sesquepadalia | Entries tagged with wacky hi-jinks

Ok, so it's been a really long time since I've done any LARP/RPG related posts, so in the light of last night, I bring to you a special table-top edition of this blog!

So me and a few others have just started a system called Traveller. It's very rules light, and has probably the best character gen system I've seen for fluff fun. I can (and will) dissect the awesome for you if people want to hear about it, but not right now. It also has a lot of random event rolls, which can lead to hilarity...

The game Matt's running for us is based in a world not unlike the Firefly 'verse. And it seems we delight in making it more like it by the day. Yesterday we had an Epic Marathon session that took most of the day, and it was awesome.

( What we did on our holidays... )

It's a fantastic game and really well run, though it needs a good GM who doesn't mind wading through a lot of randomised tables. I would highly recommend it.

*No, really accidentally. As in I didn't even twig that what I said could have been taken to mean something else until afterwards...

So, the question of PvP in Anticthon has been raised. I'm torn on the subject, and want to write a game that enough people will enjoy, so thought I might throw this open to the floor.

Points against PvP

If your plot's good enough you shouldn't need it.
It often creates OC resentment and feuding between players. - Counterpoint: It's just a game, grow up
Said feuding can spoil the game for others, even if it's just IC - I've had games (mostly tabletop though) where the plot got ignored for the sake of two characters constantly playing stupid pranks on each other. This got very boring very quickly.
It makes it hard to get the plot done when you can't trust the rest of the players
The player party's supposed to be The Heroes- Counterpoint: There were heroes on both sides of the Trojan War too...

Points in Favour of PvP

With PvM, often player success feels inevitable. There's no real challenge. And if it is a real challenge, players will bitch that it was unfair.
Personally I'd rather be killed by someone actually trying to kill me rather than accidental monster-to-the-face.
PvP =/= character death. There are many other fun ways to compete without actually losing a character, and that makes so much game.

Essentially...

My personal opinions are that death in LARP should be meaningful. People get invested in their characters, often spend a lot of time and money creating kit for them. Meaningless and random death is horrible and not something I want to encourage in any larps I run.
PvP grants the opportunity for the best and the worst kind of larp deaths.
On the positive side, I've always held that assassination is the highest form of flattery. I don't like the thought of dying to a random monster-in-the-face, but if there's no PvP, the only threat comes from the chance of dying to RMITF. I remember just how much plot was created by Nefertiri's assassination, and it was fantastic.
On the negative side, I also really hate the kind of cheap deaths that you saw so often at Maelstrom - muggings on the way to the loos, random murder in the dark, shiving people up for loot, etc. It pisses me off when death is that cheap.

I like the idea of FvF play - faction vs. faction, knives turned outwards. Much less bitchy.

My current plan is to:

a) Create non-lethal opportunities for PvP.
b) Create IC consequences for lethal PvP.
c) Make PvP available, but not actively encouraged.
d) Give the players enough plot to keep them occupied so they don't just go on a killing spree.
e) Make most things reversible - albeit with a lot of effort - thus creating game.

This is all subject to change, but I want to open up the discussion.

RIP to Neil Armstrong, the human race's most famous lunar explorer.

Prince Harry proves that Royalty have genitals after all, and don't reproduce by osmosis as was previously thought. He also manages to prove that he is a normal idiot. And I couldn't care less.

American politicians still trail far behind the rest of the world in elementary biology when it comes to the female body. Honestly, I am no longer surprised at the crap these misogynistic bile-mongers spew forth.

In more personal news;

I have spent a stupid amount of time driving across the country lately. I love my new car - Saiorse* - and I love driving, and I love the fact that I can get from Portsmouth to Newcastle on only a tiny bit over a full tank. I also have discovered that I really like tinkering. Even if it's just changing the oil or accidentally over-filling the engine coolant and having to flood it out, then soak up the excess with a rag and a stick. Grease on my fingers, oil on my face, happy completely chasing the pace, as Chris Rea once said.

Still no job on the horizon, but I'm throwing out applications every which way, and thinking about doing a PGCE.

Writing steadily, reading solidly - just devoured the latest Jasper Fforde in three days flat.

Took part in a photo shoot at the weekend; dressed up as a Roman Elf (the underdress of which doubled nicely as a 1960's mini-dress, and we took a few silly shots of Mary Quant Elf too) got covered in make-up wounds by blake17, and had a very fun time.

Still having a pretty hard time of things, and the black dog is re-surfacing on occasion, but I am ever greatful to all family and friends who are propping me up through everything. Hopefully we'll keep the sucker leashed until things start looking up.

It's also my birthday in a few weeks time.

It's been a hell of a year - in more ways than one. And I think I've grown up a lot more than one year would suggest. If my internet access remains constant, I'll probably do a birthday post nearer the time.

Suffice to say I'm feeling old.

Please send messages of youthful vitality, a new laptop with working wireless connection, a digital camera, one meeeeeelion pounds (tax free), or failing that, renditions of Thin Lizzy's The Boys are Back in Town to cheer me up.

*A three person joke, that one.

So, another Easter, another Strom, another Costume, another tent in a field... Let me tell you about it...

The Good

Blackberry and the wonderful, wonderful, wonderful amazing people at sanctuary - who I still need to thank more - for taking a soggy, bedraggled, overworked eidolon and filling it full of tea and food and giving it back-rubs until it was happy fun stabby eidolon again.

Experimental Shamanism was a success!

Rumours of my explosion due to experimental shamanism were greatly exaggerated!

Raoul annoys me, Raoul flees my wrath outside the ghost fence where I can't get him, Raoul trips in mud. Earthquake approves.

Being hailed as the Eye of Coyote by a mildly jealous Blizzard, after being a very naughty girl this DT...

The Night of Martyrs - from an OC perspective, hearing Tiri's name read out gave me chills.

New Sword and Main Gauche from Light Armouries - Soooooo pretty, plus now I'm finally fighting with the weapons I'm best with OC! Pity I did not get to stab enough...

Charging out of the gate on Friday ready to kill everything, in a nice early Non-Bottle

My faithful getting blessed to high heaven - and getting to deliver at least one of those blessings myself. Which ended up being perfectly done, if not quite as I'd planned it...

Rachida's new Look. Hell Yes! :D

Threatening to cut people for continually asking me to repeat the experimental shamanism. Being scary stabbity eidolon is fun, but sadly I seem to have become fluffier than an Earthquake eidolon really should be... This may have gone some way to rectifying the balance.

I looked Fucking awesome :D

Deep theological discussions with Thane, and their eventual result - "You were never really one of mine, but we could have made you great".

Fun with Vild - especially whilst attempting to convert impressionable Kitty to Jaguar.

"Warbird, can you come here a sec?"
"Why? What is it?"
"I don't know, I just got asked to find a competent Eidolon."

A very FOIP little meeting in the dark with a contact I didn't know, from an ally I'd never met face to face, about very secret information... made me feel like James Bond.

Being the Eidolon who Knows Everything - running around on the Sunday night, making sure everyone was kept informed.

Having Flambard and the White Jackets explained to me as this character, and thinking "Really? I don't remember us being like that!"

Finding out That true name, and spreading it like a Flembic Governess...

Watching undead and eidolons being fired from the trebuchet

Being eaten by a bug - best form of dispatch ever! If slightly tickly...

Dread lord Fucknose

Conversations in the Maelstrom - of fallen, wendigo, Ilini and the like

The Bad

Something in particular that nearly happened didn't come off in the end - for the best of reasons - but still a disappointment.

Deity team being overworked and understaffed, meaning all but 2 of my imperatives were Vanilla ones.

Fucking Rat Tribe and their Fucking Ghost fence! Treking from the arse end of the field to the Maelstrom tent back to the arse end of the field only to need discorporating again, because you wanted to pop out on the other side of the wall, and got "appear in the serpent shrine" not "appear in the tavern" because you've got the wrong mission... trust me, it gets old fast.

Itchy wig is itchy. But compensated for by looking awesome. But caught on everything. And got wet. But looked awesome!

Couldn't go on the sortie due to bad ankle - yet again getting left behind when there is murdering to be done :p

Couldn't nail anything on Blind Harvey in the end... curses!

The Ugly

Fucking Cold - backs of hands are dry and chapped to high heaven. As is face. Whilst not as bad as Celestial Gala of the Snowstorm, the cold very definitely prevented a certain amount of roleplay and fun.

Fucking Wet - everything is mud. All mud. All of it.

Fucking Boots - ancient CCF things that I've had since I was 13 (so, that's about 12 years now, and all things considered that's a pretty good run) concertina-ing at the back, and digging into my ankle. About time for new boots, says I.

Fucking sword baldric - in principle, really awesome, and will be really useful, but turned my right shoulder into one solid knot.

In Conclusion

Bit of a mixed bag of an event. Not helped by the weather. Seriously, seriously hoping the next one will be sunny.
Special mention must go to all the people who made the event wonderful in all the places that it was - Blackberry and all at Sanctuary; the White Wolves - especially Thane; All the Earthquake faithful; All the eidolons - native and invader - for being awesome in my direction, and/or listening politely whilst I got all theological; everyone I tried to convert; Both of Bunni's characters for being funbugs; All at the daggers for giving me free drinks because my alter-ego works there... and I'm sure there's many more I've forgotten to mention.

So tired now!

And only 3 more left to go...

I may have done something rather inadvisable last night.... It may have involved not enough Fangria, the combined efforts of myself,

safer666 and

ramuth, and a copy of the Top Gear Challenges DVD.

We have created a monster... The Top Gear Drinking Game.
I'm sure there are already versions of drink-along-with-Top-Gear out there, but this is ours. And I'm very very sorry.

The Rules:
Divide into three persons or teams. Each team is randomly allocated either Clarkson, May or Hammond.
Watch the DvD.
Drink at the appropriate moments, until no-one is safe to even go near a car, let alone drive it.

Everyone must drink when:

The presenters graffiti, mess with, sabotage or "help" with each other's vehicles
One of the presenters addresses the viewer directly.
They reference another BBC program or presenter.
Someone is abandoned.
Whenever you see a golden challenge envelope.
Someone is particularly Un-PC in their humour.
The Stig is introduced.
They play music from the A-Team or someone says "cue the music"
Someone tempts fate by saying "How hard can it be?" or similar.
You hear the theme music.
Something is set on fire.
Law enforcement agencies (police, coastguard etc) appear.

Each team or person must drink when:

Their presenter's car breaks down.
Their presenter's nickname is mentioned.
Their presenter modifies their vehicle mid-challenge.
Their presenter wins the challenge.

The specific presenters also have drink conditions:

Clarkson:

Whenever he uses superlative hyperbole ("I am the most miserable man alive!" etc)
Whenever he wields a hammer or power tool
Whenever he yells "Come On!!!"

May:

Whenever he swears, or mentions male genitalia. If he says "Oh Cock", drink twice.
Whenever anyone mentions or references The War.
Whenever he goes on about anything overly technical and dull.

Hammond:

Whenever he loses his temper.
Whenever someone makes a joke about his height or teeth.
Whenever he's picky about food.

As if this weren't enough... there is also a Hard Mode. In this, in addition to the above rules, everyone drinks when:

Particularly Epic music plays
Your presenter giggles/laughs maniacally
Your presenter is bragging about their vehicle
Any time anyone says the word "horsepower"
Continually drink during tech specs.
Whenever someone cheats.
The phrase "You blithering Idiot" is said.
Your presenter is running on telly.

May

Whenever James is singing
Whenever he gets lost

Hammond

Whenever Hammond Yells incoherently
or says "Brilliant!"

Put it this way, we ran out of Fangria before we ran out of DvDs...

So, Skyrim!

Jokingly, Doug and I have started referring to this beast as the third person in our marriage.

And I'm not sure why....

See, ok, it's good. There's nothing wrong with it, it's a decent game.
I love the magic system - I love the look of the magic especially. Elder Scrolls has always been my one game where I really enjoy playing specifically mages*, and Skyrim is no different. I am loving my Breton with lightning in one hand and healery in the other. I cast like I'm in Saturday Night Fever. Hell yes.

But the thing is, apart from the dragons, this is just like any other Elder Scrolls game.
I have found myself impulsively stealing books and collecting Nirnroot and spending hours trying to find the one guy who can sell me a fricking bedroom only for some reason he doesn't have it any more, what the hell game?
And I still can't climb the frelling** mountains, and spend hours looking for the sodding way to the top.
And I spend hours trying to find the sodding dungeon doorway or the way back out, or the way back in after I've lugged all my loot back to the shop and can now finish clearing out the rest of the dungeon...

And through all of this I'm watching How I Met Your Mother *** and vaguely wondering why I care about these characters, or even if I care about them, with the possible exception of Lydia, my Housecarl, who is the most useless creature imagineable and who I hate with a fiery passion. So much that I'm leaving her at home. Housecarl? She's been demoted to housekeeper. This is mainly because I haven't figured out how to give her stuff so's I can make her my packhorse, so I don't have to do quite so many frelling runs back to the shops to unload my loot.

God damn it, this is an annoyingly addictive game, and I don't know why, because it's no frelling different from any of the other Elder Scrolls games, apart from the fact that it is marginally prettier and I like the magic. So WHY CAN'T I STOP PLAYING IT???

Oh, also, Happy Christmas everyone!****

And New Year!

And all that Jazz!

*Oh, and also DA:O - but then I love everything in DA:O
**Yes I said "frelling", get over it.
***Which is Awesome, btw
****and/or whichever winterval festival you care to celebrate!

In true style of me - I've been meaning to post for days, but haven't been near a computer, and then the minute I am, my brain refuses to come up with anything interesting to say.

I've been busy, busy lately.

The trip to Malham cove did not happen in the end; mostly because I ended up going to a friend's wedding the day before I was due to go there, and had an absolute whale of a time with all the Old Gang from Back in the Day, got slightly sloshed, and decided to lie in instead of getting up early to go to the middle of Yorkshire.

I did however very much enjoy the Right Royal Piss Up (courtesy of

casparrrrgh and Co.) - even if no-one recognised who the fuck I was.

( Prize if you can guess who the fuck I'm supposed to be... )

And the subsequent time spent up in Glasgow, where I had a chat with awesome persons about getting a tattoo...

Then went back home for the aforementioned wedding, and to be berated by my mother, as is becoming disappointingly regular.

This week, I shall be continuing with the driving lessons - at stupidly early hours :p - with the possibility at the end of it that my sister is getting rid of her Micra, and I may be able to buy it off her :D
If it hasn't already got a name, I will be christening it (or re-christening it perhaps) Saiorse - which is probably a 2 person joke, but heck, it'll be my car :D
Just need to pass the bloody test...

New post on the Anticthon Blog!

More setting information will be coming shortly!

Here's the link if you've lost / never got it!

http://gspress.livejournal.com/

As some of you already know - ok, anyone who's been reading this blog will know - I just finished my first novel manuscript recently.

So now I'm working on the sequel. And I need to do some location scouting. Specifically, I'm looking to make a trip up to Yorkshire - little place called Malham Cove, not far from Skipton. It's a gorgeous place (so I'm told) and all I'm planning is having a nice walk round, maybe take some pictures, do some sketching, the like.

Only, I don't fancy making the trip up on my own, especially since I don't have a car, so navigating the public transport might be... shall we say interesting? And not something I'd be comfortable doing solo.

So, if anyone happens to have a car, or a rail-card and a good sense of direction, a sense of adventure, and some free time any point between the 23rd and the 27th this month, and fancies a quick jaunt up North, could you let me know?
I can pay petrol money, and if we're coming from a long distance, my Gran lives fairly close by and would almost certainly be happy to put us up for the night if a stop-over is required, so no money is required - just time and a willingness to put up with me :)

Anyone game?

Current Mood: hopeful

Two quick adverts for y'all,

Firstly, Y'know the diesel punk LARP Doug and I have been floating ideas for for a while now? It now has its own blog/LJ community! Please come along, see what you think, and offer opinions if you have any you want to share. There's not a lot up at the moment, but setting documents and other fun stuff will be turning up sooner or later, as will any news as to where we are in the planning stages of making this a reality.

It can be found here...

Secondly - and this one is mostly for Oxfnordites - I'm considering running a tabletop.
Setting: OWOD Mage
Concept: Umbral space pirates. Vaguely Atom punk, vaguely Fireflyesque, probably taking the piss out of Trek somewhat.
Characters: Tradition Mages - no restrictions, but run anything really off-the-wall past me first.
Tone: Lighthearted, pulpy adventure fun.
Place: Mine and Doug's as-yet-unnamed house
Time: TBC

Who would be interested? And when can you make?

Current Mood: busy

After what's been a hell of a week, I need something relaxing and silly. So there might be a plethora of memes erupting on the blog for a bit.

Here's one that's going around at the mo; what do y'all really think of me?

Be kind...

kevan.org/jh/sesquepadalia

Current Mood: anxious

Just a bit of a public service announcement: I have a new, experimental blog. It's called "Ma Vie en Livres", because I'm posh and pretentious, and thought a French title would be more fun than an English one...

Ok, the point of the blog is to chart my year in terms of the books I'm reading (hence Ma Vie en Livres). I'm keeping a record of every single book I read this year, and giving a short review of each one.

I'm probably mad, but if you want to pop across and review my reviews, or see what I've got my nose in today (Wolf Hall - though I'm only a few chapters in, so no review yet) or argue about my taste in literature, or just support me, the blog is here.

:D

Current Mood: busy
Current Location: Literatia

Ok, so this one is nicked from my lovely S.O,

vevaphonics (who has, sadly been banned from playing as he knows just about all of them anyway...)

Most people will probably know the drill for this one already - guess the artist and song title, answers on a postcard (or in the comments) please!
Also, in the style of MLSO, I'm pitting my LJ-list against my FB-list, in a wacky hi-jinks musical competition to see who gets more.

Step 1: Put your music player on shuffle.
Step 2: Post the first line (or two lines, or whatever) from the first 50 songs that play, no matter how embarrassing.
Step 3: Strike through the songs when someone guesses both band and title.
Step 4: ???

( Step 5: Profit )

Current Mood: listless
Current Music: See Above

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Other Peoples' Lives

Collected Rpg-Based Notes

Entries tagged with wacky hi-jinks

Traveller

PvP

News Round Up

Obligatroy Froth Post

Ambitious but Rubbish...ish

The Third Entity

(no subject)

GSPress Update

Open Casting Call

RP related Updates

The Meme Sheep Strikes Again!

Ma Vie en Livres

Yet another meme, with Added Hi-Jinks!