Earlier this evening the brave adventurers found themselves fighting side by side with a pair of wolf-mounted orcs. They were taking on a small group of devils/demons over by a large scarred valley. Within the valley was a (relatively) small portal, and some potential caverns and buildings for demons to live in. There was very little other than a fierce battle against that small group, but I could see the terrain offering a very cool dungeon to explore later on.
I'm imaging the players fighting through waves of hellish minions to reach the portal, and then needing to explore the buildings and eventually the cave to accomplish their task. The heroes hack their way through the cave, and encounter periodic reinforcement from behind as more demons enter through the portal. The details will have to be worked out, but I can see this idea turning into a good module that will fit in with a lot of different campaign settings. I've even got some ideas on how to make the module customizable in itself.
P.S. Extra posts coming this week. I spent the weekend on the lake, so I didn't get much done.
-Lance of the Hill People
~~~~
To catch up, last week our party was exhiled from Villhelm, the town encampment in hills. After fighting off attacking hill giants, we (with the exclusion of Flint and Val who had to miss the session) we escorted to the town council, led by a old Paladin of Pelor. After the doors closed we were held at sword point by war forged guards, while the mayor revealed himself as a demon in disguise, who was not pleased that we had engendered ourselves so to his unbeknownst townfolks. Also, he informed us that the children who had taken our hard won mushroom cure had mysteriously died, and we would take the fall.
We were escorted from town, and left to die by a vicious orc encampment.
We slept that night, our Eladrin dozing, before preparing our vengeful return to the city when we were come upon by a couple of orcs. More intelligent than the demon leader had perhaps known, we talked our way into proving ourselves to their camp. And after beating down some of their battle hungry adolescents we were given safe passage in their 2.5k strong encampment. Battle!
Which brings us to tonights adventure- a demon fight. We started off the session by catching up with Val and Flint, still heros in town, who had come to find us. We made a bit of a plan to retake the town. But the orcs offered us another choice. Build up our skill on nearby demons.
Having a plot-lite session was nice for a change. Combat became the big event, and since our party has grown a few people since we started, it was good for us to learn to work as a team. Also, many of us had leveled up, and it gave us a chance to test out our new utility powers. The plot-filled adventures help drive the campaign, fo sho. But an evening of straight forward combant was a nice breather. Sometimes hack and slash is just what the DM ordered.
~Lady of the Hill People
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
Sunday, August 17, 2008
Making a Board Game Fun
I'm trying to consider the facets of gaming that really apply to board games, and why someone chooses to play, and enjoy, one.
Things that I dislike about board games -
I absolutely hate it when there's multiple paths to victory, but one of them in particular is the fastest path to victory every time. This means that once everybody you play with has mastered the game, they will all attempt the exact same process to achieve victory every time the game is played. I will avoid this at all costs in my game through a balance of randomization, and the ability to quickly change a strategy based on events that transpire.
I also do not like a game that is entirely luck either. It proves nothing, and the competitive spirit is crushed after the first round of play. Take the game Risk, imagine instead of 52 countries, there are now two countries, and only two people can play. The game ends up being nothing more than chance at that point, and would not be a fun game. The current version doesn't get that much different when the players hit a certain skill level and it gets to the end of the game, though. This is something that I also want to avoid.
Some games have a balancing factor that comes into play when one player gets too far in the lead. Often times, this balancing factor can get out of hand quickly, and make it nearly impossible for the player who was first winning to actually achieve victory. And other times, it will make it almost impossible for the winning player to be stopped. The trick is to teach people over time that ganging up on the person who is winning first, can be worse for your victory position than doing nothing at all. As a general rule, it is best to consider every players motivation for participating is to win. This is not the rule for everything, but simply for balancing the game.
Slow turns also get me down. It has to be easy to decide what's going to happen on your turn before you even begin it. One possible way of doing this is to have the resolution of all of your actions be taken during the turn, and then you have everyone elses turn to plan. Whether players take the opportunity or not is up to them, but that it is there is the important part here.
Next week I'll be working on logistics in particular. I want to understand how things are going to happen, and then worry about balancing it all.
Things that I dislike about board games -
I absolutely hate it when there's multiple paths to victory, but one of them in particular is the fastest path to victory every time. This means that once everybody you play with has mastered the game, they will all attempt the exact same process to achieve victory every time the game is played. I will avoid this at all costs in my game through a balance of randomization, and the ability to quickly change a strategy based on events that transpire.
I also do not like a game that is entirely luck either. It proves nothing, and the competitive spirit is crushed after the first round of play. Take the game Risk, imagine instead of 52 countries, there are now two countries, and only two people can play. The game ends up being nothing more than chance at that point, and would not be a fun game. The current version doesn't get that much different when the players hit a certain skill level and it gets to the end of the game, though. This is something that I also want to avoid.
Some games have a balancing factor that comes into play when one player gets too far in the lead. Often times, this balancing factor can get out of hand quickly, and make it nearly impossible for the player who was first winning to actually achieve victory. And other times, it will make it almost impossible for the winning player to be stopped. The trick is to teach people over time that ganging up on the person who is winning first, can be worse for your victory position than doing nothing at all. As a general rule, it is best to consider every players motivation for participating is to win. This is not the rule for everything, but simply for balancing the game.
Slow turns also get me down. It has to be easy to decide what's going to happen on your turn before you even begin it. One possible way of doing this is to have the resolution of all of your actions be taken during the turn, and then you have everyone elses turn to plan. Whether players take the opportunity or not is up to them, but that it is there is the important part here.
Next week I'll be working on logistics in particular. I want to understand how things are going to happen, and then worry about balancing it all.
Wednesday, August 13, 2008
Chronicle: Another Day in Villehelm
Please re-read the previous chronicle first. There was a late edit, and should be reviewed for continuity. Thanks.
Shreev knew something that Krellion did not. For hours that day, he sat motionless on the wall, staring off into the hills. Wylven had abandoned him almost immediately on introduction, and Krellion had nothing to do but to listen to Shreev. Shreev had very little to say though, and they spent most of the time just looking off into the distance. There was some small talk, Shreev asked about the weather where Krellion was from, and paid little attention when the Eladrin started elaborating on his home town and the people he knew. It was a quiet day on the wall. Too quiet for the Warlord's liking.
"Do you know something, Shreev? Is there something out there?" Krellion asked, as it was nearing sundown.
"Ah, yes. I forget that not everyone can sense it. The battles. They have their own ebb and flow, and one is nearing us." He spoke, but no part of him moved in order to do so, Krellion wondered exactly where the words came from.
"Are you saying you were built to sense a battle just as I was born to see the sky or feel the wind blow? I find that highly unlikely, Captain." Krellion said as he ruffled the hair on the left side of skull.
Shreev turned to look more to the west, still not facing Krellion. "It is the same way when a man or elf approaches me and tells me how wonderful it is to be alive. I cannot fathom life, and the concept confuses me greatly. I was built for war, and my life is war."
Krellion stopped short. He sat down with his back against the wall and thought about this until the 8th bell rang. It was getting late, and he was ready for a short rest. Just as he began to enter a meditative state, the warforged jabbed him in his chest with a rounded wooden truncheon.
"When you meditate tonight, meditate not on my words, for they will bend you to do wrong. Every warforged leader needs at least one among the living to advise." Shreev uttered the words as if they would be Krellion's last. And Krellion meditated on them for a full four hours.
Krellion snapped out of his trance just as he heard the final bell of the night. It was dark, but he could still see fairly well with his keen fey-like eyes. "I understand Shreev. And I am prepared to do exactly what you need of me, even if it means destroying you if necessary."
"That's what I needed to hear. Glad to be serving with you, Captain Krellion."
Shreev knew something that Krellion did not. For hours that day, he sat motionless on the wall, staring off into the hills. Wylven had abandoned him almost immediately on introduction, and Krellion had nothing to do but to listen to Shreev. Shreev had very little to say though, and they spent most of the time just looking off into the distance. There was some small talk, Shreev asked about the weather where Krellion was from, and paid little attention when the Eladrin started elaborating on his home town and the people he knew. It was a quiet day on the wall. Too quiet for the Warlord's liking.
"Do you know something, Shreev? Is there something out there?" Krellion asked, as it was nearing sundown.
"Ah, yes. I forget that not everyone can sense it. The battles. They have their own ebb and flow, and one is nearing us." He spoke, but no part of him moved in order to do so, Krellion wondered exactly where the words came from.
"Are you saying you were built to sense a battle just as I was born to see the sky or feel the wind blow? I find that highly unlikely, Captain." Krellion said as he ruffled the hair on the left side of skull.
Shreev turned to look more to the west, still not facing Krellion. "It is the same way when a man or elf approaches me and tells me how wonderful it is to be alive. I cannot fathom life, and the concept confuses me greatly. I was built for war, and my life is war."
Krellion stopped short. He sat down with his back against the wall and thought about this until the 8th bell rang. It was getting late, and he was ready for a short rest. Just as he began to enter a meditative state, the warforged jabbed him in his chest with a rounded wooden truncheon.
"When you meditate tonight, meditate not on my words, for they will bend you to do wrong. Every warforged leader needs at least one among the living to advise." Shreev uttered the words as if they would be Krellion's last. And Krellion meditated on them for a full four hours.
Krellion snapped out of his trance just as he heard the final bell of the night. It was dark, but he could still see fairly well with his keen fey-like eyes. "I understand Shreev. And I am prepared to do exactly what you need of me, even if it means destroying you if necessary."
"That's what I needed to hear. Glad to be serving with you, Captain Krellion."
Monday, August 11, 2008
A Very Special Episode.
I've been behind on our adventure recaps, so let me catch you up: The altar staircase led down to an Eldritch dungeon, teaming with undead-which we discovered after one of our warlocks passed out in the tomb (missed the session) and was snacked upon while we were distracted, by zombies who ventured up the open staircase.
The dungeon wound up being a winding affair with many doors. The walls and floors were finely carved with what seemed to be magically engineered designs. Throughout the dungeon were large elven numbers carved into the floor. Two sets, 0-9. There were a few books on pedestals, written in draconic- fortunately we had a dragonborn in our party.
If we made a wrong turn in the dungeon zombies and skeletons were released from one of the closed rooms, also, a nearby number would begin to fill with liquid. That liquid formed slowly into some variety of intelligent golem. Once the dungeon doors locked behind us at our first wrong turn, the fun began.
Our last session finished the dungeon in a way I've never seen Lance run a session before.
No combat.
Not a lack of opportunity for fights, but each encounter had an opportunity for non-combat resolutions. Taking the hack and slash out of D&D may sound sacrosanct, but in action it encouraged aspects of gameplay often overlooked in favor of a good spanking. Problem solving, roleplay, and skill checks won the day, singing harmony to an epic storyline. Here's how it worked:
Intelligent monsters
While the golems that grew our of our wrong turns were out for souls, they could, and were, reasoned with. With our paladins head trapped in a giant fist of blood, the party agreed to pay the unnamed passage fee in lieu of the 'word' the blood golem sought. With that, the entire defender was absorbed, suspended breathlessly and unharmed inside. The golem, calm and poised, waited as the party negotiated, pondered, and reexamined their surroundings. Examining one of the tomes, the dragon-born wizard found 'the word', simply the draconic word for the number which had born the golem.
But still, it would not release its prize without an equal or superior replacement. While the core of the group- Val the archer, Flint the cleric, and Gahala'la the warlock- went to hunt a worthy replacement, Yorma the halfling sat down to a game of chess with the golem. Using perception and insight checks, Melori the paladin was able to be another pair of eyes for Yorma in the game.
As the rest of the party returned, Yorma defeated the golem, and replaced Melori in her prison. The golem vanished just as he had come, and there went our young warlock. Yes, for reals. We lost a player character. Avoiding combat doesn't mean avoiding danger.
The Voice of God
While many of us have run multiple campaigns with our resident DM, this is the first time he's introduced serious puzzle solving. The mindset of maximizing combat doesn't translate to puzzles. All combat questions are answered in the PHB. So, with the dungeon timed to collapse, the door locked behind us, wailing zombies behind every door, and deadly golems popping up seemingly randomly- solving an old draconic puzzle could have wiped the party. We were unpracticed.
As we ascertained afterward, most of this session was ad libbed. Why would the Golem swallow Yorma, but not Melori? It's a plot hole, but it leads to Yorma now being a dungeon NPC who can prod our thinking. Later in the dungeon we find a tome of his thoughts up until his death, which insinutes we have a time limit, and that our puzzle seems somehow related to the earlier puzzle we solved to open the dungeon door.
Finally, Yorma's tormented soul- trapped by the dungeon's magic, waited us in the final chamber. By now we had figured out the puzzle, and how to escape. However Yorma, giving us a few final cryptic answers to our questions, was forced to materialize and fight us, stoppable only by revealing our most prized possession, and what Yorma had meant to us. This would apparently put him to rest, as would a second death- at which point the dungeon collapse began. Even so, the DM was clearly planning to wipe the floor with us, as he fingered his dice.
Melori removed her emblem, a shell of Melora, and approached Yorma.
"You offer me your holy symbol?" Yorma asked, affronted by it's destructive power.
"Yes." She knelt to the halfling. "And this is what I feel for you." Closing her eyes, Melori placed a chaste kiss on Yorma's cold lips.
Lance rolled a d20, seemed flabbergasted, and began the collapse of the dungeon. What followed was an immediate evacuation, following the puzzle correctly, dodging golems and dragging each other to safety.
No combat, plenty of danger, and in the end- a well rounded plot-rich session. It definitely goes down in my book as a favorite.
Finally, Yorma's tormented soul- trapped by the dungeon's magic, waited us in the final chamber. By now we had figured out the puzzle, and how to escape. However Yorma, giving us a few final cryptic answers to our questions, was forced to materialize and fight us, stoppable only by revealing our most prized possession, and what Yorma had meant to us. This would apparently put him to rest, as would a second death- at which point the dungeon collapse began. Even so, the DM was clearly planning to wipe the floor with us, as he fingered his dice.
Melori removed her emblem, a shell of Melora, and approached Yorma.
"You offer me your holy symbol?" Yorma asked, affronted by it's destructive power.
"Yes." She knelt to the halfling. "And this is what I feel for you." Closing her eyes, Melori placed a chaste kiss on Yorma's cold lips.
Lance rolled a d20, seemed flabbergasted, and began the collapse of the dungeon. What followed was an immediate evacuation, following the puzzle correctly, dodging golems and dragging each other to safety.
No combat, plenty of danger, and in the end- a well rounded plot-rich session. It definitely goes down in my book as a favorite.
Frustration
I make it a personal rule to not play a video game when I get frustrated with it. This isn't for any reason except that it's not fun to play a game when it's not fun anymore. Games are fun, enjoyment, and entertainment. There is no good reason to continue on when the game has lost the enjoyment factor.
So! Because of this rule I have, I am dedicated to keep the frustration levels at a minimum in games that I take part in developing. The frustrating part of a game should be done on purpose, and not as a punishment to the players. Frustration in a game should be a result of the events that transpire. It is frustrating to never find the real princess in Mario, but it is more frustrating to spend all your lives trying to get past the same flying koopa who seems to have random flight intervals just to throw you off.
Running an instance in WoW: Frustrating. Mostly.
Dungeons in WoW are not always frustrating, it really depends. However, by not being fully prepared with the perfect group and gear and specs throughout the instance, you will find yourselves being punished frequently. You take extra time dying and running back to your corpses, and that is boring. There is a such thing as a penalty, and there is a such thing as a punishment. Penalties are good. Dying should not be the end of the world. IN A VIDEO GAME. It's not in most, but the penalty is a silent march back to your corpse. What would be a good alternative? A demerit to your inventory. Some sort of penalty that you must commit some play time to make up for, but not right then, not when it's late and you spent all night getting a group together. Repair bills are a great incentive to not die, but put another spin on it. Let people earn or purchase revive tokens. You can res where you died with certain amounts of health and mana. And you could even trade in your Badge of Justice for one! It would be more of a penalty, and less of a punishment.
Oh, and that picture? That was Tylth and Ragnrak switching glasses via webcam. Tylth spent a good while entertaining a few of us from CT by doing sweet webcam tricks. We think he could start his own business, and I want to find a way to market it on a website somehow.
So! Because of this rule I have, I am dedicated to keep the frustration levels at a minimum in games that I take part in developing. The frustrating part of a game should be done on purpose, and not as a punishment to the players. Frustration in a game should be a result of the events that transpire. It is frustrating to never find the real princess in Mario, but it is more frustrating to spend all your lives trying to get past the same flying koopa who seems to have random flight intervals just to throw you off.
Running an instance in WoW: Frustrating. Mostly.
Dungeons in WoW are not always frustrating, it really depends. However, by not being fully prepared with the perfect group and gear and specs throughout the instance, you will find yourselves being punished frequently. You take extra time dying and running back to your corpses, and that is boring. There is a such thing as a penalty, and there is a such thing as a punishment. Penalties are good. Dying should not be the end of the world. IN A VIDEO GAME. It's not in most, but the penalty is a silent march back to your corpse. What would be a good alternative? A demerit to your inventory. Some sort of penalty that you must commit some play time to make up for, but not right then, not when it's late and you spent all night getting a group together. Repair bills are a great incentive to not die, but put another spin on it. Let people earn or purchase revive tokens. You can res where you died with certain amounts of health and mana. And you could even trade in your Badge of Justice for one! It would be more of a penalty, and less of a punishment.
Oh, and that picture? That was Tylth and Ragnrak switching glasses via webcam. Tylth spent a good while entertaining a few of us from CT by doing sweet webcam tricks. We think he could start his own business, and I want to find a way to market it on a website somehow.
Sunday, August 10, 2008
Thursday, August 7, 2008
As a Player...
Try to remind the DM that it's not solely his responsibility for supplying the fun. It's important that the players play an equal part in providing entertainment to the whole group. This could be through comedy, serious roleplaying, or just being respectful of the DM and the other players. Find the balance that your group needs, and try to understand when it's right to chime in with something that might be off the beaten path.
I played a PC earlier tonight, it was a good session, and I managed to get some interesting character development in. I'm finding that I make a good leader, not just because of my choice of powers, but that I understand the basic needs of my fellow combatants. I can bark out orders on my turn, and hope that the other PC's follow along. In the long run, it makes positioning for everyone easier, and I can use it for optimal survivability by being able to see everyone to heal them. Other players have different challenges to overcome though, and there ends up being a lot of reasons as to why you should be paying close attention to battles.
About DM's and fun: We're starting to find that this particular DM (who is fairly new at DM'ing) is very easy to verbally accost with questions. We find that what drives his NPC's tend to be things that are easily scrutined, and we end up ganging up on the DM in some ways. While pillaging the brains of his NPC's is fun for us, it might not be the greatest feeling for a DM to have all of his characters reduced to befuddlement by a band of swift-talking adventurers. However, this is a great opportunity for the DM to realize the direction his players want to go, and he now gets to decide if they continue down that path, or if he decides that the adventurers are not so savvy after all, and end up in some very dark and foreboding scenarios.
-Lance of the Hill People
I played a PC earlier tonight, it was a good session, and I managed to get some interesting character development in. I'm finding that I make a good leader, not just because of my choice of powers, but that I understand the basic needs of my fellow combatants. I can bark out orders on my turn, and hope that the other PC's follow along. In the long run, it makes positioning for everyone easier, and I can use it for optimal survivability by being able to see everyone to heal them. Other players have different challenges to overcome though, and there ends up being a lot of reasons as to why you should be paying close attention to battles.
About DM's and fun: We're starting to find that this particular DM (who is fairly new at DM'ing) is very easy to verbally accost with questions. We find that what drives his NPC's tend to be things that are easily scrutined, and we end up ganging up on the DM in some ways. While pillaging the brains of his NPC's is fun for us, it might not be the greatest feeling for a DM to have all of his characters reduced to befuddlement by a band of swift-talking adventurers. However, this is a great opportunity for the DM to realize the direction his players want to go, and he now gets to decide if they continue down that path, or if he decides that the adventurers are not so savvy after all, and end up in some very dark and foreboding scenarios.
-Lance of the Hill People
Monday, August 4, 2008
What's a MUD?
A MUD is an acronym for Multi-User Dungeon, or Multi-User Domain. It is an all text MMO, with completely endless possibilities. They are almost always role-playing games, and they are typically player driven to a certain extent.
MUD's are played by issuing text commands to a text world, and then living the experience in your imagination. From my experience, they are extremely fast paced, but very difficult to learn. I see MUD's as the exact middle ground between tabletop gaming, and full blown 3D rendered worlds. The gameplay is automated, but real-time turn based. And the entirety of the world is in your imagination. All of the people you group with and encounter in the world will see things different than you, but they are all bound by the same rules. And at the same time, they are also able to contribute to and change the world that they are in. MUD's truly breed heroes of online gaming.
But there are flaws! MUD's are neither of the extremes, and can easily get tiresome when you know that there are better ways of fulfilling both gaming urges. I will delve deeper into some of the pros and cons of MUD'ing at the end of the week, when I do my review of Medievia.
MUD's are played by issuing text commands to a text world, and then living the experience in your imagination. From my experience, they are extremely fast paced, but very difficult to learn. I see MUD's as the exact middle ground between tabletop gaming, and full blown 3D rendered worlds. The gameplay is automated, but real-time turn based. And the entirety of the world is in your imagination. All of the people you group with and encounter in the world will see things different than you, but they are all bound by the same rules. And at the same time, they are also able to contribute to and change the world that they are in. MUD's truly breed heroes of online gaming.
But there are flaws! MUD's are neither of the extremes, and can easily get tiresome when you know that there are better ways of fulfilling both gaming urges. I will delve deeper into some of the pros and cons of MUD'ing at the end of the week, when I do my review of Medievia.
Sunday, August 3, 2008
Hill People
This weekend was spent mostly in the woods, and in the rain. It was my friend's bachelor party, and it's been a long time since I've been camping quite like that. The experience was fun, and tiring, and also inspiring. My previous attempts at designing a board game have been lost, so I am now coming up with a new concept and a brand new design.
The game board will be individual layouts for each player, and they will have different regional locales. There will be a forest, a plains, a plot of fertile land, and a village. Depending on my ambitions and practicality, this might also expand. Villagers will be assigned to different jobs on the board, and players will be able to draw resource cards and other things based on where they have their villages allocated. Not all resource cards are the actual resource though, some of them come with misfortunes, such as drought, or overhunting of the nearby wildlife. My goal here is to capture the problems of a semi-nomadic/early farming community.
Victory conditions are yet to be determined, but I already know the order of the turn phases. All conflicts get resolved before the allocation of villagers. A conflict is defined by any action that takes place outside of the village. This includes attacking, trading, and stealing from other players. This way, a player is able to allocate defenders in response to an attack, but if they don't have enough farmers and hunters to keep their defenders fed, then the defenders will be uneffective against the attacks, and villagers may die as a result. I'll be working on those types of balance once I actually get the game board laid out so I can easily visualize the flow of gameplay.
I think I'm going to call the game "Hill People".
-Lance(, maker) of the Hill People
The game board will be individual layouts for each player, and they will have different regional locales. There will be a forest, a plains, a plot of fertile land, and a village. Depending on my ambitions and practicality, this might also expand. Villagers will be assigned to different jobs on the board, and players will be able to draw resource cards and other things based on where they have their villages allocated. Not all resource cards are the actual resource though, some of them come with misfortunes, such as drought, or overhunting of the nearby wildlife. My goal here is to capture the problems of a semi-nomadic/early farming community.
Victory conditions are yet to be determined, but I already know the order of the turn phases. All conflicts get resolved before the allocation of villagers. A conflict is defined by any action that takes place outside of the village. This includes attacking, trading, and stealing from other players. This way, a player is able to allocate defenders in response to an attack, but if they don't have enough farmers and hunters to keep their defenders fed, then the defenders will be uneffective against the attacks, and villagers may die as a result. I'll be working on those types of balance once I actually get the game board laid out so I can easily visualize the flow of gameplay.
I think I'm going to call the game "Hill People".
-Lance(, maker) of the Hill People
Thursday, July 31, 2008
Where I've Been
So, I inadvertently decided to take a week or two off from the blog. There wasn't much for me to write about, and I was having some difficulty finding the free time to sit down and get analytical, or creative. I do intent to keep it up though, but at quite the same rate as I did.
From henceforth on, I shall be updated only 4 days a week. Sunday, Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday will be days of choice. However, depending on what is happening in my life, I may postpone a post till the next day, or do a double on the next posting day.
I want to get into game design. There are many aspects of it that I enjoy, but the first thing I want to do is to actually make some games.
From here on out, I will be working extensively on three different projects.
Project Board Game: I will be designing and making my own board game. This will teach me balance, and give me the opportunity to create a game both mentally and physically as I get to construct the actual pieces that are used in the game.
Project Modules: Another project will involve me writing up some of my favorite quests into modules. I believe that my writing has matured enough that I could start doing this for some extra cash if they get published.
Project Cooperation: Me and my former roommate once began designing an RPG. I am going to seek his permission to take this to a whole new level, and see if I can coordinate a group of people to contribute, revise, and playtest his brainchild to a "completed" state.
To keep me on track, I will be dedicating my Sunday post to describing any progress I have made on at least one of these projects. Wish me luck.
-Lance of the Motivated People
From henceforth on, I shall be updated only 4 days a week. Sunday, Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday will be days of choice. However, depending on what is happening in my life, I may postpone a post till the next day, or do a double on the next posting day.
I want to get into game design. There are many aspects of it that I enjoy, but the first thing I want to do is to actually make some games.
From here on out, I will be working extensively on three different projects.
Project Board Game: I will be designing and making my own board game. This will teach me balance, and give me the opportunity to create a game both mentally and physically as I get to construct the actual pieces that are used in the game.
Project Modules: Another project will involve me writing up some of my favorite quests into modules. I believe that my writing has matured enough that I could start doing this for some extra cash if they get published.
Project Cooperation: Me and my former roommate once began designing an RPG. I am going to seek his permission to take this to a whole new level, and see if I can coordinate a group of people to contribute, revise, and playtest his brainchild to a "completed" state.
To keep me on track, I will be dedicating my Sunday post to describing any progress I have made on at least one of these projects. Wish me luck.
-Lance of the Motivated People
Thursday, July 17, 2008
What I've Learned
I was recently asked, while being filmed, what I've most improved upon since I first started DM'ing was. I didn't have to think for too long about the answer, and thus, I shall post it for you here:
"When I first started out, I didn't understand how to make the game fun, while still applying the rules of the game. I think since then, a certain amount of investment in learning the rules, and learning how you can use the rules to make it fun and balanced is the important part."
I can't stress this enough, in fact. Making the game fun is number one. You don't always have to follow the rules, but knowing as much about the rules and the game system as you can is truly invaluable.
I've been awfully busy lately, and the blog is suffering. However, I've got some works in progress coming up that should be very interesting.
"When I first started out, I didn't understand how to make the game fun, while still applying the rules of the game. I think since then, a certain amount of investment in learning the rules, and learning how you can use the rules to make it fun and balanced is the important part."
I can't stress this enough, in fact. Making the game fun is number one. You don't always have to follow the rules, but knowing as much about the rules and the game system as you can is truly invaluable.
I've been awfully busy lately, and the blog is suffering. However, I've got some works in progress coming up that should be very interesting.
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
Chronicle: Krellion's First Day
Doctor Wilven sighed, "It's not easy up on the wall, you sure you got what it takes?"
Krellion, the Warlord, looked at him through his Feyborn eyes and replied, "Yes."
"Straight to the facts. Ok, I'll introducte you to Captain Shreev." Wilven burst out of the door to his his home and office and into the streets of Villehelm, Krellion walked firmly by his side. Neither of them showing the slightest inflection of emotion as they marched toward the northern gate of the village.
The northern gate to the village was quite impressive considering the amount of people and resources that they were able to expend in these parts. It was nearly 30 feet high, which was just out of reach of the largest giant they have yet to see, and braced on either side by enormous hunks of metal. The metal hunks appeared to be nothing more than a collecting of wagon rims, horseshoes, and old weapons and tools fused into 40 foot long polls. This was keeping the main gate from falling to the swings of 15 foot stone clubs.
Krellion was led up the stairs inside the gatehouse to a small office on what could only be called the second floor. Captain Shreev was there, and he wasn't breathing.
Captain Shreev was not living. At least, not in the traditional sense. He was not undead either. He had a soul, but it was bound to the object that he, and everyone around him, considered his body. There was no flesh, no blood, no heart, but he still felt. He was a warforged, and he was the most valuable asset Villehelm has ever had.
"The warforged are more than just metallic statues of fierce warriors, they are soulful, and they are not too different from those born of more natural methods." Said Wilven. He can think, and care, and hate. To us, he is another person, and a member of our family.
"Are you ready for your first mission?"
Krellion nodded.
Krellion, the Warlord, looked at him through his Feyborn eyes and replied, "Yes."
"Straight to the facts. Ok, I'll introducte you to Captain Shreev." Wilven burst out of the door to his his home and office and into the streets of Villehelm, Krellion walked firmly by his side. Neither of them showing the slightest inflection of emotion as they marched toward the northern gate of the village.
The northern gate to the village was quite impressive considering the amount of people and resources that they were able to expend in these parts. It was nearly 30 feet high, which was just out of reach of the largest giant they have yet to see, and braced on either side by enormous hunks of metal. The metal hunks appeared to be nothing more than a collecting of wagon rims, horseshoes, and old weapons and tools fused into 40 foot long polls. This was keeping the main gate from falling to the swings of 15 foot stone clubs.
Krellion was led up the stairs inside the gatehouse to a small office on what could only be called the second floor. Captain Shreev was there, and he wasn't breathing.
Captain Shreev was not living. At least, not in the traditional sense. He was not undead either. He had a soul, but it was bound to the object that he, and everyone around him, considered his body. There was no flesh, no blood, no heart, but he still felt. He was a warforged, and he was the most valuable asset Villehelm has ever had.
"The warforged are more than just metallic statues of fierce warriors, they are soulful, and they are not too different from those born of more natural methods." Said Wilven. He can think, and care, and hate. To us, he is another person, and a member of our family.
"Are you ready for your first mission?"
Krellion nodded.
Monday, July 14, 2008
Traps! When?
Theogre Fytestuf moved slowly down the dimly lit corridor. The walls were lined with picked shale deposits, and the air was stale and a little moist. He knew the wet droplets running down his brow were a clear indicator that danger was imminent, it was an 8th sense to him at this point. However, the question on his mind was of great importance to his immediate future: why is the next 10 feet of ceiling made of sandstone?
Theogre Fytestuf might not be a rogue, but he is certainly perceptive. This is what's important about being a player in a dungeon that is potentially full of traps. The player-DM interaction here is a very important one, and it is important to choose your words carefully when describing the elements of your world. The warnings should never be too obvious. The trick is to have something go off in the minds of the characters, and not necessarily the minds of the players. Meta-gaming is a big issue here, and you need to understand how to avoid it. Meta-gaming is not only a fun-sucker for the fantasy that the players live in, it is also a time sucker on your game. And traps and treasure are some of the biggest purpoteurs of meta-gaming in all of gaming.
The Dungeon Masters Guide has a lot of good info on how to disguise a trap with your words, but there is also a really important element of when to use traps in a campaign. Don't just throw them out willy nilly, and as a player, don't go looking for them everywhere. Don't place your traps like they're free, because they aren't. Someone or something had to put that trap there, and they most likely went through a lot of effort to protect something valuable. Sometimes it's important to just let the trap go undetected, and still affect the players, because the trap itself may indicate a treasure trove.
Conversely, as a player looking for treasure, don't simply assume that traps will be placed at every hallway, intersection, etc. Let the DM's clues and the context of the dungeon tip you off as to whether it's appropriate to spend some time searching.
This is Lance of the Hill People saying, "Don't Let Traps Slow You Down".
-Lance of the Hill People
Theogre Fytestuf might not be a rogue, but he is certainly perceptive. This is what's important about being a player in a dungeon that is potentially full of traps. The player-DM interaction here is a very important one, and it is important to choose your words carefully when describing the elements of your world. The warnings should never be too obvious. The trick is to have something go off in the minds of the characters, and not necessarily the minds of the players. Meta-gaming is a big issue here, and you need to understand how to avoid it. Meta-gaming is not only a fun-sucker for the fantasy that the players live in, it is also a time sucker on your game. And traps and treasure are some of the biggest purpoteurs of meta-gaming in all of gaming.
The Dungeon Masters Guide has a lot of good info on how to disguise a trap with your words, but there is also a really important element of when to use traps in a campaign. Don't just throw them out willy nilly, and as a player, don't go looking for them everywhere. Don't place your traps like they're free, because they aren't. Someone or something had to put that trap there, and they most likely went through a lot of effort to protect something valuable. Sometimes it's important to just let the trap go undetected, and still affect the players, because the trap itself may indicate a treasure trove.
Conversely, as a player looking for treasure, don't simply assume that traps will be placed at every hallway, intersection, etc. Let the DM's clues and the context of the dungeon tip you off as to whether it's appropriate to spend some time searching.
This is Lance of the Hill People saying, "Don't Let Traps Slow You Down".
-Lance of the Hill People
Sunday, July 13, 2008
The Krevmeister
Introducing: The Krevmeister!
Seriously, Bro, that's my wench yer hittin' on.
Who is that fine piece of Dragonborn Fighter? That, my friends, is the Krevmeister. Proud member of the senior class of the Military School of Hard Knocks! As you can tell by his stunning photo, the Krev is your number one goto guy for any and all on campus parties! He's the kinda D.B. that plays wingman for a total stranger, and never lets a gentleman disrespect the lady folk. The big lizard on campus, this is your guy for any and all partying!
Some of his most famous parties include:
Rescuing a maiden from brigands in the woods
Finding the lost staff of an ancient wizard who cast the fading protection spell on the land
Delta Kappa Gamma's earthquake fundraiser
Stopping ninjas from stealing the Dean's roster
Panty raiding the Sorcerority
And his most famous party, Naked Dwarven Ale-Drink
Where he invented this:
Seriously, Bro, that's my wench yer hittin' on.
Who is that fine piece of Dragonborn Fighter? That, my friends, is the Krevmeister. Proud member of the senior class of the Military School of Hard Knocks! As you can tell by his stunning photo, the Krev is your number one goto guy for any and all on campus parties! He's the kinda D.B. that plays wingman for a total stranger, and never lets a gentleman disrespect the lady folk. The big lizard on campus, this is your guy for any and all partying!
Some of his most famous parties include:
Rescuing a maiden from brigands in the woods
Finding the lost staff of an ancient wizard who cast the fading protection spell on the land
Delta Kappa Gamma's earthquake fundraiser
Stopping ninjas from stealing the Dean's roster
Panty raiding the Sorcerority
And his most famous party, Naked Dwarven Ale-Drink
Where he invented this:
The Krevstand
Dedicated to Aaron, for his 1st DM'ing experience with 4th Edition. Great job Bearplane!
Dedicated to Aaron, for his 1st DM'ing experience with 4th Edition. Great job Bearplane!
Online D&D - Webcam
Last night I tried my first attempt at playing D&D with 2 of the 3 PC's in the room, while the third was watching via the webcam.
We had a mic set up so that he could hear everybody around the table, and we had the speaker pointing at me, but in such a way that the other PC's could hear him, and there would be no feedback into the mic. Apples, from a player perspective, found it tiring to have to concentrate on 3 different worlds at once. There was the real world, with me and the other PC, there was the digital world, with Tylth in Connecticut, and there was the game world.
I didn't think of it until she mentioned it, but it's true how that can easily break ones focus. Normally, when sitting around a table, you are able to see people's expressions, and gestures, and what they're pointing at. But even if we had positioned the camera so that Tylth could observe the entire room, we still would be unable to see who he was gesturing at.
These attempts at online D&D are by no means a replacement for sitting around a table. Personal interaction turns out to be the most satisfying and enjoyable part of almost any adventure.
Example: The starting quest I had planned was full of exciting tracking and chasing, ambushes, booby traps, and a manhunt through the woods to the bandits lair. This was entirely overshadowed as the players were spending so much of their energy getting accustomed to the fact that one of the players wasn't really there. The online locale turns out to be a big drain. However, I believe that of the diffferent methods I've considered so far, this one seems to be the best. As all new things take some getting used to, this method might simply take a little practice and fine tuning, and we might be able to work it into a regular campaign.
Next attempt: I'm going to see if there's a way we can get two webcams going, one pointed at the players, and one pointed at the game board.
Yesterday's post was delayed due to an extremeley gorgeous summer day. I will be doing an extra one today to comepensate.
We had a mic set up so that he could hear everybody around the table, and we had the speaker pointing at me, but in such a way that the other PC's could hear him, and there would be no feedback into the mic. Apples, from a player perspective, found it tiring to have to concentrate on 3 different worlds at once. There was the real world, with me and the other PC, there was the digital world, with Tylth in Connecticut, and there was the game world.
I didn't think of it until she mentioned it, but it's true how that can easily break ones focus. Normally, when sitting around a table, you are able to see people's expressions, and gestures, and what they're pointing at. But even if we had positioned the camera so that Tylth could observe the entire room, we still would be unable to see who he was gesturing at.
These attempts at online D&D are by no means a replacement for sitting around a table. Personal interaction turns out to be the most satisfying and enjoyable part of almost any adventure.
Example: The starting quest I had planned was full of exciting tracking and chasing, ambushes, booby traps, and a manhunt through the woods to the bandits lair. This was entirely overshadowed as the players were spending so much of their energy getting accustomed to the fact that one of the players wasn't really there. The online locale turns out to be a big drain. However, I believe that of the diffferent methods I've considered so far, this one seems to be the best. As all new things take some getting used to, this method might simply take a little practice and fine tuning, and we might be able to work it into a regular campaign.
Next attempt: I'm going to see if there's a way we can get two webcams going, one pointed at the players, and one pointed at the game board.
Yesterday's post was delayed due to an extremeley gorgeous summer day. I will be doing an extra one today to comepensate.
Friday, July 11, 2008
Closer Look: Powers
This is an extremely important aspect of 4th Edition D&D, and I've already seen it overlooked on a few occasions. Sometimes it's not immediately apparent as to what you really should be doing in an encounter. Powers will do two things to guide your actions in an encounter. You will either find yourself spending your turn deciding the right power to use, or you will entirely misinterpret the purpose of your character build, and not use any powers. This post will outline some of the general guidelines to what to do with your turn.
Step A: If you aren't using a power on your turn, there had better be a good reason why.
Obvious Reasons Why You Wouldn't Use a Power
1) You have used all of your encounter powers, and none of your at-will powers fit the situation
2) None of your encounter powers fit the situation, and none of your at-will powers fit the situation
3) You prefer to save your daily and specific encounter powers for the right time, and none of your at-will powers fit the situation
4) You need to spend the round either positioning yourself, or using a second wind.
If it turns out you spend the entire battle simply using your basic attack, then you may want to reconsider your character choices. It is always possible to simply explain to the DM why your decisions at character creation have not panned out with your adventuring group, and either ask to make a new character, or simply make some changes. It's always a good idea to have an in-game reason or story as to why you might have different powers now, so as to add some incentive to the DM to allow you to make these changes.
Step B: Make your decisions early, and you won't feel so pressured when everyone waits on your turn. Give yourself a few choices before your turn, so that you can easily change your mind on the fly based on the actions between your decision and when it's your turn.
Step Awesome: Know your powers! Even if you have to look it up, know the intricacies of your powers beforehand, so that it's easier and faster for you to reference. For instance, get a good idea of what kind of exceptions will come up when you use your power. It's good to know the specifics, but it's better to have an understanding of those powers.
All in all, you're better off being prepared for multiple situations, but in the long run, you're going to have turns now and again that will take time, and those should be the exception. Not the rule.
P.S. I'm posting this while playing an Elven Cleric. We're currently in the wolf den, and I'm confident in knowing that I'll know what power to use when the DM calls my name.
-Lance of the Boy Scouts?
Step A: If you aren't using a power on your turn, there had better be a good reason why.
Obvious Reasons Why You Wouldn't Use a Power
1) You have used all of your encounter powers, and none of your at-will powers fit the situation
2) None of your encounter powers fit the situation, and none of your at-will powers fit the situation
3) You prefer to save your daily and specific encounter powers for the right time, and none of your at-will powers fit the situation
4) You need to spend the round either positioning yourself, or using a second wind.
If it turns out you spend the entire battle simply using your basic attack, then you may want to reconsider your character choices. It is always possible to simply explain to the DM why your decisions at character creation have not panned out with your adventuring group, and either ask to make a new character, or simply make some changes. It's always a good idea to have an in-game reason or story as to why you might have different powers now, so as to add some incentive to the DM to allow you to make these changes.
Step B: Make your decisions early, and you won't feel so pressured when everyone waits on your turn. Give yourself a few choices before your turn, so that you can easily change your mind on the fly based on the actions between your decision and when it's your turn.
Step Awesome: Know your powers! Even if you have to look it up, know the intricacies of your powers beforehand, so that it's easier and faster for you to reference. For instance, get a good idea of what kind of exceptions will come up when you use your power. It's good to know the specifics, but it's better to have an understanding of those powers.
All in all, you're better off being prepared for multiple situations, but in the long run, you're going to have turns now and again that will take time, and those should be the exception. Not the rule.
P.S. I'm posting this while playing an Elven Cleric. We're currently in the wolf den, and I'm confident in knowing that I'll know what power to use when the DM calls my name.
-Lance of the Boy Scouts?
Thursday, July 10, 2008
New Stuff
So, I'm attempting this post from my new laptop, using the windows sidebar gadget. Yep, I gots Vista.
Yesterday I worked the layout a bit, and added some quick search links and tags to a lot of the posts thus far. I'm currently in the process of designing and organizing GHoG to be more of what I first envisioned it. Bear (sic) with me as I may miss some posts here and there in the next couple weeks in lieu of other improvements.
Yesterday I worked the layout a bit, and added some quick search links and tags to a lot of the posts thus far. I'm currently in the process of designing and organizing GHoG to be more of what I first envisioned it. Bear (sic) with me as I may miss some posts here and there in the next couple weeks in lieu of other improvements.
Tuesday, July 8, 2008
Chronicle: Of Politics and Prejudice
A.J. Thomas was not the oldest member of the village, yet he held the title, Eldest. He has seen few more than 50 winters, and still goes strong to this day. His position in Villehelm is one of great posterity, and one of great importance. He and four other elders oversee the business and politics that are designed to protect and nurture their fellow villagers.
It was this day though, that A.J. Thomas, or Eldest Thomas, as he preferred to be addressed as, was having a bit of turmoil with one his most valuable assets.
"Goblins in the forest kill without mercy, Eldest. Each of them risked their lives to get us this medicine. And all they've got from us so far is a free night at the inn and a few meals." Doctor Truss Wilven was accosting the Elder Council at this point. The 5 of them sat straight backed against their oaken chairs, staring at a kneeling Doctor pleading.
Eldest Thomas snorted, his wrinkled bronze nose leaked a bit as he took a dirty cloth to his face. He spoke with muffled words through the cloth, "I don't understand..."
"We would have lost 10 men doing the same-" Wilven burst out.
"And they will be compensated doctor." Thomas interrupted him, "But, can you prove to me that we could not have got a cleric here in ample time for less money to perform a decleansing? I believe there is one that is able to teleport and perform a ritual for less than 700 gold pieces these days. Why did we not pursue this option?"
"Damnit, Arthur. This is not why I'm here, and this has nothing to do with your damned gods!" Wilven was extremely tired by this point. Tired and irritable, as many doctors are.
Thomas sighed, "Now now, I understand that you were simply trying to help, but perhaps you might reconsider consulting the council before sending wanderers off to perform life threatening tasks in the name of our village. Perhaps we will look the other way on this one, and let you reward them from your own pocket?"
Wilven spat, "You! You bitter old Paladin. You think that an atheist doctor is a threat to your god maybe? That people will start believing in me rather than believe in your mystics?" He started to clench his fist as tight as he could, a drop of blood trickled out from under the one fingernail he had not chewed to the bone. "I'm sorry. I should... not... have spoken that way. I request that you not punish these heroes, and take out whatever necessary discipline you feel necessary out on me."
"And we shall do both. But you may find some things changing soon, good doctor." Thomas laughed, "In fact, you can be assured they will change. And you can be assured they will change you. They will receive 800 gold pieces from our treasury, and we shall deliberate on your punishment until tomorrow. You may rest now, at 8 bells we will see you back here, and you will know our decision."
It was this day though, that A.J. Thomas, or Eldest Thomas, as he preferred to be addressed as, was having a bit of turmoil with one his most valuable assets.
"Goblins in the forest kill without mercy, Eldest. Each of them risked their lives to get us this medicine. And all they've got from us so far is a free night at the inn and a few meals." Doctor Truss Wilven was accosting the Elder Council at this point. The 5 of them sat straight backed against their oaken chairs, staring at a kneeling Doctor pleading.
Eldest Thomas snorted, his wrinkled bronze nose leaked a bit as he took a dirty cloth to his face. He spoke with muffled words through the cloth, "I don't understand..."
"We would have lost 10 men doing the same-" Wilven burst out.
"And they will be compensated doctor." Thomas interrupted him, "But, can you prove to me that we could not have got a cleric here in ample time for less money to perform a decleansing? I believe there is one that is able to teleport and perform a ritual for less than 700 gold pieces these days. Why did we not pursue this option?"
"Damnit, Arthur. This is not why I'm here, and this has nothing to do with your damned gods!" Wilven was extremely tired by this point. Tired and irritable, as many doctors are.
Thomas sighed, "Now now, I understand that you were simply trying to help, but perhaps you might reconsider consulting the council before sending wanderers off to perform life threatening tasks in the name of our village. Perhaps we will look the other way on this one, and let you reward them from your own pocket?"
Wilven spat, "You! You bitter old Paladin. You think that an atheist doctor is a threat to your god maybe? That people will start believing in me rather than believe in your mystics?" He started to clench his fist as tight as he could, a drop of blood trickled out from under the one fingernail he had not chewed to the bone. "I'm sorry. I should... not... have spoken that way. I request that you not punish these heroes, and take out whatever necessary discipline you feel necessary out on me."
"And we shall do both. But you may find some things changing soon, good doctor." Thomas laughed, "In fact, you can be assured they will change. And you can be assured they will change you. They will receive 800 gold pieces from our treasury, and we shall deliberate on your punishment until tomorrow. You may rest now, at 8 bells we will see you back here, and you will know our decision."
Chronicle: The Heroes Return
Truss Wilven had done all he could to help the poisoned children. His day was spent gathering some select herbs from outside the village, looking specifically for a certain root that was known to slow blood flow. It was a common remedy for slowing poison until an antidote could be found, and a common poison applied to the blades of assassins. Too much would be quickly fatal, and a tired doctor could be a dangerous killer at this perilous time.
There was no danger though, Truss himself had quaffed an entire pot of some of the most vibrant tea he could brew, and as such would be livelier than a stampede of tigers. The potion was made, and the children had taken their share. The first of the children turned pale almost immediately. He looked half dead, unable to move save for some slow, light breaths. The four of them were almost entirely unconscious, and not one would see their demise just yet.
Wilven made his way to the battlements by the north gate, where he would sit and wait. A haphazardly armored young guard stood by him as he crouched, leaning over the edge of the stockade wall.
"There's goblins out there, Larr." Truss said to the guard, eyes glazed, and mouth hardly moving.
"'s true doc, worried?" Larr Catyk replied.
Truss sighed, "No. But I'm wondering if I should be." He took a deep breathe and leaned against the back shelf of the battlement. "Everything I've ever believed in, which has not included any god or immortal that you could name, is telling me that these kids aren't going to die yet. I just can't believe for a second that they wouldn't survive."
"I believe it, doc. They're young, and don't deserve it."
Wilven shrugged, "How old are you?"
"Old enough to know when to run from a critter in the hills. 17 now."
Wilven stood up, and looked Larr in the eye, "Daniel is 15 now, son. I'm 34. We live in the hills, and any one of us could die any day to a number of things. But we're not going to run from everything that looks at us funny. We stand and fight, and we lick our wounds when we win, and we bury the dead when we lose. But either way, people are going to get hurt, and get sick, and they're going to die. But they're not going to die if I can help it. That's why every town needs a healer, even if they have to settle for one of those god-loving clergymen."
Larr slinked back, and looked off into the hills to the north. "Hey, hey doc! It's them! And it looks like one of 'em has a full sack! I bet it's the mushroom!"
Wilven was ecstatic. There was nothing he wanted more than to forget about the reality he just painted for the boy next to him.
There was no danger though, Truss himself had quaffed an entire pot of some of the most vibrant tea he could brew, and as such would be livelier than a stampede of tigers. The potion was made, and the children had taken their share. The first of the children turned pale almost immediately. He looked half dead, unable to move save for some slow, light breaths. The four of them were almost entirely unconscious, and not one would see their demise just yet.
Wilven made his way to the battlements by the north gate, where he would sit and wait. A haphazardly armored young guard stood by him as he crouched, leaning over the edge of the stockade wall.
"There's goblins out there, Larr." Truss said to the guard, eyes glazed, and mouth hardly moving.
"'s true doc, worried?" Larr Catyk replied.
Truss sighed, "No. But I'm wondering if I should be." He took a deep breathe and leaned against the back shelf of the battlement. "Everything I've ever believed in, which has not included any god or immortal that you could name, is telling me that these kids aren't going to die yet. I just can't believe for a second that they wouldn't survive."
"I believe it, doc. They're young, and don't deserve it."
Wilven shrugged, "How old are you?"
"Old enough to know when to run from a critter in the hills. 17 now."
Wilven stood up, and looked Larr in the eye, "Daniel is 15 now, son. I'm 34. We live in the hills, and any one of us could die any day to a number of things. But we're not going to run from everything that looks at us funny. We stand and fight, and we lick our wounds when we win, and we bury the dead when we lose. But either way, people are going to get hurt, and get sick, and they're going to die. But they're not going to die if I can help it. That's why every town needs a healer, even if they have to settle for one of those god-loving clergymen."
Larr slinked back, and looked off into the hills to the north. "Hey, hey doc! It's them! And it looks like one of 'em has a full sack! I bet it's the mushroom!"
Wilven was ecstatic. There was nothing he wanted more than to forget about the reality he just painted for the boy next to him.
Sunday, July 6, 2008
Gametable: Suplemental
Here is the basic mode of Gametable. An aerial view of a gridded world, with drawn in surroundings, and movable 'pog' units. There's a chat window for player rolls and talk, and when combined with Ventrilo is the closest thing to a live D&D session I've seen online.
But it's not real D&D. At least not the way I know it. It WANTS to be D&D, but it is only a robot with dreams. Like instant messengers want to be conversations, and Pinocchio wants to be a real boy; Gametable is a wannabe. But as it neither lies nor shows my mother as a talking icon of an ant- I can accept it for what it is.
What it boils down to is that Gametable's greatest strength, and greatest drawback is its DM. A creative mind that can make full use of the wide utility GT offers, with an engaging story line and fun, sometimes skin of the teeth, battles- is what makes the 'game' worth playing.
The other side of the coin is that this IS a computer game. How long do you usually wait before you know your attack hit the enemy? How long does it take a computer to record and adjust your enemy's hit points and status effects? For a true computer game, this is all instantaneous. But we're dealing with a hybrid here, a computer game run by a human. Instead of the time-is-not-an-object pace of live D&D, there's a gas-brake-gas-brake feel as control of the game is traded between human and machine. For every instantaneous dice macro roll the computer makes at your request, there is several seconds of delay while the DM calculates, or tags are changed.
Maybe it's an aquired taste. For it's multiplayeriness and customizability it's better than alot of games out there. Players are also allowed to draw embellishments on the playing field, which is a worthy trick, and the easily designed dice macros are neat.
In conclusion, Gametable is like D&D on robo-crutches. Not quite as cool as it sounds though.
Gametable in Action!
I'll make sure to post a chronicle tomorrow, I've been slacking lately.
Earlier today we tried out the Gametable with Ventrilo. 3 of us were in The Green Hills, two at my place, and the other lives a few blocks away, while the 4th was in Connecticut. They had all made characters previously, and I had spent quite a few hours devising a dungeon for them to adventure in. This was meant to be a test run, and as I knew we would all be spending a lot of time learning how to work this new contraption, I was not going to delve too much into the plot.
When we were all settled down and ready to start, I had the players place and name their 'pogs'. Pog is the name they use in Gametable that basically represents a character or NPC or monster. I placed them all in the town hall, and gave them a short backstory as to how they met and started adventuring together. It was extremely brief, but had just enough detail to be believable. The first thing that happened when they got in the town, was they saw a bulletin board near the town fountain. The wanted poster basically sent them to the dungeon via instructions from the innkeeper. All of this played out fairly well, but still lacking in the fact that we were not able to look at each other and speak so openly as in person. Drawbacks aside, the postive aspects were still numerous though.
A lot has to be done ahead of time with this system, and it's important as the DM to understand exactly how everything is going to play out. You'll need to figure out how you're going to record initiative, how players will be able to take their movements, etc. Some parts are improved by this. For instance, even the town was mapped out, so players knew where they were in relation to other players when certain things were happening. It also made me realize how important a mapped town can be.
When the players finally showed up at the dungeon, it was slow moving at first. The first battle took a good while, and it was hard to tell if exploring the dungeon was faster or slower than in a face to face game. However, this didn't exactly matter, because the format that we were using allowed for little social time and fun things in between. They were still there, yet not as numerous as normal. Part of this might still have been due to learning how we work together to make this happen, and part is because of the lack of face to face interaction, and the fact that only person can talk at once on vent. Ironically, D&D is a game where most of the fun comes from the sarcastic side comments, or when you quietly interrupt someone with great wit.
All in all, Gametable works. It requires a lot of planning and preparation to make it work, but it does. All had fun, but it was clear that it was a different kind of fun than in a face-face session. Next week, we may try including our faraway friend via webcam!
Also, I'm going to ask Apples if she wants to write something on her thoughts of Gametable. She seems to have a different view of it than the rest of us thus far.
-Lance of the INTERTUBZ LOL DND ONZLINE People.
Earlier today we tried out the Gametable with Ventrilo. 3 of us were in The Green Hills, two at my place, and the other lives a few blocks away, while the 4th was in Connecticut. They had all made characters previously, and I had spent quite a few hours devising a dungeon for them to adventure in. This was meant to be a test run, and as I knew we would all be spending a lot of time learning how to work this new contraption, I was not going to delve too much into the plot.
When we were all settled down and ready to start, I had the players place and name their 'pogs'. Pog is the name they use in Gametable that basically represents a character or NPC or monster. I placed them all in the town hall, and gave them a short backstory as to how they met and started adventuring together. It was extremely brief, but had just enough detail to be believable. The first thing that happened when they got in the town, was they saw a bulletin board near the town fountain. The wanted poster basically sent them to the dungeon via instructions from the innkeeper. All of this played out fairly well, but still lacking in the fact that we were not able to look at each other and speak so openly as in person. Drawbacks aside, the postive aspects were still numerous though.
A lot has to be done ahead of time with this system, and it's important as the DM to understand exactly how everything is going to play out. You'll need to figure out how you're going to record initiative, how players will be able to take their movements, etc. Some parts are improved by this. For instance, even the town was mapped out, so players knew where they were in relation to other players when certain things were happening. It also made me realize how important a mapped town can be.
When the players finally showed up at the dungeon, it was slow moving at first. The first battle took a good while, and it was hard to tell if exploring the dungeon was faster or slower than in a face to face game. However, this didn't exactly matter, because the format that we were using allowed for little social time and fun things in between. They were still there, yet not as numerous as normal. Part of this might still have been due to learning how we work together to make this happen, and part is because of the lack of face to face interaction, and the fact that only person can talk at once on vent. Ironically, D&D is a game where most of the fun comes from the sarcastic side comments, or when you quietly interrupt someone with great wit.
All in all, Gametable works. It requires a lot of planning and preparation to make it work, but it does. All had fun, but it was clear that it was a different kind of fun than in a face-face session. Next week, we may try including our faraway friend via webcam!
Also, I'm going to ask Apples if she wants to write something on her thoughts of Gametable. She seems to have a different view of it than the rest of us thus far.
-Lance of the INTERTUBZ LOL DND ONZLINE People.
Mini-Review: Silk Road Online
Silk Road Online is a free to play, pay for premium, MMO. It is set in the 7th century, on the trading road between China and Europe. The game itself starts with a very haggard character creation. You have options, but it is difficult to understand the implications of your choices. Your first choice is your model, it determines your face, hairstyle, and body, and each model has their own name and storyline. While they are all interesting, I would be much more interested in being able to start my own story in a new world, than to play out the life of someone foreign to me. The other selections are fairly meager, you can choose height and weight, and your starting weapon.
Once we actually got into the this was a big drag right off, and it seemed like developing your character was a real chore. We were lost in a sea of possibilities, some of them available to us immediately, and others we would have no hope of doing until later levels. This is normally par for the course, but without any tutorial or even NPC guidance, it was extremely frustrating to start out.
We did not get very far in this game, in fact, we couldn't even finish the first quest. When we first started in the world, we found out early on that we could not even create a party until we reached level 5! .This was a big drag right off, as we were hoping to get into the world and immediately start leveling together based on the choices we made and had in mind during character creation. This was a big turn off to me, in any given MMO that I start, I want to be able to immediately start grouping with people, and on my terms if necessary.
Aside from the fact that you can use very little but autoattacks until almost level 5, and the fact that the first 5 levels were nothing but grinding, this game was simply a buzzkill from the beginning. My avatar needs a good, interesting, fulfilling beginning, or I'm just not going to be invested in it.
-Lance of the Hill People
Once we actually got into the this was a big drag right off, and it seemed like developing your character was a real chore. We were lost in a sea of possibilities, some of them available to us immediately, and others we would have no hope of doing until later levels. This is normally par for the course, but without any tutorial or even NPC guidance, it was extremely frustrating to start out.
We did not get very far in this game, in fact, we couldn't even finish the first quest. When we first started in the world, we found out early on that we could not even create a party until we reached level 5! .This was a big drag right off, as we were hoping to get into the world and immediately start leveling together based on the choices we made and had in mind during character creation. This was a big turn off to me, in any given MMO that I start, I want to be able to immediately start grouping with people, and on my terms if necessary.
Aside from the fact that you can use very little but autoattacks until almost level 5, and the fact that the first 5 levels were nothing but grinding, this game was simply a buzzkill from the beginning. My avatar needs a good, interesting, fulfilling beginning, or I'm just not going to be invested in it.
-Lance of the Hill People
Friday, July 4, 2008
Getting Comfy With Your Gaming
Everyone has their own little nuances and strategies of getting into the gaming groove. I would like to share mine today.
First off, it depends on the game that I'm playing, how long I have to play it, and what I'm looking for when I play. The default stance is to shove as much of my body below the chest underneath the desk, and recline as hard as I possibly can. The real goal is to get a 30 degree angle going here, so that I'm practically lying down, but still able to get into a straight sitting position of things get heated.
If I'm playing anything split screen, I like to sit cross-legged on the floor as close to the TV as I can without getting in the view of people behind me. This is mostly due to a vision problem that was likely caused by sitting too close to the TV screen when I was younger.
When I play just to mess around, I usually enjoy a drink or two, especially if I'm raiding in an MMO, and it's all old content. By the time we get to a new boss, I'll be sober enough to still perform well. My drink of choice is usually a glass of brandy, but I will also enjoy a fine, hand-crafted, ginger ale now and again. A steaming cup of hot chocolate goes well on a cold winters morning though.
If I'm playing a FPS, I don't want any food or snacks, because if I'm playing a FPS, I want to be as into the game as I can be, or I start to see my stats waning. I love to challenge myself to get good scores while still contributing to the victory of my team.
PvP on an MMO will usually find me drinking straight rum, and maybe even smoking a bit of sweet tobacco out of my friends hookah. This combination is extremely rare though, I usually don't smoke from a hookah more than once every couple months on average. The smoothness of the smoke coupled with the sting of a good rum is the exact combination to keep me from getting irate when PvP starts getting heated.
D&D I like to run with a full meal just before, and a short snack break at least mid-way through. If the players haven't had two encounters yet, I like to hold off until at least then. I also enjoy sitting in my rolly/swively office chair with one book in lap, and most of my DM tools scattered across the board. I personally don't mind when my players see what I roll, and I honestly have no qualms about telling them something hit or didn't hit when the die roll says it should or shouldn't have. It's mostly a personal thing, other DM's have different relationships with their players though, so that's not for everybody. Oh, and all the players fill up the two couches that are opposite where I keep my chair. It's hard to explain, maybe I'll have Apples diagram it in MS Paint with sweet illustrations for you guys...
Anyway, post your gaming pose in the comments by all means. I'd like to hear how other get comfy in their gaming.
-Lance of the Chill People
First off, it depends on the game that I'm playing, how long I have to play it, and what I'm looking for when I play. The default stance is to shove as much of my body below the chest underneath the desk, and recline as hard as I possibly can. The real goal is to get a 30 degree angle going here, so that I'm practically lying down, but still able to get into a straight sitting position of things get heated.
If I'm playing anything split screen, I like to sit cross-legged on the floor as close to the TV as I can without getting in the view of people behind me. This is mostly due to a vision problem that was likely caused by sitting too close to the TV screen when I was younger.
When I play just to mess around, I usually enjoy a drink or two, especially if I'm raiding in an MMO, and it's all old content. By the time we get to a new boss, I'll be sober enough to still perform well. My drink of choice is usually a glass of brandy, but I will also enjoy a fine, hand-crafted, ginger ale now and again. A steaming cup of hot chocolate goes well on a cold winters morning though.
If I'm playing a FPS, I don't want any food or snacks, because if I'm playing a FPS, I want to be as into the game as I can be, or I start to see my stats waning. I love to challenge myself to get good scores while still contributing to the victory of my team.
PvP on an MMO will usually find me drinking straight rum, and maybe even smoking a bit of sweet tobacco out of my friends hookah. This combination is extremely rare though, I usually don't smoke from a hookah more than once every couple months on average. The smoothness of the smoke coupled with the sting of a good rum is the exact combination to keep me from getting irate when PvP starts getting heated.
D&D I like to run with a full meal just before, and a short snack break at least mid-way through. If the players haven't had two encounters yet, I like to hold off until at least then. I also enjoy sitting in my rolly/swively office chair with one book in lap, and most of my DM tools scattered across the board. I personally don't mind when my players see what I roll, and I honestly have no qualms about telling them something hit or didn't hit when the die roll says it should or shouldn't have. It's mostly a personal thing, other DM's have different relationships with their players though, so that's not for everybody. Oh, and all the players fill up the two couches that are opposite where I keep my chair. It's hard to explain, maybe I'll have Apples diagram it in MS Paint with sweet illustrations for you guys...
Anyway, post your gaming pose in the comments by all means. I'd like to hear how other get comfy in their gaming.
-Lance of the Chill People
Thursday, July 3, 2008
Mini-Review: Dungeon Runners
This post will be done in entirely in the style of what it feels like to play this free to play, pay for premium MMO.
Ok, made my character, didn't have a lot of options. Choice of Fighter, Ranger, or Mage, and all of the options were either satirical, sarcastic, or particularly dooming, but I choose fighter. I'm looking at a 3rd person view here, and it looks like someone nearby has a yellow eclamation point. I've seen that before. Ok, it appears to be a Noobsaurus. That's funny? I talk to the Noobasaur, Noobasaurus is HILARIOUS. I find myself reading every word of his tutorialistic quests, and can't read a single one without letting a full laugh escape the dungeon of my gullet.
So I guess I've got a quest from the Noobsaurus to try to get my support ticket answered. My number is 54,000,001?! Funny, but only because it's true. I guess I'll check out this guy with a quest. Turns out he's in line to get his support ticket answered, but he's willing to trade tickets if I do him a favor. This goes on, and eventually I trade with the guy with ticket number 2, and I get a quest that lets my leave the starting area.
MEANWHILE: I'm getting other quests from people, and townspeople are giving me rude and sarcastic remarks, while the hermit who lives near a bunch of people sounds exactly like Krusty the Klown. The quests almost all take place within a dungeon known as the Dew Valley Forest, and the gameplay is almost exactly like Diablo. They even have weapon and armor descriptions that involve 2-3 suffixes and prefixes that include lots of animal names and irrelevant adjectives.
I walk in with two of my friends, and we plow through waves of wolves and rat people to complete the first 3 levels of the dungeon. No problem. We take a trip back to town, and one of the guys gives us a quest to kill some rat boss at the bottom. We enter his lair, and hip hop music starts playing. Chalk it up to odd choice of exciting dungeon music and move on. I die. The death penatly is 100% negligible at this stage, and I simply teleport instantly (at no cost) to my teammates. Action resumes. We bust through the lair, fighting as hard as we can, and the final boss is a rat guy with a posse. The posse members carry a boombox and there are some huge subwoofers in the rats lair. I let out a couple laughs, and when I go to turn in the quest, the quest giver remarks that I'm the 109th person to inform him that Rattle is dead. He chooses to believe me though, and gives me the reward.
This goes on.
Long story short, download Dungeon Runners. Playing is free, so just give it a shot, and make sure to read what those quest givers are talking about!
Ok, made my character, didn't have a lot of options. Choice of Fighter, Ranger, or Mage, and all of the options were either satirical, sarcastic, or particularly dooming, but I choose fighter. I'm looking at a 3rd person view here, and it looks like someone nearby has a yellow eclamation point. I've seen that before. Ok, it appears to be a Noobsaurus. That's funny? I talk to the Noobasaur, Noobasaurus is HILARIOUS. I find myself reading every word of his tutorialistic quests, and can't read a single one without letting a full laugh escape the dungeon of my gullet.
So I guess I've got a quest from the Noobsaurus to try to get my support ticket answered. My number is 54,000,001?! Funny, but only because it's true. I guess I'll check out this guy with a quest. Turns out he's in line to get his support ticket answered, but he's willing to trade tickets if I do him a favor. This goes on, and eventually I trade with the guy with ticket number 2, and I get a quest that lets my leave the starting area.
MEANWHILE: I'm getting other quests from people, and townspeople are giving me rude and sarcastic remarks, while the hermit who lives near a bunch of people sounds exactly like Krusty the Klown. The quests almost all take place within a dungeon known as the Dew Valley Forest, and the gameplay is almost exactly like Diablo. They even have weapon and armor descriptions that involve 2-3 suffixes and prefixes that include lots of animal names and irrelevant adjectives.
I walk in with two of my friends, and we plow through waves of wolves and rat people to complete the first 3 levels of the dungeon. No problem. We take a trip back to town, and one of the guys gives us a quest to kill some rat boss at the bottom. We enter his lair, and hip hop music starts playing. Chalk it up to odd choice of exciting dungeon music and move on. I die. The death penatly is 100% negligible at this stage, and I simply teleport instantly (at no cost) to my teammates. Action resumes. We bust through the lair, fighting as hard as we can, and the final boss is a rat guy with a posse. The posse members carry a boombox and there are some huge subwoofers in the rats lair. I let out a couple laughs, and when I go to turn in the quest, the quest giver remarks that I'm the 109th person to inform him that Rattle is dead. He chooses to believe me though, and gives me the reward.
This goes on.
Long story short, download Dungeon Runners. Playing is free, so just give it a shot, and make sure to read what those quest givers are talking about!
The Denizens of Villehelm
This post is one of many that I will be doing to help structure my own setting, while giving examples and ideas to other DM's and world crafters.
The Denizens of Villehelm:
Innkeeper - Vinn Rin Talbin
Vinn keeps the Inn, that's his job, and it's his life. He is married to Celia Talbin, and has no children. He is of average height, and is a stocky but confident man. He always wears a particular vest that is light and composed of worn faded leather. He is often happy in his work, and is the unofficial town greeter when it comes to adventurers in the village.
Blacksmith - Letigit Stripe
Letigit is an Eladrin who was abandoned during a battle for contested lands between Dwarves and Eladrin. She was mistakenly taken from the Eladrin village by a pillaging Dwarf, and was raised by a kind family in the mountains. She is exceptionally tall and muscular for an Eladrin, and gruffly makes the towns weapons by day, while drinking a gallon of ale every other night.
Doctor - Truss Wilven
Average in appearance, and deliberate in action, Truss Wilven is the most well known and respected member of Villehelm. He has straight brown hair, light green eyes, and every bit about him is completely average and ordinary. Except for his pipe. You wouldn't notice him if he was the only person standing in the center of the town square, but as soon as you get to know the Doctor, you find out what he lacks in appearance, he makes up for in actions.
The MLA Ambassador - Gunvel Slantern
What's an MLA Ambassador? Well, you'll have to ask the neighborhood gnome, Gunvel Slantern. He knows all about the MLA, and will talk about if for hours on end. It is wise to not bring up such things around him, but if you need anything that you normally wouldn't find on the beaten path, this guy is your best bet. Certifiably Gnomish.
The Town Eldest - Arthur Jonathon Thomas
A former Paladin, and defender of all that is just, Arthur is the most bullheaded and stubborn man in the village. Which is why he's in politics. The council of elders consists of 4 members plus the eldest, who is not actually the oldest, but the most revered among the elders. Arthur is easily angered, and would not be caught dead offering his own solution to any sort of conflict or problem. He is deeply religious though, and is a devout worshipper of Pelor.
The Stable Boy - Tanigan Alabhad
From far off lands, it is unkown how Tanigan ever made it to the hills before the mountains. He has a darker skin tone than other humans in this area, and he is often ridiculed by others for it. He pays little notice, and does his work diligently, and happily. Tanigan has his own dreams of becoming an adventurer someday, and it is well known that his strongest desire lies in returning to whence he came.
Well, that's a good start for now. In future posts there may be some more detailed information about one of these characters, and there will certainly be more of these mini-bio's in the future.
The Denizens of Villehelm:
Innkeeper - Vinn Rin Talbin
Vinn keeps the Inn, that's his job, and it's his life. He is married to Celia Talbin, and has no children. He is of average height, and is a stocky but confident man. He always wears a particular vest that is light and composed of worn faded leather. He is often happy in his work, and is the unofficial town greeter when it comes to adventurers in the village.
Blacksmith - Letigit Stripe
Letigit is an Eladrin who was abandoned during a battle for contested lands between Dwarves and Eladrin. She was mistakenly taken from the Eladrin village by a pillaging Dwarf, and was raised by a kind family in the mountains. She is exceptionally tall and muscular for an Eladrin, and gruffly makes the towns weapons by day, while drinking a gallon of ale every other night.
Doctor - Truss Wilven
Average in appearance, and deliberate in action, Truss Wilven is the most well known and respected member of Villehelm. He has straight brown hair, light green eyes, and every bit about him is completely average and ordinary. Except for his pipe. You wouldn't notice him if he was the only person standing in the center of the town square, but as soon as you get to know the Doctor, you find out what he lacks in appearance, he makes up for in actions.
The MLA Ambassador - Gunvel Slantern
What's an MLA Ambassador? Well, you'll have to ask the neighborhood gnome, Gunvel Slantern. He knows all about the MLA, and will talk about if for hours on end. It is wise to not bring up such things around him, but if you need anything that you normally wouldn't find on the beaten path, this guy is your best bet. Certifiably Gnomish.
The Town Eldest - Arthur Jonathon Thomas
A former Paladin, and defender of all that is just, Arthur is the most bullheaded and stubborn man in the village. Which is why he's in politics. The council of elders consists of 4 members plus the eldest, who is not actually the oldest, but the most revered among the elders. Arthur is easily angered, and would not be caught dead offering his own solution to any sort of conflict or problem. He is deeply religious though, and is a devout worshipper of Pelor.
The Stable Boy - Tanigan Alabhad
From far off lands, it is unkown how Tanigan ever made it to the hills before the mountains. He has a darker skin tone than other humans in this area, and he is often ridiculed by others for it. He pays little notice, and does his work diligently, and happily. Tanigan has his own dreams of becoming an adventurer someday, and it is well known that his strongest desire lies in returning to whence he came.
Well, that's a good start for now. In future posts there may be some more detailed information about one of these characters, and there will certainly be more of these mini-bio's in the future.
Tuesday, July 1, 2008
DM'ing: Making a Success of a Derailed Session
This week we had one of our regulars missing from the campaign. Normally this can be easily accounted for, you make up some sort of reason why the character needs a sidequest, or even play them out through the battles and such. Sometimes though, you want to make sure that everybody is there for the session. My particular reason was that this was going to be the very first dungeon in 4E.
The players were all ready to make their way into a secret secret passageway beneath a tomb in the hills, and all of a sudden the Tiefling Warlock (our missing PC) dropped to the flour and started frothing at the mouth. At the same time, an NPC who happened to be outside keeping guard, ran in saying there were monsters approaching from the outside.
The DM'ing strategy here was to give some sort of plot twist that may have been related to the fire beetles recently battled that would cause the players to cease their descent. At the same time, I set up an encounter outside that would pose a threat and keep their interest.
What I had not planned on was that they sealed the passageway behind them with the Warlock inside. This was to defend the unconscious from the attacking monsters, but while they fought kobolds outside, I had a different scenario play out below ground.
The heroes fought a good battle against the kobolds, but had a surprise waiting when they went to retrieve their fallen friend. As they descended the ladder to the room with the Warlock, they heard munching and chewing sounds, followed by moaning. When one of them pulled out a fire beetle gland for light, they saw 2 zombies chewing on the Warlock, and two more coming out of the dungeon entrance, or exit, as they recently discovered.
When all of the battles were finished, the players decided they needed to get medical attention to the frothing Warlock. They started heading back to town, and one more random encounter on route to the village was enough to make a well rounded session. Unfortunately, with all of the combat, and such little mystique and intrigue, the Warlock will be behind in XP for next time. These kinds of situations can be remedied with solo side quests and things of that nature. And in this digital age there is also the option of running an RP only sidequest for the PC to have him earn some XP in ways other than quests and combat. An entire quest could be done through emails, or even online using Gametable and Ventrilo, depending on how deep you prefer to go as a DM.
One thing that is exceptionally important: If you take great care in designing your campaigns, don't let an absent player take advantage of you. The planning that you put into your game is at least worth the regular attendance of your players. If you let them come and go as they please, and this interferes with the continuity of the storyline and such, or hinders others gameplay experience, don't just give them the XP they missed unless it's really for a good reason. Conversely, if you improv every session, don't lecture players on attendance when the entire game is made up on the spot. Let your players know where your boundaries are, and be understanding of when it's appropriate to miss a session, and when it's not. Everyone has their reasons, and missing out on XP might not be a fair penalty for some of those reasons.
-Lance of the Hill People
The players were all ready to make their way into a secret secret passageway beneath a tomb in the hills, and all of a sudden the Tiefling Warlock (our missing PC) dropped to the flour and started frothing at the mouth. At the same time, an NPC who happened to be outside keeping guard, ran in saying there were monsters approaching from the outside.
The DM'ing strategy here was to give some sort of plot twist that may have been related to the fire beetles recently battled that would cause the players to cease their descent. At the same time, I set up an encounter outside that would pose a threat and keep their interest.
What I had not planned on was that they sealed the passageway behind them with the Warlock inside. This was to defend the unconscious from the attacking monsters, but while they fought kobolds outside, I had a different scenario play out below ground.
The heroes fought a good battle against the kobolds, but had a surprise waiting when they went to retrieve their fallen friend. As they descended the ladder to the room with the Warlock, they heard munching and chewing sounds, followed by moaning. When one of them pulled out a fire beetle gland for light, they saw 2 zombies chewing on the Warlock, and two more coming out of the dungeon entrance, or exit, as they recently discovered.
When all of the battles were finished, the players decided they needed to get medical attention to the frothing Warlock. They started heading back to town, and one more random encounter on route to the village was enough to make a well rounded session. Unfortunately, with all of the combat, and such little mystique and intrigue, the Warlock will be behind in XP for next time. These kinds of situations can be remedied with solo side quests and things of that nature. And in this digital age there is also the option of running an RP only sidequest for the PC to have him earn some XP in ways other than quests and combat. An entire quest could be done through emails, or even online using Gametable and Ventrilo, depending on how deep you prefer to go as a DM.
One thing that is exceptionally important: If you take great care in designing your campaigns, don't let an absent player take advantage of you. The planning that you put into your game is at least worth the regular attendance of your players. If you let them come and go as they please, and this interferes with the continuity of the storyline and such, or hinders others gameplay experience, don't just give them the XP they missed unless it's really for a good reason. Conversely, if you improv every session, don't lecture players on attendance when the entire game is made up on the spot. Let your players know where your boundaries are, and be understanding of when it's appropriate to miss a session, and when it's not. Everyone has their reasons, and missing out on XP might not be a fair penalty for some of those reasons.
-Lance of the Hill People
Monday, June 30, 2008
Online D&D - Cheap!
So in my recent quest to find a decent digital dungeon designer, I found myself stumbling upon (by the guidance of one of my PC's) an application called Gametable.
The page itself even recommends you pair it with something along the likes of Ventrilo.
I have since given it a good whirl, and so far I love what I've seen. Gametable is an applet that will let you draw in the lines of dungeons and encounters, and your players are able to fully manipulate everything; which could be a blessing or a curse, depending on your players. My way of interpreting good use out of this would be to have the DM draw the dungeon in his private edit mode, and then reveal areas and monsters as they are explored by the PC's. You do this by finding the private edit mode, and drawing everything in there that you want, and then use the publish crop to select what parts you want the players to see and when.
Coupled with the player's ability to draw their projected lines of movement, the game could run very smoothly, so long as nobody purposefully tries to mess things up. You also have the option of making dice macros, which are perfect for people who have a hard time remembering the pluses and attacks to all their weapons. A player can simply take all of their attacks and set them up so they have the correct plus and the program does all the math.
Ventrilo comes in when you realize how difficult it is to play D&D through text chatting alone. I've managed to set my computer up as a gametable and ventrilo server without much difficulty. Vent, as we call it, is a beautiful thing that lets you clearly hear the words that your friends from around the world would be saying to you. It is a VoIP that is expressly designed for groups of people to be able to conference together smoothly. It does require you to have a moderate technical awareness though, as the setup and directions aren't exactly user friendly.
So when Ventrilo and Gametable are joined, we expect a huge success in terms of incorporating a long distance friend into some 4E gaming this summer. I personally will be guiding him through a series of quests simultaneous to the main campaign, and he will join up with them when he moves back to the Green Hills this fall.
-Lance of the Hill People
The page itself even recommends you pair it with something along the likes of Ventrilo.
I have since given it a good whirl, and so far I love what I've seen. Gametable is an applet that will let you draw in the lines of dungeons and encounters, and your players are able to fully manipulate everything; which could be a blessing or a curse, depending on your players. My way of interpreting good use out of this would be to have the DM draw the dungeon in his private edit mode, and then reveal areas and monsters as they are explored by the PC's. You do this by finding the private edit mode, and drawing everything in there that you want, and then use the publish crop to select what parts you want the players to see and when.
Coupled with the player's ability to draw their projected lines of movement, the game could run very smoothly, so long as nobody purposefully tries to mess things up. You also have the option of making dice macros, which are perfect for people who have a hard time remembering the pluses and attacks to all their weapons. A player can simply take all of their attacks and set them up so they have the correct plus and the program does all the math.
Ventrilo comes in when you realize how difficult it is to play D&D through text chatting alone. I've managed to set my computer up as a gametable and ventrilo server without much difficulty. Vent, as we call it, is a beautiful thing that lets you clearly hear the words that your friends from around the world would be saying to you. It is a VoIP that is expressly designed for groups of people to be able to conference together smoothly. It does require you to have a moderate technical awareness though, as the setup and directions aren't exactly user friendly.
So when Ventrilo and Gametable are joined, we expect a huge success in terms of incorporating a long distance friend into some 4E gaming this summer. I personally will be guiding him through a series of quests simultaneous to the main campaign, and he will join up with them when he moves back to the Green Hills this fall.
-Lance of the Hill People
Sunday, June 29, 2008
Formula: Making a Dungeon
Today I thought I'd share some of my ideas on how to make a dungeon. Through a step by step process, you can make a pretty sweet dungeon adventure in only a couple hours.
Begin With a Trial
I find it nice to open with some sort of challenge to the players themselves, but it can be equally fun to challenge their characters. Regardless of whether your dealing with a meta-challenge or an in-game challenge, there still manages to be some crossover between the two.
To Implement: The trial could easily be finding the dungeon in the first place. This could require players to make a series of checks much like the challenges described in the Dungeon Masters Guide. It could also be a puzzle in itself. You might have a series of clues scattered about a forest labyrinth that eventually leads them to the entrance to the dungeon within. You could also make the dungeon easy to find in itself, but difficult to initially crack into. Breaking in could be a challenge, or there might be a puzzle that when solved unlocks the path beneath. Another possibility would be to have a guardian, or perhaps a potential guide, send the heroes on a quest for a trophy to prove their worth. All of these are great side quests to get the players excited about what's actually beneath.
Start Mapping
This part is easy, and can be really fun. Navigating a dungeon could take weeks depending on how long or frequent your gameplay is. But making the dungeon itself takes less time than a single session.
To Implement: Break out your graph paper, or even your computer, and start mapping out the different levels, obstacles, traps, and whatnot that you want in your dungeon. Even if it doesn't make sense in terms of storyline or lore, you want to make the dungeon big enough so that the players will have interesting combat with different decision points in it. Make rooms with potential combat open enough that everybody will be able to find the battle accessible. You don't want people waiting outside the door for monsters or players to move out so they can actually see some action. Also, if the players do not, or try not, to surpass certain obstacles, give them another way around, but make it equally challenging in a different way. If they get stuck solving the sphinx's riddle, let them go around and use their brawn instead of brain.
Find an Encounter Theme
Not every encounter has to be the same type of monster, such as a dungeon full of only goblins, but it's good to have a theme behind the encounters. Let the players guess why certain monsters have teamed up with each other. This makes for more interesting encounters, and can even give you ideas on how to bring the concept back around later on.
To Implement: Balance what makes sense with what makes for interesting gaming. For instance, if the players are heading into a dungeon that was sealed for many centuries, make sure there are plenty of undead in there. In fact, the only living creatures should be ones that are known to survive for centuries on very meager living arrangements. If you go with an only undead dungeon, switch it up. Don't just use zombies and skeletons, throw in a specter or a wight, even a couple ghouls now and then. And most importantly, tie all the undead in some how. You may not have them encounter a lich at the end, but give them a clue that there may be one in this realm, and that could be their followup quest. But in terms of tying the dungeon together, make sure you've got at least one big bad monster at the end. It could be a demon leading a horde of underling goblins and such, or whatever you think is possible under the constraints of your story.
Follow these three steps, and your dungeon might certainly guarantee fun and interest. Start with a trial, have an interesting geography, and make sure the monsters don't get stale. Also, it always helps to have a hook, a twist, or a big bang at the end of every dungeon.
This post is to make up for last Sunday. More to come later today.
-Lance of the Lazy People
Begin With a Trial
I find it nice to open with some sort of challenge to the players themselves, but it can be equally fun to challenge their characters. Regardless of whether your dealing with a meta-challenge or an in-game challenge, there still manages to be some crossover between the two.
To Implement: The trial could easily be finding the dungeon in the first place. This could require players to make a series of checks much like the challenges described in the Dungeon Masters Guide. It could also be a puzzle in itself. You might have a series of clues scattered about a forest labyrinth that eventually leads them to the entrance to the dungeon within. You could also make the dungeon easy to find in itself, but difficult to initially crack into. Breaking in could be a challenge, or there might be a puzzle that when solved unlocks the path beneath. Another possibility would be to have a guardian, or perhaps a potential guide, send the heroes on a quest for a trophy to prove their worth. All of these are great side quests to get the players excited about what's actually beneath.
Start Mapping
This part is easy, and can be really fun. Navigating a dungeon could take weeks depending on how long or frequent your gameplay is. But making the dungeon itself takes less time than a single session.
To Implement: Break out your graph paper, or even your computer, and start mapping out the different levels, obstacles, traps, and whatnot that you want in your dungeon. Even if it doesn't make sense in terms of storyline or lore, you want to make the dungeon big enough so that the players will have interesting combat with different decision points in it. Make rooms with potential combat open enough that everybody will be able to find the battle accessible. You don't want people waiting outside the door for monsters or players to move out so they can actually see some action. Also, if the players do not, or try not, to surpass certain obstacles, give them another way around, but make it equally challenging in a different way. If they get stuck solving the sphinx's riddle, let them go around and use their brawn instead of brain.
Find an Encounter Theme
Not every encounter has to be the same type of monster, such as a dungeon full of only goblins, but it's good to have a theme behind the encounters. Let the players guess why certain monsters have teamed up with each other. This makes for more interesting encounters, and can even give you ideas on how to bring the concept back around later on.
To Implement: Balance what makes sense with what makes for interesting gaming. For instance, if the players are heading into a dungeon that was sealed for many centuries, make sure there are plenty of undead in there. In fact, the only living creatures should be ones that are known to survive for centuries on very meager living arrangements. If you go with an only undead dungeon, switch it up. Don't just use zombies and skeletons, throw in a specter or a wight, even a couple ghouls now and then. And most importantly, tie all the undead in some how. You may not have them encounter a lich at the end, but give them a clue that there may be one in this realm, and that could be their followup quest. But in terms of tying the dungeon together, make sure you've got at least one big bad monster at the end. It could be a demon leading a horde of underling goblins and such, or whatever you think is possible under the constraints of your story.
Follow these three steps, and your dungeon might certainly guarantee fun and interest. Start with a trial, have an interesting geography, and make sure the monsters don't get stale. Also, it always helps to have a hook, a twist, or a big bang at the end of every dungeon.
This post is to make up for last Sunday. More to come later today.
-Lance of the Lazy People
Saturday, June 28, 2008
Return from the Mushroom Forest
Twas mid-afternoon by the time they passed their last mushroom.Though the land and air was no longer moist, or filled with potentially hallucinogenic spores, it was no less desolate. They traded the earthy mushroom forest for a drying wasted forest, their path weaving through the hills. Flint Fireforth was finally starting to believe his companions were something more than hallucinations.
As the party reach the crest of a hill the mangy head of a giant rose into view. Ducking behind rocks, and dropping to the dry leafy ground, the group decided wisely to not risk becoming someones dinner. Oblivious, the giant continued his amble to the east, never turning toward the hidden adventurers.
Now fully alert, the party made haste to Helmville.
The town cheered triumphantly at their return, as though they also had risked their lives for a few pounds of precious mushroom. The heros were led in to the town center, where they were greeted by the haggard Dr. Trusswilvene. His face shone with relief, and he quickly left with the bags of mushroom, leaving the young adventurers to their adulations.
And adulated they were! Vinn, the innkeeper, treated them to the finest dinner they had seen in months. With meats, vegetables, and only the barest hint of mushroom. Soon tipsy on Mushmead, each adventurer tried to retell the story of their adventure for the eager townsfolk, each tripping over one another with bits of the story, with goblin clans becoming armies, and their close call skirmishes becoming a legendary battle featuring favored gods.
"We fought a billion goblins! And we saved the babies! And it was Gooood!" The cleric told a pair of Auching dwarvish younglings.
"Auch!" They replied.
A bonfire was raised, and music and dancing filled the night. Melori praised her patroness Melora for her aid in battle, and danced in her honor. It was appraised as a good, but fruity dance, as the rest of the party, and the town folk, began Kossak dancing in triumph. Unable to game-face it, a drunken Yorma repeatedly kicked the local blacksmith, until she was pushed over, to everyones laughter. She was helped back up, and handed another stein.
~~
The next morn, their bodies singing from warm beds, extra blankets, and a mighty brunch, our adventurers met with the good doctor to gauge their success. He roused himself from his office chair, clearly the first shut-eye he had in days, and informed them the children were recovering. With the supply of mushroom they had procured the village would be safe from outbreak for years. He was overwhelmed, and grateful. With the permission of the village council, a portion of the town treasury was rewarded to them for the heroic deed.
"No, no, we can't take this." Krellian tried to refuse the money. The doctor placed 800 gold in his hands.
"It is yours. Divide it as you like. But do not return it" Reluctantly Krellian took the money, to the joy of his companions. Noting their eagerness for gold, the doctor was reminded of a crypt he had once visited nearby- on an unsuccessful scouting mission for some missing hunters. Town lore had it that the crypt held something of great value, though when he had found the entrance, he also found a swarm of fire beetles protecting a puzzle therein, and his party was forced to retreat. Not content with village life, the party signed on to explore the crypt.
"Have you heard of fire beetles before?" The doctor asked.
"Yes, I know ALL ABOUT fire beetles." Galah'ala assured his friends, his horns bobbing as he nodded convincingly.
"Oh good, then I won't bore you with the details. As you know, these are dangerous times. Please do be careful."
"Yeah, you don't want to get their itch. Their terrible beetle itch." Galah'ala added.
The doctor paused in confusion as the party left his office.
In town, the adventurers bought fresh supplies, argued over the fire-resistance of lard, and sharpened their weapons for the fight. Twas only mid-morn by the time they were cheered out of town, on their way to the old crypt. There was no path to guide the way, but the doctor had given them suitable directions. Even so, as they came over the rise of a hill they found themselves staring down a group of kobolds and a pair of clicking fire beetles, nearly the size of Yorma.
The beetles scuttled forward, their mandibles chortling and horking in an ominous fashion. Raising his weapon to the sky, Flint called forth a bolt of holy light, piercing a hell beetle, and calling Melori forward to join in it's demise. Krellian ran forward, swinging his longsword down on an angry beetle. Yorma, eager for the fight, threw an eldritch blast, which flew over the kobolds heads and struck a nearby tree. Pulling out her sword, Melori charged in beside Krellian and struck at the giant insect.
The kobolds hurried into position, two jabbing at Flint and Krellian. Another took aim and flung an earthen pot, which broke on the ground some ways behind Flint.
"Have you heard of fire beetles before?" The doctor asked.
"Yes, I know ALL ABOUT fire beetles." Galah'ala assured his friends, his horns bobbing as he nodded convincingly.
"Oh good, then I won't bore you with the details. As you know, these are dangerous times. Please do be careful."
"Yeah, you don't want to get their itch. Their terrible beetle itch." Galah'ala added.
The doctor paused in confusion as the party left his office.
In town, the adventurers bought fresh supplies, argued over the fire-resistance of lard, and sharpened their weapons for the fight. Twas only mid-morn by the time they were cheered out of town, on their way to the old crypt. There was no path to guide the way, but the doctor had given them suitable directions. Even so, as they came over the rise of a hill they found themselves staring down a group of kobolds and a pair of clicking fire beetles, nearly the size of Yorma.
The beetles scuttled forward, their mandibles chortling and horking in an ominous fashion. Raising his weapon to the sky, Flint called forth a bolt of holy light, piercing a hell beetle, and calling Melori forward to join in it's demise. Krellian ran forward, swinging his longsword down on an angry beetle. Yorma, eager for the fight, threw an eldritch blast, which flew over the kobolds heads and struck a nearby tree. Pulling out her sword, Melori charged in beside Krellian and struck at the giant insect.
The kobolds hurried into position, two jabbing at Flint and Krellian. Another took aim and flung an earthen pot, which broke on the ground some ways behind Flint.
"Look out for oil!" Melori cried.
Murmuring under his breath, Galah'ala eyed a skirmishing kobold. Feeling his spine tingle, the little lizard glanced up at the warlock. His eyes grew wide, and he fell forward, just before a column of dark flame shot down from the heavens- obliterating his husk.
Encouraged by the smell of flame and charring, the fire beetles ceased their clicking and opened their mandibles, releasing waves of yellow flame. Krellian and Melori turned away, but when the breath was finished, they both smoked, their exposed skin brown and red.
"Urrg, it doesn't hurt that bad!" Krellian groaned, willing himself back to the fight.
"Back on your feet, Lass!" Waving his stout fist in the air, Flint restored Melori's vigor. The stench of the broken stink pot began to waft, and Galah'ala wretched at the scent. The battle continued until the beetles were beaten to the ground- before they released another fiery onslaught.
The kobolds, seeing their hulking pets collapse, began to run. Curses and marks struck them in the back, and before they reach the next hill they each fell into a heap.
"Hurray!" The party cheered in eerie unison. After a round of bandaging and brow wiping, Yorma and Melori cut away portions of beetle shell, hoping for protection from the next insects they'd face. The glands of the beetle were harvested, as they glowed a warm orange. Again, the party marched on, keeping wary of any passing hill giants or more kobolds. But they way was clear to the crypt, and when they arrived, they found a surprise.
Val! The ranger who had aided them in the mushroom forest, was collecting herbs nearby the old crypt. "This'll be useful!" She said, picking a last white flower and tucking it into her pack. Krellian offered her her cut of the reward money, and hearing about their quest to the crypt, she gladly signed on.
The crypt entrance was a pale sun-bleached granite, partially hidden under crawling vines. Galah'ala cleared away some of the brush to reveal the plaque the doctor had spoken of.
When order is reached
The way is clear.
Inside the one room crypt was a stone sarcophagus, it's lid loose. Krellian approached and cautiously pushed at it with one hand. It budged. Melori joined him and together they shifted the entire lid off the other side. But inside was empty. So empty in fact, that there was a ladder leading down into a dark cavern below the crypt. A gland was tossed down, illuminating a dry stone floor, and the passageway beneath.
The party climbed down, tossing glands ahead of them as they walked, revealing a curving tunnel, carved out of stone, that led into a large open room, most of which still basked in darkness.
Drawing their weapons, the party charged into their midst. Metal met hard shells, dark and light magics raised a frenzy of furied clicking, and the stone cubes sat waiting. The room burst into hot daylight briefly, and in the flash chutes were visible around the ceiling of the room, just large enough for a fire beetle. Peeking from behind their scavanged shields, Melori and Yorma nodded to each other before launching themselves anew at their enemies. In wild desperation the adventurers felled one horrid beetle after another, Flint and Krellian calling encouragements and casting divine aids to their friends.
One by one the beetles fell. And yet, in the silence where each man and woman bandaged their wounds, a quiet and copious clicking could be heard softly through the cool stone walls. Exchanging knowing looks, the party agreed to approach the dais again. Krellian stepped forward, and found the following.
Nine square holes cut into the stone alter top. Nine stone cubes numbered zero to nine, placed in a large square hole.
The party began examining the room, looking for more clues. Yorma began stuffing beetle corpses into the empty chutes to plug them. Glancing up, Melori found a bit of unusual writing on the crumbled ceiling.
"It's dwarvish." Someone noted.
"Dwarf!" Krellian called. "Read us what it says."
"Auch... something about... words." Flint replied, studying the ceiling.
"That's it? Words? You can't read your own language?"
"I had a bit of mushmead before we left." Flint confessed. The group sat down and waited for Flint to sober to have a clearer look at the writing. Val retrieved a game of Scrappli she carried with her to pass the time. Melori wandered back down the hall towards the sarcophagus. Eventually Flint looked up again. "It's about the order of the words. It's what gives them their power."
"The lid of the tomb reads 'WRITING'. Who knows what that means." Melori said, returning to the room. Chins were scratched. Beards were twisted. Brows were furrowed.
"I've got it!" Val cried. Pulling the cubes out and lining them up beside holes she explained, "Spell the WORDS, put them in alphabetical ORDER, and that's how they go." To the hesitant gasps of her companions, she nudged each cube into a box. 8, 5, 4, 9, 1, 7, 6, 3, 2, 0.
From within the walls they could hear the sound of wheels turning. The soft clicking crescendoed, along with the sound of crunching and wet pumpkin innards. Thin maroon liquid began to dribble from the unstuffed chutes. The party backed away towards the corridor as the trickle became a stream. A mash of legs, guts, and shells began to push out, tumbling to the ground. Some small fires flickered as the room filled with the crypt's offering.
Eventually the flow of mush tapered off, and the alter lowered and twisted out of sight, revealing a winding staircase.
~Apples
Friday, June 27, 2008
Thursday, June 26, 2008
DM'ing: What Constitutes a Failure
Apples and I got into a discussion about Tuesday's post, and I encouraged her to post her opinion in the comments. She did, and now I shall respond
This is a clarification on what it means to fail as a DM. Failure as a DM can mean different things. Sometimes it can be blatantly obvious and effect the entire session or even campaign. Sometimes it can be nothing but a personal failure that not another soul would necessarily know about. And sometimes it could be a hazy mixture of the two.
Ways to Fail
Nobody Has Fun: This is the absolute worst way to fail. The worst part about it is that it's not always in the DM's control. However, as the DM, you will often be the one expected to facilitate the game in such a way that everybody can find it enjoyable. If this is unattainable with certain players behaving unacceptably, that would be a good condition to ask the player not to return, or at least warn them a few times first.
Besides players behaving badly, the DM can have a lot to do with this as well. The game exists in a world that you describe, but that doesn't make it your playground. You do not have control over the players, and they are most certainly not your toys to manipulate as you see fit. DM's on power trips is a fast road to failure, while letting the players have an equal say in their destiny will bring you many successes in the fun factor. Make sure you listen to the players, and let them build onto your story, as opposed to succumbing to your puppetry.
Preparation: Don't come under prepared! If nothing else, have at least one random encounter that the players can triumph over during a session. If the players do nothing but fail, then this can also reflect very poorly on your DM'ing. If an encounter of supposed average difficulty ends up squishing the PC's, you should give them something easy by the end of the session if possible. Give them at least one victory no matter how they manage to come by it. If they have to talk their way out of something to survive, that could be an even greater success than bashing goblins to bit through brute force. Be prepared to improvise if necessary too.
Also, don't come over prepared! This can be very dangerous as you may find your players are completely disinterested in your storylines or quests. If you throw them a bone, and they don't take it, make sure to let them seek out something different. If you put your entire planning into that one quest and dungeon, and eventually end up forcing the players through it, they will feel forced through it, and will not enjoy it nearly as much. This method will work on rare occasions though, and I will go into that more in a later post.
The key point to all of this though, is that failing as a DM has nothing to do with how far the campaign went, or what the players accomplished, or whether the game ever got past the first session. Failure means nobody had fun, failure as a DM means nobody had fun, and there's something you can do about it. The same can be said about certain players though, so make sure to consider this from different angles. Find what you need in your world to give the players a good time, and give it to them. If it gets stale, switch it up a bit and experiment. You won't have your best successes until you've had your worst failures.
This is a clarification on what it means to fail as a DM. Failure as a DM can mean different things. Sometimes it can be blatantly obvious and effect the entire session or even campaign. Sometimes it can be nothing but a personal failure that not another soul would necessarily know about. And sometimes it could be a hazy mixture of the two.
Ways to Fail
Nobody Has Fun: This is the absolute worst way to fail. The worst part about it is that it's not always in the DM's control. However, as the DM, you will often be the one expected to facilitate the game in such a way that everybody can find it enjoyable. If this is unattainable with certain players behaving unacceptably, that would be a good condition to ask the player not to return, or at least warn them a few times first.
Besides players behaving badly, the DM can have a lot to do with this as well. The game exists in a world that you describe, but that doesn't make it your playground. You do not have control over the players, and they are most certainly not your toys to manipulate as you see fit. DM's on power trips is a fast road to failure, while letting the players have an equal say in their destiny will bring you many successes in the fun factor. Make sure you listen to the players, and let them build onto your story, as opposed to succumbing to your puppetry.
Preparation: Don't come under prepared! If nothing else, have at least one random encounter that the players can triumph over during a session. If the players do nothing but fail, then this can also reflect very poorly on your DM'ing. If an encounter of supposed average difficulty ends up squishing the PC's, you should give them something easy by the end of the session if possible. Give them at least one victory no matter how they manage to come by it. If they have to talk their way out of something to survive, that could be an even greater success than bashing goblins to bit through brute force. Be prepared to improvise if necessary too.
Also, don't come over prepared! This can be very dangerous as you may find your players are completely disinterested in your storylines or quests. If you throw them a bone, and they don't take it, make sure to let them seek out something different. If you put your entire planning into that one quest and dungeon, and eventually end up forcing the players through it, they will feel forced through it, and will not enjoy it nearly as much. This method will work on rare occasions though, and I will go into that more in a later post.
The key point to all of this though, is that failing as a DM has nothing to do with how far the campaign went, or what the players accomplished, or whether the game ever got past the first session. Failure means nobody had fun, failure as a DM means nobody had fun, and there's something you can do about it. The same can be said about certain players though, so make sure to consider this from different angles. Find what you need in your world to give the players a good time, and give it to them. If it gets stale, switch it up a bit and experiment. You won't have your best successes until you've had your worst failures.
Tuesday, June 24, 2008
DM'ing: How to Start
I've been approached by multiple people in the course of my D&D career who have mentioned or asked about becoming a DM. Every time someone brings it up, I usually get excited. There are few things in life that I have studied and practiced more than being a game master. This is not limited to simply D&D mind you, but to almost every aspect of gaming. Through my World of Warcraft career I have been a party or raid leader at every possible opportunity. Whenever a board game comes on the table, I usually try to take the reigns and lead everyone in the right direction to start understanding the rules and getting the most out of the gameplay. These are the kinds of things that a DM does.
The Dungeon Master is in no way in charge of the actions that the party takes though. They can't give orders to the players, but simply tell them the reaction to every one of their actions. One of the in game PC's is usually the one who does the leading, but the DM leads in a different way. It is of great responsbility to the DM to keep the players interested in what is happening in the world. It is also of equal responsibility to the players to let the DM know that certain aspects of the world are no longer interesting to them. They can do this by direct means, such as plainly telling the DM, or subtle means, such as looking for or inventing quests that have yet to be alluded to.
These are some of the basic precepts to being a storyteller and a world master, but how does one start? Like THIS!:
Step 1: Just start. There's only two good ways to learn, do it yourself, or do it with someone else.
Apples had her first DM'ing experience by teaming up with me for a large session amongst our college friends. We had discussed it for a long time, and eventually decided she would do a sort of apprenticeship under me. We worked out storylines and geographies together, but I did most of the world making. She took care of a lot of the details at that point. When the sessions actually ran, we would have one person take over as storyteller, and another person as the combat referee. The game was successful for the length that it lasted, and all had fun. Apples soon took over her own game though, and was learning a lot from being forced into both roles at once. She soon learned how mentally tiring it can be, but all in all, she did a great job.
The other method, my method, had a lot more failures in it. I played two sessions of D&D with my oldest brother before I found that I really wanted to play it a lot more. Very few of my friends had ever heard of it, as I had very few friends at that age anyway. I picked up DMG for the 2nd edition books and read through the whole thing. I also read the entire players handbook, and over time the entire monstrous manual. 5 years later I was DM'ing in high school for a small group of friends, and having a blast. Those 5 years carried a lot of utter failures and ridiculous jaunts, but you have to start somewhere. As my body matured, my gaming became more sophisticated, and I slowly added more players of different backgrounds under my belt. Every new person I DM'd for was a new lesson in how my games should run, and eventually I learned the ultimate lesson: It's all about fun. No matter how many times anybody tells you, that is what it comes down to in the very end. However you manage to get there with your gaming group is the actual difficult part, but every group will either find that, or disperse.
Step 2: Learn the Rules
Plain and simple, pick up the PHB and read every rule that applies to combat and character creation. You will often find that you are the one that everybody asks the questions of. The questions come fast at times to, so it's good to have a bag of tricks up your sleeve just in case. One of my favorite tricks is to answer a question with another question, or perhaps put some mystery behind it. "How come he gets to be a Dragonborn, but I can't?" "Good question, maybe you should go on a quest to find out." or "The book says scale mail costs 45! How come he's charging me 100g!?" "Why would he charge so much for scale mail?"
Making a mistake at times can often lead you into a quest or a chance at a unique RP encounter without you ever planning it. Mistakes can be what keeps the world fresh and interesting. However, eventually the mistakes should be sieved out to a minimum, and the fresh and interesting should be as intentional as possible.
Step 3/4: Make Some Encounters/Create A Story
These two steps are completely interchangeable. Sometimes if you have a story, you can just throw some monsters in there for fun and excitement. Conversely, if you have some great encounters planned, figure out how the players will end up wandering into them! Sometimes it can be easier than you think. A good adventuring group should be wanting some adventure anyway; make it easy to find, and give them so good rewards for it!
More next week.
-Lance of the Hill People
The Dungeon Master is in no way in charge of the actions that the party takes though. They can't give orders to the players, but simply tell them the reaction to every one of their actions. One of the in game PC's is usually the one who does the leading, but the DM leads in a different way. It is of great responsbility to the DM to keep the players interested in what is happening in the world. It is also of equal responsibility to the players to let the DM know that certain aspects of the world are no longer interesting to them. They can do this by direct means, such as plainly telling the DM, or subtle means, such as looking for or inventing quests that have yet to be alluded to.
These are some of the basic precepts to being a storyteller and a world master, but how does one start? Like THIS!:
Step 1: Just start. There's only two good ways to learn, do it yourself, or do it with someone else.
Apples had her first DM'ing experience by teaming up with me for a large session amongst our college friends. We had discussed it for a long time, and eventually decided she would do a sort of apprenticeship under me. We worked out storylines and geographies together, but I did most of the world making. She took care of a lot of the details at that point. When the sessions actually ran, we would have one person take over as storyteller, and another person as the combat referee. The game was successful for the length that it lasted, and all had fun. Apples soon took over her own game though, and was learning a lot from being forced into both roles at once. She soon learned how mentally tiring it can be, but all in all, she did a great job.
The other method, my method, had a lot more failures in it. I played two sessions of D&D with my oldest brother before I found that I really wanted to play it a lot more. Very few of my friends had ever heard of it, as I had very few friends at that age anyway. I picked up DMG for the 2nd edition books and read through the whole thing. I also read the entire players handbook, and over time the entire monstrous manual. 5 years later I was DM'ing in high school for a small group of friends, and having a blast. Those 5 years carried a lot of utter failures and ridiculous jaunts, but you have to start somewhere. As my body matured, my gaming became more sophisticated, and I slowly added more players of different backgrounds under my belt. Every new person I DM'd for was a new lesson in how my games should run, and eventually I learned the ultimate lesson: It's all about fun. No matter how many times anybody tells you, that is what it comes down to in the very end. However you manage to get there with your gaming group is the actual difficult part, but every group will either find that, or disperse.
Step 2: Learn the Rules
Plain and simple, pick up the PHB and read every rule that applies to combat and character creation. You will often find that you are the one that everybody asks the questions of. The questions come fast at times to, so it's good to have a bag of tricks up your sleeve just in case. One of my favorite tricks is to answer a question with another question, or perhaps put some mystery behind it. "How come he gets to be a Dragonborn, but I can't?" "Good question, maybe you should go on a quest to find out." or "The book says scale mail costs 45! How come he's charging me 100g!?" "Why would he charge so much for scale mail?"
Making a mistake at times can often lead you into a quest or a chance at a unique RP encounter without you ever planning it. Mistakes can be what keeps the world fresh and interesting. However, eventually the mistakes should be sieved out to a minimum, and the fresh and interesting should be as intentional as possible.
Step 3/4: Make Some Encounters/Create A Story
These two steps are completely interchangeable. Sometimes if you have a story, you can just throw some monsters in there for fun and excitement. Conversely, if you have some great encounters planned, figure out how the players will end up wandering into them! Sometimes it can be easier than you think. A good adventuring group should be wanting some adventure anyway; make it easy to find, and give them so good rewards for it!
More next week.
-Lance of the Hill People
Monday, June 23, 2008
Mini-Review: Last Chaos
This is a free to play, pay to win, MMO that was recently featured on one of those sites that list tons of free MMO's. It's called Last Chaos, it's a relatively small download for an MMO client (700mb?) and has decent graphics for a free game.
Character creation was very easy, and very limited. You can only be a human, and you can only choose from 5 classes. And in case you wondering, which you probably weren't, the class you pick also determines your gender. Someone played a bit too much Diablo II...
Anyway, I chose healer, and I was dumped right in the middle of what appeared to be some kind of tomb. Turns out this was some sort of dungeon underneath the city of Randol, and it was full of zombies! I could handle the zombies easily enough with my bow, but they certainly made it difficult with a very odd control system:
Left click on the ground- move to that spot
Left click on an enemy- move into range and attack
Left click on an enemy- select that enemy
In other words, you use the same button to move, select, and attack. It was awkward, but not unmanageable. Something I would have to figure out how to change before paying any money for the super duper features. Back to the zombies...
The zombies were mindless and slow, and died before they got to me. I had a special ability or two, but they were utterly useless to my autoattack at that point. I worked my way through a few dozen mindless guardians and simply clicked on the exit to finish the mini-tutorial. That's when I was immediately placed in what seemed to be the only city on my map. It was nearly impossible to tell what was going on that was appropriate to my level.
However, I was not completely lost. The first thing I did was seek out a class trainer, as I have played many RPG's in my day, and would not think of adventuring with outdated skills! I found the trainer, and had very little luck in actually deciphering what was actually available right off. It wasn't too terrible, just very unorganized for the most part. I trained the next level of my self heal and super bow attack thing, and headed off into the wilderness.
Journeying outside of Randol I ran into some other players killing foxes and wolves. I asked if I could join them, and didn't a single response for about 5 minutes, so I went off on my own. Equal level enemies were easy enough, and thanks to a 1.5x experience bonus buff, I was able to level fairly fast! It wasn't long before I was killing elder and dire wolves outside of town. But, as joyous as wolf extermination can be, I found my attention diverge to what appeared to be an angry sasquatch. Level 13. I was only 6 at that point, and thought it was about time to see what the death penalty was like.
I killed the sasquatch without getting hit. it wasn't just easy, it was too easy. A couple shots, run away, a few more shots, and the beast was done. I was disappointed, so I went after some level 17 beast of sorts. Thinking that this would be the end of me. The creature managed to hit me as I was overconfident and bored at this point, I took about 35% damage in the first hit. I soon realized how easy it was to simply run away and lure him around the entire wilderness slowly depleting his life, and enjoyed an entire level when I finally defeated him. I was unimpressed.
It was about this time that I realized I had some quests queuing up that I could acquire from mysterious sources out in the wilderness. I clicked the icon on my GUI display and quickly discovered that I was too high level for most of them already. Apparently you have to be the exact level for the quest to get anything out of it. And these weren't the kinds of quests that helped you level by loading you with XP, these were quests that teach fundamentals of out of combat gameplay. I still don't know how to get my spare items of good or better quality transmuted. Something about Lorraine?
Anyway, the game was enjoyable, but not worth committing to. If you're super broke, and really need something to do with your time, give it a shot, it's at least entertaining. But, unfortunately, I see no benefit or satisfaction out of getting far in the game.
For a freebie? Above average. Paying for it? Not for me.
-Lance of the Healer People
Character creation was very easy, and very limited. You can only be a human, and you can only choose from 5 classes. And in case you wondering, which you probably weren't, the class you pick also determines your gender. Someone played a bit too much Diablo II...
Anyway, I chose healer, and I was dumped right in the middle of what appeared to be some kind of tomb. Turns out this was some sort of dungeon underneath the city of Randol, and it was full of zombies! I could handle the zombies easily enough with my bow, but they certainly made it difficult with a very odd control system:
Left click on the ground- move to that spot
Left click on an enemy- move into range and attack
Left click on an enemy- select that enemy
In other words, you use the same button to move, select, and attack. It was awkward, but not unmanageable. Something I would have to figure out how to change before paying any money for the super duper features. Back to the zombies...
The zombies were mindless and slow, and died before they got to me. I had a special ability or two, but they were utterly useless to my autoattack at that point. I worked my way through a few dozen mindless guardians and simply clicked on the exit to finish the mini-tutorial. That's when I was immediately placed in what seemed to be the only city on my map. It was nearly impossible to tell what was going on that was appropriate to my level.
However, I was not completely lost. The first thing I did was seek out a class trainer, as I have played many RPG's in my day, and would not think of adventuring with outdated skills! I found the trainer, and had very little luck in actually deciphering what was actually available right off. It wasn't too terrible, just very unorganized for the most part. I trained the next level of my self heal and super bow attack thing, and headed off into the wilderness.
Journeying outside of Randol I ran into some other players killing foxes and wolves. I asked if I could join them, and didn't a single response for about 5 minutes, so I went off on my own. Equal level enemies were easy enough, and thanks to a 1.5x experience bonus buff, I was able to level fairly fast! It wasn't long before I was killing elder and dire wolves outside of town. But, as joyous as wolf extermination can be, I found my attention diverge to what appeared to be an angry sasquatch. Level 13. I was only 6 at that point, and thought it was about time to see what the death penalty was like.
I killed the sasquatch without getting hit. it wasn't just easy, it was too easy. A couple shots, run away, a few more shots, and the beast was done. I was disappointed, so I went after some level 17 beast of sorts. Thinking that this would be the end of me. The creature managed to hit me as I was overconfident and bored at this point, I took about 35% damage in the first hit. I soon realized how easy it was to simply run away and lure him around the entire wilderness slowly depleting his life, and enjoyed an entire level when I finally defeated him. I was unimpressed.
It was about this time that I realized I had some quests queuing up that I could acquire from mysterious sources out in the wilderness. I clicked the icon on my GUI display and quickly discovered that I was too high level for most of them already. Apparently you have to be the exact level for the quest to get anything out of it. And these weren't the kinds of quests that helped you level by loading you with XP, these were quests that teach fundamentals of out of combat gameplay. I still don't know how to get my spare items of good or better quality transmuted. Something about Lorraine?
Anyway, the game was enjoyable, but not worth committing to. If you're super broke, and really need something to do with your time, give it a shot, it's at least entertaining. But, unfortunately, I see no benefit or satisfaction out of getting far in the game.
For a freebie? Above average. Paying for it? Not for me.
-Lance of the Healer People
Sunday, June 22, 2008
Environment: The Poisonous Mushroom Forest
Between two massive spans of treacherous mountains, engulfed on either side by furlongs of rolling mountains, lay the Poisonous Mushroom Forest. The name, as names often are, is horridly misleading however. Not all of the mushrooms are poisonous; in fact, a small portion of the mushrooms will deliver a toxin into your blood that hinders, cripples, or deceives you. The most dangerous mushrooms do much worse than poison you. A more apt name for this place would be the "Forest of Mushrooms That Poison, Burn, Sting, Bite, Melt, and Devour While Being the Home to Every Form of Vile Creature That Can Withstand the Harshness". But that was too long to fit on the signpost.
The mushrooms come in many sizes. Some are smaller than a thumbnail, some are a thousand feet or more. Many of them are thin and bend, while many more are thick and tough as tree trunks. The Golden Mushrooms of Unerden are about 40-50 feet tall, and are often used as homes by many of the denizens of the forest. They are known to have great restorative powers, and often contain antigens to some of the more horrific poisons. For instance, a deep purple mushroom with tiny thorns that underly the bottom of the cap is known as a SlackWrath mushroom. Its poison will infect one creature, and any other creature that gets near it will end up contracting the poison themselves. After about a day or two of passing on the poison, the creature will suddenly break out into a horrible rash, and be dead within a few hours. There is no pain or sensation that the creature feels, not even a slight itch where the rash breaks out, and only a large handful of Golden Unerden Musk is able to cleanse it.
The floor of the mushroom forest is truly a sight, and a sensation, to remember! Every pinch of dirt that your feet lay upon, is covered in fungi. The floor is spongy, and nearly impossible to dig under. The only underground throughout the forest is the underground that the mushrooms allow. In some parts of the forest you will find layers of interlocking myconids as far down as 300 ft. Leaving an object on the mushroom floor will certainly destroy it within weeks. Anything that remains motionless is devoured and a new mushroom starts to grow in its place.
The creatures in the mushroom forest will often make homes within the mushrooms. Some of the larger mushrooms go further into the ground than any would expect, and some of the better mushroom mining species will dig deep into the mushroom to make an elaborate home for themselves, at their own risk. Rumor has it that a certain brand of Dwarf lives deep beneath the mushroom floor, in interlocking tunnels dug out of large mushroom roots. If they do exist though, it may not be wise to approach them expecting a peaceful resolve, for they have had little to no contact with other races for many generations.
The origins of the mushroom forest are quite unclear, and next week you will be introduced to a handful of the more popular theories.
-Lance of the Hill People
The mushrooms come in many sizes. Some are smaller than a thumbnail, some are a thousand feet or more. Many of them are thin and bend, while many more are thick and tough as tree trunks. The Golden Mushrooms of Unerden are about 40-50 feet tall, and are often used as homes by many of the denizens of the forest. They are known to have great restorative powers, and often contain antigens to some of the more horrific poisons. For instance, a deep purple mushroom with tiny thorns that underly the bottom of the cap is known as a SlackWrath mushroom. Its poison will infect one creature, and any other creature that gets near it will end up contracting the poison themselves. After about a day or two of passing on the poison, the creature will suddenly break out into a horrible rash, and be dead within a few hours. There is no pain or sensation that the creature feels, not even a slight itch where the rash breaks out, and only a large handful of Golden Unerden Musk is able to cleanse it.
The floor of the mushroom forest is truly a sight, and a sensation, to remember! Every pinch of dirt that your feet lay upon, is covered in fungi. The floor is spongy, and nearly impossible to dig under. The only underground throughout the forest is the underground that the mushrooms allow. In some parts of the forest you will find layers of interlocking myconids as far down as 300 ft. Leaving an object on the mushroom floor will certainly destroy it within weeks. Anything that remains motionless is devoured and a new mushroom starts to grow in its place.
The creatures in the mushroom forest will often make homes within the mushrooms. Some of the larger mushrooms go further into the ground than any would expect, and some of the better mushroom mining species will dig deep into the mushroom to make an elaborate home for themselves, at their own risk. Rumor has it that a certain brand of Dwarf lives deep beneath the mushroom floor, in interlocking tunnels dug out of large mushroom roots. If they do exist though, it may not be wise to approach them expecting a peaceful resolve, for they have had little to no contact with other races for many generations.
The origins of the mushroom forest are quite unclear, and next week you will be introduced to a handful of the more popular theories.
-Lance of the Hill People
Friday, June 20, 2008
Pick Up Group
So me and Apples went to our local gaming store this week during open RPG night. I wasn't entirely sure what to expect, as I have rarely if ever played with someone I did not consider to be a friend or at least acquaintance with first. We got there and started setting up at a table so that I may run a public 4E campaign, and we were approached by a couple kids who looked to be maybe middle school aged. They asked if we were playing D&D, and I said yes and asked if they wanted to join in.
Before too long me and Apples found ourselves helping them make their characters. I put a lot of time and focus into helping the less experienced of the two with making his character, and he was genuinely appreciative of my help and patience. It was nice to be appreciated, but I always find it tiring to DM after the entire character creation process. I think putting the time and energy into making a character from scratch can be a huge drain on your creativity. I really appreciate a campaign where everyone is able to play the same character over and over again, but at the same time it's fun to see some of my other friends joining in the game.
The session itself was fairly bland, but it was definitely a good experience for me to play with some kids who are the age I was when I first started playing D&D. Now I just need to figure out how to get them to focus on the parts of the game that are as equally interesting to an experienced DM as they are to a younger generation of gamers. I believe that if I can formulate the encounters right, just getting through the encounter will be a lot more interesting than pulling off flashy moves. I intend on accomplishing this by testing the limits of the players, always giving them encounters that are above average difficulty. The other option is to simply explain to them that if you do something flashy and daring every turn, things no longer become flashy and daring, and eventually you just look like a fool when you fail.
Other than finding a common ground to focus on, the game seems like it will be fairly successful. If nothing else, it gives me some extra practice DM'ing with people that I don't know all that well.
-Lance of the Old People
Before too long me and Apples found ourselves helping them make their characters. I put a lot of time and focus into helping the less experienced of the two with making his character, and he was genuinely appreciative of my help and patience. It was nice to be appreciated, but I always find it tiring to DM after the entire character creation process. I think putting the time and energy into making a character from scratch can be a huge drain on your creativity. I really appreciate a campaign where everyone is able to play the same character over and over again, but at the same time it's fun to see some of my other friends joining in the game.
The session itself was fairly bland, but it was definitely a good experience for me to play with some kids who are the age I was when I first started playing D&D. Now I just need to figure out how to get them to focus on the parts of the game that are as equally interesting to an experienced DM as they are to a younger generation of gamers. I believe that if I can formulate the encounters right, just getting through the encounter will be a lot more interesting than pulling off flashy moves. I intend on accomplishing this by testing the limits of the players, always giving them encounters that are above average difficulty. The other option is to simply explain to them that if you do something flashy and daring every turn, things no longer become flashy and daring, and eventually you just look like a fool when you fail.
Other than finding a common ground to focus on, the game seems like it will be fairly successful. If nothing else, it gives me some extra practice DM'ing with people that I don't know all that well.
-Lance of the Old People
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