Saturday, July 22, 2017

#RPGaDAY 2017 - Announcing #RPGaDAY, again!

A few years ago I felt there was a negative undercurrent in our hobby. Sorry to say that, but I felt it was there, and inspired by one of those "aDay" things for bibliophiles I thought that I could try to get the world talking about tabletop RPGs in a positive and encouraging way. I know, it's sappy and you probably think I'm being ridiculous, but it's all positive and it's a bit of fun - just trying to get people talking in a good way about tabletop gaming. After all, it's a great hobby that gets us talking in person, socially, without staring at a screen. It stimulates the imagination, forms bonds and friendships that can last a lifetime, and gets you thinking outside of the box.

So, I came up with a list of 31 questions for August (GenCon month, seeing as I couldn't go and I wanted to feel involved in some way), and the internet joined in. Well, a few did, anyway. All over the world, from America to Australia, from Brazil to Berlin, people were joining in the conversation, hashtagging everything #RPGaDAY so you could see what people were saying on the various social media.

If nothing else, it got people blogging and vlogging.

The following year, I thought I'd run it again with new questions. I also managed to get cool people from the gaming industry to join in on my daily videos, and it was great.

Last year, I was a little busy. I thought about not doing it, but Anthony Boyd and the RPGBrigade stepped in and said they'd run the event for the month. It gave them some publicity (which is great, as their BrigadeCon raises money for charity) and the few posts I did do that month reached a lot further than I could alone.

So this year, while I'm not massively busy, I thought I'd let Anthony and the RPGBrigade run things again. Hopefully I'll join in as much as possible.

I recorded some video footage to join with Anthony's to announce this month's event.



You can download the infographic, brilliantly designed again by Will Brooks, from the images below... (click the images to embiggen them!!)



There's also a high definition if you it find easier to read -





More information can be found at the CastingShadowsBlog here. and check out the Facebook page here.

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Addendum:

For a plain text version if you'd prefer, here are the questions for August:


1st) What published RPG do you wish you were playing right now?
2nd) What is an RPG you would like to see published?
3rd) How do you find out about new RPGs?
4th) Which RPG have you played the most since August 2016?
5th) Which RPG cover best captures the spirit of the game?
6th) You can game every day for a week. Describe what you’d do!
7th) What was your most impactful RPG session?
8th) What is a good RPG to play for sessions of 2hrs or less?
9th) What is a good RPG to play for about 10 sessions?
10th) Where do you go for RPG reviews?
11th) Which ‘dead game’ would you like to see reborn?
12th) Which RPG has the most inspiring interior art?
13th) Describe a game experience that changed how you play.
14th) Which RPG do you prefer for open-ended campaign play?
15th) Which RPG do you enjoy adapting the most?
16th) Which RPG do you enjoy using as is?
17th) Which RPG have you owned the longest but not played?
18th) Which RPG have you played the most in your life?
19th) Which RPG features the best writing?
20th) What is the best source for out-of-print RPGs?
21st) Which RPG does the most with the least words?
22nd) Which RPGs are the easiest for you to run?
23rd) Which RPG has the most jaw-dropping layout?
24th) Share a PWYW publisher who should be charging more.
25th) What is the best way to thank your GM?
26th) Which RPG provides the most useful resources?
27th) What are your essential tools for good gaming?
28th) What film or series is the most-frequent source of quotes in your group?
29th) What has been the best-run RPG Kickstarter you have backed?
30th) What is an RPG genre-mashup you would most like to see?

31st) What do you anticipate most for gaming in 2018?

Here are the questions in French, with thanks to Sébastien ‘Nolinquisitor‘ Allard:
1) Quel JDR en circulation désiriez-vous jouer en ce moment?
2) Quel JDR aimeriez-vous voir publié?
3) De quelle façon découvrez-vous de nouveaux jeux de rôle?
4) Quel JDR avez-vous joué le plus depuis août 2016?
5) Quel JDR capture le mieux l’esprit du jeu?
6) Vous pouvez jouer tous les jours, pendant une semaine. Décrivez ce que vous faites!
7) Quelle a été la session ayant eue le plus grand impact?
8) Quel JDR est bon pour des sessions de 2 heures ou moins?
9) Quel JDR est bon pour environ 10 sessions?
10) Où allez-vous pour vos critiques de JDR?
11) Quel “jeu mort” voudriez-vous voir renaître?
12) Quel JDR possède les plus inspirantes illustrations intérieures?
13) Décrivez une expérience de jeu qui a changée votre façon de jouer.
14) Quel est votre JDR préféré pour les campagnes ouvertes et sans-fin.
15) Quel JDR aimez-vous le plus adapter et modifier?
16) Quel JDR aimez-vous utiliser tel quel?
17) Quel JDR possédez-vous depuis le plus longtemps mais que vous n’avez pas jouer?
18) Quel JDR avez vous jouer le plus dans votre vie?
19) Quel JDR présente la plus belle écriture?
20) Quelle est la meilleure source pour trouver des JDRs épuisés?
21) Quel JDR accomplit le plus avec le moins de mots?
22) Quel JDR vous est le plus facile à faire jouer?
23) Quel JDR a la mise en page la plus renversante?
24) Partagez un éditeur de “Pay What You Want” qui devrait charger plus.
25) Quelle est la meilleure façon de remercier son MJ?
26) Quel JDR offre les meilleurs ressources?
27) Quels sont vos outils essentiels pour faire une bonne partie?
28) Quel film ou série est la plus grande source de citations pour votre groupe?
29) Quel a été la campagne de financement participatif la mieux dirigée que vous avez appuyée?
30) Quel mixage de genres aimeriez-vous voir en JDR?
31) Qu’est-ce que vous anticipez le plus pour 2018?

Here are the questions in German, thanks to Michael Jaegers (click the link).

For the questions in Portuguese, click here for the list thanks to Felipe Holzmann.

Roberto Micheri  has kindly translated the questions in to Spanish (below):

Preguntas para un Juego de Rol al Día 


Agosto 1: ¿Cuál juego de rol ya publicado desearía jugar en la actualidad?

Agosto 2: ¿Cuál sería un juego de rol que le gustaría ver publicado? 
Agosto 3: ¿Cómo se entera de nuevos juegos de rol? 
Agosto 4: ¿Cuál es el juego de rol que más ha jugado desde agosto 2016?
Agosto 5: ¿Cuál portada de un juego de rol captura mejor el espíritu del juego?
Agosto 6: Puede jugar todos los días por una semana. ¡Describa lo que haría!
Agosto 7: ¿Cuál fue la sesión más impactante de un juego rol?
Agosto 8: ¿Cuál es un buen juego de rol para una sesión de 2 horas o menos?
Agosto 9: ¿Cuál es un buen juego para jugar aproximadamente 10 sesiones?
Agosto 10: ¿Donde va para reseñas de juegos de rol?
Agosto 11: ¿Cuál juego “muerto” le gustaría ver resucitado?
Agosto 12: ¿Cuál juego de rol tiene el arte interior más inspirador?
Agosto 13: Describa una experiencia en un juego de rol que cambió como juega.
Agosto 14: ¿Cuál juego de rol prefiere para una campaña sin un final definido?
Agosto 15: ¿Cuál juego de rol disfruta más modificar?
Agosto 16: ¿Cuál juego de rol disfruta tal como está escrito?
Agosto 17: ¿Cuál juego de rol ha tenido por más tiempo sin haberlo jugado?
Agosto 18: ¿Cuál juego de rol ha jugado más en su vida?
Agosto 19: ¿Cuál juego esta mejor escrito?
Agosto 20: ¿Cuál es la mejor fuente de juegos que se encuentran fuera de publicación?
Agosto 21: ¿Cuál juego de rol hace más con las menos palabras?
Agosto 22: ¿Cuáles juegos de rol son más fáciles de correr para usted?
Agosto 23: ¿Cuál libro de juego de rol tiene la diagramación más impresionante?
Agosto 24: Comparta una casa publicadora que ofrece sus productos al precio que el cliente desee pagar, pero que debería cobrar más.
Agosto 25: ¿Cuál es la mejor forma para agradecer al GM o director del juego?
Agosto 26: ¿Cuál juego de rol provee los recursos más útiles?
Agosto 27: ¿Cuáles son sus herramientas esenciales para un buen juego?
Agosto 28: ¿Cuál película o serie es la más citada en su grupo de juego?
Agosto 29: ¿Cuál ha sido la campaña de mecenazgo mejor dirigida que ha apoyado?
Agosto 30: ¿Qué combinación de géneros de juegos de rol más le gustaría ver?
Agosto 31: ¿Que anticipa mas para los juegos en el 2018?


(Hope that helps!!)


Sunday, July 16, 2017

Change, my dear. And it seems not a moment too soon...

Announcing the 13th Doctor - Jodie Whittaker
It was only to be expected - an albeit brief post about Doctor Who. Today, they revealed the new face of the Doctor, the 13th (or is it 15th?) incarnation, in the form of Jodie Whittaker. All I can say is - AWESOME!

I haven't been this excited about the future of Doctor Who since I was sat in the BBC offices with Dominic McDowall-Thomas (head of Cubicle 7) and we were given the scripts for Series 5 (Matt Smith's first series) to read in preparation of the new edition of the RPG, Doctor Who: Adventures in Time and Space (as it was then - now it's just Doctor Who The Roleplaying Game). We weren't allowed to take the scripts out of the room, but we were allowed to make notes, and I remember reading "The Eleventh Hour" thinking "This is going to be brilliant".

I remember we knew we weren't going to get through all the scripts in one day, so we split the pile randomly. I still have my notes somewhere. I remember one particular line, I was so disappointed they cut from the episode "The Beast Below" where Amy asks the Doctor what it must be like in his head. His reply was simply - "A rollercoaster of geniuses, all going Wheeeeee!!!" (or something like that - I have it written down somewhere in that notebook).

I loved Matt Smith as the Doctor, and while I thought the stories weren't as strong as his tenure gave way to Peter Capaldi, this last series (series 10, or season 36 if you're being like that) has been bloomin' brilliant. Bill (Pearl Mackie) has been a great companion, and even Nardole (Matt Lucas) has surprised me with how good he's been.

That said, Doctor Who is all about change, and the brilliant casting of Jodie Whittaker (who was great in Broadchurch, and that really haunting episode of Black Mirror - "The Entire History of You") is certainly a great change in its fifty-plus years.

I'm really excited to see what they do with her Doctor - new TARDIS? What will the companions be like? Chris Chibnall has stated it's going to be a new approach, and I'm very intrigued!

I, for one, will definitely be watching.