Catalyst Castle

I saw these videos on YouTube the other day, and thought I would share them. A dice manufacturer at GenCon, the biggest gaming convention in the US, explains how dice are made, along with an interesting scientific explanation of so-called "lucky" and "cursed" dice. Ever wonder why you can only roll 9s and 12s all evening, and then when you pick up a different die to roll with you get a 20? Watch the videos below to find out why. Total running time of videos is about 20 minutes.

I had the pleasure of attending a costume party last Sunday evening. It was put on by Joshua and Hannah Frye. The occasion was that Josh is moving to the Miami area, and he wanted one last party with a bunch of his friends. Josh and I used to be good friends when we were around 10-12 years old. Since then we’d grown apart as our interests changed. I hadn’t done anything with him or his family in years, but it was nice of him to think of me on this occasion, and it was cool to hang out with them again.

So, first, the costumes: I went as some kind of medieval nobleman/warrior. Heather went as a medieval forest-ranger/archer. We didn’t exactly plan it that way, but our costumes matched really well. Hannah was Marie Antoinette. Josh was… something. His costume consisted of all black clothing, a black London Fog-style coat, and spiky, gray hair. When pressed for an answer as to who or what he was supposed to be, he finally answered with “Myself, 2 million years from now, when my powers have fully developed.” The rest of the costumes of the 20-or-so guests covered a wide range of characters including Don Quixote, the Invisible Man, a couple of evil clown minions, and a Zombie Caesar.


The evening was never boring, as the Fryes had 3 activities for us to do. The first activity was a Lego building contest. The party guests split into 2 groups. Each group got a bucket of Legos and 10 minutes to build something. 3 judges compared the creations for creativeness, etc. My team won, though it had little to do with me. ^_^

The second activity was an elaborate treasure hunt, which featured several well-written and well-hidden clues. The Fryes definitely have a knack for theatrics. They placed CD players in trees and on roofs playing creepy music to add mood to the night-time, out-door treasure hunt. Some of the clues were pretty challenging to find and to follow. I was very close to actually finding the treasure, but in the end, someone else beat me to it. The treasure turned out to be a wooden chest full of candy. The victors were kind enough to share. Yum!

The third activity was a costume contest. Everyone had gotten the chance to admire each others’ costumes over the course of the evening, and towards the end we all voted on which one we thought was best. Hannah won for her big, fluffy dress, and her elaborate hairdo. It was really well done. Josh told me afterwards that I was the runner-up.

Somewhere in there, there was another “activity” of sorts. While everyone was just standing around chatting, Josh suddenly put the lights out, there was a scream, and when the lights came back on one of the guests was lying on the floor pretending to be dead. Josh then moved around the room, accusing various people of the murder in an inspector-like fashion, until one of the other guests finally admitted to the murder in a dramatic/comical way. I’m not sure if all of this was staged ahead of time (the “culprit” was in on it), or if the idea was to just toss accusations around until someone came up with a funny improv confession. I really don’t know. I should probably ask. But as I write this it gives me the idea to write some simple rules for playing out such a scenario as a rules-light role-playing game. Hmm… Interesting possibilities.

Well, that’s that. It was a fun evening. I hope everything goes well for Josh in Miami, and hopefully I’ll have even more chances to cosplay in the future.

It’s been a while ago now, but I wanted to share some quick thoughts about my most recent trip to Keystone Heights, Florida. On November 8th, I went with about 20 brothers and sisters to help the congregation there cover some of their seldom-worked territory in the recent tract campaign.

Aaron and I worked with Dena O’Brian and a couple of other local sisters in rugged, rural territory. The roads were crazy! We actually had to go up and down hills in Florida! Some of the roads were only made of very loose sand, so Dena had to kick in the 4-wheel drive to get through. When the SUV started fishtailing in the sand it felt like the “Dinosaur” ride at Disney’s Animal Kingdom. It was fun. I didn’t have much success in the territory (I got to speak to a couple of Russellites, which was interesting but unproductive.), but Aaron had a good call on a man with whom he placed a tract, magazines, and a Bible Teach book.

Around noon time, the whole group met back at the O’Brians’ place and had a picknick lunch together. While the rest of the group began the 2-hour drive back to Lake Mary, Aaron and I continued in service for another few hours and then spent the night at Brian and Dena’s place. After attending their meeting the next day and going out for lunch, we headed back home. All-in-all, it was a good weekend.

I read a new manga the other day called Yotsuba&! It's a heartwarming comedy about the day-to-day adventures of a little girl named Yotsuba, as she makes friends with her neighbors, and experiences the world around her. This story comes from Kiyohiko Azuma, the creator of Azumanga Daioh. It isn't as laugh-out-load hilarious, but it has a slightly more endearing touch, and very kid friendly humor.

Yotsuba is a very lovable character. She's very zany, and absurdly naive. A swing is a foreign object to her, and she is quickly confused by an explanation of air conditioners and their impact on global warming. What's adorable is how much joy she finds in the simplest things, like rain.

It’s like her dad says about her: "She can find happiness in everything. Nothing in this world can get her down. Nothing."

Exploring the world through the eyes of such a positive character makes for an uplifting read.

Having played various role-playing games with a variety of people over the years, it’s obvious that not everyone has the same tastes and preferences when it comes to gaming. Most people seem to be looking for specific things when it comes to role-playing, rather they realize it or not. This can create tension or dissatisfaction when different people in the same role-playing group have different ideas of what constitutes fun. I’m writing this article (and one or more follow-up articles) with the purpose of exploring why we play role-playing games. I’m hoping that it will draw out some critical thinking and self reflection from my fellow role-players. By better understanding what we ourselves, and our friends, enjoy about role-playing, maybe we can build a better role-playing group in which all of us can get more enjoyment out of our games.

The first place I looked to for ideas on what to write in this article, is a web community called The Forge. On the forums there, a bunch of avid role-players and role-playing game designers really break down role-playing and make a science of the hobby. I’m not sure that such an analytical approach to role-playing is necessary, or even healthy, but some of their theories have a bearing on what I’m doing here.

In an article on The Forge, entitled “GNS and Other Matters of Role-playing Theory”, RPG designer Ron Edwards discusses, among other things, player agendas in role-playing. The article is very wordy, and features a near-doctorate level vocabulary, but if you have the patience to read the whole thing, I would recommend it. I’ll summarize some of the applicable points here.

Ron Edwards discusses something he calls GNS, which stands for Gamism, Narrativism, and Simulationism. Each of these is a term that refers to a specific mode of play which a particular player may especially enjoy. Saying that a particular player is “Gamist”, for example, just means that they typically enjoy playing in a way that involves Gamism. None of these modes of play is superior to any other, neither are they mutually exclusive. A player might enjoy a mix of play modes, but they will usually gravitate towards one over any other.

Now for an explanation of what these modes of play are:

Narrativism is expressed by the creation, via role-playing, of a story with a recognizable theme. The characters are formal protagonists in the classic Lit 101 sense, and the players are often considered co-authors. The characters, system, setting, situation, and flavor of the game provide the material for narrative conflict (again, in the specialized sense of literary analysis).

Some examples of Narrativist play might include:
Exploring the ethical ramifications of your character’s actions.
Cooperating with the other players to produce a story with real dramatic impact.

Simulationism heightens and focuses “exploration” (imagination in action, or the attention given the imagined elements) as the priority of play. The players may be greatly concerned with the internal logic and experiential consistency of their exploration of the characters, system, setting, situation, and flavor of the game.

Some examples of Simulationist play might include:
Exploring questions pertinent to the game itself, such as “What does it feel like to be an android?”, “What would it be like to fight in a war?”, “What are the nobility of this kingdom like, and how do they influence the fate of the world?”, etc.

Note that two or three of these modes of play may overlap in a particular instance of play. For example, beating the bad guys is obviously a Gamist agenda, but the act or methods of doing so may also move the plot forward in a meaningful way (Narrativism), or shed some new light on the game world (Simulationism).

Remember that, as I’ve pointed out before, these modes of play are also not mutually exclusive. Just because you enjoy beating the bad guys doesn’t mean that you aren’t interested in the story, or in exploring the game world. And just because you’re after a good story doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy besting a rival or an enemy.

Myself, I think I enjoy a variety of modes of play, but I seem to tend to gravitate towards Simulationism. I like to have a rules-system with enough detail to support my character concept in a way that makes them distinct, and outlines their specific quirks and abilities. I also like to really get inside my character’s skin and try to explore both him and his surroundings. As a GM, I love tinkering with the rules and preparing game sessions that will introduce the players to interesting aspects of the game’s setting.

So, please participate by giving this article a careful reading and giving me some feedback on it. What do you think of the GNS model? What do you think of the different modes of play? Is there one that you think you primarily enjoy? Any that you don’t particularly care for? Let me know!