Revisiting RPGs and Lego licenses

One game to rule them all? — Lego Lord of the Rings

Continuing this week’s look at tabletop role-playing games, especially the announcement of Dungeons & Dragons Fifth Edition and subsequent reactions, here’s an overview of my current groups. I caught up on videos and some reading around the holidays, but I had to take a short break from my campaigns because it was too difficult to get quorum for my groups. We seem to be getting back on track.

In the meantime, I’ve enjoyed several recent sourcebooks — in both hardcopy and PDF — including the Asian-flavored Pathfinder Bestiary 3, Mongoose’s printing of science fiction sandbox Stars Without Number, and the horror/SF Ashen Stars, which uses the Gumshoe investigative/troubleshooter rules. All of them will be helpful in my current campaigns.

The two teams of about six people each in my “Vortex” space opera game (using FATE 3e Starblazer Adventures/Mindjammer plus Bulldogs) were on hiatus over the past few weeks. I’ve kept busy, however, with planning for our alternating Monday night sessions, which are still going strong. Fellow Game Masters Jim J.D’B. and Byron V.O. have helped me prepare for the continuing misadventures of the explorers and diplomats aboard the Blackbird and the grifters on the Appomattox.

My Pathfinder: “the Vanished Lands” telecom fantasy team has had persistent scheduling problems on Sunday nights, but I hope to rebuild from our core group of three low-to-midlevel Player Characters. They’ve been heading north into the Wisalef Forest to investigate rumors of Unseelie Fey…. Paizo’s recent Pathfinder Boxed Set is a good introduction to that system (for up to four or five players to Level 5) and to role-playing in general.

Most of the people in my groups are also playing in other games. Various local Game Masters have expressed interest in running one-shots, although they’ll have to promote their ideas and find time and space for them. Here are some of their ongoing campaigns and potential one-shots:

–Paul J. and Greg D.C.: FATE 3e Dresden Files (modern supernatural)

-James B.: D20 Call of Cthulhu (period horror) or Gumshoe: Mutant City Blues (investigative metahumans)

-Josh C.: conversion of AD&D2 Spelljammer to FATE 3e Legends of Anglerre (fantasy) or Arkham Horror (board game)

-Jason E.R.: Fvlminata (alternate Roman history/espionage)

-Bruce K.: Pathfinder/D&D4e or D20 Conan (sword and sorcery)

-Rich C.G.: Cthulhu Invictus (alternate Roman history/horror)

A few of the local role-players have also asked to return to my “Societe de Justice Internationale: Drake’s Port 7″ superhero scenarios using D20 Mutants & Masterminds 3rd Ed., whose excellent Game Master’s Guide just arrived. So many games, so little time….

In unrelated but exciting news, Lego recently announced that, in addition to its licenses for Harry Potter, DC and Marvel Comics, and Star Wars, it won the rights to The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings movies! We briefly used Lego for the D&D3.0 “Vanished Lands: the Liberators” and “Dragonslayers,” and even though I have dozens of other miniatures, I’d love to use Lego minifigs for my campaigns in any genre, from steampunk and superheroes to science fiction!

More reactions to D&D5e

The Known World of early D&D — Mystara, an early D&D world

As I noted yesterday, the big news in fantasy role-playing was the announcement of Dungeons & Dragons Fifth Edition and even early playtesting. I hope that gaming can still thrive, albeit with fewer fans than in the 1980s or early 2000s. Technology, rules systems, and playing styles have evolved, and I’ve enjoyed the social side of the hobby for almost 30 years.

My groups have been speculating about D&D5e for a few months now, and initial reactions among them and various bloggers were wary. Some people, who like D&D3.x and Pathfinder, hope that Wizards of the Coast can return to something like the D20 Open Game License rather than D&D4e’s more restrictive Game System License. We debated whether WotC should try to widen its audience and pursue younger gamers or whether it needs to win back lapsed role-players and those who stuck with earlier editions. It should try to do both as the industry leader.

Others, who like how D&D4e tried to be more balanced and streamlined, hope for a more modular approach to the complexity level of the rules as characters and monsters advance. I’d like D&D5e to offer more support for role-playing, world-building, and pickup and one-shot games. German designers and Lego have been successful with board games that are potential entry points into the hobby. Dungeons that you can drop a random group of players and characters into, evocative settings, and the potential for long-term story and character development are all important.

I think an introductory D&D5e boxed set is likely, with more focus on pregenerated elements and online character management. Tactical combat will continue to be important, but I think the “fantasy punk” flavor will be dialed back in an attempt to win back some people alienated by the massively multiplayer online (MMO) style of D&D4e. As I said yesterday, WotC will still need to prove that D&D5e is better than already available prior editions and competitors such as Pathfinder.

In addition to the rivalry among fans of D&D4e vs. those of Pathfinder, I’m also still following the development and debates around rules-light and retro-clone (or “old–school Renaissance“) games. I may not have minded memorizing the AD&D1 Player’s Handbook and Dungeon Master’s Guide about 25 years ago, but I now want to spend less time worrying about rules and be able to run fun games easily. For example, based on the success of the “Broken Chains” scenario during Byron’s visit, some of us are considering using FATE 3e Legends of Anglerre instead of Pathfinder for telecom fantasy games.

Here comes D&D5e — my initial reaction

D&D Basic Set module — My first D&D adventure

I’ve been working on a longer blog post about my recent and upcoming games, but Wizards of the Coast has formally announced that Dungeons & Dragons Fifth Edition is in the works.

For the past 30 years, I’ve been an early adopter of new editions of the most popular tabletop role-playing game, and I’m definitely curious about the direction that Hasbro/WotC will take.

On the other hand, I’m fine with running and playing other fantasy rules systems, including Pathfinder and FATE 3e Legends of Anglerre, so D&D5e will have to offer a significantly different experience (and better for me) to win gamers like me back.

Catching up from Christmas

I hope that all your holidays were happy and that you have a healthy and Happy New Year! Janice and I drove in my new car to her family in Upstate New York for Christmas. The capacious Honda Fit served us well, even if it got its first ding (in the windshield). Fortunately, the weather was mild and traffic was relatively light, even if children and skiers were disappointed by the lack of a white Christmas.

Among other things, I received more reference books on Arthurian lore, some cool Star Wars and gamer garb, food baskets, and a toaster oven. As usual, we also ate very well, caught up on Disney/Pixar movies, and played with my nephews’ superhero action figures and Lego sets. My thoughts are with ill relatives and friends.

Unlike several of my friends, I was busy with work in the week between Christmas and New Year’s, so I was unable to post to this blog. However, I don’t foresee any shortage of genre entertainment, food and travel, or politics to talk about in 2012!

In between work and the holidays, Janice and I ate at our usual haunts: Wild Willy’s Burgers, Acropolis, Subway, Chipotle, and the Ninety Nine (I’ll have to work it all off). I met fellow role-players Beruk A., Brian W., and James B. for lunch in Central Square, Cambridge, as well as fellow blogger Thomas K.Y. with his brother Tony and girlfriend Kai-Yin at Elephant Walk in Waltham, Massachusetts. I’ll look more at recent movies, comic books, and games in upcoming posts.

For New Year’s Eve, Janice and I walked to the First Night events in Needham, Mass. We enjoyed listening to the West Newton Ceili Band, Melodius Funk, and comedian John Colliton. In addition, we saw the newly renovated town hall, melting ice sculpture, and the colorful Quinobequin Quilters show.

This morning, Janice and I watched the annual Rose Parade, and we’ll be taking down our decorations as the holidays wind down. I hope that the global economy improves, people strive to peacefully overcome their differences, and to find time for all my friends and interests!

“Vortex” Update 5b.25 — Deal or no deal

Shadow vessel from "Babylon 5" — Spidery starship

Fellow role-players, here are my notes for Session 5b.25 of the “Vortex” space opera campaign. Team 2 met on Monday, 19 December 2011, and is using FATE 3e Starblazer Adventures/Mindjammer, Bulldogs, Diaspora, and Limitless Horizons.

In one future, humanity has begun to colonize the Sol system, but ecological degradation and internecine conflicts persist. Open and official First Contact with Galactic societies, themselves at war, threaten Terra’s very survival. Will heroes rise to the challenges?

A band of grifters and near-humans retrieved dangerous samples from a battlefield north of Karachi and the Ghanki undersea station. It stole starship engines from a lunar base and an orbital city and was involved in medical disasters in the Venusian colonies. After finding a dimensionally displaced derelict, the team made inquiries into its cargo amid religious turmoil on Titan….

>>FATE 3e “Vortex” Team 2 (5b), crew of the “Appomattox:”

-“Gabriel Adams” [Paul J.]-male North American Terran near-human with telepathy, courier and pilot

-“Hector Chavez” [Beruk A.]-male Latin American Terran human, “burned” operative and communications expert

-“Jasmine” [Sara F.] female Martian Felinoid (Synth, “Uplifted” tiger), former professional pit fighter

-“ARTHERR” [Greg D.C./absent]-Advanced Resonance Theoretical Heuristic Exploration and Research Robot created by megacorp Vimeco

-“Mr. Richmond Garrett” [Dave S.C./absent]-male Southern American Terran human, space snake-oil salesman and social climber

-“Dr. Dieter Klein” [Rich L./absent]-male European Terran human, semi-retired physician, altruist and thrill seeker

-“Nero Bartholomew” [Non-Player Character]-male Terran human, former owner of the “Fortune’s Fool,” ship’s cook

-“Averki ‘Deep Dish’ Dyashenko” [N.P.C.]-male reptilian Synth (genetically engineered humanoid), onetime Venusian miner

>>”8 to 14 November 2194 A.D./C.E. or 0 Terran Galactic Era:” After side trips to colonies on Venus and Saturn, the Appomattox delivered items from the Vatican museums to Epsilon Eridani, about 10.5 light-years (ly) from the Sol system. There, it met the Kazador, a trade vessel of the spider-like Nolath.

Hector Chavez briefs Jasmine on internal and external security precautions. Gunner Jasmine also checks on the yacht‘s missiles. Capt. Gabriel Adams, who distrusts the Nolath, scans for other ships in the area but finds none.

ARTHERR bids farewell to Titanian gynoids Tanya and Galia, who stay behind at Epsilon Eridani B to prepare for the Chengdu, a slower-than-light Terran generation ship. Richmond Garrett stalls for time, asking Capt. Stroja if he is interested in “Talosian wonder ointment.”

Engineer Hector customizes a missile to be remotely controlled and to carry a warhead to deliver an electromagnetic pulse (EMP). Burly Jasmine watches for potential drone boarders. Gabriel scans the Kazador and finds particle-beam weaponry. The pilot also sets a retreat course back to Earth.

Robot ARTHERR notes that the arachnid aliens may merely be intermediaries for someone else, who might be waiting at Luyten’s Star, a relatively close and potentially inhabitable system. Con artist Richmond instructs crewmembers Nero Bartholomew and Averki “Deep Dish” Dyashenko to rearrange the cargo bay.

Hector asks Jasmine to pose as captain to continue negotiations with the Nolath, but the tiger Synth declines. The former spy recommends backing out of the deal, and Gabriel agrees. Richmond, who accepted the mission from fixer “Ramon Sanchez” [Josh H./Greg/N.P.C.], sees no reason not to take payment of the remaining 20,000 credits (or NeoYen, kilocalories, or U.E.A. dollars).

ARTHERR argues that turning over cultural artifacts to the Nolath may not be in humanity’s best interests. Capt. Adams tells Capt. Stroja that his manifest does not match the cargo, so there must be a mistaken identity. The Appomattox goes to faster-than-light (FTL) Transit before the Kazador can scan it again.

During the week’s journey back to Earth, Hector considers diverting power from ship systems to improve the Appomattox‘s Ru’ulok (heavy-gravity reptilian alien) Transit drive beyond 1 ly per Terran day. Jasmine is disappointed at having to return to human space, and Gabriel wonders if his underworld contacts can help him find a proper recipient for the Vatican relics.

ARTHERR suggests the United Earth Authority or the United Ecumenical Movement, while Richmond entertains the castaways from the Razorfeather shipwreck — Olvar (mammal-like arboreal extraterrestrials) Maj. Mohing Lankel, Lt. Doina Claren, and Mr. Kares Mussur, as well as Cestolar (badger-like) envoy Yiushef of Geruno.

Hector and Jasmine warily watch the guests, since Yiushef warned that one is likely a saboteur. Gabriel asks his companions where in the Sol system they should go next….

Greg and Dave, we missed you at the last regular game of 2011! Weather permitting, Team 1 (the crew of the Blackbird) is scheduled for Monday, 9 January 2012. “Vortex” Team 2 will meet again on Jan. 16.

A makeup session for the Pathfinder/Skype: “the Vanished Lands” fantasy telecom team is planned for Friday, Dec. 30, 2011, and various one-shots have been proposed for next week and beyond. I hope that all your holidays are safe and happy, and I look forward to our adventures in the coming year! -Gene