OMG and other such acronyms.

Well, here it is. My first blog. I'm not sure whether I should feel excited, worried or simply meh.

But anyways, my motivation for starting this little script 'o' words is my first online role-playing experience. And no I don't mean World of Warhammer Ultima whathaveyou Online. I mean pens and paper and dice and books. Through the internet. Crazy, I know but bear with me here, it gets stranger. It'll be with people I know. Or with people who know people I know.

I've played MMORPGs (Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Games) and can't help but feel a strange sense that I'm disconnected from this fabulous game world that the developers have so lovingly crafted. This, I feel, is a fault on my part, not the developers.

Unless some DM is actively describing the colour of the local shrubbery or there are some form of hijinx a-foot with the party clown, I generally lose interest. Quickly. That and stupid side quests that have no comedy value. Dammit, if I'm going to collect mushrooms for the local shaman because of some vague reason, I want some motivation other than a shiny pair of boots. Boots don't really do it for me. The fact that the local fauna attacks me everytime I'm halfway through collecting said mushroom simply gets my metaphorical goat.

At least in a pen-and-paper game, you've got in-game comedy in those filler missions when the GM has decided he had to play Halo 3 instead of write this week's scenario. You'll be facing off against a Saturday morning villain with the voice of Brian Blessed and the evil moustache of Fu Man Chu. Because, what players and GMs lack in preparation, we make up for in pure entertainment, or something resembling it anyway.

But anyway, on to the game. In theory, it begins 9th July 8pm GMT. In theory, we have myself as GM and 5 other players. And in theory it's dungeons and Dragons 4th Edition. I say in theory because as I've mentioned already, preparation is a rare thing in role-playing games, and the players and games masters that are actually prepared are the ones that you should be wary of. This is because they know the Rules, and this is a gift that is never to be underestimated, especially when they have a smile on their face, despite no one telling a joke (or making a deplorable pun).

Our basic backstory is somewhat inspired by my recent travels through the Fable games by Lionhead Studios and Microsoft, for which they should be rightly proud.
Envision the world of Varasana. A land of green fields, forests, villages and cities.
Here there is a fair amount of peace after the War in the Skies, in whcih the ancient Gods defeated the Hag Goddess Morai and her evil spawn (through which the orcs and goblins are descended and are thus reviled and are second-class citizens). After the War, the Gods departed the lands and left for other realms. In their final decree, so there might always be a balance, they had their mortal Champions set up the Guild. Here young men and women would train to be part of the Order of the Skies. They would venture into the world aiding those who needed it.

Of course over time, the Guild became corrupt. Initiates would help those they saw fit, whether it be altruistic or for personal gain, and the majority of it's members became mercenaries after a sort. Those who remained with the Guild were paid to prevent a migration of its members into freelance business, but it restricted the actions of its members so that they served only the Guild's interests. In the end they became overly-glorified hired muscle.

Cut to present day - our players are part of the Guild, forming a Cadre (a party). They have just been fully initiated into the Guild and are therefore given more responsibility like escorting the members of state and running after influential nobles who may have the Guild's interests at heart.

Meanwhile, across Varanasa, the orc tribes are growing restless, attacks on trade routes are becoming more frequent and vicious, and there is news that a dark force is rising within the noble houses of Varanasa.

So, fun!

next blog shall be a run down of our cast of characters, who they are, what they do and possibly their first adventure.

Watch this space!