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5/22/2002 Zak Arntson: Indie Gaming Monday (5/20)
[minor editing for more coherence] We played a ton of Munchkin (5 players makes the game) and played a little d20 Call of Cthulhu. It's not indie, but I've been…
In Actual Play
Participants: Zak Arntson, Clay, Mike Holmes, hardcoremoose, Balbinus, Gordon C. Landis, J B Bell, Tim Denee.

5/21/2002 Zak Arntson: Harlekin Maus May Game - Metal Opera
Alright, I've written up May's game (with art!). Metal Opera Synopsis: You play Rockers, which are the embodiment of freedom versus oppression, using their abilities to rock and kick ass.…
In Indie Game Design
Participants: Zak Arntson, Bankuei, mahoux, xiombarg, Jared A. Sorensen, RobMuadib.

5/19/2002 Zak Arntson: Everett, WA - Sorcerer Sighting
Two copies of Sorcerer in the Everett Mall's Wizards of the Coast store. I grabbed Munchkin and a Nocturnum (Call of Cthulhu) trilogy (50% off). Anyhow, I was very glad…
In Adept Press
Participants: Zak Arntson, Ron Edwards, Joe Murphy (Broin), Ace, Seth L. Blumberg, Jared A. Sorensen, Christopher Kubasik, epweissengruber, Russell Hoyle.

5/15/2002 Zak Arntson: Exisiting Focused Sim Games?
This is in Indie Game Design, because I want to find games to study and help me become a better designer. So ... I know there are tons of Sim…
In Indie Game Design
Participants: Zak Arntson, Clinton R. Nixon, Mike Holmes, contracycle, Balbinus, GreatWolf, Le Joueur.

5/14/2002 Zak Arntson: Experiment - Sim Space Station Game
Okay, for the sake of experimentation, I tried to design a game with a Sim-supportive System (Exploration of Character and Situation). And by game, I mean there's play structure involved.…
In Indie Game Design
Participants: Zak Arntson, Mike Holmes, contracycle, Balbinus, Valamir.

5/14/2002 Zak Arntson: Indie Gaming Monday, May 13 2002
Okay, we only had three participants this time (myself included). We were going to try out d20 Call of Cthulhu! It's not an Indie game, but after some emails and…
In Actual Play
Participants: Zak Arntson.

5/7/2002 Zak Arntson: Indie Gaming Monday - InSpectres Again!
Played InSpectres again. Trying to put all this talk into action. Quick synopsis: Three Players (nobody from the Forge this time), me GMing. My adventure hook was randomly picked from…
In Actual Play
Participants: Zak Arntson, Ron Edwards, Jared A. Sorensen.

5/6/2002 Zak Arntson: Pure Sim is not roleplaying
I was just reading Jared's Beeg Horseshoe Theory and thinking about my talks with him about Sim as a myth (correct me if I'm wrong, Jared!). It got me thinking…
In GNS Model Discussion
Participants: Zak Arntson, Valamir, Ron Edwards, J B Bell, Le Joueur, Jack Spencer Jr, Jared A. Sorensen, Laurel, Walt Freitag, Gordon C. Landis, Mike Holmes, xiombarg, contracycle.

4/30/2002 Zak Arntson: Indie Gaming Monday - InSpectres
Well, I had Clinton and my two brothers over for Monday Night Indie Gaming. We started with Munchkin (slow starting game, but wound up pretty awesome by the end. I…
In Actual Play
Participants: Zak Arntson, Ron Edwards, joshua neff, Paul Czege, Jared A. Sorensen, Joe Murphy (Broin), Walt Freitag, Mike Holmes.

4/11/2002 Zak Arntson: Shadows - Harlekin-Maus April Game
Took a birthday hiatus in March (though Sea Monkey RPG and In the Works on the website happened then, so I'm guiltless), and am back with an April game! Shadows,…
In Indie Game Design
Participants: Zak Arntson, hardcoremoose, Buddha Nature, Nathan, Andrew Martin, Clinton R. Nixon, Ron Edwards, Matt Steflik, Christoffer Lernö, Bob McNamee, Paganini.

4/8/2002 Zak Arntson: Book/RPG - Fantasy Wargaming
I just grabbed this from a used bookstore, and it's pretty interesting. I'm posting this in the Indie Design forum, because it'd make a good reference for how to (and…
In Indie Game Design
Participants: Zak Arntson, Valamir.

4/8/2002 Zak Arntson: S&Sword - Suggested Reading Questions
Okay, I hit the used bookstore again ... and I've got some questions on these books, which I'm hoping Ron (or someone) will be able to answer. Farewell to Lankhmar,…
In Adept Press
Participants: Zak Arntson, Ron Edwards, Robert Leal, jburneko, joshua neff.

4/3/2002 Zak Arntson: RPG in Progress - Victorian Monsters
Talking with Jared about Victorian-era Monster Roleplaying, he came upon the name SuperFiends. I am going to use this name for another game, though this game started out as SuperFiends.…
In Indie Game Design
Participants: Zak Arntson, Valamir, Matt Steflik, quozl, Blake Hutchins.

3/24/2002 Zak Arntson: Sea Monkey RPG - Zak's Published!
I didn't know which forum to stick this in, but I've finally got my Sea Monkey RPG published! It's in a bigger book, the Ultimate Guide to Sea Monkeys. It's…
In Indie Game Design
Participants: Zak Arntson, Mike Holmes, Valamir, Ron Edwards.

3/2/2002 Zak Arntson: Donjon: Apocalypse
I know Donjon isn't finished yet, but I'm already working on a Post-Apocalypse Donjon game. Play mutants! Deal with radiation! Drive cars! Blow cars up with rocket launchers! Anyhow, just…
In CRN Games
Participants: Zak Arntson, Jared A. Sorensen, Mike Holmes.

2/25/2002 Zak Arntson: Sorcerer's Soul in Lynnwood, Washington!
I saw (and bought) Sorcerer's Soul here in Lynnwood, Washinton. A store called Fantastic Games & Toys. I've been going there since um, 1980-something, and it's had the same owner…
In Adept Press
Participants: Zak Arntson, AndyGuest, Valamir, Thor Olavsrud, Ron Edwards, Mytholder, Christopher Kubasik, Noble, Robert Leal, jburneko.

2/20/2002 Zak Arntson: Donjon in Space
Okay, I don't know if Clinton or I will be writing Donjon in Space (or both of us), but it's something that will eventually happen. It's too cool not to.…
In CRN Games
Participants: Zak Arntson, Bailywolf, Grex, Valamir, gizem, xiombarg.

2/20/2002 Zak Arntson: In-Progress - Alien Descent Team
Talking with Clinton about a space-age Donjon (which might become my Donjon supplement, we'll see), coupled with an inspiring mention from Jon Morris (of Ape-Law) about "Alien school", and…
In Indie Game Design
Participants: Zak Arntson, Bailywolf, Jared A. Sorensen, Ron Edwards, Garbanzo.

2/2/2002 Zak Arntson: Divine Right - Harlekin-Maus Monthly
Okay, I've put up February's game: Divine Right. It was originally about exorcists, but then the basic Premise, "What would you sacrifice to save another," kept sticking in my…
In Indie Game Design
Participants: Zak Arntson, Ron Edwards, Fabrice G..

1/23/2002 Zak Arntson: Operant Conditioning & RPG System
Okay, my wife has a degree in Psych, so I've got a layman's view of the field. I've often thought about how gambling psychology plays into video games: The most…
In RPG Theory
Participants: Zak Arntson, hardcoremoose, Bankuei, J B Bell, Le Joueur, Laurel, Blake Hutchins, Ron Edwards.

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Subsequent Topics

6/5/2002 Zak Arntson: Indie Gaming Monday (06/03)
Not much to report. We played tons of Munchkin. First lesson: Put a cap on non-roleplaying activity. We should've given ourselves a 1 hour time limit. We then played Pantheon,…
In Actual Play
Participants: Zak Arntson.

6/5/2002 Zak Arntson: How to get (and keep) an Actual Play group
Okay, there's been some mention at http://www.indie-rpgs.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=2358 about how to get an Actual Play group playing consistently. I figured it would be better to move that particular topic over here.…
In Actual Play
Participants: Zak Arntson.

6/6/2002 Zak Arntson: Real Life InSpectre
[url]http://orlandosentinel.com/features/lifestyle/orl-livghostbuster060502jun05.story[/url] This woman screams InSpectres more than any real life ghost hunters I've ever read about.
In Memento-Mori Theatricks
Participants: Zak Arntson, Ron Edwards, Jared A. Sorensen.

6/11/2002 Zak Arntson: Chthonian - Indie Gaming Monday (6/10)
Well, spurred mostly by Clinton's evidence that there is a minority of indie play done, and by our group's dissatisfaction with d20 Call of Cthulhu, I went ahead and ran…
In Actual Play
Participants: Zak Arntson.

6/12/2002 Zak Arntson: Distribution: Email vs. Private Webpage
I'm getting close to releasing Chthonian as a small shareware via email. But would a private webpage be a better route? I know of several people who have had great…
In Publishing
Participants: Zak Arntson, Clinton R. Nixon, Ron Edwards, Cynthia Celeste Miller, Matt Gwinn, Adam, hyphz, Matt, quozl, Valamir, Mike Holmes, xiombarg, Michael Hopcroft.

6/12/2002 Zak Arntson: Using all a game's Mechanics - Designer responsibility?
Snipped from Math in games: why the stigma? I think moreso than simply math, people are inclined towards certain types of resolution(by nature, by experience, who knows?). But some folks…
In Indie Game Design
Participants: Zak Arntson, Seth L. Blumberg, Mike Holmes, Laurel, Bankuei.

6/30/2002 Zak Arntson: MonkeyWrench - Harlekin-Maus June-July game
I'm moving to bimonthly games so I can concentrate on Chthonian. Up for June-July: MonkeyWrench! It's a game about crazy, hungry and grumpy monkeys. Basically you are monkeys who've escaped…
In Indie Game Design
Participants: Zak Arntson, xiombarg.

7/12/2002 Zak Arntson: MonkeyWrench - Convention Edition
Not sure where to post this. It's kind of an experiment. I'm toying with a "Convention Edition" flier for publicity: A fully playable game that fits on one piece of…
In Publishing
Participants: Zak Arntson, Ben Morgan.

7/12/2002 Zak Arntson: MonkeyWrench Con Edition - Harlekin-Maus Game
Okay, I've totally revamped MonkeyWrench for convention play. Feel free to print up and photocopy and give away: http://www.harlekin-maus.com/cons/monkeywrench_con.html Looking at the original MonkeyWrench, here's what I found lacking and…
In Indie Game Design
Participants: Zak Arntson, Andrew Martin, Ron Edwards.

7/16/2002 Zak Arntson: Chthonian - Indie Gaming Monday (7/15)
Okay, after some Dreamcast Bomberman and general BSing, we got down to business and finished up the middle act of the Chthonian adventure. You can read the first session here.…
In Actual Play
Participants: Zak Arntson, Ron Edwards, Mike Holmes, rabidchyld.

7/17/2002 Zak Arntson: Chthonian and IIEE
I went and looked up the IIEE (Intent, Initiation, Execution, Effect) thread here. Chthonian is definitely a game where the Characters need to be reasonably competent. When a Player wishes…
In Indie Game Design
Participants: Zak Arntson, Bailywolf, rabidchyld.

7/18/2002 Zak Arntson: Order of Independent Game Forums
I don't know how important this is, but it's a feature request: Ordering the Independent Game Forums by activity. It's a judgement call on what "activity" means, but I'd love…
In Site Discussion
Participants: Zak Arntson, Jason L Blair, Ron Edwards, Mike Holmes.

7/25/2002 Zak Arntson: Promo Idea - Prizes for Reviewing
I'm not sure Publishing is the best place for it, but I'm experimenting with a way to pay for "advertising." Basically, I'm offering a 100x100 pixel icon based on a…
In Publishing
Participants: Zak Arntson, Ron Edwards, hive.

7/30/2002 Zak Arntson: Chthonian - Indie Gaming Monday (7/29)
Okay, we finally finished our Chthonian adventure, the first two parts can be found at: http://www.indie-rpgs.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=2439 http://www.indie-rpgs.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=2750 Pregame Well, I didn't have the last section of the adventure as well…
In Actual Play
Participants: Zak Arntson, rabidchyld.

7/31/2002 Zak Arntson: (Chthonian) Dilemma - Skill Scores & Character Effective
Chthonian consists of 7 Skills, currently you divide 18 points between them. These skills are Role, Aware, Stamina, Persuade, Research, Shoot and Fight. You can find the current playtest rules…
In Indie Game Design
Participants: Zak Arntson, Mike Holmes, damion, Bailywolf, Jared A. Sorensen, Valamir.

8/1/2002 Zak Arntson: Paladin Inspiration - Soul Reaver video game
It occured to me last night how similar the Soul Reaver game's world is to the default Paladin world. Only from the point of view of a semi-repentant Undying. Quick…
In CRN Games
Participants: Zak Arntson, wyrdlyng, Mike Holmes.

8/2/2002 Zak Arntson: (Chthonian) Campaign Play
[quote="Bailywolf"]Any thoughts on campaign structure? It seems brilliantly suited for one-shots....but what about something more long term? The TV model works pretty well (with source material abounding- Buffy, Angel, X-Files,…
In Indie Game Design
Participants: Zak Arntson, Valamir, Bailywolf, Ron Edwards, Blake Hutchins.

8/2/2002 Zak Arntson: Development/Release Cycles
It's frustrating to have a great game that I want to share (at the moment, it's fully playable and fun), but it seems to have so much opportunity for improvement!…
In Publishing
Participants: Zak Arntson, Jared A. Sorensen.

8/15/2002 Zak Arntson: Paladin - Inquisitor
My Indie Gaming Group is playing Paladin this coming weekend, and I've given them the choice (which I may have to make) between straight up Star Wars (with Jedi and…
In CRN Games
Participants: Zak Arntson, Valamir, Blake Hutchins, Bob McNamee.

8/20/2002 Zak Arntson: Paladin: Inquisitor (Indie Gaming Monday - 8/20)
We made characters for Paladin: Inquisitor last night. So, here's my impressions. Background for Inquisitor setting: http://www.indie-rpgs.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=3053 Step One: Background I explained the world of Paladin: Inquisitor (best summed up…
In Actual Play
Participants: Zak Arntson, Clinton R. Nixon, Ron Edwards, Bob McNamee, Mike Holmes, Henry Fitch.

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