So to get a few things in order on this blog first. A few project updates.
The 3D Printing Project
...is dead. That one 3D printer I bought and was getting super excited about turned out to be a completely terrible experience. I was expecting something completely different. I was not expecting ultra-high definition or near invisible print layers, but I was expecting something that would print items and didn't need to be calibrated 10 times between each quasi-passable print. I was expecting something a little more user-friendly and a device that didn't need an degree in engineering to operate properly. I now realize that what I am looking for is way out of my price range.
So I cut my losses on the printer, and sold it on ebay as-is for about 70% of what I paid for. I may get into 3D printing still in the future, but right now it is out of reach. At least I tried. I really really tried. It was a bitch to work with, but I tried. The technology just has not caught up to the user friendly+quality level I was looking for.
Adventures of a C.P.A.
That campaign ended its season 1 with a lot of surprises. Flint had been working on a personal project this whole time, a giant clay golem that he bonded to his mind for control. This office worker/wizard was pushing his limits with the project, and thanks to constant help and knowledge from 'Tim', he was able to get a working model. The golem came into play during the season finale. A lot of buttkicking needed to be done, and with the help of the golem, Flint was able to carry himself in a fight. Until the very end.
It turns out an ancient presence was trying to break through the world, and all the magic use was gearing toward that. A sacrifice must be made every seven years. The 7th son of a 7th son is to be sacrificed to keep the current status quo. There were groups who wanted it to happen, and groups who didn't. With one, things would remain as they always have. With the other a change would occur in the world, we were just not sure what that chance would be. Flint is the 7th son of a 7th son, and knew what he must do. It was either him be sacrificed, or a little boy they had helped previously. He offered himself as a sacrifice, bled out into the swirling portal below in the Sears Tower, and died.
He then awoke. However he did not wake in his flesh. The surroundings were familiar to him, but the body was not. He found it was a body of clay. A body sculpted by an amateur sculptor, and runes inscribed allover to give it animation. The runes were his. The body was his golem.
End season 1.
Stay tuned for season 2 in a few years... hopefully.
Star*Drive Stuff
Speaking of seasons; after the modern fantasy campaign, we went back into another fantasy campaign that we started before. Sort of a science fantasy campaign I came in on halfway through before the adventures of Flint Richards. Our groups intention is to finish this campaign up, tie the loose ends, reach the epic conclusion, then it will be my turn to GM.
I am excited because I will be running a campaign in one of my favorite settings of all time: Star*Drive. Our intention is to use the FATE roleplaying system for some good narrative action. The group so far likes the idea of being a band of outlaws from their patron nations, and trying to survive and make a living in the Verge. I will keep this blog updated when we get to start that campaign with some developments.
Other Projects of Jarom and I
Jarom and I are still flexing our creative muscles on the various ideas and projects we have rolling around in our heads. He's still sketching and we're still brainstorming. However the Warhammer bug has bit him too. His attention has been focused lately on his Orks, and he has built quite a collection of them. Like me, he's really into conversions, and I will be featuring articles about his works on my other blog.
Showing posts with label fantasy. Show all posts
Showing posts with label fantasy. Show all posts
Saturday, November 22, 2014
Friday, June 14, 2013
My wife's first game of D&D (Part 4)
The campaign continues. The party copied down the crude map found in the structure, then ventured outside. Hogel, the orc tracker, noticed a lightly worn trail that lead toward the shores. There was enough foot traffic that suggested more than one trip was made on it by a group of people.
Following the trail they noticed an islander fishing village, still active. They were met with no hostility, only looks of suspicion, and sometimes derision. Attempts at communication were met with shuns and gibberish none recognized. Luckily they noticed a ship off shore, with a small rowboat. The ship was definitely more of the civilized sort, and so was the owner. A gaudily dressed seafaring man named Ferrus. He spoke common, and the native Bu'atu langage as well. He was a trader, and this village was one of many on his route he comes for fish and other island delicacies. He agreed to translate for the party in exchange for something. Luckily Galazbryn, the dwarf warrior, picked up an unknown trinket in the structure, it looked interesting enough to Ferrus that he agreed to help. They were lead to the village's leader, a larger tent and guarded by able bodied tribal men. Inside they were met with a welcome, and after some coaxing, they got the village elder to tell the story of this place, and the structure.
About a year ago, a giant ball of fire fell from the sky, and landed. After the fires cooled, all that remained was the strange structure. Inside were the strange mutated creatures. They were bothersome to the village, but only a nuisance. Thievery mostly. Then came a tribe of warrior woman from far away, they came seeking signs which they believed were the structure. The women emerged from it with a great orb of power. Then the warriors turned on the Bu'atu village and stole supplies and some men, and left to the caves to the north, there they remained. The elder was able to notice the features of Maevik and believed she was of them.
The group wished to go to the marauders and perhaps free the men slaves, and retrieve the golden orb. The elder was kind enough to impart one man who would guide them.
The next day began a 2 day long journey north through the thick jungles. Avoiding dangers along the way thanks to their guide. Once they arrived at the ravine which housed the caves, they noticed the activity. It was definitely inhabited. Their Bu'atu guide refused to go further. The group waited for nightfall before proceeding. Hogel of course scouted it out, gathering intelligence. There were tents outside the cave entrance, and they seemed to be mostly empty. The group decided it would be the best time to attack, so they assaulted the warriors. Maevik recognized some, but there was something off about them. They were paler of skin, slightly rotted flesh similar to the creatures in the structure, and a strange look behind their eyes, almost as if they were mad. The survivors refused to talk. Having silenced them, they cautiously approached the cave entrance, hearing the chanting and pyres inside. Nobody seemed to be alerted to what just happened.
As they got in deeper, they found themselves snuck up on by an entire hunting party that came back, a dozen arrows trained in on them. They dropped there weapons and were lead deep into the caves, into the source of the chanting. Verital, the tiefling warlock, could feel a power emanating from within, one he has only felt since starting this quest, but stronger now than ever. Then in the room there were many more women chanting around a pedestal which carried the golden orb, the one they seeked, and Khyos.
Khyos laughed at the sight of Maevik. Gloating to her younger sister of the new power their tribe achieved. Soon after Maevik was banished, and took the widowmaker, the sign of the right to rule, Khyos had a vision of a new source of power, a new heirloom. Following signs and portents, they were lead here to this place, and this orb. They have been worshiping it and it has granted them power.
Seeing her friends under the spears of the tribeswomen, Maevik saw and opportunity. She challenged her sister for combat over the right to rule. If this new power was true, it would further testify why she was queen. Khyos could not ignore such a challenge, and the 2 were given a rink.
A brave fight ensued. Verital thought of a way to incite fear on the side of Maevik. He subtly ignited her sword in flames. It garnered gasps from the audience, but Maevik was still struggling in her fight. Khyos indeed had a new power. Sometimes her strikes would generate a shock, at times it seemed to be arcing from her. Luckily her cloak given to her by Hogel helped in protection.
Fearing the loss of Maevik, the rest of the group decided to fight against their captors while they were distracted by the melee. The tribeswomen too were gifted with this electric power.
Maevik was still holding out against Khyos, but barely. She tried to speak to her tribeswoman that the sword was still the rightful symbol of power, not the evil corrupting energies of the orb. The women seemed to contemplate it a little, but Khyos reminded them again why she ruled, and her sister ran.
In the fight Maevik was knocked down and hurt terribly. Khyos gloated. But in a last ditch hit, which was sapping the life from Maevik, she delivered a fatal blow. The sword still aflame and brighter than ever shone throughout the room like a beacon. Maevik continued to plead with her tribe that this wasn't the way. Taking unknown and little understood power only worked to damage the pure ways of the amazon warriors. That they needed to return to their homeland, and leave the slaves. The tribeswoman were beginning to see reason as soon as Verital took the orb and covered it up. Like a cloud has been lifted from their minds. They began chanting for Maevik, their queen.
This was where the group parted. Maevik had found her calling with her tribe, to lead them back to their traditional ways, and the path to healing. She said her goodbyes to Galazbryn, who was undoubtedly brave throughout the entire adventure. To Hogel who time and time again proved his skills, and that full-blooded orcs were more than mindless brutes. And to Verital, the extremely handsome, and powerful adept, who had saved them on many occasions.
Having the orb now, they waved goodbye, and activated their homing rings given to them by Sydrick, and found themselves back in the room they once left.
But this was different. All furniture, tapestries, and books were gone. It was empty. In the center was merely a pedestal and a pillow on top, and Sydrick standing beside it. He asked them if they now had the orb, greedily. Verital asked for proof of the reward. With the wave of his hand a chest appeared in the corner, full of gold and shiny trinkets. Sydrick seemed anxious, and impatient, asking abruptly to place the orb on the pedestal. Verital could sense that something was off. Hogel didn't smell Sydrick either, it seemed like there was nothing there.
Verital cautiously set it down, ready for anything. Sydrick laughed, a raucous cackle. Then he disappeared. It was an illusion. The chest of gold was an illusion as well. The group may never know what they had just done, or what may transpire because of it, but things would be set in motion that may change the land of Adyan forever.
About a year ago, a giant ball of fire fell from the sky, and landed. After the fires cooled, all that remained was the strange structure. Inside were the strange mutated creatures. They were bothersome to the village, but only a nuisance. Thievery mostly. Then came a tribe of warrior woman from far away, they came seeking signs which they believed were the structure. The women emerged from it with a great orb of power. Then the warriors turned on the Bu'atu village and stole supplies and some men, and left to the caves to the north, there they remained. The elder was able to notice the features of Maevik and believed she was of them.
The group wished to go to the marauders and perhaps free the men slaves, and retrieve the golden orb. The elder was kind enough to impart one man who would guide them.
As they got in deeper, they found themselves snuck up on by an entire hunting party that came back, a dozen arrows trained in on them. They dropped there weapons and were lead deep into the caves, into the source of the chanting. Verital, the tiefling warlock, could feel a power emanating from within, one he has only felt since starting this quest, but stronger now than ever. Then in the room there were many more women chanting around a pedestal which carried the golden orb, the one they seeked, and Khyos.
Seeing her friends under the spears of the tribeswomen, Maevik saw and opportunity. She challenged her sister for combat over the right to rule. If this new power was true, it would further testify why she was queen. Khyos could not ignore such a challenge, and the 2 were given a rink.
A brave fight ensued. Verital thought of a way to incite fear on the side of Maevik. He subtly ignited her sword in flames. It garnered gasps from the audience, but Maevik was still struggling in her fight. Khyos indeed had a new power. Sometimes her strikes would generate a shock, at times it seemed to be arcing from her. Luckily her cloak given to her by Hogel helped in protection.
Fearing the loss of Maevik, the rest of the group decided to fight against their captors while they were distracted by the melee. The tribeswomen too were gifted with this electric power.
Maevik was still holding out against Khyos, but barely. She tried to speak to her tribeswoman that the sword was still the rightful symbol of power, not the evil corrupting energies of the orb. The women seemed to contemplate it a little, but Khyos reminded them again why she ruled, and her sister ran.
In the fight Maevik was knocked down and hurt terribly. Khyos gloated. But in a last ditch hit, which was sapping the life from Maevik, she delivered a fatal blow. The sword still aflame and brighter than ever shone throughout the room like a beacon. Maevik continued to plead with her tribe that this wasn't the way. Taking unknown and little understood power only worked to damage the pure ways of the amazon warriors. That they needed to return to their homeland, and leave the slaves. The tribeswoman were beginning to see reason as soon as Verital took the orb and covered it up. Like a cloud has been lifted from their minds. They began chanting for Maevik, their queen.
This was where the group parted. Maevik had found her calling with her tribe, to lead them back to their traditional ways, and the path to healing. She said her goodbyes to Galazbryn, who was undoubtedly brave throughout the entire adventure. To Hogel who time and time again proved his skills, and that full-blooded orcs were more than mindless brutes. And to Verital, the extremely handsome, and powerful adept, who had saved them on many occasions.
Having the orb now, they waved goodbye, and activated their homing rings given to them by Sydrick, and found themselves back in the room they once left.
But this was different. All furniture, tapestries, and books were gone. It was empty. In the center was merely a pedestal and a pillow on top, and Sydrick standing beside it. He asked them if they now had the orb, greedily. Verital asked for proof of the reward. With the wave of his hand a chest appeared in the corner, full of gold and shiny trinkets. Sydrick seemed anxious, and impatient, asking abruptly to place the orb on the pedestal. Verital could sense that something was off. Hogel didn't smell Sydrick either, it seemed like there was nothing there.
Verital cautiously set it down, ready for anything. Sydrick laughed, a raucous cackle. Then he disappeared. It was an illusion. The chest of gold was an illusion as well. The group may never know what they had just done, or what may transpire because of it, but things would be set in motion that may change the land of Adyan forever.
The End
Friday, June 7, 2013
My wife's first game of D&D (Part 3)
So we gathered around the table, and their adventure began... in a tavern. (Hey, I did say I wanted my wife to experience D&D.)
The party finds themselves in a tavern looking for work. Verital, the tiefling warlock, goes about asking the barkeep for any leads. He points them to a skittish gnome drinking alone. Maevik, the amazoness, immediately put to work some of her seductive appeal, but the gnome was all too willing to talk about a job by his great and powerful and illustrious master, Sydrick the wizard. Galazbryn, the dwarf warrior maiden, had heard the name before, but couldn't put her finger on what exactly. Something bothered her about it.
Having no other lead for work, they followed the excited gnome to a wizard's tower, where they were lead into the lobby and met with Sydrick the wizard. He looked all the part. He explained to them that he needed a powerful artifact recovered for him. It was lost in the jungles in the tropical regions of the continent. A golden orb. Sydrick had use of it as any wizard would have of any such trinket. He promised ample rewards to the heroes. There wasn't much more convincing needed.
He gave them each magic rings that would teleport them back to the tower, but warned them to only ever use them once they had possession of the orb. As he left the room, a circle in the floor lit up and they found themselves amidst a teleportation ritual. It was meant to bring them close to where the orb should be.
In a brilliant flash, the party suddenly found themselves surrounded by humidity, heat, and jungle noises. Hogel, the orc tracker, immediately began to take stock of his surroundings. Silently he disappeared into the woods. It didn't take him long to find the obvious out of place. A large structure was planted in the forest. It had left a long deep groove in the dirt, as if it had moved. The whole thing seemed eschewed with strange markings painted on the sides. No other entrance seemed apparent but the glass dome that was shattered and half buried. By the look of the vegetation growing up the side of it, it appears to have been here for only about a year.
The party explored the structure. Strange indeed. No craftsmanship or materials were recognizable. Verital the warlock could sense some energies, but no strange magics. Within they explored and found many unsettling things. Half rotten, and half eaten corpses laid about. All wearing strange gray clothing. Crude daemonic shrines and strange shaped artifacts laid about. Once they found a giant electrical shocker lizard nesting in what could closest be described as an alchemist's lab. Maevik made quick work of the beast with her tribal sword. Hogel had skinned the corpse and made small cloaks for him and Maevik. Assuming it's electric properties may prove useful later.
It was a standard dungeon crawl, encountering mutated ugly 'humans' who were mad beyond interrogation. Hogel continued to keep trophies of his kills in the manner of scalping their rotted heads. Verital came in use finding some manner of fire traps which he was able to control with his mysterious tome, the Fire Lord's Edict, and in dispatching the final mutant lord of the place.
Alas they believe they had found it, or at least the pedestal. Verital could sense the residual power that had once existed there, and there was no doubt that this once held the golden orb. Painted among the walls it chronicled the arrival of a people who raided the place, and took the orb, and left to a cave not far off, as illustrated on a map. But Maevik was enraged. She recognized the style of drawings. And the lead figure who had claimed the orb as it's own was wearing the signature headdress of queen of her tribe, the amazons: Khyos, her sister. The one who defeated Maevik, and the one she had stolen the sword from. This had suddenly become very personal for her.
To be continued...
Having no other lead for work, they followed the excited gnome to a wizard's tower, where they were lead into the lobby and met with Sydrick the wizard. He looked all the part. He explained to them that he needed a powerful artifact recovered for him. It was lost in the jungles in the tropical regions of the continent. A golden orb. Sydrick had use of it as any wizard would have of any such trinket. He promised ample rewards to the heroes. There wasn't much more convincing needed.
He gave them each magic rings that would teleport them back to the tower, but warned them to only ever use them once they had possession of the orb. As he left the room, a circle in the floor lit up and they found themselves amidst a teleportation ritual. It was meant to bring them close to where the orb should be.
In a brilliant flash, the party suddenly found themselves surrounded by humidity, heat, and jungle noises. Hogel, the orc tracker, immediately began to take stock of his surroundings. Silently he disappeared into the woods. It didn't take him long to find the obvious out of place. A large structure was planted in the forest. It had left a long deep groove in the dirt, as if it had moved. The whole thing seemed eschewed with strange markings painted on the sides. No other entrance seemed apparent but the glass dome that was shattered and half buried. By the look of the vegetation growing up the side of it, it appears to have been here for only about a year.
The party explored the structure. Strange indeed. No craftsmanship or materials were recognizable. Verital the warlock could sense some energies, but no strange magics. Within they explored and found many unsettling things. Half rotten, and half eaten corpses laid about. All wearing strange gray clothing. Crude daemonic shrines and strange shaped artifacts laid about. Once they found a giant electrical shocker lizard nesting in what could closest be described as an alchemist's lab. Maevik made quick work of the beast with her tribal sword. Hogel had skinned the corpse and made small cloaks for him and Maevik. Assuming it's electric properties may prove useful later.
It was a standard dungeon crawl, encountering mutated ugly 'humans' who were mad beyond interrogation. Hogel continued to keep trophies of his kills in the manner of scalping their rotted heads. Verital came in use finding some manner of fire traps which he was able to control with his mysterious tome, the Fire Lord's Edict, and in dispatching the final mutant lord of the place.
Alas they believe they had found it, or at least the pedestal. Verital could sense the residual power that had once existed there, and there was no doubt that this once held the golden orb. Painted among the walls it chronicled the arrival of a people who raided the place, and took the orb, and left to a cave not far off, as illustrated on a map. But Maevik was enraged. She recognized the style of drawings. And the lead figure who had claimed the orb as it's own was wearing the signature headdress of queen of her tribe, the amazons: Khyos, her sister. The one who defeated Maevik, and the one she had stolen the sword from. This had suddenly become very personal for her.
To be continued...
Friday, May 24, 2013
My wife's first game of D&D (Part 2)
Last week I touched on the first RPG I ran for my wife. So the first big step was creating her character. Naturally I didn't want to bore her with different feats, the nuances of character creation, or all the different classes, so I wanted to keep it simple. I asked her what type of character she would like to play. Thinking of all the books you've read, the movies you've seen, what type of heroin would you like to be?
After bouncing some ideas back and forth, she fixated on a strong female warrior type reminiscent of some of the girls in Frank Frazetta's artwork. An artist we are both fans of. She also had the idea of an amazoness type warrior woman. So I figured the best character archetype would be a barbarian.
Now, True20 doesn't have character classes, which is what I like about it. Basically you can choose either the Expert, Adept, or Warrior character types. Warrior was the obvious one, but the choice of gear, skills, and feats are what separates her from a soldier. Giving her the quintessential 'Rage' feat, which would temporarily boost her stats seemed appropriate.
There was another key thing about RPG's that I wanted to drive home with my wife, and that was the RP part of RPG. I wanted her to create a backstory for her character that helped define her actions and decisions. One that gave her character a goal and demeanor instead of a sheet full of numbers you roll on. After some more lively brainstorming, we settled on the following:
Soon we gathered around the table to start her first adventure. More on that next week.
After bouncing some ideas back and forth, she fixated on a strong female warrior type reminiscent of some of the girls in Frank Frazetta's artwork. An artist we are both fans of. She also had the idea of an amazoness type warrior woman. So I figured the best character archetype would be a barbarian.
Now, True20 doesn't have character classes, which is what I like about it. Basically you can choose either the Expert, Adept, or Warrior character types. Warrior was the obvious one, but the choice of gear, skills, and feats are what separates her from a soldier. Giving her the quintessential 'Rage' feat, which would temporarily boost her stats seemed appropriate.
There was another key thing about RPG's that I wanted to drive home with my wife, and that was the RP part of RPG. I wanted her to create a backstory for her character that helped define her actions and decisions. One that gave her character a goal and demeanor instead of a sheet full of numbers you roll on. After some more lively brainstorming, we settled on the following:
Maevik was the daughter of the tribal queen of the Amazon forest tribe. This matriarchal society believes in strength and prowess of their leader. The tribal queen is required to have several daughters to determine who will be the next queen. There was Khyos, the first daughter, and then there was Maevik, the second. Khyos and Maevik never quite got along, mainly because they both knew that they would have to fight one day for the crowning headress. It didn't matter who was born first, it only mattered who would win in mortal combat.You could imagine my pride when we came up with an actual interesting female character, one with flaws, strengths, and an interesting past that may provide an issue in her future. Beth seemed excited about the concept of Maevik, and her animal companion, the young dire wolf named Fang.
Then came the fight for succession, and Maevik was beaten by her older sister. Unwilling to accept defeat, but having no choice, she ran away from her tribe, and absconded with the queen's sword, the Widowmaker, which was the symbol of the queen's power and authority. She also took one of the tribe's young dire wolves with her.
Maevik has been an outcast and hunted by her tribe for a year. She took work where she could get it, and has been living as an adventurer since. For a few months she has been traveling with the others of the party: the orc, Hogel Leftshooter, the dwarf Galazbryn, and the leader of the group, the tiefling named Verital.
Soon we gathered around the table to start her first adventure. More on that next week.
Friday, May 17, 2013
My wife's first game of D&D (Part 1)
When my wife, Beth, first learned that I played super nerdy role-playing games like D&D, she had to rationalize dating me a little bit. It turned to one of those things where she didn't have to embrace it, or act on it, just support me loving it. I would occasionally regale her with tales on how awesome it is, but her eyes would glaze over like mine when she talked about shoes.
She is also an avid book reader, and we struck a deal that I would read one of her favorite books if she would read one of mine. So I couldn't think of a better book to get her to understand RPGs than this one. In case you are not familiar with this book, here is a brief synopsis:
There were so many options for what game to play, but I decided to try something traditional. A fantasy game with some crawls and mystery. Standard fare. Also for the game system, I wanted to go with a simple lighter version of D&D. I found True20. Beth had a small fascination with the d20, so finding a simple d20 system worked great for that. I'm really not a fan of the d20 games and systems, but I find True20 to be the more tolerable. It's open ended enough to not be rigidly class-based and I like the narrative aspect of it. I wanted to avoid a game that focused on miniatures use. Luckily too the book came with an adventure module, one which would be the perfect little standalone adventure. I did want to make sure it was more than just a dungeon crawl grind-fest.
With that, we made characters. I got my brothers and sister in on the game. People that Beth would be comfortable playing with.
The party list consisted of the following:
Hogel Leftshooter
Jarom Swenson
Orc Scout - Male
A reclusive orc tracker who has definitely spent more time outside of civilization than within. He wields his bow with deadly precision, as well as a skinning knife which saw much use scalping the heads of his kills. He's also missing several fingers on his right hand. Nobody knows how.
Galazbryn
Julia Swenson
Dwarf Warrior - Female
A headstrong but thoughtful dwarf fed-up with life amidst the hearth, seeking some thrill. She wields dual-swords and is always found on the front line protecting her companions.
Verital
James Swenson
Tiefling Fire Adept - Male
The manipulative and disgustingly handsome tiefling has been seeking to increase his power through experience. He has on himself some very rare tomes, of which no one knows how he came upon them. Fera te Fatar (Flame Lord's Edict - in demonic) and Anat DuForal (Anatomy of Us and Others - in elven)
Maevik
Beth Swenson
Human Barbarian - Female
Then there's my wife's first character ever made. I will get more into her in next week's post, but for now here is a beautiful art piece Jarom made for her to commemorate this significant event in Beth's life.
She is also an avid book reader, and we struck a deal that I would read one of her favorite books if she would read one of mine. So I couldn't think of a better book to get her to understand RPGs than this one. In case you are not familiar with this book, here is a brief synopsis:
Confessions of a Part-time Sorceress is a smart, humorous examination of the Dungeons & Dragons roleplaying game from a female gamer's point of view. The book delves into the myths and realities of gamer stereotypes. It explains how to build a character for a D&D game, how to shop for gear, how to play, and how to find the perfect gaming group, all the while exploring the things that make the D&D game a rewarding and recurring social experience for both men and women.It's a great intro to D&D book for non-nerds because it is written by one who knew nothing of it going in. It was written for people exactly like my wife. She enjoyed the book, and then when she was done, she surprised me with the following words:
"You know, I would be up for the notion of trying a game of D&D."I was excited and anxious. I had the opportunity give someone their first RPG experience. I haven't had that thrill since my first game ever. So I immediately began working on the game.
There were so many options for what game to play, but I decided to try something traditional. A fantasy game with some crawls and mystery. Standard fare. Also for the game system, I wanted to go with a simple lighter version of D&D. I found True20. Beth had a small fascination with the d20, so finding a simple d20 system worked great for that. I'm really not a fan of the d20 games and systems, but I find True20 to be the more tolerable. It's open ended enough to not be rigidly class-based and I like the narrative aspect of it. I wanted to avoid a game that focused on miniatures use. Luckily too the book came with an adventure module, one which would be the perfect little standalone adventure. I did want to make sure it was more than just a dungeon crawl grind-fest.
With that, we made characters. I got my brothers and sister in on the game. People that Beth would be comfortable playing with.
The party list consisted of the following:
Hogel Leftshooter
Jarom Swenson
Orc Scout - Male
A reclusive orc tracker who has definitely spent more time outside of civilization than within. He wields his bow with deadly precision, as well as a skinning knife which saw much use scalping the heads of his kills. He's also missing several fingers on his right hand. Nobody knows how.
Galazbryn
Julia Swenson
Dwarf Warrior - Female
A headstrong but thoughtful dwarf fed-up with life amidst the hearth, seeking some thrill. She wields dual-swords and is always found on the front line protecting her companions.
Verital
James Swenson
Tiefling Fire Adept - Male
The manipulative and disgustingly handsome tiefling has been seeking to increase his power through experience. He has on himself some very rare tomes, of which no one knows how he came upon them. Fera te Fatar (Flame Lord's Edict - in demonic) and Anat DuForal (Anatomy of Us and Others - in elven)
Maevik
Beth Swenson
Human Barbarian - Female
Then there's my wife's first character ever made. I will get more into her in next week's post, but for now here is a beautiful art piece Jarom made for her to commemorate this significant event in Beth's life.
Monday, February 18, 2013
Kickstarter: Busty Barbarian Bimbos
I have already had a post here before about my opinions of Kickstarter. I think it is wonderful, but can also have a lot of poor stuff on it. Today I bring to you sort of a controversial project. One that I was at first reluctant to bring up, but I will explain why I decided to do so.
It would seem like a misogynistic pile of male chauvinism and objectification (whew, big words). But I implore you to look a little harder and deeper. Once you do, you see the spirit of the project. It's actually a tongue-in-cheek tribute to busty fantasy art. The game is designed to take you back to the day when you were a snickering adolescent when looking at those pin-up rpg covers. The creator describes it well on his kickstarter page:
As far as gameplay, it's actually pretty sound. It's meant to be simple and use as little math as possible, and the creator did a great job with that. Usually when they describe the main stats, that is when people get up in arms. Similar to Rogue Space's FASER, this uses a simple acronym. Watch the video on the kickstarter page to find that out.
It's already reached its funding goal and is growing healthy and strong, so this isn't a cry for support. Mainly I just want to bring attention to this fun project, but not start any arguments, or alienate any of my readers. If you still find this project offensive after taking a closer look at it, that's cool. Move on. Even the creator knew he would get some flack and negativity, but I think it's important to point out that he didn't make this to troll the internet, and neither am I.
It would seem like a misogynistic pile of male chauvinism and objectification (whew, big words). But I implore you to look a little harder and deeper. Once you do, you see the spirit of the project. It's actually a tongue-in-cheek tribute to busty fantasy art. The game is designed to take you back to the day when you were a snickering adolescent when looking at those pin-up rpg covers. The creator describes it well on his kickstarter page:
There is enough on the internet to make you feel guilty for liking chainmail bikini stuff, and there has been enough of a social backlash against it. Through all the guilt ridden attitude, it is refreshing to see something like this get support and funding. I had a small part in the game's development, and at first I didn't give it any credence. I thought it was just another basement dweller's fap material. But once you look through it, it's not that at all. The game isn't meant to be perverted or an erotic roleplaying game, nor is it meant to be an ironic empowering women through sex agenda game. It's meant to be a fun romp for snickering adolescents, as the creator described it. Even my wife, who generally isn't into roleplaying games, finds the concept of this game fun and intriguing, and would be willing to sit down for a session.For decades, games have been marketed with scantily-clad, shapely young women prominently displayed. All too frequently these games aren't about those cheesecake pin-ups at all. The girl is a damsel in distress or villain, and the majority of play revolves around sweaty muscle-men running around being manly. Not so with Busty Barbarian Bimbos. Here the players take on the roles of the titular characters in a world that is dominated not by bearded wizards and savage swordsmen, but by the values of aesthetic beauty, fashion, and social standing.
Core design concerns, taken into account whenever possible, include
- Pretty girls get preferential treatment. They are treated better by other characters. They are treated better by their clothes. They are treated better by the rules. * An aggressive absence of math. No hit-points, no numeric bonuses, very little counting.
- Disdain for slavish book-keeping. Book-keeping leads to math, math leads to tedium, and tedium isn't what games are for.
- Disdain for verisimilitude. While the assumed setting is essentially a post-apocalyptic swords & sorcery environment, getting too serious about questions like “what kind of economic and industrial infrastructure is present to allow for the supply of lip-liner and daiquiris?” is a buzz-kill.
- Dismissal of manliness. Men don't matter. The heroines aren't encouraged to solve problems by emulating manly characters from other games. We aren't taking Conan the Cimmerian and photoshopping a bikini onto him. Not to knock Red Sonja, but the model of empowering girls by having them act like boys is not the goal here.
As far as gameplay, it's actually pretty sound. It's meant to be simple and use as little math as possible, and the creator did a great job with that. Usually when they describe the main stats, that is when people get up in arms. Similar to Rogue Space's FASER, this uses a simple acronym. Watch the video on the kickstarter page to find that out.
It's already reached its funding goal and is growing healthy and strong, so this isn't a cry for support. Mainly I just want to bring attention to this fun project, but not start any arguments, or alienate any of my readers. If you still find this project offensive after taking a closer look at it, that's cool. Move on. Even the creator knew he would get some flack and negativity, but I think it's important to point out that he didn't make this to troll the internet, and neither am I.
Wednesday, December 19, 2012
Never has there been a better Dwarf movie
When you look at the original source material of the Hobbit, it is a children's bedtime tale with 13 stunted creatures called dwarves, and a hobbit. These dwarves were meant to be silly characters, more like Snow White's famous entourage. Because of this stereotype, dwarves are seen as little more than comic relief in pop-culture. Even my own wife didn't get the reverence and respect I hold for them. Of course mine stems from being more entrenched in geek culture, with things like Warhammer and heroic legends of Warcraft's Bronzebeard brothers.
This all changed with this movie. You watched legions of dwarves heroically face off against an innumerable horde of orcs and goblins. You see a young one face off against a powerful foe and succeed in a fight akin to King Isildur's match with Sauron in The Fellowship of the Ring.You see more than plucky characters here, you see bold and brave, stern and gruff, skilled and purposeful. This movie showed it all. I wish I had some screenshots to show examples of awesome dwarftitude. So I will just describe a few goose-bump inducing examples:
- Thorin rising from the tree, oaken shield on one arm, walking boldly to face the pale orc.
- A dwarf blacksmith holding a glowing hot piece of metal in a gloved hand above his head, and 2 great hammers converge from the ceiling to shape it, during the beginning intro.
- The choir of deep voices humming the song of the misty mountains. (This will be my new lullaby for my kids from now on)
- The band leaping from the trees to take on the giant trolls with their warcry.
- The whole escape from Goblin Town.
It is important to note that the charm of Tolkein's original story is there. In the movie we hear a few lighthearted songs and jokes, and they aren't without their blunders or diplomatic faux pas'. They can be amazingly badass warriors, as well as the brunt of a joke or two on occasion.
But after the credits rolled, I turned to my wife and said "Now do you get why I like dwarves so much?" To which she admitted she did. And that's what matters.
So who is my favorite of the company of dwarves? It's sort of a toss up between two.
Dwalin, the first one that arrived at Bilbo's home, probably ekes out over the top simply because he's the most armed of the group, sporting 2 great-axes crossed at his back, and a massive warhammer at grip. On top of that you have a plethora of knives tucked away in just about every available spot, and even his gloves cover the knuckles in the sharp geometric patterns seen in all of their armor and weaponry. He was never hesitant to use any of it, or lacking skill. Whenever I made a dwarf fighter in DnD, this is pretty much how I imagined him.
Bifur is one that gets much less screen time and lines, but for a reason. See that in his forehead? It's a goblin axe-blade. He must have taken it during the battle for Moria, and like the stout warrior he is, fought on. Their surgeons probably realized that removing the blade would kill him, so they decided to just leave it in, allowing his flesh to grow around it. There is a side effect to it, though. And the reason for so few lines and little screen-time. It hit the right part of his frontal lobe which caused a permanent switch in his language center to ancient dwarvish. That would also be why only Gandalf ever responded to his babbling. He's the only one that could understand him! (Face it, do you ever remember any latin language lessons? If you took an injury that switched you to speak only latin, could others understand you?) He follows close behind Dwalin simply because he's got a f***ing goblin axe sticking out of his head!Which was your favorite dwarf?
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