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  1. In Memory of LAJ_FETT: Please share your remembrances and condolences HERE

Social Hooper McFinney's RPF Bar & Grille 7.0 - "Keeping blind people away from Priuses one step at a time"

Discussion in 'Role Playing Forum' started by Thok, Apr 3, 2010.

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  1. DarkLordoftheFins

    DarkLordoftheFins Jedi Grand Master star 5

    Registered:
    Apr 2, 2007
    You certainly have skills as a GM, Sarge. "Madness" was highly enjoyable and intruiging and your "ancient" Sith really scared me and you know who seldom that is nowadays (and I wasn´t even in that scene!)? A scary Sith? They have totally been consumed by this new breed of Sith "The Random Sith" [face_laugh] I think you should give GMing another try if you have time. Or Co-GMing, mabye? See RPF discussion for potential projects :cool:








    God, I am so subtle. Sometimes I am afraid of myself, you know?
     
  2. Sarge221

    Sarge221 Jedi Grand Master star 5

    Registered:
    Sep 9, 2006
    Madness was the one I truly regret not finishing because I was actually truly proud of myself as to what I had in store for everyone. Had a pretty cool plan, plenty of twists and turns that I thought would've been clever considering I'm the one who came up with them. Especially when it came to Sirak's and Solo's characters. For the former I had some interesting challenges that came with the resurrected Sith King while the latter there would've been a highly enjoyable and outstanding battle with the not yet appeared "Chosen One" that would've led to a Gurren Lagann-style final battle in a pocket universe that would've involved the stars and galaxies as weapons.

    And I would've given Solo a chance to completely screw herself over ;)

    Fins...your character was probably gonna die XD

    The problem with Madness though was that when postings became irregular, I didn't know how to handle everything. It kind of threw me off and that, combined with my paper-thin GMing motivation, it kind of died out. I just don't think I'm capable of sticking with my own creations for very long and that, combined with my inability to think on my feet when things don't go a hundred percent right, makes me a bad GM. When I Co-GMed in TORR it was easier because other GMs were counting on me, I was following someone else's plan, and the players I got lumped with were mostly new arrivals which made t interesting. Too bad that didn't last.

    Ah well, I've long since realized that I'll always just be a better player then a GM :p For me its more about creating characters and seeing how they fare against someone else's challenges rather then making my own to put people through. I mean right now I think that's why I'm currently having the most fun in Shadow War where my character Alec Vandel, a member of the Jedi Order, is seeing what crazy adventures and characters that the GoL have in store for him.
     
  3. Kev-Mas_Colcha

    Kev-Mas_Colcha Force Ghost star 5

    Registered:
    Dec 15, 2002
    Sure, it wasn't perfect, and yes, you could have done things better, but nobody's perfect and you learned from them, so you're even better now.
     
  4. Sarge221

    Sarge221 Jedi Grand Master star 5

    Registered:
    Sep 9, 2006
    Yeah, I learned to stop GMing :p
     
  5. Kev-Mas_Colcha

    Kev-Mas_Colcha Force Ghost star 5

    Registered:
    Dec 15, 2002
    Pfft... Don't be a quitter! They never win!
     
  6. Sarge221

    Sarge221 Jedi Grand Master star 5

    Registered:
    Sep 9, 2006
    I didn't. I started Rebellion. Then I stopped. Then I quit :p
     
  7. HanSolo29

    HanSolo29 RPF/SWC/Fan Art Manager & Bill Pullman Connoisseur star 7 Staff Member Manager

    Registered:
    Apr 13, 2001
    Haha, you're real nice! :p

    All kidding aside, I think you're being too hard on yourself. I think you did an excellent job on the games you did run. Although, I have to admit, the same issues you pointed out are the exact same reasons why I am so hesitant to even attempt GMing. Plus, I like the thrill of being in the player role. To me, you lose the fun and excitement of the unknown when you're running the game. Sure, you have the players to throw curveballs at you, but the overarching story is already known to you.
     
    Hitchhiking-Ghost likes this.
  8. Sarge221

    Sarge221 Jedi Grand Master star 5

    Registered:
    Sep 9, 2006
    Nah, I think I'm just aware of my weaknesses :p I still remember the zombie game that I was thinking up of and said I was going to start in like a week after I brought up the intro in the GDG. I had the beginning set up, specifically that I would actually start the game during the outbreak rather then the safe haven the players would start in a couple years later. It was pretty much going to be like the beginning of the Resident Evil: Outbreak games. I was psyched but then I looked passed the beginning and then:

    "Alright the beginning is gonna be awesome...so what am I gonna do later?

    .......................................................................

    .........................................................................

    [​IMG] "

    Did manage to learn a couple things during my GMing attempts though. If anything, a prime way to get yourself into your own game is make it fun for yourself. Perhaps a bit difficult when you're the GM instead of the player but one thought I had during Depths of Madness which allowed me to complete my plans for the game was:

    "You are never gonna guess at what I'm gonna do to you....."

    [face_skull]
     
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  9. HanSolo29

    HanSolo29 RPF/SWC/Fan Art Manager & Bill Pullman Connoisseur star 7 Staff Member Manager

    Registered:
    Apr 13, 2001
    You know, that's a great way of looking at it. Sometimes seeing the different reactions to certain plot points are more than worth it in the end.

    As for the zombie game, I think there may be a curse surrounding that genre. No one seems to be able to get that kind of game off the ground! I ran into the exact same problems that you mentioned - what do you do after the introductory stage so that it won't seem like more of the same? Mine is officially in design limbo until I can figure out the answer to that question. It's a vicious cycle. And the more I think about that particular question, the more I come to dislike my original premise for the game. So yeah, I'm just going to go ahead and blame it on the zombies! :p
     
    Hitchhiking-Ghost likes this.
  10. spycoder9

    spycoder9 Jedi Master star 4

    Registered:
    Jul 23, 2008
    That's exactly why I love GMing. Planning certain plot twists that will shock the players, and then watching them unfold. :D It's what I'm looking forward to in WoK.
     
    greyjedi125 likes this.
  11. DarkLordoftheFins

    DarkLordoftheFins Jedi Grand Master star 5

    Registered:
    Apr 2, 2007
    If you need someone to have a look send me a PM HS29. I heard I was helpful here and there with games and I have a strong interest in seeing such a game come alive. :)
     
  12. HanSolo29

    HanSolo29 RPF/SWC/Fan Art Manager & Bill Pullman Connoisseur star 7 Staff Member Manager

    Registered:
    Apr 13, 2001
    Thanks, Fins! :)

    At this point, I think I'm going to wait on it a little bit. I won't have the time to dedicate to running a game until the second week in December and I think I'm going to need that time to recapture my interest in the subject matter - maybe rehaul everything I have written right now. No matter how I look at it, I'm not happy and I don't want to go into it with that mindset.
     
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  13. Sarge221

    Sarge221 Jedi Grand Master star 5

    Registered:
    Sep 9, 2006
    Being responsible for player reactions is definitely a big motivational tool imo. I mean once I had the "script" for DoM completed and I was looking over it, my thoughts were "Resurrected Sith King...battle in pocket universe...a spin on the Chosen One...yadda yadda yadda...yeah they're not gonna see this one coming at all but I know they're gonna love it :cool:". Course, it helped that I had a pretty excellent cast of players to fill in the roles that I had set up. Sirak definitely impressed me with her Sith character, Fins rolled with his Knight better then I expected, Peng's character was gonna be great for the revelations that are gonna hit him, and I was gonna make sure to give Xani's Trooper some memorable experiences. Alas, my weaknesses got to me =((

    Player reactions do influence my role-playing as the player as well. During my short forays into GMing, I was able to appreciate and learn to frown upon certain character trends that players (not necessarily the ones here in the RPF mind you :p ) like to exhibit. Specifically trends that involve lack of expressions with player characters. Overtime I've learned to become more descriptive of my characters, express more of their thoughts and feelings that I hadn't before, mostly because...hm...how to put this... I guess I just want to try and make my characters more relatable to fellow players and the GMs. Have them understand how my characters think, feel, and like to act in order to make them connect more with other players and what villains the GM may have in store for them. I mean my current characters, specifically Alec and Ven, I like to think I'm doing well (though that's to the judgement of the fellow players and GMs ). I created Alec to be the more traditionally cool-headed Jedi but while he may be more of the quiet type verbally to others, I make that up by going more into his thoughts and reflections on events and other characters in order to express him better to anyone that may be reading.

    Its still too early for Ven but my plans are to make him the more...bah, I can't think of the right word right now. But pretty much I want him to be the character that sees the inconsistencies in Forever War, specifically when it comes to the Jedi. People believe him and other famous Jedi to be heroes but he'll wonder if heroes are just symbols that blind others to the war and bloodshed, causing them to focus on the glory and victories that are being won due to their actions and thus cause them to continue on without regards to the losses. Where the Jedi had once held the beliefs of others, he wonders how and why the Jedi had shifted from belief to deceit. It'll be interesting to see what Draco will throw at him and I actually hope that its my expressiveness that'll make him WANT to see what he can throw at Ven to make things fun and interest for the both of us :D

    Imo, a goal of the GM is to make a fun and entertaining story for players that may be interested in taking part of it. But it certainly helps if the players give an entertaining experience for the GM as well to make him/her go farther and get more invested in the story then even he/she expected.
     
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  14. Saintheart

    Saintheart Jedi Grand Master star 6

    Registered:
    Dec 16, 2000
    Oh, no ... Uncle Saintheart has been shopping for books again ... this time at his daughter's primary school fete (fair). And contrary to my earlier ravings on the subject, after reading a couple of books on literary technique I decided to grit my teeth and go pick up a couple of "classics".

    Anyway, the fete was rich pickings:
    - Poland, James A. Michener
    - Sense and Sensibility, Jane Austen
    - Collected Works of John Steinbeck -- Grapes of Wrath, East of Eden, Of Mice and Men, The Moon is Down, Cannery Row all in one volume.
    - 1421, i.e. alternate history ;)
    - The Count of Monte Cristo, Alexandre Dumas
    - Is America Rome? Cullen Murphy (well, you'd assume so or else the book wouldn't have that title).
    - The Other Boleyn Girl, Phillippa Gregory (speculative pick, this one ... though for $1 the eye candy of the cover was irresistible. Scarlett Johanssen, Natalie Portman and Eric Bana staring poutily out at you? Yes please.)
    - Anne of Green Gables (My wife picked that one up. I might steal it at some point. The TV series was unintentionally hilarious. :D )

    I also started rereading The Great Gatsby; for years, it's stood like a forgotten bottle of water on my bookshelf. Sentence by sentence, I've been trying to analyse how Fitzgerald does what he does. It's a surprising ride. There's a lot going on in that sucker. Though I can also see why they pulled the Leo DiCaprio version for further editing; I don't think it's really the sort of story that is amenable to film, and that's only after reading Chapter 1.
     
  15. Ramza

    Ramza Administrator Emeritus star 9 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    Jul 13, 2008
    I find my appreciation for Gatsby grows as my distance from it increases, hilariously paralleling the central conflict. :p

    Of course, what's my current pleasure reading? I just finished the Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus on my way to the airport to go home for the holiday, and then I read several chapters of Russell's The Principles of Mathematics (Not to be confused with the Russell and Whitehead Principia Mathematica which is... quite a bit different) on the plane. I found the former surprisingly, and counterintuitively, light and easy to follow, though some of the more formal truth function analyses might bog down the casual armchair philosopher. And I'm still not over the nuances of proposition 5.5, which inspired my current avatar. It occurred to me shortly after reading it that while I symbolically represent "the state of approaching infinity," and while I think of alephs as being "infinite," I had never stopped to consider the Platonic implications of taking it for granted. It's... getting interesting. Might run it by one of my advisors, see what he thinks.
     
  16. Saintheart

    Saintheart Jedi Grand Master star 6

    Registered:
    Dec 16, 2000
    Just to further delight you, Ramza, I am presently hunting Hemingway and (shudder) James Joyce, partially on your defences, partially on the advice of a how-to writing book by Ed Silberstang who calls them some of the best that English literature has to offer.
     
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  17. Ramza

    Ramza Administrator Emeritus star 9 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    Jul 13, 2008
    Always a pleasure to turn people on to the Havana Slamma and the Irish... something that rhymes with Irish! A word on Joyce - begin with Portrait or Dubliners. They'll get you used to his games and the feeling (A good feeling, IMO) of his prose before the leviathan of Ulysses attempts to drag you down into its depths. And then only check out Finnegan's if you really, really, really like Ulysses. :p
     
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  18. Saintheart

    Saintheart Jedi Grand Master star 6

    Registered:
    Dec 16, 2000
    Wire-ish.
     
  19. Ramza

    Ramza Administrator Emeritus star 9 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    Jul 13, 2008
    Sure, he's sufficiently skinny. :p
     
  20. chunkeymodest

    chunkeymodest Jedi Grand Master star 5

    Registered:
    Jun 17, 2010
    Hello, I'm a newb to gaming. just looking for somewhere i can ask questions when i get confused.
     
  21. Ramza

    Ramza Administrator Emeritus star 9 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    Jul 13, 2008
    You ask, we answer. But the answer will involve math. So much math*.

    Answers will not actually involve math**.

    Yes they will.
     
  22. Skywalker_T-65

    Skywalker_T-65 Jedi Grand Master star 6

    Registered:
    Nov 19, 2009
  23. chunkeymodest

    chunkeymodest Jedi Grand Master star 5

    Registered:
    Jun 17, 2010
    ok thank you:D. I was playing Dungeons and Dragons (not sure which version) with some friends. I am a level six wizard pixie. We were facing a Hooked Horror level 13, and we manged to take it down despite me being the highest level. Basically I dropped a goliath with pixie dust from three squares up on it. I am confused if this would fly in an official game? BEcause if i can, I am so the new secret weapon in parties with goliaths.
     
  24. Ramza

    Ramza Administrator Emeritus star 9 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    Jul 13, 2008
    Well, Morley's Categoricity Theorem states that: if a first-order theory T in a finite or countable signature is κ-categorical for some uncountable cardinal κ, then T is κ-categorical for all uncountable cardinals κ.

    This means that you probably shouldn't become overly reliant on any particular technique, because clever DMs will begin to plan around it showing up. Also, there was probably some sweet, sweet fudge in your favor.
     
  25. chunkeymodest

    chunkeymodest Jedi Grand Master star 5

    Registered:
    Jun 17, 2010
    ok thanks! I need help on a back story for my character. right now she has no memory, which i think is so cliche. So if anyone is familiar with D&D could they help? If not I can always go with the flow.
     
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