Messages from the Far Havens

Gods – another beautiful French RPG

Posted on June 23, 2020 by First Age

On the basis of the free Kickstarter I have decided to jump in early and pre-order the Gods roleplaying game. This sumpteously illustrated RPG is a full on dark sword and sorcery affair, with the players acting as heroes that proclaim by their deeds the resurgence of the old forgotten old gods.

I am a Chosen One.

Set in the vast sprawling Wildlands, the hroes ill forge a new future for the lands around them.

The game system is a simple d10 dice pool of the World of Darkness variety. A difficulty is set and the pool is built from attributes, skills, specialities, equipment and other factors. Dice that equal or beat the difficulty are successes. Skills also allow limited rerolls of certain dice if the player wishes. Damage is based on a set number plus the successes of a strike that gets through defences. Armour absorbs. Wounds are at three levels with a threshold that the damage must beat to decide which type of wound it will be. Simple and easy to apply. There are some mechanics for groups functioning togetehr to give bonuses, which look like fun. I like it.

There are also shards of the gods which can be weilded by heroes for mystical effect. I’ll run the quickstarter and see how we go. It should be played on Lets-Role to get the full Gallic experience!

Set a course for online conventions. Hit it!

Posted on June 1, 2020 by First Age

My esteemed convention co-organiser, Dom, has already summarised the development and delivery of North Star in his recent blog post here: https://delta-pavonis.blogspot.com/2020/05/north-star-online-2020-last-best-hope.html

A few observations from me to round off North Star and plan ahead for Furnace and, perhaps, others…

I was really glad to see such good feedback from our attendees. Lovely to see that you all had a good time when you were with us. All the games I participated in were engaging and great fun. Everything from a simple Google Meet through to Lets Role and Roll20 served very well indeed.

The convention was pulled together in a few weeks, building on the existing anticipation of a real life ‘meet-up’. That’s a remarkable achievement in itself. Some of the back stage work can be refined for further conventions but the structure and tools are there for more to come.

It was a good move to disperse control to GMs to organise their own tables within the slots they had allocated. This devolved the effort to bring the players to the virtual tables and allowed for a multiplicity of login options to get to the games.

The tech out there is now really good. There were some audio missteps from Discord and one I saw reported from Google Meet, so having a back-up option to switch to is a good idea for GMs. Have it ready if the planned communications let you down. You can’t do anything about a player or two who is struggling with a wet string connection or other issues, but on the whole people connected and played just fine.

Guy’s idea for us to see if The Mitchener Arms could be open on the Saturday night was a nice idea, and we could look at that again. Thanks to Dr Mitch in his landlord guise. I have one or two other ideas for some supoorting pieces to add to any future events we might put on.

I got to work out how Open Broadcast Studio (OBS) worked and had most of the right kit to use it for a virtual video welcome. It was fun to play with the tech and there will be more opportunities to use it down track.

Furnace will happen on October 10th/11th. I will consult and listen, and ultimately make a call on whether we are physically meeting or online. Asking me today, I expect that we will be online. Between myself, Dom and Elaine, we’ll consider the best game organisation options for Furnace.

There’s a lot going on at the moment. We are all working our way through the lockdown in our own particular way in our own circumstances. It was good to spend some time gaming together and look forward to bringing more later in the year.

Stay Safe, Play Games, Have Fun.

Posted in Conventions, Games, tech, VTT | Leave a comment

Cameron builds me a new PC

Posted on May 15, 2020 by First Age

Thanks to my Cam for being the technical expert over the past few days as we have discussed a new PC> Cam specified the components and checked them through with me. I ordered and he built it, demonstrating considerable knowledge and skill.

It’s a Ryzen 3 processor, with onboard Vega 8, 16GB RAM and 500GB SSD, all housed in a nice little Coolermaster case. Hopefully just right for me, with some mappage, some VTT play and maybe some Twitch streaming.

Cheers Cam! x

Posted in Family, tech | Leave a comment

Lets Role

Posted on April 13, 2020 by First Age

I’m allowing myself to enjoy the process of moving games online, not that it is completely new to me or to my circle of gamers.

It looks as though I have alighted on Lets Role as my VTT of choice, which is typical of me, as it is to the side of the two big ones that many are using, I’m currently converting the first part of the Shattered Star Pathfinder 1e Adventure Path to 2e and lobbing the conversions online.

Creating an encounter in Lets Role

It’s been quite a lot of effort, and would have been a lot quicker without the conversion step. Still, good progress has been made and by the end of this probable week off I will have got it to a ready state for play.

Many of the video conferencing sites are now offering free to use services and so I thought I would give Webex a go. If I go completely mad I may try a series of recordings of the online sessions using OBS. Youtube channel? Well, maybe.

Meanwhile, I’m running Corilis online on Roll20, and playing both Qin and Pathfinder on that platform too.

Posted in Games, Pathfinder, VTT | Leave a comment

Pathfinder 2 – Company of Heroes set in Midgard

Posted on February 9, 2020 by First Age

I’ve had some fun flitting about on setting and adventures for my online Pathfinder 2e game. The obvious choice is Golarion, the Paizo Pathfinder setting, which comes prepared with lore, Adventure Paths, all ready to go. That is really appealing as the material is top notch and has that ‘ready to go’ quality.

I also have Kobold Press’ Midgard world book and of course the amazing online map, which can be found here: http://midgardmap.koboldpress.com/. I’m really taken with Midgard and think I’d like to save myself some attractive expense and use the PDFs that I have to forge a nice Pathfinder online game.

The Zobeck Crossroads – starting location of the campaign

Of course, much of what I have is all prepared with D&D 5e in mind, so there would be some considerable conversion to do and a chance to work out some of the mechanical depth of Pathfinder on the way. A final encourager was the suggestion of using the online monster creator for Pathfinder 2: https://monster.pf2.tools/. I had expected to do a light touch spirit conversion, but with this online tool, using the Monster Creator guidance released early from the Gamemastery Guide, it is pretty easy to take the CR (level) of the 5e stat block and build a Pathfinder equivalent with the right number ranges. The tool has some great output options, including a formatted PDF.

Converting the abilities, weaknesses, immunities and other factors will help to hone my understanding as to how Pathfinder represents these factors in the game, so sharpening my knowledge of the game.

So far I think I will be running adventures in and about the Margreve Forest, at least as a start.

Exciting and diverting.

Posted in Games, Midgard, Pathfinder | Leave a comment

Company of Heroes

Posted on January 26, 2020 by First Age

2020 is shaping up to be a bit of a Pathfinder 2e year, at least that is how it is looking as we career through the first 12th at breakneck pace. The game has proved to be a big hit with the family over Christmas, providing strong empirical evidence that it plays just fine for beginners, even with a character sheet that looks like an impossible tax return. A few sessions in and we are now looking at regular games together, especially when Erin moves back to Sheffield. Everyone is excited about levelling up and extending all their abilities. Nobody can deny the old school thrill of seeing your game character get the power uplift in time for the next adventure.

Our gaming table – yes I got a GM screen!

Several things have come together all at the same time. Pathfinder itself was a knowing purchase of BIG D&D. I had considered getting the excellent and massively popular 5e, through the slipcase three book set, hovering over it back at Expo last May. It made all the more sense now that my daughter Erin has, Critter like, got into the game. On an impulse I got the big Pathfinder tome instead and Bestiary on PDF, backed up by the ‘character building’ Pathbuilder 2 Android app. The new Pathfinder carries off all the tropes with considered style, managing the core game rules in a svelte 40 pages out of 640. The rest are spells and character options and lists of cool things.

Our starter campaign map

Wonderdraft is a really nice bit of mapping software, which temptingly runs under Linux as well as my Windows setup. I’ll be drawing up maps for this and for convention games. It is so nice to be able to express my old cartographic passions with something that helps me to make them look nice.

Supplementing my campaign maps are the printable battlemats available throughout Drivethru. In particular, I’ve zeroed in on the Heroic Maps range, providing really eye catching locations for play. I’ve also picked up Neil’s guidance on making desktop tokens, which enables me to create reasonable representation of all the characters and monsters I will ever need, for a fraction of the cost and time sink that are painted miniatures.

In commute moments I’ve been considering why the game has been such a hit for me and my family team of players. Apart from the fact it is well crafted and effortlessly carries all the fun bling that comes with heroic level based high fantasy, I reflect that the combination of rich character abilities and boardgame like representation and action play, gives the player a familiar, focused, and very complete play experience. With Pathfnder’s new 3 action economy the players’ tokens have got lots to do, with flexible choices, all tying back to the details on the tax return. The tactical side really engages, with the physical movement of the pieces on the board, accentuating the dangers whilst bringing the myriad character choices into tactile play. Plot, roleplay chat, attractive battlemat, new tokens, play. Rinse, repeat.

In addition to the family adventures I’m hoping to get a sequence of online games going, possibly also set in Kallahn, my student fantasy world, re-envisioned in Wonderdraft. An early draft using Inkarnate has inspired me to do some more.

A ‘not quite right’ draft of the Kallahn map

Of course Golarion, the Pathfinder game world, is lots of purchasable fun, with a ton of lore that I have snaffled for a song on Humble RPG Book Bundle. So, maybe, I’ll explore the game further over there. Which VTT? Ah well, that’s the topic of further investigation and another post…

Posted in Family, Games, Pathfinder | Leave a comment

2019

Posted on January 1, 2020 by First Age

Another year has flown by and here below is my Bo(nd)(Spea)rings family summary. More exciting than our adopted name suggests…

I’ll start with my Mrs who, unexpectedly, became Jamie Lee Curtis in the early part of the year. I wasn’t looking for it, but accepted the reality when it came. A lovely haircut as usual from Chelsea at Hush, providing a stylish short cut that Carmel is very taken with. With such ephemeral superficialities out of the way, Carmel achieved many professional milestones, including a distinction for her ESRC training year and highly achieved in research training. Another publication is in review for a highly ranked journal. The PhD is in full flow and I am now fully usurped by the thinking of Foucault; ‘governmentality’ indeed.

We have continued to enjoy a number of carefully scheduled escapes to give us some couple time. We really enjoyed walking in the footsteps of Tolkien in and around Clitheroe. Our first year married together was celebrated with a luxury spa weekend at the Woburn Forest Center Parcs. Cherish these times with your loved ones, take nothing for granted. With Ruth, Ross and Sarah we returned to Canada for a stay in Vancouver and Vancouver Island. An amazing place, which I felt a strong connection to. I think I’m really a Canadian. Apart from my lack of French. Alberta will draw us back soon enough.

I’ve managed a couple of short breaks away with Stuart, including a really nice stay in Whitby. #tamedebauchery Great to recharge the batteries a little, before plunging back to work. Speaking of which…

The organisation I work for is currently going through something called ‘Org2.0’, a significant downsizing of staff numbers to keep within a changing funding envelope. I navigated a survival of ‘Wave 1’, losing many colleagues on the way. Some were happy to go, others sadly, not. The process affects all in the organisation and, due to the size and nature of the implementation is protracted and will continue through much of 2020. The data platform I work on will transform further in 2020 and should provide an incredible resource for the management of our NHS and for health research. I probably have about three more years in this field and hope to make a good contribution.

Our four are all doing well. Erin and Megan have both hurdled the 21 year threshold, so look out. Erin has had an incredibly successful year in industry, bioengineering several strains of mutant warriors and now heads into a very heavy final year at Leeds. Megan is deep into year 2 of her Media degree. Her cat, Rhaegal, is now the size of a mountain lion. Connor is doing well and into the management tier in the world of hospitality and is getting to travel a little with his girlfriend Charlotte. Cameron is all about the tech, planning to build his own super-computer, if only he can acquire the funds. Is this the year that he becomes the tallest in the family?

Every year, me and Cam try to get away together for some ‘dad and boy’ time. We zoomed down to Ruth and Ross’ in Bristol and got to go to the aeronautic museum, with a walk around Concorde.The following day’s trip to The Mall was a classic boys efficient shop, emerging unscathed with perfect black school trainers.

The home has had a few upgrades, including a modern boiler and a porch, both of which have helped with the warmth. The garage room is now the gaming haunt for the two boys in the house, and has been renamed Gondolin, secret city of the elves. Beware balrogs. A good sized gaming table is in the centre with simple computer consoles for both of us, all courtesy of our local IKEA. It’s a great space and we are very lucky to have it.

It’s been a good year of gaming, if not writing. Our conventions continue to provide a great place for people to come together and play tabletop roleplaying games. A couple of playtests of Wordplay 2 were very successful, with the text of the book now about 80% complete. I promise, mostly to myself, that the text will be completed this year and will head, in whatever way, into production. It’s been a long time coming, but I’m genuinely excited about it. I’ll be running the game some more at conventions this year. My birthday was marvellous with lovely times with Carmel, then family time with my kids arranging a special game of D&D with my good friend Pete as our guest DM. The best! We’ve rounded out the year with some family games of Pathfinder 2nd Edition, which has been a hit with everyone, so there will be some more in 2020.

I’m surprised that Pathfinder has been a hit with me, it is a great version of D&D (F20) game. There are a number of gaming projects that will come to fruition in 2020 that I’m really looking forward to. Monthly face to face Forbidden Lands games will accompany regular online games, along with the convention experiences. Just right for where I am right now.

The stage has called once more, a whispered decade since I last tread the boards.I have a walk on part in the next SUDS play, which will give me a chance to taste the excitement and wear a frock.

Returning to Foucault, I reflect on a tumultuous year, playing out his concepts of power and control, on our country’s political landscape. Even a cursory look allows you to see the strings being pulled as we dance to a new tune. Much of what I believe in was riven asunder and will be cast aside in 2020, but I will continue to fight for what is left and, like many of us, play the long game. I joined the Greens.

Finally, what are the top 5 Masterclasses that you could deliver? In no particular order, here are mine:

Running away into trouble
Effective mackerel consumption in the workplace
Inadequate door closing
Putting your foot down without anyone noticing
How to appear fascinated whilst really asleep

A good year for the Borings. Let’s celebrate that we are alive and take 2020 by storm? We’ve got a lot to do.

Posted in Conventions, Family, Games, Holidays, Me and Carmel, Pathfinder | Leave a comment

Return to Kallahn

Posted on November 23, 2019 by First Age

Gaming life can lead off in unexpected directions. I’ve recently got re-enthused with the slightly potty d20 levels, hit points and nonsensical power creep of D&D and various forks and clones. The marvellous 13th Age brought my first resurfacing, quickly joined by Green Ronin’s Fantasy Age and the indie hit The Black Hack, which spawned my own Heroic Fantasy book. I decided to ‘do it properly’, and instead of going the obvious D&D 5e route, I leapt onto the Pathfinder 2e train as it steamed out of the station. I really like it!

Now, I have been thinking about running an actual game of it. Thursdays nights won’t work for that, so it looks as though I will be going online with Roll20. What game to run? I missed the first Pathfinder Adventure Path subscription, which seemed like a good way to explore the game with the Golarion setting. It remains an obvious contender. But then I started to think about my wasted youth, drawing fantasy maps, a fascination caused by the maps in The Hobbit and The Lord of The Rings. I spent hours pouring over them and have a love for maps ever since.

I managed to dig out my original maps of Kallahn, drawn up in the 80s.

The original hand drawn maps

This re-emergence has triggered me looking at the map making software that is out there and, much to my delight, I find that the world has moved on in a positive direction. An afternoon’s work in the free online version of Inkarnate got me to re-envision Kallahn, initially from memory, in digital form.

Kallahn created with the free Inkarnate software

I’m looking forward to going back to Kallahn and playing some games there, starting with my Christmas game with the family. More on that in another post.

I arrive at a time when the mapping scene is improving rapidly. I looked at good old Campaign Cartographer, but I think the investment will be too great. Inkarnate is about to iterate to a new and improved version. Subscripton is $25 per year. Also available, and thoroughly catching my eye, is Wonderdraft, a $30 purchase that runs on Windows 10, Linux and Macs.

I think I’m going to give this one a whirl and keep my eye on Inkarnate too.

Good times and good gaming (and mapping).

Posted in Games, Mapping, Pathfinder | Leave a comment

Vancouver Vacation

Posted on September 15, 2019 by First Age

Our time away in British Columbia as a five was special. A chance for us all to connect together, enjoy amazing scenery, bears, sea lion, retail, good food, relaxed times. The wildlife was enjoyed from a safe distance. With a surface area of 41 times our island and a population of only 37 million, there’s lots of room in between the metropolises.

Vancouver and Vancouver Island, based in Tofino, was a great place to be, with Pacific beaches, lush forests, in a bit of a wilderness.

It was lovely spending some dedicated time with my Mrs. It is so rare for us to have such a lengthy time together just the two of us. Batteries recharged.

Posted in Family, Holidays | Leave a comment

Rainy Summer Break

Posted on July 31, 2019 by First Age

With deluge forecast for the rest of the week, I sit at home with Cam for some time away form the daily toil and a chance to chill and kick back.

Sunday/Monday saw me and Erin on a ‘moving her life from Cambridge up to Leeds’ adventure. Gardening and cleaning, last second recycling centre, packing cars and off. Not in convoy but we took the same time to get there.

Tuesday saw B&Q, roof sealant and a desire to realise the recently acquired ladders. Some brick drilling might be involved to get the doorbell on. That’s all a bit practical, if the rain abates long enough. The evening saw a return to the Third Horizon, with another online game of Coriolis.

I’ve added Affinity Photo to my software suite, confirming my stay with Windows at home.

Today Erin me and Cam are going to have some brunch at a new cafe and then do a spot of town centre shopping. The reservoir walk will have to wait for another week.

Tomorrow I look forward to two pleasures. The Ashes will start, deluge allowing, with an essential early result keenly hoped for. Secondly, and bizarrely, I’m looking forward to picking up the Pathfinder 2e core rulebook and Bestiary in PDF from Paizo. It’s a very old itch to scratch, and has all the leveled power nonsense of D&D of old. I don’t know, I just fancied an old hero fantasy bash with slightly ridiculous rules and bloat. We’ll see if I regret, but my sense is that it will be a nice alternative distraction from all the other great games that make sense to me.