Being a female who works in IT, plays video games, enjoys board games, loves Dungeons and Dragons (or really any role playing system), loves SciFi and Fantasy movies and books, reads manga and watches anime puts me in a rather of small circle of girls. I get weird stares when I walk into a comic shop or a gaming shop. Most clerks just assume I’m in there against my will or that I’m there to get a gift for one of the men in my life. I am a unicorn. Many have heard tell of my kind, but few believed.
Over the years my tribe has grown, we aren’t so few and far between now. I know quite a few girls who are interested in a lot of the same things I am, I even game regularly with two such girls! Even though there are more of us it seems people still don’t believe we exist. We have to prove our nerd cred at every turn. Having guys ask if I know what Monty Python is, or if you know the difference between Star Wars and Star Trek is kind of insulting (honestly, if you want to really stump me ask “what is the difference between a Coach purse and a Louis Vuitton purse?”) Pro tip boys, if you want to test a nerd’s cred (boy or girl) ask who was the better Captain, Kirk or Picard? Every nerd worth their salt has an opinion on that.
Now, I know this blog isn’t about nerd girls, heck, I know a lot of you don’t even want to hear about it but there are plenty of us out there that are just at least as hard core as you, dear reader. So please, be kind to ladies at the table, online, in the comic book store, or in the computer section. Don’t belittle, talk down to, or assume anything about them. If you want to meet girls, it helps if they are in to the same stuff you are. So try not to frighten them away.
If you ARE a nerd girl, or you want to know more about us, here are a few sites that are written by nerd girls of various types
http://www.notinthekitchenanymore.com/
http://thebloggess.com/
http://teamunicornftw.com/
http://feliciaday.com/
http://justnerdgirlproblems.tumblr.com/
http://www.nerdgirlarmy.com/
If you know of one I've missed leave it in the comments!
Tuesday, January 29, 2013
Married to a GM
I am a gamer in my own right, I enjoy playing tabletop RPGs in various systems and in many different settings. But when you are married to a GM you end up playing systems and in settings you don’t like if they need more players (as you often do). I have found myself playing in campaigns I find nearly painful out of love for my husband multiple times.
I am married to a Call of Cthulhu mad man. Call of Cthulhu is the system I dislike playing most. I’ve gone mad and been eaten by possessed/evil/evil possessed things more times than I like to think about. I feel like there is no way to win CoC. I don’t mind losing, but if I have no hope of there ever being a good ending it’s hard for me to invest in a game. But when there just aren’t enough players it becomes my job to fill in the gaps. I know the system, I know the rules, I understand what the setting is, I’ve got my own dice so I have to fill that empty seat at the table. If he has a new campaign that he’s written and needs to test it, I’m always in the first go around and a lot of times I’m in the second and third too.
If I get out of playing in a CoC campaign, either due to having enough players or because I’ve earned a reprieve for the night or because we just can’t find a sitter, I do get to help brainstorm for the campaign or help make props. Once I even got to be a secret helper in a CoC campaign and moved things around and made noises, I even put a cow tongue on a player’s character sheet when he was out of the room. I get to help set the mood, and that is one of my favorite parts of being a GM’s spouse.
Now, it’s not all CoC all the time, there are other systems that he runs and I happily participate in those (even RIFFS, although I hate making characters in that system). Because my husband is such an RPG nut I get to experience lots of different systems that your standard role player might not get to dabble in. Because he has forced me into systems and situations outside of my comfort zone he has made me a better role player. I am quicker to adapt and end up knowing a bit about every system, even if it’s one I've never played, because he has talked at length about it.
I know some GMs that can’t resist telling their significant other details of their campaigns even when their significant other is playing in the campaign. Not my husband. He won't even leave his notes lying about on the off chance I might see them. I’m never given an edge, he doesn’t go easy on me, he doesn't save my character from a terrible death or a fate worse than death just because I’m his wife, and frankly, I appreciate that. At that table, with the battle mat out and dice at the ready, I’m just another player and he’s just another GM.
Unless it’s CoC. Then he’s a terrible person and I’m there against my will.
I am married to a Call of Cthulhu mad man. Call of Cthulhu is the system I dislike playing most. I’ve gone mad and been eaten by possessed/evil/evil possessed things more times than I like to think about. I feel like there is no way to win CoC. I don’t mind losing, but if I have no hope of there ever being a good ending it’s hard for me to invest in a game. But when there just aren’t enough players it becomes my job to fill in the gaps. I know the system, I know the rules, I understand what the setting is, I’ve got my own dice so I have to fill that empty seat at the table. If he has a new campaign that he’s written and needs to test it, I’m always in the first go around and a lot of times I’m in the second and third too.
If I get out of playing in a CoC campaign, either due to having enough players or because I’ve earned a reprieve for the night or because we just can’t find a sitter, I do get to help brainstorm for the campaign or help make props. Once I even got to be a secret helper in a CoC campaign and moved things around and made noises, I even put a cow tongue on a player’s character sheet when he was out of the room. I get to help set the mood, and that is one of my favorite parts of being a GM’s spouse.
Now, it’s not all CoC all the time, there are other systems that he runs and I happily participate in those (even RIFFS, although I hate making characters in that system). Because my husband is such an RPG nut I get to experience lots of different systems that your standard role player might not get to dabble in. Because he has forced me into systems and situations outside of my comfort zone he has made me a better role player. I am quicker to adapt and end up knowing a bit about every system, even if it’s one I've never played, because he has talked at length about it.
I know some GMs that can’t resist telling their significant other details of their campaigns even when their significant other is playing in the campaign. Not my husband. He won't even leave his notes lying about on the off chance I might see them. I’m never given an edge, he doesn’t go easy on me, he doesn't save my character from a terrible death or a fate worse than death just because I’m his wife, and frankly, I appreciate that. At that table, with the battle mat out and dice at the ready, I’m just another player and he’s just another GM.
Unless it’s CoC. Then he’s a terrible person and I’m there against my will.
2 Gamers, 1 Console
At some point or another I think anyone who plays video games ends up in a situation where two people want to play video games but there is no way they can both play what they want at the same time. Whether its siblings, roommates, or even parents and kids you end up having to share. And while sharing is caring, I want to play my game right now damn it! You've had your turn!
Our house is no different. And while we both have other hobbies that don’t involve video games, inevitably, one of us will want to play their game while the other is playing theirs. As we are grown adults one of us will normally ask if we can play for a while, and normally we are reasonable people. But some days we just both want to play.
There a few different approaches to this dilemma:
Take Turns
Seems easy enough. I play for an hour and then you play for an hour. Normally I like to watch others play video games almost as much as I enjoy playing them, so this can be win win. But, if you are in the middle of a quest and your hour is up, now what? Do you get to finish the quest? Does that mean the other person tacks on some time to their hour? What if your quest ends up taking you 2 hours and now there is no time for the other person to play? Taking turns is nice, but not perfect.
First come, First serve
The law of the wasteland! If you are first to the console, you get to play. End of story. When you are done, and only when you are done, someone else can play. Certainly not fair, but neither is life, suck it up Nancy!
Multiplayer
This works well if both parties are into the same type of game. If one of you likes hack and slash and the other likes puzzle games, you might have a harder time. This also works better if you are at near the same skill level. A pro and a n00b will end up at each others throats in multiplayer unless the pro is very gracious.
Schedule
Make up a schedule of what time each of you gets the console. This, like communism, looks good on paper, but doesn't tend to work great in reality. Life happens and the next thing you know your time on the schedule has come and gone and there was never an opportunity to even get the game out of its box.
Double Down
Buy another system. And another TV. Also, if you like the same games, you are going to need to get two copies. Now you have two of everything, no more fighting. You will also be eating Ramen noodles for breakfast, lunch and dinner for a while. Tastes like progress.
Our house is no different. And while we both have other hobbies that don’t involve video games, inevitably, one of us will want to play their game while the other is playing theirs. As we are grown adults one of us will normally ask if we can play for a while, and normally we are reasonable people. But some days we just both want to play.
There a few different approaches to this dilemma:
Take Turns
Seems easy enough. I play for an hour and then you play for an hour. Normally I like to watch others play video games almost as much as I enjoy playing them, so this can be win win. But, if you are in the middle of a quest and your hour is up, now what? Do you get to finish the quest? Does that mean the other person tacks on some time to their hour? What if your quest ends up taking you 2 hours and now there is no time for the other person to play? Taking turns is nice, but not perfect.
First come, First serve
The law of the wasteland! If you are first to the console, you get to play. End of story. When you are done, and only when you are done, someone else can play. Certainly not fair, but neither is life, suck it up Nancy!
Multiplayer
This works well if both parties are into the same type of game. If one of you likes hack and slash and the other likes puzzle games, you might have a harder time. This also works better if you are at near the same skill level. A pro and a n00b will end up at each others throats in multiplayer unless the pro is very gracious.
Schedule
Make up a schedule of what time each of you gets the console. This, like communism, looks good on paper, but doesn't tend to work great in reality. Life happens and the next thing you know your time on the schedule has come and gone and there was never an opportunity to even get the game out of its box.
Double Down
Buy another system. And another TV. Also, if you like the same games, you are going to need to get two copies. Now you have two of everything, no more fighting. You will also be eating Ramen noodles for breakfast, lunch and dinner for a while. Tastes like progress.
Thursday, January 24, 2013
Critical Fails: Fighter Discrimination
Anyone who has ever played a D20 based system knows to hate the dreaded 1 roll and love the 20. I have long argued with many a game-master over the nonsense that is a critical fail chart. My problem with it extends not from early on in game-play, such as in traditional low level campaigns, however it truly begins at mid-level and becomes a large upset towards high levels. The problem is that as a character advances beyond the 10th level or possibly lower depending on your campaign, they are greatly beyond the real of normal men, and into the realm of legendary hero's. With the standard base attack bonus system implemented in D&D 3.5, Starwars, and D20 Modern, a high BAB class such as a fighter, has many more attacks each round than a low BAB class such a wizard. The lower BAB classes also have unique class abilities, or magic, or Jedi powers that counter this over sight against melee smash characters. This one action per turn character is significantly less likely to roll that dreaded 1 than a ranger making five attacks with both weapons. This could be logical since doing more things raises the opportunity of screwing up, however the whole point the BAB system is that it measures proficiency and a truly heroic character of meta-human capabilities, as most characters should be, is beyond the realm of a normal man's failure.
My philosophy as a GM is that the characters are always individuals who answer the call to become more than they could be as non-heroes. It's not about realism, or really bringing the players down, its about being in a fantasy world where you can achieve that greater than normal feeling, whether heroic or villainous, no one wants to be average. Most of the time, my NPC's and monsters are incapable of scoring that devastating critical hit on players, this may lesson some of the suspense for the characters in the drab between boss fights, but at the end of the day I actually want my players to become more attached to their characters and not keep that bit of detachment that comes from the inevitable fear of failure or poor luck.
My philosophy as a GM is that the characters are always individuals who answer the call to become more than they could be as non-heroes. It's not about realism, or really bringing the players down, its about being in a fantasy world where you can achieve that greater than normal feeling, whether heroic or villainous, no one wants to be average. Most of the time, my NPC's and monsters are incapable of scoring that devastating critical hit on players, this may lesson some of the suspense for the characters in the drab between boss fights, but at the end of the day I actually want my players to become more attached to their characters and not keep that bit of detachment that comes from the inevitable fear of failure or poor luck.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)