Everything on hold for now. Got a promotion board to face that may shift my hours if I get the job.

Quote from: jeff37923;719335Everything on hold for now. Got a promotion board to face that may shift my hours if I get the job.

Good luck with that

Quote from: Phillip;719189I would say "little-recognized." If more people were to check out his work, I think they would tend to rate it highly.

You're right. Paul is on a league of his own, really, when it comes to gritty, no-funny-supernatural-stuff gaming. He deserves way more publicity and recognition than he gets.

2013 was a mixed bag for me in gaming - I had a regular game with some old friends that I have a long history of gaming "magic" with, but it was 4E D&D and it really fell flat.  We have switched to Call of Cthulhu recently and that will hopefully change things up a bit.

For 2014 I am also planning to run a regular game of my own.  I have been working on some pitches.  Some old timers may recognize the format as that created by Kyle Aaron some years ago - I thought it was a great format for organizing ideas and expectations so I have shamelessly stolen it!  

Border Patrol
Traveller: Hard Times
"This is the way the world ends
  This is the way the world ends
  This is the way the world ends
  Not with a bang but a whimper."

GAME STYLE
* Cinematic (1 part), Realistic (3 parts) – The unforgiving environment of space and the Hard Times are deadly serious business
* Hack (2 parts), Thespian (2 parts) – The game will be evenly split between action and thinking.
* Schtick (1 part), Drama (3 parts) – there is room for humor (particularly of the dark variety) but the game will be mostly serious

WHAT HAPPENS
* Action / Fights  – Many problems will need the application of kinetic force
* Character Development –  Real people facing the collapse of assumptions about the way things work
* Diplomacy –  The new realities are complex and sometimes talking is more profitable than the application of kinetic force
* Intrigue –  There are many factions and knowing who's game you are playing is as important as the game itself

HOW IT'S DONE
* Space Combat, Leadership, Shooting Things, Talking, Information Gathering

DETAILED DESCRIPTION
In the year 1126 (Imperial Calendar) the proud Third Imperium lies in ruins after 10 years of civil war.  One of the few places clinging to any sense of normalcy and the ideals of the Imperium is the Domain of Deneb led by Archduke Norris.  But the Domain is under siege, cut off from the rest of what remains of the Imperium by Vargr raiders, invaded by the land-hungry Aslan, and keeping a wary eye on a large and historically hostile Zhodani Consulate.  Faced with these overwhelming challenges and a shortage of the resources to deal with them, the regions across the borders of the Domain have become increasingly lawless and even some periphery systems in the Domain itself have become frontier zones where the power of influence of the government on Mora is more fantasy than fact, unless there is a warship in system to assert its authority.  One of the neighboring regions with long ties to the Imperium is District 268, a collection of worlds, some Imperial client states and others independent. Over the last decade the military and economic resources that for a century maintained Imperial influence and law in this region have been pulled out to meet the Domain's other crises.  The result is endemic piracy, the slow death of trade, and a dangerous collapse of Imperial prestige.

The PCs are the crew of a newly-reactivated Kinunir-class Colonial Cruiser recalled to service to patrol Sector 268 to show the flag, protect Imperial interests, and maintain law and order.  The task will be a big one, and the ship will be far from most sources of support - the ship and crew will be on their own and will have to use their wits as much as their weaponry to accomplish their goals.  Players will have two characters each, one "Upper Deck" (including ship's officers) and the other "Lower Deck" (primarily Marines) so that you will have an appropriate characters no matter the situation (the captain does not always lead the away team!).  The characters can come from a wide variety of backgrounds but will be either active service members or reservists mobilized for the tour of duty.

GAME SYSTEM
We will be using GURPS 3rd Edition for this game.  There a a good number of GURPS:Traveller books that can be used as resources for character generation.

Tomb Robbing For Fun and Profit
Empire of the Petal Throne
In the Underworld opportunity awaits and everyone is equal in the embrace of death

GAME STYLE
* Cinematic (1 part), Realistic (3 parts) – it will be gritty, but Tekumel is a world filled with the weird and wondrous
* Hack (2 parts), Thespian (2 parts) – the characters are real people, with real feelings and thoughts, but sometimes they are pretty shallow, and just chop.
* Schtick (1 part), Drama (3 parts) – there is room for humor (particularly of the dark variety) but the game will be mostly serious

WHAT HAPPENS
* Action / Fights  – tomb robbing is a dangerous business
* Character Development –  real people facing real problems in an uncaring society
* Exploration  – exploring the Underworld may be your only ticket to success

HOW IT'S DONE
* Robbery, Mapping, Combat, Magic, Appraisal, Scholarship

DETAILED DESCRIPTION
The PCs will all be members of a low status clan in Tumissa, one of the larger cities of the great empire of Tsolyanu.  Tsolyani society is rigid and formal - for those at the top that is.  The lower classes don't have the time for all the elaborate social rituals when they are just trying to scratch out a living and avoid the attention of those of higher rank.  For many generations your clan has been associated with the profitable business of death. Like ancient Egypt the peoples of Tekumel devote vast resources to the preparation, internment, and honoring of the dead.  Your clan is in the business of tomb making, tomb guarding, and on the other end, tomb robbing.  The lure of the Underworlds beneath the City of the Dead is great - it represents the chance for fabulous wealth and freedom.  In the Underworlds there is no social class and the elaborate rules of society don't apply.  But the Underworlds are also filled with danger, from horrid undead creatures created by the dark temples to guard their treasures, to the fantastical creatures created by forgotten wizards in the remote past, to the mundane dangers of getting trapped in a tunnel collapse or getting fingered by the Tomb Police.

GAME SYSTEM
We will be using a house ruled version of Swords & Wizardry (an OD&D clone available for free download at //www.swordsandwizardry.com/WhiteBox3p.pdf)


A Very Fantastical Civil War
Fantasy in Cromwell's England
"There are more things in Heaven and Earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of in your philosophy."  

GAME STYLE
* Cinematic (2 parts), Realistic (2 parts) – 30 Years' War meets Van Helsing
* Hack (1 part), Thespian (3 parts) – An undercurrent of violence pervades, but the characters are real people and the consequences are deadly
* Schtick (1 part), Drama (3 parts) – There is room for humor (particularly of the dark variety) but the game will be mostly serious
 
WHAT HAPPENS
* Politics / Intrigue  – The Civil War is over but the Parliament has killed its king.  The whole land is unsettled and filled with plots within plots.  Those who are wise choose their sides carefully.
* Character Development  –  Loyalties and character are tested by harsh times.
* Action / Fights  – The enemies of the State and righteous people are everywhere and they must sometimes be dealt with harshly
* Mystery and the Fantastic  – This is not the your father's 17th century - beneath the thin veneer of the new science is the old world still whispered about by the superstitious peasantry.  From witches, to alchemy, to the strange goings on in the remote places there is more going on than meets the eye.

HOW IT'S DONE
* Intrigue, Combat, Investigation, Magic, Scholarship

DETAILED DESCRIPTION
The PCs are all people of useful talents that have been recruited into service by Thomas Thurloe, Oliver Cromwell's spymaster.  It is 1653 and Cromwell is moving to solidify his power over all of England.  For whatever reason (Does Thurloe have something on you?  Are you a trusted veteran from Cromwell's service? Are you just desperate for work?) you have been invited to join a group of troubleshooters who will be sent to deal with mundane and supernatural threats to the realm where ever they may be.  There is room for the Puritan monster hunter, jaded veteran of a generation of war, or even the scholar of the hidden and dark arts.

GAME SYSTEM
We will be using a house ruled version of Sabres and Witchery (an OD&D inspired game available for free at http://beyondbeliefgames.webs.com/freestuff.htm)

-TGA

Awesome stuff guys. Thanks for sharing, sounds like awesome gaming ahead.


I've passed out my lists to my potential groups, we'll see what they think.

Hmmm... let's see, what's on my gaming plate for 2014 ?

Traveller Campaign - Spinward Marches - Fifth Frontier War
A bi-weekly game I'm running for my son. I really want him to get his friends together during summer break, and I'll leave them all with a couple copies of Traveller to see what they come up with. My Boy decided he really liked science fiction, and he's just discovered that Star Wars is not the complete and unfettered science fiction universe.

D&D Fantasy-Science Campaign - Falchodas - Novus Roma
I'd like to run some more sessions of the Alternate Earth game... Where the Romans and Egyptians have been summoned to the fantastical world of Dragons, Giants, and Aliens.

OGRE
Yes, this is a wargame. It's the big boxed set from Steve Jackson games. In November when it was released, my club kids helped me build the game and punched out all the counters, and we played a few epic monster tank battles. They have requested more opportunities to play and design scenarios... something about playing one of the BIGGEST boardgames ever! Can't wait until the pocket edition is re-released a bit later on this year as I'll see to it a new generation of gamers gets the opportunity to own this original classic game featuring epic-sized tanks duking it out on the battlefields of the far future...

Elder Scrolls Online - PC
I'd be lying if I said I won't be sinking time into building a guild strong enough to hold at least one castle, in this multi-player version of Skyrim, due out in April. Bethesda is paying tribute to diehard PC gamers by releasing the PC/MAC version of the game 90 days ahead of the xbox/ps4 version, so us PC guys will get an opportunity to build some good strong guilds before the xbox/ps4 griefing crowds show up.

If I get a chance I'll also run Metamorphosis Alpha, A Barsoom D&D game... even more Traveller, Gamma World, a Fudge/Fate noir detective game, and a session or two of Spycraft.

... For GMs exclusively, I want to run the Dawn of Worlds worldbuilding workshop, at least once, maybe two or three times. 4-10 Gms can create a unique RPG game world during a single Saturday workshop. In 2013 I received several requests from former attendees to run this workshop again.

Quote from: Silverlion;719022I want to run these:

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1c6XluDbSNH0j-ujZoybKsIL-7fKlgcd-JQZFNaRy8oc/edit?usp=sharing

What about you?

All very nice, Silverlion, my favorites being The Thief King1s Gifts, Against the Dragon's Army and Majestic Wing Excelsior.

Quote from: The Good Assyrian;719378For 2014 I am also planning to run a regular game of my own.  I have been working on some pitches.  Some old timers may recognize the format as that created by Kyle Aaron some years ago - I thought it was a great format for organizing ideas and expectations so I have shamelessly stolen it!  

That is a really good format, though I don't recall seeing it before.

Great pitches, BTW.

It is the year 950 BC. King Solomon has sealed 72 demons within a bronze vessel and sealed with the Seal of Solomon.

But only 71 demons are actually interred within that bronze vessel, for the 32nd demon sits upon the Throne of Israel. For Asmodeus, Demon King of Lust sits upon the Throne of Solomon, bearing his Seal and his Crown. None suspect the imposter for he wears the guise of Solomon.

Now it is up to the Heroes of the Age. Recruited by the real King, they must use the Lesser Key of Solomon to reseal the 72 demons unleashed on the world once again, retake Jerusalem, and return King Solomon to his rightful throne.

Quote from: The Butcher;719882That is a really good format, though I don't recall seeing it before.

Doing a little digging I found the original thread in which Kyle Aaron used the format.  As I said I have liked the format and used ever since.  Thanks, Kyle!  

And thanks for the good words about the pitches.  I am partial to the Traveller idea, but I have thought about obsessively/prepped each of the three within the last year or so and I can do whichever the players prefer.

One thing about having a consistent format for expressing campaign expectations is how it can really show your gaming preferences.  Taking a look at my pitches again I am struck by some of the basic similarities...for instance I don't seem to want to run games that are on the more humorous end of the scale.  I didn't think I was THAT dark!  


-TGA

My gaming pitches?

Guns in The Outlaw (playtest, using the my own little action-movie RPG)

Storm Knights (again a playtest, using the same exact rules)

I'd happily run Dungeon World again, but I've volunteered to run Advanced Fighting Fantasy (2e) this year.

I'll either do the Crown of Kings campaign, or (Again) try the sandbox thing, dumping the players in somewhere like Avernum into a situation where they have to act.

Game-wise, our Yggdrasil campaign will be ongoing - currently we're en route to Finland, and we're going to be spending our winter chasing down a rebellious princess who fled from an arranged marriage with our jarl's jarl, after the people who originally rescued her from a band of pirates didn't also rescue her true love (That was us, that was my decision, he was in a temple potentially full of draugir in the middle of a village that was definitely full of pirates who were Very Unhappy with us for rescuing the princess, and anyway we weren't there for him).

Also, more SLA Industries, more Marvel Super Heroes, maybe even some Rocket Age, and I'll try and bully someone into running some Shadowrun...

Quote from: ladybird;720305marvel super heroes, maybe even some rocket age, and i'll try and bully someone into running some shadowrun...

Yay! More Marvel...!

Quote from: ladybird;720305more marvel super heroes

FASERIP for life!

I'd run any of the scifi idea's using stars without number reskinning any aliens for similar SWN equivalents using the alien creation tables, except for the numenera ones which obviously i'd use numenera for