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Post by jenburdoo on Jun 24, 2015 8:03:48 GMT -5
I ran a round of Dungeons and Dragons at work a few weeks ago, using a 1992 starter box and the XD20 rules-lite system. The two staff members and one teen who joined in loved it and are urging me to try it again... I have a premade, customisable map, a box of foldable cardboard minis, character sheets and D20s. What I really need is figuring out how to make it interesting without it being all combat. Puzzles, traps, choices-without-anarchy, and general atmosphere. I did write the words "ExPlOsIvE rUnEs" on a card for use as a trap but haven't gotten to use it yet... thoughts?
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Post by Adkenpachi on Jun 24, 2015 11:30:26 GMT -5
Theres a lot to be said for free choice in storyline situations, think of vague outcomes to many different parts of the story and then if they choose that path then elaborate. The point is they can do ANYTHING. Last time i played one the GM did a lot of "are you SUUURE you want to do that? This might be a better idea"
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Post by treadiculous on Jun 25, 2015 7:22:53 GMT -5
Running a roleplay game is fun, the trick is to have a solid idea of the background and a number of ideas for storylines - these don't need to be very developed.
The players are likely to kick against anything too rigid and quite likely to do some really weird things you weren't expecting, they'll pick fights with the characters you present as allies and make allies of the monsters they were supposed to kill, blow up the princess and overthrow the king they were supposed to work for (etc).
The players will be looking for an adventure and will seek what they want from the game, if there are some shady characters and mysterious disappearances they may chose to be detectives, equally they may just wander out into the wild and look for the biggest fight or largest loot they can find. Encourage them to follow their own path and try to give them what they want while also giving them some story (any kind of story will do).
Throw in clues and red herrings while the game goes on and then work out what they mean in the time between games. So the ork had a silk scarf in its pouch, the goblin trader had an elvish dagger, the human coachman had an interesting scar etc.
Players can also enjoy to have a 'cinematic intro' to the session in which they are told of a sequence of events the characters went through in which they had little control, ie; they were recruited by the army, trained up and stuck on the front lines... this gives them weapons and skills quickly and while they may choose to desert their post the offer of combat may keep them in place. (if they do desert then that in itself is a story in which they can be pursued, have to hide, etc etc).
pre-write some code breaking challenges in case the group splits up, throw a code puzzle to one group while you deal with the other group and this will give all players something to do.
.. and be prepared that even though the rooms the characters are in are miles apart, if there is a fight in one room ALL the characters will expect to turn up by the final few rounds of combat. Even if they are deaf, blind, locked in a dungeon and have no legs - they will STILL arrive to fight the last couple of rounds. Allow this.
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Post by jenburdoo on Jun 25, 2015 9:31:01 GMT -5
What sort of puzzle in a fantasy context can contain a code, though, and what sort of code? Simple letter or number substitution might not be the best option, as these are smart high-schoolers...
Background: Um, your typical fantasy wilderness, with the characters in a village in a tavern in the middle. Perhaps it's on the outskirts of the kingdom, and they might discover a major threat and have to travel to the capital to warn the king?
Ideas for storylines... hmm, clean out parts of the wilderness or the fallen castle nearby and discover that it's an outpost of the orc horde that is planning an invasion... pass through a village and discover that it is run by a werewolf who occasionally eats the villagers ... camp for the night in a deserted forest and wake up surrounded by dire wolves... and these are all tied together because orcs and wolves like to work together to subjugate people?
They are really getting into the card game Once Upon a Time, which suggests to me that they can tell fantasy stories and are willing to try to be a part of one. They've already got the bit down where passersby hear really strange out-of-context statements!
One of the staff, who has not played but is familiar with DnD, has a character concept of a female mage ready.
Hm, ideas, ideas. Thanks for the thoughts!
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Post by treadiculous on Jun 25, 2015 17:14:48 GMT -5
for code I would suggest this as any paper based exercise which will distract them long enough.
I have used runes; I made the runes up and made 'THE' really obvious, they worked out all the other letters from that. I think it was a warning across a stone arch.
A numeric puzzle like suduko could be a locking system on an ancient vault.
A set of maps or documents which must be studied or manipulated to gather the information. eg, the first letter of each word spells a message, or if all the maps are put together they show another map, or if all the documents are placed so the rune in the corner is on top of each other and held against a bright light a message appears etc.
A set of parameters which define the behaviors of the enemy and a set number of routes the enemy may have taken, the parameters eliminate the routes until there is only one possibility and the adventurers must choose that route. (eg, orks don't like water so they wont go the path that crosses the ford).
I wouldn't worry about the puzzle being hard or easy, its nice to have hand outs and simple tasks like this really engage the players.
It will help a lot (and is a loads of fun) to create a history of the landscape, what kingdoms are where, what are the alliances and feuds like, are there any dragon mountains, trolls in the hills, mines, dwarven caverns, elvish ports and cities, which way is the bad lands, are there old rumours and stories, any ruined castles and why where they ruined etc.
don't spend long putting in details, having a basic map with these kind of ideas on will help flavour the setting and often give the inspiration for far more complex situations.
I know a player who often over-thinks the simplicity of the setting and creates extravagant plot ideas (which I then steal). its great!.
Roleplay is a version of storytelling in which characters interact with the story, freedom is integral to this. Theft of story ideas from books, movies, anime etc is essential for the speed at which it enables you to draft an adventure. and to be honest, once you establish the quest it quickly becomes about scoring some kills on a horde, tooling up with some kit and stomping down the door of the bad guy, how many obstacles you put in the way is down to you!
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Post by Adkenpachi on Jun 27, 2015 4:12:25 GMT -5
And for the love of tiamat, dont let them search for hidden doors in literally EVERY room!
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Post by treadiculous on Jun 27, 2015 9:06:49 GMT -5
he he... and the 'you need to make a perception test' is a give away too.
In the event of a failed perception test you can always deliver some interesting red-herrings instead of watered down versions of the truth.
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Post by Adkenpachi on Jun 27, 2015 17:11:23 GMT -5
Our last DM did lots of random passive perception checks in rooms and stuff but just said "you failed" if it was a hoax... to make us do stuff a bit differently
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Post by jenburdoo on Jun 29, 2015 18:48:45 GMT -5
Ran a starter scenario for two of the potential players and one drop-in. I'm planning to run this Wednesdays, but talked about it today and got two players to build characters. So far we have:
- An elven archer (can't remember his name) - not strong but athletic, and an expert shot, he is exploring the area around his elf-clan's territory as a sort of ambassador. - Leofans, a cat-person thief - cursed as a child to have a lion's head, he was run out of his village for that and for resorting to thievery to survive. The player wanted a half-lion/half-human, I gave him several options and he picked the curse over a race of cat-people or some truly bizarre mating ritual which would not have been appropriate for a family library.
I ran an ad-hoc scenario in which they met and decided to travel together to where they will meet the rest of the party on Wednesday. This involved a dire wolf and its pack stalking and attacking Leofans (hey, he looked and smelled like a cat, what do you expect?). Leofans was unarmed save for his jaws and teeth, so he wasn't doing too well until the wolf (being played by a former member of the teen group) decided to take down a tree to block Leofans' escape and rolled really well. The archer had climbed a tree when he heard the howls, then swung through the branches and was watching above the clearing until the wolf pushed his tree over. He rolled a 20 on his attempt to land safely and executed a perfect backflip and landing that would have got him applause in the Olympics. Two more wolves turned up, but fled upon hearing Leofans' roar. The wolf player fumbled several attack rolls -- including his bite on Leofans which I decided meant he was an old wolf and his teeth were falling out. Eventually the elf shot him a couple times and since we were about to close I ruled that he died, thus saving the cat-guy.
In retrospect I should have thrown the wolf player a bone (ha!) by ruling that he simply decided to cut his losses (his prey was literally biting back) and run. This would have allowed him and his pack to return as a recurring adversary. I'm thinking that when the elf and cat-guy turn around after their recovery, they'll discover that the body is gone...
Hopefully they will talk about this with the other kids and I'll have four to six players on Wednesday -- oddly, the adult staff are the most enthusiastic potential players but this IS supposed to be a teen program. I'm hoping for a regular game/campaign.
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Post by treadiculous on Jun 30, 2015 4:50:05 GMT -5
I'd let the wolf gut write up a few more wolves and let him know that they will avenge the fallen wolf-kin.
Tell him that they will die frequently so don't get too attached and then watch as he learns the joys of terrifying the others by sheer relentlessness.
Either that or the wolves rally to the cat guy as new pack leader? (the wolves didn't see the arrow shot).
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Post by jenburdoo on Jun 30, 2015 19:47:12 GMT -5
OK, now we have five characters:
Elven archer Knight with heavy armour, sword, 20 throwing daggers (!), and leadership qualities Thief cursed with a lion's head. Greek-style priestess with healing powers Female mage with elemental powers and a tragic, secret backstory (played by the only person at all familiar with DnD)
Some of these are clearly overpowered, but I'm not too worried -- yet.
And I (I think!) have an adventure planned and an overarching plot ready if the campaign goes on as I hope. Also fellow staff members eager to play one-off NPCs...
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Post by RedsandRoyals on Jun 30, 2015 21:05:17 GMT -5
Can the thief actually speak normally, or does he have to growl and roar and make cat noises?
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Post by jenburdoo on Jun 30, 2015 21:52:55 GMT -5
Hm -- I haven't thought about that! Perhaps I should require him to carry a slate and chalk.
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Post by emptyhat on Jun 30, 2015 21:58:19 GMT -5
I'd let the wolf gut write up a few more wolves and let him know that they will avenge the fallen wolf-kin. Tell him that they will die frequently so don't get too attached and then watch as he learns the joys of terrifying the others by sheer relentlessness. Either that or the wolves rally to the cat guy as new pack leader? (the wolves didn't see the arrow shot). Perhaps do the first thing Tread suggested but also what you suggested. There is more to the wolf that was killed then meets the eye, he is in fact the totem wolf god of the wolves in that area and after the adventurers leave the need of the pack resurrects him. Then he decides to send some of his wolves after the lion head guy who is now his nemesis. Oh and Goblins is good for coded puzzle ideas. I think they also talk about that stuff in the forums too.
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Post by jenburdoo on Jun 30, 2015 22:45:43 GMT -5
Haven't read Goblins -- the illustration style doesn't appeal to me. But I'll look at the forums.
I'm looking through my few KODT issues -- they have ready-made adventure and trap seeds.
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Post by emptyhat on Jun 30, 2015 22:49:50 GMT -5
There are a few things that are deal breakers to people when it comes to Goblins but it does have good puzzles.
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Post by jenburdoo on Jul 1, 2015 20:57:34 GMT -5
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Post by Adkenpachi on Jul 2, 2015 5:52:55 GMT -5
None of them are vastly overpowered in 5th ed, rangers are really OP at level 1-5 but then equal up. Mages are pretty average til level 10ish then their amazing. Pallys are pretty strong consistantly.
Starting our campaign on saturday, i got given a half elf monk, i chose way of the fist... i want to make it to level 17 so i can make people expload with a punch, lol.
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Post by jenburdoo on Jul 2, 2015 8:30:34 GMT -5
The "making him write what he needed to say" did not go over well, so I am looking at a way for him to overcome that part of the curse -- he ended up whispering his lines to another player whose character had traveled with him and learned to "speak lion." Perhaps a puzzle from a traveling magician next session -- one of the other librarians wants to play an NPC, and I've offered another the option of playing the Queen of the nation they're in. (Hmm, it needs a name.)
The others all clearly enjoyed it, to the point of one falling off his chair and having to be lectured about appropriate behavior.
Fun events:
- I threw in the symbol of the royal guard several times as a clue, and they were pleased with themselves when they figured out that's what it was, and that the dead body they had found earlier had been one of the guards mentioned in the guard-captain's journal. - The female priestess being played by a drop-in male when the female player didn't show up -- and us constantly calling her "him". - The elemental wizard, trying to dig a hole for another party member, accidentally buried them both up to their necks. - The warrior fell into a river while trying to cross it on a rope bridge -- it took a while and several failed plans to retrieve him. - The priestess fell victim to an explosive-runes trap, then fell off the ladder. - The priestess tried to heal the knight, but botched and accidentally broke his wrist. - The tower they had been investigating was empty -- they thoroughly explored it shortly before the orcs who had taken it over returned and went straight through the door the characters had bashed down instead of lockpicking. Then the five in the third floor barricaded the trap door -- leaving the priestess to defend the second floor. Despite a couple fumbles, she defeated the orc captain (killing it rather than capturing it as the other players wanted), then played whack-a-mole on the rest of the orcs as they came up through the 2nd-floor trap door (which no longer existed since it had been blown to smithereens by the explosive runes). Basically, she saved the party while they were cowering above her, and the player's skeptical response to their fumbling excuses for their actions afterwards was a sight to see.
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Post by emptyhat on Jul 3, 2015 16:05:11 GMT -5
How about the Kingdom of Corrunchy.
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Post by Adkenpachi on Jul 4, 2015 11:59:19 GMT -5
So level 5 monks are rubbish in actual play so far the paladins been massively OP followed by the sorcerer
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Post by jenburdoo on Jul 5, 2015 17:25:16 GMT -5
Now I need to figure out what to do next -- and quickly. I do NOT want to lose momentum at this point. I have a few ideas but am having trouble fleshing them out. Again, the puzzle side of things is stumping me. It worked fairly well the first session, but there was just one clue and some hints at an overarching plot. How would you do a mystery in a town setting?
I'm also thinking that a session should have rising action and a climax, rather than a big fight happening early on. Is the former a typical convention of RPing?
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Post by emptyhat on Jul 5, 2015 18:27:13 GMT -5
Now I need to figure out what to do next -- and quickly. I do NOT want to lose momentum at this point. I have a few ideas but am having trouble fleshing them out. Again, the puzzle side of things is stumping me. It worked fairly well the first session, but there was just one clue and some hints at an overarching plot. How would you do a mystery in a town setting? I'm also thinking that a session should have rising action and a climax, rather than a big fight happening early on. Is the former a typical convention of RPing? If you can't think out the town mystery in time take the idea you have and do it Scooby Doo formula style, it'll be good for a laugh the first time.
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Post by treadiculous on Jul 6, 2015 14:05:44 GMT -5
mistery in a town setting.
is it anhk morpork?
I would have a bunch of shady characters spread around the town, some underground cellar in the local tavern which is haunted, a church with a far too enthusiastic evangelic witch hunter, a band of mercenaries in the stables, a local lord who's run away from his title, a thief that's all too well known by the locals, a rubbish cook, a small group of goblins trying to pass themselves off as halflings, an ogre working as apprentice in the black smiths, a rich lady of repute looking to recruit a group of rogues for a suicide mission, and maybe a few other things.
as for a puzzle.. I'd let them get drunk and then leave a trail of clues as to what they got up to the night before.. starting with "why have I slept in stonebread and tomato sauce (pizza) and lost my left boot"
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Post by jenburdoo on Jul 6, 2015 18:17:05 GMT -5
Treadiculous: Those are great ideas for general hooks and would be great for the capital city, which I intend to eventually have them spend some time in after delivering a message to the queen and possibly being hired by her for "dirty work." What I'm looking for though is a process to go through a single session-long mystery.
Thoughts:
- Some of the orcs, including their sorcerer and archer, survived the fight at the tower. I'm undecided whether they would return to their main army, follow the party, or both. Am thinking of having them (or just the archer, who is now in command of the survivors and takes initiative) attack the party as it recrosses the river, perhaps trying to cut off one or two on the near side after the others have crossed. That would come early in the session though, and it might not be a good idea to have that much action early on.
- The catfolk and elven archer fought a wolf in their first pre-session. I'm thinking it's a werewolf and is still alive. After returning and talking to the mayor, then heading towards the capital, they would spend the night in a town where the werewolf has made its base, with a variety of clues suggesting that they've met him before and that he hates cats, etc. What I'm not sure of there is how the plot would go -- does he attack a member of the party? NPC villagers whose screams awaken the party? Just usher them on through in hopes they won't interrupt his operation as another forward base for the orcs (hmm, perhaps the orcs or at least the archer are hiding in the town)?
I really hope my players don't think of googling my name... <knock electrons>
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