Geist: The Sin-Eaters

I wrote the (unfortunately, somewhat version-dated, compared to post-playtest revisions) krewe rules and I hashed out their role in the setting. Previews made some people assume the krewes were all gang-like, but the other half of that section shows that this isn’t the whole story.

One thing I wanted to do in my section is get rid of one of the big barriers to using mythology and the occult in RPGs: the sense of ownership, expertise and authority some folks feel they have over it, which drives people to avoid hacking together things as they see fit. Ironically this makes it more like actual occultist or mythology, which is pretty much cultural Lego anyway. In Geist, people have revelations that don’t make sense, don’t have to make sense, and combine all the chunky debris of pop culture with the cool flow of recurring motifs. Nobody gets to play the expert, and everybody does.

I also wrote some stuff on antagonists.

Eclipse Phase

I didn’t do any writing for this one but Rob Boyle and co. kindly asked me to drop in and participate in initial brainstorming. I helped out with some names for things, (the Exsurgent virus) suggested an embryonic version of the tagline, warned of a terrible Putonghua pun and took a strong AI/digital consciousness stance in discussions about psychosurgery and forking. This wasn’t because I’m a transhumanism geek but because I happen to be familiar with the more extreme end of the stance and thought it should be considered.

Now Eclipse Phase doesn’t entirely adhere to the strong stance and this is a good thing. When people complain about the limits of some version of transhuman technology they often don’t consider the global picture. They want effortless body-swapping and personality apps, but don’t deeply examine the combined effect these things have at “maximum setting” in RPG narratives: They totally trash them. Yes, that even includes your funky nu-game POV nobody’s thought of before, because you’re just not thinking big enough. Egan’s Diaspora is too weak as well, for that matter. The primary issue is the nonexistence of real risk or tension in characters that simply cannot have involuntary experiences in any way, shape or form.

(This kind of reminds me when people didn’t get my work on the old Mage‘s Ascension, because they figured it was “One side wins!” or “We get to ride unicorns!” No, it’s bigger than that. The ultimate potential of idealized, Singularitarian transhumanism is bigger than our narratives too.)

Fan Expo

I’m going to Toronto’s Fan Expo this weekend. I’ll be doing panels and maybe handing out cards but no table – I want to get out there, game a bit and look around. I’ll be co-sponsoring (putting in for snacks) a Meet and Greet at Hoops, a nearby bar. Feel free to drop by and chat! People sometimes seek me out to sign things and I’m always happy to do it. This event is your best bet.

What Else?

This is the first blog entry in a while because I’ve been very busy with an electronic gaming project (not the WoD MMO). I will have more stuff on GMing, more announcements about upcoming games — just not right now.