TVTropes Now available in the app store!
Open

Follow TV Tropes

Following

The Game-Master discussion thread

Go To

KyleJacobs from DC - Southern efficiency, Northern charm Since: Mar, 2011 Relationship Status: One True Dodecahedron
#176: Jun 2nd 2012 at 9:37:04 PM

So... some interesting results in from this week's game. I'd planned to kill off our hilariously underpowered Paladin so that our new guy could bring in his own character. Said killing off would be due to a last stand against a horde of several hundred Vermin (ghouls, except not). Problem is, when the time came, one of my other players decided that he wanted to off his own character on account of having pretty much completed his personality arc. I ran with it, and the result was this. I know I said I was going to let the P Cs go out in an epic blaze of glory, but I hadn't predicted it would be that awesome.

BlueNinja0 The Mod with the Migraine from Taking a left at Albuquerque Since: Dec, 2010 Relationship Status: Showing feelings of an almost human nature
The Mod with the Migraine
#177: Jun 4th 2012 at 12:59:30 AM

Just to take a lesson from my current GM - keep in mind when you hand out consumable magic items to the P Cs. Four adventures ago, I got a wand of Spectral Mount - which we used last night to completely bypass two set encounters and go straight to the Big Bad temple home. And the best part is, I still have charges left on it. waii

Me: Wait, what's the scale on this map? 100 miles to the inch? And we were going how fast? ... OK, we're here. *points at the other side of the map* evil grin

GM: *moment of silence* I fucking hate you guys right now, but not as much as I hate myself for giving that goddamn wand to you.

That’s the epitome of privilege right there, not considering armed nazis a threat to your life. - Silasw
IraTheSquire Since: Apr, 2010
#178: Jun 4th 2012 at 1:06:44 AM

This is, perhaps, why I always expect my players to come up with better means of using skills/items than I'd imagined.

TheyCallMeTomu Since: Jan, 2001 Relationship Status: Anime is my true love
#179: Jun 4th 2012 at 9:14:43 AM

I don't really "do" the "exploration" part of classic Dungeons and Dragons.

Exelixi Lesbarian from Alchemist's workshop Since: Sep, 2011 Relationship Status: Armed with the Power of Love
Lesbarian
#180: Jun 4th 2012 at 9:20:55 AM

Jacobs: Honestly, it's good that I wasn't there. Aisling would have gone "letting an ally die alone? FUCK THAT." and charged the mooks.

. . . Actually, that may have been a decent time for The Reveal.

Mura: -flips the bird to veterinary science with one hand and Euclidean geometry with the other-
TheyCallMeTomu Since: Jan, 2001 Relationship Status: Anime is my true love
Xiphoniii Cheeky son of a.... from Florida Since: Aug, 2009
Cheeky son of a....
#182: Jun 4th 2012 at 9:42:16 AM

I'm the opposite, Tomu. I vastly enjoy both playing and G Ming the exploration part. And if my players manage to think of something I wasn't expecting? More power to them, it keeps me on my toes, so I don't stagnate as a GM.

:smug:
TheyCallMeTomu Since: Jan, 2001 Relationship Status: Anime is my true love
#183: Jun 4th 2012 at 10:04:52 AM

I run very cinematic and action packed games. More to the point, I've generally found that if you give people a bit enough utility box, it doesn't require a lot of ingenuity to get around things. That's by big objection to rituals in 4E, for instance: you can just sort of do anything, rather than having to figure out a way to do it. Don't get me wrong, spells in previous editions were just as bad or worse, but some players (aka me) had the tendency of avoiding those spells, due to losing out on crucial spell slots for RAW AWFFENCE!!!!

BlueNinja0 The Mod with the Migraine from Taking a left at Albuquerque Since: Dec, 2010 Relationship Status: Showing feelings of an almost human nature
The Mod with the Migraine
#184: Jun 4th 2012 at 8:02:41 PM

[up] I find that odd, because of the three spellcasters in our party, the one with the most offensive spells is the cleric - the sorcerer is about 50/50 offense/utility spells, and my bard is almost entirely utility spells. Unless you count Aura of Unremarkability as an offensive spell. [lol]

That’s the epitome of privilege right there, not considering armed nazis a threat to your life. - Silasw
Muramasan13 Since: Nov, 2009 Relationship Status: Not war
TheyCallMeTomu Since: Jan, 2001 Relationship Status: Anime is my true love
#186: Jun 4th 2012 at 8:29:22 PM

3.5 is a totally different beast, because those amongst us who want to optimize for combat will do so, even though it means we can't circumvent those encounters entirely.

TheyCallMeTomu Since: Jan, 2001 Relationship Status: Anime is my true love
#187: Jun 6th 2012 at 3:38:44 PM

So, last night's session was ... pretty bad all around. Not my greatest work as a DM. The Long Fight was okay (dropping the monk with the minions was pretty badass-4E's easy healing rules of course allowed said monk to continue to participate in the encounter so no harm no foul), but the following encounter was just sluggish.

The party basically had to just survive five rounds to way for the Deus ex Machina (which was a bit more Dx Mier than I originally thought) to give them an escape path. In retrospect, I should have just cutscene'd the entire encounter. Oh well.

Kyle here zonked out in the middle of that fight anyway. I'm not sure what it is about my P Cs-two of em have this tendency of just sort of losing consciousness midsession :P

IraTheSquire Since: Apr, 2010
#188: Jun 8th 2012 at 6:48:39 AM

Question for other G Ms: how do you suppose to introduce new, original, homebrew, cool superpowers (as in, Exalted -level powers) to players in a game where they play characters destined for epic ness, without seemingly ass-pulling out extreme powerful NPC in a cheating manner and without spoiling the surprise?

edited 8th Jun '12 6:50:17 AM by IraTheSquire

TheyCallMeTomu Since: Jan, 2001 Relationship Status: Anime is my true love
#189: Jun 8th 2012 at 8:45:10 AM

As in, things the P Cs don't have access to? Hmmm...

I'm so used to Dn D, where it's slowly become the convention that monsters use totally different rules than P Cs, so totally different abilities apply, so I'm not sure I can help you.

KyleJacobs from DC - Southern efficiency, Northern charm Since: Mar, 2011 Relationship Status: One True Dodecahedron
#190: Jun 8th 2012 at 9:14:53 AM

Refluff existing abilities. Works every time.

TheyCallMeTomu Since: Jan, 2001 Relationship Status: Anime is my true love
#191: Jun 8th 2012 at 9:17:03 AM

Resorting to refluffing is kind of lazy. It's useful in some senses, but it doesn't convey the same sense of newness.

Crinias from The Bleak Academy Since: Dec, 2009 Relationship Status: Mu
#192: Jun 8th 2012 at 10:48:38 AM

If you really want something new and homebrewed you might have some difficulty introducing it to your P Cs. Otherwise, I suppose you could try something from a sourcebook the P Cs have never seen?

Hell, I dont know. I do know this, though: sourcebook or homebrewed, new rules or mechanics are something that inherently changes how things work. If you do not want to ass-pull something, I would suggest setting up a healthy dose of foreshadowing.

You cant just introduce it from the blue. Narrate that something in the air feels different, or have an NPC mention an NPC with those mechanics in passing. That is the sort of thing that should be built up to.

Well, those are my 2 cents on the matter.

edited 8th Jun '12 10:55:14 AM by Crinias

IraTheSquire Since: Apr, 2010
#193: Jun 8th 2012 at 6:54:35 PM

Hell, I dont know. I do know this, though: sourcebook or homebrewed, new rules or mechanics are something that inherently changes how things work. If you do not want to ass-pull something, I would suggest setting up a healthy dose of foreshadowing.

Yeah, I know. Which is part of the point: you've been monsters and predators and now you suddenly found out that your kind were used to have incredible powers, created to fight against Eldritch Abominations and were cursed as a result of the war, and now your enemies of old are back and ready for World Domination again while their enemies remain cursed.

Not quite sure if that's a good idea, but hey.

I'll keep the foreshadowing in mind though.

edited 8th Jun '12 6:55:49 PM by IraTheSquire

drunkscriblerian Street Writing Man from Castle Geekhaven Since: Oct, 2010 Relationship Status: In season
Street Writing Man
#194: Jun 11th 2012 at 6:57:33 PM

@Ira: the best way is the foreshadowing way. Especially if the group is taking the time to actually research that which they are up against (I know, I know, rare but it does happen). Give them some hints that this will not be a by-the-book fight.

If they Did Not Do The Research, maybe have the New Awesome Monster sputch a few Red Shirts with their new kewl powerz, just so the players get a clue that things aren't standard before such stuff is turned on them. Players do have this ability to get crafty under pressure, I've found.

edited 11th Jun '12 6:58:03 PM by drunkscriblerian

If I were to write some of the strange things that come under my eyes they would not be believed. ~Cora M. Strayer~
32_Footsteps Think of the mooks! from Just north of Arkham Since: Jan, 2001 Relationship Status: THIS CONCEPT OF 'WUV' CONFUSES AND INFURIATES US!
Think of the mooks!
#195: Jun 12th 2012 at 11:46:27 AM

So, I'm game mastering for only the second time in the last decade. The only other time was about 5 years ago now, and it was a one-shot of Monkey Ninja Pirate Robot for a friend's bachelor party (in which the villain was a mad scientist out to get Hostess Fruit Pies, in a clean ripoff... er, I mean homage, to Something*Positive). This time, I'm running a tweaked version of Big Eyes, Small Mouth 2nd edition, with a setting of a Bear Apocalypse (like a zombie apocalypse, but applying Everything's Worse with Bears).

So far, it's in its early stages, and folks are responding positively so far as they've just escaped Ft. Leavenworth, Kansas (which was the starting point). I'm still brainstorming what to throw them against besides just bears, though. Their next destination has, little do they know, a doomsday cult waiting for them, but I don't want to rely too much on cults for this.

Slightly related, I'm also trying to think of what they might have to deal with in regards to bears more powerful than the basic mook bears (which, so far, they've only been able to handle when clearly outnumbering a given bear). I know that fire-breathing bears will be necessary soon enough, but I need more than just Bears From Hell.

Reminder: Offscreen Villainy does not count towards Complete Monster.
Xiphoniii Cheeky son of a.... from Florida Since: Aug, 2009
Cheeky son of a....
#196: Jun 12th 2012 at 12:03:13 PM

Mech bears. Laser bears. Flying bears. ALL OF THE ADJECTIVES.

:smug:
TheyCallMeTomu Since: Jan, 2001 Relationship Status: Anime is my true love
#197: Jun 12th 2012 at 12:11:08 PM

I need to figure out what I'm going to run after the current game I'm running ends. It's a pretty short term project (intended to run for only another half a year or so) after all.

Mecha bears sounds fun. A fellow DM is running a Phantasy Star Ripoff game of sorts that I'll be in, though that one only lasts through September, and doing something like that might be interesting.

Right now, the game I'm running is a bit like Asian Animey Pulp Fiction, in that there's not really that deep of a plot and at times it's just an excuse to use set piece encounters-which I'm a big fan of, but it's not something I want to do exclusively.

I was contemplating something a bit mysteryish-like the P Cs solving their own murders through crazy pseudo-time travel-but I'm not sure how that would work.

32_Footsteps Think of the mooks! from Just north of Arkham Since: Jan, 2001 Relationship Status: THIS CONCEPT OF 'WUV' CONFUSES AND INFURIATES US!
Think of the mooks!
#198: Jun 12th 2012 at 3:40:56 PM

all the adjectives?

Well, I have to keep the flight limited to short ranges. Said Bear Apocalypse is confined solely to the Americas for now, and I want to make sure that any spread of said apocalypse is purely the players' fault.

I'm wondering if Super Speed might be a bit unfair for the players, considering that right now, they're already on pure defensive from the bears. Of course, that's probably the wisest for them.

Also, do you think I should have them deal with a group of inbred cannibals?

Reminder: Offscreen Villainy does not count towards Complete Monster.
drunkscriblerian Street Writing Man from Castle Geekhaven Since: Oct, 2010 Relationship Status: In season
Street Writing Man
#199: Jun 12th 2012 at 10:55:06 PM

Plotting for tomorrow's session, aided by some Jack Daniel's on ice and the musical styling of Monster Magnet.

My players are going to HATE me. Hopefully in a good way.

If I were to write some of the strange things that come under my eyes they would not be believed. ~Cora M. Strayer~
TheyCallMeTomu Since: Jan, 2001 Relationship Status: Anime is my true love
#200: Jun 12th 2012 at 11:04:23 PM

My players always hate me, but not usually in the good way~


Total posts: 298
Top