..now you can write that romance novel you always wanted to write without any distractions.

I decided to share this classic of comedy because it reaches far beyond comedy...and because I needed to hear it again.

At times during the big fight, I was thinking that I may have created a villain who was too tough for the PCs, but they shone through at the end. I didn't pull any punches, so that probably had something to do with it. The PCs have been hitting well above their CR weight, having defeated more than a few encounters that were 3+ CR above them.

One thing I had problems encouraging was teamwork. It's not that teamwork wasn't happening at all, but they could have done better with more pre-planning. That said, it could be the nature of virtual tabletop gaming. It's faster than play-by-post, but slower than face to face. Having DMed through OpenRPG for almost 10 months, I'm getting a better feel for how I can help the next DM as a player.

More later today, once I've finished some late breakfast.

This morning, I ran our weekly game of Ptolus ¹ via OpenRPG ². I had a lot of fun running it and the players seemed to enjoy it.

( Read more )

Thanks to my players for the session. It was a lot of fun and probably my favourite of all of the sessions that I've run via OpenRPG.

'Til next time!

For those of you unfamiliar with either, I'll explain:

1 .Ptolus is the RPG magnum opus from an RPG designer by the name of Monte Cook. It is peerless, breathtaking in its boundlessness and awe-inspiring in its creativity. Yep, it's that good.

2. OpenRPG is a free, virtual tabletop program that provides a platform for people from around the world to connect to one another via the internet and play RPGs. It is fairly versatile, allowing the usage of maps, virtual minis, sound effects, dice rolling, character storage and much more.

....though I'm not sure that it's actually writer's block.

Inspiration for a character and its background...check
Broad strokes relating to that character.....check
Putting the tornado of ideas into words......not check

I'll put down any ideas relating to the character, whether it be small descriptive pieces, a single word or even "the character is kinda like...." stuff.

I've already written a background and personality for the character, but after re-reading it, I'm less than impressed. It feels a little too "pre-fabricated", in a way. Maybe I haven't been reading enough books lately, at least ones that don't relate to I.T. or RPG supplements.

Hopefully the plumber arrives soon....

Sorry about that (the subject). Couldn't help myself.

Purloined from varianor, who purloined it from someone else. Chain purloining!

Link: The Which Doctor Who Are You? Test written by TottersLane on OkCupid, home of the The Dating Persona Test

...or....Monte Cook's, Sean K Reynold's and Luke Johnson's WoD. I guess that's far too wordy, so Monte Cook's World of Darkness is good enough.

This book falls into the "reading it, loving it, can't wait to play it" category. The re-imagining of familiar horrors - the vampire, demon and werewolf - into something more than passingly Cthulhu-ian in flavour really has my RPG tastebuds a'flowin'. On top of that, I really like the magic system. The magic system feels familiar, in that it bares a strong resemblance to Ars Magica, though the system that Monte or Sean or Luke (or all three) have come up with is far more streamlined.

Will this magic system work in a "standard" game of D&D? Maybe. I'm intrigued by the possibilities and intend on trying it soon....soonish...ok, eventually.

This is D20 and horror gaming at its best...what's not to like ??!!

My first post, this.

I should really call it my clockwork post, because I've got visions of gears and steam and the hustle-bustle of fantasy machines in mind.

On another note, I'm a centaur. Not quite a scorpio, but it'll have to do.

You Are a Centaur

In general, you are a very cautious and reserved person. However, you are also warm hearted, and you enjoy helping others in practical ways. You are a great teacher, and you are really good at helping people get their lives in order. You are very intuitive, and you go with your gut. You make good decisions easily.

Does this make me the perfect shuul agent?

Head shaved? Check.
Goggles? Check.
Long leather coat? Not-quite-check.
Fascination with all things clockwork and steam? Check.
Own virtually everything related to clock/steamwork in D20 fantasy? Check.
Ptolus becoming my gaming home? Check.

5 outta 6 ain't bad.