50,000 Monkeys at 50,000 Typewriters Can't Be Wrong
Most of you know this, but for those of you who don’t…
I have a small part on the first episode of MST3K’s first revival episode. Erin Gray and I get to deliver all the exposition about Jonah’s backstory. It’s pretty great, and this was a freaking dream come true for me.
13 things people don’t realize you do because of your anxiety.
I don’t do all of these things, but I do a lot of them. It’s reassuring, in a weird way, to know that I’m not alone in these behaviors, and maybe it’ll be reassuring for some of you, too. If you don’t live with anxiety, but love someone who does, maybe this will help you understand the weird things we do.
Our most recent episode of Tabletop is a narrative RPG, powered by FATE, which is one of my very favorite systems for storytelling in gaming. In fact, if you’re a writer or storyteller, it has some tools and design philosophies in it that are extremely useful, whether you play RPGs or not.
Tabletop fans will likely be as excited as I am to have John Rogers (FIASCO, Season One) back, and some lady who I think was on Buffy once or whatever. We also have Ryan Macklin, who is not just one of the Fate designers, but is one of the most amazing GMs I’ve ever had the privilege to play with.
We had no idea what we were going to play when we came together, and that was be design. One of the strengths and joys of FATE is how easy it makes it for the players and the GM to build a satisfying and narratively complex experience by asking questions, collaborating to find the answers, and working together within a simple set of guidelines to define the world and their characters. Every time I’ve played FATE, I’ve had as much fun during the design phase of the adventure as I did when we were actually playing in it.
We ended up building a world that takes place after Event Zero, which is when all the rules of reality fell apart for reasons that were never completely explained or understood. Horrible monsters tore into our universe, psychic powers became real, and now there is unrest everywhere. We then designed characters who are in a Supernatural Containment Unit. They go where they are needed, to keep things under control, handle people who see things they shouldn’t see, and confront Things Man Was Not Meant To Know.
I am delighted by the way this episode came together. The art is wonderful and the storytelling is just delicious. I hope you like this as much as I do, and I hope it inspires you to play more games!
It was a warm, wet, summer evening when the mantids attacked, without warning or provocation. We huddled together on rain-soaked streets, listened to the distant artillery, and waited…
I made a thing! I’m currently working on other things that will join it, to form an electronic music EP, which will be released at some point in the mysterious future.
Do you like deck building games? How about games that can fit in your pocket? HOW ABOUT BOTH OF THOSE THINGS AT THE SAME TIME?!
Yes, of course you do, because you’re not a real person, but in fact a representation I invented so I can address this post to someone who has said YES three times since it started.
So, imaginary person (and perhaps real people who are also listening at the moment), you’re going to love this week’s Tabletop. It’s Star Realms, and I play against delightful human and Magic: The Gathering Pro Tour player Melissa DeTora.
Did you know that I wrote and narrated a supernatural horror story? I DID, and it’s only five bucks!