Something Different
You may have noticed that my IGRC output has dropped pretty dramatically.
Some of that is the summer. Most of my regular gaming group has incompatible vacation schedules with families, so we’re not playing. We started a go at The Veil but the game is so vague and hard to get a handle on, I’m already thinking of moving on to something easier. Anyway. Bad scheduling, not really playing much until August.
Some, I think, is this fucking hand injury. I’m in some kind of pain 24/7 and it’s really messing with my head. I can distract myself, but mostly that distraction has come in the form of binging Titan Quest and Torchlight 2. That flavor of self-medication has gotten bad enough that it’s interfering with my normal schedule.
So! I want to try something new. I’m taking requests for Indie Game Reading Club essay subjects.
If you’re new to this collection, please, don’t participate in this unless/until you’ve caught up with what I’ve already gone over. I know that’s a big ask, but if you don’t you either won’t know what my jam is or waste your time coming up with stuff I’ve already hit.
Anyway, I appreciate your help! I’d like to get my writing habit back but there’s stuff in my way. Thank you.
You’ve alluded to a minicon you ran locally? If I have that right, can you talk a bit about what it was, how you organized it, etc?
I still want to hear your “Principles of Being a Good Player” thing in full.
Aaron Griffin I’m not sure I have a lot to say about that! I did a good players vs star players thing a while back that’s pretty solid.
Joe Beason oh I have not. I’d love to. I’ve attended a couple minicons at this point, mostly so I could see how to do it locally.
You’d have been on the invite list if I’d put one on, you doofus.
I’d like to hear about how you’ve figured out to make DW work for you, as in the past I thought it didn’t work for you and yet you made many positive hints about it in the spaceworm posts.
Second thought – how you make the debt economy work in Urban Shadows as that stuff all seems to make little sense to me once you scratch below the surface – eg How can some debts be “2 debts”? Really?
Are there any games which you’ve played but for which you’ve never done a post-mortem? Because your postmortems are the best.
Also, any more “tales of the old days” that might be fun to write up? I always love hearing about where people have been, game-wise.
Did you ever do that post on “situation maps”?
Rob Alexander shoot no, good call.
SMAPS SMAPS SMAPS-SMAPS SMAPS — Lil’ John
Did that burning wheel game where you were a player happen already? I vaguely remember you talking about it.
If you’re not finding outside aspects very exciting then maybe you can talk about your own personal projects. I’d love to hear more about the 3 or so games you have in the works.
A comparison between Saga of Icelanders Relationship map, and a MvSW Situation map, would be an interesting read. I found your demo of R-maps very helpful for running games like Night Witches, and I would love to hear more about S-maps.
After your comment about how BW-style beliefs are very hard to use well, I’d be interested in your wider views on different ways to do flags.
Aaron Griffin Paul did an episode of The Tabletop Superhighway podcast with Larry Spiel (ft. me) on just such a subject: thetabletopsuperhighway.com – Talk with Paul Beakley – Player Skills