#RPGaDAY2018 - Day 27: Share a great stream / actual play

I've been looking at several actual play streams lately, searching for a group that I'd enjoy watching weekly. Among the couple of groups I went through, the one I'm liking the most at the moment is Critical Role.

The production value of this show really helps

That being said, there is one actual play stream in particular that I would recommend everyone to watch, and it's not related to the Critical Role show. I'm talking about an episode of Acquisition Incorporated, a game where the guys at Penny Arcade get together during each PAX and play in front of a live audience.

This game has unicorns, dragons, giants, airships, and floating castles in it

This stream is the most fun I've had watching actual play. Not only are the players on the table genuinely funny, Chris Perkins is a master DM, and he killed it in this game. If you have four hours of free time, I would suggest letting this play out in the background (although you will want to watch the last hour or two).

#RPGaDAY2018 - Day 26: Gaming ambition for the next 12 months

For the next 12 months, I foresee myself running Tomb of Annihilation until that campaign is over. In the meantime, I also look forward to playing in my friends' games. If I'm lucky, I'll be able to run a game or two for some other friends that have never played before.

Waterdeep: Dragon Heist is almost out, so perhaps I can put it to good use!

Perhaps within that time, I'll tackle my interest of streaming a game of D&D. I've wanted to do something like that for several years.

I've also always wanted to write, and perhaps publish, my own content. I'd say this event has motivated me a little, and from now on, I will try to write something on this blog about once per week. There's a couple of ideas that have surfaced in my head lately and I'd like to materialize them. Perhaps after I post enough, I can look for a way to publish it. Baby steps.

#RPGaDAY2018 - Day 25: Preparing for an extended campaign. Part 5 - Ongoing Preparations

This post concludes my five part answer of how I prepare for an extended campaign.

Part 1: The Goal and The Antagonist

Part 2: Notable Landmarks

Part 3: Player Integration

Part 4: Adventure Outline



Part 5: Ongoing Preparations

Preparation doesn't end when the campaign begins. Before and after every session, I take some time to go through what's happened so far, what the PCs actions were and how they impacted the world and the story. Did they like a certain NPC? Is there anything I should bring more (or less) of? I try to fine tune my campaign every session to ensure that it stays fresh and everyone stays engaged. 

I'll end this one on a short note, since there's many great guides out there that detail ways to prepare yourself for your gaming sessions (and I don't want to give away all my secrets yet), and also because I'm past due RPGaDay and there are many projects I'd like to work on. Perhaps I can cover this subject in better detail at a later time. 

#RPGaDAY2018 - Day 24: Preparing for an extended campaign. Part 4 - Adventure Outline

This post resumes my five part answer of how I prepare for an extended campaign.

Part 1: The Goal and The Antagonist

Part 2: Notable Landmarks

Part 3: Player Integration

Part 5: Ongoing Preparations

Part 4: Adventure Outline

Once you have a good idea of the game's key points and how they connect to the players, it helps to write down a general idea of how you think the story could go. Keep in mind that this is bound to change at any time based on player decisions or any events that could change circumstances, so don't get too married to the idea of your original outline. If there is a better story to be told, go with that story instead.

WARNING: MAJOR CURSE OF STRAHD SPOILERS

The adventurers begin the adventure by entering Strahd's realm and the village of Barovia. This place needs to give the PCs enough of a shock for them to understand that they're not in Kansas anymore and how different it is from their home. Everything is bleak, Strahd does what he wants, and nobody can stop him. The NPCs here will suggest the PCs go talk to Madam Eva, who gives the PCs a card reading, which is basically a plot hook for at least three different places.

When the players reach Vallaki, they should be given the hook that the Wizard of Wines has not delivered wine lately and therefore they should check it out. Vallaki is also a good way to show how twisted the realm becomes in Strahd's influence. There are many ways for the PCs to gain allies here, so they know that they're not the only ones trying to fight back.

Eventually, the PC's path will lead to the Wizard of Wines, where they learn about the druids. From there, they'll head to Yester Hill. Following my notes from the previous posts, if a PC is tied to the archdruid, they may have a difficult decision to make. If they find Strahd here or otherwise find an NPC to expose Barovia's past, this can be a good midpoint to the story where the players start to find out what makes Strahd tick, by learning about his ancestral home. 

With some wine in tow, the PCs are able to enter Krezk and meet the Abbot. Even if there isn't a PC tied to the Abbot, the player will face a difficult decision on whether to play along with the twisted celestial or not. Regardless of the outcome, it'll make for good roleplaying. Krezk also serves as a way to further learn about Strahd if the players manage to bring Ireena here.

By now, the PCs may have explored enough of Barovia to feel confident enough to tackle Castle Ravenloft. Before that, however, they may want to check the Amber Temple first. In my game, the PC that was tied to Kasimir would have had an idea of how to reach the temple, and was just waiting for the best time to suggest going in. Since Kasimir's goal involves grabbing a dark power from the temple in order to use it inside Strahd's castle afterwards, he would have more reason to enter the temple first. By the end of Amber Temple, the PCs should know enough about Strahd to understand his origins and motivations. 

When the PCs enter Castle Ravenloft, Strahd expects them. The PCs are there to take down Strahd once and for all, but for the Vampire, they are all his playthings for the night. As they explore the castle, they learn of Strahd's depravity, and by the time they fight, they should be made well aware of his reign of terror, enough for their victory against him to be satisfying.

Strahd waiting for the PCs to show him a good time

There are many other places that this adventure can go to, of course, and this is just one path that you could take your players through in order to tell the story you want. The players shouldn't feel forced to go down any given path, and they may make a detour or two, but if you place the right incentives and motivations at the right places, it'll be easier for you to lead them to the story you want to tell.

#RPGaDAY2018 - Day 23: Preparing for an extended campaign. Part 3 - Player Integration

This post continues my five part answer of how I prepare for an extended campaign.

Part 1: The Goal and The Antagonist

Part 2: Notable Landmarks

Part 4: Adventure Outline

Part 5: Ongoing Preparations

Part 3 - Player Integration

After assessing the mayor points of the campaign and having a good general idea for it, it's time to see how the Player Characters fit in. There are multiple ways to do this, but for now I'll be focusing on my favorite technique: Assimilating NPCs. 

WARNING: MAJOR CURSE OF STRAHD SPOILERS

Archdruid's Apprentice

In the last post, I mentioned several notable landmarks, one of them being Yester Hill. This place is home to several druids that serve Strahd, their leader being an Archdruid. This is something that my previous Curse of Strahd DM did, and I think worked well.

Illustration by Ilya Bodaykin

One of the players was creating a Druid who was looking for his mentor in Barovia. The DM took this opportunity to tie him to the Strahd serving druids, and made his master be the archdruid leader. It eventually led to a very fun moment where the player had to choose between the group and his master.  

Abbot's Agent

If you recall The Abbot from the village of Krezk, I mentioned that he was looking for the perfect wife for Strahd. While he was constructing a flesh golem for this purpose, it could be the case that he could come upon someone worthy enough for the cause. And being in a position of power, he's capable of having underlings.

Depiction of a Deva, though The Abbot is probably less naked

In my last Curse of Strahd game, one of my players decided to play an Aasimar. The way the adventure was set, since she joined after the main group of players crossed through the mists into Barovia, her Aasimar must have been a semi-native. Therefore I took this opportunity to give her the chance to be an agent of The Abbot, searching for a potential wife for Strahd within the parties (there were two other female PCs) and she could make the decision of whether to follow through with the quest or reject it.

Kasimir Velikov

The thing about the Amber Temple is that pretty much no one in the adventure talks about it, therefore making it difficult to tie in. There is one NPC, called Kasimir Velikov, that is tied to the temple, but if the PCs aren't careful, he is liable to become their foe (and therefore die at their hands) for even a misunderstanding.

Every native of Barovia looks super goth

If a player were to decide to play an elf that is also a native of Barovia, you could hint his arc to them to see if they're interested in running it. This way you'll have someone interested in going to the Amber Temple from the start, as well as someone that could guide the PCs around in the world. 

There are several other NPCs that you can take and turn into PC backgrounds, like Ezmeralda D'Avenir and Ireena, and they each have their own story and roleplaying opportunities as well. The idea behind tying them with an NPCs story is empowering your players and helping them feel like their characters belong to the game. Make sure you give them as much control as you would if they made their own backgrounds however, since you don't want your players feel alienated from their characters. 

#RPGaDAY2018 - Day 22: Preparing for an extended campaign. Part 2 - Notable Landmarks

Yesterday, I set up the campaign's goal and main antagonist. This information will give us perspective when looking at the world that the players will be interacting with.


Part 1: The Goal and The Antagonist

Part 3: Player Integration

Part 4: Adventure Outline

Part 5: Ongoing Preparations

Part 2 - Notable Landmarks

After the goal and antagonist are clear to me, I make a note of important places and people that will help drive the story of the game. You can find your own, and there are many other spots in this adventure that deserve recognition, but for the purposes of this post, I'm sticking to these examples.

WARNING: MAJOR CURSE OF STRAHD SPOILERS

Notable Landmarks

When I look for places, I think: "What do the players take away from this place that will add to the overall narrative of the game?", "What cool moments or roleplaying opportunities can I take from here?" and "What kind of cool battles could happen if one were to break out?". With these questions in mind, I present to you the following landmarks:

The Village of Krezk

At the edge of Barovia, near the walls of mist, across from where the players start, is the fortified village of Krezk. The villagers hole themselves up in here to keep themselves safe from Strahd and his wolf minions. 

Looming above Krezk is the Abbey of Saint Markovia, a madhouse overrun with wicked mongrelfolk, with echoes of the people that used to take care of the villagers. This abbey is led by a mysterious ageless figure, a man that has been taking care of it for over a century. He is known only as The Abbot. Some villagers believe this Abbot to be Strahd in disguise, but the truth is actually worse.

The Abbot it actually a corrupted Deva, sent here to carry on the legacy of a saint that died previously. Now, Strahd is such a badass, that he managed to trick the Deva to be his ally. Now The Abbot spends his time secretly helping Strahd, and he believes that whatever curse is afflicting the vampire can be dispelled if he had the perfect bride; and  the fallen angel has been constructing just that. If the players go visit, they will see that accompanying The Abbot is what is effectively a Flesh Golem, meant to be delivered to Strahd as an attempt to cure him.

This is only one of the details in this village that drive home how even the most sacred of creatures can fall prey to corruption in these lands. The PCs are meant to slowly grow darker in this adventure,  and this village is a good way to foreshadow or mirror this transformation in them. The Abbot is always friendly and helpful to the adventurers, at least until they start acting suspicious. An epic "prison break" type fight could break out with The Abbot letting all the Mongrelfolk loose. This place is set up to be very memorable to your players.

Yester Hill

This hill is where a bunch of evil druids that worship Strahd reside. Strahd also likes to come visit from time to time to look at some sort of visions that show him the place where he used to live or something.

This is actually, probably, the least interesting landmark in the adventure, and that's what makes it notable. This gives us a lot of space to pour our own ideas and make this part interesting. Personally, I'd place some sort of spirit that would help reveal the backstory of the land before Strahd took over; By the time the PCs get here, they would have already gotten clues about old gods and forgotten settlements that were lost because of Strahd's rule. It's a good place to show the players that these lands didn't always bend to Strahd's will.

The Amber Temple

Long ago, before Strahd became a vampire, a group of wizards built this temple in the mountains thousands of years ago to contain evil vestiges. Naturally, these evil entities eventually corrupted the wizards and made the place their own, in a way. Some time passed, and another wizard named Exethanter came in, using the knowledge passed by these vestiges to become a lich. 

The Amber Temple can serve as the last dungeon before the PCs are ready to enter Castle Ravenloft, or the post-game dungeon that PCs can explore after they're done with Strahd in his castle. 

If they arrive before their expedition to Castle Ravenloft, this dungeon could serve as the final way to corrupt the PCs with power, effectively turning them into monsters. It could also test the PCs mettle; How far are they willing to go in order to gain power against their enemy? Strahd could also be watching, secretly tempting them into corruption.

If the PCs arrive after killing Strahd, this could be an excellent way to tie any loose ends regarding Strahd's origins and whether he'll be able to come back. The PCs could discover that this place is tied to Strahd gaining power over the land, and they could decide to go and avoid that situation from happening again. If the PCs try to destroy stuff inside the temple, Exethanter could try to stop them. He can prove to be quite a challenge for them, and if you reveal that he was the one that helped Strahd gain his powers, it'll be all the more meaningful. 

Other things to note

I also note stuff like cool or impotant NPCs and sometimes even magic items that I believe the PCs should come across. You might want to have a separate document filled with your thoughts or ideas on the contents of an adventure, and how you want to interpret them. I keep doing this until I feel I know the adventure enough to be confident to give it my own spin.

#RPGaDAY2018 - Day 21: Preparing for an extended campaign. Part 1 - The Goal and The Antagonist

Disclaimer: My style of DMing is akin to that of a storyteller. While this does not mean that I try to railroad my players into a course of action (a topic I can talk about in the future), it does mean that I am averse from running sandbox type games. If you are a sandbox type DM, or are looking to be one, then you might not find my next 5 posts as interesting or agreeable. I find sandbox type DMs amazing, but it's not my cup of tea when it comes to running a game of my own.

Before I begin, I'd like to point out that I will be using an adventure module, namely Curse of Strahd, as an example of how I would prepare for an extended campaign. If you'd rather know about the process of campaign preparation for a homebrew game, I can tell you that the process isn't too different for me. I know using adventure modules can be seen as lazy or limiting to some, but it really doesn't have to be. All you need to do is add your own flare, which is what you would do in a homebrew game anyway.

(Here's a link to the other posts)

Part 2: Notable Landmarks

Part 3: Player Integration

Part 4: Adventure Outline

Part 5: Ongoing Preparations


With that being said, let's begin.

Part 1 - The Goal and the Antagonist

The first thing I do when preparing for a campaign, is read up on the main goal for the players in it, or the main conflict that needs to be resolved, and study up on the character behind it, who should be the principal antagonist of the players. This is so paramount that adventure modules are generally titled to something related to one of these two things. Now, let's see what we can do when we take Curse of Strahd as an example.

WARNING: MILD CURSE OF STRAHD SPOILERS

Of course I was going to talk about Strahd in RPGaDay

The Goal

In Curse of Strahd, the PCs find themselves trapped in the land of Barovia. Their goal is to get out. The only way to do this is through Strahd, as he's the one that dictates who gets to go in or out. It can be as simple as that, though the adventure module brings a Tarokka card reading mechanic that allows players to search through the land of Barovia for objects that will help them against Strahd.

Castle Ravenloft, where Strahd resides

The Antagonist

The entire campaign centers around Strahd von Zarovich. He takes notice of the PCs as soon as they enter his realm, or perhaps even before that. He is capable and willing to manipulate events in the background. Bringing adventurers to his realm for them to become his plaything is what Strahd does to pass the time. It never ends well for them and this should be evident to the players.

Strahd von Zarovich

Strahd is capable of inviting the players to his castle, refuse their requests to let them out, and then overwhelm them if they become hostile. He can leave them be until they become a bigger challenge for him, perhaps attempting to corrupt them in the meantime. To Strahd, the PCs are his prey, and he is the hunter of hunters.

Strahd is in direct control of any beast in his realm, and he has loyal spies everywhere. His tyrant rule has taken all hope from those living in his lands, and he enjoys inflitrating in their lives to further torment them. Wherever the players go, they will notice Strahd's influence. 

With this information, we can build the rest of the campaign around how to get to the goal (find ways to defeat Strahd and leave) and how Strahd can antagonize them in the meantime. Next time, I'll talk about landmarks and NPCs in the adventure.

#RPGaDAY2018 - Day 20: Which game mechanic inspires your play the most?

Here are two game mechanics that I've used that I think are really good:



Heroic Points

The first time I used this was back when I learned of Eberron, and it's purpose was to allow players to be more bold with their actions by giving them a pool of dice that they could use to add to their d20 rolls when they needed them most. I'm all for giving players more power to do awesome stuff, and this fits the bill.

Something similar to this can be found under Inspiration in D&D 5e. Inspiration, generally used as a means to reward good roleplaying, allows a player to reroll the dice.

Admittedly, I haven't been making much use of it, but lately I've found that the player's low-level PCs have been having a hard time in battles when their rolls are terrible, so I think I'll highlight Inspiration to the players so they get another chance next time they're unlucky.  

Failing Forward

There are times where I feel like the rules can get in the way of story or just the enjoyment of the game for a person, and I'm talking specifically about hard success or failure. At very few times, when the dice aren't being generous enough, I've allowed players to succeed in their actions at a cost. This is what "Failing Forward" is about; If a player fails a roll, you can still allow them to meet their goal, but at a greater cost.

This isn't a mechanic I'd use all the time, since I feel it could take away some of the stakes; if the players are guaranteed their goal as long as they push through enough, it's not as exciting. But used at the right times, I think it provides enough leeway for the DM to keep things moving at the right times.

#RPGaDAY2018 - Day 19: Music that enhances your game

Personally, I love adding music in my game. I always have a track ready for any given moment if I can help it. I've found tha, used correctly, it can really help set the mood of a scene.

Here's a few tracks and how I've used them:

Final Encounter vs Mordain - Eberron Unlimited

In this post, I revealed the what the last boss of my Eberron Unlimited campaign was. Please listen to the following track while picturing a man you're about to fight, as he absorbs the power of a Rakshasa demigod.

Port Nyanzaru - Tomb of Annihilation

Sometimes, I don't know of a song for a scene and it takes me days of prep to find the right one. It took me about a week to find the right song for Port Nyanzaru, as I was looking for something with african conga beats, that was jovial and wild, yet welcoming and soothing. Please enjoy yourself while you read the following description as you listen to the song below.

"You appear in a tropical city under the blazing sun. The familiar sounds of a harbor—creaking ropes, slapping waves, heavy barrels rolling across cobblestones—mingle with voices shouting and cursing in an unfamiliar language filled with clicks, inhalations, and singsongy words that make it sound almost musical. The aroma of unfamiliar spices and tropical fruit mixes with the wharfside smells of fish, tar, and canvas."

Rolling for Initiative

I love Ys songs in general, and you should look them up, but for the purposes of this article, I just want to show off the song I use when players roll initiative in (usually) their last encounter of the session. I've found that rolling for initiative can put an ugly pause on an encounter's early momentum, but if you play a badass song like this, it then allows players to anticipate the encounter. Take a moment to listen to the following song for a while, and imagine preparing for an encounter at the end of your game night with your friends.

#RPGaDAY2018 - Day 18: Art that inspires your game

I could ramble on this topic a little, but I think it'd be better to just highlight three of the best D&D artists out there:

Larry Elmore 

Dungeons and Dragons Basic Red Box

One of the most metal D&D pictures you'll ever see

Wayne Reynolds 

Eberron Campaign Setting

I'm aware that these pictures are way too small to appreciate, so I encourage everyone to look him up!

Lars Grant-West 

Dungeons and Dragons Player's Handbook v3.5

This is where I learned the difference between a falchion and a scimitar

Some of these exotic weapons have inspired many NPCs

It's hard to describe how helpful this picture was when understanding size categories 

#RPGaDAY2018 - Day 17: Describe the best compliment you’ve had while gaming

I would say that the best kind of compliments I've received are the ones that show I've left a good impression on my players. 

After my campaigns are done and my players and I move on with our lives, I like to catch up with my players after a few years to see what they're up to. Sometimes, when they talk about trying the game with other groups, they often compare their experience with the one they had at my table. And it makes me very happy, and humbled, to be my players' standard when they move on to another table.

This applies to DMing as well, as many of my players have moved on to DM, and sometimes they've told me (or I've noticed) that they've borrowed some of my style into their own games. When anybody finds my ideas good enough to use on their own games,  that is the biggest compliment I can receive. 

#RPGaDAY2018 - Day 16: Describe your plans for your next game

I'm currently engrossed in my current Tomb of Annihilation campaign, where I'm taking my players through the jungles of Chult in the hopes that they'll one day find the titular tomb.

The Zombie T-Rex will come. It's only a matter of when.

I'm having so much fun with this adventure! Port Nyanzaru was a blast with the merchant princes and the dino races. Taking the overworld travel seriously has enabled a sense of urgency in the game, too. There's a lot more going on behind the scenes that I don't want to spoil it, but I'll definitely want to talk about all of it when it's done!

The other module I've been considering on running is Hoard of the Dragon Queen, although I'd personally change some parts of it that I found kinda dull. I'm a big dragon lover and a super fan of evil organizations, so the core of this adventure speaks to me.

I'd love another chance at running a dragon again!

I definitely wouldn't immediately continue the adventure on to Rise of Tiamat, for reasons I detail below. 

Then there's the recently announced Waterdeep: Dragon Heist module. My players have been asking if I'll run it. I'm personally not super keen on urban settings, or an urban campaign, 

The book has you throw one villain at a time, I'm capable of doing all of them at the same time

However, I heard that this adventure could help the PCs set up a base of operations. I'm very interested in crossing over characters from different campaigns so that they may pick and choose which old character they want to use on the higher level adventures.

Following this example, Rise of Tiamat is a good adventure for reusing PCs that were used in previous stories; it doesn't have to be a direct sequel to Hoard of the Dragon Queen for this reason.

Rise of Tiamat has a lot of great ideas

Like it's predecessor, Rise of Tiamat has a lot of story beats that I dig, but I don't like how it's structured, so I'll probably be doing a lot of adjustments to it.

Finally, I've also been asked if I was interested in running Waterdeep: Dungeon of the Mad Mage. I think this adventure looks interesting, and I'm definitely excited about this being the first official 5e module that takes players all the way to level 20, but maybe I want to stay in the low level areas for a little while longer before I move on to the higher ones.

I've heard many stories of the Mad Mage, and I never thought of how cool it'd be to run him until now

#RPGaDAY2018 - Day 15: Describe a tricky RPG experience you enjoyed

I've been talking about my crown jewel of campaigns, Eberron Unlimited, these past few days, so I recommend you read these posts if you haven't so you understand what made this one so special.

tl;dr Eberron Unlimited was a 10-session, summer campaign composed of three different adventuring parties, each with their own dungeon masters, playing at the same time, in the same world. Each of them had their own story, with an overarching plot that tied the three of them together, eventually leading them to meet and join forces against a common threat.

One of my few regrets is not being able to fit this bad boy in the story

In today's answer, I'd like to talk about Eberron Unlimited's Last Session. What made this session so tricky was that I had to DM it all on my own, as my fellow co-DMs were unavailable for the send-off of this campaign. This meant that I had to run for three groups of 4 - 6 (for a total of 15) players at the same time, and give closure to each of their storylines as well as the overarching storyline. Sometimes they'd have to split up and I'd need to run them one by one, cycling through them. This took place in the span of nearly 20 game hours between the weekend (we slept in the middle of it); We decided to spend the night together at a player's house as part of one big concluding event. It was crazy!   

Here's a summary of what I remember of it:

The Progeny of Syberis (PoS), Children of Eberron (CoS), and Spawn of Khyber (SoK), had joined forces against the Lords of Dust, fiends that plot in the shadows, looking to bring back their masters, the Rakshasa Rajah, one of which was on the verge of reanimation: The Lord of Dreams.

Eberron put Rakshasa in a position of awesome

Once the three groups entered The Lord of Dreams' realm to stop The Lord of Dusts' ritual, they went through a series of puzzles until they each reached a member or associate of the Lords of Dust, in the process of finishing the ritual. The Children of Eberron, however, met with Mordain the Fleshweaver, pet monkey and everything, who had taken down a member of the Lords of Dust in an attempt to graft himself on the Lord of Dreams.

Eventually, even though the ritual was stopped, Mordain managed to siphon power from the Lord of Dreams, and proceeded to attempt to finish the three groups off so that his plan to become the ultimate being could come into fruition, uninterrupted. It turned into a one-round encounter where every PC blew all their resources into knocking him down before he dealt them all a devastating blow. 

In the end, the PCs managed to save the day, though the world of Eberron was changed by the machinations that transpired along the game. Every player described as how their characters would live out the rest of their days, and that would be the last they would know about this Eberron story. 

#RPGaDAY2018 - Day 14: Describe a failure that became amazing

I talked about Eberron Unlimited in a previous post. In it, I talked about a campaign that had three separate adventuring parties, each with their own DM, with the possibility of them meeting and maybe even fighting each other.

Eberron is really cool, you guys.

The Setup

One of the parties, named the Children of Eberron [CoE] was tasked to intercept the delivery of some cargo from a boat at some lonely port in Droaam. On the other side, another party of PCs, called the Spawn of Khyber [SoK], were tasked to take the same cargo to the port and defend it until delivery. None of the parties knew that their respective employers were actually working in tandem in an effort to get rid of the two groups of adventurers by having them kill each other.

At the beginning, you could tell the players were hyped. They had been waiting for several sessions to meet each other and test their mettle against each other. But then after the second or third round, what should have been obvious to me, happened; What do you get when you pit two groups of PCs against each other, PCs that each player was attached to, and wouldn't be coming back when they inevitably die during the fight?

The Failure

You get a large group of players upset with each other. It was visible that they stopped having fun, instead having their fight or flight faces on. This is the day I learned a big lesson in regards to PvP in D&D, and how carefully it needs to be handled.

You can take a look at the following video as an example; at the end, as is expected in a World of Warcraft game with members of both the Alliance and the Horde, they fight at the end. It doesn't end well for the losing party, and you can tell some of them end up pretty bummed about it.

I want to play D&D with Terry Crews!!

I can talk in more detail about PvP in D&D another day. For today's answer, I'll just say we ended the session in a grim note, but at least before any serious damage was done. The players left very unhappy, and I also felt disappointed in myself for not seeing it coming from a mile away. I definitely could have handled things better had I given the situation more thought. My intention was for them to figure out that they had been set up, but I gave them little to no clues for them to come up with this conclusion.

The Comeback

After a few days, I talked it over with my co-DM for the SoK party, and he suggested that a big, third party NPC monster (A monster he offered to design) pop up and have the players fight that instead. It was genius! He named it Mak Thuum Ngatha, a tentacled aberration, likely basing it on a weird, obscure deity. This monster would summon another sort of filth elemental-like being (which also had a name that I forgot).

When the day arrived, I retconned most of the fight between the PCs. Mak Thuum Ngatha appeared early, and the PCs quickly and eagerly acted in response. The teams were forced to enter an uneasy alliance as this deadly monster attacked them. In the end, they forced Mak Thuum Ngatha to escape, and the two groups realized that they were both played by their employers. Everyone was ecstatic, a crystal clear contrast of their mood from their previous time together. That session would become the highlight of the campaign (at least until all three groups would meet up in the end at least).

Despite that setback, that campaign was a lot of big damn fun.

#RPGaDAY2018 - Day 13: Describe how your play has evolved

In the 20 years that I've been playing D&D, I don't think I've been a player for even a third of that time. So, I believe I still have a lot to learn.

At first I used to take the lead in the gaming table, but this has led to me not only taking up most of the DM's time, but also calling the shots for other players. Ever since this was brought up to me, I've been trying to take the backseat sometimes and allow other players to do what they want. Sometimes this leads to several minutes of trying to make a decision when there is (what I believe) a clear course of action. This is part of the game, and that's okay.

Nowadays I try to be the elf on the right.

Most of my experience as a player, however, is stuff I've been able to process as a DM. Actually playing the game has allowed me to realize what type of classes need which kind of attention from the Dungeon Master. For example, Wizards might find themselves limited if they don't have means to expand their spellbooks.

As a Dungeon Master, I am always improving my game. One of the latest things I found myself working on is trying to make sure the PCs are well-equpped for the occasionally challenging encounter I cook up for them, and my current efforts have gone into making sure my players feel satisfied after every session.

I also watch actual play streams and study the techniques that the Dungeon Masters apply in each of them. I take what I like and I use it in my games. It's fun to see how each DM's styles differ from each other's.

For example:

Matt Mercer allows his PCs to play out their characters, presenting the world to them as they interact with it. (He usually has the group have an entire session just doing stuff in an environment, with the PCs developing their characters as they interact with Mercer's world.)

Chris Perkins focuses on presenting his PCs with encounters that are designed to challenge them. (Usually the PCs stay in one place until the plot is brought to them, most of the time tied up to one or more of the PCs backstory).

It's worth noting that this also has a lot to do with the group that they have, of course. I could go on about this topic, but I'll finish this post by saying that studying others has helped me grow both as a player and as a DM.

#RPGaDAY2018 - Day 12: Most memorable character retirement

I talked about Eberron Unlimited in my last post.

In this campaign, my players were supposed to sneak in Mordain the Fleshweaver's keep. They did, succesfully, but they eventually met with the Mad Wizard. As they tried to escape, Mordain permanently polymorphed one of the PCs into a monkey, and then kept it to himself. 

The players would go on and talk about this PC-turned-monkey for the rest of the campaign.

I don't remember his name, but his sacrifice will never be forgotten. Long may he reign.

Today's actual question was:  Wildest Character Concept. Here it is:

Grog the Orc Barbarian 

(This was before Critical Role was a thing! I guess Grog isn't a hard name to come up with)

Grog was an illiterate character that also didn't know Common. It was fun to play him the first few sessions as he would demolish whatever the DM would throw at us, but eventually the communication issue schtick wasn't a lot of fun for everyone at the table. I stopped playing him after a few sessions with a well-learned lesson.

#RPGaDAY2018 - Day 11: Most ambitious campaign idea achieved

Let's talk about what I consider my crowning achievement in D&D so far:


Eberron Unlimited

Summer 2007. Back in college, I used to hang out with a group of friends, and many of them played D&D. We would play one or two campaigns during our regular semesters, and then do something special during the summers. It turned out that we had a lot of players (more than 15) looking forward to play during that particular summer, and I decided I wanted to do something special; so I approached two friends who were also great Dungeon Masters, Jose Reynaldo Rodriguez and Jesus Omar Luzon. 

I wanted to do a shared campaign, together with them as co-DMs. We decided to use Eberron as our campaign setting, since we were all very familiar with it, and it also fit the style of game we wanted to provide to the players. We wanted this to be an opportunity for players to use high level characters, so their characters all started at level 11, which is generally considered to be D&D 3.5's "sweet spot". 

Eberron is pretty great, you guys

We came up with the idea of each of us taking a group of players, and while we'll each have our own stories, there will be one interconnected story that might bring groups together occasionally, with them all meeting for one shared goal at the end.

The groups would each have a name and a theme:

Progeny of Syberis: Mainly good aligned players, hero themed story

Children of Eberron: Mainly neutral characters, mercenary themed story

Brood of Khyber: Mainly evil characters; rogue (concept, not the class) themed story

To further encourage them to make multiple characters and have fun with different high level builds, we implemented a "Death Curse"-like mechanic where characters could not be raised, so if any PC dies, the player can try out a new character.  

We got together for 10 sessions during that summer, each of them lasting about 8 to 12 hours. After each session, players would talk about their experience in a forum board I set up specifically for this. 

It took a lot of work and coordination, but the campaign finished succesfully. I learned a lot from this campaign, and it's something I'm very proud of. I am also very grateful of how lucky I got with two great DMs that agreed to help me make this possible. 

Unfortunately, everyone eventually went their separate ways, so we never had the chance to do something similar. If it ever becomes possible, I would love to do something similar again. Maybe someday.

By the way, we came up with the name to emphasize all the options we made available to the players when making their characters. This happened before the Dungeons & Dragons MMO expansion or even before this wiki was made. Just a curiosity I wanted to point out.

Today's actual question was: Wildest Character Name; but I found that to too silly to focus on. Nevertheless, here's a list of the wildest character names in my games:

• Ritz Nabisco
• Meatshield 
• Pancho The Fearless Rogue
• Gohan
• Cloud
• Goku
• Scooby Doo

#RPGaDAY2018 - Day 10: How has gaming changed you?

Gaming has done more than change me; it made me.


The following are what I believe to be the three big traits I developed thanks to gaming:

Performer

I consider myself an ambivert; I like being in social situations with big groups, but only for a few hours before I slowly feel like withdrawing somewhere. DMing has allowed me to channel this limited social energy to greater effect, and through it, I've developed a technique I like to call "Performer mode", which I can turn on and off depending on the social situation ahead of me. 

And I have a lot of fun when I'm keeping others entertained. Every time I DM, I put on a show for my players. I try to provide them with an experience by keeping them engaged. I do this in several ways, from putting on music to doing voices for NPCs.

Outside of gaming, I've been able to apply this every time I enter other social situations like parties, interviews, presentations, etc. 

Designer

As a DM, I'm fond of customizing the rules to accomodate my players. Sometimes I add new rules to keep things interesting. It's helped me develop a love for taking things apart to see how they tick and how I could make it my own. 


Leader

Like I said on Day 2,  I usually place myself in a spot where I can make sure everyone's having a good time, and often that has led me in a position of leadership. I make sure everything is organized, if we need tables, snacks, or even a place to play in, I'm generally the one making it happen. 

Of course, I'm not always leading for fun times. Sometimes I do it because I want a job well done. I'm not afraid of communicating with others, making decisions, planning ahead, and just generally get things moving. 

#RPGaDAY2018 - Day 9: How has a game surprised you?

Art by @natrose

The other day, I was talking to one of my guildmates (I lead a Free Company in Final Fantasy XIV, a Free Company is the game's version of guilds), and the Stream of Many Eyes was brought up as a topic of conversation, since we were both looking forward to it. 

However, she wasn't particularly interested in the product reveal, instead she was in it for the actual play stream sessions. It was then that she revealed that even though she doesn't play D&D, she keeps herself up to date with Critical Role's actual play streams, and even went as far as to say that she would rather watch those than any other TV or Netflix shows.

What happens when a group of  talented voice actors gather in the same D&D table? Magic.

This really struck a note with me. I've listened to and watched D&D podcasts myself, but I never really saw it as a form of regularly consumable media like a TV show. "Watching other people play is boring. Why do that instead of play?" is what I used to think about actual play streams. 

I decided to give Critical Role's new campaign series a chance; And then I understood.

They're fun to watch and you can tell they're having fun!

These guys are killing it, and I can see how there would be people out there that would want to catch up on actual play streams like they were a show on TV. They even sell merch and viewers show up to cons dressed as their favorite Player Character from the show! 

I remember wanting to do an actual play stream like this nearly ten years ago. Maybe I should get on it?

#RPGaDAY2018 - Day 8: How can we get more people playing?

Two words: Recruiting and Retention


Recruiting

Back in the day, if you wanted to get more people playing, you'd have to check which one of your nerdy friends and family members would be willing to try it out. For many, this was easier said than done. 

Nowadays, there's a likelihood that somebody you just met has heard of D&D before, and is secretly just looking for an opportunity to play. The trick for this to work is to show off the hobby. Talk about D&D at work or when you're out. Bring out that Player's Handbook in public. Eventually, I assure you, somebody's going to catch on. Curiosity will get the best of someone.

All you have to do is invite them over to a game. Just one game. That's all it takes to get them hooked.

Retention

Things don't end with the first session, however. We have to be open and welcoming to our fellow players all the time. The gaming table needs to be a safe space for everyone involved. Thankfully, our community is very open minded, and it's up to each and every one of us to keep it that way. 

One bad experience is all it takes for someone to abandon the hobby. I've heard stories of groups mishandling some of their newer players, where instead of educating them, the "veterans" would bully the "novices", or generally "gating" these players for whatever reasons. 

Therefore, make sure  to check up on those new players once in a while; check if they have any doubts about the game, and accomodate them as much as possible.

#RPGaDAY2018 - Day 7: How can a GM make the stakes important?

To answer a question like this one, I'd think like a writer.

I made a quick google search regarding the raising of stakes, and found this page: 5 surefire ways to raise the stakes in your story, by Claire Bradshaw.

It's a pretty good read

Now, I could make a fair discussion on this subject, but I'll try to keep it short by focusing on the first point that Claire brings in her article: What are story stakes?

The article says:

"One of the most important things a fiction writer must do is keep readers engaged in the story. This means piquing and holding their interest throughout the novel. It means ensuring they are invested in the characters and the outcome of the plot – invested enough to want to keep turning those pages.

One surefire way to achieve this is through careful consideration of your story's stakes."

To define a story's stakes, she encourages readers to ask questions like the following:

• What does the protagonist stand to lose through the story's central conflict?
• What do they stand to gain?
• What do they want or need to obtain or achieve, and what stands in the way of them doing this?
• What are they risking in trying to achieve their objective?

Now, I will use the Tomb of Annihilation module.

An adventure module with very clear and important stakes

For those unfamiliar with this module, it presents the idea of the Death Curse, which thwarts any attempts of resurrection while slowly killing anyone that was previously resurrected. Using this information from the module, I will answer the questions from the article:

• The players may lose their lives, as well as the lives of anyone that's slowly dying, through their journey in stopping the Death Curse
• By stopping the Death Curse, the players may save countless lives, as well as gain riches and recognition from grateful patrons
• They must ascertain the source of the Death Curse, and they must brave through the jungles of Chult and all of it's dangers to get to it
• The players risk getting lost in the wilds, getting attacked by monsters, being afflicted by curses or diseases, or dying and never coming back

By making these stakes clear to the players, you give them importance. Make sure these are always present in your games, and it'll help you lead your players.

#RPGaDAY2018 - Day 6: How can players make a world seem real?

This is an excellent question, because a world can only be as real as the players enable it to be. Here are three points that I think are key for the players to help give the world life.

Define your character

In order for the player to better relate with the world in the game, they need to get to know their character better. What foods do they like? What kind of people or places do they avoid? What kind of experiences do they seek out? The answers to these questions will help the player use their character as a vessel to explore the world.

Interact with the scenes presented to you

As your character enters the tavern, your DM could describe some of what's going on to you, but it's up to you to find out more. Maybe you became aware of a shady fellow sitting at the back, or maybe your spotted a murder of crows before entering the tavern. These things may actually be more than they appear, hints of things that happen in the background as you adventure. The world will open itself to you only if you look out for it, so don't be afraid to detour a little and have some fun.

Talk about the game in-between sessions

The best way to make a world seem real is talking and speculating about it. What would have happened if the bad guy was able to run away? Whatever happened to that mysterious hat selling merchant? Why did those cloaked men suddenly appeared and attacked you? Some of these questions may give your DM ideas for future sessions, while others will just help you connect with the world.

#RPGaDAY2018 - Day 5: Favourite recurring NPC?

Like last post, I will answer this in three parts:


Favorite recurring NPC from an actual play stream

Pumat Sol, as presented by Matt Mercer in Critical Role:

Just watch the first three to five minutes

Shopping is kinda boring. However, when you shop for magical items, one would expect such a place to be wondrous. The way Matt Mercer achieved that magical feel was by making it's proprietor be very unique. Being a voice actor as well as an excellent DM also didn't hurt.


Favourite recurring NPC in someone else's game that I've played

Father Lucian Petrovich, as presented by Esteban Flecha in our late Curse of Strahd campaign:


It took me a while to decide since I had a couple of very good NPCs to choose from, but I'm opting for this one because what makes them all memorable for me all have one thing in common.


While I can commend my DMs for their clear effort poured into these NPCs, in the end what makes them memorable for me is depends largely on my experience with them. A good example was Father Lucian Petrovich; he didn't have a particular character quirk or anything that would make him stand out from other priestly NPCs, The way the story turned out, however, made him the center of many things, to hilarious results.

SPOILERS FOR CURSE OF STRAHD

You see, the town where Mr. Petrovich resides, Vallaki, had a lot of weird and corrupted stuff going on in it. The Burgomaster was deranged, his lackey had a demonic influence in him, and his son was, in secret, performing deadly rituals on unsuspecting victims. And then you have the woman who was trying to overthrow him, who clearly did devil worship, kept her insane daughter locked in her room, and slept in her bed next to her dead husband.

Needless to say, my Lawful Good Paladin was having none of it, and neither were the rest of the party. After exploring all of this stuff and executing all of them, we ended up burning their houses for good measure.

Amidst all this craziness, there was one hallowed church that stood as a stalwart relief and refuge for the villagers. This is where we delivered all those child NPCs we kept meeting. Father Petrovich was a man we trusted. As we continued our antics, sis disposition towards us went from grateful to wary. The town, however, was not happy.

This was a common view in that campaign

Eventually Father Lucian Petrovich became Burgomaster because of his family ties, so it all worked out in the end; even though we're not welcome in Vallaki anymore, Father Lucian will always be hesitantly willing to humor us.


Favourite recurring NPC in my games

I like a lot of my own NPCs, and I feel like this is picking a favorite from my own children who I love all the same, but I will go with Zeroth because he's easy to explain since his story is over.

Zeroth was the BBEG in one of the last long-term campaigns I had. He's the one that unleashed SIN to the players. Zeroth is special to me because, with him, I was able to make a villain that the players both loved and feared. Zeroth knew he was superior to the PCs and he flaunted this whenever he could. He would only appear to them when they were separated and alone, and only to dangerously toy with them. All the while, he would be charismatic, almost friendly.

I had a picture that fit him perfectly, but I lost it. Instead I'll use a picture that's based in a scene I used as inspiration for the final battle with Zeroth.

Fire Lord Ozai from Avatar: The Last Airbender's finale

I can write a whole post about Zeroth, but I'll just describe the final battle:

The heroes arrive at an altar while Zeroth was in the middle of a ritual with 4 golem-like constructs; Each construct was built to be a master spellcaster from different power sources: Divine Magic, Shadow Magic, Truename Magic, and Psionics (Zeroth covered Arcane Magic). The ritual would have had Zeroth absorb all their power and knowledge, in the hopes to unlocking the secrets to ascending to godhood.

When the heroes managed to slay one of the constructs, Zeroth completed the ritual prematurely and it became an aerial chase to destroy him before he absorbs the other constructs and becomes potentially indestructible.

I sprinkled in some Doomsday Zone for added over-the-top-ness

In the end, the heroes defeated him, and he went out with a satisfied smile.