Random: How to Get Rid of a Pile of Potential

Sometimes, there I things I want to write about and topics to touch on that do not fit neatly into a category.  Spend anytime with Wargamers and you will soon find out one of the common problems that they face.  It is called a Pile of Shame.  All of the miniatures that they have purchased but have not managed to paint or projects that were abandoned half-way through the process.  This is one of the things that seems to unify all wargamers and a common topic of moaning and ribbing online.  

This situation is so common, that Wargamer folklore has sprung up around the topic.  It is said that a Wargamer can live forever as long as they never paint all their models!  If you paint them all, you are putting yourself at mortal peril!  It almost makes the Pile of Shame justifiable! 

First off, I do not really see anything inherently wrong with a Pile of Shame.  In fact, I prefer to call it a Pile of Potential.  As long as you are not endangering your families income stream, running out of space, or otherwise negatively impacting those around you then it is fine.  Your Pile of Potential helped feed some other people's kids and helped your money spread through the economy.  I prefer if miniatures get used though, so let's talk about how to get rid of that Pile of Potential and how to keep it gone. 

An Ounce of Prevention is Worth a Pound of Cure

The best way to handle a Pile of Potential is to not accumulate one to begin with.  That means that you do not buy models until you have finished the ones you are working on. You do not start a new project until an old project is complete.  You do not buy models faster than you can paint or play with them.  

Of course, anyone who is a wargamer knows the danger of this route too.  Many of us have started a project only for the miniature line to be discontinues before we finished it, the Meta of a game we play to change, or the rules edition churn comes and invalidates what you have been doing.  Therefore, there is a large incentive to "buy it all" as soon as you can.  In fact, I myself tend to get all the models I need for a project in one big batch, enough for two sides at least.  Typically, that means you will have more models than you can paint at a time.   

If you do this, you will inevitably have a Pile of Potential at some point.  I typically have 1 project I am working on painting, and one in the hopper.  I never have a Pile of Potential that extends beyond a secondary project.  For example, I might be working on the two armies for the Battle of Kadesh, my back-up is the latest Heroquest Expansion, and that's it.  No other projects with miniatures sitting around.  This way, if I need a palette cleanser I have it, or if I finish a project I can immediately roll into the next without hesitation.  Once I roll into the back-up I can consider what my next project will be.  This gives me incentive to keep the painting machine rolling without creating an unmanageable Pile of Potential.   

Time for a Pound of Cure! 

Chance are if you are on this blog, it is too late for you.  The Prevention Phase of your Pile of Potential is over.  It is now time to manage it and work it down.  It is now time for a pound of cure.  

1. Prioritize your Pile

Before you do anything, you need to go in and prioritize your Pile of Potential into what you want to see on the tabletop next.  It can be helpful to schedule a game or tourney with the models to give you a hard deadline to finish or give you a shot of ambition.  However, I rarely do that.  It should be enough to see them completed because the models or project alone brings you pleasure.

If you look at models in you Pile of Potential and the thought of painting them, completing them, or displaying them does nothing for you then it is time to "dump" that project.  Move it on to someone else who will feel that way about them.  Why horde what you no longer want?  You can give them away, sell them, or just throw them out.  I am a fan of just giving them away to other gamers.  You might see them again someday across the tabletop! 

2. Lower your Standards

I look across the internet and see an ocean of coll, well-painted models.  One thing I notice is that most really high-quality painters do not paint armies, they paint miniatures.  They are lucky if at the end of the year they have 1-playable unit.  Do not aspire to them!  That way is a trap!  Instead, you need to focus on getting minis to the table.  

Consider the following:  

• In most games, they are going to be at arm's length away or greater.  That is three to six feet away from you.  Are you going to see subtle shading?  How about highlights?  Will you see how you carefully dotted the eyes?  

• Next, most armies act in units of troops.  How often do you look at the individual models in a unit?  Do you notice where the soldier's belt has a splotch of green on it where is should be brown?  How about if the spear colors slightly overlaps the hand?  Unless you have the eyes of an Eagle, you won't notice.  Therefore, most details on a model are irrelevant.  

• Consider your scale.  There is a different level of detail needed for a 54mm model vs a 6mm model.  One you can see the straps and hooks on at range, while the other is simply dots of color.  

• What do you see on the table?  In most games, you are looking at the back of your troop!  That is normally their backpack and pants!  You don't even get to see their faces in battle!

When I say, lower your standards; I mean paint to the level that makes a game piece playable.  This is typically base colors + a wash + a base of some type.  That is it.  You can spend more time on the front ranks, the standards, the officers if you wish but every moment spent on such things is less time painting other models in your army for effects that are not noticeable on the game board or even while on display waiting to fight.  

Is it your best painting?  No!  Does anyone know or care?  Also, No!  Paint to the level needed to play.  

This leads to a corollary.  Once a model is painted, it is painted.  Never revisit it and never paint it again.  If it has paint, it is all right.  The only time this is acceptable, is if you have nothing else to do, no Pile of Potential; and you really, really need to paint right now!  

Batch-Paint!  

If you are working through a Pile of Potential you will have to learn to batch paint.  Batch-painting is simply painting in an assembly line like fashion on multiple troops at once.  If you paint one miniature at a time, you will never get a project completed, not even for very low model count skirmish games.  It is not an efficient use of your painting time.  

If you are like me, you have a family, friends, career, and other hobbies you like to do.  You can not spend hours a week on painting models.  You have a window of opportunity.  Therefore, you have to make the most of whatever time you have to paint by painting the most models you can at once.  

batch Painting means you line up all the models you need for a unit.  10 is a popular number but sometimes units are larger depending on the wargame.  I have painted as many as 60 guys at once.  You get out all the paints you will need for skin-tones, and then you paint all the skin for the batch at once.  Then, you get out the paints for the shoes, and you paint all of the batches shoes.  Then you get the trouser colors and paint all their trousers.  Then their vests, then their jackets, etc. etc.  You work up until you paint all the buckles and buttons last.  You let them dry and then the next day you give them a wash.  

To finish you provide a simple and repeatable base.  Even a simple coat of paint will do.  Maybe paint the base and dip it in flock.  Then, paint the base rim brown or black.  Once a project is done, you can line them all up and spray them with a protective coat.  

Units that wear a uniform are great for this as they will all be using the same color at the same general place.  I.e. all their boots are black, their pants red, and their jackets blue, with a black hat.  However, this technique also works fine with non-uniformed troops. However, you paint ever third or fifth guy with the color and then repeat the process with the next color.               

The most important step of batch painting, is to set-up the finished models for a nice photo-shoot, snap great pictures, set them up for display or storage.  Then, go online and celebrate with your gaming group or fellow wargamers what you have accomplished.  This small celebration helps give you the momentum to get to the next unit.  

Overcoming the Hard Part

The hardest part of dealing with your Pile of Potential is dealing with your Pile of Potential.  That means, the hardest part of the process is getting yourself to paint.  The only way to do that is to paint.  

Unlike many of you, I do not leave my projects and painting supplies out on my desk.  I have them all stored away but accessible. Therefore, when it is time to paint it is a commitment of time and effort.  I accompany this with the ritual of preparing my workstation for the effort and this gets my brain committed to painting.  In addition, it also signals to the others in my household that I am committed to a project.  Unlike most, I do not watch movies, listen to books, or surf the internet when I am painting.  At most, I will turn on some music as background noise.

Since starting is the hardest part, I use the ritual to help get my mind into the painting space and secondly I avoid anything that will make starting harder.  That means, I determine what I am going to paint before I sit down.  I decide how I am going to paint it ahead of time or in the moment of painting.  Once something is painted, I never go back and change it.  Since I am typically batch painting, once the last model is painted, typically the first one is dry and ready to go for the next color.  Once you start you need to keep the momentum up and not stop painting, because once you do you will have a hard time starting again. 

If I am not sure what to do, I do not watch TV and I do not scroll online.  I perform my ritual and set-up to paint.  I do not wait for inspiration and I do not wait to see if I feel like painting.  If I ever am not sure what to do or sense that I am waiting around I pull out my paints.  This can be at anytime, late at night, during the day, on weekends.  I never want to paint but if I have a moment where I am unsure what to do next; that is when I strike.  The desire to paint is secondary to the act of painting itself.

If you want until you are inspired or want to paint, you will NEVER get your Pile of Potential done.      

Painters Anonymous

I have all ready shared a few of my tips and hacks to get rid of my Pile of Potential.  I have been relatively successful for most of my painting career.  However, there are times when even I can not do it alone.  I find something that really helps me is to make painting a social activity.  

Thankfully, I am part of the True Crit Gaming Guild.  The Guild is just as focused on painting and finishing models as it is on playing games.  There is a regular Painting Social where we all come together with projects, paints, brushes, and other tools.  We sit around tables, drink tea and coffee, chat and paint.  This helps getting over the hurdle of just starting to paint.  

In addition, I have learned a lot of great tips and tricks from others.  We celebrate each others 'wins and successes.  We cheer each other on.  We help each other get over procrastination.  We admire each others' work.  I am lucky to be able to sit around and engage with and paint with a lot of great painters.  

This is another great tool to uncap your own inner momentum to get and keep painting.  It is about you, but also helping the group.  If you are familiar with Maslowe's Hierarchy of Needs, you know that Group is more important than your own self-esteem.  Therefore, it can be really helpful to make your efforts to eliminate your Pile of Potential a group effort and not a solo show.  

Final Thoughts

The Pile of Potential is a perennial problem for wargamers.  It is a constant topic of conversation, discussion, and moaning.  However, a Pile of Potential is a choice.  It does not have to be.  I have shared my tips and tricks for dealing with a Pile of Potential which includes prioritizing, getting the output you need, make sure you start, and that you do not always have to go it alone.  Therefore, I would love to hear about how you have managed your Pile of Potential.  Once it is gone, it is much easier to keep in check. 

Until next time.....

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Wargame Design: Sea People for In Strife and Conflict

One group of people I did not include for In Strife and Conflict were the (in)famous raiders of the Late Bronze Age; the Sea Peoples.  I did not initially add them because they did not have much interaction with the Assyrians.  The Assyrians were a Mesopotamian power at the height of the Sea Peoples encroachments.  The Sea Peoples were primarily operating on the coasts of the Eastern Mediterranean.  It was not until after the Broze Age collapse and the rise of the Neo-Assyrians.  The Assyrians moved westward and scooped up many of the remanent city-states left in the post Hittite and post-Sea People world.  Since In Strife and Conflict was focused on Assyrians, it did not seem like the Sea Peoples were a useful addition to the rules. 

 

However, the Sea People are a staple of the chariot war genre.  When people think of Chariot Wars, they soon think of the Bronze Age collapse; and that takes them straight to Sea Peoples.  Now, I am not a personal believer in the “Violent Migration” theory of the Bronze Age collapse, but there is no doubt the Sea People played a part in the system collapse that happened.  Plus, there is plenty of evidence about the Sea Peoples. 

 

There are a couple of things that make the Sea People a bit of a conundrum when trying to integrate them into Chariot Wars.  These are:

1. They have limited use of light chariots
2. They are mostly a light infantry force
3. There should be a lot of them
4. They were accompanied by their families
5. There is no real clear idea what this army looks like
6. It is made up of several tribes of people from across the Mediterranean

So, how does one go about making a Line-of-Battle for such an ill-defined, non-army, army?  Well, let’s dive into it. 

 

Who Are the Sea People?

Good question.  For many years, no one really knew.  However, they existed based on plenty of evidence left by the Egyptians.  This includes pictoral and written evidence.  Thanks to this evidence, Historians keep trying to trace the origins of the various tribes of the Sea People.  The origins of the Sea Peoples are not entirely relevant to the discussion here.  However, they hailed from Sicily, Sardinia, the Aegean, Anatolia, etc.  Before the Sea People “invasion” and the Bronze Age collapse these tribes and peoples were known in the area and even served as auxiliaries and allies of the city-states that would later collapse. 

 

For example, the Sherden was one of the tribes that made up the Sea Peoples.  However, we also know that they made up Ramses II Royal Guards and took part in the Battle of Kadesh.  At the same battle, the list of Hittite allies included tribes that would later be associated with the Sea Peoples.  The Sea Peoples seemed to have a mercenary, subject, or military relationship with the Chariot cultures of the region.  They were not strangers or unknown invaders. 

We also have wall reliefs that depict the Sea Peoples bringing their families with them in ox-drawn carts.  The Egyptians claim that the Sea Peoples came in great numbers but it is unclear how many were actual combatants?  This indicates that they were not looking for spoils and portable wealth.  They were looking to settle and move-in.  They were not “raiders” at all. 

 

All or our records on the Sea Peoples comes from what written and visual records remain from their enemies.  The writers assume that the readers are familiar with the situation.  Therefore, we are getting a limited and one-sided image of these peoples.  Other evidence comes from archeological evidence, which due to age is limited to certain materials.  Huge swathes of the culture of the Sea Peoples is unknown to us and potentially unknowable. 

This scene from the north wall of Medinet Habu is often used to illustrate the Egyptian campaign against the Sea Peoples, in what has come to be known as the Battle of the Delta (c. 1175 BC),^[1] during the reign of Ramesses III. While accompanying hieroglyphs do not name Egypt's enemies, describing them simply as being from "northern countries", early scholars noted the similarities between the hairstyles and accessories worn by the combatants and other reliefs in which such groups are named. Wikimedia Commons

The Sea Peoples Military

Again, we are working with very limited evidence on what the military of the Sea Peoples looked like. Indeed, creating a “universal” picture may not even be realistic considering the cosmopolitan nature of the Sea Peoples themselves.  We know a bit about the Sherden, who used helmets, corselets, and greaves.  We also know that they used round shields of Bronze, swords, and spears.  Occasionally, iron swords are mentioned as well.  For other tribes, Archers and thrown missiles weapons like Javelins also appear to be part of their arsenal.  However, different tribes seem to have had distinctive head gear or equipment.  It is unclear if this also meant that they had a different role on the battlefield.

In at least one pictoral representation, we see the Sea People making use of Chariots of a similar design to the Egyptians.  However, it is unclear if this is just an artist interpretation as that is what an army “should have” or if the artist was an eyewitness or working with an eyewitness of the battle.  There is not much other evidence to support that the Sea Peoples used chariots.  They are not discussed often, and the descriptions of battles are often only fragmentary or a line or two at best.  

 

There is a reference to the Sea People using a two-pronged land and sea strategy at the Battle of the Delta.  There is also reference to ships appearing in other sources.  This led to the name “Se Peoples” but not all the tribes associated and named as the Sea Peoples have any connection with the sea.  Therefore, even the term Sea Peoples could be a bit of a misnomer.  We do not know much about their sailing ability, ships, or their Naval prowess.  As the Battle of the Delta the naval arm of the invasion was defeated, but so was the land arm. 

 

We have no idea how the Sea Peoples organized themselves.  No idea who was in charge, no idea how they coordinated, and no idea how they fought as units.  Therefore, we have to make a lot of assumptions when it comes to the organization of Sea People armies. 

 

The sources seem to indicate that they were a fast moving, infantry-based army.  They operated as mostly light infantry, with a core of heavily armed and armored Sherden.  It is unclear how they integrated ranged weapons into their forces.  However, they seemed to favor close-up combat where many chariot based armies preferred archery or other ranged attacks as the primary attack arm. 

Beyond these broad strokes, we know very little else about the Sea Peoples military structures, doctrines, or how they fought.  The chroniclers at the time do not leave much detail.  The archeological record is not much better. 

Ramses II's Sherden Royal Guard at the front of his armies

 

Creating the Sea People Line-of-Battle

First off, I use 6mm miniatures on 60mm x 60mm bases for my games of In Strife and Conflict.  However, the game itself is base and model agnostic though.  You can use single-based 28mm, multi-based 15mm, or whatever you want.  The rules are interested in Unit-vs-Unit combat and does not have any casualty removal.  Therefore, when I talk about this Line-of-Battle I am refer to it by units.  

I think we have seen that the Sea People are not a homogenous group.  That means, as I build this Line-Of-Battle I will assume that various infantry troop types are available to them.  This could be split up on tribal lines, or a mix of headgear and weaponry as the army builder sees fit.  I think having different tribes represent different unit types is an attractive option to differentiate units on the battlefield but is probably not a realistic portrayal of how they operated in the field.  However, sometimes the needs of expediency make sense on the tabletop where they do not on the battlefield.  

Second, I went and reviewed the Unit Profiles in the core In Strife and Conflict rules.  Thankfully, they are a bit generic with some options.  I think these will represent the Sea People unit types we have seen well.  After I have a basic list, I will think if any other special Chrome is needed.  Here is what I think fits in with the line-of-battle based on the evidence and the needs of the army as a playable force: 

Light Chariots W/Javelins

Professional Infantry

Levy Infantry

Irregular Infantry

Skirmishers

Mounted Infantry (?) 

The core would be Professional Infantry, possibly Sherden.  The Levy and Irregular Infantry would give them numbers for flanking and Rear attacks.  A limited number of light chariot with javelins would fit the bill for what we see about the Battle of Djahy.  Skirmishers and Irregular would give them some enhanced mobility to pin enemy formations for the others to maneuver into position.  They would also allow them to use terrain to advantage. 

One thing I am noticing right away, is that general Infantry does not have access to Javelins.  This is something I will need to create some Chrome for them.  There are two ways to go about it.  The first is a unit upgrade as a Shoot weapon.  The second is to use a system similar to my Roman Legions in Wars of the Republic as a rule that is triggered by using King's Decree to reduce enemy armor.  This would give them some additional punch up close, but reduce their range options. 

The Mounted Infantry is a question mark to represent ox-drawn carts.  We see them in the artwork, but for moving families and not troops.  Therefore, I am not sure I want to add them in to the army list at this point.  

In the core rules there are two Special Rules that maybe appropriate for the Sea Peoples.  They are Iron Weapons, which some sources claim the Sea Peoples had limited numbers of.  The other is Terror.  This would impact how other units reacted to their charges or their ability to charge them.  Then, I might add a Thrown Weapons special rule for the Professional Troops to help with their "shock assault" capabilities. 

Sea Peoples in conflict with the Egyptians in the battle of Djahy.  Wikimedia Commons

I decided on the following:   

Sea People Line-of-Battle

0-2 Professional Infantry

- Thrown Weapons for +2 points

0-2 Light Chariots

- Javelins for +1 Points

1+ Levy Infantry 

- Upgrade with Javelins- Shoot 3 (6MU) for +1 Point

1+ Irregular infantry

- Upgrade with Javelins- Shoot 3 (6MU) for +1 Point

0+ Skirmishers

• Sea Peoples can arm 0-2 Units with Iron Weapons at +2 Points per unit
• Sea Peoples can Equip all Units with Terror for +2 Points per unit
• Professional Troops for Sea People may be armed with Thrown Weapons for +2 Points per Unit 

Thrown Weapons

The Sea People had a reputation for barraging their opponents with darts and javelins as they closed the distance to melee.  This was to soften up an enemy as they approached with casualties and laden-down shields.  

A Unit that charges, counter-charges, or is charged may spend a King's Decree to use their thrown weapons.  The enemies' Armor is reduced by 1 to a minimum of 1 in the following melee.  In the End Phase, the opponent's Armor rating is returned to normal.  

Sample Sea People Army 

Below you can see a sample Sea People army built using the Line-of-Battle above.  This is to give you an idea of what a Sea Peoples army could look like.  It is built to a 48-point force.  This force gives you 8 units and 9 King's Decree at the start of the battle. 

1 Professional Infantry                            12

- Thrown Weapons, Terror, Warlord    

1 Light Chariots                                       11

= Javelins, Terror

2 Levy Infantry                                        10                                    

- Javelins

2 Irregular Infantry                                  10

- Javelins

2 Skirmishers                                           4

Painting Sherden from Baccus 6mm

Final Thoughts

This army list adds a completely different style of play to your games of In Strife and Conflict.  Many of the Lines-of-Battle found in the core rules focus on Chariot Wars armies supported by archers and infantry.  The Sea Peoples are a completely different playstyle than the dominant fighting style of the region.  Therefore, any commander who wishes to use the Sea Peoples will have a to develop new strategies and tactics to help make these infantry heavy forces successful.  We do not know historically how the Sea People were about to do this and that is what makes playing a Sea Peoples force so exciting.  

Let me know if you think I missed out on any other Lines-of-Battle for In Stife and Conflict.  I will gladly look into expanding into more forces.   

Until next time! 

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Wargame Design: Solo-Wargaming Campaigns

Back in 2020 I did a short series of posts about Solo-wargaming.  I covered Scenarios, Deployment and Opponents.  Now that it is 2026, you would think that solo-wargaming would be a thing of the past.  A fad that died away when COVID ended.  However, that is not the case at all.  In fact, it maybe just as big as it ever was!  Therefore, it makes sense to go back and revisit the topic of Solo-wargaming.  

Since 2020, one of the key things I like to add into my wargames when I can is some rules for co-op or solo wargaming.  I am a big fan of both!  My default, and controversial stance; is that all wargaming is inherently cooperative with only a sprinkle of competition for flavor.  However, when you are solo-wargaming you are looking for a different experience than any versus or even co-op can provide.  You are playing the game for no other reason than because you want to play it.  

My big contention in the previous series is that a recreational solo-wargame has a different objective than a traditional versus wargames.  The fundamental experience that the game system has to create is "Surprise" for the player.  In a Versus game, the surprise comes from the other player.  However, solo-wargames do not have that luxury.  In this case, the system itself needs to create the surprise.

Often times, players are interested in campaigns because they want a series of connected games that link together in some sort of narratively satisfying way.  They are playing to "find out" what happens next for their toy soldiers.  That is the surprise that campaigns can generate!

Heroquest

Inorganic vs. Organic Campaigns

There are two types of solo-campaigns.  They are Inorganic and Organic.  They can both tell stories and the tips and tricks for one can often be employed in another.  However, the main difference is how the next scenario is generated and what exactly will carry-over between scenarios.    

In an Inorganic campaign, the player is following a preset script or path.  If you think of a game like Heroquest that is a Inorganic campaign.  It is following a pre-set path of adventures where the results of one impact the next, mostly in a resources accumulated or lost along the way.  As long as you do not die in the quest, you can go onto the next one.  The story is mostly static and pre-generated by the game before play even starts.  Another example is Rangers of Shadowdeep.

An Organic campaign is one that does not have a pre-set series of scenarios laid-out for you.  Instead, the rules help generate the next random scenario you would need to face.  An example of this type of solo-game is 5 Parsecs from Home and its sister products.  In these games, you build a crew and everything after that is procedurally generated.  These types of campaigns require you to do more to "operate the game" but lead to a higher level of surprise since nothing is pre-determined.  

Many of the tricks established in campaign games for versus games also work well for Solo-games as well.  Therefore, you can not go to far wrong if you mirror the good old GW Specialist Games model for campaigns.  However, some work better for Organic vs, Inorganic systems.  It is best to have a handle on which you are planning on building before you start.

Odin's Ravens- Viking Age Bad Boys

   

How to Generate Surprise

Thankfully, the Campaign space is one of the best areas to create surprise!  There are typically a few key areas that a campaign uses in order to generate surprise, and all of these elements can be found in the best Campaign systems: 

1. Buffs
2. De-Buffs
3. Next Scenario
4. Win conditions
5. Tell Stories

Buffs

A Buff is a story element or change that enhances the abilities of your units or models.  It is a good thing.  You most commonly see this in the form of "gaining experience".  These experience gains will typically impact your troops abilities in a positive way and as they go from game-to-game they may improve in their combat abilities.  This often takes the form of new equipment, new abilities, stat boosts, etc.  They are evolving and what they learn along the way gives them unique flavor and adds to the surprise to see where they start to where they end.  

For example, in Rangers of Shadowdeep you gain benefits in the form of Stat upgrades, skills, new gear, and even new allies to help you face the darkness.  Buffs can take a variety of forms beyond simply stat increases. 

De-Buff

If a Buff improves your troops, the De-buff does the opposite.  It whittles away at your troops abilities and makes them less reliable in some areas.  This often takes the form of permanent injuries, carry-over damage, exhaustion, etc.  The De-Buff makes scenarios more challenging as you progress.  However, like the Buff they tell the story of how a unit or model is evolving.  

Next Scenario

There must be a way for the campaign system to generate the next scenario in the campaign.  How does one story naturally progress into the next?  How do the challenges keep evolving?  Afterall, the player wants a connected series of games, so the system has to have a way to generate surprise for the player for what they will be trying to accomplish next.     

For example, in Last Days: Seasons by Ash Barker there are specific scenarios designed for solo-play.  You can only access and play these missions on a solo-campaign.  Therefore, they immediately make a unique and surprising experience from the normal Versus version of the game. 

The Walking Dead

Win Conditions

Like Scenarios, Campaigns need to eventually come to an end.  All stories and games come to an end eventually.  It is better if the game itself gives guidelines to when that should happen such as control 3 out of 4 areas, reach 100 experience points as a force, earn so many campaign points, etc.  By having an end point it gives players something to work towards.  It is even better if the end of the campaign culminates in an extra special scenario.     

Tell Stories

The campaign should create opportunities to tell small-stories or vignettes between games.  I.e. this unit found X and had to do Y in order to get Z, but if they fail they get A instead.  Little mini-games and sub-stories that help flesh out the back story or what is happening in-between games.  These may lead to secondary objectives in the scenario, different buffs/de-buffs, or even an alteration to the "win" conditions.  However, these vignettes act as a Fog-of-War and tell the story.  

For example, in Under the Martian Yoke survivors might have a chance to scavenge for supplies.  Technically, you could just roll d6 and get 6 resources to split up into food, water, or material.  However, that is boring.  Instead, you roll on a chart and get something like "Big Black Hole in the Ground".  You are asked to make a test and the result of the test leads to the resources you earn.  This is a mini-story and it has become common in many games campaign systems.     

Under the Martian Yoke

Final Thoughts

Obviously, the tricks that make a good Versus campaign can often be the same that make a good Solo-campaign.  The main focus is on creating "surprise" for the solo-wargamer.  These surprises can take many forms, some of which are good news for the player and some of which are obstacles for the player.  However, all of these surprises eventually lead to the story of the solo-wargaming campaign. 

The key factor is understanding if you are building an Organic or Inorganic solo-play experience.  This will allow you to tailor the campaign to deliver surprise that best fits for the game experience you are chasing.  A scripted and plotted storyline will look different than a procedurally generated experience.   However, both types can deliver surprises! 

Until next time! 

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RPG Review: Inspirisles - Hatchling Games

 

This was a game I picked up for my wife for Christmas.  She has been looking for a game she can GM for her first time GMing.  Therefore, she wanted something that was less complex than the My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic game.  This one appealed to her for two main reasons:

• It is designed for younger players and is family-friendly
• It features American Sign Language (ASL) in the mechanics

She learned ASL in college, was a big part of the deaf community in our area and even has a Facebook group dedicated to ASL in our area.  She was very close to being an interpreter before deciding to go a different route.  

Therefore, this game seemed like it would be a good fit for her needs.  We picked up the core rulebook, the Underisles expansion, and set of adventures she could start us off with.  

You can find this bundle here: Inspirisles

Today, I will be looking at the core rulebook.  Let's get ready to shape and sign! 

Things I Liked

A core idea that powers the game is a mechanic called Belief/Disbelief.  Since the setting is focused on Fae and magic, this was a clever idea to focus on.  The players are in an alternate, magical realm that is shaped and powered by Belief.  Disbelief is destructive energy that brings ruin and wrath to the magical lands of the game. Disbelief is negative emotions like Cruelty, Corruption, Greed, and Bloodlust.  Belief is a form of magical currency that powers the world and the PCs powers.   

The game is very clear that its intention is to do three things: 

1. Story-telling
2. Empathy and Collaboration
3. Deaf Awareness

It is always nice for a game to be upfront about it's design goals. 

Sign Language is built mechanically into the game as an effect called Shaping.  They have resources for both American and British Sign Language as they are different.  They even have video tutorials on their site as well, so you can see the signs being made as well.  Using certain signs in certain ways will give you modifiers and re-rolls to various rolls.    

The section about Shaping is a very good introduction to the Deaf community.  For example, it is rude to assume a Deaf person would like a cure for deafness.  Many see it as their own culture and embrace it.  The sections about sentence structure are spot-on, as ASL uses a Yoda-like sentence structure of Time, Topic, and Comment.  The rulebook really mostly covers how to Finger-sign, numbers, basic question words, and a few RPG specific words too.  You could play the game without signing at all if you really wanted to, but that feels like missing the point. 

Character Generation is very easy and has no numbers.  It is all narrative, but asks questions that draw upon the world of the game to help you fit into a place.  In addition, you choose an element as that ties into what you can do with your "shaping".  You also build a sanctuary and narrate 5 items that align with your sanctuary and hobby.  Later you will use Belief to increase these items, your sanctuary, and even your PCs skill level. 

Mechanics and resolution only require 3 regular six-sided dice.    

The GM section does a good job of laying out how the game should be played.  It is broken down into a "Questing Day" that will have a variety of challenge archetypes.  The Questing Day is essentially the session for a night of play.  The archetypes are basically scenes with potential resolution styles.  All Questing Days end in safety and a chance to reflect and for the GM to gather feedback.  A whole chapter is an example Questing Day for a level 1 party using various archetypes.         

Things I Did Not Like

Some of the naming conventions for things I was not a huge fan of.  The background of the game is Celtic and British folklore so it draws heavily from these sources.  For example, the GM is called a Grail Guide.  Player-Characters are called Pendragons.  They use names and terms from Arthurian myth outside of that context and as a fan of Chaosium's Pendragon this caused me a bit of angst and confusion.  The lore in this game is unique to itself.   

There are two types of tests in this game, Belief Barriers and Disbelief Battles.  The first are challenge tests and the second are contested tests.  For any test, the Players choose who will lead based on element and they roll the dice.  Up to two other players can choose how they assist and give a bonus to the dice roller.  To encourage narrative, you only earn belief from shaping and using narrative actions, a simple dice roll may pass but will generate no Belief.  3-4 is a fail, and you gain Disbelief!  10+ is a pass, and 17-18 is Crit which generates additional belief.  Disbelief Battles only force opponents to flee or surrender since Bloodshed caused Disbelief.  These work as Belief Barriers except the total of any dice roll is compared.  The higher dice roll wins.    

These are very simple dice mechanics and lead to no real depths or even much decision making.  The biggest issue is determining the Leaders and how exactly the supporting PCs will do that.  Most of the decision making is how the elements will narratively work.  Therefore, there is little or no tactical depth or thinking to these tests beyond a bit of creativity.  To make them a bit more interesting, the GM can require multiple dice tests so the challenge lasts more than a single round.  

There is a small twist about which elements are dominant over other elements.  Offensive elements like Air and Fire force the opponent to re-roll dice in a Disbelief Battle.  Meanwhile, Earth and Water allow you to re-roll your own dice.  However, if you are facing an element that "Dominates" your own, then all re-rolls are cancelled.  For example, a Water element can cancel the re-rolls ability of a Fire element.  Therefore, picking the right leader does make a difference.   

You will notice that the ASL part is not integrated fully into the mechanics for overcoming challenges.  There is no place where the leader or the assisting players need to use ASL?  It is not clear what role ASL plays with shaping or the resolution mechanics in this game.  It is also not clear to me how ASL is needed to interact in this world either?  This is a BIG miss and almost betrays the Hook that got me to purchase these rules in the first place. 

These challenge types are more like simple narrative beats rather than complex puzzles or challenges of their own.  However, for a simple family-friendly RPG this can work just fine.  The impact of these challenges rests much more on the sill of the GM to make them exciting and how engaged he can make the players with them. This section does have several examples on how the process works and how to narrate them for both GMs and Players. 

This game has a self-contained focus of gathering the parts of Excalibur.  Some of the mechanics seem tied to this quest.  However, at no point does the game really tell you what steps this quest should take.  That is left up to the GM and the Players. 

Meh and Other Uncertainties

Since this game was designed to be played by young adults, learners, and be family-friendly they spilled a decent amount of ink on safety tools, consent tools, and how to play RPGs in a respectful manner.  The free-form nature of RPGs was not an excuse to live out your inner edgelord fantasy but to learn how to be part of something greater than yourself and a larger community.  I especially liked one of the blurbs that said, "Life is full of ups and downs, so use our game to experience disappointment in a safe space" 

The game provides a special tool called a "Grail Tool" that acts like a safety card.  Players can use it to show their discomfort in a scene or with a situation.  You can flip it from Red to Green, or lift it up depending on how series the situation is.  I have seen discussion of such tools in other rulebooks, but mostly as an aside.  Here since the audience is younger and the game is focused on education, the use of the safety tools is much more defined and explicit process.  I have only read about such tools so it was nice to see how the game implemented them.  

The Appendix has a consent document to help the GM know what is an is not triggering or wanted from the players.  This includes topics like blood, harm to children, animals, etc.  Creatures or scenarios that are off-limits like severe weather, illness, claustrophobia, etc.  Finally, it clears the air on romance within your games.  Again, since the game is for new RPG-players and younger folks this level of detail makes some sense to me.  However, I have never gone through such an explicit process in Session Zero, so this was something new to me.    

Since the game is focused on cooperation and empathy, NPCs are called "Friends".  These are fae and magical creatures in the Inspirisles often taken from Celtic and European folklore.  

It is important to note, that this game has no death.  Injury is also not a focus.  Instead the focus is on failure and the collection of Disbelief.  Disbelief builds up on a Calamity Meter.  This creates new threats that will distract the PCs from their goals and objectives.  The game provides gathering the 6-piees of Excalibur together as their main goal.  However, the Calamity Meter will give them distractiosn from this effort, and the only way to reduce the Calamity Meter is by finding pieces of the sword.  Of course, you can also use Belief to buy down the Calamity Meter as well.  

The last chapter breaks down the "Inspirisles", which races and people live where, key locations, etc.  This includes some adventure hooks, some foes, and a few other bits and pieces.  

Final Thoughts

Going into this game was an interesting experience because it had two main goals; be fun and educate.  That is a distinct difference from most of the other games I have reviewed on this site, as most of them are focused on just being fun.  Therefore, I had to look at this game from a slightly different lens and think about whether it accomplished both tasks.  I have an interest in using games as a tool to train and educate in the corporate world, so seeing how they tried to tackle this dual purpose was eye-opening to me.  

The rules are simple, but playable.  In some ways, it uses a lot of ideas as a game like Avatar: Legends using elements and shaping as a focus of gameplay.  It also focuses a lot on leaning into the Narrative too.  However, I think it is a lesser product overall.

Ultimately, the ASL portion of the game was interesting BUT I think it is overstated as a hook in this game.  It is not integrated seamlessly into the mechanics, in fact; the designers even say that they purposely made it playable without using Sign Language!  To me that is burying the lede.  What they tell you about Sign Language and Deaf-Culture is solid, but it is not well represented in the game itself.  It would require some work on the GMs part to make ASL integral to the game.  It almost felt like it was added after the fact and I was disappointed.  

So, do I think they hit their design goals of Story-telling, Empathy, and Deaf Culture?  Maybe, but I think they did not lean into their goals hard enough.  Still, I learned things from reading it.  I am interested to see if my wife decides to try to run it with my group.   

Until next time!       

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