The Baroness's Crypt

14 years, 1 Month. Everything has changed. Holy Shit.

I am no longer who I was.

I am still running games though, always will. I am far less depressed.

That I could look ahead and see this.

Mortal Remains for Hunter: The Vigil, my first published writing for a roleplaying supplement, came out yesterday. Hope folks who pick it up enjoy it.

So at this point, this eljay is 12 years old. Wow. That’s certainly something. It's also been almost a year since I posted.

So…what’s going on? I did not do a 2013 this year in gaming, because I was otherwise occupied and it honestly slipped my mind. I’ve referred to the Autumn of 2013 as Autumn of Doom, and the Winter as Winter of Doom, for various reasons. It’s been a bit hard in a lot of ways.

One player I have barely seen since August of 2013 as school responsibilities took him mostly away from gaming. This has had some effect on games he has been in, including Geist, but the biggest one is the one he is running, Shadow over Conklin, has not met since last August, which sucks as I was playing a character, Karen Carstairs, I was really, really into and who given it is a unique setting I cannot really play elsewhere. This is terribly upsetting to me as I’ve been about as inspired by Karen as any character I have really played in awhile. She is one of my top characters ever, and I played her 8 sessions (so far). Two players were missing due to having a child, and both wound up dropping one game and staying in the other they were in, though the husband of the two (lj user=the_blonde_one) is also still in Geist. Still, Geist went down to 3 players for a bit. Levinserra I have been afraid would miss but she has managed to hang on.

Also had major money problems every month the past like 4. No crisis in February, hope it lasts.

But winter is fading into spring. I still hope Conklin will return this spring, but regardless things are getting better. Like I say never had a major financial crisis this month (yay) hoping that continues.

So in addition to being a Moderator on the Onyx Path Publishing Forum, I have finally made the transition to writing. I’ve got a section of an upcoming book, Mortal Remains, for Hunter: The Vigil, and I am writing a section of V20 Ghouls for Vampire: The Masquerade and I am writing all of Geist Ready Made Characters for Geist: The Sin-Eaters. I was NOT a writer but did some consultation (and got in special thanks) for Scion: Extras for Scion. I am hoping this continues, we can really use the money, and I am happy to be finally really adding to some of the games I have been enjoying for years. This has all been good for my self-esteem, and “Freelance Writer” feels pretty good as a title.

As video games go, I have been playing Star Wars: The Old Republic with friends, and started playing a lot of Vampire: The Masquerade Bloodlines, which itself turns a decade old this year I believe. Time moves pretty fast.

So how are you, anyone still out there?

I cannot help but wonder, is my running games and using my creativity for such a thing, while excellent for entertaining people, wasting my creative talents somewhat? I run 2-3 nights a week, and entertain a total of about 15 people a fortnight, some several times, not counting APs, which get thousands of views. I don't have anything specific in mind, but I do wonder if I should be doing something more lasting. My creative talents are, it seems, what I really have to offer to the world. I dunno, maybe it is nothing.

So recently for the first time in over 20 years, I watched The Watcher in the Woods. Now, I am not so much a movie person. Really since I was 13 or so I have not been crazy about most movies or TV shows. I like some comedies (especially old Zucker Brothers and old Mel Brooks stuff) but my movie selection is like a shelf. Last year I think I watched some Jeremy Brett Sherlock Holmes on Netflix and episodes of The State. That's pretty much it. I just don't like movies much...my mind can't get idle, eventually I start wandering. The aformentioned screwball comedies keep my mind busy by constantly shifting and making me think, but they are the exception. Even the Holmes stuff I could say the lines in many episodes along with them...I mostly watch for Castle Falkenstein inspiration.

Back to Watcher in the Woods, that film somehow managed to retain a special place in my heart as my favorite Disney Movie. Odd thing to say, I suppose. I've always been a nervous type, but mirrors have always been something that fascinated and sometimes frightened me. And this movie hit that nerve. Plus I was just old enough to develop a major thing for the teenage girls in the movie.

Trailer

Research for an upcoming character lead me to watch it again. Apart from, well, the "My god...the 70s..." it mostly held up to my memories. I was pleased to see it again. I don't like many movies, after all.

So as noted earlier, I started running Deadlands: Lost Colony recently. Well for the last session I had something happen for the first time in my gaming career. I've been allowing and encouraging player journals for at least 16 years. That Deadlands game was the first time I have ever had every single player do a journal for a session...and there are seven of us at that game, not the usual six total. That's...sort of impressive actually.

Also, had a 45 min discussion post game as the players worked on planning their next move. That was cool too.

But yea, seven journals/recaps, one from every single player. First time for that. Cool. I think the closest I had gotten in the past to that was 4/6.

Hope you are doing well.

2012 has been a rocky gaming year. But all’s well that ends well.

We went into 2012 with Scion (Rada) Scion (Petro) Vampire: The Masquerade (Where in the World is Thomas Beckett Camden) Mutants & Masterminds (Necessary Evil) Castle Falkenstein (The Eastern Question) and Geist: The Sin-Eaters (Balance of Shadows). The plan the whole year was “Necessary Evil” and “Where in the World…” would wrap up, and we would begin a new Vampire: The Masquerade V20 game, “The Conspiracy of Hrad Černá Hora.” That much happened. However, we had more shake-ups and changes than any other year in recent memory.

Geist: The Sin-Eaters: “Balance of Shadows” had a smooth year until the Autumn, which has been my most difficult Autumn to date. jedishadowolf had to drop, and Levinserra joined. It’s always really hard on a game, especially one with the backstory of Geist, to lose a player. Thankfully, Levinserra was not only a good addition, she had been a reader of the journals for the game almost since the beginning, so she had a good idea of how it ran. Thankfully, her addition has been very smooth.

Castle Falkenstein: “The Eastern Question” also lost a player, also in the fall, DJ Gasmask. We added a player to that game, though, who made a character who filled a very similar nitch. That is the second player CF has shed, though it was overfull when it started. The actual game is going very well, aside from the fact we only have one journaler (me) and it is rough to have Tríona adequately describe every session due to the fact she is supposed to be fairly myopic. Still, it has weathered the changes well, and we had a story I got more positive feedback from than any other.

Vampire: The Masquerade: “Where in the World is Thomas Beckett Camden” ended well, and “The Conspiracy of Hrad Černá Hora” is off to a strong start. The players seem to be a little overwhelmed by options at times, but overall the game goes well, and enthusiasm is high. The players seem to grasp all the complex things going on very well. I’ve had no problems with players abusing the power level, but I was not too worried about that.

Mutants & Masterminds: “Necessary Evil” ended as expected. No surprises.

Scion: “Rada” and “Petro” have had some major challenges. Each game about 5 years old, and near the beginning of Autumn I was approached by some players who were tired of the game, and put it to the players what they wanted to do. “Rada” largely wanted to go on, and continues to. “Petro” wanted to wrap up, and soon. I decided to end in two stories, but the apathy and negative feedback got overwhelming and I ended a story early. Now the last story was a good stopping place, hitting most of the major storylines. Still, it was very stressful. And as you can tell this Autumn was not a good Autumn. But games are only part of it. I’ve never been happier to see Winter start.

“Rada” is due to finish this year, and we will start a new Scion game, with all but one of the Rada people and one from Petro, DJ Gasmask. I suspect the new Scion game will be late Spring or early Summer. “Petro” is over, and we started a new game we had been discussing for starting when it ended and wound up jumping right into.

Deadlands: Lost Colony: “The Shadow Valley Colonial Rangers” is off to a strong start. It has four players from “Petro”, plus two new ones, Levinserra from Geist and Vampire and Amberghylles from Castle Falkenstien.

Picked up A Dirty World this year, but the summer got too busy for a one shot and the Autumn went to hell.

This year is the first since 09 I have not been diligently planning a game to begin just after the new year. Now gratned, I just started “Shadow Valley Colonial Rangers” and will be starting a new Scion game, but not in the heavy research zone I have been the past 3 Autumns.

Well that is the news. Between games unexpectedly ending (Petro) and having to wind down (Rada) and losing players (Balance of Shadows, Eastern Question) it has been a hell of a year. First half wasn’t bad at least. But that’s where I stand now gamewise.

So the decision finally came down that we are going to finish up Scion: Rada and Scion: Petro. Each has run 5 1/3 years, and Petro will hit 5 ½ while I expect Rada will hit 6. We discussed it, and Rada decided to finish the (then new) story they were on and do 3 at Legend 12, while Petro decided to finish the (then new) story they were on and do 1 at Legend 12. So Petro will be finishing in December probably, Rada the late spring or early summer.

There are mixed feelings with ending games that have gone so long. I don’t think there is any doubt they have been successful, but talk of moving on has people pretty exited.

Scion: Rada will, in the Spring or Summer, be replaced with Scion: Bohemian Front (Tentative name). Keeping same system and everything just more Scion. Scion: Petro will be replaced with Deadlands: Lost Colony: Fallen is Babylon (tentative name). I’ve not really started much work on BF yet (though we have tentative characters) as it could be close to a year away. Given Lost Colony will be starting hopefully end of December beginning of January, we have a little more work done there.

In a couple weeks I am going to want characters to be set in stone, but short term looks like for LC we have a Human Soldier (Banshee Born) Human Mute (Born in Space) Human Guardian (Banshee Born), Human Harrowed Infiltrator Cyborg (Born in Space), Anouk Shaman (Banshee Born) Human Banshee Syker (Born on Earth) and a Whateley Blooded Human Blood Magician (Banshee Born). The idea is they are a group of Colonial Rangers, with the Solider being the lead ranger, the Guardian an assistant, and the others local recruits. The PCs will be the law in the local area, which has a lot of upsides and downsides, as four towns with unique challenges fall in their area and the Unity crashes on Banshee in the first story arc. It promises to be fun, and despite being a ways down the road we have a lot of excitement for it.

In the short term, I am dealing with cast changes in two games and the fact that, starting 2 weeks from Wednesday, I will be starting new stories in three games (Rada, Petro, and Castle Falkenstein) right in a row. I am not crazy about it when two games start a new story at the same time but this promises to be…exciting. I should manage, but damn I knew pacing was not my strong suit but I did not expect three games to be starting their new story at once. Once all three new stories are going healthily I will be buckling down on Lost Colony.

Vampire (Conspiracy of Hrad Černá Hora) and Geist (Balance of Shadows) are doing OK, Geist was the other game with a cast change. Both games are sandboxy however and draw on a lot of stuff I put together some time back. Geist is having a change so we will see how it goes.

So yea, gamewise a lot is going on. Should be OK though.

I'm working on getting ready for my Vampire: The Masquerade game tonight. How are you doing?

I think my biggest regret with the Geist game so far is I never made a habit of playing Gymnopédie No. 1 at the beginning of each session. That slightly ambient, slightly discordant, piece is one I immediately associate with the game.