tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4930065815010914887.post1821141600481561622..comments2023-07-01T05:04:43.376-07:00Comments on Really Bad Eggs: FrankengameBlack Vulmeahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04270071699114783644noreply@blogger.comBlogger12125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4930065815010914887.post-83596665943773730212012-08-28T20:19:58.704-07:002012-08-28T20:19:58.704-07:00Very cool - thanks for the link.Very cool - thanks for the link.Black Vulmeahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04270071699114783644noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4930065815010914887.post-9821037347889891382012-08-27T13:48:02.818-07:002012-08-27T13:48:02.818-07:00You may find are club of some interest regarding t...You may find are club of some interest regarding the Order of the Knights Hospitaller of St John<br /><br />http://www.the1595.com/our-practice-sword.shtmlHarryJJhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01153290259758409838noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4930065815010914887.post-30147338337460518822012-08-27T10:32:44.514-07:002012-08-27T10:32:44.514-07:00Mike-
Awesome post! I went from your Frankengamin...Mike-<br />Awesome post! I went from your Frankengaming to running a "broken" system- Palladium... I think it is why I play it so calmly, just fitting in house rules into the cracks. I run the system pretty straight up, but there are a lot of cracks, and I just quickly come up with putty rules on the fly, and the players don't even see the cracks- so thanks!killervphttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03489943926667369292noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4930065815010914887.post-16610536730102252992012-08-25T14:58:44.618-07:002012-08-25T14:58:44.618-07:00I've now had a chance to flip through it a cou...I've now had a chance to flip through it a couple of times, courtesy a copy given to me by one of my players who is encouraging me to revive the FB game. <br /><br />It's an excellent sourcebook for the period, especially when paired with the 2e AD&D historical book A Mighty Fortress. <br /><br />I'm really pleased with the the fact that both sourcebooks, which date from the same era (early 1990s), focus on historical or literary inspired games, rather than the fantastic/supernatural that's at the heart of, for example, AfO:RD.<br /><br />ARP fills out details of the people and events of the period and also provides a better overview of Paris than I've found in the FB books. It also details London and gives a fly-over summary of the rest of the world during the time period.<br /><br />It contains an excellent "Appendix N" with both literary and "video cassette" resources. And there's another bibliography that serves to disclose where the authors compiled some of their information about the period from.<br /><br />It is prepared for the Rolemaster rules but I've found the stat blocks and rules discussions unobtrusive. The art has a crude, woodcut look with distorted proportions and lots of foreshortening, and several pieces get used repeatedly which makes the book feel a bit "stitched together". <br /><br />There are some typos that create howlers, like Anne Boleyn being Henry VII's executed wife. Most can be dealt with if you have a passing familiarity with the era, do some corroborating research, or want to go for an Alt-Hist game.<br /><br />I would recommend it as a resource for the period regardless of what rules-system you're running.<br /><br />I'm sure there are more flaws I'll find as my familiarity with it grows but, as of now, I'm excited by the amount of time and effort this can save me. Flambeauxhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00133131881423202010noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4930065815010914887.post-49312912204580629822012-08-25T13:13:34.513-07:002012-08-25T13:13:34.513-07:00Is At Rapier's Point good? If so, why? I have ...Is At Rapier's Point good? If so, why? I have seen it for sale online and thought about getting it.Doc Savagehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08783244633195233970noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4930065815010914887.post-67511930861672793272012-08-25T06:04:37.150-07:002012-08-25T06:04:37.150-07:00That threw me about Top Secret when I was younger ...That threw me about <i>Top Secret</i> when I was younger and first encountered it. <br /><br />One of the guys in my gaming group gave me a copy of At Rapier's Point last night. I should be ready to begin Frankengaming my FB game starting this weekend.<br />:DFlambeauxhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00133131881423202010noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4930065815010914887.post-63777428601104326642012-08-25T06:01:59.074-07:002012-08-25T06:01:59.074-07:00Then I shall stick with an English name until my c...Then I shall stick with an English name until my command of French or Italian is sufficient that I can run a game in those languages.<br /><br />Speaking of running a game, would you please shoot me an email or a PM through the Alehouse? I have a question I'd like to ask you.Flambeauxhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00133131881423202010noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4930065815010914887.post-39146313580595620152012-08-25T01:19:57.140-07:002012-08-25T01:19:57.140-07:00That's a great point - the same was true of Bo...That's a great point - the same was true of <i>Boot Hill</i> and <i>Top Secret</i> as well.Black Vulmeahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04270071699114783644noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4930065815010914887.post-76127223873559054442012-08-25T01:17:59.879-07:002012-08-25T01:17:59.879-07:00You're very welcome, Chris - thanks for all yo...You're very welcome, Chris - thanks for all your comments.<br /><br />Oh, and while I like the sound of Sentiment du Fer, if I had it to do over again, I wouldn't've gone with a French name for my campaign - I think it's confusing to prospective players.Black Vulmeahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04270071699114783644noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4930065815010914887.post-48643924663329472292012-08-24T18:20:31.485-07:002012-08-24T18:20:31.485-07:00I also started with the Holmes Blue Box D&D. ...I also started with the Holmes Blue Box D&D. Back then, there was definitely more of a DIY feel about the hobby. Even the module that came with the blue box (Mike Carr's B1 In Search of the Unknown) was "unfinished" and specifically required the DM to fill in the blanks.Matthew Millerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17343263539473683579noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4930065815010914887.post-57147495044882568332012-08-23T09:16:35.488-07:002012-08-23T09:16:35.488-07:00Most older games are very short when compared to m...Most older games are very short when compared to modern 500-page hardcover monstrosities because they expected the GM and players to fill in gaps to suit their particular game and preferences. I've never felt that having everything codified was a great idea. More often I find it leads to lawyer-speak, interpretations, and abuses. Plus wasted time at the table trying to find the right page. It's why I won't play HERO System past 4th edition. I think any good game is going to have the stamp if its Gm and players.Doc Savagehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08783244633195233970noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4930065815010914887.post-34926668107136111272012-08-23T07:50:29.327-07:002012-08-23T07:50:29.327-07:00Mike, thanks for this post.
I started gaming more ...Mike, thanks for this post.<br />I started gaming more recently, about 20 years ago (more or less), and the atmosphere in which I matured as a gamer was one that was hostile to Frankengaming. <br /><br />There was a sense that not playing the RAW was somehow "naughty"...but without the frisson that being naughty in other areas of life brought. Not playing RAW invited acrimonious arguments and ended friendships because we were immature punks doing our best imitation of adults. <br /><br />As I returned to gaming in the mid-2000s I learned of the Early Days of the hobby and realized that I was interested in playing that way.<br /><br />Having done so for several years now I'm still trying to get comfortable with Frankengaming. I love what you've done with Le Ballet and pray that I can, someday, create a game with even a fraction of the depth and complexity.<br /><br />But even knowing how the magic is made, I'm still leery of not playing RAW. It's a personal issue but I think it may be at the heart of why I struggle with so many elements of FB. Mark Pettigrew deliberately left those lacuna because, coming from that same formative period, he expected everyone else would do the same: fill in the blanks based on their experience.<br /><br />I think I need to take a deep breath, create a couple dozen characters this weekend, and start putting together what will either be called Steel Wrist, Velvet Glove or Sentiment du Fer.<br /><br />Thank you, again, for the work you put into these posts. I really appreciate them.Flambeauxhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00133131881423202010noreply@blogger.com