tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22652591Sat, 06 Feb 2010 02:50:00 +0000http://www.velvet-edge.com/risusmonkey/noreply@blogger.com (Risus Monkey)Blogger111125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22652591.post-8086237865542273943Fri, 05 Feb 2010 21:38:00 +00002010-02-05T16:43:52.155-05:00SilverlodePulpHinkleyMythicOne of the first Mythic Game Master Emulator adventures that I attempted was a follow-up to an example combat that I wrote for Silverlode 1908. Specifically, it involved the continuation of the story of J. Robert Hinkley and Sylvia Franco as they infiltrate "The Lair of the Frog King" (presumably to acquire some kind of artifact). Unfortunately, I misplaced the files and wasn't able to complete http://www.velvet-edge.com/risusmonkey/2010/02/lair-of-frog-king.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Risus Monkey)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22652591.post-1239302844334359897Thu, 04 Feb 2010 15:23:00 +00002010-02-04T10:30:48.227-05:00UndeadMonstersIn what I hope will become a semi-regular feature, today I will take a classic D&D monster and give it the Risus treatment. Given that my attention is focused on my monster-themed Pirates vs. Vampire game, I'm going to start things off with the lowly but time-honored skeleton. [SPOILER WARNING: Players of Pirates vs. Vampires may want to skip this post until our current adventure has been http://www.velvet-edge.com/risusmonkey/2010/02/daily-monster-skeletons.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Risus Monkey)2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22652591.post-5429474790002974915Wed, 03 Feb 2010 04:14:00 +00002010-02-02T23:20:33.077-05:00PlayVampiresPiratesCharactersI've had a couple of insanely busy days and I have several lengthy posts that require a little more thought before uploading them. In the mean time, I present one of the players characters from my Sunday Pirates vs. Vampire game... Alaric Anchorman Description: Think Jean Luc Picard meets Jesse Ventura: bald and bold with a strong passion for military might and discipline. Unlike Piccard, http://www.velvet-edge.com/risusmonkey/2010/02/pirates-vs-vampires-alaric-anchorman.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Risus Monkey)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22652591.post-6042254450265472145Mon, 01 Feb 2010 20:40:00 +00002010-02-01T16:05:14.863-05:00PlayVampiresGurpsEthernautsPiratesWord of advice to GMs who are also parents: do not schedule back-to-back games following hours of wrangling attention-starved two and four-year-olds. This is especially true if you are sleep-deprived and don't have your adventures totally mapped out ahead of time. Young children can easily suck the creative juices right out of you and therefor make it very difficult to come up with interesting http://www.velvet-edge.com/risusmonkey/2010/02/weekend-update.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Risus Monkey)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22652591.post-2536315436222811473Sat, 30 Jan 2010 02:48:00 +00002010-01-29T21:48:41.844-05:00VampiresPiratesAdventuresUndeadExamplesAdventure FunnelAnd now for a little experiment... Today I'm going to take Dr-Rotwang's Adventure Funnel and use it to develop a scenario for Sunday's Pirates vs. Vampire game. Before I can jump in and start creating, I do need to consider my player characters: Alaric Anchorman: Swashbuckling former lieutenant of the Royal Navy and aspiring young "privateer".Hector Valdez: A former blood thrall and current http://www.velvet-edge.com/risusmonkey/2010/01/adventure-funnel-skeletal-corsairs-of.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Risus Monkey)2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22652591.post-97555766065035187Thu, 28 Jan 2010 23:08:00 +00002010-01-28T18:08:02.511-05:00MythicTipsResourcesOnline PlayI'll probably break out the Adventure Funnel later tonight, once I have time for some clear-headed creativity. Meanwhile, I thought I'd catalog the various resources that I'll have at my finger tips when running Sunday's play-by-post Pirates vs. Vampire game. Rules Risus: I don't really need to refer to it anymore, but it's good to have around for the groovy vibe that it gives off. The Risus http://www.velvet-edge.com/risusmonkey/2010/01/preparing-for-pirates-vs-vampires.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Risus Monkey)4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22652591.post-2710610135485727130Thu, 28 Jan 2010 02:58:00 +00002010-01-27T21:58:36.494-05:00PlayOnline PlayOne of the great things abut Risus is its suitability for online play-by-chat or play-by-post games. If you have ever played either type of online game then you will probably agree that the pace, as compared to traditional face-to-face games, can slow down to a crawl. Games that might seem perfectly playable on somebody's dining room table become extremely unwieldy was transported to a different http://www.velvet-edge.com/risusmonkey/2010/01/online-play.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Risus Monkey)3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22652591.post-6662481111705619574Wed, 27 Jan 2010 02:59:00 +00002010-01-27T07:53:21.680-05:00VampiresIdeasCampaignsPiratesUndeadEntering the planning phase of my upcoming Pirates vs. Vampires game, I am just starting to consider themes. Even though I will be world-building as I go and possibly using the Mythic Game Master Emulator to drive the game into unexpected directions, I would like to incorporate one or more recurring motifs. Themes are a great way to focus adventure design and they can really give a campaign a http://www.velvet-edge.com/risusmonkey/2010/01/monster-themed-campaigns.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Risus Monkey)2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22652591.post-7475508363422450870Tue, 26 Jan 2010 00:29:00 +00002010-01-26T15:03:51.878-05:00PlayVampiresPiratesCharactersTo get my Pirates vs. Vampires game started, I thought I'd post my own personal character that I hope to run alongside the regular PCs (and as a full player character when the GM duties are shared).  John "Mad Jack" Murphy Handsome Irishman with unruly brown hair and a three-day beard. His brown eyes alternate between communicating the joy of new love to the mad fury of one who has watched hishttp://www.velvet-edge.com/risusmonkey/2010/01/pirates-vs-vampires-mad-jack.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Risus Monkey)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22652591.post-5773778233671801221Mon, 25 Jan 2010 03:15:00 +00002010-01-24T22:18:36.721-05:00HorrorPlayVampiresPiratesFantasyInspirationOnline PlayChatI week from tonight I hope to commence my first play-by-chat game in over two years. I don't yet have a fancy name for the campaign, but the working title right now is "Pirates vs. Vampires". I have not, as of yet, done a lot of preparation. In fact, the game will be something of an experiment in build-as-you-go world-building. In addition to cranking out content for this blog, I am already http://www.velvet-edge.com/risusmonkey/2010/01/pirates-vs-vampires.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Risus Monkey)4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22652591.post-7666680891271723805Sun, 24 Jan 2010 03:35:00 +00002010-01-23T22:35:46.072-05:00PulpKatjaMythicRisusFantasyOver at the Mythic RPG Yahoo Group, Doc Halloween pointed it out that there have been some folks who have discovered the Mythic Game Master Emulator through this blog and I know that some Mythic users have discovered Risus in the same way. I do plan on setting up a page to help people interested in Risus and the Mythic GM Emulator find additional tips and examples of play. That's still in the http://www.velvet-edge.com/risusmonkey/2010/01/moon-is-harsh-mistress-recap.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Risus Monkey)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22652591.post-460935426393066999Fri, 22 Jan 2010 12:51:00 +00002010-01-22T08:18:35.622-05:00SiteI am spending my last night in South Korea trying to catch up on email. One of the messages waiting for me in my inbox was a very nice acceptance to join the RPG Bloggers Network. The RPG Bloggers Network is sort of one-stop shopping for game blogs on the Internet. As per Article I of the Charter of the International Order of Risus, I hope to promote, encourage and celebrate all things Risus for http://www.velvet-edge.com/risusmonkey/2010/01/rpg-blogger-membership.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Risus Monkey)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22652591.post-3328711808734327125Tue, 19 Jan 2010 13:06:00 +00002010-01-19T08:11:03.586-05:00MonstersSiteAs has been alluded to in previous posts, I am working overseas this week. For the next few days, my access to the Intertubes will be limited. I don't expect that I'll be able to do much blogging until after I return to the States on Saturday and have had a day or so to recover from jet-lag. In the mean-time, you'll have to content yourself with the stats for an insidious creature that is http://www.velvet-edge.com/risusmonkey/2010/01/adventures-in-real-life.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Risus Monkey)3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22652591.post-925204450197137640Sun, 17 Jan 2010 11:30:00 +00002010-01-17T06:30:36.667-05:00InspirationTowards the tail end of my thirteen hour flight yesterday, I was too uncomfortable to sleep and I was too tired to do anything useful. After exhausting the videos that I wanted to watch, I just sat back and listened to music. It was actually wonderful. I almost never just listen to music anymore. I'm always listening to music while doing something else and it just sinks into the background. http://www.velvet-edge.com/risusmonkey/2010/01/music-as-inspiration.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Risus Monkey)4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22652591.post-7804594807442464836Sat, 16 Jan 2010 14:10:00 +00002010-01-17T06:12:48.105-05:00SteampunkInspirationOne of the advantages of a long flight is that you get to catch up on movies that you should have seen when they first came out. Today I saw 9 and District 9 (what's up with the number nine?). With nothing else to do on the flight, I naturally starting thinking of how they might inspire gaming material. With District 9, I started thinking about the Kafer of Traveller 2300/2300 AD and how I might http://www.velvet-edge.com/risusmonkey/2010/01/stitchpunk-goodness.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Risus Monkey)2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22652591.post-4360664414137917617Thu, 14 Jan 2010 14:08:00 +00002010-01-14T09:15:59.359-05:00IdeasI'm a huge fan of the idea that role playing games are a collaborative storytelling experience. One innovation in the recent generation of games is the ability of players to help create the game world by using some kind of meta-game mechanic to declare facts. As far as I know, the first time this popped up in a rules set was with the appearance of the Serendipity advantage in Gurps 3e. But using http://www.velvet-edge.com/risusmonkey/2010/01/creating-world-with-meta-game-rules.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Risus Monkey)5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22652591.post-7601906168822015081Tue, 12 Jan 2010 11:05:00 +00002010-01-12T22:25:56.772-05:00TipsLately, there have been a number of questions on RisusTalk about how to handle magic-items and other gadgets. This is a great way to start arguments about the proper role of equipment in Risus. Even though a properly indoctrinated player will insist there is no wrong way to play, you'll find that many will tell you precisely how you should play anyway. I'm kidding, of course. Risus players are http://www.velvet-edge.com/risusmonkey/2010/01/on-artifacts-and-gadgets.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Risus Monkey)5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22652591.post-5100615794248512042Mon, 11 Jan 2010 03:04:00 +00002010-01-10T22:04:00.273-05:00Hidden GemsCommunityProcessSo I'm sitting here stumped for a good blog post on a Sunday night... It seems weird considering that I just saw Sherlock Holmes and I'm bursting with ideas for things to write about. Great fun! Best steampunk movie since... oh jeeze, I can't think of a better one at the moment. City of Lost Children comes to mind but... Crap, I'm digressing. I really need to hit the sack so I do not have time http://www.velvet-edge.com/risusmonkey/2010/01/hidden-gem-adventure-funnel.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Risus Monkey)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22652591.post-350226934884745268Sun, 10 Jan 2010 03:21:00 +00002010-01-09T22:22:43.689-05:00BuffyCharactersI just returned from our long-overdue Slaying Solomon season 6 premier episode. It went very well, if I may say so. I think I set up most of my big-story arc hooks and the episode was full of the kind cinematic moments and witty dialog that make Buffy the Vampire Slayer games so appealing. As per this post, I used Risus to define a bunch of NPCs before the game.  Here is a sample: Bradley http://www.velvet-edge.com/risusmonkey/2010/01/slaying-solomon-antagonists.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Risus Monkey)3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22652591.post-7948220953784220917Fri, 08 Jan 2010 19:22:00 +00002010-01-10T22:06:10.164-05:00Hidden GemsEvangelismSci-FiLCBCommunityWhile digging around on the Intertubes for long-lost Risus content, I stumbled upon this two-year-old post over at I Waste The Buddha With My Crossbow (and really, has there ever been a better name for an RPG blog?). I'm not a Stargate fan, but Dr-Rotwang really makes a great argument for using Risus in serious (or semi-serious) games. He also created these awesome LCB (Little Cartoon Bastards) http://www.velvet-edge.com/risusmonkey/2010/01/hidden-gem-risus-stargate-sg-1.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Risus Monkey)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22652591.post-7893121772288667273Fri, 08 Jan 2010 13:55:00 +00002010-01-08T08:55:15.034-05:00Tips"Dice lost in combat are regained when the combat ends, at a "healing" rate determined by the GM." - Risus Risus completely lacks a formal system of healing damage in combat. Instead, it is left to the discretion of the GM to determine when characters recover from damage (be it physical or otherwise). This can be unsettling to players who are used to games where such things are spelled out with http://www.velvet-edge.com/risusmonkey/2010/01/on-healing.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Risus Monkey)2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22652591.post-581662385923197604Thu, 07 Jan 2010 14:32:00 +00002010-01-07T09:32:15.510-05:00PulpKatjaMythicFantasyIntroduction to this thread: The Moon Goddess Is A Harsh Mistress Explanation of Mythic elements: What's All This Mythic Stuff? Previous Scene: Scene 23 SCENE 24 An uncomfortable journey through Siberian roads to the border. CHARACTERS The Silver Huntress (her deity) Soldiers/Police Drachen (her old warhorse) Nina Yazov Nina's Mother (Anna Yazov) The Hard Man with the Nasty Scar Susi Yuliya http://www.velvet-edge.com/risusmonkey/2010/01/moon-goddess-scene-24.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Risus Monkey)2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22652591.post-1408030000612861139Wed, 06 Jan 2010 18:44:00 +00002010-01-06T13:53:20.650-05:00Old SchoolFantasyCommunityOver at the Risus TOTM, a German fan of that Old Timey Dungeon Fantasy (better known as OD&D) is planning a cool new Risus supplement with old-school typesetting. Too bad I don't read German. But his initial notes at rettungswurf.wordpress.com sure look impressive, especially when viewed through a very imperfect Google translator.http://www.velvet-edge.com/risusmonkey/2010/01/risus-od-auf-deutch.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Risus Monkey)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22652591.post-433458070660426563Wed, 06 Jan 2010 16:10:00 +00002010-01-06T11:10:49.752-05:00PulpKatjaMythicFantasyIntroduction to this thread: The Moon Goddess Is A Harsh Mistress Explanation of Mythic elements: What's All This Mythic Stuff? Previous Scene: Scene 22 SCENE 23 Wherein Katja confronts Nina about the sword as they prepare to drive out of the city before dawn. CHARACTERS The Silver Huntress (her deity) Soldiers/Police Drachen (her old warhorse) Nina Yazov Nina's Mother (Anna Yazov) The Hard http://www.velvet-edge.com/risusmonkey/2010/01/moon-goddess-scene-23.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Risus Monkey)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22652591.post-3278726119002164668Tue, 05 Jan 2010 21:48:00 +00002010-01-05T16:48:50.986-05:00CommunityWell, not specifically Risus... but since guy-wires is written by the one and only Guy Hoyle (He Who Maintains RisusTalk), you can bet that there will be a Risus connection. Guy is restarting his formerly defunct blog with the express purpose of polishing his writing chops. I totally get that. I too harbor delusions/aspirations that I may someday write for fame and fortune. Well, perhaps they arehttp://www.velvet-edge.com/risusmonkey/2010/01/another-risus-blog.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Risus Monkey)0