Apocalyptic Dream's page

CharmingGluteus wrote:

Hello!

I'm a fairly new GM and in one of the following sessions, the PCs will most likely encounter a brothel. I have no idea of what costs to put up for the girls-for-hire there (the players are definitely going to inquire about this, no doubt here).

Will be greatful for any thoughts or suggestions on the gp range for such a purchase :)

Thanks!

You can't charge more than 1 GP. 1 GP is a week's worth of hard working.

If you're charging more, those ladies/boys wouldn't have any reason to keep doing it, they'll be filthy rich

EDIT= from profession

You can earn half your Profession check result in gold pieces per week of dedicated work

Being filthy rich has never stopped anyone from working before. Just look at all the rich CEOs out there.

We Be Goblins has a few sequels (I think we're up to WBG3?), so you can probably get 3-6 sessions out of the entire line.

I can't say this enough: run something that excites you. Not something that you're mildly interested in. Not something that you're ambivalent about. Something that you could corner someone at a party and babble about near the punch-bowl while they nervously try to make an escape. Your players experience the material once in the 4-8 hours you play a game. You are living with the material for at least twice that long as you prepare and play it.

I disagree on making rolls for players. I make rolls for my players when it comes to things that I don't want them to know. If I ask my players to roll Perception in an empty room, even if all of them fail they know SOMETHING is there. Same with Sense Motive. I roll for them because it makes sense they might notice, but if they roll and they all fail they still know something is up. That said, rolling their attacks/damage for them is a little different.

Agree with this. A player can ask to make a Perception/ Sense Motive roll at any time and roll it. I make Perception/ Sense Motive rolls for the players when they don't know they even need them.

The fact of the matter is that it doesn't sound like the PC's have enough information to decide whether or not it's an evil act. Evil lies in the motivations of the individual. All the PC knows is that there are 7 sleeping guild members, and the head of the guild is a bad person. Sure, maybe some of the sleepers are bad people. Maybe some of the sleepers were coerced into joining the guild. Maybe some sleepers are actively working to change it from within. Given your phrasing, it doesn't even sound like the PCs know for sure that these are members of the guild.

Fact of the matter is that the sleepers present no clear and immediate danger. That makes killing them evil. If the sleepers were tied up and awake and the party decided to kill them, that would be evil, also, because they are killing defenseless people.

The law has a word for people who kill other people who are not presenting an immediate threat to themselves or an innocent party: murder.

I have never met *any* rule system, regardless of how much or how little bloat is involved in the rule system, that I have not changed. I have house ruled everything from Monopoly to D&D. The rules have to work for you, you don't work for the rules.

As the DM, you don't have to allow every book ever published. I suggest, instead, putting together a list of books you do allow and opening everything else up subject to review and negotiation. The list of books you do allow can be as short or as long as you like.

Agreeing with what Brother Fen said above me. Every game is a delicate dance between the player and the GM. The players want to kill things efficiently. Part of your job as GM is to be aware of what abilities your players have at their disposal and what their tactics are and adjust accordingly.

No plan survives contact with the players. That especially includes AP's.

On the other hand, I've found that a focused small group can really tear through some material. My CotCT group with two people will finish book 1 in four 5 hour long gaming sessions, and I actually added in some content (I wrote a fair for the introduction and added in St. Casperian's from Skull and Shackles).

On the other hand, I also use a "I tell you when you level up" method of handing out XP, instead of giving XP for every spider squished and kobold killed. I've found that tends to encourage diplomatic and stealthy solutions which take less time.

Every game, especially including AP's, have to have some level of DM-fiat. I've cut encounters short when we were running low on time and wanted to get to a good stopping point or when I felt that I was losing player interest. I've also added in content or substituted content from other AP's/ publishers/ etc when what was written didn't appeal to me or the group. The key is to find the bullet points that need to be conveyed in order to move the plot along and convey them in an entertaining manner. That doesn't mean sticking to the AP at all costs.

Also, while not an AP, Crypt of the Everflame is a good choice. It has two follow-up modules that will take you to level 5 (the Price of Immortality) series.

I'd treat it on a case by case basis depending on what the description of the counteracting magic and possibly the relationships between the scryer and scryee. My default would probably be, "You see nothing." If the scryer and scryee have a relationship, I would tailor it, "You see a fog in the shape of a middle finger extended in your general direction." "You see a large yellow smiley face obstructing your view."

I honestly think this sort of character gen works best for limited term games.

I once played in a 2nd AD&D campaign where we rolled 3d6, arrange as you like, and those were your stats. It really wasn't fun to be the single person whose highest stat was 14. It was even less fun when another player rolled an array with nothing lower than a 15 and two 18s. It was super less fun when you consider that we were expected to play this game long term. And for more less fun topping on the less fun cake, I really wanted to play a druid and didn't even qualify for that class with those stats (the GM wound up letting me play a druid with those horrid stats after I threatened to bow out).

In another game (with a point buy system), someone created a 3 CHA character. That character was not fun for the rest of the group.

My long winded point is that characters with "interesting" stats can be fun for brief periods of time, I'd be very hesitant about making people play them for long periods of time.

First, you're not in the spotlight. Well, you are, but, I find it helps to think of it as not being THE STAR. The players are THE STARS. I'm the director/ stage engineer/ lighting team. It's not about you. It's about them.

Second, dead air is not a horrible thing. I don't know about you, but, I tend to get nervous if someone isn't talking all the time and I start babbling. It's okay to let the silence go. I take a deep breath and count to 10 before I break the silence. I've never had to break the silence.

Third, make a ruling and make a note of it. Research it after the game. Don't halt the game to go on a all intensive rules hunt. That just bores everyone. Make the best ruling you can, let the players make ONE counter argument, then roll with it. After the game, feel free to discuss it (civilly, if possible) with other players or someone else more knowledgeable than you. Next week, before game starts, bring it up, briefly go over what happened and why you changed your mind.

Good luck!

Put the game on hiatus. Most of the people who are playing aren't appreciating what you're doing. If you're so inclined, take the players who are interested in your game and start a new game or run some one shots for a while.

Look, the game you are currently running is over in all but name.

Also, I want to agree with the statement that wanting to kill the character isn't bad; acting on it is bad. If you honestly feel that way, you should cancel the next game, do something else for a week (or however long) and calm down.

Be polite, but firm. He "didn't see" a rule? Well, now you are making him aware of it. His ignorance is not your problem unless you let it become your problem.

I'd probably also say something to the effect of "I understand that there can be questions about rules. I will give you the opportunity to make your case, but, in the interests of keeping the game going, I ask that you respect my final ruling. If you want, we can discuss it more in depth after the game."

I'd also probably talk to him privately after a game and ask him what he wants from roleplaying. The fact of the matter is that either he needs to change his style or leave the group, since he's making things not fun for you (most important, since you're GMing it and putting a lot more time in than other players) and not making things fun for other players (they sound like a laid back bunch, but, everyone needs to be in the spotlight sometime).