Rolling out of a turkey coma…
28 Nov 2011 Leave a Comment
in Ramblings
I feel like I can finally keep my eyes open for an extended period of time, hooray! Whether that means I can stream coherent thoughts together or not, remains yet to be seen. It has been a busy week or so for me with the unfortunate attendance at a funeral for the father of a dear family friend. Not to mention, transitioning to 6am wake-ups for the new job and also trying to prepare the house for the holidays (and trying to close on *my* house!).
I haven’t had much time to think about gaming in the last two weeks, admittedly, but I did have an opportunity to pause yesterday and consider how much I miss gaming with people. I do some online RPGs, which are fine and dandy, but it just does not have the same effect as being in a room with 5 of your good friends and playing through an exciting campaign. If I’m going to tie all of that into the sentimental, I suppose I’d like to mention how thankful I am to have had such wonderful experiences with such good friends who understand — or, at least, tolerate — my insanity.
Sentiment aside, let’s talk about the pros and cons of tabletop gaming as opposed to online.
Tabletop pros:
- A very direct method – with facial expressions and dialogue, what you see is what you get. No extra description required.
- Instant gratification – you have to react right then and there, you don’t get 10 minutes to write up a post in response.
- Companionship – you’re spending time with your friends! Real people! I know, it can be scary, but suck it up!
- Added physical elements – things such as music, props, etc, that are provided by your GM can really enhance the experience.
Tabletop cons:
- No time to think – it is fast paced and usually you have to make a decision right there.
- Lots of people in the room – sometimes, it’s hard to get a word in edgewise with several people all vying for attention.
- Can’t go back and read – you really have to focus, you can’t go scroll up and remind yourself of the details the GM gave.
- More difficult to schedule – it is hard to get lots of people in one place every week.
There are obvious differences between both methods of gaming, but those differences don’t make either method bad. They are simply two different ways to role play, and what method you prefer is entirely up to you. Online gaming is a lot easier to schedule because people can do it from the comfort of their own homes. But, you also lose out on that more direct interaction.
So, I ask you – what method do you prefer and why?
Creating while uninspired
15 Nov 2011 1 Comment
in Ramblings
Sometimes, inspiration can slam into you like a giant semi-truck from two lanes over and forty feet back that accelerates suddenly just to spite you. And, sometimes, it’s the kind of truck where you look in your rear-view mirror and see it; then, suddenly, when you go to merge, it’s not there.
…Okay, that’s a really crappy analogy. Can you tell who isn’t inspired right now? I guess that comes from sleep deprivation — although, admittedly, I’ve written my best when I’ve been on 0 hours of sleep and several liters’ worth of caffeine. At any rate, my point is that sometimes, inspiration just isn’t there — but, we have to create anyway.
Now, if you’re like me, this is tough, because I’m a perfectionist and if I come up with something that’s crap, I have this urge to black line it with ink and throw it away. But, not everything we sit down to write has to be a masterpiece. Our masterpieces often come from our minds’ random thoughts, the kind that leave in a fleeting moment if we don’t take a second to put it down on paper.
I have long advocated stream of consciousness writing. I have performed small exercises of this in my panel and have made mention of its techniques and uses before. Truth be told, there isn’t much technique — what it amounts to is simply taking whatever thoughts are swirling around in our heads and writing them down. Do it for 1 or 2 minutes, and don’t stop – just keep writing. Words, sentences, sentence fragments, thoughts, paragraphs, anything — just write it out! Don’t stop, don’t think, just write what comes to the tip of your mind. If you think it over too much, it won’t work.
Yes, there will be some things that you’ll just have to throw out. But one of those words might spark an incredible idea, or even just one really fantastic line of dialogue to use in a story or a campaign. So much of our ideas are wasted because we don’t pause to reach out and catch them as they float by. Don’t dismiss them so easily!
Doing stream of consciousness activities once or twice a week can really help get your creative motor running. While it won’t always spark an inspiration, at some point or another, one idea is bound to catch on. When it does, run with it! Don’t just watch it roll away.
Sad farewell…
13 Nov 2011 Leave a Comment
in Ramblings
Well, Nick has come and gone, and now my posting can resume. I start my brand new job training on Monday and have to be up at 5:30 AM, but expect an update in the middle of the week, Tuesday or Wednesday, sometime.
Thanks everyone for your time and patience as I build my gaming ramblings!
Youmacon 2011
07 Nov 2011 Leave a Comment
in Ramblings
All right! I’m back from Youmacon, and it was a lot of fun! I don’t have any panel pictures yet, but please expect those to be forthcoming in the next couple of weeks. I had a lot of fun at both of my panels (and my friends are still mentally high-fiving the guy who hit me in the face with my inflatable d20) and I can’t wait to do them next year.
I am looking to expand and try out a few more cons, so if anyone has any suggestions, please let me know. For the meantime, I am preparing to drive to the airport and pick up my boyfriend for his week-long visit. Updates will be a little short and sparse this week, but should resume normalcy once he’s departed.
Best wishes to everyone, let’s make those forums busy!
World Building 101 – Part 2
03 Nov 2011 Leave a Comment
in Ramblings
No excuses, I suck at posting. That changes after today. Moving on to the next part of world building! These questions are in no particular order, and can be answered at any time during your planning process.
#6. How many nations are there? – This is an easily overlooked question. Is the world united under a single ruler with hundreds of other mini-rulers under his thumb? Are there powerful contending nations like there are in our modern world that have rivalries or treaties with one another? How does each nation feel about the other? How does the ruler feel about their people, and how do the people feel about their ruler?
#7. What kind of wildlife exists in my world? – Are there puppies? Adorable little kittens? Or giant piranha cats who will gnaw your face off at the first opportunity? Does the wildlife vary from region to region? How dangerous is it? Are there places where people hunt certain types of animals, or preserve/save certain types of animals? Are there any crazy collectors who might take a page out of an Ohio man’s book and set their animals loose on the unsuspecting public? You get the idea.
#8. What kind of agriculture is there? – What are the products of the various nations/regions? How do people make their livelihoods? What kind of trade is there? Is there a resource one nation has that another nation perhaps needs a great deal of? Is there a reason for nations to go to war over said resources? Who manages the resources and who benefits from them the most? Are there black markets for illegal dealings that might damage various economies?
#9. What sorts of legends and tales are there? – Every world and culture has a legend or a tall tale that everyone knows. There is always some magical mythical object (Holy Grail, Atlantis, etc) that someone wants to chase. By having all of these extra legends, it gives you something to make NPCs abuzz about and it also gives the players options! Maybe they want to chase after one of those mythical legends. Is it in your plan? Maybe not. But does it make the world feel more complete? Heck yes!
#10. How does magic work? Is there magic? – Is magic a studied art? Is it something you’re born with? Is it something gifted by a diety and only to the faithful? Are there different kinds of magic? Do your spells require components, or just words? How does magic feel? How does it taste? How do the people of the world feel about magic in general? If you have any mages in your group, be prepared to detail an elaborate account of magic and how it works. It’s an important tangible effect.
Well, that’s the next five. Stay tuned for some more, as well as an account on Youmacon, which is this weekend! My panels are 9-11am on Saturday and 9-11pm on Saturday. Stop by and say hi!
