GAMING IN THE DIGITAL AGE, PART II

Continuing my previous post...


We sat down to actually game, this time using a laptop instead of my beleaguered smartphone, which apparently was just not fast enough to keep up with the demands of roleplayers.  Again, part of the idea was to test out my retro-clone, Sorcery & Steel, so it was important to factor in just how much time was spent in confusion, as well as how much time was spent actually roleplaying.  


Truly, it wasn't the smoothest experience.  Probably because of the following:
1) My ill-preparation as Dungeon Master.  I need to be on the ball and ready to go at a moment's notice.  I have not run a game in several years.
2) I kept having to flip through the PDF to refer to the maps.  And the maps have too much black on them to print without blowing an ink cartridge -- I'm looking at you Goodman Games!  Fail.
3) My 7-year-old son did not feel like he was involved enough, and so kept running off and doing his own thing.  While tangentially related, that was off-putting, and distracted everyone else.
4) The pauses in the scenario while I figured out where they were in the module vs. where they were on the map.


I thought it went pretty fast, but we have someone in the group who is quick to whine, therefore I try to eliminate bitching for my own piece of mind.  So, I resolved to fix these things for next time.  Especially involve my son more, as an absolute newbie it is essential he enjoy himself fully, so that he becomes a gamer and enjoys gaming on its own merits.  Actively give him choices, so that he has a louder voice within the group. 


I would like to unveil more complexities to combat, such as the combat maneuvers.  Having more things to do than just endlessly trading blows with monsters in a war of H.P. attrition should help.  Being able to disarm a nasty foe, or knock him down, ad infinitum is part of what makes Sorcery & Steel great, IMHO, and should be extensively used.  


What did go right is that the players seemed to understand what was required of them, and didn't raise a fuss about this or that rule.  Which is a good thing.  If a rule doesn't make sense, new players can jump on that immediately and it makes the game less fun.  


And another thing that went right is that, barring my son toward the end, everyone had fun.  


So, with that in mind, and the adventure not yet finished, we must say: To Be Continued!

Gaming in the Digital Age - Part 1

This is the first of a series of posts about running roleplaying games with current technology.  I'm not talking about computer programs that organize every aspect of your game, from initiative to combat to how many spells have been cast, etc.  That's was old when my Apple IIe was around.  I'm referring to referencing PDF rulebooks, using pencils, paper, and real dice.


The game I am running is Basic D&D, heavily house-ruled (my retro-clone).  I wanted to test the efficacy of the system and how easy it was to make characters.  The speed of character creation was diluted somewhat by having to explain things orally to relative newbies, including a complete newbie: my 7 year old son.  


I was using my Motorola Cliq, an Android phone (cuz I haven't been able to stand Apple proprietary devices since they introduced the iPod).  

In retrospect, a laptop would have been better.  The PDF reader I was using was the best there was for free, but I had to wait for pages to refresh which only increased the amount of time character creation took.  


Still, we got 3 characters up and running, and we need to set a time for the game.  Something that meshes with everyone's schedules.  That will be harder than actually sitting down and bench-testing both the digital era plus my homebrew D&D.


Part II coming soon!

Summertime!

Summer is not officially here until Jun 21st, but here's a photo of my environs.  It is not my photo, but only because I do not have a telephoto lens to make the background stand out.  On my digital camera, Mt. Rainier washes out, and seems to be indistinguishable from the skyline.  We've got beaches, forests, lakes, mountains and cities.  No place on earth like it!

Mt Rainier from Commencement Bay; The City of Tacoma is in the foreground.

Goblins & Orcs & Things Oh My!

I don't know what it is about them, but goblins and orcs seem to be fastened firmly in the D&D psyche.  Judging by the fact that a lot of my fellow old school bloggers seem to have re-designed goblins and orcs, and I have my own take on them as well.

Orcs in my world go by a different name, Ugruk, and they are considered to be one of the "goblinoid races."  I have read that Gygax didn't really care fpr the pig-faced orcs, so I don't use them.  Ugruk have brown, gray or greenish skin, glowing red eyes and are able to see in darkness.  They are typically strong and hardy, possess a keen sense of smell, and are able to catch the scent of other hostile beings at a distance of 20 miles, even if they cannot tell what type of creature they are smelling.  They are excellent warriors, driven by animal instincts and an aggressive nature.  When two Ugruk disagree, they meet in the pit.  The survivor is the one who is "right."  

Some Ugruk have adapted to the cities, and live among humans.  They are brown-skinned, and much more civilized than their greenskin cousins.  It would not be uncommon to see a brown-skinned Ugruk as a blacksmith, bartender, or builder.  There are no "half-ugruk" (or half-orcs) as humans and Ugruk are completely different breeds.   

The typical Ugruk is taller and broader than a human, with short legs and long arms much like an ape.  They have massive heads which come directly forward on their necks, and their heads are batlike, with protruding ears from which hair sprouts.  On their faces are small snouts and a wattle of a chin that descends into a powerful chest.  They have tough, thick skin which is highly resistant to pain.  They can sustain grievous injuries yet still stay in the fight.

   
Goblins themselves are much smaller and weaker than Ugruk.  The two species detest each other, and wars between them are as common as alliances.  In general, when the two races do team up, the Ugruk act as leader, Goblins are treated litle better than slaves. 

Goblins are very spindly and cowardly.  They are quite short and nearly emaciated.  Goblins, however, are very fast, and can rapidly attack from a different angle than they did a moment ago.  They have an annoying ability to be elsewhere by the time you're ready to strike.  They also throw small "bombs," gourds that break apart when they hit you, causing d4 damage.  If the bomb doesn't hit, then it churns out choking and blinding dust (Save vs. Dragon's Breath) or be blinded for d3 rounds.  A successful save means you're not happy, but still ready for action.  

Goblins have also developed a penchant for ambush, as they know they would lose in a stand-up fight.  They hang out in trees and bushes, or hide in holes in the ground, and try to pick off the slowpoke in the back of the party.  

Both Goblins and Ugruk organize themselves into clans.  These clans often have distinctive names like the Bone Gnawers or Bloody Hand.  Here's a handy table to generate a clan name quickly.  To use it, roll 4d10 twice, once for a first name, and once for a last name, and rearrange or mangle to suit.  The parts in parentheses are alternate forms of the name, Mud(dy) could mean either Mud or Muddy.  Here's the table:

4d10	Element
4	Army
5	Attack(er)
6	Axe
7	Biter
8	Bitter
9	Black
10	Blood(y)
11	Break(er)
12	Burn/Fire/Flame
13	Chain
14	Dagger/Knife
15	Danger
16	Dark
17	Deep
18	Destroy(er)
19	Die/Dead/death
20	Doom
21	Dust(y)/Dirt(y)/Grim(y)/Mud(dy)
22	Eat(er)/Gnaw(er)/Bite(r)/Drink(er)
23	Evil
24	Guard
25	Hammer
26	Hand
27	Hard
28	Hate
29	Hunt(er)
30	Pain/Hurt(er)
31	Rock
32	Sharp
33	Skull
34	Spear
35	Stone
36	Strong
37	Sword
38	Tooth/Nail/Claw
39	War/Battle
40	Wolf

So, rolling my 4d10, I come up with 22 and a 10.  Putting them together, it's the Blood Drinker clan.  Another set gives me a 21 and 38.  The Muddy Claw clan!  

Have fun with this!