Ogre Celeb Multiplayer Event! #PlayOgre
Important news! Ogre sees a major multiplayer event this Thursday! Here’s the news from the Auroch Digital forum (So now is the time to grab a copy of Ogre and join in the melee!)
Hello everyone!
Jake from Auroch Digital here, and wow do we have a Christmas treat for you! You may be aware that we’ve been running Ogre Multiplayer Fridays recently as a way to get as many people involved in multiplayer games as possible. These have been good fun and have led to some fantastic games between members of this great community, and even between the developers and fans!
This week, as it’s the final Friday before Christmas, we’re giving you a chance to play not just against the developers of the digital adaptation, but against a range of Ogre and Steve Jackson Games’ royalty and celebrities, including the man himself!
The full list of celebrities and Ogre experts taking part is as follows;
- Steve Jackson – the legendary designer of Ogre, GURPS, Car Wars, Munchkin and more… Available between 11 am – 4 pm EST, 4 pm – 8 pm UK
- Winchell Chung – the man behind the iconic artwork of the original board game. 12 pm – 4 pm EST, 5 pm – 9 pm UK
- Steven J Marsh – GURPS Project Manager. 4 pm – 8 pm EST, 9 pm – 1 am UK
- Drew Metzger – Ogre Line Editor. 2 pm – 5 pm EST, 7 pm – 10 pm UK
- Devin Lewis – Game Designer and Munchkin Editorial Assistant. 5 pm – 8 pm EST, 10 pm – 1 am UK.
- Jake Connor – that’s me! Community Manager at Auroch Digital. 10 am – 2 pm EST, 3 pm – 7 pm UK.
- Steve Martin – Designer on the Ogre Steam adaptation. 10 am – 2 pm EST, 3 pm – 7 pm UK
All you need to do is log in at any of the above times, head to ‘Ranked Matchmaking’ and begin searching!
Important note – matchmaking is random and there is no strict guarantee that you will definitely be matched with any of the noted participants above. We will be available throughout the day and playing against the first opponents we match against. We will be playing multiple games so if you don’t match someone above immediately, feel free to try again later! As a rule of thumb, a game takes around 30-45 mins.
As always on Multiplayer Fridays, there are six key times to be aware of, if you want to keep matching fellow players outside of the celebrity slots:
Friday 22nd December
UK – 3PM, 5PM, 7PM, 9PM, 11PM, 1AM
Eastern – 10AM, 12PM, 2PM, 4PM, 6PM, 8PM
Pacific – 07AM, 09AM, 11AM, 1PM, 3PM, 5PMAs always, while you do need to be online to matchmake with an opponent, once a game is in progress you can safely log off, play single player or other multiplayer games, and make custom scenarios. You’ll also receive a notification within Steam whenever your opponent finishes all their actions – perfect if your opponent is halfway across the world. Just remember that if you are playing a celebrity, you need to complete your game during their scheduled time slot on December 22.
Pro tip: you can participate in multiple games at once. Simply repeat the procedure to enter a Ranked or Custom Game. To see your active games, just go to the Multiplayer screen, and select ‘Active Games’. You should see ‘Ranked’ and ‘Custom’ tabs, where each type of game is held.
We look forward to seeing you on the battlefield this Friday!
PS. If you’re on Steam, join the forum too!
Missed last week’s Cthulhu Thursday – sorry! A lot on…. First off, final few Cthulhu Christmas Cards are left, so grab a pack before they are all gone! For that project, and in keeping with the title of this post, here’s the full version of the ’12 Days of Cthulhumas’ I’d written as a update…
On the 12th Day of Christmas,
My True Love Gave to me,
Twelve Cultists Chanting,
Eleven Whippoorwills Piping,
Ten Alhazreds a Leaping,
Nine Deep Ones Dancing,
Eight Shoggoths Milking,
Seven Mi-go a Swimming,Six Ghroth-A-Laying,
Five Silver Keys,
Four Voorish Signs,
Three Ulthar Cats,
Two Tindalos Hounds,
And Yog-Sothoth in a Pear Tree.
Now, onwards!
The excellent science journal New Scientist got in on the Cthulhu action recently…
Two bits of Lovecraftian audio news… The excellent Laird Barron’s work is becoming an audio drama. I shuddered upon reading this.
Also the RPG, Achtung! Cthulhu is becoming an audio drama too:
Finally something with a bit of cheer… Tor.com asks if Ghostbusters gives some hope in the face of the formless, endless darkness of the Cthulhu world view?
See you next week!
(Cthulhu Thursday is a dose of Mythos to brighten darken your week. A list of posts thus far, here. Also some upcoming Cthulhu news, sign up to the Auroch Digital’s newsletter. Enjoy!)
Though #CthulhuThursday in Time and Space!
Hello cultists! Lots of great and terrible things to share. First off I’m adding to my (ever growing) reading list The Peaslee Papers which sounds very good. If you recall Peaslee is the man who mind is inhabited by Yithians in The Shadow Out of Time. Now a writer has fleshed out the Peaslee family story…
They play the Long Game, the purpose of which is hidden, perhaps even from themselves. They shall be as saviors, manipulating forces we do not and cannot understand. … But even this is only part of the Long Game, a game in which the universe itself is the prize. The Yith Have Always Been With Us… and So Have the Peaslees. Twenty-two tales of cosmic horror detailing the further exploits of H.P. Lovecraft’s Peaslee family, their ancestors, and descendants.
Find out more here.
Next up is good news for fans of the excellent Call of Cthulhu RPG…
https://twitter.com/YSDC/status/933619973439873025
I have noted before a good short film with a Lovecraftian vibe: Experiment 17. Lots of people on Reddit liked this. One commentator pointed out there was an Experiment 18 too. Some people take it too far!
(Speaking of Reddit, did you know there is some controversy about the appointment of a lifelong judge who is a Lovecraftian author? For me his taste in fiction is not an issue, it’s the fact that he’s never tried a case before that is. That and his views on race and equality.)
Onwards.Now I should have written this blog post using this font! Of course I should have!!
Yes be careful what you write with it… words have power…
Finally of course of KS for Cthulhu Christmas Cards ended and ended well. We’re busy fulfilling that now…
You can still (just about) jump in here if you missed out!
(Cthulhu Thursday is a dose of Mythos to brighten darken your week. A list of posts thus far, here. Also some upcoming Cthulhu news, sign up to the Auroch Digital’s newsletter. Enjoy!)
We have much goodness for you this week! Ok, now guess what this image is?
Yog Sothoth? A Elder Thing detail?
Nope. It’s the very end of a mosquitoes foot. Shows that reality can conjure beauty and horror as much as the mind.
Next some great art….
Also this cover of Lovecraft’s works!
This article is also worth it!
https://twitter.com/FunctionalNerd/status/923954876454809601?s=03
PS. We’re into the final hours of the Cthulhu Christmas Cards Kickstarter and are near the 200% mark! Thanks all and there is time to back us still!
(Cthulhu Thursday is a dose of Mythos to brighten darken your week. A list of posts thus far, here. Also some upcoming Cthulhu news, sign up to the Auroch Digital’s newsletter. Enjoy!)
#CthulhuThursday – Reflecting the Dark Mirror of Chaos!
So we start with a bit of art, an image of the dreaming one…
https://twitter.com/ShadownexEdge/status/922696083276488705?s=03
Amazing art! Next I am compelled to talk of our Kickstarter – we’re fully funded and past the first stretch goal! Here is the path to maDneSS, aI! ai!…
Next is this really interesting article on the enduring attraction of Lovecraft’s work in RPG form:
Call of Cthulhu has been around for decades, and for good reason. Created by Sandy Peterson, it’s widely considered one of the best roleplaying games ever created—not only for its interesting storylines, but also for how it subverts the typical RPG genre. Unlike games like Dungeons & Dragons, Call of Cthulhu is about pain and loss. You’re always outmatched, outclassed, and overwhelmed by the threats you face, and the rewards usually aren’t dropped loot, kingdoms saved, or love everlasting. Rather, the true reward is in doing the right thing, no matter the cost. This game isn’t about the hero getting a happy ending—saving the world often means sacrificing your mind, body, or sanity.
And something else interesting I’ve not added to my to-read list – some African Horror!
As should be obvious by now I not only thoroughly enjoyed Dead Corpse but I am also a huge fan of Nuzo Onoh’s work as a whole. By bringing her vision of African Horror to the world she expands our borders, broadens our imaginations and adds her writings to the treasure trove of our beautiful genre. I consider Dead Corpse to be a breath of fresh air…
Finally the ever fascinating 41 Strange has a haunting image from a 1920s horror film..
https://twitter.com/41Strange/status/913998660605579265?s=03
See you next time!
(Cthulhu Thursday is a dose of Mythos to brighten darken your week. A list of posts thus far, here. Also some upcoming Cthulhu news, sign up to the Auroch Digital’s newsletter. Enjoy!)
A Couple of Game Dev Presentation Documents
Just wanted to share two PDFs from two talks I have given recently:
- What’s happening with Steam (Bristol Games Hub 26th Oct)
- Handy Guide to Games Investment (Bristol VR Lab & Bristol Games Hub Games Investment Event 18th Oct)
Please do your own research as to the figures/numbers in them as they are there as part of a talk to illustrate points. Sources are indicated on the slides.
PS. As it’s Halloween – why not think of Christmas!
Quick Links for Oct 2017 (I read a lot of gamesdev articles, so you don’t have too!)
Let’s get started with October’s quick links! (Before we do I should plug the new release of Ogre, which is ace and also our Cthulhu Christmas Cards, which have smashed 100%)
As we move into Brexit turf, I suspect many devs are getting a bit worried about what changes might mean for such a global and EU facing industry. So it’s some good news that an Independent Body recommends more funding our UK games industry;
The newly published government commissioned review, The Independent Review of the Creative Industries has suggested that the UK Games fund should receive a further investment of £23.7 million, which is over five times its current level, and that this should be delivered over the next five years.
One of the great things about gaming is how we can share our passion. That connection can also become a problem too, for both players and people working in games… and it’s not a new thing too. So it’s interesting to read how major companies are (or are not) taking the issue on:
This is the crux; the problem is not technological, it’s philosophical. Valve clearly has a strong philosophy and political standpoint about how online services should work and about how the freedom of users (including users who haven’t actually bought a game but still want to give it a 1-star review and call its creator a variety of colourful names) should be balanced against the protection of creators’ livelihoods. … On the flip side of this coin, you’ve got Blizzard – a company which embraces technology with every bit as much fervour as Valve, but takes a very different approach to protecting its players and policing its community. Last week, Overwatch game director Jeff Kaplan laid things out very clearly – the team has absolutely refocused personnel and resources away from other features and content in order to address player toxicity in the Overwatch community.
(Also see video in here)
This is interesting: TIGA partners with ITN Productions on current affairs-style games industry programme The Next Level. Be interesting to see how that pans out.
Finally a more philosophical question: Should players get access to all a game’s content even if they don’t play though? It a good question and the balance points are there – reward for play vs access to content. Given I’m a bit more of a time-poor gamer than I was, I’m a fan of allowing both; give options to access the game easier for those that want it. I like the idea that there is no ‘easy’ mode but there is a ‘story’ mode for those who’s play is more towards that sort of thing. However unlocking it all just from the start? Don’t think that feel right personally.
Video games are one of the only means of expression where you have to pass some sort of test before seeing the rest of what the experience has to offer. No one asks you to solve a logic problem before reading the last page of a book, nor are there many art galleries that ask you a quiz about the paintings that you saw in the last room before you can get to the next one.
But a game asks you to get good enough at whatever challenges it offers before you can see the whole thing. You will be tested, and only those who have “earned” the higher levels through completing those tests will ever see them.
PS. Like this? more here! Also sign-up to our newsletter too!
PPS. Sign this!
An Update on Cthulhu Christmas Cards
Well, sorry but it is the done thing when you’re running a Kickstarter campaign to spam your channels with content! Here’s Update 2… (click to read more..)
On the Second Update of Christmas,
My True Love Gave to me,
Two Tindalos Hounds,
And Yog-Sothoth in a Pear Tree.
#CthulhuThursday is Alternative Visions of Cthulhu and of Christmas
I must start with news of our twisted campaign to create these blasphemous Christmas cards! We’re about 75% funded so do join us!
Next is this great image of Cthulhu. Now we’re used to seeing images based on Lovecraft’s original sketch of Cthulhu, so it’s always cool when someone re-interprets the look of such an iconic monster…
A very unique Cthulhu design by Christopher Onciu
Also this is a halloween book you NEED in your life!
Finally I enjoyed this article on why Ghostbusters as an antidote to the horror of Lovecraft’s vision…
This, then, is the world-view Ghostbusters offers in place of the Cthonic duality. As in Lovecraft we have a surface world of institutions, with a horror zone beneath—which, if you read human history, is not far from the truth. Many bodies lie buried beneath our marble facades. But if you press through the marble and the rot—which takes work, humility, courage, and a sense of humor—you’ll be able to connect with living breathing human beings.
See you next week!
(Cthulhu Thursday is a dose of Mythos to brighten darken your week. More on the idea can be found here and a list of posts thus far, here. Also some upcoming Cthulhu news, sign up to the Auroch Digital’s newsletter. Enjoy!)
#CthulhuThursday Not the 1st Edition, but 1st with the Links…
First off, a picture of Ogrethulu to celebrate the launch of Ogre last week!
Next we have news that a Lovecraftian 1st edition went up for auction on 5th Oct…
Have you ever wanted to own a first-edition H.P. Lovecraft book, to breathe in its sulphurous, deathless pages, preferably while wearing black robes and chanting? Obviously we all do. But only one of us will have the opportunity: Lovecraft’s first edition of his first novel — The Shunned House, 1928 — along with many others, will be going up for auction.
Happy news for board game players…
Join the search to stop innumerable cults worshipping a single, dreaded being in Masks of Nyarlathotep, a new expansion for Eldritch Horror from Fantasy Flight Games, inspired by the classic Call of Cthulhu roleplaying adventure! At the same time, you can experience the adventure anew in your roleplaying group with a new edition of the Masks of Nyarlathotep adventure from Chaosium that brings the definitive Call of Cthulhu roleplaying campaign into the game’s seventh edition.
Finally there is this amazing King in Yellow King image by Geber Luis…
(Cthulhu Thursday is a dose of Mythos to brighten darken your week. More on the idea can be found here and a list of posts thus far, here. Also some upcoming Cthulhu news, sign up to the Auroch Digital’s newsletter. Enjoy!)
A Great Becoming... 
