[RPG] Jeff Rients as GM of [Fill In the Blank]

Last night TheBoy and I were having one of our epic gaming conversations (how cool is that when you can talk about geeky  stuff with your kid and they totally get what you are saying) and mentioning how a certain dude in our crowd is kind of like, the worst GM ever wrought. He's really terrible. Poor guy.

We then contrasted said guy with Jeff, who is, in our opinion, "like, the awesome GOD of GMing". We discussed how pretty much everything Jeff runs at least SOUNDS cool and/or fun. It was mentioned that Jeff could run TIDDLY WINKS and we would play it. TheBoy was very enthusiastic about this idea, complete with coin flipping sound effects and pantomimes to prove his approval of the concept.

It was then asided that Jeff is really good at a certain kind of game, and that for other types, maybe he was not the ideal GM. Jeff's natural habitat as proposed by us was "goofy and/or over the top", but we are willing to admit we might be wrong. However, to prove our point, we got into one of our famous "what if" discussions.

An example was made of Traveller, which; while having a huge following in our area, has some pitfalls. TheBoy was full of demonstrations on how a Jeff-lead Traveller group could go awry ("I don't know what the *&^^% is going on! Crap, I'm dead.) and we declared this MaybeNotAGoodIdea.

Next was a Jeff-run Vampire game. The mere IDEA of this premise was so mirthful as to elicit an 8.2 on the lolololololololograph (IE I could not stop laughing for the life of me) and TheBoy voted the scenario as officially Hilarious.

Paranoia in all its variations seemed the best place evah for Jeff to unleash his personal brand of awesome, but we were perplexed as to who plays the game anymore, so we had to pronounce this possibility as Meh due to potential lack of interest.

From there, the conversation sort of broke into fits of giggles and occasional hiccups of insanely stupid inside jokes, but it was a very fun thought exercise at the time.

Why not suggest "What Should Jeff Run", and cause a little laughter today?

[40K] Merry Christmas to Me!

Just one of my presents this year:

TheDude sure does love me something fierce. I think I'll keep him.

[Business] Today's Adventure

See this guy? He's all alone. He's doing it wrong. 

Today's brief discourse will be on the need for backup of some sort. 

While what TheDude and I have is pretty unusual, most of the FLGS folks I know have some sort of help. They have learned that they don't know and can't do everything, and have hired out for the things they just can't do themselves. 

It might be taxes, or web design, writing a policy manual or cleaning the floors; sometimes you need someone else to do the work. 

Other times, you need someone who shares your vision and understands what you are all about. There are times when you need someone to listen to the static in your head and help decipher it into reality. 

TheDude and I went on a little adventure today. Honestly, either one of us could have gone alone- there was no need for both of us to be involved. We trust each other and feel good about the decisions we make as a rule. But we voted to go together "just in case" something came up that we wanted the other around to help 'figure out our brain'. 

When something is bothering me or I can't figure it out, I tend to be quiet and let TheDude talk. Funny thing is, given the chance, the man can talk circles around me. So usually, while he is blabbering away, I'm figuring out whatever has me twisted. 

Today, he saw me mulling something over in my head, and asked me about it.  As I was telling him what my concern was, he blerted out the same thing, and we sort of chuckled. 

We left our adventure, and went on our merry way,  feeling somewhat better that we had a line on each other's  thoughts and we could count on each other. 

[40K] More of This Game is Just Pretty

So a new guy came into the store the other night (after much prodding from TheDude) and brought some of his beautiful Dark Angels to show us. I thought I'd share... 

I like it, I like it, I like it.

[RPG] Check this out instead

No RPG material today. I'm busy finalizing the last minute details of a benefit for a local gaming couple.

Details here 

[40K] Sometimes, the game is just pretty

I showed up to my 40K night the other day, and one of my regulars was showing off his new toys. He had amassed a very large selection of figures for a theme army and wanted everyone to see them.

Pictures don't quite do this justice- there's a lot of shine and reflection taking away from the detail and lovely work he put into this army- but I really want to showcase his work.

Long shot of the whole army.

A narrower look at the oncoming mass.

Hey look! Skimmers and dreads!

I love the feel of the army- the different poses really helps it have a personality.

Who doesn't love a wheelie?

The bank on this is just super cool.

Ever hear of flanking? Yeah, these guys have it.

[RPG] Chemistry

In RPG's, I've found that the single most important element for a game to go well is chemistry.

Yes, maybe a little beverage helps....

Chemistry is inexplicable to those outside the game. In many ways, it's like obscenity- "you know it when you see it". I've had some games that were hilariously fun and I couldn't wait to play- but people watching from the outside had no idea what was good about it. I've also had games that, on paper, were stellar. Well known GMs, great players, interesting plot- but when the group was together, the chemistry was terrible and the game fell apart.

Recently I've seen games with great starting chemistry lose steam because a member of the group had to quit, and I've seen dying games take on new life with the addition of a single player. I've been impressed by the fact that in most cases, the key to good chemistry is a SINGLE person with a dynamic personality. At least in my area, when you add more than one 'big voice', things kind of go off the rails.

There's no crystal ball as to whether a game will work with the people in it or if you need to do some quick chemical adjustment. Because chemistry is fairly important to me, I often sit in on a session or hang out with the group I am considering joining before I agree to play in a new game. I know other people do a sort of interview to figure out if the people they will be playing with 'fit their needs' and others just hope for the best.

What experiences have you had with group chemistry, and what advice do you have for those having problems?