Category Archives: RPGs

RPGs

Rule (-1)

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Everyone knows about Rule 0 – “The DM/GM makes the rulings.” Or some variant to that effect. Briefly, this means that the DM uses the rules that fit the spirit of the game(s) he or she run. This can include adding new rules, ignoring or changing existing rules. It especially involves borrowing ideas for rules from other DMs.

What many don’t talk about is what I call Rule (-1). It is so simple and involves the whole idea of playing games. “If you’re not having fun, you’re doing it wrong.”

This concept applies to any game, boardgames, RPG’s, card games, sports, computer games, etc.

This concept also applies to life. Perhaps the best example is sex. If you don’t like it, you’re doing it wrong.

We don’t eat foods we don’t like. Why should we do anything else we don’t like?

Some might point out holes in this concept of applying to all of life. Exercise – you may not like exercise, but you have to pay the price to get the degree of health and fitness you like. If you like being overweight, good for you. If you like being fit and trim, good for you. But neither should get into a war about which is better. There is an RPG, Hero’s Journey, that mirrors ” every hero’s transformation from minion to master.” That is a way to make things fun!

We may not like going to work, but we like the things money can buy, like food, clothing, shelter, and GAMES! We like our stuff, so the things we don’t like should be seen as journeys, challenges, etc. to overcome, like adventurers in a tomb or dungeon seeking treasure. The goal is the loot and experience points, even if you risk your favorite character dying to do it. I read an article a couple of years ago, that talked about people new to the workforce only working enough to support them and the things they wanted to do.

So if edition wars and railing against X because it isn’t Y is your thing, do you really have fun with that? Does putting others down bring you joy? Well, then you’re doing it wrong. Everyone knows that having fun at the expense of others in a mean and hurtful way is wrong. So take your toys and go home.

You don’t want to game with women? Well, then good luck getting a girlfriend or wife. If you already have a girlfriend or wife, good luck keeping them.

The whole essence of RPGs is true of life, we need to get along to succeed. How many hours have you played an RPG solo, i.e. no GM? It isn’t too much fun, other than as a different type of diversion once in a while, or if you are in a strange situation that it is your only option.

RPGs are about bringing people together to PLAY. I have played with people that are of the total opposite political spectrum to me, who have different ideas about ethics, politics, religion, etc. Since I don’t post about those things here, those people may not have any clue what I believe. Such discussions don’t go at the gaming table, if the goal is for everyone at the table to truly have fun. If you can’t game with people who are vastly different from you in ideas and opinions, then find a way to do that without being an ass about it. I know people on all aspects of the political divide, and just like any other topic, some of each general leaning can be total jerks to people who disagree with their position.

The specific definitions of how that fun plays out will depend on the group. A group of teenage boys is going to have fun in ways we may not approve of. That’s why we need teenage girls involved in RPGs, so that those hormone laden fools learn how to interact with females at a young age. Fathers should step up to DM/GM to show his sons how to treat a woman with respect. Or to make sure the boys in the game treat his daughter(s) with respect. Mothers should also DM/GM to keep her boys in line and support her daughters.

The OSR is partly about perpetuating our hobby to the next generation. With all the weirdos we hear about on the news, it is unfortunately asking for trouble for a group of teenagers to come to your house to game, if there are no children of your own, or other adults present. Finding a venue at the local library, or a place at school after hours, or going to one of the kid’s homes when their parents are there would be the smart course of action. (Can you tell I’ve been to multiple mandatory work seminars about how not to get sued?)

Players that talk over everyone else, and who try to be rules lawyers need special handling. Depending on their age, they may just need to have it explained to them. If they are 18+, then you should be able to talk to them without an emotional meltdown. However, age does not equate to maturity. If the person is emotionally fragile, I would suggest that RPGs where you pretend to be someone else is not always the best way for someone to deal with severe mental or emotional issues. The group should do their best to help someone with no social skills to fit in. If you have to talk about health and hygiene so others can stand to sit next to that player, then have that talk. Such a person obviously needs social interaction, and they will enjoy it more as they build their social interaction skill set. If all the players are not having fun, then there is a problem. This requires that all players stand up for themselves in a positive way. The DM/GM has a part to play her in making sure each player has their moment to shine, their share of speaking and interacting with the game world.

DMs/GMs should not be dictators that force the players to do what they don’t want to do. They should not totally ignore players’ suggestions for interpreting situations. At least acknowledge their input and move on. A good referee clearly describes things so that players make informed decisions. The referee who is a self centered, self righteous, egotistical, control freak, will have a hard time finding a consistent group of players for more than a few sessions. The DM’s fun should be had in watching how the players go off in unexpected directions, and misinterpret things, not in making them follow some elaborate script. If you have a novel to write, write the novel; don’t force your players to act out a script, when they want a world to explore. If you can’t find a way to have fun without alienating players, perhaps you should not be a DM; or go online and clearly advertise for online players that want your style of running a game.

I wrote this post a couple weeks ago, and on March 16, I ran across this article on Beer, Pretzels, and 20-Sided Dice. It is another way of saying what I am saying. Cameron sums it up nicely, “To my mind, the key is to have fun. If you aren’t enjoying yourself, find a different group or run a campaign yourself.”

Just yesterday, Tower of the Archmage, had this article, Playing With Adults, about the challenges of interpersonal interaction at the game table, and how cooperation is key. Dealing with the threats to maintaining a regular game is like facing the boss monster. It is so worth it when it’s over.

Game play options on the internet, like G+ and Roll20, for example, make it easier for those of us that can’t seem to find a local group. Also it can help us find more opportunities to game, if we have the time to put into gaming more frequently. There are more choices than one could hope to ever experience.

Similar things have been said by others in recent years. Editions don’t matter. The point is, find the rules and the group that work for you and enjoy it!

So go out there, find the RPG of your choice, and have FUN!

RPGs

Metamorphosis Alpha – Random Plants & Animals

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I posted a few days ago about my itch to dig into Metamorphosis Alpha. While starting to write this post, I realized that the Starship Warden is a megadungeon Innnn Spaaaaace. 17 levels plus the mid levels. Except like one may normally think of a dungeon, it does not have a clear 1st level equals easier. Particular locations double as both traversing the wilderness and dungeoneering. The inhabitants see themselves as travelling in wilderness, and the inter and intra level tunnels and so forth and the buildings on the habitation levels are the dungeons.

After getting that realization out of the way, on to random plants and animals.

On page 19 there is a procedure for Creating Non-Player Creature Mutations. This table focuses on animals, but is easily modified to substitute the plant mutations on page 16.

Begin by choosing the plant or animal type, then determining the number of generations for which a new mutation might be introduced. The rules say 1 – 10 generations, so a d10 easily handles that.

Then roll percentile dice for each generation to determine if a physical, mental, physical and mental, or no mutation for that generation.

Then roll 1-50, d100/2 and look at the physical and mental mutation charts, and if the roll is off the chart, there is a sub-chart for physical mutations, and for mental it always means higher intelligence.

It is simple to do the same procedure and substitute the plant mutations for the physical mutations..

Finally, there is a note that if there are two or three early generations with a defect mutation, that that organism was not viable and start over.

One need not limit themselves to the mutations available in the rules. Make up your own, or borrow from other games. There are enough options here that one need not expand unless a busy campaign with lots of players digs into a lot of options.

I rolled up one animal and one plant using this method.

Chipmunks are small and cute, so why not randomly mutate one and see what happens?

I rolled a 5 on my d10, for 5 generations. So next I rolled percentile dice for each generation to determine what kind of mutation. I came up with physical, physical, no mutation, mental, and physical. Next I rolled d50 (d100/2) for each mutation. In the first generation, I rolled a defect of skin structure change. Then I rolled heightened strength, heightened intelligence,and ended with a defect of anti-reflection, which means that a mental attack or defense has a 25% chance to backfire.

My interpretation of all this is that these are normal looking, if slightly larger chipmunks, that are physically strong, but can’t take a hit. They are smart so they know to avoid a physical fight. They have a crude mental attack ability that sometimes backfires, so they need a few more generations for this power to strengthen and for the defect to fade. These small creatures can get into nooks and crannies and might have arm bands and other useful, but small devices; and know how to use them. They don’t have the power of speech or telepathy, so communication will be crude unless a member of the party speaks chipmunk, or has telepathy.

For a plant, I did not initially specify a plant, but let’s say it’s a dandelion. I rolled 9 on a d10 for nine generations of mutations. I rolled five generations of physical mutations, one generation of mental mutations, and ended with three generations of physical mutations.

The physical mutations are: electrical or heat generation, symbiotic attachment for both the second and third generations, contact poison sap, a defect of an attractive odor, poison thorns, manipulative vines, and texture changes. The mental mutation is telekinetic arm. Since there is no heightened intelligence, there is no communicating with this plant. It merely seeks to eat to survive and reproduce.

It can generate an electric shock to stun or perhaps kill small prey. It has two methods of symbiotic attachment that allow it to control another creature. It’s manipulative vines are a refinement of it’s ability to make symbiotic attachments. It has a contact poison sap, like poison ivy, yet it has an attractive odor that puts it at risk of being uprooted before it bears seeds. It also has poison thorns that keep away unarmored creatures. I interpret this defect to be attractive to some creature or other plant that is immune to its poisons, thus making it vulnerable to specific animals. It must be armored to resist the symbiotic attachment, and have some way to minimize the effects of the telekinetic arm. This means that another creature needs to be generated to fill this niche. Perhaps the skin of this creature will allow the party to pass through an area of these plants with minimal difficulty. Or it could get all the plants in the area to gang up on the party….

The manipulative vines and telekinetic arm server to draw in nutrition from the surrounding area, whether plant or animal. Its poison sap is a weak digestive enzyme that with prolonged contact helps speed the breakdown of plant and animal matter into the soil. It has a structure change to its leaves that are rougher in texture to normal dandelions, but its characteristic bright yellow flower and white seeds remain. One thing it will do with its symbiotic attachments is control a creature to blow its seeds to reproduce. Like dandelions, unless the root is sufficiently uprooted, it can come back. Like regular dandelions, I can see there being a thick patch of these that are slowly growing and spreading throughout their area. Their symbiotic/manipulative vines have a length of 1d3 feet. Perhaps in a few generations the manipulative vines will enable these plants to move towards food, rather than merely draw it in. They could become mindless predators only seeking food when their current soil becomes used up.

It is easy to create new creatures and plants for a variety of purposes, both helpful, neutral, and dangerous. Some dangerous things could be harnessed to be of use, like poison glands, or explosive fruit.

I like how simple this was, and in a few minutes I had two new creatures. The GM can determine how long a generation is and how many generations for negative mutations to fade and something new result. Exposure to additional radiation and other environmental toxins might speed up the possibility of new mutations.

Since some levels are sealed off from others, one could easily generate different plants and animals using the same type as a starting point. One chipmunk on one level has descendants who are intelligent creatures, another remains mostly unchanged, while another might be a deadly and vicious predator.

Of course, as with any RPG, the GM is free to ignore or tweak any random roll, or just make up a creature to suit their tastes or needs.

RPGs

The Passing of DAT – One Year Later

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I saw mention of it on a post on the FB page, David A. Trampier Fan Club.

I jumped over to Wikipedia and confirmed it.

Wow. One year.

So many enjoyed his art. For me, his images are iconic and when I see them I am instantly transported to thinking of all his various RPG art and all the books and modules, and of course, Wormy, and The Dragon.

I wish I could make it to GaryCon. Such remembrances make me nostalgic. I thought it would work out this year. Now, my goal is for next year. I met several from back in the original TSR days at GenCon last year, but I always wanted to go to GenCon when it was in Lake Geneva. I hope GaryCon doesn’t get too big by then. There are a lot of the original creators and movers and shakers still around that I want to meet. Perhaps even get a chance to play.

 

RPGs

Laminating My Hommlet Map

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In February, I ran Village of Hommlet at Marmalade Dog 20. I was very much over prepared. The map in my original module is very faint, and the blue of the ink is the kind that does not copy well. I purchased the PDF from DriveThruRPG, but the map did not print very clearly. So I got a couple sheets of tracing paper and traced it. I then ran by Kinko’s and made copies to regular paper and taped them together. The map did not feature very much in play, but since I put so much time into it, I wanted to preserve it, in case I ever need it. I am sure I will run Hommlet again someday.

Note on this process. Make sure the ink side of the tracing paper is facing down when you go to make copies. I didn’t realize the error of my ways until I got to the con and the map didn’t line up right. One page was correct and the other was not. I had to find a back lit window by the doors to trace the other side of the paper so that it was legible. I then ran by Kinko’s and made a correct copy of that part of the map for the last two days of the con. I later grabbed my colored pencils and colored my map.

01Hommlet
Colored and ready to be preserved.
02HommletBack
My map face down on the Contact Paper. Center it and apply pressure from the center out.

 

So I made a trip to the craft store and bought some clear contact paper. I cut some off a bit longer than the map.

Contact Paper
Contact Paper

After getting the backing off, I spread the contact paper on my table sticky side up.

I then laid the map ink side down. I cut out the corners of the contact paper and folded it over to wrap around the back of map. I used the scraps to cover the seam where I stitched the paper map together into one.

Map Face Down On Contact Paper
Map Face Down On Contact Paper with the edges folded over.

Rather than try to cut a piece of contact paper to fit, I used packing tape to cover the bare paper on the back of the map. (I know some might cringe at this. However, this is copy paper. It is NOT acid free paper, so using packing tape plus keeping it out of the light, will make it last longer. Unless I get a light table and acid free paper to trace a new map, I can’t make it last any longer. This is just a tool, even faded it will still work, and that might add a bit of character to it.)

Packing Tape Dispenser
Packing Tape Dispenser
06BackOfMapWhenDone
Clear Packing tape on the back so all the paper is covered.

04EdgesFoldedOver

Now, other than sitting in a spill, someone being deliberately destructive, or a disaster, I have a map that I can write on with dry erase markers and use for years to come.

08Finished
Finished
09RolledUp
Rolls up nicely.
10UnrollsWell
A couple of angled views.

07Finished

RPGs

RPGBloggers – Application Submitted

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I just click send on the email to apply for the RPGBloggers site. The similar site with an automated sign up, the RPG Blog Alliance, of which my blog already belongs, is shutting down at the end of April.

Yahoo stopped supporting RSS feeds of Yahoo Groups a couple years ago, and Google dropped support for it’s feed reader. RSS seemed to serve a need, until things like social media sites like FB and G+ made management think that the established ways were not good enough. Instead of the format of RSS where you can pick and choose and easily filter, you have social sites that have their own rules for how you see what you want to see, and then they keep changing the rules, so you never know that you aren’t seeing something you want to see, and are flooded with things you wonder where they came from.

I’ve had spammers manage to inject crap into my RSS feed, and it was a pain to figure out how to fix it so that I could retain that feature on my blog.

I have heard that it takes a long time to get a response to an application. I know about the controversies surrounding the site a few years back when there was a big blow up among different RPG bloggers about a topic not directly related to RPGs, and the handlers of the site changed.

It may not make a difference to my blog’s traffic, but I had a goal of applying for a couple of years now, I figured that since the RPG Blog Alliance (RPGBA) is going to fade into the aether, I figured that would apply to RPGBloggers, with 49 days until RPGBA shuts down. Call it a little race to see if I get approved on the one site, before the other shuts down. I’ll post an update once either I get approved, or May arrives, whichever happens first.

If May arrives, and I’m not approved, I will post an update if I ever do get approved.

 

RPGs

2015 A to Z Challenge Theme Reveal – Cities/Cities As Ruins/Cities As Megadungeons

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Initially, I was struggling with the idea of a theme for this year’s A to Z Blogging Challenge. Last year I just picked a topic that fit the letter for that day and went with it. Then I remembered my half started project to help me deal with cities, ruined cities, and my thoughts that a large city was in many ways equivalent to a megadungeon. Indeed, a ruined city is but the surface level of a megadungeon.

I will be fleshing out general ideas and ideas for tables, and on-the-fly information for navigating a large city or ruin without advance preparation, or with a set base of preparation, like a map and a general idea of where the different quarters are, etc. Planning a ruined city relies on planning one that is inhabited, the only difference is that a ruined city needs a reason for why it is now in ruins.

This project is as much a tool to help me as it is to share my insights with others.

I will reference past articles on some of these topics. Some information I may have previously only collected information and not yet made an article. I wrote at least a rough outline of each article and have them scheduled to post. I have been going back to each one and adding, revising, cross linking, and otherwise trying to improve them. So far, I don’t have as many tables as I initially envisioned, but I do have many lists I will work to develop tables or clean up for a list of ideas on various topics. Since this topic is so much on my mind of late, I am linking to posts that have come up and continue to be published by others. One relatively new blog, Lost Kingdom, has coincidentally, published articles that tie very well into mine, and I link to their articles for more details. Trying to find the time to read all of their past articles is a challenge, but well worth the effort.

Building a city for an RPG, whether a living city, or a fallen, ancient one, requires thinking it through and populating it in a pattern that fits. Not everyone needs this level of detail to guide them in creating their cities. I often just determine that there are so many of this or that business and don’t worry about a map. This project is for improving the level of preparation by creating a sort of checklist to touch on, to help DM’s that aren’t so good at spur of the moment to have some ideas to help with improvising their cities.

I look forward to feedback and ideas to fill in gaps.

There will be new tables for some things, and my detailed slant on how to build cities/ruined cities. Of course, in the A to Z Challenge format, it won’t be a complete system, but will contain points and questions to ponder for anyone developing a city. Some of these ideas will translate into building cities for any genre of RPG.

I will quote myself from my Post-Con Write Up of Marmalade Dog 20 and a relevant conversation I had with Adam Muszkiewicz:

When Adam and I were talking the topic of random tables and drop tables and all the dice tables came up. I mentioned that I am slowly crafting an all the dice type table to help me generate area of an ancient “abandoned” city for houses, building, and other features. Adam pointed me to a display at Roy’s booth for Metal Gods of Ur-Hadad, Winter 2014, Issue #1. Pages 10 and 11 have a neighborhood generator, and pages 12 and 13 have a gang generator. The neighborhood generator has a lot of ideas that I am looking for so I bought it.

I am going to enjoy this!

All my posts on megadungeons, and cities.

I also have a list of those RPG bloggers that used the (GA) tag on the A to Z Sign Up Page. I didn’t have time to look for those that didn’t use a tag, so if you want to be on my list, just let me know your number on the sign up list. My list, 2015 A TO Z CHALLENGE – RPG BLOGGERS, is on the right side of my blog under the A To Z Challenge logo.

[UPDATE] I went to each of the RPG blogs signed up for this year’s challenge, and only a couple of them appear to be participating in the theme reveal, so I wait, as do all of us until perhaps later today, or April 1st, when the posts begin.

[UPDATE 2] Here is a link to the List of Those Signed up for the April, 2014 A to Z blogging challenge.

RPGs

Grimtooth’s Ultimate Traps Kickstarter Update

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I came home from running some errands to find this announcement in my email. This Kickstarter was funded at just over ten times its initial goal, and all of its stretch goals were funded.

Hello, Grimtooth backers! Just wanted to give you a quick status update on one fun part of the project: the DCC/Grimtooth crossover adventure module. Jobe Bittman has finished the manuscript and Doug Kovacs has finished the cover art. Here is a preview of the current cover design! We are still playing with the typesetting so the final font details may change a bit, but I thought you might enjoy seeing Grimtina in action!

If art and typesetting is the only fiddly bits they have, it won’t be long now. Estimated delivery is July, 2015, and unless something totally out of the blue happens, there is no reason to think that this won’t ship on time.

RPGs

Metamorphosis Alpha

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I used to be the one who ran Metamorphosis Alpha for our group. I don’t have any of my original MA material, it was all lot in the great water leak incident.

Thanks to DriveThruRPG and RPGNow, I can get PDFs of such things. Unfortunately, I could not justify $80 for the hardback re-print Kickstarter last year. I really wanted to, but talked myself out of it. I still want to order it off Goodman Games, but $80. Yes, I know, I paid a lot more than that to get a Dieties & Demigods with Cthulhu and Melnibonean mythos last year.

I have things I need to do to my own AD&D campaign, but I have had an itch for several weeks and finally, I printed out my MA PDF and put it in a binder, and read the rules for the first time in what must be 30 years. I must say that I did not recall the rules being the way they were. We played a lot more Gamma World and I recalled things being more like I recall it instead. However, I have not read the Gamma World rules in nearly 30 years or played, so I could be jumbling that with Star Frontiers, and our home brew science fiction game. [I later found a reference and how close the GW and MA rules were, so I’m not sure what rules I was remembering.]

What amazes me is how complete a 30 page rule book is. There are rules for generating characters, various physical and mental mutations. Animal and plant specific mutations, and a way to generate your own mutated creatures. There is a rough description of a 17 deck generation ship with mid decks and other spaces, and the GM has free reign to make it their own.

Here is a picture of my Metamorphosis Alpha rules, printed from my PDF, with a note card colored with a visual reminder of what each wristband does, and my notebook for ideas for adventures and other things to put my ideas into it. I also grabbed 17 sheets of graph paper and hole punched them to start making rough maps of each deck. I used one sheet to show how big each deck is in 10 mile squares.

MA Notebook
MA Notebook

The manual suggests 2 mile squares or hexes for maps of a complete deck. This has me thinking about how I might use the quadrille ruled desk pads I got in recently.

I will be posting articles with my ideas on MA as I build my version of the Starship Warden. The thing I like about MA is just how rules lite it is, and one can easily run a game on Roll20 & G+ Hangouts without worrying how all the players will fair if they don’t have a copy.

RPGs

FLGS Trip

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Last weekend, I made a trip to WalMart, the craft store, and my FLGS. I got a roll of hex Gaming Paper, and they finally had some GameScience dice. (Yes, I know, this is only a couple days after another post where I had mentioned I didn’t last very long without buying more dice. I bought these the same day as the others, I just spread out my posting about it.)

13GamingPaper&GameScience 14GamesScienceInfo 15PurpleGS

Unfortunately, these are the “not perfect dice” that lead Lou Zocchi to return to running Game Science. I think they will roll fine, but some faces have lines and minor deformities in them, that were not evident until I got home and looked at them.

As expected, all of the have burrs. Only the d3’s burr was small enough to not show up in a picture. I will have another article on de-burring these dice and filling in the numbers for legibility.

For now, below are some fuzzy pictures showing the burrs. My de-burring article will have better pictures.

18d5burr 19d14burr 16d16burr 17d24burr

RPGs

Art Supplies

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I stopped by the art supply store and snagged some things I have had on my list for a while, but not had the time to get until now.

10ArtSupplies

Paints and brushes for my Hero Forge Miniature, and my other miniatures. I will show the process of that later.

11-64Crayons

Crayons for a project in the works. I remember when the 64 box came out. Now they have huge boxes. 64 is enough for me. Coincidentally, I graduated from high school with the current president of Crayola. (We are almost related. My great-grand uncle was his grandfather’s step father. Small world.)

12ContactPaper

Finally, Contact Paper to laminate maps and things. I’ll soon have a posting on that.