Journey Beyond Tour '05

This weekend was the '05 Journey Beyond reunion
for me and several of my friends plus associated
hanger's on. Journey Beyond or JB is a role-playing
game of the old school variety. It is isn't a computer
game. It isn't a video game. It is game in which men
with dice and character sheets (of paper) in hand act
out a variety of situations determined by the game's
referee known as the Echo Master.

Now, you've never heard of this game; it isn't sold in
stores or anything. This game is made up from the fertile,
plagiaristic minds of its creator and participants who take
characters such as Wolverine, Dr. Doom, HHH, Darth
Vader and whover else trips their trigger and use them
in this off-the-wall universe of multiple dimensions and
arcane power sources to try and kill each other mostly.

I played back in high school. I had a character based
roughly on Mad Max who was a scrub in this universe.
No special powers to speak off, just some weapons, some
armor, a car and a mission to terminate whoever I was paid
to terminate.

It was fun. Steve Thomas, the erstwhile Echo Master, had
and still does have a quick mind. He is a decent improvisor
who works out a good plot beforehand and then makes it
work as factors change. The thing that I figured out over 20
years ago is that Steve is really playing two games. One game
is JB but the other is favorites. Not so much that he only ever
lets one or two people have everything they want, it's more of a
mind game. Steve likes to manipulate things and screw with
people's minds. It's not an uncommon trait among Dungeon
Masters and other gamers, but it is particulary striking with Steve
because he hides it so well. I quit originally because Steve got
mad at me and I was pretty sure that the character I was so
attached to would get whacked in some terribly legitimate manner
if I ever attempt to play the game again.

Steve would deny this, but I think he really gets off on playing God.
I don't blame him. Who wouldn't love to be able to fuck with his friends
and associates on a regular basis, have them come to you begging
for die rolls and favors for which, they occasionally barter. There was
one douche bag back in the day who would buy stereo components,
CDs and food just to get an extra savings throw or a made-up sword
with special powers. It was sick. Even last weekend, someone offered
Steve the last peanut butter crunch for some little favor.

What I don't understand is why anyone would subject himself to this kind
of summary character/personality assessment and emotional extortion.
Especially for 25 years or more. It seems obvious to me that some
characters and their players do much better than others with no apparent
explanation to anyone who isn't playing the game. Eveyone in the game
who comes out on top is convinced it is due to their superiority.

Granted I've seen some dumb shit moves and callow pretend behavior that
was a reflection of the players true personality, but who the fuck plays a
role-playing to be just as big a loswer in their fantasy world as they are in
their real life?

The answer is no one, of course. The whole point of fantasy is that it is
supposed to be better than reality. This is the shortcoming of all role-playing
games though, not just JB. It's just that JB is the only game I even get near
these days. I couldn't possibly play an RPG with strangers and I can't manage
to have a reunion with my old geek buddies that isn't all about Journey Beyond.
I get to see an occasional movie or have dinner with one or two of them, but when
we are all together, we are playing JB.