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Post by Timf on Sept 12, 2021 7:16:46 GMT
Our aim should be to get people playing face to face reasonably safely, not a jump straight to normal. This should be seen as a start from which we relax from.
Sorry but the list I gave was nothing like lockdown and to describe it as such is overdramatising. The comparison with pubs saying you could just go and play there ignores the fact that such places vary in their decisions quite dramatically and most importantly they have a high grade risk assessment in place, a big cleaning regime and other similar things that the member of the public doesnt see as well as (and I cannot stress this enough) a whacking great insurance policy and employee limited liability on top on enough footfall through to making nailing their contribution hard. We have none of that legal and insurance side and the cleaning had been taken out.
Some are blatantly just dropping all rules for business on the basis they feel they will be covered by insurance while ignoring other regs that have always been applicable but not talked about because the assorted Coronavirus Acts loomed largest and thats a) just nuts and b) not an option we have.
This is not the same setup as meeting round a friends house, where assorted bits of legislation dont hold (from the equality act, through assorted Healthy and safety rules to Notifiable disease rules)
My draft was in fact a little less restrictive than the base rules currently recommended by the University for being in Departments (by which I mean just coming into offices, corridors etc not labs). Its alot less restrictive than my wife’s law firm who have everybody bar two of their 30 staff in separate offices and a one person at a time shared space rule. So its less than what is happening. Also its pretty much how Scotland is operating and its a light touch with everything operating. The draft I gave was also designed as a set it up fast to get people gaming while covering all bases set of rules to get people into the club fast and we are now at a level of delay where wed be reviewing based on activity or potentially having time to do a full air and infection risk asssesment (I could nick the university system for that) which would have allowed accurate assessment and rules changes based on the room structure.
Your hierarchy of controls comes from the same place as mine - the HSE.
>> All the government guidance seems to boil down to 'do as you will, just try to wash your hands more often, keep an area well ventilated, and use as much PPE as you want'.<< ‘Do as you will’ , is a horrible boil down. Its how many see it, but it not. Government advice is now we are not mandating what you do, you need to decide for yourselves whats required. Thats hugely different to do as you will. Also the proposed draft above removed two of the three protective things in that boil down and altered the third. Their PPE line isnt do what you want, its do what is necessary. Thats a different focus. Lets not forget we are still in increasing cases and while the vaccines are keeping deaths and morbidity diwb a lot compared to last time this is still an epidemic. While hopefully infection and serious consequences are hopefully unlikely, any positive tests are still 10days off work as a minimum effect for anyone if not worse.
These rules are supposed to indeed should be expected to change so yes include everything to start with….dont dump ventilation which is probably our biggest single advantage in removing other restrictions or indeed anything just because we might remove it later. Put everything in and take it out as we can is the way to go. That also means we arent writing rules based onwho we think might show from our existing membership but are fit for purpose for anyone new who might wander in because they see we are open again.
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Post by Timf on Sept 10, 2021 21:39:23 GMT
So the statement about no symptoms to turn up is OK to add
However, the rest has gone more than a tad downhill.
I left out any vaccination rule from the draft. There was a reason for that. We are dealing with individual transmission risks (small N) at the club, not public health issues and at that level, vaccines are the absolute lowest level of biological safety management and should not be used as a mandatory biological safety management method unless there is literally no other option. Recommending it to supplement to control measures would be a different matter. This is not a mass gathering where averages come into play e.g. A big nightclub, a large outside event and we have other control options to use - or we did.
Thats just one issue however as most of the important bits have been taken out or reduced - table number limits, windows and doors open for airflow, no side room use, social distancing amongst others etc.
Oh and pet hate of mine cropped up in there - the statement about gloves is garbage as it stands and if anything could increase risk as it contains no details on how gloves should be used (and we shouldnt be trying to teach people that) plus the allergy issues to consider if someone drags latex ones in. Just wear and not care anymore is NOT how you use disposable PPE. Gloves do not kill the virus, they simply provide either a disposable or cleanable layer which allows you two routes to then destroy the virus before it infects. The control method for fomite transmission is people should be cleaning their hands and not touching their face without having done that and not just throwing gloves on as suggested.
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Post by Timf on Sept 9, 2021 20:43:37 GMT
Yes, thats the strength in licensed properties. Familiarity helps.
In some respects Traveller fits because Firefly was someones Classic Traveller campaign so it can be familiar - edge of society hauliers running round in mixed tech worlds with an overarching galactic empire. However that is still notably less instant recognition for most than “2 stormtroopers come round the corner and level blasters at you”
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Post by Timf on Sept 7, 2021 22:23:29 GMT
Most people probably have PayPal or something right? I'm sure we could come up with a digital solution. While Im sure the players have a digital solution, I suspect given the issues we had at my rugby club, getting a digital system for an unincorporated associations banking may be a tad more complex than we might expect. We fall in a hole banks dont like even after the pandemic experience
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Post by Timf on Sept 7, 2021 22:16:12 GMT
Other Captain option is someone plays the boss…..theyll have two other characters for non bridge time so it might work - but I have seen it go wrong many times. If this option is chosen then Id make it someone’s permanent Supporting Character
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Post by Timf on Sept 7, 2021 22:13:56 GMT
That'll be me then... In which case I can only apologise. It was a widespread issue, actually, I was definitely pointing out what is a common issue and not just a single person or a couple of people. It is also one of strengths and weaknesses in any Star Wars game, indeed probably any licensed property…widespread basic knowledge but quite a few players with canon encyclopaedias. TOS actually has huge holes to work in while retaining enough visibility. The more I read, including Enterprise options the more Im struggling for material there. The Captain as a Supporting Character thats jointly or cyclically controlled is actually well within the structure of the game. However its one bit that loses immersion. The values attribute system can be used to guide and with players going to have three personas. This all assumes Trek is where we go. Thus far all discussions here and elsewhere is definitely pointing at SciFi to be the next game but there is clear system in the lead. We have a focussed discussion here mostly because I rereading the system rulebook to see how it works and if It will work and the discussion is visible but its not the only candidate.
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Post by Timf on Sept 3, 2021 18:02:14 GMT
Also when it comes to period - it helps if I know something about the era and the background. TNG I am a little weak on and the Dominion War I really know nearly nothing about. Thats a problem when DMing.
One problem in WFRP and the 40K RPGs was when vast quantities of background information characters had no way of knowing got spilled, significantly altering the campaign flow. I did get comments from players as well.
There are three ways of dealing with that - playing games where I know more (unlikely for Trek), running games where the information simply isnt known as canon laid nothing down (for Trek that means TOS and Enterprise) or I simply change the details from canon (swap friends and enemies, change tech). The latter is the most effective in terms of allowing for the same surprise/work it out scenario but that jars the game feel and its usually obvious when it has happened.....
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Post by Timf on Sept 3, 2021 17:31:21 GMT
I was thinking more Kylie Jem'Hadar.....
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Post by Timf on Sept 2, 2021 14:13:33 GMT
Im writing my recommendations to Chris, Dan and Dave at the moment (sorry work rather got busy and distracted me). They should publish them here and on the Discord channel once they settle on them (I am away in Scotland shortly). I suspect from the numbers commenting in the last couple of weeks that the 5th is currently unlikely to have in person gaming.
I just realised we need to think about money handling.....
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Post by Timf on Aug 23, 2021 18:03:13 GMT
Interesting point - easy enough to have a 'if you leave the table sanitise before you come back' rule and link it to a do not 'eat and drink at your table rule'. POssibly allow drinking from bottles but maybe once people are used to being back inthe room for a week or two
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Post by Timf on Aug 20, 2021 19:10:58 GMT
I dont think you are the only one in that category, so I guess what did you have in mind as making you comfortable?
I think we had discussed a fixed group for the evening, spacing of the tables etc but had got much beyond that in terms of considering what to settle on. I think we were discussing facecoverings away from the table when games interrupted us that evening - oh yes doors and windows all open.
PLus I think hand sanitiser would be a good idea.
I think everyone is doubled jabbed.
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Post by Timf on Aug 19, 2021 11:43:39 GMT
Yes, there has. The plan is to start again in September.
The Scouts are Ok with this (indeed would have been happier to let us in earlier), and are not putting and special requirements on us. We left it longer so that people got used to going out a bit more before we got everyone back together in person and to see how other establishments ran things.
We will probably have to set down a set of rules/a risk assessment of some kind somewhere but first Monday in September is the planned reopening.
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Post by Timf on Aug 17, 2021 7:31:56 GMT
The TNG period has a lot going on - there are adventure set around the DOminion meeting, yes but you can slide easily enough. There is a lot fo tech and a lot of space to explore however the downside is that exploration is done and there is a lot of backup flying around with very high speeds and very long sensors losing a lot of the feel of 'we must deal with this'. The five year mission sort of thing just isnt there. But you get a lot of toys, races and so on. Also franbkly the story arcs in existence are vastly more codified.
Enterprise conversely has very few ships and fewer toys, shorter ranges and very much alone in the void feel. THis limits the races and options you can showcase while giving you a lot of space to play in.
THe TOS period has a blend of both and is the era of the classic five year missions and its the era I lean towards - though the choice of ships will affect that.
All the above assuming the Trek is where we go. THe entire 'how to handle the captain' issue is a BIG one. A PC in that role can be a nightmare. An NPC who is often not around is unsatisfying and leaves the most senior PC in the role, an NPC who is present and GM controlled essentially runs the game and has me reacting to myself and leaving hte PCs as dice rolling towers. The only workable solution is to share control of the NPC in question. Again with any Trek game this is always the single biggest issue unless you play a lot of Away Team missions and the PCs become a microcosm of that and use the Primer Directive heavily to keep the ship out of it (ship weapons from orbit are - potent shall we say).
THis is why there are other systems to discuss.....as I dont think anything is going to be perfect.
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Post by Timf on Aug 14, 2021 16:55:36 GMT
Your prime character will be an officer. Rank based on ship, station head may be too high. Secondary characters are enlisted IIRC
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Post by Timf on Aug 12, 2021 15:08:29 GMT
THere are a variety of options which I shall put here and as I come up with more ideas will edit this post, so please look back for edits.
Fundamentally, we seem to have fatigued a bit on WFRP2 so options we have are (and there are a lot). These are in order that I thought of them rather than indicating my preferences. I'll be led by player preferences in where I go but I will also be led by mine (but I dont want to steer people) We also have to consider player rotation and interest for permanent vs occasional slots - as Simon has indicated he would like to join in. SO it depends upon available people, slots and games chosen.
First up
A set of Fantasy Grimdark sort of things. 1) Everyone is fine and I railroad you guys back to something I have material for in WFRP2. THis is something I have been avoiding the last few sessions as you guys have seemed to wnat to move away from assorted ingame personages that the railroading would mess with. 2) We do a WFRP2 restart and we go for the Thousand Thrones campaign. Thats an odd campaign in some ways and has 2 points where there is an utter utter railroad no players choice whatsoever barring two incredible luck options. 3) We move to WFRP4 which is set earlier in the WFRP continuum and I could run assorted material for that. WFRP 4 will be familiar enough for people to pick up quickly. Careers are laid out differently though with enough similarity to be followed (each career now has 4 levels, effectively already seen with priests and wizards but now done for everyone. So advanced careers dont exist, they are simply the higher levels of an existing one). Everything is very D10 based, combat is more dangerous if you get hit but fights are opposed rolls always effectively allowing parrying fighters to thrive - so its much more avoid getting hit, not absorb wounds. Chargen is random up front with the ability to make choices at the cost of experience at each point of roll. If you take no random results and build completely you end up about 1.5 advances behind everyone else. Magic has altered notably in mechanics.
Other Fantasy options 4) A Song of Ice and Fire (Game of Thrones) - a D6 driven system, where the party come from a house (or the Wall) and house is a resource body for the players. Characters are predominantly built from a base and age driven benefits. Being young means low skills but lots of fate points 5) Wheel of Time (DnD 3.5 engine switched to the Wheel of Time world. Magic is a tad different) - DND like chargen
Semi-Modern 6) Feng Shui. A KungFu, time travelling action film with tech and fantasy elements which I would set in modern Singapore. Archtype base and build chargen
SciFi 7) Traveller is a good ol' standby and allows for considerable scope and variety and has the advantage of maintaining a certain element of Grimdark as its a dangerous world. Character generation is extended here, and its possible any ship could be run as a corporation if people wish to get away from the trading runs world to world. The party once assembled then get some bonus skill sets to fill in and the people with lowest skills pick first. I have some ideas what to run here though.... 8) Star Wars D6 - need I say more to describe this? I still have some adventures for this and it could be run as a fixed length (ie one adventure) intermission easily. Archetype base and build 9) Star Trek Adventures - a nice system uses some of the modern fad of tokens to tweak the game. No money game as you get mission gear. The ship is a major NPC and you have to settle on an era (Enterprise, TOS or Next Generation). As with any Star Trek, how the captain is handled is a significant issue but I have an idea and thats rotating the captain session by session - OK it makes them odd but it means nobody micromanages the game. Characters are built and its quite involved.
Future Grimdark. I think I have essentially exhausted my options in material for Space Marine sadly. 10) I have the Dark Heresy set and plenty of material there. 11) I have Only War and could run a Guard campaign by grabbing some stuff from Cubicle 7. The Regiment is a resource in the game for PCs. 12) I have some Rogue Trader material as with Only War I would have to get some material for it but easy enough. The oddness here is that the players will start with a ship, one player at least as the Rogue Trader with a Warrant, and the ship can have an army aboard in the right circumstances but still everybody goes down as an away team. It can jar if I dont get the blend right. Chargen in all is random stats, with elements of building on top of that.
I have discounted 3.5DnD of standard version (but could run it), and the Babylon 5 D20 game as that didnt go great last time....I almost left the Wheel of Time off for the same reason but decided to add it in.
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