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A Computer at the Gaming Table

Every GM seems to utilize a laptop computer at the gaming table nowadays. I can see how it could be handy… or can I? Come to think of it, how useful is a laptop computer at the gaming table? Let’s see if we can enumerate a few.

1. Fact-checking. Laptop computers with an Internet connection can be extremely useful for checking facts in the midst of a game or during breaks. One never knows when a question might come up, and a GM certainly can’t bring a personal library along to every session, assuming that the book with the answers is even in the GM’s collection. This is related to…

2. Rule-checking. If you have a PDF copy of the game rules, you can consult it on questions of game mechanics rather than a rulebook that has mass and occupies space (and sometimes rather a lot of each, depending on your game of preference).

3. Random generators. If you GM the way I do or have the kind of players I tend to attract, then there is a fair amount of improvisation in your games even to the point of generating non-player characters instantaneously. Sometimes you need a credible name for someone, something, or someplace now. That’s where random generators come to the rescue, and the Internet is home to plenty. Your players decide on the spur of the moment that they need to consult a tracker, a jeweler, or an astrologer, you click on a link, and the non-player character has a name that doesn’t sound suspiciously like you made it up on the spot (or maybe it does, but at least you didn’t have to waste time and brain power conceiving it).

4. Sound effects and/or music. Set up a play list of sound effects and music you think you might use in the game, and then they are ready to use — no need to fuss with CDs, cassettes, phonograph records, or wax cylinders.

5. Character sheet access. Sure, you could just shuffle through copies of the players’ character sheets, but with a laptop computer you can do it much more quietly.

6. Dice-rolling programs. If you go for that sort of thing. Personally, I prefer rolling real dice, but if you need to make a roll quietly on, say, a Wandering Monster table, then this could be a legitimate use for dice-rolling programs in a face-to-face gaming session.

Some GMs may wish to add to this list the convenience of storing scenarios and maps on the computer, but I am not convinced of the usefulness of this. If the computer is used for too much, then the clutter and disorganization is merely transferred from paper on the tabletop to the computer on the tabletop. Actual paper is much more convenient to spread out.

I do not consider laptop computers necessary (I’ve gamed without them all my life), but I conclude that they are indeed useful. Now I want one.

Questing for a Magic System on Short Notice

If all goes well, I shall be GMing a Fudge game for a small group of colleagues in three days. [Edit: The date has been postponed because I'm scheduled to work late that day.] The consensus seems to be in favor of the fantasy genre, which is fine, but I still haven’t decided which magic rules to use. I’ve been working on my own magic rules here and there over the years, but I still haven’t written a final draft or playtested them yet. In a pinch, I could lift it out of Fudge Fantasy if necessary. Adapting the magic rules from Faery’s Tale is another possibility. Two of the three players have never played a role-playing game before (and the third had never heard of Fudge), so I need to be careful not to burden them with complicated systems, but I am also aware that not providing enough structure in terms of what a character is capable of doing can be just as intimidating to certain types of players. Since I haven’t gamed with any of them before (and therefore know nothing about their gaming styles), I need to find, adapt, or create a magic system that maintains a balance of structure and improvisational freedom soon.

Obligatory End-of-May Update

I am just on the cusp of the edge of the verge of beginning to start gaming on a regular basis again. A few weeks ago I played Pirate King with Nicole K. for the first time. It’s a board game published by Temple Games rather like an elaborate offshoot of Monopoly with tactical options. It was fun for two, but might get ungainly for groups of three or four, as Nicole K. observed. A week after that I played a few games of Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World by Front Porch Classics. I had been looking forward to playing this one for a long time and it didn’t disappoint. LT played the first two games with me and then we played several more times with my mother. I wanted to try the Advanced Play rules, but I couldn’t convince the landlubbers to take the plunge. Next time, though, ’twill be the Advanced Play rules or they’ll feed the fishes. I even have a few ideas for some house rules…

Origins 2008 Early April Update

Origins update: I missed the deadline for submitting events. I also probably missed the chance to make reservations at an affordable hotel near the convention center, although it doesn’t matter as much since I won’t be running any events (except, perhaps, for some impromptu open games). Oh, well. At least now it won’t be necessary to commit myself to particular days except and unless I register to play specific games. Perhaps it is best to test the waters of public gaming as a player before I plunge back into the icy depths of running events. Aye, that’s the positive way to look at it.

P.S. I’d like to abolish March as a month. It has failed to justify its existence to me.

Gifts and Faults

Updates to Optimum Gifts for Fudge and Optimum Faults for Fudge will now be recorded on the Updates page. I am trying to veer away from the blandness of generic gifts and faults and steer toward more colorful and evocative descriptions wherever possible. Also, I have dispensed with a number of faults commonly found on lists, particularly those involving mental illness or physical disability. Forms of insanity, if one desires to insert them into one’s game, ought to be restricted to non-player characters or the result of consequences within the context of the game, e.g. close encounters with Cthulhu Mythos. In my opinion, it is not appropriate to dangle the carrot of min-maxing before the players in the form of insanity faults that tend to destroy group cohesion. Others may have differing opinions, and there is nothing preventing them from compiling their own lists or using any of the myriad lists that are freely available. Most of the physical disabilities have been excluded on the basis that many are worth significantly more than the standard fault in Fudge, and as such ought to be much more carefully considered. This is, of course, all a matter of personal preference.

E. Gary Gygax, 1938-2008

E. Gary Gygax, born 27 July 1938 in Chicago, Illinois, passed away at his home in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin on Tuesday, the 4th of March. (Today is the day of his funeral.)

I will leave the writing of obituaries and the analysis of his cultural contributions to others for now. For the moment, Gentle Reader, I just wish to honor one of the Founders of our hobby, thank the Sage for his Advice over the years, and commend his spirit to the Outer Planes of Good alignment.

Happy gaming, Mr. Gygax.

Arm Yourself Against Interstellar Villainy

You will be issued two (2) futuristic weapons upon reporting to The Random Science Fiction Arms Generator. If you require additional armament, proceed to The Random Weapons Locker Generator at once.

These random generators were created with information I compiled for the Odd Reference pages at the Cuparium.

One Robot…One Computer…One Spaceship will be (freely) available soon.

Recruit a Motley Crew One Crewman at a Time

You may have a robot, a computer, and a spaceship, but do you have a crewman? Simply use The Random Spaceship Crewman Generator to recruit (or press into service) a qualified crewman for your spaceship. Fill out a name, gender, age, nationality, species, and background story, and your crewman is ready to trek space.

So, what exactly does it generate if it leaves all those trivial details such as name and gender and species to you? Well, it generates a list of skills, interests, combat training, attributes, gifts, and faults along with corresponding trait levels where appropriate. If you like what you see, you can decide for yourself how he or she fits into your universe and consult other random generators as desired.

The inevitable direction of this random generator and its predecessor from the day before, is the birth of a new, free, instantly (or nearly instantly) playable role-playing game called (after the inspiration of the previous article), One Robot, One Computer, One Spaceship, or, as is the fashion today, 1R1C1S. I make absolutely no serious claims about it; it’s a silly endeavor, and that’s all there is to it.

Lest I forget, ’twill be a Fudge game, naturally.

Stay tuned…

One Robot, One Computer, One Spaceship, and You

In need of a faithful robot sidekick, a trusty computer, and a spaceship of your own? Then The Random Science Fiction Accoutrements Generator is your friend. Just click on the link and you will be well equipped for your next adventure with one of each.

This random generator was created with information I compiled for the Odd Reference pages at the Cuparium.

Why, you may not unreasonably ask, would anyone want to use this random generator other than for one’s personal amusement? Aside from the fact that there is no better reason than for amusing oneself, one could also use it for generating an instant (albeit farcical) campaign. You have a crew (i.e. a group of players) and nothing else? Give them one robot, one computer, and one spaceship and see if it doesn’t create a universe of possibilities.

Increasing Web Log Navigability

I added two new pages that duplicate information found in the sidebar of the front page, but which now makes them accessible from any page or article in Fudgerylog. The Archives page lists both Categories and Months and indicates the number of articles for each. The Links page lists the main Fudgery.net navigation links as well as a selection of external Web comics and Web logs.