The Gamer Effect's $50 Dollar Giveaway!

The guys over at The Gamer Effect are doing a contest were you could win up to $50 in either Drivethrough RPG or Amazon.com credit! It's super easy to sign up, just click the link and follow the instructions.

Savage World's Tenth Anniversary Sale!

If any of you love Savage World's as much as I do, then you will be happy to hear that the Pinnacle Entertainment Group is doing a sale starting next Monday to celebrate Savage World's Tenth Anniversary!

Burn out

Hey Guys, Zeno the Aegis here. So I have been super burnt out concerning gaming. Part of it stems from stress spilling over from real life, but I have been kinda disappointed with myself. With most games I typically prep a bit the night before; go over my characters abilities, motives, refamiliarize myself with core mechanics, ect. However with specifically with the MES Vampire game, the game is "Always On."

People are constantly chatting In Character back and forth, spit-balling ideas with the Storyteller, and submitting Downtimes. For the first couple of months I fell in love with the concept, but after my character became Prince of the City, I just felt a bunch of responsibility dumped on top of me. I had to learn more about my character's Covenant, about the political workings of a Vampire Domain, even creating the Laws of the Domain (Those will be up here soon *chuckles*).

On top of that, the 3.5 game I regularly play with is slowly coming apart, which sadly enough deserves it's own rant. I guess there really wasn't a specific point for this post, just felt the need to post on something gaming related; while also giving a reason why I haven't been posting lately. But lately I have been feeling re-energized, so regular posts will resume soon!

Minecraft Monday and Other Updates

Sadly we had the move the server yet again. Feed the Beast Ultimate was just too intense for the hardware we were using. This time around we are going to go with Feed the Beast Lite and hope for the best.

In other news, interesting things have been happening in the 3.5 game and with Vampire. Let's just say being a visiting Prince in another Domain certainly puts some pressure on a guy. Full updates coming soon!

Retro: Most Hillarious Time of the Year for White Wolf Fans

And here I am introducing a new Tag I will be using on my posts, "Retro." As I move posts from my previous blog to this one, you may occasionally see the "Retro" tag. This implies the post was time-sensitive when it was originally being written; like White Wolf's latest April Fools Release.

Scion: Extras (Supplemental, Yet can be Somewhat Useful on Occasions, Scions)
Oh gods, I can't believe I forgot about keeping an eye out for White Wolf's newest April Fool's release. In the past, White Wolf has used April Fool's Day to poke fun at their own products while giving their costumers a good laugh. Dudes of Legend ended up spawning the best pick-up game of Vampire I have ever had the joy of playing, leaving all of us at the table crying from laughter. This year, they released Scion: Extras (Supplemental, Yet Can Be Somewhat Useful On Occasions, Scions). Scion is not a World of Darkness product, but if one is familiar with one, it is quick to learn the other.

Now I have a long, and troubled, history with Scion. For the better part of three years, I DM'ed the game off and on, receiving little satisfaction from my players. There were times when the system was unwieldy, and brand new players were easily overwhelmed at character creation. Over and over again, I saw beefcake combat-monkey characters be created, with little imagination put into their character's birthrights, always the same enhanced weapons and armor. Yet it always remained my guilty pleasure, hoping that one day I will discover a group that would embrace the game in new and creative ways. Tonight, I will be taking a look at Scion: Extras, and hopefully, will be getting a laugh while rekindling my love for the system.

Let's Review: Sorcery and Steam Pt 1, Introducing Steam

Earlier, I was diving through my local thrift shop and to my surprise, discovered a d20 module called Sorcery and Steam. It seems to have been released by Fantasy Flight Games, under the Legends and Lairs product line, and details how to plan and play a d20 Steampunk Campaign, using the 3.5 Dungeons and Dragons rules.

Before reading the first chapter, I had thought the book would shed some like on a realm where steampunk had become every day life. Delightfully, this was not the case. Instead, Steam and Sorcery provide the tools needed to add steampunk elements to any game, instead of a singular realm.

Something New

The first scenario provided allows steampunk to slowly bloom into the world. Such advances rarely stay secret for long. Either a curious watch-maker or a blacksmith with a vision creates a new product and demand explodes overnight. The PCs might be exploiting this new technology, or hired by greedy ne'er-do-wells that want to control the market.

Something Hidden

Be it ancient technology, a secretive sect, or a nation's trump card, steam technology has existed for quite some time. There is a treasure-trove of plot hooks provided, from adventurers needed to probe new-found ruins to recover technology from an invading nation.

Something Strange

Steam has existed for a while, it just hasn't been common knowledge to the setting of your campaign. Using this example, those curious merchants from beyond the desert could take center stage for a technological boom in this new region.

Something Mixed

Now easily these themes could be mixed to provide your own twist. Those strange merchants, they may be spies preparing for an impending invasion. The Ne'er-do-wells might be a sect that already knows the secret of steam, and doesn't wish to see the technology spread beyond their control.


I am uncertain if I will ever be able to create a campaign focused on the steampunk aspect, but luckily, it doesn't have be the spotlight of your story. How would you introduce a world-changing concept to your story?

Let's Review: Atheism in D&D

I tend to be a very immersive (is that not a word? It is now) role-player. Playing in a realm where gods or beliefs in greater beings exist, I will adopt a god. Someone suggests a race for me to play, research will be done to make sure I play that race correctly. Sometimes, even going as far as to look up trade routes and expected climate.

With the Derp Group, when we play D&D, most Players align with a god only because of "game mechanics." Then after character creation, pay no attention to their faith. I feel a part of it may belong to today's aversion to "religious talk." Another part is that many people in my gaming circle are atheist, some even going as far as their character claiming no god. When asked of the issue, they try to refute the gods by using modern day logic, reasoning, and sense of independence. The DM never pushes the issue for fear of rocking the boat, and never have the gods make a living presence in the world.

I will take some blame, as the first D&D setting I ran for them was Eberron, a realm were the gods are more distant. Yet even with a different setting,the result is the same. Once again the only reason this grates me is because of a difference in style. In world taking place before the Age of Enlightenment, it simply baffles me, and I view it as poor role-playing.

Have any of you dealt with Players who openly defy the existence of gods in a fantasy setting? How was the issue dealt with, if at all?

Origin of Zeno and Difficult Times

My pen name for the blog, Zeno, come from one of my most beloved and fondest characters I have created. Zeno was the character I created to play in my friend's adventure L.A.R.P. In fact, Zeno is the last surviving character from the first season (each season typically goes from spring to the end of fall), with the game soon entering it's fourth season. Sadly though, I have to put Zeno, and my other character, Hallion, into stasis. Over the years, the direction of the L.A.R.P. has changed and I find myself butting heads far too often with both the bulk of the players and the head of the L.A.R.P. Instead of creating a scene and being a drama queen, I decided to simply bow out of playing for the time being.

Simply, it just came down to play-styles. The head DM has a very aggressive play-style and the bulk of the players fed right out of his hand. It really is a sad situation, since none of them are bad people, just difficult to get along with, for me anyways.

Don't get me wrong, I have excellent memories of the L.A.R.P. and am proud to have been a part of it's original development. In the end it was just better to leave than fight the change. Perhaps one day I will play with them again, and I hope that when I do, I walk away with more good memories than bitter thoughts.

Signing off,
Zeno

Recording my sessions

I cannot count the number of times something big happens, my friends and I had wished we were recording our sessions. A few months ago, I acquired a tablet, but only recently thought to get a hold of a voice recording app.

My goal is to create transcripts of each session and hopefully in the future I will be able to share the most memorable moments.

Let's Review: Alchemy vs Magic

Alchemy in Dungeons and Dragons seems rather underplayed, mostly reserved for low-level groups, or ones without a caster. Even when expanding to some of the stranger books, there aren't many alchemical items that pack the same punch that magic can.

Looking at how it is presented in the core book, it seems that alchemy is nothing more than some basic chemistry. Now I know there are some people that say, "I don't want science in my fantasy!" and I respect that opinion, but as someone that appreciates science, it saddens me. Today, I thought we could talk about how a couple of other systems tackle this delicate topic.

L.A.R.P.

Instead of listing all the L.A.R.P.s I have had the *ahem* pleasure of playing, I will just be referring to L1.**


A national L.A.R.P., L1 has a long, and difficult, history. In this setting, Alchemy is a quasi-magical substance, walking the line between Chemical and Mystical. Split into three branches, Alchemy can be either a liquid, item coating, or a gas. It mostly consists of various poisons, only a couple of healing effects, and a couple of mind-altering substances. Each recipe can take more than one form, allowing a hallucinogen to become either a delicate gas filled bobble or a poison to slip into someone's drink. Not all recipes can take all forms, no one wants to accidentally let loose death inducing gas, allowing some balance inside the skill-set.

Unfortunately, L1's alchemical healing leaves much to be desired. It only offers a very minor healing, comparable to Cure Minor Wounds in 3.5 DnD, and a buff that acts as anti-toxin to any non-friendly alchemy. The effects provided by the poisons are also underwhelming, often more of a nuance. Making someone incapable of combat for a short time can be useful, but only if the aggressor takes off advantage of the victim's status. There is a damage dealing poison, but woefully weak, mirroring Cause Minor Wounds from 3.5 DnD. Only the Death Poison holds a torch to magic, but must be a liquid that is either slipped into a drink or force fed, rendering it obsolete compared to a mage that can throw fireballs all day long. Meanwhile, the mind-altering effects boarders on the magical. Allowing temporary, and sometimes complete, mind control or wiping someone's short term memory clean. Most chapters have an in-game law banning the use of such powerful alchemy.

L1's Magic on the other hand renders Alchemy obsolete. A starter mage can easily outshine or replicate most of Alchemy's effects. In fact Mind Control/Memory Wipe are the only effects exclusive to Alchemy. While, yes, Alchemy can be created by one person, and then used by the fighter with no schooling, the point seems to be rendered mute by ever group having at least two healing/support mages.

** - Please excuse me for not including the full name of the L.A.R.P., as I personally have not had the best experiences. I do not wish to dissuade strangers on the Internet from trying the L.A.R.P., as it may be a better fit for them. 

Savage Worlds!
Depending on the setting, Alchemy is on equal fitting with Magic. Instead of having each skill having their own select spells and abilities, instead Alchemy/Magic is how your desired effect comes about. You want your character to mutter incantations from a spellbook? Take the Magic Background. Want them to be a mad scientist preforming experiments with the spare parts of enemies after battle, go the way of Alchemy. Savage Worlds also have several other skills, all reaching the same conclusion. Honestly, Savage Worlds seems to handle the dispute to my liking, having each skill balanced between each other.

Conclusion:
It all depends on play style. That's why there are all sorts of different game with varying systems. I personally prefer equal balance between all, or at least most, of a Game's systems, but that is just me.

Please, if any of you have any thoughts on the matter, share them! Do you know of a Game that has a unique spin on Alchemy vs Magic? Then tell us! There is no reason to be shy.

What? College is Useful for Gaming?

This semester of college is wrapping up and I find myself enjoying a class that would bore most to tears; Physical Geography. Honestly, I took the class because a math class wasn't available to fit my schedule. Never would I suspect that I would find nearly every lesson applicable to the gaming world. In most gaming circles I am involved in people enjoy running their own campaign settings, allowing us to tailor the world to the Players and the Characters they wish to play. Typically, details of the world are left rather vague for future races, and a simple map is drawn.

Maybe it's the writer in me, but I love to have the world as detailed as possible. A previous anthropology class helped me come up with  a more structured way to organize my world's races, and now Physical Geography is helping me with what my world looks like. It gives you all the puzzle pieces to create your own world, it's climates, weather patters, landforms, air currents, everything to create your own individual, unique setting. Seriously, if you have the time/money and need the credits anyways, try looking up a Physical Geography or an Anthropology Course; Make learning fun!

Playing World of Darkness: Mind's Eye Theater

For those who are unfamiliar with the game, World of Darkness (WoD) is a game that takes place in our own, yet darker world. The shadows are deeper, and hide more sinister concepts for those that go looking. You can play the game as a Mortal Human exploring this hidden world, or as a Vampire, Werewolf, Mage, Changeling, and other things just as dark. White Wolf, the creators behind World of Darkness, have also released a system to adapt the World of Darkness to a L.A.R.P. called Mind's Eye Theater (MET).

As one might guess from the name, MET is a theater L.A.R.P. So while one still dons a costume and otherworldly persona, there is no physical combat like one might find at a boffer L.A.R.P. Instead every thing is acted out and at least in the case of Vampire: the Requiem, there is only combat if one goes looking for it. Now I have been familiar with the WoD for quite some time, particularly that of Vampire: The Masquerade (VtM), Changeling: The Lost (CtL), Vampire: the Requiem (VtR). At the same time, I have been an active member in adventure oriented boffer L.A.R.P.s for several years. Finally, I have finally had the chance to take part in a VtR L.A.R.P. run by a friend of mine.

My character is a Mekhet Carthian. I had thought Carthians was one of the least popular Vampire Covenants, and I would have to deal with looking out for myself and generally just staying on the ruling Covenant's good side. Boy was I wrong. To be completely honest, I felt completely out of my depth. My experience in VtR has mainly focused on the Coterie level. A small group of Vampires with different backgrounds banded together by a similar cause. Never before have I had to deal with this level of politics in any game I have played. This was the first session of this new Vampire Chapter, and the ongoing plot line seems to be dealing with a group of hunters that have been ruthlessly cutting our numbers. With many members of Vampire society meeting their Final Death, only one Vampire was able to hold onto his position was the Prince, the head of authority in the city. For a functioning Vampire city, the their roles would have to be filled, ranging from Covenant Representatives, referred to as Primogen, to the Social Delegate Harpies, down to the Hounds, foot soldiers of the night. With so few Kindred left (comparatively) and so many positions to fill, my character gained not one, but two positions in the City. My character Marcus represents the Mekhet at a Clan level (the position is called Priscus), and the Carthian Movement at the Covenant Level (a position I referred to earlier as Primogen).

So now I have to do battle in two political arenas. With a character, when I originally conceived him, that didn't want to get into politics. The quote, "Some are born great, some achieve greatness, and some have greatness thrust upon them," certainly comes to mind, with my position falling into the latter.

As the night continued, more elements developed. The reigning Prince was quickly overthrown (within 20 minutes of the game starting), and later that evening a hunter was caught. After some interrogation, he revealed that the Prince that we had already over thrown, was the one that informed the government of Vampire's existence, thus bringing the hunters down upon us. There were a few curious glances exchanged, and I am sure that more than just I thought, "Well... good thing he's not around no more." In fact, the Kindred that formed the coup wasn't aware of the plot twist either. It all just played out as a happy coincidence.

All in all, I had a good, but intimidating experience. There were several moments when I was put on spot and I could have preformed better, for the sake of the Movement, but overall a very pleasurable experience. I look forward to not only the plot developments, but also curious about how my character will grow into his new role.

Oh the Games that We Play, Pt. 2

About time I got around to finishing this list. I hope you all enjoy.

The Titans (Changeling: The Lost, Pathfinder)

Classic fairy tales try to wiggle their way into my campaigns as much as possible. Adoring these stories made me naturally gravitate towards a new group that had started up at my local game store. I had played Vampire: The Requiem with a couple of the guys before, and enjoyed it, so upon hearing they were playing a Changeling: The Lost game, I instantly signed up; Doubting Thomas, a Flowering Fairest of the Winter Court, came into being. My natural gift with speaking came handy with wording Pledges and helped squeeze my motley out of a couple of tight spots.

The campaign was generally slow paced, leaving plenty of room for downtime. Combined with a sandbox setting, it allowed the players to do what we wanted, combating the enemy our way, rather than a set course. We managed to accomplish a few things, eventually becoming heroes of the Stronghold; Not because our Story Teller made us that way, but because we put forth the effort.

Sadly though, there were a few problems, and the Changeling game had to come to an end. Thus I started to play Pathfinder. The majority of group is made up of the same people that is involved with the Vampire L.A.R.P., including the GM running it.

I joined the group with an Elven Rogue by the name of Earl Hawks; the goal of the campaign to claim an abandoned city. Clever with deception, that even several months, all but one of the characters in game still believes me to be a Cleric following the god of Family and Trade. In truth, Earl came to the city with a dream; to gather enough resources and training to face his wife's kidnappers. While normally Earl code of ethics allows him to do some pretty despicable things, he does have rules: Never steal from the party, never break up a family, and never, EVER, take a job dealing with kids.


M.E.T. L.A.R.P. (Vampire: The Requiem)


I have mentioned my experiences with the theater L.A.R.P., Mind's Eye Theater. We continue to play about every other week and a lot has been going on. There has been the normal vampire backstabbery, along with hunters employed by the government trying to thin our numbers.  The group consists of about 20 members, mostly local, while a few come across state to show support for the new chapter. The chapter and story is being run by the same Storyteller that lead Changeling for the Titans. We have also joined the global Mind's Eye Society, allowing plot from our chapter to spill over other areas, and vice-versa. My involvement in the game deserves it's own post, but since joining the MES my character has become Prince of the Domain, while I myself have become an Assistant Story Teller and an Assistant Coordinator.

In order to qualify for full domain status, it requires us to be running another game. So far the popular vote seems to be Changeling, and hopefully I will be able to bring back Doubting Thomas.


The Nashville Group (Savage Worlds)

This was one of the first groups that allowed me to become regularly involved in roleplaying. We used to run Dungeons and Dragons, haphazardly throwing games together whenever our scheduled lined up. For reasons I am still unclear about, eventually the group stopped inviting me to games. At the time, I had just thought that not enough of our schedules lined up for a decent campaign to start. Whatever the reason, after over a year of not playing with the group, I got back in touch with one of the guys and became good friends. When he started running games with the Savage Worlds ruleset we enjoyed settings like Deadlands, Solomon Kane, and Necessary Evil. Sadly, scheduling is still too erratic to create an enjoyable campaign, so to fill the downtime we frequently enjoy board game nights. We recently purchased Arkham Horror and hope to have our minds devoured by unexplainable horrors soon.

Oh, the Games that We Play, Pt. 1

So far during my ramblings, I have mentioned several games I am currently playing, along with the characters on the roster. This time, I will go into a little detail about each group, the game we are playing, and the Characters I portray.

The Derp Group (Shadowrun)
This group wins the award for most facepalms in one session. In Shadowrun, instead of playing a character, I act as the Game Master, Ringmaster to the The Circus of Ridiculously Large Explosions. The basic game play of Shadowrun boils down to characters being rewarded for being bad, or "evil." It takes place in a Futuristic Cyber-Punk Fantasy where the Characters preform non-clandestine operations for money and glory. 

The GR8 (Great) Group (World of Darkness)
Genuine desire for a fantastic story, along with infusions of methodical, logical game play, has made this group the best I have ever worked with. In the past we have played mostly Dungeons and Dragons, but lately the group has taken a shining to World of Darkness. For clarity's sake, I am talking about the reboot "New" World of Darkness, in comparison to "Classic" World of Darkness.  Having previously briefed WoD in a previous entry, "Playing World of Darkness: Minds Eye Theater," I shall give an abridged version. In WoD, the shadows are deeper and more sinister, and there are hidden facets to everyday life most of the population are unaware of. It was I that originally introduced the group to WoD, and instead of having the group dive into the multitude of various super natural archetypes, had them start as humans and have the world of mysteries peeled open before them. This developed into a trend of the group playing exclusively as humans, using primarily the core rulebook.

We have just ended a story arc where I played the illegal, and perverted, Mexican immigrant, Carlos. While he started as a stereo-type, he quickly developed into a beloved and caring person who nearly sacrificed all to help give someone a better life.

With the story-arch concluding faster than the Storyteller could plan ahead, we have decided to take a small hiatus to return to my campaign. So starting next Monday, we will be continuing a story of a rapidly changing world that is quickly closing in on the beginning of a new Epoch, unknown to the Players. Mwahaha!

Derp Group Redux (Forge L.A.R.P.)
Forge is composed of mostly the Derp Group I have already mentioned, though created and run by someone else. It is a custom L.A.R.P. and still in "Beta." Constant flux in the rules causes depute between the players, and unfortunately, I had to bow out.

In an older post, I mentioned Zeno, inspiration for my current moniker. He is a humanoid creature from an alien realm, completely void of magic. Due to Zeno's species growing no resistance to magic, he was greatly wounded whenever harmful magic was used upon him. Being one of the original characters, he played a central role, and left an imprint on the story. However, at the start of the last season, he started to fade from the front stage. I had a lot going on in my life at the time, and was unable to devote as much as I had in the past. With more players rapidly cycling through characters and the DM pushing to finalize Forge, Zeno started to take backstage in the world's events.

Due to my devotion to the L.A.R.P. I was rewarded with so much XP, that I simply could no longer justify stapling it to one character. Following the premiere of Forge's second season, Hallion was born. Hallion, originally an Elf, lived in a world experiencing the apocalyptic wrath of a vengeful god. His only option was to flee through a malfunctioning Planer Gate. The Gate placed a curse upon it's last traveler, to reach his destination alive, but unprotected from the cosmic energies of the unknown. Fragments of his soul was siphoned away, destroying his connection to any Life essence, and Hallion's countenance quickly became that of the Undead. Now in a state similar to Warcraft's Forsaken, he soon mastered Death Magic, caused him to quickly become a pariah to most other Characters. Though, Hallion was recognized for his talent in Necromancy and Academics, his prideful nature, and smell, made the troupe push him away. The Living Dead continued to scheme behind the scenes, with plans to establish a center of knowledge and economic stability to the region. However, his true goal was to safely expose himself the energies that originally triggered his transformation. I only played him sparingly, and sadly, never got the chance to play Hallion to his full potential.

With the dawn of Forge's Fourth (try saying that five times fast) season on the horizon, my life only grows busier. I had to make the decision to put both of my characters in status.


Wow, this post ended up being far longer than I originally conceived, and I'm not even done! I will have to continue in another post, where I will talk about the final three groups I play with.