#RPGaDAY 2017 - Day 27 - Essential tools for gaming

Day 27 of #RPGaDay 2017. 

What are your essential tools for good gaming?

Am I the only one that's starting to think these questions jumped the shark?

I only have one answer for this one: players. 

The only thing we need at the table to have a good game or even a great game is players. All the rest is optional. Sure you may have a better chance to have a good game with a good ruleset. Yes, you probably up the odds of an epic session of D&D if you set up a Dwarven Forge Dungeon and toss down a 1' tall Orcus miniature in the middle. But you don't need any of that. 

I once ran a game at the Windsor Gaming Society called: Pirates of THE Spanish Highlands. There was a group of gamers there, this was when Magic was a plague taking over all the local RPG tables. Even I had magic cards with me, but there were people there that didn't want to play magic. They wanted to play an RPG. So I made up a game on the spot. I came up with a really simple system and we made notes as we went so there was some form of consistency. It was over the top, it was ridiculous and it was in no way a good system, but to this day it was one of the most fun gaming experiences I've ever had. Ever. 

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#RPGaDAY 2017 - day 26 - useful resources from an RPG

Day 26 of #RPGaDay 2017. 

Which RPG provides the most useful resources?

I don't understand what this means. What kinds of resources?

Are we talking about supplementary products? If that's the case then my answer is the same as day 14, AD&D 2nd Edition. AD&D 2nd edition had so many awesome off shoot products that were awesome for improving your games.

Does resources mean the most useful resources through adventure modules? Then my answer is the same as Day 19, Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay. At least the Enemy Within Modules. Each of those started with a bunch of cool new rules and ways to make your game better. Usually taking up about half the book.

Maybe a mix of both?

If that's the case then I have to say Cyberpunk 2020. The reason I say this is due to the variety of the types of sourcebooks and modules that R. Talsorian Released.

There were books featuring awesome new gear; the Cromebooks. There was an amazing book that took the fictional city the game was set in and mapped it street by street; Night City. There was a book all about cyberpunk in space, with rules for things like space ships and zero-G fighting; Near Orbit. There was even a book that added mecha to the game; Maximum Metal. You want information about the Net? Rache Bartmoss' Guide to the Net. Heck, they even put out a book about how most GMs were running the game wrong and how to make your game better fit the design intent of the game; Listen Up You Primitive Screwheads.

Maybe this isn't exactly what the question was asking but I have to rate the variety of the Cyberpunk support material as some of the best out there for any game.

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The Dave Russell Memorial Geek and Gaming Auction - September 1st

A few weeks ago we lost one of our own. A fellow gamer passed on to whatever adventure lies next. This auction is in honor of Dave Russell and is in support a dream Dave shared with his mother, Moo and brother Jay. That dream is Geektropolis Cafe. A gathering spot for gamers

Funds raised will go towards opening Geektropolis, adding a handi-capable washroom and in support of the Russell family in this trying time.

Dave left behind a PILE, actually multiple PILES of action figures, anime figures, RPGs and board games. Dave worked at the well known Silver Snail comic book shop for years before moving to Windsor and pretty much 100% of what he made he spent at the store. He's got enough geeky stuff to fill a game store. We think Dave would have liked these to find homes with fellow gamers.

This will be a live auction. It is being hosted at the future home of Geektropolis Cafe at 1144 Wyandotte St. E. The former location of Harvey Lo's. The auction will be starting at 6pm and will go as long as it takes.

Geektropolis will be accepting cash and debit for this event.

Come out and help us celebrate Dave's love of gaming and raise some money to make his dream become a reality.

For more details and discussion please visit the facebook event page here:
https://www.facebook.com/events/115273125865859/?acontext=%7B%22ref%22%3A%224%22%2C%22feed_story_type%22%3A%22370%22%2C%22action_history%22%3A%22null%22%7D

Click on map for larger (readable) image:

#RPGaDAY 2017 - Day 25 - Giving thanks to your GM

Day 25 of #RPGaDay 2017. 

What is the best way to thank your GM?

My Games Master Tip Box

Back when I first started GMing I used to give XP for Jolt Cola and "Spider Butter Bars" (Peanut Butter Oh Henry! which is called Oh Henry! Burre d'arachides in French which made us think spider butter). Though I think most of the time I got these 'rewards' more due to players looking for an advantage than as thanks.

When I first started running public events I would put out a Tip Box. I still have it. 100% of the money I got went to my gaming budget and I promised would be used to improve the game I was running. I used the money for miniatures, maps, paints, splat books etc. It's something I'm surprised more GMs don't do. A tip was an awesome way to say thanks for me running a game.

Close up of the Tip Box

Perhaps the best way to say thanks is by participating and sharing the load. Take notes, be prepared with a recap at the start of the game, offer to track initiative or monster hit points, help drawing maps, etc. Be involved and help the GM run a better game. Don't just sit back and passively wait to be entertained. Take part, be engaged. To me having everyone at the table laughing, engaged and having fun is the best reward. 

Then, of course, there's the obvious, the simple words "Thank's for running tonight" at the end of the game. Other good ones: "I had a good time", "great game", "fantastic prep tonight", etc. 

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#RPGaDAY 2017 - Day 24 - PWYW publisher who should charge more.

Day 24 of #RPGaDay 2017. 

Share a PWYW publisher who should be charging more.

Sorry, I can't answer this one. I thought about just not posting something today but then there would be a gap and people would wonder what happened. I've never, in my life bought a PWYW product, so I don't have an answer here. I don't even know off hand who sells PYWY products. I would have to go and start browsing DriveThruRPG just to figure that out.

That said there has been some very interesting discussion over on google plus about this topic. A lot of it coming from actual publishers talking about their experience with PWYW. The general consensus seems to be:

Do not use PWYW to make money. Use PWYW as a marketing tool. A way to find out who your potential buyers are and make an initial connection. Use it to drum up hype for other products. Use it to get your name out there. 

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#RPGaDAY 2017 - Day 23 - Jaw dropping layout!

Day 23 of #RPGaDay 2017. 

Which RPG has the most jaw-dropping layout?

My first thought this time was: I have no idea. Layout to me is something that should be invisible. I can think of a ton of RPGs with bad layout (most of my collection pre: 2000), but good layout, that should be something you don't notice. Something that just works. Now Jaw-Dropping? That took some time to think about.

I actually 'cheated' on this one. I went online to see what other people said. There were some good examples but nothing that stuck out to me or made me think Jaw-Dropping. So I went down to my gaming dungeon and started flipping through books. I considered Agone. A game I bought solely because of how beautiful it is. Looking at it now though it doesn't look all that special. Like early FASA books, there's just some really nice color templates in the middle, the rest of the book is good but nothing special.  I flipped through a half dozen other books I remember looking good back when I got them. Deliria, Earthdawn, Chill, and more.

Then I grabbed The Dresden Files Roleplaying Game Volume One Your Story and I knew I had my answer.

Not only does the book have fantastic art, a good font choice and an easy to read two column structure. It also has annotations, footnotes, post-it notes and even looks like someone took a highlighter to some sections. The book looks like it's been used and abused a bit, which perfectly fits the theme.

See this rulebook is representing an, in fiction, artifact. A character from The Dresdenverse (Billy) wrote this game and this book represents a copy of that game given to Harry Dresden. It's Billy's first draft of his game and in it, Harry has written notes, including one that notes that no one uses the term The Dresdenverse.

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#RPGaDAY 2017 - Day 22 - Which RPGs are the easiest for me to run?

Day 22 of #RPGaDay 2017. 

Which RPGs are the easiest for you to run?

I just noticed something about this question after seeing many other people's responses online. The question says RPGs, not RPG. That really changes things. To me, this means the question is looking for a style or genre or something like that and not a specific rule system. My original answer was going to be Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay, because I know that world and system like the back of my hand, but due to noticing that s after RPG I'm going to have to change my answer.

I'm going to have to go with generic fantasy RPGs. Dungeons & Dragons. Pathfinder. Middle Earth Roleplaying. I realize this is probably the easy way out but we are looking for the easiest to run. The reason I'm going with generic fantasy is that it's well known. Fantasy tropes are common place. It's going to be hard to find someone who isn't familiar with them.

You sit me down with a table of 6 strangers and I can get them involved and active in a fantasy setting in moments. Now-a-days fantasy tropes are so common that I would not have to worry about explaining the world the players were about to enter. Everyone sitting there is going to have an idea in their mind of what I'm talking about when I say "you see an elf" or "The orc charges." What's most fascinating about this to me is that everyone at that table is probably picturing something different, and that doesn't matter. Elf = ally good thing. Orc = bad thing trying to kill the characters.

I have shown up to the FLGS in the past and asked to run a game on the spot. I was able to start a game in moments using a generic fantasy setting. That particular moment I just made up a 5 room dungeon. First room had some goblins in it and was a straight up fight. The second room had a trap. The third room had some Gnolls that could be dealt with through fighting or talking or be snuck by. The fourth room had some treasure and something wondrous (a magic fountain). The last room had a boss. The FLGS happened to have some D&D pre-gens on hand so that's the basic rules I used. I didn't have stats for the bad guys. I didn't have a module telling me what that fountain did. I just made it all up as we were playing and it worked brilliantly. That day I know that at least 3 people entered our wonderful hobby and I was able to pull that off due to the cultural knowledge of general fantasy tropes that now exists. 

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#RPGaDAY - Day 21 - the RPG that I think does the most with the least

Day 21 of #RPGaDay 2017. 

Which RPG does the most with the least words?

There's a really obvious answer here to me: Og: The Roleplaying Game. I'm just going to quote the back of the book so you can see why this is the obvious answer:

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No use big words play Og.

Role Play no many words.

Try talk people try do things no many words.

The world of role playing has just become easier with...

Og: The Role Playing Game.

This role playing system challenges players to a world of limited words. Just like real cavemen, you will be struggling to make others understand you. This humorous role playing system takes you into the future by taking you to the stone age.

Warning: Do not buy this game if you do not have a sense of humor. This free-style, role playing system is recommended for advanced gamers looking for something a little difFeREnT. Game requires two d10's and a handful of d6's."

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There was even a second edition of Og that added one more word to the game: Verisimilitude.

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#RPGaDAY - Day 20 - Where do I get out-of-print RPGs?

Day 20 of #RPGaDay 2017. 

What is the best source for out-of-print RPGs?

The best source is probably DriveThruRPG or RPGNow or DnDClassics or whatever you want to call that massive conglomeration of sites we call One Book Shelf. The thing is, that's not where I get mine out of print RPGs. I get mine from out of town game stores. One of my favourite things to do when on vacation is to go FLGS (Friendly Local Game Store) hunting. 

Back in the day this meant either checking into the hotel and grabbing the phone book or if not staying over night actually finding a phone booth and browsing through the yellow pages. You kids these days have no idea how easy you have it with the internet :D Actually I kind of miss those days as there was a skill to it. Back in the day "Game Store" was not a category you usually found in the phone book. You had to get creative. Hobby Shop. Comic Book Shop, Hobby Store, Gaming Supplies, Gambling Supplies, Comics, Book Store, Model Shop, Train Store and HO Trains were just a few of the categories I would search for. 

It was very hit or miss. Sometimes you would find an awesome sounding "hobby shop" only to show up and find out all they sell is model kits. Or you would find a "gaming supply store" and find out that it's a place that rents poker tables for bachelor parties. That was all part of the fun though, and sometimes you would find a really cool place that you didn't know you were looking for. One example is AVF Hobbies in London Ontario. We went there looking for RPGs and board games but only found model kits. The thing is we found a ton of model kits. An insane amount of model kits. Wall to wall model kits in a shop larger than any local game store. They had very cool kits I didn't know existed and some classic kits I hadn't seen in years. Despite not knowing I wanted them I picked up some great AMT Star Wars snap kits. I also picked up some great pieces that I could use for scenery in miniature gaming.

The best times though were when we found legitimate hobby game stores. I love browsing a new game store. I love to see what they carry, why they carry it if they have gaming space, how they use their space and more. Most of all though I love finding one of two things. Either "new old stock" meaning stuff they have had on the shelf for years and years and just never sold, or a used games section. Most stores have one or the other if not both. It's here that I get my classic out-of-print RPG fix.

As an example, Imperial Hobbies in London Ontario to this day has a great selection of new old stock RPGs. They are usually covered with a thin layer of dust, but they are there, still marked with their original price stickers. I've seen Cyberpunk 2020, Harnworld, RuneQuest, Warhammer Historic, Palladium, TSR Marvel Super Heroes and more there. Another example also in London is L.A. Mood, which started off as a Comic shop but has grown to be more and more gaming over the years. You may not know it if you just stop into the store but they have a gaming area in the basement. Past all the tables are 50 or so long comic boxes. Most of these are classic sci-fi and geek magazines but you can always find about 10 boxes full of used RPG stuff that people have sold/given to the store. What these boxes have is random, and the condition of the books is sometimes not the best but the prices are dirt cheap. We're taking $5-$10 for hardcover rulebooks. 

SCORE! Mekton Empire new, on
the shelf for $8

These finds aren't just limited to London, or even Ontario or Canada. I spent a week working in Hebron Kentucky and managed to find an out of the way comic book store that had pretty much everything printed for Feng Shui sitting there on the shelf as new old stock. I managed to complete my collection that day. 

While it's really cool and awesome that I can just go online now and pretty much find and buy any old RPG I want, it's just not as much fun stumbling across a cache of classic RPG stuff at a game store. Being able to get the book I know I want right now Print on Demand is great, it doesn't match the discovery of a game I never knew I needed sitting right there on the shelf, as it has for 30 years at an out of town game store.

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#RPGaDAY 2017 - Day 19 best writing in an RPG.

Day 19 of #RPGaDay 2017. 

Which RPG features the best writing?

My answer instantly is Paranoia. That book was a joy to read. A perfect mix of rules, fluff, and comedy. It's one of the few books I've read more than once just because it's fun to read. The thing is, I'm trying not to repeat games for this #RPGaDAY deal so I have to think of something else. Hmm.

I'm going to go with Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay with the caveat that you look past just the core rulebook. Not that the writing in the core rulebook is bad, it's just that there so much more out there. There's the Enemy Within Campaign which I still consider one of the best-written RPG campaigns ever. There is the two Realm of Chaos books. The Black Library put out some amazing novels set in the Warhammer World that were very different from the standard fantasy novels we were seeing from other RPG publishers. Heck, they even had a heavy metal band at one point. Someone had to write those epic lyrics.

I have always loved the Warhammer world and that world was brought to life to me through some of the best writing in the industry. From epic descriptions to try British humor, I can't think of a Warhammer book I didn't enjoy reading. Technically this also spreads to the Warhammer 40,000 universe. Back in the day many of the supplements were actually for both worlds and multiple game systems in those worlds. For example, those Realm of Chaos books had rules for Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay, Warhammer Fantasy Battle, and Warhammer 40,000 Rogue Trader.

It's not just the fluff that makes me choose Warhammer for today's question either. It's also for clarity of rules. Of all the RPGs I've run I think I've had the fewest rules arguments in Warhammer. 

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#RPGaDAY 2017 - Day 18 The game I have played the most.

Day 18 of #RPGaDay 2017. 

Which game have you played the most in your life?

Wow. I have no idea. It's between three RPGs. First off AD&D 2nd Edition which I mentioned back on day 14 where I talked about running a campaign that I ran on and off for 10 years. Second would be Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay which I used to run every single Saturday from 6pm until Midnight at the Windsor Gaming Society for many years. At least 5 perhaps longer. While running that at the club I was also running home games.

But then came Dungeons & Dragons 4th Edition. While I didn't run it as long as AD&D 2nd Edition or Warhammer I think I ran more individual sessions of 4th Edition D&D. This was due to the fact that 4e D&D got me into the RPGA and public play. I started off as a player at the FLGS on Saturday nights and quickly signed up and became a Herald Level Dungeon Master (back then you actually had to take a test and be certified to be an RPGA DM). During the 4e heyday I was running up to 4 games a week. I had a home game on Monday nights where we were playing through the whole kill Orcus adventure path. I ran D&D encounters on Wednesday nights at the FLGS. I also ran Living Forgotten Realms on Saturday at the FLGS, often two sessions a day, running two different groups through two different adventures.

While I know a lot of people did not like 4e D&D, I loved it. I introduced more new gamers to the wonderful world of roleplaying through 4e than I have with any other system.

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#RPGaDAY 2017 - Day 17 - game on my shelf of shame the longest.

Day 17 of #RPGaDay 2017. 

Which RPG have you owned the longest but not played?

My father was a gamer. I'm sure that's not so strange nowadays but back in the 70s when I was born it was pretty strange. He collected war games, Strategy & Tactics Magazine, Avalon Hill Bookcase games and yes even RPGs. Sadly my father never got to play any RPGs. He just couldn't find anyone else interested in it. While his extensive board game collection got played with family friends multiple times a year (Every New Year's Eve we go to The Brown's so my mom and dad could play board games with them while I played with the kids), his RPG collection never saw any use. That changed when I was 8 years old and snuck a peek at his copy of TSR Marvel Super Heroes when he was out of town on the bowling trip. After that trip, I asked if I could have his old games and he passed them on to me. In that set of games was the original printing of Gamma World from TSR.

Of all the games I inherited from him that's one that I never actually played. It's still sitting on one of my RPG bookcases to this day. While I've opened it up and flipped through it, I've never actually sat down and read it, let alone played a game with it. I honestly don't really know why. I think it just looked too dated. Typewriter font, lots of tables, not very interesting cover, interior art that just wasn't that evocative. Maybe sometime this year as part of #RPGaMonth I should at least read it. 

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#RPGaDAY 2017 - Day 16 What RPG do I play as is?

Day 16 of #RPGaDay 2017. 

Which RPG do you enjoy using as is?

No one is going to expect this one.

First off let me know that my general answer is "all of them." I am a big fan of Rules As Written or RAW. I'm not someone who enjoys tinkering with RPGs. I've got some really strong beliefs about RPG rules and how they are the one common language every player at the table shares and how messing with that language can impact the game negatively. I'm not here to talk about that though.

What I want to talk about is Paranoia. One of the things that amazed me the most about Paranoia back in the day is that it was the only RPG that I owned that encouraged you to break the rules. But, it had great rules! It was so ironic. Paranoia (at least in 2nd edition which is the one I ran the most) has a very decent D20 skill based system that I found brilliant compared to the games I played at that time.  The combat system was quick and solid and as deadly as you wanted to make it. They managed to put in funky super powers (sorry mutations) that all managed to work together and didn't break the game while still breaking the core rules. It was a great system, and here they were telling me to ignore it.

So what did I do? I stole it. My first self-published RPG was called Rad City and was a post apocalyptic RPG that was a mesh of Phantasy Star, Final Fantasy, Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay, Cyberpunk 2020, and TSR Marvel Super Heroes and the glue that held all that together was the Paranoia D20 based system. I have friends today that still think Rad City was one of the best RPGs they played. 

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#RPGaDay 2017 - Day 15 - Which RPG do I love to hack?

Day 15 of #RPGaDay 2017. 

Which RPG do you enjoy adapting the most?

This was a hard one for me as I'm not a hacker. While I love the whole DIY movement in RPGs it's just not something I've ever really been into myself. I'm more about finding that right game for you than taking a game and making it right for you.

That said there is one RPG that I hacked the setting off while keeping all of the rules. That was Dream Park from R. Talsorian Games.  The actual setting has players who are playing characters who go to a Dream Park which is this virtual reality simulator theme park. While there those characters play characters in various Dream Park Settings. So yes: this is an RPG where you play a character who is playing a character.

What I did was mash this with Running Man. I make the Dream Park a live broadcast TV show in a cyberpunk future. The players were contestants on the show. Everything they did was televised. Each episode they would meet their GM who would give them information on the game they were about to enter and the goal of that game. The various GMs were all played by me and I made up 5 or so different ones to keep things interesting. The players never knew exactly what to expect each 'show' and had to re-build their characters based on the information they got from the GM.

Some GMs would run gritty realistic games and if players missed the hints during the pre-game interview they could end up taking things like Super Powers or Magic and then they would get in game and it wouldn't work. Other GMs were willing to let anything go.

Dream Park worked awesome for this as it's the only universal system I know where you can have a Power Ranger, A 1920s Mobster, A Nam vet Sniper and a Wizard in the same party, fighting Mecha with light sabers and the game still works and is balanced. It's a brilliant system. 

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#RPGaDAY 2017 - day 14 - What I prefer for open ended play.

Day 14 of #RPGaDay 2017. 

Which RPG do you prefer for open-ended campaign play?

Most of my RPG experience has been running open-ended campaign games. Some of my most memorable games were in Advanced Dungeons & Dragons 2nd Edition, Cyberpunk 2020, and Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay. To be honest I can't think of a specific system I think is really best for this style of play. Obviously not some of the indy one shot games, but most traditional RPGs are designed for this.

For my official answer, I'm going to have to go with AD&D 2nd Edition. Not because of the rules themselves but because of some of the amazing supporting products that were released for that edition of D&D. Products that let me run an open ended sandbox game that went on for more than 10 years and had probably hundreds of characters adventure through our shared world.

These products included but were not limited to: The Deck of Encounters Set One, The Deck of Encounters Set Two, The Book of Lairs, The Book of Lairs II, Dungeons of Mystery, Cardmaster Adventure Design Deck, The AD&D Trading Cards 1st, 2nd and 3rd edition, Treasure Maps and The World Builders Guidebook. I'm sure there were more.

What these products let me do is run my game on the fly. While I did prep work, a lot of prep work I used these tools to be able to react to what my players did during the game. As most of them involved random elements it means that my players and I experienced the game and the evolving story together. It was "playing to see what happens" before that was cool.  I guess I'm an RPG hipster eh?

When the PCs traveled between two areas I would draw from the appropriate deck of encounters (based on the terrain type they traveled through). When that encounter noted that the dead Ogre the party just found had a lair nearby I would grab a dungeon out of the Book of Lairs. When the party found a prisoner in the Lair I would draw a card from my sorted trading cards to give me an NPC. When the party was rewarded for returning the NPC home I gave them a treasure map from the Mystara Treasure Maps supplement. Using these tools I was able to run a game set in the same campaign setting for almost 10 years.

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#RPGaDAY 2017 - Day 13 - an experience that changed how I play.

Day 13 of #RPGaDay 2017. 

Describe a game experience that changed how you play.

What I really want to talk about here is the playtest of the game: carry. a game about war. but I already talked about that back on the 7th when I talked about my most impactful session.  That seems like a cop out though, so I think I need to come up with something different.

Does reading an RPG rulebook count as a game experience? Today it does.

I couldn't even tell you how long ago this happened. It wasn't recently. I was sitting there reading the Mechwarrior The Battletech RPG and I had just read something that blew my mind as a GM. It was a chapter on how to GM and it said to do something so simple but so effective. I don't have the book in front of me by here are the cliff notes:

Before you describe a scene to your players take a moment. Close your eyes. Picture the scene in your head. What do you see? What do you smell? How does it feel? Is it hot? Is it humid? Is there a taste in the air? Soak all that in, open your eyes and tell your players what you just experienced.

This changed my GM style forever.

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#RPGaDAY 2017 - Day 12 - epic interior art?

Day 12 of #RPGaDay 2017. 

Which RPG has the most inspiring interior art?

I read Fading Suns as part of my #RPGaMonth efforts this year. One of the first things that struck me about that game was the very cool very evocative interior art. Unfortunately, the arts wasn't inspiring enough to overcome the rules. So I've never actually played the game but I have to say the universe looks really damn cool. 

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For those wishing to play along at home, here are the topics for this years #RPGaDay. Feel free to use these cues in your tweets, facebook posts, g+ threads, blog posts and more.