Spes Magna Games

Last OwlCon, I played in an Arabian Nights-inspired adventure that used Barbarians of Lemuria for the rule system. It was quite a hoot. Our characters explored a lost jungle island, fell victim to the machinations of the serpent people, and alternately engaged in fleeing in terror and fighting for their lives. As the session came to an end, we got to “epilogue” about what happened to our characters after the adventure.

I narrated briefly about how my character, who had killed the ship’s captain during the adventure, managed to set himself up as the new ship’s captain, much to the delight of the crew and the gaggle of wenches being entertained by my character’s tale of adventure. Every other players did the same for their characters, and then the GM added his own epilogue, revealing an unexpected twist. In each case, the epilogues could serve as plot hooks. So, if that session were not a convention game but part of an ongoing campaign, the GM could use my epilogue to explore another sea adventure with my character as ship’s captain.

I liked epiloguing so much that I added it to both sessions of Stars Without Number I ran at OwlCon. It seemed to be a big hit with the players. Best of all, at the end of the session, I had one potential plot hook per player, plus the epilogue that I added as the GM. (I remember one of my two GM epilogues describing the lost space yacht shifting out of warp near inhabited space while on board the Cthulhoid horror in the form of a long dead mother comforted her long dead son.)

I remain intrigued by epiloguing.

The basic idea is simple. After an adventure is over, each player gets about two minutes to describe some of that adventure’s consequences as they relate specifically to that player’s character. Each player does this, taking turns in whatever manner seems appropriate. Then, after all the players have epilogued, the GM gets to add his two cents worth. The events of the epilogue are assumed to happen during the downtime between adventures.

Unless things go horribly awry, Man Day Adventures meets again this Saturday. I don’t know if we’ll get an entire adventure done that day. I’m thinking not, but, regardless, I think I’m going to introduce epiloguing to the group and see what happens.

Might be fun.

Tags: Convention Gaming, game play

A few other people were answering the Random Wizard’s Questions (example and example), and I just can’t help being a hardcore conformist, so here’s my stab at the queries.

(1) Race (Elf, Dwarf, Halfling) as a class? Yes or no?

I’d prefer them to be an option but not a requirement. If someone wants to play a halfling as a class rather than a halfling thief (or vice versa), why should I care?

(2) Do demi-humans have souls?

All living things have souls. The real question should be what kind of soul? Immortal or not? Rational or not?

(3) Ascending or descending armor class?

I’m happy either way. THAC0 is just BAB with a different name.

(4) Demi-human level limits?

I’m happy either way. If I’m the GM, I’d likely not use them.

(5) Should thief be a class?

Duh. I’d get rid of magic-users before I got rid of thieves.

(6) Do characters get non-weapon skills?

Not necessary, but I do like to have a skill resolution system even if there aren’t defined skills in the game.

(7) Are magic-users more powerful than fighters (and, if yes, what level do they take the lead)?

I’ve never really understood the argument that magic-users are the most uber of classes. Are they powerful? Sure, even at 1st-level, where sleep is a game-changer. For one encounter a day. Maybe. There are simply too many variables to say that, all things being equal, magic-users blow fighters out of the water.

(8) Do you use alignment languages?

I have used them, but not since 1E.

(9). XP for gold, or XP for objectives (thieves disarming traps, etc…)?

I reject the fallacy of the false dilemma. My answer, “Yes, please.”

(10) Which is the best edition: ODD, Holmes, Moldvay, Mentzer, Rules Cyclopedia, 1E ADD, 2E ADD, 3E ADD, 4E ADD, Next ?

I have no experience at all with 4E or Next, so I can’t say for sure. I have a fondness for the earlier editions, but which one’s the best? I don’t know. Best at what?

Bonus Question: Unified XP level tables or individual XP level tables for each class?

I have no real preference.

Tags: game play, Random Wizard

Well, the Chance Family Vacation 2013 to Canyon Lake, Texas, has ended with no casualties. Huzzah! During the week, my son Christopher (a.k.a. Giant Boy) and I took a few hours to playtest Sine Nomine Publishing‘s Solo Heroes. Kevin Crawford has authored another winner. Here’s the short version: If you want to run old-school fantasy one-on-one, download these rules.

Here’s part 1 of the review, where we talk a bit about the PDF:

Here’s part 2 of the review, where we talk about how the rules worked during game play using the short adventure included in the PDF.

Tags: game play, Sine Nomine Publishing, Summer Vacation

At the start of every adventure (or game session, whichever you prefer), each player gets six Story Dice, which are d4s set aside in some sort of suitable receptacle or space so as to not confused with regular d4s. (Did you notice the alliteration?) Whenever a PC performs an action, the player can choose to roll between one to three Story Dice instead of whatever he’d normally roll for action resolution. (If you’re using statements or something similar, consider permitting a bonus die for actions tied to a PC’s statements.)

After the Story Dice are rolled, select the single Story Die with the highest result. Compare that result to the following:

4: You are completely successful. Describe the result of your action.
3: You are mostly successful. Describe the result, but include one negative consequence.
2: You are mostly unsuccessful. Describe the failure, but include one positive consequence.
1: You blew it. The GM describes the result.

Let see some examples.

Example the First

The PCs have to get past well-armed, alert security guards blocking the door to the VIP suite in a neo-disco aboard Station Antares so that they can have a face-to-face with a crime lord who probably has vital information about a missing shipment of vaccines. Fighting their way in isn’t an option. Terry decides his PC, Alexandra Mason, is going to try to talk the guards into letting them in. Terry decides to spend three Story Dice on the attempt, and rolls 3d4. His highest result is a four. Terry gets to describe the results.

“I take a moment to make sure my make-up looks good, put on my best smile, and slink up to the two guards, holding a drink in each hand. As I get closer, I recognize one of the guards as a spacepox survivor by the distinctive scarring on his face. I hand them the drinks, and explain that we’re trying to track down the missing spacepox vaccine, and that hundreds of children could go untreated. The spacepox survivor is outraged that anyone would steal such vital medicine, and he not only let’s us in, but introduces us to his boss.”

Example the Second

The PCs are heading to Daley, a backwater planet whose main settlement, New Chicago, is a dome-covered hive of scum and villainy. Violent electromagnetic storms make traveling on the surface dangerous, and one of the storms hits suddenly as the Thaddeus Knight guides the PCs’ spaceship in for a landing. Christopher decides to roll two Story Dice rather than run the risk of a skill check. His highest result is a three.

“The electromagnetic storm wreaks havoc with the ship’s systems, and we go into a dive. I manage to reroute power to increase shielding against the storm in time to bring the ship in for a landing, but it’s a rough one. The landing gear is damaged and will need to be repaired.”

Example the Third

While being pursued by vaccine thief enforcers, Jack Owen gets separated from the rest of the group and finds himself facing a dead end in one direction and a juiced-up thug in the other. Gary figures Jack can’t win the fight, and so his only hope is to escape over the wall. Unfortunately, Gary only has one Story Die left, but it’s better than nothing. He rolls and gets a two.

“Uh, bummer. How about this? Jack runs at the wall and jumps, just grabbing the top edge and pulling himself up and over. Unfortunately, he loses his balance and falls down the other side, suffering whatever damage is appropriate.”

Example the Fourth

Naiyah Ferobo has just grabbed the satchel of stolen vaccines when she hears the guards coming. Thinking quickly, Naiyah exits through the window and out onto the ledge running around the seventeenth story of the building. Fortunately, Naiyah has a relevant statement: “Agile as a mountain goat.” Naiyah attempts to climb down to the next floor to re-enter the building below the guards. Wes decides to use two Story Dice and gets a bonus Story Die for Naiyah’s statement. Wes rolls and gets nothing but ones. The GM takes over.

“Naiyah loses her footing and falls from the ledge. She drops three stories before she manages to hook a projecting decoration with the strap on the satchel. Naiyah is now dangling a 100-plus feet above the street with a precarious grip on a synthide bag. She’s not sure how much longer she can hold on, especially with that freshly wrenched shoulder.”

Tags: game play, story games

This past week hasn’t been a good week for getting game stuff done. I was out of town much of the week visiting Ridgeview Classical Schools in Fort Collins, Colorado. Their mission, philosophy, et cetera, are very similar to ours where I teach in Katy, Texas, so my school sent me and two other teachers there to kick down doors and loot ideas.

So, about game stuff: A couple of weeks ago, Man Day Adventures kicked off the first session of our new Stars Without Number campaign, meta-titled Amazing Future Tales. As the GM, I’ve decided to pummel the heck out SWN with rules stolen from other games. You can read about the first session here. You can check out the wacky house rules here.

Assuming you read the first session, you noticed one of the characters issuing assignments to the other characters. I didn’t plan that. The players, especially Terry, made all of that up on the spot. I liked that. It made the story more theirs and less mine. It also keeps me from having do prep work as a GM. I’ve got a bare-bones plot for the adventure. I’m ad-libbing the rest with the help of the players. How can that be a bad thing?

A few weeks ago, I played a session of InSpectres. In that game, players have wide-ranging ability to determine specific plot elements, in effect making up the plot as the game progresses. It was a hoot and a half.

To explain simply, characters have a certain number of dice divided between four broad areas of competence. The characters interact with the game environment, the player rolls the applicable number of dice, and the highest result (most of the time) determines how much of the narrative is controlled by whom. A really great die roll means the player has almost carte blanche to determine the result of the roll. Lesser results impose specific restrictions, and the least results give the GM the carte blanche.

I’m mulling using a modified version of the InSpectres narrative resolution mechanic with Amazing Future Tales. At the moment, I’m not quite sure what that’d look like. My initial instinct is for each player to have a pool of “story dice” that they can use to determine results. The player decides how many “story dice” to use for a given situation. The more dice rolled, the greater the chance the player gets to dictate the results. Once “story dice” are used, they are deducted from the player’s pool.

For example, let’s say that the players have just uncovered something mysterious (such as the man who attacked A.J. in our first session). As the GM, I don’t know who this man is. Wes said he wanted to see how combat worked, so I had his character get ambushed. Maybe one of the players, however, has a good idea about who this man is. Let’s say this player is Gary.

Gary decides to spend a couple of “story dice”. He rolls and gets a good result. Gary can then make his idea about the man’s identity, circumstances, et cetera, an official part of the story.

Gary could say, “Well, after we get him cleaned up, I recognize him as a researcher from a different station closer to the coast. He’s weak and feverish from exposure and sickness, but he could provide important information about what’s really going on the jungle.”

Could I have come up with that on my own? Obviously, since I just did, but that’s not the point. The point is that one of my players gets to help shape the narrative-in-progress to make the story more like what he wants it to be.

Again, how can that be a bad thing?

Tags: Amazing Future Tales, game play, Stars Without Number