tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-49300658150109148872024-03-05T21:43:05.758-08:00Really Bad EggsA sort of thinking-out-loud workshop for cape-and-sword tabletop roleplaying games.Black Vulmeahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04270071699114783644noreply@blogger.comBlogger536125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4930065815010914887.post-30861517254094609232019-02-19T13:16:00.000-08:002019-02-19T13:16:14.316-08:00Zorro Kickstarter - Just Three Days Left<a href="https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/gallantknightgames/zorrotm-the-roleplaying-game?ref=project_link">The Kickstarter for <i>Zorro: The Roleplaying Game</i></a> closes in three days; it's met its target of $15,000.00 but it needs a few more backers to reach a cool $25,000.00.<br><bR>
The game is based on West End's d6 - the same system for the venerable <i>Star Wars</i> roleplaying game - which is awesome, with some added story-gamey features - which is completely meh for this blogger.<br><br>
But <i>¡Cristo!</i> It's <b>Zorro</b>, in a system which doesn't suck, and this fanboy is ready to get his black mask on and kick some Spanish <i>cul</i>.Black Vulmeahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04270071699114783644noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4930065815010914887.post-87000637358843849362018-05-24T11:02:00.000-07:002018-05-24T11:02:27.842-07:00Photobucket Finds Head, Removes From AssSo I was pleasantly - and profoundly - surprised to discover all my broken photo links were restored both here on RBE and on my Obsidian Portal campaign wiki. Apparently last year's attempt to extort users for $400.00 in fees annually to link to photos from a third-party website cost the CEO his job. The charge dropped to a more modest thirty bucks a year for two gigs of storage, third-party linking, and no more intrusive, speed-sucking ads.<br><br>
I have no idea if this strategy will keep Photobucket solvent - they claims tens of millions of users, but how many of those actively use their accounts? - in an online environment very different from the one in which the company, and the concept of photo-hosting, was created. I went ahead and signed up, for if nothing else, maybe it buys me enough time to migrate my images to a more stable platform.<br><br>
In the meantime, I get to be not-as-embarrassed by the state of my meager sites, so that's something, I suppose.Black Vulmeahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04270071699114783644noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4930065815010914887.post-5669529443469964552017-11-26T17:09:00.000-08:002017-12-03T02:32:09.393-08:00The Wine List of The Welcome Wench<i>What follows is <A href="http://www.therpgsite.com/showthread.php?28649-Stormfall-My-quot-D-amp-D-quot-Setting&p=720787&viewfull=1#post720787">a reply to a thread at theRPGsite</a> in which I put forth my idea of what's important in preparing a game-world that's meant to be played, as opposed to a game-world which is a referee's plaything. I've referenced this a few times in various online discussions.</i>
<blockquote>Read the bill of fare for the Inn of the Welcome Wench in <i>The Village of Hommlet</i>. If I start my campaign with nothing but the village of Hommlet, I know that there's a place called Keoland which exports reasonably priced brandy and wine. That could mean the quality is merely middling, or it's simply closer and therefore less expensive to ship - most likely it's some combination of the two. I get a sense that the vintners of Urnst enjoy some natural advantages over the Keoish, and that the two are probably trade competitors. I'm also pretty sure that Veluna is someplace special, because their wine is in demand enough to be found in a small country inn at a price few locals could ever hope to pay.<br><br>
I can build a region from a wine list, a wine list that is something with which the adventurers can interact from the first time we sit down to play.<br><br>
I didn't need to detail Keoland, or how it came to be called Keoland, or what it was called a thousand years before it was called Keoland, or what the terrain of Keoland was like ten thousand years before that and then a hundred thousand years before that, in order to plant the seeds - grape vines, actually - of a place called Keoland in the minds of the players.<br><br>
My bullshit detector works really well, and it tells me the difference between 'stuff that matters to the players' and 'stuff that's primarily written for me.' My first order of business as referee is create stuff that matters to the players, and that means understanding what they are likely to want to do.<br><br>
You know why <i>Traveller</i> UWPs work so well? Because they answer the questions player want to know first: can I fuel my starship? will the air kill me? can I pack heat? what kinds of gear are available?</blockquote>
<i>Crossposted at <a href="https://promisecity.blogspot.com/">Promise City</a></i>.Black Vulmeahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04270071699114783644noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4930065815010914887.post-62501657611638549272017-09-21T08:39:00.000-07:002017-09-21T08:39:12.003-07:00Cavaliers of Mars on Kickstarter<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/200664283/cavaliers-of-mars-a-tabletop-roleplaying-game?ref=351727&token=3ca57f9b" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://ksr-ugc.imgix.net/assets/018/395/366/d16bd2b768114a300e3344d6986b391e_original.jpg?w=680&fit=max&v=1505839284&auto=format&q=92&s=0707b52907531455064fdad2b0bbba08" width="510" height="640" data-original-width="638" data-original-height="800" /></a></div><br><br>
Looks purty.Black Vulmeahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04270071699114783644noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4930065815010914887.post-54685412985001343582017-07-12T11:11:00.000-07:002017-07-12T11:11:03.492-07:00"I thought it fitting, considering the rocky terrain."This is fun: a martial arts blogger analyzes Wesley and Inigo's duel <a href="https://combativecorner.wordpress.com/2010/11/11/fencing-language-in-the-princess-bride/">with respect to the sword-masters they reference</a> during the iconic scene in <i>The Princess Bride</i>. It's a good read, especially if you have studied your Agrippa.<br><Br>
Which I have.Black Vulmeahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04270071699114783644noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4930065815010914887.post-47975807603595702032017-07-01T09:09:00.001-07:002017-07-01T09:09:36.072-07:00Fuck PhotobucketSo, you may notice RBE has a new look, courtesy of the soulless bloodsuckers at Photobucket, which changed its terms of service Wednesday regarding linking and third-party hosting of images stored in a Pb library. In order to host images elsewhere, I'm required to sign up for their highest level 'plan,' costing $400.00 a year, for the exact same service I've enjoyed as a member for over eight years.<br><br>
Apparently viewing the increasing barrage of ads on their site didn't squeeze enough enough money out of my membership for Pb to continue storing and accepting links to the server-straining 71 MB of images in my library, images I used for both blogs as well as my Obsidian Portal wiki, which is now completely gutted - zero functionality. Oh, and since I'm on the subject, fuck Obsidian Portal as well - years of developer inattention and arbitrary changes busted links all over <i>Le Ballet de l'Acier</i> already, reducing the sites functionality to the point where I simply stopped adding new material and used a backup copy offline as my referee notes.<br><br>
A smart company would've imposed its fee on new members while honoring its agreements with existing customers. Photobucket is not a smart company, however, and they obviously don't give a fuck about the impact their decisions have on their members beyond 'pay the monkey.'<br><br>
I don't have the time to go back and fix everything that was ratfucked on RBE, sadly. It will remain a monument to corporate douchery. And the wreckage of <i>Le Ballet de l'Acier</i> is coming down for good.<br><br>
Here's one last image Photobucket can't fuck with.<br><br>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiil8bzw-yhfXonielWhLe-zrWjvY-BbCo3jmaIHumUUJHngFepe25roaqG4rE5rH8m3GjdKq54pMHns6NV-Z6vG1_WOyKXsEpOvyp6Gi2z5zC92ccb5CvrV2-4iwUIvNrMjDW3jqwjgoSa/s1600/johnny-cash-finger.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiil8bzw-yhfXonielWhLe-zrWjvY-BbCo3jmaIHumUUJHngFepe25roaqG4rE5rH8m3GjdKq54pMHns6NV-Z6vG1_WOyKXsEpOvyp6Gi2z5zC92ccb5CvrV2-4iwUIvNrMjDW3jqwjgoSa/s320/johnny-cash-finger.jpg" width="320" height="284" data-original-width="541" data-original-height="480" /></a></div>Black Vulmeahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04270071699114783644noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4930065815010914887.post-13176170566080172302016-12-25T12:28:00.000-08:002016-12-25T12:28:08.007-08:00Prepare To Be Boarded<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://i567.photobucket.com/albums/ss115/Black_Vulmea/undead_pirate_christmas_card-_zpsjam6tva0.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://i567.photobucket.com/albums/ss115/Black_Vulmea/undead_pirate_christmas_card-_zpsjam6tva0.jpg" width="400" height="400"></a></div><br>
All your gift are belong to us.<br><Br>
Happy holidays, y'scurvy dawgs.Black Vulmeahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04270071699114783644noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4930065815010914887.post-56565145436744456432016-08-10T15:54:00.001-07:002016-08-10T15:54:35.229-07:00And Now For Something Completely Different . . .I'm playing <i>Boot Hill</i>, and <a href="https://promisecity.blogspot.com/">I decided to write about it</a>.Black Vulmeahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04270071699114783644noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4930065815010914887.post-36846294770541988432016-02-16T03:04:00.000-08:002016-02-16T03:04:54.674-08:00Campaign Turn<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://i567.photobucket.com/albums/ss115/Black_Vulmea/wargame_zpsgxbwna2r.jpg" border="0" alt=" photo wargame_zpsgxbwna2r.jpg"/></div>
One of the features of wargames to make its way into early roleplaying games is the campaign turn. In wargaming, campaign turns are usually associated with strategic planning and operations, such as moving and staging troops or engaging in subterfuge. For example, <a href="http://www.piquetwargames.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=11">Piquet's <i>Theater of War</i></a> provides rules for linking together one of Piquet's <a href="http://www.piquetwargames.com/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=2&zenid=459a93b3ed8b21b6ec653b0c33c849fb">many tactical wargames</a> into an extended campaign. <a href="http://operationwargaming.blogspot.com/2012/03/preparing-to-start-campaign.html">As described by Victor at Operation: Wargaming!</a>
<blockquote><i>Having picked the time period already, I needed to select the scale of the game. Theater of War (ToW) has three to chose from; Strategic, Grand Tactical and Tactical. The <b>strategic</b> covers an estimated 4000 x 4000 sq. miles and uses the seasons, Spring, Summer, Fall and Winter for the campaign turns. This was too large for what I had in mind.<br>
<b>Grand Tactical</b> covers a smaller area roughly 400 x 400 sq. miles and uses months as a campaign turn. So 12 turns equals a year. This is more in line with what I was thinking.<br>
The <b>tactical</b> covers an area of 50 x 50 miles and the campaign turn is a week and the campaign ends after the 4th week or more.</i></blockquote>
Allocating a block of time in-game to resolve certain kinds of action wasn't at all uncommon in roleplaying games back in the day. Searching for rumors or a patron is a week-long activity in <i>Traveller</i>. Original, little brown book <i>D&D</i> uses the week as the basic scale of time-keeping, with one day devoted to dungeon exploration and the rest to rest and refitting: "The time for dungeon adventures considers only preparations and a typical, one day descent into the pits." A campaign turn in <i>Boot Hill</i> is a week or a month at the referee's discretion. The knights in <i>Pendragon</i> typically have one adventure per year. <i>En Garde!</i> turns are one week long, and the game also uses the month and the season as units of time in resolving action.<br><br>
The month also appears in <i>Flashing Blades</i> as a standard measure for resolving campaign-level action. Career commitments are measured in months, as is the time spent for gaining new skills, practicing martial skills, or pursuing minor jobs; frex, a priest's annual commitment to performing his duties is six months, with the other six months available for training, practice, pursuing another career or job, or, most importantly, adventuring. Interestingly, the time commitment for a career is flexible: "Each year, a Priest must spend six months, distributed as he likes, performing his religious duties." This gives many careers the feel of a sinecure rather than a nine-to-five job, but it's not inconsistent with how some offices were administered in <i>l'ancien régime</i>.<br><br>
There is a significant exception to this flexibility: the military campaign. Soldiers and knights on campaign are committed for six months to action at 'the front,' which is resolved through a fun mini-game which condenses the action into three 'encounters.' These encounters begin with the risk of wounds, then may lead to a special event such as an individual battle with an enemy soldier while defending a strategic position, breaking out after being surrounded, or capturing an enemy's flag. Prisoners may be taken and ransom and booty claimed. Military campaigns are waged over six consecutive months, as determined by a die roll, and adventurers whose units are on campaign must serve. The campaign mini-game draws many <i>FB</i> players to military careers for their characters.<br><br>
Campaign turns in wargames often condense large swathes of activity, particularly involving strategic movement and logistics. Avalon Hill's <i>Kingmaker</i> was a good example of this, with a player's turn involving moving his faction's nobles and their pretenders until a battle broke out or Parliament was convened, in which case the action changed to tactical level combat between forces or the negotiation and treachery of marshaling votes and declaring a king; <i>The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich</i>, another AH board-and-chit game, begins each turn with allocating basic resource points to simulate the logistics of production and supply, followed by strategic movement, and it's only after these are resolved that combat between fleets and armies may take place.<br><br>
In a roleplaying game, campaign turns may be an opportunity for a mini-game, such as the aforementioned military campaign for <i>Flashing Blades</i> or the cattle drive mini-game published in Reilly Associates' <i>Variant</i> magazine back in the early Eighties for 2e <i>Boot Hill</i>, or they may be something akin to <a href="http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/Montages">one or more sorts of montages</a>. One could, for example, imagine a <i>Flashing Blades'</i> priest's six months of "religious duties" as a series of vignettes: collecting alms for the poor, praying in his cell, saying Mass, leading a saint's day procession, hearing confession, and so on.<br><br>
As a referee, I often find myself asking the players something like, "Tell me what it is you want to accomplish," instead of asking for single, discrete steps - "You want to find out if Baron de Bauchery was in town, so first you'll talk to the innkeeper at the Black Swan, and after that you'll take to the innkeeper at the Roe Deer, then . . . " becomes, "So you want to make the rounds of the local inns to find out if the Baron de Bauchery was staying in town when Princess Pinkflower disappeared? Tell me how you plan to approach this." Do they offer bribes? Do they attempt to intimidate the innkeepers? Do they present themselves as allies of the baron? Smart players will use campaign turns similarly, as an opportunity to pursue long-term character development and engagement with the game-world; perhaps our <i>FB</i> priest will use his six months of pastoral obligation to become acquainted with a <i>seigneur</i> and his family, or to research conflicts between Catholics and heretics from the Wars of Religion in his parish.<br><br>
Beyond a means of condensing routine, non-'adventuring' action, campaign turns also perform an important pacing function. Rising action isn't rising action with falling action for contrast, and campaign turns serve as an opportunity for the campaign to periodically catch its breath. This can help a game-world feel like a living place, where the adventurers follow seasonal rhythms or discharge their responsibilities as figures in in-game society. My first experience playing in a 3e <i>D&D</i> campaign found our characters climbing multiple levels in mere weeks in-game; coming directly from a 1e <i>AD&D</i> background, with steeper experience point requirements and rules such as required training intervals to gain levels, the effect was disconcerting. In my experience, allowing the campaign to proceed in verisimilar cycles contributes to immersion in the game-world.Black Vulmeahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04270071699114783644noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4930065815010914887.post-8287668839145985842015-04-13T10:47:00.000-07:002015-04-13T10:47:18.314-07:00Landsknecht Arquebusier Mini Conversion<a href="http://camisado1500s.blogspot.com/2015/03/marching-arquebusiers.html">Oli at Camisado posted pictures of his <i>Landsknecht</I> arquebusier figure conversions</a>.<br><br>
I painted my fair share of minis over the years, but I never really tried anything like these kinds of conversions, and I have tremendous respect for the modelers who tackle them..Black Vulmeahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04270071699114783644noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4930065815010914887.post-21364616598949710572015-04-08T10:26:00.000-07:002015-04-08T11:38:36.720-07:00A Black Flag Comes CallingThe following <a href="http://icv2.com/articles/news/view/31210/paizo-strikes-deal-gob-tux">appeared on ICV2</a> a couple of weeks ago -
<blockquote><i>Paizo Publishing has inked a distribution deal with French company Gob In Tux Publishing to release the company's tabletop RPGs, boardgames, and novels in North America. . . . Paizo will release <i>Pavillon Noir</i>, a new Gob in Tux RPG, in 2016. The 500-page <i>Core Rulebook</i> will feature full-color interior, with new illustrations. A collector version with leather binding is also planned. A series of support products will follow.</i></blockquote>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.black-book-editions.fr/?site_id=2" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://i567.photobucket.com/albums/ss115/Black_Vulmea/pretty%20bad%20eggs/pavillion%20noir%20sm_zpszthqf7fl.jpg" /></a></div>First released in 2000, <a href="http://www.black-book-editions.fr/?site_id=2"><i>Pavillon Noir</i></a> is a historical piracy roleplaying game, spanning the period from the 15th to 18th centuries. This feature in itself makes the game remarkable - most piracy games focus on the "golden age," full of Blackbeard and William Kidd but noticeably short on Henry Morgan and François l'Olonnais.<br><br>
Ruleswise the game is fairly light - task resolution is d10s rolled based on attributes and skills, with the target based on number of dice above a target number, eg, 3F5 means three of the dice thrown must be five or better for success. But what makes <i>PN</i> great is the setting details and the ship-to-ship action rules.<br><br>
For those who can't imagine playing pirates without sea monsters, spells, and skeletal crews, there is a supplement for magic as well.Black Vulmeahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04270071699114783644noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4930065815010914887.post-42760852404497425542015-03-10T15:18:00.002-07:002015-03-10T15:18:49.340-07:00A Couple of Swashbuckling Blogs to Check OutA Danish gamer named Christian, who goes by the handle Battle_Mad_Ronin at Big Purple, started <a href="http://firstoftheirnames.tumblr.com/">a Tumblr of actual play reports for his <i>The Queen's Cavaliers</i> campaign, The First of Their Names</a>. There are five "sessions" described so far, in abundant detail; I'd like to see more about how the rules work, a 'behind the scenes' view of the actual play reports. I think this is really helpful for a new game with novel mechanics.<br><br>
Tom, who goes by the handle BluSponge at Big Purple, blogs at <a href="https://braceofpistols.wordpress.com/">. . . and a Brace of Pistols, a blog "dedicated to swashbuckling, fantasy, and horror gaming."</a> Tom plays <i>Witch Hunter: The Invisible World</i>, and includes some great game-specific materials for that game, but he also writes about gaming and refereeing; his post, <a href="https://braceofpistols.wordpress.com/2015/02/25/the-art-of-letting-go/">"The Art of Letting Go,"</a> is a good read.<br><br>
Please show these guys some love and some clicks.Black Vulmeahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04270071699114783644noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4930065815010914887.post-37227319687286373792014-12-20T11:18:00.000-08:002014-12-20T11:18:22.086-08:00DVR AlertOn Christmas Day, the Sundance Channel is running a marathon consisting of just one movie, <a href="http://www.sundance.tv/blog/2014/12/inconceivable-its-the-princess-bride-marathon"><i>The Princess Bride</i>, hosted by Cary Elwes</a>. Mr Elwes is also the author of a book released a couple of months ago, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/As-You-Wish-Inconceivable-Princess/dp/1476764026/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1419101299&sr=1-1&keywords=cary+elwes"><i>As You Wish: Inconceivable Tales from the Making of The Princess Bride</i></a>, filled with anecdotes from the making of the movie, its initially tepid response, and its status as a cult phenomenon.<br><br>
Mr Elwes <a href="http://kroq.cbslocal.com/kevin-bean-podcasts-october-2014/">sat for an interview with a local radio station</a> back in October and talked about the book and the movie, and because of that, I'm probably not going to watch the marathon next week. It's not that Mr Elwes isn't an interesting storyteller, or that I'm not a huge fan of the movie - <a href="http://black-vulmea.blogspot.com/2012/01/pernicious-influence-of-princess-bride.html">even if I have misgivings over its influence on the cape-and-sword genre generally</a> - but too much 'inside baseball' can spoil a thing for me.<br><br>
<a href="http://black-vulmea.blogspot.com/2013/02/choose-your-own-adventure.html">As long-time annual passholders</a> to Disneyland, my wife frequently suggests taking a behind-the-scenes tour. My answer is always the same: have a wonderful time, and don't tell me anything about it afterword. I don't want to see how the sausage is made; I just want to recharge my inner seven year-old's sense of wonder.<br><br>
So instead of watching the marathon, I'll pop in my well-worn DVD instead, and scale the Cliffs of Insanity, navigate the Fire Swamp, escape the Pit of Despair, and have fun storming The Castle once more.<br><br>
Check your local listings for times <i>et al</i>.Black Vulmeahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04270071699114783644noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4930065815010914887.post-18273375466500144152014-06-16T11:20:00.000-07:002014-06-16T11:20:06.476-07:00Aboard the Grim CutlassJack at Tales of the Grotesque and Dungeonesque posted about <a href="http://talesofthegrotesqueanddungeonesque.blogspot.com/2014/06/the-adventures-of-grim-cutlass-part-1.html">his pirate campaign</a> recently - watch for the <i>TMNT</i> reference . . .Black Vulmeahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04270071699114783644noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4930065815010914887.post-72914740512242032572014-06-06T12:45:00.000-07:002014-06-06T12:45:06.491-07:00"Oh boy, isn't this GREAT!?!"<a href="http://www.bbcamerica.com/musketeers/"><i>The Musketeers</i> premiers on BBC America Sunday, 22 June</a>.<br><br>
Hopefully this fares better than <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0252781/"><i>Queen of Swords</i></a> or <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0439410/"><i>Young Blades</i></a>.Black Vulmeahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04270071699114783644noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4930065815010914887.post-11278769657102088752014-05-08T08:38:00.003-07:002014-05-08T08:38:47.405-07:00The Queen's Cavaliers Kickstarter Is LiveWith my son's baseball team deep in the playoff chase and All Stars just around the corner, I failed to notice that <a href="https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/caoimhe/the-queens-cavaliers-rpg"><i>The Queen's Cavaliers</i> Kickstarter is live</a> at last.<br><br>
Since it's already fully funded, that early backer excitement and mystery is put to bed, unfortunately, but hey, sometimes a sure thing is just what you're looking for.<br><br>
Given Caoimhe's track record and the way she's approached this project to date, I'll put my own rep on the line and say. unlike so many other crowd-sourced roleplaying game projects, this is a no-risk Kickstarter - you'll get exactly what you back, and in a timely fashion.Black Vulmeahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04270071699114783644noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4930065815010914887.post-11855769655461993362014-03-31T11:35:00.000-07:002014-03-31T11:35:05.215-07:00The Queen's Cavaliers Kickstarter Preview<a href="https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/caoimhe/668962165?token=13dbbad0">A preview of the <i>The Queen's Cavaliers</i> Kickstarter</a> is up, and designer Caoimhe Ora Snow is taking feedback on the preview in <a href="http://forum.rpg.net/showthread.php?721342-Critique-this-Kickstarter-The-Queen-s-Cavaliers">a thread at Big Puprle</a>.<br><br>
Caoimhe was kind enough to <a href="http://black-vulmea.blogspot.com/2013/02/the-queens-cavaliers-interview-with.html">share some background on <i>TQC</i></a> here on RBE last year.Black Vulmeahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04270071699114783644noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4930065815010914887.post-63866865674480738422014-03-13T11:06:00.001-07:002014-03-13T11:06:13.697-07:00Fate and The Princess BrideThere's <a href="http://forum.rpg.net/showthread.php?718217-Fate-Fencing-on-the-Cliffs-of-Insanity">a thread on Big Purple</a> right now about using <a href="http://www.faterpg.com/"><i>Fate</i></a> to model the duel between Westley and Inigo atop the Cliffs of Insanity.<br><br>
It makes <i>Fate</i> sound as much fun as doing my taxes.<br><br>
Ever see something out of the corner of your eye that grabs your attention, but when you look straight at it, it's nothing like what you thought you saw? That's <i>Fate</i> for me. It's a game I really <i>want</i> to like, but whenever I read the rules, or an actual play report, all I hear in my head is gears grinding.Black Vulmeahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04270071699114783644noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4930065815010914887.post-18246932291962806362013-10-22T00:45:00.000-07:002013-10-22T00:45:40.179-07:00"Not with a bang but a whimper"When I set out to create my blog, one of my goals was to write something every day, to establish Really Bad Eggs as a source of inspiration for roleplaying gamers interested in swashbucklers and to hone such writing skills as I possess. Writing every day was a real challenge, and even composing a substantial post three or four times a week proved to be difficult.<br><br>
Since the spring of this year, even maintaining this modest output proved very difficult, not for a lack of ideas and topics - there are some fifty partially completed posts sitting in my queue as I type this, and dozens more ideas floating around in my head - but simply because the time I used for writing was devoted to other things, primarily keeping up with the Cabin Girl and the Cabin Boy's array of activities, but also a growing social circle of families. One of the unexpected benefits of participating in youth arts and sports is the other parents you meet; I've been fortunate to make some good friends in the process. As a happy consequence, what free time I have fills even more quickly.<br><br>
Even maintaining my desultory pace of posting is difficult. There are only so many hours in the day, and in prioritising that day, blogging simply doesn't rank highly on the list. What time I have to devote to gaming I want to devote to my campaign directly: keeping up my wiki, which is badly in need of updating and expanding, as well as playing by email in the months between when we can play face-to-face or via Skype. Put another way, playing is more important than writing about playing, given my constraints.<br><br>
I've pulled back from the handful of forums where I participate as well; those are an even worse time-sink than blogging, and with far less to show for the effort.<br><br>
This is not good bye; as I said, I have far too much that I still want to address. What it is is the recognition that Really Bad Eggs will, for the foreseeable future, be relegated to the status of an occasional pastime.Black Vulmeahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04270071699114783644noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4930065815010914887.post-65764634476728349582013-10-13T22:48:00.000-07:002013-10-13T22:48:02.995-07:00The Pen and the Sword: Treasure IslandAt last in strode the captain, slammed the door behind him, without looking to the right or left, and marched straight across the room to where his breakfast awaited him.<br><br>
"Bill," said the stranger, in a voice that I thought he had tried to make bold and big.<br><br>
The captain spun round on his heel and fronted us; all the brown had gone out of his face, and even his nose was blue; he had the look of a man who sees a ghost, or the evil one, or something worse, if anything can be; and, upon my word, I felt sorry to see him, all in a moment, turn so old and sick.<br><br>
"Come, Bill, you know me; you know an old shipmate, Bill, surely," said the stranger.<br><br>
The captain made a sort of gasp.<br><br>
"Black Dog!" said he.<br><br>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Treasure-Island-Scribner-Classics-Stevenson/dp/1442474440" imageanchor="1" style="clear:right; float:right; margin-left:1em; margin-bottom:1em"><img border="0" height="400" width="300" src="http://i567.photobucket.com/albums/ss115/Black_Vulmea/pretty%20bad%20eggs/treasure-islandcover_zps8de882cc.jpg" /></a></div>"And who else?" returned the other, getting more at his ease. "Black Dog as ever was, come for to see his old shipmate Billy, at the 'Admiral Benbow' inn. Ah, Bill, Bill, we have seen a sight of times, us two, since I lost them two talons," holding up his mutilated hand.<br><br>
"Now, look here," said the captain; "you've run me down; here I am; well, then, speak up: what is it?"<br><br>
"That's you, Bill," returned Black Dog, "you're in the right of it, Billy. I'll have a glass of rum from this dear child here, as I've took such a liking to; and we'll sit down, if you please, and talk square, like old shipmates."<br><br>
When I returned with the rum, they were already seated on either side of the captain's breakfast-table—Black Dog next to the door, and sitting sideways, so as to have one eye on his old shipmate, and one, as I thought, on his retreat.<br><br>
He bade me go and leave the door wide open. "None of your keyholes for me, sonny," he said; and I left them together, and retired into the bar.<br><br>
For a long time, though I certainly did my best to listen, I could hear nothing but a low gabbling; but at last the voices began to grow higher, and I could pick up a word or two, mostly oaths, from the captain.<br><br>
"No, no, no, no; and an end of it!" he cried once. And again, "If it comes to swinging, swing all, say I."<br><br>
Then all of a sudden there was a tremendous explosion of oaths and other noises—the chair and table went over in a lump, a clash of steel followed, and then a cry of pain, and the next instant I saw Black Dog in full flight, and the captain hotly pursuing, both with drawn cutlasses, and the former streaming blood from the left shoulder. Just at the door, the captain aimed at the fugitive one last tremendous cut, which would certainly have split him to the chine had it not been intercepted by our big signboard of Admiral Benbow. You may see the notch on the lower side of the frame to this day.<br><br>
That blow was the last of the battle. Once out upon the road, Black Dog, in spite of his wound, showed a wonderful clean pair of heels, and disappeared over the edge of the hill in half a minute. The captain, for his part, stood staring at the signboard like a bewildered man. Then he passed his hand over his eyes several times, and at last turned back into the house.<br><br>
- <i>Treasure Island</i>, Robert Louis StevensonBlack Vulmeahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04270071699114783644noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4930065815010914887.post-90861711949104076312013-10-10T23:53:00.000-07:002013-10-10T23:53:06.517-07:00Effective Social Rank: GloireSocial Rank in <i>Flashing Blades</i> is a significant part of <a href="http://black-vulmea.blogspot.com/2012/06/class-conscious.html">the game's intended reward system</a>; more than a means of 'keeping score,' Social Rank manifests in feedbacks throughout the career system as well as the character's costs of living. In my campaign, it's also an important part of <a href="http://black-vulmea.blogspot.com/2013/06/social-skills-in-flashing-blades.html">social skill checks in my <i>FB</i> campaign</a> via the following house rule.
<blockquote><i>. . . I allow the difference in Social Rank between two characters to modify certain Charm-based skill checks, such as Captaincy and Seduction. I did this using the Social Standing attribute score in </i>Traveller<i> years ago, and Thijs Krijger, moderator of the </i>Flashing Blades<i> Yahoo group, used this in his house rules for mistresses (which are sadly absent from his blog). In some cases, a non-player character in the service of another may use their master's Social Rank, frex, a guard on the gate of the château de Bauchery uses the baron's Social Rank of 12 rather than his own rank of 3 in determining if a Captaincy check will persuade him to stand aside.</i></blockquote>
As noted, I originally conceived of using social position as a skill modifier while running <i>Traveller</i>. As in <i>F;ashing Blades</i>, <i>Traveller</i>'s Social Standing is a nominal reward system, but one more closely tied to the game's lifepath chargen rules; there's also a bit of symbiosis here, in that <i>FB</i>'s careers drew some inspiration from <i>Traveller</i>. In my <i>Traveller</i> house rule, Social Standing is more about social affinity than 'pole position'; the difference in Social Standings between a player and non-player character was divided by two and rounded down; that value was then used as a negative modifier on the reaction roll table. The effect was a feeling of 'one of us,' as reactions tended to worsen the further one went from one's own social grouping, either up or down; an 'average Joe' with a base Social Standing of 7 would be equally disadvantaged in dealing with someone of Social Standing 4 or Social Standing 9, and it reflected a <i>de facto</i> caste system IMTU - that's 'in my <i>Traveller</i> universe,' for the uninitiated.<br><br>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://www.bigcheesebadges.com/images/this_way_up.png" /></div>For <i>Flashing Blades</i>' 17th century France, however, social status is both highly stratified and extremely competitive, so the difference between Social Rank can be either a positive or negative modifier: those with higher social status are readily and reliably able to manipulate those beneath them, as shown in <a href="http://black-vulmea.blogspot.com/2012/06/class-conscious.html">the rules for influence</a>.<br><br>
Social Rank in <i>Flashing Blades</i> increases as characters climb the career ladder, with great wealth, and as a reward at the gamemaster's discretion. Without rewards, Social Rank tends to climb somewhat slowly, as promotions occur annually in most careers. The relatively static nature of Social Rank is actually a pretty fair reflection of Early Modern France, but for a game of swashbuckling adventurers, I feel like there should be something more than banging away toward that promotion next year . . . if you roll 9+ on 2D6. Toward that end, I added another house rule, called Effective Social Rank.<br><br>
A player character's effective Social Rank may increase, as noted, as a reward, at the gamemaster's discretion. These are permanent increases in most case, and therefore basically indistinguishable from other sources of Social Rank bumps. I decided that a character could also receive a temporary increase in Social Rank as well, for some act likely to give the character a favorable reputation. The mechanism for this was simple: any character holding <a href="http://black-vulmea.blogspot.com/2013/05/dash-and-glory.html#comments">a <i>Gloire</i> point</a> receives a + 1 bump to their Social Rank until all of the character's Gloire points are used up. The increased Social Rank provides a bonus to social skill use, as noted above, as well as entry into an organisation with a minimum Social Rank requirement; however, the character must actually achieve the required Social Rank permanently within one year of entry, or risk losing the position.<br><br>
This allows player characters to gain an edge by their conduct as well as increasing access to different careers for the characters to pursue if they wish.<br><br>
Now, if a character can gain a bonus for a favorable reputation, couldn't that same character also earn a penalty for infamy? Of course! Characters may earn a Black Spot, which is the subject of tomorrow's post.Black Vulmeahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04270071699114783644noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4930065815010914887.post-63049676003320225442013-10-09T09:35:00.000-07:002013-10-09T09:35:33.612-07:00Wednesday Wyeth<a href="http://www.amazon.com/White-Company-Books-Wonder/dp/0688078176/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1381336431&sr=1-1&keywords=doyle+wyeth+white+company" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="http://i567.photobucket.com/albums/ss115/Black_Vulmea/pretty%20bad%20eggs/threeamigos_zps855ca720.jpg" /></a>Black Vulmeahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04270071699114783644noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4930065815010914887.post-27522280336287324522013-10-08T11:20:00.000-07:002013-10-08T11:36:42.427-07:00DVR AlertOn Tursday, 10 October, TCM presents an Eastern-flavored swashbuckler, <i>Son of Sinbad</i>, starring Dale Robertson and Vincent Price. The movie is perhaps most notable for the Forty Thieves - all women - and the film debut of burlesque stripper <a href="http://content7.flixster.com/photo/12/67/58/12675813_ori.jpg">Lili St Cyr</a> (don't worry, the link is boringly safe for work).<br><br>
Check your local times and listings.Black Vulmeahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04270071699114783644noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4930065815010914887.post-16720927446458190562013-10-07T22:10:00.001-07:002013-10-07T22:10:49.435-07:00There Is Nothing Extraneous in the Players HandbookOn my lengthy list of things to do is a post about why 1e <i>Advanced Dungeons & Dragons</i> is a good game for running a swashbuckling campaign.<br><br>
But <a href="http://dndwithpornstars.blogspot.com/2013/10/youre-swashbuckler-now-act-like-it.html">Zak got the gist of it</a> already, so go read his post instead.Black Vulmeahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04270071699114783644noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4930065815010914887.post-12380690651318667512013-10-06T23:56:00.002-07:002013-10-06T23:56:29.122-07:00A Quick Note About That HiatusI've been having trouble sleeping.<br><br>
I went for weeks with nothing more than two or three hours of fitful, wakeful sleep a night, leaving me in an increasing fog which got to the point where I was forced to take a day off work or risk hurting myself or someone else. I tried all the usual methods for dealing with insomnia without success.<br><br>
Fortunately, I figured out the cause - recovery muscle pain in my legs from being back in the gym for the last month - and developed a treatment plan - a couple of aspirin an hour before bed - and now I seem to be back on a relatively normal sleep schedule.<br><br>
Posting resumes tomorrow.Black Vulmeahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04270071699114783644noreply@blogger.com2