This is for everybody. The veterans of SR who miss the man, the newbies who don't know him...and me who still checks his page looking and praying for an update. Where has the ultimate GM gone? I assume he doesn't play.

For anyone who doesn't know. BJ's SR page is the bible of GM advice. He has stories and essays all pertaining to good (but now slightly outdated) games and real life situations. Please visit his site and keep bitter gamemastering alive!!!

http://blackjack.dumpshock.com/

"Which option's best? If you guessed C, you get a cookie."
-Blackjacks Guide to Bitter Gamemastering 101

I'm not an experienced veteran of SR like so many other games but I know Black Jack well. I have scoured the web to find GOOD advice that is more than merely mechanics to teach new players and to learn more myself and Black Jack's has consistently won. It's been a while since I've checked his page out, but I hope he comes back soon.

Everyone always bugged him for more content and more updates, and it was just his hobby, not his sacred duty, so he said 'screw all y'all' and dropped off the face of the planet, never to be heard from again.

He briefly tried a comeback, explaining the whys of the previous dissapearance, and the same thing happened again, so he decided he didn't want to be bothered about it *that* much and became a hermit again.

He's kinda like our own personal version of that guy who wrote Catcher in the Rye, except he put out good work,

J.D. Salinger

I too love Blackjacks guide as it covers the cornerstones of good GMing in SR.. heck GMing in general.

I wish he would come back and start to update too. Maybe now that fansites can generate some ad dollars it would be a more interesting passtime for him?

Feonyx

Blackjack wrote Catcher in the Rye?

I mean, yeah, thats a good site. Its good particularly for inspiration, and I love the maps and Sat images that he's collected/created. Most of his columns/rants reminds me of the groups I played with when I first started out in SR. Good times.

I'm not so much a fan of a lot of his advice, but I want more Brumby: Troll Philosopher.

~J

Hey, I liked the cows. Was a bit over the top, perhaps...but effective. Of course, that's the whole reason it wasn't a guide to GMing, it was a guide to bitter GMing.

Haven't read the maps and Brumby section yet, I'm slogging my way through it. The char section is interesting tho, may start using some of them in my campaign (especially Crazy Eye the bus driver...that was classic)

I've seen GMs do variants of the "Cows from Space" and it annoys me as a player every time (in fact, it's my number one issue that ticks me off).

If a GM has a problem with a player that goes beyond forgetting his southern accent (the example BJ used), then just take the player aside and talk to him. Most reasonable players will listen and adjust accordingly because most players ultimately want to succeed in their virtual lives. The heavy-handed approach just pisses people off and has ended more formerly-good campaigns than I want to think about.

Hey, I liked 'em as a concept. I would never use 'em tho - I'm more subtle.

Wasn't talking about you Doc; I've had no issue with your game. I was talking about GMs I've played with (and walked from) in the past.

Talking is good, but sometimes the player wont listen and then all you have left is the cow.

No problems with me forgetting a Southern accent. I naturally have one.

Actually, I just got into his site and, well, am laughing my hoop off.

Disclaimer: I have never actually used a cow on any of my players. I have joking threatened players with it though.

Of course, telling the non-listening player to stop playing with the group is the easiest way, but circumstances can make it difficult to actually do that. And that assumes that s/he listens.

If you can't talk reasonably with your players and/or they refuse the wishes of you and your group, then dropping a cow on them is pointless itself. The only thing that ever accomplishes is pissing people off.

I have to whole-heartedly agree with the Doc (and others) on the cow issue. Advocating the use of this kind of mechanism is my main gripe against Blackjack.

Yup the cow thing was my biggest 'beef' with Black Jack.. otherwise his imagination and his concepts were/are informative and funny.

I don't think a GM is a GM very long if he kills his characters off with flying bovine.

Feonyx

Hey, the man must have been doing something right. He posted for years and had comments on every edition of book up till '01. He's just an old school GM with old school problems. Of course it doesn't seem to help all his players were either newbies or munchins...its a two way street. Both the GM and players have to work at making a fun game for all.

Also, cows from space was just a figure of speech (mostly) he more avocated taking out problems that CANT be solved in any other way. Drop a plane, a god npc or hit the player with a semitruck. Not just cows...

And who didn't love the month of chaos?