Thoughts While Preparing For SaltCon 2017

I started writing an article to rant about how a couple of people were condescending when they heard I was going to a tabletop gaming convention. It was full of great witticisms and comebacks to their arguments with the thought that you could have ammunition to use when others put you down for enjoying this great hobby of playing tabletop games. When I came back to it to edit it for this week's Sunday article I realized I didn't want to say those things because, for me, gaming has been a way of bringing people together. Instead, I present these thoughts, published and unedited.

Gaming is a way to share a social event with others who have a common interest. Conventions are an extension of the social event with a larger group. We go to our choice of convention, or other shows, because there is something there we are interested in. I know people who go to car shows and boat shows every year. Others go electronic fairs, or music festivals. There are events for every taste and hobby. Sporting events do the same thing by bringing people with a common interest together.

The game library a couple of years ago

I like to keep an open mind about letting people join my gaming table. Not everyone is going to do it. I know the people who I had recent conversations with would not sit down for a night of playing tabletop games. It is their loss. Our gaming group is a good group and even those who don't show up regularly, some haven't sat in on a game for years, are still friends. That is because of the shared experiences we have had.

Other events create shared experiences, but many of them don't have the same level of depth. Games, all games, provide a level of personal interaction. If you are into sports, there is the level of competition that is naturally built in. The push to win by overcoming your opponent or through personal perfection. Tabletop games have that also, there just not usually as physical. What makes tabletop games different is they create a wide variety of experiences.

One of Eight shelves of RPG books

Yes, I hear the people who have told me before they remember the soccer game when something special happened. I am not denying that. Tabletop games allow for a wider range. Role-playing games (RPGs) allow the players to do more. Over the years I have played RPGs that have allowed me to go on epic fantasy adventures, have shootouts in the old west, perform espionage, fly a spaceship, hunt vampires, and be a gangster, mutant, and mouse. This also applies to other games.

Conventions kick this up a level. Our small group becomes part of the larger community at the convention.

This week I will be attending SaltCon 2017 where there will be over a thousand gamers in attendance. It is like going to a sporting event except all of us will be playing instead of watching. We won't be playing the same game, but we will be sharing in the experience of the convention. An experience that becomes part of the social conscious that can be drawn on in other settings.

When you see the people from a convention in another location it provides a bond. It might be because of a game you played together, or from the general event. One thing I like is the fact of acceptance that even if you were opponents across the board you can be friends. There is no us versus them and I have never heard a player get booed at a gaming convention.

Thursday, March 2 through Sunday, March 5, 2017 is SaltCon in Layton, Utah. I'll be there all four days, Every day I am running an official RPG for the convention, but I may also be running pick-up games. If I am not in that area I will be around playing games, talking with gamers, developers, and others who share an interest.

If you are in the area, stop by. Feel free to look me up and say hello. We all are part of the gaming community and for me that can be the beginning of a beautiful friendship.

If you have a comment, suggestion, or critique please leave a comment here or send an email to guildmastergaming@gmail.com.

You can also join Guild Master Gaming on Google+, Facebook, and Twitter (@GuildMstrGmng).

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Coins, in Development, Game Review

Some of the coins from the game

The field of battle lies between you. Across the field you can see your enemy prepared to enter as your forces wait for the orders to advance. Each of them personally selected for this confrontation, a confrontation of winner take all.

I was able to play the Coins at Life, the Universe and Everything (LTUE). This was a demonstration game with the developer to gain feedback as he is still working on it. The basis of the game combines a strategy of selecting your troops for battle, moving them into play, and combatting your opponent. We played one-on-one.

Carl Duzett, the designer, currently has the game setup to be a two player game with a fantasy theme. In our discussion he mentioned he is looking at other variations of number of players, themes, and available coins. I will focus on what I experienced with two players.

The mechanic used for combat is flipping the coin that is the troop piece. One side of the coin focuses on defense while the other is focuses on attack. When the coins first move out into play the defensive side is up, but at some point someone has to attack. The coin is flipped and the result of the flip is where the coin stays. There are also some special effects for different coins.

Some coins have an effect when they move into the battlefield. These one-shot events have the possibility of changing the course of the battle. You need to plan ahead and decide not only which piece should be moved out when. Other coins have special actions when that side comes up. But, the strategy starts before you even move a coin into the battlefield.

You choose which coins are part of the army you field. The set we played had twenty five coins to choose from and we each had identical coins to fill out our six member force. There are also other ways to build an army: each person could choose from their own set of coins, the players could draft from a common pool, you could take turns drafting from individual pools, or you could take turns choosing which coin every player has. I am sure there are other variations you could come up with to build your force. There are more coins being considered, but even with the current number of coins and variations of creating a force, there is great replayability.

With a force of six the game took about fifteen minutes to learn and play. Variability of time can be made with different drafting techniques and the number of coins included in the armies. These variations allow the game to be used as a filler game while you are waiting for other, and the size makes for a good cabin game that can travel with you.

I look forward to seeing how Coins develops. I believe Mr. Duzett has a good solid start and this is one that can be brought to market.

If you have a comment, suggestion, or critique please leave a comment here or send an email to guildmastergaming@gmail.com.

You can also join Guild Master Gaming on Google+, Facebook, and Twitter (@GuildMstrGmng).

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Writers and Gamers Crossing Over at Convention

The last half of the week I attended Life, the Universe and Everything (LTUE), a writing conference focused on science fiction and fantasy. This year they continued with the addition of game writing. I am certain that part of the reason for the inclusion of gaming is because the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America now includes game writing as a means of gaining credit for being classified as an author.

I am glad to see the organization recognizing gaming writing. Many writers involved in game design have been established authors in other areas. Others have taken on the aspects of writing for games, both tabletop and electronic, and honed their skills of writing for the niche.

Many of the aspects of "main stream" narrative writing apply to creating games. Game developers for board games, role-playing games (RPGs), and electronic games create themes, backstory, dialog, arcs, and the other aspects needed to tell a good story. That is because games are based on story in one way or another.

I have had this discussion with people in the past who believe that games are not story based. I respectfully disagree with the concept because early games were used as teaching devices in society, an early form tied with the oral traditions of society. And even if you don't think games are tied to storytelling elements, those elements can enhance the game you are playing.

Every game developer I have talked with has started the development of their game based on a situation that they them were able to create a theme from. Although the theme may be slightly different than what many people consider as the theme of a story, it really does play the same function. In both situations the theme is a determination of what will happen if an individual, lead character or player, overcomes or fails to overcome the struggle. In both there is a dire consequence for not overcoming the obstacle. We usually think that the stakes are higher in a story because we can restart the game. But, the outcome is really quite the same.

Developers have told me that they also develop a backstory for their games. In RPG adventures this is more obvious. Board games may not present the backstory, but the developers told me they have a better time understanding their game, how to develop it, and what mechanics they choose to use with a stronger backstory. The backstory also helps in getting the game to market. It provides a hook for both selling to a game company, and to the players. I am sure every person out there has picked up a game off the shelf and made a decision based on the thematic story presented on the cover of the book or box.

For me this means that developers and traditional writers should consider thinking outside of their box. Yeah, I know that was cliché. But if you are interested in games and/or writing there is a great crossover between the two you should be taking advantage from. This is not a great leap for most of us in this hobby because most of us already are steeped in both areas.

Gamers usually read more. What is your favorite book and author? Almost every gamer I know is able to answer that question before I finish asking it. We are regularly borrowing from our favorite works. I have played in adventures based on The Princess Bride and Mad Max. I have seen people who created characters based on The Belgariadand James Bond. This isn't just RPGs; there is a rich list of games that exist because of H. P. Lovecraft's works.

On the flip side, I know authors who have confided that their stories, both short and long, were inspired from games they have played. I am not talking fan fiction. I am talking about an event that happened in a game, RPG and board, they were playing or watching. Something happened that sparked an idea, or fueled something they had buried. They ran with it and they developed entire new worlds for readers (and watchers) have been able to enjoy. I am not going to say which works these are because we weren't sitting in any formal interview.

There is the level of fandom that has developed also. Books, movies, and television have all been developed into games. Off the top of my head I can think of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, The Dresden Files, and Monster Hunters International. Moving from the games are numerous books and movies.

The crossover is a rich, fertile ground for creativity. It can be used for the homebrew, single-shot adventure you are working on, or the next epic novel. It might inspire the next summer blockbuster, or run-away board game. Be willing to look in new directions for your inspiration. Take the seed and let it grow in your own creative imagination. Go for it, because every one of the books you've read, movies you've seen, and game you've read started as that simple seed of potential.

If you have a comment, suggestion, or critique please leave a comment here or send an email to guildmastergaming@gmail.com.

You can also join Guild Master Gaming on Google+, Facebook, and Twitter (@GuildMstrGmng).

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Clash Royale Review

Clash Royale

Publisher: Supercell Developer: Supercell Platform: iOS Release: 2016 Players: 1 (Training), 2 (Online) Genre: Strategy / Action Rating: 8.3 \ 10.0: Great

Above is a match in Area 1, Goblin Stadium

It's been a long time since I've played a mobile game that wasn't a port of a preexisting title that I found to be not just okay or good, but great. Clash Royale is one of those rare games. Any mobile gamer is very likely familiar with the name of its Supercell. They're the developers behind the hugely successful base-building strategy games Clash of Clans and Boom Beach, both of which are often rightfully accused of being very difficult to advance in without paying for microtransactions.

This spinoff of CoC abandons Supercell's consumer-unfriendly format in favor of a more simple concept: Two players draw cards to place troops on the battlefield in hopes of getting them to their opponents side and destroying their three towers. These cards cost a certain amount of elixir which you can only hold onto a limited amount of at once and slowly regenerates over time. At the end of each three-minute match,  the player who has destroyed more enemy towers wins. The match ends early if someone's primary tower is wrecked and goes into overtime if the game is tied, at which point the next person to wreck an enemy tower wins instantly.

After completing a very easy tutorial in which you battle against the A.I., you are given several cards to start off with and then must face others players. There are nearly 70 different cards you can collect and battle with including troops, buildings, and spells. Clash of Clans players will be familiar with many of these, such as the skeleton-summoning Witch, the Mr. T lookalike the Hog-Rider, the mighty cyborg-ninja known as P.E.K.K.A., and the fast-firing X-Bow. My favorite newcomers include the Musketeer, and markswoman armed with a long-range cannon; the Elite Barbarians, a pair of warriors that are stronger and speedier than the normal barbarians; and the Executioner, who is capable of hitting the same enemies multiple times by using his axe as a boomerang.

As with Clash of Clans, you gain trophies from winning battles and lose them when you're defeated. CoC's leagues have been substituted with ten arenas whose trophy requirements get higher and higher as you advance. Each arena has a variety of cards you can unlock from chests, which are also won from battle. This is where the free-to-play mechanics rear their ugly head; These chests contain cards and gold and take from three to 24 hours to unlock. If you collect enough duplicates of a card, you can upgrade it with gold. The higher the level of the card, the more duplicates and coins you need to upgrade it again. Upgrading cards earns you experience points, and leveling up increases the health of and damage dealt by your towers. These cards also vary in rarity; they can be common, rare, epic, or legendary. Rarity doesn't necessarily determine quality, but the legendaries tend to be the most unique. For example, the princess can attack towers from beyond their range, the Log is the only card that can knock back ground units, the Electro Wizard can attack two foes at once ... There are several other legendary cards, but they all possess qualities that more common cards don't.

It's worth mentioning that Supercell's traditional cartoony art style continues to charm, and the music, while not very varied, well suits the battles. The overtime music especially helps to make long-lasting matches suspenseful.

While "clan" may not be in the title, clans are still an integral part of the game. By joining one, you are able to request for cards every eight hours and donate unwanted duplicates in exchange for gold and EXP. You can also battle your clanmates for fun or for practice. If you ever want to test out a new deck, I'd strongly recommend battling a clanmate rather than the game's A.I. trainers which never seem to execute commonly used strategies and cannot properly prepare you for real matches. The most important part of being in a clan is participating in participating in the weekly Clan Chest event. Every week for three days, your clan must try extra and to desrtor towers in battle in order to level up a chest that opens when the three days are over. A frustrating aspect of the clan system is the lack of a global chat. This means that the only way to recruit people that you don't know personally is to invite
someone you see in a featured replay in the TV Royale section (or hope someone comes across your clan in the clan search.

One of the biggest challenges of Clash Royale is crafting a proper deck. Your deck is limited to eight cards that are shuffled at the start of each game and eventually cycle, and you can hold four in your hand at once. There are countless potential scenarios and statistics you must consider when making a deck, such as the average cost of the cards, how easily they can be countered by commonly used cards, whether they're able to counter other cards, and how many have low and high HP.

The game is fun and balanced for the most part, but sadly, no Supercell game is complete without pay to win elements. Users can purchase gems to pay for upgrades when they have insufficient gold or instantly unlock chests, as well as buy chests in the shop have a high chance of containing rarer cards. Because of this, I occasionally encountered players that were level 11, which requires an absurb amount of EXP, or who had level 3 legendary cards. To put this into perspective, I have played this game for dozens of hours and have only aquired four total legendary cards - two Miners and two Logs. Upgrading an individual legendary card to level 3 requires six.

Minor balance issues, frustrations , and mildy repetitive gameplay aside, Clash Royale is as well made and entertaining as a mobile game gets. Strategy fans will love it, and even if you dislike Supercell, it's definitely worth a shot.

Ups
Strategic gameplay
Great visuals and music
Tons of cards to collect
Clans are very helpful

Downs
Microtransactions mess with balance
Recruiting clanmates is difficult
Mildy repetitive gameplay


ESRB: N/A Content: N/A Price: $0.00 (Download)

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Another Look at Alignment: Perspective to World Views

People celebrating the KC Royals championship

Last week I wrote about alignmentbecause of a discussion I had. That article led to a further discussion about alignment. One that looked at alignment from a different perspective—alignment with world views. This is how we align our views to greater social movements. They can be political, religious, economic, racial, and a number of other areas of thought, or combinations of them.

One of the other definitions for alignment per dictionary.com is: state of agreement or cooperation among persons, groups, nations, etc., with a common cause or viewpoint. This definition applies well to this discussion. And, this is the type of alignment (except for car tires) that most people are used to, even if they don't know it by this name. However, this is a harder form of alignment for most people to bring into the playing of their characters.

Instead of delving into what this alignment is, this discussion is more to how this alignment could be used in a role-playing game (RPG). There are many great opportunities in RPGs to use alignments to a groups beliefs, but it takes more effort on the part of the player, and the game master (GM). Some of the work is done by some of the systems out there, and they provide a basis that can be drawn on for those that don't.

Many games require a level of alignment just to play the game. Star Wars Age of Rebellion by its title alone tells you where you lie in the conflict and where the characters are aligned in the war. Other, present easily recognized uniforms for the characters to wear, for instance laying a roman centurion or a star fleet officer. In these styles of games the alignment of the character is easily apparent for the players and for the GM.

Other games make it easy for some characters, and not for others. In many fantasy games you will see the holy people, at least the ones who are in good standing in the society, will wear their symbols of faith openly. Those who belong to the underground organizations might have a symbol that other members of their organization recognize, but they work to make sure the ruling authorities don't catch sight of it.

The reason for this alignment to an organization or a generally accepted thought is to gain favor from those who are like minded. By sharing the common belief, the common goal, the same desires for the future of their group the members are willing to help those who support them. Some games build on this support system strongly while others may not have much involvement.

U.S. military in uniform

Games that have the characters working as some level of agent for an organization immediately come to mind. Military, spies, or even agents for the museum may be given the supplies they need from their patron organization. I am even running a paranormal campaign that uses this as a basis, the characters don't have to worry about supplies from adventure to adventure; they just have to decide on what equipment they are requisitioning for that assignment. For some players this is a great benefit to have a quarter master who takes care of those issues for them. The easy to recognize agents also become easier targets.

The captain of the ship from the empire is in her uniform and the rebels, underprivileged, and general malcontents all recognize her for what she represents. Adventures of this nature don't have to be tied to a specific character as the character represents something greater. I talked with a couple of GMs that use this hook on a regular basis for their campaigns, but they admitted the party has always been on the side of the rebels. Having the easy to recognize symbol works well. But there are those who are hiding their allegiances.

I have played in RPGs that use reputation as a way of giving character recognition. This is not quite the same as alignment to a group, but some of the ideas used can be easily applied. The idea they usually use for reputation is that the more you do the more people know about it, this can be done to become famous or infamous. The reaction of others is based on the characters reputation. This level of reputation builds on the general sense of the society. This general level can then be easily applied to another level.

Instead of applying a general level of reputation you can apply a level of reputation within the organization you are aligned with. Using a system you are familiar with, or a simple scale, you can create a level of general recognition for a character to those who are similarly aligned, and opposed.

Using a simple scale could be a range like -10 to +10. Whenever a character shows themselves to be aligned with a particular group you could have a chance of their recognition level adjusting. This recognition could then be played into the gaming session. My thoughts here are using a d20 base which can apply to a number of systems, or easily adapted.

With a d20 system you could easily add in a character's, or a non-player character's, level of familiarity with an organization. If your game has skills like local knowledge, they could provide a bonus. A check is made, and, if the difficulty of recognition is achieved, then an appropriate reaction to the character's association can be made. I am sure many of you are reading this and coming up with adjustments you can use in your own game.

This level of alignment can add an additional level to many games. The reputation of the adventuring group, mercantile house, organization of bounty hunters, along with the more traditional means presented can add small twists to your game, or create encounters or adventures for the characters.

If you have a comment, suggestion, or critique please leave a comment here or send an email to guildmastergaming@gmail.com.

You can also join Guild Master Gaming on Google+, Facebook, and Twitter (@GuildMstrGmng).

http://guildmastergaming.blogspot.com/2016/12/cultural-backstorypositions-of.html

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Alignments in RPG, Almost a Constant Conversation

Found on Deviant Art

In role-playing games (RPGs) some topics keep making the rounds. The use of alignments for characters is one of those areas of discussion that keeps coming back into gaming circles. Alignments are used in many game systems and not in others. For some people there is a legitimate reason for using alignments and for others there isn't. Over the many years of my gaming career I don't know how many times I have been in discussions about the use of alignments and whether or not they should be used. But, I was recently asked again about their use and where I stood on the issue.

I have used alignments when creating some games and completely ignored them in others. Their use is one of those rules I believe can be ignored when they become a hindrance to the playing of a character. At the same time I have used them, and seen others use them, as a great way of providing a guideline to how a character would react to a situation. This is all because the main thing is to understand what alignment is.

Dictionary.com has one definition of alignment of "a state of agreement or cooperation among persons, groups, nations, etc., with a common cause or viewpoint." This definition touches on some of the ideas of alignment in gaming, but not really enough to give a full understanding of what it means. For discussion, I am going to define alignment as the following.

Alignment: the basic underlying parameters of a character defining their moral standing.

This means a characters alignment is a guideline to how the character views the world and how they fit into it. The earliest versions of gaming worked more with Michael Moorcock's writings and where focused on law versus chaos. Shortly thereafter there was the introduction of good and evil. Dungeons and Dragons combined the two into a nine-point matrix back in the 1970s which has become a standard most gamers are familiar with. I have seen variations on the matrix, some going back to the simpler three-point scale of chaos to law, or good to evil. I have also seen a variation that expanded it to a 16-point matrix and a 25-point matrix. And, as mentioned earlier many games don't use alignments.

It can be argued that people, real world people, have and don't have alignments. You can go out and find personality tests that will direct you to your alignment. At the same time, how you respond to once situation might point you as being a lawful good person, then another will point you at being chaotic good and another situation has you as being neutral evil. Real life alignments are fluid to the time, situation, and experiences. We each have what we were taught growing up, or own interpretation of morals and ethics, which creates our underlying parameters defining our moral standards. And my moral definitions of life is going to be different than yours, which will be different than another person's.

We find commonality in groups and with issues, but life itself is a complex mashup. I am sure every one of us has faced a situation that all of our experience tells us we should be do a certain action that doesn't fit the current needs. This is not that our moral code is broken, it is that there is a higher level of complexity.

Now let us bring that back into the gaming scenarios we all like to play.

One of the biggest arguments I have heard against the use of alignments is that paladins in Dungeons and Dragons are not lawful stupid. I have seen paladins played with such a strong code of ethics that they do stupid actions because to do otherwise would break their alignment. The interesting part of when this happens is usually when another player at the table tell the one playing the paladin how to play their character. There are many ways a person can play a lawful good character and not break from the alignment. It comes down to how they have defined the alignment.

Every person, and thus every character, has an underlying story that guides them through their actions. A part of that backstory defines their alignment. Charlemagneis one major historical example many like to use for defining a paladin, but there were other holy knights, such as Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table. It could be easily argued that every knight sitting with Arthur was a Paladin. Each was different. Each had variations to their moral code. Each could be argued to be lawful good. It comes down to the code of conduct that each observed.

This can easily apply to RPGs. Think of an alignment as the code of conduct your character has. One good working example of this is many games that are point based have one skill/advantage/disadvantage of an honor code, or code of conduct. Most of these games, like GURPS, lists this as a disadvantage because it is designed to limit the character on the action they will take. Examples include the code of chivalry, not attacking law enforcement, not hurting pets. It can also go in other directions such as when a crime is discovered enforcement must be swift and immediate. Would that be good or evil? Most players define these codes without realizing it.

Another found on Deviant Art

Players make determinations of how their character act in a situation. This is usually based on past and present conditions, the backstory and the current story. Alignments are part of both, but are brought forth from the backstory. They are a guideline that helps the player in determining the actions of the character. The big word there is guideline. The history of experience will play a part in the current action chosen, but it doesn't have to be the absolute defining limiting factor of what happens in the moment. Let's return to our paladins (because they are easy to pick on).

The paladin is confronting the evil lord who the party has turned over to the kingdom's authorities before. The evil lord was sent to prison and there has been no word that he escaped. Based on earlier events in this adventure is can be surmised that he is receiving help at the prison and being allowed to come and go as he pleases. In a sense he is in control of his fate at the facility, and not the warden. I can see the player with the paladin could easily remain in his alignment by capturing the lord, again, or fighting till the death of the evil lord. Others I have presented this scenario to have said they would cause the Paladin to lose his status if they killed the evil one instead of taking him into custody. I think this plays out like the climax in Men in Black III (sorry if that is a spoiler).

Straight up I would say to use alignments if they help you understand the playing of the character, or if they are an essential part of the game you are playing. If you are not playing a system using alignments you might want to consider, if you are not already doing it, of defining your character's view of the world. Knowing how the character sees the world and how they feel they fit into it can provide some great role-playing. This also works when creating non-player characters.

If you have a comment, suggestion, or critique please leave a comment here or send an email to guildmastergaming@gmail.com.

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