How to Run an Online RPG Convention

Posted on July 16, 2012 by Brent

 

'Magnum, P.I.' by Mira Hartford on Flickr

‘Magnum, P.I.’ by Mira Hartford on Flickr

Indie+, an online RPG convention on Google+, finished today. I was one of the four sponsors who co-ordinated and ran the whole thing: 21 games and  7 panels scheduled for all hours of the week, including integration with YouTube, Google+, and a wiki.

A few weeks ago, we put out a call for potential hosts, asking them to add potential games or panels to our wiki. Once the new Event functionality appeared on Google+, we switched to that: we asked hosts to create an Event for their game or panel, then share it with our Indie+ page on Google+. We then re-shared those Events with our followers, and updated a Google Calendar and a schedule on the wiki.

Why did we have both a Google Calendar and a schedule on the wiki? Because we didn’t think about having a GCalendar initially, then someone set it up for us. We couldn’t integrate the GCalendar into the wiki, and folks had been told to fill out the wiki. So we ended up maintaining both.

Then we discovered some misleading terminology and unfortunate functionality within Events. An “Event On Air” couldn’t be streamed live, for example, and starting a Hangout (live video chat) from within an Event blocked it from live streaming, too. So we had to ask hosts to manage the Hangout separately from the Event.

Each sponsor took responsibility for one major element of the con: panels for one person, games for another, etc. This turned out to be a mistake, as we had games spanning a fairly wide range of time zones, so the Game Guy (me) couldn’t always be around to help.

So we leapt over stumbling blocks, and stumbled plenty ourselves. The result? 13 games and 7 panels happened, which was recorded into a total of 36 hours’ worth of indie RPG games and discussions.

Because we went ahead and did it. FILDI.

Categories: Uncategorized | 1 Comment

50 Games in 50 Weeks: Shadowrun 4E

Posted on July 12, 2012 by Brent
Shadowrun on My Mind by John McKenna

Shadowrun on My Mind by John McKenna

I’d heard bad things about Shadowrun, that the world was much more fun than the system.

Fortunately, I played 4th Edition, which made complete sense. Character sheets were heavy-laden with skills and stats, but easy to understand.

The system features a straightforward core mechanic: assemble a die pool out of your abilities and roll it against a target number. If you roll a lot of 1s, something really bad happens.

The system benefits from many years of evolution. I felt like the system started with a heavy emphasis on crunch, then over time the more complex parts were re-factored out and storytelling elements were worked in. The current incarnation can handle crunch-heavy and crunch-light games with ease.

I also had the good fortune to play under an awesome GM. He knew the system, he knew the adventure, and he was completely open to player actions. He listened.

We finished in about two hours, which was half of our four-hour slot at Origins. The GM apologized, and offered to throw other stuff into the adventure; we players thanked him and politely declined. We were happy to have some extra time at the con, especially after a fantastic, memorable session. Much better to play a great two-hour session than a four-hour slog.

I don’t actually remember much of the system; I mostly remember having a great time. Isn’t that awesome?

Categories: 50 Games in 50 Weeks | 5 Comments

The Places of Pyre: The Nobles’ District

Posted on July 10, 2012 by Brent

This is part of my “Pyre” world.

The Nobles’ District

Common Enemies: Shockers, Oriforged Constructs, Entrapment Orbs, and Doms

This district once housed the nobles who co-ordinated life in Pyre.

They went craziest during Twilight. They mounted elaborate death traps that quickly broke down, and stationed—all told—thousands of Constructs to guard their property. As a result, the Nobles’ District is the most confused wreck of the city, as it contains many well-guarded mansions. However, great wealth can often be found within those mansions.

Near the north end of the Nobles’ District is the Hall of Statecraft. This is a long, low building with a tall center tower that now leans badly to the side. That tower holds a huge array of communications equipment, which an enterprising adventurer may be able to decipher and get working again.

A good example of the sorts of dangers in the Nobles’ District is a lightning hallway: flame jets erupt from spaces in the walls at intervals: on, on, off (but they start at different points in the cycle). At the other end of the hallway, a damaged orb fires blasts of lightning at anything that nears.

The Design of the Houses

Most manor houses were designed more for entertaining than for habitation. As such, most are an “eclectic” jumble of rooms 10 to 20 yards on each side, occasionally connected by long hallways.

The nobles were badly looted during Twilight, so little furniture remains. However, quite a few treasure chests were hidden beneath floors and behind paintings.

There are plenty of traps, though. The nobles loved traps with the following triggers:

  • Pressure plates on the floor
  • Sensors indicating movement
  • Sensors indicating the presence of a living creature

These traps usually cause:

  • Poison darts
  • Jets of fire
  • Clouds of poison
Categories: Pyre | Tags: | Leave a comment

Quick Promotion

Posted on July 10, 2012 by Brent

Indie+ LogoI’m helping to run an online game convention, Indie+. It’s a con run as a set of independently-run games and panels, all organized centrally and run as Google+ Hangouts. It’s running this week.

I volunteered to shepherd the gaming side of things. There are quite a few moving parts, including several different schedules to sync. I figured it’d be no big deal, as we were running this for the first time, so I wouldn’t have too many games to manage.

We have 20 games. Small by most con standards, but a heck of a lot for me to keep track of when it’s my first time and none of it’s automated.

Fortunately, all is going well so far. We’ve got a helpful team running the con, and plenty of interest.

So if you’re interested in RPGs, especially independent ones, head over to the schedule and look for a game or a discussion. Plenty are open for folks to watch. I hope you find something interesting.

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The Dangers of Pyre: Shockers

Posted on July 5, 2012 by Brent

This is part of my “Pyre” world.

Shockers are man-sized metal cages with long, serpentine metal legs, which patrol a limited area for intruders. When an intruder is detected, the shocker wraps its tentacle-like legs around its enemy, drawing it towards the cage. Once the enemy is captured, the cage closes and is electrified, and the enemy is shocked into unconsciousness.

Shockers are particularly popular in the Nobles’ and Merchants’ Districts of Pyre.

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The Dangers of Pyre: Oriforged Constructs

Posted on July 2, 2012 by Brent

This is part of my “Pyre” world.

A number of ancient sentinels wander the empty streets of Pyre. A common design involves a large humanoid about 10 feet tall, hunched over slightly, with large forearms, and made entirely of orichalcum. A tiger-like creature was another common design.

Oriforged Constructs are powerful at melee attacks only, and can only remember simple instructions, usually “Keep anyone from entering this area.” They have high hit points and do a lot of damage, and are very easy to hit.

Because of their programmed nature, certain crystals will deactivate a Construct when waved directly in front of it.

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Let’s Play an Interesting RPG, episode 11: Houses of the Blooded session 1, part 3 of 3

Posted on July 1, 2012 by Brent

In our 30 June 2012 session, we played Houses of the Blooded, a storytelling game of intrigue and tragedy.

The Group: Let’s Play an Interesting RPG

The System: Houses of the Blooded

The Players

  • Brent P. Newhall, GM (@BrentNewhall, this site)
  • Brian Kelsay (@ripcrd)
  • Joe England
  • Larry Moore
  • Michael R.
  • Stacy Dellorfano
  • Thomas Caruso

Video (part 3 of 3)

[podcast format=”video”]http://rpg.brentnewhall.com/media/LetsPlay-0011-part3.m4v[/podcast]

Categories: Let's Play an Interesting RPG | 4 Comments

Let’s Play an Interesting RPG, episode 11: Houses of the Blooded session 1, part 2 of 3

Posted on July 1, 2012 by Brent

In our 30 June 2012 session, we played Houses of the Blooded, a storytelling game of intrigue and tragedy.

The Group: Let’s Play an Interesting RPG

The System: Houses of the Blooded

The Players

  • Brent P. Newhall, GM (@BrentNewhall, this site)
  • Brian Kelsay (@ripcrd)
  • Joe England
  • Larry Moore
  • Michael R.
  • Stacy Dellorfano
  • Thomas Caruso

Video (part 2 of 3)

[podcast format=”video”]http://rpg.brentnewhall.com/media/LetsPlay-0011-part2.m4v[/podcast]

Continue to part 3

Categories: Let's Play an Interesting RPG | 1 Comment

Let’s Play an Interesting RPG, episode 11: Houses of the Blooded session 1

Posted on July 1, 2012 by Brent

In our 30 June 2012 session, we played Houses of the Blooded, a storytelling game of intrigue and tragedy.

The Group: Let’s Play an Interesting RPG

The System: Houses of the Blooded

The Players

  • Brent P. Newhall, GM (@BrentNewhall, this site)
  • Brian Kelsay (@ripcrd)
  • Joe England
  • Larry Moore
  • Michael R.
  • Stacy Dellorfano
  • Thomas Caruso

Video (part 1 of 3)

[podcast format=”video”]http://rpg.brentnewhall.com/media/LetsPlay-0011-part1.m4v[/podcast]

Audio Only (entire episode)

[podcast]http://rpg.brentnewhall.com/media/LetsPlay-0011.mp3[/podcast]

Continue to part 2

Categories: Let's Play an Interesting RPG | 1 Comment

The Dangers of Pyre: Entrapment Orbs

Posted on June 28, 2012 by Brent

This is part of my “Pyre” world.

An Entrapment Orb is a black sphere about half a yard wide, with a thin red line running laterally around its center. These Orbs are made from a strange substance that looks like either brushed metal or highly polished stone.

The orbs wander the ruins of Pyre randomly. When they near anyone that they deem a danger, they unleash bolts of lightning that spread throughout the ground up to 6 yards away. Any living creature standing on the lightning-infused ground takes some damage and is held immobile where they stand. An exceptionally strong individual may be able to muster enough strength to manage a ranged attack while held immobile.

Worse, while the lightning dissipates within seconds, all immobilized creatures remain immobilized until the Orb is destroyed or chooses to move on.

Categories: Pyre | Tags: | Leave a comment