Sorry about the Tools Of Ignorance question:  I later on asked my dad, "What's the tools of ignorance?" and he answered right back it's the equipment a catcher has in baseball.  He said it was an old term from the 50s and 60s and that's probably why I never heard it.

I know you don't expect anyonwe to by this game, but I think it might have a hidden niche that no one has tried before, so maybe you would think of a more 'normal' title?

Also, yes on the sample team -- the way it reads now there is going to be a need for alot of write ups of players to fill out rosters (unless you are expecting players to have a bunch of characters to run?).  I wish their was someway to make 'mook' like NPCs like there is in SC3 to make the opposing teams faster.

Quote from: gonster;427541Sorry about the Tools Of Ignorance question:  I later on asked my dad, "What's the tools of ignorance?" and he answered right back it's the equipment a catcher has in baseball.  He said it was an old term from the 50s and 60s and that's probably why I never heard it.

It goes back farther than that - to the twenties of the last century. the guy who coined it was Muddy Ruel, a lawyer who quit law and became a catcher, catching the immortal Walter Johnson among others.

QuoteI know you don't expect anyonwe to by this game, but I think it might have a hidden niche that no one has tried before, so maybe you would think of a more 'normal' title?

Meh! I like it. It has a lyrical yet amusingly sardonic edge that appeals to me. I have subtitled it "A Baseball Roleplaying Game" though, for obvious reasons.

QuoteAlso, yes on the sample team -- the way it reads now there is going to be a need for alot of write ups of players to fill out rosters (unless you are expecting players to have a bunch of characters to run?).  I wish their was someway to make 'mook' like NPCs like there is in SC3 to make the opposing teams faster.

I have been thinking about this and may create a quick "mook" character creation tool for the book, and make a complete sample team for download. This is the direction I am leaning towards. You could use the mooks for opponents, and the sample ballplayers to fill in your own team. I am personally partial to Troupe play, with multiple characters per player. It works wonderfully well in my military games. Some other folks don't have as much fondness as I do for it though. thus it's an option and not a hard and fast rule in ToI.

-clash

Here let me take a swing at it

Vinny the Rock
 The back up pitcher of the Paradise Renegades is a tall lanky fellow with a distinctive hunch about his shoulders.  His rooster like stance, hook nose, and trademark glare has been a boon to the sports cartoonists but there's no questioning the effectiveness of his drop and curve ball.  Vinny has been penalized a few times over the years for scuffing the ball with his tough clawlike nails.  Nobody ever called Vinny personable, he's number two but as he'll tell anyone who listens it's everyone's fault but his own.  Vinny's taste in women runs to the short and chunky which has gained him no end of mockery from his teamates.  He just shrugs and says "A girl like that ain't gonna turn on yeh 'cause she knows how good she's got it, you can keep the supermodels, I'm saving for retirement."

Harry Rizzo
 Vinny's cohort and best pal is the Renegades back catcher Harry, a short stump of a man with a toothy, toadlike grin.  Harry is a solid player but he and Vinny have signals for every cheat known to the sport.  While he's easier going than Vinny, Harry loves a scrap and likes to maneuver his slower buddy into bad corners so it looks like he was just backing up his friend.  Harry likes other people's girls and has a real gift for turning on the sympathy to break down a lady's defenses.  Vinny may have had three divorces but Harry's caused over a dozen.

Gabe Lazero
 The starting pitcher for the Renegades is a big, broadshouldered fellow who's jowls and low brow brings to mind a bull mastiff.  Gabe's not dumb but he likes to play it to excuse his various faults.  First and foremost, the man is a bully and a thug.  He came from a good upper middle class family but there's simply something low and mean spirited in his makeup.  He went to jail for a year when he was eighteen for hospitalizing his father over a minor misunderstanding.  Gabe delights in shoving Vinny around and always makes time for Ms Wrenth in exchange for her tollerance of his behavior on and off the field.

Bill Weir
 A big bristly fellow who's getting soft in the gut, Bill is past his prime as a player.  What he's got on Mary is anyone's guess but it's well known the two of them detest each other.  As a matter of fact they might enjoy detesting each other.  Bill is a fantastic hitter, and he could get out of the Renegades and onto any bottom tier team he choses.  He's been putting his money into realestate for years and may be the only guy on the team who pulls down more off the field than he does on it.  He's also got a sweet endorsement deal from a deoderant manufacturer as "That stinky guy."  That makes him more recognizable in many homes than many top players in the league.

Mary Wrenth
 The new owner of the Paradise Renegades of a fiftyish widower and a huge fan of baseball players.  Slender and aging as well as cosmetic surgery can manage, it's easy to mistake Mary for a younger woman.  A self made billionaire, Mary's got her hands in dozens of projects at any given time.  It's safe to say that there's no vice she hasn't turned her hand to to make a buck.  Mary likes baseball players and bad boys and owning the team gives her access to a personal stable.

Bart Shewzo
 The team manager is a huge, red haired man with a permanent scowl and glaring eyes.  Bart blew out of his promising football career in his early twenties and somehow wound up doing conditioning and training with the Renegades.  He's ruthlessly worked his way up through the ranks of the team's supporting staff and may even have arranged the murder of his predecessor.  Bart has no interest in women but is frequently in the Ms. Wrenth's company.  Some joke, out of earshot that he's so interested in scouting upcomming talent for less than savory reasons.  Bart drives a black Pontiac Firebird with a faulty exhaust system that spews black smoke as he pulls away from the curb.

Okay, that's a nasty pack of jerks right?  That's their reputations and certainly how they come off.  But sometimes you might want to humanize the opposition for depth so here we go.

Vinny is increasingly self conscious of his appearance and the media's unkind portrayals and comentary have pushed him to the edge of paranoia.  His divorces are really mostly Harry's fault.  Vinny doesn't know this because he always blames himself.  Vinny has developed a nasty jealous hatred of anyone attractive but lacks the introspection to recognize this about himself.

Harry isn't a class act but the fact is that he really sympathizes with the women he gets involved with.  He knows he's no prize but he's also learned that top athletes frequently mistreat their trophy wives and sees his philandering as batting above his weight and sticking.  Harry likes Vinny but Vinny's wives haven't liked him.  In his own mind the friction he's added to the marriages has been protecting Vinny.

Gabe's father was a gambler and an alcoholic and brutalized his mother and him.  Eventually Gabe got bigger.  Gabe is secretly in love with Ms. Wrenth and his heart breaks every time she hooks up with another man.  Luckily for him he's stoic and hard headed enough that he'll never tell her.

Bill and Ms. Wrenth made some "movies" together back in the day, she needed the money and he was young and vulnerable.  Now, it wouldn't really hurt her to have the movies come out.  At worst she'd be embarassed to have people know she slept with "that stinky guy".  But she puts up with his blackmail because he's got money and she's always looking for investors for her various projects.

Mary was probably never young and innocent.  Her family were poor and she had ambitions far above the small midwestern town where she was raised and used every tool nature gave her to achieve them.  The only thing that would ever scandalize her is any indication she has a heart.  Her lifesyle would make the most jaded Hollywood stars blush.  It's safe to say that there's nothing she hasn't done or wouldn't do again.  For all that, she's accepting, forthright, and free from mob connections.

Bill's neither gay nor a child molester, despite the nasty whispers behind his back.  His mother wouldn't tollerate any such behavior from him and she rules his life with an iron grip.  It's not that Bill wouldn't like to get married or even hook up but his mom's destroyed every relationship he's ever gotten into and he's just given up.  She uses her health as a lever to shove him around and he secretly believes she won't live much longer, unfortunately for him she's a tough old lady and will be around for years to come.

Those are freaking awesome, David! Hysterical!

-clash

Thanks!  Feel free to use them.  I don't happen to have a baseball game in the cue at the moment.  Though I won't swear that I'll stay out of the ball park if Tools of Ignorance makes you a billion dollars.

Quote from: David Johansen;427633Thanks!  Feel free to use them.  I don't happen to have a baseball game in the cue at the moment.  Though I won't swear that I'll stay out of the ball park if Tools of Ignorance makes you a billion dollars.

If it makes me a billion dollars - or even a thousand - I'll bite my own ear, because I'll know *anything* is possible!

Thanks David! I think I'll model the team after the Yankees of the seventies - bickering, brawling, womanizing, but still successful.

-clash

What is your time-frame? Right now things are tight, but if there is no rush, I may be able to get a playtest going when things loosen up.

Quote from: BedrockBrendan;427686What is your time-frame? Right now things are tight, but if there is no rush, I may be able to get a playtest going when things loosen up.

Hi Brendan!

As soon as I think it's ready for prime time - I have no fixed schedules. Unlike most people, deadlines don't make me work any harder, as I'm pretty much going to be writing and painting every day anyway. I write for eight hours a day at the office, then for relaxation, I go home and write... Go figure!

I'll send it along, and if you have any comments, they would be greatly appreciated! Actual play would be a wonderful bonus.

-clash

Cool.

Quote from: flyingmice;427681If it makes me a billion dollars - or even a thousand - I'll bite my own ear, because I'll know *anything* is possible!

Thanks David! I think I'll model the team after the Yankees of the seventies - bickering, brawling, womanizing, but still successful.

-clash

Still, I suspect rolelaying gaming is due, if not overdue, for a breakout hit that is mainstream and not fantasy.  Outside of D&D rpgs are far more simple and accessible.  White Wolf's Vampire was almost twenty years ago, the backlash against spending your whole life on the internet is ramping up, the polls are swinging to conservatism, and there's lots of attempts to introduce wargaming into children's toys which is traditionally a very conservative market.  The idea of roleplaying games is firmly entrenched in the public consciousness even when it isn't confabulated with Dungeons and Dragons.  Who knows?  Maybe anything is possible.

Quote from: David Johansen;427699Still, I suspect rolelaying gaming is due, if not overdue, for a breakout hit that is mainstream and not fantasy.  Outside of D&D rpgs are far more simple and accessible.  White Wolf's Vampire was almost twenty years ago, the backlash against spending your whole life on the internet is ramping up, the polls are swinging to conservatism, and there's lots of attempts to introduce wargaming into children's toys which is traditionally a very conservative market.  The idea of roleplaying games is firmly entrenched in the public consciousness even when it isn't confabulated with Dungeons and Dragons.  Who knows?  Maybe anything is possible.

"With God, anything is possible." - old Jewish proverb.

I hope to sell tens of copies. It may not even break into double figures. That is how utterly pessimistic I am about sales of this game. I'm still writing it, for the few people who would care.

-clash

I was answering a comment on my blog when I remembered that when I was about 9-10 years old - so forty-five or six years ago - my friends and I created baseball teams. They had their own cards with their stats on the back which I drew up. Heck, I created a world for them to play in, with maps and everything. I also created disks for Strat-O-Matic for them based on their stats, which we played like crazy. I had *completely* forgotten about this until just then.

-clash

OK! Those of you I have sent the Playtest document to should also have received a table for one-roll opponents. This has been integrated into the main document so in the future the one page table will bot be handed out separately.

I'm also building up sample teams. They will be available as separate, free DLs. I'm probably going to make up at least a couple of teams, and maybe more.

-clash