Roleplaying Tips Weekly E-Zine Issue #473
On-The-Fly GMing Tips
Contents:
This Week's Tips Summarized
On-The-Fly GMing Tips
Game Master Tips & Tricks
- Name Things Based On Their Meaning
- Track Conditions Using White Marker On Minis
- RPGSoundMixer Tip
- Handling Split Parties
- Tact-Tiles Are Back
Johnn Four's GM Guide Books
Create fast and awesome NPCs with GM Mastery: NPC Essentials
Critically acclaimed and multiple award-winning guide to
crafting, roleplaying, and GMing three dimensional NPCs for
any game system and genre. This book will make a difference
to your GMing.
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A Brief Word From Johnn
Begrudging
Here is a bit of recent advice from Seth Godin:
I don't know if this happens to you, but I'm noticing it
more and more. Someone offers you a refund, or agrees to
sell you something, or even hires you to do a project, but
then spends a lot of time explaining that it's a one time
thing, or that it's against policy or it's not even
something they like to do.
What's the point of agreeing to anything begrudgingly? Does
it get your partner to do his best work? Does it increase
the chances that you'll get to win next time?
If you're going to do something, do it. Go all in. Doing it
half-in makes no sense at all to me. It's a like a store
that has so many rules and regulations about sales and
exchanges that you wonder if they really want to be bothered
to sell you anything at all.
Johnn's RPG interpretation: Get to yes fast. Go all in.
Celebrate the circumstances. Add detail. Add enthusiasm. GM
in the moment and stop thinking about what's going to happen
in two minutes or two hours. Look players in the eye.
Improve your own body language. Breathe deep. Make a game of
it.
I wrote a little more on this here:
Have a game-filled holiday season!
Cheers,
Johnn Four,
johnn@roleplayingtips.com
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The Twilight Sector Campaign Setting Sourcebook
Welcome to the raggedy edge of human space, The Orion
Frontier. This is the edge of human exploration. Rimward
from here, There be Dragons! No star chart or encyclopedia
tells us what lies beyond, only whispered tales of scouts
and pirates provide us myth-inspired answers.
The Twilight Sector lies on the edge of the edge. Filled
with mystery and wonder, The Twilight Sector Campaign
Setting Sourcebook introduces the new Traveller compatible
campaign setting from Terra/Sol games.
Twilight Sector Campaign Setting Sourcebook at Studoi 2 Publishing
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On-The-Fly GMing Tips
Guest article by Dariel R. A. Quiogue
madmanscave.blogspot.com
Recently I ran a session as guest GM for a friend's group,
but thanks to being loaded with writing assignments just
before game day I had almost no time to prepare at all.
I also expected no more than four players, but ended up with
eight, which later became nine. Thankfully, I had a bunch of
adventure seeds in mind, some nicely proactive players, and
some tools that aided on-the-fly GMing.
The players liked the cinematic nature of the game, and were
surprised when I revealed my prep time.
Thinking back on what I did, I realized there were
techniques there that other GMs may also find useful.
1. Have A Bunch Of Adventure Ingredients Ready
We were playing a game of pulp air adventure, where the
players would be mercenary fighter pilots from the end of
the Great War. So I dug into my mental library of pulp
tropes and came up with zeppelins, air pirates, and the Red
Baron. The key here is to have a bunch of plot elements and
visuals you can throw together to create points of interest.
As long as you're familiar with the genre or milieu of the
game, it's easy to come up with adventure ingredients
quickly. Raid movies and other media for visual ideas. The
innermost kernel of the adventure I thought up was the
climactic scene from Flyboys, where you have this big
swirling dogfight around a huge balloon.
2. Pick A Player And Hand Him The Ball
We kicked off the adventure by going right into one of the
core elements of the pulp air adventure genre - a dogfight.
To get the players into the spirit of things, I introduced
one of the PCs as a senior pilot of the merc squadron, and
the situation was he was there to test the rookies.
This passed a goodly burden of the GMing load on the lead
player, as all the other players were now responding to his
cues. In your games, you can select a player character as
the lead-in to the adventure; find something about that
character that will give him or her the motivation to get
all the others involved, and set up the scenario
accordingly. A side benefit of this is that the players will
get more opportunities to roleplay with each other.
3. Give the Villain a Plan and Modus Operandi
Give your villain a goal and a means of accomplishing it.
The villain will execute the plan whether the PCs are there
or not. The adventure revolves around the PCs either finding
out about the villain's plans or getting involved through
the villain's execution of the plan.
In my adventure, the mock dogfight suddenly turned real when
the squadron received an urgent radio message (I introduced
radios, though a bit anachronistic, so the PCs could
interact during combat) alerting them to a luxury liner
zeppelin being attacked by air pirates. The villains were
trying to force it to dock with their as-yet unseen zeppelin
carrier so they could rob the rich passengers - who were the
cream of European society - and hold them for ransom. The
PCs thus had a chance to interfere with the villain's plan.
4. Take Player Cues And Run With Them
One of my players gave his character the name of 'Sir Guise'
and roleplayed him with a British accent, so we agreed he
was of the British aristocracy. When they landed with the
zeppelin, the wealthy passengers came pouring out to thank
them; I had one of the passengers recognize the aristocrat
pilot and greet him by name.
To my surprise, the player said 'Hey Edward, old chap,
how're you doing?' Edward? British aristocracy? I had said
the game was set in 1926, so I quickly thought, Aha, THAT
Edward! Imagine the players' surprise when I told them
they'd just saved the Prince of Wales.
This was not something I'd planned at all. The idea I had at
the time was to have a rich Italian-Spanish heiress looking
for a sunken galleon in the Caribbean. But hey, having the
Prince of Wales made an interesting plot hook!
I hinted that the Vulture Squadron would be very interested
in kidnapping this prize. Right on cue, the players cooked
up a scheme to use the Prince as bait. (It turned out the
player wasn't thinking of Edward VIII either, but Edward
just happened to be the first British-sounding name he could
think of).
5. The World Is Your Character
Think of the whole milieu as your character. Every NPC,
location and object the PCs interact with is just a facet of
that mega-character that you're running.
You can have it respond to player character words and
actions in a fluid, lifelike way by coming up with details
you know are appropriate to the milieu at any time because
you know the milieu so well.
And just as individual characters have a purpose, so the
world-as-mega-character has its own: to engage the PCs.
Depending on how they interact with your world, the world
can challenge them, provide clues and info, and spring
surprises that twist the story of the game in wonderful new
directions, as that player did with his casual drop of a
name.
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Campaign Cultures And Equipment: More Than Dwarven Axes And Elvish Bows
By Alric, originally posted at The RPG Athenaeum
During the course of the past several decades, fantasy games
and literature have established associations between certain
archetypical fantasy creatures and their equipment.
Legacy and current editions of the Dungeons & Dragons game,
for example, have linked elves with bows and longswords,
connected dwarves with axes and hammers, and associated
halflings with slings and daggers.
Such archetypical armament is so deeply ingrained into
gamers' minds that it is the exception, not the rule, that
makes D&D players suspicious: arm an elf with a two-handed
war hammer and many players will think it is an illusion or
shape-changer.
Fortunately, the connection between campaign cultures and
equipment doesn't have to begin and end with dwarves, elves
and halflings. A dungeon master can create similar
associations for all cultures in a D&D campaign, thereby
improving sense-of-place without radical changes in game
mechanics.
This article discusses several approaches for accomplishing
the task, resulting in greater dramatic flavor in the game.
Weapons
The types of weaponry carried by characters can speak
volumes about the cultures from which they hail. When
deciding the typical weaponry of a given campaign culture,
the DM may consider the following:
- The impact of profession. The predominant terrain of an
area can dictate common occupations, which can affect a
character's choice of weaponry.
Mountain-dwellers, for example, often engage in mining;
since they work with picks and hammers throughout the day,
it is logical that characters from hilly or mountainous
areas may favor military versions of hammers and picks.
For the same reason, plainsmen who subsist by hunting would
likely employ "occupational weapons" like the bow and spear.
- The functionality of the weapon for the terrain. In an age
when few people travel more than a few miles from home, it
is logical to assume they will carry weapons suited for
their home environments.
Swamp-dwellers may favor maces for crushing large insects,
centipedes and other "creepy-crawlies," while few forest-
dwellers carry greatswords, since there is seldom enough
space in their home terrain to wield such weapons properly.
- Availability of superior materials. In our own history,
certain regions became well-known for exceptional
craftsmanship of different weaponry types.
Steel weapons from Toledo or Damascus were highly valued
during the Middle Ages, and English longbows were especially
feared during the Hundred Years War.
If the DM concludes that superior raw materials for weapon-
smithing can be found in a certain area, the locals are
probably famous for creating exceptional weapons of the
appropriate type.
- The impact of cultural values on weapon type. A culture's
attitude toward combat can affect typical weapon choices.
In this writer's campaign, for example, the Clurgish
Warbrides, known for their vicious fighting style, prefer to
face foes hand-to-hand; they consider the use of ranged
weapons to be an act of cowardice. The entire Clurgish
military echoes this sentiment, as only the very young or
very old serve as archers in the Clurgish army.
Other cultures may favor weapon types wielded by deities or
famous historical figures.
Cultural attitudes about warfare can also impact weapon
quality; for example, a longsword issued by an empire that
mass-produces its weaponry would be very different from a
longsword forged by an elite group of warrior-monks.
Equipment
Apart from decorative motifs - such as carved dragon images
visible on equipment belonging to a character whose nation's
battle standard depicts a dragon - campaign culture can have
a deeper impact on the selection and appearance of a
character's equipment. Consider the following:
- Availability of materials. In a swamp setting, for
example, quality leather is hard to find. Fortunately,
swamp-dwellers don't need quality leather, since it quickly
deteriorates and grows mold in damp conditions. Thus, it is
unlikely that any of the locals would own a leather
backpack, but packs made from serpent hide, wicker or reeds
will be much more common in the area.
Although there is technically no difference in game
mechanics between a leather pack or wicker pack, a hero's
choice of equipment can tell others whether he or she is one
of the locals.
- Cultural values. From what has already been written about
the Clurgish Clansmen, it's easy to imagine that they
produce some of the finest weapon sheaths and baldrics for
hundreds of miles. It's also easy to imagine that their
pottery might not be very good, since so much of the
society's attention is devoted to preparation for and
conduct of war.
In fact, people with unfit or asymmetrical physiques are
sometimes described as being "shaped like a Clurgish pot" as
an insult.
Cultural values affect more than just quality of certain
items, though; sometimes, they lead to the creation of
entirely unique items of equipment. Characters from a
mercantile society, for instance, may routinely carry a type
of hand tool useful for cinching loading straps on beasts of
burden.
* * *
Admittedly, accounting for these details won't affect the
mechanics of game play, and individually, they won't matter
much in a D&D game. But the sum of several of these small
changes can have a lasting impact upon the way players see a
D&D setting.
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Game Master Tips & Tricks
Have some GM advice you'd like to share? E-mail it to johnn@roleplayingtips.com - thanks!
1. Name Things Based On Their Meaning
From: Philip McKinney
When describing a person, place or thing, players might not
(most likely will not) remember much more than the name and
any combat related stats or abilities. This is a shame.
For example, I have just given the party thief a +1
masterwork dagger with Icy Burst (+1d6 cold damage in
addition to reg. damage) and +2 to hide while actively being
used. It could be the Stealth Dagger, or the Iceshard or
Coldfang.
There is nothing wrong with those names, but with a couple
moments of thought, it could become the Piccare Stiletto.
Piccare is a word in vulgar Latin meaning to pierce. Now the
item has a name with meaning, and you can share that with
the players.
How do you find the names and words to use? I go through one
or both of the following steps.
First, I might take some of the words I am thinking of using
to describe the thing or place I want to name, and put them
through an online dictionary. Those dictionaries offer the
root or origins of words. A thesaurus can lead you to other
descriptive words.
Here is the origin of the word trivial: 1400-50; trivialis
belonging to the crossroads or street corner, hence
commonplace, equiv. to tri- tri- + vi(a) road + -alis -al.
Here are the stats on some armor I created using to fit the
name Trivalis Armor:
The name, roughly translated from Latin (trivi lis) means
ordinary. Indeed, this leather looks like simple, well-
crafted suit of armor. There are no special details to the
flat dark brown color of the armor, and except for the
exceptional craftsmanship which can only be discerned upon
close inspection, none would of this armor's extraordinary
powers. +1 masterwork leather armor.
It has no magical aura.
Once per week it can be changed to look like one of the
following: artisan's clothing, aristocrat's clothing, or
merchant's clothing (specifics at the user's discretion).
While under the influence of the illusion, offers the wearer
+5 to bluff and diplomacy.
While wearing merchant or aristocrat's clothing also give
same bonus to intimidate checks.
Adds +2 to all move silently checks.
Don't you think Trivalis is much better than the "Sneaky
Armor of Disguise"?
Second, I utilize online translators. They take a little
longer, but can yield some great results. This is especially
true if you want to give a certain cultural flair to a city
or country your players are visiting, or even just a quirk
for an NPC.
Think of words we use every day (in game or out) and see
what other words could be easily used:
Sword
German: schwert
French: épée
Italian: s. spada; (fig) forza militare, armi; guerra
Mountain
German: berg; haufen
French: montagne; monceau, tas
Italian: montagna, monte; mucchio, (fam) sacco
Armor
German: v. rüsten; ausrüsten n. Panzer, Rüstung
French: v. s'armaturer, se mettre une armure n. armure
Italian: v. corazzare, blindare s. armatura
Blood
German: n. Blut; Feindschaft v. Blut speien
French: sang
Italian: s. sangue; stirpe, discendenza; sangue reale;
temperamento, indole; assassinio, morte; (fam) damerino,
(spreg) zerbinotto; libertino v. (Venat) assuefare al gusto
del sangue; instradare, avviare, iniziare
Whether it is naming a place, or changing a simple word or
two that an NPC might use, all can add a little more color
and interest to your game.
Until next time, I wish you all good gaming I miei amici
(Italian for "my friends").
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2. Track Conditions Using White Marker On Minis
From: Chris Beukeveld, Great Victory Widgets Ltd.
We've all done it. The action is fast and frenzied and we
lose track of which bad guy is slowed and which is stunned;
which got critted twice and which is unscathed.
Player: "That guy isn't bloodied yet!? I hit him for at
least 100 hp and he's got ongoing 10!"
DM (sheepishly): "Oh that guy, er um, yeah he died 2 rounds
ago, sorry."
Player 2: "And I though this mage was silenced, but he
killed me with some kind of Shrieking Death last round."
Player 3: "Well if he's not dead I'm not going to move
towards him to heal him."
Player 4: "Arrgg, I wasted my teleport spell!"
DM: "Um, right, sorry, so you're not dead, and instead he'll
move here and...um, can we rewind 2 rounds?"
I've been using our White Dungeon Marker to number bad guys
during combat. The markers are easy to erase and work great.
All my players can see if there's a spell or condition in
effect.
When the effect ends, I wipe the writing off with a damp
paper towel. Works like a charm, no more getting bad guys
mixed up. "Oh, you were going after THAT guy, uh yeah, he
died three rounds ago, sorry."
See some example pics:
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3. RPGSoundMixer Tip
From: John Walker
I use RPG-SoundMixer
It is a great tool that lets you store sound bites and create
libraries of ambient sounds. Libraries play non-cyclical
since you can set the software to random sounds and the
probability for each.
It also allows activating events with a single key stroke
and many other great things. It has a great demo and plenty
of sound libraries to get you started. If you are willing to
dig in the German site there are even more.
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4. Handling Split Parties
From: Johnn Four
Andrew asks: I'm planning a pretty good science fiction game
that will most likely involve party splits during a good
percentage of the game. While this seems like it might be a
bad idea, is there any way to make party splits work without
ruining the game for the players?
Johnn's answer:
Hi Andrew. This topic has been covered in the Roleplaying
Tips ezine in the past. Check out these tips and let me know
if you still have any unresolved questions.
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5. Tact-Tiles Are Back
From: Darryl Hodgson
I recall the plastic tiles made some years ago but heard the
company did not make it. In looking around I found another
item just like them but clear - very cool. Check it out.
www.greatvictorywidgets.com
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Johnn Four's GM Guide Books
In addition to writing and publishing this e-zine, I have
written several GM tips and advice books to inspire your
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How to design, map, and GM fresh encounters for RPG's most
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Advice and tips for designing compelling holidays that not
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Critically acclaimed and multiple award-winning guide to
crafting, roleplaying, and GMing three dimensional NPCs for
any game system and genre. This book will make a difference
to your GMing.
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