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Post by Anon Mous on Nov 3, 2016 0:09:06 GMT -5
So one of the reasons I have been gone is that I have been making games. 2 of them are D&D games. Let me give you some background. Shortly after I left Gamestop, my elementary school best friend and I reconnected. For over a year we spent one day a week, hanging out, watching anime. After a while, we started throwing board games into the mix. Things like Munchkin, Cards Against Humanity, Boss Monster, etc. Eventually, he convinced me to try D&D, which he had played throughout high school. We had our second session, of all things, a Christmas party. It was an epic campaign (in level(20) only), in which I had to have my character made for me. The game ended there. Still, it got me interested. I began watching/listening to the Acquisitions Incorporated game run by Chris Perkins and played by the Penny Arcade guys. This got me seeing what these games could be. Time went by, and I got to play in another game. Same group, but different DM. This game was considerably better. I created my own character, had a lot of fun, and got hooked. Time went by again and I played a few more games. During my fourth game I began watching another series that redefined to the extreme what I had been watching and playing. That series was Critical Role run by the amazing Matt Mercer and played by a group of "nerdy ass voice actors." This showed me how truly amazing these games could be. This year I got a set of 3.5 books, and with help from you all, developed a story for my group. The Trinity God Campaign. The Lawful Roas, The Chaotic Zero, The Neutral Tak'Do. The various champions, guardians, and heroes, Skylark, Ambrienne, Solana, and Rune, to name a few. I didn't think you guys would mind. While my friends had fun with the world, figures, maps, and secrets I gave them, I looked for ways to improve my game. I asked friends about music, soundboards, and other mood enhancing effects. This got friends from work interested. After a bit of pestering, I was roped into running a second version of the same campaign. This group is having more fun than my original group, most of them are newbies, and from the beginning they set off on a different path than the originals. It's a lot of fun, but a lot of work. If any of you have a chance to play, do it. If you have a lot of ambition, try DMing, but don't get discouraged if you fail. It is far from easy. If not for the fact that both groups are having so much fun, I would take some time off.
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Post by Roas on Nov 3, 2016 0:49:18 GMT -5
I've learned over the years that being a good DM requires one to be very flexible both in style and content. First, be willing to run different types of games depending on your group. I've run games where my people are gung ho heroes....and then a group can be total A-hole evildoers. Both can be loads of fun.
Then you have to be ready to run a flexible style game, which again depends on your people. A set, linear story is great if that is what the group wants. But if you really want something off the wall and possibly insane, then you let your group go free range. Free range is risky, and I only advise that for an experienced DM/GM. You have to be able to have just a few key plot points to work with...but then you let them guide the game.
The one time I really let it go super free range it was a crazy hilarious game that at times got totally out of control. Course, I was sorta handicapping myself by using a homemade system that needed constant correcting on the fly...never did really balance the magic system.
Here are the highlights without getting too graphic:
- they release a dangerous dragon from a tomb...and instead of chasing it down to reseal it, they run in the other direction letting it rampage.
- battle at a brothel with a succubus...one player was naked the entire fight...channeling his fire magic from...places. After that session ended, the only girl in the group couldn't take it anymore and left.
- I introduce two new players to the group: a dark paladin and a sprite mage. As soon as they arrive, the other members promptly ambush, tie them up, and steal all their gear. Then they made them fight bears and summoned imps with spoons while the sprite is tied to the neck of the paladin. Then they keep them locked up in a warded wagon.
- Instead of helping a town full of people...the dark priest member poisons them all and enslaves their minds. The take the entire town with them in a new quest to build Utopia.
- I try to steer them into a conflict with an orc army. Instead, they lurk and find the orc warboss going to the bathroom in the woods, capture him, throw him in a cage, and hire goblins to poke him with sharpened sticks.
- the group builds Utopia, within it making an arena where they make people fight the orc warboss they captured.
- I finally get them into an arc to open relations with a nearby dwarven kingdom under siege by dark elves. Long story short, I jacked up the monster difficulty and nearly kill them all while in conflict with the dark elves...technically, I did kill someone, but he cheated on a saving through and I missed it. I did break his spirit enough that at one point of utter defeat he said, "I want to go home now."
After my China experience, I don't think I'll ever get back to tabletop gaming for various reasons. Unfortunately, I think I'm just an MMO gamer now when it comes to playing with other people.
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Post by Solana on Nov 3, 2016 11:58:07 GMT -5
The only one I've really tried is HeroQuest with my family. I enjoyed it a lot, and adore the storytelling aspects, but I've never really had the time/group available to go more than that. My best friend plays a lot, and I love hearing the stories her group came up with over the years. I wouldn't mind trying some more, especially with more of a free range option. My mind could come up with some way out there ideas, which I'm sure comes as a total shock. I don't mind loaning my characters to you, Anon. Any particular storylines come up that were awesome/hilarious?
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Post by Anon Mous on Nov 3, 2016 13:01:41 GMT -5
I don't mind loaning my characters to you, Anon. Any particular storylines come up that were awesome/hilarious? If I can find a way to post them, I have most of the audio files of our sessions. Part way through the first groups sessions I got a voice recorder for my tablet, so I have most of their adventure, and all of my other group's adventure. Like I said, I also gave them all secrets, to help motivate them. They're pretty fun to listen to.
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Post by Roas on Nov 3, 2016 13:29:59 GMT -5
I don't mind loaning my characters to you, Anon. Any particular storylines come up that were awesome/hilarious? If I can find a way to post them, I have most of the audio files of our sessions. Part way through the first groups sessions I got a voice recorder for my tablet, so I have most of their adventure, and all of my other group's adventure. Like I said, I also gave them all secrets, to help motivate them. They're pretty fun to listen to. A good piece of advice...always watch where you leave your materials lying about. 16 years ago I was running a Lodoss War campaign, total linear game. I carelessly left my notebook out one time, and unbeknownst to me one of the group looked through it. At the time, I was so pleased that his character was doing certain things I'd hoped someone would do....course years later I was informed he'd cheated and looked at the notes. Course that game went a little off the rails when the group raised an army...and totally went nuts with it. Again, now I know why because they were playing with info I had not intended to give them.
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Post by Anon Mous on Nov 3, 2016 13:56:02 GMT -5
If I can find a way to post them, I have most of the audio files of our sessions. Part way through the first groups sessions I got a voice recorder for my tablet, so I have most of their adventure, and all of my other group's adventure. Like I said, I also gave them all secrets, to help motivate them. They're pretty fun to listen to. A good piece of advice...always watch where you leave your materials lying about. 16 years ago I was running a Lodoss War campaign, total linear game. I carelessly left my notebook out one time, and unbeknownst to me one of the group looked through it. At the time, I was so pleased that his character was doing certain things I'd hoped someone would do....course years later I was informed he'd cheated and looked at the notes. Course that game went a little off the rails when the group raised an army...and totally went nuts with it. Again, now I know why because they were playing with info I had not intended to give them. That's what a laptop with password protection is for.
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Post by Rune Lai on Nov 4, 2016 11:28:21 GMT -5
I've DMed both with an in person group and on IRC (what that? I know... it's been ages). My IRC game was even a Lunar campaign.
And if there's one thing I've learned, no campaign survives contact with the players. Being a good DM means being flexible, because there's always a time when a player wants to do something you completely have not accounted for, and they will be disappointed if you tell them no.
Being a good DM also means that the players are the stars of the show and not your intricately crafted set of NPCs (I played with someone who didn't know this and his NPCs had more starring turns than the party members). I know DMs like being creative and thinking they've made the most compelling cast ever, but most of the time the things the players remember are the time they failed a roll while trying to grappling an enemy and ended up mud wrestling instead.
My IRL group that I've been gaming with for yeeeeears still brings up things like the time our monk ended up exchanging love taps with a mind flayer.
Other memories are: the cleric shooting arrows into other party members due to friendly fire rules and just not caring (he could heal!), the player elf trying too hard to pass for a human (he named himself Chuck), and the celestial bison (who was nicknamed C. Bison and illustrated doing M. Bison's Psycho Crusher attack).
They're all the completely random crap that has nothing to do with anything the DM planned.
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Post by Anon Mous on Nov 4, 2016 19:07:53 GMT -5
And if there's one thing I've learned, no campaign survives contact with the players. Being a good DM means being flexible, because there's always a time when a player wants to do something you completely have not accounted for, and they will be disappointed if you tell them no. That's what I'm loving about it. D&D is like the ultimate exercise in improv. I was talking with one of my players about how much I have to plan, because he was baffled when I pulled out a prop for a quest. Blew him away. I know DMs like being creative and thinking they've made the most compelling cast ever, but most of the time the things the players remember are the time they failed a roll while trying to grappling an enemy and ended up mud wrestling instead. One of the best things to happen in both games is that one of the characters rolled three confirmed crit fails (yes we play with them) in one session (the first quest as a team). He shot a guard helping the group, skipped an arrow across the ground, destroying it, and had the bow string scrape down his arm. It's that group's favorite story, because after they were done he rocked kareoke with a 17, in a bar where nobody was. Epic. So here's the deal. I got permission from all of my groups to let you all listen to our recordings. I just have to figure out how to do it. Since some of the info is not revealed to either side in the game, I ask that if anyone posts about things, they keep the revealed info to a minimum. Just so that some errant internet search doesn't turn it up. Also, I will not post an audio file until both groups have passed the point where they could undertake the quest. Also, each player has a secret driving them (Please do not reveal this. I don't mod much, but I will remove mentions of it.). To get the player's names, character, and secret, PM me. I will also try to post the maps associated with the session, too. BTW, sometimes certain conversations can get a bit raunchy. Please don't be offended.
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Post by Roas on Nov 4, 2016 19:53:09 GMT -5
And if there's one thing I've learned, no campaign survives contact with the players. Being a good DM means being flexible, because there's always a time when a player wants to do something you completely have not accounted for, and they will be disappointed if you tell them no. That's what I'm loving about it. D&D is like the ultimate exercise in improv. I was talking with one of my players about how much I have to plan, because he was baffled when I pulled out a prop for a quest. Blew him away. I know DMs like being creative and thinking they've made the most compelling cast ever, but most of the time the things the players remember are the time they failed a roll while trying to grappling an enemy and ended up mud wrestling instead. One of the best things to happen in both games is that one of the characters rolled three confirmed crit fails (yes we play with them) in one session (the first quest as a team). He shot a guard helping the group, skipped an arrow across the ground, destroying it, and had the bow string scrape down his arm. It's that group's favorite story, because after they were done he rocked kareoke with a 17, in a bar where nobody was. Epic. So here's the deal. I got permission from all of my groups to let you all listen to our recordings. I just have to figure out how to do it. Since some of the info is not revealed to either side in the game, I ask that if anyone posts about things, they keep the revealed info to a minimum. Just so that some errant internet search doesn't turn it up. Also, I will not post an audio file until both groups have passed the point where they could undertake the quest. Also, each player has a secret driving them (Please do not reveal this. I don't mod much, but I will remove mentions of it.). To get the player's names, character, and secret, PM me. I will also try to post the maps associated with the session, too. BTW, sometimes certain conversations can get a bit raunchy. Please don't be offended. I remember the period of time when I tried making up maps. I don't think I was ever very good at it.
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Post by Rune Lai on Nov 7, 2016 2:11:04 GMT -5
D&D is like the ultimate exercise in improv. I was talking with one of my players about how much I have to plan, because he was baffled when I pulled out a prop for a quest. Blew him away. D&D is totally improve. And the rules for improve "yes, and..." to keep the show going very much apply. One of the best things to happen in both games is that one of the characters rolled three confirmed crit fails (yes we play with them) in one session (the first quest as a team). He shot a guard helping the group, skipped an arrow across the ground, destroying it, and had the bow string scrape down his arm. It's that group's favorite story, because after they were done he rocked kareoke with a 17, in a bar where nobody was. Epic. That's totally what happens. We also play with crit failures and there have been many bow mishaps along the way. Somehow it seems to be the one weapon that has it worse than any other. I can't remember many stabs into the wrong person or self-inflicted wounds with swords, but anyone using a bow has to watch out. Those bowstrings bite back!
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Post by Anon Mous on Nov 14, 2016 2:06:41 GMT -5
Just finished an epic session with group two. I won't go too much into it since I will eventually get around to posting it, but to give everyone an idea, one player was actually looking at the ceiling when an NPC was in an upper floor window, one player thought the other were crazy because he couldn't "spot" or "listen" to what the others did, and during a "simple rescue mission" was asked "Why is this so exciting?" Epicness.
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Post by Anon Mous on Nov 19, 2016 19:06:35 GMT -5
Okay. So not how I wanted to do this, but Okay. Here is the link for the intro part of what will have to be set up as a podcast. I don't know if you have to make an account to listen, so here's to the experiment. Once I get confirmation from someone, I can proceed with the game.
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Post by Ambrienne on Nov 19, 2016 19:43:08 GMT -5
I haven't finished listening to it yet, but yes... it doesn't require an account to listen. Edit: I finished listening. Everything seems fine. May you never be cursed with a group like the bad one in Drew Hayes' Spells, Sorcery, & Stealth series.
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Post by Anon Mous on Nov 19, 2016 20:01:37 GMT -5
I haven't finished listening to it yet, but yes... it doesn't require an account to listen. Great. The "Episodes will be done in this format. I will try to post both games parallel to each other, so people can hear the differences, and to make sure that if one of the two groups comes across it, they don't get some information they shouldn't.
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