Roll Call

You Too Can Shoot First!

/ everythingkidchris

The Mandalorian GIF by Star Wars

The Mandalorian is great, but if you want more than what the show provides, it can be yours in Edge of the Empire!

Unless you’ve been living in a dark, secluded cave for the past few months, you’ve probably heard about Disney+ and all the wonderful content it provides. From various new and exciting Marvel projects to all the Disney Channel Original Movies one person can handle (binge responsibly), Disney+ is a veritable nerd Mecca for those young at heart or generally in the mood for some fun. As the months and years roll on, Disney will be rolling out various original shows that will only be found on the platform, which has the internet teeming with excitement. However, we got our first taste of this fresh new content right at launch with a brand new Star Wars IP, the Mandalorian.

The Mandalorian introduces us to the titular character as he tries to make a name for himself among his people and continue to be the best there is at what he does. He’s a rootin’, tootin’ just about anybody shootin’ merc who gets a particularly well paying job from some less than desirable fellows. As he reaches his target, things begin to be a bit unclear, and our Mando is left with some serious choices and a COMPLETELY ADORABLE little burden. Many people have reviewed this show by calling it “Cowboys in Space,” but that just feels too simplistic, so I’m going to say it’s like Cowboys in the Outer Rim of a Galaxy Far Far Away. Nailed it. Checkmate.
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GM Pitfalls: Master of Puppets

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As a Gamemaster, sometimes it’s more important to just pull the strings.

Image result for no strings on me gif

In the right hands, an NPC can be a brilliant addition to a campaign’s narrative. Interactive, fully fleshed out and generally dynamic – NPCs represent the world the PCs are murdering their way through adventuring in and are their best method of interacting with this world in ways not provided by the set pieces and enemies they commonly experience. A good NPC can give the party a trusted ally, a daunting nemesis or even just an adorable Goblin they can claim as a mascot. Whatever the purpose or goal of the NPC, it’s important to remember that important NPCs need to feel alive. The GM needs to play the role of the NPC, not just control it. Good NPCs have no strings and are as alive and organic as the players themselves. It should feel as though a new player dropped their way into the campaign, complete with their own unique goals, talents and flaws.

However, it’s also important to remember that some NPCs are allowed to be fairly inconsequential.

Too often a GM will try to fully flesh out every. single. NPC. This is incredibly dangerous, especially in Urban campaigns where PCs may encounter a LOT of NPCs. I find this especially taxing when the party needs to interact with merchants. One member of the party needs weapons, so here comes a blacksmith. Another member needs potions, so I better come up with a potion seller. Oh hey, this guy needs some provisions, better whip up a different general merchant. Oh look, the Paladin is off to the temple…. time to slap together some monks. Oh hey, the person at the blacksmith is now asking about anyone who might know the value of stolen jewelry, better concoct myself a fence. And so on.

And so on.

AnD sO oN.
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Roll Call: Gettin’ Dicey

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Image result for d20 gif

Yo, so let’s talk dice.

In just about any RP system you choose, you are gonna need a select few dice to perform. Whether it be the incredibly common d20, the also fairly common horde of d6’s or the less than common d30, dice are the main bridge between your imagination and the effectiveness of your choices. They dictate if you can do the things you want and which way the game goes. They are the deciding factor on questions like “Can I do a cartwheel while simultaneously shooting two dudes behind cover on that high ledge” or “Can I successfully seduce this lowly secretary to put herself literally in danger and give me access to every area of the freaky crime lair she works for?” The answer to both these questions is apparently yes, as my friend Matt has shown dice absolute love when he makes crazy choices. Way to go, Matt, you beautiful bastard.

Dice are important for any system, so how does one go about choosing dice? How many dice is TOO many dice? Is impaling your dice on stakes to send a message to other dice not to fail you TOO extreme? Honestly, the answer to all these questions is simple: it needs to be about what YOU are comfortable with. The additional answer to that last question is DO NOT ALLOW INSOLENCE WITHIN THE RANKS.

At the end of the day, the dice are your main vehicle for the game and you want to make sure you are happy with the dice you have. For some people, that means having new dice for every new character. For others, one set of dice is good enough for any character and any game as they build a bond with that particular set. For others still, having a plethora of dice to switch at depending on their mood and the mood of the dice at the current time. Find out which person you are and roll with it. You want to be comfortable with your dice set up so that you can comfortably play and you don’t feel like something is lacking. Just like you wouldn’t show up for yard work in a tuxedo, it’s important to have the appropriate dice loadout before hitting the table.

“But wait a minute” you’re probably asking, “are you suggesting that the dice themselves have personalities?”

Now, that’s an odd takeaway from this whole thing. I mean, here I am just trying to talk about how it’s important to select dice that make you happy and you’re reading between the lines. Well, I guess it’s the elephant in the room now, huh.

Yes. Dice have personalities. Contrary to popular belief, dice are not manufactured but instead birthed into tiny dice villages in various locales around the world like the city of Chessex or the great MDG mountains. Sometimes dice are grown in dice-farms like trout, such as those produced at Q-Workshop. They’re kind of like Oompa Loompas, except without faces and considerably more cruel. That’s why it’s important to BOND with your dice. And if bonding becomes impossible, then toss a d20 in the freezer overnight so the others can see what happens to those who disobey. Sometimes the best way to build a bond is through suffering, or at least that’s what my Tamagotchi taught me.

Anyway, when selecting dice it’s important to remember this old adage that I just came up with: There is no such thing as too many, nor is there such a thing as not enough. Pick dice that stand out to you because of their look. Pick dice that test roll better. Use a dice rolling app. Hand-carve dice from the wood of the great Uma-Tuk Tree. Bathe your dice in the waters of Lake Minnetonka. Whatever you gotta do, as long as it means you’ll be comfortable with the dice you have.

Happy rolling!

~C

Roll Call: Connection to Characters

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Whether you’re playing Pathfinder or Dungeons and Dragons or Shadowrun or Mutants and Masterminds or any other system, it all begins with making a character. Before setting out on any adventure, you’ll define the specific set of abilities, personality traits, historical prejudices and various other traits that will guide you through the world created for your arena of play. While it’s important at this point to make sure you build a character you’ll be happy with as the game proceeds, the main thing is focus on building a character you’ll be able to have fun playing.

As the game progresses, it’s normal for players to build attachments to their characters. Just as people build attachments to their favorite characters in a movie or TV show, it’s understandable to become invested in the actions and safety of these characters. On the extreme, this can result in players getting VERY emotionally involved in their characters, letting the connection bleed into the real world.

And that’s okay.
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Roll Call: So, you lost…

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Image result for single tear gif

One of the hardest things for both Players and GMs in any campaign is loss. Not just the actual loss or death of a character, but the players actively failing a scenario. This could manifest as something as massive as a total party kill or as simple as failing to save an NPC or solve a mystery. However big or small, failure can do massive damage to the motivation of the Players, both in regards to their movement in the game and even actually wanting to play again in real life.
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Roll Call: Injecting Horror

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Image result for vincent price snl gif

Horror in roleplaying games can be an incredibly rewarding experience, but it’s sometimes tough for people to fully deliver on. It’s shockingly simple for a session that was intended to deliver plenty of spooks to become incredibly dull. However, with careful planning and a few simple tricks, the terror can be real and can shake your players’ nerves in incredibly ways.

Here are some tips that have worked for me.

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Roll Call: Miniatures

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One common complaint I hear from GMs is the burden of having to collect a ton of various minis in order to represent characters and monsters on the table. Reasonably, it can be a bit of a pain, what with painted minis from WizKids only being available in randomized boxes. You can by them individually, but then you may be looking for upwards to 5-10 for a mini or even more if it’s a rare one. It’s true, many GMs actually enjoy the hunt for minis and building a solid collection, but for every one of those people there are one or more that either a) don’t have the means or b) don’t have the desire to through down $50 on a beholder just to move their campaign along. So real quick, let’s talk what options you have as a GM for physical representation on your board.

One thing to remember is that everyone is going to have their own opinions and preference as to which miniature style works best for them. By no means am I touting any one option as better than others, far from it. Like many things in this hobby, it really boils down to what works best for both the GM and the Players. My goal her is to just shed light on some other alternatives for tabletop representation.

 

Tyranny of Dragons #008 Human Paladin (C)

Pre-Painted Miniatures

Pretty much the industry standard for minis, these come in boxes of 4 randomized minis. They are pre-painted, which is nice for people who need their miniatures ready to use, but different sets have varying levels of quality when it comes to the paint job. Also, being that the boxes are randomized, they have rarity levels for the different miniatures available, meaning that beholder you just absolutely need may never come from one of the boxes without buying a hefty amount, and even then there’s only a chance you’ll get what you’re looking for. You can buy them in singles from various sources, namely eBay or websites like this one, but depending on the specific miniature, they can get fairly pricey, up into the $50+ range for one mini.

SUMMARY:

  • PROS:
    • Pre-Painted
    • Sold in boxes of 4
    • Lots of sets to choose from with different themes
  • CONS:
    • Sometimes poorly painted
    • Random boxes
    • Single minis can have high cost

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Roll Call: Table Rules

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Image result for 15 commandments gif

When playing tabletop games, it’s understandable that people might not get along. Different people have different ideas of what a game night means. To some people it might be “hey, let’s get some brews and pay half attention to a game.” Others might see it as a focused and quiet experience, while others still might see the game as a background activity to something else, like conversation or watching a movie. It’s reasonable that a group of friends might not agree on exactly what sort of reverence should be put toward a game. As such, when they come into a session or an RPG or board game, they may be more or less focused than others at the table, more or less sober than others or generally doing something that is a pet peeve of someone else without them knowing.

The way around this is to establish some house/table rules when playing tabletop games. Now, your first reaction might be that this sounds too strict. Afterall, they’re just games. That’s definitely fair, and if your group is the type that meets to game once in a blue moon, then by all means, let people run rampant. However, if you are regularly meeting with your gaming group for more adventures in tabletopping, then you’ve gone beyond just games: this is now a hobby and your group is a club of individuals taking part in that hobby. You are a crew. A squad. A gang of nerdy droogs. As such, everyone at the table has some level of passion for the hobby, so it’s reasonable to have a discussion of what sort of parameters the group may need to put in place to ensure nobody’s experience is stifled. It might not be easy, getting people to agree, and then one of two things may need to happen.
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Roll Call: Long-Form vs Episodic

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Recently, I had a conversation with my main group about where we wanted to go once our current game had reached its end. We have been playing this campaign, a custom campaign in the Edge of the Empire (and a little Force and Destiny) setting, for nearly 3 and a half years. Granted, this has been interspersed with periods of not being able to play, playing other RPGs, or just generally doing other gaming related things in its place, but it has been on average probably a once/twice a month thing for that time. We’ve spent an incredible amount of time with this characters (admittedly, almost too much, and now the group is fairly indestructible). We’re on the last legs now and the anticipation for the finale is growing in everyone, with the stakes being raised to incredible levels. It’s definitely exciting.

However, what’s beyond is still a mystery and a bit nerve-racking, at least for me as the resident RPG leader and go-to GM of my group. We currently have a Pathfinder Carrion Crown campaign that we’re playing from time to time. We picked it up mainly so I could get away from Star Wars in little bits so as to not get sick of the system, and we mostly don’t take it too seriously. Beyond that game, I plan to step away from GMing anything super custom for a while. This Star Wars campaign has been incredibly demanding and I’d like room to breathe for a few months. I truly hope one of my players steps up to GM something, custom or otherwise, but I won’t fault them if they don’t. Like I’ve said in previous posts, GMing is definitely not for everyone. I want them to do it because they want to do it, not because they want to give me the opportunity to play. I may just need to find an additional group that I can play in, and that’s no big deal.

In the end, I know I’ll come back around to doing something custom, and this is where we get back to the conversation I had with my players. I wanted to know their honest opinion on one specific thing: Would they rather do something long-form again, with campaigns leading into the next campaign and building this huge story, or would they prefer something that functions a little more episodic, with each session being its own little one/two-shot type campaign with the same characters all returning to some sort of headquarters. I explained like the difference between a long running series of movies, a la Harry Potter or even, to some extent, the MCU, versus TV shows like Buffy or Supernatural, wherein there is an overlying problem or story between each episode, but each individual episode also has it’s own problem or mission that is the focus, while progress to the big bad issue or villain is made in just small pieces per episode. A trek through Middle Earth, versus a group of pirates sailing around and hitting different islands.

The vote came in across the board for the latter. Everyone loves the concept of a long running thing with characters getting stronger and stronger as they continue one epic quest, but unfortunately it just isn’t realistic. Part of why our main campaign has taken so long is summed up in one word: life. We started gaming together when we were all fresh from college, just getting into the swing of work, with less obligations. Nowadays, people have all sorts of things going on. One of our players is a dispatcher for the local police department and works in odd shifts (3 days on, 2 days off) and has every other weekend spoken for. One of our players works for an assisted living community (a job that just impresses the hell out of me) and is required to work at least one weekend every month. On top of weekends being crowded, weekdays are typically out since I work a midday job and everyone else works a standard morning to evening schedule. Add in family visits and trips and conferences and once a week becomes impossible, once every two weeks becomes a lucky break, and once a month becomes what you hope for. In the past, due to holiday season and work schedules, we’ve gone a two/three month stint with just zero gaming. When you’re doing a campaign that is very much one section of story to the next, it can be challenging getting into it when you haven’t played for a good long time. Once you finally sit back down, a whole large portion of the front of the session is dedicated to simply catching back up.

I honestly think scheduling too often gets overlooked when someone decides “hey, I wanna run this campaign and you are my players.” Until this most recent time I can’t think of any time any of the GMs I know, including myself, have sat down with the group and presented options based on scheduling, despite having many of my GMs actually living in different cities or states at the time of selecting. The early conversations of a new game typically boil down to the what, sometimes the who, the why if the GM has selected something crazy (inb4 Maid RPG), and then it’s just settled. We rarely focus on the “how,” it’s important for gaming groups, especially those comprised of at least a handful of adults, to actively consider those “hows” when selecting a campaign. HOW are we going to keep this fresh in our minds? HOW are we going to find the time? HOW are we going to handle someone suddenly being unavailable or at least less available?

As I go forward, anytime I get a fire on my butt to do a new campaign I plan to first figure out how or if the idea will even function with the group I’m aiming it toward. I may find that I need not include some members or that a generally smaller group would be preferable. Maybe I would need to find a new group to run the idea with altogether. In the end, I may just find that the particular campaign idea or system or whatever might just not be feasible with the players I have available, and that is okay. There are absolute TONS of different options available, and selecting something else is not a horrible place to be.

So, GMS: When you come around to the time we’ve all faced where we’ve finished the campaign we’re on or just generally get tired and want something new, try and figure out first what works best for your gang of murder hobos. Would they prefer a series of unrelated one shots? Maybe a group with a headquarters venturing out and doing smaller quests? Would they maybe prefer a bigger quest, but with the caveat that you play for an entire weekend once every 2-4 months? As I’ve said just many and many and many times before, it all just boils down to what people will ENJOY and what your players prefer. Life gets in the way, so maybe it’s best to just work around it.

~C