[WOD] A Million Pieces

My Brain After Last Night

Almost entirely OOC WOD related thoughts- in no particular order-


On my WOD resume- "Hot Chick, Summoner of Dudes"

The Werewolves are getting the player they have needed for well over 6 months now. I personally asked this player to consider Werewolf previously and he declined at the time- but he's got the perfect personality for the Auspice he'll be playing as well as for the group of players in the pack at the moment.  I'm excited to see how it actually plays out- but again; I feel that conflict of "I wish I was there" and "Man, I am glad I am NOT".

The imminent entrance of this new Werewolf means this player's current character will be diminished in influence and appearance, and I had some thoughts on possible future interactions with him. Easy come, easy go, I guess.

TK's player, Erick, gave me one of the single best ieas for use in game I've heard in years. I'm very excited about its possible implications, but it does have some serious detractions and issues that I need to work through with the ST before I actually persue it.

I'm convinced that one of my long-time gaming friends would be great in and enjoy this wacky, intense, fun and unusual game. However he's known for being a pretty traditional table-top roleplaying type guy. The question and problem becomes whether a campaign to get him to join is a futile effort or if it's the type of thing I'm known for and good at.

Playing with your teenage kids presents some really unusual challenges. It does not help that my oldest is one of the world's biggest prudes/most straightlaced people ever, and I keep encountering his character while Eile is making amorous advances towards TK, or evidence of sexuality is in play at the time. As I mentioned previously, you have to pay attention to maturity, tone and interest when progressing with the more sensual plots.

It appears as if there will be a new Changeling soon. It also appears that she'll be tied to Avere, which is a confounding and interesting situation for me. Pretty much every character in game interacts with Avere (some to a nearly obsessive amount) and Avere's doing everything she can to NOT interact with Eile. This makes for some truly challenging obstacles towards doing what I'm aiming to do. (See below for more.)


Over on Greg's blog, he asked what kind of emotional responses I wanted out of gaming. Here's a snippet of what I said.

Sometimes what I get is related to the GM and/or the players, and when that's the case, I just have to think differently about whatever is happening to find a new direction. 

Last night I spoke to the ST of the WOD game because I was having concerns about what emotional responses I am getting from the game. We've both agreed that my character and her concept is wonderful, and we both want to find ways to keep her in the game and get her active.

One of the single most important aspects of making Eile work effectively for plot and results (resonance and personal satisfaction) is direct, player-to-player interaction. I haven't been able to accomplish this with more than a couple players- and while the results there are fantastic (just wait for the write-up);  it's not enough to make Eile a fully participating part of the group.

[This lack of direct interaction is due to two or three factors- one; Eile has been pursuing NPC oriented activities; two, Avere has been in many ways the "gate keeper" to other PCs with whom Eile could interact and Eile is actively avoiding Avere just as much as Avere is avoiding Eile; and three-the KIND of character Eile is- she's simply not direct in any way.]

At the moment, I really feel as if I'm playing a particularly active NPC. I did approach this with the ST; that perhaps Eile is better suited as an NPC.

Many of the downtime related activities Eile has been persuing have been highly NPC oriented (activity in the Spring Court, trying to encounter a Werewolf pack [not the one being played by the PCs], getting a job at a strip club, etc) and these activities- while they make perfect sense for her mindset and objectives- do not further her being an active participant in the game.

What I told my ST last night was that I either needed to come up with some new ideas/directions that would allow for character interaction, or consider a new idea entirely- because I'm just not generating the traction I want and expect through Eile and her endeavors.

if I consider something else, the problem becomes WHAT. I'm still convinced Werewolf is out. I'm not super sold on Geist but I am not as against it as I was previously. Mage is right out. Vampire is possible, but I'd have to be VERY careful with what character I generate- I can easily see another Eile type and the same frustrations coming about without caution. A Changeling doesn't really solve my problem; and then there's the issue of how to offer anything NEW to the group- Avere's pretty powerful and has shared a GREAT deal of information on the Lost and her abilities. And trying not to metagame this info into any new concept gets tricky, too.

So time to come up with some new directions and possibilities so I can keep this wonderful girl I love so much, I think.

[40K] The Emperor Will Be Pleased

I just realized that a majority of the blogs I read. follow and enjoy are 40K related. I'm the assigned "40K Reporter" for our local FLGS and its website, and I cajoled/convinced a local Eldar player into doing the weekly blog on 40K for them as well. (PS-he's late!)

But I haven't owned an army since my teenager was a baby, and while I'm looking at getting back in (man, I have it BAD for those blunt force trauma guys in black), I don't actually have a single fig of my own.

So I either need to rob a bank, coopt someone elses' spare figs, or admit I just like the shiny toys.

Technical Blogging Help Requested

I'm working on some special projects I can't wait to show you and could use a little help.

I'm hoping some of you fabulous bloggers out there can help me with posting a PDF and/or putting up a slideshow. I'd like to use Blogger to do these things, but I do have other resources available. However, I'm just vastly unlearned in the wuji of computers.

Tips, tricks, information and other wisdom is well appreciated.

I Want Your, Let's Talk About, --- Packets

Yes, I'm addressing sex.

I'm a Grown Woman (What fantastic song, btw) and I'm not afraid of the topic. I think it can be handled effectively, sensitively and with a strong sense of drama to benefit plot, character development and even overall themes in a game when done properly.

An essential element is maturity- both of the GM and the players involved in any endeavor. Trying a dramatic plotline around a pregnancy and subsequent child in a Rogue Trader game full of 17-19 year old boys will in most cases bomb.Another is tone- again, GM & players have to be considered, as well as the game in question. Developing a harrowing, gripping and emotive plot around a rape in a kill-orks-for-beer-money game is not a likely event.

Yet another required ingredient is interest- if the  GM or the players in the game don't address it, ignore it, or act as if it's irrelevant; you're probably not going to get any traction with a good love interest.

I think it's also important to be aware of how complex this topic can be - either in all male groups, or in cross gendered ones as well. With all male groups, accomplished and comfortable roleplayers can find it difficult to bring reality to amorous actions without discomfort. Cross gendered groups may find the same concerns, just with different dimensions. (I've known several cases of players running characters in love in game, and feelings crossing over into real life, with disastrous results.)

Even with all those concerns and caveats, I've seen some riveting, excellent and inventive play come across through sex oriented plots or development angles.

Character Maps

I'm trying to plan for my Saturday WOD game. I'm putting thoughts towards what I want Eile to do and why.

I decided to use an older mechanism that I like a lot. I call it a "map".

I take a piece of paper and put Eile's name in the middle of it. Then I put the names of the other characters in the game in a rough circle around Eile's name. Then I draw "relationship lines"- direct lines to/from people she's directly encountering on a regular basis, dotted lines for less firm ones, and so on according to my personal system. (I don't have a scanner nor do I posses any sort of electronic artistic abilities or I'd offer a nifty illustration of said mechanism.)

Then I draw lines from characters to OTHER characters to help me figure out where their influence lies, who they interact with (as known to Eile), and what obstacles and/or objectives they might present.

I make notes to myself  about each character in question, usually thinking in terms of :

what happens if I continue in a straight line with my plot ideas with this character?
What if I put or encounter obstacles between here and where I want to go in my plot lines with this character?
What if I go in a circle/around this plot line with this character?
What if I look at this from every OTHER angle and try something different?

(This thinking mechanism is totally not of my own imagination. I stole it whole cloth from Piers Anthony- and I believe it's some form of logic formula.)

Right now I have a bunch of papers (there are 12+ characters in this game) that look like a drunk kid Spiro-Graphed all over them.

But it's a neat visual way to help me think during game.

Killzone is a Hit!

Many thanks and congratulations to Papa JJ and Big Jim for the wonderful stuff in Special Operations:Killzone.

I've shared it with quite a few friends in my 40K scene and they've all loved it. It's a fun thing to see them excited about the game in a fresh new way, and ready to go slay each other in inventive and fantastic ways.

Beauty Is Where You Find It

I have finally deconstructed the wall of boxes, re-arranged the items inside them, and assembled the contents into something slightly resembling a home.

My last project was the gaming shelves. My husband (The Dude) and I have a pretty sizable collection of RPGs, and when I originally unpacked them, I just threw them on the shelves in a desperate, mad effort to get them out of boxes.

In our former place, The Dude's stuff comprised a single 6' bookshelf. I had a smidgen of stuff, but I kept it separate from his (in a joking conversation, I told him his stuff had cooties). The gaming stuff must have had a lot of hot nights, because his stuff populated itself with MORE stuff. We now have two 6' shelves full of gaming stuff.

One of those shelves is my stuff. I filled it up with my books- old and new. Among the boxes of stuff I unpacked was my Earthdawn collection. I was taken back to when I first encountered Earthdawn.

It's not really a secret that I don't like fantasy games at all. For the most part, I find fantasy to be akin to camping-dusty, dirty, uncomfortable, full of bugs & other disgusting creatures; just plain ugly. But Earthdawn is a major exception. From the minute I opened the book, I was entranced. I loved the setting, the story, and the absolutely breathtaking detail that went into the "history" of the game. (I'll admit the mechanics stink.)

I love the game again for all the same reasons (and admit the mechanics stink just as easily). It's beautiful.