Hey Man, well this is Babylon

In a previous post on this game, I set down the basic premise of the game’s core dynamic: the three-way clash between Family Loyalty, the Warrior’s Honor, and the pseudo-spiritual Code of the Highway. Today, I’ve got the concept of Master on my mind, and am trying to figure out exactly what it means to me and this game.

One of the core inspirations for this game is the book Hagakure – the “book of the Samurai” that is sorta-famous in media as being the source of all of the quotes in the movie Ghost Dog: Way of the Samurai. This book is all about defnining the essence of the samurai as the perfect retainer – made perfect by commitment to death for the sake of the Master. Only by acting as if one is already dead can a retainer be the perfect extension of the master’s will.

I want this master-retainer relationship to be in the game, but I’m not yet certain of its implementation. As it is currently conceptualized, Hagakure 66 is about a pack of motorcycle samurai who travel the post-war highways, seeking food, supplies, money, and either reattainment or absolution of their past possessions (physical, emotional, or otherwise). Currently, the only innate “master” of this dynamic would be the Pack Leader.

An enhancement to this core situation would lay down the idea that the Pack needs an external patron (Master) for its greater livelihood. This would add a new active component to the story at play: the seeking and supporting of a patron. Narratively, the gang would have a tough time finding a patron in the harsh social post-war landscape. Trust is a rare commodity in these troubled times. Finding a Patron, protecting a Patron, and doing the Patron’s bidding could be major in-game play concepts, and thus could provide the Master-Retainer relationship.

I’m not entirely sold on the idea of the Pack Leader being the de facto “Master” of the dynamic. My goal is to have the “relationship with the Master” implemented via the laws of the Way of the Sword, and have it clash with the Laws of the Pack. In other words, I want the master-retainer relationship to clash with the brother-family relationship. This could be done with the Pack Leader as Master, but it would be a stretch, and the lines would be a little too blurred than would be good for the initial conceptualization of new players.

What say you?

What does the Code of the Highway represent in what I am now calling the Thematic Trinity of Hagakure 66?

On my ride home today, I had this subject heavy on my mind (set aside your fears, I was paying more attention to the road, of course). It hit me the heaviest at a certain point on Skyline, when we took a sharp blind curve. At that moment, in the pouring flash thunderstorm rain, a truck coming the other way sped across our path to a side street and a bicyclist only 80 or so feet ahead popped out of a driveway. It would have caused an average rider’s sphincter to clench a bit tighter, but for me the situation was far more personal and tense.

You see, nine weeks ago today, I had my first motorcycle accident on that exact curve, in the exact spot where the driver cut us off today. Circumstances were different, but I would be a liar if I said that I didn’t get a little tense every single time I’ve taken that curve since (read: every single day of the work week, usually twice). Read more

Lately I’ve been working on a new game which has the working title of Hagakure 66. It’s a “Motorcycle Samurai” game, with the following premise: “The war is over, and your side lost. Everything you knew and loved is gone, destroyed or taken away from you. All you have now are your bike, your sword, your pack, and The Highway.”

It’s a game about riding around with a pack of motorcycle swordsmen after “the war,” finding a master to provide purpose to the pack, dealing with intra-pack tensions and conflicts, maintaining a pseudo-mystical bond with The Highway, fighting in sweet motorcycle sword duels, and upholding obsolete standards of honor and lifestyle in a world forever changed by “The War.”

Its primary media inspirations are Samurai Champloo, Sons of Anarchy, The Seven Samurai, and Ghost Dog: Way of the Samurai.

Most of the game’s conflicts will come from imbalances between the three core forces of the system, each a separate Code of Conduct: The Law of the Pack, the Way of the Sword, and the Code of the Highway. Each character must constantly deal with threats to all three of these codes, and determine how they affect his or her life in this changed world. All three both complement and comflict with each other equally.

The primary mechanical purpose of these three conflicting codes is to give the GM some buttons to push. Each “adventure” setup should start with the GM picking at least one (hopefully more) of the avenues for threat within each of the codes, and narratively assaulting them, so that the players all have to deal with conflicts of Code from all sides, and prioritize them individually.

The other night I sat down before bed and worked up a quick mind map of some of my ideas. Here’s what I’ve got so far. I’d like some feedback on ideas. If you have any suggestions for additions and such, please please please send them my way.

Take a look at that and give me your input.

A fine read just got posted over at Gamers with Jobs, and it echoes my own beliefs on the dearth of human interactivity at PAX.

The problem is that PAX brings together people who think they share the same passion, who believe they are all part of a collective culture that they have defined individually. Then they encounter each other for three days in lines, in restaurants, in panels, and in game rooms and discover something intensely alienating: they can’t stand each other.

In the “Lasting Impression” subsection of my two-parter PAX 2010 recap post, I lament this very issue. Socially, PAX is the convention-grade equivalent of a deck-building card game. At its core, the convention is like a whole mob of people playing solitaire in the same room, and only within the PAX “expansion sets” (mostly the non-video-gamey hidden side rooms) do you really partake in any level of actual human interaction – aside from the booth people who are trying to sell you things, anyway.

If PAX is representative of any so-called “gamer culture,” I have yet to absorb any of it in my two years of attendance, both as con-goer and vendor alike. The majority of its attendees seem to share many personal traits, including a deep enthusiasm for the things they love and (frequently) nigh-worship, but what they predominantly lack is any developed personal medium for the transmission of thoughts about these traits and passions. The identities exist and are proudly portrayed via costume and fan-wear, yet few of them actively share those identities with one another.

That being said, I’ll see you again at PAX 2011.

Without further ado, let me introduce to you the skeletal beginnings of House Cor of the North. Their motto is “Silent as Certainty,” because when it comes to matters of the Household, well, it just goes without saying. Based in their castle deep in the northern hills, with a stunning view of the valley from which springs the Last River, House Cor is an ancient house with a founding as old as the Wall itself. According to house legend, Bran himself gifted the house and lands to the first Lady of the house, a warrior-woman named Corlynne who was his lover (if the fairy tales of the north can be believed). The house’s years since have been many and plentiful, and marked by the following four notable events:

• Treachery! After the founding of the house, the Cors and the Starks each ruled half of the North. Treachery by the Starks, however, one day propelled that family to greatness, reducing the Cors to bannermen.
• Invasion! During the Targaryen conquering, all the best soldiers went south. While gone, the wildlings of the hills actually took arms and defended the locals from raiders and reavers alike. The locals grew to somewhat trust the wildlings, but when the soldiers returned, conflict again arose. Relationships have been tense but oddly respectful ever since.
• Favor! A family ancestor was in the Kingsguard during the time of the Blackfyre rebellion, and personally saved the life of the rightful king. The Cors received much influence
• Glory! During Robert’s Rebellion, the Cors won glory and distinction on the battlefield. The House has always favored strong, powerful women, in the tradition of Lady Corlynne herself. fifteen years ago, when the Starks rode south to aid Robert in his rebellion against the Mad King, the Cors rode with, bringing their elite archers with them. On the battlefield, the Lady of the House earned herself the nickname of The Wasp for her brilliant deployment of archers against the Targaryens.

Today, the Cors are a highly influential house that has fallen on dire economic times. The lord of the house is old and suffering from near-constant bouts of acute dementia. His wife, the legendary Wasp, now tries to convince him to abdicate power to her oldest son, who she believes she can manipulate. The son clashes with the mother, however, as he is no warrior – far from it, his few attempts at battle and war-play have been disastrous and cost the house minor fortunes in recovery. The house’s bankroll is near run dry, due to poor management by an aged Lord whose marbles have been all but smashed, and a warrior-0woman with no skill at finances.

However, the cold winds of change are blowing hard from beyond the Wall. In a peculiar turn of fortune, the Cors have discovered, of all things, actual gold mines deep in their hills. New talent is being brought in to help with managing the mines, both from the Maesters of Oldtown and the from Free Cities beyond the Narrow Sea alike. Trade is the subject of many bar-room chats in the areas, and the region has new eyes upon it again. Rumor has it, King Robert himself is even riding up from King’s Landing to seek counsel with the nearby Starks of Winterfell, which could in turn be a great opportunity to gain favor while he is in the region. Winter is coming, but this time it could bring with it the gleaming shine of fortune.

The following characters have been established, many of which may be player characters, and all of which will have definite agency within the story we will tell:

• The Old Lord has only a rare handful of moments of lucidity. The rest of the time he is a doddering old bat. He has yet to abdicate his power, though…
• The Lady Wasp has aged quite gracefully, and is in the hearts of all her people. She’s an old schemer with a knack for warfare, but little knowledge of economics. She wants her oldest son to assume management of the house, so she can control him. However, if he proves too willful, there’s always Mama’s Boy…
• The Battle-failed Heir is the oldest son. He is pathetic at warfare, but fairly shrewd at politics and coin. This new gold mine discovery could be exactly the opportunity he needs to lead this House into a financial revival. If only his father would abdicate. If only his mother would stop pestering him.
• The Young Warrior follows firmly in Mother’s wake, a solid warrior in his own right. Always Mother’s favorite, his shocking red hair has led to some very quiet rumors that he isn’t actually fathered by the House’s Lord. No attempts have been made to prove this, however, and why would they anyway? The Warrior is beloved by all: a good son, a fine house captain, and a right good looker to boot.
• The Distant Son is middle-born, and long ago was raised as a foster in King’s Landing. He’s now in his late 20s, attempting to maintain a political presence in the south, but in truth he is but a pawn to another lord’s whims.
• The Faithful Sister is the only girl born to the current household, and does not take after her mother at all. She is unwarlike, and has even converted to the faith of the Seven, shunning the ways of the Old Gods of the North. She is training as an acolyte to the Septon of the castle.
• The Heir’s Right hand is a bastard of a distant cousin to the family, the exact same age as the Cor heir. He was taken in and raised as a companion to the future lord, and now serves as the Heir’s investigator and troubleshooter, of sorts.
• The Steadfast Wife of the Youngest son. She is a demure woman of the Umber family, loyal and firm, but gentle and non-scheming. She has mothered two toddlers for her husband.
• The Marbrand Ward is an estranged son of the Marbrand famil (Lannister bannermen), sent north to foster because “he ain’t right.”
• The Wildling Shaman is gathering power, preparing the way for an eventual excursion from Wildling forces beyond the Wall. He is following in the ancestral footsteps of the region’s wildlings of old, trying to gain the favor of the locals with as little bloodshed as possible.
• The Foreign Mine-Master has been brought in from overseas to help manage the mines, because the Cors would be damned before they seek the help of the Lannisters.
• The Maesters, of which there are now two: the Old Master of the family, who knows little of finance, clashing with the Young Master sent from the south to help with the mines.
• The Septon, who is increasingly defensive about his faith in these lands of the Old Gods.

That should be it for now. More posts will come as new ideas are introduced.

Owning, maintaining, and riding a motorcycle is a constant string of Acts of Love. Much like going to dinner with a girlfriend tends to turn into an hours-long occasion of talk, flirtation, and enriched connections, going on as simple a ride as a “15-minute store run” usually becomes a sixty-plus mile ride through streets and corners both familiar and unexplored. The typical biker’s connection with his ride is exponentially more intense and personal than that of a typical car owner, turning each and every experience astride it into one that you never want to end. Due to the nature of their position on the road, the biker maintains a constant awareness of the streets that “cage” drivers will never really understand, and even bicycle riders don’t fully appreciate.

On the road, you smell the rain on the hot asphalt, and the debris as it kicks up and steams against your hot exhaust. Inhaling this mixture while taking a corner at fifty-odd mph is like breathing in deeply while you’re face-deep in your lover’s cunt. The wind and the rain and the changes in pavement are caresses both tender and fingernail-clad. Every tiniest bit of pressure on the handlebars pushes her torward that climax she gets when you come out of a lean and roll hard on the throttle, taking the next straight-away like a solid pounding thrust, her engine screaming an unintelligible mixture of your name and the son of God. You brake, the forks extend, and her legs twitch. She purrs while you sit astride her for a moment, waiting to kick off again into another howling series of leans and thrusts.

Over and over again. Every goddamn day, every goddamn ride is like passionate sex, sometimes smooth and relaxing, sometimes a quickie that is just necessary to relieve stress, sometimes a violent fuck that leaves you aching and breathless four hours later.

Last year at PAX, I got a chance to try a hands-on demo of the OnLive cloud-based game system. I was heartily impressed, and have bought heavily into it. The short version: OnLive is a cloud-based PC gaming platform that has a huge number of games you can purchase and play, with all the processing being handled via the cloud. You can play either via an app installed on your computer (mouse/keyboard or controller), or via a separate “microconsole” that connects to your TV via HDMI. It even has an app for Mac and iPad, and I understand they are working on getting it on Linux and Android as well.

A couple of months back, I jumped on a special wherein you pre-ordered the game Homefront, and they sent you both another game and one of their special MicroConsoles for free. I cared (and continue to care) nothing at all for Homefront, but the bonus game was the amazing Metro 2033, and the console itself was woth $99. Getting all this for $49 was quite a steal. I continue to play the console regularly, enjoying games like Arkham Asylum, Borderlands, Just Cause, and more, without a single hitch in gameplay.

Well, they have just today announced the exact same deal, only this time it is for the upcoming game Red Faction: Armageddon. If you preorder it for $49, you get the game when it comes out, immediate full access to Red Faction: Guerrilla, and a free microconsole and controller. I have been planning on getting a second controller anyway for the exact same price alone, so this deal I immediately jumped on.

I definitely encourage you to check this one out. It’s an extremely portable full current-day gaming platform, and the array of games is quite impressive. I’ve yet to be disappointed. Plus, since the controller works with your PC, even if the game and system go bust you still have a nice controller left over. On top of that, it really is the only way I have found so far to “rent” new, full PC games and try them before you buy them.

Here’s the Link to the promo (and no, it is not a user referral, if that matters)

I have been extremely uber-busy these last several weeks. Here is some good news: I am now the proud owner and operator of my first motorcycle. Getting to this point has been a hectic and very stressful ordeal crammed into the space of a month and a half, but I will share that epic at a later time.

This morning, the three members of the Jacketmen Moto Club took our first-ever group ride to work, with Ry leading the way and Kevin holding up the rear. Kevin took the occasion to try out his brand new helmet cam, and here’s the somewhat sped-up video of that ride.

I remember years ago, at a previous service-related job in a previous city of residence, being handed a copy of the book Raving Fans and told to read it. The boss-man actually made said reading mandatory, and assigned a book report-like follow-up for all of us to turn in. The book wasn’t bad, in all honesty, and at the time my job performance benefited from having read it.

Years later, there’s very little that I recall from its pages, but one bit of it still sticks with me today: customers are more likely to spread the word about an absolutely terrible experience than an absolutely amazing one. Sadly, this is the case today. I’ve recently posted my very first review on Amazon, and it’s pretty negative. It’s about a subject that I love: Dead Space. Particularly, it’s about the atrocious work of animation that is Dead Space: Aftermath.

I’ll spare the details here, and instead just link you to the actual review.

Two nights ago, I got around to watching the pilot episode of the brand new hero drama The Cape, and I was wowed. That first episode was pulp vigilante heroism at its present day greatest. For me, it combined all of the good from Dark Angel‘s first season with raw “Vengeful Father ” fury.

And yes, some spoilers of the first episode follow, so read at your own risk. Read more