Highmoon's Ponderings

While reading through Twitter this afternoon, I caught an exchange dealing with Primetime Adventures. One guy mentioned our Star Wars PTA game podcasted through Canon Puncture and I chimed in with a thanks. He had this to say:
<p><a href="http://tweetpaste.thingamaweb.com/embed/14826/" mce_href="http://tweetpaste.thingamaweb.com/embed/14826/" target="_blank">View exedore6&rsquo;s tweet</a></p> <p>
I am of course humbled by this, but it also makes me feel good. That game is a great one, and it’s awesome that others are enjoying it as much as we are.

There is a sort of meme going on over at Story-Games.com that I find very interesting. The thread is called “When we play the game, it has this cover,” and it’s predicated on the premise that, though a game has a cover that tells you something about it, sometimes when we play, the game experience doesn’t necessarily match what the cover hinted at.

The opening post talks about Vincent Baker’s In A Wicked Age (IAWA), a game meant to create pulp swords & sorcery stories based on the random story generators called Oracles it comes with (read more about IAWA here). Here’s the cover of the game as sold (back and front):

And here’s how the cover of the game looks to the originator of the thread based on his group’s play experience:

I will let you draw your own conclusions.

Back in Master Plan #23, Ryan Macklin interviewed graphic designer Daniel Solis, and they had an entire conversation on the statement that I used as the title of this post, A Cover Is A Promise. Listen to it because it is a fascinating discussion of what covers for games say, or try to/should say, to the customer about what they have in store for them.

Does every game succeed? No, but I don’t think that it is necessarily a fault of the designer either. Some games just support a wide array of play experiences, so each group will see a different cover to the book of their game. That said, I think it is interesting to see how people’s perception of a game is so shaped by the cover, and how that can be a detriment at times based on the play experience the game generates.

It’s not that a game shouldn’t be able to deliver a variety of play experiences, but if the game consistently is delivering a particular kind of play experience which is not the one promised by the cover, then there is a problem with the original design that should be addressed with the cover and it should be changed. (See comments for why the strikethrough.)

Take a look at the Story Games thread then think about your own games. Does your play experience match what the cover of the game promised?

Last Tuesday my Mom was hospitalized again, this time with a blood clot in her left leg and low red cell count. By today she’s already doing better as far as her cell count is concerned, and the clot is still in its place. She’ll be having a couple more tests in the next three or four days to determine how best to treat the clot.

Needless to say, I am only half here since Tuesday. I have been considering flying to PR again, but with Passover just over a week and a half away, it makes things tricky (if regular kosher in PR is hard, Pesach will be nigh impossible). Hopefully she’ll be out of the hospital and ok by the time Passover’s done, but if not, then I’ll most likely fly again in late April.

Good thing I have frequent traveler plans in various airlines.

Fans of Targum Magazine will have a field day with History Channel’s new series, Battles BC. Here’s the blurb from HistoryChannel.com:

Their feats are legendary. Serving as a blueprint for warfare thousands of years later, the strategic military prowess of ancient warriors are still analyzed today. The new HISTORY™ series, BATTLES BC, uses a stunning graphic style comparable to 300, the hit feature film, to show leaders from the ancient world in some of the greatest conflicts in history. The eight episode series premieres Monday, March 9th at 9pm ET/PT on HISTORY.

These are the tales of historic battles and bloodshed. Now, with cutting edge animation techniques, and the expertise of military historians—BATTLES BC explores the strategies, tactics and weapons used by ancient commanders such as Hannibal, David, Caesar and Alexander. The truths and myths behind these heroes and villains are brought to life, in dramatic and epic proportions.

BATTLES BC provides fresh insight into the icons and events that helped shape the course of ancient history.

The series plays new episodes Mondays at 9 PM on the History Channel (check your local listing) and each episode gets replayed a few times during the week. You can even head over to the Battles BCerbium doped fiber amplifier website and see a full episode, Hannibal the Annihilator.

Gamer fans of the Ancient World will find plenty of inspiration in this series. I know I am absolutely loving it so far.

Four new adventures for Witch Hunter: The Invisible World are set to arrive in fans’ greedy hands in the next couple of months!

The first one is Gates of Flame, which pits the Witch Hunters against an ancient Nephilim! This one is a softcover adventure much like A Child’s Game and is already at the printers, so it should be showing up in retail stores in a month or two.

The other three are scenarios for Dark Providence, the Witch Hunter shared campaign, and are set to premiere at Origins 2009. PCI President, Henry Lopez, posted the blurbs for the scenarios on the Dark Providence list this week, and here they are:

P. Dennis Waltman is writing a trilogy of adventures that will take your Witch Hunter to what is now Northern Italy, known in 1690 as the Duchy of Savoy.

Aosta Valley Trilogy

Corruption (by P. Dennis Waltman)
Along the Italian Alps a poison spreads; a pact once sworn has been broken. The pact must be avenged before the oaths can be restored. (Proverbs 25:26 A righteous man falling down before the wicked is as a troubled fountain, and a corrupt spring.)(Mathew 7:17 Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit.) This is a tier 1-2 adventure.

Redemption (by P. Dennis Waltman)
War comes to the Valley, yet the oaths avenged must be restored. That which was stolen must be returned; that which is free must willingly return to captivity. (Proverbs 28:20; A faithful man shall abound with blessings: but he that maketh haste to be rich shall not be innocent.)(Revelation 11:9; And they of the people and kindreds and tongues and nations shall see their dead bodies three days and an half, and shall not suffer their dead bodies to be put in graves). This is a tier 1-2 adventure.

Salvation (by P. Dennis Waltman)
Death walks the land. The hand that set the stone to roll may be forever severed if the memory of the hunt is keen. Yet without the last tokens of faith, rites and sacrifices might never be the same. (Proverbs 26:8; As he that bindeth a stone in a sling, so is he that giveth honour to a fool.)( (Job 14:4; Who can bring a clean thing out of an unclean? not one.). This is a tier 1-2 adventure.

For those who won’t be at Origins (like me), it is highly likely these will also be available at Gen Con.

More Witch Hunter goodness makes me happy.

As any fan of Highmoon Games knows, International Ireland Day is a big deal around here. Every year I put together an Irish-themed product and release it on this day for your enjoyment.

This year, due to a family issue, I was not able to get anything ready. I couldn’t let the day pass unnoticed, however, so I had to take action!

RPG Blog Carnival

Over at The Gamer Traveler, I put together a special, St. Patrick’s Day RPG Blog Carnival. I posted an article entitled “The Banshee of Kilmainham Gaol” which you should go and read, and will gather a host of other Irish-themed posts during the day. Later today or tomorrow, there will be a round-up with all the posts.

Free Game Product

Second, I am giving away for FREE (March 17-18) our St. Patrick’s Day product from last year, Heroic Moments: St. Patrick’s Day Parade (Special Edition), for the 4C System of marvelous superheroics! In this ready-to-run scenario, an ancient Celtic goddess seeks to ruin the St. Paddy’s Day parade in The City and the heroes are called in to save everyone. It comes with two pre-made heroes, too, so combine it with the free 4C System Core Rules, and you have your game set for tonight!

Enjoy this St. Patrick’s Day as much as we will and raise a pint to good gaming!