Matt's Webcorner

Tabletop roleplaying

We are in the process of updating the official webpage for the Stanford Gaming Society. In the meantime, this page serves as a repository for all the active games being run or games looking for players. No experience is required and new players are always welcome. If you have any questions regarding SGS or tabletop gaming at Stanford, feel free send an email to or . If you are running a game or looking to start a game, let me know and we'll update this page. If you are looking for a game, feel free to email me or the GM's below.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is tabletop roleplaying?

Tabletop roleplaying - Dice, paper, rulebooks, and more! Its most common incarnation, Dungeons and Dragons, is famous (or at least infamous) the world over. While you will find the occasional game of D&D here, we branch out substantially into other systems and genres. Whether you want to spend your time strategizing on the best way to capture an elder red dragon alive, or enjoy a session devoted to roleplaying wheels-within-wheels espionage and diplomacy, there is probably a matching game at Stanford.

How much of a time commitment is tabletop gaming?

Games are divided into two main categories - ongoing campaigns, which usually meet once a week for at least a quarter, and one-shots, which are one-time events usually designed to showcase a novel system or provide for those among us who are less gifted with free time.

Do I have to read a 300 page book before I can start playing?

Usually not. Most game masters will be happy to introduce you to the system and guide you through character creation and the basics of the mechanics so you can get started as quickly as possible.

Current Campaigns

Below is a list of games at Stanford that are actively running or looking for players to get started. This list is up-to-date as of October 2012. E-mail me for corrections or additions.

System	Game Organizer(s)	Status	Summary
	Matt Fisher: Marc-Etienne: Tiphanie Gammon:	Ongoing (email Matt if interested)	SGS is looking to organize recurring one-shots to introduce new games and new players. These are fun and very low time commitment. There are plenty of GMs interested in running one-shots of widely varying settings and playstyles. More information may be posted soon but games can start whenever we get enough interested players, so let us know if you want to join a one-shot.
	Paul	Active, looking for 1-2 players	The players are currently heading into an evil forest in search of treasure. New players start at level 11. Pathfinder is a system similar to the Revised 3rd edition of Dungeons and Dragons.
	Matt Fisher	Active, looking for 1-2 players	This game is set in a post-apocalyptic Earth where humanity has been driven underground. The players originated in Alpha Complex, located beneath the ruins of San Francisco and ruled by a cryptic AI of indeterminate motives and capabilities called the Overseer. The party is starting to uncover what the Overseer has been planning for the past fifty years. More information can be found at The Alpha Complex Wiki.
	Daniel Whalen	Looking to start, 4-5 players	Subtle Meme: There is no magic or fantasy in this world. But no may be a lie. Using the Generic Universal RolePlaying System (GURPS 3.0).
	Winfield	Looking to start, 4-5 players	Only War is a roleplaying game set in the Warhammer 40k universe. Players take on the roles of soldiers in the Imperial Guard, the galaxy-spanning armies of the God-Emperor.
	Marc-Etienne	Looking to start in November, 4-5 players	Having hired on as mercenaries with a traveling merchant, the characters find the nation they've just reached fairly convivial in terms of obscurity, given Wyld Hunt or other related risks. Ensuring that it remains friendly and continues to do well may prove... interesting, as the scale of their interests expands. Combat, politics, exploring, and a kingdom or two to save - who can ask for more?
	Marc-Etienne	Looking to start in November, 4-5 players	Ars Magica is set in a magical version of the Middle Ages. The players are journeymen mages of some talent, with quite a bit to learn nonetheless. Having completed their apprenticeships, they are sent (more or less willingly) to create a covenant (place of power for mages) in the Alps - politics, natural (and otherwise) dangers, and exploration will all play a role. The in-game time scale is on the order of seasons to decades, allowing for creative magical research when you're not busy getting rid of dragon infestations and the like.
	Marc-Etienne	Looking to start in November, 4 players	The game starts using the 'Auspicious Beginnings' scenario (a fun introduction to the system), martial arts mayhem will follow our Bold Heroes as they seek to prove the superiority of their Art in the face of many challenges. The system is fairly fun and easy to learn, all characters start out able to run up walls and across water. Not to be taken too seriously. Martial arts madness awaits as the four heroes seek, together, to infiltrate Seven Devil City and gain the treasures that are rightfully theirs!

Is there a system you're interested in that we aren't running? Let us know and we might be able to find a GM interested in running it. This is especially true of one-shots.