My Favorite colour is Blue

[AJ]

Hi, AJ here.

Been a member on this forum since way back

I live in New Zealand, famed for its fantasy races and a certain spot of bother involving jewellery.

I have played RPGs since the early 80's (red box set when I was 11) and never really stopped.

At time of writing, I am playing D&D (edition 5).

[Running Wolf]

Good to see you here AJ.

Who needs "retro gaming" when were were actually there. Think we might need to use our grandpa voice when we say stuff like "Back in my days most of the games came in boxes!" Red & Blue Box D&D, Traveler, Gamma World, Top Secret, Marvel Super Heroes.... Trying to remember about Boot Hill and some of the others.

Stupid bit of personal trivia but I used to work in the same small industrial plant that Grenadier Models made their figures in. Sort of funny that their sculpts where everywhere but their plant was pretty small.

[AJ]

That is pretty cool!
My bit of RPG trivia is that I had an article published in The Rifter number 23  called "The Blade Mage", a character class for the Rifts, Phase World and Palladium Fantasy RPG settings.. it was alright, I was just stoked to see my name in print, and it made my Mum happy (though she redoubled her hounding for me to write a novel).
Ironically, I played Heroes Unlimited far more than any of those other settings, and I never played a game of Palladium Fantasy at all, though it is quite good really.

[Running Wolf]

I've never had the guts to try to publish anything.... We got ourselves a celebrity on our hands!

I've only really looked at Rifts and the Palladium stuff. I got the impression (from others) that the system was a bit clunky but from looking over some of teh source books they had some good stuff in them. I guess in a way it's how people look at some GURPS books


But The two settings I am gearing up for might be a good start to actually try or to self publish. I primary GM GURPS but the gaming group I am in I play Savage Worlds. Sort of a toss up between a few options. First up would be to try to sell a finished product to Steve Jackson Games. Convert the stuff over to Savage World and look in that direction.... or make it system neutral and have a descriptive thing instead of a stat (or have a simple 1-10 stat in the book to scale it to any system. Punching someone with this glove on does 1 on the damage scale. Punching someone with this glove on does 10 on the damage scale).

[AJ]

I've always shied away from making a new game system, simply because there are a zillion of them.. but, some sort of fantastic setting that any game system could be applied to is an appealing prospect.
One pet project for some time was creating a unique and rich, logically constructed fairy setting.. its on the back burner, but all the files are here *taps head*.

If I were to play any of the Palladium books again, I would get a fresh new copy of Heroes Unlimited (revised second edition), Ninjas and Superspies, the three Powers Unlimited books and.. hmmm.. thats it.
I ran Heroes for years, I was very involved with the message forum at the publisher's web site and probably had some part to play in those powers unlimited books being created (the New Powers thread on the forum has run from 2004 until present day, and is 134 pages long...I created a web site that edited and organised the whole lot, up until I quit to do other stuff) so, yeah, I know that system like the back of my hand.
I think the main reason people get an impression that it is an unwieldy system is that the combat involves active defence, so it is quite dynamic, but, if the DM knows it well, the system runs rings around D&D for realism and freedom to improvise in combat (try saying "I attack simultaneously and strike to disarm, then roll with the impact for reduced damage" in 4th edition D&D.. HA! The DM would just throw up his hands and say "NOPE").

Anyway, the game rocks, and it really has all you need to play in one, cheap soft cover book.

[Running Wolf]

Sounds like it and GURPS share some similarities when it come to having a ton of crunch to it. Always like the idea of having a base combat system, simple mechanic to hit but being able to plug in stuff to make it. Shooter is running in a fog firing at a target that is zig-zagging using some buses as partial cover. Nicew to have something constant to plug into the equation instead of an off the cuff "it's hard so a -14 to hit".

A bunch of systems seem to have some hard core fans who know the system inside and out. Rifts/Palladium has some very loyal folks, as much as GURPS. We all might not play the best selling systems but we're part of the nerd branch of a nerd community

It's been for freaking ever since I looked at Rifts I'd loose a bet on what dice are used.


Game design, as in me making one, oye. From a semi-math geek aspect I like the bell curve of a 3d6. A single d20 doesn't do it for me. I like the idea that in a 3d6 curve that an average skill does averagely. It's a bit more rare for an expert to frak something up or for a one armed blind midget to knock out a giant with one punch.... But it is still possible once in a blue moon.

I think I will limit my game design to the idea for plastic army men vs dinosaurs. Now RPG settings are a different story.

[dungeonmistress]

Just a quick "Hello!" I will come back and tell you all about my fascinating self after the Craft War at The DM's Craft. Right now, there's just too much to do, too much to do!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

So, it is another day and rather than start a new post, I thought I'd just add an edit to this one.

Where to start? I am a DM and I run a D&D 3.5 morphing into Pathfinder campaign. I have seven players: Human wizard, Elven rouge, Half-Elf ranger, Half-Orc barbarian, Halfling bard, Human cleric and a Dwarven fighter. The funny thing is, I found all my players (except for the wizard - he's my hubby) on Craigslist! They all get along really well, with nary a rule Nazi in bunch.

We game approximately once a month (when life doesn't interfere) and we have a potluck at each game since they tend to run long. All the games are held here at my house, which seems to work well for everyone. It's a small place and we're bursting at the seems, so it's a good thing I have such a good group!

I am on a few other forums as well, (Cardboard Warriors, Fat Dragon, & The DM's Craft) and it seems that my luck has run true there, too. Each forum addresses a different aspect of the game and the craft, and on each forum I have found lots of good people, some of whom are becoming really good friends. I have yet to see any of the bickering or various types of nastiness that I have seen in the past on other forums. The folks on these forums are friendly, kind, generous and professional. I couldn't ask for better places to hang out.

Well, now I have to get back to work on my Craft War entry. Wish me luck! 

[Running Wolf]

I found my group via Craigslist as well.... One guy's last session is either this or next weekend He's moving down south.



I started this forum group as sort of a supplement to the DM's Craft.

[dungeonmistress]

I like this idea, and when things settle a bit, I will pop in more often. Life has been fairly hectic this summer.