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Hi all. =) My wife and son and I have started a new video blog called "Old School House." We plan on doing short little segments on different aspects of being a gamer family. We don't plan on doing any that are longer than 15 minutes. You can watch our first one here. It's about the items we entered in RPG Superstar 2014. I'm still learning the video editing thing, so my apologies for the dark filming, unequal sound, and rough cuts. I'll get better with time.
It's difficult to answer to questions of faith. By definition if such a question comes up, the answer is going to be based more of feelings than logic. As such, while I could write a really long article and quote scripture and theological sources: that won't convince anyone. This is especially true in an area with such a broad user base. Here's three really basic things to consider: 1. Like a computer, roleplaying is a system of sorts. While some might use a computer for education, research, and as means to stay in touch with family and friends, other might use it take steal, to belittle others, or trade in the black market. I think it's important to note this to people who don't play. It's not a sterile and clean system and anyone who tries to tell you it is, is partaking of a little too much fantasy dust. This leads to the next two points on why I, specifically game. 2. There has to be dark in a game world. Just like movies and books, there has to be evil in the gaming world. Some people, when they play, dwell on that evil, but to me, it's a chance for the good to shine all the brighter. Simple analogy: It's much easier to see the screen on your phone in the dark than it is in the light. It's much easier to display what is right and good in the world if it's set against a backdrop of evil. This is another area where you don't want to pull punches to non-gamers. They've heard about those one in ten thousand times when a game becomes dark. People will have heard of the bad and that leads to the next reason I game. 3. The world is a dark place. To be honest, I saw worse in Iraq than I'd ever expose a player to as far as game evil goes. I play because in the real world, good doesn't always win. There isn't anything I can do about social injustice or all the bad things that happen around me. I play to let the light in me shine and help me feel again like I can make a difference in the world around me. Even if it is for just a few moments around a gaming table: helping people to laugh and be happy and making the troubles outside lighten for even just a little bit. In short, like giving a kid a computer, allowing a kid to game does require vigilance on the parent's part. It should be with friends that the parent can get to know and trust: the same as it should be with all extra-curricular activities. If you can get a hold of The Leading Edge Magazine (a Brigham Young University publication) in issue #20 is an article called, "It's not whether you live or die, it's how you play the game." by Tracy Hickman.
(I) only like cute monsters if they are really solid. (Says the guy with a flumph avatar.)This sounds like a dare! Who is brave enough to take him up on this challenge? Mine sort of is a "cute" idea. If I make the top 32 you'll see it there. If not, I'll happily post it to the forums for the fun of it. =) It will make encounters very interesting.
There's a enough real world concepts to work with though. There's a type of fish in the Provo River, Utah that you can't find anywhere else in the world. There's also one in Devil's Reservoir, Arizona that can't be found elsewhere. In these cases it is from an extinction cycle. There's bugs that can only be found in Brazil and we just learned that there was a type of tiger that could only be found in a very narrow area in India. In each of these cases though, the animal has come to be defined by where it is. With lion fish and some types of freshwater clams, it's become not only where they are from in the world, but where they are now turning up. A cryptid that resembles a hairy human is Bigfoot or a sasquatch in the Northwestern United States, a yeti in the Himalayas or a hobbit in New Zealand. They could all be the same species, but have slightly different adaptations for their climate. Again, their geography defines them. I'm definitely not saying that it's the only way to assure that a creature is rooted in Golarian, but there are plenty of real world examples of how geography can be included in what defines a monster. Seems like if it shows a knowledge rooted in Golarian geography (a desert creature in the middle of Mwangi?) then you can accomplish the goal with very few words. At least you shouldn't have to beat the reader over the head with it.
Something else to keep in mind, urban can go from village to metropolis. At least as far as I'm concerned, it should include pretty much something that would work in any settlement. Urban is a tight design space, but it's an interesting one. I'm eager to see what kind of diversity can be explored with that restriction. Keep making it easier for me Adam. =)
Thanks. I'm trying to be somewhat prepared, just in case, but the urban area put me soundly on an idea that people will recognize as mine if they know me. =)
I like to compare it to watching a train wreck. 1. It goes in slow motion.
I'm medically retired for PTSD. One time at school my son was threatened with another kid's dad. My son responded that I could handle it. My son's friend turned to the kid casting the summon dad spell and said, "You don't want to mess with his dad. He's a crazy war vet." There was a hushed silence followed by the kid apologizing nicely to my son. I'm sure to give a half crazed smile now whenever I meet my kid's friends.
Thanks, though I wish it weren't true. I am impossible to be around whenever I enter anything. I vacillate wildly between bragging about my cleverness and despairing because I clearly got everything wrong. Don't fear failure. Fear mediocrity.If you fear failure, you'll never bring yourself to try.
You cannot get "everything wrong." You tried. That's 95% at least. When you do critique yourself, remember that. Also, I'd say a good 1/3 of what I've seen is publishable. It's creative and least useful.
Hopefully after the voting we can compile a book of all the entries. I'd be game to editing it and printing it with permission from the submitters and Paizo. There's some good stuff here. Definitely more than 32 at any rate. If nothing else, I wouldn't mind seeing this database updated afterwards with the usernames of the entrants so they can be contacted by interested third party publishers.
I got marathon voter and I've seen my wife's item twice, my son's item once and mine once. I haven't been changed into a cow, but can I go home now? ::edit::
Ouch. If there's three meanings for a word that can be spelled three ways AND you wish to make a pun using two of those words pulling off a commonly used phrase. . . It's best to know what word the original phrase used AND what word refers to your item. That way you don't use the word that applies to neither in your item name.
In regards to retail and customers, I find that customers are wonderful compared to utterly clueless upper management. Especially those who send messages like "I hope everyone has a joyous [redacted] with their families." when they damn well should know that they've already required us to spend [redacted] in the store, not with our family. [/rant] And there Reckless, is the difference between the Army and retail. In the Army, you find people above you that don't care about you at all, but those people are generally viewed by their peers as very bad at their job.
I skipped from 1st edition to Pathfinder, so excuse me if I'm ignorant, but is there somewhere in a game in between those two where what would become channeling in Pathfinder gained a die every third level? There might be an item (or might not be) that would make a lot more sense if you gained a die every three levels.
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