Herding Cats - Part 4

*Brief note*

Realised that I don't want this to merely be a 'blow-by-blow' of the session/campaign story, so I intend to focus more on the meta-aspects of RPG's - obviously with specific reference to my current campaign when applicable.

If you are interested in specific storyline stuff, feel free to contact me :-)

So last Thursday night saw the last session of Deathwatch...preceded by 'Tron: Legacy' at Karingal! This should never have worked, but turned out just fine; if you have ever had to organise any sized group of players plus one GM for a weekday roleplaying night, you will appreciate the difficulty of doing anything before the actual session. Heck, sometimes the dinner/snacks run beforehand turns into a disaster of epic scale! :-)

This was arguably one of the best sessions I've had the pleasure of being involved in however!

Lots of information was revealed, player handouts on the Blood Angels provided (since the current part of the story focuses on this Chapter of the Adeptus Astartes), and all players now have some non-combat related trails to follow in terms of their own stories and backgrounds.

As a result, we manged to experience and observe some very good character development - that is, players actually speaking and taking the time to learn more about each other's characters rather than just getting ready to roll dice for combat.

Don't get me wrong - this is a game featuring Space Marines and thus, the martial aspect of the game is inescapable, but by no account does this eliminate the possibility or need for 'good roleplay' or good storylines. After all, if the game was nothing but dice rolling in combat even the most hardened number-cruncher/spreadsheet-warrior would get bored eventually!*

What I have finally learned however (in what is now my third game - and perhaps even moreso after playing in recent campaigns run by some of my very good friends) is that not only do different players get different things out of their gaming, but these can vary greatly in their nature.

Some people show up for the social side of it, and not much else. These players could not care less if it was Deathwatch, Dungeons & Dragons or Monopoly on the table in front of them - the point is, they are sitting at the table with their friends and having (hopefully!) a good time with them. This type of player is not too fussed if you kill his character, or if some other horrible fate befalls him during a game. He is there to have a laugh, enjoy whatever part of the story he finds entertaining and perhaps gently rib the parts he finds ludicrous, eat potato chips, scoff lollies and quaff fizzy drink.

I know what you're all thinking - gaming is meant to be a social thing anyway, isn't it? Shouldn't this apply to all players?

The optimistic answer is 'Yes - absolutely'.

The realistic answer is 'Depends.'

Yes, some players are there for the social aspect. If you are one of these, my love to you :-)

There exists another type of player though. If you have any experience with the world of roleplaying games, you've unfortunately but quite probably played with one of them at least once in your gaming life. If you've ever been involved with any manner of MMORPG**, then you know exactly what I'm talking about.

This other type of player is not there to be social.

He may pretend to be.

He may even display any or all of the behaviour of the previously mentioned 'social player'.

He might joke around, and try to pretend that the numbers and papers on the table in front of him are just that...

Until you hurt him.

Now remember we're talking about roleplaying here. This stuff is all make-believe, and exists only in your head and as pencil marks on your character sheet/record.

The main problem with this type of player (and I say 'main' because this type of person usually has other issues that contribute to their behaviour at the kitchen table or in other social settings) is that he is unable to divorce himself as a person from his character.

For a GM, this presents immediate problems. You are no longer, for example, simply dealing 10 damage to Artin the Elf. You have just slapped your friend in the face. Literally, as far as this type is concerned and they will never forgive you for it.

Worse still, these players will allow this perceived slight from the imaginary realm of roleplaying to leak into real life. It may bubble over during the game, or perhaps from now on, they will think twice about inviting you out for drinks as a result, or to a movie.

Yes. They exist. In greater numbers than you may believe.

Thankfully, I don't have to worry about any players like this in my current campaign. It's a good group :-)

Well, this turned out to be more of an expository on RPG player psychographics - nothing wrong with that I guess.

So to recap, this week covered 'the social player' and 'the Mal' who I choose to name after Marion Cotillard's character from 'Inception' - one who is unable to distinguish fantasy from reality!

*boom-boom*

Tune in next week for 'the cruncher'!

* Unless their name is Silas :-)

** MMORPG or Massively Multiplayer Online Roleplaying Games. Think 'Warcraft'.

Herding Cats - Part 3

Decided to hold off on the post for the previous session/mission and just wait for the lads to get through it - hence the lateness of this entry! :-)

So the last two sessions involved the successful sabotage and destruction of a Tyranid hive ship, in which the marines and Inquisitor Faustus played a major part. A hive ship is in essence a massive single Tyranid organism, capable of travelling through space as part of large fleets of similar vessels. They are living, breathing entities and produce in their bowels of birthing chambers the many varieties of infinitely adaptable Tyranid organisms which are subsequently dispatched to planets to infiltrate, overtake and devour.

These hive fleets are all part of a large entity known as 'The Great Devourer' - a single entity that stretches over light years of space and is controlled in all its terrible aspect by the Hive Mind. What this means for the game is that the players not only have to deal with nasty, insatiably hungry alien creatures but also the possibility of a crushing psychic presence as well.

(For any un-WH40K-enlightened geeks, think of the creatures from the 'Alien' movies, combined with elements of the Borg from 'Star Trek'. Even nastier though - there is evidence to show that the Borg at least are capable of being reasoned with or at least capable of responding to logic. Tyranids? Not so much.)

As mentioned, ranged firepower is definitely where it's at when dealing with the 'Nids, and I've been pretty impressed so far with all of the Astartes weaponry (Space Marine weaponry is of a higher standard than 'civilian' equivalents), and it certainly gets the job done.

Going toe-to-toe (or should that be toe-to-claw?) with things like Genestealers and so forth is a very different and much scarier proposition however, and there have been some nasty near misses. As I mentioned previously, the game designers at FFG have done a very good job with the scaling of enemies and the 'feel' of fighting creatures like the Tyranids. Sure, the marines will have the edge at the beginning of combat, assuming they think things through and set up properly for sustained fire, but if it comes to close combat? Things can turn ugly, very quickly!

So with all of this in mind, Killteam Sanvean did very well - even managing to take down a Hive Tyrant in the process, although things may have gone differently for the players had the alien monstrosity popped up where it was supposed to; in the middle of the group!

They destroyed the synapse centre of the ship (essentially it's brain!), rescued some high-ranking Imperial Navy officers from their ailing transport - which was slowly being broken down by a digestive chamber after being swallowed whole by the hive ship - and destroyed the shielding system which also allowed the Imperial cruiser to utterly destroy the Tyranid monstrosity and save the world of Avalos below.

As a result, the proclamation of 'Exterminatus' was revoked for Avalos, the Killteam given much honour as a result of their exploits...and the growing legend of Inquisitor Faustus continued to grow :-)

To close, the first seeds of the campaign proper were sown...

Upon arriving back on the Imperial cruiser, Lord Inquisitor Faustus is informed that a message awaits him in his quarters. Upon examination of the strange device - a large holo-crystal set in a golden plinth, bearing only the mark of the Blood Angels chapter - Faustus consults with Captain Sanvean, who is a Blood Angel himself.

Sanvean explains that the device is a blood-crystal; an archeotech* device used for secure communication, only activated by a drop of blood from the intended recipient. Faustus does so, pricking his finger against the intricate plinth squeezing a single drop on the crystals surface. A deep red glow emanates from the gem, which slowly unfolds and projects a likeness of Mephiston, Chief Librarian of the Blood Angels and one of the most powerful psykers in the Imperium!

Faustus, Sanvean and his team find themselves requested to report to Baal - the homeworld of the Blood Angels chapter! - to assist in a matter of utmost importance to the Emperor's Finest.

Mephiston's ominous warning of the despised taint of Chaos on Baal rings fresh in their minds...what awaits the Astartes and the Inquisitor?

Stay tuned :-)

* Archeotech devices are examples of technology from the period of Imperial history known as 'The Dark Age of Technology' - they are beyond the ken and ability of most humans currently alive in the 41st Millennium. All are valued relics and are only capable of being maintained, not recreated - even among the Techpriests and the Brotherhood of Mars, these devices are considered enigmatic and all are to be venerated.