The final session of the year proved to be quite successful - the party had finally reached the end of their investigations and were able to take action. So they kicked in the door, dealt with some of the Stitched, interrogated a survivor, and then descended to the surgery below.
We left with a tense standoff between our PCs and the disguised imp Malewrath (because I reuse names extensively). Next time should see more action, and then we can move on to the wider campaign. Huzzah!
Another possible lesson to be had from this: D&D really handles action well, and is less good at everything else. So apply the focus there!
Anyway, the upshot of all that is that I was happy with the way things went today, happy with the way the year ended, and I'm confident with the way things are likely to go in the new year.
Thursday, 19 December 2019
Wednesday, 18 December 2019
What Went Wrong?
As I said in my previous post, "The Mists of Lamordia" has gotten off to a somewhat shaky start. I'm hopeful it can recover, since I have a fairly clear idea of what to do with it, but the question remains: what went wrong? And, more importantly, what should I do differently in future?
I think the problem is really threefold:
Lack of Action
I've mentioned this before, but it bears repeating. In a dungeon design, most rooms will feature some sort of an encounter. In a mystery adventure, the dungeon rooms are replaced by the nodes of the investigation. Consequently, most of these should also feature some sort of an encouter. Unfortunately, while I did a good job of constructing the mystery, I neglected to insert appropriate encounters.
An Urban Mystery as the First Adventure
That said, I'm inclined to think it was a mistake to use an urban mystery as the first adventure. I would probably have been better to insert a more combat-based adventure, ideally in a wilderness/dungeon setting, prior to reaching the town. (And then using the mystery. It's not a bad adventure; it's just the wrong adventure at this time.)
I think a key part of the problem here is that PCs act differently in a 'civilised' region than in the wilds - in a dungeon they're happy to kick in the door, kill things, and take their stuff; in a city they're much more aware of social nuance and less prone to those decisive actions.
(That said, maybe one of the things I should have noted up-front is that while they're in a 'civilised' region, it's not that civilised. And, indeed, part of the joy of being a PC is the opportunity to be Batman, Dirty Harry, or other not-quite-legitimate authorities. So, actually, it is appropriate for them to throw their weight around. Even though, or perhaps especially because, it's not something they would ever do in reality.)
Anyway, I digress. Basically, I think I went for the wrong adventure at the wrong time.
Lack of Investigation Skills
One of the things I really considered, and then decided against, was advising the players that there is a set of knowledge/investigation skills in the game (Arcana, History, Investigation, Medicine, Nature, and Religion; and to a lesser extent Deception, Intimidation, Perception, and Persuasion), and that it would have been really useful if they'd tried to have someone with proficiency in each of these.
Making sure they collectively had a grounding in these subjects would have gone quite a long way to helping get information into their hands, and information is absolutely key to dealing with a mystery adventure. (And since the entire campaign is, to an extent, one big mystery adventure, that's a bit of a weakness!) As it is, the party is well versed in a few of these, but sorely lacking in several others.
Still, I might have a quiet word with a few people, and maybe suggest some gentle tweaking of the skills list to help cover the bases. And I'll also make sure to provide more information associated with the areas they're strong on than I otherwise might.
All in All...
I think perhaps the biggest problem is perhaps one of improperly set assumptions - given that I didn't mention that it would be good to have coverage of some specific skills, they didn't realise the benefit of doing so; and given that it's entirely realistic for people to operate differently in a 'civilised' region than an untamed wilderness, of course they did exactly that.
For next time, then, the main thing that I need to do is to properly set expectations. Where there are particular skills that would be especially useful, these should be flagged up. Where there are things that are counter-intuitive, it wouldn't hurt to actually mention these. And so on and so forth.
And, yes, run an initial adventure somewhere suitably isolated, so the party get to know their own skills and interactions before they have to deal with a whole world!
I think the problem is really threefold:
Lack of Action
I've mentioned this before, but it bears repeating. In a dungeon design, most rooms will feature some sort of an encounter. In a mystery adventure, the dungeon rooms are replaced by the nodes of the investigation. Consequently, most of these should also feature some sort of an encouter. Unfortunately, while I did a good job of constructing the mystery, I neglected to insert appropriate encounters.
An Urban Mystery as the First Adventure
That said, I'm inclined to think it was a mistake to use an urban mystery as the first adventure. I would probably have been better to insert a more combat-based adventure, ideally in a wilderness/dungeon setting, prior to reaching the town. (And then using the mystery. It's not a bad adventure; it's just the wrong adventure at this time.)
I think a key part of the problem here is that PCs act differently in a 'civilised' region than in the wilds - in a dungeon they're happy to kick in the door, kill things, and take their stuff; in a city they're much more aware of social nuance and less prone to those decisive actions.
(That said, maybe one of the things I should have noted up-front is that while they're in a 'civilised' region, it's not that civilised. And, indeed, part of the joy of being a PC is the opportunity to be Batman, Dirty Harry, or other not-quite-legitimate authorities. So, actually, it is appropriate for them to throw their weight around. Even though, or perhaps especially because, it's not something they would ever do in reality.)
Anyway, I digress. Basically, I think I went for the wrong adventure at the wrong time.
Lack of Investigation Skills
One of the things I really considered, and then decided against, was advising the players that there is a set of knowledge/investigation skills in the game (Arcana, History, Investigation, Medicine, Nature, and Religion; and to a lesser extent Deception, Intimidation, Perception, and Persuasion), and that it would have been really useful if they'd tried to have someone with proficiency in each of these.
Making sure they collectively had a grounding in these subjects would have gone quite a long way to helping get information into their hands, and information is absolutely key to dealing with a mystery adventure. (And since the entire campaign is, to an extent, one big mystery adventure, that's a bit of a weakness!) As it is, the party is well versed in a few of these, but sorely lacking in several others.
Still, I might have a quiet word with a few people, and maybe suggest some gentle tweaking of the skills list to help cover the bases. And I'll also make sure to provide more information associated with the areas they're strong on than I otherwise might.
All in All...
I think perhaps the biggest problem is perhaps one of improperly set assumptions - given that I didn't mention that it would be good to have coverage of some specific skills, they didn't realise the benefit of doing so; and given that it's entirely realistic for people to operate differently in a 'civilised' region than an untamed wilderness, of course they did exactly that.
For next time, then, the main thing that I need to do is to properly set expectations. Where there are particular skills that would be especially useful, these should be flagged up. Where there are things that are counter-intuitive, it wouldn't hurt to actually mention these. And so on and so forth.
And, yes, run an initial adventure somewhere suitably isolated, so the party get to know their own skills and interactions before they have to deal with a whole world!
Tuesday, 17 December 2019
Gaming in 2019
This will be a short one, as there has been very little to tell, and the blog captured most of it as the year went on.
2019 started with one game in the works: "Storm King's Thunder" as the Work Game. This eventually came to an end with a TPK, with maybe a further 6 months to play before the planned conclusion. In truth, I wasn't too sorry to see it go - SKT has some good material, but it gets really same-y after a while. My feeling is that the adventure could really do with a good rewrite, bringing the key material front and centre, and maybe getting to the point rather more quickly. (Plus, it suffers from having too much extraneous material built into the structure of the adventure. Which is good for replayability, I guess, but then I doubt too many DMs are really going to replay this adventure start to finish.)
2019 ended with one game in the works: "The Mists of Lamordia" as the Work Game. In truth, it has gotten off to a somewhat shaky start, but it does have some real potential. My hope is that I'll get a chance to put in some work over the Christmas holiday to tighten this one up, and thus get a more satisfying experience for 2020 (and beyond?). That's assuming, of course, that the game survives long into the new year, which is by no means certain.
There will be no Christmas Game this year, so I'm officially calling that tradition kaput. And I didn't get any chance to play anything other than D&D this year, nor do I foresee anything in the next year.
In terms of purchases, this year has seen the end of the 1st Edition Pathfinder materials, and therefore the end of my Adventure Path subscription. That was good while it lasted, and I do rather miss it, but the truth is that I probably should have cancelled a long time ago - I've never run any Pathfinder, and I long ago concluded that it was not for me. I doubt I'll ever make real use of all those volumes I've built up.
(One thing I'm considering is whether I should get rid of the various 1st Edition Pathfinder books I've accumulated. There aren't a huge number of these, I've had all the use from them that I'll get, and I know people who would get some use out of them. So maybe it's time...)
On the D&D front, I purchased a few electronic products (mostly Dark Sun, and a little Eberron) and two physical products, though both of these are actually Christmas presents. So expect reviews of "Rising from the Last War" and the "D&D Essentials Kit" at some point in the new year. I did also purchase "Fantasy Mapmaker", which is probably the best and most useful product of all.
In 2020, my intention is basically "more of the same". I'll continue "The Mists of Lamordia" until it comes to a conclusion, and then regroup and come up with a new plan. I don't expect any other gaming to be forthcoming. I'd also like to do some reading into one of the settings, probably Spelljammer, but we'll see. And I might do some work to formalise the things I have been doing informally with Exploration, Interaction, and Tension Pools for D&D. (Giving credit where it is due, that last is an innovation of the Angry GM.)
And that, I think, is that.
2019 started with one game in the works: "Storm King's Thunder" as the Work Game. This eventually came to an end with a TPK, with maybe a further 6 months to play before the planned conclusion. In truth, I wasn't too sorry to see it go - SKT has some good material, but it gets really same-y after a while. My feeling is that the adventure could really do with a good rewrite, bringing the key material front and centre, and maybe getting to the point rather more quickly. (Plus, it suffers from having too much extraneous material built into the structure of the adventure. Which is good for replayability, I guess, but then I doubt too many DMs are really going to replay this adventure start to finish.)
2019 ended with one game in the works: "The Mists of Lamordia" as the Work Game. In truth, it has gotten off to a somewhat shaky start, but it does have some real potential. My hope is that I'll get a chance to put in some work over the Christmas holiday to tighten this one up, and thus get a more satisfying experience for 2020 (and beyond?). That's assuming, of course, that the game survives long into the new year, which is by no means certain.
There will be no Christmas Game this year, so I'm officially calling that tradition kaput. And I didn't get any chance to play anything other than D&D this year, nor do I foresee anything in the next year.
In terms of purchases, this year has seen the end of the 1st Edition Pathfinder materials, and therefore the end of my Adventure Path subscription. That was good while it lasted, and I do rather miss it, but the truth is that I probably should have cancelled a long time ago - I've never run any Pathfinder, and I long ago concluded that it was not for me. I doubt I'll ever make real use of all those volumes I've built up.
(One thing I'm considering is whether I should get rid of the various 1st Edition Pathfinder books I've accumulated. There aren't a huge number of these, I've had all the use from them that I'll get, and I know people who would get some use out of them. So maybe it's time...)
On the D&D front, I purchased a few electronic products (mostly Dark Sun, and a little Eberron) and two physical products, though both of these are actually Christmas presents. So expect reviews of "Rising from the Last War" and the "D&D Essentials Kit" at some point in the new year. I did also purchase "Fantasy Mapmaker", which is probably the best and most useful product of all.
In 2020, my intention is basically "more of the same". I'll continue "The Mists of Lamordia" until it comes to a conclusion, and then regroup and come up with a new plan. I don't expect any other gaming to be forthcoming. I'd also like to do some reading into one of the settings, probably Spelljammer, but we'll see. And I might do some work to formalise the things I have been doing informally with Exploration, Interaction, and Tension Pools for D&D. (Giving credit where it is due, that last is an innovation of the Angry GM.)
And that, I think, is that.
Monday, 16 December 2019
Fantasy Mapmaker
A few years ago I read a book called "How to Draw Fantasy Art and RPG Maps", by Jared Blando. It was one of those "I didn't know I needed this until now" moments - a step-by-step guide to a subject that had long vexed me. While some of my older maps were okay, I had become rather dissatisfied with them, and especially given the availability of electronic tools that should have made the task much easier.
When I finished that book, the one other thing that struck me immediately was that it could do with a companion volume, dealing with how to draw fantasy cities and settlements. I guess Jared Blando realised the same, as he has now produced that book: "Fantasy Mapmaker". I finished reading this one over the weekend, and intend to try some of the techniques out over the winter break, time permitting.
My review of this book is slightly mixed. On the one hand, this one did not have the same transformative impression on me. How could it, given that the first volume already did that? On the other hand, it is probably the superior volume - perhaps Jared Blando has refined his techniques and/or style over the past few years, or perhaps he just has a greater passion for cities and settlements?
Either way, this is a great book, and highly recommended for any GM - it joins "The DC Guide to Writing Comics" and "How to Draw Fantasy Art and RPG Maps" on my list of unexpected resources.
Now, if he could only produce a third volume, dealing with dungeon maps...
When I finished that book, the one other thing that struck me immediately was that it could do with a companion volume, dealing with how to draw fantasy cities and settlements. I guess Jared Blando realised the same, as he has now produced that book: "Fantasy Mapmaker". I finished reading this one over the weekend, and intend to try some of the techniques out over the winter break, time permitting.
My review of this book is slightly mixed. On the one hand, this one did not have the same transformative impression on me. How could it, given that the first volume already did that? On the other hand, it is probably the superior volume - perhaps Jared Blando has refined his techniques and/or style over the past few years, or perhaps he just has a greater passion for cities and settlements?
Either way, this is a great book, and highly recommended for any GM - it joins "The DC Guide to Writing Comics" and "How to Draw Fantasy Art and RPG Maps" on my list of unexpected resources.
Now, if he could only produce a third volume, dealing with dungeon maps...
Monday, 2 December 2019
The Prism Pentad
Aftre re-reading the Spelljammer novels last year, I decided this year to re-read the first series of Dark Sun novels, "The Prism Pentad". I first read these when they were published, so it had been about a quarter of a century, with my memory of them being that they were pretty good but pretty tough to get through. I had also of the opinion that publishing them was a big mistake, but I'll get to that...
I re-read the novels across the space of five months. My intention had, of course, to spend about a week reading each novel, allowing me to fit them easily in my "60 books" pattern. However, I found that this rate was over-ambitious. In general, the books took me about 10 days each to wade through. My assessment of them being a bit of a slog was basically spot-on. I also found that they haven't aged terribly well - it's fair to say that Troy Denning's writing has improved very significantly since then!
Unfortunately, I'm still of the opinion that these novels probably should not have been published.
The problem is this: TSR published their exciting new Dark Sun campaign setting - a new banner setting for the AD&D game. There was great fanfare surrounding the setting, and especially the (very good) boxed set that introduced the setting.
They then published the Prism Pentad that, in the very first novel, upends one of the key pillars of the game. Suddenly the core starting area was changed almost beyond recognition! Further novels in the series led to further massive changes, such that by the end pretty much everything that made up the setting was different. (Not necessarily worse, but different.)
TSR did eventually publish a revised version of the setting, but if really didn't get anything like the same push, or the same traction, and Dark Sun basically died a death until the 4e reboot. (There was a semi-reboot in 3e, in Dragon and Dungeon magazines, but given the scope of the setting this wasn't the support it really needed. And there was also a fan-led effect that did rather better, but again was limited to people who were already familiar with the setting.)
When WotC revived the setting for 4e, they did what I felt was the right thing - they reset the setting to what is probably the most interesting instant in it's history (that is, just after Tyr becomes the free city), and basically ignored everything that didn't fit their revised vision. I do feel they made another mistake by over-explaining everything. (They saidthat it was a setting where the Primordials won the great war at the dawn of time. That's absolutely fine, but we don't need to know that. And, actually it undercuts one of the major themes of the setting - that it has been ruined by uncontrolled abuse of magic.)
My overall opinion of "The Prism Pentad" is quite negative after the re-read - they're okay examples of "game fiction" (which is hardly a genre noted for excellence), but they're not great reads in their own right. And as tie-in fiction for the setting, I'm afraid they're mostly counter-productive. The very first novel is probably worthwhile as a lead-in to the 4e campaign setting (which IMO is probably be best version of that setting), but even that is not essential... and the DM may well prefer to come up with his own backstory anyway.
I re-read the novels across the space of five months. My intention had, of course, to spend about a week reading each novel, allowing me to fit them easily in my "60 books" pattern. However, I found that this rate was over-ambitious. In general, the books took me about 10 days each to wade through. My assessment of them being a bit of a slog was basically spot-on. I also found that they haven't aged terribly well - it's fair to say that Troy Denning's writing has improved very significantly since then!
Unfortunately, I'm still of the opinion that these novels probably should not have been published.
The problem is this: TSR published their exciting new Dark Sun campaign setting - a new banner setting for the AD&D game. There was great fanfare surrounding the setting, and especially the (very good) boxed set that introduced the setting.
They then published the Prism Pentad that, in the very first novel, upends one of the key pillars of the game. Suddenly the core starting area was changed almost beyond recognition! Further novels in the series led to further massive changes, such that by the end pretty much everything that made up the setting was different. (Not necessarily worse, but different.)
TSR did eventually publish a revised version of the setting, but if really didn't get anything like the same push, or the same traction, and Dark Sun basically died a death until the 4e reboot. (There was a semi-reboot in 3e, in Dragon and Dungeon magazines, but given the scope of the setting this wasn't the support it really needed. And there was also a fan-led effect that did rather better, but again was limited to people who were already familiar with the setting.)
When WotC revived the setting for 4e, they did what I felt was the right thing - they reset the setting to what is probably the most interesting instant in it's history (that is, just after Tyr becomes the free city), and basically ignored everything that didn't fit their revised vision. I do feel they made another mistake by over-explaining everything. (They saidthat it was a setting where the Primordials won the great war at the dawn of time. That's absolutely fine, but we don't need to know that. And, actually it undercuts one of the major themes of the setting - that it has been ruined by uncontrolled abuse of magic.)
My overall opinion of "The Prism Pentad" is quite negative after the re-read - they're okay examples of "game fiction" (which is hardly a genre noted for excellence), but they're not great reads in their own right. And as tie-in fiction for the setting, I'm afraid they're mostly counter-productive. The very first novel is probably worthwhile as a lead-in to the 4e campaign setting (which IMO is probably be best version of that setting), but even that is not essential... and the DM may well prefer to come up with his own backstory anyway.
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