'Anthology' weekend

 So a few friends in our gaming group have decided to have a weekend of 'other' games.  In lieu of our regular Pathfinder or Starfinder games, we have figured on having an 'anthology' weekend, where we each get to preview a new RPG that the group hasn't played.

So far, the others are bringing Delta Green, Cyberpunk, and Call of Cthulhu.  Each should be pretty interesting, and I've never played any of those games of any previous version.  

For me, I'm bringing Torg: Eternity.  The revised edition of the old West End Games multi-reality RPG.  This new one maintains the basic rules of the orignal, while amping the action to eleventy and giving a lot more depth and awesomeness to each Cosm.  

For those who may not know, Torg was designed by the original Star Wars RPG company, West End Games, back in the early 1990s.  The idea was that other realities have invaded our 'Core Earth' to steal our possibility energy, as ours is the richest the Reality Raiders have ever found.  To do this, the invading Cosms overlay their reality onto ours.  So, in parts of North America, the Living Land has overlaid our reality with a primitive one, where technology doesn't work.  The characters take the role of Storm Knights, those fighting the invading High Lords to beat them back from our reality.  

I'm looking forward to running the game.  Back in the 90s, it was one of our go-to games, and it suits a cinematic, action-movie style that is a lot of fun.

Hopefully we'll have some new campaign ideas by the time we're done.

Gamemastering - just do it

Gamemastering, that is, being the game master (or dungeon master, for those D&D players out there) for a roleplaying game is not something done easily.  I've been playing for thirty-one years, and over those years I've been the gamemaster (GM) since day one.  Starting with the red box Basic Set back in 1985, I've helmed countless games.  I like to think I've become rather skilled at it, if my players are to be believed, but I'm not providing this information to brag, only to provide some context in that I know a bit about what I'm talking about.

First rule of gamemastering: just do it.  Get out there, take charge at the head of the table and run a game.

I leave that on its own line, because that's the most important part.  Gamemastering is, by and large, a performance skill.  I don't mean actual performance, though that helps and can be fun, but rather performing the act of running the game makes you better at it.

"Yes, yes.  Thanks tips, glad you're on that for us." you're thinking.  And in some ways you're right. Practice makes perfect and all that.  However, I've seen people be overwhelmed by the task of running the game, with all the story details, character details, monster/opponent details overwhelms them, because they aren't used to channelling that flow yet.  That's the real core of the practice part.  You've done it enough times that some things become mental muscle memory, and you focus on the action going on in a particular scene.  That's what happened over the many years I've been GMing.  Now I make it look easy, because I've been over the hard parts.  That said, I'm always learning and tightening my game.

If you're a new GM, one thing you need to accept is that your game will not run perfect.  Hell, I've been doing this for 31 years or so, and my game sessions aren't always perfect.  If it goes well, you and the players have fun, and you get to tell a group story, then the real goal has been met.

There are two areas that, if you pay attention to them, can help your first (or latest) session go well:

Materiel:

• The adventure itself - whether written notes, a published module or something in between, you need this
• Dice - if I have to explain this...  (mind you, have plenty)
• Pens, pencils, erasers - include extra for 'that guy'
• Paper for making notes, maps, etc.
• A gamemaster screen - yes, I've known GMs who don't use one.  It's creepy and weird.  As a player I don't want to know what's going on there, and as a GM I like to have the privacy to keep things surprising
• Campaign notes - even if it's your first session, have some idea of who the heroes are, where they are, and what is happening around them

Optional materiel (depending on game system):

• Vinyl game mat marked in squares - for those games like Pathfinder which work well with minis for combat or situations where you have to ask "where, exactly, does your character step?"
• Markers for said mat
• Miniatures
• Props - this one varies, but sometimes, the right prop at the right time works wonders

Preparation:

• Read the adventure.  Oh, you wrote it?  Read it again.  Be prepared for what happens in it.  Think ahead to the NPCs and how you want to play them.
• Make sure your notes are organized.  No one wants to wait while you flip for the random factoid written on the 35th post-it note stuck in your spiral-bound notebook, half the pages of which are scattered on the floor around your chair

It sounds like a lot, but really it's not.  Have the tools you need, and be familiar with the adventure you plan to run.  That way, when the players do something oddball, or a foe dies easier than planned, you can adjust because you know what else is there.  You know that if they whip through one encounter, the guard trolls in the next chamber are probably going to come to investigate.  If you misjudged their power, you can add an extra enemy or two to some encounters (or take them away).

And now a note for players:  cut the GM some slack.  I'm not saying put up with a terrible game, or not give some feedback, but when you know your friend sitting behind that screen is taking their shot as a beginner, understand that they're not going to be as smooth as your regular GM.  He or she will say "give me a sec, have to check something..." so be patient.  If they need to do a retcon here and there (yes, just because the baddies forgot to take your weapons doesn't necessarily mean it was planned that way).  Give them a chance, and they'll tighten their game.  Until one day when they forget to take your weapons it will be intentional, and that encounter, my friends, is like an open book exam.  Bring your worst because you'll need it.

More musings on the fine art of roleplaying games to come, but remember - gather your tools, plan your adventure, and get stuck in and do it.  Practice will make you perfect, and you'll have fun doing it.

Unboxing - Epix Haven Terrain

Here's another Kickstarter I threw in on.  A feed popped up from the Pathfinder Society facebook page, and the miniature terrain buildings from a Norwegian startup called Epix Haven looked pretty good.  When they said these buildings were true 28mm scale I figured I'd go in for one, maybe two.

Well, they arrived (back in the spring) on time and in great condition, thanks to the packing methods.  Each piece has it's own box.  The two I kickstarted for were the Freestanding Tower and the Tudor House.

Let me first say, before I let the photos do the talking, that these are awesome.  I mean really awesome.  So many buildings out there are not true 25/28mm scale, and while they're perfectly usable, these have full interiors with 1" grids marked in the surface texture.  That makes them good for wargaming and roleplaying games.  They are also super impressive and beautifully detailed and painted.

Now for the pictures...

First up is the packaging.  Every single one of these comes in it's own box.  And not just any box.

Each one comes in it's own full package, packed in tight-fitting foam to keep it safe.  Here's the Tudor house:

Take out the upper floor piece on the right and you see the packing job on the smaller pieces:

Take all the pieces out and you can see the difference true 28mm makes:

The miniatures in the photo are a few human-sized ones from the Pathfinder Battles range.  You can see the scale of it already.  The chimney is attached to the roof by magnets built into the parts already.  The upper floor is on the left, the ground floor on the right, and there's even a set of stairs.  This adds to the sense of scale:

The Tudor house is just waiting the heroes' next bar brawl.  Add that to the bar set from the latest Pathfinder Battles Rusty Dragon Inn expansion and good things will happen.

The stand alone tower is just as impressive.  Packed the same way:

Each segment is one of the floors of the tower.  The stairwells are packed inside each level, and assemble as shown (again with the built-in magnets):

You can see the 1" squares inside.  Ignore them and you've got perfect wargames terrain.  Note the warrior in the third photo.  Again, true 28mm scale.  The 'stick' on the right is a flagpole that goes on top (left off for photos).  The Tudor House in the background shows scale as well, and just how awesome a layout you could do with more of these things.

Look carefully in the windows and you may even see the archer in there.  

Ironclad approves!

These terrain pieces are premium models, and while not cheap, their price is certainly competitive for what they provide.  Without question this is a case of getting what you paid for.  Thankfully I got my pieces at Kickstarter prices.  Would that my budget was larger I'd have the entire castle.

In summary, these terrain pieces are fantastic.  They are high quality, well-painted resin that match the most common scale out there for RPGs and wargames.  You can't go wrong with laying some of these sweet pieces out on your table, and frankly, I can't wait to use them.

Another Unboxing - Stones Dungeon Tiles

So today I got another Kickstarter rewards box.  Actually, thanks to Canada Post's ineptitude, I had no idea they tried to deliver my box until I did a tracking lookup.  Thanks, Canada Post, thanks for nothing.

So, Frontline Games had a Kickstarter for a set of Dungeon Tiles.  These are 2"x2" tiles that can be used to make rooms, halls, or other layouts primarily for roleplaying games.  Given that Pathfinder and D&D both use a 1" grid (and the tiles are marked in 1" increments), this looked pretty cool.  Well, they added other trappings such as columns, doors (which open) and other dungeon dressing, I threw some support at their kickstarter.  Nothing crazy, but I figured it would be a cool set, and maybe look at adding more as they ramp up production.

Today, I unboxed the lot.  Here's the sum total:

Inside the box is the hundred or so tiles, plus some single doors.

So far so good.  Everything is there as promised.  Nicely packed too, so no damage.  Opening one of the bags of tiles they look pretty decent.  You can readily see the 1" squares, cleverly integrated into the design.

The tiles are double sided as well, with the alternate side being more of an earthy look.  Not bad, and it continues the grid for ease of play.

Laying a few out, gives a pretty good looking play surface.

These are definitely going to need a scrub, as you can feel the mold release agent.  That's okay though.  No real surprises there.  I opened one of the bags of doors, and the doors come in two pieces, the door and the frame with the bottom lintel.  There are small magnets in the kits to glue in to the bottom of the door where it would pivot, which should make them much better looking and able to open to represent the progress of a party of adventurers.

As you can tell by the door frame, some boiling will be necessary to cure the bends and warping in the parts, but again, no surprises there.

So far, looking like a cool product.  For now, I'm leaving them packed up until I can get some scrubbing done.  In the bunch there's some columns, beds, tables, crates, chairs and other dungeon dressing.  Many of these will also be good for wargaming.  Once I get them out of their packages, scrubbed and ready for some paint, I'll post more on how they clean up and paint.  More to follow.

New Library

The move is done, things are sorted, and the house is almost fully put together.

Considering here I wrote about the 'Geek Cave' that I had built in our old house, I figured it was time to show the new work area.  After several (where several = five) iterations, I determined that there was no way to have the gaming area in the library.  However, since this is the west coast of Canada, the garage will do nicely for gaming.  Considering the heat we've had this summer, it was nice to be able to open the huge door.

At any rate, here's the view coming into the library.

Moving in a bit, we see more of the shelves with Cygnarans and about half the library.  The center shelf under the light cuts the room in two.

A quick turn to the left shows the desks (painting and writing).  As well as the obligatory cat in the office chair (hi Cassandra!).  Lots of Warhammer miniatures back there, and I finally have power to the lights in the miniatures cabinets.

Moving in past the office chair leads to my reading chair, with another cabinet of miniatures.  It's a bit of a tight fit, but the chair comes out if I need to really dig back there.

Turning around we can see a view from the chair.

And a close up of the two desks.

 Note the cats lurking on the chair (Cassandra) and under the painting table (Oliver).  House beasts in their natural habitat.  This is more detail into the other half of the library, and if you look closely past the empty miniatures cabinet (soon to be filled with painted goodness), the door beyond leads to a bathroom.

With a shelf, of course, because that's what library bathrooms should have.
Looking out from the bathroom, the rest of the library.

And finally, in the garage, the gaming table, with stereo system and refrigerator.  Also, some newly painted space battle boards for the Firestorm Armada game.  More on that one later.

Not like we put cars in the garage or anything.

More house beasts lurking about to see what's going on.  That would be (L-R) Tyr, Cassandra and Oliver.

Finally, Mr. Tyr is wondering why I'm aiming the silly device at him.

That is my writing, painting and gaming space.  Already the gaming table has been blooded with wargames and RPGs, there's work in progress on the painting table, and I have my notes for Queen's Legacy.  Now I am unstoppable! (with feline minions too)