Roleplaying and 15mm

I havent posted anything in a while, I know. I dont tend to paint much on my own as I get cramped backs and cricked necks, so I wait for friends to join me. The holidays being what they are, most of us were too busy to game, let alone get creative.

However, I able to get most of my Khurasan minis MOSTLY finished last night. A few more details, then I can gloss coat them, which will allow my Secret Weapon weathering pigments to go on, and the dull coat after that will enable me to take the guys off the popsickle sticks and play a proper game of Tomorrow's War and Gruntz.

However, this isnt the reason I am writing today.

I think I've mentioned in the past that I wanted to start roleplaying again, but I think I was in love with the fantasy of playing a character in a game; the actual act of "roleplaying" isnt as fun to me as it used to be.  I know this because I finally got back into a D&D v3.5 game with some of my old gaming buddies, and I just really let everyone else talk to the NPCs or do their thing. Being a miniatues gamer, I just live for the combat. it may be limiting, but its true.

Now, I had actually gotten so tired of 3.5 that I sold all my books but kept my 4e books. I still havent played 4e, but was still interested. However, as I toyed with buying more books, I had a first-hand chance to see how WotC has messed 4e all up. Three Players Handbooks. 2 DM guides. No more PHB1, because it was screwed up, so now you get to buy Essentials Rules Compendium. After looking at THIS book and THAT book, I realized, I just dont really want to spend all that money on book after book. A good RPG doesnt need all that!  Sure, Players Options are HUGELY important to a success of a game, I believe, but heck, HERO/Champions does all that in just ONE book (well, 6th Ed has 2 core books, but big deal).

SO once again I was on the hunt for a new RPG. Alpha Omega by Mindstorm Labs is still a really good Sci-Fi game in the vein of Shadowrun, and has at least one unique combat mechanic (the dice pool) that I felt was really refreshing.  I have a penchant for games that dont use classes, so AO is still a keeper (I played it a few times with a fun group, but we had too many rookies to make it really work that time).

After much looking, I came upon Arcanis by Paradigm Concepts thanks to a thread over at ENWorld. Arcanis USED to be a 3.5 OGL product, but when 4e came, the people at PC made it into a game of their own. The influence of D&D is there, which is nice, but it also doesnt use classes (it uses Archetypes and Backgrounds, which are mostly interchangeable) and has a neat combat shtick that reminds me of AD&D's initiative system).  Anyway, I purchased it and have been enjoying its layout, presentation, flavor and mechanics.

When my group's D&D game wraps up this spring, I will be presenting Alpha Omega and Arcanis as my options for our next game. HERO 5th or 6th will be a backup. After all, playing D&D isnt bad and doesnt make you a bad person, but if its all you ever play, you're limiting yourself from experiencing that yes, there can be LADD ("Life After D&D").

I want to roleplay again!

I began my gaming career as a miniature gamer (well, Battletech at age 14) and a board gamer (Avalon Hill games of all types, all WW2). I began my roleplaying career with Champions 4th Ed by HERO games/ICE, and moved on from there.

Before my children were born, I decided that I needed to roleplay again, and so convinced some friends to buy D&D 3.5 and I ran a campaign that lasted for 2 years. It slowed as my daughter was born, and I was introduced to World of Warcraft (/sigh). After we wrapped up the campaign, a friend took over, and I continued playing for a few years, but lately I have been out of it again.

A few posts on my FLGS forums have netted me nothing, and Im finding that Im in a real bind when it comes to finding games! I worked at said FLGS and know the "quality" of our average gamer, and that kind of scares me. I don't tend to play pick-up games as I just dont have patience with power gamers and rules lawyers (at least ones I dont know!).

So I went to EN World (http://www.enworld.org/ which is a GREAT RPG forum - one of the best, actually) and posted in the Gamers seeking Gamers section. Wow, I feel gay.  Here is what I wrote:

"Ive played so many RPGs I wont be able to list them all. I've spent the most time playing various forms of Mechwarrior, Palladium games of all types, HERO games (Champions, Fantasy Hero), but have dabbled in many other types (like Shadowrun, Alpha Omega, Mutants and Masterminds, D&D from AD&D 2nd ed to 3.5, but havent actually played 4th ed yet).

I am looking for something NOT D&D, really, but only because I'm not in the place where I want to spend gobs of dollars on expansions and extra books needed for whatever game I play, where future expansions are less and less balanced or "fair", etc.

Oddly enough, I really, REALLY want to try Champions/HERO 6th Ed and will buy what I need to, but I am also interested in learning new rules.  I like combat (I LOVE combat, which is why I am a miniatures wargamer) but can deal with roleplaying and problem solving as long as it isnt the absolute main focus of the game or campaign.  I love fantasy and sci-fi equally, but dont really tend to get into the Wild West or alternate settings like steampunk cowboys, Weird War II, Victorian, etc.

I value cleanliness and bathe regularly - yes, I also expect it from my peers. Odd, I know. Oh, I brush my teeth and wear cologne as well. Who knew such gamers existed?

Personally, I am married with 2 children, hold down not one but two jobs (both of which I am quite proud of), and I play drums and make terrain for my games. I love Call of Duty and car racing games on my PS3, and watch an awful lot of MMA on TV."

I guess it is a personal ad, isnt it, so why not get all gushy? I most recently played Alpha Omega by Mindstorm Labs, and think the game system is good, but the group I had needed some help. Roleplaying takes a LOT of effort on the players, and even more from the DM, so maybe I am in love with the romantic CONCEPT of roleplaying and should just stick to miniature wargaming? I have some awesome friends who make great partners when we can game together, but their reliability is questionable enough that even my tabletop gaming is reduced in frequency enough that Im, well, you're reading what Im doing now :)

Just my own personal pining for something new. Which isnt new from me at all. Just ask most of my gaming friends...