They don't make 'em the way they used to

I'm a big fan of film noir (probably not surprising for you folks who read last week's Five Questions post), and I've recently been reading Eddie Muller's treatise Dark City during my lunch breaks. I've always admired the crispness of the dialogue (I mean, Raymond Chandler co-wrote Double Indemnity for god's sake!), the gorgeous visuals, and the wonderfully twisting plots. At any rate, I read a beautiful little haiku-like phrase from In a Lonely Place, delivered by bombshell Gloria Grahame that I thought I'd share:

I was born when you kissed me
I died when you left me
I lived a few weeks while you loved me.

You don't hear stuff like that any more in movies. What a drag.

Five Questions

Well the fever of the Interview Meme has caught me, and so I'm fielding questions from friend, meme-fiend, and fellow semi-frazzled game designer Will Hindmarch over at the Gist Mill to answer 5 questions he poses. Here's the rules:

THE RULES:
1 - Leave a comment, saying you want to be interviewed.
2 - I will respond; I'll ask you five questions.
3 - You'll update your journal with my five questions, and your five answers.
4 - You'll include this explanation.
5 - You'll ask other people five questions when they want to be interviewed.

And now....my answers.

*******************

1. Why gaming? Do you have aspirations in gaming outside of RPGs?
I got into gaming because I have stories to tell. Well, and because comics were too hard :) As a kid, I wanted nothing more than to write and draw my own comics, but I never had the discipline or guts to really push my way into the industry, though I very well might have been able to (see #4). So here I have this whole set of ideas from comics, and other musings and nothing to do with them. I had played DnD and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Other Strangeness back in middle school, and a lot of Magic: The Gathering in high school, and a lot of Necromunda, Mage , Cyberpunk 2020 and Warhammer 40,000 in college, but I never really considered combining the games with the stories.

Then Will, a friend of mine, says he's looking to start a game company, and does anyone have any ideas? So I gut one of my favorite comic stories and start converting it into a world. That was the beginning of the end. I found new focus - I started on my first RPG (which I still love working on), then moved on to Project Y to test the system of the first game. About the same time, I was recruited by a startup game company as a designer on a first person shooter called Strike Force and did that for about a year and a half.

I started Ascent Studios in the spring of 2001 as a group of folks who wanted to put out games free on the 'net to get some name recognition, working on Project Y. Will threw another monkeywrench at me and suggested I try working in d20, a new open system. So I started a conversion of Y, which was hard, and so started Project X, which eliminated some of Y's complexities as I tried to learn d20. Strike Force blew up around this time, so I started in earnest on finishing Project X. I was about half way through X when I ran into Spycraft Lite, and was so impressed (and surprised) by how similar it was systemically to X that I offered Patrick Kapera to do Project X for free as a "mod" if he would give me publicity in exchange. When we met at Gencon 2002, he saw X's conversion and hired me on the spot. The rest as they say is history.

As for other aspirations, of course. I still love wargames, and have 2 in the hopper just waiting to be finished, both of decidedly different types. I love the old Edgar Rice Burroughs' John Carter of Mars stuff would love to do a Barsoom-type skirmish game. I've also got a CCG that was pretty cool back in the day, tying directly to the first RPG I wrote...maybe one day that can hit. Video games don't really do it for me, though I wouldn't argue with the money if it was coming in. My ultimate goal, though, is to work for and/or run a successful company publishing my ideas as books, and to have 12 year olds and 30 year olds alike pick up those books and say, 'God, that's cool.' WOW is definately an objective.

2. If not Portland, then where?
Chicago, Illinois or Victoria, British Columbia. I have a secret love affair with cities, and am endlessly fascinated by them and their function. Chicago is the ultimate megalopolis in my mind, so full of history, great people, friends and mile after mile of new places to explore. It's the one place I've been to away from Portland that felt like home.

Victoria, on the other hand, is a perfect example of the life I would like to lead. The langourous pace of life there, from people driving under the speed limit to the oceanic drone of the Pacific, reminds me of why I love it out here. People are so easy-going and seem so centered on what matters - friends, living well, and being right in your head. If I could ever get a full-time freelance career going, it's the type of place I'd love to move to and just...be.

3. It's the Alex and Becky romantic dramedy; what's the final shot before the "Happily Ever After" music and the closing title card?
Probably me making some sort of idiotic face, Becky scowling at me, then both of us bursting into hysterical laughter at an old in-joke. Yes, we really are that cutsie-pie.

4. What're you ashamed of?
So many things. I'm a Catholic by nurture, so disgust at myself is pretty much the norm :) While I could say the typical answers - my body, my sloth, my inability to meet my own unreachable goals - I would say the thing I'm most ashamed of is my fear of living when I was younger. I was scared to try, and lacked the self confidence to do, and it was stupid and I missed many great things that I could have made happen. Doing what I'm doing now - starting a second career, starting a business, buying a house, investing myself in the ones I love - are proof that I have finally beat back my fear of what could happen, at least to myself. It's just a shame it took me 25 years to realize I could.

5. It's a cautionary metaphor for the fate and folly of a great civilization in the tradition of Plato's Atlantis; society either slips into the chilly deep or it roasts in the fire of industry. Eaten by a shark or baked in an oven?
Definately bake. I've an inherently cynical view on human nature and our ability to learn from the mistakes of our past. In fact, this reflects back into everything I commit to paper (or electrons), even into my games. Maybe I spent too many years as a sociology buff, or maybe I'm just a bitter egg, but it seems so clear cut to me. War, hate, avarice and pollution are our long-lasting contributions to the universe, and we remain blind to both the needs of our fellows and the world in spite of it all. I don't believe that we can ever take away enough from our progress to progress beyond the fact that we are greedy, angry, self-absorbed little monkeys struggling to control things that we never could - or should - fathom.

Feel the Love

Matt Forbeck - a personal favorite developer of mine - has posted his opinion of the d20 system over on Forbeck.com. 'Now why,' you may ask yourself, 'does Alex bring this up?' Well, lemme tellya.

A lot of people, my own players included, rag on the system - 'it's too much like a video game,' or 'it's too rigid,' or 'rule X suX0r!!' are common complaints. They claim it is the rigidty of the system, or the lack of XP awards for non-combat encounters, or simply 'that it's not 2nd ed.' But without d20, I probably wouldn't be here. d20 revived Dungeons and Dragons, and more importantly, the interest in gamers and designers in working on it. I had a lot of good ideas for games (which include Projects Y and Z), and even systems that worked for them, but only the OGL opened the market up enough to give me a chance to do my thing. Like Matt, I don't mind that most - or all - of my work has been on d20 system products. I don't think it is inflexible - hell, Spycraft resembles d20 in only passing ways now - nor do I think it has lost anything. In fact, I think it is evolving all the time and will remain a viable and valuable contribution to the gaming market for many many more years. So, to those of you who hate d20, I say 'Don't hate the game, hate the player.' I'm glad it's here.

Hooray for Boobies

So, this whole Janet Jackson thing...yeah. God it's so dumb. Now, if you were offended by this episode because it violated your comfort level or sensibilities, I respect that. What I'm railing on is the media, and people like this banker from Tenessee who tried to sue for billions in damages.

It seems the mainstream press is blind to irony: here we have what is essentially a national holiday, celebrating men beating the crap out of one another to get to a great game where they can REALLY beat the crap out of one another, but we are so squeamish that the sight of most of a breast gives us the collective heebie-jeebies. The message is clear - violence is fine, but sex (and sexuality) is not. It is OK to see a body violated by foreign objects, bleed, crushed and destroyed...but not to see it for what it is.

This carries into most of our culture, too. A movie that's gory and violent can get a PG-13 (see LoTR), but one that shows boobs is automatically R (not to mention a penis - that's solid NC-17 territory there). Look at RPGs. The Book of Erotic Fantasy and Naughty and Dice caused WotC to revise the d20 System License so that it could retroactively restrict use of the d20 System logo to a loose definition of 'decency' - potentially damaging the entire d20 movement at a point where things are not doing so hot, as publishers get cold feet. But not 4 months earlier, the Book of Vile Darkness allows all sort of demon-worshipping, needlessly violent classes and play options, including a prestige class (or was it feat?) that requires you have sex with a dead person (Lichloved). Healthy sexuality vs. sex with a walking corpse - which is more 'decent' in your opinion?

So anyway, I found this quote in Time that puts a good perspective on the whole thing, and is the most impressive commentary I've seen by the mainstream press:

"In a way, Justin and Janet did us a favor. They spelled out the subtext of the game (of football) and its surrounding culture. A culture that tells young men they can't formulate a thought deeper than "Show us your tits." A culture that pushes young women to put out for the market, then ridicules them when they do. A culture swinging between cynical sex-sells greed and moral parentalism. A culture obsessed by, and terrified of, a human organ that gives sustenance to babies. And a culture that apparently can't tell the difference between contextually appropriate nudity and a rape fantasy. By the end of Jackson and Timberlake's song, that culture was naked."

The note about violence is also a good one, and one that I hadn't considered before today. You can read the rest of the article here. I just can't wait til the FCC's mighty hammer smites the collective TV culture, which has successfully pushed the boundaries in broadcasting to make for real entertainment for grown-up adults, instead of predigested and oversanitized drek that is so devoid of flavor or meaning that it couldn't possibly bother anyone.

Cry decency, and let loose the dogs of censorship.

Deflation

What a week. I put the first draft of Mastermind to bed about a week ago today, and surprisingly, I'm reasonably satisfied with it. I guess the dent in my forehead (from banging my head against the wall, of course) was worth it...There's some fun stuff here from one of the guys responsible for this year's product most likely to amuse evil GMs - things you might not expect from a Spycraft product, and some stuff I'm sure you'll expect. Good times.

Well, Scott has come and gone after a long weekend of cramming on Project X. We made some awesome strides on X, and a few small ones on Z, and I'm feeling really good about the direction we have now. Not that I didn't before, but I have to say that having a year's experience as a working professional under your belt changes the hell out of everything. Coming back to the project not only with a stronger idea of what i want to achieve, but also by what means I will achieve it, has been an empowering experience. X is going to be big - hands down the biggest project I've ever tackled - but that no longer gives me pause. Now I'm just ready to kick the crap out of text and get it to market.

Weird Campaign Idea of the Week (Redux)

Well, I lost my last, well-thought out post, so I'll cut to the chase. I've been toying with an occassional column where I take two books and make a campaign starter that I post up here on the ol' blog. To start it up, we'll start with the two most releases in the Spycraft and Shadowforce Archer lines - the 1960's Decade Book and The Shop.

Campaign Seed: The Wolf Brigade
I'd like to start this seed by saying if you've never seen Jin-Roh: The Wolf Brigade before, you should. Directed by one of anime's great masters, K. Oshii (director of Ghost in the Shell and the Patlabor series), this tale of Japan in an alternate history is lyrical, political, violent and grim, all at the same time. The story is set between 1955 and 1965 in an occupied Japan, which is rife with social and political upheaval - like the Japan of our world, actually, though instead of an American occupation, we have a German one. An armed resistance stands against the government sponsored by the occupation, and the streets are awash of citizens of both sides. An elite unit, the Wolf Brigade - fearsome soldiers clad in menacing heavy armor and wielding machine guns, has been formed to strike back at the rebels, without mercy or failure. But now, dissent with the government's policies and disillusionment with the state of the nation is starting to seep even into the most loyal of soldiers. Who's side is everyone on, and how can these men fight for the government while still saving the soul of their proud nation?

Jin-Roh is an excellent template for playing to the strengths of each of our chosen books - the various rules for espionage climates, the detailed history and technology level of the 1960's combines well with the NPC classes, plate armor rules and general attitude of The Shop. The environment of this alternate Japan is also wide open - players could have allegiances to the Occupational Government or the Resistance, and could engage in a military campaign to crush the rebels, politic in a divided rulership, or fight the power of the Wolf Brigade, from the inside and out. The other great thing about this setting is you have a wide open political landscape - no longer are you limited by the Soviets or Americans, just your ideals and own will to fight.

To get you started, I've built sample minions for your amusement. I'm going to try to build these guys only out of the books used in this little exercise - unfortunately, I had to toss in some Soldier/Wheelman Class Guide love for the Wolf Brigade's awesome abilities with their armor and monster use of their machine guns. So without further ado:

Wolf Brigade Commandos (78 MP)[Cost is from 2 levels of contract killer (6 MP) + 8 levels of bird of prey (32 MP) + d8 vitality (15 MP) + 20 points in ability score adjustments (16 MP) + 3 feats (9 MP)]

2nd level contract killer*/8th level bird of prey**; CR 9; SZ M; v/wp: 78/16; Init +9 (+8 class, +1 Dex); Spd 30 ft.; Def 16 (+2 armor, +3 class, +1 Dex); Atk +11/12 Rheinmetall MG3 (4d4+4/+5, threat 19-20, error 1-3), +11/12 Walther PPK (2d4/+1), +13 brass knuckles (1d3+4 subdual); Face 1 square; Reach 1 square; SA None; SQ Hardsuit Mastery (retain class bonus to Defense), Heavily Armed (+10), Killer, Plate Armor, Weapon Specialization (machine guns); SV Fort +10, Ref +5, Will +3; Str 16, Dex 12, Con 16, Int 10, Wis 12, Cha 8; Skills: Balance +8, Bluff +0, Climb +6, Demoltions +5, Disguise +0, Hide +2, Intimidate +7/3, Jump +10, Knowledge (Target Character) +1, Move Silently +2, Sleight of Hand +1, Spot +10, Tumble +4; Feats: Armor Focus (Full Plate)***, Machine Gun Basics***, Machine Gun Mastery***, Point Blank Shot, Speed Trigger; Gear: Weapons, 600 rounds 7.62 ammunition, 50 rounds pistol ammunition, enhancements to armor (71 BP total); Gadgets: Full plate** armor (DR 10/-, opponents may not activate threats with weapons that do not have the AP or AD quality) with ammo drum module (800 round capacity for MG3), extended life support, standard gear (infrared goggles) (no cost due to Plate Armor class ability).

* - 1960’s Decade Book
** - The Shop Threat Book
*** - Soldier/Wheelman Class Guide

LMK if you're diggin' it.

Shameless Self-Promotion
Howdy gang,

I'm excited to announce that I've been nominated for my first professional award - Gamewyrd's "Author Most Likely to Be a Caffine-Powered Robot!" Additionally, Mark Christensen's and my book, Most Wanted, is up for "Product Most Likely to Amuse Evil GMs!" Overall, AEG and the Spycraft family of books are up for more than any awards than any other company, including the 1960's Decade Book, Stargate, The Shop, Most Wanted, and of course, yours truly! And I just discovered the exclamation point!!! Isn't that exciting!!!1

Ahem.

So, if you would be so kind, please head on over to Gamewyrd and vote for me -- and Spycraft if you're feeling generous. Thanks!