Game Masters
No one could ever accuse RPG characters of having boring lives. They go on quests, slay dragons, save entire kingdoms, win treasure and other fabulous prizes, and (usually) live to regale their friends with the tale over a pint or three at the local inn. But if you look a little closer you'll find that the lives of most gaming characters lack something that is a major (and some would say essential) part of the average person's life: love.
I am not among the world's more organized people. In fact, though I know only a small portion of the people in the world, I would bet money that I am among the least organized. I also have the memory retention of an autistic goldfish. This usually doesn't bother me, except when it comes to gaming, and more specifically, GMing. As such, I have compiled a list of resolutions, that I may improve my overall organization and memory and be a better GM. The fact that I have compiled a list of resolutions so far from the New Year should be further testament to my state of disorganization.
There are many tried and true role playing adventure themes: rescue the valuable kidnapping victim, slay the evil monster roaming the countryside, find the precious artifact, beguile the sultry and provocative Wood Nymph Queen and make her your love slave, to rule the forest by your side for all eternity while her entourage of nearly as sultry Wood Nymph Princesses breathlessly await your every order, and...
I wrote this as a quick interlude while the party explores their new land. I knew my party would be suspicious as hell, and take up most of their time trying to figure out where I had hidden the dragon, or tribe of 20 trolls. They finally found a small cave entrance in the SE corner of their land. That entrance led to the "Dungeon of the Fire Opal".
After your success at Five Oaks, your party has ended up in the city of Pardue in the United Kingdom of Ahlissa. While making your daily rounds of Inns and taverns, you hear of trouble to the southeast of the city. Tales tell of a series of hills that have become infested by goblins. Some stories tell of how these goblins are led by particularly large and vicious goblins. After a couple of weeks of hearing these tales, wondering as to their validity, and perhaps even thinking that you might take a little trip to see if these rumors are true, a merchant confirms the tales.
In this first installment of The Scarlet Servant, The Manor House of Five Oaks, our campaign and new players start out saving a town from the fiendish attacks of nearby goblins, holed up in an old noble's house, abandoned for fifteen years. What lies in wait for them at the Manor House? Read on...
My wife decided to take the day off and go visit her parents. This gave me the chance to indulge in an activity in which I am not normally allowed. An activity that every red-blooded male loves to indulge. Not porn, but Jackie Chan movies (this time). I rented the movie Project A and was struck with the great piratical gaming ideas that could come from it.
What to do when you want to run that really nifty game. With ideas for both the old and new table-top gamer. The first thing a prospective GM needs to decide, is what system to use. My personal favorites are Cyberpunk 2020, Castle Falkenstein, and good old Dungeons and Dragons. It hardly pays to plan out a spine-tingling scenario, if you are going to have a hard time finding anyone to play.
In the first installment of the Rosebaon, we learned the history of this dreaded organization, as well as meeting the first two Lords, Placebo and Scimitar. Now, we meet the remaining three and learn how all the Lords work (or rather, don't) together.
The opening episode of The Weekly Noun breaks free of the leash, covering characters and their pets. You don't need a license to read this column, and always feel free to adopt these stray ideas into your gaming sessions. The Weekly Noun is guaranteed housebroken.
