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RPGs

Railroad vs. Sandbox – The Timeline

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Railroading players by forcing them to do what the DM wants is a bad thing. However, there is a “railroad” that runs through sandbox style play that should be acceptable and welcomed.

The timeline.

What I mean is, the DM comes up with plots, situations, rumors, etc. and puts certain things on the campaign calendar, things that WILL happen – barring intervention by the PC’s or others.

For example, the sun comes up every day, unless something changes that.

The DM comes up with a situation and puts it on the calendar/timeline of the campaign. That “something major” event will happen unless something stops it. This major event could be good or bad.

An example of a good event is a diplomatic marriage that will end decades of tragic war. This event will happen barring outside intervention. A powerful wizard may like that this war keeps these two nations too busy to stop her consolidation of power among groups of humanoids. The end of hostilities means that she will have to use her time and other resources to stop their meddling instead of putting it towards her own goals. Thus it makes sense that this major NPC would hire an assassin to keep her own involvement in the background. Perhaps the PC’s have not discovered the existence of this “big bad.”

The DM assigns a chance that the assassination will succeed or fail. The DM determines through a roll or through choice that the assassination will succeed unless someone finds out about it.

It is up to the DM whether or not the PC’s ever find evidence of any plot. If the evidence is put into the campaign, what if the PC’s NEVER find it? This is NOT a problem. If the PC’s don’t know about something, they can’t do anything about it. The assassination goes through and then the PC’s are tasked with getting to the bottom of it. If the assassin gets away without leaving a trail, what do they do? If they would rather go fight giants, or seek out a dragon, let them.

If the PC’s happen to have done something that merits their presence at the wedding, maybe then they get wind of something, and have a chance to change the course of the timeline. However, it should not be a requirement that the PC’s even know about this. If the “big bad” has the resources to hire the best assassin, how likely is this person to make a mistake? There is a chance, and the DM should decide if there is a chance of failure, or how exactly they want to play it.

If the PC’s are nowhere near the scene, i.e. they are across the world, or in a dungeon, or otherwise unavailable for the event, it goes down as pre-determined.

In my mind, this is the only thing that some might consider a “railroad” that is permitted.

However, it is still possible that through the actions of the PC’s the original assassin might be met in another situation before then. If they take out this assassin, then the next best assassin must be assigned to the task, and their chance of success or failure is likewise determined.

Perhaps, the PC’s decide to go investigate something that leads them to discover the big bad and interrupt her plot.

I have played in many games and GM’d several with all kinds of options presented to players. The players ALWAYS manage to find some significance where the GM may not have intended it to be. This is OK. The players sense that something is important and it opens up a whole new something to be explored, be it a plot, dungeon, monster, etc.

The calendar or timeline for the campaign is the schedule and not the railroad. Just as something can delay a train, tracks out, accidents, fuel shortage, robbery, etc., many things can delay or redirect the events of the campaign timeline. In some places, the train never runs on the times stated on the schedule.

For my campaign, I determine a year or two worth of events. I like the idea in the AD&D Oriental Adventures for determining the event for each year and for each month in the year. Some events, like a flood or earthquake may be nearly impossible for the PC’s to stop. Other events, like an invasion, might be something that can be stopped or delayed, or prepared for, if the players find out about it and can get word to the right people.

Having a campaign timeline with nearly inevitable events planned is not a railroad. A railroad would be forcing the players to do something about them. What if the players don’t see their involvement as required or important? What if they see some other plot or action in the world as more important?

An example from my campaign is a wedding between the ruler of the town that is the home base for the players, and the king’s niece. The players had just found a magic sword and shield that I expected them to use. Instead, they had their own plans. They want to get in good with the powers that be for their own ambitions. So they make a present of this sword and shield to the Baron, and because there is some well-known lore associated with them, they get invited to the wedding and later reception/party, where they get to meet the princess, the king, and several other powerful people.

My plan was that the wedding happened and they might get a glimpse of the king and retinue when they came into town and for the procession to and from the temple for the wedding, and perhaps again when they left. How many players just give up a magic weapon and armor, KNOWING that they are magical?

I never saw their actions coming, so I had to improvise a wedding ceremony and party and have other NPCs generated on the fly.

The players were much more excited to have met the king and queen, and gotten in the good graces of the baron, who is now married to the king’s niece. Yes, the magic items were cool, but the roleplaying and the player driven goals were so much more fun and interesting than I could ever come up with on my own.

It is like the twist ending of a book or movie that is handled so well that you don’t see it coming and are rewarded by getting the full effect due to the finesse with which it was presented. If you have ever seen a movie, or read a book with a big twist at the end that is predictable and not well presented, it leaves one feeling uneasy and disappointed. A railroad that forces the players to go where, when, and how the DM wants them to go is like the poorly executed twist, totally unsatisfying.

A timeline or calendar is not a railroad, just a schedule of possible future events in the course of the game. The players don’t know about this schedule, and only learn of events as they happen, or if they happen to be in the right place at the right time to learn of them before they happen. Even if players know that something is up, they have the power to decide if that something is important enough to figure out what it is, and if they should do anything about it.

For example, suppose the players learn of an assassination plot to disrupt the wedding? What if they just get word to the appropriate authorities about this, and the location or timing of the wedding changes? That alone might be all that it takes to foil the plot. Or it might force the big bad to come out of hiding and get involved personally to make things go her way.

As I have said elsewhere, if the DM/GM has a story to tell, they should write the story, instead of forcing the players to do something in-game that does not interest them.

RPGs

Motivations

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My recent post on the Vikings season 3 finale got me to thinking about motivations.

Simply put, motivations are what “makes” us do the things we do?

The Wikipedia article on motivation goes into great detail on the psychological study of motivation. While it is helpful and might spur one to have an idea that can be applied to an RPG, it gets into too much detail.

Motivations are filtered through many different  categories that someone falls into, plus the means available to act on that motivation.

Basic needs drive us, such as food, clothing, shelter, sexual desire, etc.

It is our ability to act on fulfilling these needs that shades our actions. That is, our means to achieve the desired end. A poor person who can’t hunt or fish, will resort to theft or begging. A person who is not destitute, will have other means available to them. One’s culture and background will influence what is acceptable for food. A cannibal who is poor might resort to murder in order to eat. Cultural norms around cannibalism might prevent eating anyone in your own tribe or ethnic group, motivating one to find some other type of food.

Higher order “needs” might be the desire for power, whether it is magical, religious, political, etc. Depending on the alignment of one seeking power, it might be sought and achieved in a way that is a benefit to a large number, thus getting “buy-in” from others. For example, a strong orc chief that unites the tribes and becomes a king, will have support from others because they all get a shot at the increased loot, etc. A powerful evil wizard who is manipulating this orc king for her own ends sees the orcs as only a tool and could care less how the common orc benefits.

With the passage of time and other events that occur, the motivation may change. It may be redirected to a new motivation, or the original motivation may be strengthened or weakened. For example, if the evil wizard acquires the item she was looking for, how does this change the motivation? If the item is not the all powerful thing it was supposed to be, does that result in seeking a different item, renewed efforts to seek the real or a better item, or cause them to give up on their quest for power?

The changing situation can result in a reversal. We all know that once we get something we think we really want, that all too often, we realize that having it is not what we thought it would be. Our initial excitement about finally having a long desired item falls flat. Do we then stop seeking such things, or do we move on to acquiring the next new thing?

Below are some ideas for tables to help craft motivations for NPCs.

Circumstances

  • Social Status – peasant, noble, monster, etc.
  • Economic Status – rich, poor
  • Cultural Status – How does the culture view something?
  • Religious Status – Religious/non-religious and to what degree? Is there some goal that one’s religion places in high regard, like a pilgrimage to a specific destination?
  • Current Events Status – How does the present state of the world influence the ability to act on a motivation? If there is a war, how does that change things?
  • Alignment – How does one’s adherence to good/evil, law/chaos affect their motivation? For example, good would not do something evil without a “good” reason, even if it is self-justification.

Means

What is needed to make this happen, and does the individual or group have what they need, or the ability to make or acquire it?

Fishermen without a boat and nets can’t fish. Can they build, buy, or steal the needed equipment? If they know how to make their own boats and nets, do they have the tools and enough food to last them until they are ready to start fishing again?

Why are they motivated?  

For example, a hungry person is motivated to seek food due to hunger. But why are they hungry?

  • Normal biological process
  • Lack of food due to war, famine, crop failure due to floods, hail, etc.

There are lots of reason why a person is motivated to do something. Revenge, desire (physical, mental, emotional- love/hate/greed, economic, social), justice (could be colored by revenge).

What is the object of their motivation? This could be a who.

  • Food is the object of the hungry.
  • Money, power, magic, etc. is the object of the greedy.
  • Fame and glory and wealth is the object of the adventurous.

Apply the 5 H’s of Journalism to an NPC’s motivations:

  • Who wants it? Which NPC or group?
  • What do they want?
  • When do they want it? When will they get it? (If the PC’s or other circumstances don’t stop them. Does the time of year, phase of the moon, presence of a legendary comet matter?)
  • Where is the thing they want? (Distance, difficulty, challenge, feasibility, etc.)
  • How will they get the thing they want? (Is it even possible to get it? Is a ritual that can be interrupted required?)
  • Why do they want it? This is their motivation.

For some hill giants robbing travelers on the road, it might look like this:

  • Who – A group of 4 or 5 hill giants.
  • What – They want loot.
  • When – Whenever they see travelers on the road.
  • Where – On the travelers on the road.
  • How – Carrying big clubs, and saying, “Aw’rite, what ya got, we’re ‘er ta loot ya.” Those who do not comply get thumped with the clubs.
  • Why – It’s what they do, you might call it their job.

There are some interesting list of motivations that seek to boil down motivations into a “standard” list, like for stories. They can help inform the adventure of the week, or writing a module or campaign setting, or story.

TV Tropes – Motivation Index

List of Motivations for Your Characters

15 Interesting Motivations for Villains and Heroes

  1. Romance
  2. Revenge
  3. To distinguish oneself
  4. To fit in/gain acceptance
  5. Justice
  6. Greed
  7. Fear
  8. Desperation
  9. Social Cohesion
  10. A desire to better oneself
  11. A desire to better humanity and/or society
  12. Curiosity/Search for knowledge
  13. A desire to gain power to achieve a goal
  14. To escape one’s destiny
  15. To achieve one’s destiny

Motivations are closely related to the Standard 36 Dramatic Plots.

Of course, don’t forget to add a good twist to it.

  1. Supplication – Persecutor, Suppliant, a Power in Authority
  2. Deliverance – Unfortunates, Threatener, Rescuer
  3. Revenge – Avenger, Criminal
  4. Vengeance by Family upon Family – Avenging Kinsman, Guilty Kinsman, Relative
  5. Pursuit – Fugitive from Punishment, Pursuer
  6. Victim of Cruelty or Misfortune – Unfortunates, Master or Unlucky Person
  7. Disaster – Vanquished Power, Victorious Power or Messenger
  8. Revolt – Tyrant, Conspirator(s)
  9. Daring Enterprise – Bold Leader, Goal, Adversary
  10. Abduction – Abductor, Abducted, Guardian
  11. Enigma – Interrogator, Seeker, Problem
  12. Obtaining – Two or more Opposing Parties, Object, maybe an Arbitrator
  13. Familial Hatred – Two Family Members who hate each other
  14. Familial Rivalry – Preferred Kinsman, Rejected Kinsman, Object
  15. Murderous Adultery – Two Adulterers, the Betrayed
  16. Madness – Madman, Victim
  17. Fatal Imprudence – Imprudent person, Victim or lost object
  18. Involuntary Crimes of Love – Lover, Beloved, Revealer
  19. Kinsman Kills Unrecognised Kinsman – Killer, Unrecognised Victim, Revealer
  20. Self Sacrifice for an Ideal – Hero, Ideal, Person or Thing Sacrificed
  21. Self Sacrifice for Kindred – Hero, Kinsman, Person or Thing Sacrificed
  22. All Sacrificed for Passion – Lover, Object of Passion, Person or Thing Sacrificed
  23. Sacrifice of Loved Ones – Hero, Beloved Victim, Need for Sacrifice
  24. Rivalry Between Superior and Inferior – Superior, Inferior, Object
  25. Adultery – Deceived Spouse, Two Adulterers
  26. Crimes of Love – Lover, Beloved, theme of Dissolution
  27. Discovery of Dishonor of a Loved One – Discoverer, Guilty One
  28. Obstacles to Love – Two Lovers, Obstacle
  29. An Enemy Loved – Beloved Enemy, Lover, Hater
  30. Ambition – An Ambitious Person, Coveted Thing, Adversary
  31. Conflict with a God – Mortal, Immortal
  32. Mistaken Jealousy – Jealous One, Object of Jealousy, Supposed Accomplice, Author of Mistake
  33. Faulty Judgment – Mistaken One, Victim of Mistake, Author of Mistake, Guilty Person
  34. Remorse – Culprit, Victim, Interrogator
  35. Recovery of a Lost One – Seeker, One Found
  36. Loss of Loved Ones – Kinsman Slain, Kinsman Witness, Executioner
RPGs

Review – Star Temple of Saturgalia

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The first(?) available third party adventure for White Star, Star Temple of Saturgalia is a six page PDF, that after the cover and OGL leave four pages for the adventure.

This was billed as an introductory adventure. Nowhere in the PDF does it indicate that is is for low level characters. It is obvious from a reading of the text that it is for a group of low level characters.

The method of handling encounters almost guarantees that there will be three space encounters en route to the planet. Instead of a 1 in 6 chance of there being an encounter, there is a 1 in six chance of no encounter. The odds of the encounter ignoring the players or being friendly combined are 50% or greater. So even if there is an encounter, it does not guarantee a chase or fight. The intent of the designer is to have tension. If one is playing up to the tropes of the genre, this is understandable. However, the GM is free to handle this his or her own way.

Once on the planet, there are two encounters, potentially competition from an NPC party, or natives are the greatest possibility. A natural disaster or a creature encounter are also likely. The use of bumble dogs, or a new creature, the gindo, introduced at the end of the module.

This is a very basic outline of an adventure. With the near guarantee of one or two ship encounters, plus two encounters on the way to the temple, it will stretch out the adventure. If you go by the roll of the dice, and there are no space encounters, and the planet side encounters are neutral or friendly, this could be a quick one maybe two hour one shot.

It is an interesting idea, and has enough meat on it that an experience GM could make an evening of it. If you don’t have a list of natural disasters, you will need to make your own table, as the author only gives a couple of suggestions.

The temple itself is a basic dungeon crawl, and it an interesting twist. The map is he standard square rooms and passages, which server to get the point across. The fonts used for the room numbers are not clear, so that some numbers look like each other. I assume that the rooms and areas are numbered in a clockwise fashion, so it is easy to make sense of it, but it still takes a moment to be sure of this. There are also a few grammatical errors, indicating that the text needed a quick review by a new set of eyes or to sit for a few days before finalizing. A suggested description of the natives of the planet, if not a new race, would be interesting.

At one dollar, the items, tables, new creature, and other ideas presented can make an interesting one-shot introduction of the rules to new players, and a skilled GM can easily expand it to be something more substantial in their own campaign.

If you need some help for prepping last minute, this module only needs a few things to be ready to play on short notice.

RPGs

Review – DayTrippers Planet Generator

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DayTrippers Planet Generator, is a section pulled from the DayTrippers GM Guide.  DayTrippers is an RPG game by Tod Foley of As If Productions. I had not heard of this game, but this is one piece that many complain is not in the White Star framework. It is a nice piece to have if you don’t have another ruleset to borrow from, or don’t wish to create your own tables. It is a system agnostic method for generating star systems from the size and type of star, to the number and size of planets.

This six page document is 4 pages of tables for system generation and half a page of converting character abilities, skills, and difficulty levels to other systems. The first page being the cover and last half page being split between more information on Day Trippers and blank space.

It is reminiscent of what I recall from other science fiction games back in the day, most likely Traveller, but perhaps also Star Frontiers. At 50 cents, it is hard to say no to this.

If you need something to get your juices flowing with ideas so that every system is not the same, this can do the trick. If you don’t want to invest in a complete rules system just for these tables, it is a great value.

RPGs

Review – Outer Space Raiders Volume I

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+Chuck Thorin of Magic Pig Media has produced Outer Space Raiders, Vol. 1, an interesting set of 6 new classes compatible with White Star. At $1.49 it is very affordable.

In 20 pages are packed 16 pages of information. Unlike many small PDF’s, this one includes clickable links in the table of contents. While not necessarily needed in so few pages, it is much appreciated!

The classes presented are alien, astromancer, engineer, lost worlder, scoundrel, and warp ninja.

Aliens are a generic class to cover any kind of alien you can imaging. 8 abilities are suggested, from which the player picks one. There is also an option to convince the GM to let you make up an ability. These would also make good generic NPC aliens.

Astromancers remind me a bit of illusionists, but have some very interesting “Quantum Formulae” that they can use. Many of the names of these re-worked spells give a science fiction flair to otherwise standard and well known spells. There are a few new “spells” here, along with some interesting abilities.

Engineers read like a cross between MacGiver and Mr. Scott. With abilities that allow them to do various kinds of “save the day” things. I really love the techno-babble chart for generating random terms, such as “quantum radiation capacitor”.

The lost worlder is a “barbarian in spaaaace!” The don’t use high tech gear, but have a chance to randomly push buttons to make something work, with an equal chance of catastrophic failure. One of the abilities is extra resistance to disease and poison, with a bonus on such saving throws. I am reminded of Leela from Dr. Who, and similar such characters.

Warp Ninjas are an interesting idea. It takes ninjas and crosses them with a dash of science fiction, and uses a black hole to power their abilities. Two of their abilities are dangerous and actually cause damage if used. They are powerful, but a bad roll could mean it’s time to roll up a new character.

Scoundrels are an obvious homage to Han Solo, and other stereotypical characters in all manner of fiction. One of their skills is “know a guy”, giving them a chance to know someone, not necessarily friendly. This single page sums up what most of us envisage a scoundrel to be.

Finally, the last page of game material is a set of charts for Random Humanoid Species Appearance Charts, for skin color, hair, ears, eyes, and miscellaneous features. These charts use a d6, three of them use a d8, and a d20, so 5 dice, if the d8’s are specified, can roll a random creature quickly.

The simplicity of each class fits right in with the overall theme of White Star.

If you want more classes, or ideas for modding or making your own classes for White Star, or Swords & Wizardry White Box, this is a good start!

RPGs

YOLO

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YOLO – You Only Live Once, was a popular online meme a couple of years ago.

I remember someone posted their idea for that, “You Obviously Like Owls”

I couldn’t help but thinking, “You Obviously Like Owlbears.”

Yon Obstinate Large Owlbear

Yikes! Oooh! Large! Owlbear! (I am thinking of Bugs Bunny facing one of the many monsters he encountered.)

Yellowish Olive Liquid Oozes

Yucky Odorous Littered Oubliettes

Yard Of Living Oracles

Sometimes these acronym and alliteration exercises give me ideas for something to use in a game, or just a chuckle, or allow me to get these things out of my brain so I can focus on something else. Perhaps these random thoughts spur someone else to some great RPG idea.

 

RPGs

White Star Ripe For Modification To Cover All Ranges of Science Fiction

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There is an interesting discussion on White Star over on the G+ Community.

White Star is a basic framework. I agree that its presentation with a strong homage to Star Wars helps to understand how it works.

I also see that as a basic framework, it supports any variation on anything that can be considered Science Fiction. From the hardest of science fiction, to the softest and vaguest hint of SF.

I think it is the simplicity of White Star that opens up so many possibilities. With such a simple tool box, different GM’s can go in different directions and each come up with something cool, that others can also use. There is no limit.

If you are comfortable with that simplicity and like to fill in the “gaps” that you see, it is perfect.

One could easily add in comic book heroes, it would take some tweaks to abilities and more tech, but it could be done. Any book, short story, old radio serial, TV show, or movie setting can be done using White Star. Some may take more work by the GM to make it happen, barring a supplement, but it can be done. However, it won’t be long and you will have lots of material, based on the rate at which new classes and ships have hit the community.

RPG’s that try to define “everything” end up being more about the rules and having the right book or supplement, than about doing what you came to do – play.

RPGs

Atlas of World History

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I am a big fan of both history and maps. I have a B.A. in History.

The ancient world of Egypt, the Middle East, Greece, and Rome, and on up to the Renaissance fascinate me.

The map of Germany with over 1,000 different countries is just fascinating. At my university they had a big hardback map book with a multi-colored map of Germany in the middle ages, and it just fascinated me. My paperback Rand McNally Atlas of World History is a passable substitute for such high-end books of maps.

Just looking at all the colors delineating all the separate nations generates the seeds of ideas.

Whether one is using a campaign set in a historical period of the ancients, or medieval, or a western, or post apocalyptic, maps help set the tone and flavor. Do you need to share the map with players? If they are a post holocaust type setting, would they even know they are on a planet and would they recognize a continent or larger scale map for what it is? In other settings, will players be able to afford a map?

Even if the maps you draw are only to inform yourself as the DM, don’t you want to share your creation(s) with your players?

I don’t have many books of maps. A well-done map is a thing of beauty. I like all maps, real and imaginary.

I don’t have the skill I wish I did to make my own maps. My maps are just crude representations of things. Some are better than others. I really appreciate all the maps available for my use from the plethora of OSR map makers!