With The West Wing in the background, second season, episode 3, the President drinks an egg cream for the first time. I had forgotten this wonderful drink. My personal recipe. Get a tall glass. Chill it in the fridge. Cold is the secret here. Cold, but not freezing. Cover the bottom of the glass with…
Hospitality is a powerful concept in ven culture, personified by the figure of Mana Renay. Temples dedicated to “the Mother of Us All” can be found in every city, shrines in every home. She has many faces. Revered matriarch. Protector. Healer. Keeper of hearth Wisdom. Each House views mana Renay differently, but the Hous she…
The high alchemical Art, incorporating all other Arts. Drama. Music. Architecture. Dance. And, of course, love and revenge. Ven opera (the actual ven word best translates as “The Art that encompasses all other Arts”) is full of spectacle. Jim Steinman meets John Woo. The thunder of the music cracking the plaster in the walls. Actors…
Cross my wooden leg and swear on my glass eye. Turn it up. No, louder than that. No, louder than that. Okay, that may be enough.
Should be a Lord Strange entry. But it’s here. Last time I was in Vegas, my mom asked me what show I wanted to go see. I told her, “Penn & Teller.” She said, “The Blue Man Group is supposed to be really good.” I said, “That’s just three clowns dipped in blue paint. It…
Game Design Rule #1: Don’t Design Games for People You Wouldn’t Allow at Your TableWriting Houses. Writing The Wanker Rue into the chapter on aspects. It looks like this: Using aspects is fun. It should be fun. Sometimes it’s fun. Sometimes, a player abuses the rules to make the game fun for him at the…
When I needed an interior design for Houses, there was only one man I could go to. Daniel (effin’) Solis. Here’s an example why. Daniel insists this is a “sketch.” Yeah. I can’t wait to see the final version. You can see more at his own LJ here.
I’ll be in LA over the 3 day weekend running games and helping out with the HEEEUGE Indie Press Booth. I’ll be flying in on Friday morning. I’d like to split a room with someone. (I can even bring my own air mattress.) Let me know if anyone wants to split the cost.
Me to Jessie. “You collect Wine + Spices + Food, that’s worth 7 resource points. And with that, you can buy stuff.”Jessie to me. “So, a price list?”Me to Jessie. “Kinda. I mean, if you want a ten foot poll, bang, there’s a ten foot poll. You’re a friggin’ baron. You can get a hundred…
Let’s spend a moment talking about bad aspects—and I don’t mean in the sense that they hurt your character. I mean they follow the guidelines for an aspect that isn’t over or underpowered. Let’s take a look at some basic rules. First, an aspect should do one thing. That’s it. Just one thing. Second, that…