The Year in Gaming 2008

Hey,

So with D&D night coming up, I also thought I'd look back to see what RPGs I've been played/ran in the past year. There were a surprising number. But the tried and true stalwart remains...

• Dungeons & Dragons: Both 3.5 and now 4th editions. I even ran a 4th ed. one-shot. My regular group is a little large, the table is a little small, and I always wind up getting pelted with nerf darts, but the game continues to be fun. Adjo may bemoan his fate, but really we're all doing pretty well and hey, we've got a flying boat.
  
• 3:16 Carnage Among the Stars: I ran this for Gaming Weekend. I did...ok, but I wish I'd been in a GenCon game to get a better feel for it. Still among the best pick-up, one-shot games around with strong long-term support.
  
• Culture Clash: A couple of playtests of my design. There's potential, but it's also kinda "game-y" and needs a bit more setting focus. I was thinking about setting up another run at Dreamation, but it really needs an overhaul and I don't think I'll be ready in time. Thanks to all my brave playtesters!
  
• The Fisherman's Wife: This was a demo session at GenCon with the author. It's sort of a Japanese horror/love story for two people. The Husband goes out to fish while the wife stays home and both encounter monsters and temptation. Julia's "ashcan" editions of these books were flat out gorgeous pieces of art. Lots of fun.
  
• Traveller: Retro-gaming fun! I ran this for JiffyCon and was reminded that if PCs are all middle-aged ex-servicemen, the value of human lives can easily be calculated.
  
• The Bullwinkle and Rocky Role-Playing Game: Yeah, I played this. It's the only RPG I've ever played that uses spinners as a resolution system and it's really kinda fantastic. Oh, and hand puppets, how can you go wrong?
  
• Trial and Terror: Supernatural Victims Unit: A "built-in-a-day" game that was a lot better than it had any right to be. It's essentially a supernatural version of Law and Order and in the first half, you play the cops chasing down a crime and in the second half you play lawyers out to close the case.
  
• Dark Heresy: The Warhammer 40K RPG sits on a retro system and we embraced it, by randomly rolling up a bunch of characters and going to town. We played through a couple of adventures and had a grand old time collecting heretical books and bringing them back to our home base where they were carefully stored away.
  
• Esoterrorists: The occult investigative game where you always get the clues. It was a lot of fun and I might get the chance to play some more of it in the coming year.
  
• Misspent Youth: A playtest game of this? I think it's still in ashcan status. I was the brawny but dumb girl who helped my fellow teenagers discover a way to control the world-ship they're trapped on.
  
• Burning Wheel: I was in a Three Muskateer's style game. It was ok, but my socialite bad-girl wasn't able to fast-talk past her father so, that kidna sucked. Still, I think that was more of a problem with the setup.
  
• Artesia: Winner of the Worst Game of the Year award. Man did I want that session to end. Artesia takes a perfectly straight-forward system and needlessly complicates the hell out of it. Bleh.
  
• Primetime Adventures: So at Dreamation, we came up with this sci-fi game called "Cold Sleep" where the crew of a slower-than-light ship wake up on approach to their destination. This year, the guy who ran the game is doing the next episode. I'm not sure if I can sue for intellectual property or not. ;) Primetime is a fun little system that's great for recreating good television series.
  
• Giants: A playtest of the game. Lots of fun. You make up a map of the world and then play the massive giants who stomp around on it. I hope this makes it out of development status. The final product should be a lot of fun.
  

Not too shabby, all-in-all. I note with some amusement that good ol' D&D remains the most consistent gaming in my life right now.

later
Tom

The Year in Gaming 2008

Hey,

So with D&D night coming up, I also thought I'd look back to see what RPGs I've been played/ran in the past year. There were a surprising number. But the tried and true stalwart remains...

• Dungeons & Dragons: Both 3.5 and now 4th editions. I even ran a 4th ed. one-shot. My regular group is a little large, the table is a little small, and I always wind up getting pelted with nerf darts, but the game continues to be fun. Adjo may bemoan his fate, but really we're all doing pretty well and hey, we've got a flying boat.
  
• 3:16 Carnage Among the Stars: I ran this for Gaming Weekend. I did...ok, but I wish I'd been in a GenCon game to get a better feel for it. Still among the best pick-up, one-shot games around with strong long-term support.
  
• Culture Clash: A couple of playtests of my design. There's potential, but it's also kinda "game-y" and needs a bit more setting focus. I was thinking about setting up another run at Dreamation, but it really needs an overhaul and I don't think I'll be ready in time. Thanks to all my brave playtesters!
  
• The Fisherman's Wife: This was a demo session at GenCon with the author. It's sort of a Japanese horror/love story for two people. The Husband goes out to fish while the wife stays home and both encounter monsters and temptation. Julia's "ashcan" editions of these books were flat out gorgeous pieces of art. Lots of fun.
  
• Traveller: Retro-gaming fun! I ran this for JiffyCon and was reminded that if PCs are all middle-aged ex-servicemen, the value of human lives can easily be calculated.
  
• The Bullwinkle and Rocky Role-Playing Game: Yeah, I played this. It's the only RPG I've ever played that uses spinners as a resolution system and it's really kinda fantastic. Oh, and hand puppets, how can you go wrong?
  
• Trial and Terror: Supernatural Victims Unit: A "built-in-a-day" game that was a lot better than it had any right to be. It's essentially a supernatural version of Law and Order and in the first half, you play the cops chasing down a crime and in the second half you play lawyers out to close the case.
  
• Dark Heresy: The Warhammer 40K RPG sits on a retro system and we embraced it, by randomly rolling up a bunch of characters and going to town. We played through a couple of adventures and had a grand old time collecting heretical books and bringing them back to our home base where they were carefully stored away.
  
• Esoterrorists: The occult investigative game where you always get the clues. It was a lot of fun and I might get the chance to play some more of it in the coming year.
  
• Misspent Youth: A playtest game of this? I think it's still in ashcan status. I was the brawny but dumb girl who helped my fellow teenagers discover a way to control the world-ship they're trapped on.
  
• Burning Wheel: I was in a Three Muskateer's style game. It was ok, but my socialite bad-girl wasn't able to fast-talk past her father so, that kidna sucked. Still, I think that was more of a problem with the setup.
  
• Artesia: Winner of the Worst Game of the Year award. Man did I want that session to end. Artesia takes a perfectly straight-forward system and needlessly complicates the hell out of it. Bleh.
  
• Primetime Adventures: So at Dreamation, we came up with this sci-fi game called "Cold Sleep" where the crew of a slower-than-light ship wake up on approach to their destination. This year, the guy who ran the game is doing the next episode. I'm not sure if I can sue for intellectual property or not. ;) Primetime is a fun little system that's great for recreating good television series.
  
• Giants: A playtest of the game. Lots of fun. You make up a map of the world and then play the massive giants who stomp around on it. I hope this makes it out of development status. The final product should be a lot of fun.
  

Not too shabby, all-in-all. I note with some amusement that good ol' D&D remains the most consistent gaming in my life right now.

later
Tom