Showing posts with label Star Wars. Show all posts
The Magic of a Name
What's in a name...
So typically when you read a lot of fantasy novels especially those with Elves, Dwarves, and Werebears (oh my!) you tend to come across some odd naming conventions out there. You find things like this little gem I made where the name is designed to be ridiculous so that its unique. Now most people would simply break up the word and say the sword's name is Tal-ganz-fik-narf, but lets say I am one of those authors that really want to through a wrench in the works. Say its an Elven sword and in the Elven/Elvish language for this word maybe I have special rules like you only pronounce the consonants after vowels with the exception of z, which is always said and sounds like a hard S. So now its al-anS-ik-ar. Then the reader has to ask why all the other letters? No explanation given. Either way you get my point. Sometimes naming things and characters can be the hardest part about playing a game like D&D. A bad name can instantly detour a person from your game, I know for me if I feel like I cant say the vast majority of names of locations in a setting I usually put the book down immediately. So this time I am talking about some handy tips for naming things in your game.
Character Names
I usually look to real world names as a good source for humans and their half-breeds. This can also be used if you are saying that your Dwarven Culture has a Tibetan feel to it. You can reinforce the campaign setting by picking a name that is appropriate, or in the case of a foreigner, picking a name that is appropriate for you people but will stand out here. I tend to use the same website for every character I make simply because I like the interface, 20000-names. For more exotic races I will often look at the suggestions in the book and build something similar, or if they seem too complex perhaps try a common name your friends would use and a formal name that would match your race. Its not uncommon to have nicknames among friends.
Here is a short checklist I do to make sure I like the name:
- If you are a player work with the GM to find an appropriate style name if things are not "per the book" exactly.
- Can I say the name without having to put a lot of thought into it?
- Can others figure out my characters name by just hearing it? (especially if your game is going on YouTube.)
- What does your name mean? ( I like to make character's name be a reflection of my RP for that character.)
- Is your name very close to another characters? (for ease of everyone at the table I recommend against having similar or same names, it would be realistic to have two Chris' as characters in your story but it can be confusing, if you do go that route use last initial as you do in the real world)
- Found a good name? Good. Sleep on it, do something else, come back in an hour... Do you still like it, because you may have to use that name for the next six months?
Making Language Matter
If you do have a unique guide to the way things are said in a language it might not matter too much in game play beyond names so make it work. If you use the Elven Sword idea then you have to build a strong pronunciation guide make it publicly aware. You players should have a reference they can call on, but it should be more well defined than what I presented earlier. The guide I gave did not let the reader understand the choice of letters used. Perhaps in the Elven language they have a letter that would be "Ta" and another the is "l" now it makes more sense where that came from. Don't just put apostrophes in to break up a world, give them reason too. Maybe the word for sword is "Tal" and the apostrophe is the short hand equivalent to "of," so now its Sword of... Giving the weapon a name that matters and a easy alternative to use for the players. Unless they really like calling it "al-anS-ik-ar," which luckily isn't that hard to say, but it could be worse. Another tip is if you do have special letters like a sideways P with a christian cross superimposed on it always have the pronunciation written down near it, and spell out the things name so your players know if its something they will have to come back to in a later game or you have a note taker in your party.Consistency
The important thing when playing with language is to establish rules. If you happen to be an native English speaker don't model it after English, way too many contradicting rules. Keep it simple. The more consistent you are with your naming conventions and language rules the easier it will be for players to buy into your story. Plus when someone comes along with a really strange name like Charles in a Korean themed Elf game its going to be weird, in fact they may say his name with their pronunciation at first if he writes it for them, so "ar-es." This can be fun if you want to try a traditional exploration into a foreign land campaign. You could teach the players the language rules while also teaching the characters. For a great example of the kind of thing check out the first season of the History Channel's Vikings, they learn English as the story goes, but it is a strange tongue to them. If you have the ability to I would suggest making up little rules and following them about the language, but only provide a translation to the player with that language. That may be a lot of work but it could be a vary interesting game, especially if you only have to worry about one or two languages in the game.May the 4th be with you & Story Telling
I think the reason I have always loved both Space Operas and Sword and Sorcerer is kind of the same, its heavily based in story telling. The heroes are pulpy and big but at the same time have very real feelings and stories that you can connect to. Not to say that any game cannot have story telling in it without following those genres. The key to good story telling in a table top game is passion.
Every gamer can recall a great game where the story had you coming back every week, wanting to see what happened next, asking the GM questions in email, text, side conversations during the week. You remember getting together as a party, working to defeat the BAMF and feeling the victory that your characters felt at the time. I think, over time, the gaming industry has kind of gone full circle on this concept. At first games were more tactical warfare influenced, then game creators like Gary Gygax came along and opened it up with first edition D&D, some very basic combat rules but the rest was up to the GM. Since that first wave of products, game makers have turned more and more toward simulations play, with rules upon rules for combat. But lets face it, when you go back to that awesome victory you so fondly remember, you really don't remember every round of detailed combat maneuvers, facing, attacks of opportunities, and the hundred of other rules that have become common at the table. You remember the decisive blow. You can recall the rules that went into that, but the rest was just wash because combat was slowed down. People were building dice towers and chit-chatting. It wasn't as exciting when it was your turn, just a fact. This is the very fact that has led many of my past players to confessing that they make min-maxed combat machines so that they can push through combat to get back to the story. Why is it, with that kind of attitude, do we see more and more combat crunch and rules to govern how and when you can swing your sword? Listen to a game store game combat. You may have one guy who narrates his attack, but the rest of the table is looking at him like "come on bro, we have already sat on your turn for five minutes..." Why then do we get excited about new editions that "streamline combat", which in most cases means more focused rules? Why don't we go back to focus on story, as a culture?
Star Wars is all about the story and the struggle. It amazes me that players and GM's will jump head first into story, under that flag ship, but not treat their fantasy game with the same love. Characters are made with more depth and more hooks to get them involved, where as other game systems(especially those with a focus on kill XP) have almost one dimensional characters. I have grown bored of running games for characters that are simple lone wolf murder hobos, as I am sure many others have. I want heroes, but in reality that is up to me to enforce. Its not a player problem its a GM problem. I have not been engaging as much as I should have, in the past with my players. Player drive is directly proportional to player input. The more a player puts into the story the more they get from it, and want to further their stories. With enough team effort, those parts where Chris is doing his side arc with the GM no longer becomes dice tower time. You will see people listening and hanging on to the edge of their seat. So go with the force, and encourage your players to do something epic with story, even if it's them getting their asses handed to them by some goblins. Do more than run a game, tell a story.
Tag :
Star Wars,
Expanded Vision/May the Force Be With You Part 2
Since I have decided to return to writing again, I have also decided to expand on my original concept for this blog instead of simply just looking into finding a prefect game I am going to look at many aspects of gaming and RPG's in general. Exploring more than just black and white rules. More on that later for now a quick review.
As for my last blog before leaving I discussed Star Wars a story line I love and have played many versions of in the past, since then I started a Star Wars Edge of Empire game with some friends. The game system itself is a fairly well built incremental character build system (skill based rather than class based for advancement). We did leave the vision of the game for a more rounded character/game concept so I have no real harsh feelings against the system, but on the flip-side I have no real strong feelings for the system. Instead I will look for the things I have learned form the system. In all actuality I will probably play the system again some time later as more supplements and rule books come out for the system as I did with other Fantasy Flight Games.
The Fantasy Flight RPG Model:
Fantasy Flight has proven themselves to be board game designers with a flair for story driven RPG mechanics. The model they used to design the mechanics of the game is similar in some aspects to their other popular game Warhammer Fantasy, and to a lesser extent the Warhammer 40K series. They design books that focus more on relative power level of play, in Star Wars' case they start with relatively low powered characters looking to make it in a harsh imperially dominated game space. Though given that you play at the edge of the empire (to steal a phrase) you dont even need to include too many imperials or even law beyond that fact that you are breaking it pretty often. More often than not your problems are other fringe members of galactic society. Were we found a problem was one of my players desire to play a force user, while introduced in this book, it is not fully developed and actually led to limiting the character concept with the constrains of the system as officially released to this point .
Yes I know that the rebellion book includes more stuff for force-users and even Jedi, but releasing that book second is a bit well, underwhelming. Star Wars to even the most uneducated person is lightsabers, lets face it. When anyone thinks of Star Wars the first general thoughts go to force-users. Now this isn't really as bad of a issue as it sounds. It will be fixed I know, I can see the thought process because Fantasy Flight has done this before.
Warhamer 40K = Space Marines right? The first book they made was the Inquisition book, Dark Heresy. While fun lets face it if you have read the books the inquisition is kind of similar to playing as investigators in Call of Cthulhu, you will probably die or go crazy and then maybe kill your friends. They introduced Psycher's a very basic element to the Warhammer 40K lore, if you have they game books look at them again using only the Dark Heresy rule-set. They are terrible PC Killing machines, half the time I created a game where the characters would simply show up to investigate a anomaly or a cult and the psycher would go unfettered on his power roll and summon all sorts of nasty chaos spawn after that the game basically boiled down to Friday Night Chaos Beast Fight Club sponsored by the Imperial Pyscher. Every book they put out though refined and redefined what psychers could do, this seemed very annoying because it was like patch notes for a video game, nerf one thing make something else out of control. But just like patches they were evidence of the game designers looking to improve the game. With Only War's release psychers have become more than just plot killing monster they are playable, it just sucks that we had to wait so long for it.
It looks like this is the idea with the force, its so huge that to heavily define it in the first book could ruin the game. Instead they are building the other elements to act as a counter to the force-users to some degree. While I like the approach again its kind of off putting to say, hey no force-users in my game because the rules on them are "weird" (I have a similar problem with magic in some games). So for now we have returned to Saga's edition despite its failings in certain areas but we brought with us some of the great stuff from Edge.
Edge has the Edge on:
Edge of the empire has a neat system in place for obligations that places an in game mechanic and penalty for creating a real character with flaws and a built in system for consequence that the character is aware of. Now there is still good old fashion note taking and NPC revenge against the players but the system places strain on the characters each game (depending on dice rolls) involving their backgrounds. This means if I am out of ideas for the game or had a poor planning session in the week where I just couldn't think of anything I would roll my dice for obligations. Next thing I know I was writing an adventure where the ship my character's buried themselves in debt to the Empire for was destroyed by a mega-fauna stranding them on a planet and forcing them into more debt to just get off planet. This was an amazing game just from flaws. I am going to take that away from the system if nothing else.
Drugs, there has been a lot of drugs in this game. In fact it has been a major source of income for about half of it and lead to playing out some interesting NPCs. The system is designed for scoundrels, mone just happen to be less heroic, nothing wrong with that just a fact. Actually I should amend that statement they are heroic from an Imperial stand point, they are "relatively" upstanding imperial citizens trying to take down the nasty rebellion while starting their own in the shadows. I usually venture away from drug, sex, and rock and roll in my games becuase I like heroics, even when running an evil game I dont really bring it up much. But this game did allow me to break away from my norm and play with something I never really do. this had lead to double crosses, great RP moments where we had to describe what a Trandoshan looks like smiling and how a Hutt hits on someone after proving there are a great business partner.
All in all the game system was enjoyable but not fully developed for our particular campaign idea so we changed. I do plan on trying again sometime with more books but until then we play Saga's and gear up for Savage Worlds, but more on that later.
As for my last blog before leaving I discussed Star Wars a story line I love and have played many versions of in the past, since then I started a Star Wars Edge of Empire game with some friends. The game system itself is a fairly well built incremental character build system (skill based rather than class based for advancement). We did leave the vision of the game for a more rounded character/game concept so I have no real harsh feelings against the system, but on the flip-side I have no real strong feelings for the system. Instead I will look for the things I have learned form the system. In all actuality I will probably play the system again some time later as more supplements and rule books come out for the system as I did with other Fantasy Flight Games.
The Fantasy Flight RPG Model:
Fantasy Flight has proven themselves to be board game designers with a flair for story driven RPG mechanics. The model they used to design the mechanics of the game is similar in some aspects to their other popular game Warhammer Fantasy, and to a lesser extent the Warhammer 40K series. They design books that focus more on relative power level of play, in Star Wars' case they start with relatively low powered characters looking to make it in a harsh imperially dominated game space. Though given that you play at the edge of the empire (to steal a phrase) you dont even need to include too many imperials or even law beyond that fact that you are breaking it pretty often. More often than not your problems are other fringe members of galactic society. Were we found a problem was one of my players desire to play a force user, while introduced in this book, it is not fully developed and actually led to limiting the character concept with the constrains of the system as officially released to this point .
Yes I know that the rebellion book includes more stuff for force-users and even Jedi, but releasing that book second is a bit well, underwhelming. Star Wars to even the most uneducated person is lightsabers, lets face it. When anyone thinks of Star Wars the first general thoughts go to force-users. Now this isn't really as bad of a issue as it sounds. It will be fixed I know, I can see the thought process because Fantasy Flight has done this before.
Warhamer 40K = Space Marines right? The first book they made was the Inquisition book, Dark Heresy. While fun lets face it if you have read the books the inquisition is kind of similar to playing as investigators in Call of Cthulhu, you will probably die or go crazy and then maybe kill your friends. They introduced Psycher's a very basic element to the Warhammer 40K lore, if you have they game books look at them again using only the Dark Heresy rule-set. They are terrible PC Killing machines, half the time I created a game where the characters would simply show up to investigate a anomaly or a cult and the psycher would go unfettered on his power roll and summon all sorts of nasty chaos spawn after that the game basically boiled down to Friday Night Chaos Beast Fight Club sponsored by the Imperial Pyscher. Every book they put out though refined and redefined what psychers could do, this seemed very annoying because it was like patch notes for a video game, nerf one thing make something else out of control. But just like patches they were evidence of the game designers looking to improve the game. With Only War's release psychers have become more than just plot killing monster they are playable, it just sucks that we had to wait so long for it.
It looks like this is the idea with the force, its so huge that to heavily define it in the first book could ruin the game. Instead they are building the other elements to act as a counter to the force-users to some degree. While I like the approach again its kind of off putting to say, hey no force-users in my game because the rules on them are "weird" (I have a similar problem with magic in some games). So for now we have returned to Saga's edition despite its failings in certain areas but we brought with us some of the great stuff from Edge.
Edge has the Edge on:
Edge of the empire has a neat system in place for obligations that places an in game mechanic and penalty for creating a real character with flaws and a built in system for consequence that the character is aware of. Now there is still good old fashion note taking and NPC revenge against the players but the system places strain on the characters each game (depending on dice rolls) involving their backgrounds. This means if I am out of ideas for the game or had a poor planning session in the week where I just couldn't think of anything I would roll my dice for obligations. Next thing I know I was writing an adventure where the ship my character's buried themselves in debt to the Empire for was destroyed by a mega-fauna stranding them on a planet and forcing them into more debt to just get off planet. This was an amazing game just from flaws. I am going to take that away from the system if nothing else.
Drugs, there has been a lot of drugs in this game. In fact it has been a major source of income for about half of it and lead to playing out some interesting NPCs. The system is designed for scoundrels, mone just happen to be less heroic, nothing wrong with that just a fact. Actually I should amend that statement they are heroic from an Imperial stand point, they are "relatively" upstanding imperial citizens trying to take down the nasty rebellion while starting their own in the shadows. I usually venture away from drug, sex, and rock and roll in my games becuase I like heroics, even when running an evil game I dont really bring it up much. But this game did allow me to break away from my norm and play with something I never really do. this had lead to double crosses, great RP moments where we had to describe what a Trandoshan looks like smiling and how a Hutt hits on someone after proving there are a great business partner.
All in all the game system was enjoyable but not fully developed for our particular campaign idea so we changed. I do plan on trying again sometime with more books but until then we play Saga's and gear up for Savage Worlds, but more on that later.
Tag :
Star Wars,
