Crumb City

I love the idea of world building.  I enjoy the process of thinking about the various cultures and religions that exist within the world. As a player I find it equally as enjoyable to add that level of dimension to my characters. Holidays and Holy Days add a challenging element to playing a cleric in a roleplaying game. For instance, I once played a Gnome Cleric, who, on a certain Holy Day, was prohibited from casting spells. Basically it was the deity’s day off.  The other players weren’t to fond of me when I announced, quite randomly, that I wouldn’t be casting spells on this High Holy Day. Below is a random chart that may add some fun to either your world (DM) or your character (Player). Enjoy!

Holy Days/Holidays (d100)

1-5 High Holy Day (Clerics of a particular deity are denied spell casting)
6-10 Low Holy Day (Clerics of a particular deity are prohibited from casting spells with verbal components)
11-20 Regional Holiday (Spellcasting of all types are prohibited during this holiday)
21-30 Kingdom Holiday (During celebrations, weapons are prohibited)
31-70 Regular Day
71-80 Kingdom Holiday (Taxes are lifted during this holiday)
81-90 Regional Holiday (Work is prohibited during this holiday, including adventuring)
91-95 Low Holy Day (Clerics of a particular deity are prohibited from casting spells with somatic components)
96-100 High Holy Day (Clerics of a particular deity are denied either positive or negative energy)

I’ve decided to present my readers with a challenge. Details below.

The Challenge

Lately I’ve noticed that my gaming table seems to be overwhelmed with snacks. The snacks are piled high which makes it difficult to draw out the maps of the various encounters. I need a workable solution that allows snacks to be at arms reach and yet out of the way.  I will build the best suggestion and post a picture when it is complete.

Here is a walk-through of my gaming space

As a gamer and fantasy/sci-fi enthusiast, no television show’s cancellation caused as much heartbreak as Joss Whedon’s Firefly. Thankfully Mr. Whedon had enough hollywood clout to finish his short run series with a movie, Serenity. This isn’t often the case of TV shows that get cancelled. Sometimes fans are able to rally support around a show to get it to continue. Shows like the original Star Trek and the more resent Jericho we’re able to stay on the air at least one more season due to fan support. Not all shows are that fortunate. One such show was Aaron Sorkin’s Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip. Mr. Sorkin is best known for his political show The West Wing, but I feel his best creation was Studio 60. This isn’t any different than any table top roleplaying game.

When I think about all the games I have run that have been cut short due to a variety of factors, I get a little sad. The game I have had to most recently cancel was my Call of Cthulhu game. I had been running the game, off and on, for over a year. Recently a player moved, creating a gap in the story, which caused the game to grind to a holt. Story based games often require a fixed cast of characters and any change in line up, just as with a television show, threatens to ruin the integrity of the game. Rather than attempt to carry on with the game, I cancelled it and removed it from the line up.

I like to think that the game is more like Firefly than Studio 60. I have been toying with the idea on how to wrap up the game with a long, one day game. This will require a visit from the missing player, but I’m hopeful. As with a show like Firefly, I won’t be able to tie up all the loose ends, but hopefully I’ll be able to end the story in such as way that when I look back on the game, I’ll feel a satisfied sense of closure, with that vague feeling of longing for a game that ended before its time.