Other games and activities

[DM B]

As you know this autumn has been quite full-booked. Of fever and snot mostly, and very little gaming.

Very RoE time. Running a PbeM of this size requires not only time, but energy and inspiration. That combination was  sorely lacking for a while!

Epic BR has also been really quiet this autumn. Played for a few days in august, but that was before The General Sickness began. I don't think we'll be playing it for a while. Next year most likely.

I haven't played a computer game since summer; no exceptions. Not that I play a lot of computer games, but I usually have at least one game that I play on occasion.

I did 4-5 SW Clone Wars d20 sessions earlier this autumn. Good fun, very lighthearted and action-filled. Quite unlike RoE. If any of you play SW I have the first scenario we player (home-made) in pdf. If you're interested.

I have, however, been playing around with starting a Dark Heresy (that's Warhammer 40k RPG if you didn't know) campaign. I've been writing bits and pieces for months now, all in blog form. So if you want to look at what my non-BR games look like you can have a look (oddly enough many of the themes seem to be recurring no matter the setting

http://heresy.twilightpeaks.net/b2evolution/blogs/index.php/DHblog/

Sooo, what are YOU playing/doing with your free time when not RoEing?

[X-IHH/Wallac Isilviere (Kasper)]

DH? Interesting. I simply love the setting but the rules kinda sux. Currently I play in two DH campaigns with the same people but unrelated but for that. We have a difficulties finding the time to play but on average play a full saturday every second month alternating between the two campaigns. I will sure like to steal some of your ideas for our game.

Brian, my friend applying for a position in RoE II, is GM in one of the two.

[DM B]

Good people!

The system sucks in so many ways I can't even begin to describe it. The worst being that the PCs are so bad that they fail more often than not - even at simple tasks. Its so lame I can't even think about it without becoming agitated. No wait, the worst is that they've taken the only good thing - a very simple core rule; roll 1d100 less than a your stats - and added so many modifiers and strange rules that it becomes incredibly complex. Aaaaaghhh!!!!

I'm making a few tweaks to keep me sane...

But you gotta love the setting...

[X-Bellam & BC/TB (Bobby)]

I bought my first house three weeks ago - life since then has been a never-ending parade of contractors fixing little things.  Aside from that, I've been playing a lot of video games all of a sudden - Ghostbusters, the new Halo game, and Infamous (also known as "Lightning: It Fixes Everything) all in the past couple weeks.  And, on my lunchbreaks at work, slowly but steadily plowing through the latest in the Wheel of Time books.  This thing isn't a novel, it's a two-handed greatclub with a dust-jacket.

[X-Osoerde (Alan)]

Working on some short stories ideas...

Video Games - Finishing off, Star Ocean 4, Magna Carta 2, & Dragon Age: Origins

I am playing in an old style, 2nd Edition Mage the Ascension Game (as an Akashic Brother)

Learning about Wine and taking Cooking Classes

Yoga & lots of Wing Chun (I am studying to achieve my second stripe of my black belt)

Running a high-magic, low-visibility, "D&D" game, using a set of modified 3.5 rules and focusing far more heavily on player/NPC interaction vs. Combat (I am a DM that favors limited high-value combat over tons of combat -- too much combat tends to be largely about distracting from a lack of a cohesive, well thought out storyline -- I am off my soapbox now).  I left our last session off with a player rolling a fortitude save, which will determine if his player will survive. He rolled and told me the score. I said "Humnpf", packed my things and left without a word, only two hours into the session.  They seem to be enjoying the game and the dramatic flair.

And watching almost NO actually TV - it is amazing what you can do if you don't watch TV.

[X-EOM/SS (Tristan)]

Reading and rereading everything I can get my hands on re ROE II and the rules (cause I want to minimise the number of newbie mistakes that I make).

Playing some old games on the PC, Evil Genius recently got reinstalled.

Playing in a Star Wars RPG using the new(ish) Saga rules set, which has been a little bit of fun.

Running an Aberrant (White Wolf system) game set in the Cold War period. Who doesn't love superheroes, supervillains and the red menace in a setting.

And the thing that takes up most of my time, running around after a 14 mnth old who is almost about to walk.

[X-Elinie/RiD (Niels)]

League of Legends. Its just as or more addictive than DoTA. OMG how much fun this is!

Also run a custom campaign where I'm creating a new rulesystem from the bottom and up. Its loosely based on D&D4 + elements from Burning Wheel + UFO: Enemy Unknown + Birthright + 2001: Space Odyssey.

TV a remote third.

[X-Ghieste & HOT/GH (Matt)]

Good god, what am I not doing....

larp - crewing Maelstrom still www.profounddecisions.co.uk and photos at http://www.disturbing.org.uk/images/lrp/pd/
Playing at Cambridge University Treasure trap which is just down the road from my home.

Tabletop - still have an Orkney CSI based Ars Magica game that I run every so often along with Norse magic and myths woven into Scottish folklore and politics, makes for an invigorating game.

Computer - WoW still, which I have just got back into in fact. Dawn of War, MTW2, and CIV4 all keep my mind busy when I need it.

iPhone - Conquer (a risk game) and mahjong.

Reading - prachett, novak and one of my friends who is on his third book keep me busy.

I am also teaching my alomost 6 year old to buildminatures and paint as well as gaming with them. For christmas he has asked for Skaven

[X-Medoere & RCS/KE (Thorsten)]

For christmas he has asked for Skaven

A clear indication that you've done something wrong.

The proper wish would have been for "Empire"-stuff. You know, sometimes I feel like you don't appreciate everything that we Anuirean's have worked hard for ages to preserve. 

[X-Bellam & BC/TB (Bobby)]

Running an Aberrant (White Wolf system) game set in the Cold War period. Who doesn't love superheroes, supervillains and the red menace in a setting.

I loved the flavor of Aberrant, but the system almost made me weep.  I tried for two months to find a decent way to fix it without completely rewriting it and finally gave up in disgust.  I think Scion is a conceptual successor to it, with a somewhat better (if still unbalanced) system - I've got a friend who keeps talking about adapting the Scion system to the Aberrant world someday.

[X-EOM/SS (Tristan)]

Running an Aberrant (White Wolf system) game set in the Cold War period. Who doesn't love superheroes, supervillains and the red menace in a setting.

I loved the flavor of Aberrant, but the system almost made me weep.  I tried for two months to find a decent way to fix it without completely rewriting it and finally gave up in disgust.  I think Scion is a conceptual successor to it, with a somewhat better (if still unbalanced) system - I've got a friend who keeps talking about adapting the Scion system to the Aberrant world someday.

I have avoided a lot of the imbalance in the system. The players are playing superheroes, so a lot of the potential for abuse goes out the window there. I control the super villains, etc so I simply designed them to be challenging without being excessive.

[X-Ghieste & HOT/GH (Matt)]

For christmas he has asked for Skaven

A clear indication that you've done something wrong.

The proper wish would have been for "Empire"-stuff. You know, sometimes I feel like you don't appreciate everything that we Anuirean's have worked hard for ages to preserve. 

It shyould be noted I already have huge Empire and Brettonian Armies as well as sizeable contingents of orcs and goblins to make his play fun. He has been collecting Lizardmen for some time now so the switch to Skaven is interesting....

[X-EOM/SS (Tristan)]

For christmas he has asked for Skaven

A clear indication that you've done something wrong.

The proper wish would have been for "Empire"-stuff. You know, sometimes I feel like you don't appreciate everything that we Anuirean's have worked hard for ages to preserve. 

It shyould be noted I already have huge Empire and Brettonian Armies as well as sizeable contingents of orcs and goblins to make his play fun. He has been collecting Lizardmen for some time now so the switch to Skaven is interesting....

I always like my army of Dwarfs. There was something that felt incredibly right about a line heavy infantry supported by massed artillery.

Right up until one game where I had every single cannon blow up on the first turn of the game, something like a 1 in a million chance.