Nothing much to write about (and nobody's been suggesting anything), so I'll fall back on my usual topic: role-playing!
As I've said, I'm gaming three nights a week, which is pretty intense. I'm running one of these games, which is doing much better than its predecessor.
I'm glad that everyone seems excited about it. Abby has joined us for this game, and her presence is most welcome, but presents me with a challenge. I've played with the others so much that I know their minds backwards and forwards, and can predict (with alarming accuracy) their actions, but she's a wild card. I don't know how she plays, or what she'll do. I lack precedent, you could say, and I'm not afraid to say that makes me nervous.
I've been thinking a lot about role-playing in general lately (shocking, I know), specifically the direction our games have been taking. In some ways, they've become rather complicated. I love complexity, but as of late I've been aching for...simplicity? It's confusing, but I've been starting to think back on the Dungeon Crawl I ran all of two times (before a Total Party Wipe thanks to a botched Search roll and one hell of a potent bolt of lightning) with a remarkable sense of fondness.
I realized something. I miss the honest-to-God dungeon crawl. I miss the blatant power-gaming. I miss the succeed-or-die risks. I miss the buckets of magical items. It was good. It was honest. Your character wasn't there to promote his church, or for the greater good, or to avenge the deaths of their fathers. They were there to get rich or die trying. Group cohesion never needed to be forced, because if the group didn't work together you would all die!
What it all comes down to is this: hack-n-slash is fun. I think that I forgot that somewhere along the line, and am just now realizing it.
To those of you (one person (Casey (you rock!))) that read this and play in my game, don't worry: I'm not dropping everything and forcing a dungeon crawl down your throat. I'm simply pining away for the day when I buy a backpack full of iron spikes and travel deep under the earth, slaying all in my path without compunction or reservation. That day, my friends, will be glorious.
Oh, and I just found out that occasionally, God listens.
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7 comments:
heh heh, finally a differnt gamer and now you don't know what to do!! Poor little canary, you might get stepped on! ;)
Luckily you can integrate a session or two of good old fashion crawling into your games, it will just look a little different because of the setting. If you need some help, let me know! I'm full of cheese-ball ideas! How's this one: It can be the equivalent of Kid Icarus because it's an air setting...and if they fall, splat!!!!
I'm all for people falling and splatting. It builds character.
Well, maybe I should say "If they fall and splat, they'll be building a new character!"
/rimshot
I actually have a cool idea of a popcorn dungeon. 5-6 people, Everyone builds characters, and perhaps a backup character. Then everyone takes a turn being the DM. The dungeon can take shape however the DM wishes. Everyone has to take a turn DMing. Though, the current Dm can opt to take another turn to finnish up or keep moving with his idea. Or not, the next Dm could pick up the slack or change directions and confound the characters completely
PC1: "Um, wasn't there a big pile of gold here a mininute ago."
PC2: "Maybe, but now we're in the middle of a swamp with giant black dragon staring at us hungerily."
Anyway, I was thinking that if I get tired on a Thursday of running Ptolus that I'll do this just once in a while for a change of pace.
"you hack, I'll slash"
So Kev's character fell and went splat. (well still unsure on that part)
To be honost, I thought it was a bit harsh with the wind elemental thingys, but still it was terribly difficult, we just needed to roll something better than a 4.
But they were save or die rolls and even if we are Iron Heroes characters, we're still only 2 level. It was a good encounter, but I feel that there was an advantage to the monsters that would make them a higher CR than we should have taken on. Hence why Kev's character died. I knew one of us was probably going to die that game becuase of the circumstances, though I figured it would be DJ or myself.
Also, I think a map would do wonders for combat scenerarios on, and off the ship, as was evident by the last combat. I think you should make it a point to just have the combat map out anytime there is combat.
Anyway, just some feedback. You can take it or leave it.
As for the combat map, yeah...there will definitely be a combat map from now on. I hate them (they're a pain in the ass to set up), but I can see that they'll be necessary. I don't want to have another argument over a five-foot step again. >:P
As for the encounter being harsh, it was only as difficult as it was because nobody could seem to roll. Once DJ and Dan actually hit them, they went down in three hits or less. I was also rolling pretty awesome damage. The dice were very much in my favor, and that made what should have been a robust encounter into an exceptionally difficult one.
The Whirlwind DC was very easy, and there were several ways to prevent "instant" death. It required you guys to think outside the box a little, which was the point. It's a dangerous world, and you guys are in the world's most dangerous profession. You won't be able to simply hack-n-slash your way across the skies; You'll have to be adaptable to the risks you encounter. Dan understood that right away. After seeing the crewmembers being thrown off the ship left and right, he hooked himself in. I understand that there was little way for you or Kev to know that pirates were getting tossed around, but then again I didn't tell you guys to split up.
It also sent a message, which was: I'm not going easy on you guys. There will be fights like the first game, where you'll slaughter a swarm of hapless moooks, and then there will be games like this, where you are thrust into a high-risk battle with only two possible outcomes: success or death.
I liked your attempted stunt, by the way. It sucks that you missed, but it was still an awesome attempt!
Rotating GMs seems like a good idea on paper, but in reality they rarely work out. I cite our Mage game as evidence!
The revolving Exalted door has worked...kinda. But then again you're talking about a D&D hack-n-slash, so...
Hell, it just might work! O.o
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