Random Generation

Pathfinder RPG: Temerlyth the Undying

2011-12-31T13:21:00.002-06:00

I just wanted to drop a few quick notes with some random thoughts about my recent experiences writing for a third party publisher (3PP), here at the end of the year. But first, if you're a follower on my blog and haven't checked out Temerlyth the Undying or the Sinister Secrets of Silvermote, then please do! I don't mean to sound bereft of humility, but you'll be missing out! I really think these are top notch old school game works and some of my best ideas in print so far.

I'm also excited to report that both products have now moved into the #2 and #3 spots for "Top Downloads From Other Companies" on Paizo. I think that's not too shabby and accomplishment for a little start up. To someone like me, that's like being #2 and #3 on Billboards Top 40, but in the world of gaming instead. And (!) ...not to denigrate anyone's products in the least but these two appear above several other pretty well established 3PPs.

I've had a lot of fun this year writing for TPK too. We have a lot more in store for next year. I have many more old school ideas gushing from my brain like a golden hemorrhage of great old school goodness. But we're using the newest, best game system in the world! And (!) ...not to reveal too much of my to do list, but I have no less than 5 more brand spanking new adventure ideas all for the Pathfinder RPG! We have more villains coming up and we're even working on a new base class, which is a pretty hefty endeavor, all things considered.

I've also read the entire Pathfinder RPG Inner Sea World Guide. What this means is that I'm now better prepared to offer advice on how our products can be used on Golarion, Paizo's excellent, top-selling game world. I have actually had such requests and felt it was my duty to be better prepared to answer in the future. And (!) ...well, the future's so bright I might have to wear special gnome goggles!

What makes this all the more important to me, on a very personal note, is that I've battled some depression to get here. I don't talk about myself much or my problems and I'm not going to start now, but suffice it to say that this endeavor is very, very important to me. Like many of you, I'm just another American working in a dead-end, thankless, working-class wasteland, during poor economic times. So, this is my accomplishment, my Golden Gate bridge as it were. It's not much, but it's a nice start and it really lifts my spirits to be able to contribute something meaningful to gaming's glorious fabric and have people respond as they have to it, especially through some pretty tough product reviews. And (!)... to have come out with 5 stars is extremely gratifying too!

So, as the year closes, again, I hope anyone stopping by will take a look at what we've done so far and follow Total Party Games (TPK) well into the future!

The Sinister Secrets of Silvermote [Adventure]

2011-12-08T18:32:00.000-06:00

The Sinister Secrets of Silvermote [Adventure]: The Sinister Secrets of Silvermote [Adventure]

Hi! At left is my first ever full length adventure! It's just been released! I wrote it, I mapped it and Total Party Games produced it! Please buy it here or here! Review it too and I'll beg for free stuff for you!

Pathfinder MMO

2011-11-25T14:50:00.001-06:00

Meh. I don't care. There are enough mind-numbing online games for incredibly rude punks to go and hang out. Now, get off my lawn!

Dice Tower: Pirate Cove

2011-11-18T12:09:00.001-06:00

I've had it done for a while but hadn't had a chance to post this, my latest dice tower creation, until now. I've entitled it Pirate Cove. I used a lot of different elements and will try to give a decent tour.

I bought a cheep foam skull right before Halloween and
chopped the back of it off. The tower itself is just a heavy
card board tube with three hand made dice bumpers
placed on the inside.


The rockface is made with pink insulating foam board from Home Depot. I used my foam cutting tools to cut and shape random pieces, painted them dark grey and then highlighted them with a lighter gray. I covered the tube with soft red foam--lava or blood, take your pick.

I bought a bag of sea and snail shells and a bottle of
little green paper flowers (used for scrap booking
I guess) from Micheal's. I used hot glue to attach them.

The bones here and there are also Halloween
supplies, in this case an 8" plastic skeleton I
cannibalized for my creation.

The eye patch is just a piece of black foam.

I bought a tube of frogs and this little guy decorates the top. We're pretty
sure he's poisonous.

I glued a lot of flowers and shells on the top to cover up
any of the ugly areas I didn't want to show.

I've had this little dagger for years and hadn't found a use for it
until now. It comes from the make your own jewelery section
at Micheal's too. Nice, fancy addition to the tower.

I glued small stones on the inside edge of the eye patch,
figuring that this pirate did well in life and struck it
rich. A larger store graces the other eye socket.

I added a faux Aztec coin from the Disney Store. It was
donated by my lovely wife from her collection of shiny stuff.

Here at last is the cove itself. So where do the dice come out?

Say hello to little Polly, guarding the left dice exit (note the skeletal
hand behind him too). A foam insert at the bottom of the tube
directs the dice to exit randomly to either side of the skull.

Campaign Design and the Free Love Era

2011-11-14T12:29:00.001-06:00

I've identified two essential campaign design philosophies during my time with roleplaying games, specifically with regard to the dangers and rewards present in the world. The first is a tailored approach and the one that seems to be supported in the majority of roleplaying game rules and source books. The world is built to fit around the characters and the mantra is to give the players what they want. While there are still challenges, the design approach is to hyper balance everything and reasonably insure player characters never really go places where there things are lethal. The beasts they can't handle at their power level are far away. It goes to follow that magic item rewards are all useful, sell-able or seldom dangerous.

The other philosophy, and the one I personally subscribe to, is that the world is a dangerous place. While the campaign is still focused on a group of heroes, things are not tailored. Characters can wake up at the local inn and pretty much go anywhere. They can stick their noses in where it doesn't belong. They can interrupt local thieves guild business and get whacked for it just the same as if they were messing in mafia business. If I mention the lair of an ancient red dragon that doesn't mean they should go there, but it does mean they can. If they do, they suffer the consequences just like the sheep in the field. If by some strange circumstance they win against the red dragon, then the dragon's trove is what it is. Yes, some items are going to be useful, but some of them will most certainly be tainted with evil or might even be dangerous in and of themselves. Having some of these items might be just as dangerous or might lead to even more danger, Lord of the Rings style. The world just isn't a nice place. That isn't to say that characters can't live and breathe where there are handmade doilies on all the furniture, tea and crumpets for breakfast and general nice, nice all around. They certainly can. However, to presume the dangers are balanced like the tires on a car is ludicrous to me.

I've often wondered where the former philosophy came from. This is pretty much where I leave the question open. Still, I've often found myself reading along in the various rules and play advice and seen the former philosophy slurk forth like pablum from a baby's mouth. I usually cry inwardly "what a bunch of 'me generation' bullshit" (embracing my inner George Carlin) then move on, which leads me to wonder if the "give the players what they want" mantra and the former design philosophy doesn't ultimately rest on the alter of the American free love era?

P.S. In that same vein, has Dragonlance made wimps of us all? LOL

2011-11-07T22:58:00.001-06:00

Power Word: Proud!

Ageist Thinkery, Age as Limitation

2011-11-05T13:02:00.001-05:00

I abhor it when age is used as a criteria, limitation or as an excuse for assumed inability. While a 3-year-old isn't going to understand RPG concepts, an 8-year old certainly is. Beethoven was 7 years old for his first public piano performance so I refuse to accept age as a limit at the game table.

Children are also natural no fear, laugh-in-the-face of death make-believers and it's a total shame to assume they're unable to play, especially with the wide range of rules-lite RPG options available. The recent Pathfinder RPG Beginner box springs to mind, but so do a whole ton of old school systems such as OD&D, OSRIC, and Labyrinth Lord, just to name a few. Plus, there are also different genre options if your young ones would rather play Buzz Lightyear (mine aren't *that* young).

We in our society are far too used to assuming that children of a certain age are only capable of X, Y and Z and nothing more. I'm adamantly opposed to putting any child in a box based on age, when they are so capable of thinking outside that box.
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In Roleplaying Games, Death Isn't Losing

2011-11-05T10:17:00.002-05:00

People tend to associate death in RPGs with losing, which is only natural if one has ever played chess. Death in real life is also somewhat tragic. So I think it takes rising above our brute nature to look at it otherwise in games. Life is dangerous, less so perhaps in modern times, but death remains an ever-looming thing. I've come to look at death a little differently though, both in real life and in RPGs.

In games, death is funny to me. While playing World of Warcraft, I think it's just hilarious when my cleric is trudging through the ungainly terrain of Ferelas and falls off a cliff, plummeting to his temporary doom. The visual is just funny and I typically laugh when I die, the goofier the death, the more uproarious the laughter. Of course, the silly game takes the sting out of dying through the annoying time-stealing mechanism of a digital respawn.

I look at death the same way while playing the Pathfinder RPG. The sting of death in this, my favorite RPG, has been lessened in the rules, in this case, by extending the time it takes to die permanently (instead of -10 hit points its minus your Constitution score) and changing the odds of death. On the whole, the game is also just plain tilted in favor of the characters (and always has been, so this is not unique to Pathfinder).

Yet we still tend to equate dying with losing, instead of seeing it as first, a story to tell and second, as an opportunity to try some new stuff with the game system. New supplementary material, whether from Paizo or from 3PPs, is coming out all the time and it's hard to explore those if all you ever play is the same human rogue you've been playing every two weeks for the last three years. Admittedly some of the the sting of dying for some as nothing to do with dying or losing and more to do with the effort of generating a new character or, even worse, writing a new character background. Early versions of "D&D" also encouraged a certain level of attachment to a character too, so that's also part of the sting.

However, the story you might gain from dying could be funny "derp" moment, or might be a no holes barred "glory days" tale you'd want to tell your friends over and over. We're really not just playing a game! We're making memories! If you look at it that way, then dying isn't so bad. I mean, where else can you die, laugh about it and start again. Certainly not in real life. Gandalf said it best a couple of times in Lord of the Rings:

Pippin: I never thought it would end this way.
Gandalf: End? This is not the end. Death is just another path, one that we all must take.

and...

Frodo: I wish the ring never came to me.
Gandalf: So do all who have carried its burden, but that is not for us to decide. All there is to decide is what to do with the time that is given to you.

If you look at it that way with regard to RPGs, then dying becomes a lot more fun and a lot less "painful."

P.S. Okay if that doesn't illustrate my point maybe this will... Enjoy!

Dice Tower: Chariot of the Turtle Deeps!

2011-11-01T13:53:00.000-05:00

We've had two new players join our group recently and, as has now become tradition, I made each of them a dice tower. I discovered that Hannah adores turtles, so I made her this most excellent chariot for her dicing pleasure. All photos are courtesy of my lovely wife.

The tower is a cardboard tube "shelled" with colored
foam. The tray is just the bottom of a cardboard
oatmeal canister.

Starboard view. I figure the turtles pull the chariot
through their underwater domain.

Stern view. The protective shell probably has
a really good AC.

Port view. The white pieces are also just foam. I've
imbedded tiny magnets in the two columns at front
and used green computer ties to attach them.
I also hot glued matching magnets to each turtle's
belly--don't worry, it didn't hurt.

Poolside view. The dice come hither!

The turtles are detachable, should they either get in the way or
need to go "swimabout" for a while. The chains and collars, made
from soft foam, are also detatchable.

I bought the turtles at Micheal's Hobbies.

Released: Infamous Adversaries: Temerlyth the Undying!

2011-10-30T22:24:00.000-05:00

Just in time for Halloween is a new TPK Games digital release by yours truly! Available now on DriveThruRPG.

Here's the teaser: Temerlyth is one of those rarest of beings, an elven lich. Drinking from the cup of blackest hate, ancient wrath drives him ever on. Accompanied by his ravenous undead children, his tormented wife and her former lover, Temerlyth is a powerful horror stalking the broken ends of the world just as easily as right outside your door. He searches for the next victim of his vile experiments. He inspires nightmare whispers, tales told in the dark and seedy places where adventurers gather to swap stories sane men would rather not hear, stories that just may prove all too real!

It's official! My very first RPG Product in virtual print! Hooray!

The Unhealthy Game

2011-10-30T09:49:00.001-05:00

I've been following an interesting thread on EN World on troublesome players and characters. It's interesting because I've had troublesome situations and hadn't really realized this level of angst is so widespread. It's also interesting to see the line blur between trouble player and trouble character in the post.

I think GMs develop tunnel vision over time and forget that others experience trouble too and have a lot of good advice to offer. I think we also tend to forget that plenty of resources exist to medicate problem spots in our games and that not seeking them is a mistake, one that I've pridefully made myself. Worst of all however is when a game becomes so unhealthy that it's no longer sustainable. I've had to end such games, unfortunately, it's never easy, either to do or to identify, but sometimes it's just the best thing to do for an unhealthy game.

http://www.enworld.org/forum/general-rpg-discussion/313307-dms-what-your-character-pet-peeves-new-post.html

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Pathfinder RPG Beginner Box

2011-10-29T17:36:00.001-05:00

My initial reaction to the release of the latest boxed set was pretty much that of quiet disinterest, since we already know how to play. I had the opportunity to play today at our local game store and I have to say that the components in set alone are well worth the money. The cardboard minis and stands, flip mats, dungeon cards and dice alone are well worth the price, even if you never touch the rules. However, for those who've been begging for Paizo to make a rules light version of the Pathfinder RPG, here it is! The beginner box is a total win!

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GenCon Scrap Book: Stuff I Bought

2011-10-26T08:46:00.001-05:00

I took these photos at the hotel the night before flying home from GenCon meaning to post them and never got around to it, until now. Also, being the perfectionist I am, with so many projects on my plate too, I also had to run them through some photo improvement software.

I normally prefer to do my own cartography, but these were just too gorgeous to pass up and I imagined all the time I'd save when I bought these!

This is the second story. Again, just some beautiful detail. By the way, these were done using Campaign Cartographer 3, my own quirky/buggy mapping software of choice.

You thought that was it right? Nope! Here's the roof, complete with some monster damage, yet another selling point... the promise of a battle on the roof!

Did I mention that these are a great value? I don't even recall what I paid for them. Here's the basement. You can just barely see it, but this one is autographed too.

I've run a lot of Star Frontiers games. I've played Space Master (Iron Crown Enterprises) and dabbled with an Alternity/StarDrive game long ago as too...

I don't currently run a sci-fi game and it's been over 20 years since I played in a Traveler game, but I just love these deck plans.

This is the cargo bay. What a laser battle you could have in here! Imagine the bay filled with battle droids for drop off.

The latter 8 pictures are from products by Scrying Eye Games. Go check them out!

Love it! This is a dungeon forge display. I love this stuff; if I ever won the lotto... Okay I didn't actually buy but drooled.

Oops! I missed one. This is a single page ship from Scrying Eye Games too,

A gift for my wife, who enjoys things both Roguish and Piratical.

These are for Malifaux, but I wanted to use them with my own homemade dungeon tile sets.

These little gems are from the Miniature Building Authority: apple barrels, sand bags, crates, barrels all pre-painted and offered at reasonable prices.

Unpainted book shelves...

It was on sale! Lol!

I bought my Warhammer army on sale! Woot!

I refuse to make a Star Trek joke here. Lol!

I am still refusing to make a Star Trek joke. Lol!

I bought my daughter, Elandria, a pet dragon.

These are handmade, hard durable rubber with a bendy in the middle.

I have it wrapped around the lamp for display. These are pretty tough. It made the ride home.

Free bag!

Other side of free bag!

Free bag!

Free weird dice for Leviathan!

Free ship! Got it just for playing two games of Leviathan.

They were too cute and useful...

I bought these so I could use them as hit point counters.

Free t-shirt (front)!

Not Chinese take out.

Bases by Gale Force 9.

Bases by Gale Force 9 in the hotel ice bucket. Lol.

Free t-shirt (back)!

Free Post-It notes!

D&D Plastic: Sahuagin Rangers (x4).

D&D Plastic: Ethereal Filtcher (Shot #1).

D&D Plastics: Bladeling. (Default: Tiefling)

D&D Plastik: Ethereal Filtcher (Shot #2).

D&D Plastic: Earth Element Gargoyle.

D&D Plastic: Aasimar Fighter (Default: Fighter Type).

D&D Plastic: Rat Swarm.

D&D Plastic: Rockfire Dreadnaughts (x6).

D&D Plastic: Zombie Hulks (x6).

D&D Plastik: Stormrage Shambler.

D&D Plastic: Stormclaw Scorpion.

D&D Plastic: Orc Archer (Default: Half-Orc).

D&D Plastic: Fire Mephits (x4).

D&D Plastic: Azer Fighter (Default: Dwarf)

D&D Plastic: Zhent Soldier (Default: Fighter Type).

D&D Plastic: Mercenary Sergeant (Default: Fighter Type).

D&D Plastik: Shadar-Kai Warrior (Default Use: Rogue)

D&D Platik: Deathrattle Vipers (x6).

D&D Plastic: Kobold Slingers (x12).

D&D Plastik Bullywug Guard (x12).

D&D Plastic: Direguard.

D&D Plastic: Shardstorm Vortex.

D&D Plastic: The gang's all here!

D&D Plastic: Zombie Hulks (x6).

D&D Plastic: Zombie Hulk (x6).

D&D Plastic: Rockfire Dreadnaughts (x6).

New dice!

My lovely wife makes these. I took this one with me.


This is just the program guide for GenCon. It's actually a nice keepsake and has a lot of interesting adds in it as well.

This is just my 4-day badge for GenCon, also a nice little keepsake.

Adventure Paths

2011-10-01T16:21:00.001-05:00

I've been running the first part of the Serpent's Skull adventure path and it's lead me to the conclusion that adventure paths are probably not for me. Don't get me wrong, its a beautiful adventure with so much sand-boxy deliciousness to offer. This is also certainly not a review of this adventure path, or adventure paths in general, so don't mistake this post for one either. The last thing I want to do is hurt anyone's product line or work. So this not to denigrate the work either.

No, I think the trouble is mostly on my end. It's a simple a shortness of time and lack of prep motivation. Adventure paths are too long for the amount of prep time I have. I also find myself not wanting to wade through a lot of text to get down to the nitty gritty nuts and bolts of each encounter. I also seem to have no useful memory of what I read two weeks ago and find myself wearing ruts in the trails my brain trying to re-re-re-read the path for a session. Its funny... I read a Goodman Games module over two months ago and still remember the essentials of the story behind the module.

Complicating matters was the fact that I've had a lot of player troubles for the last long while, which have finally been resolved. As a matter of fact, I have what some might consider a gamers dream group at the table! The players are all females, save for my eldest son. In my day, having one girl at the table would have been the envy of other GMs.

Anyway I fully intend to keep going with the path, but learn from my mistake and before you consider running a 'path, make sure you have all the time and gumption you need.

-Rich
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TPK Games

2011-09-13T12:20:00.002-05:00

I came, I saw, I was chewed on by and ankheg. I also hooked up with the fine folks at TPK Games, another result of having attended GenCon this year. That's one of the great things about going to conventions, you meet a lot of excellent people.

Long story short, I really enjoyed the adventure (even though I had to clean ankheg slobbers and acid off my leathers). I happened to mention a number of my talents: web building, cartography, etc. and one thing led to another. Now I work for TPK Games too! If you've clicked on our website already, thanks for the visit! This is the first ever site I've built for game company and I'd love to hear what everybody thinks of it.

We also have a number of nifty-cool products for sale at both Paizo and DriveThruRPG and the future looks pretty bright. The latest product, Grave Undertakings: The Tomb of Caragthax the Reaver also features my first ever published cartography for a game company too! That's a nice couple of firsts for a long time gamer like me and forgive me if I brag on myself, but someone's gotta do it and like a good GM I thrive on applause. Hahaha!

P.S. I also have a fan page on Facebook.

GenCon: Models

2011-09-06T11:17:00.001-05:00

One of the great things about conventions is that you get to see a lot of cool stuff you didn't even know existed. GenCon was of course no exception. What I'd like to do nowis share some of this the lesser known gold with you, usually stuff that doesn't appear in game stores locally.

Hirst Arts

One of my favorites is Hirst Arts because if I were going to take the time to build a dungeon, a castle, or other visual "special effect" this is definitely the stuff I'd use. There are other products of course, but I like Hirst Arts molds best because it's a good deal. What I mean by that is you buy the mold and make as many bricks as you want rather than buying individual pieces. Therefore, the molds aren't necessary cheep, but then it's an all you can build buffet so it works out. So it's like buying a bunch of Legos, but you can make your own bricks and make them any color you wish. I took some pictures of the Hirst Arts table in the dealer room at GenCon and I think we can agree that it's fantastic stuff!

Field Stone

Dwarven Forge

I was aware of dwarven forge before GenCon, but never had I seen so much of their stuff on display. This is the stuff you'd want to go with if you didn't want to build it yourself or paint it and money is no object. I was actually surprised at the size of the sets you can get for your buck. I love this stuff too though I'd be more inclined to go with Hirst Arts because I'm a crafty sort of guy and don't mind building and painting. Dwarven Forge

The Miniature Building Authority

Never heard of them? Neither had I, but their stuff is also great! This is the stuff I'd buy if I wanted to build a small village or town.

Pathfinder RPG: Ultimate Combat!

2011-08-18T10:36:00.000-05:00

This is just a quick post to brag. If you take look at the designers in Ultimate Combat you'll see my name listed on the page. I was of course at GenCon when this happened and one of the very first things I did was skate on over to the dealer room to pickup a copy and check for my name! Huzzah!

This is my very first credit in a Paizo work and I hope not that last. I really enjoyed the experience of working with my fellow top 8 comrades and Sean K Reynolds in designing some of the awesome feats in the book. I hope everyone is enjoying Ultimate Combat too!

Airport Security?

2011-08-13T12:33:00.002-05:00

GenCon: Gaming is Alive and Well

2011-08-12T10:13:00.003-05:00

It occurred to me this morning that another thing GenCon accomplished for me was validating that gaming is alive and well, not that I needed the validation. However, I’ve read in various forums online, fears that paper games of all sorts are headed for the heap of obsolete things. If you’re feeling this way, then go to a convention and you’ll quickly see that this just isn’t so. I once thought that paper itself would go entirely digital and so a lot of folks think computer games will replace paper games too. Though the one is an analog of the other, they’re two completely separate things. In fact, as pastimes they’re actually compatible, even blendable, as evinced by all the tools available for running paper and digital games on and offline. The issue is way too complex to say that one will destroy the other. Again, they’re not the same thing and in this case, video just isn’t going to kill the radio star.

GenCon: Survival Tips

2011-08-11T00:15:00.000-05:00

This year was my first time ever at GenCon. I had a great time, met many excellent folk and I definitely want to go again next year. Gamers are just my kind of people! However, I could’ve done several things better, reducing some of the real world stresses thereby increasing my enjoyment. And that's the very purpose for this post: to give you the benefit of my first time experience, some tips for surviving GenCon and improving the good time you're sure to have if you decide to go next year. I also plan to refer back to this because a year is a long time back for me to remember...

Booking: I was late booking for GenCon because I thought it would be too expensive to go in the first place and wouldn't fit reasonably into our budget. That changed and I was able to go, so I booked only a few weeks from the con. I'll book much earlier next year so I'll have a better chance of getting a hotel connected to the convention center. This will also reduce almost all non-travel costs and save time otherwise spent walking, standing in long lines and waiting for a badge and event tickets. The lines are football fields long and can take hours. If you book early, GenCon mails everything to you and you're ready to go when you get there. You may not even need a rental car if you're normally a home body or don't plan to go much further than the hotel, local eateries and the convention center.

Event Tickets: I chose not to pre-register for game events because I wasn't sure, other playing the Pathfinder RPG, what I wanted to do or play. This worked out fine for me, but I'd recommend pre-registering if you do know, so you avoid the lines, again waiting for event tickets. Be sure to buy a few generic tickets, since you may find things you didn't know you wanted to do; they give you "second dibs" on "no show" event slots or things that cost generic tickets to begin with. Also, don't over book yourself because you'll want to be sure to have plenty of time to get where you need to be and still enjoy the atmosphere, the dealer room, etc.

Hotels: I stayed in the convention hotel itself, the Coast Bellevue, for PaizoCon and at an outlying hotel, in this case a Best Western, for GenCon. I'll book early to save myself the drive, navigation and walking time to downtown Indianapolis and the convention center. Again, I recommend staying in a hotel connected to the convention center, preferably by skywalk, if you can--GenCon is, after all, held in August so it was real hot outside. This will also save you a lot of money on parking, even if you have to pay nightly hotel valet parking prices. Still, the Best Western was nice and there were even a few gamers staying there too, so this isn't a deal breaker as long as you're prepared for a little more daily travel.

Luggage: Be sure to take an extra bag with you or be prepared to buy one somewhere in town and pay the extra baggage fee, because you're going to spend a lot of time and money in the dealer room. There are things there you can get only by ordering online or locally. You'll want to be sure your stuff gets home in one piece too. I took one suitcase for both PaizoCon and GenCon and had a good deal of trouble repacking. Fortunately, nothing died.

Convention Parking: Just say no. This was perhaps the most ridiculous expense of the trip. I paid anywhere from $14 to $20 per day in parking garages around the convention center. For PaizoCon I decided not to get a rental car at all, though parking would have been free. I'm likely to do the reverse next year--get a car for PaizoCon and no car for GenCon. Oh, and if you see a sign advertising "early bird" parking just remember you have to ARRIVE before 8 AM and LEAVE before 6 PM (the sign doesn't mention the "leave" stipulation). I hate paying for parking. It's like paying for air and they don't even guarantee security.

Airports: Review the government recommendations for packing for air travel. It'll save you some time. I bought a scan-friendly bag for my laptop. I also typically wear flip-flops into the airport with real shoes in a carry on I can change into. If I'm wearing a belt, I stuff it into the carry on too. I've finally grown weary of airport security and so signed up for the Trusted Traveler Program so I won't have to take myself apart just to get to the gate.

Food: I typically find a grocery store when I travel because I don't like relying on hotel vending machines or on being able to find businesses open late at night when I get hungry. I'm a night owl too and sometimes suffer from a bit of insomnia. You can also eat healthier, especially if the hotel has a fridge. The food at the convention center was pretty much movie prices--you're paying for the convenience. However, for GenCon, right across the street was a nice little place called the "AH Barista Cafe." The people there were friendly, their prices were more than reasonable and the quality of the food and coffee was high. For PaizoCon there was a grocery store (a Whole Foods) and a Denny's within walking distance. The hotel also had a courtesy shuttle with a 5 miles radius but food and coffee was easy to find on foot (next time I'll try out the shuttle service though). The hotel restaurant was also reasonable at PaizoCon, though the service was a bit goofy. Take advantage of free hotel breakfasts to save a few silver pieces.

Documents: By the time you get home you're going to have paper coming out of every orifice, from your itinerary and receipts to boarding passes, flyers, book marks and other free convention handouts. I wished I'd had something to keep it all in and next time I will.

Indiana: I had a great time at GenCon, but didn't enjoy the city much at all. The roads were poor, which I found strange considering this is a town that worships the automobile. There were also many boarded up buildings, urban poor, homeless and beggars--I make the distinction because I encountered one--and tons of road construction. They closed a huge section of I-465, the city's main outer loop from the airport. Even the road right in front of the convention center itself was under construction, which meant enjoying the smell of hot tar in August. City government must be on drugs. Most of the local people didn't seem very happy either...

Wi-Fi: Ah, yes. We have the technology... and we're going to charge out the ass for it and it's going to suck. I highly recommend you rely on your smart phone if you have one. Whether wi-fi is even available at the airport appears to depend on its size. Most small regional airports seem to have adequate free wi-fi for checking email. I even managed to play a game or two of Starcraft II so Warcraft is probably playable too. The larger airports, such as DFW, don't offer free wi-fi. Instead, third-party companies come in and offer wi-fi for about $15 a day, only in that airport. So if you have an hour to kill it's obviously not worth it. American Airlines also offers wi-fi on the plane, but I suspect it too is expensive.

Check hotel amenities for free wi-fi or Internet, many offer it these days. The PaizoCon wi-fi was entirely messed up and I had to go down stairs near the lobby to access it. The wi-fi at the Best Western for GenCon was sort of laggy, but adequate for email and such.

You can forget wi-fi at the convention center. They're going to charge airport prices. Nearby hotel lobbies have limited range free wi-fi including the Westin and the Omni. I really didn't check any others but suspect it's about the same. If you have a reading device (I have a Barnes & Noble Nook) you can also use it as a wi-fi tricorder.

Money: I use Quicken. I wished I'd installed it on my laptop, because it would have made my expense tracking much easier. Opinions vary on whether it's safe to wi-fi banking information, but I've read that you're in more danger of having someone read over your shoulder, so track your expenses back at the hotel. There are also expense tracking apps for smart phones, but I'm not real keen on the idea of connecting to my bank without better security measures and wi-f banking is relatively new which means it probably still sucks.

Interestingly, I was a victim of identify theft after PaizoCon. However, the probable source wasn't even electronic. In the future I'm going to carry cash or travelers checks because too many folks are still using antiquated carbon copy credit card sliders. I'm fair certain that my card number was lifted from a SuperShuttle receipt, by a Spanish speaker (the purchases were very telling). Avoid this: get some petty cash or traveler's checks. If you can, leave your check card at home or in your wallet and use an identity-theft protected high credit limit card for everything. This isn't the first time either, but I've never had a problem reversing the situation because I protect myself. It can happen to anyone.

Booked For GenCon!

2011-08-01T17:14:00.001-05:00

I'm hoping next week will be one of the best times in my life, since I'll be going to my first-ever GenCon! I hardly know what to say, other than I can barely contain my excitement! Gamers are just my kind of people and it'll be great to be among so many fans and gaming pros alike. Geek Ho!

I'm also looking forward to the release of Ultimate Combat and plan to pick up a copy for sure. I'm planning to hit the Fat Dragon booth too and may pickup a copy of the new Sea Dragon sailing ship. I'm not sure what other products I'll pick up but I'm really looking forward to seeing a lot of stuff I didn't even know existed--I remember that happening from the few cons I've attended in the past (Armadillo con and DallasCon... both long ago). I think I better buy some better luggage too. Haha!

Finally, since I GM most of the time, I'm hoping to find some great open gaming. I'm not signed up for any specific events and I've decided to see what happens, where I land and who I hook up with--new friends is what really makes the game great! I also watched the Dungeon Bastard video and I think I'm all set.

Sent via BlackBerry from T-Mobile

Fat Dragon Games: The Castle Project (Part 1)

2011-07-31T09:22:00.000-05:00

Back when I was running my Crimson Tombs campaign a few short months ago I decided to run a Goodman Games module as the next phase of the campaign. (I don't want to say which at this stage because I'll still be using the material at some point in the future.) While I really loved the module, the maps left just a little to be desired. So, I decided to improve on this by building one of the major sets (as in the Hollywood term) for the adventure: a castle. I decided to use Winterhawk Castle by Fat Dragon Games as the basis for the backdrop.

However, I went way beyond that and ended up building a huge custom castle of my own design. I also redesigned it's connectivity, so the walls could be rearranged easily into different castles. Fat Dragon Games uses a foam core system to connect buildings to a foam core terrain bases, but I decided I'd rather be able to place my castle parts on any surface and be able to rearrange them. So, placed strategically inside the paper castle walls and towers, etc. are pairs of strength 9 mini magnets (available at Hobby Lobby).

Below are several pictures of the finished castle with all of the courtyard buildings. (Note: the back wall is open for reasons I'll go into later--I've not built the chasm that will appear at the rear of the castle.)

I would like to thank my lovely wife for taking the pictures for me. Incidentally, these pictures also display my huge 5 foot by 7 foot custom gaming table (I hired a carpenter many years ago to build it for me.)

The closest building is the castle headquarters. I plan to add two more buildings to it's roof, a barracks and armory.

Another view from the rear of the headquarters. The smallest building on the right is small barracks.

The building at the rough center of the courtyard is the smithy where weapons, armor
and slave chains are forged. Behind it is a tiny well.

The far building was once a stone cottage. As you'll soon see, it suffered a fire.

Last but not least, the front gate. You can see the cottage's burned out roof as well.

Next Up: I'll go over my designs for each building--all of them are of custom design and thus not detailed in the Fat Dragon building guides, so I thought I'd share for everyone's benefit.

Pathfinder: Serpent's Skull

2011-07-30T07:36:00.001-05:00

I'm very excited to say that the new campaign kicks of today at 11 PM! I'm stoked! I'll be running the Serpent's Skull adventure path starting with "Souls for Smuggler's Shiv." My wife and eldest son will be playing and we have some new blood at the table: Andre, Joe and Nick! Awesome! The character selections are way interesting, sans Hero Lab of course. They're radically different from what I'm used too. Ah, it's real good to stretch those GMing muscles.

Also, I've hooked up with a few fellow game masters across the country via Facebook and we'll be comparing notes, campaign journals and anything else that floats to the surface. This should add a whole new and exciting dimension to running and watching the game unfold. I'm looking very much forward to this! So, the board is set and the pieces are moving...

Modeling Tip: Legos

2011-07-05T13:48:00.000-05:00

I have a bucket of Lego bricks gifted to me by my mom and by folks with children no longer interested in them. I find them invaluable for insuring walls and floors are at perfect 90 degree angles. This is a tip I first heard for working with Hirst Arts Molds, which was reiterated by Sean K Reynolds at PaizoCon, which has now applied to my paper card modeling project as well. I'll be posting about Fat Dragon Games products in a few days, as a major project I've been working on is finally drawing to a close. I've decided that my work will be the basis for a whole new campaign! Ah, gamin' goodness!

Madness Games

2011-07-02T21:58:00.001-05:00

My favorite game store is expanding and I found a new "thinking cap" in the expanded section. What do you think? :)

Realm Works at Gen Con

2011-07-01T14:26:00.000-05:00

I'm a huge fan of Hero Lab and am really looking forward to the release of Realm Works at Gen Con this year! Lone Wolf Development will be unveiling a full version there in August, so if you're headed to the con I'd really love to hear your thoughts on the unveiling. I shot this year's vacation budget on PaizoCon, otherwise I'd head there myself! :)

And This Just In from Google News...

2011-07-01T13:43:00.000-05:00

Forum » Play-By-Post RPGs (PbP) » Pathfinder » My nissan pathfinder smells like gas when I start it on cold mornings. What could cause this?

"I haven't noticed any other problems, but this could be due to my lack of knowledge about cars. It has done this for several years, but has always run well. However, the smell makes me think that there is something wrong with the car (1995 Pathfinder), and if so I would like to have it fixed before my next trip. Thanks!"

I think she just needs a new Core Rulebook!

Batman: Under the Red Hood

2011-07-01T00:10:00.000-05:00

I've never been much on comic book heroes, but Batman has always been my favorite, mostly because he doesn't have super powers but relies on his own wits and gadgets. Since the Hellboy toon was good I thought I'd check out the highly rated Batman toon too. I was surprised to find that it had an even better plot than some of the more recent re-re-re-made movies. Hollywood is really running out of original ideas. In any case this one too is worth a watch and has some good core plot elements relevant to any roleplaying game.

Hellboy Animated

2011-06-30T22:52:00.000-05:00

I usually shy away from animated movies made from real movies, mostly because that means they'll suck and because some jackass producer couldn't be convinced it was worth the financial risk to please the fans. This was worth a watch though. I was impressed that Ron Pearlman is still Hellboy and John Hurt is still his father (Professor "Broom"). The other voices didn't matter as much to me so it's all good. I hate to say it, but the toons were actually better than Hellboy II: The Golden Army (though it wasn't a bad movie either). Anyway not bad...

PaizoCon

2011-06-28T12:29:00.001-05:00

PaizoCon was pretty cool, although time seemed to just fly by. That's what happens when you're having fun though. I took my son along which allowed him to experience the styles of other game masters and game systems. He even played in a Star Wars game, which is a system new to him.

I also had the distinct pleasure of meeting lots of folks I either already knew by reputation or have only corresponded with. There was also lots of great stuff and great folks in the dealer room too. I met Clinton Boomer and we bought two copies of his new book, "The Hole Behind Midnight," which my son and I both recommend highly. The Hero Lab guys were also at the con in force and it was a real pleasure to see them hawking my favorite all time RPG software. Wolfgang and Shelly Baur were also hawking their wares in the dealer room and I bought my first Open Design thing, Tales of the Old Margreve (PFRPG). I've subscribed to Kobold Quarterly of course. Sean K Reynolds gave an great terrain building demo too, although I could have spend three times as long with some hands on training!

We bought some weird metallic dice. I met a couple of my RPG Superstar 2010 comrades too which was pretty cool, though we had no time to visit. I also ran into Tom McQueen, and we rode the shuttle back to the airport with Jon Brazer and his wife. I'd picked up a copy of of their new Book of Beasts.

I went on vacation with my wife afterward but now I'm back. I've resumed working on all my RPG projects and of course picked up some new ones. Well I think I'm done with my name dropping updatification. See you later. :)

Updated (6/30/2011): I forgot to mention that the con pretty much paid for itself in free goodies from the good folks at Paizo!

Player Strategies

2011-06-03T16:03:00.000-05:00

What has four feet in the morning, two at noon
and three at night?

Do you have players who sometimes over think a way out of the mess they've gotten themselves into? I do. Sometimes I'm tempted to tell them to just relax and that they're way overclocking their little brain cells on a situation that may look complex but really isn't. Sometimes it isn't even a matter of over thinking, sometimes it's a matter of coming up with the wrong solution and becoming absolutely stone-walled when that sure fire solution doesn't work out. Over thinking seems to be a common foible for which their are few immediate solutions.

I hate to say it but I'm generally of no help. I always resist the temptation to tell the players to relax or that a situation is simpler than it looks. It isn't sadism on my part, though I must admit to enjoyment of player perplexity at times. No, I feel that pointing out that a situation is simpler than it looks is the equivalent of having the players take a peak at the man behind the curtain, as it were. You break the illusion for just a moment which I find wholly undesirable. I have found two ways of dealing with this situation: the rules and a little bit of judicious (but plausible) redirection.

In the first case, the rules themselves can often help redirect the players toward a better solution. We recently had a situation in which the trap door to an underground dungeon was covered over by heavy logs. No amount of strength or magic was really going to move them. The bad guys had them trapped. They had a lot going for them though. They had an entire cavern full of water and an endless source of food. So, starving the characters out, thus breaking the siege wasn't really an option. There was also a small chimney leading to the surface, a way out for players with the right resources (i.e. a small sized character or shrinking magic). However, the first thing they tried was to burn their way out which I countered with the smoke inhalation rules, though I did allow some progress through the thick wood. Eventually a diminutive character did make her way to the surface via the chimney and extricate the rest of the party through negotiation instead, which made the whole situation far more dangerous and exciting than a mere test of fire versus impenetrable entrapment. As a matter of fact, blasting their way out would have been fatal. Fortunately, simply drowning the party (their barbarian more specifically) in smoke did the trick.

Sometimes though, players are so hard headed and their aren't many rules for dealing with that. So, a little bit of judicious redirection is what's needed instead. I said there aren't many rules, but there is one: Perception checks. You could allow a Perception check to allow characters to notice things that went unnoticed before. However, you run the risk of the dice playing against you. Sometimes it's just better to do the old school thing and say the party notices something they didn't notice before. It's smoother, you've broken no illusions and the players can be assured that it was obvious on second glance, no one the wiser.

There is one more way to deal with the hard headed mistaken strategies players sometimes pursue, though I hesitate to mention it because it's no fun and that's to remove things from play that your players will most assuredly misunderstand or get entirely wrong. There is a place for this solution though. First, know your players. If you know they can't handle a "complex game" then you should work to simplify or soften situations that will absolutely stone wall play. Riddles are often one of those traditional game objects that stop players in their tracks when they simply don't know the answer. In this case, remove or replace them with something more palatable. Remember that challenge is the goal not frustration, but don't remove the challenge altogether unless there's no other way. Players should have to squirm and struggle some though or the game can get dull in a hurry.

By using these little game master tricks you can keep your game moving or start it moving again when it stalls due to player over thinking.

Stress

2011-06-01T17:19:00.000-05:00

Did you know that stress isn't meant to be our natural state? It's true. I'd never really thought about it until very recently, but stress is meant to be a response to a predatory threat. It's meant to hop you up on the biochemicals you need to get away from that threat so you can go back to your regular, full-time happy existence. Unfortunately that has not been the norm for most Americans for some time. We work jobs that provide us with oodles of extra stress. This is stress that can gradually kill you over time. Our bodies weren't really designed to be in a constant state of stress.

Believe it or not roleplaying games can also be stressful but they shouldn't be. Game masters in particular are under a great deal of pressure to produce entertainment, sometimes on the fly. Players too stress over rules, the death of characters and other things, even the accumulation of fictional wealth and power. This too is not the natural state of things in roleplaying games. If you're a game master and you're stressed all the time, take a step back and remember why you started playing in the first place. The reasons will be different for everyone, but since we're talking about a game, then entertainment is surely at the forefront of those reasons. If you're not enjoying your task as game master, if you're stressed all the time then consider how you can make things easier on yourself, so that you enjoy the game as much as everyone else.

Perhaps you spend a solid week prepping only to have your content devoured in just a session or two, beginning the cycle all over again. Consider whether using some published material, in whole or in part will put you more at ease and allow you to focus on your own enjoyment. Preparation seems to a great source of stress from all my online readings. Recall that you're not being chased by a predator, take a deep breath and try not to stress over what's meant to be enjoyable. Some game masters actually enjoy preparation.

Doing things to "lubricate" the moving parts of your game can be a big help too. Getting organized is a great game master and player stress reliever. I've seen players rewrite their messy, eraser worn character sheets after a year of play, finding a sort of zen in doing so. Organizing notebooks, nonplayer characters and other materials prior to play can also give you a boost of confidence that you'll be able to find things you weren't able to find last session. Also, reread those rules that become sticking points during the game. I personally enjoy making dungeon tiles and special effects that take some of the pain out of staging interesting combat zones. The point is, we should all try find a strategy that works and remember not to stress over what is still essentially a game.

Outside XP

2011-05-31T07:00:00.004-05:00

My wife and I are constantly amazed that our children avoid going outside as often as they do. When my wife was a kid, she stayed outside because her home life was less than satisfying (to put it mildly). I, on the other hand, had a great mom. I didn't mind being home at dark. We played outside because we wanted to. I rode my bike and pretended to be a fighter or x-wing pilot (light bulb: roleplay). We played Tron with Frisbees and trash can lids (light bulb: roleplay) and a whole host of other imaginative activities, even cops and robbers, which was more like Blade Runner (light bulb: roleplay) than even the classic television detective shows our parents watched. While we had an Atari 2600, it wasn't the focus of our lives. Computers and console game systems have become so all pervasive today as a primary activity that it's hard for us to pry them loose for a while.

Does this mean that the generation of kids growing up today is more and more unlikely to know what it's actually like to be outdoors? I really think so. I have four kids upon which to base observations (though I give my eldest son credit for loving "manual" games and my youngest for reading). I've remarked to my eldest son that he's pale and he should spend some time out of doors. His reply is a running joke we have. "But Rich, the sun...it burns."

Kids raised today are the game masters of tomorrow. How will they be able to describe terrain features or weather phenomenon without actually having experienced even an inkling of it? Unless they're heavily interested in nature shows, they'll be less and less able to describe standing in a fictional wilderness where monsters dwell. I've held lizards, frogs, toads, snakes, snails, worms and all manner of insects, even scorpions. I've caught fish and turtles and I've even been deer hunting. These too are outdoor experiences. Kids today seem more and more afraid of such things.

Maybe this is all too far a stretch, but I don't really think so. Kids are far more apt to be overweight and relatively sedentary too, since their participation in the real world often comes from television and video games. Even schools aren't helping much. I've been disappointed to observe that schools are increasingly using such things as Disney movies for educational purposes. More often than not, my wife and I will use words our kids don't know and we actually ask, "What the hell are you learning in school anyway?"

I think what's key is to strike a balance of activities, not to abolish what they enjoy. It certainly isn't to blame the makers or file McLawsuits. Even roleplaying all the time isn't good for us. However, sitting on our collective asses all day playing Mario Brothers and Starcraft (guilty) isn't either.

Happy Memorial Day

2011-05-30T07:00:00.005-05:00

On this Memorial Day I would like to dedicate this post to all who serve or served in the U.S. military. I wish to include sincere remembrances and prayersfor my late grandfather, Richard F. Hilverding, who served in the U.S. Army Air Corps (which became the U.S. Air Force) until his retirement and death from colon cancer in 1972; to my cousin ConnieO. Yeats, whom I never knew, lived little and died in WWII at the age of 19. Iwould also like to remember my uncle Johnny Hilverding (my grandfather's son) who served in the U.S. Army, survived Vietnam, overcame the post trauma then became a high school councilor to NativeAmerican students only to be killed by a drunk teen in Albuquerque, NewMexico. I would also like to extend wishes for a happy Memorial Day to everyoneand their families. Finally, I have a couple of friends in the military to whichI'd also like to offer my sincerest thanks, Lee (U.S. Army) and Johnathan (U.S. Air Force). I'm grateful for their service.

I've been watching specials on the wars in both Iraq and Afghanistanin an effort to gain some semblance of understanding about what's going on over there because I don't think the press is actually telling us. Irecommend thisone as it is representative, demonstrating the brotherhood of soldiers and thewastes of war. We spend a lot of time in combat in playing roleplaying gamesand while fantasy fighting is a ton of fun, the truth of the matter is that realwar irrevocably costs lives and it's a genuine hell on Earth none canunderstand until they been in it (myself included). While war is sometimesnecessary, sometimes not, we cannot deny, whatever our feelings about it, thatour military serves (or should serve) the people (i.e. humanity, mankind), not the back end commanders, not the politicians,not disparate agendas, ideologies or religions. We should always show our appreciation and support at times like these and remember those who've fallen for our freedom.

I invite you to post in reply your wishes, remembrances and prayers as well. I also invite you to give to one of my favorite charities if the spirit moves you.

Starting Back Up

2011-05-26T14:15:00.001-05:00

I was impressed yesterday to have received an email from one of my long time followers and friends. He took the time to check on me and let me know that my insights into gaming have been missed. I've admittedly not felt much like blogging since the death of my mother and have just been journeying into different topics trying make some since of it all--that is my mother's death and all the crap going wrong in the world (and to my mind there's a lot). I guess we all do that when we lose someone we love to one degree or another. However, I'm okay. I know life goes on, it does and it will. I'm still planning to attend PaizoCon in a couple of weeks with my eldest son. I have also been castle building, thanks to a sale from Fat Dragon Games. I've been paper modeling quite a bit as it gives me a sort of Zen to build stuff with my hands. I'll eventually have some pictures up of my latest castle building efforts. I have a few posts started too and those will be coming up pretty soon. My campaign has been on a long hiatus, so long in fact, that it's probably dead, but I have many ideas for new ones, so we'll see what happens.

Wading Through the Insistence of Others

2011-04-07T21:38:00.000-05:00

I'm a live and let live sort of guy. I'm not one to insist that people have to play my game system or even use the same methods or tools. I use a laptop and software to run my games but fully recognize that this method isn't for everyone. Yet one of the interesting dichotomies in our society is the instance of others that we do things their way, that their way or their tools are somehow better or faster than the tried and true ways you've already been using--even on the job. It's strange to live in a society that places such a high value on freedom and individuality, then tries to stomp them out in the same breath.

I don't mind listening to what other people are doing or heeding friendly advice--note the world friendly--as long as they aren't insistent that my way is somehow stupid or flawed. That's when my ears shut, the bus stops and I step off. That's generally why a lot of forums and the young punks thereon keep me pretty much silent and in a non-contributive mood. Yet I do like to share my experiences. Thus, the blog. But there are still times when blogging doesn't scratch the itch to share.

Wading through the sometimes rabid insistence of others even applies to play methods, especially in the arena of online games where its generally viewed by the anonymous masses that there is one way to play a particular game successfully. If you're not doing it this way then you suck or you're a noob or whatever. (I like to play Starcraft II but I'm honestly not very good at it.) Fortunately, this attitude doesn't apply to roleplaying games which offer more choices and more freedoms over essentially linear or tree branching games. I love that there really isn't a wrong way or right way to play and the even the rules are somewhat open to interpretation. You don't have to take feat X, Y and Z or your character build just sucks. Yes, you can build a character badly but what person in real life has a endlessly perfect set of skills anyway.

There's not just your way and my way either, but a whole host of ways. Perhaps by collaborating or sharing information about our methods, tools and even styles of play we can all become more successful at roleplay; that's far better than being essentially bitched at in forums and online games, which are also notably more than a little anonymous. We can also be successful by staying on our little islands and ignoring entirely what others think, do or say. I'm somewhere in the middle. Anyhow you're not a captive audience with roleplaying games, except in a good way of course. This a big part of what keeps me engaged--it certainly isn't that I enjoy reading rulebooks and supplements. The play is the thing.

Catching Up

2011-04-04T22:08:00.000-05:00

I actually have a lot going on here game wise, but have had little time to blog about it. First off, our regular Crimson Tombs campaign has been on hiatus for a little while but it starts back up next week.

I also splurged on a NookColor from Barnes & Noble and have been reading the Pathfinder RPG GameMastery Guide at the doctor's office or while standing in stupid long lines in the real world. It's working out quite well at allowing me to keep my RPG library light and portable. I will say that there is an occasional muddled page; basically if there's art on the page around which text flows, the art sometimes squashes a small amount of text. I've only seen this on two or three pages where I was unable to read the text though. I bought my wife one too and she's been reading the Dragonlance series. I expanded both Nooks to max with 32 GB microSD cards.

I also bought my son, Vincent, and I tickets to PaizoCon! I've been watching for airline prices to fall on Bing Travel but so far the tool advises me to wait a bit so that's what I've decided to do. Folks on the Paizo forums recommended Bing Travel so I figured I'd give it a shot. I've been checking for flights a couple of times a week for about four weeks now; it's been many years since I've traveled and I'm looking forward to it. I've already made room reservations and we're definitely going. We're also looking to join in while we're there so ping me if you're running a game at the convention and need players.

My lovely wife and I decided to gift our gaming laptops, a pair of Fujitsu Lifebooks, to our kids, Vincent and Megan. We've had really great performance from Fujitsus over the last 4 years and so we bought the latest Fujitsu Lifebooks (NH571) thus updating our tech. I had absolutely no trouble at all moving HeroLab licenses, but moving Campaign Cartographer 3 is proving to be a big pain in the ass (due to the software, not the laptop). Vincent of course will use his for school and, much more importantly, Pathfinder/HeroLab! Megan is a budding artist and she has developed an interest in moving her manga artistry to the web via DeviantArt so that's what she'll use her's for.

I also finally broke down and subscribed to Kobold Quarterly via PDF. I bought all the back issues while they were on sale for 50% off. The whole kit and caboodle only cost about $75. Kobold Quarterly is a magnificent mag and I'm looking forward to perusing this month's issue on my Nook.

We've also been supporting our local game store big time. I bought a new board game called CastlePanic and my wife bought Trollhalla. I bought the physical copies of the Pathfinder RPG GameMastery Guide, the Pathfinder RPG Advanced Player's Guide and of course Bestiary 2. My lovely wife has also developed an interest in Warhammer 40K miniatures and so I bought her a few boxed sets with which to build an army and yesterday she bought Rogue Trader. The thought of my wife running an RPG is very exciting! She has a ton of gluing to do though! We've also been supporting Reaper in both miniatures and paints.

That's about it unless I think of something I forgot.

Pathfinder RPG: Sunder Rules Conflict

2011-03-06T00:25:00.000-06:00

We recently had a situation where a wondrous magic item was destroyed using sunder. The item was brought to exactly zero hit points and so was destroyed. At least that was my interpretation of the rules during tonight's session, given plain common sense, that items don't have negative hit points or even Constitution scores. However, the rules dealing with this seem to be in conflict with the item damage rules described elsewhere in the core rule book and I really wonder what the intent was. Anyway here is the except dealing with sunder in the combat rules (page 201):

If an object has equal to or less than half its total hit points remaining, it gains the broken condition (see Appendix 2). If the damage you deal would reduce the object to less than 0 hit points, you can choose to destroy it. If you do not choose to destroy it, the object is left with only 1 hit point and the broken condition.

So, if you read it this way, the magic item instead seems to regain a hit point, if a choice is made to not to destroy it, is then not destroyed and has only the broken condition, with which I disagree. The rules elsewhere agree with me and contradict the rules for sunder (page 173 and 174):

An object’s hit point total depends on what it is made of and how big it is (see Table 7–12, Table 7–13, and Table 7–14). Objects that take damage equal to or greater than half their total hit points gain the broken condition (see Appendix 2). When an object's hit points reach 0, it’s ruined.

It's strange that the term ruined is used rather than destroyed. Anyhow the text later goes on to say:

A damaged object remains functional with the broken condition until the item's hit points are reduced to 0, at which point it is destroyed.

Unfortunately, three different pages of the rules had to be referenced to obtain an answer to this niggling little detail. As always, no matter what edition or roleplaying game, I think this points to the very clear lesson that it's the spirit of the rules not the letter of the rules which just has to prevail, and that more questions like these can be solved and that more time can be saved with just plain common sense.

A Eulogy for My Mom

2011-02-25T01:17:00.000-06:00

My mom died in the hospital on February 16, 2011. She wanted no funeral or service as we were a small tight knit family of just three, her, myself and my brother. Yet I feel the need to spare some words of grace on her behalf.

My mom always encouraged me in everything I did, my roleplaying game habit included. I think, in her last days, she missed the sounds of friends coming over to play at the dining room table from when I was in high school. She saved my custom built gaming table, even keeping it in her own living room, at a time when my first wife at best discouraged my roleplaying habits. Mom coached me not to allow anyone to stand in the way of this, one my favorite of all activities. My mom, well into her fifties at the time, even played an AD&D paladin once, quite successfully I might add. Every vacation out of town we hunted down every game store, in every strange town or city no matter how large or small.

She was without a doubt a great mother, a best friend and the greatest woman I've ever known. She spent her whole life unselfishly raising two sons by herself, always doing the best she could with whatever she had or sometimes even didn't have. So in my book, she is a saint and has earned her place in heaven. I miss her very much and hope to see her again at the end of my own journey.

God forever bless you and keep you, mom. Amen.

A Gnomish Love Poem

2011-02-14T17:13:00.002-06:00

Geeemz, Gems, Gems, Gems, Gems, Gems, Gems, Gems, Gems, Gems, Gems, Gems, Gems, Gems, Gems, Gems, Gems, ILLUSION, Gems, Gems, Gems, Gems, Gems, Gems, Gems, Gems... GEMS... GEMS!!!!!!! (Repeat from top until all Gems are collected!)

Maps With Character

2011-02-09T21:50:00.001-06:00

The black and white map from the
Sovereign Stone Sourcebook.The
"crack" doesn't help matters much.

A color map of Loerem found on the
web (on a site in Spanish, no less).

A redone color map of Greyhawk;
still has character.

I've been thinking a lot about maps lately. I've actually been thinking about maps for a long time, since I'm still interested in at least finding a livable commercial game world or at best creating my own. I have discriminating tastes in this area and most commercial game worlds, while professionally executed and I'm sure well honed and shined to a gleaming polish for mass-market appeal, just don't fit the bill for me. Therefore, the jury is still out.

Along those lines, I'm in the process of finishing the Sovereign Stone trilogy by Margaret Weis & Tracy Hickman. I've enjoyed the books very much and consider them great inspirational reading. I had before that discovered the D20 sourcebook at Madness but decided to start reading the novels first, as part of exploring the possibility of using Loerem, the fantasy world of the novel, as our next setting. We're currently using Greyhawk, which in itself presents many problems, not the least of which is heavily befuddled source material (for example, I had the damnedest time putting the Greyhawk deities into Hero Lab from the existing sources).The maps for Greyhawk, however, in all their various incarnations, are simply beautiful. They have character.

Unfortunately, just as an aside, there are several problems inherent with using Loerem too, foremost being too much work converting aspects of it (such as Void magic) from D20 to the Pathfinder RPG, which would include laboring at Hero Lab data entry. However, the map of Loerem concerns me too, presenting a number of the same problems most commercial game world maps do.

The map of Loerem on the inside cover of the novels is of course too small, but that's just par for the course, since most maps presented in paperbacks are so presented as more curiosity than anything else. I bought the Sovereign Stone Campaign Sourcebook, a D20 product by Sovereign Press (the website doesn't inspire confidence), hoping the map would be a good deal larger and more legible and while it is, it's still way too generalized to be of functional use. Just for the record, I actually like the map and had hoped to find a more detailed one than either the novel or the sourcebook on the web, but haven't so far. Since we know that updated versions of older game products don't sell well, there never will be. This is, point of fact, why source material is so befuddled for Greyhawk.

Now, I've both created hand drawn maps and used software to make my own game world maps, so I know the gut-wrenching effort inherent in creating global maps. However, I'm often disappointed by the functionality of said commercial maps in today's roleplaying game world products because it seems like there's far more focus on producing pretty, color rich maps than in producing maps that are of any real practical use. They simply aren't very functional. While this notion does not apply to the map of Loerem, since it's in black and white, it does remain full of generalized white space and, again, isn't very functional. Color maps still suffer the same problem, except that the bare white spaces are green. But it's the same problem. Commercial maps such as these lack functionality as well as character, albeit to different degrees.

By the way, black and white maps don't bother me in the least. They're actually more functional because they can be copied, re-printed, colored (with colored pencils for example), color coded (thus making political maps easier) and "bashed" to heart's content.I've concluded that my own classical AD&D roleplaying habits are actually to blame and, paradoxically, I'm somewhat proud of it.

I've long preferred to track overland travel in far better detail than most roleplaying games and game worlds allow. Although not very medieval of me, I like to track a party on the game world map almost radar style. I want to see a pinpoint on the map, where they are and where they're going. I want to be able to show this progress to the group so they're comfortable knowing we've communicated routes correctly and everyone's on the same page. I think that's reasonable.

In the past, I've used transparencies and Plexiglas poster frames to draw out the group's actual progress along a road or through the trackless wilderness. I also like to watch the group plan a trip on the map rather than glossing over it as just another means by which to get to the dungeon or adventure. I enjoy watching them try to avoid the obstacles of terrain and, in a detailed campaign, those of known or conjectured monster warrens. So I guess part of the excitement for me is also the "camping out" aspect of the trek too. Most commercial maps are too dull. Traveling through an airbrushed blotch of green crap to get to another airburshed blotch of brown crap isn't all that interesting. I'm not asking for or seeking a Google Earth level of detail, because that would actually be somewhat ridiculous (though cool on my geek scale). However, I think game world maps should be as functional as they are attractive; they should just have more character. Maybe maps should be more like characters--rough around the edges, a few scars and built from interesting "building blocks." I think that pretty much hits the nail on the head for me.

Not a map.

Maps should have character. One of the things I do like about Loerem is the vibrancy of the terrain described in the novels, vibrancy done little justice by a flat, flavorless game world map. Again, the problem isn't unique to the map presented in the sourcebook. The flashy color rich maps in more recent mass-appeal game worlds are similarly unsatisfying--dull.

So the problem isn't me after all. I just want a map with character--not the game world equivalent of a dumb blond in a red dress. I think maps should have as much character as characters do without all the pretty flash.

A Software Vampire

2011-02-03T16:00:00.000-06:00

I've made no secret of the fact that I have a Microsoft Access database designed for use with the Pathfinder RPG. It's decent, has some bugs I wouldn't mind fixing, and I wouldn't mind entertaining limited suggestions for improving it's current functions. I'm not really willing to entertain suggestions for expansion though. I'm also not really willing to provide free support for it and I actually don't use it much since Hero Lab and various web sites fill most of my data needs. If Lone Wolf and Paizo weren't partnered like they are, I'd probably use it more.

Anyhow I've chosen not to share it out so far and this guy right here is pretty much the reason why. People suck. I mean that quite literally. People are pretty much vampires who drain resources and essentially want everything for nothing. Despite the writer's caveat that he's not picking on the developers of PCGen specifically, he actually is anyway, whilst being extremely rude in what amounts to broken English. Demented and sad, not at all social. If there were some sort of litmus test for software vampires, I might pass a copy around to a small interested party, but as it stands I'm not willing to submit myself for abuse at the hands of blood suckers like that guy.

Pathfinder RPG: The King is Dead, Long Live the King

2011-01-20T23:54:00.000-06:00

Is it really any wonder that the Pathfinder RPG is supposedly outselling the D&D brand? Speculation about our hobby as well as the future of popular game systems has for a while now been a second hobby to many gamers online, even well before the so called "edition wars" broke out. All that uninformed speculation and wasted energy used to irritate me some, enough to want to stay completely out of it. I felt that way mostly because the bulk of us aren't the marketing geniuses we claim to be and we have our own biases getting in the way of seeing clearly what's really going on. Marketing is a cold, calculating, unfeeling business and doesn't care what your favorite thing is; just ask anyone who's had a favorite TV show canceled.

I've come to realize since then that it's only natural to fret, guess or ponder what will happen to our favorite game systems not to mention the hobby in general. But I'm not asking the question to spark any of that sort of debate or anything. The question is entirely rhetorical.

I just don't think it's all that surprising though that, if true, the Pathfinder RPG is outselling the current incarnation of D&D. After all, 3.5 was already the world's most popular game system when it was essentially tossed in the dumper for a total reinvention. That was clearly a bad decision and only the first in a line of bad decisions. It was also based on the most innovative piece of licencing the hobby has ever known: the OGL.

When 4E came out the new license, right or wrong, got a bad wrap from all quarters. That makes for some bad blood--hurts the hobby, shuts down little producers and most of all alienates your customer base. I know I felt alienated. I myself was prepared to entrench myself and play my game regardless of it's abandonment. Here was clearly another bad business decision as far as I was concerned. It even took me a while to look at the Pathfinder RPG, I was so furious. Of course there was all this rhetoric about bringing younger gamers to the table--a noble goal. What was forgotten is that it's the older gamers who are the hobby's best marketing force--the parents, the teachers and the big brothers. To abandon them like that was just pure folly. We're up to three bad decisions right in a row now, not that I'm counting.

I've yet to see the surprising part in all this. It just stands to reason that an update, retooled and intelligently crafted, with love, would sell at least as well as it's former self, particularly if marketed with equal intelligence, diplomacy and saavy--and based on a very popular OGL--let's not forget that. Again, what was forgotten was the "with love" part. Originally born from a simple, genuine love for mythology, pulp fantasy and wargames, roleplaying games took a long time to become a business. Even then, the business wasn't that well managed. Forgetting the original passions and letting dollar signs take over--another bad decision, though not fatal, thankfully.

I think it's the "made with love" part that a lot of folks have trouble seeing or are cynical about because they only see how things are now. That's okay, I'm cynical a lot myself. But I've come not to care much about what happens to the D&D brand at all. Yeah, I've seen recent (controversial) announcements that Wizards of the Coast is pulling back on new releases, especially it's miniature line. Every year they have layoffs and those are usually bandied about too. (I lament for the families those cold layoffs affect and can likewise never bring myself to comment.)

Ultimatelty, I have no concern what happens to the D&D brand, anymore than I care what happens with Coke or Pepsi. I just want to drink and enjoy my fill and that's what I'm content to do. The gaming days ahead are good. Even if the D&D brand tanks entirely, as is still frequently speculated on, it's more likely to be acquired by another company, presumably one that loves the hobby and would pump some life back in. No, I don't mean Paizo. That ship has sailed and that would bad. They already have a huge hit on their hands, not only with the Pathfinder RPG but in many areas, carefully grown, nurtured, like plants in a green house. Why risk opening the door to a bunch of smog?

RPG Superstar 2011: Round 1

2011-01-18T16:54:00.000-06:00

The finalists for this year's contest have been announced on the Paizo website. I'll be hungrily reading through all the entries as soon as I'm done cutting and pasting them from the web site. This will make them easier for me to read and comment on offline. I've had too many browser and/or forum snafus eat my comments to want to do it online. I really like Paizo's clean, clear site, but this time of year it gets pretty busy and hang ups just happen.

I've also decided not to read the judges comments ahead of time. I want to come at the items cold and having them offline will help me avoid that temptation. I'm even toying with the idea of throwing an item in my current game if I like it well enough. Won't that be fun! Since I'm idea guy myself, I'm probably not going to say much about the grammatical aspects, but focus on the idea or concept behind the item and of course the game rules. In my book, its the core idea that counts most of all though; the technical stuff can be taught and learned.

I've decided to put some genuine effort into giving the new batch of contestants some valuable feedback and "attend" the event. I encourage you to do the same!

Pathfinder RPG: Plotting Between a Rock and a Hard Place

2011-01-17T23:03:00.005-06:00

I've given up on posting a campaign journal here mostly because words pale in comparison to a session's true happenings. I feel this is for the best though. I suspect most of us avoid reading through campaign journals (on any site) pretty much for the same reason; they pale. They're also often dull. Such journals just aren't likely to capture the very real excitement of "the play" and again this is just for the best. I suspect this too because that's my own habit, unless the writing in a campaign blog is particularly griping or is at least brief, which would be unusual.

Nevertheless, something of definite interest is developing in my Crimson Tombs campaign, a development that speaks to what I prefer in designing a successful campaign. Over the course of the campaign, the characters have found themselves pitted against forces they're not quite in tune with yet. In short, the party has become a definite nuisance to shadowy movers well passed their understanding, quite possibly more powerful than themselves. This came to head this past session (just as the party reaches the cusp of 6th level) and has now become the central excitement of the campaign. Even I can't wait to see how it turns out!

As has become frequent in the games I run, the planned adventure material ran out a little while ago and I'm now running what I would call more of a scenario than an adventure. It's this scenario which is proving to be one of the most interesting I've ever devised. The party is firmly ensconced between two powerful groups who want the same thing: a mysterious ancient tome they recovered from the dungeon in which they're now trapped. The party hasn't even been tempted to turn its pages for fear the tome itself might be dangerous in and of itself, something I can neither confirm nor deny at this juncture. However, given their surroundings, their fears are certainly well founded. So, technically they have three threats to worry over. (I should mention that the only detractor is the barbarian wizard, played by my brother, who wants to crack that puppy wide open and see if it can help! My brother's a novice player, but I really love the way his character's personality is developing.)

In any case, the party quickly discovered their ensnarement as soon as they tried to leave the dungeon, feeling quite satisfied that they'd recovered the book with no enemy the wiser. Enter the first powerful group, a competing party, three of whom appear to be vampires, interested in obtaining the self same foul tome for their own nefarious purposes (they want to resurrect another even more powerful vampire, a cult leader from over 200 years ago; they've even been so brazen as make their plans known to the party... a fine old bad guy tradition).

Numerically, the party is outnumbered 5-to-6. However, vampires are powerful opponents in any version of our chosen game system and, as far as the players are concerned, no telling how powerful they and their allies (to outward appearances, a witch, a goblin rogue and a fighter type of some sort) are from a game statistical standpoint. My players know full well I'm not one to pull any punches and that I run a campaign where players have a very real chance of dying. I can confirm that they truly are in just this sort of peril because they seem to have no delusions about that. I do run the sort of campaign where players absolutely can bite off more than they can chew. While I do believe in game balance, 5-10% of the time their just is an ancient danger in the country side a given party just can't handle. If they chose to go there, in such cases, they just deserve what they get. That's not the case here though; their interference has put them here instead and that too is heroic.

The players have now discussed several ways out of their immediate peril, which includes giving the vampires what they want in return for assistance in escaping the second peril awaiting them on the surface: mysterious clerics of Vecna about whom they have almost no intelligence. In fact, that IS the extent of their intelligence. Interestingly, the only member of the party with any good in his alignment suggested collaboration with the vampire troupe. The player, my eldest son, has so far explained this as just a clear choice of two evils--live to fight another day--quite reasonable, if you don't play the alignment system too staunch, and I never have. I like some gray in my black and white.

While tromping through the jungle to reach the dungeon they also encountered barbaric cannibals, so it's not outside the realm of possibility that they might also be waiting too, allied with the clerics. I should also mention that the clerics have hostages: a wizard named Quelkin, with whom the party recently became acquainted, and a halfling ranger (former player turned NPC) named Amaryllis Cooper.

While the party is still building a strategy, and after all they have the whole real-time week to think things over, it now seems likely they'll attack the vampire troupe instead. After getting over the initial shock of their predicament, they took stock of their assets and are now considering hedging their bets. The most interesting asset they listed: A decanter of endless water. I have to admit right here and now that even *I* didn't see that coming! You see, vampires in the Pathfinder RPG are vulnerable to running water, losing 1/3 of their hit points to it. This illustrates another thing I do in my games, or rather don't do: I don't always have the enemy prepare against every eventuality. I don't mind being out thought at all! In fact, that's exactly what I'm looking for! I encourage and welcome it! It's when players don't think that I get a bit concerned.

Unfortunately, while discussing this plan, the party discovered that one of the vampires had vanished from the area upon which they were scrying (via a feature of the dungeon). So now they're not even certain if their plan has been overheard or not (although *I* know). Uncertainty, challenge, mystery--this scenario, as I've termed it, has everything I absolutely adore about tabletop roleplaying games. You just can't buy a plot like that in any computerized RPG, though that's certainly not the point at all. We're having a most excellent time and THAT, my friends, is the point!

Kobold Quarterly #16

2011-01-13T17:08:00.002-06:00

I'm pleased as a punch to announce that the first of my published works for the year has hit the presses! Last year I entered Paizo's RPG Superstar 2010 contest. I did well and managed to place in the top 8, in 4 out of 5 contest rounds. Time marched on... Then, a few moons ago I was contacted by someone with Paizo about name credit for my entry. I was so pleased that my item might see print that I forgot to ask where! Oops. I'm such a goofy old man sometimes. Haha! Anyway as it turns out my round one entry, Needles of the Ebon Strand, today appears in the latest issue of Kobold Quarterly (#16), along with those of my fellow contestants. Congratulations also go to: Jesse Benner, Benjamin Bruck, RC Higgins, Brian T Hoffman, Matthew McGee, Sean P McGowan, Matthew C Morris, Chris Mortika, Nic Quimby, Andy Sun, and Seth White.

Deities & Demigods

2011-01-11T22:08:00.001-06:00

Heironeous: now that's a picture
of a deity!!! (Art: Jim Holloway)

One of the things that has always bothered me, no matter what edition of the game were talking about, is the format for deities.The format for deities in AD&D 1E was just plain silly because they included stats. I think deities should be beyond mortal reach as combat opponents (though not necessarily beyond as roleplaying opponents...).

I loved the extremely detailed formats of the deities in both early and late AD&D 2E. Monster Mythology was a huge resource and the format was simple, clean and, best of all a treasure trove of great divine fluff. Then along came Faiths & Avatars, Powers & Pantheons and best of all Demihuman Deities. These too were excellent books, the only trouble with them being that only a major geek or someone working for TSR at the time could produce a deity in that format. The format was rich and highly detailed. These books too were a treasure, even though they were designated for use with the Forgotten Realms, a campaign setting which I've always loathed. I'm still proud to have them on my shelf even though the format is just too much.

I never really used any of the resources from D&D beyond the defaults in the players handbook. By the time I moved essentially from AD&D 2E to D&D 3.5, I'd become fed up with the design waffling inherent in deity creation. I've still never found a good resource for Greyhawk deities, on or offline. Up until just a few days ago, I've avoided entering the deities for the World of Greyhawk into Hero Lab because I know we'll eventually switch to another campaign world. However, I can no longer avoid it because the gods are fast becoming more involved in the plot of my Crimson Tombs campaign (namely Boccob and Vecna).

The old Living Greyhawk Gazetteer has a lot of great fluff and information, but the domain information is of course out of date. I've found some online resources to mitigate this but none of them seem to match each other. Eventually I decided to use the Official Living Greyhawk Listing (version 2.0, which seems to be the only version, actually) available from the Wizards of the Coast website. It seems the most brief yet complete. I've simply made up my mind to pick and chose additional domains wherever I think necessary and negotiate with my players if they think something is missing. Still, what a horrible state of affairs for the gods to remain eternally in. Boo! Hiss! :)

The Hero Lab data file will also contain no fluff because there just isn't a satisfactory cutty-pasty resource available (and I have no intention of distributing the file beyond my group). Wizards of the Coast also saw fit to SECURE the PDF. <soapbox>All hail the mighty H.M.S. Intellectual Property</soapbox>.

I've looked at the deities from other campaign worlds and I find most of them to be dull and milk toast; I've decided not to name any names because I don't want to hurt anyone's product line(s). However, many of these simply have the domains, a favored weapon, a scant amount of stereotypical fluff and maybe a (usually pretty cool) picture of a holy symbol. That sort of sucks because it's hard to roleplay or visualize a cleric if you don't even know what color raiment (yes, raiment) they wear or even what they believe beyond evil is baaaaad. I'm used to the awesome pictures of deities from the heady days of Dragon Magazine, not just enough "pure data" to put together some combat stats for a medic (ahem, I mean cleric).

I suppose I'll plod along as I always have, though in the past I actually made up my own deities using some amalgam of formats. Still, it really would be nice if we had even one quarter of the resources for deities as we do for monsters. One of my daughters wants me to run a Greek campaign, but I just can't see going to the effort of redesigning the Greek gods into Hero Lab, especially when I know my kids are somewhat flighty.

NPC Wizard Spell Selection

2011-01-10T18:16:00.000-06:00

This is a relatively minor thing, but while I'm designing a new wizard above first level, I have some trouble trying to decide how many spells to put in the wizard's book beyond his initial allotment. As you may already know, in the Pathfinder RPG, a wizard starts with all the zero level spells, then three 1st-level spells plus a number of 1st-level spells equal to the wizard's initial Intelligence bonus. Thereafter, the wizard gains two additional spells per level above the first (of whatever level he can cast). While that seems to cover it, for me it's the spells the wizard might have acquired over the course of his career, say from adventuring, that mystify me.

I guess what I've always looked for is an equitable way to select a wizard's career-obtained spells, one that's fair to the players. It's probably somewhat old school of me, but NPC wizards shouldn't have the pick of the crop anymore than PC wizards. I should note also that I have a tendency to give wizards some sort of theme, even in the case of universalists. I usually consider the wizard's personality even while picking stats, skills and so forth. If the wizard has an appetite for the finer things, perhaps a high appraisal skill, I'll also give him a subset of spells that help him and/or his group locate riches or magic items and combat spells that won't spoil the booty at the same time. In other words, I want there to be some logic to it.

I've tried a number of methods for picking a wizard's career spells. I've tried assigning progressively smaller dice to each level, figuring that the number of higher level spells would be more precious. This doesn't work too well because one bad roll can mean that the wizard's 4th-level spells still exceed the number of 2nd-level spells. And like I said I want some sort of logic to it; despite the title of my blog, randomization isn't all that logical.

I've also tried various per level solutions, but those don't seem fair or reasonable either. What I usually end up doing is filling the wizard's book with whatever spells I want and then go back and prune down, usually with the goal of making sure each progressive level is less than the one before. I also like to create a chink in the wizard's "spell plan," one that player's might eventually take advantage of, particularly with recurring villains.

So far, I think this is the only solution that meets what are probably old school-ish requirements.

Ammo Loss Rule

2011-01-10T08:00:00.009-06:00

My lovely wife and I went outside Saturday to do a bit of shooting. I bought a pellet gun recently and my wife has a set of shuriken I bought her for Christmas about four years ago. She'd not had an opportunity to practice with them until yesterday. What did we learn? Well we learned that the "50% loss of ammo rule" we've been using is pretty damned accurate. We're now minus one shuriken. In addition, I tore out two dead bushes looking for it and even did a magnet run through the dirt and rocks in our back yard. What did I learn from this? I have no urge to play a druid any time soon, magnets are not nearly as good as locate object and leisure time can turn into labor in the blink of an eye.

Tonight's Game of Risk

2011-01-09T20:30:00.000-06:00

Tonight's game of Risk involved dice towers as well as French and German accents. Awesome.

Dungeon FX

2011-01-08T11:57:00.001-06:00

Dungeon ladders: these are made from basswood, painted
with Reaper's woodland brown and mounted to card stock
paper bases; the wood is also sealed with two coats of
flat varnish.

Dungeon bars: these are also made with basswood, tiny
dowels and are painted with Reaper's woodland brown and
honed steel; I took the trouble to finish with flat varnish on
the wood and glossy varnish on the bars.

Dungeon tables: again, made with basswood and sealed
with a flat varnish; these were more difficult to make
than they look since setting the table legs at close to 90
degrees was a challenge.

Portculli: these were made with basswood and 10-mesh
plastic canvas; plastic doesn't stick to wood very well
so I had to use a heavy amount of gell glue.
Tip: wash the plastic canvas to remove mold release oils.

Wooden doors: these were made with foam core mounted
to card stock paper bases; the door design was done using
Campaign Cartographer 3.

Stone doors: these took a lot of finagling in CC3.

Metal doors.

Curtains: it's amazing how many classic adventures feature
curtained rooms.

Dungeon beds: saved for last, these were done last and took
the most effort; here we have basswood, tiny dowels, foam
core (mattresses) and card stock (blankets). The pillows are
also foam core with the poster backing shaved off.

One of the New Years resolutions I recently made was to the create more visual effects for use at the game table, something I dabbled with when I ran my AD&D campaigns long ago. I'm not sure when I gave this up or why...

In any case, between gluing dice towers as Christmas gifts, I decided to put my crafting skills to work on a few dungeon dressings as well. I made another list of top items I wanted to get done. I finished the beds just last week.

The ingredients for most of my tiny new dungeon furnishings are fairly simple (see the photo captions for each recipe). I want to note, just for the aliens digging through the remains of Earth, that I used a clear gell for the glue in most cases. It dries clear and strong. Most ingeniously, I used Legos to align everything and to make insure each piece was at a decent right angle to the game table, an idea I stole from the Hirst Arts website.

I used basswood (used in pinewood racing cars amongst other things) in most cases because balsa wood is just too soft, light and fragile. I know this from experience because I tried it long ago. In most cases I made 5, 10 or 20 items, basically gauging how frequent each item's use would likely be.

I also used a separate, sharp hobby knife and clear scotch tape to temporarily hold some of the pieces together, particularly the bed posts. I also used my color printer. I even ended up using the Genetica Viewer once again to texture the blankets on the beds. I used a liquid texture called "Melted Jello Shots." By the time I scaled the bitmap down it looks just like a blanket or quilt. (That just goes to show that mere words never do a picture all that much justice... recent picture captioning in RPGs annoys me for this reason, but that's another show...)

I think that's about it, except that I also made some stairs and a new set of dungeon tiles that I'll post about later. Anyway feast your eyes and especially wonder in disbelief at how the tiny beds came out. I still do. :)

A Special Birthday Gift

2011-01-07T08:00:00.002-06:00

Coat of Arms:
Richard the Lion-Hearted

When you have a birthday in January, it often means that most of your family and friends are strapped for cash from Christmas. I've just learned to live with it since even when I was a kid it seems like we were always broke. However, my mom and brother have never accepted this and have always tried to make my birthday as special as possible. This year they really outdid themselves.

Not only did they buy me a custom shield but did me the added honor of adding a personal appellation to my name. At left is my birthday present, a custom-made coat of arms bearing the coat of Richard the Lion-Hearted (historically, Richard I). Richard the Lion-Hearted was of course a consummate warrior in addition to becoming the King of England.

My name is also Richard and that's probably the only thing I really have in common with Richard I of England. Nevertheless, I take the comparison as is a distinct honor, even though the only battles I've fought are on the table top. I've tried to live an honorable life and am very touched by the sentiment. I'm very proud to add it to my game room wall.

Dice Tower Madness: Part III

2011-01-06T18:08:00.002-06:00

Photo #1: "Rogue's Night"
Dice Tower (left side view)

Photo #2: "Rogue's Night"
Dice Tower (closeup
of the rogue, a pre-painted
minature by Reaper Miniatures)

Photo #3: "Dragonmote"
Dice Tower (right side view)

Photo #4: "Bastion De Leon"
Dice Tower (left side view)

Photo #5: "City Donjon"
Dice Tower (left side view)

We kicked off the New Year by playing the Pathfinder RPG and, by then, everyone at the table had a new dice tower. The sound of falling dice was glorious!

However, just a week before I was still scrambling to finish four towers, one for my eldest son, Vincent, my wife, Dusty and our best-est gaming buddies, Liz and Glen. I'd saved theirs for last because I knew I had extra time since I wouldn't be seeing them until after Christmas, on New Years' day. I focused on the next two with that in mind.

I still had plenty of time left so I decided to try something new on my wife's tower. Of course, by now she knew what I was working on. Nevertheless, I'd had a concept for her tower brewing in my head since I'd started work on the first tower two weeks before. Dusty likes to play rogues so I'd thought up a nighttime tower with a rogue scaling the side, as if poised for burglary (although none of her characters so far have ever done such as thing).

In short, I lucked out and found a pre-painted miniature to fit the bill. Now all I needed was a grappling hook (actually a treble fishing hook, which was my wife's idea). I added some rope-like yarn and voila! We had a naughty rogue climbing the side.

By the time I'd finished with the "Vampire's Keep" dice tower, I was still looking for challenges. I decided to try making a round pool at the base of the tower. I remembered from crafting in my youth that foam core could be shaped into curves by cutting the backing and bending it. I decided to give it a try and I must say it came out beautifully. This tower thus has the distinction of having a round tray, one that's smaller than the felt dice try my wife normally uses, saving on table space. This tray took a lot more effort than the others and there were a number of flaws I had to fix. The tower doesn't lay down or nest at all.

I added a short water fall under the tower and a few real rocks (smooth ones) to the pool below. The rogue scaling the side of the building was actually the finishing touch and was done in less than 3 minutes. This tower also has the distinction of being the first to have crenelated walls.

I have to admit that by now I was sick of making dice towers. I was determined though that I just wouldn't scrimp or wimp out, so I took a deep breath set to work on the next three, all with crenelated walls (fortunately, I'd already prepared my remaining stock pile with the walls already cut). The last three became more standardized because the only initial difference between them came down to the paper. However, a look at the photographs will tell you that each tower is still unique in design.

I added architectural features to the "Dragonmote" tower (see photo) and tried something new still: adding coats of arms. For this, I used a wonderful online resource, one that I've had on my blog for well over a year: The Coat of Arms Visual Designer. I also used the cathedral paper from Genetica Viewer. There were flaws with the tray, all of which were easily fixed by using a flat gray stone paper, adorned with additional coats of arms. I used many of the same methods on the last two towers and the flaws either grew fewer or I became more adept at handling them quickly. I was becoming a real master at this.

I added lions rampant to the "Bastion De Leon", in honor of Liz's love for cats. She also plays warriors, barbarians, dwarves and such, so I went for a fortress look. Liz is also a person with what I consider to be finer tastes than most, so I chose to give her fortress a royal European or perhaps even French look. I added an architectural stripe and narrow defensive windows. I hadn't picked out a floor yet, but chose one that would setup the royal blue crests nicely. This was actually probably the easiest of all the towers had almost no flaws to fix. I'd become a master at covering the crenelations from practicing on the two towers before that.

I was in the home stretch and set to work on the last tower, my creative spark still lit. By the time I'd covered "The Prison" with paper, it was riddled with flaws because of the way the paper printed and because of the bad positioning of arrow slits. I rose to the occasion though. I designed a portcullis for the front, which was a first. I painted a piece of 10-mesh with Reaper Paint (honed steal if memory serves). At the same time, I built a door on the side and waffled on whether to use coats of arms on this tower or not.

Initially I was going for a dungeon look, but it turned out to look more like a city prison. So, with that in mind I designed a little side door for the guards (I'm still imagining at this point...). I'd earlier been messing with some old Megablocks and so I cut the torches off one set to make the torches atop the tower. I used wooden checkers for the braziers (painted black) and some railroad stones for the white-hot coals. I also hadn't picked out a floor yet, but decided on an ancient green to set of the varigation in the tower's paper.

And there you have it! I'd created a total of eight dice towers as Christmas gifts. :)

Dice Tray Madness: Part II

2011-01-05T08:00:00.007-06:00

Photo #1: "Barbarian Fortress"
Dice Tower (left side view)

Photo #2: "Vampire's Keep"
Dice Tower (left side view)

Photo #3: I decided to try my hand at adding some
dark swirling stone to the base for "architectural
effect." It came out pretty good.

Photo #4: My wife and I were out shopping
for cheap art supplies when we ran across
some Halloween scrapbook paper on sale.

Photo #5: Again, while out shopping for cheep
supplies, I ran across a pre-painted vampire
from Reaper Miniatures, which lead to a
balcony design, ironically using real iron nails.

Photo #6: Another view of the vampire mistress
on her balcony enjoying the night air.

Photo #7: A few more nails on the coffin
and some ruby rhine stones complete the effect.

The next two dice towers on my Christmas construction docket (yes, I really had a somewhat-prioritized list on a little index card and I checked it way more than twice) were for my brother, Clay, and my daughter, Elandria.

My brother has a penchant for loud-mouthed barbarian braggarts who crave lots of near-death experiences. I decided almost immediately that his would have a barbarian design. Once again, browsing through the Genetica Viewer for textures, I noticed one called "Executioner's Hall." I picked out a matching floor for the tray, going for a rough yet natural look.

I also decided to change the tray design considerably since no self respecting barbarian would retrieve tossed bones from a tiny, narrow tray. (Plus, my brother has big meaty paws.) I knew ahead of time that I was going to use some skull beads I had laying around too (they're generic death markers for use with table top wargames...I've completely forgotten who makes them, though I'm pretty sure I bought them in a plastic tube at Madness well over a year ago).

I'd planned to arrange the skulls atop the tower on the rim mounting them on dowel rod "pig poles," but my wife suggested I dangle them in pairs down the sides of the tower in a more shamanistic arrangement. The idea turned out to be easier and cleared any obstructions from the top of the tower reserved for loading dice (which I told her I was concerned about). So, in short, I tied the beads to some rope-like (non-fuzzy) yarn, cut even smaller dowels and knotted it all together. I dotted the knots with superglue since I know things tied with string eventually come loose with use.

As with "Minotaur's Sanctum" the top of the tower also turned out ragged because I'd been cutting with the same dull knife for a while. I fixed this by designing a tower cap and decided to use it to pin the beads to the sides of the tower inside the cap.

This tower also has several other distinctions besides the skull beads dangling down the sides. I couldn't decide on a wall paper for the tray from the texture viewer, but my wife had some rough stone scrapbook paper. Frankly, a lot of scrapbook papers are too froo-froo, but this one worked out nicely. I had the advantage of working with a larger sheet of paper in this case. The tower doesn't lay down neatly like the others, but the design was just too cool to pass up and so nesting capability became a non-requirement. However, the most distinctive thing about this tower is that it sounds like a rain stick when the beads move. Sweet!

The next tower I decided to tackle was for my daughter. She's had a long running interest in vampires for a few years and has an more recent interest in things gothic. I went with a gothic vampire design. Again, I kept personalization very much in mind while working. I really wanted to consider the likes and dislikes of each owner.

The viewer had several cathedral textures and I went with the darkest. The red rose windows were ideal. This is the first tower I decided to make with crenated walls and of course they're pointed like vampire teeth.

I was ahead of schedule thus far and decided to get a little a little more creative. My wife and I also made several discoveries while we were out shopping for cheap art supplies. The photo captions pretty much tell the rest of the story there.

I poured a lot of new ideas into this dice tower, including: a coffin-shaped dice tray; different interior paper (my daughter also likes dark elves so the spider design was a bonus); use of real iron nails for the balcony rails (they are superglued head-to-head), use of nails on the coffin-shaped tray (ironically) and rhine stones on the nail heads; the incorporation of a pre-painted miniature; strips of paper rimming the corners of the tower and "armoring" the coffin. Again, this tower doesn't nest, but it's not likely to travel far anyway.

Dice Tray Maddness: Part I

2011-01-04T08:00:00.006-06:00

Photo #1: "Blue Ice Caves"
Dice Tower (right side view)

Photo #2: "Blue Ice Caves"
Dice Tower (left side view)

Photo #3: "Blue Ice Caves"
Dice Tower
(folded down for storage and portability)

Photo #4: "Minotaur's Sanctum"
Dice Tower (right side view)

Photo #5: "Minotaur's Sanctum"
Dice Tower (left side view)

Photo #6: "Minotaur's Sanctum"
Dice Tower
(folded down for storage and portability)

Unfortunately, we were flat broke over the Christmas holiday. However, I decided not to let let my aching wallet get me down. I also wanted to be able to offer more than apologies as Christmas gifts. So I started looking around for ideas and hit upon the idea of using my long latent crafting talents to make Christmas gifts. I wanted to make something useful, game-relevant and most especially personal for each member of my family as well as our Pathfinder RPG gaming buddies. That of course led to a peek on the web.

Google returned this forum post on the BoardGameGeek website (one of my favorite all time game-related sites). In short, I quickly set about to making eight dice towers, one for each of my kids, Paul, Elandria, Megan and Vincent, my lovely wife, Dusty, our gaming friends, Liz and Glen, and my brother, Clay, who's recently returned to the game table (I'm happy to say). I had about two weeks until Christmas Day and I had a lot of printing, cutting, gluing and, as it turned out, learning and re-learning to do. I started by secretly mass producing the foam core parts for eight dice towers while picking out and saving all the textures I would most likely use. This of course took several evenings and quite frankly didn't remain much of a secret for long (there are six people in my house hold and doors don't stay closed around here because we also have two cats).

I've worked with foam core before, but I hadn't done any really serious crafting in a long while; on the order of years as a matter of fact. I knew I needed to start with a simple prototype so I decided to start with Paul's dice tower simply because he's the youngest and because his preferences run fairly simple. I also knew he'd be fairly forgiving if it didn't turn out so well. Anyway Paul's favorite color is blue. I downloaded some software, dug into my new stock piles of foam core tower parts and created my first prototype. I went with a "Blue Ice Caves" theme in honor of Winter, the Christmas cold and of course Paul's strong color preference.

I freely admit I made a lot of mistakes on my first dice tower, though all of them were easily correctable and the tower turned out just fine; better than expected actually. It also has the distinction of being the most compact of all the towers I made. It lays down for easy storage and maximum portability too. I stuck to the design and materials in the forum post for the most part, except that I used clear-drying glue instead of hot glue. I quickly discovered that hot glue works much better and speeds construction considerably since it cools faster than glue dries. The risk with liquid glue is that you might get the paper wet which may cause the ink on the paper to bleed. I was careful enough to avoid this though. Still, I used my trusty ink jet printer so, unlike color laser printers, the ink just isn't as fixed or "dry" on the paper.

Anyway with one dice tower under my belt and a little more confidence, I added a few new methods and materials and started in on creating Megan's dice tower. I started with her tower because once again, I had a very strong impression of her preferences. Megan is currently interested in Ancient Greece and Greek Mythology. So, while browsing through the textures in the Genetica Viewer for paper textures, I came across one called "Minotaur's Sanctum." I picked out a contrasting paper for the floor and went to town on it. I was going for a Grecian or at least ancient world look and it came it out great.

Megan's dice tower also has the distinction of being the first one with a tower cap. The paper came out ragged on top due to some bad cutting with a dull hobby knife, so I created a nice contrasting cap to match the floor paper in the dice tray. I also had the challenge of lining up the stripes on the paper which I'm glad to say came out near perfect. This tower has the distinction of having the longest tray because I still wanted it to be nestable and portable, even with the tower cap design. I lengthened and micro-widened the tray (the tray is imperceptibly wider at the far end) to accommodate the width of the tower cap.

I also experimented with building the front-most wall sections in separate pieces which created a sort of aqueduct effect at the end of the tray. I had some trouble with this and found that I had to reinforce the walls with tiny triangles of foam core covered in floor paper (not visible in the photos), however, it all turned out beautifully. The dice rarely reach the far end if at all so the tiny reinforcements don't get in the way. Interestingly, when this tower is folded down, it sort of reminds me of Noah's Ark. :)

New Years Resolutions for Gamers: Part III

2011-01-03T14:45:00.004-06:00

Yesterday I started my New Years resolutions list and today I'd like to finish that up:

Play more board games or other roleplaying games: I think it's important to support board games too, since roleplaying games sprang from board games. Board games are also good for when time is short or players are unavailable. My kids are also still young enough to enjoy board games so players are ample. BoardGameGeek has a nifty little widget for registering games played, so at some point I'll pop that over on the right and start keeping track of my board game plays. So pardon the mess as I style the code. I also have my eye on a few other games including Kill Doctor Lucky. That game just looks like a lot of fun. My lovely wife also bought the Mouse Guard miniatures from Reaper last year, so I'm looking at buying the RPG and maybe running a game.

Read more: My purchasing speed doesn't match my reading speed so, like a lot of gamers I suspect, I have a bunch of stuff on my shelves I've not even had a chance to read. I'll probably start to sell off some of the D20 stuff I've lost interest in keeping.

Run a game in a different game world: I failed to complete my homespun world last year so I'm broadening my resolution to make it more attainable by including commercially-available game worlds. I'm really tired of Greyhawk and don't care much for Golarion, so I'd like to find a new campaign setting to use this year. I have a few unread D20 commercial game worlds sitting on my shelf which include: Dawnforge, Diamond Throne (from Monte Cook's Arcana Evolved), Kingdoms of Kalamar, Sovereign Stone and the latest incarnation of the Dragonlance Campaign Setting (which I picked up on sale for $8). My wife and I also have our eyes on the Freeport setting by Green Ronin. It'll be interesting to see what happens at any rate.

Buy something from a local game store: Easily done last year, so why not keep it? Enough said.

Lose some weight: Too much pizza at the game table can be a bad thing.

New Years Resolulutions for Gamers: Part II

2011-01-02T20:25:00.001-06:00

Yesterday I reviewed my gamer New Years resolutions for 2010. Today, I've been giving a lot of thought about what I'd like to accomplish in 2011. I have a much longer list this year I think but all of it is quite possible. So here goes about half of my gamer New Years resolutions for 2011:

Blog more about games and gaming: My blogging efforts petered off toward the end of the year which is sort of a shame because I do have a lot of insights, experiences and ideas to share. However, I know why my efforts dropped off. I'm very critical and have a very strong, sometimes sanguine set of preferences which means I can sound very grumpy when maybe that's not my intention. So, I let my blogging efforts fall off toward the end of the year because I decided to bottle my feelings rather than sharing them because I didn't want to sound like I'm just bitching. Predictably that just makes me grumpier. So, I'll be posting a lot more this year irregardless.

Publish something: I've already mentioned that I worked on a few freelance projects last year, so this item is cheating a little because I know I have some things coming down the pipe. So beyond those I'd like to publish at least three more good sized things in 2011, whether electronically or in physical print. I'm leaving this resolution sort of vague. I'll brag or cry at the end of the year.

Interact more with the gaming community: This one will be tough for me. In addition to being critical, I can come on real strong with my own preferences and opinions which unfortunately puts a lot of people off. I'm very direct, I say what I mean and I'm even brutally honest sometimes. I can be persuaded and my opinions can be changed with a logical argument. I can also be tactful or diplomatic. It's just not my best skill. I just don't like to play politics or mind games. I also suffer a little from being antisocial to begin with. There was also a time when I found the gaming community pedantic and plebeian. None of this a good mixture as you might imagine. However, I'm starting to find little pools of like-minded folk I'd like to interact with more. I'll be starting off by "attending" the RPG Superstar 2011 contest and commenting on items submitted by contestants. I'm looking forward to it as a matter of fact.

Make more cool table top dungeon FX: I've already started on this and will be posting some pictures of my creations pretty soon. I've started making my own dungeon tiles and some wooden dungeon furnishings. I also have several Hirst Arts molds and I've vowed to use them this year (I've had them for over four years now and it's high time I made some real dungeon tiles).

Run a new campaign for my kids: My daughter Megan has requested that I run a campaign set in Ancient Greece (fantasy not historical) using the Pathfinder RPG. I was already kicking around the idea of launching a new kids' game anyway so this fits right into my plans for 2011. Please feel free to post any suggestions you might have for commercially available material that might help me meet this goal?

New Years Resolulutions for Gamers: Part I

2011-01-01T22:44:00.000-06:00

Last year I made a few New Years resolutions as the result of a post I saw elsewhere on the web. I decided a year ago to take up the gauntlet, make a few resolutions and see how I did at the end of the year. I browsed my old post today and decided to pass on commenting further, that is until I saw a post on Seer's Sight referencing my year-old post. I was heartened to see that so decided to comment after all. Here we are at the end of the year and here's how I did:

Buy something from a local game store (A+): We bought a lot of great stuff this year from our local game store including loads of new dice, miniatures and a smattering of card and board games. Madness also had a buy 2-get-1 free sale so I picked up some books and modules too, including two new game worlds (Dawnforge and Sovereign Stone, which I've yet to read, but such is life). Believe me there's more I'd love to buy. In addition, I also reintroduced my younger brother to the hobby after about a twenty year absence. He in turn bought a ton of dice. He also bought a license for Hero Lab for use with the Pathfinder RPG, which we use extensively in our games and, since Lone Wolf doesn't have a store front per se, I've chosen to count that as a local store too. We also managed to make two trips to Reaper in Denton, Texas and bought at least $300 worth of miniatures on the first trip alone. So, we've supported our hobby with our spending dollars quite well.

Try a new game system (D): Ooops. However, I did buy the Cortex rules for my son with the intention of playing. He also has almost all of the Serenity RPG stuff too. At this point I have a character (Captain Coldred Benson), but we've not had a game yet. My son has decided to run a PBEM game, which I'm not thrilled with but it's better than not playing and it does make his age level (senior high school kids) more accessible. So this is, alas at the end of the year, in the works.

Pull out a RPG you haven’t played in a while and play it (F): Star Frontiers still languishes on my shelf, though I've collected most of the old TSR modules for the system. Unfortunately, there just hasn't been enough time to dedicate to a game.

Finish my game world (D): Ooops. Damn. I'm not doing so well am I? I did quite a bit of work on my game world, but it's no where near complete. The premise is awesome, I just can't seem to express it and I need a new design strategy.

Get back in the game and run a new campaign (B+): Yes! Whew. We're currently playing our "Crimson Tombs" campaign using the Patfinder RPG. The setting is Greyhawk, which I'm not really satisfied with, but I just don't care for Golarion. I also tried to start several "kids games," but they just didn't hold. I blame myself and my kids equally (kids today just expect games to move faster than light and it's hard to hold their attention).

With all this in mind, I think I'll set some new goals for 2011 and invite you all to do the same. I've thought of a couple not on the original list too, so it should make things interesting for this year.

Happy New Year!

2010-12-31T23:59:00.001-06:00

A Happy New Year from our great big gaming table here in Dallas, Texas! We're meeting one last time in 2010 to polish off a bunch of food, sparkling wine and play the Pathfinder RPG into the wee hours. I've become much more fond of the gaming community this year and so I want to wish each and every one of you a Happy and prosperous New Year!

Cheers!

Just a Quick Update

2010-12-10T14:19:00.000-06:00

I have a lot of game-related things going which I plan to share very soon. I've had two freelance projects recently which, with any luck, I'll eventually be able to talk about. I also have another classic adventure that I've converted over to Pathfinder, complete with a new map. I'll be sharing that once I've actually run my group through it. I've also decided to share my database stuff; I'm just dragging my feet for a number of reasons I won't go into here. Finally, the crafting bug has hit me and I've been making lots of cool stuff for our games which I plan to photo and post. So, while things seem dead here, hold on to your hats because come the first of the year I should have a ton of things to share.

Ten-Hut!

2010-12-01T13:00:00.002-06:00

One of the problems I hear about frequently, and still encounter even in my own games, are players who just can't seem to pay attention to the game. I think the primary problem is that we live in a fast-paced society. We expect fast food, fast service and fast cash. We also believe in the myth of multitasking. Yes, multitasking is a myth. What multitasking really is, is doing a bunch of things adequately to poorly all at the same time, rather than doing one thing well. Multitasking can also be dangerous (texting while driving, for example). It is also an anathema to roleplaying games. Avoid it.

While roleplaying games like Pathfinder have no doubt gotten faster (though still slower than classic roleplaying games), they'll never reach speeds equal to television or video games, nor should they. It isn't so much about speed as it is about pacing and good pacing is the key to running successful games. So, consider that your pacing might be too slow first and address any issues you know you already have with your GMing style as regards pacing. Once you've eliminated that as a possibly, the issue gets real hairy because it's all situational from here.

I've had to deal with a number of player attention span problems over the years. I've also had players that were habitually hours late. I've had players bring fast food and disrupt play while we wait for them to finish eating (I'm sorry, but I don't want to imagine your barbarian wolfing down a Big Mac, nor do I want special sauce on my vinyl mats). I'm also still having to deal with problems today, though the problems are much different now that I play with an older group. Unfortunately, most game books don't offer advice on what to do when your players can't pay attention, but then they shouldn't because this problem is, like I said, entirely situational. So, your only real recourse is to find out what works from other GMs, which I'll share some of today.

One of the things that frequently gets in the way, believe it or not, is mobile phones and, to a lesser extent portable music devices with headphones, which are essentially even more short attention span toys. They should be removed from the table and placed aside. Texting needs to be banned entirely; while phone calls can be of an emergency nature, texting usually just isn't. If you have players that pay more attention to these devices than the game, then they need to be given a warning. In other words, bitch freely and loudly that they are paying more attention to "monkey flea picking" than playing the game. You should also consider skipping them in the combat order and be sure to have critters attack them while they're not paying attention too. If they're not attentive than neither should be their characters.

Laptops are a similar distraction. I freely admit that we employ laptops during play, because we use HeroLab to run our games. However, I have had to bitch about Facebooking or surfing and such upon occasion and I've made house rules to cover these occurrences. Be sure that you, as GM, also don't fall victim to the distractions of the World Wide Woe (While I don't really recall becoming distracted in this way during actual game play, believe you me, my players remember it and so will yours). While I didn't have critters attack inattentive players, since bitching was enough, I would use such tactics in the future to get players to come back and play.

If this doesn't change the behavior, they should be invited to go to another room to enjoy that activity rather than playing any sort of game. In the olden days, folks sat in parlors and listened to music. That was the main activity. Today, we try to have multiple activities going on at once, but this is no good at the game table. The game needs to be the primary focus and the primary activity. Turn off nearby televisions or similar distractions. I find this problem occurs in younger players, my kids specifically. Fortunately, I have parental authority on my side, but you won't always have that, so you'll need to find a tactic that works.

Some groups also play with mood music which is fine as long as other players have no trouble focusing. Our group doesn't use mood music because two sound sources is distracting to at least one player and, frankly, me as well (which is a change from when I was younger). We've even tried lowering the music to "polite office" level, but music is recorded or plays at different levels and invariably Enya will play right after Black Sabbath unless you're more selective. So avoid allowing mood music to be the focus at any rate.

I also don't want to harp on age difference, but be aware that folks of the same age group are generally going to be more cooperative, unless you have youngsters who are remarkably mature for their age, which I happily have in my group. If you find yourself in a younger crowd as a player and you don't mesh with them, then you may need to find another group too. I've experienced this on two occasions myself, although there were other issues as well (group one relied entirely on random encounters and random dungeons and group two was just plain clueless).

If you play in a group where distractions are going on, ally yourself with GM when he bitches and moans about it. Be sure you're also paying the best attention you can and take advantage of brain dead players who've missed their turn. Hell, steal their stuff if you can. I hate to say it but players who don't pay attention to the game at hand deserve to have their stuff stolen while critters are whopping on them. The same thing is going to happen to them in a video game isn't it? Again, if they really care about the game, these occurrences should modify their behavior. If they don't seem to care then they need to find another activity and should be invited to do so by both players and GM.

I should mention that I have a player that just cannot sit still. By that, I mean he must get up and walk around. He cannot sit in a chair for very long. It appears to be a form of hyperactivity or internal nervousness and it's something I do tolerate, however, if he's not at least listening to what's going on when his turn comes up, I skip him. This is one of my children too. I mention this case because you can make allowances for personal quirks and still run a successful game. Just keep it in mind as you plan.

I want to mention one more form of distraction: the rules. Yes, many players have forgotten that the rules can be a distraction in and of themselves. Your job as GM will sometimes be to make a decision, rather than stopping the game to look things up. The price of tea in China isn't important when the ancient dragon you spent two weeks stating is making his grand, fiery appearance. The rules are guidelines. Repeat that. They are guidelines that help us do what we did when we were children: make believe. The rules help us pretend and should not become a distraction.

A few of my pet peeves in this area is taking a huge amount of session time shopping for the best price on ale, haggling over magic items (or whether there's a dude in town selling those assembly line +5 vorpal blades). This stuff just isn't the stuff of fantasy to me. Want a vorpal blade? Then go defeat the god living on Death Mountain and take his. The point is don't get bogged down in the rules or details that detract from the game.

I welcome a certain level of rules lawyering, because it helps us play better in the future. Just know the difference between an intelligent exchange that helps everyone learn the rules better and bickering about a +1 modifier from three rounds ago. Another pet peeve of mine is having players who want to backtrack several rounds to change what happened. My answer to this? Just say no. Missing modifiers and other details as well as telling players no to backtracking will help them remember those details the next time. Again, it modifies the distracting behavior.

So, remember that the key is pacing. Fix any issues you may have, as a GM, then attack issues with players who just can't pay attention. Finally, if you have players who just won't cooperate, don't appear to be interested in the game, or don't even appear to be having a good time (the goal of any roleplaying game) then they really need to find something else to do, because they're harming play for everyone else. It's impolite and unfair. Don't be afraid to politely suggest another activity because ultimately the game should be the focus and not other things.

CC3 Weakness #2: Crash Crash Crash

2010-11-29T15:46:00.001-06:00

You'll see this more often than you'll see completed maps.

I know it's very popular these days to throw out really shoddy software, operating systems and games then patch the crap out of them later (even Blizzard's StarCraft II suffers from this horrible anathema and I consider Blizzard a top notch developer... I won't even go into the whole Vista and Windows 7 snaufu). Campaign Cartographer 3 is no exception, except that no matter what you do CC3 is going to crash. Period.

So, if you plan to make use of CC3 at all you'll need to make crash recovery part of your mapping strategy. In other words, plan on it, expect and know for a certainty that you're eventually going to loose some amount of work. The only way to minimize that is to save often, use the Autosave feature and be pleasantly surprised when clicking a button in the interface doesn't result in the death of mankind. This particular crash occurred when I clicked the purge unused layers button. Oh and by the way, CC3 has no crash logs and doesn't make any effort to help you. Hell, it won't even remember the last file you had open.

Finally, if you own CC2 Pro (with final patch) and you're satisfied, consider not upgrading at all. I don't mean to hurt anyone's business, but CC2 Pro is without a doubt the most stable version of Campaign Cartographer and I think adding bitmap capability has only hurt the program's overall stability. While the symbols aren't as fancy-shmancy, you'll at least be able to create maps quickly and efficiently without a crash dummy. You'll also still be able to create your own symbols without having to play with dumbass .png files.

CC3 Weakness #1: Bitmap Imbedding

2010-11-27T18:36:00.000-06:00

I'm a long time user of Campaign Cartographer 3 and I have a multitude of complaints with it. My complaint for today? If you use a bitmap fill on your maps, the program is dependent on the file location of the bitmap. So, if I create a map and give it to my buddy, he must have the exact same bitmaps I used and they better be in the same file location otherwise you get this:

Where the hell is my bitmap?

But that's not the worst of it. The worst of it is that there appears to be no command for changing the path at all. How stupid.

Freelancing

2010-11-26T18:04:00.000-06:00

My freelancing efforts are proving to be quite fun, though lonely at the same time. Oddly enough the same can be said for being a game master. I guess it's lonely at the top. I still can't say what I'm working or for whom. I can say that it's going well, which I'd trade for all the secrecy in the world. So, I'm happy with my efforts. Plus everyone will see it all eventually anyway. Of that I have no doubt, because I'm awesome. Tyvm.

We've been playing more too and, at the risk of jinxing our play schedule, that's going well too.

Three Stage Characters

2010-11-26T12:22:00.001-06:00

Three Stage Druids by Ral Partha

I was thinking about miniatures on the way back from second breakfast this morning and suddenly remembered three stage characters! Three stage characters was a really cool concept by Ral Partha that never really seemed to catch on, which I think is a pity.

I owned a blister pack of three druids, one at low level, one at mid-level and one at high level, the idea being that you'd switch out your low and mid-level miniatures once you reached the pinnacle of awesomeness all players dream of. I had an antipaladin set too though I ended up treating them as separate miniatures. Unfortunately I think the reason it never caught on is because play levels never got much above 9th-10th level back then and then only after years of play.

Three Stage Antipaladins by Ral Partha

While the concept never caught on back then, I think it would now, since it doesn't take as long to level up and power levels are generally higher in the Pathfinder RPG. I'd still buy these miniatures today if they were to ever make some sort of impossible come back.

Huzzah! RPG Superstar 2011 at Last!

2010-11-16T06:12:00.000-06:00

Yes! Finally a sport for the rest of us! This is my Superbowl! Now that's Italian! um...no, wait?!

Anyway here is one of the coolest changes in the rules I think:

8. The other three Finalists gain a paid commission to write a 16-page adventure scenario for Paizo Publishing's Pathfinder Society. The Finalists must sign a contract to write an adventure scenario as prepared and accepted by Paizo Publishing. The final adventure scenario must be written in the English language, following the Pathfinder RPG rules set, and must be written with proper spelling and grammar. The Finalist must fulfill their obligations to write an adventure scenario acceptable to Paizo Publishing before getting paid for their work. Being an RPG Superstar Finalist does not guarantee the Finalist payment if they don't fulfill their obligation to write the adventure scenario or can't deliver an adventure scenario that meets Paizo Publishing's quality standards.

Considering how difficult it is to get into the top 4 slot I think this is a great change and one that Paizonians will definitely support.

Quickie

2010-11-03T01:40:00.000-05:00

This is just a quick post to say I'm still alive. I can't say much about what I've been working on, but I've been writing and mapping megatons lately on a big freelance project. We've also been playing lately which has been exceptionally nice. The campaign has really taken off! I wish I had time to post game journals, but they really wouldn't do our sessions justice even if I wrote them. Anyway, keep following!

Signed,
Sleeping Not Dead :)

Glut

2010-09-30T09:34:00.000-05:00

There are too many 3rd-party RPG products. I mean this not to complain, at least not in the way you might think at first. What I mean is that there are too many to keep track of, too many to know what they're quality is and too many that you might miss if you're not watching well enough. I get a number of newsletters from such sites as RPGDriveThru but still feel as though I'm missing a lot, including what might be a game world I might actually like (fat chance... I'm very picky). Some of these products are so ridiculously cheep though (like $2.50) that it's a no brainer to buy one or two PDFs to see if the product line meets my tastes. Sites like the latter also have sample pages up, so it's not like no one's trying to give us an idea of a product line's quality. As a matter of fact, everyone's doing a pretty good job.

While I have been working on my game world, I've come to a temporary stand still on it as I prepare for the next few game sessions and we're STILL using Greyhawk as our default game world. I've also started a second game in the Pathfinder Chronicles setting (Golarion), but I find it rather dry and mechanical. Greyhawk seems to have been crafted with more love, but I digress... maybe the problem is my method, but it just seems difficult to find a solid list of products specifically for my chosen game system, without a bunch of surfing, searching, adds, looking through products I don't want and other extraneous hullabaloo.

Improvisation

2010-09-28T18:38:00.000-05:00

What do you do when the players hit a piece of your campaign you've not designed yet? Do you throw up the under construction signs and adjourn until next weekend? or do you plow forward and mad lib? I suppose if you're running an adventure path this question really doesn't apply to you, but for the rest of us who master a game, this can be a real nightmare. I myself tend to plow forward unless I know I have no choice (i.e. I know I'm going to blow it), which is pretty damned rare. Unfortunatelty this is a double-edged sword. On the one hand, the game continues in an extremely creative fashion, at times producing some really fantastic results. My less and less recent experience with the Shattered Gates of Slaughtergarde game is a really good example. We played about an extra year on just stuff I made up long after the game material ran out. The other edge of that sword though is that I tend to write myself into a corner. Or as my late father would put it, "my alligator mouth outtalks my hummingbird butt." That is to say my imagination runs wild and puts me in a bad position master wise.

The game system, any game system really, doesn't really support the breadth of the human imagination. No game system ever will and that's fine because it shouldn't. But most long lasting game systems do a pretty good job of giving a good slice of that. Nevertheless, in my own experience, I *eventually* run right smack dab into "here there be dragons" territory. Thus I'll have to consider preparing mountains of stats, places the characters *might* go and other fiddly game objects that I imagined but still exist only in the Platonic sense. This is actually one of the major reasons I ended my Slaughtergarde game though frequency of play and player dedication were also factors (aside: sometimes players are willing to eat and digest, but are seldom willing to cook at the same culinary level; another aside: werewolves were also a major plot feature and anyone familiar with the 3.5 were- templates knows that those are a good reason to end a campaign right there). Nevertheless, I'm still tempted to be a crowd pleaser when it comes to improvisation.

P.S. I've been wanting to say this to the wind for sometime: Slaughtergarde should have been Slaughterguard or Slaughtergard. The French spelling is just weird to me.

Monochrome

2010-09-27T17:41:00.002-05:00

Adventures were much better in black and white. The fact that most of today's top selling adventures are in full living glossy magazine color is actually a minus in my book. Why? Because it makes them just that much harder to modify, especially when maps are in color and have a lot of unnecessary features that make them harder to read, like drop shadows and fancy over/underlays. I think maps have lost basic functionality since AD&D, in favor of too much eye candy flash. It's also more difficult to draw monster positions (my particular favorite) or other notations (like an arrow showing that monsters in area 5 will come and investigate noises in area 7...another favorite) on a color map. Monochrome maps are also more photocopy friendly allowing for easy cut and paste or map splicing operations.

Black and white maps also lend themselves to notations in colored pencil or marker. As a slight aside, Harn city and region maps used to come with a black and white version you could mark up. I once used this feature to map the sewers under a Harnic city I used in my main campaign many years ago. I think this would be a really good solution to the problem and would only cost a line drawing repeat of the maps. Adventure maps are too much the meat and potatoes of adventures to allow a loss of function over eye candy. Kudos to those 3rd-party companies producing good, functional monochrome maps! Won't you top selling guys consider giving us some maps we can bash more easily?

World Bashing

2010-09-07T09:59:00.000-05:00

Well I haven't dropped off the planet or anything. I've been deep into writing and cartography for several weeks now, still working on creating my own game world. This of course is one of the most daunting tasks any gamer can undertake and it's not without its frustrations, but it's still something I feel I must do (however long it takes). As a gamer from a much older school of thought, playing with newer systems, I'm just not satisfied with today's commercial offerings game world wise. Then again, when we played AD&D, we never played with a published world anyway. I always ran my own homespun. The game encouraged us to do that and it doesn't any more (cynically put, it would hurt profit margins).

This puts me at a disadvantage when trying to absorb a commercial world. I don't pretend to have read enough game worlds to form really specific complaints except to say that most of the stuff I read just doesn't sound all that fantastic. I mean most game worlds honestly seem like a politically correct rehash of Earth, designed for maximum popular appeal, with fantasy versions of countries X, Y and Z. I suppose that's a perfectly valid approach to game world design, but I find this and the canonical trivia that goes along with learning a commercial game world entirely frustrating. Anyway most game worlds have too much History Channel or Discovery Channel in them.

Part of my frustration has nothing to do with the hobby though. It's also because I work a pretty much dead end pseudo-IT job where technology is changing so fast that I really can't keep up there either. I'm expected to do that on my own with no budget or learning resources. I might as well be a plant sucking knowledge from dead, dry soil. I'm sure I'm not alone in that club. Both things have something in common though and that is, as an individual, I'm pretty much outnumbered. Companies with whole staves of people are busy creating stuff to buy in both arenas and I'm just a gamer dad with four kids. There's no appreciable way for me to keep up. This thought depresses me somewhat, which I guess is why I've not blogged in a while.

Ultimately, I'm frustrated. We play so seldom too, which doesn't help. This all leads me to think of leaving the hobby about once a month though I know I never will escape its gravity well. Maybe when I'm old and wrinkly I'll be able to shut up and just go fishing. I'm sure my lovely wife grows weary of my bellyaching too. In any case, I guess like a lot of older gamers I just don't see eye to eye with a lot of the stuff being produced (and no one seems to understand my frustration, which is in itself frustrating too because it's near impossible to describe what's missing). That's not to say that they don't have their merits or that it's all awful. I also don't want to hurt anyone's products by pointing out my specific disdain. I also feel a need to remain silent on specific targets lest I incur the wrath of the devout. Suffice it to say I don't want a rehash of Earth. I think a fantasy world should seem...fantastic. You know, alien, otherworldly. I mean what are the odds of another world being as similar to Earth as a lot of game worlds are?

Anyway, truth be known, I'd miss gaming and I've come to the conclusion that the real problem is that where once I was satisfied and comfortable with the direction of my own hobby, I'm not anymore and it seems like the solution to this is to somehow find my way back to being content with it. That seems to start with designing a new game world (now that we do have a preferred game system) so that's what I've been up to. I need a more artful world that isn't just designed for maximum appeal to the masses, then maybe I'll be on the right road.

Tallow's Deep Conversion

2010-07-29T23:03:00.003-05:00

I'd mentioned in a post a while back that I'd done a conversion for an adventure from Dungeon Magazine called Tallow's Deep, from AD&D 2nd Edition to D&D 3.5. Tallow's Deep is a great classic romp through cruel goblin territory. The information below are my unedited raw conversion notes, in case anyone else would like to make use of them as well.

Please note this is raw stuff and hasn't been converted to Pathfinder. I was also connecting this to the Sunless Citadel so you'll see references to Sunless in the text. Probably the most useful stuffs are the monster conversions (the green slime should be a hazard rather than a monster, by the way; live and learn). Also, you might want to drop the number of stirges because they seem more deadly in 3.5.

See? Ask and ye shall receive! I'll be glad to answer questions too.

Campaign notes

† Remove: All adventure background material, player character information, and dungeon master information.

† Rumors

+ Legend has it that this goblin fortress is called Tallow's Deep because no candle stays lit for long in its halls. Knowledge: History or Knowledge: Local (DC 18).

+ Legend also has it that a half-elven knight named Sir Bronwyn Tallow attacked and cleared Tallow's Deep over fifty years ago cleansing the goblins hall of all denizens. Knowledge: History or Knowledge: Local (DC 24).

† Add: Area 1 connects to the Underdark passage on the grove level of the Sunless Citadel.

† The goblins in the Sunless Citadel sold Shawn to the Skull Crusher tribe. He is enslaved/imprisoned in areas 13-14 and maybe found in these areas depending on whether the water in area 11 has been released.

† The goblins in the Sunless Citadel gave Treecko to Belak, the druid on the grovel level, and he in turn fed her to the Gulthias tree.

† Goblins are planning a night assault on Oakhurst in 2-3 weeks. They're waiting for Belak to produce a larger number of twig blights.

Features of Tallow's Deep

† Goblin Doors

+ Skills: Find traps/secret doors.

+ Bonus Spot: +1 for elves/half-elves; active search only.

† Goblin Tunnels

+ Penalty: -2 to attack (characters 4+ feet tall).

+ Penalty: -2 to AC for (characters 4+ feet tall).

† Exits

+ See map notes.

+ See lake map.

† Arrow Slits/Murder Holes

+ Bonus: +1 to attack (goblins)

+ Bonus: +6 to AC (goblins)

+ Search (DC 16)

Area Descriptions

1. Replace: This tunnel is sealed by an ancient iron door of non-goblin construction (see area 10 for details). A small wire basket hangs next to the door for messages and goblin scouts check the door once every 1-2 weeks for new messages from the goblins of the Sunless Citadel. Grishog has the key to this ancient door and provides it to scouts as necessary.

2. Modify: This room is octagonal rather than round and is also of non-goblin construction (see area 10 for details). The walls are an alien, alabaster white and the center features an octagonal trash pit filled with filthy, maggot ridden trash and dead/decaying bodies. The smell is nauseating at best. There are two floor drains in the hallway leading to area 4.

3. Remove: Mining tools.

4. This room is identical to area 2 except that the octagonal trash pit is occupied by an otyugh. A treasure chest dangles from a rope tied to an iron ring in the center of the ceiling and contains only bone-dry humanoid skulls. A slimy 3' diameter drain pipe connects the two trash pits and the floor drains in the hallway from area 2 drain into this pipe as well.

† Otyugh.

6. See stats for traps and occupants.

† Camouflaged Pit Trap: CR 1; non-mechanical; manual reset; reflex save negates (DC 20); 5'x10' (1d6, fall); Search (DC 24); Disable Device (DC 10).

† Shrieker.

7. See stats for traps and occupants.

† Small Portcullis: bend bars/lift (DC 25).

† Goblin Beaters (x5).

8. See stats for traps.

† Hollow Flagstone Pit Traps (x5): CR 2; non-mechanical; location trigger; repair reset; Reflex save negates (DC 20); 5'x10' (1d6, fall); Search (DC 21); spikes cause additional 1d4-1 piercing damage (no save) and filth fever, fortitude save negates (DC 12); 1d3 Dex and 1d3 Con damage, 1 day onset.

† Gong Trap: CR ½; non-mechanical; location trigger; repair reset; Search (DC 24); Disable Device (DC 26); harmless/no damage.

9. Replace: Goblin markings with the much more brutal message of humanoid heads displayed on spiked poles.

10. Replace (scroll spells): scroll contains protection from evil, remove disease, cure serious wounds. See stats for traps and occupants.

† Stirges (x18).

10A. Remove: Sandling young. Modify: ring of water walking. See stats for the sandling in area 10A.

† Sandling.

11. See short hand notes on the actions of the goblins watching from area 11A and stats for traps and occupants.

+ Head West: Goblins will wait until they are out of sight (Darkvision 60'); signal water release in person from area 13.

+ Head East: Goblins beat warning drums signaling immediate water release.

+ Head North: Goblins signal water release in person from area 13.

+ Head South: Goblins wait 4 hours; send scouts; wait 12 hours; release water if scouts are lost.

† River Trap: CR 4; mechanical; location trigger (manual); manual reset; multiple targets; never miss; Reflex save negates damage (2d6 water slam, wall/floor slam); water forces movement toward area 12 at 60 feet per round.

† Goblin Shooters (x3).

† Additional Notes – River Trap

+ Swimming: Swim (DC 15) adjusted for armor and encumbrance plus take 1d3 non-lethal damage per round, failed check still causes 1d3 non-lethal damage and requires second check or begin drowning procedures as characters go under (DMG pg. 304).

+ Crossing: Swim (DC 24) to ford/cross between stairs without being swept away to area 12; Use Rope or similar devices grant -8 to Swim DC if it can be anchored somehow. The water moves at 60 feet per round and characters moving back to the stairs must move faster than the water to reach the stairs. See area 12 for additional notes.

12. See stats for traps.

† Slippery Floor Trap: CR 2; non-mechanical; never miss; Reflex save negates a fall (DC 10) with +4 to the DC for each degree of half move above full move under "dry" conditions; characters falling or being swept by water from area 11 automatically move to the center of the chamber and go down the drain hole.

† Drain Hole: CR 2; non-mechanical; never miss; Reflex save for half damage (2d6, wall/floor slam damage and 20' foot drop to lake area slide).

† Additional Notes – Slippery Floor/River Trap

+ Climbing: Climb (DC 22); walls are slippery.

+ Fall Assistance: Characters assisting one another with a fall under dry conditions must make a Dexterity check (DC 14) to grab the fallen character before he slides into the hole; the assisting character must also make a Reflex save for the sudden movement required to help (DC 10) to avoid falling as well; +4 to the DC for each degree of move prior to assisting as above.

12A. [UNDERGROUND LAKE]

13. Shawn may be found in this area depending on whether he is forced to help control the water in area 11.

† Goblin Beaters (x4).

† Slaves (x6).

14. Shawn might be found in this area if he is not being used to control the water in area 11. Remove: Sergeant Fornd.

16. The tunnel from this area winds underground for 750 feet gradually ascending to the surface and opens into wilderness far away. The opening is camouflaged with a canvas door and finding it from the outside is extremely unlikely (DC 38).

† Worgs (x15).

17. See area 11 for chances to cross into this area.

† Goblin Watchers (x6).

18. See stats for traps and occupants.

† Portcullis Trap: CR 1; mechanical; location trigger; manual reset; Attack +10 melee (3d6); Search (DC 20); Disable Device (DC 20); Note: damage only applies to those under the portcullis and it blocks the room; bend bars/lift (DC 32).

† Goblin Shooters (x6).

† Goblin Shooters (Reinforcements) (x10).

† Monstrous Centipedes, Small (12).

19. See stats for traps and occupants.

† Decoy Pit Trap: CR ½; non-mechanical; location trigger; manual reset; Reflex save negates (DC 15; DC 20 while being lanced by goblins); 5'x10' (1d4-1, spikes); Search (DC 24); Disable Device (DC 10). Note: The pit trap is just a decoy; the spikes may be retracted by means of a mechanical switch in the water found on a second search roll. The text is contradictory about the depth of the pit.

† Goblin Stabbers (8): hp 6 each.

20. See notes on traps in this area.

† Goblin Shooters (x12).

21. See areas 11-12 for details on falling into the river. The river is moving at 60 feet per round and characters falling in are swept to the under ground lake in 5-6 rounds.

22. See stats for traps and occupants.

† Goo Slide Trap: CR 2; non-mechanical; touch trigger; manual reset; forces movement to bottom of area; Reflex save half damage (3d6 fall damage); Search (DC 15); Disable Device (DC 24).

† Rats (x40).

23. See stats for traps and occupants.

† Double Gate Trap: CR 1; mechanical; location trigger; manual reset; Attack +10 melee (2d6); Search (DC 20); Disable Device (DC 20); Note: damage only applies to those under the portcullis and it blocks the room; bend bars/lift (DC 36).

† Goblin Shooters (18): hp 6 each.

24. See stats for traps and occupants.

† Bolder Trap (x2): CR 2; non-mechanical; manual trigger; repair reset; Attack +10 melee (2d6, rock); Reflex save half damage (2d6, bludgeoning); Search (DC 24); Disable Device (DC 32); forces a -8 Climb check or plummet 30 feet into room below (3d6, fall).

† Goblin Shooters (x2).

25. See stats for traps and occupants.

† Falling Cage Trap: CR 4; mechanical; location trigger; repair reset; Reflex save half damage (3d6, fall/bludgeoning); cage door and wooden block Search (DC 12); ceiling panel Search (DC 22); bend bars/lift (DC 25); Disable Device (DC 26).

† Giant Eel: 35 hp.

† Goblin Beaters (x4).

26. See stats for occupants.

† Goblin Beaters (x10).

27. See stats for traps and occupants.

† Skull Crusher Traps: CR 2; mechanical; location trigger; repair reset; Attack +10 melee (2d10, bludgeoning); Reflex save half (DC 18); Search (DC 20); Disable Device (DC 20).

† Goblin Shooters (x10).

† Goblin Beaters (x10).

28. See stats for occupants.

† Green Slime: hp 13.

29. See stats for occupants.

† Goblin Shooters (x8).

† Goblin Beaters (x8).

30. Modify: Statue is trapped with inflict light wounds trap; staff of healing.

† Inflict Light Wounds Trap: CR 2; magic device; touch trigger; automatic reset; spell effect (inflict light wounds, 1^st level cleric, 1d8+1; DC 11 Will save half damage); Search (DC 26); Disable Device (DC 26).

† Goblin Stabbers (x4).

† Goblin Shaman.

31. See stats for occupants.

† Grishog.

† Gunth.

† Worgs (x6).

† Goblin Beaters (x15).

† Goblin Stabbers (x84).

† Poisoned Gas Chest Trap: CR 5; mechanical; location trigger; manual reset; gas; multiple targets (all targets in a 10-ft.-by-10-ft. room); never miss; onset delay (2 rounds); poison (centipede poison mister, DC 11 Fortitude save resists, 1d2 Dex/1d2 Dex); Search DC 20; Disable Device DC 16.

32. Modify: Red circle on the map is drawn around Oakhurst.

33. Modify: The treasure here isn't from a merchant caravan. Replace (magic items): rapier of puncturing, potion of cure serious wounds (x2), potion of invisibility, potion of haste, ring of wizardry II.

Monster Stats

Giant Moray Eel (CR 4)

35E.DMx.000 (30E.NET.000)

N Large Beast

Init +3 (Dex); Senses Darkvision 60 ft, low-light vision, Listen +7, Spot +7

AC 16, touch 16, flat-footed 16

HP 27 (5d10 HD)

Immune Disease, fear

Fort +4, Ref +7, Will +2

Speed Swim 20 ft.

Full Attack Bite +5 melee (1d8 plus disease), tail lash +0 melee (1d4)

Melee Bite +5 melee (1d8 plus disease)

Space 5 ft.; Reach 5 ft.

Atk Options Improved grab, tear

Abilities Str 10 , Dex 17, Con 11, Int 1, Wis 12, Cha 2

SQ Immunities, amphibious, darkvision 60 ft, low-light vision

Feats Weapon Finesse (bite)

Skills Hide +0, Listen +7, Spot +7

Powers Improved grab, tear, disease

Improved grab (Ex): Attaches on successful hit.

Tear (Ex): Automatic damage each round while attached.

Disease (Ex): Mummy rot; Fort save DC 20 (avoid damage only), 1 day onset, 1d6 Con damage per day.

Goblin Beater (CR 1/3)

35E.MMI.133 (35E.SRD.000)

NE Small Humanoid (Goblinoid)

Init +1; Senses Darkvision 60 ft., Listen +2, Spot +2

Languages Common, Goblin

AC 15, touch 12, flat-footed 14

HP 5 (1d8+1 HD)

Fort +3, Ref +1, Will -1

Speed 30 ft.

Full Attack Morningstar +2 melee (1d6) or javelin +3 ranged (1d4)

Melee Morningstar +2 melee (1d6)

Ranged Javelin +3 ranged (1d4)

Space 5 ft.; Reach 5 ft.

Base Atk +1

Grapple -3

Combat Gear Leather armor, light shield, morning star, javelin (x2)

Abilities Str 11 , Dex 13, Con 12, Int 10, Wis 9, Cha 6

SQ Darkvision 60 ft.

Feats Alertness

Skills Hide +5, Listen +2, Move Silently +5, Ride +4, Spot +2

Possessions 1d8 cp, 1d8 sp, 1d4 gp

Goblin Stabber (CR 1/3)

35E.MMI.133 (35E.SRD.000)

NE Small Humanoid (Goblinoid)

Init +1; Senses Darkvision 60 ft., Listen +2, Spot +2

Languages Common, Goblin

AC 15, touch 12, flat-footed 14

HP 5 (1d8+1 HD)

Fort +3, Ref +1, Will -1

Speed 30 ft.

Full Attack Short spear +2 melee (1d6) or dagger (1d3) or short spear +3 ranged (1d6)

Melee Short spear +2 melee (1d6) or dagger (1d3)

Ranged Short spear +3 ranged (1d6)

Space 5 ft.; Reach 5 ft.

Base Atk +1

Grapple -3

Combat Gear Studded leather armor, short spear, dagger

Abilities Str 11 , Dex 13, Con 12, Int 10, Wis 9, Cha 6

SQ Darkvision 60 ft.

Feats Alertness

Skills Hide +5, Listen +2, Move Silently +5, Ride +4, Spot +2

Possessions 1d8 cp, 1d8 sp, 1d4 gp

Goblin Shooter (CR 1/3)

35E.MMI.133 (35E.SRD.000)

NE Small Humanoid (Goblinoid)

Init +1; Senses Darkvision 60 ft., Listen +2, Spot +2

Languages Common, Goblin

AC 15, touch 12, flat-footed 14

HP 5 (1d8+1 HD)

Fort +3, Ref +1, Will -1

Speed 30 ft.

Full Attack Short bow +3 ranged (1d6) or dagger +2 melee (1d3)

Melee Dagger +2 melee (1d3)

Ranged Short bow +3 ranged (1d6)

Space 5 ft.; Reach 5 ft.

Base Atk +1

Grapple -3

Combat Gear Studded leather armor, short bow, arrows (x18), punching dagger

Abilities Str 11 , Dex 13, Con 12, Int 10, Wis 9, Cha 6

SQ Darkvision 60 ft.

Feats Alertness

Skills Hide +5, Listen +2, Move Silently +5, Ride +4, Spot +2

Possessions 1d8 cp, 1d8 sp, 1d4 gp

Goblin Watcher (CR 1/3)

35E.MMI.133 (35E.SRD.000)

NE Small Humanoid (Goblinoid)

Init +1; Senses Darkvision 60 ft., Listen +2, Spot +2

Languages Common, Goblin

AC 17, touch 12, flat-footed 14

HP 5 (1d8+1 HD)

Fort +3, Ref +1, Will -1

Speed 30 ft.

Full Attack Short sword +2 melee (1d6) or dagger +2 melee (1d3)

Melee Short sword +2 melee (1d6) or dagger +2 melee (1d3)

Space 5 ft.; Reach 5 ft.

Base Atk +1

Grapple -3

Combat Gear Chain mail armor, short sword, punching dagger

Abilities Str 11 , Dex 13, Con 12, Int 10, Wis 9, Cha 6

SQ Darkvision 60 ft.

Feats Alertness

Skills Hide +5, Listen +2, Move Silently +5, Ride +4, Spot +2

Possessions 1d8 cp, 1d8 sp, 1d4 gp

Green Slime (CR 4)

35E.DMx.000 (30E.NET.000)

N Small Ooze

Init -5; Senses Blindsight 60'

AC 3, touch 3, flat-footed 3

HP 11 (2d10 HD)

Immune Mind-affecting effects, gaze attacks, visual effects, illusions, critical hits, flanking

Fort +1, Ref -4, Will -4

Speed 0 ft.

Full Attack Slam +3 melee (1d6 Con, 2d6 wood/metal)

Melee Slam +3 melee (1d6 Con, 2d6 wood/metal)

Space 5 ft.; Reach 5ft.

Atk Options Devour, splash

Special Actions Drop

Abilities Str - , Dex 1, Con 12, Int -, Wis 1, Cha 1

SQ Cure vulnerability, blindsight, removal vulnerability, ooze traits

Powers Devour, splash

Devour (Ex): Anyone reduced to 0 Con or an object to 0 hardness by green slime is devoured and gone forever.

Splash (Ex): If the slime misses its intended target, roll for splash damage on the grenade-like weapon table.

Rat (CR 1/8)

35E.MMI.278 (35E.SRD.ANI)

N Tiny Animal

Init +2; Senses Low-light vision, scent

AC 14, touch 14, flat-footed 12

HP 1 (1/4 d8 HD)

Fort +2, Ref +4, Will +1

Speed 15 ft, climb 15 ft., swim 15 ft.

Full Attack Bite +4 melee (1d3-4)

Melee Bite +4 melee (1d3-4)

Space 2-1/2 ft.; Reach 0 ft.

Base Atk +0

Grapple -12

Abilities Str 2 , Dex 15, Con 10, Int 2, Wis 12, Cha 2

SQ Low-light vision, scent

Feats Weapon Finesse

Skills Balance +10, Climb +12, Hide +14, Move Silently +10, Swim +10

Sandling (CR 2)

35E.DMx.000 (30E.NET.000)

N Large Elemental

Init +1 (Dex); Senses Darkvision 60', Listen +4, Spot +4

AC 16, touch 16, flat-footed 16

HP 22 (4d8+4 HD)

Immune Poison, sleep, paralysis, stunning, critical hits, cannot be flanked

Fort +5, Ref +2, Will +1

Speed 30 ft., burrow 20 ft.

Full Attack Pseudopod +5 melee (1d8+3)

Melee Pseudopod +5 melee (1d8+3)

Space 5x10 ft.; Reach 5 ft.

Abilities Str 17 , Dex 13, Con 13, Int 4, Wis 11, Cha 11

SQ Darkvision 60', elemental traits, vulnerability to water

Feats Power attack

Skills Listen +4, Spot +4

Shrieker (CR 1)

35E.MMI.113 (35E.SRD.000)

N Medium Plant

Init -5; Senses Low-light vision

AC 8, touch 5, flat-footed 8

HP 11 (2d8+2 HD)

Fort +4, Ref -, Will -4

Speed 0 ft.

Full Attack -

Space 5 ft.; Reach 0 ft.

Base Atk +1

Grapple -4

Abilities Str - , Dex -, Con 13, Int -, Wis 2, Cha 1

SQ Low-light vision, plant traits

Feats -

Skills -

Powers Shriek

Shriek (Ex): Piercing shriek lasting 1d3 rounds when movement or light source comes within 10 feet.

Stirge (CR 1/2)

35E.MMI.237 (35E.SRD.000)

N Tiny Magical Beast

Init +4; Senses Darkvision 60 ft., low-light vision, Listen +4, Spot +4

AC 16, touch 16, flat-footed 12

HP 5 (1d10 HD)

Fort +2, Ref +6, Will +1

Speed 10 ft (2 squares), fly 40 ft. (average)

Full Attack Touch +7 melee (attach)

Melee Touch +7 melee (attach)

Space 2-1/2 ft.; Reach 0 ft.

Base Atk +1

Grapple -11 (+1 when attached)

Atk Options Attach, blood drain

Abilities Str 3 , Dex 19, Con 10, Int 1, Wis 12, Cha 6

SQ Darkvision 60 ft., low-light vision

Feats Alertness

Skills Hide +14, Listen +4, Spot +4

Powers Attach, blood drain

Attach (Ex): a) Hit with touch attack; b) AC drops to flat-footed; c) Must achive a grapple/pin to remove.

Blood Drain (Ex): 1d4 Con damage per round attached (maximum 4 points).

Small Centipede (CR 1/4)

35E.MMI.287 (35E.SRD.000)

N Small Vermin

Init +2; Senses Darkvision 60 ft., Spot +4

AC 14, touch 13, flat-footed 12

HP 2 (1/2 d8 HD)

Fort +2, Ref +2, Will +0

Speed 30 ft. (6 squares), climb 30 ft.

Full Attack Bite +3 melee (1d4-3 plus poison)

Melee Bite +3 melee (1d4-3 plus poison)

Space 5 ft.; Reach 5 ft.

Base Atk +0

Grapple -7

Atk Options Posion

Abilities Str 5 , Dex 15, Con 10, Int -, Wis 10, Cha 2

SQ Darkvision 60 ft., vermin traits

Feats Weapon Finesse

Skills Climb +10, Hide +14, Spot +4

Powers Poison

Otyugh (CR 4)

35E.MMI.204 (35E.SRD.000)

NE Large Aberration

Init +0; Senses Darkvision 60 ft., scent, Listen +6, Spot +6

Languages Common

AC 17, touch 9, flat-footed 17

HP 36 (6d8+9 HD)

Fort +3, Ref +2, Will +6

Speed 20 ft. (4 squares)

Full Attack 2 tentacles +4 melee (1d6) and bite -2 melee (1d4)

Melee Tentacle +4 melee (1d6)

Space 10 ft.; Reach 10 ft. (15 ft. with tentacle)

Base Atk +4

Grapple +8

Atk Options Constrict, improved grab

Special Actions Hide (+8 in natural habitat)

Abilities Str 11 , Dex 10, Con 13, Int 5, Wis 12, Cha 6

SQ Darkvision 60 ft., scent

Feats Alertness, Toughness, Weapon Focus (tentacle)

Skills Hide -1*, Listen +6, Spot +6

Powers Constrict 1d6, disease, improved grab

Constrict (Ex): Automatic tenticle damage with successful grapple check.

Disease (Ex): Filth fever-bite; Fortitude DC 14, incubation period 1d3 days; damage 1d32 Dex/1d3 Con

Improved Grab (Ex): a) Hit with tenticle attack; b) Free action grapple (no opportunity attack); c) On grapple may then constrict.

Worg (CR 2)

35E.MMI.256 (35E.SRD.000)

NE Medium Magical Beast

Init +2; Senses Darkvision 60 ft., low-light vision, scent, Listen +6, Spot +6

AC 14, touch 12, flat-footed 12

HP 30 (4d10+8 HD)

Fort +6, Ref +6, Will +3

Speed 50 ft. (10 squares)

Full Attack Bite +7 melee (1d6+4)

Melee Bite +7 melee (1d6+4)

Space 5 ft.; Reach 5 ft.

Base Atk +4

Grapple +7

Atk Options Trip

Abilities Str 17, Dex 15, Con 15, Int 6, Wis 14, Cha 10

SQ Darkvision 60 ft., low-light vision, scent

Feats Alertness, Track

Skills Hide +4, Listen +6, Move Silently +6, Spot +6, Survival +2*

Powers Trip

Named Creatures

Grishog, Goblin Chief (CR 3)

Male Goblin Fighter Level 2

NE Small Humanoid (Goblinoid)

Init +1; Senses Darkvision 60 ft., Listen +2, Spot +2

Languages Common, Draconic, Goblin, Undercommon,

AC 19, touch 14, flat-footed 18

HP 28 (1d8+1 HD / 2d10+6)

Fort +6, Ref +1, Will -1

Speed 30 ft.

Full Attack Bastard sword +1 +9 melee (1d8+4)

Melee Bastard sword +1 +9 melee (1d8+4)

Space 5 ft.; Reach 5 ft.

Base Atk +5

Grapple +0

Combat Gear Breastplate armor, Bastard sword +1

Abilities Str 18, Dex 16, Con 16, Int 14, Wis 9, Cha 14

SQ Darkvision 60 ft.

Feats Alertness, Armor Proficiency (Heavy), Exotic Weapon Proficiency

Skills Hide +7, Listen +2, Move Silently +7, Ride +6, Spot +2

Possessions 1d8 cp, 1d8 sp, 1d4 gp

Gunth, Goblin Lacky (CR 1/3)

NE Small Humanoid (Goblinoid)

Init +1; Senses Darkvision 60 ft., Listen +2, Spot +2

Languages Common, Goblin

AC 16, touch 12, flat-footed 14

HP 3 (1d8+1 HD)

Fort +3, Ref +1, Will -1

Speed 30 ft.

Full Attack Dagger +2 melee (1d6)

Melee Dagger +2 melee (1d6)

Space 5 ft.; Reach 5 ft.

Base Atk +1

Grapple -3

Combat Gear Leather armor, punching dagger

Abilities Str 11, Dex 13, Con 12, Int 10, Wis 9, Cha 6

SQ Darkvision 60 ft.

Feats Alertness

Skills Hide +5, Listen +2, Move Silently +5, Ride +4, Spot +2

Possessions 1d8 cp, 1d8 sp, 1d4 gp

Gorram, Goblin Shaman (CR 3)

Male Goblin Cleric Level 2

NE Small Humanoid (Goblinoid)

Init +1; Senses Darkvision 60 ft., Listen +2, Spot +2

Languages Common, Goblin

AC 17, touch 12, flat-footed 14

HP 14 (3d8+1 HD)

Fort +6, Ref +1, Will +2

Speed 30 ft.

Full Attack Morningstar +2 melee (1d6)

Melee Morningstar +2 melee (1d6)

Space 5 ft.; Reach 5 ft.

Base Atk +1

Grapple -3

Combat Gear Chain mail armor, morningstar

Spells Prepared

0-cure minor wounds (x2), inflict minor wounds (x2)

1-cure light wounds (x2), entropic shield

Abilities Str 11, Dex 13, Con 12, Int 10, Wis 12, Cha 6

SQ Darkvision 60 ft.

Feats Alertness

Skills Hide +5, Listen +2, Move Silently +5, Ride +4, Spot +2

Possessions 1d8 cp, 1d8 sp, 1d4 gp

Response to Post on Katallos's Realm

2010-07-28T18:18:00.001-05:00

5 1/4" floppy disk

Katallos has an excellent post up on his blog today, one that's worth examination and further discussion. I started to reply to it, but it became a blog post. Here's my reply:

Excellent post. This one really pulls at my heart strings too. I myself started campaign design on an Apple IIe and my first scribings were on 5 1/4" disks. I still have all of my hand drawn maps as well and I imagine someone thumbing through my old junk someday.

I actually think there should be a good balance struck between old school design and the "rule of cool." It really just depends on the design task and the two can be harmonized; but it takes some discipline. I consider myself capable of balancing the two and I think you do that well too, Katallos. Backing off from your Heroes of Albion campaign when the calculations get dicey, for example. Your design discipline is one of the things I like about your blog (which I only just realized today).

I'm not sure I agree entirely, though you're certainly not wrong by any means. I like and use a few computerized design tools. I'm actually very selective and will abandon their use if they get in the way of my creativity. Again, that takes some self-discipline. However, I think you're right in one respect. There is too much focus on web-based gaming tools, but the reason for this isn't necessary because of newer game systems, although the marketing schemes of WotC don't bode well.

Unfortunately, the hobby is dying and computer tools do have the potential to make the game more accessible to new players and like it or not the hobby does need new players to survive. The trouble is also that computer tools needs to be introduced and used in moderation and with companies like WotC pandering to "video kids," it makes it a hard philosophy to game by. Still, as mankind advances toward the future, will we remember how to do the math or will we need calculators or machines to do the math for us?

Hero Lab is one such product that accomplishes the goal of making the rules of the game more rapidly accessible without being too obtrusive. But I can still make a character from scratch (monster stats...much more difficult for me, to be honest). The sad fact of the matter is, we also live in the Age of Distraction and a lot of kids today are hit with so much input that their ADD kicks in when presented with a blank character sheet. Taking the time to learn a rule system by thumbing through the book and building a character from scratch used to be fun in and of itself and it isn't any more, at least for the uninitated, because there are so many options. I've started to mitigate this myself, by avoiding the purchase of an over abundance of suplements as I should have done with D&D 3.5. We've not used 1/20th of this material and so it doesn't make sense to keep collecting it when we don't have the lifespan of elves for gaming.

I think, same as with all things in life, computer tools and suplements etc. should be used in moderation. Gamers should be more selective about the tools they use too. I use CC3 too, for example, but I don't want cartography to be my actual hobby. I strive for a harmony of methods, old and new, which takes some self-discipline, something that newer gamers may or may not be able to do.

Saturday Morning Road Trip!

2010-07-26T00:09:00.000-05:00

The sign on the building.

Our haul.

Fog of War

2010-07-22T12:00:00.002-05:00

It occurred to me after my post on gaming paper that there are several things I still continue to do after all these years of game mastery with regard to keeping stuff secret from players. One of the reasons I actually use my vinyl mats is because of the "fog of war" effect I get from drawing a dungeon out at the time it's being explored. I just don't think players should already know the layout of a place they're about to explore or even rely on player vs. character knowledge for the suspense of watching a dungeon unfold as you go. I also like dungeon tiles for the same reason, although the problem I have there is that dungeons today are so irregular that it can be frustrating to use a standardized tile set to represent a published dungeon.

The only case I can think of where gaming paper would be damned handy is to show a place characters frequent like a tavern or, on a larger scale, a city. But then how often is combat going to ensue in the middle of downtown Yicklesburg? That would be great for a drunken brawl or chasing a purse thief through town, but then the chase rules in the Pathfinder RPG really aren't all that suspenseful, which is what I'd be going for.

There are a number of other things I also keep secret despite all advice in all of my books with sections on game mastery. I still believe that players should not be allowed or encouraged to read the monster statistics or magic items, primarily for the same reason. I think it sucks the wonder right out of the game if players already know the form and function of everything they encounter. If there is an area I wish players would read, it's their damned spells prior to play! Anyway along these same lines, I'll actually change the names of monsters and magic items just to keep players guessing. I just don't think they should know everything ahead of time and in fact the less they know the better. I like a lot of fog of war in my game.

I also like to keep monster hit points secret, giving only verbal clues as to whether a monster is in dire straights or not (like "he's gasping for breath and about to fall over" or "he just laughed at that magic missile"). I think having a monster hit point status bar takes the fog of war out of the battle too. I also keep monster die rolls secret which of course goes to the question of whether I cheat or not. The simple answer is, yes I do, but only if it helps the story and usually not on behalf of monsters. I have on occasion mismatched a party with opponents and it's a safe fall back to fudge the dice when a player has had a bad run or, even worse, a TPK is in progress.

I've relaxed a bit on running players through an adventure twice which I never used to do, although I still won't in a long running campaign. The benefits of running an adventure a second time are just too good to pass up. It economical, you save on prep time and you get to run it better the second time through, but you remember the pit falls from the first time (and published adventures always have things that don't fit because every group is unique).

It goes without saying that I don't want players reading adventures ahead of time and I might abandon using an adventure in a long running game if a player has seen it, particularly if the player lacks self-control or the ability to tell the difference between player vs. character knowledge. It's amazed me over the years how difficult a concept this is for some people to grasp, although in most cases it's simply me nudging them back to the center lane because they forgot they didn't know X or Y.

I like it when players map and while I typically draw a dungeon out on vinyl, I will eventually erase it. Fortunately, I've never gamed a group unwilling or unable to map a dungeon in some fashion.

I'm sure there are a few other things I keep secret from players as part of my desire to create that fog of war effect in the game. Sometimes I feel as though changes in gaming philosophy work against me. I cringe when I see game systems that attempt to remove the alleged sting of playing against the game master or somehow alter his role to where he's not even a game master at all, but just another player. It seems that one way this is done is by actually removing the fog of war and demoting the game master to the status of player (like he's just the "banker" in monopoly). I don't know about you, but to me that's like playing poker with all the cards on the table and that's not a game the kind of game I want to run. I'll pickup a nice wargame, otherwise I'll keep my fog of war.

Gaming Paper

2010-07-21T22:26:00.001-05:00

I was hanging out at my local game store the other day and overheard a couple of players talking about Gaming Paper. They were talking about spills and scrolling maps and what not. In short, there were words of vinyl hatred spoken and well I just let it go.

I have four vinyl mats, use them to great effect and I'm happy. So I guess all's well that ends well. Then I'll be an orc's uncle if Facebook didn't peg me a few days later! So, over on the side is an add for this stuff called gaming paper. So I clicked on the add and checked out their web site. My first reactions was, "wow, nice site." Then I started to look at the products and I have to admit it's pretty ingenious stuff. I'll let the website sell the details.

Anyway I would have happily moved on except for seeing the 48 roll box for $120. My first thought was, "I wanna game with the people that order that bad boy!" Then of course I wondered how environmentally friendly it is to order that much gaming paper and then I told myself to "shut up," because no one's going to go through that much paper fast enough to anger a treant anyway.

Anyway there you have it. Ennie Awarded. GM Approved. Gaming Paper. I'll stick with my mats though...

The Future's So Bright...

2010-07-17T12:41:00.002-05:00

I decided to put together a list of things I'm really excited about in the roleplaying game land today, specific to my own likes of course:

Bestiary II: Paizo is working on the next incarnation of the Bestiary and I really can't wait. I keep checking the site for a beta, a preview or at least a monster list, but there either isn't one or I've missed finding it. Nonetheless I'm really looking forward to this release in October.

Hero Lab: Lone Wolf Development of course just announced that it will be the official character management software for the Pathfinder RPG. The reason this news pleases me as much as it does has as lot to do with time management. Hero Lab saved us gobs of time when we were playing our D20 System games, except when it came to adding new data content. I taught myself how to enter game objects through Hero Lab's editor and we both got better together (significant improvements in the editor were made as I was learning). But I took the wrong approach to adding new data to Hero Lab.

I tried to add all the objects from all the books I owned en masse and that took up considerable time, particularly in the case of character and prestige classes. And we weren't using much of this material anyway, though I wanted to be prepared if if/when we did. That never happened because our favorite game system suddenly went unsupported. Fortunately, Hero Lab picked up the gauntlet as we switched game systems to the Pathfinder RPG. And, now that Hero Lab is the official character management tool for the Pathfinder RPG, it will save me gobs of time without my having to spend prep time entering data, whether we use the data or not. This will allow me to focus my efforts in other areas and still allow me to enter items I create on a much more preferable as-needed basis (which is for me the right approach to getting new data into Hero Lab). So, all things considered, this is a sweet deal!

Reaper Miniatures: We use miniatures in our games. My wife and I really enjoy collecting them and, when we get the chance, painting them (I enjoy the results over the actual act of painting; my wife enjoys it and is a far more intuitive painter than I am). So when Reaper announced that they'd be making minis specifically for the Pathfinder RPG, we were both ecstatic. While I'm not so much interested in the iconic characters, the red dragon is hella cool (the players can buy the character figs) and I'll have to have one! And since we live in the area we might as well drive over there when there's some painting and open gaming going on.

Sagaworks Studio: Andrew C. Gale is the man over this little company (?) and he makes adventures for the Pathfinder RPG. The first one was free: Horror at Dagger Rock. I'm really looking forward to seeing more for him because this module alone contained the sort of classic 1E vibe I prefer (that reminds me, I need to see what Necromancer is doing these days...). Sometimes it seems like today's adventures have so much extra background, hyperspecific milieu baggage or other bloaties that it's more like a long miniseries on the Discovery Channel than an honest to goodness adventure. Who has that kinda time? And hey, while the maps aren't art, they're clear and photostatic. More! More! More! :)

Customer Service

2010-07-14T16:08:00.000-05:00

Okay this is completely unrelated to gaming (hmm, unless this is a support call to Wizards of the Coast, yeah that's the ticket...), but I like you all so very much and this is so damned funny that I just have to share, check it: Why I'd Rather Be Punched in the Testicles Than Call Customer Service.

What do you want to see?

2010-07-13T14:08:00.000-05:00

I keep an eye on my web traffic believe it or not. I have a pretty steady wavy line thing from all over the world which is good, but folks seldom comment. It bugs me a little, but not enough that I'm going to bitch about it. What I was wondering though is what people are keying in on. Believe it or not, a lot of people seem to arrive here on a "4E Sucks" web search. While I did write a few of those sorts of posts, that ship has pretty much sailed, with only one recent notable exception. However, by in large those are but a tiny fraction of the posts on my blog, which again has me wondering what people wanna see. So, I figured I'd ask.

I also get the occasional so-called "necropost." I just wanted to mention that, unlike other folk, I actually like those so feel free to comment on anything past or present. :)

Valley of Obelisks: Epilogue

2010-07-10T07:00:00.000-05:00

This is another preservationist post with some minor editing, punctuation and paragraphing.

Original Post Date: 4/24/2009 7:10 PM

The Valley of Obelisks was saved... again! After a thousand years of peace a small group of heroes eventually rose to the occasion: Draupnir, Duira, Hilda, Jalis, Lanius and Saille, who in the latter days became their leader. It took the green dragon Pzyruxal to make them pick a leader. The heroes went on to deal with the dragon, withholding one of her eggs so that they might flee her clutches to safety. They arranged to have the last egg teleported back to her lair, in keeping with their agreement, once they were far away and in friendly quarters. The green dragon eventually left the valley with her children never to return - her volcanic home erupted adding to the tragedy of her life. Saille was accused by her friends of striking a deal with wizards of the Ebon Cabal, on their way down from the Blackfire Mountains. She had, after all, talked to them. What actually caused the volcano to erupt was never really proved but they still talk about it during their reunions. Saille just smiles.

Liberation of Sumberton: The wererats of Sumberton were defeated. The heroes freed the city by using the Moonfire Soulstone they'd recovered from Silvermote. They made their way into the sewers of Sumberton with the help of the local resistance movement lead by none other than Oliver "the shakes" Shakles, a local fence turned hero. Once inside, the heroes battled fiercely to reach the chamber where many of the city's children were held in thrall, ransomed to the city. The heroes set off the Soulstone during the battle and many former citizens, many of them guards and soldiers, were returned to themselves. Remembering who they were, the citizens aided in a short and decisive battle against the Red Dragon Knights who were forced to release the city. They fled back to Castle Grievous. The werewolves of the Turlek stayed far from Sumberton after that, fearing that they might suffer the same fate. They were not aware that the Soulstone was a one-shot weapon - they abandoned the Red Dragon Knights as allies.

Fall of Karkanna Amon: The elves of Shul Shennek departed the valley as they'd promised. The dark elves of Karkanna Amon quickly took the opportunity to launch a direct attack on the forest from Surrinak lands, only to find the elves of Shul Vaath waiting for them, thanks to some heroic diplomacy. The heroes had stopped by the Vaathwood as they made their way to Kaurak Kholzil after freeing Sumberton. Once the king of the elves there learned that their "cowardly elven brothers" were leaving, the elves knew they had a responsibility - a birthright - to care for the Shennek's boughs. King Falathar Greysinger has since considered himself in the hero's debt. He still sends them delectate elven cakes and exquisite chocolates from the forest every year. The dark elves of Karkanna Amon have not been heard from since, despite the bastard dark, half-elven Surrinak children they've left behind.

Welcomed to Karak Kholzil: The heroes were glad to see Scribbis still alive, once they reached Karak Kholzil. He was busily aiding the dwarves in rescuing and identifying lost members of the Luminous Order; the gnome eventually distinguished himself by earning the title of seneschal in the dwarven halls. The heroes trained for more than a year as griffon riders of Kaurak Kholzil, battling Castle Grievous and its minions all the while in preparation for the final conflict. Draupnir purchased mining space in the great halls with profits from previous adventures. He hoped one day he might retire and turn to a life of adamantine mining. The heroes freed many towns and villages and restored the Luminous Order to a semblance of itself.

Cracking of the Spines: The heroes eventually set out for Castle Grievous in a thunderstorm; they had decided to use the cover of the storm to surprise the castle. They learned that a vampire named Azon lead the Red Dragon Knights at the behest of an ancient Red Dragon called Azzimal. Possessed by not one, but hundreds of demonic souls who'd been crushed during the invasion of the valley over a thousand years ago – when Slaughtergarde had come – she was working to become a living draconic goddess!

Learning that Azzimal was not yet to full power, the heroes crossed the drawbridge and made for her lair. During a long and bloody battle, as the griffon riders of Kaurak Kholzil attacked from above, the heroes trapped Azon and reached the dragon nearly dead themselves from dealing with knights, gnolls, trolls and ogres guarding the battlements and paths through the castle.

When the battle was joined, Azzimal ate Draupnir whole – he was ripped by dragon teeth and swallowed! In a rage, Hilda surged forward and struck blow after blow! Just as she thought she would breathe her last, Urmanz the silver dragon made his final dramatic appearance, giving Duira the chance to fire a final dragon killing arrow as Jalis weakened the dragon's resistance so that, unlike her previous shots, this one would not fail.

Time stood still as the dragon teetered on the edge of life. Azon reappeared, having freed himself from the heroes' trap, as the dying would-be dragon goddess swam in her death throes. The Red Dragon Knights throughout Castle Grievous turned suddenly to dust as Azon claimed their lives to renew his goddess! She too breathed a heavy gout of deadly flames. Urmanz took the brunt. Burned and charred beyond all recognition, Urmanz passed the power of his rage to Draupnir who burst from her stomach himself standing on death's door. This was the secret pact Urmanz and Draupnir had made before even setting out.

Saille struck Azon hard as Duira peppered the ancient vampire with arrows. Though Azon tried to flee he too was eventually defeated by fire and ice – Lanius arrived late bringing the druids of the Red Rock with him. It wasn't long before the spine of Castle Grievous cracked horribly from the force of the thunderstorm landing blow after of blow of druidic lightening against its dread turrets. Together, they all worked to defeat the last of the monstrous minions haunting Castle Grievous. Then they fled her dying walls.

Saille was surprised to find Captain Harrak and the real Ulrich Vorp held in chains as the heroes exited the dying castle – it was later explained that an exceptional doppelganger, working for the Red Dragon Knights, had replaced the captain and even Scribbis at one point during their previous adventures. Though it seemed that Ulrich had tried to deliver the heroes into the hands of the wererats of Sumberton and the Red Dragon Knights, it had actually been the remarkable doppelganger. His name and whereabouts are still unknown...

All watched as a rift opened, swallowing the castle. A beautiful blue lake filled with the rain of that night fills the spot to this day.

What Ever Happened To...?: Draupnir went on to learn that he and Hilda were the descendants of Urmanz, a silver dragon foresworn by his parents to protect the valley long ago. The late Urmanz had left him a diary, to be passed on to him in the event of his death, which, by their secret pact, had happened. Draupnir and Hilda had different mothers, but discovered they were in fact half-sister and half-brother, both with a touch of draconic blood flowing in their veins. The axes they've carried since beginning their adventuring days were simply enchanted - passed down through the ages by Urmanz's silver dragon family.

Today, Draupnir sits on the ruling council of Kaurak Kholzil and enjoys mining, drinking and enforcing unending embargoes and tariffs against Krokarr. Hilda sits on the Krokarr council and enjoys mining, drinking and arguing with Draupnir over embargoes and tariffs. No one thinks they, or the two dwarven cities, will ever get along.

Duira went on to become the leader of the Blue Handclasp, much to the surprise of her sister, Jalis and everyone else. Putting her shady days behind her, she took over leadership of the monastery when Master Somms was killed during the retaking of Sumberton from the Red Dragon Knights of Castle Grievous. Duira now leads a life of quiet contemplation with an occasional "adventuresome vacation" on the side. Always along side is her shady husband: Olie "the shakes".

Jalis and Saille married in the first ever elf-gnome wedding in the valley. Olie was the best man and Hilda the maid of honor. Jalis and Saille acquired much fame after that, so left for parts unknown, perhaps even leaving the valley itself. Some say they live in a quiet cottage somewhere, raising children (there's much speculation on that point alone), gardening and visiting with faeries. Trying to talk the centaurs of the Dapplewood into peace is one such rumor. Others say they might one day return to help save the valley again. Only their friends know for sure and they're just not saying.

Lanius went on to spend many years helping to restore the valiant Luminous Order to beyond full strength – by uniting it with the Ebon Cabal! Though offers of leadership over a new Luminous Council appealed to him, Lanius was called away by his research - and a woman. Today, they spend their reclusive days locked in research and love. They too take an occasional "adventuresome vacation" the latest of which was the hunting down and deportation of a succubus back to hell.