[Indie-netgaming Elfs] Lord of the Rings

[Paganini]

We played Elfs. Lord of the Rings. That's all I'm gonna say. Transcript is here. Read it. Unless you're faint-hearted. Especially Ron. Remember those predictions about Granny the Green? ;)

http://web.madisontelco.com/~paganini/ElfsLog.html

[Clinton R. Nixon]

That was mad funny. I snorted aloud several times.

Question, though: I saw no actual rules used - it seemed like all freeform role-play. Was there something I missed?

[Ron Edwards]

Hi,

Actually, I thought it was sorta gross ...

Ditto on the system request - when did the dice clatter? What did you say? When did people use Dumb Luck or Low Cunning? And so on.

Best,
Ron

[greyorm]

I don't know if Nathan logs the OOC (out-of-character) channel, which is where the dice-rolls happen. And I was thinking about that myself: for a game like Elfs, the dice and interaction with the system is as much a part of the game as are the character events/results that comprise it.

So, Nathan, since I missed the game too, fill us in on how things worked and how the mechanics relate to events in the posted log, otherwise we're missing something: the log is just a "yeah, and then I...and then he...and wow, then..." sort of deal.

[Mike Holmes]

Actually, I thought it was sorta gross ...

...said the designer who's game promoted the debauched incidents. Though I suppose that it's not the fault of the handgun maker if the gun gets used to kill somebody if that's not what they intend.  :-)

Actually, I stopped by to see what it would look like, intending not to play. I created Preposterous on the spot soley with the intent of stopping some of what was going on. Came in a little too late for that actually. I gave him a 10 in Dumb Luck and just sorta Director Stanced a few events. Including getting Preposterous killed at the end of the scene so I woundn't have to play again (he wanted to get his breakfast, I wanted to have him die, well, preposterously.  :-)

Mike

P.S. all Indie Netgaming logs look like freeform as all the dice-rolling and OOC chat (and it's more voluminous than the IC stuff) occur in a separate channel (window). This makes reading up to where things are im play much easier.

[Bob McNamee]

We could always try doing the roll in the Narration window.
I've sometimes wanted to line up mechanics with in game narration...its not super easy with all the funny side chatter going on.   :>

[Paganini]

Well, Ron, Clinton, as others have pointed out, all the system stuff is handled in the OOC channel. The log is *massive,* so I'm not posting it. :)

As for specific incidents, let's see, scanning the log...

Biguns used a Dumb Luck roll to grab Granny's whisky flask (character) and spill it on her (player). Only two successes were rolled, so spilling commenced, but not grabbing. (Flask went flying... not sure what happened to it.)

I did *not* have Chris roll for Repo to bang the vomit-soaked Granny. We were all (except him) too-busy covering our eyes and trying to keep our own selves from hurling at that point.

Someone used Low Cunning to fool the Wing Raiths with the Coat Check.

Pimppin used Low Cunning to tie Kahmul's shoes together.

Pretty much everything Preposterous did was Dumb Luck, especially finding his pony. :)

Chris asked for a Low Cunning roll for the rap-off, but I said we should play it out. He made a Low Cunning roll afterwards to decide who won. :)

Travis made a Dumb Luck roll to find a smoke (character) and some papers with writing about the Ring (player).

Travis made a Dumb Luck roll to get out the window (character) knocking the Raiths down in the process (player).

James made a Dumb Luck roll to light his smoke (character) and burn the entire place down around the rappers (player). ;)

[Bob McNamee]

That was Pimppin that tried to take the Ring Raiths Cloaks for them,and set them up with some 'ladies'... using Low Cunning

[Ace]

We played Elfs. Lord of the Rings. That's all I'm gonna say. Transcript is here. Read it. Unless you're faint-hearted. Especially Ron. Remember those predictions about Granny the Green? ;)

http://web.madisontelco.com/~paganini/ElfsLog.html

I am glad you posted hat. It was funny and it was valuable in that I now know Elves isn't the sort of RPG I would enjoy

Sorry Ron, You will just have to get my money for Sorcerer instead

[Mike Holmes]

It was funny and it was valuable in that I now know Elves isn't the sort of RPG I would enjoy

ace,

Before you make that call, consider that the combination of perverts that I play with on IRC, and the temptation to do violence to Tolkien's little world probably make the example less than perfect to make your decision off of. Do look for the other actual play threads before writing it off entirely. It could be a very different game in other hands...

Mike

[C. Edwards]

I deny all knowledge of the incident.

*elbows Mike*   "You blew our cover!"

Seriously though, from other accounts and descriptions of Elfs I didn't believe that the game would be my cup of tea either.  So far, my initial observation has proven correct.  

Elfs operates with a certain level of base vulgarity (cussing, farting, screwing anything that moves, etc.) that I don't find particularly entertaining.  I grossed myself out more than a couple times during that indie-gaming session.  In a way though, that is part of the game's charm (does that make me a pervert?).  Elfs makes me feel like I'm six years old again, but with a really bad potty mouth.

Elfs isn't a game that I would play regularly but for a few sessions of low-brow humor and action, and as a break from more "serious" play, it seems to work great.  The Indie-netgaming session has been my only play experience with Elfs so far and, as Mike has already said, the game could be given a far different treatment in some other hands.

-Chris

[greyorm]

I'm going to add something I've been considering not saying, and I'm sorry if this offends anyone but: I'm glad -- very glad -- I wasn't a part of the Elfs game that night. Honestly, it was too low brow. I didn't find most of it funny...just plain stupid, gross and childish.

Elfs as a game is funny.
This session wasn't.

In fact, this session actually offended me with its over-the-top "wannabe-nigger" vibe throughout. Elfs is supposed to be "oblivious, butt-scratching, selfish-little-twerp"-style role-playing, but I don't see that here. There's a huge difference between funny and gross, and I think the group completely missed it. Reading the log, I see mostly player self-indulgence in doing disgusting things and going over-the-top with it.

Sometimes the funniest things are not the things which are described or done, but referred to round-about or achieved despite the obvious intentions of the acting character.

Here's the deal: the players should have been forcing the characters to get out of the situation and everyone else's hair immediately, using director-style privelges and the mechanics built expressely for that. Alot of Elfs charm comes from the fact that you're playing a character who wants to do everything you don't want him to do. But as you are ultimately in control, he usually doesn't get to do what he wants...and the audience knows it: it's a comedy of errors, not a comedy of fart-jokes.

Obviously, the latter come in, but they and the behavior of the Elfs is not the focus of the game, they're bizzare Color and Not-The-Point. This seemed to be abandoned in the session I'm reading here: it looks like everyone wanted their elfs to be doing exactly what they were doing.

[Paganini]

It could be a very different game in other hands...

I certainly hope so . . .

[Bob McNamee]

I think for most of us it is our first exposure to Elfs. The 'activities' was more extreme than I thought it would be at first. My thought was more a Munchkinized LotRs... its probable that we all took certain references from the game write-up and got too 'wanna-be'.

Directors stance
Pimppin is set up for Low Cunning, so I wasn't doing director stance stuff with him, but I might next time anyway.

It seemed like we were avoiding 'getting the show on the road' for creating this 'low brow color'.
Nathan said something to the effect that we didn't get as far along as he expected (we never left the Shire) this time. I think we may have fixated on the character color (funny though it sometimes was...especially the rap off), at the expense of moving along.
I know we never advanced the Gamist qualities, the focusing on 'kill stuff/ Gain coins/ spend Coins'. I'm hoping that as we head out, we can focus on the more defined combat round/treasure gain aspects. More focus on the 'adventure',in a more traditional sense (module parody).
I like the game, I also would like to see it calm down a bit into more of a parody, with hints of off-color as consequence instead of off-color as primary with adventure as secondary.
(It reminds me of my GenCon experience with Ars Magica in 1988...lots of colorful 'role-playing'... nothing much happened in hours of play...we barely got past the city gates)
That said, I enjoyed my self. I also think we got carried away with an impression of the game, and hopefully "got that out of our system"
Pimppin is supposed to be 'sleazy', but I plan to make it a comic accent, hopefully getting him in trouble (hey, he botches one of those Low Cunnings, and he's out Low Cunning for a while being genital stage)
Hopefully we will turn this game into "What would happen if the Hobbits were all a bunch of Selfish, Greedy, Violent adventurers instead of Noble, Generous, Peaceloving countryfolk?"

[Bob McNamee]

Hopefully we will turn this game into "What would happen if the Hobbits were all a bunch of Selfish, Greedy, Violent adventurers instead of Noble, Generous, Peaceloving countryfolk?"

Hopefully, we will Not continue so much of the "What would happen if the Hobbits were all a bunch of Bestial, Off-color, Sex-crazed Frat pledges."