Episode XVII

Whoa! Look at the time. Where has it all gone? Major apologies for the extended break.

2nd & Charles
So what was supposed to be a trip to the ballpark turned out to be a much shorter trip to a used book store.

The weather on Thursday morning was questionable at best. The skies were cloudy and the temperature was a mild 70 degrees. An overall decent day to go see a baseball game. As we got ready that morning, we began to discuss our baseball game choices. Baltimore was playing at home, while the Frederick Keys were playing a short drive down in my old stomping grounds of Prince William County (the Potomac Nationals).

Carleigh got all excited and started saying, "go see a baseball game." (Which is cute in and of itself.) And we kept reassuring her that we were going. But we had to make a choice. Option A) Drive further and pay an overall cheaper price (tickets plus concessions) and see the Keys play the Nationals -- or -- Option B) drive to Baltimore, and pay higher prices. Since Carleigh was going to be free at either park we decided we'd go see the Orioles take on the Rays, but the game wasn't until 7pm so we had some time to kill.

So we drove across town to grab some lunch, which was good despite the fact that they messed up my burger. Afterwards we noticed that a new store had taken over the vacated Borders store. 2nd & Charles is a used entertainment store, with tons of used books, dvds, cds, and other items. With a couple of hours still to kill we decided to take a look and were pleasantly surprised by their variety. Unknowingly we had come in on the day of their Grand Opening, so everything was pristine and in order -- making it a much better choice than the only other used book store in town, Wonder Books.

While browsing through their items Courtney and Carleigh found several books that they wanted to get. Carleigh especially gets upset when you try to take a book away from her. This is great because that'll hopefully mean she'll like reading more as she grows older. Courtney on the other hand has been reading two books at a time, and is slowly working her way through our limited library. She wanted to try using the eReader on the new tablet I got for my birthday, but downloading these books has proven difficult. So she picked up a copy of the first Twilight novel. To which I lovingly grabbed the other three books in the series, and said she had a choice. Either buys the books OR go to the game (apparently this was a day of choices). She choose the books -- so much for an evening at the ballpark.

A Love of the Game
Speaking of baseball, last year was Carleigh's first baseball game. My parents were in town for a week and we decided to go to a game. Once again we had the choice of an Orioles game or a Keys game. My dad didn't want to drive all the way out to Baltimore so I called up the Keys to inquire about tickets. They had some sort of deal where you could get an All-You-Can-Eat buffet, plus drinks and seats to the game. I forget the cost, but it definitely made it worthwhile.

Ever since they I believe Carleigh has begun to develop a love for sports. I'm certain that she has no clue what is actually going on, who to route for, or even who's playing, but she cheers the teams along. During that game last year she got to try several different ballpark fare, and got to walk around the stadium, enjoying the sights and sounds of America's Favorite Pastime.

Recently I've seen this love of sports grow, as she now asks to watch football or baseball on any given day. The other day we were sitting around watching TV, and with nothing else on I decided to turn on the Nationals' game. They were playing the Mets, and I tried to tell Carleigh the difference between the two teams. Again she just sat there and cheered, but for who it doesn't matter. She said something like, "nice catch" or "nice throw", bringing a large smile to my face.

I love how she's attached herself to things that i enjoy too. She even wants to sit with me when I gamemaster an RPG. Rolling the dice and drawing on my character sheets are two of her favorite activities. She'll also watch old TV shows with me, most recently Sliders and MacGyver. Though I doubt she cares what's going on, she is at least visually content with appeasing my desires to watch old TV shows.

What it probably amounts to is that she just wants to spend time with me, and I'm fine with that!

Episode II

One of the most important things to all of us is sleep.  While some of us get too much, others get too little. And then there's that unfortunate night where you get no sleep at all. That was me last night.

Usually I'm the kind of person that likes the room a bit cold, it makes being under those warm blankets a bit more comfortable. But lately I've noticed that I no longer want to be cold. I curl up under every piece of blanket I can wrestle away from my wife. Now whether this is just a change in my sleeping style or due to this weird virus I'm carrying around, I do not know. But my guess would be to blame the virus.

The virus has also increased my propensity to talk in my sleep. Yes, I talk in my sleep, and it annoys the hell out of my wife. Apparently I've done this for quit some time, but only a few people have ever said anything to me. Is it due to a deep state of sleep? Or it is more like a waking dream? "A waking dream?" you ask. I think it's that state of dreaming where it's almost real. Like you were actually living in that moment. You're not quit asleep, but you're not fully asleep either. I guess it's hard to explain.  But this talking in my sleep happens enough that no matter how I lay in bed, I start gabbing away. Except now, this virus is making it worse.

This of course disturbs my wife, who then wakes me, and tells me to stop talking. Like I have a choice! Unfortunately I don't have an ON and OFF button for this condition. Although I do have these nasal strips I can wear at night, but I haven't lately, so perhaps I should try them again. But I wonder if they'll help at all, because lately, I've been overly tired, to the point of exhaustion. And I don't even think nasal strips will help then. If you have any suggestions it would be most appreciated.

Oh and let me tell you, whatever this virus is, was making it hard for me to breathe, which then made it hard to sleep. Which is probably why I was in this waking dream.  But what else is weird, is that before I was even in bed, I was falling asleep on the couch. My wife had to wake me so that i could move to the bed. So here I was thinking I was tired, but then when it finally came down to the actual sleeping part, I couldn't do it. Every hour or two hours I'd be woken up or wake up, see the clock, and think "damn this sucks." At one point I must have been talking in my sleep so much that I even offered to move out to the couch.  But my wife insisted I stay in bed. By that point I was awake, which sucks, because tonight I have to go into work. (I work the graveyard shift, in case any of you were wondering). And I doubt I will get any more rest between now and then.

-- -- -- --

So while I was laying there awake, my mind drifted to the scenario that I offered up last episode for AnimeUSA. So here are my thoughts, from what I can remember:

1) The circus is lead by a dwarf, or a little person (depends on the setting). He's got a Scottish accent, a shocked red beard, and a balding head, on top of which is small tuft of hair. He wears a tall top hat, and a tattered ringmaster's outfit. It is black with red and gold trimmings, and spotted with aged stains and patches from tears long ago. But it wears on him well. Even his hands are covered in a black finger-less glove. His name is cliche, O'Reilly, but while he is the face of the circus, he is not it's true leader.

2) The player characters (PCs) for this scenario will be pregenerated. I will use a standard stat block, and make this a low powered game. Last year I ran a Star Wars Saga game that had the players at 10th level, which went well, but was perhaps too challenging for a convention game. So this year I'm thinking 4th or 5th level, which should give the players just enough power to make it through this scenario. But it'll need to be play tested before the November convention.

3) I need to challenge myself to make this game more free form. Give the players choices of what to do, but not force them to go in only one direction - as I am prone to do. I want to have "objectives", that while not crucial to complete all of them, there would be rewards granted later on for their completion. There was a game of Dresden Files that I was in, where the game had a final objective, but the players dictated where they went and what they did. There were Acts in the game, and eventually the plot moved forward with some kind of response from the GM. So before C could happen, someone had to at least do part A & B.

4) This is going to be a horror/thriller scenario. Descriptions will be crucial at describing the scenes and actions. If someone gets hurt, describe the attack, and how it nearly takes of the person's arm. If there's magic, describe how an acid attack eats away at both the flesh and clothes. Describing the smell of fear, and make the characters fight off fear effects. Most players think of their characters as fearless, but when they are just "common folk" they need to test their wits. I think too many heroes these days go info a fight and are immune to the fear of death, but I don't want that.

I believe I've got the bones to a good game. Just need to take all these concepts and put them down onto paper. Map out what I want to do, and go from there.

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REMINDER: This blog is called Live from the Peanut Gallery for a reason, I was hoping my readers would actually comment on what was written. And it can be anything. One person told me in FB that I should narrow my blog to a certain subject, rather than be all willy-nilly (not his words). Do you agree? I need feedback, please.

It reminds me of Byron's podcast, Rho Pi Gamma, he asks for comments at the end of every show, and only myself and maybe one or two others will ever say anything. I find it hard to believe that after listening to a podcast, no one else has anything to say.  Even if it's just a simple word, like, "Awesome!" or "Cool show!" At least that's feedback. He even said he wouldn't mind negative feedback, "this show sucks," or "it's not long enough!" (one of my favorites).

All I ask is for some sort of comment. Thanks.

Episode I

Shout Out: Thank you to everyone who made an attempt to read my first blog entry. Thanks for the ego boost, it is much needed.  While I'll try not to let it go to my head, I appreciate the gesture you made to at least click the link in FB to get here.  

Before I get started let me start off with a tangent. If you're wondering why I'm doing another blog entry so soon you obviously didn't read the first one well enough.  My mind is a clusterfuck of thoughts, and I need an outlet. My Peanut Gallery of a mind thrives on being heard, and I know, at least nowadays, most people don't have the time to hear someone else brain dump.  So, here we go . . .

"Now," as Casey Kasem would say, "on with the Countdown."

Today I'm going to talk about gaming, for the most part. I'm not talking about the popular Call of Duty or Halo franchises, or even World of Warcraft, I'm talking about the pre-videogame era of old-fashioned roleplaying games. PPD (paper, pencil, dice), when the only visual you had was either your imagination or a set of Legos, some GI Joes and a car mat.  

Shameless Plug Alert!: Let me first begin by saying I listen to gaming podcasts. Rho Pi Gamma (Rho Pi) is the first one, which is shamelessly hosted by my old friend from high school Byron.  And a new one called Role Playing Public Radio (RPPR). Both of which are great podcasts, and really feed into my love for rpgs.  It's like talk radio, but for geeks.  They do interviews, gaming news, and talk all about the wonderful world of gaming.  It's what I have a passion for and have no problem sitting back and listening to these internet jockeys plug away at a subject I can't get enough of.  

I think part of the reason why I listen to this stuff is because I don't get to game nearly as much as I did before getting married, and before becoming a father.  I love my wife and my daughter very much, but I would give anything to be able to play at least once a week.  Not that I don't want to spend time with my family, I do (I need that intimate time with the wife, and I need that bonding time with my daughter), but playing in (or running) an rpg is a way for me to relieve stress and have a good time.For me, when I play, I try to immerse myself in the world I'm in. Whether it's D&D, Star Wars, Dresden Files, or any number of other games, I put my focus on the game.  Some people can multitask, like draw manga or surf the internet, but not me (of course you can't do this when you're running a game, but that's a different story).  I want, no, I need, to get away from all that and put my full attention on the game itself.

I'm not saying that my life is so hard, or so terrible, that I need to "disappear" for a while. No. I'm just saying that I enjoy stepping into another role. Being something I have a hard time being in real life. For instance: in most rpgs one of the objectives can be to go out and kill something(s) -- we call this a Hack-N-Slash game.  There may not be a really strong story line, but you know your objective: KILL or be killed. And in game you think nothing of it. These are not real creatures, or real people, they're just an imaginary thing created for you to stab with your sword, club with your mace, shoot with your arrow, or torch with your massive 10d6 (dice terminology, representing the number of dice you'd roll, 10, and d6 representing the type of dice you roll -- that's for you non-gaming types) fireball. But in real life, could I go out and kill someone? I honestly doubt that I could (although I'm sure there's a breaking point somewhere for everyone). So, in game, I get to thoughtlessly kill things and my conscious thinks nothing of it. Weird when you really think about it, but it's still an aspect of the game, and I like it.  Or I enjoy playing that overly charismatic type, who everyone loves to hate. In the real world I don't want to be hated, I want people to like me, and if they don't I wonder why. 

But it's all about having fun. Say what you will about rpgs. We are not devil worshipers, nor do we plan to take guns to school/work and kill everyone. (Although I once wrote a short story on one of these subjects some years ago.) No. We are just like everyone else, albeit, we are sometimes a strange bunch of cookies, but we are just normal people. You may choose to go out and play sports, or join some kind of club, well, roleplayers are in the same boat.  We're a club, a social gathering of like-minded people who enjoy a certain hobby. We're like a cross between actors and the book club. There's reading material (sourcebooks) that we need to look over to gain knowledge [of the game] and then that knowledge is applied to a role/part/character, which we created. Someone then narrates what's going on, and we act it out (though more verbal than physical). So the next time you see a group of people huddled around a table, with open books, a set of dice, and a piece of paper and pencil sitting on the table, don't sneer at us. Walk over to us, talk to us, and you'll see that (though our interests are different) we're no different than you.

Secondly, while the above section wasn't what I initially intended to write, I wanted you to know a little about my passion.

One of the biggest problems I have as a game master (GM -- someone who runs the roleplaying game, aka narrator) is coming up with ideas and then never finishing them. I'm sure writers have similar issues. You get a good idea about something, you start writing it down and then after the brain dump you have nothing left in the tank to finish what you started.

Last year I started a project of compiling information from several sourcebooks. Though it would probably be illegal to ever have it out for public distribution, due to copy write laws, but as a GM this is something I felt my players would appreciate. I was told that rather than putting it all together in one file, I should keep it separate, that way the players only need to get the files that pertain to their character.  But why would I want to do that?! Where's the fun in seeing all that hard work divided? I needs to be combined into one file -- and I'm certain that this file will be larger than the original sourcebook. However, there's one problem, I'm loosing steam. I'm loosing interest in completing it.  (And I want to get it done before the next version comes out. Although from what I hear that may still be a ways off.) Which sucks because I've come too far to just stop now. And I don't really want to start working on something else either, as I'm afraid I'll never get back to it. During my shift at work I try to work on it, a little here and there, which helps, but I still have four (out of 13) additional books I need to pull from. My ultimate goal for this project is to use it to run a twenty level campaign; which is the only thing keeping me going. 

As I sit here typing this though, I've come to realize that the portion I'm working on now, could be it's own sourcebook. While this current portion is pertinent to the players, if I took the same approach to the other sections I've written, then I could make several smaller sourcebooks. This would serve the original purpose, of getting the players ALL the information they need, while also giving me the break I need, but yet keep my mind focused on the ultimate goal.

Last, but not least: In November of 2011 I got to participate in my first Anime Convention (my first ever convention that wasn't centered around school or a career). AnimeUSA (AUSA) is primarily an Anime convention, but Byron, who's been involved in this convention for the past several years, has since added a Gaming portion to the con. So last year, I volunteered to GM during the convention. Last year's theme was Service Men & Women (firefighters, police, etc.), to which I was encouraged to cater my game towards. With some success I manage to pull it off, and have hopes of continuing that success this year.  

The theme for 2012 is Carnival Fantasia. What that actually means is beyond me, but from what I've been told this is basically a circus theme, but more whimsical. So the game I get to run should, but not is required, to have this theme within it. And after listening to Rho Pi and RPPR I think I may have a base idea on what to do. 

I want to do run a game in the horror/thriller genre, that takes place during a Carnival/Festival.  My knowledge base with games is few however, as I am must comfortable with d20 (Star Wars and D&D), but have participated in games that use the FATE system and d6 system. Both of which would be great in a horror/thriller game, but I'm beginning to think I need something more real. There's a game called Little Fears, which has you play as a child in a nightmare world, where all your fears come true. And what's one place that can be scary to a kid? A Carnival! Not to say that the other systems wouldn't work. I've ran a Star Wars zombie game for my group, that seemed to go okay. D&D would definitely fit the horror mold well enough:

D&D is set in a world of dramatic heroism, fire-breathing dragons, and fantastical creatures. But what about the common man, those that sit in the background, the farmers, the shepherd, the weaponsmith/armorsmith, and the innkeep? These are the people that support the heroes. Without them the heroes wouldn't be fed, wouldn't be armed, they wouldn't have safe harbor from the elements. They're the real heroes. And their the first ones that have to bare arms when nasty creatures threaten their livelihoods. This adventure is about them. 

-- Again, this doesn't have to be D&D --

The tiny town of Adamsville sits quietly along the banks of a peaceful river. The forest to the west provides protection, but has offered several dangers in the past. Though the town has lost a few brave souls every couple years, they have yet needed any 'heroes' to come to their aid. 

As a traveling circus comes to town so does a storm that will rattle the little town to its core. The dangers that emerge will once again challenge a bold few to face unknown creatures and test their very character.