With the abundant references to Alternity I've seen on this board and RPG.NET of late I have started to wonder how many of you out there still dabble?
I'm a die hard Alternity fan, it remains my number one game of all time. If I'm not running a Stardrive game I'm writing one up (I have folders and folders of ready to run campaigns/adventures). :embarrass
So to the question....am I alone?
Are there any other fans of the greatest RPG of all time still running games?
If you are tell me more, share the love with everyone out there :D
Oggie
I sympathise with the lack of gaming, I've been lucky in that I've been continuously playing since college, but the last few months particularly with the Saga game I'm running the steam has gone out of my players.
I tentatively suggested switching back to a Stardrive game but wrote the idea off due to lackluster enthusiasm.
The Alternity rules are not necessarily as elegant as other systems out there, but there is nothing quite like a good game of Alternity. I think after a good game or so using the True20 rules, I'll find myself back in the old black preview edition rulebook!
I ran a brief StarDrive game, and had a blast. I really liked the rules system for Alternity, and sesheyans. SESHEYANS! Freaking awesome!
I still pitch the idea to my players about doing an Alternity game, whether it's Dark Matter or Star Drive. We all regularly play D&D, and everyone's pretty set in their ways. Still, I'm hoping to pull a few of them so I can finally get a long-term Alternity game off the ground.
I've also noticed other Alternity stuff appear in d20 modern/future books--Fraal and weren, the Hoffman Institute, etc. I don't get to play d20 mod/future, but I have a few of the books, and I was excited to see the greatness of Alternity reused in new systems.
Oh yeah, and I'm that guy who still writes in "Alternity" in the "RPGs Played" section of those buyer response cards that come in some D&D books. I may be one voice screaming in the night, but I'm not hoarse yet!
Also, A.net recently hosted an Alternity Game Day on March 3rd...as a precursor to the worldwide game day events that occur on March 4th. March 3rd is also the date when Wizards dropped support for Alternity, so it's kind of an anniversary celebration that keeps the game going. We've done the Alternity Game Day event for the past two years now. A.net hosts a live chat with some of the original designers. So far, Rich Baker, Jim Butler, and JD Wiker have participated through these trips down memory lane. Maybe we'll get Bill Slavicsek or Dave Eckelberry or someone else to join us next time.
Meanwhile, Alternity gaming continues wherever and whenever it can. My own local gaming group meets every Wednesday night for the purposes of doing 3-hour one-shots of systems or campaign settings we've each wanted to run or play in, but just could never find a group to try them out. We've gone through everything from Alternity to GURPS to Savage Worlds to D20 Modern/Future to D20 Dark.Matter to Call of Cthulu to Mutants & Masterminds...and on and on. I ran the Alternity game and we used Gamma World as the backdrop scenario. It turned out to be a three-session game, and everyone seemed to enjoy it quite a bit. I'm hoping to introduce an Alternity Star*Drive game eventually.
So, we're all still alive and well. With places like A.net, Alternity is just as vibrant as ever. Keep playing...and in the words of Jim Butler, former brand manager for Alternity...good gaming!
My two-cents,
--Neil
There's quite a few active Alternity games (Star*Drive, Dark.Matter, homebrew) going online at www.alternityrpg.net.
Yes, I found one. I'm very excited to be playing Alternity again! I've got my rulebooks stacked next to my computer, my PC sheet on top. Hopefully sooner than later I can get some of my friends to at least do a one-night fast-play with me, so they can see the glory that is Alternity.
In fact I'm working on getting an Alternity campaign together for a few people who heard about it from those I showed the game to last year. Looks like I've got 2 returning players who've been recruiting for me, and in a few weeks when the local college starts back up I'm going to have several people who want in on Alternity.
*Note* I rarely visit these forums (once a year on average). You can usually find me lurking over at alternityrpg.net or on my own boards.
Previous to this, we played a bit of nWoD, Exalted, and DND, with an Alternity game here and there. I ran a Dark*Matter game six or seven years ago and enjoyed that a lot.
So, enjoying it a lot! I doubt that 4E will pull me away from fantasy Alternity but I am will keep watching it to see how well it fits my style.
Now if I could get another group to be able to run my Dark Sun ideas with Alternity. *sigh*
turlough
I'm a die hard Alternity fan, it remains my number one game of all time. If I'm not running a Stardrive game I'm writing one up (I have folders and folders of ready to run campaigns/adventures). :embarrass
So to the question....am I alone?
Are there any other fans of the greatest RPG of all time still running games?
I play Alternity every week in Chat, a fantasy version of the rules for our Forgotten Realms campaign. Last year I ran Under The Hill (see sig), a somewhat purer Alternity in a post-apocalyptic setting. We ran out of free weeknights, so the game's on hiatus, but it was hilarious while it lasted. Full logs provided--I think it makes great reading, though I'm biased.
I wouldn't know whether it's the greatest game system of all, but it does what we want, and suitably automated in IRC, it makes me happy.
You're not alone. Pllay mostly Dark Matter.
So do I. My party still lives... in Peru, but still lives.