Dreamation 2015

I just got back from Dreamation 2015, the annual convention run by Double Exposure, the organizers for DexCon, Metatopia and many other events. This was also the first time as an official member of the Phoenix Outlaw Production staff, working as a Storyteller and GM. It was a good con and one hard worked at.

The Dresden Lives games experienced what we (the Storytellers) were calling a Mid-Season Finale. The Chronicle , the grand sum of the story as told with the players, has spanned many years and numerous conventions across the United States This weekend was the culmination of all of those plots and moving on to a new mode. Conspiracies were found out, and antagonists were revealed. There was also a conversation of power and responsibility, themes that are prevalent throughout the Dresden Files. When the things that bump come out of the dark to attack you, how do you make your stand? In a room full of Wizards, Vampires, Shifters, Mobters, Valkyries, Changelings and a whole host of other creatures and human, it's interesting to see where people made their stand.

I got to play three different characters throughout these games. Each one had their own motivations and troubles. The first was a doctor who was monitoring children prophesied to help bring about the end of the world. Unfortunately, those children were the children of the supernatural community of New York (read: a large chunk of the players) and they were mightily pissed. The character meant well, and would easily flip to the player's side when things were explained. However, he was also limited in what he could do to help them.

So, a few pissed off supernaturals essentially having an office drone asking them if they've tried turning it on and off? Yeah, that went well. In the span of ten minutes he was arrested, released, arrested, cornered and then had his heart ripped out of his chest. Full on Temple of Doom.

I next played a faceless monster who was once a human but had his personality completely deleted for the Conspiracy that abducted the children. He was set as a door guard, a powerful one, to keep the children protected. People tried to beg him, people tried to cajole him, and there were plenty of threats abound. They could have attacked him, and most of them would have made it through. But then one character made a decision. Because of plot, he had access to an alternate option. With the Storyteller's approval, he offered to take the children to another plane of being, effectively keeping them out of the way for everyone. That got them through. But it came at the cost of the PC who did, thereby marking the first PC death.

The faceless guardian remained with the children in the plane, swearing to protect them to their family members. Even at the next night's game, he was brought up. That made me feel good because he made an impact on people.

The next night I played Warden Parrish. Parrish is a Warden, which in the Dresden Files world means that he is a human Wizard who works for the White Council, the ruling body for Mortal Magic users.He's their cops, soldiers, and executioners. Wardens don't take "I didn't know" as an answer and are quick with the flick of the blade. The City of New York, for their gross litany of miscalculations, omissions, and just acts of wackiness, were held on trial by the Supernatural Community as a whole, with three Wardens presiding in Tribunal. Of the Three, Parrish was the most remote. Barely speaking, eyes blocked by sunglasses. Hands covered in black gloves. The only thing revealed on him was his sword. He wasn't a big talker, but when he did it was decisive.

Playing Parrish, I didn't want him to be just "I'm the one who kills you." He's Javert-like in that he will hunt you down until judgment day if he thinks you need a huntin'. But he's not one-dimensional. He has his own mind about how things work. I got a lot of compliments after game about how intimidating Parrish came off. He'll be a fun Face NPC (read: an recurring NPC) to play.

It was interesting watching the threads tie together during Dresden. Years of secrets got outted and revealed and characters had to make a lot of interesting decisions that will undoubtedly affect the second season.

I didn't sign up for much during the weekend. Aside from working on Dresden I had entered myself into a boffer tournament. It was sponsored by Oblivion Larp, a dystopian Boffer Larp in New Jersey. Several of the runners of Oblivion came in to Dresden the day before, giving me the opportunity to go "HELLO NEW FRIENDS". I've never done a boffer tournament before, point of fact I really don't get the chance to do boffer larps due to money and time. So getting a chance to try out some things was interesting to say the least. It also made for good research in developing Kensei, as I'm currently still bashing my head as how to make a combat system that is entertaining to both the fighters and the audience.

There were three tourneys. The dagger fighting one, the open weapon tournament, and a gauntlet course. The dagger fighting I went 1 out of 2 matches. I'm not much of a inclose fighter with weapons. I pretty much fell in love with a miniature Buster Sword, which had a wonderful reach and a wide blade to allow for easy deflections and blocks. I went 2 of the 3 matches I was in. Of the 5 stations of the gauntlet, I only made it to the second one. It was an interesting blend of folks who just liked to try out boffering and players who have been doing this for a long as time and clearly have weapons training. It left me feeling much more positive about Kensei, and needing to do this more.

What is also did was give me some awesome cardio as well. Unfortunately, my gas tank went empty shortly after that. I'm still trying to figure out better ways to keep my energy going during these conventions. To know when to hold em and keep playing and to know when to fold em. It's one of the things that keeps me from DR (aside from the aforementioned time+money) is that I am not a 24 hour marathon person. I like my sleeps. I was debating going to Ex Arcana, the Chronos system larp developed by Eschaton Media and Nerdy City productions (the venerable House of Jaffe). I was on line to sign in for game, when I felt my energy jackknife.

You see, not only was the boffer tournament matches exerting in ways I haven't done in months, it's Lent and I--like a moron--gave up soda. For those of you who haven't met me, I'm a Coke Fiend. I love my little red soda cans. So giving that up and then running a convention where I can't eat meat on Friday and can't drink cold caffeinated beverages (I don't drink hot drinks, sorry) meant that my blood-sugar levels were going WEEE! at various points.

So, I did the smart thing, backed out and let people who had never played it get a shot. When I went upstairs to nap, I looked at my recently purchased book for Ex Arcana (now available in PDF and softcover on DriveThruRPG) I realized my name was listed in the Playtesters section. I'd forgotten outright that I played a game before, so that became a magnificent surprise. I also know that there will be other games, and now that I have the deck and the book and actually know what the hell is going on, I now have plans and ideas.

My convention, otherwise, was rather chilled out. After going to a few of the Double Exposure conventions this year, I feel like I know a sizeable chunk of the population by face if not by name. For someone whose social anxiety is practically a lifestyle choice, this is a relief. I got to talk to Ashley Zdeb, co-founder of Eschaton Media. Eschaton is responsible for Dystopia Rising, the Apocalyptic Boffer Larp that is now a widespread network throughout North America. It's my opinion that DR has helped to redefine how boffer larps could be played. We also talked about the amazing response to the Chronos Larp system, and how Ex Arcana is being received. I know several of the incoming games, and many of the homebrews that were put on (example: of the Six Chronos games: two were based on TRON and Neverwhere, respectively) show off the versatility of the system. We also talked about our shared background in the Mind's Eye Theater/White Wolf  games.

I also got to see Sarah Lynne Bowman, editor of the Wyrdcon Companion and my Jungian Psychology in Larp Sempai. We didn't get down to sit and talk much, which was sad. We were too busy running around and doing our games. Sarah is an awesome human being and one of the people spearheading the academic backing of role playing games in all its forms. Also present, but I never got the chance to meet her, was Whitney 'Strix' Beltran, another researcher and expert in mythology. So there were arguably the two preeminent researchers into mythology and larp AND I COULDN'T FIND THE TIME TO TALK TO THEM.

One Day. Dammit.

Finally, friend of mine from Mind's Eye Society came to his first convention, in which he damned me for making him have fun and make new friends. I consider that a victory. He was a playtester for my Dresden game in June and now he got to play the same character in the official larp. I do believe he's hooked in, and is now a member of a group in the game that has some very large overarching plot. It's nice to have someone from my first and main source of gaming come into the new world I've come to enjoy, and then make them drink the cool-aid and want to come back for more.

it's all part of the job :D

The Heat of Combat

I'm co-opting my blog to discuss stuff from my work with New York Jedi. Don't worry, it's relevant to the larpers too. Our conversation was about characters and combat and how the latter needs the former. This is my thinking on the matter.

A fight is rarely just for the sake of fighting. There is always something about it going in, there's always a reason why people are fighting. The phrase 'just for the sake of fighting' doesn't apply because there is something that lead to that thinking. We aren't machines that are programmed just to hit things. We aren't NPCs meant to just stand there and knuckle up. We're Characters, the focus of our stories and the support of other stories. We have motivations, reasons, and methods.

And that's what fighting allows us to do. As a writer, it's always been my belief that fights are a ways to show character without having to say a word. When you're in a situation when something as important as someone's Life is on the line, you're going to see what people will pull out of their metaphorical bags. Even if you're a cold blooded murderer who is used to killing and shows no emotion, that's something that should show.

One of my pet peeves when watching fight choreography is when the fight is mechanically beautiful--the actors and stunt men are all on cue and all--and there is zero characterization going. My major target are the fight scenes in The Star Wars prequels. They are magnificently choreographed and rehearsed, and visually stimulating. However, if you look at the actors in their fight, there is nothing going on there. They are doing a rehearsed dance. There's no emotional content there...and yes, Jedi feel emotion they just aren't bound to it. It's one of the reasons I prefer the Luke vs Vader fights, because there's a game going on there in Empire. Vader is testing and toying with Luke. In Return of the Jedi, Luke is pissed and hauling away. You can cut to that scene, having never known anything about what was going on, and realizing that there are stakes in this fight.

In Revenge of the Sith, two guys take part in a protracted fight amongst a literal lava field. Zero feelings coming off them. The environment is what the emotion, and the only reason why we know there are stakes is because we've know where this fight ends.

The same thing happens in The Matrix films, especially the later one. The most grievous example for this is the Neo/Seraph fight. Here...watch this:



And that's it. There's nothing really telling us anything about these characters. There's nothing indicating in the fight itself (key word) that this was a test of character or judgment, which is what it is alluded to. It really just seems to be a fight for the sake of having a fight. As a geek who loves shiny things, it's visually appealing. As someone who sees this stuff as research, it's annoying. It feels like porn, where the plot is there only to justify the action...as it were.

You can have a brilliantly choreographed fight while still have character. One of my favorite fights is the Shu Lien vs Jen scene from Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon.:



In this fight, you're seeing raw talent and potential against training and experience. Jen, who is a young learner with a powerful sword, is arrogant in her power but can be seen wavering at times when Shu Lien tries something new. Shu Lien has experience with multiple weapons, but she's also clearly getting frustrated as the fight goes on. They don't seem to want to kill each other, if anything it looks like an argument they're having without saying a word.

Fights are tools to bring about dramatic tension. It either is the cause of the tension, or what breaks the tension. It's like a fever breaking, and once it does there is a level of release. Of Catharsis. A good fight in storytelling should bring about an emotional release. The people watching it should care that this fight happens, otherwise you're just there flapping your arms around and serving no one.

Which brings me to Larping. Yes, I hadn't forgotten you, my dear friends. As many of my friends in Mind's Eye Society will tell you is that I hate the combat system. A lot of work went into converting the tabletop rules for the White Wolf games into something that was more convenient for larp. Somewhere, though, it never really translated over. So, whenever combat scenes happened, people would go right back to tabletopping it out. That was never fun for me. We'd go from being these dramatic characters to suddenly playing what was essentially Pokemon with our sheets. That grinds a good RP flow to a halt and kills the mood for me. I've just handed STs my sheet with my information when we realize that the combat is going to last anywhere longer than ten minutes.

Combat only seems to work in Mind's Eye Society when the integrity of the setting is upheld. When I mean Setting in this instance, I mean the physical location your characters are occupying. This is done by making the space you as players are occupying as close an approximation as possible. This is difficult when you're a monthly game low on resources and moving from studio to studio, but with careful planning you can get creative.

One of my favorite combat scenes I ever took part of, I was an NPC, a group of three. The Vampires had us cornered for making them create more Vampires and then mindwiping everyone. The fight happened in a room next to where the main game was being played, so only the people in the fight were actually present. That gave us a whole room to move around in. There was only one exit: The door. The first thing the Vampires did was put someone against the door in case one of the NPCs made a run for it. And we did. There was movement, strategy and thinking that had to be played out relatively live (if somewhat drawn out). It was a lot more dynamic and a lot more dramatic then just sitting in a circle and waiting our turn to attack.

My favorite combat scene in MES that I've ran happened over a MacGuffin. There was a fight over a tape recording left by one of the Mage Leaders from twenty years ago. It had sensitive information for a lot of people. Conflicts arose and a fight broke out. Watching two Mages duke it out physically and magically while one tried to leave the room was refreshing.

Talking with a friend of mine during the writing of this, he made some valid points. The rules in World of Darkness games seem more intent on Killing than Fighting. There is also another point he made: In Larp Combat, it always seems to be a standing fight. No one tends to look for cover. This isn't Final Fantasy and we just stand there until our turns start. If there's a fight, I'm running for fucking cover.

Lately, I've been gravitating towards systems that promote more acting out the actions. I've lately been looking at Dresden Lives, which is currently testing out it's mechanics. The system has both Physical and Mental damage, meaning that there are more ways to deal with a person other than hitting them with a sword. There's also the matter that health pools are a lot less than most games. Death can happen fairly easily in these games. There's less incentive to jump in blindly as a player.

Then there is also the boffer larp games. I mean, there are the 'boffer monkeys' who just go out to hit things, but there's a sense of combat and urgency when you have to play it out. Part of me does notice the scrimmage line style of boffering, two groups meeting face to face like battles of old. I'd love to see more strategy, but then again I need to get out more and experience boffer larps better.

So the question becomes 'how do we make combat more interesting'. I have a few ideas, some are better for the stage, some for larps. All apply.

1) Show, don't tell.
As someone who likes writing grand epics about their characters, allow me to be the first person to say this: I don't really care to hear about your character background. Show me your character, make me want to ask questions.

2) God Mode Is Lazy
Having a character who can't be killed or otherwise defeated is lazy ass storytelling. It's lazy for the stage and it's lazy for larps. Where is the drama or the reward for putting your character through this? What is the incentive for someone to engage with you when the outcome is already known? Which brings me to...

3) A High Stakes Game
Fighting is rarely just for the sake of the fight, even nihilism is reason. People don't just fight each other. So what are the stakes in this fight? Is there a goal, an item, Fate of the City? Your life? What is the cost if you don't win on both a personal and grand scale level.

4) People are Watching
A fight for storytelling is also a fight infront of an audience. They need to be engaged. This is common stage combat 101. If your audience doesn't care, you're not doing something right. This works in larps too, the key is that your audience are also the other players, and the storytelling staff (if you aren't one yourself).

These things go counter to what I believe to be the common US conception of "I hit it with my axe". People sometimes play just to hit things. That's cool, but there's a growing population that enjoy the telling of their story. Fighting is one way to do that. It's one of the reasons I want to make a larp based around it in the form of a martial arts tournament. It's finding the balance between winning and playing that is the trick.

Later.