Influence!!

[Mick Red]

Our hobby is about sharing..... our adventures, our time, sometimes our soul....... We are (generally) a tight knit community..... Therefore as a bit of lighthearted fun, who are the top 5 people that have influenced you in this hobby and why!! For me.....

1. 'Smokin' Johnny Amos - For me this stems from John's sense of 'only fun matters' he once ran a game of 7th Sea for me on demand and didnt even know the rules!!! when questioned he admitted this and said who cares if we have fun, and you know what he was so right..... That game (and others he has run will live with me for a long time)

2. Ned 'Indie Rich' Lacey - When he pulled this dog eared rulebook out of his bag and said who wants to play this, your coat is reeeeealy important and its called Dogs in the Vinyard i was like WTF dude we have cthulhu running, however this was my introduction to independant RPG's and since that day ive been willing to play and run anything from the indie stall, this moment was an epiphany for me and ill be forever grateful

3. The late Les Hedges - IMO the best GM bar none...... This guy taught me so much about running a game for player enjoyment and that fudging when necessary is for the win, for Les it was always about the players.... i still raise a glass for you shippers..

4. Jez - One of my oldest friends in gaming..... and out of gaming to be fair, its all about the fun and he has always kept that smile on my face even when i wanted it to turn to tears....... i'll never forget his support over the years

5. Indie 'Stinky' Pete - Pete showed me the way with GM-fu and shows all how a game should be run..... Prowl around that table and let the players hear the sound of the wind, challenge them when they decide to try something, call them out and make them walk away from your table thinking wtf!!!! that was made of win..... lessons learned, i aspire to be as good as Pete

[Evilgaz]

Sads
During the Dark Years when I was disillusioned with convention gaming, I had expected the Gaming Olympics from going to GenCon and to be wowed by World Class GMs and instead found lots of window lickers with the occasional decent ref. The RPGA insisted on splitting people up so you couldn’t game with friends in case you cheated on some points system that no one else cared about except some account with dirty fingers. I railed against the RPGA (and other organisations) and demanded better GMing, focusing my ire on one particular man who’d dared face my wroth when others quailed. The answer to my personal problem was simple – it largely involved stopping b!tching about stuff and leading by example instead. If I wanted things to change, then I should get involved and start changing them. So if you’ve ever suffered at the wrong end of my GMing, you can blame him.

The Smart Party
That’s a bunch of people rather than one, but what the heck, I can’t sort one from the other. They all have many good qualities and despite outward appearance are as different from each other in preferences and styles as any other bunch of players you’re likely to meet. Bez is officially the best Pendragon ref in the World, Evar, Lemur is the go-to man for Fate on the UK con circuit and had an uncanny affinity with playing female characters, Jules is Gun Bunny extraordinaire who’ll happily snap a rule system over his knee if it shows weakness, G2 makes the tea, but also knows his onions in any game given a fair run at it and specialises in being a sneaky mother hubbard (which is saying something given his peers), Baz has unrivalled enthusiasm for his game de jour and Simon is a player of note, working hard to progress a game and include others that show some willing. They’re a challenging bunch of guys who’ll play anything to the hilt, the way it should be.

Loz Whittaker
I’ll be totally honest and say I’ve had a hit and miss time being in Loz’s games, he likes Heroquest after all, but when they’re good, they’re very good. He does some brilliant characterisations, which really illustrated for me how you can make NPCs come alive. Also, he’s long been the master of adding an unexpected complication that just turns a scenario on its head, just when the player’s think they’ve got it all sorted.

Scott Dorward
Master of the Macabre, Scott can turn from being utterly urbane and asking if everyone has enough drinks to dropping the C-bomb as a bent East-end Flying Squad copper at the flick of a switch. He’s utterly accommodating and totally ruthless both at the same time. The object of games is to have fun, but for this we must have rules! Scott uses games properly and plays the system hard without it ever getting in the way, just as things should be.

Fabian Küchler & Team http://www.the-kraken.de
Formerly running Tentacles in Bacharach, and now organising The Kraken, Fabian and his Teutonic army are the height of German efficiency, embodying national traits such as creative energy, thoroughness, sincerity, and others that are not as well recognised such as humour. The team make no secret that running a convention is hard work, but do not complain about this, instead embracing it and actively seeking criticism in order to make things even better year after year. Prima Dona UK convention organisers need to take note of the efforts of their European colleagues who provide world class organisation and support, along with a friendly manner and good value, all with no complaint or ask of reward. Truly an inspiration for convention organisers everywhere.

[rabalias]

Wow, this is tough. If we're talking real people who I actually know, as opposed to game designers whose products I have been influenced by, then I think mine would be:

Peter Bennett. Dude introduced me to roleplaying through the red box D&D set, nuff said I guess.

Frax. My partner for 11 years and a roleplayer to boot, it's unsurprising she's influenced my gaming a hell of a lot. We've shared many a lengthy discussion about what we like and don't like, what works and what doesn't, and so forth. We've introduced each other to games, we've shared our gaming experiences, we've roleplayed together and pushed each other to do more and better. I guess she's probably most influenced my social LRPing preferences, and my penchant for excessive preparation.

Chrestomancy. He and I have extremely similar tastes in gaming. Far from being a recipe for stagnation, this has led me to imitate his best stuff and try to better it. Chrestomancy is a master of the horror genre and much of what I know about it I learned from him.

Blackrat. BR introduced me to Apocalypse World, Dogs in the Vineyard, Trollbabe and no doubt other indie-ish games I've forgotten about. He and I both got interested in indie gaming at the same time, and while we have different gaming preferences and different ideas I like to think we've challenged and influenced each other.

Ersticken. Ers hasn't actually done that much to influence my roleplaying directly, but he introduced me to an entire group of gamers who have been immensely influential on me, no one of whom I could reasonably pick out from the rest. As the social fixer he gets the credit. Deep immersion LRP is probably the best term for what I got from these guys, and an appreciation of the logistics of running a really big game.

(I've used interweb handles for everyone except Peter. I've not been in contact with him for years and his name isn't exactly distinctive so hopefully this minor breach of privacy is forgivable )

[Baz King]

Great thread Mick.

I've been thinking about this a lot. My answer might look a bit glib, but I stand by it. The five people who most influence my gaming are the five players on the other side of my GM screen. On Wednesdays its Claire, Jules, Steve, Dan and Jayde. On Mondays it's Gaz, Pete, G2, Dan and Jules. On Fridays it's Gow Bear, AndrewW, Ragr, old timer, wraithben and Elina.

Point being, I bend over fricking backwards for my players. I obsess about making the game work for them, with them and by them. I don't always get it right, but I bloody well try.

Every group is different, and what works with one doesn't necessarily work with others. That dynamic is more powerful than system. I can plan and prep as much as I like, but I have to flex with the audience, compromise all the time, or I get a great game.... And no players next week. Like I say, I rarely run a perfect session, but the layers influence on me is huge.

All that said, I do have a style, but in all honesty I got it from reading books and practicing. Some writers have been a complete inspiration. Some game lines have been the same. I still learn new things every week. I have gaming heroes, and I've met vanishingly few of them in real life.

Will that do?

[Neil Gow]

It is a very interesting thread and very thought provoking! I'm going to look at mine as a gaming journey.

Dave Thompson - way back in the early 80s I started going to a gaming club in Heaton, Newcastle. It was a mix of spotty teenagers and older, wiser, beardier gents. Dave was a beard. Dave wasn't the greatest GM (but he was good). Dave wasn't the most mature adult (in fact, he wasn't at all!). Dave wasn't the sort of person that you would normally think was 'normal' (even though he really was). Dave however, was the one of the 'adults' that would always have time and space to play with the younger members of the club and share his knowledge about gaming with them. He taught me about so much gaming 'stuff' that I doubt I would have been gaming now if it wasn't for him.

Keary Birch - Another strange one this as clearly, Birch is a CoC-loving deviant Keary was the person who brought me back to gaming in the 90s when I was living in Rugby, allowing me to come into his home group and embracing me as one of his own. I actually only gamed with him, Andy, Bill etc for about ten months but they did more than anyone else to cement the hobby back into my life. And after I returned to Newcastle, they introduced me to the con scene which would lead me to so many more adventures. Keary opened my eyes to the wider world of gaming.

Malcolm Craig - Easy peasy one this! I first met Malcolm at GenCon US in 2007. I was very nervous. Very nervous indeed. I approached him on his stall and asked whether I could have a demo of Cold City. I had bottled. Later, I came back again and asked very tentatively (because, despite outward appearances, I am a very shy Gow Bear) if he could chat to me about this idea I had for a game. He did and well, the rest is history. If it wasn't for Malcolm's advice and support there would be no Omnihedron Games.

Andrew Watson - I like to think I'm a decent GM at cons but I also like to think that I am a pretty damned good GM at longer campaigns. I've been gaming with the same peeps for over a decade and I've GMd a good percentage of that. I even got a ridiculous 'Iron GM' moniker for being the person who was always willing to run games. With this in mind, Andrew has taught me that there is always someone better around the corner, ready to show you where you need to up your game. [Look away now Andrew...] He is an exceptional GM with an exemplary ability to use his absolute knowledge of rules to make a game run perfectly and to deliver intricate storylines with blistering pace and meaty resolution. His 'City of Kings' D&D campaign makes other campaigns want to go and hide behind their mother's skirts. He took the bar in our group, laughed at it and set it into the stratosphere. Which is a challenge I quite like...

And that's it - the journey isn't over yet. #5 is open for takers.

[thenovalord]

may possibley be the best thread ever....

Julian Hirst I was doing some revision after school and when i finished i strolled past some guys with some weird dice, and little metal men on a big white map with hexes on. The Gm Julian asked if i wished to sit-in, and i thought, why not. I wasn’t really into fantasy or sci-fi (i hadn’t read the hobbit or LOTR or any books in the genre at the age of 15) but from the first time I meekly said...can id do ........I was hooked. Thanks Jules, 31 glorious years later in the hobby.

Robert Scurr My first true gamer soul mate, at Uni. I’ve never really been one to retell a game session, explain my uber pc to anyone, explain to a mundane about what we do, etc....I just want to play..... lots. And so did Bob. Games just spontaneously broke out

Mrs TheNovalord* for realising from the off that I had been gaming longer than I had known her, and it was v important to me. She was not the least bit interested in the hobby, and not for an instant did I want her to be! She occasionally asks if I had a good session last night, or did I have fun at the con...but even then only half heartedly. She is awesome. *Strangely enough this isn’t her real name. I call her Bear, one day I will ask what her real name is!

DPM For introducing me to this forum 6 years ago so I could realise I had been playing it wrong for the previous 25 years. Instead of just playing the game I realised I had to be a cynical old fart and over analyse everything (over anal-yse!!). Without him pointing me here I wouldn’t have dreamed of going to cons and would have missed out on meeting you lot in person. I would never have realised D&H is the best drinking game ever. Or found Savage Worlds. Or found somewhere to spend my days, and nights!

And as the mighty GOW mentioned. For me Im only ~30 years into the hobby and so slot 5 is still open. If Weak Gray ever finishes a picture or runs a game he may well be a contender! Along with 2 or 3 others.

[Kaiserjez]

Jonny Gray A lot of people on here already know about the "Jonny Gray Manouver". Needless to say it was my big bro who first let me try out roleplaying with him and his "cool" older mates, (ah, the irony of thinking his mates were cool because they were older than me, when really they were/are a bunch of geeks!) Over the years I've been inspired by his awesome artwork and boundless enthusiasm. And his willingness to buy drinks for total strangers in the bar at Naish.

The Mac Daddy After I joined the Navy I didn't game for a few years. Partly because I wasn't really interested in it anymore but mainly because it was considered really geeky in the Navy and sometimes met with outright hostility! When I decided to see if anybody in Portsmouth was actually playing I joined the forums here. So cheers Dave, if it wasn't for you I probably wouldn't of got back into gaming!

Mick Red Dave leads me onto Mick, who PM'd me within 5 minutes of joining the UK Roleplayers forums! He was setting up a gaming club in Portsmouth and wondered if I wanted to come along. And a legend was born.......
Some of my best moments in gaming have happend with Mick, from running riot in Elaine's infamous Monsters game at Conception, to running riot in Neil's infamous Beat to Quarters game at Furnace, to running riot in so many games together that Mick can no longer bring himself to play in games with me anymore because it generally ends up in bad things happening. Usually involving rum. And then there's the ball waxing incident that shall remain unmentioned.

Oreso Rich (or is it it Rick, or Ned?) is the guy who introduced me to Indie roleplaying when he joined the Pompey Crew. Like Mick I was highly dubious about the pitch, "you play not-Mormans in the not-Old West and run around preaching and stuff. Wearing your really impressive coats." WTF???? But it was amazing and opened my mind to a whole new boat load of games that I probably wouldn't of given a second glance to. He is also an amazing GM and always pushes you to be a better player and GM yourself which is cool. And he looks well bad ass when dressed as a ninja.

Pete Pete (Or is it Rick, or Rich, or Artist Formally Known as Peturabo?) is probably the best god damned Canadian roleplayer I have ever met. Nobody I have ever gamed with brings as much enthusiam to the table. Sure, some of his ideas may not always strike a chord with me, (Zip, zap, zop anyone?) but I dig that he tries this stuff out and sometimes he also gets me to give it a go too. And to be fair, when I do try it, I usually like it (except for Fiasco which is just arse gravy). I'm still waiting to see the now mythical ice cream costume though.

Honourable mentions go to - EvilGaz for showing me that trad games are still awesome when run by a proper bo GM. Max Bantleman for managing to run Call of Cthulhu games that are both fun and sometimes actually scary. Scott Dorward for all the dead babies. All the Pompey Crew for the good times over the years. Ooshie for the most unexpected, (by me,) back stabbing in a game ever and all the guys and gals over the years I've met at cons around the country - you lot rock!

[old timer]

Had to think about this for a while, as a lot of my influences are from reading and just running games, developing my style in more, I suppose, isolation than most of the honoured members of this board, as the groups I have ran games for have been mainly for friends, not conventions, clubs and groups looking for players/GM. Also I tend to GM far more than I play (95%+ of all games I have been involved with are me being the GM/moderator/ref/whatever term is used depending on the game)
So for me, the influences are

Mark, my first GM, introduce to me by my best friend at the time, Simon. Mark was running a game called rune quest, and once we got past the slight complexities of character gen, I got to play my first rpg. This character was to last many real time years, and though most of the games were fun, the main lesson I learned from him, apart from how to run a rpg, was how not to run a rpg, as his style developed into GM v Player, something I have always tried to avoid. His introduction of rpgs to me did led me to buy my first game, good old war hammer fantasy role play, first edition, and much gaming goodness was had from that point on.

Simon, best friend at the time, we had a lot of fun playing various games, me often being the GM, and his presence in the RQ games made then more fun than they would have been. Have Since lost contact with him .

Carol, owner of the games keeper in Oxford, my local FLGS. Found her shop not long after she opened it, and it led me to discover many, many rpgs. Her advice on games I might like was invaluable, leading me to buy many games from her over the years.

With my limited convention experience (none of the big ones, just a few one day events here and there over the years) one person (well actually two) who stick in my mind is Max Bantleman, who I believe, along with another guy who’s’ name I have forgotten, ran some SLA games at a one day event for Brooks uni in Oxford many, many years ago. Great games, a lot of fun, and gave me ideas how to make my games more interesting.

This forum, and its great host DPM, which I only found two years ago (somewhat late to the forum scene me) has been a more recent influence on me, and all of it lovely posters with lots of really interesting ideas and takes on rpgs, I may not agree with all of you, but it has been a great find, and is also allowing me to play in a game for a change (thanks to Baz). Also another quick mention for DPM as an influence, who I am sure ran a AvP game using mongoose publishing traveller system on one of their open days years ago (or he has a doppelgänger out there)

[dpmcalister]

Also another quick mention for DPM as an influence, who I am sure ran a AvP game using mongoose publishing traveller system on one of their open days years ago (or he has a doppelgänger out there)

Not me - not had the pleasure of attending a Mongoose open day

---
Sent from my HTC Desire Z using Tapatalk 2

[old timer]

Oh,ok, he just looked like you then, wonder who this doppelgänger is then?

[Kaiserjez]

Oh,ok, he just looked like you then, wonder who this doppelgänger is then?

Is it Bigfoot from Bigfoot and the Hendersons?

[queenortart]

This is a toughy but I'll give it a go in some vague cronological order

1 Lewis Griffiths
An old old friend who ran a scenario called Stormhaven I think about 25 years ago in which he took every scenario in the book and shoved them all together. We played it over two nights and it was more like a freeform than table top. From this I have learnt that more is definitely more. And he introduced me to Chill.

2 Brian Williams
He is never afraid to push the boundaries of sense when writing a freeform. I remember going to GM House on the Hill in America with him and printing out the game which filled two A4 ring binders. Additionally he got me to America and Intercon where I have met some amazing people from whom I have learnt an awful lot about gaming and writing and caring about whether people have a good time or not. He taught me that things can appear straightforwards and yet so not be. A game is often better for a bit of time travel or similar, but equally that if you run a 2 hour debriefing where the first 30 minutes does not appear to half the characters then you should at least let them go to the bar before you start.

3 W00Hoo
He is one of the most patient and unflusterable people I have ever met, and without a doubt the most generous, particularly in terms of his time. I have spent a ridiculous amount of time in his company and don't regret a moment of it. He and the boys in Chatham taught me that you don't have to go full on into game mode the moment you sit down at a table, and that real life matters too and that bollocks must be spoken at the beginning of each game session. It took me a while to work that out. We have done freeforming, table top, written stuff, PBEM, PBM and now Lasertag together and I've learned to value all of them, but he's taught me that you can walk away at the right time.

4 Yankee Kate
One of those Americans of whom I spoke. She allowed me to release my Inner Frock Queen, when I played about 10 years ago in The School for Young Women Specializing in the Arts of Grace and Maidenly Submission, and she turned up in a full ball gown to an afternoon game as a Swedish Princess. I remember thinking - Ooooh I want to wear pretty frocks. I've never looked back and nor have my tiaras.

5 Elina
She has brought a lot of the innocence and joy back into gaming for me, cos I was getting to be a bit stuck in my ways, and watching her playing a table top game at Phoenix and disappearing every few minutes to put a different wig on was a joy. She has brought many hours of fun and reminded me that gaming should be about fun a lot of the time.

This is a skim across the top of an enormous grouping of amazing people who I feel priviledged on the most part to know, it was grim to pick 5 out

[Shane]

Bit late to this one, on account of busy... This is the list as it currently stands. If you'd have asked me a few years back it owuld have been different, and I am sure it will change over time as the years go on.

Richard Pollin: One conversation in a boring geography class about the games he played has made such a massive long-term impact to my social and hobby life that I honestly can't imagine who I would be now if it hadn't happened. We only gamed together for a short time before he moved away and we lost contact, but the effects of that short period are still ongoing.

Pete Scarrott: A guy who plays everything he plays (and to be fair does everything he does) to 110%, all the time. He has never failed to make a game better on either side of the screen, and our long conversations well into the night on games and gaming have informed a lot about who I am as a gamer these days. A genuine and decent guy, who also has the coolest Dad in the whole world - bar none.

Grahame Mulliss: Grahame is a great gamer, with an eye to character and story, but a lot of people forget that gaming is about more than the games; G is a firm believer that no gaming is better than gaming with ****, and **** have no place at his table, something I learned from him. I've only had to boot one player from a game before because he was ruining the fun of every other player (years ago, in Ripon) and Grahame showed me that it doesn't make me a dick because I did it.

Rich Lacey: Sitting down at Rich's table is like a masterclass in GMing/facilitating. Every single time. Man, I wish I could bring a game like this. Characterisation, story-awareness, building other people's fun - brilliant. People like Rich are a pleasure to learn from. Also, he can do accents without falling into the "generic welsh-pakistani" I do.

Mick Reddick: When I moved to Gosport last year and met with the Pompey crew via Mick I was quickly shown a group of gamers who also hung out and did stuff without gaming. I don't know if it's an artifact of the people involved or me, but with the exception of a few very old friends I met through gaming have socialised with the folks from Pompey more than I have any other gaming group, and it's great! I have the sneaking suspicion that without Mick the Pompey crew would have been more like a normal meet/game/off we go kind of game group.

[dpmcalister]

This is actually quite a hard question for me to answer. Due to my employment history, I've moved around a lot and so, in most cases, although I've had the pleasure of roleplaying with some great people (and the occasional tosser ) I'm not sure I can cite many as an influence on me. Here's three though...

The DRCU Crew: The group I helped form back in the late '80s (DRCU stood for Dundee Resources Centre for the Unemployed). We used to meet in there on a weekly basis playing, mainly, WFRP. When the placed relocated (because of the building on the inner ring road) we had to find a new venue (the new place was much smaller) so we started playing in one of the guy's bedsits. We lived like geek versions of The Lost Boys - sleeping all day and roleplaying all night (except on Giro day ). The guys there taught me that you didn't need to have the latest rules or supplement (mainly because we couldn't afford it on £18 a fortnight!), it was easy to either come up with something yourself or hack something from White Dwarf/Dungeon/Dragon/Imagine/etc.

Sean Connor: Introduced me to a lot of people within the RPGA (and talked me into becoming a Regional Director for a short while!) but, more importantly, brought me into the Sarbreenar team. I learnt a lot there and it led on to me becoming the UK Regional Director for the Living Spycraft campaign (which in turn lead to my first, and thus far only, freelance writing assignment). Sean taught me to have self-confidence and how to listen to people.

Tony Hyams: believed in the UK Role Players idea enough to fund it (domain name and hosting) for its first 6 years of life. Without him I doubt any of us would be here (and, by here, I obviously mean this website ). Tony's belief rubbed off on me and, even though I occasionally have moments where I feel like jacking it all in, UK Role Players is still here and will be celebrating its tenth anniversary next year!

[Ooooshie]

I have really enjoyed reading this thread and have taken a long time to consider my thoughts on Influence...
I could put down so many people Karen 'Chikky' Bathard of course as after ten years of gently suggesting I try gaming pushed me head long into Brenda's game of 'JAWS' whilst making out Indiecon would just be a nice place to meet great people and I became hooked!!!
Then there are the wonderful 'Pompey Crew' want to include you all! I have only had one game which almost turned me off gaming. I have been fortunate to game with some great GM's ......but sadly cannot name all of you Why only 5?????
Oh well, here goes

1) Toad....Not only a great GM.....loved the whooshing of the cherry trees in Mountain Witch, but someone I really enjoy gaming with. I will never forget how choked up Toad made me in Grey Ranks, there was a poignant moment when in order to save some children from a slow death Toad decided to shoot each of them saying their names as he did so, even now brings a lump to my throat. I also will not forget Toad pulling me out of my lodge one morning of a con whilst I was feeling a bit down and dragged me to play 'Kagematsu' huge thanks for that as I haven't looked back and it is one of my firm favorites. I want to add 'WITCH' what more is there to say???? Thanks Mr Toadie

2)Indie Rich....Any game I have played with Rich I have enjoyed whether it's Apocalypse World or Do. The style of Rich's GM'ing where he is always pushing to change the scenarios or rules has made me realise that this is acceptable and encouraged by some writers of Indie games. I always find Rich enlightening, fun, competitive (he is normally my arch nemisis in every game we play together even Battlestar Gallactica )!! and my bestest lego worshipper!!! Just you wait for Monster Hearts !!!

3) James Mullen such a cool GM! James had me tied up in knots in My Life With Master, I knew fairy tales had a dark side but Snow White,really? I never saw the evil that lurked inside her! The promises I made and couldn't keep eeeeek too many to remember! I want more please Mr Mullen.

4) Scott Dorwood. I first played in a game of Scott's at Pubcon 2011, he introduced me to Cthulhu Dark....WOW..... my insanity levels soared!! Scott never disappoints. I was fortunate enough to play in a couple of his games at Conception 2012. He came to the table with a blank sheet of paper, a pen and a few bottles of Hoegarden. The way Scott turns the plots and screws with the charcters is ingenious, I really don't know how he does it even after a 'Mick' helping of Morgans Spiced Scott manages to lure and trap his players. Quite frankly I am in awe!!!

5) Well after a lot of consideration my final influence has to be Mick Reddick. He encouraged me to go along to my first Pompey session even though I am from Southampton (huge rivalry between the cities for anyone who doesn't know) so I was rather concerned but everyone was terrific and welcomed me. Mick pushed, prodded and nagged me, then pushed, prodded and nagged me some more into GM'ing I am so glad he did. When I sat in the top bar at Conception 2012 and looked around I suddenly felt I belonged somewhere and this I am grateful to Mick for. Mick has always been enthusiastic about the games he loves and extremely vocal about the ones he hasn't!!! He always steered me to games he felt I would enjoy and has nearly been 'always right'. Somehow I would find my name scribbled out on other games.....hmmmm the ones Mick thought were crap! Mick as a GM and a player does bring an awesomeness. I have been tempted to let him just carry on when he has been in one of my games, partly because he is so hard to shut up but also because he plays a scene and character so wonderfully well it is easy to let him have the floor!!!

So that's it my 5 although I would also like to throw in all the players who played in Kagematsu at Indiecon 2011 you really were an inspirational set of girlies and Goober you will one day get the 'luuurrrvvve' I cannot believe I have only been gaming since November 2010 I am so pleased it is now part of my life. I feel very lucky to have gamed and met so many interesting, great people within the community and I'm proud to be called a 'geek' xx