RPGaDay2016 - Week 2
Another week has gone by, and it is time to catch up with #RPGaDay once again...
Day 6: Most amazing thing a game group has done for their community?
This was a really difficult one. RPGGeek.com certainly gets a nod for their many fund raising ventures, as well as great community events like the Secret Cthanta gift exchange (this especially as many geeks will go out of their way to ensure those who haven't received a gift for whatever reason do get one). Many cons around my areas also run charity events to help raise money for different causes as well. We are generally a fairly giving group of folks!
Day 7: What aspect of RPGs has had the biggest effect on you?
Definitely the storytelling aspect. When I was younger I played crunchier games, with lots of mechanics that could essentially be gamed to a certain level. When players did this, it used to annoy the hell out of me. As I've grown older and been introduced to the new wave of story focused games, with lighted mechanics, I've found myself much more involved in storytelling and worried less about the mechanics behind everything. It is one of the reasons why I find myself loving systems like Gumshoe, which although robust in the mechanics department, flow fairly naturally for me as a GM and allow the story to come to the fore. This has definitely made me a better storyteller, and better at improvisation when my players put me on the spot.
Day 8: Hardcover, softcover, digital? What is your preference?
This for me is more a physical versus digital copy split. I much prefer physical copies over digital. I find them easier to read, and will actually site down and take information in when reading a physical book. That said, the vast majority of my RPG collection is in digital format. This is because they are easy to store, and are highly portable. Nowadays, I tend to have all of my core rule books in physical copy, while my supplements are digital. It is only for a few game systems when I tend to get everything in physical copy (where I can afford it). I'm looking at you here, Trail and Call of Cthulhu...
Day 9: Beyond the game, what is involved in an ideal session?
A combination of good atmosphere, and a great group of players. With great players, you always get a fantastic and memorable session. After all, they are the grease that keeps the games wheels spinning.
Atmosphere comes from both the player, the GM, and any other props, music, lighting etc. that you can think of to improve the session further. I tend to play horror games and investigative games, so I tend to run loads of props and play with the lighting dimmed just enough so players can still see what they are doing, but not so high as to make it seem like a summer's day. Recently I have started to use music in my games, which I first did for The Final Revelation, and am using during my Eternal Lies campaign. I've found music excellent to provide background atmosphere, as well as using specific pieced to highlight specific plot points. James Semple's music for Pelgrane Press' lines is excellent, and I have sourced several movie and computer game soundtracks for my games. Some favourites include the Bioshock game soundtracks, as well as music from movies such as The Ring.
Day 10: Largest in-game surprise you have experienced?
Another difficult one. Most recently, I think this would have to be the events in Ethiopia during my Eternal Lies campaign. They players let a single character go to meet with a certain Mythos influenced tribe. It did not end well. Genocide ensued as a response... As the GM, I wasn't expecting that.
Day 11: Which gamer most affected the way that you play?
Yet another tough one! (Who designed these questions?!) For this, I'd probably have to go with my little brother. He endured many evenings and afternoons of running me and my party of heroic adventurers all the way from the D&D Basic set through to Immortals. While he no longer plays RPGs any more, he is basically the one person who allowed me to indulge in this hobby to begin with. And while I have grown as both a player and GM since then, if it wasn't for him, I wouldn't be here writing this right now. Thanks, dude.
Day 12: What game is your group most likely to play next? Why?
I have several groups, so this one is a little more complicated. Here goes:
My Ars Magica group is most likely to play the new 7th Sea next. The first edition of this game is a favourite amongst many in this group, though I never played it. We've all backed the Kickstarter for the new rules. I'd say this is a dead cert.
My Eternal Lies group is probably going to play on of the FFG Star Wars games next. There have been rumblings about this for some time, and it was an option to play at the same time as choosing a Cthulhu orientated game. So I'm pretty certain this will happen. And I am happy about that as I have only played the beginners set adventure for Edge of the Empire, which I enjoyed. Plus I'll get to play in this one, rather than run!
My other Cthulhu group has just started playing Horror on the Orient Express, so it'll be some time before we change tack. I imagine more Cthulhu on the horizon, though maybe I can get them to play Lamentations of the Flame Princess for a change of pace? Potentially, I may have a new group starting with the lads from my roller derby team. They have played some D&D 5th Edition before and are eager for more. Storm King's Thunder is in my list of D&D preorders. So who knows?
That's it for this week. I'll be back next Friday with answers to another week's questions. See you then!