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RL Campaigns: updates, ideas, problems and drama

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    UtsanomikoUtsanomiko Bros before Does Rollin' in the thlayRegistered User regular
    edited August 2009
    If you can't see the benefit of her being there (it sounds like she'll be doing something boring when she could be hanging out with her own friends and enjoying time with her own interests like he is doing), but can name plenty of reasons it'll only cause trouble and disruption, you may as well put your foot down and say if you're going to be hosting 'Game Night' it needs to just be participants-only.

    Really it boils down to whether you think she's going to just be present and not disruptive or if she wants to argue more about his time spent on the game. It's ood how it sounds almost as if the other players want an excuse to be distracted, but maybe they're just a flitty, short-sighted bunch who don't notice how easily they get distracted.

    Utsanomiko on
    hmm.gif
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    Iron WeaselIron Weasel Dillon! You son of a bitch!Registered User regular
    edited August 2009
    If she acts up, you can always apply a rock to the hard place that is her head.
    I do not actually condone braining her with a stone.

    In all seriousness, your best bet may just be to go for it and see how things pan out.
    Utsanomiko wrote: »
    It's odd how it sounds almost as if the other players want an excuse to be distracted, but maybe they're just a flitty, short-sighted bunch who don't notice how easily they get distracted.
    It's also possible that the brother might have asked for their back-up on this so that he can continue to play.

    Iron Weasel on
    Currently Playing:
    The Division, Warframe (XB1)
    GT: Tanith 6227
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    BogartBogart Streetwise Hercules Registered User, Moderator mod
    edited August 2009
    Aye, I wouldn't lay down the law. If she's annoying and they want to play they'll be all for not having her around again. You pretty much have no option but to say OK, for now.

    Bogart on
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    UtsanomikoUtsanomiko Bros before Does Rollin' in the thlayRegistered User regular
    edited August 2009
    Yeah, it's entirely possible there's an ultimatum going on over her bf playing D&D and this is their way of making Moriarty aware of it. Give it a try once and see if it's even a problem.

    Utsanomiko on
    hmm.gif
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    streeverstreever Registered User regular
    edited August 2009
    Iron Weasel if it worries you (running the NPC) just give them x number of heals per session/etc and do encounter level for 2 players.

    I mean sure it's less realistic to just have some extra heals floating around, but maybe work it in as the favor of the god's or something.

    streever on
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    BogartBogart Streetwise Hercules Registered User, Moderator mod
    edited August 2009
    Don't get too defensive over her being there, either. You'll look like a bit of a dick. If she's going to be a problem then she's going to be a problem. If the guys get annoyed at it the problem will solve itself. If she disrupts the game and they don't get annoyed it's a pretty clear signal that they're losing interest, which is a shame but These Things Happen.

    Bogart on
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    Iron WeaselIron Weasel Dillon! You son of a bitch!Registered User regular
    edited August 2009
    streever wrote: »
    Iron Weasel if it worries you (running the NPC) just give them x number of heals per session/etc and do encounter level for 2 players.

    I mean sure it's less realistic to just have some extra heals floating around, but maybe work it in as the favor of the god's or something.
    This is a pretty good idea; I kinda wish I'd thought of it myself, and sooner :P

    I'm going to continue with the NPC for now, but I regularly check with my players as to how they feel about the campaign in general, and the NPC in particular. So far, the comments can be summarized as, "love the healz, but keep him away from my loots!" If he starts to lose his charm, then maybe the heroes will earn some divine intervention.

    Re: Mike's Problem: Bogart has the right of it.

    Iron Weasel on
    Currently Playing:
    The Division, Warframe (XB1)
    GT: Tanith 6227
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    streeverstreever Registered User regular
    edited August 2009
    maybe he can die, and become a ghost that aids them :) kind of like a spiritual companion.

    spend a minor to pray to the healgodz!!!

    streever on
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    Silas BrownSilas Brown That's hobo style. Registered User regular
    edited August 2009
    Thanks, guys. Now that I've read all your advice, I feel like I've been making a huge deal out of nothing. That happens a lot when I DM.

    Silas Brown on
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    BogartBogart Streetwise Hercules Registered User, Moderator mod
    edited August 2009
    So we had our second week of Scales of War last night, and it was pretty good. Hobgoblins are incredibly frustrating enemies when you're level 1, but all in all we had a good time. The dwarf whiffing every round but the last gave everyone the giggles.

    Anyway, next week our new DM is off, so I'll be running a quick one-week game that will get the main party from the adventure I was running from Loudwater to Baldur's Gate (or thereabouts). So I need a couple of encounters and maybe a skill challenge for some level 6 duders. Hmmmm. Suggestions welcome.

    Bogart on
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    TroyTroy Registered User regular
    edited August 2009
    Thanks, guys. Now that I've read all your advice, I feel like I've been making a huge deal out of nothing. That happens a lot when I DM.

    If she is going to be haning out in the room maybe you could representer her in game. You know like the presence of a spirit that isn't communicating or something silly like that. The oni that followed Dr. Venture around comes to mind.

    Probably a terrible idea.

    In other news I've been working on a real world zombies game. Totally new rules. Nothing really inovative.

    I have a site all ready to go for the group, and anyone who wants to see the rules. It is in really rough shape but what I wanted to show you all was the map on the main site. It has real world locations in minneapolis were the game takes place. The pins in the map link to the actual scenario details (again I'm still playing with it so some of the links are borked, but click on the metrodome for an example).

    If you like anything you see, or there is anything you hate let me know. Also ignore the grammer.\

    Edit: Forgot the website address, www.zombiesrpg.com

    Troy on
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    mightyspacepopemightyspacepope Registered User regular
    edited August 2009
    Started a Buffy-verse game set during World War II last week, using the official Buffy/Angel RPG books (Cinematic Unisystem). Here's a rundown of the first session.
    -Jenny (the Slayer) is recalled along with her Watcher (Benjamin) to England. London is being bombed by the Nazis. Vampires and other monsters have been showing up more frequently. Attempts are being made to break down the mystical defenses protecting Britain from the various other dimensions that match up with ours.
    -Because of the possibility of having to go into war-torn areas, Jenny is assigned a bodyguard/military liaison named Logan, who is one of Jack Churchill's werewolf commandos.
    -They're assigned to go investigate vampiric activity near Glastobury Tor, which has a ruined church that was once rumored to be the resting site of the Holy Grail.
    -They meet Montague Summers, a strange little man who dresses like a medieval cleric and is obsessed with supernatural lore. He is in charge of the library archives and the armory for the Watcher's Council. He is basically going to be their Q.
    -Upon getting there, they are met by a priest, who turns out to be a vampire. Benjamin kicks at the vamp, who catches Benjamin's foot. Logan wolfs out and swipes at the vamp. Jenny tumbles under the vamp and punches him in the balls. The vamp retreats into the church and down a trap door.
    -They follow, going down into an old crypt-like area. They find a wall that's been knocked down and broken into.
    -Inside a group of four vampires dressed in ceremonial robes are excavating something under the direction of another vamp in a Nazi uniform.
    -Logan bursts into the room, wolfed out. He jumps into the pit with the vamps, who swarm him. The Nazi vamp yells out, "Getten ze wulf!" Benjamin takes a shot with his crossbow, hitting the roided out vamp who's doing most of the digging. The big vamp goes after him. Jenny starts fighting the Nazi vamp. Their fight takes them out of the room and back upstairs.
    -Logan and Benjamin manage to take out the remaining four vamps before more backup arrives. Benjamin gets tossed around like a ragdoll, landing where the big vamp was digging something up. The vamp grabs Benjamin and is about to bite him when a gauntleted hand bursts through the ground, grabs the vamp, and tosses him away. A man dressed in chainmail Kool-Aid Mans out from the ground, grabs a sword, and starts fighting the vamp. Benjamin recognizes him as King Arthur. After taking care of the vamps, they hear crashing and clattering upstairs.
    -They rush up, where they find Jenny and the Nazi vamp fighting up a spiral staircase that leads to the top of the old church. Logan dashes to a part of the spiral stair case, then leaps up to get there faster.
    -Arthur calls up to tell the "fair maiden" not to worry, help is on the way. Distracted, the vamp lands a punch, then grabs her and tosses her down. Arthur manages to catch her, but in doing so, she slams into him and they're both knocked to the ground. He makes a chivalric/chauvinistic remark. She punches him, then goes back upstairs.
    -Logan climbs up to the vamp, grabs him, then tosses him down. Arthur manages to skewer him, then pins him to the floor. The vamp makes a remark about his task being completed before Benjamin stakes him.
    -Benjamin and Arthur go back to investigate the burial place to see if the Grail is there. No luck.
    -Jenny and Logan argue about who has to go out and warm up the car. They arm wrestle to decide it.
    -They start back toward London.

    It was my first time running a game using Cinematic Unisystem. I really dig the system and it actually does play fast and furious. The rules actually do make it feel like an episode of the TV show.

    mightyspacepope on
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    Silas BrownSilas Brown That's hobo style. Registered User regular
    edited August 2009
    Fairly succesful game last night. The "one girlfriend over" turned out to be two girls over getting drunk. One oft he players was also getting drunk. THis worked out to a lot of distractions, yet somehow the game was relatively succesful.

    I ended up ad libbing most of it. The winning scene was when a failed skill check led to the players running into an especially aggressive gang, harassing them. One of the players was about to start a fight when...

    Warlord: Wait, we need to use our skills to resolve this out of combat!
    *various attempts at diplomacy and bluffing ensue*
    Warlord: Wait, Fighter, challenge their leader to an arm-wrestling match.
    DM: The gang leader sizes you up then nods. "Fine, but we're going to do it Lower City style.... arm wrestling over knives!"
    Players: :O :O :O :O :O :O

    Just a sudden flash of brilliance that I really didn't think would work out so well, but the players were floored by the idea. The Fighter agrees and we do opposed Athletics checks, with the gang leader having +7 Athletics and the Fighter having +8.

    We rolled the exact some die numbers. Her modifier get her one point ahead.

    I described a fierce competition, with close calls, and an epic five minutes neutral point where both competitors were fighting so hard that it looked like neither of them were actually moving. And then BAM! The Fighter wins! Everyone is floored!

    They never even asked me how one would arrange to have knifes set so that they would pierce the loser and not the winner yet still somehow cause significant damage. God bless D&D.

    Silas Brown on
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    BogartBogart Streetwise Hercules Registered User, Moderator mod
    edited August 2009
    Good work, Prof!

    I've worked out my one-week adventure to plug the gap while the second Dm plays us through Scales of War. A zhent merc band will ambush the party early in the morning as they approach a town on the way to Baldur's Gate. They've been hired by Zark, the dwarf from Loudwater, so hopefully this will keep him in their minds for the later campaign. When they reach the town they'll be news of a mysterious murder (by poltergeist activity) and feelings of unease centered around the temple of Sehanine. The mystery is that the temple is the one from the skill-check in Open Grave, and has a girl's bones hidden and consecreted to Shar, making it an unhallowed place. The paladin of Sehanine will sense something's wrong immediately, but they'll have to pass the skill check to realise that the priest is actually Shadar-Kai, and then they'll be a fight underneath the temple in his secret lair.

    Standard stuff, but it will provide opportunities for several ongoing threads, most notably the party realising the hated Devlin is famous in these here parts and people are singing songs about him in the manner of Jaynestown and the paladin RP'ing his personal quest in spreading the word of Sehanine.

    I'm trying to work personal goals into each character's RP'ing, and will be awarding XP for their efforts in achieving these goals. So far only a couple have thought up their own goals, but I'm fairly happy making some up myself for the others.

    Bogart on
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    UtsanomikoUtsanomiko Bros before Does Rollin' in the thlayRegistered User regular
    edited November 2009
    Did you guys forget we had this thread, or what?

    Well I didn't, I just finally moved into my new house and got all my players' evening hours clear enough for start our D&D game up again. We had two new sessions on Sunday and Tuesday and are planning for another next Tuesday.

    So, they picked up from last time by returning to the monastery of the Red Cypress, this time with climbing gear and a cart to haul stuff away. Our Kenku rogue decided to cause a distraction by sneaking up towards the bullywug encampment surrounding the front gates and projecting her voice.

    Now, the only party member who can speak Bullywug is the Revenant Fighter, so she had him coach her beforehand on what phrases to say that mean "hey, quit cheating!", "stop hogging the booze!", and so on. These are the sort of things she shouts around the camp while the bullywugs are wrestling, drinking, and gambling, mimicing their throaty hillbilly voices. This leads to a decent-sized brawl which pulls a few patrollers from their posts. The party takes the opportunity to climb up the rocky hillside and sneak inside.

    The Eastern wing of the monastery ends up yielding a large four-level atrium, with perhaps forty or more bullywugs asleep at the bottom amonst piles of straw and litter. They quietly work their way around the hall in search of undisturbed rooms to loot. They find two with treasure in it:

    The first contained a couple of shelves and chairs which had been apparently stacked in the middle of the room and toppled over, a bullywug lay dead in the pile of broken furniture. Fifteen feet above hung a Floating Lantern. The party tried a few things to get it down, starting with the Bard throwing a coin and ending with the kenku standing on the fighter's shoulders and throwing an old flag over the lantern (one pound of weight will cause it to fall). I thought this made for a nice logical puzzle with a very straight-forward problem + reward. They took several books and art pieces, loaded them up in their cart outside, and returned.

    The second room was a larger archive filled with several display cases and bookshelves, which the freely looted for another dozen important-looking tomes plus one ritual book.

    Eventually they're disrupted by a loud knock on the closed doors. "What'd yall got goan on in there?" They freeze in panic and we take a break for pizza. When the game starts up again the Kenku quickly whispers to the revenant, asking him for the bullywug phrase for 'there's a really big creature outside.'

    "So... do I just come up with something that sounds like their language?" the revenant fighter's player asks.
    "Nah, just tell her player that your character gives her character that phrase," I explain.

    So he tells her and she tells them. "Creature? Dang what kind o' creature, is it good eatin'?" is the reply.

    She asks him how to say it's really big and has a lot of legs. He tells her and she tells them. This goes back and forth in a 2 1/2-way conversation for a bit until the scamper off. The party peeks out to see if the coast is clear and step back out. No sooner then they round a corner do they run into three Bullywugs. "I *told* you sumfin' was fishy, Frogette!" and they run in with spears drawn. Blades were drawn, insults traded and the fight's quickly over.

    This is when they notice about 40 Bullywugs looking straight at them from the ground level. The Kenku immediately throws down 4 gold rings and distracts over a dozen of the creatures just as the grossly obese head honcho of his horde makes himself known; he stands up while wearing a big floppy hat and fur cape, and simply lets out a long croaking command: 'leeet 'em have it.' Thirty bullywugs bolt for the stairs leading up and the PCs take the cue to get out of Dodge. They locate an exit to the cliffside and climb down and out using their remaining ropes.

    Next time they return to the city, the split up again to sell almost all of their items. This was the second session so I had a couple days to prepare a brief list of 40 scrolls/tomes and 16 pieces of art and mundane gear (helm, bracers, khopesh). Their regular curio shop owner charged them a fee to spend a couple days identifying them and they went off to inform the local enforcement about the bullywug problem to the south, hoping they'll send some troops to deal with the matter.

    But the next morning they're woken up by a commotion outside their rooms at the inn; people are rushing to evacuate the building because apparently a 'hairless ape' had gotten loose and was tearing up Shiner's, the adjacent tavern. Fearlessly they bust down the door and confront the indeed hairless, one-eyed monkey creature. This beast is jumping around on the tables as it throws a couple wine bottles at the PCs. The rogue jumps over the bar counter and fires off some bolts as the fighter circles around the tables and attacks the ape. The fighter's player is still getting accustomed to Combat Challenges and the benefits they enact, so the ape gets a turn unmarked to wail on the Bard until the fighter gets his full attention with a heavy sweeping blow.

    The ape creature doesn't like being wounded by him, and so it gets off four 2d6+2 attacks in a row (two hit for 21 damage, and this is still level 1), and then with a bestial laugh it puts it paws over its eyes eyeglass-style and pops open its Evil Eye:

    I pantomime this with my own hands, turning to the fighter's player and exclaiming 'boo!'. Cupped in my right thumb and index finder is a circle of paper with "17 VS WILL" written on it.

    "Does that hit?" I ask.
    *Dumbfounded stare*
    "I'm pretty sure that's a hit. You are unable to speak of the horror you've seen and you are now dazed, save ends."
    The other players laugh.

    But he does save and soon enough the Bard catches him leaping onto the chandelier with an opportunity attack immediately followed by a thunderous shout of triumph. The PCs check on the patron and barkeep trapped inside and go out to call for a chiurgeon for help. Just then a seven-foot tall bear-man tromps inside. He's got a big gut with a big gold belt buckle and a ratty leather vest.

    "What, like a big bear of a man?" The fighter PC asks for clarity.
    "No, he's a bear-man. Like a shifter that's just a big bear-style beastman."

    So he's there like he own the place "Who was thees? Who keel ape? Eet was you three, yes? you save Shiner's from trahble. I like that." Turns out he does in fact own the place and he gives then free meals and pays for their rooms from then on. "When you eat at Shiner's, you eat free. When you at Shiner's, eet is safe. Thees is good." Shiner throws the dead ape over one shoulder and tromps out of there.

    The rest of the session is mostly speaking and negotiation with both the curio shop guy and the local Eladrin guard, after which they head out in a new direction, but I've written enough for now.

    Utsanomiko on
    hmm.gif
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    BogartBogart Streetwise Hercules Registered User, Moderator mod
    edited November 2009
    I didn't notice someone had revived this thread, so good job, dude.

    We're about 3/4 through the second Scales of War adventure and have hit a snag. The DM isn't really enjoying the sessions (extra workload and prep and so forth). I sympathise, but could have told him extra work for little thanks was the due of every GM.

    So, it looks like I might be back to GM the group again sooner than I was expecting. Which sort of sucks, really.

    Bogart on
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    UtsanomikoUtsanomiko Bros before Does Rollin' in the thlayRegistered User regular
    edited November 2009
    I was hoping to have an update to continue where I left off, but one of my players wasn't feeling well so we cancelled. Not much point in running a 3-player game with one missing, especially with how tightly-knit ours has been.

    How often do you DMs use voices for NPCs? I invariably try to add some change of mannerism and tone to differentiate any character of note, and go for accents with different races and people 'not from around here'. My logic is that since I'm playing potentially dozens of characters that the players have to interract with and keep track of, I should make them distinguishable by more than name and quick description (which most people don't easily recall). The players only have one character each so all they got to do is roleplay as much as they fell like.

    Utsanomiko on
    hmm.gif
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    REG RyskREG Rysk Lord Rageface Rageington The Exploding ManRegistered User regular
    edited November 2009
    I have a few times used different voices and types of speech, though less than I should. Also, I never speak for my female NPCs, always type out their dialogue unless it's a quick response (and even that is done narratively instead of IC). Talking as a chick is...disturbing...especially if one of the PCs tries to hit on her.

    In my head, each important NPC in the story has a different personality that comes with a different type of speech. One of them is supposed to be a kind of Boston-esque thug, so he uses slang, curses, and says 'Baston' occasionally before walking to his 'cah' on his way to get some 'chowdah'.

    REG Rysk on
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    psycojesterpsycojester Registered User regular
    edited November 2009
    They never even asked me how one would arrange to have knifes set so that they would pierce the loser and not the winner yet still somehow cause significant damage. God bless D&D.

    They used crappy knives and hammer them in through the bottom of the table so that enough of the blade would go clean through the losers hand and give the winner a bit of a cut and a scar as something to remember the match :)

    psycojester on
    [SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]
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    UtsanomikoUtsanomiko Bros before Does Rollin' in the thlayRegistered User regular
    edited November 2009
    You set double-edged daggers into the table on their sides, so they each chop into the loser's arm but they stop more or less at the bone. Still very nasty if you had enough of them.

    Anywho, I was going to include a female character soon (I've recently become aware that every non-monster was invariably some manner of man or dwarf). Definitely no plans to change my pitch, I'll tell you that.

    I may need to limit the number of accents I use, as I tend to drop or even switch them unless I have very short sentences or a script-clear statement to make. If I have to glance at my notes for motivation or backstory I waver mid-sentence like I've got two personalities and then the players start laughing.

    Utsanomiko on
    hmm.gif
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    BogartBogart Streetwise Hercules Registered User, Moderator mod
    edited November 2009
    I do voices for some NPCs, though many fall under the broad category of 'rustic type' and consist of me saying oo arrr a lot. I find ripping off Blackadder voices gives me plenty of variety.

    Bogart on
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    REG RyskREG Rysk Lord Rageface Rageington The Exploding ManRegistered User regular
    edited November 2009
    My DM always does silly voices for his NPCs. Of course he does a silly voice for himself. Silly foreign countries, only America has no accents (see also: incapable of doing good accents themselves)!

    REG Rysk on
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    UtsanomikoUtsanomiko Bros before Does Rollin' in the thlayRegistered User regular
    edited November 2009
    The great thing about fantasy cultures is your shitty Yorkshire accent suddenly becomes a solid impersonation of the dialect of the men from the north. :P

    Utsanomiko on
    hmm.gif
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    Alkey42Alkey42 Registered User regular
    edited November 2009
    I'm taking my second stab this year at DMing for the first time. First time was Keep on the shadowfell went about 8 sessions before we just stopped making plans to meet again.

    Then I was lurking these forums and came across Rainfalls space dragons PBP and it gave me an idea for a new campaign. But I needed a launching point, so I just decided to roll out with KotS again. So I could start playing and have time to flesh out my campaign.

    Problem is I am about at the same place it stopped before. This is a new group except for one person. I think they are getting bored with the dungeon crawling and need more RPing. I am going to try to liven things up a little next session where I think they plan on taking a trip back to town from the keep. I was going to have some townspeople who were secretly converted to the cult kidnap one of the players. Do the whole hidden temple to Orcus in the town. Then remove some of the more crawly parts of the keep.

    After the keep I am working on having the party getting involved in a holy war between two feral semi-intelligent races. One worships the god of spheres, who's soldiers run around on a heavy wooden sphere like a circus bear and controllers wield a grease like spell but drops ball bearings and a lvl appropriate Otiluke's Resilient Sphere. And worshipers of Rubix, the god of cubes. They wield maces with cubes for a business end and their armor is very blocky. The high priest of Rubix 'mounts' an extra large gelatinous cube for a boss fight.

    Course I have to keep my party interested long enough to make it through shadowfell keep.

    Alkey42 on
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    summerycleptsummeryclept Registered User regular
    edited November 2009
    So, does anyone have a GM with a girlfriend and NOT run into the stereotypical shitty situation implied? I'm in that boat, me and the woman have played everything from Vampire: the Masquerade to Poison'd, and it's never been an issue at the table.

    summeryclept on
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    Iron WeaselIron Weasel Dillon! You son of a bitch!Registered User regular
    edited November 2009
    I'm the GM for the game my wife plays in. I avoid accusations of favourtism by being especially mean to her character :P

    Iron Weasel on
    Currently Playing:
    The Division, Warframe (XB1)
    GT: Tanith 6227
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    UtsanomikoUtsanomiko Bros before Does Rollin' in the thlayRegistered User regular
    edited November 2009
    This week my group got together again and we started off with a recap of what we learned and decided to do at the end of last session. Basically I wanted to ensure they remembered the basics and to firmly establish amongst themselves where exactly they were going from here.

    So, the party had paid their curio shop sage to spend several days to look over their recovered treasure. The biggest item of power and mystery has been the inscribed half bracelet, and it's become their conviction that the other half (and thus the full inscription) is not within the Red Cypress monastery but another location. With this in mind, the sage scoured all the new items and books given to him in order to pinpoint relevant information. The resulting evidence revealed that, in the decades following the human uprising/crusade against the Lich Kings, a second lesser-known crusade was fought against four liches who somehow reappeared after the first uprising. This was fought outside of the lands of Omira, with the aid of several foreign powers consisting of isolated mystic orders and magic-users. Without many contemporary references to these groups, the curio shop owner only had a few scraps of info on their possible whereabouts, the more specific ones included the apprentices of the wizard Shermanius (one of which is apparently located near Quantain, Soll) and the Order of a Thousand Stances (residing somewhere in one area of Brynnon).

    The players decided their party would find a caravan to travel with and head west, investigating once they get there. The rest of the session revolved around making arrangements with the caravan, a couple days travel, and an encounter with outlaws on the road. Two things of note with this caravan crew included the mercenary guards, a pair of half-orc brothers named Daerb and Rettub. Our fighter pointed out their names backwards were 'bread & butter' the moment I wrote them down onto paper standups for the encounter. The other was the white duck sitting in the back of their merchant wagon. The Kenku rogue noticed it right after they left town, and decided to say hello to it. The duck replied back, introducing himself as Norman of Berkshire. Norman is in fact a Magic Duck (a custom race I devised a while back and had been itching to establish it in this campaignsetting), and he is serving as the caravan's bookeeper and broker. So the two birds spent a lot of time talking about trade during that trip.

    Now that everyone's focused and settled on their objectives, I think we'll be getting involved in some interesting stuff next session.

    Utsanomiko on
    hmm.gif
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    BogartBogart Streetwise Hercules Registered User, Moderator mod
    edited November 2009
    It's been decided that the guy running Scales of War will finish off this section (Siege of Brindol) and then we'll break for the holidays and go back to my campaign (where they're just about to enter Baldur's gate).

    Good things: I'm looking forward to running Baldur's gate and have a whole bunch of stuff for them to do.
    The arch-enemy I've been setting up (that they've met already and loathe) is hella fun to play and will be regarded locally as a hero, making it difficult for the party to exact vengeance.
    There's a large over-arching plot in the city that should kick things up a gear as they reach paragon levels and make them feel like their actions matter in a wider context in the FR world.

    Bad things: I'm getting really annoyed by one player in particular who constantly, no matter what character he's playing, hoards treasure. Gnome assassin? Ok, he's going to be sneaky, but he makes very little effort to roleplay sneakiness in any other situation. It's just what this guy does no matter who he's playing. It aggravates everyone in the room and he gets chippy when people start treating his character like a douchebag because of it.

    Bogart on
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    BogartBogart Streetwise Hercules Registered User, Moderator mod
    edited January 2010
    So tonight is the first session in the Baldur's Gate game. One player (the lone ladeee in our group) has dropped out and been replaced with a default settings geek, which probably hurts the group as a whole (nothing worse than a pack of geeks hurf durfing as a combined unit) but what can you do? Writing her out is going to be a bit tricky, as her character was married to her boyfriends character, but hey ho.

    However, introducing the new character gives me the opportunity to dangle one of the plotlines in front of them fairly early on (he's a rogue and will introduce them to the power struggle in the thieves guild that's going on) so it's swings and roundabouts. I think the sessions will be a little heavier on RP than before, as they'll be chasing all over the city and I think eager to direct their own course from now on. The good thing about having an adventure in a big city with lots of plotlines is that if they get bored of one or hit a dead end they can jump tracks and chase up another one.

    They'll have: a power struggle in the thieves guild, a trip to Candlekeep to do some vital campaign research, the over-arcing plot to seize control of the city by an ambitious noble, a missing gnome scientist, mysterious murders of influential merchants, smuggling via airship, a secret passage to the underdark and general personal quests that will be running (bodyguarding, restoring a temple to its former glory, communing with their deity, whatever) alongside the main one and my personal favourite, killing the most popular man in the city who the party know but cannot prove is a murderous douchebag.

    Bogart on
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    BogartBogart Streetwise Hercules Registered User, Moderator mod
    edited January 2010
    Hmmm. That went OK, but I'll be goldurned if one guy's passive-aggressive nonsense isn't starting to get on my wick. When in a new city and you've been found standing over the dead bodies of seven dudes getting all shirty with the Flaming Fist about how they should 'be grateful we killed these guys' is not the way to go. Saying 'try it' when they threaten you with a night in the cells is also a bad move. Sulking afterwards is merely the cherry on the cake.

    Bogart on
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    KayKay What we need... Is a little bit of PANIC.Registered User regular
    edited January 2010
    Let's hope that he learns something from his mistakes, then.

    We had a one-shot campaign to introduce some players to the game over the holidays, that seemed to go quite well. The ever-cheerful Avenger ("I'm here to send you into Death! The Raven Queen has told me that it's your time to die! Hurrah!") was fairly amusing, as was his complete lack of missing, ever. Pursuing Avenger powers are pretty good for making sure it's All Oath of Emnity, All The Time, and Elves just seem to be made for the role with their 'ignore difficult terrain while shifting' racial power. And the sheer number of crits the guy rolled...

    I think it was pretty successful, considering that the two new players had never played a pen-and-paper RPG of any kind.

    Kay on
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    streeverstreever Registered User regular
    edited January 2010
    bogart you are truly british :D I had to re-read your post a few times because the britishisms were throwing me. Goldturned! getting all shirty! get on my wick! I love it. Bravo good sir. Bravo to you, for being BRITISH :)

    streever on
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    BogartBogart Streetwise Hercules Registered User, Moderator mod
    edited February 2010
    So we've had another couple of sessions and I'm finding that although they've progressed a couple of the major plot points most of the party seem to be uninterested in investigating the background stuff. Which is annoying, but understandable in a way, because combat is the central plank of D&D 4E and if you get used to everything slotting around it you start to think you don't need to bother making an effort in any other department.

    It's like the second they have to choose a way forward in the giant sandbox I've built they're struck dumb. If I railroad them down one particular path they're fine because they know they'll be some combat coming, but their ability to follow any of the leads I've given them is pretty woeful. They've just spent two sessions in Candlekeep trying to solve a murder mystery and bar one guy everyone just froze when it came to deciding how to proceed.

    I have also given them a Burr puzzle to reconstruct as the 'key' to one of the major dungeons and none of them has been able to do it yet.

    Bogart on
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    MaticoreMaticore A Will To Power Registered User regular
    edited February 2010
    Bogart wrote: »
    So we've had another couple of sessions and I'm finding that although they've progressed a couple of the major plot points most of the party seem to be uninterested in investigating the background stuff. Which is annoying, but understandable in a way, because combat is the central plank of D&D 4E and if you get used to everything slotting around it you start to think you don't need to bother making an effort in any other department.

    It's like the second they have to choose a way forward in the giant sandbox I've built they're struck dumb. If I railroad them down one particular path they're fine because they know they'll be some combat coming, but their ability to follow any of the leads I've given them is pretty woeful. They've just spent two sessions in Candlekeep trying to solve a murder mystery and bar one guy everyone just froze when it came to deciding how to proceed.

    This is always the danger of sandbox sections to an otherwise straightforward and traditional campaign. Do your best to remind them, if they get stalemated, of the other hooks out there. Either have an NPC do it or place clues in the environment - obvious ones - that lead to other sections. You may have to have players make skill checks for characters to notice things.

    Essentially, when they do this, it is your responsibility to move them forward - not their own.
    Bogart wrote: »
    I have also given them a Burr puzzle to reconstruct as the 'key' to one of the major dungeons and none of them has been able to do it yet.

    Ouch, yeah, this is why I avoid real-life puzzles for games. There's always the likelihood that the guy playing the 18 intelligence wizard never went to college and has no chance at the puzzle, and that the guy playing the 8 intelligence barbarian is great at puzzles. If there's an exceptional intelligence character, perhaps give that player some hints with a successful check?

    Maticore on
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    mightyspacepopemightyspacepope Registered User regular
    edited February 2010
    It might also be a good idea to use some of the collaborative world building stuff they talk about in the DMG2. I know you said you're playing in BG, but there's got to be elements of the setting you could let them define.

    It might get them more personally involved in the game.

    mightyspacepope on
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    BogartBogart Streetwise Hercules Registered User, Moderator mod
    edited February 2010
    Maticore wrote: »
    Bogart wrote: »
    So we've had another couple of sessions and I'm finding that although they've progressed a couple of the major plot points most of the party seem to be uninterested in investigating the background stuff. Which is annoying, but understandable in a way, because combat is the central plank of D&D 4E and if you get used to everything slotting around it you start to think you don't need to bother making an effort in any other department.

    It's like the second they have to choose a way forward in the giant sandbox I've built they're struck dumb. If I railroad them down one particular path they're fine because they know they'll be some combat coming, but their ability to follow any of the leads I've given them is pretty woeful. They've just spent two sessions in Candlekeep trying to solve a murder mystery and bar one guy everyone just froze when it came to deciding how to proceed.

    This is always the danger of sandbox sections to an otherwise straightforward and traditional campaign. Do your best to remind them, if they get stalemated, of the other hooks out there. Either have an NPC do it or place clues in the environment - obvious ones - that lead to other sections. You may have to have players make skill checks for characters to notice things.

    Essentially, when they do this, it is your responsibility to move them forward - not their own.
    Bogart wrote: »
    I have also given them a Burr puzzle to reconstruct as the 'key' to one of the major dungeons and none of them has been able to do it yet.

    Ouch, yeah, this is why I avoid real-life puzzles for games. There's always the likelihood that the guy playing the 18 intelligence wizard never went to college and has no chance at the puzzle, and that the guy playing the 8 intelligence barbarian is great at puzzles. If there's an exceptional intelligence character, perhaps give that player some hints with a successful check?

    They had several hints but to no avail. Until tonight, that is, when the guy playing the barbarian solved it.

    Bogart on
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    Zombie HeroZombie Hero Registered User regular
    edited February 2010
    I was in a 4e Game, thunderspire, where the DM finally got tired of 4e. He decided that once we got there, the entire keep would come rushing at us. The virtue of cunning bard i played was good times, too. :(

    Now we play 3.5, which i find boring. It has been stated that 4e again is not an option. I'm not sure whether to find a new group or stick with the current group, where i have friends.

    Zombie Hero on
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    SkyCaptainSkyCaptain IndianaRegistered User regular
    edited February 2010
    See if everyone else other than the DM wants to play 4e and one of you run instead.

    SkyCaptain on
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    MaticoreMaticore A Will To Power Registered User regular
    edited February 2010
    Bogart wrote: »
    They had several hints but to no avail. Until tonight, that is, when the guy playing the barbarian solved it.

    You may have to make your hints fantastically obvious, then, in the future. Sherlock Holmes your players are not.

    Maticore on
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    Zombie HeroZombie Hero Registered User regular
    edited February 2010
    SkyCaptain wrote: »
    See if everyone else other than the DM wants to play 4e and one of you run instead.

    Apparently, I'm the only one who favors 4e. Two of the guys are impartial, and two of the guys (including DM) absolutely loathe 4e. Maybe I'll drop out and do one of these PBP games.

    Zombie Hero on
    Steam
    Nintendo ID: Pastalonius
    Smite\LoL:Gremlidin \ WoW & Overwatch & Hots: Gremlidin#1734
    3ds: 3282-2248-0453
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