Planetorn: A Big, Hairy, Audacious Campaign
A while back at My Play, Gerald Cameron proposed the idea of the "BHAC" (Big, Hairy, Audacious Campaign), the sort of campaign that's earth-trembling huge its shear audacity and (I'm assuming) its variance from the norm.
He throws out one example: normal D&D campaigns usually have a home town or city ... what happens if that city is build on the corpse of a tarrasque? It spawned a corresponding conversation over at Treasure Tables, with examples like a world overrun by vampires, a world in which everyone has superpowers, and one where giants rule over millions of humanoid slaves.
15 Questions
Matt Snyder (of 20by20room.com fame) recently posted a RPG meme topic to his blog. In it, he poses 15 questions about people's gaming experiences. Here are my answers.
WISH 99: Best Genre RPGs
In WISH 99, Ginger asked: Pick three to five genres and name the best RPG for that genre. Why do you think it's the best? What makes it better than others? What are its downsides?
WISH 98: What's New?
In WISH 98, Ginger asks:
What are three games or settings that you've bought or seen recently (in stores or previews) that you'd really like to try? What interests you about them and why?
Ebberon: At first, I wasn't sure if I was going to like this campaign setting, but it's grown on me as I've learned more about it. I like the steampunkish aspects of the game as well as the fact that the world is suffused with magic. It's significantly different from the standard D&D line (and my own relatively-low magic Greyhawk campaign) and that alone is enough to intrigue me.
WISH 97: Bitch Bitch Bitch
In WISH 97, Ginger asked: What's your take on player bitching/venting: complaints intended to relieve player stress and not to actually change things in the game? When and where and to whom is it appropriate? How should players and GMs handle it?
WISH 96: When a Game Clicks...
In WISH #96, Ginger asked: Describe one or more occasions when a game went click for you and things fell together. Why do you think this happened? What factors made it possible? What were the consequences?
WISH #95: How Many Colors?
The question: How many colors do you like in your gaming? Do you prefer four-color games? Or should game morality be black and white or shades of grey, and if the latter, how many? Are
WISH #94: Obnoxious Characters
The question: How do you handle an obnoxious character who has habits that annoy other PCs? What do you do as a fellow player/GM? What has worked and not worked for you?
WISH 93: Enough and Too Much
Wish 93 delved into an interesting subject: how do you deal with a campaign that has a long-running and detailed history?
WISH #92: Burn Out and Recovery
Last week's WISH, which I'm only just now getting around to, dealt with gamer burn out.