Ahh, Richard coeur de lion.Originally Posted by chirine ba kal
Shemek
Ahh, Richard coeur de lion.
Shemek
Whenever you find yourself on the side of the majority, it is time to pause and reflect.
Mark Twain
Oh, how very, very true!!!Well, as Napoleon or Frederick the Great said (depending on whom you believe): an army marches on its stomach.
I can tell you from personal experience when I was in the army, if you want to quickly piss off a bunch of Troopies either don't feed them, or bring them cold chow after promising them a hot meal, or withhold their rum rations when they are out in the field on extended ex in the middle of winter ( the good old days). Funny how things suddenly start slowing down, and all the radios suddenly don't work...
"Two this is One. Over"
"Say again. Over".
"Two this One. Over!"
"Say Again. Over" followed by a squelch....
Shemek.I had the good (?) fortune to be in when C-rations were still being issued; a lot of ours were Korean War issue, according to the dates on the boxes. It did make one think, it did. I never knew that cold C-rats were the cause of radio batteries going dead all of a sudden, but there you are. I am very, very sure that at some point the optio told the centurion that the pila were out of alignment, but that this would be fixed the next time the cookhouse was open...
Some things never, ever change.
Given Phil's continually demonstrated expertise in Crusading period warfare, I'd have never thought he'd fall for something as obvious as this. We did get him pretty well, though...
Heh, Uncle, I was thinking of doing a blog post on this just last night...so here's the basics of it
There are two meanings of "epic" among fantasy fans of today.
The word "epic" used by fans of classical fantasy means said fans expect the protagonist will fall in love, the love interest will get kidnapped by a prince, and the protagonist is going to gather an army and defeat the prince's army (or alternately, lead a rebellion, or alternately, spearhead a palace plot and perform an assassination), and then get the love interest back. (Other differences include that she'll probably be grateful).
The word "epic" used by fans of today's...let's call it fantasy, means said fans expect the protagonist will fall in love, the love interest will get kidnapped by a foreign prince, and the protagonist is going to defeat the prince's army by killing them personally, then kill the prince in personal combat, and then get the love interest back. (Other differences include that he or she'll probably meet the protagonist with "what the hell took you so long", and a snide remark on his swordplay).
Please note: it's not a "kids these days" issue. I like the former style and laugh at the latter. People older than me do the opposite.
Both kinds of fans think "the other protagonist" is not epic.
"Who is he? He couldn't save her without his army", they might say, and have said.
"Who is your guy? He's a nobody that has no connections to the setting", I have replied on occasion.
That surprises me about Phil. I guess we all want to try different stuffWhoops! Thanks for pointing this out!
I guess I'm not sure what 'epic' is supposed to be like; Phil's campaign went into a very 'epic' style - as I think the word is being used - in the 1990s where a lot of the world-setting got pushed into the background in favor of the personal advancement of the power-players of the day. Hearing the accounts of the game sessions of that time was a little odd, as the play reminded me of a lot of the gaming that had gone on in the very early days of D&D, with 300th level mages and such. It wasn't what I had liked about his campaign, the nitty-gritty of the world-setting and the ongoing background of his meta-game, and I have stayed away from that style of game-play ever since.
Early Blackmoor, in comparison, wasn't very 'epic' either. The campaign, at least into the late 1980s, was all about the adventures and mis-adventures of a bunch of people trying to keep the lid on the various perils that confronted the little seacoast town. I read the later d20 Blackmoor book, and put it back on the FLGS shelf; too much battles-with-the-gods and that kind of thing, and really far from what I'd played with Dave. Not saying right or wrong, or good or bad; just not the play style and settings that I had been playing in.
You do make a good point, I think...!
"Let me tell you something you already know. The world ain't all sunshine and rainbows. It's a very mean and nasty place, and I don't care how tough you are, it will beat you to your knees and keep you there permanently if you let it. You, me, or nobody is gonna hit as hard as life. But it ain't about how hard you hit. It's about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward; how much you can take and keep moving forward." - Rocky
Oh. Okay. I guess I think of it terms of a more 'low-level' game ' 'high-level game' difference. In the original Thursday Night Group campaign, we were relatively low-level people doing the business of empire, with a lot of engagement / 'immersion' in the setting. In the latter decades of the campaign, it was all about super-heroes saving the universe, with very little engagement with the actual world-setting.Heh, Uncle, I was thinking of doing a blog post on this just last night...so here's the basics of it
There are two meanings of "epic" among fantasy fans of today.
The word "epic" used by fans of classical fantasy means said fans expect the protagonist will fall in love, the love interest will get kidnapped by a prince, and the protagonist is going to gather an army and defeat the prince's army (or alternately, lead a rebellion, or alternately, spearhead a palace plot and perform an assassination), and then get the love interest back. (Other differences include that she'll probably be grateful).
The word "epic" used by fans of today's...let's call it fantasy, means said fans expect the protagonist will fall in love, the love interest will get kidnapped by a foreign prince, and the protagonist is going to defeat the prince's army by killing them personally, then kill the prince in personal combat, and then get the love interest back. (Other differences include that he or she'll probably meet the protagonist with "what the hell took you so long", and a snide remark on his swordplay).
Please note: it's not a "kids these days" issue. I like the former style and laugh at the latter. People older than me do the opposite.
Both kinds of fans think "the other protagonist" is not epic.
"Who is he? He couldn't save her without his army", they might say, and have said.
"Who is your guy? He's a nobody that has no connections to the setting", I have replied on occasion
That surprises me about Phil. I guess we all want to try different stuff
Fro his letters, he wasn't all that keen on it. He mostly wanted to keep the players from meddling with the timelines and story arcs he was writing about in his novels. By and large, he did succeed in that, and I think he was helped in this by the very different play style of that period.
Driving in the UK is something I warn US friends about. Driving down a country lane only one car wide and being faced by a flock of sheep and seeing the look on their face is in the words of the advert 'priceless'. I live at the edge of the New Forest in Hampshire and coming across a horse/pony, cow or a pig roaming freely about on the roads is always possible as the roads are not fenced in the National Park.
Roundabouts are the other road feature that foxes many a US tourist along with most, if not all, rentals cars having a stick shift.
It's all true, too!
I really did enjoy driving on the country roads; it gave me a real feel for the landscape, especially as I really like the Pike and Shot period. Walking through Cirencester's narrow streets reminded me of when Prince Rupert of the Rhine came to town; same sort of thing, standing in the dar park at Harlech and looking up at the mass of the castle looming over me. Or walking up that long, long slope uphill to the top of the ridge at Gettysburg on a hot summer day. It did get me thinking...
I wasn't able to find those particular stories...However, I did pick up a few volumes of Frasier's "Flashman" books at my local second hand book shop...!!! Uncle thank you for the tip!!!(Yes, and I'm writing them up.)
Well, in general, having player-characters in the trains was always good for laughs and the Glorious General pulling his hair out. They'd scamper off to investigate anything along the way, and any of the scout parties we'd send out would get tangled up in the mayhem. We'd send a squad-equivalent out to look for a well - or a good place to dig a latrine - and the PCs would find some trouble to get into. Local tribes, for whom the PCs represented unheard of wealth as well as a good meal - cannibalism is common, in Milumaniya; Mysterious ruins, just chock full of nameless horrors from beyond time and space or simply a collapsing floor; Other PCs, dropping in for an unannounced visit; you name it. Locals trying to raid the baggage train, opposing forces trying to do the same, our 'loyal allies' doing it, other legions trying to get away with 'midnight requisitions'.
May I suggest George Macdonald Frasier's "Private McAuslan" series, or his autobiographical "Quartered All Safe Out Here" for sources of adventures?
H:0)
That's just my take on it, Uncle. It's not the ultimate truth, nor do I ever pretend it is
And yes, funny enough, high-power characters are easier to drive away from stuff you don't want them to meddle with, just show them a shiny
"Let me tell you something you already know. The world ain't all sunshine and rainbows. It's a very mean and nasty place, and I don't care how tough you are, it will beat you to your knees and keep you there permanently if you let it. You, me, or nobody is gonna hit as hard as life. But it ain't about how hard you hit. It's about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward; how much you can take and keep moving forward." - Rocky
Cool! The McAuslan series, which was recently published in a single volume that had all three books in it, is one of those things that I think should be on every GM's book shelf. Worst comes to worst:
http://www.amazon.com/Complete-McAus.../dp/1602396566
And there are also his two best other books - "Quartered Safe Out Here" and "The Steel Bonnets" - as well. All three have lots of things that a GM can use either 'as is' or adapt to their campaign. Flashy's mis-adventures are also a treat; low comedy, perhaps, but fun nonetheless.
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