From owner-dq@dq.sf.org.nz Tue Sep 28 11:37:36 1999 Received: (from bin@localhost) by mail.sf.org.nz (8.8.6/NZSFI-19980830) id LAA12594; Tue, 28 Sep 1999 11:37:36 +1200 Received: from qedweb.qed.co.nz ([203.97.23.140] (may be forged)) by mail.sf.org.nz (8.8.6/NZSFI-19980830) with ESMTP id LAA12591 for ; Tue, 28 Sep 1999 11:37:33 +1200 Received: by QEDWEB with Internet Mail Service (5.5.2448.0) id ; Tue, 28 Sep 1999 11:21:08 +1200 Message-ID: Subject: Calendar Events Date: Tue, 28 Sep 1999 11:21:08 +1200 MIME-Version: 1.0 X-Mailer: Internet Mail Service (5.5.2448.0) Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" From: Stephen Martin To: dq@dq.sf.org.nz Sender: owner-dq@dq.sf.org.nz Errors-To: owner-dq@dq.sf.org.nz Precedence: bulk X-Loop: dq@dq.sf.org.nz X-Requests: To unsubscribe from this list, or change your subscription address, send a message to dq-request@dq.sf.org.nz. Reply-To: dq@dq.sf.org.nz This just lists the current days of note, some effects and ways they could be recognised. We should also have some specific notes for areas of the barronies/western kingdom with what days they mark and how they mark them. I also think that we should have more significant days towards the beginning of each season when most adventures take place. Walpurgisnacht may be a day of fear and dread but no one will be greatly bothered as it happens 2 months after most adventures finish. However it is a convenient day for bad shit to happen, the victims then have a day to get to seagate to hire a party to help. This is the sort of document I think we should have attached to the calendar, some flavour, some specific game effects, and a tie in to areas of the world and what the general populous think of these days. The descriptions and the reactions of the general populous help enliven and enrich the campaign world, the specific game effects had better be noted by parties in their planning or the results might not be pleasant. Cheers, Stephen. ************************************************ Beltane, Lugnasad, Samhain, Candlemansa - The interseasonal days are usually accompanied by fluxes in mana levels, backfires are more common (> BC +10/20%) and generally more severe (+10% on backfire table), as are double and triple effects (10% and 25% of BC). Weather is also wilder and less predictable. 5/1 - White Lotus - ?? 3/2 - Day of Death - Bonuses to Necromantic Magics (+5% BC), Undead have increased magic resistance (+10%), and get to ignore amulets and circles of protection that normally affect them. Restrictions and vulnerabilities are reduced (e.g. Vampires could move about on a cloudy day but still not in bright sunshine). Constant low level buzz for death aspectedn (-1) and discomfort for life aspected (+1). Most children conceived or born of this day are death aspected, and the number that die in child birth is also much higher than normal. - Most cultures are aware of and mark this day. The most common response is collecting together, raising protections, lighting fires through the night, etc. Some cultures dress up and disguise themselves as the undead, presumably in an effort to be perceived as hunters rather than prey. There are also those who celebrate this day, using it as an opportunity to celebrate their dead friends and ancestors. 15/2 - Summer Solstice - Also known as the day of fire, bonuses for Celestial Light and Fire Magics (+5% BC), penalties for Celestial Dark, Ice and Water (-5% BC). Fires are easy to start and hard to extinguish. - For those that mark this day, the most common form of celebration is outdoor picnics, parties, drinking, and usually cold food. Many cultures have taboos on lighting fires on this day. 15/5 - Autumn Equinox - Also known as the day of gathering, bonuses for Air Magics, penalties for Earth Magics. - This is commonly marked as the day that supplies are gathered and stored for winter. 29/5 - Michaelmas - Bonuses for light aligned, penalties for demonics and demonically aligned. Magic resistance is increased (+5%), and magic is harded to perform (-5% BC). People tend towards action over cogitation, brawling is common. Supposed to be a lucky day for setting out on heroic adventures. Poisons are less affective (-1 damage), and wounds rarely become infected (-50% infection chance). - Generally only celebrated by those that honour the powers of light. 30/6 - Beerfest - Originally a dwarven festival that has been widely adopted, it is the day that last years brews must be disposed of. Anything not drunk must be thrown out before dawn. It is widely held that for every barrel that is thrown out, one barrel of the current brew will sour. And for every barrel not thrown out by dawn 10 barrels will sour. 15/8 - Winter Solstice 18/8 - Yuletide 19/8 to 30/8 - Days of Chaos 30/8 - Twelth Night 6/9 - First Plough 8/11 - Rites of Thunor 15/11 - Spring Equinox 17/11 - Eostre 21/12 - Floralia 30/12 - Walpurgisnacht -- see unsubscribe instructions in message headers -- From owner-dq@dq.sf.org.nz Tue Sep 28 13:19:54 1999 Received: (from bin@localhost) by mail.sf.org.nz (8.8.6/NZSFI-19980830) id NAA12772; Tue, 28 Sep 1999 13:19:54 +1200 Received: from mailhost.auckland.ac.nz (mailhost.auckland.ac.nz [130.216.1.4]) by mail.sf.org.nz (8.8.6/NZSFI-19980830) with ESMTP id NAA12769 for ; Tue, 28 Sep 1999 13:19:48 +1200 Received: from sci4 (lbr-122-42.lbrsc.auckland.ac.nz [130.216.122.42]) by mailhost.auckland.ac.nz (8.9.2/8.9.2/8.9.2-ua) with SMTP id NAA16089; Tue, 28 Sep 1999 13:03:55 +1200 (NZST) Message-Id: <199909280103.NAA16089@mailhost.auckland.ac.nz> Date: Tue, 28 Sep 1999 13:08:52 +0000 MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII Content-transfer-encoding: 7BIT Subject: Re: Calendar X-mailer: Pegasus Mail for Win32 (v2.53/R1) From: "Michael Parkinson" To: dq@dq.sf.org.nz Sender: owner-dq@dq.sf.org.nz Errors-To: owner-dq@dq.sf.org.nz Precedence: bulk X-Loop: dq@dq.sf.org.nz X-Requests: To unsubscribe from this list, or change your subscription address, send a message to dq-request@dq.sf.org.nz. Reply-To: m.parkinson@auckland.ac.nz, dq@dq.sf.org.nz Jim > Jim wrote: > > I am unaware of any other advantages. You have only listed the > > advantage of knowing what phase of the moon it is. Frankly, Michael, > > big deal. > > Michael wrote: > Yes it is a big deal: not just for lycanthropy and undead etc > -- possibly the two biggest character concerns (less for themselves, > perhaps, but definitely for the effectiveness of their opponents). > > Jim: > Then, tell a player what the state of the moon is. So what if it isn't > accurate. If there was an inconsistency in the world, because the phases > were out of sinch with another player's apprehension of the lunar cycle, > then I'd simply say that the moon is an inconstant celestial body, so > inconstant as to show different faces at different places. This from the GM who wants to foreshadow? You don't want to tell them that the 27th is important, because its 4 days before the 31st; but you'll suprise them with an *unexpected* phase of the moon. If you do that on Alusia, it is inconsiderate GMing, sloppy Gming, inconsistent GMing -- in short BAD GMing. > > Michael: > For the ordinary peasant & nobles the moon is crucial for the > amount× of natural visibility; for normal tides; not to mention > superstitions/habits such as planting & fishing cycles. > > Jim: > So what? So you want to forshadow, but you don't want ambience or existance of a normal feudal society in which, or better still, from which the players adventure. The adventures that I enjoy playing in are one filled with surprises that *after* the fact are perceived as the almost inevitable outcome of the initial events & player interaction. Warning of personal opinion: If things happen ONLY because the GM said so, for no good reason (other than his personal entertainment at the time) or he couldn't be bothered fleshing his ideas out properly, I won't enjoy the game. > Michael: > The facts > remain that Alusian Calendar, compared to the real-life calendar, is: > > #1 easier to use -- I find that one brief look keeps me right > > Good for you. I don't like it. I think it's stink. > > #2 more relevant -- phases of moon obvious to players > > You've made the point before. > It's the only thing you seem to be able to > point to that is of value to players. Jim this point which you've ignored before, is one of several (that's wy its #2). The list is incomplete, but I gave it because you were, by your own admission, incapable of perceiving the others. I disagree. If I'm running a game, and > the phases of the moon are important to the game, then the phases of the > moon are what I say they are. Not what some piece of paper says they are. Well that'll stop people looking up pieces of paper in your games. I hope you warn your players to check these and other details when making a plan. Is it not a higher cog. ld. to remember what you say, rather than consult their schedule. > #3 requires less "unlearning" -- e.g no dates are relevant; rather > than your argument that 31st Oct has "foreshadowing" (& presumably 1 > May) but Christmas doesn't (nor presumably Labour day, nor 1st > April, nor Easter) > > Well, frankly I don't care. Obviously. The point still remains (& is still unanswered by you) that you are expecting the 30/10 to have foreshadowing signifigance, but not 23/12 or 30/4, or whatever ..... > In the UK, the 1st of May is Labour Day. Some > holidays are meaningless to a medieval world, and that's fine. As players > ask about them, you can clear them up. To approach the same method from the > opposite end, you have to tell the player what all the holidays are (meaning > that they are devoid of associated meaning). On the other hand, you could > just let the players ask the questions as the issues arise. They acquire the > information at a speed that they are comfortable with. > > #4 has no boring out-of-game feel or confusion -- e.g. if > today is the 27th Sept real date, but it's 29th Sept in-game-date; > etc etc) > > That has got to be a trivial issue. The only thing that might happen is that > the players might be surprised at the closeness of the game date to the real > date. Again, so what? trivial, but avoidable. Let's avoid being boring if possible. > #5 requires no regular *updating*, *additional* tabulating, or annual > replacement. > > And lacks any sense of dynamism. And you find the irregularity & confusion of the modern calendar entralling? > > Michael: > > Which they abandonned for purely political reasons; not because it > > didn't work -- admittedly as poorly as any modern real-world > > calendar does. > > > > Jim: > > Whatever their reasons for abandoning it, abandon it they did. > > Don't be obtuse. If the fact it WAS abandonned, rather than > maintained, has relevancy to your argument, then the reason is WHY > it was abandonned it must be considered. > > Drivel. I apologise -- from the blunt, clear language of your original I infered that you meant the revolutionary calendar was dropped because it was thought stupid, or somesuch. One must learn not to take your statements at face value. > > Michael: > > Is it better role-playing to recognise the dates October 31st or > > December 25th; or is it better to ignore them because what it brings > > to the game is the modern world, contrary to the mood of our > > particular fantasy genre. [Aside: not that I can, or want to, define > > what *is* in the correct mood; I merely point out what is foreign]. > > Modern dates in "Call of Cthulu"? --F ine, excellent. In DQ-- no > > thanks. > > > > Jim: > > Then you don't think we should be working toward Millennial events, for > > example? > > Michael: > Of course I do; It's a consequence of counting the YEARS from some > cataclysmic event. Pity that it almost coincides with real-time; but > that is one of those historical decisions we need to live with. > > > Jim: > We chose to make the date as contemporaneous with the Y2K as we could, > because we thought it would be good. I don't recall you raising objections > to it at the time. At least, not these objections. Read what I said: I am in favour of, NOT objecting to, Chialistic attitudes & events. > I would have remembered > these objections. I'm pretty sure if I'd heard these, I'd have written them > down. Why thank you Boswell, I was unaware that you paid attention to what people said. > > Michael: > > You said above (although I cut it out) you hadn't decided on > > Christmas. Tough, you've automatically included it. unless you want > > to increase the cognitive load by listing for player what they should > > or shouldn't recognise. And even if you did, such a bastardised is > > too easliy perceived as lack of effort by the GM and game-weakening. > > > > Jim: > > No, not true. One can include or not include a date, as a DM wishes. For > > some DMs, maybe Christmas is a valuable date. Maybe it isn't for others. > The > > 'Alusian' calendar tells the DM they don't have a choice. > > Michael: > Jim, Do you want us to use the Real calendar, so that you can foreshadow > 31/10. > > Yes, I do. > > Michael: > Then you are including many other dates with signifigance. > > Why? > > Michael: > Or else you are expecting players to remember one and forget six > others. > > No, that's not the case. If I mention a date of significance (intentionally, > or by accident), and a player picks up on it, then I can confirm or deny > that it is a date of significance. I have the choice of making that day > important to my story. So you want to foreshadow dates, but you want to tell people what is signifigant? Frankly I find games that are little more that versions of 2001 questions boring. Yes if player has uncertainty they should ask the GM, but to query whether each bit of the mundane real-world baggage which a PLAYER has is particularly relevant to this game strikes mee as boring and in bad GM style {my opinion; you seem to think differently] > Michael: > If you want hallowe'en: then call the DAY that; > > That's exactly what I mean, Michael. I can't subtly introduce that day, or > another day of some other significance. I HAVE to tell them. No you don't. It's in the calendar. > You have > removed a colour from my palette when you say that I can only introduce a > date as baldly as that. > This is not to say that I want to introduce dates only, or even very often > in some kind of subtle fashion. But, I do like doing it on occasion. It > creates an interesting pressure. [...] > Jim: > You're not really gathering tension, though, are you? You're just loading a > lot of dates into the calendar, and saying that it will generate tension. It > doesn't. These things have to have meaning before they can generate tension. I think strolling through the wilderness with insufficient protection before a Necro high-holiday might raise a little tension in some party-members; or having a fellow partymember of dubious morals or actions gleefully anticipating an upcoming festival of theirs (but which your character has only the vaguest ideas of); ... two ideas [of many possible] you might like to use. WARNING (Forshadowing?) to general readers: (if you've made it this far!) you may wish to stop reading at this point. > Whereas the current calendar has plenty of dates in it that we can associate > with meaning. The work has already been done. Yet AGAIN you ignore the fact that the real-world has associations which we do NOT want in our game, which WILL be brought into it, especially if SOME of the days do have all that cultural baggage, but OTHERS don't. This is a main point which you have consistently failed to acknowledge; and it is a fundamental flaw in your arguments. But don't feel you have to answer it here; because I have decided in future not to bother reading your emails. Don't worry, I'm sure you'll be able to recycle to others this sarcasm of mine which I'm afraid your offensive obtuseness has engendered. I now feel that you have deliberately ignored points, or failed to resond to queries, or been contradictory in order to be quareelsome or demonstate you willingness to argue. Iff this is an injustice to your sincerity, I do apologise. I will be annoyed with myself if I have been irritated by someone's perceived behaviour when the source of my irritation is my misperception. > > Jim: > > And you can't just make it up? Why? What happened to your imagination? > > Michael: > Because > > #1) I don't want to piss off the players with lycanthropic concerns > / planning night manouevers/ whatever that, having made up the fact > (two gaming nights ago) that the full moon was NEXT friday, say, but > that this session I forgot what was obviously an irrelevant detail > and throw the player out by 2 or 3 weeks. > > Jim: > Well, keep notes, then, if that's important to you. It generally isn't that > important to me. If a player has put together a cunning plan, and not told > me that they want to take advantage of the dark of the moon, then it's not > that cunning a plan. Then your Being a poor GM. You should know this; fortunately many players may subtlely remind you. > I need to know what precautions they're taking, so I > can sensibly award ep. I mean, if a player puts together a cunning plan, > without telling me the reason they're doing it is so they won't be seen in > the dark, then I'll just think they lucked out, rather than thought it > through. The fault I feel is yours, not your players. For the last time, I remain etc etc Michael -- see unsubscribe instructions in message headers -- From owner-dq@dq.sf.org.nz Tue Sep 28 15:59:23 1999 Received: (from bin@localhost) by mail.sf.org.nz (8.8.6/NZSFI-19980830) id PAA12991; Tue, 28 Sep 1999 15:59:23 +1200 Received: from kcbbs.gen.nz (kcbbs.gen.nz [202.14.102.1]) by mail.sf.org.nz (8.8.6/NZSFI-19980830) with ESMTP id PAA12988 for ; Tue, 28 Sep 1999 15:59:22 +1200 Received: (from uucp@localhost) by kcbbs.gen.nz (8.8.8/8.8.8) id PAA22311; Tue, 28 Sep 1999 15:37:43 +1200 (NZST) Message-ID: <37EEE56F.64F956A2@games.co.nz> Date: Mon, 27 Sep 1999 15:33:03 +1200 X-Mailer: Mozilla 4.05 [en] (Win95; I) MIME-Version: 1.0 Subject: GM Guide Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii From: Jono Bean To: dq@dq.sf.org.nz Sender: owner-dq@dq.sf.org.nz Errors-To: owner-dq@dq.sf.org.nz Precedence: bulk X-Loop: dq@dq.sf.org.nz X-Requests: To unsubscribe from this list, or change your subscription address, send a message to dq-request@dq.sf.org.nz. Reply-To: dq@dq.sf.org.nz Sorry about the delay. I have an email gateway limit of 2 megs and the file is about 4megs so I could email it out. Clare West at Auckland Uni now has a copy of the pdf. If you are still interested please email her as Clare is building a mailing list of people that want a copy. Her email address is: clare@cs.auckland.ac.nz Jono -- see unsubscribe instructions in message headers -- From owner-dq@dq.sf.org.nz Tue Sep 28 16:35:47 1999 Received: (from bin@localhost) by mail.sf.org.nz (8.8.6/NZSFI-19980830) id QAA13040; Tue, 28 Sep 1999 16:35:47 +1200 Received: from smtp1.ihug.co.nz (tk1.ihug.co.nz [203.29.160.13]) by mail.sf.org.nz (8.8.6/NZSFI-19980830) with ESMTP id QAA13037 for ; Tue, 28 Sep 1999 16:35:46 +1200 Received: from paul (p175-tnt6.akl.ihug.co.nz [216.100.154.175]) by smtp1.ihug.co.nz (8.9.3/8.9.3/Debian/GNU) with SMTP id QAA04564 for ; Tue, 28 Sep 1999 16:19:58 +1200 Message-ID: <000f01bf0968$b3335dc0$623ffea9@paul> Subject: Re: GM Guide Date: Tue, 28 Sep 1999 16:19:44 +1200 MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit X-Priority: 3 X-MSMail-Priority: Normal X-Mailer: Microsoft Outlook Express 4.72.3110.1 X-MimeOLE: Produced By Microsoft MimeOLE V4.72.3110.3 From: "Paul Schmidt" To: dq@dq.sf.org.nz Sender: owner-dq@dq.sf.org.nz Errors-To: owner-dq@dq.sf.org.nz Precedence: bulk X-Loop: dq@dq.sf.org.nz X-Requests: To unsubscribe from this list, or change your subscription address, send a message to dq-request@dq.sf.org.nz. Reply-To: "Paul Schmidt" , dq@dq.sf.org.nz Clare, Can you send me a pdf version? Cheers Paul -----Original Message----- From: Jono Bean To: dq@dq.sf.org.nz Date: Tuesday, 28 September 1999 15:43 Subject: GM Guide >Sorry about the delay. I have an email gateway limit of 2 megs and >the file is about 4megs so I could email it out. > >Clare West at Auckland Uni now has a copy of the pdf. > >If you are still interested please email her as Clare is building a >mailing list of people that want a copy. >Her email address is: clare@cs.auckland.ac.nz > > >Jono > > > >-- see unsubscribe instructions in message headers -- > -- see unsubscribe instructions in message headers --