No new post this weekend :(

Sorry, been busy with my family. I will be back next weekend. Thanks ;)

Concering my Sunday game

My 4E game usually gets ran every other Sunday, and I like to play a little fast and loose, meaning I want them to have a say in what happens next (usually, hehe). What usually occurs is I will think about the game for the first week, then the week leading up to the game I come up with various plot hooks I would like to present them. Friday after work I really start pulling together material from different sources, until Saturday night/Sunday afternoon I really buckle down and churn out material. I do a lot of cut and paste documents, nothing fancy just stats for monsters, npc's, traps and hazards.

When I get to the store and set up I am a little nervous, wondering if they will bite or maybe it wont be interesting. Once we get started, though, it just feels right, because what it is all about is entertaining your group and having fun while doing it. So, whether you are playing 4E, Savage Worlds, 2nd edition, or whatever, just have fun. No one can invalidate your fun, so just jump in with both feet and play. Maybe even try and run a game.

Tonight found my players doing some investigation during the first half, speaking with the dwarf ambassador and the local chapter of the Gravedancer's Union (adventurers society). It was the direction they took, which lead them to the big two encounter fight in the second half. The ambassador suggested that they help the city guards out in order to ingratiate themselves with the city. The guard needed a section of sewers cleared of some unseen menace and the pc's agreed. Some role playing and a couple of big fights makes my night a blast, especially when I get to use some accents.

Well enough of this, any comments or questions, please post! Thanks for reading and take care!

Savage Dawn and WoW

Dawn of Worlds (from last week) really has me jonesing to give it a try. To that end I will be looking for a few people to get together with to do it. I will be using Savage Worlds rules and any races I have access to is fair game. This will include races found in the following;Fantasy Companion, 50 Fathoms, Shaintar, and Sundered Skies. I think this gives a broad enough selection, and granted there will be overlap, especially with standard fantasy races such as dwarfs and elves.

I plan on using my battle mat (24"x25") and wet erase markers for the map, maybe take a picture when we are finished and post it here. I am looking forward to this since I have quite a number of setting books for Savage Worlds that will see some use, hopefully Pirates of the Spanish Main.

Once it is completed, I will make some notes, possibly some alterations and then run a game to see how it goes. This may be difficult for the near future, with my Sunday game and the coming holidays so wish me luck.

I play World of Warcraft on occasion (currently playing a paladin tank), and recently the company (Blizzard)has been gearing up for the new expansion, one of the things is elemental bosses you can join others to fight. I fought two out of four of these with out any real problem, just when I went for number three that there was an issue. It is funny how when things go wrong, some folks start calling others names instead of looking for ways to help out.

During the second elemental boss, someone (helpfully) asked if I had Righteous Defense up (a paladin spell), which I did not but should have. I quickly apologized, feeling pretty silly, got the spell up and continued. The next group could barely keep it together and so when it was over I got called noob, and told I shouldn't be playing. This got on my nerves for a bit, then I realized "Who cares". Plus, I won the Awesome shield that dropped, woohoo!

Well, enough of this, any questions or comments, please post and I'll get to them in the order received. Thanks for reading folks!

Co operative Worldbuilding, Oh Yeah!!

Just this past week, I discovered a few episodes of "Gamers Haven" (http://gamershavenpodcast.com/) concerning co operative world building. Specifically Dawn of Worlds, from ClanWebsite.org, it is basically a game unto itself. The pod casts (there are three in all) have the cast going through the process of building a world. I'll admit that the pod cast does get a little slow, mostly when one of the guys stops to think of what he should do, but overall it is a decent primer for the process.

The PDF is twelve pages, though the rules are only on seven of those pages, and is well thought out. All you will need is a table, big piece of paper, paper for notes, pencils, and a pair of six sided dice. Someone draws a rough landmass on the big piece of paper, everyone rolls to see how much power they start off with and the fun begins. Also, it doesn't matter what game system you are using, except maybe in regards to races available.

Dawn of Worlds is split into three ages; land, races, and relations. Each action has a point cost, so in the land age it is easier to shape land and climate but difficult to create and command races, though not impossible. In the age of races, actions related to civilizations and races are more affordable while the cost to manipulate land and climate rises. The final age (relations) is all about how the different cultures and peoples deal with one another.

All in all it is a fascinating way to come up with a world that kind of ties into the subject of group templates from last week. Just get your group together and get started, the game master has the final say, so while the players know the history of the world, there can still be some surprises. I am looking forward to trying this out sometime soon, using Savage Worlds as a base and I will let everyone know how it goes.

Take care everyone
PS. If anyone has anything they would like to say, please do. I am curious as to how this is being received.

Group Templates! Are they right for you?!?

Groups templates, I had heard of them for awhile now, but only recently have I used one. I was starting a home brew Dungeons and Dragons 4E campaign and decided to use "Return to Northmoor" as a basis for it. http://northmoor.spookyouthouse.com/ is/was an amazing podcast where the DM goes through the material he will be presenting his players, then a bit of actual play, with the DM commenting on how it really went down. Pdf's of the gaming material, notes and monster stats where needed, means you have everything you need to run a session. The pdf pertinent to this post is found in http://northmoor.spookyouthouse.com/dnd/podcast/adventure/return-to-northmoor-episode-1-materials/ under Group Items and Character Requirements. Since I was not following the main plot of RtN, then my first task was to adapt these to meet my needs.

Another place I heard about group templates was Fear the Boot (http://www.feartheboot.com/ftb/index.php/archives/14) who have blank templates on their resource page. FotB is all class and walks you through the process, though not in a straight line ;).

The thing I love about having a group template is the players are giving me story hooks, ideas I can use to draw them in. I have (and still do) come up with npc's and events that ties them to the world I have created. Instead of limiting the possibilities, it has opened them up.

So, give it a shot and let me know how it went. I would love to hear how it went, especially if you have already used them, whether you are a player or you are the one in charge. See ya later, guys.

Just to let you all know...

This weekend's post is running late, one or two days. I apologize in advance.