I treat all my NPCs orientation as completely and utterly unimportant unless a PC wants to know. And then I roll percentile. But did you make a table?
Not really. The gods in Golarion, outside of Razmir, are notorious for NOT making public statements on their positions. There are at least two factions of Sarenrites that are in violent disagreement, yet the goddess continues to supply the priests of both with spells. Sarenrae has a bet going with some of her handmaidens as to which sect will come out on top.
"I just love to talk about glbt stuff intersecting with cultural issues in fantasy settings". Me too, and I have a few factions in development (world builder) that may have g,l,b. No offense taken, not by a long shot. Added you to my address book. Lesbian "themes" and flirting have been in my latest game. Makes it pretty funny and definitely chill. Very amusing that you went for the slip some tongue option and into make the dm blush territory. I try to keep a straight face and roleplaying wherever it goes but my players also sometimes challenge me in similar ways. Sexy puppets and roleplaying for good times and many chuckles for all.
Mixing 3.5 in with pf Mind flayers after previous opponents have dropped the players will saves. Beholders or particularly nasty caster that a melee party can't get to (on the other side of metal bars, or shooting the player as they try to rush down a corridor). Orc barbarian-clerics that stay close, plug a bottleneck and heal only each other. Ghasts covered in yellow mould. Lastly, rust lords vs. character that are very dependent upon their equipment.
I have not seen people leaving the table over minor differences or due to different social values. No one has stood up and said "well I oppose the opinions and beliefs of what's his name over there" and stormed out in an indignant self-righteous huff. With people of different races, political persuasions and backgrounds, we have all managed to game together.
A lot of them actually! Yes on 1, 2, 3. Also complaints against monks. My vanilla monk was the strongest member of our group in the campaign. The megadungeon wasn't built to make him shine but shine he did. Characters almost killed by rogues means that "rogues are weak" is not something I hear much of. Don't have much problem with problem players over the past few years. I am quite selective with who I play with these days. Martials are weak without all their gear upgraded along very specific lines and all their slots filled as mandated by the online community guild of optimizers. This isn't my experience. Lastly, a lot of what 137ben said. :)
Psychologists would probably find many games and gamers quite odd and befitting of all manner of diagnoses. Gamers of all stripes have been declared "dangerous" by health professionals before. Not sure psychs belong in games of people trying to chill out and have fun in imaginary worlds, after all the world is controlling enough without paratrooper pscyhs invading tables to find people "dangerous" and throw a spanner in the works of existing games. Course I play to escape the nanny state for an evening (the nanny state is a big deal over here in recent years), but that's just me. ; )
If "betray" is enabled then pvp is enabled. Party should just kill the character and say "Fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me. Or in this case, us." Then kill his next character just so he gets the message and knows what the path of vengeance will lead from this time forward. Then welcome him back and adventure together with conviviality. On odd events like this, we had one character that would sometimes turn allegiances to the other side, maybe it was due to their anarchist politics? Alas, you could never trust them as they would sometimes just flip or refuse to help your side. Lol, he was a temp bodyguard to my character once and let me die to enemy vampires without lifting a finger. Hilarious in retrospect. We also had fellows that heavily identified with the monsters and were very sympathetic towards them, overlooking their murder and aggressions. One raised broods of abominations as a nanny. I always found that a bit odd, but my othering is +10. ; )
The aesthetic fallacy makes me sad when it is due to racism. No Asians/blacks/Arabs, or people like them in game or cultures anything like their cultures. :''(
I disagree. Nathan Drake has a greater emotional range than Lara Croft but his "charisma" just comes across as talking too much. His fights, while exciting and hollywood, lack the punch of poor Dr. Jones in over his head. Simply because Drake is a death machine, barely human, insanely lucky and seems amused rather than threatened by people trying to kill him. Probably because he easily murders swathes of humanity and then has a one-liner about it. Hur hur. Charismatic? I don't see it. However put the language into French and he sounds more sleazy and annoyed (more amusing) or Polish and he sounds contemptuous and bitter (stronger, but more under threat). Either is a far superior experience to English-speaking Drake because of what the non-English voice actors brought to the table. Yes, I play Drake as a Pole or French adventurer. Oddly fits in certain places that he goes.
Yes, this is correct. Great analysis, also I made a meme as a gift to you: http://memegenerator.net/instance2/627677
Win without fixating on winning. Win without worsening the game to win. Win without overshadowing all other players. Win while playing a monk. Then you will have truly won.
Nymph sorcerer, first orc she met crit her with a javelin and killed her. GG orc, gg.
As a dm, you can make the players a bit pleased by throwing some things at them that bounce off their immunities. Can make them happy with their build and the class, but be sure to challenge them later.
I'm not for the attack of opportunity, as we don't get attacks of opportunity when opponents hit the floor (drop prone), so doing a header (or a dramatic fall) into the floor and staying still shouldn't grant an AOO. If they want to slit your throat or run a sword through, they should have to spend one of their attacks to do it, not do it for free. As I said, we don't get extra bonus attacks when our foes fall dead (think of how low we could take their hp if we did). The bluff should probably only come around if your body is examined. Then either it is against a sense motive or vs. a heal (to make it fun and unusual). If they don't have much knowledge of the body and healing, a near-dead unresponsive person could easily be confused with a dead one. A limp fool covered in blood could easily be confused with a dead limp fool covered in blood. Bonus points for you IQ if you have regen, you char falls covered in blood, the enemies mop up your party and barely survive, and then you stand up full health and murder them utterly.
If my players have chars that are immune to fear and/or poison, I make sure some enemies will cause fear and inflict poison. Just so they feel special. There will also be dungeons where certain builds will likely shine, but everyone gets their turn to shine and be ground into bonemeal, e.g. disease-infested swamp is great for some, less-so for others. "Oh no muh malaria", "git gud non-monks".
If one dragon isn't enough, throw in two. Then run them like very intelligent territorial birds that have had centuries to consider how best to guard their nest... with magic.
Vote him off the island.
I confess that ever since I discovered Sriracha I've failed to see the point of Ketchup. It seems like such a bland way to waste tomatoes... Agreed! Had to rein it in, I was adding too much sriracha to various foods.
To some degree I agree with you. That would seem to imply no new GMs though? Or new players, since they wouldn't yet have the experience to trust implicitly? So much projecting of old grievances. People also love to use the forums to complain (and I've done it, too often). I don't quite get the personal attacks against the dms though, and the proud assertions that "well I wouldn't play in your games... or with those house rules... or with those interpretations... or with those restrictions!" Yes shrill and extremely agitated player, you probably wouldn't be welcome. Respect and trust are crucial, and not flipping out over what are really minor things compared to how much enjoyment and wonderful times can be had in games. Since your post was so excellent and on point. I'm going to stop complaining about past dms and poor previous experiences. There really weren't that many and they aren't worth bringing up or projecting to attack other dms. Cheers.
often there is a chance the cleric doesn't get the spells they prayed for.This would piss me off to no end, I'll admit that straight out, and probably kill any interest I had in playing under a GM who did so. What a rich opportunity for roleplaying! "Hey celestial, I didn't get the spells I asked for today."
I still love the song "Total Eclipse of the Heart". Not exactly a gaming confession, but a confession nonetheless.I don't see how this would get anyone shunned. Who am I to disagree?
One threat to the region that the players encountered, unleashed and then just left right alone was a very old man, who happened to be a lycanthrope with dementia. He is still causing havoc in the region the players left behind.
But I know where the bandits come from. I'm very happy for the players to use scent and track (wish they used it more actually). You can also take them on a bit of a merry-go-round while you put together the base in your mind and make it different to others that came before it (maybe it is old smugglers' caves in a series of ankheg tunnels from the last century. The fertilised soil also means there is limited underground agriculture the bandits have been experimenting in supporting). By merry-go-round the trail doesn't immediately take them to the base (which you need a minute or two to be ready for), but you promise it is leading somewhere unknown (hook them with their own noses and curiosity). Say it leads to a minor river camp, you find their bedrolls and tucked away packs, then a hill where they survey the area (and often smoke a few local plants), then it gets to the caves, and by then you are ready.
Rakshasha aren't used enough. I must correct this in my own games (alas they don't fit for this campaign).
Thousands of years of Asian strategy disagrees with this approach, where having the larger plan and being ready for multiple outcomes was drilled into the generals and strategists. It is in Sun Tzu, Cao Cao was a man of forward plans and ambition, seek and ye shall find in these sources. You think many moves ahead, like in chess and many strategy games. Those that used many skirmishers like the Mongols particularly had to be ready for what comes next after contact, and after that, and after that. Plan it ahead, with the leaders of the armies or warbands acting with a strategy in mind. Do they keep harassing, do they withdraw, do they push harder. The Mongols were apparently very good at this with their flexibly plans after first contact with the main hostile force. Where they could not be effectively retaliated against due to mobility they could just go through their plan of attack, skirmish, lance, repeat, rout the enemies.
Weeeeeeeeeeeee! Train rides are awesome.
Too caustic to have lay on hands. Sad now.
I'm still a fan of the Council of Wyrms setting, and I SHUN THEE! Thank you, I feel like I belong here. Now to plan to play some Dungeons & Drakes later.
I prefer drakes to dragons. *Burned to death while also being bombarded with spells* Wyverns are also far cooler than dragons. Especially if you up their size and upgrade their capabilities.
Good thread idea. You say it right - chaos vs. law is (for now) better and more original than good vs. evil. I've gone for nobles and evil clergy a lot (over the years), but I also like my political schemer games so sometimes the fantasy is low magic. Others:
Some of the best I've seen from others
Agreed. I actually use gmpcs to enable more options and allow the players a bit more punch or finesse (depending on what is needed).
Heaven forbid I require my players to speak and make choices in a game that requires you to speak and make choices. ;) No, I'm not changing my words because of an overreaction.
I knew it, I just knew someone would go the aggressive route and throw an insult in for good measure. Well here is the deal Krensky, I am not an amateur psychologist and this wasn't therapy, they didn't leave the table and through encouragement and putting them in the spotlight they became a better roleplayer. This applies to the latest as it applies to other previous shy players before them. I have been doing this for a long time. If you have a problem with my methods which help players become better roleplayers, come to my table. I welcome you.
For the shy, I put them on the spot and ensure they can't remain invisible. They must contribute! There will also be rp scenes for their character. :D Later encourage and slowly help them to grow. They level us as the game continues. One of our shy players is no longer shy after three campaigns.
Chat to your dm, and say you would like to go for a declare actions and what you are trying to achieve rather than rp everything as if it is you saying it. Show this thread if you like and say you are really struggling but want to still have fun and be helpful. For example, "I try to trick the guard that I am someone important so I can be let through without a hassle", rather than elaborate roleplaying while pretending to be an important official or noble. Being clear and direct won't win you any extra wiggle room prior to the roll, but hopefully it can just go straight to the roll and your real world charisma won't matter much. :) Good luck!
A problem as old as dnd itself. I think real-world charisma counts more than the scores and stats on the page for getting what you want and shaping it to what you wish. This is obvious when a low charisma player is ignored and what he does rarely seems to go his way, with their always being a cost. I try to not let it affect me too much as a dm, but it has. A charismatic friend playing in my games was a force to be reckoned with.
Purge the line.
I find character backstory to be a waste of time. I find making an in-depth character backstory, then having it ignored by a gm that asked for it, to be a waste of time.
...I hate that. Do not abuse to PC glow to screw over the party.An NPC that adventures with the party should not know all the command words to avoid the traps. If they do, the other adventurers should rightly assume that they are a plant put there by the enemy. What is this contact? Where is this contact? I didn't sign it. Lawfuls again trying to make everyone play the same, and according to their rules on behaviour, tsk tsk tsk.
There have always been, but the numbers are not the same. PF really has gone to the dogs, and in this case the dogs are the packs of players obsessed with ever increasing numbers (to hit, ac, save and hp fixation), powergaming via ever-stronger builds and the tactical challenge where the tactical challenge is novaing battles as fast as possible (or they will call you sh*te and say you are doing it wrong). By gone to them I mean they have a very strong presence now, and given what we can observe online, they certainly aren't weakening. I don't buy there is no change to gamers and that it is just the same as it always was. Fantasy games now are not the same as early fantasy, the rules and systems can be very heavy and more suited to this newly powerful crowd. What I think I'm hiding in your closet is grappling with are the uncreative build-and-calculate crowd over less stat, ability and item obsessed roleplayers. That many players want to craft and fill all their slots shows a direction of sameness and it is as dull as a dead doormouse not even worth 1 xp. We could look to the language and the terms that have become really common to see the changes. Then consider what type of games the language is facilitating, and what is being left far far behind. Clearly I'm hiding in your closet has won the thread, because what he has said has led to people try to chastise and shun him and his ideas. He wins! Alas he has also taken this a touch too seriously and got defensive. I thought this was meant to be a satirical thread, weird to see it get so serious from multiple participants.
Musicians in armies have been a thing, for a very long time. One reason being humans have such fluctuating morale and we are easily emotionally affected. Capoeira mixes dancing into a martial art. Muhammad Ali mixed dancing into his best fights (to taunt, because it worked!). This went on to influence other boxers and ring fighters. Historical duelists of the French nobility were also trained in and influenced by dancing (it paired well with the smallsword and its emphasis on footwork), yes including the very lethal ones like Chevalier D'Andrieu (that guy killed tens of fighters in duels, see Braudy 2005). The Maori are famous for being brutal infantry capable of defeating the British army many tech levels above them, and they are also famous for their haka dance (which they still perform before matches in sports). You may have a very serious & stern view on what fighting is and involves, but real fighters have already pushed the boundaries by including dancing in and before combat.
My friend gifted me some 2nd ed books recently. I held back the tears of happiness.
Thank you for the support. I will go have a salutary green tea in your honour. Mmmm, it smells nice.
But certainly there can be Bad DMPCs and Good DMPCs.I agree! I am also in agreement.
No, I have a better solution. The party want to find a place to rest. The dm suggests you find a safe spot. Party goes looking for a bit, find a broken door. Inside are the remains of an adventuring party. Their bedrolls are laid out, as are their bones, with dry leathery skin still clinging to them. The dark pools and great dried bloodtrails indicating they were hit hard, that something tore through them spraying their blood to the walls, with a touch even making it to the roof. Rending may have been involved, and axes, and no corpse has all its limbs attached. "You might want to think about where you sleep" says the DM.
Admirably thorough.
Apparently I'm just superhuman at this whole NPC/DMPC thing. ^_^ We should form a league or something. I'm just surprised it was so easy to be superhuman. It only took a few years from running games.
So after talking with some of this person's friends, cheating and lying are known problems for this individual. I guess they've just gotten used to him doing this and don't even bother with it correcting it anymore. As one of his friend's told me, he has an urge to "win" at every game, and if he has to cheat to do it he will. I was also told "I don't even have to look at his character sheet to know that all of his 'mistakes' are in his favor, and if you call him on it he'll just lie and say he didn't know."I wouldn't even give him a chance to explain. He would be booted so fast... So fast... And his name written in the codex stupidicus under "lost causes".
Fair, fair, I see where you are coming from. A frog in a deep well knows nothing of the ocean. There is no ocean, there can't be an ocean, because there is the well and only the well, and it "always is like that and it never is different". Thank you for briefly sharing your own foray into it. You have clearly communicated that you did it badly once upon a time. There is no shame in mistakes far in the past. I would like to encourage you to message me if you would like to try the ocean, be helped to get to the ocean or hear what it was like. George Carlin should be taught and discussed in schools, but not deified. |
