#i may or may not take suggestions for characters to involve as PCs or NPCs

[angorwhosebabyisthis]

just got hit like a brick by the realization that i could like. post one of my solo campaigns on ao3, couldn't i. if they involve characters from any specific fandoms. like, i looked extensively through the guidelines and i'm not seeing it explicitly confirmed one way or the other, but also i can think of zero reason why it wouldn't be allowed? it's literally just fanfic written from prompts, only instead of a random word generator or whatever you're rolling dice now and then.

there are some systems i wouldn't do that with, like my hack of marchcrow's pokemon polyhedral that i've enjoyed and played quite a lot, because they're more repetitive quick-moving game loop than actual RP unless you go out of your way to add it in; it'd just feel spammy, technically allowed or not. but something like an RPGSolo or Over the Mountain campaign would i think be a hundred percent appropriate for ao3.

absolutely wild. i think i'm gonna do it.

[heybiji]

hi!!! i just wanted to say i really love all of your MASKS stuff. i'm something of a newbie when it comes to the TTRPG community, but MASKS seems to be not very well-known and i think that's a real shame. i'm a huge fan of old-school superhero-adjacent stuff, especially the silver- and bronze-age ones!

by the way, i was wondering if you'd be willing to share some tips for a first-time GM? you don't have to if you'd rather not! i just figured i'd try asking since i was planning on GMing a MASKS campaign for some of my friends later, but despite my decade's worth of roleplaying experience i've never been in a TTRPG campaign nor a GM (or similar) role before

Thank you so much!! I was just lamenting about how I felt bad for the MASKS tag because it is now flooded with all my npc nonsense hahah so this is really nice to hear.

It's awesome you're planning on running a MASKS game for your friends!! There is an indispensable post on twitter I saw that has a LOT of great tips for running MASKS that I recommend checking out. But for my own personal tips that are just me things, here's what I got. Sorry it's gonna be extremely long-winded, it may take a few months to read through it.

(Note: I am also hugely into RP and probably put more into it than what is necessary, especially with MASKS which is meant to be able to be played out of the box. It was definitely not played out of the box in our case because I require a lot out of myself and everyone else to feel good about running something. if anyone else wants to continue seeing me as a normal human being please don't click the Keep Reading)

Since you're running it, make the world interesting to you. If the world runs around themes you're personally interested in then you'll have a much easier time coming up with answers on the fly. For me, themes I'm interested in that lend themselves well to a superhero world: money, power, family, celebrity, media, the 24 hour news cycle and the desensitization of violence. Because I'm interested in this stuff anyway, wrapping a world around them makes it much simpler for me to figure out how the world ticks and thus how the characters fit into it and how the world reacts to them, and I am DESPERATE to find out how the characters react to all the questions and expectations the world is imposing upon them.

Make sure your players have a good grasp of the tone of story so they can make characters that gel well within it. For me the tone is a lil more adult because I'm not personally into younger morality tale stories in tone, it's pretty grounded, and I think comedy and tragedy work hand in hand so I lean into them.

Talk. A lot. Talk about the characters, talk about the world. MASKS is fun because it's a LOT of talking and figuring out the narrative together. It's not a lot of crunchy mechanics, it's all around seeing how the characters react to the world narratively, all hurt and comfort and emotions which (for me) requires people to have a good grasp on their characters and the world. I like to give my players "homework" where I ask them a question involving their characters in some way like "what hero did your character look up to as a child?" so they get to come up with past heroes, or "How does your character feel about _____?" etc etc. The only fans are gonna be your table and fans love to talk so be the biggest fans of the PCs!!

Figure out your framing. I know in MASKS they suggest framing it like a comic book, and basically talking about the frames on screen. For me, because I'm more into movies and tv than comics, I frame it like that. So I have an active "camera" in play during sessions and will ask things like "would anyone like to grab the camera?" to encourage the players to put the character into a scene or "what does the audience see as the camera focuses in on your character in this emotional moment?" There is a LOT of playing up to the camera and framing the sessions as episodes of a show, so it's like, okay, you have several options but what is going to be interesting for the audience to see? I find this encourages the players to have their characters take bigger swings and feel comfortable letting us into how their character is feeling because it all looks GREAT on camera. The camera loves it. The PCs are the story after all.

Because I frame it a show, I also like to play individual ending songs over the "credits" at the end of each episode. So I asked my players to make playlists for their characters so if I feel an episode had a lot of emotional focus on one character in particular, I can play one of their songs at the end of the episode! I also made a general MASKS playlist with a bunch of songs from the era we set it in (2004) to pull from. It's a fun little addition that I really enjoy and that I hope makes it all feel more special.

The Dino Donut Effect: create landmarks in your world. (OK THIS IS GONNA BE LONG BUT WORK WITH ME HERE) They don't have to be locations, more solid landmarks of the story that the characters can refer back to and lean on to make the world feel more "real." I call it the Dino Donut Effect because in our world the thing that made everything click into place was talking out the backstory of one of the PC's figuring out they had the power negation ability. We were talking one night trying to figure it out; we wanted the character to fall out of a building and be caught by a flying superhero and accidentally turn off their powers, so they toss the kid to another flying supe whose powers also get turned off. But we were like... holy shit what is the height of a building needed that can handle this much action in the air without them hitting the ground in 3 seconds. So after a long night of talking about terminal velocity and looking at Splat Calculators we figured out the height of the building, and we needed them to crash into something that wouldn't fuckin kill them. The first suggestion was a truck full of bananas. Nah. We landed on a giant balloon that could take the impact. And the balloon became a giant T-Rex holding a donut that was the mascot of the city's beloved decades old donut shop Dino Donut. And so we decided that one of the two flying supes grabbed onto the kid and the other and flew into the giant balloon to try and keep them all alive, which destroyed the balloon, which was a city institution, and there was a crowd of children there that day that saw their friend Dino Donut die. Killed by a superhero. The balloon deflated loudly so it sounded like Dino Donut was screaming in agony. All the kids were traumatized (screaming crying throwing up), the city was furious because everyone loved Dino Donut, it was constantly in the news cycle, and it ruined the career of the supe that "killed Dino Donut." AND THEN THEY REPLACED THE DINO DONUT BALLOON WITH A LAME "UPDATED DESIGN" DINO DONUT STATUE which everyone hates and people consider to be a memorial to the old Dino Donut. ANYWAY, the Dino Donut effect is that now all the PCs have one single incident to refer back to that they all have feelings about. A couple of them were there that day and heard Dino Donut scream, one is now the protege of the disgraced superhero that killed Dino Donut so she feels uncomfortable talking about it, there's the kid that was saved that day but was sworn to secrecy by the supe so no one would find out about his power negation ability, and then there's the kid that wasn't there because she's an alien that just arrived to earth and now the kids have to explain the incident to her with all their varying opinions. Now the PCs' meeting spot is at a Dino Donut. Having this one solid incident that is both funny and kind of goes into the themes of the world has been an absolute treat. Creating "landmarks" like that in the world has done so much and now I'm like okay I'm gonna try to do this moving forward with any other thing I run.

anyway these are my extremely specific to me tips. my RP standards are kind of high which makes me a bit of a terror but also when the flowers bloom from it it feels GREAT. i'm not sure if this will help but hopefully there is something there that can be useful!

MASKS is fun and simple once you get the hang of it, though, so I'm sure whatever you do you and your players will have a lot of fun! especially if you're someone who is into RP which is the background I'm coming from too; MASKS is extremely narrative! i'll be looking in the tag for your game hehe

(The Day Dino Donut Died art by JD)

[dmsden]

Weaning Away from Combat - Showing your players alternatives to battle

Hullo, Gentle Readers. This week’s Question from a Denizen comes to us from tenivan. They ask, “Hello! When I DM, I tend to write encounters without writing in how the players are supposed to deal with them. My players tend to take the most direct, obvious route through an encounter, which is usually combat, even when it's not really a combat they can win on their own, such as an entire army besieging a castle. Do you have any suggestions for encouraging people to come up with more creative ways of getting through the adventure? Thank you!”

Hi, tenivan. I know that, especially with new players, it can be a struggle to get them to realize there are alternatives to combat. But there are definitely ways to show them there might be better ways to handle a situation. I’ll try to give examples of how it could work, using your castle siege scenario.

One, while admittedly not as satisfying as having them come to the conclusion on their own, is to flat out tell the players that combat is probably not the best solution to the problem. “A look over the situation tells you that a direct assault would be absolute suicide. You’re out-numbered by thousands of soldiers. If that’s the route you want to take, then we might as well just roll up new characters now.” Obviously this isn’t particularly fun for the players or for you, but it is a solution.

In a similar vein, but a bit more satisfying, would be having an NPC say the same thing and offer some alternatives. “The elven lieutenant looks your group over. ‘Your bravery is to be commended, but what you propose would surely mean the death of you all. I do not doubt your hearts or your prowess, but the gnolls are simply too many to consider a frontal assault. There may be another way, however, if you’re willing to dare some odds?’“ The elven lieutenant can then offer the sneaky alternative of slipping past the gnolls via the ancient sewers under the castle.

The reason I recommend having the NPC offer an alternative is because, if your players are only seeing the straightforward path of assaulting a castle, they may need some help starting to think of alternatives. You could have the PCs encounter gnoll scouts in the sewers, thus giving them a fun fight before rewarding them with a path through to the castle’s interior. Alternately, the NPC might offer other alternatives, then let the PCs discuss what they would consider the best course of action, or offer their own plan.

If you don’t want to spoon-feed the players an answer via an NPC, you can always suggest that they consider making use of their various skills. If there’s a PC good at History, ask what their bonus is (even if you know it), and then say, “Oh, you would definitely remember that Castle Valthurax was famously invaded by a neighboring kingdoms through its sewers decades ago. The conquerors hid the sewer entrance and bricked it up, but maybe you can locate it?” Other skills that could be helpful might include Investigation or Perception (”After searching the woods, you’ve located a grate set into some rocks...water flows out...maybe some kind of secret back entrance to the castle?”), Nature (”You notice an area of rock that seems to have been worked, but made to look natural.”), Survival (”You notice many animal tracks leading to a shallow stream in the woods. After a bit of searching, you find what seems to be a bricked up well. Given its position, maybe it’s fed by the spring said to be found under the castle?”) and so on.

One thing you can do is to reward new ideas. Ask the players if they have any ideas for getting into the castle that don’t involve combat. Offer to reward people with Inspiration, extra XPs, or special boons if they come up with a clever plan. I find that incentivizing is an excellent way to guide player behavior. Have folks propose plans, then give a reward for whichever plans the PCs go with and smaller rewards for anyone who proposed a plan. After all, you want the players to come up with ideas, even if they don’t get chosen.

I hope this helps, tenivan. If you start showing your players that there’s a world beyond combat, hopefully they’ll take the bait and start coming up with their own ideas of how to make an adventure non-combat oriented. Let us know how it goes for you!

[theworldbrewery]

Interpersonal conflict at the table: what do you do?

As wonderful as it would be, D&D is no more free of people having beef with one another than any other hobby. There are many reasons there could be conflict out-of-character at the table.

A rules disagreement turned ugly

A player’s character sabotages another PC, and the players get heated

Someone is perpetually late, not paying attention, or not communicating their scheduling needs

A character’s ideology turns out to be shared by their player, and the ensuing in-character argument is taken personally

Two or more players have an unrelated issue in real life, and bring their bad blood to the table with them

As the DM, it may fall to you to referee disputes that happen out of character when it starts to affect the game. While this isn’t necessarily fair, it still happens.

I’ll admit, I’m still learning how to handle a situation like this. My group has had its fair share of conflicts; I’d imagine many groups are the same way.

No conflict is going to be exactly the same, but here are some basic guidelines to help you get through it:

First, try to consider all the angles. Even if you feel like you have clear feelings on who is right or wrong, if you’re trying to step in for the good of the entire group, that means being fair to everyone and acknowledging your biases. If you can’t do that: please, please take a step back. Ask someone who can be more impartial to help, get advice from an uninvolved 3rd party, whatever you need to do. Keep in mind that everyone thinks they’re in the right and has reasons for feeling the way they do, even if you disagree.

Second, consider your role as the DM carefully. If you’re involved in a rules dispute or someone is metagaming to the detriment of others enjoying the game, you must remember that as the DM, you have a power dynamic with your players. They might be worried about you taking out your anger on their character, being biased because of closer relationships with certain players, etc. If you try to calm a conflict, even if you aren’t personally involved, back off the instant your input seems unwelcome.

Third, if possible, talk to everyone involved individually. D&D is social; it’s collaborative; and if you put someone on blast in a public forum, it doesn’t matter how nice you are about it: they will hate that. If something is going wrong mid-session, either power through by glossing over the issue or end the session early. A little awkwardness at this time is better than a public argument, which is what this can turn into.

Fourth, remember it’s okay if someone wants to leave, but don’t be overly hasty to throw them out. Sometimes, especially in conflicts that occur outside the realm of D&D itself, a rift just can’t be healed. Stay out of conflicts between players if they aren’t directly about the game, try to be understanding of all sides, and let it go if someone wants to quit. However, unless someone has done something you can’t accept, don’t succumb to any pressure to force someone out of the group. For instance, if two players have a bad breakup, you aren’t obligated to kick one out to appease the other. If one of your players was saying racist things and got called out, that’s an appropriate time to tell them they’re not welcome. At the same time, with game-related issues, give a player a few chances to change after you talk to them--an egregious metagamer may not have any idea they’re making the game less fun for everyone else until you talk to them.

Fifth, if you must get involved, be gentle, and give people the benefit of the doubt. Players probably aren’t trying to make others have less fun, so don’t attack them for a roleplaying mistake. Instead, let them know 1) the behavior that you take issue with, 2) the effect it has on you and other players, and 3) a suggestion or 2 you have to prevent this in the future. Be specific, but don’t name names. In a situation where one PC’s sexual advances are creating tension, say “Another player mentioned that frank discussions of sex make them uncomfortable, and I don’t feel great when you hit on my NPCs so aggressively. I know you think of this as an in-character trait, so maybe in the future you can just say “Lancelot is going to flirt with the barmaid” and we can be more discreet.”

Experienced DMs--share your thoughts on handling interpersonal conflict! How responsible do you feel a DM is (or should be) for dealing with an issue? What methods have worked for you?

[black-quartz-sphinx-judge-my-vow]

Exalted 3e Villain Analysis

When I was first going through the various Adversaries of the Righteous, I skipped right past Adeimantus, because I’m shallow. His art just isn’t evocative. But ho boy! Beneath that pale, bland exterior lurks a villain worthy of an entire campaign. So let’s talk about that.

Adeimantus is the ruler of a utopian City from the Shogunate named Beimeni-Ta. A city which was consumed by the Wyld ages ago. It now creeps into Creation like an infection transforming cities and slums into itself.

What a great freaking idea, wow. The sidewalks the towers, the people all transform into echoes of a golden age lost to time. Can’t you just see the brick back alley suddenly becoming a marvelous marble tunnel? The building torn halfway between one style and material and the next? The crowds of excited peasants waiting for their shacks to complete their transformation into mansions? Now that’s a threat! How do you even deal with something like that? Do you burn down the infected part of your city to keep it from spreading? Do you jail the new citizens to stop the from singing the praises of utopia, and converting more people to their cause? Or do you go after the Raksha that’s behind it all?

What I like most about Adeimantus is that he’s totally on the up and up, at least in my interpretation. He’s not doing this because he wants to eat every baby in Creation. He genuinely wants everyone in the world to live in his perfect city. So much in fact that he has a charm that not only changes the city to match the desires of an individual, but he himself changes to match that desire.

After the players have defeated Adeimantus and sent his city back to the mists: “That’s alright, we’ll start over as many times as you need. This is all for you.”

Which brings another terrifying aspect of Adeimantus into view. When he vanishes, so too does the city, and all of it’s people. Any buildings and individuals changed by Beimeni-Ta get whisked away to the Wyld, even victory can mean that a entire slice of a city is amputated. Spooky.

As far as a combatant, meh. If you’re using Adeimantus to beat people down, you’re doing it wrong. Although he does have a knife that can make you ugly to anyone who can read, which is fun. His main power in combat comes from his ability to summon battle groups of his followers to attack the pcs. Plus ya gotta involve the city itself in any combat you do. Potholes open up beneath your feet, shingles slide off the roofs onto your head, and other such irritants. Maybe give the city it’s own initiative, and stat block, why not?

His real strength comes from his ability to manipulate intimacies. Not only can he instill them in people through their dreams, but he can also make you disregard any that make you oppose him. Very fun, and could be interesting if you have players who are very dedicated to rp. Otherwise think of all the NPCs you can target, and turn against the players. Now that’s high drama. Solars want to live in Utopia too right?

Especially since as I said before Adeimantus is a chill dude. He doesn’t want to resort to violence, he rules a utopia, and wants to share it’s bounty with the world. Of course his Utopia ends up being pure madness when it returns to the Wyld, but no one seems to be dissatisfied.

So I’ve gushed on about this beautiful bald man long enough. What are some ways you can use him in a game?

1. A world saving device was once held in Beimeni-Ta, and it’s needed once more. Do you: look for a city infected by Beimeni-Ta. Crusade into the wild to reclaim the lost city. Or maybe infect a nearby city, long enough for the vaults of Beimeni-Ta to manifest.

2. Beimeni-Ta begins to arise within Great Forks. How does the city of a thousand gods react to such an intrusion? Is the draw of Utopia enough to tempt even a deity? Or do they hold firm as more and more of their followers join the cult of Adeimantus?

3. Every Winter Adeimantus visits a struggling village in the north, and provides them with supplies needed to survive the harsh winter. What scheme is he up to? It’s been generations since he started doing this, and no apparent harm has been done. The villages are convinced he’s a benevolent god of winter, how will they react when the players try to destroy him before he can corrupt their village?

4. Beimeni-Ta is ruled not only by Adeimantus, but also a Senate of Demons. So this Fair Folk, has an alliance with demons, as well as a permanent city in the Wyld. There’s something deeply interesting going on with Adeimantus. In his Stat block it does say the Senators are Raksha too, but I much prefer him being a complete weirdo. But as for plot hooks. A city has already fully fallen to Beineni-Ta. Now there is only one thing left to do. Characters must introduce a bill to the demon senate which will revoke the city’s hold on creation, at least this part of it. Can the pcs, get it through sub-committees, and over come a filibuster lead by a second circle demon?

5. Burns 100 Poets is a monk of the Immaculate order who has thrice vanquished Adeimantus from creation. He carries the weight of the many poets he’s killed to keep Adeimantus from spreading his corruption. He is retired now nearly 200, and works day and night to craft the poems which could have been were it not for his diligence. He may hold valuable information in how to stop Beimeni-Ta from spreading. However this gentle poet of an old man may suggest methods the pcs would consider frightful.

Finally let’s talk about a campaign that has Adeimantus as it’s big bad.

I call this one: Lookshy, Rise of The Shogun.

The basic premise of it being Beimeni-Ta was a city during the Shogunate Era, a pretty important one. Reclaiming it would finally give The 7th Legion reason to accept a new individual as Shogun.

Act 1

The Players, Dragon-Blooded protectors of Lookshy are tasked with looking into strange happenings around the city. The marching band plays a song hundreds of years out of date, a new building appears seemingly out of nowhere. Things escalate when a section of the city’s rampart’s becomes infected with shiny new lightning ballista. Suddenly the General Staff is torn on how to deal with the situation. with some opting to let the infection spread to access Beimeni-Ta’s ancient resources, to others wanting to combat the plague before it’s too late. The group is forced to navigate this tenuous situation, while beating back Adeimantus’ growing cult, and corrupted gentes. Culminating in the final confrontation with Adeimantus, and a member of the general staff he’s corrupted. Adeimantus vanishes with his pawn defeated, and takes however much of Lookshy he’s corrupted away with him, back to the wild. The walls are breached, the city is in ruins, the army is divided, and things are looking dire. Were The Realm not crippled by The Scarlet Empresses’ disappearance, this would be the end.

Act 2

After a brief recovery clarity comes to the surviving populace of Lookshy. The Shogunate Bureaucracy has records detailing this Beimeni-Ta many of the afflicted citizens were rambling about. It was once a seat of power for the Shogunate a place of immense importance, that fell into the Wyld never to be seen again, until now. Most importantly it was the final resting place of The Imperial Seal. The stamp with which The Shogun made words on paper law. With it, a simple document can be stamped and a new Shogun can be appointed, the shogunate will live once more. If only Beimeni-Ta can be dragged back out of The Wyld. If only... we could find it.

No maps of Beimeni-Ti’s location survive, only records of military assignments. Letters for a general to withdraw from the defense of the city, a general by the name of Tepet...

With the only lead they have the players are sent under cover to The Realm to find what they can about Beimeni-Ta from it’s ancient defenders. There’s investigation, spy work, a heist. All of which ends in a social confrontation with Tepet’s ruling Council which presents them with an offer: fulfill their oath to the Shogunate, regain their honor by retaking Beimeni-Ta.

Act 3

The impossible has happened. The players have convinced Lookshy to break with tradition, and march on the Wyld. House Tepet has given their only legion to the cause. The two armies of the Shogunate unite like something unseen in anyone’s time, and march through the river lands towards the end of the world. It’s a long grueling march, through an untold number of kingdoms. The centuries of Lookshy’s political favors, and military threats fray with each border they cross. Threats seeks to divide them with armies and from within. The Lookshy soldiers see their Tepet allies as traitors, and the Tepet aren’t too fond of the scavengerland barbarians either. The players must use their genius to get their army through in one piece. Until they reach, the border marches.

Act 4

From here on it’s all out warfare. The players and their small army must reclaim creation step by step enduring every machination the Wyld can through at them, from raining lava, to forests of grass as tall as a warstrider, and as sharp as a blade. All until they lay siege to Beimeni-Ta. At last the jewel is within their sight. They just have to overcome Beimeni-Ta’s endless militia of maddened citizens, their 100 Demon Senate, and of course Adeimantus fully empowered by the wyld and Beimeni-Ta itself. Who can with but a look, a touch, who’s very presence beckons you to join him in Utopia, in oblivion.

And what are the rewards for such an epic journey? A brand new city to rule over? The title of Shogun, and resurrections of the shogunate? An arsenal of first age weapons from the shogunate’s richest city? Who’s to say what dreams await you in Beimeni-Ta? 

Only Adeimantus knows.

Only Adeimantus can show you the way.

[dungeonqueering]

Alright, amidst all the bullshit going on, let’s do something actually FUN together.

On Tuesday, I’ll be doing Session 0 for As You Wish. We’re going to design the town the game will take place in, including what amenities it has and so forth. I’ll let them roll a d4 and give themselves that many Resources (under the condition that they can only start with one in any given category at Max).  I have asked them to consider whether or not they are doing a character voice

AND, I’ve asked them to come up with NPCs that live in the town, if they so choose.

However, I am going to be chronicling this game here for SURE. My hope is that you all will become as invested in this game as I am, and I’ll probably even post character sheets and stuff too. You guys are going to LOVE the PCs, which I haven’t described yet.

So what I want to do together, with the members of tumblr, is design some NPCs. Here is what we know for sure:

The town has a population under a thousand

It has a Bakery, Blacksmith, Butcher, Sheriff, Carpenter, Mason, Tailor/Cobbler, Tavern/Inn (run by a PC), Wood Cutter, Farms, A few Churches, and a Mill. (There are other things, but these are the ones that might involve people). There are also optional buildings that will be decided during session 0

SO I will keep track of your suggestions for NPCs, preferably as reblogs, replies, or asks, and may use them as characters. You can go as detail heavy or light as you’d like. I may have to edit them in actual play for consistence, but also I’m not going to be super picky. Saying “Kriegery the Grocer” is just as valid as “Joaquim the Herbalist who lives a mile or so outside of town” is just as valid as “Pascal the Tiefling Sheriff. They have such and such backstory and their wife is a very tall Human named so and so. They have six children named A,B,C,D,E, and F. Pascal is afraid of snakes and.... Etc.”

I’m definitely going to be coming up with several of these, and I’ve made a mechanic wherein the players will have to do roleplay scenes with NPCs to hopefully establish some of them as fully fleshed out and interesting characters.

I will absolutely post all the ones I come up with, and you will hear about the ones I use. I can’t guarantee they’ll stay in their original form (I have accidentally changed characters names and voices before oops), but they may get a spot in the game depending on the climate, facilities, etc.

[dalethesnail-blog-blog]

I finally DMed for my Best Friend and his Wife. An open letter to under confident aspiring DMs

So I started D&D 7 years ago with my best friend, his wife, and his mother as our DM(she had serious DM mojo back in the day so her son convinced her to play with us, his wife did DM a session one night for shits and giggles). His Wife and I were new to the idea of d&d, I remember my only relationship to it was I knew a couple inside jokes from a few people I went to school with but I had no desire to try it until my best friend found out I hadn’t even tried it before.

We played 3.5 that first campaign, and I loved it. Freed a town from a tyrant, slated a wyvern and uncovered the secret backstory of one of our party members.

Eventually his life saw him headed to the east coast, and I, living on the west coast, was left to dream of playing another campaign with them someday or even continuing the one we already had(Azoth Drake my gestalt Knight/Fighter is immortalized in character sheet pdf form on my pc to this day). I can’t tell you how many ideas I had for settings and characters, how many homebrews I made with hopes I would show it off to my first d&d group one day.

One day we three reconnect and start playing a PS4 game online together, him, his wife and I that is. We decide next time we get a chance we will play a new 5e campaign(since I learned 5e and studied the books thanks to other d&d groups I recently played with in the past 2 years preferring those rules to 3.5 or pathfinder).

I get the news they are coming for New Years around September. I have months to work on things and I’m worried I will either overprepare and railroad them, or I’ll underprepare and it will be All Sunny in the Forgotten Realms(but in a bad way). Also CR, the hardest thing to do is make a fair CR for a party that is just two adventurers. We decided to do it gestalt(like our first campaign, just take two classes and get features from both each level, sounds complicated, really easy and it makes the player a bit overconfident despite still having a normal amount of health for their level and just one turn in combat) that way they can fit two roles of the party instead of having to play two characters or having me play a healbot for them. And my best friend loves the idea of making it a “Witcher” type campaign with bounties on monsters and a political plot in the overtones.

With New Years looming we tidy up the final loose ends as far as what we need to know about the world and the characters and I get the opportunity to write in a few new things for precise flavor. I even made a failsafe that I’m glad I had prepared in case of premature player character death(My interpretation of Terry Pratchett’s Death will meet them on the road to the afterlife and check one of many pocket watches, the particular one designed so that it reminds the character of themselves, he’ll then tell them their deity would be angry if he let them pass on before their time and direct them away from the light).

I got more than I bargained for for certain. They followed the first clues I gave them and solved the problems I posed in ways I didn’t expect, so I had to ad lib most of the first contract they had. At the end of it his wife’s character lobbed a rock at the fleeing commoner NPC that was the key to complete the quest, being capable of killing it with 1+ her strength mod damage. Still they came up with a way to make it work reasonably and I let them get paid.

The first night they roleplayed staying at a tavern inn. My best friend’s character off put by his traveling partner’s homicidal tendencies decided to sleep alone. His wife’s character stayed up all night partying and we rolled on the carousing table for the result. She apparently gambled and won a lot of money and became a local legend. We had a lot of fun roleplaying after that.

On the way out of town I rolled on a table for an encounter, 1d4 Goblins, and I rolled 1. 1 goblin, oh well,that’s all I would have them encounter then. I created a lovable scamp goblin who considers the roadside to be his personal kingdom, and I named him after the Tomb of Annihilation’s Queen Grabstab. They didn’t kill him despite his annoying posturing, in fact when he asked for a toll my best friend’s wife decided to toss him a gold peice, but more about him later.

The next contract I made too difficult, admittedly on purpose(not every story has to be a happy ending), they could certainly solve the mystery but getting the full amount involved saving children from an entire Night Hag coven that had already eaten them. They faced only one Night Hag and after a long battle the Night Hag retreated leaving the child they followed into the foggy marshes behind. Even then I had the payment come in the form of an IOU from that one child’s parents who weren’t able to scrounge more than a few copper at the time. They settled for a larger sum later. I plan on paying them more money the longer they give the family to earn it(and I want them to forget about it if possible so I can surprise them later with enough gold to get their characters something nice like 1d4x10 for every week they give them).

Then it happened, I underestimated 4 cultists and 3 cult fanatics. That battle was more brutal than the single Night Hag I had thrown at them before. The strategy could have used some work admittedly, they had ranged attack options they forgot about that could have been effective rather than getting overwhelmed by 7 weaklings. Also his wife didn’t move from the center of the dogpile, despite me giving her hints that she was the most logical person to attack for four out of seven enemies so long as she remained there, meaning she was taking a lot of damage every round, I was trying to convey the message without metagaming but she was confident that she could survive. Just before the end of combat her character died, a tense moment for me as I’ve never had a character die in one of my campaigns and her husband’s character managed to barely survive the final 2 enemies left after her death. He had 10 health and a new cart to carry his dead companion back to town with.

I continued the session by using my one time resurrection failsafe, I’m glad I thought ahead but I felt I had to really exaggerate that I prepared the way I would give them a chance to come back once they first died, honestly a party of two is easy to overwhelm. Hey, even all knowing gods can fuck up and install a reset button, even great DMs aren’t perfect? I don’t like fudging rolls so I had to think of a clever way to make it seem like Death itself(Kelemvor, if you will) was giving them mulligans.

Then we partied in the tavern again and her character once again made slightly less than a mountain of gold by gambling and my best friend’s character broke even. They found a royal missive asking for experienced adventurers to join an expedition to an island to investigate some strange goings on. They decide to head to a new location to hop on a boat headed for the island. On the way out of town they ran into Grabstab and allowed him to join them for the next part of the adventure.

They fought an ambush of giant wasps. Grabstab even delivered the killing blow to one of them. The fight was mostly interesting because it was on horseback while pulling a cart and the wasps could just barely close distance at full speed, it made for an action packed fight. The players even tried to get away at first, and their speed turned out to be the thing that saved them.

That was the session. I established a homebrewed world, had them hunt monsters that were in their own right the mystery to solve, I killed a PC, brought a PC back because of divine intervention(death is my employee and does what I want), and I gave them a companion character with a wacky personality.

We plan on continuing in discord, maybe in a month or two. I feel like I impressed them though, I could tell they were enjoying their time in my world.

In hindsight; convincing them to have a companion character would have been better to do sooner, I could have used it to save a character from death before having to blow a secret deus ex machina. Also, the cultists were searching for them in the background right after they entered the first town, I could have warned them that they were being hunted, it may have derailed things but at least the ambush would have been better justified. The Night Hag was a good fight, and the bleakness of the result of that quest could have been fixed, I’m thinking about having the Night Hag’s sisters strike back at some point and somehow they save more children than just the one. And I should be clear that a commoner has 4hp and a rock to the head can kill them.

If you’re ever interested in DMing I suggest you put yourself into it with the best intentions. Players will end up doing things you don’t expect, like holding their ground and fighting to their death, if you think you’re putting them in too much danger find a way to save them before they are dead, not after, I’m fine with the way I fixed it because it’s what I wanted to do eventually but I wanted to hold onto it for after a bigger fight than where I used it.

This experience was supposed to be my masterpiece but it really taught me that I have a long way to go before I’m we’re I want to be as a DM. But all the same, I appreciate my DMs more than ever. And if you are worried you might not be ready my advice is to try it out and be surprised. I wasn’t a failure, but I gotta work on this campaign for next time I run it, I know I can’t get it just right, and my players still seem invested. I can say that I’ve gotten pretty good at eyeballing the challenge rating of a fight at least. I could have killed both of them if I decided to put more than one Hag in the second quest and they reasonably could have beaten the cultists but one of them being overwhelmed without knowing it is something I didn’t see coming.

[zippdementia]

Part 93 Alignment May Vary: A Series of Side Quests

ALast time, I introduced the concept of how I’m handling the pre-final battle side quests, which will influence how that battle goes. I’m taking a lot of direction from the RPG Blades in the Dark for this, which I highly recommend as a must-read for any DM who wants to take their game to the next level. Even if you don’t end up playing Blades in the Dark, the way it presents how to run a satisfying game and how to keep your sessions focused on actions, obstacles, and consequences, is incredible reading. For these side quests, I’ve really drawn on its lessons a lot in order to keep the action focused and our story moving. If I didn’t, the five missions I’m going to cover in this post could have taken us months to play, as we explored dungeons, fought various combats, and had downtime between each quest. As it is, we do all five of these (plus the one from the last blog post) in a single large, six hour session. In that time, the players roll a ton of dice, but we don’t run a single combat... though they overcome many many obstacles along the way.

Here, then, is a brief rundown of each of our little “side quests.” This is a long post, so enjoy!

Dragonmeet

Argent, their bronze dragon ally, tells the PCs that they need the support of the dragon council if they are to fend off Abenthy. The PCs agree.

The journey from Waterdeep to the Nether Mountains is more than six hundred miles. For three days, Argent flies you north, passing overhead many signs of ruined cities and villages. No people remain, but neither is their undead or monsters. Abenthy’s influence is silently spreading, and as it does, it is erasing this world of life, leaving nothing behind.

Arriving at the Nether mountains, the PCs are given audience by the council of the great Metalic Dragons. This is a scenario lifted out of Tyranny of Dragons, in a nod to our original planned adventure, four years ago. But whereas in that campaign, there are specific things each dragon wants, here I leave the direction of the conversation more up to the PCs. All three of them make a plea, roleplaying out the conversation, with me playing the dragons. Milosh focuses on his life in Eberron, and the fact that dragons have disappeared from his world and their guidance is greatly missed. He fears Abenthy would see everything destroyed, them included. Carrick compares the dragons to Primus, in their greatness and glory, and says that in a way people are their creations and begs them to make the decision to protect life. Imoaza’s plea is full of regret for the path her people, the Yuan Ti, choose to follow, and says that the dragons are right to judge people not worth saving in the past. But she promises that if they are saved, she will make the effort worth it in the future.

These pleas move the dragons, and they agree to give aid, on one condition: that when the war is over, the Yuan Ti turn to worship of them, and follow a better path.

Imoaza agrees to do this, if she can wrest her people free of their current leader, her son, Xaxus.

An Icy Reception

The PCs decide they need the assistance of the Ice Barbarians in order to fight successfully in the frozen plains of Friezurazov. Also, they will not abandon them to slavery, which which be their fate if the PCs do not intervene.

Argent flies you across the Moon Sea, until you come across a line of Prison Ships. The moon shines down upon them, and upon the head ship, named The Re-Enlightenment, and captained by Gregor Tolman, whose great grandfather once captained The Enlightenment, lost at sea ages ago when it fell befoul of a plot involving the Red Hand. Among its final passengers were Shando, Daymos, and Karina...

The roll to set this quest up goes really well, so I actually cut out an encounter I had planned with the Tarasque, summoned into the ocean by Abenthy to destroy the Barbarians before the players can recruit them. Instead, the PCs reach the ships before Abenthy realizes they are going after the Barbarians, and so this encounter comes down to another roleplay moment, with the PCs having to convince Gregor Tolman to give over the Barbarians to their care.

To do this, I really enjoy the plan the players come up with. Imoaza poses as a haughty noble who says she represents Nakir, their noble ally from Waterdepp, and says he wishes to buy the slaves... all of them! With the help of some magic and good persuasion rolls, they convince the captain to turn the ships around and drop the Barbarians off at the old sea elf post, then go back to their sailing. Gregor is a little suspicious, but they play upon his fears of nobility and convince him not to get wrapped up in their political games. Believing he is in over his head, he follows orders and leaves.

The Ice Barbarians are secreted away in the forests around Waterdeep. Orcaheart, in particular, is overjoyed to have the chance to fight again alongside Milosh and promises that their final drive against Abenthy will “shake the very heavens.”

Death Pact

One character that the players are very concerned about is Verrick, the four-eyed Tiefling and former lover of Karina. He is a long long term NPC, and so the players have a personal connection to him. Also, he has become a Death Knight, under the control of Nazragul. While that control seemed to be broken at the Maakengorge, the news that he may be returning to Abenthy’s side is a concerning notion, as he is quite a deadly foe.

You catch up to Verrick at the ruins of Baldur’s Gate, where you find him sitting on a fallen statue, head in his hands. He looks up wildly as you approach and gets to his feet, waving a hand at you as if to push you away.

“Stay back,” he warns. “I do not know how much longer I have control of myself and I would not want to hurt friends of Karina’s.”

It is easy to convince Verrick to fight against Abenthy, but the problem is that Verrick is magically bound to Nazragul’s soul, and has a deep connection to Karina and Abenthy as well. With the three combined in one body, he is finding himself drawn back to fight for him.

Verrick says that, as a Death Knight, he is doomed to be bound to another’s soul until such time as all bounds are broken. Even death cannot stop him while his binder lives, he says. But if they can defeat him now, he will not reform for some time, and will not be able to fight against them in Friezurazov. He prepares to duel them...

... but the PCs have other ideas! I really like how the PCs solve this one. Milosh decides to try and unbind Verrick’s soul from Nazragul and bind it, instead, to himself, thus meeting the requirements of the Death Knight’s contract, while actually winning him over to their side for the final battle!

It requires Imoaza’s mastery of the weave to pull off, and carries a significant risk of killing Milosh, but in the end the players manage to roll through it, and Verrick’s soul, while not freed, is at least bound to the force he wishes to fight alongside.

The Wayward Daughter

This is a tricky one. Imoaza receives word that Hecate is being held at Spiral Tower, an underground fortress where the Yuan Ti torture and brainwash those who have “left the fold.” Hecate’s treachery has been discovered, and she is about to go through a re-education program to make her, once and for all, a thrall of her brother, Xaxus.

Imoaza’s thoughts turned to the daughter whom she had abandoned so many years ago, and who had spent so long trying to kill her. Their reconciliation on the Abyssal plane had changed both of them and Imoaza felt that if she did not save her daughter from the clutches of the Yuan Ti now, they would be forced to face each other one final time on the battlefield, and this time one would not walk away.

This mission goes wrong from the start. A bad set up roll means I actually add in an extra challenge. Argent is flying them to Spiral Tower when he is spotted by the magical sensors of the Yuan Ti. A magical storm immediately forms to swallow the dragon and Argent has to abandon the mission. The PCs use the fly spell to drop from his back, fly through the storm, and land in the forest that grows above Spiral Tower.

They waste no time in quickly preparing their plan. This is a bit of a heist mission, involving teleportation magic. Carrick and Imoaza are going to be teleported by Milosh to a precise location in the tower, where Hecate is being held, and then try to get her out. Anyone who knows teleportation rules knows there is a huge risk here: Milosh has never seen the inside of the tower, and is forced to operate off of what Imoaza can describe to him. This leads to some tense rolls, which could result in an instant death scenario for the PCs if they fail. They do not fail, however, and Carrick and Imoaza reach Hecate’s chamber via portal.

Their time is short. Carrick begins dispelling the magic that is rewriting Hecate’s personality and thankfully the process is not far enough along to have changed her, yet. Hecate comes up with a daring plan. Rather than leave with Imoaza, she suggests that she stay behind and pretend to have been indoctrinated. Then, when the moment is right, in the final battle she will turn and strike Xaxus down.

Imoaza agrees, and tells Hecate, too, of her plan to join the Yuan Ti to the worship of the dragons. She says to start spreading the word of the dragons through the Yuan Ti as subtly as Hecate can, so that the Yuan Ti begin to believe the Dragons are their true saviors. Her hope is that when the dragons arrive on the battlefield, it throws the Yuan Ti forces into disarray and opens up a path to Xaxus.

Imoaza half expects Hecate to question this new direction for the Yuan Ti, but Hecate says that Imoaza will always be her leader and will be trusted in all things. Then she tells them to go, before Milosh is discovered. As they leave through the portal, Imoaza finds herself concerned for the first time in her life with the safety of a family member, and finds the emotion both beautiful and strange.

The Wizards of Thay

The final side quest involves finding Daymos and helping him recover Jade’s soul. The roll on this one is not great, and so the PCs find no trace of the psychic-turned Quasit. However, they do learn that Jade, as a Lich, had a phylactery, and that she was aided in making it by the Red Wizards of Thay. Nazragul forced her into this path so that he could more easily take over her body and make use of it, and the Red Wizards were only too happy to help in exchange for some of his knowledge and power.

When Nazragul was exorcised from Jade’s body, she died, but her soul went to her phylactery, while Nazragul merged with Abenthy and Karina. That phylactery is now with the Red Wizards.

Thay is an isolated and arid windswept plateau some twenty-five hundred miles east of Waterdeep, its dark skies constantly clouded by volcanic ash. This land is defined by the prevalence of undead within its borders. The supreme leader of Thay is the lich Szass Tam, whose council of advisers-the zulkirs-are powerful liches themselves. Everyone of consequence in Thay is a spellcaster, and  necromancers are common there. Undead servants are everywhere, and many of the commanders in Thay's armies are the free-thinking undead soldiers.

This is another scenario lifted more or less from Tyranny of Dragons, though it is a little simpler than presented there. Rather than have to win over the Red Wizards, the PCs simply have to offer them something that is worth the return of Jade’s soul. The PCs also learn that the Red Wizards are holding Daymos captive, for he came to them and tried to force them to release Jade. The PCs end up negotiating for both of their souls. The price ends up being twofold. One, they must stay the night in Thay. This seems like an odd request, but the PCs agree to it tentatively. Two, they must give them an item of great power.

At first, the party thinks that what they should give over are spells of Haggemoth. However, while a tempting appetizer, the Thay wizards say that it is not enough. So the PCs keep the spells and look for something else. That is when Milosh suggests, though not without sadness, that they give up Lhu-Ee, the painting gnome that Haggemoth created, and who has traveled with them since the tomb.

It is an acceptable trade: the Thay wizards are fascinated by the notion of what is essentially a living, thinking phylactery. It is a surprisingly sad moment for the -players. Though Lhu-Ee has barely had a roll in the campaign, I played him with a lot of personality, and the players felt good about saving him from Haggemoth’s lair and from the Mummer. He made a bigger impression than I thought he would and so the moment becomes a solemn one as they hand him over to the wizards. The wizards say they will begin work on the brother and sister immediately, and Lhu-Ee bids the PCs farewell, saying that no matter what happens next, he will always love them for having given him freedom, even if it couldn’t last.

Only that night does the first gift the wizards ask for really show its purpose. As the PCs fall into a deep sleep, the wizards try to infiltrate their minds and draw forth the secrets they harbor. They are powerful secrets: Imoaza is a master of the weave. Carrick has all the knowledge of the Surveyor. Milosh is from another world. They come close to cracking Milosh, who has more self doubt than the others and is really struggling with what his purpose in life should be, but ultimately all the PCs fight them off through willpower and good roleplaying, and none of them remember the night’s events afterwards. The wizards may be sneaky, but they are not necessarily dishonorable. They recognize that they had their chance to garner secrets from the PCs and it is their own faults they failed. So they consider the deal done and turn over Daymos and Jade, their bodies restored.

The brother and sister, who have been in this campaign since it’s very first session, shed tears and greet the PCs like family, saying that they will lend their phenomenal powers to winning this war. Daymos also has one more surprise: to rebuild his body, the wizards had to put someone else in the Quasit. They choose Reeves Sar Testain, whose soul had been carried with Daymos from the Abyss, ever since Esheballa’s game. So now Daymos and Jade also travel with the reborn Testain, in Quasit form.

The Siege of Waterdeep

The side quests are ended, but there is one final event before the last battle. The PCs are called back to Waterdeep by Nakir, who says that it is time to reveal the Blackstaff. They all travel with Breathgiver and the real Blackstaff to the middle of the city, where Nakir has asked several of the Lords and many citizens to gather, on the pretense of a grand announcement. However, before they can make their announcement, diaster strikes. Vindass Lanteral crashes the gathering with the army of Waterdeep and says he has come to arrest Nakir and the PCs as traitors. The PCs prepare to face him down, when alarms break out all over the city. A great beast is emerging from the harbor. It is the Tarrasque, and it comes to bring Abenthy’s wrath to the city.

This is a big battle scene, with a lot going on. Breathgiver tells everyone that she can defend the city with the Blackstaff, but they must protect her. So Imoaza, Carrick, and Milosh stand guard while familiar ethereal tentacles erupt all over the city, sucking the life from its citizens. Breathgiver enters a trance and everyone hears a loud crash coming from all over the city.

Waterdeep, one of the wonders of the civilized world, contains wonders of its own. Undermountain, the Tower of Light... many argue for fun over what the wonders truly are. But the oldest citizens of Waterdeep say there are eight wonders, and all of them are statues. The Walking Statues are behemoth statues, said to have appeared out of the ethereal plane as guardians for Waterdeep, controllable only by he or she who wields the blackstaff.

Since I first read about Waterdeep as a child, I’ve wanted to do something with the Walking Statues. Now I get my chance. Breathgiver awakens the statues and I give the players control of three of them, as the Tarasque emerges like Godzilla from the docks and begins wreaking havoc on the city. Three statues converge on it and the players get to have what is essentially a giant Mech fight. The Hawkman, the Swordmaiden, and the Godcatcher all come forward to face the Tarasque and protect Waterdeep. This becomes a tremendous fight, with the Tarasque laying into the statues and bringing down the Hawkman and the Swordmaiden before the Godcatcher grabs it by the tail and, much like Mario swinging Bowser in Mario 64, spins the Tarasque through several buildings and out to sea, where it crashes into a nearby island and falls, unconscious into the ocean.

While all this has been going on, Milosh has been pulled into the Ehtereal world by the tentacles. Imoaza tries to grab him out, but she fails and is left with severely burned arms, that will remain black for the rest of her life. Desperately, Milosh calls upon his powers to teleport him back to the city... only, he doesn’t quite make it.

A Pocket Dimension

Milosh finds himself in, of all places, a brothel. It is being run by a strange man wearing all red, who is shocked, but not unhappy to have a customer. A few questions later, the group realizes this is Immerstal the Red, old party buddy of Aldric, who the group last saw on board the Surveyor’s ship, before he was sucked back into his pocket brothel.

Honestly, this scene is totally unplanned. I didn’t think Milosh would end up in the Ethereal but once he was there, someone (I can’t recall who had the idea, myself or one of the players) mentions our old NPC, Immerstal the Red, and it just was too perfect to not bring him back into the game.

Immerstal reveals he knew Aldric, and is shocked and saddened to hear of his passing. But he doesn’t seem that interested in returning to Faerun. Things are simpler in his pocket brothel, after all, and he is not sure it is wise to bring himself back to a world which, by all accounts, is about to be eradicated.

"Anyway,” he says, “they should just throw Immerstal’s old Fireball spells at the brute. That will show him.”

“The what now?” Milosh asks.

Immerstal blinks in surprise. “You haven’t heard of Immerstal’s mighty Fireblast?”

It turns out there’s a lot of Immerstal stuff that people haven’t heard of, or have forgotten. Sensing a weakness, Milosh plays this up, saying it’s too bad Immerstal won’t be coming back to remind the world who he was. Too bad history will forget him. This finally pushes Immerstal over the edge and he begins packing a bag, and pulls Milosh with him through a portal back to Waterdeep.

Wrapping up Waterdeep

A few final things wrap up our time in Waterdeep and prepare us for the final two sessions of our RPG. In the days that follow, It is revealed that Vindass Lanteral has fled the city, his fake Blackstaff broken. He is out of our game, and never does make a reappearance, at least not in our tales. 

With the former blackstaff fled, Waterdeep is in political confusion, but they rally around Breathgiver, the new and true Blackstaff. She immediately declares an end to the shadow lords of Waterdeep and says that from now on, Waterdeep will no longer have lords, but instead shall be led by a council of people from every walk of life, and the Blackstaff shall preside over the council with the wisdom of all its ancient holders. Even as she proclaims this, word comes from the city gates that the other members of the Alliance, including the refugees from Baldur’s Gate, have heard of the Tarasque’s defeat and have arrived to offer their strength in the fight to come.

There is not much time to celebrate or rebuild. The PCs need to get to Friezurazov and face Abenthy before he can revive the Tarasque. However, in the Tarasque’s attack, Waterdeep’s massive fleet was all but destroyed, and the PCs have only Argent to carry them to battle. The armies of Waterdeep cannot follow. It is a devastating blow, for alone they cannot hope to survive and bypass Abenthy’s army.

But then hope arrives from an entirely unlooked for place. A fleet of elven ships is spotted on the horizon. When they land, it is revealed to be the fleet of the Wood Elves of the Sword Coast, led by an old elf named Feluver. He is the brother of Trakki, our PC from many campaigns ago, who was lost during the Red Hand saga. Feluver says that for the first time in many years he had a prophetic dream, and in it Trakki told him to sail his ships to Waterdeep and prepare to fight that evil which had corrupted Trakki’s soul before he passed.

This, then, is the answer to how the armies will make it to Friezurazov, how they will bring the strength to stand against Abenthy, his undead and Yuan Ti, and whatever other defenses he has. This, then, is the true beginning of the end.

Next time, our penultimate session, A Clashing of Fates.

[iseverecupcakecollectionfan-blog]

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Video gaming have come quite a distance, and have spread to cell hand helds which might be a lot more advanced and superior custom home consoles, pc and laptop gaming and with greater and greater digital features and visuals. Android is currently assisting to transfer customers to T-Mobile the knowledge companies of: income of Android equipment were up 137 pct this season from your year that is previous. Are you currently buying way to Traveler Mobile Phone Text it's cando it using cell-phone criminal is hardly difficult to use. In Game of Thrones, the audience is made conscious incredibly first of what is currently going on in Master's Obtaining. That several money is better spent if you've got Computer or a system on preserving up for one of the activities. (by-the-way, the initial Arkham Asylum is just $thirteen this weekend on Steam) and when you do not, next only purchase something else - there are many of steps games on Android which are simply simply better. Take a look at our manual on how best to move your acquaintances between iPhone and Android for an easy approach that has iTunes. Among the minion sorts in the first activities was updated for the film, as well as the game developers offered one-an additional outfit to create a full fledged chatting NPC. You're able to support the Siri Remote in possibly landscape or symbol, with respect to the game—most operator - type games will require landscape, while point-and- activities ought to not be coarse in symbol method. Currently, some 300,thousand people include rated Flappy Bird, several causing long critiques using recommendations, needs, and general ventilation: The only reason why I've not however removed this awful game will be the overwhelming sensation of relief and achievement I'm when I eventually overcome a high report,” produces one. Back-up. It was as if you just said that it is a recreation around shooting at high-school females with a wonder climax gun wherever you go. Windows Mobile is an operating system (OS), developed and produced by Microsoft.

[kingmaker-thac0hno]

Rules Corner: Kingdom Management

A big part of Kingmaker is the development and management of your kingdom.  This will require significant coordination among players, and it is strongly suggested that you develop a system for making decisions as a group regarding the direction of kingdom governance.  Typically, kingdom management will be done outside of game sessions, leaving in-session time dedicated to character adventuring, managing risks and challenges, and various player-character centered events. While some kingdom management discussion may be permitted during sessions, it should be limited in scope and time.

Kingdom Management

Kingdom management will be performed in turns, similar to how 5e combat is managed for characters. Each turn will represent 1 month of game time. Each turn will consist of the following phases:

Receive Petitions 

Issue Edicts 

Resolve Edicts

Receive Petitions

In this phase of each Kingdom turn, the players will receive information. Advisors may approach them with news, Commoners may approach them beseeching their aid. Other nations may send delegates waiting to be seen.  Most importantly, the results of previous edicts will come to light.

Issue Edicts

Edicts issued will be instructions the players wish to have completed by their subjects. Building a road, a fort, or a town hall. Exploring an unknown area of land, sending their soldiers to deal with a bandit uprising.  The group will be responsible for identifying their own goals and objectives, and which kingdom resources will spearhead the effort behind the edict. Choose wisely! NOTE:  Edicts are player-driven. A lack of participation here will result in the assumption that the kingdom does nothing for a given month.  Edicts will be given a target difficulty appropriate to their challenge. A Castle will be harder to construct than a fort, which in turn is harder than an outpost. Sending an emissary to a small tribe will be easier than sending one to a small barony, which in turn is also easier than sending one to a large, powerful kingdom. Incremental progress will be rewarded. Building a fort on the site of a previous stone ruins, or expanding an existing fort to a full fledged castle will be far easier than building a castle from scratch. This will likely have an impact both in time and difficulty of the desired edict.. 

Edicts to build structures or develop terrain may only be performed in areas (hexes) annexed by the kingdom. Annexing an area (hex) may be performed as an edict, but only on regions that have been appropriately surveyed and cleared of dangers.  At present, the newborn kingdom has very limited resources, and may only issue one edict per turn. As the kingdom grows and becomes more powerful, it will have more resources to bring to bear and gain the ability to issue multiple edicts during this phase. 

Resolve Edicts

Each edict will correspond to one of the major Kingdom attributes, and that attribute will determine the dice roll necessary to govern the outcome. It is important to note that a ‘failed’ roll in this step may not necessarily mean an incomplete task. Instead, it may simply mean delays in completion, the appearance of a problem elsewhere in the kingdom, or various other complications.

Meshing Session play and kingdom management

As the game progresses, it is very likely that game flow will be driven toward something like this:

Month Start

RECEIVE PETITIONS

Group discussion, ISSUE EDICTS

Game Session, focusing on character issues and events during the month

Month End; RESOLVE EDICTS

Repeat.

However, to maintain narrative consistency, there will be times when several Kingdom turns will take place between sessions, as well as times when several sessions will occur during a single kingdom turn (worded another way, when no kingdom turns will occur between two sessions). 

Surveying vs. Annexing Hexes

Surveying a hex represents exploring the area; identifying hazards and the like. A rough map is generally part of this process, detailing major landmarks, but as it only takes a day to do, extensive thoroughness and detail is not part of the gig. You MAY survey a hex that has dangers, though often the act of surveying a hex will reveal dangers.   

Annexing a hex represents agents of the kingdom performing an appropriate land assessment, marking property and borders, and creating an official, detailed, map of the area for governmental use. The act of annexing results in the area officially being recognized as part of Thornvales sovereignty. Annexation cannot be done until dangers existing within a hex are dealt with.

Hex Improvements

Generally speaking, overland hexes can contain a road, and one other major improvement ( farm, ranch, mine, etc). 

The two exceptions to this rule are cities, which contain many improvements (walls, stores, taverns, mills, etc) and pre-established locations ( such as Melianse’s grove, or Bokken’s hut) which do not count towards hex improvements unless otherwise specified. 

Kingdom Edicts vs. Downtime

What does it all mean, and what's the difference?

Downtime is a player-centric opportunity to do things out of session. Traditionally, in D&D, characters with large amounts of free time between adventuring have been able to study, train, research, recruit, cavort, or various other personal activities. In 5e, this may mean learning a new skill. Researching the location of a lost artifact. Recruiting a new bodyguard, or finding a mentor. Retraining an old class level for a new one. The key question to ask when determining if something is suitable for downtime is: Is this activity focused on and dependent on my character alone?

If the activity risks combat, requires other PC's to participate, involves extensive back-and-forth interaction with the GM, or requires large numbers of NPC's - then no, the activity is likely not suitable for downtime.  

Kingdom Edicts are any activity where a substantial portion of the resources of Thornvale are brought to bear to accomplish a task, OR any activity that where the Kingdom of Thornvale is being officially represented by an individual or group. Examples of the former are things that no single person could do - build a road between two cities, construct a fort, found a village, establish a mine. Examples of the latter generally are when a single person or small delegation is acting on behalf of the entire Kingdom of Thornvale: a diplomatic envoy to another Kingdom to broker peace, trade, or declare war; a surveying party claiming uncharted wilderness for the kingdom to grow. 

Generally speaking, diplomatic activities aside, if a single person could do it in a short period of time, then it's not a kingdom edict. 

Narrative Constraints 

The one major factor that seems to be confusing people the most is that ALL kingdom edicts and downtime activities are subject to the constraints of the currently established narrative.

What does this mean? This means that even if your idea meets all the criteria for an edit or downtime, if the facts of the current in-game story setting do not support the activity, then it can't happen.

For example: Right now, Thornvale has no source for large amounts of weaponry and armor. A Kingdom Edict looking to raise an army of heavy infantry, equipped with longswords, shields and plate armor, would not be possible without first addressing this lack of materials. Do you establish your own production first ( seek out sources of iron and steel, find a weaponsmith and armorsmith)? Do you reach out to a neighboring kingdom to secure a trade agreement to acquire the massive quantities you may need?  Additionally, I might ask: where would they live? who would train them?

Another Example: A Player wishes to use his personal wealth to construct his very own Galley to patrol the Tuskwater. He has plenty of cash on hand to fund the construction of such a craft and hire a crew. However, Haven has no skilled workers for shipbuilding, nor any location to support such activities ( no harbor, pier, drydock, etc...). Without a suitably skilled workers, shipbuilding will have to wait.

A final Example: A player wishes to use his downtime to research the history of the old Taldan expansion into the River Kingdoms many centuries ago. In previous months, he has sought out possible contacts by visiting Restov and speaking to wise men. There, he has learned of an old historian living in Mivon. For this month's downtime, he travels to Mivon with his bodyguard(npc) to seek out this historian and ask many questions that have been troubling him.  

NOTE: These rules are fluid and subject to change. Updates can and will be presented here during the course of play. 

[geekysweetie]

Top 2018 Nintendo Switch Games for Girls

30 New Games For Girls on the Nintendo Switch in 2018

One of the most popular posts on this site is our Top 2017 Nintendo Switch Games for Girls

With a new year, I decided to take a look at the upcoming releases for the Switch in 2018 and make a few suggestions as to what games girls should be looking out for in the year ahead. (There may be a few games that released in Q4 of 2017 also on this list as I wasn’t sure of a few of the release dates). Enjoy! And leave me a comment to let me know what games you’re looking forward to on the Switch in 2018. 🙂 I’ll also soon add a list like this for PS4 and PC games as well.

Top 2018 Nintendo Switch Games For Girls

1.) Project Octopath Traveler

Originally scheduled for a 2017 release, and part of our Top 2017 Nintendo Switch Games for Girls list, Octopath Traveler blends gameplay elements from 16 and 32 bit classics such as Chronotrigger and Saga Frontier. The retro game feel is sure to appeal to many visitors of this site. But that’s not all, Project Octopath Traveler also offers a variety of endings and a branching plot line that is shaped by decisions you make within the game.

 2.) Kirby Star Allies

He’s pink, cute, and the gameplay is fun. Kirby has been a fan favorite of Nintendo gamers for several decades now. In his new adventure, up to four players can join in and you can combine different power ups, as demonstrated in the Nintendo Direct Video above.

3.) Toe Jam & Earl Back in the Groove

Toe Jam & Earl was a childhood favorite of mine. I spent countless hours (or days, or weeks) playing the original two games on Sega Genesis with my best friend. It’s one of the best multiplayer games of my childhood and this new take on the classic, originally slated for 2017, will grace Switch consoles now in 2018. For those unfamillar with the franchise, you run around colorful crazy worlds with zany characters and crazy powerups playing as 2 funky hiphop aliens.

4.) My Time At Portia

My Time At Portia is a cross platform title that features sandbox gameplay in a large open world enviornment. It blends together many gameplay elements from Harvest Moon, Stardew Valley, Rune Factory, and Atelier. In this game you can raise animals, grow crops, and restore an abandoned workshop. The developers say the game takes place in a post apocalyptic world where humans are few and that you search for relics from the past to create inventions for the betterment of society. Also just like in Harvest Moon and similar games, all of the NPCs have their own schedules, they will go to work, school, and have their own stories for you to discover by interacting with them.

5.) Avabel Online

This is perhaps an interesting one to make the list. Avabel Online is a free to play MMORPG that is already available on many platforms, including Android and IOS devices which makes it already portable and playable on the go. Despite that, I’m including it in the list because I do think the gameplay will appeal to girls. Right now, for example, they are running a special Sanrio promotion (makers of hello kitty). You can get cute (sometimes strange) items to decorate your house or dress up your characters. https://avabelonline.com/landing/sanrio

6.) Moonlighter

A Shopkeeping RPG Simulation game with retro style graphics. You can explore and fight for valueable treasure, as well as craft your own items, and then sell them in your shop. You can also communicate with the NPCs to discover what items they want to purchase. The dungeons are procedurally generated and present new challenges and new loot each time.

7.) Atelier Lydie & Suelle: The Alchemists and the Mysterious Paintings

Coming in March 2018, Atelier Lydie & Suelle: The Alchemists and the Mysterious Paintings is the first Atelier title to hit the Nintendo Switch. Atelier games focus on gathering ingredients and crafting new items. As you can see from the trailer, they feature beautiful anime graphics, and deep stories. Their gameplay is often long, and at times it can get tedious, however, for those who love crafting and exploring, Atelier offers the ultimate crafting system.

8.) Destiny Chronicles

This game looks beautiful, and it is inspired by many classic JRPGs. It features action combat and extensive skill tree customization as well as a light hearted humorous story line. You can enchant and upgrade your equipment, as well as interact with your party members and NPCs.

9.) Revenant Saga

With a level cap of 999, and tons of equipment to collect, Revenant Saga looks to offer some incredible replay value. The ability to tranform in battle and unleash special powers makes combat fun and exciting. While the cute and colorful graphics and dark fantasy story are sure to appeal to fans of classic JRPGs.

10.) Wonderboy: Dragon’s Trap

This remake of Wonderboy III lets you play as a girl. It also lets you toggle between the original Sega Genesis graphics and soundtrack, or the all new graphics and soundtracks created for this release.

11.) Untold Legacy

The retro style graphics appeal to me (and probably most of the readers of my blog). But what really appeals to me is this statement that the Devs make about the storyline: “You will be brought to tears as you uncover the twists and turns in this emotionally story-driven experience that will leave you shocked and surprised as you discover the secrets the world of Touchstone has to offer.” – I am a sucker for a heart tugging story. The Devs also indicate that “The Untold Legacy sets out to recreate some of the most heartfelt and gut wrenching moments imaginable.” These two statements make me very interested in this game.

12.) Yoshi

This game features an art style similar to Paper Mario, and the main character is the lovable, Yoshi, the green dinosaur who first debuted in Super Mario World. The colorful graphics and addictive platformer style gameplay make this game perfect for our list of 2018 Nintendo Switch Games for Girls.

13.) Croixleur Sigma

With a 9/10 and “Very Positive” Rating on Steam, this anime style hack-n-slash RPG is coming to Switch in 2018. The gameplay is reminicessent of several of the newer Hyper Dimension Neptunia games. The local 2 player co-op makes it perfect for the Nintendo Switch. And playing as the cute anime girls make it a game girls will love to play together.

14.) Your Four Knight Princess Training Story

A “Raising Sim” similar to games such as Princess Maker and Graduation 95. Gematsu has an excellent article detailing how you will train your princess in this new 2018 Nintendo Switch Game. Basically it involves scolding or praising your princess at various times, for example during conversations or while exploring dungeons. The story and characters change based on your decisions and how you raise your princess. The princesses each have various parameters that you can train to unlock new skills or increase their stats to help them in battle.

15.) Legrand Legacy Tale of the Fatebounds

Legrand Legacy Tale of the Fatebounds is an impressive indie title with full 3D cinematics and FMV cutscenes. It features tactical turn based combat and interesting city building and mini game mechanics. I’m really looking forward to this title which releases later this month (January 2018).

16.) Shin Megami Tensei V

I haven’t taken time to organize these recommendations in any kind of “ranking” system, but if I had to pick just one game on this list to play in 2018 it would be Shin Megami Tensei V. Atlus’ dark RPG franchise that sparked the Persona spin off games is one of my favorites.

17.) Tohou Sky Arena Gensoukyou Kuusen Hime

This looks like an anime brawler with cute girls and exciting special moves. It’s visually very pretty and looks like combat will be fun too.

18.) Valkyria Chronicles 4

A new title in the tactical Strategy RPG series, Valkyria Chronicles. I’m a huge fan of this series, and this one looks great. It’s due out in March 2018. Valkyria Chronicles is a Sega series known for excellent characters and story lines as well as fun Strategy RPG combat.

19.) The Longest Five Minutes

This humorous RPG launches in February 2018. The tale begins at the end, as you are facing the demon king, but suddenly you’ve lost all of your memories. From there, regain your memories, remember who you are, where you’re from, where you’re going, and your reason for fighting the demon king. The cute and colorful graphics and retro feel are sure to appeal to my readers.

20.) Mulaka

With gameplay reminiscent of Zelda or Castlevania, this action RPG features a story and game world that draw inspiration from Mexican culture. The gameplay trailer above shows various abilities and fighting styles, including the ability to transform into different animals.

21.) Yono and the Celestial Elephants

How could this game NOT make our list??! Look at that elephant. LOOK AT IT!! Has there ever been a cuter video game character in the history of video games? Nope. This adorable little game looks kawaii and charming AF and seems to have some fun puzzles to solve too.

22.) Wandersong

Play as a traveling bard in this cute, happy, colorful paper-cut-out style world. Coming in early 2018.

23.) Goragoa

This puzzle game features gorgeous artwork and requires some outside the box thinking. The soundtrack is also lovely and I’ve heard the story is quite sad as well.

24.) Wargroove

Wargroove promises to be easy to pick up, but difficult to master. Up to 4 players can take control of an army and command it to victory. The colorful retro style graphics really look great and gameplay looks fun and interesting.

25.) Penny Punching Princess

An Action RPG in Which Money Makes the World Go Round. That’s what Nintendo has to say about their latest RPG that lets you bribe monsters to fight for you. Many are comparing this game to Tingle’s Rosy Rupee Land – a game which I’ve never played (nor even heard of).  The colorful and cute graphics caught my eye. I’ll be checking this one out in 2018.

26.) Fallen Legion: Rise to Glory

Nintendo promises new content and features in this release. “Combining both Fallen Legion: Flames of Rebellion and Fallen Legion: Sins of an Empire for the first time on one console, Fallen Legion: Rise to Glory includes all new art, Exemplars, monsters, bosses and challenges not found in the original releases. I’d somehow not heard of this game until now, so now seems the perfect time to pick this one up.

27.) Lost Sphear

From the creators of I am Setsuna, comes a new JRPG for the Nintendo Switch in 2018.

28.) Dragon Quest Builders

Originally part of the 2017 Top Nintendo Switch Games for Girls, this title got pushed back to February 2018.

29.) Mega Man 11

Fan favorite, and often requested, a new sequel in the Mega Man franchise is arriving on Nintendo Switch in late 2018.

30.) Bayonetta 3 – NINTENDO SWITCH EXCLUSIVE

Perhaps one of the most exciting announcements, and why I saved it for last, is that a new Bayonetta Game has been announced and it will be available ONLY for the Nintendo Switch.

Top 2018 Nintendo Switch Games for Girls was originally published on GeekySweetie.com - Geeky & Kawaii Anime, Tech, Toys, & Game Reviews & News

[robsonnwty900-blog]

Computer game Farmers Dynasty PC information

I actually wanted to games this sport for a really long time. If somebody pursued the advance from the activity they will also recognize it was assumed down by Steam supply for a moment following a controversy with the game being kinda sued i guess for copying that. I mean that can also be a good thing. They reveal there is no such this as negative PR. I love Farming Simulator franchise and when I head Farmers Dynasty and involves RPG ingredients like finding a wife with such I happened happy. So let's leap in deeper into Farmer’s Dynasty.

I became always a wave of farming and design games. Sports like Farming Simulator and Construction Simulator are among my favorite. And delight do not think me. I not say your weird VN up for you continue playing. Farmers Dynasty offers you a mix between raising and securing the former farm and also farming tackles and completing help other characters. Who take supposed that?

Farmers Dynasty also cover several RPG ingredients like doing quests for new characters in return for treats and further relationships with them. You start out away through inheriting your grandfathers farm which is a huge mess and it is up to you to bring it to its glory. A city child with no farming and design feel. I remain really it will all go splendid.

First thing I did once i leave playing lived to trying to repair my farm. For some reason it is thus enjoyable to take a while and arrange this and then look back on the farm and notice come back to time. To revamp you just come near the surface you want to repair also carry out clicking. I know it does not sound like fun, but expect us that grows top with age. So at least to me it did.

You can also require materials to fix the farm. To get them there is a store which suggests different materials like real, tiles and so on. You can completely restore the farm near your love. I do not see the reason has no other activity though of doing something like this, yet I appreciate it has completely reached.

I feel like I discussed enough about construction and it is time to control to farming. You edge down with virtually nothing in the farming equipment without money to buy new one. To get door to the farming equipment you will have to do favor for various other NPCs which will in return "present" people their other equipment that they no longer hold any help.

After a few tedious quests have been there prepared then you have all the farming equipment you can leave doing your own fields. Keep in mind this charge is boring and will take a lot of time. All of the machines have about nothing operating range and it will take you sooo long to have anything done that I gave up halfway drain then went to do more construction goods for NPCs.

All of the machines are simple manage and disciplines are basic. There are not many choices to use, unlike Farming Simulator so everybody can easily get into it.

Apart from farming you can also take care of animals. You will have to care for them daily and in return you might find products you may either market or keep in your pantry for your future wife to farming simulator 13 make people delicious meals.

There is plus a greenhouse where you can increase vegetables although there is little interaction with it. You water it then permit that to complete its material. Good deal more attention to detail may have gone into it also made it much more realistic and awkward.

Around the place you will find NPCs which is usually communicated with. They will end people various quests or you can just talk to them also look up the relation with them. The RPG part of the game is still very entertaining with will not believe quite fleshed out.

You can and receive married, but it is really simple. Just stay spamming some type of talk with a certain NPC until you get their points high enough with BAM you can get married. I desire that worked out like this in actual.

You can have kids, although I have not really gotten to that level from the entertainment but. It is a refreshment with a bit we have not told in this genre.

But it is not all clear. The place is huge and thinks very empty. All of the machines you make at the beginning are sooo slow it will lead people days to get from point A near place B. The NPCs are entirely almost identical and look insanely ugly.

Also the one thing that could possibly house that contest going for years is not there. Modding. The reason the anguish could you not let modding. That activity is dying for the ability to be able to mod it. I suggest just look at the Farming Simulator games. Area is continuing even some of the older games alive also today. It is truly something I cannot forgive.

Farmers Dynasty offers something another in the style that was the same shit for days. But it still to this day then like 2 times of education does not feel complete. You may get fun, for sure, but right the run alone can push (pun intended) you nuts. If you want to get it watch for a concession.

[ladytabletop]

Hello!! I was the one who asked about where to find a group! I have a new question now, apologies if you've answered anything similar. So my friend and I haven't had any luck finding a grouo to join, so we've decided to start our own! I'm the one most interested in DMing out of our group, but here's the problem; I'm inexperienced. This would be my first *actual* game as a DM and I played one short session as a player once. That said: Any advice/tips/resources? ♡ Thank you!!

Hi there, so sorry about taking so long to answer this!

For your first game, there’s a couple important questions to ask yourself before you start. I will give advice under the assumption that you’ve already chosen the system you want to play.

First, how long of a game do you want to run? 

This is important mainly if you’re running something you’ve written on your own. It won’t necessarily be neat and easy, like saying ‘We will play exactly ten sessions.’ But knowing whether you’re looking to run a very long running game vs. a self-contained short can help you the DM when writing plot points and the like.

Second, pre-written adventure or homebrew? 

There are tons and tons of pre-written adventures for pretty much every system out there, whether they are published by the company that made the game or by enthusiastic players and GMs who put their own adventures out there in a published format. It’s worth noting that if you like something like Rise of the Runelords for Pathfinder but want to run it in DnD5, it isn’t too tough to adapt something from one system to another.

On the other hand, a homebrew plot can be really fulfilling! It requires a bit more work on your part, but it can be worth it. Keep in mind that you can start with a published adventure and veer into homebrew territory as you get more comfortable running things.

NOTE: a homebrew setting is a whole other beast, and here’s a post about that.

Also another beast: allowing homebrew in your games. If you’re going to do this, please please please talk with your players beforehand and make sure they know that balancing during the game may happen. Nobody likes to be nerfed, but if there’s homebrew that’s just outclassing everyone else, it has to be scaled back. Use your resources online, ask people to look over things you think might be over or underpowered.

Third, what style of game will this be?

Is it going to be political intrigue and espionage? A classic dungeon delving guild style? A Lord of the Rings-esque sweeping fantasy epic? A more modern fantasy fast-paced mystery? Seafarers and ship combat? A really dark game where things are serious, or a funny goofy romp?

All of these are great options, but be sure your players know a little bit about what type of game it will be so they can get on board! No one wants to bring a hardened vigilante elf barbarian with no stealth to a game that’s primarily social challenges and shadowy murders (actually now that I’ve said it, I do. but he would be thematically appropriate and not useless).

Now that those questions are answered, here’s a few more suggestions.

As a GM, it’s important to root for your player characters. If you’re the type of group that likes to play as GM vs. players, this campaign is deadly, that’s fine as long as that’s what everybody wants. But if not, you the GM need to challenge the characters without decimating them. Find out what their goals are and root for them in achieving them, but don’t make it easy! Help them have fulfilling character arcs and try to be familiar with their characters wants, flaws, past, etc. It’ll help you make things more personal in the plot, whether that be by making them run into an old foe or by helping them eventually trust people again, etc. Being familiar with the characters and what the players want for them will help you make the most satisfying game for everyone.

Remember that you’re a storyteller, but it’s not your story you’re telling. You can have plot points you’re attached to, NPCs you love, but ultimately, the story should be about the players. Let them shape it! Try to get them as involved in the heart of things as possible. Don’t make it seem like things can happen with just the NPCs, as though your characters are the bystanders. Let them be in the thick of the plot. This isn’t to say things won’t happen without them - they have to! But when things start really cooking, the PCs should be there, they should care about what’s happening, and they should be able to affect it to some degree.

Be flexible. Improv is a key skill for DMs. Not everyone is great at it, and that’s okay. That’s what online resources and prep time are for! But regardless of how good or not you are at making things up on the spot, you need to be flexible. Your players are going to change the way you think the plot will go. They’re going to surprise you. They’re going to (hopefully) have character arcs that change, and you need to adapt with them. You need to be ready for these things to happen, which honestly means being ready to throw out your prep and throw out the things you’ve worked on sometimes.

That being said, it’s important to do at least a little prep, especially if you’re running a plot heavy game and not a smash and grab dungeon crawl. This can be as simple as using index cards with bullet point NPCs, treasure, and monsters/encounters, or it can be as involved as writing out details about the setting and plot that you can read when it comes to the appropriate time and making huge complex maps and encounters.

Be consistent in your rulings. Sometimes the rules get debated, or you want a house rule at your table, or a spell is worded vaguely and there’s multiple interpretations, etc. In these instances, you get to say, ‘Hey, GM rules this.’ (I only recommend doing this after having heard arguments for why it could be ruled multiple ways). After you say that, stick to your guns! The rule stands, and it stands for everybody. Unless you really really think you were wrong later, in which case you should talk to your players and rectify things, you need to be consistent in the way you adhere to the rules so that no one feels cheated.

My last piece of advice for you is to always have open dialogue with your players. Get feedback on how they think the game is going. Get their predictions about the plot. Touch base about how their characters are feeling, what their goals are. Make it clear that if any players aren’t having fun/are having issues, they can come to you and you’ll do what you can to help. Just be open in your communication. And remember, everybody at the table should be having fun, including you.

Now that I’ve gotten through all that, here’s some resources I like to use for my games.

Donjon RPG Tools - this is my favorite of all time. Tons of random generators, from names to encounters to maps to treasure. There’s an initiative tracker, an xp calculator if you use experience points, and a dice roller. It’s really an all in one tool.

My resource tag has everything from inspirational art to interesting dungeon builds to how to incorporate linguistics into your games to answers to the question ‘How do I start a game?’ answered by other people. It’s really just an amalgam of collected resources.

I enjoy the Obsidian Portal campaign manager, and there are tons of others out there.

A lot of folks use the Same Page Tool to make sure all players and GM understand exactly what’s happening and what’s expected at the table.

I use the DnD5e Spellbook app (which of course is system specific, but super useful).

And other than that, I mainly just have pdfs of the system I’m using, a piece of scrap paper so I can note NPCs, locations, and plot points that the PCs encounter that may be relevant in coming sessions, notecards with stat blocks for enemies, a sheet to track PC ac, initiative, goals, and flaws. You’ll figure out the setup that works for you the longer you GM.

Good luck!!

[myupostsheadcanons]

Myu Reads

I am making a list of books/series that I read and enjoyed over the past few years, especially since I began listening to audio books regularly. I am making this list not in order of favorite to least but In The Order of Fluff to Grimdark.

The Wind in the Willows.

Charming characters, each with unique personalities, a classic, well-written series of short stories that has lessons for all ages to learn.

The Wizard of Oz.

Experience the magic of Oz. Much of which was removed in the classic movie adaptation. It wasn’t a dream after all.

Anne of Green Gables.

The tale of a spunky orphan girl being taken in by an middle-aged brother and sister duo.

A family dynamic that is not seen in modern westernized settings any longer.

Slice of Life. Light reading. The first book is the best book.

Howl’s Moving Castle.

Howl is a roguish wizard out to have fun and games manipulating the world around him. Sophie just wants to make hats and live a simple life, but is forced by a curse into adventure and into the path of Howl.  

The movie and book are only alike on the surface. There is more charm in the books and Howl actually has a backstory.   

Mrs. Frisby and the rats of NIMH

A tale of a mom wanting to save her children, told on top of the story of humanity corrupting nature and abusing animals.

A true “strong female protag” without the need of the female being either cruel, cold, or emotionally distant.

A Wizard of Earthsea

The movie Tales from Earthsea used the character’s names only and lifted elements from all the books rather than just adapting the first one.

Honestly I remember more from the sequel books more than I do the first one.

The Chronicles of Prydan (The Book of Three, The Black Cauldron)

A hero’s tale of a simple boy, an assistant pig keeper, wanting to become something greater and finding out that being a hero it isn’t all glory and fame. 

Characters and Lands based off of old Welsh mythologies, the same ones that also inspired the Welsh folk heroes that later became King Arthur’s Court.

The Once and Future King

The Sword in the Stone half of the book would have made it closer to the top of the list. But the second half involved some rather graphic deaths and fights (a gory depiction of killing a unicorn among them).

Edgar Rice Burroughs John Carter of Mars (Barsoom) and Tarzan

Both characters helped define what would later become the modern super hero genera.

John Carter was a direct inspiration to Super Man and the Tharks popularized the idea of little “green men” of Mars. (The entire population of Barsoom are very color-coordinated, tbh. Green, Red, Black, White, Yellow). Many ideas created in this series are prolific in Science Fiction of today.

Tarzan of the Apes can be read by itself, no need to get into the later books. The original character is so popular that any attempt to stray too far from the core characterization leads into disaster. The movie “Greystoke” is perhaps still the best adaptation of the character to screen, and it was a deconstruction of the character.

Redwall

It is easy to get away with whole-sale death when it is done with animals, however many of the animals act human-like and that needs to be taken in consideration

Baby’s first “Dark Fantasy”. Dialog is written plainly for younger audiences, but subject matter is straight out of adult fantasy (mass murder, kidnapping, slavery, war of attrition).

Harry Potter

If you just watched the movies you are missing out on a lot of the descriptions and world-building in the books, especially in the second half of the series: Goblet of Fire, Order of the Phoenix,  Half-Blood Prince, and Deathly Hollows.

The second half is when the series went from older-child reading to young adult as the characters went from child to teenagers in the books themselves. 

Ready Player One, Armada

An easy introduction to retro 80′s and 90′s pop culture, old computer games, and science fiction dystopia. 

If you are a layman, a young adult, or didn’t pay attention to most of the media during that era the books do gloss over and explain most of the references made.... sometimes too often. 

Armada is not as well seeped in pop culture as RPO, but it is a much more streamlined story and you can get a clearer judge on the author’s actual writing capabilities without the kick-back of nostalgia. 

The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy

There are just somethings that can’t translate well from text to screen.

One of those series that is best when read in High school or if you are a fan of British Humor.

The Scarlet Pimpernel

A masked hero come to save French Aristocrats and Nobility from the guillotine of the Revolutionist Government. Among one of the first novels to set down the common tropes for heroes with secret identities to come. 

History and backstory might be a bit too heavy for younger audiences to understand.

The Complete Sherlock Holmes Collection

There are two great audio book versions of this: one by Simon Vance, the other by Stephen Fry. Vance is a long time audio book professional and also narrated the Dune books and in general just having him read the book is a good indicator that it would be done well.  Fry is a famous comedian and colorful character actor and was in the recent Holmes movies as Mycroft Holmes. 

Barns n Noble has a beautiful leather-bound hardback edition of the Complete Collection as well for $25, if you are the type of person that reads the book and listens to the audio at the same time. The book will look nice on your shelf afterwards.

Victorian/Edwardian Horror-Romance: Frankenstein, Dracula, Phantom of the Opera

Classic stories, adapted and retold many times, it is always nice to get a perspective on the original works if you are only familiar with their newer incarnations.

Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children

Darker than the movie. 

A reminder that all N*zis are bad. 

Children characters get killed just as often as adult characters

Deals heavily with mental issues and adults/authority figures gaslighting children.

Neil Gaiman’s The Ocean at the End of the Lane, Stardust

A couple “lighter” examples of Gaiman’s work. 

Stardust is classic fantasy with a bittersweet ending.

Ocean is told mostly through the POV of an adult remembering his “magical” neighbors as a kid and his traumatic experiences with his parents and babysitter.

The Lost Fleet Series

What the modern space battle genera should be.

The battles are in real-time, using real physics. It may take hours or even days to find out if that heavy ballistics missile is going to hit its target or if the target moved out the way.

The characters are typical for the genera, but are still engaging. Though the love-triangle rears its ugly head.  

NPC’s  (Spells, Swords, and Stealth Series)

A new game is hitting select markets. One that has consequences not only for the characters in the game, but the players. NPCs inside the game find themselves thrust into the role of adventurers when a PC party drops dead in their small town.

Classic “role reversal”  or unconventional class/char combos  (Gnome Paladin?  Half-Orc Wizard? Noble Lady Barbarian?  City Guard Rogue?) It’s kind of the norm now days after the whole “Drizz’t the Ranger Dark Elf” became so popular in the 90′s.

Star Wars: Heir to the Empire (Trilogy)

The first official trilogy of the Star Wars Expanded Universe, now known as the Legacy series.

It is always interesting to read through some of the EU to see what the Cinematic Universe is “borrowing” from.

Grand Admiral Thawn was such a popular character that he survived being rebooted.

2001: A Space Odyssey

If you have no idea what was going on in the movie. The book will help.

H. P. Lovecraft’s Collection of Horror

There are lots of copy cats, but only one original H. P. Lovecraft.

Mild in terms of today’s standards, but still thought provoking.

Good you are still wanting something creepy/spooky with out it being full of gore, swearing, or other ‘adult’ content, or looking for nothing exceedingly long

A “next step up” after reading Dracula, Frankenstein, and other fiction of that era (penny dreadful, or horror romances). 

Heinlein’s Lazarus Long Universe (basically, most of his books)

It is decent until the last 5 books when things really get duct-taped together, then you’ll want to pull your hair out

Time Enough For Love, Number of the Beast, Cat that Walks through Walls, and To Set Sail Beyond the Sunset are some of the worst offenders.

An Incest warning is needed. 

The ideas of these stories are timeless, the writing not so much. Characters are antiquated and firmly in the “men’s club”  of old-school science fiction. (Even the “strong female protag” in some of the stories still find time to be a wife and mother above all else. Many of the relationships are “open relationships,” so frequent wife/girlfriend swapping)

Starship Troopers

If you ignore the rest of Heinlein’s work, make an exception to at least read this one

Warns of the dangers of being in a global totalitarian society.

POC main character. Juan “Johnny” Rico. Something that was unheard of at the time of publishing.

The Silo Series (Wool/Rust)

Post-Apocalypse science fiction.

Not as dark as say something like bleak The Road or the bloody Red Rising, a PG-13 book.

Set firmly in the middle-ground of fiction despite the setting, the characters aren’t one-note, a solid little series of books and short stories

With some editing it could have been an other dystopia YA series.

The Great Book of Amber (The Amber and Chaos Chronicles)

High fantasy written with a modern voice. A Shakespeare and Arthurian setting. Avalon, Oberon, The “fairy realm,” Civil War. Court intrigue, back stabbing, fratricide. Unicorns.

Written in the 70′s and 80′s. Likely inspiration for other series like ASOIAF, Dresden, and The Witcher. Suggest reading this one before either of them.

The two main POV characters are enjoyable with a snarky sense of humor. The side characters have personality as well.

Multi-dimensional universe, one of the better ones.

Has a Table Top Game.

Welcome to Nigh Vale: A Novel.

Quarkie, Mysterious, and odd.

Heavily inspired by H. P. Lovecraft, X-files, and other conspiracy theory genera, but treated in a mundane manner which makes it unnerving in itself.

Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? (AKA: Blade Runner)

The book that inspired Blade Runner. To the point that many further publications of the book often call itself Blade Runner instead of its actual name (including the audio version).  

The book and moves are only alike in theme, and some plot points

The book is bleaker, more Fallout than Ghost In the Shell.

Dune, Dune Messiah, Children of Dune, God Emperor of Dune

The “Lord of the Rings” of Science Fiction. 

What started out as a “deconstruction” of campy science fiction like John Carter and Flash Gorden, and a “take that” to Issac Asimov and Heinlein’s style of writing shaped all science fiction written afterwards.

GRRM (A Song of Ice and Fire)  is often compared to Herbert... for good and bad reasons.

Neuromancer.

The book that brought us the first REAL Cyberpunk in the 80′s.

It is interesting to see the ways they thought computers would be part of 21st century society back in the Cold War Era.

Mort(e)

Animals take over the world killing most of mankind along with it. 

A mysterious “virus” sweeps through the animal population, and the Ants in charge began culling the animals to remove it.

The Hunger Games Trilogy.

There is a lot less HAM in the books than in the movies.

Upper Young Adult. Class Warfare.  Post Apocalyptic Dystopia.  Children killing children.

You can get into Katness’s head a lot easier, understand her reasons for being emotionally distant with people.   

Jurassic Park, The Lost World

Dinosaurs and Assholes. Perfect Michael Crichton books.

The second one should be read just for the fact that the movie is nothing like it. The first movie had a passable resemblance, with some character tweaks... the second movie barely resembles the book at all.

The second attempt of Crichton writing a series about “high-tech theme parks gone wrong” (the first being Westworld)

Android’s Dream (John Scalzi)

When you find out why the book is called “Android’s Dream”... feel free to be grossed out. 

Let’s just say the book isn’t about androids...

The Illuminatus Trilogy

Written in the 70′s. Plenty of Sex, Drugs, and Rock-and-Roll.

Some of the conspiracy theories will throw you for a loop, then suddenly you’ll remember that this is a comedy/parody book and gods are real.

fnord.

Cryptonomicon

A long fictional account about the invention of computers. Told against the backdrop of WWII and the Early 2000′s internet boon. 

I feel this one is on par with the Illumanatus Trilogy when it comes to tone and feel, but with no magic-chaos-cults involved.

Parodies of Historical figures, large a corporation with their fingers in many-o-pot, main characters that would be considered counter-cultured for their time period finding themselves in over-the-top situations.

Neil Gaiman’s American Gods

Personally I found the book to be slow and meandering, but interesting as a whole. 

Basically defines what people think Gaiman’s style is. Dark imagery, weird shit happening, and lots of contemplating your navel.

The Comoran Strike Detective Novels.

What J. K. Rowling is doing whenever she isn’t milking the corpse of Harry Potter. 

Would be a better series in general without the fake love triangle...

The Godfather

The movie is better than the book, but then the movie is like in the top-5 best movies of ALL TIME. 

The movie does follow the book for the most part, with some variation for time and content.

The Guns of August (Non-Fiction, WWI novel)

Accounts what caused WWI and the events of the first two months of the war. 

It doesn’t demonize the Germans, Russians, or any of the sides in particular. It explains quite clearly as to what all their motivations were getting into this war and how the war ended up becoming a complete slog.

Realm of The Elderlings Series (Robin Hobb)

If you ever want to experience “the feelz” in book form.

The relationship between FitzChivalry and the Fool is one of the most anguished you’ll ever read about.

There is a lot of ship baiting however, as the Fool is genderfluid and Fitz refuses to believe their relationship is anything other than close-brotherly love...

About 60% of the entire series is seen through FitzChivalry “head as thick as a brick” Farseer ‘s POV, be prepared for lots of PTSD.

The Mists of Avalon

The classic tale of King Arthur imagined and told through the eyes of the women of the court.

There are no real villains in the series, even the most morally dark among them have justifiable reasons for what they are doing. Unlike something like Once and Future King. Mordred, Morgause and Morgan are not evil stereotypes, they have human real-world reasons for what they do.

The Red Rising Trilogy

The Adult Fiction version of The Hunger Games.... In SPACE.

Color-coded for your convenience.

All the surrounding characters are more interesting than the main character.

Your favorite character is likely going to die.

Darrow always reminding you about his fridged wife... even after he finds a replacement goldfish.

The Cycle of Arawn, The Cycle of Galand

In a world of black magic and white magic, it isn’t always clear on which side is good or evil.

Plot holes you can drive a truck through, or at least hope will get resolved/remembered in later installments.

Most of the charm of this series is the relationship between Dante and Blaze. The way they both converse with each other and the people around them is very reminiscent of Buffy Speak.

The Dresden Files (Harry Dresden... Wizard) 

Dresden has a great mix of humor and cynicism.

Plenty of action, not entirely predictable in plot, and a heaping helping of stopping the forces of evil from destroying all existence.

A modern-era fantasy with plenty of demons, fairies, vampires, and ghost. Never loses the feel that it is set in the modern times. 

Stephen King’s Horror-Fiction (The Stand, Under The Dome, IT, The Shining/Doctor Sleep)

The human condition at its worse told in speculative horror fiction.

The Forgotten Warrior Series (Son of the Black Sword)

Future Earth, brought back to an age of magic (or science-like magic) when demons fell from the sky and ravaged the planet. An entire race, the last survivors of the people that turned away the demons and drove them to the sea, are forced to live as slaves, vagabonds, and in perpetual poverty.

The Witcher Novels

Books are published OUT OF ORDER in America. Please read The Last Wish and Sword of Destiny short-story collections before the Saga books.

CDPR Games are a Fan-created sequel to the books, so the games spoil the books (especially the third game).

Netflix is making a (new*) show adaption of the novels with the author’s approval and getting advice from the game makers as well.

*we don’t talk about the old show.....

The First Law Trilogy

It will get worse. When ever you think things can’t get any worse. It always does. And you watch the characters struggle all the way through it and everybody around them dying along the way.

Don’t get too attached to anybody without a POV.

A Song Of Ice and Fire

The modern “Gold Standard” for Dark Fantasy when Game of Thrones brought it to the mainstream.

Just about everything black and grim can, has, and will happen.

Nothing is glorified, everything is awful. When something problematic to our modern society happens within the narrative, it is often treated with the weight that these issues are a problem and part of their corrupt society (things like incest, child murder, rape, abuse....)

Hannibal Lector Series (Red Dragon, Silence of the Lambs, Hannibal)

humanizes the most horrible of mankind.

if you had at least watched any of the movies and/or the show, read the books as well.

Dogsland Trilogy (J. M. McDermott)

Nothing good will come out of this.  There is no hope for any of the characters. It starts out black and will end just as black. It is like a slice of life for the dirt poor and shunned. Forever on the run from hunters and discriminated against just because of being born. It ends where it began.

The Road

A story about a father and son at the end of humanity. There is nothing that can be done, a harsh struggle to delay the inevitable death of man kind.

[echoesoffinalfantasyd6-blog]

Getting Started! - The GM (Game Master)!

Now armed with the most powerful tool necessary to play FFD6, the manual itself, the world(s) is your Mimic!

Let’s start out with some basic stuff you will need:

A Plot, Setting, and Determined Magic System for the World!

This is something that can be developed in time, or seeing as that you’re probably looking to get some FF flare, a concept you can pull directly from an already created FF game! To get some ideas about this, go ahead and check out pages 185-214 in the FFD6 Manual for worlds and systems that have already been made! This can also serve as excellent inspiration to create your own, unique story!

A minimum two d6 of your own so as you may act as monsters, NPC’s, or even the world itself! (And it never hurts to have extra to give to players, or have extra lest you have a monster rolling extra dice for damage!)

Several players willing to play as PC’s, Player Characters, in your Campaign, or the story you’ll be creating for characters to journey through. This may seem like a no brainer, but choosing a party that has good chemistry among player and the GM’s personalities is MUCH easier said than done. You can pretty much play with whoever is willing, but from personal experience and as many seasoned GM’s will tell you, we all have different approaches to RPG’s: Whether you’re the kind of DM to throw countless hair raising battles at your players, or the kind to focus more heavily on story telling, players can adore, despise, or feel disinterested in your approach. And that’s fine! I won’t spend much more time about this topic on this post, but Greens for thought!

Adequate Playing Space: Etro knows how many times I’ve had to vie for a playing space in my own Residence Hall so my party and I can play Tabletop Games. As GM, you know how much space you will need for your supplies and layout, and planning ahead really helps with this!

I was going to put this on the suggestion list, but honestly; you will definitely be spending too much time crunching numbers without a Calculator. The system of FFD6 is very intuitive with its numbers, but this can also mean a lot of quick equations, and you save a lot of play time by having a calculator handy!

Notes, notes, NOTES! On a computer, on Google Drive, small Chocobo-Themed Doodle Pad, whatever! Players will do things, or you may have ideas mid game, and you will need to write these down! Monster HP’s after getting blasted by the loudmouth Ranger, the super special secret item obtained; you will regret it if you do not take down notes!

And, as you can probably guess, the FFD6 PDF file. This is important, as it contains all core information of the game. I say this is a necessity NOT for the fact that you need to follow the rules to a ‘T’ (Etro knows I don’t), but more so, to have a sort of guidelines or reference for game situations.

This may seem like a lot, but the resourceful GM will know that most, if not all of these items can probably be purchased for less than $5 (unless you do not use U.S. currency, in then which case you do math because conversions and economics @.@).

Here are also a few things that can also be beneficial for GM’s in terms of atmosphere and utility:

Soundtracks! If you’ve got an ear for music or an itch to blast some tunes while your player’s slay monsters, it can really build up the scene!

Maps make keeping track of players, monsters, and the world a little bit easier. But make sure to take pictures if necessary!

A battle grid or place on the map to show player position’s can help PC’s visualize their situation in combat. That way you have one less thing you need to worry about when conjuring a hazardous battle!

Additional dice! If you are already a partaker of the tabletop world, you may already own items such as d4′s, d8′s, d10′s, etc. As mentioned in a previous post (May 2nd, 2017), these are not necessary, but I do like to use the following dice in my games:

d4′s are excellent for keeping track of Status Effect duration, and for chance (4 sides yield a 25% chance for status effect affliction)

d10′s and d100 or percentile dice I use for random events and percentage. Really useful for determining loot kinds at the end. There’s only so much Gil players can receive... 

Play in a room with windows: you can lose track of time, and as much as we all love divulging our fantasies, it is still important to remember your personal health is necessary to provide the best game you can for yourself and your players. So yeah. Sleep and nutrition is good. #WhiteMagePlug

A few words of advice before I end this post:

FFd6 will give you however much you put into it. With all of the numbers involved, as per usual with a tabletop, understand that it can be fairly demanding. Thankfully, many formulas exist in the Manual that can offer a hand in simplifying things, so don’t be afraid to check that!

I think it would be prudent to post a GM guide post some other time, but I think I’ll cut things off here; ‘cause in the end, you are the GM; your party of PC’s and you choose how to play FFD6, and however you all have the most fun is the correct way to do so!

Thank you all for your time! Have a good one! ~ Ryan

Credit to Qyzex From Game Skinny for the FF Over-World image!

[nckclrk]

The X Card and the Question of Safe and Healthy Roleplay

I started GMing a week ago. Two players and I are refugees so to speak of a game that made us uncomfortable. That game was a second edition (2e) D&D campaign. This one is fifth edition. I call myself a GM rather than a DM because the way I game incorporates elements of a lot of different systems;  I run D&D because it’s the system I’m able to get players on board for.

I introduced the X Card, and, gratifyingly, my players took to it quickly. The players who had been through the 2e campaign pounced on it more eagerly than the new players.

There’s a lot that turns me off about Dungeons and Dragons in particular. Its older editions seem to both appeal to and reinforce regressive opinions and behavior. From misogynistic depictions of women to racial characteristics that barely veil real world prejudices to a presumption that violence is the right answer to any given problem. 

I’ve heard the word “grognard” used to describe the stereotypical cishet white male roleplayer whose participation in the hobby relates to casual bigotry that reinforces the insularity of gaming. It’s a phenomenon I want to avoid in my own game, and it’s the main reason we left that 2e game. If someone reads this who uses the term “grognard” with pride, I’d like to hear from you since I’ve only heard it in this context, and don’t want to misrepresent a concept I don’t fully understand.

5e is better, but it’s not perfect, and no collection of game mechanics and setting elements ensure a table culture that supports emotionally safe and healthy roleplay. The initial X Card discussion doesn’t ensure that either. But it makes it okay - you could say it grants permission - for the the people around the table to take care of one another and to value each other’s enjoyment more highly than they value the mechanical or rhetorical elements of gameplay.

When I started thinking of myself as a GM, I knew that I wanted a different table culture than I had been getting at the 2e campaign. At that campaign the culture was polite. We would politely put up with the things that made us uncomfortable and politely take the person aside after the fact or send a polite email to ask for some adjustment. It did not work. Maybe the key to emotional health is to figuratively put your elbows up on the gaming table and tuck your character sheet into your collar.

My first glimmer of a direction toward this was hearing @helloalexroberts on the Critical Success podcast suggest asking players for consent to scenes involving sex before roleplaying them. I eagerly drafted an email to my players based on the FRIES acronym propounded by @plannedparenthood, asking for consent to, just everything. It wasn’t great, and I didn’t ultimately use it, but I was excited by the prospect of starting a game with an agreement that everyone was in this to help everyone else have fun. I’ll paste the draft below.

In accordance with my previous exhortation that the gaming table be a safe place, and my enthusiastic embrace of the notion that the most important rule of RP is "If you're having fun you're doing it right," I'm putting out a request for consent. I'm actually really excited about this because it's about everyone being invested in everyone else having fun. Knowing as I do that - between the PCs and NPCs - our game world includes sexuality, violence, violence against animals, violence against children, domestic violence, sexual violence, racism, sexism, heterosexism, cissexism and other possible triggers, I'm going to ask for each of us to affirmatively consent to playing in this world. In doing so I will make the stipulation that I intend to explore potentially triggering issues inasmuch as I think they serve the interest of the narrative, and to the extent that I feel capable of treating them with appropriate sensitivity. I'm going to use the FRIES acronym: Consent is Freely given: feel no pressure to consent. If you don't consent, you'll be no less welcomed at the table. Consent is Revocable: consenting now doesn't allow anyone later to say "you already consented so you have to bear with us during this scene." You should be able to discover your boundaries dynamically and know that the rest of us are here to support that discovery. Consent is Informed: I'm doing my best now to point out the kinds of potentially triggering issues that might come up, but I'll also try without spoiling any surprises to lead up to potentially triggering scenes and activities in a way that gives everyone an opportunity to check in. Please try to do the same with your character and narration. Consent is Enthusiastic: if you feel like you're just going along with an uncomfortable scene or discussion to be polite with the other players, then the rest of us are doing it wrong. It's not consent if you're doing it only for the sake of the other people at the table while you have a rough time. Consent is Specific: this ties back to 'I' - you should know what you're in for and be genuinely on board for that.What should you do if you realize that you're not up for what's going on at the table? I think every situation needs room to for its own response. Let the rest of us know you need a break, and based on the situation, we'll work together to find a way to go forward.The upswing of all this is that we should all be able to expect that everyone else at the table is as invested in you having a great time as you are.

There’s a lot wrong with this, and I needed feedback. I didn’t have anyone to ask for that kind of feedback apart from the actual players it was directed at, so I put it on reddit. You can probably find the discussion if you look for it there. I got some really valuable feedback mixed in with exasperated dismissals of any kind of considerateness. I wound up in a pretty painful place wanting to get at the useful feedback but not willing to expose myself to the hurtful stuff it was mixed up in. Ultimately I at least took away some perspective. I had been most excited by Revocability and mutual care, but a reader would first see me asking for players to consent to a lot of icky stuff.

So I went back to the X Card. There were a lot of reasons I had given the X Card a pass on the first glance, but compared to my clunky email draft, it was looking better and better. You can find John Stavropoulos’ introductory discussion of the X Card and an explanation of why he says each thing the way he does at the link above. I wrote my own intro, trying to keep the intent but suit our circumstances better. Here’s an approximation of what I said:

Rule number one is that each of us is here to help everyone else have fun. This is the X Card. It will sit right here in the middle of the table. If anything feels uncomfortable, pick it up or tap it. If you can’t reach it, make an X with your fingers of just shout “X Card!”. You don’t need to explain why. You can if you want, either privately or with the group.

It may sound weird but a lot of GMs say it helps facilitate amazing games. I fully expect to be the most frequent X Carder, maybe even against myself.

I’ll say the X Card is specifically not a safe word: it’s not an excuse to push boundaries, but I was happy to find it because I know based on what you’ve told me about your characters and what I have planned for this campaign, there’s a potential for things to go in some pretty heavy directions.

That’s more or less what I said to the group, except that the players were so enthusiastically on board and we had so many side discussions about it that by the time I got to “It may sound weird” it sounded weird that I said it might sound weird, because the X Card now sounded like the most natural thing in the world. The sense I was getting was we’re all here to have fun, so of course we’ll play with an X Card.

I’ve seen some people dismissing the X Card, and I think I can boil down those arguments against it to three things: it’s patronizing; it’s unnecessary because there are better approaches; it’s unnecessary because you shouldn’t have material in your game that requires this kind of care.

On the subject of the X Card being patronizing, I think the people who make this assertion start from a place of not attempting to understand how the X Card would benefit them personally, or how it would benefit the overall culture of the gaming table. I’m guessing that the people who assume that the X Card is patronizing assume that it’s for other people: “this is something people include in their games for the younger players, for the female players,” etc. If you haven’t taken the time to see how it works as a tool to promote the culture of fun for everyone at the table and you consider it a way to provide a special set of training wheels that protect the people at your table who you assume are more sensitive, it’s patronizing almost by definition. If you are a good GM, you have to take into account the important role that you play in setting the tone for the players. Without a tool like the X Card, you can’t take it for granted that the other players around your table will respect your need to take care of yourself when it arises.

On the subject of there being better approaches, I feel like this is going to sound like I’m setting up a strawman, but I have genuinely heard this dumb idea suggested as a better approach to the X Card: “why not have anyone who has triggers tell you about them before the game?” Well, there’s a few reasons this dumb idea is dumb. First, if you’re self aware enough to know you have triggers, I would kind of be a huge jerk to ask you to sit down with all of them and dwell on them long enough to write them all down and email them to me. That's a lot of extra work specifically for people with a lot of tough shit, not to mention unnecessarily dredging up ugly personal shit. And that presumes that the X Card protects players from a predictable collection of narrative elements related to identifiable triggers. 

People who think that, I envy you your apparent lack of experience ever having been made uncomfortable by anything that wasn’t a very specific, clearly definable major life event related trauma. If an NPC has a name or characteristic that reminds you of an abuser, or a setting has elements that recall a tough event, it’s unlikely you would have thought to warn your GM about that. In the 2e campaign, most of what was making us uncomfortable wasn’t related to any particularly challenging subject matter, or to particular traumas in our pasts, it was rarely related to topics that appeared in the game diegesis. There weren’t predictable topics that would make us uncomfortable, but there was a manner a fellow player had of talking that squeezed in motes of bigotry or self importance that in aggregate were really uncool.

As an aside I want to say how much I value the simple use of the word “uncomfortable” in Stavropoulos’ introduction to the X Card. You don’t need to parse a term like “triggering” to understand that this card is for you.

On the supposition that roleplaying game settings should be free of challenging topics so that players can exercise power fantasies by going around being big heroes smashing monsters: this won’t ensure that a game is free of uncomfortable moments. For starters, see what I said two paragraphs ago about the unpredictability of what can make a roleplaying experience uncomfortable. 

There is an intimacy and a vulnerability to roleplay that can give it an emotional and psychological power that doesn’t exist in more passive art forms. Games tackling tough topics like Monsterhearts, My Life With Master, One Missed Call, It Was a Mutual Decision, Steal Away Jordan, Kagematsu and Dog Eat Dog acknowledge and embrace this aspect of roleplay. The existence of The O Card - which specifically states “this is uncomfortable, but I want to keep going” - indicates that there’s not just value to emotionally challenging roleplay, there’s a real desire to pursue it. The concept of Emotional Bleed - the flow of emotions between character and player - helps to explain both the value and the danger of the art form. 

I think the silence of older style RPGs like D&D on that power can make them dangerous. The violent “heroism” of OSR is part of what made me genuinely uncomfortable in the 2e campaign. For example, after getting a group of attacking bugbears to surrender and taking them prisoner, my character promised them a fair hearing in exchange for information that would help us. They provided the information. Another PC was then about to start killing the captive bugbears. My character intervened and stopped that from happening, but the player seemed genuinely baffled why I would do that. Without abhorrent acts on the part of your antagonists, your PCs are not heroes, they’re murderers and bigots, slaughtering monsters simply because they look ugly. I have a hard time allowing my “good” aligned character to continue working with someone like this without experiencing some pretty unpleasant bleed-through-feels that are still with me. So I think heroism and satisfying power play are not as easy or obvious as some GMs and players might think. Taking for granted that you’re heroic because you’re the protagonists of the story doesn’t work for me, though it might work for some,

Ultimately, though we haven’t played with it for more than a single session I already feel confident that playing with an X Card is a vastly superior experience to playing without any specified means of handling situations that become uncomfortable. I think it’s far from perfect, but I have been unable to find or imagine a superior tool. For now I will not play any tabletop RPG that does not include an X Card.