All a bit quiet here...

Any and all discussion about Dark Conspiracy, the RPG of modern conspiracy horror
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Marcus Bone
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All a bit quiet here...

Post by Marcus Bone »

Maybe the closure of 3Hombres has impacts DC a bit more than I thought?

What's everyone up to, gaming wise, at the moment?

For me it's playing in a D&D 5th campaign (finishing up Curse of Strahd) and Call of Cthulhu ('inspired' into writing a Kingsport adventure which I'm running with friends).

You?
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Re: All a bit quiet here...

Post by bphill561 »

Just finished Rolemaster and moving to 2nd/3rd Dark Con. Maybe BloodDawn next.
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ReHerakhte
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Re: All a bit quiet here...

Post by ReHerakhte »

There's been three things in particular that have dampened my gaming. The first is that I have become quite jaded with the gaming community because of the idea among many gamers that there is only one genre - fantasy. It's seems to be the only thing they hear about, the only genre they talk about and the only genre they think exists (I know this is a gross generalization but I seem to be encountering new and old gamers who only want to play D&D and are resistant to the idea of playing anything that is not heroic fantasy).

The second was the closing of 3Hombres and the WTF? feeling that was left after the complete withdrawal of Norm from the Dark Conspiracy scene and his apparent desire to remove all 3rd Ed. material from the scene.
The third is my misfortune in having played the Ashen Stars game. It doesn't require "role" playing and it has little opportunity even for "roll" playing. As long as you have the skill to find a clue, you automatically get the clue so you can push the story forward. The story must always be pushed forward... It's one of the current crop of (allegedly) narrative based games that all seem to share a common trait - player participation is not required. In fact the impresion I'm left with is that the players wanting to do anything that is not in the narrative is bad and must be discouraged or outright ignored.
My experience with Arse Sta... err, Ashen Stars has convinced me that the entire Gumshoe system that it is based on is not a rules set worth playing.

I would be very happy to run Dark Con of any edition... if I could actually find 4-7 people interested in playing it. I'd be just as happy to run Twilight: 2000, Cadillacs & Dinosaurs, 2300AD (yeah there's a huge preference for GDW rpgs here!), The Morrow Project, Cyberpunk 2020, Aftermath!, Hot War or Cold City, (I have a preference for post-apocalypse settings) and even an rpg of the S.T.A.L.K.E.R. game world (using DarkCon rules). I'm even interested in running The Esoterrorists but not with that game's detestable Gumshoe rules. Most gamers in this city seem to want to play D&D or other fantasy settings.

At the moment I am in a ShadowRun game that is run fortnightly but there's been some issues with some players who want a more heroic style of gameplay while the rest of us have been enjoying the "hard road to success" style the GM prefers. I want to play in games where the PCs feel mortal but unfortunately many of the players I'm encountering want games that make them feel heroic.
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Re: All a bit quiet here...

Post by Marcus Bone »

ReHerakhte wrote: Mon Jul 03, 2017 1:51 am The third is my misfortune in having played the Ashen Stars game. It doesn't require "role" playing and it has little opportunity even for "roll" playing. As long as you have the skill to find a clue, you automatically get the clue so you can push the story forward. The story must always be pushed forward... It's one of the current crop of (allegedly) narrative based games that all seem to share a common trait - player participation is not required. In fact the impression I'm left with is that the players wanting to do anything that is not in the narrative is bad and must be discouraged or outright ignored.
My experience with Arse Sta... err, Ashen Stars has convinced me that the entire Gumshoe system that it is based on is not a rules set worth playing.
I quite like the Gumshoe system, but you need to understand how to run it :P I've run a couple of excellent short campaigns of The Esoterrorists, and have happily created my own Victorian Vampire version back in the day (way before Night's Black Agents came along)...

:D

Marcus
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- Unbound Publishing - Bringing back the fear - http://www.unboundbook.org
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Re: All a bit quiet here...

Post by ReHerakhte »

I could agree that a GM could run a decent story from the Gumshoe system but I very much doubt that I'd enjoy playing it. I could probably sit and watch it and find it interesting enough but he system does nothing for me in satisfying those aspects of gaming that I like. Automatically getting a clue because you have a skill is not something I enjoy, having to make a character via committee is not something I enjoy, having no chance to pass a task check because you don't have the skill and there is no unskilled check available is not something I enjoy, having to break immersion by asking if you can get more clues by spending points from your skill pool is not something I enjoy, using your skill pool and then not having enough points left in the pool to pass the next test is not something I enjoy.
And I utterly despise the notion that your health points have to come out of your starting skill points.

I found it more an exercise in Pavlovian response than a game I could get invested in and try to figure out problems/questions as my character. It's a system that rewards players for not thinking, all they have to do is mention that they're using their skills to find a clue - just like the creator of Gumshoe said, he modelled it off TV show episodes and he succeeded, just like the actors in a TV show, your interaction is essentially passive, you, like an actor, are following the script, waiting for the prompts and then asking the right questions at the right time. No thought required.
All of this amounts to one thing that utterly kills Gumshoe for me - it removes player agency.
A clue is a clue because someone recognizes its significance to the investigation, not because it's handed to you and the GM tells you this is the clue you need to move the story forward.
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Re: All a bit quiet here...

Post by Morthrai »

Before I give my own status update I want to adress a couple of previous points raised...

I like the Gumshoe system but I freely admit I just nick the good bits for my own gaming enjoyment. There again, Ken Hite and Robin Laws and the other Pelgrane creators are some of my fave writers so that helps :)

It goes without saying that I was very much affected by Norm's decision to withdraw. Still am in some ways, but as you're aware I am moving forwards with other things!

Now what am I up to? Got an online Sunday night game using the Dungeon World system, it's not serious heavy high fantasy or anything but just some good fun with old mates who I don't see much in person these days. Also GM Rob is going to start opening the game up so our sessions become a lot more meta. There's the Dark Times of course, and I recently made the decision to get back to attending more conventions - after having a great time at the first DevaCon in the historic British city of Chester I am attending Furnace in October (held in a former military jail in Sheffield). Before that there's a one-day boardgames event just a few miles away at the end of this month, after that I'm not sure. Haven't decided yet whether to attend Dragonmeet in London in December, but I am seriously considering ConTingency in January. It's a 5-day residential con held at a holiday village in the New Forest. Imagine that, pretty much a week of gaming with friends old and new - I am lucky to even have the chance to do these things 8)

Hmm, long post is long! :D
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Re: All a bit quiet here...

Post by ReHerakhte »

I too like Ken Hite, but even the best can have their off days.
As for Robin Laws, some of the patronizing comments I've seen from him about people who didn't like the Gumshoe system - let's just say I wouldn't even piss on him if he was on fire.
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Re: All a bit quiet here...

Post by Marcus Bone »

ReHerakhte wrote: Tue Jul 04, 2017 1:43 am ... let's just say I wouldn't even piss on him if he was on fire.
Ouch...

I actually prefer Laws' ideas over Hite's in general, however, Hite's presentation of the Mythos in Trail of Cthulhu is much more aligned to my own...
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Re: All a bit quiet here...

Post by Phulish »

Working on Twilight 2000, Aftermath!( A Technology II fanbook to include 20 years of stuff, the original one left me unimpressed). On the nongaming side I'm also building AR15's instead of waiting for what I want to be for sale.
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Re: All a bit quiet here...

Post by Phulish »

Updating looking at doing another Prancing Ponies for Dark Times and looking at something for DC1 or2.Still hoping Lee might do another weapon book for DC, it's long overdue(Empathic suggestion sent).
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Re: All a bit quiet here...

Post by ReHerakhte »

Well Lee and I worked on a weapons book for DCIII but it seems to have been lost in some Limbo proto-dimension. There was some interesting new toys in there...


As for gaming, my group finished a Call of Cthulhu scenario in January run by the GM who was running the ShadowRun game, so to give him some time as a Player I am running a 5th Ed. D&D game.
I have to say I'm not completely happy with the rules but they're workable enough. I'm running 7 players through a 1st Ed. module called Treasure Hunt and when that concludes we will see what the group wants to do. They may vote to continue D&D but there is another CoC scenario in the making so we will probably do that first.
When it comes my time to run the next game, if they're receptive I'm going to pitch DCIII at them.
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Re: All a bit quiet here...

Post by Morthrai »

To answer two posts in one if I may...

Phulish, your stuff is always welcome in Dark Times so please send it over when it's ready!

As for the weapons guide, I haven't done any more layout on it myself. That's because we put it together and submitted it pretty much complete except artwork, but before the plug was pulled from DCIII. Seeing as we created it and the original publisher no longer exists, I reckon we could release it as a standalone publication. We'd probably have to put it out as a freebie just in case of any license-related shenaningans but I'm up for doing that if you are Kevin? 8)
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Re: All a bit quiet here...

Post by ReHerakhte »

As I understand it from what's been happening with the new releases for the Twilight: 2000 game, FFE seems quite happy to publish new material for sale under their name. However I believe you're referring to licensing for images yes?
We could probably collect enough license-free pictures but that would require more time.

Having said that, I have no problem with releasing it as a freebie so that we don't have to bother with all the licensing issues.
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Re: All a bit quiet here...

Post by Phulish »

These answers make me happy and no changlings will be sent.
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Re: All a bit quiet here...

Post by Morthrai »

Phulish wrote: Wed Mar 28, 2018 2:34 am These answers make me happy and no changlings will be sent.
Maybe not from your good self but I'm leaving the traps out regardless 8) :twisted:
Lee Williams.
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