Anyone notice anything unusual about that thread? The tumbleweed, the eerie silence? We had a strong showing of votes for Fantasy and Science-Fiction, but no discussion of the minutiae. Without your crucial feedback, I've been forced to rethink the polling categories and make them more nuanced. But hey, it's about time for a change anyway!
Since Q2 we have had a Post-Apocalypse game start, which was much in demand back in 2015, but not much in the classic Fantasy or hard Science-Fiction vein.
All of which has inspired me to use genres that more closely reflect the most popular RPG genres. See what you think. Since I'll be away on business, I've posted now and the poll will become active on 1 Oct.
Following on from the above, I've done an individual survey of the message games currently running on DreamLyrics and broken them down by RPG-style subgenre.
Code:
7 Urban Fantasy
6 Classic Fantasy
3 Fun Games
3 Supers
2 Dark Fantasy
2 Paranormal Investigation
1 Historical
1 Horror
1 Post-Apocalypse
1 Soap
1 Space Opera
That might give you an inkling what we like, or perhaps what we're missing but don't even realise we're missing. Who knows? But hopefully it will stimulate ideas!
Yes, so you see that Science Fiction winning out in Q2 might be for good reason--- Not much of it going on. Will Tim restart KLR, making it Space Opera 2?
At least with the categories this time around we might find out a bit more about people's Science Fiction craving.
Another observation I made regards the Pulp Adventure genre. Featuring games such as Hollow Earth Expedition, Spirit of the Century, and indeed default Savage Worlds, it seems to have waned in popularity in the marketplace. Likewise, Pulp Adventure messages games on DreamLyrics have also dropped off.
I like old style D&D type world like forgotten realms. It certainly doesn't have to be forgotten realms and it doesn't have to be D&D. In fact, a very low magic would be preferred so that you could play systemless.
I think of Lord of the rings where the magic is mostly in the items and not in spells other than Gandalf.
I've said it before, but a small party of say 4 is preferable even 3 Fighter, Thief\Ranger, cleric. Elves, dwarves, humans, halflings, nothing more exotic than that. A story where there is a quest and not just chasing treasure.
Not terribly interested in combat after combat, but some is certainly expected. Perhaps, each person needs to use their other skills to solve the quest.
I like the simplicity of that time frame. No sci-fi, no cell phones.
Interesting. I've been planning what game I'll start in October. I was looking at Dungeon World, which could be described as the new old school. It's Basic D&D, using a modern, fiction-driven system and GMing techniques.
I'm still pondering on ways to make it distinct in tone from HHE, which had a fun, pulpy vibe, or TVS, which had a grim, end of the world feel.
Alternatively, I do have my collection of The One Ring RPG that has been gathering dust and is under threat of being sold off on eBay because I never play it.
Portland is warmer than the coast is. Recommendation for anywhere on the coast is layers. Sometimes it can be nice, but it is almost always cooler than other places. For example, Portland in the 80s (25 C?] and the coast is in the 60s to low 70s.
That being said, you are coming at one of the best times of the year. It is still mostly dry (little rain, though every day is TBD) and still warmer than the winter.
For my spot look up the weather in Bandon Oregon. That will help you get a feel for the averages in September. A good windbreaker will go a long way. Rain can happen any time just isn't likely.
I've been looking through Dungeon World and The One Ring, and bearing in mind what Nivek has said. A few things occurred.
Although it's a modern game, Dungeon World sets out to replicate the way RPGs were originally played, very fiction-driven because the rules were so basic. But in doing so, Dungeon World focuses on old school grognardia, the dungeon crawls of yesteryear, and isn't a great fit for other styles of adventure.
So I think we can rule out Dungeon World.
Although I'm always up for 13th Age, a message game is a unique opportunity to try new things so I'll rule that out too.
The One Ring is looking like a serious contender. My only concern is the game's emphasis on The Journey does tend to make for extended adventures, and I don't want to tie anyone into a 5 year commitment like with TVS. (And that was only a two-session published adventure!)
Hillfolk might also fit the bill, and it's another of my RPG books that I haven't used yet. However the setup for Hillfolk is very time-consuming. It might be rewarding, but it might also drain a message game's momentum before it's even started.
We shall see. Ultimately, the above is of far less interest to players than the pitch for the game itself, the tease as it were.
I decided against Hillfolk anyway. Mulling over its rules, there's too much of a meta-dialogue between the players to determine who has creative control at any given point... Too clunky for a message game. But it's character generation rules are still very useful and rules-independent, so I can use those regardless.
Setting a closing date for the poll in 2017 doesn't seem to have worked. (Didn't I make that mistake once before?) So here we are, for real this time, and to make up for the lapse I've added 50% more poll and votes!
You know what, this is a much more interesting poll than with the usual categories, don't you think? I think it corresponds more closely to the published RPG genres, so it's easier to guess what games players might be interested in.
Would you agree with the following examples?
Classic Fantasy = D&D Space Opera = Star Wars: Edge of the Empire Dark Fantasy = Warhammer FRP Hard Sci-Fi/Cyberpunk = Eclipse Phase Urban Fantasy-Horor = The Dresden Files RPG Post-Apocalypse = Atomic Highway Horror = Dread Supers = Marvel Heroic Roleplaying Paranormal Investigation = Night's Black Agents Steampunk = Victoriana Modern Thriller = Spycraft Pulp Adventure = Hollow Earth Expedition Soap = Hillfolk Historical Focus = Aces & Eights Other = Rifts, Maid, Iron Kingdoms
Yeah, I intentionally picked new-ish or at least still current games in that list. Not much point dwelling on games that're out of print and unobtainable for your players. Even if message gaming doesn't rely on rule books, I like to promote the industry.
I would have said 'Call of Cuthulu' for Horror ... but hey, that's just me <wink> Dread feels more 'Hard Sci-Fi/cyberpunk' 'dark fantacy' or 'post apocolypse' to me ... at least from the movies, but I haven't read the game yet.
Good thinking, Pandemonium! Vampire: The Masquerade I'd definitely class as urban fantasy/urban horror. Vampire: The Requiem 2nd Ed is quite different though, it's more like paranormal investigation where you play the paranormal (Kindred) investigating the even scarier paranormal (the Strix). Worth checking out actually, if you haven't already.
Did I mention that I had never seen the game <chuckle> Thanks for the 'education' Neil <g>
And another 'miss' was 'Top Secret' for Modern Thriller <g> Just noticed my box sitting on the shelf <g> Oh ... and since I am surfing my shelves, 'Vampire the Dark Age' for Horror makes sense to me <wink>
And one category I didn't see mentioned is "Works Anywhere" and my suggestion for that is Rolemaster <vbg>
It's a shame you can't play Dread online actually. It would've been a brilliant way to run INS. No such thing as an online Jenga tower though. Closest you can get is drawing from an online deck of cards and that doesn't have the same shaky fingered, palpable tension.
Well besides a card deck, here are some other ideas ... just in case you decide you want to try and run it here <g>
You could do something based on a 'die roll' ... d100 or larger and come up with a way to 'decide' if a roll caused the tower to collapse or not.
1.) You could do something completely random ... pick some 'points' in the die space and if the roll matches one of those points ... <crash>
or
2.) If you want to do something 'skill based', you could establish a 'dex like skill level' for each player and add that 'level' to a roll and as long as your roll + skill level is greater than the threshold yer good.
A small design team wrote some rules for using cards in a Dread game, called Grin. I also saw somewhere, someone suggest using a game of Battleship to simulate the ever more precarious position of the players (which you could track online).
But like saving throws with dice, even if you have a gradual increase of risk, you remove the risk management and skill of a Jenga tower.
Your mention of a Dex stat makes an important point though, MikeD. Using player character stats as a basis, like a conventional RPG, is inherently fairer, because you aren't relying on the player's own dexterity. Like having a bard song's success reliant on the player's singing voice.
Some people just cannot sing. Likewise, some people just cannot physically play Jenga. I suppose in those situations you'd let another steady-handed player draw for them.
Originally Posted By Pandemonium
I hadn't checked out Requiem. Maybe if I can pick up a pdf copy or a garage sale copy. Wouldn't mind reading it. But pretty sure I would never run it.
I'd say Requiem is much less suited to LARPing than Masquerade, but more suited to traditional campaigns. (Masquerade is still available though, so it's not like LARPers are losing out.)
Originally Posted By Mina
Dark Fantasy I would have said Ravensloft...
Ah yes, the consumate dark fantasy! And probably one of the most compelling D&D campaign settings too.
Whisky for me. And technically, we're all born old, we're all the same age, around 5 billion years old if you go by the more abundant atoms in our bodies.
Burbon and the other 'American Whiskeys' are usually too sweet for my taste. But I =DO= love a good single malt Scotch! Sadly, I cannot afford them very often ... which is probably a good thing because the bottles seem to empty themselves soooo quickly!!
Hmmm ... what would be an example of a modern thriller? Something line Snake Eyes (w/ Nicholas Cage and Gary Sinise)? Or did folks have something else in mind?
Tweens thrillers tend to be a bit more domestic in nature, compared to the more high tech thrillers of the Nineties, two that spring to mind this year from the past month are Hell or High Water and Girl on a Train.
When I think of a modern thriller, I'm like you guys ;), I think of the Nineties, and maybe that's what the votes are for?
Sicario is a decent War on Drugs thriller, but for an RPG it doesn't jump out of the screen in the way that Clear & Present Danger did back in 1994, for example.
I guess it's besides the point anyway. Those of you who voted for Modern Thriller, did you have any particular RPG in mind, or film, novel inspiration, etc.?
I put down Spycraft as an example of a modern thriller RPG. Other recent examples might be Fiasco and Leverage RPG, but generally most RPGs can't resist throwing in a meaty chunk of sci-fi or fantasy.
I guess because most people think a modern thriller only needs a generic system, the setting is taken care of, but I disagree. You can use GURPS or something, sure, but then the system isn't faciliting the style of game at all. Games like Fiasco and Leverage RPG show how it can be done imo.
An interesting assessment of GURPS. The thing I have always liked about GURPS is that it doesn't bring along any baggage. That leaves the GM freeer to create the 'environment' he or she wants <g> Of course, that means that the GM is responsible for it all <wink>
"Thriller" is a pretty broad category anyway, and probably isn't a good descriptor for an RPG. It was one I plucked out of the air to describe espionage/crime/special ops RPGs without any supernatural/super-science bent.
Because the pacing of RPGs is so different from films and literature, due to the free-form, collaborative narrative in an RPG (you hope), can they ever be overwhelmingly thrilling?
Doubtful imo. They're made up of a medley of "moments", of action, suspense, comedy, awe, romance, etc. So to give an RPG a genre, it has to be largely setting orientated, I think.
Maybe I won't use Modern Thriller next time, I'll call it Espionage/Crime instead.
Btw I agree with Mina about the Bourne films. Action thrillers. I'd go so far as to say very few dyed in the wool action films are made anymore, that aren't straight-to-DVD at least.
The tumbleweed, the eerie silence? We had a strong showing of votes for Fantasy and Science-Fiction, but no discussion of the minutiae. Without your crucial feedback, I've been forced to rethink the polling categories and make them more nuanced. But hey, it's about time for a change anyway! 
Setting a closing date for the poll in 2017 doesn't seem to have worked. (Didn't I make that mistake once before?) So here we are, for real this time, and to make up for the lapse I've added 50% more poll 
I'll call it Espionage/Crime instead.