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Quick, Robyn! To the Geek MoBag!
D&D today was pretty darn good. First off, the new wheeled backpack (which I refer to in my head as the Geek MoBag) works perfectly. It holds all of my source books (that'd be ten, for those who care) and my DM binder and notebook and such just fine. The front pocket is exactly the right size for a bunch of pencils, a calculator, and my dice. And then, the best part, I can lift it in and out of the car without knocking myself over! And roll it around! Instead of giving myself bruises by trying to carry the weight over one shoulder! w00t!
With DM tools like that, how could the game be anything other than awesome? Well, in truth, there are plenty of ways, but today's game did actually turn out quite well. I'm especially pleased about that, because I was having a hell of a time coming up with a good game for only three of my usual five players. In the end, I plotted out a couple possible combats for them, and then planned some loose RP possibilities, and just let them decide where they wanted to go (which is more-or-less what I always do, but in this case, I left a lot more up in the air than I generally do).
After doing the obligatory Senseless Violence encounter (one of those giganto-trolls from MMIII), the party caught up with the Shean army (as they've been intending to do). After some general RP and chatting, they got assigned a mission by General Yindana nyl Telyn - go to The Wall, and bring back by some means a person of at least captain rank, preferably higher, in order that information about troop movements and strength may be extracted.
I suggested, as Voice of DM, that they had several possible options. They could just grab someone, kidnapping style. They could try to convince someone to come with them, either through rhetoric or trickery. They might try to bribe someone. I gave them some information about The Wall, mainly to do with a small cluster of conveniences, including a tavern called His Mistress, that they'd find there. And then the party formulated the following plan:
1. Locate target
2. Challenge target to drinking contest
3. Drink until last call
4. Claim to own a still in the woods
5. Convince drunken target to accompany them to imaginary still
6. Kidnap target
Did it work? Why, yes, it did. They RP'd it all very well, and rolled good bluff checks. And, I thought it was funny, which always counts for something.
With DM tools like that, how could the game be anything other than awesome? Well, in truth, there are plenty of ways, but today's game did actually turn out quite well. I'm especially pleased about that, because I was having a hell of a time coming up with a good game for only three of my usual five players. In the end, I plotted out a couple possible combats for them, and then planned some loose RP possibilities, and just let them decide where they wanted to go (which is more-or-less what I always do, but in this case, I left a lot more up in the air than I generally do).
After doing the obligatory Senseless Violence encounter (one of those giganto-trolls from MMIII), the party caught up with the Shean army (as they've been intending to do). After some general RP and chatting, they got assigned a mission by General Yindana nyl Telyn - go to The Wall, and bring back by some means a person of at least captain rank, preferably higher, in order that information about troop movements and strength may be extracted.
I suggested, as Voice of DM, that they had several possible options. They could just grab someone, kidnapping style. They could try to convince someone to come with them, either through rhetoric or trickery. They might try to bribe someone. I gave them some information about The Wall, mainly to do with a small cluster of conveniences, including a tavern called His Mistress, that they'd find there. And then the party formulated the following plan:
1. Locate target
2. Challenge target to drinking contest
3. Drink until last call
4. Claim to own a still in the woods
5. Convince drunken target to accompany them to imaginary still
6. Kidnap target
Did it work? Why, yes, it did. They RP'd it all very well, and rolled good bluff checks. And, I thought it was funny, which always counts for something.
no subject
When I was GM for a Star Wars RP, that actually counted for a lot. If the bluff made me giggle, I tended to give them a bit of a modifier to their rolls.
My all time favorite still has to be when a query came over the communication system in the corridor the group had just liberated as to the large amount of noise, a minor explosion, and quite obvious lazer fire that was still echoing through the hall. And one of my players looked up at me and said...
"Space rats?"
no subject
"It's just... not a nice place," he said, eventually.
"I hear they eat babies there!" the newer character, Janar, puts in.
"Snrk!" I said, ducking down behind the screen and choking with laughter.