Gaming Post: Writing for ICE, Dennis Sustare (Bunnies & Burrows, Swordbeaerer), Computer Games

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So whilst everyone else was out having fun at Conquest, I was at home doing gaming-related activities of a different kind. As forewarned, I am now an official co-author for the latest edition of Rolemaster's Campaign Law. I'm currently writing the chapter on world building which includes the nature of the divine, magic, cosmology and the earth sciences (oh, you didn't know I had an interest in the earth sciences as well, did you?). I'm also hoping to contribute (for obvious reasons) on the section on societies and cultures. I'm about half-way finished on what is required of me already. OK, so I can write like a demon.

I do confess to taking the Sunday off writing and playing GURPS Bunnies & Burrows, as is an Easter Sunday tradition (photo from 2005). This years story included the setting from the original author, Druid's Valley, published way back in 1979 in Different Worlds Issue #2 with the additions of a Celtic religious site, and a rabbit buried on the first day of spring - which then rose from the dead. Much fun had by all present. I notice that the original game was reviewed this week. Dennis Sustare is truly one of gaming industries lesser known heroes; this Friday I'll be running a game of Swordbearer the other major work he wrote. Not to mention some absolutely brilliant pieces for Paranoia.

I have mostly finished Medieval Total War. Quite liked until the game AI started to cheat by generating utterly implausible oppositions (like hundreds of armored rebel knights in provinces that have been controlled for generations). It is awful when games do this, it breaks the sense of immersion (and Medieval Total War did have a good historical immersive quality). I seem to recall first reading in Sams Teach Yourself Game Programming that having the AI cheat helps keep a game challenging. Personally, I think it's a game destroyer. Because as with interactive gaming, the shared-world immersion comes first and the challenge (or system) comes after that. Destroying the sense of wonder turns the game from an phenomenal experience to an obstinate thing that's just annoying.

Comments

[tcpip.livejournal.com]

There was an important job to be done and Everybody was sure that Somebody would do it. Anybody could have done it, but Nobody did it. Somebody got angry about that, because it was Everybody's job. Everybody thought Anybody could do it, but Nobody realised that Everybody wouldn't do it. It ended up that Everybody blamed Somebody when Nobody did what Anybody could have.

[aurickandrien.livejournal.com]

Yeah, and a couple of years ago that Somebody would have been me. These days I'm not all that sure what Anybody on the exec is actually doing. Especially now that there isn't a clubroom anymore.

For the time being I'll e-mail the idea to the GHC mailing list.

[tcpip.livejournal.com]

Actually as I'll get a couple of copies for free I'll just give MARS one. That's probably easier still.

Where's our gaming locker being stored now that we don't have a room?

[aurickandrien.livejournal.com]

That'd be cool. I'm looking forward to reading it.

I'm not sure but I think that the games lockers might be at the current librarian's place.

[tcpip.livejournal.com]

A reasonable place for it to be I suppose.

In the first couple of years it resided with me.. Then we scored the locker :-)