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Post by Jim ST on Jun 8, 2016 10:00:04 GMT -5
Hey guys,
I'm not sure introductions are needed, since we all know each other. However, I wanted to chat about what I have to offer the ST Team before asking you to commit to having me be a part of it. I'm very much a story/plot/RP guy. I have little time or patience with systems and tend to fudge things in the name of narrative awesomeness. (Amber Diceless is my ideal RPG.)
That being said, I'm pretty good with ideas and coming up with ways to engage PCs, especially those more interested in plot-heavy and RP-heavy encounters rather than combat (personal or mass). In addition to the current Eastern Horizons game, I co-STed a Changeling game with Ian, Cristin Moore, and Andrew Curtain. I also ran Bloomington By Night back in the mid-90s (Vampire), but that experience is not incredibly timely. (Yes, I now realize it is possible I've just admitted to running a Vampire LARP when some of you were likely toddlers.)
Jim
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Post by Alex ST on Jun 8, 2016 10:15:16 GMT -5
I think introductions would be good since most of us haven't GMed for even run for each other before.
I consider myself a setting expert. My initial experience with Rokugan was a thesis paper for a Japense literature class on how L5R used Japanese archetypes to translate iconic Japanese stories and characters for western audiences. I've read nearly every 3rd and 4th edition l5r book cover to cover (exceptions: 3e's Enemies of the Empire and 4e's Strongholds of the Empire), most of them multiple times, as well as all the official novels (which are admittedly non-cannon) and the official web fictions (that are canon) from Diamond up through Celestial edition. I've played the CCG since 2005, participated in three ongoing larps, a handful of ongoing tabletop games, numerous one-shots, two living campaigns, and have GMed l5r more times than I can count. I was a participant in the first Winter court, the first official storyline play-by-post l5r game, and won three points for the Dragon during Race for the Throne (since we won by a single point I consider myself instrumental in that victory). I wrote three mods for the Heroes of Rokugan living campaign, all of which received wide acclaim. I've run several one-shot larps and an ongoing 7th Sea larp.
Outside of l5r, I've been gaming for close to twenty years. In college I was a president of BSFFA, which was at the time the largest college science fiction and gaming club in the US. I also interned for Fast Forward Entertainment, one of the RPG publishers created in the wake of TSR's collapse, and later did freelance work for them as well as Margaret Weiss Productions and E.N. Publishing.
My strength is setting knowledge and writing. I know the setting inside and out, and what I don't know I know where to find the answers. I also consider myself to write very good modules, particularly modules that are open to creative solutions by the PCs and incorporating those solutions into the story. I'm pretty good with mechanics, though less so towards building powerful characters (I usually use the published generic NPC stats for most of my NPCs) and more towards creating new mechanics to handle new concepts; in this my focus is always towards simplicity and elegance. My weakness is improvising; I'm not good at coming up with new ideas on the spot and I've had to learn to tell players, "Give me a minute to think about this and/or discuss it with another ST."
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Post by Jim ST on Jun 8, 2016 10:28:28 GMT -5
Thanks, Alex. You've inspired me to give a more thorough resume.
I'm also good on the setting (though not as much as Alex). I started playing the CCG back in 1998 or so (Emerald/Jade) and started with the 1st Edition of the RPG. I didn't actually play the RPG on a regular basis until HOR2, however. I've been off-again, on-again with the CCG and am pretty good on the lore, esp. the stuff up to the Four Winds period.
My strength, I believe, complements Alex's. I'm very good thinking on my feet. I've run MANY RPGs over the years and my style essentially is: "Define the World. Populate with NPCs. Turn the PCs loose and moderate how the world reacts to their actions." I'm good on big, strategic level plots and improv-style "ground-level" encounters. I've been gaming since before all of you were born (benefit of being old: saying crap like that), starting with White Box DnD in 1980 or so. As stated, I'm very narrative-focused and don't really give a crap about system/stats/etc. when I'm running. I can power-game with the best of them, but as a judge, particularly in a LARP, my philosophy is generally "If it means that much to you as a human being to succeed at this check, then so be it. Now, let's discuss the ramifications of your success..." I'm not a big note-taker and don't do a lot of "prep" for games beyond making sure I understand what is going on in the world and how NPCs will react to potential PC actions. I'm really really glad to see Resler on the list here, since I know he's a systems guy and can handle that end of it.
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Post by Resler ST on Jun 8, 2016 11:23:43 GMT -5
Hello Everyone!
Taking inspiration from the previous resumes will do something similar.
. : Background : .
I have been gaming in some form my entire life in memory thanks to a combination of my father and uncle. First with the obvious video games, computer RPGs and console RPGs and then shifting into tactic based heavy math games which eventually treed out into every other genre of game out there. Like most of us I have done everything from TCG to DnD to LARPs throughout my life. When I was 18 I was convinced by Danny and Mike to try out L5R City of Stories and have been hooked on L5R ever since.
. : Weaknesses : .
While I know enough about the setting and story to get by, I don't have a vast array of historical knowledge. I know all of the people I need to get a hold of or what books to grab to get the information, but on the fly specifc knowledge is my weakness.
I haven't run a large LARP before. While I've always wanted to give it a try, this will be my first experience. I have run many modules and assisted at other boffer LARPs running scenes and mods along with designing them. I have never been in an official staff position.
I'm generally a busy person, I will respond to things as quickly as I can, but it's best to schedule things with me so that I can give everything the proper amount of focus that it deserves.
. : Strengths : .
I break systems, it's what I do. I can't help but view a system and find its cracks and holes and expose them. Does that make me a power gamer, probably, but math is second nature to me and wanting to keep everything in tune with both flavor and balance is what I strive for and what I will bring to this game.
Improvisation, I can react on the fly very easily. It's not hard for me to keep all of the gears rolling in my head and let the players do whatever they wish in the current scene while understanding how it will impact the story as a whole. Action and consequence are easy for me to judge quickly and if I need any L5R lore, that is outside of my knowledge, I know who to ask.
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Post by Charles ST on Jun 8, 2016 13:14:11 GMT -5
I guess I should say something too, huh?
My gaming background starts with early 90's video games and onto TCG's (Yugioh and MTG in high school) but I didn't get into any sort of tabletop until 2007 when I started playing D&D. Beyond that, I moved on to the Camarilla Fan club (now the Mind's Eye Society) in 2010 and I've been larping in that club to date. It's the vampire games that got me interested in parlor style politics and backstabiness, which is one of the biggest draws to L5R with me.
In my 5 years in the Cam, I've been Domain Storyteller for the domain of Baltimore, and I've been storyteller for Mage the Awakening, Changeling the Lost, and Vampire the Requiem, with Mage being the most recent. I'm currently playing Dystopia rising and recently joined the Marshal staff for that game.
*Strengths*
WORLDBUILDING - It is my single most fun aspect of running a game, and I tend to be more excited about games where I get to control the fundamentals of the world. While most of that is done for me already with Rokugan, I look forward to breathing life into the Broken City (That sounds good. Let's go with that?)
IMPROVISATION - I'm all for pulling out whatever's necessary to move story forward on the fly and making it make sense, even if it's not right away.
DYNAMIC STORYTELLING - I prefer to let players control the development of the world once I've laid the groundwork. I leave it to players to approach or ignore plot at their whims, and escalate (or deescalate) accordingly to their actions. This also gives players room to create their own plot without my framework getting in the way of personal stories.
MEDIATION - I'm pretty adept at mediating situations between players.
*Weaknesses*
FOCUS - It's very easy for me to lose focus and start to throw out all kinds of different ideas in all different directions, rather than sticking to a plan or schedule.
SYSTEMS - Eh. I can math if I really wanted to, but I haven't had to since high school and I'm not confident I can keep up with people who are specialized in it. While I'm interested in developing systems that compliment the story we're trying to present, I'm happy to offer input and let the Mathy people do the heavy lifting.
FOCUS - No really, this is a problem.
SETTING KNOWLEDGE: I picked up L5R at 4th Ed. All I've learned of the setting is from one of the 4th ed books or learned from another player or GM at our game. I'm confident in my ability on picking up on it though, and I think I've got most of the general cultural norms down.
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Post by travislerol on Jun 20, 2016 13:55:10 GMT -5
Background...only *true* LARP I've helped run was the ol' 7th Sea larp. Have also run 50 person megagames online and similar, but that's structurally different in some regards. RPG experience is...extremely extensive, including writing and proofreading.
I'm a big fan of sandbox RPG, and my strongest aspect is crunching rule systems. I am less fantastic with setting, having never played L5R before Eastern Horizons, but I enjoy finding ways for rules to support settings, and have a deep love for making econ systems and such work correctly. If called on to do plot, I generally just improv something, but it's more satisfying to design an economy such that players scheme their way into developing plot themselves.
I'm seeing some excellent synergy here in terms of skillsets, and general convergence of goals, which strikes me as particularly awesome, looking forward to this!
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Post by timcoltharp on Jul 5, 2016 21:27:46 GMT -5
Sorry to so long to get into this. Busy with babies and vacations.
Highlights of Experience:
-- Started and ran L5R Larp "City of Stories"
-- ST for a Vampire the Requiem Larp
-- ST for 2 year Exalted game
-- ST for 2 year Pathfinder game
-- Played Living Greyhawk (Dnd 3rd), Other DnD games 2nd and 3rd, 7th Sea, Exalted 2nd and 3rd, L5R, Pathfinder, New World of Darkness (Vampire, Werewolf, Mage, and Changeling)
When I run game like to run something that is consistent with the paradigms that have been set up. But I also realize the need to be liberal in the interpretation of the paradigms. I feel that passion for a project is what is most important for an ST because it takes a lot of energy to keep games going, which I why I want to be more assisting than the one in charge.
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