tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-73701621616935577092024-02-21T03:10:01.655-06:00Advanced Gaming & TheoryA blog celebrating Advanced Dungeons & Dragons 2nd EditionRipperXhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03506064393275174920noreply@blogger.comBlogger337125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7370162161693557709.post-70527697399022478962018-10-10T18:23:00.002-05:002018-10-10T18:23:37.135-05:00The Great Google+ Exodus <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I am irritated. The news says that Google+ was a failure, even though many of us prefer it. I suppose that if you place it up against Facebook, then everything is a failure. I happened to LOVE G+, and this whole Data Breach thing is garbage. I don't know about you, but whatever the mean ol' hackers got it wasn't anything that they couldn't get from polite conversation. No credit card numbers, nothing to help anybody steal our identities.<br />
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Whatever. Nothing that we can do about it, right? It does make me question the integrity of Google itself. I don't know about you, but I have a lot of time invested here! Is Blogger itself in trouble?<br />
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Needless to say, I am abandoning the G+ network. I see no point posting to a social network that has no future. I noticed that most of my contacts and folks I follow are going to MeWe, so I went too.<br />
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It makes me miss G+. I really liked the interface, MeWe is modelled after Facebook, but at least they won't conduct psychological experiments on us or block our feeds if do something crazy, such as going vegan or whatever.<br />
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Like G+ we aren't inundated with ads. You get only what you sign up for which makes it a winner in my book!<br />
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What this means for blogger, your guess is as good as mine. Many bloggers had linked their's up to G+, but I never did as it made all of the comments posted on this blog prior to G+ turn invisible.<br />
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If you were a friend or a fan of this blog, you can find me at <span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: transparent; color: #2a2a2a; display: inline !important; float: none; font-family: Open Sans,sans-serif; font-size: 12px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 21px; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-shadow: none; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px; word-wrap: break-word;">mewe.com/i/rip.x1</span><br />
<span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: transparent; color: #2a2a2a; display: inline !important; float: none; font-family: Open Sans,sans-serif; font-size: 12px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 21px; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-shadow: none; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px; word-wrap: break-word;"><br /></span>
<span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: transparent; color: #2a2a2a; display: inline !important; float: none; font-family: Open Sans,sans-serif; font-size: 12px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 21px; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-shadow: none; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px; word-wrap: break-word;"><br /></span>RipperXhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03506064393275174920noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7370162161693557709.post-77643042908789956912018-09-26T23:08:00.000-05:002018-09-27T11:26:41.602-05:00The Mystery of Dave Arneson's Engine<i>(This article was written as part of <a href="http://ruinsofmurkhill.proboards.com/thread/2572/blackmoor-week-dave-arneson-game" target="_blank">Murkhill's Week-long celebration of Dave Arneson</a>. Click the link to find more great articles!)</i><br />
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<span style="font-family: "calibri";">Like many other Dungeon Masters, I had never heard of Dave Arneson until well after his death. He had been edited out of the history of the game, but what we know as Dungeons & Dragons is based on the game of Dave Arneson’s invention. You see, Dave Arneson did not just develop a game, the key word here is that he INVENTED a game. This is something that hasn’t been done in our common age. Folks who designed games always based the principals from ancient games and they put a new spin on them, but Dave didn’t do that. The very idea of playing a game without a board or markers, to our knowledge, has never been done before. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri";">The game which he invented doesn’t have a name, so we refer to it as Blackmoor, and it is an elusive concept. There are different forms of it; there were the games that Dave ran at conventions or private games with strangers who wanted to delve into the mysterious dungeon, but at this point, the actual game of Blackmoor had not been played in many years. The earliest games were more along the lines of what we’d expect from a long-term D&D group, and the world that they discovered and developed through play is what we now know as Blackmoor.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri";">Now, what made Blackmoor so revolutionary was how it was played. Players could try anything, and they were expected too! Arneson developed systems on the spot to determine the results of each action, and he did this in real time. He didn’t have a book which told him the rules, he invented rules at the table which he felt would give the best results.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri";">It is said that Dave based his game on TSR’s Chainmail, and he did use it briefly, but as his book “The First Fantasy Campaign” will show you, he quickly abandoned Chainmail in favour of his own knowledge that he had gleaned from his years as a wargamer. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri";">The actual campaign of Blackmoor was much more advanced than what would become Dungeons & Dragons, on some levels it was a cooperative game, but on others, it was very competitive; and there were different levels of play. Blackmoor was both a strategic game and, separately, a tactical game. Players controlled armies at what we would consider low levels of play, and sometimes these player-controlled strongholds appeared to act as villains. We know that Arneson did use miniatures from time to time, could this be what was going on? Just a test of a player’s defences?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri";">This is something that I myself have discovered about the game; one can use it as the basis and setting for a huge variety of games, be it tactical miniature play, free-form exploration, or even a well-developed mystery which incorporates everything on an as-needed basis. One can play an individual or even a nation’s decision maker! The limits are truly up to our ability to imagine.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri";">The original players were well versed in wargames, so their games reflected this background, but that doesn’t mean that the game was one dimensional, as it wasn’t. It didn’t become one dimensional until the public became interested, then Dave would take this game, in its preserved state, to them. In this game, players rolled up a character and Dave would take them into the dungeon; but was this game Dungeons & Dragons? The answer is no.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri";"><b>THE GAME OF BLACKMOOR</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri";">At its heart, this was a very simple game of logistics. The idea was to go into the gilded hole and return with enough money to perhaps finance another expedition. Sounds like D&D! However most players didn’t get a second expedition as it was a one time only kind of deal, but for the Blackmoor bunch, they did get more than one shot at it, and this aspect of the game literally distracted them from the original campaign. They were building a system as they went, and like I said, the game required set rules that never changed and another set of guidelines to allow the DM to handle every situation. This was the game that Gary Gygax played, the game that Dungeons & Dragons was based on. Finding this game is a challenge all in itself, elements are hidden inside of D&D but D&D was ultimately a corporate product while the game of Blackmoor was not. I would like to share with you some of my thoughts on how I feel the game of Blackmoor differed from Dungeons & Dragons.</span></div>
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<b><span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";">1.</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: "calibri";">The Magic System</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri";">The spells cast by Wizards and Clerics were purchased beforehand. Spell-casters were limited by their actual spell level, but one was only limited to the spells which one managed to purchase and was able to carry with them. This system required strategy on the players part, choosing which spells to bring with them and forced logistical decisions, as the spells themselves took up what the character could carry out, which was treasure.</span></div>
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<b><span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";">2.</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: "calibri";">Equipment</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri";">Everyone had to be smart about what they brought down with them. How much a character could carry was strictly observed. This was on purpose and while it has its place in D&D it often isn’t observed. Arneson was a master of relieving the players of their gold, having to abandon equipment and placing limitations on how much one could bring back kept the game going. Not to mention the players having to figure out ways to keep the treasure that they did have safe. </span></div>
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<b><span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";">3.</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: "calibri";">Armour</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri";">One of the contentions between Arneson and Gygax was the combat system. It is my belief that, like the wizard, the fighter had to plan his trips as well. This required purchasing and repairing armour which took damage so that the character's body did not. Gygax used an avoidance mechanic, while Arneson didn’t. If one had Plate mail, one had to deal with the weight of the plate, but the armour would take X amount of hits until it was ruined and the character was exposed and took the damage himself.</span></div>
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<b><span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";">4.</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: "calibri";">Hit Dice</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri";">I personally wonder if hp were Gygax’s addition to the game? I am not sure if Arneson used them. I believe that a character could take 1 hit per level before death. I could be wrong, each HD could = 1d6 of hit points, but during my games, I tend to abandon hit points in favour of the HD method, but I do go back and forth depending on the exact situation and the context of the battle.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri";">We also don’t know how much of an influence Chainmail ultimately had on Blackmoor, if a Monster had 4HD did the players need to hit him 4 times in the same round before it was dead? It is doubtful since each successful hit reduces the armour's ability to protect you, but Arneson was always changing things up, and he did play with hp at D&D conventions and while he had no qualms about killing temporary characters, the Blackmoor bunch didn’t seem to have a very high mortality rate. This could be due to player skill or due to design as Arneson never stopped play-testing.</span></div>
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<b><span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";">5.</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: "calibri";">Dice</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri";">Arneson’s system did not use the D&D dice, as they were not really a thing that one could buy yet. Instead, he relied on d6s to generate statistical odds. He was a big fan of percentages, how he decided each roll is still kind of a mystery to me. Many wargames still rely only on the d6, and no doubt the study of these systems hold the answers. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri";">There is much more to the enigma of Blackmoor, it wasn’t just a combat/exploration game, but a game that simulated a person who had to prepare for things. It was the ultimate wargame campaign that put the player in charge of all of the things that standard wargames took for granted and was presented in a way that required the imagination of the participants to envision what their characters were seeing. This game blended every conceivable element, but you can see a specific focus on logistics, a reliance on the player's ability to prepare and interact with the setting, and also cemented the idea of dangerous combat that was best avoided if at all possible. The focus of the game wasn’t necessarily becoming god-like beings, it was a game that allowed the players to feel and explore both the setting and their character. The sad thing is that Arneson’s engine doesn’t have to be limited in any way, it can simulate any time and any situation. There is still more work to be done on the engine, but this work has stopped with Dungeons & Dragons which immediately put limitations upon it. </span></div>
<b></b><i></i><u></u><sub></sub><sup></sup><strike></strike><span style="font-family: "calibri";"></span>RipperXhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03506064393275174920noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7370162161693557709.post-25761700555897713832018-04-30T18:29:00.000-05:002018-04-30T18:29:02.146-05:00Playing Like it's 1973We wrapped up the Second Season of Ravenloft: Masque of the Red Death, and we can now get started on a project that I have been <b>really</b> looking forward to; our own world! If Gothic Earth has taught me anything, it is that it is incredibly easy to create your own spaces. not to mention that it is more interesting to DM because I'm not even sure what is out there.<br />
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The biggest change to this game will be the ruleset. It is no secret that there are things in AD&D that I just don't like anymore, and through talking to some of the original players I have found the basic source materials that AD&D was based upon and use that instead. So, we'll be using mostely original Dungeons & Dragons and homebrew it on a need to basis. I want a game that is more Dave Arneson than Gary Gygax, but less tongue in cheek.<br />
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I am shooting for a classic game where the players don't know the rules. The more I examine systems, the more I notice the players basing decisions on game facts rather than their own imaginations. I've done my best to weed this kind of metagaming out of their thinking; you know, not limiting them to the character sheet. Is it too late to bring back that sense of wonder and amazement after 30 years of AD&D? I think so.<br />
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<br />RipperXhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03506064393275174920noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7370162161693557709.post-63991545457822623942018-02-15T08:25:00.000-06:002018-02-15T18:18:04.255-06:00The TSR Code of EthicsAn interesting article has popped up over at <a href="https://shaneplays.com/" target="_blank">Shane Plays</a> about how TSR had a "Code of Ethics" that might be of interest to you. Go ahead and pop on over there and give it a read, I'll wait here.<br />
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<a href="http://shaneplays.com/rpg-history-tsr-code-of-ethics-dd-comics-code-authority-rules/#codeofethicsimages">http://shaneplays.com/rpg-history-tsr-code-of-ethics-dd-comics-code-authority-rules/#codeofethicsimages</a><br />
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Oh! You're back!<br />
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The whole time that I was reading that, I kept getting images of all of the times that they broke those rules. Ultimately, the documents are worthless, or were they? Sure, they broke a rule here or there, but I can only think of specific examples. For the most part, they DID keep to this Code, and they did so at their own peril.<br />
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This goes back to the Satanic Panic, so they say, but what really happened was that TSR wanted to bring their product to the mainstream market. What they did had nothing to do with "Keeping Children's Minds Safe", the very idea of a normal someone suddenly losing their mind and identity to a game is insulting. This wasn't done to make the Pope happy, this was done to make INVESTORS happy. Investors who had no idea what in the world that this product was, but they weren't going to let a little thing like that get in the way of wanting to control it.<br />
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The Golden Age of Dungeons & Dragons, back when D&D was Pop Culture. Back when it was a set of tools and rough ideas which you the user used to create your own adventures and told your own stories. Those days were gone. Now TSR was into telling you what the stories were, and they were safe, sanitary, and bland . . . unless of course, that got in the way of TSR's profits.<br />
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TSR controlled the monologue, and they have always done this well. Heck, they convinced us that 2e was a new system that was even better than the OLD crummy AD&D, when it was just the same system but clamped down tighter so that they had better control of the product. I'm not even convinced that 2e could really even stand on its own; during my games, I've always got to go back to 1e because it was just more fun! How many 2e books do you need to do the work of the 1e DMG?<br />
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Yes, yes. I know that this is a 2e Blog. I enjoy the rules, but that doesn't mean that I'm drinking the Kool-ade and liking it. Whenever you spend time with these products as we do, critical thinking is crucial, and I don't always like what I see.<br />
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Like many users at the time, I was addicted to modules. TSR had me believing that it was just too hard to do this myself, and that I didn't have time, or that my work just couldn't compete with the fine Professionals at TSR. I was a sucker. TSR didn't want you to see how easy it was to do it yourself, so instead of spending hours writing my own material, I'd spend days fixing their modules and tailoring them to fit my group. Some of the things on this list I changed, but looking back, it wasn't much. Somehow they managed to get me following this code as well.<br />
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That said, if one thinks about it, this code defies the very nature of Role Playing Games. It defies what it is that we do. We are talking about a medium where anything can happen, and the possiblities are endless. What if we just don't care that the hamlet has problems with trolls, they don't have to live there, and if trolls are making things dangerous, why risk my character on protecting these fools who want to live out in the middle of troll country? Why would I want to kill all of those goblins when I can enslave them all and have my own army? This NPC who invited me into his house and is described in detail is no doubt the villain, why not just kill him now while he isn't expecting it? Then you've got the DM that says, That isn't the way that the story goes! But isn't that the whole point behind the game?<br />
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<b>Further Reading:</b><br />
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<a href="http://trollsmyth.blogspot.com/2017/01/abandoned-territory.html" target="_blank">Trollsmyth: Abandoned Territory</a>RipperXhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03506064393275174920noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7370162161693557709.post-67743983842702410892018-01-08T16:08:00.000-06:002018-01-08T16:08:04.407-06:00Can World Building turn into a huge Red Herring?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHIWnARc-oawPeisqJwk3sNgyig_DiuemPD7_9lLw-r0D6NJ07RD4X7q8Ztyn0RYKfgQuRQlB481FjYygiEf4gEJr4E8cfiaNTDCD5lF5zIS7nTze35KlL37_Gz91AovKe1xLYKiuAZA8/s1600/worldbuilding.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1132" data-original-width="1600" height="226" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHIWnARc-oawPeisqJwk3sNgyig_DiuemPD7_9lLw-r0D6NJ07RD4X7q8Ztyn0RYKfgQuRQlB481FjYygiEf4gEJr4E8cfiaNTDCD5lF5zIS7nTze35KlL37_Gz91AovKe1xLYKiuAZA8/s320/worldbuilding.png" width="320" /></a></div>
Hey there Party People! Just popping in to say that I'm not dead, though we did have to cancel the last session because of the Flu, which was a bummer.<br />
<br />
So what have I been up to while not updating my blog? Well, I've been prepping. Been second guessing myself a lot as well. I've got my major notes but I've noticed that I spend a lot of time crafting things that ultimately serve no purpose other than to expand a culture or project color. Things should function on multiple levels, aesthetics are good, but not when they distract away from ideas. I think that I kind of overwhelm my players with unintentional red herrings.<br />
<br />
That said, I am working on tightening my focus, at least when it comes to preparing my notes. I know as a player I always hated blank worlds. I can't tell you how many times I played and the world was just too bland. I may had gone to the opposite spectrum. Designing an entire session based on just getting to know a foreign environment. Is that boring? We only get to play every forth Saturday, I really need to keep things moving. RipperXhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03506064393275174920noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7370162161693557709.post-85535706208050416282017-11-12T18:03:00.000-06:002017-11-12T18:03:01.956-06:00Gothic Earth Session 14: The Hot Winter<div class="_5pbx userContent _22jv _3576" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}">
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
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<a href="http://www.gjenvick.com/SteamshipArticles/SteamshipCaptains/1895-CaptainsOfTheGreatAtlanticLiners.html" target="_blank"><img alt="http://www.gjenvick.com/SteamshipArticles/SteamshipCaptains/1895-CaptainsOfTheGreatAtlanticLiners.html" border="0" data-original-height="304" data-original-width="500" height="194" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhA-0W4Q3cmWNBz5NZDoW_asBBFPzK6RN6AyLY9mMEwiCHMhyHmBHnXNjvoa4VAAU_G3Aj2huwkOmz5MBIAUxCKvK9HT4lGDFTmbu9nZdpsLuvU8rhhFC-bjxqzmT8EUIGQE5GyvpkEyTU/s320/1895-TheHamburgLineAugustaVictoria.jpg" width="320" /><span id="goog_1848274907"></span></a><span id="goog_1848274908"></span></div>
</blockquote>
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Last
nights game was all about movement. The party got out of Switzerland
and their search for Fu Manchu and the Sacred Spirit Blade has finally
had a break; George Weathermay discovered that the artifact had been
sold in an auction in Egypt. Boarding a pleasure cruise, they sailed to
the Far East, and all feel that they were led by their nose by the
Celserial Order of the Si-Fan, but what are they to do? <br />
<br />
The
trail has taken them across the world into the exotic jungles of British
Controlled Burma where they will find themselves learning more about
their enemy than they probably want to.</blockquote>
<br />
I love movement! It is a big part of the game. The game was liner, we had skipped October, tis a busy month, I didn't even have time to blog, and the writing time that I did have was spent researching and prepping.<br />
<br />
You never know what your players are going to do, but I was shocked when they told me when their boat landed at Morocco, their first port, that they were just going to spend their time on the ship and not leave. WHAT?!?! Who does that? I had even posted some cool films of Tangiers on our Communications page to get them wondering why it was there, and they watched them; but, "we've decided that we are staying on the ship and relaxing." I told them they can relax in Tangiers so that they could find the clue and we can play this game.<br />
<br />
I had written a murder mystery for them as well, but they weren't feeling it, so I didn't push it. They were interested in the main story arc, THANK GOD! A twisting and turning web that has them wondering what is going on, and a return to the true campaign.<br />
<br />
I hope that they enjoyed their break this game, it is always calmest before the storm.</div>
RipperXhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03506064393275174920noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7370162161693557709.post-67290479022486289272017-09-26T19:23:00.002-05:002017-09-26T19:55:01.795-05:00Speculation on the Wargames biggest influence on D&D<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi084z9XlA80R8kGToHILe_EbbZJ4fsXGQLajjm9tSsLdxA7NwxZC7uPEPATQNcgwbc5vm_RCdBLHMluz9ElTCOl0v-iOzsZCys_6O9Qsfl0mh5dg-jw_dHuu23p5XzopbGWHyBugsTKXQ/s1600/3rd_Infantry_Division_CSIB.png" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="198" data-original-width="198" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi084z9XlA80R8kGToHILe_EbbZJ4fsXGQLajjm9tSsLdxA7NwxZC7uPEPATQNcgwbc5vm_RCdBLHMluz9ElTCOl0v-iOzsZCys_6O9Qsfl0mh5dg-jw_dHuu23p5XzopbGWHyBugsTKXQ/s1600/3rd_Infantry_Division_CSIB.png" /></a>There are camps in the RPG community, those that prefer to campaign, and those that don't. Where did the idea of campaigning start? The answer is that its roots go back to wargames, and I can see how this came to be.<br />
<br />
There are two kinds of wargames: your standard single games, one and done, and then there is a much more difficult game which is the campaign. In the campaign, you've got to preserve your troops as those who survive will be moving on to the next game. It changes the way that we play completely! But, why do we do this?<br />
<br />
I was playing a WW2 game, and I saw that the enemy was going to take a city. My best course of action was to withdraw and move as many units as I could to a more defensible position. It didn't look good, I had made a mistake and my opponent was capitalizing on it. He was going to overpower my major artillery and take it all away if I didn't play my cards right. I was looking at a losing game.<br />
<br />
Enter the 3rd Infantry. These guys were tough, I knew that but I had to sacrifice them to get my tanks and less tough infantry out of the area, so I ordered them to hold their ground for as long as possible so that I could move the majority of my forces back behind a river. I didn't know how long they could hold it, but if I didn't I was definitely loosing everything.<br />
<br />
It was at this point that something extraordinary happened. The 3rd Infantry held. They were blasted by everything that the enemy had, but through lucky rolls and fate this piece not just held its position, allowing me to retreat without taking losses, but it was destroying the enemy. I was even able to get the 3rd Infantry out of there as well, once their job was done I was amazed. It was so much fun watching this take place. Once I got them out of danger I moved them behind my lines and didn't ask any more of them. They were very beat up and another attack on them would have wiped them out. I felt something for this unit. Even though this was just a game, something in me felt proud in that little marker. It became more than just a marker, it had guts and stamina that I had never seen before.<br />
<br />
I ended up wining that game, all because the 3rd Infantry had done their job. I enjoy this game and played it again but the 3rd Infantry was no longer the stoic band of heroes that it was during that game. Even in winning that scenario they were gone at the end of it, never to appear again. I still treat that piece with reverence though. I remember what it had done as if it was a real thing.<br />
<br />
You see this in wargames. Specific pieces do something that is so surprising that they become important to the player. We want to know more about them, and a story took place. We use them again and again! When we are playing a campaign, that specific band of heroes can continue. We'll treat them differently. For me; even though my tanks did more damage, the 3rd Infantry was still my favorite.<br />
<br />
I am sure that Dave Arneson and Gary Gygax felt the same way about specific members of their forces. They became more than just a painted piece of lead, this piece did great things once! What if we could break that group down and play them individually and that is the point of the game? We can learn even more about this unit! That sounds like fun! And it is, we call it D&D.<br />
<br />
I myself prefer campaign style, especially when it comes to D&D. No one-shots, I want to see my character succeed against bad odds, to fail on his own terms, to be more than just a cardboard counter, a little lead sculpture, or a collection of digital 1's and 0's. D&D allows this to happen in a way where even folks who never had an S.S. Panzer Division tear into their enemies like an unstoppable monster.RipperXhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03506064393275174920noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7370162161693557709.post-34093319075296930142017-09-17T15:52:00.000-05:002017-09-17T15:52:20.466-05:00Gothic Earth: Session 13 (Ding Dong)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzxblcauYT2Nf7Ap7fpS2cUJrCqGz54O2pzotweWgHB8Q09ojiwAHcVPwtF2FQA4PmxmESJqeILTq3W3nFOLk-h-p1B_Qa5dPr_bPBEdstpE8pRqorLY2Xkaz03cwQefbC5mV9vFtXybs/s1600/drama.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="300" data-original-width="296" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzxblcauYT2Nf7Ap7fpS2cUJrCqGz54O2pzotweWgHB8Q09ojiwAHcVPwtF2FQA4PmxmESJqeILTq3W3nFOLk-h-p1B_Qa5dPr_bPBEdstpE8pRqorLY2Xkaz03cwQefbC5mV9vFtXybs/s1600/drama.jpg" /></a></div>
I had gotten some excellent advice from our friend <a href="https://www.blogger.com/profile/12067161332003628237">Scott Anderson</a>, I had designed an overly precise flaw to the dungeon, and none of us were really paying attention to the game. So, we had to back up. I asked my players what they wanted to do, and told them what my thoughts were. Most of the last game wasn't a total loss, we did good work! We decided to back things up to just before the party left the elevator, the relic of Sebaldus gave everyone a dire warning of what lay ahead.<br />
<br />
<b>CORRECTING THE RULES</b> <br />
<br />
I also had to correct some mechanical flaws that have crept into the system. Masque of the Red Death, I don't feel, was designed for higher levels of play. I don't think that the designers ever thought that folks like us would be playing it long term.<br />
<br />
If I could go back to the beginning I would have blended the two spellcasting classes into one class, and added psionics as a fourth class. Mystics are just too limited in what they can do, and they are reduced to spell work because if the bad guys are able to close, folks are going to die. To correct the problem I have abandoned the Priest Sphere system and allowed the player to pick spells based off of role-playing rather than the very limited system core to Masque rules. The altered casting times still apply! But the system for acquiring spells doesn't work. To give the player an offensive option I also gave her a psionic wild talent, which play-tested fine.<br />
<br />
With combat, I had to drop the Rate Of Fire as it applies to firearms. As it sat, a random encounter of eight 0th level bandits who got the jump on the party, all of them having 6 shots apiece, would TPK even our 8th level party in a couple of rounds, which won't work, so I reverted back to Core rules of 3/2 for fighters and one shot for everyone else. I've got a PC who has a trick shooting proficiency, I let him fire into melee with no penalties.<br />
<br />
The AC issue (everyone's base AC is 10) was addressed by reminding them all that AC floats, it improves with taking cover and using your environment. On my end, I had to apply this system to my creatures.<br />
<br />
These changes all improved the game. Combat was much swifter and more fair for everyone.<br />
<br />
<b>INFORMING THE PARTY OF NEW VICTORY CONDITIONS</b><br />
<br />
This dungeon was my own design, because of events outside of the game which was beyond our control, they were all killed. We went back to the beginning of the 9th dungeon level, and I let everybody know that this was it. No takebacks. The party could not leave this dungeon, and they must finish tonight. If at the end of the night they still haven't slain the Belalp witch, they lost. She escapes and entombs them all in the dungeon and the game is over.<br />
<br />
The players had taken over the elevator and made it secure. Two players were unable to attend the game, their characters controlled the elevator and guarded the supplies that they had so the active party was unencumbered.<br />
<br />
<b>Play Begins</b><br />
<br />
The players went back up to the main dungeon and systematically cleared it out and found some nice weapons and armor that I had placed up there. I had hidden some Drow Platemail+5 as well as a Drow Longsword+5. Both of these items helped immensely and disappeared as soon as they left the dungeon.<br />
<b> </b><br />
I had wanted to take away their guns, this tomb hasn't been opened for a thousand years, everything except for the witch is dead and cursed, mostly ogre skeletons and zombies, and another section for the huge undead giants. Guns were pretty worthless, but I had old-fashioned arms scattered around to deal with them. The trick was to increase your AC. We had four players show up for this session and the game was well balanced, tons of XP to go around nice treasure, and the player who had put on the Drow armor and was a tank managed to find a huge spider which she rode around the giant section of the dungeon.<br />
<br /><b></b>
One player did end up dying, the victim of a giant banshee, but she was resurrected before she turned into an undead herself. It was a dangerous place and I expected some fatalities. By searching the dungeon before taking on the 9th level they were ready to take on that dangerous stuff.<br />
<br />
Right out of the elevator, on the bottom level they had to face an entire unit of lawful monster skeletons who fought like centurions, it was a brutal battle and this time they were more evenly matched. It was still a long encounter, powerful undead fighters who were also very difficult to hit. The party figured out a way to punch a hole into their defense and managed to control the pace of the fight. It wasn't just a dice-fest either, which made things go more smoothly and we all enjoyed it more.<br />
<br />
Finally, they fought their way to the Witch and after a long tricky battle she tried begging for mercy and they promply executed her. They had control of the dungeon and it was getting late so we decided to skip the battle with the undead centurions, choosing to quickly summarize it, the skeletons would have done the exact same thing, and offered no challenge. <br />
<br />
They fetched the Relic, this time the witch was dead so the Demonic god was weaker and Sebaldus had a chance of defeating it . . . a 25% chance, but since the witch was dead, the party could still escape if Sabaldus lost. I had them roll the dice. They needed a 75 or higher to defeat the devil: they rolled a 76. Sebaldus destroyed the sentient idol, breaking the curse on the land and finally defeating this dungeon.<br />
<br />
Sebaldus rewarded those who showed up in different ways. The Cleric was granted the Wild Talent, The Gunslinger was given more strength, the German Spy was granted Dexterity, and the Explorer was given the ability to know Latin.<br />
<br />
The fun that we all had from this session more than made up for the last session! <br />
<br />
<b>AFTERMATH</b><br />
<br />
This was my most ambitious game design. It incorporated a lot of OD&D principles, and while the initial prep for it was intense, there was virtually no prep once we started playing it. The entire scenario lasted us seven sessions.<br />
<b> </b><br />
It featured two separate dungeons; a mine and a witches lair, both reset themselves in a way that they could always be explored and offer challenges. We didn't finish the mine section, it had one more scenario hidden in it which was never triggered. <br />
<br />
Overall, it offered something for everybody at the table. A very difficult mystery to solve, a living world to interact with, tons of NPCs which were fun to run, and enough XP to bring the regular players up to level so they can take on even more grueling challenges ahead, as I now think that they are ready to get back on the trail of the main campaign villain, Fu Manchu. So! It is off to London, which I will write and maybe play with some Play-By-Post via Facebook. We are skipping the game for the month of October, and opting to have a Halloween Party instead.<br />
<br />
<b> </b> <br />
RipperXhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03506064393275174920noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7370162161693557709.post-10743751146374528812017-09-08T17:30:00.001-05:002017-09-08T17:30:58.634-05:00Gothic Earth: Session 12 TPK<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOLlXxoEfUnSRhz8HwzRqrmBecVCGlNZg0zQkNZQbPwaRBVpJ85Ptp2FONgMu89QUY1bkqu7CHOdlwIaRLufY5ddwCjKlEIRmfMPaF3a1EY8pTRxWLHADotRdCOUx-3EfRQigB4RG8irs/s1600/84750fee647f0d995af33d1412ae42cd.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="292" data-original-width="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOLlXxoEfUnSRhz8HwzRqrmBecVCGlNZg0zQkNZQbPwaRBVpJ85Ptp2FONgMu89QUY1bkqu7CHOdlwIaRLufY5ddwCjKlEIRmfMPaF3a1EY8pTRxWLHADotRdCOUx-3EfRQigB4RG8irs/s1600/84750fee647f0d995af33d1412ae42cd.jpg" /></a></div>
Well, last weeks game had some major issues and ended up falling apart. Technically, everybody died, but there were things going on beyond our ability to control. It was horrible. Nobody had their thinking caps on and this is a very hard game. I knew that from the beginning. Whenever something like this happens, you learn a lot, and we did.<br />
<br />
Lets back up. We took a month off and are playing twice this month, this being the first session to make up for August. I had beat them down with a dragon, and their characters needed time to heal up. This gave us a week where they just stayed in their cabin, and I really don't like that much missing time, especially since this campaign will only last for 10 years of in-game time. To fill the gap I wrote some fiction.<br />
<br />
There were things that I wanted to recap, and game elements which weren't being utilized, such as the mystics tarot cards. I never wanted to shut the game down for the time it takes to focus on divination, not in real-time anyway, so I took the opportunity to do that. Providing hints, and clues and basically telling them that it is time to move. They are transporting the bones of Saint Sabaldus, he is their knight, but there is a dark knight as well, and the party can't fight him, Sabaldus has to.<br />
<br />
I also revealed that there were three parts, the Dragon, the creature in the mine, and the Witch, these were all connected, not separate at all, but one big problem. In order to tip the scale in Sabaldus's favor they had to eliminate at least one of these targets.<br />
<br />
I also decided to bring the character who died last adventure back to life. I have never done this before, in all my years of gaming nobody has ever been resurrected. It was a pointless death, but I also had the Holy Relic. The character had served the town, so the town served her. They fetched her body from the canyon and returned her to the party where Sabaldus gave her back her life. In exchange for this, they lost the girl that they had saved to the witches. This also speeds up the clock, once she is made a witch they will form a coven, and this will allow the ancient witch who is imprisoned under the church to escape.<br />
<br />
I introduced a new character as well, a German Detective who has been hunting them ever since they left Germany with the artifact, he showed up with a ton of men and they have now taken over the village of Belalp, and they arrested Van Helsing, so he is off of the table as well.<br />
<br />
At that point, we began the game. Everybody really loved the story, the player who had died was jazzed as I had told her to keep this to herself, she rolled her Resurrection survival and passed it. Then they cleared out of town taking the artifact with them.<br />
<br />
I thought that they were going after the dragon, they almost killed it last time, and it is injured still; I'd figure that they'd go finish the job. They didn't, instead they went right to the Tomb of the Witch, and broke the seal. There was no going back now, the Witch was officially loose.<br />
<br />
This specific dungeon was the hardest thing that I have ever drawn up. It hasn't seen a living soul since Father Sabaldus trapped her in there back when he was alive. Inside is a living nightmare, those who followed the Witch Kevra were entombed as well, and a war over supplies raged inside until every one of them were dead. This war repeats itself over and over again. Even the dead here cannot be slain, the curse always brings them back.<br />
<br />
Somehow, I don't know how they do it, my dungeons are always mazes, but they always seem to stumble right where they need to go. The nastiest trap in the place, they figured out. An elevator which must be locked at the bottom, it goes to the Witch's chambers, and she controls the undead to lower the elevator if she wants to. If the players don't pay attention to this elevator, they will be the ones who are entombed down there as it is the only way in or out.<br />
<br />
So, the players fight their way to the witch's chambers, and find an evil sentient statue of some forgotten pagan god, it is casting spells, and the witch appears but gets blown away. The players take the Relic into the room, Sam knows that this is where the artifact belongs, and then the war begins, the horror of true good vs. evil, but since they didn't really kill any of the beasts party (the witch, the dragon, and whatever is haunting the darkness in the mine) Sabaldus can't win. I am describing this battle of light and telling them that it is getting darker and darker and they aren't doing anything about it. They are just sitting their listening to this. Finally I just shut down the game.<br />
<br />
We've been playing this game for almost a whole year. Everyone was distracted and having difficulty. They didn't understand what was going on, I thought that it was obvious, but was wrong. A couple of the players were loving it, it is harder than hell. The Wizard didn't show up to play, so they had no offensive spells. We also figured out that the Mystic is unbalanced and unplayable at the level that she is at. When they designed the Masque of the Red Death box set, it was meant for a one shot adventure, but we've been playing it long-term. She is not a normal cleric, and is so restricted in her spells that all she is is a medic, and she hated it. We talked after the game and decided to grant her an offensive psionic power which hopefully will give her character that little boost that she needs.<br />
<br />
I felt like a failure. I take things personally, I do! I did make a big error during the game. I couldn't find the stats for the ancient witch, it wasn't on my stat block sheet, instead I had placed it right on the Random Encounters sheet and had forgot, so I improvised. She had a Fake Kevra, which I ran, but I gave it way too much power, and hit one of the fighters almost killing him instantly. Afterwards I found my mistake, so there is that.<br />
<br />
I offered two options: We could either hold the game where it is at, or we could reboot it from where the PC resurrected. So far they have opted to hold, they returned to the elevator and locked it between floors so they are safe, but I told them that there is only one path to win the scenario. They have to kill this witch tomorrow. If they flee, they'll be killed. With all of the bumbling they did end up cornering both themselves and the witch, but with the injuries that they have, they are in a very tight spot.<br />
<br />
I feel like a cad for stopping the game because of TPK. We've got a character who has no hp left, a high level cleric who is helpless in a pit of the undead, a fighter who can't enter the Demon room, and another fighter who was charmed by the statue and is now working for it. Only the thief of the party is unharmed, and they hope to kill the witch in her own domain. Personally, I think that they are doomed if they follow this path.<br />
<br />
I don't know. I didn't give them any XP because I was angry, but calmed down during the post game discussion. There are lots of reasons why the game collapsed, but it still feels cheap. I am not willing to take it easy on them in regards to fighting the witch. That would be a huge disservice to them. Like I said, the majority of the players were cool with the difficulty level, but we all agreed that we weren't mentally in the game as the game required us to be.<br />
<br />
What would you do?<br />
<br />
Do you think that it was wrong to not TPK a party for one off night? It was many factors: my bumbling, bad dice rolls, and caring for a player who was not able to play. I have no problem TPKing early games, but we've been playing these characters for over 10 years, they got us back into the hobby. I can't do that to them.<br />
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Bad games are a bummer! RipperXhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03506064393275174920noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7370162161693557709.post-64406060800320043802017-08-28T15:09:00.000-05:002017-08-28T17:48:35.302-05:00Game of Thrones > Le Morte D'Arthur<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGM-9lZEhJF-6zpAczKDZvTKXTg-l8eK3Vs9fVPpN4xTIY7U5yd7H0u0Q8igczDLaS8WLK2r9E9ZY5rcpb7YR3QYVrZCP0IFP91t5r6Kp1_I8EXvjJ1UjjaBsoFwKJISEDLIh-C6Oo558/s1600/66c1686da961096236c11822aa5c3a33.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="838" data-original-width="564" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGM-9lZEhJF-6zpAczKDZvTKXTg-l8eK3Vs9fVPpN4xTIY7U5yd7H0u0Q8igczDLaS8WLK2r9E9ZY5rcpb7YR3QYVrZCP0IFP91t5r6Kp1_I8EXvjJ1UjjaBsoFwKJISEDLIh-C6Oo558/s320/66c1686da961096236c11822aa5c3a33.jpg" width="215" /></a></div>
<i>On the GOOGLE+ community <a href="https://plus.google.com/communities/101579906998277448016" target="_blank">Literary Role Playing Game Society</a>, our Friend, <a href="https://plus.google.com/u/0/109710694905703914607" target="_blank">Vb Wyrde</a> from <a href="http://elthosrpg.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Ethos RPG</a> made an interesting comment the other day in regards to Game of Thrones, I responded and have decided that I want to keep this response for future reference as I feel that this is a good summary of my current thoughts in regards to game design. <a href="https://plus.google.com/109710694905703914607/posts/BbbyJ7NJiEi" target="_blank">Click here for direct quote</a>.</i><br />
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The Gamemaster can write the past, but the players write the present. The future belongs to the dice and cause & effect. The Gamemaster can influence the present, just like the player can influence the past with good ideas but when a DM tries to write all of it then they aren't playing the game.<br />
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The story is a bi-product of play. Our brains just do that. We put stuff in order. We make order from chaos. With that said, I think that one of the game's strengths in regard to the medium is that one can lose, one can lose big! And while a computer would shut the game down, the movie would grind to a halt, the table-top RPG keeps going, and will probably be more interesting because of the loss.<br />
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Game of Thrones is a magnificent muse for a homebrewed setting. An excellent example of Feudalism at work, the mythology of the land, the cities, and the ruling houses . . . specifically the mythology of the noble houses. This isn't anything that I've ever thought of doing before!<br />
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Hell, I would say that how they present Knights is a game changer too. In the past, all of my knights were based on Lancelot, a knight who failed, betraying his king, his family, and himself.<br />
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Watching it, and marveling at the world they built. We can do that. Making our NPCs more effective, especially in terms of back ground movement.<br />
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I think that many of us base our games on the legends of King Arthur, but this was a cautionary tale. Arthur and everyone in it failed. The politics implied aren't all that well defined. I think that Game of Thrones provides a much stronger picture of life in a feudal society.RipperXhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03506064393275174920noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7370162161693557709.post-91809666985998331942017-08-26T14:58:00.000-05:002017-08-26T14:58:15.559-05:00The Gay Agenda vs. AD&D
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeGyQp416ZOpb05lisiQ-orAu_FU6t3DnKNNlvV_KP02AEB_A5eQ5BFytXYLcA9HS90Xfb3n0GcqiUjB3PwTpHV1kyU5C6nstlFR55W5WnTM7FOwCJeq6iAhue48VtEE2NPnp1Dzh_uN4/s1600/RB024.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="800" height="192" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeGyQp416ZOpb05lisiQ-orAu_FU6t3DnKNNlvV_KP02AEB_A5eQ5BFytXYLcA9HS90Xfb3n0GcqiUjB3PwTpHV1kyU5C6nstlFR55W5WnTM7FOwCJeq6iAhue48VtEE2NPnp1Dzh_uN4/s320/RB024.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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When I was a teen the world was a different place. My generation was one where we excepted the freedom of blacks, my grandfather hadn't yet, but he learned. Now the folks who are homosexual are dealing with acceptance, and just as my grandfather before me, I saw a dumb idea that was taught to me for what it was.</div>
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I don't typically express my own politics, but this really isn't a political issue. This has to do with basic human rights. Hate is hate, and hate is wrong. If a dude wants to marry another dude I don't really see what business this is of mine. It's not hurting me one way or the other. If that family wants to adopt kids, cool! Better then the alternative. I know the system and the system is not a kind place to be trapped in. I guess that this is political isn't it? But, I still think that gay people make better parents than idiots who rally against it.</div>
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As far as my game is concerned, I'm not going to limit it by not exploring the subject. It is just too interesting not to incorporate it. As DM my job is to make your character's lives as difficult as possible, regardless of faith, race, or creed. I'm an equal opportunity trouble maker. As a player I've played female characters, as well as gay ones. It is Role-playing! Why would I want to play myself?</div>
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I've seen examples of DMs treating players really badly. They do this because they are dumb asses, and I don't play with dumb asses. I do, however, steal their players.</div>
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At my table we explore politics. Not our politics, mind you, just politics in general. All table top RPG games are political games. We each have the right to use stereotypes, enforce bizarre laws, target minorities with slavery and violence, not to mention actively engaging in genocide as this is a sound strategy. As Dungeon Masters we cause problems, and if the players don't go looking for trouble, well then, we'll make sure to bring that trouble to you. Through exploring topics which are difficult to swallow, we become better people. It need not be in your face, nor should the DM be on a soap box. We don't judge our players, we judge the game. Politics move the game along, and bad political decisions become speeding hot rods. With that said, there is a difference between being a dumb ass and playing the game. In the game, if the players are interested in creating social change, they can. That is the point.</div>
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If you want to repress women, create racial slurs, and execute pillow biters, do it, but allow your players to cause social change. If somebody complains that you're being a pig, just agree and challenge them to do something about it. We can't fix idiots in the real world, but we can in ours.</div>
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This honestly shouldn't even be a problem, and I doubt that it really is. The person who made this an issue is no better than any other hate mongering pig and deserves to be treated as such.</div>
RipperXhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03506064393275174920noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7370162161693557709.post-48310525647711732662017-07-24T19:13:00.002-05:002017-07-24T19:13:31.457-05:00Gothic Earth Session 11: The Legend of Zudet <div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjg0UFWktLcr_dxiwWD_Uvvpt84e4blqMJ3MPB97w5hCCjsCdK-umIhfWUNmtaDcXsjf2ru22k-PiBR6OcfrmYBR65y7inMivhhAtjBcpMugD6Zvn6ueSN7Ac5EcAu-j7Xr2CwM4EyLofc/s1600/gameboard+%25282%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="1600" height="192" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjg0UFWktLcr_dxiwWD_Uvvpt84e4blqMJ3MPB97w5hCCjsCdK-umIhfWUNmtaDcXsjf2ru22k-PiBR6OcfrmYBR65y7inMivhhAtjBcpMugD6Zvn6ueSN7Ac5EcAu-j7Xr2CwM4EyLofc/s320/gameboard+%25282%2529.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
In our last game of the summer, we lost a character. As DM I get rather fond of them, and I am always attempted to cheat, but that just isn't the way that this game works. Most character deaths are not brave or noble. There is no great sacrifice, or dying at the hands of a worthy opponent. Most PC casualties are stupid and pointless. As a player, that more often than not was the case for me. D&D is about taking risks and doing your best to minimize them, but eventually, especially with fickle dice, your luck is just going to run out. Trouble, more often than not, comes from rushing ahead. You rarely see the one that gets you until it is too late. When it happens, you typically feel stupid, and hindsight automatically kicks right in.</div>
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The players believed that they needed more power before entering the Vault of the Witch, and I agree, but it did cost them dearly. Magic items in my games are pretty hard to find, it's not that they aren't there, it is just that they are typically out of the way and off the beaten path. The players know this, but game time is so limited they really tend to keep focused on different goals. This goal on game day was searching the wilderness for what is going on out there.</div>
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They have found a sign of dragon. The kobolds are using the mine to pay tribute to a reptilian god. I never came out and said it, but there was enough out there to suggest an ancient evil living in the mountains. This is a modern game, taking place in 1890, the dragon I placed in the area is modified from the Monstrous Manual description (as are all of my monsters) to fit a more folklore feel.</div>
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They knew that the dragon was wealthy, and they are fairly high level, especially for us! They took a vote and decided that they would go dragon hunting. I didn't help them in any way, the players moved around the play map, slowly exploring different sections, I had had enough areas out there prepped to have a good idea of what is out there, but much of the fine details were determined randomly, and it was one of these that ended up causing the incident.</div>
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I knew that there was probably a rope bridge that led over a deep canyon on the main map, but I didn't know where it was. We found it and it was the way that was made by the kobolds to get over the canyon, of course, kobolds are not known for giving much thought to safety, so this 3 rope bridge that stretched at least a mile in length was dangerous as all get out!</div>
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I like skill checks, but I also like them to be a mixture of old Dungeons & Dragons where player agency and ideas were prized over the dice, and AD&D, which favors the dice to decide stuff like this. The character in question, a spy, had very good DEX, so her player figured that she could scoot right across there, she rolled over her DEX score, and I allowed a saving throw which she failed as well and she was gone.</div>
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I really enjoyed the character, her player was a novice who became very good very quickly. It isn't easy to keep low-level AD&D PCs alive, but she was able to do it. Her story was magnificent, through play she took what was going on very seriously and became a good leader. She was a German spy who worked for the old regime which was being replaced. She went back to Germany and extracted the former Prime Minister and her King from the hands of his enemies and delivered him safely to Zurich. It was an amazing story!</div>
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She stepped up to the call of duty again in Belalp, when the Sheriff was attacked, she took over his duties, ignoring her own agenda until law was restored to the village. Now she is dead because of something stupid, at least it was an ending. Her death will have consequences, she must now start a new character and take this novice PC into a very difficult dungeon.</div>
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While everybody else played, she rolled up a new PC and we got it introduced before the session expired. A Russian specializing in thieving abilities, and a fellow member of The Watchmen. It will be interesting to see where she takes this one.</div>
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The players had spent much of the night, frustrated because I wouldn't just put the dragon's lair somewhere randomly, I had already placed it and I stuck to it. Eventually, they found it. A cylinder-shaped tube deep in the earth, lined with a kobold apartments. At the bottom was discovered an ancient pyramid made of onyx, its top broken off and overflowing with treasure. The party quickly took a couple of things and ran for it. After a couple of hours, the creature realized that something was wrong, the rest of the day, they are racing out of there while the sounds of roaring and menace echo through the mountains, and creatures run for cover. They hurry as fast as they can to get across the rope bridge before the sun goes down, and when dusk does arrive the lamentations of the dragon Zudet stop and the creature's hunt has begun.</div>
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They had made a predictable escape and kept running through the night, when the dragon saw them, and made its attack, the players reacted at the same time, their tiny guns against sheer power. Only one player made their saving throw against the blast of flames which engulfed them, this looked like a total party kill, instantly two characters dropped below 0, just shy of death. The players shot wildly, missing more than they hit, the one exception was the explorer. He took the full brunt of the blast, heavily injured but still standing, his shots hit the mountain's monster, doing just enough damage to trigger a morale check, which the dragon failed. It turned itself invisible, and hide itself to heal and stew over what had happened.</div>
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The players knew that there was no way that they could survive a second attack, the healer was able to quickly get to the two downed characters and stabilize them before they died from their wounds. So far, they have kept their treasures and their lives, just barely, but they came at a very high price. The party was able to return to civilization, but minus an important member of the team and heavily injured. Through magic and rest they will be healed enough after a week or two to attempt to explore the Witches Vault. This will have to wait for September :(</div>
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<b>SESSION DESIGN NOTES</b></div>
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The movement rates that I had set in the snowy mountains was too low, movement was only possible on the roll of a 5 or a 6, I had to correct this during play because we were getting bored.</div>
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The players were also keen on trying to get me to put things in every space that they were in, searching each hex. I had to improvise a better system on the fly that allowed a more limited chance of a feature being discovered. They were literally only moving one hex at a time, when the game was set for them to move much faster. This could had been why I was getting bored, they probably did this around 30 to 40 times.</div>
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Prior to play I designed a better system to flesh out the underground cave system which was never mapped, and hid some features down there that can be discovered randomly. I also hid treasures within, but one of the treasures was designed for the character who died, this was moved to a new location, I had failed to identify the dragon's hoard and had no idea that the players would decide to seek this out.</div>
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The player's felt happy with the work that they had gotten done. The explorer really wants to go back and finish off that dragon, which may not be a bad idea, though creatures of myth and legend are never that easy, and a creature this old and who has kept itself a secret for so long is not going to fall victim to a bullet.</div>
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While they lost a character, the gunfighter who hasn't changed in a couple of years now has finally gained a level. This is a huge achievement! While 8<sup>th</sup> level in many games is obtained quickly, my game progresses much slower, progression slows down dramatically after 5<sup>th</sup> level, this is years of dedicated play and keeping a risk taking player who is always there in the thick of things alive. He is heavily scarred and beat up, but he is still one of the most dangerous men alive in my world, who is now even more elite.</div>
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I am glad that they didn't decide to break the seal of Sabaldus, that dungeon is going to take multiple sessions, and skill to defeat, an 8 week break between sessions would really suck. Are they ready for it now? I don't think so. The new character is 1<sup>st</sup> level, and while she will progress quickly taking her into the finale of a complex and devious death trap is really expecting a lot.</div>
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RipperXhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03506064393275174920noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7370162161693557709.post-59358433954037735392017-07-19T17:47:00.000-05:002017-07-19T17:47:00.837-05:00Wizard's Weapons Fixed with the wave of a wand!
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjulrqEs0vwTgcfKcuut5Iksqe5deKoyQXE1WdDhmmWoRoNuJQC90V1WrxxpEl3H8HqAT1vqQ9LwQSRuNJjSM77ieFiAsAe6FUAkkqeMKpuCjqhUWLVqs_IQLYkpqoMOeGOJXMBIWrVrAk/s1600/IMG_1465+copy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="427" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjulrqEs0vwTgcfKcuut5Iksqe5deKoyQXE1WdDhmmWoRoNuJQC90V1WrxxpEl3H8HqAT1vqQ9LwQSRuNJjSM77ieFiAsAe6FUAkkqeMKpuCjqhUWLVqs_IQLYkpqoMOeGOJXMBIWrVrAk/s320/IMG_1465+copy.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>
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I've never been all that happy with the
wizard class, specifically in regards to Weapon Proficiency. At</div>
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Level 20 they have <b>Four</b> slots.
This is fine! This isn't my problem, the problem is that the 2<sup>nd</sup>
Edition AD&D Players Handbook picks these weapons for you.
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Dagger</div>
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Staff</div>
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Darts</div>
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Knife</div>
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Sling</div>
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It adds that the weapons that require
no training can be used, this would imply that nobody needs to be
proficient in them, but whatever. The deal is that, for me
personally, most of these five items are not things that I mentally
associate with wizards.</div>
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Dagger, and staff: Okay, I can see
that. But, where did all of that other stuff come from? The answer
probably goes back to OD&D, a wizard's weapon does 1d4. I can get behind
this! Regardless of what a wizard chooses, mixed with his god-awful
THAC0, if a mage is proficient in a sword of some kind, it still does
1d4.
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I know that in my own games, we
identify staff as a quarterstaff and give it the damage of 1d6. Dudes
like Little John were specialized in the quarterstaff and could dish
out serious damage, while a wizard probably just dorks the other guy.
The 1d4 rule makes more sense; Playing a wizard, I would except that
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I don't know about you, but when I
think of a wizard I don't see him attacking with a dagger or swinging
a staff around. In my mind's eye it is always a wand. That is what I
see! Now I'll admit that I have never read the <a href="https://jackvance.com/" target="_blank">Vance series of books</a>which the AD&D system is based on. I will also admit that the
biggest inspiration to what I know about fantasy wizards was gleamed
by collecting stickers in the 80's (<a href="http://www.liketotally80s.com/2014/03/80s-sticker-album/" target="_blank">it was a thing</a>), and ain't no
rainbow summoning wizard walking around carrying a dart. That said,
would it break the game to give the wizard a wand? Now, I'm not
talking about those weird wands of power found in the Dungeon
Master's Guide, I'm thinking just a basic everyday wand that a wizard
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhK2cH-kt2p6W27aJO16Rr2bwq6yCxCgEeubfue7VDtXe7VTZQEWC2BpkdHzSXh0P7n4UJqW6p_DOv4ZeOigiLWuGF023GMlwC-s7MW_DkZFAVSQItm5-sZvoQXnOjbjq0_mUaZ7iHeMXg/s1600/5c50267339bd9bfe22fc8c1b42eea07b--wizards-s.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="519" data-original-width="570" height="181" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhK2cH-kt2p6W27aJO16Rr2bwq6yCxCgEeubfue7VDtXe7VTZQEWC2BpkdHzSXh0P7n4UJqW6p_DOv4ZeOigiLWuGF023GMlwC-s7MW_DkZFAVSQItm5-sZvoQXnOjbjq0_mUaZ7iHeMXg/s200/5c50267339bd9bfe22fc8c1b42eea07b--wizards-s.jpg" width="200" /></a>Let's stat it out:
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<b>Item:</b> Magic Wand</div>
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<b>Cost: </b>10gp</div>
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<b>Weight:</b> 0 lbs.</div>
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<b>Size:</b> S</div>
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<b>Type:</b> P</div>
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<b>Speed Factor:</b> 2</div>
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<b>Damage: S-M</b> 1d4<b>, L</b> 1d3</div>
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It acts like a missile weapon.</div>
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<b>ROF: </b>1</div>
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<b>Short Range:</b> 5 feet</div>
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<b>Medium:</b> 10 feet</div>
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<b>Long:</b> 15 feet</div>
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If you want, you can even have it
augment spells, but you don't have to. Naturally, this could open up
a new can of worms if you let it, and it might be interesting! But,
you don't have to. You can just judge that it is a melee weapon, and
that is all. A quick burst of magic that is regulated by the users
crummy THAC0.</div>
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</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Alternatively you can rule that a basic
magic staff can be constructed at 10<sup>th</sup> level which has a
longer range (10/20/30) and is required to augment spells of 5<sup>th</sup>
level and beyond.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Augmenting Spells shouldn't be overly
powerful, maybe just reducing the casting time of spells with
Somatic, or verbal/Somatic components only by 1. Or keeping the
Somatic based spells as is but doubling the casting time if the
caster doesn't have a wand.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Spells can also be developed
specifically for wands. Now keep in mind that I suck at writing
spells, if you can improve the wording do it. This stuff isn't
play-tested either, but I really can't see how this can break the
game.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>CREATE WAND (Alteration)</b></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<b>Spell Level: 2<sup>nd</sup></b>
</div>
<b>
</b><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<b>Range: Touch</b></div>
<b>
</b><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<b>Components: V, M
</b></div>
<b>
</b><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<b>Duration: Permanent</b></div>
<b>
</b><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<b>Casting Time: 3 days</b></div>
<b>
</b><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<b>Area of Effect: Special</b></div>
<b>
</b><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<b>Saving Throw: None</b></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
This spell can merge a magical
component into a stick cut from a hardwood tree specifically for this
purpose. The magical component can be collected from a magical and
rare plant, and ground Ornamental stone of at least 10gp value. The
magical component, over the course of three days which include
regular breaks for eating, and resting, is verbally coaxed inside of
the wand forming its core.
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Once completed, a magic word is chosen
to activate its basic power, as well as a specific flick which will
cause a quick burst of magic which can be aimed at a specific target
with a normal attack roll which inflicts 1-4 hp of damage. The target
does not receive a saving throw, however magic resistance of any kind
will always be immune to this attack.
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
WARNING: Augmenting spells which
require the material components of stones, jewels, and/or gems which
are consumed during casting tend to destroy the stones inside of the
wand as well, rendering it useless forever more.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>IMPROVED CREATE WAND (Alteration)</b></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<b>Spell Level: 4<sup>th</sup></b>
</div>
<b>
</b><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<b>Range: Touch</b></div>
<b>
</b><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<b>Components: V, M
</b></div>
<b>
</b><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<b>Duration: Permanent</b></div>
<b>
</b><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<b>Casting Time: 3 days</b></div>
<b>
</b><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<b>Area of Effect: Special</b></div>
<b>
</b><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<b>Saving Throw: None</b></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
This spell can merge a magical
component into a stick cut from a hardwood tree specifically for this
purpose. The magical component can be collected from a creature of
mystical origin (Phoenix Feather, Unicorn Hair, Ground Dragon Claw
etc.) given to the caster by the creature in freewill. The magical
component, over the course of three days which include regular breaks
for eating, and resting, is verbally coaxed inside of the wand
forming its core.
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Once completed, a magic word is chosen
to activate its basic power, as well as a specific flick which will
cause a quick burst of magic that can be aimed at a specific target
with a normal attack roll which inflicts 2-5 hp of damage. The target
does not receive a saving throw, though Magic Resistance will
function as normal.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
A wand constructed of a creature which
has the same alignment as the caster, will act as a <i>wand+1</i>, +3
against targets which are natural enemies of the creature regardless
of magic resistance. A target of the same alignment as the creature
may not be effected at all.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>NOTES</b></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4U8_r69QsjS4OOT3l50SBmnz08R3u5g_xiTQhrZmcbfcSGOgarmudMzzdFPhmE_CmafUciIGxd_13FijHPrHkMTc9p-Ow7eo9DtaRcTHmtqmfui3Dz7l3rPBECSr_DlWV9TKgIlvnU_M/s1600/a1807a0fb377502a9fea2f0fbc0527de.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="480" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4U8_r69QsjS4OOT3l50SBmnz08R3u5g_xiTQhrZmcbfcSGOgarmudMzzdFPhmE_CmafUciIGxd_13FijHPrHkMTc9p-Ow7eo9DtaRcTHmtqmfui3Dz7l3rPBECSr_DlWV9TKgIlvnU_M/s320/a1807a0fb377502a9fea2f0fbc0527de.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
The only problem that I really see with
this is the lack of expendables. I tend to just charge a monthly
living fee to players, having a wand puts them in at least the
Middle-High Living Class, if they drop below Middle Class the wand
can become damaged and break on the roll of a 1.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
A wand can also break if it becomes
subjected to a Saving Throw, if this is the case it falls under Wood,
thin on the Item Saving Throws table.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
A wand is also ruined if it is subject
to <i>Dispel Magic</i>.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
A wand cannot be used if the caster is
unable to speak, flick their wand, or if magic doesn't function in
that area. Areas of wild magic can also cause some weird things to
happen.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Wand attacks work exactly the same as
missiles, targets gain bonuses for taking cover, and if the armor vs
weapon type is used, damaged is halved. It is also dangerous to fire
a wand into a melee, see the rules for how to run it.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
A basic wand may be commercially
available or the player had to buy one from his instructor.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
A captured or found wand must be
attuned to the finder. The captured or found wand functions normally
until either a natural 20 or a 1 is rolled. 20 indicates that the
wand is attuned to the user, if it was captured the wand now belongs
to the new owner. If a 1 is rolled before a natural 20, the wand
rejects the new owner and no longer functions, if not, in the case of
an improved wand, outright cursing them. Of course attuning oneself
to a found or captured wand can be done through practice, the player
just keeps rolling until a 20 or a 1 is rolled. Alternatively, an
improved wand can be a bit more difficult, a limited amount of time
(maybe 10 tries) can be attempted against a specific target,
(INANIMATE OBJECT= AC 10?) failure to hit within that window results
in the wand ignoring you.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
A cursed wand always rebounds on the
user with the roll of a 1. Always strikes a random person on a
successful hit, and only hits the specific target if a 20 is rolled.
The user of a cursed wand refuses to see that it is a problem until
the curse is broken.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Finavryn brought up a similar idea on the <a href="http://odd74.proboards.com/" target="_blank">OD&D Discussion</a> Forum, writing a cantrip spell he calls ZAP, which can be found <a href="http://odd74.proboards.com/thread/11275/5e-isms-od-houserules" target="_blank">HERE </a></div>
RipperXhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03506064393275174920noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7370162161693557709.post-88778593395678257022017-07-14T18:28:00.001-05:002017-07-14T18:28:53.599-05:00Gothic Earth Session 10: The Lost Village of Old Belalp<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwEl8muB0LA2bL4ewefZSktMrFvizgNTZ8nVVef3XDOWpP_cW1WpVx9FKB3UukGJnnCeq2yfXFbgVyJQ8y8fiZa4FNMi-lCaPFBDQsE-jgtRAPdrv3XyuRWO6yWHNFu-HRO0582Ed2IPU/s1600/st-sebald-in-the-niche.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="452" data-original-width="317" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwEl8muB0LA2bL4ewefZSktMrFvizgNTZ8nVVef3XDOWpP_cW1WpVx9FKB3UukGJnnCeq2yfXFbgVyJQ8y8fiZa4FNMi-lCaPFBDQsE-jgtRAPdrv3XyuRWO6yWHNFu-HRO0582Ed2IPU/s320/st-sebald-in-the-niche.jpg" width="224" /></a></div>
I forgot to jot down my notes from last game. I made up a quick play session out in the fringe of the village, blatantly ripping off one of my favorite movies, The Witch. They were able to defeat the scenario really quickly, and save a young girl who they have taken on as a potential henchmen. What? Didn't see that coming, but we'll see where it goes.<br />
<br />
The players have been reluctant to explore the wilderness, so I put some pressure on them, Mr. Harker, who is now just down the mountain helping with research in the city of Brig has been followed by a German Detective, he had been seen with PC Sam White at a bank in Zurich. He is smart and looking to recover the Relic of St. Sabaldus. Harker had to risk sending a pigeon up to the players, but it is unknown if the message had been intercepted or not.<br />
<br />
In other news, the scholar who has written a book on the Belalp Witch has finally been able to finance an expedition to search an area where she believes is the best spot to find old Belalp, and the players manage to get hired on to lead this expedition.<br />
<br />
It just so happens that one of the players were able to decipher the clues found a few sessions back and had a really good idea where the church was, but they were able to get there with a bigger party and on somebody else's dime. It was a bit more difficult than they thought, the church wasn't where the cryptic map suggested. Well, it was, but it was buried deep under the ice. After more searching they found a chimney sticking out of the glacier of Mt. Sparhorn, melting the snow, the Explorer PC climbed down and discovered the perfectly preserved medieval village of Belalp trapped under a dome of blue ice.<br />
<br />
The scholar had also hired some big strong locals who were far too large to climb down the narrow chimney, but this presented a problem. The party needs to HIDE the Relic of Sabaldus in the church, and it will do no good to have the world know about this place. Exploring the entombed village, they find a cave to the south which leads to the medieval Cathedral they have been searching for for so long.<br />
<br />
Exploring the Cathedral, they find an ancient church which the cathedral was built around, and in the basement of this church they find a stone seal with a terrible warning, beyond this seal, placed by Saint Sabaldus himself, is the Witch of Belalp, however this seal is unbroken.<br />
<br />
The players return to Old Belalp and spend the night in an old inn hoping that the scholar and the rest of their party get bored and just go away, or something; which doesn't happen. In the morning they find the scholar feeling betrayed which she is taking pictures of this amazing place.<br />
<br />
Long story short, the players finally discover the cave system in the area, they exited the cave on the other side of the Massa River, traveling in hours what would normally take days. The scholar is pissed, she wants to go back to Old Belalp and further study the medieval village for her next book. The players agree but this time they exit the cave all the way back at one of the abandoned mines just outside of current Belalp. The Scholar is pissed, after all of that work, she got a few pictures but the village of Old Belalp is still lost! This pleases the party. She might have pictures, but she has still been bamboozled.<br />
<br />
They now know that they can reach the church through the Belalp #2 mine, now it is just making some decisions about what to do. Breaking the seal and entering the tomb of the Belalp Witch is going to be incredibly risky, this dungeon is the meanest and most difficult that I have ever designed, I don't know if they are ready for it yet, but we'll see what happens.<br />
<br />
Game wise, I was lazy. I had to work overtime the night before, and I was exhausted. I rolled for random encounters but we had no combat at all. We still had a blast though! I did run off script, changed the look and feel of the old Medieval village, originally it was supposed to be open air but I think that the last minute change was a lot more fun.<br />
<br />
I have no idea what is going to happen next game, the secret BBS that my players use is buzzing, and the spell casters are getting together tonight to come up with some ideas on how to best manage their spells. I'm excited!RipperXhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03506064393275174920noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7370162161693557709.post-57086878254620351982017-07-11T04:16:00.000-05:002017-07-11T04:16:02.054-05:00Global Trade made Easy<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivcJj_K7wyXuPYU3NgMgFCBCdY9yNYrYXB7Ht5ZXJlW3k4hfQE9z8f59WF6-Fy0KKTcTRi8boO5JuLRjSrFby6rkij-H1jYo7EUDHAfanp5x6XII6zDhEUVgJ-gfot2qjIFqa_tjdG3hY/s1600/532ae5d8-5467-4097-a1dd-c2daa214b1bc_570.Jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="570" data-original-width="397" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivcJj_K7wyXuPYU3NgMgFCBCdY9yNYrYXB7Ht5ZXJlW3k4hfQE9z8f59WF6-Fy0KKTcTRi8boO5JuLRjSrFby6rkij-H1jYo7EUDHAfanp5x6XII6zDhEUVgJ-gfot2qjIFqa_tjdG3hY/s320/532ae5d8-5467-4097-a1dd-c2daa214b1bc_570.Jpeg" width="222" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Rug Merchant: Arnedeo Simonetti</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">There is a class in D&D that your players aren't necessarily interested in playing, but they are a big piece of what makes our worlds work. <b>The Merchant class!</b> This stuff doesn't sound like it effects the players, but it does. It effects them a great deal. It is they who the roads were built for, and it is they that allow civilizations to become empires. Only by working together as a whole is civilization possible.</span></div>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">
</span>
<br />
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">
</span>
<br />
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I have already <a href="http://advancedgaming-theory.blogspot.com/2008/04/trade-in-game-world.html" target="_blank">written an article</a> about basic trade and gave a brief outline of how it functions on a local and national level. What it does is it helps you develop color, and purpose to your NPCs which in turn makes them easier to run. It is a little game that you get to play all by yourself during prep. </span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">It will tell you what kinds of things will be in the stores, give you a quick NPC template so you can keep things both fast and consistent when inventing on the fly, and make the world seem viable.</span></div>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">
</span>
<br />
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">
</span>
<br />
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Naturally, in D&D, we aren't playing a real Medieval world, but a glamorized and modern take on what we wish that the world was like. We needn't be overly focused on Social Studies, but if we add just a few basics to our games it adds a psychological element which helps everyone at the table suspend their disbelief, not to mention that it does give us some solid adventure hooks to work with.</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">
</span>
<br />
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">In brief, locals trade with locals so that everyone can live better. Small populations supply large populations with raw materials needed for finished goods, these finished goods move out and other finished goods from other communities move in, which improves the quality of life for everyone.</span></div>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">
</span>
<br />
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">
</span>
<br />
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">There are limitations. A region can grow the best peaches in the realm, but fruit is a difficult product to move because it rots, this restricts how far away the peaches can be moved. The farmer loads up the peaches and sells them in town, that is now the problem of somebody else. Technology dictates how far away the product can get, rivers can move product faster than roads, but these peaches are good sellers!</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6MWxUd5S5cLYTV1c0yV5uPKgFvBVX7vDEQdBaBRZ9WViQsM5LCnxPAvAmL2pQHEEex7xwHE98iIqzeukOtkAeTUIVr3UZGPt_gshqNR__qe6waCXjS5V7-K7JzuNn0TN2snMeQ4KdFbk/s1600/49751189c42dfa4da02745a107a9ad21.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="731" data-original-width="564" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6MWxUd5S5cLYTV1c0yV5uPKgFvBVX7vDEQdBaBRZ9WViQsM5LCnxPAvAmL2pQHEEex7xwHE98iIqzeukOtkAeTUIVr3UZGPt_gshqNR__qe6waCXjS5V7-K7JzuNn0TN2snMeQ4KdFbk/s320/49751189c42dfa4da02745a107a9ad21.jpg" width="246" /></a><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The town takes a good load of peaches into a city, and sells them to a merchant who has developed a new technology; he can turn those peaches into brandy which is no longer a perishable item, in fact, this brandy is highly prized and everybody wants some, which draws attention to the regions peaches. The royals who live far away will pay a lot of gold to have special orders of peaches quickly carried to them, and will do whatever it takes to keep this supply line open. The merchants will be making a killing on this product and take care of the people all the way down the line. This translates into power, and from a DM stand point, this stuff writes itself.</span></div>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">
</span>
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<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">
</span>
<br />
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Naturally, most rural places won't have these peaches, but they will have other things. If we look at the area, we can generally decide how this network makes its living. A town high up in the mountains mining metal will have to have a lot of stuff shipped in just to survive up there.</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">FOOD, WATER, SHELTER these are the basics of survival. Grain and ancient mans ability to master it is what gave birth to culture. It isn't glamorous, but without grain the nation starves. Society is also dependent on water and man's ability to move it where it needs to go. Irrigation, supplying enough water for everyone in a city and moving dirty water out is required. There can be a rich supply of gold somewhere, but unless there is water for the miners it is going to stay there.</span></div>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">
</span>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">
</span>
<br />
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Then you have trees, this is a finite resource that had to be planned wisely. A large castle out in the boonies, though it looks like it is a stone structure, requires entire forests of timber to build. We don't need to go all realistic on our game, but timber is definitely a valuable resource, everybody wants it! All of our fancy cities and towns need wood to expand, it is used for everything from barrels, to carts, to ships, not to mention providing fuel. There is never enough wood, but what if a northern nation who can't grow grain has a huge surplus of lumber? This is when our worlds can expand!</span></div>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">
</span>
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<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGIHTEDggSZev193cmaoTPQWsU_bvGGHQYkvuUqAyJflNu9P3h2gwKsrESFAv5xz8zMGWphx50SAxmMOo51-fuW1fokr4mX_1hm28owATiXgqNrinB1Eh7Q7G8yZYbF7HVo18QmTil8Fo/s1600/d3c8a7d19194317fcbd722a5bcc02f9c.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="564" data-original-width="564" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGIHTEDggSZev193cmaoTPQWsU_bvGGHQYkvuUqAyJflNu9P3h2gwKsrESFAv5xz8zMGWphx50SAxmMOo51-fuW1fokr4mX_1hm28owATiXgqNrinB1Eh7Q7G8yZYbF7HVo18QmTil8Fo/s320/d3c8a7d19194317fcbd722a5bcc02f9c.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Via: Pinterest</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Global trade helps us on an even larger scale. Just as trade can help us figure out local politics, find adventure hooks, and provide color on a local level, this helps us color places that may not even be on our maps! We never have to draw them, either, they are just out there.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Lets say that the barbarians of the north exist. They have large cuts of meat, a surplus of fir, and wood. Now lets say that one of the tribes has become almost civilized, well, civilized enough to want to trade for some of our Iron. Politics will tell us that chances are that this brute is making steel, but we out number him and eating nothing but goat and fish is boring.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">We also know that the other barbarian tribes aren't going to just stop attacking our northern border, but this union might give us a foothold and allow us to make some threats. We'll tell the barbarian “King” that we'll trade. We know he is planning an attack, but so are we. We covet those trees and eventually we'll push the barbarians back, and give more power to this so called King as long as he is behaving.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">None of this will matter to the folks who have to live on the norther border, but we DMs will know it, and use this information to help us figure out what is going on.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Politics! Politics is a hard concept to grasp, but if we use global trade this abstract idea is easier to manage.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Lets get to the lists, shall we? </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I don't care if you use Greyhawk, Forgotten Realms, or whatever; this stuff will be present. I'm going to use real world terms and let you figure out where this stuff goes. These products are a sampling of global trade during the medieval ages, now keep in mind that these resources are large enough that a nation or region can afford to trade them off for stuff that they don't have, so at least one of these items will appear on a detailed play map. You don't want the country that the players are actively in trading something like tin without ever seeing a single community dedicated to extracting this resource. It is meant to be a tool to help you world build faster.</span></div>
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<b>BRITISH ISLES</b></div>
<ul>
<li><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Coal</div>
</li>
<li><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Textiles</div>
</li>
<li><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Tin</div>
</li>
</ul>
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<b>SCANDINAVIA</b></div>
<ul>
<li><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Copper</div>
</li>
<li><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Iron</div>
</li>
<li><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Tallow</div>
</li>
<li><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Timber</div>
</li>
</ul>
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<b>NORTHERN EUROPE</b></div>
<ul>
<li><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Iron</div>
</li>
<li><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Copper</div>
</li>
<li><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Lead</div>
</li>
<li><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Silver</div>
</li>
<li><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Wine</div>
</li>
<li><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Textiles</div>
</li>
<li><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Coal</div>
</li>
</ul>
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<b>EASTERN RUSSIA</b></div>
<ul>
<li><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Amber</div>
</li>
<li><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Flax</div>
</li>
<li><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Fur</div>
</li>
<li><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Hemp</div>
</li>
<li><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Honey</div>
</li>
<li><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Slaves</div>
</li>
<li><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Tallow</div>
</li>
<li><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Timber</div>
</li>
<li><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Wax</div>
</li>
<li><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Whalebone</div>
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</li>
</ul>
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<b>THE BALKANS</b>
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<ul>
<li><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Carpets</div>
</li>
<li><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Copper</div>
</li>
<li><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Gold</div>
</li>
<li><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Horses</div>
</li>
<li><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Iron</div>
</li>
<li><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Mercury</div>
</li>
<li><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Paper</div>
</li>
<li><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Precious Stones</div>
</li>
<li><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Silver</div>
</li>
<li><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Slaves</div>
</li>
<li><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Textiles</div>
</li>
</ul>
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<b>NORTH AFRICA</b></div>
<ul>
<li><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Cotton</div>
</li>
<li><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Gold</div>
</li>
<li><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Ivory</div>
</li>
<li><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Salt</div>
</li>
<li><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Slaves</div>
</li>
</ul>
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<b>WEST AFRICA</b></div>
<ul>
<li><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Gold</div>
</li>
<li><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Ivory</div>
</li>
<li><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Precious Woods</div>
</li>
<li><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Slaves</div>
</li>
</ul>
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<b>MIDDLE EAST</b></div>
<ul>
<li><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Animals</div>
</li>
<li><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Carpets</div>
</li>
<li><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Copper</div>
</li>
<li><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Iron</div>
</li>
<li><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Naphtha</div>
</li>
<li><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Paper</div>
</li>
<li><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Textiles</div>
</li>
</ul>
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<b>WESTERN CHINA</b></div>
<ul>
<li><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Carpets</div>
</li>
<li><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Copper</div>
</li>
<li><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Drugs</div>
</li>
<li><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Gold</div>
</li>
<li><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Indigo</div>
</li>
<li><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Iron</div>
</li>
<li><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Precious Stones</div>
</li>
<li><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Precious Woods</div>
</li>
<li><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Textiles</div>
</li>
</ul>
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<b>EASTERN CHINA</b></div>
<ul>
<li><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Brocade</div>
</li>
<li><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Fine Textiles</div>
</li>
<li><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Jade</div>
</li>
<li><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Rhubarb</div>
</li>
<li><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Silk</div>
</li>
<li><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Slaves</div>
</li>
</ul>
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<b>SOUTH EAST ASIA/PHILIPPINES</b></div>
<ul>
<li><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Brocade</div>
</li>
<li><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Camphor</div>
</li>
<li><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Porcelain</div>
</li>
<li><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Satin</div>
</li>
<li><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Silk</div>
</li>
<li><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Sugar</div>
</li>
<li><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Taffeta</div>
</li>
<li><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Tea</div>
</li>
</ul>
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<b>INDONESIA</b></div>
<ul>
<li><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Aromatics</div>
</li>
<li><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Drugs</div>
</li>
<li><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Gold</div>
</li>
<li><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Precious Wood</div>
</li>
<li><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Spices</div>
</li>
<li><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Tin</div>
</li>
</ul>
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<b>INDIA</b></div>
<ul>
<li><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Ambergris</div>
</li>
<li><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Aromatics</div>
</li>
<li><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Cowries</div>
</li>
<li><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Drugs</div>
</li>
<li><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Indigo</div>
</li>
<li><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Ivory</div>
</li>
<li><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Precious Stones</div>
</li>
<li><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Spices</div>
</li>
<li><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Textiles</div>
</li>
<li><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Tortoise Shell</div>
</li>
</ul>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>SOURCE:</b> Copied from <a href="http://pulse.pharmacy.arizona.edu/ggg/%E2%80%A6/trade_medieval_handout.doc">pulse.pharmacy.arizona.edu/ggg/…/trade_medieval_handout.doc</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">This list is fascinating, and tells us a ton of information in very little space. Naturally, not all of these countries trade, either because of vast distances, or because they were politically opposed to each other.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">You can google for endless examples of major and minor trade routes and how they worked. Here is an example of one I like, though it is a bit earlier than the specific age we are focusing on, it gives a great guideline.</span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRi4e7YRW9OjgrGU18p1tz-E09_dxmLMlGKfSthzfExEttW7-VjR1023uQecmnPKOBi2R2d4sdq41R7O3FCgJIOAmoiIhBLirh-HH6Hv_Vfr2Tey27397gFx3-f4ndwgwRZ6qBPYag1yw/s1600/example+trade+routes+freeman+pedia.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="1000" height="197" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRi4e7YRW9OjgrGU18p1tz-E09_dxmLMlGKfSthzfExEttW7-VjR1023uQecmnPKOBi2R2d4sdq41R7O3FCgJIOAmoiIhBLirh-HH6Hv_Vfr2Tey27397gFx3-f4ndwgwRZ6qBPYag1yw/s400/example+trade+routes+freeman+pedia.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Source: <b><a href="http://www.freeman-pedia.com/classical-600-bce-600-ce/">http://www.freeman-pedia.com/classical-600-bce-600-ce/</a></b></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Those long trade routes over land are interesting. Naturally the people who use them trade their way along, but they are crossing boarders, and it is in each country's best interests to maintain and protect these roads. You can see politics at work!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Now, naturally, with a fantasy map of just part of the world, we won't know all of this information, but it still shows how things were shipped, and just how vast that even an early network could be in a time where pop history likes to point out how terrible these peoples lives were.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I want to say that much of this was built during the Roman empire, but I would lay money that these ancient routes are still used even today.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">What we get from figuring this stuff out is a chance to show off. We can give news from far away lands, figure out how political conflict would interfere with trade, follow culture and customs back to their source, introduce exotic elements, religions, and customs, and keep entire populations busy with very little fuss.</span></div>
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<b>FURTHER READING:</b></div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Economics_of_English_towns_and_trade_in_the_Middle_Ages" target="_blank">Wikipedia: Economics of English Towns and Trade in the Middle Ages</a><b> </b></div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<a href="http://www.freeman-pedia.com/" target="_blank">Freeman-pedia</a><b> </b></div>
<div style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<a href="http://advancedgaming-theory.blogspot.com/2008/04/trade-in-game-world.html" target="_blank">Advanced Gaming & Theory: Trade in the Game World</a><br />
<br />
<a href="http://followmeanddie.com/2015/05/29/trade-goods/" target="_blank">Follow Me And Die; Trade Goods</a><br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.thepiazza.org.uk/bb/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=9710&p=118386" target="_blank">The Piazza: Superior Trade Goods from the Known World and Beyond</a><b><a href="http://www.thepiazza.org.uk/bb/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=9710&p=118386" target="_blank"> </a></b></div>
RipperXhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03506064393275174920noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7370162161693557709.post-19822435975410208752017-07-02T15:12:00.000-05:002017-07-03T13:50:30.329-05:00The Role of Woman in D&D<div style="text-align: left;">
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZEvDBqr_TtGTdIR-a_iM1rAd6-jJYjNcruOADE2cnGK6Sf3igmmiV-Z6w9fjg-ijwY58V_LMUesT4xDftOlzjQiHYqqhouxlTX7zzfRJqotCRabRXwIUEFOnVDgYopc1rlenW3mOlQSo/s1600/Joan_of_Arc_miniature_graded.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1210" data-original-width="800" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZEvDBqr_TtGTdIR-a_iM1rAd6-jJYjNcruOADE2cnGK6Sf3igmmiV-Z6w9fjg-ijwY58V_LMUesT4xDftOlzjQiHYqqhouxlTX7zzfRJqotCRabRXwIUEFOnVDgYopc1rlenW3mOlQSo/s320/Joan_of_Arc_miniature_graded.jpg" width="211" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Joan of Arc</td></tr>
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<a href="http://saveversusallwands.blogspot.com/2017/06/more-historical-howlers-from-cecilia.html" target="_blank">Oaks Spalding, over at Save vs. All Wands has been discussing an article written by a lunatic</a> with too many readers and a rather low opinion of women. I think that there is some validity to the subject that she is writing about, but because of her personal arrogance, she can't write about it and be taken seriously. I'm sure that professional women within the industry did get the shaft, but that may have been due to standard office politics of the era.<br />
<br />
As far as private games go, they are all different. All players are different too, but there are risks that we take. These risks apply not just to women, but to the younger crowd as well. People can take advantage of others, and I do believe that we do a terrible job of policing ourselves. We aren't exempt from predators, and while I know that there are a lot of decent people who won't sit idle while somebody is getting worked over, there are still too many in this hobby that will do anything to avoid confrontation and just do nothing.<br />
<br />
The role of women in gaming goes beyond characters. They are leaders, innovators, muses, artists. Are they properly recognized? I think that they are now, however, if they were properly compensated for their efforts is a different subject altogether.<br />
<br />
It does feel that men have an easier time getting new ideas accepted and that women either take supportive roles or are forced to stay in them. I think that the greatest influence that women have had on my game personally, is in regards to story. I've pulled back on story-based gaming, but it has been said over and over again that the players (both male & female) want to know that this is going some place. They like reoccurring characters, they like slippery villains, they like having things going on in the background. They like long-term story arcs, and being able to walk around in a storybook world which reacts to them.<br />
<br />
This, I have found, can be accomplished without forcing the players to play a linear story. I know that many DMs have a hard time grasping these theories, they translate into terrible modules, but the idea isn't creating a scripted game, the idea is to have a script running in the background which must be written and rewritten as the game progresses. My players love to be challenged by a railroad designed into the game, and it is their job to get off the tracks.<br />
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<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laura_Hickman" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;" target="_blank"><img alt="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laura_Hickman" border="0" data-original-height="246" data-original-width="220" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEja8_IpwbSEiIC6UEY94vNmTiovG87Iq84XXD_A0gOwCfk6saH5tn1vkL3BB4PE23QeB_ARZeeHHg8uzF7QkuB-wcbZ__fjypjtP3EO4w9WtrGaN1v5Xp56O_oV8gSpI7mG52S2ZTQKqTg/s1600/220px-Lauraupsm.jpg" /></a></div>
<span id="goog_1186875055"></span><span id="goog_1186875056"></span>Some can credit other sources for the interactive story, but to me personally, it was Laura Hickman. She is co-credited with her husband, Tracy, but it was this format which got me started. The modules required a lot of cooperation from the players, but the principles, once separated and broken down into their basic components, showed a very advanced approach to game design and theory. Not settling for JUST Dungeons & Dragons, but constantly redefining it, and molding it to fit a larger vision. Creating worlds where there is something going on, a meta-plot which stays in the background. Defined objects that have meaning and history.<br />
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Laura taught me the joy of background. She gave me the courage to redefine old ideas and not be afraid to put elements of myself into the mix. It has taken a long time to find a good combination of old and new, but the effect that it has on the game is amazingly satisfying for everyone. I think that it is a warmer, and more personal game than just enforcing the same rules all the time.<br />
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My wife yells at me when I stray too far from this path. She reminds me that she and the other players can go anywhere to play Greyhawk or Forgotten Realms, it is my mind that everybody enjoys crawling around in. The men who play are of the same opinion, but we don't talk to each other like that.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYs9vzTEQsRii4HDT3RlDgiFt3OLp0ZOzOG8o2uVzoPzDkFS6XWQ50i9G6iqhWyGuvARns2MflgUznHTssb8sp0_wblfLDC2MYx_J5e6GUccbdyfoiuUWWq49tqMZdpPuIEu3HXc3Q5I8/s1600/905e20bd155b87fcb122a85cf6086172.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="521" data-original-width="400" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYs9vzTEQsRii4HDT3RlDgiFt3OLp0ZOzOG8o2uVzoPzDkFS6XWQ50i9G6iqhWyGuvARns2MflgUznHTssb8sp0_wblfLDC2MYx_J5e6GUccbdyfoiuUWWq49tqMZdpPuIEu3HXc3Q5I8/s320/905e20bd155b87fcb122a85cf6086172.jpg" width="245" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Bulgar Warrior" via: Pinterest</td></tr>
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Perhaps it wasn't Laura who started me on this path, she just gave me something solid that I could study. It was the DM who was my best friend and years later would become my wife that taught me this lesson. She would run games with no Boxed-Setting, and only the memories of the world that she had played in when she was a little girl to guide her. Her games were way more advanced and personal than the rest of the club member's were. It went beyond just exploring castles and dungeons, there was stuff going on, she would beat us up and we'd have to crawl our way back up from the agony of defeat. NOBODY was doing that at the time. The YOU WIN! Games had already taken hold. She could infuriate you, but you never felt discouraged. This came naturally to her. Me? Not so much. Adding emotional and psychological elements into the game without causing harm, that is a skill that men (or at least I) had to develop over time.<br />
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Emotion. That is the magic element right there. Tragic villains with motivations beyond just because they are evil. NPCs with nuanced emotional ranges beyond those found in the average cocktail weenie. These are elements which I learned from playing under and developing games for female players. I don't think that I would have ever gotten there by just running games for a group of guys, and the guys who do learn to play this style have a very difficult time going back.RipperXhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03506064393275174920noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7370162161693557709.post-60198817469641096372017-06-21T08:40:00.001-05:002017-06-21T08:40:17.104-05:00Are Thief Player Characters Still Relevant?<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0uRm7dP_uFhiCx6ucT0ZIBotWFCkF9ibB0oBzBA8xm7km_dEGxBdSGgB-1LAH-LfguWH9UUtLA49dkxupCxf_21q2XnkLG_YlOsZr-4HgalUob9GK9T0v_Zvz3GoJ-DsXByE1lK46WsM/s1600/928af0a50e6519a0e94b3d1dbbefab96.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="385" data-original-width="564" height="272" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0uRm7dP_uFhiCx6ucT0ZIBotWFCkF9ibB0oBzBA8xm7km_dEGxBdSGgB-1LAH-LfguWH9UUtLA49dkxupCxf_21q2XnkLG_YlOsZr-4HgalUob9GK9T0v_Zvz3GoJ-DsXByE1lK46WsM/s400/928af0a50e6519a0e94b3d1dbbefab96.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span>Albrecht Dürer - Cupid the Honey Thief. 1514</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Since adopting more elements from OD&D into my gaming, a style that is less skill based and more player driven, I've noticed that many of my fellow tinkerers have opted to remove the thief player class from the game. Now, long-time readers of this blog know that even though I am very critical of skill based systems, my favorite class to play is the Thief. Doesn't make much sense, does it?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">It's not that I think that the entire skill system is bad for the game, I just feel that systems like Pathfinder and modern D&D have allowed it to take center stage. It controls too much! People have gotten too reliant on them, and use the skill system to bypass fun parts of the game. It alters the flow, speeding it up, and I feel that it interferes with immersion.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">To make a long story short, specifics can correct the problem of mechanical interference, but that doesn't mean that we should completely scrap the NWP system; and then we have the thief class. A skill based class that relies upon them to function.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">In a game where the traps are specific, we know how they function and the players can locate them with tools or equipment, and come up with a plan which may or may not result in disarming them, where does the thief fit into this?</span><br />
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<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Thieves are more expendable.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">They can figure out the hidden workings of advanced traps.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">They do more for the team than just disarm and locate traps.</span></li>
</ul>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><b>Handling Checks</b></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><a href="http://advancedgaming-theory.blogspot.com/2017/06/streamlining-ad-skill-system.html" target="_blank">In my last post</a>, I suggested that we try to stick to specifics as much as possible. The DM listens to the plan, and translates the odds of success to the d%; however, there are times when the players are going to have to make checks. In times like these, I prefer the d20. It is fast, fair, and usually in the player's favor.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><b>d% Thief Checks</b></span></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWj84XA1UjaeEnap3geDgE7dy0wYWcShTUvS1VN-MMqvoPNk6qixOKx7KkxVO06uRpInbniEwuF39aDPMVmlqSFw3pQoolqzPliQ1hK99EKjJCAXZablnjTNQIiewk7_MvDwkfqrZuM3o/s1600/8abfbb4dcc2cfe592c65d41e6bc1d614.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="287" data-original-width="236" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWj84XA1UjaeEnap3geDgE7dy0wYWcShTUvS1VN-MMqvoPNk6qixOKx7KkxVO06uRpInbniEwuF39aDPMVmlqSFw3pQoolqzPliQ1hK99EKjJCAXZablnjTNQIiewk7_MvDwkfqrZuM3o/s1600/8abfbb4dcc2cfe592c65d41e6bc1d614.jpg" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">via: Pinterest</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">I never really thought about it before, why do thieves roll d% for thief ability checks? I suppose that it is just a hang-over from 1st Edition AD&D. It gives the illusion of player control, but it really isn't all that functional.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">As a player, the thief skill system doesn't work at early levels of play and offers no challenge at higher levels. The best games are when you are gambling with your character's life. As a player, if something is dangerous, I'm not going to even attempt it unless I've got at least a 70%<b>. </b>If things get desperate, I may attempt it at 50%, but never below that. If something has no risk, I will just sit there and roll dice until we all get bored or it works . . . hours and hours later in game time. That sucks, and that isn't playing the game.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">I know that there is a huge population of gamers who think that the NWP system is broken, but I don't feel that it is, of course, the way that I design my games I enforce no reliance upon the system to use it. It can allow a user to bypass an obstacle, or make a section easier if you are successful, but play doesn't stop because of a failed check; that is a symptom of bad design. It all boils down to percentages, the d20 just uses increments of 5%. If a character has a DEX of 15, with a -2 to his ability check, he's got a 65% of succeeding. That is actually lower standards than I would normally allow for a dangerous task that will kill me if the dice say no.<b> </b></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Player%27s_Option:_Skills_%26_Powers" target="_blank"><b>PLAYER'S OPTION: SKILLS & POWERS</b></a></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">It was this book that got folks prepared for 3e. It focused on a reliance on skills over the traditional game. It even stripped the class system that we all loved in favor of building some character class that made it even slower to roll up new characters, and caused players to stop play to look at the weird rules in this thing. I hated it. I'm still not a fan.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><b> </b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Regardless if you like the book or not, it did say something interesting . . . if you could find it. It suggested turning thief skills into NWP. How stupid is that? I mean, it goes against years and years of tradition! Besides, thief players aren't going to want to sacrifice NWP slots on skills that they used to have from the start of the game, right?</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Masque-Death-Roleplaying-Ravenloft-Expansion/dp/1560768770" target="_blank"><b>RAVENLOFT: Masque of the Red Death</b></a></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">This boxed Campaign setting actually predates the Skills & Powers book, but it had lots of mechanics which were unique to it. It isn't a medieval fantasy game, this one takes place in our world during the 1890's. It altered all of the classes, but the most affected were the Thieves.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><b> </b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">All of the characters had been depowered, there are no super-heroes in this game, what makes them playable is the skill system, however, this still isn't a skill based game. You aren't going to find the Pathfinder like rules which are overly strict, you pick your skills which define your character, and you play. The skills are passive. You still use specifics over rolling the dice, but I digress.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Thieves are no longer a class. While the other classes still use skills, the class that is dependent upon them is called <b>Tradesmen</b>. If a character doesn't use magic, and can't be defined as a soldier, they automatically become Tradesmen, thus, this is the dominant class.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5xmxOx6QshyaP_ani_Wf7BgijHaLhXcTs5VxUbSSMigy0S8UyZnuv9HUqSa663sd_m-B7c0j7V2fzGEbHKPgr9jT5EpR2RWoEs5zsafypuTaxiHX2BWhFzAVHIIF978awbv3hWzftXno/s1600/761227a93a7d48c17e9b6da433ed3591.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="254" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5xmxOx6QshyaP_ani_Wf7BgijHaLhXcTs5VxUbSSMigy0S8UyZnuv9HUqSa663sd_m-B7c0j7V2fzGEbHKPgr9jT5EpR2RWoEs5zsafypuTaxiHX2BWhFzAVHIIF978awbv3hWzftXno/s320/761227a93a7d48c17e9b6da433ed3591.jpg" width="203" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">via Pinterest</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">It is still possible to play thieves, but since all traditional thief skills have to be purchased with NWP slots, you've got to build them. The skills function as NWP too, you don't have to build them up through gaining levels, if you chose to know how to pick locks, then you can pick locks.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">As a fan of thieves, this method works great! I always preferred to play against the grain. I never played The Greymouser type thieves, I could probably count the times that I've used Pick Pockets on one hand, and I never started building it up until I was satisfied with my other scores. It just sat there, ignored. In this system, I don't have to pick it at all! I can replace it with some other skill that I want instead, something useful to me and how I want to play my character.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">But wait . . . didn't I just say that Skills & Powers was stupid?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">It is. It provides very little motivation to play-test the ideas held within it, however, this system has been play-tested at my table, and it works. It works amazingly well! Masque of the Red Death, to myself and the other members of the club, made D&D fun again. Its higher level of challenge changed not just how we game, but how we see the game itself.</span><br />
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<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Thieves are all different</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Thief skills work from the start</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">The challenge is consistent, regardless of level</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">The thief skill system does not place limitations upon the system as a whole</span></li>
</ul>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">As a DM I am sold, and the players are happy with the results that they get. This will be adapted into all future D&D games.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><b>But Percentages gave more to the game than yes or no answers</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">As a player, I was always torn. I like rolling my own results, but sometimes I wanted the DM to keep the actual results a secret from me. I wanted to simulate thinking that I'm moving silently but not really being sure if I am or not. As a DM, these thoughts were amplified, but I was stuck because I couldn't figure out how to simulate the event without taking away player agency. This system actually allows that.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Either the DM can translate the d20s into percentages, or tell the player who succeeded their check that they believe that they have found a route which is possible to move silently and hide in shadows, then get confirmation that they still want to do the action or not. If they do, then the DM rolls the percentile check to see exactly how quiet they are.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">The point is that no matter what we do, we've taken the traditional Thief Skills System, which was closed and set in its way, and changed it into a Skill System which allows the player and the DM to open it up when they want to.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><a href="http://quotesgram.com/dark-evil-demonic-quotes/#Q43E2crKqm" target="_blank"><img alt="http://quotesgram.com/dark-evil-demonic-quotes/#Q43E2crKqm" border="0" data-original-height="614" data-original-width="564" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgN8uQGPcXxbLF9OOsOqkMhFBfdNz-q4L5WT1NeUkI7MsxbEzi1RH5fhd3KUh39KJz_8-iwOX1ZduAAfSPWtjxjyTo5vs5uvxTerf5-Mvg0qz0FxVMKFK676tSRaAs8xTdUTSSJsJRtkc4/s320/3792650fa7edec077a97e9e4233fb67e.jpg" width="293" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><b>THE DOWNSIDE OF THE SYSTEM</b></span></span><br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Players can no longer get a 95% chance of success</span></span></li>
<span style="font-size: small;"> </span>
<li><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">A perceived penalty imposed on low ability scores</span></span></li>
<span style="font-size: small;"> </span>
<li><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Player's who do want to play traditional thieves hate this</span></span></li>
<span style="font-size: small;"> </span>
<li><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">A psychological loss of control</span></span></li>
<span style="font-size: small;"> </span>
<li><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Requires a talented DM to function</span></span></li>
</ul>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><b>THE BENEFITS OF THE SYSTEM</b></span></span><br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Cleaner Character Sheets</span></span></li>
<span style="font-size: small;"> </span>
<li><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">The Level Cap has been removed</span></span></li>
<span style="font-size: small;"> </span>
<li><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><b> </b>Custom Characters without breaking the system</span></span></li>
<span style="font-size: small;"> </span>
<li><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Fast and Easy NPCs who are competent without cheating</span></span></li>
<span style="font-size: small;"> </span>
<li><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Creating Hirelings that grow with the game and aren't static</span></span></li>
<span style="font-size: small;"> </span>
<li><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Easier to level up (and level down)</span></span></li>
<span style="font-size: small;"> </span>
<li><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Rewards Imaginative Play</span></span></li>
<span style="font-size: small;"> </span>
<li><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Skills can be given to Races without weird limitations</span></span></li>
</ul>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Before closing, something needs to be addressed. Since the players are spending slots on abilities, should they get more slots to spend? The answer is no. They still get the same amount. This is balanced by the abilities themselves being useful as soon as they are chosen.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Unmodified skill checks do place caps on abilities. DEX of 18 = 90%, and on the low end, 9 = 45%.</span></blockquote>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">The 3d6 method of STAT Generation prefers to give results in the 11-13 range, which gives you some good numbers that are fun to gamble with, 55%-65% but aren't fixed in my games, they go up and down. If you choose, the <b>Thief Ability Table</b> found in the 2e DMG can be used in conjunction with this system if you need to lean on it now and then. Since the system is open, we can change the difficulty level of a task as we see fit.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Most of the time, it really doesn't matter. The core Thief System is a nitpicker. Either the thief can pick a lock, or he can't. The players can decide to break the door, spend a spell opening the door, or ignore the door and walk away from it. Who cares if the Thief picks a lock? Why impose that restriction at all?</span><br />
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.RipperXhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03506064393275174920noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7370162161693557709.post-76240555950811882312017-06-13T18:30:00.001-05:002017-06-13T18:30:53.635-05:00Streamlining The AD&D Skill System<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmCJR8ztwcCAVuRNsbWGeEbgbUkzf9TAMBLhOvFQyy6KnGNEV6aKTBE0RKgUBW8SS4Yfyf7wTUwlEjJ4a0qfnfb6sVVzD3BsPXJdLibI990DNppAyqjApL-prmjEx1fdBw46gOvlOZCH4/s1600/robin_hood_and_little_john%252C_by_louis_rhead_1912.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="297" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmCJR8ztwcCAVuRNsbWGeEbgbUkzf9TAMBLhOvFQyy6KnGNEV6aKTBE0RKgUBW8SS4Yfyf7wTUwlEjJ4a0qfnfb6sVVzD3BsPXJdLibI990DNppAyqjApL-prmjEx1fdBw46gOvlOZCH4/s320/robin_hood_and_little_john%252C_by_louis_rhead_1912.jpg" width="237" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The cool thing about having a Blog is that it allows you to go back in time and see how your thoughts and opinions about things have changed. G+ User, <a href="https://www.blogger.com/profile/07134126937159646788" target="_blank">Stan</a> has gone back into my archives and corrected a mistake that I had made in regards to <a href="https://advancedgaming-theory.blogspot.com/2016/01/mechanic-series-nonweapon-proficiencies.html?showComment=1497298402564#c8996285589002956623" target="_blank">The Non-Weapon Proficiency Mechanics</a>.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Since writing that article, I have unknowingly adopted a set of house-rules that allows more freedom for everybody based on principles I've learned from researching Original Dungeons & Dragons and have a deeper understanding of how players interacted with the world before those systems were in place. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">It goes back to Open & Closed systems. The NWP system is designed to be closed, but it is also designed to be opened up by the players and the DM when it needs to be. What defines this need is the level of detail.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>REDEFINING THE SKILL SYSTEM</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The proficiencies are guidelines, they help players get a clear idea of who their character is. They are tools which a player can use to tell the DM that they can do something very well. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Having a proficiency is a pass. The player is not limited to these skills, but having these skills defined and written down allows that player to use them, and get extra-XP for using them well. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Owning a Proficiency is proof that your character can definitely do this, and may even go beyond what is defined in the handbook.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>USING A SKILL</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">This system is primarily the total domain of the player, DMs don't use this system, only players do. It is up to the players to remember these things and use them wisely. Since having a skill is a pass, when the DM asks how the character knows something, and they refer to the specific skill, the conversation is either over, or the DM can have them roll a skill check if that needs to happen. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">It is also up to the player if they want to risk rolling the dice to perform a task or to start a dialog and get specifics. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Example: The player has an investigative skill which allows a methodic search of an area via the dice. The player can automatically use this when searching a room, but a failure is a failure. Alternatively any player, even those that do not have this skill, can ask for details. They can interact with the setting and the DM will tell them the results. Once this is done and the player believes that they have exhausted the place, they can say that they would like to do a skill check, and see what happens.</span></blockquote>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>ACQUIRING PROFICIENCY SLOTS</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The idea that a character only knows what is on the character sheet is preposterous and self-limiting for no real benefit to the player or to the game. The DM is going to have to invent fast throw-away mechanics at the table on a case-by-case basis. Specifics dictate what can and cannot be done. Doing something that you aren't proficient at on a regular basis may equal gaining a proficiency.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">For instance, if the game is played in the mountains for several months, the players are going to have a really good chance of understanding what they are doing. How can we translate this though? </span><br />
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<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The DM can just have them roll a STAT check to see if they picked it up, and just give it to them if they are successful.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The Player can write it in once a new Prof. slot becomes available if they chose to.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">All slots beyond those chosen at the creation of the character are left blank until a skill is learned through specifics.</span></li>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">That last one doesn't work so well, all of your players will end up having the same skills which defeat the purpose. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">There is a myth about open Skill systems, that goes along the lines of the Player taking advantage of the DM. Players going out of their way to change the tone of the game. The player CAN try anything, however, every hair-brained scheme takes the time to execute, time that the player probably doesn't have. I've been playing this way for a while now and so far my players have all embraced the tone of the game and do their best to preserve it. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">As DM, I reserve the right to ask the player how they learned this new skill, if they can't tell me, they don't get it. My players so far have written down things that would have been handy in the past. Things that they had picked up along the way but I didn't give it to them for free, and I do give out skills for free if they had been earned.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The question, "How did you learn this?", is a good governor for the skill system. Slots don't have to be filled up right away, and the question goes back to the player; "How can I learn this skill?"</span><br />
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RipperXhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03506064393275174920noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7370162161693557709.post-41172814652233449992017-06-06T15:24:00.000-05:002017-06-06T15:45:11.885-05:00Torches: We are doing them wrong<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://rockymountainbushcraft.blogspot.dk/2013/02/wilderness-survival-how-to-make-pine.html?m=1" target="_blank"><br /><span id="goog_945302870"></span></a><span id="goog_945302871"></span></div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEig_1Lr5lr_bGpKdJBQU-gTlO2p-7lJDjG3yrc5LVINwoTPPFOl1zwy60xwBg6D784KkN0lLWghKJULyxr_PRF6al5kJhzU-ICoupxYf3eIikPyCM1QR6Sl8Ny01GeVEXqeZ7kRv2tlHvI/s1600/b502e4491537dafba5e50fd759c943d3.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="280" data-original-width="217" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEig_1Lr5lr_bGpKdJBQU-gTlO2p-7lJDjG3yrc5LVINwoTPPFOl1zwy60xwBg6D784KkN0lLWghKJULyxr_PRF6al5kJhzU-ICoupxYf3eIikPyCM1QR6Sl8Ny01GeVEXqeZ7kRv2tlHvI/s1600/b502e4491537dafba5e50fd759c943d3.jpg" /></a> Forgotten Arts & Crafts, Wilderness Survival Guides, American Indian crafts and Depression Methods are among my favorite Non-Fiction Book Subjects. Simple living comes in handy regardless of income.<br />
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My father raised us to remember these things and see their value. My grandfather believed that electricity was a fad, and preferred the old ways more often than not. He had a tractor, but for tedious jobs such as picking corn, he took the horse and cart out to the fields, his logic being that the horse just kept following him, he didn't have to stop working to go move the machine. <br />
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I do the same thing for my children, I raise them to be self-reliant and to know where they came from. It has been hard to adjust to city life, but I am doing my best. For vacation we tend to go camping, there are many important skills that one can learn from primitive camping, the most important being self-reliance. <br />
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<span id="goog_945302894"></span><span id="goog_945302895"></span>In regards to light, we have modern battery-powered lanterns, but we leave them at home. Those things are terrible! They do nothing but draw bugs and batteries are very expensive compared to other forms of fuel. Instead, we use railroad lanterns. Not only is the fuel cheaper (and a hell of a lot cleaner!), but the light doesn't draw insects and doesn't kill your night vision.<br />
<a href="http://rockymountainbushcraft.blogspot.dk/2013/02/wilderness-survival-how-to-make-pine.html?m=1" target="_blank"><span id="goog_945302870"></span></a><br />
<a href="http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/gallery/stunning-700-year-old-giant-9981913" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/gallery/stunning-700-year-old-giant-9981913" border="0" data-original-height="376" data-original-width="564" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYjYG7wrzNIOOBAknsFNaZzGBi-cbEiWyn8z_05gh3FKlm94IjgwaGW-N7y1u77CmR3atSuDvnAdKBxJQEoEiwE3-Dt3K_s5UDAliJAYsnUNje04ABAWKiFL04SWcP-D6WUJou3r1S4q8/s320/83fb2aee9af4ddbcfd138415c319cbad.jpg" width="320" /></a><a href="http://rockymountainbushcraft.blogspot.dk/2013/02/wilderness-survival-how-to-make-pine.html?m=1" target="_blank"><span id="goog_945302870"></span></a><span id="goog_945302905"></span><span id="goog_945302906"></span>Torches, these are easy to make, and we've done it! They suck. The fire itself blinds you, in fiction, they always have the person in the lead carrying the torch, but it should be the person in the back, though it does get passed around a lot. The torch-bearer really can't see very far, you can't even see the ground which is a problem, and it is harder than you think to hold a torch above your head and out of your eyes. Even a lantern will do the same thing unless it is fixed with a shield, you don't want the light to be too bright, just bright enough. <br />
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Cab drivers who drove at night had to keep the flame itself out of their eyes, seeing the ground was imperative because of potholes. Nobody wanted to drive at night, even with a light source, because moving around is dangerous. People did it, but people also got lost on their own properties and drowned in rivers.<br />
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In regards to cave exploration, torches aren't the best idea. The best option is a candle, low levels of light to highlight your surroundings. They told you more than just your surroundings, the flame is sensitive to changes in air quality, professional miners preferred candles to lanterns, it wasn't just budget concerns. Even today you'll see a lot of miners smoking, they watch the smoke to see the air flow. Once battery operated light came about, that is when people started carrying canaries. <br />
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<a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/glowing-caves-photos-new-zealand-2016-11?r=US&IR=T/#the-worms-glowing-light-helps-them-attract-their-food--other-insects-5" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="http://www.businessinsider.com/glowing-caves-photos-new-zealand-2016-11?r=US&IR=T/#the-worms-glowing-light-helps-them-attract-their-food--other-insects-5" border="0" data-original-height="376" data-original-width="564" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5aAoUeHZeDivq-3xOQ4o68Upswe0efoyNc64JOFMbaPujcT4lishfOK7YnW4yhFXCZSD6tIfXUAJp8awItXHZF3Pk6FFdSta8ZLVArJVWcJzRDSnkzwPxpDTQ4xPBvS576I7vHjXTGKU/s320/c9d94fa2d7acb46b37b087ec837eea9c.jpg" width="320" /></a>One would be shocked at how deep the old-timers got inside of caves, and these weren't professional spelunkers, these were just everyday locals who took some time off and wanted to see things that nobody else had seen. They used candles, and they'd climb deep inside of these things until they either got scared, ran out of time, or could progress no more because of the muck. They'd mark their spot with their name and usually the date, and these writings are still in there.<br />
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What does this have to do with D&D games? Nothing. We're dealing with fantasy, it is just easier to have tunnels that you can stand upright in, the rule-of-cool dictates a lot of stuff! I do give them raw caves to explore when I want to. Passages that aren't 5'x5'. I'll also get picky about supplies if that is the game, but we rarely play that game. <br />
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<a href="http://deventerburgerscap.blogspot.se/2013/08/visit-to-lund.html" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="http://deventerburgerscap.blogspot.se/2013/08/visit-to-lund.html" border="0" data-original-height="1091" data-original-width="564" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNx__8jZJlQG1dypLitMETvX07SU57S0ho24Ay_52aRvYguCcPtoA2Suab6C7g0vz1LcxRQRH3gv24IRZahTm8C7ocLV3tAtjLFc2kKLLgRXcHjbvqRzBFxF1xKVVJidDLj83JeZiemKo/s320/1fc0228d1f1a661a0560da286dea571f.jpg" width="165" /></a></div>
Typically, I'll do the math and how many torches you bring in dictates how far in one can go and get back out again. I'm also a creep, demihumans don't need as much light to see in the dark as men do, and once a demihuman gets beyond the range of men, the underground world becomes more habitable for them, fungus and stones radiate light that they can see, but humans and normal elves cannot.<br />
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Elves can see normally at night above ground, starlight is enough, but it is reversed, the Dwarvish folk needs to carry a light source. <br />
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Candles are preferred, lanterns break, but the oil can be used to make a torch. To light a torch you only need one stick, but you've got to bring enough cloth and fuel with you. The problem with light is that it gives your position away. Enemy sentries typically sit in the dark, living spaces are lit, but that is it. Golin will sometimes light passages to help sentries see intruders sneaking around in the dark (if they are paying attention), so light itself is part of their survival plan. <br />
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The players tried to utilize the Permanent Light Spell, which works great in unoccupied caves and dungeons, but since you've got to put it out to sneak around, and recast it, it can be terribly expensive.<br />
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That is the game that we prefer to play. One of stealth. I have also found that it is difficult to put a torch out, the fastest way is with water, a slower way is to smother it with dirt, the slowest way is to tap and roll it around on stone, which is also noisy. I don't think that I've ever used these experiments in a game before. Maybe stripping it off with a sword real quick and stamping it out would work? That might be a fun game!RipperXhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03506064393275174920noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7370162161693557709.post-15294805676268917962017-05-31T18:43:00.000-05:002017-05-31T19:07:02.628-05:00Gothic Earth Session 10: Return to the Haunted Belalp #3<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglxM_UPhbZ8aAApiEMjo7na6kShoQfunw3KFQV2bPBSJFJkzytQuqTPkuW2fmqqyhVn7Bjqi4xc_o0nRKIDt_WJ2EOgK-EqbtkIvEOIxA5I9pHhoICB8sW4doV8fvzf0UG8zYWEg6e7AQ/s1600/33078ddd78881d4830d659333d17afaa.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="409" data-original-width="564" height="232" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglxM_UPhbZ8aAApiEMjo7na6kShoQfunw3KFQV2bPBSJFJkzytQuqTPkuW2fmqqyhVn7Bjqi4xc_o0nRKIDt_WJ2EOgK-EqbtkIvEOIxA5I9pHhoICB8sW4doV8fvzf0UG8zYWEg6e7AQ/s320/33078ddd78881d4830d659333d17afaa.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
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Played last weekend and it was fantastic! The players didn't know what to do next, <a href="http://advancedgaming-theory.blogspot.com/2017/05/gothic-earth-session-9-burn-witches.html" target="_blank">session 9</a> had been an intense investigation that ended with a conclusion. They had no leads and low morale. The Village of Belalp was going to have a big party celebrating the end of the Witch murders, and the biggest scumbag in town made it look like he was the hero. Oddly enough, the players didn't want to attend this party.</div>
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I figured that this would be a good time to head back to Belalp #3, and have a dungeon crawl. This would be their 3<sup>rd</sup> trip down into its depths, and there is a lot to do down there, so it was a good time to open it up some more.</div>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">Designing Kobolds</span></b><br />
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In Switzerland, the word for Fairies is Kobold. Above ground, Kobolds are seen as benevolent and helpful nature spirits, but below ground, they are twisted and evil. I've been using the word Kobold as well as Tommyknockers. The mine is haunted, but not all of the spirits in the place are dead.</div>
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I had never run kobold monsters. Never! In my power-gaming days, I saw them as too weak. They are weaker than the lowly goblin. As a DM, I just never had a place for them. Goblins in my worlds usually take the spot of booby trap-ambush experts, so in the book they stayed, until this dungeon.</div>
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I modified them some. I gave them a natural ability to turn invisible at will, and added “Spook”. I wanted them to be different, so while my goblins are traditionally forced into the wilderness, these sneaky things can quietly live among us. They are physically weaker than goblins, even a child could beat one up, so psychologically they had to be different, they depend on people. They are expert thieves. They rely on these skills to survive and are happy to live like rats. For the most part, their traps are designed as warnings and are more insulting in nature than dangerous, however, they rely on very dangerous traps to keep them safe. The tripwires for kobold traps are a bit more ingenious than Goblin's need. Traps are their primary method of attack, but for the most part, they are not nearly as aggressive as goblins are.</div>
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<b>THE MINE</b></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5a6DHLtWqpibeZmkSrjnqBE1D87aT9I01pgetek7WMqoYiH7EFKHbsaNy6IEDO_B4R796RZYoiQ_b8KIOvfM0-6ikmIyUEFDQ67_c01FxR-UPwQpiyuT_R1uD53nhUyEY71kzGtNBbUI/s1600/kobold.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="482" data-original-width="335" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5a6DHLtWqpibeZmkSrjnqBE1D87aT9I01pgetek7WMqoYiH7EFKHbsaNy6IEDO_B4R796RZYoiQ_b8KIOvfM0-6ikmIyUEFDQ67_c01FxR-UPwQpiyuT_R1uD53nhUyEY71kzGtNBbUI/s320/kobold.jpg" width="222" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">via Pinterest</td></tr>
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<span style="font-weight: normal;">The mine is a tricky dungeon. It is designed to open up over time; I don't enforce this; if the players find a secret door they find a secret door. It features a backstory that evolves and tells itself through play; it predates human history, first opened by Gnomes who lived here for centuries. Romans and Medieval men moved in to terrorize them, it was always the same story, the gnomes would allow the humans to share the wealth of the mine, as long as they kept to their sections, but without fail the humans wanted the whole thing for themselves.</span></div>
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<span style="font-weight: normal;">There was a massacre, the humans crossed a line and murdered gnome women and children, ancient blood ran in rivers. The survivors of this genocide swore revenge, and something within the gnomes minds became twisted, they killed every last human in that mine. Not just killed, this was not war, this was murder. After the deed was done, and the Adrenalin wore off, they had time to reflect on what they had done. They had won nothing. Their families were still dead, they were still alone, and one gnome, in particular, believed something else; that he was cursed. He murdered his accomplices while they slept, leaving him totally isolated and insane. Rage was his motivation, it was all gone, the gods had abandoned them, and existence itself was punishment. He is still here.</span></div>
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<span style="font-weight: normal;">This story is told in the Gnome section of the mine. This area, hidden from the main mine through residual illusion and kobold ingenuity, is being used by a small community of kobold miners who work sections that the humans don't. </span>
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<span style="font-weight: normal;">There are other mysteries to be discovered in regards to the kobolds, but that is the story that the players have learned so far. Communication with them is very difficult, both are reduced to drawing pictures in the dirt, or pantomime.</span></div>
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<span style="font-weight: normal;">The players stumbled upon their living quarters and stayed passive. Some communication was accomplished, the kobolds knew that if they attacked they'd be slaughtered, they'd die fighting if they had to, but they didn't want that. The kobolds were able to ask the party to kill some nasty spiders who also lived in these gnomish tunnels, which wasn't too difficult for the players, but impossible for the kobolds. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Heroic NPCs, how much is too much?</span><br />
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-weight: normal;">I was able to get my two wizard NPCs some XP, they are low level and both were able to use spells which the players themselves didn't have access too. I like playing them, they are totally in over their head but have no idea. This game the players had to first find them, they had gotten spooked by a kobold and when they ran, they put out their candles and were now lost in the dark.</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-weight: normal;">Playing NPCs of this nature is a challenge, you don't want to take anything away from the players. You can give hints sometimes, and I often forget that they are even there, I got caught not rolling Saving Throws for traps. I coughed it up as NPC immunity, the odds of them making their saves would be annoyingly terrible and only serve to irritate the players and me. I want them there. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-weight: normal;">I got the idea from watching a show on the Syfy Network called “<a href="https://www.facebook.com/GhostMine/" target="_blank">Ghost Mine</a>” and wanted to incorporate it into this story. They supply the motivation to keep this mine open. If they die or aren't there, it will close and have economic repercussions on the village of Belalp which really needs this place to survive. If these investigators aren't there, the village won't be either; else the party will get paid to work here full-time and that isn't what this adventure is about either. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-weight: normal;">The mine is a piece of the Belalp Puzzle, but it isn't the point of the adventure. Is it railroading to keep these NPC's hiding behind the party, or as safe comic relief? I don't think so, they are an element of the design. They are open to attacks; when picking targets I remember that they are there, but they aren't destined to die in a trap. Not yet at least. If they bite it during an attack, then we'll deal with that. That is also up to the party. So far, they feel responsible for the safety of the investigators. One almost got eaten by a giant spider, and they hustled, took risks, and were able to save her. When she used her spell, it also furthered the story. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-weight: normal;"> <span style="font-size: large;">1st Level Mage To The Rescue!</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight: normal;">The problem was a weird one. The spider webs chocking the hall needed to be burned, but nobody had any torches or oil because the cleric was using magic to light the place. The wood in the gnome ruins is ancient and not fit for anything. The party was going to have to go all the way back just to get something to burn the webs out, which was boring, so I offered up my NPC. She is a horrible wizard who has no confidence in her abilities, but she had gotten the spell to work a couple of times. She told the party that she needed some components which could be found in the area, namely bat-poop and some spiderweb clippings. She ground it up and made a powder which she poured into her hand and blew onto the webs, then she said the magic words . . . and! Nothing happened.</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-weight: normal;">She apologized for getting everybody's hopes up when a web shot out of the passage and got her, quickly pulling her in. Without even thinking the party all raced through the webbing, everybody getting stuck but one person who was able to get a hold of the NPC's foot, and THEN the fire spell was activated, forcing everybody to make a saving throw vs. spell for half damage. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-weight: normal;">That, to me, was more interesting than having to leave the dungeon. They got to be heroes, and I got to burn them all, so it was a win-win. Was I manipulating the game? Yes, but sometimes I think that the DM has to. This scene needed a bit of spice, and I wanted to remind the party that the investigators were there. They had to serve a purpose. Do you think that I over did it?</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-weight: normal;">The hall was cleared and the creepy spiders were dispatched, opening a hall that hasn't been seen by even the kobolds. That is where they found the bulk of the gnome story, in a room, at the end of the hall is a temple to a Gnomish God, the floor glittering with huge piles of cursed gems and a pickax stuck in the statue of the god. The heroes were able to pry that pickaxe out of the statues head, hoping that maybe that would end the curse . . . it didn't. The mystic used her sense of touch to learn what had happened in this place, it wasn't perfect, but she does know that the angry gnome who put that pickax there still haunted the dark.</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://retrorpg.wordpress.com/2011/04/13/kobolds-in-germanic-folklore/" target="_blank"><img alt="https://retrorpg.wordpress.com/2011/04/13/kobolds-in-germanic-folklore/" border="0" data-original-height="450" data-original-width="600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmiJUwObwQcbbd_AhPOmyg2qw33n9p8x6tNUiwv36MwXs9nzOk77j86Gh6Adz-zQNUuaxU3RjI071ykbFlYHbGX_EdPUyWUb4wCBGehTP2TGt8C9I85TTqoA5pvSYS272kLVpvS2Uz5WI/s320/kg23-756519.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-weight: normal;">Instead of murdering the kobolds, they figured out that the things were using an ancient gnome press to mint coins. Why they are doing this, the party has no idea; well, actually that isn't true. They have an idea, but they don't like it and aren't sure what to make out of it. Anyway, they decided to pay the kobolds off and figured out a way to tell them that the mine was to be shared. They could work their section, but they had to leave the human section alone, and not scare or attack any more miners, nor sabotage any more equipment. The kobolds agreed, and the mine was reopened. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;">Zudet?</span> </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight: normal;">In regards to what the kobolds are up to, they got a clue. One of the kobolds pulled out a small bone statue of a dragon, calling it Zudet. The PC Wizard, instead of going up to the village right away had gone to the city of Brig to research the area and had found mention of a medieval settlement somewhere in the mountains called Zudet Castle. He also learned that an archaic name for the Alpine Skinks that infest the area every Spring and Summer is “<b>Spawn of Zudet</b>”. Is Zudet some kind of Pagan god? A symbol of some kind? Or is the statue literal?</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-weight: normal;">There has been other news in town! But, that will have to wait until next game. This one is in the bag!</span></div>
RipperXhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03506064393275174920noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7370162161693557709.post-54213308590352252572017-05-18T19:03:00.001-05:002017-05-18T19:11:47.416-05:00Suggested Blog Post, and an Anti-Module Rant (Free-Writting)I am working on an article now, and it isn't ready. I do, however, like to try and post something at least once a week, this will be one of those free writing, unedited, first-draft things, so consider yourself warned.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://plus.google.com/102407011872765551076" target="_blank">Oaks Spalding</a> has been doing some phenomenal work on his blog <a href="http://saveversusallwands.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Save Versus All Wands</a>, my favorite being "<a href="http://saveversusallwands.blogspot.com/2017/05/why-do-players-enjoy-being-puppets.html" target="_blank">Why Do Player's Enjoy Being Puppets?</a>", there is also a link in there to another good article where he defends Gygax from a younger user of D&D. Both are very well written and if you haven't seen them yet, well, there they are.<br />
<br />
Now at the end of the article, I would like to point out a comment. A very negative comment that is strange, apparently there is a large enough caucus of people who believe some strange things and are loud enough to be heard. The most obvious belief is that there is only one way to play the game, and that is through modules. I've seen this opinion crop up a lot in the last few weeks, and it is okay to feel that way. If modules are your thing GREAT! They personally bore me to death, but to each their own. What bothers me is the aggressiveness of the campaign. At first, I thought that it was a joke. Many of us are networked together to take the game back from Corporate America and restore it back where it belongs, at the table.<br />
<br />
Our goal should be a simple one, remove all prep. Run a game for anybody at any time any place. Perilous Dreamer from <a href="https://originaldungeons-and-dragons.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">The Ruins of Murkhill</a> is an example of a Dungeon MASTER, notice the stress on the Master. We call ourselves Dungeon Masters, but for most of us, we're students.<br />
<br />
I have studied lots of modules, I've got a good collection of them from all different eras. I have never run most of them, modules to me are more trouble than what they are worth. They say that they help you save time, but I must be doing it wrong because after reading, memorizing, correcting errors, tailoring it to my table, chopping it up so it's better organized, adding to it, cutting out garbage, I spent more time prepping the thing than I ever have just done my own thing. The worst part about modules is that, without fail, half way through, after I'm done prepping the thing, I get bored of it. I had played this game during prep, I don't get to play it at the game table. That, to me, sucks. Another thing that sucks is that at the end of the day, this wasn't "OUR" game, it was somebody else's, I was just an editor. I felt like this soon after DMing and getting screwed by TSR, and being tricked into thinking that it was a failure of mine that my setting doesn't comply with the latest and greatest published version of it.<br />
<br />
By studying a good variety of modules, and being critical about the content, figuring out what works, what is a trap, what we hate or love about something, I learned what has been done already and can begin making my own design choices. The game is customized solely for those who show up on gameday. I am no longer studying modules, they are repetitive, repeating the same formula over and over again, the newer the module the more it hides its formula but the formula is still a repetition of the old ones.<br />
<br />
I have found fresher ideas by directing my studies to war games. I find that applying wargaming theories to D&D creates a more open world that feels more complex than it really is. A story does not have to dictate progress, I enjoy that element, but I am not a slave to it. Committing to actions, making decisions, interacting with the world around them, that is what dictates progress. In a video game, if you lose a scenario you have to try again until you win, this isn't the case in D&D. That is part of what makes it work, if you fail, the world doesn't stop, it keeps going.<br />
<br />
I used to think that the DM was in charge of the content, but they aren't. The player is. The DM designed things, but the more open the better. If you have an interesting design, the players will do their damnedest to find it, and if you did a really good job, then they won't even notice that they haven't found it yet.<br />
<br />
If the story plays itself out as a reaction to the players, constantly changing and morphing into something that was not predicted by the designer, is it actually a story, or is it something else?<br />
<br />
This stuff all sounds very complicated, but it isn't. The only prep that I really need to do prior to the game is to mentally put myself in this place. If my players are at a loss for what they should be doing, I can give them different options, but typically this isn't the case.<br />
<br />
<br />RipperXhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03506064393275174920noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7370162161693557709.post-52179633471480860892017-05-10T15:28:00.000-05:002017-05-10T15:28:42.864-05:00Dave Arneson's True Genius (Review)
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Half way through reading Robert J. Kuntz's book, <b>DAVE
ARNESON'S TRUE GENIUS</b><span style="font-weight: normal;">, I wrote
the following response on the<a href="http://ruinsofmurkhill.proboards.com/" target="_blank"> Ruins of Murkhill BBS</a></span></div>
<div style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<div style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
You have, I feel,
given the best definition of what it is that we do. Describing to
others why we sit around a table and play pretend either ends well or
it doesn't. You also identify and clarify thoughts that I have had
about the system for years but in a concise way which both
strengthens and expands what I have been grasping at for so long. <br /><br />I
had taken a very long break from gaming, and when I came back to it,
I played MUCH differently than I did as a youngster. The game
functions better, we took our time and just did what we wanted to.
You go into a house to search it, there is no dice for that now, I
make the player search it. One of the club's founding members
returned for a game, he had heard that it wasn't just a hack and
slash anymore and he got curious about it. During play he'd try old
tactics that rely on dice, and would get frustrated when I forced him
to use his brain instead; however, the very next session he came back
ready to go. <br /><br />I had a hard time grasping what I did, what was
different, and I finally figured it out! I allowed the player's
thoughts and ideas to become more important to the game than the
dice. If the player can't mentally accomplish a goal, or just becomes
overwhelmed, we can always use the dice, but we don't have to. People
come first, not the system. This philosophy, once it takes hold,
changes the dynamics of the game in a positive way. This book really
reinforces this principle, and even extends my personal awareness of
how far this knowledge can really take us.<br /><br />Thank you!
</div>
</blockquote>
<div style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaHqdlJBRUfm-ieYd0ej5F3hpy7BzvVS-VeGLLqVnAFFrEVug9JOSdXKURHxyJ5GWlUOYpzQjNms3iWTjiPxMh_-83y-7ORG9J5eWQO4-FV6ypURm8UScsEf6fQxEarBizFvx8HB_tnzQ/s1600/Dave+Arneson+%25282%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaHqdlJBRUfm-ieYd0ej5F3hpy7BzvVS-VeGLLqVnAFFrEVug9JOSdXKURHxyJ5GWlUOYpzQjNms3iWTjiPxMh_-83y-7ORG9J5eWQO4-FV6ypURm8UScsEf6fQxEarBizFvx8HB_tnzQ/s320/Dave+Arneson+%25282%2529.jpg" width="217" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Copyright Three Line Studios</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
After finishing
reading the book, my thoughts about it really haven't changed. The
book contains a bit of personal history from an original designer;
but, it isn't a history book. The book has no mechanics, nor does it
tell you how to design worlds; what this book does do is that it
describes the engine that makes the game so addictive and allows you,
the reader, to understand the engine for yourself. True Genius is
much longer than the page count, it is interactive as it requires you
to take the ideas presented to continue the thought processes and
what they mean to you personally.
</div>
<div style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
The engine itself
is larger than Dungeons & Dragons, in fact, Dungeons &
Dragons places limitations upon it to stop it from reaching its full
potential. The purpose of the game system isn't to help you, the end
user, nor does it govern or improve the engine, the primary purpose
of Dungeons & Dragons is to sell you Modules and to pretend that
it is the best at what it does, when this is far from the truth.</div>
<div style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-weight: normal;">If
you are ready for this book, <a href="https://www.threelinestudio.com/store/dave-arneson-s-true-genius/" target="_blank">it is here</a>, but beware that it will
challenge what you know and encourage you to evolve. It exposes
things that other designers know but don't want you to. The only
critical issue I have with the book is that I feel that it could had
been improved by a harsher editor, I sure wouldn't want that job! On
average, most people have a 9</span><sup><span style="font-weight: normal;">th</span></sup><span style="font-weight: normal;">
Grade reading level, however since this is a hobby primarily made up
of readers, that average is probably somewhere in the collage level,
still, I find it to be a bit too academic minded at times. Some find
his word choices to be either intellectually intimidating, or thought
provoking. The man is describing something that has never been fully
described yet, with ideas as large as this (the engine), language
itself is slow to catch up. This barrier has always been an obstacle,
going right back to Arneson. </span>
</div>
<div style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-weight: normal;">What
I was hopping from this book were some insights on Dave's behavior
while in the company, which are addressed, very clearly. I also
wanted to know what Mr. Arneson's lost notes said, they, regrettably,
are gone, but Rob does elude to some motivations of why this is.
While those notes have no doubt been destroyed, Rob Kuntz, I believe,
does his best to describe the contents of them. They didn't describe
D&D, there was no D&D, they attempted to define the engine
itself, which, like I said, is the exciting part of this book. This
engine is the focus, and it, my friends is a very large yet illusive
concept. The intent of the engine wasn't to recreate games that had
already happened, it can do that, but as a resource, it is capable of
so much more; how much more will only be discovered once we unshackle
ourselves from the influences of people who aren't even at our gaming
tables.</span></div>
<div style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
The target
audience for this title is for those who are very very advanced.
Those who have noticed the limitations set in place by their system
of choice; any system. It is also of interest to those who study the
history of our hobby, the information presented here is first-hand
accounts, however that is not its goal, outside of helping you grasp
what the engine is and how it was restricted right from the gate.
</div>
<div style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
If you are
serious, or just on the fence about developing your own designs, as I
was; this book will provide motivation and direction. It defies my
normal grade standards as it isn't a DM or Player Guide, it isn't
something that you can apply to your current system, it is it's own
thing. I will, however, state that this book is important. It's
ultimate goal overshadows the status quo and forces you to question
it. It also sets out to, hopefully, allow the hobby to grow beyond
its current stagnation set in place by traditional formulas and be
allowed to take greater leaps into future innovative designs.
Wouldn't that be nice? </div>
<div style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
The book itself is only available on the <a href="https://www.threelinestudio.com/store/dave-arneson-s-true-genius/" target="_blank">Three Studios webpage </a>if you are waiting for it to come out digitally, I've been told that that isn't going to happen. A Kindle version would had been nice, but for the small press, Amazon takes a huge bite and leaves the Author unfairly compensated.</div>
<div style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
BONUS LINK: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QGQ_IICAWkI" target="_blank">Rob Kuntz Interview with Grognard Games (Video)</a></div>
RipperXhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03506064393275174920noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7370162161693557709.post-72230482340970690022017-05-08T16:12:00.000-05:002017-05-08T16:12:32.864-05:00Gothic Earth Session 9: Burn The Witches (Experimental Design Notes)<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4CIQnkCStLRJhf_d6n5Boe5OyyllQ4scGznREFAboXdpW6aPpkT6cvDRPhHGA3MiAZPIHvBxxhRVnU0klpHbp_7VNkdZzJV50Fn2gdlb4KLQTt968h1_sXkoEG6PDCM4LRzVp2N9mVJ0/s1600/58ab918ed24dfb8d5b4c09e29e097dc8.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4CIQnkCStLRJhf_d6n5Boe5OyyllQ4scGznREFAboXdpW6aPpkT6cvDRPhHGA3MiAZPIHvBxxhRVnU0klpHbp_7VNkdZzJV50Fn2gdlb4KLQTt968h1_sXkoEG6PDCM4LRzVp2N9mVJ0/s320/58ab918ed24dfb8d5b4c09e29e097dc8.jpg" width="199" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Via Pinterest</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
This session report is mostly about game design; we tried something new and the players got a ton of work done. I've tried a couple of times to write up the notes into some linear fashion but they always turned into short stories, so instead, I will make this very brief.<br />
<br />
In session 8 the players got one over on me. For years I have always been able to get away with mobs. Lynchings involving lots of people are dangerous and wicked things! For the most part, my players have never been able to settle one down; until session 8. Through very good Role-play and quick thinking, the players were able to stop the terrified and riled up citizens of Belalp from playing into the villain's game plan.<br />
<br />
From the enemies point of view, this was a well-thought out and calculated move that was critical to the master plan. There are agents operating within the village of Belalp, and one specifically was going to be rewarded that night. They had framed the old woman, instigated a lynching, and planned to use it as a distraction to steal a baby for a vile ritual which would greatly increase the agent's power as well as the mastermind's.<br />
<br />
This didn't happen, the mastermind found themselves perilously exposed to discovery, the evidence against the old woman was solid enough to cause a gut reaction but not good enough to withstand any close scrutiny, and no baby was stolen; thus no ritual was performed and the plan was thwarted.<br />
<br />
The players definitely earned this win! They now had a chance to force an encounter with the enemy before it had a chance to reach its full potential. The players had been able to give themselves a three-day window to figure out what is going on, identify the enemy agent, and deal with them.<br />
<br />
The elements of having the perfect game were there: Allow the agent to steal the baby, accurately predict where the ritual was to take place and catch her and her boss in the act. Of course, we all know that the perfect game is an elusive thing, but the potential was there.<br />
<br />
I wanted things to be tense, as well as frantic; I've toyed around with time-based adventures before, but never really was all that happy with the results. My villains had their work cut out for them, they had a lot to do in a very small window, they had to strengthen the evidence against the old women, create another diversion, set the groundwork for a fast and precise kidnapping, and complete the ritual while the old woman burned, preferably along with the PC's.<br />
<br />
I decided to try something new, I really enjoy strategy games and I thought that this scenario would fit that format in a very interesting way. Instead of using a clock to count time, the players, and the villains had a limited amount of actions allotted to them to complete their goals.<br />
<br />
Now there is a problem with this, strategy games are difficult, you have to experiment for a while until you hit upon formulas that work, D&D is very different. There are no redos in Dungeons & Dragons. There are no take-backs, either. I had to figure out a way to make this game fair for both sides; while I enjoy strategy games, my players might not, and it is them on the hot-seat, not me. <br />
<br />
So, I got to designing. I decided that 13 Actions might be enough; it would hopefully give them enough wiggle room to let them make an error or two without the entire thing becoming impossible to win. I wanted a really good challenge, and a difficult game, but not something that was too mentally demanding.<br />
<br />
Prior to play, I laid out the ground rules.<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>Play is broken up into a set number of actions. Day 1 has 3 actions, Days 2 and 3 each have 5. </li>
<li>At the end of the game, Events will play themselves out, independently.</li>
<li>The party is not allowed to split up, each action must be done as a team. This is out of fairness to the enemy who has the same amount of actions as the players do.</li>
<li>Movement Rates are going to be ignored, it is free to walk in all civilized spaces, but there is a charge of 3 actions if one goes out into the wilderness.</li>
<li>There is no need to go out into the wilderness.</li>
<li>While the players are limited in actions, once one is declared, you are allowed as much time as you need to to explore the location and complete the action.</li>
</ul>
We took our time before beginning, this is a strange playstyle and I wasn't sure if it would work or not, we were play-testing. I let them know that if I feel that the game failed because of something that I did, then we'd replay it in a more traditional game. By the third day I knew that the game had worked.<br />
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<b>SECRET RULES</b><br />
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I kept some rules of play a secret for pacing reasons, I also had to keep the game fair. Like I said, D&D doesn't give one much time to think, evidence has to be loud enough so that puzzles can be solved in real-time at the table.<br />
<b> </b><br />
At the end of each day, if they went back to their cabin they got a free turn which was used as a briefing. The NPC ally Dr. Van Helsing would talk with them about what they had figured out. Now Van Helsing, in order to function, had his own motivations and biases. I didn't give anything away, I just asked leading questions so that they could have a better chance of thinking clearly and faster than if they had just been left to ponder this stuff on their own. I did limit the number of times that Van Helsing could eliminate a false lead and point them into a different direction.<br />
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In regards to enemy activity, for the most part, I kept it so that when the heroes made a move, the enemy moved at the same time. I had a short list dictating daily objectives for the enemy, however, they were not limited to these actions, they had to be responsive to the players. An attack meant to draw attention to itself would force the players to make a decision, complete their planned action and let the police handle the attack, or investigate the scene itself. As always, my villains played to win. Some enemy actions were just distractions while others were productive. Some went undetected, while others; since the players were close to the locations in question, were noticed.<br />
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If at anytime the enemy and the player chose the same location, I would have rolled a secret initiative but this never came up. What I ended up with was a nice clean investigation game, it made in-town exploration exciting, everyone was on the same page, and running the NPCs was a breeze!<br />
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The time required to play this scenario out was perfect for the time we had allotted to us, as DM I was able to maintain a strong grip on pacing, which was important because I wanted the players to experience the pressure that their characters were under. They were able to acquire LOTS of information about the village and the people who live there (too much to write here). They had to choose their moves wisely, they did make a few errors which I had expected, but by the last turn I judged that the game had succeeded, they knew who the agent was, what her plan was, now they just had to predict her last move.<br />
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The game wasn't perfect for either side. That last turn was one of the most intense moments that I had ever had in D&D, I so wanted to help them, they had almost played the perfect game but this last move had to be precise for them to pull it off. In the end, they made the wrong decision but this was a really difficult game. They still ended up winning. The agent hiding in the village of Belalp was exposed and became a loose end, the mastermind knew that it was just a matter of time before she led the heroes right to them, so the agent was eliminated.<br />
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The heroes were able to stop the enemy from thripling its strength, but the agent who eliminated his co-conspirators and former boss is now a local hero as he was able to steal all of the glory from the players and become untouchable.<br />
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Over all, this was a very well played game that was demanding on the players' skill to get a job done in a limited amount of time that was simulated perfectly. It was definitely gamey, the mechanics were more out in the open than I normally have them, but it more than made up for it in playability. This is something that I will definitely be doing again.<br />
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RipperXhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03506064393275174920noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7370162161693557709.post-80293322003667728362017-05-01T13:26:00.000-05:002017-05-01T13:26:16.568-05:00Balance By Design: It isn't what you think it is<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
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<a href="http://mythcreants.com/blog/four-reasons-balance-matters-in-roleplaying-games/" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img alt="http://mythcreants.com/blog/four-reasons-balance-matters-in-roleplaying-games/" border="0" height="217" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgunJ1bXnE2gkZw0IUX3OFukgg7oPHRxccRkdMI9W1E6ON9JJVzYlgRtb8FQKPCLTTBy1nRAYi1TZ58pGd6VpO7bNTr1Vv2K3voWXEGZWVeq-X-UT-YGVbAO39IQxUJyq-r6VhB0r6jGQg/s320/Swordfight_LACMA_M.61.2.7-548x373.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
Folks around here hate the word “<a href="http://johnwickpresents.com/games/game-designs/chess-is-not-an-rpg-the-illusion-of-game-balance/" target="_blank"><b>Balance</b></a>”, and I get it, there is no movement with balance. I myself am on the record as stating,<a href="http://advancedgaming-theory.blogspot.com/2017/03/12-things-i-wish-i-would-had-known.html" target="_blank"> “When the players can try anything, there is no such thing as balance.” </a>Yet, you look in the books, and you see designers talking about balance all the time, and they insist that it is present. </div>
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There is a problem in translation: for most of us laymen, we associate balance with equality. Chess is a seemingly balanced game. Everyone starts out with the same amount of pieces in the exact same spaces and it is all equal until play begins.<br />
Chess, however, from a design standpoint, is not a well-balanced game. It is a game of skill: while two people of the same skill level can enjoy the game, the most skilled player is always going to win. There is no way for me to beat <a href="https://dhammawiki.com/index.php?title=Top_10_Chess_players_of_all_time">a chess master</a>, I may enjoy getting clobbered, but the skilled gamesman is going to win every time.</div>
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To best examine the inner-workings of game balance as it applies to Advanced Dungeons & Dragons (since it is such a hidden system), we'll look at another game that is popular and itself providing a giant leap in game design: <a href="http://www.axisandallies.org/" target="_blank">Axis & Allies</a> (A&A). There is no game master, so the rules controlling the game are all out in the open, it hides nothing. A&A is a strategy game, but like D&D, it is also both <b>a team and an individual game.</b> </div>
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<a href="http://avalonhill.wizards.com/games/axis-and-allies"><img alt="http://avalonhill.wizards.com/games/axis-and-allies" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtTz16qAIWeL7KoG9sFON6jUqsDgBupSJHNecI2-TVxK0Kj2MIjoOmmGKqzbHZ7U3fyQeDwIzpvwDViMQ5TTZMX5Vvp0x91EmLNtVm26rquWg8i9U7rVCRYHZLuAWnvi9xCkxbtF42l0w/s1600/51rLQT1W5tL._SX300_.jpg" /></a></div>
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Setting up the game and playing it for the first time, A&A doesn't appear to be balanced at all, however, it is, very beautifully so. On the surface you've got the Axis powers, they appear to have the best position: their forces are centralized and they have the most powerful military, however, as the game progresses this balance will shift during play. The Allies are able to build units more quickly than the Axis.<br />
<ul>
<li>The early game favors the Axis </li>
<li>The middle is equal</li>
<li>The late game favors the Allies. </li>
</ul>
The balance of the game isn't fixed, it fluctuates, thus it dictates <a href="https://bestdanggames.wordpress.com/2008/12/25/axis-and-allies-a-basic-strategy-guide-for-beginners/" target="_blank">different strategies</a>. The Axis have a limited amount of time to win the game through offensive force, while the Allies are playing a defensive game, slowing down the game as much as possible to give them time to gather their strength. That is a balanced design. </div>
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<a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/image/126739/axis-allies" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;" target="_blank"><img alt="https://boardgamegeek.com/image/126739/axis-allies" border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSgTfiuASQmMFBpJe1MvWQ7gNWjYY3grhtlrFoqAkrNQTe2bvCWBcmvEX0qYJfCW69nOAA1HfZlch6QGlmrfSumiovzevV5b7LzZbuX_QGYqWCqhwlHQBAbcdIwyUqEeKmL6qcEUbjKlw/s320/3b7fb8a4be8736a56e39a6e72a74e620.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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The balance in the game isn't equal; play is dynamic and allows everyone to play the game on equal terms, regardless of skill level. Sure the odds are in favor of the most skilled player, but they can choose more difficult countries to run, and give less skilled players the easier ones. Victory isn't just dictated by skill alone, nor does it depend simply on luck, these things factor in, but that is what makes this game so playable.</div>
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More in relation to D&D, A&A is a team game, if the players who are playing the Allies don't work together, they are going to get annihilated. Like the D&D Fighter, you have England, it has a huge army, however, it is scattered around the map, not centralized like Germany. England has to give its allies enough time to build up their forces, but at the same time, if they sacrifice too much then their removal from the board will cause the downfall of the Allied forces.</div>
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You have the United States that begins play much like the wizard class, it is weak but it has the potential to become the strongest force on the board, but even at its most powerful, it still needs England. Each nation has it's own group strategy, as well as a personal strategy. Each nation is different, some are so difficult it is almost impossible to play, but skilled A&A players gain respect if they are able to master them.</div>
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This is all esoteric really. Let's move on to something that more closely resembles D&D.</div>
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The majority of users don't play wargames, but the original designers did. Wargames teach you a new definition of balance and how it applies to the D&D system. Let's set up a simple scenario:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheok5qmZ-9fpDDpQva_TC75npRj3T3EtHk2cEPerJbP4Hhq51JKn1m86gQB9l4fNi4QfoVZv-x8fc5-BjpMNyCdh8JpTtzP_FkubSxLWpmDqNPxPlBPV9ot2Yo9B8vM-dReLyOEc2y2P0/s1600/medieval+knight+and+fyrd+p+joubert.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="175" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheok5qmZ-9fpDDpQva_TC75npRj3T3EtHk2cEPerJbP4Hhq51JKn1m86gQB9l4fNi4QfoVZv-x8fc5-BjpMNyCdh8JpTtzP_FkubSxLWpmDqNPxPlBPV9ot2Yo9B8vM-dReLyOEc2y2P0/s320/medieval+knight+and+fyrd+p+joubert.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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You've got a Prince returning from war, he's been gone for a few years and the Regent really doesn't want him to return, everything was going so great without the Prince!</div>
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We'll set up our scenario out in the open, the Regent has chosen a spot to do battle on the road. He wants a nice open space to use his superior numbers to his advantage. His units out number the units of the Prince three-to-one.</div>
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To make things interesting, we'll give the Princes men more skill and a higher morale rating than the Regents troops.</div>
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Who is going to win? Will the Regent's numbers overwhelm the Prince's elite but battered troops? Or will the Prince be able to break the Regent's defenses and move on to retake the capital? We don't know. We could probably run this simple scenario a few times and have different results each time. That makes things interesting, and while it doesn't appear to be balanced on the surface, it is.</div>
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If this battle was perfectly even, we could decide it all with a percentile dice, but since each side has weaknesses and strengths, <b>we have an interesting scenario that is</b> <b>worth running on our table.</b></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Balance isn't about keeping things fair, it is about keeping the game interesting. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEic2hkDzM2_xzWGEmEXDf3OEQOHa2oS9HEX_97YW6mr8GgPpHEvJBgwUcbTV1qiqXIDW-aIrFx12AJnZ-YBzX-AgBxPS2ykfuhUhyepwPOt53SJA-h9KBnIbRI9Fj56L7Ta4eN1V4CdPIM/s1600/3fcf01ff96ae64032d91cc4232c04764.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEic2hkDzM2_xzWGEmEXDf3OEQOHa2oS9HEX_97YW6mr8GgPpHEvJBgwUcbTV1qiqXIDW-aIrFx12AJnZ-YBzX-AgBxPS2ykfuhUhyepwPOt53SJA-h9KBnIbRI9Fj56L7Ta4eN1V4CdPIM/s1600/3fcf01ff96ae64032d91cc4232c04764.jpg" /></a></div>
If we introduce a dragon to first level characters, we should strive to end up with a scenario that they will lose, but can survive if they are skillful and a little lucky. Something has to be there which allows escape or an equalizer of some kind, even if that strategy is to run like hell and regroup.<br />
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But are the players actually beaten? Now the players know what they are up against, and can start a defensive game to minimize the creature's influence until the players feel they are strong enough to challenge its power or come up with a scheme which gives them an advantage over the more powerful opponent. <b>The DM can kill them at any time, but what would the point of that be?</b> In this case, we balance player skill vs. the chaotic might of a dragon. Who is going to win? We don't know, not until we run it.</div>
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Balance has nothing to do with keeping the game fair, or even. A high-level wizard is still going to need the protection of the fighter if he doesn't then why make the fighter play at all? On the same note, the low-level wizard is still able to contribute, he isn't just a liability. This is balanced as well, but that enforces the idea of teamwork and really isn't our problem. The players still have to pick their moves based on individual and group benefits. The better the team, the cooler the adventures that they are going to have.</div>
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Additional Links:<br />
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Nerd out with me: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jgd6VXCK0Pg">'Axis & Allies' - A Buyers Guide</a></div>
RipperXhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03506064393275174920noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7370162161693557709.post-61395751742936929522017-04-23T18:03:00.000-05:002017-04-23T18:03:48.429-05:00GAMEMASTERING: Style or Evolution?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoUXKatm-wQPuK0JxPY2moJyosh79tizaYXOXCKAV69mcshnilsPQsidA-cTsNvuj2meWeYbyhKCZRSeu3mnkm0rOpwbBcgHdgmpmSJwBKTjdl4SjBrFskLV_g-oGr_aB464uAuaqDld4/s1600/aa17b36bb1543f55725410c1b1468a84.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="http://www.bbc.co.uk/timelines/zq8gcdm" border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoUXKatm-wQPuK0JxPY2moJyosh79tizaYXOXCKAV69mcshnilsPQsidA-cTsNvuj2meWeYbyhKCZRSeu3mnkm0rOpwbBcgHdgmpmSJwBKTjdl4SjBrFskLV_g-oGr_aB464uAuaqDld4/s320/aa17b36bb1543f55725410c1b1468a84.jpg" width="237" /></a><span id="goog_513501293"></span></div>
Youtuber Kevin Mason recently did a video on a subject that got me thinking, I encourage you to watch it, he identifies several styles of DMing and discusses the positive and the negative aspects of each. Here is the link so that you can go view it, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CYSWxZuZcYU&lc=z13bcbxadzrnzpg1222ajnkannawv3qqw04.1492817568614834" target="_blank">Gamemaster Style: What Kind of Gamemaster are You?</a><br />
<br />
Kevin Mason identifies four different styles:<br />
<ul>
<li>Rules</li>
<li>Story</li>
<li>Fun</li>
<li>Balanced </li>
</ul>
It got me thinking, I have been all of these extremes at one point or another. When I first started out, I was very Fun. I catered to all of the player's desires and did whatever it took to get people to play at my table. That wasn't the only reason why I did it, there was also the fact that there was so much cool stuff in the DMG and I wanted to use it all at the same time! This, of course, got boring and convoluted. It did help me figure out how lots of things worked, just throwing everything out there and seeing how things function. Sure the game lacked challenge, but it was a stepping stone.<br />
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What if the game is teaching itself to us? We all see these examples floating around, we suggest to new gamemasters to avoid traps and perils, usually from our own experience, but what if that is exactly what we are supposed to do? We learn more from making mistakes than we do from somebody telling us anything . . . at least I do.<br />
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<a href="https://cathleentownsend.com/2015/11/30/14-stages-of-self-publishing/" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img alt="https://cathleentownsend.com/2015/11/30/14-stages-of-self-publishing/" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPVZBH2TC-09N1_-kh8AQTfkASZsMzuWSu_D2tZtwLoeoMwydBla0j_ttJ3tW7jHZRMe_MWMR-9p9qgPb0WKCOyvqDC2W9aIKAt2CpiosTfehxB8uNkTXpvuhL844u28kLAW-6CIMIvfs/s1600/512551c38f028f4f06a2c42908d35558.jpg" /></a></div>
My next evolution was one of story-telling. I wrote overly detailed notes and didn't realize that I was removing the players from the scenario. In essence, I was playing the game during prep. The story was great, and my players did enjoy this aspect of the game. Mastering this state is also one of trial and error. Spending 20-40 hours prepping an eight-hour session is a waste of energy. I learned by cutting back and experimenting with levels of story elements until I found one that satisfied the players, but was told not at the prep stage, but during play itself. If the players cannot interact with it, it isn't a game.<br />
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We buy modules, and we want a good collection of different styles. Sometimes we run them, sometimes we don't, but they are nice to have. They aren't all that practical though, by their very nature they are self-limiting, which forces the DM to either accept this limitation or start tinkering and molding modules to fit the style of the players, which eventually leads to writing your own material, and then cutting back until you are actually playing the game the way that it was originally designed to be played. At this point, I think that we start another evolution.<br />
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We discovered that the rules can either work against us, or for us. We become obsessed with them and say weird stuff like: If you aren't following all the rules to the letter, you aren't playing System X! We keep our story, but we force it to bend to the will of the rules. We become inflexible and this leads to predictability and stagnation. But, we have to know the rules before we can disobey them. This is a natural stage. Going back through the core handbooks and applying everything that we know thus far to the rules and seeing what complies and what doesn't. <br />
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We are building upon our knowledge base, and the trick is to find players who will put up with our learning the game until we decide that enough is enough. Once we get tired of looking up rules all the time, being controlled by the system, being interrupted by mechanics that we feel offer nothing to the game, we get a feel for how these specific rules function and can begin improvising our own mechanics quickly, and in a way that complies with the ruleset itself. We have mastered the rules and can once again return to the beginning, applying what we now know into the structure of a fun game that satisfies all elements in a style and is ours. Balanced! We've earned the title Gamemaster, and can now come up with our own designs.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSArfKIoTXnIMquonmx-rJCK1wytembGu7sOksGP_4EJJpE9Qxen4CA5mAWxl3_Y7glIr2ea1YV71i5r8ABGdYfWmXajJuaAphqxaDkZ2sLcheWqcG5VIGGBph7DmYSVI_AGMm1QNg0Y0/s1600/c6b00622ba084a328d57c21293aa6007.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSArfKIoTXnIMquonmx-rJCK1wytembGu7sOksGP_4EJJpE9Qxen4CA5mAWxl3_Y7glIr2ea1YV71i5r8ABGdYfWmXajJuaAphqxaDkZ2sLcheWqcG5VIGGBph7DmYSVI_AGMm1QNg0Y0/s320/c6b00622ba084a328d57c21293aa6007.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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I don't think that any of this is a mistake. Perhaps, just as a player's character advances in level, so does the DM. I remember my mother once asking me what level of DM I am, just wanting to connect with me, but maybe she wasn't all that far off base? Perhaps DM's do have levels, we do evolve, and I bet you that we all evolve the same way. This means that the system itself is teaching us how to play the game as if it were self-aware and completely independent of us. A natural progression that taps into the human mind, and maps it.<br />
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There are, no doubt, more evolutions than just the three before we hit the stage of balance, or perhaps we go through a short stage of balance prior to taking the next steps of evolution. Maybe if we can figure out what these specific evolutions are we can better understand how our minds function.<br />
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The problem with this line of thinking is that it may make the journey too easy. Are we better DM's because we took this evolution with no outside aid of any kind? We had to fight for each evolution without the knowledge that we were evolving? Or, on the other hand, if we spell it out for new users, can we as a whole benefit by them applying the established evolution faster and beginning evolutions that we will never know?<br />
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The time required before fully exploring an evolution is individual, there is no one size fits all. We can spend years on an evolution without achieving any groundbreaking success at it, or cycle through a phase fairly quickly, easily mastering it. Perhaps when we say things, such as, "My style of DMing is Character-driven" we are detailing the personal evolution which we are currently exploring? <br />
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Thoughts? <br />
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<br />RipperXhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03506064393275174920noreply@blogger.com5