Observations of the Fox

Looks like the idea of a Code of Ethics has some traction. Here is a sample of where it seems to be heading . At the moment, a Code of Ethics on its own is a vague an nebulous thing. It doesn't need a regulatory body if everyone agrees to it, but the reason something like this tends to be put in place is because people aren't acting ethically and a community benchmark needs to be set. The closest analogue I can see here is the founding of the Comics Code Authority in the US, back in the 60s. The way I understand it, it wasn't really a watchdog, but more a show of solidarity and wholesomeness in the face of groups who wanted to shut them down. Arguably, something like this might have been useful in the moral panic of "D&D = satanism" back in the 80s. Maybe it will be useful if that sort of thing raises it's head further in the new right wing conservative political climate. Maybe. The catch I see is that the whole thing needs a critical mass of people ...

There's a link over on the side of the blog, it says that I'm a proud member of "The Stockade". The link goes to a dead Wordpress blog, with a last post dated 2011, it indicates that The Stockade has moved to a new site when you open it...but even that "new site" seems to be old and forgotten... there's just a DNS error message on my screen when I try to open it. Maybe it's time to get rid of that link on the side menu... new collectives of Aussie game designers have arisen, so maybe I might replace that link with a couple of connections to those groups.

The card decks I ordered from OneBookShelf have arrived, and I'm really happy with the quality. They look suitably grungy, but slick; and as a result they'll be great for setting up the post-apocalyptic battle terrain for the Ghost City Rangers.  Now I need to activate the card deck on the shopfront. 

I've commented on the Power 19. I'm deliberately not going to generate one for Brigaki Djili at this stage. But I will look at the Big Three...three questions that help to focus a game design. The problem is, that I've encountered at least two different versions of "The Big Three". What is your game about? How does your game do this? How does your game encourage / reward this? I'm told that respected game designer John Wick likes to add.. How does you game make this fun? Another version of "The Big Three" uses the first three questions of the Power 19, and often implies that these are the most valuable responses for the 19 questions. What is your game about? What do the characters do? What does the GM do (if there is one)? So that makes six different questions for "The Big Three", each of them reflects something distinctly different about the game without delving to deep into specifics. Probably a good series of points to start. It's al...

The light of truth is revealed in the shadows of gypsy firelight. There are tales that have changed our society; while the repercussions have been felt far and wide, the details of these stories have been deliberately hidden. Those outside our society have a unique perspective of our history; gypsies, vagabonds, nomads. Their insight and communion with arcane forces allows them to penetrate the façade and reveal the truth. The elders of the kampanya, gather after a feast; a solitary visitor has asked them to reveal a hidden story of the past. Thus Brigaki Djili begins…

To maintain a tradition of unpronounceable game names, I'll be working on a project called "Brigaki Djili" for my entry into the Stockade's game design contest. Brigaki Djili is actually a term from a Romani dialect, which is fitting for a game about gypsies. It's direct translation is "sorrow songs", so the game will be about revealing the past. Sort of like gypsy fortune tellers who reveal the hidden past instead of looking into the future. At this stage, the very raw basics of the game follow the notion of a group who commune with one another through dance, ritual and sacred herbs. Each tapping into an all knowing communal conscious to reveal the actions of a single individual in the context of a forgotten story. The role of the GM is that of a lone traveller who has asked the group to reveal a story lost to the mists of time (or deliberately hidden by the "powers that be".) The group weave together their narrative, and the GM asks occasiona...

Just thought that I'd share with everyone that I've joined a community of Australian game designers called "The Stockade". There are already a few talented and respectable designers who have gathered in this group, so hopefully I won't be letting the team down. The first official project of the Stockade is a 12 month contest, launched at Gencon Oz 2009 with the aim to produce a playtested and fully playable game by Gencon Oz 2010. As a contest junkie and a forum junkie, its hardly surprising that I've already thrown my hat into the ring on this one. I'm thinking of combining aspects of "A Penny for my Thoughts", "Baron Munchausen" and parts of my existing design concepts to create an immersive experience using the "tokens in a bag" mechanism and elaborately folded character sheets. I think it will involve Gypsies.