Teori-inblick #113

• Interaction with video games as a way to explore queer gender identities – a study in progress av Mark Maletska berättar om forskning på ukrainska LGBTQIA+-spelare. https://coe-gamecult.org/2023/06/01/mark-maletska-interaction-with-video-games-as-a-way-to-explore-queer-gender-identities-a-study-in-progress/
• What is primacy of action? av Chris McDowall påminnes att förra händelser är starkare än slumptabeller och att improvisert innehold bör inte vara jättenegativ eller -positiv til rollepersonene. https://www.bastionland.com/2023/05/what-is-primacy-of-action.html

Teoriakatsaus #112

• Sly flourish’s running epic tier D&D games, kirjoittajana Michael E. Shea, esittää miten tehdä jännittävältä tuntuvia taistelukohtauksia Luolien ja lohikäärmeiden neljättä laitosta ja tasoja 21+ varten. https://slyflourish.com/sly_flourishs_running_epic_tier_dd_games.html
• Guy Brousseau, kertojina Claire Margolinas, Annie Bessot ja Jean-Luc Dorier, esittelee Guy Brousseaun matemaattisten tilanteiden teoriaa, joka muistuttaa kovasti pelitilaa ja pelin oppimista, kun jotkut päätökset siinä automatisoituvat. https://www.mathunion.org/icmi/awards/amor/guy-brousseau-unit

Theory review #111

• (J)RPGs, orientalism, and the usefulness of theory by Emil Lundedal Hammar explains the (mis)use of the concept of linearity in the criticism of Japanese video games. https://coe-gamecult.org/2023/05/17/emil-lundedal-hammar-jrpgs-orientalism-and-the-usefulness-of-theory/
• The lazy dungeon master by Mike Shea argues for planning for modern D&D, mostly D&D 4, in terms of thinking what some non-player characters are up to and creating combat encounters by reskinning existing encounters and creatures. The book can be read as intuitive continuity or as the game events being caused by NPC and PC actions. In the end there are short interviews which are of varied quality. https://slyflourish.com/the_lazy_dungeon_master_cc.html
• Sly flourish’s dungeon master tips by Michael E. Shea provides standard tips for running D&D 4. https://slyflourish.com/dm_tips_ebook.html

Teori-indblik #110

• Playing research: Methodological approaches to game analysis af Espen Aarseth fortæller om forskellige metoder i spilanalyse. https://web.archive.org/web/20060215104353id_/http://w3c.rmit.edu.au:80/dac/papers/Aarseth.pdf
• Paranoia 2nd edition ser på spillet som et komedispil og kommentar på andre rollespil. https://www.laenestolsrollespil.dk/2018/09/11/paranoia-2nd-edition/
• One D&D – Participatory culture or a mediatized marketing strategy? af Ville Kankainen drøfter transmedia-sider af den nye D&D-udgave. https://coe-gamecult.org/2023/05/11/ville-kankainen-one-dd-participatory-culture-or-a-mediatized-marketing-strategy/

Teoriakatsaus #109

• Games of fear kertoo mistä pelko johtuu ja miltä se tuntuu. Kutunluun kutsu saa pintapuolisia mainintoja. https://delaporemedia.wordpress.com/2023/04/12/games-of-fear/
• Monday lab: DIY diagram, keskustelijoina Ron Edwards ja muita, käsittelee pelien analysointia diagrammien avulla, ja ennen kaikkea katsomalla, mitä diagrammit eivät täsmennä tarkasti. Tämä liittyy Ronin aikoinaan esittelemään tyhjään hedelmälliseen kohtaan pelin toiminnassa, jonka Vincent Baker myöhemmin toi esiin blogikirjoituksena. https://adeptplay.com/2018/05/21/monday-lab-diy-diagram/
• Retrospective: Ghostbusters, kirjoittajana James Maliszewski, kertoo kyseisen pelin vaikutuksesta myöhempiin peleihin ja aikaansa edellä olleista säännöistä ylipäätänsä. https://grognardia.blogspot.com/2023/05/retrospective-ghostbusters.html

Theory review #108

• Night’s black agents – The Zalozhniy quartet del 6 by Morten Greis Petersen shows how Gumshoe can be used to play through heists, where the friction of war is ignored and things simply succeed. https://rollespil.blog/2023/04/22/nights-black-agents-the-zalozhniy-quartet-del-6/
• The gaming situation by Markku Eskelinen argues for analyzing digital games as games, rather than narratives, and mentions theories to this purpose. https://gamestudies.org/0101/eskelinen/
• The Tolkien puzzle by David Frieman states that the attraction of Tolkien’s work is that people want the meaning part of religion, the good and the evil, without the blemishes that real world religions have. https://daviddfriedman.substack.com/p/the-tolkien-puzzle
• Guide til at spille Gumshoe rollespil del 2 by Morten Greis Petersen gives advice for skillful use of the Gumshoe rulesets. https://rollespil.blog/2023/04/28/guide-til-at-spille-gumshoe-rollespil-del-2/

Teori-innblikk #107

• Groping in the dark: intimacy in Nyctophobia av Jack Murray fortel om intimitet og det å røra andre når ein kan ikkje sjå. https://analoggamestudies.org/2023/03/affect-and-intimacy-in-nyctophobia/
• In the middle: the fun of playing games and learning av Carly Ziniuk listar kommersielle spel som kan brukast i matematikkundervising. https://www.proquest.com/docview/2783258854
• The wretched of Middle‐earth: An orkish manifesto av Charles W. Mills argumenterer at orkane i Ringdrotten er ei samanslåing av islamske, rasistiske og klassemessige stereotypar. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/sjp.12477

Teoriakatsaus #106

• Ludology, narratology and philosophical hermeneutics, kirjoittajina Jonne Arjoranta ja Veli-Matti Karhulahti, käyttävät hermeneutiikkaa näkökulmana pelitutkimuksen vanhan kiistakapulan lukemiseen. http://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:jyu-201407102225
• Monday lab: Make mine marvel, keskustelijoina Ron Edwards ja muut, käsittelee yllättävän kiinnostavia Marvel-supersankariroolipelejä. https://adeptplay.com/2018/05/14/monday-lab-make-mine-marvel/
• Gamification in education: why, where, when, and how?—A systematic review, kirjoittajina Nilüfer Zeybek ja Elif Saygı, kokoaa yhteen pelillistämistutkimuksia ja kertoo lähinnä, ketä ja mistä näkökulmasta on tutkittu. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/15554120231158625
• Games & systems erottelee säännöstöjä peleistä käyttäen Caillois:aan erottelua oleellisesti pelin ja leikin välillä. https://liberludorum.com/2023/03/20/games-systems/
• Queer Free Love – Researching Sexual Arousal through Larp, kirjoittajana Hanne Grasmo, kuvailee seksuaalisuuden eri ilmentymiä käsitellyttä elopeliä. https://coe-gamecult.org/2023/04/13/hanne-grasmo-queer-free-love-researching-sexual-arousal-through-larp/
• Game mechanics and narrative as symbiotic, co-constructive elements in Tomb of annihilation, kirjoittajana Mark Hines, esittelee nimetyn seikkailun siirtomaatarinoita toistavia piirteitä ja kiinnostavimpana piirteenä kirjoittaa heksaryöminnän siirtomaaseikkailua vahvistavasta vaikutuksesta. Lisäksi on vanhojen kulttuurisotien toistelua. https://analoggamestudies.org/2023/03/thats-just-what-the-book-says-game-mechanics-and-narrative-as-symbiotic-co-constructive-elements-in-tomb-of-annihilation/
• Blades in the dark – Open Doskvol, kirjoittajana Michael Esperum, kertoo Terät pimeässä – kampanjasta, jossa oli kiertäviä vieraspelaajia. Kampanja ei toiminut toivomusten mukaan. https://www.rollespill.info/2023/04/13/blades-in-the-dark-open-doskvol/
• Arnesonian time keeping, kirjoittajana DHBoggs, esittelee miten Arneson käytti oleellisesti tosimaailman aikaa peliaikana. https://boggswood.blogspot.com/2023/03/arnesonian-time-keeping.html

Character stable #38

The most recently played characters are listed first, aside from the graveyard, where the highest wargamey experience gets priority place.

Characters in Coup de Greyhawk, in the world of Greyhawk

• Ælfstan, a psionic monk who lives in poverty. In Misty marsh in Greyhawk. Level 4, wargamish experience 8885, modern D&D experience +1156 and average attribute +1, wargamish average attribute 13.
• Jarque, a Maldorean knight adventuring in Gnarley woods, in Flanaess. Level 1, experience 427, average attribute 11.
• Gotdorfd, a very unfortunate pickpocket who was caught and pressed into service as a dungeon guide in Great kingdom, in the world of Greyhawk. Currently adventuring in Selintan valley. Level 3, experience 3849, average attribute 10.
• Melville, a poor Parisian master clerk, now adventuring in the duchy of Urnst in Greyhawk. Level 3, experience 484, average attribute 10.
• Diana Junes, a knife fighting retainer librarian of Ælfstan. In Selintan valley in Greyhawk. Level 1, experience 229, average attribute 11.
• Jussi Puska, a ranger who can not fight with two weapons, adventuring in castle Greyhawk. Level 1, average attribute 13, experience 1343.
• Seela, a praedor against her will, now adventuring in the duchy of Urnst. Level 1, experience 186, average attribute 11.
• Guinevere, the current queen of Camelot, but now adventuring in Greyhawk. Average attribute 12, level 1, wargamey experience 159, miscellaneous experience 240.
• A dungeon badger in the dungeons of Castle Greyhawk. Hit dice 2, average attribute 11.

Tournament of fear survivors

These characters are technically in Coup de Greyhawk, but I would not mind playing one of them in another campaign, either.

• Geoff, a noble from Ammeni, out in the world to have fun and make trade agreements. Level 1, experience 25, average attribute 10.
• Jack Stone, a mage who used to rule the streets of a modern city, now transported by paradox into this fantasy land. Level 1, experience 10, average attribute 11.
• Duran-Dûn, a dwarfish mine foreman out to gather an army and take back his position and home. Hit dice 2, average attribute 16.
• Ostrot, an extraplanar rat-monster with a terrible bite. Hit die 2, average attribute 12.

San Francisco sorcerers

• Oscar Sullivan, a venture capitalist with demonic smart glasses, living in Silicon Valley. Average attribute 4.

Free characters

• Barb, a barbarian, strong and not very social. Level 1, experience 129,69; average attribute 13.
• Kaumil, a wood elven archer adventuring in Wilderlands of high fantasy, near Modron. Level 2, average attribute 13, modern D&D experience 1000, cheap wargamey experience 3151.
• Senja, a mercenary who would rather not kill; currently seeking initiation with Mitra. Adventuring in Wilderlands of high fantasy, near Modron and a keep on the borderlands. Level 5, total experience 16866, average attribute 11. Wargamey experience 1656, cheap wargamey experience 13428, miscellaneous experience 1782.
• Hayoshiko Egoshi, a samurai adventurer. Level 2, adventure points 1698, average attribute 10.
• Daralr, an Orlanthi shaman from Glorantha. Level 2, adventure points 1494, average attribute 13.
• Jorma, a forest mouse blacksmith who rescued some mice from rats. Average attribute 8, level 1, erfaring 100.
• Little-Tund, a berserkr, retired into a small independent survivalist community in foreign lands after his host was slain by a superior force. Highest skill 17.
• Rufus Hale, an enforcer.
• Zeilee with alias «Tsai», a mechanic and space wreck looter. Level 1, experience 10, average attribute 11. Escaped from a creepy collapsing spaceship with some loot and a military general from fifteen years ago.
• Bonicalcus, a drug-addicted underground alchemist and healer under a fantasy metropolis. Average attribute 11, highest skill value 64 %
• athes, a cruel pseudo-mongol mounted archer. From Barren lands in Greyhawk and adventuring in Theranos. Level 5, average attribute 11. Wargamish experience 145, modern D&D experience 6070.
• Lambros, a stoneman and a newly initiated thief. Strides 3, average attribute one dot.
• Vasana, a heavy cavalrywoman of the Ernaldori clan of the Colymar Tribe, in Glorantha. Average attribute 14, highest skills and affinities 90 %.
• Torgun Sigurddottir, a skjoldmøy from a shattered Norden, adventured last near Saxon. Level 2, adventure points 229, average attribute 10.
• Melaku, a godbound in the village of Waja, in Ancalja. Level 1, average attribute 15, experience 2, spent influence 0.
• Sølv, a human leader who owns a great farm, last seen in Saxon. First level, 73 adventure points, average attribute 13.
• Shahu, a human merchant (or maybe a naga wizard) working for the glory of his trade company (or maybe nest). Currently active near Saxon. Level 1, personal adds -1, total adventure points 358.
• Pönk, level 4 wolf troll warrior in the empire of Khazan, near Saxon. Personal adds 41, total adventure points 624.
• An orcish archer, rampaging through dwarven mines.
• A human adventurer who is quite certain they are born in a wrong body, being actually an elf. Cursed to burn eternally, suffering from terrible pain, but surviving regardless.
• A swashbuckler buckling the swashes in northern Golarion. Level 1, average attribute 12.
• Imhotep, a mummy masquerading as a historian in the modern Paris, though still wishing for the good old times to come back.
• A teenage nerd mage, quite good with telekinesis.
• Torakka, a superhero with the powers and inclinations of a cockroach.
• A paladin, doing paladiny things in some fantasy world. Level 1, average attribute 12, experience 3.
• A stalker who faced spooky outlines of people in the zone.
• A noble of light in the Star wars very extended universe.
• A student of statistics that has heard of the first signs of a coming zombie apocalypse.
• A bear using a big log as a weapon. Level two, experience 135, average attribute +2.
• A commando on a task in a near future banana republic in Middle or South America.
• A mercenary minotaur illusionist, using walls of silence and darkness to obscure his position, while using grenades and a machine gun to deal with his enemies.
• A doppelgänger, hit die 1, average attribute 14.

Graveyard

• Fridswid, a young witch whom the oracle of Zagyg killed with a death spell, while she was hoping to release the oracle. Level 2, wargamey experience 1945, miscellaneous experience 1020.
• Blarg, forest troll warrior died in the empire of Khazan, near Saxon, killed while simultaneously killing a horrid necrolyte and saving the village. Level 2, adventure points 1560.
• Pöö, a warrior in the empire of Khazan, died in the blood feud of Saxon. Level 1, adventure points 1483.
• Taril, an elf level 1, experience 296,2; killed by a pair of skeletons.
• Garkromm, a savage entertainer from Abbor-Alz in Greyhawk, died in the dungeons of Castle Greyhawk, eaten by a fire beetle. Level 1, experience 268.
• Rodaria, a seamstress from the city of Greyhawk, died in the dungeons of Castle Greyhawk, pierced by two spears to their gut, one ripped out by a (friendly?) barbarian. Level 1, experience 209.
• Ottar, a chieftain from Sogndal, perished in Buffalo castle. Level 1, adventure points 127.
• Atticus, an exiled Roman senator, killed by a giant spider in an elven slave torture dungeon. Level 1, adventure points 84.
• Lin the goblin, killed by a giant devilfish (octopus) in Goblin lake. Level 1, adventure points 79.
• Mitlar, a human warrior who was slain by killer bees in Buffalo castle while also killing them. Level 2, adventure points 62.
• Wohoo the gargoyle warrior, level 1, killed by an orc at the exit of Buffalo castle in Khazan Empire. 42 adventure points.
• Möö the urook warrior, level 1, died in a pit in Buffalo castle, killed by an orc. Empire of Khazan in Trollworld. 5 adventure points.
• Jadar, a young priest and praedor from Jaconia, died in Wicked west marches by a witchling party.
• Ranrance, a first level thief of small stature, mauled by a magical owlbear statue in Greyhawk. Level 1, experience 0.
• A character killed by an animate mushroom, while trying to climb up from a cave. Level 1, experience 0.
• A first level thief, died by lizardfolk or fishfolk in some abandoned mine dungeon. Level 1, experience 0.
• Tard, a stupid berserkr, was killed by his cowardly leader as a scapecoat in a jail.
• The frog, an outlaw, was speared by guardmen when trying to steal a silk pillow (and the crown on it) from the lord’s tower.
• Lone wolf, a kai aspirant, who was killed by a helghast while seeking Sommerswerd.
• A coast guard that died when a Great old one destroyed the ghost ship they were investigating.
• An advanced robot that did not manage to convince the judges that it had learnt what humanity is.

Theory review #105

• The shackles of precognition by Ben Robbins discusses the dangers of coming to play with a pre-defined idea of what is going to happen, here in the context of gamemasterless games. https://arsludi.lamemage.com/index.php/2826/the-shackles-of-precognition/
• Le jeu de rôle sur table : l’intercréativité de la fiction littéraire, Première partie. Histoire du JdR : Quand la fiction et le jeu inventent l’intercréativité by Coralie David looks at the history of roleplaying games (in the anglophone world and France) and practitioner theory from the perspective of intercreativity. Games that share narrative rights, transmedia properties and games concerned with particular genres, as well as the idea of ’universal’ games, get their share of the spotlight. https://theses.hal.science/tel-02338727/