The Janus Project - What Is It? (JP Design Journal #1)

The Time Heroes project is moving along well. I've just received the edits for the sample adventure "Alexander of Bebopedonia" which is the last chapter that was off to the editor. Once I've had a chance to make those revisions, it will be time to figure out where art will go and then send everything off to +Jacob Wood for layout work! This will likely take place in early October.

In the meantime, while waiting for edits to come back, I began making revisions to the Janus Project. It is likely this will be GWO's second RPG, once Time Heroes is finished and out. What is the Janus Project, you ask? Why, the topic of today's blog entry!

The Game's History
Once upon a time, in 2012, there was  an online kingdom called RPGGeek. In this kingdom, lords and ladies came from all ends of the kingdom once a year to participate in a gruelling 24-hour marathon. It was a test of wits, and game play, and fortitude. Each participant had 24 hours to pen a game of roles and submit it to be voted upon by all members of the kingdom.

One of lords, called MasterGeek (as well as a few others), requested an additional challenge: Three words that must be included in the game in some aspect or other. The three words chosen by one of the Dukes of RPGGeek were Accessibility, Reactor, and Phase. One of those words was, fairly normal. The other two, however, vexed MasterGeek until finally, they meshed together. The rest of the game rose up around those two words, and thus the Janus Project was born.

Right, so I think I've stretched the attempt at bedtime story-ing the history as far as it will go. The point is, the Janus Project started out as a thrown-together (and not winning, for the curious, for good reason) system to enter in my first RPG contest. While the game as submitted didn't pull any awards, I haven't been able to stop thinking about it.

The Lore

Earth is overpopulated. Has been for as long as anyone alive can remember. Nations don’t fight over moral disagreements anymore, or even political. They fight over food and space for their people to live. Pollution has devastated large portions of the world, lowering even further the available space to inhabit.

We tried for many years to find a way to colonize space. Every attempt failed drastically, ending each time with the deaths of all volunteers. Things were looking bleak.

Then a group of scientists discovered Eden. This wasn’t a new planet, but a dimension that runs perpendicular to our own where magic, instead of technology, evolved. At the place where the two meet is a natural weak spot. However, we found that we couldn’t colonize Eden, at least not in the normal way, without endangering those who already lived there. That’s when the Janus Project began and the creation of the Reactors became necessary…

I figured the best way to give a brief synopsis of the world is by stealing part of the introduction from the 24-hour contest document. However, I should probably expand on that a bit.

Scientists found that biological matter could not pass through weak points, but inanimate matter and radio waves, brain waves, etc. can. When they discovered this, scientists found that if a resident of Eden with compatible brain waves could be found, someone from earth could ride along like a passenger inside their head. At first the scientists merely observed the world they called Eden, but they soon discovered they could communicate with their host. When a scientist's body died while she was touring Eden, she discovered (thanks to her host) that their two personalities could merge into one, becoming one being with the memories of both. This is where everything went wrong.

Some of the less altruistic of Earth found that, by destroying their bodies once their personalities were riding in the mind of an Eden resident, they could overpower their host, thus leaving only the Earth personality intact. In the world of Eden (and then to those of Earth who wanted to prevent this), they became known as Ravagers.

The response of Earth was not overwhelming disgust, but there were groups around the world unwilling to devastate another world simply so humanity could survive. These people made contact with members of Eden, creating the Janus Project. This project consisted of Earth folk willing to sacrifice their physical bodies to merge peacefully with a willing resident of Eden in order to prevent the Ravagers from wiping out a civilization in an attempt to save Earth's.

That's an extremely basic history of the game world. The PCs are Reactors, those of Earth and Eden whose brain waves react favorably to each other, allowing them to merge into one being when the Earth body dies. Reactors are able to switch dominant phases of the personality. When the Eden half of the personality is at the forefront, the Reactor can utilize the magic of Eden. When the Earth half is dominant, she can harness and command the nanites behind the tech of Earth that is able to be transported between the dimensions. Groups of Reactors work together to keep the Ravagers from completely decimating the ecology of Eden.

In the next JP Design Journal entry, I'll be going over the basic game mechanics. The new goal is to get at least one GWO Blog entry posted a week, preferably 2. 

Time Heroes - Kickstarter Experiences and Chase Mechanics

Wow, it has been too long since I've done any updating on the blog, and I'm aware I still owe a part two to the Eternal GM topic I started on prior to the Time Heroes Kickstarter, but hey, who know managing a Kickstarter project was such hard work? If you haven't had a chance to see how the Kickstarter has been going, feel free to check it out: Time Heroes Kickstarter Project.

Kickstarter Experience

I've been doing quite a few things to try and spread the word about the Kickstarter project. There hasn't been a crazy rush of backers like I've seen for a few other RPG projects, but there has definitely been an amount I'm pleased with. At this point, I'm extremely confident that we will fund and possibly hit a couple of the stretch goals. Of course, there's still time to hit most, if not all of them, so who knows? Anyway, here are a few of the ways I've tried to spread the word about the Time Heroes KS, for those of you curious or looking for ideas on how to promote your own.

RPG Communities - I'm an active participant over at +RPG Geek (more the main website than the community, though, truth to tell). That made it the perfect place to make an announcement as I'm known, and have friends, there. I also posted on RPG.net and asked +Russell Morrissey to post a link in his news feed for EN World, which he was kind enough to do.

Social Networking - Yup. Google Plus and Facebook is the way to go. I've been making sure my updates get over to both social networking sites and I know several new backers resulted from it. I am also currently running a FB ad (only $25 total) that links to the KS and I've gotten at least one backer off of that. I also used the networks to ask people in the industry like +Fred Hicks if he wouldn't mind giving it a look, and have gotten some great tips from +Steve Russell , who recently finished the successful Lords of Gossamer and Shadow Kickstarter project and +Kevin Mickelson, the man behind the Berserkon Kickstarter. My social networks have been a great way to both boost the signal for my project as well as get advice on running a successful Kickstarter. If I had one recommendation for people new to Kickstarters, it would be: Don't be afraid to approach industry pros. In my experience, they have been extremely friendly and more than happy to help a new RPG Designer get off the ground.

Additionally, I've picked up some great items to offer via the Kickstarter from social networking. +Jacob Poss is offering up his Defenders of Amaranthia Fate Core setting as a stretch goal, which I have gladly accepted. +Amanda Mickelson has just agreed to make some Cthulhu plushies that I can offer as add-ons to any reward level. Both of these items are sure to help boost the funds Time Heroes ultimately raises.

Lastly, having a presence on G+ recently lead to my being approached by +Stacey Chancellor, one of the hosts of Fate Points, and now I'll be a guest on the show June 17, right around the time the Kickstarter hits the one week remaining mark.

Physical Presence - I backed the Berserkon Kickstarter at the Artisan level, so that I could have an artist's table setup there. We made a banner with sample artwork from +Melissa Gay on it and had it manned by kind volunteers the entire weekend of the convention (I had intended on being there more myself, but ended up running back-to-back Time Heroes sessions the entire weekend). 

This gave a couple of boosts to the Kickstarter. First, there was hands-on experience available. I ran about ten sessions of the game over the course of the weekend, and I know several of the people who played turned around and backed the project (a couple even mid-session). This was fantastic in and of itself, but this also gave me the chance to run the game for the likes of +Joanna Gaskell and +Brian Lewis. Even +Bill Cavalier stopped by to visit about the game. What started as simply wanting to be able to run the game to let people see how it plays turned into a surprise chance to boost the signal a bit by running for some gaming celebrities. Trust me, no matter how small the con, if there's one you can get to to promote your project (particularly as it's running), DO IT.

The second boost to the Kickstarter came from the fact that I was able to be interviewed for the local news and for a podcast. I'm not sure that these resulted in anyone backing the project, but it's quite possible (and in either case, was a lot of fun).

Chase Mechanics
The second part of today's blog post is about me (possibly) changing how chases work in Time Heroes.

As they stand now, chases in Time Heroes are resolved just like they would be in Fate Core. However, thinking back on Saturday morning cartoons, I seem to recall chasing happening a lot. Maybe even once or twice an episode. As I thought about this, I decided maybe it would be a good idea to make chases have a more prominent role in the game. From there I decided to add a Chase Stress Track to the Physical and Mental ones.

I think that the stress track itself will be based on Athletics. Yes, Athletics is already used for quite a bit, but I can't think of a better skill to use. I'm debating possibly dropping Athletics as a defense against Fight to balance it out better. So, this means that the Chase track will have its boxes determined the same way Physical and Mental do.

Additionally, chases are more of a "between scenes" situation. When someone can no longer take Chase stress, it merely will determine the way the next scene starts for the players. As an example, in the "Rise of the Plushies" episode, there is a scene where the players are chasing H.P. Lovecraft through city streets as he attempts to reach the field to complete a ritual. No matter how the chase scene turns out, the next scene will take place at the football field. The difference between success and failure will simply be whether they get there before Lovecraft has jumped into the ritual or if they arrive as he's nearly completed it.

With that in mind, I think I will be having the Chase track not involve the ability to take consequences. Also, in all likelihood, I'll probably have the chase be the ultimate chase roll determined by the PC with the lowest Chase track (the speed of the group is determined by the slowest member, after all), with the other PCs able to assist.

The full mechanics haven't been worked out yet, but that's about as far as I've gotten. I may end up also adding a Chase skill to the franchise and use THAT to determine how many "hits" the group can take before they fail, which would require changing the way franchises are built. Anyway, that is a start on how I'd kind of like to envision the new mechanic.

Time Heroes - The Kickstarter Launches!

After months of preparations and waiting, the time has finally come! I've finished the beta draft and the quick-start packet. Sadly, due to separation from the original Time Heroes artist, the quick-start packet is currently artless (though Justin was kind enough to allow me to keep the logo, which is awesome!). However, it still exists, which is ok by me.

Due to this separation, I found myself in a position to find a new illustrator for the project. I was lucky enough to contact none other than the extremely talented +Melissa Gay who has worked on varied projects from the Dresden Files RPG (also Fate-based) to Mermain Adventures. I am certainly extremely excited to have her on board this project and glad that she saw fit to provide me with an image to include in the Kickstarter!

Now, the past couple of days have been pretty busy (in a good way). My fiancee, +Ashley Ishmael graduated from RN school yesterday and today she and I set a date for our wedding (September 28th of this year) so we went to my parents' for a bit of a celebration. I realized that I had all the pins set up for the Time Heroes Kickstarter, I just needed to roll the ball down the lane and I could make the celebration (pardon the switching of sports metaphors) a hat trick.

So, without further ado, I present to you the link to the Time Heroes Kickstarter, the very first (but hopefully not last) RPG project from GeekWorld Online:

Time Heroes Kickstarter Page

The Eternal GM - New Game Master Advice Part One

Yesterday we were so busy getting everything ready for ToddlerGeek's 3rd birthday party (today) that I forgot to publish this week's Eternal GM article. So, it's a day late. This week's topic? Being a new GM. I will be discussing suggestions that I think will help new GMs transition into their role in a (I hope) more comfortable fashion than I was able to.

I've been a game master from the moment I discovered RPGs. Being a writer (in my head, anyway), it was a more or less natural transition for me. That being said, there were still plenty of bumps in the road that I had to work to overcome along the way, just as any GM does. I'm hoping that this article will help those of you sitting on the fence (and those who requested this topic) make the decision to dive into the role of the game master.

This is a topic that is going to be covered in a future episode of Play on Target as well (this summer sometime, probably), but due to the requests I decided it was worth doing an article about. I am planning on splitting this article into two parts. In this week's article I will be focusing on helping those interested in game mastering but unsure where to start. Next week, I'll be discussing common mistakes I've seen (and made) in new GMs and how they might be resolved. *Note - the second and third section do contradict each other. One might work for some people, another for others. A lot can depend on the group.

Be Comfortable With the Genre

This is always one of my recommendations to newer GMs. You're trying something you've never done before, whether you're already a role player or not. It's a lot more work logistically than being a player and you may well be learning a completely new system. There is no reason you need to make your life any more difficult than necessary. Look for a game that will be a good fit for you genre-wise. 

Think of the types of books you like to read or movies you like to watch. Then find a game that falls under the same heading and run that (or even a game based on an existing property you love). If you're a huge Star Wars fan, make your first GM experience a Star Wars game. If you exclusively read science fiction, then that's what you should run your first time as game master, even if that's not what your group is used to. The goal with this is you'll have less to worry about in the playing it by ear portion if you're already familiar with the setting and/or tropes of the genre than if you're diving into completely unfamiliar territory.

Run a System Your Players Know...

GMing is an extremely daunting task, particularly the first few times you act in that capacity. If you're with a close group of friends who you're comfortable with, why not run a game they all know well? That way, when you have a hiccup, you'll have people to turn to for advice. As long as you don't have any extreme rules lawyers in your group and are comfortable being told how things work (or, preferably, where to find info you need), then this can be a successful way to get used to GMing. You'll have people around you who can help you get used to the rules, which means one less weight you'll have solely on your shoulders while you get used to the ins and outs of GMing in general.

...But Really, Don't

I've run into very few groups that don't have a rules lawyer/know-it-all in them. These players can be intimidating in general. Taking into account that you're trying to to step into the driver's seat (so to speak) for the first time, this intimidation factor of having someone who likes letting people know he's better versed in the system than they are can increase tenfold. 

The easiest way to resolve this issue is simply to make sure you are running a system that absolutely no one at your table is already familiar with. This works particularly well if you're following the first piece of advice from this article and making sure you are running a game in a setting/genre you are already familiar with. This puts more onto your shoulders right off the bat as you are the "expert" in the system, so anything you can do to make your prep work easier is extremely beneficial.

Get Your Players to Help

This one is pretty cut and dry. There are a lot of things generally left up to the GM that you can enlist your players' assistance with. Here is a brief list of duties that you can pass of to your players that will lighten your in-game stress a bit as well as keeping players involved in the game at every turn:

• Initiative - Hand this one off to a player at the beginning of combat. Let her take note of who has what initiative and make sure everyone knows when it's their turn to go. This person can also generally keep track of status effects and how long they last.
• Mapping - This one goes way back, but there was a time when players actually had to map out where they were exploring. Use a map that works with dry erase markers and instead of drawing the map out for them, show them where to start and have them draw it out as they explore. This will save you running around the table every time they enter a new area you didn't want to already have drawn out for them.
• Combatants - This often works better if someone isn't involved in a conflict overly much (for whatever reason), or the combat is large-scale. Let the players control the friendly NPCs in such conflicts. One less thing you have to worry about when you're controlling all the "monsters." 

Run a "Beginner" Box

I put beginner in parentheses above because (as you'll see) not all box sets ideal for beginner GMs are labelled "beginner" on the box itself. These are box sets that include everything you need to play the game, simple (or simplified) rules, and generally make sure people new to the role playing hobby aren't completely overwhelmed. There are a lot of these in the market these days, some better than others. Below are a few that I feel are of note.

• Dragon Age (Set 1+) - This set works great for beginners for several reasons. It's familiar to a large subset of people who may be new to tabletop RPGs as the source material is a video game RPG. It's a simple system that doesn't take much to learn and each set adds new things to the system. For those unfamiliar with the setting, it's still a solid fantasy RPG for those familiar with the genre. Genre: Fantasy
• Star Wars Beginner Box - This one has some pluses and minuses to it. It is Star Wars, which many role players will be widely familiar with. It comes with everything necessary to play, from the special dice required for the game to a group of prebuilt characters and adventures. The system is simplified from the full version. This last, however, is also the downside, in that you can't (as of this writing) simply take the characters that you've played through the beginner box with and port them over to the full game without alteration. Genre: Space Opera
• D&D Gamma World Role Playing Game - This most recent iteration of Gamma World (by Wizards of the Coast) is probably the best (in my opinion) entry point into 4th Edition Dungeons and Dragons for those who are interested. Even without taking that into account, it's a good standalone system. Again, everything needed to play is there: maps, rules, tokens, etc. It's a pared-down version of an already new-to-RPGs-friendly system. Genre: Post-Apocalyptic (and Comedic, though not absolutely necessary)
• Pathfinder Beginner Box - This one is one of the most oft-spoken of when Beginner boxes are brought up in conversation. It comes with prebuilt characters, a map, nice quality tokens (nice quality everything really), simplified rules, and characters can be easily ported over to the full game once the beginner adventure path has been completed. The really nice thing about this is for those GMs not wanting to get into adventure/campaign design, there are a ton of adventure paths available to run players through that are extremely well-written. Genre: Fantasy

Next week I'll be back with part two, in which I will discuss common mistakes I've seen (and made myself) and recommendations of how to address them.

The Eternal GM - Atmosphere in RPGs

Not much has changed in the last week in the GWO world. The Time Heroes Kickstarter hasn't advanced too much, though I have started on the Eras supplement and have seen a rough sketch of the Quick-Start Packet's cover. However, I do have the second article in "the Eternal GM" for you. I hope you enjoy and remember, at the end I will briefly mention a game that I feel does a great job of addressing the topic (and why).

Capturing Atmosphere

This week's topic is regarding a situation I see come up many times at the table. Unfortunately, it's also a situation that doesn't have a clear-cut solution (at least not a good one). That being said, there are things a GM can do to help evoke the atmosphere of a particular game. As always, there are certainly more than I will be discussing here, but these are what I use at my own table. I should note that the article will revolve heavily around horror because (in my mind) it's one of the most difficult atmosphere's to successfully get into at the table.

Know Your Players

For me, this is the biggest way to succeed with an atmospheric game (or really, any game). Unfortunately, it's an "all or nothing" scenario. You need to know your players for an atmosphere-heavy game to have any chance of succeeding. As GM, you should know your players' attitudes and how adjustable they are. For example, if you're trying to run a Call of Cthulhu adventure (seriously), but you know your group can't go more than five minutes between silly comments, you're going to need to find a way around that (or play a different game).

You need to weigh how much you and your players want to make a game work against whether or not the game is up your group's alley. Every game is not for every group, and that's okay. Just make sure you and your players are aware of this when playing an atmospheric game that's outside of the normal comfort zone.

Of course, if you're just starting out with a new group or running a one shot at a con, the preceding paragraph does you little to no good. Which brings us to:

Pacing, Pacing, Pacing

When running a game in which atmosphere plays a large part, pacing is everything. If you're running an action-adventure game, moving too slowly can make things feel boring for everyone. On the flip side, moving too quickly in a horror game won't give anyone a chance to feel the suspense.

The real trick is to make the pacing fit the atmosphere you're going for without feeling contrived or clunky. If the pacing doesn't feel natural it's going to jar the players out of their immersion just as much as the wrong pacing entirely.

Let's take horror as an example. You want to have periods of time where the PCs aren't directly facing whatever horrible force they're going up against. Heck, depending on the type of horror, you may want to make sure they don't have an idea of what it is (or think it's one thing only to find it's something else) until the third act.  However, you also want to make sure they know there's something, and that the something is a present danger. It doesn't matter if this is achieved through sightings, or gut feelings players get, or even finding evidence it has been there; all that matters is that the characters find pieces here and there that let them know they could be beset at any moment.

The point is this, really: think of good books or films that embody the atmosphere you are attempting to evoke and pattern your games after them. Even the biggest action-fest has a break where the characters have a breather between beat-downs.

Props

If you're playing a comedic action game and in a fight against the evil Clown Lord Bo-Zo you pull out a bat-shaped balloon and start smacking a character in the head with it, it'll be obvious they're in a silly world. Yeah, that one's a bit over the top. Here's a better example of atmosphere-related props: 

You're playing call of Cthulhu, the game is set in the 1920s. You tell the PCs that a telegram has been slipped under their door. When they pick it up, you then slide a piece of yellowed telegram-style paper under the GM screen (or across the table) towards them. Anything you can do, whether it's a physical prop, background music (to an extent), or document will help pull them deeper into the world you're trying to create for them.

As I write this, I find that it's a topic that may well deserve to be broken down with articles for various genres. I may well do that down the road, but hopefully this particular entry has given you some insight into how I, at least, try to pull the players into the overall atmosphere of the game we are playing.

What Is the Most Atmospheric RPG?

Dread. Please remember, this is based purely on my experience and your views might well differ from mine. I have yet to run a game that captures the intended atmosphere better than +Epidiah Ravachol and +nat barmore's game of horror. Evoking the atmosphere of the game is built right into the mechanics. There are no abilities, no dice, no skills. There are only answers to questions and a Jenga tower. It takes the most sweat-inducing game I know and applies to to a RPG. If you make the tower fall, no matter how or when, you're written out of the story somehow. It has instilled the kind of stress tales of the macabre should into my players better than any other RPG I have run.

The Eternal GM - Player Buy-In

I thought anyone reading the blog might be interested in reading an article on a topic other than game design from me. If not, feel free to ignore. However, I've decided to start a series called "the Eternal GM." Why the title? Because, save for a very few exceptions, I've been strictly a GM for the better part of 20 years. I'll be adding posts to this series as the fancy strikes me in an attempt to provide insight to newer GMs and possibly provoke some discussions. In addition to an article for each topic, I will also briefly mention a RPG that I feel does a good job of addressing the problem. And now, our first topic:

Player Buy-In

Every GM has faced it from time to time; looking across the table to see at least one of the players staring with a blank look in their eyes, clearly not thinking about the game. You then realize: the same look is on the majority of the players' faces. They aren't interested in what's going on in-game. The question is, how to get everyone back into the game?

Preventative Measures

I've seen this often enough that it's something I try to prevent before the game itself even starts. How? By making sure the players are invested in their characters during character creation and adventures have personal tie-ins that they'll care about. Here are the ways I generally do this:

Make sure the PCs have back stories - I find that character creation shouldn't just be doing a bunch of math and writing the results down on a character sheet. Where the character came from is just as important to the game as what she can do now. In order to accomplish this, I take a couple of approaches during character creation to help the players flesh their PCs out, depending on the game/situation.

• Questionnaire - I take a page from the brainchild of +Epidiah Ravachol and +nat barmore, Dread, and hand out sheets of questions to players. Each set of questions is different but generic. Generally I only go with five or six questions, just enough to get the players thinking about their characters. This results in more buy-in by itself (the more work put into a character, the more invested the player will be) as well as providing fodder for me to work character's stories into an adventure.
• Group Character Creation - I'm a fan of this anyway, because it makes things easier in regards to balancing if necessary. However, as I have become drawn more and more into the world of narrative RPGs, I find it also serves a second purpose. I can ask questions to players about how their character came by a particular skill, or how two similar skills might mean a couple of the PCs know each other. This gives a similar result to the questionnaire method while also allowing the players to intertwine their characters' backgrounds (as well as give player the opportunity to make suggestions/give input on the backgrounds of the other PCs).

Using one of those two methods, most players in my games (even the laziest when it comes to story-type elements) end up with at least a somewhat-fleshed-out background. I then use the characters backgrounds as story elements, making sure that in each adventure, at least one PC background comes into play.

Know Your Players - If you're running a diplomacy game for a group of munchkins, of course they'll end up bored. You're either in the wrong group, or you don't know your players. Don't create the game you want to run, create the game everyone will enjoy playing. Obviously, with a new group this is a bit more difficult to ascertain, but there's quick way to solve this: ask. When you are preparing to run a game for your players, ask them what kinds of games they like to play. If they love combat and simulation, make sure that's stressed; if they enjoy outwitting their opponents, make sure it comes up. 

Fixing the Problem

The above advice does nothing to help the situation in progress. The players are mid-session and bored. Right. So, here's what I do:

Take a Break - Grab snacks. Catch up. Take 5-10 minutes and step away from the game. Ask the players what their favorite moments from the campaign have been so far, or what's been rubbing them the wrong way about the session. Maybe people are just having a collective off-night, maybe it's somethings specific. Then, call them back to the table and drop them in media res. Cut the adventure to the middle of whatever the next scene was going to be. 

If they were preparing to attack a camp of enemies, start back up in combat as the enemies take their first swing (maybe say one opponent was dropped "off-screen" and shouted to rouse the other). If they are preparing to enter negotiations, drop them in the middle of a screaming rant from the person they're trying to negotiate with and have them talk their way back. Essentially, start the game back up with an assumed minor failure or something similar. Nothing gets players into the game like adversity.

Now from time to time, I try other options that work with varying success, but I find that what I discussed above has the highest success rate for me. 

What RPG Makes Player Buy-In the Easiest?

Fate Core. Yeah, this might seem like the obvious answer from me, as my current projects have been revolving around hacking this system, but it's true. Evil Hat's Fate Core is a game that is built around player buy-in. Aspects are the most important parts of a PC's backgrounds, with a mechanical effect as well as story. Anytime there happens to be a lull during a session or a player's eyes start to glaze over, just compel on of their aspects and you've pulled them right back into the game. 

So there you have it, my thoughts on player buy-in and how to solve problems that come up with it. If this is of use to you in your GM endeavors, or even if it was just a semi-enjoyable read, I've done my job. And hey, if you have your own thoughts on player buy-in, or your own suggestions for games that address the topic well, please comment!

Time Heroes Progress Update - 4/21/2013

Between caring for a toddler while mommy is at school and work, keeping the house tidy and nice, and trying to build a RPG empire...or even a fiefdom, life has been rather hectic for the last couple of months. However, now, as we reach the final countdown to the Kickstarter (just about a month left to its start and counting), all the effort has been worth it.

First, we have another updated KS. I've made some changes to the preview to reflect that everyone at backer level of Big Bad and above will be receiving the Time Heroes PDF in addition to any other rewards they receive.  I revealed the first stretch goal and the amount needed to unlock it ($8,000 and the stretch is the creation of the Past/Future supplement book). For now, I've decided to keep stretch goals a secret until the previous one unlocked. Lastly, I have changed the Morgan la Fey backer level from $40 to $100 based on several suggestions that this level seemed to make more sense.

Next, I have just received a beta draft of the Quick-Start Packet from my layout designer/artst, Justin Rach. There are a couple pieces of art in it, but for the most part its just so I can see the layout design and write down any notes/changes I want to make. So far it looks good, but I still want to give it a closer examination.

My goal for this next week is two-fold:

1. Go over the Quick-Start with a fine-tooth comb (and red pen) and
2. Get enough of a start on the writing of the future/past supplement that I have an idea of length to give to Justin so we can verify what it'll cost to get it done.

That's about all the update I have for now, but I figured it's been a while since my last update and thought you might like to know!

Time Heroes Kickstarter Nearly Ready!

Well, if you're reading this, you likely already know more than you'd care to about Time Heroes. However, in case you haven't, this is the Kickstarter announcement I posted on both RPGGeek.com and RPG.net earlier today (as well as in the GeekWorld Online Time Heroes Kickstarter forum):

First, let me say that this is going to be the first official GeekWorld Online production (hopefully with more to follow).

Since backing and reading through Fate Core, ideas have been coming to me left and right for games that could be put together using Fate Core as the glue. Two projects really stuck with me to the point where I blogged many design journal entries on them, and one of them is just about ready for the Kickstarter to begin.

Time Heroes is a comedic adventure RPG that has been created to capture the feel of Saturday morning cartoons (along the lines of Inspector Gadget, the Real Ghostbusters, etc.). In its default setting, it is about stopping the evil sorceress Morgan la Fey from destroying time as we know it.

Morgan la Fey has come to a point in history where magic has long since died but before technology has evolved to completely replace it (basically, the present). She has torn open rips in the fabric of space and time to draw through armies from the past and future with which she intends to make the Earth her own. She has managed to place a time bubble around a few year block that has been separated from the normal passage of time. Her goal is to take control of the planet, send people back and then drop the bubble, altering the course of history in one fell swoop.

The Great Merlini, last living descendent of Merlin has gone from simple stage magician to discovering the power of his ancestor within himself with the assistance of his ancestor’s book of magic, the Bionomipro. He is using this power to draw his own people through time and space in order to hold back la Fey's ambitions. While the bubble around the present allows la Fey to bring people through without repercussions, it also prevents going back to alter events that have already happened within the bubble itself. Essentially, if Merlini can keep Morgan la Fey at bay for a few years, the bubble will drop and normality will be restored.

So that's the basic lore behind the setting. But how do I see this play out in the game itself?

While the way I've presented it just now may not indicate it (although how sheerly ludicrous the idea itself is might), Time Heroes is meant to be a zany romp for a group of players. Ultimately, I envision it along the lines of a television show or cartoon where, though there may be arcs here and there, primarily each session is its own episode and - much like, Inspector Gadget, for example - Morgan la Fey will always barely slip away at the end of each "episode." Obviously the reasoning behind this is because if she's taken out completely, any series would be over. Also, she will be almost entirely in the background pulling strings and not in the thick of it herself. I want the world of Time Heroes to be one in which a sword-carrying barbarian, a laser mop-wielding space janitor and a Spam salesman are all equally likely as character concepts, even in one group.

So, where are we at? Well, the beta draft of the core rules is finished, though it is art-free (much of the Kickstarter fundage will be for compensating my artist). A Quick-Start packet has been finished on my end, and is currently with the artist/layout designer. Once that is finished, it will be distributed at Berserkon in Duluth, MN (and will also be a

And now, info regarding our Kickstarter (set to start once the CC licensing is available):

After some thinking, we've put together some initial reward levels. We're still having troubles coming up with what would be good offerings for higher pledge amounts, but we still have time before the Kickstarter gets off the ground.

Without further ado, here's what we've decided on for certain:

$1 - Extra
You will have immediate access to the Quick-Start Packet PDF. This includes four pre-generated characters, the basic rules, and a Quick-Start Episode: Rise of the Plushies!

$5 - Supporting Cast
Includes the Extras level, as well as immediate access to the beta draft of Time Heroes. With this you can begin your very own Time Heroes series before the Kickstarter is even over!

$10 - Big Bad
You will receive the Extras and Supporting cast levels, as well as a copy of the Time Heroes PDF upon release.

$30 - Time Hero(200 available)
You will receive the Extra and Supporting cast levels, as well as the softcover of Time Heroes upon release (B&W). If you would also like the PDF, add $5 to your pledge.(total of $35) If you would like your copy autographed, simply add $10 to your pledge. (total of $40 without PDF, $45 with) Add $15 for international shipping

$40 - Morgan la Fey (10 available)
You will receive the Extra, Supporting Cast, and Time Hero levels. In addition, Andrew Goenner will help you create your own Time Hero to be included in the core rules.

$75 - Great Merlini (3 available)
You will receive the Extra, Supporting Cast, Big Bad, and Time Hero levels. Plus, Andrew Goenner will run an episode of Time Heroes for you via G+ Hangouts.

The price point on the last two aren't set in stone and may well be adjusted prior to the Kickstarter actually beginning, but that's what we're looking at so far.

Here are ideas for some of the stretch goals that we have (no monetary amounts decided on yet):

- A hardcover version of the core rules

- Colorizing the core rules

- An Era supplement covering the Past and Future Time Heroes setting

- A "Who's Who" of Time Heroes, filled with pre-generated characters as well as descriptions/statistics for NPCs in the Present setting.

As we progress closer to the Kickstarter, I'll pop back and update this thread. Otherwise, if you're looking for more information on GeekWorld Online or Time Heroes, feel free to head over to the site: GeekWorld Online. Links to the GWO Blog are there, as well as news pieces and the forums for discussing GWO projects.

Lastly, for the art-curious, I have a couple of samples my artist has provided for me for promotional use that I thought I'd share with you here:

Time Heroes - The Timeline - Update on New Core Rules Material

This update isn't going to be terribly long, just some new ideas that came to me today and a sneak peek at the Time Heroes timeline. Before we get to the timeline, however, the update:

I was editing the core rules today and I came to a decision. I want to talk about the setting in more detail, so I'm adding an additional chapter between the introduction and the Quick-Start Rules: The World of Time Heroes. In this chapter, I am going to be giving greater detail on the default setting (present; humorous cartoony adventure). I will not be going into greater detail on the Past or Present Eras, however. This means that at some point down the road (either as a stretch goal to the Kickstarter or its own project) I will be creating a supplement (or two, depending on length) that details these two eras.

With that in mind, I've put together a basic timeline I will be adding to the core rulebook directly before the new chapter. It details the major events of all three eras (as well as separating them so readers know what events will be talked about where). In addition, if there are any time periods you think would be fun to visit in the past era (or future), feel free to comment and let me know! Perhaps I'll update the timeline.

Also, I've completed today's 10%, meaning I'm now at 60% (though the additional chapter may change the completion rate by a bit, depending on its length). Anyway, without further ado, I give you: the Time Heroes Timeline:

Time Heroes Update - Nearing Readiness!

Things have been busy on the GeekWorld front. After some initial discussion with Justin, Time Heroes' illustrator and layout designer, we appear to have come to an agreement on his illustrating compensation. That just leaves compensation for layout work. He has also begun doing some work on the Quick-Start Rules and Episode, which is called Rise of the Plushies! I've been provided with a sample page, and am extremely happy with how that turned out, both art and design-wise. There should be no issues with getting that ready for Berserkon (and for the $1 Kickstarter backers).

Regarding my work on the game design end of things, I'm currently working on the "final" edit of the beta draft (accepting that there will almost assuredly be changes from backer feedback. I've given myself a rate of 10% today and, after today, have just hit the 50% mark. This means that after the upcoming Friday (4/5/13), the beta draft of Time Heroes will be done and ready to provide to the $5 backers. So, good progress!

In regards to the Time Heroes Kickstarter, I have solidly decided on the following reward levels (with more likely to be added before the thing gets going):

$1 Quick-Start Rules/Episode Rise of the Plushies
$5 Immediate access to the Time Heroes beta draft (with the ability to send errors/problems for amending in the final edition).
$10 Time Heroes PDF (black and white)
$25/30 (haven't decided yet) - Softcover of the Time Heroes core rules (in black and white, color might be a stretch goal)
$35/40 (depending on book cost) - Autographed copy of the Time Heroes core rules
$60/65 - As autograph level but I will run an adventure for your group

As I said, there will probably be more reward levels (and maybe more added once the Kickstarter begins, if supplement stretch goals get reached).

That's about everything I have currently, update-wise. Things are rolling along smoothly, and we're hoping to be able to get our Kickstarter going by Berserkon. Time (and the CC license) will tell!

Time Heroes - Fate Core - Status Update

Justin, the friend illustrating Time Heroes, pointed something out to me the other day in an email. He said that Sprit of the Century and the Dresden Files aren't Spirit of the Century of Fate or Dresden Files of Fate. That gave me pause, as he was absolutely right. 

The original reason I settled on Time Heroes of Fate was because I was hoping at some point down the road to release the original version of Time Heroes. However, this version has already garnered more interest than the other ever did (to be fair, the original has also been run far less). So I've decided to rename the game, dropping the "of Fate" at the end.

The question now becomes: Do I want to call it simply Time Heroes? Or do I want to call it Time Heroes, Inc.? For those of you who have been following along with the design journals, the "default" setting of the core rules is going to be present day, and the atmosphere is meant to be Saturday morning cartoony adventure. However, in the course of game creation, there is also the option to set the game in the future, post-apocalypse style or in the past with more of a standard role playing atmosphere. However, other than game creation, the rest of the book refers to the default modern cartoony setting.

In this setting, the PCs are part of a Time Heroes, Inc. franchise. The corporation itself is headed up by the Great Merlini, Merlin's last living descendant. However, that's neither here nor there. The problem is, games set in the future or past will not be based off of franchises. I do plan on releasing setting books for each of the other style of game (or one book with both, depending on length). Do I call the game Time Heroes, because these alternate settings aren't corporation based, or do I call it Time Heroes, Inc. because that's the default setting referred to in the core book? Any thoughts/comments/ideas are more than welcome, as always!

Time Heroes of Fate Character Sheet

Not a huge blog post currently. I decided to put together a Time Heroes of Fate character sheet today. I hopped into Microsoft Publisher 360 expecting to take forever, but I created something I'm quite happy with in under an hour. The "Time Heroes of Fate" text at the top will likely change with the official logo, somehow, but other than that I don't see much that needs changing. What do you think?

Time Heroes of Fate Character Sheet

Time Heroes of Fate Update - Beta Finished!

I've been pounding away at Time Heroes of Fate for quite some time now in order to ensure I have everything ready to go when I am able to launch the Kickstarter. Tonight, I managed to write the last few words of the beta draft of THoF.

I still have to go through and do some editing, reword much of it to add atmospheric flavor to it. I also have to go fill in some example boxes I added (so as to remember where examples should go). Other than that, the first draft is officially complete! Once +Fred Hicks and Evil Hat get the Creative Commons/OGL license up and running, the Time Heroes of Fate Kickstarter should be good to go!

Of course, now is when I rethink Magic/Future Tech yet again. I have included the version where either skill is used as a sort of replacement skill for another in situations where that skill would normally be ineffective (trying to hit someone with your weapon which is across the room on a table while you're handcuffed to a wall). However, after demoing the game at Plattecon a short while ago, I began to think about getting rid of that and instead making the two skills able to perform stunts you don't have for certain skills chosen during character creation (the amount of which is equal to your refresh after stunts are chosen) at the cost of a Quantum Point every time you do this. 

However, I'm wondering if this would eliminate reasons for people to choose stunts at all. Granted, even the simplest stunts would end up costing a Quantum Point when Magic/Future Tech is involved, but still, that seems pretty powerful. I think for now I'll leave it the way it is and see if I can't get some last minute feedback from folks.

So, what do you guys think? Leave those skills the way they are, or change them up?

Time Heroes of Fate - Roadblock Near the End of the Road

So I've entered my week to dedicate to finishing up Time Heroes of Fate (well, the beta of the core rules, anyway). +Ashley Ishmael, my fiancee, has just started her spring break and other than working the overnight tonight, she has neither work nor school until the end of the week. This means that I'll have lots of time this week to work on the beta of the core rules while she hangs out with the little guy.

Unfortunately, at the moment I'm not (obviously) working on the document itself. I had a great head of steam going until I hit the current portion of the game master section; designing adventures. I already have the idea for the sample adventure I plan on including in the core rules (it's going to be an adaptation of the con demo I've been running), but I also want to use creating it as the examples in the design section. I just created the text box for the first example (which is just the basic breakdown of a "typical" episode of Time Heroes of Fate) and slammed headfirst into a wall.

If course the first thing that came to mind was pop over to the blog/design journal that I've been basically ignoring since I began pounding out the core rules (which now officially clocks in at 92 pages with a chapter and a half left to go) to discuss it. The problem I'm running into is that I already know the basic layout of the adventure, but am having troubles breaking down the design aspects behind it. 

Instead, I've opted to pop over here and write up a little update on how everything sits.

- Two chapters left to write up (though I am debating writing up a third and inserting it earlier in the document.

- Justin Rach has signed on as artist for the project (the art shown in an earlier post is from him) and we are currently working on how to figure out compensation for the long term.

- Initial feedback from play test groups and con demos has been overwhelmingly positive. Some criticisms came out, but everything was constructive (and much was more GM-based than game-based which, due to my newness to Fate in general, was to be expected) and has pretty much been addressed.

- +GeekWorld Online has been registered as my DBA for the purpose of publishing the book and each 'i' has been dotted and 't' crossed, so that's official now (which also bodes well for custom dice bags designed by Ashley down the road to be made available to purchase).

- Several stretch goals for the +Kickstarter of the game itself have been decided upon, with plenty of time to come up with more still. At this point, we know additional art in the core rulebook will be a stretch goal, a physical copy of the book (as opposed to being strictly online dissemination) is another (with signed copies as a separate backer level from just getting a physical copy), with thoughts on my part of designing a 'Who's Who of Time Heroes of Fate' supplement (basically consisting of a large amount of pregenerated NPCs for use in the game, apart from those provided) being considered as another. 

-Several interviews have been done on camera, as well as actual play that will be spliced into the final Kickstarter video.

Overall, I'm pretty happy with progress on the project. If I'm stuck with some writer's block for a little bit, that's acceptable. I also plan on editing and posting at least one (if not two) actual play videos from Plattecon on the YouTube channel.

Things I still need to do:

- Get serious about spreading the word to people (or better yet, find excited people to assist in spreading the word so I'm not tooting my own horn all day long).

- Get t-shirts made up for the GeekWorld Online volunteers at Berserkon in May.

- Go back into the beta document once the basic chapters are done and do some minor rewriting to make the text more flavorful to the atmosphere of the game.

- Open up GeekWorld Online's business bank account so that's ready for when the time comes to start the Kickstarter

- Figure out exactly how to announce the Kickstarter at Berserkon (video at the artisan table, fliers, etc.)

- Put together a quickstart adventure with simplified rules and pregenerated characters and have that ready and available to handout at the convention in the hopes of drumming up excitement for the project.

So, that's how things sit so far. Now, I suppose it's time to get back into the document and see about taking a sledgehammer to that wall that's still sitting there.

First Pieces of Time Heroes of Fate Art!

This past weekend I had the privilege of attending PlatteCon, a gaming convention in Platteville, Wisconsin. There I had another opportunity to run Time Heroes of Fate for a couple of groups. Both groups of players seemed to have a lot of fun. Luckily, +Ashley Ishmael was present to record both sessions, as well as impressions and thoughts after the end of the scenario. 

The actual play recordings will be posted on the YouTube channel after editing (to cut out interruptions, etc.). However, I'm hoping to splice portions of the the actual play and game comments together for a Kickstarter campaign I want to get up and running once the Fate Core OGL/Creative Commons license is available. While I don't expect any potential Kickstarter to perform as well as the one +Fred Hicks did for Fate Core, hopefully it will enable us to get my dream game up and running! In the coming months I'm hoping to speak more on this topic with +Kevin Mickelson, friendly local Kickstarter expert.

Here I present you with the first two pieces of art, provided by old role playing buddy and artist extraoridanaire, Justin Rach. They are sketches of two of the pregen characters that I hope to include in the finished product: Ted Welker, Space Janitor (with trusty laser mop!) and Darlene "Massachusetts" Bones, adventuring historian. Keep your eyes peeled as there may be more to come (please note, Justin has granted me permission for now to use these images for promotional purposes)

Darlene "Massachusetts" Bones

Ted Welker, Space Janitor

New PLOT episode released (Sources of Inspiration)

Play on Target Episode 5: Sources of Inspiration

Our fifth episode of the Play on Target podcast has gone live on the site. This episode's topic was sources of inspiration. I, and my fellow hosts, each chose three printed sources that we use for inspiration when designing campaigns/adventures/etc.

My three sources of inspiration are:

 GURPS sourcebooks in general. I've never run the game, but the sourcebooks are crazy-full of flavor and atmosphere.

The Writer's Guide to Fantasy Literature. I picked this up as inspiration for fiction writing but found myself applying it to designing sessions more than anything else. It talks about common fantasy tropes, how to keep them fresh, etc.

The Atlas of Middle Earth. This one started as inspiration for running MERP 2E. However, the book is so well-done and in-depth that it works great for reference when designing your own worlds.

For the other hosts' sources, you'll have to give the episode a listen. Check it out!

Time Heroes of Fate - G+ Hangout Actual Play - Alexander of Bebopedonia (or Alexander and the Greats)

After working for quite some time yesterday on the Time Heroes of Fate document, I called it a night and decided if I could find anyone interested in going through a playtest of the convention demo scenario I had put together. +Jacob Poss and +Jonathan Henry were kind enough to answer the recruitment call. Jacob opted to play the Ludwig van Beethoven pregen character while Jonathan took up Derek "Oklahoma" Bones, historian/adventurer.

The posted video is the actual play session that was broadcast via YouTube. If you're interested in watching an actual play game of Fate Core, we did a pretty good job of hitting the basics of the system as well as stopping from time to time to discuss the rules themselves.

Time Heroes of Fate - Revamping Magic After an Actual Playtest

As those of you who read yesterday's post know, I finally had a chance to run a scenario from Time Heroes of Fate at a convention yesterday. During the course of play, I noticed one thing. Future Tech (and Magic), are either over- or under-powered. In my initial laying out of the Magic/Future Tech skills, I didn't greatly specify how they are used. I spoke of them in context of being rolled to pull of spells/devices (stunts), but that's about it. I didn't really clarify if that's the only situation they could be used in, or if they were some kind of "uber-skill." And to be honest, I hadn't really thought of it one way or the other until it came up in play. During the game I just used GM fiat to determine if something could be done or not, but I knew that I was going to have to sit down and look again at how Magic and Future Tech are used.

Magic as a Skill Supplement

This is the idea that hit me full-force as I was looking over my blog a short while ago. 

You can still use stunts for whatever spells/devices you and your GM can think up. However, the skills can also be used on their own, but only to supplement other skills. What I mean to say is, you can use Future Tech/Magic to perform the task of another skill, but ONLY up to the rank you have in the skill (whichever is lower).So if you have a Magic of +4 (Great) and a Burglary of +2 (Fair), you could use Magic to pick a lock but you would only add your Burglar rank of +2 to the roll. If the skills were reversed (Magic +2 and Burglary +4), you would still only add 2 because that's the lower of the two skills.

I'm also thinking to limit how many skills Magic/Future Tech can be used for. Even being used in place of another skill when something makes that skill unavailable, combined with rolling them with spells/devices it still seems pretty powerful. If I opt to limit the amount of skills, I'm currently thinking of allowing the player to link their Magic/Future Tech with one "regular" skill per rank in Magic/F.T. So, if a wizard had a Magic of +2 (Fair), she could link it with two skills and use it to supplement them.

How is this useful, you ask? It allows you to perform an action in a situation where you normally couldn't. Say you're held up against a wall by a thug, restrained. Just behind him is a perfectly-sized vase with which to clock him in the head. You have a Fighting of +2 (Fair) and a Magic of +3 (Good). Since you're held firm, you couldn't normally use fight to smash the vase onto the thug's head. However, being restrained doesn't prevent you from using your Magic, and so (since the Fighting skill is lower at +2) you roll and add +2, levitating the vase full-force into the back of the goon's skull.

Time Heroes of Fate - First Con Demo Review and Session Report

SoupCon 2013

Today I attended SoupCon, a little local convention at the campus of the college a mile or so from the house. We arrived at eleven this morning and headed down to the "One Shot Room" where Ashley and I set up a table with the Time Heroes of Fate characters, a few sets of Fate dice and poker chips for Quantum Points. After the table was set up, Ashley went to look around the convention while I sat back and waited...


and waited...

and waited.

It was a couple of hours before people showed up to play. I was starting to get concerned there wouldn't be any takers when Addam Love, the president of the Superior Alliance of Gamers and Associates (SAGA, the group putting on the con) came to sit in on it. Not long before, Frank, a member of the face-to-face group I haven't had the opportunity to play with for some time, came to visit and also decided to sit in on the game (at least until he had to leave). With those two and Ashley, it was enough people for me to start running.

After the first scene (dropped the players into a conflict because who doesn't love in media res starts), a friend of Addam's brought her boyfriend and another friend in, making a total of five players. She just wanted to watch, which was perfect as I had only planned for a maximum of five players. Everyone laughed and dove headfirst into their characters, only come back to the real world for air when Addam as president had to step away for an interview or to answer questions about an event coming up. In short, 100% buy-in. I couldn't have asked for a better response for the first time I ran my homebrew Fate Core game.

After the event ended and clean-up was finished, I overheard someone in the hall talking to someone else saying he was disappointed he hadn't gotten there in time to sit down and play the game (he was in and out observing during the session). Additionally, I heard several comments from the players regarding how exciting and hilarious the setting and the system were. For the first run through, it seems I've hit a home run!

I did notice a few things I need to do before running Time Heroes of Fate at Plattecon or Berserkon, though.

1. Get some business cards or something made up for GWO, directing people to the FB page/this blog/the main website. There were some people interested in playing again and an easy way to contact me would have been a good idea.
2. Print out some kind of small banner or a GWO logo to place on the table. If people like Time Heroes of Fate, I should start promoting the sites so people know where to get news on the homebrew stuff that I do.
3. I need some kind of printout description of exactly what Time Heroes of Fate is all about. There wasn't a ton of traffic today, but while I was talking with someone about Fate Core and/or the setting as they walked by, it would be nice to have a document to reference (or for someone to read if they walk up in the middle of the conversation.

In regards to the scenario itself, I found one thing that could use some work as well.

- Compel more often. Much like it took the players the first encounter or so to start getting the hang of invoking aspects, it took me quite some time to remember to compel aspects. On the plus side, once the players started invoking their aspects, they started compelling themselves as well.

=======================================================================

Alexander the Bebopedonian (or Alexander and the Greats)

A Session Report from the GM

Players - Pregen Characters

Frank Stalker - Professor Derek "Oklahoma" Bones, professor of history, part-time adventurer

Addam Love - Lorenzo Lorenzo, portly plumber from Jersey

Lee Bos - Ted Wilco, friendly janitor from the future (joined after the first scene)

Dave Brand - Jacob "Ace" Hollister, gambler from the wild west (joined after the first scene)

Ashley Ishmael - Malcolm, a survivor of the le Fey apocalypse

Lifestyle Aspect: The Frigid North

Franchise Stunt: Jacked In - Any Investigation rolls using computers gets a +2 bonus

Intro Scene - the Mission

I narrated this information to everyone before getting into the first scene. The Great Merlini had informed the characters that Morgan le Fey had found some leverage to use against Alexander the Great to lure him to her side. Under her command, he formed a bebop rock group called "Alexander and the Greats" who were currently touring cross-country and inspiring thousands of fanatical fans to join le Fey's side in the Time War. Merlini had just received information that someone from within Alexander's own camp was plotting his demise and was going to assassinate him before the next show. The magician has sent the characters in the hopes that investigating and bringing this information to the Macedonian leader would sway him, if not to Merlini's side, then at least from le Fey's.

Scene One - Battle with Bebopians

I started the scenario in media res. The characters were in the middle of a battle with "the Bebopian Infantry," a group of fans who had been camped out at the DECC (Duluth Entertainment and Convention Center) for days in an attempt to get tickets. They were dressed in Alexander and the Greats t-shirts with designs that made them look like Macedonian armor and wearing Jayne-style hats designed to look like helmets.

Highlights of the Conflict (as I remember them offhand):

- Oklahoma Bones grabs a fluorescent light fixture with his whip and pulls it down onto a group of Bebopian Infantry, creating the aspect "Fluorescently Dazed."

- Lorenzo plunges several infantrymen in the face.

- Malcolm uses his "I've Read About That!" stunt to pull some spectacular martial arts skills from out of nowhere, dropping an entire group of infantry in one attack.

- Okie uses the velvet rope to bind an entire group of his opponents.

- Lorenzo attempts to trip a group of infantry with a power cord and fails miserably. The same group then mobs him and he ends up taking six points of stress damage (maxing out all stress boxes).

After a few rounds, the group mops up the floor with their opponents. Lorenzo attempts to intimidate the three who are wrapped up in the velvet rope. His roll ties their will roll. I decide to grant him a boost, which he then passes to Malcolm. Malcolm uses his "I've Read About That!" stunt again to say he has read police procedurals about good cop/bad cop and succeeds his roll by a huge amount. 

Story wise, Lorenzo tells the Bebopians that his plunger has been in disgusting places, hasn't been washed in a while and they don't want it in their faces, so they'd better talk. Malcolm swoops in and plays the nice guy, sweet-talking the group and asks where Alexander is hiding out pre-show. They don't know, but they do say that two of the Greats, P-Tol (Ptolemy, an Egyptian-themed rap artist when he does solo musical work) and Per****as (Perdiccas, a hard rocker so fond of profanities that his very name has to be censored) are bumming around town. They share that P-Tol is at the Pyramid casino and Per****as is at the local mall. Lastly he imparts that the two don't like each other and are constantly trying to one-up each other in Alexander's eyes. 

 (this is where the players of Ted Wilco and Ace Hollister join the game)

After the interrogation, Okie and Malcolm decide to break into the ticket booth (it wasn't open yet) and steal backstage passes, "just in case." Lorenzo's "Straight Shooter" aspect is compelled and he fights to step in and stop them. Malcolm gets Ted to keep Lorenzo occupied while they snag the tickets. The janitor uses his "Jet Pack Mastery" stunt to tackle Lorenzo to the ground just long enough for the heist to get pulled off.

Scene Two - Flashback
I actually ended up skipping this scene, as it wasn't necessary and the first conflict took long enough that I thought it best just to cut it. Initially this was going to be a scene where I begin by starting a story and then passing it around the table. Each person adds some to the story and once it has wrapped back to me I would tie it up with how they came to be at the DECC facing off against a bunch of Alexander's fans.

Scene Three - Choosing Sides and Planning
A debate happens between party members about whether they should approach P-Tol or Per****as with the warning about Alexander's possible assassination. After much deliberation, they choose to go meet T-Pol and so the group makes their way to the Pyramid casino. They reach this decision because Oklahoma Bones (who lives for excitement) says that the mall would be full of innocent kids and families while the casino would be full of gamblers.

They head over to the casino and find it even more full than usual. Malcolm scans the crowd and finds where its thickest. He spots P-Tol in the middle of that crowd, but it's too thick to get through. Ace, Malcolm and Ted perform a team Deceit action. Malcolm hops up on the bar and shouts that Alexander is in the building while Ted and Ace slip into the crowd, "reacting." This thins the crowd just enough for Malcolm to slip through and whisper something about an attempt on Alexanders life and making Per****as look bad. P-Tol tells him to meet him in the VIP room in an hour so he can finish his turn on the slot machines and sign autographs.

In the downtime, several of the characters compel themselves for Quantum Points, forcing themselves to roll and attempt to steal chips (Malcolm), reprogram slot machines (Ted) and scam poker players (Ace). Unfortunately for drama, but fortunately for them, they all succeed at their rolls. *Note, I now think that perhaps I shouldn't have had them roll and simply had them auto-fail at attempts to cheat the casino. Ah well, it still worked out ok.

After the hour is up, they head back to the VIP lounge and find P-Tol sitting by himself, waiting. He immediately asks who the assassin is. No one knows and the rapper waves that off. He then mentions that Malcolm said something about making Per****as look bad. He said that if they can do something to embarrass his frenemy, he will gladly get them in to see Alexander.

The group agrees and leaves the casino. On their way to the mall, they come up with a plan to put laxative in Per****as' drink and cause a toilet to flush backwards, all while live streaming the event to YouTube. Deciding this is the best course of action, they arrive at the mall.

Scene Four - A Nasty Prank
The players are extremely excited about this plan. It is agreed that initially, Ace (with a +3 Deceit score) and Lorenzo (with his +4 Crafts score) will disable every toilet stall in the mall except for one and rig that one to spray violently up when flushed. Simultaneously, the other three will do a team investigate/notice roll to find where Per****as is. Both situations resolve spectacularly.

Ace heads back to the group that has found Per****as in the food court while Ted heads back to the rigged bathroom stall to install nanocameras and live stream a feed to the internet. Ted handily sets up his end of the prank. Back at the food court, everyone else performs a team roll using Deceit/Resources to bribe the employee working at the taco place Per****as is known to like to slip the laxative into his drink. It's a close roll, but it succeeds. Lorenzo and Ted return and everyone gets food and sits to watch the show.

Towards the end of his meal, everyone hears a loud gurgling, followed by a string of bleeps coming from Per****as. He then leaps up and races to the food court restrooms. Within moments they hear more censored profanity and the rocker runs back out, making for another mall bathroom (the one that is working). He moves so fast his own security can't keep up with him.

The characters bring up the internet on their mobile devices and watch the live feed. They see Per****as enter the stall and sit, going about his business loudly. After some time he flushes the toilet and is covered in brown, brackish fluid as the toilet sprays upwards. He bleeps some more, then groans and sits back down on the toilet. *Note - At this point, everyone at the table is laughing hysterically. The combination of the situation and my actually saying "bleep" instead of swearing whenever Per****as swears is too much for them (and myself). Ashley told me on the way home that she was actually crying, she laughed so hard.

The characters return to P-Tol and hear him laughing even before entering the VIP room. He says he'll gladly bring them to "Al" immediately. He also says they went above and beyond in the task he set before them.

Scene Five - Final Confrontation
P-Tol brings the heroes to the hotel Alexander is at and sends them to the penthouse in the elevator. He says he has stuff to do and leaves them to talk to his leader. In the hallway outside the door, they find Alexander's security unconscious and the door ajar.

Inside, they find Anti-Daddio (Antipater, a black beret-wearing, black turtleneck-wearing, black pants-wearing beatnik) standing over an unconscious Alexander with a half-empty vial of liquid. With him are nine of his own entourage (broken into three groups of three for the upcoming conflict). Anti-Daddio tells his men to leave no witnesses and the conflict begins.

Highlights of the Conflict (again, as I remember):
- Okie uses his whip to knock the vial from Anti-Daddio's hand
- Ted uses his jet pack to nab Alexander and fly high speed out of the penthouse and into the hall
- Ace shoots at a goon standing in front of the window and knocks him out of it. The roll succeeds so well that the guy he shot is grabbed by two of his companions and they end up pulled out of the top-story window as well.
- Lorenzo uses a stereo power cord to electrocute Anti-Daddio, injuring him so badly he has to take a consequence and gains the aspect "Involuntary Twitch."

It took some effort and damage on the part of the heroes, but they succeeded at fighting off Anti-Daddio's men and the villain ends up unconscious on the floor. It's then that Malcolm compels his own aspect "I have a Nemesis" to realize that Anti-Daddio is an ancestor of his nemesis and so pours the remaining poison down his throat, killing him.

Ted Wilco uses his nanobots to purge the poison from Alexander's system and he awakens. Alexander thanks the group and says that he can't help them because Morgan le Fey has a solution to a problem he can't solve back in his own time. He says that a man laid a massive knot on the ground in front of him and promised to peacefully surrender his country if Alexander can undo the knot. Okie recommends he burn the knot as the phrasing wasn't "untie it" and if there was no rope, there'd be no knot. Alexander thinks and says that would work. Finally, he says he can't join Merlini, but he will no longer work with le Fey and will take his men back to his own time. With that, the scenario ends.