So I've been looking into some RPGs that I might want in the future, try some new things and stuff. I know very little about them other than what I've gleaned from forum discussions, rumours batted around on the Internet, and short articles.
I'm going to make a handy list for myself here (and also, it's my birthday in a short while. Eh? Eh?)
Kult: Death Is Only the Beginning is, well... a cult game, by now. Famous for being very dark, very offensive and accused of having inspired at least one murder and at least one suicide, it's more or less a collector's item. It's a Gnostic game in which characters gradually go more insane. Don't think I'd like to play it, but it's so famous that I should probably own it. Would probably prefer the English version, though it is a Swedish game.
Adventure! Also a cult game, this game focuses on a group of psychics and superheroes in the 1920s Pulp era. You basically play as Indiana Jones fighting against psychic Nazis, monster-worshipping cults or pulp-era supervillains - think the early superheroes from Watchmen. I know very little about this game, except that it's famous among White Wolf fans.
Aberrant Taking place in the same world as Adventure! Aberrant is a relatively famous superhero game. It runs on the same engine as Exalted/old World of Darkness, but with themed groups of superpowers allowing for creation of superheroes. It's reputed to have a good focus on character interaction, and also to have a slight Watchmen-feel about it.
Cthulhu Tech It's H.P. Lovecraft meets Alien meets giant mechas! This game focuses on war with alien superbeings in a dark future, placing characters in the role of mech pilots, weird fringe sorcerers, beastmen, symbionts and other people who fight the strange by getting stranger. Also: People in giant mechas fighting against cosmic principles, pitting human hope and fighting spirit against the fabric of the universe itself? Who the hell do you think I am?
Shadowrun Simply too famous not to have at least tried, this is a somewhat silly mash-up of Neuromancer and J.R.R Tolkien. A cyberpunk fantasy game, Shadowrun is very widely renowned for being an interesting setting, although the rules may be somewhat clunky, which is a big turn-off for me.
Edit! Forgot some vital ones:
Pathfinder The famous "D&D 3.5 + 0.5", this game is an alternative to the 4th edition for those who preferred the track 3rd edition was on. While I don't play a lot of D&D these days, it seems like it could be fun and it fixes a lot of the problems with D&D - for instance, there are far fewer "dead levels", levels where nothing happens.
Scion: Hero This game is about the children of gods, half-gods wreaking havoc in a modern world as the old Titans return to, well, mess with people presumably. It's pretty much the Percy Jackson series, except made by White Wolf, running on oWoD mechanics and a penchant (as usual for White Wolf) for really weird stuff. Bonus points for allowing you to play children of voodoo gods, because voodoo is awesome. There are two "sequels"; Scion: Demigod and Scion: God.
lördag 27 mars 2010
måndag 15 mars 2010
Character Creation Styles
So I've been thinking more about the theory behind gaming lately, and I started to wonder what method of creating characters is the best. Since this varies from player to player, I figured I'd throw out a general question, including a fancy-schmancy poll for the lazy (although, I'd prefer if you elaborate in a comment).
After some thought, I boiled them down to five basic variants. They are listed below the fancy-schmancy poll itself.
Exalted Style: Exalted Style can basically be described as "Gung-ho make any character with the permitted rulebooks. Give this character a motivation and a backstory. The Storyteller then bases the story entirely on the characters, and makes no plans until he has the characters available."
Pros: Allows for a story tailor-made for your character, allows for players to control the story more, offers the most freedom.
Cons: Very slow, most of the creativity burden is on the player, issues with getting the group to fit together.
Vampire Style: Vampire Style is a little more constrained than Exalted style. Here, the idea is "Make a character belonging to one of these factions" or "Make a character with a motivation based on this-or-that". Basically, it's a very loose guideline (like a team you must belong to, or a thing like greed that motivates you).
Pros: Allows easy integration of story and character, offers much freedom.
Cons: Makes some character concepts wonky or inapplicable, moderate creativity burden on the players.
Tactical Style: This style refers to the Storyteller attempting to make the group work out tactically without constraining the characters much storywise. Players are given guidelines like "Make a halfling rogue specializing in stealth" or "Make sure your character is good with guns, stealth, and possibly mental traits, but avoid social skills".
Pros: Allows for very efficient team-play, offers players a basic idea for a character.
Cons: Very restrictive in character design, characters may still not integrate into the story proper.
Convent Style: Normally used at convents, this style is when the Storyteller handles the character creation in detail. Normally this means that the Storyteller assigns all the stats and traits, and details what the character is doing here and what he/she wants.
Pros: Characters fit the story seamlessly, team-play is improved.
Cons: Very little creative input by the player, can't cater to all tastes.
D&D Style: This is the style used by most "plug-and-play" adventures, like the ones you buy at a store. The Storyteller and the players do their work entirely independently, with no constraints on neither party. Then, some effort is made to fit the characters into the story after both are finished.
Pros: Speedy and easy way, minimal preparation needed, all character concepts are viable.
Cons: Characters may not integrate into the story at all, heavy modification may be necessary.
After some thought, I boiled them down to five basic variants. They are listed below the fancy-schmancy poll itself.
Which character creation style do you prefer?
Exalted Style: Exalted Style can basically be described as "Gung-ho make any character with the permitted rulebooks. Give this character a motivation and a backstory. The Storyteller then bases the story entirely on the characters, and makes no plans until he has the characters available."
Pros: Allows for a story tailor-made for your character, allows for players to control the story more, offers the most freedom.
Cons: Very slow, most of the creativity burden is on the player, issues with getting the group to fit together.
Vampire Style: Vampire Style is a little more constrained than Exalted style. Here, the idea is "Make a character belonging to one of these factions" or "Make a character with a motivation based on this-or-that". Basically, it's a very loose guideline (like a team you must belong to, or a thing like greed that motivates you).
Pros: Allows easy integration of story and character, offers much freedom.
Cons: Makes some character concepts wonky or inapplicable, moderate creativity burden on the players.
Tactical Style: This style refers to the Storyteller attempting to make the group work out tactically without constraining the characters much storywise. Players are given guidelines like "Make a halfling rogue specializing in stealth" or "Make sure your character is good with guns, stealth, and possibly mental traits, but avoid social skills".
Pros: Allows for very efficient team-play, offers players a basic idea for a character.
Cons: Very restrictive in character design, characters may still not integrate into the story proper.
Convent Style: Normally used at convents, this style is when the Storyteller handles the character creation in detail. Normally this means that the Storyteller assigns all the stats and traits, and details what the character is doing here and what he/she wants.
Pros: Characters fit the story seamlessly, team-play is improved.
Cons: Very little creative input by the player, can't cater to all tastes.
D&D Style: This is the style used by most "plug-and-play" adventures, like the ones you buy at a store. The Storyteller and the players do their work entirely independently, with no constraints on neither party. Then, some effort is made to fit the characters into the story after both are finished.
Pros: Speedy and easy way, minimal preparation needed, all character concepts are viable.
Cons: Characters may not integrate into the story at all, heavy modification may be necessary.
tisdag 9 mars 2010
Karma Man
I forgot to tell everyone this, but now I remembered! I have a prayer wheel now!
If I had a camera I would take photographs of it, but I don't because material possessions are a worldly thing, bitchez!
Anyway, I can spin it for good karma. Like, to make up for saying "bitchez" twice in this blog post.
If I had a camera I would take photographs of it, but I don't because material possessions are a worldly thing, bitchez!
Anyway, I can spin it for good karma. Like, to make up for saying "bitchez" twice in this blog post.
torsdag 4 mars 2010
Radio Silence
Sometimes I long for
quiet times
lonely times
basement times.
Sometimes I long for
peace
emptiness
meaninglessness.
Sometimes I long for
time
lots of time
when nothing matters.
Sometimes I long for
the person
I once
was.
quiet times
lonely times
basement times.
Sometimes I long for
peace
emptiness
meaninglessness.
Sometimes I long for
time
lots of time
when nothing matters.
Sometimes I long for
the person
I once
was.
Prenumerera på:
Inlägg (Atom)