A Game Changer

Palladium Fantasy

Among my shortlist of game changing experiences in our role-playing hobby, few can out-rank my discovery of Kevin Siembieda's Palladium Fantasy. I recall finding the evocative red and black cover Palladium Fantasy 1st edition on the shelves of a local store shortly after its release circa 1983 (the current edition is pictured above). Back then I had recently graduated from a small college where I cut my teeth on the original edition in the white box 9and somehow found time to earn a degree), adding in material from the Advanced hardbacks as they became available while also incorporating some gleanings picked up perusing a friend's copy of Holmes Basic - all to produce an unwieldy self-interpreted version of classic D&D. The perfect bound Palladium Fantasy tome literally blew me away with its detail, illustrations, diversity of playable characters and imaginative content throughout. I fell in love with Palladium Fantasy that very week - even before I had a chance to convince my friends to let me bring it to the table for play.

Obviously without the World's First Role-Playing Game we might not have this hobby, so all of us who greatly enjoy role-playing games (even those played on computer and consul) owe a debt of gratitude to the designers of that first RPG, namely to E. Gary Gygax and David Arneson. New game designs of note soon followed suit as others reinterpreted the original concept of playing a personalized individual character in a fantastic setting of mystery and adventure run by a referee or GM. 

By 1983 when I acquired my first copy of Palladium Fantasy rules my friends and I had been playing FRP games for 5+ years and we thought we had it all figured out. We were also itching for something new. The elusive concept of "realism" has its appeal for most gamers at one time or another and as a history major in college, I had some awareness of what I thought were the shortcomings our then-favorite system presented in terms of armor and knightly combat. Palladium Fantasy offered and continues to offer much that is familiar to any veteran of the TSR FRP game. There are character classes, level advancement and alignment - and Palladium Fantasy adds depth and diversity to each of these game system elements. 

Palladium Fantasy tackles combat "realism" with a simple mechanic that I still "house-rule" into many of my traditional d20 style games. Simply described, the Palladium system says a "hit" is scored any time a 5 or greater is rolled on the d20 attack die. The "hit" lands on armor if the number rolled is between 5 and the armor class value inclusive and scores damage on the armor. A final score above the armor rating scores damage on the body of the creature. Armor has its own version of "hit points" and can be damaged to the point that it fails to further protect its wearer. 

I found much more than combat to my liking in the pages of Palladium Fantasy. The Occupational Character Classes (O.C.C.s) are more numerous than those found in the published volumes of the Advanced game and include such engaging characters as the Longbowman and the Diabolist - two of my favorites. Each O.C.C. includes the usual combat and magical abilities and a list of skills in which the character has aptitude for. Testing for the outcome of skill use in the Palladium system is a percentile dice roll-under target number mechanic. 

Alignment in Palladium Fantasy makes more intuitive sense than any such system in any game that I have experienced. The basic axis is a choice between Good, Evil and Selfish. Each of these has its own selection of "flavors". Good beings can also be either Principled or Scrupulous. Those of Evil alignment are either Miscreant or Aberrant or Diabolic. The Selfish operate in Unprincipled and Anarchist ways.

Palladium Fantasy is set in a rich world of Kevin Siembieda's creation, a world that is revealed to us across several volumes containing a wealth of very imaginative adventures awaiting use at the table.  

Future Gamemastering

Adjusting to an ever changing world.
One hobby activity which has seemed to increase during the past year of pandemic adjustments is my planning for future games. Imagining a game that could be brought to the table "someday" is not new to the past year. It is something that I have lovingly engaged in for as long as I can recall. There are always games to get excited about, and planning a future game brings me joy. I am constantly running across sources of inspiration almost every day - things which seem to be able to be turned into a game scenario through application of some imagination. Each new hobby product release always seems so full of potential, and too many of them end up on my shelves - more than I will ever have the time and opportunity to play. With the lack of in-person gaming this past year, however, planning for future games has increased in proportion to games played - or so it seems.

I am a devotee of traditional game design - I like the term "traditional" to describe the original role-playing game design - the one I started with and the one that I often return to. As such, two games that have recently come to rest on my selves are White Star and Eldritch Tales. Both are based on the White Box design via its Swords & Wizardry simulacrum. White Star is obviously a space game and Eldritch Wizardry is mythos role-playing. One can readily see as much from a cursory glance at the cover illustrations.

Do I already have systems that I can use for space adventure games or mythos investigations - of course I do. I have some very good ones that I enjoy immensely. Ones that need no introduction and have stood the test of time well. Games like Traveller, D6 Space, and Call of Cthulhu will likely be games I return to time and again, despite discovery of any new system. Old friends are precious.

There are occasions in all aspects of life where expectations are greater than realizations, where we think we will like something more than we actually do, but then again part of the fun of trying new things is in the "finding out". So I read the new rules, think about scenarios and plan for future "finding out" if these are "keepers" or not.

Elf Rations

"What do your elves eat?"

A significant challenge exists for us humans when we attempt to take our play character beyond the status of game piece and into the realm of "make believe person". Role-play involves an attempt to play the character as someone separate from our self. That can be part of the fun as we adopt a funny voice and make choices that maybe we wouldn't if we were actually put into a real-life situation similar to that our character encounters during play. We compose backstories, talk about personality traits, appearance, mannerisms and gear all like this imaginary being is indeed a "person".

The crux of the matter is that we are all who we are. By being 'me" I bring a part of that into my role-play of every game character. Whether as a player or acting in my role as referee and judge, I am limited (to a degree) by drawing upon my own experiences, material I have read or heard about, or others that I have observed. Fortunately, we live in a diverse world where there is a lot upon which to draw for inspiration when imagining for a fantasy game.

But there are limits. None of us has ever seen an elf, let alone known one personally. The best we can achieve is to read about them, or observe someone else acting the part of an elven character. Being human beings, we are naturally best suited to play human characters. We inevitably impart human characteristics upon the non-human character when we attempt to play them. Given thoughtful consideration and ample research, we may achieve a "believable" elfin impression - to a point. And since none of us can really say with certainty we know anything about elves, there is always room for disputing whether our portrayal is "legitimate" or not.

Certain very popular authors, film and game franchises have promoted their take on what an elf is like. These fictional images often become the basis for our opinion regarding what is true about elves. Are elves generally taller than humans, or shorter? How long and pointy are their ears? Are they vegetarians? These are only some of the basic physical traits that may define an "elf", but the sources vary greatly on these points.

What about personality? Does an elf have a different perspective on morality - right and wrong, good and evil - as compared to humans? What is the basis of their "belief system"? Do they have an immortal soul like that of humans? The questions are endless, because we are talking about something that exists only in our imagination - an each of us is free to imagine something unique regarding the "elf".

The above illustration is taken from Volume 1 of the 1974 edition of the World's Most Popular Role-Playing Game. Note that the face sports a prominent beard. Also note that the drawing is labeled "ELF". If this seems a bit "shocking", that may be because many illustrations appearing in later editions of the game may lead one to suppose that elfin facial hair is a very rare thing. 
The current trend in gaming circles is to allow each player a great deal of freedom in imagining their character - including the ability to define what is "elfin" about them. The resulting characterization is frequently at odds with how other elves have been portrayed within the game setting. Reconciling conflicting views of what defines an "elf" may cause some players a degree of cognitive discord especially if they like consistency in the game's setting. (Need I say that the goal of the game is for everyone, including the referee to have a good time.) Some referees are known to "baulk" at player attempts to re-define a significant part of the world in which they have set the game. 

Players vary greatly with regard to how they approach character generation and what they aspire to create through the role-play of their character. The ability of each player to control the actions of their character is at the core of the role-playing experience, but this can be done within parameters. Some players enjoy imagining each character as a totally unique individual and prefer there be little or no guidance from the setting. Other players enjoy the challenge of playing to type - taking on the role of an individual within a group with well defined norms. Some referees reserve the right of final approval for any character used at the table. All of this can obviously become a source of conflict among the players of the game if everyone is not in agreement. Therefore it seems appropriate that any limitations on character generation should be discussed and resolved to everyone's satisfaction prior to creating the first (elfin?) character.

Once the character sheet is filled out, the fun begins. It can be quite fun to create details for your imaginary person. Sharing what you come up with among the other players can be a great source of amusement for all. In the words of the first games master, why not "decide how you would like it to be, and then make it just that way!"

Adventuring Alone

Solo RPG in 2021

Gaming during the pandemic has been a bit different for many of us. My friends and I have moved our face-to-face games online and this has been working out nicely - although we miss actually getting together around the actual in-person table. The greater online hobby community has been very supportive and a number of folks have posted content through blogs and video that has expanded my game knowledge and exposed me to ideas well beyond what I see in the local group that I game with. In many ways, it has been a good year.

In addition to online gaming I have also done more solo FRP gaming. I have enjoyed the RPG experience solo for many years, having been introduced to the idea decades ago - perhaps through Flying Buffalo's many solo adventures using Tunnels & Trolls. Steve Jackson Games produces solo modules for their GURPS and The Fantasy Trip systems and I have enjoyed many of them as well. Over the years, I have occasionally "test-driven" several adventure modules published for group play in preparation for running them at the table for my friends. So, I am not a stranger to the concept of playing a pen and paper role-playing game alone.

I have found that most any tabletop RPG can be played solo. Using imagination and our ability to play various roles, and rolling dice for both sides as necessary, it is not that challenging to adapt a game written for multiple players into a solo experience. How much the individual enjoys this solo activity will vary considerably and I have several friends that have expressed little interest in such "solo" play. (In contrast, I have little interest in electronic RPGs which I find limiting in a number of ways, but many others enjoy.) Published adventures can be used for solo play as well as the traditional programed solo modules. (Often a few random tables to introduce a bit of "the unknown" will enhance the experience.) Running a module written for group play works best for me if I do not read through it before playing it solo - discovery being part of the joy of play.

When playing solo, the simple systems seem to work very well - some I have encountered are actually derived from the mechanics of various "choose your adventure" style game books (Fighting Fantasy, for example). Other simple RPG systems also lend themselves well to solo play, such as Mork Borg, The Black Hack, Tiny Dungeon and IndexCard RPG, to name just a few. Among the more detailed systems I have found that my first preference for solo FRP gaming is Rolemaster. 

Rolemaster (chart master or whatever nick-name you prefer) is a robust system that has been around for a number of years (decades!) and has seen numerous revisions. Personally, I prefer the 2nd edition which is currently available in digital format (or POD) as "Rolemaster Classic". Character creation is detailed and gives me the ability to customize my characters while retaining the feel of a traditional FRP milieu. RM uses a percentile skill system, magic points and a lot of tables and charts that do involve a bit of math and record keeping. It can play a bit slow as I look up the results of a dice roll and record the results, noting any on-going conditions, but I find that this is not a problem when playing solo, and I rather enjoy the detailed wounds and critical results found on the tables and the small amount of bookkeeping, which all helps me to immerse myself within the game bringing the mental narrative alive for me.

Detail and crunch aren't always what I am "in the mood" for, however and I have recently found a couple of lite systems that are also at the top of my solo play-list. Noah Patterson produces a number of highly "atmospheric" solo RPGs under the name Micro-Chapbook RPGs. The basic system is to roll a d6 and it doesn't get much simpler than that. Mr. Patterson has offered us a special treat however when using his simple dice mechanics. Each of the Micro Chapbooks evokes a distinct "feeling" for a place and mystery that I find superior to many more involved games. The Chapbook adventures are relatively short (most are finished in about an hour) and are "to the point" game experiences. I must say that I have been very satisfied with each one I have played to date.

Another gem-of-a-game that I have enjoyed a lot this winter is Harper's Quest, a print and play dungeon crawler that punches way above its weight (a compliment which used to be bestowed on particularly hard hitting boxers). If opening a door, fighting some monsters and taking their treasure appeals to you, this is a fun way to amuse oneself (and imagine a bit of fantasy heroics!). 

Designed with solo play in mind, both Harper's Quest and the Micro-Chapbooks can be enjoyed by more than one player either as a GM-less, cooperative system or with one player taking the role of gamesmaster and handling the dungeon environment and monsters. You can even use the generation tables as the basis for planning a group adventure...or generating one on-the-fly!

Shadowrun Third Edition

1980's Science Fantasy
Like so many games offered today, I find that an older edition is more to my liking than the current edition. I have played more Fifth than any other edition of Shadowrun, but it is Third Edition that seems to be where this game reaches its maturity yet has not started to put on excess weight. By Fifth Edition the "middle age spread" is very evident and Shadowrun Sixth World has a reputation for dementia-like gaps in the rule system as written.

Shadowrun is a different sort of game that is very much a product of its First Edition era - late 1980s. Those of us who lived through that era may recall the promise technology held for our as yet unknown future. Shadowrun riffs off a 1980s view of the future while stirring in a bunch of familiar FRP game tropes like orcs, elves and magic. The result is an interesting setting that is both familiar in that the places bear names like Seattle and Chicago, but blend fantasy elements with a bunch of pseudoscientific technology like network hacking and cybernetics. During the 1980s neon was big, Japanese technology seemed cutting-edge and destined to replace our animal pets with cyber ones. The film Blade Runner and the novel Neuromancer also seem to fit nicely with my imagining of Shadowrun's setting. In Shadowrun lore Magic has returned and along with it, elves, dwarves, orcs and trolls have "evolved" from humans. If your fancy runs more to The Matrix, you can feature that concept in your "stories" (Third Edition uses that very term for the "network"). For the imaginative gamer there is a lot to get excited about in Shadowrun. 

Corporations have largely replaced nations as the brokers of power in the Shadowrun near-future (Third Edition refers to the year 2060) setting. Morality can seem "quaint" in a dystopian environment ruled by the faceless corporations which offer better living through cyber drugs and technological implants - for a price - seems there is always a price to be paid. Enter the Shadow-runners, the PCs who do the corporation's dirty work on the down-low so as to maintain "plausible deniability" should anyone try to connect their activities back to the corporation. Add in some active nature spirits (totems), high-tech gadgets galore, and street-gang toughs and there is near endless opportunity for a creative referee/GM.

Shadowrun is a system that mechanically relies on the dice pool - d6s - lots of them! The character system blends class with skills and throws in a significant dose of technology to create its own unique potpourri that at times can feel a bit overwhelming. The upside is that there are a lot of options to go for when building and advancing a character. It also means there is a lot of moving parts for the person running the game to keep track of. I wouldn't exactly call Shadowrun "novice friendly".

If you are into gear as a player, Shadowrun may be your ideal playground. In Shadowrun's technology rich pseudo-future the toys abound and you will never have enough credits to buy all the gadgets and implants on your "wish list". In fact, keeping you hungry for more is part of "the game" and provides a reason for you to take that next risky job from your "Mr. Johnson". 

Shadowrun lends itself easily to a modular style of campaign play where connecting a series of missions or "runs" involving a crew of characters seems logical. A typical adventure may involve being contacted by a representative of the corporation who offers you a job. Negotiating with this "Mr. Johnson" is your first task. They never tell you all the details, so investigation and research is often your next task. Scouting may seem logical if you have access to the site of your "run". Planning the job may actually take the most game-time as you and your fellow players divide up the tasks and try to cover all the potential challenges you can imagine. Then there is playing out the task, which may involve hacking, gun-play, a chase scene or any other devious hazard the referee can devise to make you earn your new yen. 

I do consider the Third Edition book inferior to Shadowrun's later editions (and also earlier editions) in one respect - the art on the cover is not my favorite. Fortunately I had already been drawn to Shadowrun viewing the cover illustration of First Edition, otherwise I might have passed on what I now consider an excellent game. I find the Third Edition art lacks the "character" of other cover illustrations. Third Edition's cover seems to focus on communicating "action" over everything else. There is little in terms of street "vibe" to help establish the unique nature of the Shadowrun setting - an virtually nothing that screams "cyberpunk". (I also find it a bit lacking in depth and perspective despite an obvious effort at conveying a sense of height.) I think it's just a weak feature of an otherwise excellent RPG product.