And the Most Depressing Game Award Goes To...

Wraith typically gets the nod, from what I hear, of being the most depressing game published in memory though to be fair, someone did write "Gray Ranks" about being in an inevitably doomed Polish youth brigade fighting the Germans during WWII and that may have been more of a downer. I like Wraith. I find it very gameable, in large part due to Stygia being a location, and I enjoyed the themes of hope and redemption. Also, I bought the 1st Ed. soft-cover, and didn't regret it a whit. I think you can still get copies in excellent condition on Amazon.

Anyway, right. I read Promethian, which has the virtue of providing you with a clear and achievable 'win condition', being one of the few games where this is the case. Despite that, it seems like one of the most depressing games I can name, not because you're bound to fail but because of what happens in the middle.

Player: Hank is going to go to the store for a pint of milk and some cookies. He's had a rough day.
ST: Of course. (looks at his notes) Well, you succeed in getting your stuff.
Player: Sweet.
ST: But the cashier hates you and a mother shopping with her daughter pulls her out of the aisle as you pass.
Player: Aw.
ST: And your home is radioactive.
Player: I just remodeled...

It's not that anyone can really stop you, it's just that they all want to. I bet that's a downer. It was a fun read.

I'm reading the Dragon-Blooded 1st Ed book heavily, lately, to determine what kind of terrestrial exalt can challange a small band of Solars. Frankly, there's a cap on exp. where they can do anything at all, which basically hits when a Solar can 1 - execute perfect defenses and 2 - create an attack which is going to exceed terrestrial defenses, but I didn't work out the math on when that was. The upside is that DB's get a bunch of cool elemental Charms that Solars just don't, and they make really terrific henchmen.

So, I haven't made a Cam game up here in months. I might of gone this weekend past, but instead I opted to sleep in instead of bussing in, and I really didn't regret that. But nevertheless, I was online looking at shoes for my Mage character and I'm starting to wonder if that isn't just an excuse to buy shoes or something. I had the bizarre chance to dream of shopping for clothing to the tune of the Zombies 1969 rendition of Time of the Season, and I realized it was a dream when I saw I had selected two jackets and was going to keep both of them. Oh my, a spending spree. I really wish I had that bomber jacket on waking, though.
I kind of want to go back to bed. My comforter is terribly warm, and I <3 it.