Since horror is one of the more accessible genres, supernatural dramas are perennially popular on television. I’ve enjoyed BBC America’s Being Human, and I can appreciate why SyFy’s U.S. version, as well as Supernatural, Vampire Diaries, and HBO’s True Blood, all have strong fan bases. I don’t know if any of them will have the popularity or influence of Buffy: the Vampire Slayer, but Joss Whedon always had an eye for talent and an ear for dialogue. Greg D.C. has been running a Dresden Files game using FATE.
In fact, after the demise of superhero shows and the struggles of space opera on TV, the networks are again banking on fairy tales and police procedurals for their fall schedules, with Alcatraz, Awake, Gifted Man, Grimm, Once Upon a Time, Person of Interest, River, Secret Circle, and Touch. Never mind that shows such as Journeyman, New Amsterdam, Eli Stone, Reaper, and Eastwick all failed. Of the upcoming shows, I may check out Grimm and Awake.
For more traditional sword-and-sandals action, I wonder how Season 2.5 of Spartacus will manage with a new star. I’ve seen only the premiere of the fantasy Game of Thrones, which sports strong writing and production values, but Cameloton Starz should satisfy my sword-and-sorcery (and sex) quota and is not to be confused with the BBC/SyFy young-adult Merlin.
Camelot is based on Thomas Malory’s Le Morte de Arthur, which isn’t my favorite version of the legends, but the series has taken a new look at mythic Britain’s romantic intrigues and attempts to establish chivalrous code. I recently enjoyed Tony Hays’ The Beloved Dead, the third book in a series of Arthurian mysteries that Janice pointed me to. They’re more historical than mystical, like The Last Legion and the 2004 King Arthur.
Fellow role-players, here is my update for Session T3.27 of the latest adventuring party in my “Vanished Lands” heroic fantasy campaign setting. The teleconferencing team met on Sunday, 22 May 2011, and has been using Pathfinder, Skype, and an online dice roller.
In one ancient world, there was a region where strange majicks and demihuman races thrived. After “Holy Steel‘s” journey to the distant empire of Khemet, another motley group gathered in the northwestern “Vanished Lands” to explore a world full of perils and wonders….
After meeting in the Wisalef Forest, an unlikely band of adventurers encountered the hostile Centaur followers of Vappu Lahja on the Plains of Sathendo and a haunted inn in Alarn before riding to Nadwi….
>>Telecom party Player Character roster, as of spring 2011:
-“Gawain Keary” [Paul J.]-male Saganim human Illusionist (proto-Celtic Wizard); NGc, Age 20, Lvl. 2
-“Kovar” [Beruk A.]-male Half-Orc/Saganim human Paladin of Mithras, god of contracts and brotherhood; LGn, Lvl. 3
-“Davven ‘Digger’ Hollysharp” [Robert A.S.]-male Faldine Halfling archaeologist (Tallfellow Rogue) from a pipeweed farm in Tarken; CGn, Age 45, Lvl. 3
-“Asish Chen Ti” [Byron V.O.]-male Tsucharim human archer (Mongol-style Ranger), escaped from the kingdom of Gokuri; owner of Akita dog Genghis and horse Onimusha; NGl, Age 20, Lvl. 3
-“Jovinda Halflight” [Sammy H.]-female Half-Elf (Grugach/Hifalendorin) Cleric of Mekkil, goddess of nature; owner of horse Wyth-Amoi, or “Wind Spirit”; NGl, Age 23, Lvl. 3
-“Kazuo Takenaga” [Taum D’A.]-male Nezumi (Rat-kin) Monk from the Zedu kingdom in the Therud Forest; LNg, Age 20, Lvl. 3
“27 August 1229 B.C.E.:” After several days in Nadwi, the adventuring party receives a summons to appear before the Hifalendorin (proto-Western European) human city’s ruling council.
Gawain and Digger continue their research into devils at the local Magisterium (magic school/library) and linguistics and history at the civic library, respectively. The scholars hope to determine the true nature and intent of the mysterious Vappu Lahja and mage Octavius Karstus.
Asish hopes to meet “Jade Xi” [Sammy/Non-Player Character], but Digger warns that his former classmate and rival is not to be trusted. Both Asish and Gawain seem smitten with the attractive young woman, but they agree to curb their tongues. Kazuo trains with Hans Jeffers at the Arena of Arrakis.
Before their audience at the palace, Kovar and Jovinda go to the temple of Otih, lord of the sun and justice. At the barracks-style building, they tell human priest Sibelus Pirandor about the haunted hamlet of Alarn north of Nadwi. The Cleric (who first thinks that a Half-Orc and a follower of Mekkil, goddess of nature, are out of place) compares notes on Otih and Kovar’s patron, Mithras, deity of contracts and brothers in arms.
Sibelus refers them to Sir Daramor Helios, who orders his squire to prepare for an immediate departure. Satisfied, Kovar and Jovinda rejoin their companions, change clothes, and go to the palace. Royal and city guards in chain armor and blue surcoats hold halberds, and scribes and supplicants fill the outer corridors.
In a great hall, the adventurers introduce themselves to representatives of Nadwi’s nobles, merchants, and spellcasters. Gen. Sixtus Aurelias of the Hifalendorin army and Lady Elaine Valis are skeptical of their report of Vappu Lahja gathering an army of hostile Centaurs near the town of Kedetura.
However, Sir Rodrigo Adelmo of the city watch and Quelanthi (High Elf/Eladrin) Lady Ingrid Sufeliastra of the Magisterium verify Jovinda’s testimony of Fey mischief in Alarn. Sigmund Balard, the Halfling master of the gates, expresses concern to curious Digger about the decline in trade between Hifalendor and the Waletku kingdom to the north.
Lord Mayor Clobard Thudoric tells Ranger Asish that he is reluctant to commit resources to investigating threats out on the Plains of Sathendo, but Sylvan Elf merchant and consul Joella Kylikki offers the party a stipend. Upon learning from Kovar that knights of Otih have already departed, Pater Aldric and Lady Lara Maxiope vow that Paladins of Urda, lord of the sky, will also be dispatched.
Prince Andre de Giles, cousin to King Akkon XII in Hesolin, looks to aged Sir Mador Basored and Saganim loremaster Duncan Teague for counsel. When Jovinda repeats her request for aid, the prince notes that the Elves have offered gold, the Paladins plan to cleanse Alarn of Undead, and the city guard will send messengers to communities warning of the Centaurs.
He and the other aristocrats are still reluctant to believe that Vappu Lahja, who shares a name with a fairy tale character, poses a danger to their constituents. The wanderers are dismissed and plan to follow up with various demihumans later. Back at the “Deer’s Heart” tavern in the Dagger District, Digger and friends are surprised to find Jade waiting for them!
The Shengtese/Saganim woman offers information about agents of Vappu Lahja in the city for a price of 10 crowns (gold pieces). After some haggling, Kovar firmly turns her down, saying that Jade should share the names as a show of good faith. She replies that she’ll be around if Digger, Asish, or others need her, but she’ll take her business elsewhere.
Potential quests to weigh include returning to Alarn to search for refugees, Digger’s real estate inquiry for Octavius Karstus and scouting of ruined border forts, the besieged kingdom of Saganim as described by Asish, Jovinda’s search for her father, and missing gladiator Marcus (predecessor to Kazuo at the ludus)….
I hope that everybody enjoyed the latest game, despite numerous distractions. I know I’ve provided a lot of names to keep track of, but I hope that these notes and our Skype records will help. Good luck as your characters sort out missions and get ready to leave Nadwi!
Sammy and Taum, I’m glad that you were both able to join us from Denver, and congratulations on your engagement! Paul and Beruk, note that Team 2 for the FATE 3eStarblazer Adventures: “Vortex” space opera is scheduled to meet on Memorial Day. Rob, I hope that Ethan becomes more manageable, and Byron, I hope the tornadoes didn’t affect too many people near you.
Also, please remember to post to the Google Groups message board between virtual sessions regarding character questions, planning, and scheduling. Other than Paul, I look forward to seeing each of you online next Sunday, May 29! -Gene
As part of the aforementioned spring cleaning, I’ve now sold most of my books for Dungeons & Dragons Fourth Edition. It’s the first time in nearly 30 years that I’m role-playing but not using the latest edition of that game. (I still have lots of books from prior editions.)
I’ve been an early and enthusiastic adopter of past editions of D&D, including moves from the boxed sets to AD&D1 back in high school in the early 1980s, from AD&D1 to AD&D2 in college, and from AD&D2 to D&D3.0 and 3.5 (and the D20 Open Game License in general) in the early 2000s. Each new version had clearer rules, stronger support in terms of published supplements, and a larger fan base than its predecessors. I’m surprised to now find myself sympathizing more with the grognards.
In 2009, I used D&D4e for the “Faith-Based Initiative” team in my long-running “Vanished Lands” homebrew fantasy setting. The rules set worked well enough for a time, but more than half of the eight gamers soon became disenchanted, mirroring a schism in the larger community.
Some of the problems were stylistic. As a Dungeon Master accustomed to “sandbox“-style settings, in which the Player Characters are free to pick quests and explore a world in any direction, I clashed with those who expected every encounter or challenge to be appropriately scaled to the adventuring party’s power/experience level, as D&D4e encourages.
In my previous campaigns, if low-level adventurers found a monster like a dragon, they ran or hid. In D&D4e, some would either express shock at the unfairness of such a battle or doggedly fight until all opposition (and possibly some of their own company) was dead. I’ve become stingier with treasure and prefer slower advancement than in most published modules.
It’s true that I and other people didn’t master the D&D4e’s subtleties as quickly as a few in the group, and I grew impatient with combat scenes that dragged on for nearly as long as similar scenes had in earlier editions. D&D4e’s emphasis on tactical maneuvering, collectible miniatures and cards, and balanced powers was different from games that focus on nonstatistical character development, narrative storytelling, and varying “sweet spots.”
For example, Fighters used to be more important relative to other archetypes/occupational classes at lower levels, while Wizards came into their own at higher levels. In addition, I and some other Game Masters prefer scenarios between third and eighth levels, when characters are tough enough to survive some battles but still had more gritty or realistic concerns, like keeping their horses fed, than leading armies or slaying gods.
D&D4e sought to eliminate intraparty imbalances across levels, but it also made every combat maneuver resemble “button mashing” common to multiplayer online games, with every attack from a weapon or a spell resulting in predictable outcome of some damage and a move. I’m more interested in spontaneous character interaction than crunching numbers, but other G.M.s are definitely better at providing interesting combat scenes than me.
Noncombat skills, which proliferated in AD&D2 and D&D3.x, were pared back. Sure, an ambitious character who wanted to become a warlord still could administer a fiefdom in D&D4e, but it could require creative role-playing only recently supported by the official rules, and an inexperienced gamer wouldn’t necessarily even know of an option other than striving for demigodhood at Level 30.
To be fair, D&D4e eliminated some of the “min-maxing” and numerous inconsistencies, but I think it also lost some flexibility and seemed less connected to its literary inspirations, such as the works of J.R.R. Tolkien, Jack Vance, and Fritz Lieber. The weird and unpredictable magic, bizarre creatures, and character vulnerability of early editions of D&D are in marked contrast to powers and “exception-based” rules. See the excellent Vornheimfor the retro-clone Lamentations of the Flame Princess for a return to the days when adventuring could be scary fun.
Unfortunately, a early lack of support for third-party publishers and the more restrictive Game System License, the successor to the OGL, has limited the diversity of worlds using D&D4e in comparison with D20. Just as role-players moved from AD&D2’s “code bloat” to White Wolf’s Storyteller: World of Darkness in the 1990s, so today some gamers are moving to lighter systems such as FATE rather than play D&D4e.
The D&D Essentials product line has addressed some of the confusion by compiling rules into affordable softcover books, and the D&D Insider (DDI) makes errata and character generation tools available through a digital subscription. If the DDI had provided a virtual tabletop as quickly as initially promised, I might even still be running or playing D&D4e now instead of Pathfinder and FATE. Ultimately, every role-player, Game Master, and group has to find the system that suits them best. I don’t expect debate to die down, but what works best for you?
Coming soon: More on genre TV, retro games, and current campaigns!
I had already dropped Undercovers and Nikita and was somewhat surprised that the latter (the fourth version of the waif turned assassin) got renewed. Spy spoof Chuck, which I’ve kept watching just as I stuck with Smallville, managed to avoid the axe one final time, and we’ll see whether the Charlie’s Angels remake is any good.
In related genres, conspiracy dramas V, The Event, and Survivors joined Flash Forward and Dollhouse in cancellation. I had kept up with the V remake, although the alien invasion plot took a long time to develop suspense. Speaking of aliens, Spielberg’s Falling Skies and time-travel Terra Nova are getting a decent amount of prelaunch hype, but we’ll see if they can avoid similar disappointment.
Comedic procedural Psych and related caper shows Burn Notice, White Collar, and Leverage are similar to Castle but no doubt managed to hang on because they’re on cable, which has more modest audience expectations. Breaking In, which featured Reaper and V‘s Bret Harrison, wasn’t so lucky.
Fellow role-players, here is my update for Session T3.26 of the latest adventuring party in my “Vanished Lands” heroic fantasy campaign setting. The teleconferencing team met on Sunday, 8 May 2011, and has been using Pathfinder, Skype, and an online dice roller.
In one ancient world, there was a region where strange majicks and demihuman races thrived. After “Holy Steel‘s” journey to the distant empire of Khemet, another motley group gathered in the northwestern “Vanished Lands” to explore a world full of perils and wonders….
After meeting in the Wisalef Forest, an unlikely band of adventurers encountered the hostile Centaur followers of Vappu Lahja on the Plains of Sathendo….
>>Telecom party Player Character roster, as of spring 2011:
-“Gawain Keary” [Paul J.]-male Saganim human Illusionist (proto-Celtic Wizard); NGc, Age 20, Lvl. 2
-“Kovar” [Beruk A.]-male Half-Orc/Saganim human Paladin of Mithras, god of contracts and brotherhood; LGn, Lvl. 3
-“Davven ‘Digger’ Hollysharp” [Robert A.S.]-male Faldine Halfling archaeologist (Tallfellow Rogue) from a pipeweed farm in Tarken; CGn, Age 45, Lvl. 3
-“Jovinda Halflight” [Sammy H.]-female Half-Elf (Grugach/Hifalendorin) Cleric of Mekkil, goddess of nature; owner of horse Wyth-Amoi, or “Wind Spirit”; NGl, Age 23, Lvl. 3
-“Kazuo Takenaga” [Taum D’A.]-male Nezumi (Rat-kin) Monk from the Zedu kingdom in the Therud Forest; LNg, Age 20, Lvl. 3
-“Asish Chen Ti” [Byron V.O./absent]-male Tsucharim human archer (Mongol-style Ranger), escaped from the kingdom of Gokuri; owner of Akita dog Genghis and horse Onimusha; NGl, Age 20, Lvl. 3
“26 to 27 August 1229 B.C.E.:” After a few days in the Hifalendorin (proto-Western European) human city of Nadwi, the adventuring party takes a break from training to compare notes over dinner. Asish is absent because he had gone out with “Jade” [Sammy H./Non-Player Character] and then to the temple of Ulandt, lady of rest. Digger had already met Clerics Sylvia Cloudtree and Nidra there.
Gawain notes that an enchanted amulet that Vappu Lahja had given should soon arrive by courier, and Kovar explains that he has been working at the smithy of Dwarf Yohann Karsh. Jovinda reminds her companions of their promise to Nelly O’Keefe, priestess of Yondolla, to help find the farmers who had fled from the haunted hamlet of Alarn.
Digger complains that he needs more money to fund his research, and he proposes an expedition to long-abandoned border forts built by King Memir I of Hifalendor. The ruins could be of historical value and provide clues about the Fey followers of Vappu Lahja, says the Halfling scholar.
In addition, Davven says, the fortifications are near the villages of Evesboro and Tarken. The Rogue’s original mission to get a map of the area from merchant Eligius on behalf of mage Octavius Karstus could still be accomplished.
Kovar inquires about Marcel, an associate of Karstus in Nadwi. He learns from Yohann that the stonemason is respectable, if not particularly trustworthy. The Half-Orc Paladin of Mithras, god of contracts, agrees to go with Jovinda to the temple of Otih, to see if holy warriors will cleanse Alarn from Undead.
Kazuo returns to the Arena of Arakkis, where he had bested Shengtese Kensai [eastern human swordsman] Kezui Ochima. The Nezumi (rat folk) Monk finds a cigar-chomping lanista (gladiator trainer) named Hans Jeffers who eventually admits him to his ludus (gladiator school) after assessing his capabilities and unarmed fighting style.
While sparring with burly farmboy Dalan, Kazuo learns that his predecessor Marcus recently disappeared. The martial artist makes discreet inquiries around the ludus and finds that Marcus is known to be pious, predictable in his habits, and unlikely to go to the arena at night. However, Marcus was seen visiting the arena and temples late shortly before disappearing.
The next morning, Gawain and Digger walk from the “Deer’s Heart” tavern in the Dagger District to the local Magisterium (magic school/library). The Illusionist and Rogue discuss mutual interests in linguistics, the planes of existence, and architecture and haggle with booksellers on the way. Their conversation is interrupted by the arrival of Jade.
Digger exchanges barbs with his former schoolmate at the Royal Academy in Alfhileno, and Gawain avoids taking sides. The young woman admits some past indiscretions and reveals that she’s also trying to find out about Vappu Lahja, even though Digger and Gawain haven’t mentioned her! They plan to meet back at the inn and talk to a certain Tsucharim Ranger later.
Jovinda returns to the shop of Gnome toymaker and silversmith “Pip…” to inquire about her father. Pip says a Gnome tinkerer traveling with a human would be a rare partnership. The Cleric of Mekkil, goddess of nature, plans to meet Kovar at the temple of Otih, lord of the sun and justice, as their companions wait for a summons to report to Nadwi‘s city council….
Please post to the message board if I left anything out and to plan and role-play between our virtual sessions. Byron, we missed you, and I hope that Cindy (and Susan and Linda) had a nice Mother’s Day! While the FATE 3e Starblazer Adventures: “Vortex” space opera will be meeting on May 16, the “Vanished Lands” group is skipping a week because of Damon F.P.’s visit and a cookout.
We’ll reconvene on May 22, but Sammy and Taum may be absent. I don’t know yet if we’ll game during Memorial Day weekend, and in the meantime, don’t forget to contribute to the ongoing threads about potential missions, whether to continue using Google Groups, and treasure. Have a good week, -Gene
Gene's Worlds 
