The Wolf Returns - Thoughts and Concerns

White Wolf Rebrands their World Of Darkness Enterprise

Press release here, press kit available here. 

TLDR; Social media is leaning towards go woke.. go broke. The Whitewolf sub is toxic and shitty.

     I don't know if anyone wants my thoughts on this, but I'm giving them anyways. For context, I started playing Vampire: The Masquerade in 9th grade, in Summer School 1996. My friends and I would pass the same book around, makes notes and characters, then at lunch, talk about the game we were going to play that weekend. One book, one set of dice, and hundreds of hours of sleepovers perfected our obsession- which lead into the other spheres of the White Wolf universe: Werewolf, Vampire Dark Ages, Mage, Wraith, Changeling, and more. I felt like we graduated from the unique and complex rules of AD&D to a much simpler story telling heavy and immersive world that felt like it was set in one of Anne Rice's books. The art was unique, the world was horrific and fascinating, the rules simple to understand... I was hooked.

The Art from The Masquerade was something else.

     Why do we care about this change? I think people have a nostalgic feeling for the original White Wolf  Publishing and the way they did things. They bought live action role-playing to the forefront of the gaming community, which set the basis for modern cosplaying. The Mind's Eye Theatre was a free addition you could pick up at any games store, and used the existing rules and set some guidelines. It was a cool time to game when it was not popular to do so, and White Wolf and World of Darkness has not has it's time in the sun like Dungeons & Dragons is currently having. In short, the change back to the old logo is fan service to the people who played prior to 2006.

        To me, the new editions are less gritty, visceral, and seem to be too polished.  It's time to get back to the dark and grimy roots, and this may be something great for people wanting a return to form. Shit, they are even putting their names on Bloodlines 2. I'm excited to see what happens, and it will be great to get excited about new releases again. However, I have one concern with the announcement post. Not so much my concern, but those in the comments on Facebook:

     I'm not much of a politics person, and tend to stay away from anything that leans too far in either direction, however, some of these comments are pretty concerning; They are nearly split. I'm honestly surprised about the commentary in general. Top and trending comments are against the highlighted statement above, and worry about the (for lack of a better term) woke or sensitive community involvement in the change or brand development. The reality is, mentioning anything about some kind of political or gender movement in your games or products these days is just (or could be) suicide for brands. Look at all the new games and once popular IP's that have failed in recent months, losing 100's of million of dollars for huge companies. Essentially, showing some kind of favoritism to either side could potentially alienate a huge portion of your fanbase, and potential buying customers. It's a risk. My hot take, I could care less- but I'll say it; Sometimes people just want to pretend to be Vampires and play games and leave the real world behind. Take note game companies, just make the fucking games and make them good.. the rest will come. 

Edit - I posted this to the WhiteWolfRPG subreddit for commentary, follow that here. Great conversation and I'm learning a ton. I'll take my downvotes and see what people are talking about then come back here to report. 

Edit 2 - Whelp, my post was removed from reddit for rule number 11 of the WhitewolfRPG sub community rules: I'll do whatever I want. No seriously, that's the reason why it was removed. I deleted the post, but the link should still work. I did not realize that community was so hypersensitive to some regular commentary, and I was down voted right out of there. One person even said I had a bad blog! Okay well, it's not the best so we can agree there.. From what I can tell, unless you whine about something or post fan art, you just get downvoted and insulted. What a welcoming community! This seems to be the norm in there: Ignore what's going on (look at the social media comments), gate-keep the fanbase community with censorship (delete my post for reporting on community reaction, see below) and push some kind of narrative (top 1% commenters are rewarded for bias aggressive comments). This community will never grow past what it is (56k subs?) unless they can be less toxic and more welcoming to all. Strange, that goes against community guidelines. It's worth noting, my upvote ratio on this post was 33% before removal, but when posted on another sub (a much larger one) The upvote rate was 97%.

Shadowrun - Yeah, they created the Matrix.

The Matrix

In earlier editions, direct neural interface technology enabled humans and metahumans to directly access computers and the Matrix, the ingame global computer network restructured after the 2029 Crash. Access to the Matrix was accomplished by "deckers": individuals that have "cyberdecks". These interface machines are connected to the brain through a Datajack generally located at the temple or behind the ear.

In Shadowrun 4th edition, the Matrix rules have changed, thanks to the setting's constant evolution and a drive to match real world technological developments. After the second Matrix crash in 2064, Matrix technology was moved away from the wired network and led into a wireless technology. The most noticeable difference between the Matrix in the 2070s and the earlier editions is that wireless technology has become completely ubiquitous. Communications and Matrix access is provided through wi-fi nodes placed throughout the infrastructure of just about every city on Earth, fulfilling a service similar to contemporary cell towers - but as these nodes are as numerous as telephone poles, only a tiny percentage of their range is necessary. The nodes of all electronic devices a person carries are connected in a similar manner, creating a Personal Area Network (PAN). People access their PAN with their Commlink, a combination personal computer/cell phone/PDA/wireless device available either as an implant or a head-mounted display. This access can be the total sensory immersion common to cyberpunk fiction, or a sensory enhancement by which the virtual features of one's physical surroundings can be perceived and manipulated. The Matrix of the 2070s is thus not only a virtual reality, but an augmented or mixed reality.

Cyberdecks are obsolete, so "deckers" have once again become "hackers". In turn, the otaku of previous versions (deckers who did not need decks to access the Matrix) have been reworked into technomancers, who possess an innate connection to the Matrix that permits them to access the wireless network without hardware.

Via Wikipedia

“Big Damn Heroes”

We’re going to talk about your gaming group. Yeah, those guys (and girls if you’re lucky) that you meet with every week on a day where the majority of the people don’t work the next day. These kindred souls have accompanied you through the darkest most Mind-Flayer inhabited dungeons, they’ve embarked on awesome new gaming adventures such as the epic board game Kingsburg, and shared the incredibly dismal experience of the worst card game in the history of card games: Killer Bunnies (Un-hyperlinked for your own safety…Google at your own risk!) Through character death and Magic: the Gathering rules fights they’ve been by your side. It’s time we take a closer look at what makes these individuals tick, and where there gaming passions may lay. This understanding will ultimately lead to a smoother group which inevitably leads to a better time had by all.

Let’s start with the most recognizable of the group: The Winner. Most easily spotted by his/her ability to make victory in any game seem futilely out of reach with his flawless strategies, precisely engineered deck/character builds, and impossibly fast special move execution. He/She can easily stir up a group and begin the slow decent into group dissension. This person thrives on competition, in fact, it’s a requirement. If there’s no one to stand up to them and threaten their supremacy they may eventually end up migrating out of the group to more competitive pastures. Keep this in mind when interacting with this type of gamer. If you’re willing to understand and anticipate the needs of this player and the needs of others in regard to this player, you’ll gain a very loyal and most likely punctual member of your group.

Let’s cut to the bottom line.

Strengths: They will be glad to stomp you over and over again at any game you wish to get better at. Also, they know a lot about these games… Learn from them! I’m sure they’ll be eager to show and tell all that they know and slowly gain the competition they crave. They’re likely to be a leader if your group goes into any high level competition. A true gaming resource.

Weaknesses: Not everyone in your group is up for repetitive defeat. These players can easily become know-it-all’s and have the natural tendency to come off as conceited to the less seasoned members. Try rotating game types if conflict arises from interaction with The Winner. They also tend to be a bit heavier on rules than other players which can be a problem.

Another top contributor to any gaming group of worth is "The Joker" (no not The Joker god help you if he shows up…). Not only does this person tell some awesome jokes, more often than not, you’ll find this person acting out their sense of humor in a game. This is the guy that, during your Street Fighter II tournaments, only played with Dhalsim (because he was the worst character) so that every victory (no matter how few, or far between) was a practical joke played on the opponent. “Yoga Fire!” In group games he/she can often be found playing a support role with some off-the-wall quirks that will be remembered for all time.

Go, Go, Gadget Indented Aside:

Strengths: Let’s face it, gaming is about having a good time and it’s hard to imagine having a good time without laughing. This person is here to provide those laughs at almost any cost. "The Joker" will most likely be fine with playing a less spotlight oriented role in the group seeing as their primary motivation is being silly and getting laughs. This person will have a hand in creating your most memorable gaming moments.

Weaknesses: The more time The Joker gets, the less time is spent on gaming. If “The Winner” is in the process of …well… winning when this player starts the laughs, things could get a little intense. Always make sure this type of player is not targeting the other players in the group, nothing will make a group dissolve faster. You might have to make sure they’re taking things at least a little seriously.

The next archetype in terms of gamers is one I’ll call “The Dude on the Couch” or for short, “tDotC”. Like the name implies he may not even be playing, but he will have an impact on your game. If he/she is playing, he’s usually doing something else at the same time like checking Facebook on his laptop, or texting people, or even writing for a website… Hmm… Anyway, he/she is there, and he/she is gaming with your group for some reason. Your task: find out why! Maybe they don’t dig the game you guys are playing, maybe they were just there to hang out and unwarranted gaming occurred, or maybe they’re new to gaming and a little shy to interact in a large way. If you find yourself with a non-playing “tDotC”, invite them to start and you may gain a member. If they don’t want to, make sure they don’t disrupt too much. Loyal member are probably serious gamers, we keeps them, we likes them.

Hulk Smash This Section of Article!

Strengths: This is an opportunity. Whether it be for feedback, or understanding, or gaining a new member you should seize it. Also since this person isn’t as dedicated to the game they’re perfect for picking up vittles or late and rideless gamers; As for the non-playing type… Eh, they probably don’t have that many gaming strengths.

Weaknesses: Gamers tend to be a serious bunch, and without the proper attentiveness things can get out of hand and players can get angry. If they want to be a part let them know that others are heavily involved and want a group that is at the same level of interest. Don’t let the non-players disrupt your session. Make them get food for you!

Obviously there are a ton of player archetypes (which I’ll be going over in later articles seeing as how I just broke 1,018 words), and we’re all a healthy mix of them. The amount of people you can game with consistently is a limited number. Make sure you treat them the way they would like to be treated. Plus the more you understand the people in your group the better a time you’ll all have, and the more fun you have the more likely girls are to attend, but that’s another article…

Next week I’ll be doing something random

~Dustin

Free D&D Adventures - Link Dump

Is the lack of free Dungeon & Dragon adventures bringing you down? Do your friends look at you and say, "Take me to 711, you worthless flesh colored bag of caucasian meat!" Then you are in luck.

Here is the link to all Wizards of the Coasts previous products that are no longer supported, but are up to date.

All are PDF files, ready to go. Examples include:
Maztica (18.4mb)
FMA1, Fires of Zatal (6.5mb)
FMA2, Endless Armies (2.3mb)
FMQ1, City of Gold (7.6mb)
OA5, Mad Monkey vs. the Dragon Claws (3.1mb)
OA6, Ronin Challenge (6.1mb)
OA7, Test of the Samurai (4mb)
The Horde (15.07mb)
Lands of Intrigue (16.13mb)
Cormanthyr(6.04mb)
Savage Frontier(3.49mb)
Gold and Glory(2.97mb)
Elminster's Ecologies, Appendix 1(4.31mb)
Elminster's Ecologies, Appendix 2(4.98mb)
Four From Cormyr(11.33mb)
Castle Spulzeer(4.37mb)

Even if you don't use them, at least download them and kep them before Wizards decides to put them where the Wyvern CCG cards are.. next to the ET cartridge dump site.

Hole in the Sky - 1997 Edition - Realmz Review

Welcome to the Unknown Hole in the Sky, 1997 edition. Ill be updating from my Mac LCIII in the living room while i talk on AOL version 3.o to my online girlfriend from Minnesota. Her name is... Robin. I love her. ;-).

Today we will be review the Macintosh game, Realmz. Its a game made by Fantasoft LLC. I was at my friends Brian's house after school and we called that number so we could get the cloud expansion for $5.00. My dad said if washed the car he would get it for me, which is prety cool of him.

The system requirements for Realmz are: A 68020 processor, 15MHZ (Pahleeze! I have the new 33MHZ lc68040!! lol) 8 megs of ram, and a 50 meg hardrive. If you don't have 256 colors or at least 1 meg of video ram installed.. your in trouble as your graphics will be the sUxOrz!




The first thing i noticed after installing the game from the 3.5 disk is that its pretty big; and each expansion has a new folder which is also pretty big. I had to delete a few things out of my picture folder to make sure i had 100 megs left for photoshop to run right. The games loaded fast and character creation was tight. The graphics were amazing on my 13 inch MacBright monitor to say the least.

I named my character Kevlar because thats what bulletproof things are made out of. :-0. I noted right away that i was in a town and i could interact and click on things and that was pretty cool. Again i can't explain how sharp and awesome the graphics are. The stone background on the item screen looks like real rock/stone stuff!

I'd say Realmz gets a 4 out of 5 flaming dragons. (flaming dragons are like stars in my rating system)


-DoCDrOz

“May have been the losing team; Still not convinced it was the wrong one”

The most recent foray into the realm of popular fantasy has had a polarizing effect on fans of the genre. By now you’ve heard all the hubbub about the fancy-pants shiny vampires , shirtless werewolves, and their millions of ‘screamy-little-girl’ fans. You’ve probably also heard about the borderline-fascist propaganda that attempts to classify you into one of two “teams” that will forever bind you to these characters. Well my friends, I’m going to put an end to all that. The time has come to bring forth an ancient power dedicated to keeping the balance between good and evil … and also the search for some outstanding Old Toby. It’s my privilege to present to you the newest team up for choosing: Team Gandalf. You may ask, “How do I know that Team Gandalf is the right team for me?” To which I would reply, “Team Gandalf is for those of us that would stand against the atrocities associated with this newest strain of vampire oriented children’s books. Team Gandalf is for those of us that demand believable characters. Team Gandalf is for true fantasy fans that won’t stand for genre hybridizing, and the systematic destroying of our mythos. If you’re a reader of Unknown Hole in the Sky (and I know that you are) Team Gandalf, is for you!”

If you’ve found yourself swept up in these stories don’t worry, you’re still ok. The pickens of recent fantasy have been slim. It’s understandable that in these dark times the soothing glow of certain or two vampire could woo one into a false state security. Don’t be fooled. The biggest problem I’ve found with these attempted additions to the vampire canon is the fact that they care way too much about humans. A vampire needs a human for only one of two purposes (we’ll call them the two E’s): entertainment, or eating. (This was originally the two F’s … but you’ll have to figure those out on your own) Humans rarely have anything else to offer. At least Sookie Stackhouse can read minds (among other talents), that other girl just seems to get in the way and ends up as a flimsy macguffin. (Yes, it’s hyperlinked…No I won’t judge you for clicking it.) I understand that there has to be some kind of vampire-human interaction in these books, but c’mon an ancient vampire tries to commit suicide because he thinks a human is dead. This type of behavior seems Just Plain Crazy ™ and is not an acceptable contribution to the vampirical canon. Pride and Prejudice and Zombies may have been a huge hit, but the idea of Romeo and Juliet and Vampires and Werewolves seems boring and overdone. Team Gandalf: It shall not pass!

Don’t get me wrong, I understand that romance and fantasy are inherently linked. They have been from the beginning. Beowulf, Iliad, and Gilgamesh all start out with the concept of keeping, regaining, or protecting women. I mean really, what would be the use of arguing over whose is bigger if no one actually gets to put theirs to use. The problem comes when the genre and one of its most venerable recurring creatures are compromised to sell a story. When we crack a vampire book we expect certain things to happen (blood, sex, and the combination of the two) and for vampires to behave a certain way (awesomely). If those things are compromised, we stop expecting the things that moved us to buy the book in the first place and the whole vampire book-selling machine stops working in the long term. It’s a downward spiral and I hate that it’s already started. I’m not saying that it can’t be reversed, on the contrary, I’m saying that we should do something about it and protect the ideas that define the stories we enjoy so much.

It’s these concepts (creature continuity, genre integrity, and the healthy proliferation of fantasy) that comprise the core of what a member of Team Gandalf would uphold. As gamers and fantasy fans we’re all already purists at heart. We’ve quit (or we know someone who has quit) our beloved games because of the radical changes that have come and gone in the name of sales. Why not do the same for our literature, or at least take a very close look at what’s being printed and sold to the masses? Last year at DragonCon I loved seeing the shirts with stuff like, “…And then Buffy stakes Edward. The End.” and “Vampires Don’t Sparkle” It’s a big relief that people have realized that this isn’t good for anyone except Stephanie Meyer and her publishing company. It doesn’t contribute anything to the genre or to the creatures it portrays. In short, the Twilight series is using the concept of a Vampire and Werewolf to sell what would be an otherwise typical love triangle to new and unsuspecting readers of fantasy-based fiction. It’s for this reason I choose Team Gandalf.

The next time you see someone go all googly-eyed over the characters in this genre blemish of a series, help them to see that it tramples over many of the key concepts in good literature (…or if all else fails, just continue to make fun of them.) Better yet, hand them an Anne Rice novel or a copy of John Carpenter’s Vampires. Hopefully they’ll get over all this craziness and bloom into the full-fledged geek (or geek-lover) that they’re destined to become. What… not motivated enough yet? How about this: Stephanie Meyer herself admits to not having researched vampires before making the stories, and it’s clear from the books and movies that she didn’t start off with much knowledge. This author has no respect for the genre of fantasy, and shouldn’t be allowed to continue inserting elements of it into her love stories. Let’s rescue our vampires.

Next week I’ll be examining gamers.

~Dustin