Reverb Gamers 10 - Doctor Who?

Have you ever played a character originally from a book/TV/movie? How did the character change from the original as you played? If not, who would you most like to play? (Courtesy of Atlas Games. Visit us at www.atlas-games.com)

The most recent time that I played a character originally from a book/TV/movie was at last year's Dead of Winter Invitational(it's a local horror RPG gaming convention in the Bay Area put on by the Terror Rabbit). I was asked to play The Doctor. Who? Oh you know...

It was the morning game at the very beginning of the convention. Everyone but one other person was already around the table waiting. I took the empty seat closest to the door and waiting for me there was a fez(fez's are cool. I wear a fez now), a sonic screwdriver(a replica prop of the 11th Doctor's "magic wand"), and a picture of Matt Smith. So I sat don't and thought "Geronimo."(see I'm already getting into character). The GM felt it was important for his story that The Doctor be played by one of the players. We had the options of all the canon characters from Season 6 Doctor Who including (Spoilers!). No one had seen a lot of the show except for me, I was the person at the table with the most Whovian cred.

I think the major difference for me playing the doctor is that I had absolutely no idea what was going on in the story and was essentially winging it by making stuff up and trying to sound like I did(okay, it wasn't different at all). It was a lot of fun. We were playing the cubicle 7 role playing game which means that the Doctor is capable of anything and everything put has no plot points and really has to rely on the Companion players to move the story along, even when it means watching other players fail rolls that the Doctor could easily make. It is a strange balance that replicates the TV show well I feel. It is a little unusual for an RPG though, for one player to have all the skill power(I guess it's akin to high level 3.5 D&D in that way but in this case the skilled character isn't driving the story at the expense of other players).

An Alternative Vision of the Hobbit that Never Was -- Thank Heaven

Over at the Tor books website, there is a post discussing a short animated version of The Hobbit that was produced long before the Rankin/Bass film adaptation with which most people are familiar.  The film was worked on by Gene Deitch, who shares the genesis of the project on his website.

As I watched the approximately 12 minute adaptation, I was struck by two thoughts.  The first was how similar the animation style was to the illustrations on the covers of the paperback editions of The Lord of the Rings that my parents had sitting around the house when I was a child.

The second was how little the illustrations captured the feel of the fiction for me.  I never felt that the Ballantine covers truly captured the magic of Middle Earth.  They were dynamic covers, but they were too faux surreal and angular for my young tastes.  The Fellowship cover, above, captures neither Hobbiton nor Rivendell for me.  This isn't to say that those places might not look surreal, just that these images fail to capture my vision.

The same holds for the animated film.  It's adaptation of Thorin and the insertion of hearts into the costuming of various characters seems bizarre, though I do like the angular Gandalf who has a darkness that the other characters lack.

Watch the clip and judge for yourself.  One thing is certain though, the name change they gave Smaug is nigh unforgivable. 

Reverb Gamers 2012 #9

Atlas Games is hosting a new RPG blogging group called Reverb Gamers that is posting a writing prompt(1 each day in January) with a focus on RPGs LARPs and MMORPGs. I missed yesterday because I really couldn't think of an answer and I got sucked in by Star Wars The Old Republic. Sometimes you just have to play games instead of blogging about them. Anyway today's post:

Have you ever played a character of the opposite sex. Why or why not? If yes, how did the other players react? (Courtesy of Atlas Games. Visit us at www.atlas-games.com)

I have played characters of the opposite sex before. I usually only play female characters in single adventures or convention RPG games though. Our home campaign has a rule that you can only play characters of the same sex as you, which invariably someone tries to break(and usually they get away with it). The reaction was the same as if I had played a male character, from what I can tell.

It does, however, remind me of a odd thing about MMORPGs and the Internet. MMO avatars can provide a strange kind anonymity. I have seen people get upset when they think they are talking to a male or female person based on the sex of the avatar. Hey, I thought you were a woman/man.

Reverb Gamers 2012 #8

What's the one gaming accessory (lucky dice, soundtrack, etc.) you just can't do without? Why? (Courtesy of Atlas Games. Visit us at www.atlas-games.com)

Don't really have one. If you pushed me I would say good players. If the game doesn't have creative players at the table I'm checking out and going home.

Reverb Gamers 2012 #7

How do you pick names for your characters?

I covered this briefly yesterday with the story of Hal Duran, here. For that I just chose two names that I thought sounded cool and made the characters first name and the second their surname. It only turned out to be a cool "in joke" name after the fact. Depending on the genre, the game length era its from I choose different names.

For four color supers its important to have rhyming or sound alike names or aliteration. My supervillain for Necessary Evil is called Darklight. Darklight because he is a lantern weilder in the style of Green Lantern and Sinestro. Where does the rhyming come in? With the civillian Identity of Dr. Marcus "Marc" Wright. For our Gamma World game I made a fiery leader with a temper named Paul Cano which sounds like volcano when you say it fast.

One way I like to name characters is to brainstorm random words, write them out on a sheet of paper and sound them out string them together put different emphasis on syllables and recreate sounds you like with new spellings.

For D&D one-shots I use the random name generator on DDI until I find something that matches my character concept.

Another way I like to name a character is through play. Come up with a title or a nickname and then through play find the characters history by connecting yourself to other NPCs. is there a family in distress who needs the party's help. Take their surname and say that your character is a distant relative arriving in time to save the day. Thus creating backstory on the fly and a name approriate to the setting.

Reverb Gamers 2012 #6

Describe your all-time favorite character to play. What was it about him/her/it that you enjoyed so much? (Courtesy of Atlas Games. Visit us at www.atlas-games.com)


My all-time favorite character to play, huh? Sounds like another bad episode of Let me tell you about my character.... My retailer friends will often complain that while running a game store they have to hear a lot of the "let me tell you about my character..." stories. Hear enough of them and you'll snap. I think because for the person telling the story it's a very personal thing. A connection you make in your own mind between yourself and the character you are creating and playing. For someone hearing the story without that context it's just details strung together. For those who wish to avoid such nonsense please read no further.


My first character in a "real" RPG with a real gaming group is probably my favorite character to play. A male Twilek Jedi Padawan named Hal Duran in my friend Wes' Star Wars SAGA edition game. It's set during the Clone Wars and Dark Times eras between The Phantom Menace and A New Hope. In an early session it was pointed out to me that "Hal Duran" sounds like Alderaan. I swear it wasn't on purpose. My Jedi's name is not a tribute to that doomed world. The inspiration for the name was from HAL 9000, the computer in 2001: a Space Odyssey and the band Duran Duran, they combined as an interesting name for a Jedi Padawan.

What do I enjoy most about playing this character? Hello? Jedi. For this game it's all about cinematic action. What highly improbable feet of acrobatics, and sword play will Hal pull off this week? Probably my favorite scene so far was chasing a personnel carrier with a speeder bike. It's hard to fight a moving target with a light saber. So I maneuvered the speeder in front of the carrier while using my light saber to protect myself from it's guns. Then I leaped off the bike while spinning like a top with light saber held angled in front of me, cutting a hole through the plasteel window simultaneously killing the driver and wounding the co-pilot. I landed on my feet in the back of the carrier. So I was fighting the guys inside while the carrier is crashing. Mandalore bounty hunters coming in the top and jumping off just in time for the carrier to explode from a thermal detonator. Boom! Awesome. That was just as a padawan, just gained knighthood in the last session.

Reverb Gamers 2012 #5

Have you ever introduced a child to gaming, or played a game with a young person? How is gaming with kids different than gaming with adults? (Courtesy of Atlas Games. Visit us at www.atlas-games.com)

This question strikes me as funny. I was a young person once(a long time ago, I know). And when I was young we were introduced to gaming by our parents. And with a little brother around I obviously played with " a young person" as a a young person(as a child I played games with other children).

I must of course interpret the question as: Since you became an adult, "have you ever introduced a child to gaming or played a gane with a young person?

Sure of course, I have. It is very different than playing games with adults. For one you have to watch your lanquage. No swearing in front of the impressionable youth. usually parents of kids don't want to have to explain bad words to their kids at a young age. One of my college friends and his younger siblings would come over to my house and play D&D as a family. I really had to alter the content of my usual game to account for the wide range of ages at the table. I also had to take time to explain the rules with a new mindset. it took a lot of patience. We played several sessions but never actually finished the campaign.