A couple days before Christmas I had scheduled a WEGS game at my local game shop. The game setting was perfect for the holidays: The Isle of Misfit Dwarfs. This game store has been selling WEGS 101 since a little before Thanksgiving, and I was showing up to restock the shelves if needed. Initially, I dropped off 10 books. They sold 5 within a week (local gaming fans), so I restocked them with another 5. Grand tally for books on their shelf was 15. It was a casual consignment agreement: they'd pay me a percent of book sales. I was giving them until the end of the year before cashing out. I really wasn't worried about it.
Imagine my surprise when I got to the store and found all the lights out and an eviction notice pasted on the door! There was a note from the owner that said something about "hard times" and re-opening soon... I could look through the window and see my little stack of books sitting in the darkness gathering dust. I told a co-worker about it and he informed me that he had just been to the store a few days prior and purchased a copy for himself. The rub is that he could've got it from me directly! I find the whole thing kinda funny.
It's shocking that a store closes during their busiest time of the year. The folks who manage the strip mall had some malicious timing on the eviction. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that the store re-opens and I can get my books back (and, hopefully my consignment, too!). Time will tell.
The trials and tribulations of running your own game company...
Friday, December 28, 2007
Monday, December 24, 2007
Tuesday, December 18, 2007
Thar She Blows!
Well, the event deadline has come and past for Cold Wars 2008. The con's theme this year is the Golden Age of Piracy. Accordingly, we've set sail in that direction. We're running a special series of piratical scenarios. Titles arrrr:
The Pirates of Penzantium
Mutiny on the Bequod!
Gillygam's Ilse
Escape From Yawlcatraz
Dwarf Walks Into A Bar: Albatross!
We will be releasing a new WEGS 101 supplement for this series of games, complete with a new set of skills for sword-n-sorcery on the high seas! Think Jason and the Arrrgonauts...
And yesterday, I got my Origins GameMaster notice. 2008 has already begun!
The Pirates of Penzantium
Mutiny on the Bequod!
Gillygam's Ilse
Escape From Yawlcatraz
Dwarf Walks Into A Bar: Albatross!
We will be releasing a new WEGS 101 supplement for this series of games, complete with a new set of skills for sword-n-sorcery on the high seas! Think Jason and the Arrrgonauts...
And yesterday, I got my Origins GameMaster notice. 2008 has already begun!
Thursday, December 13, 2007
Flashback: Yawlwyrd
For some reason, this story popped into my head last night. It was triggered by the fact I'm working on some of the game scenarios for the Cold Wars con in March. Generally, we end cons with a Sunday WEGS game of epic proportions (3+ hour session with 8+ players). We call these games Yawls, and the scenario title is some derivation of that root: The Yawlwyrd (Ubercon 2005) was the first. The Yawlamo was next, and one we've used as our staple con-closer. My new one is called Escape From Yawlcatraz (a piratey prison-break scenario). The Yawls came from the marriage of two disjointed things. The first being that it is based on the Icelandic All-thing, an enourmous meeting of chieftains, for my purpose key players. The second thing was an elevator ride I experienced at GenCon 2005, Indianapolis. In the elevator were two game geeks decked out in their fantasy armour, two non-gamer NASCAR types (father and son), and me and Sue (who showed no signs of our geekage). As soon as the two knights of the dinner table left the elevator, the two Nascar guys started cracking up to each other. They turned to us and said something like, "Can you believe those guys?!?" I said, "Yup. We're gamers. We're here for the convention, too. We just don't dress up for it." The father chuckled and replied, "Well, y'all weird!" Thus, the Yawlwyrd was born. It's a light-hearted nod to the wackiness of this hobby and the diehard commitment to have fun until the last possible moment.
Sunday, December 9, 2007
Actual Play
With con season agon, I've decided to recollect some of the WEGS games over the last year and do some Actual Play (AP) posts on game sites. I'll probably do one a week for the next month or so. I'll post on RPG.net, TTGamers.com and TheMiniaturesPage.com (TMP). So, if you're interested in reading up on some WEGS games o' 2007, check these sites out. The links to these sites can also be found on the GameWick site links page. That's all for now, folks!
Friday, December 7, 2007
Easy Mistakes... Part 4
Too many players! It's tough to turn folks away. At least once at every con, we have a game that gets overbooked. And by overbooked, I mean we keep saying yes to anyone that shows up. We try to limit games to 6 players - that's our comfort zone when we have two GMs (one is the Kreator (me) and the other is Minion Master (Willy the 2 or Shanty Bob). We will reluctantly take the players total up to 9 depending on the scenario. If it's all battle, then it's easier. If it's plot driven, not so good. Believe me, I've been reamed out post-game by the Minion Masters if I go over the limit! It's always my fault for letting people play...
I'm convinced the perfect amount of players for WEGS 101 is 9 (significance due to Tolkien's Fellowship) - but I'd say that 7 is the perfect number, too (just because of craps). In either situation, I'm talking experienced players. And add 2 more players in the mix (for the Kreator and Minion Master). So, grand total is 9 or 11 players 'round the table. And it's this hubris that gets me into trouble...
I've come to learn at cons 3-5 new players are perfect for intro games. If some of the players have some WEGS under their belts, the number can be pushed to 6 or 7. When submitting games to cons, I'm now using 6 as my standard. The only downside of this is at cons where seats are reserved and the players who reserved seats don't show up. We've had sold out games, where only half the players appear... which leads us to allowing folks to be on standby... At the official start time of the game, if folks who reserved haven't appeared, we allow those on standby to jump into the game. Invariably, a few minutes later, the folks who registered appear... And then we're back to square one...
The best laid plans of mice and men...
I'm convinced the perfect amount of players for WEGS 101 is 9 (significance due to Tolkien's Fellowship) - but I'd say that 7 is the perfect number, too (just because of craps). In either situation, I'm talking experienced players. And add 2 more players in the mix (for the Kreator and Minion Master). So, grand total is 9 or 11 players 'round the table. And it's this hubris that gets me into trouble...
I've come to learn at cons 3-5 new players are perfect for intro games. If some of the players have some WEGS under their belts, the number can be pushed to 6 or 7. When submitting games to cons, I'm now using 6 as my standard. The only downside of this is at cons where seats are reserved and the players who reserved seats don't show up. We've had sold out games, where only half the players appear... which leads us to allowing folks to be on standby... At the official start time of the game, if folks who reserved haven't appeared, we allow those on standby to jump into the game. Invariably, a few minutes later, the folks who registered appear... And then we're back to square one...
The best laid plans of mice and men...
Thursday, December 6, 2007
Easy Mistakes... Part 3
The Cold Roll... Most folks get it. Other folks don't. Rolling 2D6 for a percentile base just isn't logical! The biggest mistake here is the failure to explain it pre-game. And by explain it, I mean demo it. Make folks do a few rolls until they're comfy with it. Then do it again! The problem here is that WEGS uses 2D6 for various rolls. Sometimes they are just counted as pips for a score between 2 and 12 (like Act Fast! tests), sometimes they are arranged for a percent total between 11% and 66% (the Cold Roll). For Blitz, they are used ala craps and compared to Warrior Strength or Ranger Strength (and you can use Spoints to up your odds). Way back when we started demo-ing WEGS, I was very careful to limit the game mechanices in play. For example, Act Fast! and Blitz were non-existant. I wanted folks to come to terms with the key mechanics and not overwhelm. As we played more and more, we started adding on the pieces that eventually became the core WEGS 101 mechanics. In turn, the con games became more robust and a tad complicated for new players. The key thing is to identify the players who look a little lost in their rolls and take a moment to walk them through the purpose. Some won't get it. Some will. You at least gotta try. A lot of the fun in this game is the language of the dice. If a player doesn't get the reason they're rolling, some of the fun is going to be lost in translation.
Tuesday, December 4, 2007
Easy Mistakes... Part 2
With the 2007 con season behind me, I find myself dwelling on what went right and what didn't over the course of the many games we ran. We're at a point where games have folks familiar with WEGS sitting alongside of folks who are playing for the first time. This isn't a problem as that's what WEGS 101 is all about: easy enough for newbies and crunchy enough for game veterans. WEGS is also about options on the gamemaster's side of the table. It is very easy to whip up new minions and introduce ad hoc rules. I don't think there's a game we run that doesn't have some tinkering going on at this point. From our standpoint, it keeps the game fresh for us. Kinda like game improv. And therein lies the danger... Folks who have played with us before know that this is what WEGS is about and they ride this wave without batting an eye. Not so for folks playing for the first time. To them additional rules that seem "errantly" introduced can make the game system seem thin. The plug/play nature of the game is its strength, but can easily be perceived as weakness.
The other side of this is that our con games, to this point, have been system introductions. These are the basic rules, nothing glossy. We've been doing this now for TWO YEARS - playing an intro game. It's great fun, but when you know what the system can do, you start to itch. Me and Willy the Two have pre-game pow-wows on the new stuff. And we can easily get carried away with cool ad-hoc rules. Easily. For example, AggDam and the Blood Chip are two things we've been adding to all games. Just 'cause they're fun for us and they make the minions tougher to beat. However, in their small way, they are complicating the vanilla. It's a tough balance to keep in mind: introducing the game, keeping it basic and keeping it fresh.
The other side of this is that our con games, to this point, have been system introductions. These are the basic rules, nothing glossy. We've been doing this now for TWO YEARS - playing an intro game. It's great fun, but when you know what the system can do, you start to itch. Me and Willy the Two have pre-game pow-wows on the new stuff. And we can easily get carried away with cool ad-hoc rules. Easily. For example, AggDam and the Blood Chip are two things we've been adding to all games. Just 'cause they're fun for us and they make the minions tougher to beat. However, in their small way, they are complicating the vanilla. It's a tough balance to keep in mind: introducing the game, keeping it basic and keeping it fresh.
Friday, November 30, 2007
Easy Mistakes... Part 1
In the game discussed below, I noted that there was a slight drag in the game play. When WEGS is played with 7+ players, there's bound to be some bumps, especially with new players. The new player curve isn't always the issue though - folks tend to play the game as fast as they can and there's nothing wrong with savoring your turn at bat... However, there is one thing that I've been slipping on lately - the four dice rule.
WEGS is designed to be played fast. Part of the design is reflected in the fact the game uses only 2D10 and 2D6 for its fuel (that's two ten-sided dice and two six-sided dice for you non-gamers...). I have a strong belief that the fewer dice you have on the table, the faster the game moves. Many other games in this hobby cover the playing field with lots and lots of funny sided dice. There's a built in joy for gamers to collect dice, too. In this hobby, you never can have too many dice. So, very often, folks show up at the game table with dice bags bulging with funky polyhedra. It's almost a status thing... but that's not what WEGS is about. At all.
And that was the one major bump in the game flow the other night. There was one player who had various funky dice set out before him. Often he would select different dice every inning, changing colors and determining the one he would use for highs and the one he would use for lows. This wasn't a showstopper, but it did impact the game flow. Everytime we got to his turn, he had to decide which dice to use. While I can appreciate that thrill, it just ain't WEGS. I think it breaks down one of the ways you buy-in to the game.
I don't mind folks swapping dice for new ones half-way through the game - that's actually really fun. If the set you start out with keep letting you down, there's nothing wrong with digging some new ones out. I think the mental act of committing your actions to four simple dice has some adventurous beauty about it. You're putting your faith in these things - and they may burn you real bad. That's the joy of it all sometimes.
So, it was a small blunder, but an important one to remember. After a month of running game after game, I got sloppy.
2D6. 2D10.
WEGS is designed to be played fast. Part of the design is reflected in the fact the game uses only 2D10 and 2D6 for its fuel (that's two ten-sided dice and two six-sided dice for you non-gamers...). I have a strong belief that the fewer dice you have on the table, the faster the game moves. Many other games in this hobby cover the playing field with lots and lots of funny sided dice. There's a built in joy for gamers to collect dice, too. In this hobby, you never can have too many dice. So, very often, folks show up at the game table with dice bags bulging with funky polyhedra. It's almost a status thing... but that's not what WEGS is about. At all.
And that was the one major bump in the game flow the other night. There was one player who had various funky dice set out before him. Often he would select different dice every inning, changing colors and determining the one he would use for highs and the one he would use for lows. This wasn't a showstopper, but it did impact the game flow. Everytime we got to his turn, he had to decide which dice to use. While I can appreciate that thrill, it just ain't WEGS. I think it breaks down one of the ways you buy-in to the game.
I don't mind folks swapping dice for new ones half-way through the game - that's actually really fun. If the set you start out with keep letting you down, there's nothing wrong with digging some new ones out. I think the mental act of committing your actions to four simple dice has some adventurous beauty about it. You're putting your faith in these things - and they may burn you real bad. That's the joy of it all sometimes.
So, it was a small blunder, but an important one to remember. After a month of running game after game, I got sloppy.
2D6. 2D10.
Dark Tower Days, Part 4
November was a flippin' crazy month - two big cons, game competition, in-store demos and Thanksgiving... Lots and lots of gaming from beginning to end. I think I know the reason I'm dragging lately. Mid-week, I ran a great session of Escape From The Dwarf Lord's Tomb for the Garden State Gaming Society. Generally, I try to limit the number of players in games to 6. Madly, I bumped the player limit to 9 so the game had the true Lord Of The Rings fellowship feel. All the Arks in play were playful variations of the book (substituting WEGS Gnobbits for Hobbits). Come game time, we had eight players. The one character that wasn't represented - Frodo the Ringbearer. So, the Ring went to the Dwarf Warrior at the start. It was an interesting way to re-tell this tale... Despite the number of players, the game ran smoothly with the slightest drag. All players were top-notch (four had played before, four were new), but the entire group was experienced tabletop gamers, which probably accounted for the speed of play. Love playin' with the pros!
Some fun stuff I did in this session (for those of you who are active players):
Wicked Success:
Bumped to 01% - 05%. Doesn't seem like much, but it made a difference!
Spoint Replenishment:
Players could get additional spoints by putting their Insanity on the line. Players could roll 1D6 and 1D10 at the Spante. The D6 score was the number of spoints recovered. The D10 score was the number of Insanity points received. Gave the game a great "on edge" feel.
The game ran for two encounters only - and I got my head handed to me both times. The Arks were definately showing some wear/tear by the end, tho'! It was a great way to end a month crammed with gaming!
Now, about December...
Some fun stuff I did in this session (for those of you who are active players):
Wicked Success:
Bumped to 01% - 05%. Doesn't seem like much, but it made a difference!
Spoint Replenishment:
Players could get additional spoints by putting their Insanity on the line. Players could roll 1D6 and 1D10 at the Spante. The D6 score was the number of spoints recovered. The D10 score was the number of Insanity points received. Gave the game a great "on edge" feel.
The game ran for two encounters only - and I got my head handed to me both times. The Arks were definately showing some wear/tear by the end, tho'! It was a great way to end a month crammed with gaming!
Now, about December...
Thursday, November 22, 2007
Wednesday, November 21, 2007
2007 Con Season Ends...
Well, with MACE behind me, that's the end of the cons for this year. I hit more cons in 2007 than ever before in my short, happy life of con-hopping. Prior to WEGS, I wasn't a con-hopper. There's not too much con history in me. Started doing them in 2005, two years ago, when I hit my first Ubercon and demo-ed WEGS Copper (seems more like 10 years ago). No rest for the wicked tho', next week I have to start submitting game events for the first quarter cons of 2008...
As Harry Chapin sang it...
All my life's a circle...
As Harry Chapin sang it...
All my life's a circle...
Tuesday, November 20, 2007
$$$ and Sense
For those who care and are calculating how much money I'm spending... Attending MACE cost me around $500 (travel/hotel/car/food). I sold some books, but that doesn't even begin to defray the cost of publishing. At this level, it's not about profit. It's about doing what I love to do. I had a complete blast running the games at MACE for folks who never even heard of this game system before (and, besides, a trip to Vegas would have been 4x the expense....). The point is I'm doing what I love to do - and promoting my game system. It has nothing to do with $$$ and sense. Period.
If, for example, I opted to "do Vegas" and just soak in the sun and gamble at night. I would be down about $2000. Sure, I would get my "fix". The difference is... The BIG difference is that I interacted with other people who have an interactive interest in my hobby. I have done something real. When you go to a craps table, you don't get to know folks. Not really. You all just have a one-night stand around a game table. RPG-ing is different.
You meet people.
It's that simple.
If, for example, I opted to "do Vegas" and just soak in the sun and gamble at night. I would be down about $2000. Sure, I would get my "fix". The difference is... The BIG difference is that I interacted with other people who have an interactive interest in my hobby. I have done something real. When you go to a craps table, you don't get to know folks. Not really. You all just have a one-night stand around a game table. RPG-ing is different.
You meet people.
It's that simple.
Monday, November 19, 2007
And The Winner Is...
Yes... Big Bang Mudang won the Iron Mace Game Chef competition. Though there seemed to be about 6 folks who entered, only 2 submitted games to be judged. So, there was a 50/50 chance for me to get the prize. It's disappointing that more folks didn't finish, but it was well worth the effort from my standpoint. BBM has been like lightening striking. I am very confident about the dice mechanics and the theme. My hope is to publish this game by Feb. of 2008. It is so outrageous and so unlike WEGS. It is a game that has come out of the blue in a fit of desperation. It was the last thing I needed to be doing, but it was the first thing on my list to get done. There's a lot to be said for deadlines and creativity. On the flight back from MACE, I kept thinking about the loose ends of the game. By the time the plane landed, I had come to conclusions on the game's theme and motifs. This is a game I am going to finish and release asap. My style is to keep working and working something until it is perfect - and then spend more time on improving it. I'm not doing that with BBM. It will be done soon. It was an insane diversion of a game.
Friday, November 16, 2007
Game In A Week, Part 6
It is done. Sure, I could have used a few more days to edit - but the core game is tight. Tomorrow the game will be submitted. It's name...
BIG BANG MUDANG
or
The She-Shaman of the Silver River
I'm really excited about submitting this game. Even more, I'm really hoping I can rally some folks to play it at the con. This game is a battle-story game. All players create female shaman who convene for a cosmic battle atop a mystical stargazing tower. They battle for the right to ascend to the heavenly Silver River.
The funny thing that has occurred is that the key attribute of the shaman is her name. The name has to be a lengthy laundry list of her spheres of power. So, "She Who Cradles The Moon In Her Fiery Palms and Calms The Sea With A Whisper" would be a good start. Elaborate names take center stage in this game - as does the she-battle to the death! There are quick dice mechanics for battle - and this game is 100% battle once character creation is done.
The game begins with each shaman does something called The Big Bang with a bunch of dice (usually 15). The dice results are divided into their pools of power. Doesn't take long, but the end result rocks! Unlike WEGS, there's no stats to worry about. It's all dice pools. Folks have no choice in their strengths/weaknesses. And then there's something called Demon Dice, which each shaman receives. Mudang (Korean witches) are demon-possessed.
Big Bang Mudang is going to be heavy fun. I can see a table full of guys sitting around creating female shaman and then letting it rip. The more imaginative the players, the more raucous this game can get. It's a mighty-cosmic cat fight when all said and done. The game is written whimsically and encourages players to describe their actions/attacks in fanciful ways. Humor aside, I think this game has huge dramatic potential, too. It's going to be interesting to see it in action.
My brain is fried at this point - but it's a good fried...
Full report next week, after the con!
BIG BANG MUDANG
or
The She-Shaman of the Silver River
I'm really excited about submitting this game. Even more, I'm really hoping I can rally some folks to play it at the con. This game is a battle-story game. All players create female shaman who convene for a cosmic battle atop a mystical stargazing tower. They battle for the right to ascend to the heavenly Silver River.
The funny thing that has occurred is that the key attribute of the shaman is her name. The name has to be a lengthy laundry list of her spheres of power. So, "She Who Cradles The Moon In Her Fiery Palms and Calms The Sea With A Whisper" would be a good start. Elaborate names take center stage in this game - as does the she-battle to the death! There are quick dice mechanics for battle - and this game is 100% battle once character creation is done.
The game begins with each shaman does something called The Big Bang with a bunch of dice (usually 15). The dice results are divided into their pools of power. Doesn't take long, but the end result rocks! Unlike WEGS, there's no stats to worry about. It's all dice pools. Folks have no choice in their strengths/weaknesses. And then there's something called Demon Dice, which each shaman receives. Mudang (Korean witches) are demon-possessed.
Big Bang Mudang is going to be heavy fun. I can see a table full of guys sitting around creating female shaman and then letting it rip. The more imaginative the players, the more raucous this game can get. It's a mighty-cosmic cat fight when all said and done. The game is written whimsically and encourages players to describe their actions/attacks in fanciful ways. Humor aside, I think this game has huge dramatic potential, too. It's going to be interesting to see it in action.
My brain is fried at this point - but it's a good fried...
Full report next week, after the con!
Wednesday, November 14, 2007
Game In A Week, Part 5
Tuesday PM
The game is pretty much as done as it can be. The system is 98% complete. The layout is 80% complete. Trying to make this as polished as possible because I doubt I will circle back to work on this any time soon. I think Big Bang (that's part of the title) has got a lot of potential, but I've got tons of other things (somebody say WEGS?) to keep me busy. Not to mention my 9 to 5 whipping...
Of all the things that inspired this game, it was the South Korea flag that set the character sheet on its way...
I'm no expert on Korea, but I've absorbed a lot of topical information the last phew days so I'm no longer totally ignorant. From shamanism to the trigrams on the flag, this competition had the side benefit of opening up my mind a little and making it think outside the game box. Plus I now know that the 38th Parallel also divides Maryland and Virginia on the Eastern Shore... I'm suddenly a global genius....
The game is pretty much as done as it can be. The system is 98% complete. The layout is 80% complete. Trying to make this as polished as possible because I doubt I will circle back to work on this any time soon. I think Big Bang (that's part of the title) has got a lot of potential, but I've got tons of other things (somebody say WEGS?) to keep me busy. Not to mention my 9 to 5 whipping...
Of all the things that inspired this game, it was the South Korea flag that set the character sheet on its way...
I'm no expert on Korea, but I've absorbed a lot of topical information the last phew days so I'm no longer totally ignorant. From shamanism to the trigrams on the flag, this competition had the side benefit of opening up my mind a little and making it think outside the game box. Plus I now know that the 38th Parallel also divides Maryland and Virginia on the Eastern Shore... I'm suddenly a global genius....
Tuesday, November 13, 2007
Game In A Week, Part 4...
Tuesday AMSpent a bunch of hours on the new game design last night. It's all chugging along nicely. System-wise, I'd say I'm 75% there. Layout is at about 10%. The two ingredients I've committed to: Korea and River.
I'm holding back on the specific details and title for now, but the game all revolves around an ancient stargazing tower and a bunch of female shaman. Inspiration came from a photo of this tower in South Korea and also info I read on Korean shaman.
The two rules I'm using now are:
Players must write a sentence
Game must be playable for 3 - 15 people
Monday, November 12, 2007
Game In A Week, Part 3...
Monday - PM
Yesterday I was designing a game about a battle across space/time between a shaman stargazer and a Belgian priest astrophysicist... It all started when I stumbled across an ancient Korean star-gazing tower and then saw a documentary on Big Bang theories... It had incredible potential as both men were fueled by spiritual energies in the face of technology. Each player tried to push the other(s) towards an event horizon - the cosmic point of no return... Could've been fun, but I just can't connect all the dots. When I tested it against the Big Bang dice mechanics I wanted to implement, it all fell apart. Crappers!
Today, I'm still hooked on the Korean shaman and star-gazing tower. That's been the inspiration for the game design. I stumbled across some neat info on the South Korean flag, which has strong potential for character creation. Right now it looks like this game is going to be about creating a character and then battling the other players/shamans for dominion. Don't want to give too much away, though. It might all crumble...
The good thing is that my Big Bang dice mechanic can still be salvaged!
Yesterday I was designing a game about a battle across space/time between a shaman stargazer and a Belgian priest astrophysicist... It all started when I stumbled across an ancient Korean star-gazing tower and then saw a documentary on Big Bang theories... It had incredible potential as both men were fueled by spiritual energies in the face of technology. Each player tried to push the other(s) towards an event horizon - the cosmic point of no return... Could've been fun, but I just can't connect all the dots. When I tested it against the Big Bang dice mechanics I wanted to implement, it all fell apart. Crappers!
Today, I'm still hooked on the Korean shaman and star-gazing tower. That's been the inspiration for the game design. I stumbled across some neat info on the South Korean flag, which has strong potential for character creation. Right now it looks like this game is going to be about creating a character and then battling the other players/shamans for dominion. Don't want to give too much away, though. It might all crumble...
The good thing is that my Big Bang dice mechanic can still be salvaged!
Game In A Week, Part 2
Day 1 - Friday
I got the ingredients and began to ponder...
Day 2 - Saturday
I began fiddling with some concepts. Googling words. Following threads. Trying to find a theme to hold the game together.
Day 3 - Sunday
Came up with a title and concept: Big Bang Korea
Began to type up the rules, but then diverted to trying to flesh out the game system. I had some really neat game mechanics, but things began to fall apart once I began testing them. Spent most of the night working on the game system, putting the concept/story on a backburner.
Day 4 - Monday (am)
Right now, I'd consider the game 10% complete... The game continues to oscillate between being a story game and a really wacky dice game... And I'm pondering a re-haul of the whole damn thing....
I got the ingredients and began to ponder...
Day 2 - Saturday
I began fiddling with some concepts. Googling words. Following threads. Trying to find a theme to hold the game together.
Day 3 - Sunday
Came up with a title and concept: Big Bang Korea
Began to type up the rules, but then diverted to trying to flesh out the game system. I had some really neat game mechanics, but things began to fall apart once I began testing them. Spent most of the night working on the game system, putting the concept/story on a backburner.
Day 4 - Monday (am)
Right now, I'd consider the game 10% complete... The game continues to oscillate between being a story game and a really wacky dice game... And I'm pondering a re-haul of the whole damn thing....
Sunday, November 11, 2007
Game In A Week... Part 1
Next weekend, I'll be bringing WEGS to MACE - a game convention in North Carolina. This will officially be the furthest south the game has travelled, and I'm really looking forward to the con. MACE holds a special event called "Iron Mace Game Chef" competition - a week before the con, participants get a set of rules and the secret ingredients. The game could be a role playing game, a board game or a card game. So, I threw my name into the hat. I figured it would make the creative juices flow. The ingredients/rules were announced two days ago:
Korea
Highway
Axe
Ceramic
River
I get to chose two of those ingredients for inspiration. I also need to chose two of the following guidelines:
Use a Tarot deck
Make the game playable for 3 - 15 players
Have an internet or online component
Players must write sentences
No randomizers like dice or cards
I spent Friday night mulling over the ingredients and quickly became overwhelmed with frustration. The six ingredients seemed all wrong. Incompatible. I wanted a re-deal! My knowledge of Korea is pitiful. Highway and River have potential, but pretty much boil down to the same symbols. Ceramic made me think of teeth. Axe made me think of Paul Bunyan.
A game about dentistry and axe-wielding lumberjacks!
Nope (though that def has potential for some fun)... I began assembling the words for inspiration:
Highway To Korea
River To Korea
Road Rage (Highway of Axe-Wielding Maniacs)
I was frustrated by the rules, too. Instantly I was turned on by the Tarot deck and turned off by no dice. 3-15 players had potential, as did writing sentences. I didn't think I'd have any use for the Internet component. Individually these two rule sets (ingredients and rules) pulled my mind in two different directions. I had a tough time figuring out how to make them blend. I started off in one direction then pulled in another, then another.
This was going to be a lot tougher than I thought...
By Saturday afternoon, things were STILL up in the air. I decided to ignore the rules and focus on the setting. I figured I could back the rules into the setting. I needed to commit to one, not both. I needed a starting point. I needed the plot and the purpose. I googled the key ingredients and started filling my head with images and ideas. I spent lots of time looking at Korea... The one ingredient that turned me off at first was sucking me in. It has so much potential for setting. It also is probably the most dangerous as the potential here is SO big. I didn't have time to be factually correct on this topic. The game could only use Korea as a symbolic basis.
I had myself my first ingredient....
I hope...
I went back to the kitchen...
(Oddly enough, I received a box of Godiva chocolates from a Korean friend on Friday. I'm hoping this didn't affect my choice... Done in by a box of candy...)
Korea
Highway
Axe
Ceramic
River
I get to chose two of those ingredients for inspiration. I also need to chose two of the following guidelines:
Use a Tarot deck
Make the game playable for 3 - 15 players
Have an internet or online component
Players must write sentences
No randomizers like dice or cards
I spent Friday night mulling over the ingredients and quickly became overwhelmed with frustration. The six ingredients seemed all wrong. Incompatible. I wanted a re-deal! My knowledge of Korea is pitiful. Highway and River have potential, but pretty much boil down to the same symbols. Ceramic made me think of teeth. Axe made me think of Paul Bunyan.
A game about dentistry and axe-wielding lumberjacks!
Nope (though that def has potential for some fun)... I began assembling the words for inspiration:
Highway To Korea
River To Korea
Road Rage (Highway of Axe-Wielding Maniacs)
I was frustrated by the rules, too. Instantly I was turned on by the Tarot deck and turned off by no dice. 3-15 players had potential, as did writing sentences. I didn't think I'd have any use for the Internet component. Individually these two rule sets (ingredients and rules) pulled my mind in two different directions. I had a tough time figuring out how to make them blend. I started off in one direction then pulled in another, then another.
This was going to be a lot tougher than I thought...
By Saturday afternoon, things were STILL up in the air. I decided to ignore the rules and focus on the setting. I figured I could back the rules into the setting. I needed to commit to one, not both. I needed a starting point. I needed the plot and the purpose. I googled the key ingredients and started filling my head with images and ideas. I spent lots of time looking at Korea... The one ingredient that turned me off at first was sucking me in. It has so much potential for setting. It also is probably the most dangerous as the potential here is SO big. I didn't have time to be factually correct on this topic. The game could only use Korea as a symbolic basis.
I had myself my first ingredient....
I hope...
I went back to the kitchen...
(Oddly enough, I received a box of Godiva chocolates from a Korean friend on Friday. I'm hoping this didn't affect my choice... Done in by a box of candy...)
Friday, November 9, 2007
Roy, the Acid Spitting Dragon Mage
The first dragon has been unleashed on the Wegsworld! His name is Roy and he's one tough little liz. He was introduced in a modified version of Dragontrap, run by Todd from Dicechuckers, a local gaming group. I sat in and watched this game - the first WEGS game that I did not organize/set-up. The only thing I had to do was show up (and bring the copper pot).
Via email, Todd and I hammered out the dragon's details and stats. Roy is a Master Minion, of course, Level 8/88. He is a Mage (88%), Trickster (66%), Ranger (44%). Naturally, he can fly (as a special move). He possesses Acid Spittle, which he can blast as a Ranger, and doing so costs him spoints. For Wounds, he starts with 88, and has an additional 88 wound bonus giving him 176 wounds to start! To make matters worse, he has 4 Actions Per Inning and an AggDam of 30... Zoinks! For those of you who don't speak WEGS or Shaggy, this translates to "winged death".
Facing this monstrosity were four new players:
Humnz Warrior
Dwarf Warrior
Dwarf Sage
Elf Ranger
This was a fun game to watch, and from the start folks knew this was like leading lambs to slaughter (the title gave that away!). When we have played this scenario at cons, the adventurers only find a dragontrap sans dragon. This version led them right in to the dragon's mouth. All in all, the players put up an excellent fight against Roy, however he maintained the upper hand. Player dice rolls were pretty bad and Roy's defense rolls never failed. This was a party that tended toward Lost Action Phases and Wicked Bad Shots! Luck was not on their side. By the end of the game, every one was running toward the door - except the Elf, who made a dramatic last stand.
Roy is definitely a minion to be reckoned with! I look forward to rolling up an Ark and getting in the ring with him someday!
He's November's Minion O' The Month!
Via email, Todd and I hammered out the dragon's details and stats. Roy is a Master Minion, of course, Level 8/88. He is a Mage (88%), Trickster (66%), Ranger (44%). Naturally, he can fly (as a special move). He possesses Acid Spittle, which he can blast as a Ranger, and doing so costs him spoints. For Wounds, he starts with 88, and has an additional 88 wound bonus giving him 176 wounds to start! To make matters worse, he has 4 Actions Per Inning and an AggDam of 30... Zoinks! For those of you who don't speak WEGS or Shaggy, this translates to "winged death".
Facing this monstrosity were four new players:
Humnz Warrior
Dwarf Warrior
Dwarf Sage
Elf Ranger
This was a fun game to watch, and from the start folks knew this was like leading lambs to slaughter (the title gave that away!). When we have played this scenario at cons, the adventurers only find a dragontrap sans dragon. This version led them right in to the dragon's mouth. All in all, the players put up an excellent fight against Roy, however he maintained the upper hand. Player dice rolls were pretty bad and Roy's defense rolls never failed. This was a party that tended toward Lost Action Phases and Wicked Bad Shots! Luck was not on their side. By the end of the game, every one was running toward the door - except the Elf, who made a dramatic last stand.
Roy is definitely a minion to be reckoned with! I look forward to rolling up an Ark and getting in the ring with him someday!
He's November's Minion O' The Month!
Thursday, November 8, 2007
Dark Tower Days, Part 3...
Last night was my third in-store demo at Dark Tower. It would have been a bust if not for the owner, Joe, telling his friends to come try the game out (he played the game a couple of weeks ago and had a blast). A guy named Allen showed up and he had "given up gaming" many years ago. We chatted a bit about his prior gaming experience and it ranged from old skool D&D to Warhammer minis. He noted that he always played rouges in other games, so he rolled up a quick Humnz Trickster taking the lucky option (so he started with lots o' spoints). We were hoping that Joe would jump into the game, but he didn't have the time. So we ran a quick one-on-one.
I pitted him against one Level 5/55 Goblin Warrior who had two Level 2/22 fighters with him. The scenario was simply: Woodland path. The Goblins are out foraging and are nearing your party's camp. You need to stop them from discovering the camp and going to get more Goblin reinforcements.
Allen started off succeeding his Act Fast Test, taking the action to aim his bow. He also won top of the inning as he had the highest stat on the board (57%). He fired on the Goblin Warrior using his Stealth Attack. The Goblin Warrior dropped a chip. Allen had enough time to aim/fire once more before the Goblin Warrior was on top of him. The Goblin soon dropped him 15 wounds, leaving him with 15 to go. Meanwhile, the Level 2/22s were closing in (they weren't as quick as their leader). A couple innings later, Allen was burning Phew! points - but the Goblin Warrior was hurting, too. Allen was able to finish him off though, just before the Level 2/22s were a couple squares away.
Allen stopped the little guys in their tracks by using Get The Point?, and then he ran a good distance away. He then turned and began firing upon them with his bow. The Goblins turned and ran as fast as they could away from him (toward their camp). After several innings of aiming/firing and rolling in the 90s, Allen's only choice was to run up to them and engage them in hand-to-hand. He quickly finished the two off, thereby winning his first game of WEGS.
I bumped him 6%.
He said he would return with reinforcements (gaming friends).
I pitted him against one Level 5/55 Goblin Warrior who had two Level 2/22 fighters with him. The scenario was simply: Woodland path. The Goblins are out foraging and are nearing your party's camp. You need to stop them from discovering the camp and going to get more Goblin reinforcements.
Allen started off succeeding his Act Fast Test, taking the action to aim his bow. He also won top of the inning as he had the highest stat on the board (57%). He fired on the Goblin Warrior using his Stealth Attack. The Goblin Warrior dropped a chip. Allen had enough time to aim/fire once more before the Goblin Warrior was on top of him. The Goblin soon dropped him 15 wounds, leaving him with 15 to go. Meanwhile, the Level 2/22s were closing in (they weren't as quick as their leader). A couple innings later, Allen was burning Phew! points - but the Goblin Warrior was hurting, too. Allen was able to finish him off though, just before the Level 2/22s were a couple squares away.
Allen stopped the little guys in their tracks by using Get The Point?, and then he ran a good distance away. He then turned and began firing upon them with his bow. The Goblins turned and ran as fast as they could away from him (toward their camp). After several innings of aiming/firing and rolling in the 90s, Allen's only choice was to run up to them and engage them in hand-to-hand. He quickly finished the two off, thereby winning his first game of WEGS.
I bumped him 6%.
He said he would return with reinforcements (gaming friends).
Wednesday, November 7, 2007
Game After Game After Game...
Between the in-store demos, club games and Ubercon, I've managed to sneak in 11 WEGS games within the last week, one of which was the first one I was invited to attend as a player -and the only thing I was asked to bring was the copper pot! I opted not to play, and just watched - helping out with rules here and there when asked. The game pitted four players against a Dragon-Mage who spitted acid. The battle was great, and all Arks were heading toward the exit as fast as possible in the last inning. More details to follow on all of this!
Ubercon Ubergood...
Ubercon was great from beginning to end! It began slow, but built up a lot of steam with each passing game - which is becoming a trend for us at conventions. Folks who sit in the first session tell folks to get in the next session. Many return for a second game. The end result is that by Sunday, we're playing with folks who we already know (and who already know the game rules).
All in all, we met LOTS of great people and had a great time.
I'll post some more details later this week!
All in all, we met LOTS of great people and had a great time.
I'll post some more details later this week!
Friday, November 2, 2007
Uber...
This weekend is Ubercon - the con where WEGS was introduced publically two years ago! The pre-registration for the games is pretty high, but this is generally a con where folks just show up and jump into the game.
Can't wait to wegzit all weekend!
Can't wait to wegzit all weekend!
Dark Tower Days, Part 2
(Long after action post...)
I had a pre-Halloween session with some of the fine players of the Garden State Gaming Society. The Arks were:
Humnz Mage
Gnobbit Trickster (Lucky)
Humnz Trickster (Lucky)
Humnz Ranger
Dark Tower has game tables set up with some great terrain. We played on a table equipped with a crumbling Stonehenge-y temple amidst a murky swamp. I started the party in the temple. To get the game going, I told them that something they did in the temple had triggered an ancient spell and the temple guardians were being summoned. Within the temple, I pitted them against a bubbling cauldron of death that was draining their spoints every other inning (EOI). Outside, I had an incredibly slow moving zombie hoard in search of fresh meat. And just to make things fun, I brought in a Goblin Shepherd and his two ccoos who sat on a nearby hillside to watch the slaughter.
Inspired by one of my recent movies, I had the zombies "blind dead" - they found their victims through sound alone. The zombies (who were all Level 4/44) would move a single square each inning, however, if they got within 4 squares of their prey, they would shamble forward quickly and attack. I gave them Aggressive Attacks - meaning, if they hit once, they hit again. So, if the zombies rolled well, they could get in 4 successive attacks on their victim.
While the Ranger and the Tricksters ran outside to assess the oncoming deathbringers, the Mage tried to battle the cauldron o' death. The Ranger became immediately suspicious of the Goblin shepherd, marking him as the mastermind of the situation. He figured if he took him out, the zombies would perish and the cauldron would stop bubbling. He fired upon him, thus opening a three front battle. The zombies pressed forward toward the noisemakers...
Inside, it wasn't going well for the Mage. The cauldron had drained him of 36 spoints. He had only put a dent in the cauldron's enchanted wounds. He was going to stick it out a little more, though. Brave, brave Mage! Soon, he took another 30 spoint drain and decided it was time to retreat outside the range of the cauldron's spell. Once he was outside, he cast Jumpin' Jazzophat on himself. He was now the most mobile person on the field of battle!
After being fired upon, the Goblin shepherd, who was just there to watch the show and collect the shinies off the bodies post battle, aimed his bow and began returning fire on the Ranger. Meanwhile, the Tricksters were sneaking toward the zombies. The Gnobbit Trickster entered Catlike Tread - and that completely thwarted my plan! This skill makes the Trickster impossible to detect audibly... and so, was instantly off the zombie radar! Shortly after discovering this, the second Trickster entered this mode. This left the Ranger as the only noisemaker in the group (firing arrows). The zombies pressed ever so slowly forward toward him.
Within the temple, the cauldron could no longer leech spoints from the Arks. It had a store of 66 spoints and began to use those spoints to summon the true temple guard - the Winged Daemon of Ishkababble! This is the reason it was draining spoints - it needed them to summon the fiend. Each spoint was 1%, so it had a 66% chance initially to summon. The summoning itself cost 10 spoints, so if it was not successful the first time, it would only have a 56% chance the second, and so on... Unfortunately for the players, it succeeded immediately. I randomly determined that the Daemon would appear in 4 innings. The players knew it was time to flee asap!
To bring more havoc to the situation, the Goblin shepherd commanded his two ccoos (carnivorous cows of unusually small size) onto the field of battle, specifically charging the ever-so-quiet Trickster. With their rabid moo-ing they closed in on her! This was inevitably my undoing, though. The Trickster had two options here - run for cover into the swamp and desert her allies or try to remain true to the party. A bit of brilliant play here:
She did an all-out run into the center of the zombie hoard - thus dropping her Catlike Tread and becoming the primary target for the zombies. Her intention though, was to draw the ccoos into this mess. With their rabid moo-ing, they would muddy the zombie focus on the Ranger. The next inning, the ccoos were charging into the zombies and she immediately went back into Catlike Tread. There, in the middle of zombie central, she was once again "invisible" to them!!! She then snuck off and into the swamp.
Meanwhile on the other side of the battle, the Mage and Trickster had made it over to the Goblin shepherd and engaged him with dagger and Flaming Fryball. He summoned his ccoos back to assist him - but he was in really bad shape. The fact that the Daemon was now exiting the temple, soon had the shepherd and his coos running for the hills.
At this point, the party was pretty hurtin'. The Ranger was stuck in the middle of the battlefield surrounded by zombies and the rest of the party was far off in the swamp ready to exit the gameboard. With a Daemon flying about waiting to descend, the options were few. Each member of the party stayed on the field as long as they could, hoping their Ranger would make it to the cover of the swamp - but he just didn't stand a chance. I gave him the last action of the game...
As the Daemon was quick, it was on him in a jiff. With no range between him and his target, the Ranger only had one skill to use: Partin' Shot (which allows him to fire an arrow at a target as per its location the prior inning!). I advised him that even if this worked, he was still up against the Daemon's 88% Invulnerability. The chances of doing anything substantial were grim...
The Ranger took his dice and rolled...
01% - Wicked Success!!!
The Daemon had no invulnerability and took some wounds! This did not kill the Daemon, but there's no better way to make a last stand.
Gotta love it when the dice finish the game on a high note.
I had a pre-Halloween session with some of the fine players of the Garden State Gaming Society. The Arks were:
Humnz Mage
Gnobbit Trickster (Lucky)
Humnz Trickster (Lucky)
Humnz Ranger
Dark Tower has game tables set up with some great terrain. We played on a table equipped with a crumbling Stonehenge-y temple amidst a murky swamp. I started the party in the temple. To get the game going, I told them that something they did in the temple had triggered an ancient spell and the temple guardians were being summoned. Within the temple, I pitted them against a bubbling cauldron of death that was draining their spoints every other inning (EOI). Outside, I had an incredibly slow moving zombie hoard in search of fresh meat. And just to make things fun, I brought in a Goblin Shepherd and his two ccoos who sat on a nearby hillside to watch the slaughter.
Inspired by one of my recent movies, I had the zombies "blind dead" - they found their victims through sound alone. The zombies (who were all Level 4/44) would move a single square each inning, however, if they got within 4 squares of their prey, they would shamble forward quickly and attack. I gave them Aggressive Attacks - meaning, if they hit once, they hit again. So, if the zombies rolled well, they could get in 4 successive attacks on their victim.
While the Ranger and the Tricksters ran outside to assess the oncoming deathbringers, the Mage tried to battle the cauldron o' death. The Ranger became immediately suspicious of the Goblin shepherd, marking him as the mastermind of the situation. He figured if he took him out, the zombies would perish and the cauldron would stop bubbling. He fired upon him, thus opening a three front battle. The zombies pressed forward toward the noisemakers...
Inside, it wasn't going well for the Mage. The cauldron had drained him of 36 spoints. He had only put a dent in the cauldron's enchanted wounds. He was going to stick it out a little more, though. Brave, brave Mage! Soon, he took another 30 spoint drain and decided it was time to retreat outside the range of the cauldron's spell. Once he was outside, he cast Jumpin' Jazzophat on himself. He was now the most mobile person on the field of battle!
After being fired upon, the Goblin shepherd, who was just there to watch the show and collect the shinies off the bodies post battle, aimed his bow and began returning fire on the Ranger. Meanwhile, the Tricksters were sneaking toward the zombies. The Gnobbit Trickster entered Catlike Tread - and that completely thwarted my plan! This skill makes the Trickster impossible to detect audibly... and so, was instantly off the zombie radar! Shortly after discovering this, the second Trickster entered this mode. This left the Ranger as the only noisemaker in the group (firing arrows). The zombies pressed ever so slowly forward toward him.
Within the temple, the cauldron could no longer leech spoints from the Arks. It had a store of 66 spoints and began to use those spoints to summon the true temple guard - the Winged Daemon of Ishkababble! This is the reason it was draining spoints - it needed them to summon the fiend. Each spoint was 1%, so it had a 66% chance initially to summon. The summoning itself cost 10 spoints, so if it was not successful the first time, it would only have a 56% chance the second, and so on... Unfortunately for the players, it succeeded immediately. I randomly determined that the Daemon would appear in 4 innings. The players knew it was time to flee asap!
To bring more havoc to the situation, the Goblin shepherd commanded his two ccoos (carnivorous cows of unusually small size) onto the field of battle, specifically charging the ever-so-quiet Trickster. With their rabid moo-ing they closed in on her! This was inevitably my undoing, though. The Trickster had two options here - run for cover into the swamp and desert her allies or try to remain true to the party. A bit of brilliant play here:
She did an all-out run into the center of the zombie hoard - thus dropping her Catlike Tread and becoming the primary target for the zombies. Her intention though, was to draw the ccoos into this mess. With their rabid moo-ing, they would muddy the zombie focus on the Ranger. The next inning, the ccoos were charging into the zombies and she immediately went back into Catlike Tread. There, in the middle of zombie central, she was once again "invisible" to them!!! She then snuck off and into the swamp.
Meanwhile on the other side of the battle, the Mage and Trickster had made it over to the Goblin shepherd and engaged him with dagger and Flaming Fryball. He summoned his ccoos back to assist him - but he was in really bad shape. The fact that the Daemon was now exiting the temple, soon had the shepherd and his coos running for the hills.
At this point, the party was pretty hurtin'. The Ranger was stuck in the middle of the battlefield surrounded by zombies and the rest of the party was far off in the swamp ready to exit the gameboard. With a Daemon flying about waiting to descend, the options were few. Each member of the party stayed on the field as long as they could, hoping their Ranger would make it to the cover of the swamp - but he just didn't stand a chance. I gave him the last action of the game...
As the Daemon was quick, it was on him in a jiff. With no range between him and his target, the Ranger only had one skill to use: Partin' Shot (which allows him to fire an arrow at a target as per its location the prior inning!). I advised him that even if this worked, he was still up against the Daemon's 88% Invulnerability. The chances of doing anything substantial were grim...
The Ranger took his dice and rolled...
01% - Wicked Success!!!
The Daemon had no invulnerability and took some wounds! This did not kill the Daemon, but there's no better way to make a last stand.
Gotta love it when the dice finish the game on a high note.
Saturday, October 27, 2007
Insane Skills!
As noted in the prior post, the skill cards needed a little updating. Both the Mage and Sage cards total 15, which meant that I had space for one more skill for each Ark (as the layout fits 8 to a page). So, there's two more Skolar skills for WEGS 101, and boy, are they insane... Insane because they use the Insanity stat for their success base. So, the more insane and Ark is, the better they will be at these...
Praetervision - Mage
Action Skill. Cost 1SP. Duration 4 innings. Range = Sanity (squares)
Allows Mage to sense unnatural things that dwell in the shadows or Etherlandish entities. Mage tests Insanity+20%.
Curses - Sage
Reaction Skill. Cost 1 - 4SP. Range = Spell Point Strength (squares)
Allows Sage to decrease any target's success base by 40% (thus the 4 spoint fee). These spoints are not factored in to the Sage's per inning total. As it's a Reaction Skill, it can be used at any time during the inning. This penalty can be lumped against one target or spread across multiple. So, the Sage can spread 40% across the field.
Praetervision - Mage
Action Skill. Cost 1SP. Duration 4 innings. Range = Sanity (squares)
Allows Mage to sense unnatural things that dwell in the shadows or Etherlandish entities. Mage tests Insanity+20%.
Curses - Sage
Reaction Skill. Cost 1 - 4SP. Range = Spell Point Strength (squares)
Allows Sage to decrease any target's success base by 40% (thus the 4 spoint fee). These spoints are not factored in to the Sage's per inning total. As it's a Reaction Skill, it can be used at any time during the inning. This penalty can be lumped against one target or spread across multiple. So, the Sage can spread 40% across the field.
Friday, October 26, 2007
Dodger and The Blitzy...
In the post below, I reference a skill called Dodger. My bad, that's technically not a WEGS 101 skill - but it is part of the Trickster Skill cards that we use at conventions. So, for those of you furiously paging through the rulebook - it ain't there. It is a powerful skill - the power trade-off is that it is a Reaction Skill, so using it forfeits an aggressive action. It's a big "get of of jail almost for free" skill. Def makes the Trickster hard to hit.
Funny story behind this skill and The Blitz. For the card layout, I can fit 8 cards per page. Warriors, Rangers and Tricksters start with 7 skills. I just couldn't stand the empty spot on these pages, so I added 1 more skill to have 8 per page. The Mage and Sage end up with 15 skills each (4 skills and 11 spells). So, those guys could use 1 more skill each. I'll fill it with a new spell...
Funny story behind this skill and The Blitz. For the card layout, I can fit 8 cards per page. Warriors, Rangers and Tricksters start with 7 skills. I just couldn't stand the empty spot on these pages, so I added 1 more skill to have 8 per page. The Mage and Sage end up with 15 skills each (4 skills and 11 spells). So, those guys could use 1 more skill each. I'll fill it with a new spell...
Wednesday, October 24, 2007
Dark Tower Days....
I've begun running demos of WEGS at a local gaming store called Dark Tower. They've got my WEGS 101 books on the shelf now, too! Sweet. Tonight's game/demo had three players:
Elf Ranger
Elf Ranger
Gnobbit Trickster
I tried to persuade them to have at least one Warrior, but didn't push it. They fought the following minions:
Hobgoblin Warrior / 66
Hobgob Warrior / 44
Hobgob Ranger / 44
Hobgob Ranger / 55
After 6 innings, I introduced a Hobgoblin Hero / 88 with extra wounds.
A simple demo that ended happily for the players. They managed to whack all three Warriors, and I had the two Hobgob Rangers run off for the hills. The game was quickly played and spoints were used freely. Two players burned some Phew! for Spoints - which is always a good sign! All three players picked up the game amazingly quick - and, as all three were Warhammer mini guys, they brought a strong strategy sense to the game.
The Trickster used the skill Dodger a lot during the game. At times this gave him 90% Invulnerabilty from my 88 attacks. This seemed a little too powerful, but it is a Reaction skill which causes a Skill Free Inning. This is critical to remember to keep the balance of the game.
Skill Free Innings matter, man!
Elf Ranger
Elf Ranger
Gnobbit Trickster
I tried to persuade them to have at least one Warrior, but didn't push it. They fought the following minions:
Hobgoblin Warrior / 66
Hobgob Warrior / 44
Hobgob Ranger / 44
Hobgob Ranger / 55
After 6 innings, I introduced a Hobgoblin Hero / 88 with extra wounds.
A simple demo that ended happily for the players. They managed to whack all three Warriors, and I had the two Hobgob Rangers run off for the hills. The game was quickly played and spoints were used freely. Two players burned some Phew! for Spoints - which is always a good sign! All three players picked up the game amazingly quick - and, as all three were Warhammer mini guys, they brought a strong strategy sense to the game.
The Trickster used the skill Dodger a lot during the game. At times this gave him 90% Invulnerabilty from my 88 attacks. This seemed a little too powerful, but it is a Reaction skill which causes a Skill Free Inning. This is critical to remember to keep the balance of the game.
Skill Free Innings matter, man!
Monday, October 22, 2007
WEGS At The Movies (WATM)...
The last four posts were all movie reviews - no, I haven't forsaken gaming. I've been vegging out with some horror flix the last couple of days to get me into the Halloween spirit. Watching good action/horror flicks is almost as much fun as gaming. They almost all boil down to an adventuring party with different weapons/skills who set off to face impossible odds. The first third of the movie is the character creation, the remaining two thirds is the encounter and resolution stuffing and frenzied dice rolling.
For as long as I can remember, I watch movies with WEGS in mind. I'm sure other folks do this for their own game systems, too. I'm always asking "How does WEGS handle this encounter?" I find that horror and adventure movies are easy to break down into a WEGS inning structure. Movie storylines are (mostly) chronological and the blow-by-blow action/fight scenes fall right into the game flow. I've always said to folks who don't understand this type of gaming that:
It's like playing your favorite movie, but the ending is up to the dice.
For as long as I can remember, I watch movies with WEGS in mind. I'm sure other folks do this for their own game systems, too. I'm always asking "How does WEGS handle this encounter?" I find that horror and adventure movies are easy to break down into a WEGS inning structure. Movie storylines are (mostly) chronological and the blow-by-blow action/fight scenes fall right into the game flow. I've always said to folks who don't understand this type of gaming that:
It's like playing your favorite movie, but the ending is up to the dice.
From Dusk Till Dawn...
From Dusk Till Dawn starts of as a crime thriller and switches midway to an all-out vampire horror fest. Inevitably, the movie boils down to one great good versus evil battle – more like bad versus evil given that all the “heroes” begin tainted. Clooney and Tarantino are ruthless thieves/murderers. Keitel is a man-of-god sans god. The rest of the denizens of the bar are bottom-of-the-barrel types. It’s the group’s conversion in the face of true evil that makes this a fun ride. Can’t help but to break down the characters to WEGS Arketypes:
The Sage
Harvey Keitel. The holy man, ‘nuff said. His “spell” use was the way his convictions boosted morale in the final battle. Once he found god again, the others all jumped on board. You could say that their combat stats were all raised by him (a la Blessed Warrior spell). He was also able to bless the water (spell effect that caused enchanted wounds to vamps) and keep the vamps at bay with his holy symbol (spell effect).
The Rangers
Both the kids in the film are Rangers. Juliette Lewis due to use of crossbow and guns. Ernest Liu due to use of water-pistol and holy water grenades. These two held down the ranged weapon attacks during the final battle. Due to their age, I’d even categorize them as Gnobbits (wee folk). The way that Juliette invades the same square as Clooney during the final shoot out is evidence of this…
The Warriors
Tom Savini with high Trickster marks (due to use of whip/gun and stealth combat techniques). Fred Williamson is a straight up hand-to-hand warrior with amazing Prowess stats.
The Tricksters
Clooney and Tarantino are Tricksters. Clooney’s main weapon was his Get The Point skill, which he uses beautifully throughout the movie. He gets high Warrior marks, too (due to his use of brute force/fists). His gun skill (ranged weapon) is pretty bad (couldn’t even hit the clerk in the first scene), so he must have a pretty low Ruggedness (or his dice rolls just suck!). His jackhammer weapon at the end is a wacky weapon that loans itself to equal parts Stealth and Prowess. I’d have to say that the Clooney character is a straight-up Trickster who has chosen Tough over Lucky (more Wounds than Spoints).
Tarantino is a tough one to call. He is equal parts Trickster and Ranger. He’s more of a shoot ‘em up type and gets high Ranger marks due to his gun/ballistic skills. He stinks at hand-to-hand combat and doesn’t stand a chance when the vamp jumps him. Even after Tarantino turns into a vamp, he still stinks in hand-to-hand, and is easily destroyed by the others who hold him down. He’d have Insanity marks higher than Sanity. I’d say that he’s a Lucky Trickster who uses his Spoints to counter his Insanity stat. He’d have to have a high Spoint pool as he’s the one the vamp selects to feast on first. He seems to be the Spoint prize (normally this would be the Sage, but as Keitel starts faithless, his Spoints have bottomed out).
In the end, only one Humnz Trickster and one Gnobbit Ranger survive.
That’s WEGS at the Movies, folks!
(or WATM - New tag for this blog...)
The Sage
Harvey Keitel. The holy man, ‘nuff said. His “spell” use was the way his convictions boosted morale in the final battle. Once he found god again, the others all jumped on board. You could say that their combat stats were all raised by him (a la Blessed Warrior spell). He was also able to bless the water (spell effect that caused enchanted wounds to vamps) and keep the vamps at bay with his holy symbol (spell effect).
The Rangers
Both the kids in the film are Rangers. Juliette Lewis due to use of crossbow and guns. Ernest Liu due to use of water-pistol and holy water grenades. These two held down the ranged weapon attacks during the final battle. Due to their age, I’d even categorize them as Gnobbits (wee folk). The way that Juliette invades the same square as Clooney during the final shoot out is evidence of this…
The Warriors
Tom Savini with high Trickster marks (due to use of whip/gun and stealth combat techniques). Fred Williamson is a straight up hand-to-hand warrior with amazing Prowess stats.
The Tricksters
Clooney and Tarantino are Tricksters. Clooney’s main weapon was his Get The Point skill, which he uses beautifully throughout the movie. He gets high Warrior marks, too (due to his use of brute force/fists). His gun skill (ranged weapon) is pretty bad (couldn’t even hit the clerk in the first scene), so he must have a pretty low Ruggedness (or his dice rolls just suck!). His jackhammer weapon at the end is a wacky weapon that loans itself to equal parts Stealth and Prowess. I’d have to say that the Clooney character is a straight-up Trickster who has chosen Tough over Lucky (more Wounds than Spoints).
Tarantino is a tough one to call. He is equal parts Trickster and Ranger. He’s more of a shoot ‘em up type and gets high Ranger marks due to his gun/ballistic skills. He stinks at hand-to-hand combat and doesn’t stand a chance when the vamp jumps him. Even after Tarantino turns into a vamp, he still stinks in hand-to-hand, and is easily destroyed by the others who hold him down. He’d have Insanity marks higher than Sanity. I’d say that he’s a Lucky Trickster who uses his Spoints to counter his Insanity stat. He’d have to have a high Spoint pool as he’s the one the vamp selects to feast on first. He seems to be the Spoint prize (normally this would be the Sage, but as Keitel starts faithless, his Spoints have bottomed out).
In the end, only one Humnz Trickster and one Gnobbit Ranger survive.
That’s WEGS at the Movies, folks!
(or WATM - New tag for this blog...)
Saturday, October 20, 2007
Evil Dead...
Yup - watched this one, too, this weekend. The movie wasn't as good as I remembered it. I totally forgot about the original Hills Have Eyes poster hanging in the root celler. Ha! All in all, the movie seemed goofier this time 'round. Toward the end, I got tired of the gore and fast-forwarded a bit (especially the cheezy undead melting effects).
Watching this was pre-con prep. We're running a WEGS scenario at Ubercon called From Dusk Til Dead, which is (in part) based on this movie. We're even equipping the party with a chainsword, which should be a very, very, interesting weapon. Kinda like the good, ol' vorpal blade on steroids... Powered by spoints, naturally. The weapon will be only as strong as the person wielding it - and it's not something that will last forever. That's why I like WEGS...
Watching this was pre-con prep. We're running a WEGS scenario at Ubercon called From Dusk Til Dead, which is (in part) based on this movie. We're even equipping the party with a chainsword, which should be a very, very, interesting weapon. Kinda like the good, ol' vorpal blade on steroids... Powered by spoints, naturally. The weapon will be only as strong as the person wielding it - and it's not something that will last forever. That's why I like WEGS...
Noche Del Terror Ciego...
Another film review. Sorry - I'm on a movie kick lately, particularly horror, due to the season and the upcoming con. Noche... is a horror film from Spain, 1973. Called Night of the Blind Dead for the US release (they were cashing in on Night of the Living Dead craze). It was also called Revenge of Planet Ape to cash in on the Planet of the Apes craze (even though there isn't a single simian in it...). Is this movie about undead apes? Nope.
The movie opens with twelve or so Knights Templar riding into a Spanish castle. They have a virgin sacrifice with them. They perform a dark ritual with her that ends in each Knight biting her, and this imbues them, somehow, with eternal skeletal life on horseback. Ringwraiths, of sorts. The plot quickly switches to modern times (1970's). Two swinging Spanish girls (who share some dark uncomfortable college secret) have an accidental pool-side reunion (both in their bikinis). They are joined shortly by the one's boyfriend, who likes what he sees, and then invites the new girl (who he was just introduced to) to go "camping" with them. A threesome, of sorts. His girlfriend (Girl A) is none to happy about this. The next day they all get on a train to go camping (in their polyester leisurewear). On the train, there's some flirtation between the new girl (Girl B) and the boyfriend which sends Girl A steaming out of the railroad car. Girl B follows in pursuit and the two discuss the "uncomfortable situation" between them. We are treated to a flashback: the two girls in their college dorm room. Girl B makes some unwanted advances on Girl A. The flashback ends in a kiss.
Shortly, Girl A jumps off the train, leaving her boyfriend and Girl B to get on with their travels. These two see her running off into the woods and ask the conductor to stop the train. He informs them that the train can not stop at this point. It is an evil, evil area... Instead of jumping off the slow-moving train, they decide to just double-back the next day to find her. She, of course, must spend the night in the haunted castle of the Knights Templar, who arise from their crypts and slowly chase her for, what seems to be, hours. (The only thing slower in this movie is the earlier train.) The action culminates with the mounted skeletal Knights Templar chasing Girl A on horseback (she somehow gets a horse). This scene is a dead-ringer for the scene in Peter Jackson's Fellowship Of The Ring, where the wraiths chase Liv (sorry, I'm not in the mood for typing Elvish names at this point, especially when I've been reduced to calling the other characters Girl A and Girl B...).
Girl A's body is found and this kicks off a whole investigation that culminates in the boyfriend, Girl B, a Spanish smuggler and his girlfriend spending one swinging night in the castle. The dead rise and all hell breaks loose until dawn. There's a big subplot wherein Girl A reanimates as a zombie and then hunts down Girl B's office assistant in a city many miles away...
I'm not sure why any one of the twelve of you who read this blog would want to watch this. The movie is soooo bad on so many levels - but its soooo easy to enjoy. I'm sure none of the script quality was lost in translation either. See it for the pre-Jackson version of the Wraiths. I think these guys are creepier - especially the bearded one (who could have been Dr. Zaius, I suppose). See it for the creepy guy who hangs around the morgue playing with frogs. See it for the plethora of female mannequin torsos (there's a LOT of them and this film borders on strange fetish stuff throughout).
This film is weird - really weird. It's just one more reason to realize that the 70s were the last great age of entertainment when movies could be made just 'cause folks had a free weekend, a couple of cans of film, a semi-finished script and some skeleton props. And these flicks actually made it to the theatres without a single commercial product endorsement in this flick - end rant.
The best part is that this is just Part 1 of the director's quadrilogy. Yes... There's four of them! I'm tempted to see the next one - and that's more than I can say for the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise... As per the original movie poster for this film "It makes Night of the Living Dead look like a pajama party!"
Time to watch From Dusk Till Dawn...
The movie opens with twelve or so Knights Templar riding into a Spanish castle. They have a virgin sacrifice with them. They perform a dark ritual with her that ends in each Knight biting her, and this imbues them, somehow, with eternal skeletal life on horseback. Ringwraiths, of sorts. The plot quickly switches to modern times (1970's). Two swinging Spanish girls (who share some dark uncomfortable college secret) have an accidental pool-side reunion (both in their bikinis). They are joined shortly by the one's boyfriend, who likes what he sees, and then invites the new girl (who he was just introduced to) to go "camping" with them. A threesome, of sorts. His girlfriend (Girl A) is none to happy about this. The next day they all get on a train to go camping (in their polyester leisurewear). On the train, there's some flirtation between the new girl (Girl B) and the boyfriend which sends Girl A steaming out of the railroad car. Girl B follows in pursuit and the two discuss the "uncomfortable situation" between them. We are treated to a flashback: the two girls in their college dorm room. Girl B makes some unwanted advances on Girl A. The flashback ends in a kiss.
Shortly, Girl A jumps off the train, leaving her boyfriend and Girl B to get on with their travels. These two see her running off into the woods and ask the conductor to stop the train. He informs them that the train can not stop at this point. It is an evil, evil area... Instead of jumping off the slow-moving train, they decide to just double-back the next day to find her. She, of course, must spend the night in the haunted castle of the Knights Templar, who arise from their crypts and slowly chase her for, what seems to be, hours. (The only thing slower in this movie is the earlier train.) The action culminates with the mounted skeletal Knights Templar chasing Girl A on horseback (she somehow gets a horse). This scene is a dead-ringer for the scene in Peter Jackson's Fellowship Of The Ring, where the wraiths chase Liv (sorry, I'm not in the mood for typing Elvish names at this point, especially when I've been reduced to calling the other characters Girl A and Girl B...).
Girl A's body is found and this kicks off a whole investigation that culminates in the boyfriend, Girl B, a Spanish smuggler and his girlfriend spending one swinging night in the castle. The dead rise and all hell breaks loose until dawn. There's a big subplot wherein Girl A reanimates as a zombie and then hunts down Girl B's office assistant in a city many miles away...
I'm not sure why any one of the twelve of you who read this blog would want to watch this. The movie is soooo bad on so many levels - but its soooo easy to enjoy. I'm sure none of the script quality was lost in translation either. See it for the pre-Jackson version of the Wraiths. I think these guys are creepier - especially the bearded one (who could have been Dr. Zaius, I suppose). See it for the creepy guy who hangs around the morgue playing with frogs. See it for the plethora of female mannequin torsos (there's a LOT of them and this film borders on strange fetish stuff throughout).
This film is weird - really weird. It's just one more reason to realize that the 70s were the last great age of entertainment when movies could be made just 'cause folks had a free weekend, a couple of cans of film, a semi-finished script and some skeleton props. And these flicks actually made it to the theatres without a single commercial product endorsement in this flick - end rant.
The best part is that this is just Part 1 of the director's quadrilogy. Yes... There's four of them! I'm tempted to see the next one - and that's more than I can say for the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise... As per the original movie poster for this film "It makes Night of the Living Dead look like a pajama party!"
Time to watch From Dusk Till Dawn...
Thursday, October 18, 2007
Dog Soldiers...
Quick movie review. Dog Soldiers (2002). Saw this film last night - British werewolf flick. Basic plot: Full moon. Small troop of solidiers doing some field training in the remote mountains of Scotland encounter a pack of werewolves. The troop stumbles upon a suspicious enviromentalist chick who happens to be in their neck of the woods and who takes them to a suspiciously empty farmhouse in the middle of nowhere. With limited ammo (which does nothing to the wolf pack onslaught), the heroes basically need to make it until dawn... Depite the goofiness of the werewolves (monstrously tall and rather rigid rubber costume), the film has enough flair and quirky humour/suspense blended in to make it a fun watch. It is almost identical to the action of Night of the Living Dead (heroes inside, monsters outside, until the monsters get inside in more ways than one) - but there's a whole Agatha Christie-esque blending of the plot, characters and mystery to keep this one from sinking. Just like in The Mousetrap, the little bits of humor never kill the suspense. And there are some very funny moments - like when one of the soldiers who finds himself facing a werewolf with nothing but a stick in his hands, just throws the stick and shouts "fetch". Another soldier just decides to start boxing with a wolf when his ammo runs out. And then there's the moment when a wounded soldier with his guts torn out is fighting with a normal dog who is trying to steal off with a piece of his intestine... And the Goldilocks undercurrent is just too good not to mention. Good stuff. There's a bunch of twists/turns to the plot, almost all predictable, but its still one I can highly recommend. And it would make the perfect WEGS Horror scenario, too...
Tuesday, October 16, 2007
Uber Flashback!
During the first week of November, WEGS is returning to our "home" con - Ubercon. I'm working on a press release for a local paper, and had to dig up some facts on WEGS. This Ubercon will be the official two year anniversay of launching WEGS games. I first unveiled WEGS at Ubercon in 2005 (seems a lot longer ago though... ). The game was then being called WEGS Copper.
Here's the original promo blurb I ran:
I still use little bits and pieces of this for my current press releases - but, boy, has the system changed! There was a solid year of playtests and then re-writes all the way up to July of this year. With WEGS 101 now behind me, I'm focusing my energies on getting Copper to print.
And Ubercon is so close now, I can smell it...
Only a few weeks to go!
Here's the original promo blurb I ran:
"An Ubercon premiere! Ages 16+. Rules taught! Familiarity with rpgs helpful. Join us round the gaming table for an introductory session of WEGS-Copper, the entry level for the Wickedly Errant Game System. WEGS is an old school sword and sorcery rpg that revels in the "let's get a game together tonight" mentality. Flavored with an air of whimsical high-fantasy, the rules are energized by an errant rule system which encourages players to take risks and, most of all, have fun. Players should do all they can to defy the odds because there's never any knowing what's going to happen next in the Wegsworld. It's all a matter of odds and gods - the odds of making the roll, the gods of chance. Come join us for marvelous adventure!"
I still use little bits and pieces of this for my current press releases - but, boy, has the system changed! There was a solid year of playtests and then re-writes all the way up to July of this year. With WEGS 101 now behind me, I'm focusing my energies on getting Copper to print.
And Ubercon is so close now, I can smell it...
Only a few weeks to go!
Saturday, October 13, 2007
Dex Machina...
Last night's game with the NYC Nerds rocked. It was the perfect storm for me - great players, a superb scenario, frenzied dice and a new card mechanic to drive the plot. I ran the game solo (sans minion masters) for six players - which is probably my max for players. I always say seven players are best, but that's just my personal penchant for the number 7.
As noted below, I ran a brand-new scenario called "A Plump Half-Dead Merchant" based on the details found in the mother-of-all adventures, Keep On The Borderlands. This is a perfect adventure for WEGS 101. Sure there's lots of system modifications for the minions, but the setting is perfect. I highly recommend running it for your friends if you're into old skool antics. I'm partial to it, but I think it runs better under WEGS than the original D&D system.
I also introduced a new mechanic which I'm calling the "dex machina". Deck ex machina or the deck in the machine. Using a standard deck of playing cards with jokers in, each player starts with one card (no jokers allowed though). These cards, though held independantly, can be grouped by the party to forge the plot developments they want. Depending on the likelihood of their request or "wish", the kreator determines the card challenge from 1 to 12. 1 being easy, 12 being impossible. Based on this level, the same number of cards are dealt. So, for a Level 3 challenge, three cards are dealt. The players need to beat the cards that are dealt. If they do so, they win the plot. If they lose, they surrender an equal amount of cards back into the discard pile. Prior to each challenge, players may expend Phew! points for one or two additional cards for their hands. They can only hold three cards max in their hand at any one time (similar to the Dunge O' Doom mechanic). All players have to declare if they are in for the challenge or out. They either pledge their cards or they don't. The party can even fight each other for the outcome, splitting the table for those who want Option A to happen and those who want Option B. Whichever side ends up with the highest hand wins.
In last night's game, the party starts chained to a wall. The party decided that one of the shackles was shoddy and would allow a party member to escape. I determined that the likelihood would be a Level 6 challenge. All players pledge their cards. I dealt myself 6 cards and pulled a pair of fours and a Jack as my best hand. They looked over their cards and beat me with a pair of sevens. So, a plot point was set - there was a set of shackles from which one party member could escape. I rolled a supplemental die and determined it would take the party member 3 innings to get free. Since they won the plot, the cards that were played were discarded (the pair of fours, the pair of sevens and the other two cards). The remaining 3 cards from the kreator's hand were surrendered to the players who distributed them as they saw fit. So, in addition to winning the plot point, they also had a minor card replenishment. In the meantime, the Gnoll Mage had begun to cast/blast the spell Ethereality, and was soon making his way to the keys to release the full party from their chains as well...
Dex Machina is just in its infancy and ended up being a little too powerful in last night's game. It was a lot of fun letting the players create the plot. There's other rules to it that I did not cover above though. It certainly has potential for an interesting way for plot development.
I'll be posting a full review of the game on my site - so stay tuned!
As noted below, I ran a brand-new scenario called "A Plump Half-Dead Merchant" based on the details found in the mother-of-all adventures, Keep On The Borderlands. This is a perfect adventure for WEGS 101. Sure there's lots of system modifications for the minions, but the setting is perfect. I highly recommend running it for your friends if you're into old skool antics. I'm partial to it, but I think it runs better under WEGS than the original D&D system.
I also introduced a new mechanic which I'm calling the "dex machina". Deck ex machina or the deck in the machine. Using a standard deck of playing cards with jokers in, each player starts with one card (no jokers allowed though). These cards, though held independantly, can be grouped by the party to forge the plot developments they want. Depending on the likelihood of their request or "wish", the kreator determines the card challenge from 1 to 12. 1 being easy, 12 being impossible. Based on this level, the same number of cards are dealt. So, for a Level 3 challenge, three cards are dealt. The players need to beat the cards that are dealt. If they do so, they win the plot. If they lose, they surrender an equal amount of cards back into the discard pile. Prior to each challenge, players may expend Phew! points for one or two additional cards for their hands. They can only hold three cards max in their hand at any one time (similar to the Dunge O' Doom mechanic). All players have to declare if they are in for the challenge or out. They either pledge their cards or they don't. The party can even fight each other for the outcome, splitting the table for those who want Option A to happen and those who want Option B. Whichever side ends up with the highest hand wins.
In last night's game, the party starts chained to a wall. The party decided that one of the shackles was shoddy and would allow a party member to escape. I determined that the likelihood would be a Level 6 challenge. All players pledge their cards. I dealt myself 6 cards and pulled a pair of fours and a Jack as my best hand. They looked over their cards and beat me with a pair of sevens. So, a plot point was set - there was a set of shackles from which one party member could escape. I rolled a supplemental die and determined it would take the party member 3 innings to get free. Since they won the plot, the cards that were played were discarded (the pair of fours, the pair of sevens and the other two cards). The remaining 3 cards from the kreator's hand were surrendered to the players who distributed them as they saw fit. So, in addition to winning the plot point, they also had a minor card replenishment. In the meantime, the Gnoll Mage had begun to cast/blast the spell Ethereality, and was soon making his way to the keys to release the full party from their chains as well...
Dex Machina is just in its infancy and ended up being a little too powerful in last night's game. It was a lot of fun letting the players create the plot. There's other rules to it that I did not cover above though. It certainly has potential for an interesting way for plot development.
I'll be posting a full review of the game on my site - so stay tuned!
Friday, October 12, 2007
Ye Old Skool...
Tonight I'm running Keep On The Borderlands, the classic D&D module that all us old-skoolers cut our teeth on. Should be interesting to see how it functions with WEGS as its engine. For those of you who know this module, I'm starting the players off as prisoners in the caves of the Hobgoblins. And for those of you who really, really know, that would be Room 24... As per the room description, there are six prisoners chained to the wall of this room. Tonight's players will have to pick one of the six as their character. Then the fun begins...
I've been knocking around with a new card mechanic, much different from the one I use for Dingbitt's Dunge O' Doom. This one allows the players to "wish" for things or direct the story arc in their favor. It also forces the players to come together as a team - at least for a short while.
Should be fun! Details will follow!
I've been knocking around with a new card mechanic, much different from the one I use for Dingbitt's Dunge O' Doom. This one allows the players to "wish" for things or direct the story arc in their favor. It also forces the players to come together as a team - at least for a short while.
Should be fun! Details will follow!
Thursday, October 4, 2007
Three Innings Out...
Over the summer, at Origins specifically, we were running a Wegshog Round Robin (a session where each player has his hero character and a random group of minions to command). During these games we go head-to-head trying to prove who's the better player. The banter amongst the Wegshogs turns playfully vicious. This isn't just an in-game phenomenon, though - we're constantly berating each other every chance we get...
Now as some of you know, WEGS is played in innings, with a top and a bottom. Just like in baseball, one team goes and then the other. End of inning. As I recall this specific game, I was singlehandedly winning a two-front assault from Bob and Willy the 2. In my cocky "what did you expect, I created the game" way, I berated them prior to every roll of the dice. In an effort to make sure they realized who their daddy was I launched lengthy criticisms of why they sucked at playing the game and why I was, naturally, the better player. The crux of my argument was that:
I played the game three innings out...
At length I explained how (1) they only thought of their strategy the moment they picked up their dice on their turn, (2) that they had no concept of the word strategy, and (3) that I could actually start another game with some other players while I waited for them to finish a game I had already won last inning (which was still two innings away). It was great fun while it lasted, but needless to say, the "three innings out" line has been thrown in my face time and time again since then.
You can't win all of the games all of the time, but when the dice behave like proper steeds and allow you to command them to pull your chariot of the gods across the sky, ride it well into the night and drink heartily from the mighty cup of Hubris. Just know that the dice will abandon you as is their whim, and you will fall Icarus-esque to the feet of your friends who will then take turns plucking each and every feather out of your battered wings.
Now as some of you know, WEGS is played in innings, with a top and a bottom. Just like in baseball, one team goes and then the other. End of inning. As I recall this specific game, I was singlehandedly winning a two-front assault from Bob and Willy the 2. In my cocky "what did you expect, I created the game" way, I berated them prior to every roll of the dice. In an effort to make sure they realized who their daddy was I launched lengthy criticisms of why they sucked at playing the game and why I was, naturally, the better player. The crux of my argument was that:
I played the game three innings out...
At length I explained how (1) they only thought of their strategy the moment they picked up their dice on their turn, (2) that they had no concept of the word strategy, and (3) that I could actually start another game with some other players while I waited for them to finish a game I had already won last inning (which was still two innings away). It was great fun while it lasted, but needless to say, the "three innings out" line has been thrown in my face time and time again since then.
You can't win all of the games all of the time, but when the dice behave like proper steeds and allow you to command them to pull your chariot of the gods across the sky, ride it well into the night and drink heartily from the mighty cup of Hubris. Just know that the dice will abandon you as is their whim, and you will fall Icarus-esque to the feet of your friends who will then take turns plucking each and every feather out of your battered wings.
Sunday, September 23, 2007
Crackin' Open Copper...
This past week I've been crazy with emails from folks looking for WEGS advice. Seems that there were at least three games running this weekend. These were the first official WEGS 101 games that have taken place without me... Cool stuff!
I also cracked open WEGS Copper Players Notebook this week to assess how much work that book needs. Copper is the version of WEGS I had wanted to release at GenCon last year (as all 12 of you who read this blog religiously might recall...). Luckily that did not happen, allowing me to circle back and kreate WEGS 101 as the first official WEGS offering instead. Lots of detail on this tale can be found blogged out below...
Copper was put on ice in its near-completed state about a year ago and is sitting pretty at 210 pages right now. It needs a solid re-write and, just maybe, a little content. It's jammed with art. Copper is the next level for players, allowing them to custom-build the Ark of their desires. Whereas WEGS 101 really limits folks to stay within their Arketype (not really allowing much in the way of player options), Copper tears that wall down completely and folks can mix/match the hero of their dreams.
It also gives folks a little taste of the things to come...
I also cracked open WEGS Copper Players Notebook this week to assess how much work that book needs. Copper is the version of WEGS I had wanted to release at GenCon last year (as all 12 of you who read this blog religiously might recall...). Luckily that did not happen, allowing me to circle back and kreate WEGS 101 as the first official WEGS offering instead. Lots of detail on this tale can be found blogged out below...
Copper was put on ice in its near-completed state about a year ago and is sitting pretty at 210 pages right now. It needs a solid re-write and, just maybe, a little content. It's jammed with art. Copper is the next level for players, allowing them to custom-build the Ark of their desires. Whereas WEGS 101 really limits folks to stay within their Arketype (not really allowing much in the way of player options), Copper tears that wall down completely and folks can mix/match the hero of their dreams.
It also gives folks a little taste of the things to come...
Sunday, September 16, 2007
Two Mo' Cons...
We've submitted our game menu for Ubercon (NJ) and MACE (NC)! These should be the final two cons for the Wegshogs this year (not counting the Wegzoramacon in December). As Ubercon is our home con chances are the full Wegshog team will be there in force. We've got an aggressive game sched - we tend to go bttw at Uber. It's the con where WEGS got its start. This year is extra-special as we finally have a product released!!! Sweetness indeed.
Willy the Second helped with one of the new scenarios we're launching called From Dusk 'til Dead, subtitle "Say 'ello to my little boomstick". It's pretty much Evil Dead (the movie) so it fits in perfect for our traditional midnite quicky on Saturday. I love/dread the midnite quickies... They are anything but quick and at my age, sleep is a precious thing. On a side note, me and Will were floating around in a pool this weekend (not a pretty site), discussing the various mechanics we will be using for the "boomsticks", "chainswords" and the evil book at the center of the horror - the Wegsronomicon... This is gonna be one deadly scenario!
MACE, the other con, will be a first-timer for me. Folks have told me good things about MACE, so it's high on the list of cons to do. Plus it's in one of the 13 colonies and helps us to check off our "First 13" little marketing hit list.
That's all for now, folks!
Willy the Second helped with one of the new scenarios we're launching called From Dusk 'til Dead, subtitle "Say 'ello to my little boomstick". It's pretty much Evil Dead (the movie) so it fits in perfect for our traditional midnite quicky on Saturday. I love/dread the midnite quickies... They are anything but quick and at my age, sleep is a precious thing. On a side note, me and Will were floating around in a pool this weekend (not a pretty site), discussing the various mechanics we will be using for the "boomsticks", "chainswords" and the evil book at the center of the horror - the Wegsronomicon... This is gonna be one deadly scenario!
MACE, the other con, will be a first-timer for me. Folks have told me good things about MACE, so it's high on the list of cons to do. Plus it's in one of the 13 colonies and helps us to check off our "First 13" little marketing hit list.
That's all for now, folks!
Friday, September 14, 2007
A Little Trip To Triadcon...
For those of you following my exciting travels from con to con, I hit Triadcon in Maryland last weekend. This was a solo endeavor, sans Wegshogs. Never been to this one, but it looked ok from the website - where it promised a small and friendly atmosphere. It also had a superb online event listing, but no pre-registration. The website made the con look better than it was - but I was not disappointed. It was nice to be at a no-pressure con.
It's always dicey hitting a con for the first time and you never know what to expect. I had four games on the schedule, of which only two ran. So, I ended up with lots of downtime. One such gap allowed me to sit down with Mel W. and be introduced to the game Agon, which has really cool design elements and character progression options. It's ancient greek hero-mythos that neatly entwines character creation, advancement and story-telling challenges for some super results. It's def a game that I'll be buying and playing. Thanks, Mel!
The WEGS 101 games were placed right by the entrance to the "rpg flea market", so lots of folks passed by all day. The con kinda cleared out at night. I think I was a little shocked by the lack of college age folks attending the con (being that the con was held at the University of Maryland). All in all, it was a slow-paced con that does not have a big role-player base yet. I'd be tempted to do it again next year if time allows.
One of the funniest things about this con was that the games were held in the dining halls that surrounded a central cafeteria. The perimeter of each room had a conveyor belt system to put empty cafeteria trays on which then traveled around the room to the central kitchen area. Luckily, the room I was in was not actively using this device, however the rooms other games were held in had the apparatus in full swing. All day long, discarded trays with leftovers went chunking by the gamers. Lots o' fun!
It's always dicey hitting a con for the first time and you never know what to expect. I had four games on the schedule, of which only two ran. So, I ended up with lots of downtime. One such gap allowed me to sit down with Mel W. and be introduced to the game Agon, which has really cool design elements and character progression options. It's ancient greek hero-mythos that neatly entwines character creation, advancement and story-telling challenges for some super results. It's def a game that I'll be buying and playing. Thanks, Mel!
The WEGS 101 games were placed right by the entrance to the "rpg flea market", so lots of folks passed by all day. The con kinda cleared out at night. I think I was a little shocked by the lack of college age folks attending the con (being that the con was held at the University of Maryland). All in all, it was a slow-paced con that does not have a big role-player base yet. I'd be tempted to do it again next year if time allows.
One of the funniest things about this con was that the games were held in the dining halls that surrounded a central cafeteria. The perimeter of each room had a conveyor belt system to put empty cafeteria trays on which then traveled around the room to the central kitchen area. Luckily, the room I was in was not actively using this device, however the rooms other games were held in had the apparatus in full swing. All day long, discarded trays with leftovers went chunking by the gamers. Lots o' fun!
Wednesday, September 5, 2007
Sales So Far...
Well, WEGS 101 is officially three weeks old. Sales are trickling in via the internet/Paypal store. For all 12 of you who read this blog (and who haven't picked up your copy yet), details are here:
http://www.gamewick.com/Buy_WEGS_101.html
So far we have WEGS 101 in Ohio, Colorado, Oregon, New York and, of course, New Jersey (I made my mom buy a copy...). We did a limited run of 250 - so don't wait to get your copy of the first print run! I had wanted to go with 300 copies to be in sync with the fated Spartans, but just couldn't muster the courage to do so...
I'll probably need those 50 for the Christmas rush, too...
http://www.gamewick.com/Buy_WEGS_101.html
So far we have WEGS 101 in Ohio, Colorado, Oregon, New York and, of course, New Jersey (I made my mom buy a copy...). We did a limited run of 250 - so don't wait to get your copy of the first print run! I had wanted to go with 300 copies to be in sync with the fated Spartans, but just couldn't muster the courage to do so...
I'll probably need those 50 for the Christmas rush, too...
GenCon - Beginning or End?
The last week I've been trying to figure out if GenCon is the start of the "gaming season" or the end. I've been so conditioned by my life in theatre that I think of things in "seasons". Heck, everything has a season - especially sports. Theatre, however, generally encompasses a full year, traditionally with the summers dark. Big opener in the fall, followed another production pre-year end. Second half is a mid-winter show and then a pre-summer closer. Factor in that rehearsals for the first show of the season begins mid-summer and there really isn't a break to speak of. Enough of theatre talk, I gave that life up for my gaming...
So, GenCon... What is it? I'd like to say "end". This is probably because GenCon is so draining with the schedules we run that once that con is over, I don't want to think about gaming or working on games for a couple of weeks following (hence, my lack of postings of late). GenCon also comes hot on the heels of Origins, so the ramping up for Origins is like starting the engines for GenCon. If anything, I use Origins as my final playtesting ground for the games we offer at GenCon.
GenCon definately has that world series feel (and Origins a penultimate feel). GenCon is the big moment that you strive for if you're releasing a product. After the con is over, there's definately a lull until the local cons begin to pick up speed. The fact that summer ends a couple of weeks thereafter also gives it the flavor of an ending point.
So, end it is.
Time to get the new season of gaming started!
So, GenCon... What is it? I'd like to say "end". This is probably because GenCon is so draining with the schedules we run that once that con is over, I don't want to think about gaming or working on games for a couple of weeks following (hence, my lack of postings of late). GenCon also comes hot on the heels of Origins, so the ramping up for Origins is like starting the engines for GenCon. If anything, I use Origins as my final playtesting ground for the games we offer at GenCon.
GenCon definately has that world series feel (and Origins a penultimate feel). GenCon is the big moment that you strive for if you're releasing a product. After the con is over, there's definately a lull until the local cons begin to pick up speed. The fact that summer ends a couple of weeks thereafter also gives it the flavor of an ending point.
So, end it is.
Time to get the new season of gaming started!
Wednesday, August 29, 2007
GenCon Flashbacks...
The most surreal/cool moment at GenCon happened as I was standing in the middle of the aisle looking at the copies of WEGS 101 sitting on a shelf just waiting to be sucked up by the GenCon hordes. Suddenly my wife poked me and pointed to a woman standing in the booth to the right. She noted "Doesn't that woman look like Donna?" - and it was!
Donna was a friend who we had lost touch with for easily seven years now. She was part of WEGS at its inception, when we made the jump from Warhammer to WEGS 99. We had no clue that Donna was still involved in gaming, or for that matter attending GenCon assisting a vendor!
We had just been talking about her the week before as we regaled ourselves with memories from the games of yore. The campaign Donna was a part of (as a Dwarf Warrior who was constantly sharpening her axe blade) was the greatest campaign we ever ran. It ran for at least six months straight, mostly bi-weekly, and at its apex involved 20 players in what could be considered a mid-season finale.
Actually, the really cool thing about this game was that it started as two different games that I ran simultaneously in weekly rotation with two different groups of players. Both groups however shared the same plot trajectory and ended up at the same location for one big game that we called The Night Of Chaos. In addition to these two original parties, I introduced a third party of gamers as the enemies set to destroy both parties. It was one of the best games that we ever ran and has some of the greatest post-game imagery burned into our heads. There were so many cool things about this campaign, I could rant for hours - but for those of you who are just checking out this blog, the excitement of it all would be lost. And the point of this thread wasn't about a campaign we ran over seven years ago...
The point is that there, right next to the GenCon premiere of WEGS 101, was a friend I hadn't seen in years who witnessed the first WEGS baby steps. Neither of us knew what the other was up to and, yet, we converged at the perfect moment in time. We all talked excitedly about what we had been up to. I pointed to WEGS 101 a few feet away. We joked about getting the old group back together or just getting together once we got back to NJ.
Of all the things that happened at GenCon, seeing an old friend in happy circumstances unexpectedly trumps all.
Donna was a friend who we had lost touch with for easily seven years now. She was part of WEGS at its inception, when we made the jump from Warhammer to WEGS 99. We had no clue that Donna was still involved in gaming, or for that matter attending GenCon assisting a vendor!
We had just been talking about her the week before as we regaled ourselves with memories from the games of yore. The campaign Donna was a part of (as a Dwarf Warrior who was constantly sharpening her axe blade) was the greatest campaign we ever ran. It ran for at least six months straight, mostly bi-weekly, and at its apex involved 20 players in what could be considered a mid-season finale.
Actually, the really cool thing about this game was that it started as two different games that I ran simultaneously in weekly rotation with two different groups of players. Both groups however shared the same plot trajectory and ended up at the same location for one big game that we called The Night Of Chaos. In addition to these two original parties, I introduced a third party of gamers as the enemies set to destroy both parties. It was one of the best games that we ever ran and has some of the greatest post-game imagery burned into our heads. There were so many cool things about this campaign, I could rant for hours - but for those of you who are just checking out this blog, the excitement of it all would be lost. And the point of this thread wasn't about a campaign we ran over seven years ago...
The point is that there, right next to the GenCon premiere of WEGS 101, was a friend I hadn't seen in years who witnessed the first WEGS baby steps. Neither of us knew what the other was up to and, yet, we converged at the perfect moment in time. We all talked excitedly about what we had been up to. I pointed to WEGS 101 a few feet away. We joked about getting the old group back together or just getting together once we got back to NJ.
Of all the things that happened at GenCon, seeing an old friend in happy circumstances unexpectedly trumps all.
Friday, August 24, 2007
7
As I was wrestling with the fact that we sold a mere 7 books at GenCon, I started to laugh. Yes, it is a pathetic number of sales, but it also is the most important number in Craps. On the come out roll, I would have just won - and been paid a matching amount to my initial bet (assuming I had my money on the pass line...). Now it's just a matter of me finding the pit boss and getting paid...
I've been telling folks that this trip to GenCon was like a vacation to Vegas where I lost all my money, but never actually got a chance to gamble or sit by the pool drinking rum runners. So, it was a Vegas vacation without the vacation. From airfare to hotels to shipping, a trip to GenCon is an expensive proposition.
Inauspicious beginnings aside, 7 has been associated with this game from the start. Heck, we finished the book on 07/07/07! I'm no sayer of sooths but if I had thought about it, I could've predicted the GenCon sales... and that wouldn't have stopped my from going to the con.
The game is on, folks!
I've been telling folks that this trip to GenCon was like a vacation to Vegas where I lost all my money, but never actually got a chance to gamble or sit by the pool drinking rum runners. So, it was a Vegas vacation without the vacation. From airfare to hotels to shipping, a trip to GenCon is an expensive proposition.
Inauspicious beginnings aside, 7 has been associated with this game from the start. Heck, we finished the book on 07/07/07! I'm no sayer of sooths but if I had thought about it, I could've predicted the GenCon sales... and that wouldn't have stopped my from going to the con.
The game is on, folks!
Thursday, August 23, 2007
'Twas The Best Of Cons...
'Twas the worst of cons... Back from GenCon for three days now. Still bleary-eyed. Here's my top three best/worst, as I recall...
The 3 Best
The official launch of WEGS 101!
Folks showing up for games with copies of WEGS 101!
Some WEGS games were canceled due to no attendance. (Yes, this was actually a good thing. We scheduled an aggressive 18 events - we welcomed the break big time!)
The 3 Worst
A modest 7 copies of WEGS 101 were sold (no way to sugar coat that!).
The expense of it all (con fees, food, hotel, taxi, travel).
Some WEGS games were canceled due to no attendance.
Still trying to make sense of it all. From the highs to the lows, it was a non-stop endurance test, much worse than any opening week for a theatre production (aka hell week) all jammed into four days.
Would I do it again?
Heck, yeah!
More details to follow...
The 3 Best
The official launch of WEGS 101!
Folks showing up for games with copies of WEGS 101!
Some WEGS games were canceled due to no attendance. (Yes, this was actually a good thing. We scheduled an aggressive 18 events - we welcomed the break big time!)
The 3 Worst
A modest 7 copies of WEGS 101 were sold (no way to sugar coat that!).
The expense of it all (con fees, food, hotel, taxi, travel).
Some WEGS games were canceled due to no attendance.
Still trying to make sense of it all. From the highs to the lows, it was a non-stop endurance test, much worse than any opening week for a theatre production (aka hell week) all jammed into four days.
Would I do it again?
Heck, yeah!
More details to follow...
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