Dorkland! Roundtable with Zak Smith

Perhaps you've heard of Zak Smith. He is an artist, writer and game designer who has written/designed the excellent game supplement called Vornheim: The Complete City Kit. He has also done porn, and plays D&D with a group of porn actors, models, strippers and a hairdresser. You may remember when I wrote about them before over at this post. Today I talked with Zak for one of my Dorkland! Roundtables. It was a good chat/discussion/interview. Whatever you want to call them. One of the things that I like about Zak is that he is a man of opinions but he goes beyond just stating opinions and tries to back up what he says with facts and information.

More than a few people get upset because Zak has done porn, because he games with people who do porn, because he has a blog called D&D With Pornstars. People shouldn't be afraid of sex and sexuality, or think that all forms of entertainment has to be safe, sanitized and polite to all ages. There is plenty of room in gaming for people with all sorts of backgrounds, genders, orientations and races. It is OK to want things to be a little grown up too, and to want to game differently than you might have when you were 13.

You should check out the videos of Zak and his friends gaming. They are fun to watch, and they have a group of people who are having a lot of fun gaming. There's a bit of strong language in them (and my YouTube video above) so I wouldn't suggest watching them at work. People say that we need more people in gaming, and sometimes I even agree with that idea. I think that one way to do that is to show different people, outside of the conventional stereotypes of gaming, having fun at table top gaming. I think this group is as good of an example as any others. They kick ass, take names and have fun. Who cares about their jobs?

I had a good time talking with Zak, and I hope that you enjoy this interview. My standard Thumper rule is in place for this post. If you can't say anything nice about the people, don't say anything at all. I will delete people for being a dick. You're more than welcome to be a dick on the internet, you just don't get to do it on my blog. There's plenty of other virtual real estate out there if you want to do that.

The Internet And The Art Of The Actual Play In RPGs

Updated: I will add our new videos to this post as we make them.

I have to first admit that I'm really not a fan of reading, listening to or watching other people's actual play reports/podcasts/whatevers. I've been running a Swords & Wizardry game for a couple of months now, using the Google+ Hangouts for its video chat services. It's been a lot of fun. The last two weeks, we decided to use the Hangouts on the Air function to broadcast and record our sessions.

This is our first recording:

And this is our second recording:

Our third recording:

Before I had started running this game, I was strongly anti-running games online. I'm what you would call a social gamer (in that I game for the social aspect of things, hanging out with people and that sort of thing), and I didn't think that using online tools would come close to equally the feel that I get from gaming. It turns out that I was wrong about that. Maybe it is just because of the group of people that I have met because of this game, but this group has been every bit as engaging for me socially as any face to face group that I've ever been a part of.

I'm still not a big fan of actual play however. People seem to be watching and getting something out of our posts, so I guess that's a good thing for them. I can see the benefit of actual plays for games that you have never played before, and would like to watch others doing it so that you can make sure that you are doing things right. I'm not saying there's no use to actual play posts or reports.

What do you get out of seeing someone else doing an actual play?

Tabletop RPG Gaming and Social Responsibility

I took part in a conversation online about gaming and "Social Responsibility." There are a small, yet vocal, group of people out in the table top gaming community who want to impose their narrow standards upon everyone else who is involved in gaming. That is wrong. I think it is wrong to impose my standards upon others, and I think that it is wrong for others to try to impose their standards upon me.

There are legitimately bad things out there in the world, many of them things that I have experienced myself. I've been homeless, sleeping on benches on building stoops. I have been in halfway houses for those suffering from mental illness. I've been sexually assaulted. I've been robbed, mugged and had guns and knives pointed at me. On the whole spectrum of things whether a piece of art shows a woman's breasts or a tabard is pointing at someone's genitals is pretty damn insignificant.

I am sure that someone, somewhere will misquote or misrepresent what I am saying here, or elsewhere, but that reflects more upon them and their standards and the fact that they have to actively misrepresent the viewpoints of those who have opposing viewpoints means that they have already lost any discussions. Nothing stays static, and no culture should ever stagnate, but that is what happens when some try to impose their ideologies onto others.

I don't know, this is something that I am close to so my language isn't going to be as precise as it probably could be but I am just going to muddle through this. It is OK to not like things. It isn't OK to start telling other people what they can and cannot like. Like George said in the discussion, so many great pieces of art/literature would be lost to us today if publishers and others listened to the loud voices.

Here's the video of the panel:

Honestly, I think that we can get through this patch of things. We have to start by trusting that others are capable of thinking for themselves and that they are capable of coming to their own decisions. We also have to realize that the existence of a game or book or movie or piece of art that does not fit into what we like, what we enjoy, does not invalidate what we do like.

It is OK to not like things, just keep your biases off of me and I promise to do the same and keep my biases off of you. That is what will make for a better community.

Dorkland! Roundtable with James Desborough

Today I spent some time talking with James Desborough of Postmortem Studios about gaming, the cultural differences between the U.S. and the U.K., being a controversial figure and 2000AD comics. It was a fun time and enthusiastic for us both, at least I think that it was enthusiastic for us both. One of the important things about these Roundtables is that we get to put a humanizing face to the people whose books we read, or games that we play.

Just remember, this blog isn't a democracy and I have zero qualms about squelching the rights of expression from anyone who can't be polite about things. You're more than welcome to disagree with people and their ideas, just don't be a dick about "attacking" them.

Valiant Preview: Bloodshot #1

Out today at your comic stores!

Valiant Entertainment is proud to present an advance preview of Bloodshot #1, from acclaimed writer Duane Swierczynski and red-hot artists Manuel Garcia and Arturo Lozzi! You've seen X-O Manowar and Harbinger take fans and critics by storm. Now find out on Wednesday, July 11th why Bloodshot #1 is the book that has IGN declaring, "Valiant is quickly becoming the publisher to beat and as long they keep putting out quality books like Bloodshot, it's likely to stay that way."

It was supposed to be your final mission. One last job before leaving black ops behind. Dropped into the middle of a Third World firefight, you must rescue your captured comrade from certain death. No - wait. You're infiltrating an enemy compound to bring an international terrorist to justice. No - that's not right either. You're on a one-man revenge mission to avenge your wife and family. Everything used to make sense, but - wait, what is Project Rising Spirit? Are they the ones pulling your strings? And who are you really?

On July 11th, the most dangerous man in the Valiant Universe takes on his most formidable opponent yet – the truth. Trust no one – even yourself – when Bloodshot #1 charges into action this Wednesday!

But the saga of the Valiant Universe doesn't end there. Look for Harbinger #2, available in stores and on comiXology the same day, and X-O Manowar #3, on sale July 18th!

BLOODSHOT #1 – ON SALE JULY 11th!
Written by DUANE SWIERCZYNSKI
Art by MANUEL GARCIA & ARTURO LOZZI
Cover by ARTURO LOZZI (MAY121309)
Pullbox Exclusive Cover by MICO SUAYAN (MAY121310)
Variant Cover by DAVID AJA (MAY121311)
Variant Cover by ESAD RIBIC (MAY121312)
$3.99/Rated T+/32 pgs.

The Super-Powered Dorkland! Roundtable

My guests were Steve Kenson, Chris Rutkowsky, Joshua Kubli, Jeff Dee and Cam Banks. Cam, unfortunately had some serious technical issues and didn't get to contribute as much as he would have liked. Hopefully I can get Cam back for a future Roundtable. We talked about super-heroes, comics and role-playing, as well as their games: Mutants & Masterminds, Villains & Vigilantes, the Bash RPG, Invulnerable and Marvel Heroic Roleplaying.

The Future of Dungeons & Dragons: Dungeons & Dragons Keynote Address at Gen Con Indy 2012

The Future of Dungeons & Dragons
Dungeons & Dragons Keynote Address at Gen Con Indy 2012

INDIANAPOLIS (June 28, 2012) - Calling all heroes, your presence is required!  Join us for an unprecedented look into the future of Dungeons & Dragons, including the evolution of the game, the re-birth of a fantasy setting and the next generation of art.  Wizards of the Coast is proud to host its first-ever Gen Con keynote address on Thursday, August 16th  to share with D&D fans what is in store for the game that has changed gaming forever. Speakers include President and CEO of Wizards Greg Leeds, Senior Manager for D&D Research and Design Mike Mearls, and some of the greatest creative minds in the industry. 

The keynote begins at 7:00 PM in the 500 Ballroom of the Indianapolis Convention Center and will be live-streamed at DungeonsandDragons.com/events.

Greg Leeds quote: “We are honored to be hosting the first-ever Gen Con keynote address, and sharing with the legions of D&D fans what the future holds for the game that has changed so many lives.”

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About Gen Con
Gen Con, LLC produces the largest consumer hobby, fantasy, science-fiction, and adventure game convention in North America. It was acquired in 2002 by former CEO and Founder of Wizards of the Coast Peter Adkison. Gen Con is a consumer and trade experience dedicated to gaming culture and community. For more information on Gen Con, visit www.gencon.com.

Let's Talk About ... Agents of S.W.I.N.G.

Alternate cover image taken from the author's DeviantArt page.

Let's talk about a fun little game called Agents of S.W.I.N.G. It came out from Postmortem Studios and was written by James Desborough (you may have heard of him). I'm writing this review because because this is a cool little game that deserves the attention, and because James is a creator who also deserves the attention. Now, I'm not a fan of everything that Postmortem does, but I am a fan of this game.

Agents of S.W.I.N.G. uses a Fate 3.0 hack at its core, but unlike many other of the contemporary Fate hacks, this version is a bit more streamlined than what you are going to find in other third party builds. Don't let that 344 pages on the RPGNow fool you because Agents of S.W.I.N.G. is a digest-sized book, unlike the letter-sized books that the other Fate hacks have been. If Agents had been done in a letter size it would have been a much slimmer book.

James shows an understanding of the underlying concepts and mechanics of the Fate rules when he digs in and streamlines the mechanics to get to what he wants to do with them. I'll get back to that in just a bit because I want to talk about the setting, and then get back to how the rules make this setting work. Agents of S.W.I.N.G. is a solid game that everyone who enjoys cinematic, fast-paced espionage gaming should own.

Agents of S.W.I.N.G. is a game of Swinging 60s British Spy-Fi television and movies.Shows like The Avengers, The Man From UNCLE, Danger Man and The Prisoner are the basis of this game. For those who might not know about Spy-Fi, Wikipedia gives a nice definition:

It often uses a secret agent (solo or in a team) or superspy whose mission is a showcase of science fiction elements such as technology and ideas used for extortion, plots for world domination or world destruction, futuristic weapons, gadgets and fast vehicles that can travel on land, fly, or sail on or under the sea. Spy-fi does not necessarily present espionage as it is practiced in reality. It is escapist fantasy that emphasizes glamour, adventure and derring-do.

This isn't a game, or setting of gritty espionage, like the current James Bond movies or the spate of Bourne movies, but one that embraces the pulpiness of the genre. Agents of S.W.I.N.G. is a game where John Drake can rub elbows with the Doctor and go off and fight Communist tyranny. In fact, if you look closely at the extensive collection of NPCs in the book you might just find analogues for both of those characters. There is even plenty of support for the Sci-Fi gadgetry that is so important to this genre.

Then we get to Fate. As we all know, Fate 3.0 is the engine that was built for Evil Hat's Spirit of the Century game, a high-flying game of pulp adventure, that has been adapted to be used for everything from urban fantasy to space opera to traditional fantasy games. The inherent pulpiness of Fate makes it a great match for this genre. James then streamlines and customizes the rules in his build, to make the rules fit into the concepts of Spy-Fi even better. One of the fundamental (to me) changes is the change to the adjective ladder of Fate. Fate (and the Fudge rules from which it is derived) is built around the concept of the adjective ladder as both a tool for descriptions and as the core resolution mechanic. This is the adjective ladder used in Agents of S.W.I.N.G.:

+8: Out of sight
+7: Far out
+6: Fab
+5: Groovy
+4: Neat
+3: Solid
+2: Hip
+1: Cool
+0: Yawn
-1: Bent
-2: Crummy
-3: Bummer

James cooked the Swinging 1960s London right into the core of the system. This is a good thing, because the rules help to reinforce the mindset of the setting and pull the players both into the setting and their characters. Each time you roll the dice in Agents of S.W.I.N.G. you are sucked into thinking like someone in Swinging London.

Agents of S.W.I.N.G. introduces a point-buy system to Fate that does away with pyramids and extensive stunts and perquisites. The point buy system for Skills in this game is particularly good (and time saving). Something that I plan to use should I run another Fate game myself. Basically, what James does is make each rank worth a point (so a skill purchased at Hip costs 2 points and a skill purchased at Groovy costs 5 points) and then gives starting characters 20 points with which to purchase skills. You can get a surprisingly adept character out of this method, which I am sure was the point. Stunts are similarly broken down and streamlined.

Does Agents of S.W.I.N.G. do the job of capturing the feel that it is going for? I think so. The choice of the Fate system was a good fit for this system, and the further customizations to it by James help to reinforce this. Fate embraces the swinging pulpiness of the setting and at the same time enforces the setting in the minds of the players.

I cannot recommend strongly enough that people buy this game. Am I doing this review for political reasons? Absolutely, but not for the reasons that some may think. When creators are censored or pressured into making games out of political pressure that is ultimately not good for gaming in the long run. People cannot design if they are constantly looking over their shoulder, which is what happens in an environment of anger and hate. Once one publisher or designer crumbles, it is only a matter of time before the mobs move on to something else that they don't like, using their anger and fear as a justification to stifle further creativity.

Keep in mind that, should you decide to comment, this is not a public venue. It is my blog and my rules. I will allow, disallow and delete whatever comments that I want. The Thumper rule is in effect: if you can't say anything nice, don't say anything at all.

Simple Skill System For Swords & Wizardry

Admittedly, not everyone want skills in their old school games, this post is for those people who do want to add the option to their games. This is written for Swords & Wizardry but could easily be ported to any old school game. The genesis of this particular variant comes from a forum post made by one of the players in the G+ Swords & Wizardry game. This is still in a very rough form, and I am posting this mostly to get it out of the headspace and into a format that can be commented upon.

The basic mechanic is that the player rolls 2d6, adds any modifiers from their character's Ability Scores, and compares it to a target number for the difficulty of the task (as set by the Referee). If the roll + modifiers is higher than the target, the character succeeds at using that skill.

Difficulty Determined by Referee	Die Roll
Simple Task	No Roll
Hard Task	9+
Difficult Task	12+

The referee should keep the difficulty of the task in mind at all time, and should also consider the general level/competency of the character in mind as well. What is a simple task for a 6th level character might be Hard or Difficult for a 1st level character. The referee is always cautioned to err in favor of the character when determining the difficulty of a task.

Modifiers are determined by the Dexterity or Intelligence of the character, using the following table:

Score	Bonus/Penalty
3-8	-1
9-12	+0
13-18	+1

If a skill is something that is dependent on the character's overall agility and coordination, use the Dexterity score's bonus/penalty. If the skill is something that depends on the overall mental capabilities of the character, use the Intelligence score's bonus/penalty.

At this point I do not include Thief skills, because I think that those skills should be a protected niche of that character class. An option for Thieves could be to convert the Thief "skills" over to skills in this system and just give the Thief a special modifier, like half their level. I'm not 100% on this specific listing of skills just yet. This is a part that I am still turning over in my head (yes, this list of skills was taken from an OGL source, and it will be properly attributed, should this idea make it into a polished and final form).

Arcana: Your character’s knowledge of the unknown and the magical within the game world. Note that this doesn't give a character any sort of spellcasting ability.

Athletics: Anything involving physical or athletic activities, including climbing, swimming, and acrobatics.

Communication: Your character’s ability to communicate with others, but not to persuade (see Social, below).

Focus: Anything involving concentration, observation or perception.

Nature/Outdoors: How good your character is at things like camping, fishing, hunting, survival, navigation and horseback riding.

Enterprise: Your character’s knowledge of how businesses and finance work.

Investigation: Your character’s knowledge of how to look for clues, searching an area for hidden things, and the like.

Languages: How good your character is at speaking/reading/understanding a particular language. Each language counts as a different skill.

Military Sciences: Your character’s knowledge of tactics and strategy, as well as military history.

Profession: This is what your character does for a living when not out adventuring. Sample professions can be: Blacksmith, Cooper, Brewer, Weaver, Veterinarian, and etc. The profession must be specified, and this skill can be taken multiple times for multiple professions.

Performance: Your character’s ability to perform in front of others, this can be acting, singing, dancing or playing a musical instrument.

Social: Anything involving using your charm or persuasion

Technical: How good your character is at technical tasks such as mechanics.

Transportation: How good your character is at driving or piloting vehicles. Also allows the character some basic mechanical knowledge of their preferred vehicle.

Skills do not have ranks, they are either trained (i.e. the character has that skill) or untrained. All character classes start play with one skill at first level, and gain another every three levels.

Random Spellbooks For Swords & Wizardry

One of the benefits to a game like Swords & Wizardry is the ability to quickly generate a character. Roll the dice, pick the class, fill out hit points and you are pretty much ready to go. The only thing that can slow down the process is figuring out what spells the Magic-User can have access to when starting out. The assumption is that a fledgling magic-user is given a (mostly blank) spellbook when completing their studies that has a handful of spells scribed into it by their teacher. The question is, what spells are in their spellbook?

This post helps you to quickly, and randomly, generate a starting spellbook for your first level magic-user. (It can also be handy for spellbooks found in the loot while dungeon-crawling.) We assume that your character's teacher is not going to be too helpful and provide them with too much magic...just because powerful magic-users tend to be covetous of the knowledge that they have gathered, and paranoid about how others might use that power against them. One house rule that I have for my Swords & Wizardry games is that Read Magic is a class ability for magic-users, rather than a spell. It seems silly that a magic-user would undergo that much sorcerous training and not understand magical languages.

Spellbooks are a repository of the accumulated magical knowledge of the magic-user, part documentation for their spells and part magical diary of their journey of discovery. A spellbook is very important to a magic-user because it contains the formulas and memory devices for each spell that they use. Losing a spellbook means that a magic-user is unable to rememorize spells as casting causes the spells to vanish from their minds. This makes a spellbook more valuable than gold to a magic-user.