The way we view a Bag of Holding…d20m

The great web comic d20 Monkey has a cartoon up on the Bag of Scolding which reminds me exactly how we treated the bags of holding in the old days.

i.e. Stuff all the things in that thing noaw!!!! Bags of Holding were fantastic little toys in the game world, not only because it meant we had somewhere to put the wheelbarrows pull of gold coins, but also because we could threaten to stuff NPCs into them.

Or stuff the portable hole into the bag of holding and tear time-space in half with a divide by zero error.

It makes me miss the silly and irreverent way we played roleplaying games. We were not critically interested in story, or character progression, or continuity; it was all about silly fun. Even better when other players were the butt of a joke.

Another I remember well was one character wishing that another character had never owned anything in his life. Ever. (boom, wish granted) The game world re-wrote itself instantaneously so that the wish was true. All the gear was borrowed, all the meals were charity, all the achievements were all on someone’s stolen nickle.

That would cause hell to the mental state of the poor character who now has nothing to their name, must have borrowed or stolen all they have. It sucked for the player but oh how we laughed. What bastards.

Keep only 10 RPG books

Distractingly good blog questions: If you could only keep ten of your printed RPG books, which would you pick? Well darn it, that is hard.

Not so much picking 10 systems, that is easy. But 10 books is hard. Consider too that I’d also say none, as I am getting happier every season with using digital versions of RPG books.

I feel like the guys in the film High Fidelity – top 10 songs to ……

1. Ars 5e core book.
2. DeathWatch core book.
3. An ArM5e source book, but I cannot choose which as yet. Probably the Bestiary.
4. Ars 4e Grimoire, as it contains a stack of stuff that was great for its time, but failing that then probably the Ars 4e core book.
5. DnD 4e DMG. To be frank I think I’ll be able to buy a copy of any edition cheaply, so keeping a 3.x or any of the expansion books is probably a waste.
6. DnD 4e PHB.
7. Shadowrun core book. I have an edition from the late 90s and am keeping it for the flavour.
8. Cthulhu core rules.
9. GURPS core rules (I don’t care what edition).
10. Rifts core rules. Many folks hate Rifts, and in some part I understand that the system is a bit janky. That said it contains as much lore and fluff to make 10 great games in every book.

Vampire core rules almost made it except it would have been only because of the fun history, not the actual value of the system. Heroes Unlimited is darn good too, but there are many hero systems out there that can compete. I have an old Earthdawn copy somewhere, and a copy of Rus too – both read but never played.

via Untimately: Only Ten.

Ars Magica Computer Game Kickstarter

Its no secret that I’m a huge fan of Ars Magica and also of computer games, and  now an agreement between Atlas Games and Black Chicken Studios is seeking to combine those two wonderful hobbies.

Black Chicken Studios, working under license from Atlas Games, is delighted to present a new simulation role-playing game for the PC. After 25 years and 5 editions, Ars Magica will at long last be paid tribute in a single-player, turn-based video game.

Authentic to the original, this is a faithful, beautiful, and accurate depiction of covenant gameplay and the RPG’s legendary magic system during a dangerous century in the Stonehenge Tribunal. With your help, we’ll bring Ars Magica: Years of Conquest and its tapestry of wars, intrigue, invasion and, above all, magic to life!

The Ars Magica – Years of Conquest game is seeking backing via a kickstarter campaign.

I can only rave about how passionate Atlas Games are about Ars magica, and really hope this concept gets through to reality.

If you are a fan of either, spread the word.

Comment and nod to Kicked in the Dice Bags

The Fear the Boot community spawned a sub-podcast called Kicked in the Dice Bags. Its a darn good show. Episode 38 had an interesting discussion (well lots of them) on “why a new dnd”, and it moved into the theme of separating setting from mechanics. ie. Would it have been better to publish many large detailed settings, and so on. Have a listen.

I is for Impossible

Impossible, yes sir and madam, I say impossible!

The April-Post-a-Day challenge is crushed for me, and given how little time I’m getting to post I was in hindsight silly to expect to be able to post a few items each day to catch-up. A delusional dream that I enjoyed for a time.

That said, I’m going to keep slowly writing blogs about the alphabet until I complete the A-Z; but not worry about completion by end of April. These posts will instead be intermixed with other posts, and the savvy and smart folks out there might take bets on which month or year I get to Z. Maybe by next year I’ll have a full set.

Part of the Blogging A to Z initiative, is to create an A-Z list of some sort, and I’m posting what ever random thoughts pop into my head for each letter of the alphabet.

E is for Experience

E is for Experience.

In my (somewhat not very) humble opinion experience rewards should be:

• related to successful story objectives, rather than kills, dice-rolls, or dumb luck.
• rewarded extra for clever ideas.
• rewarded extra for great roleplaying (a.k.a. acting).
• rewarded for allowing others to enjoy the game too.
• I’m not a fan of XP penalties, it seems counter intuitive to offer a disincentive to a hobby activity.

The rewarding for “good” roleplaying is a tough one. Giving one player a bonus for being a solid player is good, this might affect other players, where they see they cannot compete and therefore not try. That is a tough situation, and done best by (a) making the extra reward difference between players very small, and (b) perhaps not doing it initially to allow the players to warm-up.

Another thought I have, although I’ve not tried it yet is keeping the characters on exactly the same XP always. This removes the incentive for rewards, but also removes the penalties if a player cannot play for a reason. The team advance together. I really wish to try this in a game that is sympathetic to group advancement.

Part of the Blogging A to Z initiative, is to create an A-Z list of some sort, and I’m posting what ever random thoughts pop into my head for each letter of the alphabet.

D is for Dungeon

D is for Dungeon, and Delve, Decent, and Danger.

I love a good dungeon. The old dnd experience tucked away in the back of my skull remembers with glee the slow reveal of a huge dungeon map (Undermountain, Menzoberenzan, Queen of the Demon Web, etc). Each 10 ft square added a new set of challenges, columns, traps, and randomly generated monsters. Hand drawn maps that wrapped onto 3 different grids, using a variable scale, with cheetos fingerprints.

I recently grabbed a map from Dave’s Mapper as an attempt to use a random dungeon and was pleased by the experience. It does not remove the need to populate each room, or decide where the traps go, but it does allow the generation of oddly connected dungeon crawls.

I also used a map created by Jon from Fantastic Maps – a cave in which a set of Diabolists lived. It really helped me to have a map to work against for the encounters.

Why dungeons?

A contained space, which can be “cleared” and has a finite time needed, and nice constrained scope. A dungeon area could certainly be limitless, but most are purpose specific. The characters get in, go crazy with powers, and get out to rest and sell the loot. It is the same buzz as a good raid in an mmo, and I think it is still great fun to this day.

Now to get back to smashing crates, drinking the tepid water pools, and robbing the goblins of all their Wands of Magic Missles.

Part of the Blogging A to Z initiative, is to create an A-Z list of some sort, and I’m posting what ever random thoughts pop into my head for each letter of the alphabet.

C is for Companion

C is for Companion.

Companions are the boon and bane of Ars Magica games; mainly boon. They provided a needed and valuable anchor into the mundane world for the Magi, and can have stories as interesting and developed as Magi stories. Unfortunately they can be mild by comparison to the lethality of a mage, which places them within a difficult space when Magi and Companions are encountering a challenge. What challenges the wizard will often outright slay the companion, and likewise any grogs.

Superficially this is ok, as is it both by design, and also marks the strong division between the two story characters. A story where many combative magi blast their way across Mythic Europe will end badly for a magus eventually. There is a similar but smaller gulf between a Companion character and a Grog character, where again the threats need to be smaller, expected skills lower, and the overall challenge subdued.

All three character types are no less challenging in scenarios where mechanical resolution is sidetracked by role playing. So what is a GM to do? Well starting stories which cannot be brute forced closed with magic or a skill roll is the way to go. Let the character resolve the story within their own skill set, regardless of their core type: Magus, Companion, Grog.

Well then, what remains for Companions?

Well themselves as hooks via flaws and virtues for stories is a fair call. Make the companions the story, and let the players choice of virtues and flaws tell the story that the GM never intended.

In that spirit, here are some Companions to consider, sans mechanics.

Craic the Woodsman.

Craic is the third born child of a gentle and prosperous family. He started life just like all his siblings, but soon demonstrated an propensity for getting into trouble, and unfortunately no real skill in getting out again. Time and time again Craic was rescued from trouble by either his father or his eldest brother, and soon began to rely on the extended family to resolve his dilemmas.

Craic makes a modest living as a woodsman and guide for the lean forests that surround his district, and despite his well know reputation, he consistently finds his skills needed by travellers and the wider townsfolk. To his credit Craic is not afraid of a challenge and has found infrequent praise for rising above where other men would have given up or failed.

As the true black sheep, his knack for trouble follows him. His stories maybe previous bargains found to be hollow promises which impact his new employer. Or perhaps it is covenant land that Craic journeys into, finding and sharing secrets and rumours of the Magi with the common folk. In any case Craic will prove he has some worth, but still require assistance or generosity to escape unscathed from the story; which up till now he has been able to do.

Ashai the Regulator

Ashai was never bothered by her lack of the gift when compared with other Magi. As a member of House Mercere she understood her role intimately – to provide the networks and connections which facilitate the commerce of the order. From this and a keen interest in mathematics and commerce, she excelled as a Redcap. Brokering trades, advising Magi, conducting research, and many other activities over her tenure with the tribunal.

Over time the role became more specalised, to the present day where her daily activities concentrate on regulating and monitoring the transactions which occur through Harco. It is Ashai’s calculation which help form the baselines for fees and penalties as used by the Quaesitory, her protocols which protected each side of a transaction, and her hand which guides the ongoing commerce of the order.

Personally she is reserved, polite, and uncomfortable with direct confrontation. Preferring instead to communicate by letter and messenger. She is highly organised and structured in her life and her thinking.

Some seeds might be:

• Ashai finds that a previous transaction was greatly weighed against the covenant, and while she cannot undo the transaction; she introduces herself to barter on their behalf.
• Ashai seeks a companion to track down lost materials, where traditional redcaps cannot travel.

Part of the Blogging A to Z initiative, is to create an A-Z list of some sort, and I’m posting what ever random thoughts pop into my head for each letter of the alphabet.

Still so far behind.

B is for Beginnings

B is for Beginnings.

Stories need to start somewhere, and getting a good beginning is important. To get a real sense of background on a story seed, here are some things to consider when a story begins:

• Give names, and also nationalities, alliances, and consideration of the NPCs prejudice when you create them. An NPC with an odd racial or nationalistic bend can help define them.
• Consider who the npcs are reporting to, and perhaps what is motivating them.
• A tag line or saying can really help keep you on track when playing an npc, and remind you quickly. eg. “an elderly con-man, who fakes a hacking cough, and arthritis.” A “hulk of a man, bounded in rough armor, but a voice like a true tenor.”
• Go digging through google images, using terms like sketch, character, or portrait to find a suitable visual representation of npcs.
• Locations can be treated as much like Npcs as characters, particularly if they are meant to be supernatural or will feature in multiple sessions. The “disused lobby, with refuse in the lift”, or “boarded up well, surrounded by the corpses of small birds”.
• Don’t be afraid to tweak the beginning afterward. As much as a GM’s ideas are important, the beginning ideas of players can be better, and will engage the player in the setting if they are spot on the theme.
• Set some victory and achievement goals when the story begins. Some game systems require this, but even those which do not stipulate it can be helped when you know where the initial story should lean toward.
• Grab maps. Many sample maps exist for isolated encounters, and tabletop rpg games can be usefully focused on a map as an element to hook the players in.
• Draw in players with hooks dedicated for their characters. These can sometimes be sent in advance or separately from the main story threads, and pulled out when needed. If only there was time enough to run a sub-story for each PC.

Part of the Blogging A to Z initiative, is to create an A-Z list of some sort, and I’m posting what ever random thoughts pop into my head for each letter of the alphabet.

So many to do to catch-up to today’s letter!

A is for Apprentice

A is for Apprentice.

The lowly apprentice, who one day will surpass their master, but in the current day is treated as a house slave. The master’s clothing is probably never more clean, and their astrolabe never better polished. In Ars Magica stories an apprentice might be treasured as a child, or treated as currency. A lazy fifteen years are required to graduate, and to be honest I’m not surprised that most Magi in the setting have a chip on their shoulder – imagine being in study for that long without a break!

There probably needs to be more stories about failed or suspended apprenticeships in the lore. The poor apprentice is doubly cursed if the master is some commercial mogul with a bad hair piece (the TV show), or a wheezing old guy in black robes who likes to kill everybody (Star Wars). You’d think either master would have more self control.

Story ideas:

• A Bonisagus raises a challenge to a Magi, where they wish to take the Magi’s recently found apprentice. It could start a direct confrontation, or be used as leverage for another story item which the Bonisagus actually wants.
• …perhaps the Bonisagus above is being blackmailed by another magus, who is the actual enemy.
• An npc apprentice is discovered near the covenant, having fled though fear. The apprentice wishes a Bonisagus at the covenant to claim him, to save him from his current master.
• …the apprentice can sweeten the deal with his personal vis source which his master is unaware of, with 20 pawns as initial offer.
• …the current master is also the apprentice’s father.

Part of the Blogging A to Z initiative, is to create an A-Z list of some sort, and I’m posting what ever random thoughts pop into my head for each letter of the alphabet.

A great apprentice idea for Ars Magica is the apprentice oath, by Andrew Gronosky, just so this post has something more than some passing silly thoughts.

Playing catch-up as I should have been posting 10 days ago!