Roleplaying at Stack Exchange is at 92%!

We topped the 92% mark to have the Roleplaying Stack Exchange enter into Beta. If you haven't signed up yet you can go here to do so.

Again what make a Stack Exchange site different then a forum or a Q&A site like Yahoo Answers is the reputation system. It does a good job of identifying good questions and answers. More importantly giving those who do give good questions and answers more responsibility for running the site. At the highest reputation there is little difference between the original moderators and the user.

Plus there enough a game aspect that it is fun to try to ask good question and give good answers

MorrisonMP asks some good questions

First off Jeff Atwood (one of the founders/coders of Stack Overflow and a very good programmer talks about it here.

1. What makes a question a "good" question?

The short answer any question you have about running or playing a tabletop RPG. A slightly longer answer are the example questions on the site. However the key element is the reputation system filtering the "good" questions from the "bad" questions. You don't know what is a good question until you post and read through the comments, answers, up votes, and down votes. From my experience on Stack Overflow it is self policing after the community gets going.

2. What makes an answer a "good" answer? (and the answer to this seems obvious, but what I meant is, good as defined by the reputation system.)

Again the reputation system defines what are good answers.

3. If the reputation system is based on voting, how will this in any way keep the same vocal minority that is the majority on forums from doing the same here?

If you notice they require a lot of committed people in order to put this up on line. The idea that with such a large number it will be hard for a minority to hijack the site. Also those who already have high reputations on other Stack Exchange sites count more in the commitment process (I have a 4000+ rep on Stack Overflow). In theory this means that those of us with high reps learned to "play nice" under this system.

From following Stack Exchange they try to get a bunch of little things going together in synergy rather relying on one big idea. Note they have a badge system in addition to raw reputation.

4. Once reputation begins to be set, it becomes increasingly difficult to alter, so what stops people from bumping themselves to the top of the pile?

There is a maximum per day. It also flags repeated votes from the same group IPs to counteract friends voting for each other all the time.

Ultimately, how does this method actually improve on the forum mechanic -- since it still relies on the same controls (peer) that ultimately set the communication rules of forum sites.

The focus of Forums is on organizing discussions. Stack Exchange was built on getting good answers and good questions first then organizing discussions. The shift in focus makes a difference. Programming forums have a problem with programming language wars which rival editions wars in RPGs. If you look on Stack Overflow you will see it relatively free of that. Proponents of different languages inhabit the same site peacefully which is a miracle in of itself.

The initial months will be crucial, if the community treats the Roleplaying Stack Exchange site like Stack Overflow users then it will a good resource. If it is highjacked then traffic will fall and the Stack Exchange folks will close it.

A Fantasy Sandbox in Detail Part XVI

Part XV

This is the fifteenth in a series detailing the 34 steps I recommended for making a Fantasy Sandbox Campaign. Today's post will cover part of the following step.

Pick the 4 or 6 most important Population locales and draw a quarter page sketch map of the settlement.

From Step VIII

0504 Kathi (village) Human
This is a farming village on the eastern shore of the Isle of Piall. The village has 300 humans and is held by Sir Vandas Gervon a distant cousin of Baron Argus. A third of village is devoted to fishing and the remainder works the surrounding fields. Despite Baron Argus’ disapproval Sir Vandas tries to be helpful to the Sheriff. He hopes to win the Sheriff’s recommendation so he can send his son, Andal to be a squire at the royal court in Haras.

1. This the manor house of Sir Vandas Gervon, his wife Elessa, and their 5 children the eldest of which is the 17 year old Andal. Visitors with any status will be greeted with a royal welcome and a feast at the manor's great hall. During which Sir Vandas will question the party to see if some type of squireship can be secured for Andal.
2. This is the small merchant quarter of the village. It has the Goldenrod Inn, a Smithy, and a Carpenter's workshop. Across Byway is a small temple of Veritas run by two priests and three acolytes.
   
3. This is a pasture. It is used for grazing the local herd before the fall slaughter and the spring lambing.
   
4. This is the North Field over 800 acres of cropland (much of this extends off map). Kathi practices two crop rotation. Currently this field is in fallow.
   
5. This is the South Field which is another 800 acres of cropland (also extends off map). Currently this field is planted with wheat, barley and rye. The Village Reeve and Sir Vandas are considering whether to switch to a new system of rotating three fields.
   
6. These are various individual vegetable gardens tended by the villages. They are crisscrossed with number small paths.
7. This is the home of the fisherfolk of the Kathi. They are led by Donard Tivor a huge hulk of a man. He takes little interest in the conflict between Moran of Carras, and Helmar of Datha. When either tries to interfere with one of his fishermen, he smacks the offender upside the head with his large fishclub. Known for eating the head of a herring for good luck prior to the start of a fishing season.

---

This is pretty much a typical manorial village. You have the lord who is Sir Vandas who has the power of justice over the serfs of the village. Freedmen can appeal to the king's sheriff in Mikva however as a practical matter this is only done as a matter of last resort as most try to avoid causing major trouble in the small village. The villagers have several officers the Reeve which works with Sir Vandas on day to day administration, the Beadle in charge of collecting fines and keeping the peace, the Woodward in charge of making use that the woods are properly used, and the Hayward which inspects the fields, and tools to make sure everything is done properly.

The freedmen of the village will include the innkeeper, the smith, the carpenter, several yeoman who hold land rent-free in exchange for being ready for instants military service. A handful of the villagers hold strips in their own name with the only requirement that they pay a rent for using the common plow.

I recommend Harnmanor as the most gamable treatment of Manorialism. Fief and A Magical Medieval Society are both likewise good. Ken Follet's World without End, the sequel to Pillars of the Earth has several chapters set in a medieval villages that has useful stuff for gaming. Finally on Lythia.com a well done generic manor was released.

That it for part XVI next is Part XVII where the town of Mikva is detailed.

Onward to the Two Towers

For the past couple of months I been reading the Lord of the Rings to my eldest son and we finally made to the end of Fellowship of the Rings. As I said in the Power of Tolkien his writing has power even when spoken out aloud. I try to give the character distinct voices and my son seems to enjoy that. A couple of times I had him on the edge of the seat which was interesting. Recently he enjoyed the passion I put into Boromir's rant at Frodo just before he tried to take the ring.

After watching the movies so many times it is nice to rediscover the books.

How not to use the OGL.

Die Cast Games released a module under the OGL with a cover featuring the art of Jeff Easley and designed to use with AD&D 1st edition. All good except for one rather big problem. They have Advanced Dungeons & Dragons plastered on the cover in a large font.

When Wizards released the d20 SRD under the OGL there were several lines drawn that you don't cross. First not everything D&D is under the OGL which why you use the d20 SRD, any rules you derived also had to be open, and finally you don't use the D&D trademark or any other trademark unless you adhere to a second license.

Sure things like defining what open and what product identity, along with correctly setting up your section 15 (where you list all the OGL product you used in your product including your own) can leave your head scratching. But help is often just a post or email away to clarify this stuff.

The big problem is section 7 of the OGL.

7. Use of Product Identity: You agree not to Use any Product Identity, including as an indication as to compatibility, except as expressly licensed in another, independent Agreement with the owner of each element of that Product Identity. You agree not to indicate compatibility or co-adaptability with any Trademark or Registered Trademark in conjunction with a work containing Open Game Content except as expressly licensed in another, independent Agreement with the owner of such Trademark or Registered Trademark. The use of any Product Identity in Open Game Content does not constitute a challenge to the ownership of that Product Identity. The owner of any Product Identity used in Open Game Content shall retain all rights, title and interest in and to that Product Identity.

(sigh)

Nostalgia marketing is fine ... to a point. And Die Cat's module is way over that point. Which is a real shame because the cover art is nice, the production values are good, and from all reports the module is a solid adventure. Now we wait with baited breath for Wizard's reaction or lack of it. Grognardia post articulates my fears quite well. I don't relish having to explain why what I write is not a rip off of Wizard's IP.

We see how this plays out.

Generations of Gamers (at least how I view it)

I been playing and refereeing roleplaying games since I was in Junior High School in 1978. I started with the Holmes Blue Book and quickly snapped up the AD&D hardbacks when they came out. I did not know about original D&D at the time. Unbelievably the summer prior to getting Holmes I was teasing for NOT playing Dungeons & Dragons. The kid in question was waving a original D&D white box at me.

So I been playing for a long time and I got to thinking about the different generations of gamers. I always felt I was part of a 2nd wave with the folks playing OD&D part of the 1st generations. I the Blackmoor and Greyhawk folks were the zeroth generation predating any publication.

When I got in roleplaying games and wargames were at the height of their popularity and even in a town of 15,000 in rural NW PA there were plenty of games to be had of both variety. I would say the 3rd generation was post Dragonlance. By then D&D was big business and the physical quality of the books were noticeably better. Although D&D fatigue was setting in among the more experienced gamers. The slack was taken up mostly by playing other genres with games like Traveller and Call of Cthulu. Around this time Battletech became the first quasi-RPG wargame to really hit big. At least in western PA.

Number of RPGs increased with a variety of complexity and focus from the zaniness of Toon, the even more zany Paranoia to the extreme customization of Champion/Hero system, and GURPS. Also licensed properties like Star Trek, Star Wars, etc were abound.

Then 2nd edition AD&D was released. Which I am sure made an easier game to learn for the newcomer but was met with mostly blah among experienced gamers. (Again from my point of view). Shortly after, the first real big sea change came into roleplaying with the release of Vampire the Masquerade by White Wolf. I would call this the 4th generation as a whole new segment of gamers came into the hobby and for the first time the ladies were well represented.

Then RPGs really took at hit with Magic the Gathering. There for a while most roleplaying was shut down as our hobby time was consumed with the card game. This was also the time of late 2nd AD&D and TSR financial woes. For a while it seemed to me that White Wolf was poised to be top dog in a shrunken RPG hobby.

Then 3rd edition D&D hit. Which inaugurated the 5th generation and had the salutatory effect of drawing in a lot of folks who given up playing D&D and RPGs. Plus the landscape of the professional and hobby side was changed with OGL and the d20 SRD. It was eerily similar to how the openness of the original IBM PC impacted the computer industry. (Something that I experienced as well)

Currently I feel we are in the 6th generation of roleplaying. 4th edition D&D broke the legacy of D&D 3.X enough to cause a new group of gamers to dominate the largest segment of the hobby. Also like the White Wolf era this is a generation that is defined by more than a D&D edition change. The Open Game License, the Internet, and Print on Demand are creating new secondary areas of the hobby.

Some might object to the dominance of D&D in how I view the generations. The simple fact that D&D been top dog since day one. The vast majority of gamers are introduced to the hobby through the various editions of D&D. Doesn't mean that it the only game in down but when it sneezes we all catch cold. When sales run hot the hobby and industry is in a boom.

As for the future the answer is pretty much as it always was. It will go to those who put in the work to create it, to those who learn from the best (and worst) of the past and continue to forge head.

Hope you enjoyed this trip down memory lane.

Stack Overflow for roleplaying games

Stack Overflow is a new style site for getting questions answered. Opened two years ago it works through anybody asking a question about programming with anybody allowing to answer. Where it differs from a forums and similar sites is the reputation system for rating questions and answers. It is highly refined compared to moderation system, exalts, and other similar systems. Some get addicted to building reputations, and those who have the highest have truly earned it. So far it proven highly effective for getting programming questions answered.

Now they opened up Stack Overflow system for just about any topic. They tried going commerical but their original approach didn't work. So they decided to make it free but with a catch. The catch before they host a site it has to go through several phases to see if it has enough interest.

Sure enough there is a site being generated for Roleplaying games. It is in the commitment phase where people promise to use it during it's beta. When enough have committed then it will open to beta. If it is used enough during beta a permanent site will open.

I think it will be highly useful to the roleplaying community to have a Stack Overflow sites dedicated to answer questions. The reputation system keep the signal noise ratio very high and I will think it work really well. So head on over and sign up so it get into beta.

Tomb

Dwayne, Tim and I had a lot fun last saturday playing various board games late into the evening. First Dwayne and I tried a few round of the Settlers of Catan card gams which was a lot of fun. Then when Tim got there we tried to deal him in but found out all the expansion Dwayne bought were for the original version. Settlers of Catan may be a great games but -1 for making a confusing set of boxes.

Well not to worry Dwayne brought a Babylon 5 board games which was a lot of fun. You build your own galaxy with the included tiles and fight it out. I played the Minbari, Dwayne the Centauri, and Tim the Earth Alliance. The first several rounds were peaceful but then Dwayne went after Tim. After a two rounds of the Centuri trashing the Earth Alliance I warned him to back off. He ignored me.

Luckily for me I had a couple of card that allowed me to rearranged the map due to spatial distortion and the like. The Centauri went down however the Earth Alliance then started to attack the Minbari!. Well the second Earth-Minbari war didn't go so well for the Minbari. It was hard fought but eventually Minbar fell and Tim won.

The last game with Tomb. Produced by AEG, you recruit parties of adventurers and go dungeon crawling. The dungeon is filled with crypts and one is open the board tells whether the player on the left or right is cryptmaster and runs the monster and adjudicates the traps. Death happens nearly every round but AEG provided a boatload of adventurers to recruit. There are cards that allow you to screw around with each other both as a player and a cryptmaster.

The game is a lot of fun and really recommend it. There is an expansion which expands on the cryptmaster side of the game. I played it too conservatively and it came down to a race between Tim and Dwayne. Dwayne won with the very last Crypt fight which nearly resulted in a TPK due to my great dice rolls.