We play games because they’re fun but describing it in objective terms is impossible, except to marketers of course. They want you to know that the game they hock is not only the best damn game ever made, they can prove it. Every new AAA title is couched in terms that they think quantify fun for us: number of levels, weapons, perks, achievements, classes, unlockables, skins, game modes and most importantly the number of hours you are meant to play it. Every new feature adds more play time, supposedly making the game not only more fun, but a sound investment.

Fun becomes a verifiable fact. You gain the unlockables through skill and determination and then show them off to others both in and out of the game.  The game design assumes that your ultimate goal is proving to the world that you’re the best. Becoming one of the elite players takes dozens of hours of at a minimum. To a certain degree, you have to play many of these games for at least 10 hours just to learn how to effectively play. Every class has its own tactics and each level has its own unique quirks. By the time you’ve invested enough time to learn the game; you might as well keep playing. You’d have to start over with a brand new game if you decided you didn’t like it. There’s just one problem with this model. It never bothers to question whether the game is fun moment by moment. Would you play the same game if there were no unlockables or perks to level up?

Lead and Gold is far more playable, entertaining and fun than Call of Duty: Black Ops.  Most would describe it as a third person Western themed TF2 knockoff. Four classes, each with one weapon and one special ability. You don’t play it to unlock anything or to master arcane strategies that require complex combinations of specific weapons and powers. Its simplicity is liberating. You only focus on the moment of play. My mind is clear of distracting side goals as I run and leap in the game. You don’t need to kill 10 enemies with a certain weapon or achieve a special personal objective to level up a perk. When I press the jump key, I almost feel the weightlessness of my character for a split second. It’s not quite joy but it’s definitely fun. The depth of the game comes from mastering the basic skills of shooting, dodging and outmaneuvering your enemies. The top players win because they are better at the game, not because they have superior weapons or perks.

This isn’t to say complexity is always a detriment to better game play. But good game play is hard to define or implement. Unlockables are much easier to design than a game that is always fun moment to moment. Complexity shouldn’t be a substitute for a game worth playing on its own merits.

Jane Lamprecht

Age: 32

Skills: First year M.D. with extensive field experience.

Background: Jane was once a promising young doctor in her first year of residency, covering the ER in a city hospital. As society collapsed, Jane watched in personal horror as her family and life vanished almost instantly. She was cut off from her family and friends as government forces entered the hospital and began evacuating hospital personnel. Patients were left in their rooms, as the government could only take people with skills vital to the war effort. The vast majority of doctors and nurse complied, desperate to survive. Shocked by the callousness of the government and cowardice of the hospital staff, Jane refused to go and remained with the patients along with a few other staff members.

Eventually, Jane had to abandon the hospital when it ran out of supplies and the patients either recovered or died. Since then, she’s become a wandering healer, trading her skills for supplies and food. She remains idealistic and frequently helps those who can’t pay for her services. In fact, her idealism is her way of dealing with her stress and emotional pain. However, she will work for mercenary and military groups provided they do not mistreat refugees or commits atrocities. She is a capable surgeon when it comes to treating gun shots and shrapnel wounds and can either go into the field as a medic or teach medical skills to characters. She carries a pistol for self defense but will only use it as a last resort. She will never work for any group or character she considers evil and is willing to die for her beliefs.

Lately, she’s started having nightmares of her family dying horrifically in her arms. She may stop her aimless wandering and begin the search for her family in the next few months.

Appearance: A weathered woman of German descent, black hair with a few grey strands showing. She wears sensible clothing, with a webbed tactical vest stuffed with medical supplies and held together by judicious amounts of duct tape. She speaks bluntly to men with guns, never backing down with them but kindly to those in need.

Zack

Age: 18

Skills: Scavenging, streetwise, wilderness and urban survival, unarmed combat, knife fighting

Background: A street kid grown up, Zack’s learned how to take care of himself. He spends his time on the fringes of settlements, looking for a scam or opportunity to improve his lot in life.

Zack will make himself available to any tough or well equipped group he can find and offers his services as a soldier, scout, or laborer. He is quick to please new employers but will gradually slack off and become unreliable when not monitored by a more seasoned character. He is also prone to petty theft, although he will not risk stealing valuable equipment as he fears being caught.

His attitude is full of bravado and fearless. He isn’t easily intimidated and is quick to start a fist fight with anyone who doesn’t show him respect. On the other hand, Zack is still green when it comes to fire fights and may freeze in combat. An experienced military instructor will see potential in Zack given proper training. In fact, Zack would make an excellent soldier if a veteran takes him under his wing and shows him the ropes of soldering. Such a bond does not come lightly as Zack will not trust a character easily. He is unsure of himself, let alone anyone else. But if a character earns his trust and trains him, he will have a valuable ally for life.

Appearance: Zack changes his look every few months, as one settlement learns of his thieving ways and drives him off. By changing his appearance, gossip about him doesn’t spread far. Currently, he sports a ratty brown mo-hawk (self cut), wearing a death metal t-shirt with a torn blue jeans. He carries a scavenged hiker’s backpack and several concealed knives. He has a functional zip gun but only uses it in emergencies, as he only has a few bullets.

Cal Chilton

Age: 47

Skills: Diplomacy, Investigation, Politics and Fast Talking

Background: Cal was a cop before the war with a head for politics. He was average in police work but his silver tongue got him a steady stream of promotions and accolades. He became arrogant and boastful and took shortcuts with procedure. Eventually, a minor accounting scandal damaged his career. He was relocated to a calm district with little crime and a smaller chance of promotion. Still, he made the best of it that he could and soon became a major player in the region.

After the war, Cal saw his opportunity and made the police into his private army. He purged the ranks of the police of any potential troublemakers, exiling from the district and then recruited thugs and punks as a special ‘peacekeeping’ force. They commandeered as many food caches and gun stores as they could, which turned Cal into the de facto warlord of the region. Unfortunately for Cal, his powerplay made him unpopular and a militia formed to take him down. Brutal fighting between the militia and Cal’s thugs lasted for months. Both sides grew tired of the bloodshed and pressure from outsiders forced them to seek a compromise. Cal managed to negotiate a settlement that kept him in power, but only in a reduced capacity. Cal kept his most loyal men by his side and he favored certain associates when he redistributed the looted supplies, thus keeping him connected. However, he is extremely vulnerable as many in the area want him dead. He is eager to help anyone who can help him and can provide black market contacts or information to those he deems worthy. However, he is not above selling out someone if it means a profit.

Appearance: A tall but portly man with slicked back silvered hair and a broad smile. Cal wears a stylized police commissioner’s uniform, part of his self designated job as ‘keeper of the peace’. A convincing politico, Cal is quick with a joke or speech, whatever is needed at the moment.

To add some meat to this post, check out a few scenario ideas  I pitched to Margret Weis Productions – one for Serenity, BSG and Supernatural. I wrote these back in late 2007 and never heard back from them. Enjoy!

Serenity

Working Title: Glory, Glory.

Concept Length: 8 pages

Nutshell: Jacob, a singer of unparalleled talent reawakens old hatreds in the remote colony of Lonesome Pines.   By singing old Independent Faction songs from the Unification War, he has inadvertently stirred up the seeds of a rebellion. Rabble rousers want to turn him into a propaganda machine, the Alliance wants to kill him and only the player characters can help him.

Quick backstory: Jacob is a naïve teenager who simply has incredible singing potential. His mother only taught him Browncoat ditties and upon her death, Jacob left the farm to find work. Once he reached the town of Lonesome Pines, he became an instant sensation. Many of the settlers there are veterans of the Unification War and fell for his beautiful renditions of their favorite songs. A dissident named Marley saw how emotional the veterans became when Jacob sang and seized it as an opportunity. He organized a movement to kick the Alliance off the planet forever. With Jacob’s voice as a draw, the resistance became popular. The few Alliance officials on the planet saw trouble brewing and began to crack down on the resistance. The entire colony is in turmoil when the player characters arrive.

Act One: Jacob meets the player characters as they near Lonesome Pines. He attempts to flee town when an Alliance officer spots him and attempts to arrest him. A mob forms, trapping the party, and demands Jacob’s release. Jacob sings to calm the crowd down, but someone shoots the officer. A riot breaks out.

Act Two: The Alliance locks the colony down. Unfortunately for them, they currently lack the manpower to restore order. Cries of ‘Remember Serenity Valley’ ring through the air. Marley sets up a militia and prepares for a fight. The player characters realize that the Alliance will eventually send in enough soldiers to crush the resistance and probably burn Lonesome Pines to the ground. Jacob attempts to stop the resistance but Marley captures him to shut him up.

Act Three: The player characters have to defuse the situation or get out alive. If they can teach Jacob a new song and get him to sing it to pacify the situation or convince Marley that everyone will die in vain, they can peacefully stop the resistance. Otherwise, they will have to dodge Alliance soldiers and angry Browncoats to escape. The Alliance will shoot or arrest anyone they catch in Lonesome Pines.

Battlestar Galactica

Working Title: Stray Dog

Concept length: 16 pages

Nutshell: the captain of a civilian ship hoards resources and deals with the black market. His latest deal has gone south and needs the player characters to go to the heart of the black market, the ship Prometheus to make things right.

Quick backstory: Captain Blackwelder distrusts Fleet Command and hoards whatever resources he can to benefit his ship or to trade to the black market. However, Blackwelder’s last shipment was intercepted by the government. Someone snitched. Blackwelder needs to know who. The party is given the job because Blackwelder doesn’t trust his crew and outside troubleshooters are disposable. .

Act One: Blackwelder meets with the party and offers them the job. Once accepted, the party will be transferred to his ship as new crewmembers. The party can explore the ship and pick up clues to the identity of the snitch. Meanwhile a mysterious figure tries to assassinate the players one by one.

Act Two: The party realizes that the gangsters are setting up Blackwelder for a fall so they can take over his ship. The snitch has planted evidence of murder on the ship that will put Blackwelder for life. The military arrests him. The party tracks the snitch to the Prometheus and learns of several ways to get on board.

Act Three: Once onboard the Prometheus, the players must find the snitch and either capture him or find evidence of his crimes. Players may shoot their way out, negotiate with the criminals or trick them. The gangsters are ruthless but not suicidal.

Supernatural

working title: American Saga

Concept Length: 32 pages

Nutshell: Hundreds of years ago, the Vikings journeyed deep into the wilds of the New World to bury Skard, the most corrupt warrior ever known among the Nordic. Twenty years ago, Skard awoke in his tomb. Yesterday, he declared war on humanity.

Quick backstory: Skard made a bargain with a nameless demon: the souls of his entire clan in exchange for immortality. After slaughtering his family and friends, Skard became a draugr, an undead being of immense power. He raised an army and committed countless atrocities for years. Eventually, he was caught by relatives of his victims. They could not kill him, so they took him to the New World to get rid of him. Skard remained buried until an amateur treasure hunter found his tomb twenty years ago. Once Skard learned of how the world had changed, he decided to bring about a new Dark Age. He would raise an army to destroy civilization.

Act One: Skard kills a violent biker gang in the county jail and raises them as undead raiders.  While the mundane authorities quell suspicions about the bloodbath, the biker gang menaces the countryside. The player characters stops one of the bikers and discovers Nordic runes carved on his body. Researching the runes uncovers some of Skard’s past. With this information, the players can piece together some of Skard’s actions for the last twenty years, as his M.O. never changes. A family was killed in rural Minnesota twenty years ago and had Nordic runes carved on their bodies.

Act Two: The players investigate the dead family and finds clues leading to Skard’s tomb. There, they encounter more of Skard’s forces, undead hunters and survivalists. After defeating them, they learn that Skard needs innocent souls to transform a violent human into an undead slave. This takes them into a massive cavern that Skard dug out. The Viking has kidnapped dozens of children and either sacrificed them to make undead warriors or brainwashed them into serving him.

Act Three: In order to kick start the Dark Ages, Skard needs many innocent souls and violent humans in order to create a proper horde. He plans to hijack five school buses and drive them to a nearby supermax prison. Once there, he will begin a ritual to create an army of the undead. The party gets wind of the plan from a child rescued from Skard’s Tomb, named Nathan. With his help, the players have a chance to permanently destroy Skard.

• a post apocalytpic utopian community powered by zombies on treadmills
• shrunken alligator’s head grants wishes but only Florida related wishes
• alternate reality game that thousands of nerds play in world wide is in fact, not related to the latest NIN album, but is run by a few bored vampires. They embrace the first five people to solve the last puzzle.
• The resurrection spell is a massive social controversy similar to abortion in America. Anti-life activists assassinate priests who raise adventurers from the dead.
• Cthulhu mythos cultist embeds occult knowledge in fonts. The space between letters forms Aklo runes and when certain sentences are typed out in these fonts, they form spells that summon hungry monsters.
• African militias weaponize dragons with great effect. A rebel group in Nigeria led by someone like Henry Okah takes over oil production and demand more favorable terms from the West.
• New meaning to the word twink: in a D&D-style fantasy world, adventuring/dungeoneering is a sexual fetish for ultra rich old perverts. They outfit pretty young mercenaries and wizards to fetch rare artifacts from remote corners of the world – but all the magical items have scrying devices so the pervs can watch the adventurers hack oozes and squirm through tight corridors.
• a few teenagers find a buried alien artifact – ipod sized supercomputer with self-replicating nano fabricators. The geek figures it out first and builds high tech battle armor for himself and his friends to fight crime and protect the world from evil aliens. Twist comes when the geek realizes there’s too much work for him and his friends. Recruits several hundred 4channers/Anon members and gives them an identical suit of battle armor. They set up a system of watches so that there’s always one on duty at all times. The world is now protected by anarchist geeks with alien hypertech but everyone thinks there is only one. Alternatively they fight scientologists who use Xenu derived alien tech to try and dominate the world – Anonymous geeks die in battle but there’s always more teens ready to fight and die for the lulz.
• Meat packing companies frequently hire immigrants to work in the slaughterhouses as they can’t get citizens to work in the plants. One slaughterhouse hires a southeast Asian immigrant, from the tcho-tcho tribe. He does well at his new job and sends a letter to his tribe explaining he can get all of them jobs at the slaughterhouse. That’s when the tribal shaman and priest of Shub-Nigguruth decides to immigrate to America. Within months, the slaughterhouse becomes a hidden bastion of the cult, as they breed living cattle with horrific monsters and raise horrid undead guardians from grafted flesh sculptures of various creatures.