Interesting Roleplaying Stuff

First: I have discovered the joy of rpg podcasts. I already enjoyed WoWRadio but it is always very negative and snarky about the game. Sometimes humourous, but usually so 'I'm cooler than the devs' that it's not entertaining. However, I stumbled over a thread on rpg.net regarding rpg podcasts and discovered a treasure trove of stuff. The thread is :

http://forum.rpg.net/showthread.php?t=292152

And I can recommend the Sons of Kryos and Have Games Will Travel. I'm listening to them at the moment and then I'll venture elsewhere. The difference about this stuff when compared to WoWRadio is that these people are so positive about gaming and the games they choose to play - it's very refreshing.

And I pick my words there very carefully - the games they CHOOSE to play. Sometimes too much of the negativity around WoW seems to stem from the massive buy-in that people have made to it and thus the disproportionate negative impact when something minor changes or doesn't happen.

These podcasts are great - full of ideas, polite and considered discussion and general entertainment. A great find.

Secondly, I wanted to muse on one of the things that I heard on these podcasts. It was from the mouth of Ed Greenwood, who is the bloke responsible for Forgotten Realms. Why add that? Well, I think that sometimes the mainstream gaming 'personalities' get a little maligned and I was a little taken aback that something so profound came from one. Silly me

Anyway, the idea was thus:

Roleplaying games are about creating great memories.

Now isn't that just the crux of it? A great game should be one where you can remember, many months past the end of the game, great moments and not so great moments. It should stand out as a different and exciting episode in your life - akin to a great football victory or a particularly *ahem* memorable sexual liaison.

The reason this gelled with me so well, was that we were talking about a campaign on Sunday that must have been nearly 10 years old - Earthdawn - and some of the scenes and the climax were still fresh in my mind and that of Nigel, the surviving player.

I wonder what memories we will take from our current Pendragon campaign and what we, as players, can do to make the game more memorable for ourselves and the GM?

Neil