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Author Topic: Gonzo: Before There Was Genre  (Read 2214 times)

Wicked Woodpecker of West
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Re: Gonzo: Before There Was Genre
« Reply #15 on: February 07, 2021, 05:10:22 AM »
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In the "academies," (i.e. university lit departments) they call it "speculative fiction."  Science fiction, fantasy, etc., all fall under that label.

I must say by sound of it, I do not find it... well best choice of words. Sure for alt-history, futuristic fiction, hard sci-fi, it seems proper word, but for Tolkien? Sanderson? Butcher?

moonsweeper

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Re: Gonzo: Before There Was Genre
« Reply #16 on: February 07, 2021, 10:36:21 AM »
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In the "academies," (i.e. university lit departments) they call it "speculative fiction."  Science fiction, fantasy, etc., all fall under that label.

I must say by sound of it, I do not find it... well best choice of words. Sure for alt-history, futuristic fiction, hard sci-fi, it seems proper word, but for Tolkien? Sanderson? Butcher?

They use it in the sense of writing about things that don't exist in our universe, not in the sense of speculating about the future.

That means it also includes alternate histories, supernatural horror, etc.
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Wicked Woodpecker of West
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Re: Gonzo: Before There Was Genre
« Reply #17 on: February 07, 2021, 04:30:05 PM »
Oh, I get it, thank you. It just sounds wrong for me, purely aesthetic irk ;)

VengerSatanis

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Re: Gonzo: Before There Was Genre
« Reply #18 on: February 10, 2021, 03:18:34 PM »
You know, I have completely bounced off of Troika.

All of the components of a good thing are there.  I like the Fighting Fantasy system. I have liked it since I read those paperback gamebooks way back in the day. I like batshit crazy mixed-up settings. Masters of the Universe and Expedition to the Barrier Peaks taught me it was fucking cool to have robots shooting lasers at your wizard.

Ultraviolet Grasslands? Totally my jam.

Cha'alt? I dig it. Both books.

Troika just doesn't "zing" for me. Maybe I need to check out some of the supplements. I thought the problem was originally the classes being just too far into "weird for the sake of being weird" territory, but after a second pass I took care of that objection. But I think it's more - I don't know, "lack of stakes?" The main book has a starter adventure, which is your characters riding up a few floors in an elevator and interacting with Kooky Wacky Neighbors (or climbing the staircase and interacting with owls and water and a giant slug).  There's a plot hooks table with "find the source of scandalous paper hats" and "bring this guy a fresh sausage roll." Or "a pack of cats has taken over a street, they crave milk and lappies."  There are 18 entries on the plot hooks table and not all of them are quite that...localized? Soft like a Nerf ball?

Not every adventure has to be a world-altering cataclysm-averter. I understand that. And epic shit can start from the simplest thing. I get that too. But those hooks I listed were the first ones my eyes settled on when I was flipping through the book, and it was like letting air out of a balloon.

I don't outright hate it, and I'm not unwilling to give it another shot if someone can reframe it for me a little bit or point to a specific supplement they liked.

Thanks, hoss!

VengerSatanis

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Re: Gonzo: Before There Was Genre
« Reply #19 on: February 10, 2021, 03:19:11 PM »
All I’ll say is there’s a reason I say the biggest single source of inspiration for my game system is Thundarr the Barbarian.

You can always pair back on the gonzo for a specific campaign, but it’s good to have it all to begin with and strip away rather than having to build from scratch.

Yeah, I agree with that.