Remembering Brian
Today, I received the sad news that Brian Glose had passed away during a family vacation in Florida. In true geek fashion, Brian spent his last day on earth watching the Space Shuttle launch. One of his last Facebook posts said …
“Discovery is off to the ISS. What an experience! I have wanted to see a shuttle launch for almost 30 years and now I can say I have.”
Good for you my friend!
Brian and I met in the fall of 2007 when he attended the launch of Neoncon. At the time, my wife and I were considering a move to Denver. When he found out, Brian … a Denver native … gave me his phone number and told me to call him with any questions about the area, housing market and schools. I’d only just met him, but he was happy to lend a hand. That is just the kind of guy Brian was.
After that, we would see each other at other regional and national gaming conventions, including Neoncon and other shows that I supported here in Vegas. As a player, GM and event organizer, Brian was a pillar of the Living Greyhawk community in his home town. Without fail, he always had a smile and a kind word for his fellow players. At the table, he was patient as well as skilled, both as a player and a GM. I never saw him rattled or angry, even in situations where he had every right to be.
Today, part of me wishes we had made the move to Denver and I had the chance to know Brian better. Still, I am glad for the time I knew him. I am better for it. I am certain he is in a better place. So, my thoughts and prayers go out to his family and friends, especially J.P. and Dustin who new him much better than I did.
As for me, I like to think of Brian aboard the White Ship with Bilbo and Frodo, waving to us all as it sails out the sea.
Peace,
Doug
Outside of the Box. Into the Underworld.
Tonight marked my last night of play in the weekly Werewolf game, at least for the next 2-3 months. Next week, I start an extended gig that has me living in San Francisco through mid-June. While I’ll be home every other weekend, that time will be entirely dedicated to spending time with my wife and son. Family always trumps gaming, at least for me.
Still, I’ll miss my adventures with the Red Snow pack … a lot. Without question, it has been the most fun I’ve ever had playing an RPG.
Like my post about the trials of playing the Alpha, I plan to write a series of posts outlining what has made the last two months of Werewolf so special for me. It starts with the people, then the system(s) and then the setting. But, it is mostly the people.
Every person in the group has been tons of fun to play with. And, along the way, I’ve learned a lot of great new techniques for running RPGs and had most, if not all, of my assumptions about what makes a good game put the test. This crew forced me to think outside of the box and they all have my gratitude for doing so.
The game will go on and I will have great fun following the adventures of Red Snow on the Google Wave we maintain for out-of-session play. And, if Jarvis (ST) and I can find some time, Diego (my PC) will have a solo adventure or two while I am gone so I can get my fix. If the pack is still playing and a seat remains open, I plan to run with them again when I return to Vegas this summer.
To close this post, I’ll share a little bit of gaming serendipity with you. I had hoped to play two more weeks but, earlier today, it became clear that tonight would be it for a while. I texted Jarvis and let him know that we’d have to find a way for me to exit that was not a major disruption for the group. Before play started, we chatted but had no clear ideas about where to go.
The pack started the session in a moot, being recognized for our recent triumphs. An old rival challenged Earnie, our Galliard, over an old dispute and everyone got involved in the resolution. Earnie won, but was left spent and “without the wolf” when we were given our first official assignment as a newly formed and recognized pack. While the rest of the pack went off to rest up, Diego went out for a little pre-mission recon with a local Ragabash.
Diego failed a Stealth check and brought the guards running. The Ragabash wisely suggested we shift into the Umbra and we did. Or, I should say he did. Not only did Diego fail to pierce the gauntlet, he botched his roll.
As a Silent Strider, a botched “Step Sideways” instantly attracts the undead. Diego’s flaw is that he is often haunted by the ghost of his father’s girlfriend whom he killed during his first change as a raging Ahroun. So, when Diego he botched his “Step Sideways”, she appeared and sucked him down into the Underworld. To the local Ragabash, it appeared that Diego simply disappeared. He ran back to tell the pack, but now no one has any idea where their Ahroun and Alpha went or if he is even alive.
Though entirely unplanned, it was the perfect exit.
As I am learning, that is the beauty of playing a sandbox style game with bright, creative, “think on their feet” people. Even when the dice go horribly wrong, it makes for a fun and interesting story.
After all, isn’t that the point of playing in the first place?
Peace,
Doug
Lessons Learned as a Convention Organizer
Last Monday, I had great fun sitting in as a guest host of Shark Bone, a new podcast recorded here in Sin City and focused on all aspects of creating a rich, immersive RPG experience. The show is hosted by Devon Kelley and Jarvis Mishler both of whom are well-read and much-experienced GMs. I am fortunate to have them both helping build the indie/story game track at Neoncon. Regular readers know that these guys blow my mind each week in our Werewolf game — Devon as a pack mate (Dave, the Shadow Lord Philodox) and Jarvis as the Storyteller.
We recorded Episode 3, in which we discussed the fertile GM Garden that is M. Night Shyamalan‘s Unbreakable. Then, in the Grease Monkey segment, we went into a wide-ranging conversation about the various ways of using Experience Points (XP) as a measure of PC development.
After wrapping Episode 3, the guys interviewed me for CHUM!, a “one shot” episode that focuses on a specific topic. In this case, the topic was organizing your local gaming community. Specifically, we discussed the creation of Vegas Game Day (VGD), which in turn gave rise to Neoncon and eventually VegasGamers.org.
It was a lot of fun talking through the events of the last few years. Looking back, it is pretty exciting to see everything we’ve accomplished. Last month, VGD had over 40 people playing everything from RPGs to board games to CCGs. VGD has steadily grown each month and it is rewarding to see what this once RPGA-centric event has become.
In three years, Neoncon has grown from a 60-80 person Living Greyhawk bordercon into a full-service gaming convention providing RPGs, board games, CCGs, LARPs, seminars by industry pros and a dealer’s room to 450+ from all over the United States. Last year, we welcomed our first attendee from the UK.
Then, there is VegasGamers.org (VGO), our local online gaming community. Still a few months shy of it’s second birthday, VGO just surpassed 500 members, of which over 90% are local. Along with VGD, it has become Las Vegas’ gaming hub and an invaluable resource for new gamers moving into our city.
Along the way, I’ve picked up a lot of knowledge about how to run a convention and rally the local “troops”. Devon & Jarvis asked a lot of great questions from the perspective of a newbie event organizer. As a result, the majority of the hour is spent talking about lessons learned. We cover a lot of the tools, techniques and resources available to help with everything from organizing an in-store game all the way up to a full-blown convention.
I hope you find the episode useful. If you have any questions, feel free to ask in the comments and I’ll do my best to answer them.
Peace,
Doug
From Fiction to Game Mechanics – GamesU 2009
Take a far future utopian star traveling game, where your goal is to boldly explore new frontiers. Now, how do you develop a game for this fictional universe? What are the aspects of play that match the tenets of the universe? How do you make the game feel like the movies, shows, or books? In this session from GamesU 2009, Randall Bills, Alternate World Engineer at Catalyst Games Lab, discusses his process for bringing prose to life as meaningful, well-balanced game play.
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Pitch to the Pros (Part 2) – GamesU 2009
In this session from GamesU 2009, Origins Award-nominated game designer, Boyan Radakovich, walks you through the process of submitting your game prototype to publishers for publication. In Part 2 of this two-part seminar, Radakovich discusses his game design process including the concept, alpha and beta stages of development. Other key points include the “the elevator pitch”, “the walkthrough”, knowing your audience, submission guidelines and common pitfalls new designers often encounter.
WEB: www.neoncon.com
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Never boring …
It is always interesting to go through site stats and see who is reading and linking to posts here and over at Neoncon. Today, I discovered Old School Rant (OSR). On the one hand, he thought Matt Grau’s presentation from GamesU 2009 had merit for GMs even though he is clearly not a fan of Joseph Campbell. On the other hand, he takes me to task for responding to some negative things being said about Marcelo Figueroa’s presentation. Apparently, he thinks I am a Las Vegas fat cat rolling in cash and I don’t have love for anyone but Wizards of the Coast.
*chuckle*
If Old School Rant (OSR) had bothered to direct his vitriol at me as a comment on the original thread (or better yet just asked some questions), he would have discovered that we have more in common than he thinks, at least when it comes to the rise of the retro-clones. While I have not yet had the chance to play any of the old school D&D reboots (Swords & Wizardry), I am a big fan of the retro-clone movement as is Erik Mona, whom he also takes a swipe at in his rant.
Were he to have read any more of my posts or asked, he would have discovered that my gaming horizons have recently expanded to the World of Darkness and the new frontier that is indie/story games (The Mountain Witch, MouseGuard, Shotgun Diaries, Danger Patrol, Dread and more). So, despite OSR’s assumptions to the contrary, WoTC is not, at least for me, the end-all-be-all when it comes to gaming & RPGs … far from it.
What causes me to chuckle even more is, had OSR asked, he would know that I plan to reach out to the retro-clone community to invite some of the authors to come speak at GamesU 2010. Why? Simple. I think that the retro-clone movement is incredibly valuable to the long-term health of the hobby he and I both love. I look at people who are driving this movement as valuable creative voices that need to be heard. And, I am willing to give them a platform. I guess that makes me an greedy SOB.
So, let’s talk about that for a moment.
Is Neoncon a for profit enterprise? Yep. Would I like to see GamesU prosper and grow as a revenue stream for the show? Guilty. Are these two endeavors generating Monopoly style wheelbarrows of cash for me? Nope, far from it. Why am I doing it then? Simple, I believe in games. I think they have value in the human experience. I think they are a tool for unleashing human creativity and, where appropriate, teaching us skills and abilities in interesting and novel ways. Games are important.
People who write games and adventures for the sheer joy of it should be treasured. Their passion, drive and creativity are worthy of respect. Guess what? The passion, drive and creativity of people who do it for a living also deserves respect. Getting paid for one’s passion is no less noble than doing it for free.
During these tough times, anyone making a living (or trying to) by making, selling or promoting games deserves not to be spit on by Internet trolls. Speak to anyone in the industry, listen to the GamesU presentations without angry bias or talk to the owner of your friendly local game store. Just listen and you’ll soon know that the hobby games industry is no easy way to make a living and is almost never the path to easy street.
I would have said all of this as a comment on OSR’s blog. However … as is often the case with people who do not want challenges to their guarded and carefully constructed world view … OSR does not allow comments on his blog. After all, it is an angry rant, not an invitation to adult discussion. Still, he wants to talk and not rant, my comments thread remains open.
Peace,
Doug
Pitch to the Pros (Part 1) – GamesU 2009
In this session from GamesU 2009, Origins Award-nominated game designer, Boyan Radakovich, walks you through the process of submitting your board game prototype to publishers for publication. In Part 1 of this two-part seminar, Radakovich discusses his game design process, trendspotting, the early alpha and beta stages of playtesting, the importance of documentation and the basic elements of the pitch.
WEB: www.neoncon.com
TWITTER: www.twitter.com/neoncon
FACEBOOK: Fan Us! :: Friend Us!
Gaming can make a better world – Jane McGonigal
Don’t know who Ms. McGonigal is? And you call yourself a gamer? Watch this video then follow her on Twitter and check out her website.
Its not easy being Alpha
Werewolf: The Apocalypse
But, that does not mean I was not frustrated.
You see, the vast majority of my RPG experience has been focused on good old OGL d20. You know … D&D in it’s various forms. And, more often than not I am the GM. Since returning to the tabletop in 2006, I have only been involved in an ongoing campaign three times; twice as the GM running “Red Hand of Doom” and once in an early run of “Keep on the Shadowfell”, the 4E launch module. The rest of my recent experience as a player has been in organized play campaigns like Pathfinder Society, Living Forgotten Realms and the defunct and much mourned Living Greyhawk. While hugely fun in their own right, these experiences did little to prepare me for the World of Darkness (WoD).
Mechanics aside (I’ll save that for a later post), the core assumptions of the Storyteller system and the World of Darkness setting are fundamentally different than those of D&D and her kin. Note that I said different. Not better, not worse, just different.
In general, D20 play tends to be mission driven. You hunt around for the story hook then you run it down to the fight with the BBEG. As a rule, this experience is more distilled in organized play, which is built upon adventures written for complete play in 4-5 hour slots. As a result, players and GMs tend to be very mission driven and generally cooperate with one another to find the hook and drive the story to completion. Often times, these games play more like a tactical strategy game than an RPG. The motivations and quirks of the characters are secondary or tertiary to crunching numbers to see if the monster is killed and looted. A friend with a lot of experience with both d20 and WoD likes to describe most d20 as “team vs. monsters”.
On the other hand, WoD is “monsters vs. monsters (and humans)”. Even though some monsters, like the Garou (werewolves) are theoretically good (protectors of the Gaia the earth spirit); they are still monsters. As monsters, they are not necessarily always heroic. And, they will frequently fight one another. So, the first major departure from my past experience is the fact that inter-party conflict and even combat is not only common but expected in a WoD game. That was a very, very big departure for me. As a GM & a player, I am used to seeing in-game cooperation by players who don’t necessarily get along away from the gaming table. So far in my WoD game, the players all get along famously out-of-character. But, in character, we fight like cats and … wolves.
On top of that, add the fact that WoD is much more of a sandbox style of game. So, while there are story hooks, there is no driving need to follow them. Players are free to direct the story away from the hooks presented. And, as I recently found out, it is OK to spend an entire session duking it out over inter-party conflicts, which leads me to my role as Alpha.
Though I’ll spare you the “let me tell you about my character” rant, it is important to know that Diego (my PC) has the Ahroun auspice (class) which, in d20 terms, is sort of a hybrid fighter/barbarian. He is the “tank” that deals and soaks massive damage on the front line. Because their Rage score are generally very high, Ahrouns tend to lose it and kill innocents and allies in addition to enemies. In addition to being Ahroun, Diego has been chosen as the pack Alpha and that is were the fun and frustration begins.
As in a wolf pack, the Alpha is the leader. He makes decisions for the pack and, in the case of Ahroun Alphas, he often does through force and intimidation, even of his own pack mates. Coming from a generally cooperative play style, one can see where this might have led me astray. In addition, I made the mistake of assuming that, as Alpha, I was supposed to keep the pack on task and drive them towards hook and the BBEG.
All of this was made more interesting by the fact that I opted to play a non-standard Ahroun. As Jarvis put it, “Diego is the equivalent of the D&D fighter who takes a Quarterstaff as his weapon of choice, instead of the Executioner’s Axe”. While the Quarterstaff fighter might be cool, he is, from a purely technical POV, a “sub-optimal build”.
Diego has all of the proper mechanics to be great Ahroun, but I chose to play him as more of a thinking man’s Ahroun (strategy & tactics) than say the werewolf version of Duke Nuke’em. And, as an Alpha, I chose to play him more as a General (soliciting group opinion and ideas) than a Boot Camp DI (Drop and give me 20 you puke). Finally, I declared that I was petitioning to join the Silent Strider tribe, whose Ahrouns are typically enigmatic, “talk softly and care a big stick” types.
Put it all together and I was playing an enigma, wrapped inside a riddle … sort of.
Because I was playing against type, I got a lot of comments like “How very Bone Gnawer of you?”, “You sound more like a Child of Gaia than a Silent Strider” and “Are you an Ahroun or a Galliard (Bard)”. The first two comments reference tribes that fit my expressed play better than the Silent Striders. The latter comment referred to the fact that I was acting more like a talker than a fighter.
As the newest guy in the group, I did not know everyone’s personalities (as players, not PCs) very well. In my d20 experience, comments like that are generally passive aggressive attempts to get a player to stay on task and/or remember to play to his optimized character build. In other words, they are reminders to “know your place” in the party and are usually issued by rules lawyers, better known as dicks. ;^D.
As a result, the line between IC (in character) and OOC (out of character) comments began to blur for me. Things came to a head when John’s PC challenged Diego for the position of Alpha. I’ve played a lot of d20 with John and shared a room with him at GenCon 2009. So, I know him to be a good guy and anything but a rules lawyer. Still, the challenge … in which I lost and later regained Alpha status… gave me a moment of pause.
Shortly afterward, the pack got into a huge brawl which, at one point, looked like it might end in a TPK. Afterwards, it seemed anything I said as Alpha was challenged. For a moment, the game ceased being fun and started feeling like work … aggravating work.
So, I did what any gamer should do … I asked some questions.
Guess what? No one found my non-standard Ahroun annoying. Instead, they thought he was interesting … as players. When in character, they were making comments that their young, frightened, know-it-all characters would make when faced with an Ahroun and Alpha who did not behave the way they (as characters) thought he should. And the challenge and “insubordination” was all part of that in character reaction. They all understood that playing a session dominated by pack in fighting was perfectly OK in the sandbox setting that is WoD. I didn’t yet understand that, hence the tension.
In short, they were role-playing, not roll-playing. Pretty amazing huh?
Now, this is not to say that WoD is superior to d20 and there are no real role-players in the d20 world. I’ve played with great d20 role-players in the past. But, I admit that they do seem to the exception and not the rule these days. And, I firmly believe the good role play is available in any game. Heck, one could role play in Magic: The Gathering or Monopoly if they wanted. Moreover, there could be WoD games out there that play with more of a min-max, railroad approach than the more standard sandbox approach of WoD. But, I am inclined to believe that WoD players tend to be more role-play driven because White Wolf puts the story up front and use the mechanics to support the story.
Simply put, WoD is more complex game than “Kill the bad orc. Take his pie.” And that may be why WoD, while hugely popular, is not the behemoth that d20 is.
WoD seems to require a certain sort of player. That person needs to worry less about the dice and more about the story. They need to appreciate flavor more than crunch. And, given the nature of the setting, they need to be interested in exploring the darker, more grey aspects of heroism and human nature.
The closest thing to this approach I see in the d20 space is Pathfinder RPG, which is why I am such a fan of that game and the Golarion setting. Both games handle mature topics while remaining engaging and fun.
If there is a lesson to be learned from my experience it is this … “It is is good to get outside of your comfort zone.” This is true in life as well as gaming. While a bit frustrating over this last little patch, this Werewolf game is easily the most fun I’ve had since I came back to the tabletop a few years back.
And now that I’ve got my feet under me a bit more in WoD, my insubordinate pack mates better toe the line or the Alpha hammer is coming down!
Just kidding … or am I? Muwahahahahahaha!!!! ;^D
Making the Most of Mythic Structure – GamesU 2009
In this session from GamesU 2009, accomplished game designer and screenwriter Matthew Grau discusses the monomyth and how to use it to create epic and enduring stories in your games. Popularized by Joseph Campbell in his book “Hero with a Thousand Faces”, the monomyth is a powerful tool for story structure. It is taught to aspiring screenwriters and used in mainstream movies today though it is most notably the backbone of the epic Star Wars saga.
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