tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-73621293334072156702024-01-15T08:00:33.608-05:00Mysteries of MontrealDerekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10541611128064822330noreply@blogger.comBlogger213125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7362129333407215670.post-54783305079423813592024-01-15T08:00:00.004-05:002024-01-15T08:00:00.238-05:00Artefacts as Inspiration. Jade Object<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHV-5A6AV_1UFub3WvhviKSepSTYRUGyUpQjSqdVJBumvD33G4S0rSjdbRTzS8NmNQc8IfDZijyUfYpngBDSO1xfK2YS6TjIMbkgm-luxZTwZysifhc9MMWjRcju6WTot5-rZKMVnDx4wt/s1600/Cong+Unknown+Ritual+Object.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHV-5A6AV_1UFub3WvhviKSepSTYRUGyUpQjSqdVJBumvD33G4S0rSjdbRTzS8NmNQc8IfDZijyUfYpngBDSO1xfK2YS6TjIMbkgm-luxZTwZysifhc9MMWjRcju6WTot5-rZKMVnDx4wt/s1600/Cong+Unknown+Ritual+Object.jpg" /></a></div>
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Source: <a href="http://www.metmuseum.org/collection/the-collection-online/search/72376?rpp=20&pg=1&ao=on&ft=chinese&when=8000-2000+B.C.&pos=2">Metropolitan Museum of Art</a>.<br />
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Distinctly modern in design, and yet dated to Neolithic China (2400BCE). Obviously an artefact out of time. And of ritual importance, well isn't that just archaeologist speak for 'We're not sure, but it was clearly important to someone",Derekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10541611128064822330noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7362129333407215670.post-79631134299336150552024-01-15T08:00:00.002-05:002024-01-15T08:00:00.239-05:00Japanese Call of Cthulhu Sourcebooks <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0OqkKV_E4b0hbS-dSZyWVJRXs1MLvWkbwh6NJVqfhfdyEAyWnGrojME15lXUdLle_2mJcLQfM-eu2AjCkxcgQbb1ZRL36PyAeiBtvu_BBqoDx6lONSYS14LU7E_EaCCASwj0d3JnwFvkZWO1CiIQuiw3RRPwnWXhIf-HfbBVzvCqXExCyQ6pDbqn_fkOn/s500/301401001110.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="354" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0OqkKV_E4b0hbS-dSZyWVJRXs1MLvWkbwh6NJVqfhfdyEAyWnGrojME15lXUdLle_2mJcLQfM-eu2AjCkxcgQbb1ZRL36PyAeiBtvu_BBqoDx6lONSYS14LU7E_EaCCASwj0d3JnwFvkZWO1CiIQuiw3RRPwnWXhIf-HfbBVzvCqXExCyQ6pDbqn_fkOn/w142-h200/301401001110.jpg" width="142" /></a>For my recent trip to Tokyo, I knew I wanted to pick up some Japanese Call of Cthulhu Sourcebooks, however, once I had made a trip to the games store, I saw that it was not quite as simple as picking a book off the shelf, and saying, 'Look, now I have a book in Japanese!' I knew I wanted the book to have some functionality, which left me with the problem of not knowing what the options were, short of using Google Lens to translate each book on the shelf one by one.</div><div>A quick google search on my phone back at the hotel (yes I should have done my research before I left, but, you know, life) left me very little the wiser, The books by <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enterbrain">enterbrain</a>, the publisher of Japanese Call of Cthulhu, seems to fall into 2 main categories, reprints of Chaosium books, but in Japanese, and books made for the Japanese market. </div><div><br /></div><div>That was about as much info as I could get, as it's clear their main site is not available in English, or at least doesn't come up on my English google searches. Even now, sitting on my laptop, with time to spare, I'm not having much more luck, but that is something I want to rectify and explore through this series of blog posts.</div><div><br /></div><div>The recent realisation among the Call of Cthulhu community on the west, that CoC is big in Japan has come together with an interest in what they seem to do differently. I want to start to explore this, firstly by looking in depth at the 2 books I picked up, then by casting the net a little wider to see what else is out there, and in doing so, let's try to lift the lid on what the differences and similarities are, and hopefully get access to new and different gaming experiences.</div>Derekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10541611128064822330noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7362129333407215670.post-13549553428360480262024-01-08T08:00:00.004-05:002024-01-08T08:00:00.129-05:00Trip to Tokyo<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoEytfu0USXL7y_IYB9RUXgjGAaXlxtedJi6igztjNWxHLmrdgeFTvSAR-dKRbchZC9TO2Fquzm4QoKfrgAOCXdR_V1Y2MEKvPpcjql_V4SRm0t1O4vqvPzFVyizIehzZGZ-h_g5Oagmm8WE5BQhEyUnCRie1QYERSA6ISgOQOAxh4M5Vhu1Z0nv3rG-sd/s4624/20240105_233541.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3468" data-original-width="4624" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoEytfu0USXL7y_IYB9RUXgjGAaXlxtedJi6igztjNWxHLmrdgeFTvSAR-dKRbchZC9TO2Fquzm4QoKfrgAOCXdR_V1Y2MEKvPpcjql_V4SRm0t1O4vqvPzFVyizIehzZGZ-h_g5Oagmm8WE5BQhEyUnCRie1QYERSA6ISgOQOAxh4M5Vhu1Z0nv3rG-sd/w200-h150/20240105_233541.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>If you didn't know that Call of Cthulhu was big in Japan, you must be living under a rock. Or you don't care. If it's the former, welcome out into the sunlight, if it's the latter, what are you doing here?<p></p><p>I have recently returned from Tokyo, which was a trip of a lifetime, but don't worry, this isn't a travel blog, but a gaming blog. One thing I did want to get my hands on while I was there was a Japanese Call of Cthulhu supplement. </p><p>Before going, I did a little research, and found that there was a store close to where we were staying that sold RPGs, the <a href="https://www.yellowsubmarine.co.jp/shop/shop-029.htm">Yellow Submarine</a>. What I did not research, was what books I should be on the lookout for, so I was going in a little blind. </p><p>What I saw was a good sized gaming store, with a lot of choice. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgv1qJ1FnPbAhJxxs320EeyWQK_hqiomSLzaisOovqbSsVtEBp-5Yrm0f7fqh05W8D3kmmd9giuEHItC-qlww8s_oWM5OY68IvVvYxdZknSm_u5fl8sNVV3ErwGAOtBvQcM7VvN6-BaL6REkZ3zIn6v6pd7eZbV5RvIpj8v5_Y0O5OcH1GYClFCW2a8S_v7/s4000/01.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="3000" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgv1qJ1FnPbAhJxxs320EeyWQK_hqiomSLzaisOovqbSsVtEBp-5Yrm0f7fqh05W8D3kmmd9giuEHItC-qlww8s_oWM5OY68IvVvYxdZknSm_u5fl8sNVV3ErwGAOtBvQcM7VvN6-BaL6REkZ3zIn6v6pd7eZbV5RvIpj8v5_Y0O5OcH1GYClFCW2a8S_v7/s320/01.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVUXtS7MkcbBJE7r5CWCNqHlUiOkOdDNsq3OXg5j7H9TKs8eg6ojcF67LC1PlHiX7lH9q6kPJnLIL8xPs-fgQqzO6B5O19Y1xMfEV3RhZk6CBe1X54uIYhf5MCdgB7hUn3KPPbveNGaokFxamYZvPEx1X8qTZMYCRcEAmW0YXDIMqVRUmGClf9XBasaJVo/s4000/02.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="4000" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVUXtS7MkcbBJE7r5CWCNqHlUiOkOdDNsq3OXg5j7H9TKs8eg6ojcF67LC1PlHiX7lH9q6kPJnLIL8xPs-fgQqzO6B5O19Y1xMfEV3RhZk6CBe1X54uIYhf5MCdgB7hUn3KPPbveNGaokFxamYZvPEx1X8qTZMYCRcEAmW0YXDIMqVRUmGClf9XBasaJVo/s320/02.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEie0eqzKcyrqnF1XJJVDY7WE8-ljfjQWmx02cFqN6nBMZ1x1HOfRGX8HFqxw6QTzXwrmrRW2lYawAz55T7qfkEqRfBaOGTMjc8096EPSzfAxKxVefKIuepVQXpiq65ST3BY8vCi6QOEww7l9lQFzTOYLofl_GL-aJLAe6_K5tgAd7P2vff4fve_oEYvI_T4/s4624/03%20Oink.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3468" data-original-width="4624" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEie0eqzKcyrqnF1XJJVDY7WE8-ljfjQWmx02cFqN6nBMZ1x1HOfRGX8HFqxw6QTzXwrmrRW2lYawAz55T7qfkEqRfBaOGTMjc8096EPSzfAxKxVefKIuepVQXpiq65ST3BY8vCi6QOEww7l9lQFzTOYLofl_GL-aJLAe6_K5tgAd7P2vff4fve_oEYvI_T4/s320/03%20Oink.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>A large selection of games of all types, nothing in English of course, and a nice selection of Oink games. If I had more cash, I would have bought a large range of these, instead, I picked one.</div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgP5ABmsa5bLotvA4Gb-RQm-UUWlhojQt11LPI-wqnUHMZ-uYpCZJhZQ3ycwBo1V5LeU01cNqG2bHk52XbhDwVGmG6iEfkBxi42qAT2eKvco7nYWK27GPOOOlv0K-bY99lyD1Rdk0e5Lc5NwsYox8Ba2XFrP3crFNraj2jAyeatnaYFVi8Q580A88ZTamQ1/s4624/04%20bought.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3468" data-original-width="4624" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgP5ABmsa5bLotvA4Gb-RQm-UUWlhojQt11LPI-wqnUHMZ-uYpCZJhZQ3ycwBo1V5LeU01cNqG2bHk52XbhDwVGmG6iEfkBxi42qAT2eKvco7nYWK27GPOOOlv0K-bY99lyD1Rdk0e5Lc5NwsYox8Ba2XFrP3crFNraj2jAyeatnaYFVi8Q580A88ZTamQ1/s320/04%20bought.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Purchases made</td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcnRj1HoI-NnO_fxWQv3yY_jpqx5TdJukolYoeaFWwfvfsQFjSlVTsCGYA67bh7M9wjD1zPxLKkT10ag9H4kBbxWfejBI5XNK0w0gJW2oZ8Y-le3vPoTO0TiRScMLfDTLMTrUyei_VoI8cMSCENUzAL5N3xJFWDuXJM-8jAUCfk8EtFRMUklwL11DD20qc/s3956/20240106_001612.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3177" data-original-width="3956" height="257" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcnRj1HoI-NnO_fxWQv3yY_jpqx5TdJukolYoeaFWwfvfsQFjSlVTsCGYA67bh7M9wjD1zPxLKkT10ag9H4kBbxWfejBI5XNK0w0gJW2oZ8Y-le3vPoTO0TiRScMLfDTLMTrUyei_VoI8cMSCENUzAL5N3xJFWDuXJM-8jAUCfk8EtFRMUklwL11DD20qc/s320/20240106_001612.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pretty dice</td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>I splashed out on some beautiful dice with Japanese numerals, a copy of <a href="https://oinkgames.com/en/games/analog/whale-to-look/">Whale to Look</a>, a fun little Oink game, a couple of plastic 2d minis of chibi Cthulhu and a chibi Mi-Go, finally a screen for the local version of Mork Bork, <a href="https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/nobuborg/trpg?lang=ja">Nobunaga's Black Castle</a>.<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0xs2bo0-UXXBsLIn2d5st7xjSIsE9mA6xGwNbbngmKrtmP7u3VXc36kptFmn9eLG8bTXPbdnUHHXbMGOyltPVcr-bKUwkCsxY85boJzXxVQFyVnnVB3h1IA3SpwtcszsTSEfah5W6p0jbYwrSB27StSG8toOzKHK8LbDvVJ_0_ILktilczWudH7bxAtal/s4463/MB%20Screen.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1804" data-original-width="4463" height="161" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0xs2bo0-UXXBsLIn2d5st7xjSIsE9mA6xGwNbbngmKrtmP7u3VXc36kptFmn9eLG8bTXPbdnUHHXbMGOyltPVcr-bKUwkCsxY85boJzXxVQFyVnnVB3h1IA3SpwtcszsTSEfah5W6p0jbYwrSB27StSG8toOzKHK8LbDvVJ_0_ILktilczWudH7bxAtal/w400-h161/MB%20Screen.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div><br /></div>For a great price of $3 CAD, this is some great artwork, with the rules for character creation on the inside. <br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrrhCsZG1533_1BXxrAyWhkCoLMJFQR9z-Akbd6vKIC9bGbeNd0Bc3e79tkiRFdcQe7rb00vpDdcpsRLNIE1g6M2snoDgqXH7B5E0VonoDLDs_YDn7KwqnmOTUsFzSSzZnKZNHvLHL1EMiZldOTpuUKmKhDb0vyEFxETFVQnCIEEiPfcMvboe2Za1WYL8Y/s3819/MB%201.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3819" data-original-width="2693" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrrhCsZG1533_1BXxrAyWhkCoLMJFQR9z-Akbd6vKIC9bGbeNd0Bc3e79tkiRFdcQe7rb00vpDdcpsRLNIE1g6M2snoDgqXH7B5E0VonoDLDs_YDn7KwqnmOTUsFzSSzZnKZNHvLHL1EMiZldOTpuUKmKhDb0vyEFxETFVQnCIEEiPfcMvboe2Za1WYL8Y/w141-h200/MB%201.jpg" width="141" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I didn't buy the actual book<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p>On a second trip the the area, I wandered into a second hand store by the name of <a href="https://order.mandarake.co.jp/order/?lang=en">Mandarake</a>. This was a second hand store with a huge selection of manga, comics and a bunch of other stuff I have no idea what it was. They had a great selection of RPGs, both in English and Japanese old and new. On this trip, I found a couple of the Call of Cthulhu. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxhNpxukeb5S5YhsudvFszeTBqnFwic79EFD6J8Qu_D4OPcz3VcqXXOhhtj42G8vSZnU4hnlm4f1YROdBSzqAGyHGZHOJsGNXu_A7016CtUyIbk1-wT2Jg3gIOqzJd3_sgSXET-LOnasXaRmBPfD_rnUnoedXXDTSUtMSsCau7wZeM13mJQaDo9-sa51GA/s4624/20240101_124559.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4624" data-original-width="3468" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxhNpxukeb5S5YhsudvFszeTBqnFwic79EFD6J8Qu_D4OPcz3VcqXXOhhtj42G8vSZnU4hnlm4f1YROdBSzqAGyHGZHOJsGNXu_A7016CtUyIbk1-wT2Jg3gIOqzJd3_sgSXET-LOnasXaRmBPfD_rnUnoedXXDTSUtMSsCau7wZeM13mJQaDo9-sa51GA/w150-h200/20240101_124559.jpg" width="150" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I don't recall this cover in the UK</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiWGCV20rJvLwl1kJGQk0qnh_ayJZ48yzoNC7syKHjdqjelxBv6_A63SahXWs3DvxmyTK3zFPqKJx_CRyzaoS5ekdVv0W6a_3rgj-e_fynAMkhfwdFswT-BMjFN63b-aN0xLLwMIxwJ_yAxNBsOv9XB4KJp20X_QFzVqD4bkKujI87E96Ni3DGoWgtxgEN/s4624/CoC%20bought.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3468" data-original-width="4624" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiWGCV20rJvLwl1kJGQk0qnh_ayJZ48yzoNC7syKHjdqjelxBv6_A63SahXWs3DvxmyTK3zFPqKJx_CRyzaoS5ekdVv0W6a_3rgj-e_fynAMkhfwdFswT-BMjFN63b-aN0xLLwMIxwJ_yAxNBsOv9XB4KJp20X_QFzVqD4bkKujI87E96Ni3DGoWgtxgEN/s320/CoC%20bought.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Books finally bought</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div>There is a lot more to digest for these books, and I will be going into more detail on these and the line in general in the next few posts. <br /><br /></div>Derekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10541611128064822330noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7362129333407215670.post-44729980254190719472024-01-06T08:00:00.017-05:002024-01-06T08:00:00.120-05:00New Year, New Blog<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjBF8kbU4W9BGjApmHTP69MDaBv8uc2qTUWWzcoHKEaf6PRJ-rT0obOIbuJ-jltwCPS9pRTEtwl1H8e3ivKCq0e11Q9WtisKIc2t-4PZuZkBQFF0oPjSfC65pxvqbHHmigBDBNLHbwhCbudVhSG5-lWsj7EF9X8ZkwQukAuazmCmCkU_qfpJyi0aMHbOtN/s788/Title%20Imageiii.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="443" data-original-width="788" height="113" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjBF8kbU4W9BGjApmHTP69MDaBv8uc2qTUWWzcoHKEaf6PRJ-rT0obOIbuJ-jltwCPS9pRTEtwl1H8e3ivKCq0e11Q9WtisKIc2t-4PZuZkBQFF0oPjSfC65pxvqbHHmigBDBNLHbwhCbudVhSG5-lWsj7EF9X8ZkwQukAuazmCmCkU_qfpJyi0aMHbOtN/w200-h113/Title%20Imageiii.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>I don't make New Years resolutions, I'm too stuck in my ways, but one thing I would like to do in 2024 is to renovate and renew my blogging in general, and specifically here.</div><p></p><p>When I set this blog up back in 2012, it was a place to put up RPG related things, in a similar way to what I was doing over on my <a href="https://leadandpaint.blogspot.com/">painting blog</a>. Back then, I built up a small following of other painters, and was able to follow many others easily. I never really tried to grow the following of this blog, and was always hesitant to share it. It's easy to share posts on painted minis in multiple forums, but this blog was more about writing, and I didn't share it in the same way.</p><p>So what's next? Well, first off, I will be posting more frequently here. More than just my annual 'Games wot I has played' posts that have given me my 1 post per year minimum. I have a couple of posts in the works on the Call of Cthulhu books I picked up recently in Japan, there will be an effort to move back to the Montreal part of the blog, and with gaming with John Wick, and NecrononiCon on the cards for this year, there should be enough content to keep me typing.</p><p>So that's the plan for basic content, phase one of the planned changes. I also plan to upgrade the interface for the blog. It has been over 10 years of the same layout, and I'm with a very small amount of effort, I can give the blog a facelift and make things pop a little more. </p><p>Finally, with more content to share, and possibly more interesting things being said, and a prettier package, I will try to grow readership beyond the 3-4 people I know have read some of these pages. My goal is to increase interaction on the page. I don't think it will ever become a place of deep discussion, but the odd comment here or there, as was the case on my painting blog, would be a nice way to see people are reading. </p>Derekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10541611128064822330noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7362129333407215670.post-73110860592764306882024-01-05T07:54:00.000-05:002024-01-05T07:54:01.479-05:00A Year in Gaming 2023A Happy New Year to you all. <div><br /></div><div>As is my wont, I tracked my gaming process throughout the year, and here we have the annual summary of events. </div><div><br /></div><div>This last year saw a return to the GM seat, after the completion of a long running Witchlight Campaign where I played Beaghan, the Fairy Bard. This means I had a total of 23 sessions as GM, and 65 as a player. Slightly fewer sessions overall from last year, but still a great amount of gaming was done. One highlight was getting back round a table for face to face gaming on a regular schedule, at one point having 8 people round the table, as there are three of our group who do not like to play online. This has calmed down to a more manageable 6-7 regulars, which is still a good sized group, that allows us to continue even through some members being unavailable. It seems the time taken to build up the group has payed off.</div><div><br /></div><div>In terms of new games tried, there were a whopping 11 new games/systems that hit the table for me this year. Three of those were one page RPGs (The Witch is dead; Perdu sous la Pluie; and All Outta Bubblegum). One was playtesting a version of the upcoming FiveEvil system (likely more on this in future posts). Of the other new games played/ran, Achtung Cthulhu and Tales from the Loop were the games that got the most play, and therefore the ones that I can truly add as new systems tested, as opposed to one-shots. </div><div><br /></div><div>In terms of Campaigns, we wrapped up the Wilds Beyond the Witchlight campaign for 5e, a massive 37 sessions of play over 3 years (non-continuous). We also played through the Crypt of the Devil Lich, using the DCC rules. Man, 7th level characters for DCC are quite something to behold! Finally, we ran through most of the 'They Grow up so Fast' campaign for Tales from the loop (with a few additional scenarios), which will wrap up in the new year. </div><h4 style="text-align: center;">Games Run</h4><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivZ5ZrwGJ3k-daSYeDBW2ZCrEbM2uIZDxzJyzpttMeGeUjz7UKz00Tvpqot-wvHS-J3o-rOVHZEjLmGGFe6vo57CRvV_XbkUptnqzX006_p3vjICOWE4GBDx8TczM5eUB0TKa3h3f3GekVwJxc2b6mfe6j05w_wEPzbAgUyynLEEKAOWZeTJDaoD6FfVp3/s1280/Run.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1280" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivZ5ZrwGJ3k-daSYeDBW2ZCrEbM2uIZDxzJyzpttMeGeUjz7UKz00Tvpqot-wvHS-J3o-rOVHZEjLmGGFe6vo57CRvV_XbkUptnqzX006_p3vjICOWE4GBDx8TczM5eUB0TKa3h3f3GekVwJxc2b6mfe6j05w_wEPzbAgUyynLEEKAOWZeTJDaoD6FfVp3/w400-h225/Run.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjS5s4SkOYN4AuzssfuBr1-tT3854xI4xsRiy8g6sxWQQ8YFCnVXhIH8OWT91T3mCip1wlczsqEkIW6XJ0C6OPfIpLZerIYHZ8_V2Z384OQ9o76rhi5AQzW7XQMocOp3osB41mA5U54YRnHad31MMVrggeUsPt5T8sEwDjKEcJnzeJF1G53nLv1Ne_6IUPi" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="272" data-original-width="612" height="178" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjS5s4SkOYN4AuzssfuBr1-tT3854xI4xsRiy8g6sxWQQ8YFCnVXhIH8OWT91T3mCip1wlczsqEkIW6XJ0C6OPfIpLZerIYHZ8_V2Z384OQ9o76rhi5AQzW7XQMocOp3osB41mA5U54YRnHad31MMVrggeUsPt5T8sEwDjKEcJnzeJF1G53nLv1Ne_6IUPi=w400-h178" width="400" /></a></div></div><h4 style="text-align: center;">Games Played</h4><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigowjdXupJ3znX_KD-oHKt4zN9YYI6HiYPGq5D-DUGTZlkOJYNNb0bsNwIJ6qn7Ui-hNC-fADlFqmpmZLW6vMokh0oc2vQSeuHkZAsMOveq374r77hZ30x86k1XfPYXKgTqJP8hrLZbAssm65J_XKO8jsNWZCx76TneCYTaCZzyT0PmBgrZhs0RP2EAvJZ/s1280/Played.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1280" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigowjdXupJ3znX_KD-oHKt4zN9YYI6HiYPGq5D-DUGTZlkOJYNNb0bsNwIJ6qn7Ui-hNC-fADlFqmpmZLW6vMokh0oc2vQSeuHkZAsMOveq374r77hZ30x86k1XfPYXKgTqJP8hrLZbAssm65J_XKO8jsNWZCx76TneCYTaCZzyT0PmBgrZhs0RP2EAvJZ/w400-h225/Played.JPG" width="400" /></a></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbSEvTBHKZeDZl_zQBYuKthieIPSOT104gzozXcSKH0KWHvA7Q_hrtzxZBECvAnPauUWR6qaanIzsHXQ3MF_mYE7S1zlrD4mFlq18Vf5ppQ2CvMmWyset1Ohe3xW8jV5lGk4H66au678cmHmqhPERy9oUnf9n2trGUBWrOhK-U5PCeQUtJbtdrG_5cQ3h5/s619/Played.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="281" data-original-width="619" height="181" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbSEvTBHKZeDZl_zQBYuKthieIPSOT104gzozXcSKH0KWHvA7Q_hrtzxZBECvAnPauUWR6qaanIzsHXQ3MF_mYE7S1zlrD4mFlq18Vf5ppQ2CvMmWyset1Ohe3xW8jV5lGk4H66au678cmHmqhPERy9oUnf9n2trGUBWrOhK-U5PCeQUtJbtdrG_5cQ3h5/w400-h181/Played.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I'll leave the images to speak for themselves, as the summary above includes all the highlights I want to mention. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">It only remains to mention some plans for 2024. Well, this year is a NecronomiCon Providence year, which I am heartily looking forward to. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">In terms of specific upcoming games, I think the plan this year will be to try out Vaesen, possibly with a rotating GM in the chair (well rotating between 2 GMs) which will be interesting in many ways. I am also looking forward to gaming with John Wick, as I have signed up for some games with him in the L5R universe. I an so excited about that, that I will be sure to blog about it here soon.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">May 2024 be all you want it to be, and contain many hours of happy gaming, and here's to telling stories with friends!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><br /><br />Derekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10541611128064822330noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7362129333407215670.post-84214919043322377672023-11-29T19:15:00.008-05:002023-11-29T19:16:48.554-05:00Photo of the Day<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbi1ZKPX71f57Msn4apUTi8YoCErGh6RZZ7YiwlVaj5p0Urii4pkfZFbDYEFwz7BOLAND9ph5VDu1u_OD3-Jv2RgmR-KVGXAS8qUWY8Tz5Z9ObEghmeBhhN1nF3RAguuQeL9PHlG2Y5ucvj4tZUXwu1PxOqtRg6iHPlfG7fXh4lxUBxYhysELsZDDyLKgf/s990/Fire%20at%20Mme%20Tussauds%201925.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="899" data-original-width="990" height="364" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbi1ZKPX71f57Msn4apUTi8YoCErGh6RZZ7YiwlVaj5p0Urii4pkfZFbDYEFwz7BOLAND9ph5VDu1u_OD3-Jv2RgmR-KVGXAS8qUWY8Tz5Z9ObEghmeBhhN1nF3RAguuQeL9PHlG2Y5ucvj4tZUXwu1PxOqtRg6iHPlfG7fXh4lxUBxYhysELsZDDyLKgf/w400-h364/Fire%20at%20Mme%20Tussauds%201925.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p><span class="x193iq5w xeuugli x13faqbe x1vvkbs x1xmvt09 x1lliihq x1s928wv xhkezso x1gmr53x x1cpjm7i x1fgarty x1943h6x xudqn12 x3x7a5m x6prxxf xvq8zen xo1l8bm xzsf02u" dir="auto">Melted and damaged mannequins after a <a href="https://londonist.com/london/history/the-day-madame-tussauds-caught-fire-and-most-of-the-statues-melted" target="_blank">fire at Madame Tussauds</a>. London. 1925.</span></p>Derekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10541611128064822330noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7362129333407215670.post-31287227299090093692023-11-21T19:32:00.000-05:002023-11-21T19:32:16.828-05:00The Warren<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg26Y5W7Ns-hUhkicr7LCg60cajIFTxrPwELnY6QxunNkghH4IES4yQ6g_h1-O4sEhmSOLqZCBq9zytrLIqOe3sxZ3oJB_KXMT3Mpj1m7mW-fALhB2mHv9EdYpplEzsn16hhjM10qQbRWA8C4is9fCE3iisAYYD4Yoqv80caqNb_Ps-1kX5WrFlOcJ4Zmph/s1024/warren-1024x768.webp" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="1024" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg26Y5W7Ns-hUhkicr7LCg60cajIFTxrPwELnY6QxunNkghH4IES4yQ6g_h1-O4sEhmSOLqZCBq9zytrLIqOe3sxZ3oJB_KXMT3Mpj1m7mW-fALhB2mHv9EdYpplEzsn16hhjM10qQbRWA8C4is9fCE3iisAYYD4Yoqv80caqNb_Ps-1kX5WrFlOcJ4Zmph/w200-h150/warren-1024x768.webp" width="200" /></a></div><p>Google <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Watership_Down" target="_blank">Watership Down</a>, and you get reviews of both the book by Richard Adams, and the film and animated series based upon it. A story of rabbits. It's slightly more than that, it is a story about anthropomorphised rabbits, and their mythic journey to a new home. A story of liberation and self-determination that strikes a chord with many diverse readers.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjWpKu80ITIb94JszX_CtJnv9I58ikzlNfUili1Fzzx_2tP4QY_h6MCWGvGnqC89QWQCj_1SY_qZE3NL1GSfTCKSFPDoal9viqTmirecuzs8_PvEV-N74KyFtO2it2Hb9C451pLKacg1WhY-ETGkGYE9YQpoLgRjf6Qd7r1a-aLsOl3WdOp6tPgrsJcm80w" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="466" data-original-width="781" height="119" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjWpKu80ITIb94JszX_CtJnv9I58ikzlNfUili1Fzzx_2tP4QY_h6MCWGvGnqC89QWQCj_1SY_qZE3NL1GSfTCKSFPDoal9viqTmirecuzs8_PvEV-N74KyFtO2it2Hb9C451pLKacg1WhY-ETGkGYE9YQpoLgRjf6Qd7r1a-aLsOl3WdOp6tPgrsJcm80w=w200-h119" width="200" /></a></div>Google <a href="https://medium.com/writers-blokke/watership-down-a-one-way-ticket-to-post-traumatic-stress-disorder-42f55dcde7ff" target="_blank">Watership</a> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/film/2023/jul/21/watership-down-now-rated-pg-film-originally-classified-u" target="_blank">Down</a> <a href="https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/features/watership-down-film-bright-eyes-rabbits-disease-martin-rosen-richard-adams-disney-a8590226.html" target="_blank">Trauma</a>, and you'll get another story. My story. Children who were taken to the cinema to watch a cartoon about bunnies (rated U for universal), who were subjected to a tale of death and horror. Rabbits are choked by snares, get into bloody battles, and are snatched by predators. This film was released in cinemas when I was 3, so that was the age I watched it. It is one of my earliest memories. It scarred me. That it was partly based on the author's experience with <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Market_Garden" target="_blank">Operation Market Garden</a> gives us an idea of what we're working with here.<p></p><p>Why am I talking about this on a gaming blog? Well, due to my recent purchase of <a href="https://bullypulpitgames.com/products/the-warren" target="_blank">The Warren</a>, by Marshall Miller, released by Bully Pulpit games. This is a Powered by the Apocalypse game where you play a troop of rabbits in the style of Watership Down, or Peter Rabbit. For those paying attention, those are NOT the same genre, but the game can accommodate both styles.</p><p>The Warren is not the first game to be based on Watership Down of course, there is the classic 1972 (the same year the book was released) game <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bunnies_%26_Burrows" target="_blank">Bunnies and Burrows</a>, and the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GURPS_Bunnies_%26_Burrows" target="_blank">GURPS</a> supplement based on the same.</p><p>On reading through the The Warren, I thought it might help my childhood trauma to play through the game, and maybe even watch Watership down again. This time knowing what I'm getting myself into, with an eye to working through some residual issues I may have. </p><p>Games can be therapeutic that way, or so I hear.</p>Derekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10541611128064822330noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7362129333407215670.post-46582094771989659122023-11-05T08:56:00.001-05:002023-11-05T08:56:59.226-05:00"They Grow up so Fast" Handout<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAfG7ZIeDd4OjBk9n0Sj9eAmSgAWaPCYaXzmnaJ2vYxBlPmj1ZORVUX9Qcf6wXdSDWp89_vwcqmanO45jce1fgd5kGblumY3qzTtsm2pqYK1t_dG2I1OqNhcuhYTbdbPPdihz11dAr5D1EsZ40jDDrvQIXjNwZk0dghWtvR9Lr2xGLPRdjNqvZVL0D5Psw/s1212/TftL%20title.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="798" data-original-width="1212" height="211" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAfG7ZIeDd4OjBk9n0Sj9eAmSgAWaPCYaXzmnaJ2vYxBlPmj1ZORVUX9Qcf6wXdSDWp89_vwcqmanO45jce1fgd5kGblumY3qzTtsm2pqYK1t_dG2I1OqNhcuhYTbdbPPdihz11dAr5D1EsZ40jDDrvQIXjNwZk0dghWtvR9Lr2xGLPRdjNqvZVL0D5Psw/s320/TftL%20title.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />Another Tales from the Loop blog post? In such quick succession after the last?<p></p><p>What is going on here?</p><p>The short answer might be that GMing in Face to face sessions leaves me with time in from of a computer with energy to share things. When GMing online, screen time is prep on Roll20 and in Discord. </p><p>Another answer might be that in preparing offline handouts, I have artefacts I wish to share, whereas online games are just images snagged from the pdfs.</p><p>Whatever the answer is,<a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1tvq2gF9b_ESTjBe4tx8ebqUquTeEW9z4/view?usp=drive_link" target="_blank"> I came here to share this pdf</a>.</p><p>This is a trifold pamphlet style handout I game my players at the start of out Tales from the Loop campaign, "They Grow up so Fast". I doubles as a quick introduction to what the Loop is, MAFF, and also gives them access to the map that is in the book, as an in game artefact.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggfuIWKYMU2vH6XgZ8u-DH_WSJpcRU33IxhRLi6DM6_GjvNtJsDYCj8HpxpgZASv-0kqipfxKiGZRV0wkr2ms_yplQwAAP2TrQ_J1dgYHwxQ68wSX6HBJYZIubt1T_AfZ71tiL0p_En7qaFvwF-8mURLIjC0q1_0ozUUXOCqQwQ7McGLqMhbVcZlYQDJge/s900/TGusF%20Trifold.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="674" data-original-width="900" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggfuIWKYMU2vH6XgZ8u-DH_WSJpcRU33IxhRLi6DM6_GjvNtJsDYCj8HpxpgZASv-0kqipfxKiGZRV0wkr2ms_yplQwAAP2TrQ_J1dgYHwxQ68wSX6HBJYZIubt1T_AfZ71tiL0p_En7qaFvwF-8mURLIjC0q1_0ozUUXOCqQwQ7McGLqMhbVcZlYQDJge/s320/TGusF%20Trifold.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p><br /></p><p>Of course, strip out the MAFF logo, and change the map, and you can use it for any of the three cannon settings for Tales from the Loop. Or indeed your very own setting.</p><p>Enjoy, and let me know if you use it!</p>Derekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10541611128064822330noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7362129333407215670.post-43288619250841708802023-10-30T21:52:00.000-04:002023-10-30T21:52:11.518-04:00Tales from the LoopAfter Covid, it has taken us quite a while to return to a fully offline gaming group. Mainly because at the end of the lockdown, we were playing a game of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Wild_Beyond_the_Witchlight" target="_blank">Witchlight </a>for 5e that required us to stay online, as the GM of that particular game was much more available online than off. <div><br /></div><div>That campaign ran for what was basically 2 years, but is now completed. </div><div><br /></div><div>Now that we are back to a face to face set-up, there are games that I did not want to run online that have now moved up to the front of the line. Some were because I didn't think online was the best interface to use: like Kids on Bikes; or Masks of Nyarlathotep (I have far to many props to waste on an online game), and some were because there were players that stepped back from online play that I wanted to include in the game. </div><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhM3XJXnuTi1c7ZAzA-xsF9qJ8Iz7_7zq803Iy5AIwK6SGFOJViVRum7cV14QGsQEmh_DjSkLggiZQvPi1ohenkadz8MWksEf2SDcvmz5odndGagDfiOLLgyrQquWLuF_W9ZfVjQ7qhVWVGHYZFBdv_IHxEPvrtFNINo7H9LUWOFnkNOZXwcsVzSl7cTqi8/s1500/TftL.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="1212" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhM3XJXnuTi1c7ZAzA-xsF9qJ8Iz7_7zq803Iy5AIwK6SGFOJViVRum7cV14QGsQEmh_DjSkLggiZQvPi1ohenkadz8MWksEf2SDcvmz5odndGagDfiOLLgyrQquWLuF_W9ZfVjQ7qhVWVGHYZFBdv_IHxEPvrtFNINo7H9LUWOFnkNOZXwcsVzSl7cTqi8/w162-h200/TftL.jpg" width="162" /></a></div>One game that I was putting off was Tales from the Loop, and that was because of both above reasons. Now we have started a campaign of this game, the UK based set of mysteries "<a href="https://freeleaguepublishing.com/en/store/?product_id=7954809749762" target="_blank">They Grow up so Fast</a>". We've had a session zero, and run the first 'Mystery' of the campaign. It is going well, but there are many subtleties to the game that I have not yet fully mastered. If this spurt of blogging lasts long enough, I may write an actual review. What I do want to include in this post, are some handouts and character sheets I've been working on.</div><div><br /></div><div>I was looking for character sheets to print off, when I came across <a href="https://www.lospergaminosdelfenix.com/2020/07/cassette-character-sheet-for-tales-from.html" target="_blank">this blog post</a>, with the insanely inspired idea or making a character sheet on the insert for a cassette. There were a couple of fixes to make on the pdf, where words had not been fully translated to English, so I fixed that, and I'm making the <a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/19umr1Ta3tACbSr9Rx-ucsi-PK5WyFefD/view?usp=drive_link" target="_blank">document available here</a> (full credit to the original artist and creator, I only fixed spelling and a couple of text boxes that were inaccessible).</div><div><br /></div><div>After this, a quick search online showed me there wasn't really anywhere in town selling empty cassette cases, however, the resurgence in cassettes as a medium means that for the very low price of 75 cents each, I was able to get some cases sent from <a href="https://www.duplication.ca/" target="_blank">an Ontario company</a>. In orange no less. A perfect fit for Tales from the Loop.</div><div><br /></div><div>One use of the coloured printer later, and here we go.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsHn8mwhQrOe8T3gP2vWJg6zAV3m_H-1xhDnicXmXFFXvMymUEiA8d2puaiB3H-yr3W742cN5z0e23WDQpmMnB5aV-gF79VclePjLpP6daqlTpb4KTVaITM7uicbP_jRBzrwFUTBKuo67uiEH4qq5OXYjzW8BhXZZAjhG7vZrwy2PMqac8t-JUAztk2XgY/s4624/Spines.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3468" data-original-width="4624" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsHn8mwhQrOe8T3gP2vWJg6zAV3m_H-1xhDnicXmXFFXvMymUEiA8d2puaiB3H-yr3W742cN5z0e23WDQpmMnB5aV-gF79VclePjLpP6daqlTpb4KTVaITM7uicbP_jRBzrwFUTBKuo67uiEH4qq5OXYjzW8BhXZZAjhG7vZrwy2PMqac8t-JUAztk2XgY/s320/Spines.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBtbbecrOmPrrksrAf2UEk1CkPst2GwcUqUCpMR-w28S22wvaZR1I-Evz6iGAieYHFtt7lmbImS2A8-tZwgytGsUlMrAbuHwgkzcnwYfFz3rVJJ9SKCkFImPs3Qhyrp5fN5Jqv1-_gRliQ7W2oyuyVl5Ss4hyfLxTvsqYmbMWWrwMbdGD39TfNAIwHNrDj/s4624/All.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3468" data-original-width="4624" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBtbbecrOmPrrksrAf2UEk1CkPst2GwcUqUCpMR-w28S22wvaZR1I-Evz6iGAieYHFtt7lmbImS2A8-tZwgytGsUlMrAbuHwgkzcnwYfFz3rVJJ9SKCkFImPs3Qhyrp5fN5Jqv1-_gRliQ7W2oyuyVl5Ss4hyfLxTvsqYmbMWWrwMbdGD39TfNAIwHNrDj/s320/All.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div>A golf pencil fits perfectly inside each box, as do the d6 required to play. <i>Et voila,</i> the perfect gift for each of my players.</div><div><br /></div><div>And this, dear reader, is one of the reasons I'm happy to move from online to offline gaming.</div><div><br /></div>Derekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10541611128064822330noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7362129333407215670.post-38171916219955487822023-10-23T00:40:00.005-04:002023-10-23T18:02:33.288-04:00The Watch House, 20 year anniversary<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi00-MvpzrzTeCCm7ezcF223mWJXardHhpnULK-ZDBRfpZZmTRedt21fHcVZiAjXotAwUqsJZklDYjMCL6HLWfi1J0qDqj91_imMjEBOAVEdCqERBvMOYd90LJLqVa18s5VRLSmntuZPunYEM7g236fUEMNMUdsJnX9xs9ytRJlopJGU7otb1LUkR4RKR__/s329/Small.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="320" data-original-width="329" height="194" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi00-MvpzrzTeCCm7ezcF223mWJXardHhpnULK-ZDBRfpZZmTRedt21fHcVZiAjXotAwUqsJZklDYjMCL6HLWfi1J0qDqj91_imMjEBOAVEdCqERBvMOYd90LJLqVa18s5VRLSmntuZPunYEM7g236fUEMNMUdsJnX9xs9ytRJlopJGU7otb1LUkR4RKR__/w200-h194/Small.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><br />I am inspired to write this post, due to <a href="https://thewatchhouserpg.blogspot.com/2023/10/the-watch-house-at-twenty.html" target="_blank">this recent post</a>, recalling the 20 year anniversary of The Watch House.<p></p><p>This was more than just a game to many of us who were playing in it, but I can only say what it meant to me, and so, through the haze of time and aging memory, I will try to do so.</p><p>I first went to university in Glasgow (Strathclyde Uni), but in all my time there, I didn't look up any University role playing clubs. The are likely many reasons for this, but they're not really that interesting.</p><p>When I moved to Edinburgh, however, I did look up the local University Gaming club The Great Edinburgh Adventurers Society, GEAS. <a href="https://geas.org.uk/" target="_blank">Still going strong</a>. When I joined, I was, what I would consider now to be essentially a very trad gamer. I had played with the same group since Secondary school, and though we had played many different games, we mostly fell into the same routines with each game.</p><p>Geas was a real eye opener for me, and in my time there, I played in a number of games, and with a number of people, that really stretched me, and showed me different ways to play and run games. Not all games were great, some definitely showed me how not to do it. A couple I still remember, the Xena game with Shevaun, Izzy's long running L5R game (that game could have a similar post to this in many ways). I played many new games from the Forge, and games of that ilk, by the GMs and game designers that frequented the club (again, another post on it's own).</p><p>Even in this crowded list of genius, there was one stand out game. The Watch House.</p><p>Roll Credits...</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/I7F-qSpewAg" width="320" youtube-src-id="I7F-qSpewAg"></iframe></div><div><br /></div>I think there had been a couple of sessions when I joined in the game, but it was in season 1 of the game. I created Jake. A musician, sometime taker of illicit substances, and psychic. Sometimes possessed, sometimes a vampire. Always trying to do his best and not hurt his friends, especially Milli.<div><br /></div><div>As Craig mentioned in his post, the way the game was played was so much more collaborative than anything I had played in before, and the type of sessions we could do because of this were unique. This really was the game where I can trace the turning point in my RPG career from a 'trad' gamer to someone who was willing to experiment. It really opened my eyes. I'm quite sure this was down to the LARPing influence of Cat, and the well, Joe... There was a real meeting of minds at that table. It was lightning in a bottle.<div><br /></div><div><div>I left the game in 2005-06. Jake was dead, and I was moving to Canada. I know that the game had write-ups on <a href="https://forum.rpg.net/index.php?threads/actual-play-buffy-the-watch-house.84440/" target="_blank">RPG.net</a>, but I could never really read them when I was a player, and once I left, well, I think there was a type of mourning for something lost that took over, and I didn't keep up with the game. </div><div><br /></div><div>For the time I was a player, it was before we all had camera phones, so the memories are all in my head, rather than in images. That is not to say that there is no evidence of my time there. I went into the RPG archives, and pulled out some artifacts of the game. Including bespoke artwork by Jamie.</div></div><div><br /></div><div>There was even a soundtrack to the game, but I seem to have given away all the copies of the CDs I burned, as I couldn't find a copy. Maybe someone out there can send me the set list. I Know about 3 or 4 of the songs for sure, but not the rest.</div><div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijUpUHk7-bJqTlt9MaeKTJGvkACgEzYHQIID_w51E92NHfJMfdLls8jtzwrE73VhuvYtzpYN4-5rK96Imm2w5Op-j8eBOHCUHU8X2JkD0_iybXKKBK-v1cnNKG9L7hkcmDt7w18bUB9ulvgTuNdkbpsYNgWanDeCZbmgxBGqODHycAnyBGJWu8iGnNoLUc/s4624/Book%20and%20sheets.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3468" data-original-width="4624" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijUpUHk7-bJqTlt9MaeKTJGvkACgEzYHQIID_w51E92NHfJMfdLls8jtzwrE73VhuvYtzpYN4-5rK96Imm2w5Op-j8eBOHCUHU8X2JkD0_iybXKKBK-v1cnNKG9L7hkcmDt7w18bUB9ulvgTuNdkbpsYNgWanDeCZbmgxBGqODHycAnyBGJWu8iGnNoLUc/s320/Book%20and%20sheets.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Buffy Archives from the Great RPG library</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div>That character folio contained quite a hoard. Here are a few choice items.</div></div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8MPEV9tG9IWDqfUvd_JZ323o_tW6kKg6c9aik5He6V1BGIA0wbgJ53dGWKwvQgGGXCLgHBxcqRRYZFg0xRL1itP36QcWREvrKxT7Yfd1soy_jFBExl5pKzqoVog0zIYuQjj8BDkN4Mpm3zVdDjTqv0YoCSComj3ed7HNjYDKFwP8AoNvK2cFisYg2-b_V/s4624/Jake%20Characher%20Sheet.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4624" data-original-width="3468" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8MPEV9tG9IWDqfUvd_JZ323o_tW6kKg6c9aik5He6V1BGIA0wbgJ53dGWKwvQgGGXCLgHBxcqRRYZFg0xRL1itP36QcWREvrKxT7Yfd1soy_jFBExl5pKzqoVog0zIYuQjj8BDkN4Mpm3zVdDjTqv0YoCSComj3ed7HNjYDKFwP8AoNvK2cFisYg2-b_V/s320/Jake%20Characher%20Sheet.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jake</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNoTb9gRllujoAWfE3oYlg9zWikyPsLATvWrkWclJbb7n04Ki_6YwyxYlOUJvNhvba9zZ14jvLvFmR7ZZ7lFJCtXyeNd44MOnFpCGROJ6p8y-LYG-KloSM16jzUQ00OJOHejTWsPJbiafDSVQ476A_HO5aMhS_ASSTv4zNQNfXk5UL3sF3INH2pnj1BOrS/s4624/Sorry%20You're%20Dead%2001.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4624" data-original-width="3468" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNoTb9gRllujoAWfE3oYlg9zWikyPsLATvWrkWclJbb7n04Ki_6YwyxYlOUJvNhvba9zZ14jvLvFmR7ZZ7lFJCtXyeNd44MOnFpCGROJ6p8y-LYG-KloSM16jzUQ00OJOHejTWsPJbiafDSVQ476A_HO5aMhS_ASSTv4zNQNfXk5UL3sF3INH2pnj1BOrS/w150-h200/Sorry%20You're%20Dead%2001.jpg" width="150" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQBuqWSILjBeB5lQyrcnxBBD8OF-3F154YVC8L2AdZGs0fcmqFcGZFO-BUnD9XtBb8mtDu4Rz1DMvQC5jaCDoZboZlhTcNzXi5gvujF2CgwQYIyUPp0jt591TWfoDH3n99ovhUffWOeuL_9PsDaSk-oM34V_5fDVA6u8HMCUVVj8LBBM-S4nq780QdEcVs/s4624/Sorry%20You're%20Dead%2002.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3468" data-original-width="4624" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQBuqWSILjBeB5lQyrcnxBBD8OF-3F154YVC8L2AdZGs0fcmqFcGZFO-BUnD9XtBb8mtDu4Rz1DMvQC5jaCDoZboZlhTcNzXi5gvujF2CgwQYIyUPp0jt591TWfoDH3n99ovhUffWOeuL_9PsDaSk-oM34V_5fDVA6u8HMCUVVj8LBBM-S4nq780QdEcVs/w320-h240/Sorry%20You're%20Dead%2002.jpg" width="320" /></a></div></div><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Some of the artwork by Jamie. The best we can do for images of players.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZJB5xX1Xjo2cm4TYFn1DTloto5y1g-19qF1cnu5qhJGz93WecSqGVmBuxQBvRPpVkNrrIetLOCIKIOylfcyac9DiqffxCHVZSBGS8VQ05cblyVOygQTPXNXYx64OO3YpFaa-lCq_26yH3rKBJe9A8pFC12Q0DZoc6ldU5lYb0-HmBxqCQNICHuDyNUrJv/s4624/Chibi%20Will%20Andy%20Jake.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3468" data-original-width="4624" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZJB5xX1Xjo2cm4TYFn1DTloto5y1g-19qF1cnu5qhJGz93WecSqGVmBuxQBvRPpVkNrrIetLOCIKIOylfcyac9DiqffxCHVZSBGS8VQ05cblyVOygQTPXNXYx64OO3YpFaa-lCq_26yH3rKBJe9A8pFC12Q0DZoc6ldU5lYb0-HmBxqCQNICHuDyNUrJv/s320/Chibi%20Will%20Andy%20Jake.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhP5JZcdiHGqDMzK3fj4pg3fN-MN3x0EjiRrlBpMuqfQVhfwYlJ21A1rzFREKm3dA0NE-2JVbVAH0uiIhNDaStTDleB4mGzCJf1UVvKmqxZ9-uBL2X0mWDjNIhOjoxbOEcmcnKnzjvSnQRQ7wH9fGD4MtjjL5-G6oupFX3cSiWFmQNx-Pd0KdROh_2_smGX/s4624/Portrait%20D_J.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4624" data-original-width="3468" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhP5JZcdiHGqDMzK3fj4pg3fN-MN3x0EjiRrlBpMuqfQVhfwYlJ21A1rzFREKm3dA0NE-2JVbVAH0uiIhNDaStTDleB4mGzCJf1UVvKmqxZ9-uBL2X0mWDjNIhOjoxbOEcmcnKnzjvSnQRQ7wH9fGD4MtjjL5-G6oupFX3cSiWFmQNx-Pd0KdROh_2_smGX/s320/Portrait%20D_J.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Finally, the action figure of Jake. For some reason, this figure doesn't quite match with the one in <a href="https://thewatchhouserpg.blogspot.com/2012/03/the-watch-house-action-figures.html" target="_blank">this post</a>. Maybe there are indeed two out there. One good and one bad, I'm sure! </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5x7v9bYcSN7V4BzZ0Q2Z8byW4A-pkfIBNGxncuXhOE-fTg4qTBXoBBPHt6UAk4276jZD7bTG3Rc2dJYY-98B3IYFxHJsuhGFzRU3wqoCgSP0cFn2RbXmHWvRPUpdnoc8T9umZZFbcE2dI6OoRlLGdRDn3eHZYydKA6H30HLqmZ2vkSreKHDW6-5IRqNtS/s4624/Fig%20and%20Backing%20Card.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4624" data-original-width="3468" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5x7v9bYcSN7V4BzZ0Q2Z8byW4A-pkfIBNGxncuXhOE-fTg4qTBXoBBPHt6UAk4276jZD7bTG3Rc2dJYY-98B3IYFxHJsuhGFzRU3wqoCgSP0cFn2RbXmHWvRPUpdnoc8T9umZZFbcE2dI6OoRlLGdRDn3eHZYydKA6H30HLqmZ2vkSreKHDW6-5IRqNtS/s320/Fig%20and%20Backing%20Card.jpg" width="240" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLwUgwJTUym2QA4syniDbq_wxwuq71h_8C2IK5c8a4nTKLZfreEqTGgzz28rDX4rlTjpGPdU17apTA-tD6JuY_KqiwzQ8C7Hqm_U6t5L-YYfgL2vCIPkhPR_v0WDlqycjbXtoex4hQZvtlsWshcl3XI_UpANzQFdLxs_haI0kqLYFreeBhZBtWqlY3HVEy/s4624/Jake%20Action%20Fig.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4624" data-original-width="3468" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLwUgwJTUym2QA4syniDbq_wxwuq71h_8C2IK5c8a4nTKLZfreEqTGgzz28rDX4rlTjpGPdU17apTA-tD6JuY_KqiwzQ8C7Hqm_U6t5L-YYfgL2vCIPkhPR_v0WDlqycjbXtoex4hQZvtlsWshcl3XI_UpANzQFdLxs_haI0kqLYFreeBhZBtWqlY3HVEy/s320/Jake%20Action%20Fig.jpg" width="240" /></a></div></div><br />So I end with this. Thank you Craig, and all the other players, for creating a memorable gaming experience. One that we are still talking about 20 years later.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div><br /></div></div>Derekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10541611128064822330noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7362129333407215670.post-76545900739663126112023-01-01T22:37:00.003-05:002024-01-05T07:54:40.442-05:00A Year in Gaming 2022<p> Hey look, it's that blog that posts once a year! Whoo, must be 2023!</p><p>This year was another bumper year for games. With a total of 17 session ran, and 76 sessions played. The trend of me getting to play more that I run, is continuing. As we seem to be coming out of the pandemic, more of the games I ran were actually face to face games. A trend I foresee continuing into the new year, however, the online gaming aspect, even for the local gaming group will remain something we fall back on, especially to allow everyone to play/run games.</p><p>In terms of what games I ran? Well, there were a total of 7 different games/systems (8 if you count Pulp Cthulhu as different from Call of Cthulhu, but let's just say it's the same thing).</p><p>All but one of these were one-shot games. Filling in space in the calendar, or allowing others to take a break in their schedules, with the exception of the One Ring (2e). This I ran as the mini-campaign in the boxed set, then a few sessions at the end of the year that constitute the beginning of a Lost Realms campaign that I plan to run into the next year.</p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEimDsZrbDVffp7W1Ni5TqymS1S2BwPy9V4SXaUls9gK5K_b9YEbZVyOktEKH0ziSmisYuneVDthXBd57J7NVDBmpuvPr3UuYNTeaxotrNfeExSX5Ao7QvkOOenk6axAf-AxqOFSZQ5FYDArS0mCTmdhY6v3p8fM3HfHdWFezYcXB3uIXzlpOk8wc3rmtw" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="960" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEimDsZrbDVffp7W1Ni5TqymS1S2BwPy9V4SXaUls9gK5K_b9YEbZVyOktEKH0ziSmisYuneVDthXBd57J7NVDBmpuvPr3UuYNTeaxotrNfeExSX5Ao7QvkOOenk6axAf-AxqOFSZQ5FYDArS0mCTmdhY6v3p8fM3HfHdWFezYcXB3uIXzlpOk8wc3rmtw=w400-h300" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjTUhwZekM46R0rKjiXN3BndwWXuDVTLZhZFo4pS3RdNPk5Z-KtucbZdprAcq7-MBbwoODL0XwbDe7JIbIWop3jGiJUGuowj7RlwqlQhIOapQTLJ6bL22FSwH53_Nz22nqEHsAIRdVhY-4E-0X5aFM0dbHRIIT5rIGc0kewn_gMcVgM8wZZjJc6taUR4Q" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="411" data-original-width="862" height="191" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjTUhwZekM46R0rKjiXN3BndwWXuDVTLZhZFo4pS3RdNPk5Z-KtucbZdprAcq7-MBbwoODL0XwbDe7JIbIWop3jGiJUGuowj7RlwqlQhIOapQTLJ6bL22FSwH53_Nz22nqEHsAIRdVhY-4E-0X5aFM0dbHRIIT5rIGc0kewn_gMcVgM8wZZjJc6taUR4Q=w400-h191" width="400" /></a></div><br />New games that I ran this year, well not as many as I would have liked, but The One ring counts, as this was my first time with the 2e of the game. The only other being <a href="https://evilhat.com/product/agon/" target="_blank">Agon</a>. This is one that bears coming back to, but works very well as a one-shot, interspersing it with other games.<p></p><p>On to games played. This was another great year for games played, with a total of 77 sessions (thereabouts, there may be an accounting error in the number of sessions for Numenera), and 12 different games. Of that 12, exactly half of them were games I played for the first time!.</p><p>Highlights for me included playing a game (Kids on Bikes) at a new <a href="https://dragondecuivre.com/">FLGS</a>, although I have yet to wander over there for a second session, hopefully this year that will happen again. Another highlight was getting to game in a session of <a href="https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/330233/321-Action-Rule-Book">3, 2, 1 Action!</a>, ran by the writer of the game, through the <a href="https://www.vintagerpg.com/category/podcast/" target="_blank">Vintage RPG Podcast</a> discord.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh_vUYlsRmRPhUULCbxOk4girXDVFxg5XhNkeYzRN4WIPVQCPFLTtra85bSVt9ULINq_Eiu2G8FrattRyjb4bOTKk9095i4RhFfgdCTy1NGlRHH9Yi0FqkBcfVueiqF4i4odDky6oeEgUoAUc7JHmreS9cXstTQ8qBAk2jwoI9dUR4RIOzZdE1ztiANlQ" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh_vUYlsRmRPhUULCbxOk4girXDVFxg5XhNkeYzRN4WIPVQCPFLTtra85bSVt9ULINq_Eiu2G8FrattRyjb4bOTKk9095i4RhFfgdCTy1NGlRHH9Yi0FqkBcfVueiqF4i4odDky6oeEgUoAUc7JHmreS9cXstTQ8qBAk2jwoI9dUR4RIOzZdE1ztiANlQ" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiuQTtvsYky3AXoarzYMw5ijCCwjwEy79xLAqy38gchLQ3TQK89sw-ntzM-fjEWxLRNTuSlwsCx4zThWZIoNwp_VOw8E_L1kjuEZa8_1JKPId2JF4-lcMr8BQP-3N9Xo9t8Zcw3svnk5VBe-NMQfZuqcdDJUaei5LWe1cafxBG-6BpRPGslkpC5jZHCTA" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="960" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiuQTtvsYky3AXoarzYMw5ijCCwjwEy79xLAqy38gchLQ3TQK89sw-ntzM-fjEWxLRNTuSlwsCx4zThWZIoNwp_VOw8E_L1kjuEZa8_1JKPId2JF4-lcMr8BQP-3N9Xo9t8Zcw3svnk5VBe-NMQfZuqcdDJUaei5LWe1cafxBG-6BpRPGslkpC5jZHCTA=w400-h300" width="400" /></a></div><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhvsGXtE2NJkfL9T1dF8bO0u8xCLcqBWrZPOTnWq4PlZTkmZDV_4qMc-ONjS8L3GtCdmokWcEHhZ1_VJIHsOUi3LhNTk4LRPvCfkGM1Z9HnquxfFMvkO7pZ474poCSJZN5h3Mfa9GR9HkQy8ac0tmimIGg2ju8kYy_pPG4Cc7AnYhao2ww19mo62DYgOw" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="575" data-original-width="1165" height="198" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhvsGXtE2NJkfL9T1dF8bO0u8xCLcqBWrZPOTnWq4PlZTkmZDV_4qMc-ONjS8L3GtCdmokWcEHhZ1_VJIHsOUi3LhNTk4LRPvCfkGM1Z9HnquxfFMvkO7pZ474poCSJZN5h3Mfa9GR9HkQy8ac0tmimIGg2ju8kYy_pPG4Cc7AnYhao2ww19mo62DYgOw=w400-h198" width="400" /></a></div><br />Lastly, I'm very happy to be getting to continue The Darkening of Mirkwood campaign. We're 3 years and 59 sessions deep in this campaign, and I'm not really sure we're even half way through! What a monster!<p></p><div>Lastly, do I have any gaming resolutions for this year? No, not really. I do know what I would like, and that is imply that this trend continues. More games in person, more games of the One Ring (both flavours), and more time spend playing with friends.</div><div><br /></div><div>Happy New Year, and Happy Gaming to you all!</div>Derekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10541611128064822330noreply@blogger.com0Montreal, QC, Canada45.5018869 -73.5673918999999917.191653063821157 -108.72364189999999 73.812120736178855 -38.41114189999999tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7362129333407215670.post-76284196491169940502022-01-01T16:12:00.003-05:002023-10-08T21:06:19.893-04:00A Year in Gaming 2021<p> As with 2020, 2021, for all it's problems, was a bumper year for gaming. Even more so as the local gaming group I like to think I have fostered includes others willing to run games, meaning even more so than last year, I played more sessions than I ran (34 sessions ran, 63 session played). I like to think there is an increase in diversity too, as I moved away from regular Call of Cthulhu games that dominated <a href="https://mysteriesofmontreal.blogspot.com/2020/12/a-year-in-gaming-2020.html">last years tally</a>. </p><p>The year started with a few final sessions of the Mothership campaign, 'A Pound of Flesh', which I fully intend to return to with the <a href="https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/gerdling/mothership-sci-fi-horror-rpg-1st-edition-boxed-set">new edition of the rules</a>. Most sessions of the other games ran were one-shots, and space fillers (Mork Borg and SLA Industries, Call of Cthulhu: The Necropolis), which were player favourites. There was one longer Call of Cthulhu scenario, 'The Darkened Hermitage' which we ran as a play test. A solid scenario, based in Quebec. Most of this year's GMing was linked to the Bounty Hunters Campaign, using West End Game's Star Wars. A great fun campaign, that was in no small way influenced by the Mandalorian. Maybe The Book of Boba Fett will bring me back to this setting in the New Year.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhX_Kn5jv8Lmt9DRSJQwvHWSIDageabdC_htOMFGikfcgrrwa2pOt5Gj2Psq5dOyZPTL64F3uPmZFT9rvMkCWP2HKx6Z1knsl159Mut1vorOVOU60HC1BILsQf3Bj8ZAg3wcJUvuj_A7I25rGBiKKu_um433GErfuOV4pFr40Lq6-yzYD27bgeYP5bFxg=s1387" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1040" data-original-width="1387" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhX_Kn5jv8Lmt9DRSJQwvHWSIDageabdC_htOMFGikfcgrrwa2pOt5Gj2Psq5dOyZPTL64F3uPmZFT9rvMkCWP2HKx6Z1knsl159Mut1vorOVOU60HC1BILsQf3Bj8ZAg3wcJUvuj_A7I25rGBiKKu_um433GErfuOV4pFr40Lq6-yzYD27bgeYP5bFxg=w400-h300" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcNu1RAXDEnvP3Cmqjy9mTZBwGWZc3efGFVyNSuZXB0LnPWf6tztxc7SEGSeaO9ogs5zbArK4hCYCLcOf9ByLeVzsZt9-ddImJaVscof6L7f1dqMEjOA6SUE6rkErGWrSLolQrqsWf2gvy//" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="408" data-original-width="868" height="188" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcNu1RAXDEnvP3Cmqjy9mTZBwGWZc3efGFVyNSuZXB0LnPWf6tztxc7SEGSeaO9ogs5zbArK4hCYCLcOf9ByLeVzsZt9-ddImJaVscof6L7f1dqMEjOA6SUE6rkErGWrSLolQrqsWf2gvy/w400-h188/image.png" width="400" /></a></div><br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">On to games played. As mentioned, the number of sessions played this year was almost double that of those ran. Brilliant! Thanks to all those who GMed for me this year. Highlights include finally getting to try Cthulhu Dark, Blades in the Dark and Alien. Of course, I will never not play L5R if given the chance, so to run through the 'Code of Bushido' mini-campaign was also a delight. Unexpectedly, Star Frontiers was also a lot of fun (I say unexpectedly, as I didn't know how I would take to an explicitly '80's game which I had no emotional attachment to. As can be seen from the images below, not only more sessions played, but a much wider variety of games too. Win-win!</div></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhyR8f7tkDOCRPsp5mlaX-uMLJ7mI3627NNHc7AKxFtHJWTb0WEeJRxA_jTwGpOAL4It7asfSROH8DDnWRxPB1xqoki-wNemPOZyRdxO86INkgSf0PTNcVgb0Jofcg4WyEEni9cdSkprUCVe3-MJKZlxBFR2TTl4aXnmk0O6AxmHyc3yZ174XNiYlW9_g=s1387" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1040" data-original-width="1387" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhyR8f7tkDOCRPsp5mlaX-uMLJ7mI3627NNHc7AKxFtHJWTb0WEeJRxA_jTwGpOAL4It7asfSROH8DDnWRxPB1xqoki-wNemPOZyRdxO86INkgSf0PTNcVgb0Jofcg4WyEEni9cdSkprUCVe3-MJKZlxBFR2TTl4aXnmk0O6AxmHyc3yZ174XNiYlW9_g=w400-h300" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p style="text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSo09On9Z_H_xlFxSzCMnSzjo4J9kWjmMtgx8jjHXIV9vLmCOCY6k31VxEbUcXQqLD6Gj0ls3Zy9EZSO7WMYXTAml25n96ZCCBK2VdXTrtSNra7O0jbrcuOUjHVOVYaLnNJeS6aSQJcZSj//" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="425" data-original-width="874" height="195" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSo09On9Z_H_xlFxSzCMnSzjo4J9kWjmMtgx8jjHXIV9vLmCOCY6k31VxEbUcXQqLD6Gj0ls3Zy9EZSO7WMYXTAml25n96ZCCBK2VdXTrtSNra7O0jbrcuOUjHVOVYaLnNJeS6aSQJcZSj/w400-h195/image.png" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: left;">On the blogging front, things were much more... subdued.</div><div style="text-align: left;">Only one post written all year. Do I expect this to increase next year? I make absolutely no promises, nor do I foresee no great changes on that front.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">So, looking forward, at the end of this year, we managed to have a grand total of two face-to-face sessions at the end of the year with the local gamers. Unfortunately, as we head into another lockdown, with curfew, those sessions have moved back online for the foreseeable future (at least till February by my reckoning). With that in mind, larger campaigns, like <a href="https://www.chaosium.com/masks-of-nyarlathotep-slipcase-set/">Masks</a>, or '<a href="https://shop.arcdream.com/products/delta-green-impossible-landscapes">Impossible Landscapes</a>' have been shunted down the line, and shorter adventures moved forward.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">So here's to another bumper year of (online?) gaming to you all!</div><p></p>Derekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10541611128064822330noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7362129333407215670.post-21400414612264930442021-04-09T09:31:00.001-04:002021-04-12T14:39:37.078-04:00Games I want to play this year<p>A recent conversation with my home group pulled into focus a desire I have to run or play a bunch of the games I currently own.</p><p>Pulling my books out of storage to populate some nice new bookshelves, has also meant that I have a visual on the games I own, and want to play.</p><p>So, I am formulating a list of games to offer to my players. What I will do is offer them in pairs, and get them to chose one. The full list is as follows:</p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><a href="https://samnite.itch.io/escapefromdinoislan">Escape from Dino Island</a></li><li><a href="https://morkborg.com.">Mork Borg</a></li><li>Star Wars WEG d6 version</li><li>WFRP</li><li><a href="http://www.onesevendesign.com/laserfeelings/">Lasers and Feelings</a></li><li><a href="https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/271276/Everyone-is-John">Everyone is John</a></li><li>Kids on Bikes</li><li>Tales from the Loop</li></ul><p></p><p>These games are going to be split into the following pairs:</p><h4 style="text-align: left;">The One Shot</h4><p><b>Escape from Dino Island</b></p>A powered by the Apocalypse Engine RPG system, which is one I have not tried, but really think I should. This is basically a Jurassic Park game, made with one-shots firmly in mind, and requires no prep to run, as the table designs the set-up together.<br /><br /> <b>MÖRK BORG</b><br />This is a very different game . Players are scummy villainous dirtbags in a world that is dying, out to get what you can before the world ends. At its heart, it is a dungeon crawl, with very very simple rules, and where the GM never rolls any dice.<div><br /><div>This one I have played once, and want to try again. This game is very simple to do as a one shot, but it might turn into a campaign (with the end of the world as the end of the campaign).</div><div><br /></div><h4 style="text-align: left;">The Old Skool Game</h4><div>This pairing is two games from my youth. One which I played and ran a lot, and another which I played once. WFRP and Star Wars.</div><div>I really want to get back to WFRP, and only ever played 1 game of D6 Star Wars. The nostalgia for both is quite strong. By putting this to the vote, I can see where other people have the same feelings. The Mandolorian is also a big factor in making me want to return to the Star Wars Universe.</div><h4 style="text-align: left;">The One Page Game</h4><div>Lasers & Feelings and Everyone is John. Both one page pdf games which I want to try. I think the rules for Lasers & Feelings are elegantly simple, and Everyone is John just looks fun. I think for this category, I'm going to give 3 choices, with the third being <a href="https://gshowitt.itch.io/honey-heist">Honey Heist</a>.</div><div><br /></div><h4 style="text-align: left;">The Retro 80's Games</h4><div>Kids on Bikes and Tales from the Loop. Both new games looking to hook into the nostalgia for the '80s that is exemplified by Stanger Things and other things of the genre.</div><div><br /></div><h4 style="text-align: left;">Players suggestions</h4><div>I asked the rest of the group what they wanted to run or play in terms of a wishlist. So far we have :</div><div>Vaesen</div><div>Best Friends</div><div><br /></div><div>Looking forward to extending that list, and charting the progess of the choices here on the blog.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div></div>Derekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10541611128064822330noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7362129333407215670.post-75495253859599247302020-12-29T22:25:00.002-05:002020-12-29T22:41:52.298-05:00A Year in Gaming 2020<p> This past year has been many, many things. Most of which are outside the remit of this here blog, so I shall pass them by without another word. </p><p>What this year has been for me, and for many others, is an eye-opener in terms of how accessible gaming has become online. This has meant that not only have I run as many games as I would have in a normal year (maybe even a few sessions more) but I have played a lot more gaming sessions than I have in decades, AND a lot more variety of games than I have since just as long.</p><p>Rather than list them all out, let's see the numbers. This year, I have played in a whopping 48. Forty eight gaming sessions this year alone. Just to give you an idea, last year I played in 13 sessions of various RPGs, and 5 of those were at Necronomicon. I think the year before I managed 2!</p><p>What have I been playing? Well, looky here...</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqsZmIScAAETKHrxMdKH603-F1q8E4SF65ThMEPFezZemP-mnQHcGDS27G7YRCKzTx9ArkYg_pSQDoY6bVJhdUAB6RYavUQKsT9WA32_qDrJKrD6onsq377OtGVZzOs9-o4BetBqw-qXv8//" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1005" data-original-width="988" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqsZmIScAAETKHrxMdKH603-F1q8E4SF65ThMEPFezZemP-mnQHcGDS27G7YRCKzTx9ArkYg_pSQDoY6bVJhdUAB6RYavUQKsT9WA32_qDrJKrD6onsq377OtGVZzOs9-o4BetBqw-qXv8/w394-h400/Games+Played+2020.png" width="394" /></a></div><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKjc1cQL2cp3mWoGfG5eQE2vY2R7mWH7Ps1dfGyXNnB7VQZeKnmHvUbPyx6XpjBj-T6pJqni9r_RrRUD-KJCrK0ZOlDkA-53wJBhM1Z4T_K3YtW6CA-CwGGGm7pjscw0alW3MEoSSVHkER//" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="276" data-original-width="492" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKjc1cQL2cp3mWoGfG5eQE2vY2R7mWH7Ps1dfGyXNnB7VQZeKnmHvUbPyx6XpjBj-T6pJqni9r_RrRUD-KJCrK0ZOlDkA-53wJBhM1Z4T_K3YtW6CA-CwGGGm7pjscw0alW3MEoSSVHkER//" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Of those games played, I am very happy to have finally got in a game of <i>Fiasco</i>. It went very well, and am looking to get more games in with that particular group. I am also hugely pleased to have played so much <i>The One Ring</i>. We have made it through the first few years of the Darkening of Mirkwood campaign, which pleases me more than I can state.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">As to what I have been running, well I managed a total of 38 sessions as GM this year, which is a little up on last years 33, but not so much as you would notice. As could be guessed, the bulk of that was <i>Call of Cthulhu</i>, in a variety of flavours. However I did manage to get some <i>Mothership </i>in there, enough to coax the players into a campaign based on the '<i>A Pound of Flesh</i>' booklet.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbgAEGqFgnlGjq6U4SMN3aVKf6TcbXfzlZK132l7C-oc4m7-y1s7nJkvZ0tVAr2qYvQGXAzdjxyH2Mfl50hwP4qaYp5xD664Ixu2snIU81JvWXK8aKiuRFmMg4jXMT3gzt3oeT_jNJ2STn//" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1233" height="389" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbgAEGqFgnlGjq6U4SMN3aVKf6TcbXfzlZK132l7C-oc4m7-y1s7nJkvZ0tVAr2qYvQGXAzdjxyH2Mfl50hwP4qaYp5xD664Ixu2snIU81JvWXK8aKiuRFmMg4jXMT3gzt3oeT_jNJ2STn/w400-h389/Games+Ran+2020.png" width="400" /></a></div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDjU0itaDCG7jMQJk460WUuGJqL84lTVAwJPjAJWcs1scP45d1hhv6PwaFV1ienKShJDDa3FEpX42MRA6X7N6zDWD-ztOh31PzVsfo4dQOUGO1_V9lyBkYy5OzrnHl_FowcQi5lpYTZjqP//" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="278" data-original-width="485" height="183" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDjU0itaDCG7jMQJk460WUuGJqL84lTVAwJPjAJWcs1scP45d1hhv6PwaFV1ienKShJDDa3FEpX42MRA6X7N6zDWD-ztOh31PzVsfo4dQOUGO1_V9lyBkYy5OzrnHl_FowcQi5lpYTZjqP//" width="320" /></a></div><br />So there we go, 2020, the year I moved my gaming online, and didn't look back.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">How was your year in gaming? Any games you didn't get to try that you wanted to? That is of course another list entirely, but I haven't made fancy little graphics for those.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Hope 2021 is all you want it to be, and may your dice never let you down.</div><p></p>Derekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10541611128064822330noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7362129333407215670.post-30539450902184339022020-12-15T11:27:00.003-05:002020-12-15T11:28:34.511-05:00The Genevieve Diaries<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd8GaAUMg1Xlkorft9bh0v-ySKGjsWBHOlpgvMvAVW7CukjZA7pIpn6qMXQmLhvMXYA_02wH8qQQbjLnRxyMneCxLbOMPNp5OlZ3188V-lYPGJc3aRGixdrwzVkgKLpKHyfDOOtd86Ohx4//" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="819" data-original-width="530" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd8GaAUMg1Xlkorft9bh0v-ySKGjsWBHOlpgvMvAVW7CukjZA7pIpn6qMXQmLhvMXYA_02wH8qQQbjLnRxyMneCxLbOMPNp5OlZ3188V-lYPGJc3aRGixdrwzVkgKLpKHyfDOOtd86Ohx4/w129-h200/BLPROCESSED-Beasts-in-Velvet-Cover.jpg" width="129" /></a></div>As <a href="https://mysteriesofmontreal.blogspot.com/2019/10/drachenfels.html" target="_blank">mentioned previously</a>, Games Workshop are re-releasing older books in their back-catalogue. I really enjoyed "<i>Drachenfels</i>", so this was a great opportnity to increase my Old World lore, get my oldhammer fix, and read some good stories. As I mentioned in my last post on the subject, there is "<i><a href="https://www.blacklibrary.com/all-products/drachenfels-2019.html" target="_blank">Drachenfels</a></i>" and "<i><a href="https://www.blacklibrary.com/all-products/genevieve-undead-ebook-2019.html" target="_blank">Genevieve Undead</a></i>", to which I have now added "<i><a href="https://www.blacklibrary.com/all-products/beasts-in-velvet-ebook-2019.html" target="_blank">Beasts in Velvet</a>"</i> and "<i><a href="https://www.blacklibrary.com/all-products/silver-nails-2019.html" target="_blank">Silver Nails</a></i>".<p></p><p>If you only read one of these four books, make it Beasts in Velvet. There is so much going on in this book in terms of plot threads and characters for you to mine for your game, you could get a whole campaign out of it. This book makes the Old World come alive in your mind. Silver Nails is a great follow up, where the author shows us other little vignettes for the characters we have come to know and love, showing their further adventures. There is also pay-off in the final book that explains what was a non-sequitous plot thread in one of the other storied in Genevieve Undead.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhesmCsGbM4lKrMki2aB72PE9FCEvCtG88tEQASrq5s-fyX3Ib2IjPjCwLSWxTdqzBTU2AQ34tUeCMW89BJ2QDuId1UDvCeJ4-49oCwjWSVDf0MGB80_j17crlAaUCM-2_5d2IH-zurjOUG//" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="822" data-original-width="534" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhesmCsGbM4lKrMki2aB72PE9FCEvCtG88tEQASrq5s-fyX3Ib2IjPjCwLSWxTdqzBTU2AQ34tUeCMW89BJ2QDuId1UDvCeJ4-49oCwjWSVDf0MGB80_j17crlAaUCM-2_5d2IH-zurjOUG/w130-h200/BLPROCESSED-Silver-Nails-Cover.jpg" width="130" /></a></div>In short get all of these books for your WRFP game. They show the grittiness and humour that the world is known for, along with great characters and plots for you to take, whether you are running a city game or a wilderness game (though mostly for cities to be honest). The class war element in Beast in Velvet is certainly going to make an appearance when I run the Enemy Within next time!<br /><br /><p></p><p><br /></p>Derekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10541611128064822330noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7362129333407215670.post-48694978186949518032020-12-11T22:06:00.003-05:002020-12-11T22:08:59.603-05:00Random Tables<p>I did not come up through the D&D route of RPGs, so the random table was not something I used at the table unless for very certain circumstances, mostly as outcomes to certain in-game happenings: Sanity loss in CoC; mutations in WFRP, that kind of thing. I of course knew about random encounter tables and the like, but I did not use them. For me, encounters had to fit with the story. </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxRW04ZDvSgrSt56YOfKfUJs6X5KDhCHZbRbnZ9lQcW1j58XWVSK7Yp_2We74NdT5HuouI0-11pPfBQnZGfoWwLiPmMoxMeqFKPPVEK6IqBJavPHUM47ApbQGUiJr0qlzWhe8rIEehSUZA//" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img data-original-height="1031" data-original-width="1028" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxRW04ZDvSgrSt56YOfKfUJs6X5KDhCHZbRbnZ9lQcW1j58XWVSK7Yp_2We74NdT5HuouI0-11pPfBQnZGfoWwLiPmMoxMeqFKPPVEK6IqBJavPHUM47ApbQGUiJr0qlzWhe8rIEehSUZA/w319-h320/Random+events+table.bmp" width="319" /></a></div>However, I was running a session of '<a href="https://riverhorse.eu/our-games/my-little-pony-tails-of-equestria/">Tails of Equestria</a>', where I was looking to beef up a session that was going too fast, so I overcame my hesitancy, and rolled on the table. The resulting encounter led to some cool role-playing by the players, and I was very happy with the way it worked out. This was enough to turn me round on what I had previously thought would be something that would just be too random to add to the story being told.<p>Jump forward a year or two, and I've been looking through a bunch of OSR games, some of which contain nothing but a bunch of random event tables. My new outlook has meant I've seen these more and more as a way to improvise and get good story out of a session, prompts to move things forward. I became a convert. I've even thought of writing my own.</p><p>Recently, I went a step further, and ran a Call of Cthulhu game, with random event tables. It may have been a step too far...</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjG_zVbZfJ1FL4OTzuhRzAwJpeMkorONHSfwNnMnDIX6pHcop6vQmdUqv_eYvADn1F5KHUmLEU_KSQc7FokZWKCf21IV5zgTsc4Dg9YCRMaJAV2n_ssSyoptiYehkjpiceq2MifNaQc7mte//" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="943" data-original-width="1050" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjG_zVbZfJ1FL4OTzuhRzAwJpeMkorONHSfwNnMnDIX6pHcop6vQmdUqv_eYvADn1F5KHUmLEU_KSQc7FokZWKCf21IV5zgTsc4Dg9YCRMaJAV2n_ssSyoptiYehkjpiceq2MifNaQc7mte//" width="267" /></a></div>I ran the players through the Goodman Games scenario '<a href="https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1409961192/age-of-cthulhu-9-the-lost-expedition">The Lost Expedition</a>' by Jon Hook. The Goodman Games line of Cthulhu scenarios got a bit of flack at the start of their run for looking and playing more like old style scenarios, maybe more in line with their DCC line than with the direction of modern Cthulhu adventures. They quickly righted their course, and headed off on their own direction, which led to some delightfully Pulp style adventures, even if they were not immediately sold as such. 'The Lost Expedition' is definitely planted squarely in the Pulp genre, with mutated dinosaurs, golden pyramids, and inter-dimensional travel. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJGAqipXtpGiJ_OgUTQxJISKVoMpw2OKaP0LRUKo9AfnjBZu8jyUzXUW5jW9ExMzxBdCAJhrnYv0BAdHH6pM5N8B-8LUc22pd85-qSUsUQ1Mgt6tKqOrpLW0vs3GxpWEQHovEfEvY3Xtwt//" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1485" data-original-width="527" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJGAqipXtpGiJ_OgUTQxJISKVoMpw2OKaP0LRUKo9AfnjBZu8jyUzXUW5jW9ExMzxBdCAJhrnYv0BAdHH6pM5N8B-8LUc22pd85-qSUsUQ1Mgt6tKqOrpLW0vs3GxpWEQHovEfEvY3Xtwt//" width="85" /></a></div><p></p><p>One of the inspirations this game book has kept from the DCC style game, is its reliance on Random tables at a couple of key moments in the scenario. One is the use of the Laboratory control console, and the other is when travelling through the Great White Space, or the interdimensional portals if you will. </p><p>I decided to lean in to this, since it was a pulp game, and use the tables in game as written. The first use was when players were using a control panel in the lab of the pyramid. This led to random things happening, but none of them really moving the story forward. After a couple of uses of the panel, there was the question as to whether this trial and error was leading to an understanding of this very alien technology. The answer was, well, no not really, it's very complex. This may not have been the right answer in a Pulp game, and the choice to make that call lays at my feet, not an issue with the table <i>per se</i>.</p><p>The second table in the adventure is at the end, when they open a portal, and end up in what is essentially an infinite corridor full of doors. There is no distinguishing marks on any of the doors, and no way to know where to go to get home. This may be a fun ending to a convention scenario, and if the Keeper has their wits about them, this is a great jumping off point for another scenario, but as it played, the lack of way of knowing which was the way to go led to choice paralysis. With infinite choices, no choice can be made at all. In the end, I made the choice to tell the players outright, "there is no way to know how to get home, you're going to pick a door, then we're going to roll on a random table to see where you end up". I think this was the only way to move the game forward before the frustration set in.</p><p>So where am I now? I think I still like random tables much more than I used to, but my use in the last scenario means that I will temper their use somewhat going forward. As with all things in a game, they can be fun if used well. Good use of a tool inherently requires that it does not block or hinder player agency too much. I think where I was hitting a wall in this scenario was that if I had not said what was happening, and that I was going to roll on a random table, we would really have had no way for the players to go forward without more frustration.</p><p>As a final word on 'The Lost Expedition', this publication seems to be no longer in print, as is the case with the rest of the Goodman Games Age of Cthulhu line, but if you do manage to track down a copy, I recommend it as a great fun Pulp Cthulhu scenario. Please do not take this as in anyway a criticism of the scenario, but just the evolution of my thoughts on this particular GM tool.<br /><br /><br /></p>Derekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10541611128064822330noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7362129333407215670.post-91043346425141655652020-11-30T11:51:00.005-05:002020-11-30T12:44:37.751-05:00#TTRPGwishlist <p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg44Zn9-4XqrkCmraRRx4L53cNk_1zCb8KD9Bm7Kdx2T-QGzMQW_uUpQtUOJ_MMcRTBCEsQzctneyydzj7HzblBtn8FBLON3AWYMdoJgdI6UneaeAaBvCcMy7e9fC7taWcC0FwDIztrmouR/s1280/Book-pile.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="1280" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg44Zn9-4XqrkCmraRRx4L53cNk_1zCb8KD9Bm7Kdx2T-QGzMQW_uUpQtUOJ_MMcRTBCEsQzctneyydzj7HzblBtn8FBLON3AWYMdoJgdI6UneaeAaBvCcMy7e9fC7taWcC0FwDIztrmouR/s320/Book-pile.jpg" width="320" /></a></div> This thread was started on <a href="https://twitter.com/SKenson/status/1332754910866264066">twitter </a>by @SKenson. I don't do twitter, so I'm doing it here.<br /><p></p><p> "my personal wish-list of tabletop roleplaying games to play in or run, if I had unlimited time, energy, and resources..."</p><p>To this I'd add "and have the right group." Don't get me wrong, I love my players, but not all players fit all games and vice versa. I think some of the games I want to run on this list are because I don't think they'd fly with some or all of my current players.</p><p>Since this is a wish list, I'm going to avoid the games of which I have had a current fix, and can most easily get moving, which is currently <a href="https://www.chaosium.com/call-of-cthulhu-rpg/">Call of Cthulhu</a>, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_One_Ring_Roleplaying_Game">The One Ring</a>, <a href="https://www.modiphius.net/collections/vampire-the-masquerade">Vampire</a> and <a href="https://www.mothershiprpg.com/">Mothership</a>.</p><p>Alright, let's see...</p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>I have never played, run or read any of the <a href="https://site.pelgranepress.com/">Pelgrane </a>Gumshoe games, While the latter is easily rectified, I would really like to finally get to play one of them. I could make a top 10 list of which specific ones I'd like to play, but let's not make it all about Gumshoe.</li></ul><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>I want to play in the <a href="https://www.chaosium.com/the-great-pendragon-campaign-pdf/">Great Pendragon Campaign</a>. I have heard so many great things, but my Pendragon experinece runs to making characters once.</li></ul><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Powered by the Apocalypse. I wan to try it. This one I don't mind running. I think I'd want to start with <a href="https://www.evilhat.com/home/monster-of-the-week/">Monster of the Week</a>, as that seems to be one that I could get the best buy in for. Working up to <a href="https://www.magpiegames.com/bluebeards-bride/">Bluebeard's Bride</a>.</li></ul><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Getting a scenario I've written into print. The barriers to entry on this are at an all time low, so the publication part is the easy bit. Finishing a projet I've started is what takes the 'unlimited time, energy, and resources' part.</li></ul><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Play/run <a href="https://www.evilhat.com/home/blades-in-the-dark/">Blades in the Dark</a>. For this one, I don't mind which side of the screen I'm on. </li></ul><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>First of the nostalgia based wants. Play a(nother) epic <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Legend_of_the_Five_Rings">Legend of the 5 Rings</a> campaign. I have done one of these, and it was epic and memorable and I loved it. I know you can never go back, but there are so many Rokugan stories I still want to tell. I may have to even play a non-Scorpion character this time! Note I did not link to the current version of this game by <a href="https://www.fantasyflightgames.com/en/legend-of-the-five-rings-roleplaying-game/">FFG</a>. This is because I don't know yet if I would want to play this version for a long campaign. which leads me to my next point...</li></ul><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Try the 4th edition <a href="https://www.fantasyflightgames.com/en/legend-of-the-five-rings-roleplaying-game/">Legend of the 5 Rings</a>. I mean with unlimited time, why would I not give it a go?</li></ul><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Finish <a href="https://www.chaosium.com/masks-of-nyarlathotep-slipcase-set/">Masks of Nyarlathotep</a>.</li></ul><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Play more <a href="https://www.peginc.com/product-category/deadlands-classic/">Deadlands</a>. And not the kiddie Savage World's/<a href="https://www.peginc.com/product-category/deadlands-reloaded/">Reloaded </a>version, but the grown-up time hogging 'and the kitchen sink' original version with all the chips, cards, dice, bells and whistles. Unlimited time right?</li></ul><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Another nostalgia wish, but since you can never go back, I wouldn't go with the same game, but I'd do anything to play a reunion game with the Watch House Buffy group. I don't know what we would play, I'd be tempted to leave the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buffyverse_role-playing_games">Buffy RPG</a> in the past so as not to mess with it, but I don't know which game I would want us to play. I know these players are now spread all over, and would be highly unlikely to all be in one room, but in these days of online gaming, who knows?</li></ul><div>Ok, I'm going to stop at 10, but I could keep going, so be on the look-out for part two of the list.</div><div><br /></div><div>One thing I would like to say is that on all the lists I read, it's all about the games, But the more I think about it, my wish list would be about who I want to play with. This list is a long list of the friends I've made throughout the years through RPGs, from my first group of school friends who still regulalry get together after 30 years, through the GEAS gang in Edinburgh (who are now all over the globe), and the regulars at NecronomiCon, who I get to see and play with all too infrequently, and finally to the players I have here in Montreal, and to thse that have moved away and we no longer get to see every week. </div><div><br /></div><div>That would be my real wish list, to play again with the friends I made along the way!</div><p></p>Derekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10541611128064822330noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7362129333407215670.post-85640646539755603762020-06-07T21:37:00.005-04:002023-10-30T22:36:20.258-04:00The One Ring Part 1: My Introduction to the GameMy first RPG was MERP. Middle Earth Role-Playing. Well, actually it wasn't it was Road Hogs, a supplement for TMNT. But lets just skip that for a moment and say that the first game I bought and ran was MERP.<div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0vPP-7LIs1RrytpQT8bdIkOXrWpT9wB_V63z7lfLz6pQmm7IQEA0ZWSQr4ok7WCLSodXgQpzubDhE9YTqTNeBk7Qe4kY73aNGh5UWYHKJtk0a50UhnYPjdHFq12VajIQLlXEbkQb0MCvr/s1600/The+Larch.bmp" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="152" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0vPP-7LIs1RrytpQT8bdIkOXrWpT9wB_V63z7lfLz6pQmm7IQEA0ZWSQr4ok7WCLSodXgQpzubDhE9YTqTNeBk7Qe4kY73aNGh5UWYHKJtk0a50UhnYPjdHFq12VajIQLlXEbkQb0MCvr/s200/The+Larch.bmp" width="200" /></a></div>
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We played that game for years, running at least 1 set of characters all the way up to level 10. That may not sound like much, but in MERP, that was pretty huge.</div>
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I still have all the books, though my original MERP book is now in a well thumbed ring-binder, as the glue on the binding game up the ghost a long time ago. If there is an RPG that will be buried with me, it'll be a copy of MERP (as well as Call of Cthulhu).</div>
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Add on top of that Tolkien's books, and the films, which I am now passing on to my kids, one could say I have a lot of fondness for gaming in Middle Earth.</div>
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However, there was a bit of a lull in my TTRPG gaming for a few years as I moved into minis gaming, as they could be played with no prep, and the painting side of the hobby could be done solo, in own time (i.e. to fit in with the lifestyle of parents of young children). Which was why I was a latecomer to The One Ring RPG. It was around the time of the re-release of the Masks of Nyarlathotep campaign, which was being mooted (and rightly so) as one of the best TTRPG campaigns of all time. This accolade got me to thinking, what are the great all time campaigns?</div>
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Of course, I had my list of the ones I had been exposed to. Masks, of course, the Warhammer Campaign too, Horror on the Orient Express? I wasn't sure how well that one had been received critically, but I knew it was famous. I have never been into D&D, so I didn't know which campaigns esisted for the game, but there must be one or two that people go on about. I had also heard mentioned that there was a Campaign for Pendragon that people adored for various reasons.</div>
<div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://tolkiengateway.net/w/images/thumb/b/bc/The_Darkening_of_Mirkwood.jpg/338px-The_Darkening_of_Mirkwood.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="The Darkening of Mirkwood - Cubicle 7" border="0" data-original-height="437" data-original-width="338" height="200" src="https://tolkiengateway.net/w/images/thumb/b/bc/The_Darkening_of_Mirkwood.jpg/338px-The_Darkening_of_Mirkwood.jpg" width="155" /></a></div><div><br /></div>And then I heard "The Darkening of Mirkwood".</div>
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Mirkwood? Okay, now you have my attention, so I dig a little further. <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gareth_Hanrahan">Gareth Ryder-Hanranan</a>? Ok, now I really have to know more!</div>
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So I did some digging on what this campaign was all about, and what this game was. At this point, I managed to find the campaign in a local store on sale, so I bought it, and it,s companion book, Heart of the Wild, eventually picking up the rule book, and Adventurer's Companion, and well, you know how this collecting thing goes. I'm at the stage right now where I have all but one of the books, and the set of maps. I would have got them too, but, and those who've been following along at home will know, the game went out of print.</div>
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The is of course a Second Edition coming, but the current run of the game is not for sale any more, so none of my FLGSs will be able to restock for that one book that is missing. I mean I guess I'll get it eventually, afterall, that's what collectors do. But I will have to be patient.</div>
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So, that in a nutshell was my introduction to the One Ring RPG. </div>
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The next thing to do is to find players and try it out. And that's when the lockdown hit. Which was both a bane and a blessing. I was unable to find players in my local gaming area (although 3 of my CoC players will try if I ask them), but online, things are different, and I have been able to play the game a few times. Happy ending yes?</div>
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Well tune in next time as I explain my thoughts on the game from what I have seen so far.</div>
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Derekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10541611128064822330noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7362129333407215670.post-75862958217912942052019-10-16T10:17:00.001-04:002019-10-16T10:17:56.728-04:00Drachenfels<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwWsYvjqer2_Xhta6JBpWvyVE1cLAh-R2ucIIDcY5m68hPsBJuhEm2KvLjQVLgfVJkSPFswY8quK40n3_0dyZAN9hWoMJK3xZq5bIUeOslHMuSxVP_xHCDcgnrRX_Fkc88EKdVznwJuZcE/s1600/Drachenfels.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1043" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwWsYvjqer2_Xhta6JBpWvyVE1cLAh-R2ucIIDcY5m68hPsBJuhEm2KvLjQVLgfVJkSPFswY8quK40n3_0dyZAN9hWoMJK3xZq5bIUeOslHMuSxVP_xHCDcgnrRX_Fkc88EKdVznwJuZcE/s200/Drachenfels.jpg" width="130" /></a></div>
I recently read "<i>Drachenfels</i>", by Jack Yeovil (aka Kim Newman). I was aware of the existence of this book back when it came out in 1989, but I never read it. I was wary of fiction lines based on games, as I still am. However on reading it now with the release of the 30 year anniversary edition I did enjoy it immensely.<br />
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One thing that surprised me about was that there is something of the Discworld in this book in that the integration of the undead, and especially Vampires into the cities of the Old World smacks more of Terry Pratchett than it does of my reading of the original WFRP canon from the game books. In the book there is a monastic retreat for vampires, and the undead have their own bar that they frequent in Nuln. There is also a lighthearted tone to much of the novel that also makes me think of Pratchett, even though there is not the same level of humor. Of course WFRP is known for its humour, but in general it comes in a darker more satyrical form in the game material.<br />
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Since the protagonist of the novel is a vampire, as are many others in the book, I immediately thought of the use of undead as Player Characters in WFRP. It seems I was not the first, as many others had asked the same question on online forums. They were all met with the same response, at least for 1st ed WFRP. No.<br />
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GW thought at the time, and I tend to agree with them now I've thought about it, that vampires are not the right power level for WFRP, and did not at all fit in with the power level or themes of the game. It turns out that for 2nd ed WFRP, in the Vampire Sourcebook, <a href="https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/64520/Warhammer-Fantasy-Roleplay-2nd-Edition-Nights-Dark-Masters">Night's Dark Masters</a>, there are rules for this, even if it pretty much tells you not to use them.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzA10HSYQmLGzBxYXpAny4Rdkm1Ue__68_gqOar9_Tu8DG9_XQF7Aj5VS-HFObBMt2a1zh13ApkqX2fNcGoWuabeLk-IxR985WZVgWpvUrC0l4ELRHKKg7_YZZKldDMnDmI179Isgpl6tM/s1600/Castle+Drachenfels.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="499" data-original-width="373" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzA10HSYQmLGzBxYXpAny4Rdkm1Ue__68_gqOar9_Tu8DG9_XQF7Aj5VS-HFObBMt2a1zh13ApkqX2fNcGoWuabeLk-IxR985WZVgWpvUrC0l4ELRHKKg7_YZZKldDMnDmI179Isgpl6tM/s200/Castle+Drachenfels.jpg" width="149" /></a>So back to Drachenfels. Back in the day, I may not have read the book, but I did buy the game supplement, Castle Drachenfels. I never ran it, as even then it was clear that it would mean a lot more to you as a player or even a GM, if you had read the book, in the way that is described the castle. As a game book it was also hard to fit into an ongoing campaign, as the Castle itself was nothing but a huge meat-grinder, more reminiscent of a dungeon, or a book of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grimtooth%27s_Traps">Grimtooth's traps</a>, not quite fitting with the WFRP I played. So I put it on my shelf and did no more.<br />
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When I was recently going through my WFRP books, I brought it out again, and was surprised to see that none of the characters in the book are stated out in the game supplement, it really is all about the castle as a dungeon. This seems to me to be a huge oversight by the GW team at the time, as the characters were really well described and fit so well into the Old World, crossing many strata of the society of the Empire, and would have been useful to GMs running many different types of game. Even if they all do mostly die in the book. Where i do see that the castle is a character in the book, in some ways more than Drachenfels himself, the other characters are what actually make the book and the story.<br />
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<a href="https://www.blacklibrary.com/Images/Product/DefaultBL/xlarge/BLPROCESSED-Genevieve-Undead-Cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Image result for genevieve undead" border="0" height="200" src="https://www.blacklibrary.com/Images/Product/DefaultBL/xlarge/BLPROCESSED-Genevieve-Undead-Cover.jpg" width="158" /></a>I've since bought the second book that has also been re-released in this series by The Black Library, Genevieve Undead. This contains 3 short stories with the same main protagonist. The first, a direct follow up to Drachenfels "<i>Stage Blood</i>" is a wonderful little story full of ideas for a city adventure based on the acting troupe and their theatre, with themes and plots threads brought in from the Phantom of the Opera. This also has a sympathetic character that is a chaos mutant, just as in Drachenfels. These two characters are great ways to think about mutants in the Old World, a lot of whom are mutated through no fault of their own. Sounds like PCs to me!<br />
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The other two stories also have the same main protagonist, the titular Genevieve, are placed in other parts of the Empire, and are good, and can be mined for game ideas, but not directly related to Drachenfels lore.<br />
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So, if you're looking for a book that's a good read, or is based in the Old World of Warhammer, or has vampires, then I heartily recommend these books. They have almost single-handedly brought back my interest in running or playing WFRP. So much so that when back in the old country, I dug a bunch of these out of storage in my parent's attic and brought them home, in the hope of finding players.<br />
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Of course, if you really like vampires, then you will already have read Kim Newman's "<i>Anno Dracula</i>" series. If you haven't, then go do so now. I'm currently working my way through those too. Indeed, the author states that Genevieve Dieudonné is the same character in both series of novels.<br />
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Finally, there is an interview with the author to signal this 30 year anniversary on Youtube.<br />
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Derekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10541611128064822330noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7362129333407215670.post-71169073194770049062019-09-12T11:03:00.001-04:002019-09-12T11:06:47.367-04:00Consent in Gaming<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I came across this free pdf pamphlet released by <a href="https://www.montecookgames.com/">Monte Cook Games</a> on the Call of Cthulhu players facebook group. Considering the reaction there, there's still a lot of work to be done in this area. So, here's a signal boost of the product.<br />
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"From fending off an attack by bloodthirsty pirates to delving into dank caverns, roleplaying games allow you to explore and experience things you probably don’t want to face in real life - or to approach topics from the perspective of characters who may be very different than your actual self. This shared experience is intended to be fun for all involved, but RPGs can put characters in life-or-death crises, intense emotional situations, or traumatic environments. Whether it’s body horror in a scary game, violence against children or animals in a fantasy world, flirty, romantic, or sexual relationships in any setting - or numerous other challenging scenarios - the line between fun and awkward, difficult, or downright unpleasant can be difficult to identify, and varies dramatically from player to player."</blockquote>
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"Mature or controversial elements can and should be a part of many RPGs. But how do you know what topics to include or leave out of your games? How do you include potentially difficult elements while ensuring that nobody’s game night is ruined?<a href="https://www.montecookgames.com/consent-in-gaming/"> Consent in Gaming</a> gives you the strategies you need to make sure everyone at the table has a great experience, even when the game goes in a challenging direction."</blockquote>
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As someone who runs games with people I don't know at gaming stores, and is looking to diversify the people at the table, I'm open to all ideas that can improve the experience for everyone. Again, it's free and only 13 pages long (cover included), and available to download from <a href="https://www.montecookgames.com/store/product/consent-in-gaming/">Monte Cook Games</a>, or through <a href="https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/288535/Consent-in-Gaming">DrivethruRPG</a>. Go have a look!Derekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10541611128064822330noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7362129333407215670.post-46008869616172046712019-09-11T21:52:00.002-04:002019-09-11T21:52:39.560-04:00The Gentleman From Angell Street<a href="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/414K647DEWL._SX299_BO1,204,203,200_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="474" data-original-width="301" height="200" src="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/414K647DEWL._SX299_BO1,204,203,200_.jpg" width="126" /></a>As mentioned <a href="https://mysteriesofmontreal.blogspot.com/2019/09/necronomicon-providence-2019-part-iv.html">previously</a>, when I was at NecronomiCon this year, I picked up a book by local Providence writers<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/C._M._Eddy_Jr."> C. M. Eddy Jr</a>, and his wife Muriel. I had not read any of their wprks, in fact, I still have not read any of their fiction.<br />
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The <a href="https://hppodcraft.com/">H. P. Lovecraft Literary podcast</a> did an Eddy story, "<i>The Ghost Eater</i>" as their live show at NecronomiCon Providence 2019, and Ken doesn't hold back with his feelings on the story, and as Eddy as a writer.<br />
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In fact, is was this performance (which I had to leave before the end, due to gaming commitments) that made me pick up this book in the dealers hall at the Con. I had seen <a href="https://www.fenhampublishing.com/">Fenham Publishing</a> on my last visit, and paid them no heed, but now I knew more, I went to the stall and picked up "<i><a href="https://www.fenhampublishing.com/11622.html">The Gentleman From Angell Street</a>"</i>. Fenham Publishing, is in fact run by a grandson of the Eddys, and publishes all of their works. On purchasing the book, he also included a couple of photocopies of various newspaper articles either by the Eddys, or about them.<br />
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This is a very short book, coming in at only 70 pages, and within these pages, there are collected together memoirs written by Muriel E. Eddy, and her husband C.M. Eddy Jr. Since this is a collection of memoirs that were written at various times, and for publication in other places, there is some repetition within them.</div>
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I found this version of Lovecraft, as seen by people who spent a lot of time with him personally, as very different to the impression I have of him from other sources (full disclosure, I have not read any other Lovecraft biographies). The first of the chapters, "<i>The Gentleman From Angell Street</i>" is to me the best in the book, and the most engaging. It is also the longest.</div>
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There are some of Lovecraft's letters that also pertain to the anecdotes within this book, and it would be super interesting to see them published together in one volume. But that would possibly be well outwith the remit of Fenham Publishing , who put together this book, and the other collected works of both Eddys. It would also be very interesting to learn if the correspondence between Lovecraft and C.M Eddy, which was their only means of communication before the death of Lovecraft's mother, still exists.<br />
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In short, this is a short book, but gives a direct insight into the personality of the man, as a friend, and is rather charming, and refreshing to read. Not for someone with just a passing interest in his work, but for those who want to know a little more on the man himself. I'm glad I picked it up.</div>
<br />Derekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10541611128064822330noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7362129333407215670.post-82441088947148745482019-09-11T21:42:00.002-04:002019-09-11T21:42:40.042-04:00NecronomiCon Providence 2019. Part IV Purchases<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/proxy/AVvXsEjeFLzrAGHIwrrkbXcvQgBfOD1BYPuRFGuv7jO_IsZQi1enBqX_b0afR04ZzGSB4u1ozqKSt6L8oPl_uPyYy-qxQfz37HTK6Yna-yWaivkm0g5R6zpbGj5uyb-53ikRNHfPhkqRlNZIFOI3SCmT-BAJG5UkxqlNTIWLu2DNJSvnmxINB05CJUXfOBPZBHy76lk8NA0y_qSWixmuoNQcoaE4yM_3Rtt5nRnMGKZUKUri21VtcLGCQd66=s0-d" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/proxy/AVvXsEjeFLzrAGHIwrrkbXcvQgBfOD1BYPuRFGuv7jO_IsZQi1enBqX_b0afR04ZzGSB4u1ozqKSt6L8oPl_uPyYy-qxQfz37HTK6Yna-yWaivkm0g5R6zpbGj5uyb-53ikRNHfPhkqRlNZIFOI3SCmT-BAJG5UkxqlNTIWLu2DNJSvnmxINB05CJUXfOBPZBHy76lk8NA0y_qSWixmuoNQcoaE4yM_3Rtt5nRnMGKZUKUri21VtcLGCQd66=s0-d" width="210" /></a>Of course, I could not attend NecronomiCon PVD 2019 without passing through the dealers hall. I did show much restraint, as there were a great many wonderful things on offer, but I did have a bit of a shopping list in mind, especially when it came to the Chaosium stall.<br />
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It may have been a few weeks ago now but better late than never!<br />
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From the Chaosium stall, I picked up the 2nd edition of <a href="https://www.chaosium.com/terror-australis-2nd-edition-hardcover/">Terror Australis</a>. I will be running Masks soon(ish) so this was a must.<br />
<a href="https://www.chaosium.com/berlin-the-wicked-city-hardcover/">Berlin: The Wicked City</a> was there in all its Hardcover glory, before general release. This book looks so pretty, I couldn't not. I don't know when I plan to run games in based in Berlin, but having flicked through it, it certainly could be used as a template for a modern city sourcebook. So, Montreal: The City of Sin anyone? The scenario especially written for the Con was also a must. I didn't manage to get a seat at the table for any of the slots where Jon Hook was running <a href="https://www.chaosium.com/the-shadow-over-providence-pdf/">The Shadow Over Providence</a>, but I as a souvenir, as well as a neat little one shot, this was a must. Finally, I picked up the <a href="https://www.chaosium.com/call-of-cthulhu-keeper-decks/">Call of Cthulhu Keeper Decks</a>. These should be useful for many things. I have the pdf already, but pdfs of cards have always struck me as next to useless.<br />
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Also in terms of gaming supplies, I went past the second hand stall run by The Outer Dark, I picked up a couple of older books. These guys had a whole bunch of older and some OOP books, and if I had allowed myself, i would have bought a lot of them. In the end I stopped at two. The first was the <a href="https://www.chaosium.com/miskatonic-university/">Miskatonic University</a> sourcebook. This one is not out of print, but still one that should see a lot of use when I run more games in Arkham, especially since I am thinking on doing some more sandbox type games soon. The second I bought there was a copy of the OOP <a href="https://www.yog-sothoth.com/wiki/index.php/Green_And_Pleasant_Land">A Green and Pleasant Land</a>. This book was in very good condition, and was being sold for a very reasonable price. I could not say no.<br />
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Finally, at the Extra Life game on Friday, I picked up <a href="https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/287033/Hypergraphia-Magazine-Issue-2?fbclid=IwAR3aPot8opF640SH0W5nVNxRJrnAhi5lVxe1kx0qdBk_Pu2JqWeu5If5JZg">Hypergraphia Volume 2</a>, thereby completing my collection of printed versions of this 'zine. I have also set myself the goal of submitting an article for the issue for the NecronomiCon 2021 edition. There, I've said it out loud.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgr3ZZKkMX7bkPVS30NRykSN8F_Mwzo57s_FR4ha-TzXWf_8OYT9KvZ9Cs1wZzJyC2XV2fLl5885YMIoytYqQaujcp4C2lCmmhfj9APcdMBkmQab6IabDBUpLNh-0rNMDuzmWgPzI47EnVa/s1600/Signum+Advent.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgr3ZZKkMX7bkPVS30NRykSN8F_Mwzo57s_FR4ha-TzXWf_8OYT9KvZ9Cs1wZzJyC2XV2fLl5885YMIoytYqQaujcp4C2lCmmhfj9APcdMBkmQab6IabDBUpLNh-0rNMDuzmWgPzI47EnVa/s200/Signum+Advent.jpg" width="150" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilG2gOJrtdv4ojdyFjeeovzVehLWeVGNCNXj9ymiDfOF0EZLc7y9eyvztPvilQiuGfruba9UGC3BPbFK7Si_E9IrCMx8uJ0GzirsRwhmWLjXsjxtBYkGpLJTOZYVMNe3EhwrZDZMHRb91m/s1600/Elder+sign.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilG2gOJrtdv4ojdyFjeeovzVehLWeVGNCNXj9ymiDfOF0EZLc7y9eyvztPvilQiuGfruba9UGC3BPbFK7Si_E9IrCMx8uJ0GzirsRwhmWLjXsjxtBYkGpLJTOZYVMNe3EhwrZDZMHRb91m/s200/Elder+sign.jpg" width="150" /></a>In terms of non-gaming purchases, I have had my eye on some of the woodcut art by <a href="http://xylographilia.com/">Liv Rainey-Smith of Xylographilia</a>, since the last <a href="https://mysteriesofmontreal.blogspot.com/2017/08/necronomicon-dissection-part-2-thursday.html">Ars Necronomica</a>. This year I picked up a print of <i>Signum Advent</i>, which was in the show at the last convention. I like this, as there are mythos and occult references in the print, but they are not overt, and it really has a feel of a print that could have been in an historical work. The other thing I purchased was an elder sign amulet. I can't remember the name of the dealer, but he was aware of the <a href="https://mysteriesofmontreal.blogspot.com/2015/06/burnistoun-lovecraftian-sketch.html">Burnistoun lovecraft sketch</a>, which was kind of niche, even for a Lovecraftian Con. This is a simple amulet, and would make a great simple prop for any game where an elder sign makes an appearance.<br />
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Lastly, I bought a copy of <a href="http://www.fenhampublishing.com/11622.html">The Gentleman From Angell Street</a> by local authors, and friends of Lovecraft, Muriel E. Eddy and C.M. Eddy Jr. I have read this already, and there will be a review posted shortly.<br />
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The final item in my haul, was not a purchase, but a gift. Oscar Rios gave all the players at his Sunday table a set of Roman coins, minted for a Kickstarter (I assume the Invictus one), of which he had a few extra. A very kind gesture.<br />
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<br />Derekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10541611128064822330noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7362129333407215670.post-19562573720848132242019-09-03T21:10:00.000-04:002019-09-03T22:04:25.373-04:00NecronomiCon Providence 2019. Part III Upcoming Releases<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/proxy/AVvXsEjeFLzrAGHIwrrkbXcvQgBfOD1BYPuRFGuv7jO_IsZQi1enBqX_b0afR04ZzGSB4u1ozqKSt6L8oPl_uPyYy-qxQfz37HTK6Yna-yWaivkm0g5R6zpbGj5uyb-53ikRNHfPhkqRlNZIFOI3SCmT-BAJG5UkxqlNTIWLu2DNJSvnmxINB05CJUXfOBPZBHy76lk8NA0y_qSWixmuoNQcoaE4yM_3Rtt5nRnMGKZUKUri21VtcLGCQd66=s0-d" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/proxy/AVvXsEjeFLzrAGHIwrrkbXcvQgBfOD1BYPuRFGuv7jO_IsZQi1enBqX_b0afR04ZzGSB4u1ozqKSt6L8oPl_uPyYy-qxQfz37HTK6Yna-yWaivkm0g5R6zpbGj5uyb-53ikRNHfPhkqRlNZIFOI3SCmT-BAJG5UkxqlNTIWLu2DNJSvnmxINB05CJUXfOBPZBHy76lk8NA0y_qSWixmuoNQcoaE4yM_3Rtt5nRnMGKZUKUri21VtcLGCQd66=s0-d" width="131" /></a>
I do have some hot news from the Con in terms of upcoming games releases from Golden Goblin Games, and Chaosium.
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When I was playing <i>Cthulhu Invictus</i> with Oscar Rios, he told us of an upcoming book for Invictus, based in Britannica, which will contain the adventure we played in (A Mortal Harvest), as well as at least one scenario by Stuart Boon.<br />
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I had games with both Mike Mason, and Lynne Hardy, and had noticed a certain Folk Horror theme to them both, so I asked mike after the game if there was any intention to release these scenarios, maybe along with Scritch Scratch, another scenario with deep folklore roots. His reply was that yes, something along those lines was in their thoughts, but that it wouldn't be British Folk Horror, and would of course contain scenarios based in North America too.
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I also asked Mike Mason about upcoming material, some of which he was going to reveal at the Favourite Scenarios panel, but he forgot. What he said in the elevator afterwards was that there were plans to re-release <i>Mansions of Madness</i> and<i> Lovecraft Country</i> for 7th edition. The fact he mentioned these ones specifically made me think they are near the top of the pile.<br />
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Mike also mentioned the release of the previous organised play campaign "<i>A</i> <i>Time to Harvest</i>" as a book. I ran through this campaign as Organised Play events, and am happy to see it finally coming to print, and would be very interested to see what changes have been made through feedback from all the play-testing it essentially got.<br />
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Lastly, Mike mentioned there are plans afoot to compile a book (or box set, it is as yet undecided) of short (i.e. 2hr) scenarios.<br />
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<br />Derekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10541611128064822330noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7362129333407215670.post-39429226211094819442019-09-03T20:48:00.002-04:002019-09-03T21:13:34.251-04:00NecronomiCon Providence 2019. Part II Panels<a href="http://secureservercdn.net/72.167.241.134/66w.904.myftpupload.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/2019Poster-Hyades1_rect.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://secureservercdn.net/72.167.241.134/66w.904.myftpupload.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/2019Poster-Hyades1_rect.jpg" height="320" width="210" /></a>As I mentioned in my previous post, this time round, I didn't get as to participate in as wide a range of activities at the Con as I had on my previous visit. Mostly due to me participating in more games, but also due to the timing of these games, and what I think was a bit of a change in scheduling of the gaming panels. In 2017, all the gaming panels were in the morning, leaving time for games or other things afterward. Also last time, I don't recall as many games being scheduled over the lunch period. This meant that I missed out on the MUP/Good Friends podcast on the Friday (due to Extra Life), and most of the H.P.Lovecraft Literary podcast due to my game with Mike Mason. Mike said the game was originally slated for a 2pm start, but when the schedule was released, this had changed to a 12.30 start.<br />
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I'm okay with missing these, as they were recorded, and will be released, so in the end, I am not missing out on anything.<br />
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Another thing that I did not do this time, was tour the town. I had already done the bus tour, and most of the walking tour by myself last time, and our visit to the <a href="https://mysteriesofmontreal.blogspot.com/2018/07/inside-athenaeum.html">Athanaeum</a> on our way back from Cape Cod last summer scratched that particular itch too. The only place left on my list to visit is the Library at Brown University, which holds much of Lovecraft's papers, but that will have to wait for the next visit.<br />
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The only thing I am a little sad about missing out on was the <a href="http://necronomicon-providence.com/ars-necronomica/">Ars Necronomica</a> exhibition, as I enjoyed that last time.<br />
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But let us not dwell on what I could not do, and more on what I did manage to squeeze in. First the panels that I made it to, either wholly, or in part.<br />
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<b>Sermons From the Hill of Dreams: Arthur Machen (Non gaming).</b> My first panel was a non-gaming panel. There were some discussions and introduction to who Machen was, and his relationship to Lovecraft in terms of writing. My favourite quote from the panel was that: "The Dunwich Horror was Uncle Lovecraft covering Arthur Machen's greatest hits!"<br />
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The topics also covered were Machen's personal relationships with other authors, and occultists, including the mystic<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A._E._Waite"> A.E. Waite,</a> and <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aleister_Crowley">Aleister Crowley</a>. There was also much information on Machen's stories on Grail-lore, which is a vein that I feel should be mined more for scenario ideas, and I will be looking into.<br />
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<b>Creating Historical Settings for Call of Cthulhu.</b> with Oscar Rios, Lynne Hardy, Christopher Smith Adair & Mike Mason (M). This was a great seminar in terms of ideas for what to do to research Historical places and eras, and mining them for your games. This was chock full of resources and strategies, and was so good it may even be a post to itself later.<br />
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<b>The Cosmic Horror of the Warhammer Universe.</b> with Mike Mason, Molly Tanzer, Mike Goodrich, Meils Hobbs (M), Nicholas Kaufmann.<br />
I missed the bulk of the panel, but arrived in time to listen to the questions. My game had finished in time for me to be there for most of it, but I didn't look at my schedule, and forgot that this panel was on. Still, there were some good conversations on the relationships between the Chaos Gods of the Warhammer universe, and the Lovecraftian Mythos.<br />
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One thing that did come out of it that I had not thought of was that there is the suggestion in the Warhammer universe that the Chaos Gods are the only gods that exist in the Universe, and all the others are just the misinterpretation of magic. There was also the hypothesis that all the individual chaos gods are just different manifestations of the one entity that is chaos, which, if you think about the nature of chaos, makes complete sense. Shame I missed the rest of the panel really.<br />
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I also hadn't realised Molly Tanzer was on the panel, so afterwards, I went to get one of her books I had brought with me for her to sign, but I was too long in getting back to the room, and everyone had gone. Ah well.<br />
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<b>The King in Yellow: Origins, Influences & Lineage. </b><b>(Non gaming). </b>With Ken Hite, Shane Ivey (M), James Lowder, Silvia Moreno-Garcia, and Nicole someone whose surname I did not catch.<br />
A great 'Guerilla Panel' that was not on the con programme, but Ken and Shane really wanted to run, while Ken is still the foremost scholar on Chambers (said whilst looking at his watch). The panel game me some insight into other Hastur mythos to track down, and of some of the other less obvious themes in the books.<br />
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<b>How to Game the Weird.</b> With Sandy Peterson, Ken Hite, Shane Ivey, and Nicola Maeve Geist, Dan Harms (M), Badger McInnes.<br />
I have mixed feeling about this panel. For one, the title said weird, but the panel said Horror. Not a big change, granted, but there are lots of tools out there on how to run horror, but really very little on keeping it weird. Secondly, the great Sandy Peterson was there in the flesh, which I hadn't realised would be the case, but also, he kind of repeated a lot of what he has said in videos on his <a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCVDIvzRZD39Rv9uR8mqfOBg">Youtube channel</a>. There were some tit-bits of information that were useful, but I was left with not a great impression of Sandy. He gave the impression he didn't really want to be there. I may be mistaken. Like I said, mixed feelings.<br />
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<b>Favourite CoC Scenarios.</b> With Mike Mason (M), Jon Hook, Paul Fricker, Mattew Sanderson, and Sean Branney.<br />
This was again a great panel full of suggestions for scenarios to play, as suggested by some of the CoC authors, including their reasons for their suggestions, whether that be the way the scenario is written, or the subject of the scenario. I won't go into too much details, cos spoilers!<br />
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I had also planned to go to <b>Victory at Home and Beyond. Investigators for Social Equality</b>. But that just didn't happen.<br />
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<b>NecronomiCon PVD Wrap-up Panel.</b> Not as controversial as previous years. A nice, and surprisingly emotional wrap-up to a great event.Derekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10541611128064822330noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7362129333407215670.post-47683851849628489182019-08-28T10:09:00.002-04:002019-09-03T09:34:09.457-04:00NecronomiCon Providence 2019. Part I, Games<br />
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Last weekend, I participated in my second trip to the bi-annual event that is NecronomiCon Providence. To be quite honest, I had reservations. I had such a great time last time, that I worried the Con would not stand up to my expectations. Thankfully, I was wrong.<br />
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Last time, I posted a post for each day, but this time, I'm breaking it down in terms of events I attended, starting with games. To be quite frank, I think for me, this time was much more centred around the games I wanted to play. I think I went to a lot less panels, and this was partly to do with how the games I really wanted to play were timed. I also think the games panels were a little more spread out in time and place this year, but more of that later.<br />
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<a href="about:invalid#zClosurez" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="Image result for lovecraftesque" border="0" height="200" src="data:image/jpeg;base64,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" style="cursor: move;" width="129" /></a>I arrived later than I intended on Thursday evening, due to a GPS blip taking me through Boston at rush hour, but I did manage to join my table for<b> </b><a href="https://blackarmada.com/lovecraftesque/"><b>Lovecraftesque</b> </a>before it was too late. The games was hosted by <b>Matt Hawkes</b>. I say hosted, as he was not the GM. For those that are in the know, Lovecraftesque is a "GM'less storytelling game of brooding cosmic horror". I had never played this game, but I really wanted to try it, so this was the only non-Call of Cthulhu game I scheduled for the weekend. It's a really interesting game, where we all play one character, and take turns in different roles, as GM player and Watchers (not the real titles). What this leads to is a real collaborative game, which in the game we played, led to a more real depiction of weird fiction/horror than any other game I have played. The fact that players are trying to weave together disparate elements that have been dropped throughout the game means some threads are left dangling and unexplained. Whats more, since we are all trying to bring them together, there is less of an expectation by players for everything to be explained. I don't think I'd play this one with my home group, but I enjoyed it a lot, and would play it again.<br />
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Day two, Friday, was the big games day, starting in the morning with <b>"<i>After Dark</i>"</b> with <b>Lynne Hardy</b>. This is a modern day game, based on a real life experience Lynne had at a local museum. I won't say any more, as this is an unpublished scenario but, like Scritch Scratch, it has British folk horror elements woven with the mythos. Unlike last time I played with Lynne, my character survived!<br />
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This was followed by the <a href="https://www.extra-life.org/"><b>Extra Life Charity Event</b></a>. This was one part I was worried would not live up to my expectations, especially since this year there were 2 Extra Life events, one on Friday and one on Saturday. I need not have worried. By the end of the game (and again, I was fortunate to make it to the end table) my cheeks hurt from smiling and laughing. A great event, which, miraculously, I survived to the end without a character death (although I was a ghoul at the end, which meant, I <i>won</i>, by eating all the other players).<br />
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<a href="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/51W7lR8WXRL._SX373_BO1,204,203,200_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/51W7lR8WXRL._SX373_BO1,204,203,200_.jpg" width="150" /></a>The final game of Friday evening was the gaming event that is "<i><b>G<a href="https://www.chaosium.com/gatsby-and-the-great-race-pdf/">atsby and the Great Race</a></b></i>". This really is an event as much as it is a game. If you have not played in it, I really must advise you to play if you ever have the chance. Of course, this means finding it at a Con, as you need 15-20 players minimum. In terms of game, I think we had it figured out at the end, but since you are dependent on other people (in other rooms) doing the same, we all died in the end.<br />
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We did have a lot of fun doing so, and I got to play with a lot of great players. In the end, I played at tables with <b>Edwin Nagy</b> and <b>Jen Martin</b> at the helm.<br />
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Saturday was more sedate in terms of games, with the only game I was registered in being "<i><b>The Black Orchard</b></i>" with <b>Mike Mason</b>. Until I was writing this post, I had misread that title as the Black Orchid, which I'm kind of glad about, as it is less spoilery! Being at a table for a real game written and run by Mike (not just at Extra Life) was all I wanted it to be, and I was very glad that I was able to do so. The game was based in the Isle of Man, a little used location even for the British Isles, which have no lack of representation in the game.<br />
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<a href="https://dqzrr9k4bjpzk.cloudfront.net/images/2576182/885843099.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="The 7th Edition Guide to Cthulhu Invictus - Digital Format" border="0" height="200" src="https://dqzrr9k4bjpzk.cloudfront.net/images/2576182/885843099.jpg" width="154" /></a>Finally, Sunday had lots of games I wanted to play. I would have loved to have had another game of Cogs, Cakes and Cthulhu with Lynne, but you can't be two places at once. In the end I went for "A Mortal Harvest" a <a href="https://www.goldengoblinpress.com/store/#!/The-7th-Edition-Guide-to-Cthulhu-Invictus-Digital-Format/p/113961215/category=6641141"><b>Cthulhu Invictus</b></a> game with <b>Oscar Rios</b> at the helm. I was surprised to find this was another adventure with baked in British Folklore (my third of the con), as it turns out that Oscar is not only a Roman history buff, but also a Celtic folklore nerd. Who knew! Apparently, the next Cthulhu Invictus book that is in the pipeline is situated in the British Isles, and this adventure will be part of that book, along with other.<br />
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I really enjoyed the game, and was very pleased with the pregen that I got, and would take another look at the Invictus game in the Horror on the Orient Express game if I had access to the pile of Pregens Oscar was using for the game. Especially since there was an equal number of male and female investigators to chose from, as the one thing that put me off was my percieved inability to make a female Investigator for that one-shot.<br />
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So a great weekend of gaming. I think to the detriment of the rest of the Con in some ways, but since this is the most games I will play till the next Con in two years time, I feel no loss.<br />
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Adventurer tally:<br />
Death: 3<br />
Survival: 2<br />
Unsure: 1 (Being a ghoul, is that living?)<br />
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<br />Derekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10541611128064822330noreply@blogger.com0