ESSAYS ON GAME DESIGN

Essay Ten: U Plus (U+)


You, Plus

Synopsis: Use this method of development and creation to improve both your character and yourself. For it is a method of developing a character based upon your real self, only better.


Note: If you consider Role Play Gaming an activity that is totally divorced from the real world and your real self, or relatedly if you think gaming should be used to escape or get away from yourself, then this method will probably be of no value to you. If however you consider gaming an activity that is complimentary to or a natural part of your larger and greater life then this method of self and character development may very well be useful to you in more than one way. I should also point out that this article (I should develop a better term for this kind of work) is also an interactive essay (meaning you may add to it, or write your own related essay in the response posts). So if after reading this piece you should decide to make your own suggestions as to variations upon the method, or to critique it, or it has inspired a related set of ideas, then feel free to comment and to contribute. Given the limitations or caveat of course of the first sentence of this note. There is no need to point out that, “I have no interest in playing that way because I think gaming should be entirely escapist and unreal.” I already understand that viewpoint. I am not arguing it, and I think it would be useless to spend my time debating that viewpoint as it is diametrically opposed to this method of character and game development. I am however presenting a contrary set of principles. A different model and paradigm for both approaching the game, and for assessing (and exploring) how the game might be useful in a wider sense to one’s larger life. That having been said though if you have a real critique to make or some form of improvement you’d like to suggest regarding this method of game and character development then feel free to weigh in with your comments. I will respond as soon as my schedule allows, and of course you do not need me to discuss or debate these ideas. You can do that quite well enough among yourselves.

Indirectly related to this method of character development is the idea behind the Renaissance Gild, which I do not intend to create a gaming thread about, but the basics of which can be found posted to my blogs. In this sense then you might think of this method of character development as the gaming or avocational version of the Renaissance Gild.


U+: This is a form of Player and Character creation and development that is basically applicable to any role-play gaming system, and maybe to other types of gaming systems as well. I will use D&D as an example of how to apply and play the system as regards the attributes, but it could be used with or applied to any of the attributes of any character during most any type or genre of game. Just so the terms I’ve used won’t be confusing to anyone reading and trying to understand what I’m saying I’ve included a Definition of Terms supplement to the end of this article.

Instead of rolling for character attributes, using any artificial or traditional system, what one does is analyze one’s own (personal or individual) attributes and then apply those to the necessary character attributes. The intention is to produce a character whose attributes mirror your own real world attributes as closely as possible, or at least as closely as desired. This is the You part of the equation, or the Y.O.U. Stage. I’ll get to the Plus part in a moment, which is the second stage of the entire process.

How do you determine and fix your own attributes to a character?

Well, rather than give you a static and not necessarily accurate system for your own game, the way we do it is in three steps. These simple and basic steps can be applied to any gaming system with very little if any necessary modification.


Character Creation:

First and foremost, analyze yourself. Be as brutally honest about yourself, your capabilities, your strengths and your weaknesses as possible. This gives you a basic idea of what you (as a person) would be like as compared to the gaming system that you use to affix attribute scores. The point of this step is to try to express your real self and your real attributes in a gaming form suitable to the way characters are expressed within the gaming system you are using.

Secondly, you and your fellow players and your DM or GM must decide on a “Value-Method.” For example, how do you value strength, and how do you set a strength-value? For instance if a person can bench press 120 pounds (in real life) does that give him a strength of 12? Or, do you take a given real world number or target, say if one is able to bench press 350 (or more) pounds (meaning that if you can really bench press 350 pounds you would have an equivalent game strength of 18), and then let people work out a percentage of what their own strength would mean proportionally and in comparison to that standard? It doesn’t really much matter (within reason) how you set the values or by use of what method, as long as you are consistent and everyone can use the same value standards to determine their own real world abilities and attributes. Of course some attributes, for instance, Wisdom, Charisma, or even Intelligence (in some cases) will be much harder to affix and apply as an objective standard to both player and character. I’ll explain a method of resolving that problem in step three.

Third, the individual player gets together with all of his other players, and with the DM or GM, goes over the attribute scores he has assigned his character which were based upon his own real world attributes, and then negotiation and compromise begins. For instance if a player sees himself as 14 strength (in both real life and correspondingly for the score he desires for his character) but most other people in the gaming group see him as either a 16 (or a 12 if going in the opposite direction), then a compromise might be reached in which the player settles upon a strength value score of 15 (or a 13 if most think him weaker than he thinks himself). Then the same is done with every attribute and every character until agreement or consensus is reached. How long this third step takes, and whether agreement is reached quickly or slowly I suspect would depend upon the nature of the group and the players and DM(s) involved.

After these three steps are finished every player now has a character with all attributes assigned, and each character more or less precisely reflects the nature of the actual player (at least as far as the agreed upon attribute scores are concerned). This is the YOU step of the process, and is the Character Creation stage.

This system of assigning character attribute values is not nearly as easy or quick as more traditional methods, nor nearly as arbitrary as chance, accident, and die roll. But it does provide an excellent system for player-character sympathy and association, and it is a superb method of encouraging both player (individual person) and character development throughout the course of play.


Character Development:

After the Character Creation stage comes the Plus stage. In the plus stage the intention is to foster both on-going and long-term development on the part of both the player and the character. This is accomplished in the following way.

A player chooses one (or more, but I recommend one) attribute in which he or she feels they (both player and character) are weak or deficient or not as promising as they wish to be. For instance if a player feels that both he and his character are not as physically healthy as they wish to be (reflected in D&D game terms as Constitution) then they choose that attribute which reflects their dissatisfaction with their health and toughness (Constitution). Within the game the character then sets out, whenever opportunities present themselves, to increase or augment their Constitution. To improve their constitution score, augment it, or add to it. To build it up. This could be achieved through any number of ways. Through the reading and practice of manuals of health, through exercises designed to increase health and toughness, through seeking cures for diseases, through magic or scientific advances, through self-monitoring and careful observation followed by corrective action, and so on and so forth. Or, ideally, one could employ a combination of useful methods. The point is that over a period of time one sets out to improve the character’s abilities and capabilities within the realm of the targeted Attribute.

At the same time a corresponding effort is made by the player in his non-gaming time (though to a degree the in-game efforts could be considered a form of practice or habit reformation for the real world effort) to achieve the same effect. If the player chose to strengthen his character’s Constitution then he attempts in the real world to do the same for himself. By whatever means necessary (within reason and that is legal and ethical) and by whatever means is actually effective and beneficial. The point is to achieve a concurrent and practical desired improvement on the part of both the player and the character in regards to whatever attribute is targeted. (I use this system for the improvement of general gaming attributes, but it could just as easily, with some modification, be applied to simultaneous player-character improvement in other areas of ability, such as in co-development of particular skills or skill sets.)

The same general process of development can be applied to any attribute (or skill, or capability) one wishes to improve, or to gain new advantage in. So one is not limited, of course, to the example I gave regarding Constitution. One could improve one’s Intelligence, Charisma, Wisdom, Dexterity, observational skills, deductive capabilities, tracking ability, etc. The important thing is that one makes the effort to find effective methods of improving and beneficially developing one’s attributes and/or capabilities both in-game and in the real world. Improving one’s character is used as encouragement and motivation for improving one’s self and vice versa. (The character then becomes a sort of “imaginary model” for corresponding self-development.) Methods of co-development may also be complimentary.

Reading magical manuals to improve one’s strength in-game might correspond to reading books on exercise and fitness and developing weight programs to train one’s physical self in real life. Real world exercises might lead to one developing certain game exercises that have the same effects on one’s character (used in the widest sense of the term to reflect both in-game character and real world character).

One also needs to choose a target objective to develop a suitable time-frame in which real achievements and improvements can be made and measured. The time frame really doesn’t matter as long as verifiable, measurable, and beneficial improvements can actually be made within the agreed upon limits of the time frame or timeline involved. Just as a recommendation however I suggest one year of real world and playing time for a target objective of increasing an attribute by one point (gaining a new one point advantage to the attribute). This gives one time enough to read, research, exercise, practice, and make actual and real improvements and generally still have enough reserve time to deal with family and work demands, as well as to accommodate the unforeseen demands of the accidental occurrence or the unexpected situation. (This is in fact my exact method of employing U+, I use a timeline/time-frame of one year real world playing time to try and make improvements to both my character and myself.)

Through this method one can also achieve complimentary secondary or tertiary objectives. For instance a player wishes to increase both his own strength and his character’s strength. Correspondingly he also wishes to lose (or gain) weight in real life in conjunction with his increase in strength. There may be no need at all for his character to gain or lose weight, but increasing strength and gaining or losing weight in real life may very well be complimentary goals for the player. (For example the player feels he or she is too fat or too thin in real life, but his or her character is of an ideal weight. The character then can serve as a sort of imaginary goal for desired weight and/or physique on the part of the player. Playing the character reinforces this complimentary secondary goal much as it reinforces the other primary goals of attribute and skill development.) So at the same time the player is seeking to increase both his own and his character’s strength he is also looking to lose or gain weight using the same basic principles of development. The practical uses of such a system of development are like the game you play itself, limited only by the power of your own imagination, creativity and desire. It is, because of this, an extremely useful method of Role Play, for the overall intention is to use one’s role to simultaneously develop both one’s imaginary character and one’s real self. Beneficially, positively, and through a method that promotes an on-going basis for continued improvement to both player and character.

Therefore after improvements have been made to the initial target attribute, through whatever method works and in whatever time frame is possible then one may continue to make new improvements to the same attribute (or set of attributes, or skill-set) or move on to a new attribute, set of attributes, or skill, or skill-set. Again the limits outlined by the actual possibilities are merely self-imposed. What you choose to intentionally change and improve is up to you, and your gaming group.


Now, at this point and as a side-note, I am not saying that I think gaming, of any kind, role play gaming included, should be one’s chief, much less one’s only, method of self-improvement, or of any type of improvement. There are many methods of improvement one could undertake, some more effective than others, and gaming should be used as but one tool in the overall toolkit. However I am saying that gaming, role play gaming in particular, because of the very nature of the type of gaming involved, is a perfectly suitable method of training, exercising, and practicing not only one’s role and character, but by extension, one’s real self through that role and character. That gaming can be used as a novel and effective method of focus and encouragement to make improvements to one’s character and to one’s nature, in more than one way, and in the widest possible sense of the terms of both improvement, and character. That one can easily use one’s full force of imagination (through the vehicle of role play gaming) as complimentary to and as a form of exercise towards real improvement in the real world.

(It is at least as vital a method of potential self-improvement as observationally passive methods of skill absorption such as, “How I learned to be a leader from watching Captain Kirk,” or, “What the movies taught me about how to succeed in business without really trying.” But you can’t role-play or experiment with techniques regarding leadership by merely watching Capitan Kirk on television or on-screen. You can however experiment and test different methodologies of action and success through the mechanism of your role-playing character. For that matter you can even role-play Captain Kirk if you wish and over time improve both the character, and correspondingly, yourself.

Conversely I suppose it could be said that gaming could be used as a form of practice for developing or improving malignant traits, or for practicing habits of degeneration rather than regeneration and improvement. That, like anything, it could be used positively or negatively. But I am not making that suggestion. I am rather proposing that it can be used as one method of improvement, and even of encouraging and focusing one towards goals of real achievement in the real world, rather than merely fantasy achievements in an imaginary world.)


A Brief Note on Developmental Background of this Method: In my setting the players have used the Y.O.U. (which stands for Your Own Utility, or usefulness) system of character creation for a long while now. Some time ago I encouraged my players to create characters that mirrored themselves in attributes (or in whatever other way they wished) as closely as possible. It has worked out very well for us and has the added advantage of creating a natural sense of association and sympathy on the part of the player with his character. (Imagine for instance playing a video game or a virtual reality game in which it was obvious the character was you, rather than some artificially created or contrived character only vaguely or suggestively like you in some ways and very much unlike you in others.) However after some experimentation with NPCs and characters who reflected my own attributes and nature I decided to also add the Plus part of the equation to encourage on-going and long-term development on the part of both the Player and the Character. It became, at that point, not merely a method of creating characters like the player, but of simultaneously developing and improving both character and player.

This system of course is flexible and open to many forms of alteration and experimentation, and I encourage both. For instance rather than the process I described above the player might choose one real attribute about himself which is a different attribute than that of his character, which he wishes to improve, augment, or increase. So that the processes of character and player improvement become parallel tracks of development, rather than corresponding tracks of development.

Another form of variation is that one can affix or assign values as I originally outlined, but players retain a “reserve value,” which is merely a group agreed upon number that they can apply to any one attribute they wish that they feel is too low or not a fair reflection of their own personal attributes. When creating their character they hold that number or value in reserve and then use it as they wish after all of the attributes have been initially determined. Adding it to what they feel is the deficient attribute score, from their point of view.

These are just a couple of possible variations upon the You Plus formula and process of character creation and development. Many others are possible and through experimentation the players and the gaming group can reach the best possible format of this system for their own game.

Also I should point out that not every player need employ this system, should one choose to use it in one’s game(s). That is to say that one player might want to use U+, another might wish to use a traditional method of character generation and improvement, hybrid systems might well develop, and so forth. The only real problem of employment is one of agreement, how and in what specific way one’s group agrees to employ the system.


Definition of Terms:

You or Y.O.U. – Stands for Your Own Utility. Basing character attributes for your gaming character (of whatever system or genre) upon the corresponding real world attributes of the player who will play the character. Values are determined and set by the individual Gaming Group.

Plus – The system that encourages simultaneous development (or some variation thereof) of both the character and the player through game play, and through related outside activities.

Gaming Group – The particular group of players and the DM or GM involved in any given game or set of games. The entire gaming group determines character-player interaction values and how exactly the U+ system is employed and works within the context of their particular game or games.

You Stage – The stage of character creation. Divided into three basic steps. 1. Self-analysis. 2. Determination of Agreed Upon Value Method(s). 3. Group-analysis, Consensus, and assigning of Final Values and Scores.

Plus Stage – The stage of character development. On-going and future oriented.

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Jack7

THE RENAISSANCE GILD – AN INTRODUCTION


Synopsis: The Renaissance Gild is a simple yet effective method of fully developing a wide range of skills within a single individual, and of self-development of the polymathic capabilities and ingenuity inherent in each person.

Introduction: I have been working on this idea for well over thirty years (in one way or another), the accompanying Theory Paper and assorted supplementary material regarding this project for about three years now, and my own Personal Gild Program for a little over a decade. Anyway I thought it was about time to put the idea into wider circulation, both among my friends and colleagues, and as regards the world at large.

What the Renaissance Gild Is: The Renaissance Gild is less a formal agency, organization, group, or club, than it is intended to be an informal "movement of individuals." Though it could also easily become an informal movement among a vast number of individuals (my hope is that this is exactly what will develop over time), or it could even become a more formalized structure for group accomplishment, but I would not want such a movement or organization to in any way suppress or hinder the noteworthy accomplishments of individual Gild members. What is most important about the Gild is the promotion of individual achievement, not the primacy of formal group structure or exclusivity. Indeed no "membership" of any kind is required or necessary other than an honest motivation to achieve and accomplish and the steady, persistent, and patient labor demanded for real and lasting success.

How the Renaissance Gild Operates: One needs no formal degree or training in order to participate in the Gild. One may be self-educated, formally and institutionally well educated (I am both, and I recommend both if possible, but if a formal education is not possible or practical then I definitely recommend a good, solid program of self-education), or even not very well educated. One need not worry in any case, as one may counteract a poor education through a well-developed method of Renaissance Education, which I will discuss at another time.

The Gild is open to individuals of any age. A Gild member can be of any sex, race, background, nationality, or religion. Requirements regarding Gild members are not exclusionary, but rather progressive (not in the political sense, but in the objective sense) towards future achievement. What is actually required of the Gild member is hard work and serious study, along with much practice and persistent application to accomplish those things that are long lasting, practical, beneficial and useful, and/or broad in scope or accomplishment.

To this end I suggest three broad areas or categories of concentration for each Gild member: those of Art, Religion, and Science. Why do I recommend these particular areas of concentration for achievement to each Gild member? The reasons are simple, historical, and profound. Throughout human history, and indeed given what we know of human pre-history the same basic conditions apply, the greatest human advances have been made within these general categories of activity. Men have made their most important (and sometimes most destructive and counterproductive – but our intent is to avoid or overcome those malignant tendencies) discoveries and advances within the fields of Art, Religion, and Science. (I do not rank these categories of achievement in order of importance within my own mind, but rather for sake of simplicity, alphabetically.) Indeed nearly every form of human activity can be roughly classified as falling within the parameters of these three general subject areas.

For example, Art, from the very beginnings of human prehistory has been an important aspect of human expression, and perhaps just as importantly, of representing the world through images and symbols that others could understand.

Religion, also from pre-history onwards, has been an important, if not the most important to most people, method of rendering value to the world, of shaping how men behave towards their fellow man, and of speculating about conditions and events beyond the known and immediately evident world.

And Science (and I classify things like the earliest attempts at the creation of tools, of domesticating animals, of developing agriculture, etc. as acts of science or proto-science – even when such acts were not then understood to be scientific in the modern sense of the term) from man’s earliest roots has formed the basis for man’s attempts to control his environment and to understand and profit from his physical conditions.

Most things that people do or achieve can be classified as arising from an artistic, a religious, or a scientific impulse. Or sometimes from one or more category of activity working in conjunction with the others. For instance was the painting of the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel a religious act of devotion, an artistic act of inspiration, or a scientific endeavor requiring great skill and technical mastery? Or was it in truth not all three?

So these categories are certainly not hard and fixed, impenetrable the one to the other, but rather all forms of human activity are open, fluid, malleable, and osmotic, and therefore art, religion, and science far more often than not cross-fertilize one another in very productive and beneficial ways.

There are of course also fields of human activity that could be considered sub-categories of the general fields of Art, Religion, and Science. As an example some fields of human enterprise naturally fall into more than one category of classification. For instance both Business, and Athletic performance can variously, depending on the particular circumstance involved, be considered an Art, a Science, or both. For this reason as regards my own Renaissance Program, rather than trying to determine whether I think my business and athletic enterprises are more truly Art, or Science, or both, I simply classify them as separate sub-categories of activity. I do the same with the fields of Politics, Social and Civic Activities, and Philanthropy and Charity operations. I also maintain a separate category for my various Avocations, because some are scientific in nature, and some are artistic in nature, and rather than confuse or overcomplicate the point I simply classify them separately. But generally speaking, if I wished, and for sake of simplicity, I could easily enough classify even activities like business, athletics, philanthropy, and my avocations as being Artistic, Religious, or Scientific in character. For ease of understanding I will give my example of how the Renaissance Gild works by employing the simple and general categories of Art, Religion, and Science. But first let me give my own brief descriptions of how I define Art, Religion, and Science for the sake of understanding how the Gild best functions. You are of course not bound by these particular descriptions or definitions. I offer them merely for the sake of illustration and to provide clear and concise examples of possible and pragmatically functional definitions.

Art - All of those concerns normally associated with the Arts and with creative functions of all kinds. It is everything from sketching to film to architecture to painting to music to writing, and even to things like acting and dance (I have little personal interest in acting and dance, but they are arts, so I include them in this description). Art assists with the way one perceives the world, and with how one represents the world to others.


Religion - How a man conducts himself towards his fellow man, towards other creatures, towards his world, and towards God. How he disciplines his behavior and does good towards others. His moral character, the practice which assists him with bettering himself and the world, and most especially important, towards establishing, maintaining, and bettering his relationship with God. The example of God he follows, the closeness of God in his soul, his actions in this world, and how he prepares himself for his life after his physical death.


Science - The methods by which one seeks to perceive and understand the physical aspects (and perhaps in some cases, other aspects) of this universe, how it operates, and in what exact manner(s) it may operate. How one seeks to master and manipulate both matter and energy, and to what ultimate end and in what way. Science is both an act of seeking to understand the physical universe and to control it or shape it for the better.



An Example of How to Use the Renaissance Gild:

An individual chooses one major accomplishment or perhaps two or more minor accomplishments for every year to two years, as a stated goal for achievement in each of the three various categories of Art, Religion, and Science. Each person picks what is best and most natural to themselves as far as the exact goals to be attempted, and as regards the sub-categories and sub-disciplines within each general branch of Art, Religion, and Science to be undertaken.

For Example:

_____________________________________________

ART

I intend to paint three canvasses in oil detailing my famous ancestors, their backgrounds, environments, and some of their exploits – major achievement

Or

I will write and publish a small book of poetry, and learn to play the piano – minor accomplishments



RELIGION

I will go on an extended Missions trip to help the people of Madagascar with their spiritual, medical, and physical needs – major accomplishment

Or

I will assist the poor of my local community, and I will give more money to charity and/or volunteer more of my time to worthwhile charities – minor accomplishments



SCIENCE

I will perfect my invention to the best of my ability and thereafter market it for the benefit of the public and for my own benefit and profit – major accomplishment

Or

I will conduct experiments in chemistry, biochemistry, and medicine to develop a better method for preventing and treating burns, and I will use my new telescope to make detailed observations of the moon and nearby planets hoping to make a new discovery – minor accomplishments

___________________________________________

As I have previously noted one can also develop sub-categories of endeavor, such as Civic Accomplishments, Political Aims, Avocational Interests, etc. in which one can also detail one’s personal aims and objectives.


Of course what each individual considers a major, or a minor accomplishment will vary with the individual concerned, but I offer the following examples above as possible guidelines for developing your own Renaissance potential.

Once one accomplishes one’s stated desire within any given field or category of activity then one records that accomplishment in one’s Accomplishment List (discussed below) and replaces the accomplished goal with a new objective.

In time the aim of your personal Renaissance project is to develop a wide range of useful and beneficial skills, to study widely and to be able to converse ably and competently on nearly any subject, to become ever better at what you do best, and over time to fully develop and exploit your own set of talents, your own genius, and your own polymathic capabilities. What separates the ultimate objective of the Renaissance Project from a standard set of Goals and Objectives (which are usually limited and aimed at only a specific, discreet, or narrow intention) is the Real Purpose of the Renaissance Model. The aim of the Renaissance Model is not merely to achieve a certain set of goals - but to achieve a certain set of goals and objectives and thereby to accomplish certain important and worthwhile work while one lives in such a way as to master and develop one’s full range of Artistic, Religious, and Scientific capabilities simultaneously, and in conjunction with each other. The aim of the individual Renaissance Program is to develop one’s individual Artistic, Religious, and Scientific capabilities and abilities so that each field of endeavor supports and compliments the other, and so that a person can best exploit and express their own individual force of Arete. In that way one seeks to become both a polymath, and to gain a real mastery of understanding in the way different fields or disciplines of activity and knowledge interrelate the one to another. A secondary and yet vital benefit derived from the individual Renaissance Project is the fact that one becomes acutely and intimately aware of the full range and breadth of possible capabilities inherent within one’s self...

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Jack7

For participation in the patronage project "Hall of the Mountain King" from Wolfgangs Baur Open Design, I recently joined Open Design. That it's recently is a shame, since the project is in its final phase and I basically missed all the fun. I just totally lost sight of the project due to other stuff.

Anyway, if you got an account on livejournal, you can also have a blog. After noting that livejournal has a rich text editor that allows me to copy & paste stat blocks and stuff from my notes in open office, I decided to start a blog there.
Archchancellors Thoughts

I am not sure what is to happen with this one. The neat thing with EN World is that it is closer to fellow gamers. But the presentation options aren't as great, and I think that reduces the blogs appeal - and it makes my "work" harder.

I suppose in the beginning I will use this blog to notify of updates in the livejournal, but that won't go forever.

So, head over for an Arch Chancellor Thoughts's Livejournal exclusive: A preview power of my new Warlock Pact, the Abyssal Pact!

Mustrum_Ridcully

A saga-edition character for Possum's pbp:
Born to a famous clan of 'Dosh warriors S'Sheer was trained in traditional ways of 'Dosh, becoming a hardy warrior but also, taking advantage of his natural reflexes, learning how to fly a ship. This quickly became his passion and he is now among the best pilots his race has produced. His skill led him to be hired on various ships and travel across the galaxy. During his travels he met a Kel'Dor with a mercenary mind like S'Sheer's and the two became friends. Their last employer was Quarren smuggler who got caught later on. S'Sheer was quick to claim ownership of the Quarren's astromech droid QB-4, an old model from the war which S'Sheer jokingly calls Rusty. Having lost their ship and work, the three set out to find some new venues and ended up with the Rebellion...

S'Sheer is quite reckless when let in the cockpit but his flying skills are no doubt extraordinary. He is not typical 'Dosh in that he is friendlier than his species' reputation but nevertheless he is as ferocious warrior as all his kin.

S'Sheer is short and agile for a 'Dosh, with almost black scales spotted with reddish tint. He has once lost an arm and for that reason his left hand and arm are a bit lighter shade than the other.

Blackrat

This thread made me start thinking (or rethinking) about real life adventures I'd like to take that were inspired by gaming. Or rather, to be more accurate, I have done these things in games (as well as researched them in real life), and therefore I'd now like to do them in real life as well.

Some of these things I imagine I may never get the chance to do (though you never know), but others I suspect I will get to do. Also I've already done many things in real life that I have also done in games, and vice versa, but I always thought of imaginary expeditions and adventures and real life adventures as cross-fertilizing one another. So for instance I have been a near life-long Vadder, and to me D&D (for example) was simply a form of complimentary vadding of the imagination.

So these are things I've done in games that I'd like to do in real life in the future:

1. I'd like to walk or travel by horse and camel the Silk Road, starting from Istanbul (Constantinople) and then all the way into China.

2. I'd like to sail the entire world, starting from the East Coast of America (Charleston) to land on the West Coast of America, when finished, in a true sailing vessel. Though I'd probably take along an engine enabled craft just as an emergency back-up. I'd christen her the Endeavour, after my old ship.


3. I'd like to thoroughly explore the cistern system of Constantinople, along with any other underground and abandoned areas of that ancient city that I could possible make my way into.

4. I'd like to buy a small keep or castle in England or Scotland (maybe Bohemia) and then use the surrounding lands to raise really good horses. On that estate I'd also like to build a small private amphitheatre, and an observatory, and a good solid library complex, all of my own design. After I got a good herd up and the estate was flourishing I'd rent it out and then let the caretakers continue raising the stock. I'd probably thereafter vacation there.


5. I'd like to put together an archaeological expedition into Central (preferably) or South America and make a new discovery.

6. I'd like to track down and discover an animal thought extinct or very rare and then photograph and record it.

7. I'd like to explore a previously unexplored or only very rarely explored underground complex. Natural or man-made (long abandoned).

8. I'd like to visit some ancient libraries (especially old monastic collections) and read and study some very rare texts. And I'd like to visit some relical shrines in the Middle East.


9. I'd like to retrace the Lewis and Clarke expedition route by foot and horse. And then motorcycle back across the country on the way home.


10. I'd like to build a real and working ballista (based on an ancient Greek or Roman design) from scratch (no kit), and have forged for me a really fine katana made by a skilled Japanese swordsmith with an inlain pattern design I invented and sporting my family and personal crests.


So, what are some things you've done or built or accomplished in games that you'd also like to do in real life?

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Jack7

In my early days of D&D, I died. A lot. And by that, I mean every time my character stepped onto the map. I’ve had more resurrections performed on a single player than anywhere else in Eastern Ontario as far as I’m concerned and I’ve never forgotten that. I call it post-character stress disorder.

So needless to say I have an affinity for losing your favourite character and the missed roleplaying opportunities you were looking forward to. All that background material drifting to the heavens as your PC journeys into the afterlife; your discussions with the DM about a character spotlight adventure taking you back to your lost homeworld; and those new abilities already plotted out five levels in advance… gone.

We’re working on a new 4E product designed to counter just such a problem and even expand your character in new, dramatic ways. Risen: The Guide To Resurrected Characters (due out October 2009) presents a series of seven paragon paths (called resurrection paths) designed to bring your PC back from the dead and reinvigorate them with new powers and a life quest to incorporate in the campaign. In short, Risen provides a way to make use of your PC’s death and redirect him or her in new and exciting ways without having to draft up a new character or drastically alter your original design.

With three months to go until Risen lands on the front page of your nearest OBS site, we’re starting a three part preview and behind-the-scenes look into the development of the resurrection paths from initial concept to final design. Aside from myself, we’ll also hear from my co-author, Shawn O’Leary, on his contributions and tackling the design of the cuardach (one of my personal favourites) and the sword of heaven.

From Revenant to Haunt
Anyone remember Combat Advantage #9: The Revenant? Anyone? It contained the initial preview of Risen and a first draft of what was then called the revenant. As can be expected, the revenant is a character returning from the dead to avenge his death. This path converts the PC into a true undead (complete with as much – or as little - rotting flesh as you would like) and a fiery temper fuled by visions of the attrocities committed by those directly involved with his or her death. More importantly, the revenant was the perfect example for developing a “life quest.”

Life quests are the key reason for a resurrected character’s return to the world of the living. Actually, it is the sole reason for their return. Various powers in the multiverse are provided throughout Risen to account for these characters returning from the dead and the revenant was risen by the power of the gods. As he shambles across the land seeking revenge, the revenant gains additional power against those connected to his or her life quest, detailed in the form of haunting visions. Very much like The Crow, a huge inspiration for this path with some mechanical loans from previous conceptions of the revenant from D&D history.

Since the release of CA9, we hit a bit of a snag in the revenant. Wizards of the Coast came out with their own version of the rev as a player race. I won’t provide a complete listing of every curse I uttered, needless to say that I’m pretty sure I used all of them in a variety of combinations. Regardless of any legal wrangles with having a second version of the revenant for players, I didn’t want there to be any confusion between theirs and mine. We needed to tweak the revenant and make it something new.

After a couple of weeks of name searching (including a lot of German variants between Shawn and I, which is ironic because I don’t think there’s a lick of German blood in either of us), we settled on the haunt. Same concept, but now more gruesome in appearance than before and a greater display of mental anguish. Think of it as a mixture between the revenant and a ghost in physical form.

The Importance of a Life Quest
Haunts may be the perfect example for life quests and it’s for this reason I’m introducing this series of blogs with this path. Life quests not only provide new and exciting roleplaying opportunities for your character, but introduce new powers designed for use with your life quests.

For example, you’re playing a haunt. As you arrive in town, your hood drawn tightly over your head and a scarf wrapped over your neck to disguise the deep gash from your death, a vision flashes before your eyes. The trio of horsemen to your left are suddenly standing on a hillside, standing watch over the valley where you were killed. They laugh maniacally from the top of the hill, waiting for their comrades to finish their job and meet back up with them. As your mind returns to the conscious world, your anger rises and your power grows. This triggers your Horrible Memories path feature, granting the ability to automatically mark these scoundrels at the beginning of the encounter and inflict +1d6 damage with a single attack per target every round. Without that connection to your character and his or her life quest, this feature does not function.

But not every encounter is going to involve your life quest and not every adventure will have these villains around the corner, so there are other non-quest based features and powers as well. Overall, this grants each resurrection path a wider variety of powers and features for all sorts of encounters. By seperating these abilities through their connection to your life quest, you can develop your character’s personality in combat encounters as well as social encounters. It also gives you a clear cut means of using combat to develop the storyline as your DM brings you closer and closer to completing your life quest as the campaign closes. This, in turn, embraces your character’s death and bonds it with the campaign. No longer must you feel shame in your death, but pride!

Next: The Firebird and the Chaostician
That’s all for this time. There’s still more to be done as we wrap up all designs on the paths this month, but there will be more to come soon. Consider this little teaser for the firebird in the meantime…

A phoenix and the Far Realm.

Todd Crapper (that's right) is the Head Honcho for Emerald Press PDF Publishing and author of the upcoming 4e adventure, The Key of the Fey (releasing December 2009), and co-author of Risen: The Guide to Resurrected Characters (October 2009). He wrote this blog because there was no one around to stop him, not even those meddling kids and their mangy mutt.

EP

This dream occurred some number of weeks ago. I recorded it immediately but due to my work schedule couldn’t post anything regarding it.

The Dreaming DM, Part Three - The Dream of the Thing Under the Water: My uncle and I (in the dream he was actually a few years younger than me even though he is really about ten to twelve years older than I am) were at a lakeshore. The lake itself was a rather bizarre body of water. At times the water was a deep blue with rather active wave cycles and currents for an otherwise undisturbed lake. But at other moments the water was a deep, almost milky and opaque green and at those times it was completely still. Like a mirror, though a sort of dirty and dingy one, and despite the darkness of the water one could see the sky above and the motion of the cloud formations which were different in reflection off of the water than if you gazed at them directly above. When they were reflected off the surface of the lake the clouds seemed to transform into bizarre shapes and figures, some of these reflections seeming almost entirely abstract, others seeming to take on the distorted images of unreal or mythological or frightening creatures.


There was a rather large crowd milling about the lakeshore as if they were waiting for something but after some time most of these people went away. Wandering off as if they had been disappointed by something, or the failure of something, I wasn’t sure which. My uncle and I remained talking until almost nightfall when the water nearest the shore to us began to bubble and seethe, as if in a heated cauldron. Suddenly a large, and for lack of a better term, carousel statue, or set of statues, arose from the bubbling water. The statues or figures were like a huge assortment of chaotically arranged metallic men and animals in various poses and in various stages of activity. It looked as if someone had taken a three-dimensional photograph of a wild carousel scene, or of a disorganized circus of violent activity made out of metal and had mounted it upon a domed base of translucent green and milk striped marble. The thing swiveled for perhaps a quarter of a turn, then a terrible grinding noise began, like metal being sheared apart in a car crash, and something very like a voice underneath the noise shouted out something in a sort of wail of despair. I could not though hear what was actually said. My uncle turned to me and said, “Did you hear that Jack?”

To which I replied, “Yes, but what does it mean?”

At that point the entire object “broke in half,” right in the center, and the two halves receded apart and downwards as if I were watching a mouth open wide, and in an almost leisurely fashion, from a side view. Oddly, as the halves split and the opening widened all sound ceased. The environment became completely silent and still. Then the two halves rejoined in a reversal of the “opening” process until no seam or split or division could be seen and the whole structure resubmerged entirely intact. Seemingly moments later it reemerged and although the domed base was exactly the same the entire upper part of the structure had changed or been transformed. It was now an entirely different set of figures, monstrous in appearance yet each figure was smaller than a normal sized man. Some of the figures seemed engaged in struggle against one another, several seemed in different stages of dying, and one I remember quite clearly had a claw around its throat. And its throat was scaled, almost serpentine.

This process repeated itself several more times, with violent bubbling and churning of the water, although each time the object reappeared it was on the surface for a longer period of time and the entire cycle of submergence and reemergence seemed slower and slower.


Finally, immediately after the sun had set and twilight was finished the object rose again from the water and this time the appearance of the “stage” (for the figures on top of the domed marble base reminded me of a fixed or set stage) was filled with snakes. Dozens, if not hundreds of small snakes, but also some very large ones, a few being gigantic. Although there were no human figures in the scene at all the appearance of the snakes reminded me of the Statue of the Death of Laocoon and his Sons. There was a sort of pale bluish cast to the entire object that made it glow slightly, as if from some type of internal illumination or possibly radiation, and once again all of the figures seemed made of some type of metal.

The figure split open again and when it did so my uncle said to me, “I’m going to swim out and go down that hole and see what is inside.” He pointed to the opening made by the splitting of the two halves and said that he believed a sort of tube or shaft ran down the middle and that he could get to the bottom of that before the water reflooded the shaft, then survive the flooding by holding his breath long enough for the object to reappear again and for the maw to reopen. Then he would swim back out and tell me how the object reappeared in a different form each time.

I advised him against it very strongly because I didn’t think he could possibly get in and thereafter survive the water long enough for it to resurface. He assured me he could, but I pointed out each cycle was taking longer and longer to complete. Plus, I suspected the entire device was a huge and fascinating trap, designed to lure the curious.

Nevertheless he swam out to it and went down the shaft at which point the figure slowly closed back in on itself and then resubmerged. It took a long time to reappear and when it did it was the same set of snake figures as when it had last submerged. It also did not split open again but simply sank leisurely back into the water as if it were a large boat slowly sinking to the bottom. I knew my uncle had drowned. But I decided I would conduct my own investigation by diving into the lake with scuba equipment and trying to find the object underwater to see if I could recover his body and discover what the object actually was and how it operated. However, before I could do this I woke up.


For Adventures regarding this dream see Here

Jack7

The purpose of this Blog post is to be my links page, where I post links to all sorts of cool stuff. Think of it as a resource guide or a Blog roll-type thing. After each link, I’ll write a few words about what the site is and/or my opinion about it.

I also complied this huge list of links as a potential tool for my FLGS, The Games Keep. More will be added as I come across them/think of them.

Dungeons and Dragons links

Enworld - Enworld is one of the largest (if not the largest) D&D websites there is. It’s a message board plus reviews, blogs, groups, marketplaces, news, and so much more.

MichaelSomething's Blog - A totally awesome RPG-themed blog you should really see (and tell your friends and family to see!).

Goodman Games - The leading third party publisher of 4th Edition D&D. They also have a ton of adventures and stuff for 3rd Edition D&D as well. Their Dungeon Crawl Classics line is a good source for adventures.

Paizo - Paizo began as the second party publisher who produced the Dungeon and Dragon magazines. Today they’re known for their online store, excellent customer service, great adventures/fluff books, and now the creators of Pathfinder; the (hugely popular) rebirth of the 3.5 D&D rules.

Wizards of the Coast presents Dungeons and Dragons - The official page of the latest edition of the world’s most popular role playing game. There’s tons of stuff here if you’re willing to look for it. The pod casts, RPGA, and the Test Drive of 4th Edition are good places to start.

Kobold Quarterly - A print magazine for Dungeons and Dragons. If five ENnie nominations and praise from Ed Greenwood can’t convince you that this is good, then you aren’t the target audience. Also the home for Open Design, where patronage and D&D adventure writing cross over.

RPG Bloggers - This is a massive network of RPG Blogs. There’s more RPG stuff then you can fit in a Bag of Holding!

RPG.net - Where you can find info on practically every RPG ever published; including D&D.

Magic: the Gathering links

Star City Games - A very large and popular Magic site. It’s had an extensive online store, subscription-fueled in depth strategy articles, and they host huge tournaments too!

Wizards of the Coast presents Magic: the Gathering - Let me assure you, there is plenty of cool content once you dig through all that multi-media intro junk. The “Making Magic” column is especially worth reading if you have any interest in game design.

The Magic Show - The best weekly show on the Magic card game you can find on Youtube.

Board Gaming links

Board Game Geek - If there’s a larger/better website for people who like board games, I’ll be very surprised.

Boardgame Players Association - Another website for board game lovers. They host the World Board Gaming Championships.

Webcomics

Order of the Stick - A popular webcomic that creates a world based on the 3.5 D&D rules set. There's also a nice forum and a few articles to read.

ErfWorld - A webcomic based on SRPG conventions.

Flintlocke's Guide to Azeroth - A webcomic based in the World of Warcraft MMORPG. This is one of the funniest thing I ever read. Be sure to read the sequel too!

MichaelSomething

And now for some more Truename "action".

Feats

Bonded Item (Ceremony)
Prerequisite: Truename
You can bond with any item, like a weapon, an implement, a armor, or tool, a backpack, a tent, and so on that is not larger than a 10 foot cube.
You learn and master the Drawmmij's Instant Summons, Make Whole and Detect Object Ritual. Either Ritual works only on your bonded item and you need to spend only a fifth of the usual component cost. (You can still learn the regular ritual without this limitation on the object.)
You also learn and master the rituals of Enchant Magical Item. You can only enchant the item with enchantments appropriate for this item. If you would enchant a Wand Implement, you could create a Wand of Shield, but not a Belt of Sacrifice. If you enchant a backpack, you could enchant it as a back pack, but not as a Pact Blade. Whenever you enchant the item, you only need to spend an amount of material components equal to the difference in cost of the current enchantment and th new enchantment, but you can never reduce the enchantments worth. (Unless you have other means of doing so.)
You can use all rituals even if you do not have the Ritual Caster feat, and you treat your effective level as 5 points higher than it actually is.
Special: At Paragon Tier, you can take this feat a second time for a different item. At Epic Tier, you can take this feat a third time, for a different item.
Design Note:
The Eberron Player Guide introduces feats that allow at least an Artificer to increase his effective level for Enchant Magical Item. It should not really be a problem to let all the various benefits stack - the cost of actually creating an item at the highest possible levels is ridiculously high for the respective character, essentially unpayable. Still, if you feel uncomfortable about it or have changed your magic item economy, just don't let it stack. The goal is really just to give characters an early access to this powers and keep the payable for the specific purpose of creating bonded items that are not weaker than the type of stuff they would find from looting. (Assuming you use treasure parcels.)
A Bonded Item is special!

Truename Power (Ceremony, Paragon)
Prerequisite: Truename Magic
Pick one Encounter attack power you know that targets only one creature. This power now gains the Truename descriptor.

Truenames Revalation (Ceremony, Epic)
Prerequiste: Truename Magic
If you score a critical hit with a power with the Truename descriptor, you immediately learn the creatures truename as if you had cast the Learn Truename ritual on it.


Paragon Path
Truenamer
Prerequisite: Truename Magic
You gained a seldomly achieved mastery on the secrets of Truenames. You know that the Truename is the key to the innermost desires and wishes of every creature, and learned how to manipulate them through the Truename.
Truename Action (11th level): When you spend an action point to take an extra action, you can invoke the true name of one of your allies within 5 squares. That ally can either spend a move action or make a basic attack as a free action.
Strength of the True Name (11th level): You gain a +1 bonus to all attacks with powers with the Truename keyword if you know the targets true name.
Truename Power (16th level): Pick one at-will power you know. This power gains the Truename keyword.

Design Note
The Truename aspect especially of the daily powers is very strong. Some might wonder if it is too strong. Ultimately, whether the PC can acquire the Truename of a creature is effectively entirely in the hands of the Dungeon Master. The Learn Truename ritual is not available before 15th level (except as Scrolll, of course, and it already mentions that the target of the spell might become aware of what happened, and that there are counter-rituals at work - and against some creatures, it won't work at all.
That are only two mechanically "guaranteed" way to gain a Truename - via the Learn Truename Ritual is one. It is a very expensive way, and the cost can be compared to that of a magical item - and that is the balance idea behind it.
The other "guaranteed" way requires the character to be already epic and score a critical hit with a Truename power. At this point, the Truename might not do much good, as other Truename powers might have already expended or the enemy is already close to defeat.
All other ways will be based on the nature of the campaign or adventure - NPCs that might know a Truename of a rival, allies the PCs interrogate. You could consider a Truename as worthy as a magical item, and make it part of a treasure parcel. Or you just provision some ways to gather Truenames to allow the PCs to beat foes that would otherwise be out of their League - as an important story point.

If the PC would know the Truenames of all members of a bataillion of enemy soldiers, they could use truename encounter powers to overcome them a little easier. If they know the Truename of a powerful enemy, the Truename Curses and Power of the Name might give them at notable head start in any fight against him - but are far from guaranteeing a success...

Mustrum_Ridcully

Truename Magic
Truename Multiclass Only Class
The following powers are only available via multiclassing into the Truename class.

Design Note
The encounter powers for the Truename multiclass usually use the word “Fate” in them. The idea behind this that every use of these is slightly “manipulating” the targets fate – and showing his fate to him. If you know its truename, that is a lot easier for you. Therefore you don't expend the power if you have the truename.
The Daily powers are generally called Curses. You curse the very soul of the creature to suffering, and knowing its truename grants you a lot more power.
The Utility Powers are generally called something with “The Named” and are mostly benefitial to allies whose truename you know. A common assumption in Arcana Evolved and the Diamond Throne was that adventurers would eventuall share each others truename – especially important since it was a prerequisite for raising someone from the dead.
I reserved Domination related powers to the Truename Paragon path.

While this is a multiclass only class, I don't actually have powers for every level of the class, just for every tier at the moment. Maybe that will change later.

Mustrum_Ridcully

Truename Magic
The Diamond Throne use the concept of truenames. All creatures and even objects have truenames. Knowing the true name of a creature can give you incredible power over it.

Truename magic is interesting not just for the Diamond Throne, but can be an interesting element in every setting. In Arcana Evolved, some spells required you to know the creatures truename to work, like the equivalent of Dominate Person. This was in a way a strong limitation, but it totally fitted the concept of truenames. For my conversion, I didn't want to go “that” far – no power should require you to know a creatures truename. But knowing a truename should be of benefit.

Truenames are used for more than just spells, of course. The people in the Diamond Throne know countless of ceremonies and rituals, some mere supersitition, some actually powerful. A lot of them benefit, and the more powerful might even require, a truename.

But not everyone had a truename. The Arcana Evolved rules allowed you to decide to be Unbound. A unbound creature does not have a truename. It can't be raised from the dead (at least not with the weaker magic) and it cannot attain certain “Ceremony” feats, but it can also never be subjected to the powers of a truename. (And being a Unfettered or Warmain unaffected by Dominate Person is certainly not bad...)

FEATS

Unbound (Bloodline)
Prerequisite: None
You do not have a true name. Your soul is unbound.
You can no longer gain feats with the Truename or Ceremony descriptor, nor use rituals that require you to have a Truename.
You gain a +1 feat bonus to all saving throws.

False Name (Bloodline)
Prerequisite: Unbound, Level 11+
You adopt a false name that works as a true name in certain situation. Whenever a power requires your Truename, an ally can use your false name instead. Whenever anyone tries to learn your Truename, he learns your false name instead (believing he knows your Truename but actually gaining no benefits of it.)
In addition, whenever an Heroic tier feat requires you to have a Truename, you can consider to have a Truename. At Epic level, this also applies to feats from the Paragon tier.
You gain a +1 feat bonus to Will defense.

Truenames Bargain (Ceremony)
Prerequisite: Level 21
You shield your truename from your enemies. Whenever a creature learns your Truename, you also learns its truename as if you used the Learn Truename Ritual. When the creature gains the opportunity to learn your Truename, it becomes aware that you will know it and can choose to not learn it.
You gain a +2 feat bonus to Will Defense.

Truename Magic (Ceremony, Multiclass)
Prerequisite: Cha13+
You can master and perform rituals with the Truename keyord ieven if you normally can't use rituals. You gain Invoke the Name as an Encounter power.
You gain a +1 bonus to all sill checks and attack rolls made for rituals involving truenames and powers with the truename descriptor. This bonus increases to +2 at 15th level and +3 at 25th level. You can also use the Novice, Acolyte and Adept feats to gain powers described in the Truename Multiclass-Only class.
RITUALS
Learn Truename
Some say it is the most powerful thing to know about an individual. Some say it is the name of the soul. It defines an individual. Once you emerge from your meditation in the Akashik Memory, a truename will be revealed to you.
Level 15; Category Scrying
Market Price: 5,000 gp; Component Cost: Special
Time: 1 hour; Duration: Instantenous
Key Skill: Arcana; Requires no Truename

This ritual allows you to learn a creatures truename, regardless of where it is or whether it desires to do so. To perform this ritual succesful, you must make an Arcana check against a DC equal to 15 + the level of the target whose truename you wish to know. The creature makes an Insight check against your result. If succesful, it is aware that someone performed this ritual to learn its truename (and whether the attempt was succesful.)
You gain a bonus to the check of +5 if you use a hair locket, blood or a living blood relative of the creature as focus, and you also reduce the component cost to half.
The component cost depend on the level of the target.
Level 1-10: 2,000 gp; Level 11 to 20: 10,000 gp
Level 21-30: 50,000 gp; Level 31+: 250,000 gp

If you attempt to use this ritual to learn the truename of a God, an Archfey or an Primordial, the the creature immediately becomes aware of this and learns your truename and the ritual fails, and all components are lost.

If you attempt to use this ritual to learn the truename of an unbound, you do learn the fact that he is unbound and the ritual fails, but no components are expended.

Other creatures may use rituals to hide their truename from others.

Mustrum_Ridcully

I’ve been very busy lately. I’ve had little time for recreation and leisure, kinda wish I had more time for it right now to relax some, but that’s neither here nor there.


Before the dam broke loose I had intended to reply to several threads I was involved in, and to create several new ones, and even to write a few essays ‘bout gaming.

But life gets in the way.

Nevertheless I’ll get to what I can in the order I think most important as I can.

If it seems like I’ve ignored something any of you folks have said to me, don’t take it personally. I’ll get there, God willing, soon as I can weigh anchor.

See ya when I see ya.

Jack.

Jack7

Thread Link

Synopsis: So what this thread is really about is this: regardless of what edition of the game you play, how "pure" are you in insisting that the edition you are playing be free of influences from other editions, games, systems, elements, events, rulesets, etc.



I've seen a lot of recent arguments over edition of game (primarily D&D) lately (the 5th Edition and 4th Edition and older editions and so on), which I'll be honest, I find both somewhat amusing and befuddling, for reasons I'll cite in a moment.


Now let me say before this thread becomes another useless argument about edition that this is not what this thread is about (which edition is superior or inferior). I'm using that edition-centric idea as a backdrop to express another and a different point. I want to veer away from the edition fights, per se, which I don't think go anywhere productive anyways most of the time and instead swing towards the edition of the game as a sort of expression of edition purity versus edition innovation.

Now personally I can’t imagine getting exorcised or even exercised over one particular edition or another. That is I can't imagine caring about one edition or another as a “fighting matter.” I do enjoy arguments and debates about specific design differences or ideals involved with or within one edition or another. But it's hard for me to imagine caring enough to get angry or upset or emotionally involved in opinions about this edition or another of a particular game (any game, including D&D). Maybe that's my age showing, or maybe that's pretty much always been my way of looking at games (or most other things for that matter). To me a game is either useful and enjoyable (in that normal order of importance) or it is not. Editions kind of split or specialize that general ranking of importance to me. D&D is the most important RPG to me personally for a number of reasons; the various editions thereafter divide and differentiate my opinion about D&D (the overall fantasy game itself) in various ways. For instance, to me AD&D is the single greatest edition of the D&D game overall, but 4th edition has the most interesting and often useful, if sometimes overly complicated, ideas and structures regarding character classes. But in either case I'm not about to name my children after Gary Gygax or James Wyatt, it's just not that important a matter in the big scheme of things. I also can't imagine getting into a real and bitter slap fight (“I hate you mister,” or “I’ma carrying a grudge for a long time over this feud,” or “I better not see you after sundown without your gunbelt on kid”) about the edition of a game (though I can and have enjoyed debates and criticisms and arguments about specific points of game design), where I get all fired up as if I have a personal stake in the outcome of the fight. To me gaming arguments are analytical and critical affairs, designed to promote interesting considerations about elemental and practical usefulness, not guerilla warfare and voodoo curses you wage against your nemesis.

So that led me, after reading some of the other threads here and elsewhere about various game related fights, to wonder, what exactly is being fought about? And to what end? (I've often seen fights waged, sometimes over a long period of time, over seemingly immensely unimportant matters to me, only to discover later on that it wasn't the apparent articles or details being argued that mattered, but that something else lay in the background of the fight, rarely discussed or openly mentioned, which was the real target issue of the fight.)


Now I don't know that I can discover the background fight (if there is one, or even if there is just one) because I just don't spend that much time on these issues. Yes, I like gaming matters, especially useful ones, and I reckon I have far more knowledge than most (compared to the general public) about many gaming matters, but I admit to having almost no real knowledge or even interest in highly specialized or technical matters related to D&D or RPGs. Games to me serve a function but they are not an occupation in and of themselves. (Though I can easily see why people who are involved in games as an occupation, either directly or indirectly, would develop and need specialized knowledge about detail and errata and even opinions I'd consider non-sequitur or useless to fight over). In this sense you can consider me an "outsider looking in" as I suspect many of us are, including both those who comment from time to time, and those who patrol sites like this but never or only rarely comment.

Still the various arguments, usually though not always centered around edition, have made me think about some of the “lurking in the background arguments” that may be some of the real bases of these disputes. One background idea that did occur to me was "purity."

Now I admit I have never been a real and pronounced purist, not as regards many things in life, but especially not in regards to games. To me far more important than the status quo is practical and real and pragmatic value. To me the established way of doing something is only really valuable as a starting point to innovate and move towards something better. The establishment isn’t the future; it’s only the present as a result of the past. Early on in playing any game, but especially RPGs (because RPGs are naturally conducive to "open modification" because they are, after all, about role play) it struck me that any game could be improved by modification. I never, ever played AD&D, or any other edition of D&D, earlier or later, as a purist rules-based exercise. Instead, almost as soon as learning the game I began modifying the game with house rules, creations and innovations of my own, adopting rules or systems from other games, etc. None of my players, past or present, have ever insisted on a "pure edition" or even ruleset of the game, and when I played I never insisted on such a thing with whoever was doing the DM deed with or to us.

I expected and enjoyed a wide range of rules, systems, games, events, historical devices, styles, elements and so forth to influence me either as a DM and setting creator, or as a player operating under another DM. However it seems to me that this may no longer be the case, or to be more accurate that this is assumed to no longer be the case in many of the internet arguments regarding the various editions. (And I think that this "purity assumption" may indeed be in actual fact little more than a somewhat baseless assumption or a canard when it comes to actual games and their practices for most people. That is to say the purity argument, and this is an assumption on my part regarding the background elements of these arguments, as opposed to what is apparently being argued, is not a, or the, real argument. We'll find out though through the poll, as far as an internet poll can be reflective of any actual reality.)

So what this thread is really about (the rest being background and prelude) is this: regardless of what edition of the game you play, how "pure" are you in insisting that the edition you are playing be free of influences from other games, systems, edition elements, events, rulesets, etc.

To me personally the answer is I am completely bastardized (the adjective, not the verb) when it comes to gaming. What is important to me is my stetting, not the edition of the game. In fact I guess you could say when it comes to my fantasy setting that I've created my own form of D&D which is a mixture of various elements of different editions of the game, different rulesets from other games and fantasy RPGs, houserules and innovations of my own, and so forth and so on. I simply cannot imagine it being important playing this or that “pure edition of D&D,” or any game, (to the exclusion of others) when I could and do take and adapt and adapt the best elements from various sources to create my own and more efficient and useful game compound. That being the case then editions be damned to me, they are useful only to the extent that they give me a general gaming background and to the extent that the various elements they contain are actually useful to me. I still consider it (the game variation and setting I’ve created) D&D (because that is the main and original source material and background from my fantasy role play gaming) but it is as far from "pure" as the United States is from being a nation of a single peoples. (Nevertheless, like the US, the [ad]mixture often works far better, in the aggregate, than any single element or source could by operating entirely independently.)

So to me what is of paramount importance in RPGing is my setting, and my fantasy setting and game is an amalgamation (still with a primarily D&D centered culture and background, though far from pure) of many elements, including things liberally taken from various D&D editions as well as different components borrowed from other games and sources. So to me the very idea of arguing vociferously and heatedly and angrily about various editions and the assumed purity-value of those editions (as opposed to the value of particular elements of games that people find most useful) makes to me about as much sense as arguing about which is the best sport to play, and once you figure that out then eliminate all the other sports from your competitive repertoire. (I personally like and play a wide variety of sports.)

So vote in the poll if you wish and discuss this issue if you wish, and give your opinion on what you think is important, or most important in debates like this, edition purity or edition innovation (in the sense of personal modification of the game to fit your own situation). I personally suspect that most folks are like me, their games are about as edition pure as the driven snow after being flushed through the streetplows of Detroit. But I could be wrong, and on occasion I have been, and so that's why I put up the poll.

Say what you gotta say folks…
I said my piece.

Jack7

So, I am taking a 2 week holiday (unfortunately, it's almost over) and had some time to write some RPG related stuff, a lot of it related to Arcana Evolved and/or the Diamond Throne conversion to 4E. A little stupid of me to focus that, since it would be far more important to plan my online D&D campaign I enjoy a lot, or to create at least the baseline for a Mutants & Masterminds campaign I consider as an alternative campaign parallel to the WotC H/P/E series of 4E adventures. Two of our core players in my regular campaign can't come as often as they used to, so we have to improvise. Playing D&D with less than 4 players is always a little awkward and something other games don't suffer as much from, especially if one where to customize a campaign to a smaller group. (Published adventures don't work so great for that.)

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So, the first topic are the Verrik. The Verrik are a humanoid race with a reddish skin in the Diamond Throne. Non-Verriks always feel a little strange around Verriks, though few knew the dark secret behind this. (For more, check your Arcana Evolved Variant PHB or Diamond Throne sourcebook).

Design Note
Both racial powers are minor actions attack powers. I am not sure if Dazed vs. a (usually long slide) is a “fair” deal, but I didn't want the attacks to deal damage either - at least not in their basic form.

Synaesthetic Senses (Racial)
Prerequisite: Trained in Perception, Verrik
You can use all your senses to aid your perception. You ignore all penalties for blindness when you can still hear and all penalties for deafness when you can still see. You gain a +2 feat bonus to Perception when neither deafened or blinded.

Verrick Mental Discipline (Racial)
Prerequisite: Int 13+, Wis13+, Verrik
You can choose to use either Mind Touch and Limited Telekinesis each encounter (But not both in the same encounter). You also gain a +1 bonus to all atacks with powers that have the Verrik keyword that lack the Implement or Weapon keyword. This bonus increases to +2 at 15th level and +3 at 25th level.

Design Note
Verrik Mental Discipline bonus to attacks is basically the racial equivalent to something like Weapon or Implement Expertise. If you are not a fan of either feat and have developed an alternative “math fix” you don't need that part.

Racial Paragon Path – Verrik Mentalist
Some Verriks learn to master the innate racial talents for psychic abilities. Verrik Mentalist are such Verriks. Verrik Mentalists are sometimes advisors to powerful individuals, especially for the various Verrik crime syndicates and the Verrik government itself. But far more often they are used – but seldomly discovered – as spies or counter-spies, using their mental abilities to gain knowledge and relay it to their allies. As spies, they have always be prepared for being exposed and so they are well-trained in using their telepathic and telekinetic abilities to escape their enemies.

Prerequisite: Verrik Mental Discipline, Verrik
Mental Action (11th level): When you spend an action point to gain a standard action, you can immediately use your Minor Telekinesis or Mind Touch Power as a free action before or after the action, even if you have already expended the power this turn. This use of the power does not expend the power for this encounter.
Verrik Telepathy (11th level):
You can communicate telepathically with every creature within 10 squares you can see. You must share a common language with the creature to communicate meaningful, unless you have already targeted the creature with your Mind Touch power.
Verrik Telekinisis (11h level): You gain the Wizard Cantrip Mage Hand as an at-will power. The power loses the Arcane Keyword and gains the Verrik keyword.
Aggressive Mental Disciplines (11th level):
Mastermind (16th level): You can use each your Mind Touch and your Minor Telekinsies Power once per encounter. When you use either power, you can expend your use of the other power and deal 1d10 + the highest of your Charisma, Intelligence or Wisdom modifier. The damage is psychic if you used Mind Touch, or force if you used Minor Telekinesis for the original power you used.
Design Note
I always found the Verrik had a very “Vulcan”-like touch, and so here they get their Vulcan Mind Meld. I suppose one could also create a Ritual version of the power that provides a little more help (more along the lines of something like Consult Oracle) but is even more restrained in its general usability (longer duration, wiling and helpess targets only).

Mustrum_Ridcully

Slightly different format for the recap this time (less list, more fluff because this is a copy/paste for a recap I had to write for an absent player); though I think I prefer the 'list' format better because it's easier to 'glance' for info ...

The group met with the king for the second appointment. They told him of the situation at the ruined Delphus (the dragon, the beholder, the 2 trolls, the ice barricades, the Farwalker journal). During the conversation, the king told of the Sureya investigation status: after questioning the guests it seems no one has personal first-hand knowledge of actually having seen or spoken to Sureya for months, questioning the staff they (eventually) said that she has been out of town for months. The king further goes on to say that Sureya's estate is continually being watched by men from the royal guard. Finally, the king also gave the group the time and place where the Necklace of the Ruby Flame's destruction ritual was going to be cast and (although the king did not necessarily care if you were there) said that since you showed interest in being present that you could get to that location to meet his royal guard that would be doing the ritual (it was going to be done in a spot a few days west, so out in the former war-zone, away from the kingdom itself).

With a couple days to spare, Melenna and Syd studied the rituals in the Farwalker journal, Brennan went to investigate around town in case there was something for him to do while waiting, and Basil went to catch the Bullthorns as they were leaving to get some allies to join in the task of facing whatever was to be released from the necklace. Melenna took an opportunity in the evening to get herself invited to one of Sureya's evening parties (going as a guest of a random man named Ambrose), she snooped around (even found that those "security" auras from the paintings were detecting the presence/absence of certain creatures but couldn't tell more than that) nor was she able to see actual evidence of Sureya other than second hand reports of people saying "they think they saw her around". Once the grop regrouped, they also visited Timor to get help for the coming battle (and got a couple priests of Melora assigned to help). They also visited Aleena to get help (and got a couple paladins of Pelor assigned to help). Keep in mind that none of these gathered allies (except for the royal guard) know the specifics of the background, they only know they are coming to help take care of an evil thing.

With the gathered allies, the group heads to the ritual site being prepared by the royal guardsmen. Upon arrival, they find that some of the royal guardsmen had been killed enroute to the site due to antics of the necklace on the way. The ritual is cast on the necklace and the others ready for what is to come. As the ritual is finished, a crack forms in the ruby pendant of the necklace - the flame that once burned inside of it extinguishes and out of the smoke near the necklace emerges a grotesque humanoid woman. Her limbs are bony and gaunt while her face and skin seems almost decayed. All around her, the prevalence of death and decay can be felt burning the flesh of anyone that approaches her. Nyssa is the first to realize that this is a rare being, once a creature of flesh that has been warped by necrotic rituals and forgotten lore of undeath (a lich).

A long and hard battle ensues as the lich causes several skeletons (forgotten dead left buried in natural shallow graves from the war) to crawl their way through to the surface. The lich continued to burn the ground with fiery energy that drained life, as well as her necrotic aura, and tossing blasts of energy at those who annoyed her. The skeletons continued to claw at the forces with burning claws. The allied forces (Royal Guards, Bullthorns, Priests, Paladins) and the PCs fight off the skeletons and the lich. During the fight, Melenna grabs the necklace in case it had an effect on the lich (though it did not seem to) as well as blasting away at the skeletons and slowing the lich so that she could not get away. Brennan worked on taking out skeletons one at a time and eventually blasting at the lich with radiant energy. Syd helped blast the skeletons and his prescience helped counter some attacks against his friends. Basil directed the forces around the field, and coordinated their attacks so that everyone helped weave and distract the lich so that others would have an easier time of striking. Nyssa, despite her fragile appearance, caused the most destruction to the lich, for her spirit was somehow protected from the brunt of the liches effects, causing her minimal discomfort and with rage she managed to critically strike the lich several times with her blade sheathed in radiant fire. The skeletons were destroyed and the lich eventually killed and crumbled in to dust. Between the healing of the allies, the only major casualty on the allied forces was that of a paladin (sent by Aleena). However, with the healing skills and attention from the force, he too was saved from any permanent damage despite the pain he suffered.


Current in game time: November 07, 7791, noon.
Melenna, Syd, Nyssa, Brennan: have riding horses on loan from the king
Basil and the allied Bullthorns: have warhorses
The clerics and paladins: have riding horses from their own orders.

Party Location: At the aftermath of the battle site. Though we may just fast forward back to the city at the start of next session if no one has any particular thing to do out here.

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