Countdown to 30

The first Front Porch campaign -- the superhero smackdown antics of Earth Commanders -- started just about 29 years ago in the summer of 1988. Next summer, then, will mark 30 years of Front Porch gaming action. For the 25th anniversary I did a series of posts on the subject (see the label "Countdown to 25"), so I might as well do the same for the 30th. 2018 will be doubly significant because it also marks the 25th anniversary of the Druid Cycle campaign setting.

2013 Game Event: Revealed!

The year-long game event to celebrate our twenty-fifth anniversary is called The Harbingers, and it's time to get started! If you want to participate, please send me an email and let me know whether you'd like to run your own character, or take part simply as an observer. If you plan on playing a character, I'll respond with a player packet that includes everything you need to know.

The Harbingers is like no campaign we've done before. It's something of a crossover of a quarter-century's worth of Front Porch campaigns and worlds, infused with the themes that we're developing in our current games. I have no idea whether or not this will be successful, but I can't wait to find out!

2013 Is Here!

Happy 2013! Ask any Colgate alum and they'll tell you that 13 is a special number. Well, 2013 is a very special year for the Front Porch Gaming Guild because it's our twenty-fifth anniversary as well as the twentieth anniversary of our Druid Cycle fantasy campaign world. I look forward to a great year!

2013 Game Event: Part 3

Over the last few weeks, I've revealed some key details about the yearlong game event for 2013. Today I'll touch on the story's major theme. If you've been playing in a Druid Cycle game recently, you probably won't be surprised to learn that our game event is going to focus on the timeless, world-spanning struggle between Ekhis and the Ternion. (Ekhis and the Ternion? Sounds like the name of some cheesey Europop band...) By now you probably know that the Ternion are the "good guys" in this struggle, but the twist for our game event is that each player will get to decide which faction he or she supports. Your fellow players won't know where you stand (unless you blab, of course), and given the shadowy nature of these characters, you may not even be sure you're actually supporting the side you think you're supporting...

2013 Game Event: Part 2

My goal for our yearlong game event is to tell a story that resonates with events in other Front Porch campaigns, past and present. If you participate in this event -- either as a player or as an observer -- you'll see a lot of familiar names and themes, and you may even learn some vital information that pertains to the storylines of your usual characters.

To keep the focus squarely on the story, I'm going to go very, very light on game mechanics. Those of you who have participated in email-based adventures know that tactical encounters tend to slow things down. Weeks or even months can pass as we slog through round after round of combat.

We do need some sort of game rules, of course, so I considered a number of options. As you know, the game will be set in the contemporary city of Demeter (home to the superheroes of Tales of the Ternion) but since it's not going to be a superhero story, I've decided against Mutants & Masterminds. It isn't sci-fi, like the Cyberwars / Ragnarok campaign, so I'm not going to use Gamma World. It seems to me that the best choice would be d20 Modern, which is well suited for a "realistic" setting and is based on the familiar D&D 3.5 rules. I'll provide more information once we get started (including a link to the rules and a quick way to create a character), but for now I'll sign off with a promise to reveal the major theme of the story in my next post in this series.

2013 Game Event: Part 1

Ready for more details about the mysterious game event that I have planned for next year? In last week's "Anniversary Events" post, I revealed that the game would be email-based, run throughout 2013, and allow for active participation or fly-on-the-wall observation. The next detail I'll reveal is that the game will take place in a contemporary time period in the fictional US city of Demeter, home to the fledgling Tales of the Ternion superhero campaign. However, this game will not be a superhero campaign. In the next post in this series, I'll talk a bit about the rules system that we'll use; in the meantime, check out the handful of other Tales of the Ternion posts, particularly the very excellent city map that Timothy created for us.

Anniversary Events

Now that the calendar has turned to December, we're less than a month away from our twenty-fifth anniversary. We had a few comments about options for the celebration, and a few folks voted in the poll, but I don't feel that I have a lot of data about what people would like to do. However, I used the information that I received as a starting point and came up with a preliminary plan...

• An online one-shot adventure: We'll gather in a chat room or use a free browser-based online gaming application to play a self-contained, one- or two-evening adventure. Suggestions for the rules system include Gamma World, Mutants & Masterminds, and "old school" D&D. I'd be up for running one of these events, and if anyone else is interested in gamemastering another session, just let me know. Depending on the level of interest, we could end up with a few of these throughout the year.
• A retrospective video: I have some photographs (especially from our early days), and I invite others to send photos, video clips, anecdotes, funny quotes, character sheets, maps, and anything else that you'd like to be included. I'll take whatever you give me and put it all together into a video, which I'll then provide to everyone on DVD or via a download site.
• A super-awesome top-secret experimental project: I'll give you a couple of hints now, and then more throughout the month. Here's all you're going to get for today: It will be an asynchronous (i.e., email-based) game event taking place between January and December. You can participate as a player (with a character you control) or as an observer (you get copied on the emails to keep up with the story, but don't actually control a character).

Let me know what you think!

2013 Poll

Time's running out! The voting period will soon be over for the poll on our 2013 anniversary celebration. I also encourage you to leave a comment with more specific feedback. Then, over the next week or so, I'll take all the information and come up with some ideas for specific activities.

A Thanksgiving Preview

I hope everyone has a safe and happy Thanksgiving! Among the many, many things for which I'm thankful (family, friends, career, etc.) is a wonderful group of fellow gamers.

As you know, 2013 marks the twentieth anniversary of the Druid Cycle campaign and the twenty-fifth anniversary of our little gaming group. We'll come up with a suitable way to celebrate those anniversaries (be sure to vote in the poll at the bottom of the blog if you haven't done so already!), but today I just wanted to give you a little sneak preview of sorts...

The epic-tier Druid Cycle heroes (played by Timothy, Kevin, and Scott) are currently investigating the mysterious Ekhis, whom I've indicated will be the major villain over the next several years of the campaign. What they don't know (well, until they read this blog post, anyway...) is that we're heading for a major "season finale" cliffhanger in mid-December to cap off a great 2012 and get the storyline set up for our shocking, spectacular twentieth year.

Remember, one of the most important characters in the history of this campaign world is marked for death in 2013. But who? And when? Get ready for a wild ride!

New Poll

Don't forget to vote in the new poll for how we should celebrate our upcoming twenty-fifth anniversary. You can find the poll at the bottom of this blog page.

Let's Celebrate!

Our twenty-fifth anniversary is coming up in just a few short months, so let's celebrate! What are your thoughts on how we can best mark this momentous occasion? Vote in the poll at the bottom of the blog -- or, even better, leave a comment and let's get the discussion started!

The Castellan's Journal

One of my favorite aspects of the Druid Cycle campaign world -- second only to keeping in touch with some of my oldest and dearest friends -- is the rich narrative history that we've created over the past 19 years. However, some of that history jumped out and smacked me in the face the other day.

It all started when I got a call from Tim B, who expressed interest in resurrecting (literally and figuratively) his character from a storyline called The Castellan's Journal (see my recent post chronicling the history of the major Druid Cycle story arcs), which we started about ten years ago. This adventure lasted for parts of three years and was conducted online in a private chat room. The storyline focused on a powerful magical artifact (the aforementioned journal) and the heroes' efforts to prevent it from falling into the wrong hands. Although this adventure ended in 2004, I've always considered the journal to be one of the iconic magic items of the Druid Cycle world. With Tim B about to return to his old character, I thought it would be ideal to bring back this fabled book for another go-around. I managed to dig up my notes from that earlier adventure, including the summaries I had written of each game session. It was there that I discovered a potentially show-stopping problem.

The Castellan's Journal no longer existed.

Gulp. It was right there in black and white: Rather than allow their enemies to obtain the book, the heroes elected to destroy it using a sphere of annihilation. How could I have forgotten that?

The major continuity problem resulting from this discovery is that the book has made some appearances in Druid Cycle adventures over the past few years. Player characters have held it and studied it. At least one player knows its current location. On top of all that, I still want to use the book as the focal point for the return of Tim B's character.

What can be done? I think the only remedy is a retcon worthy of that other great DC -- not the Druid Cycle, but DC Comics. Their tangled, contradictory storylines are the stuff of legend, and each successive attempt to correct the problems only ends up adding more layers of complexity. (My beloved Hawkman has endured more than any other superhero in that respect.) But despite the decades of retcons, we keep coming back to the DC Universe because they're telling great stories about characters we love.

So...here's my retcon: The heroes of yesteryear fully intended to destroy the Castellan's Journal, but it turns out that the sphere of annihilation was a ruse -- it was actually a portal that transported the book to the clutches of the dragon-lord Ironside, who held it for a time until his home was destroyed during the recent Quintessence Rifts story arc. From that point, the book's travels are just as they have played out in the campaign.

There you have it. Is it perfect? No, but it doesn't have to be. I have big plans for that book and for Tim B's old character. As much as I respect and cherish the history that we've forged in past adventures, I'm not going to let a nearly-forgotten episode bog us down.

Retcon...and move on!

Druid Cycle Story Arcs

Current Druid Cycle players have probably guessed that Ekhis is the new long-term villain for the campaign world. 2013 marks both the twenty-fifth anniversary of the Front Porch Gaming Guild and the twentieth anniversary of the Druid Cycle campaign, so I have something special in mind for the Ekhis storyline. There's nothing I can reveal at this moment, however...

Today, let's take a look at the stories of yesteryear. From the beginning, I've tried to have a major story arc that continues for multiple years, in game time and in real time. There are always other sub-plots going on, of course, and PCs have their own personal storylines, but there's usually a single focal point in the game world at any given time. I've listed the story arcs below, along with an estimate of the years they spanned. These dates represent my best guesses (I don't have a lot of documentation handy), so if they don't match with your recollection, let me know.

• Fate of the Grand Duchy (1993): Featuring the first appearance of Lwcus, this short campaign was the predecessor of the Druid Cycle series.
• The War Against Rhithyn (1993-94): The original Druid Cycle heroes band together to prevent Lord Rhithyn from conquering First Home.
• The Matter of Naxxia (1994-95): The scheming dark elves instigate the Raid of Naxxia, perhaps the most (in)famous adventure in the history of the campaign world.
• The Hunt for Cocidius (1995-97): A seemingly unstoppable foe cuts a swath of destruction across the world until brought down by a coalition of heroes.
• The Return of Cythraul (1997-99): The demon-lord Cythraul raises a monstrous army that clashes with the allied forces of First Home at the epic Battle of Soldierford Keep.
• Flight Through the Planes (2000-01): Lwcus and a motley crew of adventureres wander the planes of existence as they try to return to their respective homeworlds.
• The Castellan's Journal (2002-04): On the distant continent of Sarras, a group of young, untested heroes attempts to safeguard a powerful book of magic from the many foes who seek to acquire it.
• The Jordan Saga (2004-09): After dark rites performed by the League of Trismegistus, an innocent girl is possessed by an ancient evil and the heroes make a tragic choice when they realize they cannot save her.
• The Quintessence Rifts (2009-10): The magical barrier that separates the planes becomes frayed, and new races and peoples -- including the irrepressible Lwcus -- appear in First Home.
• The Cult of the Old Ones (2010-12): Led by a devious lich called Calvus, the worshippers of the immortal Old Ones seek to destroy the seven chosen children and their families.
• Ekhis and the Ternion (2012-??): The heroes learn of a mysterious manipulator called Ekhis, who has sown the seeds of discord and war throughout the centuries.

Druid Cycle players: What's been your favorite story arc?

New Superhero Campaign?

Almost a quarter century ago, Earth Commanders became the first FPGG campaign. Scott's fun but short-lived Champions campaign followed a decade later. I'm wondering if the time is right for another shot at a superhero campaign. What do you all think? I'd get started on a new campaign today if I thought people would be interested in playing. Leave a comment or email me separately if you think you'd like to participate.

An Introduction to The Druid Cycle

This post is for folks who are new to the Front Porch Gaming Guild (FPGG) and want to learn more about The Druid Cycle, our "flagship" campaign. The Druid Cycle is late-medieval (roughly equivalent to the mid-fifteenth century) high fantasy set in a world whose major cultures and countries are derived from the legendary and literary traditions of our own world.

The roots of The Druid Cycle go all the way back to the summer of 1993, when I started up a fantasy campaign on Sugar Mountain, a computer bulletin board sytem (BBS) based in nearby Elmira, New York. For those too young to remember this archaic online experience, a BBS was like a mini-internet hosted by a person on his or her own computer. Your computer would call up their computer and then you'd interact with the features of their BBS -- email, games, downloadable files, or whatever.

This early campaign, titled Fate of the Grand Duchy, established a few key components of the "modern" Druid Cycle world, most notably the geography of the world's main continent, known as First Home, and its principal human nation, Teyrnas. (Interesting side-note: One of the players in Fate was Timothy, whose character Lwcus is still going strong, more than twenty years later.)

By late 1993, Fate of the Grand Duchy was history, having been relegated to the graveyard of failed campaigns. One afternoon I got a request from my good friends and fellow Porch players Scott and Jason (joined shortly thereafter by Tony, an occasional Porch player) to start up a new D&D campaign, so I resurrected the world from Fate and moved the timeline ahead by five hundred years.

Thus was born The Druid Cycle, named for the original team of heroes. The main non-player character (NPC) was a stern druid named Cyfrinach, and the players were heroes whom he had recruited to conduct clandestine missions on behalf of his organization, the Druid Council. With Scott and Jason as the primary players -- joined here and there by other Porch players and guests -- The Druid Cycle roared ahead with year after year of sustained success. Our imaginations ran wild, and we began to delve into weighty issues such as race, social class, gender roles, religious intolerance, political corruption, and many more.

It was all too good to keep to ourselves. In early 1998, we expanded this campaign by inviting all-star Porch players Timothy and Kevin to join the team. With a new band of heroes, the focus shifted toward character-driven storylines that were centered on the widely divergent motivations, objectives, and allegiances of the player characters (PCs). Each of the four main PCs carved out his own narrative space in the game world, enriching the campaign immeasurably.

The timing, however, could not have been worse. By the spring of 1999, several of us (myself included) were graduating from college and moving on to graduate school and the working world. Our opportunities for paper-and-pencil gaming, for gathering around a table together and sharing pizza and laughs along with our roleplaying, were coming to an abrupt end.

The Druid Cycle then went online, like Fate nearly a decade earlier. Between 1999 and 2004, we had a series of email games (in which the players exchanged emails to move the story forward) and chat-based games (in which the players gathered at the same time in a private internet chat room) involving a large cast of Front Porch veterans, including Timothy, Kevin, Tim B, Chris, and Matt, to name but a few. These games featured new PCs and, for the most part, were set in regions other than the continent of First Home. Concurrently, I was running a rollicking Druid Cycle campaign for some of my fellow University of Rochester graduate students, although it was set in an alternate version of the world.

Since 2004, we've had a renewed focus on First Home and those "classic" characters from the '90s. They're in a much different place in their lives than they were ten or fifteen years ago. No longer a rag-tag band of adventurers, they are now the leaders of cities and global organizations. They are also the parents of what may be the next generation of champions. Moreover, we've been fortunate enough to add some new players along the way. My wife Amy started playing 2005, Timothy's wife April started in 2009, and Timothy's friend Alex started just last year, in 2011. 

As we look forward to 2013 (marking twenty-five years of the FPGG and twenty years of The Druid Cycle), we'd love to add even more new folks into the mix. We've learned over the years that the secret ingredient to a successful campaign is a core group of players who feel invested in their characters. Druid Cycle players tend to play their PCs for years, or even decades. Together we create an immersive world where -- although it may be fantasy -- the stakes feel real.

The heroes of The Druid Cycle have come a long way since the early '90s, and I hope that there is still a long way for them to go. I surely do not look forward to the day when I will have no cause to intone that most famous FPGG phrase: "When last we left our intrepid heroes..."

Enter Ekhis

A major new villain made a rather quiet debut in The Druid Cycle yesterday. For the past few months, I've been planning out the story arc for a shadowy figure known as Ekhis (not his real name), the leader of a clandestine organization whose plans will be revealed as we approach our big twenty-fifth anniversary in 2013 -- a year that also marks the twentieth anniversary of the original  Druid Cycle campaign.

Stay tuned...

Marked for Death!

This is the first in a series of postings about events and activities surrounding our twenty-fifth anniversary in 2013. Today I'm going to tease you with news about a major upcoming death in the Druid Cycle campaign world that will occur at some point in 2013. Normally I prefer to let the dice fall where they may (alas, poor Brewmaster General!), but in some cases the death of a character serves a crucial story purpose.

So...

Above whose head does the Sword of Damocles hang? I'll give you some hints.
1. It could be a PC or an NPC. If it's a PC, however, I will ensure that the player is on board with this plan and will compensate him/her accordingly for the loss of a character.
2. This is not a minor character, but one of the most important characters in the game world -- someone whose importance can be measured both in terms of D&D characteristics (level, combat abilities, etc.) as well as impact on the storylines.
3. This person occupies a distinct role or place in the world, and his/her absence will be felt by everyone.

More hints as we count down to 2013. If you want to venture a guess, just email me. The first person who guesses the character's identity will win a prize! (Disclaimer: Prize may be imaginary in nature.)

When last we left our intrepid heroes...

...they were struggling to maintain some sort of meaningful internet presence for the venerable Front Porch Gaming Guild. With our twenty-fifth (!!!) anniversary coming up in 2013, I figured I'd set up a blog and see how it goes. The old website was great, but posting content was kind of kludgy. With a super-simple blog, it will be much easier for Timothy and I (and anybody else who wants to join us!) to post our various rants about gaming and any other stuff that may or may not relate to gaming. Check back often and let us know what you think, and what you'd like to see!