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Fan Friday: Dungeons and Dragons!

March 1st, 2013

Hey, everyone! It’s Fan Friday again! I have to say, every Friday is a reminder of just how much nerdy stuff I like. Today is just going to be about D&D, or DnD, or Dungeons and Dragons, whatever you want to call it. I like other systems but I’ll always be a fan of D&D because it’s where I started.

If you’re not familiar with it, D&D is a form of collective storytelling in a fantasy setting. There’s usually a DM (Dungeon Master) or GM (Game Master) and the rest of the people are players controlling a single character each. The DM guides the story, monsters, traps, castles, and all that good stuff, while the player’s characters explore the world.

My group of friends started playing in high school, maybe around 2004 or 2005. The books were present for a couple of years before we sat down to play a game. Most recently, I’ve been the main DM and that’s fine for now. I really prefer to DM sessions that emphasize the idea of collective storytelling, which can only come from players with strong characters. Essentially, a DM can be firm or soft in their manipulation of the story.

A DM with a firm hand can put the player “on rails.” I’ve done that before and it rarely works for me. It gets boring for me when I know what will happen every single second. So I started experimenting with sitting back and letting players choose more of their own direction. I throw a few ideas out there and see what sticks. In a way, this requires more preparation. I need to be ready for them to pick a fight, sit around and talk, look for work, or do something truly unexpected. To me, this is fun. It’s fun for the players, too. They’re shaping the story, their story, a personal and unique story.

Which edition? I don’t know, they all have their good qualities. In recent years, my friends and I have mostly been playing 4th edition. Here’s the thing about 4e, it can get really gamey really fast. Honestly, I’ve seen game in 3.5 get the same way, though. It’s up with the DM and the players to ensure that this doesn’t happen. Burden of responsibility usually fall to the DM when it comes to generating ideas for fixing the problem, but it’s a group effort. That’s where collective storytelling shines.

I’m also a big fan of RP sessions, or at least that’s what we call them. These are sessions with roleplaying and no dice. It helps the players connect, or reconnect, with their characters. They can’t sit back and say “I attack!” and throw some dice. They need to speak, interact, and think their way out of situations. It’s great but your players need to be into it, they need to be willing to invest time in thinking of a character, much like a writer might.

As far as settings go, I love Ravenloft. I’m running a Ravenloft campaign right now and if it’s the last campaign I DM, it’s fine with me. I’ve always like it and I actually waited to start something in Ravenloft until I felt confident in my abilities as a DM. In the future, I’ll probably do Fan Friday posts about specific settings in D&D. I have a few that I really like, though some can be more challenging than others when it comes to running a session.

Now it’s your turn! Have you experienced D&D? If so, what edition or play style do you prefer? What settings do you really love? Or, if you’re not all that into D&D, what other systems do you enjoy?

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Writing Wednesday: Prisoners and Power

February 27th, 2013

It’s Writing Wednesday again here on the blog and today’s topic is about power. Specifically, I’m talking about power through the caged beast, scenes where one character is locked up, chained, bound, or otherwise detained. In all forms of storytelling, it’s worth taking note of which characters have power in any scene. Sometimes the answer is obvious, other times the answer lies beyond the obvious portrait a storyteller has given the audience.

When a character is being held against their will, it’s always important to note how they’re being detained. Right now, I’ll go ahead and use two examples from Game of Thrones (the show, though I don’t believe the show deviates from the books in this area) where Ned Stark and Jaime Lannister are prisoners. When the audience sees Ned, his eyes are squinted because of torchlight. He’s nearly blind, his voice is hoarse, and he’s incredibly thirsty. Varys comes in to speak with him and gives him water. If Ned is chained in any way, it’s not severe because he can still use his hands to drink. This is simple, Varys has all the power. He has the power to free Ned, give him water, leave him to die, or just speak with the man.

Jaime is a different animal entirely. At first, we see Jamie bound to a pole with his hands behind his back. He smiles, he’s not dying of thirst, and he makes jokes to the people keeping him prisoner. Later, we see a field of prisoners in wooden cages. However, when we see Jamie, he’s bound to another pole within the wooden cage. He smiles and jokes again while his captor tries to assert dominance. It’s even mentioned that his captor can’t leave Jamie at a castle with a trusted ally because they can’t be trusted to hold Jamie. This brings up the question of true loyalty, while showing the power Jamie has, even as a prisoner.

Jaime is an example of the caged beast. The monster that has been captured, but not broken, not controlled or tamed. We’ve seen many examples of this over the years. Recently, the movie Skyfall did a similar thing with its villain. The man was captured and placed within a small room within a larger room. The small room’s walls were clear and guards were able to see his every movement. The small cage was also elevated if I remember correctly, putting the villain on a sort of stage over his captors. We see the same thing with Magneto in the X-Men movies. He’s kept within a clear room of plastic, within a much larger room, and the only way to reach him is to cross a plastic bridge. Such extremes are meant to make the villain feel hopeless, though it rarely works. Such elaborate arrangements are made out of fear, the fear of power, the power of the villain, which is currently on display even in captivity. One can also look at The Silence of the Lambs and note the balance of power between Clarice and Hannibal

Now it’s your turn. How do you display power in your writing? When thinking about this topic, what other examples come to mind? 

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WRITING WEDNESDAY: USING PERSONAL EXPERIENCE

February 20th, 2013

Hi, everyone! It’s Writing Wednesday again and this week I’m writing about using personal experience in your stories. I decided to talk about this because it’s something I struggle with. I’ve tried many times and I haven’t really had much success with it. This is one of the reasons that I tend to stay away from writing non-fiction about my own personal experiences. Actually, it’s part of why I was hesitant to start a blog.

Right now, I’m working on a novel that requires me to dig deep into my own life. It’s fiction but I’m drawing a lot from my life. Certain people, places, and situations are inspired by things I was involved in or witnessed a few years ago. However, the story as a whole is fiction and I’ll label it as such. The title of fiction allows me to take creative license with dialogue and situations.

My difficulty with pulling from personal experience usually comes from being too close to the subject matter. Being too close to the subject matter can go in a lot of directions, so today I think I’ll focus on writing about a relationship or friendship. This is what I’m pulling from right now so I can discuss some of the challenges I’ve faced.

The difficulty with writing about something like a relationship is creating tension that brings in the reader. A common mistake when beginning to write a non-fiction piece (or pulling from personal experience for fiction) is something I’ll call “assumed importance.” The subject is important. Why? Because it happened to you. Well, that’s great but it needs to be important to the reader as well. The significance of this moment, day, month, or year needs to be shared with the reader in a way they can make their own.

I’ve worked through this issue a few different ways. The most useful technique has been to write out a whole scene or argument that I can remember. Then I let it sit for a day. When I come back, I put on my fiction glasses (they have googley eye lenses, a miner’s light, and horned, glittered, brimstone rims) and I alter things. I add things to make a point clearer but mostly I cut things. I cut the uninteresting things people tend to say but keep the stuff that sounds natural, as well as interesting. If this is near the beginning of a story, or introducing a new character, I then write down why it’s important. Not why it was important to me, but why it’s important to the narrative as a whole. Then I try to work that in near the beginning as well as I can.

To be honest, working in personal experience, especially relationship troubles with family, friends, or a significant other, takes a lot of work. It can be harder than just making it up because there’s personal attachment. Everything feels important but, in truth, not everything is important. Why do it? Well, I’ve seen people produce some really potent writing when bringing in personal experience. If you can distance yourself from the subject and treat it like a story, you’ll find that you can do the same thing.

By the way, if you’re in a fiction workshop but secretly write a non-fiction story, brace yourself for a difficult workshop. In non-fiction workshops, I’ve encountered a strong sense of respect among writers and certain subject matter. It’s non-fiction, we’re all aware that the things mentioned usually happened near the people writing about it. If you disguise your non-fiction as fiction, people won’t react the same way in a fiction workshop because they assume you’re making it all up. So, for example, if you’re writing about a relative that passed away, your classmates won’t hesitate to tell you that the character may not be relatable or likable. They’re not doing this to be mean (I hope), they’re doing it because they assume the story fiction. I’ve seen this, and things like this, happen many times over the years. It’s always heartbreaking to see someone break down over a situation like that. So that’s my warning, since I’m already talking about personal experience, fiction, and non-fiction.

Also, I should mention something else near the end here. We all drop in personal experience from our lives. Whether it’s internal struggle over doing the right thing, or a fight with a significant other, these things have a way of coming out. What I’ve written today is just about trying to consciously work in large chunks of personal experience into your writing.

Now it’s your turn, do you work personal experience into your own writing? What challenges have you encountered and what techniques do you use to overcome difficulties?

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STORY SUNDAY: SHORT STORIES, NOVELS, AND THE LAST WISH

February 18th, 2013

Hey, everyone! It’s Story Sunday again and today I’m writing about a novel called The Last Wish by Andrzej Sapkowski. I recently took part in a discussion about the differences between short stories and novels. During the discussion, someone asked about short story collections presented as a novel. Sapkowski’s novel follows this format, which led me to look at it again for this week’s Story Sunday.

The Last Wish follows a protagonist known as Geralt, a witcher. The witchers are an order of monster hunters. A witcher is trained from birth to be stronger than normal humans, they’re sterile, and they possess immunity to many different poisons. The idea the witcher order is interesting. Since they take children into the order from birth, the children never have a choice, which can lead to an interesting debate about ethics and necessity.

The book is woven together by chapters called “The Voice of Reason.” These chapters are placed between the short stories. This format establishes “The Voice of Reason” arc as the present, while the other chapters are flashbacks of Geralt’s past encounters with humans and monsters. Ultimately, you spend a lot of time looking back on Geralt’s life, which would normally be discouraged when writing a novel. However, the short story format allows the reader to feel very engaged during these flashbacks, making them an asset.

Does it work as a novel?

Yes, this book absolutely works as a novel. While it’s comprised of short stories, the stories work together to form a narrative. Each story gives the reader a glimpse into Geralt’s past. With each one the reader understands more about the protagonist, the world, the order of witchers.

Why does it work?

I think the main reason this story works has to do with Geralt as a protagonist. If a reader is interested in a protagonist, they don’t mind flashbacks into the character’s past. Furthermore, each short story plays off of an old fairy tale. This links the stories in yet another way. It gives the stories a theme that the reader can hold onto and enjoy while reading. The protagonist and the running theme are enough to tie this novel up.

Another reason I think this works so well has to do with Sapkowski’s world building. I think it’s difficult to write a great fantasy short story because so much of fantasy depends on world building. The audience actually expects world building. Bringing these short stories together unfolds the world little by little. With just one of them, I might not have a firm grasp of the world Sapkowski has created. Together, I understand the world, the character, and how these experiences have influenced one another. They take what was once episodic and bring it together as a whole.

Have you read The Last Wish? Have you read any other short story collections that are presented as a novel?

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Fan Friday: Ascension: Chronicle of the Godslayer!

February 15th, 2013

Hey, everyone! It’s Fan Friday and this week I’m talking about a fantasy themed card game called Ascension: Chronicle of the Godslayer. For those of you unfamiliar, Ascension is a deck building card game. If you don’t quite know what I’m talking about, don’t worry. Two months ago, I was also unfamiliar with the term but now I can explain the premise.

It’s 2-4 players, so a few of your friends can enjoy it as well.

With Ascension, each player begins with ten cards shuffle into a deck. You then draw five cards from your deck and that’s your hand.

In the middle of the board (yes, there’s a pretty cool looking board and it keeps everything super organized) is the main deck. This deck has things like monsters and heroes. Six cards are drawn from the top of that deck and put into the center.

Next, you use your hand to defeat monsters or acquire heroes. Heroes and other similar card go into your deck and can be used as the game progresses. For monsters killed, heroes acquired, and so on, you gain honor in the form of gems. At the end of the game (when the gems run out), whoever has acquired the most honor wins. If you think Zuko would love this game and scream “honor!” all the time, you’re right. If you didn’t catch that reference, don’t worry about it.

That’s the best and simplest explanation I can give without actually showing you the cards and playing the game. Believe me, this game is worth playing.

Why do I love it?

Art: I mentioned that it’s a fantasy themes game, right? Well the art is really great on these cards. I love card art. Honestly, I just love art. In card games or board games, I think art can make or break you. Monster, heroes, and other cards have themes attached to them. You can tell because the art is different. Color choices are different. The whole game is great and the art makes it even better.

Competition: I’ve played various tabletop and card games but this one is probably the most enjoyable one because you’re not in direct “combat” with one another. I enjoy going head to head with someone, I enjoy attacking their characters, cards, and other stuff, it can be a fun experience. However, such games usually lose their casual and fun tone. Ascension is different. You’re vanquishing monsters, acquiring cards, and gaining honor. You’re seeing who can acquire the most honor, so the game is less about the other player and more about how well you can do. At the end, you find out if you’ve done a better job than the other player. To me, it’s a casual and fun way to play.

Fair: Here’s the deal. Players start with the same cards, see all the same cards in the center area, and have equal opportunities. It’s extremely fair and even a new player can beat an experienced player if they get the hang of the game.

Price: This is debatable with anyone but I think the game is reasonably priced and the expansions are a great value for what they cost. Here’s what I really love, they’re closed sets. You can play wit just an expansion. You can add the expansion to your game. Or, you can play an expansion (2p) when you have less people and the main game when you have more (2-4p). HEre’s the other thing I love. Unlike trading card game (where card rarity is a factor), you’ll never find yourself spending big money to have the rare card that gives you an edge. It’s fair, you pay once (or more if you’re interested in expansions), but you never need to buy more. You don’t need to keep up with new sets if you enjoy the original.

Close games: I’ve had a ton of close games. Rarely have I seen someone lose by a substantial amount, maybe just once. Otherwise, I’ve seen and taken part in many close games. While you may still lose, it’s always nice to know that the game was close. On that same note, when playing multiple games, I’ve never seen someone dominate the field. The title of winner gets passed back and forth pretty regularly because the game is incredibly balanced.

Mystery: The cards you acquire are worth a certain amount of honor as well. You combine the honor you’ve acquired in gems with the honor you’ve acquired from your deck. This means that someone can have a ton of gems, but their cards aren’t worth much. If the opposing player has acquired cards with higher honor and focused less on gems, they can still win the game. You may think your winning or losing, but it’s truly a mystery until the end of the game.

Apps: That’s right, they have apps for this. Want to try it out but don’t want to make the big investment? Buy the app and see what you think. The app even teaches you how to play and then lets you play with people from around the world. It’s great, it’s reasonable, and you don’t have to shuffle a thing. Timed matches are perfect for when you only have fifteen minutes to spare.

Expansions: I love the expansions for this game! Each expansion has added something new. Buy the original, play it for a while, it’s great. Then, if you want to mix it up, check out the expansions. Each one brings something unique. Here’s something awesome, you can play expansions on their own or shuffle them into a main set. I love it, the whole game is great and the designers are truly brilliant.

Where can you find Ascension? Let me give you some links…

Main site- www.ascensiongame.com

Retailer- www.miniaturemarket.com/ascension-chronicle-of-the-godslayer.html

(and it looks like they might have a special running this week)

Actually, I’m going to stop there. Ascension’s home page has a link to Facebook, Twitter and the app store.

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