Okay, getting very used to the system, running a game on Friday and Saturday nights.
During the last couple of sessions I have come to realize that the Encounter Building system from the basic rules just does not seem right to me.
For the rules, reference the DM basic rules pdf.
According to that document, the 30 Skeletons, 3 Spectres and 2 Wights the Friday night group is up against is going to slaughter them...halfway through the battle and it is a tough fight, but the PCs are holding their own, next session will finish the battle and we will see what happens.
Overall, at this point I see them winning, minimal losses.
Breaking it down, the encounter building XP, according to the above document, would be 14,000, 35 times the deadly encounter XP allotment. Without the multiplier of x4 (for "horde"), the total XP would only be 3,500; still a "Deadly" encounter.
But if you look at it more in line with the way things were normally done in 1st/2nd edition, we get a little idea.
1st/2nd edition, hereafter AD&D, the method I used was total party level (TPL) = approx total HD of encounter with single creatures no more than 2-3 HD higher than highest level PC.
The TPL of the current group is 17. When I total up the CR of all the creatures involved in the battle we get 6 (2 Wights, CR3) + 7.5 (30 Skeletons, CR1/4) + 3 (3 Spectres, CR1) = 16.5 Total CR.
That seems about right if you look at the old way of doing things.
For comparison, tonights game had two encounters, the first with TPL of 4 (2nd lvl PC + 2 1st lvl PCs) vs a Carrion Crawler (CR2). PCs won with a decent battle.
The second encounter was TPL 2 (2 1st level PCs) vs 4 Cockatrice (total CR2), and the battle was perfect challenge for the 1st lvl Rogue and Ranger.
Both encounters tonight were straight up fights, nothing fancy.
The encounter XP for tonight's first battle, according to the DM Basic Rules, would have been 450, a "Deadly" encounter, for the second battle it would have been 400 XP (200 total XP x2 for 4 creatures), still double the "Deadly" level for 2 1st level characters.
I can argue that the Friday night group is way more experienced, used tactical considerations (cover, for example) and had the benefit of 2 Wizards, a Cleric, and some healing potions.
But tonight's group consisted of my wife (who has not played in years), my 12 yr old (2nd time playing an RPG) and my 10 yr old (also 2nd time playing an RPG). They did not use cover, or disengage options to move to long range, they stood and fought for both encounters; classes being Cleric, Rogue and Ranger; and they were able to mop up pretty well.
For the forseeable future, I will be using the old method of creating encounters, I will share my results here, stay tuned...
Sunday, October 5, 2014
Monday, September 15, 2014
Attitudes in Gaming: DM/GM Responsibility
I have noticed an interesting attitude from some gamers, that the GM of the game is there to entertain the players and make sure they have a good time...even if it means the GM does not.
Role-Playing Games are just that, GAMES.
Games are a form of play, and therefore meant to be fun, for everybody involved, the GM included.
If a GM wants to run a horror game, and the players want to play a comedy game, then it should not be up to the GM to change their style of play to fit their players if they will not have fun running a comedy.
This does lead to only a few choices
The GM decides the story elements, works constantly on encounters, treasure/loot, NPCs, voices and making sure there is enough paper, books, dice and pencils for the players in case someone forgets something.
From my players I expect them to show up on time, voice any major concerns they may have, and participate in the game.
As a player, I expect the GM to fairly interpret the rules of the game, and not obviously railroad the players into something.
I do not feel it is any single persons job to make sure that everyone at the table is entertained, or that the story is good, I feel it is the responsibility of every person at that table to encourage the fun, in the spirit it is presented in.
As a GM, I spend most of my free time working on encounters that will be challenging, fun and vaguely survivable, researching rules and making sure everything is ready for the next session.
Mapping, writing descriptions, creating NPCs, writing plot points, reviewing previous notes to tie things together, going over character sheets to make sure the PCs have the appropriate skills, changing encounters because PCs do not have the appropriate skills, etc.
On top of that, we are the primary focus of the players. We are expected to entertain, use funny voices, provide pacing and fair rule judgments as well as not (obviously) railroad our players.
Over the past few years I have seen more and more people state that it is the GMs "job" to provide entertainment.
No.
This is not my "job." This is my hobby. This is (supposed to be) my fun time.
GMs are not slaves to the players to accommodate their every whim and fancy. GMs are players who do not get to kill the big bad. GMs are players who do not get to grow a personality from a bunch of mere stats on paper. GMs do not get to tell the glorious tales of how their character, alone and afraid, overcame the odds and became a hero.
No. GMs get to be beaten down and looted, tricked and insulted, left to die or banished back to the bowels of hell from which they came to destroy the world they created.
I am a GM, a referee, not a player. Not your personal RPG slave or lackey.
I posit that the players are there to entertain each other, but within the confines of the rules set forth by the GM.
The GM gets to use the information they have been working on, the players get to have fun overcoming challenges, and the game goes on.
If you want someone to entertain you, without doing anything yourself, go to a comedy club, or watch TV...but that is not what RPGs are about.
Role-Playing Games are just that, GAMES.
Games are a form of play, and therefore meant to be fun, for everybody involved, the GM included.
If a GM wants to run a horror game, and the players want to play a comedy game, then it should not be up to the GM to change their style of play to fit their players if they will not have fun running a comedy.
This does lead to only a few choices
- The GM can run the comedy game and not have fun
- The GM can run the horror game and not have fun because the players are not having fun
- The GM can find other players
- The players can find another GM
The GM decides the story elements, works constantly on encounters, treasure/loot, NPCs, voices and making sure there is enough paper, books, dice and pencils for the players in case someone forgets something.
From my players I expect them to show up on time, voice any major concerns they may have, and participate in the game.
As a player, I expect the GM to fairly interpret the rules of the game, and not obviously railroad the players into something.
I do not feel it is any single persons job to make sure that everyone at the table is entertained, or that the story is good, I feel it is the responsibility of every person at that table to encourage the fun, in the spirit it is presented in.
As a GM, I spend most of my free time working on encounters that will be challenging, fun and vaguely survivable, researching rules and making sure everything is ready for the next session.
Mapping, writing descriptions, creating NPCs, writing plot points, reviewing previous notes to tie things together, going over character sheets to make sure the PCs have the appropriate skills, changing encounters because PCs do not have the appropriate skills, etc.
On top of that, we are the primary focus of the players. We are expected to entertain, use funny voices, provide pacing and fair rule judgments as well as not (obviously) railroad our players.
Over the past few years I have seen more and more people state that it is the GMs "job" to provide entertainment.
No.
This is not my "job." This is my hobby. This is (supposed to be) my fun time.
GMs are not slaves to the players to accommodate their every whim and fancy. GMs are players who do not get to kill the big bad. GMs are players who do not get to grow a personality from a bunch of mere stats on paper. GMs do not get to tell the glorious tales of how their character, alone and afraid, overcame the odds and became a hero.
No. GMs get to be beaten down and looted, tricked and insulted, left to die or banished back to the bowels of hell from which they came to destroy the world they created.
I am a GM, a referee, not a player. Not your personal RPG slave or lackey.
I posit that the players are there to entertain each other, but within the confines of the rules set forth by the GM.
The GM gets to use the information they have been working on, the players get to have fun overcoming challenges, and the game goes on.
If you want someone to entertain you, without doing anything yourself, go to a comedy club, or watch TV...but that is not what RPGs are about.
Tuesday, September 9, 2014
GM Notes: Checking the Poles in Dungeons & Dragons
Lately there have been many discussions on Alignment in the various groups that I attend, facebook, tabletop and general talk with other gamers.
At some point in discussing the Alignment system of D&D (all incarnations) someone pipes in about how <insert Hitler, Mao, Stalin, etc> could be viewed as Lawful Good, and then speaks about how they saw themselves and how they thought or felt like they were doing the right thing, etc
This is rubbish.
In D&D, Alignment is more than just how you view what you do. It is a manifestation of cosmic forces. Lawful, Chaotic, Good and Evil are present in the universe and represent absolutes.
A Lawful character, or creature, believes in order and fights against the forces of Chaos. Likewise, a Good character or creature, believes in others over self and fights against the forces of Evil.
Notice the use of capital letters. There is a difference here between good and Good, lawful and Lawful, they are pronouns, they are named Forces that manifest in the universe at large.
I can go on for lengths of time regarding how the Empire from Star Wars was a Lawful Good society, sometimes it can be fun to argue that, but everytime I do, I have to admit to myself that it is complete and utter balderdash.
Yes, the Empire brought about Order, yes, that makes them Lawful. But the Emperor, and Vader, were Evil. They were power hungry despots that had not a care in the world for who they destroyed, as long as they were on top.
The Rebellion, honestly, was also Lawful. They believed in Order, but they were also founded on principles of Good. Fair people, and fair laws, must be the rule, and differences should be handled with discussion and compromise.
Again, these are universal, cosmic, definitions. Not definitions imposed by a single person, their friends/enemies, or society.
At the basic level, a lawful person obeys the laws of the land, a Lawful person instinctively strives towards order and away from Chaos without really understanding, or even caring, why, it is "right" to them while Chaos is just fundamentally "wrong," even alien in their thinking.
In the real world, Evil may not realize it is evil, but in the fantasy world of Dungeons & Dragons, it knows what it is, it embraces what it is, in order to act good, it has to force itself. And the same goes for Good, Lawful and Chaotic also.
One of the major aspects that separate Fantasy from other genre is the fact that these cosmic forces are there in the world, tangible, definitive and absolute. Evil creatures destroy because they are Evil, Good creatures protect others, because they are Good. There needs to be no other reason.
Science Fiction, and our real world, have come to view good and evil as merely gray areas instead of the black and white that is presented in the Fantasy genre. Evil is a term used by the other side that believes itself to be Good, and the other side feels exactly the same. Both sides cannot be Good, one side has to be Evil, or both sides have to be Evil, because if both sides were Good, there would be no conflict.
As someone who goes from game to game, genre to genre, I get where things can become clouded and grey-areas may pop up. But there is a huge difference in the fantasy genre were "Humans are Evil says the Orc from his perspective" and "Orcs are Evil, because that is their cosmic alignment."
I am speaking in generalizations, not ALL Orcs are Evil, not ALL Dwarves are Lawful, those that stray from their racial alignment are outcasts (like Drizz't from R.A. Salvatore's novels), and will invariably end up killed by their own kind, exiled, or self-outcast from their race.
I feel like I am starting to ramble and type ad nausea at this point, so I will end it here.
For those that skipped to the end for the final statement: Law, Chaos, Good and Evil are presented as cosmic absolutes in the game Dungeons & Dragons. They are black and white, there are no "grey areas."
Last thought: "What about Neutrals?"
They just have not picked a side yet.
 |
| Hitler, Stalin and Mao |
This is rubbish.
In D&D, Alignment is more than just how you view what you do. It is a manifestation of cosmic forces. Lawful, Chaotic, Good and Evil are present in the universe and represent absolutes.
A Lawful character, or creature, believes in order and fights against the forces of Chaos. Likewise, a Good character or creature, believes in others over self and fights against the forces of Evil.
Notice the use of capital letters. There is a difference here between good and Good, lawful and Lawful, they are pronouns, they are named Forces that manifest in the universe at large.
I can go on for lengths of time regarding how the Empire from Star Wars was a Lawful Good society, sometimes it can be fun to argue that, but everytime I do, I have to admit to myself that it is complete and utter balderdash.
Yes, the Empire brought about Order, yes, that makes them Lawful. But the Emperor, and Vader, were Evil. They were power hungry despots that had not a care in the world for who they destroyed, as long as they were on top.
The Rebellion, honestly, was also Lawful. They believed in Order, but they were also founded on principles of Good. Fair people, and fair laws, must be the rule, and differences should be handled with discussion and compromise.
Again, these are universal, cosmic, definitions. Not definitions imposed by a single person, their friends/enemies, or society.
At the basic level, a lawful person obeys the laws of the land, a Lawful person instinctively strives towards order and away from Chaos without really understanding, or even caring, why, it is "right" to them while Chaos is just fundamentally "wrong," even alien in their thinking.
 |
| Classic Good vs Evil |
One of the major aspects that separate Fantasy from other genre is the fact that these cosmic forces are there in the world, tangible, definitive and absolute. Evil creatures destroy because they are Evil, Good creatures protect others, because they are Good. There needs to be no other reason.
Science Fiction, and our real world, have come to view good and evil as merely gray areas instead of the black and white that is presented in the Fantasy genre. Evil is a term used by the other side that believes itself to be Good, and the other side feels exactly the same. Both sides cannot be Good, one side has to be Evil, or both sides have to be Evil, because if both sides were Good, there would be no conflict.
As someone who goes from game to game, genre to genre, I get where things can become clouded and grey-areas may pop up. But there is a huge difference in the fantasy genre were "Humans are Evil says the Orc from his perspective" and "Orcs are Evil, because that is their cosmic alignment."
I am speaking in generalizations, not ALL Orcs are Evil, not ALL Dwarves are Lawful, those that stray from their racial alignment are outcasts (like Drizz't from R.A. Salvatore's novels), and will invariably end up killed by their own kind, exiled, or self-outcast from their race.
I feel like I am starting to ramble and type ad nausea at this point, so I will end it here.
For those that skipped to the end for the final statement: Law, Chaos, Good and Evil are presented as cosmic absolutes in the game Dungeons & Dragons. They are black and white, there are no "grey areas."
Last thought: "What about Neutrals?"
They just have not picked a side yet.
Wednesday, August 20, 2014
RPGaDay 20: RPG Will Still Play in 20 Years Time...
I started with Dungeons and Dragons back in the late 70s/early 80s, and I still play it after approximately 35 years.
SLA Industries I started playing in 1993/1994, and still regularly play after 20 years.
Those two games are obvious.
The only game I have actually stopped playing (as in, I turn down invitations to play) has been the World of Darkness setting from White Wolf. After 3rd edition was released, I just did not want to play anymore, it bored me.
But I still play Star Frontiers, Talislanta and a host of other games when I get the chance. Narrowing the selection to just one RPG is an impossibility, and the list of games I have no interest in playing is to long to list.
If you love a game, keep playing it!
If you like a game, play it sometimes.
That is what it boils down to for me, and I have no intention of ever stopping my RPG hobby.
Will have to take a look back on this in 20 years, and see what games I am still playing at that time.
SLA Industries I started playing in 1993/1994, and still regularly play after 20 years.
Those two games are obvious.
The only game I have actually stopped playing (as in, I turn down invitations to play) has been the World of Darkness setting from White Wolf. After 3rd edition was released, I just did not want to play anymore, it bored me.
But I still play Star Frontiers, Talislanta and a host of other games when I get the chance. Narrowing the selection to just one RPG is an impossibility, and the list of games I have no interest in playing is to long to list.
If you love a game, keep playing it!
If you like a game, play it sometimes.
That is what it boils down to for me, and I have no intention of ever stopping my RPG hobby.
Will have to take a look back on this in 20 years, and see what games I am still playing at that time.
Tuesday, August 19, 2014
RPGaDay 19: Favorite Published Adventure
Since I do not (normally) use published adventures, I cannot provide a favorite, but I will talk about some of the ones I have read through, or used for inspiration.
Most of my module inspiration comes from the news, or a song, something I want to introduce, or something going on that I am thinking of, sometimes it changes mid-story arc in order to fit in with what the PCs are doing.
For example, I started working on a BPN (adventure/mission) for SLA Industries that would have the PCs tracking down a civilian that was taking advantage of the welfare system, essentially tripling his benefits.
During this time there was something in the news regarding people having multiple lifeline cellphones, people taking advantage of disability claims and also people getting more food benefits than they should because they were not declaring their incomes properly.
When the Ravenloft boxed set was released and the Loupe Garou detailed, I took that opportunity to introduce my players to the setting. It started off simply enough, find out what is killing the local cattle...with fire.
The bad guy was a Loupe Garou/Wizard that was trying to find a way into Ravenloft to become a lord of a domain. He succeeded in opening the portal and the brave heroes charged in after him. Was a great amount of fun, and introduced the players to Ravenloft in a "not go against Strahd" way.
Another SLA Industries campaign I based the BPNs and downtime stories on Duran Duran's Greatest Hits album. That was a super fun campaign, one of the longest I have had the chance to run.
Basically, you can find inspiration for your games anywhere, as long as you keep an eye out. We spend so much time driving from one place to another, or walking, or taking a bus, whatever, why not use that time to pick out interesting people or situations and turn them into stories for the games we play?
Have fun and game on!
- Ilse of Dread - an oldie but goodie. One of the first modules I owned. A D&D "Jurrassic Park" style adventure. If I remember correctly we were halfway across the island before we were killed by Rakshasa.
- Castle Greyhawk - interesting adventure, the party can easily become side-tracked. There are some serious traps in this one from my recollection.
- Keep on the Borderlands - how can one not list this one? Most of us older players have been through the goblin caves, maybe even died once or twice on this one.
- Desert of Desolation series - LOVE IT! Especially the scorpion-man battle!
Most of my module inspiration comes from the news, or a song, something I want to introduce, or something going on that I am thinking of, sometimes it changes mid-story arc in order to fit in with what the PCs are doing.
For example, I started working on a BPN (adventure/mission) for SLA Industries that would have the PCs tracking down a civilian that was taking advantage of the welfare system, essentially tripling his benefits.
During this time there was something in the news regarding people having multiple lifeline cellphones, people taking advantage of disability claims and also people getting more food benefits than they should because they were not declaring their incomes properly.
When the Ravenloft boxed set was released and the Loupe Garou detailed, I took that opportunity to introduce my players to the setting. It started off simply enough, find out what is killing the local cattle...with fire.
The bad guy was a Loupe Garou/Wizard that was trying to find a way into Ravenloft to become a lord of a domain. He succeeded in opening the portal and the brave heroes charged in after him. Was a great amount of fun, and introduced the players to Ravenloft in a "not go against Strahd" way.
Another SLA Industries campaign I based the BPNs and downtime stories on Duran Duran's Greatest Hits album. That was a super fun campaign, one of the longest I have had the chance to run.
Basically, you can find inspiration for your games anywhere, as long as you keep an eye out. We spend so much time driving from one place to another, or walking, or taking a bus, whatever, why not use that time to pick out interesting people or situations and turn them into stories for the games we play?
Have fun and game on!
Monday, August 18, 2014
RPGaDay 18: Favorite Game System
There are many answers to this question, depending on what type of game I am running.
Heroic action/adventure or Space Opera/Science Fantasy goes to WEGd6, now freely available online.
Perfect for that Star Wars game you are wanting to run, or that 1920s-1940s against the Nazi's game. Also works extremely well with a lost world type of setting set in the jungle.
Sword and Sorcery definitely goes to the Talislanta system for its simplicity and magic system.
The ease of creating spells, the elegance of the system...absolutely adore it. I have been using the Talislanta system for all of my fantasy games since the release of 3rd edition D&D.
SLA Industries has a system that I have always found worked perfectly for the game itself, and I have always felt the same in regards to D&D, AD&D and now D&D 5th edition.
I am of the persuasion that the system has to fit the setting. SLA Industries and the 3 versions of D&D I like have systems that fit those settings, and no other system is going to work.
Heroic action/adventure or Space Opera/Science Fantasy goes to WEGd6, now freely available online.
Perfect for that Star Wars game you are wanting to run, or that 1920s-1940s against the Nazi's game. Also works extremely well with a lost world type of setting set in the jungle.
Sword and Sorcery definitely goes to the Talislanta system for its simplicity and magic system.
The ease of creating spells, the elegance of the system...absolutely adore it. I have been using the Talislanta system for all of my fantasy games since the release of 3rd edition D&D.
SLA Industries has a system that I have always found worked perfectly for the game itself, and I have always felt the same in regards to D&D, AD&D and now D&D 5th edition.
I am of the persuasion that the system has to fit the setting. SLA Industries and the 3 versions of D&D I like have systems that fit those settings, and no other system is going to work.
Sunday, August 17, 2014
RPGaDay 17: Funniest Game You Have Ever Played
Tales from the Floating Vagabond. Hands down.
From the character choices to the setting everything is a fun read, and a good time playing.
I was only able to play it one or two times, but I remember the crazy skill names, races and some of the things we were able to pull off.
Swinging into combat, middle of a desert (scrub plain?) from a rope, using my hair as a weapon, retrieving an important key from between the rhinoman's armored plates...wow...so much crazy goodness there.
I do not tend towards comedy games, but Tales from the Floating Vagabond is one that I would love to get my hands on, just for reading purposes.
Also, Toon would be a fun read. Another game I only had a single chance to play in. All I really remember is that I was playing a weasel that was obsessed with chickens. I think it gave me brain damage...
Fairy Meat is another fun read, although I have never had the opportunity to play it. If you can find it, read it. It will change how you look at fairies forever...
From the character choices to the setting everything is a fun read, and a good time playing.
I was only able to play it one or two times, but I remember the crazy skill names, races and some of the things we were able to pull off.
 |
| Tales from the Floating Vagabond |
Swinging into combat, middle of a desert (scrub plain?) from a rope, using my hair as a weapon, retrieving an important key from between the rhinoman's armored plates...wow...so much crazy goodness there.
I do not tend towards comedy games, but Tales from the Floating Vagabond is one that I would love to get my hands on, just for reading purposes.
Also, Toon would be a fun read. Another game I only had a single chance to play in. All I really remember is that I was playing a weasel that was obsessed with chickens. I think it gave me brain damage...
Fairy Meat is another fun read, although I have never had the opportunity to play it. If you can find it, read it. It will change how you look at fairies forever...
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