Roots of the Hobby
Sword & Sorcery (S&S), as a sub-genre of fantastic fiction, typically deals with the personal adventures of one or two heroes of often dubious morality as they face and generally overcome perils and one or two adversaries bent on doing them, or a beautiful damsel, harm. Seldom is the S&S story about world shaping events or the struggle of good and evil. Often the hero is a rebel, a bit of a scoundrel. Seldom do elves, dwarves or hobbits make an appearance. Those tropes are the stock of high fantasy popularized by J.R.R. Tolkien's Lord of the Rings (LotR) and The Hobbit.
At the time E. Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson were creating and publishing the white box, Tolkien was becoming a very popular author and redefining fantastic literature. Mr. Gygax alleged the works of Tolkien had very little influence on the white box, yet Tolkien properties such as the Ent, Hobbit, Balrog and Nazgul make their appearance in the pages of the original Little Brown Books. I could argue that the popularity of Tolkien's LotR was at least partially responsible for the success of that early game.
Another huge influence on the creators of the white box and it's players were the many writings of popular sword & sorcery, science fiction, and sword & planet authors whose names appear in the Dungeon Masters Guide Appendix N. I had already read a number of the authors whose names are on that list when I first discovered the white box, so sharing in that type of adventure through the means of the white box game seemed a natural extension of my love of heroic adventure stories. S&S stories at the time definitely outnumbered the works of Tolkien (although the imitators of Tolkien are now legion) and perhaps had a greater influence overall on the game's development. Since the advent of white box, it definitely seems high fantasy is the preferred style of play with S&S games ranking a distant second.
While players generally enjoy reading S&S stories, my experience has been there is a preference for high fantasy in play. The nature of magic may account for part of this preference. Magic in S&S is often low-key, dangerous and generally used by the bad guys rather than the heroes. One of the appeals to playing a fantasy game is the inherent "magic", that is real within the game setting be available to them as players. Many players naturally like to use the "magic" themselves through their PCs and the flashier the better! The grim realism of S&S can mean combat is more deadly and players generally dislike losing their PCs. Fantasy races, those other than human, seem to attract players in a disproportionate manner. Elves, dwarves and gnomes frequently outnumber human PCs at the game-tables I have been present at. Saving the world from the ultimate bad-guy seems to hold way more appeal than the often less epic/glamorous adventures more typical of S&S.
White box is characteristic of what generally followed in the hobby since it contains S&S elements within a system that seems geared more to high fantasy play. Games strictly adhering to S&S tropes are rare both in print and at the table, but it isn't hard to identify a bit of S&S in many high fantasy games. The LotR itself, generally associated with the label high fantasy (another sub-genre), upon close scrutiny seems to also contain elements of S&S; the small personal struggles of some characters exist within the context of the larger good verses evil, world in the balance struggle, the rebel is there even if he is of royal (or hobbit) blood, and the dark magic of Sauron definitely has a corrupting influence.
After watching Peter Jackson's LotR trilogy with my old daddy (age 92), he remarked, "So that's what you and your friends have been playing all these years." What could I say, but "Yeah, Dad, that's pretty much it."
Friday, January 15, 2016
Wednesday, January 13, 2016
Adventure verses Role Play
What do you want in your game?
Reading Five Ancient Kingdom author Jonathan Becker's comments about his creation being an "adventure game" not a role-playing game has me thinking about the difference. The hobby generally refers to role-playing games or RPGs when describing the games we play. Many games start with a description of "What is role-playing?" or some similar topic. Less common is a description of what is "Adventure Gaming"? Herein I offer my (somewhat random) thoughts.
Adventure gaming as distinct from role-playing seems to be a game about adventure, exploring the unknown, getting into conflicts, acquiring treasure and knowledge usually in a fantastic setting all while using one's imagination to visualize the action. The way this is done is with a referee who describes the setting and players who describe what they would like their avatars to do. Dice are rolled to determine the outcome of actions when failure or success can significantly change things. In many ways the adventure game is similar to other tabletop games with the exception that most of the action takes place in the players' minds rather than on a board laid out on the table.
So how is this adventure game distinct from a role-playing game. I think it is in the attitude of the players to their "playing piece" or character. Role-playing outside the game/hobby setting means putting oneself into the role of another person and acting out a situation the way you think that imagined person might do so. In this way, role-playing has much in common with unscripted acting. Many players approach the game from such a perspective. The "character" is fleshed out in their mind to have a distinct personality, beliefs, goals, weaknesses and strengths separate from the player. It makes sense to call play in this manner taking on a role or role-playing.
Many game systems in the hobby can be played while not engaging in such character acting or role-playing. The player may treat the "character" as nothing more than a group of numbers on paper that gives them a "playing piece" or pawn in the game. In such a game little thought is given to the character as a person with a life and personality. The character exists only to do the player's bidding in the game setting (which is really true regardless of how the game is played). Some in the hobby may refer to this style of play as roll-playing referring to the fact that rolling the dice may play a larger role in the game than acting "in-character".
Since the white box, rules have been written for our hobby with many different things in mind. Some seem to favor skill at game play, some favor a more random play where the luck of the dice outweighs any tactical decisions on the part of players. Skill at character design seems forefront in some systems in others characters are rolled for randomly. Yet other systems are specifically designed to support role-play utilizing mechanics and rewards for role-playing the character. All allow for adventure and all allow for roleplay. It is often how play develops at the table that determines where the emphasis in a particular game is placed, though admittedly some systems lend themselves more readily to certain styles of play. Regardless of the rules used, play probably proceeds best when everyone at the table wants the same type of game experience. Helping set expectations might be the real worth of a label such as "role-play" or "adventure game".
Reading Five Ancient Kingdom author Jonathan Becker's comments about his creation being an "adventure game" not a role-playing game has me thinking about the difference. The hobby generally refers to role-playing games or RPGs when describing the games we play. Many games start with a description of "What is role-playing?" or some similar topic. Less common is a description of what is "Adventure Gaming"? Herein I offer my (somewhat random) thoughts.
Adventure gaming as distinct from role-playing seems to be a game about adventure, exploring the unknown, getting into conflicts, acquiring treasure and knowledge usually in a fantastic setting all while using one's imagination to visualize the action. The way this is done is with a referee who describes the setting and players who describe what they would like their avatars to do. Dice are rolled to determine the outcome of actions when failure or success can significantly change things. In many ways the adventure game is similar to other tabletop games with the exception that most of the action takes place in the players' minds rather than on a board laid out on the table.
So how is this adventure game distinct from a role-playing game. I think it is in the attitude of the players to their "playing piece" or character. Role-playing outside the game/hobby setting means putting oneself into the role of another person and acting out a situation the way you think that imagined person might do so. In this way, role-playing has much in common with unscripted acting. Many players approach the game from such a perspective. The "character" is fleshed out in their mind to have a distinct personality, beliefs, goals, weaknesses and strengths separate from the player. It makes sense to call play in this manner taking on a role or role-playing.
Many game systems in the hobby can be played while not engaging in such character acting or role-playing. The player may treat the "character" as nothing more than a group of numbers on paper that gives them a "playing piece" or pawn in the game. In such a game little thought is given to the character as a person with a life and personality. The character exists only to do the player's bidding in the game setting (which is really true regardless of how the game is played). Some in the hobby may refer to this style of play as roll-playing referring to the fact that rolling the dice may play a larger role in the game than acting "in-character".
Since the white box, rules have been written for our hobby with many different things in mind. Some seem to favor skill at game play, some favor a more random play where the luck of the dice outweighs any tactical decisions on the part of players. Skill at character design seems forefront in some systems in others characters are rolled for randomly. Yet other systems are specifically designed to support role-play utilizing mechanics and rewards for role-playing the character. All allow for adventure and all allow for roleplay. It is often how play develops at the table that determines where the emphasis in a particular game is placed, though admittedly some systems lend themselves more readily to certain styles of play. Regardless of the rules used, play probably proceeds best when everyone at the table wants the same type of game experience. Helping set expectations might be the real worth of a label such as "role-play" or "adventure game".
Five Ancient Kingdoms
As I sit here enjoying the single digit temperature and snow of a midwest winter I can escape to a hot desert adventure courtesy of Jonathan Becker's Five Ancient Kingdoms (5AK). The game is presented in three digest sized books titled "Men & Mettle", "Magic & Monsters" and "Dragon Master Secrets". Subtitled "Rules for Fantastic Adventures Of Imagination, Danger, and Romance", 5AK is a rules lite fantasy "adventure game" (Mr. Becker avoids the use of the term role-playing) in the spirit of the white box, but definitely not a simulacrum.
5AK offers the player a choice of four hero types which are very similar to white box Hero/fighting man, Magician/magic user and Saint (Shaman)/cleric and with the addition of the Supplement I Thief/thief. The Hero class allows for "fighting style" to be based on the Brute/strength or the Agile/dexterity. The Magician casts spells from a list that feels quite Arabian Nights-y and must make a roll of the dice to do so correctly. The Saint spells are termed "miracles" and also have a distinctly exotic feel about them. Saints may cast a number of miracles per game session rather than per day as in white box. Thieves choose a number of skills to be good at and can increase their bonuses as they level up. Somehow the Thief seems more at home as a player class in this middle eastern - style milieu than thieves do in white box.
All the character classes have unique abilities and feel distinct. Each also has one or more subclasses if the referee/player desires more variety. Leveling is done by experience and classes differ in experience needed in order to level up. Dice in 5AK are exclusively six siders with ones counting as zero allowing for "zeroing out", the automatic failure in 5AK. Generally one rolls two such d6's in 5AK to determine success whether in combat, spell casting or using a skill. A player may elect to "push" certain dice rolls by rolling an extra die and dropping the lowest, but at the risk of greater failure if the roll does not succeed.
The setting is called Barica and seems familiar when compared to our own ancient middle east, but of course with a fantastic, legendary flair. The names are familiar in the way author R.E. Howard used familiar sounding names that were yet different for his imaginary kingdoms and cities. The list of monsters include several from middle eastern mythology such as jinn, as well as more generic monsters (giants, undead and so forth). Monsters have a number of Hit Dice (HD) that work much like they do in white box. In fact 5AK feels familiar even though it's new and unique...just like the names!
5AK takes the idea of a white box adventure game and re-imagines it through a different milieu and different mechanics. There are many parallels, but little direct borrowing. I really like the idea of a mythic Arabian Nights setting and there is no reason why white box could not be modified to accommodate just such a milieu, the ability to do so being one of white box's strengths. Of course I could always just use 5AK with it's fresh approach to game mechanics.
Wednesday, January 6, 2016
Big Companies, Big Ideas
Amateur Hobby Thoughts
We currently live in an era of big corporations. I realize that when an industry starts out it usually has a number of small start-ups that pioneer the product and that as it matures, it usually results in just a few big companies who often bought out the others. The cola and automotive industries are good examples. At times I think our hobby is another such instance, though on a much smaller scale. The early days saw all the product being produced by small amateurish companies, some became bigger companies and their product reflected that with more professional art and layout, but not always better content. When it was shown that money was to be made, some of the established larger companies on the peripheral released product of their own, often of dubious quality. Buy-outs resulted in fewer companies and the extinction of many product lines.
Generally speaking I have found the small-press, amateurish hobby products to be among my favorites. I find they have an honest enthusiasm, freshness and originality often lacking in the offerings of the established companies. In an industry based on creativity and imaginative design, the upstart often has those qualities to a greater degree than the well established. What small shops lack, polish and scale, I find less appealing than the new ideas presented in their often amateurish products. The exception is good editing. I really appreciate good editing and nothing turns me sour on a product faster than poor editing.
Fortunately the internet has somewhat reversed this trend toward bigger companies in our hobby. The availability of desktop publishing software to aid the designer and downloads and print-on-demand services has opened the field to allow the amateur game designer access to the market in a way not previously available. The so-called indie-press games and more amateur internet-only products are often able to compete favorably with the big companies in terms of quality content, originality and innovation. What they lack in terms of production polish is more than made up for in entertainment value.
Pen and Paper roleplaying games offer the designer an opportunity to put their original ideas forth through writing alone. Illustrations and maps help to convey the message, but there is no need for a complicated product requiring advanced manufacturing and the associated costs. The ideas are the product and the consumer need only read and put into practice at the gaming table for the transaction to take place. From designer's head to tabletop fun just requires a document. What could be easier? Blogs and websites devoted to the hobby can help get the word out regarding quality products, all for free.
The beginnings of the hobby are quite humble, three amateurish little brown books perhaps marketed from the trunk of a car started it all. The magic of those early days continues to drive the gamer with an idea who uses the internet to put that idea out for public consumption. Not all are gems, but many are good and continue to shape the future of the hobby. A number of innovations appearing in the latest edition of the game are perhaps borrowed from ideas that first appeared in more amateurish publications. A good idea is just that, regardless of where it originates.
We currently live in an era of big corporations. I realize that when an industry starts out it usually has a number of small start-ups that pioneer the product and that as it matures, it usually results in just a few big companies who often bought out the others. The cola and automotive industries are good examples. At times I think our hobby is another such instance, though on a much smaller scale. The early days saw all the product being produced by small amateurish companies, some became bigger companies and their product reflected that with more professional art and layout, but not always better content. When it was shown that money was to be made, some of the established larger companies on the peripheral released product of their own, often of dubious quality. Buy-outs resulted in fewer companies and the extinction of many product lines.
Generally speaking I have found the small-press, amateurish hobby products to be among my favorites. I find they have an honest enthusiasm, freshness and originality often lacking in the offerings of the established companies. In an industry based on creativity and imaginative design, the upstart often has those qualities to a greater degree than the well established. What small shops lack, polish and scale, I find less appealing than the new ideas presented in their often amateurish products. The exception is good editing. I really appreciate good editing and nothing turns me sour on a product faster than poor editing.
Fortunately the internet has somewhat reversed this trend toward bigger companies in our hobby. The availability of desktop publishing software to aid the designer and downloads and print-on-demand services has opened the field to allow the amateur game designer access to the market in a way not previously available. The so-called indie-press games and more amateur internet-only products are often able to compete favorably with the big companies in terms of quality content, originality and innovation. What they lack in terms of production polish is more than made up for in entertainment value.
Pen and Paper roleplaying games offer the designer an opportunity to put their original ideas forth through writing alone. Illustrations and maps help to convey the message, but there is no need for a complicated product requiring advanced manufacturing and the associated costs. The ideas are the product and the consumer need only read and put into practice at the gaming table for the transaction to take place. From designer's head to tabletop fun just requires a document. What could be easier? Blogs and websites devoted to the hobby can help get the word out regarding quality products, all for free.
The beginnings of the hobby are quite humble, three amateurish little brown books perhaps marketed from the trunk of a car started it all. The magic of those early days continues to drive the gamer with an idea who uses the internet to put that idea out for public consumption. Not all are gems, but many are good and continue to shape the future of the hobby. A number of innovations appearing in the latest edition of the game are perhaps borrowed from ideas that first appeared in more amateurish publications. A good idea is just that, regardless of where it originates.
Tuesday, January 5, 2016
Fantastic & Supernatural
Heroic Imaginings
Thinking about Appendix N, the antecedents of White Box and influences on the hobby in general and what it all means. We commonly refer to our games as "high fantasy", "low fantasy", "sword & sorcery" or simply "fantasy". The term fantasy implies escapist fiction and I suppose that is true when applied to the hobby. High fantasy generally refers to world shaping events, Tolkien races and lots of magic. Low fantasy usually applies to less magic and a more realistic, often gritty game. Sword & sorcery is associated with a humanistic, pulpy adventure where magic is perilous and often wielded only by the bad guys. All have an element of the fantastic and the supernatural.
Fantasy games by their nature usually deal with fantastic creatures, settings and/or happenings. The imagination thrives on such fodder and many a referee has enjoyed hours upon hours simply creating such fantastics even before play begins. To be surprised by the creations of another is a major appeal of fantastic literature and games. There seems to be something deep in the human psyche that craves to be entertained by such tales as they represent some of the oldest recorded.
The supernatural holds a slightly different fascination for us. It is often what lies beyond the horizon of sanity and being the curious animal we are, we are drawn to investigate and our imagination fills in the blanks. The unknown, the spooky, and the forbidden call to us in irresistible ways. Again some of our oldest literature contains such elements.
Born of literature, story-yelling and impromptu theater (and a dash of psychology I would add), role-playing borrows heavily from its antecedents and adds to the experience by allowing the participant to live out the adventure by proxy through a PC. The player decisions and actions, through the PC, builds and forms the story which unfolds during play. Through no other medium are we able to experience the same degree of involvement with the fantastic and supernatural, even if it is all taking place within our imagination.
The Tolkien races together with the cleric and magic user classes give white box a default high fantasy feel. The flexibility of white box however allows a referee the easy freedom to change this default setting and create any of a number of alternative "feels". The popularity of high fantasy makes the default a good choice. Over the years/decades I have repeatedly attempted to interest players in more low fantasy and sword & sorcery settings with little success. High fantasy and to some extent, science fantasy (combining high fantasy with science fiction elements) have met with more enthusiastic reception.
The hobby is currently in a state where game systems abound and rules for almost any kind of roleplaying game can be found either in print or online. Regardless of how one prefers to have their tabletop heroics, a system is probably available to support that vision. The would-be referee need only spend some cash and time reading in order to offer his/her players the kind of game they desire. And for those referees who still prefer to design it themselves, many systems are easily modified to support almost anything imaginable by way of gaming. Fantastic, you bet!
Thinking about Appendix N, the antecedents of White Box and influences on the hobby in general and what it all means. We commonly refer to our games as "high fantasy", "low fantasy", "sword & sorcery" or simply "fantasy". The term fantasy implies escapist fiction and I suppose that is true when applied to the hobby. High fantasy generally refers to world shaping events, Tolkien races and lots of magic. Low fantasy usually applies to less magic and a more realistic, often gritty game. Sword & sorcery is associated with a humanistic, pulpy adventure where magic is perilous and often wielded only by the bad guys. All have an element of the fantastic and the supernatural.
Fantasy games by their nature usually deal with fantastic creatures, settings and/or happenings. The imagination thrives on such fodder and many a referee has enjoyed hours upon hours simply creating such fantastics even before play begins. To be surprised by the creations of another is a major appeal of fantastic literature and games. There seems to be something deep in the human psyche that craves to be entertained by such tales as they represent some of the oldest recorded.
The supernatural holds a slightly different fascination for us. It is often what lies beyond the horizon of sanity and being the curious animal we are, we are drawn to investigate and our imagination fills in the blanks. The unknown, the spooky, and the forbidden call to us in irresistible ways. Again some of our oldest literature contains such elements.
Born of literature, story-yelling and impromptu theater (and a dash of psychology I would add), role-playing borrows heavily from its antecedents and adds to the experience by allowing the participant to live out the adventure by proxy through a PC. The player decisions and actions, through the PC, builds and forms the story which unfolds during play. Through no other medium are we able to experience the same degree of involvement with the fantastic and supernatural, even if it is all taking place within our imagination.
The Tolkien races together with the cleric and magic user classes give white box a default high fantasy feel. The flexibility of white box however allows a referee the easy freedom to change this default setting and create any of a number of alternative "feels". The popularity of high fantasy makes the default a good choice. Over the years/decades I have repeatedly attempted to interest players in more low fantasy and sword & sorcery settings with little success. High fantasy and to some extent, science fantasy (combining high fantasy with science fiction elements) have met with more enthusiastic reception.
The hobby is currently in a state where game systems abound and rules for almost any kind of roleplaying game can be found either in print or online. Regardless of how one prefers to have their tabletop heroics, a system is probably available to support that vision. The would-be referee need only spend some cash and time reading in order to offer his/her players the kind of game they desire. And for those referees who still prefer to design it themselves, many systems are easily modified to support almost anything imaginable by way of gaming. Fantastic, you bet!
Chaos Magic
Alignment & Magic
The White Box groups PCs, NPCs and monsters according to three alignments, Law, Chaos and Neutrality. I personally find this a useful gaming mechanism for determining friends and foes, if for no other purpose. Alignment is often used as a primitive form of guardrails for roleplaying the PC. Playing one's alignment can help define the character and differentiate the behavior of a PC group from that of the monsters. When examining the literary roots of the alignment system, it suddenly becomes much more, however.
Authors Michael Moorcock and Poul Anderson have written fantasy novels which explore the dichotomy of law verses chaos. Law is stability, predictability, stasis, and chaos is instability, unpredictability, change. Law can be rigid and stifling at its worst and chaos can add variety and progressive change at its best. Law can be thought of as scientific, chaos is more magical. Our own real world seems more scientific today, although it retains a bit of magic, I would argue.
In white box there is no real discussion of magic in terms of alignment. Some game material including many simulacrums, discuss magic as being more a force of chaos, at least as it is practiced by magic users. Divine magic may take on the alignment of the deity from which it originates, or reveal its alignment through the use it is put to. White box classifies certain spells as evil, which can be similar to chaos in some milieux.
While I am not sold on the idea that all magic users are inherently chaotic in alignment, I do like the idea that magic is generally a chaotic influence. Changing things through manipulation of energies, making things happen that "normally" would not, just seems to contain a bit of chaos. I am not willing to argue that laws cannot be applied to magic and the way magic works out-of-the-box (White Box) is pretty predictable, reliable and consistent. If the referee introduces rules for spell failure (which are in Chainmail, btw), and especially a mishap table, then the nature of magic seems to change dramatically toward chaos.
Thinking of magic from the point of view of many sword and sorcery (S&S) stories, magic is often portrayed as dangerous, potentially damaging to the practitioner, and not being something mankind was meant to mess with. Returning to White Box, chaos is the alignment of monsters and bad guys, and the quasi evil chaos of S&S seems to fit this interpretation of magic. The white box has always incorporated elements from many sources, including sword & sorcery literature therefore I think this interpretation can be a valid one for the game.
On a more abstract level the game itself may represent both a bit of real life magic and chaos...strictly in a good way of course! The fantastic is always a bit magical and invariably contains a bit of chaos as well. A really exciting game can leave the players with a feeling of having experienced both. Ultimately how much chaos is in your magic is a referee decision. Regardless of the chaos or lack thereof, I'm guessing we all look for a bit of magic in our gaming!
The White Box groups PCs, NPCs and monsters according to three alignments, Law, Chaos and Neutrality. I personally find this a useful gaming mechanism for determining friends and foes, if for no other purpose. Alignment is often used as a primitive form of guardrails for roleplaying the PC. Playing one's alignment can help define the character and differentiate the behavior of a PC group from that of the monsters. When examining the literary roots of the alignment system, it suddenly becomes much more, however.
Authors Michael Moorcock and Poul Anderson have written fantasy novels which explore the dichotomy of law verses chaos. Law is stability, predictability, stasis, and chaos is instability, unpredictability, change. Law can be rigid and stifling at its worst and chaos can add variety and progressive change at its best. Law can be thought of as scientific, chaos is more magical. Our own real world seems more scientific today, although it retains a bit of magic, I would argue.
In white box there is no real discussion of magic in terms of alignment. Some game material including many simulacrums, discuss magic as being more a force of chaos, at least as it is practiced by magic users. Divine magic may take on the alignment of the deity from which it originates, or reveal its alignment through the use it is put to. White box classifies certain spells as evil, which can be similar to chaos in some milieux.
While I am not sold on the idea that all magic users are inherently chaotic in alignment, I do like the idea that magic is generally a chaotic influence. Changing things through manipulation of energies, making things happen that "normally" would not, just seems to contain a bit of chaos. I am not willing to argue that laws cannot be applied to magic and the way magic works out-of-the-box (White Box) is pretty predictable, reliable and consistent. If the referee introduces rules for spell failure (which are in Chainmail, btw), and especially a mishap table, then the nature of magic seems to change dramatically toward chaos.
Thinking of magic from the point of view of many sword and sorcery (S&S) stories, magic is often portrayed as dangerous, potentially damaging to the practitioner, and not being something mankind was meant to mess with. Returning to White Box, chaos is the alignment of monsters and bad guys, and the quasi evil chaos of S&S seems to fit this interpretation of magic. The white box has always incorporated elements from many sources, including sword & sorcery literature therefore I think this interpretation can be a valid one for the game.
On a more abstract level the game itself may represent both a bit of real life magic and chaos...strictly in a good way of course! The fantastic is always a bit magical and invariably contains a bit of chaos as well. A really exciting game can leave the players with a feeling of having experienced both. Ultimately how much chaos is in your magic is a referee decision. Regardless of the chaos or lack thereof, I'm guessing we all look for a bit of magic in our gaming!
Wednesday, December 30, 2015
Setting: The Stage
Year End Thoughts...
As the end of the year approaches, I sit and contemplate my 1st year experience with this, my first blog. I gotta say, writing these posts, giving vent to my thoughts and emotions regarding my hobby has been a highlight of the year past. This is fun, I get excited about writing posts and feel a sense of accomplishment and satisfaction when a thought comes together and gets posted. So I think I'll keep at it a bit longer.
I have written about several games this past year, and that was my original intent, the "Beyond" part of the title. White Box D&D retains a special place for me and hence the title. I have spoken to other gamers and many, like myself, are heavily influenced by the first game that introduces them to the hobby. There is certainly a bit of nostalgia at play, but the white box is much more to me. I really value using imagination and adding a personal element to each game. While many fantasy roleplaying games support this, the white box demands it. The chaos in those three little brown books requires the player/referee to impose some degree of order, adding to elements which are incomplete or creating from whole cloth those that are totally missing.
The White Box, by design or blunder, gives a good fun game...most of the time. It is more referee dependent than many games and suffers when run by a poor referee, but what game isn't better with a competent, or better yet, inspired referee! Using the rules pretty-much as written, the so-called Vancian magic system makes magic manageable without being too overpowered. Combat results have a random element that keeps things lively, but it's tempered with predictability. After a couple rounds one can generally see where the combat outcome is heading giving the players a chance to scoot out, or maybe expend a limited resource high-level spell to change the momentum. And combat is fast paced, something I have come to prefer over super crunchy "realistic" systems. The AC and hit point systems allow the character to get tougher as they level up and acquire treasures, thus giving them the ability to take on even greater challenges.
As with any system, environment/milieu or game setting can greatly effect the overall fun level. It is at this milieu or setting level that the referee really creates the game in many ways. The rules are how you play, but the setting is what you play. Some settings are better at creating an environment for adventure than others and it's not always the most well developed settings that do this. More to the point, I would say a setting, or milieu, needs to be well realized. The setting or milieu is much like the stage where players will act and the story will unfold. The referee needs to have given thought to how the setting handles a number of game requirements. On this matter I have a few thoughts I phrase as questions for the referee.
Regarding background history, does it help players create interesting PCs? Does the history affect the present in any meaningful way? How common is common knowledge? These are the kinds of queries a referee might use to help realize their setting. Who have been the actors on the world stage of the past? Were they PC types? Gods? Are there any adventure hooks that dangle from your world history?
Another referee query might be do you want the campaign to be epic in nature or personal? Are the adventure hooks consistent with that goal? What about patrons? Have you given any thought to who the PCs might work for? Are the NPCs mostly commoners or kings and queens? Is there a preset villain or do the PCs make their enemies along the way? How do you want to reward your PCs? What will be their motivation, wealth, fame, honor and glory, power? The rewards can shape PC motivation and how the players measure their success.
Magic and magic items are another area where the referee can greatly shape the environment of the game. What role does magic play in the setting? Does it act like technology, is it rare and feared? Is it tightly controlled? Does magic corrupt those who use it? How do PCs acquire magic items? Are there common items or are all magic items unique with their own history? Are magic items available for sale or manufacture?
Some game systems come out of the box tightly linked to a specific setting, others not so much. White box has a bit of a default setting in the choice the designers make of classes, monsters, experience and alignment system, but it is also easily modified without breaking anything. For me this is a strong point in favor of the rules. I very much enjoy tinkering with my RPG as a creative outlet. As the year wraps up, I find myself back at the beginning, singing the praises of the White Box. It really has been a life altering experience for me.
As the end of the year approaches, I sit and contemplate my 1st year experience with this, my first blog. I gotta say, writing these posts, giving vent to my thoughts and emotions regarding my hobby has been a highlight of the year past. This is fun, I get excited about writing posts and feel a sense of accomplishment and satisfaction when a thought comes together and gets posted. So I think I'll keep at it a bit longer.
I have written about several games this past year, and that was my original intent, the "Beyond" part of the title. White Box D&D retains a special place for me and hence the title. I have spoken to other gamers and many, like myself, are heavily influenced by the first game that introduces them to the hobby. There is certainly a bit of nostalgia at play, but the white box is much more to me. I really value using imagination and adding a personal element to each game. While many fantasy roleplaying games support this, the white box demands it. The chaos in those three little brown books requires the player/referee to impose some degree of order, adding to elements which are incomplete or creating from whole cloth those that are totally missing.
The White Box, by design or blunder, gives a good fun game...most of the time. It is more referee dependent than many games and suffers when run by a poor referee, but what game isn't better with a competent, or better yet, inspired referee! Using the rules pretty-much as written, the so-called Vancian magic system makes magic manageable without being too overpowered. Combat results have a random element that keeps things lively, but it's tempered with predictability. After a couple rounds one can generally see where the combat outcome is heading giving the players a chance to scoot out, or maybe expend a limited resource high-level spell to change the momentum. And combat is fast paced, something I have come to prefer over super crunchy "realistic" systems. The AC and hit point systems allow the character to get tougher as they level up and acquire treasures, thus giving them the ability to take on even greater challenges.
As with any system, environment/milieu or game setting can greatly effect the overall fun level. It is at this milieu or setting level that the referee really creates the game in many ways. The rules are how you play, but the setting is what you play. Some settings are better at creating an environment for adventure than others and it's not always the most well developed settings that do this. More to the point, I would say a setting, or milieu, needs to be well realized. The setting or milieu is much like the stage where players will act and the story will unfold. The referee needs to have given thought to how the setting handles a number of game requirements. On this matter I have a few thoughts I phrase as questions for the referee.
Regarding background history, does it help players create interesting PCs? Does the history affect the present in any meaningful way? How common is common knowledge? These are the kinds of queries a referee might use to help realize their setting. Who have been the actors on the world stage of the past? Were they PC types? Gods? Are there any adventure hooks that dangle from your world history?
Another referee query might be do you want the campaign to be epic in nature or personal? Are the adventure hooks consistent with that goal? What about patrons? Have you given any thought to who the PCs might work for? Are the NPCs mostly commoners or kings and queens? Is there a preset villain or do the PCs make their enemies along the way? How do you want to reward your PCs? What will be their motivation, wealth, fame, honor and glory, power? The rewards can shape PC motivation and how the players measure their success.
Magic and magic items are another area where the referee can greatly shape the environment of the game. What role does magic play in the setting? Does it act like technology, is it rare and feared? Is it tightly controlled? Does magic corrupt those who use it? How do PCs acquire magic items? Are there common items or are all magic items unique with their own history? Are magic items available for sale or manufacture?
Some game systems come out of the box tightly linked to a specific setting, others not so much. White box has a bit of a default setting in the choice the designers make of classes, monsters, experience and alignment system, but it is also easily modified without breaking anything. For me this is a strong point in favor of the rules. I very much enjoy tinkering with my RPG as a creative outlet. As the year wraps up, I find myself back at the beginning, singing the praises of the White Box. It really has been a life altering experience for me.
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