's all about you making the effort to customise and design your prep systems. What I do will probably not work for you.

What will be useful for anyone reading this, however, is to download the book and use it. Without any further ado, here's the link you need: Never Unprepared

Game on!

Of Monsters & Magic

Because of the way the game felt on Friday night, I was feeling rather despondent about our fantasy campaign. I wasn't feeling at all happy with the game I'd run. 

Weirdly, however, some thoughts and reflection have opened up some fresh ideas that I wanted to share with you... and it's mostly inspired by a woman I've never met...

Meet Sarah Newton

I'd never heard of +Sarah Newton until about a week or so ago. She's an author and gamer, the founder of Mindjammer Press. What grabbed my attention was a G+ post about her game, Monsters & Magic. 

Having read a preview article or two on the website, I was tempted enough to download the .PDF of the game. I am hugely glad that I did... not least because it has inspired a whole raft of thoughts that I hope will be inspiring improvements in my fantasy and SF roleplaying experience.

Monsters & Magic

Sarah's game takes the OSR material from classic D&D and makes it possible to adapt any addition (whether past or present) to a more modern style of play. She describes it as, "combining the atmosphere of classic fantasy games with modern RPG mechanics."

Last weekend, having begun to read Monsters & Magic, I was inspired! What struck me so keenly has been the encouragement to take Sarah's game engine and customise it to suit my own fantasy worlds... nay, even my SF ones! 

What's so inspiring?

In truth, everything and nothing.

There are three things that I like about Monsters & Magic:

• Replacement of the d20 with 3d6... but retaining the same old familiar stat values.
• Addition of her innovative new "Effect Engine", in which new RPG mechanics meet old.
• Encouragement to customise and personalise your fantasy experience without breaking the game.

On top of those, I really like the fact that she wrote the game with only about four experience levels of play in mind. Right there, on page 4, lay the things that really set my mind to wondering:

"While Monsters & Magic is a standalone game, we anticipate you’ll use it with your favourite classic fantasy RPG books — bestiaries, spell books, equipment, magic items, and adventures. So, we’ve provided enough spells, monsters, equipment, and magic to take you to roughly the 4th level of play — but assume you’ll also incorporate material from your favourite classic fantasy resources to support your game."

And also:

"Monsters & Magic is a modular ruleset. You don’t have to use all the rules: if you have a favourite old school rule you want to use instead (say, different experience levels, or rules for treasure), then go ahead and use it — you won’t break the game."

The game actively encourages that which most RPG publishers avoid: take stuff from wherever you like, fit it into this game system, and make it your own.

That's the thing that set me to thinking...

Generic Doom

Most D&D derivatives (including Monsters & Magic) are generic: they present a framework for playing exciting fantasy roleplaying games in a broadly medieval style setting. The assumption is that the GM will make the game their own and colour the world in their own shades. In my experience, however, this is usually done in the most cursory manner.

When we began playing Castles & Crusades, the system we decided to use for our current fantasy game, the appeal was simplicity and ease. Having just run a playtest of the new Rolemaster, my guys were hankering for an easy-play Friday night escape game. Realising that you have to run the game the players want to play, I opted to keep it simple.

Things had been going well: four or five sessions under the belt, the birth of a new homebrew fantasy setting, and highly engaged players. The combination of the advice from Brian Jamison's "Gamemastering" and the simple rules from C&C were a great starting point.

What has gone wrong, however, is that I've been labouring to run another D&D derivative generic setting. Having limited time, I've not really begun to really tailor our game to my own tastes as well as those of the players. Gloomy and bored, I approached Friday feeling that something was missing... and it was noticable.

Customised Encouragement

Sarah's game reminded me that, no matter what I play, I need to be able to customise it. Monsters & Magic is the game that, although built to support whichever generic fantasy you want to play, actively encourages (nay, requires) you to customise. Thanks, Sarah - because otherwise, it's fair to say, I think our campaign would wither and die.

Here are three things that Sarah has inspired:

1. Customised Sub-classes: Ian plays an "Assassin". I want to give him a buzz and offer him rules for the "Witchfinder" that he is actually playing, designed just for our game.
2. Customised Traits: Mark plays a Cleric. I want to give him some specific abilities that reflect his role as a "Priest of Helles, the Lightbringer". 
3. Customised Setting: We're playing in our world. I want to import ideas from several other OSR games, blending in materials that will make this our own.

All of this is possible with Monsters & Magic. Heck, all of it is possible with Castles & Crusades... but I don't really know how much that'll affect the balance of things. 

With Sarah's game, well... "you won't break the game." 

If you've not yet had a look at it, I recommend it... right now, it's a $10 download.

Game on!

Can you Imagine?

Two hobby projects have been gestating this week. The first, Serene Dawn (the SF setting), hit two road blocks which, although largely temporary, put a dampener on my spirits. The second, my ongoing quest for getting fantasy right, opened up new vistas when I re-discovered Imagine.

Legends of the Unknown

This week the fifth book in the Imagine RPG series arrived at my home: Legends of the Unknown. That in itself was an exciting event, given that the subject matter includes adding watery adventures to the game - think pirates and stuff to do with travelling across the oceans, and you've captured my mindset.

The book itself, however, was only the spark for me. The main attraction was to crack open the main rules of Imagine and once again remember both why I love the game... and why I've never been able to get a game with it.

Time to Imagine

Back at the turn of the century, when the world was falling under the spell of D&D 3rd edition and the d20 system was new and magic... there was Imagine.

Looking back I see in the creation of this game a proto-movement for what was to become the Old School Renaissance... with a difference.

It began with the very cool merchandising decision to publish a poster:

Seeing this, I tracked down the website and bought the game. Reading the rules, I smiled at the irony that the combat roll used a d20... just in a very different way.

At the core, Imagine is a d100 game which uses d20 during a fight. The heart of the game, however, really appealed to me... and still does: the game includes a LOT of detail running over a very simple set of core rules. The GM is encouraged to be imaginative and creative, being given all the tools they need (via the GM Guide) to alter or design any element in the game - spells, creatures, classes, items... whatever. The players are also challenged to be creative, but in the way they describe and interact with the world they are playing in.

What I discovered was a game which harped back to the feeling I had experienced in the early days of gaming with more crunchy systems but with infinitely more freedom as a GM.

Imagine was the first game system I came across which genuinely encouraged me to create a unique world, not just another generic fantasy location.

Anti-D&D?

To label Imagine as a reaction to D&D is, however, a mistake. It's also a mistake to lump it in with the Old School Renaissance which (for the most part) has taken things back to an earlier form of D&D. For me, Imagine offers Old School Evolved... or, at least, Evolving.

Imagine suggests that, while it's helpful to have classes and levels to map out character power and progress, these things should not be limits to what you can do with the hero. It blends the best aspects of skill-based gaming with the best aspects of level-based gaming... and adds something to the mix. It's not really anti-D&D... it's actually suggesting that you take the game a step further by using your imagination.

Imagine

Imagine makes me pause. It makes me want to try it out. The only problem is that it makes me worry that my players won't like it. 

It's a game that will take you ages to create a character for but, once complete, will leave you to get on with playing. For my action-orientated group this means it really benefits from a speeding-up tool, like the rough-and-ready character generator on the game's website. What it really needs is a Hero Lab build.

It's a game that utilises one of the most innovative combat systems I've ever read. You actually describe what you want to do with that weapon and translate it into an attack roll designed to see if you achieve it. Slashing over arm to hit the Goblins head? Imagine it striking the head if you hit... but striking the shoulder if you narrowly miss! You are not only encouraged to describe (or even act out) your attack but you are rewarded for being clever: how about striking at the throat with your spear, or knocking a sideways swinging blow with your club to sweep the foe's legs out from under him?

Imagine is a game which offers real customisation as you grow your hero in whichever of the myriad of class choices you decide to follow. Class is a choice of pathway in adventure... but never a straight-jacket. 

The only downside is, given all of the choices, the game appears to be pretty complicated. 

Is Imagine complex?

That depends on what you mean.

Under the hood the game is actually simple: 

• Skills and Saving Throws are rolled on d100, roll-low, with a few optional modifiers.
• Attack rolls are d20, with modifiers.
• You gain XP to go achieve Goals (sub-levels) and Titles (levels).
• Mages cast spells using Aura (read: spell points).
• Priests cast spells freely but with limits on casts between prayers.

Imagine draws on the traditions of fantasy roleplaying. It feels a lot like D&D's spirit infused into a d100 system. Looking at it post-Arduin, I can see an awful lot of David Hargrave in the game... not in mechanics but in spirit. Imaginative ideas, encouragement to create and customise, and alternative ways of doing things are all core to Imagine. 

On the other hand, on a first reading at least, the game looks like it has some clunky aspects: the second-by-second combat system, for example, seems alien to most roleplayers... unless they've played the new Hackmaster or GURPS 4e.

Do I want a game where I need to track the second-by-second moves of the characters? That depends on my desired level of detail: I am sure that some GMs might be tempted to run the game with rounds based on the now-standard idea of a 6- or 10-second round with one action and one move. But if you bother to try out the more detailed system you discover that you don't need to add much more effort to gain a lot more tactical enjoyment... assuming you're into tactical play.

Here are two excellent quotes from Imagine creator and CEO, Michael (posted on the forum) in response to me asking, "How do I demo this to newbies?"

"For the ease of combat I break [the 10-second round] down into the first three seconds, the second three seconds and the last four seconds...So when the guy who got a -6 [for initiative] goes I ask him what would you like to do? He tells me I'd like to engage this opponent. So I check his movement and see that he has to go from walk, jog to run to get to his opponent in the third second. Lets say he has a 4-second weapon (long sword adjusted). I saw normally it would take you four seconds to swing but you are engaging the guy and you get to him on the 3rd second so that's when your first attack happens."

"Tell me how you want to hit the guy. I ask him to either describe or pantomime how he wants to hit. I show him the back of the sheet where we have already pre-calcuated his bonuses to hit and tell him to roll a d20, then add the bonus I have just shown him. Then we see how he hit. Let's say he hit right and said he was going to over head swing at the head. I tell him okay you didn't hit the head but you hit to the right tapping either his shoulder or mine to show and then he and everyone else can really visualize it. We roll damage by the weapon and I ask him what he wants to do next..."

For me, the added appeal is in the detailed description: I can imagine the movement and strike clearly for the trade-off of using a second-by-second, real-time counting system. It's not really complicated... just more detailed. 

Which is better? "I hit him!" [roll], or "I swing my sword down in a slashing move aiming for his neck!" [roll]. The second description is better, right? But what if that description also matters in the game? Cutting into the guy's neck should be very much more worrying for the guy being hit than just taking another generic dose of hit point damage. 

Which is more desirable? That is the real question: it is worth the effort to gain that detail? I feel that it might be... but I worry that my players won't agree.

Newbies

Which brings me to the question of newbies. The default assumption is that newbies need simple, for which we often substitute simplified (or, regrettably, simplistic). I have run games of Pathfinder, for example, which use the simplified "Beginner's Box" to intro the game.

Thinking back to my own gaming journey, however, I began with RuneQuest and Traveller plus Star Frontiers and D&D. I quickly graduated to Rolemaster. These were not simple games... especially given the appalling quality of explanatory writing in evidence in those early days. 

Roleplaying games are not simple to learn to play. They require a certain desire to tell stories and a preparedness to learn some reasonably challenging rules. Most young kids are actually playing much more complex games on their consoles... they just don't have to do the maths because the computer does it for them. But the tactical challenges of the games are quite large... and the more complex the game, generally, the more kids (especially boys) enjoy it.

The barrier is their confidence with what they are learning. As with all learning, you need to have the process staged and built in small steps. There's no point introducing all of the rules at once (which I tend to do, even with experienced roleplayers) because you just confuse people and turn them off. Instead, even with roleplayers who have played a lot of games, you need to step-up the learning through play. Enter the demo.

Demo

Here's where I share a newly developing idea for how to intro a new game: you run a demo.

Option 1, probably best for total newbies to a game, is to pre-generate the characters and allow them to pick-up-and-play. 

Option 2, open to more experienced gamers trying a new game, is to use a quick character generation system to speed them into playing.

Either way, you set up some basic situations which allow the players to learn how to use the game to emulate their decisions. The key point here is this: you ask them what they want to do... then you (as GM) model it into the game rules. That's what Michael's post (excerpts above) basically encourages and, from experience, I realise that this is the key.

Don't run a huge combat with 20 combatants. Run a quick fight with a couple of easy-to-defeat opponents aimed at teaching the guys how to play. They will learn the basics and get the flush of victory... making them hungry for more. Remember: they're going to win the fight... because the fight is designed to allow them to learn, not to try and challenge the heroes.

Run a series of situations which require them to use some skills. The aim, again, is just about helping players to learn how to roll the dice to emulate their actions. Throw in some Saving Throws, sure... this adds spice and danger... and teaches them how to make Saving Throws.

Give them choices to make as the story unfolds. Don't write a linear scenario... set up an open situation and allow the players to feel their way through to a conclusion. I'm imagining a house break-in, or a simple cave exploration, or a short street-based investigation with thugs getting in the way.

Make it a short session - 2 hours perhaps - and then take them through "levelling up". Allow them to customise their heroes ready for next time. And then invite them to come again... and again... and again... each time, increasing their understanding of the game with a few new details.

Even the most complex system, broken down into bite-sized learning experiences, will become accessible over time. The question is whether you're patient enough to create those experiences.

In conclusion...

I'm going to try an run some folk through games using Imagine. 

I'm going to design a beginner's scenario set in the world my main group is currently playing in too, just to make the setting stuff easy on me whilst adding to my other GMing commitments. Adding details to the world we're playing in means that, no matter how successful or not my efforts are, they are always useful to my main efforts.

I might invite my regular group to test the demo: it's a side-adventure in the setting they are already invested in, so it adds to the background of the stories we're telling... and it allows me to tweak my teaching efforts. Come the big day with the newbies, I'll be all-the-more prepared for how players might react.

I'm going to be brave and try to bridge the gap between the detail I desire in my gaming and the apparent complexity it implies. I just hope I can make it work.

Game on!

Descent: Journeys in the Dark

This week my wife bought a copy of Descent: Journeys in the Dark, Second Edition.

This short review outlines the generally positive feeling that the game gave me (at least as Overlord) and one or two concerns that arose from the other player's reactions.

This is a high-quality board game from Fantasy Flight Games. It draws inspiration from the classical dungeon adventure of D&D fame, pitting a team of adventurers against the denizens of various short quests. 

The biggest break with roleplaying, however, lies with the fact that the Hero players (who play an adventurer) are in direct competition with the Overload player (who has all the critters and lots of power). 

This makes Descent a board game, not a roleplaying experience.

Components

Costing around £50-55, what do you get for your money? Impressively, quite a bit. 

Firstly there are 39 miniatures, of which 8 are heroes and the rest are groups of monsters. Chunky dragons and elementals rub shoulders with Goblins and zombies. These are in a reasonably detailed plastic which provides three colours  - grey for heroes, white for basic monsters, and red for "Master" monsters (aka bosses). No assembly was required, although I was slightly disappointed that my Master Zombie model had become bent in the box, leaving him perpetually leaning back (as if drunk) despite attempts to bend him upright.

Next is all the card. Hard-stock board sections, each numbered and double-sided. Lots of chunky counters from the same cardstock. Very little wastage from the frames. The boards are all marked with squares for movement, although my colour-blind eyes found seeing the lines awkward on some sections. 

There are also a myriad of playing-card sized reference cards and various decks for use in play. From the Overlord Deck (with which I am becoming familiar) through to the Monsters Cards, these are all beautifully illustrated. There is also a smaller-sized card used for Condition Cards and other, smaller decks. At first we were worried at the volume of card types but, with play, realised that relatively few are in use at any given time: you will be swapping Act I decks for Act II decks later in the campaign (should you use it) and you don't need everything all of the time.

There are eight heroes (archetypes), 8 character classes (two per hero archetype) and many choices to be made should you want to play through a campaign.

Mention of the campaign means it's worth mentioning that, in addition to a very easy-to-read and well-constructed rulebook, you also receive a Quest Book. This contains 20 quests, of which 16 are useable as one-off games. Together the 20 quests comprise a campaign, playing 9 of the quests in a sequence through which the outcome of each quest affects the later events in the campaign.

Of note is also the fact that the cards come pre-sorted in ziploc bags. We liked this. Oh, and there are special custom dice.

Game Play

It's simple. Heroes go first, in any order the players choose. Then the Overlord goes.

Heroes and monsters get two actions per turn. Heroes can repeat actions (including Attack) but monsters can only Attack once. You can move, attack, use skills and abilities, help injured friends and many other useful options exist. You roll dice to resolve most actions.

Each quest is a mini-mission. A couple of quests only have one encounter but most have two. You play through the encounters and seek to achieve your goals - Heroes and Overlord have different objectives each time. In the first game, for example, the Overlord needed to get 5 Goblins to escape the evil Heroes... while the Heroes were seeking to kill the Ettin... which they did very quickly in our case. 

You can play at a basic level, treating each quest as a one-off game. You can play one-offs but increase the power-level of the game by one or two notches. Or you can play the campaign.

This is a fast, easy-to-run and well-ordered system of play. We liked it.

Campaign

After one game we decided we wanted to keep the heroes and develop their powers. The campaign was obviously the way to go.

After each quest there is a brief Campaign phase. The heroes return to the town, gain experience points to spend on improving their abilities (all chosen from their Class deck), spend cash earned in the Shop (all from a card deck), and choose their next quest. The Overlord also gains XP and can upgrade their own Overlord Deck, choosing from both universal cards and those belonging to one of three Overlord Classes.

Once prepped, the heroes travel to their next quest. There is a map with travel encounters possible (again, through the use of a deck of cards). This took but a minute to resolve when we played and is very slick.

Once arrived, the heroes enter the next quest's first encounter. You set up, place the models and set to. It's quite easy and the Quest book gives the Overlord a lot of choices to consider.

Overall

We had a good session with two quests, for a total of three encounters, played over around 4 hours. The campaign promises some 20+ hours of game time over multiple sittings.

What impresses me is the combinations of play which means that there is considerable re-playability for the campaign. Each of the eight heroes has two classes to choose from; the Class Cards can't all be bought over the 9 quests that form the campaign, so you have to make choices; the Overlord is customising their own deck and choosing different monsters each time they run a quest; and so on. There are enough choices and random elements to guarantee that no two quests will play the same way.

Tactically the game is challenging. Players have to work together and decide how to tackle each part of the quest. The Overlord gets to throw spanners into their plans. Playing cards from the Overlord Deck essentially either boosts the monsters or disrupts the heroes. My favourite card is "Tripwire".

Of concern for one player was the sense that the game favours the Overlord somewhat. I think that, if this perception is correct (and it might not be) that would be acceptable because the game should be challenging for the Heroes... especially as they form a team with ever-growing powers. But then, I would say that... I played the Overlord.

Is there enough variety in the monsters? Probably. There aren't too many different types but they do upgrade in Act II of the campaign, and there are basic versions as well as bosses. In a way, too many monster choices might make for fiddly play. As Overlord I had enough choices and variety in our first two quests... and the Heroes quickly worked out how to defeat them.

My largest disappointment is that the Lieutenants, special characters used by the Overlord in some missions, didn't come with miniatures. They are represented by tokens. I know that eight or so extra models would be expensive but it did detract from the high-quality of the rest of the creatures. It would be nice to be able to place them as miniatures, just like everyone else.

Overall... well, I was impressed. My wife and friends seemed to have a good time. We are a competitive bunch, though, so the Overlord versus Heroes vibe did get intense... which is not always a good thing. 

It's a high-quality board game which, for me, rivals Warhammer Quest (one of the greatest games ever designed) but doesn't quite pip it. Descent is very, very playable and a game that I hope to be coming back to sooner rather than later.

Game on!

Gamemastering: A Brief Review

It's an innocent enough question: "Tell me, have you read Brian Jamieson's book, Gamemastering?"

Turns out that when Precinct Omega asked this question he was connecting me to the most useful book that I've ever come across on the topic of being a GM.

It's also a totally free eBook.

The most useful? Yes.

Here's why...

What's Jamieson's Angle?

In his Introduction, Jamieson writes:

In 2003 I again began wondering why there still was no comprehensive “how to” for Gamemasters. To date only a few books have attempted the task with varying degrees of success, and a growing number of Internet forums, blogs, and websites talk a lot about the subject. There is some excellent advice out there but unfortunately, a lot of what I’ve read seems, well, just wrong to me. Backwards. Completely contrary to my experience. So I wrote this book.

He's a 30-year+ veteran of gaming (like me) and yet he has wrestled with a goal that I could only dream of attaining. His book is a pretty good stab at being a complete Gamemastering toolkit.

Why read it?

This book is written for the noob but is useful to the veteran. Actually, for me, I tried at all time while reading to open my mind to being a noob again... which is nearly impossible.

I found myself hugely disagreeing with several of his assertions, especially on the topic of character creation. That aside, however, I have so far mined far more from the book than I have disregarded. Far, far more. And I have started to GM in his style just this last Friday.

Reasons to read it include:

• It appears to cover all the bases. It's complete, as far as I can tell.
• Help on setting up the game will save lots of time later on.
• Advice on character creation has immediately deepened the roleplaying in my own group (without anyone really noticing yet).
• His system for adventure writing is really effective at reducing prep time while increasing quality.
• The ideas on running the session are detailed and helpful.

Frankly, it's free. Why not read it? Come on, it's FREE!

Why have I adopted his approach?

This is more complex to answer and yet also simple.

I struggle as a GM. This guy is helpful.

In truth, this is the book that I needed when I was 11 years old and beginning play. Of course, back then, no one had been playing for 30 years because that was the early 80's and RPGs were relatively new. If you are a noob GM now then this is a go-to text.

Reasons I adopted his book:

• It's written in a step-by-step how-to style.
• It's actually largely convincing, judging as a long-time GM.
• It's intuitive.
• It's simple to apply.
• It's focused on role-playing over roll-playing.

Caveats I'd place, by way of warning:

• It's one person's view, despite his claims to have consulted others; thus it's culturally biased and focused on one style of play.
• He dislikes random things - like character generation or tables - and over-eggs this point.
• While he accommodates the "action-orientated" playing style, he is mostly an "acting camp" GM; he seems to dismiss "dungeon crawls" as a thing of the past without much consideration of the value of such games.
• He is focused on adult gaming - no, not as in Adult - by which I mean he shows little empathy with teenage- or children-friendly gaming. 
• His writing style can come over as arrogant at times.

Overall, though, this book is a gem. It's a real find. Honestly.

Anything else?

Jamieson is writing for GMs and does not pull punches. He is very frank and bold in his assertions. It's worth rolling with those punches even if, like me, you sometimes disagree with him. The book should be read as a whole, not in parts.

Jamieson is not an active friend of the "gaming industry". He points out that it's actually easier to build a home-brew setting than to use a commercial one. He also mentions that he now uses his own home-brew rules. This would point towards an independent approach. To be honest... he has a point.

On the other hand, what Jamieson does point out is that the gaming industry can be mined for the bits we really need. One example is maps. Another is illustrations. He just recommends reusing old modules and books, finding free stuff online and trying to save your pocket. None of that will enamour him to the industry... especially when, although his book is a free ebook, he also publishes a paperback.

But then... I have ordered the paperback because I really intend to use it.

Game on!

DreadBall: A Review

36 hours or so have passed since I got my mitts on the new "DreadBall" board game and I thought a few comments were in order.

What is DreadBall?

It's a game. A boardgame. A game using miniatures, a board, dice, cards and counters. 

It's fun, fast and quite easy to pick up. 

It's a sports game:

DreadBall is the most popular sport ever devised, and the revenues it generates are vast. Corporations fall over each other to sponsor new teams and ever more splendid new arenas, knowing that their investments will return many times over. Teams pay huge sums for new players, hiring exotic aliens and even former enemies to liven the spectacle and amuse the fans.

Oh, and it's not BloodBowl. (See -->here<-- for why.)

You can find out more here: http://dreadball.com/whatisdreadball

Any Good?

Yeah, pretty good. I've had only a couple of niggles, which isn't too bad.

Niggles first, I found the Veer-Myn models excruciatingly hard to get to glue together - most especially the arms on the oddly-posed crouched Strikers - but as all the other three teams (Humans, Orx & Goblins, Forgefathers) were a doddle, I can forgive it. I also found the absence of a statement of what constitutes a successful Pass action distracting... but I imagine it's simply a one success requirement. Finally, I wish my acrylic counters were actually in red and white, like the pic on the Mantic sales site, instead of all being see through acrylic which is hard to differentiate.

Niggles aside, the game is nicely made and well-presented. As a Kickstarter supporter, I have a few extras straight-away - like the acrylic counters, two extra teams and loads of Most Valuable Player (MVP) models.  The board is sturdy and the models quite nicely sculpted (excepting those odd Veer-Myn Strikers with the low pose). The book is very clearly written and quite easy to follow.

How's It Play?

Well, I've had a quick solo run-through. I hope to persuade the Missus to play a game over the next day or two, but until I can run it with another human (like at the school club on Tuesday), a solo report will have to do. Sad, eh? 

It  plays well. Quick, clear and easy to learn. 

I like the way the score fluctuates up and down between the players on a spectrum from 7 to zero to 7. I like the fact that many actions require opposed dice rolls which would (in a non-solo situation) involve both players all through each person's turn (called a "Rush"). I like the totally different feel of the game as a futuristic sporting event, not a clone or adaptation of an existing sport.

The card deck is a big plus. It adds lots to the game and covers a lot of mechanics with the flip of a card. Wanna move the Ref? Flip a card, read the top-left number for how many hexes. Making a Fan Check? Flip a card, read the bottom line for the Cheers. Need a random Player as a target? Flip a card, read the right-hand line of numbers to select the unfortunate sportsperson. 

It's easy to memorise your team stats. It's easy to remember the basic rules. It seems quite well-balanced despite some seriously different teams. 

There are MVPs, rules for leagues and all that jazz. I can see me running a league at school for the kids. They just need a team and a roster sheet. With teams retailing at £14.99 each (8 players), it's a snap to get them into the game... assuming they like it.

Overall?

I am just itching to play a game, to be honest. A real game. You know, versus a human. 

That'll be the proof of the pudding: can I get other players to try it? 

Barriers are the mental assumptions people make, like "oh, it's just a BloodBowl clone, right?" Wrong!

DreadBall is a cool, unique game and I am itching to play it.

Game on?

Unboxing DreadBall

Imagine my excitement to receive the boxed game, "DreadBall" (by Mantic) last night. This is me unboxing the beast and taking a quick look.

Dodgy camera work aside, it's kinda fun.

How many times do I say, "Cool"?!

HackMaster: Character Generation

Having messed around a bit with the earlier release of HackMaster Basic, I was delighted last week to finally receive my copy of the HackMaster Player's Handbook. This morning I have been exploring character generation and wanted to share my two-penneth on why this is a cracking game.

Before we start, however, a caveat: HackMaster is NOT a joke game! We need to make it very clear that this article is about the new HackMaster. This is a serious fantasy RPG with some really positive innovations that, frankly, make the current generation of D&D editions look a bit crap. 

Gentle reader... take a deeper look before you discount the new HackMaster.

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Old-School Gaming

Have you read Matthew Finch's "Quick Primer for Old School Gaming"? If not then I'd seriously recommend it.

Old School?

A weird thing happened over the past couple of weeks since my last article. The more I imagine Taran, the more I am drawn into a mood and feeling that I associate with my first experiences of Dungeons & Dragons... way back in the days of 1st edition.

Yesterday I skimmed through the playtest file for D&DNext, the rules for the forthcoming re-iteration of D&D from Wizards of the Coast. As I read those rules, and later chatted to my gaming buddies about them, I realised that what I really wanted to do is get back to the original experience from more than 30 years ago.

And it's not just a retro reminiscence thing. It feels deeper than that.

"Old School" is the term for a re-exploration of the original fantasy gaming rules played in the style and with the re-imagined rules of the original. In other words, it's getting back to something very close to 1st edition D&D.

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Savaged!

Savage Worlds is quite possibly the answer to several setting problems that keep cropping up. I've been reading it this week with interest, especially given the obvious advantage it has over the other generic RPG systems that I own: speed of play!

Savage Worlds
The game is not new to me. I originally picked up an edition right back some 10 years ago when it first hit the scene. I liked the flavour of the system but wasn't convinced that it would have legs. So... I dismissed it and moved on.

Why am I back looking at it today?

Simply, Savage Worlds has evolved. It has proven that it has legs... and developed some very interesting new features.

For me, the system might be the answer for running game settings like "Dark Reich" in which the mortality rate is likely to be high, the game needs to run quickly, and there's lots of high-octane action.

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The One Ring

Few novels have had such a profound effect upon me than the works of J.R.R. Tolkien. Growing up, the escapades of Bilbo and Frodo Baggins were deeply affecting and inspired many dreams and adventurings of my own. Indeed, Tolkien is probably largely responsible for my becoming a roleplayer at all.

Over the years there have been many attempts made to create a game to allow people to enter Middle-earth and adventure there. I've played all of those that I have ever come across, including the efforts of Iron Crown and Decipher.

This post is a review of the latest incarnation of roleplaying in the world of The Hobbit and The Lord of The Rings.

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