Normally I post about GURPS on Thursdays, but I'll make an exception to post up one last booster for my friend Ryan's Kickstarter:
Here is a direct link: Blackbirds RPG Kickstarter.
Thursday, October 14, 2021
Wednesday, October 13, 2021
The Boot Hill story
A comment on yesterday's post reminded me of this story.
Back in 4th grade, we were playing Boot Hill at lunchtime in elementary school.
One of my friends (T.R.) was GMing.
Some of us, including my cousin R~, were making PCs. I think R~ and I wanted our PCs to be brothers, but that's not a certainty.
What I do remember is that we got into an argument with the GM about equipment. We'd been kitting out and he said we needed to buy a suit of ordinary clothes with our starting money.
We disagreed.
He was quite insistent.
So my cousin spent $150 on a horse and I spent $150 on guns and ammo . . . FDR6s and 15Rs, I think . . . and we said we'd ride into town naked and shooot down and take the clothes off the first person to say anything about us being naked except for guns and crossbelts of ammo.
Just goes to show that I'm as annoying as a player as I am as a GM.
Looking back on it, I think I still R~ and I were right. There aren't even clothes on the chargen equipment list for Boot Hill. It's all guns and horses, pretty much.
It would have been an eventful first session, had it ever happened. Of course, after that argument, the game wasn't going to happen. 4th grade isn't a great place for establishing long-lasting campaigns based on compromise and careful rules reading.
Back in 4th grade, we were playing Boot Hill at lunchtime in elementary school.
One of my friends (T.R.) was GMing.
Some of us, including my cousin R~, were making PCs. I think R~ and I wanted our PCs to be brothers, but that's not a certainty.
What I do remember is that we got into an argument with the GM about equipment. We'd been kitting out and he said we needed to buy a suit of ordinary clothes with our starting money.
We disagreed.
He was quite insistent.
So my cousin spent $150 on a horse and I spent $150 on guns and ammo . . . FDR6s and 15Rs, I think . . . and we said we'd ride into town naked and shooot down and take the clothes off the first person to say anything about us being naked except for guns and crossbelts of ammo.
Just goes to show that I'm as annoying as a player as I am as a GM.
Looking back on it, I think I still R~ and I were right. There aren't even clothes on the chargen equipment list for Boot Hill. It's all guns and horses, pretty much.
It would have been an eventful first session, had it ever happened. Of course, after that argument, the game wasn't going to happen. 4th grade isn't a great place for establishing long-lasting campaigns based on compromise and careful rules reading.
Tuesday, October 12, 2021
Equipment every delver has, but not on their sheets
One source of endless amusement to me as a GM is when the PCs go to do some "mundane" delver task, and explain how they'll do it.
"We tie up the goblins and gag them."
"We make a litter out of two sticks and a cloak."
"We burn them with oil."
"We make torches out of old rags and sticks."
Etc.
My next question is the showstopper. "With what?" or "Who has those materials?"
In my experience as a GM, every players assumes their delver has, as part of some other thing on their character sheet, some or all of the following:
- string
- rope strong enough for the heaviest guy in the party to hang from, but capable of being used to bind hands
- a cloak, which can function as a rainslicker, bedroll, travois or stretcher canvas, useable for disguise, and an endless source of strips for gags and bandages
- a small knife, capable of any and all edged and pointed tool tasks
- some oil, usable for light or setting anything on fire
Nearby, are:
- sufficient burnables to set anything on fire and keep it that way
- especially straight, sturdy sticks ranging from 6' to 10' long, capable of being made into spears or cut into wooden swords
- water, sufficient to put out that fire they just made
- cover capable of hiding the entire party but not of concealing any enemies
Needless to say, none of this is generally true.
Anything else you've assumed you just have as a fantasy PC, or which your players just assume they have?
"We tie up the goblins and gag them."
"We make a litter out of two sticks and a cloak."
"We burn them with oil."
"We make torches out of old rags and sticks."
Etc.
My next question is the showstopper. "With what?" or "Who has those materials?"
In my experience as a GM, every players assumes their delver has, as part of some other thing on their character sheet, some or all of the following:
- string
- rope strong enough for the heaviest guy in the party to hang from, but capable of being used to bind hands
- a cloak, which can function as a rainslicker, bedroll, travois or stretcher canvas, useable for disguise, and an endless source of strips for gags and bandages
- a small knife, capable of any and all edged and pointed tool tasks
- some oil, usable for light or setting anything on fire
Nearby, are:
- sufficient burnables to set anything on fire and keep it that way
- especially straight, sturdy sticks ranging from 6' to 10' long, capable of being made into spears or cut into wooden swords
- water, sufficient to put out that fire they just made
- cover capable of hiding the entire party but not of concealing any enemies
Needless to say, none of this is generally true.
Anything else you've assumed you just have as a fantasy PC, or which your players just assume they have?
Monday, October 11, 2021
Games I'll Probably Never Play (Again): Junta
It's been a few years since I did one of these:
Games I'll Probably Never Play: War to the Death
About time I do another.
This one is Junta.
Why I'd Like To Play
I've played it before. It's a fun concept. With the right group, the backstabbing and politicking could be really fun, like in a game of Diplomacy. The setting is interesting, too, with a poorly-run country topped with leaders out only for their own good.
Why I Probably Won't Play
Besides the usual lack of time to play board games?
When we played it, it just didn't play well with the group. Few people were willing to be really cutthroat with each other, and basically just amassed money until the game ended with victory to the one who managed to get the most. There weren't enough tradoffs made . . . it was just a race to victory. We get the same with Munchkin, with a last-turn race with everyone at level 8-9. With Junta, if you just try to amass currency for victory and no one really pushes to use it to set themselves up for more . . . it equally doesn't take advantage of the setting.
Why I Hold On To It
Mostly because I'd like to play it at some point. It's also one of those games that if I have, I may get to play - but I'd never buy it again. I like to flip through it now and again. Still . . . if I sold it, lost it, or traded it, it would sadly stay gone.
Games I'll Probably Never Play: War to the Death
About time I do another.
This one is Junta.
Why I'd Like To Play
I've played it before. It's a fun concept. With the right group, the backstabbing and politicking could be really fun, like in a game of Diplomacy. The setting is interesting, too, with a poorly-run country topped with leaders out only for their own good.
Why I Probably Won't Play
Besides the usual lack of time to play board games?
When we played it, it just didn't play well with the group. Few people were willing to be really cutthroat with each other, and basically just amassed money until the game ended with victory to the one who managed to get the most. There weren't enough tradoffs made . . . it was just a race to victory. We get the same with Munchkin, with a last-turn race with everyone at level 8-9. With Junta, if you just try to amass currency for victory and no one really pushes to use it to set themselves up for more . . . it equally doesn't take advantage of the setting.
Why I Hold On To It
Mostly because I'd like to play it at some point. It's also one of those games that if I have, I may get to play - but I'd never buy it again. I like to flip through it now and again. Still . . . if I sold it, lost it, or traded it, it would sadly stay gone.
Sunday, October 10, 2021
Writing project - finished!
I finished my writing project today and turned it in.
As always, it's a bit long. I really need someone to edit my work down. I tend to go from "I'm 10% short!" to "I'm 5% over!" in no time at all.
The project is somewhat Felltower related, although I don't mention the dungeon by name. But what's in it is entirely derived from play experience in this game.
I'll link back to these when it comes to fruition so these don't sit sitting like some weird stub-end posts that reference nothing.
As always, it's a bit long. I really need someone to edit my work down. I tend to go from "I'm 10% short!" to "I'm 5% over!" in no time at all.
The project is somewhat Felltower related, although I don't mention the dungeon by name. But what's in it is entirely derived from play experience in this game.
I'll link back to these when it comes to fruition so these don't sit sitting like some weird stub-end posts that reference nothing.
Saturday, October 9, 2021
Coincidences & Plots - thoughts on Doug's post
Douglas Cole posted a really good post over at Gaming Ballistic:
Not all Conspiracies are related to the plot
It's a valid and interesting idea.
As Evileeyore says in the comments, though, Know Thy Group. If your group tends to hone in on the main plot, throwing a few red herrings in is a great idea. Make them work for it. Give them chaff to sort the wheat out from.
But if they're bound and determined to connect everything to the plot, know any red herring will slow the game down.
And know if they're likely to grab the first thread and pull on it until it leads somewhere, any false threads will also derail the game.
This might be fun, of course, but it's not necessarily what you are aiming for.
From a megadungeon perspective, at some point - even I can't remember when - I said something like, have everything connect to the megadungeon. There are side quests but they lead back to the megadungeon. Have side dungeons but themes, knowledge, items, and even gates link back to the megadungeon.
That is quite the opposite approach.
That said, I do tend to throw in a lot of little details that aren't part of the plot. Extraneous stuff that comes from . . . nothing . . . just coincidence and random occurance, which isn't part of the plot or connected to anything at all.
Inevitably, that's the stuff my players fixate on to the exclusion of anything like a plot or a goal. So it's a tool, and a good one, but remember a tool can turn on its creator faster than you can say "Skynet."
Not all Conspiracies are related to the plot
It's a valid and interesting idea.
As Evileeyore says in the comments, though, Know Thy Group. If your group tends to hone in on the main plot, throwing a few red herrings in is a great idea. Make them work for it. Give them chaff to sort the wheat out from.
But if they're bound and determined to connect everything to the plot, know any red herring will slow the game down.
And know if they're likely to grab the first thread and pull on it until it leads somewhere, any false threads will also derail the game.
This might be fun, of course, but it's not necessarily what you are aiming for.
From a megadungeon perspective, at some point - even I can't remember when - I said something like, have everything connect to the megadungeon. There are side quests but they lead back to the megadungeon. Have side dungeons but themes, knowledge, items, and even gates link back to the megadungeon.
That is quite the opposite approach.
That said, I do tend to throw in a lot of little details that aren't part of the plot. Extraneous stuff that comes from . . . nothing . . . just coincidence and random occurance, which isn't part of the plot or connected to anything at all.
Inevitably, that's the stuff my players fixate on to the exclusion of anything like a plot or a goal. So it's a tool, and a good one, but remember a tool can turn on its creator faster than you can say "Skynet."
Friday, October 8, 2021
Friday Links 10/8/2021
Links & thoughts for Friday.
- No, I'm not done with my project yet, I'm still writing. The wordcount in no way justifies the amount of time it is taking.
- I'm a sucker for a pretty tabletop battle. Here are two:
SPARTACUS AND THE SLAVE REVOLT
THE BATTLE FOR JAPAN SAMURAI VS SAMURAI
I love the look of 16th century Japanese armoured gunners. If I'd known - or had information on - the Hojutsu team in Matsumoto Castle - I'd love to have included that in GURPS Martial Arts. We did okay for doing research 17-18 years ago.
- When I re-watch movies I've seen a bunch of times, I often look up cast and crew details while I watch along. The Internet Movie Firearms Database is a gold mine, especially since I can't help but watch movies and think of how they'd translate into games. It's also a good way to find out that Crazy Earl in Full Metal Jacket is armed with a Red Ryder BB gun.
- No, I'm not done with my project yet, I'm still writing. The wordcount in no way justifies the amount of time it is taking.
- I'm a sucker for a pretty tabletop battle. Here are two:
SPARTACUS AND THE SLAVE REVOLT
THE BATTLE FOR JAPAN SAMURAI VS SAMURAI
I love the look of 16th century Japanese armoured gunners. If I'd known - or had information on - the Hojutsu team in Matsumoto Castle - I'd love to have included that in GURPS Martial Arts. We did okay for doing research 17-18 years ago.
- When I re-watch movies I've seen a bunch of times, I often look up cast and crew details while I watch along. The Internet Movie Firearms Database is a gold mine, especially since I can't help but watch movies and think of how they'd translate into games. It's also a good way to find out that Crazy Earl in Full Metal Jacket is armed with a Red Ryder BB gun.
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