My gaming group: A twentieth anniversary evaluate

September of 2025 marks the 20 th anniversary of my present gaming group. Yes, you learn that accurately. While I’m undecided of the precise day, twenty years in the past both this week or final week I met with 5 different nerds in the school room of Carnegie Mellon’s latest freshman dorm, New House (which has since been renamed). The organizer, my pal Dan, had swiped the mailing record from an occasion run by the college’s chapter of White Wolf’s Camarilla Society; he determined that whereas he wished nothing to do with a Vampire LARP, he met some cool folks at their D&D one-shot occasion and would need to play D&D with them. We all determined that sure, we’d wish to play D&D, and from there we have been off. Three extra folks joined over the following couple of semesters, a number of video games have been performed, and we have been a close-knit group till commencement in May of 2009.

The story doesn’t cease there, although, not even shut. The gaming continued sporadically within the type of a pair PbP campaigns by means of the remainder of 2009. Most of the group had left Pittsburgh aside from me; I had taken a job with one among my professors and in addition obtained accepted to grad faculty for the spring semester of 2010. It was in that point between my hole semester and the beginning of grad faculty that Mark, one other one among my buddies from the gaming group, mused with me about taking part in through voice chat on-line. We agreed it was value a shot and commenced to place a recreation collectively, to begin someday in that spring semester of 2010. At this time Mark requested me a query that I didn’t but know would change the course of the group and fairly probably my life:

“I know this guy from a Gundam RP board I’m on, his name is Seamus. Is it OK if he joins our game?”

Resurrecting my school gaming group is sort of actually the explanation that Cannibal Halfling Gaming exists in its present kind. Now, I might go on concerning the historical past of the group, our troubles with voice chat tech, our membership shifts and our Beach Weekends, however finally I feel the context that’s most necessary and most attention-grabbing for an outdoor observer can be the video games. It’s laborious to overstate the affect that this group has had on how I’ve developed as a participant, a GM, and a commentator. At the identical time, the affect of group and the social system of an RPG is commonly the invisible glue that holds an RPG author’s commentary and critique collectively. By wanting again on the group, contemplating what we performed and the way we play, I’m in a approach offering the lacking half to each evaluate I’ve finished, whether or not I performed the sport I reviewed with this group or not.

Before going headlong into memory it’s value noting I’ve had different gaming teams through the years. My very first gaming teams have been in highschool, with the longest-lived one going by means of my junior and into my senior 12 months. I performed Fate with a gaggle of Bostonians that included a former Cyberpunk 2020 freelancer, and performed quite a few PbtA video games with a number of completely different teams orbiting round one among my exes, our landlord, and the broader social group all of us belonged to. I additionally had on-line teams with quite a few different recreation designers and critics, most of whom I met by means of Cannibal Halfling. And I suppose I ought to point out I began one other gaming group this 12 months, with my companions and buddies. Everyone I’ve met and performed with during the last twenty years has had an affect on my understanding of the RPG passion, surely. The core of my playstyle and my strategy to the passion, although, began in that lecture room at Carnegie Mellon.

When my pal Dan began the school group, we began with D&D, and spent the remainder of the primary semester after that preliminary assembly taking part in by means of a marketing campaign Dan got here up with utilizing 3.5. It was an necessary begin, cementing our social dynamics, injokes, and even a emblem we used for our Facebook group.

Our time taking part in D&D didn’t actually final. The marketing campaign was starting to stall out by the tip of the semester, and Dan had requested if anybody else was taken with GMing. I stated sure, whereas conceding that I didn’t actually have a good suggestion of what to run, aside from one thing science fiction. Dan then stated one thing completely pivotal to me:

“You should check out this game GURPS, you can use it to run pretty much anything.”

I purchased the GURPS Basic Set over winter break and immersed myself in it, poring over the manuals in a approach I hadn’t since I first obtained D&D in center faculty. We got here again to highschool and I used to be able to run. The recreation was a cyberpunk-adjacent setting of my very own making, however not likely realizing limit the choices in GURPS I set the purpose whole at 75 and assumed it might all work out. ‘Working out’ on this case meant a solid of characters which included a Soviet Bloc cybersoldier whose implants have been fueled by alcohol, a robust AI cyborg who had been rendered innumerate in an try and maintain him from bootstrapping himself, the AI’s ward/protector, a practitioner of a very digital martial artwork, a zombie novelist, the schizophrenic PI of the literal Stanford Prison Experiment (“Can I play Philip Zimbardo?” “Literally?” “Well, Philip Zimbardo if he was also Tyler Durden.” “I guess?”), and a ten 12 months previous road urchin. This was each one thing I used to be fully unprepared for in addition to just about the perfect factor ever. I’d run GURPS a number of extra instances over the following three years, ultimately stopping after I tried to run an area opera recreation and the shortage of character guardrails despatched the marketing campaign careening off-course.

The different important recreation we performed throughout this time was Cyberpunk 2020, and that system was what taught me the worth of drama. Like many novice GMs I spent a number of time making an attempt to rein within the energy creep within the session and system, however probably the most memorable moments have been when issues went improper. The first marketing campaign resulted in catastrophe with a string of character deaths (nearly all PvP), nevertheless it additionally instructed an unbelievable story.

With most of our time cut up between three video games (we returned to D&D senior 12 months), the group’s in-person genesis was not the time once we developed a penchant for exploring multitudes of video games. Still, the exploration we did do laid a number of groundwork. In addition to increasing past D&D (which few of us within the group had finished), we performed round with recreation concepts, working quite a few one-shots together with my first time taking part in Paranoia. Even by the tip of faculty, all of us realized that what we had finished in our video games and what was most attention-grabbing about our video games was one thing that none of us have been discovering once we joined ‘D&D groups’ again dwelling.

When we introduced everybody again collectively to play on-line, I volunteered to run Cyberpunk 2020 as a result of I wasn’t taken with D&D but additionally wasn’t ready to write down one thing for GURPS. The marketing campaign was a nostalgia play, placing us all again in a cyberpunk-ified Pittsburgh, and it obtained everybody and enthusiastic about persevering with to play. 2010 was not an easy time, and it took actually a 12 months to get the kinks labored out. I ran the sport by means of my first semester of grad faculty however needed to cease after I took an internship out of state. Second semester was an entire mixture of issues, together with my grandfather passing away, so no gaming actually occurred then. After I completed my Master’s, although, I restarted the sport and introduced all the pieces to an inexpensive conclusion, whilst I used to be accepting a job and shifting to Massachusetts. After that first marketing campaign, although, we actually obtained going. Several group members aside from me began GMing, which helped widen everybody’s perspective. We additionally have been making an attempt extra video games, although not all of them caught. Over the following 5 years, along with Cyberpunk 2020 (and sure, extra GURPS) we performed Exalted, Shadowrun, Savage Worlds, and even some extra D&D. Two video games are value noting. As a lot because it was a foolish and quick recreation, a 4 session recreation of Fate entitled “Escape from New Jersey” remains to be one of many experiences that has most formed how I GM. It was an improv train the place my unfailing dedication to ‘yes, and’ actually all the pieces turned what was presupposed to be a mildly foolish 80s motion film premise into full-on time journey nonsense involving aliens, copyright legal professionals, and a hypothetical collab between Jon Bon Jovi (with chainsaws for fingers) and Tupac (however the holographic AI model) that might actually break the timestream. The different recreation of word, or relatively three video games of word, have been campaigns that happened utilizing FFG Star Wars. Running video games throughout all flavors of the sport, each the Star Wars video games and Genesys have been cemented in our repertoire, in addition to being a microcosm of our evolution, from a self-contained ‘Star Wars story’ to a Return of the Jedi heartbreaker to a story experiment actually devoted to breaking the canon of the prequel films. All of those video games formed how we gamed, little doubt. But in 2016 we found one thing that might change how we gamed eternally.

In between two of our Star Wars video games, I lastly obtained the group to comply with attempt Apocalypse World. I had been terminally on-line in RPG areas, together with shopping round (although not commenting in) The Forge, and after I obtained a duplicate of the sport at a bookstore in Western Massachusetts, I knew I needed to give it a attempt. It took a little bit of convincing everybody; there was some reluctance for quite a few causes, however I lastly obtained an opportunity to run beneath the auspices of a short-run ‘low-quorum’ recreation when our important GM was unable to run. I’ve instructed the story earlier than on Cannibal Halfling Radio, however the second the group understood what the sport was making an attempt to do, all the pieces fell into place rapidly. The recreation went very nicely, with nice characters and all of the drama you’d count on from an Apocalypse World recreation. It didn’t technically conclude, however that was not because of the recreation however relatively as a result of one among our members needed to drop with a view to go to med faculty.

Real life continued to occur throughout us; along with a brand new chapter of our gaming, 2016 additionally marked the start of members having children and our scheduling travails, nicely, travailing. Even so, the dedication actually began to swing up at this level. I turned 30 in 2017 and for these of you younger sufficient not know, all the pieces they are saying about sustaining friendships in maturity is true. We noticed each life milestones and an entire vary of recent gaming experiences; Seamus ran Dark Heresy for us but additionally Masks. We performed The Veil, Eclipse Phase, extra Genesys, and even tried D&D once more. By the tip of those 5 years, life milestones was life disruptions because the pandemic began in February of 2020.

The COVID pandemic each did and didn’t have an effect on our gaming. We have been fortunately on-line and had a standing session on Sundays, there was no direct affect on our scheduling. That stated, we have been all weathering a number of different disruptions to our lives; I began working fully remotely which I nonetheless do to at the present time, and lots of others had differing schedules on account of work, childcare, or just the place they have been dwelling on the time. With all of those disruptions, although, we did proceed to discover, taking part in Star Trek Adventures, Cyberpunk Red, and making an attempt The Sword, The Crown, and The Unspeakable Power (though that one didn’t stick). We additionally solidified a change to our GMing construction that we had performed with earlier than however determined to formalize. For the final 4 or 5 years, we’ve formally had two GMs, alternating weeks for play. This has allowed us to have longer campaigns with out burning out both gamers or GMs; our most up-to-date Cyberpunk marketing campaign in addition to our marketing campaign of Legend of the Five Rings and a second Masks marketing campaign all lasted over a 12 months. At the identical time it’s allowed for some extra experimentation, with Burning Wheel lastly being run after PDFs have been accessible, Twilight:2000 being our first campaign-length YZE recreation, and Apocalypse World re-entering rotation initially of 2025.

COVID additionally induced us to re-evaluate our Beach Weekends. Back in 2012 we started assembly in individual for one weekend a 12 months, down at a seashore home in Delaware that belonged to at least one member’s grandmother. After the seashore home was offered in 2017, we wanted to determine another choice. In 2018 I organized a gathering within the Poconos on account of its central location and plentiful trip leases, however ‘Woods Weekend’ didn’t work in addition to ‘Beach Weekend for a multitude of reasons. In 2019 an attempt to find another alternative was scuttled due to scheduling conflicts, and in 2020 Beach Weekend was cancelled due to the pandemic. In 2021 I found a rental on the same beach in Delaware, and Beach Weekend was back on. Over the next few years we collectively decided not to move Beach Weekend, and there will be another trip to Delaware later in the fall. Beach Weekend was a time for experimental gaming, but it got much more focused to that end after the trips resumed post-pandemic. This is where we played DIE, Back Again from the Broken Land, FIST, Zombie World, and many others, and the number of players who dip their toes into the GMing pool expands every year. These trips may not drive our gaming in the same way our weekly sessions do, but they’re a welcome change to how we recreation and slightly style of, as Seamus has known as it, “Cannibal Halfling Con”.

How does the group play? I feel one of many strengths of the group is the variety of playstyles. We have a few hardcore optimizers, mechanics-driven and combat-driven people. We have others who’re way more into the narrative, into making loopy occasions occur and seeing the world react to them. We have but others who take pleasure in straight-up roleplay and the highlight. Balancing and writing for therefore many various sorts of gamers is a problem nevertheless it additionally makes you recognize what video games do and don’t do nicely, whether or not you want the actual recreation or not. It’s additionally taught all of us not solely what to understand at a gaming desk but additionally recognize playstyles that maybe aren’t your individual. Even from my experiences in different teams, working con video games, and precise play, discovering a really stylistically numerous group is hard, and the GMs who’re really good at balancing the motives and needs of some many various sorts of gamers are normally solely these with expertise at it. And although I’ve a good quantity of expertise, I’m not going to say I’m good at highlight administration or that I at all times have a greater resolution than ‘wait your turn’. What I’ll say although is that having gamers who’ve seen and appreciated all these playstyles may even imply you may have gamers who discover ways to derive enjoyment from a number of completely different playstyles. I do know not each participant has loved each recreation we’ve run, however when our prime video games embody DIE and Masks but additionally Twilight:2000 and Genesys, you recognize we’re a bit all around the map.

More than something, I’m so glad I’ve a gaggle that has been keen to leap round and have so many experiences over the twenty years we’ve gamed collectively. Although I do know having a gaggle for therefore lengthy and having such a breadth of experiences is a uncommon privilege, I additionally know that there’s a lot to see on this passion and so many experiences that can resonate extensively for most individuals, if solely they’re capable of open their thoughts to it. I’ve seen it personally so many instances and on all elements of the playstyle map. The experiences I’ve had are all reflective of the folks I’ve had them with, and I feel I’ve been uniquely blessed with the buddies I’ve shared gaming experiences with all this time. Thank you to Seamus, Mark, Aki, Marcus, Mike, Hans, Immanuel, and Dan for enjoying video games and nerding out collectively. Thank you additionally to Ian, Tilia, Luther, Chris, Geni, Dan M, Sergey, and Jason for becoming a member of us in our travels for at the least a part of the time.

If I can depart you all with one takeaway, it’s that an everlasting gaming group shouldn’t be about playstyle compatibility, style pursuits, and even schedule alignment. If you might be severe about this passion and the probabilities it unlocks for group storytelling, improv, strategic gameplay, or fictional immersion, it is advisable to encompass your self with likeminded folks. Members of a long-running gaming group ought to develop into buddies, as a result of good avid gamers needs to be as open to seeing the outer lives of their co-conspirators as they’re to seeing their internal lives on the desk. Long-running gaming shouldn’t be the one gaming, not by an extended shot. That stated, everybody within the passion ought to try for the type of gaming that solely long-developed belief and camaraderie will deliver you.

Like what Cannibal Halfling Gaming is doing and need to assist us deliver video games and avid gamers collectively? First, you’ll be able to observe me @[email protected] for RPG commentary, related retweets, and perhaps some rambling. You also can discover our Discord channel and drop in to talk with our authors and get each new publish because it comes out. You can journey to DriveThruRPG by means of one among our nice and elegantly-crafted hyperlinks, which generates credit score that lets us get extra video games to work with (which is eactly what we did right here)! Finally, you’ll be able to help us instantly on Patreon, which lets us cowl prices, pay our contributors, and save up for tasks. Thanks for studying!