Commodore Vic 20, ZX Spectrum, Choose Your Own Adventure and Fighting Fantasy gamebooks, copious boardgames, table-top wargames (40k, WFB and Battletech), role-playing games (Warhammer Fantasy, Call Of Cthulhu, D&D), CCG’s (Star Wars, Middle earth, Mythos, Call of Cthulhu), PC gaming and now the PS3.  I think that’s covers a lot of them.  Bound to have missed some.

I can’t say I’m a brilliant gamer, especially these days.  I’m losing more than otherwise but I can’t say I mind much.  For me if it’s a game I like, then it’s playing the game with good folks that I enjoy the most.  Of course, winning has it’s own joy… 

Recently I’ve been tanked a lot at Warhammer 40K by Graeme and his Chaos Space Marines.  I’m telling myself it’s because I’m biding my time.    more accurately I’ve been working on different tactics using different units.  Each defeat teaches me a different lesson, a different way to try to play the game.  Mostly I’ve been changing weapon load-outs and unit composition and sending them back into the fray.  (The guy over at Yes The Truth Hurts has a good attitude that losses can only make the player stronger.  Has a lot of good articles too.)

I’ve been using my Grey Knights.  I’m sure I’ve banged on about them plenty before.  We have a new codex (the army book for that force) and with it comes a whole new list of changes.  New units, new technology and new rules.  And getting used to that (and remembering the changes) has been a slow process.  I’ve not had a game for a few weeks, work hasn’t allowed it, but I might see if I can get something organised for this Thursday.  (I’m feeling lucky. )

- Alistair

Err, but wait.  Don’t I already have the fourth to sixth editions (and the D20 one released by Wizards of the Coast?)  I might have a problem here…

Part of it, other than the edition being dirt cheap, is the fascination I have of the evolution of the game.  There’s a world of difference between the first and second versions of CoC but the differences between the second down to the sixth are largely cosmetic.  Compare this to Dungeons and Dragons where there were major changes to the game system between second, third and fourth editions.  In many ways the third and fourth editions of D&D were largely miniature games with a bit of role-playing slapped on the side.

In comparison, Call of Cthulhu can seem old fashioned.  With the drive for bigger and more visually impressive console/pc rpgs, can pan and paper still survive?  And then there’s the pre-painted, collectable miniatures market.  I mentioned that D&D had gone down this route.  WotC had also produced a miniatures game based on the Star Wars franchise, to complement it’s range of Star Wars rpgs.  Then there’s the Clix games by Wizkids.  HeroClix, HorrorClix, Mechwarrior Dark Age and, of all things, HaloClix.  And by and large the WotC minis games have stumbled and Wizkids don’t seem to have learned their lesson after having closed their doors once in the last few years (the company is back up and running and producing clix games as before.  Is there even the same market for this stuff any more?)

I’ll try and catch myself there.  I can easily fall into a rant-a-thon over this crap.

Anyway, the whole point of this was to enthuse over Call of Cthulhu and publicly state that I have a serious rpg habit i’m feeding.  The first step to healing is admitting I have a problem… 

- Alistair

Well, they’ve been churning out a number of role-playing games on the licence (Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay, Dark Heresy and Rogue Trader) and the next one to join the collection is Deathwatch, where you play a member of the secretive Space Marine chapter of the same name.

I haven’t played any of the other games in the series, although I have been seriously tempted, but the release of this particular game might be the push I need to get a copy and fire up a game.  I’ve been itching to get back into role-playing, time permitting, and I think that this might make a good evenings entertainment.

Bell of Lost Souls have a quick review and a video overview of the book.

And there’s a fancy collectors edition…  Not that I’ll buy it, but just head over to the FFG site to check it out.  It sure is pretty…

- Alistair

Quality!

Of course I celebrated the occasion by attempting to gut the sty that is my study.  Getting there but it’s a second behind the priority of writing.  Had a crazy dream last night that the book was 100k in length.  So only half way there!

Joking aside, I’m really chuffed with myself.  I’ll be even more chuffed once the damn thing is finished but 50k was a line i desperately wanted to cross and now that I have I hardly look at my word count.

That can’t be a bad thing?

Oh, on a side note, with the big clear out of the study, does anyone want to buy the a complete set of the Horrorclix base set?  And the Horrorclix Great Cthulhu?  I’d even be willing to make a trade if you had Mythos or Call of Cthulhu ccg stuff you didn’t want any more.  Hey, what can I say?  A boy has to prioritize and card games are so much easier to store… 

So, no Call of Cthulhu adventure last night, but there was one last week.

The adventure – The Madman from the 6th. edition rulebook – was done in one night and almost saw Edgy (Logan Fletcher, investigative journalist) and Enzo (Montague Summers) meeting a rather unfortunate end…

Old Harny Rooger has gotten a touch eccentric. Tales are told off his involvement in mysterious rituals on hilltops and the possible involvement in goat sacrifice.

Oh dear, whatever can be done…

Enter Summers and Fletcher, the latter of whom knew a retired journalist who died mysteriously while investigating the aforementioned hilltop rituals.

Highlights of the game included Fletcher using his fake cop ID and failing every roll associated with using it. And his potential incarceration after it has been discovered as a forgery. And events leading up to that with Summers getting a bit physical with everyone on the way…

Anyway our intrepid investigators saved the day with what can only be described as the jammiest of dice rolls when dealing with Harny Rooger and a hilltop full of mi-go.

To explain, when in my teens I had extensively played Warhammer 40K (an Eldar army and a Genestealer Cult, but not at the same time), enjoyed Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay and dabbled in Warhammer Fantasy Battle (with my impressively unpainted Skaven army).

Recently I’ve been getting back into my gaming in a serious way with semi-regular Call of Cthulhu games with Guy Incognito and Charming Manipulator. Before that I spent some time playing Magic: The Gathering, Star Wars (very possibly the greatest Customisable Card Game ever produced) and Call of Cthulhu (the card game, not the role-playing game).

All good fun, but it’s just not table-top. Table-top gaming is just sooooooooooooooo much more fun. And it’s not just the playing of the game. It’s the choosing/painting/customising of the models that’s all part of it. And other forms of gaming just don’t compare.

Hey what can I say, I’m a geek…

(Quick backstory.  For ages now we have been thinking of getting into gaming of some form.  The previous week, by common consensus, we decided that horror roleplaying in the 1920′s should be given a fair chance.  I was particularly happy about this as there are loads of Cthulhu sourcebooks on my shelves, unused and annoying Ruth with their dust gathering ways.)

The first adventure was one from the back of the main rule book, The Haunting.  It’s pretty straightforward, which was ideal as none of us had done any roleplaying for years.

GI played a Freelance Journalist called Logan Fletcher and CM was an Occult Investigator called Montague Summers.

The story, for those of you who don’t know, is of a house that causes madness and/or death to its inhabitants.  The landlord is understandably upset.  After the most recent family suffered at the hands of this unknown evil, our fine detective duo were called upon to put a stop to it.

It was a slow start, with the guys getting used to the way the game is played (“no, DON’T go straight to the house!  Investigate!”) and myself taking a while longer than I expected to get re-aquainted with the rules.

Once we got in to the swing of things there were people to meet, places to go and mysteries to solve.  And the first visit to the haunted house merits special attention here…

Once our intrepid twosome were satisfied that they had a good angle on what was going on, they made for the house.  The ground floor was musty, dark and gave nothing away, the basement was checked once and a false wall was discovered and a visit to the first floor didn’t go well for Mr Fletcher.  The first bedroom from the top of the stairs once belonged to the bad guy and had been unused for a while.  And the bed from that room flew for GI’s character, knocking him though the closed window to the ground on floor down.  Heh.

A quick journey the the local hospital and they were both back the next day, this time to investigate the false wall in the basement.  Once though the false wall, beyond the rats and the second false wall they encountered and defeated the bad guy.  And there was much rejoicing…

It went well for the first adventure in many years.  We didn’t play last night as I’m still working out an adventure of my own.  Haven’t had the time recently to dedicate to it so a postponement is always better than a half-finished adventure.

The final decision was between A/State, Children Of The Sun and Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay. Preferably I would have went for A/State but it wasn’t in and Warhammer was my third choice, so CotS won through.

Last night I had a flick through the book and it seems different enough to give the players a more unique experience than they may be used to. It also helps that no-one else is familiar with the game or setting so we’re all starting on the same level.

A/State and WFR will be picked up at some point but I’m wanting to see how successful the first game or two of Children is before subjecting the group to anything else.

With any luck in the next few week I should have the start of a new gaming group.

Booze and snacks would help as well.

So I’ve got some vague ideas regarding what to run:

• Call of Cthulhu – A quality horror game in the “creeping evil” vein which can be set in the 1920′s or present day.
• Mechwarrior – Set in the Battletech universe. The system is good but the character generation is over-complicated.
• Delta Green – A Call of Cthulhu based setting in the present day. It involves U.S. Government conspiracies and Mythos-related investigations.
• Elric – Based on the Elric stories by Michael Moorcock. Doom laden fantasy.
• Children of the Sun – A dieselpunk game. Apparently bridging the gap between steampunk and cyberpunk. I don’t have this yet but I’m tempted to pick a copy up. Unfortunately the company producing this are no more so getting a copy might be difficult but I’m sure Static Games have a copy.
• Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay – Given the choice between AD&D and Warhammer, I’d pick Warhammer every time. It’s considerably darker than most fantasy games. A strong possibility.

I think I have enough potential players for two separate (and comfortably small) groups but if anyone wants a game then send your requests to the usual address. (Which I’ve just realised is no-longer on the site. Must fix that…)

Alas, no more it seems.

I’m just back from Callum’s place in the backwaters of Lenzie and I’ve just suffered two more pathetic losses.

It didn’t help that during the second game, one in which I was doing reasonably well for a while, he pulls out the following card combination: Cthulhu and Sniper Rifle. Cthulhu is bad enough (a skill of 10 and invulnerability) but adding a sniper rifle (choose and wound a character with lower skill) was just mean.

And for those who don’t know, almost all characters in the game have a lower skill than Cthulhu…

Anyway, who ever heard of Cthulhu with a rifle? It’d need to be a hell of a big rifle for a creature of over 100 ft in height to use.

Or maybe I’m just being bitter. It’s off to the card folders to come up with something new…