B/X S&S: A Skype Test?

I would like to try using some of the B/X - Sword & Sorcery hack I have been doing the last while. I'm looking for three players for a skype + gametable game using B/X Dungeons & Dragons with the Sword & Sorcery house rules I have been working on.

This will be a episodic game set in the Hyborian Age. However, I will be going more for the "feel" and "themes" instead of literary accuracy as I am by no means a REH/Conan scholar. I will be using some of the stories from the Savage Sword of Conan stories for ideas/inspiration.

Given the episodic nature, if this is something we have fun with, there's always the option of adding more episodes or players.

I would like to run the first session during the evening of Saturday, Nov 21st. Note that I am Mountain time.

If you're interested, e-mail me at p_armstrong [AT] email [DOT] com, tell me a little about yourself, what kind of gaming you enjoy, etc. In the event that I get an abundance of requests, I have no set criteria for how I'll pick the players. I'll be happy to put the extra folks on the waiting list for possible future episodes.

In addition, I am also considering a play-by-post game. I will let you know if it progresses.

My Current RPG Landscape

My 2nd edition AD&D campaign has been a lot of fun so far. I have to say that the new group made up of a couple of players from my old group and a few new players appears to be lots of fun. But, of course, I can never seem to get enough RPGs. A few other things I am thinking about right now:

1. Getting the B/X Online game going again. There seems to be enough interest so it is just a matter of getting schedules lined up. Based on my previous experience I am putting bigger limitations on it this time. My plan is to stick closely to the B/X paradigm of dungeon exploration for levels 1-3, wilderness exploration for levels 4-8, and establishing strongholds after that. Also, not withstanding my recent post on magic items, I am planning on sticking to the rulebooks for treasure and magic items except for new magic items in any published adventures I use.

2. The previously mentioned 2nd edition game is set in Paizo's Golarion. It is a pretty standard D&D-esque setting with all of the usual fantasy tropes. While I really like Golarion, using a standard fantasy setting has made me ponder using other settings for other games. The B/X Online game is set in the Wilderlands. I have also been thinking about using either B/X, T&T, or OD&D for two very different campaign settings.

I have had a sweet spot for the weird fantasy of Scott Driver's old blogs about his World of Thool (which I have archived and his wiki is still available) and his OD&D WIlderlands blog (which I wish I had archived). I would love to play a campaign inspired by Thool, Athanor, Carcosa , Under the Dying Sun, and the writings of Brackett, Dunsany, Hodgson, Merritt, Shaver and Wells.

The second is Middle Earth. Not the Middle Earth of the Lord of the Rings but instead the Wilderlands of the Hobbit. Gandalf is actually Bladorthin and is just some magic-user not some godly-spirit. The Necromancer is just that - an evil wizard with a tower in the forest. Who knows - Blackmoor might be to the north of the Grey Mountains and the Great Kingdom to the south of Mirkwood or maybe to the west of the Edge of the Wild line.

3. I have also been toying with starting a play-by-post game. I have had limited exposure to this type of gaming and only as a player. We will see if I do anything about this one.

The Fate of the B/X Online Game

With me being AWOL for a while the fate of the online B/X game is a bit up in the air. What does the future hold? I don't know.

I have a few observations from the skype game.

1. I was either too polite in inviting/accepting people into the game or I needed to structure it differently.
Now, I want to make sure this is not misconstrued! I really enjoyed gaming with everyone that played and I am glad to have met everyone that participated but I think the game would be better with either a fixed group (making scheduling more difficult) or a setup similar to the Northern Marches campaign.

The Northern Marches campaign was an open campaign which accommodated the busy schedule of adults. It was structured so that whoever was in attendance could participate. This was partially accomplished through having everyone return to the one site of civilization in the setting or face Jeff Rient's Triple Secret Random Dungeon Fate Chart of Very Probable Doom. By having everyone return to the starting point, it allowed for a full roster of characters for the next session. One thing I found about the skype game is that the pace was slower than a face-to-face game so not as much was accomplished each session. This would make the Northern Marches structure a little more problematic.

2. The DM/Player interaction required to pull off a sandbox-style game is more difficult using an online medium.
A sandbox requires players with the ability to provide goals and this is amplified using something like skype. I find that in a face-to-face game a lot of this information is exchanged either when the group is just BS-ing or talking about the session just completed. This BS-ing is just not as natural with 4 or 5 people on skype. There are other ways of generating this communication such as a group email or blog for the campaign but they just don't work as well as when you can sitdown with the person.

3. I haven't gotten past the lack of visible feedback during play.
I mentioned this a while ago but it still bothers me.

I would definitely run more games using skype but I would likely do a few things differently and place more constraints on it.
Maybe by running a specific adventure module.

B/X Skype Game Report

The first session of what looks to be a new B/X campaign was held over skype last night. I know I had a great time. The party consisted of:
- Ellos the Seer (player Mike D.) who has Sleep and Read Magic
- Sancho Peatfingers (Meepo) who is a 2nd level Halfling
- Diomedes, Adept of Bar'ralalaakk, the Toad Lord (JB)

The part began investigating an ancient dwarven stronghold hidden behind a waterfall in search of a rumoured powerful artifact.
They overcame a small tribe of kobolds, a swarm of centipedes that emerged from an old latrine and a giant spider that pounced on Diomedes.
They found 3,000 cp, 100 gp, a copper mask with clear crystals set for eye pieces, scrolls of Invisibility 10' radius and Dispel Magic and some clues about the history of the stronghold and the artifact.

Some comments/observations:
1. People - everyone got along really well. It was fun to play/BS with other people who knowledgeable and appreciate B/X.

2. Skype - we got a good connection and there were no drops.

3. Gametable - Once Mike D. got the thing working it complemented skype very well. I didn't have any pre-loaded maps and we didn't use it for 3.5 or 4E-style tactical combat but it was nice to have a quick and easy means to visually indicate room layouts and general positioning.

4. I am using the first part of the Doomstones campaign for WFRP as my starting premise. The general background and the dungeon map were taken from their and then I re-did it for B/X. The tone/style of Doomstones is easy to import into D&D as it was originally a D&D campaign that was converted to WFRP.

5. The party did not use a "caller". There was only 3 of them so there wasn't a lot of talking over each other on skype and it was pretty easy to come to a quick consensus.

6. I just parachuted the party to the dungeon entrance. This worked okay given the time constraints and the nature of the game. Eventually, I may have to flesh out a "home base".

7. It looks like the adventure will continue. Nothing concrete scheduled but there was a lot of talk about "next time".

8. There is room for a couple more players. If you are interested in participating send me an email at p_armstrong[at]email[dot]com.

Edit: 9. You can check out a blog I set up for the game at http://onlinebx.blogspot.com/ for some of the discussion.

10. I can see myself becoming a skype gaming junkie - anyone want to play Barbarians of Lemuria or Tunnels & Trolls?

Intro for next weekend's skype game

I am taking my kids camping again this afternoon. I am pretty much all packed and I have included a copy of B/X, a pencil, a pad of paper, and dice. I am going to spend some time fleshing out the dungeon for next week's skype game. Here is the teaser I gave to players,

You found the ancient map on the old dwarf. It was about the only thing that remained intact on the weathered skeleton. His armour was rusted and in tatters and his backpack had long rotted and spilled its contents down into the deep ravine. The map led you to this waterfall that is now above you. You are on a ledge of rock some 10 feet wide with gnarled trees clawing their roots into the hard stone like taloned claws precariously hanging on. The ledge is up against a rough cliff face and is surrounded by the basin into which the waterfall pours. The waterfall spouts out of an opening in the rock face about forty feet above your heads. As you inspect the rock wall you consider the words that were written on the back of the map,

Yazeran, We are four-and-twenty hearty warriors entrapped in the caves of the waterfall. The Orc hordes surround us. Their number is many. We sense the presence of a mighty artefact, perhaps the one I told you of. If you have reached safety with your own charge, and made allies among the humans as we have heard, please send us aid. The thing they have must not remain with them! Nor must our own secret fall into their foul hands. - Ketiger for Hadrin.

Some of you may recognize it from a different game ;)

Is there any interest in a Skype game?

My gaming schedule has slowed to a crawl the last few weeks. After asking for some feedback about online gaming, I am tempted to try out a skype game.

If anyone is interested in a short, not very ambitious skype game feel free to email me at p_armstrong[at]email[dot]com.

Selfishly, the goal would be for me to try to run a short B/X adventure online using the very simple Gametable whiteboard mainly for the dice rolling. If it worked well it could potentially evolve into something larger.

Tentatively I would schedule it for 8:00pm Mountain time on Saturday, July 25th.