I've been thinking that third sessions of a new game are like third sessions of a new relationship. Only if that relationship is a group relationship. With crazy people. I'm only slightly kidding. I think.
But I do believe there is some semblance of truth behind this. In that first game session, you're getting to know your new characters. In some cases, all the players are the same as before, so you go in knowing generally what to expect from them. In other cases, players have come and gone, and new ones take their place. You (as DM) have that sense of trepidation as you try to figure out what the new players are going to bring to your table. Are they rules lawyers? Will they be quiet? Are they just there for hack and slash? Are they hoping to punch dolphins?
But by that third date, or third session, you have an idea if it is going to last (even if for awhile), or if you should just cut bait and look elsewhere and start over. You have a feel for them, they have a feel for you. You can tell if the makeup of the group you have as players is going to gel together or if they are just too different. And after this third session, I have a really good idea that I'm going to be having a lot of fun.
As I prepared for this new game, I seriously changed the scope of the game. It wasn't going to be a "traverse the entire continent" type of game. It is taking place solely (to begin with) in Tethyr. And I wanted to assure, that with all the various options out there for races and classes, that I didn't end up with some crazy combinations such as half-celestial pegasus gunslingers. So I offered my players a bonus Forgotten Realms regional feat if they stuck with the core races and classes.
I started off with having 8 players. By the second session, I was down to 6. It seems that that is where I'm going to stay. Which I'm kind of glad for, as I wasn't looking forward to 8 players in a few levels when they start getting multiple actions/attacks in a round. The characters in my game are a human ranger, two human fighters, an elven cleric/bard, a human wizard, and finally, a half-giant psionic warrior (for one oddball in the group, and I like psionics). The more years I've run games, the more I've come to be bothered by all the books that include more races. I find many of them interesting, and as a player I'd like to play many of them. But as a DM, I grow weary of not having the rest of the world react to a walking zoo carrying swords and staves through their towns.
Through 3 game sessions, we've had one battle. Just one. 1 in nearly 30 hours of gaming. Not quite 30, since we still can't get past the various distractions we all have (including my football), and my having to take care of my kids as well while we game. But even with just one battle, this is one of the most satisfying beginnings to a campaign that I've ever had. Other than that first battle, meant to introduce the villain of the early part of the campaign (and her minions), I've prepared nothing else. Everything that has happened since has been all due to the decisions of the players.
Going back to discussing new players to a game, I have one is this campaign. I knew nothing about him before he showed up to create a character. He was new to Pathfinder, so I still had no read as to what kind of player he was. But early on in that first session, he took lead of the group and hasn't relinquished it. He's been the one to guide the group, and with that, he's guided the game. Even with opportunities for battle, he's held back, being cautious, but wanting to make sure that if there were to be a battle, it's on the group's terms, not the enemy's.
As for this last session, I don't know when I've laughed quite so much during a session, while in character. And it wasn't me, it was the rest of the players. And it's all come down to roleplaying. I didn't have any intentions of having an NPC be part of the group, but the half-giant psionic warrior has a very young blue dragon as a companion. I started playing him as greedy (so shocking I know) and sarcastic towards most everyone and everything, but in particular to the half-giant. As he's been swayed into believing that there is a horse-like god named Silver that is responsible for all of the gold and silver that keeps coming his way. He believes that he's the prophet of Silver. That character has kept everyone laughing.
But it goes deeper than that. They enjoyment came from the reactions of villagers to some of the group's ideas. From the human ranger who was happy to go home and decided to dance when the cleric/bard began playing her pipes, and found an attractive woman to dance with. And watching as her father came in and everyone looked shocked at him. Just everything worked so great, and brilliantly, that all the players at the end of the game said they had a wonderful time. I'm very thankful that I have a group that does enjoy roleplaying, and not just roll-playing.
But in a week and a half, there will be blood...
Wednesday, October 16, 2013
Monday, October 7, 2013
Ch-ch-ch-ch-Changes
Much has changed since my last blog post. To list...
My long-running Forgotten Realms campaign came to a self-imposed screeching halt. If you remember my last blog post, Changing the Toner Cartridge, one of the players had decided that he was getting tired of the character he had played for over 2 years and had another idea he wanted to explore. After a month of thinking about it (and discussing things with a few other players, I decided that I was going to put that campaign on hiatus. I just didn't feel comfortable changing the dynamic of the campaign for one, but the bigger reason is that I didn't want the campaign to end without that character, that had been there from the beginning, to not be a part of the end of it.
My second campaign, an old school TSR Marvel Super Heroes campaign, I also cancelled. I was enjoying it immensely, as it was a spectacular change of pace from having run 3.0/3.5/Pathfinder campaigns for the last 13 odd years. Somehow I'm going to run an old 2E game again, yes I will... But the reason I quit this plays into the third thing that changed since the last post...
I have gamed on Tuesday nights for I honestly don't know how long. I know that it goes back to when I lived in Maryland. I remember trying to decide if we should run our game on 9/11, as I had a very good friend and another guy I knew who worked at the Pentagon. My friend didn't go there that day, and we waited a long time for the other guy we knew to get home safely. We decided to play, but that didn't mean that we didn't spend the first hour discussing the events of that day. But it goes back further than that. I want to say it was in the late 90's when I first set up my Tuesday night game sessions.
After some discussions with my wife (and I'll admit, she mentioned this years ago and I fought it as I am very much a creature of habit), I decided to change my games to every other Sunday. On Tuesday, we would hopefully get started around 6:30 and play until say 10, maybe 11. If it was a night of a big battle, or a tense session, we would push midnight. But most nights it was, at most 4 and a half hours of gaming, which is then reduced by witty banter, out of game conversations, retelling old war stories, etc. And one of my players can only show up every other week, which was another consideration into playing two separate games.
So we switched it up to every other Sunday. Now we start at 2 in the afternoon and play until at least 11. We do still have our issues with distractions in the game (and I will include having to watch football while we play), but now we get 18 hours of gaming in during a month, as compared to only 8 before (if you consider the Realms game as our primary campaign). Everyone seems to be happy and satisfied with the change so far.
And that means that I've started a new game. This one is taking place during the Reclamation Wars of Tethyr in the mid 1360's Dalereckoning. The group is getting caught up in the battles of Zaranda Star against the petty nobles of the kingdom. Ultimately, they'll decide if they want to play a part in Tethyr after the Wars and become nobles of that fair country, or if they'll accept a commission from the queen and found their own kingdom (with it's own set of problems) and using the Kingmaker rules from Paizo. I'm dead set on finally playing and using all of the Kingmaker rules damnit! But the players will make that decision.
Finally, I'm going to start writing short stories. I mean, I've done that before, but that was for my games. Scene-setting sort of things, or moments of foreshadowing. But only stuff that was for the consumption of my players. This now is something I'm going to do for others to read. It's a little intimidating to think about others reading my work. I guess in a way this blog works the same way, but it's only friends reading it now... As Tom Petty once sang, "Into the great, wide open..."
My long-running Forgotten Realms campaign came to a self-imposed screeching halt. If you remember my last blog post, Changing the Toner Cartridge, one of the players had decided that he was getting tired of the character he had played for over 2 years and had another idea he wanted to explore. After a month of thinking about it (and discussing things with a few other players, I decided that I was going to put that campaign on hiatus. I just didn't feel comfortable changing the dynamic of the campaign for one, but the bigger reason is that I didn't want the campaign to end without that character, that had been there from the beginning, to not be a part of the end of it.
My second campaign, an old school TSR Marvel Super Heroes campaign, I also cancelled. I was enjoying it immensely, as it was a spectacular change of pace from having run 3.0/3.5/Pathfinder campaigns for the last 13 odd years. Somehow I'm going to run an old 2E game again, yes I will... But the reason I quit this plays into the third thing that changed since the last post...
I have gamed on Tuesday nights for I honestly don't know how long. I know that it goes back to when I lived in Maryland. I remember trying to decide if we should run our game on 9/11, as I had a very good friend and another guy I knew who worked at the Pentagon. My friend didn't go there that day, and we waited a long time for the other guy we knew to get home safely. We decided to play, but that didn't mean that we didn't spend the first hour discussing the events of that day. But it goes back further than that. I want to say it was in the late 90's when I first set up my Tuesday night game sessions.
After some discussions with my wife (and I'll admit, she mentioned this years ago and I fought it as I am very much a creature of habit), I decided to change my games to every other Sunday. On Tuesday, we would hopefully get started around 6:30 and play until say 10, maybe 11. If it was a night of a big battle, or a tense session, we would push midnight. But most nights it was, at most 4 and a half hours of gaming, which is then reduced by witty banter, out of game conversations, retelling old war stories, etc. And one of my players can only show up every other week, which was another consideration into playing two separate games.
So we switched it up to every other Sunday. Now we start at 2 in the afternoon and play until at least 11. We do still have our issues with distractions in the game (and I will include having to watch football while we play), but now we get 18 hours of gaming in during a month, as compared to only 8 before (if you consider the Realms game as our primary campaign). Everyone seems to be happy and satisfied with the change so far.
And that means that I've started a new game. This one is taking place during the Reclamation Wars of Tethyr in the mid 1360's Dalereckoning. The group is getting caught up in the battles of Zaranda Star against the petty nobles of the kingdom. Ultimately, they'll decide if they want to play a part in Tethyr after the Wars and become nobles of that fair country, or if they'll accept a commission from the queen and found their own kingdom (with it's own set of problems) and using the Kingmaker rules from Paizo. I'm dead set on finally playing and using all of the Kingmaker rules damnit! But the players will make that decision.
Finally, I'm going to start writing short stories. I mean, I've done that before, but that was for my games. Scene-setting sort of things, or moments of foreshadowing. But only stuff that was for the consumption of my players. This now is something I'm going to do for others to read. It's a little intimidating to think about others reading my work. I guess in a way this blog works the same way, but it's only friends reading it now... As Tom Petty once sang, "Into the great, wide open..."
Saturday, July 13, 2013
Changing the Toner Cartridge
Something weird has happened on the way to the end of my current Forgotten Realms campaign. Granted, I'm not sure when that will occur, but it is in the offing, somewhere out there...
First, in a big, semi-random battle that occurred in the city of Iraiebor that my group found itself in, one of the players sacrificed himself to give the group the (he hoped) advantage over the monster they fought. The next character he rolled up is a decidedly different character. And while both characters he's played in the campaign have been mysterious, his new character has a very dark history. Along with this is a darker combat style. Not that any of this is a problem, but it seems this was the, intended or not, change of tone in my campaign.
As a quick bit of background, my current campaign involves saving Faerun (and the Forgotten Realms) from the 4th edition events from ever occurring. One of my PC's (who just returned to the game two weeks ago) is a diviner who has had visions of the future of the world from a very young age and has pieced together what the consequences are of the future, and that Shar and Cyric are behind the disasters ahead. What began with the group joining together under the banner of a neophyte Harper agent hopeful trying to find some potionmakers using shadow magic came to encompass a ranger dedicated to Selune becoming embroiled in the schemes of her goddess's greatest enemy, a paladin dedicated to Mystra, and a cursed elf seeking, well, everything. But with the ranger of Selune and the paladin of Mystra, the campaigned had a very decided "light" to it.
Then first, the aforementioned battle occurred. Followed, recently, by the player of the ranger of Selune (a character from the very first game of the campaign) telling me that he was getting tired of playing the character and had a new idea he wanted to try out. Without details, this new character is in more than a few ways the polar opposite of his current character. Enough so that a few of my other players who know what he intends to play have mentioned that they foresee that this character will be difficult to get along with. And while I don't necessarily see this as an issue (but am wary of this), I can also see the individual's who are concerned with this point-of-view. This new character is essentially described as a loner in the backstory the player has written. Difficult to get along with. Problems with authority. In fact, if this were an actual person, he'd be on a watchlist for becoming a mass murderer, if such a list ever existed. Now, I hope that the player uses the game (when the character joins in) to give nuance to the character, and that they show growth. Otherwise, I'm afraid that there's going to be a fragging in my game, to use a Vietnam War term.
Regardless of that, I have two players who have gone to the "dark side," if you will. So, I'm going to have to change the tone of my game to match as well. The endgame is still the same, stopping Shar and Cyric, but how to get there will have to change drastically. I have to go from heroic to anti-heroic, while still trying to keep the group together. It's like going from the Captain America to the Punisher. Am I up to it? Will it invigorate the campaign? I guess let's find out!
First, in a big, semi-random battle that occurred in the city of Iraiebor that my group found itself in, one of the players sacrificed himself to give the group the (he hoped) advantage over the monster they fought. The next character he rolled up is a decidedly different character. And while both characters he's played in the campaign have been mysterious, his new character has a very dark history. Along with this is a darker combat style. Not that any of this is a problem, but it seems this was the, intended or not, change of tone in my campaign.
As a quick bit of background, my current campaign involves saving Faerun (and the Forgotten Realms) from the 4th edition events from ever occurring. One of my PC's (who just returned to the game two weeks ago) is a diviner who has had visions of the future of the world from a very young age and has pieced together what the consequences are of the future, and that Shar and Cyric are behind the disasters ahead. What began with the group joining together under the banner of a neophyte Harper agent hopeful trying to find some potionmakers using shadow magic came to encompass a ranger dedicated to Selune becoming embroiled in the schemes of her goddess's greatest enemy, a paladin dedicated to Mystra, and a cursed elf seeking, well, everything. But with the ranger of Selune and the paladin of Mystra, the campaigned had a very decided "light" to it.
Then first, the aforementioned battle occurred. Followed, recently, by the player of the ranger of Selune (a character from the very first game of the campaign) telling me that he was getting tired of playing the character and had a new idea he wanted to try out. Without details, this new character is in more than a few ways the polar opposite of his current character. Enough so that a few of my other players who know what he intends to play have mentioned that they foresee that this character will be difficult to get along with. And while I don't necessarily see this as an issue (but am wary of this), I can also see the individual's who are concerned with this point-of-view. This new character is essentially described as a loner in the backstory the player has written. Difficult to get along with. Problems with authority. In fact, if this were an actual person, he'd be on a watchlist for becoming a mass murderer, if such a list ever existed. Now, I hope that the player uses the game (when the character joins in) to give nuance to the character, and that they show growth. Otherwise, I'm afraid that there's going to be a fragging in my game, to use a Vietnam War term.
Regardless of that, I have two players who have gone to the "dark side," if you will. So, I'm going to have to change the tone of my game to match as well. The endgame is still the same, stopping Shar and Cyric, but how to get there will have to change drastically. I have to go from heroic to anti-heroic, while still trying to keep the group together. It's like going from the Captain America to the Punisher. Am I up to it? Will it invigorate the campaign? I guess let's find out!
Wednesday, May 22, 2013
He's back...
The man behind the DM's screen that is...
(And really, why do I say that? I haven't used a screen in years. Other than a laptop screen that is. Does that still count?)
Laptop decided to take a dirt nap over the last few weeks. Had to resort to my wife's old laptop, which had a hard drive crash, and put my hard drive in it, since the CPU and mobo were going going gone in my laptop. I got nearly 3 1/2 years out of it, so I won't complain too much.
Ran another good Forgotten Realms session last night. Two weeks ago, as a sendoff to a player who was moving, I had this big battle against a 7-headed hydra-like creature. All sorts of teeth-gnashing and spell-casting goodness. Took out two of the PCs, and wounded all of the others pretty gravely. One of those games where I as DM took satisfaction in a great battle, and the players came away with satisfaction of having destroyed a big monster and (mostly) surviving.
But I wanted to do something a little different than I normally do. Over the years, I've tended to give the players a break session (or two or three) after a big battle to recuperate, buy magic items (if treasure was involved), get married, whatever tripped their fancy. But that didn't feel right. I wanted to shake my own game up.
I had a couple of player handouts to give out to begin the game (one involving one of the dead heroes rising back up from the ashes, and the other involving how another players reacted to said rising, and bringing his own past back to bite him in the ass as well). But right after that, in the confusion after the battle against the hydra creature, and then said past making a return, I had the players, still where they were from the previous battle, surrounded by a number of individuals. The cocky leader, a cleric of Cyric, commended the group for being as chaotic as possible, making the Strifelord's work even easier. And then proceeded to attack the group. So with spells already having been cast, hit points already exhausted, special abilities used up, the group rose up to fight again.
The battle worked out really well for introducing two new players. One brand new to the game, the other a player bringing in a new character after his last one died during the battle with the hydra creature. And I love how he did it. He's playing a tiefling ninja (normally I'm a stickler for a little verisimilitude in my games and players, but decided to let it go and let him play what he wanted). To hide who he was working for, he threw a few shurikens at one of the NPCs traveling with the heroes, to get them to think one thing, then, when he had the chance, he backstabbed the cleric to the point that the cleric used up a Word of Recall spell to return to his home. Then the wizard who was a part of the cleric's band of villains got to foreshadow bad things happening to an NPC "friend" to another PC before he himself teleported away.
Good battles, foreshadowing, pasts returning to haunt PCs. Good session I say.
(And really, why do I say that? I haven't used a screen in years. Other than a laptop screen that is. Does that still count?)
Laptop decided to take a dirt nap over the last few weeks. Had to resort to my wife's old laptop, which had a hard drive crash, and put my hard drive in it, since the CPU and mobo were going going gone in my laptop. I got nearly 3 1/2 years out of it, so I won't complain too much.
Ran another good Forgotten Realms session last night. Two weeks ago, as a sendoff to a player who was moving, I had this big battle against a 7-headed hydra-like creature. All sorts of teeth-gnashing and spell-casting goodness. Took out two of the PCs, and wounded all of the others pretty gravely. One of those games where I as DM took satisfaction in a great battle, and the players came away with satisfaction of having destroyed a big monster and (mostly) surviving.
But I wanted to do something a little different than I normally do. Over the years, I've tended to give the players a break session (or two or three) after a big battle to recuperate, buy magic items (if treasure was involved), get married, whatever tripped their fancy. But that didn't feel right. I wanted to shake my own game up.
I had a couple of player handouts to give out to begin the game (one involving one of the dead heroes rising back up from the ashes, and the other involving how another players reacted to said rising, and bringing his own past back to bite him in the ass as well). But right after that, in the confusion after the battle against the hydra creature, and then said past making a return, I had the players, still where they were from the previous battle, surrounded by a number of individuals. The cocky leader, a cleric of Cyric, commended the group for being as chaotic as possible, making the Strifelord's work even easier. And then proceeded to attack the group. So with spells already having been cast, hit points already exhausted, special abilities used up, the group rose up to fight again.
The battle worked out really well for introducing two new players. One brand new to the game, the other a player bringing in a new character after his last one died during the battle with the hydra creature. And I love how he did it. He's playing a tiefling ninja (normally I'm a stickler for a little verisimilitude in my games and players, but decided to let it go and let him play what he wanted). To hide who he was working for, he threw a few shurikens at one of the NPCs traveling with the heroes, to get them to think one thing, then, when he had the chance, he backstabbed the cleric to the point that the cleric used up a Word of Recall spell to return to his home. Then the wizard who was a part of the cleric's band of villains got to foreshadow bad things happening to an NPC "friend" to another PC before he himself teleported away.
Good battles, foreshadowing, pasts returning to haunt PCs. Good session I say.
Thursday, April 25, 2013
NFL Draft
Let's try and do a little blogging throughout the NFL Draft.
I didn't do as much research as I normally do prior to the draft, but I still think I'm pretty knowledgeable. Or, dumb enough to think I am and get myself in trouble... I won't comment on all the picks, but just the ones that stand out.
So Oakland traded their pick to Miami. First smart thing Oakland has done in the draft since about 1981. But Miami, Dion Jordan? Really? Bad, bad pick. Gonna haunt them.
Detroit is on the clock now... How they going to screw this up? Maybe try and draft Charles Rogers again?
If I were them, I'd take either Dee Millner or Ziggy Ansah.
Detroit picks... wait, is that Barry Sanders? Okay, now this is just pandering to the Detroit fans, trying to help them relive the glory days (such as they were) before they screw it up... Wait again, the Lions picked Ansah. I'm shocked. A good pick. Crazy.
And now we have the Browns, Part 2. As a Steelers fan, I feel sorry for this franchise (and still angry at Art Modell). They can't do anything right, even when it seems to be right, it still all goes wrong. I expect to hear that Trent Richardson shredded his knee in a cheese grater accident and is out for the year any time now. So it's Mingo. Again, the reaction of the Browns fans at the draft should tell you all you need to know. They have no hope. Not even Obi-Wan Kenobi could offer them any help.
Tavon Austin to the Rams. Very good pick. I don't understand how some fans/teams bitch about their quarterbacks being terrible when they don't have anyone to throw it to. Bradford is one of them. He threw for 3,700 yards last year with 1/2 of a receiver (Danny Amendola, who spent half the season injured) and no real running game (Steven Jackson out of gas). I know the game has changed, but still...
So what is Norv Turner going to do in San Diego. What? He's not there anymore? I'm so disappointed. It was always fun to see what he screwed up.
If I'm the Raiders, I try and trade this pick again. They need about 951 picks to rebuild that team. Gotta try and get as many players as you can. D.J. Hayden is the pick. Great story. Damn near died in practice in November. Came back and got to be a 1st round pick. Not bad at all.
There's the pick the Jets fans hated. Whomever is the coach of the Jest (very intended spelling error) has the makings of a decent defense. But the Jets offense is going to be so gawdawful terrible next year. Again, what does Sanchez have to work with??? How can you expect him to be successful?
Two picks until the Steelers draft. I'm hoping for Kenny Vaccaro or Jarvis Jones. New Orleans on the clock. 5 straight years using their first round pick on a defensive player. But they've been pretty bad defensively. Lack of players, or offense being so good that the defense tires at the end of a game? I think lack of players. Seem to have a good idea on offense, but no clue on defense. Damn, Vaccaro is gone. Was wanting him since Polamalu is long in the tooth (besides his hair), and he can't stay healthy anymore. Just don't see the Bills taking Jones, so he should be there for the Steelers.
The Bills took E.J. Manuel. Watched the Jon Gruden Quarterback Camp with Manuel. Came to like Gruden (a little). Wasn't afraid to really criticize the play of the player and call them out on it. Didn't pull any punches.
The Steelers are on the clock. While I think that the Steelers will pick Jarvis Jones, I'm kind of hopeful that the Steelers take Eddie Lacy. He fits what the Steelers need as a running back. And the Steelers can always find good linebackers that fit their scheme later. Woodley was a 2nd round pick. Harrison an undrafted free agent. Joey Porter was a 3rd round pick. Greg Lloyd wasn't a 1st round pick. But they're really old on defense. Almost as old as I am.
The pick was Jones. Seemed that everyone and their uncle knew that this was where the Steelers were going. I'm not going to complain.
The Niners are on the clock after trading with the Cowboys. It's only prolonging me mocking the Cowboys. Niners took Eric Reed. After losing Goldson in free agency, this was one of the few, if only, weaknesses the Niners had.
The Bears are ready to go, and all I can think is that we need more trades... No, wait. The Bears went all crazy. Instead of going after Eifert here, or T'eo, they go after Howie Long's other kid, an offensive lineman. Well, it's not like the Bears OL has been good since Jim McMahon was their QB.
The Vikings are almost on the clock. The have to be begging here that Sharif Floyd can hold out to them for two more picks. If that happens, the Vikings will be so damned lucky. Watch them pick Geno Smith.
The Bengals took Eifert. Pretty decent pick. More offense for Andy Dalton. That's how you build around a QB.
The Falcons traded up with the Rams. I think they take Floyd here.
I was wrong. Good for the Vikings. They'd better be running that Floyd pick up as quickly as they can! A guy who was supposed to be upwards of a top 3 pick down at 23, what a steal. Just saw the stat that Adrian Peterson was 43% of the Vikings offense last year. I'm shocked. I could have swore that it'd've been closer to 83%. Great pick by the Vikings. They got it right!
For the second Vikings pick, they go defense again with Xavier Rhodes. Overhauling the defense. But I may have to play middle linebacker for them.
I think the Packers should take Eddie Lacy. Their running backs were terrible last year (and the year before). But how could you not take Montee Ball in Green Bay?
Hey, the Texans finally decided that Andre Johnson needed some help. A novel approach to things.
Denver is now up. I think they take Sylvester Williams. Some interior strength to help Von Miller on the outside. But I'd consider a cornerback after the way that Champ Bailey got completely torched in the playoffs by Torrey Smith.
Patriots now. They should take another WR. I know they signed Amendola (after pissing Tom Brady off and letting Wes Welker go), but Brady needs another target. Patterson would by my guy there.
But the rumors are true and the Vikings traded with the Patriots. They seem to think T'eo or Ogletree. I think the Vikings go for a WR. I'd think Keenan Allen. You'd think Patterson, but after Harvin, I don't think they'd go after someone who may be another potential headache...
So they took Patterson. He definitely wins the Crazy Sartorial award for the evening.
Rams on the clock again. I'd take either Justin Hunter or Keenan Allen. Possibly Eddie Lacy. Again, weapons around your QB. Oh hurry up so I can make fun of Dallas... Don't like this pick. They don't play a 3-4. Have Laurinitis at MLB already.
Now Dallas is up. Pick is in. Jokes are imminent.
Fuck the Ravens. I hate the Browns, V1.0. Almost as much as the Cowboys. Wait, no, I hate them more than the Cowboys. I never thought that would happen, but it has.
I'd make fun of the Cowboys pick, but the Cowboys fans already did it for me.
I'm betting T'eo goes here to the Ravens. Now I get to boo him on a regular basis. And it was Elam.
We end up with Geno Smith and Manti T'eo falling to the second round. Gonna be interesting to see where they go. Disappointed that we didn't have more "huh" draft picks that we all can make fun of. The teams are just getting too damn smart about the draft.
I didn't do as much research as I normally do prior to the draft, but I still think I'm pretty knowledgeable. Or, dumb enough to think I am and get myself in trouble... I won't comment on all the picks, but just the ones that stand out.
So Oakland traded their pick to Miami. First smart thing Oakland has done in the draft since about 1981. But Miami, Dion Jordan? Really? Bad, bad pick. Gonna haunt them.
Detroit is on the clock now... How they going to screw this up? Maybe try and draft Charles Rogers again?
If I were them, I'd take either Dee Millner or Ziggy Ansah.
Detroit picks... wait, is that Barry Sanders? Okay, now this is just pandering to the Detroit fans, trying to help them relive the glory days (such as they were) before they screw it up... Wait again, the Lions picked Ansah. I'm shocked. A good pick. Crazy.
And now we have the Browns, Part 2. As a Steelers fan, I feel sorry for this franchise (and still angry at Art Modell). They can't do anything right, even when it seems to be right, it still all goes wrong. I expect to hear that Trent Richardson shredded his knee in a cheese grater accident and is out for the year any time now. So it's Mingo. Again, the reaction of the Browns fans at the draft should tell you all you need to know. They have no hope. Not even Obi-Wan Kenobi could offer them any help.
Tavon Austin to the Rams. Very good pick. I don't understand how some fans/teams bitch about their quarterbacks being terrible when they don't have anyone to throw it to. Bradford is one of them. He threw for 3,700 yards last year with 1/2 of a receiver (Danny Amendola, who spent half the season injured) and no real running game (Steven Jackson out of gas). I know the game has changed, but still...
So what is Norv Turner going to do in San Diego. What? He's not there anymore? I'm so disappointed. It was always fun to see what he screwed up.
If I'm the Raiders, I try and trade this pick again. They need about 951 picks to rebuild that team. Gotta try and get as many players as you can. D.J. Hayden is the pick. Great story. Damn near died in practice in November. Came back and got to be a 1st round pick. Not bad at all.
There's the pick the Jets fans hated. Whomever is the coach of the Jest (very intended spelling error) has the makings of a decent defense. But the Jets offense is going to be so gawdawful terrible next year. Again, what does Sanchez have to work with??? How can you expect him to be successful?
Two picks until the Steelers draft. I'm hoping for Kenny Vaccaro or Jarvis Jones. New Orleans on the clock. 5 straight years using their first round pick on a defensive player. But they've been pretty bad defensively. Lack of players, or offense being so good that the defense tires at the end of a game? I think lack of players. Seem to have a good idea on offense, but no clue on defense. Damn, Vaccaro is gone. Was wanting him since Polamalu is long in the tooth (besides his hair), and he can't stay healthy anymore. Just don't see the Bills taking Jones, so he should be there for the Steelers.
The Bills took E.J. Manuel. Watched the Jon Gruden Quarterback Camp with Manuel. Came to like Gruden (a little). Wasn't afraid to really criticize the play of the player and call them out on it. Didn't pull any punches.
The Steelers are on the clock. While I think that the Steelers will pick Jarvis Jones, I'm kind of hopeful that the Steelers take Eddie Lacy. He fits what the Steelers need as a running back. And the Steelers can always find good linebackers that fit their scheme later. Woodley was a 2nd round pick. Harrison an undrafted free agent. Joey Porter was a 3rd round pick. Greg Lloyd wasn't a 1st round pick. But they're really old on defense. Almost as old as I am.
The pick was Jones. Seemed that everyone and their uncle knew that this was where the Steelers were going. I'm not going to complain.
The Niners are on the clock after trading with the Cowboys. It's only prolonging me mocking the Cowboys. Niners took Eric Reed. After losing Goldson in free agency, this was one of the few, if only, weaknesses the Niners had.
The Bears are ready to go, and all I can think is that we need more trades... No, wait. The Bears went all crazy. Instead of going after Eifert here, or T'eo, they go after Howie Long's other kid, an offensive lineman. Well, it's not like the Bears OL has been good since Jim McMahon was their QB.
The Vikings are almost on the clock. The have to be begging here that Sharif Floyd can hold out to them for two more picks. If that happens, the Vikings will be so damned lucky. Watch them pick Geno Smith.
The Bengals took Eifert. Pretty decent pick. More offense for Andy Dalton. That's how you build around a QB.
The Falcons traded up with the Rams. I think they take Floyd here.
I was wrong. Good for the Vikings. They'd better be running that Floyd pick up as quickly as they can! A guy who was supposed to be upwards of a top 3 pick down at 23, what a steal. Just saw the stat that Adrian Peterson was 43% of the Vikings offense last year. I'm shocked. I could have swore that it'd've been closer to 83%. Great pick by the Vikings. They got it right!
For the second Vikings pick, they go defense again with Xavier Rhodes. Overhauling the defense. But I may have to play middle linebacker for them.
I think the Packers should take Eddie Lacy. Their running backs were terrible last year (and the year before). But how could you not take Montee Ball in Green Bay?
Hey, the Texans finally decided that Andre Johnson needed some help. A novel approach to things.
Denver is now up. I think they take Sylvester Williams. Some interior strength to help Von Miller on the outside. But I'd consider a cornerback after the way that Champ Bailey got completely torched in the playoffs by Torrey Smith.
Patriots now. They should take another WR. I know they signed Amendola (after pissing Tom Brady off and letting Wes Welker go), but Brady needs another target. Patterson would by my guy there.
But the rumors are true and the Vikings traded with the Patriots. They seem to think T'eo or Ogletree. I think the Vikings go for a WR. I'd think Keenan Allen. You'd think Patterson, but after Harvin, I don't think they'd go after someone who may be another potential headache...
So they took Patterson. He definitely wins the Crazy Sartorial award for the evening.
Rams on the clock again. I'd take either Justin Hunter or Keenan Allen. Possibly Eddie Lacy. Again, weapons around your QB. Oh hurry up so I can make fun of Dallas... Don't like this pick. They don't play a 3-4. Have Laurinitis at MLB already.
Now Dallas is up. Pick is in. Jokes are imminent.
Fuck the Ravens. I hate the Browns, V1.0. Almost as much as the Cowboys. Wait, no, I hate them more than the Cowboys. I never thought that would happen, but it has.
I'd make fun of the Cowboys pick, but the Cowboys fans already did it for me.
I'm betting T'eo goes here to the Ravens. Now I get to boo him on a regular basis. And it was Elam.
We end up with Geno Smith and Manti T'eo falling to the second round. Gonna be interesting to see where they go. Disappointed that we didn't have more "huh" draft picks that we all can make fun of. The teams are just getting too damn smart about the draft.
Wednesday, April 17, 2013
Good News...
So a couple of nights ago I received word via chat on Google + that an old players of mine is returning to the area. He asked if I had room at my table for him once again. I immediately told him that there is always room at my table for him, as he's always come up with good characters, but more importantly, he's a damn good roleplayer. That counts for about 1,000% of what I like in my players. I've read legends of the types of players Ed Greenwood has had in his game, and I've always wished that I could get a similar group of individuals in my game. I know it won't happen, but it doesn't make it any less enjoyable when a good roleplayer (re)enters my game.
Last night I had my biweekly Marvel Super Heroes game. It's been a very good experience for me to DM a game that isn't 3.0/3.5/Pathfinder based. I've come to realize I was getting burned out a little (more than a little?) on running the same system for 13 years now. Adding to that, running a different genre game than fantasy has been fun as well. The only problem I've had (even if just in my own head) is trying to keep in mind the difference in technological eras between when the MaSH (as my old friend Dan Skog and I called it) was originally written, and when I am playing it now. The game was written nearly 30 years ago. Reading about the things in that game, and comparing that to what exists now, keeps me on my toes. In the first game session, and introduced (on the fly) an NPC called the "Wordsmith." They host a video blog on YouTube. Adding in that touch during the game made me think of how far we've come in 3 decades.
The MaSH game is good and fun. It is simple. It's very fast-paced. What I think I may like most about the game is how easy it is to create a character. Don't get me wrong with what I say next. I have thoroughly enjoyed playing/running 3.0/3.5/Pathfinder. But to create a character, or NPC, seemingly takes too damn long. Trying to determine feats to take, or archetypes, or spells just adds up too much time. I've yet to see, in the last five years, it take less than one hour to create just one 1st-level character. I don't think it could be done if you just allowed the Core Rulebook of whichever system you used. But I had a players show up for the first MaSH game session and have his character ready to go in 15 minutes. And that was while he was eating. Granted, he had the power he wanted for his character in mind already, but even then, if he would have rolled randomly for powers, it may have added an additional 3 minutes to the creation process. But just that ability to literally jump right in and get going was so refreshing.
I've tried to "pace" each session akin to a comic book. So each session (3 so far) has been itself self-contained. The storyline has carried over from one session to another, but so far it has just been one "event" to occur each session. In the first session, the group gathered together to face a robot that had gotten loose on an Air Force base and threatened a nearby international airport. The second session had the death of an NPC close to one of my players, and the destruction of part of the facility owned by one of my players, as well as the destruction of a private jet owned by a player. Those last two acts were caused by the same individual who has only been seen by a few eyewitnesses and security cameras. But I've already created enough of a villain that my players can't wait to see him.
Last night the group gathered to fight off a group of armored individuals who were robbing banks. One of my player's nearly died after being ambushed (and falling nearly 100 feet), and he also nearly killed one of the robbers by what was a rather excessive use of gravity. But they did succeed in the end. And now we get to play up them seeing themselves all over the internet, having had their exploits recorded by everyone at the crime scene with a cell phone.
Speaking of technology, I love Google +. I have learned and read so much more of substance on it rather than Facebook. I would love to get rid of Facebook, but too many friends are on there solely and not on G+. But G+ has one major hangup, at least for me. Maybe it's just my computer, but Hangouts suck on it. I've tried gaming with a friend who lives 60 miles away via Hangout, but he's had difficulty hearing the session and interacting. It wasn't the first time we'd tried it either, and none of those times did it work well. Last night however, I had another friend listen in via Skype, and we had no troubles whatsoever. It looks like Skype is going to be the winner of the tech debate for gaming over the internet, at least for me.
Last night I had my biweekly Marvel Super Heroes game. It's been a very good experience for me to DM a game that isn't 3.0/3.5/Pathfinder based. I've come to realize I was getting burned out a little (more than a little?) on running the same system for 13 years now. Adding to that, running a different genre game than fantasy has been fun as well. The only problem I've had (even if just in my own head) is trying to keep in mind the difference in technological eras between when the MaSH (as my old friend Dan Skog and I called it) was originally written, and when I am playing it now. The game was written nearly 30 years ago. Reading about the things in that game, and comparing that to what exists now, keeps me on my toes. In the first game session, and introduced (on the fly) an NPC called the "Wordsmith." They host a video blog on YouTube. Adding in that touch during the game made me think of how far we've come in 3 decades.
The MaSH game is good and fun. It is simple. It's very fast-paced. What I think I may like most about the game is how easy it is to create a character. Don't get me wrong with what I say next. I have thoroughly enjoyed playing/running 3.0/3.5/Pathfinder. But to create a character, or NPC, seemingly takes too damn long. Trying to determine feats to take, or archetypes, or spells just adds up too much time. I've yet to see, in the last five years, it take less than one hour to create just one 1st-level character. I don't think it could be done if you just allowed the Core Rulebook of whichever system you used. But I had a players show up for the first MaSH game session and have his character ready to go in 15 minutes. And that was while he was eating. Granted, he had the power he wanted for his character in mind already, but even then, if he would have rolled randomly for powers, it may have added an additional 3 minutes to the creation process. But just that ability to literally jump right in and get going was so refreshing.
I've tried to "pace" each session akin to a comic book. So each session (3 so far) has been itself self-contained. The storyline has carried over from one session to another, but so far it has just been one "event" to occur each session. In the first session, the group gathered together to face a robot that had gotten loose on an Air Force base and threatened a nearby international airport. The second session had the death of an NPC close to one of my players, and the destruction of part of the facility owned by one of my players, as well as the destruction of a private jet owned by a player. Those last two acts were caused by the same individual who has only been seen by a few eyewitnesses and security cameras. But I've already created enough of a villain that my players can't wait to see him.
Last night the group gathered to fight off a group of armored individuals who were robbing banks. One of my player's nearly died after being ambushed (and falling nearly 100 feet), and he also nearly killed one of the robbers by what was a rather excessive use of gravity. But they did succeed in the end. And now we get to play up them seeing themselves all over the internet, having had their exploits recorded by everyone at the crime scene with a cell phone.
Speaking of technology, I love Google +. I have learned and read so much more of substance on it rather than Facebook. I would love to get rid of Facebook, but too many friends are on there solely and not on G+. But G+ has one major hangup, at least for me. Maybe it's just my computer, but Hangouts suck on it. I've tried gaming with a friend who lives 60 miles away via Hangout, but he's had difficulty hearing the session and interacting. It wasn't the first time we'd tried it either, and none of those times did it work well. Last night however, I had another friend listen in via Skype, and we had no troubles whatsoever. It looks like Skype is going to be the winner of the tech debate for gaming over the internet, at least for me.
Thursday, April 11, 2013
The Beginning
This is the first of what I hope will be many blog posts. But first, a little about what you should expect if you read this.
First, the topics. I will post mainly on my tabletop gaming experiences. I am currently running a Pathfinder campaign set in the Forgotten Realms. I am also running an old TSR Marvel Super Heroes game. These games run on alternating Tuesdays. But I will also discuss other things of interest to me. I'll talk about sports, focusing on the Minnesota Twins and Wild, and the Pittsburgh Steelers. I'll talk about Star Wars and comics books. I'll also talk about technology. Depending on my mood, I may talk about the politics of the day.
I'll always talk from the heart. I'll always say what I want to say.
And if you are wondering what the title of the blog means, it's a saying that I came up with while I served in the Air Force...
First, the topics. I will post mainly on my tabletop gaming experiences. I am currently running a Pathfinder campaign set in the Forgotten Realms. I am also running an old TSR Marvel Super Heroes game. These games run on alternating Tuesdays. But I will also discuss other things of interest to me. I'll talk about sports, focusing on the Minnesota Twins and Wild, and the Pittsburgh Steelers. I'll talk about Star Wars and comics books. I'll also talk about technology. Depending on my mood, I may talk about the politics of the day.
I'll always talk from the heart. I'll always say what I want to say.
And if you are wondering what the title of the blog means, it's a saying that I came up with while I served in the Air Force...
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