Behind the Screen: Let's go that Way!

It’s a week before your next game and you come up with a brilliant idea.  You plan out all the details.  The encounters are clever and mind bending.   The NPC’s are hand crafted to the point that they have more detail to them than some of the PC’s.  Situations lend themselves to the adventuring parties’ strengths and weaknesses... 

 Game day comes, you have the table set. The adventurers stand at the mouth of the cave.
“Let’s head back to town, I want to pick up some more parchment and ink.”

“Yeah, I need some supplies too.  OH! And we can catch a ship north.  Isn’t there supposed to be a sunken castle or something up there?” 
“Cool, let’s go.”
Then a lightning bolt comes out of the sky and strikes all of the adventurers dead on the spot….

If you’ve ran a tabletop game you know that Players, unfortunately, have minds of their own.  And situations like this pop up more frequently than most DM’s would care to admit.  Maybe not the stray lightning bolt from a clear sky, but all of the hard work, all of the intricate planning is put back in its folder and slid away in a drawer because the players decided to go a different rout.   

Enter the random encounter.  Stock monsters from the monsters manual, pre generated NPC’s from the book, or just faffing about shopping in town. 

Well…kinda. 
When ever I plan an adventure I also plan for the players to NOT go on the adventure. 

Generic Encounters

One thing I’ve put together for myself is the book of “Generic” encounters. These encounters are generic enough that they can be put into any setting but still give a little spice while the group is on the road, in town, or just to buy myself a little bit of time to set up the next encounter. 

 It doesn’t take a whole lot to put one of these notebooks together for yourself, but they can be invaluable when in a tight spot.  Each entry is just a couple of sentences, a roll or two, and a loose set of stats for NPC’s that might be needed. 

A trader on the road stops the group to try and sell them copper buttons and second hand traveling supplies.  He has a slave hidden in his wagon for a local land baron.
Sense Motive check to see that the trader is hiding something
Nome the Trader : HP 6, Blows his nose a lot.
Slave: Dehydrated and bloody cuts from ropes at Wrists and Ankles

Or

A fox has its leg caught in a bear trap.
Fox: 3 HP

Trap: STR 15 to open

As I continue this blog I’ll try to have a generic encounter to close out most posts.  Or if you have ideas for quick and easy generic encounters that isn’t the stock monster or bandits on the road situations feel free to put it in the comments.

Also, look for more on how to deal with Avoided Adventures in the future. =oD

Behind the Screen: You Miss....

“You miss.”

Two of the least interesting words that can be uttered by a Game Master. 

      When running a game it is the responsibility of the GM, DM, Story teller, what ever you want to call them, to facilitate an engaging stories and exciting adventures.  It’s apparent to any player that they missed a skill check, or missed with the swing of a sword, or missed with a gun shot, but what isn’t always apparent is HOW they missed. 

     Regardless of system there is always a target roll to hit or miss and the closer a players’ roll is to this number the more spectacular a miss can be.  After all, just because someone didn’t deal damage, it doesn’t necessarily mean they “missed”.  When fighting creatures with thick hide or a soldier with thick armor a “miss” is often a hit that didn’t deal damage. 

     There is, in fact, a combat session that has gone down in history as one of the best just because of such color.  Both sides, goblins and heroes, were rolling poorly and the deciding factor came down to a critical fumble taken advantage of with smart decisions on the part of the players.  But the whole combat was nearly an hour of “You Missed” that had everyone laughing and trying again just to see what would happen!

“Your arm jolts from the swords impact on his shield and sparks fly, but it bounces ineffectually off of his shoulder plate.”

Or
“Chips of stone fly and dust puffs into the air as your bullets riddle the wall just next to their head.”
Or
“You can feel the tumbler in the lock starting to give before it snaps back into place”
Or
“After nearly an hour of studying the book some of the concepts still seem foreign but they are starting to make sense.”

A little color to the “you missed” can do a lot for the moral of a player whose character may not be suited to the situation they might find themselves in or the player that is rolling poorly.  Some players even try for the one in a million rolls because if they succeed it will be cool but failing can still be fun and interesting. 

Character Building: I want to do that!

Some game systems are fairly lenient on what skill set you can select for a given character.  Others are much more ridged.   For the purposes of this article I’ll focus on Dungeons and Dragons.  Both 4^th and 3^rd editions have caused me more headaches, both as a player and DM, when it came to skill selection than other systems. 

            What head ache you ask?  The question of players wanting their character to have a certain skill or ability but it’s a “cross class skill” or is comes from another class.
           The first thing to understand about published game systems and modules is that skill and ability selection have been played and tested so that they are, hopefully, balanced with the rest of the game classes, monsters, and encounters.

Story Trumps Rules

            Let us say a fighter, as a young person, worked as an apprentice in a print shop and learned the ins and outs of printing, pressing, and creating documents but was then fired because they were using this knowledge to create fake invitations to royal parties, or writes of property.  Then, after being fired the fighter ends up on the street and becomes a thug really learning a tough life, thus earning the class of fighter.  However, part of what the fighter did to make ends meet, was to take this knowledge of printing and forgery to work as a doorman at certain events catching people that were using forged invites, writes and the like in the same schemes he was facilitating as a youth.  Does it really seem like Forgery would not be in this characters skill set?  Or a cross class skill at that? 

And there in lies the rub.  From a GM stand point, if a player offers a plausible portion of back story for their character and is willing to spend their meager supply of skill points in the case of a fighter on something that isn’t normally in a fighters skill set  Why should they be penalized for that?   

          Something to take into consideration as both a DM and a Player you do need to is balance.  Ultimately it’s the responsibility of the one running the game to make the determination about a change being requested. Is it within the balance of the game system? With the rest of the group?  With monsters or enemies that they might encounter?    
            Skills within the D&D realm are pretty easy to swap out without out too many concerns for balance.  If a character would like a skill as a class skill that would not normally be it is easy to trade with one that is. However, when swapping out things like Class abilities it may get a little tricky. This is when you should ask a few questions both before making the selection or allowing it as a DM.

1.  Is the Ability within the same ability level of the character?

2.   What is the player giving up in order for their character to have this new ability? 

This can help with the first question a bit. Usually when a player would like their character to have an ability that is normally associated with another class they will have to give up something their class would normally have at the same level. 

3. Where does it come from? 

Even if another class gains ability at the same level there may be other things that class does not have to compensate for the power associated with a given ability it.  Spell casting, Turning undead, Back Stabbing, Free Feats.  All have different levels of usefulness and balance issues that come with them.  So as the GM make sure you understand the full extent of the requested ability before agreeing to a character having it. 

4. Will it need limited?

Say a rogue wants to Have Turn Undead in exchange for their backstab ability?  Assuming the player has a plausible and well thought out story reason for this of course. Since the rogue does not have ranks in cleric the ability will be limited to begin with.  So do you leave it at the weaker form or,  like the ability it’s being traded for, will it become stronger as the character levels up? 

In the end, the biggest piece of advice I can offer when allowing characters to swap abilities or skills in any game system is: Be familiar enough with the system enough that you can recognize balance issues and address them.

And remember, multiclassing is  almost always an option. 

Table Top Accssories : Mini Rant

One thing that is not necessarily required, but often fun even if they aren’t used on the table is minis(or miniatures if you prefer)! They help you and other players get an idea of what your character, monster, or any other permeable set piece looks like.  Minis can also help clear up rule arguments in regards to distance (if they are to scale with everything else), location, and what exactly is a viable target in combat.    

The only downside to minis that I have found around the table is Metagaming.  One Players character spots an inbound motorcycle coming down the road so I place the motorcycle on the game map showing where it is.  Another Players turn  comes up and they say. “I scan the motorcycle for military markings.”  I then have to remind the 2^nd player that their character is currently engaged in a fire fight with enemy troops and that the 1^st Player did not let anyone else know what they saw.  This is just one example of a situation that arises in most games where minis are used. . 

Let’s face it, when people think of table top RPG’s it’s always the fantasy games people think of first which seems to be true of companies that make minis as well.  Sure, if you want to play Warhammer or a Star Wars you’ll have plenty of choices at your local game store, but what about older or more fringe games? 

Toy Store!! 

          The awesome thing about Sci-Fi games is that you can find tons of cool space ships, robots, cars, trucks, and anything else you can think of at a toy store.   Need cars? Matchbox and Hotwheels have got you covered.  For both real world, concept, and crazy off the wall things.  The only real issue I’ve had with these little cars for gaming is finding people sized minis to go along next to them. So, I’ll often used flat tokens or coins to show where a character is in relation to the vehicles. 

How big is big? 

     Trying to figure out the scale from one toy to the next is a bit of a hassle when not all of them give a scale ratio.  What I tend to do, especially when trying to keep robots and other strange craft to scale with one another, is look at the cockpits.  Typically a cockpit is meant to hold a 5 to 7 foot pilot with a little bit of wiggle room.  Comparing cockpits and cabins for scale will work with most anything that you can see inside of.

You can also ignore this.  Say you find a robot that is meant to be 50 feet tall, but want to use it for a characters personal power armor.  It’s easy to do as long as you determine how tall it should be.  After all, you’re playing a game of imagination so tap into your inner child and figure out how big it “really” is.   You’ll be surprised at just how many things you can find that are “in scale” with one another once you start looking outside of the hobby shop. 

           

Not on the Table

            Maybe a player finds something that is “exactly” what they are supposed to be using.  Cool, but it’s way to big or small to be in scale with the rest of the figures on the table.  They can still use it but you, or they, will need to find a place holder for the table.  Then use the mini that you or another player might have to help show where damage has occurred and to get a better since of what people will be aiming at. 

Place Holders

            Can’t find a proper mini for the table?  Place Holders. 

Cardboard boxes: They are great for vehicles. You can then put character minis, equipment lists, and even stats sheets in them to help keep track of what they carry.  If you’re feeling really crafty you can always carve those same card board boxes up to make a better representation of what ever craft you’re looking at. 

            Clay and Putty are awesome, malleable, and easily resized to fit your needs in regards to shape and scale.

            Game pieces are great for any setting. Chess pieces, checkers, dominos.  You can often find bags of these loose pieces at thrifts stores. 

            Rocks: Bags of rocks and stones from a craft store, or even a nifty one out of the garden.  Just be careful the game doesn’t become too heated and people start throwing them.  

            And as always, use you’re imagination!

           

I know a lot of this might be common sense to the more seasoned gamers out there. Though, keep in mind,  what we veterans take for granted as common sense might be a revelation for you to pass on to new players.   

Behind the Screen: Mood Music

      Be it a big budget movie or the latest adventure video game you may have noticed the music playing in the background.  Emphasizing tense moments, rousing the blood during action packed scenes, or pulling tears from your eyes during a touching moment; music can help highlight the emotional content of a scene and pull the audience further into the story telling of a given presentation. 

            I know for some of the more experienced gamers out there this is not a new concept and everyone knows the old stereo type of the pimple faced kids playing D&D and listening to Led Zeppelin in their mom’s basement.  But in this post we’ll talk about some do’s and don’ts as well as some things that have helped players and GM’s become just a little more immersed in the game.

Soundtrack v.s. Score

            This one is both a pet peeve for me as an audiophile and something that will hopefully help you find the music you’re looking for the next time you run a game. 

~Score:

The music composed for a movie, television show or game that is used as mood setting for a scene.  Characters on screen, unless the 4^th wall is being broken, are not aware of the score.
 

~Soundtrack:

All of the music, sound effects, and dialogue that you hear in a movie or game. The Score is PART of the sound track

~Motion Picture, Video Game, and Television Sound Tracks found at the store:

            These are typically composed of tie in and publicity songs for a movie, game, or show. Sometimes you might hear one of these songs on the radio in the background of a movie or game.  Every now and then a song on a “Sound Track”, usually for the credits, an opening, or montage, is legitimately part of the Score.  Though more often than not A Sound Track you buy is part of the advertising scheme and many of the songs are never heard in association with the film or game except for on the Sound Track

Now that that rant is out of the way on to more relevant topics.

Plan Ahead

            Just like when putting together encounters, NPC’s, fights, and locations for a game before hand it is always a good idea to plan the music.  Either by building a single play list or several it will help maintain the mood you might be going for.  There’s nothing more distracting than being in the middle of a tense situation and having weird all Yankovich pop on and blowing the carefully crafted mood. 
            Another solid reason to have a play list built ahead of time is for pacing.  Maybe you only have a certain amount of time for a game session and want to make sure you work in certain events.  With a pre built play list you can give yourself audio cues for when to start an important encounter or when it’s time to start wrapping up.   

Known v.s. Unkown

            When picking your music conscience of how musically aware your players might be.  Having a well known theme song like Vaders Imperial March come on when your bad guy enters the arena could incite laughter and a slew of jokes, star wars references, and tangents.  If it’s the comedic effect you’re going for, by all means, but be aware of how your players might react.  Usually, however, you want your music to blend into the background and help set the mood of a moment not over shadow it.  In this regard if you are using songs or tracks from well known sources then try to stick to the more obscure, or B-Sides of an album.

Where to find music

            Music as a whole is rich with sources and songs that can help set the mood you’re looking for.  Classical music is always good for background playing, as are movie scores.  But where do you find this stuff?  Music stores work for the more contemporary and mainstream, websites like YouTube for the more obscure and public domain.  The best place I’ve found though is the Library.  Most places that have a public library, and more importantly a library with an AV section will find it rich with little known music that can help transform your game into something deep and immersive. Which, for a gamer looking to find a musical score or stirring concerto that isn’t from the latest Hollywood blockbuster or publicized video game release, this is usually the place to go. 

Don’t be afraid to Loop

            Maybe combat is running a little longer than expected or that quick shopping trip for supplies has turned into a full on Macy’s shopping spree.  What ever the reason you might have to stall before letting your play list roll into the combat or creepy dungeon music, looping isn’t a necessarily a bad thing.  Yeah, it’s annoying if you have the latest pop hit playing over and over in the back ground, but some of the best video games have looping music.  MMO’s and other video game RPG’s have music specifically designed for looping so that it blends smoothly from finish to start and is constructed so that listeners do not readily notice that they’ve been listening to the same minute and 30 second song for the past 3 hours.  RPG games from the 90’s are a treasure trove for music of just this music.  Just be cautious with some of the Final Fantasy fanfares or suffer the wrath of tangent talk. 

           

Think outside the Genre

            In regards to fantasy movie music there are a lot of very epic, very well known fantasy scores floating around out there.   Lord of the Rings music and Harry Potter being two of the most recognizable.  Fans of the genre will with out fail pick out the music from these films and others like them.  Granted, there are some groups out there, like “the Midnight Syndicate” who make music just for role playing games. 
          Rousing battle music?  Try music from a movie about the American Civil War.  Somber and dreary?  Try the Dramas.  If you’re trying to set a mood, find movies that set the tone you’re looking for and see if it has a score available.
          Finding music to set a certain tone is especially easy to do if you’re trying to emulate a specific time.  It’s reasonably easy to find original recordings from the 1920’s thru current times.  And often, modern recordings of older, historical, music can be found under the labels of classical or folk.    

Last Bit

            If you are indeed running a Star Wars game or a Lord of the Rings game then don’t be afraid to use the music.  After all, the Imperial March is very appropriate if a squad of Storm Troopers is chasing your players through the dusty streets of Mos Eisly.

            Don’t be afraid to experiment with what works best for you and the group that you’re running games for , and most importantly: Have fun.

The Anatomy of Combat: Alternate Initiative Part 1

A big question in any role playing combat situation is: “When is it my turn?” 

     Classically this is decided by a die roll of some fashion.  Typically with a d20 where the highest roll goes first, then the next highest, and so on.  This works when dealing with an adventuring party of 3 or 4 adventurers and a GM or DM with a single monster or a small group of similar monsters.  This system, though still viable finds itself falling apart from time to time when dealing with larger groups of both baddies and players.  Today I’ll focus on one method I use with particularly rowdy groups and larger groups of players.

~The round table method

     Who goes first can be figured out with the die roll appropriate for the system taking into account all applicable bonuses. But rather than going in what ever random order the dice might determine I’ll go around the table starting with the highest role. To the left or right it’s up to the person running the game.
     As the person running the game you will often find yourself rolling for both allies and adversaries to the players.  Roll for each character or monster then determine if your highest roll was for an NPC working with the party or an adversary.  If an Adversary ends up with the highest roll then have all adversaries go first and then the party, then the ally.  Reverse it if the ally ended up with higher roll

Pros:

            Each player knows who they will be following in combat as each round passes and the stall in a game that comes from a player saying “I didn’t know it was my turn” is essentially removed. 
            From the standpoint of running the game it gives you the opportunity to plan coordinated surprise attacks.  Sometimes players might assume that one of the baddies has not held their action and will walk right into a trap.  You, running the game, can simply turn to the next person and save time that would be needed to list each persons turn.

Cons:

            Moving enemies in mass can alert players to your plans more easily than moving them in intervals.   
            If a player is sitting on the wrong side of a player with high initiative bonuses they could be consistently going last.

Looking Forward

To give this blog a bit of structure, and to make it easy to reference for both myself and those that might find these rantings useful, I’ll be posting articles under headings that will deal with different aspects of running and playing a table top rpg.  One thing that I’ve learned over the years is that no mater the game system or setting there are similarities across the board.   

~The Anatomy of Combat

Whether you use miniatures, spoken word, hand drawn maps, or a combination of these and other methods to figure out the intricacies combat in your game, combat in an RPG is almost always a given.  These mini articles will focus on different aspects of combat that are fairly universal in most game systems. 

~Magic and You

Magic: Probably one of the most convoluted, subjective, and controversial issues on or off the table. Convoluted because there are so many different rule sets from system to system.  Different types of magic within the same system or setting.  Subjective: because each system and setting present magic from varying perspectives. Controversial: because of all of the superstitions idiology that can surround magic and anything to do with the word.

                                                                  *Disclaimer* 

Please keep in mind that when I speak of magic in this blog or anywhere else within the context of Role Playing I am viewing it as vehicle for fantastical and FICTIONAL story telling.   

~Technobable

Most things under this heading will deal with Science Fiction, technology, and how to apply it and handle it in the table top arena.  Granted most Sci-Fi game systems have rules for how everything works. Many of those same rpg systems may be out of date in terms of what “future technology” is or might be.  Expect Tech notes on current tech and science, as well as tips on adapting technologies from one system to another and answering questions like “How many d6 damage will and exploding star do to an imperial class star cruiser?” 

~Behind the Screen

Anecdotes about some of the far out things that might happen when running a game, addressing house rules, and ideas for making a game more immersive. 

~Character Building

Notes, ideas, and tips on developing characters and their back-stories.  Help addressing balance issues in regards to story, party, and game system.   And of course things that players do that both help and hinder games sessions and the people that run them.


If you have questions on these or other topics feel free to post them in the comments section or e-mail me and I'll try to address them in future posts.