Eventually, I met another kid who actually had first-hand experience of the game.  I’ll use his middle name, Eric.  (Dude, if you’re reading this, it’s a little scary how random my memory can be, huh?)  He was my new best friend in sixth grade, which would’ve made us eleven.  Eric and I were both hugely into G.I. Joe toys and LEGO, but I’d heard about D&D, and knew he played. 

I had even been playing the simpler version, which actually came first, for years:  Dungeon!  My old best friend, Jason, and I used to boil up HUGE pots of tea and play Dungeon! for hours at a time.  There were endless ways to tweak the game and make it easier or more difficult, but I was a bit jaded by sixth grade.  So I asked Eric one day if he’d teach me to play D&D.  He kinda shrugged it off, explaining it wasn’t something I could be taught quickly.  At the time, I felt like he was just sorta brushing me off.  After nearly three decades’ experience with the game, I know now he wasn’t kidding.

A while later, another friend of mine, Tank (this isn’t his real name, but it is his real nickname), offered to show me how to play.  Over the years, I found there were different types of players.  Tank was a “stats-stacker”, a player who is just that:  a player.  Part of the point of a Role Playing Game (RPG) is getting into the character you are playing, pretending to be that character while playing.  No, this doesn’t mean you have to speak in that character’s voice or make a suit of armor and start stalking the sewers (pretty sure that whole thing was an urban myth), although there are players who get into it to that degree.  But there is certainly much more enjoyment to the game if you’re not a slave to the stats.  However, I didn’t know this, so the very first time I played D&D was also almost the last, because essentially, Tank rolled dice for about an hour and more or less told me what happened, never offering my any choices or decisions.  I thought if that was all there was to this game, I wasn’t interested anymore.

My cousin’s friend Mike heard from Tank I was interested in D&D.  Happened he had the Basic Rules boxed set and was willing to sell it to me.  It was complete, and I think I paid him about five or ten dollars for it.  I still have that first set of dice.  Oh, if you don’t know about the dice, they are just SO SEXY!!  Yeah, you got your six-sided cubes, and they’re alright I guess, but double that for the dodecahedron that is the twelve-sided die, or the mighty d20, capable of randomly generating, in a single roll, a number from one to TWENTY!  Yahtzee?  Puh-LEEZE!!

I remember the day I was sitting in front of my locker at school, rolling up some stuff (I’m trying not to get TOO bogged down in the jargon), when our principal walked by, looked at my dice, and asked me if I knew what they were.  After giving it a moment’s careful thought, I told him I was pretty sure they were dice.  He said, I shit you not, “No, they’re NOT dice!  They’re tools of the devil!”  I checked to make sure he was just kidding, but the evangelical light in his eye gave me to know he was in deadly earnest.  Every time I ever tell this story, I always say that I snappily came right back with, “No, they’re just innocent little random number generators.”  This, I’m sad to say, is a lie — by this time, I was only twelve.  And I was a pretty damn bright kid (if I do say), but not that bright.  I actually got this comment from my friend Zod (also his real nickname) many years later, and thought it fit beautifully with the story.

At any rate, Jason, my cousin, and I played the holy living shit out of D&D for about two years steady going.  We were mighty heroes tooling about a fantasy land slaying all manner of beasties for the sheer glory and personal power.  Well, Jason and I were mighty heroes, but there was a bona-fide stats-stacker amongst us.  The last time we played, I, as the Dungeon Master (DM), was overseeing the creation of some new characters.  Always in the past, I had allowed characters to be rolled up that were almost literally unbeatable.  I wanted to do a new party of characters that were all rolled “honestly”.  The stats-stacker rolled up what would’ve been a very weak but nimble character, and essentially threw a tantrum and went home.  He never played with us again, because I never asked him.  From a fairly young age, I’ve had a very low tolerance for poor sportmanship.  Sadly, it was too difficult for just me and Jason to carry on playing alone, so we just fell out of the habit.  We tried again for a while in our mid-teens, but it didn’t really come back for quite a while.

During the intervening teen years, I found other things to occupy my time, other pastimes to pass the time with.  There was, I’m not ashamed to say, quite a bit of drinking during the late teen years and into my early twenties.  I had some very good times, and some very not-so-good times.  All in all, I don’t regret that time, but I’m glad I got through it.  Thanks, curiously enough, to good ol’ D&D.  As it turned out, playing now with Zod and a few other assorted friends (including, in one very memorable game, the future the missus), I found I couldn’t DM the games if I’d been drinking.  While it’s true the game shouldn’t get bogged down in stats and die-rolls, it’s also true that the game loses a lot of cohesion if the guy running it is too soused to have any clue what the hell’s going on.  D&D, it turned out, was more important to me that pummeling my gray-cells.  So I completely quit drinking, and haven’t touched a drop since.

PSYCH!!

However, I haven’t done too much of the kind of balls-to-the-wall hey, why NOT  keep drinking? drinking since then.  I still have a drink once in a while.  But I think I was heading for some very bad times back in the early nineties.  E. Gary Gygax, where ever you are (Mystara, slayin the righteous shit out of some orcs, I dare say), thanks, man.  To paraphrase the ads from my comics back in the eighties:  “Who needs AA?  I’ve got D&D!”

The realm of no! – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The realm of no!

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The Realm of No!
Code	None
Rules Required	1st Ed AD&D
Character Levels	10 to 15
Campaign Setting	Generic AD&D / Greyhawk
Authors	Kim Ryan
First Published	{{{module_first_published}}}
Linked Modules
Unknown

The Realm of No! is an adventure module for the Dungeons & Dragons roleplaying game. There is no module code as this work was submitted but not published by TSR.^[1]

The Realm of No! is an unpublished adventure module for the Dungeons & Dragons roleplaying game set in the World of Greyhawk. Gary Gygax could not believe anyone at TSR would be interested in such a module..^[2]“The Realm of No!” was originally hand printed and later typed and submitted to TSR in an amount of 10 copies. These 10 copies are printed on heavy stock paper and are signed, numbered and dated by the author Kim Ryan. This module was originally written in 1984 but printed and submitted to T.S.R. in 1985. It is believed that the first 6 of the 10 copies were submitted with a hand written letter to Gary Gygax..^[3] While it is claimed that this module was submitted to TSR, Gary Gygax was not overseeing and creative submissions.^[4]

Contents 1 Synopsis 2 Aftermath 3 Footnotes 4 External links

//

[edit] Synopsis

“The Realm of No!” takes place in the Kingdom of King Bill who has gained power by his discovery of The NO! Staff. King Bill has enslaved the new races he has created with his staff and savagely holds onto his power by any means possible.

“The Realm of No!” incorporates radically silly creatures such as the V8 monster and the Tomato Warrior into the Dungeons & Dragons landscape and which also parodies people and items from the mid 1980’s.^[5]

At the very end of the module, the players face a final confrontation with King Bill and realize who in is friend and foe & what is true and not true.

[edit] Aftermath

Through staff changes and company changes within T.S.R. in the later 1980’s and early to mid 1990’s, the 10 Realm of No! modules found their way into private collections of some T.S.R. staff and into collectors collections in the United States, Germany, and Canada.^{[citation needed]}

[edit] Footnotes

1. ^ What is this – Realm of no! by Kim Ryan. acaeum.com. Retrieved on 2008-01-06.
2. ^ Q&A With Gary Gygax, Part XII. acaeum.com. Retrieved on 2008-01-08.
3. ^ What is this – Realm of no! by Kim Ryan. acaeum.com. Retrieved on 2008-01-06.
4. ^ Q&A With Gary Gygax, Part XII. acaeum.com. Retrieved on 2008-01-08.
5. ^ The Realm of No! PDF. leftblank.org. Retrieved on 2008-01-012.

[edit] External links

• What is this – Realm of no! by Kim Ryan at the Acaeum.com
• The Realm of No at the Acaeum.com
• Q&A With Gary Gygax, Part XII at the dragonsfoot.org
• The Realm of No! PDF at the leftblank.org

Retrieved from “http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_realm_of_no%21“

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{{DnDmodule| module_title = The Realm of No!
|module_image = [[Image:The Realm of No!.jpg|200px]]
|module_code = None
|module_rules = 1st Ed AD&D
|module_character_levels = 10 to 15
|module_campaign = Generic AD&D / [[Greyhawk]]
|module_authors = [[Kim Ryan|Kim Ryan]]
|module_first_printing = October 1985
|series = [[Unknown]]
}}

””’The Realm of No!””’ (”Q1”) is an [[Adventure (Dungeons & Dragons)|adventure module]] for the ”[[Dungeons & Dragons]]” [[roleplaying game]]. There is no module code as this work was submitted but not published by TSR.{{cite web |url=http://www.acaeum.com/forum/about1317.html |title=What is this – Realm of no! by Kim Ryan|accessdate=2008-01-06 |publisher=acaeum.com}}

”The Realm of No!” is an unpublished adventure module for the Dungeons & Dragons roleplaying game set in the [[World of Greyhawk]]. Gary Gygax could not believe anyone at TSR would be interested in such a module..{{cite web |url=http://www.dragonsfoot.org/forums/viewtopic.php?p=509334#509334 |title=Q&A With Gary Gygax, Part XII|accessdate=2008-01-08 |publisher=acaeum.com}}”The Realm of No!” was originally hand printed and later typed and submitted to TSR in an amount of 10 copies. These 10 copies are printed on heavy stock paper and are signed, numbered and dated by the author Kim Ryan. This module was originally written in 1984 but printed and submitted to T.S.R. in 1985. It is believed that the first 6 of the 10 copies were submitted with a hand written letter to Gary Gygax..{{cite web |url=http://www.acaeum.com/forum/about1317.html |title=What is this – Realm of no! by Kim Ryan|accessdate=2008-01-06 |publisher=acaeum.com}} While it is claimed that this module was submitted to TSR, Gary Gygax was not overseeing and creative submissions.{{cite web |url=http://www.dragonsfoot.org/forums/viewtopic.php?p=509334#509334 |title=Q&A With Gary Gygax, Part XII|accessdate=2008-01-08 |publisher=acaeum.com}}

==Synopsis==
“The Realm of No!” takes place in the Kingdom of King Bill who has gained power by his discovery of The NO! Staff. King Bill has enslaved the new races he has created with his staff and savagely holds onto his power by any means possible.

“The Realm of No!” incorporates radically silly creatures such as the V8 monster to the Dungeons & Dragons landscape and which also parodies people and items from the mid 1980’s.

At the very end of the module, the players face a final confrontation with King Bill and realize who in is friend and foe & what is true and not true.

==Warm but Unreleased Reception==
Unfortunately and without official reason, “The Realm of No!” was embraced by the staff at T.S.R. at the time but was never released. The was possible due to the strange nature of the module.{{cite web |url=http://www.dragonsfoot.org/forums/viewtopic.php?p=509334#509334 |title=Q&A With Gary Gygax, Part XII|accessdate=2008-01-08 |publisher=acaeum.com}}

==Aftermath==
Through staff changes and company changes within T.S.R. in the later 1980’s and early to mid 1990’s, the 10 Realm of No! modules found their way into private collections of some T.S.R. staff and into collectors collections in the United States, Germany, and Canada. The locations of the ten The Realm of No! Modules are unknown aside from lordan’s and Degassy31copies.

In 2004, a member of The Acaeum, known as lordan posted information on his 4 of 10 The Realm of No! and inquiring about its value and origin. It is unknown whether he sold his copy or threw it in the garbage..{{cite web |url=http://www.acaeum.com/forum/about1317.html |title=What is this – Realm of no! by Kim Ryan|accessdate=2008-01-06 |publisher=acaeum.com}}

==Footnotes==

==References==
*[[Mars]], and [[Gygax, Gary]]. ”Q&A With Gary Gygax” (Dragonsfoot.org, 2008).
*[[atari]], et al. “The Realm of No.” (Acaeum.com, 2008).
*[[lordan]], et al. ”What is this – Realm of no! by Kim Ryan” (Acaeum.com, 2004).
*[[Ryan, Kim]]. ”The Realm of No!” [[1985]]).

==External links==
* [http://www.acaeum.com/forum/about1317.html What is this - Realm of no! by Kim Ryan] at the Acaeum.com
* [http://www.acaeum.com/forum/about6607.html The Realm of No] at the Acaeum.com
* [http://www.dragonsfoot.org/forums/viewtopic.php?p=509334#509334 Q&A With Gary Gygax, Part XII] at the dragonsfoot.org

[[Category:Greyhawk modules]]
[[Category:Dungeons & Dragons modules]]

Interview with Kim Ryan, author of The Realm of No!
January 11, 2008

Drowden: There has been a lot of controversy regarding the Dungeons and Dragons module by Kim Ryan: The Realm of No!. There have been those who have dismissed this module as a homebrew or fan fiction of little significance, but others who view The Realm of No! as a relivent and significant part of the Dungeons and Dragons canon. Here is am typing with Kim Ryan on MSN Messenger. Thanks for typing with me today.

Kim Ryan: No problem. I’m glad to be here.

Drowden: May I call you Kim?

Kim Ryan: Yes, but the name is simply a ghostname I used when I ghostwrote The Realm of No!.

Drowden: So what’s the story behind the module?

Kim Ryan: Well, back in the 1980’s, I was a teenager heavily into AD&D. I started off as player character and then moved up to writing and DMing my own and TSR adventures. During the summer of 1984, we played AD&D almost non-stop the entire summer, during breaks in playing I wrote The Realm of No!. This module was a parody of people I knew at the time and people and things in popular culture.

Drowden: So how did you come to submit The Realm of No! to TSR?

Kim Ryan: I Dmed The Realm of No! for a group of friends, and they seemed to enjoy the module and had fun figuring out the plots, subplots, and character angles. It was really a strange module to put players through. So about a year later, I decided to edit and add to the module as I converted the handwritten manuscript to a finished data document on floppy disk. I then hired a local printing company to print 10 copies to submit to TSR.

Drowden: Why 10 copies?

Kim Ryan: Why not? I figured there would be more than one person on the submissions panel at TSR, so 10 sounded like a good number.

Drowden: Why did you decide to use the ghostname Kim Ryan?

Kim Ryan: Kim Ryan is actually a real person and was a good friend of mine at the time. I was going to use some kind of fictional name but I figured since the module contains people and elements based on people I know, why not put the author as one of these people as well.

Drowden: How did he react?

Kim Ryan: He didn’t. I submitted the 10 modules and figured if anything came of them, it’d be something we could all get a laugh out of.

Drowden: Does he know now?

Kim Ryan: I have no idea. I haven’t seen Kim in over 10 years. I doubt it though.

Drowden: What did TSR do with The Realm of No! modules you sent them?

Kim Ryan: I really don’t know. Once I had mailed them to TSR, that was all I knew. TSR didn’t send back the modules with a rejection letter. They didn’t send anything back at all! I just didn’t hear anything.

Drowden: This didn’t concern you?

Kim Ryan: Not really. I still had the handwritten module and this revised module on floppy disk. Besides, my friends and I got new interests as time went by, so the whole world of D&D dissappeared into the Forgotten Realms.

Drowden: So when was the next time you heard about The Realm of No! ?

Kim Ryan: In 2006, I decided to do a search for the missing modules on Google. I ended up finding the Acadaeum.com postings by lordan inquiring about The Realm of No!. That’s when I knew, the modules somehow got leaked out the back door of TSR.

Drowden: Were you upset?

Kim Ryan: No, not at all. I was shocked and found it funny how after all these years, my module from 20 someodd years that evaporated into the Mists of Ravenloft ago has resurfaced.

Drowden: There has been new posts on Acadaeum.com as well as Wikipedia entries in 2008. People are theorizing that the module was submitted and rejected by TSR and you do seem to have your detractors.

Kim Ryan: People need to understand that this is a module I wrote as an adventure parody to people and things around me at the time, which I later submitted to TSR. I am glad that some or all of the 10 modules are out there in people’s collections or elsewhere. I am still wondering why TSR just didn’t mail me The Realm of No!  modules back, and how the modules snuck out the backdoor at TSR and into private collections. Obviously, I can’t control what people decide to do with The Realm of No! itself, what they do with the modules in their possession like selling them and posting scans, or if people decide this adventure is the greatest thing since Queen of th Demonweb Pits or worse than a Three Burrito Shit at Jose’s Taco Stand. Regardless it seems the module has taken on a life of its own. Let the 30 Sided Die roll where it may. Hopefully I don’t lose an arm .

Drowden: So what are you involved with currently?

Kim Ryan: Well, I never got my dream job at TSR, but I did continue my writing career after finishing University. I write fiction, but it is not at all D&D based and not affiliated with TSR or Wizards of the Coast in any way, shapeshifter, or formless entity.

Drowden: Do you have any other D&D material you have written?

Kim Ryan: I do have a Monster Manual type book called The Crypt of Creatures, as well as a concept world, and a few other smaller works I all wrote in the mid-eighties. I still have them packed away with the store bought D&D books and modules I decided to keep.

Drowden: Will you ever take credit for The Realm of No! ?

Kim Ryan: Honestly, I don’t think so. There has already been enough controversy over this, coupled with my parodying of real people I knew at the time, I think it’d be more hassle than it’s worth. Besides my past and current works under my real name are more than enough recognition.

Drowden: What about your other Dungeons and Dragons material?

Kim Ryan: I really can’t see it. All of it was written for the AD&D system of 1984 and although I am happy with what I have written, I don’t know if I want to revisit that segment of my life and go through the work of converting everything to the current set of D&D rules in place now.

Drowden: Thank you for allowing me to interview you and your insight into The Realm of No!.

Kim Ryan: Thanks for contacting me.

Por Astinus

A mais completa, mais precisa e apenas ligeiramente tendenciosa exposição da turbulenta existência do hobby, desde as suas origens até aos nossos dias. Divididas em cinco partes.

Obs: Hoje essa série de artigos conta com na verdade nove partes, todas vão ser publicadas aqui (pelo menos uma por mês).

Parte II: Reabrindo a caixa de Pandora

As prensas trabalham

Se você perdeu a primeira parte da história, confira aqui

Com a notícia sobre o tipo de jogos Gygax e Arneson estavam jogando se espalhando, os dois foram inundadas com pedidos de um sistemas de regras completo e definitivo. Timidamente, eles levaram sua idéia a todas as grandes empresas, apenas para ter as portas fechadas nas suas costas de novo e de novo. Finalmente, em 1974, eles decidiram publicar o jogo eles mesmos, através de empresa de porão de Gygax, a TSR.

Não foi “uma recepção calorosa”, Gygax admitiu mais tarde Demorou quase um ano para os primeiros 1000 exemplares serem vendidos. Os seguintes 1000 exemplares foram vendidos em apenas seis meses, e a partir daí as vendas aumentaram exponencialmente. Em 1979, D&D vendia 7.000 exemplares em um mês, e ainda hoje a TSR é a maior empresa de RPG. Mas nós estamos nos adiantando.

A edição original pegou emprestada do Chainmail a forma de três livros, e muito mais coisas. As regras foram escritas para o círculos de jogos que pertenciam Gygax e Arneson, e presumiam uma familiaridade com as regras e estilo que eles estavam acostumados. Para os jogadores iniciantes, no entanto, ela poderia ser confusa e frustrante: em um ponto as regras realmente diziam “Combate (aqui) é realizado como no Chainmail”. O sistema de magia era incrivelmente vago, bem como as tabelas de estatísticas de combate eram quase incompreensíveis.

Curiosidades: Na verdade, a abordagem dos três livros foi tão copiada que se tornou o padrão nos cinco anos seguintes!

Surpreendentemente, porém, este foi favorável para o hobby e não contra ele. Por duas razões. Em primeiro lugar, as regras impenetráveis forçaram os jogadores a inventar as suas próprias regras e interpretações, e começar a pensar em sistemas de regras e sua concepção. Foi aqui que o futuros designers RPG foram nascendo.

Em segundo lugar, os jogadores não estavam focando no jogo em si, mas na idéia por trás do jogo. Embora as regras estivessem muito longe de serem perfeitas, as pessoas reconheceram o potencial do novo e incrível conceito em torno do que girava o jogo. D&D é, talvez, o primeiro jogo que os jogadores compraram sabendo que pelo menos metade das regras teriam de ser descartados ou seriamente alteradas.

Os Grandes Sucessores

O foco na idéia e não o jogo, e à necessidade de reescrever as regras, levou a todos os grupos de jogos a um mesmo caminho, que era, basicamente, a sua própria versão do jogo. Naturalmente, todos queriam partilhar as suas versões “corretas” com a comunidade de jogos. Isso não foi muito antes do mundo ser inundados por jornais, fanzines e revistas dedicadas a discutir as “melhores” maneiras de jogar.

Gygax e Arneson desenvolveram sua própria revista, intitulada “The Dragon Rumbles”. Ela eventualmente se tornou “The Dragon”, e então apenas “Dragon”, como é conhecida hoje. Outro grande vendedor da época foi “Alarums and Excursions”. Embora fosse um fanzine, ele circulou mais que a Dragon, e era quase como um grande guia de leitura. Em poucos anos, a D&D gerou mais discussões, análises, revisões e reconstrução, que qualquer outro jogo na história. Foi apenas uma questão de tempo antes que alguns destes grupos de jogos decidissem que, em vez de enviar seu projeto para uma revista, que deveriam publicá-lo eles mesmos.

Curiosidades: A&E ainda existe, e você pode descobrir mais sobre isso no seu web-site aqui. A pagina da Dragon pode ser encontrada aqui.

D & D foi criticada e avaliada por inúmeras razões, mas a maioria das reclamações caia em uma das duas bandeiras. O jogo era muito complicado, ou ele era muito simples.

O argumentos “muito complicado” centraram-se nos livros de regras. Os novatos, que não eram jogadores de wargames, clamavam por algo simples de aprender, fácil de jogar e, em geral, mais divertido. Eles encontraram tudo isso, sem restrições, em “Tunnels and Trolls”.

Tunnels and Trolls (St Andre, 1975)

Diz a lenda que Ken St Andre, escritor de Tunnels and Trolls (ou T&T), na verdade surgiu com a idéia de um RPG independentemente de Gygax e Arneson. Ele até escolheu um nome semelhante ao do D&D, e ficou horrorizado ao descobrir isso, quando ele começou a tentar vender o seu jogo, que foi como ele tivesse sido esmurrado.

A verdade desta lenda é discutível: certamente existem semelhanças suficientes entre os jogos para sugerir T&T foi um produto da segunda geração. Os personagens tinham seis estatísticas semelhantes, mais uma escolha de classes semelhantes e os cenários e formatos das aventuras são praticamente idênticos. No entanto, T&T não é notável em suas semelhanças, mas em suas diferenças.

Curiosidades: T&T também foi pioneiro no sistema de magia “baseado em pontos”, em oposição ao sistema de “magia de bateria” de D&D.

Para começar, as regras de T&T eram simples de usar, dados de seis lados eram rolados para praticamente tudo. Embora o combate e a mágica utilizassem tabelas, eles estavam bem apresentadas e as explicações eram claras. Com efeito, os valores de produção de T&T eram todos superiores aos que envolviam os de D&D, assim como seu sistema de regras. Mas possivelmente a principal característica que diferenciava os dois era a atitude.

T&T era ENGRAÇADO. Ele era bonito, ele era bobo, e ele era sobre correr por ai com espadas e magias e detonando coisas. A escrita era alegre, as regras eram divertidas de jogar, o cenário era cheio de piadinhas, cada pedaço do jogo tinha uma reviravolta através do senso de humor distorcido de St Andre. Magias tinham nomes como “Little Feets” (Pés pequenos) e “Hidey Hole” (Buraco do isolamento), e esquilos gigantes eram os seus inimigos.

D&D, obviamente, era o oposto. No final, como o passatempo e os jogadores cresceram, a aspectos engraçados de T&T foram perdendo seu apelo, e foi desaparecendo no esquecimento, no início dos anos oitenta. T&T foi, no entanto, o primeiro grande concorrente de D&D. Apesar de ter sido sempre considerado “Número Dois” (mesmo por St Andre!), isso permitiu, durante algum tempo, dar a chance de D&D fazer dinheiro. Que é mais do que se pode dizer de qualquer outro sistema de jogo.

Entretanto, um outro jogo chegou as ruas. Os argumentos “simples de mais” foram auxiliados pelo cenário, e não as regras. Eles eram justamente baseados na frágil premissa dos heróis de fantasia apenas caminhando em calabouços para matar coisas e saquear tesouros. Eles também estavam pedindo um cenário mais realista – um mundo medieval que realmente parecia medieval. Eles tiveram isso em “Chivalry and Sorcery” (Cavalaria e Feitiçaria).

Chivalry and Sorcery (Fantasy Games Unlimited, 1976)

Curiosidades: C&S foi recentemente re-lançado (3 ª edição) pela Highlander Designs.

Criado por Ed Simbalist e Wilf Backhaus, em 1976, o C&S ainda continua sozinho como o RPG mais complicado jamais criado. É inegável que é realista: as regras e o estilo foram projetados para recriar França no final do século 12, ao em vez da aproximação débil de D&D do cenário pseudo-medieval de Tolkien. Em particular, ele não descrevia apenas um mundo, mas uma sociedade: jogadores tinham de encaixar seus personagens em um detalhado e completo código feudal, com os nobres, servos e da enorme presença da Igreja Católica.

E embora as aventuras ainda seguissem um formato similar, a C&S jogou fora muitas das convenções estabelecidas por D&D – a exploração de dungeons deu lugar a missões por terra, os inimigos eram Pictos e Vikings em vez de bestas míticas e feiticeiros que tiveram que estudar realmente para ficar mais forte.

O problema com C&S foi que ele tentou fazer demais. Na tentativa de simular todas as coisas que D&D deixou de fora, ele enterrou-se em suas próprias mecânicas sem fim. Por exemplo, os jogadores não tinham que apenas jogar oito atributos, mas também raça, idade, sexo, altura, estrutura, alinhamento, horóscopo, saúde mental, classe social, ordem de nascimento, status da família e a ocupação de seus pais. No início desta, havia apenas muitas estatísticas calculadas, e um vago sistema de pericias. E isto era apenas para criação de personagens!

O fato das regras e dos rolamentos de dados serem mais complexas que as de D&D também não ajudou o jogo. Combate e magia faziam uso de ridículas e complexas tabelas de referencias cruzadas, e o sistema de pericias envolvia mais rolamento de dados que um jogo de dados.

Outro grande problema de C&S foi que ele tentou ser muito realista. Clérigos tinham que pregar sermões, cavaleiros tinham que gastar horas de jogo tentando obter dinheiro suficiente para comprar apenas as suas espadas, e jogar com um usuário de magia exigia muito tempo e esforço para recolher os ingredientes, estudar os feitiços e executar os rituais, que não sobrava tempo para se aventurar.

Curiosidades: C&S também ficará para a história como o primeiro jogo a utilizar o termo “Game Master”.

C&S é um exemplo dos problemas que surgem a partir de um sistema detalhado demais. Era tão demorado e tão detalhado, que muitas vezes deixava os jogadores cansavam de sua complexidade e magnitude. Mas a idéia de apresentar um mundo realisticamente detalhado como um cenário foi correta, assim como a idéia de jogar pessoas comuns se encaixavam na sociedade do mundo, em vez de super-heróis de contos de fadas  pobremente estereotipados. Apesar de este jogo também desaparecer no início dos anos oitenta, essas idéias continuam a ter influência em toda a história do RPG.

O império contra ataca

Enquanto tudo isso estava acontecendo, havia mais um jogo que estava a sendo jogado em segundo plano, e embora nunca ter atingido o sucesso financeiro dos dois acima, ele também afetou toda a indústria do jogo. O jogo foi chamado Empire of the Petal Throne (Império do Trono de Pétalas) (Barker, 1975), e foi criado por M. A. R. Barker.

Desde muito cedo, Barker foi obcecado com duas coisas: lingüística, e um mundo de fantasia que ele criou chamado Tekumel, e ambos os seus interesses cresceram em complexidade a medida que ele ficava mais velho. Barker passou a estudar lingüística na faculdade, onde ele colocou os últimos retoques em seu mundo, incluindo uma completa linguagem para o país principal, Tsolyanu. De fato, na arte de línguas fantasticas, Barker até iguala-se ou supera o mestre, Tolkien.

Curiosidades: Barker e Tolkien tem muitas similaridades, tanto em suas obras como em suas vidas. Tanto é, que Barker foi muitas vezes referido como o “Tolkien do RPG “.

Então, lá estava Barker, com este incrível mundo em sua cabeça, e nada o que fazer com ele, uma vez que ele não era um escritor. Vinte anos depois que ele havia deixado Tekumel para trás para se concentrar em seus estudos, ele encontrou D&D. Ele imediatamente começou a trabalhar no seu jogo, e ele foi o segundo RPG no mercado.

Em termos de cenário, Petal Throne era tudo que D&D não foi. Não havia nenhuma descrições vagas ou sugestões medievais: Barker sabia exatamente como era o seu mundo, até o menor detalhe, e tudo isso estava no livro de regra. Deuses, religiões, rituais, governos, vestimentas, costumes, hábitos, e mais importante, as línguas foram estabelecidas para cada nação do planeta. E eles não eram os deuses, religiões, etc de um mundo medieval ocidentalizado. Barker pegou suas experiências sobre a Índia e Ásia para criar culturas extremamente selvagens e totalmente estranhas ao RPGista americano padrão.

Esta combinação de detalhes minuciosos de um mundo alienígena foi um dos cenários de campanha mais cativante já criado. C&S era simplesmente D&D com um cenário ricamente detalhado. Petal Throne foi um jogo em que o sistema e cenários trabalhavam em conjunto para produzir um mundo que não só parecia vivo, mas parecia como se estivesse vivendo nele. Os personagens estavam amarrados na estrutura de poder – religiosamente e politicamente – e os decisões destes poderes serviam de plano de fundo para as aventuras. De repente jogadores já não eram mais cavaleiros matando dragões – eles eram Tsemels (guerreiro-cardeais), conduzindo uma guerra santa contra os vizinhos hereges. E com habilidade lingüística de Barker permitindo jogadores falar uma língua completamente novas, jogar Petal Throne era realmente como estar lá.

Curiosidades: Devido ao profundo conhecimento de Barker do mundo, e do pequeno número de grupos jogando, Barker foi capaz de ajustar e atualizar o seu mundo com base nas ações de grupos em todo o E.U.!

Se Petal Throne tivesse ficado popular, nós não teríamos que ter esperado quinze anos para outros mundos profundos e maravilhosos que estão sendo produzidos hoje, tais como o Mundo das Trevas. Ele não estava, a pesar de tudo, ficando popular, a sua grande força – e a sua presença – também foi a sua ruína. O mundo de Barker era tão complexo e poderoso que  era uma maldição para a maioria dos jogadores utilizarem. GMs não poderiam realmente adaptar o mundo para se adequar a seu estilo de jogo sem perder o gostinho único de Tekumel. Na verdade, dizia-se que a única pessoa que poderia mestrar Petal Throne corretamente era o próprio Barker. Os jogadores tinham que também conhecer intimamente Tekumel antes de poderem interpretar decentemente em um mundo estranho. Freqüentemente, ele apenas sumia da mente de todos, e assim Empire of the Petal Throne também desapareceu rapidamente.

Capa Original de Empire of the Petal Throne

Portanto, nenhuns dos três grandes sucessores conseguiram durar muito, ou mesmo superar, o Dungeons e Dragons original. Mas todos eles foram interessantes, porque entre eles, o futuro do hobby foi desenhado. Comparando T&T e C&S, podemos ver o início da eterna luta dos sistemas de regras do RPG: o da complexidade versus aproximação, detalhe versus jogabilidade e simulação da realidade versus pura diversão. E examinando Petal Throne podemos ver também os intricados problemas nos cenários: criar um mundo forte e detalhado, que permite imersão suficiente, mas ainda assim seja acessível e maleável o suficiente para todos desfrutarem.

Cada jogo também foi revolucionário em seu próprio sentido, trazendo novas e fantásticas idéias para o RPG em um espaço de tempo incrivelmente curto, idéias que mais tarde formariam a espinha dorsal da indústria. Embora eles tenham morrido por si mesmos, o salto que eles fizeram em poucos anos iria ajudar a trazer o RPG de um spin-off capenga dos wargames até algo que se aproxima de uma forma de arte. Mas nós estamos nos adiantando de novo.

Curiosidades: Runequest será discutido na terceira parte desta história, por isso não deixe de dar uma olhada na nossa próxima matéria(edição). Não se esqueça de comentar (registrar), para que possamos informá-lo quando ela sair!

O tardio Runequest foi dedicado a “Dave Arneson e Gary Gygax, que abriram pela primeira vez a caixa de Pandora, e para Ken St Andre, que descobriu que podia ser aberta novamente.” Isso resume muito bem a contribuição final que estes jogos trouxeram para a história do RPG. Simplesmente por existirem, por serem feito, comprados e jogados, eles provaram que o RPG era mais do que apenas D&D, e que este novo conceito era algo mais que estava acima das marcas, que era algo que iria durar, algo que foi revolucionário, algo que era bom.

NOTA DO TRADUTOR: Olá a todos, quem quizer receber uma mensagem por e-mail avisando da proxima matéria pode comentar (deixando seu e-mail no espaço apropriado), que enviarei uma pequena nota avisando da matéria. Quem quizer receber um e-mail avisndo sobre qualquer nova matéria basta deixar isso bem claro nos comentários. Deixem também comentários sobre o que achou da matéria,  sobre erros no texto ou em seu navegador. Até mais.

]]> http://planetstories.wordpress.com/2009/04/30/planet-stories-update/ Thu, 30 Apr 2009 22:20:00 +0000 erikmona http://planetstories.wordpress.com/2009/04/30/planet-stories-update/

While the “next week” big announcement for Planet Stories looks like it’s going to get shoved off another week until we can get the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game out the door, I did want to drop by with a number of updates regarding recent Planet Stories happenings that will interest readers of this blog.

Cover illustration by Andrew Hou

The Origins Awards are the longest-running awards in the game industry, and it is an honor to be nominated.

Infernal Sorceress came out last August, and got pretty good penetration into chain bookstores, but I’ve noticed that most stores have stopped restocking the book. If you have yet to read this epic fantasy novel—the very last written by D&D creator Gary Gygax—you can still pick it up from the Paizo.com online store.

2. We’ve been pulled into the Twitterverse! After resisting what seemed like a pointless service for months and months, we finally broke down and set up new Twitter accounts at @paizo (for mostly game-related postings) and @planetstoriesTM (for Planet Stories-related posts). Both accounts have already drawn an impressive number of followers, and we urge you to join in the conversation!

3. Senior Editor Pierce Watters is in his homeland of Texas this week. In between sales calls, he managed to have lunch with Michael Moorcock to discuss future Planet Stories projects. What could possibly come of that? Stay tuned for some unbelievably cool news on that front, true believers!

Original cover to 1952 Gnome Press edition.

Cover of 1948 Fantastic Novels edition.

5. Speaking of A. Merritt’s The Ship of Ishtar, many thanks to the superlative Robert E. Howard-focused blog The Cimmerian for giving a shout-out to the forthcoming release of this pivotal work in the field of sword & sorcery. Of all the authors I’ve “discovered” since setting out to publish the best out-of-print fantasy in Planet Stories, Merritt is perhaps my favorite. His influence on the writing style of H. P. Lovecraft and C. L. Moore in particular is undeniable, and it is a shame that modern readers are not more familiar with his work. I’m trying to do something about that, and with the help of allies like The Cimmerian, I think there’s a good chance that old Abraham Merritt might just find a new audience.

Oh, and once we announce the interior art details, the folks at The Cimmerian will no doubt feel very self-assured with their declaration of the Planet Stories edition as “the best edition of The Ship of Ishtar between two covers ever“.

Oh, yes.

Much more to come!

"An elegant game... for a more civilized age."

Son estas cosas por las que adoro YouTube. Hace unos dias me halle este documento historico de gran valor y relevancia en mi RSS.

Primero que nada, antecedentes: Confieso sin reservas y orgullosamente que en mi juventud fui un gran aficionado y jugador hardcorero de Dungeons & Dragons. Advanced Dungeons & Dragons para ser exactos, creanme que hace una diferencia. Durante muchos fines de semana me la pase entre manuales, dados, hojas de personaje, notas y dibujos por horas y horas. Pocas cosas me han divertido mas. En algun sentido jamás he vuelto a encontrar algo que logre capturar la diversión de esos dias y reconozco que me fascinaba eso de andar memorizando todas las reglas, estadísticas y nombres requeridos para poder jugar decentemente. De hecho asi fué donde conoci a varios de los comentaristas mas asiduos de este blog y eso sirvió para hacernos amigos inseparables. De esto ya he hablado, lamentablemente por los peores motivos al inicio de estas páginas.

Esto fué como a finales de los 80’s. Antes de esto hubo un periodo bastante negro en la historia de este juego en la que se le acusó de ser la causa de varios suicidios adolescentes, y mas extraño aun, de fomentar el satanismo y la hechicería entre los jugadores. Si esto es cierto, entonces yo pertenecía al grupo de jugadores mas fresa del Cosmos porque de tragar pizza en cuadritos (característica única de las pizzas de la localidad en ese momento) y Gatorade en cantidades industriales no pasábamos.

Siendo asi, damas y caballeros, les dejo el legendario programa de “60 Minutos” de 1985 donde los valerosos y profesionales reporteros de este programa se lanzan a investigar la verdad detrás de este controvertido juego. Son como 17 mins. en 2 partes. Acuerdense de que son los 80’s y no se rian muy fuerte.

Parte II

Alguien por favor avísele al Gran Dragón (retirado) de nuestra Logia Satánica que si puede pasar a ver esto por favor, porque no suele darse una vuelta por estas páginas muy seguido.

¿Como ven?

Sobra decir lo absurdo que es esto, aun entonces ya era una tontería y a distancia la verdad es que es difícil de creer que algo asi haya sido tomado tan en serio.

Como mera referencia, les dejo una investigación al respecto de la persona que se menciona en este reportaje, Patricia Pulling. Como verán no todo es como lo pintan, por supuesto.

Bueno, pues voy a comer algo y regreso en 1D10 minutos

Saludos

Lamentations of the Flame Princess is doing a great, in-depth many-part series on the Gygax book “Role-Playing Mastery.” I strongly recommend it.

I still have this book.  I can’t say I like it.  In fact, reading it was a bit of a watershed moment for me; it’s when I decided to bail on D&D.  I came back eventually, with the launch of 3e, but basically reading the book made me think, “If this is what D&D is really about…  I am going to try some of these other games I’ve heard about instead.”

It took a bit of playing other games and learning some other things to have the self-possession to say “Well, I’ll come back to D&D and play it how I want, instead.”  LotFP links to a rpg.net review that about sums up my take.   And in the non-Internet world, I didn’t know about the Gygax break with TSR, to me and other gamers in small town Texas, Gygax was D&D and his word was law.  And now reading him hold forth at greater length than ever before about what D&D is/should be – I rejected it.

What Gygax presented as being the acme of roleplay – essentially, gamist group competition – was not what I wanted.  I’ve done some RPGA over the years and those are always my least favorite RP experiences by far.   There are loads of small details of advice in the book, some good, some bad, but its overall zeitgeist was that- rule mastery, overcoming challenges – this is the acme of role-playing mastery.  I had even at that tender age started to value world realism, plot, character immersion…  None of which were reflected at all in his screed.  I reckon I figured you had to take it all or not, so I chose not.

I started obsessively collecting RPGs.  You don’t even want to know how many I have.  I wanted to do different things, and decried friends who wouldn’t play anything else as “D&D whores” stuck in the “D&D ghetto.”

Older and wiser, having learned much (I hesitate to call what I learned “role-playing mastery,” but IMO it was more worthwhile than what the book claimed under that rubric), I returned to play D&D.  Though to be honest, I’d prefer for it to be about 30% of my gaming diet, and it’s much more than that.  “I’m taking it back!”

So it all turned out all right.  With perspective, I regained my appreciation of D&D and Gygax.  Years later, after the rise of the Net, Gygax himself flamed me as “fatuous and jejeune” on his mailing list for daring to say… his game with lots of j’s in the name, I forget which one, there were a couple… was pretty derivative of D&D.   Sure, I thought “Deal with it, you coke-snorting old hack,” but it was with fondness.  (After looking up WTF “fatuous” and “jejeune” meant.)

Mit Argamaes Überblick über Golarion geht weiter, diesmal mit den Regionen Golarions – entsprechend dem zweitem Kapitel des Pathfinder Chronicles Campaign Setting.

In Kapitel 2 fährt das Hardcover dann zu voller Stärke hoch: die Regionsbeschreibung der “Inner Sea” (dt. Inneres Meer). Den Löwenanteil der 250+ Seiten machen die Beschreibungen der Nationen und Länder rund um das Innere Meer aus. Hierbei werden die Kontinente Avistan und Garund berücksichtigt, wobei der südliche Kontinten Garund (ungefähr vergleichbar mit Afrika) nicht vollständig erfaßt wird. Das Innere Meer ist denn auch der Hauptschauplatz des gesamten Settings.

Die fast 40 Landstriche, Reiche und Nationen (von Absalom, der gewaltigen Metropole im Herzen des Inneren Meeres bis zum dämonischen Kriegsgebiet der “Weltwunde”) folgen in der Präsentation dem altbewährten Muster aus Gygaxs’ Tagen: in einem separaten Textkasten werden Gesinnung, Hauptstadt, erwähnenswerte Siedlungen, Herrscher, Regierungsform, Sprachen und vorherrschende Religionen genannt. Optisch eingeleitet wird jede Beschreibung jedoch vom Namen, einer Ein-Satz-Kurzbeschreibung sowie dem Wappen bzw. der Nationalflagge.

Diese Ein-Satz-Kurzbeschreibungen fangen auf einen Blick den wesentlichen Aspekt bzw. Charakter der Nation bzw. des Landes ein, etwa “Stadt im Zentrum der Welt” bei Absalom, “Religiöses Paradies der Kaufleute” für die Kalistrokratie von Druma, “Wachsames Grenzkönigreich” für Lastwall oder “Monument an einen verlorenen Zaubererkönig” im Lande Nex.
Wie auch bei den Rassen- und Volksbeschreibungen wird jeder Ländereintrag auf 2 oder 4 Seiten dargelegt, je nach Größe und Bedeutung der Nation. Auf diesen Seiten wird die geschichtliche Entwicklung geschildert, auf besondere Orte oder geographische Merkmale eingegangen und die Regierung erläutert. Mindestens eine Zusatzillustration zeigt dann z.B. Herrscher, Münzen oder Karten der Region.

Cooles Detail: für jeden Eintrag (sprich: Land) wird ein “regional feat” (Regionaltalent) vorgestellt, daß Charaktere aus diesem Reich unter bestimmten Bedingungen auswählen können. Diese Talente sind nicht nur schmuckes Beiwerk sondern durchaus nützlich. Darüber hinaus färben sie oft den Nationalcharakter des Landes und machen ihn so besonders anschaulich. Das erste Kampagnensetting, daß von solchen Regionaltalenten Gebrauch machte, war meines Wissens “Die Vergessenen Reiche”.

Neben der zweiseitigen Einleitung (bevor die einzelnen Nationsbeschreibungen starten) gibt es auch noch abschließend in diesem Kapitel eine sechsseitige Zusammenfassung über die anderen Kontinente auf Golarion. “Jenseits des Inneren Meeres” erläutert den Rest des Superkontinentes Casmaron, die Geheimnisse von Azlant, das Asiatenreich von Tian Xia sowie weitere Einzelheiten zum Rest der Welt.

Olaf Buddenberg

Argamaes zweiter Teil der Vorstellung der Kampagnenwelt von Pathfinder:

Man kann sagen, daß GOLARION ein großes Amalgam aus vielen Versatzstücken ist, aber es dennoch schafft, einen eigenen Stil zu verkörpern. Generationen von D&D-Kampagnenwelten haben hier ihren Fingerabdruck hinterlassen, sowohl inhaltlich als auch in der Präsentation: Gygaxs “Greyhawk” und dessen Inspirationen (etwa die hyborische Welt von Conan) sind ebenso zu spüren wie epische Einflüsse (etwa “Mittelerde”) und moderne Stilverquickungen (etwa mangaeske bzw. japanische Techno-Fantasie).

Insgesamt ist mit Golarion eine enorm vielfältige Welt aus der Taufe gehoben worden, die der ganzen Bandbreite von Fantasy-Strömungen ein Zuhause bietet – von “Dark” über “Low” und “High” bis hin zu “Epic” und “Steampunk Fantasy” sowie “Swords & Sorcery” kann man hier seine Nische finden. Bestimmte Stilrichtungen dominieren jedoch über andere.
Interessant ist, daß trotz dieser Patchwork-Struktur alles ein homogenes Ganzes bildet: zusammengehalten von einer detaillierten Weltgeschichte, die in einigen Belangen viel von unserer eigenen Mythologie widerspiegelt. Darüber hinaus bietet das Setting auch eine eigene Kosmologie, die in einigen feinen Punkten vom Standard-Weltenbau der D&D-Grundregelwerke abweicht.

Überhaupt sind es die Abweichungen und Neuschreibungen vieler D&D-Standards, die Golarion seinen eigenen Stil bescheren und es auch so “erwachsen” wirken lassen. So findet man z.B. alle typischen D&D-Rassen wieder, ist aber gut beraten, sie mit einem jungfräulichen Auge zu betrachten, da sie auf Golarion mitunter nicht der klassischen Typisierung entsprechen.

Diese Gratwanderung zwischen Etabliertem (das den traditionellen D&D-Fan zufrieden stimmt) und Neuinterpretiertem (das den weltenübersättigten D&D-Spieler zum Weiterblättern animiert) ist nicht leicht – aber ich wage zu behaupten, das sie gelingt. Diese Mischung aus “Okay, das kenn’ ich” und “Hey, das ist aber cool” macht denn auch den Reiz von Golarion aus.

Überhaupt muß ich sagen, daß Pathfinder und seine Welt Golarion genau die “Coolness” versprühen, die D&D 4 zu haben vorgibt. Aber es ist eben nicht bloß “cool” bzw. sieht so aus, sondern besitzt eine enorme spielerische Substanz, die mich sofort in ihren Bann geschlagen hat.

Olaf Buddenberg

Moi ce que j’aimais lire quand j’étais plus jeune, c’était des romans d’anticipation. Des trucs bien flippants et hyper technologiques. CyberFlics, cyberClébarts, cyberNichons. C’est bien simple, toute la société était cybernétique. Et vas-y que je te cliques, et je t’envoie mon flux électronique, et je t’upload le fichier de ma tante. Ah ça on peut dire que ça cliquaillait vraiment de partout dans mes bouquins; même le Sylvain le boucher de la rue Linux touchait plus à sa viande. Il suffisait qu’il regarde intensément un petit boîtier noir pour que soient numérisées ses pensées et qu’apparaisse sur la neutro-balance un beau rosbeef de 600 grammes qui allait ravir toutes la famille en ce beau dimanche nucléaire d’avril 2017. C’était une société idéale où tous les problèmes avaient trouvé leur solution. Plus de microbes, plus de pauvres, plus de travail, plus de guerre, un monde idyllique dirigé du haut d’une gigantesque tour par un ensemble de processeurs programmés pour respecter les Lois des Robots d’Asymov et ainsi mener l’humanité d’une voix fluttée quasi orgasmique jusqu’au nirvana social. Et ça roulait comme ça, des hologrammes gigantesques diffusaient les images des meetings des dirigeants GYGAX, ceux là même qui avaient programmé les droïdes régisseurs du bonheur humain ; on assistait à un déferlement d’enthousiasme de la part d’une foule toujours plus nombreuse et toujours plus prompte à scander GYGAX! GYGAX!
Ainsi, si l’on exceptait quelques vieux sous-drônes libidineux qui s’ouvraient le capot devant d’antiques radiateurs à bain d’huile, partout dans les Mégacitopolis régnait la douceur de vivre ; un mode de vie parfait et sans vices où les enfants pouvaient enfin courir dans les parcs en se régalant de bonbons Vertèbres sans risquer autre chose que de voir leurs lèvres se gercer de tant de sourires.
Jusqu’à la putain de page 217. Là, en général, un petit truc de rien du tout, un demi grain de sable rachitique, un rebel douze des déchetteries se mettait à semer la zone. Un de ces humain mal formaté aux cheveux drus qui habitait dans les angles tranchants des cités exilées, dans ces villes rebuts où la loi faisait rire et grincer quelques dents sur le ciment, là où le gouvernement envoyait comme au bagne les esprits retors à toute forme de civilisation s’enrhumer aux vents pestilentiels des pôles de retraitement organiques, à jamais condamnés à ne pas être heureux et sentir le rognon. Les vils.
A partir de là, tout partait en couille. Les anomalies séquentielles postulaient à la multiplication, des chimères oniriques se mettaient à mordre leur propriétaire, un enfant se trouvait foudroyé en classe d’avoir simplement levé le bras pour répondre à sa gentille maîtresse un jour d’orage, son autopsie révélant un taux de broxyde de smoul 10 fois supérieur à la norme – on découvre aussi que le broxyde de smoul est utilisé en loucedé pour la fabrication des bonbons Vertèbres. Ca déconne sévère de partout dans les cités et les cybers GygaCops, stressés qu’ils sont par la zone qu’a mis le rebel aux cheveux drus et sa bande se mettent à arrêter et cogner sur tout ce qui bouge. A un moment même sur le trottoir y a une petite vieille qui veut leur donner des bonbons Vertèbres pour leur souhaiter bon courage dans leur mission de pacification et ils la déglinguent comme une vieille flaque. La scène se passe devant les yeux humides du Rebel XII et de sa bande qui jure de tout faire pour de changer ce monde sans âme et venger la petite vieille.
La fin du bouquin devenait de plus en plus flippante, les autorités SupraNationales mettant tout en oeuvre, massacres de grosses femmes, sacrifices de pauvres cons, lobotomies payantes, pour restaurer le bonheur enfui par la faute de ces gens imparfaits, sales pauvres et ingrats
-”Mais palsambleu Virginie, que veulent-ils que nous ne leur donnons pas ?!” s’exclama le Gouverneur en proie au doute.
J’avais quatorze ans et je sortais souvent de ces bouquins avec le cerveau en sueur, les neurones moites, et la sensation d’un malaise quasi palpable, comme si j’avais une paroi de métal dans la tête qui m’empêchait de penser librement. Je regardais alors à la fenêtre histoire de me rassurer, de voir que ma rue était toujours pareille, pas d’HéliScooter, pas de VideoDelator, pas de GygaCops avec leur Pulsar et leur clébarts GygaDobs, seulement Pascal sur son 102 et Monsieur Maes qui traîne son vieux lévrier pas encore mort.
C’est dans ces moments là que j’adorais que ma mère m’appelle pour venir manger, j’oubliais illico mon angoisse futuriste et je revenais soulagé dans cette réalité imparfaite qui, peux-tu le croire, laissait des fils dans la soupe aux légumes.

First up, this month’s WAR grab bag from Mythic. This one is a winner, it discusses zone control in detail and how zones become locked at Tier 4. They also list all the renown rank titles for every race (holy crap, these things go up to rank 100??) and have some screenshots of female Knights of the Burning Sun and Blackguards just to prove that yes, Mythic have found artists who can draw kickass female fighters in plate. Oddly enough, while male Swordmasters ARGUABLY look a bit girly, the female Blackguards look like male impersonators. And if you want to try one early, they confirm that the Heavy Metal daily quests will be soloable, quick, and available to characters at any rank.

Mark Jacobs stops by the Vault boards to update on the Public Test Server and point out some more tweaks being made (for tweaks, read buffs/nerfs depending on your archetype). Also says the PTS due to go live this weekend, update mentioned at A Wall of Text, which alerted me to it.

This is an old (but interesting) article I found on Gamasutra about design issues with hybrid classes.

Wendy Despain talks about video games that bark (a bark is the slang for the words that an NPC says randomly when you click on it.)

In the category of ‘I couldn’t make this shit up’, the US army wants to try out its AI in MMOs. As if Barrens Chat (old WoW dino joke) wasn’t bad enough.

Gary Gygax’s favourite Christian charity refuses donation from GenCon because of its association with D&D. Here’s a cartoon about it.

If you can’t beat it, tax it! China is going to impose a tax on virtual goods income (ie. gold farming, among other things).

That last link reminded me of a cool story about Michael Faraday, who explained the importance of electricity to the prime minister of the day with the insightful comment, “One day, sir, you may tax it.” Read it and other stories about famous scientists here.

Just in time for the Christmas rush, Square-Enix open a European random stuff store. So now you can have those plastic models of Sephiroth and Vincent Valentine to do funky fangirl things with at last. And if your fanfic is good enough, you might even get a job with them!

Here’s a WoW link in preparation for the expansion next week: Jame’s Guide to Death Knight Levelling (55-61). This is for people who want to do it the most efficient way possible.

Bit late for the US elections but here are a couple of links:

A funky typographic summary of this US election campaign. (nb. site is safe for work but the URL isn’t, go figure).

And another interesting typographic fact, last Wednesday was only the fourth time that the New York Times has used a 96 pt font for the front page.

Campaign gossip, courtesy of Newsweek and the Huffington Post. This one made me laugh though:

The debates unnerved both candidates. When he was preparing for the Democratic primary debates, Obama was recorded saying, “I don’t consider this to be a good format for me, which makes me more cautious. I often find myself trapped by the questions and thinking to myself, ‘You know, this is a stupid question, but let me … answer it.’ So when Brian Williams is asking me about what’s a personal thing that you’ve done [that's green], and I say, you know, ‘Well, I planted a bunch of trees.’ And he says, ‘I’m talking about personal.’ What I’m thinking in my head is, ‘Well, the truth is, Brian, we can’t solve global warming because I f—ing changed light bulbs in my house. It’s because of something collective’.”

Vote for your favourite US election candidate in Spore.

For everyone who is enjoying seeing their opponents (political or otherwise) weeping sweet sweet tears, this is John Scalzi’s recipe for Schadenfreude Pie

(Taken from www.giantitp.com, written by Rich Burlew)

As has been reported by a few other gaming blogs and news sites, the Charity Auction at this year’s GenCon Indianapolis was held to benefit Gary Gygax’s favorite charity, which I will not name here for reasons that will soon become obvious. The fine folks at GenCon raised over $17,000 for this charity, which helps starving children in impovershed areas of the world–only to have that money actually turned down by the charity. The charity refused due to the fact that the money was raised partly by the sales of Dungeons and Dragons materials, which as we all know, puts an irrevocable taint of evil on the filthy lucre that us demon-worshipping gamers might want to use to, say, donate to starving children. Not only is this a slap in the face to every gamer, but it is especially insulting to Mr. Gygax himself, who I understand donated to their cause many times over the years. Plus, I’m sure the children who would have gotten food or clean drinking water with that money would be sort of upset, too.

I bring this story to your attention not simply so that you might let the people at this charity know how you feel (especially if you have donated to it before, as many did in the wake of Mr. Gygax’s passing), but so that you would be aware that there is an alternative charity that I would personally recommend (based on our own charitable giving) if you have a desire to donate money to help starving children. Plan USA is a worldwide charity aimed at helping those who live in poverty and/or have suffered from a natural disaster, particularly with monthly sponsorships of individual children. Since the money of D&D players is clearly not welcome at this other charity, I can’t recommend Plan USA highly enough to those interested in giving anyway. At least if you choose to donate through them, there’s no chance your generous gifts to the starving children of the world will be rejected due to your weekend hobby.

(Incidentally, GenCon was also able to find another worthy charity with an entirely different focus, the Fisher House Foundation, that was willing to accept the money given in good faith by GenCon attendees.)

Wow, that was quick.

The hardest part was coming up with a name. Really, I had about 10 that I went through before a friend recommended the final one – “Corner of My Eye”. It was a blast to paint – and I’m getting a bit more in sync with the coloring process. I think it’s going to be the beginning of a sequence of pieces that are Dungeons & Dragons themed. Why? Well, in honor of Gary Gygax for one and well – because I always thought the monsters were freaking neat.  And I’m happy to say that I didn’t spill any paint on myself this time – Here is the final version: ‘His eyes are always watching, unless he gets distracted by shiny rocks. Oh a kitty!’

"Corner of My Eye" - 5"x5" Acrylic on Canvas

Also here’s a watercolor painting I made on Friday when someone basically shouted ‘hey! make me a drawing! A tiger!’ on teamspeak and I kindly obliged. I have a hard time drawing cats, for some reason, and that’s what took the longest. The final watercolor took 20 minutes.

20 minute Session Painting - Tiger - watercolor on 5.5"x8.5".

My goatee wants to sleep. So I shall oblige.

A while back Rabbi Jonathan Romain wrote thoughtfully on some Jewish approaches to the existence or non-existence of God.

The heading of this article is ‘Jews don’t have to believe – if they do what he says’. And clearly this needs a little unpacking.

It may make a certain sort of sense to ‘do what he says’ if you believe in the kind of God who expects obedience. But what if you don’t? If there is no ‘he’ what is the justification for keeping his law? Three questions arise in particular.

First, It’s fairly obvious that if you insist on obeying the commandments of a deity whose existence you deny, and have no considered reasons for doing so, you are in an untenable position in the long-term. So could there be good and sustainable reasons for this behaviour?

Second, there is an aporia in Romain’s piece – a question going begging. At the start he writes as though a decline in synagogue attendance is some kind of problem to be lamented and he identifies Jewish atheism or agnosticism as the culprit.

‘No wonder they do not come back to pray to a God they reckon is absent.’

But by the end, he seems to be excusing the non-attenders on the grounds that Judaism isn’t consensually about belief in any case. The lingering question, then, is whether it matters that synagogues are reportedly emptying. And if it does, would a return to dogmatic belief be any kind of solution, or just promote further alienation?

Third (or eighth and ninth if you’re actually counting), the tradition itself does seem to have an ongoing debate about the significance of attitudes to rules, which Romain seems to skip over rather lightly. This was why the Christian Reformers critiqued what they saw as the ‘legalism’ of the Roman Catholic Church. As they read the Bible for themselves, especially the Prophets, they became exposed to a strand of religious thought that prioritised disposition over practice, epitomised by the rather ungainly but significant metaphor of the law written in the heart. This debate continues into the present. Is it enough merely to keep the letter of the law? Don’t you also need at least a little respect for its spirit?

One partial resolution of these questions might be to see religious observance as a kind of game to be played.

Like any game it’s more fun if you have a set of rules, and almost impossible to continue if you don’t. It’s interesting that almost no one claims a supernatural being invented the rules of games, and yet game-playing is massively and enduringly popular. Conversely, the experience of being coerced into playing a rule-based game, as in a million school sports lessons in the rain, is usually very negative; it’s only when we freely consent to the rules, without authoritarianism, that the game becomes enjoyable. As anyone who has played games will tell you, the rules look fixed but really they’re contestable, and the evolving debate about the rules is a significant part of what makes the game socially worthwhile. Finally, and perhaps more than anything else, it’s a social thing: if you won’t play along, you’re missing out on all the fun.

Perhaps if synagogues and churches were more like that – more ludic in their disposition – they’d have more punters.

In case it is supposed that the analogy between religious practice and a game is frivolous, it should be remembered that games, as well as religious practice, can be very serious things.

The forthcoming TV drama God on Trial gives an example of a seriously playful approach to the problem of evil.

Objectors might argue that a really significant difference between a religion and a game has been overlooked: the difference being the divinity itself. After all, who ever heard of people getting together to behave as though fictional beings really existed? Actually, this is the main premise of fantasy role-playing games. These have taken the Internet and what used to be called ‘the younger generation’ by storm and may well point towards a viable future for religious practice. A concern would be that these ‘massively multiplayer games’ seem to encourage, to put it mildly, a certain lack of ethical seriousness. But hasn’t this always been the dilemma of religionists in an ethically frivolous world? And in any case, with a few notable exceptions this concern probably mistakes form for substance. Beneath the pixie dust and hidden deep in the alien bases lies a far-reaching ongoing experiment in character formation (a phrase the fans of Ignatius Loyola and Gary Gygax would be equally comfortable with). Far from denigrating ethics, games and their rules can actually establish an environment in which ethical behaviour is modelled, learned, and even mastered. In realising this aspiration the games known as religions can and should play an important part.

There seems to be quite a net furor on. Apparently several people, perhaps a gaming group, were at Gen Con wearing t-shirts saying “4e Killed Gary Gygax.” (There are further claims that a company was selling them at Gen Con, but as no one from the thousands of people at the con can quite remember which company it was, that stinks of wishful incorrectness.)

This immediately generated a wave of incorrect rumors that a company called Dragon Root was selling them at the con – they weren’t, but people are happily spreading the misinformation since no one wants truth to get in the way of “revenge porn,” as one ENWorld poster puts it. I’ve been treated to about a hundred forum posts by “offended” people who, claiming two or three more balls than they have in real life, want to “find whoever did it and beat them senseless.” (My ex, following along as I write this story, notes “There seems to be quite a lot of woodwork, doesn’t there!” with her trademark dry wit.)

1. Yes, it’s tasteless, and yes, it’s funny. It’s 2008, get over it. If you live in a flyover state that has a lower than usual irony/postmodern humor quotient, watch a Comedy Central roast or something.

2. 4e didn’t kill Gary, it just makes him roll over in his grave. Bonus Gamespy Interview quote:

GameSpy: Have you had a chance to play or even look at some of the current Dungeons & Dragons games?

Gygax: I’ve looked at them, yes, but I’m not really a fan. The new D&D is too rule intensive. It’s relegated the Dungeon Master to being an entertainer rather than master of the game. It’s done away with the archetypes, focused on nothing but combat and character power, lost the group cooperative aspect, bastardized the class-based system, and resembles a comic-book superheroes game more than a fantasy RPG where a player can play any alignment desired, not just lawful good.

Although I have my doubts about whether this is really a Gary quote, as it doesn’t use the words “fatuous,” “jejeune,” or “scrumdiddlyumptious.”

Anyway, all of you fruits feigning rage since of course YOU were the one who loved Gygax more than ANYONE – give it a rest, you’re passive-aggressively trying to cash in on his name yourself by publicly declaring yourself his biggest fan and posthumous defender. (Hey, Posthumous Defender, that’s a great name for a prestige class!)

All of you with real rage over it – and I say this in love – Jesus, get a grip and out of your parent’s damn basement, or the dark bungalow where you live singly (more common for older adult geeks). I’ve seen twenty people post “what must his FAAAAAAAAAAAMILY think.” Well, you’re not them, so keep it to your fucking self. How about instead, you show some sympathy and consideration to people you know when someone you actually *know* dies.

/PSA over.

La Repubblica Ceca fa il colpaccio e punisce la Svizzera con il primo tiro in porta. Primo tempo noioso e statico, secondo tempo vivace e più aperto. Sfortunati gli svizzeri, Repubblica Ceca compatta e “più squadra”.

La Svizzera meritava molto, ma molto di più, ed è stata anche sfortunata con quella traversa presa da Volanthen, e con l’infortunio di Frei, fin a quel momento unico che era riuscito a tirare in porta di entrambe le squadre. Primo tempo noioso, bloccato, le due squadre non sono proprio votate all’attacco e si temono, la Svizzera però ha il pubblico dalla sua parte ed attacca benissimo sulla destra con l’ottimo Behrami, giostrato da un centrocampo di grande qualità con l’udinese Inler e il bravissimo Barnetta (si dice nel mirino della Roma, sarebbe un buon acquisto). La Repubblica Ceca invece con tranquillità si difende, anche grazie alla grande esperienza dei 4 “italiani” schierati in campo, su tutti sicuramente Ujfalusi, maestoso, e migliore in campo.

Secondo tempo più vivace, la Svizzera capisce di potercela fare ma l’infortunio di Frei è un brutto colpo. Entra Yakin che si rivela un buon ricambio, da mobilità all’attacco, ma Streller è veramente inguardabile e non ne azzecca una. Così nel momento migliore della Svizzera segna la Repubblica Ceca con un bel gol di Sverkos, subentrato allo statico Koller. Così la Repubblica Ceca cambia completamente faccia, anche perchè sembrava troppo Koller-dipendente nel primo tempo. La Svizzera comunque attacca ma non c’è niente da fare. Serata storta per i padroni di casa, che si non si possono neanche consolare, visto che anche il miglior uomo si è infortunato.

Ottimi gli “italiani” in campo, forse solo Rozenhal un pò intimidito, pericoloso Behrami, regista Inler, mi è piaciuto moltissimo Barnetta, ripeto, ma anche buoni gli esterni Plasil e Jarolim. Parte bene la Repubblica Ceca, che però dovrà vedersela con il Portogallo di Ronaldo mercoledì.

SVIZZERA – REPUBBLICA CECA 0-1

SVIZZERA (4-4-2): Benaglio; Lichtsteiner (30’st Vonlanthen), Senderos, Muller, Magnin; Behrami (39’st Derdiyok), Inler, Fernandes, Barnetta; Streller, Frei (1’st Hakan Yakin). In panchina: Zuberbuhler, Jakupovic, Djourou, Huggel, Cabanas, Grichting, Gygax, Spycher, Degen. Allenatore: Kuhn

REPUBBLICA CECA (4-5-1): Cech; Grygera, Rozehnal, Ujfalusi, Jankulovski; Sionko (38’st Vlcek), Polak, Galasek, Jarolim (43’st Kovac), Plasil; Koller (12’st Sverkos). In panchina: Blazek, Zitka, Fenin, Kadlec, Baros, Matejovsky, Sivok, Skacel. Allenatore: Bruckner 6

ARBITRO: Rosetti (Ita)

RETE: 25’st Sverkos

NOTE: pomeriggio sereno, terreno in ottime condizioni, spettatori 33.433. Ammoniti: Magnin, Vonlanthen, Barnetta. Angoli: 6-3 per la Svizzera. Recupero: 1′; 3′ 1′

Cronaca della partita.

Foto (come al solito, sono i diritti della immagini sono dei rispettivi proprietari):

I haven’t played D&D for years, since I was probably 19 or so. That’s nearly two decades, but it still hits a certain nostalgic spot for me. I used to have all of the original Advanced Dungeons & Dragons hardback books, DM’s Guide, Player’s Handbook, Monster Manual, Deities & Demigods, and much more.

I’ve mentioned previously how D&D sparked my imagination & love of books, but when the recent news reports that Wizards is releasing a new version, I breezed over it and realized something: My fond memories are from AD&D. I loved the variety of dice, the homegrown feel of everything. The game, the franchise, has evolved into this d20 thing that is reported to be nothing like what I remember. It makes me more than a bit sad; I am heartbroken that I didn’t keep those old hardbacks books if for nothing more than nostalgia.

Enter OSRIC. the Old School Reference and Index Compilation. This compiles the old AD&D rules into a new volume, free of charge. You can continue playing the (best) version of the game you want. Even though it’s unlikely I’ll ever play again, I’m ecstatic that these core instructions will continue to be available. Apparently, its been ruled that rules are not copyrightable, so a few changes to exclude some trademarks and these folks are set. You can even order a printed set for a nominal fee. Go check it out.

Wired Magazine has published an excellent article on the life of the departed co-creator of D&D, Gary Gygax.   His passing has generated a surprising amount of coverage from the media; just goes to show how far the influence of gaming has spread, really.   (I just saw an animated Gygax in a Futurama episode last week!)  For more, check out these older posts of mine: 

• Gary Gygax Passes Away
• More Gygax Retrospective
• The Old Grey Lady on EGG

With the death of Dungeons and Dragons co-creator Gary Gygax, what better tribute could a Newton user pay than to use the MessagePad as a tool during games?

Thankfully, Matt How (aka, “Papa Duck”) has developed programs for that very purpose.

Matt has created Newton Dice Roller and a Newton D&D spells ebook – both are available, with source code, on his Papa Duck page for free.

Matt was kind enough to e-mail me more information about his Newton D&D projects.

“I have used electronic devices to support my role playing games since pretty much the beginning,” Matt told me. “I was playing with a Palm Zire for awhile and while searching the web for Palm based applications, I found a number of fancy dice rollers. These allowed you to set up combinations of dice and save them under a specific character name. Well I quickly outgrew the Zire but I liked the dice rollers. So I set down over a couple of evenings and created a character specific programmable dice roller for the Newton.”

Matt says he’s used everything from a Timex Sinclair to Atari and PCs. “But mostly I have created all manner of automated character sheets,” he says.



Matt’s dice roller works by compiling five pages of character stats automatically through nine dice rolls, after a character is created.

“I usually set up a page for melee attacks, one for ranged attacks, another for skill checks, etc.,” Matt says on his site. “Then the next time I play that character I just need to reload it to be ready to play.”

Matt’s ebook is made from Wizards of the Coast’s 3.5 System Reference Document (SRD).

Matt has been interested in programming since the Timex Sinclair days, he says, and now it’s his career – supplying accounting software to security firms.

“So it was only natural that I would start to program for the Newton,” he says. “I started with NS Basic but eventually went to NTK for the speed and universal deployment. I have made a number of small application along the way but my long term goal and on going project is Ladle. Ladle will be an application that will sync a Newton to Windows XP and Vista running the latest versions of Outlook.”

He says the Newton still has “the most bang for the buck,” especially since – for $150 or so – you get a capable, portable computer. Matt thinks the availability of software and the convenient screen size and battery life make the MessagePad still relevant. As for himself, Matt uses his Newton for record-keeping for several organizations he’s involved with, Bible-reading software, e-mail and web surfing, and mapping for travel.

“Suffice it to say, I carry my Newton everywhere I go and pull it out constantly,” he says. “When I arrive at work, it is the first thing placed on my desk.”

Matt thinks that more and more people are leaving the Newton platform, but thinks they should reconsider.

“I think that the Newton is still viable. Mostly it lacks in the internet area. But in all other areas it still excels,” he says. “I think that people should consider keeping their Newton and possibly adding a internet device of some type. I carry a Nintendo DS to supplement the Newton in web browsing. But the Newton is still my primary portable computer.”

Thanks to developers like Matt, the Newton can remain a viable option for folks on the go. And for first-level Elf Mages needing a set of stats to get them started.

Be sure to check out Matt’s other Newton software projects, like his Newton Dump and Newton Holidays, all available for free.