I started gaming in college, when a friend persuaded me to take a small part in a LARP he was writing. I spent the entire game having a blast, wishing only that I had been less skeptical and asked for a more central character. I played in several LARPs before making the transition to tabletop, and I'm still far and away a character- and story-motivated player.

I'm playing in a great group right now. The group of players we choose from are Dan, Brad, Ry, Kisha, Tabetha, Pete, Jascha, Jon, and myself. Recently, we've played Nobilis (which is a fantastic game that you should play) and various cthulhoid games using the Unknown Armies system. More games we've tried are In Nomine, Over The Edge, Paranoia, Discworld, Ars Magica, straight Cthulhu, and Whitewolf (mixed-species group). Interesting information about runs of games we've played is below. Warning, the sites contain some spoilers, especially in the session summaries.

The Masks Of Nyarlathotep

An epic Call of Cthulhu campaign, this was the first large campaign our group tackled. It took over a year. Players (at one time or another) included myself, Ry, Charles, Kisha, Nathaniel, Brad, Lauren, and one guy whose name I can't remember. Jon was our ever-disturbing GM.

Chaosium's website for the campaign (which I believe has been re-released) can be found here; pages for our run of the campaign here. We used a modified version of 3rd edition CoC for the system; our modifications can be found on our campaign page, as well as descriptions of the characters, monster-sized session summaries, and generally more information than you probably want.

Beyond the Mountains of Madness

Another epic Call of Cthulhu campain, this is what we're currently playing. Players are myself, Ry, Kisha, Brad, Jascha, and Pete, again with Jon running the campaign. In this game, our heros venture to Antarctica in search of the discoveries (and remnants) of a previous Miskatonic University expedition.

Here is the official website for the campaign, where you can do such cool things as buy it. We're using a modified version of the Unknown Armies system for this run. Details about it can be found on the campaign web page, which Kisha is maintaining. Also to be found there are summaries (warning: spoilers enclosed!), character descriptions, and a completely hilarious quotes page from some of the games we've played. You should check it out.

Nobilis: Autumn, Genesis, and The Game of Blood and Dust.

We're currently in our third epic Nobilis campaign. Current players are myself, Jon, Kisha, Brad, Jascha, and Pete. Ry is our Hollyhock God (silly Nobilis name for GM). Past campaigns have also included Dan and Tabetha (Ry has always been our HHG). Who knows what the eventual plot of this campaign will be, but I'll describe the past plots and games. (Game quotes for all three Nobilis campaigns can be found on Kisha's page.)

Autumn, our first Nobilis campaign, was much, much fun. I'm linking to all of our characters and Chancel / Imperator descriptions as a resource. Characters (with player names in parentheses) were: Sensation (Amy), Need (Jon), Cycles (Dan), Evolution (Nathaniel), Home (Tabetha), The Liminal (Brad), Unity (Pete), and Weather (Kisha). Alakh-Mu, the True God, was our mostly confusing Imperator, and we all inhabited Storm's Eye.

Plot of Autumn: An investigation of several missing Nobles leads to the discovery of a rogue power with an abhorrent weapon. But this proves to be merely the lead-in to a dizzying array of plots and counterplots as Nobles, Imperators, Excrucians, and mortals vie for the weapon and its alleged link to the apocalyptic coming of the fourth age. Enemies become friends as Excrucian helps Noble against Excrucian, family becomes foe as rumors cause distrust to grow, master manipulators become pawns as deceivers are deceived by honesty, imbeciles turn out to be expert spies, creatures of darkness are tender lovers, and a small child leads the way to fight the deadliest Angel of all. Can our heroes hack through the impossible tangle of truths and lies before the seventh seal is broken - or will they just dissolve into petty bickering and snide remarks?

Genesis, our second campaign, was kind of a continuation of the first campaign, at least inasmuch as it contained the same characters and setting. The plot: The first baby born to an Excrucian shard and a Noble has the whole World Tree in a tizzy. Will it be a horrible monster? The fulfillment of a prophecy? An ordinary baby? Some want it born and some want it (and its mother) dead . . . but which sides are which, and who can be trusted, aren't easy answers to decide. Will the results of the Olympic-like "Noble Games" decide the fate of the child - and, perhaps, the future of the Universe?

The Game of Blood and Dust is our current campaign. Our characters are The Blade (Jon), Purity (Amy), Chance (Brad), Death (Kisha), Nothing (Pete), and Rage (Jascha). I'll post links to descriptions of our Imperator (the angel Azrael) and Chancel (Grand Central) when I've written them. Plot will have to wait until we figure out what it is. *grin*

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