Harder Than You'd Think

With all the primary races now written up for folks to look at and get a feel for the peoples of Saratta I am left with the task of drafting stats and abilities for them that help each feel unique. With the first couple races I didn't have much trouble, but now that I am working on the core races that most D&D players are familiar with I need to strike a balance while maintaining that unique feel.

Granted, I really don't have any issues in having some balance issues. Saratta is meant to be a roleplay focused world, and sure, you're going to have some people playing in a game that want to twink (hence trying to balance things), but I'm finding that even some of the base D&D races are stronger than others. The bigger task for me is to ensure that everything stays more true to the world, balance may or may not arrive at the same conclusion.

Time will tell I guess. Core races should still look fairly familiar to what people have seen in 3.5 with a couple twists. Elves need to sleep, some of the dwarven bonuses are shifted around or no longer existent to better reflect the world, etc. I plan to have a couple guys over in this neck of the woods review the scores and give me some feedback - or rather, let me bounce thoughts off of them until I have come to a solid decision for why things are the way they are...

That's enough rambling for now. Racial trait stats soon!

Short Stuff

Finally. Goblins and Gnomes are both up on the Saratta site, which means that my next endeavor will be to put stats to each of the races as I have done with the Othar and Ephryn. As John mentioned in on of the comments previous, stats shouldn't dictate why you choose a race, but for some folks it does. This will simply help make the decision making process a little more drawn out - or at least make you think twice about playing a race that you would normally pass off.

Whenever I sit down to make a character I usually try to make something that is of the most common race in the world I am a participant of. Since most of my experience falls into the D&D realm that means I usually go with human. I'm sure that a part of it comes from the extra bonuses that the race gets so I can make a little more of a power character even though I try to steer clear of that and look at the character for role-play purposes.

You can strike a good balance between an RP character, and still maintain combat prowess but I like working a good backstory in, which leads this random thought train to Rich Taylor's 100 questions character test. If you have a character and haven't taken the time to consider even a 10th of the questions in this test then you aren't doing whatever game you're playing in justice. Make a character, play the character a few times so you get a good feel for who they 'might' be, and then use the questionnaire. It will help - plus, my next post is going to take a good look at it, so you might as well familiarize yourself with it.

Best Character Quiz Ever.

A Wild Place

Orcs are up and my races document is getting really big. I like being able to share large updates on the Saratta site, which means that I need to keep writing even more to keep the flow of content going. Taking a quick look through the races write up revealed that I only have 3 more "civilized" races to go to get things mostly done. Then it will be a matter of trying to determine balanced stats for in game purposes

Nothing draws someone attention to a race quite like knowing the bonuses they will be getting. I guess that is the way of an RPG though, even if we strive for total roleplay it is still tough to remove the desire to make the "ultimate" character.

An Update Here And Maybe One There

I haven't had too much to post about of late. The last gaming session we ran went far better than expected and the result was some great role play. I'm not 100% convinced yet as we had a small group, so that means no solid reflection post until I've had the chance to run with a large group...

On another note though, I've been working at getting a few more races complete for the Saratta site. If you missed it I posted an update for Humans back in November and then Half Elves in December here. Now the work is proceeding on Orcs which I'd like to have posted early January since that is right around the corner already.

Time seems to fly with the holiday season, so once its over I suspect things will calm down a bit. I finally got my hands on Gamma World for Christmas and plan to play a bit of that for the January gaming session when I get around to figuring out when that will be... I think I may also pick up Shadowrun too and try to get a second, smaller monthly group going - that'll have to pass by Breanna first though.

Did anyone get any cool gaming stuff over Christmas?

Thats it for now.

Where's the Role-play?

After a good break from gaming we finally held another session - I closed down the Gloryseekers of Gildale game and started Hellbound much to the delight of my players. It proved to be a more immersing experience for the group but I still found myself thinking at the end of the session that something was missing.

I'm a bit spoiled in from the last few years of running games. I have had a group of rock solid role-players who knew how to focus solely on their characters and build upon them through the game. Something from those games has been missing in my more recent games and I think I have finally put my finger on where the trouble lies.

My moment of epiphany came a couple days after our game. Bob (a friend of mine and gamer in our group) posed this question to me in a chat session: "There are some things I wanted to RP but didn't want to waster the other 9 peoples time with. Can I pitch those to you some time?"
...Didn't want to waste the other 9 peoples time? I have never found role-play moments a waste of time, but when reflecting on the game I recalled a couple players in the group who groaned that an in-game argument between wizards seemed to drag out longer than what they were used to. To me such a moment was necessary; it developed some tension between players and drew some distinct lines that help define characters.

Such moments have been commonplace in my other games, so why isn't it occurring now? Where is the role-play? The answer is obvious but sometimes hard to sort out. Bob's question to me reminded me of what I always knew. The greatest opportunity for role-play occurs in the moments when the Game Master isn't focused on you.

For players, this means you need to start talking even when it isn't your turn. Bob had told me "...I wanted to RP but didn't want to waste the other 9 peoples time..." In this context it outlines the biggest problem I believe I am having with my group. They are too afraid to talk over one another. Perhaps it is a Minnesota Nice thing... we want to give everyone their moment, uninterrupted. That needs to be stopped though. Encourage your players to just talk to each other while in character - even when it is someone elses turn. You don't always need to be in the know about everything - GM included.

To say that this concept may be a little hard on the GM might be a bit of an understatement. Part of being the GM is maintaining control over your game. You usually want to know what is happening all the time, but when it comes to role-play you need to let your players go. Let them be creative, form the setting themselves.

For instance: When I ran Forgotten Light with my group in Duluth the biggest role-play moments were always happening when I was doing something else. Players developed their characters further by remaining in character an talking to each other when they were not in the spotlight. As a result, I ended up with people suddenly asking me (often in the middle of something else) what the cost of ale was at the locale tavern. I would discover that during the small skirmish I was ruling over, my players had taken it upon themselves to go to the local tavern because they had been talking for quite a while. I often didn't learn what was discussed until after the game when we discussed what events had happened over the course of the night.

Another group (this one was my friend Brian's) was quite a quite group when I started playing with them. I remember drawing Tima's character into a conversation with my own... WHILE Brian was trying to do something. The looks I got from some people probably could have curdled milk (if you'll excuse the cliche). It hadn't really been done before or at least that was the impression I got. It soon passed though, and most of the guys continued the trend, focusing on the interplay between their characters all the time rather than only on their turn. It is my hope that they continued this trend well after I moved (perhaps Brian can shed some light on this too if he is reading).

Encourage your players to be a bit more bold in game, and to stay in character. As long as you remember that a GMs job is to move the story and maintain the rules then things will be good. As the GM you can always pull players aside later to learn what was being discussed without your knowledge. Giving them a creative opportunity and the OK to keep playing even when they aren't the focus will help boost the roleplay going on in game. I know I'll be talking to my group and encouraging this behavior before I start my next session, and if you haven't yet perhaps you should too.

Building Suspense

Hunting season has made it a little more difficult for to find time to muse about Dungeons and Dragons, but Tim's recent post has inspired me to get back up on the figurative horse and write. The topic at hand? Building suspense in your game.

Ever since I was introduced to the Ravenloft campaign setting, I've been attracted to the dark, gothic side of D&D. If there isn't at least one point in a campaign where my players have been too afraid to head down that dark passageway, float a boat out onto a strangely calm underground lake, or—in the case of my old Star Wars campaign—board a deserted Star Destroyer, then I'm not doing my job right.

But weaving the elements of horror into your campaign is harder than it sounds. First of all, I believe it's much harder to give someone a good scare in a Dungeons and Dragons game than it is in a horror movie. The spoken-word medium of D&D just can't capture the energy and visceral feeling that film can, no matter how hard the DM tries.

The key to building suspense, if there is one, is to avoid the expected. That means no horror clichés. Not only can they break the in-game atmosphere, but they show a lack of imagination on the part of a DM. If your players are expecting something bad to attack while they're traversing that eerily calm lake, let them cross unharmed. Then, when they're resting on the other shore, hit them with the best you have.

Show, don't tell. It's a cardinal rule for writers, and it applies equally well in this case. In D&D, words are all you have—and you have to use them wisely when it comes to building a truly terrifying experience. Obviously, you can't order your players to be scared. But if you take the time take your time to describe the sights, smells and sounds of their surroundings, you're immersing them deeper into the game. When your players are immersed—when their disbelief is suspended—they're more easily scared. So, don't tell them they're in a dank underground passageway.

Instead, say something like: "Rocks jut out at sharp angles in the underground passage that stretches before you, and they conspire with the flames of your torch to cast strange shadows across the crevices and crags of the cavern. In the distance you can hear the faint sound of soft footfalls, as something passes unseen further down the tunnel.

Your preparations don't always have to be in-game, either. A great way to build tension is to host a game by candlelight or by flashlight. It simultaneously makes your game setting more intimate (because all your players can see is the table and each other) and more creepy.

Breaking Up

I've been a bit inactive of late... something I hope to rectify rather than continue to put off... that being said, the post I wanted to focus on about changing the rules for your game just got pushed further back. My next gaming session is going to take place at the end of the month and it has had me reflecting about where the game is going and what should have been changed.

I discovered during the last session that I had made a blatant mistake. One that amateur DMs make in their games. I thought that I, as a seasoned DM, was not about to make such an error in my games... I was wrong. I know now that in the future, if I'm still running games (which I certainly hope I am) I'll probably make the same dumb mistake again. Perhaps though, I can deter you from making the same error.

Do NOT break your group into smaller groups and keep running the game. I can hear the objection already... "But why not? We do it all the time Tim." It is ok if your group goes their separate way occasionally (shopping for good in a town for instance), but when the group routinely gets split up during the course of an evening gaming session it can be quite immersion breaking, both for the players and for the GM.

My wife has found that she is having a hard time focusing and getting into character for this very reason. My current group has managed to be split into several small groups; off shoots of the primary group. The trouble is, I wrote the game to be this way. They are supposed to be guards in a town investigating a series of strange events that have been going on over the last 3 weeks (in game). The result is that they would end up looking into different aspects of the "case". What I didn't count on happening was the hour long intervals where I would focus on one of the small groups.

While you might be able to sustain bouncing from group to group for a time, it starts to get quite confusing pretty quickly. The story I wrote has plenty of twists worked into it that if the group catches forms a complete story. The trouble with broken up groups is that the pieces can be found out of order or not at all. But even more troubling than missing something is when your players are no longer able to focus on their characters.

When you lose the ability to immerse yourself in the game you spend less time in character than is healthy for the sake of the game. It puts cracks into an otherwise good story. It also encourages your players to turn their attention to other things. With technology becoming more and more common I've found that a large number of my players tote tablet computers with them, further breaking the game.

When the bulk of my player base is distracted by something else the drive for me to tell a story falls by the wayside. I'm hoping that I can conclude the current game and make way for a new one that will hold my players together as a group. If I can't finish it I may be forced to scrap the story in favor of making sure my group gets the best experience possible. It may also be time for me to enforce a 'disconnect' policy during games...

Take it from me. Don't split your group up so that the game focuses only on 2 or 3 people for extended periods of time if you want to maintain interest. It might happen occasionally in the grand scheme of things, but don't make it a habit, and don't write it into the game.

Teaser for the Next Game

You open your eyes to find only darkness. Slowly objects begin to take form in your field of vision, but you find it difficult to focus and a mist seems to settle at the edge of your eyes. You can hear a man speaking, his voice is carries soft tones and bored drawl. A thick Transylvanian accent is fused into his speech. As he talks the space around you transforms, replaced by visions of other places and realms you have only imagined in dreams.

For age I have been trapped. A king forced from his throne, made to endure an endless waiting within the depths of a necropolis.

A stone seat stands before you. Rusted iron chains dangle from the arm rests and at the base of the seat. Upon the end of each chain is a manacle, darkened by deterioration over the ages. A vertical line of fresh blood glistens along each manacle catching illumination from a hazy red light that originates from somewhere above you. The light is strong enough to reveal decrepit structures lying at the edge of the darkness surrounding you.

Those responsible for my incarceration are dead an gone. I watched as their kingdom crumbled around them in a rain of stone. They now reside in my kingdom, justice for their own misgivings; and once more I am free.

The scene around you transforms, the darkness whirls about, a great spinning typhoon of shadows that rises into the air and vanishes. You find yourself suspended above a grand city of golden spires. Warm, gentle sunlight cascades down upon green hills, dotted with trees that sway gently in the breeze. Trails of black smoke rise from the ground beneath you, marring an otherwise beautiful scene. Conflict fills the streets below, the clang of metal upon metal and cries of pain reaches your ears.

The sky grows puce, clouds rolling in from all directions. The land below splits and heaves. The earth lifts up from the surrounding landscape and is hurled into there air. It topples back down toward the ground, crushing much of the city beneath it. The few things that were spared catch flame and are consumed. The fires begin to fill your vision.

But in my realm, freedom simply means a new prison. My throne is now a seat without power, my shrine a tomb. Still, I know something that my latest captors do not...

When the flames subside you find the landscape changed once more. A desert of crimson sand stretches as far as the eye can see, mixed with pools of jet black water and gnarled, leafless forests. Mountains formed from blood colored stone stretch up toward a star-filled sky. Atop one of the larger mountains is a white domed building. Cracks run across the its surface.

A time is coming, very soon now.

Flames bubble out of the desert sand, coursing across the land like a sidewinder snake, burning everything it touches. Devilish figures complete with horns and hooves stalk fleeing souls across the dead lands with blood covered instruments of torture. Screams of anguish and terror rattle the skies and raise the hairs on your neck. In the sky a thousand eyes open appearing out of the air as though they had always been there. One turns toward you, drawing your vision into its orange glow. You feel layers of flesh being stripped away until only your bones remain. Every secret and fear you have kept become anchors, driving you toward the ground and onto your knees. The eye becomes a maw of silver fangs. Saliva drips from each tooth and dribbles to the ground, moving away the sand, changing it into a pile of bones. The disembodied maw lungs forward to consume you.

I shall reclaim my throne and reforge the metals of my kingdom without impurities. I shall banish all doubt that the Alabaster Throne has lost its glory. Soon my seat shall burn with the Justice of the Eternities! For soon, my salvation shall be

Flexibility on the Playing Field (Rules: Part 1)

I wanted to sit down and simply write about last minute developments prior to a gaming session, since finally after a 2 month break we are all getting together to play, but I found that it just wouldn't come out in worlds; much less thoughts in my mind. Fortunately Bob and I sat down and talked earlier this week and it spurred an idea that is perfect for Throw Out The Dice --- rules, and what they mean for players and the GM.

When you sit down to play a game, the last thing that should be going through your mind are rules. Some GMs (like me) like to break the rules in their games simply because they don't like a particular rule or don't feel a system does just what they need it to do. Houserules are born this way, and can make huge changes to gameplay. For players this is generally not a big deal, until the GM starts to blatantly break rules they consider balancing to the game.

The most conflict that I've run into comes from other players who run their own games. They don't want to turn over the reins of power to someone else and seem to love to bring up the fact that a rule was skipped or how a rule is designed for balancing the game and shouldn't be broken. I know that I am to blame for this kind of thing when I am in the player's seat, but over time I've learned that the best thing to do is just shut up and play.

A GM wants to run with certain rules, whether you like them or not (I usually run into issues with GMs who follow the rules far more strictly than I do). Beware of this when you are playing. Your objections to rules can be extremely immersion breaking, especially when it becomes a conflict between you and the GM. When a GM makes a decision about something in game, as a player it is our duty to accept their decision, even if we don't agree with it.

GMs: Don't shut down your players if they do pose questions about your rules. Sometimes this can be extremely beneficial for you to flesh out your own systems or rules that will help make your gaming experience more unique.

As a GM you also need to be flexible for the sake of your players when it comes to rules. I happen to enjoy it when players challenge the rules in a game, but only if they have alternate suggestions for how to improve those rules. Criticizing a rule without constructive alternates is just as immersion breaking for me as it is you. If a player can give you a good reason why a rule doesn't fit, you should take some time to make a judgement on that rule.

If you need to make a split second decision in game, be sure you stick to that decision in the future - or at least for the duration of the adventure or campaign you are running. Further changes can always be made in the future.

Next Week: More on rules... when they don't fit your game.

Inequality

Our world is far from equal. Women's rights are quite new, despite younger generations having grown up with it in place (mine included), and slavery at least at face value is no longer present in the U.S. My recent writing has taken me to a location in Saratta that makes inequality glaringly apparent, and I am certain that one day someone is going to pull up my works and say, "Gosh, that Wiley must hate women", or they will find me to be a racist or whatever else people think they can infer from what a writer wrote (I never subscribed to the "close reading" thing in school for those of you who have endured it...).

I'll accept the ridicule at this point should it come my way, because a world is a dark place when you stop looking at the surface. Many fantasy worlds that I have taken played in usually tote equality as a strong point, where men and women are the same and flowers and sunshine fall from the heavens. The most difficult thing faced is some ancient evil rising up to destroy the world.

With Saratta I wanted to see a change, something that presented a challenge without being a physical beast that could be slain. In my DMing I know I don't quite reach the real world concept that I am pushing toward, but at least knowing of the inequality in a country helps to really push toward the feeling that the world is far from fair, and evil doesn't need to be a monster. It can be men putting down women, or slave trade, or other things that we put by the wayside or choose to ignore in life.

Roleplay requires strife to be a complete experience, which is a thing I feel many fantasy worlds lack when trying to immerse you into the world. Video games fall short on this as well. Take Dragon Age: Origins for instance; they took steps to make the elves an outcast race by adding in some racial conflict, but just calling an elf "knife-ears" never really made me want to side against the elves. When racism rears its head the emotional conflict should be powerful, or at least character reaction should portray how they really feel when an insult is hurled their way.

I had a player in one of my games who tried to pull the Dragon Age "knife ears" on an elf of Tyr. Elves in my world are far from your butterfly loving softies that seem to be common place in other worlds (you can add that one to your repertoire of insults to hurl at an elf, since Sarattese elves will loathe you for saying it even inferring it). Had it not been for the intervention of another player and racial treaties, my player would have been left in a pool of his own blood.

Inequality is a very powerful thing, and when used in a game provide another angle for conflicts that players must overcome. A woman might pose as a man in a country where women have few rights, rise to become their champions and then reveal her womanhood to the people in hope of winning rights. Just don't be surprised if things dont work out the way you imagined - womens rights took many knocks before becoming a more mainstream concept. Just don't be afraid to throw these concepts at your players; it forces them to grow (both character and player).