Topic: Gaming on Google +

[arcadayn]

Is anyone else here using hangouts on Google + to play online?  If not, I would highly recommend checking it out.  There is a large RPG community that continuously has games being offered.  Since September, I've been running a weekly AD&D1st game, a weekly Hyborian Age game with OD&D, and several one shots of the Dungeon Crawl Classics RPG beta.  On top of that, I've played Stormbringer 1st ed and am now in a weekly Runequest 2 (Chaosium) game.  Within a few weeks, I'm starting a Rolemaster Classic game set in Shadow World. One hour after I made the post, all of my player slots were filled.

All of this has been done with complete strangers from all over the world.  I've done more gaming in the past four months than I ever have in my life.  You can find someone to play literally any game system you want, no matter how obscure.  At one point, there were several games of Empire of the Petal Throne and someone else was running TSR's Conan game.

All you need is a webcam and a Google+ account.  If you're interested, let me know and I can help you get started.

[Andraax]

Posting a link would be helpful.

[yammahoper]

So...I have to install Google + and...

Link would be great.  I'm willing to try.  Do I have to have a cam?

[Andraax]

You don't have to install anything to use Google+. Just browse to http://plus.google.com/ and sign up. Trying to rpg online without a camera would be, umm, less than satisfactory. But you probably could, if you have at least a mic.

[yammahoper]

a cam says use of minatures in my mind.  ive never cared for them really.  i guess it would also be useful for keeping die rolls honest.

I have a desk top, no cam.  There is no way I could guarantee use of a laptop with built in cam.  i also have no desire to buy a cam since i have a very nice digital camera already.

eh, bummer. 

[arcadayn]

Playing without a cam isn't a problem.  I would say a mic is essential, but I've played with a guy who just used text.  The camera mainly makes it feel more like face to face gaming.  There is a free online white board application called Twidla that has a built in die roller in the chat window.  You can also upload images and files into Twidla which can be viewed and manipulated by everyone in the session.  Not to mention its a whiteboard, and everyone can draw all over it.  www.twidla.com

Here is a faq on gaming on Google+ put together by Zak Smith:  http://dndwithpornstars.blogspot.com/2011/10/constantcon-is-moving-but-heres-post.html

Don't worry, despite the name, it's not a porn site and you won't get a bunch of spam from going there.  Zak DMs with people in the porn industry. Thus, the name.  Zak is a very cool dude who puts out a lot of amazing free game material. He's also the one responsible for making G+ the gaming hub that it is.  The faq will answer the majority of your questions.

If you are interested, email me at arcadayn44 at gmail dot com.  I'll send you an invite to G+, and I'll get you hooked up with a huge group of gamers.

[yammahoper]

cool beans.  now, were did I put that mic...this living out of a suitcase hase its drawbacks...

I'm very interested, it's the current circumstances of life that have me so limited.  Thank you for all the info and links.

[Andraax]

a cam says use of minatures in my mind.

A cam says "face to face" gaming to me. It helps make the environment more like sitting around a table with a bunch of the guys.

[bpowell]

I run a monthly game with friends on Skype.  Trust me I turn on Skype early so the friends in WI can "join" us for dinner.

[Northman]

Hehe, found some old school gaming last week while tidying up.  Sweet talked my grandmother into buying me spell law, arms law and claw law 30ish years ago when I was a kid while passing through an airport in a big city.  I was already playing D&D (basic and expert) and there wasn't any character law or campaign law at the place where we bought it.  I lived in a pretty remote area with no gaming stores for 500km so I had to make do.  My friends and I dropped out the weapon and armour tables from d&d and changed em up with the arms law, all the combat spells and healing spells were reworked to fit in spell law, natural weapon attacks were switched to claw law.  Pretty much everything else stayed in the basic and expert rules cause it was all we had.  My friends and I played that way for years.  Piles of cardboard tables littered our gaming areas.  Every now and then some critical would save or damn us.  It was Old School.

Northman

[yammahoper]

Hehe, found some old school gaming last week while tidying up.  Sweet talked my grandmother into buying me spell law, arms law and claw law 30ish years ago when I was a kid while passing through an airport in a big city.  I was already playing D&D (basic and expert) and there wasn't any character law or campaign law at the place where we bought it.  I lived in a pretty remote area with no gaming stores for 500km so I had to make do.  My friends and I dropped out the weapon and armour tables from d&d and changed em up with the arms law, all the combat spells and healing spells were reworked to fit in spell law, natural weapon attacks were switched to claw law.  Pretty much everything else stayed in the basic and expert rules cause it was all we had.  My friends and I played that way for years.  Piles of cardboard tables littered our gaming areas.  Every now and then some critical would save or damn us.  It was Old School.

Northman

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