Creating a Tabletop RPG World

If you are a game master in a campaign world of your own devising, it is essential you develop your world for your players. Doing so well is actually a lot of work, as I'm discovering. Their are some basic things you need to do though. Note: These steps could be used for creating a video game RPG world, but, as I doubt many of my readers are game developers, I will use it primarily relating to tabletop games, particularly fantasy games.

1. Create a general map of the area for the campaign or adventure. This does not have to be detailed, but should have major locations and landmarks. This will help not only the players, but also you in your creation of the story and adventures.

2. Get a general idea of the plot and tone for the campaign, and elaborate on the first map as necessary. Create notes for possible important characters or specific, but unmappable places (like other dimensions.)

3. Create individual maps of important areas, like the main town, and any dungeons they enter. The dungeon maps especially will help you with running your adventure. Do this later in the process, when you are more sure about what the adventures will be like, and therefore do not waste time making maps you will not use.

4. Create a list of NPC's you plan to use in the game. This should cover important characters, as well as shopkeepers. Keep a couple of extra names you can use for anything you need, in case something you never thought of comes up. This will help you avoid needing to come up with good names on the spot, which can be difficult. It is for me at least.

5. Create a list of events that are not related to the main story directly, but the player characters may act in. Use these randomly or when is feels appropriate. Examples include a foreign dignitary visiting the capital, or a bandit attacking a caravan. This increases the believability of the world, making it seem like events happen even when the characters are not around.

The following are not necessary, but are very helpful and will add to the depth of the world.

6. A unique pantheon of gods. You might take some gods from the original, or create your own entirely. Decide upon their followers, what actions they do (or don't) take in the world. At it's best, this allows for adventures and settings rich with mythology and folklore.

7. A political system. Often high ranking political figures appear in RPG games, be it barons, bishops, or kings. Be sure to have some on hand. Another important thing is relations between the races. How do Orcs and Elves get along? Halflings and Humans? This matters in the campaign world.

8. A military system. Decide upon the rules related to the armies in this setting. Different races may have a complete separate military, and therefore different rules. If two races or countries are at war, you will need to keep track of how it's happening, the important figures of each side, and how to use it for your adventures.

9. Create unique races, monsters, classes, and items. A unique world is almost always populated with unique creators. They may also have entirely different jobs or rolls available. They also likely have created unique items designed to act in concert (or against) their environment.

These are some stepping stones towards creating a good world. Some small changes can also be made, such as refining, or changing the monetary systems, using names with roots in specific languages, and so on.

Thomas Was Alone, and Awesome

Thomas Was Alone (TWA) is a beautiful game about friendship and A.I.s, told by a narrator while two-dimensional quadrilaterals move around various levels towards the end points. It is available on many systems for a small fee. I played it on the Vita, obtaining it from Playstation Plus for free (as it still is).

The gameplay of TWA is interesting. It's a puzzle game, where you have various blocks with various powers, and have to use them to get towards the exits, which are different for each block. The gameplay is fun, but it is pretty easy, and nothing truly original. No, the genius of TWA lies in it's narrative.

The story of TWA is beautiful and unique. Several A.I.s awaken, the first of them being Thomas, who becomes their leader. Thomas, Chris, Laura, John, and Claire, the characters you end up with after the first third are interesting in their reactions and actions towards one another. How they act, even though they are not super developed characters, is important and affects the player. The way the story is told, with small made up quotes before each section, and with a narrator reading about the conversations and thoughts being had within the game between the characters is done nicely as well.

Spoiler paragraph. This paragraph will have spoilers based on things within the game, up until the end. You have been warned.

The second act, introducing James and Sara, is also interesting. In it Thomas and the others work to release the other A.I.'s into the universe and sacrifice themselves to do so. Other characters appear, and can pass through certain elements to get the powers of some of the original group. This is interesting, and rather fun. The quotes reveal some about the "emergence," or the release of A.I.s into the word. It's actually emotional, despite the blocky shapes of our protagonists, they feel like people.

Spoilers end.

The art in the game, while minimalistic, is pleasing, and allows you to easily play. It is entirely consistent, and mostly just well made strait lines. The music is good, and fits the relaxing pace of the game perfectly.

All in all this is a great game that should not be missed, despite some elements of repetitive gameplay. I give it 8.75/10.

Soul Sacrifice Review

A game I recently received from PSN (freely, through PlayStation Plus) is the Vita exclusive Soul Sacrifice. It's extremely dark, but is actually rather fun, and plays around a lot with the idea of morality.

The story is somewhat unique. You are a prisoner, slated to be sacrificed to the sorcerer Magusar. The story is told through a journal, and you go on various missions to stop monsters. The story is told in the pages you read between the missions. Their are six or seven story segments, with twelve side segments with generic quests and no real story, and five side story segments. Along side this, their is the option to fight Magusar at any time, although choosing to do so early in the game will invariably lead to defeat. Their is a good amount of content, and all of the DLC is free.

The characters, while far from deep, are interesting. I am interested in the interactions between the main character and Magusar, his partner turned villain. The side stories revolving around the extra characters are also interesting, but I have only played through that of Carnatux, the "Wicked Sorcerer." I'll say only that it played out differently than the straightforward story I expected of it.

The creatures that you fight in this game look like they came out of the mind of a madman. The boss creatures, or "archfiends," were all originally human, but at some point became desperate for something and sacrificed their humanity, and something else valuable to them, to get something. When you defeat an archfiend, you can choose to sacrifice them, an act of justice (that gives you bonus items and increases your magic level) or you can save them, an act of mercy (which allows them to assist you in later quests, and increases your life level). Of course, the crimes committed by each person is variable, from kidnapping to assassination and the like, to even just laziness, and there are times when you have to sacrifice something or someone. 

Almost invariably I choose save. I feel bad even in games if I kill people, and I feel like I need the defense bonuses more than the offense bonuses anyway, because I really kind of suck at it. It will probably extend my playthrough quite a bit though. The combat is done through using "offerings," which give your character various powers. They allow you to create weapons, form armor, fire off projectiles, or do various special abilities. They add a unique element to the game, and it is by far the most interesting part of combat.

I do like this game, far more than I expected given it's gruesome nature. I find it to be challenging, yet passable, and the story is engaging, if told in a matter-of-fact rather slow way.

If you have PlayStation Network Plus, and a Vita, I recommend picking up this game, if only because it's currently free. If not, try the demo first and see if you like it. It can be rather fun to play.

SAO: Hollow Fragment

Now that I have done a basic run down on Sword Art Online, I want to talk about it's upcoming game, Hollow Fragment. Fair warning, this will be filled to the brim with spoilers comparing it to the anime, but they shouldn't extend past the third episode of the Alfheim Online segment.

The base story is exactly the same. In fact, it is exactly the same until Kirito fights Heathcliff. After he beats him, there is a bug in the game. It doesn't end. Everyone then has to fight their way up to the 100th floor and complete the game the way it was originally intended. This part is actually just an insert of the previous SAO game, Infinity Moment. Infinity moment was never released outside of Asia, and is part of the new game, Hollow Fragment. This part of the game is almost identical to Infinity Moment, but has streamlined features, and probably some new items and such.

The second part, after you clear floor 100, is the Hollow Fragment chapter. I am not entirely clear on how this part works, but their are six new areas, new bosses, and presumably new items, characters, and storylines. It appears to be quest based, with you selecting a mission and going to the area to complete it.

The combat system for the game is similar to how it appears in the anime. You have access to weapon skills, and can choose to use different weapons. In the base game, your character, Kirito, can go up to level 200. The max level will be expanded to 250 with a large bundle of DLC to be released later. However, it is likely you start at a level much higher than 1, as you represent Kirito at the end of the anime. It is entirely possible your base level is 100.

There are also some social activities you can have with the NPC's. You can hold hands and pick up any character, including Klein, Asuna, and Leafa (and walk around town holding hands with your in game daughter Yui, which is adorable.). There are also ways to have chats with them, and build up a friendship. You can use one of several characters as your partner, and can bring more with you on certain activities, like boss raids.

There is one thing that I am nervous about regarding this game, which is the inclusion of Sachi. Sachi appears somewhere in the Hollow Fragment chapter. Those who have watched the anime know that Sachi dies in episode three, and it is essential for the development of Kirito's character. If done extremely well, it could be nice, but more likely I will choose to ignore that part of the game.

I plan on buying and playing this game as soon as it is released in America, which will be sometime this summer (it's a Vita exclusive) on PSN. This game was recently released in Japan, and for those who cannot wait the Asian version (not Japanese) does have an option for English subtitles.

Trapped In A World Of Swords

I watch few animes, and here isn't usually the place to discuss them. However, one I greatly enjoy is centered around video games, and I am thus justifies in describing it (plus their are some tie in games, mostly Japanese only, with a Vita game coming this summer).

Of those who've heard of it, they could, between the title and my last sentences, easily tell what this series it. SAO, or Sword Art Online. This is a reasonably popular show (or manga), but has some haters, and I'm okay with that. To each their own.

Sword Art Online's first season revolves around people stuck in a game of the same name. If they die in the game, they die in reality, and the only way out is for someone to beat the game. This was a trick set up by the developer, and they end up stuck inside for years. The main character is Kirito, an ex-beta tester and a loner. While none of the characters face a large amount of development, they are interesting, and their backstories remain secretive until the anime decides to tell us. The second season is very controversial, and while I like it (though not as much as the first), not everyone does, especially because of some uncomfortable scenes that happen later on.

There is a romance plot, and it overtakes the second half of the show. I find the romance plot nicely handled, and not as complicated as many are. They are a boy and a girl who clearly like each other. Stuff happens, they get in a relationship. It makes sense too, in context, because she's just about the only person he talks to frequently (other than certain minor characters, mostly off screen).

The series also loves to give you emotional pain. Be prepared in the third episode to cry manly (or feminine) tears. Their are many touching moments, and many sad moments. Be prepared for anyone to die, and for anything to happen.

There is a good amount of action in the series, and pretty  much all the weird things that happen can be justified by "they're inside a video game." This causes many silly events to happen, and often provides a decent amount of entertainment for the viewer, who sees it in third-person, and occasionally in another characters eyes. When viewed through another's eyes, all characters have health bars and indicators above their head. Players can move their hands in a certain way to bring up a menu. There's even a way to "sleep PK" people, where someone moves towards someone whose sleeping, challenges them to a duel, and then moves the sleeping person's hands to accept the request. They can then basically murder the person. Items have durability, and their is a humorous part where Kirito drops a sandwich, it breaks on the ground, and he falls to his knees in mourning.

Sword Art is really as interesting as it is because of the setting, and of the quirks of certain people. You might see someone do something and wonder "why did they do that?" Several times, it's not explained. Their appears to be a twist here, but you have to wonder why that happened, or why they did that, because the anime won't tell you. The art and music is beautiful, and the animation is great.

I do want to read the light novels, especially because they are supposed to be a little better. If more attention is give to the supporting characters, that would be great.

I recommend this to fantasy game or MMO players. It's really good in my opinion, but again, some people dislike it. It can be found on Netflix or Crunchyroll, both are in Japanese with English subtitles.

Postscript - I would like to apologize for the quality of my last (the one before this) post. It was clearly lacking, and I needed some filler to keep up on credits for class, and I happened to be very tired.

Another Type of Game

On this blog I tend to talk a lot about video games, with the occasional table top rpg or collectible card game, and even a couple times board games.

One type of game that has not been mentioned is sports. Sports are a very important type of game, one that facilitates exercise, thinking, and teamwork.

I'll be the first person to say I know nothing about sports. The only time I say "Get the Quarterback" is when I am advising a friend on how to make change. However, I respect and acknowledge the important role they play in our society.

Sports are a constant source of entertainment for the easily bored human mind. A single game usually is close to two hours, occupying us with something to do.

The players are provided with careers (therefore money), and sometimes fame. They also get to do the things they love, as most professional athletes, aren't professional athletes without wanting to be so.

Finally, it provides an insight into our culture. When watching the Olympics, you can tell things about each country based on what sports it's good at. Canada tends to be good at hockey, fitting that they happen to be in the northern most part of America.

Sports are very important, and well never go away. While I personally may not be the type of person to compete in them, they can be fun activities for just a while, and make great entertainment. The bonus of exercise is great too.

Magic: The Gathering - Card Colors and Archetypes: Mono-colored

The popular card game Magic: The Gathering has five different card colors, each with it's own strengths and weaknesses, and each leaning towards specific styles and abilities.

With this installment I will cover one color (mono-colored) basic decks.

I'll start with green, as it is very basic. Green decks have a large number of giant creatures, and are the best at dealing raw damage, with no tricks. Most instants and sorceries (spell types) of this color make your creatures stronger, either permanently or for a time. Green also tends to have cards that are capable of removing artifacts and enchantments, or occasionally take out a creature with flying.

Black, while not without creatures of considerable raw power, mostly gains it's clout from it's abilities to directly destroy things using spells. It's most famous cards include Doomblade, Go for the Throat, and Murder, all of which allow destruction of creatures (within certain limitations). Many of blacks creatures also have "deathtouch" abilities, which allows them to kill creatures they fight no matter how much damage they do.

Both green and black have cards with "infect." Infect provides a different way to win the game, in which you deal ten of a specific type of damage (infect) and you win. Under most circumstances infect damage cannot be healed. Additionally, infect damage, when dealt to creatures, makes them weaker.

Blue is a type that revolves around control. It has many cards that let you cancel the abilities of other players, take over their cards, and can force them to get rid of the cards in their deck, offering a unique strategy often called "milling." If a player has to draw, and has no cards in their library, they lose the game. Blue also tends to have many creatures with the "flying" ability.

Red is a very aggressive color in Magic. It has a large number of spells that deal damage directly, and can take out many things as easily as black. Red creatures tend to be offensive focused, and many have damage output bonuses such as double-strike (dealing damage twice) and haste, which allows them to attack the same turn they enter. As such, many red cards deal a good amount of damage, but less than green, and make up for it with special abilities.

White as a color has many cards geared towards defense and the gaining of life. "Lifelink" is common among white cards, which allows you to gain life whenever they deal damage. Vigilance, which allows you to attack without tapping, and flying are also very common. While many white cards are very effective for defense, white angels can be very formidable foes, and often defeat a deck rather quickly.

While that covers the five types of mana, and colors, their are also "colorless", or artifact cards. While technically not colored, artifacts have some of the most unique abilities, and are the only one's with non-creature cards that you can re-use every turn without continuous abilities. This comes at a cost, artifacts have no instant or sorcery spells. Although you can encounter a deck made solely of artifacts, it is far more likely to encounter regular decks that use them. In fact, most effective decks have a few artifact cards in them that enhance their abilities.

Women Oversexualization in Video Games

When one thinks of women in video games, two names invariably come up. Lara Croft, of Tomb Raider, and Samus Aran, of Metroid. These characters are totally different, but, while they may be strong women in the end, they also are often portrayed in over sexualized ways.

Lara Croft, at her inception, was little more than bait for hormonal teenagers to purchase the game. She existed as breasts on a stick figure, and was the first video game character to become a recognized sex symbol. The most recent games are quite a bit better, adding large amounts of character development, and even bringing her breast size down a smidgeon.

Samus Aran is praised for being thought of as a guy by most people until the end of the first game. Essentially, the better you did in the game, the less clothes she would where in the win screen. Still though, as soon as she was seen without the suit, as "Zerosuit Samus", she was in a  sexy skintight suit that emphasizes her breasts.

These are some of the better characters out there, as they were given back stories, and goals other than just guys, and are also very capable. While games like Bayonetta (Similar to Devil May Cry) feature capable women, they are very thinly veiled as sex objects.

Some games are capable of doing it better. The Uncharted games (think Indiana Jones), for example, often include you working with a sexy woman who is just normal, but also highly capable on their own. In Uncharted: Golden Abyss this is Marisa Chase, a treasure hunter who is searching for her grandfather who disappeared in pursuit of his life's work.

The last approach is ideal. While they can (and probably always will) be attractive, they should also have personal goals and stories as any other character and any other medium. Video games are rather unique in the ways they make you the protagonist, you are not watching them, you are assisting them in performing them. In this way, they have a very good way of helping one identify with a female character, one that should be used more often.

http://www.gamasutra.com/blogs/KaitlinTremblay/20120601/171613/Intro_to_Gender_Criticism_for_Gamers_From_Princess_Peach_to_Claire_Redfield_to_FemSheps.php?print=1

Next Gen Consoles - Which is Best?

Much debate has gone into whether the Xbox One or Playstation 4 is better. While this issue is mostly a matter of preference, I believe the Playstation 4 is the superior console, for many reasons.

One simple reason is that it is a full hundred dollars cheaper than the Xbox One, although it does not come with support for motion controls. The Playstation 4 also allows you to record your gameplay without a member ship, and the membership for Playstation (now required for online) is ten dollars less than that of the Xbox.

Playstation Plus is generally better than Xbox gold as well, due to the large amounts of free games you get for just subscribing, with no time to wait. These include the popular titles Knack, and the like. The Xbox though, does offer more cloud storage for those who need it, and is more useful as a home entertainment center than the Playstation.

Additionally, the Playstation 4's controller (the DualShock style) is generally considered more comfortable than the Xbox's, and offers more features. It provides it's own sound and allows you to directly share things from your game. It also has it's own touchpad which can be used for various things. Additionally, the Playstation 4 allows you to record your play without a membership, as well as use some internet features.

Finally, the Playstation 4 has generally better graphics, and is more capable of running graphic-intensive games. Though I am the last person to truly care about graphics, it is nice to have relatively good ones.

A side note: It is interesting that Blogger's spell check recognizes Xbox as a word, but not Playstation.
EDIT: It does, but only if you capitalize the 'S.'
http://www.ign.com/articles/2013/11/09/xbox-one-vs-playstation-4-the-console-specs
http://www.ign.com/articles/2013/11/11/playstation-4-vs-xbox-one-the-controllers
http://www.ign.com/articles/2013/11/14/xbox-one-vs-playstation-4-the-system-software