Playtesting and Parties

By "parties" I of course mean large social gatherings with food and libations and old stories told many times over and now refined and deployed to impress the largest number of potential mates and vocational opportunities by showing ourselves in the best possible light, not just the notion of an adventuring rag-tag group of misfits off to slay the dragon and protect the small local village from the wrath of the evil creature after a thousand years of terror, but of course the double meaning when coupled with playtesting also has a certain charm to it that I simply can't deny.

Playtesting the second session of 1984 Prime went well. I had some new mechanics that I wanted to try and I think they went over rather well. I took a page from the Mountain Witch, trying to get a sense of partial and mixed successes. I definitely feel that the game is improving, though I know it's far from complete. I can't stop watching how the game evolves under my eyes- I've experienced characters in stories running away from me the author, but I've never had an RPG behave the same way.

Here's an analogy that may make sense. (I can't claim it as my own; thank this guy.) Imagine that I wanted to write a game about Christopher Columbus exploring the New World. While designing the game, I found out that Portugal is really a lot neater than that pesky New World. While playing it, I've discovered that not only is the New World not all that, but the political intrigue and machinations between the royal factions back in Europe made a lot better story, with the other hemisphere acting as little more than a huge McGuffin. Once I get notes together, I'll discuss this in depth. Also expect to see an Actual Play post over on the Forge.

As for the party... life is good. Cat finally met John, Bryan, and Juli, old friends from LSU who I haven't seen in nearly a decade. We caught up, talked about old times, showed off embarrassing photos from the past, and took new ones. I need to transfer the pix from my camera, so be patient. In the near future, I expect to see John more often, bringing him into the various gaming circles and sharing restaurants, and driving down to see Bryan and Juli in Hell- er, I mean Houston. Tomorrow is Lundi Gras, then Mardi Gras. It's not too late to order a King Cake from Randazzo's or Haydel's, though you may have to wait after the Carnival season. I see that KingCake.com is shipping Next Day Air orders tomorrow early, so you'll have to hurry if you need your fix.

I nearly forgot to mention- I met an internet celebrity last night at the party. Surely you've heard about the Delta flight attendant who got fired for posting semi-provocative pictures on her blog? (Hi, Ellen!) PS: She's got a book coming out soon.

Have I mentioned lately that I am not a spokesperson for Dell and that all of my words and opinions are mine, mine, mine?