So tonight we had our Marvel Super Heroes Adventure Game (hereafter refered to as MSHAG) campaign session, as we do most Monday nights.  MSHAG is a table-top role-playing game which was published in August 1998 by TSR.  It's  been out of print since Marvel Comics pulled the licence several years ago. 

I started Narrating this campaign in September 1998 the week after CopperCon XVIII, and people are still returning week after week.  I'm not sure if it's because so few people run superhero role-playing campaigns or because I run the game in unique ways.  One thing that I do is Narrate as if the events were an actual comic we were reading.  I'll start out a story with the description of a Cover, include a Title, describe text boxes and writen sounds, and often describe actions with page and panel layouts. 

The one sad thing about the campaign is that it is likely to end soon, even though not everyone wants it to do so.  The logistics of getting everyone together on the same day with enough play time to make it worthwhile will probably end in October.  So, I want to offer a great blowout party for all players past and present to celebrate the four years of fun we all had.  And co-incidentally, it will correspond with issue #100 of the in-game comics series.

So, now that I've given everyone the backstory I can explain what one player did tonight that was so noteworthy.  The player of Shift tried a new power stunt tonight and failed.  This can happen from time to time, and the game system prohibits re-trying power stunts which fail on their first try.  Unfortunately, the player threw his remaining Hand of Fate and stomped around the house.  He was upset because he wanted his character to reach certain things before the end of the campaign, and the end is suddenly a lot nearer than we ever planned for originally.  The only other way to get the abilities of that power stunt is to raise another power of his by another 14 intensity.  He doesn't feel that that is reachable before October. 

Well, I'm sorry for him, but we all suffer setbacks in-game and in real life.  Plenty of other players tried to offer examples of similar situations they have been in, but he wouldn't hear it.  Well, what about all the cool plans I had for the team that I won't get to see?  The cool subplots that will be left unresolved?  The cool characters left unmade?  The cool traps left unsprung?  The cool crossovers left undone?  But no, everything resolves around Russ.  I'm sorry you didn't get what you wanted Russ, but move on.  Don't sit there and mope the rest of the night.  Not only is it rather immature for an adult, but it's rather unsuperheroic for your character too.

Anyway, it's way past bedtime.  The alarm's only six hours away.  Night my journal friends!