Subject: Thanks!
Author:
Posted on: 2015-09-15 12:22:00 UTC
I don't know what version I'm studying now, but I think it's relatively new. There's quite a lot to learn.
If I may ask, what makes a campaign really fun for you?
-Alleb
Two questions- does anyone on here know how to calligraphy, and how many good citizens are willing to share their D&D expertise? I'm about to start learning the former, and I'm already studying how to be a DM.
Thanking of youse in advance!
-Alleb
I used to do calligraphy quite a bit - I got given a set as a present when I was back in primary school. I tried my hand at the Gothic script, just because it looked cool, and I used the smallest nib and a slight italic style for my normal handwriting.
Throughout secondary school I didn't actually have to put my name on anything: all of my teachers said they could instantly recognise my handwriting.
As for D&D, there's a very useful series of articles that I found when I was first starting to GM. Not all of them will be relevant, but they should be interesting.
The rulebooks give pretty solid advice for starting/running a game, although they did tend towards fairly basic 'dungeon crawl' style games (I only have experience with 4th Ed, don't know about the rest). I'd recommend starting out with a couple of simple quests along these lines (clear these caves out of monsters, escort this shiny thing through the goblin infested woods, etc.) and then try and introduce more long term plot elements once you've got a bit of a feel for the game, and your players have a got a feel for their characters.
If the gaming group as a whole is inexperienced, then starting off with some slightly easier fights (or 'training fights' where they're going up against people that aren't actually trying to kill them) is probably a good idea, until people get a feel for their powers and abilities.
Once you've run a few fights, try and evaluate how well the challenge rating (or whatever they call it - the thing that tells you how many enemies you're supposed to throw against the players) is working for your group. In the last game that I ran, the players had got themselves a bunch of characters that had really good synergy, so I was doubling the recommended XP allowance of each fight just to keep things challenging for them.
Also, when it comes to the fights, I really recommend putting in environmental hazards, traps, and other interactive objects around the place, as well as the actual creatures that they'll be fighting. These can make the combats a lot more interesting.
I believe that things are different with 5th Ed, but 4th Ed's strict adherence to the grid system had a failing, in my opinion, in that the big climatic fights often felt very static. Normal fights, in which the party was typically outnumbered by two or three to one by weaker opponents would be fairly mobile - enemy spellcasters would start at range and have a wall of meatshields in front of them so that they could stay at range, and the players would defeat one enemy then run on to the next. It felt dynamic, and you might have to deal with cover / line of sight / difficult terrain issues as you moved on. 'Boss fights', typically against one large and powerful adversary with maybe a few (much) weaker minions, tended to be much more static. You'd spend the first turn or two getting into attack position, and then you'd just start chipping its health away. Until someone got very low on health, there wasn't really anything else to do.
This was somewhat exaggerated in our case, as the setting the DM had created meant that we were short on magic users, but long on melee types, so once we got into position around a big target we basically had it surrounded so it couldn't go anywhere (and we didn't want to go anywhere, or we'd be out of range). Still, D&D remains the only game where I've been bored while fighting a dragon.
Having things like pendulum traps swinging through the fight area can help make things a little less static.
If you've got any specifying questions about DMing I'll be happy to share my thoughts.
- Irish
And thanks for answering!
I'm trying to drum up plot and world ideas (world-building is very fun for me), but I don't know how to craft a good D&D BBEG; do you have any tips for that?
Also, I have the DM Guide and the Monster Guide (but not the Player's Handbook) to 4th Ed, and I also have Pathfinder. Do you happen to know the key differences, and which one would be better for a group with zero experience XP?
-Alleb
I'll answer your last question first, because it's quicker: I've never played Pathfinder before, so of those two I can only really recommend D&D 4th Ed. Having said that, if you'd just asked me what game I recommended from my personal experience, 4th Ed is probably the one that I'd pick. It's a nice simple system, and the rulebooks fully cover most of the situations you can expect to find yourself in. It's also very clear in terms of what actions you're allowed to take, and what the consequences are. This applies both to the players and the DM - it's a very good intro system (basically agreeing with what Iximaz said).
However, because of the way the system works, you will need access to the Player's Handbook in order to do character creation (and levelling up).
I'm unfamiliar with the acronym BBEG, but a quick Googling leads me to think it stands for Big Bad Evil Guy. If, however, you meant it to mean something else, then my following advice will be near-useless :)
Well, this Check for Traps article touches on how to run villains, and this article from the Giant in the Playground gaming forums covers actually creating antagonists (I personally found this one very useful).
I can't really offer much in the way of specific advice, because the nature of a truly great (or should that be evil) villain should be tied to the story - a story about a group of adventurers slaughtering their way through the Unnamed Evil Lord's horde of 10,000 orcs before finally stealing his Ominous Helmet of Doom and kicking his teeth in, is going to have a very different Big Bad to a story about the political intrigue in the kingdom, where it eventually turns out that the Grand Vizier was the one behind all the assassination attempts, and probably shouldn't marry the princess after all.
In general, you want your villain to be memorable, which usually means giving them a distinctive appearance and maybe some unique abilities, and you probably want them to be physically powerful. While the 'Puppet Master' types can make for very good villains, they also tend not to be as satisfying to beat. So even if your plot does have them as a mastermind, try and make sure they're good in a brawl too (or at the very least employ competent bodyguards).
Related to the character themselves being distinctive, it can also be useful to give them (and by extension, their minions) some kind of symbol. It can be a coat-of-arms, a pin badge or a tattoo - anything really - but a nice visual identifier that an average looking guy is actually aligned with the Big Bad can be useful. It can be used to add plot hooks, or raise the tension of a scene - imagine the characters get dragged out of their beds and arrested on trumped up charges; they're all confused as to what is happening, but then one of them spots the captain of the guard is leering at them unpleasantly, and has a familiar looking tattoo...
Coming up with names is one of the aspects of character creation that I find hardest, and I know a lot of other people feel the same. Coming up with a name for a villain is especially tricky, because the players will probably be hearing it quite a lot. My advice is to keep it short (or at least have it be easily shortenable): Mitth'raw'nuruodo may be perfectly in keeping with the naming conventions of your villain's species, but if your players can't remember it, then name-dropping the villain isn't going to have much impact.
Particularly with D&D, with its very rigid class and levelling system, you're also going to want to think about what sort of level your characters will be when they face this guy. The sort of adversary that will prove a challenging final fight for a group of lvl 20s will be capable of utterly devastating a part of lvl 10s, and will drop in seconds to a party of lvl 30s.
You may also need to give some thought to what your party is like in terms of abilities - you want your villain to be challenging, but not impossible to defeat. If your party consists entirely of mundane weapon users, you probably shouldn't make your villain immune to everything but magical damage.
If you want it, I'd be perfectly happy to try and give you more specific advice on your particular bad guy, but I'll need to get some more info on your intended setting/storyline.
- Irish
Those articles are perfect. Thank you!
I haven't found a name yet, so I'll just call him "the King." It actually won't be too hard for me to find names; I'm taking a page out of C.S. Lewis's book and borrowing from Turkish ("aslan" is the Turkish word for lion). The name of my currently-vague world is "Arev," which is just the word for "flame," and consists of six regions numbered one through six, again, in Turkish. The adventurers start out in the first region, Tek, which is devoted to agriculture. And they have the misfortune of being in the most agriculturally agriculturest town in Tek-- Barlan.
The King makes more sense if I explain how his kingdom works as well, so I hope you don't mind a bit of exposition...
Basically, the six regions are arranged in a circle around the central kingdom, which I don't have a name for yet. The regions are strictly regimented by class and status; Tek is the lowest, consisting mostly of farmers, and is the butt of all jokes in the kingdom. Barlan is the butt of all jokes in Tek, so the PCs are off to a brilliant start. Everything in Arev is tied to your standing-- a combination of wealth, prestige, bravery, and all other aspects of notability. If you want to move into the next region, you have to get a certain level of standing (XP) and get a writ of permission from that region's noble. You can only move up clockwise in this fashion, and only members of the sixth region, Altı (which I'll probably change to something more phonetic; it's pronounced "Alt-uh," with an emphasis on the "a" and a slightly long "l" sound) can go to the central city.
Now, the King. He's an illegitimate son of the last king, and his mother was from Barlan. It's been constantly hung over his head his whole life that he's from lowly Tek, and, worse yet, from Barlan. He utterly loathes the region, and wants to sweep it off of the map, so his main emotions are Shame and Resentment. The Fire King character has largely influenced his plan; he wants to turn all of the other regions against Tek, and eventually provoke outright war. He's already started sowing seeds of strife, mainly amongst the higher nobles in the central city.
I'd like some advice on how to present him. I want him to evoke some measure of pity, but also fear, since he's completely willing to kill thousands of people just to get rid of this shame. I'm not exactly a six foot something muscular dude with a deep voice; how should I roleplay this guy to make him seem threatening, without it coming off as silly?
Thank you so much for the advice! It's already helping me flesh out my world.
-Alleb
How do I play someone that's so different from me? That applies to both players and DMs, although DMs tend to get it worse due to the fact that they may have to play several recurring characters.
Unfortunately most of the advice I can offer boils down to 'try it out and see how you do'.
For recurring characters like this I'll tend to make up some cue cards that I can refer to that give a quick summary of what the character is like, including things like speech patterns (so for a royal it might include something like 'always uses the Royal "we" when speaking about himself', as well as any other features that would make him distinctive. Then I can at least play them consistently.
And that's one of the key things, I think, about playing a character. You don't necessarily have to have them speak exactly as you imagine them to, as long as they are speaking in a distinctive manner. If you can't get your voice as deep as you think the guy should be, don't worry - but if you can use a deeper-than-normal voice whenever you speak as him, then your players will probably pick up on it.
Also, you can use narration to make him come across however you want, even if you can't do the actual voice yourself. If my players had just screwed up doing a task for the king, I might say to them 'The King strides into the room, flanked by muscular guards. "What is the meaning of this?" he demands. His deep, booming voice echoes around the throne room.'. It works even if you don't put on a voice, although it works better if you can put one on.
Also, there is one final link that I think may be of use to you. Probably the biggest problem about DMing is that it's very hard to actually learn from someone - as a player you're generally focusing what your character is / will be doing, and won't be able to pay much attention to how the DM is actually running the game, instead you'll be listening to them as they tell you what's going on. And as a new DM you'll probably find you're concentrating on telling the players what they need to know to, and aren't able to spend the time to analyse what you're doing and how well it's going.
So here is the link to Temple of the Lava Bears, a video series on youtube of a D&D campaign. I found it very entertaining to watch, and it's also the only time I've actually been able to watch how a DM is actually DMing, rather than paying attention to what they were saying about those goblins trying to sneak up on our flank. These guys do a bunch of comedy videos, so I already sort of knew who they all were before I started watching this, which I think made it more interesting for me (I've tried watching videos posted by other gaming groups, but just couldn't get into them). So yeah, you might find that it's too boring to watch through. On he other hand, if you do find it interesting, you might be able to pick up some more tips and tricks.
- Irish
I'm really interested in these videos. I've been listening to a D&D campaign podcast, and that's been fun, but it'll be even better to actually see the people as they play.
I think the distinctiveness of a character will help me a lot; like you said, even if it's not exactly as I imagine it, my players will get the right idea.
Oh, I had another question-- how do I handle maps? I was under the impression that the entire group used a large map detailing the entire area and moved their tokens across it; is that correct? My DM Guide seems to be saying that I'm the only one with a complete map, while my players have a blank grid used only for keeping track of where their characters are when necessary.
Thank you so much for helping me out; you've been invaluable!
-Alleb
(Warning, incoming wall o'text detected)
OK, so I've said a lot of stuff, and it's all just my opinion based on my own experiences. If you find another way that works for you, that's the one you should use.
Well, the typical situation would be that your group all gathers round at someone's (usually the DM's, but not always) house, and you all sit round a big table.
There's a map in the middle that everyone can see, and the DM has a little corner/end of the table sectioned off by the DM Screen which conceals all of the detailed notes that you can't allow the players to see. This would usually include a map of your own, which will be smaller in scale, but far more detailed.
I realise this won't be quite the set-up that you'll have, as you've said you're getting the group together virtually, but you should be able to work on a variation of it.
Your secret map should contain all of the information that you need to run the encounter: a full layout of the building/cave network/forest clearing/whatever that the players are exploring, with starting positions for all the monsters/creatures/NPCs, and the positions of any traps/treasure/items of interest. Next to that you're going to want some notes about the area. If it's a particularly important/impressive area you might want to start with a brief paragraph giving a description of the place. Your notes should also contain quick references for any rolls that might need to occur, for example a list of the DC ratings for Perception Checks to spot any traps. I also tend to have a separate sheet for all adversary combat stats (starting Hit Points, AC, Attack Rolls + Damage, etc.) - you can just refer to the page(s) of the Monster Manual, but if you've got a bunch of different creatures then you're going to be forever flicking back and forth.
You'll also want a space somewhere (again, I tend to use a separate sheet) for recording the Initiative Order, and the current health of monsters.
In comparison, the map available to your players should really only contain the information that would be available to their characters (but is a lot more than just a blank grid). For example, your map may show that they are in a room, with a corridor leading off it, and two ogres waiting just the other side of the door, ready to bash the head in of the first person to open the door. The players' map will show that they are in a room, with a closed door at the far end. Your notes may then have the DC check required for the players to hear the ogres before they open the door.
Theoretically, the players' map should only cover information that their characters know, so in the case of a room with closed doors there shouldn't be any lines beyond them until the players open the door, and then you can reveal the room/corridor/whatever. In practise, this will slow the encounter down a lot, and mean that you are constantly re-drawing things. The more practical solution is to map the full layout of the area, but only as far as things like walls and doors go. Internal detail, such as monsters, weird symbols on the floor, sacrificial alters, the bones of a previous adventuring group, etc. will only be added once someone can draw line of sight to them.
Also, if you've got a big area that you want them to explore, don't be afraid to split it up into several sections, and separate maps for each section.
Also also, most of the powers/abilities that the characters will have will be given a range measured in grid squares. If you're running a combat/puzzle encounter (really any encounter other than a conversation/social interaction), then it will be necessary to keep track of where everyone is. This isn't true for every game system, but I think it's very true for D&D 4th Ed.
So, how to adapt all that to your situation?
Well, if your group is going to be a mix of those physically present in front of you and those virtually present, then you'll want the big player's map.
But for those that will be present virtually, however many that is, you need to find a way to get the map information to them. Players only really have two ways of receiving information about the situation their characters are in: what you tell them, and what the map shows them.
You're still going to want to have two maps: one for them and one for you, but if they are all going to be virtual presences keeping your one secret won't be much of a challenge.
The difficulty is going to be in getting the players' map to them. There is 'virtual tabletop' software available that will allow you to do this. I believe some of them are even available for free. However, I have never used any of them, so I can't tell you exactly how they work or how good they are.
My group has used a couple of techniques before, which worked (although not as well as just getting everyone together).
The first is that the DM sets up a physical table, with a webcam pointed at it. The players can ask for the viewpoint to be moved during their turn, and tell the DM where they want to move to (move my paladin 3 paces forward and 1 to the right). The DM is basically in charge of the board, and moves things at the request of the players. This has the advantage of being unambiguous - if you see the DM moving your piece different to how you intended, you can correct them (or correct yourself if you said the wrong thing), and everyone is looking at exactly the same thing. The downside of this is bandwidth/connection quality - it may or may not be practical for you all.
The other option is that the DM prepares the players' map(s) in advance, either drawing them out by hand or sketching on computer, and e-mails them out to the players. If you've got several maps you'll have to give them titles so that your players will know which ones to refer to (and make sure you don't give anything away with the title - no point in naming it 'Goblin Ambush', even if that is a nice summary of the intended encounter). You'll also need to give actual grid-references, so that you all have a common point of reference for the map. Each individual is then responsible for updating the position of all characters/monsters/etc. on their own map. The advantage of this is that it can be co-ordinated via audio only, there's no need to set up an additional webcam and work out how to get it aimed at the game board properly. The disadvantage is that your games inevitably turn into some weird hybrid of D&D and Battleships, which can make co-ordinated tactics like distractions and flanking manoeuvres more tricky than they need to be. As the DM, it will also be your responsibility to resolve any issues that occur as a result of people being in the wrong place.
One thing you will have to watch out for is making sure that everyone gets to have a say in discussions. This was a bigger problem in my group, because we've generally only had one person gaming remotely - and it was very easy for the group around the table to forget about, or talk over, our not-so-absent friend (on one memorable occasion our DM that was the one virtual person, and two of the players got into an argument with each other about something that the DM was trying to clarify, but they were ignoring him because he couldn't turn his speakers up, whereas they could just talk louder to drown out the 'distraction').
Making sure that they get their fair share of time in combat is easy enough - the initiate mechanic basically forces it, but if you get a few people together chances are one of them will be a little quieter than the others. My advice is to work out who this is, and then try and listen out for them: if the group is having a big discussion and they don't seem to be part of it, specifically ask them for their opinion on the matter.
Seeing as this topic is about drop off the front page, my e-mail address is samurai_ireland@hotmail.com - if you have any more questions you can contact me there.
- Irish
The philosophy of less is more. If you want someone to be terrifying, keep him in the back. Never actually making appearances. Use the stories of the people suffering under him to build his ethos. Show the fear and desperation of Tek's people. But do not show your villain. Let your players imagination fill in the blanks.
That might be the best way to get fear and sympathy. Have NPC's explain the background. Have them tell his story, but you show the effects.
Just my two cents, but seeing as I have never played anything like D&D take it for what you will.
And Barlan is isolated from the rest of Tek by a chasm and bandits, so when the PCs get through the barrier it'll be a wham in the face to see how the rest of Tek is being persecuted. Thanks!
Yes, the grid-based combat is a bit static, but the visual aid is pretty useful for newcomers, and the At-Will, Encounter, and Daily power divide is a lot easier for newcomers to understand compared to spell slots. ^^;
Also, you might want to consider picking up the PHB, because there are a lot of rules of combat in there, like line of sight and grappling and the like, that aren't in the DM's guide or aren't explained as extensively. Might seem weird, but the publishers assume you'll buy them all together. :P
Plus, visual aids will be extra-nice because I'm going to be DMing via Skype. My group lives too far away to make weekly trips.
I'll order that Handbook! I want my group, especially, to begin looking over the rules. I wonder if I can find some online resources to familiarize them with the basics...
-Alleb
It's been a good while since I played D&D (back when 3.5 Edition was still relatively newish, which tells you how long it's been), and I was mainly one of the adventurers. I've been contemplating becoming a DM as well, actually, since I prefer being the storyteller than the reactive player.
I'd say find the rule version you're most comfortable with and go from there. Study published modules and the core rulebooks. You can find quite a lot of them online in PDF form for free or relatively cheap, so you shouldn't have to shell out much if any money for them.
I don't know what version I'm studying now, but I think it's relatively new. There's quite a lot to learn.
If I may ask, what makes a campaign really fun for you?
-Alleb
I picked it up as a hobby a couple of years back; it's an intermittent thing, but it's kind of fun.
My favourite font script has to be Gothic, but it's not terribly useful; for general writing I stick to Italic, or Unical if I've got the space (often for titles and the like).
Oh, and I won't touch Copperplate with a bargepole, because dear sweet Esboni no.
The neat thing about calligraphy - apart from it being generally cool - is that it's not an expensive hobby. I got a kit with a pen, five nibs, and three different inks for... £15, maybe? That's about $25 these days. Throw in a pad of paper, and get a library book out for a few weeks to learn (and copy, or even photocopy) the scripts... yep, it's a good one.
hS
I've already started learning it; after I'm a bit better with it, I'll start on those others. Thank you!
It is a really cool hobby, isn't it? I already have a Speedball pen and several nibs, ink, and pen cleaner, and it didn't cost that much at all. Do you use any particular type of paper? I'm just using a notebook right now.
-Alleb
Well, it's slightly thicker paper - you might have noticed your ink bleeding through your notebook, which you obviously don't want! My paper is parchment-coloured, because that's pretty, but ultimately, any paper will do.
Hilariously, I got interested in it while working at a charity shop: we had a 1930s encyclopaedia with a section on German (the language), which included a full-page image of the Gothic lettering then still in use across Germany. I still have, somewhere, the page I copied it out onto using a thick permanent marker.
I also have the entire encyclopaedia, because my boss liked me. ^_^
hS
I want to get some parchment-like paper to write; especially with red and black ink. That'll look nice.
Yeah, I have to use a stain catcher page beneath the one I'm writing on. My pen sometimes catches on the notebook paper as well, which is less than fun. Especially when it's an otherwise good letter...
Oh, if you want to see a really cool calligrapher (ooh, that's actually a word, nice) then look up Jake Weidman. I think that's correct. He's a master penman, the youngest in the world by three decades, and there are only eleven others. His stuff is awesome.
-Alleb