Hey there,
We all like charity right? Why not help me out with my 24 Hour Charity Livestream? We’re gonna be playing games for 24 hours, from 4pm today (11/30) to 4PM tomorrow (12/1). Pop on over and check it out. Here’s the stream if you’re curious to give it a watch!
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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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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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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Things I am thankful for:
And of course, I am thankful for my awesome friends, wonderful family, and my lovely wife. Thank you to all those people for being in my life.
Now I better start cooking or those friends are going to beat me.
~C
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.
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.
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:
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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I finally got around to playing Gloomhaven, after purchasing the behemoth game MONTHS ago and not touching it (a common theme for me, I have a problem).
This game is seriously impressive. For those not in the know, Gloomhaven is absolutely MASSIVE:
(Cat in box lid for scale)
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I tried a weird experiment this past weekend. On Friday, I assaulted 6 of my friends with a random, cryptic series of gifs and then asked them to pick characters, namely teachers at a school somewhere in Michigan. I had them choose strengths and weaknesses, had them describe their relationships to other characters and had them come up with a fear for their character. This all built into the culmination of the experiment on Saturday, which I’ve dubbed “Golden Hills” after the name of the school they work at.
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The Everything Kid 