Your Licensed Game Is Awesome!

Been a while since I've posted anything on here, I know. The last post was prompted by some serious backlash against a game I had been collaborating on, and the internet space was all getting a bit nasty. So, I took a break from the internet, focused on my work, and doing stuff in the evenings that wasn't tabletop writing.

I dipped my toes into the internet waters again to see if there was anything good happening, and stumbled upon an article in my feed (which I won't link to) that basically said licensed tabletop roleplaying games sucked. I was angry, hurt, and offended - mostly as the image they used for it was the cover of the Doctor Who Roleplaying Game. So, everyone was seeing this article with the headline 'Your Game Sucks' with an image of the game I'd been working on (off and on) for the last thirteen years.

Hard not to be offended!

The actual article itself was basically saying that licensed RPGs were bad, because you (as a player) didn't have the power of a bunch of scriptwriters, and no game could feel as cool as the licensed property it was based upon. 

So I thought I'd take to the blog, and voice my rebuttal. 

Licensed RPGs are awesome.

--

Some of the best roleplaying games I've played, and the most fun I've had, have been playing licensed tabletop RPGs. The first game I GM'd was Star Frontiers, and I was so obsessed with movies and TV series that I populated the epic star-scape of Star Frontiers with lightsabers, T-800 Terminators, Transformers, and more. However, when publishers started actually making RPGs based on some of the movies and series I was so fanatical about, that was when I started having the most fun with roleplaying.

The first licensed game I bought and played was the, now legendary, TSR Adventures of Indiana Jones RPG. Sure, it didn't have character creation in the basic box, and I spent hours typing up a character creation chapter of my own to allow players to generate their own globe-trotting adventurers. But we had fun with it, playing ridiculous adventures of raiding tombs, punching nazis, and action packed thrills. It was great, and something that sticks with me to this day is the excellent 'Judges Survival Pack'. In that little supplement was, not only the character creation rules I desired, but also some fantastic 'random tomb generator' tools, to ensure the GM (or Judge) had a fresh ancient tomb, filled with traps, on hand.

To top this off, there was the amazing 'Chase Flow Chart' that provided an endless stream of roads, buildings, paths, and obstacles for foot or vehicular chases. It was brilliant, and a fantastic idea that I haven't really seen again. 

Hot on the heels of that in my gaming was another legendary game — Ghostbusters. The 'Frightfully Cheerful Roleplaying Game' produced by West End Games. 

To say this game changed my life is an understatement. It was written with a comedic tone filled with self-referential comments and jokes, that made it an absolute joy to read. I LOVE Ghostbusters. Seriously, I was obsessed with the first film, so much so that I bought the VHS when the film came out on rental, before it was available to buy, so I could watch it over and over again. 

I read the game, chuckling away to myself at the jokes and just how cool the game was. This was fun to read, and I had that moment of clarity when I realised if it was that much fun to read, it must have been fun to write — I want to do that!!

As documented here on the blog, I spent hours sat at an electric typewriter, hammering away to create adventures for Ghostbusters, photocopying the manuscripts and sending them off to West End Games. Waiting months for it to get there, and eagerly awaiting a reply. While it was a "no", it was an encouraging no, and it is the reason I wanted to become a roleplaying game writer and designer.

Shortly after Ghostbusters, the seemingly unstoppable West End Games produced the one game I wanted more than anything in the Universe — Star Wars. I was obsessed with Star Wars from before I'd even seen it, from the moment my dad brought home those first couple of action figures for me. Everything was Star Wars, and nothing could top it for me. When I first started roleplaying, Traveller and Star Frontiers were just Star Wars in my head. So when WEG brought out the Star Wars roleplaying game, using a version of the Ghostbusters D6 system, I was instantly sold.

It was great, and we had many epic games of dodging swarms of TIE Fighters, using force powers, shooting at Stormtroopers, and sneaking around Imperial bases.

The production was cool, and after so many years of black and white illustration in roleplaying rulebooks, to have them punctuated with glossy inserts of full colour, and that "Join the Imperial Navy" advert that looked like the armed forces ads that we were familiar with, was just brilliant. Seriously loved that game.

It was towards the end of the 'golden age' of my roleplaying gaming (before I had a bit of a break from gaming) that I delved into the realms of Victory Games' James Bond 007 RPG. 

Again, another perfectly executed game, with brilliant rules to make your character the suave and educated spy that you'd expect from a Bond movie. I loved Bond movies, from my first trip to see The Man With The Golden Gun, so to get the opportunity to run games with cool gadgets, powerful villains, and dangerous henchmen, I couldn't pass it up. After picking up the main boxed set, and one of the adventures, I saw how fantastic the production values were on them, especially the amazing handouts, and saw the awesome chase rules, I just couldn't stop until I had the complete collection (a collection I only really managed to complete in the last few years).

However, the James Bond 007 RPG is often regarded as being the first game to employ 'Hero Points' — a revolutionary development that has continued into games even today. Fantastic.

I'd taken a break from gaming, and returned to the scene in the early 90's when Vampire caught my eye, but many years later I became obsessed with the TV series The X-Files. As there wasn't a roleplaying game for The X-Files, a friend of mine recommended the closest thing, in the form of Eden Studios' Conspiracy X. This got me reading Eden's games, and got me my first real writing gig in the gaming sphere... I was busy working on Terra Primate when Eden got in touch about another of my favourite TV shows of the time...

Eden Studios' Buffy The Vampire Slayer RPG is another one of those brilliant licensed games that actually felt like the source material. Using a lighter version of CJ Carella's Unisystem, the Buffy RPG cleverly meant that you had to fight vampires to weaken them, before you could stake them. Just that little element meant that you had to punch and kick those pesky bloodsuckers until you could stake them, which meant it felt like an episode of Buffy. You did research, you went on patrol, you beat up some vamps, and dusted them. 

And the whole book was written in that lighthearted and accessible way that Ghostbusters was, filled with pop-culture references in the way the Buffy series was, and the way the Buffy characters talked. Just fantastic.

Filled with full colour glossy images, it was freaking glorious, and perfect for a group of vampire hunters, witches, watchers, or even slayers (if you continue from the end of season seven). I loved working on those books, and watching episodes over and over to get the floorplans for locations. 

When it comes to licensed RPGs that do things brilliantly, and perfectly reflect their source material, it's hard to ignore Leverage, published by Margaret Weiss Productions. Utilising a streamlined and modified version of their Cortex system (that was so brilliantly employed in their Smallville RPG), it boils stats and skills down to their core components, and the roles the characters have in the heist - hitter, hacker, thief, mastermind, and grifter. Everyone can do everything, but some are specialists in their field. 

Add to this the brilliant way they construct the anatomy of a heist, it's just a revelation. It was really one of those games where I read through it and kept saying 'I wish I'd thought of that' over and over again. 

Mentioning Smallville though, the relationship mapping when you're creating the game — how everyone knows each other, and significant places and events, is just brilliant. Seriously, you should check it out if you can. And it's a great supers game as well, where the characters don't feel impossibly overpowered.

Okay, you're probably getting bored by now, so I'll just do two more before I wrap up.

One of my favourite games of the last ten years — heck, one of my favourite games ever — is a licensed game. Based upon the artwork and artbook of Simon Stålenhag, Tales from the Loop is an amazing game, and an absolute revelation when I read it. In an alternate 1980s, where robots are common, and weird experiments at the Loop have resulted in time travel, weirdness, and mutation, Tales from the Loop allows players to return to school days and investigate strange goings on. 

Not only does it perfectly capture the feel of the era and the paintings, but it was a complete revelation in rules design for me. The size of the rules section was so small, with an emphasis in the book on the setting and story, constructing mysteries and investigations, it just opened my eyes to how minimal the rules of a game could be. 

We had some fantastic games of Tales from the Loop, one so epic the characters aged to enter the Things from the Flood, failed to stop the Loop going horribly wrong and sending the world into a post-apocalyptic setting of Mutant Year Zero - then time travelling back to Tales from the Loop to try to stop it! Awesome.

And I guess you can't talk licensed games, and mention Fria Ligan, without bringing up the awesome ALIEN RPG. Using a modified version of the Year Zero Engine that powered Tales from the Loop, ALIEN added new stress mechanics that really made you feel like you were in an ALIEN movie. The couple of games I've played have been some of the tensest I've experienced, with a real sense of panic from the players and characters, feeling like your character could meet a horrible fate at any moment. 

The 'acts' of the cinematic play, adding motivations that change as the acts of the story progress, are a brilliant addition, meaning you're never really sure of the other player characters' motivations, and it perfectly reflects the feel of the movies. 

I haven't seen how extended campaign play works out yet, so that's something to look into, but for a short, sharp, shocking trip into the terrors of space, it's brilliant.

Saying that I'm always in awe of Fria Ligan games is putting it mildly, and with their licensed RPG of Blade Runner launching on Kickstarter this week, you can count me in.

So there you go. I love licensed games. I want to play more of them, I want to write more of them. It's in my blood, and has been for a very, very long time. 

That's the Spirit

Working cover for Spirits of Manhattan (EN Publishing)

Way back in January I posted that I'd submitted the manuscript for a completed project - one that I had great fun doing, and really surprised me in more ways than one. Well, it looks like that project has gone to layout and should be available in a couple of months or so. 

That project is "Ghostbreakers: Spirits of Manhattan" - the next in EN Publishing's WOIN Studios line. WOIN Studios are the producers of film and TV projects in another reality, and EN Publishing has managed to secure the licensing deal for some of their properties for publication in our world. 

Ghostbreakers: The Spirit of Manhattan lets you play the characters from the highly successful first movie in the Ghostbreakers series, or to create a new "franchise" of Ghostbreakers hoping to save the world from ghostly and demonic invaders. 

I won't go into any great detail, but I must admit this really surprised me. 70-80% of the book is an adventure - something I haven't really tackled for a long time, choosing more recently to concentrate on settings and systems. I wasn't sure if I could do it, but I got VERY into the swing, creating the setting, rationalising how it worked, as well as detailing the many, many sequels that followed this first "movie".

Cover for manuscript I wrote for WEG's
Ghostbusters RPG back in 1987

It was really going back to those first adventures I wrote when I was trying to get into roleplaying game writing way back in the late 1980s. The first game I tried writing for was West End Games' amazing and legendary Ghostbusters RPG - though the scenarios I'd submitted had parody elements inspired by Weird Science, Back to the Future and Evil Dead 2...

It was strange going back to that style of writing, but it was a blast. And above all, it was great to write something funny. After all, we all need a bit of a laugh at the moment.

It did make me think recently about doing something else with the numbers filed off. Something about magic schools and wizards maybe...

But I should concentrate on WILD and not get distracted unless another paid gig should come along? 

Until next time, remember this one piece of advice...

The Wizarding World of Roleplaying

Debs and I, about fourth in the queue at the first Fantastic Beasts fan event 2016 in London
(Yes, J K Rowling was there. No she didn't hear us screaming)

Yes. I have a problem. I'm a little obsessed.

I've said it before, and I'll say it again - I need to write the Official Harry Potter tabletop roleplaying game. Not some "numbers filed off" unofficial one. I need to write an official, licensed RPG set within J K Rowling's Wizarding World.

The frustration that there isn't one, and that I'm not involved, ebbs and flows but it is times like yesterday when the leaked footage of an awesome looking video-game RPG within the Wizarding World hit the internet, that I start screaming at my computer.

First of all, about that video game footage. It looks amazing. I'm so glad I wasn't part of their focus group as I would have been leaping about the room, making noises like a Fwooper. It's a great studio behind it if the rumours are true (Avalanche who did Disney Infinity), and the game looks stunning.

Like Portkey Games and their Hogwarts Mystery game, they've been sensible and set the rumoured RPG in another time period to avoid clashing with the events of Harry Potter (and Fantastic Beasts). And like Portkey's Hogwarts Mystery it tells a new story within the Wizarding World, with new characters visiting familiar locations.

My character tutoring Lumos in Hogwarts Mystery - so long ago... I'm a fourth year now...

So the question is, if this fantastic video game, as well as Portkey's Hogwarts Mystery, can tell new stories at Hogwarts (and in the Wizarding World in general) that are not necessarily considered canon, why is a tabletop roleplaying game any different?

I'd just love some answers.

If it's fear of players creating their own stories and adventures within the Wizarding World, in the games they play and create sitting around a table, it's not like it's that far from fan-fiction. It's not making money and it's certainly not considered canon to the universe.

If it's worry about the potential publisher creating new stories and adventures, I'm sure that any adventure idea would be vetted by Warner Brothers, and is it that different from creating the narrative of the video games currently published or in development? When Portkey first announced their games there was a section in their FAQ's that said J K Rowling would be approving everything - a line that was removed a few months later making it seem like the developers have been given a little more free rein.

Is it just about the money? While a Harry Potter tabletop RPG would be huge in the games world, the tabletop games industry makes a fraction of the money that a video games company would.

I've addressed in earlier posts the many benefits of tabletop gaming and how a Harry Potter RPG would get kids (and adults) interacting sociably in a face-to-face environment, fuelling their imaginations, getting them thinking on their feet, problem solving, and creating. You can see the lengthier post here: http://autocratik.blogspot.com/2017/11/harry-potter-adventures-in-wizarding.html

Pitch layout for a potential Harry Potter RPG - layout by Will Brooks

That same post also details my first attempt at pitching to Warner Bros with the support of a major game company, and how it didn't get very far. I have to wonder if the thing that stopping a Harry Potter RPG is not speaking to the right people? Or getting through to them in the first place? When we pitched (successfully) to the BBC for the Doctor Who RPG, I learned that a factor in other companies' attempts at the license may be purely down to them not getting through to the right person with their proposal.

So my big questions are...

Why is there no Harry Potter / Wizarding World tabletop roleplaying game?

If it's purely financial, I can understand that - I'll just have to hope either to gain the backing of a successful and fluid publisher, or hope for a lottery win. Of course, if a publisher is already working towards a Potterverse game, please let me know!

If it's about creative control, then why can video games companies do all of the things that seem to hold a tabletop game back.

One day I'll corner the Warner execs in a room with J K Rowling, and I'll give them the Powerpoint presentation of a lifetime...

Until then, I'll just have to play with my hack of Tales from the Loop...

#RPGaDAY2018 - DAY 19: What Music Enhances Your Game?

Day 19 of #RPGaDAY2018 is a companion to yesterday's question about inspirational art. Again, supplied by Richard Brewster (check out his cool blog Batjutsu for more about gaming!) this asks about what music enhances your game?

I must admit, I don't really use music during the game any more. We used to a lot as teens, playing D&D and Traveller while listening to Jean-Michel Jarre, Mike Oldfield and other weirdness (not forgetting the Pentateuch of the Cosmogany!) We kinda went off listening to music during the game. Mostly as the current game involves some Skype involvement which is tricky with background noise.

If we did have music going, we'd be listening to Simon Stålenhag's soundtrack to Tales from the Loop, or his other electronica. Or the cool soundtracks to Stranger Things. Though as we're just about to return to playing Star Wars, there's only really one set of soundtracks you need for that!

Like yesterday's post though, when it comes to WILD, I have a whole host of music I listen to that inspires me while I write. Most of it is the complete Nine Inch Nails catalogue, to cool weirdness like Poe's Haunted album, Trent Reznor's film scores, and early Thirty Seconds to Mars. I sometimes have it on shuffle so that random tracks from David Lynch's audiobook of Catching the Big Fish pops up in between tracks to remind me about consciousness and creativity.

However, one track always reminds me of that first concept for the game...

Announcing #RPGaDAY2018

It's nearly August, it's time to officially get this year's #RPGaDAY underway! First of all, I'd like to thank everyone who reached out to me when I put out the last video. Thank you so much for your enthusiasm, and your willingness to take part and get involved.

As always, time got away from me, and I completely neglected to get back to some of you who volunteered, and I'm so, so very sorry. I had big plans for this year's RPGaDAY and things crashed and burned, and there was a moment that I nearly didn't bother. It was all the voices out there who showed such massive enthusiasm that it lives for another year. And I can't begin to apologise enough to those who failed to reconnect with. Next year, I promise.

As with previous years, #RPGaDAY is all about positivity. About how great our hobby is, how it can bring people together, and give them a fantastic social experience that fires the imagination, gets us thinking, and can give us vital real world skills. Friendships forged in the heat of battling an army of orcs can stay with you a lifetime - I know they certainly have with me.

#RPGaDAY celebrates our hobby, spreads the word of how amazing it can be, how accepting, encouraging and downright entertaining it can be.

For each day of August, look at the question prompts, some of which have been provided by you - those enthusiastic gamers who have taken part in previous years - and use them as inspiration to write a blog post, record a vlog, or simply post a photo on Instagram. Share your experiences, and join in with the hashtag #RPGaDAY2018 and #RPGaDAY. The latter will be flagged by the website ( www.rpgaday.com ) and will be collated there. (Hopefully)...

Simply download the infographic below, and every day in August join in!

A high contrast version of the graphic can be found below...

If you'd prefer it in simple text, the prompts for this year are a follows:

1. What do you love about RPGs?

2. What is the first thing you look for in an RPG?

3. What gives a game “staying power”?

4. Most memorable NPC?

5. Favourite recurring NPC?

6. How can players make a world seem real?

7. How can a GM make the stakes important?

8. How can we get more people playing?

9. How has a game surprised you?

10. How has gaming changed you?

11. Wildest character name?

12. Wildest character concept?

13. Describe how your play has evolved

14. Describe a failure that became amazing

15. Describe a tricky RPG experience you enjoyed

16. Describe your plans for your next game

17. Describe the best compliment you’ve had gaming

18. Art that inspires your game

19. Music that enhances your game

20. Which game mechanic inspires your play the most?

21. Which dice mechanic appeals to you?

22. Which non-dice system appeals to you?

23. Which game do you hope to play again?

24. Which RPG do you think deserves more recognition?

25. Game that had an impact on you in the last 12 months

26. Gaming ambition for the next 12 months

27. Share a great stream / actual play

28. Share whose inspiring gaming excellence you’re grateful for

29. Share a friendship you have because of RPGs

30. Share something you learned about playing your character

31. Share why you take part in RPGaDAY

ALTERNATE PROMPTS FOR 2018

Most memorable character retirement

Most ambitious campaign idea achieved

Most innovative game of the last 12 months

Share playing a “temporary” character

Narrowest escape?

How do you prepare for a one-shot?

How do you prepare for an extended campaign?

What’s your favourite character “hook”?

What makes you want to GM?

What appeals to you about GM-less games?

Also, with many thanks to Michael L. Jaegers from https://jaegers.net, below is a translation of the questions into German:

What do you love about RPGs?	Was magst Du an Rollenspielen?
What is the first thing you look for in an RPG?	Was ist das erste, wonach Du in einem Rollenspiel schaust?
What gives a game "staying power"?	Was macht ein Spiel zu einem "Dauerbrenner"?
Most memorable NPC?	Erinnerungswürdigster NSC?
Favourite recurring NPC?	Bevorzugter, wiederkehrender NSC?
How can players make a world seem real?	Wie können Spieler eine Welt real erscheinen lassen?
How can a GM make the stakes important?	Wie kann ein Spielleiter die Herausforderungen bedeutend machen?
How can we get more people playing?	Wie bekommen wir mehr Menschen zum Spiel?
How has a game surprised you?	Wie hat ein Spiel Dich überrascht?
How has gaming changed you?	Wie hat das Spielen Dich verändert?
Wildest character name?	Kühnster Name eines Charakters?
Wildest character concept?	Kühnstes Charakterkonzept?
Describe how your play has evolved	Beschreibe, wie Dein Spiel sich entwickelt hat.
Describe a failure that became amazing	Beschreibe einen erstaunlichen Fehlschlag.
Descibe a tricky RPG experience you enjoyed	Beschreibe eine knifflige Rollenspielerfahrung, die Du genossen hast.
Describe your plans for your next game	Beschreibe Deine Pläne für das nächste Spiel.
Describe the best compliment you've had gaming	Beschreibe das beste Kompliment, das Du für Dein Spiel bekommen hast.
Art that inspires your game	Ein Kunstwerk, das Dich für Dein Spiel inspiriert hat.
Music that enhances your game	Musik, die Dein Spiel verbessert hat.
Which game mechanic inspires your play the most?	Welche Spielmechanik inspiriert Dein Spiel am meisten?
Which dice mechanic appeals to you?	Welche Würfelmechanik reizt Dich?
Which non-dice system appeals to you?	Welche würfellose Spielmechanik reizt Dich?
Which game do you hope to play again?	Welches Spiel hoffst Du erneut zu spielen?
Which RPG do you think deserves more recognition?	Welches Rollenspiel verdient Deiner Meinung nach mehr Beachtung?
Game that had an impact on you in the last 12 months	Ein Spiel, das in den vergangenen 12 Monaten eine Auswirkung auf Dich hatte.
Gaming ambition for the next 12 months	Deine Spielpläne für die kommenden 12 Monate.
Share a great stream / actual play	Benenne einen großartigen Stream / Actual Play / Let's Play
Share whose inspiring gaming excellence you're grateful for	Benenne, für wessen inspirierendes Spiel Du dankbar bist.
Share a friendship you have because of RPGs	Benenne eine Freundschaft, die Du durch das Rollenspiel gewonnen hast.
Share something you learned about playing your character	Beschreibe etwas, das Du über das Spielen Deines Charakters gelernt hast.
Share why you take part in RPGaDAY	Beschreibe, warum Du am RPGaDAY teilnimmst.
Backup Questions / Alternatives	Ersatzfragen / Alternativen
Most memorable character retirement	Erinnerungswürdigstes Ende einer Charakterkarriere
Most ambitious campaign idea achieved	Ehrgeizigstes, erreichtes Kampagnenziel
Most innovative game of the last 12 months	Innovativstes Spiel der letzten 12 Monate
Share playing a "temporary" character	Beschreibe das Spiel eines "temporären" Charakters.
Narrowest escape?	Was war Dein knappstes Entkommen?
How do you prepare for a one-shot?	Wie bereitest Du Dich für einen One-Shot vor?
How do you prepare for an extended campaign?	Wie bereitest Du Dich für eine große Kampagne vor?
What's your favourite character "hook"?	Was ist Deine bevorzugte Masche eines Charakters?
What makes you want to GM?	Warum leitest Du gerne?

For the questions in Spanish, they have been very kindly translated by Roberto "Sunglar" Micheri.

1)  ¿Qué te encanta de los juegos de rol?
2)  ¿Qué es lo primero que buscas en un juego de rol?
3)  ¿Qué hace que un juego de rol perdure?
4)  ¿Cuál ha sido el PNJ (Personaje No Jugador) más memorable?
5)  ¿Cuál ha sido tu PNJ (Personaje No Jugador) recurrente favorito?
6)  ¿Cómo pueden los jugadores hacer que el mundo de un juego parezca real?
7)  ¿Cómo puede un DJ (Director de Juego) lograr que los elementos del juego se sean importantes para los jugadores?
8) ¿Como podemos lograr que más personas jueguen juegos de rol?
9)  ¿Como te ha sorprendido algún juego de rol?
10)  ¿Como te han cambiado los juegos de rol?
11)  ¿Cuál ha sido el nombre más descabellado para un personaje?
12)  ¿Cuál ha sido el concepto más descabellado para un personaje?
13)  Describe cómo ha cambiado tu estilo de juego.
14)  Describe un fracaso que se convirtió en algo asombroso.
15)  Describe una experiencia difícil en un juego de rol que, aun así, disfrutaste.
16)  Describe tus planes para tu próximo juego.
17)  Describe el mejor alago que has recibido mientras juegas.
18)  ¿Qué arte inspira tu juego de rol?
19)  ¿Qué música enriquece tu juego de rol?
20)  ¿Qué mecánica de los juegos más te inspira a jugar?
21)  ¿Qué mecánica de los juegos, referente al uso de dados, más te atrae?
22)  ¿Qué sistema que no utiliza dados más te atrae?
23)  ¿Qué juego de rol esperas jugar nuevamente?
24)  ¿Qué juego de rol consideras merece más reconocimiento?
25)  ¿Qué juego te ha impactado más en los últimos doce meses? 
26)  Con relación a los juegos, ¿qué ambicionas hacer en los próximos doce meses?
27)  Comparte un excelente juego que se transmita en línea.
28)  Comparte la excelencia al jugar de quién que te inspira y por la que te sientes agradecido.
29)  Comparte una amistad que has cultivado gracias a los juegos de rol.
30)  Comparte algo que aprendiste sobre jugar tu personaje.
31)  Comparte por qué participas de Un Juego del Rol Cada Día (RPGaDay).

And thanks to Sébastien Allard (Nolinquisitor) with the French version (with amendments by Mélisande de Lassence at d1000etd100.com):

#RPGADAY 2018

1. Qu’est-ce que vous aimez à propos des JdRs?

2. Quelle est la première chose que vous espérez voir dans un JdR?

3. Qu’est-ce qui donne à un jeu l’envie de le poursuivre sur une longue période?

4. PNJ le plus mémorable?

5. PNJ récurrent favoris?

6. De quelle façon les joueurs peuvent-ils aider à rendre un monde plus vivant?

7. De quelle façon un MJ peut-il rendre les enjeux plus importants?

8. Comment faire pour attirer plus de joueurs dans le hobby?

9. De quelle façon un jeu vous a-t-il surpris?

10. De quelle façon ce hobby vous a-t-il changé?

11. Le nom le plus fou de personnage que vous ayez vu?

12. Le concept le plus fou de personnage que vous ayez vu?

13. Décrivez l’évolution de votre expérience de jeu.

14. Décrivez un échec qui est devenu étonnant.

15. Décrivez une expérience de jeu délicate que vous avez appréciée.

16. Décrivez vos plans pour votre prochaine partie.

17. Le meilleur compliment que l’on vous a fait durant une partie.

18. L’art visuel qui inspire vos parties.

19. La musique qui inspire vos parties.

20. Quelle mécanique inspire votre jeu le plus?

21. Quelle mécanique de dés vous plaît?

22. Quelle mécanique sans dés vous plaît?

23. Pour quel jeu gardez vous l’espoir d’y rejouer?

24. Selon vous quel JdR mériterait plus de reconnaissance?

25. Jeu qui a eu un impact sur vous ces 12 derniers mois.

26. Votre ambition rôlistique pour les 12 prochains mois.

27. Partagez une bonne partie en ligne ou un « stream ».

28. Partagez une chose inspirante pour laquelle vous avez de la gratitude.

29. Partagez une amitié que vous devez au JdRs.

30. Partagez quelque chose que vous avez apprit en jouant votre personnage.

31. Partagez pourquoi vous participez à RPGaDAY.

Questions alternatives

– Personnage mis à la retraite le plus mémorable.

– L’idée de campagne la plus ambitieuse que vous ayez accompli.

– Jeu le plus innovateur des 12 derniers mois.

– Partagez la fois où vous avez jouer un personnage temporaire.

– Partager l’évasion d’une situation la plus serrée?

– Comment préparez-vous une partie unique?

– Comment préparez-vous une campagne à long terme?

– Quelle est votre thème préféré de personnage?

– Qu’est-ce que vous pousse à être maître de jeu?

With thanks to Douglas Santana Mota and Jefferson Pimentel for the Portuguese translations below:

#RPGADAY 2018 – PORTUGUESE

1 – O que você mais ama nos RPGS? 

2 – Qual é a primeira coisa que você procura em um RPG? 

3 – O que dá um “poder de permanência” ao jogo?  

4 – Qual o seu PnJ mais memorável?

5 – Qual o seu PnJ recorrente favorito?

6 – Como os jogadores podem fazer um mundo parecer real?

7 – Como um Narrador pode tornar as consequencias das ações mais dramáticas? 

8 – Como podemos ter mais pessoas jogando?

9 – Como uma partida te surpreendeu? 

10 – Como o RPG mudou você? 

11 – Seu nome mais maluco de personagem? 

12 – Seu conceito mais maluco de personagem?  

13 – Descreva como o seu jogo evoluiu. 

14 – Descreva uma falha que se tornou surpreendente. 

15 – Descreva uma experiência complicada do RPG que você gostou. 

16 – Descreva seus planos para a próxima partida. 

17 – Descreva o melhor elogio que você ganhou em uma partida. 

18 – Arte que inspira seu RPG. 

19 – Música que estimula seu RPG. 

20 – Qual mecânica de RPG te inspira mais? 

21 – Qual mecânica de dados mais te atrai? 

22 – Qual sistema sem dados é o seu preferido?

23 – Qual RPG você espera jogar de novo? 

24 – Qual RPG você acha que merece mais reconhecimento? 

25 – RPG que teve impacto em você nos últimos 12 meses. 

26 – Sua ambição para o RPG pelos próximos 12 meses. 

27 – Compartilhe um ótimo jogo real. 

28 – Compartilhe de quem você é grato por ser uma inspiração dada sua excelência no RPG. 

29 – Compartilhe uma amizade que você tem por causa dos RPGs. 

30 – Compartilhe algo que você aprendeu sobre como interpretar seu personagem. 

31 – Compartilhe por que você participa do RPGaDAY.

With thanks to Joonas Kainulainen here are the questions in Finnish.

#RPGADAY PROMPTS IN FINNISH.

Viikko yksi: MITÄ…
1 …Rakastat roolipeleissä eniten?
2 …Haluat roolipeliltä?
3 …Roolipelin tulee omata pysyäkseen tuoreena ja vuodesta toiseen pysyvänä?
4 Parhaiten mieleenpainunut NPC?
5 Kuka on toistuvasti tavatuista NPC:stä suosikkisi?

Viikko kaksi: KUINKA…
6 …Pelaajat voivat auttaa pelimaailman elävöittämisessä?
7 …Pelinjohtaja voi luoda tarinan panoksista paremmat?
8 …Saamme lisää väkeä harrastukseemme?
9 …Olet joskus päätynyt pelin yllättämäksi?
10 …Roolipelaaminen on muuttanut sinua?
11 Hulluin pelaajahahmo nimi?
12 Hulluin pelaajahahmo idea?

Viikko kolme: KUVAILE…
13 …Kuinka pelaamistyylisi/taitosi ovat kehittyneet?
14 …Epäonnistumista joka päätyi mahtavuudeksi?
15 …Kiperää roolipelaamis tilannetta josta nautit?
16 …Suunnitelmiasi tulevaa roolipeli seikkailua varten?
17 …Palkitsevinta kohtelijaisuutta jonka olet roolipelatessa saanut?
18 Millainen taide inspiroi sinua roolipelaamaan?
19 Millainen musiikki auttaa pelisi tunnelmaa?

Viikko neljä: MIKÄ…
20 …Pelimekaniikka innostaa sinua pelaamaan eniten?
21 …Noppa systeemi on sinulle mieleisin?
22 …Nopaton systeemi on sinulle mieleisin?
23 …Roolipeli houkuttaisi pelata uudelleen?
24 …Roolipeli ansaitsisi mielestäsi enemmän huomiota?
25 Millä roolipelillä on ollut merkittävä vaikutus sinuun viime vuosina?
26 Millaisia roolipelaamis suunnitelmia havittelet tulevana vuonna?

Viikko viisi: KERRO…
27 …Roolipeli netti streamistä, tai muusta hienosta pelistä jonka haluaisit jakaa?
28 …Kuka inspiroi sinua roolipelaamaan?
29 …Ystävyydestä jonka olet luonut roolipelien ansiosta?
30 …Hahmojasi pelaamalla oppimistasi asioista?
31 …Miksi päätit vastata näihin “RPG-A-DAY” kysymyksiin?

And in Polish, thanks to Maciej Jesionowski -

POLSKI
CO...
...kochasz w grach RPG?
...jest pierwszą rzeczą, na jaką zwracasz uwagę przy wyborze RPG?
...sprawia, że do RPG chce się wracać?
.
..wyróżnia bohatera niezależnego (NPC), do którego najczęściej wspominasz?
...robisz, aby Twój ulubiony typ bohatera niezależnego (NPC) pojawił się na kolejnych sesjach i kampaniach? 

JAK...
...gracze mogą wpływać na to, żeby świat wydawał się bardziej realny?
...Mistrz Gry może sprawić, żeby każde wyzwanie było angażujące?
...powiększyć grono osób grających w RPG?
...określisz to, co najbardziej zaskoczyło Cię w Twoich sesjach?
...wpłynęło na Ciebie granie w RPG?


...brzmiało imię, które z pewnością było tym najdziwniejszym podczas Twojej historii z RPG?
...opiszesz swoją najbardziej odjechaną koncepcję na postać?


OPISZ...
...jak rozwijało się Twoje granie w RPG?
...porażkę, która przemieniła się w coś naprawdę epickiego!
...najsprytniejszą zagrywkę, której doświadczyłeś na sesji.
...jakie masz plany na swoją najbliższą sesję.
...jak brzmiał najciekawszy komplement użyty przez Ciebie na sesji.


...lub wklej grafikę bądź ilustrację, która ostatnio Cię zainspirowała do zrobienia czegoś podczas sesji. ...sytuację i podziel się muzyką, którą ostatnio idealnie wpasowałeś w sytuację na sesji.


KTÓRA...
...mechanika jest przez Ciebie najchętniej wykorzystywana podczas sesji RPG?
...mechanika korzystająca z kostek najbardziej przypadła Ci do gustu?
...mechanika bezkostkowa najbardziej przypadła Ci do gustu?
...gra zostawiła w Tobie nadzieję na przynajmniej jeszcze jedną sesję?
...gra zasługuje, według Ciebie, na większą popularność?


...gra RPG miała na Ciebie największy wpływ przez ostatnie 12 miesięcy?


POWIEDZ...
...jakie są Twoje RPGowe ambicje, które chcesz zrealizować w w najbliższym roku?


...jaki jest Twój ulubiony kanał, na którym oglądasz sesje na żywo?
...czy jest ktoś, kto inspiruje Cię do coraz lepszej gry bądź prowadzenia sesji?
...czy masz jakieś znajomości, które rozpoczęły się od sesji RPG?
...czy jest coś, czego nauczyła Cię odgrywana przez Ciebie postać?
...co zmotywowało Cię do wzięcia udziału w polskiej edycji akcji RPGaDAY? 

Tales from the Wizarding School

It has been a while since my last post - I'm sorry. A combination of actually doing work on the WILD RPG (tweaking the Attributes and Abilities) and being convinced that no one actually reads the blog.

I haven't really had much to talk about on here for a while, but recently my mind has been wandering back to familiar territories thanks to a couple of games.

Tales from the Loop RPG

Our epic Star Wars: Force and Destiny game came to a suitably awesome end, and recently we've started playing Fria Ligan's Tales from the Loop. You'll have heard about it by now - it has won many awards (deservedly so), based upon the amazing paintings of Simon Stålenhag. Set in an "80's that never was" this is Stranger Things meets robots, time travel, dinosaurs, mind control, and super-science, all in small town Sweden (or wherever you want to set it) with kids riding around on bikes and investigating stuff.

I've been wanting to play this for ages, since reading the rules months ago and finding them so simple and intuitive that it really appealed - especially as I love simple and quick rules systems.

Not only does the game encourage characters to have a "Drive", a "Problem" and a "Pride" which all come into play in the way the characters act and are motivated, but it also has a proportion of the character sheet and character creation dedicated to "relationships". You define how you know each other, and other people in the town, and you gain experience for putting yourself at risk to help your friends.

Within a session we were running around, bickering like thirteen-year-olds, and coming up with bizarre plans and pissing off the teachers from the school. Brilliant!

-

You know what else has teenage kids at school solving mysteries?

Harry Potter. Yeah, had to get back to my little gaming obsession. I got thinking about how the friendships and relationships from Tales From the Loop would work with Harry Potter (and a lot of the rest of the system to be honest).

A lot of the core of Harry Potter is the central friendships between Harry, Ron and Hermione. There's a real sense of this in the way the players are interacting in Tales from the Loop, but it got me thinking about taking it further. With the relationships having a value that could change and evolve over time. Just look at Year Four - Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. Ron and Harry have a real falling out at the beginning of the story, when Ron's convinced that Harry has put his name in the Goblet of Fire. They don't speak to each other, even using Hermione as a go-between (much to her disgust, rightfully so). While this is resolved, it's great to have a mechanic that represents the relationships of the characters.

With a few tweaks, Tales from the Loop would be a great system for Harry Potter.

-

Bearing that in mind, thinking about the way friendships work in roleplaying games, I was pleasantly surprised by the mobile game - Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery - that launched last week. It's received a lot of criticism for its energy management (encouraging that impatience to complete tasks and lessons to urge you to spend real money to help speed things up). However, the friendship mechanics have been a real eye opener.

My character (on the right), looking like a young me (when I had hair and no glasses), in Charms Class
in Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery

In Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery, you play a character of your own creation attending Hogwarts in the 80's, before Harry is old enough to attend but after Voldemort has "vanished". You have a past of your own (a brother who was expelled for trying to access the Cursed Vaults under Hogwarts) and you make friends, encounter bullies, go to classes and everything you expect from attending Hogwarts.

However, time is taken to make friends at the school, whether this is over a game of Gobstones or chatting over food in the great hall. Talking to friends is handled in a similar way to classes, and you can answer in positive and negative ways to increase your "relationship" with some of the students.

It's not the complete, branching relationships we've come to enjoy in the Telltale Games like The Walking Dead or Batman, where our decisions really shape the outcome. I don't think in Hogwarts Mystery you can tell Ben to go home when he's worried about being at Hogwarts and him actually leave. Seems a bit mean, but I'm not your archetypal Slytherin.

Merula gives us Slytherins a bad name....

The friendships being such a part of the game was a really nice surprise, and along with Tales from the Loop has reaffirmed by belief that it should be an integral part of a tabletop Harry Potter experience.

I know it's probably impossible, and will never happen...

However, Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery is certainly a step in the right direction. After all, it uses established characters - not only professors like Snape, Dumbledore and McGonagall, but also young incarnations of Tonks and Bill Weasley! Something I didn't think any game would do short of adaptations of the books/movies.

The interesting thing is the timeline that recently appeared on Pottermore:

It seems to imply that Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery is set on an alternate timeline? Almost like the Kelvin-verse of the Wizarding World. Or maybe I'm reading too much into this? If it is, what's the problem with allowing tabletop gamers to play in an alternate timeline after the Battle of Hogwarts, but before the events of The Cursed Child?

One day... One day my dream of writing an official Harry Potter tabletop game will come true...

You can read my lengthy treatise on Harry Potter roleplaying on this blog here.

Until next time, keep dreaming.