Elfs - First game tonight!!

[Zak Arntson]

Okay, Clinton came over to play some Elfs.  So I figure, what the hell.  We're playing Elfs so all bets are off.

So anyhow, I drank way too much (having eaten nothing for hours only aided my Elfs-playing ability) and am still trying to kick off a zillion bottles of hooch.

Okay, so, my take on Elfs.  I LOVE the game.  Maybe that's not me talking, but I had LOTS of fun.  Poor Clinton, though.  He seemed really flustered and frustrated.  It was probably the fact that my Elf was trying to play REALLY bad butt rock all the time (white snake, poison, bon jovi), and when he lost his ukelele, he went all out and got a phat beat box from the white snow elf people.  Hell yeah!  So between the "Steel horse I ride" and the Public Enemy karaoke, I think pooor Clinton had a handful.

Anyhow, Ron, you are in BIG trouble for unleashing a game like Elfs into the world.  I offer a full apology to everyone who put up with my Bon Jovi impressions.  And for my incessant refusal to stop "laying down the phat beats" and maybe look for this Tobias guy.

But the game was good.  Problems:  Under mental impairment, Clinton had to stress tons that maybe you CAN'T have your Elf play guitar like a badass, but REALLY use the hot guitar to melt the ice so people couldn't slip around.  And any rule other than rolling under say 4 didn't work.  I couldn't for the life of me, figure out that I add Low Cunning or um, the other stat to my Spunk.  I just would roll, and occasionally grab an extra die (because Clinton used some word that was unfair, I thought) to roll a 4d10 instead of 3d10.  Natch!!!

Okay, so in summary, Elfs rules, but only played ONCE, and only when played drunk.  It was the only way I could justify playing a Genital stage Griznatch Fucknugget whose with all seriousness.  I am going to scan that character sheet for you, Ron.  Just to make you feel that much worse for unleashing such a monster.

http://zaknet.tripod.com/hmouse/elfs.html

Be forewarned that the character sheet makes NO sense whatsoever and is filled with um, colorful language.  I honestly can't remember why I wrote "Frank Miller draws me" and made a point at showing everyone.  Or why "Viagra bag" is on the side.  Also, ignore the "Mad Residual Hash Effect" text.  I could tell you why I crossed out "Elfs" and wrote "Yetis" though, I think ...

Okay, so maybe the feint of heart should ignore the image.  Ron, you should have fun.

Love!




_________________
Zak
http://mailto:zak@mimir.net">zak@mimir.net
http://zaknet.tripod.com/hmouse">Harlekin Maus Games

[ This Message was edited by: Zak Arntson on 2001-09-10 00:06 ]

[Ron Edwards]

Ah Zak. "Viagra bag" OBVIOUSLY references the "little wood" item listed in your character's possessions.

Hearing about the mutilation of the dice system is painful. In Sorcerer, you roll dice equal to the score. In Elfs, 3d10. 3d10. Always, 3d10. (And I thought that was supposed to make it EASIER.) Get it right next time or I'll damage you.

Poor Clinton. Why stress? Elfs is fun to run - if a bit demanding and requiring a LOT of improvisational agility.

Best,
Ron

[Zak Arntson]

For further insight, I sobered up and wrote a semi-review in my LiveJournal:

http://www.livejournal.com/talkread.bml?itemid=10391274

On 2001-09-10 10:11, Ron Edwards wrote:
Ah Zak. "Viagra bag" OBVIOUSLY references the "little wood" item listed in your character's possessions.

I remember now ... I inhaled a bag of saltpetre.  So I needed something to fix my state of limpitude.  And that's a "little wood ukelele" thank-you-very-much.

Hearing about the mutilation of the dice system is painful. In Sorcerer, you roll dice equal to the score. In Elfs, 3d10. 3d10. Always, 3d10. (And I thought that was supposed to make it EASIER.) Get it right next time or I'll damage you.

And the rest of Elfs isn't painful?  To Clinton's credit, he ignore me half the time I rolled the dice.  My ability to play generally went, "I'm doing X" and rolling some dice and telling Clinton "I got 2 successes!" whether he knew I was doing something or not.  And how am I supposed to remember that I only roll 3d10 when I can just barely write "phat beat box"?  All I knew was that Clinton said "commiserate" or "conundrum" or something and I was so indignant I deserved another die.

Poor Clinton. Why stress? Elfs is fun to run - if a bit demanding and requiring a LOT of improvisational agility.

Well, poor Clinton for expecting Elfs to go any smoother.  Especially with my philosophy on it.  I'm not a terrific fan of Elfs.  I LOVE the mechanics, but I found that the immaturity encouraged is not funny for me.  I know that Elfs is a parody of pathetic power-gaming.  Which it does well.  For me, listening to players trying to mack on elf women makes me cringe.

[Clinton R. Nixon]

I should probably comment on all this.

a) Elfs should never be run with more than three players and a GM. Never. It's only my opinion, but I calls 'em as I sees 'em. The problem with all games I run is that either no one shows up, or like yesterday, too many people. We had a good time, no doubt, but I assumed it would be Zak, Jimmy, and two guys I didn't know. Four players is one over my normal limit, but fine by me. We ended up with Zak, Jimmy, Jerry, Justin, and two other guys whose names I can't remember. Ack. The game went poorly.

b) Everyone should have at least had the rules read to them and understand them. Really, everyone should have read them. Disorganization prevented this and the game suffered for it.

That said, it was fun. Elfs is an amazing little piece o' juvenile deliquency. I don't have much else to say except I wanted to run it once and was fully satiated. (Zak - I hope I'm allowed to GM again. I'd love to run some Demon Cops.)

[Zak Arntson]

On 2001-09-10 18:33, Clinton R Nixon wrote:
I should probably comment on all this.

There you are!!  I was worried that I had ruined you.

a) Elfs should never be run with more than three players and a GM. ... We ended up with Zak, Jimmy, Jerry, Justin, and two other guys whose names I can't remember.

Amen.  There was way too many people.  I think next time we will have to cut down on the people present.  And less beer, too.

Ack. The game went poorly.

Justin and Eric (the guy who sat next to Justin) both said they had a good time.  Not really playing Elfs, though.  Eric's fav was Munchkin.  I think Justin really liked watching me act like my little brother, who he's real good friends with.

b) Everyone should have at least had the rules read to them and understand them. Really, everyone should have read them. Disorganization prevented this and the game suffered for it.

I beg to differ on this.  While completely blotto, I couldn't remember ANY rules other than "Roll 3d10 and get under 4".  Even after calculating my Spunk + Dumb Luck I would still only be able to count successes equal or less than 4.  Maybe if the meat of the rules was written right on the character sheet.  But then, I would've crossed out 3d10 and wrote "4d10 for saying motherfucking Criminy hell yeah!!"  And then adamantly opposed rolling 3d10 ever again because, "Look at my character sheet.  4d10."

That said, it was fun. Elfs is an amazing little piece o' juvenile deliquency. I don't have much else to say except I wanted to run it once and was fully satiated. (Zak - I hope I'm allowed to GM again. I'd love to run some Demon Cops.)

Dude, after the Dying Earth game that I geek out and tell everyone the story about the eating contest ... you can ALWAYS GM.  I just hope I'm allowed to play again.  We'll just not play Elfs.  And for good measure, we'll never mention Elfs ever again.  Except to maybe ask you why I wrote "Frank Miller draws me" in big bold letters.

[Clinton R. Nixon]

On 2001-09-10 19:08, Zak Arntson wrote:

And for good measure, we'll never mention Elfs ever again.  Except to maybe ask you why I wrote "Frank Miller draws me" in big bold letters.

I honestly don't have a clue. It was, by far, though, my favorite thing about the entire game. "Frank Miller draws me." That's going on all my character sheets from now on.