Late night review
Nov. 4th, 2004 12:29 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
kingandySo, there's some things I should mention.
First of all, there's been some heavy geekage going on. Last Friday was![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
pkgem's big GM debut - an excellent evening of Babylon 5 roleplayage. Security officers investigating hate crimes after the B5 secession from Earth rule. I had lots of fun playing an easy-going scientist-type of below-average intelligence, who got through university thanks to hard work and his parents' wealth and influence ... I just went around smiling at people and trying to get the wrong end of the stick. (Duncan's primary duty on the team seemed to be calming people down after Diego - gowhonker - said the wrong thing.) Gem's approach was to remember that I was the pretty one and simply have people react favourably rather than make me roll charisma all the time, which made for very smooth roleplaying.
At the end of the day we even more or less came out on top - despite turning a two-day investigation into four, thanks to an extended stakeout. I think in a similar situation I may have punished my players for wasting so much time, maybe have the trail go cold or let the perpetrators get away, or have some sort of knock-on effect from the "Narn Attacks" that we were supposed to be investigating ... and I was surprised the Chief didn't ask what we were up to that whole time. But, it was getting late, so a swift wrap-up may well have been the better option.
In summary, I'd agree with Nook - it wasn't just a good game for a first attempt, it was a good game. And I look forward to the next.
In related Geekery news, last night saw the conclusion of Nook's Star Wars game. It was a little rushed towards the end - again, due to the problem of squeezing a roleplaying game, by its nature somewhat organic, into an arbitrary number of discrete chunks of time. You're left with the option of missing something out or carrying it over to the next week (and then either having a short session or seriously padding things). Nook decided to call a definite halt to things this week, since he's all excited about the Mage game he wants to run next and wants to take some time doing proper-type preludes and stuff, so opted for the former.
It was a good last session. I'd call into question the realism of freeing all Wookie slaves simply by breaking one slave encampment, except for the fact that this is Star Wars and everything down to the system mechanics reflects the Space Opera nature of it all. Anyone who runs a SW game as hard SF, with planetary rotations and ecosystems laid out, currency exchange rates, gravity differentials and detailed starship combat mechanics and such, really has missed the point. So, yes, we defeated all the Imperials on the planet in a single grand guesture - shooting the dark Jedi overseer in the face with a bazooka - and the rest of them just fell apart in confusion, or whatever. That can be glossed over. The point is, we won.
In the name of constructive criticism, I'll add that I felt a little neglected during the initial slave compound assault. Split party scenarios are always tricky, but it seemed a bit like focus was switching betweenpkgem and foul_temptress and only giving myself and Si (XLJ) the option of something to do when one of them was in trouble and needed bailing out ... of course it could be assumed that we were taking down stormtroopers during those off-screen periods, and Gem & Nev's encounters were probably more interesting to deal with. And I was busy drinking. So it could have been a lot worse. But still, something to bear in mind for next time.
I must run a game some time. I'm rattling around a few ideas for Big Eyes Small Mouth (definitely a defined campaign world rather than the free-for-all chaos that trickled out of my fevered mind last time), or I could probably do some more Farscape or even Mutants and Masterminds ... all of these would likely involve revising the appropriate rules, though, which seems dangerously like hard work. Must find a way to make it seem more like fun.
I must also mention that, following my extended stay atgowhonker's at the weekend (Geek Friday followed by Saturday trying to sort out my headlights and an evening watching GhostWatch and Braindead), I drove home to Stretford via the Trafford Centre. I actually got some Christmas shopping done, but while I was there I was lured in by promises of cheap PC games. I spent £30 and got 6 games, which seems decent. Grim Fandango, Myst (Masterpiece Edition), Dungeon Keeper 2, Enter The Matrix (because I want to play it right the way though), Homeworld 2 and "Wizardry 8" (a random game that looked vaguely entertaining). Thus far I've installed EtM (on my games machine in Stretford) and GF (here in Ilkley).
Enter the Matrix plays largely as it did on Nook's GameCube. (Read: Not particularly good, with an annoying shift into a side-on view when you enter hand-to-hand combat. But still fun because, hell, it's the Matrix.) It obviously transitions a little quicker as there's no CD access time, but in-game the change is minimal. The real difference is in the Hacking section - having a keyboard really makes it a lot easier to use, and it turns out there is a little mini-game involving a bit of port-opening and faux-codebreaking. You "communicate" with both Trinity and Sparks (the in-game Operator) in pre-scripted minimally interactive conversations through the by now familiar green text interface. It's kind of vaguely cool. You're rewarded along the way by access to concept art, movies, character profiles. I'm currently debating use of cheat codes (accessed through the Hacking interface, and apparently available on highway signs in the Matrix Reloaded, so it's not quite arbitrary, but still quite underhanded in terms of challenge). I managed to get through the post office okay (including the lobby fight, thanks - I now realise - to my many stockpiled medpacks), but came up against a brick wall when fighting a helicopter in the airport. Toying with the idea of turning invulnerability on for just that scene...
Meanwhile, in Ilkley, I'm playing Grim Fandango, which is a heck of a lot of fun. I'm not completely happy with the interface (you have to walk your character around using the keypad and he tilts his head when he notices an interesting object nearby, so it's easy to miss stuff and hard work to get there), and I've already had to consult a walkthrough twice. One time it was because I hadn't noticed an extra exit from one screen (black on a black background), but once due to my classic problem with adventure games of this type: most of the time I'll spot what I have to do right away, or at least try things until I hit on it. But occasionally I'll try everything that's immediately apparent and then dry up. I'll then try the same things over and over, usually brushing over certain options because they seem nonsensical to me or I think I remember trying it before - basically options that just don't occur to me due to the way my brain is wired up. Like, use playing cards on pipe, because I'm trying to think of a way to break into the pipe, and thinking of the playing cards as a whole rather than a slender item that may be slipped into a (not mentioned) gap to block a message while I read it (which I assumed would be in a case or envelope of some sort). That aside, it has a great ambiance and an intriguing story; anyone who enjoys the adventure genre and doesn't mind a spot of frustration, and hasn't played it already, should dig it out of the bargain bin.
That is all, now it is bed time.
First of all, there's been some heavy geekage going on. Last Friday was
pkgem's big GM debut - an excellent evening of Babylon 5 roleplayage. Security officers investigating hate crimes after the B5 secession from Earth rule. I had lots of fun playing an easy-going scientist-type of below-average intelligence, who got through university thanks to hard work and his parents' wealth and influence ... I just went around smiling at people and trying to get the wrong end of the stick. (Duncan's primary duty on the team seemed to be calming people down after Diego - gowhonker - said the wrong thing.) Gem's approach was to remember that I was the pretty one and simply have people react favourably rather than make me roll charisma all the time, which made for very smooth roleplaying.At the end of the day we even more or less came out on top - despite turning a two-day investigation into four, thanks to an extended stakeout. I think in a similar situation I may have punished my players for wasting so much time, maybe have the trail go cold or let the perpetrators get away, or have some sort of knock-on effect from the "Narn Attacks" that we were supposed to be investigating ... and I was surprised the Chief didn't ask what we were up to that whole time. But, it was getting late, so a swift wrap-up may well have been the better option.
In summary, I'd agree with Nook - it wasn't just a good game for a first attempt, it was a good game. And I look forward to the next.
In related Geekery news, last night saw the conclusion of Nook's Star Wars game. It was a little rushed towards the end - again, due to the problem of squeezing a roleplaying game, by its nature somewhat organic, into an arbitrary number of discrete chunks of time. You're left with the option of missing something out or carrying it over to the next week (and then either having a short session or seriously padding things). Nook decided to call a definite halt to things this week, since he's all excited about the Mage game he wants to run next and wants to take some time doing proper-type preludes and stuff, so opted for the former.
It was a good last session. I'd call into question the realism of freeing all Wookie slaves simply by breaking one slave encampment, except for the fact that this is Star Wars and everything down to the system mechanics reflects the Space Opera nature of it all. Anyone who runs a SW game as hard SF, with planetary rotations and ecosystems laid out, currency exchange rates, gravity differentials and detailed starship combat mechanics and such, really has missed the point. So, yes, we defeated all the Imperials on the planet in a single grand guesture - shooting the dark Jedi overseer in the face with a bazooka - and the rest of them just fell apart in confusion, or whatever. That can be glossed over. The point is, we won.
In the name of constructive criticism, I'll add that I felt a little neglected during the initial slave compound assault. Split party scenarios are always tricky, but it seemed a bit like focus was switching between
pkgem and foul_temptress and only giving myself and Si (XLJ) the option of something to do when one of them was in trouble and needed bailing out ... of course it could be assumed that we were taking down stormtroopers during those off-screen periods, and Gem & Nev's encounters were probably more interesting to deal with. And I was busy drinking. So it could have been a lot worse. But still, something to bear in mind for next time.I must run a game some time. I'm rattling around a few ideas for Big Eyes Small Mouth (definitely a defined campaign world rather than the free-for-all chaos that trickled out of my fevered mind last time), or I could probably do some more Farscape or even Mutants and Masterminds ... all of these would likely involve revising the appropriate rules, though, which seems dangerously like hard work. Must find a way to make it seem more like fun.
I must also mention that, following my extended stay at
gowhonker's at the weekend (Geek Friday followed by Saturday trying to sort out my headlights and an evening watching GhostWatch and Braindead), I drove home to Stretford via the Trafford Centre. I actually got some Christmas shopping done, but while I was there I was lured in by promises of cheap PC games. I spent £30 and got 6 games, which seems decent. Grim Fandango, Myst (Masterpiece Edition), Dungeon Keeper 2, Enter The Matrix (because I want to play it right the way though), Homeworld 2 and "Wizardry 8" (a random game that looked vaguely entertaining). Thus far I've installed EtM (on my games machine in Stretford) and GF (here in Ilkley).Enter the Matrix plays largely as it did on Nook's GameCube. (Read: Not particularly good, with an annoying shift into a side-on view when you enter hand-to-hand combat. But still fun because, hell, it's the Matrix.) It obviously transitions a little quicker as there's no CD access time, but in-game the change is minimal. The real difference is in the Hacking section - having a keyboard really makes it a lot easier to use, and it turns out there is a little mini-game involving a bit of port-opening and faux-codebreaking. You "communicate" with both Trinity and Sparks (the in-game Operator) in pre-scripted minimally interactive conversations through the by now familiar green text interface. It's kind of vaguely cool. You're rewarded along the way by access to concept art, movies, character profiles. I'm currently debating use of cheat codes (accessed through the Hacking interface, and apparently available on highway signs in the Matrix Reloaded, so it's not quite arbitrary, but still quite underhanded in terms of challenge). I managed to get through the post office okay (including the lobby fight, thanks - I now realise - to my many stockpiled medpacks), but came up against a brick wall when fighting a helicopter in the airport. Toying with the idea of turning invulnerability on for just that scene...
Meanwhile, in Ilkley, I'm playing Grim Fandango, which is a heck of a lot of fun. I'm not completely happy with the interface (you have to walk your character around using the keypad and he tilts his head when he notices an interesting object nearby, so it's easy to miss stuff and hard work to get there), and I've already had to consult a walkthrough twice. One time it was because I hadn't noticed an extra exit from one screen (black on a black background), but once due to my classic problem with adventure games of this type: most of the time I'll spot what I have to do right away, or at least try things until I hit on it. But occasionally I'll try everything that's immediately apparent and then dry up. I'll then try the same things over and over, usually brushing over certain options because they seem nonsensical to me or I think I remember trying it before - basically options that just don't occur to me due to the way my brain is wired up. Like, use playing cards on pipe, because I'm trying to think of a way to break into the pipe, and thinking of the playing cards as a whole rather than a slender item that may be slipped into a (not mentioned) gap to block a message while I read it (which I assumed would be in a case or envelope of some sort). That aside, it has a great ambiance and an intriguing story; anyone who enjoys the adventure genre and doesn't mind a spot of frustration, and hasn't played it already, should dig it out of the bargain bin.
That is all, now it is bed time.
