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| Experimenting | |
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| Tweet Topic Started: Apr 6 2008, 11:41 PM (627 Views) | |
| kismetrose | Apr 6 2008, 11:41 PM Post #1 |
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I tend to think of myself as an experimenter when it comes to running a game. While I strive for consistency, rationality, and a firm foundation, I tend to tinker with rules if I find something that doesn't sit right. I do my best not to reinvent the wheel or plumb the innermost workings of most games, if only because the amount of work is more than I can bear and does not seem to be worth the reward. I also tend to be thoughtful about my methods and changes because I don't want to burden my players. I want to fine-tune things for a more enjoyable experience in a way that my group can easily follow; I don't want them to feel like I'm pulling the rug out from under them. At the same time, however, I view printed rules as fine guidelines open to interpretation and careful change. Over the years I've been able to fix some things that have bothered our whole group (like the paladin class in D&D), as well as things that troubled me more than the others. I've had to adjust things further at times but overall it's turned out well. I have also seen how some changes have spiced things up and made the game more interesting for my players. I have to admit that changes also interest me as a DM. I've seen other DMs run fun games without doing too many alterations, but I've yet to see someone run without making any changes to the rules. I've talked with DMs who ran constantly shifting patchworks of alterations, to the point that I seriously worried about structural stability. It would be interesting to see where people fall along the spectrum and what their reasons tend to be. Part of the reason why I'm interested is because I have started experimenting in several ways that I normally don't. It's been a bit difficult in places because I have been retooling well-worn processes and trying to break stubborn habits. It's been exciting to come at a game from different angles, with a different perspective. It's also been worrying, because I've been striving to find different ways to engage myself and my players, and I only have so much time to work on gaming stuff. I've been working to streamline NPC creation, paying more attention to what it makes sense for characters to have. For a long time I have tried to balance NPCs against PCs point for point, which tended to end up in longer prep times and book flipping. I don't think I ever needed to do that to make a character balanced or fair, but for years I've felt like I did. I've been developing a setting in a way that is different from what I've tried before. In the past I came up with a few NPCs, perhaps some locations, and tended to develop a city around its major functions and around events I intended to occur (keeping in mind what the players might get themselves into). I made a rough sketch, really, and filled in details as time went on. Lately I've been developing a city not as a place where a few events will happen but as a place where many events are happening. I want it to be a place where I can run any number of stories, different types of storytelling, and different types of characters. So I've been shaping the place around the people and things in it, as well as historical events. I've assembled more NPCs beforehand than I've ever done before. I'm also keeping locations in mind, with the goal of using quick details to paint the scenery better. I want my players to be able to envision the major locations their characters are involved with. And while I have always been a fan of history (in and out of gaming), I have a real sense of my setting as a place where events have happened, and continue to echo. Since I've been horribly busy with school, I haven't been able to run much. I certainly don't have everything ready that I will need to start a long-term campaign. I aim for the long haul with this new setting, with players portraying characters of their own design. But I've found another way to challenge myself. I've agreed to run when I can, and I've set the goal of having minimal prep time, a few hours at most (this is a big change for me). I make up quick character sheets ahead of time and the players get to try on pre-made characters, which is different from our routine as a group. Then I set them loose in the historical events of my setting so they can experience them first-hand, from different points of view. We don't tend to bounce between characters much in a given game and the historical period usually remains constant. These are basically one-shots and are designed to be different each time I have the opportunity to run. We had our first try on Saturday and it went awesomely well, from all accounts. I have really been enjoying myself as a DM lately, even during the research and development that can be a drag. I think these changes have helped to refresh me and I hope they are strengthening my methods, because I have several games I want to run the hell out of. |
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| Hexeter | Jun 8 2008, 08:26 PM Post #2 |
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Gnomish Space Marine
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See that is the sort of thing that every DM could benefit from learning and is the thing most commonly missed by aspiring DMs. Yes the Characters are the focal point of any adventure but that does not mean the rest of world cannot happen around them. Early in my DMing years I was bad for that and my Players suffered for it. They'd ask me what was going on in town and I'd give them a blank stare and say, "The usual goings on, bustling market, people working their trades." and from there they'd shuffle off towards the next adventure I had planned out. Over the years I learned that when people ask questions like that they are not just curious they are looking for signs of life in the setting. As I got better at that I admit that the paperwork involved in DMing became MUCH more daunting as I planned the events of a city that might never have an impact on what my Players decided to do. A few times though it really worked out beautifully when Players went off on a tangent and because I knew what was happening in the City at any given time I could adjust things on the fly to make it more interesting for them. I had heard way back in the day that the Goldtree engine achieved something like that, where you gave it your NPCs and some details and the game would spontaneously move them around allowing you to spice up random encounters with NPCs the Players would recognize. |
| Among the long shadows live I, living the lies and destroying the light. | |
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| kismetrose | Jun 8 2008, 11:58 PM Post #3 |
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When running D&D, I tended to send the PCs off on a lot of quests outside of their home town. I did take care to give them the impression that things were happening in most of the towns they went through, that people actually lived in those places. I also took care to figure out what happened while they were gone, to show how the little (and big) ways that home changed. Come to think of it, I did that even while they were in town. I didn't always think about it consciously; I just knew that it would add texture to the game. I am hoping to do a good job of it in my upcoming game. I really want to give the ongoing impression that things are happening in the city, people are living and scheming in it every damned day and night. The PCs can watch, ignore, join in - but they will not be the only movers in the world. |
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| Tamvriel | Jun 9 2008, 10:13 AM Post #4 |
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Habitual Offender
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My problem of late is having DM Writer's Block. Cartography, and Setting Creation are my strong points, with names and other such stuff coming at a moments notice. It is actually getting an adventure going which the players are interested in. |
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| kismetrose | Jun 9 2008, 11:13 AM Post #5 |
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Do you have any examples of your mapping? I don't know why, but I love maps. I don't tend to make a whole lot of them but I love them. Have you been gaming with your players long? Do you know what sorts of things they like to do best? |
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| Tamvriel | Jun 9 2008, 12:50 PM Post #6 |
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Habitual Offender
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I do have some examples (mostly just sketchwork for bigger projects). Yes, I do know what they like Hack & Slash, that is all. My players are from another group where powergaming was the rule not the exception. |
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| Hexeter | Jun 9 2008, 04:47 PM Post #7 |
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Gnomish Space Marine
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I've been there a few times with groups. One that I played in for a long time was all about the Mini's and Stat Management. It was a fun game because it was more about us than the characters but we had our moments of interesting story development and RP. As long as everyone involved is ok with it I say why not? Of course when I was the DM I steered them back towards an engaging storyline but there were times when the only thing they were interested in was Hack and Slash. It can be a very disheartening experience to have a setting you labored over lovingly get reduced to Stat Management if you were hoping for more depth. If I get back into setting design (as I am slowly but surely getting drawn back in to gaming thankyouverymuchKismet) I'll have to see if I can find a Scanner to get Maps and such online myself. |
| Among the long shadows live I, living the lies and destroying the light. | |
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| Tamvriel | Jun 9 2008, 05:42 PM Post #8 |
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Habitual Offender
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The Current campaign is looking like a War Elf (non-magic, combat oriented elf) Samurai (modified from Oriental Adventures), and a ??? Sorcerer Varient: Battle Sorcerer. To encourage less rash brawling, and what not I have slowed healing way down, and provided less magical alternatives (i.e. small amounts of potions at high costs, not all clerics are healers, etc.) In addition, crime, which used to pay for my players, is now going to be strictly enforced, with fines gaol time and even death penalties being issued for crime. Justice, unlike modern day, is swift, and painful. Death Sentences are usually carried out where they are given by a spear point through the stomach, or a public beheading, afterwards the bodies are burnt (to insure that no one is revived). Stealing is punishable by fines, or being sold to pay off the price of the debt, and so on. This as well as pushing them to make characters which are balanced in light of having a fun time, should do the trick. |
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| Hexeter | Jun 9 2008, 06:01 PM Post #9 |
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Gnomish Space Marine
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That is by far the easiest way I have encouraged care in my Players. Healing is never easy in my Campaigns and when it DOES come out of a bottle it is always expensive and used only as a last resort of lifesaving. I once had a group that just wanted to skip ahead to the point where all their Characters were ready to adventure and I had them roleplay what they were going to do in their off time, especially the uninjured ones. It turned out to be pretty fun actually and the Players who wanted to just skip ahead got into the "Off-time" action once they realized the others were enjoying themselves. Making Healing less easy also drastically increases the value of players with the knowledge of the healing arts as well as Priests/Clerics. Among my Players the Clerics were often considered the 'slacker' Class until I changed the way they got healed. |
| Among the long shadows live I, living the lies and destroying the light. | |
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| Tamvriel | Jun 9 2008, 06:07 PM Post #10 |
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Habitual Offender
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The other thing is, is that once a wound occurs, I have some of my own private rules for such things as fever, gangrene, etc. Wounds were not a nice thing in the dark ages, and even with magic, I want them to not be nice for my players. I have one friend in particular who never backs down from a fight (even if it is a terasque (sp?)) The first time he gets himself or a friend killed, his stuborn attitude of never tactfully retreating, should hopefully deminish. |
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| Hexeter | Jun 9 2008, 06:49 PM Post #11 |
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Gnomish Space Marine
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I usually make only one roll when it comes to infections or other complications from wounds and usually I do that at the time the wound is about to be treated properly. Something my players never really enjoyed was dealing with medical issues beyond, "How do I see to my wounds?" but that was due in large part to me being very cheap with Cures for Poisons and Diseases etc. |
| Among the long shadows live I, living the lies and destroying the light. | |
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| kismetrose | Jun 9 2008, 06:57 PM Post #12 |
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Do you think you might be going through DM writer's block because their tastes are only for hack and slash? It sounds like you would like to do a lot more and I know that it can be frustrating when your players aren't into the same things you are. Do you add many things that are fun for you into your games?
The increased emphasis on law could be very, very entertaining to play around with. There was a Dragon magazine article I remember that talked about the laws and penalties of this particular location (a city, I think), and I remember that I always wanted to integrate things like that more into my campaign.
Would you mind sharing some of those rules?
I've been very glad that my players know how to take a hint that they should run. I usually make it very, very clear when they're facing something insurmountable and they've never failed to flee. I have only done this on rare occasions, though. If we had someone with us who didn't know how to read the writing on the wall, they'd be scooping character guts off the floor. |
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| Hexeter | Jun 9 2008, 07:02 PM Post #13 |
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Gnomish Space Marine
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My Kingdom for a group of Players that know when to back down! :lol: Every once in a while I presented my Players with some choices which should have been obvious...like a small tribe of 20 Orcs running towards their camp should give them the "Gee maybe we should get out of here before we get overwhelmed." feeling since they were all of level 3-4 when it happened to them. But no...it was Stand and Fight day apparently. |
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| kismetrose | Jun 9 2008, 07:05 PM Post #14 |
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I hope that you feel inspired again; it's fun to work on gaming stuff. You know, you could put your maps online in a place like deviantART. There's someone there who adds lots of details to Forgotten Realms maps. |
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| Hexeter | Jun 9 2008, 07:44 PM Post #15 |
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Gnomish Space Marine
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Yes, don't get discouraged by things. I don't even have a group to play with right now and I am considering putting pen to paper once again just for the sheer fun of it. |
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1:25 AM Jul 11