Prodigal Son: The Recap

    It’s been quite a while since my last entry in this theoretically ongoing column.  Life and other Dork pursuits got in the way, and I just never got things as together as I wanted.  But I’ve been thinking about it a lot lately.  And I’m thinking I may start putting in the effort again.  The ultimate goal is still to pull together a small but solid roleplaying group for something focused and long term, but in the meantime, I’ll settle for a few game nights that might include some one-shot RPGs.

    So, here are the first ten entries in the series, if anyone is interested in giving it a read.  And perhaps in the days ahead, I’ll be posting more new material, too.


Part One: My Return to Gaming

Part Two: Early Ideas

Part Three: Regrouping

Part Four: Something for Everyone?

Part Five: The Art of the Rip-Off

Part Six: The Beginning

Part Seven: The Pen is Mightier

Part Eight: Homework

Part Nine: Fresh Meat (Guest Writer- Brad)


Part Ten: Tripping Over The Edge

-Matt

Prodigal Son: Tipping Over the Edge

Part Ten:

    I said weeks ago that I would talk about Over the Edge, and finally, I’m ready to do that.  In way of a brief introduction, it was originally published by Atlas Games in 1992.  The setting is the semi-surreal Mediterranean island Al Amarja, which has something of the flavor of William S. Burroughs’ Interzone and the classic British series The Prisoner.  Filled with political intrigue, red tape, exotic pleasures and dangers, Al Amarja is like some sexually deviant variation of Mos Eisley.  Fugitive Nazis, rogue physicists, failed seekers and mystics, and anyone else you might imagine have washed up upon its shores.  What are you looking for?  A Greek edition of the Necronomicon?  A puzzle box to call a Cenobite?  Or maybe a vial containing the soul of a saint?  You never know what you might find, if only you’re willing to pay the price.

    It’s a fascinating and amazingly wide open setting, with a great deal of potential.  However, the setting is not what made me love the game.  It’s actually the game mechanic that impressed me the most.  As I’ve said in previous weeks, I don’t care much for complicated systems, charts, graphs, and a lot of number crunching.  I also don’t normally enjoy reading the parts of game books that relate to mechanics.  I love reading backgrounds and story ideas, but once it starts in on “multiply strength by 10 and divide by 2 to find the blah, blah, blah” I drift off.  But Over the Edge doesn’t spend too much time, because it doesn’t need to.  The system is simple, elegant, and amazingly versatile.

Did you calculate wind speed?

    I’m not going to go into it in too much depth, but the basic idea is this: You have four traits, one central, two tertiary, and a flaw.  Your central trait defines your character.  For example, in the Lord of the Rings, Legolas’ central trait would be “Elven Archer.”  In Star Wars, Han Solo would be a “Rogue Smuggler.”  On Star Trek, Spock would be a “Vulcan Science Officer.”  In the film Crank, Chev might be a “Badass.”  You might make a character with the central trait “Professor of Archeology,” or “Pugilist,” or even “Housewife.”  Whatever dice you use for that trait can be used for anything covered by it.  So, Han Solo’s career as a Rogue Smuggler would no doubt encompass the use of personal firearms, slight of hand, disguise, ship operations, fast talking, galactic customs, and many other things.  In addition to the central traits are the two tertiary.  These are much more like traditional skills.  Perhaps something like singing or computer operations.   And then the fourth and final trait is a flaw.  This is something important that effects you in a negative way.  Are you monstrously overweight?  Missing an arm?  Or do you have a dangerous enemy?  Again, using Han Solo as an example, he would certainly have Jabba as an enemy, which proved to be a great difficulty as the films unfolded.

I'm more than just a Science Officer.

    There are some other specifics, but that’s really about it.  About thirty pages, including some illustrations, copious examples, and a couple quick reference pages, and you’ve got the rules.  You could probably boil it all down to about three or four pages to cover everything you really need.  Nice.  So, with that simple, elegant system, I found something I’d been long in search of, a game mechanic that I could use for nearly anything I wanted to run, that didn’t require hours of explanation, tons of math, or continual consultation of charts.

    Now, Over the Edge is my go-to game system.  Unless a game’s mechanic is integral to playing it, like Ars Magica or Earthdawn, it’s the rule set I’d prefer to use.  Star Wars, Star Trek, Middle Earth, Space 1889, Super Heroes, Doctor Who,  Fading Suns, and so many more.

    I used it once before for a Star Trek game I ran a little over five years ago, and it worked quite well.  So, it was what I’d planned to use on the failed attempt at doing Star Trek a couple years ago, too.  And I’m thinking that if I run something else coming up, it’ll probably be what I use.  I doubt I can put together enough people with the interest to do an Ars Magica game, and Earthdawn just doesn’t tickle my fancy right now.

It'll be OK.

    If you’re looking for a simple, easy to learn and master game system, that can be used for nearly any kind of gaming, from fantasy to science fiction to supers and beyond, Over the Edge is a fine choice.  It’s also not really expensive, and though the Player’s Survival Guide is nice, it’s not necessary.

-Matt

Prodigal Son: Early Ideas

Part Two

    Upon first hearing about some potentially interested parties, my mind leapt into action.  What sort of game might my new players like?  Their interest had apparently been sparked by repeated references to D&D on various websites, and on a TV show they enjoy.  Well, D&D hardly stoked my fires (too many rules, too little creativity), but there are always options.  So, I came up with a sort of introductory wish list.

    Coming up, I’ll be talking about the game Over the Edge, from Atlas Games.  It’s been around for a while, but I think was a bit to esoteric for most gamers.  It takes a lot of style and ideas from writers like William S. Burroughs and film makers like David Lynch, and gives you a place to create some very, very odd characters and stories.  However, while the setting is interesting, and maybe one day I’ll do something with it, what I really like about the game is the system.  It’s easy and versatile.  I’ve come to embrace it as my ‘go-to’ system when a game has a cool setting, but wonky rules.  Or, when a cool setting doesn’t have a tie-in game (like say, The Matrix, or The Fifth Element, or Saw, or whatever).  I’m not going to go into detail about the system at this point.  I’ll say that I’m not much for math or number crunching, and Over the Edge doesn’t throw a lot of numbers or charts at you, like many more traditional games (D&D, Rifts, GURPS, Call of Cthulhu, etc.).  More on that later.

    1) Call of Cthulhu:  One of the older games still in production, I guess it could be thought of as a second generation game, coming in the wake of Dungeons & Dragons, Runequest, and Traveller.  As a long time fan of HP Lovecraft, this game has obvious appeal for me.  But, it also has a fairly intuitive game mechanic, with what I think is just enough structure to not restrict a person new to roleplaying, but still give guidance.  The game is also flexible in many ways, especially when it comes to setting.  The default setting is the world of Lovecraft himself, the 1920s, especially New England.  You could deal with just one location, like the author’s own fictional Arkham County, or expand your view to the whole world with an ocean hopping journey to exotic lands.  Characters might range from scholarly professors, to two fisted adventurers, to simple peasants caught up in some strange events.  Or, you could eschew the default and set a game in the Middle Ages, ancient Rome, a lunar base in the year 2800, or today.  Using Pagan Publishing’s fantastic Delta Green supplements, running a game in the modern day of government conspiracies, brush wars, and paradigm shifting technologies would be a cinch.

    2) Superheroes:  Ever since the X-Men movies brought superheroes back into the mainstream of popular culture and out of the campy closet, they have become far more approachable for many.  Costumed heroes have a long tradition, many iconic images, and obviously create opportunities for some dramatic stories.  Over the years, there have been many superhero roleplaying games, from Champions to Marvel to GURPS Supers to Aberrant.  But, truth be told, I never much cared for any of those when it came to game mechanics.  Sometimes the settings were cool, but the game itself left a lot to be desired.  So, when I discovered Atlas Games’ Over the Edge, I realized I’d found a system simple enough, yet strong enough to do the job.  As far as settings go, that would be a subject for discussion.  When it comes to superheroes, there are so many options.  The established universe of Marvel or DC?  A more obscure pre-existing universe like Wild Cards or Cross Gen?  Or something totally original?  Something with a Golden Age vibe, or Silver?  There are a lot of options, and as I write this, I don’t have any specific ideas or leanings.

    3) Unknown Armies:  A sort of spiritual successor to Call of Cthulhu, Unknown Armies is a hard game to pin down.  I don’t think it would be wrong to put it in the horror genre, but that seems limiting.  Perhaps, simply calling it ‘weird’ might work.  Or, maybe defining it by some suggested reading and viewing might help.  Suggestions would include the films Lost Highway and Intacto, and the books of Chuck Palahniuk.  Does that help?  Probably not.  But, though hard to define, it’s also hard to ignore.  And, the writers have produced a bunch of excellent pre-made scenarios that could work very well for beginning players.  This would not be a game to put beginning players in for a long term, campaign game.  But for a single night?  It could work.

    4) Everway:  An oldy, but a goody from a time before Wizards of the Coast was completely consumed by Magic: The Gathering, when they made some pretty cool games, Everway is, I guess, what you could call avant garde.  When it came out, it broke a lot of rules, even dropping dice completely.  It has an almost dreamy quality, filled with interesting art and interpretive mechanics.  Using a tarot deck instead of dice, the game master reads the card and tries to apply its meaning as best as possible to the situation.  There are various factors that go into creating a character, but again, it’s not about dice at all.  You take cards with artwork on them, and weave the images into your back story, sometimes as literal characters or events, and at others as allegorical devices.  Everway has a very, very loose structure, and is far more about storytelling and character than many games.  I’ve always wanted to start new players on a game like this, so they weren’t ‘corrupted’ by the more video game like mechanics of numbers and dice that are a staple of tabletop roleplaying.  But, at the same time, the game may be a bit too esoteric and ethereal for many, and with very little structure to hang onto.  It has a vague setting provided, but honestly, it’s too vague to really capture the imagination.  For this, I would have to either take a pre-existing setting that seems appropriate, like the age of Greek heroes or martial arts fantasy, or make one up.

    5) A Media Tie-In:  Stargate, Star Wars, Firefly, Lord of the Rings, Star Trek, X-Files, Doctor Who and many more could serve as very interesting settings for roleplaying stories.  Many already have roleplaying games attached to them, of varying degrees of quality and success.  Some, like Star Wars and Star Trek have had several different games over the years.  But I’ve found few media tie-in games have had systems worth two shakes.  It’s kind of like tie-in video games, where they put something together quickly to cash in, but not really because of a love of the title.  West End’s Star Wars, FASA’s Star Trek, and ICE’s Middle Earth were exceptions, not the rule.  All had vast libraries of well crafted, ‘expanded universe’ content that built the settings into more realized worlds, filled with great ideas for gaming.  However, the game mechanics for all three were pretty bad.  The Middle Earth box set I have has rules that are nearly indecipherable.  Star Wars’ basic mechanics are fine, if a little dull, but try being a Jedi and forget it.  Fun goes right out the window.  So, like the above superhero game, for one of these, I’d likely use the system from Over the Edge.  Again, it’s versatile and structured just enough to give guidance without being intrusive.  More than any of the other options, this one needs a great deal of discussion.  A Lord of the Rings based game would be a very different monster than an X-Files based game, which wouldn’t resemble a Star Trek based game at all.  Each setting presents different options, different challenges, and different rewards.  Also, some settings are better suited for short games than others.  X-Files would certainly make for a good ‘one-shot’ while Middle Earth would likely be more tailored for longer, ‘campaign’ style games.

    Now, these are hardly the only games I would be interested in putting together.  They’re not even the ones I’m most interested in.  But, they struck me as more conducive to beginning players, just dipping their feet into the pond of roleplaying.  I would still love to get some Fading Suns going again.  Maybe finally do a really good, long running game of Cyberpunk 2020.  There’s always the Victorian science fiction of Space 1889 (Steampunk is so popular these days).  And of course, the idea of gathering together a group of people for a long term campaign of Ars Magica, complete with authentic snacks and meals, music and art…well, that may just be more than my little heart can handle.  Who knows what the future might bring?

-Matt

Prodigal Son: My Return to Gaming

Part One

    I’ve liked telling stories since I can remember.  So, it’s no surprise I started to write them down.  I think I first started trying to write in fifth or sixth grade.  I had this idea about really tiny people in a big world.  Sort of like Honey I Shrunk the Kids mixed with The Lord of the Rings.  My mom had always encouraged me to read, and my dad helped me develop my love of science fiction which would become a near obsession for a long time.  And from that fertile field, I reaped many an idea.  I would talk endlessly about them, until finally my dad told me about roleplaying games, and how they might be a good way to channel my creativity and try out some of my ideas.  I already kind of knew about roleplaying.  As a very small child, my brother had humored me by letting me play in his D&D game (I was a lizard man, and I kept eating people…I guess I’ve always been a little warped).  But my father reintroduced me to gaming with The Basic Roleplaying System and Worlds of Wonder.  This was the same core game mechanic used in the classic, venerable Call of Cthulhu.  The system was very simple and very intuitive.  Percentiles are pretty easy to figure.  You have a 50% skill in sailing.  Roll the dice (two ten sided dice to give you percentiles) and try to get 50 or under.  Simple.  Oh, sure, there were other things you could plug in, more advanced rules, special powers, blah, blah, blah.  But once I had the basic idea down, I ran with it.  I quickly started recruiting my friends into a small gaming group, and we began our wonder filled trips into the imagination.

    Fast forward a few years and my oldest brother opened his own game store, and gave me a job.  I was in heaven.  I suddenly had the opportunity to sample many different games, many different gaming groups, and many different gaming philosophies.  I had conversations with other players, and with other game masters (or dungeon masters, or referees, or what have you).  My worlds opened up and my skills both as a player and a game master improved and went into new and unexpected directions.  I even began to feel confident enough to run games for experienced, and much older, players (at about age 19, I had players ranging from around 14 to 45), and to tackle games I had believed to be too daunting for me (Call of Cthulhu, Ars Magica, and more).  I found many different games to love, a few to hate (Dungeons & Dragons…Rifts…I’m looking at you guys!), and I forged many friendships (some that last to this day, despite vast distances).

    But the years went on, the industry changed, the economy changed, the clientele at my brother’s shop changed, and yes, I changed.  As much as I loved gaming, and as much of my life as I’d put in to the shop, I had to move on.  I didn’t leave gaming behind.  I set up a room in my house and continued to run Fading Suns (still a favorite of mine).  But that eventually fell apart, as these things do.  It had a good run; something in the range of two years of fairly regular weekly sessions.  My games became more and more sparse.  I’d play something here, run something there.  But, not being surrounded by games every day or meeting gamers every day, I just didn’t have the access to the network I once had.  This was still the early days of the internet.  It was common, but not as ubiquitous as it is today.  And even when I was finally online and active, most of the fans of the games I liked were scattered across the country and even the world (why was Fading Suns so popular in Germany, when almost nobody played it in the States?), and almost nobody lived within a reasonable travel distance from me.

    Finally, as some friendships ended and others began, schedules became more and more difficult to work around, gamers started settling down and having kids, and I hung up my gaming hat.  Oh, I didn’t know that I had done it.  I didn’t admit it to myself.  But as months turned to years, I eventually realized that I wasn’t gaming anymore.  At some point, I got into reading graphic novels, and suddenly, I found my game books getting boxed up to make room for trade paperbacks of Hellboy and Conan.  Oh, sure, my GURPS historical supplements were still out, so I could grab one of their well researched overviews of various cultures if I needed an interesting tidbit, or needed to know who the Egyptian god of rivers was.  But more and more, they were packed away, put in a closet, and if not forgotten, ignored.

    Over the years, I’ve had occasional spurts of gaming interest.  I meet someone who is interested in playing, or I have a particularly cool idea.  And suddenly, I’m typing away furiously, getting all my ideas down as fast as possible; reading over a few game books to re-familiarize myself with a system or a setting.  I map out a few sessions, and maybe think about where the game might go if it works out and players want to keep going.  Maybe I’ll ask a few other people if they’re interested in getting in on a game.  But then life gets in the way.  Schedules conflict.  People get married.  People move, jobs change, kids show up, etc.  And after a couple months of trying and failing to get things together, the fire dissipates, I get interested in something else, something that is actually happening, like a new graphic novel, or a new TV series, and the hope of playing a game, or running one, goes away again.  It has now been nearly a decade since I gamed regularly.  About half that since I last played or ran anything at all.  I moved to Virginia from my home state of Maine a few years ago, and every now and then have thought about, even attempted getting a game together.  Nearly two years ago, I got so far as to have people make up characters and design a ship for a Star Trek game, that if my memory serves me was a pretty cool idea.  But, again, life got in the way, and the iron cooled, and I was never able to get it hot again.  Numerous times over the years, I’ve got a hankering to run Ars Magica, which is sort of the Holy Grail of gaming as far as I’m concerned.  It’s a massively demanding, but equally rewarding game of epic scope.  But it takes a certain type to run and to play.  I think I can run it (I have to a limited degree a couple times before).  But I have yet to find one, let alone four, six, or eight people to play.  However, of all the games I’ve run or played, it is the one I most frequently come back to, even if it’s all for nothing, to design characters, scenarios, and the like.  Maybe, one day, I’ll make it happen.  I’m still young, sort of.

    This is where I was at, a few weeks ago.  Sure, I know a few people who might be into gaming, but not enough, or not in the right place to get a group together, or not interested in the same things.  Then my former roommate and frequent partner in crime came to me with a lifeline of sorts.  He had two people, plus himself and his wife, who might be interested in doing a little roleplaying.  All four novices.  The initial idea seemed to have been an attempt at reading about or playing D&D, a game I particularly dislike.  Though I might be desperate enough to try it.  I countered with a few ideas of my own.  Some games that might appeal to non-gamers.  And, somewhat secretly, I rubbed my hands together.  The chance to mold gamers; to direct them into the sort of gaming philosophy I like…  Well, maybe.  In this day and age, trying to get people together for a regular, weekly game night seems to be harder than finding the Gold Monkey.  Heck, getting people together for a single gaming session is hardly a picnic.

    But for the first time in quite a while, people are expressing an interest in something that has been close to my heart for a long time.  That special mix of traditional storytelling, improvisational theater, and game that is roleplaying.  As much as I say ‘I’m a writer’ in my heart, I am now and always have been a gamer.  Gaming has changed, and what I like has fallen out of fashion.  Online gaming has somehow snapped players away (I’ll never get that, as the interaction and imagination just aren’t there, even in the best examples).  Social pressures have always hurt, holding gaming perpetually in the realm of super-nerds.  And the consolidation of so much of the gaming industry into the hands of one multi-headed hydra of a company (Hasbro) has killed a good deal of the creativity and variety of the early 90s’ Golden Age, when new and experimental games were hitting the market all the time, and people had enough disposable income to try them out.  But people have always loved a good story.  And who among us hasn’t heard a story and said to themselves, ‘that’s not what I’d have done.’  So long as that remains true, there will be a place for roleplaying games.  Even if it is a quiet, removed, often overlooked place.

    I’ve been away for many years.  Never quite giving up.  Never quite forgetting.  But away, none the less.  I hope this is the story of my journey back.  Back to something that has given me so much joy, spawned so many memories, made so many friendships, and yes, been witness to an occasional heartbreak.  I’m not returning to my youth.  I wouldn’t want to.  But I do want to rediscover an old joy, and perhaps bring it to some new friends. 

-Matt