Plotting the Bachelor Gamer Dreams

Sometimes Tabletop Inquirer just gets me...

Once my soon-to-be ex and I finalize late winter/spring sports schedules, I plan on going to some game nights at local stores and discovering modern games, but that doesn't mean I can't crack out a card table in the corner and set-up an ancient wargame or two, for solo or group play.  

Running Gamma World online might be pushing it for my group, but I could certainly set up a Diplomacy board for some online turns, without fear of cats destroying Austria-Hungary.

Then again, I've discovered that War of the Sky Galleons is part of a trilogy of wargames from Fact and Fantasy Games, and I'd be interested in seeing just how bad they are.

C'mon, Just One More Face-to-Face Session With the Old Crew

I thought the cartoon below would coincide with my emotions about returning to fact-to-face gaming with my gaming group.  Even you're a practical adult, COVID restrictions have sucked, and with regional upticks we're still *this close* from being able to return safely for the safety of all families involved.  

Then I get a reality check.  It wasn't like we were playing anything consistently prior to the world ending in March 2020.  In fact, the last role-playing we did on a regular basis was our long-running Call of Cthulhu game, and the last full session together, the epic assault on Grey Dragon Island to culminate Masks of Nylarathotep, occurred prior to September, 2016!!!!  From that point we wrapped up the campaign with some Play By E-Mail (PBeM) and within a few months we were playing 5e on Roll20. 

Heck, I thought our last non-family, non-con gaming session with my pals could have been a Delta Green playtest we partook in... but that was 2014.  Sigh. 

Can we even justify getting the group back together.   One player was disappeared, another fell off the radar, but is still close by, another is in a worse COVID hell than anyone I know, yet another is going through medical issues, and the final one got divorced and is still going through tough times financially and with visitation rights.  

Here's hoping the kids watching the awesomeness of "Hellfire" in Season 4 of Stranger Things might help jumpstart some face-to-face play at home, especially with weekends becoming free for the summer.

Time to Recalibrate the Roll20 Character Sheets

 It's game day for the Monday night Star Wars campaign!   

I greatly enjoy the very bare bones approach were taking to using Roll20's functionality.  It seems like every dozen episodes or two we need to break out some maps, or some hastily drawn and quite horrible sketches of rooms, corridors, and Gungan slums.

One day, I'll have the right tokens to play with, and the right formulas to calculate die rolls.   Until then, I'll just try to keep having fun.  

The Star Wars campaign's actual plays return on Tuesdays after Thanksgiving, with a few short, holiday themed episodes before diverting off to a sub-campaign for seven weeks.   As you can tell from the picture, when the campaign returns in full after that, we'll have a few new names to keep track of.

#RPGaDay2021 - Day 9 - Medium

Day 9 of #RPGaDay2021 is " MEDIUM" and while I'm fine with middle of the road for many things, my preferred method of gaming is anything that gets the group together, which nowadays online gaming is dominating. 

I'm sure I covered it on another day, but years ago, at a five-year old's birthday party, I uncovered a deep dark secret:  My college roommate, Steve, his friends from back home, and my successor as college roommate with Steve, Nate, all were trying out online gaming with a 5th Edition D&D game on Roll20.  I did what any true seeker to the hidden truths wants: a piece of the action.  

Monday nights (with one or two special events on holidays and weekends) have been my true lifeline to role-playing.  I could barely imagine two hour sessions as a kid, but with real-life obligations it's a welcome respite, a "poker night" with the guys that I try to schedule my life around.

The compiled list below are all the sessions of various games that we've played, many sessions well before the pandemic.  

• 75 D&D 5e games
• 17 BECMI D&D games
•  5 Call of Cthulhu games
•  2 Risus: COVID
•  1 Risus:  Coffee Shop
•  4  Risus: IOU
•  2 Risus: Terraforming Mars
•  1 Lasers and Feelings
•  2 Star Trek (Modiphius) 
• 55 Star Wars d6 

Even converted to the 6-8 hour mega-sessions we used to do face-to-face once a month (if that) and it's a far better variety of gaming.  

The Cons of online gaming?  

MAPS: Even as the volunteer GM, I rarely have time to focus energy on maps and handouts.  Maps improved a few complicated encounters and running gun battles, but they haven't been necessary in our most of out post-5e world.

I am the GM, I Wear the Viking Hat!: The original GM of the 5e game, Jeff, ran a fine campaign, with numerous storylines and lots of exotic flavor.  He needed to take a sabbatical from his game, thanks to life problems, and as those problems evolved, he's left for an undetermined period of time as a player as well.   That's left me as the primary GM of the remaining group, and if don't put the work in, nobody puts the work into Roll20.  It's particularly frustrating to my motivation as a GM and I'd like to experiment with different things.   Jeff was successful in getting two sessions of Star Trek to scratch that game off his list.   I've gotten CoC, Risus, and Lasers and Feelings through them, but they were stripped down versions.  Heck, the Star Wars d6 game usually runs closer to core Risus than my Risus games with them.  Getting them to evolve into something different will be closer to evolution than adaptation, even if they're better than they give themselves credit for. 

The Pros

Last Second Cancellation?  No Problem!:  The worst part of a 90-minute commute to one of our sessions was the potential for last-second cancellations of key players that come stymie the game I was specifically planning for.   Even with a cancellation while we're all connected and ready to go can allow me a few seconds to change gears, if necessary, and break out one of the mini-campaigns like 90's Canadian College Cthulhu, RISUS: Illuminati University, Adventures in Gulluvia with D&D, or even a COVID-themed game.  

The Hoyce and the Hackmaster Dream: The biggest coup of this past year was getting our college friend, Hoyce, to join the group, ultimately as a replacement for Nate, we departed due to life choices, positive and negative.  Hoyce has been a breath of fresh air with the group, and a new source of interactions with the characters.   Of course, if I can get Hoyce to join, can I get the rest of the Burning Trogs together to at least start my Hackmaster reunion game, which started nearly twenty years ago, this upcoming September? It's certainly still a pipe dream, but I've been a bit more aggressive with notes to the former players about getting together (and about the open invitation I've given them to the Star Wars game... the more the merrier!)

There's a chance still this summer for a face-to-face game with the (relative) locals, but "life" and delta variant concerns among players with incomplete vaccinations seems to keep us online.  

For now, I'm fine with that.  

(BECMI) Adventures in Gulluvia #3 - The Short Tale of Rusty

9 Mai 534, Village of Mere, Barony of Gulluvia
Hugo required another rest to recover, and lost the confidence of the fighter Conan.  However, the two halfling recruits, Beula Berrybottom and Bodo Billabong, were bored enough with Mere that they were willing to wait for some excitement. It was decided to return to the Mentzer Mine one last time to attempt of rescue Marleen Furribottom, but is was unanimous to avoid any other little green men in the underground hallways.

Giant rats pouring out of a cistern were a different story, and a similar result.

Hugo, not feeling at all confident, turned around and ran into a giant armadillo-like creature.  The creature disintegrated Slothina's chain mail by merely touching it. After a futile combat, in which only Beulah could strike a solid blow to it's underside, Bodo was able to tangle the creature with some rope.

Slothina named it Rusty and drug it through the dungeon, tossing the creature at some armed skeletons. The skeletons were largely unphased by Rusty, struck a grievous blow to Slothina, and Beulah was forced to pull her out of harm's way. It was time to regroup again, perhaps find even more hapless souls to help them. The silver from the goblins would keep them for a few more days until Hugo planned to reveal the scroll he had uncovered in Rusty's lair to the rest of them.

RIP: Rusty

Next: #4 - A Map.... to Gygar's Castle

(BECMI) Adventures in Gulluvia #2 - A Veritable Invasion

6 Mai 543, Village of Mere, Barony of Gulluvia

Hugo Swam'pass' storytelling in the Ye Olde Falling Noble Spoon worked even better than he could have hoped for .  After telling his tale of his missing friend in the mines, Hugo managed to sway not just two industorious halfings, Beulah and Bodo, plus a mountain of a deranged woman in Slothina Hoppler. but a fourth individual caught up to them in the morning, a warrior named Conan DiPietro.  Assembled, they marched back to the Old Mentzer Gem Mine.

They ventured back to the mine and waylaid the goblins that killed/kidnapped Marleen Furribottom (Goblins all look the same, don't they?), but more goblins poured out from an unknown location. Slothina was forced to grab an unconscious Hugo and all three returned home to heal up.

Conan DiPietro

Next: #3 - The Short Tale of Rusty

(BECMI) Adventures in Gulluvia #1 - A Poorly Planned Foray

5 Mai 543 - Village of Mere, Barony of Gulluvia
The locals who frequented Ye Olde Falling Noble Spoon were caught off guard by the passionate ravings of local scholar, Hugo Swam 'Pas.

He claimed his dear friend Marleen Furribottom had been captured by a heavily armed contingent of green skinned monsters, armed to the teeth within the abandoned Mentzer Gem Mine. The Baronial Guard could easily handle it, but they weren’t scheduled to arrive for at least another month. If only the bravest and finest of the village could assemble to rescue her!!!

Hugo's famed combat maneuvers...

I recruited two halflings and.... a..... a thing.  Beulah Cragbottom and Bodo were two resourceful halflings around town, but Hugo also acquired the services of Slothina, a hulking mass of (allegedly) woman who liked to wear an executioner's hood and swing a giant maul.  Her conversation was about as good as her rumored looks, so away they went, back to the old mines.

GM Notes:  Gulluvia is a fast paced world played over Roll20, not one of my long-winded tales.  Hugo and Marleen were two characters rolled up by Steve, who attempted to investigated the old dwarven mines that had been shut down for generations, only to be beset upon by a small gang of goblins.  Hugo left Marleen for dead, although he's suffering from the pangs of this adventure... perhaps it's what guilt feels like... and why he recruited others to rescue her... or at least finish exploring the ruins.

Next:  #2 - A Veritable Invasion!

(BECMI) Adventures in Gulluvia #0 - Welcome to Gulluvia

Gulluvia is a small, remote barony located at the foothills of tall mountain range. It was once a prosperous little barony, until the dwarves exhausted all the gemstone mines and left, leaving the largely human population at a bare subsistence survival.

Despite its prior value to the Kingdom  Gulluvia's untamed borders are days from the nearest civilization. The citizens of the barony persevered with only a few trade caravans venturing into the territory.

Ruler: Lady D'hmis, whose husband was killed in a freak werewolf attack while she was hosting a ball. Inexperienced with governing, she has done a fine job stabilizing the realm, starting with enforcing the ages old traditions that have kept the peasants safe.

The oldest and most enforced law:  All men must remain inside from dusk until dawn, unless escorted by an adult (over 16) woman.  The woman are largely immune to the lycanthropy curse, while men quickly succumb to the disease and pass away.

The story starts in the village of Mere, a small hamlet populated by both halflings and humans. Despite its proximity to the Misty Swamp there are few reports of the dreaded lycanthropes, there are few patrols of the Baronial Guard.

This village has two taverns: Elle's Leaping Strong Moon, Ye Olde Falling Noble Spoon, one general store, and an inn.

Other Towns:
Gulluvia:  The namesake of the barony is also the capital, and the closest thing to a large town the barony has.  It has ten foot walls, and most merchants and services adventurers require.

Dead Mule: This little shire was once a peaceful place, named by the group of miners who settled here after their pack mule died.

N’Sau: This farming village is so small that there is no tavern or inn here. A small general store doubles as a tavern or meeting hall when needed. The main crop grown here is wheat.

Thorold: This lovely little village prides itself on the fact that it raises the best horses in the Kingdom for the Barony of Gulluvia.

Velders: This hamlet is under the protection of Gulluvia, though this does Velders little good. The Gulluvian guards fear the Abaddon Woods and do not like to travel through it to reach Velders except in large groups. Foul races such as orcs and kobolds make periodic raids on the small farms on the outskirts. There is only a trading post in the center of town.

Misty Swamp: No one knows exactly what lies behind the veil of ever present mist that hovers over the swamp. Some old timers say that the old dwarves who make Anterian Brandy live in the swamp near their secret ingredient, the swamp water. This is speculation, as no one really knows what the secret ingredient of Anterian Brandy is. Others whisper tales of an evil wizard living there in a massive tower of shiny black stone. Sometimes, in the dead of winter, fierce thunderstorms can be heard near the swamp, but no one ever sees any lightning. The only thing people who live near the swamp will agree on is that most magic users had best stay clear of it or they will find that their spells will not function properly.

Abaddon Woods: This is a desolate place inhibited by evil beings, but was once believed to be filled with unicorns, elves, faeries and other fair creatures. Many expeditions attempting to destroy the evil lurking here have ventured into the woods, but have never returned.

Moorfowl Mountains: This ugly, dead, tall range forms a protective shield that keeps the mist from Misty Swamp from spreading into the neighboring farmlands. Most folks don’t venture into the mountains much any more except to hunt for certain types of moss used by local healers. Evil creatures now roam the mountains freely and inhabit the mines once worked by the dwarves.

Thunder Mountains: These low pine-covered mountains see the sunlight infrequently. Most of the time thick storm clouds linger on the mountain tops — clouds that often erupt into violent thunder storms. An evil wizardess is rumored to live in the mountains in a giant hollow oak she uses as a lab. It is believed that it is she who keeps the thunder storms alive, partly because she fears the light and partly because it keeps away the curious. Local people don’t recall anyone ever going into the mountains, and if anyone ever did, they never returned to tell about it.

NEXT: #1 - A Poorly Planned Foray

Gaming Year in Review 2019-2020

Hey true believers! Ever since high school, I've tracked my gaming like the federal fiscal calendar, so it makes sense to have September 30th cover my Year in Review.

The Top Ten Blog Posts Over the Past Twelve Months

#1  (Kickstarter) Tales from the Loop - The Board Game

#2  Random NHL19 Post***
#3  3,000 Post! ****

#4  Cold Wars 2020 AAR - Pandemic Edition

#5  My Day-Trip to Fall-In! 2019

#6  What in the Sweet Name of Fantasy Wargames (Heroquest)
#7  Cold Wars Event Registration Has Been Opened!
#8  (Painting) Archaeology in the Zombie Apocalypse
#9  (Kickstarter) Planet 28 
#10 (Risus) The Search for Pumpkin Spice

Two of the top ten (***)  were victims of the focus of certain bots from Italy and the Ukraine, but they also had their own traction before the inflated views hit, so I hold them in there place after I killed the posts and re-published them.

My usual Kickstarter format for Tales from the Loop drew far more traffic than I originally thought.  Through 9/29, it's the 13th most viewed post all-time for my blog.

Other posts that cracked my Top 30 All-Time Views List were the obituary for "Uncle Duke" Seifried  (#24) and after a lot of viral traction, My Canadian Cthulhu "Fourteen Beers at Chili's" actually cracked the top 10 at #9!

The posts that dropped off my Top 30 All-Time List weren't anything special, except for a now-nostalgic look at playing Burning Plastic on Steve's bar, and literally using Beer and Pretzels for terrain.  

COVID Keeps Familes Together - My new duties at work, plus our basketball extravaganzas every night gave us little time to play, but worse yet, there was little motivation to play.    Plus we couldn't even enjoy our gamer neighbors during quarantine.

Looking back, we had just enough distractions not to break out a game at any given moment.  Damn you Netflix and Disney+ !

I can also somehow get to blame COVID that I only played 22 different games at least once this past year (Average is usually 25-27 per year). 

Gallstones for a Vacation Away from Family!
To complicate months of work from home and quarantines, I came down with a gall stone shutting down my pancreas, sending my blood sugar through the roof and my body into a horribly squishy mess.  Things are better now, slowly progressing off insulin and onto medication.  My pancreas absolutely despises giant muffins (as expected), but can handle most restaurant meals and even a reasonable piece of pizza or two. It's also allowed me to spend some an hour every other night in the basement, cleaning cat litter, lifting a few weights, and painting some figures.  Outside of a squad of four rescue kittens finding the bench to be a perfect place for them to practice the feline art of knocking things off tables, it's been a productive time, and I feel confident with the direction I'm going for next year, both gaming-wise and physically.

Triumphs!
The Saga Completed - Almost.
Lost Dispatches of Feraso will finally finish out the beginning of November with Episode #100.  With some holiday pauses, this project started over TWO YEARS ago, and has fleshed out some of the sections of my homebrew world that I haven't touched since high school.  Thanks to that, we'll have a new project on next year's goals when that posts tomorrow.

Strike it down, and it becomes more powerful than you could ever imagine.
For the first three months we were doing great, with seven sessions, and I filled in one Gulluvia session and two Risus.  After Christmas our Monday Day Online Gaming sessions just evaporated.  I wasn't quite sure what was going on.  E-mails weren't getting answered, I'd log onto our Skype/Roll20 group and only one other player would jump on.  It was getting to the point that I at least dropped a major hint on Facebook and Twitter that I was looking for new players to continue the sessions, if not a different game altogether.

One new person responded:  The Gnome King himself, Jim Stanton.   On a completely unrelated note, our GM rose from the dead the same week and appeared online, stating the mostly obvious: He was tired of GMing and would be happy to show up as a player.  I ran them through two Risus games, Bigg Melons in the Time of COVID and The Great Hall of COVIDiots, for some light-hearted pandemic fun, and to make sure everybody meshed with Jim. 

With that a success, I moved onto the my usual "What does everybody want to play?" poll, and for the first time since I broke up my Hackmaster group in 2004, it came back unanimous:

Star War d6  (West End Games) - It has been a rousing success thus far.

Risus:  The COVID themed games were big hits, but the Spice Girls espionage-esque games seemed to be an odd niche that... just.... works.  I'm a little worried that our Christmas in July game was more an homage to Kim Cattrall.  And yet it worked, and somehow became the most popular post of my #RPGaDay2020 project.

Mouslings Live!  It took forever, but we did get three Mousling games set up using Savage Worlds/Showdown.  Great little scenarios that got to showcase a lot of the painting I got done the first half of the year.

Catastrophes
Face to Face -  Thank you COVID.  We're suffering from a different type of Masks of Nylarathotep.  And speaking of CoC, this was the first time in years we didn't at least assemble for one Call of Cthulhu game.

No play, No Test:  COVID had me treading water for a looong time, but you would think I could get something together for the Legions of Steel playtest, or at least trying out the rules for Planet 28.

Maja Millie - Retired Archaeologist?:  The Pulp game suffered the same fate as many others.  Just not enough motivation, or time when the kids are around.

Gnome Wars - Only a little fluff work, like Canadian Bermuda.  Only significant painting was by Maja at the Fall-In!  The Nauvoo Legion project is indeed my new version of the German Schutztruppe.

Kickstarter Status
KS: Flying Circus RPG - It finally delivered, 20 months late, and despite some interesting concepts, I find much of it ho-hum.
KS: Legions of Steel Classic Minis - ARRIVED
KS: Planet 28 - ARRIVED
KS: Pulp Figures Dangerous Dames - ARRIVED
KS: Reaper Bones V - It's Reaper.  It's such a big project that regulars know to enjoy the long experience.
KS: 7 Space Dwarfs  - ARRIVED
KS: Space Dwarf Bikers - ARRIVED
KS: Sci-Fi Dwarves (Macrocosm) - Pending October 2020
KS: Sci-Fi Dwarf Miners (BattleValor) - ARRIVED
KS: Wars of Ozz - Pledge manager up - December 2020
KS: Cthulhu and Pulp Characters - ARRIVED
KS: Sandstorm Wars - Holy crap, it arrived!
KS: Twilight: 2000 - June 2021
KS: Steve Jackson Coasters for the Party -  June 2021
KS: Cthulhu Wars: CATaclysm -  Overdue four months. The one true joke that I pledged real money to and it funded.  Now I get some dull updates over the delays thanks to COVID, China, and other issues.  The cats should be fun to paint.

General Muckery:

Conventions
Fall-In! 2019   - Forgot how Byzantine the Valley Forge Casino and Convention Center was....Lots of walking on our daytrip, the joust, and painting.

Cold Wars 2020 - Pandemic Edition -  With COVID (and CW being the weekend they shut down all pro sports... and the state) Wargming in Education was a bust, so I was a bit happy not to take Yellowstone out of the mothballs... yet.

Still getting my feet wet with the virtual conventions, Mepacon and CyberWars in particular.  Fun was had by all, we just need more folks to attend.  Still doesn't beat face-to-face gaming, but we need to take what we can for a while longer.

Media: Baby Yoda (the Rest of the Mandalorian was top-notch as well.)  Can't wait till Season 2.

Painting:  If last year was a drought, this year at least kept the grass green.

I think this meme sums everything up quite succinctly.

Painting 51 figures isn't record setting, but it is far more than the average whiner on social media who either wishes they had time or talent.  The latter requires the first, and at the end of the day, the only person that is responsible for my time, is me.

Arl, Beaverian Brute

My Red Phase....

Easter Island Heads

The mushrooms are new, not the mouslings.

An Unexpected Encounter

Kim Jong Un

Archaeology in the Zombie Apocalypse

Apocalypse Santa and his crew, ready for Zombie Action!

Gnomish Space Marine VTOL Support, with ground crew

General Folger Sandstrom, Commander, Gnomish Space Marines

It took me a bit to realize that the first and last figures I finished this year came from the same Gydran Miniatures Kickstarter.

Kid's Painting - The Ring of Fire

2020 Gaming with the Gnomies Awards!
Best Kickstarter:  BattleValor Games' Sci-Fi Dwarf Miner Warriors beat out Macrocosm, Pulp Figures, and Brigade Games' awesome campaigns thanks to tremendous value and ridiculous turnaround time.

Worst Kickstarter:  Sandstorm Wars - It was finally delivered, but from the moment I pledged to the campaign, I regretted I didn't jump on the Macrocosm Kickstarter before they sold the molds to these guys.  There are a few figures that will get to the head of the line for one of next year's projects, but I'm not happy with the experience.

Best Game:  Bo'Non'as and Oopsa - The Legend Continues.  It's a proud moment when my players embrace and play the roles of two minor NPCs, and continue to inquire about the next time we'll leave the Star Wars d6 regular campaign and return to the forests of the Kurabanda.  A definite moment of growth from my players.

Best RPG Purchase: Star Wars d6 30th Anniversary Slipcase.  Jump-started my Star Wars d6 online game, even though I reference the 2nd Edition rulebook I already owned.

Best Minis:  7 Space Dwarves - A great year for quality minis, but these figures are so awesome I'm still ok that I over pledged and forgot to include add-ons during the Pledge Manager.  I did add those to my Space Dwarf Bikers pledge during their next campaign.

Best Other Purchase:  An LED Desk Lamp for the Painting Bench.

Next: My Plans for 2020-2021

#RPGaDay2020: Day 1 - Online Gaming Before and During COVID

Another year of #RPGaDay has begun and Day One's one word prompt is appropo: "Beginning."

If you want to go back the to early beginnings of role-playing, Year one covers First RPG Played and First RPG GM'ed.

Through the army, college, and real life back in my hometown, I was a once a week gamer.  It didn't necessarily mean an RPG, and there were sure gaps of play time, but getting D&D, Magic, or Battletech set up was never a problem. 

Once I moved out of my area, eventually met a girl, and settled down just far enough away from my hometown, gaming turned into a monthly extravaganza to justify the hour-long drive everyone needed to make (regardless of whose house we were meeting at.)   The bulk of those games were our 1920's era Call of Cthulhu games, culminating in the completion of Masks of Nylarathotep.

When that campaign wound down, we were stuck in a bit of a lull.  Job promotions, family events, car issues, and other things postponed our monthly meetings.

Until one fateful five-year old's birthday party.

Making small talk with all my gamer friends at the party, one of them let it slip that they were gaming with our college roommate's best friend in his Monday night online game. 

I've lamented in previous #RPGaDays of not being more forceful in trying to get into some primo RPG campaigns, so in uncharacteristic form, I walked up to the host of the party (the college roommate) and simply said, "Dude, there's an online game?  Can I get in on it?  Will Jeff (his friend/the DM) be okay with that?"

Two weeks later I was on Rol20 in a 5e campaign playing Falgor the Mighty, an Elf Barbarian.

For three years we logged up every Monday night from 9-11pm to play D&D.  Not to toot my own horn but I'm a pretty awesome addition to a group where I'm not the foci as the primary GM. 

• I can distract the table and make jokes like all the other players, but as a ful-time GM normally, I can sense when everyone needs to be wrangled back to the virtual table.  
• I actually bought a rulebook for the game
• My preference for wargames has made Falgor tactically diverse and keeps everyone on their toes.
• and what might have been a godsend to keep the group going, I'm the back up GM when we don't have enough (or the right) players to keep things moving.  

The game I run are never over-complicated affairs.    

• Illuminati University using Risus. 
• A Pulp-Style Terraforming Mars game using Risus. 
• Call of Cthulhu using college characters set in 1990's Medicine Hat, Alberta, Canada.
• Adventures in Gulluvia, a Basic D&D/BECMI adventure that's still set in the my usual FRPG homebrew, but thanks the lethality of low-level BECMI, it's a different animals.  Write-Ups should appear weekly on the blog in November.

And let's not forget to give Jeff credit for introducing to us to the Modiphius version of Star Trek for a few sessions as well.  

Prior to the Corona-sanity, we were already getting more complications.  Everyone had work issues but Jeff the GM had it the worst.  I'll find something to run for two other players, but many times it was just myself or one other players.  

As COVID descended on us, I made two calls.  First an email to Jeff, who admitted he wasn't ready to return behind the virtual scene quite yet, but he could definitely be available consistently as a player.  Second was an open casting call among my social media friends.  Only one person seriously responded, my wargaming buddy Jim "The Gnome King."

To confirm Jim was compatible with the group, I ran some connected one-shots, Bigg Melons in the Time of COVID and The Great Hall of COVIDiots, again using Risus for mechanics and Coffee Shop by James d'Amato for set-up.

If you don't use video, you avoid the great cosplay 

It worked well, and with a quick survey. we were off on another campaign... but that parts fits tomorrow's prompt better. 

Next: RPGaDay2020 Day 2: "Change"

Mepacon Virtual Game Day - July 11, 2020

After a postponement and ultimate cancelation of their face-to-face con, the folks at Mepacon pulled off a pretty decent online assortment of games on short notice.

In a follow-up to their online panel discussion, Mepacon will be hosting another online gathering, a one day con on July 11, 2020.

They are looking for GMs and registration will be open until July 9th.

More details coming soon!

Virtual Mepacon

Over the last year, the staff at Mepacon has had to wildly adapt to situations.  First was the loss of their downtown Scranton hotel due to general hotel incompetence.  That forced them to find a site last second, and the far roomier Mountain Laurel Resort was the result.

Thanks to the wonders of COVID-19, Mepacon had to cancel their first con dates in April, rescheduled for this past weekend, and despite slowly improving conditions, were forced to cancel that and set up an online version of the event.

Disclaimer:  I'm a guy who's quite content with Roll20  and the more "old-fogey" versions of social media.  I have a Twitch account for the instances I can watch the Happy Jacks RPG Podcast records live (last time I did that was over a year ago), and I set up a Discord account to look around.  

With ever-evolving family stuff and yardwork for the weeknend, I didn't partake in any games, my usual prowling grounds of the auction and dealers hall weren't available (although some vendors appear to have con-related promotions I could take advantage of), I can report that the first online-only iteration of the con was a success. 

Sure, Discord looks like AOL message board and ICQ had a love child circa 1997.  I have programs from work that I wish to set on fire daily that are more intuitive and are more display-friendly.   However, once you figured out how everything was set up, one could investigate the open games and get the necessary information to register and play.

Some games used the Discord server, others used Roll20 and Fantasy Grounds.  Online board games seemed to available with their own platform (I'm learning about that now).  Heck, in the waning hours of the con on Sunday, I found a Mepacon Digital Coloring and a Roblox group, which my kids could have jumped into.

I relegated my time between Twitch and Facebook Live with scheduled discussions between con staff, the vendors, games designers, and other folks in the hobby.  It was nice to see some familiar faces and learn a new story about a convention director wearing a bunny suit, and holding a sledgehammer.

I doubt the story inspired this figure, but you never know...

From the DartFrog06mm Blog

Previously, I was never a big panel guy outside of Ken and Robin on site or the five minutes from Comic-Con, but the numerous little panels talking with one of their vendor (and sponsors of the con), the big problems of a con, and the general convention wrap-up were all very entertaining.   I would definitely jump into more of these in digital or face-to-face settings.  Heck, if they need a pseudo-grognard for a panel, I'm sure I can deal with hearing myself speak about the whipper-snappers with the d20 OGL rolling dice on my lawn, err.... I mean dice tray.  THAC0 Baby!

I'm really hoping the possible doom-and-gloom of the Fall doesn't come to fruition and we can all meet face-to-face in White Haven, November 6th-8th.  However, if we can't, I'll be willing to completely book my time away from the family to look myself in the office and game.  Better

With that being said, the two biggest tidbits from all the convention staff's live streaming event?

• Mepacon is working on another online event for July 11, 2020, to supplement, not replace the face-to-face conventions. More info to come.
• This con was supposed to be the announcement of a one-day convention, co-organized by The Portal in Bethelehem, with help from the folks at Mepacon.  This untitled convention (perhaps I missed that) is tentatively scheduled for August 22nd at the Lehigh Valley Hotel off US 22 and PA 512 (the old Holiday Inn, then Best Western for the old-timers).  Definitely more info on this as it becomes available.

It's Game Day, You Scruffy Nerf-Herders

We've made some progress with our online games, after weeks, nay months of abortive attempts and usually two-person chats with Steve, I've been making some outreach to other players, and with that, two out of the three missing players showed up last week, as well as our newest member, the "Gnome-King" himself, Jim.

We got a great Risus game under our belts to knock off the rust, and give Jim a test drive before offering him a return visit.  His portrayal as Randy in Bigg Melons in the Time of COVID sold the group, or perhaps the idea of other people wanting to join our traveling circus bewildered them enough to say yes.

With our regular GM, Jeff, just wishing to play and chill for now, I've automatically assumed GM duties (it comes with the territory after 31 years of GMing).  I gave the fellows five options

1. More Canadian Cthulhu
2. D&D Adventures in Gulluvia
3. The Spice Girls RPG
4. Star Wars d6
5. Illuminati University 

I was a bit surprised to get all responses back in less than 24 hours.  Star Wars swept the first choice voting.  Still slightly unnerved that the Spice Girls took a solid second. 

So tonight is some more warm-up improv role-playing, followed by a yet-to-be named Star Wars session 0 (and maybe a little bit more.)

And I still have a Christmas in July game with the Spice Girls to plan.  That part is guaranteed.

Oh yeah, MAY THE FOURTH BE WITH YOU!

Mepacon 38 Lives on Virtually!

The gods were going to deny another trip to Mepacon this year, but they may have relinquished a sliver of hope.

I had planned on making Mepacon 38this spring.  It was right down the road from my house, it was going to be my birthday weekend celebration, and even bringing the girls there (Maja's first con that wasn't as a "free child) it would be a raucous time. 

And then the AAU  schedule came out for the girls.  I think we were going to be in Delaware or Central Jersey the whole weekend, not even a chance of a quick stop Friday before we left. 

Then the Coronavirus showed up in all its glory.  Basketball was put on hiatus, but so was Mepacon.  They scheduled another date of May 15-17, with the hope that it wouldn't be as bad as some projections showed, but even in that perfect scenario, we would be on our cruise that week, returning mid-day Sunday. 

And then Corona knocked everybody for a loop.  Mepacon (and my cruise) were scrapped. 

Except Mepacon wishes to try things a bit differently, hosting an online convention.  Details are still evolving a week after the original announcement, so check the website, check the Mepacon group on Facebook, and if you join, you might see me running a game. 

Game Night???

It's officially more than three months since our online D&D group met to play 5e.  Now, I'm more than ready to pick up the GM Screen and run something, but our biggest problem is that it's been myself and one other player all but one night, and I'm not running solo adventures.

We did manage to put together a game of Coffee Shop together for two players, but most of my hearty ideas will require at least three.

I've put out the call on social media for more players, so here's hoping some of my other friends take up the social distanced call on Skype and Roll20.

And for those keeping track at home, my (unlinked) Roll20 pages:
Adventures in Gulluvia - BECMI D&D
Viscount's Workshop - my original mad laboratory for Canadian Call of Cthulhu, most of the Risus ideas (including Illuminati University games)
Aeschere - a placeholder for a Traveller game
"Home" - My Polynesian game.
Burning Trogs Redux - Just in case the Hackmaster group can get together.

Stay healthy, my friends...

Got the Gold and Silver Yesterday, Today I Level Up

Each day, each week, each month, each year seems to exponentially dump more and more "real life" on me with every moment.  

At the top of the list is my mother-in-law, already with a plethora of health issues, falling and breaking her hip, and the health dilemmas that follow that.  Then there's my own mother, who called me all confused this past Cold Wars.  Thankfully, she's home and prepping for a relatively minor cardio-pulmonary procedure.  

I did ask if the surgery could be scheduled around Mepacon.  Thus far, it's looks like my selfish little request might be accepted.  

So this week, my wife was planning on attending a professional conference for work.  After her mom's condition dipped a bit, and a rescheduled hockey meet and greet the night she was supposed to, she finally departed.  That meant two days with the girls, maybe a little painting, perhaps a game or three, so long as homework is done. 

And then all three nor'easters missed us, but one sent high winds that knocked over a tree leading into the neighborhood.  Long detour and no power for 24 hours...   

I can't get a break for trying.  

But tonight... tonight we reap the rewards of our multiple session investigative encounter for our D&D 5e online game.  Tonight there shall be xp.  

For nearly 30 years, I've tried to maintain a professional distance from brothels and prostitution in the games I play and run.  Sex, and the world's oldest profession in particular, were always assumed activities off on the sidelines of the campaign.  Save the fact the the Ballad of the Pigeon God crew got magically teleported to Talislanta while in brothel, and a player who tried an overzealous (failed) seduction roll during a fire rescue.  Oh yeah, if two players makes separate back stories about their moms being prostitutes in the same town, I will make a storyline where they are half-brothers.  Don't make it that easy for me as a DM...

But while we investigated a local crime lady and a missing cleric, we were directed to frequent a certain inn/brothel.    With no organization and everyone going over the building haphazardly (and not relaying information), I do my best Leroy Jenkins impersonation by paying for "entertainment" and trying to get into the locked upper story of the building.

With numerous pawns moving all over the place, I may have made some moves to distract the staff from the already sneaking party members.  Only problem was, despite my idea of a Hangover/Judd Apatow movie inspired scene with clumsy hi-jinx, and inferred shenanigans off-camera, the other party members wandered about aimlessly, making things slightly uncomfortable.

In the end, we rescued the priestess and all managed to escape, with only the brutal death of a waiter by Falgor the Mighty of the Northlands.

Under oath, Falgor will testify, that any crimeboss who sends a waiter to investigate a break-in at her headquarters doesn't deserve to stay in business.  Falgor swears the guy looked 6'5" and was threatening the thief, before he cleaved him in the chest.  

We're hoping to gather up some xp tonight, level up (to 3!) and actually go on the adventure we should have started weeks ago (according to Falgor).  Or we'll venture into Gulluvia, or maybe IOU.  So long as I pencil in an opening for gaming Monday night, my wife will let me keep it.

So, you might be asking, "ViscountEric, what of the mention of Gold and Silver Yesterday that's in the title."

To add to the chaos of a weekend that featured my wife's return from the conference, the kids staying over a relative's, and the final "Fan Appreciation Night" game of the season for our beloved Wilkes-Barre Scranton Penguins, I had to wake up at 4am for a three hour drive so the kids could participate in the USAGymnastics Trampoline and Tumbling Pennsylvania State Championships.    I dislike these competitions, but my rules for the girls are simple:  a) Know your passes and routines and b) don't get a zero.

The kids brought back some hardware.

Three gold for Millie.  Two Silver and a 6th for Maja

Now, the god's honest truth, Millie is a level of skill above every other kid in her age category, so she cleans up, but every kid in her age category that's a level below failed to score high enough to move up, whether for Regionals or next year.

Maja's in a much more competitive level and age category, and her one silver matches up with the silver she got in a regional invitational earlier this year... a silver to the same girl who beat her at States.

But, although they are hoity-toity medal winning gymnasts, they still want to go with me on the Saturday for Mepacon... and let Dad sleep in a bit.

Edit: Monday 11:30pm - Game was cancelled due to illness.  Grrrrrr.  But we did get an all role-playing session of Adventures in Gulluvia done. 

Take on Me... (Take. On. Me!)

When the DMs sketch makes you think you're entering the land of A-Ha videos: #dnd.

5e and the Online Thespian Generation

An article over at The Verge is connecting the rise of 5e and RPG liveplays, largely the popular video and live streaming actual plays found on YouTube and Twitch.

I can't argue with that.  If the new (and returning) generations of players are making D&D have its most profitable year ever in an Amazon-related world, it makes sense that they are turning to online instant gratification.  In part, it's solid entertainment value, but it's also the "How do we play this thing?" that we grognards with the blue ink module maps and cheesy dice in the boxed sets longed to have answered in our early days.

The problem, of course, is that these players are being deceived.  Despite all the plot-driven fantasy storylines, the angst-driven brooding, the old school renaissances, and the indy-press revolutions, unless you and your friends are a bunch of improv masters, voice-over actors, and card carrying members of SAG with wicked editing skills, your weekly sessions will than likely carry out like Ben Stein in Ferris Bueller's Day Off running a combat.

Having just been to a convention with plenty of old school and new wave gamers in attendance, I'm quite certain that many were fans of the liveplay series, but very little of their own pedestrian games would warrant their own camera and Twitch channel.

That includes all the My Little Pony games I ran on the Kid's track.  There's 30 seconds or so of video of me running one of those sessions, and despite my 25 years experience and the session being entertaining for all the players, I'm not setting up my own channel to broadcast future MLP games.

I am biased towards the radio-play style that traditional podcasts present gaming sessions in.  There are two things, however, that I keep in mind when listening them.  1) Audio editing can turn enjoyable games into gold, and in reverse, a lack of it and kill a game with promise.  2) The traditional players from podcasts like Skype of Cthulhu are always going to sound like their struggling when put up against professional improv players from the Campaign Podcast.

I always hearken back to a phrase I used repeatedly on this blog, "I'm not the demographic they're targeting." 

What could have been cool a decade or two ago has now vanished from my horizon.  Celebrity gamers (save the game designers themselves) loose their fascination with me, especially when the meat of many of those games is so dry.  Whether its failing to grok Fantasy Flight Star Wars dice, or belittling a setting like Rifts when their own personal favorites fall equally flat in execution, I can only hope the players at the online table have a good time.

So whether you're playing 5e, Pathfinder, or PotA, enjoy the gameplay, and try not to overdramatize the game when a simple 5-ft move or a timely punch in the face will do.  

(Risus) The Texas Roadhouse Massacre

With another semester at Illuminati University  starting, the almost smooth Keith Stone was taking some air after his latest conquest.  Across the Pent, he spied Professor Pittleman hovering above the sidewalk towards one of the science building.  Then, all of a sudden, *poof*, he was gone!

Inside the building, Professor Pittleman's new assistant was waiting outside the Physics lab.  He was unsure why Student Affairs gave a music major a job in a particle accelerator lab, but new Freshthing Walken the Minotaur was ready for anything.  Already confused that an exotic bush was navigating the Pent in a miniature hovercraft, he was flabbergasted when the creature simply vanished from his view.  Frightened, yet somehow emboldened, the minotaur dashed down the stairs and out towards the Pent.

Keith Stone could barely believe his eyes with the disappearance of his friend, and as he jogged over to the stop, was even more distraught when he spied a minotaur in a Blue Oyster Cult t-shirt charging him!

Walken took notice of the imminent collision and changed course, gracefully avoiding the Light Beer Connoisseur, only knocking off his hat with a whip of the tail.  Keith Stone didn't believe the Professor disappeared willingly anymore than he believed Walken was a minotaur, and decided a drink was in order to clear his mind.  He invited Walken to tag alongside with him, stole a campus police golf cart, and drove off-campus to Texas Roadhouse.  Walken discovered en route that he suffered from motion sickness, but a quick brew in the Keith's Beer Cozy of Satan reinvigorated him.

Inside the Texas Roadhouse, they discovered an odd sight:  A pirate dancing on the mechanical bull, all the while wielding scissors against the waitstaff.

As always, Keith smoothed over the misunderstanding, and Scissorhand John joined the drinking foray.

After a few hours of Keystone Lights, Tater Skins, and Cactus Blossoms, the server presented the bill, and the pirate made a mad dash out the door, "Because that's what pirates do at restaurants!"

Walken chased after the pirate, pulled out his fife and played a pirate song that lured Scissorhand John back into the Texas Roadhouse, where all was forgotten again and drinking resumed, along with a desire for Karaoke.

The minotaur got up to sing, and pulled out his fife and cowbell, ready to do a soulful rendition of Celine Dion's "My Heart Will Go On" from Titantic.  But to his surprise, the Karaoke dude put in the Chilean Wind Chime version, forcing him to make some musical changes.  In the end, the restaurant erupted in applause! Walken got some middle-aged groupies, but lost his cool with the ladies and promptly blew chunks.  Keith Stone promptly grabbed a vintage atomic spittoon from the floor to blocked the gastro barrage.  The combination of the minotaur vomit and tobacco juice being broken down by radioactive decay forced the device to go into meltdown.

Despite having no experience in nuclear sciences, Keith Stone prevented the strip mall from becoming a radioactive wasteland, thanks to the Beer Cozy of Satan, some Keystone Light, and the peanut shells that littered the floor.

He then ran off with two of the middle-aged women in the stolen police golf cart back to his dorm room for 45 seconds of pleasure.

Without even realizing their swill-drinking friend was gone, the pirate and the minotaur were accosted by a swashbuckling gelatinous cube, William Cosplay.  He was an officer with the Cosmic Police with a warrant to arrest Scissorhand John for illegal temporal movement.  As the strangely acrobatic cube pursued the pirate, he knocked into another patron, forcing him to spill his beer.

Scissorhand John had angered the immortally badass Snake Gandhi, who was simply trying to enjoy a relaxing evening of fried pickles and a porterhouse t-bone.

Snake Gandhi was then wiping the floor with the pirate with simple fisticuffs, but when he decided to pull out of one of his two invisible katanas with laser sights, Walken could take no more.  He dove in front of the Hindu badass and blocked the see-through blade with with his cowbell. 

The resulting explosion took weeks to piece back together.

*The minotaur was last seen walking alongside the highway, the restaurant's Karaoke machine in tow.
*The pirate was last seen in a psych ward, suffering from complete amnesia, watching the movie Dodgeball over and over again.
*Keith Stone checked off "3-way w/ 2 MILFs" off his semester bucket list.

.... and in the ruins of the restaurant, Snake Gandhi kicked through the rubble, only to stop in utter surprise and pick up an illegal wrist chronal navigator.

Scissorhand John was a time-travel pirate, after all...

GM Notes: I absolutely adore the 5th Edition D&D online game I play in Monday nights, but for the last two weeks, scheduling has been a nightmare.  Between work and family obligations, the GMs has had to cancel enough sessions that I got my Risus: Terraforming Mars game finished. Two weeks ago, the GM had to bail last minute, and I commandeered Steve, Nate, and Chris to run this session of IOU.  

Fun fact:  I've got a rant about open-ending, cooperative role-playing coming up this weekend, but with this dropped on me at the last minute, I figured I'd get Keith Stone, Walken, and Professor Pittleman together before we figured out what direction the session would go.

Then Nate (Prof Pittleman) mysteriously dropped off the Skype call, and couldn't be reached by any means for around ten minutes.

Knowing Nate's history with Skype is worse than mine, I made the executive decision to simply made the good Professor vanish into thin air and proceed from there.  So, when Nate finally reconnected, the other two were already heading to Texas Roadhouse. 

Insert Nate Character 2.0:  Scissorhand John:  Time-travelling pirate I made up from a news story awhile back.  

And if you notice the final line of this post, we had scheduling issues this week as well, so there is a part two (and a Nate Character 3.0.  This time he made up his own at the start of the session.)

No spoilers, but a part three is definitely a possibility. 

Next Up: Culligan, Man of Mystery!

Next Year's Projects

Like clockwork, my followers know that October 1st is the first day in my gaming calendar.   It's time to assemble a rough framework of plans and projections for the next twelve months (Oct 2017 - Sep 2018).

Gnome Wars: It's the original inspiration for the blog.  It doesn't generate as much traffic as other games, but I assure you, I will make a concerted effort increase my writing for, and play more games of, Gnome Wars this year.

The Pigeon God Continues.... We're less than halfway through my college AD&D campaign. Somehow, things are going to get even weirder. After I finish up the last four or five episodes that aren't pending a Tuesday release yet, I may go into even older territories.  Even if it's not too long, a recollection of the high school and army campaigns into the new maps and geography, with some indexes might help .

My Girls:  Their little worlds right now are all about school, gymnastics, and Dad yelling at them to keep their rooms clean.  Maja's asking about questions about my "grow-up" games with my friends, so I believe I've snared her.  I think I could have done better playing games with them last year, but they're happy, and that's all that matters.   Activities with the girls:

• My Little Ponies:  It's glaringly obvious that Ponies will dominate next year.  Seeing if Maja gets her friends excited about it will be fun to observe.  
• Savage Worlds/Showdown:  The third season of our Pulp campaign will probably kick off in the Winter.  
• Mousling Fantasy! Still figuring out if this should be less Savage Worlds and more like MLP.  

5th Edition D&D: Monday night is when I lock myself away and actually play an RPG as a player.  The online experience seems to fit the feel of 3.5 to 5e, where eight hours of online play in a month might equal a regular four-hour face-to-face session.

Other RPGs on Roll20:  I don't think I can squeeze in another session during the week without my wife pondering divorce, but filling in for cancelled 5e sessions will reduce the stockpile of game ideas, even if it's two or three a year.  If something befalls our 5e game, I have Adventures in Gulluvia (Red Box D&D) hiding in the wings. Or, perhaps we can do a four-hour online sessions on Sundays, like we used that long year ago.

Hackmaster on Roll20:  The "Journal" has allowed the Burning Trogs Redux to pick up steam.  Scheduling might be its downfall more than anything else. Nothing solid yet, but we've waited this long, we can wait awhile longer.

Call of Cthulhu:  A year hiatus has closed the door on the Masks campaign, but the next storyline will always be in the wings.

Of Mortals and Men/Song of Blades & Heroes:  If I can assemble the larger figures for my "Mousageddon/Ratnarock" game, I'll need a few sessions to familiarize myself with the rules.   I've seen children my kids' ages playing Song, so it can't hurt to try a few skirmishes.

Samoa:  Definitely on the back burner, but always in my heart.

Conventions:  Fall-In! (Daddy-Daughter Weekend-Players), Mepacon Fall (GM) Cold Wars (Guys Weekend - GM), Mepacon Spring 2018,   Birthday Weekend (To Be Revived?)   The Weekend (per the request of my wife), Historicon (Back in Lancaster!), possibly more?

Painting:  I'm thinking bulk projects (units not individuals figs) will keep me occupied.

• Frost Giants:  Already in the queue.  
• Gnomes:  Another adequate years painting one whole gnome unit.  More Germans, then everything else hiding on the shelf.
• Martians:  the bin o' GW/Heartbreaker goblins I've snagged on the cheap is calling my name, and the paint schemes I have for them are fairly unique and inspiring. 
• "Urban Egypt":  The Pulp Game needs a few pieces of terrain finished before season three is ready to launch.
• Plus everything else that will distract me (OGRE Miniatures, I know you will taunt me so...)

Purchases: 

1. Must clean up the want list.  Simply taking care of my Bones, Brigade Games, and MLP RPG items will drop the list by a third and not completely clutter my painting bench.  
2. Better Storage (and Waterproofing).  A little re-organization with new bins (especially for play mats), and some Dry-Lok for the Kriget Rum will ensure the basement collection is a little bit safer.  
3. Minis:  More Gnomes to fill in the unit holes, but the rest are strangely similar to last year's list:  Brigade Arabs, Tin-Soldier Mexicans and Sengalese Askaris that I never got around to purchasing.  Plus I anticipate a small Pulp Figures order once next this year's Movember charity figure is announced.  
4. Kickstarters:  No big Kickstarters in the near future, and with since my anticipated ones last year turned out to be pretty lackluster, I'll budget somewhere in the range of $200-250 for what catches my eye.  
5. RPGs:  Still haven't picked up Bubblegumshoe.  An actual 5e Player's Handbook might be a practical gift on my Christmas list.  Anything beyond that will be what I can find at the HMGS flea markets or Mepacon's auction.