The Role Playing Public Radio Forums
General Category => General Chaos => : beej June 14, 2010, 05:13:28 PM
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Last year I drove a player to nightmares by running Tom's Nazi playtest and since then the group has refused to play anything involving frozen bodies cracked open like lobsters and de-boned or delivering mystery meats wrapped in brown butcher paper to long-pig obsessed ghouls. I re-listened to Dig to Victory this weekend and its not nearly as crazy as Tom's game. What Pagan book is it in? I'm thinking about trying to talk them into running another one.
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Last year I drove a player to nightmares by running Tom's Nazi playtest and since then the group has refused to play anything involving frozen bodies cracked open like lobsters and de-boned or delivering mystery meats wrapped in brown butcher paper to long-pig obsessed ghouls. I re-listened to Dig to Victory this weekend and its not nearly as crazy as Tom's game. What Pagan book is it in? I'm thinking about trying to talk them into running another one.
It's not out yet.
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Which is hilarious since Scott talks about when he expects it to be out at the very end of the game. He even mentions U-Boat Heraus, the game they'll be playing next year (which will be last year in less than two months).
Pagan stuff is pretty widely solid gold. And it can take a long time to get hold of it. Just look at the turn around time on Targets of Opportunity, the newest book from Delta Green (which Scott, again, mentions during the Dig to Victory game, even sharing a story of a playtest using the book's material).
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I know I will be branded a heretic for saying this, but I thought Dig to Victory and U-Boat Heraus were too long and too boring. But I didn't play in them, so I shouldn't judge.
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Kroack once I figure out how to hack the interwebs, I will find you track you down, smother you with an ether soaked rag and then feed you to the ghouls in my apartment walls.
Dig to Victory and Uboat are like Moby Dick, if you cut out the all the technical stuff you still have a consistent, well written story.
Although I will say after I learned that fact in American Lit I will forever curse that bloated monstrosity of a book everyone insists it be class room material. I hate that book more than Tom loves ghouls.
However Dig to Victory and U-Boat I love because they're history lessons mixed with hilarious gamer humor and mind shattering cosmic revelations.
Damn it. I don't suppose U-Boat is out yet?
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Okay, beej AKA Flaming Dragon.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=63lYBalGx7M
I WILL END YOU.
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I know I will be branded a heretic for saying this, but I thought Dig to Victory and U-Boat Heraus were too long and too boring. But I didn't play in them, so I shouldn't judge.
This just in: "One man takes a bold stand on the internet". Put it on page one! And print 'bold' in bold lettering. People love shit like that.
Long games aren't for everybody. I know some people have shit to do with their lives. Thank god I am not one of them. For me it's not about the length of the game, it's about the content and Scott keeps his quality very high through the entire game. I don't feel bored with him at the helm and I have trouble picking low points in any of the games he has run.
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I just don't understand how his games progress at all. He keeps going off into 30 minute long tangents about various historical references or items that aren't exactly important to the plot or forwarding the story.
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I just don't understand how his games progress at all. He keeps going off into 30 minute long tangents about various historical references or items that aren't exactly important to the plot or forwarding the story.
What I like about Scott's stories is that while he changes the direction of the story most often he is also often the one to bring it back again. Not always. I particularly enjoy Ross's quiet attempts to get everybody back into the game during Dig to Victory as they leap from one story to another (which fail completely). If I didn't want historical aside I wouldn't listen to games with him leading them.
So, yeah, if that's not your thing that you really shouldn't listen to the GenCon CoC games. I love it.
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I loved listening to Scott and his sidekick ramble on about WW. It's the closest I've ever come to enjoying a history lesson. I'm about to listen to Dig to Victory for the first time, so I'm glad to hear there's more rambling.
And I hope to see someone with zero San by the end of the game. But that's a wish I might have to save for the Corrupt a Wish thread.
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I just don't understand how his games progress at all. He keeps going off into 30 minute long tangents about various historical references or items that aren't exactly important to the plot or forwarding the story.
I strongly agree, whilst U-Boat was a bit more manageable I turned off Dig To Victory when I realised I was well over and hour (perhaps ninety minutes) in without anything happening bar a lot of war buff circle-jerking. Dire and dull but when the game gets going I can only presume it gets good otherwise why would it be getting published?
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I just don't understand how his games progress at all. He keeps going off into 30 minute long tangents about various historical references or items that aren't exactly important to the plot or forwarding the story.
I strongly agree, whilst U-Boat was a bit more manageable I turned off Dig To Victory when I realised I was well over and hour (perhaps ninety minutes) in without anything happening bar a lot of war buff circle-jerking. Dire and dull but when the game gets going I can only presume it gets good otherwise why would it be getting published?
True.
You see, I don't think it's the scenarios. They're excellent. It's Glancy's GM style. Take Operation Obsidian. Even if Ross had run it for all 5 hours of epicness instead of stopping halfway, I think there would have been less talk about the exact chemical makeup of Agent Orange and more actual playing.
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I posted a link to this thread to Scott's Facebook :D
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So if I roll really well on my persuasian check, can I make Kroack change his opinion?
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So if I roll really well on my persuasian check, can I make Kroack change his opinion?
Call back zing. Bonus points.
I think you guys who don't care for Scott's presentation certainly got a raw deal. The World War games are prety damn epic events but you can't seperate them from the Keeper and other players.
For those of us who like world war history facts and general random information those games are enhanced by their players and by Scott's stories.
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I posted a link to this thread to Scott's Facebook :D
And why exactly would you do that, Ross? Seems like a bit of a dick move.
A. Scott Glancy, President TCCorp, dba Pagan Publishing
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I have stated meny times, I love ASG games for the fact of the history he adds to it. Seriously did you know that people dug under the ground used hearing equipment to try and locate the enameys tunnels? And when they found them, they used punching daggers and other various barbaric tools to kill each other! I mean seriously How could you not enjoy that. Dig to victory was even speed up a bit from what I rember, cause the investagators did not explore all the diffrent areas provided to them. U-boat was long, but anything epic is long.
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I posted a link to this thread to Scott's Facebook :D
And why exactly would you do that, Ross? Seems like a bit of a dick move.
A. Scott Glancy, President TCCorp, dba Pagan Publishing
Really? I just thought you would want to know when the fans are talking about you.
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As Tad says, the long games are not for everyone anyway, especially if the length is alot to do with setting the scene.
However, these are never history lessons on general minutiae of victorian life before the CoC game starts, these are the facinating little known details of how the war was conducted. The conditions of the men who risked their lives, and the shockingly simple or shockingly horrific or incredibly cunning means at their disposal is amazing. I think that if you've got the time to let it wash over you, it provides such a richer set up for the game that follows. It's not delivered dry either, Scott seems to have a joy for the lesser known details and providing them in graphic detail.
Also, there was one point a 'square bullets for the heathens' was mentioned in one of the games. I assumed it had been an old colonial joke. Recently I went to a small naval village in the solent, and saw the gun that did nindeed fire square bullets at healthens!
So yeah, I really love those three APs for many reasons.
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I'm interested in history and being interested in WW1/2 history is kind of inevitable when you're a bloke that enjoyed all those FPSs of latter years. I just felt that ultimately the amount of time spent on talking about the obscure little nugget of history in Dig to Victory was wasted because when the game started to get going I had completely lost any attention I would have put into listening to a game. I don't believe there is a comparison between U-boat Heraus and Dig to Victory on the amount of waffling away from the game and the amount of genuine game time (aided by the length of U-boat).
Tadanori Oyama; you keep missing the point myself and Kroack are trying to make. It is not that the game is long (as I have enjoyed several of the games on this website that can go upto the length of 5/6 hours) but that a significant chunk of the recording is information completely extraneous to the actual playing of the game. In it's delivery it's never really done in a way to set a tone either. For example (paraphrasing a lot here as I don't want to waste an hour of my life getting an example) "They used listening devices to hear where the Germans were digging tunnel and then would react accordingly" could of been said as "The brits were in cramped tunnels, hushed, as they used sophisticated technology to try and locate the burrowing huns." which would of elevated the tension before the game.
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In addition I don't think it's just Glancy. I remember both games were played by an assortment of history buffs, who seemed to know a lot about everything.
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I'm interested in history and being interested in WW1/2 history is kind of inevitable when you're a bloke that enjoyed all those FPSs of latter years. I just felt that ultimately the amount of time spent on talking about the obscure little nugget of history in Dig to Victory was wasted because when the game started to get going I had completely lost any attention I would have put into listening to a game. I don't believe there is a comparison between U-boat Heraus and Dig to Victory on the amount of waffling away from the game and the amount of genuine game time (aided by the length of U-boat).
Tadanori Oyama; you keep missing the point myself and Kroack are trying to make. It is not that the game is long (as I have enjoyed several of the games on this website that can go upto the length of 5/6 hours) but that a significant chunk of the recording is information completely extraneous to the actual playing of the game. In it's delivery it's never really done in a way to set a tone either. For example (paraphrasing a lot here as I don't want to waste an hour of my life getting an example) "They used listening devices to hear where the Germans were digging tunnel and then would react accordingly" could of been said as "The brits were in cramped tunnels, hushed, as they used sophisticated technology to try and locate the burrowing huns." which would of elevated the tension before the game.
In my opinion, the large amount of information helps with further engrossing yourself in the scenario and understanding the frame around which the game is based. It is much like playing Call of Cthulhu set in the 1920s: sometimes you are not sure of some things of that era. A great example of this was during one of my own sessions, where we were not completely sure of whether a gas station in Arizona would have a telephone line in the 1920s. This is coming from a group of RPG players who are not in the U.S.
The information Glancy gave life to the battlefield. It gives characters a very good idea of what trench warfare was really like, how the British military operated and the small details in a soldier's day-to-day life.
Of course, sometimes it is good to simply get to the matter at hand and play the damn game already. ;D
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I am afraid I must echo the opinions of Kroack and Dogfish. It's not that I dislike long games; in fact, immersion is something I crave and long games are easily the best suited to drawing your players and yourself into the game's world.
I listened to "U-Boote Heraus" and as much as I enjoy Delta Green and Call of Cthulhu, that was a ponderous experience. I thought the story was interesting, but all of the military-based minutiae, going so far as to detail the various U-Boat actions and the proper hailing/boarding procedure, really turned me off from the game. It's not that I hate the military or lack respect for the individuals that have served in the worlds' armed forces, but, seriously: Call of Cthulhu is hell enough. War works fine as a backdrop, but I play games to temporarily escape from the real-life trials of the world.
Perhaps it is hypocritical that I simultaneously crave a fully-fleshed out setting for my games, yet dislike Glancy's presentation of World War I. But I suppose I prefer a setting where real-life humans, perhaps even a few of my ancestors, were never involved. Knowing that the backdrop of the game was the brutal, horrible affair that was the "Great War" made me uneasy, and the explicit detail only unsettled me more.
I am finding this really difficult to convey, and I do not mean any offense to Mr. Glancy or to upset anybody's sensibilities (or engage in a political debate). I just did not enjoy "U-Boote Hearus" due to its "over-realism".
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Well Dom I'm British myself and wouldn't have an exact answer to the question....but then I would counter saying that it's upto the GM to field questions like that on his toes, making these kind of decisions when play is important over authenticity. The problem with these scenarios is that from what I could tell the tit-bits of knowledge that would of set the mood and would have been useful were blown up into massive sprawling lectures when a couple of sentences would of sufficed. The main problem with it is not that he knew such a wealth of information but that he was laying it on his players, some buffs, some not, without them even having a context to use the information in game.
For example most modules that involve science will have a certain degree of assumed knowledge which is often delved out when a player has to give a response in character when they themselves do not actually know this. A bit like a use of bardic knowledge in D&D for example. That's usually the best way to do it rather than giving people a wealth of information and turning the rest of the game into a pop-quiz.
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Okay guys, maybe learning and gaming aren't for everyone. But when you're running a game for people who have Super Knowledge: Word Wars and you too have Super Knowledge: Word Wars you want to be exact as possible "sophisticated technology" is to vague a term to really bring me into the setting but hearing the descriptions of the devices, the technique and the general mishaps- it does help to immerse me.
I acknowledge different opinions. I, however, derive great satisfaction from the discussions of how the navy guns have the rifle stock. I mean, you can read Al Quiet on the Western front but until you see the weapons you cannot really appreciate the horror. In a world war first scenario revolving around heretofore unbeknownst facts it helps when you're fed background knowledge before and during as to expected outcomes. And for the players, their characters would be familiar with this gear, the stories and the technical aspects so the information is needed by the players in order role play to full capacity.
If I had known all the information about WWI then sure, I'd be board with ASG's thorough discussion of said techniques and technology, but since I don't the APs are exciting. I get to learn about shit I have no idea about and also about how this era of modern war can be made to shine in a horrific new light when you introduce the mythos. Although ASG knows shit tons about the mythos, he doesn't go into length describing the various habits of cultists or bullshit background that is unessential. The characters are familiar with the tech, so i find it helpful when the players and ASG explain it, it helps paint a better picture of what exactly is going on, what tools they are using and so on.
I'm sure that if it was a scenario similar to The Haunting there wouldn't even be the discussion of guns because the investigators might not even have them, there would be discussion of 1920s quirks, cars, immigrants, the social changes, fashion and so forth to help bring the atmosphere alive.
As for spending undue amounts of time describing things, discussing, tangenting, what group doesn't that happen in? This is a special event and you want to make it last as long as possible. The horror at the end of the scenario was not lessened because i learned about how they needed air pumped into the tunnels or that they stored aminol under the floorboards of the barracks, it only heightened the possible doom the players faced. They had gotten underground, where no man dwells using fucking unwieldy tech and not only did they have to survive the Tsthogua sploodge but then get back through their screwy ass tunnels. Sure it took a while to listen to, but it was enjoyed. I listened to it while I landscaped. I listened to U-Boote Heraus while filing away manilla folders and double checking our d-base. I wouldn't trade a boiled down AP for either of the two. There is a pause button, they really don't need to be listened to all in one sitting, and maybe you could take a break during a tangent and get some peeing done or some soda drinking and comeback later and then, since you've been away a while the tangent will help get you back into the WWI mood.
I'm sure people will disagree with what I've said and that is totally okay, but I'd like it to be known that I super enjoy the EPIC APs put forth by ASG and crew.
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Tadanori Oyama; you keep missing the point myself and Kroack are trying to make. It is not that the game is long (as I have enjoyed several of the games on this website that can go upto the length of 5/6 hours) but that a significant chunk of the recording is information completely extraneous to the actual playing of the game.
I got that, I just don't consider it a point. I can understand you guys feel differently than me about what you find entertaining and I hope you can understand that what you dislike in these games is exactly what I love about them. I don't want to argue and that's kinda tough when we have totally opposite views on the subject.
It's all guys telling stories to me. The history facts and side stories aren't very different from the "actual" game play for me. It's all pleasant and mentally stimulating.
Dig to Victory is on my MP3 player right now. I've listened to it a dozen times, once on my player's "high speed" setting, which is awesome because not only does it make the game faster but everybody's voice gets high pitched.
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I posted a link to this thread to Scott's Facebook :D
And why exactly would you do that, Ross? Seems like a bit of a dick move.
A. Scott Glancy, President TCCorp, dba Pagan Publishing
That's Ross for you. Always one to provide an opportunity to kick someone else. :o
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That's Ross for you. Always one to provide an opportunity to kick someone else.
Yeah, Ross is a dick. When he's savagely beating someone, he taunts them, belittles their gamerhood and their family breeding in the Announce voice. Then he orders Cody to violate with the hapless victim with the o' rusty pelican, then lets Aaron patch up their wounds. After that he either feeds them to Tom(what with his cannibalistic ghoul tendencies and what not) or lets Bill sell off the poor bastard to some sinister eldrich vendor...one of which turns out to be Scott Glancy.
...I hit all the bases on that one right?
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You missed Mike using the hapless victim for target practice.
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You missed Mike using the hapless victim for target practice.
Indeed.
Yeah, Ross is a dick. When he's savagely beating someone, he taunts him/her, belittles their gamerhood and their family breeding in the Announce voice. Then he orders Cody to violate the hapless victim with the O' Screaming Pelican or possibly a Rusty Trombone, depending on whether Cody has had relations with a humanoid amphibian recently or not. Following Cody's abuse, Ross then lets Mike use the poor bastard for target practice and shots him/her from across the room like 'a boss' and then Ross has Aaron patch up broken and humiliated victim's wounds. After the sexual portion of the ordeal Ross either feeds him/her to Tom(what with his cannibalistic ghoul tendencies and what not) or lets Bill sell off the poor bastard to some sinister eldritch vendor...one of which turns out to be Scott Glancy.
How about that?
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Well, beej gets my stamp of awesome.
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Don't forget Dan adds one to his darkspiral aura afterwards.
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Okay...
Yeah, Ross is a dick. When he's savagely beating someone, he taunts him/her, belittles their gamerhood and their family breeding in the Announce voice. Then he orders Cody to violate the hapless victim with the O' Screaming Pelican or possibly a Rusty Trombone, depending on whether Cody has had relations with a humanoid amphibian recently. Following Cody's abuse, Ross then lets Mike use the poor bastard for target practice and shots him/her from across the room like 'a boss' and then Ross has Aaron patch up broken and humiliated victim's wounds. After the sexual portion of the ordeal, Dan slaughters the victim like a kobld member of the Thieves Guild and adds one to his Dark Spiral Aura. Ross then either feeds the corpse to Tom(what with his cannibalistic ghoul tendencies and what not) or lets Bill sell off the poor bastard to some sinister eldritch vendor...one of which turns out to be Scott Glancy.
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Wow! I dont know whats more scary ASG Realism, or how close to the truth Beej is!
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I posted a link to this thread to Scott's Facebook :D
And why exactly would you do that, Ross? Seems like a bit of a dick move.
A. Scott Glancy, President TCCorp, dba Pagan Publishing
Really? I just thought you would want to know when the fans are talking about you.
Well sure I would, Ross. And to do that you would send me a private message with a link. But you told everyone having the conversation that you were doing it. By telling the people in the thread that you were telling the author of the scenario that folks were talking about him might have a chilling effect on the discussion. I'm not going to learn very much when I only get positive feedback so I would prefer to hear the criticism unrestrained.
As for the criticism, some of it is valid. While I did include too much technical information in both those scenarios, I think Ross will back me up that I included far, far less than I did for the "Last Flight of the L58." As entertaining as it was to drop Ross off the top of the Zeppelin 8,000 feet over the Caucasus Mountains, that evening was filled with too much of me lecturing on the operation of zeppelins. A friend of mine took me aside afterward and told me that the game was more like a history lecture than a Call of Cthulhu scenario. Therefore there was less technical info in "Dig to Victory" and even less in "Uboote Heraus" because I realized that these details were bogging things down. Nevertheless, I felt that most of the technical information was critical because the scenario is set in an environment where those details may be critical to game play and player decisions.
Of course, this is a game run at GenCon outside the normal schedule of games. I'm hanging out with friends I don't get to see but once a year. So, yeah, there's too much bullshitting back and forth going on. Everyone at the table is a history wonk and everyone wants to say something smart or funny to ensure that they keep up with all the other wonks. So that slows things down. The thing to remember is that we weren't running that game to entertain you, the RPPR AP audience. We were entertaining ourselves.
We had a good time. Anything else is lagniappe.
A. Scott Glancy, President TCCorp, dba Pagan Publishing
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We love you Mr. Glancy.
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Of course, this is a game run at GenCon outside the normal schedule of games. I'm hanging out with friends I don't get to see but once a year. So, yeah, there's too much bullshitting back and forth going on. Everyone at the table is a history wonk and everyone wants to say something smart or funny to ensure that they keep up with all the other wonks. So that slows things down. The thing to remember is that we weren't running that game to entertain you, the RPPR AP audience. We were entertaining ourselves.
Ross and I were actually talking about this earlier. Most of the RPPR AP audience would have probably hated the old games by the RPPR group for some of these very reasons. When Karee and I were still in Springfield, particularly in the pre-Cody days, games would revolve around detail conversations of philosophy, psychology, literary and cultural theory, history, and game design because that's what we found entertaining. We liked the story elements of the game, but the game was also a place for us to socialize outside of work and school. Very rarely did we have strict narrative games that would have been entertaining to many other people.
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I posted a link to this thread to Scott's Facebook :D
And why exactly would you do that, Ross? Seems like a bit of a dick move.
A. Scott Glancy, President TCCorp, dba Pagan Publishing
Really? I just thought you would want to know when the fans are talking about you.
Well sure I would, Ross. And to do that you would send me a private message with a link. But you told everyone having the conversation that you were doing it. By telling the people in the thread that you were telling the author of the scenario that folks were talking about him might have a chilling effect on the discussion. I'm not going to learn very much when I only get positive feedback so I would prefer to hear the criticism unrestrained.
As for the criticism, some of it is valid. While I did include too much technical information in both those scenarios, I think Ross will back me up that I included far, far less than I did for the "Last Flight of the L58." As entertaining as it was to drop Ross off the top of the Zeppelin 8,000 feet over the Caucasus Mountains, that evening was filled with too much of me lecturing on the operation of zeppelins. A friend of mine took me aside afterward and told me that the game was more like a history lecture than a Call of Cthulhu scenario. Therefore there was less technical info in "Dig to Victory" and even less in "Uboote Heraus" because I realized that these details were bogging things down. Nevertheless, I felt that most of the technical information was critical because the scenario is set in an environment where those details may be critical to game play and player decisions.
Of course, this is a game run at GenCon outside the normal schedule of games. I'm hanging out with friends I don't get to see but once a year. So, yeah, there's too much bullshitting back and forth going on. Everyone at the table is a history wonk and everyone wants to say something smart or funny to ensure that they keep up with all the other wonks. So that slows things down. The thing to remember is that we weren't running that game to entertain you, the RPPR AP audience. We were entertaining ourselves.
We had a good time. Anything else is lagniappe.
A. Scott Glancy, President TCCorp, dba Pagan Publishing
Well, that is entirely reasonable and accurate. Needless to say, I did not think of any of those considerations when I posted it. Because I am a loose cannon. Or something like that. My bad.
I should note however that I have full faith in the RPPR community to keep an intelligent debate going on even when the subject is aware of said debate.
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Honestly, there's not very much to debate here. One side says, "I think the background was cool and fun" and the other says, "I think that stuff lagged the games down". And that's really it. I may happen to fall into the latter category, but as long as the GM and his players had fun, that's all that matters. No amount of criticism and debate will change that simple truth.
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Icemaker pretty much nailed it.
For my faction, if every single week we had an epic 6 to 12 hour Glany game....we'd be getting an early twentieth century college education without those annoying tuition fees or exams. Which is cool.
And I'll point out, as entertaining as the Mutants and Master Minds games are, I have zero desire to spend time or money on the system. Between Tom's Cthulhu playtests and the Glancy Con games, I really fell in love with the Cthulhu system and really want to get my players to try it again. I mean I was ready to go down to the store and buy the book/s that had those scenarioes in them. But since they're not out yet I'll have to buy a Pagan book and wing it. I was just hoping I could sit down with the physical scenario and listen to the podcast at the same time and map it all out.
Kroack....does this rag smell like ether to you? Shhhhhh don't fight it.
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I also fall into to the "it was really cool" camp. The only AP I have ever listened to more than once is Uboat, and I think I will need to listen to Dig again now. I do remember having to do a good bit of reading on trench warfare during/after listening to it the first time.
Beej, you can apick up Mysteries of Mesoamerica from Pagan and die in the Well of Sacrifice as so many others have. Lots of historical and flavor details in what I think is a much neglected region for fantasy/horror.
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Obviously, the important part of the debate is that did the haters feel so strongly that they stopped listening to the podcast? (Yes). Did the lovers of the podcasts really like it enough to keep listening repeatedly, or was it just fun once? (Listen repeatedly). So sadly, if Scott wants to know how to pitch any APs of playtesting for future releases, he's still in the marmite situation. Could be worse, could be a marmot situation. Those are scratchy.
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Of course, this is a game run at GenCon outside the normal schedule of games. I'm hanging out with friends I don't get to see but once a year. So, yeah, there's too much bullshitting back and forth going on. Everyone at the table is a history wonk and everyone wants to say something smart or funny to ensure that they keep up with all the other wonks. So that slows things down. The thing to remember is that we weren't running that game to entertain you, the RPPR AP audience. We were entertaining ourselves.
We had a good time. Anything else is lagniappe.
A. Scott Glancy, President TCCorp, dba Pagan Publishing
That's all very reasonable, the forum gives the context to these recording sessions as entertainment and I guess when listening to your games it's a poor way to approach them.
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Its kind of like when you listen to podcasts from the community AP site.
They might not be your bag, but the people who play them enjoy them.
I get my jollies listening to people have a fun game and thats why I like the ASG games and I would really have liked to hear the Zeppelin one, because they are awesome. Not only that but it is kind of a privilege to get sneak peaks into stuff that won't come out until it is all good and ready. Its like "Fuck! These games are awesome! WWI was hardcore."
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the forum gives the context to these recording sessions as entertainment and I guess when listening to your games it's a poor way to approach them.
I leave it to the readers of this thread to decide whether that statement is constructive criticism of my game presentation or merely an executed opportunity to say something snide at my expense.
A. Scott Glancy, President TCCorp, dba Pagan Publishing
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the forum gives the context to these recording sessions as entertainment and I guess when listening to your games it's a poor way to approach them.
I leave it to the readers of this thread to decide whether that statement is constructive criticism of my game presentation or merely an executed opportunity to say something snide at my expense.
A. Scott Glancy, President TCCorp, dba Pagan Publishing
Actually it was my way of saying my arguing thus far has been to the effect that the recording was meant to entertain everyone listening, made to entertain the public. However as you stated it was simply a game amongst friends, as you said but I had forgotten "The thing to remember is that we weren't running that game to entertain you, the RPPR AP audience. We were entertaining ourselves.". So by saying that I realised that I was judging your game far too harshly because I imagine me and my roleplaying buddies are no where near as on target as the rest of RPPR when running our games and that any of the tangents we would go off on would seem equally frustrating to listen to.
RPPR as a whole is very sharply done, the shift in style between the recordings was jarring, that is all.
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They stay on target in the AP's! Since when!
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They stay on target in the AP's! Since when!
We stayed on target last night in the Fear Itself Skype game. 8)
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Actually it was my way of saying my arguing thus far has been to the effect that the recording was meant to entertain everyone listening, made to entertain the public. However as you stated it was simply a game amongst friends, as you said but I had forgotten "The thing to remember is that we weren't running that game to entertain you, the RPPR AP audience. We were entertaining ourselves.". So by saying that I realised that I was judging your game far too harshly because I imagine me and my roleplaying buddies are no where near as on target as the rest of RPPR when running our games and that any of the tangents we would go off on would seem equally frustrating to listen to.
If that was what you meant, it was not what you wrote.
Nevertheless, since Ross has expressed an interest in my submitting further recorded sessions, some pains will be taken to run these games less like a social event for my friends and more with the larger audience in mind. More like a radio play than a microphone set up in the middle of a party.
A. Scott Glancy, President TCCorp, dba Pagan Publishing
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some pains will be taken to run these games less like a social event for my friends and more with the larger audience in mind. More like a radio play than a microphone set up in the middle of a party.
:'(
Don't do that, or at least that much. You add to the range of shows RPPR has. There's the pure fluff like Modern Leagues, the flagship New World drama, one-off experiments to show people different systems and the really education education epis like yours and the M & Childish Things play through where the developer really broke down the mechanics of the game.
Ransom to flip for a room so you guys can bang out some epic 12hr podcasts Ross?
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yeah to be honest, I basically don't think about the audience when I record games - I stop recording when I take breaks and try to keep it from going on a tangent for too long but thats my own GMing style.
Personally, I love the Gencon games because they are different from the average RPPR game and I like to provide variety for the podcast. I mean, you can't please everyone with every game so do what you enjoy playing.
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I'm fully in favor of having all the side stories and such in any Actual Plays, especially ones with people who actually write and/or develope the games being played.
The story from Dig to Victory about another play test game where the players decide to electricute a corpse with an alien snake/worm inside it, end up blowing out the lights, one of the PCs fails a SAN check and starts firing wildly in the dark helped to define my Call of Cthulhu games. When I ran my first CoC game for people who'd never played it before I told'em that story.
I'm beggin' ya, please keep the extra asides in there.
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Actually it was my way of saying my arguing thus far has been to the effect that the recording was meant to entertain everyone listening, made to entertain the public. However as you stated it was simply a game amongst friends, as you said but I had forgotten "The thing to remember is that we weren't running that game to entertain you, the RPPR AP audience. We were entertaining ourselves.". So by saying that I realised that I was judging your game far too harshly because I imagine me and my roleplaying buddies are no where near as on target as the rest of RPPR when running our games and that any of the tangents we would go off on would seem equally frustrating to listen to.
If that was what you meant, it was not what you wrote.
Nevertheless, since Ross has expressed an interest in my submitting further recorded sessions, some pains will be taken to run these games less like a social event for my friends and more with the larger audience in mind. More like a radio play than a microphone set up in the middle of a party.
A. Scott Glancy, President TCCorp, dba Pagan Publishing
FOR THE LOVE OF GOD DON'T CENSOR YOURSELF! FUCK IT! THEY ARE YOUR GAMES RUN THEM HOW YOU WANT! DAMMIT! Please, I'm begging you.
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I agree, dont stop what your doing, Dig to victory and U-boat are 2 of my favorite games to listen to.
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Actually it was my way of saying my arguing thus far has been to the effect that the recording was meant to entertain everyone listening, made to entertain the public. However as you stated it was simply a game amongst friends, as you said but I had forgotten "The thing to remember is that we weren't running that game to entertain you, the RPPR AP audience. We were entertaining ourselves.". So by saying that I realised that I was judging your game far too harshly because I imagine me and my roleplaying buddies are no where near as on target as the rest of RPPR when running our games and that any of the tangents we would go off on would seem equally frustrating to listen to.
If that was what you meant, it was not what you wrote.
Nevertheless, since Ross has expressed an interest in my submitting further recorded sessions, some pains will be taken to run these games less like a social event for my friends and more with the larger audience in mind. More like a radio play than a microphone set up in the middle of a party.
A. Scott Glancy, President TCCorp, dba Pagan Publishing
You're more respected than Ross. ;)
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Ross is a red-headed stepchild compared to Scott Glancy.
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Actually it was my way of saying my arguing thus far has been to the effect that the recording was meant to entertain everyone listening, made to entertain the public. However as you stated it was simply a game amongst friends, as you said but I had forgotten "The thing to remember is that we weren't running that game to entertain you, the RPPR AP audience. We were entertaining ourselves.". So by saying that I realised that I was judging your game far too harshly because I imagine me and my roleplaying buddies are no where near as on target as the rest of RPPR when running our games and that any of the tangents we would go off on would seem equally frustrating to listen to.
If that was what you meant, it was not what you wrote.
Nevertheless, since Ross has expressed an interest in my submitting further recorded sessions, some pains will be taken to run these games less like a social event for my friends and more with the larger audience in mind. More like a radio play than a microphone set up in the middle of a party.
A. Scott Glancy, President TCCorp, dba Pagan Publishing
That's silly. Don't do that.
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some pains will be taken to run these games less like a social event for my friends and more with the larger audience in mind. More like a radio play than a microphone set up in the middle of a party.
That's silly. Don't do that.
Okay, now I realize that there are going to be differences of opinion regarding how these games should be run. But for the most part I expect those differences of opinion to be expressed by different individuals. Didn't you kick off this conversation by saying that both scenarios were too long and too boring? You said you didn't understand how the scenarios progress at all when the GM goes off on 30 minute tangents about topics that don't relate to game play or are necessary to character knowledge.
So what are you saying now? That larger audience shouldn't be taken into consideration when running a recorded game? Are you saying that running it "like a radio play" would be silly?
Honestly, I'm not following what you are saying.
A. Scott Glancy, President TCCorp, dba Pagan Publishing
And for the folks who said how much they enjoyed the asides and rambles, I seriously doubt that much could be done to fully eliminate them from any RPG session that I am running. I'm just saying that I think I need to keep them closely reigned in. If for no other reason than to maximize the amount of time my players get to advance the storyline.
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The actual plays, are actual plays, not radio shows or dramas. Parts of them may be scripted, but they're more like interactive fiction.
Don't change your style because of the minority of people who listened to your games and weren't big fans of what they heard. RPGs are supposed to be enjoyable for the players and the GM only, not any 3rd party. (And it sounded like your players enjoyed themselves)
I may be part of that 3rd party but I didn't play in your games and I probably won't in the near future.
I didn't post here to insult your play style. I just wanted to say that I wasn't a big fan of it. I wasn't trying to change how you GMed. I didn't even think you were going to post here, but Ross is a dick.
I don't think that the games progress very well, but once again, I didn't play in them.
I can already smell the next RPPR episode topic.
Eye
Aye
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Judgeing my most people that Posted previously about Dig and U-boat and the comments you have gotten on the AP, I would guess the masses like the side history you provid in the game just like me and tad do. RPG's Can be serious, but a good RPG is a fun one, no one but the hard core elite can truley say that there games stay on target 100% of the time and that when the scarfice a goat to stop a demon from entering the world they realy do it.
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The asides are some of the best parts pf the actual plays. I will never forget the 'Bigfoot poop' anecdote. Who can forget the 'Bigfoot poop' anecdote?