cyst13

Just finished reading the Digital Hero article about the evil race of Migdalars. Recently, on a thread about race and gaming, Michael Hopcroft wrote that he deplored the fantasy staple of evil races. Is the idea that an entire race can be evil an intrinsically racist concept, even if the race does not actually exist in the real world? Does the 'evil race' trope encourage fantasy gamers to think in negative stereotypes? Or is this merely entertainment which does not affect our real life thinking? If you do not think the concept of 'evil races' encourages racist thought because this is just pretend, would it be acceptable to run a Earth setting campaign with the 'evil race' being conspiratorial Jews, Yellow Menace Chinese, or dark jungle-cult Africans? These have all been featured in the adventure entertainment of past eras. If you think it's okay to game evil Migdalars and Orcs but not evil Jews, Chinese or Africans, please explain why.

Re: Pulp Sci-Fi GURPS Lensman. Even though it's from the enemy company, it's one of there best adaptations. Still widely available.

This is an open call for creative suggestions for ways that PCs can use low-level mind control in a campaign. If a PC has a mind control that is only capable of achieving Ego or Ego +10, what sorts of things can he do with it? This probably lends itself best to non-combat situations, but if you have ideas for combat, that'd be swell as well. And please try to be as creative and original as possible in your suggestions. Thanx.

P.77 of The Ultimate Brick describes Super-Strong Senses: "The superhuman nature of the character's muscles and body extends to the small muscles that help his eyes, ears, and other sensory organs work." I find this to be a fascinating revelation. According to the game info, these super-strong ear muscles will give you +2 to hearing perception rolls. I admit, that after a lifetime of rock concerts, my hearing is not what it ought to be. I would love to get into a workout routine that would pump up my ear muscles. I've scanned the bodybuilding magazines, but I haven't found any relevant articles. Can any of you budding anatomists out there enlighten me as to which muscle group do the ear muscles belong? How, exactly, do strong ear muscles help you to hear better? Also, what exercises can I do to pump-up my ear muscles? I've been contemplating attaching little barbells to my ear lobes and doing curls. Think that would help? Also, if someone can explain how super-strong eye muscles improve vision, that'd be great too.

Re: Generation Ship Campaigns Yes, I agree with all that. But we are still here. We survived all that and this is still a reasonably nice place to live. There's no reason a generation ship would be doomed to social disintegration because of 'human nature'. If we can do it, they might alsol. And if 200+ years isn't long enough for you, the Venetian republic lasted from somewhere in the 1100's until 1797. While also not a utopia, it also was by and large a nice place to live for most Venetians. Nobody on this thread has estimated how long this generation ship would be en route, but seven hundred years seems like it would be sufficient.

Re: Generation Ship Campaigns Reply to Keith Curtis: I agree with most of what you said in your last post, though my emphasis would be a bit different. One point you made which I found to be true but a bit disingenuous was that the plots you listed could also be set on a desert island or some other closed society. I agree, but the same can be said of everyone else's ideas as well. A generation ship is a subset of the isolated society setting. What differentiates the generation ship setting is what you had touched upon; you're surrounded by space and stars and possibly aliens and your 'island' is a mechanical device that requires maintenance. I didn't give any ideas of my own for plots primarily because I was just browsing and didn't want to get deeply involved in this thread. Since you challenged me, though, I'll give it a shot. In the games I've been running over the past year, I've been very interested in PCs who are ambassadors of a sort who negotiate between different factions. I can very much see this on a generation ship. Assuming you have enough people aboard to avoid genetic damage from inbreeding, you'd probably have a population of at least 10,000. This is the size of most medium cities in medieval Europe. That's certainly large enough to have distinct factions. And the mere presence of factions does not mean violent confrontation. There are numerous factions in my home city of Portland based on race, class, religion, jobs, etc. and they rarely resort to violence. When they do, it is very brief. Most factional differences are acted out in negotiations or perhaps protests. I could envisage a campaign in which the PCs are diplomats who have to mediate in labor disputes, diffuse factional anger, negotiate with the government, and similar duties. While this may be business-as-usual since it would be their official jobs, I don't think it would be boring. To my mind, it's violence that tends towards boring repetition. Having to work with people as people is far more intricate and complex than people as targets. To clarify my original intent in posting, I wasn't out to criticize you guys so much as to challenge you. It has become something of a knee-jerk response in the RPG community to set games in violent situations and let the PCs fight their way through it. I think this not only lowers the quality of the games, but also presents a poor image to prospective players of RPGs. I've been trying to actively recruit females to play RPGs, and I always have to get past the stereotype of it being just an excuse to hack and slash. Most women are not interested in this. However, girls roleplay all the time. What else is playing 'House' or 'Dolls' than freeform RPGs. If we could develop plots for RPGs that focus on PCs interacting peacefully with the world around them, it would be much easier to recruit women into the hobby. Also, I believe our imaginations are at the root of our perceptions of the world. I don't want to get all Jerry Falwell here and start blaming RPGs for social violence. I do think, though, that if we can prioritize peaceful interaction over violence in our games, and find ways of making those interactions as challenging and exciting as violent confrontations, it will reinforce our impulses toward valuing peaceful responses in real life. We have to imagine peace and value it before we can actualize it. P.S.: To the cynic who suggested that no societies have existed for extended periods of time without ending in anarchy or tyranny, may I point out that you are currently living in such a society. The U.S. has had a 200+ year history without anarchy or despotism. It doesn't look to end anytime soon. While I'd be the first to agree that we've not been perfect (and Native Americans and African Americans may disagree about whether we've had tyranny), this has been a relatively stable society which has been much better for most people than what is typically imagined in dystopic sci-fi.

Re: Generation Ship Campaigns Kiethcurtis, Let me get this straight. You've got a gigantic ship flying through space on some mission that requires its inhabitants to live out generations on route and you can't think of any good stories to tell without turning the whole thing into a violent free for all. I don't think 'human nature' is our problem; it's lack of imagination.

Re: Generation Ship Campaigns What a bunch of pessimists you guys are. Can't anybody imagine a generation ship doing exactly what it is supposed to do without devolving into anarchy or tyranny?

Re: Why must humans rule? Bon is NOT demon-worship!

Re: Sailing from Venice to Cairo Thanks Lord Ghee. You da man. May your serfs never revolt.

Re: Sailing from Venice to Cairo According to my research, while the Venetians did have specific war ships, they also constructed their merchant vessels to do double-duty as war vessels when required. Merchant crews could also double as Navy crews. Thus merchant galleys. Thanks for the info on travel times. I think I'm just going to guestimate it as two weeks, what with ports o' call along the way and all. It's good enough for an RPG anyhoo.

Re: Sailing from Venice to Cairo I say, good show, old man! I'm jolly well happy to have this reference. Might you know the title of these volumes? And if you were to nail down for me a time frame or even a precise schedule, I'll treat you to tea and crumpets at the club, m'lord.

Re: DARK CHAMPIONS: What Do *You* Want To See? In the GM's section, I'd like to read advice on how to integrate vigilantes (Batman, Punisher) plausibly into society. Do they need to cultivate contacts on the police force? If so, how should they go about this? (Batman Year One had a great example of the early relationship between Wayne and Gordon) What role does the media play in bringing attention to the vigilantes' exploits? Also, and this is very IMPORTANT, how does a GM instill in players limits to their characters' behavior. Punisher runs around killing bad guys by the score, but he doesn't blow away just anybody who annoys him. Once the players realize they have the fire power to kill anyone they meet, what's to stop them from turning into full-on baddies and taking out the entire police-force Terminator-style? This was the same problem that bedeviled early D&D editions. Extreme violence mixed with a lack of social control leads to a party of sociopaths. You really should say something about how to keep players balanced between social acceptability and outright evil.

I'm designing a merchants campaign that will be based in Venice, Italy at the opening of the 14th century. (see my Venetian Hero post on the player finder board if you're interested) My question is where would I find travel times for merchant galleys sailing from Venice to Cairo? (Actually, they would only sail to Alexandria, then take a riverboat up the Nile to Cairo) If any Herophiles are aware of books, websites, etc. that can help me in this regard, I'd be obliged.

Re: Ideal Gloating Guffaw? Angry Bug, That was some awesomely detailed advice. Very useful. Thanx! And I'm damned glad that an evil genius such as yourself is all the way over in Edmonton. Though I might sleep a bit better at night if you were on a different continent.

Re: GMs: PC Scrutiny & Acceptance I once knew a kid who ate toilet paper so he could wipe from the inside out.

When the evil genius confronts the hero PCs with the full scope of his nefarious plans, I love to game out the scene, reciting the villain's speech verbatim. When he is done explicating how he shall conquer/destroy/perfume the world, I like to break out into evil laughter. It's the extra flourish which can really strike fear into the hearts of even those heroes with 75% dam. red. My question is, what is the ultimate evil laugh? Should I give a deep basso belly laugh tinged with malice? Or perhaps a sinister titter, implying an essentially slimy personality? How long should the laugh go on? Seconds? Minutes? How about that thing Letterman does where he laughs out loud for a while and then deflates it at the end with an "uhhhh" and a roll of the eyes? Basically I want to be able to make my players skin crawl at the mere sound of demonic mirth. I wish I could learn to laugh like Grampa Munster. He was the all time best ever.

Re: Character creation problems solved Granted, these are the types of disagreements people tend to have when they discuss matters in broad generalities without defining their terms. As far as the Bilbo & Frodo reference, I meant to say that it isn't necessary for high fantasy heroes to develop awesome combat abilities in order to achieve great renown. Earlier, some one implied that to be the case. As far as high fantasy characters in fiction or movies going from normal to superhuman strength in the course of their careers, can you name any examples? I can't think of any. Elric, for example, had a long career, but he was just as weak without his sword in the last book as he was in the first. Conan started out buff and ended buff. I think it's quite 'in genre' to say that PCs can't raise their starting characteristics more than a couple of points. Cuz I just can't think of any famous heroes who ever did. (with the possible exception of magical aide).

Re: Character creation problems solved As a friendly quibble with the above post, I must point out that Hercules started out as a demi-god. He strangled a killer snake in his cradle. By the time he was an adult, he was already the strongest human on the planet. And that's the way it is with most legendary heroes. True, people can work out and get stronger. But most PCs begin at their peak of health. (There comes a point at which you just can't get any stronger without your muscles ripping free of your tendons) In realistic terms, several years of wandering around, being injured in combat, and living off the land, is going to take its toll on the body. Most warriors would likely lose strength and stamina as they grow older. However, they may compensate with intelligent tactics and wisdom. As far as to how people become heroes of legend without increasing their Str and other combat abilities, I refer you to Bilbo and Frodo.

Re: Character creation problems solved In theory, emphasizing non-combat skills in the campaign as a way of encouraging players to spend their points on these skills sounds good. In practice, the reward/punishment only comes after the character creation period. Once you've spent all your points on Str, Dex, and CSLs, you may come to regret not having any non-combat skills, but it's a little late by that point. You can't go back and reallocate mid-campaign. If you want your players to spend their points in a certain way, just make sure you communicate honestly with them while they are building their guys. I hear so many GMs on these boards devising devious ways to coerce their players into a certain form of behavior, it makes me wonder just how fun these games can be. If your players aren't willing to listen to reasonable suggestions about character creation, they probably aren't worth your time.

Re: Monster/Race: Frost Giant (Lesser Niefel Giant) I don't mean to come all negative in this post. But since frost giants are a standard of fantasy, the stuff that you did correctly goes without saying. As for the quibbles: the power of the giants is far out of proportion to their size. Eighteen feet tall is big, but it's not that big. A 6D6 killing attack is more powerful than a tank shell. If you want these guys to be that powerful, you could just re-describe them as about 30 feet tall. If you look at the illustration you posted, this seems about right. The human in the picture only comes to the giant's knee, and the giant is crouching down. My other quibble is that a hurled rock should do normal damage, not killing. Killing physical damage should be limited to sharp weapons or concentrated impacts (like bullets). Large concussive impacts (like boulders) should be normal damage. One last thing: give some thought to making their attacks AFX one hex. At thirty feet tall, that seems reasonable.

Re: Fantasy RENAISSANCE hero? I haven't specifically set a game in the Renaissance, but that may be because nobody really knows what the Renaissance is. I've done a good deal of research on medieval Europe for games, and I've found that the terms Middle Ages and Renaissance were created by Romantic historians in the 19th century. There is no general agreement as to when the Renaissance begins or ends. I strongly suggest you pick a specific time period that incorporates the elements you wish to work with. If you were to set the game in 1600, say, you could have Shakespeare performing plays (Hamlet) at the Globe Theatre in London and Queen Elizabeth intriguing against Parliament. My point is, when you set the game at a specific time, you have a huge wealth of background information and ready made plot elements waiting for you at the library. Also, be sure to make use of all those "Daily Life in the.." type books. They are tailor-made for GMs. "Daily Life in Elizabethan England" would probably be a good starting point. And kudos to you for having the temerity to strike out on your own into the bold world of historical RPGs!

Re: Open or hidden dice I admitted on the plot device thread that I fake rolls as a GM habitually. That said, I think there is a very good argument to be made in favor of honesty. I recently played in a campaign with a GM who was scrupulous about rolling everything, regardless of the effect it had on the players, the story, or anything else. While it made for some freak plot twists, it also added a serious edge to the game. Players can just tell when they've got a GM who is willing to cheat in their favor. They never complain because it would sound stupid to say, "Hey, you're being too nice to us." And everybody likes to win. But when you know that your PC's life hangs on the roll of these colored cubes, it really makes you sit up and play 100%. I was using every (legal) trick I could to make sure that I triumphed in every combat situation. This really is a tough call for me. I'd like to be more scrupulous about the rolls, especially in combat situations. Sometimes I wonder why I even bother statting out anything since I could just fudge it all on the fly, but then the game seems kinda pointless. Conversely, though, I can not bring myself to just let a character die. Especially if he dies while playing well and just being the victim of misfortunate rolls. I require my players to invest too much in their PCs to allow that to happen. So I just fake it and move on.

Re: Plot device or by the rules Hyperman suggested above that players should implicitly trust the GM to roll the correct number of dice each time and never fudge rolls. This sounds ideal to me. Where do I find players like that? I have to admit that in my own case, I'm more GM than player. When I am a player, I'm always thinking back to my own experience as a GM to all the times that I have faked die rolls and broken rules specifically to get the game to go the way I want it to go. No matter how much players may say they want the GM to play on the up-and-up, they really don't want the entire story to come crashing down because of a freak head-shot or something similar. As GM, I break the rules whenever I feel it suits the best interests of the story. A lot of times I even pretend to make die rolls in order to fool the players into thinking that I'm not just forcing things on them. Obviously, I don't let them know I am doing this to them. However, when I'm playing a PC, I can't help trying to guess when the GM is doing these same things to me. Am I completely amoral or is this the way you guys GM as well?

Re: Gaming Historical Zeitgeists Shelly, Sounds tasty. Be sure to let me know when you are ready for some participation.