Modern Dispatch #108: Teamwork mechanics

I really like this one and it took me awhile to get it just right. As I was casting about for a dispatch idea, I came across this half-finished article from way back when we revised Blood and Vigilance and released the Mystic Arts book.

I always loved superhero teams. The Avengers, the X-men, Power Man-Iron Fist, even Marvel Team-up. The dynamic of multiple heroes was just cool.

So these mechanics will allow you to play out a really close-knit team, a casual team, even sworn enemies forced to work together. The closer your team is, the better you can fight or perform skill checks.

So check out Modern Dispatch #108 and I hope you like it as much as me.

Comics review: Iron Man "Armor Wars" by David Micheline

David Micheline and Bob Layton have had not one but two of the most famous runs in the history of Iron Man. Their run introduced several variants of the Iron man armor (such as the space armor and stealth armor) as well as two of Iron Man's toughest villains: Justin Hammer and alcoholism.

The "Armor Wars" tradeback collects a story arc originally called "Stark Wars" in which Stark realizes that several of the seemingly endless power-armor heroes and villains of the Marvel universe are using technology originiating from Iron Man. Technology stolen from Stark International by the villainous Spymaster.

Determined not to let his armor technology be used to kill, by a hero or a villain, Stark sets out on a campaign to take down anyone using powered armor built by his technology, one at a time.

This includes heroes, such as the Mandroids employed by SHIELD to fight supervillains and numerous villains from the criminal Raiders to two Soviet villains: Crimson Dynamo and Titanium Man.

To the authorities it looks as though Iron Man has gone rogue and to prevent lawsuits against Stark Internation, Tony "fires" his alter ego of Iron Man. As the rogue operations continue, Iron Man becomes hunted by SHIELD and is eventually expelled from the Avengers.

While not as famous as the "Demon in a Bottle" arc where Stark tackles his alcohol addiction, Armor Wars is a great look at an action-filled arc from Micheline and Layton's great run on the book. If you like powered armor heroes and villains, and let's face it, who doesn't, then this is a book you should check out.

10 Questions Mike Mearls

Mike Mearls has pretty much embodied the dream of the open gaming movement. In less than 10 years he's gone from answering open calls, to freelancer, to working on the staff of Monte Cook's Malhavoc Press, to designing for Wizards of the Coast. As someone who's seen the gaming environment from so many levels, I was thrilled to get Mike to answer my 10 questions. We've shuffled the questions somewhat because Mike's more in the print side these days, and since he's Mike, he gets a bonus question.

Thanks again for taking the time Mike, because of your unique position in the industry, I altered the questions somewhat.

1. What do you see as the next big thing in gaming?

I think the Nintendo Wii is going to kick off a whole mess of gimmicky games and game systems. The Wii looks revolutionary, and it is, but it's also the logical outgrowth of games like Dance Dance Revolution, Guitar Hero, and the various and sundry karaoke/American Idol games. These games have a key, shared trait: interaction on an intuitive, immediate, and visceral level. If you move your feet, DDR is dead simple to learn. All these games are more immersive and viscerally exciting than games played via keyboard or game pad. It's one thing to hit the X button at the right time to do something cool. It's another to thrash through Iron Man on Guitar Hero. In a game like Doom, you're always removed from the action. There's an element of immersion, but even at it's best it's no more immersive than a movie. In contrast, when you play Guitar Hero you really feel like you're playing a guitar.

2. Where do you see the PDF market in 5 years? Do you think PDFs will grow to a substantial percentage of total RPG sales?

Unless the RPG market as a whole dries up, I see PDFs only becoming more important. PDFs are one of those technologies in gaming that has a lot of space to grow. Personally, I prefer to buy adventures in PDF over print. It's so much easier printing out maps, making notes on a printed copy, and so on. I still dutifully collect Dungeon Crawl Classics in print, but adventures are just easier in electronic format.

I think PDFs will slowly replace the lower tiers of print publishing and encroach upward depending on how well companies other than WotC work their way into game stores. To really grow, the market needs a resource to sort out and rate all the releases. It's hard to keep track of everything. The interesting thing is how tightly d20 and the PDF markets are connected. It's hard to launch a whole new game in PDF. A core rulebook in PDF is a little harder to work with, but supplements and micro-books are fantastic. A single, shared system really facilitates that.

More and more, when I got into game stores, especially new ones, the RPG section is a rack of D&D books, maybe a smattering of d20 stuff, and perhaps White Wolf stuff. If that continues, I think PDFs can only continue to take advantage of that situation.

3. A lot of people seem to think computer/console RPGs and MMOs are going to do to tabletop RPGs what RPGs did to wargames. Are we seeing the end of an era?

I think it's subtler than that. I don't think RPGs killed wargames; wargames killed wargames. Simply put, historical gaming isn't that big anymore unless you're talking a console first person shooter. By the same token, WW II movies, cowboy flicks, and so on aren't as big. Today's blockbusters are SF and fantasy. Wargames never caught that market. They were too focused on simulation. Today, though, we have thriving boardgame market with plenty of fantasy and SF themed games. Wargames shrank, but Eurogames eventually took their place.

If RPGs die, I think it will be because they fail to remain relevant to Western culture. In other words, if RPGs are old and stodgy, the kids won't play them.

4. How did you get into the RPG business? What was your first job in the industry?

I got my start by simply asking for work. I was on the mailing list for the Unknown Armies RPG back in 1999. Greg Stolze and John Tynes, the games' authors, were working on a big UA supplement that needed lots of writers. I made a pitch and got my first job. From there, I kept pestering people to let me work on games. I think I mailed Stolze about once a week or so for work on the Feng Shui RPG until he finally relented.

5. If you were starting out today and decided to break into RPGs, what would be your first step?

PDFs are the place to be. They're a good way to make a name for yourself. Since everyone is looking for a way to stand out from the pack, making a name is a good way to do that. I'd think of something that I really wanted for my weekly D&D game, make it, see if I actually use and enjoy it, and then ask around to see if a publisher wanted to take it on. I'd then learn as much about PDF publishing as possible, then start my own imprint.

6. What was the first RPG you ever played?

The J. Eric Holmes edition of basic D&D, way back in 1981. I was always the DM.

7. What are you playing right now?

I'm involved in three games. I run a lunchtime 3e conversion of Against the Giants at work on Tuesdays. I just started a new campaign based on Shattered Gates of Slaughterguarde that runs on Monday nights. I play in Jason Bulmahn's Wednesday night Eberron game.

I wish I had time to run or play Shadowrun and Hollow Earth Expedition.

8. If you could snag any licensed property for an RPG, what would it be?

I've never been a fan of licensed RPGs. To twist the question, I'd love to work on a miniatures game based on Gears of War. I love that game, and I think the basic play mode would translate very well to a unique miniatures games.

9. Your career has seen you go from freelancer, to working side by side with Monte Cook, to working at Wizards of the Coast. Did you plan this? In other words, was working at Wizards always a career goal, or did that come organically as your career progressed.

The goal was always to work on D&D. It was the first RPG I played, and the one I've had the most fun with. When 3e came out, I pretty much lost my desire to invent a new RPG. I basically get to do my hobby for a living. I have no right to complain about anything ever.

There are things I'd like to do, especially with miniatures games and maybe with digital games. I'd also love to design games for younger kids, stuff in the vein of Heroscape. In my heart, I still love GI Joe action figures. That pretty much explains my miniatures workspace and my endless obsession with little army men and other toys.

10. Give me a juicy 4e rumor that I can whore out on the web as coming from a “highly placed Wizards staffer speaking on condition of anonymity” that will start flame wars like a match to kindling. Go on, you know you wanna.

Two words: collectible underpants.

Bonus Question! You’ve been on both sides of the OGL. What has it done for the hobby? Give me a positive and a negative.

I think the OGL helped ignite the PDF industry. You have an entire mass of people who all use the same rule set, giving tons of these small companies a market to go after. Without the OGL, the gaming market splinters into dozens of tiny, isolated factions. The OGL brings the majority of gamers together under the same roof, and that lets PDF publishers make 8 - 64 page books that have a viable market out there.

On the bad side, we've pretty much seen the death of the mid-tier RPG publisher. I don't think we'll ever see another time like the late 1980s and early 1990s, when we had TORG, Shadowrun, Feng Shui, Vampire, and tons of other games come out.

Thanks again Mike! Stay tuned for the next installment of 10 Questions when we interview Preston DuBose.

Comics review: Nick Fury, Agent of SHIELD tradeback

One of Marvel's most popular characters, Nick Fury's adventures have been chronicled under a variety of titles over the years. Dealing with his adventures in WWII, we have Sgt. Fury and his Howling Commandos (which I'll be reviewing later). But in the current day, Fury's a Colonel and he runs the secret superagency SHIELD (Supreme Headquarters International Espionage- Law Enforcement Division).

This group, which battles Hydra, was the first book to focus of "superagents" that I know of, thereby creating a whole new genre that has been continued in comics like GI Joe (first published by Marvel and now Devil's Due) as well as in games, with books like Aaron Allston's excellent Superagents (for the Hero system), Scott Bennie's Agents of Freedom (for Mutants and Mastermind's) and of course, my own Blood and Secrets (for d20 Modern).

Besides containing a lot of humor and adventure, this Nick Fury tradeback thus has a lot of value to gamers, especially those looking to run superagent adventures.

But the real attraction in this tradeback can be summed up in two words: Jim Steranko. This young artist, who begins the book inking the legendary Jack Kirby and ends the book as both penciller and writer, had a psychedleic style unlike anything seen in comics before (or since really).

The art is breathtaking and frequently on a huge scale, with whole page panels, and even one 4 page panorama that has to be seen to be believed.

In short, Nick Fury Agent of SHIELD should be in your collection for a multitude of reasons: an iconic character, the foundation of a great gaming genre and look at one of the best artists in the history of comics.

10 Questions Gareth Michael Skarka

This week we have Gareth Michael Skarka of Adamant Entertainment in to answer our 10 questions. Adamant Entertainment focuses on Pulp, Victorian and Superhero sourcebooks.

Shortly after this interview Gareth announced that he was taking a break from publishing because he had been diagnosed with skin cancer. Our thoughts are with Gareth and his family during this time and we hope for a speedy recovery so Gareth can get back to doing what he does best: making great games.

1. What do you see as the next big thing in gaming?

Sadly, I don't think there will be another"next big thing" in gaming....at least not "gaming" as we would recongize it. There has been a steady move further and furthertowards the mainstream of toys and games in the past few "Big Thing"cycles -- collectable cards leading to collectable figures, etc. Ithink that the next "big thing" is likely to turn out to be, inessence, a "small thing" in the overall toy and game market, ratherthan gaming-industry specific.

2. RPGNow and Drivethru recently merged. What do you think this meansfor the PDF market?

Overall, not too much, to be honest. The sites which have the most sales will still have the most sales, and smaller sites will occasionally sprout up. Some publishers will get all dramatic and claim that the sky is falling, while others will shrug and continue to produce and sell product. In the long run, it's the publishers, not the sales sites, that drive the success or failure of the PDF market. The sales sites are an incredibly important part of it, obviously, but realistically, if the largest sites disappeared entirely, one or more of the remaining sites would then take up the slack, and become the *new* largest sites. The most important thing, above everything else, are the products. As long as there is still product being released, and still demand among consumers, everything else is just details.

3. Related to question #1, where do you see PDFs specifically headedin the next year.

I expect the trend of rising sales to continue, as more and more consumers become used to the idea of digital content as entertainment media. Right now, most of our target market has grown to accept digital media in music (the proliferation of the iPod helped this immeasurably). Now, that same portability is starting to bleed into video. Broadcast networks are offering online streaming of TV shows, downloads through iTunes, etc. People are getting used to the idea of receiving their entertainment as a download. This helps the acceptability of PDF....although, in my opinion, to really take off, PDFs need to fully exploit their digital nature, and be more than just downloadable print content. It'll happen eventually.

4. Now look further into the future. Where do you see PDFs five years from now?

I expect that downloadable content will become a sizable segment of overall RPG sales -- possibly representing as high as half of all sales, if not more. This depends on several things: The accessability of a portable reader of some kind (similar to Sony's new eBook reader, but perhaps simply functionality added to a second or third generation of Apple's recently-announced iPhone -- adding "digital book reader" to the already-present functions of phone, internet browser, mp3 and video player), the strength of RPG sales in print, and whether or not PDF publishers make the effort to expand PDFs beyond merely being downloadable versions of books.

5. How did you get into the RPG business? What was your first job inthe industry?

I started working at a retailer in 1988....thenworking for a distributor. Then I started designing RPGs andself-published in 1993 ("Periphery" by Epitaph Studios). Since then,I've been freelancing for various publishers, both as a designer andas a business consultant. I started Adamant Entertainment initiallyas a design house in 2001. After we designed "Skull & Bones" forGreen Ronin, I launched it as a PDF publishing operation in 2003. Running Adamant has been my full-time occupation since 2004.

6. If you were just starting out today and were ready to try and breakinto the RPG business, what would be your first step?

To tell the truth, I would advise anyonethinking about it to think again -- most people who get into thisbusiness aren't really prepared (or interested, really) in gettinginto the business....they're just looking to be published. We really have far too many people who want to get in just as a hobby ora lark. Very few who are serious about making a professional attemptat it....and most don't honestly look at their motivations. Forpeople who just want to see their work published, I'd recommendsending product proposals to publishers who are open for submissions. Freelancing for established publishers, and learning the ropes thatway.

7. What was the first RPG you ever played?

My first RPG was TOP SECRET (the first editionby Merle Rasmussen, not the later "S.I." edition). I've been a Bondfan from childhood, and my friends gave me a copy of the game for my12th birthday. 6 months later, my family gave me a copy of the D&DBasic Set for Christmas.

8. What are you playing right now?

Currently, I'm a player in a 7th Sea campaign,and now that the new year has started, I'm getting reading to startGMing a Mutants & Masterminds campaign.

9. If you couldsnag any licensed property for an RPG, what would it be?

That's a tough one. I have three "HolyGrail" game licenses, and it would be very difficult to choose betweenthem: Doctor Who, James Bond and Buckaroo Banzai.

10. What's coming up for you? Sell me something damnit!

The two biggest things we've got coming up: We're finally going to be releasing MARS -- our swords-and-science RPGof planetary romance, designed by Lizard (who did "Iron Lords ofJupiter" in Polyhedron magazine). It will be a stand-alone rulebook,based on the d20 Modern system, and will be released in PDF, softcoverand limited edition hardcover. Later in the year, we'll be branching out from RPGs when we release anew quarterly magazine of pulp fiction, THRILLING TALES (yes, based onour acclaimed d20 pulp line). We're still ironing out details, butthe magazine will be featuring not only tales of original charactersin the pulp genre, but also new stories featuring classic longout-of-print pulp heroes and possibly a few high-profile licensedcharacters as well.

Thanks again Gareth. Check in next week when Mike Mearls and Preston Dubose will stop by to answer 10 questions.

What is Fantasci?

Once we were legends. Walking side by side with creatures of myth on farflung worlds, soaring through the skies with ease and even mounting chariots that approached the realm of the Gods themselves. For his arrogance man was struck down and the Gods’ fury scorched the world. Despite this grave punishment and the warnings of the Church of the True, there are those who persist in experimenting with machines, called “infernal tech” for weaponry and transportation. Even more disturbing to the Church are those who have embraced black magic and witchcraft. For these transgressions the Black Horde walk the land. Against these hordes heroes emerge, some using the very infernal tech the Church says has caused the Gods to visit another punishment on mankind.

Fantasci is about those who stand against the Black Horde. Heroes to the people, heretics to the church, they are the Men of Legend. The Heroes of Fantasci.

Fantasci is a fantasy role-playing game using an all-new rules light d20 set developed by Charles Rice. This RPG brings the style and flair of popular Japanese RPGs to the d20 system.

This RPG is being developed on a ransom model, meaning Chuck will begin work on the book after donations have reached the threshold of $600. Those who donate will receive access to a members-only group to shape the course of the game with Chuck. The names of each and every contributor will appear on the title page.

The game will be released as a free PDF when it is completed, meaning those who donate will have given the gift of this new and exciting RPG to the gaming world.

Comics!

I got more comics in the mail today.

Getting comics in the mail is as cool as getting pizza delivered. Pizza rocks but there's something special about it being BROUGHT to you on greasy cardboard slabs.

Comics in the mail is the exact same deal, except the cardboard is filled with styrofoam peanuts rather than being greasy.

My haul this time was rather smaller (or at least more compact) than the Big Ass 70's Comic Haul (TM). Expect reviews in the weeks to come of Marvel Masterworks Sgt. Fury, Nick Fury Agent of SHIELD (collecting Strange Tales 150-168) and Iron Man: Armor Wars.

Mmmmm.