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Name: Pamela Wilson Comments: In a game that I'm in, the DM has decided to go with a lycan vs. vampire concept, and this has created a few conundrums. Can you give your input as to these conundrums? One of the characters in our group is a dragon disciple, and another character is a barbarian. Both of them decided to take the vampire route, but no one is sure what happens with their constitution-increasing abilities. For example, when the barbarian rages, would that increase his charisma, instead of his constitution? So far as I can find, whenever a creature doesn't have an ability score (such as a construct or an undead or an incorporeal) generally they use another ability score for all purposes the other would cover. For example, undead use their charisma modifier to determine health and fortitude bonuses, as they don't have a constitution score. QUESTION: When a creature doesn't have an ability score, and that ability score receives an increase from an ability/spell, how does that effect the creature? Gamer Forge Response: Bad mojo! When playing as an undead template, DCR says: Short answer: Nope. Undead and (most) constructs don't get a Constitution score at all. And as you have no score to increase, you gain no bonus from a barbarian's rage or a dragon disciple's increased Constitution score. Official ruling says you're hosed. Sorry. Maybe as a house rule, you can find a way to grant a bonus of some kind, like substituting the Charisma score for the Constitution score. Gamer Forge Listener Email: Name: Jason Comments: Can you help explain something for me? On page 74 of the DMG (Step 5: Consequences), it says that if you fail a skill challenge, it can become more difficult, such as detouring you in a different direction. Could you attempt the same challenge again at a higher difficulty? So, could you try 'talking to the ogre again,' but since it already knows what you want, it makes it more complex and you need to work harder for the answer? Gamer Forge Response: You've got skills, but do they pay the bills? When getting a second chance is your first priority, DCR says: Yes and no. Depends on the skill. You can get a second chance to talk a dwarf out of his lunch, but you can't fall to your death twice. It's called consequence of failure. If failing your attempt leads to something permanent or in any way irreversible, then you shouldn't get a second try. Otherwise, give 'em another try, provided the player decides to try again. Some examples of skill checks that do not get a second chance: Decipher Script Survival Appraise Forgery Knowledge (any) Listen Spot Note that these examples have something in common. Either you succeed at them, or you don't. You either forage enough food for the day, or you resort to eating your rations. You are able to hear what's coming, or you don't. Most other skills allow for a second try on the following round. Just remember the risk of the check involved and the consequences of not succeeding. *Bonus XP: Even though you don't have a Constitution score for being a vampire, you do still gain all the other benefits of your class/race. Yes, it stinks that you don't gain bonus hit points and increased CON, but you gain a totally sweet damage reduction, immunities, and then there's the whole immortality thing. So before we hear you moaning about not getting something, count your blessings. Even awesomeness has a price.
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Gamer Forge Listener Email: Name: Steven Comments: I recently started DMing after playing 4th edition D&D around 10-15 times. While going over player and DM books I started to wonder if regeneration works while a PC is dying. For example, a level 2 fighter by the name of Korgul is down to -2 hit points. In the previous round he used Boundless Endurance. Since his modifier for the skill gives +2, that is a regeneration of +4. This would mean that he would get to 2 hit points at the start of his round and become conscious? Or does the regeneration stop? Well this turned into to 2 questions actually. First one is about regeneration and dying in general. Does dying count as bloodied in relation to Boundless Endurance. To me, as a DM, if regeneration worked while dying it would seem overpowered. Gamer Forge Response: DCR says: Regeneration does take effect after you fall below zero hit points. Most of the regeneration powers require you to spend an action of some kind to activate, so you must be conscious to use it. If the regeneration is in effect before the character falls, then it stays active while they are down. No need to deny what is rightfully won. BUT, keep in mind that death saving throws must still be taken when a character falls below zero hit points, as usual. In short, regeneration is fair game. Gamer Forge Listener Email: Name: Richard Besley Comments: When I first started playing with a group of completely new players, one of the first things I did was to explain the alignments as best I could at the time. When describing Chaotic Neutral, my exact words were, "A chaotic neutral character will do whatever he wants to do, so long as there is a reason that is justifiable to at least him behind doing so." Well, recently, I'm beginning to think that that explanation is not exactly accurate, or at least not perfectly clear. To explain, through every game I have played with this group, I have regretted each and every time I allowed a player to play a chaotic neutral character. The exact same thing will happen, no matter how many times I explain why it shouldn't. Said character will, for no reason I can fathom other than because his player (and by extension the character itself) wants to. Anything from using a squirrel to test out a new spell, to burning down the local pub to stop the flow of polluted beer, to openly mocking authority figures until nothing short of character death is put on the table, and even then only because I made the desire for self-preservation a required character trait. This is not to say that they do this because they prefer to, or that it's simply a style of play that they find more fun. We've played campaigns where I banned chaotic-neutral alignment, and everyone enjoyed themselves without this being an issue. It's simply that, whenever this issue comes up, I'll point it out to them and they'll reply with some variant of, 'I'm a chaotic character, and I'm being chaotic. Why is that wrong?" I don't have an answer to that. So, what's a better way to describe a chaotic neutral character? How do I explain to this group that, even if the alignment is 'chaotic,' that doesn't mean they have to play either chaotic-stupid, or insane? Gamer Forge Response: DCR says: Your alignment isn't like the alignment on your car! These things can change and shift like the winds. When it comes to not making your character "Chaotic Stupid", DCR says: 1. What defines chaos and neutrality, and what happens when you combine the two? "Chaotic Neutral", as defined by Dungeons and Dragons, states that chaos must balance the scale between good and evil, without preference to either one. This is much easier than it sounds. Being unpredictable is only small part of the big picture. The end result should be something along the lines of everything balancing out, and neither side is ahead. That's the real problem. "Chaotic Neutral" involves nobody truly getting ahead in anything. 2. Motivation! Alignment is a motivation, not a justification. It's about the start of the action, not the end. Your character's alignment is never a reason to commit a good or evil act. If the character is already bent on burning down an orphanage, he/she is gonna do it. But this also means that the character is already evil. We say that an alignment can change as soon as your GM decides that your motivations are clear. If you are hell-bent on being "Chaotic Neutral", be aware that that can change just as easily as your actions do. 3. You are an outsider! As "Chaotic Neutral", you will be extremely hard to deal with, professionally and personally. Your shifting attitudes and actions will make you hard to pin down and even harder to rely on. That's just it: you will ultimately be unreliable! Nobody will want to count on you. So what's the point of even playing? You may as well be playing a computer game. Sadly, this is where being this alignment hits a dead end. We say that it's best to just steer clear of "Chaotic Neutral". Alternately, just do away with alignments all together. Bonus XP: Jeff "The Dude" Lebowski. That's the only real exemplar of "Chaotic Neutral" we can think of. Which absolutely proves the point that this alignment is unreliable. Funny? Yes. Adventure? Not at all. At best, he is motivated by laziness and keeping Walter off his back. Remember this the next time you decide to pop that movie into your DVD or Blu-Ray player. Gamer Forge Listener Email:
Name: Regan Comments: This question about Charm Person got me musing about a problem with the spell. Obviously, you can't cast Charm Person in the middle of a forum to sway an interlocutor to your side without the other 20 persons noticing the foul play. And yet, I'd find it incredibly cool if it was somehow pulled off in a game. My question is thus : Is there any mean to covertly cast a spell in d&d3.5 / Pathfinder ? I've thought about Quicken Spell but nothing in the feat description indicates that you're not noticeable in doing this (as the spell still "takes an action", be it a swift one). Gamer Forge Response: This was a hard one. No joke, it was difficult. But when getting the most of a charm, DCR says: 1. You're gonna need a distraction. It's called a Tennessee Shuffle. When everybody is looking left, you move right. Have one of your companions run interference by causing a commotion. Fake a seizure or something. Uncontrolled outburst from the gallery. Something. This will give the player the moment he/she needs to begin casting the charm. It's not very sophisticated, but when being sneaky, its all about subtlety. 2. Just how subtle can you be? You've got several dozen, if not a hundred people actually watching you as you do this. No pressure, right? The key to winning this will be hiding the charm in your argument. We were reminded of an old "Pinky and the Brain" episode where a scheme involved hiding a subliminal message in a paragraph. This phase of the plan will involve all of your wits and charisma, as one slip of the tongue and you are BUSTED! To tip the scales in your favor, construct your argument to include certain phrases and the final sentence will have a sort of "trigger word" to have it take effect. But none of that will matter unless... 3. Do your homework. Find out who will be attending the gathering and make sure that no one will be actively looking for magical influence. This will be the easiest step, and the most crucial to the plan. None of this will work if you have the extra scrutiny centered on you. In general, when making and executing a dastardly plan like this, just take precautions. Oh, and have and escape plan! Gamer Forge Listener Email: Name: Jacob Stevens Comments: Gentlemen, My name is Jacob and I live in Raleigh, North Carolina. I have been listening to your show over the years. I started way back when it was just Revan and Malak. Those shows were interesting to say the least but over the years the show has really matured and grown into a really solid show. Even with the ups and downs you have experience over the years. So down to my question. When running a campaign, especially one with newer players mixed with optimizers, is it a fair call to limit the variety of books available for play? For feats, classes, prestige classes, magic items and spells? (or whatever other variants exist in whatever other system and it's expanded rulebooks) It seems that this would be quite unfair to the optimizer, but not doing so comes across as unfair to the beginner. Barring the idea to just separate these two breeds into different play sessions, is limiting the variety of books a sign of fair DMing, bad DMing or neither? Gamer Forge Response: Yay! We got to do two topics this week! When laying down the ground rules, DCR says: 1. If you're not sure, just start simple. Especially when introducing players who are new to the RPG experience, it's best to have finite options. It can cause a great deal of frustration for a new player to have to pour over a mountain of books to find something, when a core class will do just fine. Besides, it's counter-productive to have more information than you need. Just ask a librarian. Start your game by allowing only the core rulebook for the players. More experienced players may scoff and give you some sass for this, but this is your game, and you run it as you please. 2. Grow with the players. As the players grow, and characters live and pass (as they tend to do in a good adventure), slowly grow the source materials in which they are allowed to draw. We feel that this cultivates a true "win-win" situation for both new and experienced players. Compromise is best when resolving issues between players. 3. It's best to understand. Rather than force your will on others (which we are almost always against), clearly and concisely explain what the decisions are and stick with it. However, don't thumb your nose at logic and reason. These are your friends and deserve your respect and consideration. If someone comes up with a good reason to play as something out of a different book, take a closer look and make a decision after getting the facts. Starting a new game should be neither tedious nor heart-breaking. *Bonus XP: Always be on the lookout for players' ingenuity! If a player has access to a phone app that has a full spell listing for your game, then more power to them! Let them use that. If they use their tablet computer to store their books on .pdf files, then that makes the GM's job all that much easier. These are some great "win-win" scenarios that can make a new player feel more efficient and adapt to a new game with ease. Gamer Forger Listener Email: Name: Javik Comments: I apologize beforehand if this question has been asked before, I was not able to find one, except this, which may be related: Dealing with players who try to run from everything?. Also I'd like to note that english is not my native tongue, so please be gentle. The problem I have a player in my group which tends to approach local authorities (may it be guards or churches) when facing a threat. He thinks that, given his role (a bard in a medieval world, so, more or a less, a civilian), this is what one of his kind would do in such situations. The other characters, more powerful (knight, ranger, sorcerer, ...), are the passive kind of players and do not prevent him from doing that. While this behavior is not unjustified, the whole point of playing the game is to solve problems on your own (IMHO), even if they seem to be overwhelming. Sometimes it is justified, but most of the time it makes things only more complicated in terms of: •The storyline, like the one time they faced a single undead raised by a curse in a city at night, where he handed over the ring which has caused the curse to the local temple, instead of trying to find out about the origins of the curse and how to break it. As soon they have found out that the curse has not been broken and it only affects a certain party member, the required ring was out of reach ... ooops, now they are in trouble (including the storyline). •The threat level, because the encounters have to be extended, so that they are a threat to a group of adventures AND a bunch of guardsmen. One time the same player in another group abandoned the whole group for a 14 days travel to contact a befriended inquisitor about a serious evil thread to get the support of a bunch of knights. The examples above are presented in a more superficial way than they actually are. The true story behind is way more complicated, including aspects of personal motivation. I could tell the player to stop doing that, but I'd prefer to solve the issue in the game, without overstretching means like: •Authorities are too ignorant/busy/incompetent to care (which in the long run will seem like all authorities in the world are essentially only decoration) •The adventure is happening in a "closed" environment like extreme wilderness, a ship on the ocean, an area locked because of a plague etc. The question What can I do ? How do you deal with such behavior ? Gamer Forger Response: This one was a long question, but we got your solution in one neat, tidy packet! Your party needs a spoony bard, and here's some good reasons why you should keep doing it. But being a bard ain't easy. When it comes to really confusing situations with your bardy-bard, DCR says: 1. Bards aren't really fighters, anyway. Not fighting is just as legit as getting your hands dirty. Indeed, the concept of "bard" was never intended to be a heavy damage dealer. They were meant to supplement the others in their duties and function as spokesman for the party. Playing a coward is just as valid as playing a fearless barbarian. There's no need to encounter the pressure of others to behave as they do. Other players should worry about how they play, not how others do. 2. You've encountered the consequences of your actions, now you get to deal with it. Not much else to say about that. Running away is just as good, but there's still consequences. No matter what you do, this will always be the case. Ain't no running away from your fate. 3. Talking is your job. If you're not feeling up to snuff keeping up with the "tanks" and "casters", maybe "bard" isn't the right choice for you. Nothing wrong with that. The classes were created to have distinct strengths and were meant to played to those strengths. Frankly, it's best and easiest to say that it's time to consider trying a different character class. There's no shame in realizing you may be wrong. Just remember to handle that gracefully, please. Firebird suggests that you ask "What do I want to play today?" Think of how you like to do things. *Bonus XP: When running and/or playing any tabletop RPG: Everything is a variable. Never count on players behaving a certain way. Never count on a GM to behave a certain way. You may no always be comfortable being outclassed or overmatched, but you must be okay with the circle of life. Just because you see a mountain, doesn't necessarily mean you have to be the one who climbs it. Its just a mountain. Remember to listen to the complete Gamer Forge segment each week during the "live" broadcast from Epic Puzzles and Games in West Valley City, Utah every Monday from 6-8 pm MST. If you have issues or questions in your game, contact DCR to help level up your game at info@dungeoncrawlersradio.com! This week, DCR smashes down several questions regarding rulings on commonly encountered problems. Guaranteed fresh! Listener Email: Name: Sarah Comments: What are the most beginner friendly table top role playing games out there? Gamer Forger Response: When you're looking for "beginner-friendly", DCR says: Dungeons and Dragons 4th edition is easy to transition to if your only familiarity with RPG's is MMOs. Everything is organized into macros and character creation is pre-sorted, so all you've got to do is decide what type of role in the party you wish to play. Just about anything involving Unisystem is a winner. Buffy the Vampire Slayer is definitely geared towards a simple mechanic and character creation is a breeze. It also favors action and plot advancement above the statistical advantages players have over enemies. Marvel Superheroes from Margaret Weiss productions is great due to its simplicity of advancement. It features a slightly higher learning curve than the other two, but the advantage is that once your character is generated, any further statistical growth is already built in to the character. Listener Email: Name: TJ Comments: Does the main target of the ghoul touch spell get a saving throw? Gamer Forger Response: When stinking up the place with "Ghoul Touch", DCR says: You can't target a person, as a single object doesn't constitute and area. You will be targeting the area the person is standing on. You can target a floor or wall or ceiling, but you can't cast it on a table or a horse. Whomever is at the center of the area is granted a saving throw, as normal. If your player argues with you, give a sucker punch and tell 'em, "Guy Named Joe sent ya!" Listener Email: Name: Midvale Gaming Group Comments: Is the animating force of a golem always from the Elemental Plane of Earth? Gamer Forger Response: When making your Golems, DCR says: The primary animating force of a Golem is usually from the Elemental Plane of Earth. But not always. The animating force can be defined as just about anything ethereal, such as the souls of dead orphans or the woe of a million angels. Give your golem that extra special something by defining this power source with an offbeat description. Listener Email: Name: Calvin Smith Comments: Can you help me out here. Is it possible to creating weapons and armor from giant crab remains? Gamer Forger Response: You too, can have a set of crab armor! DCR says: Totally! We say that it most likely will be a description of hide or scale armor, depending on the game system you are using. Dark Sun is all about using hides and shells as armor. Listener Email: Name: Fort Worth Gaming Group Comments: We ran into your show by accident and have loved what we have heard so far. We have a question that has been buzzing around the table. Would you be able to weigh in on this one? Does making an opportunity attack with a ranged weapon provoke an opportunity attack? Gamer Forger Response: Opportunities abound! When making an opportunity attack, DCR says: Yes and no. Just because you are entitled to make an opportunity attack, doesn't mean you should get it. Take into account line of sight, cover, and relevant abilities or feats. If you have a ranged attack prepared (such as a crossbow or spell) then you can make the attack, provided you are within range. However, countering that opportunity attack is also possible, provided that another opponent has an attack prepared. As always, think of how the character would behave, not what you would do. *Bonus XP: Keep in mind what would make your character awesome in the context of an action sequence in a movie, not what your stats read and what your bonuses are. Taking a gamble on a friend can reap huge rewards for all parties involved. Think beyond the squares and tiles and the keyboard; get active in telling your own character's tale! Gamer Forge Listener Email:
Name: Axel the Mouth Comments: Gentlemen, I want to try my hand at playing an evil character in the game I am playing in. How can I play such a character in a group that is mainly good & Neutral character without being killed by the group. Axel Gamer Forge Response: It's sometimes soooo good to be bad! When you're the only one playing the opposite side of the coin, DCR says: 1. Bribery is the easiest way. It's not much of a stretch to imagine that most characters can be bought off to ignore your smaller indiscretions. Send a little coin to your less-than-reputable allies, or give them some of the magic loot in return for looking the other way. While this isn't a foolproof solution, it is one to keep in mind at all times. Bribery can get you out of the small jams when you're about to be discovered. That being said, don't rely on it as your sole method of subtlety. Evil in the midst of good has to work in baby steps as to not draw attention. But more on that, later. 2. Use 'em! Convince others to do your bidding, and everything should be your bidding. This is where the evil character needs to start weighing the decision "Intent vs. action". What's more important, the spreading of your evil, or that you are the one doing the spreading? Some players are more hands-on, and that's totally okay. But this will be a constant struggle. Also, just because you're evil, doesn't mean you're a maniac. Not every action you take has to be something horrible or treacherous. Subtlety can be established by making your evil look like a freak, one-time event. Which leads us to... 3. Always, always, always have a good reason. "The Operative" in the movie Serenity believed that it was absolutely okay to kill children to achieve a better life for everyone. Believed. He believed it was necessary for something that he couldn't even partake in. But he could absolutely justify any atrocity with his belief. It's a bit radical for some players to take a hard line like this, but you are the one who wanted to be evil, thus, this is the consequence of being evil. Going back to the choice of "intent vs. action", remember you won't be getting much evil done if everybody who knows you believes you're evil. The trick isn't to convince the good people that you're not bad. The trick is to convince the good people that whatever you do is right, and they should be okay with letting you do it. *Bonus XP: This one should be a gimme, but for a great, entertaining example of warping good intentions with evil actions, watch the television show Dexter. A fine example of justification. A villain who just does evil things for no reason gets boring pretty quick. It's funny to make a character do something treacherous to add some spice to the story, but remember that actions carry consequences. One act of evil can snowball into something completely unintended for your character. One evil begets another evil, and so on... Gamer Forge Listener Email: Name: Aaron Comments: To my favorite radio show, I am trying to create a character for my new group and I am wanting to know what is the best way to create a character? Should I focus on his skills or feat? How should I place my ability scores? What equipment should I start with? And then what are good classes to play? Aaron Gamer Forge Response: Seeing as the details were scarce, DCR had to come up with an answer that everyone can live by. No pressure! When a player is stumped on what character to make, DCR says: 1. Well, what do YOU like to do? Start with something you already know you like to do. Do you like archery? Spell-tossing? Dueling? Raging? Kung-fu? Singing? It's all good. This is a question that only the player can answer, and must answer honestly. Best case scenario, the player will be this character for a long time, and should be comfortable with the idea before moving forward. On that note... 2. Use generators. The internet is full of character generators and templates that players post just for "lulz". Scan around on Google and see what others have done before you and gather some ideas. Chances are in your favor that something will jump out at you. There's a good reason why Flagoon is always proclaiming our love for the internet. Check player forums on the company websites to work out the kinks and clarify the what's-what. Character generators often compile all the game's options into one database and sorted for easy browsing. Try using the "random" feature and see what pops up. The answers may be something unexpected. 3. If all else fails, try "Fighter". This generic descriptor can be tailored to match most fighting styles and archetypes to fit your liking. While not as specialized as some other archetypes, a common bond between game mechanics is "fighter" is the simplest to begin a character in. It often has the fewest nuances and subtleties of all classes and is still flexible enough to allow for a wide array of ideas to fit in. Bonus XP: The question, "What kind of character do you think I should make?" is a moot one. The answer will always be subjective to the people that are asked. Nobody can tell you what sort of things you like. If you are still stumped, try attending a hosted game night at your local gaming or hobby stores. (i.e. Epic Puzzles and Games, located in West Valley City and Lehi, Utah) This will give you a chance to try a sample of different combinations and "test drive" the game before you commit to one character idea. Game nights are usually free of charge and take only 1-3 hours, so risk to the player is minimal. Gamer Forge Listener Email:
Name: Calvin Smith Comments: Guys let me start out by saying I just love the show and I love the direction you've been taking the show. I am a fellow gamer and until recently I have always listened to the gamer forge but never really had any reason to email until now. I have been playing now for 5 or 6 years. My friends got me into D&D and I have really enjoyed playing. Now by no means do I ever want to attempt the feat of Dungeon mastering. You have to have a genius level intellect to do that I swear! To be able to keep everything straight and make the story fun has to be tough! Especially when your players get side tracked. However let me get back to the reason I am writing. So I drive from Salt Lake up to Ogden to play with my gaming group and the drive can be a pain at times but its worth it. Two weeks ago I end up being late to the game due to traffic and the week before I did not attend the game because I was out of town for a business trip. This last week I got a flat tire and was 10 minutes late. Now because of this my DM has knocked me down one level, has made me give up 50% of my possessions, and has put me on notice that if I am late or miss one more game I will be exiled from the gaming group. Now I realize that a player being late can be a problem but I think this is going a little overboard. Your opinions? Am I just being over critical or sensitive here? Gamer Forge Response: DCR says: bag that old-school punishment crap! 1. If someone is having trouble making it to the sessions on time on a consistent basis, try a rotating schedule, where each member takes turns hosting the game. This way, everyone understands the hassle of making it to different places, and creates an environment of accountability between each person. Your friends would help you change your tire so you can make it on time. 2. Your game, any game, is not an iron-clad commitment, nor should it be considered a chore. If it is becoming so much trouble just to make it to where you play, it may be time to consider another option for getting your game on. This is a social event, not a business meeting. When your "friends" resort to such draconic methods for "teaching a lesson", it may be time to move on to a different group. Even better: make it a point to introduce some new people into the game. 3. DM's are not the coolest beings in existence, and should not be treated as infallible. If you are having a hard time dealing with the punishments handed out, it is totally within reason to question the authority of your Dungeon Master. If everyone else is okay kneeling before the DM, the more power to them, but you have free will. Exercise the crap out of it! A Dungeon Master who commands fealty or unquestioning loyalty should absolutely have their authority questioned. That's not friendship, that's subservience. *Bonus XP: To meet a new group, try one of the hosted events at your local gaming store (preferably Epic Puzzles and Games, located in West Valley City and Lehi, Utah). These are perfect ways to learn a new game and meet lots of new people in a friendly, moderated environment. This would be a great time to try your hand at DM'ing, and earn some free swag. Gamer Forge Listener Email: Name: Jason the Drifter Comments: So I have a question that is a little complicated. Now I realize most of the Gamer Forge questions have been D&D or Pathfinder related and my question is based in the Star Wars Saga Edition rules. So here is my question. The game that I am play has had some fun and exciting moments where we have some amazing moments happen when we have failed or succeeded in the game so we have really enjoyed our game. So now I am sure your asking yourselves so what is the reason you’re emailing us then? Well that is the really difficult part because this game has been so great several of us have kind of lost track of what we set out to do. And that is my question how do we get back on track? So let me explain what’s happened here. So we are playing in the Old Republic about 150 years before the start of the Mandolorian Wars and before the KOTOR settings. Now we have a mixed group of Jedi and various other individuals with specialized skills. The two Jedi in the group were commissioned with a task that required special skills. So they sought out the other members in our group. So we got our ship we plotted our course took flight and jumped into hyperspace and BAM! Our Astromech droid was sabotaged as it has purposely plugged in a bad hyperspace route. Thus we came out of hyperspace roughly which damaged our ship and left us in Hutt space with a damaged ship and two Jedi that aren’t really favored here. So we limp to the nearest planet, once there our ship is “Misplaced”, two of our companions were put in jail, and series of other unfortunate events. Now this was lots of fun roleplaying and getting its way out these situations. What has got our goat is that our GM is so crafty in his story telling that we are constantly getting roped into something. Several of us want to get back to our original quest. Get off the hutt planet and go complete our mission for the Jedi. Gamer Forge Response: When it comes to untangling the knot of truth in your game, DCR says: 1. Perseverance. Just go with it. Remember that you can walk away from this game at any time. In the words of Captain Planet, "The power is yours." By playing, you are consenting that everything is just peachy. If you're having fun getting into all sorts of mischief, then it can't be all that bad. Or is it? You're asking yourself, "When does the actual story begin?" That brings us to... 2. Part of the "Master Plan". Maybe this totally is part of the story. It's all in the set-up for the big picture. This one may be worth sticking around for. If all this hijinks ties back to the overall storyline a year down the road, your GM deserves a medal. Remember, one of the themes of Star Wars is "There is no coincidence". Adventurers coming together is significant, regardless of how disparate those characters may be. The GM should either recognize this and work it into the theme, or already took this into account and this further strengthens our statement about medals. Have a little faith in your GM. But not without... 3. Whenever you're presented with either option "A" or option "B", always take option "C". If and when you feel shoehorned into fulfilling a role or plot, that means your GM is getting lazy. Make him/her work for their position as storyteller. Throw a few curve balls to get the creative juices flowing. Instead of running around to save the universe, pop a squat and tell campfire stories. When the GM sends you to the cantina for information, walk back outside and try stealing a speeder. (note: Dungeon Crawlers Radio does not condone nor engage in the stealing, or destruction of, unattended speeders or starships) The world(s) you are visiting and exploring move and live whether or not you are there. Make your GM make that world come alive. *Based on the details we were given, DCR says that it's probably best to ride this out. No shortage of action and an underlying theme. Plenty of characters with a diversity of personalities. Best of all, nobody is getting frustrated with a lack of options. Final word of advice: Go kick ass, players! Gamer Forge Listener Email:
Name: TJ Comments: Hey guys I am just wanting to write in an ask for your help. I don't want to get into what system is best, 2nd edition, 3rd, 4th, or this system or that. What I want to know is whatever system I am running with my group how do I make it more fun for me as the GM and how do I make it more fun for my players. I will say that we are running a fantasy based system but we do have some elements of a post apocalyptic story going on where the players do stumble across ancient artifacts of a civilization that at one time had mechanical weapons. I'd be interested to hear what you have to say. Gamer Forge Response: When it comes to turning your game up to "11", DCR says: 1. Sell your game. When you are passionate about your game, setting, action, relationships, etc., getting your players on board should be no sweat. Come up with a one-sentence pitch for your game. Something simple like, "vigilante justice" or "zombie apocalypse" will do just fine. Then show how much you love the material. Find a game system that works with your passion. It's a lot of work, but it's like the Peace Corp: the toughest job you'll ever love. Create the excitement by showing yours. 2. Pimp-slap every scene. Set mood lighting or some music to fit your scene. If your game is humorous, give it humor. If it's somber, make it somber at the right times. Players win when they're not just engaged with what's going on now, but when they're excited about what happens next. It's okay to fake excitement, so long as you're not sarcastic. Most times, you only have to fake it for a short time. If and when you find yourself not wanting to pimp-slap your scenery, it's time to move on to something else. 3. Shared experience. You may not make everybody happy all the time, but you can at least make it worthwhile for all involved. Your game should absolutely answer the question, "Why is my character here?" Whatever the answer is, you will create an experience that players will participate in actively, or at the very least, consent to. Creating an experience is the DM's/referee/storyteller/whatever's paramount responsibility. *To bring your game to "12", DCR recommends finding your favorite book (comic or otherwise), movie, or video game and list out on paper five things you love about it. Why do you love it so much? Be specific.These are things you should strive to achieve in your game. Example: "I love the witty banter of the crew of the Serenity. It makes them more like family." |
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August 2013
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