tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10460691222157131802024-02-07T06:05:26.053-06:00Murky Murky: Roleplaying Advice and FictionSharing what I dredge up. Roleplaying advice, Solo Session / Duet Gaming Advice, Writing Advice, Flash Fiction (copyright Adrian Delgado)MurkyMasterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05007484206167197377noreply@blogger.comBlogger60125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1046069122215713180.post-31787075149925274142021-07-23T15:00:00.006-05:002021-07-23T15:16:38.889-05:00Why I (usually) oppose RPG design intentions<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4f5Z8-T83nkgOqjROMUOgTSXn-QWYFQFnYvCOCzDl-G9MTUWYN6F92geTIigPyADYxgQR2NO3uY0VZOWjUMeaOFu0xoP9G5ApEdduxvNEKrlvu4ANkgec2x5oWfOqDV9Rj2ZADkVmIxM/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="552" data-original-width="736" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4f5Z8-T83nkgOqjROMUOgTSXn-QWYFQFnYvCOCzDl-G9MTUWYN6F92geTIigPyADYxgQR2NO3uY0VZOWjUMeaOFu0xoP9G5ApEdduxvNEKrlvu4ANkgec2x5oWfOqDV9Rj2ZADkVmIxM/" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p> I can't find it for the life of me, but in one of the Mage the Ascension books (the Revised Era of the late 90's, not the M20 stuff), there was a grey little side bar, and it made something clear.</p><p>DON'T RUN AROUND PLAYING YOUR MAGE CHARACTERS LIKE SUPERHEROES <span style="font-size: xx-small;">unless you like really want to but still...</span></p><p>A blurb for the "Wanderhome" says the following<br />"I grew up reading books about Redwall. The opening pages were full of lavish descriptions of the communal feasts that mice were scurrying about preparing, and the playful merriment that all the rabbits and other woodland creatures were getting up to. I loved those opening pages. But they always gave way to long chapters about war, pillaging, and slaughter. The meadow was monotonously besieged by evil, violent forces. Wanderhome asks a question I wish more games would ask: what if the meadow gets to stay safe and happy this time? What if those opening pages get to last forever?”</p><p>A DCC RPG blurb proudly proclaims<br /><br />"...Dungeon Crawl Classics feature bloody combat, intriguing dungeons, and no NPCs who aren’t meant to be killed. Each adventure is 100% good, solid dungeon crawl, with the monsters you know, the traps you fear, and the secret doors you know must be there somewhere."</p><p>These are the designers intentions for their game. They spent their hundreds or thousands or hours and hundreds of thousand of their own dollars to produce this game with that intended audience and that intended focus of play.<br /><br />And here I am, dreaming of <br />...a Crossover Classic World of Darkness game in which the players are all essentially a supernatural edgy Justice League fighting existential threats to reality like Cthulu or the Wyrm or Demons yada yada...<br />...A Wanderhome game where the players don't fit in to all the parties and fun-having because of their dark, violent pasts and are being passive-aggressively ostracized...until the war come home again that is...<br /></p><p>...A DCC RPG game of great intrigue and emotional investment where sometimes killing thangs and grabbing treasure isn't the solution, centered on the kingdom in which the PCs live...</p><p>Why do I do this? To be contrarian and edgy and get attention? Of course!<br /><br />And also because the ways these playstyles rub against the system causes sparks, for me at least. WOD was particularly diligent in making sure there were consequences to playing the game like D&D, like Elder Vampires opening cans of whoop-ass on the player character if they borke the masquerade and all that.</p><p>What's funny to me though is...with most of our favorite stories in this world, or at least mine, getting a powerful lord to try to kill you a central part of the narrative. A dungeon in D&D may be set up on the entire premise that you made some social misstep and the consequences are coming to kill you, in the form of town guards or avenging angels or who knows what. But what is implied in the WOD side bars where it tells you not to play "Raven Two-Swords" is that the Prince will simply, inevitably, and eventually kill you and all will be returned to normal. Its not the start of a new conflict...its simply a punishment.<br /><br />With Wanderhome, which I haven't played mind you, I am intrigued with the idea of "what if these pastoral, bucolic people are not so kind, and covertly, or overtly, ostracize anyone who has committed a crime or been involved in violence, in order to keep their noses and tableclothes clean. What if there is no one that wants to 'heal' them, or these pariahs don't want to be 'healed'. And what happens if they are needed again?" I don't know many combat veterans but I have heard so much about how they can't always integrate in civilian society. Maybe, sometimes, its because society is frightened of them and can't handle their attitudes. I'd love to see that played out.<br /><br />And with DCC, having NPCs that are vital to the story (but not invincible mind you) sounds like a challenge, to take players that want to grind through a dungeon and have them play politics or feel some drama in between monster encounters sound like a good way to spend some brain cells.</p><p><br /></p><h2 style="text-align: left;">Edgelord</h2><div>So why don't I just play a different game that fits? If I want Justice League...why don't I play the latest attempt at a DC based superhero game? If I want Wanderhome with violence, why not play Pugmire?<br />Its often because I love the lore of a setting, but want to play a different style of game. Like cWODs lore is like literally nothing else, so it would not do to play a different game. A JL game, cWOD style, can't be done without the lore, or at least it would be inordinately hard.<br /><br />Or, its because I want to push myself out of my narrative comfort zone. A DCC soap-opera, political intrigue game is in my level of experience but I am still not as comfortable with that style as, say, an adventure type romp. Playing Wanderhome straight would be even further outside my comfort zone, though I have done it before and its been freaking amazing, so playing the above example game might be a good way to meet in the middle.</div><div><br /></div><h2 style="text-align: left;">Your turn</h2><div>How have YOU purposefully played an RPG the "wrong way", as in against design intentions. Did you play Call of Cthulhu where the investigators won? Did you play V:tM more like the Blade movies? Did you turn Shadowrun into a Business Drama?</div><div><br /></div><div>JOIN THE DISCORD! https://discord.gg/TCYBk3B</div>MurkyMasterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05007484206167197377noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1046069122215713180.post-38948906407839336822021-07-05T08:53:00.002-05:002021-07-05T09:02:32.292-05:00How I improvise NPC and Monster stats in VTT games<h2 style="text-align: left;">GHOSTIES AND GUILLOTINES </h2><p>I have the extreme blessing of running a Ravenloft game currently with some old friends. I have been running it on Rolz.org new free VTT, which I absolutely adore (mostly because its free and easy to use).</p><p>I have also been running the game my usual way. If we want to make me look like some badass GM, I could say I run it "full improv" or "freeform". If we wanted to be ostentatiously modest so I can prove I am a million times more humble than thou art, then I would say I'm "lazy". I will settle for "lazy" because it's less letters to type.</p><p>And as such, I don't prepare much in the way of encounters or maps, at least not custom ones.</p><p>Instead, I maintain a folder of several hundred images, with file names changed to make searching easy. I then drop those images straight into the VTT.</p><p>But what about combat? Don't I have to make stat blocks for my baddies?</p><p>Nah, screw that. All you really need for any monster is</p><p>Speed:</p><p>Attack bonus</p><p>HP</p><p>Saves</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgP0SxkiDAxtIVdATJFCevIDqH0IpcpiKgQs69KSQ8l0UbwO0ZRfIwAmX9WHFMaUMFKOA4HOT7k7WGeLxmkWYX-yoTLS75v0NALwwctAAkor0P7DZZ3xyU0I8QYGpVglWQPPN8QjnRlH5w/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="600" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgP0SxkiDAxtIVdATJFCevIDqH0IpcpiKgQs69KSQ8l0UbwO0ZRfIwAmX9WHFMaUMFKOA4HOT7k7WGeLxmkWYX-yoTLS75v0NALwwctAAkor0P7DZZ3xyU0I8QYGpVglWQPPN8QjnRlH5w/w640-h640/image.png" width="640" /></a></div><br /><br /><br /><h4 style="text-align: left;">Speed</h4>Most opponents have a 30 feet move speed, so I just move them no more than 6 spaces. If they need to be faster, I increment by 10 as needed.<p></p><h4 style="text-align: left;">Attack Bonuses</h4><p>I make up attack bonuses on the fly, not even necessarily adding anything up in my head. Like, if I want a simpleton mook to harass the players, I give the mook like a +2 to attacks. The head mook might get a +3 or +4, big woop. I do this for melee, ranged, and spell attacks</p><h4 style="text-align: left;">HP</h4><p>HP is also made up on the fly. I roughly calculate how much average damage my PCs are doing each round first, sometimes just by remembering one or two attacks they did and getting that average. Then I add up that damage and multiply that by 3 to 5 rounds, depending on how long I want my baddie to last if they unleash the beast on them.</p><p>For example, say I have a golem I want to last 3 round. I my four players deal 15, 20, 20, and 15 damage each round usually. That's 70 damage. If I want the golem to be able to face my players for 3 rounds, I could give it 70*3+10 > 210+10 = 220.</p><h4 style="text-align: left;">Saves</h4><p>Saves I also simply give an arbitrary number. +0 or even -1 if I want them vulnerable on that save, +3 or more if I want them pretty tough there.</p><h4 style="text-align: left;">Prepared for nothing = prepared for anything</h4><p>In this way, I can be prepared for nearly any fight. Did the PCs crash an enemy nobles wedding and suddenly guards are summoned and the warlock best man is pissed? No need to wait for stat blocks or even a generator, I just start throwing Eldritch Blasts and go. Did I set up a cool dungeon with a badass guardian and accidentally forget to stat said guardian? Instant stats.</p><p>This method is also good for figuring out how long groups of Mooks might last. Going back to the example party that does 70 damage per round: Each PC does 17.5, or 18 if your round up, damage per round. If I wanted to throw mooks that would be one hit kills for any one party member, I would give them a low AC and maybe like 12 HP or something. In the wedding example above, these could be the town guards. If I threw 4 guards like this at them, I could reasonably expect that all 4 would be killed the first round. If I doubled their HP, then one or two may remain standing for two or even three rounds. Same thing could happen if I upped their AC. </p><p>I'll do a blog post on the dynamics of multiple low AC opponents as opposed to single high HP opponents one day. Do remind me loyalist readers!</p><p><br /></p>MurkyMasterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05007484206167197377noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1046069122215713180.post-69825289895332485712018-12-29T23:15:00.002-06:002018-12-29T23:15:44.862-06:00GM BURNOUT, and how I fix mine<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Doctors get a lot of burnout: long hours, lots of regs, busted technology, and<br />patients with problems they cannot solve.</td></tr>
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<br />
#MY FRIEND<br />
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I saw this comment under a Youtube video once.<br />
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"My biggest burnout problems are as a GM, never as a player. Sometimes I get so wrapped up in the preparation for a campaign, the research, plotting and NPC development that the actual playing becomes a bit of an anti-climax. I put it down to throwing all my "creative juices" into creating the game and not having any left to actually run it."<br />
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Burnout. Its a friend of mine. Seriously.<br />
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Burnout, I am truly beginning to think, is a natural occurrence in the human mind. I'm still with Pressfield in the fact that there is a Resistance-type force or even boogeyman that fights our creative endeavors, but sometimes I get so much healing from fighting with or waiting out my blocks that I get the impression that this is a natural part of the process, at least for me. I'm not advanced enough in this theory to really pick apart which part is a Resistance type thing, and which is tantamount to a computer needing a restart, so I wont try in this article. Let's just assume for this article I am talking about exhaustion, an inability to continue without rest, rather than a fear or hatred of the work that prevents you from acting when your perfectly capable.<br />
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BTW, like most of my articles, I am attempting to tell people how things go FOR ME. I do that because I have found that to be the advice I want most. I like to gather lots of different methods and ways that have worked on an individual level and find the threads between them, so I assume my readers feel the same way. Therefore, do not take this as a prescription or medical gospel, and no that I claim not expertise or know how, other than being something of primary source in regards to myself, naturally.<br />
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#WHAT IS BURNOUT TO ME?<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Not this. It looks alot more fun than what I feel.</td></tr>
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Burnout, for me and the purposes of this article, is when a DM sits at the table and thinks "I do not want to do this. I want to take a break." and can't stop thinking it, to the point that it affects the game negatively.<br />
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Many, many times this is something that DM can and should ignore (i.e Resistance can make you think you don't want to do something, and five minutes later you forgot that you were supposed to be hating this drudgery and have been having a blast this whole time), but when it is impossible, measures must be taken.<br />
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Rest is the most obvious prescription, but too much rest can just make it harder to start playing again. Most of the time its overkill to say "I need a three week hiatus" for a game that meets weekly. Its reasonable to say "The next week's game is canceled." or "This next week let's just hang out or watch a movie or do a one shot." Then you might have enough time to process and plan and even enjoy yourself.<br />
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For me, burnout begins when I can't help but think "The next thing I am about to say or do sounds stupid". Whether Im trying to respond to my players actions with something I planned, something I have to pull out of my ass, or some shiny new idea I just came up with, it sounds rotten, cliched, and contrived. Dialogue is wooden. Distraction is high.<br />
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Fro example, I can normally roleplay like this.<br />
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Player: "I walk up the bar counter and ask the barkeep the latest news."<br />
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Normal DM: "We'll the blackguard got caught with the priestess of the Goddess of mercy again, but his wife the black dragon keeps taking him back. Got to be the money I say: You see the blackgaurd's father...."<br />
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But when burnout is begining to grow in me, like a cancer or a smelly infection, i'm more like this.<br />
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Player: "I walk up the bar counter and ask the barkeep the latest news."<br />
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Burnout DM: .....<br />
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Inside Burnout DM's head "This sounds so fucking stupid. I don't know. I don't fucking know! He shrugs and says stuff!? Nothing! Fuck... Well maybe the blackguard is sleeping around with some ironically diametrically aligned person OH THAT'S STUPID!" <br />
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The funny part is that, when I'm burnt out and say that having a Blackguard sleep with a diametrically opposed person is a stupid, over done joke of a plot idea, I'm not wrong! It is stupid. So is having a blackguard at all (dedicating your life to an evil god that will fuck you over is a bit of a stretch). So is having a dragon be married to a mortal. So is... well, the very idea of a dragon (too heavy to fly or even breathe, and how would something have a breath weapon of acid anyway, and...)<br />
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When I am my usual gaming self, dumb ideas not only are fun, but I can make them make sense, at least enough to enjoy them. When I am burnt out though, even the genius of high literature seems fake, and for some reason that fakeness is bad. I read trashy romance novels and sometimes, the trashier it is the better! One of the chief components of "Trashiness" is that its too outrageous to be real, so normally I love "fakeness".<br />
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I believe that it is, in fact, the slow realization that everything is stupid is why my burnout tends to expand. I think, well if this current idea is dumb, what makes any idea any better?<br />
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And indeed, like gangrene, my fault finding mind goes from shooting down my very next action to shooting down the plot, shooting down the characters, then the campaign, then the setting, then playing altogether. Sometimes, the burnout seems to start with hating the gaming experience in general, then from this broad infection individual systems begin to die until I am paralyzed with malaise.<br />
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Also, when I get to this stage, I usually begin to dread and resent attempts to return to the game, and this seems to be the most critical part. I begin to hate the game, and that hate is strongest in the first few minutes of my attempts to play again. After those minutes, usually I actually start having fun, and this fun I am defintely having strangely feels like "an accident" or even "a delusion", like I'm only pretending to have fun. This "imposter fun syndrome" is very similar to when I read a book I am really in love with but I know if I were to tell someone how great the book was they would look at me like a freak, because they know (They as in THEY: the boogeyman of society's enigmatic, draconian judgement of its members)the book is trash, or childish, or even barbaric.<br />
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So in all, burnout does this<br />
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Stage I: Victim doubts the quality over their very next action in the game<br />
Stage II: Victim doubts of the whole campaign<br />
Stage III: Victim resents playing at all<br />
Stage IV: Attempts to resume play are met with extreme resentment and bitterness, and an enjoyment is perceived as insencere<br />
<br />
#HOW TO FIX IT<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Peppermint Patty: Sage for our times</td></tr>
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There is never any reason to not try to battle moments like this. Even if it is far more serious than not being able to play a game very well (if you have felt what I am talking about, then you know what I'm talking about), there is no reason to not try.<br />
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Usually, the burnout is saying the opposite "There is no point in trying".<br />
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I have found that fighting it directly is of strange effectiveness. What I mean by "strange" is that I can never be sure, on the opposite side of this burnout, if it was the fact that I mightily and futilely spent energy on pushing against the wall that it finally broke, or if I could have gotten the same effect just by waiting.<br />
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I can say this: If a brute force, willpower sort of attack on Burnout works, then its probably a different kind of burnout then what I discuss here. In fact, brute force willpower pushes seem to be most effective after the ennui of the burnout has lifted. In fact, I dare say its necessary: the emotional drain and fear that are left over after the ennui lifts is like a net that needs to be cast off, or you'll just be wasting time being afraid that the burnout will happen again.<br />
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If brute force is not working though, I dare to say its a matter of rest. Now, what rest is most effective?<br />
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For me, bed rest seems pretty good, certainly as a first aid. While I'm awake though, I think the best thing I do to help with burnout is nothing.<br />
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Its a Zen kind of nothing. Reading my books doesn't help: it seems my book reading and my gaming are so compartmentalized that one does not heal the other. Playing games or even roleplaying in a different game does'nt hit the spot either: they are also compartments unto themselves. However, a healthy dose of brain relaxing thoughts, or non thoughts, seems to scrap or wash away the burnout, and makes the Stage IV "dread" go away.<br />
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Last time I had theis type of burnout, Christmas 2018 in fact, I told myself "Im not reading, I'm not studying, I'm not playing my hidden object games, I'm not even writing. The only thing I will write are possible new plots pertinant to my game."<br />
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That last bit was rather easier than I thought it would be, and I know actually working on my game (usually I don't actually plan of them at all), probably helped with this burnout becuase it made the game interesting. But I think even that prep would not have happened without some good old "zoning out".<br />
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I watched videos and wrote things out and surfed the web with zero intention, zero control, zero expectation. It was truly meditation when I mindlessly surfed the web. I don't even remember what I looked at my mind was so relaxed, and it felt like a breath of air filled my skull.<br />
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Its critical for me to remind you, gentle reader, that rabbit holing across the web so loosley that I basically blacked out is something that worked for me. Web surfing may exacerbate the problem for you simply be being a distraction, or worse, cause you further stress if you rabbit hole into triggering or echo chamber type things (I don't click what makes me mad). Good old fashioned meditation will work better for others, or running or screwing like a rabbit or playing that one vidoe game that always melts your brain like a good grilled cheese might do it for you.<br />
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What seemed to be the active ingredient for me was that fact that my brain had to analyze nothing, did not have to put two and two or one and one or jack shit together. No evaluation, no concentration, no entertainment even. Books often require all that of me. Music sometimes does that too, so I didn't even listen to music.<br />
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It was like I was sleeping wide awake. This is actually the same state we often are dreading our lives will become in dystopian fictions and in literary fiction. We dread becoming Orwell's proles and we don't want to be so bored with our lives that we seek to destroy them, like in Revolutionary Road. But, those are extremes. Sometimes we are closer to a Johnny Mnemomic type overstimulation scenario, and at these times a bit of brain blah ness seems to help. I am more confident that this brain relaxation technique will work when I notice that, even though I am coming up with nothing, I am extremely anxious and thinking rather obesessively over the material.<br />
<br />
#GAME BY FAITH<br />
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Faith in your ability to heal is paramount. Very few things work, especially in mental health, when you don't believe they will, or your unwilling to take the risk of trusting them. I notice in alcholic memoirs that usually the victim tries rehab many times before the greater "aha" that sets them toward recovery, and they almost invariably enter the various treatments with heavy skepticism, almost a cynical "You can heal me? Over my dead body." type of attitude. But, when they have had enough, they go back to rehab and really give it a chance for the first time, and you can sort of tell that they are willing to believe the process is effective this time. And also, at that point, any process at all seems to be effective, even archaic AA or other 12 step programs.<br />
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If you have faith that you can, and will, overcome this, then you will. You will naturally pull yourself, slowly or quickly, to the otherside.<br />
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I have also found it is absoultley important to right down these things when they happen. Prejorative-filled screaming ALL CAPS rant screeds are vital, especially if they have dates and times. Then, after it passes, journaling about that is also vital, again with dates and times. Doing this allows you to see that you were burntout on Sept 1st and were fine by Sept 2nd that one time, but one time in 2015 you were burntout for three months. Writing down what you did to recover, however breifly, seems key too. That's partly why I'm doing this all over the place kind of article: I'm telling myself what I did to get better as much as I am telling you.<br />
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With that, I think I beat this dead horse enough. Thank you for your patience with your favorite necromancer, and see you at the next Barn Raising.MurkyMasterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05007484206167197377noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1046069122215713180.post-67530561921869218492018-12-05T17:24:00.000-06:002018-12-05T17:24:20.798-06:00Problems and Oppurtunities: Controling your Players<br />
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How do I make people do what I want them to do?</h2>
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This is not only a question that Game Masters have asked the cold unfeeling void of dark basements for decades. This is a question that made the heads that where the crown heavy, that cause middle managers to pop ambien like PEZ, that cause grown men and women to weep in the middle of the floor whilst their children wreck havoc, invincible because their parents love them.<br />
What should give GM's hope though is that, unlike Kings and Managers and Parents, tight fine control over the people under them in not nearly as critical to the mission. Also, the very strategies and tactics used by kings and parents alike can be helpful.<br />
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In my experience, direct control is impossible to achieve fully in any roleplaying game. Let me play dictionary though: Direct Control, by my reckoning, is a state in which you can predict with 100% certainty that a person will act in a way that moves your story in a direction you deem positive.<br />
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I could say Direct Control is "I tell the players what to do and they do it", but that is a useless definition because even the Train Conductors of our hobby don't really want that. Their playstyle may be such that their stories implode if that condition is not fulfilled, but they still don't want puppets. They want people to do decide to do exactly what they want <i>independently</i>.<br />
<br />
Also, even <i>partial </i>Direct Control is not only difficult to achieve, but undesirable. Its alot of work for the Game Master, and what they gain is mostly butt-hurt and bored players. Player agency has been a somewhat touchy word in these climes, but barring the chatter, it really just means that when a player is presented with a problem, they feel as though they have a say in how to handle it.<br />
<br />
And that last sentence is critical. "When the players are presented with a problem..."<br />
<br />
Being presented with problems is the very basis of all storytelling. Books, movies, video games and roleplaying games all present Human(ish) characters with problems. Characters act on those problems, generating action, suspense, excitement, insight, profundity, comedy, drama, and horror. Sometimes the problem is framed as an opportunity (which happens alot in Grand Olde D&D): the characters hear rumors of a hug bounty being offered for the head of Kalabrax Vainogre, the handsomest Ogre Mage Pirate of the Acid Seas. The characters react by going to the local sheriff and signing up for the quest.<br />
<br />
Or... really they don't. For some reason, some smart ass character makes a comment that they would rather ride WITH the pretty boy Ogre, because he has such an awesome sounding outfit. And yes, the players are all ostensibly good aligned and Kalabrax is a rapey, murdery kind of pirate not a fun loving plucky one and the DM has planned huge naval battles and treasure hunts and getting the players deserted on an island filled with native with alot of magic and very little understanding of Common and now is breathing into a paper sack.<br />
<br />
However, in this scenario, nothing is lost. At all in fact.<br />
<br />
The Dm did their job: They presented a problem/oppurtunity (problotunity? Oppurblem?). And that's all you ever really need to do as a DM: present Problotunities.<br />
<br />
Some Problotunities will be just flatly ignored, and that can be within a DMs control to a point. If you present a problem that the character have no reason to care about or they feel they can't solve, that's a sucky problem. If you present an opportunity that is too difficult for the pay or just not rewarding enough or is a bit too on the nose with prizes without good reason, then it tends to be ignored.<br />
<br />
But lets just say that the players already expressed an interest in doing a piratey game (they just didn't tell you that they wanted to BE pirates...or you weren't listening....), so this oppurtunity is one they are interested, and are taking it a completely different way then you intended.<br />
<br />
***<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="Image result for pirates!" height="414" src="https://www.trbimg.com/img-57d8f4d1/turbine/sdut-pirates-overrun-san-diego-harbor-2016sep13" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="640" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">YAAARRRGH AND SUCH!!!!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<h3>
Can't beat em...</h3>
<br />
Again, when the smart ass said "Let's join Kalabrax instead of turning him in", the DM lost absolutely nothing. Even the possibility of getting stranded on an island full of angry natives is actually still fairly likely.<br />
<br />
As a dungeon master, if you take it into your mind that you are a professional problem maker, then you will be prepared. These problems you make up do not disappear as soon as the PCs do. Kalabrax does not give one farthing about your PCs existence, not when there are merchant boats to plunder and seawitches to bed. That distant maritime empire that wants to blockade the Island Elves until the king gives up his Daughter in marriage is still going to tap Kalabrax to weaken the Island's navy. That hurricane off the coast is still going to tear ass through the trading lanes and sink a few boats. The sheriff of whatever is still going to put up Royal Warrants for Kalabrax's arrest. Kalabrax would only care in two very general scenarios, 1), if the PCs become an enemy or 2) if the PCs become an ally.<br />
<br />
So what if they chose ally? I say run with it.<br />
<br />
The PCs get on the boat, and Kalabrax assuages them that the terrible tales that the party has heard of them are exaggerations and propaganda, and plies them with ale and food and TREASURE! Scrolls for th mage, new weapons for the fighter, missionary opportunities for the cleric, smuggling contacts for the rouge and gold for all! Yaaaargh piracy!<br />
<br />
But they are good aligned you say! If there is a Paladin in the bunch, he may be like F this crap and try to attack. Play out the combat however you like, but if your Paladin is casting about for excuse to go, let his God tell him that there are ways he can minister goodness and light even on a filthy pirate ship, and to be watchful. And guess what, the god will be right.<br />
<br />
They have not lost their good cards yet: they are in bed with the pirate but they haven't bumped uglies yet.<br />
<br />
The players are going along an its time for you to present a problem. You look in the world you created. You have a few geopolitical tensions to play with: that distant empire may send some mail via wyvern or boat to the captain, asking in cloaked (or uncloaked) terms for him to sink a huge gunship that is being donated to the elven island nation by the Good Empire or whoever. Kalabrax orders his men to chart a course to intercept her fat gunny ass, and tells his first mate to retrieve Stormmaker, a great big trident that blasts a shit load of lightning.<br />
<br />
First mate says: "Cap'n! She ain't got the power!" and indeed, there are fewer charges in the staff than they were expecting! It can only mean that 1), the staff is leaking power, 2) someone managed to use the staff without his knowledge or 3) someone stole power directly from the staff.<br />
<br />
Kalabrax shows some of his true colors by accusing the mage directly, in front of everyone, with maternal insults for flavor. Already, we have an interesting problem for the supposed Pirate Loyalists to deal with? Does the party defend the mage or leave him hanging? Does the mage roll Knowledge Arcana to see any obvious evidence or tampering? Here's the Paladin's opportunity to smite evil if he can provoke them to attack, or maybe the Paladin has already discovered innocents on the ship and wants to give diplomacy a try for once to save them. And, are your players starting to wonder what the weapon is for? Is the rouge wondering which side to be on now, or is he just going to Use Magic device to blow the captain away and take over the ship?<br />
<br />
What if you tried to force this line of decision making though? A DM would mostly likely <i>show their hand </i>when they were setting up the game, maybe just in the way they present the wanted poster, they would unintentionally signal to the players that they WANTED them to join Kalabrax (and the contrarian player would be like "lets smash him instead", which is the opposite problem of the first scenario, where the DM was trying to MAKE the players choose to smash the pirate, but they joined up instead.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="Image result for rube goldberg machine" src="https://boyslifeorg.files.wordpress.com/2018/04/rubegoldberg-feature.jpg?w=620&h=465" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">More moving parts, more to break</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Instead, if you present opportunities and problems, you have more options in how to handle how your players react. After this confrontation regarding Stormmaker, the players could decide that Kalabrax is the asshole people have been saying he is. Or, they could assuage him and help him, and become more loyal and beloved crew members. Maybe their kindness will change Kalabrax, maybe his evil will change the players, and maybe a stray harpoon will stab Kalabrax through the eye and the crew will pick the Cleric to be captain because he or she is an awesome cook. Whatever happens, so long as your just creating problems and opportunities you will keep your players moving, and you can keep reacting, and they can react to you!<br />
<br />
<h3>
How to make problems</h3>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
You need only two ingredients to make a problem: a resource and people willing to exploit it.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Coming up with problems comes with practice, but I always start with the foundations of <strike>human</strike> sentient behavior. There are hundreds of these little bonbons of why people do what they do, but these six come to mind in this discussion.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
1. Sentient always want more than they have.</div>
<div>
2. The higher up in the food chain a sentient is, the more willing they are to compromise their morals</div>
<div>
3. The higher up in the food chain a sentient is, the more they HAVE to compromise their morals</div>
<div>
4. Sentient priorities tend to be, in order of greatest to least: Themselves; Their children and Spouse; Their friends; their social group; their nation; others of their species; other sentients ; everything else.</div>
<div>
5. Plenty of people however have completely different orders. Some have the above priorities but put themselves at the bottom. Some have something more like God; nation; unit; family; self. Some are just Self; Self; More self. Rearrange for fun and profit.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
I say "sentient" because I assume that elves, elder gods, and being that exist outside linear time have the same motivations. Maybe yours don't, but mine tend not to, for now at least. I may look into different motivations in the future. Again, mix and match for fun and profit: maybe an extraplanar being knows better than to worry about temporal power and material possessions but if you so much look at its chosen copulation partner you are its mortal enemy.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Lets put some people and resources together and see what we get.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
A small list of people</div>
<div>
1. A large, distant empire</div>
<div>
2. An island full of elves</div>
<div>
3. an underwater nation of magic users</div>
<div>
4. Pirates</div>
<div>
5. A middling, mostly peaceful nation full of land-based exports</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
A small list of resources</div>
<div>
1. A well of infinite magical power that is on the Island of the Island Elves</div>
<div>
2. An empire with vast amounts of gold and tiny amounts of scruples</div>
<div>
3. A sea full of pirates with alot of gold, alot of guns, alot of guts, but not alot of scruples</div>
<div>
4. A nation with not as much gold, but still a contender in world politics</div>
<div>
5. An underwater nation of Sea Witches, Ocean Druids, and Abyssal Necromancers</div>
<div>
6. Magical artifacts created by above sea nation over the millennia of their histories</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
You notice than some of the people are resources, and some of the resources are people. This is usually true in life: that's why they call it that department at work Human Resources afterall.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Let's put 1 and 1 together. The empire is large and already has alot of gold, so it needs nothing. So thats means it would not want a well of infinite magical power right? Fuck no of course it wants it. So, it will do anything and everything to get it (afterall, the cost analysis of going after a well of infinite power is nothing but positive. They are almost obligated to grab it.) One of their ideas on how to get it might to be to force Island elves to give it up through marriage. Princess don't want to marry Evil Empire's old ass King, so they plan pretend to want an alliance while secretly using pirates to destroy and eventually blockade the island nation. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
This creates a bit of intrigue: why aren't the island elves a nation of incredible power themselves? Why don't they just crank up a fireball to the size of the Evil Nation's capital city and drop it on them? Is this well "really" infinite afterall...</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Lets put 5 and 3 together. This nation doesn't have deep pockets, so they can't have a huge standing navy, nor can they keep bribing pirates. They need to either get rid of the pirates or make their navy so mighty that they can protect the merchant ships that bring them their stuff, and they need to do it cheap. Maybe if they can get their kindly Prince to woo the Princess of the underwater nation, then the underwater people will help them sink the pirates, in return for stuff Ocean people can't have like cotton or gold or land magic or something.</div>
<div>
</div>
<div>
It doesn't take long to come up with more and more twisty scenarios. All you need to do after make these situations up is make not of them and find one or two that they players can get involved in. Remember, just because the PCs don't care that the Island Elves are getting bamboozled by Evil Empire doesn't mean that the Evil Empire will stop its bamboozling. Maybe they hear the Prince needs an escort to the Sea Nation and ignore the call to destroy Kalabrax and go help the Prince woo his lady love. They may never encounter Kalabrax at all, but I would not throw away his stat blocks of backstory, not even if the campaign is over to be honest because you can always reuse him for another game. Because you don't have control over your player's actions, you don't know if, maybe one day they may make all the right choices to encounter the evil pirate. And still decide to run with him...</div>
<div>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="Image result for flowchart spaghetti" src="http://hdclarity.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/Spaghetti1.gif" height="494" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="640" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mind you, its also pretty easy to get carried away with too many scenarios. Don't come up with too many, and dont expose your players to even HALF of what you come up with.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
TL;DR</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Direct Control is impossible, and not really profitable. Better, in my experience, is to create a world full of problems and opportunity, and know how they are interconnected and how they operate independent of the players. Your players will react to one or more of the problems/opportunities, and then you have them involved in the plot of their own volition. To create a problotunity, simply come up with a person or group of people, come up with a resource, and come up with why the person/people would want to exploit the resource and how. Then create an opportunity for the players to affect that exploitation.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
MurkyMasterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05007484206167197377noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1046069122215713180.post-14479977081032106162016-11-16T12:53:00.004-06:002016-12-01T13:16:29.647-06:00Full-Armor Alexa and more fiction excerpts!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZwucXDUS1mIZu8w0rbu4r8kU69Wki0v6dpSsoo9YysCTlYYp_pg1ZGtJMbLv9FLMPU4POc3MJkUIjsyTdlLFgiKVbs04WoVqP7mRwucR9HJCN44XPPoc9TXyhedEdVsTesvI0UBJTgbs/s1600/Armorcyte-Concepts-3.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="311" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZwucXDUS1mIZu8w0rbu4r8kU69Wki0v6dpSsoo9YysCTlYYp_pg1ZGtJMbLv9FLMPU4POc3MJkUIjsyTdlLFgiKVbs04WoVqP7mRwucR9HJCN44XPPoc9TXyhedEdVsTesvI0UBJTgbs/s320/Armorcyte-Concepts-3.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUfdAwo96xrpyDXcSRNUWakT_OK-RkDsJtBhaE4F8cTSWU74KLZjfvYMs0rlwEzVojztWtMWuv-pe2fiXuJoHWaqLCBD1IOxUXBrPDfKckR8ix6kqB4vtdDIsOdoukddoF86AXNX9P4Is/s1600/Armorcyte-Concepts-4.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="311" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUfdAwo96xrpyDXcSRNUWakT_OK-RkDsJtBhaE4F8cTSWU74KLZjfvYMs0rlwEzVojztWtMWuv-pe2fiXuJoHWaqLCBD1IOxUXBrPDfKckR8ix6kqB4vtdDIsOdoukddoF86AXNX9P4Is/s320/Armorcyte-Concepts-4.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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More Alexa concept art, this time regarding the heavier armor that she brings along when she knows she will need it.</div>
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At first, I was really in love with the bottom row, the heavier stuff. But now that I have sometime to think about it, I really like the upper row too. I, frankly, love how "ugly" it is. I mean, this isn't supposed to be a pretty thing, really, and it seems like its more, I don't know, buggy? Like it would be easier to hide, or at least detach. </div>
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Please my fans, let me know what you think about these concepts.</div>
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In return, I am offering you not just one, but TWO excepts of stories I'm working on. </div>
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One is from a sci-fi romance, the other is from a weird fiction short story I'm editing one more time. </div>
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Xen and Vengance- a Sci-Fi Romance</h2>
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He growled low in his throat<br />
<br />
Vengeance laid on her side in their marriage bed, the sweeps of her bronze hips shining in the dull red light of the room. The last Synod of the Dire Word declared something or other about red making women more fertile and the act more pleasurable. <br />
<br />
Foehammer was laying beside her, holding her left hip in his dusky, large hand. She faced him not, kissed him with no passion, and reciprocated none of his most earnest endearments. The real thing, apparently, was a very dull affair compared to the SinSims that he has so often used on leave.<br />
<br />
Vengeance was almost ashamed, but far more than that she was indignant. She knew, knew positively that laying with your husband was not a boring thing. Her Sister-in-God told her: by the Lord she SHOWED her how exhilarating, how truly lovely it could be.<br />
<br />
It was sinful, perhaps even blashpemetic, but she had recorded one of her nights with her beloved for a SinSim company to render. It was elegant, at least at first. Much lace, much sweet scents, the usual cliches.<br />
<br />
But when the act truly began in earnest, even stereotypical black teddy's could do nothing to cool the lust. The things they did were indescribable: not because they were impossible or unusual, but because words cannot replicate the feelings they created in each other. The warmth. The silkiness, and firmness. The breathing. The vulnerability, and yet dominance that Retribution had with her husband, the great Deacon Warborn. <br />
<br />
But her wedding night? The night she was to be educated in these mysteries? The night the doors to a new perception were to be opened? Little more than some uncomfortable grunting and confused fumbling.<br />
<br />
She never even became... what did she call it? Full? Fevered? Her womb did not resist his masculinity, but it by no means invited it. <br />
<br />
"Why?" he demanded.<br />
<br />
"Why what?" she pretended not to know.<br />
<br />
"Why did you not enjoy it?" <br />
<br />
She glared at him: surely it was his fault. "I don't know? Maybe women don't enjoy being pointlessly...."<br />
<br />
"I followed the manual to the letter!" he suddenly stormed. "You should have!"<br />
<br />
"Women are not machines to be programmed, Foehammer!" she stormed right back. Foehammer flinched, and rightly so. He may have been an esteemed Paladin, with the confirmed deaths of dozens of Demons in his long record of battle. He may have even brought a Babu down to the ground in a bare handed fight, only his cybernetic enhancements saving him.<br />
<br />
But Vengeance had killed far more. The Battle of Io, the surprise attack that the Triad of Alaso designed to be their Austerlitz in their conquest of the Lord's Solar System, was given to her by divine hands. Though it was General Foreboding and her masterful maneuvering of her Navy that drove the Triad back to Pluto, Vengance's contribution, unfairly in her mind, was the one remembered by most of the gentle sheep. It was surely providence that, while fighting among a squad of Paladin in the brutal ground skirmish, that she should carve a bloody road straight to Beelzebub, a general of that diverse and disgusting alliance of hellspawn itself. She laid it low in single combat, and it whimpered away in its damnable language to lick the stumps that once held two of its 1000 psi pincer arms.<br />
<br />
Vengeance, the hero. Vengeance, the Blade. Vengeance, who should be Bishop, or maybe Cardinal, say the sheep and their shepherds. But the Army of the Lord knows better. Her place is in battle, perhaps as a Sharlamane, a leader of paladins, but none the less soaked in Demon blood.<br />
<br />
If they had seen her performance tonight though, the nominations would probably be taken back. <br />
<br />
"I sleep." she said with cold finality, and the Paladin dare not defy her. But he could not sleep, while he was so unsatisfied. <br />
<br />
So, as his wife slept, Foehammer crept away, to the Prisons where Demons awaited formal trial and execution, to do as he had always done when the SinSims grew tiresome. He went to buy a whore...<br />
<br />
***<br />
<br />
Xen was lead into the room.<br />
<br />
Her throat was dry, her chest cold in the air conditioned air. The business end of the Altar Boys blaster was uncomfortably close to her arching back. Her tail, tipped with a slender poisoned spine, was tied tightly around her waist. Her poison tipped claws were corked with bulky plastic caps. A muzzle was fitted over her perfect darker blue lips, and a leather hood held down her frills and poison coated hair. <br />
<br />
Everything else was bare. She was being ogled at by yet another brainless Altar boy, laying back on the bed with his maleness sticking up in the air. She had seen bigger. She had seen less ugly, less mashed in the face.<br />
<br />
And she had been secured alot better than this, and still killed her man.<br />
<br />
She did the shashshaying thing that monkey-people seemed to like. His organ responded with a disgusting twitch, and his face was twisted from its respectable grimness into a sort of childish "dem titties" look. Her chest was massive, her hips heavy and proud, and her buttocks were the envy of the other hominid-compatible females and males. Then again, Oo'til'larg, the Feenobian, an independent from the imperialistic Triad like herself, seemed to admire her shape, even though it had a very curious, non-bilateral frame. <br />
<br />
She did not intended to stay long with him. He had that smell that said he took the antidote to her natural poisons already, and she expected that. But she hadn't expected the prison guards to be so lazy in searching her person. They thought her gold tattooing, in its beautiful shaping around her wide, Rubenesque body was only accent. <br />
<br />
She straddled him, not getting near his man-parts, and draped her self before him. He closed his eyes and took her in his mouth and moved to suck, while Xen pretend to stroke her own side in animal-heat like indulgence.<br />
<br />
In truth, she pulled the razor wire garrote, secured by a simple glue, off her person. She grasped the thick filament handles, and let the mono-molecular filament drape behind his head.<br />
<br />
Then, after she begged the Lord for forgiveness for this murder, she flicked the garrote.<br />
<br />
He simply stopped. He did not bleed much, the line slicing him so finely. But the garrote had completely decapitated him, and the connection between spine and mushy grey matter was simply broken.<br />
<br />
She worked her caps off, and the hood and all the other little devices, including the suppository that was supposed to ensure the altar boys control. She knew she would not get very far after this: couldn't be that lucky.<br />
<br />
She knocked for a guard, ready to send her hard elbow into his throat and drop him flat. After that, who knows.<br />
<br />
The door opened, and Xen's elbow flew. But it struck the hard neck of a monkey-female, not a male! The guard stumbled, but Xen worked quickly to gas her out: if the guard died, then Flatline alarms would go off. At least that is what Gin told her. <br />
<br />
The guard was disrobed, chained to the bed next to the dead body with the BDSM equipment that altar boy intended to use on her, and gagged and muzzled. Xen donned the guards clothes: a little tight, but not too much. She wasn't a small woman, in any respect.<br />
<br />
She shook as she prepare to leave the room. Into the prison: identification points, genetic scanners, and most of all, people familiar with this guard and her mannerisms. There was no sneaking out. She would simply die.<br />
<br />
She prayed the Lord's Prayer, and begged that the Lord would give her rest, and figure her not just for the death's she caused, but for failing to reach the Orthodox Terran Catholics with the truth they had been denied for some many millennia. <br />
<br />
With one last steeling breath she burst from the room and ran with all speed to her death.<br />
<br />
****<br />
<br />
Vengeance stood over the body of her husband.<br />
<br />
She had been married for 5 hours, 1 one which spent at the wedding, another in the bed, and the other 3 in sleep.<br />
<br />
She positively identified him, and the yellow sheet came over him. A priest came to say the last rites, modified for his status as a Paladin. She would have to preform the Deathwatch, unless she was called to battle.<br />
<br />
"Vengeance." a deep baritone boomed behind her.<br />
<br />
She turned. Her eyes were moist, her lips quivering, but only slightly. This made Bishop Reaver suspicious, but only until he remembered the scandalous truth.<br />
<br />
"My condolences are with you, Paladin. But I may have something better to offer than that."<br />
<br />
Vengeance merely glared, waiting to hear what this fool would make her do in her mourning. Yet, was she really mourning?<br />
<br />
"You husband was destroyed by a Demon, a female from St. Dante's. I will be frank, since I know you would prefer that to..."<br />
<br />
"He was fucking a harlot." she said, surprised at her own brusqueness in front of the Bishop.<br />
<br />
The Bishop was forgiving, for he feared Vengeance as much as her late husband did. "Yes... in the prison. They ran a brothel mere yards from one of our most historic missions on Mars and a children's catechism school!" His fist clenched hard on his leather and his face flared Passion Bulb red. Inwardly, Vengeance laughed at the comical sight of the doughy man scrunched into an indignant scowl.<br />
<br />
"But what I'm offering you is a chance to create your own justice, restore the honor to your late husband's family, and enjoy the particular rush that your namesake gives. The Lord has blessed us such that the fool had not disabled the tracking device in her vessel..."<br />
<br />
"The succubus escaped?" Vengeance demanded, incredulous.<br />
<br />
"Uh... err, yes. Some how, the Demoness disabled a female guard that was playing look out, and shot her way to a prisoner transport. Our men followed her to Phobos, but she landed and abandoned the ship before they could shoot her out of the sky. They chased her into a cave, and then I got the idea to let you have the honors of destroying her."<br />
<br />
Vengeance was dumbfounded. Why would this Bishop be so foolish? Why didn't he just have the creature killed and be done with it?<br />
<br />
"Do you accept?"<br />
<br />
Vengeance sighed. She wanted to sleep. She wanted to mourn... maybe. It must be the shock. She may have not known even the name of her husband until the day of her wedding, she may have had the poorest love in perhaps the entire Galactic Congregation for her wedding night, but surely there must still be feelings that the Lord would give her, to make her love him as He made Foehammer love her.<br />
<br />
Love her so much that he would sneak off to lay with Evil itself? <br />
<br />
"Of course, your eminence." she said, far more halfheartedly than the Bishop expected.<br />
<br />
He touched her arm, and began to say "If you need anything, you can always ask me." But she snatched it away and fully scowled at him, with a angry, questioning look.<br />
<br />
"Very well Paladin, you're dismissed. You ship has the briefing. Happy hunting" he said, hurt and sheepish.<br />
<br />
Vengeance stalked off, her mind racing with frustration, confusing, and a growing despair...<br />
<br />
***<br />
<br />
Why didn't they fire?<br />
<br />
Two starfighters hovered before the cave mouth. They had a clear shot, but did not fire. One shot would fill the cave with a deadly heat that even Xen's spacesuit could not resist.<br />
<br />
Maybe they wanted to starve her? No, they were waiting for something. Waiting for a transport to take her back? Why bother? They were justified to kill her on sight at this point. This was...<br />
<br />
A another light moved among the sea of stars, and grew brighter. Soon another fighter came into view, one of those fancy ones that Orthos gave their best "Demon" hunters. Best hunters of anything besides humans, more like it...<br />
<br />
The ship continued to come close, until, to Xen's fear, it decided to land right before the cave. Lights filled the cave with a soft glow, instead of a harsh one which they could do. The front bay ramp opened, and a Altar Boy stepped out. <br />
<br />
She had only seen a Terran female once before, and she had been throated by her flying elbow. Now, she had seen another one.<br />
<br />
And she was deadly, and beautiful.<br />
<br />
***<br />
<br />
"By order of the Holy Church of the Lord of Hosts, a declare you anathema, to be put to death, by honorable single combat or your cowardice."<br />
<br />
The Demon did not respond. Some demons were not educated in Terran, and that did not matter. There was no honor in them, only in the chosen Creation of God, only in the creatures he made in the Garden, that populated the Lands of Cannaan, and with His might conquered a world.<br />
<br />
But Vengeance did not immediately fly to the battle and dispatch this creature. She was new: a different sort of Demon from the ones in the Bestiary Demonical. Discovering new creatures was not unheard of, but it was rare, and this one fascinated her to hesitation.<br />
<br />
Why? Many reasons. There was her shape: very humanoid. Very humanoid female. If she were a human female, she would be one of the most desirable, of the body type that was often called "fat" by other women jealous of its fullness. Desirable: was Vengeance desirable? Did she lack what made this eerie, Demonic beauty so intoxicating?<br />
<br />
But then, unexpectedly but undeniably, the Paladin felt something. Vengeance felt her cheeks warm, and the catalysts deep within her producing reactions that were warm, deep and yet somehow unholy. She was shocked, unnerved by what she realized was blossoming in her.<br />
<br />
Lust. Lust for a Demon female.<br />
<br />
****<br />
<h2>
<br />Axel - a tale of little men and strangers</h2>
Some grandma out in Texas was getting ripped off, not too long ago.<br />
<br />
She gave her desktop to a young man in a little computer store that otherwise had a good reputation. Couldn’t get into it anymore, she said. <br />
<br />
Probably had some viruses on it, she said. That’s what the tech that claimed he was from Microsoft told her when he called her out of the blue to help her with a problem she didn't know she had, she said.<br />
<br />
She gave it to him yesterday, late in the afternoon. His cold fingers hadn’t moved its dust by late the next morning.<br />
<br />
Axel loved to work hard, but hesitated at all the starts. Mortals had stingy gods or ungenerous laws of science that only gave them pocketfuls of seconds to kill their “Did I do enough today” anxieties. Axel had not yet learned how to use his effectively. He was a procrastinator, perhaps even a victim of ADD, but could not afford to find out if he had such a disease. All he had was talent with things that beeped loudly when they were very sick, and time to burn, and a bucket of guilt.<br />
<br />
And though he had wasted plenty of hours already, a giant urge, one that Axel loved to indulge, called for a little bit more fun. More mayhem to his tightening schedule.<br />
<br />
He explained the plan to himself, in a harsh, angry whisper. “You know what, I’m gonna fucking do it. I am going to get a big, sexy, fucking danish, put that shit in my mouth, and eat it. Not like she’s the fuck around to stop me anymore...”<br />
<br />
His urges, himself, had the rationale for this violation of a decent working ethic. A danish that would add another drop to his overflowing cup of adipocytes had to be tasted first, before the old lady that just wanted to get her granbabies pictures back could see her fixed income turn into a fixed computer. He didn’t say “I’ll get a motherfucking danish after I finish my work.”<br />
<br />
Tea knew all about Axel’s lust. That’s why there was only one pillow on the bed now. That’s why there are no more Lovecraft books or wire sculptures or pads or makeup or bras or anything that was for her and her alone in his house anymore. That why her chastisements, her threats, her wisdom did not scent the air with dread and hurt and hope for a better tomorrow. Not anymore. She could stop him from hurting himself, stop him on a dime, when he loved her.<br />
<br />
Number 2 also knew just what Axel was incapable of, and that is precisely why it was there in the computer shop, leaning against the counter in tight jeans and a fine maroon button up, shining necklace hanging from a 30 year old’s woman’s swan white neck under blue, dove-soft, eyes. Number 2 was here to see what Axel WOULD do, when squeezed very hard...<br />
<br />
Invisible to Axel’s watery mortal eyes, 2 listened with a manager’s care. Axel monologued with his audience of tiny screwdrivers over the pros and cons of convenience store pastries, especially in the contexts of body pride (Its wrong to bully people based on their weight), personal health (self-inflicted obesity = suicide the danishes have a delicious variety of toxic food additives), Tea’s thoughts on the matter (”I want you to live a long time with me.” “I don’t want a fat husband”), and how tired he was of listening to good advice.<br />
<br />
Some foreign, internal urge told Number 2 to wave its gentle hand and fan Axel’s cowardice dry: his soliloquies were uninspired, delusional and deformed. He was out of shape for the kind of work that was coming. Really, if you put Axel on paper his desire to do right would be quite high, but everything else it seemed was triple digits under the x-axis. He was not ready for real life, much less the quasi-reality, the mutant truth that was stepping in.<br />
<br />
But Axel’s re-calibration wasn’t in the plan. They needed him to stay a break-fix. They would not let him run smoothly. Why, 2 wondered, chewing an end of hair that was no more real than what she looked like now.<br />
<div>
<br />
A twinge pinched 2’s left temple. Gooseflesh rose on its skin.<br />
<br />
The creature was here. The beast Number 2 had been waiting for had finally arrived.<br />
<br />
A cloud of light solidified into the form of a giant next to the oblivious Axel. A forgotten instinct tensed the muscles of 2, the godlike: fear, an old friend 2 had not seen in years, stroked its spine.<br />
<br />
Axel pushed against gravity, which pulled him more everyday, and began to turn his chair towards the door that we lead him out of the computer shop and into the convenience store a couple shops down in the strip, like aiming a gun at his ambitions of being slim again, like when he would run a quarter mile everyday, before seeing Tea, then his girlfriend. Tea, his life reflected, toggled, and warmed, he sometimes thought of her.<br />
<br />
And in that 270 degree arc, Axel saw the beast’s back.<br />
<br />
It could only be described with the strongest similes: arms like old trees, legs like courthouse pillars, chest like a prison wall, and a head bald as a new door knob. It was masculine-shaped, hyper-masculine in fact: the impossible kind of body that boys are taught to aspire to by evil TV and old-minded fathers. The body that boys like Axel wisely disbelieve as fantasy, until they watch their friends turn into specimens of that impossibility, or at least something closer to the ideal than they ever could be. A mysandrinstic body.<br />
<br />
A polished, brand-new sword longer than Axel was tall hung in a leather frog at its left hip, leaning against a dark leather kilt that smelled tanned today. Minutiae of impractical armor sprinkled its chest, protecting the vitals from little, but explaining slowly and clearly that this monster knew how to kill very well, but was very inept at being hit back.<br />
<br />
And as for the skin: the beast was covered in tiny scales colored an eye-straining royal purple.<br />
<br />
It knew its job all along: the monster picked up the store owner’s old cathode ray 30” television from the cheap fiberboard shelf it sat on, and hurled it through the west wall. It blasted through with a loud crash-pop, rolled gaily for several yards on the plump, green lawn between the computer shop and Eagle Laundry, and smashed to a stop against the laundry’s cinderblock wall.<br />
<br />
But the purple man was not finished with his construction project. The beast kicked more chunks out of this wall. The beast could do the same to Axel, and would only get a little wet for its trouble.<br />
<br />
The Adonis stepped out into a glaring sun, and headed for the laundromat at a confident pace. An easy pace.<br />
<br />
Axel stood gently: very, very gently, shaking with a heartbeat stronger than he felt in years.<br />
<br />
He started to creep to the front door, to leave the beast to do whatever it was going to do, with that sword, to those people he didn’t know in the laundry. Whatever destruction and carnage Mr. Purple wrought, it wasn’t Axel’s problem, and wasn’t one he could solve anyway. He would just be in the way, he assured himself,<br />
<br />
Axel was just about to take his third step when he heard a scream of metal. He turned.<br />
<br />
Mr. Purple arms lifted the laundry’s condenser unit above its gleaming purple scalp. Metal and wire hung and swung freely, as the beast raised the iron chunk over its head.</div>
<div>
<br />
Mr. Purple raised a foot off the ground, bent backwards like a palm in a Gulf of Mexico maelstrom, and snapped forward like the storm suddenly died. The condenser exploded, the cinderblocks disintegrated and the stand up dryers on the other side of the wall leaped forward. As the launders slipped on suds and stood agape, the dryers fell into their small, shielding arms.</div>
<div>
<br />
And as the beast stepped into the building, Axel found he could no longer run away, or even move, save for blinking uselessly.<br />
<br />
The building was now dead: its 240 volt A/C pulse flatlined by the damage. Darkness danced happily in the bass beat of the launders beating on the electric sliding doors that would not open. </div>
<div>
<br />
They cried out their last screams.<br />
<br />
The monster was stepping inside. And his hand was reaching for his sword...<br />
<br />
Axel’s skin wept with sweat. Helplessness, the only thing Axel owned that Tea would not take with her, welded his feet to the floor.<br />
<br />
And then strangely, perhaps even magically, this helplessness, that he allowed to hinder him so long turned to a frustration, then an indignation, then a hot rage.</div>
<div>
<br />
Number 2 watched Axel carefully, saved the look on Axel’s face in her mind. Soft, meaty fatty check twisted into a snarl. Anger, and determination, like heat waves.<br />
<br />
Axel lurched forward, in an awkward bolt/dive for a small chunk of cinderblock in front of him. His hand clawed it. His left foot planted itself before him at a strong angle. His arm flapped in the hot July air as it swung back. Like a whip, he loosed his ammo.<br />
<br />
Purple’s head was so hard that it gave an audible crack-thump sort of sound, when the bullet struck precisely where Axel aimed it.<br />
<br />
Axel was elated, briefly.<br />
<br />
But then screams in the laundromat continued, and Mr. Purple’s courthouse-pillar legs began to pivot, bringing his overlarge body to an about-face.<br />
<br />
When the shadows peeled away from its face, Axel saw eyes of solid gold, and teeth of ivory as pointed as a wolf’s, behind a smile twisted with hunger, hate, and joy.</div>
<div>
<br />
Axel's rage melted back to sanity and his accustomed weakness. He backed up one step at a time, to the beat of the stream of “Oh shit, oh shit, oh shit…” pouring from his mouth.<br />
<br />
Then the monster’s smile began to fade into concentration. Mr. Purple stooped, and its giant hand pivoted slowly to a relatively whole cinder block. Axel stopped, stupidly, and watched the monster’s fingers envelop the whole thing like a softball. Projectile in hand, the monster slowly rose back to standing.<br />
<br />
Axel gulped, and the beast frowned, as it aimed.</div>
<div>
<br />
And Number 2? Only watched.<br />
<br />
Two could play, the monster seemed to say. The monster hurled back its arm. Axel bent his knees.</div>
<div>
<br />
The beast shot the brick with all the foot-pounds his muscles could give it, and he had plenty in store. The wind cried as grainy concrete pierced the air.<br />
<br />
At the same time, Axel pushed against the ground with all that his every fiber of his flabby leg muscles.</div>
<div>
<br />
And Axel leaped hard and fast... towards it.<br />
<br />
The cinder block struck Axel full on in the face with a satisfying crunch, smashing his brains so hard that they leaked out of the ears a little bit. His corpse twirled neatly in the air, then thudded to the grass below. One more twitch, and it was done.<br />
<br />
Number 2 closed its green eyes and shook its brown pageant curls. “Idiot”.</div>
MurkyMasterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05007484206167197377noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1046069122215713180.post-83730743673500518512016-10-18T12:30:00.002-05:002016-11-16T21:29:58.612-06:00More Alexa concept art, and happy news from Drive Thru Fiction!<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyt9lDPfl7QHPy-JQhyjlfpieoUA36Dv7GjgP7m3Ano1XKp-JY11LP1TsH1ARjKRlzI3pirRyRsbsjfFu0fbzL9kaGflPhMqEMe6NKmMMtf7YzXm0LJY-Dl9vrZunko8KAbQrB-F1G6v8/s1600/Armorcyte-Concepts-2.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="622" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyt9lDPfl7QHPy-JQhyjlfpieoUA36Dv7GjgP7m3Ano1XKp-JY11LP1TsH1ARjKRlzI3pirRyRsbsjfFu0fbzL9kaGflPhMqEMe6NKmMMtf7YzXm0LJY-Dl9vrZunko8KAbQrB-F1G6v8/s640/Armorcyte-Concepts-2.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">To whip or not to whip it?</td></tr>
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More Alexa art from Tobias! He suggested this lovely whip concept for Alexa, as opposed to just arm blades.<br />
<br />
I love it! Its deadly, versatile, and likely prehensile as well.<br />
<br />
But its not going on Alexa.<br />
<br />
Did I just really say I hate it? Au contrare! Or however you spell that.<br />
<br />
I thinks its the perfect weapon: for Phear. Our Cassandra, our well off woman with a disaffected girlfriend and a disdain for vaporized nicotine delivery systems, who helps Alexa immensely in this story and this series.<br />
<br />
Lets just say the choice of the whip for her weapon will become quite obvious in the novels and short stories to come. One hint: Killian.<br />
<br />
That being said, I love the colors and the wiredness of the weapons style, and I hope you do too. If you thinks its all too much, say so! I might ignore you, but you still have a right to complain!<br />
<br />
Next round of art I'm aiming for is a full complement of parastic body armor, which she wears for the job that you can't finish at a quarter to 5. She'll need every inch of chitin to survive the breachers and other beasts to come.<br />
<h2>
<br />Drive Thru Fiction is doing well! </h2>
<div>
"Where Was I?" is getting out there to people! To those people, I must thank you and I STRONGLY encourage you to share the DRM-free copies of that story to everyone you can. Don't even ask, just email it to them, and tell them to upload it to Google Play books or download Bookviser or Freeda books or any Epub reader they can find. I mean, don't spam your grandma if she's not into young people getting booted out of the city because they don't have the freaking right letter tattooed to their foreheads, but you know what I mean.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
If you have no clue what I'm talking about, go <a href="http://www.drivethrufiction.com/product/171385/Where-Was-I?" target="_blank">here</a> and buy my beautiful story for whatever you want, even free, and upload that EPUB file directly to your Google Play Books account. You'll be able to read all about it. There will be a link to my <a href="http://patreon.com/murky_master" target="_blank">Patreon</a> in there as well, so you can get excerpts way ahead of time and other goodies.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Thanks for your support, my people!</div>
MurkyMasterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05007484206167197377noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1046069122215713180.post-41814210927533351812016-10-03T07:38:00.002-05:002016-11-16T21:31:29.189-06:00VOTE ON CONCEPT ART!Hello all my loyal blog readers!<br />
<br />
I need some help. I just got this lovely concept art in by the artist +Tobias White, and I need your opinions. These images are depicting Alexa from the recent stories of the same name (the ones with Cantos in them). They were mostly drawn to figure out how I want the Armorcytes drawn, so don't worry about judging the figure. Which design for the Armorcytes do you like best?<br />
<br />
Can't wait to here your opinion! A number would suffice if you don't have much time.<br />
<br />
<br />
<div style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-top: 0.9375rem;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCzF6p_Fr78CYa3T3HXtyFNRWRAVnuux6iS2acwNIuVIuNSivAe7m08y-RJfvn_RY-eVUtjXqiTBBMwuLjEWCDPkJzYNYvLFIWQb70xOviWctZyw7mgXsxd-PhslqI_3bVScXzRuvThE0/s1600/Armorcyte-Concepts-1.png" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="494" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCzF6p_Fr78CYa3T3HXtyFNRWRAVnuux6iS2acwNIuVIuNSivAe7m08y-RJfvn_RY-eVUtjXqiTBBMwuLjEWCDPkJzYNYvLFIWQb70xOviWctZyw7mgXsxd-PhslqI_3bVScXzRuvThE0/s640/Armorcyte-Concepts-1.png" width="640" /></a></div>
MurkyMasterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05007484206167197377noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1046069122215713180.post-21898431034667763302016-09-17T16:24:00.000-05:002016-09-17T16:24:21.336-05:00By reading Dragonlance, I know I am doomed.<div dir="ltr" style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="line-height: 1.295; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPxi6PtbnxhUZpK8cKwHsKZGTZS7QvbmPdHsgHwzijT78ra1_xedfEYWpjVHDS3wvM3uv80yAmmR1Lbno2ozL9IDnVAH6FOHdhAtZS4ao1fI72cUOuX26xQbUEKBnM1vBS6GImydWOoGU/s1600/dragons_of_winter_night_by_stawickiart-d6a05mk.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="363" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPxi6PtbnxhUZpK8cKwHsKZGTZS7QvbmPdHsgHwzijT78ra1_xedfEYWpjVHDS3wvM3uv80yAmmR1Lbno2ozL9IDnVAH6FOHdhAtZS4ao1fI72cUOuX26xQbUEKBnM1vBS6GImydWOoGU/s640/dragons_of_winter_night_by_stawickiart-d6a05mk.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">RIP</td></tr>
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<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="line-height: 1.295;">It still hurts just as much as the first time. You know what I'm talking about. If you don't please read Dragons of Autumn Twilight and Dragons of Winter Night as soon as you can.</span><br /><br /><span style="line-height: 1.295;">SPOILERS, by the by.</span></div>
<h2 style="line-height: 1.295;">
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<br /></h2>
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This isn't an advice post is it?</h2>
<div style="line-height: 1.295;">
No, not terribly. This is an opinion, a thought even.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: 1.295;">
I know that I am totally doomed when I read Dragonlance. I may pick up the odd literary book. I may absorb the occasionally literary spec fic story. I may put down the odd, over done fantasy book.</div>
<div style="line-height: 1.295;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: 1.295;">
But at the end of the day. When its all said and done, I have been forever affected by this book.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: 1.295;">
The Dragonlance Chronicles (by Margaret Wies and Tracy Hickman) were the first really series I read, all by my little self. It had been so long since I read them that they were practically new again when I read autumn and listened to winter, but some things I remembered well. Fizban's first "death", the undead in Drakenwood, the unicorn of prophesy, and the reveal of Silvara all come to mind.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: 1.295;">
These scenes have appeared, morphed and altered but still recognizable, in my games and my stories. The insecure leader, Tanis, the fatalistically loyal knight, the playfully flirtatious warrior, the taciturn wizard, the bloodthirsty mercenary and even the brat-growing-up have appears in many characters. Races, genders, and sexual orientations have been mixed up for fun and flavor, but those companions are there still. I suspect, when I get to finishing the Drizzt novels, that I shall find many elements in there as well.</div>
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<br /></div>
<h2 style="line-height: 1.295;">
But angsty-boy, what do you mean by doomed?</h2>
<div>
<span style="line-height: 1.295;">So,, I'm listening to a great story by Nelson DeMille, called "The Quest". Its a grail quest book, but has alot of history in it, particulalry the downfall of </span>Haile Selassie I, the last Emperor of Ethiopia, the last of King Solomon's 2000 year dynasty, and the messiah of the Rastafarians. Great book, go get it, especially if your running a Mummy/Romancing the Stone/Indiana Jones type game.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
But my point is this. Whenever, almost without fail, in this book at least, someone makes a comment, this is what the next line will be.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Frank didn't respond.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Vivian did not reply.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div>
He made no comment.</div>
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But, is this an actual problem? No, not really. The story is great. What I'm seeing here is an author's quirk. For me, it seems to be structuring sentences backward and alot of very purple prose. Anyone who has read me can probably say that and more.</div>
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<br /></div>
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But I imagine Nelson is the type of man that like the strong, silent types, or at least doesn't cotton to those who have witty or "witty" things to say. His prose is not flowery either, but it is powerful.</div>
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Me, though, I grew up on the drama, and some would call melodrama, of Dragonlance. Ray Bradbury fucked me up too: half of his sentences make no sense at first, but they are artful. Behold..</div>
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"And then he shut up, for he remembered last week and the two white stones staring up at the ceiling and the pump-snake with the probing eye and the two soap faced men with the cigarettes moving in their mouths when they talked ." Fahrenheit 451</div>
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He's a fricking mad man! But I love him. RIP Bradbury.</div>
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These quirks are the frameworks of an authors voice, and while having voice means you are going to turn alot of people away, it also means your going to have fans for life, because they can't get that voice anywhere else. That's why authors can do rehashes of Pride and Predjudice, because they all do Elizabeth Bennet just a bit differently.</div>
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<div>
Dragonlance, Sabriel, LoTR, Red, Harry Potter, Something Wicked This Way comes and many other books have carved my voice into something that may change, but will take a while to do so. And I don't need to compromise either.</div>
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<div>
Still, this means that there will be moments in the future when the general trends will crave certain stories from me and then other times will call for different tales. A book I publish next year may be damned one lambasted one epoch and lauded the next. My attachment to alteration may by an ailment to my advancement, or it might be really clever.</div>
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<h2>
So...?</h2>
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So, really, I just needed to say it. Afterall, that's why we write fiction. To make an observation on the world, maybe even a judgement. </div>
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All I can really say is that sometimes I wonder if what I write is the right thing to do, but I know that it is. I have to write the story in my mind.</div>
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Will I have to change that, challenge that, to grow though? I wonder...</div>
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MurkyMasterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05007484206167197377noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1046069122215713180.post-68604544322382881532016-08-11T11:19:00.001-05:002016-08-11T11:19:59.613-05:00Oops.I made a Flash Fiction.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhyphenhyphen8EL0FKVuMvF4ElOMsT-aG0yat9HrYq8uYrkvt0ua_vwsrUEa6IRPYBu7WPZp0ZHtfjK62OpGCchoSGxEgW7-XXopYYRdcff5yc48AVnCarAS9qYyCHmw45uBX8CknIUE-sDA_hVx4E/s1600/82d984522648a9034fd129cdcfb02c62.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhyphenhyphen8EL0FKVuMvF4ElOMsT-aG0yat9HrYq8uYrkvt0ua_vwsrUEa6IRPYBu7WPZp0ZHtfjK62OpGCchoSGxEgW7-XXopYYRdcff5yc48AVnCarAS9qYyCHmw45uBX8CknIUE-sDA_hVx4E/s1600/82d984522648a9034fd129cdcfb02c62.jpg" /></a></div>
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Have you ever accidentally wrote something else when you were supposed to write another thing?</div>
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I just did that. I was trying to work on my project for a Golden Fleece anthology themed on the works of Jules Verne, and it wasn't happening automatically so I did some free-writing. And I laid me an egg.</div>
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Its with the proofreader right now, and after that, my $1+ patrons will get to see it. Go check it out at patreon.com/murky_master </div>
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I really actually like the story! Its so... so... short! That's rather unusual for me, but it actually ties itself up quite well. Really and fun story: I'm sure you'll love it!</div>
MurkyMasterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05007484206167197377noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1046069122215713180.post-62011137436194069732016-06-11T18:46:00.001-05:002016-06-27T18:04:47.648-05:00The Case for the Knight in Shining Armor<h3>
Another of my favorite cliches...</h3>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEnr5VCahIqWDzR9uD5AaUzVIuXIin-idJwR777lXLejFZmQkTZpNB5jfdkMjISpmRuxqgf-ecNalOsXtj0AhtVqZo0aWXx1VejU62xnp8fq3KyhwmJu2YGBE71bXgHNbqJ6CTwHWdtm4/s1600/knight_by_redpeggy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="504" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEnr5VCahIqWDzR9uD5AaUzVIuXIin-idJwR777lXLejFZmQkTZpNB5jfdkMjISpmRuxqgf-ecNalOsXtj0AhtVqZo0aWXx1VejU62xnp8fq3KyhwmJu2YGBE71bXgHNbqJ6CTwHWdtm4/s640/knight_by_redpeggy.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Disgusting! Grieving Lich responds to "genocidal" white knight! "They just wanted a hug!"</b></td></tr>
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I know that the knight in shining armor is deeply out of fashion, but I like to dust that old armor off. I'll tell you why.<br />
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Why do I think the knight is dead? Because we all know that nobody is like that. Nobody, in this world, ever does the right thing, or at least not wholly. There is always at least an unconscious selfishness to the few good works we see done. Ulterior motives poison every good heart, compromises, fear, and greed hide under psychological coverups, biological determinism, cynical schools of common sense and theological indulgences, No movement, no war, no police encounter, no charity and no peace offering by a dotting relative is complete without speculation about what lies beneath.</div>
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Sometime, perhaps while I was young but I strongly think it happened before my time, the collective gorge of the tastemasters of literature and media in general began to rise at the idea of the "pure heart". As it should. It was overused, I have been told or intimated to. It became a sturdy crutch for the author to lean on, and those always need to be removed at some point, if perhaps for a time. You didn't have to think deep about the background of the character, once their goodness was established. They were just, well, a hero, ready made and boring as waiting for another brilliant Murky Masters blog post. </div>
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But, now, I want to bring that idea back, because the leg has shifted to the other crutch for me: you can always trust a hero to be predictably two-faced, or vulnerable in a certain area, or certain in their cynicism. Just like romance is a fantasy, a jaded view of the world can hide details and realities. So, every once in a while, when I or my players get too comfortable in their distrust of mankind, I whip out a real knight.<br />
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<h3>
"Oh, one of your kind" she sneered, cutting her eyes and reaching for her dagger.</h3>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhi1yxTO_8VkvySAjDtrix-ptK3cpjcSweq56prAojysl22ADrzsHXSCEPUz8cUi2eXSTfWuTCKZGBxXV_UIpHXoOeSlQaKJlS-glUtaNGUO6mVA-AvuBL9A-jQyKgCg1Ak7LKpnaPJSg4/s1600/mistrust_by_lichtreize.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="446" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhi1yxTO_8VkvySAjDtrix-ptK3cpjcSweq56prAojysl22ADrzsHXSCEPUz8cUi2eXSTfWuTCKZGBxXV_UIpHXoOeSlQaKJlS-glUtaNGUO6mVA-AvuBL9A-jQyKgCg1Ak7LKpnaPJSg4/s640/mistrust_by_lichtreize.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">(mistrust by LichReize on deviantart)</td></tr>
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One of the great upsets about knighthood is that anyone with even half brain knows that's its next to impossible to be one of these things. I don't mean its impossible to be trained how to run around on a horse with heavy armor and a lance and kill shit good. I mean its impossible to expect someone would really devote themselves to justice and honor and kindness, while at the same be ready, capable, and accepting of using violence to sole problems, all while without having a shred of self-interest or fear. For this article, I basically define the knight as an idiot who has to do things a certain way and wants freedom and justice for all, and really actually sincerely does not care what happens to her/him/them.<br />
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People are right. It is almost impossible to these assholes. More importantly though it IS impossible to PROVE that anyone asshole is such a person.<br />
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Any one action a knight takes can be proven, with a good lawyer or a guiless listener or both, to be motivated by lust, greed, wrath or any flavor of sin. A knight running down a female orc theif could be accused of being rasict, classist, sexist, and possibly even a religious bigot all in one blow, not to mention the numerous laws that the knight might be breaking, if he/she is not part of the established law enforcement force (if any). I cite the <a href="http://taking10.blogspot.com/2016/05/you-dont-have-any-actual-authority-just.html" target="_blank">erudite article</a> by <a href="http://taking10.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Neal Litherland</a> on this head.<br />
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I also cite a literary reference: Sturm Brightblade of Krynn (Dragonlance Chronicles by Tracy Hickman and Margaret Weis). No, I don't mean that Sturm has been accused of being duplicious in his knighthood. Rather, I cite what he saw in his own knightly order. I just read a good quote of his from Dragons of Winter Knight, too, (Book 2 Chapter 1). Here, he's on the boat fleeing form ice wall, talking with Laurana, who was asking him about his beliefs.<br />
<br />
"...When I returned to my homeland, I found that the Knighthood was not the order of honorable, self-sacrificing man my mother had described. It was rife with political intrigue. The best of men were like Derek, honorable, but strict and unbending, with little use for those they consider beneath them. The worst-" he shook his head."<br />
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And yes, Derek is a dickhead. He is the type of knight that I have heard many DM's begroan whenever someone plays a paladin (which is a close cousin to the knight of which I speak, but a different animal in many ways). They're legalistic to the point of myopia, presumptive of authority to the point of autocracy, and "honorable" to the point of sheer stupidity, especially in a small-unit tactics sense.<br />
<br />
I love them, as NPCs, becuase they give my PCs as low hanging punching bag to tounge-lash, filch, jilt, and otherwise punish for their very exsistance. They make great foils for PC paladins/knights/cops too, as if to say "So, are you actually associated with this dick-depository, or are you gonna make up you own mind about the 'goblinoid menace' that's 'plaguing' the town."<br />
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But even if you play a real, honest to goodness knight/paladin/superman figure, you could be slandered in being just another asshole, and end up hated and hunted by the people you are trying to save. Ask Bruce about that sometime.<br />
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This is an opportunity though, in my eyes. One of my many options when I bring an honor-bound warrior into my games is giving them the joyful conflict of having their reputations soiled. Whether by association, rumor, or bitter history, any paladin/knight/lawman can be met with mistrust by the population they find themselves in. Even paladins that are all up-and-up with their churches and have warrants and are in jurisdiction yada yada may be despised from peasant to prince just becuase some other tin-platted doody-dipper was selling underdark mushrooms on the side to keep up with his sex slave habit, or saved paperwork by burning a suspected family of demon summoners alive in their home.<br />
<h3>
Knights are new again: knighthood tropes in modernity</h3>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVd_fpgMm0tVjzj2COaiFZTmzUbJZhP0LP11PM2CPOOrRxLvdpUAWzGCM4r_aj7qd0hhGmzZuuzXfJpihKWJDraLE7CNNqnZaW7SBZcroSuyQlq5j1dF4hzMQxd__-X3XO1yJPdnh5ueQ/s1600/robocop_by_cat_meff-d6je0d7.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVd_fpgMm0tVjzj2COaiFZTmzUbJZhP0LP11PM2CPOOrRxLvdpUAWzGCM4r_aj7qd0hhGmzZuuzXfJpihKWJDraLE7CNNqnZaW7SBZcroSuyQlq5j1dF4hzMQxd__-X3XO1yJPdnh5ueQ/s1600/robocop_by_cat_meff-d6je0d7.png" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Militarized police force, or just enough to stay alive? Good questions for cyberpunk cops (future-cop by cat-meff on deviantart)</td></tr>
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When knights and honor and romantic notions of people actually really being kind AND saving the day became overused, they fell into a popularity slump. That's fine, who cares. But I like seeing them nowadays because they are sort of, well, new again.<br />
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Imagine trying to live that way in today's modern world. Best job you could hope for is maybe a cop. You can only stop hearing about real cops really shooting the shit out of real black people if you close you eyes and ears. And the suckiest part is that it really does happen.<br />
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So, when it comes time to respond to a call on a side of town that has an awful lot of black people in it, and our cop happens to be white, there is a whole new level of scrutiny that is glaring down at his head. And its not even unfair or unwarranted. Shooting people, instead of giving them a fair trial, is wrong. And something must be done. That something is making damn sure your cops don't do funny shit.<br />
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The problem is that all humans have the capability for villainy. Could the next rapist, child-molester, murderer this cop faces down get away because of one slick lawyer and a difference in melanin levels? Maybe. Maybe maybe....<br />
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Who the fuck would be dumb enough to sign up for a gig like that? That conflict, distilled into a game, can be very powerful. Especially if the "robbers" to this "cop" are as complex as he/she is. Its not just race war, or sticky interactions of law and the desperate, but also a question of whether a human can and shoudl judge another human, and whether a human can and hurt other people to save his/her own skin.<br />
<h3>
New Quest: Make people think you not a slimebag</h3>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuc-oDbQEzIYdcdMV23lxPV6z0a9lCaFTUv_ZGDDpZISuVsZpXht1XJKPnr-B_qX_DkRw1jSOCsfpJUUOV3vfPw9OF76hss_ilf0QExoaRtofYuR556OJrATzgo-yzEYjBnKb_VEPrk60/s1600/steampunk_vigilante_by_direimpulse-d8rurl7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuc-oDbQEzIYdcdMV23lxPV6z0a9lCaFTUv_ZGDDpZISuVsZpXht1XJKPnr-B_qX_DkRw1jSOCsfpJUUOV3vfPw9OF76hss_ilf0QExoaRtofYuR556OJrATzgo-yzEYjBnKb_VEPrk60/s640/steampunk_vigilante_by_direimpulse-d8rurl7.jpg" width="494" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The trope of the honorable warrior spans times a genres. Use these ideas in your next<br />
western or steampunk game too!</td></tr>
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A knight can easily be played as a medieval cop, or even a medieval vigilante. Afterall, how hollow would a dedication to honor, justice, and kindness be if a knight, visiting a town, just happened to hear a woman crying out a rape, and saying to himself. "Darn! I'm out of jurisdiction! Maybe next time!"<br />
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Even better, if he did save the woman, what trouble could befall him? The rapist is a noble's son: the noble is not happy about these "rumors" that his son was trying to ravage a woman (even though he knows they are true), so the knight that came from out the fuck nowhere and is accusing him of shit might need to be silenced...<br />
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Silenced first, perhaps, with counter-accusations. "My lord Duke Humperdink, this errant knight, who is accusing my son of terrible, awful things is a charlatan! Very good sources say that he was involved in the ruthless slaughter of that wood elven village, that his master was assisting those clerics with their "inquistion" of the area. He's also been spotted with other whores* on in that ghastly district. Perhaps he intends on creating a prostitution ring to pay for his slovenly drinking habits**!"<br />
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*no, the woman being raped was no whore, but the noble cleverly drops that in the middle of his statement to plant doubt in the Duke's mind. ** ditto to the "drinking habits"<br />
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And then, when the Knight is kept under watch at best, imprisoned at worst, a well paid assassin silences the knight forever, with the slip of a gleaming blade.<br />
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Or at least tries. Afterall, 18 strength and mad sword skills might win the day, but it would be a hell of a fight. Perhaps and even bigger fight to clear the knight's name! Instant plottage my friends.<br />
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This is part of the pathos of choosing this career path: in the situation I have outlined, there's these catch-22, damned if you do, damned if you dont moral dilemas for a honorable knight to face. A clever knight might be able to slip out of it quite slickly, but a desicion in the heat of battle might lead to some interesting repurcussions.<br />
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And even if the clever knight manages to avoid dectection (perhaps by, le gasp, sneaking up on the rapist and clubbing him soundly over the head), can his honor and principles just let him walk away without the perpetrator facing justice? Maybe so! That's not necessarily wrong, especially if he's passing through to save something else. But his morality might trump his brain: the heart winning over the mind is one of the great reasons we get into delicious trouble as humans.<br />
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<h3>
The inquistion (whata show!)</h3>
Paladins (or religiously aligned knights, for the sake of this article), have different but similar troubles. In theocracies they get to be the cop and the inquistor all at once! Run over to bring in this thieves guild and then smash the yaun-ti cult in town, fun times. However, if they have a mind of their own, they might be able to detect the, er, <i>politically expediant </i>interpretations of a power mad clergyperson who has a portrait of Cardinal Richelu hanging above their headboard. Like, all of the sudden, new texts come up that say, in some very circuitous way, that green is an evil color (Dragonlance kind of implies that...). Orcs are green, therefore "WE MUST CALL A CRUSADE TO RID THE ORCS FROM THE GOLD MOUNTAINS!"<br />
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Why are they called the gold mountains? BECUASE THEY HAVE FUCKING GOLD IN THEM!<br />
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And then, the cardinal plans, twirling her ringlets around her finger as she sips holy wine, we will conveniently find more documents that say "oh, but their souls can be slaved with 15 years hard slave labor! Salvation, slavery, kinda spelled with the same letters huh?"<br />
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Yeah, our Joan-of-Arc kind paladin ain't got no time for that. But will she winnow her way through the feckless boot licking curia of this Theocratic Machevelliana, or will she just stab the bitch when she gets a shot? Many paths to clearing the temple of its snakes...<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCHspDAI12nbNfVEFP1ciLmZwyo3rMrcG2HdvGSXmcfUGbqV7UCGKta-wpyarLWoptCKvqfjMOLUJ2KKZs18ECLXf92jusRhOcalywg00OsvuOAtq40jjENLzTcVMclSq0zE5LpMeSMBU/s1600/knight_by_chaosran.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="295" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCHspDAI12nbNfVEFP1ciLmZwyo3rMrcG2HdvGSXmcfUGbqV7UCGKta-wpyarLWoptCKvqfjMOLUJ2KKZs18ECLXf92jusRhOcalywg00OsvuOAtq40jjENLzTcVMclSq0zE5LpMeSMBU/s400/knight_by_chaosran.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">If mother superior ain't happy, AIN"T NOBODY HAPPY! (<a href="http://chaosran.deviantart.com/art/knight-58585151" target="_blank">knight</a> by <a href="http://chaosran.deviantart.com/" target="_blank">chaosran</a> on deviantart)</td></tr>
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<h3>
"You ain't from around here, are you?" he said as he knocked the hammer back.</h3>
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Of course, another interesting way to use the idea of the honorable, stalwart, brave knight is to dump the trope where it don't belong. Like in Rifts or Shadowrun or, even, Vampire the Masquerade. In a world where this character is like the only one that knows the difference between right and wrong. Where there isn't even precedent for the motherfucker. They become a sort of fascinating atavism or the idea has been dead so long that everything thinks its NEW!<br />
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What the hell is a young vamp in the Camarilla supposed to do when he is willing to enforce his high humanity with his unlife? Die horribly in the first few minutes, my V:tM books hiss to me, but I wonder how it might play out in a more reasonable game, with a cleverer "vampire knight".<br />
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Rifts is especially interesting with the Cyber Knight OCC, where we do sort of have precedence for this, but the world is still not entirely used to it. You could play out losts of stories of the knight errant in Rifts, where you go around right wrongs as you travel on your steel horse over the new world. Evil demons coming out of a Rift here, Collation tyrants subjugating a village there, psychotic vampires plaguing a burb out yonder, the adventures are ceaseless.<br />
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<h3>
"I just wanna be hugged!"</h3>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbo0G0JKhJW0rZ6Kshx4JK1f0yGIjUpyBjfn6uPZnkL_ZuIYo-d5EXmr9Mpx0CwO6UesXLC9odiVnvFrzUF79u2BWpszGmcI-X7EdOMm391qqTKnlxBoB3ptP7OqhnateB0xSRPugH3Nk/s1600/knight_by_hgjart.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbo0G0JKhJW0rZ6Kshx4JK1f0yGIjUpyBjfn6uPZnkL_ZuIYo-d5EXmr9Mpx0CwO6UesXLC9odiVnvFrzUF79u2BWpszGmcI-X7EdOMm391qqTKnlxBoB3ptP7OqhnateB0xSRPugH3Nk/s640/knight_by_hgjart.jpg" width="425" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Knaked Knight is on a Quest for Qulothes!</td></tr>
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Basically, I'm not telling you to love the knight trope any harder than you already do. I'm just telling you that I like it, and how I like to use it.<br />
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What was the best time you had with a truly honor-bound, goody-two-shoes PC, either as player or a DM.</div>
MurkyMasterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05007484206167197377noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1046069122215713180.post-68609399495168028602016-03-16T19:26:00.002-05:002016-03-16T19:26:31.107-05:00WIP #3 - Prick - 1st Draft<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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First page of rough draft of a new WIP. I got two of 'em now! "Where Was I" is still in edits, but it will see the light of day soon. Just finished editting "The Whole Bottle" to my satisfaction last week, and I'll be getting that darling the pro treatment soon. I have learned to never deny your work a professional look-see: makes it much better! </div>
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By the by, this is typewritten on my Olypmia. Beautiful machines they are. </div>
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Makes me want to write about a story pitting mechanical robots verses more electronic ones. Maybe later...</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCIRJypebpBar6iNJ5aSY6zq3uJrk-wcSSzSS5t2Dbzn_f3quW0u1rM2R0BIPwy09BTIE55K6QSjgbDnjNzPf8pnHPKwbguDG3V_nzlESOlouxv56mUeP7ePczJVqcIO083KyAaoGroQI/s1600/Prick+pg1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCIRJypebpBar6iNJ5aSY6zq3uJrk-wcSSzSS5t2Dbzn_f3quW0u1rM2R0BIPwy09BTIE55K6QSjgbDnjNzPf8pnHPKwbguDG3V_nzlESOlouxv56mUeP7ePczJVqcIO083KyAaoGroQI/s640/Prick+pg1.jpg" width="465" /></a></div>
<br />MurkyMasterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05007484206167197377noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1046069122215713180.post-62601506768720297982016-02-17T12:42:00.001-06:002016-02-19T12:43:10.323-06:00Low Tempo Baselines<br /><br />Another 777 challenge from my current WIP (<a href="http://murkypool.blogspot.com/2015/10/the-777-writing-challenge-watch-me-wip.html">same WIP as last time</a>)<br /><br />-<br /><br />Low tempo baseline let Alexa drift, but not too far. She wanted to play some Nirvana, some Pretty Reckless, maybe even Cat Power or fucking Jonny Lang, but Alexa knew better than to get too sad with her music. Never helped. Didn't wake her up. Didn't help her stay alive. Only kidnapping, only blood for the god Cantos helped.<br /><br /><br />Her mother was the picture of health, save for being a slave to parasites. God, the non pathovorous one, has some fucked up plan, Alexa knew. But what.<br /><br /><br />Alexa looked at the time. Wasted opportunity: she never said a word to her.<br /><br />-<br /><br />Coming soon...MurkyMasterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05007484206167197377noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1046069122215713180.post-69866198062275105182016-02-04T13:09:00.001-06:002016-02-04T13:09:01.868-06:00A present for my readers<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img height="250" src="http://christianadrianbrown.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/Christmas-Post.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="400" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Present for you, can't open it yet though...</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
Y'all have been good loyal readers, yes indeed. Thus I'm gonna give y'all a shiny present.<br />
<br />
What?<br />
<br />
***<br />
<br />
Close your eyes. Stick out your hands. Unless your driving and reading this on your phone. Why are you doing that. LOOK OUT FOR THE TRAIN!<br />
<br />
Think of your favorite book. Dragonlance, Lord of the Rings, Count of Monte Cristo, Burning Chrome, doesn't matter. Think of how it looks. Each letter follows one after another. Nice and orderly.<br />
<br />
And when its time for a paragraph, gasp!, we put in a little space.<br />
<br />
We do that because it looks good. Its makes the story easier to read. So you like it better. So you dont judge it poorly.<br />
<br />
Now imagine that each and every letter in your favorite book is a person, and each word is a little house they live in, and every paragraph is like a little neighborhood, with little people who laugh and love and work and cry when their dogs die and everything.<br />
<br />
And imagine that the is a beneficent author, who arranges all their Letter-People in these neat little rows, making sure the story flows nice and no one gets hurt. It takes its job very, very, gravely seriously.<br />
<br />
Why?<br />
<br />
Because you are the critic. You hold the book, their whole world, in your hands.<br />
<br />
And when you put that book down with a contemptuous huff.<br />
<br />
They burn.<br />
<br />
***<br />
<br />
Murky Master is proud to announce the publication of his first story: "Where was I?" Coming soon to DriveThruFiction.com.<br />
<br />
If you want a free copy, comment to this post before July 12 2016 or PM your email on G+, Twitter, or FB.<br />
<br />
Thanks for being my reader, and for really liking me. At least I assume you do.<br />
<br />
I haven't been proofed yet.<br />
<br />MurkyMasterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05007484206167197377noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1046069122215713180.post-31014332404980655592016-02-03T10:37:00.002-06:002016-02-04T12:57:14.225-06:00Roleplayer Library Review: The Count de Monte Cristo<blockquote class="tr_bq">
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfMRHxI6qP_ToahwLGqQKmYvuYZD1UAcAcgazQQVBjSPsusRw-I3Kx6uAAOGBL7hpYHqgBEi3OIfPmpW6QQPTArxl-HJG7ZIe6kQnkIgA0ekVT09-PxwIAVX7ODOM0B1JW0wjHhHdS_mQ/s1600/count_de_monte_cristo_blogspot_pic.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="358" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfMRHxI6qP_ToahwLGqQKmYvuYZD1UAcAcgazQQVBjSPsusRw-I3Kx6uAAOGBL7hpYHqgBEi3OIfPmpW6QQPTArxl-HJG7ZIe6kQnkIgA0ekVT09-PxwIAVX7ODOM0B1JW0wjHhHdS_mQ/s640/count_de_monte_cristo_blogspot_pic.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A GIMP-collage by MurkyMaster. Image credits: </td></tr>
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</blockquote>
What a statement! What a book! Put on your parka's ladies and gentlemen,
because I am about to gush all over you about one of my favorite books
of all time!<span id="quote_book_link_7125"></span><br />
<span id="quote_book_link_7125"><br /></span>Revenge and Justice....<br />
<br />
In this world in which we live, we must live with people. To make things ridiculously simple, people can only treat eachother in three different ways: with indifference, with benignity, or with malice.<br />
<br />
Most will treat us with indifference, and their indifference will have little effect on us. At times though, will will be visited on others with ill will: someone will try their best to hurt us, perhaps for an ulterior motive, perhaps just to see us bleed. And, at other times, another human's indifference to our situation will give us a hardship.<br />
<br />
When we are hurt by a disease, all we can do is treat it. When we are hurt by the weather, all we can do is move on.<br />
<br />
But human's inherent frailty, combined with their paradoxical strength, mean that when a human hurts another human, there are more options available to the victim than merely continuing on with life. <br />
<br />
The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas shows us how one man reacts to the humans that have caused him pain, and which of those "options" he chooses change his situation. It's not <i>Punisher: Late 1700's Edition</i> (which would be awesome). It's not without "natural justice", either. You will only know when you read it.<br />
<br />
And when you do, your intrigues will never be the same....<br />
<br />
This book applies to:<br />
Any game in which revenge or justice is a theme.<br />
The King is Dead RPG by Sean Bircher<br />
All for One (Either Ubiquity System or Savage Worlds)<br />
Regime Diabolique<br />
Vampire: The Masquerade<br />
Superhero games<br />
<h3>
<br />A humble sailor goes to hell...</h3>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
We begin <i>The Count </i>with pathetic Edmond Dantes, a meek but hard-working sailor trying to make some papers stack for his Catalan fiance. It all immediately goes to crap when a jealous fellow sailor and a low ranking private join forces to ruin Dantes by framing him as a Napoleonic spy. The judge who sentenced him to Chateau d'ff had his own dark motives as well, and thus we establish the three major antagonists (or rather, targets) of a multi decade campaign of revenge.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Several themese appear over and over again in Count. One is hope, actually. Dante looses hope in the beginning, and regains it through a slick, somewhat slimy but kindly priest that he shares a cell with. Not only is Dante's faith constantly threatened throughout the entire story (as every good thriller should do), but other characters who come into importance also find their faith tested.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
The other major theme is, of course, Revenge. Revenge is not treated as "good" thing per say, but its certainly not made out to be the worst idea. Dante's revenge does get out of hand, and he is remorseful, but also considers the entire chain of events to be "The will of God". For it not being a Gothic Novel officially, it still has a darkly romantic tilt to it.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Thus, this book is just, frankly perfect for V:tM. I mean, darkly romantic revenge, Dante feels trapped in the deliciously sadistic personna he was forced into (vampires feel trapped in the deliciously sadistic phenotype and culture that they are forced into). Come on. Not rocket science.<br />
<br />
Revenge is actually such a common trope in the wider story of mankind, that this book probably is good inspiration for any game.<br />
<br />
You know... this book is so damn good I don't have anything else to say about it. Just read the fucker. (so much for gushing...)<br />
<br />
<img src="http://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/gnbtkvsgjkktqhaje3fu.gif" style="-webkit-user-select: none;" /><br />
<br />
<br />
<h2>
But wait, there's more!</h2>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
*catches mic*</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
I have got to recommend to you NOT to read it. Unless audiobooks aren't your thing, in that case read it.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Download the <a href="https://librivox.org/the-count-of-monte-cristo-version-3-by-alexandre-dumas/" target="_blank">FREE audiobook version narrated by David Clarke</a>. He does every single MF'ing voice perfect AF. After you are done being brain-bombed by David Clarke's stellar performance, tell him how much you wish you could pay him $50k to narrate your favorite European Historical Novel <a href="https://librivox.org/pages/thank-a-reader/" target="_blank">at this link</a>.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
*Drops mic. On toe. Screams.*</div>
<br /></div>
<br />MurkyMasterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05007484206167197377noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1046069122215713180.post-16650806602393319752015-10-03T17:38:00.001-05:002015-10-04T01:40:02.208-05:00The 777 Writing Challenge: Watch me WIP!So, I was trolling the webz, and lo and behold, find the blog of one of the editors at <a href="http://www.albedo1.com/" target="_blank">Albedo1</a> (Thanks Sharon). Most current post had the "777 Writing Challenge."<br />
<br />
I was intrigued, at first because I knew that after Linus Torvalds invented Linux, Satan decided to change the Number of the Beast to 777 because it was so much more evil (setting a folder's permissions to 777 means anyone can get in it, even the Hot-Pocket stroking Rat from The Core). But, I read further, and its apparently a sort of "I'll show you mine if you show me yours" kind of challenge: the kind that only the brave (or those who can forgive themselves) can follow through. I like it...<br />
<br />
Here's the how:<br />
<br />
1. Find the 7th line on the 7th page of your current work-in-progress (WIP)<br />
2. Copy that line and seven lines after it<br />
3. Post it, naked, unedited, and afraid, for the worldwide sideshow to see<br />
<br />
Here's the go. This is from "Alexa", my short piece WIP.<br />
<br />
<br /><br />---<br /><br />“Christmas day. It was really cold that night. One of the harvesters, Nero I think, came into the loading bay, forgot to lock the garage door behind him. Phear’s brother, the second story man, noticed, slipped out of the manacles and slipped away. Nero’s skin is still hanging up inside the Ritus Chamber.”<br /><br />“...So we could sneak them out one at a time? No, that's not practical. How can we prevent them from going in the first place.”<br /><br />“Kill everyone?”<br /><br />“They will just be replaced.”<br /><br />---<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 16px; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"><span style="line-height: 1.2; white-space: pre-wrap;">First thing I notice is that I happened upon dialog, dialog between two people so I drop the names after awhile. This is a short </span><span style="line-height: 19.2px; white-space: pre-wrap;">story</span><span style="line-height: 1.2; white-space: pre-wrap;"> though: is the dialogue too long, I wonder? I'll consider that in the first edit.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"><span style="line-height: 1.2; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"><span style="line-height: 1.2; white-space: pre-wrap;">Also, tone is still there, somewhat, but I could maybe take some more oppurtunites to show it. We'll see..</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"><span style="line-height: 1.2; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"><span style="line-height: 1.2; white-space: pre-wrap;">Y'all will see the final draft of Alexa eventually, either on the blog or in a magazine. Either way, I'll let you know.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"><span style="line-height: 1.2; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"><span style="line-height: 19.2px; white-space: pre-wrap;">WHO'S NEXT?</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"><span style="line-height: 1.2; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"><span style="line-height: 1.2; white-space: pre-wrap;">By the way, I tag <a class="g-profile" href="https://plus.google.com/110409522663548460795" target="_blank">+Alan Vannes</a>, <a class="g-profile" href="https://plus.google.com/110480585492558415901" target="_blank">+Sean Bircher</a>, <a class="g-profile" href="https://plus.google.com/115126071910531256568" target="_blank">+Charles Akins</a> <a class="g-profile" href="https://plus.google.com/112071474269796701781" target="_blank">+Maggie Carroll</a> and any other writers that hit this for the Challenge. Fiction, Non-Fiction, RPG Cores and Supplements, all apply in my opinion.</span></span></div>
MurkyMasterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05007484206167197377noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1046069122215713180.post-11243956695120024692015-07-28T19:15:00.003-05:002015-09-02T06:32:48.375-05:00Why your Power Gamer is your most valuable player...sometimes<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvH1U9qvmhbnTZerL4fBhB9wlcPPNpEwPl_DFyrsjkkzrwW8xZaAum3kcgoyrmMzIIaaT0LF2fLLLOA0TyKHwuzp4jwPkMYzb7ZHR8aGYSJ_7qqdpCXFRjOqIA-ZWV2u06bIP2IJpKeu4/s1600/Gonna%252Bstop%252Bthere%252Bthats%252Babout%252B1%252B3%252Bof%252Bmy%252Bfolder%252B_1b6ebf406c3ee17252cb9ae3faf37d94.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="356" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvH1U9qvmhbnTZerL4fBhB9wlcPPNpEwPl_DFyrsjkkzrwW8xZaAum3kcgoyrmMzIIaaT0LF2fLLLOA0TyKHwuzp4jwPkMYzb7ZHR8aGYSJ_7qqdpCXFRjOqIA-ZWV2u06bIP2IJpKeu4/s640/Gonna%252Bstop%252Bthere%252Bthats%252Babout%252B1%252B3%252Bof%252Bmy%252Bfolder%252B_1b6ebf406c3ee17252cb9ae3faf37d94.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">When you see a spider and reach for a shoe, remember this...</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
You were lied to.<br />
<br />
The beastmasters who wrote your beastiary promised you. They promised you that even the most tested adventurer could not defeat such a beast. Claws like spears, teeth like swords, breath like a hot summer day in Hell, even resistance to the great equalizer: magic.<br />
<br />
But no. Your night was a complete cluster. A crunchy, nougaty, caramelly cluster of broken plot dreams. It probably went a little something like this:<br />
<br />
"The Many-Bladed Dire Marmaduke of Many Blades appears, gnashing all twenty of its jaws, buffeting you with gales of wind from its mountain-sized wings, and terrifying your soul with visions of Pure Chaos in its murder-lusting eyes. Do only stand there and soil yourself, or do you dare attack?"<br />
<br />
"Ok dude, lay off the pulp. I attack, by sticking my sword in its skull."<br />
<br />
"Roll your pathetic..."<br />
<br />
"Awesome! I got a 10!"<br />
<br />
"Heh, a ten he says. Even though its obvious to everyone that your soon-to-be-dead adventure missed by a mile, I'll extend to you some common courtesy by asking you one last question, before your PC is consigned to the trash bin: how much does that come to?"<br />
<br />
"665."<br />
<br />
"....lemme see your sheet. Why are you handing me a binder!?"<br />
<br />
"That's my character dude. Hey everyone, can y'all help me roll damage? Paul, I need that gallon ziploc of mini d6's..."<br />
<br />
They lied to you! Their lies fill your raging blood with boiling rage! They are probably watching you weep quietly over your empty table now, smugly laughing, knowing that you'll go buy another book that promises even more powerful monsters. You chose that beast as a clear warning that the PC's were no sturdier than the paper that they were writ on! "Guys, she's serious about this dungeon!" they were supposed to whisper to eachother. It would inspire "Teamwork". "Comraderie". "Esprit du corps"!<br />
<br />
No! The other players just glared at the bright shining star of the power gamer, like they glare at dog poop on their lawns.<br />
<br />
You will have the last laugh though. You will. That email you just typed up and sent to the publishers of the beastiary that burned you will melt their faces, and break their hearts. You will show them CR 14! You'll show them....<br />
<br />
In the meantime, what is a DM to do about Power Gamers?<br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
<br />
<h2>
Why Power Gamers have it right.</h2>
<br />
We know that Power Gamers are irredeemably evil. But what we know is wrong, if only sometimes.<br />
<br />
Yes, we have players that think that RPGs are a competitive game, and revel in the fact that their character is stacking all the bodies and counting all the coin. I'll write an article about that someday (and you can get to it right here when I do).<br />
<br />
But I want to introduce to you a kind of rare power gamer that does get the whole game, narrative or hack-and-slash, right every time. And they power game because of that.<br />
<br />
<h3>
Too beautiful to die - the Narrativist PG</h3>
<div>
One of my gaming friends puts hours of effort into every character he makes, especially in background. Even when I'm running a <a href="http://murkypool.blogspot.com/2014/01/running-good-oneshots.html" target="_blank">one shot</a>, and he has to call up a character in, like, 5 minutes, he always starts with background. The compost from which great characters grow. When he has DAYS to make a character though, he puts DAYS of effort into the character.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH23hGJs0eu1SFGTE9ohvGgrAYf5XzJFUerlASOvyVlHYWSbJ1nSodsyhyphenhyphenjAa-7aswv9WRE0SxtJaEdMymRS8mgGyE6pk_r-F70UvuFdZSbJgRWnoFe8PCdyPaOeGVEgX3yCWQM9gggko/s1600/Daryl-Season-4-Promo-Photo-daryl-dixon-35092328-737-948.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH23hGJs0eu1SFGTE9ohvGgrAYf5XzJFUerlASOvyVlHYWSbJ1nSodsyhyphenhyphenjAa-7aswv9WRE0SxtJaEdMymRS8mgGyE6pk_r-F70UvuFdZSbJgRWnoFe8PCdyPaOeGVEgX3yCWQM9gggko/s400/Daryl-Season-4-Promo-Photo-daryl-dixon-35092328-737-948.jpg" width="310" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Daryl Dixon. Cuz not all characters are meant to die...</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
<div>
This is fundamentally why he makes every character so powerful. Imagine, this guy is playing along with his well made, effort filled D;amp;D character, and ten minutes into Session 3, he fights an Ogre of all f-ing things and gets a critical hit to the jingle bells. "Write up a new character" the DM says, with a tiny, well hidden smirk.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
When a narrativist gamer has a story to tell with her character, but still wants to respect the power of random arbitration, then she has to at least <b>try </b>to increase the chances that the character will survive, or all the effort and potential story is lost. </div>
<h3>
Pretending that my dice are acid-oozing tentacles is a very serious matter - the Hack and Slash PG</h3>
<div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_UJ3i6sZHdFGVZU-70Qz6yroJHWenXKR63uIzazkJu8taUXrFUqd3uTy2uz66FwuoiF0nunaCDTtYukPW_U-S8ZNjjgefsTbD3w5IDMlwQD1ZPQDu4BWIzOmmDESq35Osd7RO5P3jBdU/s1600/math-equations-blackboard.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_UJ3i6sZHdFGVZU-70Qz6yroJHWenXKR63uIzazkJu8taUXrFUqd3uTy2uz66FwuoiF0nunaCDTtYukPW_U-S8ZNjjgefsTbD3w5IDMlwQD1ZPQDu4BWIzOmmDESq35Osd7RO5P3jBdU/s640/math-equations-blackboard.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">When it gets complicated...</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKT7Zscecl2W8Fk1XD5UtBoJPljMkfmitn4Dg0a30bCQaQ2lACFhQG_tirh1_U7XTkmrHhHE1XyV1ro-slOtz8QoFHRIdD34Ybu0dFvj14ylirAOVVYNguss5e-tIxv9T0iIyQbCS7knE/s1600/darksiders-3-5040x3839-best-games-2015-game-hack-and-slash-ps4-xbox-3354.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="486" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKT7Zscecl2W8Fk1XD5UtBoJPljMkfmitn4Dg0a30bCQaQ2lACFhQG_tirh1_U7XTkmrHhHE1XyV1ro-slOtz8QoFHRIdD34Ybu0dFvj14ylirAOVVYNguss5e-tIxv9T0iIyQbCS7knE/s640/darksiders-3-5040x3839-best-games-2015-game-hack-and-slash-ps4-xbox-3354.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Get back to basics...</td></tr>
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At the end of a long day of trying to be more intellectual, of trying to impress others with how refined, educated and sophisticated you've become over the years, you might be inclined to walk into a bar, punch a bandito, gun down a corrupt sheriff, and ride into the sunset with the man or woman that fell in love with your can do attitude. In game, of course.<br />
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Sometimes the best way to get this direct IV injection of adventure is to roll dice. There, I said it. When you have made a character well, and you golf-swing a goblin's severed head clean into the next room of the dungeon, you might feel that certain kind of serotonin burst that you can't get from higher-order "literary" gaming. You just can't.<br />
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But what if you don't make a robust enough character, especially in the kind of games that have so much crunch that you have to soak them in Mountain Dew before you play them. Then your therapy is interrupted with one character death after another. Enter Power Gaming as one of many solutions.<br />
<br />
So how do you keep these misunderstood artists from derailing your plots and stealing the spotlight?<br />
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<h3>
The list you've been scrolling for!</h3>
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<h4>
1) Add more monsters</h4>
One of the quickest things you can do to reduce the impact of a powerful character is to add more monsters. This can back fire quickly, but the basic idea is that if there are more monsters, then there is more chance that everyone can kill something. Obviously, you don't want to add monsters that are powerful enough to challenge your PG, otherwise you might be heading for a TPK. Add monsters that can be taken down by your weakest character, instead.<br />
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<h4>
2) Add different conflicts</h4>
Tip one is just a stop-gap. Diversifying the kinds of problems that your players have to solve is a bit more sustainable. Yes, you should add conflicts that don't involve smashing things with glowing warhammers, like haggling, character assassination, and diplomatic tensions. No, you shouldn't get rid of all conflicts in which your PG shines. If you have a PG so good at stealth that even his shadow doesn't know where he's at, don't turn your game into <i><a href="http://murkypool.blogspot.com/2015/03/roleplayers-library-review-pride-and.html" target="_blank">Pride and Prejudice</a>. </i>Also, don't forget that you can mix conflicts. While your decker and rigger are trying to disarm the nuke, your PG street samurai can be forced to fight Ares goons all by his lonesome. While your PG Toreador-cum-thespian is engaging the Venture Prince of Pittsburg with Shakespearean analysis, the rest of the pack can be stealthing, hacking, and sneak attacking their way into the heart of said prince's lair.<br />
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<h4>
3) Raise up, don't push down.</h4>
You might be tempted to nerf your PG. Why? Everyday, everybody has got to fight for their bread. No one gets out of life without some stress, not even celebrities (no that six pack did not just magically appear on that guy, and no she could not eat donuts and fit in that dress). And even more so, nobody gets to interact with humans without them at least <i>hinting </i>at how they should be living. Hell, I'm trying to tell you what to do right now!<br />
<br />
So are you really going to add to the BS while someone is trying to relax?<br />
<br />
Instead, raise everyone else in the party up. More magic items, more sneaky XP gifts, whatever you have to do to make it fun for everyone. If you are mixing your conflicts, it will be easy, and appropriate, to justify XP not gained from whacking monsters. Talking a terrorist out of letting Tim Burton go has got to count for something...<br />
<br />
<h4>
4) Talk to your PG. And be nice.</h4>
Kindly, with all the respect a hard working player deserves, mention your problem to your PG. Tell them "It's hard for me to maintain balance with your character. I don't want to nerf you, and I don't want the others bored. What can we do?" <br />
<br />
I did that with the good friend I mentioned in the first example. He starting having his character focus on the biggest baddest monsters in the encounters, and I agreed to get the rest of the players up to power level and diversify the encounters. Worked like a charm almost immediately, and naturally my players didn't complain about the power increase.<br />
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<h3>
When this won't work</h3>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Not big enough to hold their ego? Might have a PG...</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div>
While not all Power Gamers are anathema to your games, there are still plenty that are no help to the group's enjoyment. Again, those that are doing it for the explicit purpose of being the best-awesome of the group are ones that can get old quick. Be careful that you don't mistake people who want to be badass for people that want to deny everyone's fun. The former will not mind diverse encounters in which she or he cannot shine all the time. The later will be furious.<br />
<br />
Also, if the power gap in the group is huge, and it can get huge quick, then most of these tactics won't work. Adding more monsters will just increase the level of said PG. Raising up might be impossible without Deus Ex Machina, which may or may not be palatable to your group. And trying to convince your PG to lay off might also be pretty much impossible, unless the PC is going to stand there, wait till everyone gets to kill something, <i>then</i> wave their hand and blow up all the enemies. Which is not likely to be a realistic thing for a character to do.</div>
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What's the last evil (or good) thing you did to a Power Gamer?</div>
MurkyMasterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05007484206167197377noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1046069122215713180.post-63915510780015039172015-04-29T13:36:00.000-05:002015-04-29T13:36:01.738-05:00Cold, Deep and Dark: Support "The Dark Zone!"<iframe frameborder="0" height="360" scrolling="no" src="https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/319585280/the-dark-zone/widget/video.html" width="480"> </iframe><br />
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Murky Master is an observant man...<br />
<br />
He has noticed that his #3 post of all time is one in regards to a kickstarter than he was rather passionate about. So, it might be that you all like to hear about new Kickstarter projects coming down the line, especially RPGs.<br />
<br />
Well too bad. This is not a new RPG in development. This is a new movie in development.<br />
<br />
Why do I care (and why should you)?<br />
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<a name='more'></a><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is why.</td></tr>
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Those three images are an extremely vague reference to a time we all <strike>are overly senitmental about even though life is about the here and now and Windows 8.1 isn't that bad</strike> remember fondly, but its also a reference to who is writing the script to this movie!<br />
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Micheal Reaves, writer of the above shows and more, is on this project. That alone is incentive to be a part of this project, but not only am I expecting great wrting.<br />
<br />
Film Technician to David Cameron and mony others is acting as director to the Dark Zone. Steve Perry, who wrote book little known to fandom like Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire and the Matador Series (Starting with "The Man Who Never Missed") is co-writing the script. Manny Pacquiao (yes, the boxer), may be playing one of the characters but Richard Hatch (from Battlestar Galatica) IS definetly on board.<br />
<br />
The plot even sounds interesting. Man and duaghter are trying to patch things up with a visit to a cave, minding their own business, when the drug dealers that were innocently trying to get their product accross the Mexican border by going through said cave have a problem. They need hostages. Mysogny kicks in and they take the 16 year old girl. Daddy must rescue. Did I mention he was claustrophobic?<br />
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What I like best about this movie though is that it will be shot entirely on location. In a cave. With rocks and darkness and poor lighting and stuff.<br />
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<h2>
What is quality?</h2>
<div>
But, really, why would anyone invest in the making of an obviously low budget movie. No, Robert Downy Jr. isn't in it. No, its not going to be the shiniest, most clear picture. One could interpret the shortcoming of this movie, due to its or-you-could-buy-a-honda budget. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
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But, what is quality, really? For me, quality in a product is an indication that a product can do what it needs to make me happy. For me, a movie needs to tell a good story, that is exciting, holds me for 90-12 minutes, and I will remember fondly after I'm done. </div>
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The Dark Zone looks like it will be able to do that. It will not be able to accomplish this with the most expensive special effects (which is not to say that I don't love special effects movies. I will pay brisk money to watch fancy CGI dance in front of me with a little bit of plot to wash it down). It will hav e to accomplish it with story, with good cinematography, and enough acting chops to make me not drop the remote. </div>
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<div>
By this logic, however wet-toilet-paper thin, I am very confident that The Dark Zone will be a quality movie. I have seen and remembered great low-budget films (Alien Apocolypse, Easy Rider). I'm ready to see and remeber this one. </div>
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<div>
Help these guys out! I want my pdf at the end of this!</div>
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<br />MurkyMasterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05007484206167197377noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1046069122215713180.post-11859742702843915602015-03-20T14:34:00.003-05:002015-03-20T14:36:33.252-05:00Roleplayer's Library Review: Pride and Prejudice and Sense and Sensibility<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYvxpVrveAKXfu_luw92zavbA01R1caU8BQhSp4oNgEZX5POavVEeN8MhNYfTqDtv14EH_EeOeI_CO9sixSrxgEkzFlXBOSKAij_E31uJLBul6sqtQsPrwUrI5aY2fle92ykCGVTqSrqE/s1600/tumblr_mm6jqxmNNG1qzqesso1_500.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYvxpVrveAKXfu_luw92zavbA01R1caU8BQhSp4oNgEZX5POavVEeN8MhNYfTqDtv14EH_EeOeI_CO9sixSrxgEkzFlXBOSKAij_E31uJLBul6sqtQsPrwUrI5aY2fle92ykCGVTqSrqE/s1600/tumblr_mm6jqxmNNG1qzqesso1_500.jpg" height="320" width="195" /></a></div>
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I thought to myself, as I made up my mind to read Austen's two most well known novels: Oh my. Some books about Regency England. More specifically, some books about people trying to get married, in Regency England. Not a gunfight, naval battle or duel in sight. ZZZZZzzzzz....<br />
<div>
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<div>
Yet, as you may expect, I formed a different opinion once I began reading.<br />
<div>
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To be honest, I laughed my ass off the whole time.<br />
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Pride and Prejudice is about the vexations of the Bennet family and their attempt to marry off their two most eligible daughters, Julie and Elizabeth. Liz, the main protagonist, wants nothing more in the world to see her older, sweeter, gentler sister happy, and that means she must marry Mr. Bingley, whom she is fallen hard for.<br />
Unfortunately, Mr. Bingley has a friend: Mr. Darcy, a mean, cold, arrogant, rich and handsome bachelor. And he is standing in the way of Julie's happiness. Liz wont back down that easily though.<br />
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Sense and Sensibility concerns a pair of sisters who are very much opposites. One of whom is about to marry someone who is very much a bad match, and the other may see the man she loves taken away...<br />
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<h3>
These books apply to:</h3>
<br />
Iron Kingdoms<br />
Victorian Age Vampire<br />
Vampire the Masquerade<br />
Any other 1800's type setting, or an analog of such times.</div>
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Any game where the conflict needs to be free of violence</div>
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<a name='more'></a><br /></div>
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<h2>
A classical education</h2>
These books are very educational for the GM, but the knowledge you gain may not be appreciated until much later down the road.<br />
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Before I got these books in, I had a rough time of it dealing with the drama inherent in a family. I never had that kind of drama growing up, thank God, so when my game could have benefited, or even required, family infighting, I was stumped.<br />
<br />
These books helped on that head. Mind you, these are more of less romantic comedies, so there is not any "real" backstabbing going on, but there is still at least some disagreement. Thus, I kind of got a crash course in how families disagree and what that could lead to. I'm finding it a bit hard to describe just how Austen helped me discover this, but that seems to be characteristic of the arts. </div>
<div>
<h3>
But Vampire?</h3>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">An example of the shawls of the early 19th century. Alot of gauzy, <br />
high-waisted dress could be found in this era.</td></tr>
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<div>
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While the subtle sort of "family drama priming" I spoke of is important, there is a more immediate benefit to reading these books. Both serve as a wonderful reference to the time period that they are set in: the brief but important Regency era. Un poco de background.<br />
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The Regency in the United Kingdom was, officially, a very brief 9 year time period (1811-1820) in which the Prince of Wales ruled after his father, King George III was declared unfit to rule. Napoleon was Emporer of France in this period, until defeated at Waterloo in 1815. Across the pond, young America was still slowly moving westward, and Britain was doing its best to help Native Americans drive the victorious revolutions out of the land in the war of 1812 (with the goal of establishing a NA "nation" under British auspices).<br />
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The Victorian era, which serves as an analog to most steampunk settings that I have seen, as well as the historical background to Victorian Age Vampire, begins with the coronation of Queen Victoria in 1837, so the Regency could be said to be the precursor to that period. Thus, with Vampires living as long as they do, its not necessarily a bad idea for you and your players to know what life was like two or three decades before your characters stories begin in earnest. The books can be especially enlightening for preludes.</div>
<div>
<h4>
Things to consider for your Victorian Age vampire's prelude include:</h4>
<ul>
<li>When your character was mortal, were they French or had affairs going on in France? If so, were they Bonapartists, or were they loyal to the Bourbons who eventually took France back? Or where they part of the collations that defeated him at Waterloo? Depending on who was ruling, your character might have been imprisoned as a Bonapartist or Royalist spy. If you were a soldier, you might be living better or worse than before the war, depending on how far you made it up the ranks. </li>
<li>The Regency period was a time of extreme gaps between rich and poor: while upper class people, like the characters in Austen's books, enjoyed parties and traveling in coaches, the poor lived in filthy "rookeries": ramshakle apartments with narrow dark alleys, little sanitation, and stuffed with thugs, prostitutes, and murderers. And, if you made enemies, a rich landowner could quickly find themselves in such a place. Where, and how, did your mortal live? Did they see vampires feeding in the rookeries, where finding dead bodies is a part of daily life?</li>
<li>The Regency Era, at least according to history, was a rebellious, hedonistic time in between King George III more "pious" era and the "refined sensibilities" of the Victorian. As a mortal, were you one of the ones that was actually rebellious and amoral as the historians say, or was your voice of reason lost in the crowd? How did your sentiments then effect your situation in the stuck up, peaceful, and prosperous times of Victorian England? </li>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Some typical men's wear. Patent leather (or at least well polished) boots, <br />
white trousers, double breasted jackets, canes and top hats! </td></tr>
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</h3>
<h3>
</h3>
<h3>
"But Murky, Vampires don't marry!"</h3>
As far as using the plots of Pride and Prejudice and Sense and Sensibility, I encourage you to try, because they are certainly not the kinds of plots cWOD vampires would normally have.<br />
<br />
Both novels involve marriage, and Vampires don't have as many reason to marry as do the kine. Kine, especially in the time period of Victorian Age and back, found great advantage in marrying, especially the rich kine, as you will see in Pride and Prejudice.<br />
<br />
Why? Because money. Elizabeth, the main character in P&P, doesn't really want to marry, and if she does, she will marry for love. Of course, her mother, Mrs. Bennet, might fly to bits if she can't get her girls (and girls is all she has) married off, and soon! Half their neighborhood seems to be marrying their daughter's to wealthy men, and rubbing it in her face. Julie, Liz's sister, seems to have found in Mr Bingley a man she likes and who likes her, but then the dashingly handsome and cruelly cold Mr Darcy gets in the way. How? He's Mr. Bingley's wingman, and also filthy, flithy, flithy rich.<br />
<br />
Liz despises Darcy for ruingin her sister's happiness. Mr Darcy sees how much he is hated by Liz, and (spoiler alert) does what comes naturally. He asks her to marry him. Read the rest yourself. <br />
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However, as much as I have said vampires don't have reason to get into marriage fits, I have now come up with one!</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9H5e0o06-tqSRJvsgcQE_8NhY-Hkfj8pdrqoTmJyQl91IasOqiAMn1Qmosjc8QLJMsrYu-uUpoNE7nYMfeLjmKNvxEe-cAyAcyj8qoEn5XVxkTP-94hem6ssNBz5xJCzZwFMKo2j07G8/s1600/illusions-through-the-paintings-of-salvador-dali-11.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9H5e0o06-tqSRJvsgcQE_8NhY-Hkfj8pdrqoTmJyQl91IasOqiAMn1Qmosjc8QLJMsrYu-uUpoNE7nYMfeLjmKNvxEe-cAyAcyj8qoEn5XVxkTP-94hem6ssNBz5xJCzZwFMKo2j07G8/s1600/illusions-through-the-paintings-of-salvador-dali-11.jpg" height="640" width="478" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"It's just one date momma!"</td></tr>
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<h3>
"Marriagable young women", a potential Victorian Age Vampire plot, inspired by Jane Austen.</h3>
</div>
<div>
A vampire madame has embraced a bunch of beautiful young women in 1811. Why? Because in order for a young woman to be successful in Regency England, all she needs to be is "educated" (meaning know how to read, draw, balance the books and run a household, which while not easy is also quite limiting), polite, and beautiful. Vampires seem to be naturally beautiful, and any girl off the street can be educated by a patient Vampiress, so check, check and check. The whole sunlight business may be a problem, but the vampiress may also use ghouls as effectively, maybe even more so, as vampires. Use ghouls if you think that the girls only appearing at night might raise too much suspicion. If using ghouls, especially as player characters, consider having the madame "reward" her daughter who marry with the "gift" of vampirism.<br />
<br />
The madame wishes to have them married off as soon as possible, so that her little brood can start pulling in the dough. Wives of course have access to their husbands funds and properties, especially if they are polite, and can easy extend all kind of benefits to their old mother. After all, a mother in law should be able to stay for 2 to 6 weeks at her sons-in-laws houses, right?<br />
<br />
Your chronicle can include a number of potential players in this drama. Perhaps one or more of the young women are player characters, perhaps some of the characters are the innocent male "victims", who may be Hunters or Mages or even Werewolves who might confound the Madame's plottings. Perhaps the Madame has embraced some men for a similar purpose, to marry daughters of powerful men in the Regency, or women who are independently wealthy through a number of means. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Toreadors, Ventrue, Lasombra and Tzimice clans would get alot of play out of this kind of story. Imagine two Toreador "sisters" and one stinking rich Regency lawyer. It could come down to a opposed Presence rolls to see which girl makes the lawyer "fall in love" first without making his head explode. What if one was a Venture instead? Dominate versus Presence? Or would they use subtler, more "mere mortal" tricks? Imagine the two aforementioned sisters pulling out every trick in the book to snag the lawyer, and then a Tzimice girl walks in. A Tzimice girl who has had some "work done" via Vicissitude. The scandal!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiP4_bZK2H0uKB3hk5_mGRyTDWXxDGj3PsiZnsvweuQl6NJ-gxSDpl5kEkoRakXLS6kNptEfOQIynXUMOzWGeEsHO664KO36mFUsyEHoluJymC92EXcKzLATVNSoovOr7O6jMVPSlB8lhk/s1600/44228f422b8fbcdb17cad8a847bbf98c.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiP4_bZK2H0uKB3hk5_mGRyTDWXxDGj3PsiZnsvweuQl6NJ-gxSDpl5kEkoRakXLS6kNptEfOQIynXUMOzWGeEsHO664KO36mFUsyEHoluJymC92EXcKzLATVNSoovOr7O6jMVPSlB8lhk/s1600/44228f422b8fbcdb17cad8a847bbf98c.jpg" height="640" width="426" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"You get three rings when you get married. First is the engagement ring. <br />
Then the wedding ring. Then, the suffering!"<br />
R.I.P Uncle Jim</td></tr>
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<br />
<br /></div>
<div>
And if one vampire madame hatches this kind of plot, who is to say that another vampire can't have a similar one? And if the local Parson, a Society of Leopold member, finds out? </div>
<div>
<br />
I just might make up a one sheet Victorian Vampire adventure sheet just for this...<br />
<br />
<h3>
Just use your imagination.</h3>
It may be a bit of a stretch at first, using books that are so light-hearted for a game as dark as anything cWOD, but it can be done it seems. Tell me what you think.</div>
<div>
And for the next Role player Library Review, prepare for adventure, and count on revenge....</div>
</div>
MurkyMasterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05007484206167197377noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1046069122215713180.post-5961167067561325112015-01-04T22:16:00.002-06:002015-01-19T13:35:58.965-06:00Secrets: How I create tempting yet horrific dark magic in my games.<head>
<title> Worldbuilding dark magic into your campaign or chronicle </title>
</head>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiASi7e0dpemmqQAVXvEpCsCrXtieVg6MlzYEn5ucaT-7pddzpyzikwQigs9n29rbW3ruryQEtsRSsnQFTe8qSvWcWgiuOoYGCR-9IKEeyCp0gGjI2m0Fk7_YHRiyDTQHM-LEPZ_-BBztU/s1600/c412ab4a60d0159751940ab675e8bd51-d6nd56d.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiASi7e0dpemmqQAVXvEpCsCrXtieVg6MlzYEn5ucaT-7pddzpyzikwQigs9n29rbW3ruryQEtsRSsnQFTe8qSvWcWgiuOoYGCR-9IKEeyCp0gGjI2m0Fk7_YHRiyDTQHM-LEPZ_-BBztU/s1600/c412ab4a60d0159751940ab675e8bd51-d6nd56d.jpg" height="272" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption"><a href="http://balaskas.deviantart.com/art/The-Summoning-402041461">The Summoning</a> by <a href="http://balaskas.deviantart.com/">Balaskas</a> www.deviantart.com</td></tr>
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<h2>
What is dark magic?</h2>
Dark magic is magic that is dark. Dark, in this case, means forbidden, dangerous, secret.<br />
<br />
So, in order for me to have dark magic in my game, I have to answer several questions: Why would a particular kind magic be kept secret? How would you keep it secret? What would make it more dangerous than “normal” or “light” magic? Who would decide it is forbidden, and why?<br />
<h3>
<a name='more'></a></h3>
<h3>
Illegal magic</h3>
So, why would magic need to be kept secret?<br />
<div>
<br />
Let’s assume for a moment that we are talking about a D&D type setting. In D&D and sundry, magic is largely well heard of. In those worlds, mages are kind of like doctor, lawyers, or physicists: they can do amazing, even shocking things, but people know about them and may wish to become them, though it is not easy to do so.<br />
<br />
Magic is a tool that can do amazing things in the right hands. It can also do horrible things in the wrong hands. The magic that does horrible things may be considered “dark” in this instance. There are a few settings that make the light/dark distinction based on whether the spell hurts someone or not (early Final Fantasy, Harry Potter, etc). All spells that deal any damage are "black" or "dark" magic, where as spells that heal or actively help people are "white". There maybe "grey magic", which is magic that is useful, but doesn't heal as well.<br />
<br />
Thus, magic that hurts people could be considered “dangerous”, and thus be taught only in special circumstances. The knowledge of those spells is kept secret by restricting the printing of books, by inquisitions of mages by churches, and other means. If you wanted, Fireball and Magic Missile would be spells that require special licenses to use, or could be banned in certain cities. This means lots of drama opportunities for your PCs if they must defend themselves with “dark” magic.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://th02.deviantart.net/fs71/PRE/i/2012/162/1/3/magic_swordsman_by_xiaobotong-d532van.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://th02.deviantart.net/fs71/PRE/i/2012/162/1/3/magic_swordsman_by_xiaobotong-d532van.jpg" height="640" width="452" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption">Thus, at times, being bad, can be reallllly gooood! <a href="http://xiaobotong.deviantart.com/art/Magic-swordsman-307503599">Magic swordsman</a>by <a href="http://xiaobotong.deviantart.com/">XiaoBotong</a> at www.deviantart.com</td></tr>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<div>
It could be that ALL magic is "dark". Settings like RIFTS or Mage the Ascension have essentially made magic its own category of bad. That does not mean that their are magics forbidden even with magical circles though. Warhmmer 40k does not really have magic in it "per se", but Psykers are a good analog. Their magic is a bit dark even when it is sanctioned becuase its so dangerous and painful to the user, but even Psykers can shudder at the power of a Daemon or Xenos's "psychic" powers.<br />
<h3>
Secrets that mankind was not meant to know…</h3>
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<tr><td><a href="http://fc04.deviantart.net/fs71/i/2012/096/a/0/the_horror_beyond_the_door_by_jmdesantis-d14vvch.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://fc04.deviantart.net/fs71/i/2012/096/a/0/the_horror_beyond_the_door_by_jmdesantis-d14vvch.jpg" height="470" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption">Curiosity claims another victim. T<a href="http://jmdesantis.deviantart.com/art/The-Horror-Beyond-the-Door-68671601" style="font-size: 13px;">he Horror Beyond the Door</a> by <a href="http://jmdesantis.deviantart.com/" style="font-size: 13px;">jmdesantis</a> on www.deviantart.com</td></tr>
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But what if you want your dark magic to be more horrible, more terrifying and dangerous, the kind of thing that adventures would actually try to stop from coming in the world.<br />
<br />
This kind of magic, in my opinion, is the kind of magic that does not abide by the normal limitations for spell work in your world.<br />
<br />
Back to D&D for another moment (other systems will be coming into play, don't worry). In D&D, for some reason, wizards needs to memorize and recast their spells everyday to use them. You would figure they would memorize them at a certain point though, and since spell slots don’t really represent any sort of “drain” on the caster, a wizard should be able to fire off spells willy nilly. So, why can’t they?<br />
<br />
Maybe their is a god of magic that stops them. Such a god could impose this system, and probably for the same reasons that the game’s designers did: to control mage power. The god(dess) would literally erase the complicated spell from the mages mind each time they cast it, and would only have the spell work so many times before they "cut the mage off". If these spells the wizards are casting are being preformed by spirits or elementals, this would still be plausible, as they would be "in on the system." Thus, they only have magic at the sufferance of higher beings.<br />
<br />
Evil, dark magic would thus be probably concerned with breaking these rules. Dark magic spells or artifacts could be cast an infinite number of times and cause more damage. Mages could get ahold of these new toys through demon pacts, dark gods, and other entities who don't give a crap about mages blowing up the world. Evil artifacts would give extra spell slots in return for favors, souls, evil acts, praise to foul gods, sacrifices etc. <br />
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<tr><td><a href="http://th00.deviantart.net/fs45/PRE/i/2009/185/f/0/Destruction_by_ForinteDP.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://th00.deviantart.net/fs45/PRE/i/2009/185/f/0/Destruction_by_ForinteDP.jpg" height="512" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;">F---. THE. RULES. <a href="http://forintedp.deviantart.com/art/Destruction-118876509">Destruction</a>by <a href="http://forintedp.deviantart.com/">ForinteDP</a> www.deviantart.com</td></tr>
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More drama comes from this implication.The gods/controllers of magic would pay hefty sums to people who could stop these insane mages, and would have sever punishments for PC who dare to use such secrets. The dark gods or demons would exact their own prices from those who use their secrets, and evil wizards would stop at nothing to gain this kind of deadly knowledge. If an artifact could not be destroyed, then it would have to be buried. If it was dangerous to use willy nilly, could not be destroyed, and had to be used in the most dire of circumstances, then it would have to be buried in such a way as to keep everyone but its owner from getting to it. In other words, it would have to be put in a lockbox, or in a dungeon…<br />
<h3>
Just say no to dark magic!</h3>
What if, on the other hand, dark magic was dangerous to the user as well? What if dark magic was alot like cocaine or heroin or even alcohol? Let’s explore that:<br />
<br />
<b><u>Drugs have a specific purpose</u></b>: to make the user feel good. Drugs like heroin, cocaine, and codeine make you feel a certain way. Dark magic’s purpose maybe to destroy, or give power, or give something else the user wants. It may in fact be that using dark magic feels good in and of itself, like some dark rush of pleasure that normal magic does not provide.<br />
<br />
<b><u>Drugs appears worth the risk</u></b>: just stick the needle in your are and you’re feeling fine. Dark magic in this case is effective, or easy, or feels good using it. A normal fireball is meh. A dark fireball burns hotter, doesn’t drain you, and makes you feel like a fucking beast casting it. <br />
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<tr><td><a href="http://th07.deviantart.net/fs71/PRE/f/2014/281/0/3/summoner_by_vesner-d81xsy6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://th07.deviantart.net/fs71/PRE/f/2014/281/0/3/summoner_by_vesner-d81xsy6.jpg" height="640" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;">So long as the rewards out weigh the risks, someone will be willing to cast spells that could turn them into this to get a certain effect. (<a href="http://vesner.deviantart.com/art/summoner-486986190">summoner</a> by <a href="http://vesner.deviantart.com/">vesner</a> on www.deviantart.com)</td></tr>
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However, <b><u>Drugs are dangerous, but not immediately.</u></b> Drugs slowly kill the junkie, and many make the user addicted. There is also chance that one hit can kill. Like meth, Dark Magic can also effect the user’s health: tooth decay, hallucinations, crashes, funky smells. Dark Magic can be also be addictive, especially if you feel a “rush” with it. Maybe it hurts not to use it, maybe their are “dark magic D’s and T’s” maybe their are evil spirits that temp you into using it, maybe spells or effect start happening without your permission. Dark Magic may be accident prone (% failure chance) or hard to control (high difficulties).</div>
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<tr><td><a href="http://images5.fanpop.com/image/photos/29900000/Pulse-horror-movies-29980606-1280-528.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://images5.fanpop.com/image/photos/29900000/Pulse-horror-movies-29980606-1280-528.jpg" height="264" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;">"This is your brain on The Secrets of the Old Ones" Insanity is a common, natural, and effective consequence of Dark Magic use. Can be caused by the whispers of Daemons, the brain damage from dark energies, or dangerous back lash. (From the Movie Pulse)</td></tr>
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Because they're hazardous,<b style="text-decoration: underline;"> Drugs are illegal. </b>This is a point that can be elaborated on further. The government has declared them illegal because they hurt so many people so much of the time. Dark magic is also illegal for the same reasons: Clerics of Good Religions convince rulers to illegalize it, The Camarilla/Sabbat forbid it on ground of the Masquerade or just public safety, the Imperium of Man hunts such users for religious purposes, the UCAS Association of Magic Users Committee on Dangerous Magic passes a bill declaring the magic illegal for public safety and runner control. Illegalizing magic also creates a need for enforcement, this can be a simple as a king having an excuse to pay adventures to destory or capture magic users, or as complex as several multinational law enforcement agencies, armies of lawyers, shelves of legal codes and flocks of judges to detect, investigate, indict and punish dark magic user offenders. If the PCs are using, these will be their NPC enemies (or friends, for the right price…)</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
With this last point, keep in mind that just because one government/institution/culture/religion/ethnic group says its illegal, does not mean that some other government/institution/culture/religion/ethnic group agrees. That how black markets are made: one group smuggles the illegal substance/magic into another group, and the second group pays a premium. Every setting can accommodate that kind of crime, and the drama inherent to it. Last one now...</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://fc03.deviantart.net/fs71/i/2012/183/b/d/the_executioner_by_davidgaillet-d55ogew.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://fc03.deviantart.net/fs71/i/2012/183/b/d/the_executioner_by_davidgaillet-d55ogew.jpg" height="308" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption">Is this the price of the learning of the dark arts, or is this the introductory class...? <a href="http://davidgaillet.deviantart.com/art/The-executioner-311869976">The executioner</a>by <a href="http://davidgaillet.deviantart.com/">DavidGaillet</a> on www.deviantart.com</td></tr>
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<div>
<b><u>Drug use makes you associate with dangerous people</u></b>. Since drugs are illegal, you have to encounter or enter the criminal underworld to get them, exposing you to enemies and problems unique to that world, such as gangs, mafias, undercover cops, corrupt cops, cartels, and the like. Dark magic similarly exposes you to some bad folks: demons, diablerets, evil cult leaders, cabals of dark magic users and Things-that-should-not-be run amok in fantasy settings. In Warhammer 40k, Daemons, aliens, Chaos Legions, mutants and heretics have all manner of dark secrets to tell. In Shadowrun, toxic shamans, bug cultists, crazy mages, religious cult leaders, bad spirits and “demons” may tempt an inquisitive runner, not to mention the gangs, mafias and cartels that may be pushing illegal flash. There are dramas inherent with these new “friends” the dark magic user will encounter: gang wars, inquisitions by a militant church, cabal rivalries, the schemes of demons, the plots of aliens, and so on.</div>
<div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://fc01.deviantart.net/fs24/i/2007/337/4/7/Nurgle_by_kirimitsu.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://fc01.deviantart.net/fs24/i/2007/337/4/7/Nurgle_by_kirimitsu.jpg" height="640" width="452" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption">"'Sup bro?" <a href="http://kirimitsu.deviantart.com/art/Nurgle-71255624">Nurgle</a>by <a href="http://kirimitsu.deviantart.com/">kirimitsu</a> on www.deviantart.com</td></tr>
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<div>
<h3>
How does Dark Magic create drama in my game?</h3>
All of this makes dark magic sound both really awesome, and really bad, but mostly really bad. Keep in mind, DM, that the consequences of dark magic are not necessarily there to be used as ways to punish players for foolish decisions, but for ways to create real, easy, natural drama.<br />
<br />
If your are running a particularly tragic game, one where all the Players WANT their Characters to die a horrible death or suffer in some truly sublime way, then dark magic and its lures and punishments are great dramatic devices. Work with your player to exploit the fatal flaws of your characters and push them deeper and deeper into such sinful knowledge until it consumes them, so that in the end, we can see the consequences of their choices. This approach is great for a Tremere vampire who discovers Dark Thaumaturgy, or in Ravenloft for adventures who discover the powers given by the Dark Powers, or Wahammer 40k for Space Marines lead to join the Chaos Legion, or, perhaps most of all, investigators lead into the darkest knowledge by the Old Ones, in Call of Cthulu.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://fc04.deviantart.net/fs30/f/2008/126/1/8/The_Becoming_by_Childofthewild666.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://fc04.deviantart.net/fs30/f/2008/126/1/8/The_Becoming_by_Childofthewild666.jpg" height="451" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption">The Fall into Darkness is a facinating trope to explore, and to fear. <a href="http://milestsang.deviantart.com/art/The-Becoming-84791820">The Becoming</a> by <a href="http://milestsang.deviantart.com/">milestsang</a> on www.deviantart.com</td></tr>
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<div>
<br />
In games where success is the goal, but danger needs to be high, then use the consequences of dark magic to create truly horrible challenges for your Players. They will encounter those who use the dark arts, and as I mentioned before: the darkest arts don’t follow the normal rules. If you come up with a dark magic spell, and you are worried that the effect you just made will break the game, then you are moving in the right direction! <br />
<br />
Remember, we call a particular spell "game breaking" mostly because it would allow the PCs to kill lots of tough things really easily. That’s a two way street though. If you make a death spell that can target 100 kids at a time and has no save, don’t you think that, like, everyone would be scared shitless of that (in game terms, it would be a death spell that can nuke an entire villages future in a flick of a wrist)? Don’t you think they might illegalize it, and send adventures to go destroy its inventor? </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Just remember the other side of the dark magic coin, that the magic itself can be harmful to its user. Maybe it weakens them mentally, making them more unstable or more prone to brain domination by demons. Was the spell give as part of some even worse creatures sick plan? Is it addictive? What if they stop killing elves? Do the elves come back from the dead to torment their murderer?<br />
<br />
If any player characters start as dark magic users, then their stories may involve repentance, forgiveness, or coming clean. If you make dark magic addictive, they may have to kick the habit, or die that tragic death above. If you make them associate with the wrong people, then your setting may turn against them. What if the dark magic pulls on their fellows health or sanity? What if it summons trouble after so many uses. If your players are lured into dark magic and must come back out, then you may have one of the most dramatic games on your hand. Think of Raistlin from Dragonlance.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://fc07.deviantart.net/fs71/i/2013/300/e/5/repentance_by_hiroshi18-d6s1a42.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://fc07.deviantart.net/fs71/i/2013/300/e/5/repentance_by_hiroshi18-d6s1a42.jpg" height="320" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption">On your PC's way back from the dark side, what will she or he see? <a href="http://hiroshi18.deviantart.com/art/Repentance-409886066">Repentance</a>by <a href="http://hiroshi18.deviantart.com/">hiroshi18</a> on www.deviantart.com</td></tr>
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<h2>
Back to you, Toasty</h2>
How have you incorporated dark magic into your games? Would you like to see some example dark magic spells in certain systems written up on the blog? What if I made nice cards….?</div>
MurkyMasterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05007484206167197377noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1046069122215713180.post-29075473345027118732014-12-21T19:36:00.002-06:002014-12-21T19:51:01.040-06:00A review of Neoclassical Geek Revival<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br /><br /><img height="640" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/ONwVcsmwjyUauRtnVDErX8463GtBxKtXgIqO41DKr5QSrXHb-4D25QX88Pe9ezX-WhUJ3ilUbtsSCdqYdu5vOVdGiKw6L543yBl3sJ_5Lb2ge7F3wrtuDr9EC3-XUCcomQ" width="492" /><br /><br /><br />NEOCLASSICAL GEEK REVIVAL, 5th Edition<br /><br />Author: <a href="http://zzarchov.blogspot.com/">Zzarchov</a><br /><br />Default Genre: Fantasy<br /><br />Minimum number of books needed to play: 1<br /><br />Dice used: d20, d12, d10, d8, d6 and d4. <br /><br />Learning Curve*: Medium<br /><br />Available as: PDF, Print of Demand Paperback, and Leatherbound Hardback<br /><br />Retailer: <a href="http://www.rpgnow.com/product/131193/Neoclassical-Geek-Revival-5th-Edition">RPGNow</a><br /><br />Supplements/Modules/Adventures available: <a href="http://zzarchov.blogspot.ca/2013/01/currently-available.html">Several</a><br /><br />*Learning Curve is my estimate of how hard it might be to learn the system, assuming you started with D&D, Pathfinder, or one of its clones. Levels include Easy, Medium, Hard and Existential Insane-o.<br /><a name='more'></a><h2>
Stabbed with the silver tongue in the eye</h2>
Some of us believe that a magnum opus of a campaign will not have shed a drop of blood, but will have felled whole empires. Some of us believe that such tongue trickery is the valley of human existence, ever in the shadow of those willing to strive physically for their goals.<br /><br />Tl:dr?<br /><br />Some people like talking, others like stabbing.<br /><br />Stabbing people has always had lots of nice rules to arbitrate how its supposed to resolve. But, eternally it has been a question for me: how do you simulate a social conflict? How do you develop rules for an argument, or for when you want to “put someone in their place” or hurt their feelings? <br /><br />Most games I have read have urged me to include non-sword, non-gun, non-explosion related conflict. I adore that conflict at times, but often there were few rules to frame it. Not that that bothers me always, me the<a href="http://murkypool.blogspot.com/2014/05/running-naked-advice-on-running.html"> Naked DM</a>, but sometimes its interesting to give the control up to the Demons of Instant Character Endangerment (D.I.C.E). <br /><br />For DM's that like to have rules to arbitrate the randomness of a social conflict, I think NGR offers an incredibly novel solution.<br /><br />Not to give too much away, but NGR has three kinds of conflict: Combat, Social, and Stealth. In each, opponents use opposed rolls to figure out whether someone has been hit, influenced, or suspected, and how much damage they incurred, whether it be bodily damage, or how much they had been "influenced" to agree with the arguer, or how much an observer suspects they are there.<br /><br />NGR uses the same dice set as D20 games, but beyond that, similarities die and are never heard from again. Much of the D20 system seems to be bent, admirably, towards creating a balanced but realistic tactical experience. NGR, on the other hand, is bent much more towards simulating cinematic action. <br /><br />For example, in all conflicts, you can spend two actions on hitting, argueing, or hiding , rather than one: this is called "Doubling Down". Doubling Down on a stealth roll is represented by A Dramatic Pause: the same kind of pause you would see in a movie. In NGR, the opportunity to do flashy, big-damn-heroes kind of work trumps realism. This is of course not to say that realism is bad, but if you are tired of actually dying when that seems like the most logical consequence of running into a burning building, NGR might be for you.<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img height="257" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/FK7jtDkrc3nR8lGUXpeUDVmVpYNTc4Tw5hwYmrYmk9R4Y0v_7FEVdtgi_8BWnwHk91ghyrZrojzcIBVo5U3kbale29KUbJiY3s_WjSQXFtUKyUjuaLsYDRdhcxzmecgpnw" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="640" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small; text-align: start;">This is a Dramatic Pause, as interpreted through NGR. </span></td></tr>
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<h2>
Bringing a laser katana to a fashion showdown</h2>
NGR is also wonderful in the fact that it so tightly meshes together all manner of conflicts, even the often segregated social conflicts and combat. <br /><br />In many game systems, social conflicts and combats do not have anything to do with each other. I especially think of Classic World of Darkness, one of my favorites (that's why <a href="http://murkypool.blogspot.com/2013/08/how-i-feel-about-vtm.html">I bitch about it so much</a>). The writers, having to deal primarly with combat heavy D&D gamers, remind you continually that their game is not only about smashing vampires in the face, and that very often you will be punished by the vampire world at large for being violent. Ironically, it is usually said that you will be punished with, well, violence from a much older vampire, or his minions. <br /><br />This admonition was intended to show gamers that they can have great drama and fun just with fancy words, lies, betrayals, and plottings, not just swords and treasure. However, such admonishments also create an impression that their is an incompatibility with social conflict and combat.<br /><br />NGR helps break up this Berlin Wall by introducing real consequences to social conflict, that are very clever in their own right. When characters win an argument the loser does not immediately become a brain slave to the winner. The loser can claim "Stubborn Refusal", which means they will continue to act as they did prior to the argument. <br /><br />But deep, deep down, they know they are wrong. This inner doubt gnaws at them, and prevents them from gaining experience and using several "luck point" type mechanics. Thus, if a hero or villain is convinced they are wrong prior to a fight, they will be physically weakened, in a potentially major way, turning the tide of the conflict. <br /><br />This mechanic also leads to my favorite line in the whole book. In a social conflict, you can also inflict Stress damage on an opponent, representing hurt feelings, self doubt, anger, etc. This is, however, the same damage that affects a wizard’s chance of spell failure.<div>
<br />"This means it is perfectly acceptable for someone to make an appeal against an opposing wizard by shouting random numbers and astrological signs to try to disrupt their spell by sheer force of jackassery."<br /> <br /><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img height="400" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/XmgQFg7xMee9PZ3dCB5hkKkc9kfmecXWlUHhhDZkrppqTAbzZIDDqtZb2yAZqwFNZJ-vW979xmO-UOlrgXvCak0Hbk5voUZLpACz_KLXT2D4T9LemGu8f6lmuBIb5yyKgw" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="640" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small; text-align: start;">(</span><a href="http://www.magickagame.com/" style="font-size: medium; text-align: start;">Magicka</a><span style="font-size: small; text-align: start;">(r) concept art) </span></td></tr>
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<br />This intersection with words and swords leads to opportunities to hit on some hard roleplaying opportunities, like betrayal, learning to let go, the revelation of the fatal flaw, and healing, in between gun shots (or in NGR's case, sword blows). <br /><br />NGR's mechanics are simple, but there is a bit of a learning curve. Many of the things you do in Pathfinder and Friends are simply not there, other than the very basic d20 checks. </div>
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<br />However, it is a very stylish, over-the-top experience. There are a lot of rules that show up only in unique, but fairly common, situations, like when you roll one of your lucky numbers. These special situations create the effect of a number of lucky breaks. In NGR, the tables turn faster than Jason's chainsaw on certain Fridays. But, it seems that the tables turn mostly in the favor of the players, unless their opponents have the same builds. <br /><br /><h2>
So do I freaking buy it or not?</h2>
In conclusion, If you want to simulate some of your favorite fantasy movies, with moments of great tension, sudden twists of fate, and a fresh take on the rules, then I would definitely recommend NGR. Hell, I intend on giving this game a very personal test drive in the future with some of my friends. It can't be that bad! <br /></div>
MurkyMasterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05007484206167197377noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1046069122215713180.post-88100481862633369512014-10-24T08:06:00.000-05:002014-10-24T08:06:11.850-05:00Recruiting for a Classic World of Darkness Play by Post Game<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Black_Furies_5985.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Black_Furies_5985.jpg" height="640" width="452" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Using the "Call of the Wyld" here!</td></tr>
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By the way, my readers: I am recruiting for a Classic World of Darkness game, to be played on the White Wolf Forums Play by Post subforum. It is "potentially" a Vampire the Masquerade and Werewolf the Apocolypse crossover, although if I get nothing but Werewolf character then it will just be a W:tA game with vampire NPCs (probably mostly antagonists) in it. Looking for 4 players max, and I already have one.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://geek-news.mtv.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/linda-blair.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://geek-news.mtv.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/linda-blair.jpg" height="640" width="462" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Vampires in Texas? Inconceivable!</td></tr>
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Play is centered around a number of fictional towns a little south of San Antonio, Texas in the midst of a Shale Play, and the struggles of various factions to take advantage of or reduce the damage of an oil boom that the big state has not seen in decades. San Antonio has been a traditionally Sabbat city in my world, due to its connections with Mexico City. But now, Camarilla forces lured by the enormous financial gains and fresh blood supplies of the oil boom, are starting to move in. Pentex and the Wyrm also have great interest in the money, booze, gambling and fracking chemicals used in the boom, which does not sit well with the Nuwisha, the Apache/Uktena werewolves, and other Werewolf tribes.<br />
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If you want more info or want to join in the carnage, here's the link. http://forum.theonyxpath.com/forum/general/conventions-and-gatherings/284978-recruitment-fractown-a-v-tm-w-ta-crossover?_=1414151836055.<br />
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All changing breeds, clans and bloodlines are acceptable. If you have a character idea that you know no self respecting ST who actually read the books would allow because it totally ridicules canon, bring it on over!<br />
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If you think that playing Vampires and Werewolf's in South Texas, were its all dusty and country music and shit, you really MUST come join, and let Murky Master show you how its done! There is plenty of drama to be had in an oil town.<br />
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I'll create a tab on my blog to list some of the details of the world as it grows. Its already swelling precipitously.<br />
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See you in Fractown...MurkyMasterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05007484206167197377noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1046069122215713180.post-11841783914680094222014-10-13T15:23:00.000-05:002014-10-13T15:47:53.804-05:00Overthinking how I name characters, again....<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.blastr.com/sites/blastr/files/SupermanLawsuit2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://www.blastr.com/sites/blastr/files/SupermanLawsuit2.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Clark Kent. Nice. Simple. Super.</td></tr>
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Something occurred to my wife the other day: the names of "good" characters (i.e. characters designed to be adored or admired or at least pitied by the audience) sound different from "bad" characters (i.e. characters designed to be hated, criticized or feared by the audience).<br />
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I would have to agree, in that we often, consciously or unconsciously, seem to pick certain types of names for certain types of characters.<br />
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<h2>
Building a name for yourself</h2>
Often, when I come up with a villain name via the seat of my pants, the last syllables are harsher than the last syllables of my good guy names. Also, those harsher sounding syllables often make the face sneer or growl or glare when they are said.<br />
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With "Drake" for example, the hard K sound makes the teeth come together and the lips peel away from the teeth, making, for the briefest of seconds, the same sort of face a dog makes when it growls.<br />
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Of course, free association also makes one conjure up the image of a large, deadly reptilian monster even as a character named Drake is being introduced, and the subliminal juxtaposition of the images can be powerful.<br />
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Looking at some cherry-picked villain names from popular culture, I see some vindicating examples.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v700/CaliburShing/Miscellaneous/Artemis_Entreri_3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v700/CaliburShing/Miscellaneous/Artemis_Entreri_3.jpg" height="450" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Entreri" sounds like "Entrails". "Drizzt" sounds like "Chocolate Drizzle". Drizzt wins the free association game.</td></tr>
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<li><i>Batman's </i>Joker makes a sort of growling sound with the last syllable, and is of course creepily ironic.</li>
<li><i>Drizzt Do'urden's </i>Artemis Entreri has a lot of syllables, and a lot of syllable seem to imply that the character is cunning. Long names they associate with longer, more complex, higher register words like <a href="http://www.philstar.com/business-life/436225/sesquipedalianism-obfuscates-pellucidity" target="_blank">sesquipedalianism</a>.</li>
<li>The name "Mordrid", from various versions of King Arthur's tales sounds like "morbid" and "dread" made a baby. Plus you can really extend that last syllable into a very, well, dreadful intonation.</li>
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How bout hero names?</div>
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<li><i>Batman's </i>Bruce Wayne. "Bruce". Doesn't that sound so strong, so manly, so architectural? Like Brace or Brute? Bruce sounds like a person you don't really want to cross.</li>
<li><i>Superman's </i>Clark Kent. Its a nice, short, monosyllable name. "Clark" is simple, but hard. Kent is firm, and the "Ken" syllable inclines one to smile when the say it.</li>
<li><i>A Princess of Mars </i>of<i> </i>John Carter. John is another monosyllabic, flat, unassuming name. Carter is a surname implying that he comes from a family of freighters, is also non threatening, and even associates with the image of a friendly trader coming in with lots of goods to buy.</li>
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Now I got that warm and fuzzy feeling of confirmation bais. Ohhhh yeaaaaah....<br />
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What does this mean for gaming, or writing?</h2>
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For both, it means only as much as you put into it. Your evil general bent on subjugating a free world with a spaceship fleet could be named Allison, and the hero destined to blast her battleship in the butt burners could be named Jane, and that could be that. </div>
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You can insert symbolism in interesting ways though, by playing with names. You can go heavy handed, naming a sexy male tempter Cassanova, or Damien (like "Demon") or Lyle Sweet ("Sweet Lies").<br />
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Say you have a Papal conspiracy game, ala Da Vinci code. You could go a more subtle, ironic route and name your investigator Christian (as in Christ is investigating his own naughty church). You could be even MORE obtuse by naming the nosy bastard Wednesday. Then you could have a scene where someone poignantly explains the irony: Wednesday is (as far as I know) is derived from the Nordic Woden's Day, and Woden is another name for Odin, the chief god of the Norse pantheon, who was also a wiley and wise old curmudgeon. The irony of course is that Odin, the god that the Christians ousted, is now unveiling their rotten core.</div>
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You can also take advantage of our natural inclinations to names. Need to make the PC's trust<b> a traitorous NPC</b>? Try Juan, or Allison, or Hayley. Names that make you smile, reassuringly when you say them. </div>
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Need to make <b>an NPC that the players will falsely accuse</b>? Brick (the PC's think "that can't possibly be the supergenius millionare mastermind!"), Rothchild (associates with "child of wrath"), Diablo (means devil en espanol). </div>
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Need<b> a nondescript NPC</b>, but still need a name? Try "J" names: John, Jenny, Joe, George (sounds like a J). Jack might be memorable though (Jack Sparrow, Jack of All Trades, Jack Bauer of <i>24</i>, Tom Clancy's Jack Ryan). </div>
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Need <b>a meat head </b>name? Go for monosyllables with deep baritones: Tom, Dick, Joe, Brick, Tiny, Smalls, Bigs, Fist, Chunk, Stew</div>
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Need <b>an evil genius</b> name? Go for many syllables, tons of vowels, and higher pitches. LeSeveire, Mordenhiem (from Ravenloft), Glaslogoth, Allendrill, Severum, Medici, Detestablis, Nightshade. If you can drag out that last syllable for a few seconds, kinda tapering it off into a little growl or moan, all the better.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.fraternityofshadows.com/Mausoleum/Miniatures_Images/DrM_BoxFront.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://www.fraternityofshadows.com/Mausoleum/Miniatures_Images/DrM_BoxFront.jpg" height="400" width="302" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">At least we know Mordenhiem's insanity isn't caused by lead poisoning.</td></tr>
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Names that are <b>nouns or adjectives </b>can be fun: Wiggles the Murder Clown (one of my favorite NPCs), Sky the farm girl, Sparkle the Nosferatu-cum-fashionista, Hype the Techno-bard, Father Slaughter (real last name, by the way) the inner city Priest, Signal the radio wave blasting supervillian, Safety Holmes, the last student to survive a high-school pep rally zombie attack... </div>
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Need <b>authority figures</b>? That's in a name too. Doctor, Sargeant, The Right Honorable, Sir, Madam, Lady, Lord, ... of [creepy place name], and so on.</div>
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<b>Inspiration for names</b></div>
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I find so much fun with names that it is damn easy for me to go overboard. I can get really corny when I use this tactic for getting names. I introduce an NPC, and while I am drumming up a name I look around me, at objects, receipts, book spines, anything with words on it. My computer might inspire me to name a modern NPC Hewlett or Packard. For a superhero or sci fi game, Peroxide sounds like a neat one. If I introduced an innocent farm girl, who will soon betray the PCs, but only to save her mother, and make crap-tons of loot, then Dew (from the Mountain Dew on the table) would be an awesome name.</div>
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For more serious times, and when I have time to overthink something, I can list words that are associated with my games themes and twist them to suit me. Say I'm running Werewolf, and I need a Pentex exec/Fomori mutant badass. What things do Fomori like and Garou don't? I list: Pollution, Violence, Perversion, Bloodlust, Corruption, Bigotry, Twinkies, BPA. Here are some names form that list: Mr. Persons (perversions), Francisca Blood, Damien Lucent (light demon), Violet Landers (violent slanders)</div>
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So there you have it. Layers of meaning in names. My advice is to take this advice sparingly, unless you are like me and love the corniness. Otherwise everyone will know who the villain is when you introduce Sgt. Red Dethridge to your modern spy game.<br />
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Then again, maybe that what you need them to think........<br />
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MurkyMasterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05007484206167197377noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1046069122215713180.post-92024304906334260212014-09-18T20:37:00.000-05:002014-09-20T21:49:34.505-05:00Roleplayer Library Review: A Princess of Mars and the Barsoom Series by Edgar Rice Burroughs<span id="docs-internal-guid-71da2464-8b45-aafa-259d-f213ff08af10"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWgyEI1VUQmQ1Ql1fMTk8fYZjba6SOuJ20npZHXp50WBJtvWGCNDtOQkEAl7iyNQrunMG5Gvo5fZmsYqbsBPqti3LfhUqTcRECqo10iYtBTa7xlUDcCr-qK5YwrMXXfuLE-fWhGfIe2ps/s1600/Frazetta-JohnCarter.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWgyEI1VUQmQ1Ql1fMTk8fYZjba6SOuJ20npZHXp50WBJtvWGCNDtOQkEAl7iyNQrunMG5Gvo5fZmsYqbsBPqti3LfhUqTcRECqo10iYtBTa7xlUDcCr-qK5YwrMXXfuLE-fWhGfIe2ps/s1600/Frazetta-JohnCarter.jpg" height="416" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">John Carter needs no armor!!!! </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">ISBN-13: 9780307430458* </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">John Carter of Mars has been said to be seminal (Google says that word means “a work, event, moment, or figure that strongly influencing later developments”. Take that as you will…) series in science fiction, and one of the shining stars of the planetary romance genre and pulp era. I don't think that applause is off base. For me, it stands as a distinct type of adventure, and is one of the best I read.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">More importantly than that, they are great novels, full of action, romance, sexism, possibly some racism, violence, nakedness, more violence, honor, righteousness , weak vulnerable females, strong lethal females, and people-that-can-detach-their-heads-from-their-bodies. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">As such, the books are both a great inspiration, and a dangerous inspiration to GMs and players the worlds over. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">This book applies to: </span></div>
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<a href="http://rpg.drivethrustuff.com/product/25739/MARS-The-Roleplaying-Game-of-Planetary-Romance-d20-version?it=1"><span style="font-size: small;">Mars: the Roleplaying Game of Planetary Romance</span></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">Exalted </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">D&D, Pathfinder and sundry </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">2nd ed D&D's Spelljammer setting </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">Classic World of Darkness (very mildly)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">A Princess of Mars, and the rest of the novels, take place in a richly built, very particular version of Mars, a Mars that has living cultures on it, breathable air, and vegetation. Burroughs wrote the books in the early 1900’s, as in 1912 for </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">A Princess of Mars</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> appearing in All-Story. That is more than 100 years ago, by the way, which accounts for a Mars that has been so strongly disproven by science that it takes writers aback to think of Mars as anything but a dead world that has always been dead.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">This setting alone is enough to inspire a GM of many stripes, and </span><a href="http://rpg.drivethrustuff.com/product/25739/MARS-The-Roleplaying-Game-of-Planetary-Romance-d20-version?it=1" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Mars: the Roleplaying Game of Planetary Romance</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> seems to be built using this setting. I can’t vouch for its quality, since I have never played it, but at least my readers know that there is a game that uses a setting analogous to Barsoom (which is the native’s demonym for the big red planet)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">But even a GM not interested in having stories on Burrough’s Mars can find much fodder within the world. I for one am most enamored with the wide variety of weird creatures and cultures that inhabit the places. Their are races whose psychic powers are so great that they question whether reality is really constructed by their own minds, or that there is something external to experience that makes up existence. That kind of stuff is a wonderful articulation of many themes in Mage the Ascension, and is more or less the philosophy of the Cult of Ecstacy (when they are not so toasted that they can’t think)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Your assignment tonight is to stat out Thurgood Jenkins and Brian as Cult of Ecstacy characters in M:tA. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Other weird aliens that could easily make good D&D, Pathfinder, Exalted, or weird sci-fi/fantasy characters include the Plant-men, who eat with their hands and jump-stab people, Barsoom’s Green-men (think Orcs with extra arms), white apes with extra arms, ten-legged lions as big as that dorky Prius you drive to your lame-o job, and a race of people who are literally just disembodied heads that can crawl on spider-frickin' legs onto these headless human-looking bodies, sit their neck-butts on the headless animal's mouth (located where the neck should be) and brain dominate the body. See <i>Chessmen</i></span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> of Mars</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> for that last one.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">But, as I promised earlier, there is some danger in Mars, and by danger I mean danger of alienating players and being offensive. Here it is.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">By our current, enlightened standards, Edgar Rice Burroughs Barsoom is unabashedly sexist.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">How? On Mars, women are lauded as beautiful, but also disarmed and dis-empowered, most of the time (though Tara rack up quite a few frags in her book). Women do not have positions of power, most of the time (Except for the old haggard black-skinned goddess Is, who was not really a goddess but wielded crap-tonnes of political power). Women are bought and sold, or used as man-prizes, and most of the books have the old-fashioned damsel in distress motivation for the male hero, who often tussles with another male who wants to impale the lady on his Barsoomian meat-rocket.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">There are no buts either. I would not incorporate the inequality in my game, with or without female players, unless we specifically wanted to explore the possibilities of a sexist world’s effects on female characters (much like how might keep the rampant sexism of any historical game like Dark Ages: Vampire or Ars Magica).</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">NOTE: Everyone is also naked on Barsoom. That means the women run around in less that chain-mail bikinis, which smacks much of hyper-sexualization. But like I said: EVERYONE is naked on Barsoom, include the male warriors flopping around in leather banana hammocks, getting all sweaty as they grope each other in the heat of passion). That might imply that everyone is hyper-sexualized, I take it. Take that as you will.</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption">The incomparable Dejah Thoris. "Indeed, save for her highly wrought ornaments she was entirely naked, nor could any apparel have enhanced the beauty of her perfect and symmetrical figure." Edgar Rice Burroughs, A Princess of Mars. <a href="http://marcioabreu7.deviantart.com/art/Dejah-Thoris-158940005">Dejah Thoris</a> by <a href="http://marcioabreu7.deviantart.com/">MARCIOABREU7</a> on deviantart.com</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://fc07.deviantart.net/fs70/f/2013/056/7/b/johncarterweb_by_kevinwada-d5w7nrd.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://fc07.deviantart.net/fs70/f/2013/056/7/b/johncarterweb_by_kevinwada-d5w7nrd.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">John Carter of Mars, rocking a Calvin Klein thong!<br />
<a href="http://kevinwada.deviantart.com/art/John-Carter-356435977">John Carter</a> by <a href="http://kevinwada.deviantart.com/">kevinwada</a> on deviantart.com</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">It's not too hard to excise the sexism from the world though, in my opinion, and still have interesting parts to appropriate. The ten legged lion thingys (Banths, by the way), don’t care whether they eat lady flesh or dude flesh.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The rest of Barsoomian society is very interesting. On Barsoom, no one steals! I bust a gut every time I hear that in the text! Barsoomians also generally don’t lie (which I think some lying, or at least subterfuge happens in the stories). Having PCs meet people who not only claim this but actually do not steal or lie might be quite an interesting experience.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Also, the technology used in Barsoom is great meat for both World of Darkness (representing for my ladies in the Sons of Ether) and in Exalted, where, when I imagine floating airships, honorable duels, funky monsters, and strange cultures, it all seems to fit nicely into the anime-inspired setting. Stats for Barsoomian airships would be interesting too, since they don’t run off of lift like an airplane, but more by levitating off the ground and moving laterally via propellers. I bet submarine rules would be pretty good for representing combat with them.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="airships_won__t_fix_themselves_by_khamarupa-d56z8uf.jpg" height="873px;" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/uaCfny4yIpDo9EXCbeuDKkJxTr1C8q5tsnFoAOaIBpqtDbl1WOQV5kGWHfjdQh6r-TECQmfIHafrBEuSWR3_bldsyClqm1BRgxCUAZ6U79p4EQy51XzS3Di5dBiYV9XY_g" style="-webkit-transform: rotate(0rad); border: none; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; transform: rotate(0rad);" width="624px;" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dem battleships..... They see me flying, they hating...</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">How it applies to the PC</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Here is where <i>A Princess of Mars</i> truly shines, in my opinion. Next time I have a new player with a paladin, I will suggest that they read at least </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">A Princess of Mars</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. And its not for the “I’ll save you! And so much more…” aspect.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I have yet to encounter a character as Lawful Good as John Carter. Yes, he is the tool used by the damsel-in-distress plot, but his behavior is what I picture when I think of a Paladin. He rarely deceives, even when it would greatly benefit him, generally fights for peace, but also national defense and for his family, doesn’t really understand fear, hesitation, or sloth, and loves battle. These traits can be studied and applied to any paladin, male, female, gay, straight, human, non-human and it would make the basis for an interesting paladin.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">This is not to say that John Carter is the ideal paladin, or the only one. I am sure that Elizabeth Moon’s Paladin in the Paksearnion series is nothing like this, but is just as valid inspiration. But for a new player who doesn’t really know where to start as far as playing a honorable-to-a-fault character, John Carter might be the ticket. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">So long as you don’t say “We’re I a woman, I would weep.” (Gods of Mars)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Also, I can't help but mention that there is very little armor on Barsoom, so characters that use more of a Dexterity/Agility based defensive style can find representation in these books. In other words, when your GM poo-poos your swashbuckler, you can always remember that your characters simply prefers not to be hit by weapons.</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The Librivox version</span></h2>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I have listened to <i>A Princess of Mars</i> on </span><a href="https://librivox.org/a-princess-of-mars-by-edgar-rice-burroughs-2/" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Librivox</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> (the most awesome site on the internet! Better than Porntube and Lolcats.com combined! And way less sticky!). The version I heard was read solely by the incomparable </span><a href="http://www.markdouglasnelson.com/mark_douglas_nelson/Home.html" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Mark D. Nelson</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">! (Not the same as the awesome RPG artist </span><a href="http://www.grazingdinosaurpress.com/pages/mark/home.html" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Mark A. Nelson</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">). Mark has the perfect, nonpareil voice for John Carter: that familiar, 1950’s PSA or newscaster kind of voice. His female accent is a little male, but its so evocative that I can’t really say anything bad about it. Since John Carter’s nephew is narrating most of the stories, the voice fits more than any voice should. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 17.25px; white-space: pre-wrap;">I hope you find <i>A Princess of Mars</i> and the other novels inspiring. Next is <i>Pride and Prejudice.</i></span></span></div>
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MurkyMasterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05007484206167197377noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1046069122215713180.post-19888102440035975242014-08-01T10:59:00.000-05:002014-09-09T22:28:52.217-05:00How I run Monks in Fantasy Settings, or "I punch the Dragon in the Face!"<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://dominicanos360.files.wordpress.com/2009/03/fei-long-443x4901.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://dominicanos360.files.wordpress.com/2009/03/fei-long-443x4901.jpg" height="320" width="289" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Why wouldn't you want this guy in your game? <br />
Fei Long of Street Fighter</td></tr>
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Ah, the overpowered, out of genre, anachronistic monk. I have no idea how 5th edition (or even 4th edition, for that matter), has treated you, but I assume you are still punching dragons in the face. Monks certainly did in 3rd Ed.<br />
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Monks for me present an interesting challenge. They are, for one, a bit "out-of-place" if I am playing in a setting with a strictly European idea of fantasy, so including monks requires me to include either Oriental analogs of some kind in my worlds, or else some rationale for one of my existing cultures to develop the art of fighting with one's body alone. That later requirement suits me better than the former.<br />
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Its also a challenge to make sense of their power, especially against certain monsters. In this article, I'll be talking about not only how monks are a challenge to wedge into a D&D game, but even more importantly, some ideas on how to challenge the Monks themselves, especially with respect to their powers.<br />
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How I describe a Monk punching hard things</h2>
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To illustrate, lets discuss Jagra, a nun of Trok, the god of competition, sport, and athleticism. She has some Monk levels to play with, and some glory to gain, so she shacks up with the nearest adventuring party, taking with her little more than the clothes on her back and enough food to cover her own hunger.<br />
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After the party figures out she can carry a bit more weight than the half-orc barbarian (with half as much grumbling), they make her the party pack mule. This suits her fine: she wanted to up her weight on her squats. This encumbrance also makes her a fine target for Bandits that would like very much to have that loot.<br />
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Being a monk, and in tune with stuff, she senses the moment a crossbow blot has been loosed upon her, and dodges the poisoned projectile (high Armor Class), and shouts to her friends that battle has come. All hell breaks loose, and so do joints, neck vertebrae, and eyeballs as Jagra rabbit punches, triangle chokes, and five finger death punches her foes into tasty meat for the Half Orc (and the Drow masquerading as a High Elf).<br />
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Into the dungeon they delve. The picaresque rogue (is there any other kind?) detects traps and disarms them in the front, with the monk, again, in tune with stuff, taking up the rear, sensing the approach of many monsters that would have otherwise had eaten the unattuned-to-stuff adventurers ahead.<br />
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One time, they come across a room with a automatic Zombie and Skeleton summoning spell trappy thingy. I, as DM, see no particular problem with Jagra laying a high-fantasy smack down on the skeleton warriors and rotting corpses that search in vain for brains in the Half-Orc.<br />
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But presently they near the treasure room. The rouge easily picks the lock to the big iron door before the treasure room, at least until the big iron door turns into a big iron golem. Now the party, and the DM, has a problem.<br />
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Surely a big, fantasy metal warhammer might be enough to bust something loose from the Iron Golem, but a tiny, squishy fist? What is the monk going to do, kick the giant robot in the shin? For that matter, what would swords do against such a thing, DR aside?<br />
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Angry Fist of Vengeance vs. 2-inch tank plate!</h2>
The monk doesn't wait for my answer, leaping into the fray to offer her aid and get big time brag points to bring back to the monastery. She, a 16th level Monk with Ki Strike at +3 rolls and scores 60 damage, overcoming the 50/+3 DR by ten points. How do I represent that? I run the risk of making her out to have super strength if she dents the creature, but a crappy, flat description, or its mutant DMV-staffer brother "You do ten damage, next..." just doesn't happen in big daddy's house!<br />
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I quickly apprise the situation. The monk is no ordinary fighter. Not only has she trained in utilizing the most of her body, but she has attuned herself her inner-most warrior to such a degree that her expertise is magical, uninhibited by pathetic reality, which, in the monk's mind, is mere illusion anyhow. Here, I interpret the D&D 3.0 monk to be similar to the Shadowrun Adept, or Mage the Ascension's Akashic Brotherhood, or Sayians in Dragonball Z. So if she gets really mad and screams for ten game sessions....<br />
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AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA<br />
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA<br />
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA<br />
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AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA<br />
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA<br />
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AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA<br />
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA<br />
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA<br />
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA<br />
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA<br />
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA<br />
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA<br />
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA<br />
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA<br />
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA<br />
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA<br />
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA<br />
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA<br />
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA<br />
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA<br />
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA<br />
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA<br />
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA<br />
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA<br />
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA<br />
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA<br />
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA<br />
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AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA<br />
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA<br />
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AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA<br />
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AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAchoo!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
No.<br />
<br />
The monk instead hits the robot in a weak point in its structure. To be honest, this is the only way that the warhammer wielding Barbarian is doing any damage either. In fact, if she attacks with her full weight (a common martial arts teaching, I hear), then she probably weighs more than the hammer. The hammer's only advantage is that it is harder than her body, presumably. Since Monks are "magical" warriors in my view, who have unlocked yet another strain of magic, different from the Divine favors of the gods (the cleric summons a holy rust monster at this point, by the way) and different from the fireball blasting Sorcerer who is so not blasting fireballs right now (lightning blot, lightning blot, lightning bolt), I can safely assume that her bones are probably as hard as she would like them to be, and thus able to deliver enough force to break some smaller gears (especially those cheap nylon gears on those budget Golems) .<br />
<br />
The monk then gets the crazy idea to toss the cleric's rust monster buddy at the Golem, and with one called shot ranged touch attack and a witty line, the golem get magical metal eating flea-monster thing IN THA FACE!<br />
<br />
After the decapitated Golem falls to the floor, the party looks on at the treasure room behind: a mountain of gold wipes away the last scraps of human decency and charity as they dream of attractive servants of their sexual preference fawning over them, asking only to serve their every whim. Thankfully, the Drow is immune to the human decency damage: he lost it all when he strangled his brother with his own umbilical cord en vitro. They cash in their treasure, and Jagra pens the tale of her glorious battle with the Golem. Her jealous fellow nuns swear vengeance immortal upon her for her initiative.<br />
<br />
<h2>
How I challenge the Monk</h2>
<br />
Even more important than needing to understand how a Monk would hurt something with its mere fists is presenting interesting, but conquerable, challenges to the Monk. For me, challenging a Player means countering, denying, or circumventing their usual tactics and pushing them to dream up a new course of action. With that assumption, I will tell you what comes to mind when I approach each of the Monks unique abilities (at least the ones that I think need special thought to circumvent).<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8h9qyO8n7sTAafM1pWKIovG1QDIofnvb1fdv75x8Y5l9jFjc_pnOw_jWccbbXeZX9rnPUFSQk5-MHgo8cmJ2CJmFYNPa5wyO_-EDN6evYmSCvbeISZCNYK6TJ5vLoJrbnXfSxI9D1jhr1/s1600/Neo+dodges+the+bullet.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8h9qyO8n7sTAafM1pWKIovG1QDIofnvb1fdv75x8Y5l9jFjc_pnOw_jWccbbXeZX9rnPUFSQk5-MHgo8cmJ2CJmFYNPa5wyO_-EDN6evYmSCvbeISZCNYK6TJ5vLoJrbnXfSxI9D1jhr1/s1600/Neo+dodges+the+bullet.gif" height="240" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Neo got Monk Levels...</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<h4>
The Monks Rising AC</h4>
While it does not say it explicitly in the 3rd ed book, I would say that a Monk loses this bonus not only if they become immobilized, but also if they lose their total focus on the matter at hand. I'm not saying they need to roll concentration mind you, but I figure a spell like Confusion would take away at least the monks Wisdom bonus (since it essentially takes away their Wisdom). Non magical enemies might also remove both the class bonus and wisdom bonus if they immobilize the monk somehow (tentacles, tanglefoot, maybe even a net at lower levels).<br />
<br />
I was just inspired to create a new spell, actually. Its not just for monks, but it does something that takes away their favorable attacks, wisdom bonus to AC, class bonus to AC, and gives their special abilities an arcane spell failure.<br />
<br />
The Emperor's Armor<br />
Illusion<br />
Level: Brd 3, Clr 4, Sor/Wiz4<br />
Components: V, S, F<br />
Casting Time: 1 Action/ 10 Minutes<br />
Range: Close (25 ft. + 5 ft/2 levels)<br />
Duration: 1 round/level<br />
Saving Throw: Will<br />
Spell Resistance: Yes<br />
<br />
You point your finger and an illusion of a set of bulky, clank set of armor suddenly appears on your intended target. The caster can make the armor look as ornate or practical as he wishes, but the effect is the same: the illusion feels so heavy and impedes movement so greatly that the target is now encumbered with a heavy load. Also, if the target is a wizard, sorcerer, monk, or would be otherwise gain an arcane spell failure for wearing heavy armor, they gain that penalty. A will save dispells the Illusion.<br />
<br />
A caster can fool someone into putting on this illusory armor if they are clever. The caster can preform this spell, and place the armor on someone, or can even cast the spell and place the armor in a chest, wardrobe, etc. The illusion lasts for 10 minutes, however, so they must be quick.<br />
<br />
Arcane Focus: A toy soldier crafted of lead or pewter, with a ruby set in its chest<br />
<br />
A new course of action for the monk might be to take cover and try ranged attacks, or next time try getting the wizard first.<br />
<h4>
Flurry of Blows and Stunning Attack</h4>
Here, its not so much the attack bonus that worries me, nor is it the dice (since a 20th level, a monk's punch could still do 1 point of base damage!). Its the status effect and the critical threats: with up to 6 d20s dropping a round (not counting haste or speed enhancing equipment), its likely that a monk will get that critical.<br />
<br />
Thus, to circumvent this, one could wear Fortified Armor, or be an ooze, construct or undead. Also, attacking the Monk at range, especially if the monk is immobilized as above, is useful. In this case, the monks new course of action would be to not do a flurry of blows or stun attacks but instead try power attacks to beat this foe.<br />
<h4>
Evasion/Improved Evasion</h4>
The monk has all good saves, which makes a certain sense, but the monks best save is still Reflex, due to evasion. For most monks, either Fort of Will will be their weakest, and I would say most likely it will be their Fort Save. Poison will work for a while, but Fort save spells have a chance, too. Also, using spells or armors that cause damage when you attack someone will make Evasion less effective<br />
<h4>
Deflect Arrows</h4>
Once at this level, range weapons become less useful. However, as the Deflect Arrows feat says: giant rocks and magic missile don't count. Also, I would say that a whip or tentacle so deflected gets to make its usual grapple or trip attempts. Also, immobilizing the monk or making her flat footed will make the monk consider attending to arrows in a different way (perhaps by taking cover). Finally, keep in mind that you can only deflect one arrow per round, so that the monk might have to take cover if there is a cloud of arrows heading their way (unless they are epic level and can deflect more things)<br />
<h4>
Fast Movement </h4>
Again, encumbering or immobilizing the monk is useful here, since if they are wearing any armor it will cut their movement down.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://static.comicvine.com/uploads/original/11112/111127465/3258925-image.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://static.comicvine.com/uploads/original/11112/111127465/3258925-image.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Just think of the Monk at this levle as a much slower one of these.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
However, I would also say that some terrain would require dexterity checks to run on . Consider a 20th level monk running. They would be traveling at (90 ft /round * 4 (run multiplier) * 10 rounds/ minute * 60 minutes/ hour)/ 5280 ft/mile = 41 miles per hour. I live on a gravel road, and going straight at 40 is fine, but those curves can get you. Also, running across caltrops would still hurt and possibly trip the monk. Anything you can do against speedsters in your Mutants and Masterminds game is sufficient with a fast monk.<br />
<br />
<b><u><i>*REALLY MEAN TRICK TO USE*</i></u></b><br />
<br />
Here's a mean trick I thought of. A mean old mage challenges a monk to a race, even going so far as to offer to cast the spell Expeditious Retreat on the monk to give him "a fair chance". Of course, between the monk and the finish line is a force wall, which if the monk took the spell, they would be laying into the wall at 82 miles per hour.<br />
<h4>
Still Mind</h4>
Not much can circumvent this (that I can think of right now), but at higher levels, not much is needed. Spell resistance is more of a problem. Also does not count for illusions.<br />
<h4>
Slow Fall</h4>
If you are tired of Monks using this ability to check what's at the bottom of your evil pit, I suggest having some regular, non toxic mold grow on the side of the pit (assuming its damp in there). This would require at least a dexterity or athletics check. Also, slow fall maybe useful, unless there is something falling above you (dragons, rocks, other things) that might hurt you if you get there first. I would say a monk is probably falling at their monk speed at 18th level.<br />
<h4>
Purity of Body/Diamond Body</h4>
Monks with this ability may drink concoctions with impunity, knowing that dirty water will not make them sick and there is no poison, magical or otherwise, that can hurt them. However, this says nothing about acids, or weird creatures that may possess them through this drink. Fae Blood and Wine would still work, in my opinion, as well as vampire bites and lycanthropy. Also, someone trying to assassinate a powerful monk might summon a tiny water elemental to go into the monk's drink, and reek havoc on the internal organs (all attacks would automatically hit for critical damage). A monk so caught might be able to save himself with either a Fort save or a constitution check to force himself to vomit the creature.<br />
<h4>
Wholeness of Body</h4>
Tough cookie, this one is. I would use negative levels to great effect here. If the monk is healing a little after every battle, then you might try sending a swarm (or one of those insect plague type spells) at them early in the dungeon.<br />
<h4>
Leap of the Clouds</h4>
Walls mean nothing to the Monk? Don't forget stabby things on ramparts. This ability may also be the only way the entire party gets out of deep pit, oubliette, or other place where jumping good is key, especially if the monk has some rope.<br />
<h4>
Ki Strike</h4>
Anti-magic fields work against this, as well as monks traveling over 70 ft in a round and Wholeness of Body. Beholders might be good for monks. Other than that, this is actually an ability that helps the monk keep up with all the +20 Swords of Awesome the fighter is carrying.<br />
<h4>
Abundant Step </h4>
Ah, the Monk-Port. Dimension Door implies that you are moving through the Astral Plane on a straight line, so perhaps force walls and Astral Plane baddies can still get to you. Keep in mind that the monk uses this ability, they can't act again in the round (although it would be cool if a monk did a flying kick, dimension door combo. I would say they get one attack at their highest bonus, an will need a concentration check)<br />
<h4>
Diamond Soul</h4>
In this case, you would use the usual tactics to get around spell resistance. For one, just because the monk is not effected by spells does not mean that the monk's enemies are not effected, so enemy buffs are useful here. If you absolutely must get a spell on the monk, try spell penetration feats. Also, monks can voluntarily lower their spell resistance to get a spell placed on them, so if you trick them...<br />
<h4>
Quivering Palm (sounds sexual...)</h4>
This isn't that bad, in my opinion, and is actually a pretty cool ability. If I had a baddy that I wanted to live and they were struck with this though, I might say that another monk can "undo" the vibration with their own strike. Also, I figure turning to stone, or going incorporeal might take the evil vibes away, depending on the power of the monk (maybe the caster rolls spell craft at a DC = Monks level + Monks wisdom?)<br />
<h4>
Timeless Body </h4>
Meh, not sacred of this much. I would say ray of enfeeblement might not work on them again, but negative levels and polymorph would. If they are relying on their good looks to stay forever, maybe try some illusion spells. So long as the monk can't see the illusion, their will save does not apply.<br />
<h4>
Tongue of the Sun and Moon</h4>
This is actually one of the Monks most plot destroying abilities, since it can mean the monk gets information not otherwise meant for them, and information can ruin suspense, surprise, and other things. I assume a monk would use this ability best to spy while unseen. To protect sensitive information, and maybe require the monk take just a bit more risk, you might have secret information exchanged through letters and code (its Tongue, not Eyeballs, of the Sun and Moon). Hand signals probably will be Greek to a monk too, unless they know them. On the other hand, your Monk might be a good way to introduce the higher level party to a conspiracy.<br />
<h4>
Empty Body</h4>
At this point, you are already dealing with mages and fighters that can do this and more. Same tactics, like force walls, ethereal creatures, and dual plane spells can apply here. Let this power also be an opportunity for the Monk to encounter new, ethereal plot hooks, like passing by the ghost of a sad boy, that is actually a horrible demil-ich that wants to eat the party. (The monk is 19th level at this point! He can handle it...)<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyBTrn1AR6C66MBe9iSS3ImiZ9VG5yDUcRJIxnAi6HGXK6aO31ErXnX6iarPoXqZpZ6ItK9j9eoasKQofbRasxeRPQUbfWgRmmUXeBDctzzGbl4qIhDgB4_AFcDGN5G76yLw56YGvdGfzM/s1600/diablo-3-monk-skills.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyBTrn1AR6C66MBe9iSS3ImiZ9VG5yDUcRJIxnAi6HGXK6aO31ErXnX6iarPoXqZpZ6ItK9j9eoasKQofbRasxeRPQUbfWgRmmUXeBDctzzGbl4qIhDgB4_AFcDGN5G76yLw56YGvdGfzM/s1600/diablo-3-monk-skills.jpg" height="548" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I'm Sexy and I know it.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<h4>
Perfect Self</h4>
This ability, in my opinion, suddenly opens many new doors for new challenges for the Monk. I would say that, like many outsiders, their alignment becomes a physical matter. Since they can be effected by spells like Detect Evil, Good Aligned 20th level monks can also be effected by Unholy weapons, and Lawful monks by Chaos spells. Outsiders might take more interest in the monk, especially other 20th level monks (think the Jet Li movie called "The One") Their damage reduction is "too little, too late" in my opinion, unless you need them to not kill some otherwise weak creature. In that case, make sure that you involve powerful creatures watching over your high powered heroes to make sure they don't pick on the little guys (like you would do for any class at this point in the game).<br />
<br />
I hope you find these pointers useful, in achieving more zen in your Monk-y games.MurkyMasterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05007484206167197377noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1046069122215713180.post-72924434831749144452014-07-25T14:44:00.000-05:002014-12-21T23:07:32.454-06:00Roleplayer's Library Review: Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Seas by Jules Verne <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.jimtierneyart.com/images/leagues.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://www.jimtierneyart.com/images/leagues.jpg" height="320" width="216" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption">Cover Art and Design by <a href="http://www.jimtierneyart.com/1_leagues.php">Jim Tierney </a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
In this time of steampunk love, I though it would be apropos to review one of Verne's best remembered tales of wonder, science, and adventure. When a ship is sunk by a mysterious attack, made by either a "massive narwhal" or something else, the U.S. Navy launches the Abraham Lincoln, and the celebrated naturalist Professor Pierre Aronnax, his ardent manservant Conseil and the burly Canadian whaler Ned Land, are serendipitously aboard. When the vessel finally encounters the culprit behind the sinking ships, a pitched battle pitches them into the brine, and into the hands of the Nautilus, and her mysterious architect, Captain Nemo.<br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
This book applies to:<br />
Tephra, Iron Kingdoms, and other Steampunk RPGs<br />
Mage the Ascension<br />
Mage: The Sorcerer's Crusade? (It would be better in Victorian times, really)<br />
Call of Cthulu<br />
<div>
D&D and Sundry, if you hold your tongue just right<br />
Warhammer 40k Rouge Trader, if you hold your tongue just right, hop on one foot pat your belly and your head all at the same time.<br />
<br />
<h3>
Reader's Notes:</h3>
<br />
<br />
If you do not like Carl Linnaeus's binomial taxonomic system, then skip the paragraphs where Arronax and Conseil have science-gasms over naming the different fish they see. Murky Master is not responsible for gray matter liquefaction.<br />
<br />
SPOILERS AHEAD!!!!<br />
<br />
<br />
<h2>
How Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Seas to the DM</h2>
<br />
<br />
This book is almost a non-fiction reference for the DM of any sea-dependent plot or setting. 20,000 Leagues is almost part travelogue, part adventure novel in how Verne describes Arronax' journey through the ocean. After getting aboard the Nautilus, he is taken to Indonesian islands, Malay, the Red Sea, the Antarctic, and even up to Norwegian seas, encountering giant pearls, Atlantean ruins, maelstroms, giant squid, and sharks. From those scenes, a DM could be inspired to create neat localities and set pieces for his underwater world, either on Earth or elsewhere. I especially enjoy Verne's version of Atlantis, and might steal the scene with the giant pearl and or the underwater graveyard.<br />
<br />
I get the impression from Verne that he did his research, so this book offers a snapshot into those parts of the world around 1870, when it was published. Thus, its also a history book for the time period as well, especially in describing a particular sea battle and in the scenes at the Malaysian Pearl Fisheries.<br />
<br />
But speaking of inspiration, Verne's description of the toys that Nemo and company use is great fodder for a steampunk game. Verne gives an almost foot by foot description of the Nautilus, but still keeps Arronax from seeing every room in there, allowing a DM to go ape-shit with weird laboratories, strange prisons, or other junk in the Nautilus itself. Mage the Ascension games featuring Sons of Ethers recreating the Nautilus, or some of its tech, would be better ran with someone who read this book. I LOVE the underwater rifles and the shock bullets.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td><a href="http://fc02.deviantart.net/fs70/i/2011/069/9/c/the_nautilus_by_reneaigner-d3bbgqt.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://fc02.deviantart.net/fs70/i/2011/069/9/c/the_nautilus_by_reneaigner-d3bbgqt.jpg" height="322" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;">You know you want this is your game. By <a href="http://fc02.deviantart.net/fs70/i/2011/069/9/c/the_nautilus_by_reneaigner-d3bbgqt.jpg" target="_blank">Rene Aigner</a> on Deviantart</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Captain Nemo himself, the most well known facet of the book, is also an excellently drawn character. He is one of the best characters that "hero" or "villain" does not describe well. If I were to write him up (tempting), I am tempted to give him a derangement of some kind, but not a really bad one (certainly not a Marauder here). He's cool, he's pissed, his inviting, and harsh all in the same scene at times, and clearly knows his element.<br />
<br />
<br />
As for how this might apply to D&D or Rogue Trader, I am thinking that DM's could find inspiration in the general thread of the story: Someone, jaded by the world, builds a mighty ship that haunts the places where Man dare not tread, and occasionally strikes out at mankind. The PCs are somehow along for the ride, discovering wonders that no one else will see for a long time. <br />
<br />
<br />
So, taking your PCs on a ride in a submarine through an ocean of fire, through the stars, or even through the ocean is possible. In Warhammer, this would be some crazy ass ship that somehow survives in an otherwise in hospitable part of the Expanse. For a Rouge Trader game though, I would be tempted to make it less of a wondrous journey and more of a terrifying one. Maybe the captain and his crew didn't really "survive", at least not in a good and wholesome sense...<br />
<br />
On that note though, could you imagine such a plot ran under the auspices of the Elder Gods in COC? I get goosebumps at the idea of running through the Nautilus from a thing that should not be...<br />
<br />
<br />
<h2>
How Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Seas applies to the Player</h2>
<br />
<br />
Players who plan on having sea faring characters can get some miles out of this book. A rendition of Conseil, Arronax, Land, Nemo, or even one of the crew could easily by done in a game with a modern setting (Mage the Ascension characters with the Legend merit come to mind). Arronax shows players how to be an inquisitive scientist, while Land makes a great brute and Conseil can help players model a truly devoted soul (and in the world of darkness, he is easily turned into a Malkavian, especially if Conseil's bond turns very dangerous...). Captain Nemo is a study in composure under stress as well as giant Victorian melancholy, especially for players of Victorian age games who ask themselves "How do I pull of the Victorian eccentric without making a fool of myself?"<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://fc06.deviantart.net/fs71/f/2012/196/0/f/nemo_by_madlittleclown-d57buss.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://fc06.deviantart.net/fs71/f/2012/196/0/f/nemo_by_madlittleclown-d57buss.jpg" height="640" width="432" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A great protriat of the Captian himself by <a href="http://www.deviantart.com/art/Nemo-314641324" target="_blank">MadLittleClown</a> on Deviantart</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Vulgar and coincidental magic effects for Son of Ether or similar paradigms in Mage can be found in this book. The Nautilus would be a wonder, the submarine busting through the icepack in Antarctica would probably be a coincidental effect, and, depending on the time period, the electrocuting shell of the Nautilus and the electro bullets could be Vulgar effects (in modern times, I would call them mostly coincidental, perhaps only disbelievable if you where in some sort of steampunk get up, and were not at a con. Hell, even then I hesitate.)</div>
<div>
</div>
<div>
Players preparing for underwater games may also be able to get a handle on how to make character that will be effective underwater, if you pay close attention to the type of skills you need in the various underwater settings of the book. Off the top of my head, for Mage, I would take good care to get points in Survival with an underwater specialty, Jury-Rig or Engineering and Climb. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<h2>
The Bottom Line</h2>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Obviously, this is a Son of Ether's delight for a resource (guess what Murky's favorite tradition is...). I confess that I don't know much about actual steampunk games like Iron Kingdoms, though I would love to try them out. Still, I'm sure you can at least build your characters equipment from this book. For DM's this book offers a treasure trove of accurate, 19th century history and geography, vital for a setting based on Victorian age earth, but also a great inspiration for your home brewed underwater worlds. You can also lift the main plot at transplant it into a Rouge Trader or Call of Cthulu game with ease. </div>
</div>
MurkyMasterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05007484206167197377noreply@blogger.com0