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Group Status---can I check your Head?

Started by LordVreeg, June 28, 2008, 11:35:58 AM

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LordVreeg

Quote from: Rose Of MontagueI'm running the sample adventure from D&D game day this last summer and it's filled with penis jokes and kids who like the numbers more than their characters.  Oh wait, did I say characters?  I meant the sheets of paper they never think about between sessions.

I'm playing in a game that claims to be 4e but suffers from a DM who just wings everything and apparently has never read the books.  It's a hack-and-slash affair where violence is the answer and the evil wizards all wear red robes and have tattoos, hm...  seems familiar.  Oh, and the party didn't meet in a tavern, they spontaneously appeared in front of a cave with enemies in it.

I hope everyone else's game is going better?
My friend, you deserve better.
seems that subtelty is a lost art...
VerkonenVreeg, The Nice.Celtricia, World of Factions

Steel Island Online gaming thread
The Collegium Arcana Online Game
Old, evil, twisted, damaged, and afflicted.  Orbis non sufficit.Thread Murderer Extraordinaire, and supposedly pragmatic...\"That is my interpretation. That the same rules designed to reduce the role of the GM and to empower the player also destroyed the autonomy to create a consistent setting. And more importantly, these rules reduce the Roleplaying component of what is supposed to be a \'Fantasy Roleplaying game\' to something else\"-Vreeg

Eladris

The Wake campaign I've been running weekly since August is up to 4th level now (4e).  The players like the game very much, but I've been struggling to maintain a cohesive story with all the avenues open to them.  The only way I can plan an extended combat encounter is by railroading them into a specific Sphere, which is tough.  RP has been great, and the players really take advantage of the materials I've posted on the wiki.

NPC interaction, in particular, has been challenging for me.  I've had to give a lot more thought to unique cultures, but also the homogenization that's going to occur when multiple major population hubs are literally a step away.   The Hrol, in particular, have played a cool role in the campaign; the fact that they're predominantly elves and tattoo themselves makes it easy to evoke certain reactions from the PCs, where most other NPCs are met with a "more of the same" attitude.

Edit: Actually, sadly, the whole campaign is slowly making me want to develop a "solid" world.  I've even jotted down some notes on a desert culture and lowbie campaign.  Maybe I'm just addicted to world building?

Nomadic

Quote from: EladrisMaybe I'm just addicted to world building?

One of us. One of us.

LordVreeg

[blockquote=Eladris]NPC interaction, in particular, has been challenging for me. I've had to give a lot more thought to unique cultures, but also the homogenization that's going to occur when multiple major population hubs are literally a step away. The Hrol, in particular, have played a cool role in the campaign; the fact that they're predominantly elves and tattoo themselves makes it easy to evoke certain reactions from the PCs, where most other NPCs are met with a "more of the same" attitude.

Edit: Actually, sadly, the whole campaign is slowly making me want to develop a "solid" world. I've even jotted down some notes on a desert culture and lowbie campaign. Maybe I'm just addicted to world building? [/blockquote]

It's great you've watched what NPC's work for your PC's and which ones don't.  That's going to run really well.  I'd pull in some unique organizations with mysterious goal-orientations to pique the PC's interest more.  When race and culture coalesce and homogenize, political and social factions will emerge as differentiators.

Lowbie?  More on that, please.

VerkonenVreeg, The Nice.Celtricia, World of Factions

Steel Island Online gaming thread
The Collegium Arcana Online Game
Old, evil, twisted, damaged, and afflicted.  Orbis non sufficit.Thread Murderer Extraordinaire, and supposedly pragmatic...\"That is my interpretation. That the same rules designed to reduce the role of the GM and to empower the player also destroyed the autonomy to create a consistent setting. And more importantly, these rules reduce the Roleplaying component of what is supposed to be a \'Fantasy Roleplaying game\' to something else\"-Vreeg

Steerpike

I've been GMing a post-apocalyptic campaign on and off since the summer, with a session every few weeks or so.  It's set in a world filled with mutants and undead somewhere between Fallout, The Dark Tower, and the aftermath of the Book of Revelations with d20 Modern as a basic rules-set.  The party includes a half-demon (hellkin) with a possessed sword, an Irish traveler mage/punkrocker, a Roland-esque gunslinger, and a telepath/psychic.  It's pretty combat intensive with lots of gunfights, vehicular chases (including one memorable fight with a gang of vampiric bikers, the Pale Horseman and his Bridges), gothic dungeon crawling, etc. with some more involved roleplaying moments - do we take the dhampir's hit on the local demon crimeboss or do we help that same crimeboss run the dhampir and his gang out of town?  There are some similarities between this campaign and the Cadaverous Earth, though the setting is much more Biblical and there are a lot more visible callbacks to our own era.

Loch Belthadd

Hoorah for post-apocalyptic goodness!! :)
a.k.a. gnomish cheetos
[spoiler=siggy]
[spoiler=gnomes]
Rock Gnomes:good
Lawn Gnomes:Evil[/spoiler]
 [spoiler=have a smiley]                    [/spoiler]
My Unitarian Jihad Name is Brother Rail Gun of Reasoned Discussion.

I am a (self-appointed) knght of the turtle. Are you?

Do not meddle in the affairs of dragons...for you are crunchy and taste good with ketchup...

 Make something idiot-proof and someone will invent a better idiot.
 [spoiler]Cna yuo raed tihs? Olny 55% of plepoe can.
I cdnuolt blveiee taht I cluod aulaclty uesdnatnrd waht I was rdanieg. The phaonmneal pweor of the hmuan mnid, aoccdrnig to a rscheearch at Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, it dseno't mtaetr in waht oerdr the ltteres in a wrod are, the olny iproamtnt tihng is taht the frsit and lsat ltteer be in the rghit pclae. The rset can be a taotl mses and you can sitll raed it whotuit a pboerlm. Tihs is bcuseae the huamn mnid deos not raed ervey lteter by istlef, but the wrod as a wlohe. Azanmig huh? yaeh and I awlyas tghuhot slpeling was ipmorantt!

fi yuo cna raed tihs, palce it in yuor siantugre.
[/spoiler]
[/spoiler]
  [spoiler=badges]= Elemental Elf's kamalga and the murkmire badge
 = Nomadic's quick play badge [/spoiler]

Knight of Ravens

Hmm, nothing of mine compares. I've been stuck in Egypt all year with a horde of drooling genetic defectives (and I'm being kind). I've had neither time to build nor time to play. I need a heavy dose of both when I get home in the next week or two. I've been toying with running a classic 2nd edition D&D module (updated to 3.5) while I continue to bring my setting up to par. Just need to find some vic...I mean, players...
Campaign Setting: Asilikos

LordVreeg

Quote from: Knight of RavensHmm, nothing of mine compares. I've been stuck in Egypt all year with a horde of drooling genetic defectives (and I'm being kind). I've had neither time to build nor time to play. I need a heavy dose of both when I get home in the next week or two. I've been toying with running a classic 2nd edition D&D module (updated to 3.5) while I continue to bring my setting up to par. Just need to find some vic...I mean, players...
We're just happy you've taken some times to post...Let us know how it goes.  Which module?
VerkonenVreeg, The Nice.Celtricia, World of Factions

Steel Island Online gaming thread
The Collegium Arcana Online Game
Old, evil, twisted, damaged, and afflicted.  Orbis non sufficit.Thread Murderer Extraordinaire, and supposedly pragmatic...\"That is my interpretation. That the same rules designed to reduce the role of the GM and to empower the player also destroyed the autonomy to create a consistent setting. And more importantly, these rules reduce the Roleplaying component of what is supposed to be a \'Fantasy Roleplaying game\' to something else\"-Vreeg

LordVreeg

Quote from: SteerpikeI've been GMing a post-apocalyptic campaign on and off since the summer, with a session every few weeks or so.  It's set in a world filled with mutants and undead somewhere between Fallout, The Dark Tower, and the aftermath of the Book of Revelations with d20 Modern as a basic rules-set.  The party includes a half-demon (hellkin) with a possessed sword, an Irish traveler mage/punkrocker, a Roland-esque gunslinger, and a telepath/psychic.  It's pretty combat intensive with lots of gunfights, vehicular chases (including one memorable fight with a gang of vampiric bikers, the Pale Horseman and his Bridges), gothic dungeon crawling, etc. with some more involved roleplaying moments - do we take the dhampir's hit on the local demon crimeboss or do we help that same crimeboss run the dhampir and his gang out of town?  There are some similarities between this campaign and the Cadaverous Earth, though the setting is much more Biblical and there are a lot more visible callbacks to our own era.

This is why I love you, man.
Irish Traveler Mage/punkrocker?  The image is fantastic.
(There are definitely glam/new wave subconsious leanings in my valley OMwo~...pointed out to me in the middle of a 13 hour session back in 1986, we just rolled with it.  Metalic tinted spikey hair and all...)
VerkonenVreeg, The Nice.Celtricia, World of Factions

Steel Island Online gaming thread
The Collegium Arcana Online Game
Old, evil, twisted, damaged, and afflicted.  Orbis non sufficit.Thread Murderer Extraordinaire, and supposedly pragmatic...\"That is my interpretation. That the same rules designed to reduce the role of the GM and to empower the player also destroyed the autonomy to create a consistent setting. And more importantly, these rules reduce the Roleplaying component of what is supposed to be a \'Fantasy Roleplaying game\' to something else\"-Vreeg

Kindling

Awww, this thread makes me wish I had a gaming group :(
all hail the reapers of hope

Steerpike

[blockquote=Lord Vreeg]Irish Traveler Mage/punkrocker? The image is fantastic.[/blockquote]

He's an NPC (though not a DM PC or anything of that sort), sort of John Constantine meets Brad Pit in Snatch; he supplies the principal transportation for the group, an ethanol-fueled mobile home (with mounted machine-guns!) covered with arcane graffiti.  He's usually totally drunk/high/otherwise-addled so I get to do a slurred Irish accent whenever he talks.  Often he doesn't actually get involved in the meat of an adventure itself, but lets the party get from place to place and acts as kind of a Virgil figure to the Hellish wasteland - he gets used a lot for exposition.

[blockquote=Kindling]Awww, this thread makes me wish I had a gaming group[/blockquote]

I know the feeling.  Most of my friends aren't into roleplaying so I've had long periods of stagnation.

Knight of Ravens

Quote from: LordVreeg
Quote from: Knight of RavensHmm, nothing of mine compares. I've been stuck in Egypt all year with a horde of drooling genetic defectives (and I'm being kind). I've had neither time to build nor time to play. I need a heavy dose of both when I get home in the next week or two. I've been toying with running a classic 2nd edition D&D module (updated to 3.5) while I continue to bring my setting up to par. Just need to find some vic...I mean, players...
We're just happy you've taken some times to post...Let us know how it goes.  Which module?


I've been hankering to run Return to the Tomb of Horrors since it came out (goodness, 12 years ago or so?), but I'd easily switch out for Rod of Seven Parts, Dragon Mountain, or maybe even something Planescape-y like Dead Gods. Point is, I've got this huge library spanning all editions, and the past few years' hijinx haven't swept players my way. I have a load of time off coming up, so it's time to hunt for a new group.
Campaign Setting: Asilikos

sparkletwist

I actually got to run some roleplaying in Crystalstar. :D
(No system, just some IM-based freeform stuff.)

The setting showed some of its roughness but it was actually quite workable. The two PCs were an assassin-type character rather heavily inspired by Strider Hiryu, and a young servant girl/acolyte who served a priestess that our assassin was contracted to kill.

I must admit the first plot twist is fairly common in Japanese RPGs-- it turned out that those hiring the assassin were the bad guys. Thus the target ended up on the same side as her would-be assassin (and her acolyte); they then managed to sneak their way into the jungle, and I get to figure out what to do with them next, should this plotline actually continue. ;)

LordVreeg

Quote from: sparkletwistI actually got to run some roleplaying in Crystalstar. :D
(No system, just some IM-based freeform stuff.)

The setting showed some of its roughness but it was actually quite workable. The two PCs were an assassin-type character rather heavily inspired by Strider Hiryu, and a young servant girl/acolyte who served a priestess that our assassin was contracted to kill.

I must admit the first plot twist is fairly common in Japanese RPGs-- it turned out that those hiring the assassin were the bad guys. Thus the target ended up on the same side as her would-be assassin (and her acolyte); they then managed to sneak their way into the jungle, and I get to figure out what to do with them next, should this plotline actually continue. ;)
Common plot twsits are common becasue they work, as well.  I'm sure you did something to make it a bit more memorable.  what type of weapons/abilities did the assassin/pc's have?
VerkonenVreeg, The Nice.Celtricia, World of Factions

Steel Island Online gaming thread
The Collegium Arcana Online Game
Old, evil, twisted, damaged, and afflicted.  Orbis non sufficit.Thread Murderer Extraordinaire, and supposedly pragmatic...\"That is my interpretation. That the same rules designed to reduce the role of the GM and to empower the player also destroyed the autonomy to create a consistent setting. And more importantly, these rules reduce the Roleplaying component of what is supposed to be a \'Fantasy Roleplaying game\' to something else\"-Vreeg

sparkletwist

Quote from: LordVreegI'm sure you did something to make it a bit more memorable.
I hope so, though I'm honestly not that sure. I was kind of winging it. ;)

Quote from: LordVreegwhat type of weapons/abilities did the assassin/pc's have?
The assassin had some fairly standard "assassin" abilities such as being able to move in the shadows, scale walls, and so on, as well as having a crystal-enhanced sword. Being Strider-inspired, crystal-enhanced should be taken to mean "fast and powerful and makes a cool ZANG! sound."

The acolyte was less overtly powerful, though in her training as a priestess she was familiar with most of the religious lore. She also had some unarmed combat ability. In the first adventure she came to the defense of the priestess against their "enemy," but now that they're on the same side I'll have to come up with some other things she might be good at. This is a little bit of concern for me: anything an acolyte can do, a priestess could probably do better, but I don't want this PC to be overshadowed badly by the priestess NPC, and yet I'd like to keep the NPC around for exposition and such.