Dr. Manhatten goes to Origins

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Re: Dr. Manhatten goes to Origins

Postby salamanca » Thu Jun 18, 2020 9:12 am

Thursday Mornings... a lot of years this is my downtime to browse the dealer hall. One year, i end up on the elevator with Ken St. Andre. I don't know how the conversation started but it quickly morphed into a bizarre and rambling 2 person improvisation of speculative fiction involving elevators moving in 6 dimensions. I end up walking with Ken all the way down to the exhibit hall and the next thing i know, i am standing in the area of the Flying Buffalo booth because security knew Ken was clear to enter and assumed i was too. It also gives me a greater understanding of where the concepts behind a lot of the early games came from.

Different year, same walk but with Duke Seifried. Mostly the conversation is about his awesome display of scale pirate ships for a game the year before. By the time we reach the regustration area amd part ways, his offhand advice on painting tricks teaches me more about mini painting than i ever knew. That would end up being his next to last trip to Origins.

There are people in the dealer room and there are legends, known and unsung. Lou Zocchi is in his booth. We would have very different gaming without Lou. He is the original dice guy and he will tell you all about it. I have seen people abandon their closts friends to escape a Lou story. They are long, they ramble but it is a fun lecture.

Bob Kindel is over at Koplow's booth. I need to say hi. Bob and i met at a different con in 1988. He gave me a student discount that day because i had a Miskatonic U. Student ID on me. He also ran what may have been the most entertaining 1st ed. D&D themed adventures. If you like anything about the way I run games, it starts with what i learned playing in Bob's convention events. (He was also a medic in Vietnam and a Postal worker)

I walk past a booth selling a new boardgame. The display looks good, the layout for demos looks inviting and easy. It is in an orange box. I have seen it in the hands of 5 people in the dealer room which has only been open 26 minutes. I ask them to give me their quick pitch and it sounds enticing. Bearenpark will be a huge seller this con. 4 hours proves i am right...everybody is toting this thing around.

Different year. I am in a Big Eyes Small Mouth game with Akira running. 3 players are RPG.bet regulars. His campaign is an anime elementary school full of trope characters and a poster sized flowchart to show how they interact. It is silly fun except for the poor guy that picked a member of a 5 man giant robot team because nobody else went along with that plan.

It is right around the time we were starting HoA. I am at a table in Franklin B with Charlie. This is in the running for worst hame I ever played at Origins. It is Hollow Earth Expedition. The guy running has copied all the pregen templates...ok, this is really a demo the system session for me. Then he proceeds to go into an over detailed fescription of the mechanics. As we start, i try to introduce myself to Charlie and the one other player at the table. The GM stops me and does not let me name the character. I make the assumption we have names already and he says no, you don't need names, you are the adventurer and he is the scholar and he is the pilot just call each other that.

Charlie gives me the look across the table. The "is this guy serious look". We are both thinking about walking away. I decide i will let him at least set the scene. Immediate fight scene opener...sure, it is an action game. As is my nature, i try lateral thinking responses and the GM directly refuses to allow them. Charlie gives me the "this game is a wash" look. He is right, i should walk away but the third player was really eager to play this and this GM needs some on hands training.

None of it works. Everytime Charlie or I try to talk to a NPC or socially interact, he initiates combat. At the end of the game, i do something i have never done before or since. I tell the guy straight up he should never run a game again.

Ed Rollins will run a Hollow Earth Game an hour after that debacle that gives both myself and Charlie the adventure we wanted. That is my first meeting with Ed and was totally rollicking fun.

Different year...second larp year. I am meeting Floyd face to face for the first time. We bond so fast it is ridiculous. And i mean that word in every sense. The next 4 days would best be described as a pair of 8 year old boys trapped in the bodies of 30+ year old men turned loose at the amusement park or summer camp. I have had good Origins, Great Origins and Amazing Origins but that year was probably my favorite and at that moment i had no idea what was coming over the next 4 days.

It is 2002. I am sitting at a table for Cthulhu. This is the first year i am strictly enacting the Dave picks last rule. If you are not aware, as a gaming challenge i insist on having the last pick of pregens so i have to make something out of the character nobody else at the table wanted. The GM hands me the last option, a female rich kid that exactly describes my ex-girlfriend right down to the eye color. I channel the most annoying and problematic version my bitter soul can fathom. 3 players take voluntary sanity loss to research dark magiks to make me stop. I win the best player award for the session.

For you newer gamers, cons used to do best player votes. In the earliest days, Gygax and the boys thought you NEEDED to have a winner at the table. It was still a rated factor with the RPGA in the 90's. By 2000, it had mostly become a thing some GMs would do and maybe you got a certificate or Bob Kindel would give you some dice for his game. In 2002, Origins got their hands on multiple milk crates full of remaindered gaming materials. Every RPG session that year had a best player award that let you select a book from the crates. I was signed up for 7 events. I won 7 books. The selection was so bad, i think i only collected 3 and gave the rest to other people.
I don't mind growing old... but I hate growing up.
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Re: Dr. Manhatten goes to Origins

Postby salamanca » Thu Jun 18, 2020 11:06 am

First aerodrome game. I am partnered with Roger Bechtel among others. I shoot a guy down and earn my wings. There is an interrupt the game and stand at attention ceremony to honor the moment. Aerodrome guys are cool about weird stuff like that. The kid next to me is mad because the guy i shot down was his dad. HE wanted to shoot him down. The next round, the vets swarm me and i am shot down. The vets take advantage of me the rest of the game. (It is a rite of passage) i will shoot down one more plane in the next 4 years, losing the roll off for credit on maybe a dozen others.

We have no tables in a room this year, we are in the hall at the top of the escalator. Traffic is non stop, noise is up. I expect Mark to lose his voice on day one. I am re-arranging seating to reduce distance to the players going so far as to snag a slightly smaller table. I am also facing them away from the escalators hoping the distraction and noise of the food court is less than bodies walking up the escalators. I worry a lot about being able to gold attention avoid clusters of noisy bystanders and just getting through the adventures here. It works out, even gets to be fun. More on that spot in later hours and days.

I am in Delaware A for a paranoia tabletop game. Not running. At the table is a Air Force officer and his 12 year old daughter. GM and one of the players are having a hard time keeping things at a PG level. I spend the session offering to run a game for them at any empty table for free. They stick it out. I see them in passing for the next several years and he always waves when we pass.

Morrow room. Jason Haskins is running 7th sea. It is the middle of the revolution and I am earning drama dice at a rate of speed that is unheard of. Worst of all, my dice ate hot and i don't need to use any. I end the game having earned a drama die every 10 minutes of game time. (24 in total)
Jason caught my attention with something he does as a GM. In the combat scenes he stands up and sways while running the fight. It draws player attention and sets a tempo. He steps toward the targeted player when attacking. It gives a good pace to stuff. I can't do it in the large table groups because space is too tight. But in a table of 5 or less it is a great enhancer technique.
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Re: Dr. Manhatten goes to Origins

Postby salamanca » Thu Jun 18, 2020 11:27 am

It is 2012 or 13. I have an overflow session because HoA is just so popular. Matt and Jenny Latham are moving over to my table. I also have Steph (Lady Bravada) here. We got a couple new guys and one unassuming quiet little guy who will change the history of Altamira.

This is the first appearance of Don Gallo!

Steph and Jenny are the first ones to chorus the shout about the third time he does it. By the fifth time, the whole table is joining in. In the 2 pm session, he will be at Mark's table and it will get chorused by Matt and Jenny and then spread to my table as well.
I don't mind growing old... but I hate growing up.
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Re: Dr. Manhatten goes to Origins

Postby Black Jack Rackham » Thu Jun 18, 2020 11:30 am

I forgot to add my own recollections for Wed, so let me just interrupt Thur for a roll-back to Wed...

WEDNESDAY
My favorite day of the con! I wake up bright and early (both because I am almost always getting up at this hour and because yesterday I got up even earlier so this counts as sleeping in) and realize I still have a few hours to get everything collected, get my badge (which I forgot to do yesterday in the frenzy of seeing folks I haven't seen in a year) and get to the game on time.

Or at least that's what I tell myself as I find out everything I'd planned on doing takes at least 3x as long as I expected and I am nearly late for the first game.

Fortunately Ken has his shit together and is there for me at our official tables. He offers to set everything up despite the fact that he looks exhausted from walking from (what I assume must be) Siberia where his car is parked. Nearby Alexandra and Sam and several other regulars wordlessly just start grabbing stuff and taking care of it.

There was a joke going around the GenCon forums many years ago about naming a collection of gamers (like a murder of crows, or a gaggle of geese). They came up with a "Stink." When this happens I always want to call it an "Awesome" of gamers.

I run off down to get my badge (which is ALWAYS a joy). While standing in line I find someone I know waiting in line (though honestly it's best when it's someone I don't know, yet) and we start up a conversation about geek things. Others nearby chime in, they always do, and soon we're laughing and conversing and I have new friends.

My first game rarely gets played. Let me clarify. The game I am scheduled to run (which is the newest game from the previous year) rarely gets played. Instead, I either run some middle story adventure that someone was missing, or I run Ep. 1. If it's the latter the players take it all very seriously until Jenario makes his entrance. THEN they really get into the spirit of 7th Sea. The first time I say "Are you happy with that?" all the regulars start chuckling, mostly because I said it in response to the 74 the player just rolled. The player is new to the game and for a second I can see the worry in their eyes. But the best looks I get are at the end when the shadow beast emerges.

Nearby Ken is running Ep. 2 (because of course he is) and every time I look over he's showing off somehow (usually it's the fact that there's not a rulebook or written adventure in sight, but occasionally he's roleplaying El Vago or the butcher's apprentice). At some point during this first game he will make sure to let me know how much fun his players are having by having them shut down the room with the joyous noise they are making. I am supremely jealous.

Oh yes, one more thing. I have forgotten the cards and will not remember them until Ken shouts "CARDS!" from across the room. If he's feeling particularly saucy, he'll get the players to shout it at me in unison (He's cruel that way). There is also a good chance I forgot to collect tickets too.

The second game is more of the same, though I am far more likely to either run the game scheduled (which is the new release), or not run a game at all. It is, however, the first run of the newest adventures so I don't have the timing down quite right. So I try to speed things along but forget that I need to do that around the time we get to the second scene because we're having fun and that's all that's really necessary.

At some point Dave will make an appearance. His hair will be some flavor of new and different, I am jealous because I will never have that option again (unless I want to go Professor X). As a bonus, he's brought along with Jeremy (who always seems surprised to see me, like he didn't know if I was going to make it) And they have a STORY!

It is always very entertaining and I will remember and make jokes about it for the rest of the con (whereupon I will promptly forget it and never be able to recall even one of them when, for example, trying to write a recollection of cons gone by). In fact all I will be left with is the unshakable feeling that I want to hear more stories.

Once I am finished for the night I realize I've already used up one whole day of the con and there are only 4 days left (then I remember Sunday is more like half a day and the panic really sets in).

THURSDAY
My favorite day of the con! I can sleep in but in all probability I took all the paperwork with me last night (because, lets be honest, I ran over time and folks got sick of waiting).

More recently though, Dave or Ken have been taking the box with them leaving me totally free (which I hate because that means I have no excuse to get up early, which I want to do so I can see folks. So now I just have to suck it up and admit I'm just there to see everyone else). I make some half-hearted excuse about maybe having overflow players but no one believes me since we have this down to a science by now. Dave and Ken get to work and I am free to wander the dealers hall (which doesn't open for another hour).

Charlie is there so he volunteers to come along with me and we talk. It could be about life events or gaming or the state of the world today. But whatever it is, Charlie has put a lot of thought into it. And I kind of feel like a stupidhead, but I have lots of loud opinions. Charlie takes it all in stride. Even when my mind wanders, especially when my mind wanders. Batelle Hall Bathrooms. I can hardly wait...Wait, what were we talking about?

I soak up the energy at the top of the escalators once more (this time with gamers present) and I am ready to start buying (or at least looking). I briefly entertain the idea of not buying any more dice. Then I call myself a quitter and vow to buy twice as many dice as a punishment for that part of my brain that came up with that stupid idea.

Around 11:30 I have gone all the way through the dealers hall, seen some neat stuff, bought a reasonable amount of dice (probably 3-4 sets of d10s) and am getting hungry. Need to go to North Market before I run my first game. Knowing that I need to do the playtest next, I vow that THIS TIME I'll finish on time.

I do not finish on time. This happens for all the reasons I finished late last night too. At best I end 15 min late and everyone considers that a win. Fortunately though everything is already packed up (and if I am lucky) it's already in Dave's room. Plus I finally get to see Roger and Connie! NOW ON TO BD's! I secretly know Charlie has already paid (probably called 6 months ago, but how does he make sure they remember?) but I WILL NOT stop trying! One of these years he's gonna slip up AND THEN I WILL HAVE HIM!!!

BDs is always bittersweet to me because it highlights something unspoken to me about you all (unspoken until now that is). We all know we have a lot in common as far as gaming goes, but at BDs its painfully apparent that we also have a lot in common in many other areas of life. You all are the folks I'd choose to hang out with in life, not just in gaming. And you're so very far away. :(

And now we get to it... the playtest... far and beyond the most helpful thing you all have done for me. And not just helping me improve my adventures. Your thinking helps me organize my thoughts, improve my writing, and overall just helps me think differently. For example, I actually wrote a version of Roger's Golden Rule that's taped to the top of my computer. I never want to be without it.

And I always remember, even if I had a time limit, I know we will not finish on time.
smafdi wrote:STOP BEING SO DARN POPULAR GUYZ SRSLY I NEEDZ MEH GAMEZ TIHS YAER!!!

kenderleech wrote:If the cows were not meant to be ridden, why would they be so close to the chase scenes?
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Re: Dr. Manhatten goes to Origins

Postby Black Jack Rackham » Thu Jun 18, 2020 11:31 am

salamanca wrote:it will get chorused by Matt and Jenny and then spread to my table as well.

Within a year, it will spread to other conventions...
smafdi wrote:STOP BEING SO DARN POPULAR GUYZ SRSLY I NEEDZ MEH GAMEZ TIHS YAER!!!

kenderleech wrote:If the cows were not meant to be ridden, why would they be so close to the chase scenes?
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Re: Dr. Manhatten goes to Origins

Postby Black Jack Rackham » Thu Jun 18, 2020 11:39 am

Year 6 - First run of Ep. 13 (or maybe second, I am not sure). Floki has just been revealed to be in thrall to Teresa Campos de Ramirez. I deliver Teresa's message "Protect your mother." The words don't quite all come out of my mouth when Katie says, in the loudest and deviously happy voice I've ever heard her use, "I attack* him with my axe!" It takes her two hits to put him down.

*She might have said, "Kill"
smafdi wrote:STOP BEING SO DARN POPULAR GUYZ SRSLY I NEEDZ MEH GAMEZ TIHS YAER!!!

kenderleech wrote:If the cows were not meant to be ridden, why would they be so close to the chase scenes?
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Re: Dr. Manhatten goes to Origins

Postby CaitlinCallahan » Thu Jun 18, 2020 12:38 pm

It's Thursday, the year of the second LARP. I've persuaded Floyd to attend Origins with me, and am quite anxious for him to meet Dave. Dave wasn't exaggerating about how quickly they bonded. After the two of them played a new game (I don't remember what it was called) that was a western setting, I began to worry about what I might have started.....

In subsequent years, I joined Mark's playtest group on Thursday night. I never cease to be amazed at the creative talent at that table (and sometimes wonder how I got included...)
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Re: Dr. Manhatten goes to Origins

Postby Lady Grace » Thu Jun 18, 2020 12:56 pm

It is 2017 and I have a 10:30 am Deadlands Noir game. I do not realize at the time it is actually a LARP and I have no costume for it. But I am fully embracing the role of Harrowed Carrie Nation as she rages against sin, drink, and debauchery during the New Orleans funeral of Huey Long.

For my efforts, I am chosen to receive a wonderful prize -- a collector's edition of Deadlands Classic in the Jack Daniels homage Hellstromme Whiskey box. One day I hope to be able to properly use it for a campaign.
"You're still mad at me about that whole 'gun-pointing' thing, aren't you?" -- Fortunato Valeri

And here's where I try to be a writer...
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Re: Dr. Manhatten goes to Origins

Postby salamanca » Thu Jun 18, 2020 1:02 pm

It was Kill. I heard it across the room.

Getting near midday session. Charlie has brought me a sandwich or potstickers or something else to eat because he is Charlie. I am sustained forever.

2002, Children of the Sun game. Big Jim is fixing everything with a red button, some #10 wire and a pressure gauge. I am going Flash Gordon on everything. I only win best player because Jim failed all his dice checks.

We just arrived in 2000. Booked at the Hyatt. 29 people with my group, 5 rooms reserved because we are a bunch of 20 something fools. The Hyatt has no rooms open. Debate ensues, we are finally given 3 room and a half suites. If you have never seen this room, let me describe it...
The door leads into a short hall to get past the hotel emergency stairwell and your bathroom. It then turns left to expand behind the bathroom. The only furniture is a 2 seat sofa and a single king sized bed. And we are gonna cram 9 people in each of these. "Beef" will not be a problem, he is so homophobic he won't sleep if we are in the room. He will stay up all night playing magic and sleep during the day. Bill is seriously going to tey and sleep on the window ledge. Jeff and his newlywed bride are tagging along as part of my wedding guft, they can have the floor. The tallest of us, is claiming the short sofa. My girlfriend and i claim the bed because all these rooms are on my card. Tge other rooms are equally weird but at least nobody is tryi g to occupy the bathroom.
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Re: Dr. Manhatten goes to Origins

Postby salamanca » Thu Jun 18, 2020 1:34 pm

Ok, I have run a thursday afternoon session for everyone who has attended Origins and played a Thursday session. Even Mark has sat in on a thrusday session. And for Mark's sake, i will use character names on this so he has half a chance of remembering. I am going to mention two briefly and then hit the main event in it's own post.

My friend Ron has played one session of HoA ever. I took him in as a player when he was in High School on summer break from college. I took him to his first cons back in akron. When he went to college out of state, he never came back. He does Gencon regularly but was in state for his dad's birthday and took one day to hit Origins and game with me. Diarmid and Sam rounded out his group.

Floki made his debut on a thursday afternoon. We didn't know his name then. He didn't decide on one until the next session on friday morning. He also spent the session dithering over shopping for gear because his home GM is one of those types.
I don't mind growing old... but I hate growing up.
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Re: Dr. Manhatten goes to Origins

Postby kenderleech » Thu Jun 18, 2020 2:02 pm

Late, becauase... Late.


its wednesday. after being woken up by the firestone telling me whats wrong with my ride, I roll back over. Then i panic, because i was on the edge of the bed already, and am falling. two seconds later, im awake, and headed to the shower. Breakfast is either whatever the indian place has, or subway, whichever line moves fastest. Honestly, they sorta taste the same, because im not paying attention to the food, as i listen how excited mark is. We go somewhere for lunch with charlie. Charlie tells mark he can pay... and I beat mark to the check. We go back to the chapaigne room. Cows are ridden, el vago dies, el vago lives again, but has a montaigne or ussuran accent. At some point, Mark is reminded that he needs to collect tickets and give out cards. Usually right after sam stops by and reminds me to give out cards. Much love, brother, for making me look good. Dave shows up and the game is paused. Game resumes. It is explained that you arent allowed to kill the bishop. Eventually someone decides he needs to be naked.


We go to buca. Unless its an odd numbered year, then shane and I go to max and ermas. Evening game, Stuff happens, NPCs scream, Maybe i freak out a player by being a little over the top with made porte effect. Makr and I are on the same floor of the hotel. We leave the chapaigne hallway at midnight, and we stop talking with each other at 130.


Thursday: The speedway alarm center wakes me up because my store failed to open on time. I spend 20 minutes waking my assistant manager up. By the time i Can go back to sleep.. I can no longer go back to sleep. Breakfast is max and ermas buffet. I get to my table Just in time to make mark think ive been there for a while, and get set up. Today is last years games rehashed, or as many episode 2 or 12 i can do. I skip BDs because im not crazy about the food, and usually need to lie down anyways, because 3 horus of sleep is insufficient. Then i find reignhart and go playtest. Mark is reminded of Porte, and I remind him that no one else has enough of it to matter. I crash into bed, Hoping to sleep in in the morning, all the way to 8.



Spoiler alert, it doesnt happen.
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Re: Dr. Manhatten goes to Origins

Postby salamanca » Thu Jun 18, 2020 2:28 pm

Ok, there are games and then there are games. And then thre are 7th sea games. And then there are the 7th sea games that will forever be definitive. Some get named. This one is not named but probably should be called the Season 2 debut.

It is episode 2 in the Champaigne Room. The session went along like it should. No major twists. Several great character moments. But this was the first session for everyone at the table. Some we kept, some drifted away.

Orianna graces the table dressed head to toe in a resplendent Victorian/steampunk outfit. In the opener at Eladio's she decides to entertain the patrons before i can start the kidnapping. The player breaks into song and the entire 8 table room shuts down to listen. People have sung in my games before and since but Orianna had the best voice. We have another Alejandro at the table #4 or 5 in the campaign he is with Orianna and a solid player. As the kidnapping starts, Orianna gets a bit jealous and tries to get herself nabbed too. Alejandro breaks that up. The ongoing sniping between them is either great roleplay or an actual couples spat and i am less sure which as the game progresses. (Turns out it is just real emo RP going on and all is well but i end up calling a game break to sort that out later in the session)

Erik Rosenthal is at the table. If you don't remember the character, imagine Manfred but super heroic good guy. Erik was a character you could build a group around and trust stuff would work out. He opens his glorious moments at the end of the chase. No cows are surfed but Erik leaps off a building to land in front of the carriage and soaks the damage with pure Eisen fortitude. (And he calls for the SUPERHERO LANDING!)

Don Rafael is here. Rafael becomes a great foil for Don Gallo (Don Gallo!) Over the next couple seasons. If you missed him, the character was a Castillian Los Vagos version of Francois who was more subtle with his generosity. (Lots of notes were passed about funds). Don Rafael grabs his best spotlight moments dealing with the butcher incident with tact and discretion. As well as taking on Sausage fingers solo.

Diarmid was at the table. This puts Tim in both of my favorite HoA official sessions. I think he may have thrown a cow. And i recall a hilarious incident trying to coerce the dog in the butcher shop.

I am pretty sure Bruce was there playing Ivan. Ivan has always been linked in my head with these characters. Which would also place him in both my favorite sessions. But he may have just been in episode 1 and 4 with them the same year.

I know the last character was there. Corporal Marco. Wes recruited every brute they beat for the army and was a blast at the table.

The session ended with Marco asking the Bishop if he had ever considered life as a military chaplain.

Mark was so jealous about what was going on at my table. Plus this group was all players we did not know from previous gaming. It gave Mark and i the confidence that this was going to be more than just running games for our own personal circle.

And the players were just great people on their way to becoming more friends. Ken has run a lot of episode 2 but i think i got the best version.
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Re: Dr. Manhatten goes to Origins

Postby Black Jack Rackham » Thu Jun 18, 2020 2:39 pm

kenderleech wrote:Thursday: The speedway alarm center wakes me up because my store failed to open on time. I spend 20 minutes waking my assistant manager up.

Is it wrong that I read that as "A$$hat"?
smafdi wrote:STOP BEING SO DARN POPULAR GUYZ SRSLY I NEEDZ MEH GAMEZ TIHS YAER!!!

kenderleech wrote:If the cows were not meant to be ridden, why would they be so close to the chase scenes?
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Re: Dr. Manhatten goes to Origins

Postby salamanca » Thu Jun 18, 2020 3:19 pm

I will answer for Ken...nope, you got the gist of it.

This time slot is also the first time i play a game with Mark. He was running an event for MWP. It was a fantasy fame and Dave picks last was in effect so, healer.

Mark a the introduction to the event. We overhear a scuffle and it is pretty obvious the plot will be investigate what happened. But my character sheet was excessive in the personality department in emphasizing the need to protect others no matter what. And in the two minutes since character selection, the rest of the group has made clear that i am to do nothing but fix them. So i lean hard on a bad pregen description, announce to the others that going that room is certain death but i am sworn to try. DO NOT UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES FOLLOW ME IN THERE!

They all follow. TPK in 6 minutes. I hear my first of many "dammit, Dave" statements from Mark. Tead we play his Supernatural adventure set at a Texas Sonic diner.
I don't mind growing old... but I hate growing up.
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Re: Dr. Manhatten goes to Origins

Postby CaitlinCallahan » Thu Jun 18, 2020 3:46 pm

Wow, I had almost forgotten that we ran MWP at Origins.....

I believe I was running Serenity games that year (after having been suckered into running my first game at GenCon the previous year - Floyd faked a sore throat, and I got hooked).

Pretty sure Donna and I were sitting at a table in the main hallway on a Thursday morning when a young man (and I mean young - maybe 7-8 years old) dramatically collapsed into a chair at our table, setting his two huge cokes down on the table with a comment to the effect of how cold his hands were. Turns out, he was there with his family (mom, dad, and sister), and it was his first time ever at a gaming convention. He seemed to be enjoying himself. After a few minutes of chatting, he braved the coldness of the beverages once again, and went off to meet his dad.

The follow up to this encounter will be posted on Sunday.
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Re: Dr. Manhatten goes to Origins

Postby salamanca » Thu Jun 18, 2020 4:44 pm

Deb you are added as a voice of reason. the rest of us hit every problem from the wrong angle. You use logic which we occasionally have happen at a table. Plus you are darn good at this.

Aces and Eights will get a mention I was thinking it was a friday event.
And you should add your Sunday Serenity game to this. and the discussion prior about adding a character.
I don't mind growing old... but I hate growing up.
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Re: Dr. Manhatten goes to Origins

Postby salamanca » Thu Jun 18, 2020 5:00 pm

I got time... Aces and Eights. Kenzer and Company looking back this was a thursday game.

The premise is old west but combat is in "real time". So a gunfight should take about 10 seconds to resolve including falling over dead.

Floyd and I are raring to go and full of bad western prospector accents.

Turns out the game is not as advertised. The 30 second gunfight that ranges halfway up the street takes 4 hours. Yeah, hours.

You roll to hit, draw a card to adjust a target template roll a die to move it and roll a damage die that gets modified by that template. So my 2 consecutive crit hits with a shotgun at point blank range get adjusted to a whopping 2 points of damage (total). We are both bored with the pace, the lack of interactive role play because this is obviously a minis game hiding in an RPG. And the GM has annoyed two adults behaving like 8 year olds.

Floyd has decided he wants everyone aiming for the crotch and keeps shouting that. He has failed to notice he is sitting next to a transvestite while encouraging them to "blow their bits off".

Jimbeaux was involved in that as well. It was an unmitigated disaster of a session. Just a 4 hour mass combat game with bad mechanics.
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Re: Dr. Manhatten goes to Origins

Postby salamanca » Thu Jun 18, 2020 5:15 pm

It is 5. My game is wrapped and the tickets are turned in. Mark's tickets also got counted. Roger and Connie have arrived, borrowed my badge to browse the dealers and returned. Jeremy has been texted a couple times and may or may not be awake. Mike, Stephen, Amanda, Charlie, Laura, Mike, Katie and a few others are all here and ready. These things are true every year.

Mark is still 20 minutes from finished. This is also universal.

Mongolian BBQ is our oldest group tradition. It goes back to the millenial army days. It is more than the meal as Mark pointed out. It is the joking and laughter walking over and back. Prior to BD's, i would spend the whole con in the center and not see outside for 4 days.

We talk more than games but it is thanksgiving for the family we selected...without the weird uncle.
(Wait, oh crap, I'm the weird uncle aren't I)

Jeremy's parents tagged along one year. To this day, his mother always calls Charlie "that nice man" after mentioning him. Charlie is the only person she ever refers to as nice.

The soup of the day sign featuring whiskey with H2O croutons sticks in my head.

But BD's had one truly great moment...
A group seated behind us, took one look at Ken in his kilt and started dropping stuff in the pewter mug janging on his belt. I caught them and the sheepishly tried to stop until i encouraged them to continue. As they got bolder it shifted from light, soft stuff to coins and generic chips.
I don't mind growing old... but I hate growing up.
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Re: Dr. Manhatten goes to Origins

Postby cpugs » Thu Jun 18, 2020 5:53 pm

Nice, as in that nice man who was an axe murderer???
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Re: Dr. Manhatten goes to Origins

Postby salamanca » Thu Jun 18, 2020 6:23 pm

While we are eating mongolian stir fry, let's take a Salamanca tour of the convention site.

Hyatt ground floor

Peppercorn Room. Home of the first 2 7th sea larps. As Deb said, perfect room for that.



McKinley, the 3rd 7th sea larp was here. we playtested episode 10 here. Players in the room were upset we were having fun near them and laughing at the table.

Grant. Home to several megaparanoias and the formation of team heretic. Acoustics are terrible for tabletop play.

Harrison. Housed 3 megaparanoias and both our HoA larps.

Restroom near Taft is significant to stories from larp 3 and a MegaParanoia.

Upstairs
Big Bar. Enough said.

Franklin A. Noir larp, wrestlemania paranoia, and a great conversation with Mike B last year.

Franklin C. More paranoia, two key years of crimson valor, year one of HoA, and the infamous episode 4 playtest.

Top of the escalator. Our homeless year.

Clark. Off the books game with thwak. Spot we formulated the larp. A year of HoA.

Champaigne room. Just posted about this room. We have been in here a couple different years.one year i spent the whole con outside of food and sleep here.

Knox. We have never been here that i recall. I played several games in here including the worst d&d session in origins history (story coming this weekend) i ran my first Origins game here.

Marion. An early seasons home for us. We ran a lot of games in Marion. I also played a terrible Sailor Moon game here (story, again, forthcoming) so has the matinee team.

Morrow. We ran here for a year. Shared the room with Matinee team that year and it was awesome.

Fayette i dont think i ever played a game here. They gave it to the shadowrun missions team in their early years.

Madison. Played my first Origins game here.

Fairfield. Mark's MWP events were here. As was his off the books vodacce fate witch game.

Union. We were there last year.

Franklin D. Helped run mega paranoia the first time here.

Franklin B. Met Charlie and Thwak here. Also sight of that awful Hollow Earth game here.
I don't mind growing old... but I hate growing up.
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Re: Dr. Manhatten goes to Origins

Postby CaitlinCallahan » Thu Jun 18, 2020 7:23 pm

I was pretty sure Aces and Eights was a Thursday game - I believe it was the first game you and Floyd played at. And we heard about it for the rest of the weekend. :D Didn't it win an Origins award the following year? (And the disbelief was palpable.)
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Re: Dr. Manhatten goes to Origins

Postby salamanca » Thu Jun 18, 2020 7:57 pm

Ok, lots of stuff on a thursday night.

Charlie can correct me if i am wrong, but i think this was the night we met Thwak. The session was titled "Masks" but became known as "El porto mal grande".

Charlie, Me, Big Jim, a young girl named Jessie and a couple other folks. It was 6 players he took 8 but was short on pregens. Most of us ended up playing home game characters instead. Simple mission, rescue a mutual friend from execution by the inquisution. 8 players created 9 rescue plans and enacted all of them at the same moment. Barrels of powder hidden in the sewers exploded, gallows poles secretly sawn into collapsed, nooses were severed by crossbow sniping, the most foolish charged directly from the crowd. Rodrigo distracted the female inquisitor by grabbing a fistful of roses and proposing. And Charlie, even then, looked out for us by obtaining horses for the escape. At the end of 4 hours, i had been christened "Sal", we were all friends and the circle started to form. And a night later...well, i will tell that then.

The playtests:
For those not on the playtest group, i am going to let you in on some info. I will try not to spoil anything after episode 4.

The playtest is 4-6 hours with my most knowledgable, experienced gaming friends and Jeremy. (I have not busted on him all day) But the session itself is a crappy playing experience. We are too busy breaking down and analyzing stuff to roleplay. There is comedy, laughter, insults and teasing but it isn't in game. But there have been moments...oh so many moments.

Playtest for 1&3. Before Mark switched the order, 2 was 3 and 3 was 2. We were still playing them as a session. Mark was worried when Mike nodded off.

Playtest 4: this is the epic one. Roger and I jump on Mark drawing a building on the map in a key spot. Je is trying to just fill a space and it is unimportant but Roger and I are teaching Mark a lesson on player curiousity. We latch onto it like a dog with a bone and refuse to let it drop. Mark insists there are no doors or windows and that drives us further. Eventually Roger is shouting "Burn it to the Ground! It is the only way to be sure!". Mark learns to have a vague and useless description ready for everything unimportant. We are in high spirits and have wasted a good 2 hours on the damn building.

Then Jeremy's sister walks in with Dave Kenzer who is trying real, real hard to impress her and getting nowhere. He has resorted to meeting Jeremy hoping that Jeremy being a gamer will be impressed to meet him and prove he is kind of a big deal.

He introduces himself to Jeremy who is so focused on the arson that he isn't processing the name. It doesn't click that Dave is at all in the industry. He turns and gives him a blank look of zero recognition and shakes his hand before turning to Mark and saying, "so, about this building, is it fireproof?" Kenzer deflates visibly before our eyes. Mark is trying to send nonverbal cues to Dave to just pull the ripcord and bail out now. They leave and at the door we hear his sister say, "I thought you said you were important".

The whole group erupts into uproarious laughter. Roger and Mark both fall out of their chairs. Nobldy can breathe. We recover and explain to Jeremy who that was, he says, "ohhhhh, so he works for a game company?" Round 2 of laughter.

By playtest for year 4, i have a new job in the session. I am thinking about how every player at Origins will react to every part of the session. Many of you have unnamed but listed contingencies in the adventures. Then i go home, consult my notes and make a new list.

Then we share tales of other games and laugh some more.
I don't mind growing old... but I hate growing up.
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Re: Dr. Manhatten goes to Origins

Postby salamanca » Thu Jun 18, 2020 8:06 pm

I know it was thursday, i just remembered how i spent friday afternoon that year.

Thursday, after aces and eights...

4 Colors al Fresco. Rennie superheroes. Jimbeaux, Floyd and I. (This combination is even more likely to produce shenanigans for a GM than pitting Mark, Ken and I at a table as players)

The twist on this game is that the GMs are using and old, out of print supplement called storypath cards. Each card has a word on it and a player can play the card to take over the narrative to get them through a situation in the game. Idf the card says "mesage" a player could use it to send word for help or recieve a warning just before he thinks trouble will hit. In that era, narrative control to players was still uncommon and most players didn't use them much. Floyd, Jim and I are burning ours to make more problems for the party. Except i am holdi g one back...

We hit the finale fight with the big bad amd i drop the card..."intervention".

The GM asks, "Who do you want to intervene?" I say nobody and he looks confused.

I start my speech, "Baron Villain, we all care about you and are worried about this destructive path you are on..." Jim and Floyd jump right in amd we end the superhero game with a personal crisis intervention.
I don't mind growing old... but I hate growing up.
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Re: Dr. Manhatten goes to Origins

Postby kenderleech » Thu Jun 18, 2020 8:07 pm

https://ibb.co/yhdX9gH


Theres the cup of stuff from the year i went to BDs.
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Re: Dr. Manhatten goes to Origins

Postby Lady Grace » Thu Jun 18, 2020 8:34 pm

I miss 4 Colors al Fresco.
"You're still mad at me about that whole 'gun-pointing' thing, aren't you?" -- Fortunato Valeri

And here's where I try to be a writer...
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