Apologies for the long break - things have been hectic!
It's been a few Deathwatch sessions since the last post, and we've had some interesting changes; briefly, Jim is now playing a Blood Angels chaplain, having converted over since we obtained the new 'Rites of Battle' sourcebook.
We've been chugging along well with the new story arc, which has shown to be very interesting - a series of three missions compiled in 'The Emperor Protects'. Seems a pretty ironic title, as there is plenty of stuff in here for GM's to kick some major PC butt with!
In fact, as I write this, I currently have a hapless Ultramarines Librarian currently without his left arm (Tim), and my poor Blood Angels Assault Marine missing his right leg (Chris). Would be a much, MUCH uglier situation if not for fate points! With this in mind, the players are close to the end of the first mission, with plenty left to go and this week I expect the arrival of 'Mark of the Xenos', which is basically the DW version of the Monster Manual :-)
Other events of note since the last post include Jim's 40th birthday and my 30th. Some bloke called Damien also turned 32, but it was decided that this was of no real consequence.
What I've found interesting is that my 'How Old Do You Feel?' stat seems to have paused somewhere between 19-21 years old. I've considered this for a long time, and firmly believe that it's our hobbies and other diversions that keep us young. For geeks, this makes us all practically eternal children, who never really grow up in some ways.
After all, our spare time - outside family and partners - is invested in the playing of games, which sadly, a lot of adults simply do not make time to play any more. Consider the make-up of our current playing group:
Chris - Manager at Woolworths and night-shift planking supervisor
Damien - Door manufacturing and panda keeper at Melbourne Zoo
Tim - IT guy at some dodgy company which will probably end up on Wikileaks at some stage
Graham - IT guy at a secondary school and 'Is it plugged in?' solutions expert
Jeff - Service station worker at Woolworths and Canadian
Dave - Croupier at Crown Casino/7th Layer of Hell
Silas - Pharmacist and recent corporate shill
Michael - Secondary teacher and CRT whore
Jim - GE Money/8th Layer of Hell
Myself - State & Federal Government/9th Layer of Hell
A pretty diverse group, with extremely diverse hours of work among the ten of us. Yet we all make time to get together at least every fortnight (and for some of us, every week!) to sit around a table, spin stories, roll dice, take the piss out of each other and generally have a pretty good time.
Those of you familiar with this bunch will also attest to the fact that there's a few big kids in there, and I wouldn't have it any other way. It's never all sunshine and lollipops, but we get along well most of the time. Like most kids :-)
Ask yourself - among your 'non-geek' friends, how many people can say they do something social with such a large group regularly? For a lot of people, the answer will be something along the lines of 'Not as much as I'd like'. I think the current corporatespeak refers to this as a state of being 'time-poor'.
One of my favourite teachers had a particularly erudite way of putting things, and one of his favourite sayings was this - which I close with:
'We never have time, because we never make time.'
I've been making time for playing games since as far back as I can remember, and I intend never to stop.
Thursday, June 16, 2011
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
Herding Cats - Part 5
Well, we're back for 2011 after the Christmas/New Year break, and an unfortunate bout of severe laryngitis combined with a nasty chest infection!
The second Deathwatch session for the year took place three weeks ago as a result, and we are well and truly into the current storyline now. I managed to go - much to the dismay of some players! - two and a half sessions without a single dice rolled in combat, but the natural order of the WH40K universe was finally restored in this chapter, i.e. lots of fighting.
(Also of interest - as I write this, FFG (Fantasy Flight Games - the good people behind the Deathwatch RPG) have just announced 'Black Crusade'! Roleplaying for Chaos in the 41st Millennium!)
This post promised however to deal with our third psychographic, commonly found among roleplaying groups around the world - 'the cruncher'.
(Please see 'Herding Cats - Part 4' for 'the social player' and 'the Mal')
The cruncher is perhaps THE most immediately familiar player profile to most roleplayers/gamers, but even among crunchers there is stratification. I tend to group them into two separate types.*
'Type I crunchers' choose to treat games and game systems as mathematical problems to be solved, and these spreadsheet warriors are usually the product of too much MMORPG or simply math geeks.
Tell-tale signs at your gaming table include any player who ever utters the abbreviation 'DPS' or keeps a calculator/phone in close reach during combat - watch out for this guy. Chances are his mind is more focused on the next purple item waiting for him back home in WoW than it is on your current storyline! Ultimately though, his numbers are only as good as the tools you provide him with...
'Type II crunchers' are less concerned with the numbers, but will usually do their best to abuse other game mechanics/rules to the point where a number of things can/will happen, for example:
i. Their character becomes indestructible.
ii. Their character becomes un-hittable.
iii. One of your characters (NPC's), and ultimately all of your characters are reduced to the point of such inefficacy that you need to make a house rule.
Of course the severity of what sort of damage this type of cruncher can inflict depends heavily on both the game system in use and the leniency of the GM, but you get the idea. This type is usually harder to deal with too, since their first argument is guaranteed to be something along the lines of
'But it's in the rules!'
For inexperienced GM's, this can be extremely frustrating. After running a few games however and finding your comfort zone, you'll soon find yourself distinguishing which rules can be left untouched or which others might need to be adjusted in 'the spirit of the game'.
If in doubt, go play some more games under a GM who knows what he's doing. I consider myself lucky to have played under some pretty good ones, and this is the best way to learn what and what not to do!
In closing, DW is on again this week on Thursday evening. I can't wait.
:-)
* For those of you keeping score, I would say my current group probably includes two of the first type and one of the second type. I leave it to the reader to assign blame ;-)
The second Deathwatch session for the year took place three weeks ago as a result, and we are well and truly into the current storyline now. I managed to go - much to the dismay of some players! - two and a half sessions without a single dice rolled in combat, but the natural order of the WH40K universe was finally restored in this chapter, i.e. lots of fighting.
(Also of interest - as I write this, FFG (Fantasy Flight Games - the good people behind the Deathwatch RPG) have just announced 'Black Crusade'! Roleplaying for Chaos in the 41st Millennium!)
This post promised however to deal with our third psychographic, commonly found among roleplaying groups around the world - 'the cruncher'.
(Please see 'Herding Cats - Part 4' for 'the social player' and 'the Mal')
The cruncher is perhaps THE most immediately familiar player profile to most roleplayers/gamers, but even among crunchers there is stratification. I tend to group them into two separate types.*
'Type I crunchers' choose to treat games and game systems as mathematical problems to be solved, and these spreadsheet warriors are usually the product of too much MMORPG or simply math geeks.
Tell-tale signs at your gaming table include any player who ever utters the abbreviation 'DPS' or keeps a calculator/phone in close reach during combat - watch out for this guy. Chances are his mind is more focused on the next purple item waiting for him back home in WoW than it is on your current storyline! Ultimately though, his numbers are only as good as the tools you provide him with...
'Type II crunchers' are less concerned with the numbers, but will usually do their best to abuse other game mechanics/rules to the point where a number of things can/will happen, for example:
i. Their character becomes indestructible.
ii. Their character becomes un-hittable.
iii. One of your characters (NPC's), and ultimately all of your characters are reduced to the point of such inefficacy that you need to make a house rule.
Of course the severity of what sort of damage this type of cruncher can inflict depends heavily on both the game system in use and the leniency of the GM, but you get the idea. This type is usually harder to deal with too, since their first argument is guaranteed to be something along the lines of
'But it's in the rules!'
For inexperienced GM's, this can be extremely frustrating. After running a few games however and finding your comfort zone, you'll soon find yourself distinguishing which rules can be left untouched or which others might need to be adjusted in 'the spirit of the game'.
If in doubt, go play some more games under a GM who knows what he's doing. I consider myself lucky to have played under some pretty good ones, and this is the best way to learn what and what not to do!
In closing, DW is on again this week on Thursday evening. I can't wait.
:-)
* For those of you keeping score, I would say my current group probably includes two of the first type and one of the second type. I leave it to the reader to assign blame ;-)
Monday, December 20, 2010
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 :-)
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'.
Friday, December 3, 2010
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.
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.
Thursday, November 11, 2010
Herding Cats - Part 2
A week out from our first proper session (last Thursday night). Movies tonight with what will probably be a majority of the group, so I am expecting a dissectional!
Some initial thoughts...
I love this system. The 'Horde' rules make massed combat so much easier, and when you are dealing with things like tyranids, even moreso. Anyone unfamiliar with tyranids - go watch 'Aliens'. They breed, swarm and eat. That is all.
What I like in particular is that the combat system is designed to adapt both ways to massed combat, i.e. the Space Marine characters also get different abilities or 'moves' when taking on enemies in horde formation.
What I've seen so far seems to be working nicely and gives a much more 'cinematic' feel to this type of combat situation. I imagine it is pretty close to what we normally picture from our own imagination and sources like books or video games when thinking about Warhammer 40,000; Astartes taking down the massed enemy in swathes (which is how they're meant to work!) before individual combat with nastier opponents ensues.
I must also admit that before reading the sourcebook that I had reservations about the power level of marines, but the NPC enemies available to pit against them have allayed my initial concerns most admirably. The 'Nids are damn tough and only get worse from here on in.
The story so far...
The infamous Inquisitor Faustus has seen fit to provide his services to Killteam Sanvean, a newly formed band of Adeptus Astartes who have recently been acquired by the Deathwatch.
Their first mission?
Stay tuned :-)
Some initial thoughts...
I love this system. The 'Horde' rules make massed combat so much easier, and when you are dealing with things like tyranids, even moreso. Anyone unfamiliar with tyranids - go watch 'Aliens'. They breed, swarm and eat. That is all.
What I like in particular is that the combat system is designed to adapt both ways to massed combat, i.e. the Space Marine characters also get different abilities or 'moves' when taking on enemies in horde formation.
What I've seen so far seems to be working nicely and gives a much more 'cinematic' feel to this type of combat situation. I imagine it is pretty close to what we normally picture from our own imagination and sources like books or video games when thinking about Warhammer 40,000; Astartes taking down the massed enemy in swathes (which is how they're meant to work!) before individual combat with nastier opponents ensues.
I must also admit that before reading the sourcebook that I had reservations about the power level of marines, but the NPC enemies available to pit against them have allayed my initial concerns most admirably. The 'Nids are damn tough and only get worse from here on in.
The story so far...
The infamous Inquisitor Faustus has seen fit to provide his services to Killteam Sanvean, a newly formed band of Adeptus Astartes who have recently been acquired by the Deathwatch.
Their first mission?
Stay tuned :-)
Monday, November 1, 2010
Herding Cats - Part 1
My 'Deathwatch'* RPG kicks off in proper this Thursday night - I think we're setting a new record for party size among my group of like-minded nerds.
The roster so far:
Tim - Ultramarines Librarian (Psyker)
Chris - Blood Angels Assault Marine (Melee)
Mick - Inquisitor (Ordos Xenos)
Graham - Space Wolves Assault Marine (Melee)
Jim - Blood Angels Devastator Marine (Heavy Weapons)
Dave - Dark Angels Apothecary (Medic)
Silas - Dark Angels Tactical Marine (Utility)
7 players in total, all running around playing heavily genetically-modified and surgically altered superhuman warriors in power armour. Except Mick.
And don't get me started on the weapons :-)
The good news is that the game has NPCs (enemies or 'bad guys' to the uninitiated!) to match!
More to come...
* Deathwatch is set in the Warhammer 40,000 universe (possibly my all-time favourite!) - a rather bleak, dystopic vision of the far future in which Man now walks the stars alongside a diaspora of alien beings and malevolent gods. A high proportion of these like nothing better than to treat humans like Pez dispensers.
The roster so far:
Tim - Ultramarines Librarian (Psyker)
Chris - Blood Angels Assault Marine (Melee)
Mick - Inquisitor (Ordos Xenos)
Graham - Space Wolves Assault Marine (Melee)
Jim - Blood Angels Devastator Marine (Heavy Weapons)
Dave - Dark Angels Apothecary (Medic)
Silas - Dark Angels Tactical Marine (Utility)
7 players in total, all running around playing heavily genetically-modified and surgically altered superhuman warriors in power armour. Except Mick.
And don't get me started on the weapons :-)
The good news is that the game has NPCs (enemies or 'bad guys' to the uninitiated!) to match!
More to come...
* Deathwatch is set in the Warhammer 40,000 universe (possibly my all-time favourite!) - a rather bleak, dystopic vision of the far future in which Man now walks the stars alongside a diaspora of alien beings and malevolent gods. A high proportion of these like nothing better than to treat humans like Pez dispensers.
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