Saturday, January 29, 2011

Prisoners and D&D

Check this out

There are two ways I could go with this ruling.

The first is that this is a game and the whole idea is beyond ludicrous.  The idea that prisoners can't have a way to relax and escape for a few hours into a magical world and make them forget that they are in such a drab and confining place irks me.  There are many people I know who play and that is the main reason they do so.  They need an escape into something that isn't real, going into a head space that frees them up from thinking about their fucked up lives for a few hours helps so they don't end up as another inmate.  Heck, if done right, the role-playing game could help with the rehabilitation process.  (It would have to be very low violence and might be tough, yet a very strong emphasis on role-playing and light to little on combat might be good.)

The second way I can go with this ruling is to go with the courts.  First and foremost, these guys are criminals.  They have done something bad to end up here in the first place.  The person involved in the lawsuit beat and stabbed a guy.  He needs to be locked up for a bit, because that is what the law of the land says.  And, most of the games do "elevate" someone to be "in control" of the action.

However, the way I do finally judge this is...it's a game.  If you are worried that this will lead to gang behavior, have one of the guards run the game.  He is already in a position of authority.  If the guard were the game master, then there probably would be less of an issue.

But, that is just my opinion.

Thursday, January 27, 2011

Dear WotC

Dear WotC,

I know this fall on deaf ears, but something must be said. Please stop sucking the soul out of D&D. Many people in the role playing community already believe that you have taken it upon yourselves to kill this franchise. I do not believe so; I think you bought it up when a floundering TSR needed help. Then, you yourself had money issues and had to have Hasbro come and help. Yet, by doing so you have helped to hurt this fan, and I believe millions of others.

I will not get into who is selling better, though it must be a thorn in your side that the previous edition; while under a different name, is selling better than your newest line. I will not say that the game has turned into a video game on paper that has been brought up and beaten to death on many forums. I will not point out that I have heard rumors you are pulling all minis and even stopping your publishing of books. That can be debated elsewhere.

My concern, WotC, is that you have truly lost your way and instead of sitting back and laughing like many other people out in the æther have done, I offer you this; you can find your way back.

Stop rushing products out that are half done and unpolished. Stop having celebrities shill your product--most of the older generations have become immune to this. Stop touting yourselves as THE system and realize that, while once this was true, it is no longer the case.

At this point, gentle WotC; you must think that I am an Old Guard gamer. One who looks at anything published after the late 70's as so much refuse. I assure you, I am not. I loved 2nd edition. I have even come to like the strange and somewhat awkward cousin of 3rd ed. (I use 3rd ed. as a blanket term for 3 and 3.5.) I even owe 4E and 4Essential books. Yet, I also own Pathfinder, Call of Cthulhu, Silver Age Sentinel, Savage Worlds, Star Wars Saga, Star Wars West End, Hackmaster, and the retro clones of OSRIC, S&W, LL, Basic Roleplaying and LotFP. I like them all. Even some of the lore of your own 4E. Yet, the mechanics are wonky, mages have become magical turrets and...I apologize I was starting to rant about my issues with your system and I shouldn't.

WotC, please, please, please, I hope you can find yourself out of this quagmire that is the 4th edition swamp. And, there is something very easy for you to do. Simply listen to what people are saying. I don't mean your newest members. I mean the old guard too.

I for one and hoping that you will find a way out of this strange hole you have dug for yourselves. And, I will be hoping and leaving a light on for you, so you can find your way back to us.

The Sincere rantings of
Dragolite


P.S.
Of course, this is just my opinion. I could be wrong.

Tuesday, January 25, 2011

First podcast

podcast

 It is a little rough and we will be working on it as we go.  But, please do enjoy our fist attempt at podcasting.

Monday, January 24, 2011

Podcasts and gaming

I have gotten through most of the set up for the podcast to be linked onto this site.  It should be up a little bit later today or tomorrow at the latest.
However, I think that right now, I should start talking about what we have come here to read about.  Gaming.

A brief history and confession:

I started gaming back in college.  I rolled up a character for my friends 2nd ed. D&D game and never got to play him.  He was a dwarven thief.  I was amazed by the rules when I first started to read them.  Yet, I was also of the opinion that this was something silly and not serious.  (I was a hardcore sci-fi reader at the time and thought all fantasy was for children.  I was very wrong.)  After making my dwarven thief, I sat back and waited and read the rules and was amazed by the art of those books.
Then, the same friend who ran the one D&D game came to me and said he was running a Heroes Unlimited game.  And, I jumped at the chance.  I made an alien character--against the GM's orders--and we again had one adventure and then we stopped.
It spurred me on to make my own games--I had no idea what I was doing and they all flopped.  When I was asked to leave college--a story for another time--I forgot about rpgs and tried to focus on my new path.  Writing.
Reading those books and enchanted by the art of D&D I started to write fantasy stories.  I didn't forget my first love of sci-fi and wrote both.  Again, horrible stories.  I believe that writers, really good writers, start off writing some crap.  I know more than a few writers myself and they say the same thing.
But, I digress...
Flashforward to sometime after 2000 and I find my friends are in a D&D game.  I create an elven ranger by the name of Athalan Symal Greenbow and I never looked back.  I won't bore you with stories of him, that is not what this blog is about.
Since Symal, I have gone on to run many games and been in many more.
Currently: I am in a Hackmaster game run by my friend Tom, in a Silver Age Sentinels game run by my fellow podcaster Dave and a Call of Cthulhu game run by him as well.  I'm trying to get together a group of players for a 1e game in a world of my own creation.
I know why I am having trouble.  I have a bad track record when it comes to running games.  I am always distracted by "the new shiny," wanting to run something different after looking at a new system or having a new idea.  Or, I have nothing written up past a certain part.
Well, NO MORE!
I have been working on the 1e world for a bit, will continue to do so and hope to get some players.  Will keep everyone up-to-date on that as well.

And, now a question for the interweb readers:

Story trump rules?  Why or why not?

1st post

Alright, first blog and all.
I aim for this blog to be about role playing games and a place to put up a podcast some friends and I are doing about role playing games.  Yes, I am a giant nerd.
In the coming days and weeks, I should be getting the podcasts up, want to make it a once a week thing.  Also, going to keep readers up on any games I'm playing or running.  Also, plans on future games and give you my own thoughts on role playing in general.
I do hope that you all enjoy.