Current events

This page is for discussion of stuff related to the game coming up this week, no matter when that actually is. For instance, we can all assume Nate isnt coming for some lame reason and that Ed is sick of pizza and is bringing teriyaki or some other crap. They can post something here if that happens to be untrue.

Schedule

Date...........game................Location..........(Advanced attendance)

4/17/09.....Supers.........Ben's Condo.........
4/24/09.....nada.........Ben's Condo.........Dieter, Ed, Matt Absent
5/01/09.....OAAAAA.........Ben's Condo.........Ed absent
5/08/09.....OAAAAA.........Ben's Condo.........
5/15/09.....OAAAAA.........Ben's Condo.........
5/22/09.....OAAAAA.........Ben's Condo.........Matt absent
5/29/09.....OAAAAA.........Ben's Condo.........
6/05/09.....XXX.........Canceled
6/12/09.....???.........Ben's Condo.........Ed absent, Dieter SIFF @ 9:30
6/19/09.....???.........Ben's Condo.........Ed likely absent
6/26/09.....???.........Ben's Condo.........Matt absent, getting married
7/03/09.....???.........Ben's Condo.........
7/10/09.....???.........Ben's Condo.........
7/17/09.....???.........Ben's Condo.........Ed absent
7/24/09.....???.........Ben's Condo.........

Quote(s) of the week

Elemental: (to police chief, who thanked them for their good work) That certainly isn't going to help Viho's colossal ego. (or something like that...)

CyberJesus: I'm so sick and tired of this bullshit Thomas Kinkaid police state!

Ashbury: I grow plants that may or may not be used for pharmaceutical purposes

Ed/Aefra: "I use Seduction on the baby"

"Galen, you're wearing a dress." "Yes, but I still look better in it than in you do in your clothes."

Ranting and Raving

--Gdaze 12:52, 1 June 2009 (MST) Alright, if we want this pirate game to kick off, please go see what I posted. Basically, is there any system people would really like to use, or NOT use. Let me know, sooner = better. Brandon, will you be playing? I know you were interested in more Steampunk (sky pirates) but most are in favor of normal pirates.

--Brandon 14:22, 1 June 2009 (MST) Don't take anything I say into account, as I will not be playing on any regular basis (unfortunately). But, I will probably make a character regardless so that I can drop in on occasion. For the record, I'm excited about pirates in general, whether normal, fantastical, or steamed.

--Gdaze-- Alright all, let me know what you think of how the pirate game is shaping up, or sorry... Set Sail... For Adventure! The kinda feel I was going for was something like PoC or Sinbad. Now that the basic classes are up, I'd like to know which ones people think they may play, or if your concerned there isn't one that represents what you would like to play. I'm a little nervious about GMing for this one, because I've never actually read any pirate books...

Okay I'm going to be really honest here, haha. I'm actually really doubting my ability to run a pirate game... I know nothing of sea travel, have read no liture on pirates in a long time, and feel I may drop too much occult in. To be sure, I've been reading massive amounts on Wiki, but eh... I want to play pirates but maybe I'm not the best choice to run it? I guess I'm also somewhat worried about the over-all plot of the game. I have some things in mind, but I don't want every adventure to be sail to point a, kill ship x, sail back to point b.

I guess what I'm trying to say, in a long winded manner, is that I am almost 100% sure that I can not give a totally realisic pirate game. Sure I can have a lot of ship to ship combat, searching for lost treasure, and what not. But I'm very weak on European history.

Once I see some players' ideas about who/what they are going to play that might help, also once we get some kinda overall goal for the crew. Like do the characters want to establish their own base? Buy their way into society? Get a letter of Marque?

Really would like to hear back on you, and sorry if this comes off long winded, I just want to be able to run a fun game for everyone!

Edmiao I would rather play in any genre where we have a gm that has an interesting plot or world that they are excited about. i think if you are not jazzed about running a pirate game that we should find something that you are excited about running.

GABE: Thanks for chiming in Ed. Well... I AM excited about it, I think it could be a fun game. I'm just concerned about my ability to bring the players into a world of pirates. For certain, I'm going for the storybook pirates as real pirates really didn't last very long.

As for interesting plot, but you don't want a plot too complicated either, right? Like maybe a plot that only runs X games? Are you genrally excited at all for pirates? I kinda only went with it cuz Matt seemed really interested and Dieter will actually play the game.

Edmiao personally, i'm not terribly excited about pirates, I'm not against it at all, just not wetting my panties over the concept. I'm perfectly willing to play and I think it will be fun. so if everyone else is jizzing themselves over pirates, then i'm all in. Like I say, if you are excited about it as GM, then i think you'll run a fun game and come up with interesting stuff. as for depth of plot, i think whatever, just realize that around 10:30-11pm I lose about 40 IQ points and stop paying attention to how this NPC is machinating over that NPC and then it's time for LEEEEROOYYY JENKINSSSSSS!!!!!!!

GABE: That is actually good to know... yes I'm actually really excited about pirates. I guess I should just say take it easy at first and don't expect anything deep right off the bat? As of now I have the first few adventures planned out and a long term goal for the characters to achieve. Sorry, again I'm just being real doubtful of myself. Wow thats a lot of jizz, is Matt's mom in town?

--Dieter the Bold 13:30, 3 June 2009 (MST) A few thoughts:

1) I'm not concerned about real-world accuracy. So long as it doesn't seem like we're flying a starship or driving a car, I'm fine. If you happen to have Portugal controlling territory actually conquered by Spain, I won't care. We're pirates. Any codes are more like guidelines than laws.
2) I'd like a couple arcs of various sizes going. Like a huge one that doesn't have to come up every session, but offers some kind of baseline goal that everyone wants: like make the smuggling run between Santo Domingos and Barbados in .2 parsecs. More medium arcs of accruing enough gold to buy something specific. And maybe the single-session arcs of solving the mystery. Less arcing than OAAA, less episodic than Supers.
3) Just some thoughts about what we'd do:

Pawns of a world power- letters of marque against their enemies, fleeing from a navy (seriously, I think it would make a hella' fun session where we piss someone off and they send a fleet after us, so we spend the whole session trying to escape. Hiding out in little islands, dodging in and out of storms, the occasional fight when we really can't avoid it. And you could put a time-limit on it, like we know the Commodore in charge has only so long to catch us and then the fleet gets recalled back to its normal duties.)
Boarding ships and looting them, chasing a specific ship down for a specific item or person, smuggling, breaking a friend out of the stockade, a hike through jungles to a treasure/city/mine/etc.
Weird-ass occult stuff
A race against another pirate crew to determine who's the better ship, with waypoints and challenges along the way (must go to Barbados and pick up 4 tons of molasses, deliver it Santo Domingos (where we're wanted men) and then steal the corset off the Governer's daughter (well known for the jewels sewn in it) and then three times around the Twin Sister Isles which lie on opposite sides of deadly reefs that have only one safe channel. And, being pirates, the other crew is about all manner of skull-duggery to try and trip us up. Maybe someone working for them has bought up all the molasses on Barbados, so we have to steal it off a ship or out of a warehouse. Maybe they've tipped Santo Domingos off to our intended arrival. Maybe we both arrive at the Twin Sisters at the same time and are drag-racing each other, with room for only one ship in the channel.
I should also say that I'm excited about playing pirates. And I think all characters should be able to stand up in a fight, so we're all buckleswashers and can play with fewer people if necessary. I think we occasionally get held back in OAAA plots when we don't have a solid fighter there to bolster us.

Edmiao also don't care about historical accuracy, accuracy to whatever preconceived notions i have about pirates, or real world accuracy about how ships sail or fight. I think things will be great if you are jizzing yourself all over it and your mom's not even in the room.

--Gdaze-- Hmm good input Dieter, thank you. The last part is very interesting. I believe ALL classes will be able to fight, this is WH after all. But if someone doesn't want to play a total fighter, I wanted to give that option. I expected most would pick figther, rogue, or Swashbuckler. As long as you don't care about totaly history accuracy then sweet. Lets get this jizzing started! It sounds like the players are pretty unified in how they'd like to see stories go, so okay... think it will work.

BEN: I'm not super excited for pirates, mostly because I think it risks being too silly. That being said, I'm easygoing and can thoroughly enjoy any game that the GM is passionate about. So basically, I'm echoing Ed's comments.

--Gdaze 19:35, 3 June 2009 (MST) Hmm okay, I mean if there was another game you all wanted to do I'd be down for that too. I guess we can keep pirates from becoming too silly.

Edmiao I don't have a strong inclination towards any one game genre at this point, except maybe something Lovecraftian. I think Deiter and Matt were pretty stoked about piratz, so we have 2 meh's and 2 jizzin' and a jizzin GM, pretty good enthusiasm level i think, enough to make your mom proud.

--Gdaze-- What about if I add in a bit o'horror? Nothing scarier then something on your boat when our out to sea.

Edmiao I do NOT want to make suggestions as to what you should put into your gameworld. just saying that i was always hyped about jason's lovecraftian idea, ever since i read several tomes of lovecraft short tales a few years back. If you were looking for ideas or inspiration, happy to have contributed, but certainly not saying: "I want to see such and such in our gameworld". I'd rather leave that to the GM. I also watch a lot of Doctor Who, and always thought that would be a fun rpg to run, travel to the past, the future, the present, alien worlds, earth, etc.... that would be a hard rpg to run, though, i think it would take a ton of prep work.

--Gdaze-- Thats cool. I was already thinking of something like this, maybe once. I don't know Dr. Who very well, I did not really care for the older BBC ones. I'd actually LOVE to run a sci-fi game. Shadowrun really interests me. As did the whole AT-43 verse (but that last one is only me). But I'm cool with pirates too.

--Dieter the Bold 13:02, 4 June 2009 (MST) I'm down for some horror and Scifi as well. I totally didn't get the AT universe, so I'm not enthused about it. I'm excited for pirates, but I can be just as excited for horror and scifi. And you know, we could always just run some one-shots and mini-arcs if we're having trouble settling on solid ideas. It's gaming, dudes. Let's try the milk before we buy the cow.

--Gdaze -- Dieter, you should post more, you have good ideas. I can pretty much do ANY Sci-Fi. Iz all good to me. I've only read some of Shadowrun but I like the feel. I'm also a HUGE fan of the Mass Effect. So I'm good with either actually. Pirates, Sci-Fi. I don't think I could do horror very well.

--Dieter the Bold 13:34, 4 June 2009 (MST) I should. I have to be moved to put up anything truly worthwhile, though. And I can be super-lazy about moving myself. I, too, loved Mass Effect. I'm up for pirates or scifi and vote for some one-shots with a focus (i.e., what happens if this became a campaign?) if we aren't solid on the next game to play.

--Gdaze -- Yeah I hear you on being lazy... in fact I'm whipping some poor orc slave right now to do this. Speaking of which Noelle had a dream where she was a male goblin with like a sister who was an orc... Why can I not have dreams this cool?

I wanted to add this in, with pirates making adventures is much easier then Sci-Fi... or rather Space Opera Sci-Fi. Due to the amount of technology and characters access to information there is a lot of freedom. So setting up a goal right away would be fairly nessary.

I believe Dieter's idea is a good one. This way if people get really attached to characters in a one shot we can just go with that. Everyone else okay with this? Anyone REALLY against Sci-Fi?

Matts - Gabe, you should run whichever game you're the most passionate about. I don't think the popularity-contest style of determining which game to run is a good one; we've proven that several times.

If you'd personally find a sci-fi game more engaging, then let's go with sci-fi, since the GM is supposed to be having fun as well as the players.

--Gdaze-- Point well taken Matt, but here is the thing. I'm okay with either game. So to me, it is important that everyone is at least interested in the game. I don't want to do another Werewolf game or Supers game where Dieter really doesn't want to play (although... I liked how Frank turned out).

I think Ed is right, someone needs to get some balls. I love to create worlds, and am actually quite happy to be a GM again. Its so great to be able to use my brain again finally, so I'd enjoy pretty much anything.

But if only I'm hyped about running a certain game, and the player's aren't, that is no good. But yeah... voting doesn't always work either. Maybe I can plan two adventures in each world, and the players can decide which one they like? I'll limit your choices!

BEN: I would prefer space opera, because along with fantasy it is my favorite genre to RP in...pirates sounds really cool but very hard to pull off well. I don't like the "let's do one shots till we find what we like" style of determining things, although I'm not vehemenently opposed to it...I just don't think it nets much over just starting something and going with it.

--Gdaze-- I guess the reason I like the two different one shot ideas is that it gives the players a chance to get the feel of the game and even if one isn't selected, it was still hopefully fun to play! Could even establish characters for down the line if the game is ever picked up.

I think this is all coming up now because I really only have like one or two choices. I should have just said "Anyway wanna do (A) as our next game?" But I didn't... I also believe Ben has a point, pirates do sound cool. Who doesn't like them? But an entire game based around being a pirate?

It might be kinda cool to have a pirate game we can just pick up if GMs don't have something ready. Like since we last left our crew...

I've had like no sleep so I'll post later tonight with hopefully something a little bit more well thought out.

Right now I'm strongly leaning towards Sci-Fi set in the Mass Effect world. You got psychics, aliens, killer robots, ancient alien race, zerg, crime lords, crazyed xenophobes, mega-corps, and all that other good stuff.

That said... I would like to run a pirate one shot...

--Dieter the Bold 18:15, 4 June 2009 (MST) I didn't mean to suggest we do a pirate one-shot followed by Scifi one-shot and see which is more popular. I meant multiple one-shots of each type with different focii. Like pirates doing smuggling, or pirates fighting a bunch of naval battles, or military black ops crew takin' down some megacorp secret research facility, or mapping out routes between dangerous spacial anomalies while trying to solve murders taking place on the ship. What I'm seeing is that Gabe has some pasta (game ideas) stewing in a pot, but isn't sure which one will work the best for the big dinner (our gaming group). So I'm suggesting we let 'em simmer and take out one strand at a time, throw it up against the wall and see what sticks. This would be a fun way to get a little something different, while maybe getting the creative juices flowing so that Gabe gets inspired by something and creates a game with drive and focus. Or the whole group gets excited about something and makes Gabe a solid pitch. I'm not saying popularity contest, I'm saying grab-bag of wonderfully awesome things to see what really pops out at us. Plus it can be hella' fun just to make characters, so if we have some kinda' simple character build system we could try out little ideas and archetypes and such here and there, so when we all get our final "Ah HA" moment, we've got lots of tasty things cooking in that stew. (I'm sorry, I'm kinda' hungry and thirsty right now, so I'm thinking stew. Or maybe soup.)

BEN: this is the kind of discussion we have had many times, and it has neither a beginning or an end. That being said, until someone cries heroclix, I'll keep offering my opinions, since it seems wishy washy-ness isn't in high demands these days. 1.) Dieter's idea is lovely for players, and a huge, tremendous amount of work for GMs...a one shot is probably a 5:1 or 10:1 labor ratio compared to a campaign session. 2.) in my experience, loads of one shots don't actually help players fiigure out what they like or correlate with what runs well as a campaign.

--Gdaze-- I will say this, spot on with the workload on making a one shot. They DO take a lotta work. Expect a solid pitch later tonight or tomorrow.

ED: get some balls.

--Gdaze-- I need to see what a real pair looks like, are you free at lunch?

--Gdaze-- Alright... so if we do Sci-Fi, I'm thinking of using Mass Effect. One problem with Sci-Fi games though is that they became a bit more complicated to handle. Lots of super tech out there. Also I believe if the players want to play a game is VERY important. No need to start a game that there is little to no excitment about. And I want to hear options NOW, not later, no players dropping 2 games in.

Anyway, take a look at it and tell me what you think, all alien races are playable and yes, there are mentalists.

[1] - The link! Go here and read up a bit, the universe is fairly well established. If we play Sci-Fi I think I'd like to run it in this world. I would like all players to at least tell me what they think of the verse, okay? And I REALLY want to hear if there is zero excitment for this verse (such as AT-43). Oh other suggestions (Star Wars? Shadowrun? What?)

Edmiao when i say "not excited" what i mean is, that i will be very happy to play, most likely will be into the game. i've enjoyed almost all our games. I think i got completely lost in WFRP reboot, though, cus i missed a bunch of the early sessions and there was much intrigue and i hated my character. that has nothing to do with the genre or the game itself. So whatever game we go with, if you are excited, then i will be jizzing all over it. yeah baby yeah! I abdicate my balls to you and you can give them back once you decide what we are doing.

--Gdaze-- You know, a certian alien race in Mass Effect has created an underground market for their balls (sold to each other). You could be ball smugglers. I suggest you keep them in crates of tea.

Alright then my offical proposal is for Mass Effect. Keeping the pirate stuff ready for one shots. Is everyone okay with this? Are all players on board?

Edmiao No, i don't like mass effect, i would rather do pirates.

Other RPG or Non-RPG or Monthly Board Gaming Day gaming Events

--Brandon 10:20, 1 June 2009 (MST) Thanks to Ed for hosting us yesterday and letting us partake in his delicious fruit, beer, cookies, etc. It was really fun, even if I did learn that I'm the worst space trucker ever.

Edmiao Thanks for coming over fellas, it was a blast. Jason and I went until 10pm playing an epic game of Titan after a few more rounds of space truckers, which is a really fun fast paced light hearted game, might have to pick that one up. Jason, did you want your snosages back or shall i consume them without mercy?

GABE: I've really been wanting to try Titan, when I showed my dad Hectatomb he said it was somewhat like Titan.

And yes, thanks for hosting that, it was really fun and its hard for me to get outta the house. I had a lot of fun. Space "Trucker" was a lot of fun. I love how it is just "Alright, lets see if this makes it!". Also, I really enjoyed Puerto Rico.

Ed. You want totry titan also? Sweeeeeet. We must have another board gaming session. Jason, did u like titan enough to go again?

JASON: The sausages are yours, we have more, believe it or not. I also find Galaxy Trucker to be fun, I think the challenge really changes depending on the competition, so thats interesting. And supposedly the new reprint of Titan is so close to the original that they didnt even make a new BGG page, its shared between them both. There are still lots of fans. Its hard to say if I would play it again, I would probably want to read the rules (which I will look for online) and contemplate. The length of the game is a bit daunting, but I am not afraid of long games.

GABE: Also why is Galaxy Truckers so much???

JASON: Yeah, it aint cheap.

Edmiao $60 at funagain games, $46 at Top Shelf (which i have never used, so cannot endorse). apparently there is an expansion that only gets you up to 5 players that is super expensive too.

GABE: Cardhaus has really good prices on a lot of board games right now. Course depending on how they treat this order is if I keep using 'em haha.

--Dieter the Bold 12:59, 4 June 2009 (MST) Awesome fun with BSG: The Boardgame last night. Frakking Toasters managed to get us right before the end. I'm down for Twilight Imperium Friday night.

Next step in Of Amor, Armor, and Alchemy

Current OAAAA XP: 75 base + 277 XP

Plans to save Danny-Girl from the dragon

Fight the dragon, kill it

Lyra told us where to find the freezing Tears of _____ so we can put out the dragon's breath, right before she extinguished the eternal forge flame in our temple (bitch) by sucking its soul out like a vampire. She will help us fight the dragon. In return we agreed to let her strike the killing blow IF we successfully obtain the Tears. Other allies could also be enlisted in the fight.

Swindle all around

Talk to Grundbad, get him to fight the dragon and kill it. Also, talk to Oryxis, pledge to deliver the ruby shield in return he frees Danny-girl. Dragon dies: Danny free. Grundbad dies, danny free. Win - Win.

Deal with the dragon

Give the dragon something he wants more than Danny. Say the Ruby shield or freeing Iximion.

Dragon vs Dragon

Free Iximion, tell him Oryxis is getting up in his magic shit and doens't he want to kick the shit out of Oryxix for learning magic?

---

Matts - What was the wrapup after I left? Did Aetan unfreeze? Did Fantus make his slave do something heinous to Aetan while he was frozen? What about to Galen?

GABE: Fantus left his son in the care of some trader, where he will be beaten daily. We defeated said snow angels. Galen did some fancy stuff with the woman and somehow ended up stabbing her with his dagger or she ran herself through. Also received four drops of the tears.

Edmiao and everyone lived happily ever after. was that the boss fight ben was referring to? did we kind of just Leeroy Jenkins it, except for Galen?

BEN: yup that was the boss fight. You did Leroy Jenkins it, successfully, although you had a good idea with your flute at the beginning...although calming them wouldn't have worked, generating happiness might have had some effect...

Edmiao i think when they started moving she got too scared to play the flute! Wasn't deiter supposed to post a recap

GABE: Hap... wha? Lets just hit it till it doesn't move!

--Brandon 14:50, 1 June 2009 (MST) Tithe tried to use some happiness mojo, but unfortunately he's not particularly happy in general, and he really wasn't in a very happy place at the moment. Good thing he's better at hitting things until they stop moving (as long as they don't hit back with things that cause boatloads of stun, like epistemologically retarded dwarves).

--Matts - I think the dwarves would argue emphatically that they're not epsitemologically retarded, and you know where that gets us...

Edmiao that's what we did, hit it until it didn't move! and it worked great! lesson learned. let's go hit a dragon.

Edmiao Hey ben, regarding Deiter's comment above, how about multiform: usable only in the absence of Tithe and Aeten?

BEN: I will say with about 75% certainty that I will not approve a multiform. Or an EC, or multipower, etc. things that give you discounts on points will be VERY tightly controlled, because several of you have expressed a great deal of concern over balance. And balance is good in my eyes because it keeps all the characters relevant. But nice try: although I actually disagree with dieter. Most of the combats you guys have lost were WITH Tithe and/or Aetan around.

Edmiao heh heh heh, shucks.