RPGaDay2015: the last week's worth of entries
So school started and I finished an editing job and... yeah. Also, my corgi decided to chase a buck and suffered some muscle strain, and was the most sad corgi ever for a couple of days. (He's fine now). But yes, I let this get away from me, and now I must catch up.
RPGaDay2015: Day 20, Favorite Horror RPG
So, for a lot of years, the World of Darkness was like the only good answer to this question. I couldn't have picked a specific flavor of it until these last few years, where it was really Changeling: the Lost. There's a lot of resonance there for me. That said, I honestly have to say that Chill 3rd Ed has replaced it. My favorite thing, bar none, is being a person trying to fight off the bad things. That is the horror game I want, and I want some success to be possible. I wanted Kolchak the Night Stalker, etc. And Hunter sort of did that, but not in the way I wanted. Chill does. And yes, it's kind of a gimme, since my company made it, but seriously: I freaking love playing this game. It's all the good things.
Day 21: Favorite RPG Setting
So... I run a Dresden Files RPG game. I love Dresden with all the love a girl can have. That said... I think my favorite setting, bar none, is the Iron Kingdoms. It's crazy, I know -- arcane steam mechs and ongoing war and crazy creatures from the woods and everything like that. And I'm not even huge into fantasy! But I really, really, really like it. Something about it is just kitchen-sink enough to be my catnip. Now, have I played it? Nope. Do I know what the current system is like? Nope. I own the book, but I haven't really gotten a chance to look through it. That said... doesn't matter. The setting rocks.
Day 22: Perfect Gaming Environment
This strikes me as kind of weird, but okay. I have probably 70% of my perfect gaming environment right now. The changes I'd make are indirect, not-top-down room lighting, better chairs, and a bit less corgi interference, but the last one of these will come in time. We have an awesome Geek Chic table that doubles as our dining table, a dining room full of game books and the game closet, and it's right next to the kitchen and the coffee maker for great dinners and snacks and, of course, coffee. Oh, and I'd replace the sliding glass door with one that's more energy efficient and doesn't just suck the heat out of the room. And I'd love to paint the room a slightly more cheerful color, if I had the least idea how to go about painting a room. That's pretty much it.
Day 23: Perfect Game for You
What even is this? Okay, fine... the perfect game for me. Um... I like games with character development, with investigative and puzzle elements, and with some danger or weight to the character's choices. There have to be stakes that matter, you know? Story is more important than combat. Character relationships and choices have to have consequences and development. Mechanical/system advancement is not a huge thing to me; I'd rather start with most of what I need and earn new stuff in the story than get xp and have to save it up or figure out what to spend it on. I like games that last a long time, like years to get into the character and see where she ends up. That said, it's less a system or a setting and more a style of play, so I'd say there is no one single "perfect game for me." It's all in the execution.
Day 24: Favorite House Rule
Oh lord. Um... okay. This is a style of game I don't play anymore, but for fantasy games where it's ostensibly somewhat important... I hate buying random gear. I hate that part of the game SOOOOOO much. It just gets in the way, and unless we're REALLY going to talk about resource management and make that a central part of the game, having to remember to buy all the things my character would know she needs is just stupid. So I always house rule the Standard Adventurers Kit. Anything you can reasonably expect your character to need and consider part of her kit, she has. It costs a moderate amount of money, but not enough to keep you from buying the weapon and stuff you need (say 50 silver, in D&D money). I have never yet had anyone be sad about this choice -- that says something to me about the "importance" of gear in games.
Day 25: Favorite Revolutionary Game Mechanic
Oh, man. So, I'm going to say the one I experienced most recently, which is the character/personality setup in Bluebeard's Bride, by Whitney Beltran. All the players are aspects of the Bride's psyche, and the one who's in control at the time is the one who takes damage and gets to ultimately decide what happens. They can all support or interfere with one another, and the way you determine who's in charge is who gets to hold the wedding ring. It's creepy and awesome and ultimately a really fresh take on a game system that is more often competitive than not. I actually forgot we were using a *World system when we were playing it. It's pretty darn amazing.
Okay. Back to one a day for the rest of the month! :)
RPGaDay2015: Day 20, Favorite Horror RPGSo, for a lot of years, the World of Darkness was like the only good answer to this question. I couldn't have picked a specific flavor of it until these last few years, where it was really Changeling: the Lost. There's a lot of resonance there for me. That said, I honestly have to say that Chill 3rd Ed has replaced it. My favorite thing, bar none, is being a person trying to fight off the bad things. That is the horror game I want, and I want some success to be possible. I wanted Kolchak the Night Stalker, etc. And Hunter sort of did that, but not in the way I wanted. Chill does. And yes, it's kind of a gimme, since my company made it, but seriously: I freaking love playing this game. It's all the good things.
Day 21: Favorite RPG Setting
So... I run a Dresden Files RPG game. I love Dresden with all the love a girl can have. That said... I think my favorite setting, bar none, is the Iron Kingdoms. It's crazy, I know -- arcane steam mechs and ongoing war and crazy creatures from the woods and everything like that. And I'm not even huge into fantasy! But I really, really, really like it. Something about it is just kitchen-sink enough to be my catnip. Now, have I played it? Nope. Do I know what the current system is like? Nope. I own the book, but I haven't really gotten a chance to look through it. That said... doesn't matter. The setting rocks.
Day 22: Perfect Gaming Environment
This strikes me as kind of weird, but okay. I have probably 70% of my perfect gaming environment right now. The changes I'd make are indirect, not-top-down room lighting, better chairs, and a bit less corgi interference, but the last one of these will come in time. We have an awesome Geek Chic table that doubles as our dining table, a dining room full of game books and the game closet, and it's right next to the kitchen and the coffee maker for great dinners and snacks and, of course, coffee. Oh, and I'd replace the sliding glass door with one that's more energy efficient and doesn't just suck the heat out of the room. And I'd love to paint the room a slightly more cheerful color, if I had the least idea how to go about painting a room. That's pretty much it.
Day 23: Perfect Game for You
What even is this? Okay, fine... the perfect game for me. Um... I like games with character development, with investigative and puzzle elements, and with some danger or weight to the character's choices. There have to be stakes that matter, you know? Story is more important than combat. Character relationships and choices have to have consequences and development. Mechanical/system advancement is not a huge thing to me; I'd rather start with most of what I need and earn new stuff in the story than get xp and have to save it up or figure out what to spend it on. I like games that last a long time, like years to get into the character and see where she ends up. That said, it's less a system or a setting and more a style of play, so I'd say there is no one single "perfect game for me." It's all in the execution.
Day 24: Favorite House Rule
Oh lord. Um... okay. This is a style of game I don't play anymore, but for fantasy games where it's ostensibly somewhat important... I hate buying random gear. I hate that part of the game SOOOOOO much. It just gets in the way, and unless we're REALLY going to talk about resource management and make that a central part of the game, having to remember to buy all the things my character would know she needs is just stupid. So I always house rule the Standard Adventurers Kit. Anything you can reasonably expect your character to need and consider part of her kit, she has. It costs a moderate amount of money, but not enough to keep you from buying the weapon and stuff you need (say 50 silver, in D&D money). I have never yet had anyone be sad about this choice -- that says something to me about the "importance" of gear in games.
Day 25: Favorite Revolutionary Game Mechanic
Oh, man. So, I'm going to say the one I experienced most recently, which is the character/personality setup in Bluebeard's Bride, by Whitney Beltran. All the players are aspects of the Bride's psyche, and the one who's in control at the time is the one who takes damage and gets to ultimately decide what happens. They can all support or interfere with one another, and the way you determine who's in charge is who gets to hold the wedding ring. It's creepy and awesome and ultimately a really fresh take on a game system that is more often competitive than not. I actually forgot we were using a *World system when we were playing it. It's pretty darn amazing.
Okay. Back to one a day for the rest of the month! :)
Comments
Post a Comment