User blogs
Tonight at 9:00 PM Central is open game chat on Inspired Unreality. Everyone is welcome to participate. All gaming is on topic. Inspired Unreality is held in the gamerplus chatrooms at Tenkar's Tavern on Discord. Our initial topic for tonight is Wizards Creating Spells, how does a DM deal with a creative wizard?
Next Monday the Related To Geeks Book Club will discuss "Neuromancer" by William Gibson. This cyberpunk classic is available on the internet library at archive.org. There's still time to read it before the book club discussion.
https://archive.org/details/NeuromancerWilliamGibson/page/n11/mode/2up
Also available on the Internet Archive is the rules for the game "Neuromancer".
https://archive.org/details/manual_Neuromancer/page/n15/mode/2up
Fun!
Yesterday was Mothers Day and my granddaughter's birthday so the Related To Geeks crew spent the day in virtual visits and sharing special videos while we all stayed home. It was great. Not as good as it should have been but still, great.
Our favorite blogger and podcaster, FollowMeAndDie, has been doing everything he can to stay healthy during the pandemic only to discover that he has cancer. He discussed revising his plans on his podcast and blog. Please check in with him. All prayers that he will be fine. Best to you, brother.
https://gamerplus.org/newsfeed/2187
If you are reading this in your email the newsletter is also posted in a Gamer+ blog post. Please share this link to pass it on.
https://gamerplus.org/blogs/post/192
Thanks,
Hairy Larry
https://gamerplus.org/user/hairylarry
hairylarry@deltaboogie.com
We started early and I got the ball rolling talking about Carl's game, Wizards and Heroes, which I had just run at NEA Game Fest. And we also discussed:
PbtA - Powered by the apocalypse
Gumshoe
Dread
Five Torches Deep
Shadow of the Demon Lord
Beyond The Wall
Maze Rats
Godbound
Numenara
Not all rules lite. Some had parts that were rules lite or were compared to rules lite.
We also discussed 5e as opposed to rules lite games. What's good and not so good about 5e. Of course many people love 5e but no game is perfect and we were born to complain about stuff.
Later on we got into castle building. Here's some links to blogs that were posted.
A Little Bit More About Strongholds
https://dungeonspossums.blogspot.com/2019/01/a-little-bit-more-about-strongholds_5.html
OSR: Building Castles
https://coinsandscrolls.blogspot.com/2017/09/osr-building-castles.html
After I feel asleep they got into Blackmarsh.
https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/89944/Blackmarsh
It was a great chat. Thanks to Masked and Danger, Jake the Human, Mage, and others for carrying the ball while I tried to keep up.
Inspired Unreality happens tonight at 9:00 pm Central in the gamerplus chatrooms at Tenkar's Tavern on Discord. Tonight is open game chat. There has been a lot of discussion about online RPGs on Gamer+ so our initial topic will be "Running an online game". If you haven't noticed I always pick something I want to learn about for the initial topic.
As always you can suggest your own topic or just talk about whatever you want to. All tabletop gaming is on topic, board games and card games as well as RPGs.
Next week we will have a guest, Mr. Welch aka TheGlen will join us to discuss Mystara, Mr. Welch's list, and gaming in general. Yep, it's Ask TheGlen Anything (about gaming), September 16 on Inspired Unreality.
Last week we recorded the Related To Geeks Podcast where Megan, Carl, and I discussed the topic of "Winging It". Sarah and Vivian joined in when they could in text chat. Here's the link.
anchor.fm/relatedtogeeks
You can now add RSS feeds to your profile and to your Groups. Using RSS feeds you can automatically get your latest posts, podcasts, or videos to display on your profile page. If you don't know what this means message me on Gamer+ and I'll try to help you out with it.
Thanks to Tenkar for this Tenkar's Tavern blog post about Gamer+.
tenkarstavern.com/2019/09/a-look-at-gamers-rpgs-tabletop-network.html
He has some good ideas on how to improve the site and he also sent a lot of new gamers our way with our total membership now nearing 120.
Which leads me right into my weekly rant.
This week I'm asking for your help to grow Gamer+. If you have a blog add us to your blogroll. If you're a podcaster or video producer give us a mention and add a link to your show notes.
The best way to link to us is to link to your profile. Gamers who follow you want to go to your profile, not to the front page of some website they don't know anything about. At the bottom of your profile is a text box explaining how to do this. There are also detailed instructions here.
gamerplus.org/blogs/25
We also have some banners on our Gamer+ Links page.
gamerplus.org/banners
And if you have a blog, podcast, or video channel we are not already promoting in our footer send me a message or just post your link. We want to add your gaming content to our RSS feed.
Thanks,
Hairy Larry
email - hairylarry@deltaboogie.com
Join Gamer+ at gamerplus.org
JesseQ made a post about how he would use multiple free online tools for online gaming. I have been wanting to set up an Actual Play podcast as a Gamer+ event and JesseQ's post got me thinking. Here's his out of the box suggestions.
Discord for chat (text, video, voice)
Miro for shared whiteboard/tabletop
Watch2Gether for atmosphere/music
I have come up with another platform set.
Discord - Tenkar's Tavern in particular for the chatroom/game table
Web Whiteboard - A whiteboard app on the web the DM could use for drawing maps or diagrams for online games. You can also post text and pictures. Players can also post, make map annotations during play, upload something they saw, etc.
File Downloads - My Pydio instance does this great. There are many other free web alternatives.
So the only barrier to participation is getting into Tenkars Tavern on Discord. Discord has become a new standard for voice chat and their apps are easy to install and work on every platform.
Once you are in the gamerplus chatrooms at Tenkar's Tavern the DM can post a link to the whiteboard set up for this game. The players click on this link and they are there on the whiteboard. No passwords or accounts required.
The DM can also post a link to a folder on Pydio. The players can follow this link, browse pregens, and download or print the character sheet they choose to play. The DM has a different link that allows uploading and file deletion. Again no install, passwords, or accounts required.
And this is the key. Follow the link and you're in.
You enter the chatroom. The DM posts a link and you go pick a character. When the DM starts to draw something he posts a link. You follow the link and view what he's drawing. It would even be possible to lay out battle maps and move player tokens on the map.
So these two apps, the whiteboard and the file manager, are both included in Miro as per JesseQ's suggestion. There is an advantage to having these both in one app. But Miro is more complicated to use and the DM would have to send player invites which means collecting emails. In some situations this would not be cumbersome but for Gamer+, If You Play You Win, actual play podcasts I wanted it to be as easy as possible to jump into the game.
As JesseQ suggests, Gamer+ has set up a Watch2Gether channel that the DM could use for Monster noises and appropriate background music. It is also available for listening on the public web just by linking in with no password or account necessary.
So this is just another possible way to set up for online gaming. I chose these apps because of their open availability to anyone without having to install apps or create accounts. There might be better choices for your games or campaigns. Please leave your ideas in the comments.
Thanks
Ok, on Inspired Unreality tonight we will be recording the Related To Geeks podcast, a podcast about a geeky family. So most of you know Carl and Hairy Larry. There's more of us. Lot's more. And we're all gamers. Vivian and I raised our kids right.
After The Geek Agenda we will discuss The Geek Topic which is "Winging It" tonight. Everyone is welcome to join the chat during The Geek Topic. Then we will stop recording and have our regular open game chat where everyone can talk about whatever they want to.
Inspired Unreality is Monday, September 2, at 9:00 PM Central in the gamerplus chatrooms at Tenkar's Tavern on Discord. If you are not a member you can go to gamerplus.org for a link.
JesseQ posted some info about Watch2Gether in a post he wrote about online role playing. So I checked it out and set up a Gamer+ Watch2Gether channel where you can go with other gamers and watch the same video at the same time even if you're not in the same country.
https://w2g.tv/oadhkc0jylfmsj2z8o
FollowMeAndDie posted a link to all four games from the Extra Life fundraiser at the Gygax house.
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLT7cQu33X53NqQsIVFyi-VJ5qSZzTRgHZ
I also added these videos to the queue at the Gamer+ Watch2Gether. Maybe we can set up a viewing session where we can watch a game and chat about it.
Frylock finished his 3 part series on fantasy games, copyrights, and the OGL. This is a substantial piece of work and has spurred much discussion. You can read it on his blog, Frylock's Gaming & Geekery.
https://gsllc.wordpress.com/2019/08/26/part3ogl/
In case you haven't figured it out yet, gamers on Gamer+ do stuff. So if you're doing stuff post it on Gamer+. Because we want to know what you're doing.
Thanks,
Hairy Larry
Gamer+ Inspired Unreality is tonight, Monday August 26, at 9:00 pm Central. Inspired Unreality is an open game chat at Tenkar's Tavern on Discord. The first topic for tonight will be Systems and Modules. Discuss gaming systems you wrote or that you like to play and your favorite modules for these systems. Also how to write OSR generic modules and what does it take to play an OSR module in 5e?
Or bring your own topic. Open game chat. Board games, card games, and role playing games.
CarlHeyl posted "I help with a local homeschool game group and lately we've been playing Dungeons & Dragons. I feel like there are enough players and interest to start a campaign. The one I have in mind is one where there are five evil chromatic dragons (one of each color) that rule tyrannically over the land. They expect offerings from the humans in exchange for not obliterating them. Out of fear of the dragons wrath it is illegal to oppose the dragons plans. PC's would all be a part of an organization that secretly is working against the dragons. I need a good name for that organization that would appeal to kids. Thoughts?"
DragonMac posted the cover for his new role playing system, Adventure Maximum.
Adventure Maximum
Follow Me and Die was a DM in a live streamed charity event held in Gary Gygax's old house. Other DMs at the event were Chris Lindsay, Stefan Pokorny, and Luke Gygax.
Luke's twitter post
A few gamers reported Gamer+ notifications going to their spam folders or being marked with a warning. I changed the mail delivery system to SMTP and I changed the admin email address to webmaster@gamerplus.org. This seems to have resolved the problem. Please let me know if you still have any problems with email notifications or if you have any other problems. Email webmaster@gamerplus.org or hairylarry@gmail.com.
Thanks
Tonight on the Gamer+ Inspired Unreality the suggested topic will be, "A funny thing happened storming the castle, quest moments, stories, and jokes." Inspired Unreality starts at 9:00 PM Central in the gamerplus chatrooms at Tenkar's Tavern on Discord. Voice and text chat. Log on to both.
Feel free to suggest alternate topics. All gaming is on topic.
Please welcome NEA Gamers Guild to Gamer+. They have a convention coming up in Jonesboro, Arkansas, mid October. If you are in a gaming club or involved with a convention please create an account for your group and I will add you to the Play Games column in the footer.
Frylock posted this link to his blog post, Part 1: Copyrightability of #RPG Stat Blocks #DnD #copyright #iplaw.
gsllc.wordpress.com/2019/08/12/part1statblocks/
He really nails the detail on this subject and this is just Part 1.
Gwythaint posted some of his amazing line art here
gamerplus.org/photo/view/333/albumPhotos?albumId=50
and here
gamerplus.org/photo/view/334/albumPhotos?albumId=51
And here's my closing thought.
We are right now in the Golden Age of Gamer+. Although our numbers are small (about 75) I think nearly every gamer on Gamer+ does some kind of creative work. We have writers, artists, podcasters, bloggers, vloggers, DMs and players. Many of us are involved in publishing games, modules, stock art, maps, etc. Gamer+ is here to help you promote your work. Never hesitate to post about new releases whether it's a book or a zine, a blog, a video, or a podcast. All gaming is on topic.
Thanks,
Hairy Larry
AEIOU posts in the_dungeon_show at Tenkar's Tavern
@Bruce_Lombardo The Dungeon Show has ended its famous run and is already dearly missed. @Carl Heyl (Wild Games Prod) has a new project (or a few new ones?) that he's working on. This space has been subleased for a weekly Monday chat regarding G+ (Gamer+) with @hairylarry . It's a nascent social media hub that holds considerable promise for the gaming community.
Carl Heyl adds
Gamerplus is something dad and I thought up on the way home from North Texas RPG Con. I hope it works well for people
It's at gamerplus.org
Bruce Lombardo says
I like Gamerplus.
LaramieWall chimes in
Sub-Pexx Laramie will be transitioning this space from Dungeon Show to Harry Larry's new plans .
AEIOU jokes (I think)
Hairy Larry's Nefarious Plan for World Domination would be a good working title for the channel
hairylarry replies
If I had the ring I could rule the world Bwa ha ha ha ha.
I would like both the voice and text chats to be renamed Gamer+
Looks like you can use minus signs (-) so plus signs (+) will probably be ok.
Right now our only event is the Monday night Inspired Unreality Open Game Chat. We plan on having occasional guests and I have an under my hat idea for a monthly podcast as part of this event.
I also have plans for an Actual Play event called If You Play You Win. This would be one offs, jump in and jump out, with rotating DMs. The DM for the session will pick the game system. It would be really cool to have DMs playing their own modules or even their own rule systems.
At Gamer+ we have international gamers and also some early risers and off to work folks so we might experiment with the time slots to include them. Not for Inspired Unreality but definitely for new events.
How's that for riveting dialogue?
Me:
I will be on chat again tonight. What I would like to do is open a Gamer+ chatroom to be used anytime. The Monday night open game chat will be the first event. I hope there will be others in the future. Sometimes with guests. I will still post into the Dungeon Show channel to let people know where we are.
I tried reaching you on Facebook but I'm still not confirmed. Thanks.
Pexx:
Would you like to rename the Dungeon Show to something else? And what start time would you like?
Do you need help getting guests?
Me:
No, I would like to leave the Dungeon Show up for a few weeks so I can post info in there Monday nights. After that I have nothing to say about it. It's Carl's show and it ended so that decision will be up to you. I just want it up for a few weeks to help with the transition.
I would like to start the Monday Night Open Game Chat at 9:00 and end it when it peters out. I will be there posting for at least an hour, sometimes longer and I will try to continue chatting as long as it's happening.
I would like the Gamer+ room to be available anytime so I can promote it as available on gamerplus.org. I would like to add other events as Gamer+ gears up. One time and weekly. Maybe even some actual game play events.
I would definitely like to have help getting guests. We won't be recording a podcast so it will just be Q&A with the guest as well as open game chat.
My idea for tonight and other nights without guests is to post text on topics I've been thinking about, like the OGL last week. Just to try to get a discussion started. Also make it clear that it's open game chat. All tabletop games are on topic. And also encourage others to text chat about things they would like to discuss.
If we could work around to having guest about half the time that would be fine. Thanks for your help with this.
9:00 CST - same as the dungeon show - that's the schedule I'm used to and it's been working for me so why change it?
Vivian and I are trying to come up with a title for the Monday night event. We would like to emphasize creativity, game design, mechanics, writing, art, cartography, etc. We don't want the title to be RPG centric although I expect most chats will be.
Creative Conquests, If You Play You Win, Inspired Unreality, Inspired Ingenuity
Something better than Open Game Chat.
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