It Slices! It Dices!

I have a list of my top twenty favourite Amber campaign sites. A lot of what I like about them is in the webpage design, or sheer reading pleasure, or other reasons for admiration. I recently plugged a couple of games here on the blog and felt I ought to clearly support my choices.

What does a good game have (and for what should someone strive)?

1) Consistency.

Like it or not, that's the bread and butter of a game. Players need consistency. They need to know that there are rules that will apply across the board, and if for some reason there is an exception, that exception has a REASON. They need adequate response times, with adequate responses. NPCs should talk the same way each time you come across them, landmarks should be solid and any changes maintained and described.

2) Knowledge.

Write what you know, skirt around and study what you do not. You can really get in trouble when you fudge a dessert (so to speak) and find out one of your players is a gourmet chef who knows -that- isn't going to work. Yes, we're playing out fantasy here, but I've heard of murder mysteries that lowered the GM's credibility because the fatal injuries couldn't have occurred that way. Also, keep track of who knows what -- unless your game is populated with mysterious oracles who can spout important clues when asked the right question.

3) Quality.

Quality of response and quality of materials are a very important piece of a good game. A definite knack for improvisation will carry you far, but why stress yourself when you don't have to? Put in the little details; they make the difference.

Those are probably the top three things I look for in a game...but they are of little importance when you don't have the fourth piece:

4) Character-Specific Entertainment

There's probably a better way of putting it, but really, I want to be entertained. I want my character to have a role that reflects how much energy I put into my gaming, and probably a little bit extra. I want to be the star, the hero for my fair share of the on-screen time. It's a combination of fun, and importance... because, after all, why else am I gaming?

So, when I say a game is good, that's because it's fulfilling those needs. And yes, I have seen horrible examples of games where the exact opposite was done...

Murder mysteries that lowered the GM's credibility because the fatal injuries couldn't have happened that way? You wouldn't maybe be thinking of the time I quoted the Ripper autopsy reports to a FTF GM to prove how hard beheadings were?

I should talk, though. I just read through one of my old gamelogs and realized how badly I'd screwed up the description of a foxhunt. And I don't have the energy and intensity that it takes to sustain a huge PBeM as GM, either. I had to learn the hard way.

Beheadings, especially. [shaking head] I don't know how so many GMs screw that one up. (I've heard about six different stories...)

I am LEARNING what it takes... and I'm HOPING I have "it". [grin]

The subtitle for this blog comes from a mock-ad at the end of the "Jackie Chan Adventures" cartoon. I am in the process of developing a game scenario based on the stories in the cartoon [so far].

If you haven't checked it out, it's a lot of fun. There's the ubiquitous Jackie Chan, of course, there's the "kid factor" with Jade, his niece [who is so like I imagine my character Damascus as a child], there's the "Chi magician," Uncle, and a plethora of other very interesting characters. Check out the web site at http://www.jackiechanadventures.com. The plots vary from standard cartoon fare to fairly complex moral issues... one of the "bad guys" has converted. There's been issues of wanting to please your parents, bullying, all sorts of very neat things... plus, despite the obvious connection to Chinese mythology, there have been incredible forays into other myths and myth structures.

The first season revolved around the quest for twelve magic talismans that bound the powers of an evil Dragon Demon (Shendu.) Each of the magic talismans (related to Chinese astrology) had a magic power. Rabbit, for example, was speed, Horse, healing, and so forth. The second season has mostly been learning how to use the talismans, plus thwarting Shendu's plans to open the Demon Gates so his brother and sister demons could make it through to our world. The third season starts early on Saturday morning.

"You DARE to interrupt me in my moment of triumph?" - Moon Demon
"It's...what I do." - Jackie, lamenting.

One of the ways Jackie (a "simple archaeologist by trade," with hints of Indiana Jones, Lara Croft, and, heck, some of my Amber playing net.friends) gets involved with these adventures is through his connections with Captain Black. Captain Black heads "Section 13," described as, "A secret division of the United States government whose purpose is to investigate unusual crimes and track down elusive criminals." Captain Black is described as, "A genius who has dedicated his life to fighting crime and the forces of evil."

I keep casting him as "King Mob" from "The Invisibles." If that gives you any indication of what my game might be like.

I may run several versions of the game, making PCs from Section 13, or maybe casting people into the roles of The Dark Hand (the "bad guys") or even focusing on the archaeological side of things. Anyway, it's one of those "projects in the works."

The AlKiMe house rules for Monopoly.

(Hey, did you know they have a Monopoly Tips and Tricks section? Coolness.)

1) All movement is made using 2d20. There are forty spaces on the board, so a roll of double 20 keeps you in one spot, collect $200.

2) All prices remain the same, except that purchase of the Electric Company and the Water Works are made at $500 a piece.

3) All cash paid via taxes or Community Chest and Chance cards go in the middle for those smarmy people who land on Free Parking.

4) You may roll first (attempting for doubles) before paying your $50 to get out of jail, on the same turn.

5) If you land on the same square as someone else in AlKiMe you are required to kiss them.

Rainbow K says, "Really?"
"Yep."
"Ohmigod. That's just...not right."

She's at that "kisses are gross" stage, isn't she?
(She sticks out her tongue and hits me with her pencil.)

The Unofficial House Rules are...

1) Meera gets Illinois Avenue. We're not sure why this is, but it always seems to happen.

2) Meera and her sweetie will win, one with total cash value, one with property value. The LintKing will make a good showing, but not really be in the running.

3) The LintKing will attempt to get a monopoly on the Dark Purple Properties (Baltic and Mediterranean.) When he succeeds he will be very, very sorry.

4) AngelCake will get Boardwalk. She wants it.

5) Meera will roll double twenties to determine the starting player, and then roll less doubles than anyone through the rest of the game.

In the spirit of my post on Monopoly I have to mention that the AlKiMe triad plays a lot of rummy. I usually have two or three card decks upon my person, and it's become a habit to wait out meals at restaurants or within long lines to take out a deck and run a few hands of it.

We have, of course, our own house rules and variations.

1) We allow a run of King, Ace, Two. We call it "mummy," because it wraps around.

2) Once an individual has "gone out," the others around the table continue with one final turn.

3) The easiest way to aggravate anyone at the table is to put down a set of 7's, 8's or 9's. (This is because it tends to break up good runs.)

4) Hording Aces from the LintKing is expected, not bad manners.

At some point we will have enough XXXenophile cards for a rummy deck... someday. [grinning] We also play Five Crowns, Phase 10, and similar styles of games.

PREMISE:

Tonight is the night the Queen of Hearts has her annual celebration. There's food, music, conversation, and, as always, intrigue. She has invited the royalty of nearby Kingdoms to attend, but then something went wrong. A spell was cast to assassinate the Queen. A spell that was intercepted with another spell, and somewhere, something (or someone) went back in time and changed things. Has everyone simply been granted another chance?

BACKGROUND:

The Queen of Hearts is a vampire mage of many thousands of years, and all of her clan and entourage are vampires, turned by her. Her Knave stole some "tarts" (all of a summer's day) and she has turned them.

The King and Queen of Diamonds are known as powerful wizards. Tradition says only Royalty may do magic within the Courts, although there are magical items and special abilities that can also be used. Despite the magic of the Diamond clan, they have been unable to find their lost princess... and she is presumed dead.

Hearts and Diamonds are traditionally rivals. It is said by the Hearts that Diamonds possess only ice in their veins. It is said by the Diamonds that their purity is like light to the Hearts' darkness.

The Court of Spades is the only one with a known Assassin (the Ace of Spades). The Assassin of Spades will not die by age or disease, but only from combat.

The King of Clubs is a new monarch, having ascended to the Throne after defeating the previous King. While Spades and Clubs have been enemies traditionally (the Queen of Spades assassinated the past Queen of Clubs), the new King of Clubs may still open up negotiations where there once was rivalry.

CHARACTERS:

Queen of Hearts: ALISIA

You have been a Vampire Queen for a thousand years, and there are few things that can destroy a creature as powerful as you. Who has such a thing? Why would they do it? You suspect it might have something to do with the delicious Tarts your Knave stole for you. The Queen of Spades is one you can trust not to be involved...she's been very close in recent years. And, of course, you can trust your Knave. You don't know the new King of Clubs very well... but you know he killed the old ruler to become King. You invited the Diamonds, but...you've never liked them.

Knave of Hearts: THE LINTKING

You are the Queen's Knave, her fetch-and-errand boy. You serve the Queen, and when she was hungry, you saw the Tarts playing on a summer's day, and stole them for your Queen's liking. Your Queen has turned them into one of her kind. You have done this thing for her before... like the one you had turned into a Cat for the Queen's pleasure. You suspect the Diamonds may have had something to do with the magic thrown about, as they're known wizards... but would the Wizard turn against the Witch? Who cast the counter-spell?

Tart: THE BARBARIAN

Was actually the three of Spades... the Queen of Spades knew it, and was getting chummy with the Queen of Hearts in order to find out more about the process of vampirism.

Tart : CHATTERBOX

Was actually the Princess of Clubs, playing with the Three of Spades on a summer's day while there was a rendezvous of royalty.

Cat of Hearts: RAINBOW K

You are the Opener of Secrets for the Queen of Hearts. A spy. You are also her pet. You are supposed to listen and report back to the Queen all that you hear. Once upon a time, you remember that you were a princess... but that was a long time ago. Now you're a cat and you like being a cat.

The reason the Diamonds can't find their Princess is because she's all but forgotten her previous life.

Knight of Hearts

You were assigned to protect the Queen of Hearts, but your true loyalty is to the Queen of Spades. You are not a Vampire, although you have been given a spell to appear like one, even to the Queen of Hearts' satisfaction. While you believe the Queen of Spades and the Queen of Hearts to be close allies, you know the Queen of Spades never trusts anyone. If you had to make a choice, you would choose Spades. After all, she has given you your special magic.

The 'special magic' was one of the few magical items in the game: a "spell-reflection" that could have been stolen, but otherwise was "always on," so any spell cast against him would reflect to the caster.

Queen of Spades: MYSELF

Notable only that Spades are known for keeping secrets, the Queen of Spades killed her husband a while back, which is why there is no King of Spades. She allowed the Three of Spades to be stolen and turned by the Queen of Hearts in order to learn enough of the process to infiltrate the Hearts with her Ten of Spades (now the Knight of Hearts.) She had her assassin kill the Queen of Clubs as the Queen of Clubs was getting too powerful. She specializes in reflective spells, which is how the spell cast against the Queen of Hearts was diverted, and why the Ten of Spades wears her special item now.

The Assassin of Spades

You are the personal assassin of the Queen of Spades. You have been in her service for a thousand years, and will be for a thousand more, if you are not killed in battle. Tonight she has requested you once again act as her bodyguard and spy. You know that there is something between the Queen of Spades and the Witch-Queen of Diamonds. Given how Diamonds dislike Hearts, this means something interesting is happening, and you think that maybe you will be sent to kill someone tonight after all. Nobody as neat as when you killed the old Queen of Clubs, though.

Knight of Spades

You may be the Knight of Spades, but in truth, your Queen has had you secretly practicing your spell-casting for many years. Your magic grows in secret. On the outside, you are not prepossessing: you sometimes act the fool... but that way you get people to tell you their secrets.

He had a special ability akin to most Spades: the ability to magically request one secret of a person. Of course, it didn't have to be THEIR secret...

Wizard-King of Diamonds

You know that there are not many magicians powerful enough in this group to cast such a spell as to assassinate the old Vampire Queen of Hearts. You also know that there are not many magicians powerful enough to subvert such a spell. So, which were you? Your only motive is that you think the Queen of Hearts ate your Princess of Diamonds long ago... You know the Queens all have their spells... but maybe there is a secret magician in the bunch? You suspect that the Clubs, and their rivalry with the Kingdom of Spades (a known ally of Hearts) may be at the bottom of this.

Witch-Queen of Diamonds

Your husband, the WIZARD is attempting to gain the power of HEARTS or CLUBS. You received word that your Princess was sold into slavery to the QUEEN OF HEARTS by the KNAVE OF HEARTS. Your magic has told you that the Princess still lives, but you don't know who she is. You are looking for revenge. You know you could cast a spell against the Queen of Hearts, but you don't know if you could give her the final death. The QUEEN OF SPADES has offered you a gift of magic that might make the difference, if you can deliver the KING OF CLUBS to her. Problem being? The new King of Clubs is an ally!

Barbarian King of Clubs

You are the new King of Clubs. The old King, who you bested in a duel was an ally of the Queen of Hearts, but you really haven't made any overtures to her. You know that you hate the Spades for the way they killed the old Queen of Clubs. You suspect that the Queen of Spades stole the missing Princess of Clubs. What has she been turned into? How can you trust the Queen of Hearts if they're close friends with Spades? On the other hand, maybe if you make the Queen of Hearts your friend, you can get closer to the Queen of Spades...?

Knight of Clubs

You are going to attempt the assassination of the Queen of Hearts. You know you have allies, only... who? The Witch-Queen of Diamonds may be one... The Queen of Hearts has too many of the royals under her evil spell. You know your King will be trying to make a new deal with the Kingdom of Hearts. Maybe you can use this to your advantage!

The spell that the Knight of Clubs has was a sphere of true sunlight. My backstory suggested that it had been created by the King of Diamonds once, and stolen, and I kind of let it out through the party that there were weaknesses for vampires like that.

ADDITIONAL CHARACTERS:

I sorted the people with character concepts out of the deck, using Knights as Jacks or Tens, as appropriate. I then had anyone additional who wanted to play (we had some folks show up after characters had been developed and distributed) pick a card ("Any card...") after which I would introduce them to the person playing their King/Queen, telling them to meet together and get a purpose.

SPELLS, ARTIFACTs, ABILITIES:

Invisibility: The Assassin of Spades
This was actually something all vampires could also do, but it was a special ability of assassins as well.

Healing: King of Clubs
Fairly unlimited healing as the province of Kings.

Hide: Knight of Spades
Make something or someone invisible, even to magic.

Bedazzle: Knight of Spades
Cannot be used on Diamonds.
Sends person into a state of confusion for two minutes. They cannot cast spells during this time.

Cardiac Arrest: Knight of Spades
Vampires are immune.
Resisted by Queens.
Gives person a heart attack and kills them.

Backstab: Assassin of Spades
Special Ability. Cannot be used on Vampires.
Attempts to kill one person.

Poison: Assassin of Spades
Vampires are immune.
Poison one person or object.

Call Lightning: King of Diamonds
Spades are immune.
This brings down several bolts of lightning on someone. Will incinerate vampires, but may be resisted by the Queen of Hearts.

Raise Dead: King of Diamonds
Cannot be used on vampires.
Bring one dead person back to life.

Cure: Queen of Diamonds
Cannot be used on vampires.
Cures poison, disease, madness, releases people from mesmerization, heals all.

True Form: Queen of Diamonds
Returns someone to their true form.

Sphere of Light: Knight of Clubs
Harmless to anyone except vampires.
This spell creats a point of sunlight (as determined via flashlight beam) to destroy vampires.

Word of Safety: Knave of Hearts
This creates a physical/magical shield for one or two people for two minutes.

Polymorph (Limited): Knave of Hearts
Can be resisted by Queens, Wizard of Diamonds.
Turn someone into an animal for two minutes.

Always fun in LARPs.

Blood Thirst: All Hearts
Special Ability. Can be resisted by Diamonds.
Heals the vampire of all damage by transferring it to the victim.

Mesmerization: All Hearts
Special Ability. Can be resisted by Queens and King of Diamonds.
Allows the vampire to hypnotize the victim into doing one small task. Cannot be completely against the personality or character goals.

PLAY:

We started fairly late, so I pushed to make this a fairly quick scenario. If you're interested in using it, please feel free to ask any questions on developing it further and in more detail.

Most of it was a matter of discussions, and reporting back to the Queens/Kings. No one was killed, and I didn't see any spells get used. I gathered everyone back up at about 35 minutes to go ahead and make their guesses and reveal their "secrets."

There was a little confusion by the Queen of Hearts as to which of her subjects was the Princess of Diamonds, but otherwise, everyone seemed fairly satisfied as to what was said, and how it played out. No one guessed the Knight of Clubs as the "real enemy," although some people figured out that the Queen of Spades did the resisting spell. I didn't get a chance to make peace between the kingdom of Clubs and Spades, but otherwise, we had fun.

Writer's Village offers a character building workshop which gives you a number of tests to determine your character's archetype. It also implies some Myers-Briggs (or at least Kiersey Temperment Sorter) scores, and some fun corresponding character disorders.

You have to keep track of your score if you go through the tests. (Test number three is fairly long: 210 questions.) I didn't think I found the tests accurate in Damascus' case: she turned out to be either a Wizard or a Defender. I think somehow she ended up more introverted/organized than I picture her.

Still, it's a fun little tool and it might provide some fodder for character tinkering.

Big Eyes, Small Mouth, revised second edition

First impression? Better than I expected. I resisted picking up BESM for a long time because I heard it had a strong influence from Amber. [ednote -- Just because I called it "Amber Second Edition"...]

Name: Mervion

"I can't die. I'm under contract."

The adventure read in part, "The Mystery Machine team has gone missing." Chatterbox was Rubber Ducky Boy. Then Rubber Ducky Girl. We just called her "Ducky." We also had "Danger Dude" (referred to as, erm, 'Dude') played by Dave, Debbie the Homecoming Queen (played by the LintKing), and the Green Avenger (played by Rainbow K). No kidding. (No relation to Caine, either.)

The adventure was crafted off a silly version of "Lonesome October" where the superhero team (the "Krime Kickers") was sent to "Rippersville." It turned out that the mayonnaise from "Big C's Supermarket" had gone off...in an awakened sense, and changed the Gang into various monstrous types. Not my most inspired plot, but it was still fun.

The one question that kept coming up was...

"If a train leaves Lovecraft Station going 30 miles per hour, and is bound for Innsmouth, which is 60 miles away, but a raging toothy beast of indescribable terror is waiting halfway down the track, how long is it until dinner?"

Quotes in the extended entry.

Greetings to you, Sun of the seasons,
As you travel the skies on high,
With your strong step on the wing of the heights.
You are the happy mother of the stars.

You sink down into the perilous ocean
Without harm and without hurt.
You rise on the quiet wave
Like a young queen in flower.

- Traditional Gaelic Prayer

There are several ways to see past the shroud. Sometimes wearing one's coat turned inside-out will enable one to see into the Middle Kingdom. (This is related to the protective measure of turning one's coat outside-in and singing or whistling.) Closing one's right eye and peering through one's left may be sufficient.

Wearing a posy of primroses or carrying a four-leafed clover may have their merits.

There are certain places where one may best stand in order to gain vision of fairies, but these are often dangerous. One may stand inside of a fairy ring, or touch certain standing stones.

Some may have "the sight," a mixed-blessing at best. Some are merely 'touched.'

The surest means (it is said) to see past the glamour is to apply the proper ointment to one or both of one's eyes. This ointment (several families have their own recipe) has been likened to the one used in raising zombies. Some people insist mint is in it, others that it can only be made of flowers first bloomed the day of April 30th, others conjure tales of a bit of graveyard dust, a bit of starshine, clovers, primroses, St. John's Wort, a drop of pure water touched by unicorn horn...

Just about every Wednesday I overnight at my parents' house. It gives me a chance to help out (cleaning, sorting, venting) and also to spend time with my little sisters, a nephew, and do a little bit of gaming with them. I've got a freeform Amber game going, an AD&D1stEdMod game, a freeform Dresden Files game, and an Illegal Gods playtest all in various stages depending on what my energy is like.

I'm trying to get them comfortable with GMing for me, but it's been slow going. It's like all the energy of GMing, plus the energy of pushing them to think like a GM. This is energy that I don't always have, especially after a long day at work. One of the problems I've been having with the existing games is that I have to take a lot of the initiative. They're getting better at sharing the responsibilities, but I wanted to do something where they had to start out cooperatively. Then I realized I had the perfect game for them: InSpectres!

I had bought it based on Doyce's review a while ago, and had played around with it, but this was going to be the first time exposing the kids to it.

No really.  "Space Slayers, the Series!" 

So, in trying this Prime Time Adventures thing again (this time with Rainbow K and the Barbarian) we started with a pitch session that had Pirates, Vampires in Spa(aaaaaaaaaaaaa!)ce, and bits and pieces from other shows the two had watched. We were driving to my place, so I figured we had enough time to at least build the idea in the kids' heads.

"Why vampires in space?"
"No sunshine."
"Oh.   Yeah.  They'd LOVE space."

The premise turns out to be that Vampires have invaded Earth, and the protagonists are freedom fighters trying to get their home out of the clutch of the evil undead (undead, O!)

So the real argument came up with the fact that both players wanted to be Captains of their own ships. I tried a variety of alternatives

"How about one of you take 'Captain' as a trait, and the other be...I don't know... pilot?"
"No." [in chorus]
"How about you both be other things, and there be another Captain on the ship, like an NPC?"
"No." [in chorus]
"What if I said that your ships were itsy-bitsy tiny so being Captain wasn't really going to count for anything?"
"Um...." pause, consider, "No."
So on, and so forth.

...but they were set. Cool.

(I always encourage testing them to see what's going to be their pivot point, but if they're steady, let's (of course!) go with what they want. I think that's one of the "gaming with kids" rules that goes unnoticed a lot, because we have GM fiat and player choice (fiat! [snort]) and when working with kids, they'll change their minds if you haven't poked them. After all, does it say anywhere in the rules that you can't change your mind?)

So, we described the characters, and why they were involved in their anti-Vampire ways. Rainbow K's character had a vampire contact who had been teasing her by offering her the power to do what she wanted, but we created this intensely convoluted reasoning, wherein she was his catspaw against the other vampire families. The Barbarian had as his main contact his dead father, who was the reason he was fighting, and as we pointed out, could still have a lot of minor contacts and favors, and a possibility of a cameo as a ghost.

After several rejected names for the series, we decided on "Space Slayers!" which was a tad bit misleading, but easy to remember. [note to self: make logo]

The first scene had people going through a processing facility before they could load up on their ships. It was very depressing, with cattle-kill lines of folks being scanned for possible vampire taint, and no views of the ships. They were being held for departure when an alarm sounded. The force fields (made of anti-gravity technology) start sputtering on, when one of the spaceforce guards (in femme-style armor) is grabbed by a pair of levitating vampires. Enter combat, with lots of pretty weaponplay (including UV grenades), and a rescue of the guard, with the next scene going to be reviving her in the medical unit.

Unfortunately at that point we made it home and other things took our attention, but I think the kids liked it, and they got the hang of the narration and contribution very quickly. It's starting to look like PTA may end up being a good "car game," which would be a break from Amber. I think using group consensus is a fair use of the game even without cards, although it may weaken the conflict. More experimentation is needed.

1) What does Illegal Gods do that no other existing game does? What makes it unique?

When I was first designing the game, a heck of a lot that other games don't, but, as time has gone on, it's been crowded out with others' ideas. That's the problem with slow-cooking. On the other hand, God-Merchants, Soul Jockeys, and maybe the HSEL are the first three things that come to my mind. I think of it mostly as a pirates-in-space game with religion added. Preacher pirates in SPAAAAACE. Erm.

What is holding you up in your minigame, "The Four Queens"?

Trying to work out a mechanic that isn't so self-contained as to make a great card/boardgame, and allowing narrative to have an influence.

What other RPG irons do you have in the fire?

My ACNW games, of course. I took out the Lonesome October style LARP as I need another GM for it, and about 20 people for it to work the way I want. Aurors Gone Wild is about ready to launch. I just need to fill in some final information and I'll be happy there. The Reclaimers! which I think of as a Shadowrun game 'gone twisted,' (you play in a world of mutants and magic and try to dig up the future) is being nudged and massaged, if not in any playable form yet.

And computer RPGs? Boardgames?

Still playing Arcanum. About to take on Arronax, or whatever his name is, presuming we can, um, get back to him. That's kind of awkward when you move into the next room and teleport somewhere else and there's a hanging plot point. Still, the designers have been vaguely smart about it so far...