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Post by Rolling Thunder on Jul 9, 2010 12:54:29 GMT -5
Let her be a human mutant with pointy ears, its basically the same... Makarova (M.I.A): Whatever you think. You may not like most RPs, but you don't need to start out by saying they are bad to a newbie. Everybody already plays a realistic RP anyways, life. It kinda sucks. It doesn't really. And there's a large difference, I can't punch people in the face with a plate gauntlet and shake them down for money in real life. Well, technically I can, but I get away with it in RPG's. Usually. But I guess we're all different, as you've probably figured out by now I'm a sucker for the concept of a realistic fantasy world. It's like I say about WHFB. You can play crap, or you can play something decent. But you'll have more fun with the decent one. You can have a decent social game with a crappy system, but that's not enjoying the game because of the game, it's enjoying it because of the people you're playing with (like WHFB). But it's going to be better with a better system. Duuuh.
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Post by Kommissar Orren on Jul 9, 2010 14:18:46 GMT -5
I find the Dark heresy system to be excellent, and I am not sure what people find so bad about it. You aren't some suped-up person who can take down a room full of badies yourself, you have to think collectively and work with your team in order to accomplish your goals, and sometimes you just need to do the next best thing and run for your lives. It is by far the most realistic RP I have played. I don't enjoy the game because of social interactin, believe me. I have hated playing with the people, but have had a fun time just playing DH.
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Post by RedsandRoyals on Jul 9, 2010 14:59:21 GMT -5
@envoy: It's called Dark Reign, and has lots of good house rules and homebrews, and is great for inspiration as well.
@orren: Well, at the risk of tooting my own flute (can flutes toot?), part of that is down to the GM. The GM can either throw waves of goons at you, letting each character be their own superhero and not requiring teamwork, or shackle them together and force them into teamwork to accomplish the most simple tasks. The GM has to find a balance between the two ends of the spectrum.
Realism too is up to the GM. Some GMs will have the whole game feel like an action movie, where your characters duel Space Marines on top of a burning landspeeder flying through a jungle, while others will enforce realism with an iron fist, making it seem like your character can't really just do anything.
Like all RPGs, the game is guided and shaped by the GM, and how he reacts to the players. For instance, my group has reached Ascension, and have excellent armour, plasma weaponry, power weapons, etc. I try to give them challenges based on not just combat, but also thought and innovation, and, if I'm feeling like a thingy, present them with a situation where all their special talents and gear don't help (like last session, sorry about the minefield guys).
That's the big lesson any GM has to learn. Make the game challenging, but not impossible, and keep changing it up to match the players. Don't let it get stale.
Reds
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Post by The Envoy (AWOL) on Jul 9, 2010 15:07:54 GMT -5
@envoy: It's called Dark Reign, and has lots of good house rules and homebrews, and is great for inspiration as well. @orren: Well, at the risk of tooting my own flute (can flutes toot?), part of that is down to the GM. The GM can either throw waves of goons at you, letting each character be their own superhero and not requiring teamwork, or shackle them together and force them into teamwork to accomplish the most simple tasks. The GM has to find a balance between the two ends of the spectrum. Realism too is up to the GM. Some GMs will have the whole game feel like an action movie, where your characters duel Space Marines on top of a burning landspeeder flying through a jungle, while others will enforce realism with an iron fist, making it seem like your character can't really just do anything. Like all RPGs, the game is guided and shaped by the GM, and how he reacts to the players. For instance, my group has reached Ascension, and have excellent armour, plasma weaponry, power weapons, etc. I try to give them challenges based on not just combat, but also thought and innovation, and, if I'm feeling like a thingy, present them with a situation where all their special talents and gear don't help (like last session, sorry about the minefield guys). That's the big lesson any GM has to learn. Make the game challenging, but not impossible, and keep changing it up to match the players. Don't let it get stale. Reds Ah right, thanks. I knew it started with an R... Also, no problem about the minefield, didn't bother me at all.
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Post by ElegaicRequiem on Jul 9, 2010 17:36:13 GMT -5
It depends on the quality of tutor who taught the tooters that tooted the flutes. And the minefield didn't bother me either. Just the fact that the mines are made of wood and ceramic, and are thus invisible. Although, I'd have to admit, that that's the point with mines...
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Post by RedsandRoyals on Jul 9, 2010 18:12:13 GMT -5
And the minefield didn't bother me either. Just the fact that the mines are made of wood and ceramic, and are thus invisible. Although, I'd have to admit, that that's the point with mines... Just thinking like the wily Germans... Reds
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Post by ElegaicRequiem on Jul 9, 2010 18:36:59 GMT -5
Or Wile E. Coyote. One or the other.
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Post by Kommissar Orren on Jul 9, 2010 20:37:17 GMT -5
That minefield was no match for Brack and his WWII era mine-clearing techniques. Screw auspex and minesweepers, I have a frakking knife!
I didn't have a problem with it either, plus I got souviniers.
The GM does really make or break the game as well.
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SgtBilko
Lieutenant
The Emperor forgets...
Posts: 141
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Post by SgtBilko on Jul 10, 2010 13:46:55 GMT -5
Hi again,
Been looking at some DH game sessions on Youtube.People all seem to be using minitures and boards. Whats that all about, I thought it was all narative in your mind?
Also, the way you guys are talking about the role of the GM and the creativity he can use, is this a whole lot of work for the GM? I was thinking I could more or less just read it from the book and choose the NPCs as they come up, do I need to put in an hour or two prep before each session?
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Post by Rolling Thunder on Jul 10, 2010 17:18:31 GMT -5
No, you don't need to do prep. So long as you've got an inventory, and a decent bunch of players and a rough idea of the world, you shouldn't do any prep. The basic idea is to let the players do the work in regards to that. Maybe get them started off by giving them a starting job/quest, or an overlying plot device or objective to achieve, but the wisest thing to do there is to then leave it up to the players on how and what they do.
For example, in one of my missions I had to clear out a bunch of gangers. Wasn't hard, but I never got around to it. Wound up stalking a convicted killer, pistol-whipping an abusive rapist to death, being arrested and bribing the police, saving a woman from certain death, being shot be her for it, and then wandering off and finally collecting on the bounty by chucking a grenade down their chimney. All of which I did myself.
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Post by Laughing Man on Jul 10, 2010 17:35:46 GMT -5
Remember don't take it too seriously. some of the worst GMs i had were fanatics about fluff and keeping to a serious mission. The Best GM i had let us try to seduce hookers, abduct lovable urchins and give us the planet of the cockneys.
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Post by RedsandRoyals on Jul 10, 2010 18:58:22 GMT -5
In regards to using minis, that depends on your group and space. I've been in games that use them, and don't, and usually it's fine as long as the GM just describes the scene, gives ranges, etc.
Now, if you're doing an adventure out of a book, then yes, read it, have an idea of the environment, the characters, etc. That lets you move through the adventure much more smoothly, and deal with people who run off in random directions or engage NPCs in unexpected conversation paths not covered in the book.
Some GMs work best with some scribbled notes about the world and NPCs, if it's a homebrew adventure, keeping the story flexible. Others plan out set pieces, waypoints in the stories, and run those according to a script, leaving the players to determine how they get there.
Some GMs, like me, just make crap up as we go along.
I can tell you, though, never plan every step of the adventure. It will be totally worthless within the first 15 minutes of gameplay.
Reds
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Post by ElegaicRequiem on Jul 10, 2010 19:15:58 GMT -5
I use the 'waypoint' system.
Set up some mandatory events, but leave the rest up to the players. It's the light-handed way of controlling a contiguous plot. I do, however, like to create NPC's ahead of time. But... my favorite NPC's of mine are the ones I make on the spot, actually. They also end up with the most backstory, over time...
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Post by The Envoy (AWOL) on Jul 10, 2010 20:26:11 GMT -5
I can tell you, though, never plan every step of the adventure. It will be totally worthless within the first 15 minutes of gameplay. This right here is the golden rule of GMing.
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Post by Laughing Man on Jul 11, 2010 6:06:54 GMT -5
There's one thing GMing helped me to do. Improve my improvising skills. i've always thought the best way to deal with it is to treat the adventure like going through a town. there's only one road in and one road out, but within the town there's lots of different routes to take.
Allow your players that kind of reasonable freedom and everyone will have fun.
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Post by Makarova (M.I.A) on Jul 11, 2010 6:08:38 GMT -5
Or you have a vague plot, but makes it up to the players to actually find it and do something with it. Fun times. ;D
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Post by Laughing Man on Jul 11, 2010 6:29:56 GMT -5
Even funnier is just to string random encounters together till your players make up the plot.
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SgtBilko
Lieutenant
The Emperor forgets...
Posts: 141
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Post by SgtBilko on Jul 11, 2010 7:49:13 GMT -5
ok, thanks.
I'll just wait until the book arrives.
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