The Forge Archives

Hi,
My website is warpspawn games:
http://www.angelfire.com/games2/warpspawn/
Check it out.
I think its worthy of a forum.
I would like to move my "Be-Seen"
message board traffic to this format.
Thanks,
Lloyd

I checked out your site, and while there isn't much RPG material there, I really like the card games!  And talk about prolific...sheesh!  You put me to shame.

Sorry I haven't replied to this: I thought about it again after making a forum for Random Order Creations.

This seems odd and rather ambiguous, but to get a forum:

a) Start discussions about your games in Actual Play or Indie Game Design, depending on what you're talking about.

b) Get other people talking about them.

c) If I see 6, or 10, or some decent amount of threads all about one person's game(s), I'll make you a forum.

Unless Ron corrects me, it's pretty much a "prove yourself through discussion" atmosphere around here, which is great, as everyone has the same ability to start something.

While it looks like a funny Catch-22 on the surface:  Indie Forum gets you popularity.  Popularity can only come from Indie Forum.  Hee.

But I like the loose rule of "if it generates discussion, go for it."  I've been running Harlekin-Maus for a few months, and I announce each game on the forum.  There's a little discussion, and then it dies down pretty fast.

When I first got to the Forge, I wanted a forum for H-Maus.  But if I were to have my own section here, it probably wouldn't see a lot of posts.  I just haven't hit that critical mass of fans

You will, Zak. I like your stuff and it's only a matter of time before it takes off. You, Vincent (Lumpley), Matt, and a couple of other people are "Jared's Brigade," in my mind. I expect great things.

For all,
Clinton is right. A Forge forum is basically a matter of generating buzz here, and while that's not entirely fair, and it's WAY slow because Clinton and I have to go "duh" and actually do it, it works pretty well.

Best,
Ron

Well, this is a totally unfair comment, but...

Much of what passes for buzz around here begins and ends with an endorsement from you Ron.  The Pool was around for a while, but no one noticed (myself included) until you decided to espouse its (many, rightly deserved) virtues.  Check out the thread on RPG.net in which James posted a notification of his revision of The Pool and you'll find a paltry six or seven responses (some of them from Forge regulars like myself trying to spread the good word).  Over here it's a different story, mostly because we trust you, and you told us it was good.

I can already see the same thing happening with Kill Puppies For Satan (which I need to get a copy of, BTW).

Basically, I'm saying that your word is gold.  You can make and break games, if you want.  Maybe we shouldn't hang on your every word - and there are some self-made heroes out there, like Jared (although having a published game doesn't hurt, as I'm sure Mr. Blair can attest to) - but more than anyone else, this is your forum.  

That's alot of pressure, I know.  You couldn't possibly be expected to read and review everything that comes across these forums (although you sure seem to give it a good shot).  And there's no shortage of underdeveloped ideas out there which simply don't merit comment (I should know, as many of them are mine).  But as one Forge member to another, I can tell you that the ringing endorsement you gave WYRD meant everything to me, and I know there are others out there who feel the same way.

So there you have it.  

Take care,
Scott (who not-so-secretly hopes to join The Forge elite someday).          

Scott,

Unfortunately, much of what you've said is the case. However, I want to point out some things that, if they don't really falsify your point, certainly make the Forge a little more than just my intellectual fiefdom.

- Jared. Strictly speaking, he's not a "thing" but a person, but the point is that he's a monster of RPG innovation almost completely independent of my influence or approval.
- You (also a person). I have not played Wyrd (dammit), and it's not my endorsement that gained respect for the game - but rather the attention it drew from John. John's presence on The Forge is very important to me, not simply due to his insights but also to his "legitimizing" role for break-ins.

Overall, I would like it very much if people were NOT to wait for me to notice, play, and review a game before taking an interest in it. I'd prefer if someone popped up on the forum saying, "Hey, we played Wyrd last night and this is how it went."

So who would these people be? We already have some, notably Clinton, Paul (and the group he's in, including you, Scott), and some others. The most under-achieving forum on The Forge is Actual Play - I'd really like to see "endorsement" start arising from there, from a variety of sources, rather than being expected from me as a starting point.

Best,
Ron

Quote
You will, Zak. I like your stuff and it's only a matter of time before it takes off. You, Vincent (Lumpley), Matt, and a couple of other people are "Jared's Brigade," in my mind. I expect great things.

Hee ... Jared's Brigade.  Heck, thanks for the compliments!  I began my work directly influenced by Memento-Mori and the Forge.  I think it's taking off.  I post my initial game-idea over at livejournal (http://www.livejournal.com/users/zaka) before revmaping, putting it in H-Maus and announcing here and rpg.net.  Good formula, I think.

Quote
The most under-achieving forum on The Forge is Actual Play - I'd really like to see "endorsement" start arising from there, from a variety of sources, rather than being expected from me as a starting point.

I agree whole-heartedly.  I would like to encourage people to post their experience, lessons-learned, ideas, etc. after EVERY game they play.  I've been trying, and even if it doesn't get any comments, I'm noticing that people are reading.  So they're at least _absorbing_ the ideas and lessons I put forth.

Ron,

The point you make is one that I hoped someone would pick up on.  We should be playing games (especially our own, which I'm pretty sure you agree with), reviewing them, and generating buzz about them.  But sometimes it's harder than it seems (I myself haven't had time to playtest WYRD the way it really needs to be).  In lieu of breaking new ground, we end up playing follow the leader.

And a bit of irony regarding WYRD, John Wick, and Jared:  John may have legitimized it, but it was Jared who brought it to his attention.  So when I say that the Edwards' endorsement meant everything to me, I guess I was overdoing it a bit.  It was Jared's seal of approval that really meant everything.

Thanks again J., I owe ya'.

Take care,
Scott    

Gotta say I'd sure like to see more Actual Play threads, indie games or otherwise.  In large part I'm not getting as much out of the theory without concrete examples or my own application.

To that end, I've started an "X-games" group among my circle of gaming friends.  We're going to play a lot of narrativist games over the next couple of months, testing out rules and application of some of the core principles articulated on the forums.

We're starting with The Pool and will subsequently move on to either Everway or Story Engine, then Sorcerer and perhaps Dying Earth.  I'd like to get to Hero Wars, but I suspect that system might not lend itself well to short-run games due to the heavy grounding each character has in Gloranthan culture.  Judgment call on my part, but I'm excited to see what we accomplish with these games.  I plan to post summaries to the Actual Play forum eventually.

Best,

Blake

Blake,

Post them "eventually?" If it makes any difference, I vote for sooner.

Sounds like a great plan, all around.

Best,
Ron

Ron,

"Eventually" didn't come from a lack of intent, but from a slow process on my end.  We're meeting once per week right now, and the first two meetings have handled a discussion on the games and group goals, followed by an introduction to The Pool and the sample setting we're using for it.  At the moment, we're still in the character generation stage, which I think will resolve this weekend.  The following week we'll actually play.

Once we get a rhythm going, I think the intro-to-play ramp up time will be shorter.  Right now, there's a lot of admin stuff going on, including some weird personal/social hoops to navigate.

However, if folks are interested in following the group's progress on an installment, week-by-week basis, I'd be happy to start a thread.  Come to think of it, that angle might provide a more digestible format for readers to follow.  I'm not a fan of elephantine posts, personally.

Thoughts?

Best,

Blake

By the way, I'm guilty of looking more closely at The Pool following Ron's review, though I'd already downloaded the rules.  Concrete descriptions and evaluations of play go a long way to encouraging me to delve deeper into a particular system.

I'd have selected PAUL'S The World, the Flesh, and the Devil for X-Games, except that the need for blank dice felt like too much of a hassle for casual exploration.

Perhaps there's a risk of polluting the site with a host of a jillion sub-forums (or maybe I'm just worrying a non-issue), but a forum of "Forge Favorites" might be a convenient venue for discussion of games like The Pool and others that generate a lot of buzz but don't currently have their own folder.

Best,

Blake

[edited because I'm a cheesehead who couldn't keep his names straight -- see sniveling apology on next page]

[ This Message was edited by: Blake Hutchins on 2001-10-19 16:08 ]

Week by week! Week by week! Week by week!

Stomp stomp. Cheers and pom-poms.

Best,
Ron

P.S. More seriously, it's totally up to you. Ultimately it comes down to saying what you want to say, and taking the time to do it right. I'm not REALLY pressuring you (he said innocently).

I'd have selected Clinton's The World, the Flesh, and the Devil for X-Games, except that the need for blank dice felt like too much of a hassle for casual exploration.

Whoah! Whose http://www.123.net/~czege/WFD.html">The World, the Flesh, and the Devil? Did I put my name above the title so it wouldn't register! I need to learn how to code flashing text!!

Seriously though, I bought half-inch wooden cubes from a craft store. They were in a package of ten for $1, I think, enough for the GM's dice and WFD dice for five players.

Paul