Joe Gamer

When I get upset my character has been maimed or seriously injured in a D&D game, one of the veiled threats I sometimes get from the gang is “well, we could run Castle Ravenloft if you like”.  I promptly shut the heck up and we keep play!  That is the reputation of Castle Ravenloft and it’s ruler Strahd, at least to my group of gamers.  When Wizards started advertising a D&D board game based on Castle Ravenloft I was a little excited but mostly kind of skeptical.  It was weird they wouldn’t just make it a campaign setting, but I gave it a chance after playing a few board games I really enjoyed at Mobicon back in the day.  So when my wife bought it for me for our 1 year anniversary, I was stoked!

Castle Ravenloft is a D&D based board game for 1 to 6 players.  Yes, you can play by yourself.  Everything you need to play is in the box, including the d20!  Ravenloft is interesting in the way it presents its rules: there is a set of basic rules (movement, attacking, etc) that every game uses, but victory requirements, monster type, and other more obscure rules change literally every time you play.  There is a book that comes with the game outside of the rulebook that holds various situations the players agree on before beginning that presents the plot.  One has you waking up in Strahd’s vampiric crypt and has you trying to escape before the sun rises while another one as you hunting a kobold sorcerer deep in the catacombs of the castle.  Some are simple fights for survival while others actually have a “villain” like the kobold there, Strahd, or the horrors of the undead Dracolich.

You have some basic D&D archetypes to play as such as Eladrin Wizard, Human Ranger or Dwarf Cleric.  You can pick powers each time you play or pick a set of “basic powers” they suggest for new players.  Exploration of Ravenloft’s crypts are random, the players picking tiles at random as they approach the edge of the map each turn.  Furthermore, players each control monsters that appear on their turn, leading to the very real possibility of someone ‘accidentally’ killing another player!  It is random after all, with the d20!

I have successfully played Castle Ravenloft twice, once with my wife and I and the second time with two friends who have never touched a d20 until that night.  Both times we were successful in our missions but very barely.  Some of the monsters are super lethal but it didn’t matter; we had a ton of fun each time.  If you are looking for a game that simulates a night of D&D in about an hour or two or if you’re looking for a quick and intense board game, give Castle Ravenloft a try.

© 2010, Jeff Hollingsworth. All rights reserved.

I realize I am new to gaming and everything, but Gamma World is nuts.  Absolutely nuts.  Based on the 4th edition rules of DnD, Gamma World is a post-apocalyptic RPG that opts for a more random rule set than 4e presents.  It’s also more of a “diet-rpg” made for a couple of quick sessions of laser blasting, stop sign wielding action.  As a Yeti Cockroach.  I’m not joking.

Gamma World is essentially our world years down the line.  Something crazy happened at the Large Hadron Collider in Geneva, Switzerland that condensed all possible realities into one single “now”.  So everything that could have ever happened has happened to someone somewhere.  To explain, here is a quick exerpt: “The Cold War went nuclear in 83 percent of the possible universes, and in 3 percent of the possible universes the French unloaded their entire nuclear  aresenal on the town of Peshtigo, Wisconsin because it had to be done.”  It’s about 150 years later and after the Big Mistake life in this new singular reality has taken a turn for the Mad Max.  Pure humans like me and you are nearly extinct, replaced with mutants, which is exactly what you play as in Gamma World.

When making a character, the PC rolls a d20 twice, the first roll coming up with your primary origin and your second roll coming up with your secondary origin.  These origins take the place of races and classes and determine your abilities in combat; that’s how you can come up with characters like the Cyborg Rat Swarm, Yeti Cockroach or Giant Pyrokinetic.  If you get the same origin twice you get “Engineered Human” as a secondary origin, which can sometimes lead to the question why someone thought implanting a human brain into a Rat Swarm was a good idea.  That’s the fun of it!

Gamma World has something for the roleplayer, the tactical combat player and even the card game player!  For the straight roleplayer it is fun to try to come up with how you are what you are.  When you roll “giant” you don’t necessarily know what kind of giant you are.  Shelly Mazzanoble from “Confessions of a Part-Time Sorceress” played a Giant Telekinetic that was actually a huge pink teddy bear.  Also when you get weapons or armor you get a type, like heavy melee or light armor, instead of an idea.  So your heavy melee weapon?  Could be a car door, a I beam or a dead foe you just lug around because you’re weird like that.  Mazzanoble’s was a buckwheat pillow.

For the tactical player, the rules are based off 4e, so expect square based movement and the like.  I’ll leave it at that and just go straight to the card game player (they are linked, I promise).  Each player gets two decks in addition to their initial equipment, their Alpha Mutations and Omega Tech.  Alpha Mutations are similar to encounter powers in as much as you draw a new one every encounter.  However you must also discard it when you’re done (you rebuild your deck whenever you take an extended rest).  Omega Tech is what you get when you are allowed to loot.  Everything from laser rifles to x-ray goggles are found in Omega Tech, and are usable equipment you can use once per encounter but you can keep it if you roll a 10 or higher on a d20 at the end of the combat.  Both decks are shuffled, so are random, but a player can buy cards for either (but do NOT have to in order to enjoy the game).  The GM will always have a deck of his or her own in case the players do not (and there are additional rules if both the GM and the players have decks in order to decide which one they can pull from).

Gamma World is one of the cooler, weird random RPGs I’ve seen.  It’s random without the possibility of playing a one armed, one legged beggar.  It’s funny but all players will generally be useful in combat or RP situations (though it’s not as balanced as, say, 4e.  It’s meant to be fun and funny, not highly-mechanical).  The players only go up to level 10 so there it is designed for short campaigns.  I am itching for the chance to play Gamma World some time soon, so if anyone wants to take a Saturday or Sunday (or instead of the Tuesday game) let me know!

© 2010, Jeff Hollingsworth. All rights reserved.

Our weekly gaming group will, within the next couple of weeks, start to play the new 4th Edition D&D version of the old setting Dark Sun.  Redone for the newer edition, I think I can speak for each of us to say we’re excited about playing something of a darker campaign then what we are used to playing.  So, in preparation and celebration, I am using the next couple of posts to give some cursory information that could be useful when determining a character.

First up are the Themes.  Themes are character templates that describe an aspect of the character’s background, personality or training and provide skills and powers based on said theme.  However, the theme does not define the character in totality.  For example, if a character picks “Templar” as a theme, that does not mean that character is a templar (though it might).  What it means is the character has been a templar, is a templar, or has trained at some point to be a templar.  He or she could have recently quit, finding the work abhorrent.  Maybe they sympathize with the lower citizens or slaves or even members of the Veiled Alliance.  The point is, just because you take a theme does not mean you “are that” thing.  Hopefully it will be clearer in just a moment.  Here is the list of themes with a small description of what they mean:

1. Athasian Minstrel: “Civilized” Athas has a long running tradition of talented minstrels, proficient in distracting the nobles from the plight of the commoners, and the commoners from the harshness of the world.  However, because it is considered extremely rude to refuse a minstrel from one’s home, minstrels are often covers for spies, assassins or theives that are looking for wealthy marks.  Anyone who likes to strike out against the wealthy and priviledged might be an Athasian Minstrel.

2. Dune Trader: Traders brave the wastes of the Athasian desert to bring goods to the scattered City-States and nomadic tribes, making them essential to life across Athas.  Independent traders stand next to the wealthy Merchant Houses in crowded streets, while Elves fence contraband and junk to rob unsuspecting and naive customers.  Anyone who travels the world looking for more valuable products to buy and sell while increasing their own reputation as a merchant might be a Dune Trader.

3. Elemental Priest: There are no gods on Athas, having been destroyed in time immemorable.  Some Sorcerer-Kings are worshipped as gods and many people are more concerned with survival then the veneration of anything.  However, most peoples of Athas revere the Primal Spirits of the earth, sometimes focusing on a specific elemental spirit (such as the all-important water) while others venerate all spirits equally.  An Elemental Priest is anyone who has a special connection with the spirits, often a village chief, shaman or nomad.

4. Gladiator: Violent games of combat are one of the most prominent forms of entertainment in the many city-states.  Those gladiators that are talented achieve fame, status and fortune while those that  fail are but bones beneath the victor’s feet.  Most that participate in the games are slaves, but many are seasoned fighters that use what skills they have to make money through violence.  Anyone with a desire for combat and fame can be a Gladiator.

5. Noble Adept: Psionic power is rather common amongst the peoples of Athas.  Few people have the ability to formally develop such power… except the nobles within each City-State.  Every city has a psionic school created by the Sorcerer-Kings to develop those with psionic power under his or her own thumb.  A displaced or disaffected noble, or a particularly adept psionic practitioner are likely to be Noble Adepts, though this kind of formal training tends to be afforded only to the exceptional or wealthy.

6. Primal Guardian:With most of the world a defiled waste, the few oasis or wooded areas on Athas are precious and few.  There are people that cross the deserts that have dedicated themselves to protecting the last healthy vestiges of the world.  Many choose a single location to defend, while others readily travel across the world, fighting against those that would defile the world.  Anyone who has a reverence for the natural world and will stand against the evils of defiling could be a Primal Guardian.

7. Templar:Every City-State has a stable of Templars, guardians and agents of the Sorcerer-Kings.  They have absolute authority over the common people, acting as judge, jury and sometimes even executioner in their home.  In order to act as the agents of their particular King, the Sorcerer-King bestows a bit of his considerable arcane power on each individual Templar.  Many Templars are as corrupt as the general populace sees them, but many truly fight for the good of the people and their home, using their status for what good they can do.  Anyone who is, was, or has trained as a Templar could have received the bit of power from their Sorcerer-King.

8. Veiled Alliance:Hiding in the shadows, far from the eyes of the Sorcerer-Kings and their Templars, there is a group called the Veiled Alliance that fights against the Master Defilers and their agents.  Members of the Veiled Alliance tend to hate arcane power in general, but look more favorable and even employ those that “preserve” (holding back as they cast magic so as to not defile the world).  They are Revolutionaries, spies and assassins that fight against defiling across the world.  Anyone can be a member of the Veiled Alliance whether warrior or wizard, provided they despise the rule of the Sorcerer-Kings.

9. Wasteland Nomad:Life on Athas does not lie solely behind the walls of the City-States.  Thousands of people live as nomadic tribes across the desert wasteland.  They live in villages, small cities or as literal nomads trudging across the harsh desert.  Anyone who has spent a great deal of time living amongst the sands of the deserts is a Wasteland Nomad.

10. Wilder:Not every psion has the benefit of the Sorcerer-Kings’ psionic school.  Many lowly commoners who have psionic power develop them by themselves, using their own will to produce the psychic effects.  As such, they tend to be controlled by their own emotions, their psionic fury born from rage or passion.  Anyone who has developed a set of psionic (or wild) talents is a Wilder.

So that was a brief description of the Themes available for character creation.  Let me know what you think and what you might use for your characters and if you aren’t playing I’ll still be happy to hear opinions!

© 2010, Jeff Hollingsworth. All rights reserved.

With that grand title, I begin my mini-review of Starcraft 2!

Starcraft 2 has been a long time coming.  The original Starcraft was released on PC way back in 1997 and continues to be one of the gaming world’s giants.  People still play the multiplayer game.  South Korea holds tournaments that rival NFL games in the US.  There are TV channels that show replays of games!  Easily one of the most anticipated releases of the year, Starcraft 2 does not disappoint.

I will admit it, I suck at RTS games.  Real Times Strategy games (or RTS’s) involve management of troops and resources to outmaneuver the other player.  On a minor level (like the one I play at) this involves building buildings, amassing troops, and throwing people at the opponent until one or the other gives up.  On a more professional level this involves macros (button combinations that do multiple things at once) and a nice stat I like to call “apm” or actions per minute.  Yes, professional Starcraft players measure how many actions they can perform in a minute.  When I say “enough” they say “200″ or some other number I can’t imagine.  Thinking on that as well as my… 5:4000 win/loss ratio (similar to most anything I do), when I say I enjoy Starcraft 2, I really mean it.

I have played a great deal of the single-player Vs. AI segment.  Wanting to get better in multiplayer, I figured I would attempt to practice against the computer.  Let’s just say I haven’t been able to eke out a win on “medium” yet (but I feel like I’m improving!).  Other than the new units and buildings, the three races of Stacraft, the human Terrans, the buglike Zerg, and the technological Protoss, all play just like they did back in 1997.  The beauty of the game is in polish and production values, though, which really shine in the single player campaign mode.

Unlike the original Starcraft where you play through all three races, Starcraft 2: Wings of Liberty have you playing as Terran renegade Jim Raynor as he fights the evil Terran Dominion and its leader Arcturus Mengsk.  Lasting around 30 missions, the single player missions provide various objectives that tend to go above and beyond “kill the other player” and often give you a choice that effects the outcome of the story.  Between missions the player can explore Raynor’s ship, play minigames and experience entirely optional exposition on the story that a singularly bloody-minded player may ignore, but a more story-focused player would definitely enjoy.

I have certainly enjoyed my time sucking at Starcraft.  The single player (both against AI and story mode) have been excellent so far and I want to continue in order to get the full experience.  When I get in to the multiplayer aspect, they actually have a 50 round “training bracket” for losers like me that are either terrible enough to warrant some training time or people who are new to the game.  I’ll let you know how I do with that as soon as I start playing multiplayer for real, but it may be a while before I gather up the courage!

I entirely recommend Starcraft 2 with a 9/10.

© 2010, Jeff Hollingsworth. All rights reserved.

So as those of you who read Joe Gamer on a regular basis know, I fight real hard for the acceptance of 4th edition as a suitable form of D&D.  Fighting against cries of “it’s just a wargame” and “might as well play World of Warcraft,” I sometimes get exasperated and flustered trying to make sure people know I’m not just a “pretend” gamer, but someone whose opinion matters in the public square (good luck on that, eh?).  Well today, while picking up the Campaign Guide for 4th Edition Dark Sun, I saw a new book from Forgotten Realms creator Ed Greenwood!

For the whole 2 of you that don’t know, Forgotten Realms is the premier Dungeons and Dragons setting.  It is an idyllic world of high fantasy and magic, often beset by evil deities, monstrous creatures and vile masterminds.  The Realms had always been protected by its legendary heroes, such iconic fantasy heroes as the wizard Elminster and the drow (dark elf) Drizz’t Do’Urden.  However, with the release of 4th edition D&D the mechanics of the game changed a good deal and (to the developers) required the Realms to change.  Thus a catastrophe called the Spellplague erupted with the death of the Goddess of Magic, Mystra.  Now the world is scarred and the massive amount of deities vying for power has been cut down drastically.  Faerun (the continent most of the Realms’ stories take place on) is a darker place, the roads between the cities much more dangerous.  Needless to say, many people were upset with the changes to their beloved setting, and it was one of the many reasons people bring to me against 4th edition.

I’ve long since wondered what Ed Greenwood, the creator of the Realms, thought of the new version of the setting.  Despite being on the cover as an author of the updated setting, there were rumors he was unhappy that his beloved world had been harmed.  I am here to tell you, this is not true!  He has recently begun writing articles for Dungeon and Dragon magazine called Realmslore, where he describes an event, person, group or item in the new Realms.  By that I mean Ed Greenwood not only created the Forgotten Realms, but he was integral in the newest update as well as continues to support this new product!  I read this interview relating to his newest novel, Elminster Must Die! that shows just how not angry he is with the new setting:  http://www.flamesrising.com/elminster-must-die-greenwood/

I’ve heard people say the new edition in general spits on the traditions and ideas of the past, but Greenwood’s continued support of the Realms gives me hope for the future.  It’s nice to know I am not the only fan of the edition or at least the background info that accompanies the edition.

Am I completely off base?  Is Greenwood just pretending?  Have I made a good point?  Tell me in the comments!

© 2010, Jeff Hollingsworth. All rights reserved.