Nov 22, 2022·edited Nov 22, 2022Liked by Geoffrey Golden
Good Question! I decided to use this method for several reasons, but the main one is so that the Game Master could join in on the fun of the game and it's story plot without worrying about giving away spoilers or keeping information from the players, because they honestly don't know what's going to happen next either! This allows them to engage with the game more like a player, and less like a referee.
Thank you so much! Among many other things, one of the main focuses of The Midnight Codex was on the GM. The core concept was to give the GM the ability to play the game in much of the ways the players do (giving them powers, and abilities later in the series). Without feeling like a traditional Game Master, or just another player at the table. And of course the mechanics were also a big part of the game design process too.
Nov 23, 2022·edited Nov 23, 2022Liked by Geoffrey Golden
Oi! Wolf pack tried to shiv me cause o' the full pearl. Ain't my lucky break of a day. Gave 'em a 'ittle chin music with the raz 'n the daz. Fur a split seemed all everyjig might sputter out but ain't backed out of a fight i couldn't run from yet. When they'd had enough, let'm walk. Ain't no use in a bunch o' fur coats if ya end up with a slit throat. Ya glean?
My train ride bite, but as always the game was a lot of fun. I have only myself to blame for the werewolf attack. I tried to play it civil. I thought, Geoffrey is a civil guy, he might just make a game with civil werewolves. Thinking was the mistake, tough; when it comes to super natural villains, you shoot first and ask questions never. I guess you can say I fucked around, and then I found out.
Ah, just saw your questions. Vampires vs werewolves? Hard to say, I come from the land of Dracula, so I'm inclined to say vampires. But our spirit animals were wolves. So I'll go with werewolves and I transform into a white wolf on a full moon night!
🎉 Oh, it bit, alright. Quite hard, at that. I almost destroyed the world, though. Maybe next time, I’ll succeed!
🐺 Hmmm... vampires can turn into bats and fly, which basically makes them the mosquitoes of monsters. So they’re annoying, spread disease, and are impossible to eradicate. That’s a serious tactical advantage!
🌕 A Sloth, hands down! 🦥 If I could experience a life of literally lounging around all day, even if just for once a month, I’d be a fool to pass that up. Also, it’s my actual spirit animal 😄
I feel a little sad because I have a soft spot for werewolves, but I nuked them and then ate cupcakes :-) I'd bet on werewolves in a matchup against vampires. I feel like the vampire is a machiavellian, and the werewolf is a berserker. In a closed arena, a flock of vampires has no chance. Out in the world, the tables are probably turned, though I'm not sure how compatible vampiring is with teamwork... kinda seems like a solo gig. On a full moon, I think turning into an owl would be a hoot (sorry ;-)
I hadn’t considered the teamwork angle. I think it’s more likely a vampire will double cross another vampire - say, by bailing on a battle - than werewolves betraying each other.
Owls are pretty rad! I would do the head spinning thing all night for fun.
If you're a Kodiak bear you get to spend winters inside a cozy den and eat a lot in preparation for the colder months. Generally speaking, you're at the top of the food chain so no other animals mess with you.
I loved this one! The rolling the dice aspect was super cool. Also, I’m not sure who would win in a fight! Depends if it’s senile vampires vs baby werewolves or wether or not it’s sunny outside 🤪 LOL This was fun!
Thanks, Alexa! I found a dice rolling plug-in for Wordpress, and I'm excited to use it for more games.
Haha, fair enough. Let's say they're all upper middle age (70s), not necessarily in terms of actual number but in physical condition, and it's late at night, so no sun. Who're you with?
Just in general, in a raw 1v1 fight, Werewolves win. But on a larger scale the Vampires have the upper hand. Other than being bound by the night, vampires are generally more composed and have more power through politics and money. This gives Vampires as a community a huge advantage, as they can just call a coup on a rouge Werewolf that might need to be delt with.
Hey Ben! I think publishing the modules for Midnight Codex as episodes is really cool! I’ve seen video games use an episodic model, but I haven't seen it used for a tabletop roleplaying game. What inspired that unique publishing mechanic? And what do you think it adds to the experience?
I have always been fascinated with serialized or episodic gaming, like the Tell Tale video game series. It gives you something to look foreword too and talk about until the next episode is released. Kind of like how TV used to be before binge watching and streaming was a thing.
I've actually dabbled in this concept before with a series I did a while back called the Pretzels roleplaying game (you can find it free over on Drive Thru). That was originally a monthly release, where I polled the community for what I should write next.
Oh yes, I'd set up a poll and give people 3-5 choices for what I would do next. Then at the end of the month, I'd release the next episode based on which one won. If there was a tie, I'd do both! In that game specifically, each episode was just a new character to play. But each character had its own lore and mechanics to play through. With the Midnight Codex, each episode is a full adventure, with locations, NPC, new rules, and an overarching story to play through.
You gave them options to choose from, so the polling itself was kind of part of the game, right? This is cool. I'm not a big time gamer but this is intriguing.
Thank you so much! If you'd like to be apart of more stuff like this in the future, you can hop on over to my discord https://discord.gg/r94EGa7 and join the community. We are a small but growing group. My general philosophy with game design is that the game comes second and the community comes first. The game isn't any good if no one is engaging with and playing it. Also if you're new to gaming in general, then this is a good place to start! Smaller, bite-sized games are really easy to digest and get into. Which you can do with Adventure Snack or if you'd like to help support us over on The Midnight Codex Kickstarter which is live right now.
Thanks, Ben. I just joined your kickstarter and I'm looking forward to the release of The Midnight Codex. 😁 Thanks as well for the discord invitation, happy to join the community. I write fiction currently, but during my screenwriting studies I had a story idea that my teacher encouraged me to turn into a game. Who knows, maybe I get some inspiration. All the best with your project!
Good Question! I decided to use this method for several reasons, but the main one is so that the Game Master could join in on the fun of the game and it's story plot without worrying about giving away spoilers or keeping information from the players, because they honestly don't know what's going to happen next either! This allows them to engage with the game more like a player, and less like a referee.
I love that the design allows the Game Master to be surprised along with the players. Super cool!
Thank you so much! Among many other things, one of the main focuses of The Midnight Codex was on the GM. The core concept was to give the GM the ability to play the game in much of the ways the players do (giving them powers, and abilities later in the series). Without feeling like a traditional Game Master, or just another player at the table. And of course the mechanics were also a big part of the game design process too.
Oi! Wolf pack tried to shiv me cause o' the full pearl. Ain't my lucky break of a day. Gave 'em a 'ittle chin music with the raz 'n the daz. Fur a split seemed all everyjig might sputter out but ain't backed out of a fight i couldn't run from yet. When they'd had enough, let'm walk. Ain't no use in a bunch o' fur coats if ya end up with a slit throat. Ya glean?
Sharp as a thief's dagger, you is. Handled that beautifully.
Congrats on the strong showing for UYPPA! 👏👏👏
My train ride bite, but as always the game was a lot of fun. I have only myself to blame for the werewolf attack. I tried to play it civil. I thought, Geoffrey is a civil guy, he might just make a game with civil werewolves. Thinking was the mistake, tough; when it comes to super natural villains, you shoot first and ask questions never. I guess you can say I fucked around, and then I found out.
Almost forgot! I'd like to be a dolphin on the off chance that Earth is scheduled to become an intergalactic highway.
Thank you! I’m proud of how well UYPPA did in the comp. I’ve got my gears turning for next year...
Actually, you know me well. There IS a civil way to play the game and win, right at the beginning. #GameTipz
Very smart, but I’d expect nothing less from a would be dolphin. 🐬
Ah, just saw your questions. Vampires vs werewolves? Hard to say, I come from the land of Dracula, so I'm inclined to say vampires. But our spirit animals were wolves. So I'll go with werewolves and I transform into a white wolf on a full moon night!
Go with your heart, then sink in with your fangs.
I like this.
This was my first game and I loved it! 😁 Thanks for making my evening fun after a long day in the office. ❤️
Thanks for playing, Claudia! Making people's work day more fun is the #1 reason I make these games, so yay!
You're doing a greta job, looking forward to the next game. 😁
🎉 Oh, it bit, alright. Quite hard, at that. I almost destroyed the world, though. Maybe next time, I’ll succeed!
🐺 Hmmm... vampires can turn into bats and fly, which basically makes them the mosquitoes of monsters. So they’re annoying, spread disease, and are impossible to eradicate. That’s a serious tactical advantage!
🌕 A Sloth, hands down! 🦥 If I could experience a life of literally lounging around all day, even if just for once a month, I’d be a fool to pass that up. Also, it’s my actual spirit animal 😄
Who hasn’t almost destroyed the universe at one time or another?
That’s a good point. Werewolves would really have to corner or surprise the vampires, because they’d be tricky to catch!
Yeah, sloth life sounds pretty good, especially this time of year, lol.
I apologized so not biting
...surprised that the solution wasn't to sing "Dancing in the Moonlight"
About who wins: Probably the vampires if they bring their distant cousin the chupacabras
Interesting question... Discounting my patented Werepiñatas, I say a wereturtle sounds nice, no one expects the turtle
You took the peaceful route! Very nice, very civil.
It’s been awhile since I’ve designed a quest where you have the ability to sing...
https://open.substack.com/pub/adventuresnack/p/live-free-or-die-bard
In this matchup, I’m imagining no outside interference. Just vamps vs. weres.
Haha, sounds like you want to be a turtle to commit some very slooooooow crimes!
I feel a little sad because I have a soft spot for werewolves, but I nuked them and then ate cupcakes :-) I'd bet on werewolves in a matchup against vampires. I feel like the vampire is a machiavellian, and the werewolf is a berserker. In a closed arena, a flock of vampires has no chance. Out in the world, the tables are probably turned, though I'm not sure how compatible vampiring is with teamwork... kinda seems like a solo gig. On a full moon, I think turning into an owl would be a hoot (sorry ;-)
I hadn’t considered the teamwork angle. I think it’s more likely a vampire will double cross another vampire - say, by bailing on a battle - than werewolves betraying each other.
Owls are pretty rad! I would do the head spinning thing all night for fun.
My thoughts exactly. Were-owl seems pretty amazing. A flying were beast? Oh dear God save us all.
I would tranform into a Kodiak bear!!! Also, I ended up eating pizza after some werewolf brawls. Not a bad end to a subway ride.
On another note, what programming language did you learn, Geoffrey?
Kodiak bear is a great and specific choice! Do you have a particular affinity for Kodiak bears?
You work up an appetite fighting werewolves. 🍕
I learned Ink, a scripting language designed with game writers in mind. It’s easy to understand, a must for me!
If you're a Kodiak bear you get to spend winters inside a cozy den and eat a lot in preparation for the colder months. Generally speaking, you're at the top of the food chain so no other animals mess with you.
Ink, very cool, I'll have to check it out!
Top of the food chain AND a private den? Now that’s living!
I found the Ink print guide to be very helpful. There’s also a web version of the text, but I like having a “For Dummies” type book to flip through.
https://inklestudios.myshopify.com/products/ink-official-users-guide
I loved this one! The rolling the dice aspect was super cool. Also, I’m not sure who would win in a fight! Depends if it’s senile vampires vs baby werewolves or wether or not it’s sunny outside 🤪 LOL This was fun!
Thanks, Alexa! I found a dice rolling plug-in for Wordpress, and I'm excited to use it for more games.
Haha, fair enough. Let's say they're all upper middle age (70s), not necessarily in terms of actual number but in physical condition, and it's late at night, so no sun. Who're you with?
If it’s a full moon I’d bet on werewolves but if it’s even a sliver off a full moon I’d say it’s a pretty even fight. Ha!
Werewolves win vs Vampires everyday. Hands Down. As long as the werewolf isn't a cub.
Vampires have super powers like flight. Is it really such a lopsided fight in your view?
Just in general, in a raw 1v1 fight, Werewolves win. But on a larger scale the Vampires have the upper hand. Other than being bound by the night, vampires are generally more composed and have more power through politics and money. This gives Vampires as a community a huge advantage, as they can just call a coup on a rouge Werewolf that might need to be delt with.
You're right about the community aspect and I like how you represent the class differences between vampires and werewolves in Midnight Codex.
Hey Ben! I think publishing the modules for Midnight Codex as episodes is really cool! I’ve seen video games use an episodic model, but I haven't seen it used for a tabletop roleplaying game. What inspired that unique publishing mechanic? And what do you think it adds to the experience?
I have always been fascinated with serialized or episodic gaming, like the Tell Tale video game series. It gives you something to look foreword too and talk about until the next episode is released. Kind of like how TV used to be before binge watching and streaming was a thing.
I've actually dabbled in this concept before with a series I did a while back called the Pretzels roleplaying game (you can find it free over on Drive Thru). That was originally a monthly release, where I polled the community for what I should write next.
Wow, this is a whole new world for me, serialized games. How did the community polling work? Was the engagement high?
Oh yes, I'd set up a poll and give people 3-5 choices for what I would do next. Then at the end of the month, I'd release the next episode based on which one won. If there was a tie, I'd do both! In that game specifically, each episode was just a new character to play. But each character had its own lore and mechanics to play through. With the Midnight Codex, each episode is a full adventure, with locations, NPC, new rules, and an overarching story to play through.
You gave them options to choose from, so the polling itself was kind of part of the game, right? This is cool. I'm not a big time gamer but this is intriguing.
Thank you so much! If you'd like to be apart of more stuff like this in the future, you can hop on over to my discord https://discord.gg/r94EGa7 and join the community. We are a small but growing group. My general philosophy with game design is that the game comes second and the community comes first. The game isn't any good if no one is engaging with and playing it. Also if you're new to gaming in general, then this is a good place to start! Smaller, bite-sized games are really easy to digest and get into. Which you can do with Adventure Snack or if you'd like to help support us over on The Midnight Codex Kickstarter which is live right now.
Thanks, Ben. I just joined your kickstarter and I'm looking forward to the release of The Midnight Codex. 😁 Thanks as well for the discord invitation, happy to join the community. I write fiction currently, but during my screenwriting studies I had a story idea that my teacher encouraged me to turn into a game. Who knows, maybe I get some inspiration. All the best with your project!