Happy Thanksgiving

I've been too busy to post much lately with the approaching Holiday, work and some unfortunate family stuff, but I do wish a Happy Thanksgiving to all.

Confession of a Closet Gamer

I am a closet gamer. I'm ashamed to admit it, but I am. My professional career would consist of me being teased and tormented, if I were to admit openly that I like to get together with friends, make up some non-existent personae, roll-some dice, eat some snacks and have a few brews.

It's odd and sad when it is put into perspective. After all, I also like to get together with friends and watch football or hockey. In both cases, snacks and beer are involved. It is the non-existent personae and dice rolling that hangs people up.

I'm just curious, are there other closet gamers out there, like myself, that must keep one of their cherished past times a secret to avoid ridicule?

Playing on-line, Testing the Waters

Not that I have a large following, but I am looking to scratch my gaming itch. Face-to-face is no longer possible, so I am looking at doing something on-line. I'm thinking of using Google+hangout.

If anyone is interested, let me know, or if you have suggestions, please chime in. I would also love to hear from anyone that regularly, or at least has experience with, playing in an on-line fashion, as I am a newb.

The only experience I have had is as a player in a play-by-post Tunnels and Trolls game that, sadly, seems to be dead.

My Own Sword and Sorcery Game: Part 4, Re-thinking, Re-tooling

First off, I'm embarrassed to point out that some how I got my acronym for my game wrong. I was Hell bent on calling it SAGA, for Sword and Sorcery Game Algorithm. DUH. That acronym would be SASGA. Say it with me now, "SAS-GA". Not too much of ring to it is there? So for now, I'm going with MOSS-G (My Own Sword and Sorcery Game), but I'm considering simply My S&S Game. It's not very catching, but I don't care. This isn't something I'm selling, it's just for me. Maybe, if I can do so legally, I'd give it away for free, but I have no plans of making sales.

I'm also rethinking classes. Initially, I did not want to have a spell-caster class, but now I am weebling on that issue. I'm trying to keep a strict Sword & Sorcery flavor to the game, but there really is no reason why I can't allow players to be spell-casters and maintain the S&S feel for the game that I want; however, I don't believe magic as presented in standard D&D would work.

In order for magic to work, it must be dangerous with dire consequences for failure. The trade off for that must be that IF it does work, then the results should be just as spectacular as those of failure. I need to develop a system in which it is usable, but is a last resort. Players should shudder every time they roll the dice.

I'm still firm on no Clerics. The priest as it is represented in D&D is not in my vision.