WANDERINGSBFGs and new cyberwareThe most common request for this page I receive is to had more guns and new cyberware. As you might have noticed, I haven't done any of those for a very long time now, but I've got a good reason for this: there are dozens of pages offering this. In fact, one can wonder if you could give a unique weapon from the pool of all weapons online to every single person on earth and still have some left to build up a nice little army... Making bigger guns and better cyberware seem to be the reason of being of most Shadowrun websites out there...Anyway, I don't believe anything more powerful gear to Shadowrun will improve the game in any way whatsoever -- it's already centered on power gaming enough. I mean, this is a ROLE-playing game, not a tactical simulation game, if you want the later go buy Necromunda or something. Obviously if the only fun you have playing a rpg is searching for the next bigger-better gear, then there's something you haven't understood about rpgs... CRPG aren't RPGsI believe most who play the way I just describe do so because they started playing rpgs on computer or consoles. The fact is, crpgs (computer rpgs) aren't role-playing game for the very largest part of them. I found that among the most boring type of player there can be at a table is one who believes a pen and paper rpg should be played like a Final Fantasy game. They just sit there, waiting for the background parts to finish, waiting for somebody to tell them something like "there is a city to the north-east, you might find who you are searching for there", and then doing something: going to the north-east. In fact, these players usually just wait for a combat to happen before saying anything, and when there is one, they usually say "I attack" or something as exciting. I really wonder why they play rpgs in the first place...If you want to have fun with such a player, put him in a situation where he HAS to make a decision. Don't even make it a life-or-death situation, because he'll just die or choose an obvious decision. What you do is make sure that the player has to make a decision, or he'll just stand there forever. It's kinda cruel, but pretty funny to see him trying to realise that he must do something. Don't put the character with another pc, or he may just make sure the other makes the choice instead of him... Anyway, when I did this to a Final Fantasy type of player I had in my games, I always found funny his use of dice to find a solution... Don't be shy!Recently I got a dream job for many of you reading this: I actually get paid to gm. In my two groups (this ain't a full time job, of course...), there's a big bunch of newbies. Of course, since they are newbies, and since I get paid for this, I have to give them what they want, that is a Dungeons & Dragons game with a linear story ("HERESY!" I hear you scream). Why? Because they believe Final Fantasy is a great example of a rpg, but I've alreayd talked about that. Anyway, in each group there's a guy who's shy, visibly, and who doesn't do much. For that matter, the "act, don't react" doesn't really apply to them, for I would already be happy if they would react...Of course, the game seems to be much more boring for them than for the rest of the group. Since they are less involved in the game, they feel a little separated from the rest of the group, so they don't do anythign of fear of getting laughed at or something. Ends up they feel even more shy of acting before everybody became friends after the first few games, but they got less noticed, so they feel rejected and find the game much more boring. The moral of this story? Don't be shy! Jump into the action and have fun, especially if you're a newbie! A game of rpg is an active activity (wow, that sounds bad) so you gotta get involved in it to find it fun. Of course, I'm probably saying this for nothing since shy newbies wouldn't be reading such an article in the first place... The End, for nowWell, it seems like I could go on forever on these Wanderings (seems like a good idea after all, I'd be happy to know if others think it is a good idea too)... Anyway, expect to see more of these some time in the future, unless I get awfully bad responses about it. |