Dungeons and Dragons

GM Pitfalls: Master of Puppets

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

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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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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: 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

Roll Call: Skills to Pay Bills

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I have been playing tabletop RPGs for a while now. I have read through many different systems and have tried even more. Over the years, I have gotten many of my friends involved in this hobby, one which I personally feel is immensely valuable and enriching. Because of my experience, my friends who are joining or even building new campaigns will often ask me for advice on starting up. Of all the advice I can give, there is always one that I consistently make sure to give: Use skill checks whenever possible. Continue reading →

Roll Call: Woes of Character Creation [Experimentation vs Repetition]

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I have played a lot of Role Playing Games. I have created and been in charge of quite a few as well. As such, I have noticed trends and common problems. I intend to discuss some of those from time to time.

Let’s face it, character creation is simultaneously one of the most entertaining and daunting aspects of picking up a new RPG. At any given time, players have a myriad of questions they need to ask themselves while diving in. Afterall, excluding any unfortunate Owlbear maulings, this will be the character you are ultimately stuck with for a majority of the campaign, if not the whole darn thing. Thus, let’s talk about some of the woes and stressors that can rear their ugly little heads during this time.

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