I design tabletop role-playing games as a hobby. I tinker with existing systems, or I design from the ground up. My systems rarely see playtest because I rarely finish them to the point that playing them would be fun.
My preference for RPGs is in the Rules-Medium to Rules-Heavy area. I like systems like d20 derivatives, GURPS, and Hero/Champions. I shy away from rules-light and freeform games because I like structure. I like knowing that there are procedures and tables that will tell me how to handle things. I like going through large rulebooks, slowly digesting every nook and cranny of a system. I like character sheets that have a lot of information on them and that lend themselves to being spreadsheets.
I also gravitate to systems that lend themselves well to custom settings. This is why I seldom play - or even read - Storyteller games. Coming up with the setting or exploring a setting someone I know has created is part of the fun for me. Being able to read a bunch of splatbooks about a setting just doesn't interest me that much. I sometimes mine them for ideas, and I occasionally like the creativity of the settings, but I'm just not into using them. I'm never going to be a big White Wolf guy for this reason (I'm also not a big fan of the system, but that's another thing completely).
This explanation of my tastes in tabletop role-playing games should help outline the kinds of games I like to create. Unfortunately, rules-heavy games require a lot of work to put together. Setting-agnostic rules make the work a little easier, but also a bit more tedious. It's fascinating working with all the crunchy bits of a system, and designing it is rewarding, but it's also a bit like writing stereo instructions.
I'm not really going anywhere with this post, so I'm going to wrap it up. I'm supposed to work on game design today in an effort to get me away from Criminal Minds. I'll let my loyal reader know how that goes for me.
Friday, March 2, 2018
Monday, February 26, 2018
My New Blog, What it's About, and Criminal Minds
So I'm starting a new blog. I doubt anyone remembers my old blog, and they probably shouldn't - don't follow that link. I tried to recover my old blog, and found that I couldn't: Wordpress has moved on from me, and I should probably take the hint.
I'm not actually certain what the content of this blog will be. It will be geeky, to be sure. I'll probably write about video games, tabletop role-playing games, movies, and television. I might write about comics, anime, and manga. There's the possibility that I could make personal entries, or entries concerning politics, or other such silliness. Whatever else I write about, though, it helps to keep in mind that I'm a Nerd with a capital "N".
The purpose of the blog is a lot easier to define. It's to actually do something. I deal with Industrial Strength Major Depression. I may talk about that some on the blog, I don't know, but it is a factor in my life. Lately, I've been having trouble doing anything. If it involves more than laying on the couch experiencing depression and existential dread, I've had trouble doing it.
Writing, basic housework, playing video games, reading - all these things have been beyond me for an extended period of time now. I'm not honestly sure how long, but it's been more than a month. I've spent that time engaging in a self-destructive relationship with the television show Criminal Minds. I don't know why Criminal Minds. At its heart, it's a show about heroes fighting monsters, and I like heroes fighting monsters. I suppose I find it comforting.
At any rate, that's where this blog comes in. By writing frequent entries (I'll work my way up to daily, maybe), I will be doing something. Hopefully, this motivation will extend to other areas of my life, and I'll improve. It's like extra therapy. It was my wife's idea, and I think it's a good one.
On my old blog, I used to like to post about what was coming up next. I don't know what's coming up next, though. Heck, I don't even know when my next post will be. It may be tomorrow, it may be next Monday. One of those. Maybe something in-between. I dunno. I guess it depends on when I can turn off Criminal Minds and get off the couch.
I'm not actually certain what the content of this blog will be. It will be geeky, to be sure. I'll probably write about video games, tabletop role-playing games, movies, and television. I might write about comics, anime, and manga. There's the possibility that I could make personal entries, or entries concerning politics, or other such silliness. Whatever else I write about, though, it helps to keep in mind that I'm a Nerd with a capital "N".
The purpose of the blog is a lot easier to define. It's to actually do something. I deal with Industrial Strength Major Depression. I may talk about that some on the blog, I don't know, but it is a factor in my life. Lately, I've been having trouble doing anything. If it involves more than laying on the couch experiencing depression and existential dread, I've had trouble doing it.
Writing, basic housework, playing video games, reading - all these things have been beyond me for an extended period of time now. I'm not honestly sure how long, but it's been more than a month. I've spent that time engaging in a self-destructive relationship with the television show Criminal Minds. I don't know why Criminal Minds. At its heart, it's a show about heroes fighting monsters, and I like heroes fighting monsters. I suppose I find it comforting.
At any rate, that's where this blog comes in. By writing frequent entries (I'll work my way up to daily, maybe), I will be doing something. Hopefully, this motivation will extend to other areas of my life, and I'll improve. It's like extra therapy. It was my wife's idea, and I think it's a good one.
On my old blog, I used to like to post about what was coming up next. I don't know what's coming up next, though. Heck, I don't even know when my next post will be. It may be tomorrow, it may be next Monday. One of those. Maybe something in-between. I dunno. I guess it depends on when I can turn off Criminal Minds and get off the couch.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)