About a month ago, a friend ran  a one-off session of Pelgrane Press'  Trail of Cthulhu (by Kenneth Hite), which is an alternate system to Chaosium's Call of Cthulhu game.  Bearing in mind the fact that it was a playtest written by a third party, and we gave a lot of feedback on the module, it was also my first experience of the ToC system, although I had already bought the rules.  It is a stand alone setting supplement for the GUMSHOE system, written by Robin D. Laws   My comments below are on the system, based on my experience.  I'm not discussing content (which we have done extensivly for the author of the module), and I'm not commenting on B's gming, except in the context that she was the person who ran the game for us.

It wasn't a bad system, but it feel a lot like spoonfeeding, or that we were in a scripted play rather than an investigation module - there is automatic success on clue finding, as long as a character has the requisite skill. Which meant that as all the investigation skills were spread out between the characters, it seemed to become a revolving door at times - we would keep trying until the right person entered the room.  Not that I wanted to play like that, but there seemed to be little point attempting any other way.

One of the things I like about CoC is that as an investigator, one has to be clever, creative and often ingenious in order to find clues (depending on both the GM and the module), and the chance of failure due to dice rolls is part of the experience.  Just having the clues handed to me once my character walked through the door with the right skill took the challenge out of it, and with it a large part of why I enjoy investigation games.  As a comparison, even proficient detectives like Hercule Poirot and Lord Peter Whimsey have to revisit scenes of their respective crimes to get clues they missed the first time, I don't see why it has to be any different for PCs. 

While I understand why some people prefer this system - and I didn't totally HATE it - I don't think I'll be running it myself any time soon.  The justification of 'I don't want to play a character who is crap a things'  doesn't sit fantastically well with me, because in the real world we all have strengths and weaknesses, and I like to play a character that is a balance of both.  By giving an automatic success to strengths and effectively ignoring weaknesses, it felt like we were in a play and the outcome was going to be the same no matter what I as a player wanted to do.  However, it seemed that politely giving feedback via a forum I belong to - talking about what I seek in a game and why I didn't feel that ToC provided that, although I would be happy to recommend it to other gamers who do prefer that style - caused a lot of people to get very defensive about it.

For the record, I find the much quoted 'it's not how you get the clues, it is the moral choices of what you do with them that counts' a big cop out.  What one does with the infomation one has is - at the most fundamental level - the point of any roleplaying game.  It doesn't matter if it is a hack'n'slash dungeon bash or a systemless 'arty' game, the actions of players are all about the choices they make (or in some cases, don't make), and I didn't think that ToC was different or groundbreaking in that way.

All in all, it is an interesting system, and for players who prefer a virtually diceless experience (and thus less exposure to the vagaries of chance) it is probably a game you would like.  For those of us who - rather than a guaranteed, no-frills success - enjoy the chance of great success or critical failure (generally found amongst those who play rolemaster) it might not be the best option..  Having said that, by all means give it a try, and let me know if you think I am wrong.  For me, it just lacked some of the things I want in an rpg.

Filed under: roleplaying | Posted by Philippa B at Friday, 5 December 2008 2:51 PM
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In the tradition of single instrument console games (Singstar, Guitar Hero), Rock Band has similar mechanics but expands the genre.  Although it has been available world wide for several years, it has only been available in Australia for the past few weeks

As well as the single player mode, where one strives to complete solo playing at different difficulties, and the dual player vs player mode, Rock Band adds a new layer of gameplay by allowing players to create a band together and go 'on tour'.

We had a get together last weekend with six of us in attendance.  In the band there was a singer, a drummer, and two guitars (lead and bass), and so we had players swap in and out throughout the evening.  N decided to name our band The Unknowable Self, and then we created our characters - one per instrument.  Nemo was the lead guitarist, moniikeh was the bassist, Gina G the singer and something unpronouncable (but allegedly from a japanese anime) as the drummer.  The characters where costumed as appropriately as we could afford on the allocated budget, and then we set off 'on tour'.

This collaborative mode awards the usual rating out of 5 stars for a performance, but also awards the band fans for each performance (calculated by some arcane formula that no doubt take into account the difficulty level of each player and possibly the current celestial alignment of the heavens).  A minimum number of fans is required to open up new venues, as well as the right to compete for a van or tour bus.  Once transport is available it is possible to travel to other states (in the US) and other countries (in Europe).  Roadies also become available, and the characters get money for each gig to get additional costumes, better instruments etc.

We had a fabulous time, starting at 4pm and the last stayers leaving at 2am.  Players switched between instruments, we downloaded more songs from the xbox site, we had huge amounts of fun creating vile costume combinations for the characters, and a lot of laughs all round as we tried difficulty levels beyond our capability (the record for the drum part for 'Blackened' on expert was 12 seconds).

One of the players preferred to be in free play mode, rather than on tour, because she felt there was less pressure and we could also choose to play whatever we wanted.  But most of us liked the additional challenges of the tour mode, including being forced to play songs we wouldn't have chosen - often in langagues we didn't know (french & german).

Drums is definitely the hardest instrument to play - both hands plus the foot pedal.  The guitars are easiest to play if you don't know the music in question.  Singing is most difficult if the song is unknown, because you can't focus on words and the melody at the same time.

all in all, it is a double thumbs up.  A great game (although Guitar Hero 2 has a better basic song list), and lots of replayability.

Filed under: music | Posted by Philippa B at Thursday, 4 December 2008 10:26 PM
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I just wrote a long review of my experiences with the xbox game Rock Band, and when I saved the entry it said that it would never resolve or something.  And my article was lost.

I'll rewrite it and save it in a document and post here later.

Filed under: life | Posted by Philippa B at Monday, 1 December 2008 5:12 PM
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I can't claim to have known him, but I saw Rob Guest perform a number of times in Les Miserables and The Phantom of the Opera.  He had a beautiful, rich voice, and unlike some singers was able to act enough to be convincing in his roles.  Australia has lost one of it's leading male performers (even if he was born in New Zealand).  Guest was only 57 years old, and we could have assumed that he still had many years of performing left in him.  By all accounts he was as generous with his time and helping young performers as he was at captivating an audience.

I regret that now I will never be able to see him as The Wizard of Oz in Wicked.  Rodney Dobson, who was also excellent in Les Mis will be taking over the role, and I'm sure he will do a good job.  But it still would have been nice to see Rob Guest in the role.

Filed under: performing arts | Posted by Philippa B at Thursday, 2 October 2008 11:45 AM
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I'm rereading the  Wild Cards series, a shared world anthology edited by George RR Martin.  Inspired by a superhero roleplaying campaign that was gamemastered by Martin, and included Roger Zelazny, Melinda M Snodgrass, Lewis Shiner and Walter Jon Williams, amongst other luminaries who would become writers in their own right.  Wild Cards is set in an alternative history of our own world, where a virus is released that gives some people superpowers (known as 'Aces'), and turns others into monsters ('Jokers').  Others are transformed into non-viable forms and die - often in agony - which is called 'Drawing the Black Queen'.

Once again I came across the short story 'Witness', by Walter Jon Williams.  Which is probably my favourite of all the stories in the first book, and possibly my favourite of all the ones I have read (the first 6 I think), but it is so brutal it is always difficult on a reread.  It is one of the few first person narrations in the series, and while Jack Braun's  (Golden Boy's) story is fiction, it is also so close to reality that it hurts. 

The Four Aces were the first public superhero group, and although referred to by nicknames, the public knew their true identities.  They were naieve and carefree in many ways, but that just sets them up for the fall.  The sense of joy and innocence at the start that gives way to the despair of the House Committee on Un-American Activities sequence is really hard to read.  Worth the effort, and wonderfully written, but really hard.  One can read it and think 'oh this is just fiction', but the point is that it DID happen in our world too, and the Four Aces are just subbed in for other real people whose lives were destroyed over nothing.

In the reprint versions of the books I have, Martin talks about how their characters and original writing was set in the early 80s.  They wanted Howard Waldrop to write a story, but he didn't want to write about fantastical powers, so he contributed the wonderful Jetboy in the story 'Thirty Minutes over Broadway'.  That then left a 40 or so year gap between the spread of the Wild Cards virus and the time period of their roleplaying characters, who would be second or even third generation Aces by then.  And the result was the Four Aces (including Golden Boy).  While it was not part of the original concept that Martin and his cowriters had, the content produced for this 40 year gap was not just filler.  It created a rich tapestry of layering and history which added a sense of depth to the world which just starting the series in the 1980s would not have done.  HUAC was part of that, as was the peace movement of the 60s and so on.  And it also provides an explanation of why modern day Aces are disguised and use nicknames in public. 

Wild Cards is a wonderful series.  I like some characters better than others, but that is entirely subjective.  Personally, I could do with a lot less of Bagabond and more of Croyd the Sleeper or The Great and Powerful Turtle.  The books are written in sets of 3 - the first two books of each set are made up of short stories, and the third of each set is what Martin calls a 'mosaic' novel, where each writer contributes events with their characters which are then woven into an intricate novel.  I feel that the short stories work better than the mosaic novels, but again that is a matter of personal preference.

But still . . .  poor Golden Boy  :(

Filed under: literature |roleplaying |writing | Posted by Philippa B at Monday, 29 September 2008 01:03 AM
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Today we saw the current Sydney production of Phantom of the Opera.  I have seen it quite a few times with various casts, including New York, Melbourne, and several other Sydney productions.

The venue this time around is the Lyric Theatre at the Star City.  It is not a venue I like much, I think the venue for previous productions - the Theatre Royal - is better.  The Lyric probably holds more in terms of audience, which is probably why it was chosen, but its atmosphere is like a huge shed.

As usual, the sets were gorgeous.  However I didn't like the design of the chandelier, it was ugly and didn't seem to swing properly or crash well onto the stage.  Not sure why they changed the design and appearance but I think it was a mistake.  The costumes were fantastic, especially the Masquerade scene which has always been my favourite.

Overall the production was a mixed success.  Because it was a matinee we had alternate case for the Phantom (Roy Weissensteiner) and for Christine (Julie Goodwin).  Both were quite good, although it would have been lovely to see Anthony Warlow in the role again..  M. Firmin ( John O'May) and M. Andre (Derek Taylor), Carlotta (Andrea Creighton) and Piangi (David Rogers-Smith) were all excellent - those kinds of character roles usually are.  Meg (Nadia Komazec) and Mme Giry (Jackie Rees) were good, but suffered the way those roles always seem to - their voices are not strong enough to compete against the others in the septet.  Carlotta and Piangi in particular, these roles are usually played by opera singers and they shine in the Letters / Prima Donna number.

Unfortunately Raoul (Alexander Lewis) just had no stage presence.  His acting was mediocre and his singing dull.  He also seemed too young for the role.  Overall he just seemed to be outclassed by the other leads, which was disappointing.  I have seen Simon Burke and Michael Ball in this role, so I know it can be a lot more exciting and dynamic than I saw today.

My final comment is on the soundmixing, which seemed to be pretty woeful for the most part.  The orchestra was too loud and drowning out the seven singers of Prima Donna.   Seven singers with microphones should be heard clearly above the music, particularly a wordy seven part song like Prima Donna, but sadly it was not the case today (except of course Carlotta).

Overall the production was enjoyable.  Many of the elements I love about the show were still there, and things like costumes, sets and music make it worthwhile for people interested in those things.  It is not a bad production, but there were a few things that made it seem a bit lackluster compared to those I have seen in the past.  I'm also curious as to why some of the songs have had their lyrics changed - will have to investigage further.

Filed under: None | Posted by Philippa B at Wednesday, 28 May 2008 10:38 PM
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Last night I had dinner with my parents, and we listened spellbound to the ABC Classic 100 Concertos, as voted by ABC listeners.  The countdown had been going since Saturday, and unfortunately I did not get a chance to listen to all of it.

My father is a classically trained pianist, who studied under Lindley Evans and Marjorie Hesse at the Sydney Conservatorium.  His mother was also a classically trained pianist, although neither of them ever chose to become professional performers.  Therefore it should come as no surprise that dad managed to pick virtually all of the top ten concertos on the list, pretty much in order.  I think the only one he missed was the Bruch Violin Concerto in G Minor which came in at number 4.

He definitely picked the top two – Rachmaninoff’s 2^nd and Beethoven’s 5^th, also known as the Emperor (both for piano).  Which lead to an interesting discussion for us as listeners:  looking at the list on the ABC website, I would say that predominantly violin concertos are on the list, yet the top two were piano concertos.  And while there was a good mix of composers, by far the most represented were Mozart, Bach, Beethoven and Vivaldi.  All the Brandenburgs, three of the Four Seasons (not Autumn though), the Bach Double, and other wonderful pieces that I seem to have known forever.

Of course there were others composers represented too including a few Australians such as Carl Vine and Ross Edwards.  And it was pleasing that composers like Gershwin made the list, as I always feel he has been underrated due to the success of his popular music. 

There were other solo instruments too, including cello, viola, harp, horn and even tuba.  There was also a concerto for two didgeridoos, which I am not at all familiar with.  However I was left with the conclusion that I really have been neglecting my love of classical music lately.  I haven’t had much time for music at all, and I really miss it.  However I’m going to listen to Chopin and Rachmaninoff when I get home tonight, and just indulge myself a little.

This brings me to thinking about my earliest memories of music - my father playing the piano at night while I danced, and then he would still be playing when I went to sleep.  His preference was always the eastern Europeans, which I always referred to jokingly as his ‘loud bangy Russians’ – Rachmaninoff, Prokofiev, Tchaikovsky, Chopin and Liszt. Yes, I know the last two are not Russian, but you get the idea.  It had a profound effect on me as a musician, and on my view of music.  It was only in my final year of piano lessons (at which I was adequate but not great) I finally felt like I was playing ‘real’ music, when I learned Chopin’s Waltz in E Flat (and suddenly I did become a good piano player, taking out first in the local eisteddfod and acing my HSC music prac a few weeks later).

And so I wish that the Rachmaninoff 2^nd, which was in 2^nd place last night, had actually come in first.  I would have loved to hear the whole thing live instead of just the first movement.  I love the middle part of the first movement when the first theme returns but with repeated notes.  Can’t be more specific than that as I have never seen the score, but I’m sure anyone familiar with the piece will know exactly what I mean.

My memories as a violinist are different – I joined our local community orchestra when I was 7, and by the time I actually started to enjoy and appreciate the music I was playing we were doing the Brandenburg concertos and the Four Seasons.  Plus I had already done the first movement of the Bach Double with my violin teacher (both parts).  So the baroque composers tend to be my favourite when I play the violin.

And of course Mozart manages to cross all the boundaries – violin, piano and singing.  There is just something about Mozart that is irresistible to listen to, and so exhilarating as a performer.

Anyway, just some thoughts on music from my addled brain.  Life has been a bit up and down lately, so it is nice to focus on something different.  Our kitten has had to have major surgery so I have been stressed about that; and I have a job interview with a circus next week, which is awesome and exciting.  More will be forthcoming later, I don’t want to talk too much about it and jinx myself.

So, what is your favourite concerto?  Did it make the list?  Hopefully there will be a cd or two with a selection of the list available so I can be lazy and not have to find them all for myself.  A great way to relive some favourite memories, and also to find new and interesting music.

Of course, next years count-down will be the 100 favourite chamber pieces. So I suspect a lot of the same music will appear again . . .

Filed under: life |music | Posted by Philippa B at Thursday, 1 November 2007 11:54 AM
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I finished up my event contract with APEC on Friday 28 September.  After that I ran a 3 day convention - which went very well - and during the past week I have been doing casual work at the Powerhouse.  I work in the education and public programs area, and so for the school.holidays I have quite a bit to do.

I have had some resume update advice, provided to all interested staff at APEC which was good. My resume was pretty much up to date, but the consultant has given me some tips on how to refocus my experience towards events.  Of course I still have to have an Executive Assistant resume too, which is the majority of my contracts, but hopefully the portfolio of event work that i have been building up will help me get something more permanent (in an organisation) or longer term (for a big event).  World Youth Day is next year in Sydney, but I'm not too excited about that.  the World Masters is the following year which has potential - that could be an 18 month contract if I can find a suitable role.

Meanwhile, my agency has 6 potential EA roles for me, not exciting but at least it is an income.  And I have one other lead to follow up on from APEC, someone who said he was very impressed with my work and told me to contact him.  The problem is that I'm not exactly sure what the company does (PR work of some kind, seems to work 1:1 with VIP clients) so it is hard to write the cover letter and tailor my resume appropriately, but it could be a lot of fun.  Plus there is a part time role at the museum for a few months, to fill in for someone on extended sick leave.  Again it is an admin role but at least I already work there.  So lots of options, just not sure if I want to do any of them.

Meanwhile, tonight I am going back to the radio show for the first time in months.  I'm going to do a pilates class first (I usually do yoga but that is on at the same time as the show), then to the radio station.  I have some new Bollywood music I would like L to play, I managed to get a soundtrack I was after on Friday which was a bit exciting.  It has two versions of the song I like 'Salaam Namaste', although I think the Club remix is the version I want to learn a dance to.  I am going to take some Bollywood dance classes soon, so I'm planning ahead.  Which of course will not help me get employed but at least it will be fun  ;)

Filed under: events |life | Posted by Philippa B at Monday, 8 October 2007 11:50 AM
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This weekend is 3 days in NSW, and so there is a roleplaying convention on, Sydcon.  I am one of the 3 organisers, although we do have a committee / NPO of 7 people. 

While at university some years ago I was the convenor of Macquariecon.  In those days conventions regularly got above 300 people, and MacCon was the largest of the Sydney cons getting around 450 people.  We were the only one with access to a venue large enough for that many attendees, and we would book 60 or so rooms across campus and still not have enough - some games used to run outdoors when then weather was nice.

These days con numbers are much smaller.  In Sydney the RPGA Living Games split away a huge contingent to virtually do no other gaming now - whereas in the old days people would play D&D and then other things in the rest of their con sessions.  Apparently it is not so segregated in ACT and Victoria, and their con numbers have not suffered so much. 

The other major issue is of course online gaming - people who a decade ago would have done tabletop roleplaying and gone to conventions are now playing Everquest or World of Warcraft, and they don't even have to leave their homes.  It certainly lacks the social aspect that I love about gaming, and it is a shame that most of the online gamers are not interested in mixing it up with some face-to-face stuff too.  It has had a real impact on a community that used to be vibrant and dynamic, and I miss it so much

So having said I would never run another con, I am doing Sydcon for the second year in a row.  Sydcon was cancelled by the previous organisers and did not run for 2 years.  After the second cancellation I goaded a friend - who used to organise Sydcon in the early 90s - into doing it again.  But he said only if I did it too.  As I thought I would have to do a research project for my Masters of Event Management, I figured that I could fit it in (subsequently my degree was restructured and I'm no longer required to do a research project, so I was suckered in).

Last year started small.  We had about 45 preregistrations, and numbers got up to about 100 by the end of the weekend.  This year we have about 80 preregistered, plus a lot of people saying they will come who have not registered so far.  I was hoping that our prereg would be 100, but at least it is growing.

We managed to get a grant from the City of Sydney Council last year, as we are holding the con in a suburb that they want to build up in a business sense.  One of our committee members is on the Glebe Chamber of Commerce, which is how we managed to get the venue, and they supported the funding application.  That more than covered our venue costs last year, which meant that we did not have to put up much money of our own.  Rego fees and canteen meant that we had enough to run the con again this year, and hopefully that aspect will grow along with registration numbers.

We do not run night time roleplaying sessions, instead chosing to focus on the community aspect of gaming.  On Saturday night we will have a trivia night - which was very popular last year - and local game stores have donated things as prizes.  On Sunday night we will have the convention banquet, with prizes for the best costumes etc.  That is held at a local restaurant, and as it would be a quiet night for them otherwise we have managed to secure a private room.  And then after prize giving we are going to a local pub - again a private room so under 18 year olds can attend - with a great bistro.  We had fantastic feedback from all these activities last year, and it is a great way to remind people what roleplaying has over online gaming.  Which is, of course, a valid form of entertainment, but does not provide me with what I am after.

This year I am writing a game, my first freeform.  It is for 28 players, and is almost fully booked already (those who have said they will be walk ins will probably miss out).  I have had a lot of fun doing the characters and plots, and it is very intertwined in the soap-operaish fashion I enjoy.  It is a change from the Call of Cthulhu I have run for the past 4 years at Macquariecon, and I'm really looking forward to running it (last session of the con, so I have a few more days to get my props etc together).  Once it is over I'll have a look at what worked and what didn't, and what I should do differently for next time. 

Filed under: roleplaying | Posted by Philippa B at Friday, 28 September 2007 11:38 AM
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As I am wrapping up my current job - event coordinator for the APEC 2007 Business Summit - I have been thinking of what is next. 

As yet I do not have a new contract, but I have my casual work at the Powerhouse Museum to look forward to over the next few weeks.  I am involved in the public and education programs area, and as the next two weeks are school holidays, there are plenty of activities that I will be involved in organising.

I am also responsible for organising Sydcon - a 3 day roleplaying convention that will be on this weekend, as well as writing a 26 character freeform inspired by Jane Austen and other regency writers.

Finally, my artwork has been published for the first time, in the current issue of Australian Paper Crafts .  I have been selling things for a while - paper crafts, card making, and mixed media artwork - but it is nice to get some formal recognition for it.

I also do some voluntary work on a community radio station.  Although work is hardly the right word for it - we just play around and have some rants if we feel like it.  I also like having the chance to share music I like, although I think the listening audience is about 10 people.

I have been thinking of starting an Arts Blog for a while, and although I do a have a social blog elsewhere, I would like this to be a more professional one, reflecting the type of involvement I have in the arts and where I would like to go careerwise.  So I think that New Beginnings as as good a title as any for my first entry. 

And the name, Synaesthesia?  Well, I will no doubt talk about it more at a later stage, but it is a medical condition I have always been fascinated with, one that refers to blurring and intermixing of senses and their responses.  I have often felt that my involvement in the arts is blurred and has no defined boundaries, and I think Synaesthesia is in many ways a good interpretation of that.

I don't know if anyone will actually read this, but that is fine.  Just as Carpe Diem, the radio show, is enjoyable even if we have no audience, I hope that writing this blog is a similar outlet for me to reflect and discuss whatever I feel like.

Filed under: culture and heritage |events |life |roleplaying |visual arts and crafts |writing | Posted by Philippa B at Monday, 24 September 2007 2:10 PM
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