Deadlands it is!!

     So the winner is Deadlands and we will be getting together next Sunday to create characters and fill out group templates. It was a close race between it and Slipstream, but Deadlands pulled ahead in the end.  This means I have to come up with a template this week, check out my post about templates here http://randomencountersohio.blogspot.com/2010/11/group-templates-are-they-right-for-you.html. The poll is still up for anyone that wants to check it out, though it will be coming down at the end of the week. I am really looking forward to starting the new game and hope to have some good stories for all of you.

     Catch you all later and take care.

What to Play!! part 3

     In recent posts I have let you all know about Low Life, so if you do not know about it you should read my earlier posts. For the moment, let me tell you of Slipstream and its wonderful sci-fi pulpiness.  The titular slipstream is kind of a pocket dimension where the evil Queen Anathraxia rules. This is a land (space?) where Buck Rogers would feel at home, with rocket packs and ray guns. There are several playable races that are given the full treatment but there are even more that where they give you the stats and a brief description. Typical of pulp stories/games, your bad guys are bad, the good guys are good and some secrets might pop up to throw everyone for a loop.

     A world where alien invaders have killed or enslaved earth’s heroes, the villains have to step up to the plate. That is Necessary Evil. A supers game with some twists and turns, Necessary Evil has a lot going for it, especially since it was recently updated and published in the popular digest size. The plot point campaign is great, the creator, Clint Black, is to be commended for introducing the idea of powers that do not cost points per use. It can easily be used to run a supers game outside of the plot point setting. Mmm, super heroes.

     Sundered Skies is set in a fantasy world with a dark secret, a place where a horrible event tore the world asunder and the survivors live on floating islands in the void. People travel from place to place via flying sailing ships, and the traditional races are a bit untraditional in some ways. The light from the “skies” is called the glow and it can cause madness and may transform anyone who has exposed to too much of it. Really, flying ships, it is just awesome like that.

     High fantasy gets some love from Sean Patrick Fannon’s Shaintar. Magic is the manipulation of essence (life) and can be corrupted (darkness) and the antithesis of essence is flame, which is the power of the Abyss. The backstory is amazing, but unnecessary to play the game you have Good versus Evil, though you should not judge a book by its cover as you can play goblins, orcs, or ogres as well as a myriad of other races to choose from. Currently Reality Blurs is publishing an updated version (I have the first printing Talisman Studios version) with all kinds of support. I believe it will show up in 2012, and speaking of Reality Blurs…

     Iron Dynasty from Reality Blurs is an Asian fantasy setting with a little kick (yeah, groan all you want). In the lands of Konoyo, darkness has settled in as bamboo mechs are changing the face of war, causing samurai warriors to become a thing of the past. Oni, ghosts and undead threaten while the various regions eye each other warily.

     So there you have it, this Sunday we get together to decide. Maybe I will set up a poll before then to see what you guys think. Take care, and see you all later.

Sci Fi Saturday

So, I have been running my D&D game for some months now, but every so often I get the urge to run something different. Lately, that urge has been a sci fi game, set in a distant future where a portion of humanity is trapped on the other side of the galaxy. No aliens to start with, just humans and strange floral/fauna. The basic idea is a large colonization force has went through a hyper gate to the opposite side of the galaxy to prepare certain planets for occupation. Shortly afterward, the gate is destroyed (or breaks down, don't have it pinned down in my head) effectively trapping the colonists. As usual I would run this with Savage Worlds, though the only sci fi setting of theirs that I own is Slipstream, I really hope they put out a sci fi companion soon.

Despite this I continue running my Sunday game, once I sit down to prepare I get excited about it. It seems I have to take that first step, to say "Well, the game is coming up, better make it a good one." Oh, sometimes I have an amazing (in my opinion) encounter for one of the characters and that pulls me along, just sometimes I need to nudge myself into it.

I would find encouragement if others had this same issue and would let me know, please leave a comment. I have really liked the few comments I have had so far, but I would always like to get more of them. Thanks for taking the time to check this out.