One of the important things role-players share is our own personal experiences, both within a game, as well as our personal life. Even when playing in a shared campaign and exploring the same adventures, like with D&D Living Environment, Savage Suzerain, etc., our experiences will be different. All the different games we play all help to build up our own personal library of references and ideas. The same with the different experiences and skill sets enhancing the hobby, particularly as more and more people join-in.
This is one of the reasons I strive to read/watch as many #RPGaDay posts as I can. Even if I personally feel that one post is dull or even negative, the next day the same participant can share something I find creative and/or clear. I also appreciate the positivity most have with this event each year, even when coming across a few negative comments; people have complex lives. I also appreciate that I tend to write a page or two, what I write about might be of little interest to a reader, or they’ve read similar before, etc.
Amusingly, initially I could only think of a few dull answers for this prompt, and then suddenly I had an interesting idea for my memory game about nonlinear experiences. After several hours of writing I now return to this document, and the topic of the role-playing experiences. I think this somewhat obvious post highlights that the RPGaDay experience has worked great for me.
So ends another month of thought-provoking ideas and participants sharing creative answers. I look forward to next year. 🙂
Street Fighter RPG
From talking to numerous players about SFRPG over the years, one of the games old problems was the lack of easy ways to make lots of NPC fighters. In particular the issue of Combat Cards, a core part of what makes the game work so well for many also results in a lot of work for groups, and usually the Storyteller. This is further exacerbated by the different XP and Ranks. If the game was being developed these days, I think embracing technological solutions would help the game overcome this problem. Fortunately these problems have been somewhat mitigated by the community. Such as Warrior’s Fist Special 3 (Punho do Guerreiro 3) providing a system for different XP & Rank ratings. Likewise the excellent Combat Chart Generator at: https://sfrpg.com/sfchartgen/
These tools and other community improvements have helped this game flow better and provide a better experience. 🙂 Imagine what a team with a bit of money could do. 😉
— Leojenicek #BlackLivesMatter (@D_and_DHaiku) August 31, 2020
#RPGaDay2020 Day 31: Experience. I gained a lot experience and understanding for my setting in using the daily notes, and I have already a few new ideas for "Cathedral". Hopefully, I will finish it one day!
#31 Experience "Clarissa, it's just a goat…" "Exactly! You don't know what they're capable of, I had many encounters with death and they were always there!" "Mind you, I had a literal death experience…" "But not with goats!"#RPGaDay2020#ttrpg#dnd#pathfinderpic.twitter.com/hXoFhQvwju
This is a non-exhaustive list; I still have many posts to read today, so I might be adding more links. I’d recommend searching the hashtag and judge those great answers for yourself: #RPGaDay2020, some people use #RPGaDay.
As someone that loves fusing games, portals are an easy tool to use, but a tool used badly can ruin things. Some of the multiverses of various comic settings are examples of things losing value/meaning when not handled with care; Marvel’s Incursion storyline, realities colliding and one being destroyed, can be considered a literal example of the danger of connecting two points that are not normally connected. The implications of Portals are explored in many popular settings, such as Farscape and Babylon 5 (in particular Thirdspace).
In a recent session of Mage the Ascension, (WoD: Sliders) a player that has slowly been learning the setting, is playing an Orphan trying to get to grips with their awakening. The Chronicle is a complex beast, the players’ clue file is currently up to 30 pages of notes, but they have learned that events in the area are connecting different times, spaces and possibly realities in strange ways. One day the party are talking with Hermetics, discussing clues and the Orphan’s visions about ancient Egyptian Gods, the next they have stepped through a Stargate and arrived upon a Technocractic space station. The player was giggling with joy at the vast differences in paradigms and realities, from the ancient world to being in the distant future. Then things got weirder, they were uploaded to the Digital Web, a sector with a Tron aesthetic. They are heading to the Spy’s Demise in tonight’s session. 🙂
All in all I had been worried it would result in genre whiplash, but the player said they loved it; the veteran Mage player did as well, but it’s all normal to them. 😉 I think it was helped by things having been foreshadowed, plus other weirdness building up. Another key factor was that ‘dynamic reality’ was one of the things discussed before even session 0. Likewise with my Fateful Memories D&D PBEM game I’m running, when preparing the game the player was happy to do something a bit different. The character is currently in Sigil. 🙂
Street Fighter RPG
Of course SFRPG already has teleporting ninjas, plus Warrior’s Fist Special 5 (Punho do Guerreiro 5) introduced a Portal Warp power. An empowered version of Elemental Stride, allowing for a team to pass through. 🙂
For my chronicle that was inspired by Mortal Kombat: Conquest, the PCs never developed access to reality portal generation, that power was kept with the Gods and a few divinely empowered items. I didn’t play a ton of Palladium Rifts, as a teenager it was a zany and Mega-Cool (yes, pun intended) game. The player that was introducing me to it was explaining about his plan to play a Juicer that was going to steal a Glitter Boy suit. That is the sort of thing I wanted to avoid with SFRPG game, well unless a group really wanted to play a game that allowed for Mechas performing Dragon Punches. Nope, I have too many games on the go to entertain this! 😉
#30 Portal "… this isn't what I had in mind when I said we needed a new portal for the bakery's entrance." "Y-yeah, I agree it's a bit early to start growing our business on an interplanar scale."#RPGaDay2020#ttrpg#dnd#pathfinderpic.twitter.com/v6NU7QcBKZ
#RPGaDay2020 Day 30: Portal. Portals always lead to adventure, whether that’s the Red Portals of Midgard, the many gates in Sigil, City of Doors, or a moss covered stone archway in the forest leading into the Fey Roads😀 pic.twitter.com/1tUm8xFP2j
#rpgaday2020 PORTAL is a really evocative word. The doors of Martin Silenus’ house in Hyperion lead to rooms on different planets. The Sandman draws a rectangle in the air which flares and becomes a portal to The Dreaming. The Astral Plane has colour pools to reach other worlds
#RPGaDay2020 – DAY 30 – PORTALS – I remember a group of GMs running a series of linked games at s convention across the weekend. The games were linked via portals, using versions of the same characters in each game. The characters entered portals which led to the next game.
This is a non-exhaustive list; I still have many posts to read today, so I might be adding more links. I’d recommend searching the hashtag and judge those great answers for yourself: #RPGaDay2020, some people use #RPGaDay.
The fun of a tense situation, characters close to losing but persevering and risking it all. When the stakes are even higher, no resources are left and the characters are close to death, what can the party do? The Desperation Attack, it is a trope that exists in some games. In my long running Legend of the Five Rings campaign, a PC Shugenja had used up all their spell slots and the player was haggling for extra spells. In the history of Rokugan there are tales of individuals sacrificing themselves (plus maybe their soul) to power incredible magic, so this option was presented to the player. Interestingly, the player choose not to do so, in part because they didn’t think it truly was the final moment for the party, but also because it set up a conflict for the character: Were they a coward for not doing so, or wise for saving themselves for a truly desperate moment?
Earlier in that same L5R campaign, a new player had joined the game and created a classic arrogant Crane duelist, but they had Dark Fate and Great Destiny. During a trip into the Shadowlands to destroy the Anvil of Despair, the Rokugan equivalent of Lord of the Rings, the party were being pursued by a powerful Oni. The Crane duelist dramatically revealed that this was their destiny, that all their haunting nightmares had led to this, why they were even on this suicide mission, but they could make a difference and save the others. The PC gave an impressive speech, revealed a prepared Haiku, and then waited to fight and die. We had not planned this; the player and I had agreed to keep the fate open, just a few nightmares about dark generic things, so I was almost as surprised as the rest of the party. As the party ran, the duelist stepped forward, becoming a Kensei (sword saint) and faced the Oni. The party survived, they later discussed the amazing honourable and glorious action of someone that they had disliked. Had his arrogance been a way to cope with his nightmares, living under the pressure and an attempt to psyche themselves up for the losing one’s soul?!
These memories additionally stand out to me in regards to this prompt because the player and I also discussed what happened next. How this was them closing their character’s arc. Whether the character was close to their ancestors, as well as ending their cursed ancestor’s legacy by defeating the Oni that resulted from their corruption. During the fight the character was closer to both themselves as a person, their duty to their family, Clan, and Rokugan, plus their sword technique was closing in on perfection. As the fight progressed their attacks became more focused, the Oni’s more desperate, until finally as the Oni killed them, their final action was to kill the Oni. They became close in death.
Street Fighter RPG
Street Fighter stands out amongst most RPGs due to the stakes of the standard arena fight not being death, but a chance to win and rise in the ranks of the circuit. Afterwards any normal damage suffered naturally regenerates after a 10 minute rest. Outside of the ring, the stakes can be just like any other setting, deadly!
For my campaign inspired by Mortal Kombat: Conquest, the PCs were empowered since the stakes were so high; the fate of the Mortal Realm. A PC could utilise Sacrifice but only if they sacrificed themselves in defence of the Mortal Realm. Remain active for up to 5 extra turns, even if dropped below 0 Health, however, if the damage takes them to -XX health (with XX being their normal full health), or all of the damage received is aggravated, then the drop down dead. This was an interesting idea, like the L5R one above, but sadly it never happened in game. Hopefully it can be explored and tinkered with in a future game.
#rpgaday2020 Day 28 Keep your friends *close*, but your enemies closer. PCs often forget that, but GM shouldn’t. Antagonists can be helpful for PCs, in the beginning they can genuinely like them, because they don’t see the threat. Just give PCs enough clues to recognize them 😉
#28 Close "Sorry, we're closed now. You can come back after my nap– err, in 15 minutes, though." "What? Again? But I came here an hour ago and you said the same thing!" "Why yes, this is a close-quarters bakery, y'know?"#RPGaDay2020#ttrpg#dnd#pathfinderpic.twitter.com/b6My7QSO6J
PCs expect closed doors they need to unlock, break down or circumvent. But what if a gate is suddenly wide open? What if the townspeople they were warned about are super friendly (are they)? Play with their expectations to keep them on their toes.#TTRPGs
How do you like to close a #ttrpg#story? Is there a full session dedicated to an epilogue or do the characters ride off into the sunset (presuming they were successful and still alive).
This is a non-exhaustive list; I still have many posts to read today, so I might be adding more links. I’d recommend searching the hashtag and judge those great answers for yourself: #RPGaDay2020, some people use #RPGaDay.
I particularly love games that have areas to explore the bizarre, but how to present those things in new and strange ways? How we present information goes a long way to emphasising the strange, differentiating things from the mundane. For games that are inherently strange, the peculiar can become mundane, because so much is weird; the classic advice of juxtaposing the strange with the mundane is something I find useful. Consider how time and space is a strange thing, and how our brains interpret them to make sense of all the noise, which is partly why it is easy for people to miss an anomaly when one occurs. Here is a great exploration of how film can explore the strange, Tony Zhou’s Every Frame a Painting video about Satoshi Kon and his strange use of editing:
Street Fighter RPG
Street Fighter has a strange setting, on the one hand it seems to be almost the real world, but then there are a few people using mystical abilities to hit each other!? So far the designing of my adventure Game of Death meets Twin Peaks has been a fun and strange experience, but I’m also aware I need to be careful in regards to not overwhelming things. The setting of Kabuki Town, presented in Punho do Guerreiro (Warrior’s Fist), is already an interesting place, so adding the Red Room from Twin Peaks might be a step too far for some. I’ll not put any spoilers here, but I wanted to highlight that Twin Peaks itself includes the idea of punching a supernatural entity, so why not take it a step further and make it a Dragon Punch?!
The Red Room as an arena?! Just think of the strange arena effects that could be in play. Can mortals even fight in that place?
"Aw, come on! We fought against dozens of monsters and literal tentacled cosmic horrors, and you get to call MY cake 'strange'!?" "B-but of course! It just means my opinion is more than qualified about the subject!"#RPGaDay2020#ttrpg#dnd#pathfinderpic.twitter.com/KPVip7IVPQ
Lily-Bulb Conveying: There are those who know how to place a message of no more than five breaths into a star lily; and since these lilies spread by great thin runners, and spawn many bulbs, the word can creep.
This is a non-exhaustive list; I still have many posts to read today, so I might be adding more links. I’d recommend searching the hashtag and judge those great answers for yourself: #RPGaDay2020, some people use #RPGaDay.
One of my favourite chronicles was a Changeling: the Dreaming game, each session generally had from 7 to 9 players, most of them also played LARP, so there were used to staying IC for hours at a time and chatting. Changeling can easily bounce between a wonderful mix of colourful fun and dark sadness, often intercut with humour that matches the mood. Part of the secret to the fun for that campaign was, after the PCs resolved a bunch of problems I didn’t rush to introduce new plot threads, because they had shown a desire to dig into each other’s history, so. Several sessions later the PCs had a long journey to undertake, instead of redlining (Indiana Jones) or a random encounter to break the trip up and ‘prove’ it was a dangerous trip, instead it was a dysfunctional group road trip; lots of minibus dialogue and herding cat toilet breaks. Sadly most of the players moved away over the years, so were got to play another chronicle, but one of those PCs is still active.
Amongst my old various groups, three of those Changeling players were known for their comedy prowess. How they would sometimes frame their character actions and attire, the little details they would add, in addition to what they said, that did so much of the comedic heavy lifting. Over the decades chatting with those players in particular helped me appreciate more comedic RP, and how to change how I framed a game moment, to try and have more than a one-liner. I generally have to prepare a comedy scene in advance, still not an area that comes easy to me, but with practice I’ve improved a bit. Helpfully Tony Zhou made an Every Frame a Painting video explaining the power of visual comedy vs a one-line presented in a flat way:
Partly inspired by that chronicle, years ago I pondered having LT LARP character of many years become a stand-up comic. I tested some of the material and got a reasonable amount of laughter, granted in part because of how awful a few of the jokes intentionally were. I’d played this character on and off over 13 years by the time I considered it, the character had changed a lot, going from confused human, to part Sluagh, part Fate Elemental. Those plans got postponed as many things happened in game. My current Orion Sphere LARP character is sort of a joke, but I decided against trying to be a galactic comedian; maybe if this character dies… but they are fun to play, so I am not in a rush 😉
Street Fighter RPG
All the groups I’ve played with liked the optional rules for Activation Words. How we use breath is a major factor in exercise, and thus fighting. Grunts and other sound exertions have also been shown to be a factor, but that is a complex topic in real life. Back to SFRPG, character’s channelling their breath into particular sounds during special maneuvers is not too far from reality, for super powered individuals. 😉
The usefulness of energetic yells, kiai in Japanese, is itself a fascinating area of study. Whilst practicing various martial arts over the years I’ve come across a few novel shouts. I was told about my favourite kiai by a friend, one of their Taekwondo partners who would quickly shout “Get away!” whilst doing a front kick, although more like a Muay Thai teep; the speed and anger in that “Get away!” declaration was apparently shocking.
In my experience, Activation Words are generally seen as a fun comedic addition to the game. This is maybe why some of the players I’ve played with have used the old Batman TV series words, or utilised random generators to either use a gibberish word outright, or to modify real words.
I’m tempted to make a decent generator, but that will likely be a bit of work; I guess not a productive use of time. Besides some players are happy with a dull but slightly silly, “No!” for Block, which has been chosen by several groups I’ve played with. Whilst one creative player had all sorts of words, like “Waadooy!” for a fast/springy maneuver, like Jump or Kippup. I shall ask the SFRPG community as maybe someone has already made a list, or even a generator.
Nanba's Icepick: A decrepit-looking thing, its cherrywood grip scratched and pockmarked and the actual pick freckled with tiny rust spots, the tip slightly out of true. But with a touch to one's skin, one learns just how to break any ice with goodwill.#RPGaDay2020
I enjoy creating goofy, quirky characters and NPCs. Like this candy bot with a gambling problem from #KaleidoscopeRPG. He's banned from every casino (for obvious reasons) but can challenge the GM to a rolloff to affect certain outcomes. #TTRPGs#RPGpic.twitter.com/iz3wB5QV4W
This is a non-exhaustive list; I still have many posts to read today, so I might be adding more links. I’d recommend searching the hashtag and judge those great answers for yourself: #RPGaDay2020, some people use #RPGaDay.
So many RPGs are about living on the Edge, primarily of mainstream society, the exceptions to the norm. It was one of many things that I appreciated about Cyberpunk in my youth, the view from the edge; Edgerunners: “3. Always take it to the Edge.” Cliché fun 🙂 Building upon Cyberpunk, countless other games, and studying psychology, my passion the last few years has been exploring the edges of identity. Understandably not everyone wants to deep dive the topic in an RPG, so fiction writing has been my main outlet for this.
Quick mention of the importance of the Edge in Vampire: The Eternal Struggle (VTES) card game. My friends and I used to use random objects to represent it at the table, which was not always sensible, as inevitably somebody would run off with our Edge to show others. This led to us using a dice, boring but sensible. The picture below is at our local Nightclub; thankfully we invested in plastic card sleeves. 😉
Edge for Street Fighter RPG
For my SFRPG answer, I’ve spent the day trying to think of an alternative to my initial thought: the wrestler Edge (Adam Copeland). I pondered fusing more Cyberpunk in to SF, after all it already has Cybernetics, but I was not inspired by this. Of note, Warrior’s Fist Issue 12 (English), Punho do Guerreiro 12 (Brazilian) expanded on cybernetics some more. Then I started getting ideas relating to my Game of Death meets Twin Peaks adventure. Edge is an actor and has been in various shows; in particular he gives a brilliant performance as Kjetill Flatnose in the Vikings TV series. So, maybe somebody in Kabuki Town has cast Edge.
#RPGaDay2020 23-Edge. Edge is in U2. It's good to have music you enjoy when you prepare your gaming notes. You could say, it will give you The Edge…. favourite songs-All I want is you, Desire, With or without you, Where the streets have no name.
#RPGaDay2020 "Edge" When you're writing a setting, always remember the classic acronym EDGE: Edgy Doesn't Get Entertaining. Don't think you have to add parts to your setting that are DARK AND BROODING. Feel free to mix things up, edge highlights the more amusing parts. Have fun.
#RPGaDay2020 Day 23 Something bothered me when playing video games. There was always an edge, a point you couldn't pass. You can only ever go as far as programmed. With #TTRPGs there are no edges. You are limited only by your collective imaginations. pic.twitter.com/7oIcjU7vRP
Be like a cat and don't hesitate to push your story/mechanic over the edge. It's better to pull back if it breaks than to never explore its limits. #ttRPG#gamedesignpic.twitter.com/W0rmCtkKcQ
My hot tip for writing RPG examples is to deliberately not use a typical situation, but choose an edge case. That way you're illustrating how the move is used but also clearing up a potential ambiguity. pic.twitter.com/y5BetAeScN
— Josh Fox (the artist formerly known as rabalias) (@armadajosh) August 23, 2020
This is a non-exhaustive list; I still have many posts to read today, so I might be adding more links. I’d recommend searching the hashtag and judge those great answers for yourself: #RPGaDay2020, some people use #RPGaDay.
I love Artefacts/Artifacts, so when I was 11 I made sure players got access to them as quickly as possible in my naïve D&D games. Players actually complained about being given lots of magical items, explaining how I was undermining the value of everything.
The psychological impact that rarity has on us is a curious thing, like many things it is not straightforward. Whilst I own a lot of RPGs, I don’t have the money required to be a collector of rare books, but due to many RPGs being purchasable via PDFs, some older works are easier to acquire. Of course, like many others, I still like to own the physical RPG books as well. One day I might get justify the cost of GURPS Prisoner.
Whilst pondering Rare & RPG, I was reminded of the forgery skill at Lorien Trust LARP. If memory serves it was only available via the Scouts or Bards Guild. The skill was rarely used, in part because it required a lot effort to use in game, including OOC referee involvement, but also because if a forgery was detected, then the people would assume one of the Guild members with the skill must have done it. Pesky LARP logistics, maybe this issue has been resolved since I last played that game. This reminded me of an old TED speech about rarity, forgeries, value. Worth a quick watch if only for the explanation of Han van Meegeren duping Goering:
Street Fighter RPG
The impact rarity has on the power of characters is best exemplified by the “Inverse Ninja Law” taken from Dr McNinja:
“One ninja is an elite and powerful adversary. Multiple ninjas make a group of faceless and incompetent pawns.”
I love/hate parallel world ideas; I mentioned I am running a multiverse game, WoD: Sliders, for Day 21. Jet Li’s film The One explores this idea in a daft but fun way 😉
Having reread GURPS Infinite Worlds recently, I contemplated making a MultiVerse Authority version. Who are the Multi-World Warriors? 😉
After playing about with character stats for Jet Li’s two characters in The One: Gabriel Yulaw and Gabe Law, I felt I needed to rewatch the film to do a good enough job. Partly to see what maneuvers they specialise in, if any. But since characters rapidly become super powered, making normal character sheets seemed a bit daft. I might come back to the idea, plus I can use the Aberrant rules variant that is explored in Warrior’s Fist Issue 04 (English), Punho do Guerreiro 04 (Brazilian).
— Leojenicek #BlackLivesMatter (@D_and_DHaiku) August 22, 2020
#22 Rare
"Common, uncommon, rare… where are the price tags?" "Well, they adopted this new system and left the prices up to the shopkeepers." "What? How am I supposed to buy magic stuff now!? What's next, selling it in booster packs!?"#RPGaDay2020#ttrpg#dnd#pathfinderpic.twitter.com/mQkISYjKMw
What’s the coolest rare item you’ve ever gotten as a player or given as a GM in a game? What made it so special?#TTRPG#dnd#dnd5e#osr#RPG
— Joel Salda runs The Big Tabletop (@Saldamandar) August 23, 2020
This is a non-exhaustive list; I still have many posts to read today, so I might be adding more links. I’d recommend searching the hashtag and judge those great answers for yourself: #RPGaDay2020, some people use #RPGaDay.
An old work situation, my then boss asking players at a game meeting: “Are saying that want to be able to push a button called ‘Play Game’?!” Several of the players did in fact say “Yes”. A great example of how a room full of players, and in this case customers, want different things, to push things in different directions. The context was to do with whether to simplify some complex mechanics down to a simple process, some wanted it, others preferred to micro-manage things. The following week at work had some lively conversation, but the upshot being goods things were designed.
One of the regular tabletop games I’ve been running has the working title ‘WoD: Sliders’; this is not the TV Series Sliders, but I have used that title because things can slide between realities, they just need a Push. To summarise, characters exist in different realities, the PCs are a connection between the realities, each an axis. I almost choose this game for yesterday’s topic, because the players are investigating a problem that has clues in different realities; player clue file is currently 30 pages. 🙂 In one reality the PC is a Mage, whilst in other realities they are either a: Changeling, Werewolf, Wraith, Mummy, Vampire and finally Hunter. The players have various multi-reality powers, for example they can Push things between realities. Linking back to my opening anecdote, the players choose to have these mechanics hidden from them, to effectively have a button they can push that keeps things simple for them at the start, and they FOIP the powers (Find Out in Play). So far the characters have used a few Push powers, but are not sure exactly what is happening and have become suspicious of them.
Whilst I had wanted to run a game with the players understanding the big picture going in, so their PCs would have control over their multi-reality powers, but the players choose otherwise. I am happy enough that they liked the idea, trusted me to run it, and crucially I didn’t push the system on to them.
Street Fighter RPG
I recently looked through some old SFRPG house rules I made many years ago. One big topic I pushed back then was Fight Camp Preparation. Since then I have learned a lot more about game design, different martial arts and training in general, so some of these old ideas are laughable to me; thankfully a few still hold up IMHO. One of the dodgy ideas was that of a character pushing fitness. The idea actually goes back to old games: Panza Kick Boxing (Amiga) and C64 Barry McGuigan World Championship Boxing, both of which had fight camp mini-games.
Note I’ve not posted the mechanics here, because they were part of a package, which I think needs a solid rework. I wouldn’t want to push ideas that I think are faulty. 😉
#RPGaDay2020 Push: In the fantasy world of #Veitstanz evolution is real; all the sapient life has evolved. Sure, they got pushed by the titans in certain directions, but the trope of fully finished beings put into existence is avoided. #ttrpgpic.twitter.com/k8XX3WHMht
This is a non-exhaustive list; I still have many posts to read today, so I might be adding more links. I’d recommend searching the hashtag and judge those great answers for yourself: #RPGaDay2020, some people use #RPGaDay.
Before I get to my Twin Peaks meets Game of Death Tulpa character for SFRPG, let us consider how time towers above us all, everything dies; eek, that is a bit abstract and dark. Well I live in Blackpool, we have our own tower. 😉 I wonder what the future of clock towers will be? Something that was once a prominent feature, sort of a magical tower of bygone years.
Like many people, I associate towers with power but also crucially with hubris, linking the idea back to the Tower of Babel tale; likely why the Tarot uses this symbol to mean impending disaster/change. Although the Tower symbol can also represent higher learning, but there is the inbuilt reminder to not build too high, to have good foundations or else. Appreciating the importance of the belief of the stars upon peoples’ lives is key to understanding why the symbol is important to many cultures, and why the Wizard Tower became a trope. With most fantasies having magic, along with the power of the heavens (culturally or literally), it goes a long-way to justifying how and why these anomalies are built. Both positive and negative meanings fit wonderfully with either Mage: the Ascension or Mage: the Awakening; particularly Awakening with the importance of the Watchtowers. The Flight of Dragons film had the Mage Tower linked to the individual Mage’s personality and magic style.
If we step away from magic, Towers are still important. Years before Mage I played many games of Cyberpunk. After the iconic adventure Never Fade Away, visiting the Corporate Plaza in Night City was generally avoided. 😉
I started a megadungeon in 2017 that was effectively a Haemonculi Tower, hidden in ancient Warp Tunnels. The Warhammer 40,000 universe has many towers, especially if we view the Spire Hive Cities like Necromunda. Games Workshops long running relationship with Judge Dread and Mega-City One is likely a source for why the 40K Hive Spires are so ridiculous. 😉
Street Fighter RPG
With martial arts, towers are not a majorly important concept, but there are a few standouts like the legendary Bruce Lee in his yellow jumpsuit in the Game of Death. Then there is the epic and intense film The Raid, which in addition to being a solid movie with incredible action sequences, it feels like a step away from being Judge Dredd.
The game Kung Fu Master was based upon Game of Death, plus also supposedly the first beat’em up. Oddly, apparently the game had a film tie-in with the incredible Wheels on Meals, even though there is 0% plot relationship?! Anyway, I have briefly mentioned Kung Fu Master before in regards to my RPG roots, Fist 2 and adventure martial arts, so it is funny that decades after playing it, I am working on adventure inspired by it.
As a quick explanation this adventure can be considered to be a fusion of Twin Peaks and Game of Death. Thus I have made a strange character, which is inspired by Hakim from Game of Death, played by amazing Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, but is neither of them, the version is the one in Kabuki Town, not the version inside The Pagoda. Bruce Lee and Chuck Norris stats were in Punho do Guerreiro 17(Brazilian), the English version for Warrior’s Fist has been translated, but it needs the cover and formatting finalising, I’ll add a link when that is completed. 🙂
I couldn’t find an image that is not copyrighted, but there are some great pieces of art out there, like:
I'm a huge fan of this fight in particular. Actually started designing Hakim as a Street Fighter character. Would love to see a Game of Death fighting game. Obvious throw back to the yellow jump suit! pic.twitter.com/Xjqn3S9oL7
"…and there was that time when the paladin saw a tower made of corpse and gasped, saying 'By the gods, this is horrible!' and I replied 'No, it's bodybuilding'." "… you got kicked out of the party, right?" "Yup."#RPGaDay2020#ttrpg#dnd#pathfinderpic.twitter.com/rH8sWivEBl
#RPGaDay2020 Tower: it is said there had been once an isle with a gigantic light tower in the middle of the inner sea. Some say it was the axis mundi of #Veitstanz, but nobody is sure who built it or why it vanished. #ttrpgpic.twitter.com/YRSzQGErja
Question for y'all, what makes a good dungeon module? What are the best tips you have for someone writing a dungeon / keep / tower crawl? What helps you? What do you include to help others run it?#DnD#DnD5e#OSR#TTRPG
— Joel Salda runs The Big Tabletop (@Saldamandar) August 19, 2020
#RPGaDay2020 19. "Tower": Not every wizard resides in a tower. Roll 1d8 for alternative abodes: 1. mountain cave 2. stilt hut 3. geodesic dome 4. ziggurat 5. cottage 6. bungalow 7. A-frame 8. penthouse
Die Gruppe Schwarzmagier*innen wird von einem Sukkubus angesprochen. Ihr Beschwörer wurde von einer Bauersfamilie aus dem Turm gezogen und soll mit seinem Blut das Feld düngen. Helft eurem Kollegen und besiegt die Landwirt*in
#RPGaDay2020 Day 19: Tower. The cathedral with the highest tower is the one in Caput Lucis, the capital of the Mother of Light. But there are other cities and cathedrals making themselves ready to outstrip this building. Will the Mother of Light let them do as they like?
This is a non-exhaustive list; I still have many posts to read today, so I might be adding more links. I’d recommend searching the hashtag and judge those great answers for yourself: #RPGaDay2020, some people use #RPGaDay.
A classic #RPGaDay prompt, I went from having no ideas, to having far too many. So the overly dramatic #PieChartofIndecision was utilised, for a while it didn’t help. I recalled some advice I was given by my old high school RPG club: combine things to increase drama.
After rewatching one Tony Zhou’s Every Frame a Painting videos for day 15, I rewatched his Akira Kurosawa video. The video explores how Kurosawa uses movement to emphasis drama, from weather to the dramatic movements of characters, how picking one gesture for a character can help the audience, but also how the combinations add together. Why have one character react, when you can have 25! The combination of physical acting along with dialogue helps emphasise the drama.
For RPGs there is also the dramatic movement of the game itself. Whether a character physically moves about, or is sat quietly, the game is still in motion, and hopefully everyone involved is riding the wave. Spotlighting other aspects in a moment/scene/game can increase the dramatic motion, if that is desired. Since sometimes the reverse is desired, we can transfer energy from the wave to other aspects within the game, have multiple waves that interact with each other.
Like any RPG, whether a character wins or losses, the outcome of an event can be dramatic; the impact is personally but sometimes also affects millions, and in some settings all the way up to cosmic in scale. In SFRPG it is common for the party to be heroic wanderers, fighting crime, helping the needy, but there is also the importance of wins and losses to the characters. Returning to the Every Frame a Painting video above, how the villagers react to the Samurai’s action, the way the emotion ripples out and is replicated by them.
One of the tensions that I love about SFRPG is that of personal Glory versus Honor, how easy it is to present PCs with dramatic dilemmas. The classic predicament, is the tournament more important, or following up a clue about Shadaloo. Or, protect the villagers at the cost of Glory? This quandary took on an extra dimension in my game inspired by Mortal Kombat: Conquest, was the tournament to protect the Mortal Realm more important, or was the evidence of foul play that also likely put the Mortal Realm in jeopardy. I had originally planned my SFRPG answer to about the drama of winning and losing, the dramatic actions fighters take, but I’ll save that for a future post.
#RPGADAY2020 – 16 – Dramatic. IMHO opinion, the more you try to build the drama in an #TTRPG the more players have the urge to humorously undercut it. An encounter with 4 goblins can be dramatic. Try to relax and let the drama grow naturally out of the game. Don’t force it. pic.twitter.com/grX5F60Ici
#RPGaday2020 16-Dramatic. When big things effect your character, show it – use more hand gestures, emphasize key words, mention what is at stake and what you have gone through. This reminds those in the scene and the audience the importance of who you are and what is happening.
#RPGaDay2020 16 Dramatic Dramatic It’s harder to read cues & reactions when you play online. But that just means you have to be bigger, flashier, more expressive. Make faces, lean into the camera, gasp at events. React big & bold when cool things happen in other folks’ scenes. pic.twitter.com/A68tASJV1t
After their Investigation at a Grange named Penosheim the group learns about the wife of the large Farmer Penos who dissappeared 10 years ago. He tells the group she left them because they had no money at this time. (1/3)
This is a non-exhaustive list; I still have many posts to read today, so I might be adding more links. I’d recommend searching the hashtag and judge those great answers for yourself: #RPGaDay2020, some people use #RPGaDay.
Batjutsu 