Tag Archives: Roleplaying

Religion in Guild Wars 2: The Sylvari

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If you are an MMO player like me, you are probably excitedly awaiting the release of Guild Wars 2 at the end of August. If you are an armchair philosopher like me, then you are probably very intrigued by the concepts behind a couple of the races and their relationships with religion. The obvious being the Charr, a race that gave up religion completely so they could host an industrial revolution. They knowingly rid their soceity of religion because they recognized it was being used to oppress their people.

Now, I’m not saying this is a metaphor for all religion, in fact, the humans of Guild Wars 2 seem to be doing just fine with their belief structure. Regardless, the Charr are actually neither here nor there–I actually want to focus on a different race, altogether. The Sylvari.

The Sylvari are particularly interesting to me, because according to Guild Wars 2, the race is only 25 years old. An entire race of people, and they have only been around for 25 years. How fascinating is that? Naturally, one has to wonder what effect that might have on their views of the world, especially regarding religion.

To Dream a Little Dream

According to Guild Wars 2 lore, the Sylvari exist in the Dream before they are “born.” Though, they are not actually born; they are sort of hatched from a seed pod. But within the Dream, they have a consciousness that does not seem to know it is not alive. At least, not alive as we would traditionally see it. It is as though they are able to experience life through a kind of simulated existence inside the Pale Tree, the massive tree that sprouts the Sylvari.

This concept should be immediately familiar to any student of religion, as it seems to almost be based on a facet of Latter-Day Saint (Mormon) belief. Members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints believe the soul of a human exists with God before it is selected to be born. It makes me wonder if this particular tenet was not an inspiration for the Sylvari.

But I digress. I’m here to discuss the implications of religion on the Sylvari in-game, not the effect of real-world religion on the game.

Pod People

So imagine this: you just sprouted from a seed pod–fully grown, mind you–and you are seeing the world for the first time. You are realizing that the existance you thought you knew in the Dream is not the actual world around you. Not to say the Dream is not real–it is–it’s just not everything you thought it was.

What would you instantly think, being “born” fully aware? Would you believe in a god? Would you think the Pale Tree that sprouted you is a god? Or is the world just what it appears to be?

The Guild Wars 2 Wiki states that the Sylvari are agnostic toward to concept of the human religion in the game, which is a polytheistic (more than one deity) belief structure. It states the Sylvari would prefer to see the actions of these gods before they put any faith in them.

Could this desire be because of how they are brought into the world? They spend so much time in the Dream, now they awaken and realize everything wasn’t as it seems, so now they view things with a skeptical eye. But that would imply the Sylvari held some sort of cynical view of the Pale Tree, that it was “lying” to them all that time. No, instead it seems they view the Pale Tree as a respected parent, and less a god.

So what about you? Try to put yourself in the position, if you can, of a newborn Sylvari.

How do you think you would view the world if you were born/hatched/harvested to find out everything you thought you knew was only the tip of the metaphysical iceberg? How would you handle being thrust into a world where your entire civilization has only existed, when compared to others you interact with, for the blink of an eye?

With all that in mind, the Sylvari aren’t alone in having a unique take on religion. As we look deeper into Guild Wars 2, we’ll be able to discuss not only interesting parallels between in-game belief systems and the real-world, but unique interactions between the religions in the game. How does the Nords’ polytheism differ from the humans’? Do the Charr and the Asurans share any common beliefs? And more importantly, what does any of that mean to you? Will any of this affect the way you play the game?

I guess we’ll see!

Mobile Gaming Review: “Dungeon Village”

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Mobile gaming is a steadily-growing market. An estimated 50.4% of Americans (as of March) now own a smartphone. But I’ll be honest–when the whole discussion on mobile gaming started, I wondered whether or not it would ever really appeal to me and to gamers like me. Sure, Facebook had shown that social and casual games could be successful for the population at large. My concern was whether or not there would there be games for those who counted themselves as gamers, or whether we’d just be stuck emulating old SNES games.

Gradually though, I saw that the game selection could indeed cater to “gamers”. While there are of course many games designed for a more casual market, we have seen solid products aimed at the more traditional gaming crowd. And perhaps it is little wonder that one of my new favourites was produced where so many of the favourite games from my childhood were: Japan.

Dungeon Village (iOS $3.99, Android $4.99) takes the typical Fantasy RPG formula and turns it on its head. No longer are you the brave adventurer heading into dungeons: instead, it is a town simulation, and you play the guy who runs the town. You offer quests, sell magical items, and eventually (if you’re doing your job properly) host the homes of adventurers. The game itself is not a massive departure from other Kairosoft games in terms of structure or art (you may already be familiar with the first major release from Kairosoft, Game Dev Story).

They definitely are not trying to rewrite the book here, but the formula works and is fun to play. Your adventurers level up and you can spend money to upgrade their equipment or gift them items that they find in dungeons. They also have cheeky names that are references to famous RPG or literary heroes. Clown Stripe and Gilly Gamesh were both pretty amusing.

The town itself is also of great importance, though. Your heroes need facilities to buy weapons and armor, and an Inn (obviously). Later, you can gain access to more advanced buildings like restaurants and combat training areas. These facilities will boost your adventurers’ stats, but they also increase their satisfaction with your town, making them more likely to choose to settle down. Adventurers living in your town generate tax revenue at the end of the year, so keeping them in your town is a good goal to have.

As your town grows in popularity, you’ll find more and more adventurers lining up to defend it. Time to hand out those powerful magical artifacts to complete strangers and pay them to defend your lands and enter strange caves!

The game uses the tried-and-true pixelated graphics from previous Kairosoft titles. I personally love this art style, and as someone who has played through Final Fantasy VI more times than I’d care to admit I am definitely used to it. It fits the genre and feel of the game very well. There’s a fairly good variety of sprites, with different enemy types popping up steadily throughout the game.

The music is repetitive and you will turn it off almost immediately, but that’s essentially par for the course with Kairosoft titles. I recommend cooking up a playlist on YouTube with all your favourite RPG soundtracks and just running that in the background.

As with most Kairosoft titles, you get some excellent first value for your first playthrough, but secondary playthroughs may not be as interesting. Still, for $5 you get your money’s worth in one go, especially if you’re already a fan of the RPG genre. Make no mistake, this game is a gamer’s game. Not only would many of the references be lost on players who are not fans of the genre, but the concept of the game itself is probably not very appealing to them.

I give Dungeon Village a solid 4 out of 5. If it had better replay value and adjustable difficulty levels, I’d bump it to a 4.5. The lack of a decent soundtrack doesn’t really bother me since this is largely something that mobile gaming has yet to anyways.

Have you played Dungeon Village or other Kairosoft titles? Let me know in the comments!

[Guest Post] 5 Greatest MMOs of 2012

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Today’s guest post was written by Evan Fischer, a contributing writer for Sonic Games 365–where you can find the best arcade, puzzle, and RPG games on the web.

If you’ve grown bored with some of the overstuffed MMOs that seem to offer only minute variations on popular themes (Evil wizard holds kingdom hostage! Aliens invade the earth! An apocalypse turns us all into battle-ready soldiers!) then you’re no doubt looking forward to some of the incredible new MMOs being released 2012. While not a comprehensive list, here are just a few that should give you something a little more than the average fare.

Firefall

Expansive open-world environment – check. Futuristic battle zone setting – check. First- and third-person shooter features – check. And it’s free?

Holy crap.

So, this asteroid basically hits the earth, setting off the “Nine Year Winter” (brrrr). Some governments fall to pieces while other nations make alliances, and a new element called crystite is discovered (providing unlimited power, which is a real bonus during asteroid-induced winter). Also, wormholes are created, but they have this unfortunate side effect of creating energy storms that ravage the earth, leaving it largely inhospitable, darn the luck. So the story is a little like a spit-balling exercise that never got pared down. But with lots of groups and classes to choose from (fighter, engineer, medic, etc.), plenty of loot to be captured, and extensive PvP environments, Firefall is one MMO to try this year (and keep in mind, the demo will air at RTX July 7).

TERA

This action/adventure MMO out of Korea is an epic fantasy game of the sword-and-sorcery variety (dragons, magic – all the snacky-treats of the fantasy genre). But thanks to the Unreal Engine, the graphics are breathtaking, and the manual targeting feature gives the game some unexpected oomph that will likely appeal to the hardcore gaming crowd (since it’s relatively rare in the PC world).

Guild Wars 2

Although this game won’t debut until August, it’s already getting a lot of buzz; it’s basically the choose-your-own-adventure version of the MMO world. The success of the first Guild Wars apparently gave developer ArenaNet a desire to take it to the next level, and their plan is certainly audacious. Every choice users make, from character attributes to the weapons they draw, will affect the outcome of individual events and the progression of the game as a whole. If their plan works, this game could just take MMOs to the next level.

The Secret World

Fantasy runs rife in the wide world of MMOs, but this gorgeous game embraces the weird in a different way. Set in modern day (rather than a magical past or apocalyptic future),The Secret World nonetheless offers a touch of the fantastic through the unveiling of the fact that myths, legends, and folklore are all true. Secret societies are out there (you’ll be joining one, too!), there really are hidden cities at the center of the earth, and brain-hungry zombies could be invading the Hamptons as we speak. With an emphasis on character creation and storytelling (and a lack of levels), this isn’t your average MMO.

But that’s what makes it fun.

Diablo III

As MMO video games go, this one may be one of the most anticipated in recent memory; hard-core fans of the franchise have been holding their breath (and slowly turning blue) for the last twelve years, when Diablo II came out. In fact, so many people were eager to get their hands on this game that it reportedly broke pre-sale records and sold more copies within the first 24 hours of hitting store shelves than any other PC game to date.

You might not think that your typical hack-and-slash game would be worth all the hubbub, but this franchise is anything but typical, with stellar storylines, tactical action gameplay, fully-formed, destructible, 3D environments, and of course, the multi-player functionality that first made the Diablo franchise so popular. Sadly, this game is not free (though there is no subscription fee); however, most players will agree that it’s worth every penny.

Did we miss your favorite MMO of 2012? Let us know about it in the comments!

One-shot RPGs for Gaming Groups in Flux

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Recently, my regular D&D group has been meeting very irregularly. A combination of factors conspired to create this situation–among them the release of the D&D Next playtest (very well-received with our group) and some changing work schedules for some of us. Two of our players now arrive much later than we’d like to optimally start, which has led some of us to question if a system besides Dungeons & Dragons 4th Edition might be better suited to our current situation, a system which would allow players to kind of “drop in” during the game.

While we may or may not actually change systems, my group’s discussion of doing so made me think about what some great RPG systems for our situation would be. When a consistent narrative is not possible because of the current situation with your normal players, your group usually decides to do one of two things: run some “one-shot” adventures for a few weeks until normalcy can be resumed, or run a system where players dropping in at random points is not harmful to the game’s proceedings.

In my opinion, D&D 4E in particular suffers when players jump in and out, as the challenge presented by the enemies is dependant on a particular number of players. What happens is that if your DM builds an encounter for five people but you only have three, the DM has to either make changes on the fly to the encounter or else risk presenting the group with a possibly-fatal challenge. While this may not bother some DMs too badly, when you combine it with the lack of a coherent narrative, it often ends up being a dealbreaker.

It is for me, at least.

That said, if your normal tabletop RPG group can’t make it, but you still want to roll some dice, here are your options as I see them.

Gamma World (7th Edition)

Gamma World is a great fit for a one-shot adventure or even a drop-in game.

With those unfamiliar with the concept, Gamma World 7E uses Dungeons and Dragons 4th Edition rules for the framework of the game system. This makes it a great fit for a D&D group that’s just having an off-week: no rules explanation is required.

The setting is a post-apocalyptic Earth where pretty much everything that can exist, does. Your character’s powers are randomly chosen for you, and you are then burdened with the task of somehow explaining your character. You also get starter equipment of your choosing. For example, my last character in Gamma World was a Wheeled Reanimated, which I decided was the spiritual embodiment of the song “Crazy Train” by Ozzy Osbourne trying desperately to find his nemesis Tipper Gore.

In addition, the system is far more lethal than D&D 4E (there is almost no healing), making it both entertaining and not a big deal should your character meet an untimely demise at the hands of a Vorpal Chainsaw-wielding mutant chicken. I’m sure your next character (Pyrokinetic…Plant?!?!) will fare better… or it will be fried by laser-wielding robots.

For your DM, there are several published adventures available. In the event that you go through all those, the setting itself is flexible enough to accommodate basically any post-apocalyptic storyline you could come up with. Mad Max, Fallout and Borderlands await!

Marvel Heroic Roleplaying

In case you’ve missed it, I’m a big fan of Marvel Heroic Roleplaying. And recently, a new Civil War event that was recently released, which is perfectly suited to to groups with a drop-in playstyle.

The Civil War event itself spans three acts during which the impact of the Superhuman Registration Act (or SHRA for short) is felt by heroes and villains alike. There’s lots of content here, and your group is unlikely to blow through it very quickly. Heroes are encouraged to pick sides and defend either the Pro- or Anti-Registration standpoint. Hero vs. Hero combat could even result! Also, a fortuitous arrival of a hero could easily happen in any comic book, so it’s easy for a newly-arrived player to jump right into the action.

Another great thing about Marvel Heroic Roleplaying is that the Doom Pool and Plot Point mechanics are largely self-regulating, meaning that the loss of a player or two will not mean a radical rebalancing of an action scene’s difficulty.

Such a feature allows for your Watcher (DM) to have a fairly solid game plan in advance, even if you’re not sure exactly how many of your players will be attending.

Finally, the superhero genre is generally quite popular of late, what with the recent release of The Amazing Spider-Man and the upcoming release of The Dark Knight Rises. It is generally accessible, and even someone who is not very familiar with it could play a more popular hero who is well-known to compensate for this.

Trail of Cthulhu (or any Survival Horror adventure, for that matter)

A survival horror game is a great idea for a one-shot adventure, and Trail of Cthulhu is an interesting and easy to learn system to select for such a game. Since characters are not generally expected to survive a survival horror adventure, the fun is in unraveling the mystery and watching the generally terrifying proceedings happen.

Trail of Cthulhu does a good job of forcing players to get into character. At creation, characters are assigned a Drive that represents their basic philosophy. Acting contrary to this Drive can cause a character to become unstable, whereas acting in favor of it can help a character cope with seriously disturbing circumstances.

Everything in Trail of Cthulhu is done using a D6, and the rules are mostly based around making small gambles on your ability to reach a target number. This simplicity means that you can skip the rules explanation and cut right to the fun–a huge asset for a group in flux or for a one-off adventure.

Finally, there is a wealth of player-created content for this system, most of which is very high quality. You aren’t in danger of running out of content here–at least not before the system drives you crazy (har har). (Beej’s Note: tee hee!)

Conclusion

Next time your group can’t meet as normal, consider one of these alternatives to your regular system! A change of pace or a break can be a really good thing for a roleplaying group, so give one of these a shot and see how you fare!

Does your roleplaying group have a “fallback” game that you play on off-nights? Let me know in the comments!

Meet the New Guys: John Ayers and Josh Bury!

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If you haven’t noticed over the past few weeks, there are a couple of new faces here at Professor Beej. The response to the recent call for writers was phenomenal, and I can’t thank you enough for that. We’ve had some fantastic folks show interest in joining up, and it makes me sad we couldn’t field everyone as regulars. (Which isn’t to say we aren’t always looking for guest posts. Because we are!)

That said, though, we were able to find spots for two person-sized nuggets of awesome: John Ayers and Josh Bury.

So without further rambling on my part, let’s get right into getting to know these guys.

John Ayers (@FalconX2)

I’ve known John a long time, and in that time, I’ve come to expect good things from him. Whether it’s tech support, a D&D campaign, political discussions, or a piping hot bowl of zuppa toscana, John doesn’t do half-assed. When I started looking for new writers for the blog, I thought about folks who’d be able to fit the tone and style of the blog, and John’s name immediately popped into my head. I actually approached him about becoming a regular because of how much I always enjoy our in-depth discussions on pop culture and geek media.

And hopefully, you will, too. His article on Parenting and Animal Man made me want to go read comics for the first time in years, and he’s just lucky that I didn’t change his article on H.P. Lovecraft and retitle it to “There’s Love(craft) in the Air Tonight.” I can’t wait to see what else he has in store for us.

Josh Bury (@ThrownGauntlet)

JoshI met Josh initially when I returned to Star Wars: The Old Republic and decided that PvP was going to be my primary focus. After a few Google/Twitter searches, I ran across his old SWTOR blog, Thrown Gauntlet, when I was thinking about being a PvP tank on my Jedi Knight. I watched a few videos and followed the guy up on Twitter.

Turns out, he’s one heck of a nice guy, and when I posted my call for writers, I got an email from Josh. With his new, awesome gig at Darth Hater, he couldn’t very well write for TG anymore. And rather than start a new geek media blog from scratch, he drank the Kool-Aid and became one of my minions a regular here at Professor Beej, where he is writing about such awesomeness as tabletop gaming, board gaming, roleplaying, and pretty much whatever strikes his fancy that isn’t SWTOR.

So if you have a few minutes, mosey on over and check out his articles on tabletop roleplaying and his “System Shock” articles on choosing the right RPG system for your group.

So don’t be shy–say hello to John and Josh! Give them a warm welcome and let them know what a killer job they’re doing.