I miss playing in person

Seems a pretty basic statement but let me explain (you knew I was going to anyways).

Currently have two groups I am running in 5th edition D&D. One group is running through Lost Mine of Phandelver (LMoP) and another group stemmed from the first group that we casually are calling Off Day Delves (ODD). We have a player that can only make every other week so I drew up a map and decided to run a sandbox to keep the others gaming on a weekly basis.

It has been working out well and it has been a lot of fun, but we have been using Roll20 to do our gaming despite us all working together. Most of this is a logistical issue with space, children and fuel cost being a factor.

Let me say before this gets taken the wrong way that I find the amount of technology that makes online playing a reality to be amazing, in fact it has drawn me in even further than I may have through traditional measures. I played a variety of systems and game styles thanks to G+ and their chat client with people I met through various groups on G+ that I would have probably never even investigated. For that reason I am very appreciative of this technology existing. 

The problem I am having is that running a game as DM feels painfully clunky, like it is almost there but it isn't. Being that I have been running these groups for about 2 months now and it still feels disconnected to me.

I miss seeing peoples reactions, the table talk, conspiring among players, passing notes and the simple physical act of rolling the dice. It just seems muted playing digitally.

OK I have had a few beers so I am rambling a little bit, but I am pretty sure I am going to be running my Savage Worlds campaign in person only.

Board Games Will Suffice

Well things have been hectic for me the last couple weeks but seem to have finally settled down. Apologies for not posting, but to be honest I didn't feel I had much to write about. Then I got to thinking about what I could talk about gaming related and realized I have been playing a lot of board type games on our very random family nights. So the next few posts will be about what games the two of us play that are not exactly RPG related but falls into the genre at the same time.


Munchkin

Everyone but me seems to have found this game years ago, apparently I have lived a sheltered life in relation to gaming.

I purchased this game on a whim since I knew little about it but what little I did know always was favorable. So one day after a Sunday breakfast we journeyed to our local game store Adventures Underground, which by the way is an awesome store with a great selection and staff (shameless plug), and after walking the game aisles for a bit trying to decide on something we decided on Munchkin.

Now allow me to explain first off that a game purchase is a pretty big deal at this point in life as money is tight and we are really looking for something that is going to entertain us for more than just an initial play. We pretty well know the standard board games like Monopoly, Risk, Life and the sort but to be honest they are games for people in old folks homes and neither myself nor my daughter are ready for the retirement center yet. /end side tangent/

With the trickeries of payment handled we leave with box in hand and decide to have a cup of coffee at the local spot and give the game a test play. This is where a game can fly or fall because you need defined rules in order to start, but too many or too complicated a rule set and you begin to get lost in the lawyering of the game instead.

Munchkin I am glad to say has none of those issues. It does have a couple pages of rules but it boils down to the following:

• Deal 4 cards from each deck
• If in your hand lay out race and class you will be playing
• On your turn kick in the door
• Fight beast on other side or run like hell
• If fight and win, collect a level and treasure 
• If fight and fail take loss in stride as indicated on monster card
• If run success, catch your breath
• If run fail, take loss indicated on monster card.
• If no monster is found on the other side of the door you may choose to fight one from your own hand.
• Make sure you only have 5 cards in hand at end of turn either by putting them in play, discarding them or donating to another player.

Or as the official rules state:

1. Kick open the door
2. Look for trouble
3. Loot the room
4. Charity

All your weapons, armor and class bonuses add up easily enough and each battle you win gains you a level unless indicated otherwise.

That is pretty much it for straight play....but just to make things interesting you are also allowed to make opponents lives more difficult or easier at your discretion. Sometimes you can throw cards that add monsters, remove items or otherwise change the field of play. You may also assist in battle either out of the kindness of your heart (yeah right!) or in trade for an item or share of treasure.

Super simple but every time you play it is a different game. If you get tired of it there are numerous expansions available which add themes like zombies, Cthulhu, wild west and so on to the decks.

This game has quickly found it's way into our hearts, with a rules light system and allowances for house rules I am sure it will continue to give us good times as a family as well as with friends for years to come.

John

Slacking and Reading

Haven't had much to write on the last week, busy at work and in general slacking when not working.

So what have I been doing gamewise?

Mostly reading books and most these books have little to do with the type of campaign I will be running but let me give a list of my current reads:

Monster Hunters International by Larry Correia
A fun read so far and it takes kind of a different approach to the usual in regards to a wide variety of monsters. Tosses in a bit of a love story of course but nothing too sappy, plenty of humor and of course plenty of action. There is rumor of a movie based on it but I am sure it will be butchered compared to the book (how hipster of me). If you haven't read it then I recommend it.

Dies The Fire by S.M. Stirling
So having not done any real research into this series I instead picked it up on the recommendation of a friend and I am enjoying it so far. It really appeals to my survivalist nature and my post apocalyptic fetish. It does seem a bit familiar in the story to the TV series Revolution, although I am only at the fourth chapter or so and I have more hope for this than the TV series delivered. Not sure if the two are related but I will probably look that up when I remember to. This is the first book in the "Emberverse" series.

Bioshock Rapture by John Shirley
As a fan of the Bioshock universe and how it lightly touches into steampunk/dieselpunk I picked this up and have been enjoying it considerably. Gives a lot more background into the world and the events leading up to where the game begins. Well written and easy to read. Another book I am only about a quarter of the way into but always look forward to sitting down with it.

Well that's it for now, hoping to have some more interesting thoughts soon.

~John~

The Tale of the Half-Orc Revolt

"No I will not rent you a room! Not as long as you insist on your half-orc slave staying here too. Take him to the slave quarters at the end of town, then we can talk room rates but not a moment sooner."

Lothar turns and with his fellow adventurers in tow leaves the Inn. Once outside they discuss their options and decide that for the night it may be better to play the role and avoid trouble in town. So off they go to get Lothar a spot in the slave quarters at 10 gold a night (expensive town).

The slave quarters is a huge open warehouse inside with a dirt floor and half-orcs in makeshift camps all around the inside of it and small campfires here and there with groups gathered in low conversation and cooking food. In the middle there is a slight mound that Lothar walks up in order to get a better look around and take it all in hoping to find a good spot to lay his bed or maybe even a familiar face.

While he is looking around another half-orc takes exception to his position on higher ground and approaches, "This is my territory, you get down now!" his voice booming through the open space.

Lothar fresh from battle decides this challenge must be met and although unarmed he lays into his aggressor like a true barbarian would. He leaps at his challenger with great ferocity tackling and pinning him down then proceeds to beat him until he cries out for mercy. Luckily Lothar has no interest in killing his own kind so he allows his enemy to slink off to a dark corner.

The guards having heard the commotion come in from both ends of the slave quarters armed with clubs and begin beating on the slaves who are still standing around where the action has just taken place, "Get back you stupid slaves! Break it up!" the guards are yelling as they club a young half-orc.

Lothar seeing this happen is enraged once again and attacks the guard who hit the young one, taking him out with a single hit. Another guard swings his club and hits Lothar solidly on the shoulder, and as he prepares to swing a second time Lothar swings around with the club he has just taken from the downed guard and with all his might connects with the guard before he can block and is separated from his lower jaw.

At this point the other half-orcs have taken to beating guards as well and in a short time there are 12 dead guards and some angry slaves with clubs. 

Lothar seizes the opportunity and returns to the top of the mound again and shouts, "It is our time brothers and sisters, we must show these humans we are not slaves any longer and escape to freedom!"

On his words they rush the doors forcing them open and a flood of 200 half-orcs pours into the city streets and before the guards can even react they have overtaken the gate and are running into the woods to their freedom.

Two days later Lothar and his party meet up again and over the nights campfire he tells the tale of the half-orc revolt.

****

This adventure happened during my second game session of playing. The DM told me he was not so sure he was ready for something like that to happen but it was well worth letting it play out. I hope I did the adventure some justice as it was a very memorable session and a lot of fun.