The last con I haven't been to
I am going to
KublaCon this year (only Saturday and Sunday). Should be fun! I am running a D+D game, "What Boils up from the Swamp" Sunday at 3:30.
They only had a four-hour time slot for me, which means my six-hour run has to be compressed. This should be possible, but I don't like it. Any suggestions on trimming?
Game mechanics and my favs for now
Quick thoughts here:
- I like bidding as a mechanic. It generally forces tough decisions.
-Games benefit from at least one random element. Too much randomness makes the game light.
- If you can play a games in 2 hours and ev
eryone had fun, that's awesome. Brevity and depth are a hard balance to strike.
My current favs (in no order):
El Grande: I still need to play with five players.
Power Grid: playing this a lot now. Always fun!
Beowulf, the Legend: Quick, easy to learn, and has depth that isn't obvious on the first play
Shadows over Camelot: I still love this collaborative game
Princes of Florence: I think a lot about this game, even though I don't play it a lot
V for Vendetta: a touch of taboo politics
V for Vendetta is a recent exploration of the politics of fear, freedom, and terrorism. It has strikingly un-PC things to say about the very nature of ends-means morality and it brings up the big question: What is terrorism and what is patriotism?
How does this all relate to gaming? Simply put, you see all the political considerations in the movie in the actions of Player Characters. In a well-structured RPG world, there are tyrants, terrorists, and freedom fighters. The lines are never 100% clear on what is a justified use of force and what is clearly excessive. The means of accomplishing a goal are often muddled.
When I play good characters, often I am the voice in a group standing up against ends-means thinking and such.
Example: My priest character Br. Thurman, who critiqued the most tried and true assumption of D+D: if you found something in a dungeon, it belongs to you. I argued that "finder's keeper's" rule do not in and of themselves justify grave-robbing, even if it's grave-robing for good ends (fighting evil).
What counts as terrorism in a fantasy world?
- Is piracy against a government you don't agree with OK? (the old Bear Hunters in my D+D campaign did a LOT of this).
- What about kidnapping a child who you know is going to grow up and be a tool of evil? Do future prophesies of tyranny constitute just grounds?
- What about powering powerful devices with the blood of innocent virgins (a PC did this!)?
What counts as patriotism?
- Using mind control against political enemies to gather information about a group's intentions?
- Joining in guerilla raids in an ongoing racial war?
- Attempting to manipulate election processes because you believe the other side is going to do the same?
A good GM can bring up moral dilemmas like these. How players respond shape the nature of the game.
A new group of gamers, like a new group of co-workers
Gamers who are familiar to you become somewhat predictible. For instance, there's A. I try and avoid dice games with A; He gets upset and angry when the rolls go against him. There's Elenis, the mathematical calculator (try playing a bidding game with him). There's Mark, who is aggressive and smart (yes, you are Mark) and Emily, who is sly and sneaks undetected to victory if you let her.
The knowledge you develop about a person by gaming with them is akin to what you know about someone by working with them. You learn their strengths and weaknesses, their preferred ways of dealing with problems.
It's nice to play games with new gamers for the same reason it's sometimes nice to switch jobs: both gaming and work require new ideas to interact with to stay interesting.
I've been playing with a new set of folks in Oakland. They are quite different and quite good.
Ric (not my brother) hosts the game. He seems to have everyone but me figured out. I have the advantage/disadvantage of not being familiar to the group. In several games, it's come down to him or me. He's won each time.
Jody is kind of random. I don't think he has a solid strategy, but then he's always close.
David is slow and steady. On longer games, he seems to do well.
Jeff is very crafty. I think he should win more than he does, except that he acts like he's afraid of Ric.
Well, here's to new co-workers and new gamers!
Dundracon 30 - a Memoir
Dundracon is the premier gaming convention in the Bay Area. Dundracon 30 was, perhaps, my most enjoyable experience.
I had money, which is unusual. This allowed me to buy a copy of
Wallenstein, a game I have wanted for some time now. I also ate very well (veggie all the way!) and slept more than I used to. All good things!
There were many more scheduled Monday games this time. I think that Monday has become more a part of the full con weekend. I welcome this improvement.
I run a D+D game, "Plague comes to Port Tuyal," which was a lot of fun and very well received. I made a lot of gamer contacts. I shared a room with a friend and and his daughter. We've made a gamer out of Kelly! I had my own bed the entire con (almost a Persian Empire luxury compared to the old days of rotating who sleeps on the floor).
In short: YEAH!
