tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-87444081118590979552024-03-12T19:51:57.494-07:00Retro Mummy's OSR SepulcherThis is a blog primarily about gaming, of the table-top variety. I'll post my self written modules and tag the system they belong to for your personal use. Occasionally, I will engage in some form of "retro" media and review it as well. I'll also do my best to post links, blurbs and other information for you regarding new OSR product releases and reviews when I get the product in hand. Retro_Mummyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10126600986380203707noreply@blogger.comBlogger10125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8744408111859097955.post-64401955267790968212020-07-21T19:31:00.001-07:002020-07-21T19:31:50.690-07:00Finally, a review!Today, we are taking a look at <i>Obscene Serpent Religion 2 By </i>Jeff Rients for Lamentations of the Flame Princess.<div>I rate products in these categories:</div><div>Writing quality and content.</div><div>Usability at the table.</div><div>Interior art and layout.</div><div>Overall presentation.</div><div>This is one the GenCon exclusive modules printed for 2019. The convention exclusive booklets are quick supplements and scenarios meant to add to your game. This little book introduces a village hub for players to get attached to, then it rips that away by having a snake demon corrupt the town and ruin everything they love. The snake demon in question is a quasi-deity capable of rewriting character's genetic history and is a tough customer to deal with. </div><div><br></div><div>The first half describes the village of Nonesbeck. It's a sleepy little Hamlet with the basic needs for entry level characters. The NPCs are all described well as are their connections to one another.</div><div>This section alone is quite indispensable. The referee can never have enough villages laid out, described, and fleshed out. There are some quest hooks for the PC's to discover and for the referee to prep. The art here is pleasant and does a good job setting up the pastoral village.</div><div>The second part describes how to pull off the con on the players, and how each NPC has been affected by the cult. It's actually kind of heart-rending. How players react to the corruption can set off a new campaign arc. Maybe the eradicate the cultists and chase them out? Or maybe the players choose to cut their losses and flee. This option only leads to more cultists, though! The art in this section perverts the art style of the first. There are more shadows and the tone is more bleak, more menacing.</div><div>The third section details the serpent demon and her powers. The art in this final section is what we have come to expect from the publisher. Detailed, well done, visceral and completely NSFW.</div><div>Everything is laid out very well and the referee is able to find whatever they require from the book with ease. It's very useful as a premade location, but not everyone's table will let the 2nd part fly. So a good half the book may go unused. The creature is neat and wholly unique, but again, she is a unique flavor that will probably only sit well at a few tables as she can literally unmake and ruin a character on a whim, no saves allowed. The serpent demon would however, make an excellent end of campaign fight.</div><div>Overall, I rate this product 4/5 stars. Product quality overall is high. The small A5 booklet fits neatly on a shelf and doesn't add much weight or space to your game bag.</div><div>The art is fitting and I like the dual atmosphere it creates.</div><div>The only issue really is that the entirety may not be up for everyone's table. </div><div>I give it 4.25/5 stars, it's worth checking out! The PDF can be had at drive-thru rpg and physical copies are still available in the US lotfp store, Amazon, and the usual second hand market book stores for between 10-20 bucks.</div>Retro_Mummyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10126600986380203707noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8744408111859097955.post-15766537787346788752020-07-18T14:17:00.001-07:002020-07-18T14:17:05.041-07:00let's talk Lamentations of the Flame PrincessLamentations of the Flame Princess, or LotFP for short was one of the early retro clones that broke away from being a straight B/X clone. <div>It takes the Moldvay Basic/Expert rules and makes them accessable for a modern audience. It further sets itself apart from the pack by having it's default setting be Europe in the 17th century sprinkled in with weird horror ala Lovecraft, his circle and modern influences like Clive Barker.</div><div>It has a reputation as being the "fuck with your players game". Only some of the modules are like that. It helps if the referee is very upfront about the game and contents of the scenario being played. Because of this, I think of lotfp as being a horror system rather than fantasy.</div><div>A lot of the early modules like Death Frost Doom, Death Love Doom and Fuck For Satan are really like dungeon and sandbox crawls with a little (or large) morality test in there some where.</div><div>The published modules are excellent in printing quality. Sturdy hardcovers with ribbons and embellishments, bookmarks and top notch art that is not for the faint of heart. Each purchase also comes with a very well laid out pdf. Nobody in the business quite puts out product like this!</div><div> I will be putting out some product reviews shortly and will make a spoiler free tldr as well as an in depth version.</div><div>I have ran: better than any man, Blood in the Chocolate, Lamentations of the Gingerbread Princess, and Fish Fuckers so far.</div><div>In 2018, accusers came out to testify about Zak Smith about cases of Abuse. You can Google that whole episode and make your own informed decision. I refuse to cover that can of worms here and will not respond to comments pertaining to it.</div><div>Because of that and a series of unfortunate circumstances the company is very deep underwater need your help!</div><div>You can read more about here: http://lotfp.blogspot.com/2020/07/new-releases-tomorrow-monday-july-13.html?m=1</div><div><br></div><div>In short, please pick up some stuff from either of the stores if you able to and want to see this company continue putting out excellent, unique material.</div><div>If you are short on change, you can pick up PDFs from drive-thru, but the profit margin isn't that high for the publisher.</div>Retro_Mummyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10126600986380203707noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8744408111859097955.post-29223141858488442212019-06-06T17:00:00.001-07:002019-06-06T17:00:18.873-07:00Murder hobo solutionWelcome back to my crypt! It's been a while. (A year in fact!) A lot of life happened and frankly, I needed some time to get things in my personal life under control.<br />
Shortly, I will begin working in earnest on a DCC version of the classic D&D adventure: "X1 The Isle of Dread". I will be using both the original versions and the 5e version put out in Goodman Game's OAR #2 "The Isle of Dread".<br />
The original version will be what I pull most things from and using wholly. The 5e conversion has some excellently fleshed out maps, areas, villages and NPC's that will make my prep go a lot faster. I will also be using the DCC setting conversion guide "Dinosaur Crawl Classics" to set this somewhere on the planet, Cretasus and using the setting to the best of my ability. So far, I plan on setting up a confederate outpost on the east coast of the island, a smattering of Dinozon villages throughout the wilds, and raptor villages as well.<br />
I will be running the "re-version" at U-CON as 2 separate events. One will be a 0-level funnel featuring 0-level characters from another world that have shipwrecked on the island.<br />
The second scenario will be fully sandbox with 3rd level pc's tasked with one of these: 1. a way off the island. (Confederate allies.) 2. Uniting the villages against the blue ones. (Dinozon). 3. Securing the tribe's safety. (Raptors.) I will roll randomly at the start of the scenario and pass appropriate character sheets to the players. It is not required to have played in the funnel, but I will have blank 3rd level sheets for the return players to bring in their survivors.<br />
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That's all I have on that field, let's get to the meat of this post: "What do I do with a party full of murder hobos?"<br />
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Players that kill and loot everything in sight are the bane of decent story driven games and serious gamemasters with continuity in mind. Some players don't understand that every action should have a consequence. The "Challenge Rating" system implemented in 3E and kept on in recent versions of D&D as well as other games, other systems, and genres. It has programmed a lot of good players into thinking that in a world where gods are real and dragons and demons can kill with a thought that "I'm level 5, I can do what I want, these villagers are probably 1/4 CR each weaklings, same goes for these goblins!<br />
They ignore any chance to think logically or humanely, so they go to: "Kill it! Take its stuff! There are no repercussions!"<br />
Here is a system neutral set-up to give them a taste in verisimilitude. Think of it as a litmus test for decency,<br />
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+Players hear rumors of an elderly, retired adventurer that has a cabin in the woods and it is stocked to the brim with valuables and arcane artifacts. Easy Picking!<br />
+Said Elder is actually a much higher level NPC. ( 3rd level pcs, 9th or or higher level old man.)<br />
+If they visit him and act like decent people, he tells them the dragon holed up in the coal mine is a real hazard to the village they came from. If they kill it, he will give them each a treasure from his stash. (And he will!) If they immediately move to aggression, move to the last point.<br />
+The mine is a short crawl, minions are average difficulty. The dragon? Go ahead and use a large animal's stats (Like a grizzly bear) and give it a breath weapon and flight. It should put the hurts on the party, but not be an actual threat. (This is an important part of the set up. The false confidence booster.)<br />
+ If the party returns with proof, the old man will honor his promise, give them their prizes and see them off.<br />
+If they choose to be monsters, they should in turn be treated as such. "The old Man" will reveal him self and systematically beat each and every one to near death and disappear with his home and treasures.<br />
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You have to be careful with the last bit, you don't want to piss off your players, or break the trust they put into you, the GM, so don't outright kill them in a single blow, or decimate them. At the same time, you are teaching an important lesson, so you do have to be the parent here, it is tricky work.<br />
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There are other ways to drill this lesson into your players, some more heavy handed than others. Killing an agent of a king means his soldiers will come for them, ban them from towns they have yet to visit, etc.<br />
Overly chaotic actions will inevitably attract the attention of dark powers and darker consequences!<br />
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<br />Retro_Mummyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10126600986380203707noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8744408111859097955.post-85301507309083835002018-06-07T12:20:00.000-07:002018-06-07T12:44:05.377-07:00My Chult is not your Chult, is not his/her Chult<p dir="ltr">This is my first post in the "make it your own" series. These posts will feature advice and personal anecdotes on using published modules and scenarios while still making it "your game".</p>
<p dir="ltr">Let me preface this post with this, dear reader.  I like dinosaurs, a lot. This is not the place, nor the time to describe my love of dinosaurs and ancient animals, but it does influence my game design and I will share an anecdote about my success with running an old school, non-railroad style game using a non-osr system and still managing to get the same "retro" flavor. </p>
<p dir="ltr">How much research you do into your game matters and has impact on your game. My two favorite settings from the TSR era are Mystara's "Hollow Earth" and the peninsula of Chult, found in the Forgotten Realms, All but forgotten in 3rd and 4th edition, Chult is experiencing a bit of renaissance right now in 5th. (More on that later.) Something about that classic pulp adventure aesthetic, where giant animals can kill you just as easily as the terrain can gets my creative juices pumping.     </p>
<p dir="ltr">A few years ago, I adapted the 2e campaign/adventure <i>Jungles of Chult</i> for my Pathfinder group. I paid close attention to setting details and pretty much ran the city of Mezro directly from the page, my players loved it. I made it open and let them drive boat. We all had a lot of fun and excitement at the table.</p>
<p dir="ltr">But, you know what really made the setting come to life? I did a lot of research on real world equivalents. A lot, possibly way more than necessary. I read about climate in the topics south of the  equator, the style of dress native chultans wear (city and jungle) and compared it to historical tribes and cultures found across the southern part of the African continent, of these I had color pictures available to show them. The restaurant prepared food that people in these climates enjoyed (lots of fruits, meats, and few grains (and still do).</p>
<p dir="ltr">When they got to the jungle, I made my own rules for dehydration and heat exhaustion. But none of that compared to the best part of the experience, Creatures!</p>
<p dir="ltr">I used information I read about current biology and theory regarding the "natural" animals featured in the region. I recently had read: <i>Big Cats and their Fossil Relatives</i> by Alan Turner and with excellent illustrations by Mauricio Anton. I learned that Jaguars drop from trees and imbed their canines into the skulls of peccaries and other prey animals. I then applied that to the giant cats encountered.</p>
<p dir="ltr">I used <i>the Dinosauria</i> by Weishample to learn about current theory on various dinosaur species to surprise my players. (Warning, this book is not for the faint of heart, or the those with low tolerance for verbose scientific discussions.) I surprised my players and kept them on their toes.</p>
<p dir="ltr">I also had interactive hand outs for the puzzles found in the pyramid they discovered deep in the jungle, This saved time during the game and they seemed to enjoy having something the visual aid.</p>
<p dir="ltr">I guess in closing, you really get what you put into this hobby, and your resulting mileage will vary, but trust me, if you harness your passion, and use it to shape your game within certain limits, you will have a great adventure on your hands.  </p>
Retro_Mummyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10126600986380203707noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8744408111859097955.post-38242580451697780972018-05-14T11:02:00.002-07:002018-05-14T11:06:12.795-07:00How to build retro and osr encountersI see this problem come up a lot from people who are adapting either to a new osr style system, or to a version of Basic, or AD&D. They look at those monster stat blocks and have no idea if it will kill all of their players, or merely inconvenience them. Remember, unless the system specifies otherwise, monsters use 1d8 for their HD. Here is a handy formula to figure this out:<br />
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M=2L </div>
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Your monster threshold is calculated by taking the sum of your player character levels multiplied by 2. This is the highest amount of HD a monster can possess and not TPK the party, at least in mathematical theory. Creatures with spells, powers, and breath weapons, you might need to think real hard before using, remember, only you as the Referee knows what your pcs can handle.<br />
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Now, this is just a guideline and can't apply to every system across the board, for example, DCC is its own system and you may need to exercise judgement, or look at some published material for reference in encounters. The trouble with OSR games is that "balance" isn't a concern, rather the emphasis is on "flavor" "Feel" and "tone" and it is discernible when running a DCC module.<br />
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In games that use Basic, or 1stE stat blocks, monsters attack as fighters at the same level as HD indicated and also save as one unless otherwise indicated. Example: a 2HD monster attacks as a 2nd level fighter and saves as such.<br />
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2E uses the THAC0 system. Hate it or love it, it's not that bad once you know how to use it. It stands for: "To Hit Armor Class 0". Most 1st level appropriate monsters have THAC0 of 19, or 20. which in modern terms is a +1 bonus for THAC0 19, or a +0 for THAC0 20. Look for a "THAC 0 Chart" and you can find an assortment of nifty tools to speed up play.<br />
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The real low level party slayer is right here. Kobolds and wizards beware!</div>
Retro_Mummyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10126600986380203707noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8744408111859097955.post-53256438075982109512018-04-20T09:42:00.000-07:002018-04-20T09:42:11.293-07:00One page Dungeon 2018<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I went with something a little weird this year. Think of "Ghostbusters 2" meets "Journey to the Center of the Earth" and add a sprinkling reptoid conspiracy theory and you get this little number. I made the map and drew the original creatures myself. Not being a very visual person, I struggled a little with making this as visually appealing as possible. I added some color via paint 3d and did the layout with Open Office. <br />
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Got a bit sidetracked there. All told, it probably took a little over 12 hours of working incrementally over the past week. I enjoy the end product, and I hope you do too! It's a system neutral adventure and should be great for a one shot. I left a lot of things open on purpose for the Judge to expand at their whims and to (hopefully) give party something to think about. <br />
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To add to the atmosphere, the village or city that the cemetery is located in should be as ordinary as possible, maybe a little bland. Download the free pdf here!<br />
https://drive.google.com/open?id=1wRB5bNQ21cy2E0CKGMTWxCLer9jo05o9Retro_Mummyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10126600986380203707noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8744408111859097955.post-78393351966814438302018-04-18T09:33:00.000-07:002018-04-18T09:33:07.852-07:00One page dungeon contest!The one page dungeon contest's deadline is coming up on May 1st and I am currently finishing up my rough draft and sketches on mine. It's my first time giving isometric design a whirl and I can say I'm impressed by how much info can be given visually with this style. Still finishing up the room descriptions, but after that, it's time to draw the creatures individually, scan them in, resize, and then scan the cleaned up, fleshed up map! my plan is to have a little bit done every day. <br />
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<br />Retro_Mummyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10126600986380203707noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8744408111859097955.post-38326324711516803642018-03-21T08:00:00.000-07:002018-03-21T08:00:16.051-07:00Fun with traps! Part 1After treasure and monsters, traps have to be the next iconic thing in dungeons across all the settings, systems and editions. Good traps are memorable, occasionally lethal, and when done well add equal parts excitement and tension to a game. When done poorly, they frustrate and make things tedious.<br />
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So I want to help you dear reader to understand them a bit more. For the Referee, this series will help you logically place them and hopefully, understand how to scale a trap to the party's level, strengths, and weaknesses.<br />
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For the player, this will hopefully aide you in thinking creatively when adventuring, to help you think of new ways to circumvent them or at least, increase your likely hood of survival. Of course, please temper this meta knowledge with your character's knowledge and experiences. I mean, "Tim the farmhand" is not likely to know about pressure plates and sensors, whereas "Lan, the likely, daring cutpurse and scourge of the city guard" may know about traps and their mechanisms.<br />
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Is it a trap, or a hazard? If it was placed deliberately by vaguely intelligent design, it is a trap. If it is a static, or naturally occurring danger, it is a hazard.<br />
EX: 1.A sabotaged walkway leading across a bog is a trap, the bog itself is a hazard. 2. A barricade once interacted with that unleashes an avalanche is a trap. A randomly occurring, caused by natural events avalanche is a hazard.<br />
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Beyond the <i>Dungeon Master's Guide</i>, traps can be separated into 4 simple groups.<br />
1. Primitive <br />
2. Engineered <br />
3. Magical<br />
4. Complex, or compound<br />
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This post will focus on the first type:<br />
1. Primitive, or simple: These are your pit traps, dart traps, snares, prepared cave-ins, swinging blades, buckets over cracked doors and the like.Many of these are modified from the purpose of hunting game. This category does not require advanced engineering, or a good understanding of magic or science to create. Many of these are what savage humanoids, bandits, and peasants place. Some of them can be seen in ancient temples, ruins and underground as well. These are the devices that many a level 1 has cut their teeth upon and these can and will kill them with ease. <br />
This category is seldom lethal for mid to high level parties and serve to slow down, hamper, and annoy them. Think about placing these for high level when a party has begun to rely on magic too heavily.<br />
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Ex: The humble pit trap:<br />
Dc 10 for pc to spot, once stepped on, pc gets applicable save or fall 20' to a packed dirt bottom.<br />
This trap is deadly for thieves and magic users, and dangerous for warriors and priests at 1st level. It is deadly for thieves and magic users at level 2, and a hindrance to level 2 warriors and priests. <br />
Damage: generally, 1d6 per 10' fallen is the norm. Dungeon Crawl Classics adds the insult of broken bones to falling damage.<br />
<img alt="Image result for pit trap" class="irc_mi" height="442" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/4e/Wolfsgrube.JPG/1200px-Wolfsgrube.JPG" style="margin-top: 0px;" width="589" /><br />
<a href="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/4e/Wolfsgrube.JPG/1200px-Wolfsgrube.JPG">https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/4e/Wolfsgrube.JPG/1200px-Wolfsgrube.JPG</a><br />
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Pit traps are usually disguised as being ordinary ground outside. A net, or screen is placed over the pit, and dirt and then grass are placed over that. Once a heavy load, usually 20 lbs or over steps on it, the victim falls in and (hopefully) can not get out. Things get more creative in the dungeon and pressure plates can activate and reveal them, this makes them fall into the engineered category. The simple version might have a brittle wood painted to match the floor, or have thin slate sheets dragged over the opening. <br />
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Here is a list of some ideas to spice up this humble trap:<br />
Roll 1d10: <br />
1. Spikes (+3 to hit, usually 1d4 damage. Add poison appropriate to your game for more fun!)<br />
2.Broken Glass (1d3 damage, acts as caltrops)<br />
3. Deep water (Drowning)<br />
4. Acid<br />
5. Lava<br />
6. Undead<br />
7. pressure plate summons a monster<br />
8. monsters come out of hiding and toss/ shoot weapons inside<br />
9. every 1d3 turns, motorized blades sever any cords dropped down.<br />
10. A column equal in width to the pit descends from the ceiling. Pc has so many turns to escape before pancake time. (If you are generous, conceal a secret passage down there for them to hopefully find in time.)<br />
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Player advice: When you encounter one of these bad boys, rest assured, there are probably more! Here are some tips:<br />
*Tie rope to everyone in the party, around the waist. that way everyone else can act as an anchor.<br />
*Carry a 10' pole or quarter staff to prod suspicious floors.<br />
*Everyone should carry a length or rope. At least one person, a hammer and pitons.<br />
*Torches don't shatter when dropped, they just go out.<br />
* You can totally push opponents into revealed traps. Cast grease on the perimeter for more excitement.<br />
*Pay attention to surroundings, note anything suspicous or out of place regarding the ground or floor.<br />
*Pits can be constructed in the road to trap wagons and horses, don't get too comfy!<br />
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Hopefully this post has given you some tips on placing, constructing and utilizing pits! I'll continue this series at another time with a focus on mechanical traps!Retro_Mummyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10126600986380203707noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8744408111859097955.post-68706070341804878052018-03-14T13:46:00.001-07:002018-03-22T21:31:34.386-07:00New GM Advice<br />
I have been gaming off and on now for 16 years. That's a little over half my life and the entirety of my adult life thus far. I have played a lot of different table games over that time and if I tried to list them, I know I would fail and miss some of the games I have thrown dice and had some kind of stake or share in. One of the first questions new or perspective players ask is: "How do I join a game"? the next, "How do I Gm and how do I get better at it, no how to be the be the best at it"?<br />
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This post is going to focus on a part of that second question. Everybody who has ran a session or two has their bits to add to the soup pot. Here's mine:<br />
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Wait, before I tell you, sit down. Relax, still your thoughts and prepare yourself for some paradigm shattering. I do not care what kind of Referee, or Judge you are, or aim to be. This information is good, it is universal, and the most useful I can possibly give you. In order to give this advice well and make it stick. I am going to use some vulgar, family unfriendly language and metaphors. It might make me consider making my whole blog nsfw. But this is important and I want you, dear readers to take it to heart. It is a bitter pill to swallow, possibly horse sized too. If you've heard this advice before, good. If not, I really need you to focus and prepare: your heart, mind, and body. This one's gonna hurt:<br />
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<i>"Your players are gonna do their best to bend your carefully orchestrated adventure/campaign over a table and have their way with it </i> <i>and you are going to watch it happen</i>". Your best friends, or random folks you roll dice with will do it to you. It doesn't matter if it hasn't happened yet, it will, and it is coming.<br />
What can I do to so that I don't hate everything when it happens? (This involves Homework)<br />
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<b>1. </b>You can not prevent this from happening. What you can do is this: Adapt your style and recognize this fact about the hobby: The storytelling in these games is collaborative. You, the Referee and they, the players react to one another and your (the group's) actions and reactions are what ultimately tell the story.<br />
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<b>2.</b> Do not be "That DM". Never force your players, or their characters into doing anything, ever. Never take things away from them. Never punish them for good rolls, finding good treasure, or for them taking your plot off the rails. By doing these things, you are robbing your players and your game of "Agency". It stops being a living breathing world and becomes an office where the management punish the staff for a sloppy break room and for stealing pens. Visit <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/rpghorrorstories/">https://www.reddit.com/r/rpghorrorstories/</a> for more examples of things to never, ever do and if you have done those things, you should apologize to the people you play with. I have, it was cathartic.<br />
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<b>3. </b>This one is the friendly writing advice section. This is not a mandatory thing, it is merely some adventure and storytelling advice that I hope make it harder or more flexible when players make crap hit the fan. These steps assume some things: That you have a campaign area, story goals, npcs, and monsters chosen, or are using a pre-written/professionally produced adventure.<br />
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1. Make a list of events that happen and give them dates in game. Time passes independently of player choices. If they decide to dick around the bar for a week, the big bad cult in the mountains could have summoned their big bad god in the same amount of time. Every action should have consequence (not a punishment), and yes, choosing to not do anything is in fact a choice.<br />
2. Prepare. Read everything once when you get it, again when you intend to run it, again the night before, and possibly right before everyone else shows up. Literally be the "Master" of your campaign and know the ins and outs of the plot so you are able to be flexible. Your players don't always choose the main road through the mountains, even if they have for the last 20 years.<br />
3. Learn about improvisation and how to do it better. Be spontaneous, but in a controlled way.<br />
4. Know your players. What they want from your game, from you (the dm) and find out how you can meet these needs. Then know their characters, anticipate their actions, or at least attempt to predict them.<br />
5. Read the works listed in a "recommended reading" section for the system you are running. This hobby was founded on the ideas of doing what Conan, Jirel, John Carter, and others could do in the pulps. If you haven't yet, familiarize yourself with "Appendix N". Then move on to the more modern stuff. It's okay to not like stuff much and to have your preferences. If you are playing a system that is heavily lit based, like Dungeon Crawl Classics, Call of Cthulhu, or Lamentations of the Flame Princess, make sure to do this part. Further advice: find out who or what influenced those authors and read that. I mean it! Here's an example: Read Lovecraft? Great! Now read: Blackwood, Chambers, Dunsany, Machen, and Poe! You'll find little things that Lovecraft picked up on and was influenced by. In "the gods of Pegana" Dunsany makes his own pantheon of strange gods. Chambers makes up a book and a group of stories connected by its presence within them.<br />
You get the picture. It's happened for eons, one artist inspiring others. Homer inspired Virgil who then inspired Dante.<br />
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That's what advice I can give you at the moment, I could probably write a better organized book about this subject, instead of a blog post, but others have done a better job of it already. Here are two such examples and where to get them:<br />
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The "be a better game master" series by absolute table top: <a href="https://absolutetabletop.com/be-a-better-game-master">https://absolutetabletop.com/be-a-better-game-master </a><br />
It is a bit pricey for everything and a bit of a time investment, but it is worth it and given to you in an easy to digest interactive workbook format.<br />
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"Lamentations of the Flame Princess Referee book, Grindhouse Edition:<br />
<a href="http://www.rpgnow.com/product/148012/LotFP-Referee-Book-old-Grindhouse-Edition">http://www.rpgnow.com/product/148012/LotFP-Referee-Book-old-Grindhouse-Edition </a><br />
This bad boy costs 0 dollars and was one of the best books on the subject I have read. It also has a free, short adventure for the system that is well worth running!<br />
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<br />Retro_Mummyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10126600986380203707noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8744408111859097955.post-10562569920048607212018-03-11T19:23:00.002-07:002018-03-11T19:23:53.547-07:00Obligatory first postHi there folks! I am the Retro_Mummy. Here is my sepulcher! Here within this demesne, I will post stuff to inform you about goings on. I will post reviews about products to help inform you regarding various RPG products. I will also occasionally review classic, now "retro" media. Look for the "nonostalgia" tag for things I did not encounter when they were new, when I was the target audience, or when I was a small, impressionable child.<br />
Stay a while once I post more things, I will also put up modules I have written for various systems and tag them appropriately for your ease. The games I take part in are: Dungeon Crawl Classics, D&D 5e, Lamentations of the Flame Princess (lotfp) and Pathfinder. If you are interested in me converting one of my written adventures to a different system than listed, please feel free to let me know in the comments!Retro_Mummyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10126600986380203707noreply@blogger.com0