A rambling post about dice mechanics in RPGs and how they may add to the enjoyment of a game. If you don't enjoy rolling lots of dice in a game and/or mindless dungeon-crawls, skip this post. I love RPGs with lots of story and drama, but this post isn't about that kind of roleplaying. This about the type of "roll-playing" where the only reason for a plot is as an excuse to kill monsters and get XP.
Recently, I introduced some co-workers to Heroquest, the dungeon-crawling board game produced my Milton Bradley in the 1980s. Only one other person has played a traditional RPG in the group and I am seeing the games from their eyes, the eyes of folks who have no preconcieved notions on what gaming is, and I finally noticed something about the appeal of Heroquest and why it works while several other similiar games (original D&D, Advanced Heroquest, Warhammer Quest) have not worked for me.
Heroquest is insanely simplistic as heroes have 4 stats: Attack, Defense, Body Points (hit points) and Mind points (hit points against mental attacks). As a simple board game, it doesn't need more. My high school friends and I played Heroquest at least once a week for almost a year. I've always to play a "Quest game" with a little more depth but when we played other games to do a dungeon crawl like the ones we did in Heroquest but with more detail, the game never was as fun. At one time, I thought it just might be the "rolling a handful of dice factor." In Heroquest, attack and defense rolls are rolled by taking a certain number of "combat dice" and rolling them. The amount of successful hits that are not negated by the defending player rolling shields on his defense dice is the amount of damage that gets through.
Now, I noticed something about the players: They really like rolling the defense dice. When a monster attacks theor character and gets 3 hits, rolling 2 shields to reduce the hit to one is an action they tend to cheer.
In D&D and the other quest games I mention above, the defending hero gets no chance to roll a defense roll. So, when the monster attacks them, the player becomes a spectator. Sure, they could have decided to take an "all-out defense" or other defensive action on their turn but mostly they just wait for the Dungeonmaster to roll a bunch of dice and tell them how hurt they got.
Getting to roll those defense dice if fun for players....at least players who like rolling dice.
It reminds me that when I tried to introduce my high school gaming group to Champions. They didn't like the whole calculating the OCV versus the DCV and finding the to-hit number that way. We'd played years of Palladium games and were used to getting to roll a defense. So, I changed the system to attacker rolling 1d20+OCV versus the defender rolling 1d20+ DCV so that both attacker and defender would get to roll dice and the math also became less obtrusive. It was a hit with the group and I ended up converting them to Champions.
For players who enjoy rolling dice, the rolling of the dice gives a thrill that they, by their dice rolls are affecting the outcome and I think that the games that try to simplify the combat by just giving the attacker a target number like D&D are cheating the players.
I think that Eden's Buffy system was on the right track as the NPCs always assumed average numbers for attack and defense (assuming the NPC has not used a drama point to up that) and the players end up as the only ones rolling the dice. If their hero was attacked, they rolled against a set number to defend and if their hero attack they rolled against a set number to hit.
I like dungeon-crawls. I always have. As much as I enjoy a "deeper" game that is filled with good plot and interesting characters, I like the occassional game that is all about rolling dice, killing monsters and getting treasure. Sadly, I never found a game that seemed to do it very well, in my opinion, outside the ultra-simplistic Heroquest and as an experienced gamer I wanted more detail.....things like character advancement and more variety in what treasure can give you. D&D never pleased me because it had too much, in my opinion. Characters became huge masses of numbers, bonuses and spell lists that the game quickly gets bogged down in too much weight.
So can anyone tell me of a game where combat is fast and simple (allowing heroes to quickly move from room to room, killing everything in their paths and gathering the treasure), allows for character advancement that does not then bog the game down and has more detail than Heroquest? That may be the game I am looking for to get my Munchkin-ish thrills.
As I am cleaning out a lot of my RPG books and listing them on eBay, there were these two GM guides that I couldn't part with:
Listen Up You Primitive Screwheads!- The GM guide for Cyberpunk 2020, this book is basically a collection of essays by many GMs of Cyberpunk 2020. While many of the essays are genre-specific, it also has many that could apply to GMs of many games. The first essay is a long one on the secrets of running a long and successful campaign and while I read it years and years ago, I reread it the other night and apparently my read-through of the book years ago didn't sink in because it gives many tips that I have spent the last several years re learning. R. Talsorian has started releasing PDFs of their classic Cyberpunk books, but this one has not yet been released on DriveThruRPG.com, where their PDFs has been released. It's worth hunting down on eBay, though....particularly if you ever plan to run a game in the genre.
Werewolf Storyteller's Guide- This was the storyteller's guide to the first edition of Werewolf: The Apocalypse and, much like the book above, is another collection of articles. These ones are indespensible for Horror GMs and I really wish I read it more often when prepping games for Buffy, World of Darkness or Call of Cthulhu. It has lots of great tips for setting the mood.
Even though I am in the midst of getting rid of loads of RPG books, I bought one today. I stopped in at a FLGS and found they had a copy of Blue Rose in the discount bin for 50% off and I've been really wanting to read it.
Metal Fatigue informed me that it was getting bad reviews on Forge and I can see why. While the game is advertising itself a "Romantic Fantasy" game, I don't see anything in the rules that seems to push the "romantic" element and the setting looks like a pretty bland variation of Valdemar by writers upset that Lackey won't let a licensed game of her setting be released.. However, it does look like it is basically the Mutants and Masterminds system adapted for Fantasy roleplaying and since M&M is one of my favorite systems ever, (It is an extremely simple and fun system, everything that I consider d20 not to be.) I have been dying to get it and it seems to fill my needs: An alternative to D&D. I'm not sure if this will replace Savage Worlds for me as my system of choice for fantasy/adventure gaming, but it is has the potential to. When I have had a chance to read it, I'll post more.
After running a couple of Dreaming City games this weekend, I realized that since I'm making this game a series of con games with experience and all that jazz, I'd better start doing some bookkeeping. So, it's not linked on the main page for the Dreaming City website, so I made a page on the web as my backup copy of the current drama points. I'll do the same think for experience points as well.
I may have mentioned this before, but I'm a huge fan of Green Ronin's Mutants and Masterminds. It's the only reason I ever gave running D&D a try since I liked the simplicity of M&M and exptected the original d20 game to be as simple to run and/or play. D&D was not what I wanted and ever since that failed trip into the world of D20 Fantasy, I've wanted to see M&M-style mechanics and point-based character creation in a d20 Fantasy product. Well, I recently read about Sony's new e-book reader that will be able to show PDF files and have been excited about the prospects of using it for RPG books (as well as regular reading) and saving a lot of room.
So, I was peaking at RPGnow.com, an online retailer that sells pdf gaming books to see if many of my favorite systems were getting treatment in pdf format and found that Green Ronin is now selling a generic d20 system, "TrueD20," based on the M&M mechanics as well as a new setting using the system, Blue Rose which appears to be a fantasy setting inspired by the Valdemar books. Both of which I'm very excited about and may be my first purchases when/if I get Sony's new e-reader.
Well, another year of Ambercon has come and gone and I once again find myself looking forward to the next.
Looking to get rid off a lot of my extra stuff and in doing so, prepare for my impending move, I brought RPG books to sell and comic books to give away with me this year. Selling cheap RPG books and giving away comics made sure that I ended up seeing a lot more people at the con this year than I usually get to. It was really great seeing everyone and I had a fantastic time.
Now, for reviews of the games....
Slot One: Dr Qua and the Glass of Suffering
Description: The crew of the Ghitu's Fire have been to most of the major ports in the world, but there is one that they have wisely avoided until now: Imrryr, capital city of Melnibone. For 10,000 years, the bright empire of Melnibone ruled the world. The fae-like folk of Melnibone are not human. Their race is far older than humanity. Through ancient pacts with demon gods, they shaped the elements and lands to their liking. They tamed dragons and rode them to conquest.Age has dulled the bright empire, tarnished its beauty and weakened its people. The empire rots from within but it is still a source of great wealth. It is the promise of great riches that has brought your ship to Imrryr and it is this greed that may lead you to the greatest adventure you have ever seen.
Mechanics/Restrictions: This is a diceless game set in Michael Moorcock's dark fantasy world of Stormbringer. The system is a variation of the Amber DRPG. Pregens will be provided. Mature players only.
This game was actually an adaption of a Chaosium adventure for Stormbringer. I liked the basic concept and had run it in Savage Worlds recently for some local friends. When I ran it in SW, the players deviated quite a bit from the plot in the beginning, exploring Imrryr a bit and the ending needed to be rushed. I came up with the idea that the game may work better in a diceless setting, as a lot of the big epic battles (a staple of Moorcock's novels) take too much time to dice out but can be done in a few moments in a diceless game.
Again, the scenario ran into problems. While there are limited chances to explore in the adventure, there is a lot of time where the PCs are more along for the ride as they can't see many options besides going along with Dr. Qua's schemes. While part of this works well for a one-shot game, keeping the PCs and the plot moving so it can be finished in 4 hours, it also seemed to have left the players frustrated. The players still seemed to have some fun but it was a weaker start to the con than I would have liked.
Slot 2: Brave New Genosha
Description: Erik Magnus Lehnsherr, AKA Magneto, has been called a terrorist and a visionary. Now, he has the world on the brink of war. In international waters, he and his "Brotherhood of Mutants" created an island, a new nation for mutants to come and "live in peace." The American President, Lex Luthor, held a press conference and vowed that he will bring Lehnsherr to justice for the attack on Cape Citadel and numerous other acts of war done by Lehnsherr and his Brotherhood. Shortly after its creation, the nation of Genosha was given rogue state status and a new deck of 52 was released with Lehnsherr as the Ace of Spades. As spokesman for the Justice League of America, Superman stated that they hope that a peaceful resolution can be found but the JLA will stand ready to assist the U.S.A. in whatever action the nation decides. The Avengers have not been available for comment and there are rumors that the team has broken up because of differing opinions on this issue.As a member of the X-Men, a secret group of mutants trained and led by Professor Charles Xavier, you've been taught that mutants and mankind can...must...live in peace but now the X-Men's mission seems more hopeless than ever. Can a small team of mutants keep the world's superpowered men and women from war? In the wave of anti-mutant hysteria, will Senator Kelly's Mutant Registration Act get passed and how will that affect Professor X's mission? In these insane times, will the X-Men be the only voice of reason or can they convince the world's leader's to find a peaceful solution?
Mechanics/Restrictions: Players may play almost any superhero or supervillain from DC or Marvel comics. Characters must be ones who would believen in Xavier's dream and should be members of the X-Men (although we can discuss other options). Character histories can be changed to fit into this alternate history. For example, the Teen Titan's Beast Boy could be a shapeshifting mutant and a member of the X-Men in this setting. This game will be run system-less, so character descriptions and histories are all that will be required for character creation.
Damn, this game was a blast. Characters were: Spider-Man, Nightcrawler, Longshot, Rachael Summers, Rogue and Catwoman. The game began with Rogue and Gambit on a date when Rachael Summers comes back from the future to warn Professor Xavier that the coming war between the United States and Genosha would tear the world apart and create a world where Lex Luthor and his Sentinel army hunts down all the mutants on earth. Peter Parker was assigned by the Daily Bugle to attend a press conference in Genosha with reporters from several papers around the world, including Lois Lane and Jimmy Olsen from the Daily Planet. (I sadly, realize now that this could have been a chance for a Creeper cameo. Oh, well.) As he was prepping to leave, Mary Jane turns on the TV and there is a new reports of these blue guys floating down the streets of Manhattan. Pete swings out the window to keep an eye on things and perhaps take pictures.
Cut to: The X-Mansion as the X-Men (and Selina Kyle, visiting Professor Xavier) are meeting Rachael Summers, a blue guy that Rachael explains are "O.M.A.C.s," a type of super-sentinel that is developed in the future, begins attacking the mansion with some standard sentinels. The X-Men and students manage to defeat the sentinels and escape to a safehouse Xavier had prepared. They find out during the escapes that these blue guys have been sighted elsewhere in New York. Selina takes a few of the X-Men with her in Scott Summer's Dodge Viper (stealing it) as she has an urgent thing to do and Xavier says to take some back-up. Rogue, Gambit and Nightcrawler go with her.
It turns out that Catwoman's secret mission was to check on her daughter, a daughter she has with Magneto years ago and had kept secret from him. They are confronted by the JLA there who have been informed by the US Government that the apartment was the headquarters of a Brotherhood cell. After a obligatory fight with the JLA, the heroes manage to come to an understanding and work together to figure out was really going on.
Meanwhile, Spider-Man had attached a spidey-tracker to Sabretooth before he was snatched by a Sentinel and the remaining PCs, Angel and Wolverine went to check out where the Sentinels had taken Sabretooth. Rachael Summers discovers a base holding several mutants.
Shortly, the X-Men and JLA were planning two missions, one to save the mutants held by "Weapon X" and one to sneak into Genosha and confront Magneto with Rachael's revelations that 1- Magneto was being manipulated in her past by someone and 2- His actions lead to the future hell-on-earth.
Fairly shortly, there were super-brawls tearing up the Weapon X base, Longshot released the Doomsday creature from Weapon X while releasing their prisoners, Catwoman, Rogue and Wally West talk to Magneto, The Doomsday creature shows up in Genosha, to attack Superman who was with Peter Parker in the press corps, disguised as Kent and all sorts of craziness starts to happen. By the end of the scenario, the manipulator was revealed, the future was changed and Peter Parker got a picture of Superman getting kissed by a She-Doomsday. Yeah, the last couple hours got a bit crazy. It was a really fun ride and my favorite game of the con. (Not that all my other games weren't great fun and had fantastic players, just that this game had me in stitches.)
As I said after running Brave New Krypton, I have again come away with the plan that I need to run these "Elseworlds" games at cons from now on.
Slot 3: Light and Shadow in the Dreaming City
Description: Welcome to Murias, ancient home of the Tuatha de Danann. Murias, located halfway between the ethereal realms and the waking world, is a world where magic lives side by side with technology. The walls of Murias keep the residents safe from most outside threats, but sometimes the nightmares find a way into the dreaming city. When this happens, the job of keeping the city safe falls to the Demon Hunters, men and women with extraordinary abilities who spend each night staring into the abyss. Let he who hunts monsters take care, lest he become a monster.Mechanics/Restrictions: Players may contact the GM before the convention to create a character or choose to return with a character played in previous Dreaming City games. If playing a returning character, players will have additional points to spend on their characters. Pregenerated characters will be available at the Convention.
This game also went amazingly well. I'll be trying to write a re-cap of the game's events at some point. The players had a lot of fun and I was impressed at where the story took the city. This game went in with the least planning of all my games and turned out as one of the best. In previous years, I felt underprepared for games but this year, I saw that the less prepped games turned out better. Lesson learned: I need to quit overthinking my games. A general plot and a folder of NPCs serves me best.
Slot 6: Morpheus Calling
Description: What was the Black Road? You think you know, but you don't have the whole story. A new arrival in Amber raises questions that can only be answered in the Matrix. Are you sure you want to know the truth? The final chapter in the Morpheus series.Charcter Generation: Before Con based on 160 points
A fantastic ending to a campaign that had its ups and downs. The players did some great roleplaying and for the first time, I ran a game that felt like a traditional Amber game as with less players, there was plenty of time for the PCs to work their own plans and manipulations. A lot of the game got to take place in the Matrix this year. The last couple episodes took place mostly in Amber and shadows of the real, which was one of the faults I think with the last few Morpheus games. This game has scenes that took place in many of the "real" locations: Amber, Rebma Village, Moon-base Tyr and the Cave of Sorrows but the game ended as it started: a huge adventure in the Matrix, revelations about the world.....and one last thing:
20 years after the final destuction of the Matrix, Aeryn woke up next to her husband, John and looking at ceiling she saw numbers and symbols scrolling down the ceiling. Feeling a pain in the back of her neck she reached back there to feel sort of metal thing stabbed in the back of her neck. Then it was gone and the symbols went away, leaving her in the dark to wonder.
Would she take the blue pill again?
Again, thanks to a great group of players who have played in the Morpheus games over the years.
Slot 8: Tunnels and Terrors in the Dreaming City
Description: Murias, ancient home of the Tuatha de Danaan, has gone through a lot of changes since the Aes Sidhe opened its gates to mortals. Many of the technological conveniences of the modern world have been added and coexist with the ancient magics of the city's fae denizens. These days, the elevated trains are the easiest way to move from district to district, but in the 1950's there was an attempt to build a subway for Murias. The builders dug beneath the city's earth and found such chaotic magics in the city's foundation that the project was abandoned. Now, half-finished subway tunnels have become a haven for pirates, smugglers and others that wish to move around, out of sight from the city's authorities. Now, something has
awakened beneath the city's streets and the very foundation of the city is threatened. Can a small band of demon-hunters survive the horrors that they will find beneath the dreaming city?Mechanics/Restrictions: Players may contact the GM before the Convention to create a character or choose to return with a character played in previous Dreaming City games. If playing a returning character, players will have additional experience points to spend on their characters. Pregenerated characters will be available at the Convention.
While the second game's scenario didn't flow as well as the slot three game, it still worked out in the end. The PCs added in this group have really helped to flesh out the city and I have to give special kudos to Cal Rhea's fantastic Necromancer, Phineas. Cal earned himself drama points (part of the system that rewards players taking extra cool actions) on more than one occassion because he gave such cool descriptions of his character's Necromantic rituals. I don't know if Cal ever runs games but seeing how easily he came up with such rich descriptions of his character's actions (not the first time I've noticed this in games with Cal), I hope he does. I bet he's be a great GM.
The heroes investigated the zombie-demon pirates that were popping up all over Muriasa, rescued some kidnapped girls from being sacrificed to some ancient entity trapped in the ether (one whom the slot three group found out the name of) and managed to make one very powerful enemy. As in the other Dreaming City game, the players seemed excited about the possibility of more adventures in the Dreaming City. (I am already starting to brainstorm ideas for the games I will run at Ambercon NW in the Fall.
Overall: I've heard it said a few times by other people and I echo the sentiment. This was the best year I've had at ACUS yet, even though I wasn't able to attend all the slots or play in any games. While the hotel still had problems (a leaky roof and long waits for food in particular), I had a fantastic group of players in my games, got to chat with lots of different people I don't see often and am extremely pleased with how my games turned out.
With my body so used to getting up and starting work at 4am, gaming until midnight or later each night did some wear and tear on me (as I still ended up waking up by 6am each morning), but it was worth every bit.