"My" group...

This is a tough topic for me to discuss, but I feel like I need to address it.

There have been times during my gaming "career" where the group has been pretty thin and times where we have had an abundance or players.  We have moved all over changed jobs and marital status.  We have had health problems and argued.  As such I jealously guard admittance to our group like a bouncer at a club.  In my mind somewhere there is a price to pay to play.

Our group has its founding in our hometown during the dark times.  If you have played DND during the 90's you know what I mean.  Hiding the books, and even leading an almost double life.  Our membership has always been a dichotomy of the socioeconomic and social strata from our hometown.  We could not have been more different outside of game night.  During the game we were equal, and formed lasting bonds that have made us friends, nay, brothers for 20 years.

During our groups long history many additional members have rotated in, we have played in other groups, and played numerous other games, but we have always been at our best at the table playing DND.

For these reasons, and many more, I am pretty protective of this group, this cadre, this Band of Brothers.  I know I rub people the wrong way, or may come off as a dick, but to me this is the thing that has pulled me though every tough time and helped me celebrate the good times.  We have a fantastic group, filled with awesome players and everyone brings something unique to the table.  I have never been more proud to be a part of this group.

10 Sessions in...

After weeks of rocking the original 5 man party the group has added 2 additional players.

We now have:

A cross-dressing Elf Bard/Witch and
A swarthy Dwarven Rogue

These new players are adding new and exciting views to the mix. One of the players is bringing an almost encyclopedic knowledge of the game system to the table.  He is the GM's friend and they run Pathfinder Society games together locally. 
The other additional player is a veteran of Leviathan's 5th edition game and brings a unique flavor to his characters that only years of crushing and being crushed by the 2nd ed ruleset can bring.

While I have had my own reservations about groups getting to large and unwieldy I am trying to look at this as an opportunity to become a better player and not have to "white-knuckle" every encounter.

Thanks for reading. 

An update...

As with many gaming groups we have a pretty fluid population and game library.  Our group has just convinced a outside DM to run Rise of the Runelords for our group.  This is allowing us to all play on the same side of the screen for the first time in a very long time.  Our party has just started out and are 2 sessions in. The Company of (insert Deamortis's paladin's name) is having a blast and I can feel our synergy really taking off.

Deamortus - Human, Paladin of Erastil
Leviathan - Elven, Mage of the Hidden Visage
Rando       - Human, Cleric of Saranrae
Doesn't know - Elven, Alchemist\Anatomy Professor
Zedudicus    - Dwarven, Ranger of Erastil

Several of us have chosen the location traits and have been in contact with each other before the adventure, but others have elected for the outsider status.  Our group, now bidden as local heroes, has been taming gobbers throughout town and it has been a blast!

So, this happened...

In the last article (10,000 years ago, sorry) I was having a quandary about getting into the new version of 40k.  Well, I did.  I am the proud owner of a Space Wolf army and have paired down my Warmahordes collection to just Mercs and Trolls.  I can say that no matter how they play I am excited to assemble and paint a Space Wolf army once again.  I just finished both of the omnibus for Ragnar's story and the newer Legacy of Russ compilation.  Now I just need to put some together and learn how to play, lol. 

In other news real life has been brutal lately and I haven't gotten to play much of anything.  Hopefully the near future brings some more playtime and I can report some paint/play progress.

Warmachine Mk3 and Warhammer 40k 8th...

Let me preface this post with a statement, "I loved Warhammer 40k!".  From the moment Daemortus and Siege brought over their first armies to the moment too many Space Marine rulesets came out, I loved the lore and game.  Now that being said, the game had shifted, between 3rd and 5th edition, to a brutal competitive mindset in our meta and it just wasn't fun to play anymore, so I gave away/sold all of my 40k belongings and just walked away. 

A measly 2 years later things in life had settled a bit and I got into Warmachine and Hordes.  This was at the end of mk1 and beginning playtest for mk2.  Here was a game that was played on a smaller scale and was quick.  We had all factioned up and began playing/enjoying miniature gaming again.  The community at the time here in SGF was amazing.  The local Press Ganger was excellent and really fostered a group that could have fun.  I became a Press Ganger to help in the area and really had some wonderful times. 

That brings us to current times.  The Press Gang program has been terminated, Warmachine/Hordes has released mk3 that will be in constant playtesting, comitted to a faction release per year, and 40k has released a streamlined, seemingly playable 8th edition.  What do you do?  My favorite 40k faction has even more amazing models and playable rules.  My favorite WarmaHordes, Warmachine and Hordes, factions have been getting brutally savaged with rules changes and fundamental game mechanic changes.  I love playing WarmaHordes.  The fiction is great and the game is quick/fun to play. 

Can you be both a loyal Son of Russ and a Commander of the Kriels?

~Zedudicus

So, it has been awhile...

Gaming groups are in a constant state of flux.  There have been many factors, In my own experience, that contribute to the longevity, and success of a group.  I am going to start a series of posts about successes and failures that gaming groups go through.  These will include both personal and outside information.  I hope that any who read these posts will find some useful information about keeping groups together, or when is a good time to let a group change/die. 

Thanks as always,

~Zedudicus

State of the Gamers...

First, I would like to apologize for not keeping up with posts on this blog. 

Second, we have been having so much fun with Battletech that I didn't want to spoil it by typing anything. 

Third, I would like to talk about game stability, and how it affects both new and seasoned gamers. 

In any game and with any group you reach a point that is much like a critical mass. This mass starts its life on day one. Seasoned gamers are feeling the nostalgia high, but that is curbed by new gamers inability to pick up on the "world" in question. New gamers are excited for the game, but don't appreciate the lore. 

Each game is different but the conflict is the same. 

Responsibility for all of this, as always, falls to the GM. The balance of new material and inside humor/shared experiences is one of the most crucial and difficult parts of any game to maintain.  

Over the next couple of posts I'll be looking into what my experiences have been and what other new and seasoned GM's think. 

The Star is really coming together...

After three battles together our star of proud Jade Falcon mechwarriors has really come together. Most of us are trying new configs every session. Our new guys are really starting to pick up the basics and our veterans are getting out stride back. 

I wanted to take a minute and plug our game. The battletech universe has something for every gamer. If you want and immersive role play experience, there is the 'Time of War' RPG that details life outside of mechs. If you are looking for a massive war game there is 'Alpha Strike'.  For skirmish level games 'Classic Battletech' gives you a detailed account of the battles with more focus on squad level tactics.  The lore has to be the best part of Battletech. With the exception of the giants, dnd and 40k, there are no games that have the quantity or quality, let alone the sheer detail that Battletech does. 

While Warmahordes and DnD will always have a warm place in my heart Battletech has been and as far as I can see will always be MY game. 

Kudos to the guys...

I would like to take a moment to give thanks to the phenomenal group of guys that I game with.  I have never in my years of gaming/living heard of a group that has stuck together like us.  We have married, moved, spawned, and survived.  We still make great efforts to get together and not just game, but be each others friends.  Gaming has always been what we did, but I thank all of you for being true friends.

I'm looking forward to all of the future games!

Some sweet, sweet Birthday games!

Had some amazing game time this weekend. The guys all got together at Dirt Road Comics in Willow Springs. We played the second chapter in the sojourn that is our clan battletech campaign. Our Keshik did great and even outnumbered nearly 3 to 1 came out on top. We are using a modified version of the miniature rules. The battlemat is courtesy of Seige. Here are some of the telling pics from the game.