Ravenous Role Playing

I read quite a few blog posts this week, as I usually do, but only four really caught my eye. Some were about upcoming conferences, some were specifically about D&D 4e and some were just not my cup of tea. Here are the four that I saved links to:

Alternate Spell Names

I fully agree with James on his post in that most spell names are “bland and clinical.” In my own RPG, I’ve committed this sin, but it was more for the sake of ease of use by new players than an attempt to add flavor. Yes, I have spells that are named after the wizards that created the spells, just like in past editions of D&D. That’s as much “flavor” as I wanted to add to the spell names. I feel that it should be up to the players and GM to collude on creating new spells, or simply renaming spells to give the game more flavor. This way no one is left in the dark.

Normal Distribution Resolution

Ahh… The mathematics of role playing games. I love ‘em. I eat ‘em up with a passion. I’ve done many math problems by hand and even gone so far as to write small bits of software to do some very complex mathematical functions for me. I wish everyone had as great of a grasp of the numbers that run “behind the scenes” to die rolls as I do. It would make most gaming sessions run easier as people would stop asking, “What are my chances of pulling this off?” They could number crunch in their head very quickly (like I do) and then know the general odds, which is very close to how things happen in real life.

World Building 101 – Creating Cultures

I’ve been guilty of drawing a map or three, randomizing some cities with store names and such and calling it good. Of course, most of my “guilt” comes from a severe lack of time. I tend to gloss over the cultural details in my head as I design nations, and then flesh them out as players enter the areas and start asking questions about their surroundings. I’m familiar enough with history from all sorts of ages and cultures that I can easily make up the details on the fly and do a pretty good job of it.

The Great Next Campaign Debate

What to run next? Great question that comes up quite often in my present and past gaming groups. I only wish I were this organized when it comes to it. I also wish my gaming groups (past and present) had more decisive people in them when it came to new gaming systems. I’m definitely bookmarking this page and using it as a template moving forward for trying to help me decide which game system to run next.

Laptops At The Gaming Table

Technology has become so invasive in our lives that even a “pencil and paper” game has become touched by laptops, PDAs and smart phones. I gamed with a group for a while that used a laptop, custom software and a projector to track all basic combat stats for the party. It was really slick and I liked it quite a bit. I was using Wizard’s D&D character creator at the time and found a mistake on my character right as the game started. I fired up my laptop and fixed the character, dropped it to a PDF and used the PDF on my screen for the rest of the night. It was pretty slick. However, as a player, I prefer to lose all of the distractions that a laptop provides and concentrate on the game. As a GM, I have so many notes, maps, wikis and digital references on my laptop that I can scarcely live without it. I try not to let it become my main focus, though.

Book of Dead Characters to Celebrate Your Gaming

I wish I had thought of this back when I was 10 years old and my first character death occurred. I would love to have a binder with all of my dead in it. Damn good idea. Too bad I didn’t do it. I’m sure there are lots of memories that I have lost from my head that I would recall just by glancing at my roll of the dead. Ah well…

Why Everyone Should Have 3d6 For Stats

When a player meets a keystone NPC, I usually have them prepped before hand and know all of their vital details. If they meet a transient and unimportant NPC that suddenly becomes important somehow, I roll a few dice to determine their basics and run with what the dice tell me unless the dice go against what I’ve already determined in my head the character is. If I know the innkeeper is slow-witted, and I roll high for his intelligence, then I’ll ignore the roll and go with a lower amount. By knowing (and recording for later use) the basic stats of people that are encountered, it makes for a richer gaming experience.

GM’s Guide To Adventure Writing

Every GM, at some point, should step away from the pre-built modules that are published for use and run with their own module. It really heightens the attachment to the world and the sense of adventure for the players and the GM alike. Not sure where to start or how to do it? Follow the link and read some more at Role Playing Tips.

First Time GM: Job Description

Along the same lines of the previous link, if a person has never run a game before (and I still assert that all true gamers should run at least one campaign) then Gnome Stew has some hints and tips for a first-timer in the guise of a job description for GMs. If you’re an experienced GM, head on over to Gnome Stew and see what you agree with and what you don’t.

Fire Burn and Cauldron Bubble – Poisons

Poisons are a fantastic tool of any good GM. Instead of upping a monster’s combat stats to make it a nasty fight, just give it a poison (or disease) that it imparts upon anyone it hits. It’s a great leveler of the fighting grounds, and if the players know about the poisonous capabilities of your nasty critter, they will be hesitate to charge forth like a fool. Fore more details on poisons and how they can be used, check out Krystal’s words.

When Players Kill the Campaign

In most games I’ve been it it’s been a GM goof (or purposeful action) that kills the campaign. However, players can kill a campaign all on their own as well. This usually occurs in sandbox-style games, but can happen in a localized world of playstyle as well. Go see what Ameron has to say about the players derailing the GM’s carefully laid plans.

GMing Gods, Demons And Immortals

As a mortal creature, I can’t fathom having great powers or near-infinite time to plan out plots and ruses. I usually have to get my stuff together and get a project done in hours or days, not even weeks, months or years. I couldn’t imagine having decades, centuries or millennium to finish a task. Perhaps that tips over at roleplayingtips.com will help you out where I can’t.

Getting Out Of The Ditch

Even the best laid mysteries with all of the hints and clues placed before the PCs can stall out. It could be some thick-headedness on the players’ parts, or just some bad dice rolls. Whatever throws you in that ditch, there are ways out of it. Go see what DNAPhil has to say on the matter. It’s good stuff.

Ask The GMs: How to GM solo PCs (especially in combat)

I’ve ran a very few solo RPGs in the past because I’ve usually been blessed with good groups to game with. However, there are times when I’ve done it and it can be tricky. There just one character there to do everything necessary to move the plot forward and not to die against the Bad Things you throw at them. Johnn and Mike have some great advice on how to go about running a solo campaign. Go check them out.

Sorry for the lack of posting during the week. Things have changed in life, and this blog has fallen to the bottom of the barrel on my priority list. That might change in the future, but don’t hold your breath. I still have time for a Friday Five, though!

Former PCs as NPCs

I love this concept! I’ve used it quite a bit in the past, and I’m about to do it again in a campaign that starts this weekend. I’m taking PCs from a past campaign, turning them into NPCs for this game and running with them. I can’t wait to do it to see how it goes. The PCs were from a very long running campaign, so I know them well. This should help add more life to the game.

Death and Resurrection

How does the possibility of resurrection change death? Quite a bit, it turns out. If new life can be gained with a large diamond and a simple spell, then what’s to stop people from being horribly stupid in the face of vast dangers? Not much, really. For a full dissertation on the matter, follow the link and see what Bauxtehude has to say on the matter.

Bring Out Your Dead

If you can’t resurrect your dead, how do you bury them? Different cultures have different means of disposing of corpses in an honorable way. Adding these details about death to your game can really bring out its life!

World Building 101 – Avoiding “Filler”

Speaking of adding details to a campaign, there’s a right way and a wrong way. It’s great for a GM to know every last minutiae about his or her world, but it’s another thing to cram it down the players’ throats. Avoid useless filler and life will go better for your campaign.

With An Evil Gleam: Giving Treasure a Personality

Speaking of my new game that I’ll be starting this weekend, I feel very close to this post. Treasure should be more than a count of gold and a list of magic items. It should be tailored to the creature(s) slain and to the group. I’m not talking about fulfilling wish list items the players have put together, but more along the lines of making the treasure important to the campaign as a whole. Mike over at Campaign Mastery has a whole long list of items that can be included in treasure to give it that special something.

I must apologize for the blog going dark over the past couple of weeks. School, life, my novel and general other things caught up to me and I rarely had a chance to watch my RSS feeds for good stuff, let alone write about them. I’m throwing in a bonus link today as a minor apology for my lack of posting.

A Question of Character

Ahh… Character backgrounds. I love writing them, most players don’t. I guess it’s just the writer in me that loves creating a beautifully crafted piece of prose to illustrate who my character is, what his goals are, and why he ticks the way he does. Need a springboard to launch your next character background? Go check out what NewbieDM has to say on the matter.

Who Owned Your Magic Sword Before You Did?

This post is a great one! In my own RPG that I’ve created there is no such thing as a “long sword +1.” Yes, there are magical weapons, but they are all unique unto themselves and act almost like characters do, even if they’re not intelligent, per se. This post really brought home to me the fact that someone else most likely owned/used/cherished the item before the player’s came along, slaughtered the monster and took the loot. This is a great chance for some excellent role playing.

3 Ways Game Masters Show, Don’t Tell

Show. Don’t Tell. I hate those three words. I hear them rarely from my critique group, but I get it often enough that it rankles my nerves. I have being told that I’ve missed the mark… even when I have. This is a great article on how GM’s can really spice up the environment the players are in.

Reality Shift – Part 1

As a creator of an RPG that has gone through many iterations over the past decade, I hope that I’ve finally hit the nail on the head with a balance between realism and game play. It’s a tough rope to walk, and Bill over at Dungeon Mastering has a great post on the topic.

The Plot Kill

TPK usually stands for “total party kill,” but in this case a single character must die to move the plot forward. It’s a rough thing to do, and I’ve seen it happen a few times. As a player, I love being the one that dies because my death has meaning and purpose other than falling to that random encounter that was tougher than the GM thought it was going to be. If a character must die for the plot to move forward, I can totally handle it. I think it’s a great idea, but it has to be done just right or the whole thing falls flat and turns into the loss of yet another character… and possibly another player.

How To Introduce A New PC

Last night at the Pathfinder table, we lost 3 of the 5 party members in a nasty fight with some demon dogs. Damn. It happens, though and we move on with new characters. How do these new characters get integrated into an existing plot and party structure? It’s kind of rough at times. Fortunately the survivors made it back to town where they’ll have a chance to meet the new characters in a neutral or friendly setting. Go see what Wimwick has to say on the matter. It’s a great post!

I have family visiting at the moment, so I’m sneaking a few minutes away from them to make this post. Just the links this time around since I don’t have time to comment.

Fighting an Opponent You Can’t Beat
Rethinking Kobolds
Character Creation: The Importance Of Planning Ahead
Play Boldly
World Building 101: Campaign Styles – Part One

Ages ago, I was running an AD&D 2e game in which we were using all of the core books, all of the gray books and all of the brown books. Life was good, though my bag was HEAVY with books, dice, pencils, paper, maps, minis, wet-erase battlemats and more. The group I ran was comprised of a goblin wizard (Sartak), a human fighter (Purlas) and an elven ranger (Killdash). The party ended up getting stopped at a door that was rusted shut. Of course, the fighter stepped up and tried to kick open the stuck door and ended up with a poor die roll. Fail. Next came the ranger with the same result. Sigh. The puny little goblin wizard then stepped up and rolled spectacularly. Success!

From that time forward, he was known as Sartak the Mighty Goblin and became the leader of the group. The human and elf, properly cowed by their failures, agreed to follow the goblin and went along with him.

Despite the success of the group and the need to get past the door, as a GM, this rubbed me a little bit the wrong way. If the big burly fighter couldn’t crack the door, then why would anyone think the weaker, smaller goblin wizard could accomplish the feat? I’ve seen this a great number of times in many different role playing situations. How do you, as GMs, put a stop to this kind of dice rolling behavior? Any advice other than to flat out stop the weaker characters from even attempting the die roll?

I’m 3 days late on this one since I’ve just crawled out of my NyQuil-induced haze from a nasty head cold. The cold is better and my consciousness has returned. Time to resume blogging!

Mailbag 1 – Character Contortion

I love this post by Chris because it illustrates the dangers of a race+class+feats=character formula of thinking. It locks people into certain stereotypes that they have a hard time getting out of. This is why I’m a huge fan of skill-based, classless systems like Hero and GURPS. My own system that I’ve created is a classless system, though I do have a section on “templates” that helps give a creative compass to those people that really need a class to define their character around. In the end, if you’re stuck in a class-based system and you want to play a thief with druidic powers, then by all means write “druid” down in the class slot, and then steal everything in sight that you can. There’s nothing stopping you from doing this… except your own imagination.

How to Protect Your Elite Villains

There are as many ways to protect a villain from exposure to the nastiness that a well prepared group of PCs can bring as there are villains out there. While this post is mainly D&D 4e centric, it can apply to any system in any genre. The trick for the GM is to find the power-points of the PCs and neutralize them for a short time, or for the duration of the fight against the Big Bad Evil Guy (BBEG.) It’s not hard to do, and I think that many players that wish to march their characters into a challenge will find the end result more rewarding for having overcome the larger obstacles.

Become Emotional

We all care more about things that we are emotional about. This is why debates about deeply touching ideas are always the most heated. By giving your characters a greater emotional attachment to their goals, the players will become more involved. This is something the GM can foster, but in the end, this is something for the players to really do to improve the game. I really hadn’t thought to much about the topic, and I’m grateful to Chris for posting this. I think it will help me become a better gamer in the future.

Time in D&D

Ahh… The great quandary of role playing. The rapid advancement of PCs over a short period of time can really mess things up for a GM’s world at large. Where the mighty emperor was once the greatest wizard in the lands, now he plays second fiddle to someone that just started out in adult life just a few scant months (or weeks!) ago. How very strange this can be. This is why I’m a fan of social promotion in addition to level advancement. Not only must the players increase in their power base through leveling, they must also share their exploits with civilization and increase their social status at the same time. I’m not too sure I’m a big fan of “no XP for you until you train” because then the players will do illogical things like leave half a goblin clan alive, so that they can “cash in” on the XP at a later date when it will really benefit them. I think a good balance to this one would be to allow the steady accumulation of experience points, but not of levels until a certain amount of money and time have been spent training and practicing the new skills they’ve learned in the field.

The Cultured GM: Clothes in Gaming

I think the saying goes, “Clothes make the man.” Next time you walk past a meeting at your office and you look through the window into the conference room, look at how people are dressed. If everyone is in T-shirts and jeans, except the one guy in the suit, you know that one guy is having a job interview with some engineers. If a GM includes these types of details in their world, then it will create that much more flavor and “buy in” from the players. This, in turn, will increase the players’ willingness to suspend their disbelief and pull them deeper into the setting the GM is trying to create. It’s something I’m going to try in my next game… we’ll see how it goes.

I’m picturing this being more of a cyberpunk adventure hook, but I’m sure it could be adopted to pretty much any genre or setting.

A large biker gang of Native Americans (from all sorts of tribes) have banded together and decided they will retake what was once properly theirs. They plan on reclaiming the entirety of North America. Their plans are broad and sweeping, but not all that well thought out. Unfortunately, the PCs are smack in the middle of the initial uprising and must either decide to join the biker gang or fight them. Unfortunately, the biker gang will only take someone with at least 1/8th Native American blood in them. They have a small lab setup and some scientists doing tests on DNA samples from volunteers to ensure this is the case. Anyone that volunteers to join, but does not pass the DNA test, is given a pass for 24 hours to leave the immediate area because of their good will toward the biker gang.

What will the PCs do against a relatively large and very well armed gang? Run? Fight? Join? Hide? Lots of fun options there.

The Friday Five for this week is a day late. I had a large mid-term paper come due, and all of my writing time went into that. Enough with the excuses…. It’s time for the Friday Five!

Learning To Play New Games

I love learning new system. They expand my horizons and help me play the games that I always seem to fall back to. However, picking up a new game with a foreign system is always a daunting task. The folks over at The Spirits of Eden have some great advice on how to learn a new system. I’m definitely going to apply their techniques on the next new system I pick up.

Retcon Rightly

Going back and changing past events is usually the arena of authors rewriting and revising their novels and short stories. However, it can be done in a game, but it has to be done the right way. Go see what Johnn has to say on the matter.

How To Be An Effective Dungeon Master

Ahh… The wonderful words of the late, great Gygax. NewbieDM stumbled across some of his writings, and did us all the favor of sharing them. I would highly recommend seeing what Gygax thought of GMing back in the day. Much of what he has to say still holds true today.

You Don’t Have The Industry Without The Hobby

The industry of RPGs started out as a hobby and bloomed from there. The hobby of gaming is still the solid foundation of the industry. RPG Blog II has some great insight and wonderful words on the topic. I wholeheartedly agree with everything said there, and instead of repeating it all in my own words, I’ll just let you click the link and follow things up.

World Building 101: This One’s For the Players

It is true that a vast majority of the world building that has to be done is done by the GM. This is an immutable fact. However, the players outnumber the GMs (most of the time) and they have some level of responsibility in helping build the world. This can come in the form of well written character backgrounds, assisting the GM in building the world and making things up on the fly (with the GMs permission.) Some of the best games I have run in the past had a high level of player involvement.