The first adventure went well, with the Players pulling themselves together and escaping the clutches of the Bad Guys. Most of the Players were there, and everyone got to participate. There were momentary disgruntlements when they realized I had taken away all of their starting equipment, but the setting and scenario made sense, and they did all end up having fun. This entry discusses the opening episode, and how things went down for the party.
GM: Do’s and Dont’s
Here aer some general ideas about what to do, and what not to do as a Game Master for a Role-Playing Game.
Do prepare a general sketch of NPCs. Work out what kind of NPC’s they’ll likely meet in the given situation. Put together general ideas of how they’d react to things. Local town guards are different than big city guards, or royal bodyguards.
Don’t overprepare. Each NPC doesn’t need a script, just basic opinions. Each NPC doesn’t need full stats, unless its a specific direct encounter.
DBGM02: Final Prep
Dragonsbane is a campaign that takes place in Privateer Press’ Iron Kingdoms role-playing game rules and setting. This series is specifically from the perspective of the Game Master, the person running the game. It is running concurrently with the Player Series for this campaign inthe RPG section. We have one week to ShowTime, so its time to make sure we have stuff plotted and planned. Characters are falling into place, and I’m weaving their stories together, so they (hopefully) have some reason to continue to work together. This is always a tough trick to pull off with a group this size. More than ten Players is a lot to juggle.
DB02: Final Prep
The first Game is set for next Saturday, Feb 22, so we’re making sure all the pieces are in place. Some names are yet to be finalized, and we’ll be filling in some backstory and plot seeds for the future. The two groups will be started with their own Prologues, and we have an animation to begin, sort of the Opening Credits. Once the opening has run, the Game Proper begins. We’ve already spoiled that we are starting in the hold of a slave ship, which is a tried-and-true opening for many RPGs.
DBGM01: Dragonsbane
This is a new campaign that will be starting shortly. It takes place in Privateer Press’ role-playing game rules and setting. This is a specific style of magical steampunk in a setting known as the Iron Kingdoms. The campaign is called Dragonsbane for only the vaguest of reasons. I hope this provides some insight on running a large campaign, or into the odd minds of Gamers, or maybe some light entertainment. This series is specifically from the perspective of the Game Master, the person running the game. It is running concurrently with the Player Series for this campaign inthe RPG section.
DB01: Set up
Characters have been made, and backstories are filling in. For the Prologue, the whole mob will be divided into individual groups, each with its starting point. During the telling of the Prologue, each group will find out how they got into this mess. Once all groups are together in the same spot, the Game Begins. This series in Role-Playing Games is Player Knowledge. Anything that happens to the Characters, anything the Characters would know is discussed here. There is also a GM section for those interested in the perspective of someone running the game, and notes on how the episode was intended to play out.
DB: Dragonsbane
Dragonsbane is a role-playing game campaign set in the world of Privateer Press’ Iron Kingdoms. The Iron Kingdoms are in a world of magic and steampunk, with much political intrigue and battle magics. And big, steam-powered robots. Gotta have the robots. The campaign has a sprawling story that intends to cover most of the Iron Kingdoms and surrounding lands.
Hotrod of Judgement (pt. 1)
In Warmachine, the Protectorate of Menoth’s armies include in interesting pieces called the Vessel of Justgement. It’s a massive block that is part mobile mausoleum and part pipe organ. A burly dude pulls it along by a pair of chains while a priest stands in front of it, praying. The model is nice, and is shown below. However, several people have been playing around with the pieces of the model to see what else if could be made into.
RPG: What’s in a name?
When it comes to characters, whether they are Player Characters or Non-Player Characters, much can hang on the name. Some people choose simple names. They are easy to remember and do not have to put much forth towards the actual Character themself. Other times, a name is chosen to really represent the personality behind the character. I enjoy coming up with a descriptive, yet plausible name for most of the characters I build.
RPG: Min-Maxing
Characters in Role-Playing games come in a variety of shapes and sizes. Some do indeed turn out to be more powerful than others. Players who play a lot get a lot of practice making these characters, and some Players can take this to extremes. One particular style of character generation has the term Min-Maxing. In short, this is using the minimum number of points to get the maximum effect.