Humor

Mar 6 2013

What about Gygax Magazine? A review… (and a rant for good measure!)

Gygax Magazine #1When Gygax Magazine was announced I was thrilled. Although I am not a big super of the OSR movement (more on this later!), I understand its appeal and there are instances where I enjoy it. Also if you’ve read my past reviews of Kobold Quarterly you’ll know I’m a fan. I always compared it to the old print Dragon Magazine. It was to me the spiritual inheritor of said publication. So what about this magazine that was clearly setting itself up to be the direct descendant of Dragon, from font, to art to content? Would it work?

When the release came out I was REALLY disappointed… I wanted to participate of the fun and get the magazine, but alas there was no electronic version when it came out. That, to me, was a head scratcher; in this day and age to ONLY go with print at launch was a miss. I understand the nostalgia, which was confirmed upon reading the editorial, but that was not communicated effectively beforehand.

In their defense they cleared up questions really quickly, communicated effectively and assured us there would be a digital copy soon. And there was, but no having the digital copy right there and there took the wind off my sails a little bit. Despite the excitement in the RPG community I was a little disappointed by everything I saw about the magazine. It looked TOO MUCH like Dragon magazine; I feared it might not be a tribute and become merely an aping of glories past.

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By • Blogging, Humor, Just my two cents, News & Reviews, Other Systems, Random musings, Reviews & First Looks, RPG • 8

Feb 25 2013

Game Master Support Group

“Hello, my name is Roberto and I’m a Game Master…”

Now everybody goes: “Hello Roberto!”

GM support groupGame Mastering is a special burden, a badge of honor to some, a constant headache for others. Despite exceptions like Fiasco most role-playing games require a Game Master. Whether you are a GM that plans ahead every detail of the session, or a fly by the seat of your pants improv GM, you are an integral part of the game experience.

When I talk to players seeking games I often hear, “We have a group, but no GM.” Or, “No one wants to GM.” I have no study or hard data, but from simple anecdote I get the feeling most people would rather be a player than a GM. And that’s understandable. When you are a player you get to be one of the protagonists of the adventure. The perception is that being the GM is all about the metaphorical heavy lifting.

And it is! Don’t get me wrong, in most systems the brunt of prep, expectations of mastering the rules, and the responsibility of coordinating things so that everyone is having fun in the game falls squarely on the GM. It is important to know that you are not solely responsible for it, it takes all members of the group for things to go smoothly, likewise it’s important to know that as GM this is not solely your story, this is the groups endeavor, and you need to take into account everybody’s expectations.

The secret is communication, open and candid, but respectful and mindful of the feeling of others. If you do that, your game will improve. But even when this happens I keep talking to fellow GMs who are unhappy or frustrated by their role. Why?

It’s no secret I prefer being a GM. I’ve written about it before. It was what I first did when I played an RPG and I became enamored by the magic of telling a story with my friends. I’ve done it for most of my gaming experience, and if I must choose between being a GM or a payer, the first option always wins!

If you become a GM ask yourself an honest question, “Is this something I want to do?” If the answer is no, well don’t. If the answer is “I’d rather not, but the group has no GM.” Well you can do this for a while, talk to your group, rotate GMs, and make some sort of arrangement so that the brunt doesn’t fall on just you. If the answer is HELL YEAH! Well then you are set.

Even if you love being a GM, there are going to be bad days, complications and frustrations. There are times when you’ll say, “I don’t want to do this! I quit…” I wholeheartedly understand. Don’t give up. That’s what this support group is here for.

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By • Advice, Ask The Readers, Humor, Improve Your Game, Random musings, RPG • 2

Sep 26 2012

What about Amethyst Renaissance? A review…

A personal note before diving into this review, hello dear reader, it’s good to be back. As the ebb and flow of the accelerated MA program 5 week schedule I am forced to be absent from the blog for extended periods of time. I apologize! I know Michael, the creator and force behind the blog, keeps things running smoothly and I am thankful he keeps a space for this roadie (inside joke) in the blog. It’s good to be back, for a couple of weeks at least… Thanks for reading, on to the review!

When I first saw the announcement for Amethyst some years ago I went, “Yay an RPG based on my favorite DC comic character aimed at Tween girls!” Then I realized how wrong I was… (In case you are wondering, it’s this Amethyst I’m talking about.)

I’m talking about Amethyst, the setting by Dias Ex Machina games. I missed the original D20 version published in 2008 (available for just $3.99 in PDF). As they ramped up for publication of the D&D 4th Edition version, Amethyst Foundation, all the promotion and sneak peeks of the game tempted me, but by the time they published the book I had quit that edition so I passed. Mind you it was NOT easy; reviews about the book really tempted me, specially this one by fellow blogger and contributor to Stargazer’s World Greg Schuster, aka Shinobicow.

Then along came Amethyst Renaissance, a Pathfinder RPG version of the game. I was thrilled. The fine folk of Dias Ex Machina provided a PDF copy for review and I was more than happy to read this huge book. And believe you me, it is a HUGE book. 399 pages of Awesome!

I will try not to retread what Greg said in general about the game. Suffice it to say this book is a gorgeously illustrated, beautifully laid out book. The writing is top notch. Like previous versions of the book this is a post-apocalyptic world but here the disaster comes from the clash of magic and technology. I love the concept, the cover is evocative, so is the art, but for me the setting was encapsulated by a map that came along with the digital product (with some gorgeous wallpaper and assorted other images), a map of a changed North America labeled Canam. The map and the names, this image just fires my imagination.

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By • Freebies, Humor, Just my two cents, News & Reviews, Other Systems, Pathfinder, Reviews & First Looks, RPG • 9

Sep 17 2012

Lazy Monday Video Post: Dungeon Bastard – Bill Cavalier vs. Monte Cook

I actually tried to come up with a witty and interesting post this morning, but alas my creative juices are not flowing as they used to. ;)

Luckily I found this video that should keep you entertained for a while.

Enjoy!

By • GenCon, Humor, RPG, Video • 0

Aug 31 2012

Gaming Etiquette 101

It seems like gaming dry spells are contagious. Well I can identify the reason for mine. Last week Puerto Rico (where I live in case you did not know) was under Tropical Storm watch and on top of that I had to finish an important paper for school so I had to cancel the game. This week I’m recovering from a nasty fall a couple of days ago (you’d know of this is you followed me on Twitter!) and cannot bear to sit for too long. I’ve decided to listen to the Medical Doctor and rest a few more days, which means no game this week either. Two weeks is too long to miss a game, especially in a campaign’s last leg. I am concerned with fatigue and losing momentum, but I have plans to address that. That’s not the topic of this post…

What do I mean by Gaming Etiquette? Well we all know role playing games are a social exercise. Part of the fun is spending time with our friends and engaging in the fun and banter that comes with that. But as in any social situation there will be many different personalities  and certainly personality clashes in the game and part of being a good player and game master is being respectful to our fellow gamers. Whether it’s a casual game, a new group, or one that’s been together for a long time, there will always be differences. I will like to enunciate on this topic, today specifically about scheduling, attendance and canceling game sessions.

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By • Advice, Ask The Readers, Humor, Improve Your Game, Random musings, RPG • 2

Aug 9 2012

The man behind the Stargazer! An interview with Michael Wolf…

I’ve been fortunate enough to be contributing for this blog for two and a half years now… How time flies! Through this time I have made many new friends, had the opportunity to interact with other fans and authors, but most of all I have been really lucky to know this guy sometimes called Stargazer after discovering his blog while searching for material about Savage Worlds. I was fortunate enough to be here when Michael invited other writers to contribute to the blog. So as a contributor I became a roadie to this show he’s been running, a roadie to the rock star himself, the STARGAZER!

Stargazer’s Worlds had its anniversary a couple of days ago and I thought it would be fitting that for the 4year anniversary I’d turn the tables on the our fearless leader and interview the guy responsible for the blog and giving us contributors a forum to talk about our passion, role-playing games.

Sunglar: Hello Michael, why don’t you begin by telling us a little bit about you? Who are you? Who is the man doing the stargazing?

Michael:  Who am I? Good question. My usual response is that I’m a 37 year old German guy who loves roleplaying games, gaming in general, has an interest in astronomy, science in general and who enjoys writing about his hobby.

Sunglar: I think you have talked about this before on the blog, but just in case there are any new readers, how did you get into gaming?

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By • Battletech RPG, Blogging, Call of Cthulhu, Game Design, Humor, Interview, Non-RPG, Other Systems, Random musings, RPG, Savage Worlds, WR&M • 2

Jul 31 2012

A new avatar!

We interrupt you regular blog reading with this important message. I just got a new avatar for the blog! Michael got one a few months ago and I was just so envious I had to get one for myself. Well that’s not quite true. When I saw the dapper steam-punk Stargazer I asked him who had done his avatar for him and he pointed me to Symatt, a wonderful and talented guy who was kind enough to take my picture (a dangerous endeavor right there) and my desire to look like a paladin on my avatar, like the character from which I take my nickname, and came up with the image you see in this post.

I want to publicly thank him for the avatar. I am thrilled and uploaded it to Gravatar so you may see his creation in other services. Hope you like it as much as I do. It certainly easier on the eye than my picture!

By • Humor, Non-RPG, Random musings • 9

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