What is Art?

Many on the web feel gaming is not an art, though mostly they're talking about videogames. Not all of the same logic or arguments can be applied to table-top / pen-and-paper gaming.

My friend Brad posted this as a comment over at repeated expletives:

"Art is a process not a product. Once the art process is complete all that remains is a byproduct of this process. These leftovers are merely a document recording the event. They can be enjoyed and valued but only the artist can experience the real art. Watching the creation or art process can get you closer to the art but still only the artist is experiencing the real art."

That's an interesting thought. How does it apply to gaming? I think gaming is an art, whether you're talking about Process or Product, and that both P-words are nigh-on-inseparable within this medium.

The artistic process is employed to create a set of rules that are not only playable, but also readable. That product is then taken by the GM, who uses it as a springboard to their own artistic process - the framing and prepping of a campaign. The notes and prepared concept of each session becomes the product that springboards a third artistic process, this the joint collaborative effort that is widely recognized as gaming.

Even a totally improvised game without prepwork leaves a product - as gamers are so strongly motivated to tell tales of their characters and exploits.

I say all four are art - the writing of the rules, the prepping of the campaign, the actual gaming, and the skillful telling of a tale after-the-fact. I get immense joy from all four, though less so from that last category when I was working game-store retail.

Improvement by Time and Training

In general, I don't like systems that require or incentivize training. Frankly, training is rarely exciting. An occasional montage might work, like Luke with Yoda, but mostly it gets old quick. To make that the only method of advancement sounds uninspiring.

Enforcing realistic improvement rates slows character development to a crawl, so it's generally better to skip on this realism unless you have some way of guaranteeing the same playgroup for consecutive years. If you have a foolproof retention method, please publish it!

That said, Time & Training works admirably for Continuum. Largely because it's a time-travel game. The PCs control their own development, being capable of saying "I need to know about Art History to answer this question, so I'll jaunt off for a semester at MCAD before attempting the roll." Time & Training is not the only XP system therein, they also have an Improvement by Attempt sub-system. Players can fluctuate between actively seeking skill upgrades and just incrementing those things that the GM asks them to roll.

It can also work pretty well for any game that features sweeping leaps of narrative time. I don't recall what the XP systems of Pendragon and Orkworld are like, but I imagine you could work a fairly realistic advancement system into any game that uses their concept of "winter season".

My old "Hearts of Darkness, v2" LARP did so fairly effectively, though it was using a hybrid system of this mixed with XP by Accomplishment. The game featured immortal vampires as PCs. We'd run 6-8 session story arcs, then advance the timeline by 5 to 20 years. Experience could only be spent between story arcs. Your accomplishments in the previous arc made various things cost less XP. We'd give each player an individual list of things that had reduced costs due to their efforts.

What are your thoughts (or anecdotes) regarding games that use strongly simulationist methods of character advancement?

Experience Systems

All this talk about the clocks in Continuum has gotten me thinking about XP systems I have known, and what I have thought of them. I'll do a series of (hopefully) short posts to that effect.

Off the top of my head (and with poor, improvised titles) the dominant XP paradigms are:

• Improvement by Time and Training
• Improvement by Accomplishment:
• Improvement by Attempt
• Improvement for Acting
• Improvement Guaranteed
• Improvement Hidden

and of course,

• No Improvement

Can you think of any Experience/Advancement Paradigms that I have missed?

More prep for Aedes Saluto

My Continuum players seemed to be having fun in Rome, so I had it run longer than the one session I'd originally planned. Here's some extra prep work I did for the second Roman session...

• COSTUMES - show them page 20 of Chronicle of Western Fashion
• Chariot Races - at the Circus Maximus, which can seat 250,000 people. Starts filling at dawn.There are 24 races per day, all are free to watch. Food vendors are there, but it’s a good idea to get your food first, or else you’ll be fighting crowds all day. Procession before hand includes musicians, priests carrying banners of all the Gods, and the Senator or Counsellor who will be dropping the start flag. Multiple crashes during the day, including a 4-horse chariot toppling on its side, the driver drops the knife he was to cut himself free with and ends up being drug most of a lap.
• Gladiatorial Games - This is the 14th year of the games at the Amphitheatre that will one day be known as the coloseum. Procession, pantomime, conjurors, circus animals, then fighting. Women sit in the third tier behind a wall that seperates them from men. Wealthy women sometimes pay to have sex with the gladiators after the show.
• Another banquet. 7 courses. And there’s food too gross to say in front of Amy, including Fried Cow’s Udder. Before the meal your feet and hands are washed by slaves.
• Another Play, at a lower class theatre (holds only 3,000 people, unlike the 14,000 occupant theatre from the other night) - The only lines are from the Chorus, the other Actors simply Mime about the Trojan War. It’s quite bawdy have both Genders of performers, with murder, nudity and simulated rape. The subject matter is so controversial, a riot breaks out.
• Roman Fora - Town center, great sight seeing, but very crowded. Statues, shrines, arches. Senate building. Entrance to the Cloacina Maxima under the shrine of Venus Cloacina. Orators on the Rostra. Eternal fire of the Vestal Virgins. Recently completed temple of concord (temple to the peace that has put an end to near-civil war). Black slab of Marble (grave of Romulus). Golden Milestone. Pages 138-139 of visitors guide
• Senate Floor. Proposals currently have to do with the War against Carthage, and with a reassessment of certain middle-tier crimes to determine which are appropriate for incarceration at the first Roman prison, Tullianum. Prior to this, the legal code was very bipolar. Watching for the day gives a unique perspective on Law, +1 clock.
• Boat Trip down the Tiber to Ostia. Pass an Island that’s been landscaped to look like a boat. The medical school is on that island. Also see the man-made reefs of smashed oil jugs.
• A tour of corners. Each fraternity in Rome (from 750 BC to 410 AD) sends a member to greet you and answer questions.
• More Harpastum - only worth 1 clock in athletics now for a game. It’s not an infinite well of clocks.
• Boardgames - due to Mastery of Chess, Lee gets Gaming: Roman Boardgames Novice +1 Clock.

I note from reading all this that memories were a little off. Apparently the riot was intentional on my part, and took place at the second theatrical performance. Also, not everything listed here happened - I played it by ear and skipped things that no one seemed to bite at. I should have done the Fraternal Corner tour, but wasn't quite prepped enough to handle it that session.

departure: May 15th 16:00

Meaning the characters spent around 80 hours in Rome

More notes from the Ariesian age

This short page was notes made during the Continuum game. Not prep notes, but scribbles of what happened, made during the session as it unfolded...

• Baths - All goes well except Emily’s pink panties may have been spotted when she was changing.

In character, Emily was quite precise that she would not wear the itchy or inferior undergarments of earlier eras. This was a potential anachronistic problem at the public baths. The campaign was on a fast-track, and I chose not to make use of this thread.

• Banquet in their honor at Tiberius’s home. Rob & Jeremy eat Liquamen - bad breath.

For Amy's sake, I had to talk my way around the fried cows udders, whichWikipedia fails to mention. But at least it does define Liquamen. Wish my reference books had mentioned porcus Troianus, so I could have talked around it too. :)

• Attending the theatre

Amazing that this is all I wrote about that lengthy scene. The PCs started a riot at a play about the Trojan War. Calvin used a cricket bat to attack a performer on a Deus Ex Machina winch. Don't ask about the cricket bat - it was apparently under his toga. Soldiers were eventually called in to keep the peace.

• On walk home, a roofing tile falls - is it just faulty construction? Emily pushes Aaron out of the way, Izzy intervenes to stop them speaking English. And then to cover it up, they walk into an alleyway like prostitutes to his John. 3 of them span to the villa

This was merely an improv, based on a thing I'd read that morning about how lack of building codes in ancient Rome had lead to many deaths from poorly-secured clay shingles. Since the enemy can time-travel and teleport, the PCs interpreted this as an ambush. Much hilarity ensued.

• Kelly tries to “get lost” in city. Gets temporary frag (Izzy feeds him liquamen, then undoes it). This reigns him in.
  

• Harpastum - emily wins

That last note was accompanied by an odd little matrix that reads:

kelly 0 0 0 0 1 0 1
kail 0 1 1 0 5 1 0
emily 2 1 0 1 3 1 2
Emily wins

Funny that Kelly, the ex-marine with a decent Body score, rolled so poorly. I note that this also implies I had them roll 7 times instead of 4. What Silence, you Continuumed, but apparently didn't Harpastum - were you there that session? Were you sitting around with nothing to do? Did I waste too much time on this silly Roman sport?

Harpastum! (Rules for use in Continuum)

This is also from the old Continuum campaign. Here's a wiki link on Harpastum, though the book I was using for reference back when running the campaign made it sound less like a team sport and more of a free-for-all. That difference is reflected below. What I was envisioning may be more like Follis, but with Harpastum's heavy ball and physical demands. Or wikipedia could just be wrong. Not like that's never happened before.

The Game: Harpastum: (Mechanics and Skill Improves for Continuum)
This game involves a sand-filled ball, and a lot of throwing, catching, and shoving. It's a classic Roman pastime. Slightly less bloody that gladiators.

Each participant gets to roll an Athletics four times, as follows:

Throwing: Uses any form of Athletics that involves a two hand throw or a throw of a large (softball+) sized ball.
Other throwing games get a -1 penalty.
PCs who's athletics involve non-throwing games have just Body -1, and get only a Body clock for the roll.

Catching: Uses any form that involves catching things thrown to or at you.
-1 if it’s a minor part of the specialization you’re using.
If there’s no such action in the game you have Athletics in, then have just Quick -1, and get only Quick clock for the roll.

Bodychecks/Shoving: Usable with any Martial Arts, Unarmed Combat. Also useable with any full-contact Atheltics like Football, Rugby, Hockey or Lacrosse.
Games with minimal contact (baseball, soccer) get -1 penalty
Games with no contact (golf) roll just Body -1, and get only Body clock for the roll.

Stamina: Useable with any Athletics, Unarmed Combat, or Toughness.
If using an Athletics with no strenuous activity, such as minigolf, just roll Body, and get only Body clock for the roll.

Each player makes 1 roll for each those 4 components to the game, and records how many rolls they succeeded at.
If one player has most successes, they won the game! +1 extra clock on Athletics
If no clear winner, each player rolls again for Catching & Stamina.
If no clear winner then, each player rolls again for Bodychecks & Stamina.
If no clear winner then, each player rolls again for Stamina.
If still no clear winner, the game ends as a draw.
Bonus clock for winning is only if someone wins at the end of the first set of rolls!

If anyone states they Span to take advantage, then all players add a Quick roll to each round of rolls.

if no PC gets any successes on the first 4 rolls, Tiberius laughs at your incompetence and the game ends as a flop.

The tough part of this from a GM / Adventure Writer perspective, was how many rolls to have PCs make. Each roll is a clock (effectively an experience point in the terminology of other games) whereas it would take 15 days of off-camera Harpastum playing to get an Athletics clock otherwise. Too few rolls means no chance for PCs to "level up", but too many rolls results in the plot bogging down and getting boring.

In retrospect, I should have made there be a trophy - some gift from Tiberius to the person who won the game. That would have justified doubling the number of rolls without risking boredom.

Short bus spanners in Rome

Further notes from the old Continuum campaign's second phase...

-249 (BC) - May 12th at 8:00 in the morning Ariesian - Rome. Corner: Aedes Saluto. Roman Villa
Playlist: 7th Sea Vodacce

When you arrive: The scent of burnt bread is in the air. You are in a large common room of a spacious Roman villa. Everything is tiled and frescoed, including false windows that are painted to give the impression of opening into an orchard.

The room has several large pieces of furniture - daybeds or couches, perhaps, like futons in bed mode. The are organized in two groups, one arranged around an enormous coffee table, the others arranged around a sort of sandbox set into the floor. Both groupings surround their central feature on 3 sides only, leaving the fourth side open to the center of the room.

A large jovial looking man in a Toga steps into the entrance of the room, his arms spread out as if to hug you all. “Isabella!” he shouts. She scowls. He and Izzie move towards the couches near the sandbox.

Carved sticks just over a meter in length lie on the couches. Each grab one. Izzie draws a curve in the sand. The man completes it.

Each person gets thier own room here, adjoining
the spanner parlor. The villa also has a courtyard,
dining hall, assorted private rooms, a stable, etc.

Romans are much more cleanly than dark ages. The city is stinky, but you can’t be. The burnt bread was a form of scent-elimination, much less expensive than incense and scented oils.

Silver Denarius is the common coin. Medicine comes from Greece, and a little from India. First punic war is going on, Romans against Carthaginians. The first Roman prison, Tullianum, was erected this spring. Travel will be on foot or by litter, as wheeled vehicles are outlawed during daylight.

Fun things to do in Rome:

1. The baths - Seperated by Gender. Women in morning, men in afternoon. Tiberius’s slaves watch belongings in changing room. In order: Sudatorium (Sauna). Caldarium (hot pool in domed room, use oil and stigil). Massage room. Tepidarium (vaulted hall, gently warmed pool). Frigidarium (unheated, open-air swimming pool). Games & Athletics room available.
2. Banquet - Hosted by Tiberius. Eat on sofas - 3/sofa, 9/table. Knives, Spoons, & Fingers (no forks) Acrobats and musicians perform while you eat. 5 courses, In order: Veggies/Eggs/Cheese/Seafood, Honey Wine, Seafood and hot rolls, Roasts/Veggies/Beans/LiquamenSauce (Izzie recommends you skip the Liquamen), HoneyCakes/Fruits/Nuts.
3. Games - Ball games, dice games, board games. Harpastum is a game with a sand-filled ball that involves a lot of shoving. For mechanics and skill improves, see next page.
4. Baths again - it would be customary the next morning after all that rough-housing.
5. Gladiatorial Games - This is the 14th year of the games at the Amphitheatre that will one day be known as The Colosseum. Procession, pantomime, conjurers, circus animals, then fighting. Women sit in the third tier behind a wall that separates them from men.
6. Another banquet. 7 courses. And there’s food too gross to say in front of Amy.

Before you leave: Tiberius takes your togas. Gives you brightly colored richly embroidered clothing, which puzzles him. Says it was left for you by the Engineers, but he’s been to Turkey, and this is not the proper attire.

Gods and Scions as Egregores or Memes

Jake introduced me to the word egregore today. Like syncretic, it's a concept I've been aware of for a while, but for which I've never known the proper name. The Egregore concept, in occult circles, is roughly (very roughly) that ideas have an identity of their own. Sort of like memes meet personification. If enough brain power is spent thinking about something, the something will begin to think. Or more accurately, a spirit or consciousness will form based upon and embodying that concept. We imagine them into being. I love the gaming applications of this.

Imagine a Scion campaign where the Gods are but Egregores or the personification of Memes. It jives perfectly with the games existing concepts of Legend and Fatebinding. I imagine it'd lead to a far lighter and less serious campaign style, almost parody. In addition to Zeus, Thor, Isis, et all, the campaign would also include Santa Claus, the Easter Bunny, Darth Vader, Bloody Mary, Gandalf, Hannibal Lecter, Samuel Colt, The Beatles, Uncle Sam, Coca Cola, etc. Anything that people believe in, or just spend a lot of time thinking about.

Could these newer entities give birth to Scions? If so, I feel very sorry for the Scion of The Macarena.

On what is the Legend-rating of a Egregore dependent?
If it's how many people are currently aware of them, then that'd make the new Egregores and Memes every bit as powerful as the ancient Gods.
If it's how many generations have spoke of them, then chronological age would directly limit power. This logic would cap the PC's Legend, so I imagine it's not a perfect fit.
If it's how many people have honestly worshiped them, then Gandalf and Coke are kept to low power. Santa, on the other hand, may be able to siphon power from all those little kid's letters.

Ivar and the Titan-Spawn Mafia, part 3

Part 1 Part 2
After ensuring Cleopatra and the handmaidens are safe, the PCs track the villainous Frost Giant Ivar back to the largest of his Restaurants, the one on the Pier downtown. He's gonna pay, but they need to do it in a way that doesn't end the truce with Caponeson.

There's guards out front they have to get past. They knew he had a trapdoor in his office floor over the pier, but decide to go in the front door via social rolls in hopes of looking better when Caponeson hears the tale later. That gets them inside, but Ivar keeps making them wait. Waitresses bring the catch of the day and bottles of vodka, all on the house. He's in a meeting, they are told, but will be with them shortly.

They sit and stew. Omar gets really mad and can't take it anymore. They go to break into Ivar's office. The door is big and heavy, so while Omar and Ash are smashing through it, Alyssa uses her Psychopomp powers to walk through the wall. For a couple ticks, she's alone with Ivar and his bodyguards. He picks up his marble-topped desk and smashes her with it. The dice are perfect - she's left with 1 health level. Anything more and she'll be incapacitated.

Then the door breaks open, and Omar starts casting bad juju at Ivar. Again, everything works out perfect. They hurt him, but don't drop him in that action.

The PCs second action takes place in the same tick as Ivar's - they'll be simultaneous! Despite nearly dropping a PC in one blow, he's got little hope against all 3 of them and their sidekick. So I decide (but keep it to myself) what his action is.

The PCs make their attack rolls, throwing everything they've got against him. They actually do enough damage to incapacitate him, but he still gets his simultaneous action. Again, perfection. I couldn't be happier.

He lifts the marble desktop above his head, and stomps on the aforementioned trapdoor. It gives way beneath him, and he falls beneath the pier into Puget Sound. The PCs are left in the room with his bodyguards.

And here's the beauty: Frost Giants in Scion are literally made from magic ice. In water, they heal at an astounding pace. He can't drown, and gets away scot free. The desk weighs too much for a PC to lift easily, so the only person that can follow while he's still incapacitated is the PC who's 1 health level away from incapacitation herself.

This was a flawlessly perfect session. The opening scene gave character development and introduced new NPCs, but didn't bog down at all. The plot rolled along at a good clip. Every die was exactly what it needed to be. The players' emotional investment in the story was heightened. It got personal, but without anything really special being ruined (Cleopatra lived and Omar didn't lose any magic artifacts). The villain got away to recur yet again!

Days like that are why I chose gaming as my primary hobby.

Did I say Cleopatra?

Cleopatra jumps out the window and grabs the nearby crane, spending a Legendary Deed to do so. (Thereby finally telling the PCs that even if she isn't the real Cleopatra, she's at least special and probably supernatural.)

Wait, Cleopatra? Okay, more back story, and another Dirty GM Trick. I'll have to go add to the Seattle NPCs on the wiki...

Several sessions back, the PCs were beneath The Market, doing recon on Caponeson's operations. They see a Slave Auction and head over to bust it up. But the auctioneer's eyes light up when he sees Omar, Scion of Horus:

"Glad you're here. We stayed open late as a favor to your father. Here's your wife. Don't worry, she's all paid for. So are her two handmaids."

Cleopetra, possibly the real deal. Certainly from ancient Egypt, and she has a couple points of Legend. In fact, the jumping for her life with a handmaid in her arm implies a Knack or Epic trait or two. She's got an attitude, and expects the world to adore her. She's a walking anachronism, unclear how she got transported to here and now. Currently refers to Omar as "My Pharoah-To-Be." Has fallen in love with the internet, and with Omar's credit cards. Enrolling in business school since the PCs say that's where the power is in today's world.