I'm still working on that GURPS DF supplement I mentioned a while back.
Here is a brief update and some hints:
- You've seen elements of this book in play in DF Felltower. Not a surprise, I'm sure.
- Some bits of the writing involve elements from a previous, non-DF game that inspired my own DF game. And some of the monsters in DFM1. They haven't all been encountered in Felltower, but they are there or are accessible from there.
- I'm a little behind schedule on writing. Not behind SJG's schedule, but behind where I expected to be. Since our next game is GT, not DF Felltower, I should have a little more time to write this week. I intend to use it to catch up to where I think I need to be - another 2000 words ahead (or at least formatted properly) of where I am.
- The real trouble, as always, is ensuring I'm putting my oddly phrased notes and shorthand rules writeups into SJG's format and into readable, useful English. And just like the last sentence, this can involve too much passive voice and near run-ons.
- Once that's all done, poor Sean Punch has to edit it. This will result in a lot of rewrites and corrections, but I think my oddly phrased English is getting more and more odd. I already regret how much time I will make him spend on this.
- There is a definite Felltower theme going on with this book, and I'm enjoying that very much. That game has brought me many hours of fun. I'm hoping this book brings some of that fun to other people's GURPS games.
Thursday, February 7, 2019
Wednesday, February 6, 2019
Tanks & Historical Battles on YouTube
I'm steadily running through some video series on YouTube, mostly brushing up on history or just enjoying myself hearing things I mostly already know.
This blog is mainly about RPGs, but it has a small but important sideline of talking about tanks. If you want a good tour of tanks, weird and famous alike, check out the "tank chats" from The Tank Museum in the UK.
It starts with #1 and the A-13 Cruiser, and they start out very short. As they go on they generally get a bit longer, which I like.
You can skip right to the Tiger I, featuring that Tiger you saw decapitate some poor schmuck in Fury, but then you'd miss total freakshows like the Praying Mantis or a tank with a searchlight for a main "armament." I'd love to see more details on the hows and wherefores, but what they do is quite good.
If historical battles are more your speed, BazBattles has a nice series. I'm a bit unsure of his pronunciation, after seeing his Sengoku Jidai series. "Imagawa" is "Ee-mah-gah-wah" not "Ee-MAH-goo-ah" so I'm not sure the others are any better. But it's helpful to have a visualization of battles even if it's a reasonable guess not a certain depiction.
It's enjoyable stuff. I figured I'd pass it one since it's what's occupying part of my time that I spend not blogging.
This blog is mainly about RPGs, but it has a small but important sideline of talking about tanks. If you want a good tour of tanks, weird and famous alike, check out the "tank chats" from The Tank Museum in the UK.
It starts with #1 and the A-13 Cruiser, and they start out very short. As they go on they generally get a bit longer, which I like.
You can skip right to the Tiger I, featuring that Tiger you saw decapitate some poor schmuck in Fury, but then you'd miss total freakshows like the Praying Mantis or a tank with a searchlight for a main "armament." I'd love to see more details on the hows and wherefores, but what they do is quite good.
If historical battles are more your speed, BazBattles has a nice series. I'm a bit unsure of his pronunciation, after seeing his Sengoku Jidai series. "Imagawa" is "Ee-mah-gah-wah" not "Ee-MAH-goo-ah" so I'm not sure the others are any better. But it's helpful to have a visualization of battles even if it's a reasonable guess not a certain depiction.
It's enjoyable stuff. I figured I'd pass it one since it's what's occupying part of my time that I spend not blogging.
Tuesday, February 5, 2019
Google+ falls - it has no effect! (?)
Or does it?
As far as I can tell, the impending doom of Google+ should not affect this blog.
It may cost me my Followers list, but I don't think that's a Google+ followers list. We'll see.
I don't use G+ for comments. I tried that, very briefly, and hated it. So I should be good there.
We lost the actual value of +1 a while back, once they made that about sharing and not feedback on value.
Honestly, I only used G+ because Google forced me to have a profile and use it. I used it to spread the word about this blog, but I didn't do too much chatting there. After a while, even sharing posts because routine and I stopped adding anything to them, and I finally just left it automated and didn't engage at all.
My only real concerns are hidden integration, and Google deciding that Blogger needs to go.
But if you see something broken on the blog, or the loss of G+ affects something that you use or that I link to, please let me know on this post. This will be my place to check for blog issues resulting from Google jettisoning G+.
As far as I can tell, the impending doom of Google+ should not affect this blog.
It may cost me my Followers list, but I don't think that's a Google+ followers list. We'll see.
I don't use G+ for comments. I tried that, very briefly, and hated it. So I should be good there.
We lost the actual value of +1 a while back, once they made that about sharing and not feedback on value.
Honestly, I only used G+ because Google forced me to have a profile and use it. I used it to spread the word about this blog, but I didn't do too much chatting there. After a while, even sharing posts because routine and I stopped adding anything to them, and I finally just left it automated and didn't engage at all.
My only real concerns are hidden integration, and Google deciding that Blogger needs to go.
But if you see something broken on the blog, or the loss of G+ affects something that you use or that I link to, please let me know on this post. This will be my place to check for blog issues resulting from Google jettisoning G+.
Monday, February 4, 2019
Other Ways to Play Fraxinetum
This is a story I didn't know - a small group of Islamic adventurers took over a small fortress in Southern France and set themselves up as a local force.
It's detailed in this post: Fraxinetum.
While Matt does outline some ways of playing it - PCs + Allies / Ally Group, I think it has a lot of possible ways to play it.
Here are two I like:
Troupe Play
Instead of an Ally Group, make each player an Ally Group. Allow each player a main character, a few secondary (lower point) types, and a lot of minor PCs to support them. This is essentially how you'd run a Pirate crew in Yaquinto's excellent Pirates & Plunder RPG, a game that had an enormous influence on me.
I've run a game like this in the past, and it's fine - you rotate through your main characters and backups as necessary, and fill out groups with PC-made extras who fulfill the roles of NPCs without being generic Allies.
Black Company Style
The Black Company books are really books about individuals and small groups, for the most part. The encounters between the main force of the company and obstacles aren't sidelines, exactly, but it's rare you know the exact size and makeup of the group. It's more like a formless mass of approximate size that provides a basis for encounters and a pool of PCs and NPCs.
With this kind of game, you'd essentially put aside mass combat, and emphasize the small group encounters and individual actions of the PCs. You'd have a pool of associated warriors to provide replacements for killed or crippled PCs, for reinforcements, and to explain why the PCs don't have to do boring stuff like garrison or run messages or other annoying logistical bits. Or do the actual logistics.
With either of those or Matt's suggestions, I think this is a good historical example of something that seems pretty gamey - bold warriors seizing borderland, attracting followers after they do so, and then ruling the area until civilization essentially co-opts them or forces them out. It's the classic "end game" of D&D, except it's how it should be - the start, not the finish, of adventure.
It's detailed in this post: Fraxinetum.
While Matt does outline some ways of playing it - PCs + Allies / Ally Group, I think it has a lot of possible ways to play it.
Here are two I like:
Troupe Play
Instead of an Ally Group, make each player an Ally Group. Allow each player a main character, a few secondary (lower point) types, and a lot of minor PCs to support them. This is essentially how you'd run a Pirate crew in Yaquinto's excellent Pirates & Plunder RPG, a game that had an enormous influence on me.
I've run a game like this in the past, and it's fine - you rotate through your main characters and backups as necessary, and fill out groups with PC-made extras who fulfill the roles of NPCs without being generic Allies.
Black Company Style
The Black Company books are really books about individuals and small groups, for the most part. The encounters between the main force of the company and obstacles aren't sidelines, exactly, but it's rare you know the exact size and makeup of the group. It's more like a formless mass of approximate size that provides a basis for encounters and a pool of PCs and NPCs.
With this kind of game, you'd essentially put aside mass combat, and emphasize the small group encounters and individual actions of the PCs. You'd have a pool of associated warriors to provide replacements for killed or crippled PCs, for reinforcements, and to explain why the PCs don't have to do boring stuff like garrison or run messages or other annoying logistical bits. Or do the actual logistics.
With either of those or Matt's suggestions, I think this is a good historical example of something that seems pretty gamey - bold warriors seizing borderland, attracting followers after they do so, and then ruling the area until civilization essentially co-opts them or forces them out. It's the classic "end game" of D&D, except it's how it should be - the start, not the finish, of adventure.
Sunday, February 3, 2019
Player Tips for Felltower
I keep getting referrals to my blog from a post someone made on the SJG Forums about player/PC tips. I don't read the forums anymore except for tracking in on some GCA posts and the ones that directly affect freelancers. I didn't even really do more than skim the thread a little bit to see why I'm getting hits from it. But that this one keeps bringing hits to my blog makes me think - what advice would I give a new player to Felltower?
Welcome to Felltower
Felltower is my long-running DF / DFRPG game.
Felltower is DF on Hard Mode. I'm unapologetic about it. I try to keep the rules a level playing field, and then enforce them harshly on everyone and everything but give you the power to win anyway if you play well.
But what does "play well" mean?
The Game is Lethal
Death happens to PCs. It's rarely glorious. So:
Care for your paper man, but accept it's just a paper man. Like I said in my post a while back, the fun isn't your paper man. The fun is what you do with your paper man. Try your hardest to keep your character alive, use Wishes and Resurrection to get it back, but even the most powerful PCs in the game sometimes get killed.
Fight hard, but don't agonize over choices. As much as after-action reviews of fights gone well or bad in my game can emphasize single moves, it's rarely one Step, one swing, one Feint, one roll, etc. that either wins or loses a fight. Very rarely. Don't agonize over what to do this one second of a fight. The reward in the play - more on this below - depends on finishing multiple combats and exploring and going into new and interesting places, solving puzzles, and getting out alive. The more time you spend on each second of combat means the less time you spend doing the things combat is meant to facilitate.
So get some set plays, learn how to use a formation, know what your spells and abilities do, and move quickly when your turn comes up. And read this.
The Game Rewards Thought
You can't just run around and hack stuff.
Hints Abound. Not a lot of pure, "this is the answer spelled out" rumors and artifacts (such as books, scrolls) or mouthpiece NPCs exist in the game. But as I noted in this post, it's a cohesive game. There are hints and pieces of information that might seem trivial, but which are telling you things about the overall nature of the megadungeon.
Speaking of thought:
Know the Game. Know the tools in your toolbox. Understand how to exploit your niche (and learn, as soon as possible, how we resolve those niche abilities.) You don't have to know the rules, but if you don't, the GM and the other players need to know them for you. It's a cooperative activity that works better if you learn how it's played. Please do so.
The Game Rewards Action
As implied in the section on lethality, you need to do stuff in this game. You can't progress passively. You can't even really progress by eating the elephant one bite at a time.
Take Risks. By all means, investigate, think, and seek out sages and listen to rumors. But in the end the game is a game of action. You literally cannot - can not - earn loot without risk. Sometimes that risk will be substantial. The game is designed with risk in mind, and if you try to play with maximum caution and turn away from everything dangerous until you're certain of victory you'll spend most of the game in frustration. It's okay to be the type of player who only takes necessary risks, but it's certain failure if you deem all risk unnecessary.
The game, at its heart, rewards tactical risk-avoidance and strategic risk-taking. Boldly explore and grab for the rewards, and fight carefully and intelligently when you do. You're more likely to fail if you boldly fight and grab for fleeting tactical advantage, and explore carefully and "intelligently" avoid taking risks.
Final Thoughts
And just as a wrap-uo, I'd read these two posts and the posts linked within them:
Stuff I I Like: Being a Better Player
My GURPS DF Manifesto
Just remember, this isn't a game for everyone. It's a game for people who want this kind of game. It's a game I run for my friends - and not even all of my gaming friends like this kind of game. But if you're in, I feel the above will help you be more prepared for it.
Welcome to Felltower
Felltower is my long-running DF / DFRPG game.
Felltower is DF on Hard Mode. I'm unapologetic about it. I try to keep the rules a level playing field, and then enforce them harshly on everyone and everything but give you the power to win anyway if you play well.
But what does "play well" mean?
The Game is Lethal
Death happens to PCs. It's rarely glorious. So:
Care for your paper man, but accept it's just a paper man. Like I said in my post a while back, the fun isn't your paper man. The fun is what you do with your paper man. Try your hardest to keep your character alive, use Wishes and Resurrection to get it back, but even the most powerful PCs in the game sometimes get killed.
Fight hard, but don't agonize over choices. As much as after-action reviews of fights gone well or bad in my game can emphasize single moves, it's rarely one Step, one swing, one Feint, one roll, etc. that either wins or loses a fight. Very rarely. Don't agonize over what to do this one second of a fight. The reward in the play - more on this below - depends on finishing multiple combats and exploring and going into new and interesting places, solving puzzles, and getting out alive. The more time you spend on each second of combat means the less time you spend doing the things combat is meant to facilitate.
So get some set plays, learn how to use a formation, know what your spells and abilities do, and move quickly when your turn comes up. And read this.
The Game Rewards Thought
You can't just run around and hack stuff.
Hints Abound. Not a lot of pure, "this is the answer spelled out" rumors and artifacts (such as books, scrolls) or mouthpiece NPCs exist in the game. But as I noted in this post, it's a cohesive game. There are hints and pieces of information that might seem trivial, but which are telling you things about the overall nature of the megadungeon.
Speaking of thought:
Know the Game. Know the tools in your toolbox. Understand how to exploit your niche (and learn, as soon as possible, how we resolve those niche abilities.) You don't have to know the rules, but if you don't, the GM and the other players need to know them for you. It's a cooperative activity that works better if you learn how it's played. Please do so.
The Game Rewards Action
As implied in the section on lethality, you need to do stuff in this game. You can't progress passively. You can't even really progress by eating the elephant one bite at a time.
Take Risks. By all means, investigate, think, and seek out sages and listen to rumors. But in the end the game is a game of action. You literally cannot - can not - earn loot without risk. Sometimes that risk will be substantial. The game is designed with risk in mind, and if you try to play with maximum caution and turn away from everything dangerous until you're certain of victory you'll spend most of the game in frustration. It's okay to be the type of player who only takes necessary risks, but it's certain failure if you deem all risk unnecessary.
The game, at its heart, rewards tactical risk-avoidance and strategic risk-taking. Boldly explore and grab for the rewards, and fight carefully and intelligently when you do. You're more likely to fail if you boldly fight and grab for fleeting tactical advantage, and explore carefully and "intelligently" avoid taking risks.
Final Thoughts
And just as a wrap-uo, I'd read these two posts and the posts linked within them:
Stuff I I Like: Being a Better Player
My GURPS DF Manifesto
Just remember, this isn't a game for everyone. It's a game for people who want this kind of game. It's a game I run for my friends - and not even all of my gaming friends like this kind of game. But if you're in, I feel the above will help you be more prepared for it.
Saturday, February 2, 2019
How many minis do I have?
Spoiler alert: I don't know.
But this came up the other day. A friend of the family paints models, and we once got to talking about minis and models when he saw my King Tiger.
"How many models does Peter have?" came up in discussion. I wasn't there.
I really have no idea. It's got to be between 500 and 1000 at this point. I can't imagine it's higher; I just haven't bought that many.
I've got about 100 orcs.
I've got at least three times that many human types, maybe more. Maybe more like five times or so?
A few dragons.
A couple dozen demons. A couple dozen dwarves (I even have a dozen of the same dwarf minis, thank to Bob Huss.)
Skeletons? At least 50 assembled, plus sprues to make half again more.
Plus bugs, apes, snakes, barbarians, horsemen, 100 Years War soldiers, gods, demi-gods, halflings, gnomes, a drider or two somewhere, wizards, ninja, samurai . . .
I least I've thinned out the ogres, but I have some 1/72 tanks. And a few boxes of Airfix 1/72 model soldiers that I don't even count.
I could take them all out and count. But that's a big chore just get a number. Although it might help me keep track of what I still have . . . and for you Marie Kondo binge-watchers out there, yes, they all bring me joy, even the cruddy one I painted so badly when I got started again. And I've got room for Bones IV in a month or so.
But this came up the other day. A friend of the family paints models, and we once got to talking about minis and models when he saw my King Tiger.
"How many models does Peter have?" came up in discussion. I wasn't there.
I really have no idea. It's got to be between 500 and 1000 at this point. I can't imagine it's higher; I just haven't bought that many.
I've got about 100 orcs.
I've got at least three times that many human types, maybe more. Maybe more like five times or so?
A few dragons.
A couple dozen demons. A couple dozen dwarves (I even have a dozen of the same dwarf minis, thank to Bob Huss.)
Skeletons? At least 50 assembled, plus sprues to make half again more.
Plus bugs, apes, snakes, barbarians, horsemen, 100 Years War soldiers, gods, demi-gods, halflings, gnomes, a drider or two somewhere, wizards, ninja, samurai . . .
I least I've thinned out the ogres, but I have some 1/72 tanks. And a few boxes of Airfix 1/72 model soldiers that I don't even count.
I could take them all out and count. But that's a big chore just get a number. Although it might help me keep track of what I still have . . . and for you Marie Kondo binge-watchers out there, yes, they all bring me joy, even the cruddy one I painted so badly when I got started again. And I've got room for Bones IV in a month or so.
Friday, February 1, 2019
Pocket Box games Kickstarter from SJG
SJG launched this Kickstarter:
The only game - or supplement - I don't have but want is Necromancer. I'm not sure I want it for $20+shipping. I have the rest of the ones already - Ogre, GEV, even Boat Wars. I don't have Undead but I have the very similar Vampire by TSR.
Still, if you pine for any of those, it looks like it will fund.
The only game - or supplement - I don't have but want is Necromancer. I'm not sure I want it for $20+shipping. I have the rest of the ones already - Ogre, GEV, even Boat Wars. I don't have Undead but I have the very similar Vampire by TSR.
Still, if you pine for any of those, it looks like it will fund.
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