Category Archives: RPGs

RPGs

Designing Tables

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In my Friday Twitch stream where I share my work in progress for building a campaign world that is an ocean world with archipelagos instead of continental landmasses. I’ve created a list of different kinds of RPG related tables in my research notes.

I decided to chare the lists of types of tables here.

I know I have other posts on tables and will try to gather them in links from this post.

Types of Tables

The AnyDice web site is used to see distribution and odds of different numbers and combinations of dice. Depends on type of table desired and type of results one is after and if certain weights/commonality of occurrence is needed. AnyDice is great for seeing what different types, number, and combinations of dice generate. The different curves and weights help you determine what things on the table should be more frequent and those more rare. For example, a random encounter for a dragon should be one of the rare possibilities unless the world is filled with dragons flying about.

One cool thing about AnyDice is that you can create links to the rolls you give it so you don’t have to type them next time.

Example showing 3d4, 3d6, and 3d8.

Example showing 3d6 vs. 3d8.

The great thing about building your own tables is not only setting the degree of how often a certain result may occur, but actually populating the table with the items and categories that make the most sense for your vision of the world, nation, or dungeon your are building or populating. They can be used for creation, exploration, and interaction with the world or setting you make.

Telecanter has a post on different types of tables.

Applied Phantasticality has a table of random tables and a random table generator using all the dice.

xDn Tables

Where x is number of dice, D or d indicates die, and n is the number of sides on a die. So 2d6 is 2 six-sided dice, which generates a range of 2-12.

In OD&D, Basic D&D and many retro clones, 2d6 is used for reaction roles.

These types of tables use one or more of the standard dice:
d4, d6, d8, d10, d12, d20, d100/d%

Or any of the various other die types out there, like the odd numbered dice from DCC, d30, d1000, etc.

A common role in many RPGs is 3d6 for abilities.

Mixed Die Tables

These tables use different type of dice in a way similar to xDn tables. Such as 1d6 & 1d8 for 2-14. or 1d4, 1d6, & 1d8 together generates 3-18 just like 3d6.

All the Dice Tables

A set of tables where 1 of each type of die is rolled, such as 1d4, 1d6, 1d8, 1d10, 1d12, 1d20. One roll of all these dice could be used on a set of tables on one page for generating an NPC, or random creature, or a dragon, etc.

I have a category: All The Dice Tables/Generators

And an article All The Dice Tables/Generators.

Nested Tables

Tables that “drill down” into sub tables to get their result.

Welsh Piper has some good examples of Nested Encounter Tables.

Dynamic Tables

Welsh Piper has some good examples of Dynamic Encounter Tables.

Dice Drop Tables

Table on a printed sheet designed for dropping dice on it to generate results. Examples?

Category: Dice Drop Generators

Article Dice Drop Generators.

They have been used most commonly for generating maps of worlds, cities, or dungeons (Dellorfano Protocols).

Dyson Logo’s blog has examples of Die Drop Tables for generating loot and wandering monsters.

Hexflowers

For navigation or generation of maps, islands, archipelagos, dragons, ships, cargo, wagon trains, camel(beast) trains, caravans, encounters, etc.

The idea of hexflowers is simple, yet powerful in their versatility. Goblinshenchman has done a lot to make them more popular and even collected some interesting hexflowers he found across the web.

What Did I Miss?

There are probably many different types of tables or ways to build tables for RPGs that I either forgot to include or I am not aware of. Please respond with a link to examples on blogs, etc. So I and other readers can add them to our toolbox.

Categories: Generator & Generators Tables

Island Monster Island Monster Placement OPDC OSR Converters OSR Rosetta Stone PKM ?? Point Crawl Simplification Solo RPG Tools

RPGs

New Project/Reviving Patreon

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I’ve been side tracked from gaming for too long. Work and other things have left me no energy and no enthusiasm for working on any of my various game related endeavors whether it’s my home campaign, this blog, YouTube, my podcast, or planning the next scenario to run at conventions.

I’m working on an idea that’s been rattling around my skull for a couple of years. I’ve had one initial start on it and did another brain dump about it trying to wrap my head around a nebulous idea for my next adventure for UCon in November.

I took a notebook out for a super late lunch as I finally had enough uninterrupted time to knock off a backlog of issues at work. I made notes about my idea and it is something that others may find useful and will help me with future planning.

What the Heck is This Idea? You buried the lede, again….

I have an idea for a campaign framework/builder that will both help me tie together the bulk of the fantasy scenarios I’ve run at cons and be a potential product to put up on DriveThruRPG.

The campaign world idea is for an ocean world with many archipelagos containing islands of all size. It would show some specifics of the general ideas in my World Building Cheat Sheet, with tables for generating various archipelagos and the islands they contain. The campaign world idea would be something to locate my adventures I run at cons and eventually put on DriveThruRPG. The generators would enable others to tweak the setting I create or make their own setting.

I could even expand the framework/builder to cover building any type of world, but that is beyond the original scope.

This idea will also contain a mini campaign I ran on Roll20 for about a dozen sessions and other ideas that don’t fit into my home campaign. I even have an idea for how to work in a West Marches campaign idea I want to run.

But you’ve said in the past that you have an idea and it never materializes

True, but it hit me how I can make this actually happen. If I make a commitment to an actual schedule, I can make it happen. For the Wednesday night Roll20 game I play in we are on the 3rd campaign since March, 2014. I was the only player to make every game of the first campaign. I had to drop out of the second campaign after about a dozen sessions for a family issue, but came back for the last dozen sessions. For the current campaign, I was on track to make every session, but about 6 weeks ago, work left me with a killer headache, so I missed one session.

I will commit to once a week, ever Friday night to stream on Twitch from 8:00 PM to 10:00 PM Eastern to share my work as I transcribe scribbled notes, build tables, and develop ideas as I work my convention scenarios into this world. I will start tonight (Friday, August 8, 2025 as close to 8pm Eastern as possible.)

These scenarios already exist in a nebulous “convention world” in my mind. In my mind’s eye I can see how they can each fit into one or more of the archipelagos I envision for this more organized campaign world.

In addition to Twitch streaming, I will post updates and actual PDFs for Patrons on Patreon. I will also blog about progress and eventual PDFs on DriveThruRPG. This will also lead to something on YouTube and my podcast.

But what about the card game?

I know that the card game has been dragging on. I got a fantastic layout for the cards, but now it far exceeds the art I have. I don’t want to use AI as many I know would not buy it if I did, let alone I don’t support AI for what it has done to the artists it stole from. Unless there is an ethical AI trained on public domain art and public domain text, I will have no part in it.

So the search is on for an artist. Any artists who want to do art for my card game can hit me up. There are 40 unique card types, so I need 40 pieces of art.

I have funds set aside to pay, it just depends on how much it costs. This will control how quickly I can release the game. Ideally, I’d love to have it available at Gary Con in March, 2026. But anytime sooner is better.

There is a possibility of some form of crowdfunding, but details are forthcoming.

If I am active online in some game development capacity, I am more likely to get traction on locating an artist to do this art. It needs to be color art that matches the look and feel of the layout I have. It is powerful and really does something for the game. That is one skill I do not have.

If you are an artist or know an artist who might be interested, please contact me.

Why is it different this time?

My day job has used up too much of my time, creativity, and patience. I got a great raise and some new responsibilities this year. I am now the team lead, but my team, and me have been jerked around by the whims of the corporate life of a publicly traded company.

My desire it to retire at the end of 2026, but it depends on a few factors. I’ll be 62, the minimum age to draw Social Security. However, my house isn’t paid for and I have some other debt. If I can clear my other debt, I think I can still manage my house payment. Worse case scenario, I’d either have to sell my house – then try to figure out where the heck I’d live. Or I’d have to keep working another year or two.

I’m tired of using up all my mental and creative energy solving constant problems at work. It has been made clear to me that continuing to do so will not reward me with more time to game or express my creative ideas, so I am putting a stop to giving too much to the day job.

One thing I have considered it getting a second job to clear my debts, etc.

But then it hit me, I have an LLC I created for Follow Me, And Die! Entertainment, LLC. Why not see what I can do to both have more time with my hobby and make some money. At a minimum, I can actually do something about sharing the many ideas I have for the game. If I can make a little money, even better.

So What’s The Schedule for This?

I will commit to every Friday on Twitch from 8:00 PM to 10:00 PM Eastern. I may to longer, or start sooner, or stream on additional days. I will announce if circumstances require me to miss a Friday.

This starts tonight for the first session. It will be disorganized for this first session, but I don’t want to lose momentum. I have less than an hour to post this, announce it across my socials, and locate my initial types notes to transcribe my notes I made at the restaurant.

So come join me! I welcome an opportunity to share ideas and answer questions.

Cards, RPGs

Gary Con XVII

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I attended Gary Con this year. Last year, I was supposed to go, but something came up and I had to cancel.

This year, I ran a scenario I created called The Hoard of the Great Mage: Search For The Dice of Destiny. I first ran this at UCon back in November, 2024.

Here’s the blurb:

The Great Mage has died and the city council’s last group of adventurers finally secured the entrance to the mage’s tower. Your group is tasked to enter the tower of the Great Mage and retrieve the fabled Dice of Destiny. Any other loot found is your payment.

It was a lot of fun, and of course, every group that has played this scenario had different things they focused on.

Like most of my more recent convention games, I used Delving Deeper. I describe it as a clone of Original D&D, but organized. The older I get, the more I like simpler rules that get out of the way of make believe.

I ran my game each morning: Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.

Thursday had 3 players that played my scenario from two years ago, and it was great to game with them again.

Thursday’s Game with a group from 2 years ago.

Friday a man and his partner showed up. She looked like she didn’t have anything to do, so I invited her to play. Two men walked by and we looking at all the various games. I asked if they were looking for a game. They asked how long it took. I told them the end of the time slot, and they joined in. It turns out that they are from Germany and in the game industry and were at the convention on business. One said that in the 20 years they’ve been coming to conventions in the U.S. this was the first time they had gamed. They had no dice or writing implements, so I gave them each a set of the extra dice I bring, just in case. They were a lot of fun in the game and really enjoyed it.

Friday’s Game

Saturday’s game had an older gentleman who has been playing longer than I have, and another middle aged man, and a man and his girlfriend. She had only played one on one RPGs with him, most recently OSE. This was both her first convention game AND her first game with multiple players. Later she and her boyfriend played my card game. When I complained about how all that’s left before it can go out is layout and how much I suck at layout, she said, “Well, I am a graphic designer.” She said she’d email me to work out details. So I am hopeful that this card game I’ve been working on for seven years will finally be available to the masses.

Saturday’s Game

Sunday’s game was sold out with a waiting list. However, not all players showed up. Again, it was a blast, and was so much fun. I didn’t remember to get a picture until after one player left, as his character ended up teleported far away, and there was nothing for him to do. In prior games, the time slot was about over when something like that occurred, but they skipped some things and made good decisions that got them to the end with over an hour left in the time slot. He said he did have fun and that’s the way the game goes sometimes. He just could go fit in something else for the day.

Sunday’s Game

I had a great time. I didn’t see quite as many friends as in past years, but it was great to catch up with old friends and to make some new ones.

I didn’t end up in the hotel that hosts the convention, so I had to deal with parking. It was packed by the time I got there the first morning, so the other mornings I got there earlier and got parking much closer to the entrance.

I did spend some money in the vendor hall. I bought a large format d20 that is an actual d20 and not a countdown d20 for Magic the Gathering, like others I bought not knowing about countdown d20s. I got a new Gary Con hat, to match my old one, as the old one is showing signs of being a well worn hat. I picked up some new pins, but haven’t decided where to put them on my gaming jacket.

As always, I had a great time at Gary Con. Being at an off site hotel, I didn’t stay late in the lounge more than once, on Saturday night. The change for Daylight Savings Time has really kicked my butt this year, and I’m still not adjusted, so I was extra tired at the con, and not as lively. Work with the day job is also extra busy and wears me down.

One night in the lounge.

I didn’t sign up for any games, as I could always get a pick up game, but sitting in the lounge and doing nothing was marvelous. Watching people and visiting with friends and making new friends was awesome. I just don’t have the drive to game like crazy every day.

I would like to make it to Gamehole Con this year, but I’m not sure that I can justify it. It’s close to UCon, in Ann Arbor/Ypsilanti, Michigan, that I go to every year, since I live in Michigan. In visiting with Merle “The Administrator” Rasmussen, creator of Top Secret, he said he was invited to Wizard Con in Kalamazoo. I had not heard of that convention in my backyard, so I’ll be looking into that. I also got so busy with work, I forgot to submit games for Marmalade Dog, the college convention at Western Michigan University.

This is my first blog post in over a year, the last being a year in review post in December, 2023. Work and other things have pulled me away from most gaming. I still play Wednesday nights on Roll20 as I have for over a decade now.

Gary Con has re-charged my gaming batteries. UCon did too, but it’s in the early portion of my busiest time at the day job. The day job uses so much of my creative energy to solve problems that I have little left for fun creativity.

While it is still fresh in my mind, I have started making notes about the scenario I used at UCon and Gary Con and will clean it up to share on DriveThruRPG. I’ve got a lot of scenarios I haven’t shared there.

I’ve got a rough concept for the campaign world that is the setting for my adventures using Delving Deeper, and I started consolidating some notes. The AD&D adventures I run are either based on actual play scenarios from my home campaign, or ideas I based in my home campaign world. My home campaign is something I could publish, but I feel it would be a lot more work, than the idea I have for my Delving Deeper adventures.

In coming months, I hope to publish at least one of my convention games, hopefully more.

And if all comes together, maybe my card game will finally reach an audience outside of those I can show it too at conventions.

A bit more than a Gary Con update, but it is needed with my lack of postings. I’ll do what I can to have more frequent postings here, but I can’t make any promises. If I didn’t take Monday off after conventions, I wouldn’t be writing this now.

So until next time…. Game on!

RPGs

Time Rolls On

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Today is December 31, 2023, in the mid-afternoon. In less than ten hours it will be 2024.

2023

2023 was a good year. But all years are good years. Both good and bad things happen: personally, with friends, and around the world. Happiness is our choice, in spite of what happens.

In 2023 I attended Gary Con and ran and played games and I attended UCon and ran and played games. I ran my Roll20 AD&D campaign, but took a hiatus at the end of May, which continues. I am still active in the Wednesday night Roll20 OSE campaign. I still have attended every session.

My longest travel adventure was to go out to the memorial service for my aunt and uncle and visit family this Summer. I had hopes of extending that trip, but I had to get back home as I had to be there to accept delivery of my new laptop for work.

I got inspired to rejuvenate my interest in genealogy and found the death certificate for my aunt. Her mother died of pneumonia on her 1st birthday and Grandpa never explained to her what happened.

My hiatus from my Sunday game has been devoted to other things. Rather than being tied down to home, I’ve done other things.

In September, I attended my 40th high school reunion. We’re all getting old, but some of my classmates are looking good for women their age, but they’re happily married….

I’ve been hoping to date, but so far online dating is coming up dry. I did meet some new friends and they have gotten me out of the house and our of my comfort zone. There have been a few closer to home adventures.

2024

January, 2024 will be the 50th anniversary of the publication of Dungeons & Dragons. There will be celebrations and focus at all of the game conventions. I only plan to attend Gary Con and UCon. My wallet can’t afford more in 2024.

50 years of D&D means I’ve been playing 47 years since I started playing Holmes Blue Box Basic. My brother, Robert, convinced me to buy it and he became my first DM and is the best, in my opinion. I was a terrible DM until I got back into gaming on Roll20 in 2014 and resumed attending gaming conventions.

While I started blogging in 2009, my output of new posts is a trickle. There is a similar slow pace to new videos on YouTube, or new podcast episodes. I do manage a few posts on social media.

I won’t promise to commit to anything. I had hoped to get the card game out in time for 2024, but my drive to finish it is not what is needed to accomplish it. I will publish it someday instead of talking about it. Don’t worry, I will announce when it finally happens.

I don’t know how much gaming, blogging, podcasting, streaming, or other game related activities I will have, but I will continue the adventure of both real life and the imagination.

I hope you all face your real life fears and challenges with the same fortitude as you do in the games you play.

As always, Game On! Or in this case, Roll On!

RPGs

The Dreams In Gary’s Basement Update

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Pat Kilbane’s documentary of Gary Gygax and Dungeons and Dragons, The Dreams In Gary’s Basement, was released online to Kickstarter backers today.

This multi-year effort I first learned of at my first Gary Con, Gary Con 8.

The website for RPGHistory.net will host other long form content and regular shorts.

At this time, there is no word on when this will be available for non-backers. However, you can pre-order from Kickstarter.

It also will have a screening at GenCon 2023 next week.

Congratulations to Pat and his team on a well executed film!

It was worth the wait.

RPGs

14th Blogversary!

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Today, July 18, 2023 marks 14 years of this blog.

I deleted the first rambling attempt at a post and just want to note this milestone and say that I’m still here and will continue to post as I have new things to say.

Until my next post, be kind, be supportive, be encouraging, help new people get into gaming.

Remember that games are supposed to be fun for all at the table and are a great way to bring people together, find new friends, and make memories.

It’s OK to step away from those who don’t have that attitude.

We’re coming up on the 50th anniversary of D&D in January, 2024, and I’ll be celebrating 46 years of playing D&D later in the year.

D&D isn’t the only RPG. You don’t need levels, complex rules, or even dice to play RPGs. You don’t need combat, there is an element of story in all RPGs, you can roleplay at the level you are comfortable.

Any age can enjoy RPGs and there is an RPG for every genre and style of play.

Virtual Table Tops, like Roll20 or Fantasy Grounds, can help find people to game with online, if you can’t find an in person group.

I prefer in-person play, but it isn’t as easy to find that for all of us, so online play fills that need.

Be patient. If you don’t find a group that suits you, keep trying.

There’s even solo gaming if you want to try out something different.

Until next time – Game On!

RPGs

My First Experience Using ChatGPT

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I used ChatGPT for the first time for preparation for today’s game.

St. Mark Turnip Festival

The players lost a beloved NPC, Mark, whose luck ran out.

So they created a legend that he is now St. Mark.

Long before that there was also a random encounter with a farmer taking a wagon load of turnips to town. The players joked about the nefarious scheme this must be and it became a running gag.
This evolved into the party calling themselves the “Order of the Iron Turnip.”

So they had the first ever St. Mark Turnip Festival. This is actually quite silly and a con on the town to make money for the players.

They really got into it. One player, Patrick, who sadly passed in June of last year, created art for both the Order of the Iron Turnip and the Turnip Festival. He put them on a site where you can get t-shirts, stickers, and magnets. All of us bought something from that site. I updated the image for the 2nd Annual festival.

It is now one year later in game time, and tomorrow we go through the 2nd Annual St. Mark Turnip Festival. It took over two years to go through a year of game time. Partly due to some things taking a long time, like certain adventures, and me pausing the game last Summer for my road trip around the Western U.S.

The party is invested in this, and risked travel by teleportation with most of the party in a portable hole to get there on time.

They suggested a whole slew of new things to get the populace of this town into it.

One player suggested a riddle contest where the answer is “Turnip” judged by the audience.

I made the comment that I’m not making up a bunch of riddles. Then more than one mentioned ChatGPT. I realized they were right and that ChatGPT would be perfect to do this. Even if terrible, ten such riddles would save me so much time!

Getting Riddles From ChatGPT

Here is my interaction with ChatGPT and the very first riddle it gave me was pretty good. It actually rhymes!

User
Do you understand riddles?

ChatGPT

As an AI language model, I have been trained to understand various forms of language including riddles. I can certainly try to understand and solve riddles to the best of my abilities. Feel free to give me a riddle to solve!

User

Do you know how to create riddles?

ChatGPT

Yes, I can certainly help you create riddles! Riddles are typically short, cleverly worded statements or questions that are designed to be tricky to solve. Here are some tips for creating a riddle:

Choose a subject: First, choose a subject for your riddle. This could be anything from an object or animal to an abstract concept like time or love.

Identify the unique qualities: Next, identify the unique qualities of your subject. What sets it apart from other things? What makes it interesting or unusual?

Use descriptive language: Use descriptive language to create clues that will lead the reader to the answer. Use metaphor, simile, and other literary devices to make your riddle more engaging and fun to solve.

Keep it short and sweet: Riddles should be short and to the point. Aim for just a few lines, and avoid including any unnecessary information.

Make it tricky: The best riddles are those that are tricky to solve. Consider using wordplay, puns, or other types of language tricks to make your riddle more challenging.

Remember, the key to a great riddle is to strike a balance between being challenging and solvable. Good luck with your riddle creation!

User

Can you create a riddle based on the answer?

ChatGPT

Sure, I can certainly try to create a riddle for you based on the answer. Just give me the answer and I'll do my best to craft a riddle around it!

User

The answer is Turnip. 

ChatGPT

Great choice! Here's a riddle for you:

I grow beneath the soil so deep,
A root vegetable I am to keep.
Round and purple, sometimes white,
I'm a healthy food that's out of sight.

Peel off my skin, and what will you find?
A tasty treat for any kind.
Roasted, boiled, or in a soup,
I'm a versatile veggie, not a dupe.

What am I?

User

Please give me ten more riddles with the answer being turnip.

ChatGPT

Sure, here are ten more riddles for you with the answer being turnip:

I'm a root vegetable, that's for sure,
With leaves on top, and roots obscure.
I'm often eaten roasted or mashed,
A healthy food that's never trash.
What am I?
Answer: Turnip.

I'm round and purple, sometimes white,
A root vegetable that's out of sight.
I'm low in calories, but high in taste,
A nutritious food that's never a waste.
What am I?
Answer: Turnip.

I'm a vegetable that grows underground,
A tasty treat that can be found.
I'm often eaten in a stew,
A comforting meal that's good for you.
What am I?
Answer: Turnip.

I'm a root vegetable that's often overlooked,
But when cooked just right, I'm really cooked.
I'm nutritious and delicious too,
A healthy food that's good for you.
What am I?
Answer: Turnip.

I'm a veggie that grows in the ground,
A food that's healthy and easy to be found.
I'm often eaten in a soup or a stew,
A warming meal that's good for you.
What am I?
Answer: Turnip.

I'm a vegetable that's round and sweet,
A treat to eat that can't be beat.
I'm often roasted or boiled,
A healthy food that won't leave you spoiled.
What am I?
Answer: Turnip.

I'm a root vegetable that's low in fat,
A healthy food that's where it's at.
I'm often boiled or mashed,
A delicious meal that's never dashed.
What am I?
Answer: Turnip.

I'm a root that grows underground,
A vegetable that's often found.
I'm purple or white, and sometimes red,
A nutritious food that's not just in your head.
What am I?
Answer: Turnip.

I'm a vegetable that's good for the heart,
A healthy food that's really smart.
I'm often cooked in a stew or a soup,
A tasty meal that's never a dupe.
What am I?
Answer: Turnip.

I'm a root that's often seen as plain,
But when cooked just right, I can entertain.
I'm low in calories, but high in taste,
A healthy food that's never a waste.
What am I?
Answer: Turnip.

User

Thank you.

ChatGPT

You're welcome! I hope you enjoyed the riddles. Feel free to ask me for more riddles anytime!

Story Telling Contest

They also suggested a story telling contest about St. Mark and the Gronkle Egg. The party Wizard when he got the spell continual light, bought some chicken eggs and replaced the contents with oil and a sliver of iron with Continual Light cast on it.

He buried most in a safe place and kept one. It is now set up in the tavern where he has charmed the owner, who had hired the not so bright Mark to “herd cows.” The only issue is that the cows were strays of local farmers who fled a horde of undead. Mark then joined the party and later died.

The charmed tavern owner has the Gronkle Egg mounted in a container to keep it safe and it kept out of sight and charges 1gp for people to get a look at it.

Once person paid 1,000 gp for a Gronkle Egg, so the wizard went and dug up one of his cache.

Their con on St. Mark also involved the Gronkle Egg.

Since they wanted a story telling contest. Therefore, I also asked ChatGPT for a short story with certain facts. The first effort was good, but referred to the Gronkle Egg as cursed, so I had it re-write the story.

I include the full interaction below:

User
New topic

ChatGPT
Sure! What topic would you like to discuss or learn about?

User
I will give you some background information, then I want you to create a brief story.

ChatGPT
Sure, I can create a brief story for you based on the background information you provide. Please go ahead and give me the details!

User
Mark is an ordinary guy who went with some adventurers, but he became a hero. He died and was elevated to Saint Mark. He was fond of turnips. 
Part of his myth involves the mystical Gronkle Egg that shines with the glow of the unhatched Gronkle.
Please write a story about his rise to sainthood and include turnips and the Gronkle Egg.

ChatGPT

Once upon a time, there was an ordinary man named Mark who lived a simple life as a farmer. He was content with his life, but deep down he longed for adventure and excitement. One day, a group of adventurers passed through his village, and Mark decided to join them on their journey.

Together, they traveled far and wide, facing danger and overcoming challenges. Mark proved himself to be a brave and selfless companion, always putting the needs of others before his own. His courage and compassion won him the respect and admiration of his fellow adventurers.

One fateful day, they stumbled upon a mysterious cave that led deep into the earth. As they explored the dark tunnels, they came across the mystical Gronkle Egg, which shone with a brilliant glow. Mark, who was always curious, picked up the egg and felt its power coursing through him.

The egg was said to be cursed, and Mark knew that he had to keep it safe from those who would use its power for evil. He carried the egg with him everywhere he went, protecting it with his life.

During their travels, Mark developed a love for turnips, which he found to be a humble yet delicious vegetable. He would often share his turnips with his fellow adventurers, and they grew to love them too.

Unfortunately, Mark's journey came to a tragic end when he sacrificed himself to save his friends from a band of marauders. His bravery and selflessness inspired those who knew him, and soon stories of his heroic deeds began to spread far and wide.

Mark was eventually elevated to the status of a saint, and his legend grew over time. People from all over the world would come to visit his shrine, where they would offer turnips as a symbol of their devotion. The Gronkle Egg was kept safe and hidden, its power waiting for someone brave and selfless enough to wield it.

And so, the legend of Saint Mark lived on, inspiring generations to come to live bravely and selflessly, and to always keep a turnip close at hand.

User
Thank you. The Gronkle Egg is not cursed. It is now part of his shrine. Please re-write the prior story with that clarification.

ChatGPT
Sure, here's the revised story with the corrected information:

Once upon a time, there was an ordinary man named Mark who lived a simple life as a farmer. He was content with his life, but deep down he longed for adventure and excitement. One day, a group of adventurers passed through his village, and Mark decided to join them on their journey.

Together, they traveled far and wide, facing danger and overcoming challenges. Mark proved himself to be a brave and selfless companion, always putting the needs of others before his own. His courage and compassion won him the respect and admiration of his fellow adventurers.

One fateful day, they stumbled upon a mysterious cave that led deep into the earth. As they explored the dark tunnels, they came across the mystical Gronkle Egg, which shone with a brilliant glow. Mark, who was always curious, picked up the egg and felt its power coursing through him.

Mark realized that the Gronkle Egg was not cursed, but a powerful and sacred artifact that needed to be protected. He carried the egg with him everywhere he went, and his companions recognized its importance.

During their travels, Mark developed a love for turnips, which he found to be a humble yet delicious vegetable. He would often share his turnips with his fellow adventurers, and they grew to love them too.

Unfortunately, Mark's journey came to a tragic end when he sacrificed himself to save his friends from a band of marauders. His bravery and selflessness inspired those who knew him, and soon stories of his heroic deeds began to spread far and wide.

Mark was eventually elevated to the status of a saint, and his legend grew over time. People from all over the world would come to visit his shrine, where the Gronkle Egg was now kept safe and on display as a symbol of his courage and the power of good. They would also offer turnips as a symbol of their devotion to Saint Mark, the brave adventurer who had given his life to protect his friends and the sacred Gronkle Egg.

It is simple and formulaic, but it serves the purpose of being good enough for using in my game. My only edit from the second version is to move the bit about turnips to before the discovery of the Gronkle Egg.

Player Reaction

The players liked the riddle and story and thought it fit.

One of them mentioned how another person uses AI tools to generate NPCs en masse.

Definitely useful tools for the busy GM.

Conclusion

I’ve seen people use it to plan out a business and marketing campaign. I think that is a useful function.

Others have used it to prep for RPG sessions. That is also useful.

It gets into the grey area and over the line pretty quickly when trying to use it to replace jobs. Writers do what AI cannot. They can create in a way a program can’t.

Using AI to replace writers, artists, and others for legitimate paid work is wrong. This puts even more money and power in the hands of those who control the technology while taking it away from those who didn’t have that much of either to begin with. Also, it should not be used to do the homework of students.

Using for game prep and personal enjoyment and some of the grunt work of running a small business is OK. Saving time on research and generating ideas that one then uses to do the creating is a great idea.

RPGs

Gary Con 15

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March 23-26, 2023 Gary Con 15 took place in Lake Geneva, WI. I didn’t take as many pictures this year.

What I Ran

I signed up to run 4 games of 4 hours each, one each morning. I used the same scenario for each. I used Delving Deeper the Original D&D clone I describe as OD&D but organized. While not perfect and there are a few things I would change, it makes for fast character creation and is simple to run, perfect for cons.

It was a higher level scenario with 8 – 8th level (or max level PCs). 4 humans: Fighter, Cleric, Magic-User, and Thief all 8th level. 2 Elves, one an 8th level magic user and the other a 4th level fighter/4th level magic user, 4th level fighter being the max level. A 6th level dwarf, max level, and a 4th level halfling, max level. The halfling saves as an 8th level fighter and gets +3 on hurled weapons, which I ruled includes slings. All fighters had magic armor and magic weapons, the others had some sort of magic item that included weapons. I randomly determined the magic items and some were quite powerful. I kept them.

My scenario is called “Rescue From Fire Island”. The evil princess of the Eternal Flame (a volcano) captured good queen Galvia of the Verdant Isles. In times of trouble, Galvia summons a dragon to help. Her advisors are keeping this quiet to avoid panic while the party, the “Special Projects Team” rescues the queen. The queen is to be sacrificed in a week to the volcano. So there is a timer. There is a hexcrawl element so the PCs can encounter various creatures on the island. Both groups I ran this for loved it.

The party would be teleported in but the princess’ castle and the dread temple on the volcano were blocked. The players got to choose where they teleported in. This difference guaranteed that no two groups would play the exact same situation.

Two things I used for this made it interesting that players in both groups appreciated. I used checkers for tracking days with the plain side being day and the crown side being night. The other thing was for each PC I had two game pieces for each player their own color. One piece went by the index card with their name and PCs name and class. The other went on the made to show marching order. I used mancala pieces to show where the party was and when they encountered certain special encounters.

I have a spoilers section at the end. Don’t read it if you want to play this scenario. I plan to write it up and will put it on DriveThru RPG [Affiliate Link].

Day 1

Sadly, no one signed up for the first day, Thursday, and no one was looking for a game, so I didn’t get to run it. Of course I was most worried about being ready for the first session, but I was ready.

Day 1 – Nearly full gaming hall with my table prepped.
Day 1 – Waiting for Players before I finish setup.
Day 1 – Ray Otus with a refurbished Castle Grayskull DM screen and dice tower. With a Forrest Aguire sans fez.
Day 1 – Pat Kilbane with the current cut of his documentary, “The Dreams In Gary’s Basement”.

Day 2

The second day, I had 3 people signed up, but they all cancelled, but three fellows were available. I had them each run two PCs, which was a good mix. They had a blast. One of them showed up and was asking about my game, and bought one of the Delving Deeper books I stock up on from Lulu. This year, I planned to use them as a roll off gift after the session. Which when he located his two buddies, I still did, and because I had more than I needed after no game the day before I did the roll off, and sold another to the other.

They loved the hexcrawl aspect and had a lot of random encounters. Their choice of where they teleported to got them quickly to the final encounter. The thief was turned to stone, but the rest of the party made some interesting choices in what they did and beat the princess and saved the queen.

They had a blast and every time I saw them they were still pumped and ready to run Delving Deeper for their home group.

Day 2 – Running “Rescue From Fire Island” for the first time.
Day 2 – Giant mini sized print of a Dyson Logos dungeon with two DMs on each end running different groups.
Day 2 – Chgowiz running his battle for the moathouse from the module “Village of Hommlet”
Day 2 – Closeup of Chgowiz’s 3-D printed Moathouse

Day 3

The third day, I had 7 signed up. Only one was a no show, but I had ran into a friend who had a younger friend looking for a game, so he joined in. They all had a blast and were also really into it.

They chose to come in closer to the pincess’ castle and encountered the Juggernaut, the toughest monster in Delving Deeper, but managed to beat it and the princess. They also had no random encounters so got to the location of the final fight and beat the princess. The elf mage saved vs petrification TWICE! Three PCs died in the end.

One of the players gave me a gift card to Target. They said they had one for each game they signed up for between $5 and $25 and they didn’t know which was which. That was a first for me, and I will use that to stock up on game materials like graph paper, etc.

Day 3 – Full table of players for second running of “Rescue From Fire Island.”
Day 3 – The Administrator himself, Merle Rasmussen of Top Secret.
Day 3 – Todd Stashwick AKA Captain Shaw of the current season of Picard. We met last year and he recalled my name and my blog.

Day 4

The final day, 3 were signed up, but one cancelled. One showed up on time, but had to leave early because of when his ride was leaving and another showed up an hour late, so we only had about an hour left. Even if I tried starting at the end fight and they each ran 3 characters, I’m not sure I could have made it work in an hour. So we played my card game. One of the players bought Delving Deeper from me a few years ago at Marmalade Dog, so instead of a roll-off, I gave the gift book to the other fellow. Sadly, both times I play tested my card game this Gary Con, I forgot to take a picture mid game. We had fun and they both enjoyed it.

I about lost my voice from talking loud enough to be heard over a crowded game room where almost every table was at play. By the time I got home Sunday evening, I felt bad and suspected if I didn’t have Covid, I had the flu. Muscle and join aches and increasing nasal drainage. I did a Covid test and I thought it might be a false positive because I didn’t notice the faint second line until after the 15-20 minute window to check it. The directions indicated that after 20 minutes if the second line showed up if is likely a false positive. So I was planning to re-test on Monday, but when my breakfast had no flavor and I felt worse, I knew I had Covid.

I am so mad at myself. I still wear a mask going to the store or to pick up restaurant take out. At Gary Con they only required a negative Covid test or proof of vaccination, but did not require masks. I only wore a mask in line at registration, because we were packed tightly. I’m feeling a lot better today. My voice is worse due to all the drainage, but the random aches and pains are gone and I have a lot more energy.

I’m resolved to wear a mask next year as I don’t every want to feel this bad again. It saddens me that I helped expose others to Covid. I wouldn’t wish this on anyone as I feel terrible. It’s only because of being fully vaxed and boosted that I’m already feeling better.

I’m really disappointed in those who were sick or had been exposed who showed up and didn’t wear a mask. That is so selfish. I don’t like that I can’t trust anyone with my health and that it’s all on me. The world will never be like it was pre-Covid. At least not for a long time.

But other than almost losing my voice and getting Covid, I had an awesome time. Gary Con is still my favorite convention. Not too big and everyone is happy to be there.

Spoilers

Don’t read this if you’d rather discover these things as a player in this scenario.

The dread princess is a lich and the queen is the dragon. She has a magical collar that prevents her from transforming. The volcano will explode and destroy the island by the end of the 7th day if the queen isn’t sacrificed.

Inspiration

My granddaughter and I play a free-form RPG we made up called “Dragon” where she is a dragon. My son and his family lives with me, so she will come to my room and say, “Grandpa, let’s play ‘Dragon’!”

So I thought for a moment and said, “OK, one day you wake up to the mocking laughter of the evil princess and find yourself in a dragon proof cage.” When I was thinking about what I could run at Gary Con this year, I easily made a more coherent scenario that would make for an interesting and challenging session.

RPGs

OGL Rollercoaster – End of the Ride?

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The end of 2022 was full of rumbles about the OGL, but WOTC said it would be OK.

January, 2023 soon revealed WOTC’s (Wizards of the Coast) claims that all was OK were soon proven to be a lie.

Third Party Publishers and fans of games unrelated to D&D that used the OGL 1.0a took a stand and prominent people on various social media took a stand. In my experience, Twitter and YouTube were the prominent sources of the latest information and links to articles, as well as discussions.

While the OGL 1.0a was useful for those wanting to use D&D idea and even for those making totally unrelated games, I don’t use the OGL. I did put it on 3 products that didn’t need it, since my stuff was all my own creation, so I removed the OGL 1.0a from those products as it was a wasted page.

Things took a sudden turn the other day and after relaying that I explore a bit of encouragement to try other RPGs that aren’t D&D or its clones.

Surprise!

Now WOTC has apparently waived the white flag of unconditional surrender. [Internet Archive Link so it doesn’t vanish.] They said that they will not attempt to de-authorize OGL 1.0a AND they released the D&D 5e SRD 5.1 under a Creative Commons license.

Having the SRD 5.1 under an irrevocable CC license that also allows anyone to use it, change it, sell it, etc. as long as they give proper attribution means that a LOT of content is now free and available forever.

The one caveat is one must avoid Trademark infringement. If you use the SRD 5.1 you can’t say it is compatible with D&D or Dungeons & Dragons like you can do if you don’t use SRD 5.1. You can say it is compatible with 5e.

The biggest thing it opens up is the use of 5e style stat blocks and monster stat blocks and descriptions. While it does include the names of some previously taboo monsters and proper names, the state blocks and art of those are not included. Some of them are supposed to be trademarked. So while you can use the name, you must provide your own unique explanation of what they are if you want to make “safe” presentations of them in somethin you publish.

There is NO EFFECT on your home games, or even your streamed games.

Moving Forward

Many efforts such as the ORC License and Kobold Press’s Project Black Flag, and many others are still moving forward. WOTC has burnt the bridge of goodwill and realized it is too late for their biggest fans and supporters to join them. While some have decided this move by WOTC is enough for them and they will continue or return to D&D, so many see WOTC as an unreliable corporate entity.

The ORC License and Project Black Flag and others are continuing the course they feel WOTC forced them to take.

The biggest beneficiaries of the whole mess have been the third party publishers, like Paizo, Kobold Press, Goodman Games, Troll Lord Games, and many smaller shops and individuals. Paizo is said to have sold 6 months of product in two weeks and are out of stock of their Pathfinder 2e books. Paizo was poised to regain the ground it lost to D&D 5e. Back when D&D 4e came out, many flocked to Paizo. Now history repeats itself.

I’ve never played Pathfinder, and sadly, poor experience from players in organized Pathfinder Play at conventions have turned me off to it. I don’t care for organized play anyway. Plus I already have a large number of RPGs I received through Kickstarter Projects that I have yet to play.

Play Other RPGs

Many have pointed out that Pathfinder’s evolution from D&D 3e makes it “just a clone” of D&D and that there are other games besides D&D and its clones.

For RPG players that have only ever played D&D 5th Edition they are unaware of other RPGs and may have reservations about trying something different.

I want to join in those encouraging people to play games other than D&D and their clones. I still run and play other old TSR RPGs, plus newer RPGs. As I mentioned above, I have several RPGs from Kickstarters I’ve backed, but have never played them. I hope to rectify that. I have stopped backing Kickstarters for new RPGs, so at least I have a smaller target of games to squeeze in.

I began playing RPGs back in 1977 when the Holmes Blue Box Basic came out. We played many other TSR RPGs that existed & new ones as they came out. My peer group of players in high school formed the Science Fiction Book Club to get around the Satanic Panic nuts and mostly played new RPGs or rotated GMs in the library after school. The librarian was our sponsor. We also dabbled at least once in several other non-TSR RPGs either at each other’s homes or the school library.

The one thing that turned me off to some new games was the person running them loved them but didn’t yet have the skills to convey them and in those cases didn’t play the game again.

I’ve played even more since 2014 when I attended cons regularly.
Since D&D was my first RPG, it sort of defined what an RPG was and hit harder than all the others. I was more of a science fiction fan back then, but still played more AD&D than any other RPG.

I still run and play older versions of D&D. However, I will run more non-WOTC games in the future.

Check this link for my “Game Stack” of RPGs I have played and which I have one shots ready.

NOTE: I am not able to run them at present, but will let people know. I may do a monthly or weekly rotation to go through past one-shots I’ve run at conventions.

My Experience Trying New To Me RPGs

These are things game designers, character sheet designers, and GMs need to keep in mind.

My biggest issue with picking up RPGs that are new to me is the rules. This is true due to my aging brain not making sense of some rules as I could in my teens and 20s. If I can’t figure out how to generate and fill out a character sheet in short order, it turns me off. If a character sheet has information that is needed during combat (or the equivalent bulk of play in an RPG) but it is on the BACK of the character sheet, I won’t have an enjoyable session as I am fighting against the character sheet.

Both of the above examples are from my experience with D&D 5e. I tried generating a character and filling out the official character sheet and I had to jump from section to section and one piece of information (passive perception as I recall) I struggled to find in the Player’s Handbook, but found it in the Starter Set. Character generation should be a two page spread and should walk through filling out the official character sheet. Jumping around is unhelpful.

The character sheet issue was one where level abilities were on the back of the character sheet. In my first convention game playing 5e I didn’t figure out until the last round of combat that my character had advantage on initiative. That is something that should be on the front of the sheet. It wasn’t an official WOTC D&D 5e sheet as I recall, but then maybe it was. It’s been a while.

The other issue with picking up a D&D 5e character that has lots of level based abilities and maybe a level of another class makes them have so many options that I don’t see how to play them effectively if you didn’t rise up through each level and played a few sessions with that character to figure out all the things. Every high level character I ever had I played them as they improved and gained spells, spell levels, items, etc. so I knew how to play them and do all that they could do in a given situation.

Things like this have encouraged me to gravitate to simpler systems. Slot based or usage die based encumbrance is one. As a player of older RPGs my character sheet doesn’t inform what I can do. I am used to being able to attempt anything. Success is not necessarily guaranteed. Having a rule for everything is impossible. I want to play, not spend time fussing with trying to do everything “by the book.”

I hate it when GMs say, “Your character can’t do X because….” or they don’t even give a reason. Anyone should be able to wear armor, swing a sword, try to pick a lock, climb a wall, etc. Just because your character never studied to specialize doesn’t mean they can’t even try.

Because of this, I much prefer the Yes/And, No/But, and Maybe approach. If there isn’t an official rule to allow something, I’m OK with a mutually agreed method of adjudication. Perhaps if RPGs suggested how a GM and Players can have a mutual way to do this it would satisfy those who need a rule for everything.

The point is don’t be afraid to try new things. Some RPGs you won’t like. Try them under different GMs to ensure it wasn’t the GM presenting it poorly. One should try to play with different GMs and players anyway. It is easiest to do this at your local game store and at conventions. I always learn something from playing with different GMs and seeing the way they run their games. Similarly with different players I see how they approach different situations.

As a GM running the same one shot at one or more conventions with different groups of players at each one, it is amazing how the same scenario ends up being totally different when a different mix of players, characters, and their choices make the game. Players ALWAYS see solutions I would never think of, so I present problems for them to solve and reasonable solutions will work. Some may not be assured of success, but I give them a roll when there is a chance of failure.

Just remember, games are supposed to be fun. More fun is had when we respect each other and use our manners. Safety tools is party of that. If you can’t be kind to others at the table, then get some help to figure out why you can’t be kind. Being a jerk to a fellow human being is not fun. If you act like a jerk and use the excuse, “But that’s what my character would do.” you are NOT welcome at my table. If I’m a player, I’ll call it out and if there is no change, I will walk. If I’m the GM, I’ll call it out and if there is no change, you will walk. Enough of us humans are jerks to ourselves, we don’t need your help. Either be kind to others or go learn some solo RPGs where you can be a jerk to others in you own limited creativity.