Hey Man, well this is Babylon

Last night I played 4th Edition Dungeons and Dragons with some folks here in town, getting my very first actual play experience with the new system from Wizards of the Coast. All the guys were spot-on fellas, and I had a lot of fun. Yes, I do look forward to playing again, too. Can ya believe it? Anyway, here are some of my thoughts on 4th Edition so far, and some of my mixed reactions to the game. Yes, there is a good bit of griping ahead, but like I said, I do hope to find out more as the system unfolds. Read more

There will most likely be a new update to the Cannibal Contagion playtest rules in the next day or so. I’ve been adding spacers for art, ads, character profiles, and an index. Additionally, I’m working on a somewhat thick section on evoking game themes, such as survival, macabre humor, and paranoia, among others. I’ve also added a few additional rules and clarifications, including a section on mechanical limitations on a character’s Gear (thank you, Resident Evil!).

As usual, when the update is ready, look for it on this blog.

- NPC

I’m currently gathering requests for back-of-the-book ads for the Cannibal Contagion book. The final print format will be 5.5 x 8.5, and I’m looking at filling four pages with ads for other gaming things. Maybe two pages of full-page ads, and then two pages with two half-page ads each.

Advertising will likely just be free. Lemme know if you have a good gaming-related product or something to advertise, and we’ll talk! Products should of course be things available at or after the intended December 2008 publication date.

Update: One page filled already by Orcusville! Three left.

- NPC

On Sunday, I watched the HD version of the new Watchmen trailer eleven times. I’ve watched it many more since then. I want this movie very badly. I just this weekend finished reading the complete series for the first time, and I’m really amazed by it. I doubt anything I could say about it hasn’t already been said, so in short, I’ll just say that it was Amazing.

Read more

I meant to do this Friday, but only just now found the time to get around to it. The playtest rules have been updated considerably:

• Added placeholders for four pre-generated example characters
• Removed the Agsomafa mechanics
• Updated the Showdown outcomes: now the total play pile = Hurtin’, and faces and aces can be exchanged for Facts and Awesome tokens
• Added two new Joker-specific power maneuvers to replace the Agsomafa. One mechanic involves an all-or-nothing desperate move, the other allows you a boosted result should you win with a joker.
• Updated glossary
• Updated character sheets and accessory cards
• Removed the Awesome-for-Hurtin’ weapon modifier

The updated rules and sheets can be found here, as usual.

I’ve decided to start the process of adding example text to the book. Currently, I believe the only play examples I have in the text are for Character Creation and for the basic Quick-Draw and Showdown mechanics. To those of you who have read the rules, or played the game, what areas do you think could most benefit from example text blocks?

This morning, a new train of thought regarding the Agsomafa started moving in my brain. This idea involves eliminating it entirely, and replacing it with a more versatile “desperation” mechanic. Instead of a one-shot super-attack, this new idea would introduce two Joker-based mechanics, one geared around the theme of “double or nothing” and the other around “balls to the wall” aggression.

Change #1: Double or Nothing, or “Hail Mary”

The Hail Mary mechanic would allow the player to try for a drastic last-ditch all-or-nothing effort at a crucial time. This would be evoked after a Showdown has been declared, but before any cards have been dealt. The player would blow their entire reserve of Awesome tokens, and start drawing cards from the deck. They keep drawing until either they have drawn an amount = the # of tokens they dumped, or they draw a Joker, or the deck runs out of cards, whichever happens first. If the player happens to draw a joker, then she wins the Showdown with an outcome = the # of cards drawn, including the Joker. If the player does not draw a joker, then the opponent wins with the same outcome (and the player is out all that awesome). Using this mechanic, of course, requires suitable intense narration.

Change #2: Balls to the Wall

This mechanic involves playing a Joker during a Showdown. When played, unless countered by an opponent playing another Joker (canceling both out), the player can immediately burn Awesome tokens to add additional Hurtin’ to the result. The maximum amount of Awesome that the player can spend in this fashion is equal to the number of cards currently in the play pile, Joker included. Like the Hail Mary, this requires suitable narration.

Change #3: Tweaking the Outcome

Now, this all brings me to something else that’s been bugging me, and this time it doesn’t have anything to do with the Agsomafa. I feel the outcome mechanic (Effects, Facts, and Hurtin’) needs to be tweaked just a teeny tiny bit. Here’s what I think I’m gonna change it to, in short form. When you win a Showdown, the number of cards in the final spread (the cards played by all involved contestants) determines the amount of Hurtin’ you can deal. Each Ace or Face can be exchanged for either an additional Fact added to the moment, or a bonus Awesome token. Cards used for Facts or Tokens do not count towards the Hurtin’ total, however.

What are your thoughts?

After a lot of mulling around the design board, inspired by playing a handful of survival horror games and watching some more zombie flicks, I think I need to give the Agsomafa finishing blow mechanic a bit of a revitalization. As it stands now, it’s a once-per-session Instant Win that each player has in their possession as an Ace in the Hole. But the implementation of it is kinda clunky, and I think it needs some work. One of the major weaknesses of the mechanic is that it is pretty easy for players to hold onto these trump cards until the final scene and then just chain them on the Big Bad, making the last encounter a joke. I’ve seen this happen four times already, which means it is definitely a problem.

I’ve been developing a handful of proto-ideas for changing up the Agsomafa to something more manageable yet without impacting its value. Here are some bits of these ideas, collected for musing and discussion.

One idea I had was to have an inherent mechanical threshold that must be reached before a player can use their Agsomafa, based on their Threat (their steadily increased measure of how long they’ve been alive) and their Awesome tokens. Say, a player couldn’t call upon the Agsomafa until their Threat multiplied by their Current Awesome reserve was 20 or more. At that point, they would become eligible for using it, but it would blow their entire Awesome reserve, and drop their Threat by half. This would also open up the possibility of the player being able to potentially call upon it a second time in the game. Currently, this is the idea that is getting the most ponder-time.

Another idea I have is to have it based on a card spread, maybe one card drawn per point of Awesome blown. Spread the cards, and then base the outcome by a combination of pairs, matches, flushes, etc. That idea hasn’t really been touched upon at all.

Another idea is to have it based on an Awesome token “flush” so to speak. The player dumps their entire awesome reserve for just as many cards, and that’s the amount of Hurtin’ they do. Should there be a joker, perhaps the Hurtin’ is doubled.

The main thing to consider is that I want the Agsomafa to remain in the game. I like having that power attack, last-ditch effect, the FF7 “Limit Break” that gives the character an extra edge. But if it is going to remain, it needs to be refined.

Ideas, anyone?

(This was originally posted a year ago tomorrow on my now-defunct RMG blog, but after reading it again this morning, I believe it is worth the re-post)

My buddies and I have this weird tradition wherein we get together and randomly play a game we affectionately call D&D&D, or “Dungeons and Dragons and Drunkards.” This weekend, we’re doing it again, and we figured it would be a good idea to turn it into an actual drinking game. The goal of this game is to start playing sober, and then as the module progresses you get more and more wasted. This of course means that the module becomes more and more entertaining, and D&D becomes actually somewhat playable and (dare I say it) fun.

After discussing with some gamers on another forum, here are the rules that I’ve got worked out so far:

The Gobber Chugmeister

• If you roll a 1, you become the Gobber Chugmeister.
• Every time someone rolls a 20, the Gobber Chugmeister takes a drink
• If the Gobber Chugmeister rolls a 1, he takes 1d6 drinks.
• If the Gobber Chugmeister rolls a 20, he gives the title of Gobber Chugmeister to another player/GM of his choice.

Dice and Drinks

• You explode a die*, you have to take a drink
• Every Save you miss, take a drink
• Every Skill you fail, take a drink
• Every time you confirm a critical, your opponent drinks a number of times = the weapon’s crit multiplier.
• Every time you take damage, take a drink according to the die type: d4 = 1 drink, d6 = 2 drinks, d8 = 3 drinks, d10 = 4 drinks, d12 = 5 drinks; multiply the number of drinks times the number of dice rolled. Magic Missiles can be a cheap way to get your opponent drunk.

Cliches and Drinking

• If your character drinks, you drink
• When someone quotes Monty Python, Dead Alewives, internet memes, or other such hilarity, ALL take a drink
• If you talk about an old character, take a drink
• If you measure a spell radius, take a drink
• If you purposefully malign another PC, take a drink

Miscellaneous Drinks

• When you gain an experience level, take a shot.

Any other suggestions?

* We started using Exploding Dice in D&D games. This means that every time you roll a die that rolls its max, you reroll it and add it again.

- Nathanael Phillip Cole

Some miscellaneous gaming-related tidbits today, about Primal, Resident Evil 5, and yet another game company saying no to 4th Edition.

On Video Games

Last night on a whim I pulled Bethany’s copy of Primal off the shelf and gave it a spin through the PS3. My soon-to-follow reaction: why the hell have I not heard of this game before? The gameplay is pretty fantastic, aside from a handful of control lags here and there, and I really love games with well-implemented buddy mechanics and associated puzzles (especially those of the non-ridiculous type). My favorite part? Getting to hear one of the last performances by the extremely talented, late and lamented Andreas Katsulas, as the game protagonist’s gargoyle companion Skree. Rest in Peace, G’Kar.

I’ll likely post a more in-depth review of it after I give it some more quality play time.

Also, Capcom has leaked that the controls for the new Resident Evil 5 game may actually include side-stepping and shoot-while-moving features. This, of course, excites me. The lack of such features is why I still can’t stand the gameplay of Resident Evil 4, and I’m sure that including them in the new game will ensure that Bethany and I will be playing it co-op for many, many hours. Read more