Gaming with Kids: Temple of Elemental Evil – Session #3

Session #3 began with the group in the moathouse where they had just defeated the bandits who had set up camp there. This time around I was missing only 2 players, although one of them was someone who had been present the previous session which left us with a “glassy-eyed zombie” in the group since we couldn’t exactly have her disappear. We also finally introduced the eighth character, the cleric Tor, once the group returned to Hommlet.

Searching the Bandits’ Hideout

Enzio roused the captive and befriended him (even though the captive was quite sarcastic about his treatment and downright hostile at times) – the silver-tongued bard convinced the prisoner to reveal the location of the bandits’ ill-gotten gains and then made the man dig up the chest which was buried beneath a pile of stones.  Howell tried to show off his lockpicking skills on the chest but failed miserably; in the end Balder ended up smashing open the chest with his axe which broke a bottle of what the group presumed was some sort of perfume, but left the rest of the contents intact since they were only copper & silver coins. Enzio kept his word and let the captive go afterward, though not before finding out that the bandits avoided the moathouse’s dungeons due to the “restless dead” they had run in to during their first explorations.

The party looked around a bit more but decided they didn’t want to stick around – Irma wanted to report back what she had ..read more

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In my previous post, I suggested one way to customize 4E is to pare down the races you allow players access to (and logically that usually means that are actually roaming around the world as well). You can do the same withing with classes.

Classes

Eliminating classes is a just little trickier than races because you ideally want to still allow players access to the four roles (defender, striker, controller, leader). Some care also needs to be taken so that you don’t create a world that makes little sense, although that’s unlikely to happen since virtually all of the various “skill sets” are covered by a variety of classes. There are a couple of ways to go about eliminating classes, each of which will yield a different feel.

First and simplest, just eliminate the classes you don’t like.  Hate the idea of barbarians?  Ban them.  Don’t want teleporting holy warriors? Get rid of the Avenger.  Not in to scholars of magic, but instead want magic to be more wild and untamed?  Eliminate Wizards from the list.  You have pretty much free reign to delete any class you don’t like from the list because there are always alternatives that can fill the same roles. You can pare down the whole list to the original basic D&D classes or eliminate classes that don’t fit what you want.  The only bit of advice here is make sure you leave enough to provide the players with some options. One of 4E’s weaknesses to some (i.e., much of ..read more

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Let me open by saying, I’ve already written about this back in October when I talked about how I was going about creating a setting for my 4E game. However, there’s been a resurgence lately of enthusiasm (amongst other emotions) over the announcement of the new red box D&D set, along with the essentials line and one of the comments I keep seeing come up is something along the lines of “Now this is something I’m interested in because they’ve gotten rid of all those goofy races and/or classes.”

That’s true, although it’s likely a bit of creative marketing, rather than a new design-philosophy, on WotC’s part. After all, what they’re presenting in these essential products is really nothing that you cannot already do with the existing core books. In other words, if you’re considering/reconsidering 4E because of what you’ve read about the essentials line (& in particular the red box), you can save yourself some money and a long wait by doing the same thing yourself with the four core books.*

Therefore I’m presenting a whole series of suggestions on how to customize 4E to make it fit what you want. I’m not saying the 4E can or should be used for everything – in fact, I only like 4E for a very specific style and genre of gaming. Therefore, this isn’t an attempt to convert anyone in to playing 4E nor one to make 4E the only game you play. ..read more

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As I mentioned in my reflections on my Burning Wheel games, I’ve decided to create a hybrid system that mixes the parts of Burning Wheel and Mouse Guard that I love, with elements of other game systems like FATE. The plan is to tailor the system to fit the setting we’re going to use, and our group’s tastes as well. However, I really don’t want to completely reinvent the wheel: this isn’t about making a completely new game from the ground up but rather tweaking and customizing an existing system. I also am not worried about the commercial viability of the whole project – the goal is to create a system we can all use for this (and maybe future) games, not to create the next great RPG. That means I don’t need to worry about openly stealing from the games I like and I also don’t need to worry about creating something that will appeal to anyone other than my players. This is “our” system that we can tweak as we go.

Defining What I Want

My first step was assembling a list of my priorities in terms of system mechanics.  My first draft looked something like this:

It needs to fit the feel and nature of Tribe 8.

Needs to “feel” like Burning Wheel – that means BITs are central to character creation and players are rewarded via an Artha-like system.

The system needs to incorporate the streamlining of Mouse Guard to any BW ..read more

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A little while ago MJ posted an announcement regarding the Amazon Kindle DX and its use as a roleplaying aid. In a wee bout of post Christmas madness, I’ve succumbed to the temptation and finally got one. The model I went for is the 9.7″ screen Global Wireless edition.

I, of course, did a complete due diligence type process when purchasing the Kindle. Who am I kidding? Yes, I had a look around. You can hardly commit to spending that amount without doing something to assuage the guilt a little. The choices came down to two main options, the Kindle or Sony’s eReader. The IREX DR-1000 was another option considered. However, I went for the Kindle DX. It has the PDF support I required (with the DX version, not before) for roleplaying books and the support of a large bookseller (Amazon). Plus, it was easy to purchase from a site I use anyway.

It arrived quickly, US to UK in three days, and the first impression was “Wow, that’s small.”

It was a good impression … really. I wanted a portable device but decided to go for the slightly larger screen, due to wanting to view PDFs on it. I figured that the smaller 6″ screens would be just to small. I was right. As it is, the 9.7″ screen is just about large enough to display two column PDFs. The text size is small when using in portrait mode, ..read more

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I was sending someone the link to the product info on DDI for Gamma World and discovered there’s actually cover art now up for the box set.  Unfortunately it’s pretty small but I’ll see if I can dig up a larger version.

I’m not sure if I really like the art – it seems to have more of a fantasy than post-apocalyptic vibe to it. It certainly doesn’t scream “cool” to me either, unlike the 2nd & 3rd edition versions of the GW game did. Then again, I’m 25 years older at this point.  Maybe it’ll look better at full-size….

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I dug up these various bits & pieces about the newly announced 4E Gamma World RPG from twitter and forum posts. Obviously I don’t have any way to confirm the veracity of these so take them with a grain of salt, and some of the notes may be redundant.  A few also seem to contradict each other or simply aren’t very clear.

There are at least two adventures/expansions planned:  Famine in Far-go is scheduled for November, 2010.  Legion of Gold is scheduled to be released in December 2010.

Famine in Far-go features the expected chickens.  It is an adventure/expansion and includes 10 cards.

Gamma World themes have powers and lean towards class roles.

Almost entirely random character generation, you’ll have a key stat for your theme, and then stats rolled, as well as stats and mutations

There will be an option to roll your stats:  3d6 for each stat (see other note below for more details).

Character creation takes maybe up to 15 minutes because so much of it is random. Equipment purchase is one of the few decisions

At the start of every day you draw a mutation card that gives you your mutation for that day.

Character progression is faster than D&D, but stops at level 10.

Gamma World will have 120 booster cards available in randomized packs of 8 per Pack.  MSRP $3.99

120 card set, 8 card boosters for $3.99 for more mutations, tech cards, and player “personal deck” cards.

Gamma World crosses over with 4E DnD very well.

Gamma World is still a RPG based on 4E but it’s ..read more

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In all the excitement about 4E Gamma World, I forgot to mention the announcement of a new “red box” version of D&D.

I’m not sure what I think about this yet since I have to digest it a bit.  It’s certainly nothing like the original red box in terms of simplicity of play but it is a stripped down version of the 4E core material which is pretty damn close to the “spirit” of Basic D&D.  The fact that it contains a set of polyhedral dice is also pretty cool.  However, the fact that it only covers levels 1 through 2* seems ridiculous. I’m not sure how WotC can claim it’s a “cheaper” entry into the hobby when you’re going to be forced to buy the PHB within two weeks of buying the box set.

I’m not really sure why some current 4E players are anxiously anticipating the release though since if you already own the core books there doesn’t appear to be anything really new in the box to make it worth purchasing.  Greywulf is really gushing over the box set – I can appreciate some of what he’s excited about but I think it’s really wishful thinking to call 4E “old-school” in any sense of the word. That said, I have to admit that the idea of buying the box for my oldest son for Christmas 2010 (he’ll be eight) has already crossed my mind. ..read more

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Obviously this isn’t breaking news, and like all things D&D-related, it’s a hot-bed of excitement, controversy, hand-ringing, and whining. I have a love-hate relationship with 4E, which started off being very anti-4E, and then getting interested in the game, running it, and hating it. This was followed by another period of being anti-4E during which I won the DMG2 on Ebay, read it, and decided, okay it has potential.  Wash, rinse, repeat.  Since then I have found myself liking the game more as I’ve played to its strengths and dump some of the extra baggage it has in the form of rules on milestones, XP awards, etc. It’s a solid game that scratches a particular type of itch well.

Now WotC has announced the release of a 4E-based version of Gamma World and that has me very intrigued because the nature of the mutations in GW have the potential to be an even better fit for the structure and form Powers take in the game. Most of 4E’s powers have a very supernatural, Wuxia feel to them that are over-the-top and very cinematic.  That rubs some people the wrong way and justifiably so:  if you’re looking for grim, gritty, dark fantasy 4E isn’t all that satisfying. Similarly, the idea of a fighter knocking someone 10′ backwards with a swipe of his shield strikes some as unrealistic (I shudder to use that word in association with any sort of ..read more

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Session #2 of the after-school club’s spring OSRIC campaign picked up where session #1 left off.  Unfortunately three of the players were missing which complicated things a bit, but not too much considering the group was still in Hommlet at the start of the session and we had an extra drop-in player who was able to steer Howell.

Evening in Hommlet

Most of the group spent their first night in Hommlet hanging out at the Inn of the Welcome Wench.  Enzio entertained the patrons by telling a few adventurous tales, while Balder attempted to goad several locals in to a drinking contest – he was largely unsuccessful at this since he’s almost unintelligible (his Common is very poor) and no one is going to fall victim a classic blunder.*  The rest of the group present were largely silent.

Meanwhile, Irma and her companions (Kira & Ada) were having dinner with the Canon Terjon who was quite curious about Irma’s mission as well as events back in the capital.  He recommended that Irma and her followers (this is an ongoing joke/misunderstanding that everyone assumes Kira and Ada are Irma’s retainers) talk to masters Burne & Rufus concerning the strange goings-on at the ruins of the moathouse.

The Next Morning

Irma, Kira, & Ada meet with Burne and Rufus, both of whom find the striking, statuesque paladin rather captivating. Burne is a rather stereotypically dressed wizard who does all the talking; Rufus largely just nods and occasionally grunts.  Burne cautions Irma that she should take more retainers ..read more

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There have been a lot of blog posts over the last couple months about alternative ideas on how to award XP in 4th edition D&D for various activities including skill challenges, completing quests, and even good roleplaying. Not to be outdone I thought I would offer my take on an alternative 4E XP system I use:

I don’t award XP.

Yes, that’s right:  I don’t award them for any activity whether it’s killing a monster, taking its gold, completing a skill challenge, finishing a quest, or roleplaying like a Thespian master.  Instead I plan my adventures and award an experience level at the end of each.  One adventure = one experience level.  Yes, it’s arbitrary and I am freely and openly admitting to that fact, rather than simply stuffing meaningless encounters in to sessions to make sure the PCs collect their points and advance at the proper rate.   That approach is what drives me nuts about most of WotC’s published adventures, including the stuff in Dungeon magazine.  The whole adventure is built around the premise that the PCs ought to advance a level (or 2 or 3…) by the end of it and so pointless, anti-climactic, time-wasting encounters fill every nook and cranny of a location – every room needs some trick, trap, or foe to defeat to keep the XP meter ticking along.

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If you’ve read my blog with any regularity, you know I’m a fan of Burning Wheel.  I love the character-driven fiction it encourages and supports:  the lifepath system generates characters with a coherent history before play, and the Beliefs, Instincts, and Traits (BITs) really drive the game forward.  They also make it a cinch to GM, at least in terms of making the story relevant to what the players want. I also love the idea of the organic character growth and development that comes out of play – the skills you use improve, the ones you don’t stagnate, and your experiences change your character in long-lasting ways via BITs.

Unfortunately, I’m not really a fan of nitty-gritty  BW rules since I find them really cumbersome in play, particularly with a larger group.  The fundamental mechanics and rules are just fine – it’s all the added systems (in BW parlance, the spokes) that don’t really work for me.  In particular, my major issues with BW are:

Continue reading about A reflection on my Burning Wheel games »