The Rogues' Gallery

[Hangfire]

Hello all. I was very glad to find this site. Here's some stuff about me.


Gaming Systems I Use:

At the moment I use d20, but have used systems such as Traveller (original), Star Wars (West End Games Editions), White Wolf system, GURPS, and many other small publisher systems. I would really like to give Artesia a try, I just have to convince my group.

  Gaming History:

I was first introduced to Dungeons & Dragons at the tender age of 7 (maybe 8 - it's been a while). My babysitter came to babysit and had a huge dungeon drawn out on probably a dozen sheets of graph paper all taped together. I was facinated, and pestered him about it until he ran myself and my brother through his dungeon. We used lego pieces as our characters to track out movement on the map. I was hooked. Unfortunately the boxed set (the Red Box) claimed you had to be 12 to play, so I had to wait. That was 25+ years ago now and I'm still playing. I've used many systems over the years, including, but not limited to: Basic D&D, AD&D, very little 2nd Edition AD&D (didn't like the skill system), Traveller, GURPS, Aftermath, all editions of Gamma World, some White Wolf (mainly Mage and Werewolf), Earthdawn, Shadowrun, Space Opera, Twilight 2000, Living Steel, and Warhammer Fantasy (1st and 2nd Editions). There are others, but you get the point.

  Personal Likes and Dislikes:

I'll limit this to gaming. I like players that contribute to the story. I like DMs that have good stories, but who also know what the players sitting at the table like and include those in his game. I dislike players that are disruptive to the flow of the game, or are childish. I dislike DMs that play favorites with players, or are too rigid in gaming style.

  Strengths and Weakness in Game Design:

Strengths - good imagination and story creation abilities. Pretty good at plotting and not too bad at cartography.
Weaknesses - procrastination when it comes to actually getting my ideas from my head to paper.

  What Published Settings have you used?:  

I guess by default I started with Mystara which was the setting for basic D&D. I used Greyhawk for many, many years. Also, Forgotten Realms, Dark Sun, Dragonlance, and Ravenloft. The one setting I really want to try is Artesia - the system looks great.

  Major Influences on Game Design:

Really, just about everything. I read a lot and I'm a movie buff, so all that stuff is in there. Also, any art that catches my attention may end up in there too. The sky's the limit really.

[DMFubar]

Greetings one and all!  Just a quick note of introduction from yours truly...

 Gaming Systems I Use:
Currently, I am running a D20 DnD campaign using the Savage Tide series of adventures from Dungeon Magazine.  I am also a player in a Eberron campaign.  At the same time I am rewriting my old 2nd Edition Campaign World to be compatible with D20 rules... many prestige classes and a complete rewrite on the magic system.  I have run many systems in the past, including Cyberpunk 2020, Millenniums End, Runequest, White Wolf, and many other games that have gone the way of the Dodo.

 Gaming History
I began my descent into the depths of gaming in 1982 when a friend invited me to play an Elf in his Red Box D&D game.  One arrow later and I was already out of the game, but I was still hooked. Since then I have run and played in almost every game I could get involved in.  In addition I have run adventures at local cons as well as helped to run a couple of live-action Cyberpunk games.  For a short time I was also the manager of a local gaming store where I learned that working in the gaming industry is about love, not money.

 Published Settings Used
I have used Greyhawk, the Forgotten Realms, and Eberron for DnD campaigns.  Beyond that I have used the Night City setting for Cyberpunk 2020.

 Strengths & Weaknesses
For strengths, I would say that I am consistent in rules, even when called to make one off the cuff.  I am also well read, which aids greatly in the campaign design arena.  I am constantly looking for paper or a computer to put my ideas down on for my World of Turinth campaign.  As to weakenesses, I would have to say that while I do have lots of ideas, I tend to wait until the last minute to formalize anything, and tend to lose those scraps of paper that I write my ideas down upon.  Thank god for laptop computers!!!

 Outside Gaming Info
While gaming is one of my major hobbies, it is not the focus of everything I do.  I am also an avid scenario paintball player, having recently served as the captain of my team... Team FUBAR.  Many of the local members of the team (we have members across the country) are also in my gaming group so in a way it ties in, hence the name DMFubar.  I spent 18 years studying the martial arts, culminating in a 4th degree black belt in American Shotokan Karate (yes, it is a hybrid system, not pure Shotokan).  Finally, I have been learing computer graphic design, and really wish that I could draw worth a damned to truly utilize what I have learned to its full potential.

And here endeth the biographical portion of our test.

R. Scott Roberts

[Hibou]

Welcome to the Guild guys. I won't sing the "welcome new member" song, but I will say that I hope you like it here. :)

[MittenNinja]

Hey guys! Found the site and was very glad to see people banded together for this kinda stuff.

-Gaming systems you use
DnD 3.5
D20 modern

-General gaming history
Began playing back in ADnD 2ndEd and was the driving force for my group to switch over to 3.o when that was released. We haven't looked back since.

-Personal likes and dislikes
Likes: Music(mostly any type as long as it's not crap), Martial Arts movies, Video Gaming
Dislikes: uh... zombies?

-Strengths and weaknesses in game design
I have a nack for creating really badass characters (NPCs and PCs) with some in depth backgrounds and motivations. But I rarely am able to express this badassness to my players.

-What published settings have you used/do you like?
Mostly homebrew. But I have played FR, Eberron, Ravenloft, Call of Cthulu, Greyhawk, even a little Planescape and Mystara (anyone around here remember that one?). As far as likes? Any setting can be good if you have a good DM using it.

-Major influences on your world-building
Movies. Good God Movies. After watching Equilibrium I almost instantaneously started work on a society for my current campaign at the time that was in the same state.

[socmajor]

Hey all, I'm glad to have found this site and I'm looking forward to going through the resources when I finally start building (and learning the new system).

Gaming systems you use
I haven't played PnP since 2nd edition...  I've had an introduction to modified 3rd Edition through Neverwinter Nights

General gaming history
I started playing D&D about 14 years ago (7th grade), and dming about 6 months after that.  I dabbled in Cyberpunk a bit, but D&D was really the only thing I could get into.  I'm a little anxious about learning 3.5, but I'll be easing back in with a good group; some of them were in my group at the beginning.

Personal likes and dislikes
Likes: Indie rock, good books, mountains, gaming
Dislikes: Being bored...

Strengths and weaknesses in game design
I am pretty detail-oriented.  I was always able to make very memorable locations and npcs.  On the downside, the big picture tends to be tough for me to see.

What published settings have you used/do you like?
I played in FRCS, and in Dragonlance a little.  I like them both, but I don't think I'll be going back to them.

Major influences on your world-building
It's been so long since I've done any world-building that I really don't remember.  In the setting that I built for my weekly online campaign, my education in sociology came out a lot more than I expected.  Having some understanding of how society works (and doesn't work) has really helped me make even small villages come to life.

[SDragon]

Finally getting around to this....

Gaming systems I use

In the past, I have used the (now out of print) Marvel Universe RPG system- Hideously unbalanced, what with crunch that includes phrases such as "... anything you can imagine" (actual quote from the rulebook), but also incredibly inventive, with the whole diceless mechanics and such. Since then, I have picked up D&D 3.5 and enjoyed it ever since. I have a couple other systems (mentioned in my sig), but so far, that's all I've had the chance to play.

General gaming history[/u]

To be honest, this isn't really something I think about that much. That said, I can try my best to remember what I can about my gaming history....


Somewhere around 2003, I made a friend who happened to share my geeky interests. I had taught him how to play Magic (which he picked up suprisingly fast), and he kept mentioning this "dungeons and dragons" thing. I forget exactly why, but I had started out by buying the Marvel Universe RPG rulebook, and we had decided we should try to play sometime (we never got the chance, and we fell out of touch since then). Shortly after, for reasons that, as far as I can remember, vaguely had something to do with a borrowed copy of Knights of the Old Republic, I picked up a PHB. It wasn't until summer of '04, about a year afterward, until I was in my first game.

I've been playing on and off since then, and enjoying every moment of it!

Personal likes and dislikes

I'm very openminded, and willing to consider trying almost anything at all. I seem to have a compulsive urge to collect for the sheer sake of collecting, which is a natural fit for trying out geekier things, as I never have enough M:tG cards, Heroclix figures, gaming books, comics, etc. So for my personal likes, I guess you could easily say that I like collecting. I also like things that get overlooked by "mainstream", which explains my geeky tendencies, and being creative.

Of course, that means my dislikes would be expensive collectibles (*cough*D&D books*cough*), and things that get too much popularity. It especially annoys me when something I like ends up falling into the latter category, because it ends up feeling too "dumbed-downed-glossed-up".

Strengths and weaknesses in game design

Heh. I design games? I thought I just made worlds...

What published settings have you used/do you like?

When it comes to supers stories, I prefer the official settings over "camic-style" settings. For fantasy, I tend to flipflop between traditional-styled settings, such as Faerun, and more original settings. Though I still haven't had the chance to use it, I think Eberron looks very well done, and it seems like it would be quite enjoyable.

Major influences on your world-building

My main setting, Xiluh, tends to be influenced on different ways I've seen the real world, more then anything else. It would make things alot easier if I could say Xiluh was influenced by XYZ setting, but it really hasn't.

My other setting, Fiendspawn, however, is very heavily influenced by the setting used for Hellboy. I've noticed that the vast majority of my setting ideas are this sort of "based on..." type ideas, which actually limits the number of settings I make. Fortunately, though, that gives me more time to work on the settings I have.


Of course, there's plenty more to me then all of this, but this isn't an autobiography ;)

[Hibou]

Welcome to all of you, even Colonel Corn, who has been here for a while now :). Socmajor, don't be afraid to post some 2e material if you want to. I'm a fan of it myself, and we welcome lots of different systems here :)

[DualShadow]

-Gaming systems you use
 I use DnD 3.5 and 3.0, and Star Wars Revised Core Rule Book, tried the Mutant and Mastermind from green ronin compagny, though my group and I usually play in DnD, we tried lots of thing like Eberon and stuff
-General gaming history
 Play a lot but also often host game, unfortunatly game that lasted more than 3 or 4 night and went above lv 10 are extremely rare, played a lot of quick homemade campaing design from a friend of mine, like currantly playing a Marvel Universe game but base on DnD systeme of dice and addition from his own mind
-Personal likes and dislikes
 I dislike when the DM actual goal is to kill his player, or to counter with reason like because all attempt by player to actually survive. Do like deep immersive story fused with so decent fight now and then, and pretty much enjoy all kind of game setting
-Strengths and weaknesses in game design
 do like detail a lot but usualy ends up just going over them cause my player are some time just arrogant bastards who barely role play
-What published settings have you used/do you like?
 I used no published settings as to say but often pick stuff from there and there
-Major influences on your world-building
 Mystic things, power of one's will over it's body, dark side of society and one of the most important things, the grey area between good and evil, the use of darkness in the service of good and that light can be used for darkness, all in all I am a big fan of the neutral side of al things.
-My Setting
 My setting is a meld of Standard DnD, the force from the Star Wars universe, and some elements from a lot of setting, Called The Five Powers because there is five major power in my world, Divine, Eldritch, Life, Mind and Soul, each regroup different power like arcana, psionic or incarnum. When time will allow me I will post my whole setting.

See ya all

[MythMage]

Gaming systems you use
D&D 3.5

General gaming history
Gaming since a friend got the D&D 3.0 starter box in 2000 (6th grade). I'm virtually always the DM, and every single one of my adventures have taken place in a world of my invention.

Personal likes and dislikes
Likes: RPGs (pencil & paper and video game), puzzle games, reading, Magic: the Gathering, overcast and windy weather, natural beauty
Dislikes: hot weather, rain, intolerance, ignorance

Strengths and weaknesses in game design
Strengths: Matching crunch and fluff, formatting, editing, creating interesting NPCs
Weaknesses: Developing compelling plots/long-term storylines

What published settings have you used/do you like?
I like Eberron in concept, but I haven't actually played a game in it. I've played all of my games in my homebrew CSIP, Diarend.

Major influences on your world-building
I often use concepts without realizing where they came from, only noting the origin of an idea that 'came to me' after seeing it back in its original context. I consciously draw inspirition from real-world legends, mythology, and religion, any that I can get my hands on (which has lately been the Bible, Greek myth, and some Celtic stuff). I also like some of the concepts in Planescape and Dicefreaks' interpretation of the Great Wheel, and I try to make my setting fit within DF's vision of the Great Wheel.

[molten_dragon]

Hey Everybody, I'm new to the boards and thought I'd introduce myself.

Gaming systems you use
D&D 3.5, Shadowrun occasionally

General gaming history
I've played D&D for the last 6 or 7 years (I can't remember exactly) both as a player and a DM.

Personal likes and dislikes
Likes: Gaming (PnP and computer), bowling, rollerblading, reading (Sci-Fi and fantasy), Travel
Dislikes: stupidity, heavy traffic, and DM's who are out to get their players

Strengths and weaknesses in game design
I'm not really sure what they are, thats part of the reason I came, to get some feedback.

What published settings have you used/do you like?
I've played games in greyhawk, faerun, and everlyn, as well as some DM's homebrew settings.  I like faerun the best.

Major influences on your world-building
The mana concept in my game was inspired by Magic: The Gathering as a replacement to vancian casting (which I'm not overly fond of).  Other things were inspired by real-life cultures or other popular fantasy.

[Ravenspath]

Welcome Molten Dragon and everyone else since the last welcome. Welcome to the insanity. You will find that The CBG is HIGHLY addictive and you will check the forums multiple times a day to see what others are talking about.

The feedback and ideas that are generated from this group of people are like no other I have ever seen.

Sit back, post, read and enjoy.

[Eru]

Hi all, I'm really excited to have found this site!

I'm a long-time roleplayer and GM. My current campaign is entirely from scratch and has been going for about 7 years with the same bunch of players (pretty much). The campaign started out at 1st level and after a hundred or so gaming sessions the characters are now brushing 19th. I tend to focus on intrigue, the grey areas, hard choices, and realism (in the context of a fantasy setting) within my campaign.

I also have a special interest in world building. In fact, I'm currently working on a set of online tools to help world builders create and share their worlds in a standardized, navigable format. The tools are also designed specifically to promote collaboration such that users can form guilds each devoted to the development of a single world, with ownership of specific areas and sub-areas within the world clearly denoted and enforced.

Visitors to the site can navigate the creations of others, going from place to place within the setting, and rate and review content as they go. Content includes, or will include, maps, characters, items, spells, vehicles, deities, races, prestige classes, and so on. Also, there is a repository of free-form content (unaffiliated with a given setting) with search engines allowing visitors to search for specific pieces of content, for example a 12th-level Half-Elf Wizard who is Lawful Evil or a +2 magic sword, for quick and easy inclusion in their own campaigns.

The tools are currently in their Alpha release, meaning there is more functionality to be added, but there is currently a fair amount of functionality. They are due to launch in Beta in about a month, at which point the core functionality will be fully in place and I'll be publicizing the site.

In the meantime, I'm looking for a small group of Alpha testers to try out the site, build some content, and provide input into the project. If you're a fan of world-building and would like to help test and shape the development of these tools, please send me a PM or write to me at mafro@excite.com.

Thanks, and I look forward to taking part in this community!

[Matt Larkin (author)]

Welcome to the guild, Eru.  It sounds like a cool idea you're talking about.

I also envy you for being able to keep the same campaign going for that long.  Real life always seemed to get in the way, as players moved, got married and so forth, taking them away.  I think two years is about my record for a single campaign.

[Eru]

Thanks, Phoenix Knight - glad to have found this place!

Yeah, I still have five of the original six players in the campaign. One left, but the others have stuck to it through thick and thin. One of the five even left for a couple years, but I worked his character's absence into the overarching plotline. We don't play as often these days as we used to, but when we do it's a lot of fun.

Regarding the world-building site, I'm pretty excited about it. We only have a handful of people on the development team, but we've got big dreams. We've already reserved a booth at GenCon and will be heavily promoting it after it launches in Beta in early July. I'm just now putting out feelers in the community to identify a few early adopters to give feedback on its development. If you're interested in being one of these very first Alpha testers please drop me a line at mafro@excite.com and I'll give you the details.

Thanks!

[LordVreeg]

LordVreeg Here.
As many others have said before me, it brightens the day finding a group of like-minded individuals speaking a familiar tongue.

Gaming Sytems I have bothered to look at and sometimes pilfer ideas from?
all the older D&D, 3.0 and 3.5 have been read, old Traveller, the Fantasy Trip, Runequest, Aftermath, etc ad nauseum.

General Gaming History
An older brother of my best friend at 9 yrs old beat my ass at Ogre,G.E.V., and then Melee, all in about three hours.  He topped the afternoon off with 4th edition Tunnells and Trolls.  I was at that point hopelessly addicted to these funny dice.

I created 3 early settings over the next 6-7 years, and played in 2 good campaigns, and a seemingly endless amount of poorly run games.
In 1982 I created my Celtrician campaign, and the basics for not only the 'homebrew' setting. I also laid down my 'homebrew' game mechanics.  I took 5 of my best players and on April 2nd of that same year, we had the first Celtrician game session.
Three of those players are still with me, 2 gaming in 2 seperate monthly sessions, one only on my online session.  My Celtricia setting is still the current one I play with.  Gearsar, Priest of Pablar's Hopless Cause and Crunge Culper, Vagabond thief of Stenron, have been active PC's since 1982.
I currently run my Mistonian group, which has 4 players and began with Grak Dung, Novice Torturer of the Collegium Tortoris meeting Amber Sweetwater, Portioner of the Collegium Arcana, in 1995.  
My Igbarians, the southern group, started almost 4 years ago, and that group has 7 players.
Online, I run the old characters, some from 23 and 25 years ago, and my Ocodig group, with 3 players.

Personal Likes and Dislikes
I like good writing, and Brave politics.  I find myself liking many of the different role playing experiences mentioned here.  I share many GM's dislike of powergamers (luckily, other players normally dislike them as well...) and hoarders.  I detest alignment rationalizations,
and players that need to kill-kill-kill.  
I love wine aged properly and the good excuse gaming gives us to open it.  Celtricia has 14 major wine making guilds...

Strengths and Weaknesses in Game Design
Is this the part of the interview where I tell you I work too much?  Never mind...
I have a serious weakness in combat description.  Sometimes I'm ok with it, but often, since our system can be a little calculator-happy, I forget to exclaim, "The ogre dances around your blows and buries his demi-lune in your thigh!!!", and might say something stupid like, "The ogre with the Demi-lune hits you for 16 pointrs of damage, how much did you protect?"

Other than that, I designed my rules, my protocols, and my world as well or better than any published game I have seen.  Might sound a little confident, but  25 years later, I am still waiting for my first major complaint.


Major Influences on my Game Design
The usual suspects, though I might blame J.R.R. for a large share of my lack of attention to the rest of the world.
Steven Ambrose has been an influence, as has the grittiness of Glen Cook.  I owe a certain level of the absurdity of Celtricia to Samuel Beckett.  George Martin has also crept in, and I cannot take credit for 12 swords and 12 staves of power...

Hopefully, I will learn and be learned from, all in the proper time and measure.