Mad Brew Labs

GenCon 2009

Well, it has been almost a week since GenCon 09, and I am sure everyone got their fill of GenCon related posts, but I still feel like I need to debrief my readers on my experience. I have attended every GenCon since it migrated to Indianapolis but one, and each has been an entirely different experience for me. This year was no exception.

I’d like to apologize if my writing seems a bit… off. I am currently swimming in a sudafedrine induced miasma due to some oddball virus (I’m dubbing it GNCN-09).

Last year I had every hour of my schedule packed with RPGA events, leaving only about 4 hours of breaks a day. All I did was game, and it was the best GenCon I had until this year. This year due to untimely badge registration with me and my group of friends that make the yearly pilgrimage, we couldn’t pre-order event specific tickets.

Also, this year two of us had evolved and were attending the convention in new roles. I was attending as a proto-industry professional (attending the ENnies as a nominee, being a panelist, published author, and Nevermet Press founder) and one of my good friends was going as an RPGA game master. So my perspective had changed a little.

Personally, I was torn between the desire to just relish in gaming as a gamer and my ambitions to network with established professionals in the industry. I am what I consider a passive networker; I will introduce myself to professionals and strike up conversations but if it appears they are not interested I cut things short and move on. I can just imagine all the fanboy-wanna-bes that get in the face of the publishers, developers, and designers at cons. I certainly don’t want to come off as pushy.

There is also a part of me that just wants to leave the business at home and relax by throwing down some dice, networking be damned. Despite my passive networking, I think I did manage to meet several professionals and make an impression. I’ll have to follow up with them soon and see if they remember me…

The following is a list of highlights by day.

Wednesday: Day 0

Technically GenCon didn’t start until Thursday, but that doesn’t stop the hardcore gamers. My pal Bruce arrived early for RPGA meeting where they hand out shirts and badges. My other GenCon comrade, Mike tried to get his 4-Day badge, but was turned away. After that, we decided to grab some people and run slot 0s. Bruce ran the new Adventuring Company module, which was interesting.

I’d like to point out that since Bruce started DMing for the RPGA (with the release of 4e) he has improved tremendously as a game master. He has slowly expanded his DM bag’o’tricks along with some useful equipment that definitely enhances and smooths play. So yeah, just want to give a shout out to BH2 for growing into an awesome DM.

Thursday: Day 1

I arrived early and got my Press Badge, which I would like to extend a hearty thanks to Stacia and her crew for hooking me up. There was at least one irate press member that was being a dick. All I have to say is you need to have more class, especially considering you’re getting a free badge with fringe benefits. Like the special pass to get into the exhibit hall an hour early, which I took advantage of. It was that pass that allowed me to be present on the inside and see the crowd nearly trample each other to get to the Paizo booth at which I was already standing. I quickly grabbed my copy of the Pathfinder book and a giant purple Paizo d20 and stepped in line where Jason Bulmahn, lead designer, signed my book.

Folks, the line for the Pathfinder book was insane; it wrapped around their booth twice and then went back to the corner of the hall. Even the local Channel 8 news crew was on hand to ask attendees what all the hubbub was about. After I checked out and marveled at the Paizo crew greeting just about every face in line, I went and hooked back up with my own crew.

We got some generics and squeezed in some RPGA events. It was the only day I did any real gaming, and the gaming caused me to miss the RPGBN panel that I wanted to attend. I apologize to my blogging friends for not showing, but I think gaming is an acceptable excuse. I don’t remember what happened during the rest of the afternoon except that we all went and ate at the RAM. I had a pint of their GenCon brew, two thumbs up!

Then I grabbed another buddy of mine, who goes by “Bubby” but whose real name is David, and went down to IUPUI for Tracy Hickman’s Killer Dinner and a seminar on the importance of story (not necessarily in gaming). I participated in the Killer Dinner and lasted a surprising 9 minutes and 15 seconds. During play, I managed to get [EDIT: ah... I managed to leave out the previous very important word, get] hit on by a well-manicured young guy with a heavy German accent (much to the enjoyment of my old prof, Mat Powers, who organized the event; he was the guy dressed like the swamp magi near the gaming booths). I’m as hetero as you can get but I rolled with it. Unforgettable.

After the KD, Tracy gave a very moving seminar on the importance of story and how each person creates a unique experience when they read a novel. I think I’ll save the details for later as it also fits with some other research I have been doing with story theory. I hope Mr. Hickman is feeling better, because despite his awesome performance during the dinner, he looked exhausted and I didn’t see him again the whole con.

Friday: Day 2

Friday morning consisted of Mike and I updating our Pathfinder Society characters to the new rules, which was easy considering we were only third level, but we also took some time to actually read much of the book too. I have a negative energy channeling Osirion Cleric of Pharasma (Death & Water domains) with Selective Channeling. I totally can’t wait to play him (since we had an epic fail to actually get in on some PF Society action).

Oh and for anyone attending a con, if you see someone creating a character with a brand new, just published core book, don’t ask them to borrow the son-of-a-bitch to create your own. First, I’m using the goddamned thing myself and second, it’s brand new and I would rather not have some stranger adding wear & tear. Go buy a frillin’ copy for yourself in the exhibit hall!

Then I met and old friend of the guys I game with, a very nice gal who loves True Dungeon (which is too expensive for me) and is getting back into gaming. Well, we ended up going to the exhibit hall to get some more autographs for my Pathfinder book when something amazing happened. I won’t name names, but a certain Paizonian staff member made an impression on my new friend. Needless to say, I hear things are currently going great between them. If you keep up with the Paizo message boards, you’ll know who I am talking about, but I am trying to respect their privacy as much as possible (while still geeking out about it here on the blog). I am totally claiming responsibility for anything interesting that becomes of their meeting.

I topped the evening off by attending the ENnies awards ceremony. If you haven’t heard, Chgowiz accepted the Silver medal for Swords & Wizardry for Best Free RPG, which is just an outstanding accomplishment. I think it sort of validates a lot of the good stuff the new-classical gaming movement is doing. I would also like to congratulate Obsidian Portal for beating everyone in the Best Website category by taking Gold. Last, but not least, I hereby give Wolfgang Baur and Open Design/Kobold Quarterly the ability to request me to accept any awards on their behalf should they not be able to attend next year.

That night, Bubby and I managed to run into Jess Hartley (of White Wolf fame), who much to my surprise, Bubby is good friends with. She asked us to playtest a new card game, Tinker’s Damn, she is developing that casts players as steampunk inventors. Bubby and I thoroughly enjoyed ourselves and I can’t wait to see it on the shelves. Jess, if you read this I’m available to playtest anytime.

Saturday: Day 3

I slept in late because I had a splitting headache, and I didn’t even drink anything! So I didn’t get to the convention center until around 1300, when I thought my panel was scheduled. I quickly found out it had been re-scheduled for 1600, but burned most of the time by talking to fellow panelist Quinn Murphy (At-Will) and Mike Shea (Sly Flourish).

Then I took my seat for the 4e Bloggers Panel. Those that read this blog may not realize that I create 4e content, but I have collaborated on the Skill Challenges of War series with Jonathan Jacobs and Quinn Murphy for The Core Mechanic. I have also been published in Kobold Quarterly #10 as a co-author (collaborating with the same people) via an article including skill challenges. I think the panel went rather well and I believe it will be turned into a podcast. I did manage to give a shout-out to Eddy Webb from White Wolf who was sitting in the audience. I know, White Wolf during a D&D panel, sacrilege!

Speaking of White Wolf, my pal Bubby and I managed to squeeze invites out their staff for the infamous Succubus Club. That evening, Mike, Bubby, and I descended upon the ICE Lounge downtown for the exclusive party. Needless to say, the environment made me miss my wife very much. I made some new friends and contacts (shout to the folks at the ENnie winning All Games Considered) and got very drunk on White Wolf’s tab. We also got invited to the after party in the Omni and thanks to our Designated Driver, made it safely home. Thank you White Wolf for the great time (publishers take note).

Sunday: Day 4

We wrapped the weekend up with a final walk through the exhibit hall. Mike had seen a live-action hentai movie, and was dying to show us, but we think the vendor actually closed up shop early. After we were done with the exhibit hall, we all piled into a car and drove to Monument Circle and had coffee while we debriefed each other on our GenCon experience which included gaming, networking, and romance.

Want to read more about conventions? Check out this month’s well timed RPG Blog Carnival hosted by Chgowiz. Also, you can check out my other articles on GenCon.

Other GenCon Articles:

• Pub & Restaurant Guide
• Local Gaming
• Local Museums
• IUPUI Events

Right after I posted my Future Potential of Technology post yesterday, I saw a couple of posts from Justin at CartoonSmart.com (an excellent site for Flash animation/programming) come through my feed reader concerning my primary topic of AR. Justin found this amazing video on YouTube by Georgia Tech and SCAD Atlanta. It uses a flat map “board” and the game is interfaced with Nvidia’s Tegra powered device. So if any of you were wondering what I was talking about yesterday, here is a fine example of an Augmented Reality game.

Other Technology Focused Articles:

• Untapped Potential of Technology
• Future Potential of Technology
• Rise of the Digital Game Table

Listening to: Led Zeppelin – Led Zeppeling IV (Zoso) – Black Dog

The seed for this post was created when something clicked together in my head while posting a comment on Stargazer’s World in response to Michael’s article; The Hobby is far from being dead! I was basically writing in a stream-of-consciousness style, when the thought of having a virtual tabletop created with Augmented Reality [AR] popped into my head.

I also see this post as a follow up to my very popular article, Untapped Potential of Technology. Where the untapped potential focused on technologies that were already mainstream and readily available yet under used; this article focuses on technologies just over the horizon.

Augmented Reality HUD

Augmented Reality

I am certainly not the first tabletop gamer to think about using AR in conjunction with traditional gaming, as the AR part of the game being run by my alma mater, IUPUI (as reported here), was inspired by a graduate student’s desire to see 3D animations of the creatures on the table when playing Magic: the Gathering.

That’s cool, but what exactly is AR?Augmented Reality is the blending of actual and virtual reality. It is often achieved by projecting computer generated data over the real world visually. This practice is usually made possible by employing an optical aid such as VR goggles. Motion tracking, fiducial markers, and object recognition are major research areas used in Augmented Reality.

AR has very important applications in the medical and military fields and I’m sure everyone could imagine the marketing/commercial uses of the technology as well (virtual advertisements/billboards). It is already used today (yellow down markers in football, heads up displays for pilots, museum tours).

Augmented Tabletop

Star Wars Dejarik Holochess

Now let’s apply the concept to the world of tabletop gaming. Envision being able to play games like Warhammer 40k or Warmachine without having to invest a fortune in miniatures and time in painting (I would still paint minis, but that’s not the point). Think about being able to see your minis animate and do battle, ala Star Wars Dejarik Holochess. Perhaps you could easily download expansions or new pieces for your favorite board game.

Hell, you might even be able to virtually appear like your character while playing that bad-ass drow assassin. Oh and what if you never had to remember or physically look up the rules again? The simplest solution would have the rule display in front of everyone playing on a virtual index card, perhaps called by voice recognition.

“Game, define grapple.”

The more complex version would give players a virtual rolodex of options based upon their character, terrain, and other elements, allowing them to execute a selection on their turn, which in turn drives the augmented miniatures. Yeah, can you dig having the goggles automatically highlight the area of effect for spells and powers?

Of course, this really begins to blur the line between a video game and the tabletop game, but we all know this is the path we are already on as each type of game continues to feed off each other. However, you still have the capability of going full manual when rules engine doesn’t provide an option.

Remote AR Tabletop

With the inclusion of Augmented Reality, the term virtual tabletop would become obsolete. Being able to game with people not at the table would be called remote tabletop gaming. The gameplay experience would be nearly identical, except you can no longer physically punch buddies in the arm (unless everyone has tactile feedback bodysuits, see below).

The AR application would project streaming video of fellow players’ faces near the tabletop and everyone would see the game table updated in real time. Everyone would have their own fiducial markers that would be integrated into the virtual tabletop.

AR Headset

Equipment & Peripherals

The standard equipment needed to engage an AR tabletop game would be fiducial markers (objects the AR application can easily recognize and interact with), goggles or headset, and computer to run the app. I could also see devices similar to the WiiMote being utilized to simulate the tossing of dice or other game accessories.

Think even bigger and you come up with tactile feedback devices. These would be gloves and bodysuits that stiffen and transmit sensations when they interact with the AR environment. Add some olfactory (scent) reproduction technology and you can all five senses (taste could be derived from scent).

Fiducial Marker

Full Digital Integration

Access a soundtrack from your music library, play pre-packaged cut scenes in between adventures or after climactic battles, automatically create blog posts or podcasts from gaming sessions, stream live video of gameplay… the possibilities are endless.

All this could be done from interacting with the AR environment. You could have fiducial markers that represent your mp3 collection, the record button on the mic or video capture device, or the play button for a cut scene. Seamless integration with digital media, hell yeah, I get excited just thinking about it.

Complications

The first major hurdle to make this type of technology accessible is the buy-in cost. In the beginning, a set of decent VR goggles or headsets are going to be extremely expensive. But do you remember how expensive a CD player was when they first came out? Maybe not, but in 1982 when Sony released the CDP-101, it cost $900. Now you can get a portable CD player for less than $15.

The other issue that will no doubt vex corporate security assholes and users alike will be piracy and all the baggage that comes with it. I can see proprietary goggles/headsets that prevent applications from competing publishers from working on them, no compatibility, and DRM laden downloads. You know, the same bedlam that is going on today.

Early adoption is of course out of the question. No one in the tabletop industry is willing to gamble on new technology; even when the probability of said technology to become as mainstream as mobile devices are today is a sure thing. Be fearless.

Resistance

I can hear the very loud voices of the dissenters and non-believers now:

“That’s not roleplaying!”

“It’s too much like virtual World of Warcraft.”

“AR will be the death of the industry/hobby/game!”

“This is heresy of the worst kind, burn in hell heretic!”

In my opinion, Augmented Reality would not change the fundamentals that make a tabletop roleplaying game what it is. It would just enhance it. As for me, I can see myself enjoying traditional tabletop gaming sans electronics just as much as an AR tabletop game. But the AR games would [eventually] be cheap, immediate, and more accessible. In the long run, it could also reduce operating and distribution costs for publishers as well as attracting new players.

This is the type of innovation we need to be looking for (and actively developing) that could revitalize and even grow the industry/hobby. Just think about the possibilities for Live Action RolePlay!

Other Technology Focused Articles:

• Untapped Potential of Technology
• Augmented Reality “Boardgame”
• Rise of the Digital Game Table

Listening to: Lacuna Coil – In a Reverie – Cold

IUPUI School of Informatics

My alma mater, Indiana University – Purdue University of Indianapolis, has invited Tracy Hickman (of Dragonlance & Ravenloft fame) to speak at the campus during GenCon. His presentation is on the critical role of storytelling in gaming, after which he will engage the audience in the roleplaying event, Killer Dinner (he usually hosts the Killer Breakfasts at GenCon).

Tracy will be at the School of Informatics (Informatics & Communication Complex) on Thursday, August 13th at 1900 hours. For non-students, tickets will be available for sale at the School of Informatics (really, the Media Arts & Science discipline) booth at GenCon Indy on that Thursday for $5 a seat. I’ll present the canned text at the end of the article.

Beyond getting tickets to hear Tracy speak and participate in the Killer Dinner, you should definitely check out the IUPUI booth at GenCon. I’ve had the priviledge of being able to keep tabs on what the students in my old discipline have been preparing, and I’m blown away by the hard work they’ve put into it.

First, be sure to participate in their Augmented Reality Game, which a certain GenCon Lifetime Industry Guest will be participating in. The stills I’ve seen of the Augmented Reality part of the game are outstanding.

The School of Informatics booth will also host samples of student work including some Flash games that I hear have been all the rage with fellow students and faculty and definitely have some intriguing gameplay concepts.

I’m also hoping that the sequential narrative students will be showing off some of their comic book work, because I have heard (and seen) some really good things coming out of the Advanced Sequential Narrative ccourse. The course is instructed by my former professor, Mat Powers, whose is also spearheading the GenCon activities. Keep up the excellent work!

Become a fan of gaming and storytelling in education by visiting their Facebook page.

About Tracy Hickman & Killer Dinner

Tracy Hickman:

In 1981, Tracy approached TSR, Inc., the makers of Dungeons and Dragons, with two role-playing games. TSR, Inc. saw the potential in Tracy’s creativity and offered him a job as a game designer. Through this connection, he has made a significant contribution to the way role-playing games have evolved.

While working at TSR, Inc., he teamed up with editor Margaret Weis where they wrote their first publication together, The Dragonlance Chronicles. Since that time, he has authored over 35 novels, many on the best-seller list, and has written over 15 role-playing games. Tracy is also the writer and co-designer (with wife, Laura Hickman) of Apogee of Fear, the first science-fiction movie filmed in space aboard the International Space Station in October 2008.

Welcome to Killer Dinner!

Tracy Hickman takes on all comers in an extreme version of his classic, wacky, no-holds-barred role-playing game, leading you down the path to CERTAIN DEATH as he masterfully engages you in his killer game! A rampaging gamemaster, relentless hordes of first-level characters facing certain death against monsters that will kill them on an initial roll alone … and show-stopping musical numbers (well, maybe), is what Killer Dinner is all about!

The rules are simple: you join seven other players on stage armed only with your pathetic, pre-generated first level character sheet against the worst Game Master you’ve ever faced. Your weakling warrior, meek magic-user, or all-thumbs thief immediately faces outrageous situations that spell CERTAIN DEATH.

Only three things will save you: if you do something extremely brave, or something extremely stupid – usually the same thing – or you do something extremely entertaining! As long as you keep the Killer Dungeon Master happy, you’ll live for another round! The moment your death is more entertaining than you are, your character dies and you are immediately replaced by the next player in line.

Remember, in this game, it’s not how long you live-for you will die-but how well you live that makes it fun! (Oh, and if you are expecting dinner, there is none!)

Want to read more about conventions? Check out this month’s well timed RPG Blog Carnival hosted by Chgowiz. Also, you can check out my other articles on GenCon.

Other GenCon Articles:

• Pub & Restaurant Guide
• Local Gaming
• Local Museums

Listening to: Tesla - Psychotic Supper - Edison’s Medicine

Mad Brew Labs celebrated its 1^st year of existence last Thursday. It came and went without fanfare because I was actually gearing up for a more important celebration, 5 years of marriage with my lovely wife. I was pondering about what I have and haven’t done with the blog in the last year and where I want to be a year from now.

One of the things that I realized I have yet to do is give my readers an idea about what kind of gamer I am. Sure, most of it could be gleaned from how I have presented certain topics in one of the last 141 posts here at the labs. I just think it’s a good idea to write it down and I do it more for my own benefit than anything else.

Why I Play

There are many reasons why I play roleplaying games and the following list is not exhaustive:

• manages my imagination (because I need an outlet)
• stimulates my creativity (wouldn’t be cool if…)
• provides interesting experiences (I never could have elsewhere)
• accommodates my puzzle solving fetish (which leads to character optimization)
• gives me a break from the home life (necessary to maintain healthy marriage)
• allows my wallet to breath (because paper is cheap and dice last a lifetime)

All of the above are wonderful reasons to play, but the number one most important reason I play is because it allows me to have fun with my friends. Roleplaying is a social engagement for me. The actual game and story take a back seat to the social event; RPGs are just a vehicle for us to get to the destination of fun.

Play Style

On a recent episode (Season 1, Episode 3) of the RPG Circus podcast, the ringmasters had Phil, the Chatty DM, as guest. He said, “The age of the tyrannical DM is dead” and attributed the death knell to the design of modern RPGs (specifically 4^th Edition Dungeons & Dragons). I say the age never existed.

I’ve been playing since about ’88, and I never had a tyrannical (meaning adversarial) DM. Sure, that was 15 years after the inception of D&D, but I believe the adversarial DM, while existed, was not as common as many believe. Also, no rule system to date prevents a DM from being a dick.

That being said, I do believe Game Masters (or Dungeons Masters or referees) should have the final say in any situation. The GM does most of the work and receives that power by merit. The only entitlement players have is the right to have fun (so if the GM is not providing that, it’s time to for something to change).

Some might think that places me firmly in the classic gaming camp (they call themselves the “Old School Renaissance”), but I dig crunchy mechanics, tactical miniature play, character options, and story. Yet, I don’t feel like I am part of the “new school movement” either.

I take a sort of hybrid approach to my gaming. I reward both player AND character skill at the table. I do have story and plot running in the background of my adventures while still allowing the freedom of “sandbox” style play. There are consequences for actions (as well as non-action in the case of plot). I roll everything openly and pull no punches, so character death is a reality in my games (though I do offer options that help soften the blow). I pay attention to mechanics, yet let them take a back seat during outstanding roleplay.

As a player, I tend to do heavy optimization. Why? Well, because I like watching everything come together; traits supporting and enhancing each other. I also feel there is a skill involved in optimization, and enjoy applying that skill. It gives me something to do in the downtime between sessions and it makes for interesting backgrounds.  Yeah, I tend to write lengthy (2-3 page) histories for my characters, and everything on the character sheet has a rationale. These backgrounds in turn give me things to use during roleplaying.

I tend to believe that those who hate optimizers are either weak GMs who have not learned how to handle them or players that have weak GMs and their lack of optimization keeps their characters in the shadows. A good Game Master can give everyone a chance to shine, no matter what kind of character a player has.

Conclusion

I think I am a very middle of the road roleplayer and I don’t let any zealousness blind me to the benefits of any play style. I don’t wear my game of choice as a badge (I can play many systems, and enjoy most of them) and I try to keep from being pigeon-holed into any of the insular play style movements. I welcome any good-natured gamer at my table, no matter their preference.

Oh, and this is my own personaly philosphy and have no desire to force them upon anyone (though it would be cool for me if many people adopted them), nor do I claim my philosophy is the one true way, it just works best for me.

What I’m listening to:  White Zombie – Crow II: City of Angels OST – I’m Your Boogieman