OK. It's rant time.Though I have never taken part in this internet pastime of screaming angry feelings in a livejournalsque expression of suburban middleclass angst that no one actually cares about. So what's a better way to go about entering this world of trolls and troll bait, than by posting a rant about roleplaying drama.
A recent session of Exalted ran by a friend of mine ended in tears in no figurative meaning of the word. And not the good kind of, hey that game was so incredibly awesome kind of tears, or the I can't believe that character died kind of tears. It ended in the "I am so disturbed by the way that game happened that I feel like talking about it with non-geeks on the subway about it in the hopes that someone will give a shit.
So just so everyone understands just how important roleplaying drama is, I have made a chart of things people get upset about. 1 being the most valid and 10 being the least valid.
1. Nuclear war. Boom the world is dead.
2. Horrific crimes. Murder, grand theft, arson.
3. Infidelity. Cheaters never prosper, but in the words of Jimmy eat world "Cheating gets it faster."
4. Communism and Fascism. "Communism doesn't work because people like to own stuff"- Frank Zappa. Facisms great, if your a fascist...
5. Naruto and Narutards. I like Akira, but I don't go around wearing a big red cape. Though I suppose wearing a metal headband will come in handy when I decide to shoot paint balls at you while your trading pokemon cards in the cafeteria at your art school.
6. Someone bumping into you and not apologizing. Hey! Jerk...
7. Someone bumping into you and apologizing. Alright, just look where you're going next time.
8. Role Playing drama.
9. Someone being wrong on the internet.
10. Internet roleplaying drama.
So in the end it is less important to be angry about roleplaying drama, than it is to be mad at someone that bumps into you and apologizes. Though it is more valid than anything on the internet.
Wednesday, August 13, 2008
Sunday, July 27, 2008
Vampires
Finally my life has calmed down enough to post again.
I am on a vampire kick right now, caused by my purchase of Vampire: The Requiem. A must have for rolplaying/vampire fans.
White Wolf's world of darkness system is one of the most fluid and dramatic systems out there. It's less game more roleplaying. The combat is simple, the character creations guidelines are on the bottom of the character sheets making it easier to get people working on their characters.
That being said, the stagnate and melodramatic world of the undead lends itself to parody. A good friend of mine has set up an online radioshow,oldschool style. And in one of the shows many hilarious sketches, they parody the world of requiem quiet well. I invite everyone to check it out. It's part of the fourth episode.
www.tooloudradio.com
I am on a vampire kick right now, caused by my purchase of Vampire: The Requiem. A must have for rolplaying/vampire fans.
White Wolf's world of darkness system is one of the most fluid and dramatic systems out there. It's less game more roleplaying. The combat is simple, the character creations guidelines are on the bottom of the character sheets making it easier to get people working on their characters.
That being said, the stagnate and melodramatic world of the undead lends itself to parody. A good friend of mine has set up an online radioshow,oldschool style. And in one of the shows many hilarious sketches, they parody the world of requiem quiet well. I invite everyone to check it out. It's part of the fourth episode.
www.tooloudradio.com
Thursday, July 10, 2008
Web Comics and Flash Vids
Hello internet.
I am back so that I can talk to you about web comics.
I love good web comics. A good web comic is entertaining and insightful. I can even be moving or intellectual. Good web comic can even be art.
However, that being said...
There is a lot of crap out there. Especially in the seedy underworld of video game web comics. I would go on, but Yahtzee Croshaw did so already with a plethora of swears and the worst image Yahtzee has ever made. Click on the title of todays blog to view video.
If you haven't checked out Zero Punctuation before, you should. Yahtzee has a voice that speaks the truth about games and the playing thereof.
Yahtzee in a genius. Perhaps an evil genius. Perhaps a evil genius that speaks about penises far too often. But a genius none the less.
A couple good webcomics are: xkcd (may not be suitable for art majors), Keychain of Creation (May not be suitable for the unexalted), and Saturday morning breakfast cereal (May not be suitable for people with a wheat allergy).
I am back so that I can talk to you about web comics.
I love good web comics. A good web comic is entertaining and insightful. I can even be moving or intellectual. Good web comic can even be art.
However, that being said...
There is a lot of crap out there. Especially in the seedy underworld of video game web comics. I would go on, but Yahtzee Croshaw did so already with a plethora of swears and the worst image Yahtzee has ever made. Click on the title of todays blog to view video.
If you haven't checked out Zero Punctuation before, you should. Yahtzee has a voice that speaks the truth about games and the playing thereof.
Yahtzee in a genius. Perhaps an evil genius. Perhaps a evil genius that speaks about penises far too often. But a genius none the less.
A couple good webcomics are: xkcd (may not be suitable for art majors), Keychain of Creation (May not be suitable for the unexalted), and Saturday morning breakfast cereal (May not be suitable for people with a wheat allergy).
Friday, November 16, 2007
The Five Rules of Being a Game Master
The five golden rules to being a GM are as follows.
One: Know your place. You are there to entertain, not to win. It is not you vs. them. You are partners with them in an attempt to develop a story.
Two: Plan ahead. Sometimes you just don’t have time to draw up maps and create the bad guys character sheets, but you can spend at least thirty minutes to an hour thinking about it beforehand.
Three: Be flexible. Sometimes things don’t work out like you plan; you can’t force the players down a specific path, that would piss them off.
Four: Keep your cool. Don’t ever blow a gasket at your players. They will not come back to you game. No one wants to play under a cranky Game master. I know I don’t.
Five: You are not God. Keep your ego in check. Sometimes your players will know more than you will about something. It happens, it shouldn’t break your will. If one of your players is being a jerk to you about his superior knowledge, either take him aside after the game and talk to him, or just don’t invite him anymore.
One: Know your place. You are there to entertain, not to win. It is not you vs. them. You are partners with them in an attempt to develop a story.
Two: Plan ahead. Sometimes you just don’t have time to draw up maps and create the bad guys character sheets, but you can spend at least thirty minutes to an hour thinking about it beforehand.
Three: Be flexible. Sometimes things don’t work out like you plan; you can’t force the players down a specific path, that would piss them off.
Four: Keep your cool. Don’t ever blow a gasket at your players. They will not come back to you game. No one wants to play under a cranky Game master. I know I don’t.
Five: You are not God. Keep your ego in check. Sometimes your players will know more than you will about something. It happens, it shouldn’t break your will. If one of your players is being a jerk to you about his superior knowledge, either take him aside after the game and talk to him, or just don’t invite him anymore.
Kingdom of Mana... Dawn of Hearts
So is it just me, or are Japanese RPGs taking a turn for the worst.
Dawn of Hearts… I’m sorry, Kingdom of Mana… shoot.. I’ll get it right,
Dawn of Mana!
That’s it! Dawn of Mana took the camera and model elements from Kingdom Hearts II, and the traditional feel of all the Mana games and slammed them together. Sounds great right?
Wrong.
They edited out all the RP elements, transforming the game into a whimsical watered down lame fest.
You find yourself leaping around comically knocking enemies into each other so that you can get some little shitty temporary upgrades. They incorporate no item system; they have no real leveling up system to speak of and no sort of equipment.
Don’t mess with a good thing Squinix. And Mana was a good thing until you destroyed it.
I give Dawn of Mana two out of five stars, and the only reason I give it that much is because of the nostalgic feeling it gave me at first.
This is the first Square game that I am ever going to sell back.
Dawn of Hearts… I’m sorry, Kingdom of Mana… shoot.. I’ll get it right,
Dawn of Mana!
That’s it! Dawn of Mana took the camera and model elements from Kingdom Hearts II, and the traditional feel of all the Mana games and slammed them together. Sounds great right?
Wrong.
They edited out all the RP elements, transforming the game into a whimsical watered down lame fest.
You find yourself leaping around comically knocking enemies into each other so that you can get some little shitty temporary upgrades. They incorporate no item system; they have no real leveling up system to speak of and no sort of equipment.
Don’t mess with a good thing Squinix. And Mana was a good thing until you destroyed it.
I give Dawn of Mana two out of five stars, and the only reason I give it that much is because of the nostalgic feeling it gave me at first.
This is the first Square game that I am ever going to sell back.
Sunday, November 11, 2007
Godzilla vs Trogdor
We know and love these two towering lizards. But the question on everyone’s mind is,
If Godzilla and Trogdor fought, who would win? Lets check out the stats shall we?
Godzilla is the massive mega titan bent on destroying Tokyo. He has appeared on merchandise all over the globe and has nuclear breath. He has attempted to destroy the world many times, though he never succeeded.
I used to have this awesome tape of a puppy dog eyed Godzilla saving Tokyo from giant bugs with the help of a robot that “programmed himself to get bigger”.
Trogdor is an internet darling. His beefy arm and his fire breath make him a formidable opponent. He has powers of burnination, a far superior form of burning.
Trogdor may be a powerful being and he always succeeds at burninating: peasants, countryside’s, and people. Godzilla is none of these however. This could be a problem.
Problem one: Does Trogdor fall prey to Godzilla’s nuclear breath?
Answer: No. Trogdor will block the nuclear rays with his beefy arm. Besides, Trogdor is plated with impenetrable consummate v’s.
Problem two: Does Trogdor's burnination work on Godzilla?
Answer: No. Even if Godzilla was on of the aforementioned things, Godzilla is armed with the power of plot device. There is only one plot device per movie that can defeat him. It is usually in the hands of an effeminate Japanese scientist.
Problem three: If they started arm wrestling, who would win.
Answer: Trogdor. Beefy arm.
Problem four: Would anyone be spared in this holocaust?
Answer: Not even the women and children.
So in the end, let us hope Trogdor and Godzillia will never fight. They are perfect matches for each other and it would mean the extinction of the human race. The battle would rage for centuries.
If Godzilla and Trogdor fought, who would win? Lets check out the stats shall we?
Godzilla is the massive mega titan bent on destroying Tokyo. He has appeared on merchandise all over the globe and has nuclear breath. He has attempted to destroy the world many times, though he never succeeded.
I used to have this awesome tape of a puppy dog eyed Godzilla saving Tokyo from giant bugs with the help of a robot that “programmed himself to get bigger”.
Trogdor is an internet darling. His beefy arm and his fire breath make him a formidable opponent. He has powers of burnination, a far superior form of burning.
Trogdor may be a powerful being and he always succeeds at burninating: peasants, countryside’s, and people. Godzilla is none of these however. This could be a problem.
Problem one: Does Trogdor fall prey to Godzilla’s nuclear breath?
Answer: No. Trogdor will block the nuclear rays with his beefy arm. Besides, Trogdor is plated with impenetrable consummate v’s.
Problem two: Does Trogdor's burnination work on Godzilla?
Answer: No. Even if Godzilla was on of the aforementioned things, Godzilla is armed with the power of plot device. There is only one plot device per movie that can defeat him. It is usually in the hands of an effeminate Japanese scientist.
Problem three: If they started arm wrestling, who would win.
Answer: Trogdor. Beefy arm.
Problem four: Would anyone be spared in this holocaust?
Answer: Not even the women and children.
So in the end, let us hope Trogdor and Godzillia will never fight. They are perfect matches for each other and it would mean the extinction of the human race. The battle would rage for centuries.
Sunday, November 4, 2007
How to Prevent a Gaming Hangover
We gamers have to indulge ourselves every now and then. I call it going into stasis.
To any gamer who has had the luxury to game uninterrupted for a long chunk of time is no newbie to the gaming hangover. A gaming hangover is a disgusting and dreaded thing. It begins with sever lethargy. Then, time begins to vanish. And in the end, you end up dazed, disgruntled, and late for work.
The easiest way to avoid a gaming hangover is very simple.
Don’t gorge yourself on videogames. Play reasonable, but never spend more than two to three hours a day playing. But, if you do decide to go for the gusto, these are some simple steps that can ease a gaming hangover, and make the gaming experience all the more pleasant. You may even come out of the binge feeling sort of human.
1. Eat, but don’t eat too much. Buy some lean quzines or something as equally quick and low cal. You aren’t going to be spending much energy so you don’t need to eat as much.
2. Don’t binge game when you have immediate deadlines. Just do the work before you game. I know, most of the time when you binge game your putting something off, procrastination is part of it, but if you have a deadline at noon the next day don’t spend the whole day playing WOW.
3. Feed your pets. Gerbils die without food. The more you know.
4. Bathe. For all that is good and holy bathe. Your roommates will appreciate it. And it will make you feel better. Very few things are grosser than gamer funk.
5. Sleep normally. Go to bed at a reasonable hour and wake up at a reasonable hour. If you have a hard time going to sleep because of your over stimulated brain, try listening to classical music and taking a Tylenol PM.
6. Lastly understand that when you come out of stasis, you will be a little disconnected from reality. Do something that can ground you again. Read a book. Listen to some music. Get your mind off the game. It can help you regain some measure of sanity.
To any gamer who has had the luxury to game uninterrupted for a long chunk of time is no newbie to the gaming hangover. A gaming hangover is a disgusting and dreaded thing. It begins with sever lethargy. Then, time begins to vanish. And in the end, you end up dazed, disgruntled, and late for work.
The easiest way to avoid a gaming hangover is very simple.
Don’t gorge yourself on videogames. Play reasonable, but never spend more than two to three hours a day playing. But, if you do decide to go for the gusto, these are some simple steps that can ease a gaming hangover, and make the gaming experience all the more pleasant. You may even come out of the binge feeling sort of human.
1. Eat, but don’t eat too much. Buy some lean quzines or something as equally quick and low cal. You aren’t going to be spending much energy so you don’t need to eat as much.
2. Don’t binge game when you have immediate deadlines. Just do the work before you game. I know, most of the time when you binge game your putting something off, procrastination is part of it, but if you have a deadline at noon the next day don’t spend the whole day playing WOW.
3. Feed your pets. Gerbils die without food. The more you know.
4. Bathe. For all that is good and holy bathe. Your roommates will appreciate it. And it will make you feel better. Very few things are grosser than gamer funk.
5. Sleep normally. Go to bed at a reasonable hour and wake up at a reasonable hour. If you have a hard time going to sleep because of your over stimulated brain, try listening to classical music and taking a Tylenol PM.
6. Lastly understand that when you come out of stasis, you will be a little disconnected from reality. Do something that can ground you again. Read a book. Listen to some music. Get your mind off the game. It can help you regain some measure of sanity.
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