Michael S. Miller

Scott Dunphy's Story Shtick just started a three-part series on With Great Power... Check it out!

It's about an hour and half since we arrived home from Origins 2009. I sit here with more caffiene than blood in my veins and try to unwind enough to go to bed. It was a great con. Attendance looked light, but the folks that were there had a good time. Here's my high points of the show:

Tuesday
A rush to pack and an error made months ago with the rental car was a bit of a scare, but by the time Bill arrived, everything was A-OK. Got to bed late, but raring to go in the morning.

Wednesday
The Drive. Michele was battling a cold, so we took plenty of rest stops. I didn't mind because we had no booth obligations and therefore no deadline. We left at a sane 7 AM and arrived about 4 PM, which allowed us to eat at the fabulous North Market. My pad thai was hotter than I could stomach, but that proved beneficial later on. We got checked in, taught Michele how to play Euchre, and got some sleep.

Thursday
Both Kat and I wisely scheduled our Thursday games to begin at noon, so that we would avoid the early-morning lull that sometimes occurs when there's a hiccup in the registration system. This time, there was no hiccup to worry about, but there was also a noticeable shortage of attendees. Even with a huge swath of the breezeway missing due to renovation, the place didn't feel crowded enough. I think I got a picture of the crowd present at the opening of the exhibit hall, and it wasn't nearly as large as it's been in the past.

Anyway, I kicked the day off w/ dropping off 5 copies of SHU with the ever-gracious and ever-upbeat Andy Kitkowski. He and his boothmates allowed me to grab a bit of space in his booth to make SHU available for sale. It was greatly appreciated.

At noon, Kat ran a new WGP... scenario, and I ran Ganakagok. I had 2 players: Cary and Amber. Thinking that 2 characters would be too few in the reaction rounds, I also made a character myself. In the end, it added nothing to the game, and I wouldn't do it again. The game was good (as always), and I even found a few ways to improve the text that I had overlooked while editing.

After dinner, I hung out a bit w/ Luke, Thor, Jared, and Jamey. We caught up on RL stuff. I got to see the tail end of Jamey's satirical Nicotine Girls hack. Plus, we playtested ... Yonder Knights! I never would have imagined playing that in my wildest dreams! The game doesn't really work, but there was much discussion and diagnosis of exactly WHY it doesn't work, which was really super helpful.

Friday
Friday started w/ both Kat and I having 10AM games. Hers was, of course, some incredible, amazing WGP... and mine was SHU. I had two great players: Todd and Lisa. We stopped a serial killer whose profile was that he was hunting down children's entertainers. As often happens, the kinda silly profile did not impede the drama and tragedy of the inevitable deaths. I can't think of a game that I enjoy more consistently than Serial Homicide Unit.

After the SHU game, I checked out the maiden voyage of Luke and Jared's new seminar: Practical Game Design. It was a clear and informative roadmap to take someone from the Three Questions to being able to judge whether dice or cards will do the job their game needs done. It gave me much food for thought, particularly in light of the previous night's unfun playtest.

One of the great disappointments of this year's construction was the closing of the kitchen in the Krema Nut Company store. NO PEANUT BUTTER MILKSHAKES! However, Thor's clever cell phone knew of the company's headquarters store 2 miles away. Being New Yorkers, they were going to hoof it. But with my power of Rental Car, I got us to the peanut-flavored heaven and back again in air-conditioned comfort!

Friday evening saw a nice dinner w/ Kat, Bill, and Michele, and then chatting till midnight w/ the NYC crew.

Saturday
Saturday was supposed to be my busiest day. I was scheduled to run SHU from 10AM to 2PM, and help Luke run a seminar from 1PM (fun scheduling error!) to 3PM, and then run Ganakagok from 8PM to midnight. Unfortunately, I had no players for SHU, which gave me far too much time to shop. I looked at every booth and still had time to spare before the panel.

The self publishing panel is, as Luke likes to call it, a firehose of information. We ran right up to the full 2 hour mark, barely stopping for questions and could have kept going. It's a thrill to give that panel.

Afterwards, Luke was running a demo of Mouse Guard for a reviewer named Ben and his girlfriend Danielle. I sat in to bring the group up to three, and got to deliver the killing blow to a vicious milk snake that wanted to devour us all!

A surprising one-on-one dinner w/ Kat followed, which allowed for a nice de-stressing to occur.

After that, it was back to frozen lands of Ganakagok, where 6 players showed and we made a great myth about the splintering of the island and its fertile ground floating into the sunlit worlds.

Sunday
Today started with some great news: Mouse Guard won the Origins Award for Best RPG! Congrats to Luke and the Burning Crew for another game well-designed (and one I can actually play this time!)

Then there was just last minute shopping, lunch, The Drive, and now this. An excellent weekend in an excellent city at an excellent con. You can't ask for more than that.

The audio demo of Serial Homicide Unit is now available here.

Russell Collins, our esteemed narrator, has produced a brilliantly atmospheric and informative demo that is FULLY PLAYABLE. The recorded instructions are a bit longer than 7 minutes. They provide step-by-step instructions for playing a brief demo of Serial Homicide Unit. The demo is provided in MP3 format, and is 13.5MB. Feel free to link to this demo from wherever you think appropriate.

Try it for free. Protect the innocent. Hunt down a killer.

I just listened to the upcoming free demo of Serial Homicide Unit. Again, Russell Collins has used his vocal and musical talents to drive the dread of our game right up your ears and into your brain.

Look for it to be available for download on Monday.

The registrations deadline for DEXCON 12 is nearly here. See Kat's LJ entry for all the details. Kat's in charge of the IGE this time. I've worked several 55 hour weeks this month, and there's no sign of it letting up.

Back to the grindstone...

I had this dream about running a variant of D&D 4th edition. Instead of fighting monsters to gain treasure and glory. You were fighting Hollywood movie executives to get your movie made and into theaters. It was like D&D meets The Player. It had classes, and all the same powers and whatnot, just reskinned for the Hollywood "development hell" setting. It had things like "I'm using Storyboard on the suit. It's my daily power and he's already bloody, so let's hope I hit." The maps were little conference rooms. In the dream, my friend Bruce, who plays D&D with us solely for the tactics, enjoyed it just as much because all the tactics and stuff. Weird.

On another note, I missed Bard's Day again. Yesterday was Shakespeare's 445th birthday. Four centuries ago, he was closing up his career, spending more time in Stratford. Only had a few more plays, and a few more years in him. Regardless, happy belated Bard's Day!

Vincent is drilling into the nitty-gritty of how Points of Contact work over on anyway.

In his most recent post, he calls attention to the "moment of judgment" that is required when providing mechanical teeth to wholly fictional input. In most traditional games, this often applies when the GM hands out situational modifiers for tactics, weather, etc.

In reading his comment about how many recent games deal with the problem of these judgments being potentially biased by "commoditizing" them. That is, players spend game currency or the like to buy the verdict of the judgment. I find myself drawn to this solution repeatedly.

Why do I commoditize or avoid as many moments of judgment as possible? Quite simply because whenever I have to make them, I feel like I'm wrong. 20 years of playing these games, I still always feel like I'm wrong. If I decide against the players, I feel like I'm being mean or cheating. If I decide for the players, I feel like I'm being a pushover or not challenging the players enough. Even when everyone agrees with my decision. I hate it.

This probably explains why--despite my admiration for the intricate construction of Luke's games--I failed as a Mouse Guard GM. MG and BW depend heavily on the exercise of the GM's judgment. And I find that taxing in the extreme.

No big conclusions here, except about my own psyche. And, if you're interested in RPG theory and not reading anyway, you should!

It's been a very long time since I did this. Back in the ol' days of 2005-2006, everyone was doing posting their sales numbers in service of the community. Nowadays, only drivingblind posts sales numbers. Since I'm at the complete other end of the spectrum from Fred, I'm going to post my numbers. In order to get a complete picture of SHU sales, I'm also including December 2008.

	WGP... [PDF]	WGP... [Physical]	Serial Homicide Unit [Electronic]	Serial Homicide Unit [Physical]
Dec 2008	0	3	5	0
Jan 2009	0	1	13	12
Feb 2009	4	2	4	13
Mar 2009	0	2	1	0

I've got ideas about how to mitigate that downward trend, but I haven't been able to gather the wherewithal to make any of them happen.

How's things in your publishing?

I just submitted a game for Little Game Chef. I hadn't planned on entering, but I had a few nearly-sleepless nights this week, and a weird, geeky little game flowed out of me. It's 110% derivative. I don't think there's an original bone in its tiny, 2-page body.

The contest is anonymous, so I won't post the name of my game right here, right now. Anyone who wants a copy, e-mail me. I don't know if it's a straight game or a parody or what, but I just read it aloud to Kat and was laughing so hard that tears rolled down my cheeks. I've got a grin plastered on my puss that I haven't felt in a while. Even if I never touch the game again, it was FUN to write.

My head is still fuzzy from all the story (good and bad) I imbibed yesterday. After an absence of several months, Kat and I stopped at the comic book store and picked up our haul. It's quite a mixed bag.

( Rants about comics which certainly contain spoilers )

I'll be posting a little more about our D&D game this week. Kat did an awesome thing in yesterday's game. She inserted an encounter in Keep on the Shadowfell and gave the thing TEETH.

Here's the setup: We've done two encounters in a row, and the entire party has used its daily powers. But, we've learned that there's a damsel in distress being sacrificed RIGHT NOW. What else can we do but charge in and save her? We know with all our dailies and about half our healing surges gone, it's going to be a tough fight.

Kat tells us right off the bat that she'll die in 4 rounds if we don't get her out. So Michele, playing our Eladrin rogue with high initiative and all kinds of teleporting powers gets to the damsel in the very beginning of the very first round. She uses two move actions to get there, and is about to use her minor action to cut the cords binding her to the sacrificial altar. Rescue is lookin' good, right?

Then Kat says "If you *don't* cut her loose right now, you can use one of your daily powers again." That's teeth! Michele, feeling impish, opts for the daily power, and the damsel continues to bleed. Kat uses this trick several times in the encounter on several players, and although we defeat the undead guarding the damsel, we almost *don't* get her out of the room in time because of all the delays

4th Edition is so full of player resources, playing with ways to deplete and refresh them is fertile ground for putting choice--of both the gamist and narrativist flavors--into the players' hands.

How have you played with resources to good effect?

I originally posted this as a response in Judd's LJ and then immediately realized that was the wrong place for it. If you want the read the original thread, it's here. The short version is that a number of people have suggested that the answer to many of the issues facing the IGE at Dreamation is to add an open gaming / Games On Demand area. I don't think that's the answer, and here's why:


I kinda think that GoD would be a poor fit for Dreamation, but not at all for the reasons Avie states. As Joshua said, GoD has worked well at GenCon and filling tables with play would not be an issue.

GoD was created intentionally to draw enthusiasm AWAY from the Exhibit Hall at GenCon, so that folks who had already bought what they wanted could actually PLAY their games and not contribute to the traffic jam at the booth. At Dreamation, it would be a solution to a problem that doesn't exist. The only thing for GoD to draw enthusiasm away from is the scheduled games! And that would be disasterous.

Look at the incentives it sets up for both the publishers and the indie-enthusiast attendees: For the publisher, the incentive becomes "I want to see that hot new game that attendee X is bringing to the GoD area, and talk with friends old and new. To maximize my enjoyment, I should run as few scheduled games as possible so I can spend as much time as possible at GoD." For the indie-enthusiast attendee, the incentive becomes "I want to play in a game run by publisher Z, and Z has said online that he'll be spending most of his time in the GoD area. To maximize my enjoyment, I should register for as few games as possible, to have a better chance of gaming/hanging out with Z."

I foresee tons of people crowding into the GoD area, begging you to play Shock: and you've got to come up with those supplementary GMs on the spot rather than a few weeks before the con.

GoD was our way to make a tiny corner of GenCon more like Dreamation. If you try to make Dreamation more like GoD, the risks are high.


I'm certainly not totally convinced of anything, and would like to hear others' thoughts on the matter.

Well, now that the nasty stomach bug I picked up on Sunday (the only bad thing about Dreamation 2009) is finally behind me, I can recap my con experience.

( A whole lotta fun )

Overall, I'd say this was the most successful Indie Games Explosion yet. We scheduled over a hundred sessions, and I only heard of a handful that didn't attract enough players to run. That's quite an accomplishment. I'd like to thank each and every publisher, GM, attendee, con organizer and staff member who helped make that possible.

I've only had a chance to barely scratch the surface of the kerfluffle kicked off by Vinny's remarks on Sunday. I've seen some people like Judd, Fred, and jason Morningstar saying very sensible things. I've seen other people say some very inflammatory things. Such is the way of the internet.

I'll weigh in on some specific points later, but right now I don't know the best way to reach our common goal--a continually-improving Explosion--but I do know that we'll get there the same way we've gotten to where we are--with good ideas being put into practice through effort, communication, and cooperation.

The Dreamation master schedule is up! The events that Kat and I are running are as follows:

R143: Mouse Guard; "The Pirates of Rustleaf Temple" by Michael Miller. An INDEPENDENTLY PUBLISHED GAME from Archaia Studios Press - Part of the Indie Games Explosion! Mouse Guard is mice with swords! The autumn shipments from Rustleaf have been waylaid by bloodthirsty, redfurred pirates! Can the Mouse Guard foil the villains and save the harvest? Thursday, 8:00PM - 12:00AM; One Round; All Materials Provided. Beginners Welcome; Fun, All Ages. See Also: R161.

R144: Serial Homicide Unit; "CSI Vegas: The Showgirl Strangler" by Kat Miller. An INDEPENDENTLY PUBLISHED GAME from Incarnadine Press - Part of the Indie Games Explosion! Based on the TV show CSI. Play a member of Grisham's CSI team working to solve who is behind a string of showgirl killings. Thursday, 8:00PM - 12:00AM; One Round; All Materials Provided. Beginners Welcome; Fun, Under 18 Requires Parental Clearance. See Also: R271.

R161: Mouse Guard; "The Pirates of Rustleaf Temple". See R143. Friday, 9:00AM - 1:00PM; One Round.

R164: With Great Power...; "Sidekicks" by Kat Miller. An INDEPENDENTLY PUBLISHED GAME from Incarnadine Press - Part of the Indie Games Explosion! Sidekicks are the unsung heroes of hero stories. You and your friends happen to be the Sidekicks of high profile heroes and second in commands of Super villains. Its time the world knew what real heroes were like. Friday, 9:00AM - 1:00PM; One Round; All Materials Provided. Beginners Welcome; Fun, All Ages. See Also: R229.

R182: Everway; "Miss Fortune" by Kat Miller. The teller flips over the fate card, but the card is blank. All of them are blank. She tries to speak and finds herself mute. Has Fate merely taken a holiday, or is there something sinister behind the missing fortune cards? Friday, 2:00PM - 6:00PM; One Round; All Materials Provided. Beginners Welcome; Fun, All Ages.

W378: Mechaton; "Bricks! Good God, Y'all, What Are They Good For?". An INDEPENDENTLY PUBLISHED GAME from Incarnadine Press - Part of the Indie Games Explosion! Cry havoc! Build your army brick-by-Lego-brick and war against your opponents. May the best fighty robot win! Mechs provided, or bring your own. Friday, 2:00PM - 6:00PM; One Session; All Materials Provided. Beginners Welcome; Fun, All Ages. See Also: W612.

R221: Serial Homicide Unit; "Nowhere is Safe" by Michael Miller. An INDEPENDENTLY PUBLISHED GAME from Incarnadine Press - Part of the Indie Games Explosion! A killer hunts the innocent. Can you stop the murders? Bring a rampaging serial killer to justice as you portray investigators of the elite Serial Homicide Unit. Thrill to the terror as you follow the lives of the killer's next victims. Saturday, 9:00AM - 1:00PM; One Round; All Materials Provided. Beginners Welcome; Serious, Under 18 Requires Parental Clearance. See Also: R290.

R271: Serial Homicide Unit; "CSI Vegas: The Showgirl Strangler". See R144. Saturday, 8:00PM - 12:00AM; One Round.

W612: Mechaton; "Bricks! Good God, Y'all, What Are They Good For?". See W378. Saturday, 12:00AM - 4:00AM; One Session.

R290: Serial Homicide Unit; "Nowhere is Safe". See R221. Sunday, 9:00AM - 1:00PM; One Round.

The complete Indie Games Explosion scheduled can be found here, on the event chart.

Only seven days! Yay!

View with awe the sight that greeted me as I came home tonight:


Guess who's going to be collating this week? With a massive grin on his face?

Paul and Brennan of Voice of the Revolution have reviewed Serial Homicide Unit in their latest episode. Their observations are insightful and enlightening, as always. It's always gratifying when someone else understands what we're aiming for in a game design.

Thanks to Paul and Brennan for giving the game their thorough scrutiny. Give it a listen.

Now available at Cafe Press are Indie Games Explosion T-Shirts! Dreamation 2009 kicks off the fifth year of Indie Games Explosions. We've grown from a stretched-thin 24 events at Dreamation 2005 to a whopping 103 events this year! Order yours soon so you can wear it to the con!

FRONT

From Indie Games Explosion Logo

BACK

From Indie Games Explosion Logo

Per Fischer, Jason Dockins, and Ludanto have started a play-by-post game of Serial Homicide Unit. It kicks off in this thread. They've nearly finished their first round of civilian scenes, and the game is quite interesting. The profile they've chosen is "grade school teachers" and I'm anxious to see what they come up with.

For a limited time, you can preorder the physical edition of Serial Homicide Unit at a special rate. The final retail price will be $25.00 plus shipping fees. From now through January 31, 2009, you can preorder this game for only $20.00 including shipping (US shipments only). In addition, you will get the electronic edition of the game absolutely free.

This physical edition is packaged in a DVD case for easy transport. It includes:

• audio instruction CD that explain the rules of the game as you play.
  
• rules reference card
  
• six investigator cards
  
• one chief investigator card
  
• six civilian cards
  
• six name cards
  
• six name envelopes
  
• one pad of clue notes
  
• PDFs of all documents

Looks like a-more-demanding-than-expected holiday season have gotten the better of Kat and my schedule-discipline. We're extending the deadline until Wednesday, January 7 for all events to be in to us. For all those who've sent questions, we'll get back to you as soon as we can.