Summer Vacations

It's been a while since I've posted on this blog.  It's summer time, and a lot happens away from the keyboard that tends to eat away at my time.  Work has also been pretty busy, which makes me forget about extraneous things like my blog.

It doesn't help that my normal work computer doesn't seem to like Blogger anymore.  I can get to the Post screen, but the out-of-date IE won't let me click on the text box to actually write anything.  That certainly slows me up.

Galactic Events

Let's talk about developments in the Star Wars gaming world.  GenCon just happened, and I didn't get to go.  Kinda sad, as I would have been able to pick up a copy of the Age of Rebellion Beta Rulebook.  Much to the surprise of everyone, FFG decided to move forward with a Beta for the next chapter/installment of their RPG.  New races, new careers, Rebellion Era ships, and even new Force Powers and Talents.  Thankfully, I've got a Fellow Legionnaire who was kind enough to pick me up a copy, and will be sending it to me Post Haste.

I'm sure this book will affect my Jedi trees somehow.  It also means that the possibility of a Force and Destiny Beta Rulebook is high, and should be at GenCon 2014.

I need to get my ass to Indy next year...

Galactic Warfare

 

War...war never changes...crap, wrong IP.

I spent last week on vacation.  Didn't really go anywhere (except to a water park and an amusement park on the same weekend).  Just me and the wife home alone for several days.  Fair amount of yardwork done, some relaxation, and a truckload of hours on Mechwarrior Online.  I'd "owned" the game with their Founder's Program for more than a year, but it wasn't until recently that I was really able to play the game.  Apparently my Graphics Processor couldn't handle the game.  Now, with an affordable upgrade, my machine can actually play the game on decent settings without it being a slideshow.

I'm having fun with it. Found a great guild to run with based on the Skye Rangers brigade; a Federated Commonwealth unit.  They're a large guild, divided up in a similar fashion to the actual brigade (3rd, 4th, 10th, 17th, 22nd, and 25th Skye Rangers).  They also have sub-groups for the Tamar Cavaliers, Kell Hounds, Grey Death Legion, and Snord's Irregulars.  After a few weeks of playing, I actually got invited to play in their competitive 12-man unit, the 1st Skye Jagers.  These are the top guys in the guild, running and practicing 12 man teams for tournaments.  With the next round of tournaments starting up soon for the "Run Hot Or Die" league, I might be able to get some actual competition in and see how I do.

 Galactic Isolation

But aside from that...I feel pretty cut off up here. I'm definitely feeling removed from not only my gaming community, but also my social community.  Sadly, this isolation is starting to really kill my creativity.  I've had many bouts of interesting ideas planted in my head that never germinated into anything.  I've got campaigns I want to run, stories I need to get back to but...nothing.  Can't keep focus on story-writing.  Can find the mental focus to stick with game writing.  I look at my gaming schedule and think "why bother, I can't get my PC party together for another 3 months". 

This is why I really loved the Monday Night Clone Wars game I had going for a while, Brothers In Arms.  I had to create, because I was running every other Monday night.  I kept my skills sharp, ready for the PCs to tangent.

I keep saying I need to get back to that, to get playing RPGs on a bi-weekly basis, even if it's over Skype or G+.  I need to kick myself until I can get the momentum going to run something.

A bi-weekly Edge of the Empire game...or Age of Rebellion (when my copy arrives). 

Yeah, I think it's time to make this happen.

"The Time Has Come..."

Back in September of 2010, I managed to find a group of people in the local 501st Garrison who were interested in playing Star Wars Saga Edition, and who I was interested in running a game for.  I've been in the Legion since 2006, and it ws always a delicate dance of bringing up Star Wars Gaming; you never know what you're going to find when you broach the subject. In spite of the fact we all dress up like bad guys from Star Wars, the Legion draws folks from all walks and backgrounds, and not everyone is as "supportive" of gamer nerds.

With this new found (or forged) group of gamers, we set off on a grand adventure in the Clone Wars era.  Three clone troopers, one verpine Jedi, and one overly large togorian teenager who aspired to be a pirate.  Many adventures were had in the backdrop of the Clone Wars.  Called the "Brothers in Arms" campaign, the group grew, and faced new challenges.  One of the clone troopers turned out to be a clone of Sifo Dias, the Jedi who initially ordered the clone army in the first place.  That discovery changed the tone, and some of the party dynamics.

During a break in the game, one of the other clone troopers decided to switch over to a Bith Jedi.  Another change, another adjustment.  The game shifted slightly too, with characters starting to see the world in more shades of grey, and that the Republic, while worth fighting for, was also not without it's corruption.

Finally, last night, while finishing off the last of the other Syfo Dias clones in a secrect cloning facility on Kamino, the clone troopers in the party received a call that has been anticipated since day one of the campaign. 

"Execute Order 66"

Instantly, the other clone troopers (NPCs) accompanying them turned on the Jedi and opened fire.  Two clone troopers NPCs who the heroes had known since day one of the game and grew to like in a "Rosencrants and Guildenstern" sort of manner turned on each other.  One followed orders, and the other resisted his training and followed his heart, killing his counterpart for the PCs.  The PCs got to take down an overly harsh clone commander who has also been in their hair since the beginning.  His death was much less tragic, and much more celebrated.

The clone troopers themselves sided with their fellow PCs, not really understanding why the order was given, or what went wrong.  All they know now is that they are on Kamino, with several hundred thousand clone troopers between them and their ship, and in the company of two fugitives with "kill on sight" orders hanging over their heads.

The game has changed, and it was a welcome and highly anticipated change.

The only downside was that my text message in the middle of combat to the two clone trooper PCs that read "Execute Order 66" only got to one of them.  It slightly derailed the drama, but only slightly.  A tip to enjoy tech when it works, but don't rely on it without a back up.

And Nick?  Time to get a new phone, buddy.  The one you have is unreliable...

Another Longshot: Go Big or Go Home

I'm returning to discussing the development of a new Star Wars Campaign, Another Longshot.  For those who may not know, this is a sequel campaign to one I ran back in 2005.  Ending in 2007 a few months before one of the players moved to Georgia on "temporary exile", the game had simply intended to be a "welcome back!" reward for when his life-choice responsibilities finished.  It's slowly growing beyond that, and it's not even slated to get on the table until the summer of 2013*.

Histroy Lessons

The original Longshot Game, run in the previous Revised Core Rules for D20 Star Wars, took place in the Rebellion Era.  It centered around a doomed-but-hopeful mission for the Rebel Alliance to steal an old, moth-balled Venator-Star Destroyer.  This particular ship was part of General Kenobi's Open Circle Fleet, bring it to Mon Cala, and have the Mon Cala shipyards restore it to fighting condition, along with it's original paint job.  The ship would then serve as a symbol from the Republic Era, and as an ambassadorial ship to travel the Outer Rim gathering support for the Rebel Alliance (and the New Republic after the Rebels won at Endor).

Most of the PCs were fighter pilots in some capacity (some were better than others), flying a variety of Alliance fightercraft.  The initial attack on the shipyard went belly-up the moment the ships jumped into the system.  The Corellian Corvette that was carrying the command staff and crew for the Venator blew up due upon arrival dueto sabotage.  The PC's fighter carrier suffered a similar fate mid-way through the raid.  The shipyard was well defended, much more than anticipated, with a Victory II Star Destroyer maintaining watch over the battle and swarms of TIE Fighters coming out of the woodwork.  Somehow, the PCs were able to cover the escape shuttles from their dead carrier to the Venator, power it up, and jump out using the Star Destroyer's back-up hyperdrive (the main one was removed long ago).

No shields, only a back-up hyperdrive, no guns, a barely functional flight deck; it's no wonder the survivors of the raid dubbed the ship "The Longshot".  It would take the Longshot fourteen months to get to Mon Cala in it's current state, and it would have to do it on a multi-jump trek to take on food, water, and supplies at regular intervals.  The Rebel Alliance wanted them to scrap the mission, stating they didn't have any more resources to devote to this "malfed-up mission", but the PCs and the command staff NPCs were able to talk the Alliance Command into letting them try.  The PCs, more resourceful than anyone expected, were able to assist in getting the Longshot to where she needed to be.  Chased by Imperial Inquisitors, bounty hunters, and Imperial seek-and-destroy fleets, the group made it to Mon Cala sixteen months later with the Longshot mostly intact.

The campaign was kind of "Battlestar Galactica meets Hunt for Red October"; that's how I ran it anyway.  The players loved it.  They all had a grand old time and looked forward to the next session.  More so, they looked forward to playing the sequel, already promised when Alex left for Georgia. 

As with all great stories (or preceived great stories), the legend grew, and more people wanted in on the sequel to "The Longshot Campaign".

Many more people.

Many...



Names That Mean Nothing To Many

I did an inventory of the players from the original game; Andrew, Joe, Sarah T, Bob, Pete, Kimber, and Special Guest Tim W.  Then there's the list of the potential players to add to the party; Erich, Ann Marie, Heather, Sarah G**, Brett, and Jeffo.  There's also the list of the "Unknown Horde", folks who may want to be in this game but are not yet considered; Random, Tim B, Whitney, Johanna, Sam Witwer***

Given these numbers, I could be looking at a 10-16 person party.  That would be an excessive number of PCs, way more than I've ever had or even wanted to have.  I could write it like the Dawn of Defiance campaign, and run it three times.  But that means that every session is scripted, with little opportunity for PC action to send it far off the rails.  Or if I let that happen, I'm going to end up writing three campaigns that vaguely use the same antagonists and story line.  At that point I might as well cut to the chase and just write one big campaign and have two parties of 6-8 players that are all working towards the same goal, just through different means...

...now that sounds like a kick ass campaign.

Prelude to an Epic

The thought of running a multi-party campaign in the Legacy Era of Star Wars...it really throws a ton of fuel onto the Fires of Inspiration.  Two parties, one more Galactic Alliance and Jedi focused, the other more Empire-In-Exile focused.  Each operating agaisnt the Sith Empire.  Both sharing stories and objectives, actively or in-advertently helping the other team with their goals.  Big Bad Evil Guys that threaten both teams.  NPCs that like some characters but not others.  Plus, there's the opportunity for "cross-over" teams and "special guest stars".

This screams "Comic Book Super-Team", doesn't it?  Cuz that's what it certainly feels like.

Were I to plan and run a game like this, it would pretty much necessitate the ending, or indefinite hiatus, of all my other Campaigns (maybe with the exception of my Earthdawn game, because I may need a change of pace, and I don't see me being able to get that to it's conclusion in 18 months.)  I'll be running two seperate campaigns, but more than that I'll be juggling the connective tissue between the two campaigns, tracking how actions affect the overall plot, and coming up with ways to make each team affected by the failure or success of the other.

So Order 65, you're on notice.  Brothers in Arms, your time is nigh(-ish).  I will have to finish both of you by Summer Blockbuster Season, 2013.  I have a campaign to write, dammit.

 A potential PC Party...?

* "Coming Summer 2013"...sounds like a movie teaser trailer.  Note to self; make a teaser trailer for Another Longshot...
** I hold out hope against hope that I can get her back to the table.
*** Why the frell not invite him, am I right?  I hear he's got a girlfriend who lives in MA...

A Long Time Ago...

It's sadly been quite a while since I had the opportunity to update this blog.

(Aright, to be honest and fair I've had plenty of opportunity, I just haven't had the mental drive to.)

I'm going to take a moment or two and try to back-fill in what's been going on in my Costuming and Gaming career since last we spoke.  I've started a new, non-Star Wars campaign, returned to one of my Star Wars campaigns with feelings of trepidation, and went to Dragon*Con 2011.

Earthdawn

As mentioned in a previous post, I have returned to the lands of Barsaive and am running a new campaign set in the world of Earthdawn.  Called the Exiled Lords*, the campaign will focus on a band of heroes drawn to the village of Asylum, and their discovery of two great legends; the Books of Scale and the Exiled Lords.  The game just completed it's second session, and the PCs are being very forthcoming with keeping the Obsidian Portal site for the game up to date.  This is because there are mechanics in the game that reward Players for keeping journals of their hero's exploits.  I've also devised mechanics for awarding the PCs more experience for contributing to the website.  In a game system where you spend Experience Points to improve your character's abilities, there's a ton of motivation to write a few paragraphs to get enough XP for a new Talent or to improve an old one.

Go and check it out if you're curious.  The PCs are doing a heck of a job.

Star Wars: Brothers in Arms

Back to the main focus of this Blog; Star Wars gaming.  I ran/returned to my Clone Wars Era campaign this past Monday night, and it went okay.  There's a lot of cob-webs to shake loose, a new character to introduce, and a general feeling of dread on my part.  We really only had time for one space encounter and a bit of roleplaying that led into a set up for a combat encounter at the start of the next session. 

As is typical with any social group, a lot of time was lost in the game session catching up with each other.  Some of us hadn't seen other players for months, and a lot has happened over the summer.  I'm just as much an offender to the "tangent of stories" as the rest of the players, I found myself side-tracked at least three times when I should have been bringing the focus of the evening back to the gaming table.  I figure it's going to take another 2-3 sessions before we get back into the groove of gaming, and are able to stay focused.

I still wish folks would refrain from dropping the innuendo-fueled comment of "That's what she said!" at every humorous opportunity.  It's a rampant problem in that game.  Cure for the first twenty times, but it's gotten old.  To me, anyway.

There are two hurdles in this "re-launch"; first is that I lost a Clone.  When we started we had three clone troopers; a character going Arc Trooper, a support clone trooper who was actually Force sensitive, and a Clone Commando named "Professor".  The player of "Professor" wasn't having fun with the Follower system and it really colored his perceptions of his Clone Commando he made.  We tried various mechanics, including using the Droid's Protocol system as a base for handling his followers, but nothing seemed to be working well.  He wanted to stop playing Professor and has swapped out to a Bith Jedi Knight.  I didn't get to see the character until that night, because the player procrastinated in even making the character (he had 3 months; what the hell, man?)  I haven't even really had a chance to see the character and review it, so I'm glad that the first encounter was a space encounter that the Jedi wasn't really built for.  Now I have a copy and can review him.

Thanks to my brother for taking a look at the Jedi, and noticing the player chose Phase for a Force Power.  I don't allow Phase in my game.  This is Star Wars, not X-Men; no "Kitty Pride Tricks" in my campaign.  Now I have to look it over and see if there are any other issues with it.

With the loss of the Professor, and the character evolution of the Force Sensitive Clone Trooper, the game is starting to feel less and less like a "Brothers in Arms" situation.  The players are all the same, but the in-play dynamics have changed.  It could all just be me not being in the mind-set of the campaign after 4 months, or it could be more of a feeling of writer's block with where to take the game.  It's something that I'll have to figure out and play out over the next few weeks.

Dragon*Con 2011

An amazing and good time.  Anyone who's into TV and Movie Stars, Sci-Fi and Horror, and Costumes needs to go to this Con.  I spent way too much money there (I'm looking at you Ultra-Sabers...damn you and your Convenction Discount prices!) and had a great time.  Sadly I caught the "Con Crud" and in the drive back to New England gave it to my Fiancee.  I've still got a cough that I can't quite get rid of...

Bumped into Sam Witwer, of D20 Radio fame (he also does this side project, acting in Sci-Fi's Being Human TV Series as the vampire Adian).  Sadly didn't get a chance to talk to him for very long, but it was nice to be able to shake his hand none the less.  I had much better luck talking with Star Wars authors Mike Stackpole and Aaron Allston.  Two very cool guys, and fun to just shoot the breeze with. 

I'll get up pics of the costuming I did soon, I just don't have them accessible right now.  Commander Fil in the Georgia heat, and my contribution to a Renassaiance JLA costuming group.  It was awesome.

That's it for now.  Back to blogging, and back to growing Fragments from the Rim.


* Yes, I totally stole the name from the forthcoming Sith Empire guild the D20 Radio listeners plan to form when The Old Republic MMO launches later this year.  It's a solid name!