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Posts Tagged ‘musings’

I Like Elves

06 Feb
Tolkien Elves

I like the Dresdencodak take on the Middle-earth elves (dresdencodak.tumblr.com)

I like elves. Specifically, I like the elves of Middle-earth, and in particular I like the fact that they were truly immortal; even their deaths merely meant they would be reborn back into the elven race [if I remember the Silmarillion correctly).

Most RPGs have elves as a long-lived race, but rarely are they truly immortal. I can’t recall the maximum ages of all the elves I’ve come across, but I know that in ACKS they have a maximum of roughly 200 years or so; but I much prefer elves as being this immortal race, that reach certain adult perfection and then never age, and are immune to normal diseases, dying only as a result of their wounds, if such are inflicted. For my next campaign, whenever and wherever that is, I want elves to be an immortal race– or at least a race that used to be immortal– because that is much more fascinating and interesting that simply a race that lives a generation or two longer than humans.

Imagine what a race like that would be like. How would it affect their progress? Slow it down? Allow them to achieve great accomplishments because they have the time to discover new technologies, to indulge lengthy research and experimentation? Would such a race eventually become corrupt, their egos overinflated by their obvious superiority over short-lived races, and would they use their superiority and long lives to conqueror other races, perhaps mistakenly thinking that they are doing them a favour?

Would their cities expand until they enveloped wide regions, spanning continents, but built in harmony with the natural world?

I would also like to have elves less inclined to arcane power, and more linked to divine power. Clerics rather than mages. I’d argue that Tolkien’s elves would be better suited as clerics anyhow, since they are closer to the ‘gods’ and many dwelt with or close to them. At least that’s one way to look at them.

I also like the idea of the elven race being less ‘good-guys’ and more the ‘bad-guys’ of a story. The corrupted elves. Maybe cursed too, by the gods, by other races, by their own misused powers.

I have an idea of Blighted Elves, corrupted by too much power, mutated and warped in body and mind. Also, Burning or Shining Ones, an idea I keep coming back to, which would be elves that have consumed so much power that they are literally burning up from the inside, their life-spans drastically reduced as a result. Elves that once had a vast empire that has since fallen into ruin; elves that enslaved the other races, until those races broke free by rebelling and fighting back; elves that stole their power from the gods, reducing these divine beings to mortals– albeit powerful mortals– and trapping that power, tapping into it to fuel the elves own magic.

Elves that vanished. Elves that are coming back, and bringing an eternal winter with them. Why? No idea. It just sounds interesting.

Anyway, I like elves, and I want to use them in more interesting ways than I used to.

Next Time: I Like Halflings!

 

 
6 Comments

Posted in RPG

 

Adventure First, Game Second?

16 Sep

One of my First LovesWay back when the old WEG d6 Star Wars game was due out, but before it actually hit the shelves, I was already planning on buying it (or getting my parents to give me pocket-money to buy it) and running a game: so much in fact, that before I ever had the game in my hands I had written an adventure for it.

I set up the premise– heroes in a ship, passing through an asteroid field, captured by Imperials– and mapped out a space station, as well as an asteroid field and the paths of the patrolling TIE fighters (with numbers representing turns); I wrote up some memorable NPCs, including a Dark Jedi who, in this first adventure, became the heroes nemesis and appeared in numerous adventures as the game went out, suffering defeats and near fatal wounds, becoming a cyborg, but never killed, and the campaign faded away (as many do) before the Rebels ever had a chance to finish him off.

I don’t think that I’ve ever done that since; created an adventure, maps and NPCs, before I ever read the rules or had the books. Sometimes you just get inspired, and the fact that it was Star Wars helped since it was a universe I already knew. Recently, having backed and followed the blog and updates for Monte’s Numenera I have had that same impulse to create something before it comes out (2013). Might not actually get around to doing anything about that impulse, since I have less free time, but it’s nice to have that feeling again.

Has anyone out there in the ethereal sphere of the web ever done this, created an adventure before ever seeing the rules or owning the game system?

 
2 Comments

Posted in Blog, RPG

 

Why I like dice-based games such as D&D

08 May

There are times when the randomness of the dice bring frustration, despair, and a strange sort of rage; when players curse the little critters and cast them aside, picking up another in the superstitious hope that this die will perform better; when DMs grumble that their monsters can’t hit the broadside of a dragon, let alone a barn; but when it comes down to it, I love the way the roll of the dice can completely alter a situation, changing the game being played, helping to tell the emerging story that occurs through playing Old School type games (such as early D&D, ACKS, C&C, LL and so forth).

For example: last night was the ninth session of our ACKS campaign, and the party had arrived at the free city in search of supplies, ,mercenaries, and their smuggler contact. Turned out that the smuggler had been arrested and was due to be hanged in three days; his associated wanted the party to free him, and they happily agreed. Having made plans, they made their way to the sheriff’s office at night, intent on knocking out the guards and freeing Mortin, fleeing into the night afterwards with no one the wiser.

It started off so well: they blocked the chimney, smoking the guards in the office out, along with the sheriff. As they poured out of the door, the cleric slept the sheriff with his command word, and the others pushed the two guards back into the room, knocking one out pretty much straight away.

Then the dice turned on them, and they started missing. The guard recovered and fought back, and the sheriff woke, fended out blows aimed at him, and drew his sword. No one could land a nonlethal blow… so the explorer decided it would be easier to kill them instead. He stabbed the guard through the heart, killing him; and again, the dice turned against them; so much so that before the sheriff was eventually slain, he had hacked the hand off the cleric and critically wounded him.

So the party are inside the sheriff’s office, two dead bodies at their feet, blood on their hands, smoke wafting out of the uncovered chimney. Luckily no one has been alerted, but it is only a matter of time before someone spots the remnants of the smoke at least, or the guards in the dungeon below decide to investigate the faint noises they heard. And if the party are caught in the act, they’ll suddenly become criminals, in a city full of soldiers, and who knows what’ll happen then; and all because of the throw of the dice.

Anyone care to share any stories about how the dice changed their games?

 
4 Comments

Posted in ACKS, Blog, D&D, RPG, Rules

 

My Foray into the Apocalypse World

03 May

Last week I played Apocalypse World for the first time, and although I had doubts as to how it would play out, I found the session quite enjoyable. Although, with the way I was playing, the tone was more comedy than harsh.

There were only three of us: I played a Hardholder (landlord, owner/ruler of a Hold, or settlement), called Uncle Ronnie, Doug played a Savvy called Burdick, and Alister played an Angel, called Flinch (or, as we later decided, Ronnie Junior, or Little Ronnie). A quick round the table, and we decided that Dick, as he was known to Uncle Ronnie, was the tech-guy of the Holding, and Little Ronnie was Uncle’s estranged son who has become a ‘healer’ rather than following in his father’s footsteps; Uncle Ronnie was less than impressed.

I admit, I went a bit silly with my character. Uncle Ronnie looked like a sterner version of Ronnie Corbett, wore cardigans, and had a gang composed of his inbred nephews; all of who were skin-heads, with cardigans, riding tandem cycles and carrying shotguns. I also named them after characters from Sesame Street.

Our mission was to go to a neighbouring Holding for whatever reason we wanted. Uncle Ronnie wanted to show them who was boss; Flinch wanted to find his mother; Dick wanted to find some ‘sparkies’ that were stolen from his junk yard.

We arrived, spilt off, talked to a few NPCs. Uncle Ronnie had an argument with a guard, and sent some of his men to deal with her later: she died and was chucked out of a window; a gun fight ensued, I lost one my gang (poor Ernie). At a local watering hole, my emo-like son decided to throw his drink in Uncle Ronnie’s face. Uncle Ronnie was not at all pleased, and had his gang hold his son down, while he borrowed Dick’s hammer and smashed his son’s fingers. Yep, Uncle Ronnie is a bad parent, but he had a reputation to maintain.

It was going well until Uncle Ronnie tried to get into the tower where the Holding’s boss was. He was refused entry, and trying to talk his way through was just getting the guards angry. Then, Little Ronnie caused a scene, and everything went to hell. The guards were about to shoot us, so Uncle Ronnie ordered his gang to attack: I rolled badly, and my gang turned on me. Blaming his son for the trouble, he tried to shoot Little Ronnie, but Flinch wanted blood too: alas, Uncle Ronnie proved tougher and sent his son to the floor, where he proceeded to kick him about. He was hoping to kill him, but the guards then grabbed them and took them away; leaving Dick alone to rescue them (if he wants to) next session.

Ok, it might have started with comedy, but I guess it turned harsher when Uncle Ronnie started breaking fingers. No idea what’ll happen next time, but it was fun playing such a violent and evil character for a change. Certainly a change of pace from my halfling chef.

Note: although I enjoyed the session, and have no objection to playing it next time, I don’t think I could play an extended game or campaign with it. Not quite my thing really. We’ll see how it goes.

 
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Posted in Blog, RPG

 

Politics

18 Apr

Part of the A to Z Challenge… which I am now, sadly, tiring of.

At the moment I am working on a campaign setting, possibly based within the Seven Kingdoms, but largely based in a city. I’ve always wanted to properly play an urban campaign and I have ideas for the setting now that I’m going to be putting into place.

Also, recently finished watching the first season of Game of Thrones, which I enjoyed. I especially like all the politics that were going on, something which I find I enjoy when it is not based in the real-world. I liked many of the Star Wars Expanded Universe books for similar reasons; and this brings us to politics in fantasy games. Not something I’ve done a lot with, largely due to the nature of the games I’ve ran or played, but something that I think needs to be in an urban campaign in order to bring it to life, and to take advantage of such a setting.

This setting, the City of Bones, is a city dominated and, in part, ran by various religions, all trying to be better than the rest. Add in some rich nobles, thieves guilds, and a few other factions, and there is plenty of scope for introducing political goings-on.

Now, having never done much with politics, I’m not entirely sure how best to go ahead with such things; so, any suggestions?

I seem to recall, from previous blogs, that having about six factions is a good starting point; create relationships between them; give them important NPCs that can be encountered; needs, wants, goals, and then throw out some hooks for the PCs to take hold of.

With that in mind, here are six possible factions:

  1. A major religion;
  2. Another major religion;
  3. A minor religion;
  4. Trade guild;
  5. Thieves guild;
  6. Some powerful noble.

How does that sound? Do I need more? Thoughts, suggestions, advice? Thanks.

 
6 Comments

Posted in Blog, RPG

 
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