jeremiahthewook

Thu, 06 Mar 2008 06:52:03 GMT

Sorry I haven't been keeping you guys up to date lately. I guess I've been fairly busy. I've taken up running in the
mornings as well as writing articles of fiction on a near-daily basis. On the fiscal front, work as become a lot
easier as I know feel like 'one of the guys' in the kitchen. I don't know if i've told you this already, but they've
reduced my name down to "Chin-Mao" or simply "Mao". If you say my name in a thick chinese accent, you can kind of
figure out where they got that from.

At first it was really difficult getting to know the members of the kitchen. A lot of the time, when we were watching
political coverage, someone would make a disparaging comment about black people or women. Then they would tell me of the
superiority of the male gender in their home country in legal matters (like child custody. Men win it if they want. Period). All of these things really upset me at first,
but then confused me when these very same men started treating me with a measure of respect and kindness. That's
when I realized that though some people may have faults, even big ones by my standards, that doesn't automatically
make them bad people. I may never join them in their views, but that doesn't mean I need to make myself a martyr for my
beliefs. They have good points too.

From time to time I've been stealing away to Beloit to visit. I miss Kristen a lot, as well as my other friends.
Its reassuring to know that my friends actually do miss me, and it surprised me for some reason. I have a lot at stake
next semester, but knowing how much support I'll have is going to help me. I love you guys, I really do.

But I wont let that stop me from hating you all either.

The Middle Path is the Golden Path, you endearing assholes :)

Seriously, guys

Thu, 28 Feb 2008 07:52:35 GMT

I know some of you have questions and concerns about the WoD Larp, and I promise you those who post them on the websites will have the most fun.

We will customize this Larp for you, all you need to do is speak up.

Do not be afraid to post.

We're all men (kind of) we can take it!

World of Darkness LARP Community

Tue, 26 Feb 2008 21:41:08 GMT

Hey guys,

Just made a community for the World of Darkness Larp, specifically catering to Vampire PCs. Membership is open to all, and i will use this channel to get you familiar with Requiem as it applies to our Chicago setting. When the LARP is in progress, membership will be restricted to the Vampire PCs. Until then, i plan to update often, highlighting important aspects of the Chicago Danse Macabre.

Here's the community:

http://community.livejournal.com/beloit_kindred/

Both Justin and Kristen will create communities for Mages and Werewolves, respectively. Expect these to be up within the next few weeks.

(also note that I've never created a community before, so if you encounter any errors or whathaveyou, please let me know.)

Happy Man (I will be)

Fri, 22 Feb 2008 21:07:28 GMT

Well, its almost been a full month since I last updated about my life.

For a while, i thought it was just because i didnt have much to say. And I dont, really. I mean, my daily life consists of a simple routine: wake-up in the morning, maybe run. Go to work at night. Come home and relax. Go to bed.

And I guess I can't be angry about it, and I'm not. Really it's my own damn fault that I'm here.

But what's been my mind most of all, is what's going to happen when I come back. Psychology wasn't my strength, so im going to switch my major to my true passion: creative writing. Which makes sense for me, if you've ever gotten the chance to get to know me. But that's just the tip of the iceberg. I think this four-month exile has, and will continue to, change me. I wont be the same person when i return to campus that I was before. And I think that's a good thing.

One of the biggest things I hope to change is my connections with other people. I want to strengthen my existing friendships. I wish to get to know more about the people I hang out with, particularly Nic, Sarah, Abe, and Andy (yes I realize that a couple of you might be reading this. Just to avoid looking passive, I mean it. I want to get to know you more). I also would like to make myself more availible. I mean, in an open and friendly sort of way.

While I was in Ireland, I practiced Zen Buddhism at a dojo downtown. That caused some major changes in my life. And while I no longer believe in the more mystical aspects of the religion, I still believe that the life philosophies presented are the path to self-fulfillment.

Now, I'll stop the preaching. But I guess I wish to embody the philosophies that I hold most dear.

I think maybe that's part of the reason I had been stressing out about the NWOD larp situation so much. Up until the last pick-up, I just assumed that no one would be interested. People may think that it's too dark or that the rules are too loose or that the STs really don't know what they''re doing. And then whenever someone would express their unhappiness with a ruling I would get even more nervous, thinking that the game experience that I really want to project wouldn't be accepted by the gaming community.

But that ended rather abruptly when I realized that people actually enjoyed the game. And I realize that people will always disagree with how I rule things, because NWOD is built so that rules are altered to fit a player group. And, ultimately, unless I become a real jackass i dont think anyone would really walk away from the game before playing it. And I couldn't help but chuckle when I read Sarah's comment that NWOD may be a bit too dark for her. While that is her opinion, and I have no right to tell her its wrong, I am taking that as sort of a challenge to make the next pick-up larp less dark. Because i think that the weekly larp (if it gets accepted, that is) is going to be way less dark than the pick-ups made it out to be. So, look for a brighter pick-up next time. :) (and no, this isn't directed specifically at you. you just helped me realize something i wanted to do anyway).

All in all, I think I've recently learned to truly come to peace with myself. If i make wrongs, i try to fix them. I'll stop being afraid of taking credit for my success. And I'll stop censoring myself from saying what needs to be said.

Anyway, I'll see you guys around.

Why not? I'm bored.

Wed, 13 Feb 2008 21:53:12 GMT

I saw Miles do this, then decided to share. I'll be amazed if people get most of these.

Step 1: Put your MP3 player or whatever on random.
Step 2: Post the first line(s) from the first 20 songs that play, no matter how embarrassing the song. (Skip the instrumentals, the remixes and the mashups).
Step 3: Let everyone you know guess what song and artist the lines come from.
Step 4: Strike out the songs when someone guesses correctly.

1) Moon so bright, night so fine/ Keep your heart here with mine/ Life's a dream we're all dreaming.
2) Everyday is so wonderful / And suddenly, its hard to breathe / Now and then I get insecure / From all the pain, I'm so ashamed
3) Sheets of empty canvas, under sheets of clay / Were laid, spread out before me / As her body once did
4) ~~Maybe I should drop you at your door / Or leave tonight and vanish up the shore / Anywhere but here.~~ Better than Ezra - At the Stars (Reed)
5) Our guardian star lost all its glow the day that I lost you / It lost all its glitter today you said its gray skies turned to blue

I'm surprised with how many mainstream songs are coming up...

6) When the visions around you / Bring tears to your eyes / And all that surrounds you / Are secrets and lies.
7) Oh, we're sinking like stones / All that we've fought for / All of the places we've gone / All of us are done for
8) Well I stumbled in at 2 a.m. all drunk and full of smoke / My wife said "I have had enough!" then said "I'm sick, get out!"
9)Special, you think you're special / you do, I can see it in your eyes / I can see it when you laugh at me / you look down at me, and walk around on me
10) What do I got to do to make you love me / What do I got to do to make you care / What do I do when lightning strikes me / And I wait to find that you're not there

Wow. Some of those really took me back and remind me of how much stuff i have on my iPod...

11) Plain talking (plain talking) / Take us so far (take us so far) / broken down cars (broken sown cars) / Like stung-out old stars (like strung out old stars)
12) You could be right and i'll be real / Honesty won't be a pain you'll have to feel / Cause i don't need your approval to find my worth / I've been trapped inside of my own mind
13) I~~t's been awhile / since I could hold myself up high / And its been awhile / Since I first saw you~~ Staind - It's Been Awhile (Reed)
14) ~~When we were young we knew everything / She a punk who rarely ever took advice / And now I'm guilt-stricken, sobbin with my headson the floor / Stopping baby's breath and a shoe full of rice, no~~ Verve Pipe - The Freshmen (Miles)
15) Eat sleep and crap / For to prey on your knees / Down a dark street / In backwater Leeds / I see yer comin / Come in lads / You seen the ad / Too bad, bad, bad

I'm amazed with how many instrumentals I have...

16) 3:30 in the morning, and not a soul in sight / this city's looking like a ghost town on a moonless summer night / Raindrops on the windshield, there's a storm moving in / He's heading back from somewhere that he never should have been
17) Dont my baby look good in them blue jeans / tied on the top with a belly-button ring / And a little tattoo somewhere in between / She only shows to me
~~18) Lips are turning blue / A kiss that can't renew / I only dream of you / My beautiful~~ Muse - Sing for Absolution (Miles)
19) ~~Oh, my love / My darling / I've hungered for your touch / A long, lonely time / Time goes by / So slowly / And time can do so much~~ Elvis - Unchained Melody (Reed)
20) I once knew a girl in the years of my youth / With eyes like the summer, all beauty and truth / In the morning a fled, with a note and it read / Someday you will be loved

Well, that wasn't as obscure as I expected. Anyway, like Miles did I'll be posting who guessed what.

ATTENTION: You Should Read These Books!

Mon, 11 Feb 2008 23:26:30 GMT

So I was cruising the downtown Borders, checking out the Fantasy section, and decided to see what all of the hubbub was about the Song of Fire and Ice series.

But then, as they so rarely do, a Fantasy book cover caught my eye. It was beautiful, and promising, and real.

This book is written by new author Gail Z. Martin, and it appears to be her first. It is called "The Summoner: Book One of the Chronicles of the Necromancer." Written in 2007, it further caught my eye. The back of the book describes it as the story of a twenty year-old prince who escaped his older brother's violent coup and now must escape his homeland, raise an army, and save his people from the sadistic rule of his brother.

Old story, new cover right? Except in this one the protagonist discovers that he has the potential to become a powerful Summoner, a mage with power over ghosts, vampires, and the undead.

So I decided to buy both books, and since the latter caught my eye I cracked open the Summoner on the L.

And could not put it down. It was about 630 pages and I read it in three days.

When I finished it, I went out in search of the second book but could not find it at any of the smaller book stores. Finally, today when I went to visit my parents, I went into a Barnes & Nobel and found one copy on the shelf. I greedily snatched it up and went home. The book is titled "The Blood King" by the way. I checked the inside cover and discovered that it was published this year, 2008.

Anyway, the reason why I'm geeking out over this book is because it is one of the most down-to-earth fantasy books I have ever read. While there is a place for "up in the clouds" fantasy, this takes you into the mud. It has completed the picture of a feudal world and felt as if i was vicariously living like a prince, or on the road with a streetwise rouge, or have my soul in peril from a vengeful ghost. And for those of you who aren't into necromancy, the magic itself isn't the highlight of these books. Its a series about a prince trying to save his kingdom, and happens to be a mage. Not the other way around.

So, there you have it. Read these books. Someone tell Abe to buy them for club. I've possessed the second book for a couple of hours and I'm already 53 pages in. And the only reason why I'm not going to blaze through it in one sitting is because I promised to visit my grandfather and I'm on lack of sleep.

EDIT: Apparently the same guy who did the cover art for both Necromancer books also did art for the Song of Fire and Ice series, D&D, White Wolf, and others. His name is Michael Komarck.

His website is at http://www.komarckart.com/index.html
And the Necromancer site is thus: http://www.chroniclesofthenecromancer.com/page/page/3827767.htm

EDIT EDIT: Specifically, Mr. Komarck has done all of the Scion covers, as well as the Free Council book.

How to succeed in WoD Larp.

Thu, 31 Jan 2008 04:04:19 GMT

Hey everyone, upon visiting Beloit and talking to various individuals I decided to write up this little guide to aid individuals who have a hard time with the World of Darkness. The primary purpose for this is in case there was, for example, a WoD Larp the players can get a grasp for where the ST is looking when he comes up with plot for you and what to expect when it comes to walking in your character’s shoes.

Just as a preface: I’m going to draw references between the World of Darkness: Chicago and the current 7^th Sea Larp. I want it made very clear that these comparisons are not meant to imply that one game is better than the other. As many an ST will attest to, any system can be used to produce the best or worst gaming experiences you’ve had. It all depends on what the players and ST does with it. So, I consider direct comparisons between the two games to be irrelevant.

Now, the biggest aspect of the WoD is that, no matter what splat (supernatural group) you’re playing, you started off as human. Ordinary. In fact, if you take away the powers, that’s what you are. A mortal can have the exact same character sheet as you, save for the dots in Time magic or whathaveyou.

And that’s where people may have the most problems. In 7^th Sea, your character was epic. He could knock cannonballs aside with a parry, or she could change the fate of an entire country. Hell, Masquerade was Epic too. And L5R. And Scion. D&D. Star Wars. Adventure. CoC. etc…

The WoD is not, inherently, epic. At least, WoD: Chicago is not epic in stance. I mean, sure there can be epic story arcs, like a large battle with the Pure, or trying to escape the Undercity with stolen goods from Max. But, unless some extreme amount of effort and cooperation come into play, governments are unlikely to topple and bullets hurt.

I also walked in on a “Pimp my Character” session in lounge wherein people were trying to figure out how to munchkin WoD. I’m going to save you guys a lot of heartache and say flat out: you cant. You just cant. I mean, you can go ahead and try. Mechanically speaking the heaviest hitter would be a Daeva (who could, potentially, throw 23 dice into a single punch), but in this system that can account for very little. And here’s why: Everything is built around circumstance.

The daeva is walking down an alleyway and fails to notice the invisible Obrimos. Bam! Sneak attack . Roll initiative. Daeva rolls poorly, because all of his points went into uberpunch. Bam! Mage attacks twice before Daeva gets to act. Daeva spend the turn activating Vigor. Bam! Mage attacks for a third time… etc.

That’s just one example of how a munchkin-ed character could be beaten soundly if circumstances are stacked against them. What if the Mage had his cabal waiting in ambush as well? What if he paid off an Acolyte to curse the Daeva? What if they attacked during the day?

At any given action, the ST will penalize you dice. That’s just how difficulty is done. You can have Persuasion 4, but if you don’t know anything about werewolf etiquette, you probably wont convince them of anything. On the other hand, you can also receive bonuses. If you have Larceny 2 and lock picks, you will unlock the door faster than if you had Larceny 5 and no lock picks.

Now, how can you stack circumstances in your favor? Merits. I would say you should spend the most time looking at Merits than anything else. Attributes and Skills help shape your character, Merits define your character. With merits you can become a social Juggernaut, North America’s go-to guy for Atlantean literature, or a revered martial arts master. Now, you may not be any of these things at char gen, but you can certainly achieve it in the course of play. The real beauty about merits, ultimately, is they provide mechanical benefits, roleplaying opportunities, and excellent backstory fodder.

Most importantly, merits build on each other. How can you be a city status 4 vampire without a decent haven, good resources, good standing in your covenant, etc? See, where in 7^th Sea a lot of the backgrounds and advantages were pretty well defined and came with a full package (like Nobility, for example). Merits are smaller versions than that, see the comparison between the Status 4 Vamp and the Nobility advantage. It demands a lot more of the resources to be the Vampire equivalent of nobility. However, if you tweaked it a little, lets say replace city status 4 with Herd 4, that same set-up would suggest someone who was more comfortable with their existence and less concerned about politics. Replace Herd with any of the science merits, and you can have an ordo dracul human experimenter….

So, how do you get the most out of your WoD character? Play something enjoyable, and fun for you. Because, if I hadn’t pointed this out enough already, if the ST wants to present you with a problem that will be difficult to overcome it wont be hard to do. Everyone has weak points. And, ultimately, its not a competition between players and STs, and it is the STs responsibility to challenge the characters while keeping the players happy.

Here it is: play an interesting person. Not an interesting Mage, or werewolf, or vampire. That’s just a part of your character, it shouldn’t define it. Superpowers are overrated. You probably wont need them most of the time anyway.

Bf Kow and Veg. Fried Life

Fri, 25 Jan 2008 21:27:14 GMT

Well, I've gotten the coveted 'job' so here I am, off on a money-making adventure of Chicago proportions!!!

Not really.

I'm working at The House of Wah Sun, which is a Chinese place. Most of our business is in delivery or carry-out, but we do keep busy. My job is the Assistant Cook, which basically I do most of the prep work, the cleaning, and restocking. Shin is our Cantonese cook and Linn is our Mandarin cook; I assist them both. Also in the kitchen is Shaun, Giovanni, and the mysterious Mr. Woo. Shaun mostly keeps the place clean by mopping and washing, Giovanni takes care of the food packaging and the watching of Spanish TV, while I'm not sure what Mr. Woo does. I'm pretty sure he's the deep fryer, but he's everywhere in the kitchen. He's gotta be around 60 years old, or something like that, and he's a very sneaky little guy. He'll pop out of nowhere behind you.

Anyway the place is owned by Mark, who is one of the funniest employers I've ever had (Is no problem you wanna miss work, just let me know before-hand, ok? You call me up the day before and say "i cant work" then I kill you"). He's the type of boss that could hire another guy to do his work in the kitchen but doesn't because he enjoys it. So most of my shift he's back there, making fun of me for being a vegetarian ("You vegetarian? Really? When I teenager we didn't get to eat. We had cow to do farm work at home, but we didnt eat it because its our cow. We sell it to other family who eat it. Hard life for cow: work all year, then get eaten").

One fun side-effect from working there is I learn all of these Chinese recipes, I mean its my job to memorize them. I have to learn at least 12 different recipes, and right now I've got at least half down. Mostly its just vegetables I have to memorize. I also have to handle a shitload of beef, chicken, shrimp, and pig. I haven't had so much limp meat pass through my hands since Paul's twenty-first birthday.

But the best perk of the job is that, as part of the wages, you get a free meal everyday. Even then, throughout the day the boss showers us with free coffee, free coke, free pie, etc. When the cooks aren't busy with the orders they work all day on their meal for the night. It's rather impressive. I dont eat it because there is always meat in it, but instead Shin makes me a heaping order of Veg Fried Rice. I always get to sit down for twenty minutes of my shift to eat, which is nice because I've never been paid to eat free Chinese food before. Anyway the result of this is I always have extra fried rice in the fridge.

Well, thats the update for me, I'll keep in touch.

"Ledger Est Mort!"

Wed, 23 Jan 2008 07:06:57 GMT

I really dont have that much to say on the subject. I had planned on updating this thing on my new job and all that, but after hearing about Heath Ledger's death I couldn't do it. I don't quite know why, but I feel a bit heartbroken that he's dead. I mean, he is... was... only twenty-eight years old.

Say what you want about him, but I really thought that he could have become one of the greatest actors of our time. I dont know why i'm so hung up about this. Maybe its because I admired him with regards to the way he handled his fame. It would be a shame if that's what ended him (so far cause of death is "questionable").

I really wish he could have gotten the Oscar. I love PSH too, but I really felt like Heath should have one that one.

Goodbye, Heath Ledger.

A Response to Abstinence PSA

Wed, 16 Jan 2008 15:43:33 GMT

Wow. Simply.... Wow. If you get annoyed with right-winged PSAs, and have a sense of humor, visit this site:

http://www.collegehumor.com/video:1795928

So... THIS is Sparta...

Tue, 15 Jan 2008 23:52:45 GMT

Hey everyone, I havent updated in a while so, why not?
First off, I'm not on campus because of grades. I'll be back next fall.

So, I moved in with Bryce just yesterday and its already starting to feel like home. Bryce was looking for a roommate, so it worked out nicely. We live in the North Side of Chicago on Montrose Ave. For those of you who care, thats 1.75 miles away from Wrigley Field. The set up is pretty sweet, the bus stop is right outside of our front door and the train is a couple of blocks away. In addition, I'm just down the block from Chicago's second-largest library and Lincoln Square.

The whole moving-in process took about 12 hours, with trips between Elburn, Chicago, and Beloit in the mix. For those of you that didnt see me, I was in tower from 0730-1000 on monday. yeah, I wouldnt have been awake either. After everything was in the apartment, I got some groceries and took a walk around the neighborhood.

And that's when I got kicked in the nuts, financially. It turns out, while I was in London, a check I got for $200 bounced. My lovely bank did the responsible, capitalist bank thing... and fined me out the ass. Seriously, where's they adopt their business manifesto, hyenas? Anyway, after the phantom check and the numerous fees (Banker had to actually do their job: $50 fine. Banker had to pick up their pen: another $50 fine...) I ended up in the red, which is a color that doesnt look good on me.

So, I had a very spartan fridge of milk, easy mac, and honey-nut cheerios. Poor Bryce brought home a dinner of sausage pizza, forgetting that I was vegetarian. I also forgot to pack pillows, so no pillows for me.

After having three meals of just cheerios and mac I started getting cranky, but fortunately I'm starting to get money from the missing check back just recently. So now I can afford some creature comforts like rice and eggs. Mmm.

Anyway, I'll be visiting soon. As soon as I get a job I should be up fairly frequently. But now I've got to go...

If I could only remember where I was dining tonight...

EDIT: Oh, putting dishes away, I noticed that Bryce owns a lot of knives. Thirteen of them, and that's not including normal dinner knives. I'm talking about thirteen big, honking cleavers. Its like I'm living with the Joker.

Looking for Fantasy Art

Sat, 22 Dec 2007 20:35:50 GMT

Hey,

I've been looking at some great fantasy art on RPG.net, and its been giving me some really great ideas for my tabletops and (possible) LARP. I know a bunch of you are regularly into that scene and I'm wondering if you can direct me to some great fantasy art, or just really good concept art in general.

Oh, here's the thread I've been following, in case you wanted to see to. Great stuff.

http://forum.rpg.net/showthread.php?t=242519

U Can't (Mentally) Touch This

Fri, 21 Dec 2007 05:42:35 GMT

So, Break Report 2007:

Came home to some really funked up stuff, namely a huge meltdown in the family. We got over it (after the customary 6 hour, post-fight break) but damn was it difficult to come home to. Oh well, Kristen and I ended up going on a date to see Hitman (slick, nothing fancy, but fun) and I ran into a friend from high school who had a questionable level of excitement in seeing me. Strange, I guess he missed me.

But, sadly, both kristen and I have gotten ill, so we've resorted to staying up and consoling each other with our coughs. She's also pissed that I wouldn't take her to see the puppies while she was sick. Instead we watched a VH1 countdown of the top 100 songs of the 90's. I was disappointed that there wasn't more alternative rock, because the mid-nineties was its heyday.

And then the unexpected happened. My mother asked me to run a game for her and the family. A tabletop. This is a strange, new development and I'm wondering how they'll take the whole role-playing experience (NWOD Mortals, in case you were wondering).

On that note, I've been putting a lot of time into my Free Council Mastigos for Justin's Mage game.

We (the players in the game) have been talking about player stuffs for a couple weeks now and I'm starting to hit the border of the "Am I taking advantage of other Players?" line. Here's what I mean; I noticed that, with regards to Socially- and Mentally-altering powers, it becomes a bit awkward when a PC uses their powers on another, almost taboo. I'm not quite sure. Anyway, I would agree that sometimes you need to back off of "what would my character do" and focus more on considering the other Players as players.
    But here is the problem; in this setting, it is expected that Mages use magic on each other all the time. Granted, its expected that Mages will behave properly and not do anything outright malevolent, but you can expect that the Thyrus you're trying to get a date with will scan you for STDs or that the Obrimos is scanning your sole for black veins. And thats just the thing, I'm playing a Disciple of Mind, Mastigos, Free Council. It's expected in Mage society that a Mastigos may try to read your thoughts or try to manipulate you. However (and I've noticed this in the pick-ups) players tend to be very timid about using powers on each other. I can understand that players don't like their characters to be manipulated like that, hell i even got pissed about that in Exalted (though moreso at the ruling by the ST than at Justin's playing). But to me it's all part of the game.
    So what's the compromise? The easy answer would be to say, in character, that no magic can be used against each other. That's fine, and we did it last semester, but it does stick out as a quirk of thought within an entire cabal. I cant help but feel that it rings false that a cabal of Mages wouldn't trust each other not to do any ill will towards one another. And most Mages dont think that way. Characters dont necessarily map out their stats according to Attribute, Arcana, etc. Its all the same thing: themselves. We, the players see the powerstat, but i dont think that the characters do. It's like telling your group not to run faster than each other or not research more than the others, or form social connections more often than the others.
    I dont know, maybe its just me. I guess I'm just expecting the other players to trust me, as a player, not to ruin their game experience while at the same time I'm rocking the boat a little. Anyway, I'm sure we'll work it out. I guess I'm just putting a little more into the game than anyone else is willing to do, which is my fault.

Confessions of a Justified Sin-Teller

Thu, 13 Dec 2007 18:28:17 GMT

So all games have ended as the semester is coming to a close. The two games I've ran for the semester, Scion and Changeling, were very dear to me as they are the first two games I've ran full-semester (though i did run two games over the summer).

Changeling was a lot of fun for me, not just because of the awesome players but because they let me dance around most sessions like an idiot as various NPCs. I have to admit, one of the biggest challenges I had during that game was keeping the PCs from killing each other. But through a mystic daisy and much character interaction, they learned how to get along. I ended up pulling a "Reset Button" ending (as Jinx calls it) on the PCs, bringing them back to the beginning of the campaign. Cop-out? Not really, at least I don't think so. Plot revolved around the characters learning about themselves, living with the decisions they've had to make, and getting over the traumatic experience of Arcadia. The Changelings did a bunch of really fucked-up things in their trials, and some of them had the opportunity to take back some of their mistakes. So, all in all, I don't think they lost anything by starting over. On a similar note, this was the first New Changeling game played in Beloit, and I feel that by not touching on the theme of empowerment would do the game injustice. And really, whats more empowering than discovering that you have the strength to punish your abuser and accomplish it without hurting those around you? Well, those are my reasons for ending game the way I did, I just hope the players didn't feel robbed.

Scion was a bit more of an epic tragedy. It kinda feels bittersweet for me, because the big climax really occurred in the second-to-last game. I guess the players rattled my conventions as much as I did theirs. I whole-heartedly expected the Scions to save Zeus, but after seeing what they saw and the epic urging by the son of Zeus they decided to end the most powerful god in the Overworld. After a giant Battle Royale (the PCs didn't appreciate my battle music), which was basically my fate-bound tribute to the players, the players found themselves in the Overworld. They ended up being judged by the rest of the Greek Pantheon, sentenced by the new head of the pantheon: Apollo. So, why did Demas and Stella become imbued into the remanents of Zeus? They both were willing to sacrifice themselves for their Band. More specifically, Demas had the divine drive necessary for godliness (he did make himself a throne in the overworld first) and Stella had the most compassion. So, I'm sorry that game didn't end happily. However, I would feel like I'm railroading if I didn't let my players' actions determine the consequences. And killing Zeus? Not gunna get away with that one. Thanks for the game guys.

And Silent Hill. I was disappointed that one of my players didn't show up. I really needed her to balance the game atmosphere, seeing as how it ended up with only 1 player from previous games and 2 new ones. It ended up with me having to start over with the atmosphere. Alexis did her best to keep the horror there, and I'm really grateful that she did. The combat got pretty retarded too, as both Jinx and Paul were rolling 9's and 10's. And the riddle was solved pretty quickly as well. So, mostly, I pretty much failed to create a challenging horror atmosphere for the third game. I can deal with that loss, though. I'm not saying it wasn't fun or good. I'm just saying that the horror just wasn't there.

With regards to NWOD... I'm looking forward to the Mage pick-up, though a bit hesitant at the same time. There has been difficulty in both pick-ups, the first one getting people to appreciate the moral changes that Werewolf involves and the second one being the strength that the Vampire social world has. The problem with Mage is that there is a lot of knowledge that is involved in their world. There has already been several disagreements between STs and players with regards to Mage more-so than the other NWOD splats. I think the main problem is communication. There is a tendency for players in BSFFA to gain most of their game information from word-of-mouth, which isn't necessarily a bad thing. The problem comes when a player gets a misconception about the game and acts upon it. I think thats one of the main reasons (second to pure socialization) that I find myself wandering down from third floor, because I want to be a part of these discussions, hear concerns when they come up, and put them to ease right there. There is a lot of ambiguity in NWOD, and most of it is on purpose so that the ST can make decisions about their world. Can a master of the Death Arcana take away the vampire curse? It isn't said in the core, though implied so we cannot know mechanically. Can that be a possibility for any game that I run? Well, you'd have to be in the game and see.

Slaying a God

Tue, 04 Dec 2007 08:55:47 GMT

So... this has been an awesome week of gaming for me so far. First Silent Hill, then Scion, and tomorrow will be Changeling and Mage.

Tonight, in Scion, our Heroes found themselves dead at the entrance of Dante's Divine Comedy. Meanwhile, Paul found himself face-to-face with an angry, heartbroken demi-god. This demi-god, Vincent, has been having a real tough time in the past two months and had just walked in on the execution of his beloved at the hands of Paul's character (who just so happened to be Vincent's brother). This led to a brief encounter which, in turn, led to a larger one outside of the White House. Vincent was out of the loop on Paul and Alexis' ritual and was convinced that Paul was a titanspawn. Paul, on the other hand, could not convince Vincent of his innocence and soon found himself realizing that perhaps that Vincent was correct. Paul then said his prayers and was sent into the underworld.

Back to the rest of the Heroes, they found that their guide was Vincent (wait, two places at once?). After traveling down circle after circle of Dante's Hell, the Heroes found themselves listening to the pleas of innocence from those who were suffering. At the 5th Circle of Hell (avarice and prodigal, I believe) they found Paul's character, who was confused after the ordeal up in the world of the living.

Eventually, after much circle-descending, plea-hearing, and motivation-questioning, the Heroes found themselves at the end of the 9th circle of Hell. Instead of Satan, Judas, and those Roman boys, the Heroes found Zeus half-buried in ice.

The Scions were then given a choice: use the god-killer blade to free Zeus or to kill him. Having been told an alternate tale of the gods from their guide Vincent (which painted a much darker picture of the world), he promptly shot himself in order to prove his convictions that the world would be a much better place without Zeus.

Now, I must admit, I had expected that the band of Scions would decide to free Zeus, but after a half an hour of debate a decision was made. Daniel, Alexis, Karis, and Claudia were really calling for Zeus' blood, Paul disowned his lineage by breaking his Birthright, and Kristen was empathetic for the supposed innocence within the Inferno. They collectively picked up the God-killer and drove it into the chest of mighty Zeus. He crumbled into stone as the once-dead Vincent laughed hysterically. After an unscrambled anagram (which read "I am a Liar, you have killed Zeus and the gods) and a changing of appearance, a large shadow-demon grew out from where their guide just was.

What does this all mean? Well, that would be telling. All I will say is, with one game left, there are quite a few things that need to be resolved. Like how will the Scions bring back electricity? What has happened to Vincent? To Paul's friend Dean? Who is the shadow-demon? What will happen to the Overworld now that Zeus almighty has been murdered by children of his Pantheon?

Tune in next week.

Stupid Gesa, Stupid Muscles, Stupid Laundry

Sat, 01 Dec 2007 20:24:25 GMT

So yesterday's gaming adventures started with indignation, in that Colm wanted to prove to certain stupid PCs and NPCs that he was bigger than all that. So after a few supply line raids, Colm realized how much money he needed this month. Things were looking up when he set his eyes on a Montaigne-occupied town, until some Porte assholes ruined the fun by keeping a woman hostage. So that interrupted my potential cat-burglary, but at least I got a horse out of it. Oh, the tangled webs we weave.

Then, later that night, I had my heart ripped out. That was a whole lotta fun, even though I was nervous that the blood packet would somehow fail or look too cheesy. But I heard that once the ripping was done, and I was left on the ground, the gaping hole in my chest (the remains of the shirt and blood packet) looked really good. I really wanted to open my eyes and see how it all looked, but the long death-stare is beyond my capabilities as an actor. After I was put in the back, I was waiting for people to leave me so I could get my make-up out of my boot and apply, but that was also thwarted by worried grievers. So instead I twitched a bit then went creep on them. I was really happy with how people reacted to all of it. However, I woke up sore today because all of the muscles I used to crawl around on the floor were unhappy. I'm also worried because the scratch I got last night now looks green-ish. yuck.

Now, I'm off to do laundry. curse you, stains of the past!

Crushed in Half by a Giant, Demonic Shadow-Tentacle

Thu, 29 Nov 2007 17:51:13 GMT

Wow. I was really happy with the first installment of my Silent Hill Pick-Ups. To be honest I was really nervous about it all week. I mean, how was I going to make experienced gamers scared of my fictional world? I had Justin, Alexis, and Dan for the first go-around so it wasn't the players themselves that made me second guess myself.

I really wanted to get my hands on some OST for the game but, alas! the pirating site let me down. I did find, at last minute, a site dedicated to the series that allows direct downloads, so I was saved there. I also brought a sound system, tower light, and a black light in for effects. That coupled with pictures of bloody wheelchairs and Pyramid Head made for a really creepy game space.

Once we got underway it became really cool. Plot semi-centered around an ex-marine that Dan's character is currently bounty hunting and Alexis' character may or may not be related to. The mannequins of this game (as Alexis put it) have direct relations to Justin's late character, so we'll see how they change next week now that he's gone.

Speaking of, I'm really happy about how he went out. I mean, I always feel REALLY guilty about killing players, but this one was honest. I bent grapple rules a bit (it was a tentacle monster, come on) so that he could actually do stuff while attacked, and actually was close to escaping from it.

It was one of the better scenes I've had the pleasure of being apart of. They had just solved their first puzzle (which really hurt Dan) when the Sirens went off for their second trip into the Otherside. In-between them and their escape came the tentacle shadow-monster (boss battle). Justin was in front, as the only source of light and least injured member of the team, and promptly started to shoot the beast as it wrapped him around the torso. After several minutes of Justin firing the gun, Alexis trying to tase(sp?), and Dan's attempts to hack away, Justin was being slowly, painfully crushed to death. When he went limp Alexis vainly attempted to wrangle him from the tentacle while Dan went berserk. That's when the monster gave Justin one last squeeze, crushing him in two.

Now that I've had time to reflect on it, I'm really happy with game. I'm sad to see Justin go, as he was the one I put my money on at the start of game. Its funny, because Dan and I had a conversation earlier that day on whether or not an ST can be truly objective. And out of the three I'm closest to Justin.

Well, I'm interested to see where the players take this. Ilana's in next week, so we'll see what happens to group dynamic.

An Explosion of Freakish Geek-Angst

Sun, 25 Nov 2007 09:04:50 GMT

I came across a movie last night while at Blockbuster. The film is from Scotland, and is called 'Gamerz'. Remember the homemade college movie Eben owns? This is a bit of a step up, in terms of budget. I have to tell you, I really enjoyed it.

Basic plot? New to college, Ralph is a young geek from a bad part of town. He quickly takes the role of Game Keeper in the small RP club in U of Scotland. His players consist of a neurotically awkward spell-caster, a brusque metal-head barbarian, and a crazy-hot goth elf that proves to be the geeks' ultimate wet dream. However, the careful balance constructed by Ralph is put to the test when a new gamer forces his way into the game. This new gamer, Ralph's lifelong bully turned fantasy worshiper, starts attracting goth-elf's attention and a bitter love-triangle begins.

If you guys get the chance, check it out. It has the feel of a home-made film, but is a professionally made movie.

Maggie, this movie made me think of you. Are in involved with gaming over yonder?

Goddamn It

Sat, 24 Nov 2007 05:38:50 GMT

A new Underworld (of Darkness) movie is coming out in 2009. Goddamn it.

Also, there is a new Covenant movie coming out. This one has a training montage in which the young men learn the very powerful and complex art of hurling force balls at each other*

Barbaric.
Simply Barbaric.

*Seriously, guys. Centuries of practicing magical arts and the best you some up with is force tickles in battle? At least hurl a ball of fire or some shit like that...

Thoughts on a LARP

Wed, 21 Nov 2007 18:36:15 GMT

Reflecting upon the past two NWOD Crossover Pick-Ups I co-ran, I'm trying to digest some of the complaints I've received. Well, what I mean is that people seem to enjoy it and seem to be looking forward to the possibility of this being a year-long, but there are a few people who have had complaints about the system in general.

The biggest complaint/concern comes from the realm of Mage, with regards to rotes. You see, rotes are a more powerful version of a more specific spell, meaning that it can be only used for ONE spell of ONE type. A starting character gets 6 dots worth of Rotes, which isn't a lot (comes out to about 3-4 rotes). However, certain Rotes belong to certain Orders. Here is the issue: there is a disagreement on how one learns these Rotes at character generation. The core states that the Mage in question learns these initial Rotes as a form of recruitment for the different Orders, but what does that mean? I believe it to mean that those who share an active interest in the Order will be taught those Rotes of that Order. Thematically? That means that the Mage must have ties and friendships (at the very least) within the Order to even be considered worthy to be taught the rotes. Mechanically? I think that the Mage should definitely have some sort of merit (city status? Allies?) to justify that. Because the bottom line of the situation is that Mages need the support of other Mages, and feigning interest in a whole lot of Orders just to get their rotes is a one-way ticket to "what do you mean you wont let me advance in status"-ville, population: you. Quite frankly, its not really a big issue considering that Mages study their magics primarily through Improvised Spells (besides, they have to practice the Improvised version of the spell they are going to turn into a Rote anyway).

Another complaint I've heard is that Requiem is too different from Masquerade to play. It was said to me that a lot of the thematics, mood, accessibility, and general feel have taken a turn for the worse. I would have to disagree on that, but it is a matter of opinion. I really feel that the vampires of Requiem are a bit more human, seeing as their powers don't define them as much as they seemed to in Masq. However, the complaint that I really don't think is fair is the one stating that a character concept in OWOD wont fit in NWOD. Now, if that character concept is your turkey-Gangrel, then yes there is no place for that in NWOD (goddamn turkey-Gangrel...). The thematics that were present in OWOD and not in New has only a slight impact on character concepts, in my opinion. But since this is a personalized decision, I won't make any grand, sweeping statements on how this can be done. I believe it can be, though.

Most importantly, I don't think most people fully grasp how much a setting book can influence a game. Yeah, the chicago book is fairly big, but you cant throw a bookmark at it without finding a page that can spark and interesting character concept. I guess what I'm trying to say is that if people looked at the book a little, they may get more excited about it. After all, its because I read the Chicago book for the Mage game that I first got the idea for these LARPs. I know Alexis got excited about it after she read the NWOD Vampire novels based on the chicago book.

The next LARP is going to be next semester, and will be a Mage one. It may also involve some setting background. If anyone wants the chicago book, i have both the PDF and hard copy.

BSFFA Went Public

Wed, 22 Aug 2007 16:05:59 GMT

Hey guys, just wanted to share the success that was the 'Welcome to BSFFA Event' that occurred last night.

After picking a random New Student Days date (remember how you were excited to attend ANYTHING during New Student Days?) Kristen and I set out in forging the event. Over the period of four days I printed out over 350 invites, one for each freshman. Kristen then folded them up and mailed them to every single freshman mailbox. The thought was 'Ok, well send this out to everyone so that the dozen or so freshman who are interested in this will at least know we're here'.

Well, on the day of the event Kristen heard from several OLs that their FYIs were all talking about this event. ALL OF THEM. So our estimated guest list at that time jumped to cover 12-350. Oh Shit. Well, this is what happened: Justin was to host Wii Games (thanks to Mike for the system), Zim signed up to host DDR, Victoria heard about the event and then volunteered to host Memento, Nick came up from Illinois to host Munchkin and other board games,Kristen played hostess to the masses with the help of Alexis, and I hosted Guitar Hero. Estimates vary, as we didnt take any actual head count, but those of us who were there guess between 40-70 freshman who attended the event over a period of about two and a half hours.

Later in the evening Maggie, Jinx, Travis, Robyn, and Morgan showed up to hang out and help pimp BSFFA to the freshmen.

All in all, I would say it was a great success. We made contact with a large chunk of the new class, and even if they never step foot in Tower again I would say that we left a positive impression on them and improved our PR. But, we did manage to get 20-some e-mails for our list serve, so I imagine we'll be seeing them soon.

Again I want to give thanks to:
Nick who drove over an hour and took an evening out of his day to help us with this event.
Justin for helping with the planning, the cookie-dough raid, and putting up with the joint anxiety between me and Kristen.
Zim for going out of his way to share DDR, which was perhaps one of the biggest draws to the event.
Alexis for, if nothing else, putting for tremendous effort in reeling in the freshman and, in true alexis fashion, trying so hard to share her passions with them.
Victoria for being an awesome, supportive RA and friend, despite this event being thrust upon you and your very busy schedule.
Mike for letting us use the Wii for this event.
Jinx, Robyn, Maggie, Travis, Morgan for sticking around and boosting the presence and atmosphere of BSFFA.
And mostly Kristen, who worked so hard in making BSFFA a welcoming environment. Seriously, she even baked cookies for the potential hoard of Freshman. Without your help and encouragement, this event would have never happened.

So, all in all I say this event should be made a regular thing every year. I'm very happy with how it turned out.

Same name, different game.

Sat, 18 Aug 2007 07:25:47 GMT

Hey guys, have you seen the NWOD incarnation of Changeling yet? I have a pdf if you need it, and it has already been circulating.

I just wanted to comment on the amazingness that is Changeling: the Lost. Now, i never really got attached to Old WOD Changeling, and i've seen on many forums how dissatisfied some people are with it. However, i've seen many more positive threads and i personally enjoy it.

For those of you who have a special place for Old WOD Changeling... NWOD's version is a completely different game. Do not expect the same thing. If that were the case, then why bother?

Changeling: the Lost is more focused on the fairy tales i grew up with. I'm talking old-school, cautionary, Yeats-y, badass, enchanting, straight-up Grimm style. Yeah, it is a bit dark (Changeling no longer has to sit in a corner by itself, it actually FITS in the setting!) but aren't all fairy tales? I mean, for every woodsman you get gingerbread witch flambe.

But more importantly, the fantasy is STILL THERE! The best part about Old Changeling for me was the wonder and joy of being a Changeling, and fortunately that spirit has lived on but in a different form. In Old Changeling, life could be carefree and fanciful. In NWOD Changeling, you can still have that but with context that makes it all the sweeter. Its like the difference of enjoying freedom that has always been had versus the joy of freedom after a period of suffering and loss. For me, New Changeling strengthens the spirit of what it meant to be fae, but this time with real context.

And in true NWOD fashion, the specifics are up to the ST. What are True Fae actually like? How is the experience of traveling on Trods through the Hedge? How does this specific Freehold work? Exciting.

And I know some of you dont like NWOD to begin with, and probably wont warm to the idea of a different Changeling. I truly believe C:tL is a genuinely great game. At least give it a shot. Remember when Requiem came out?

So, I will pour a 40 for our lost pookah, our lost redcaps, our lost sidhe. But they're still there. White Wolf hasn't butchered the memories of them by trying to force them into a system that wouldn't accept them. So they live in Old WOD where they belong. Now its time for the Lost to play in our worlds, and what bitter-sweet worlds they are.

Bravo, White Wolf. Bravo.

Ponderings

Sat, 10 Feb 2007 19:32:59 GMT

So, I've got a few things on my mind. Mostly concerning gaming, so its nothing too taxing. One of the biggest things on it is LARP, obviously. Starting new characters for Larp was always such a casual thing, because all previous three were a little unconventional. Now that I'm attempting to play a conventional player, I find that there is a lot more to it that other characters. Well, I guess we willl have to see how this goes...

Oh, did anyone else not know that Anna Nicole Smith had died? I'm so clueless...

Chips Ahoy!

Sun, 10 Dec 2006 18:10:08 GMT

I've had a rather large chip on my shoulder ever since I gave up the Christian faith, and I think it has only gotten bigger the more I learn about other people's experiences.

My philosophy in life is that the only people that should have a direct say in how to raise a kid are the parents of said kid. I have a HUGE problem with public schools trying to mold people, and an even bigger problem with Churches. The only reason I have a bigger problem with religious 'enthusiasm' is that there is severe psychological pressure being put on the kid due to the church being 'god's word'.

It really is traumatizing to a kid to be frightened of eternal damnation due to urges he/she receives as part of being human. Quite frankly, my view on religion (as establishment, not individual theology) is that it was put into place as a tool to control people. That is why I disagree with religious importance in society; women, gays, minorities, mentally handicapped, etc. will never be equal in the eyes of large-scale Christianity.

I believe in god the architect: a builder and designer, not a ruler. I do not believe that there would be a 'silent ruler' god who demands respect and awe but will not show him/herself. Anyone who preaches otherwise has to have some sort of angle or motive behind it.

Maybe I'm wrong, and I would love to debate it. However, I refuse to believe in a god that punishes good people because they indulge or they are not devout. Good people are good people. Don't complicate it.

Muses

Fri, 17 Nov 2006 19:31:20 GMT

Last night I went to see the flash fiction thingy, partly to get the XP, but mostly to see Justin and Gordon do their thing. Apart from being frustrated that they didn't read anything, I felt this intense inspiration washing ove me. I wanted to read the short piece I had written in my sophomore year of high school about how my brother had died when I was four years old. I shook my head and thought on it no more.

Later that same night I was lying in bed with Kristen, talking about the time I let her read my writing portfolio early in the relationship. Without warning, after months of creative atrophy, I picked up a copy book and began writing.

I want to write again. I want to finish my book, which still has about half of it left. I don't know what did it for me, be it the flash fiction thing or conversations with Kristen, but now more than before I want to continue what I used to do.