Colin Sinclair's Blog, page 5

#RPGaDay 2018: Day 13

Question 13: Describe how your play has evolved.

Having begun with D&D and AD&D, back in the distant 80s, I think the clearest evolution of playing style has been away from the simplistic, murder-tourist traditions of kill-monsters-get-gold, and towards a (slightly) more thoughtful and interactive approach to the imaginary worlds the characters inhabit.

This counts for both time as a player and as a GM.

As a player I want places to explore and people to communicate with, and as a GM I want to...

#RPGaDay 2018: Day 12

Question 12: Wildest character concept?

Short answer: Denmark

The basic set up for the character was: Everyone in Denmark on a particular date vanishes without a trace, and this particular character has access to all of their memories and skills, one at a time and for a limited period only.

This was in a superhero game I was running a few years back, and it later transpired that the character had access to the powers and abilities of any superheroes that had existed in Denmark at the time of...

#RPGaDay 2018: Day 11

Question 11: Wildest character name?

In the early years of my gaming experience I played in a group where the standard procedure was to choose character names by simply casting an eye around the dining room in which we played and picking something that caught the eye.

Sometimes it would be weapons list from that day’s gaming books. I certainly remember a knight called Lucerne Bec De Corbin. Or the label of a nearby wine: Captain Cabernet D’Anjou.

There was also once a character called Interna...

#RPGaDay 2018: Day 10

I’m going to go alternate again for this one and avoid “how has gaming changed you” as I find it very difficult to envisage how I might have turned out if I hadn’t started gaming when I was around about fourteen or so. I’m also not entirely sure why I would have wanted to not get involved in roleplaying games.

Instead, let’s answer this:

Question 10: What makes you want to GM?

I GM for the same reasons that I write.

I can’t stop creating stories and characters and worlds, and I have to do som...

#RPGaDay 2018: Day 9

Question 9: How has a game surprised you?

In recent days, the original TSR produced Marvel Super Heroes roleplaying game has been a revelation.

Designed by Jeff Grub and first released way back in 1984, it has surprisingly turned out to be exactly what I’m looking for in terms of running a superheroes game right now. Considering the number of alternative systems I went through looking for the one*, how useful this old box of tricks turned out to be is quite Remarkable. Or possibly Amazing.

It...

#RPGaDay 2018: Day 8

Another alternate question, so I can skip the ‘how to get more people playing’ original. I can’t really think of anything beyond be more diverse and open and engaging, and encourage people to enjoy games, whatever games they like, because it’s all gaming.

Anyway, onto the alternative:

Question 8: How do you prepare for extended campaign?

In general I prepare for most creative endeavours exactly the same way.

Germ of an idea or image, somehow it links to something else or expands into a neat c...

#RPGaDay 2018: Day 7

Question 7: How can a GM make the stakes important?

I’m not sure we can.

Players have to been engaged with their characters, committed to the conceit of the narrative, the ‘contract’ of gaming where we all agree to show up on time and pretend we aren’t just shuffling paper and moving dice.

We’re having adventures and telling tales and building history, right?

If we’re not doing that then it becomes a board-game and the stakes are pretty much just win or lose.

I mentioned this last year, I thi...

#RPGaDay 2018: Day 6

Question 6: How can players make the world seem real?

By taking what you have built for them and running away with it, by going left when they should have went right, and often by totally misunderstanding a verbal hint or random clue that sets them on a course you weren’t expecting.

I vaguely recall reading–as a teenager–the novel “Job: A Comedy of Justice” by Robert Heinlein, in which the hero character, Alex, is thrown through a series of ‘world changes’ implemented by Loki, acting with God...

#RPGaDay 2018: Day 5

As the actual question number five–about recurring NPCs–covers a lot of the same territory for me as the previous question, I’ve decided to go with one of the alternative options.

Question 5: Most memorable character retirement?

I’m taking this to mean something other than getting a gold watch and going to live in France; or finally winning a flying long-ship crewed by dancers…I’m thinking of it more in the sense of “routine retirement of a replicant”.

Perhaps I’m wrong in that presumption?

A...

#RPGaDay 2018: Day 4

Question 4: Most memorable NPC?

In some ways this is an easy-ish one. I think I discussed this last year as well.

The answer for me as a player is the fighter/vampire Drelnza from Lost Caverns of Tsojcanth. At first, I was struck by the fantastic scenario artwork–Drelnza’s (supposed) final resting place–then the PC cleric was struck by Drelnza’s sword, and then my character, the fighter known as Nilok, was hit by a charm spell and totally enthralled.

In our game the character was called Dren...