Joe Gamer

Watching television recently I caught a movie that I personally had not seen in over thirty years. In this story the protagonist is trying to live free when he has a run in with a crooked law man. The movie is the 1978 story of Western Ruggedness, Convoy.

While watching the film I was struck by how the protagonist, Martin ‘Rubber Duck’ Penwald, was a very reluctant leader and hero. Rubber Duck simply wanted to live his life doing what he loved. When the antagonist, Arizona Sheriff Lyle ‘Cottonmouth’ Wallace, entraps Duck and his friends, the truckers haul tail for New Mexico to avoid a wrongful prosecution.

One might ask why I’m talking about a 70′s trucker film in a gaming blog, and that’s a valid question. Rubber Duck struck me as an archetypal Chaotic Good character. Duck is a genuinely good guy that typically follows the rules of the land, but when those rules are used unjustly he has no qualms about ignoring the rules or those that attempt to enforce them. Duck has no dreams of being a leader or messiah even though others want to thrust such a mantle upon him. Even as others fall in line with him, following him almost blindly, he’s simply driving to be free.

Cottenmouth similarly strikes me as very Lawful Neutral, perhaps even Lawful Evil, but I don’t really think he is evil. Cottenmouth does have a bit of a sadistic streak when it comes to truckers, and he uses his authority to his own ends in these regards. Never during the course of the film did I consider him evil however, though I must admit that right at the very end as Cottenmouth is firing a military machine gun mounted on a Texas State Riot Police tank directly into the Rubber Duck’s truck, Cottenmouth had a bit of a sadistic grin going. I also have to admit that Rubber Duck really pushed all of Cottenmouth’s buttons simply by ignoring the sheriff and everyone gets a little extra sadistic as he or she finally gets to swat at that really annoying bug once and for all. Ignore the fact that it was Cottenmouth that riled up that bug to begin with.

There is one quote that really outlines the two characters and their representations of Chaotic Good and Lawful Neutral. It is:
Sheriff Lyle Wallace aka Cottonmouth: I am the law. Don’t you understand, I represent the law.
Rubber Duck: Well piss on ya, and piss on your law.

Check out Convoy. It’s a fun, if slow, movie. It nicely illustrates how you can have real conflict with very little in the way of violence and between adversaries neither of whom are evil. Also notice how as the conflict escalates so does the violence to the point where I don’t think either of the characters would have seen themselves capable of committing in the beginning of the movie.

© 2011, admin. All rights reserved.

I’ve been a longtime fan of The Knights of the Dinner Table comics from way back in the days when the comic appeared in Shadis magazine. Shadis! That was a while back. For a while the comic appeared in Dragon magazine (DRAGON!) and eventually found its way to comic book format. The guys at Kenzer & Co. STUFF the pages of KoDT and Jolly Blackburn is the writer / artist. Let me tell you KoDT is FUNNY stuff. Actually you don’t have to believe me, the guys at Kenzer are GIVING AWAY a comic in PDF form. Go ahead, download that, read it and come back. I’ll wait.

…

Funny stuff right?! If you said “no” stop reading now and go away, I have no use for you. Philistine!

Anyway, for a while I visited the Kenzer&Co forums pretty regularly. Jolly often posted during those times and you just get to know folks … or at least know what they want you to know about them, but then again that’s all we really know about most folks anyway. Let me just say Jolly is VERY likable and much loved by my wife and I as well as a great many other fans.

So what does this have to do with AEG?

Recently Jolly and his wife Barbara lost their daughter Amber. I can’t imagine their pain. BoardGameGeek (another industry class act) started a drive to raise money for the Blackburn family, and AEG stepped in with some really significant donations. I can’t afford a single one, but I strongly encourage folks to go over to BBG, register, and bid on something neat. Also take the time to look at all the companies and individuals donating items for this family’s cause. Gaming is filled with some really excellent people.

When you are done go hug your kids, kiss your spouse, and remember to let the ones you love know it. You never know how much longer they will be with you, so make every moment count. Now if you don’t mind I’m wrapping this one up to go read a book to my little girl. Hopefully I won’t choke up.

© 2011, Joseph Little. All rights reserved.

Anyone who has spoken with me at any length on 4e DnD knows I have mixed feelings on the subject. On the up side of the system, things seem streamlined, the system is a little more intuitive, and some of the character classes *coughWARLORDcough* really appeal to me. On the downside I find that magic just isn’t as special as it used to be and there isn’t anything particularly special about any character class. I like the concept of rituals vs. magic abilities, but nothing wows me about magic as a whole in the system. The magic has gone out of magic, and as a player who’s loved spell casters from the first time I picked up a Red Box three decades ago, this saddens me.

So recently I have started playing in a 4e DnD campaign (my first) set in the Darksun campaign setting. Tiny King Jeff runs the show as the DM. He’s pretty new at DMing, and while the job isn’t any easier having three veteran DMs sitting at the table as players, he’s doing well. Reservations about the game aside, I have to say I’m having a blast. All of the characters have their own niche, and each has gotten a time to shine. In my mind that’s a SERIOUS plus to a gaming system. I still hold some reservations however because we haven’t advanced beyond first level. So while I can say the start of the game is strong, I really have no idea what 5th, 10th, 20th, and 30th levels may be like.

Also as a person that actually LIKES systems like RoleMaster where you spend HOURS creating a character only to have him die to a luckily rolled critical in the very first combat he encounters, or even the Stormbringer system where you have a better chance of playing a one armed beggar than anything actually useful, I have to say I already miss the struggle. What is the point in pushing on with a particular character if the hopes of seeing him finally come into his own when each character shines from day one? I know this directly conflicts my previous statement that such balance is a strength of a system, but I allow myself such contrasting opinions.

Overall I’m happy with what I’ve gotten from 4e so far. However I can’t say I’m going all in on the system yet. I’ll have a much better idea in a year or two. If I’m still playing my Warlord Trader and still discovering neat new aspects to the character, I’ll be more than pleased. If things end up becoming monotonous with each encounter pretty much seeming like the one before, then I’ll end up dropping 4e like I dropped Everquest, with a disgusted “what’s the point” attitude never to return. We’ll see (no pressure Tiny King).

© 2010, Joseph Little. 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.

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.