Oh So Quiet

Nothing like the sound of silence to help focus the mind, right? Oh, and also it makes a blog look empty and forgotten…

Never so much. If only my brain would be that silent in the midst of the shower, on the commute to work, or upon the trip to the shops to purchase chicken thighs.

I do have a piece of writing to complete by the end of January not related to 214, which must take priority. Or else.

However, that’s not to say that my mind has been laser-focussed on said task. By no means. Worryingly not so. Even though I wish I could switch all other thought processes off for a while.

No. I have been considering two things.

Firstly, introducing random tables into the core rules to allow for the simple creations of characters from scratch. I believe I have some sort of structure gathering form. Like the cards I have been using for playtesting, the tables used for this process would have thematic links. I believe that each element of a table would present skills or traits, and then point directly to another table for the next roll in the series. Each entry on a table would, potentially, lead to a different next step.

It would present a life path of sorts. Although, I believe that too grandiose a title for three or four tables loosely gathered. A series of unfortunate events.

Secondly, I have been ruminating on the possibility of pulling together a collection of these tables to test them. In that regard, the intent was to utilise them in facilitation of a game akin to Space: 1889. Well, not akin. It would be the Space: 1889 background and an adventure cobbled together from flicking through a few old supplements.

However, the work never really for off the ground – and I ended up seeking a different alternative. Specifically, Savage Worlds. This, alas, was an error of judgement. I have not found solace or common ground within the soft covers of Pinnacle Entertainment’s hallowed volume of fair repute. I think those who favour the system have other needs than my own.

Anyway. Busy. And yet, not entirely focussed on matters of 214.

On the other hand, I very well may find myself running one or more sessions of The Dee Sanction at Conception, end of January, on the southern shores of England. After Indiecon, where my efforts to run Paranoia didn’t quite go to plan, I believe that the better rendition of 214 lies with supernatural investigations in Elizabethan Europe, for the moment.

(And, yes. I do have a great deal of time and respect for the diminutive and screech voiced Icelandic alternative rock singer songwriter, Björk. Thanks for asking.)