eNERDgy, Incorporated

Last time, our characters were trapped on board an analogue Event Horizonesque pre-republic frigate that was filled with the presence of a being comprised of living Dark Side energy. The multiple gaming sessions between then and now were spent with characters wandering blindly through the ship corridors, going up and down elevators, and exploring without really exploring while the ship chipped away at their trust in their own group.  This last Thursday (day after Christmas), we ended the first part of the saga that closed out with a twist none of the players really expected - except for the character Aeon Crow, Jedi. The climax of the game occurred when the players were forced to face a minor boss type character, a dark side character, and were lured into the flight deck of this ancient frigate. There on the flight deck, they were faced with  another  dark side character, one that was levels far above the characters, and well beyond their skill. This w...

It feels really, really good to tell a story. I’d like to say I mean as a writer, and that I’ve found my self-discipline again and I’m writing diligently, but that’s just not the case. Last night was Nerd Night at Grimm Manor (I have an apartment, don’t let my superfluous use of pretentious household titles fool you) and I got to really flex on the story for our Star Wars tabletop RPG. It was straight back to the basics, too. Some action, sure. It’s Star Wars, but when it comes to the Star Wars universe, there’s a lot of story to be told, and it’s not all Republic / Empire / Galactic Civil War. I ran a campaign that led into some horror elements I haven’t used for a Star Wars game since around 1997, when my brother Allen and I were playing second edition at Baywood. In 1997, Allen and I saw the movie Event Horizon. It was probably the scariest sci-fi horror film to show since the 1979 Ridley Scott film Alien hit theaters. Event Horizon opened up so many possibilities to the space horr...

How often have you played with a group where there’s no organization and you spend the majority of the game unable to play because someone’s drunk, or someone’s gotten into a heated debate over matters that do not belong at the table? Through years  of trial and error, my core group of twenty years and I developed a system of caveats, our gaming rules of engagement, that ensured hours of enjoyment in gaming. These are not the gospel of all rules and maybe some things that worked for us, may not work for you. Check this brief article out, and see for yourself if anything here might help turn things around if you’re having trouble keeping a game’s focus where it belongs (on the game itself). Be Sober . This rule has been a controversial one in the past, and I’ve been called a Prohibitionist because of it.  Sobriety  helps keep the focus on the game; even if players enjoy derailing a campaign, sobriety grants players a clear head, and it keeps the game fun. ...