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Storium Basics: Creating A Character / Applying For Games

Welcome back to Storium Basics. This series of articles is designed to help new players understand Storium in general, and be able to get started on Storium games. For those looking for more, see my more advanced article series, Storium Theory.

Today, we're taking a look at the first thing a player will need to do to get involved in a game: creating a character.

Once you've found a game that you'd like to join, whether through the Browse Games feature, the forums, or some other method, what should you expect to happen, and what should you do?

First, a bit about how narrators set things up:

The system a lot of narrators - myself included - will use for open invitation games is to take applications up until about the end of the default two week application period, then look over all the applications and choose the ones they feel will work best for their game. They'll certainly comment on applications before that point and will let you know if the character just outright doesn't work, but you often won't hear a definitive yes or no until the application period nears its end.

There are exceptions, of course - sometimes your character is just so clearly right for the game that they take it right away, or of course sometimes you're specifically invited to a game—but that's how that style works.

Note that some narrators also use the "Open Lobby" feature of Storium or forum topics to let players discuss character options and ask questions in a place specifically set aside for the game as well - I tend to just take applications, myself, but a lot of narrators love using that feature and if one does, you should certainly feel free to ask questions there! Even if they don't, you can usually ask questions via private messaging. Make sure that you understand the world and the game concepts if you're fuzzy on anything.

Remember, though - whether you are talking to the narrator in the Open Lobby, on the forums, through private messaging, or through any other method, do not construe the narrator saying that it is all right to apply with a particular character as the narrator saying that they will definitely approve a particular character. Narrators will often be willing to help you work through applying for a character or iron out a character idea, but until they actually hit "approve" on your character application, you do not have their approval.

Now...how do you actually apply?

I look at Storium applications as…kind of a job application, honestly. A fun one, but still, the idea as a narrator is to pick out people you're willing to be writing with for potentially several months to a year - these games can last a while, even if they sound short to begin with. You want to get a cast of characters that seems like it can work together, and do your best to pick a group of players that seems like it can gel pretty well.

It's in your interest as a player applying for games to look at things from that perspective too. You need to sell both your character and yourself - your character as an interesting element for the story, and yourself as a player who will be active, reliable, and easy to work with.

So, here are a few things I've found can help you be more likely to be accepted for a game:

• Provide a character picture.
• Narrators like to see those—it helps show that you've thought about the character more, and honestly just gives a good "at a glance" for the character's appearance and general mood or theme. 
• Don't worry about getting this exact, necessarily - you don't need to go build your character in an art program or get it commissioned or anything. 
• There was a good forum topic a while back where someone - I forget who - said that he looked at it as kind of "casting the part" as though this were a movie or some such - he looked less for an exact appearance match and more for a picture that fit the general mood and tone of the character.
• If you cannot provide a picture for your character - for instance, one player I play with is blind and therefore cannot - then just make sure to state that you could not in your comments along with the application. Narrators will generally be understanding, but it's important to let them know that there was a reason.
• Card art isn't as required, generally, but do pay attention if the narrator specifically asks for it. Narrators don't like having their instructions ignored.
• Take some time on the background - you don't have to (in fact, you shouldn't) spell out every detail of a character's life, but there should still be a perception that you know, in general, who the character is.
• Involve your character in the world. 
• If the narrator calls out particular kingdoms or locations or tribes or what-have-you, consider having your character be from one of those places, or having run into people from those places. 
• If he mentions events, particularly disastrous ones, consider having those events influence your character's background.
• Above all, try to fit your character into the game's world and the game's tone or mood, or be ready to explain why your character can still fit the game despite the differences. Characters that clash with the game's tone or world can sometimes work, but they will make narrators skittish - it is on you to explain how your character can still fit the game.
• A lot of players will submit characters they played elsewhere, and that's totally fine - I've done it myself with old MUX characters or tabletop characters - but make sure to make that character fit into the story's world all the same, likely with the above methods.
• You don't have to be perfect (though there are some sticklers for grammar rules on Storium that will say otherwise), but do take the time to do what you can to make your writing clear. 
• In particular, split your background up into paragraphs (and when you do, hit enter twice to clearly separate them - believe me, it makes it so much clearer). It makes it easier to read, and narrators like to know that they're going to have an easy time reading your posts.
• Take a little extra time with your app - and with your writing on Storium in general. Again, you don't have to be perfect. Just make it clear that you do care about your writing.
• Put things into your background that the narrator can use. You don't have to spell them out as bullet points or anything, but characters that provide the narrator with possibilities are more exciting than those who just are what they are. 
• Leave some mystery in there, or imply that a person that hurt you was involved with some evil force or another the narrator established in the game description.
• Narrators, by and large, love to have little cues that they can find in a character's description or background. It helps them involve the character more in the story, and make the story about the characters, rather than about events that the characters happen to be involved in.
• This is a good thing to use comments for as well - when you submit your character and that little box comes up with additional comments, take the time to just briefly talk about some ideas for how the character might tie in to the story, or call out bits in your application that you've intentionally left open for the narrator to use.
• Take a look at the other existing apps and try to make your character feel different. 
• If other people are choosing a particular nature, strength, weakness, or subplot, it's a good idea to pick a different one. Storium may not have a tactical need to have different "classes" in your party, but narrators like to have characters that are different from each other. 
• Work on differentiating Strengths, Weaknesses, and Subplots as well. A game with three people who all have Agile as their Strength card is simply not as fun to read as a game where those three people have different Strength cards. There are definitely story possibilities with overlap, but most narrators I've seen will prefer characters that differ over those that are similar.
• Write your character as someone who can and will get involved with the story and the other characters. 
• Characters who feel like they'll want to be separate from the rest of the group a lot of the time (loners, "I work alone" types), or those who feel like they won't care about the story or will actively act against the story (for instance, a totally sensible character in a slasher flick game, who won't go to explore the creepy old house) will make the narrator nervous. 
• Remember: You are writing a character for this story. Your character doesn't have to be fated to be a hero or something like that. He doesn't have to be thrilled about what he's going to be doing. But, deep down at the very least, he should be the sort of person that will pursue the activities the story demands.
• If your character appears to be the sort of person who would run screaming in the other direction from the events of the story or otherwise avoid participating in it, take the time in comments to tell the narrator how you'd like to tie the character to the story more firmly - or at least to give the narrator a few ideas for how it might happen. As above, it is on you to explain why a character that doesn't seem to fit can actually fit.
• Pick the starting cards for your character based on what you want to see come up in the story for that character - not just based on what sounds right for the character. You need to pick starting cards that feel like things that would be interesting to you - things you are going to want to play. 
• This tends to matter most for Weakness cards, but can also be a factor in choosing a Strength or Subplot. Pick something that interests you and that you want to see as part of the story.
• I've seen players pick stuff because it "sounded right" or because it was who the character was before the tale, not thinking about where their character's story was quickly going to go and how they actually wanted to portray the character, and it always becomes something frustrating for the player then.
• Finally, for yourself, try to build a good reputation in general. Narrators can, and do, look at your play history. If they see interesting characters, story participation, group interaction, a good attitude, and completed games, they'll look forward to the possibilities presented by having you in their game.

Narrators aren't professionals and we all work a little differently, and nothing's a guarantee, but the above should generally help you be more likely to be accepted to games, and just help you have more fun and help others have more fun when you're in them.

If you would like to know more about character creation and applying for games in Storium, here are a few of my Storium Theory articles on that topic:

• Writing Good Strengths and Weaknesses
• Play Within the World: Making Characters "Fit In"
• People, People Who Need People
• Uniqueness of Ability
• Uniqueness of Cards
• Support the Story
• Building Character
• Choose Cards You Want to Play
• Build Towards Something

Getting A Bit Of Everything In Guild Ball: The Union

Tuesday night is our game night out at Top Deck Games (aka Card Titan online if you're into Magic the Gathering) and last night was the first time I've been able to make one in a while. 

It was also the first night in a long time where I was able to get two whole games in, and it ended up being two Guild Ball games for me as the other Warmachine players had already paired off when I was done my first match. 

I decided I wanted to play more of my newly fleshed out Union as I'm probably most excited about playing them.  I figured I'd post about why I'm personally excited about them given my history and what I feel makes them strong. Please keep in mind, I'm no expert at the game so this is more of a layman's perspective. 

Why I'm Excited About Union

I can't talk about what makes me excited to play Union without talking about my previous teams in Guild Ball.  I started the game playing Brewers, and then picked up Engineers because well, I like beer, and I'm an Engineer.  

Brewers, especially when I picked them up, were more of a fighting team, and Engineers once they got reworked were more of a goal scoring team, so they'd make excellent compliments to each other, or so I thought.  Both teams also generally rely on a single captain more than the other. Brewers generally want to be playing Tapper and Engineers generally want to play Ballista. 

What I've found from playing both teams is that it's like playing the two extremes of the game. It's not quite as opposite as playing Butchers and Fishermen, but it's close enough to feel limiting.

Union by contrast can more easily play what the developers call a balanced game, looking to get 2 goals and 2 take-outs to get the 12 points to win the game.   This is probably why I'm more excited to play Blackheart as my Union captain compared to playing what most people consider to be the stronger Veteran Rage as my captain, though I do enjoy playing both. 

My First Dream Team

I wanted to make a team that had as much 2" Melee as possible while also being balanced.  Back in June of last year, it appeared that Union had a good 6 player lineup for this:

Blackheart, Strongbox, Harry, Mist, Benediction, Gutter

Then in July the nerfs came for Harry which toned the team's damage output way down, but I still feel as though these 6 players can make for a hell of a team. 

Blackheart can still score from very far away, using all kinds of dodge shenanigans to get in range for his 6" kick to nail a goal, quite likely at Tap-In range.  He also has Butchery which can give you +1 to damage results against the model hit, and with all non-mascots having 2" melee, it's not hard to stack crowd out's on the player you've hit with Butchery.  Strongbox add's +1 TAC in a 4" aura, which again can allow someone like Gutter to get in and do a massive amount of damage, but nearly anyone on the team can be made to hit hard enough to be a problem with that kind of setup. 

And then there's Mist. He's got to be one of my favorite models coming from playing Brewers and Engineers. Now that Slothecian models have been released, he gets a free 2" dodge if he's within 6" of Grace or Benediction. He has Acrobatics, so he's got a guaranteed 2" dodge.  He has 2" Melee which is fantastic on a striker, and he's got dodges for days.  A turn 1 goal with him when you're receiving is extremely easy to bang in, and with him kicking off it's not impossible to get in that scenario either if your opponent isn't very careful about it. 

The Extended Roster

Blackheart wasn't my first Union captain, that went to Veteran Rage, since I could buy him and Strongbox cheaply in a blister and I already had all the other models necessary to make a team with him at the time (a friend had given me an extra Mist model he had as payment for splitting a pizza on game night – damn Guild Ball is a cheap game to get into).  This gave me a 6 man of:

V. Rage, Strongbox, Avarice & Greed, Gutter, Mist, Harry

This team was far better before Harry and Avarice & Greed were nerfed, but now that I've fleshed out the guild there's a lot of flexibility on how you can build a solid Vet Rage team.

My 10 player lineup is now:

Blackheart, Vet Rage, Strongbox, Avarice & Greed, Gutter, Mist, Harry, Grace, Benediction, Decimate

As of last night, I tried out the following team for Rage and it worked well into Engineers:

Vet Rage, Strongbox, Mist, Gutter, Decimate, Grace

With this, I have three models with 3 dice kicks, and two models with an 8" kick.  While it seems like a lower Influence team at only generating 11 influence, it gets 2 influence for free to fuel Grace every turn.  This allows her to give a "free" Quick Foot to extend Rage's personal threat or to make Mist go even further to score a goal. 

Since it's a Vet Rage team, few people want to fight into it and so go for goals, allowing me to easily get snap back goals with Mist or if I'm receiving, get a very easy turn 1 goal with Mist.  Getting an early goal is a big deal for the team since the extra goal Influence goes a long way to helping Rage do what he wants to do.

It's hard to understate how deadly the team can be with Rage's Heroic or Legendary play and Strongbox's 4" Aura.  Last night I had a setup where Colossus (DEF 2, ARM 2, Tough Hide) was crowded out by Mist, Grace, and Strongbox. Rage popped his Legendary play and then charged in for free with Furious. On the wrap I got a Knockdown and did 4 damage.  I then spent 4 Influence on Red Fury, not making Rage attack, but making Strongbox, the friggin Turtle attack.  

The amount of damage it does in this situation is outrageous: 2 Base Attack, +1 from Shelling Out Aura, 3 Crowd Outs, +1 from Legendary Play, +1 dice from a DEF 2 model being knocked down is 8 total Dice for TAC and +1 to all damage results.  Since Strongbox only has a 2 deep playbook, he is able to wrap many times. Even with Tough Hide taking damage off of each result, I was still regularly pulling 5-6 damage per attack after Tough Hide. With 4 Red Fury attacks I easily took down one of the biggest models in the game with a little turtle.  He's like an honorary Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle, I should try and paint a mask around his face.

Strengths and Weaknesses

One final thing that Union has over my other teams is that with my lineup I really can pick either Blackheart or Vet Rage and play two very different games, which is something relatively rare in Guild Ball. 

This isn't to say that the team is nothing but a power house, I actually lack a significant amount of resiliency that I normally have with a lot of Tough Hide models.  As it is a lot of my models are either 4/1 or 3/2, which is possibly better than average, but once they get knocked down or debuffed they will take a lot of damage very quickly.  So far my games with them have been good, but I intend to play a lot more with the team.

The only thing is…I really want to play more with my Engineers and even my Brewers since it feels like so much has changed in the game since I last played.  I'm definitely riding high on Guild Ball in general right now and it feels pretty good.

Game Design Activity Sessions – Part 1: Remodelling A Space War On A Blank Paper Sheet

When I was a child, there was a game we used to play during the free time in between classes. It doesn't have an official name, but my friends and I always called it "Space War". Basically, the game's main idea is:

1) in a regular blank paper trace a dividing line right in the middle of it;

2) Each player (and it's a two player game) draws 3 to 6 spaceships (represented by triangles) randomly on their side;

3) the oldest player starts: they must draw a small circle on their side, this is called a "shot";

4) on the next step, this player must fold the paper sheet;

5) after folding the paper the player must guess the place their opponent drew the "shot" and draw another small circle pressing the pen firmly on the area;

6) finally, the player must unfold the paper to check if the "shot" hit the target (the spaceship/triangle); then, it's the other player's turn to play. Important rule: one "shot" only hits a spaceship if it is completely inside the triangle area.

The diagram below shows, in images, the basic rules and game dynamics:



Ok! After trying this game and understanding it, your mission in this exercise is: trying to modify the basic gaming mechanics by adding power cards and dice, giving the ships new abilities and trying to create more uncertainty in a match. Think big and modify the space game with creativity (and try to think of a less stupid name for it).

You can share the results with me by mail, if you want >> vincevader@gmail.com

#GoGamers

Modular Vs Integrated Expansions

Having recently done an expansion for Crusaders, and having done 3 expansions for Eminent Domain and one for Isle of Trains as well, I have noticed a particular style I like to use when creating expansions, and I've identified two distinct types of expansions: Modular and Integrated.

Modularity

A modular expansion is one with several distinct modules that can be added in various combinations. These can be good because they allow the players to use the modules they enjoy, and simply ignore the ones they don't care for. It allows players to customize their experience. Undoubtedly, this is something that some players will appreciate.

However, it also requires playing each module at least once to determine if it works well for your group, and it requires some effort to curate the expansion content to provide that perfect customized experience. For a group that loves a game and plays it all the time, one that's willing to put in the effort and plays to find the perfect combination of modules, this could be fine. But in today's market, I wonder if players will put in that time and effort? Or would they prefer to just buy a curated expansion, where the "best combination of modules" is the only thing provided?

Another down side to a modular expansion is that because of that modularity, the pieces of the expansion may feel bolted together and disparate rather than feeling like a seamless experience.

Integration

An integrated expansion is one where the new parts play off of each other and off of the original content. When done well, this type of content fits seamlessly with the base game, and it can be difficult to differentiate the new stuff from the old.

This loses the opportunity for customization provided by a modular expansion, but it gains the curated feel, and doesn't require any work on the part of the player to get to the "best" configuration.

Another down side to integrating an expansion is that it may be more difficult to remove the content when you want to play the game with new players. For an insular group who plays the same game many times, an integrated expansion may be preferable, while for a group where new players come and go with each play, it may be more difficult to pop the expansion content in and out.

My personal preference

It's probably clear in the above paragraphs that modular expansions aren't my preferred format. Well integrated, expansion content fits together with the base game in such a way that it feels like it was always there, or like it belongs. I find something attractive in the thought that the expansion integrates so well that a new player might not be able to identify the new content from the old.

Looking at the expansions I've done, I think it's clear I've attempted to go for integration over modularity:

In the Eminent Domain expansions, you simply add the new tech cards, shuffle the new planets into the deck, and the Fleet, Mining, and Political Influence tiles tie it all together.

When I first played Isle of Trains: All Aboard (which hasn't been published... yet) with the publisher, they were skeptical going into it that the game really needed an expansion. After we played, they said they were surprised how well integrated the expansion was, and that it was not obvious the expansion content wasn't just part of the base game in the first place.

Crusaders: Divine Influence is about to ship from China, so not many have played it yet, but my goal with that one was to seamlessly integrate the new content with the old. I replaced the Influence action with something more involved, and I added new buildings and a few factions. If you know the rules of the base game already, then playing with the new content should be easy to pick up. Learning the game for the first time with the expansion content included will be a bit more complicated than learning just the base game, but I have had some success teaching the game that way most of the times I have played the expansion with strangers.

Conclusion

There might be a temptation to make expansions modular, because as a designer it can be easy to think that's what players want, and it abdicates the responsibility of curating the expansion to the players. My advice for designers is to consider the game you are expanding, and that game's audience. In this day and age, with thousands of new titles coming out every year, is modularity really the best format for your expansion? Or would your audience be better served with a well integrated, curated expansion? For most of the games I work on, I think it's the latter.

The Inspirations Of Oceanhorn 2: Knights Of The Lost Realm - Part 2

In the second part of our Inspirations series, we sat down with Claudio, Cornfox Producer, and Level Designer. "My tasks range from managing partners relationships to designing the dungeons in the game. Cornfox is a small company, we all multitask."

Claudio grew up in Brazil, a country where high import duties never stopped the gaming scene in the 80s and 90s from resembling its US counterpart. Arcades, PC games, and consoles were popular, and kids spent their afternoons switching between NES, SNES, Megadrive, and MSX.

"Soon SEGA, Nintendo and other manufacturer started to build their consoles directly in Brazil. That way, duties weren't really an issue." Claudio spent the last 20 years developing games, moving from Brazil to Germany to Portugal. Six years ago he finally landed in Finland. "I met the Cornfox guys at various local game events. After a while, we realized we were aligned in tastes and philosophy, and that's how this adventure started."

When asked about the games that are influencing Oceanhorn 2's level design, Claudio goes back to the titles he grew up with. "The first Oceanhorn was a top-down game and shared the core gameplay with many Action RPGs of the 90s. We are now working on a third-person game: the camera can be controlled, there are 360 degrees of freedom, and there's verticality in the level design. That means, for example, that we can add floors to buildings and dungeons, or hidden areas that would be impossible to create using other kinds of perspectives."

Pacing is another area where Claudio focuses his efforts. "I want to have a balance between exploration and action, and make sure the learning curve is approachable, adding gameplay elements bit by bit." But what makes a game feel fresh even after several hours? When a new mechanic is added, balance feels right if the player is allowed to experiment with it. As soon as the new mechanic is learned, the game gets slightly harder or mixes it with elements that have already been introduced. This design philosophy can be applied to everything: combat, puzzle, exploration. "I love the Diablo games, but the mechanics there are mostly built around combat: in Oceanhorn 2 we need to make sure there's enough of everything, and that it comes in the right order, while also revealing the story bit by bit."

Good examples of what Claudio means can be found in two of the most popular game IPs: Zelda and Metroid. "In those games, skills and mechanics keep stacking. The level structure usually follows a plot-exploration-boss template, which works really well. We've been inspired by the best."

Oceanhorn 2: Knights of the Lost Realm is, in a sense, a "natural sequel" to the first Oceanhorn, as Ocarina of Time is a "natural sequel" to Link to the Past. "They are different games, of course, and Ocarina of Time deserves a special mention also because it changed how players interact with a 3D environment", says Claudio, "but in a way, both titles feel part of the same saga, and the pacing is what ties them together."

Claudio is also quick to add that there are other notable contributions to the Action RPGs space beside what Nintendo has been doing: less known titles such as Xak, Alundra, the Ys series, the Oasis series, Crusader of Centy, Terranigma, and others all have contributed to what Oceanhorn 2 is today. "When it comes to how the game looks", he concludes, "there's been a plethora of titles from the PS2 era that have informed Oceanhorn 2's style, but I think we owe something to Dawn of Mana, one of the sequels to Secret of Mana. That game looks still good today."

There's still one episode left in this Inspiration series – stay tuned for more!

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Without Map Or Compass

In the original Legend of Zelda the Map and Compass are indispensable for surviving dungeons and reaching the boss. The map shows you the layout of the dungeon and the compass positions you in it.

In the pilgrimage of the Christian life, I think the map would be the teachings of Our Blessed Lord and saviour, preserved in the Sacred Scripture and Sacred Tradition of the Catholic Church that He founded- this constitutes the way to Eternal Life.

The compass I think would be the interior life, the daily life of prayer composed of mental prayer, examination of conscience and perhaps above all, the sacrament of confession. Through these powerful means we can discern where we are headed, how we stand with regards to that map, whether we are near the end of the dungeon, close to completing it, or perhaps down a dead end.

How tragic for the worldlings and for the followers of false religions, they have neither map nor compass- where will they end up? They can send Link a thousand times round the dungeon but without map or compass they have little chance of coming out alive.

Praise be Our God and Saviour Jesus Christ for providing us with the Map and Compass in His One True Church.

Brave Browser voted the best privacy-focused product of 2020

Out of all the privacy-focused products and apps available on the market, Brave has been voted the best. Other winners of Product Hunt's Golden Kitty awards showed that there was a huge interest in privacy-enhancing products and apps such as chats, maps, and other collaboration tools.

An extremely productive year for Brave

Last year has been a pivotal one for the crypto industry, but few companies managed to see the kind of success Brave did. Almost every day of the year has been packed witch action, as the company managed to officially launch its browser, get its Basic Attention Token out, and onboard hundreds of thousands of verified publishers on its rewards platform.

Luckily, the effort Brave has been putting into its product hasn't gone unnoticed.

The company's revolutionary browser has been voted the best privacy-focused product of 2019, for which it received a Golden Kitty award. The awards, hosted by Product Hunt, were given to the most popular products across 23 different product categories.

Ryan Hoover, the founder of Product Hunt said:

"Our annual Golden Kitty awards celebrate all the great products that makers have launched throughout the year"

Brave's win is important for the company—with this year seeing the most user votes ever, it's a clear indicator of the browser's rapidly rising popularity.

Privacy and blockchain are the strongest forces in tech right now

If reaching 10 million monthly active users in December was Brave's crown achievement, then the Product Hunt award was the cherry on top.

The recognition Brave got from Product Hunt users shows that a market for privacy-focused apps is thriving. All of the apps and products that got a Golden Kitty award from Product Hunt users focused heavily on data protection. Everything from automatic investment apps and remote collaboration tools to smart home products emphasized their privacy.

AI and machine learning rose as another note-worthy trend, but blockchain seemed to be the most dominating force in app development. Blockchain-based messaging apps and maps were hugely popular with Product Hunt users, who seem to value innovation and security.

For those users, Brave is a perfect platform. The company's research and development team has recently debuted its privacy-preserving distributed VPN, which could potentially bring even more security to the user than its already existing Tor extension.

Brave's effort to revolutionize the advertising industry has also been recognized by some of the biggest names in publishing—major publications such as The Washington Post, The Guardian, NDTV, NPR, and Qz have all joined the platform. Some of the highest-ranking websites in the world, including Wikipedia, WikiHow, Vimeo, Internet Archive, and DuckDuckGo, are also among Brave's 390,000 verified publishers.

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