I had mentioned previously that I thought the game was self-destructing, and that it felt like I was spinning wheels and some of the players (not all!) were just standing around and not helping push the thing forward. It's a frustrating feeling when everyone claims to be on-board for something, but their actions don't really show that commitment.
I had been thinking of many solutions to the problems inherent to the game so far, and along comes Josh D, a lover of Dark Sun, himself, and drops a comment the other day on it all. What he said had mirrored some of my own thoughts, and though it was one of the last things I wanted to do to get the players interested, I think perhaps he is right...railroading is sometimes the only option you have left. At this point, I can only throw out so many hooks...if none of those hooks work, then perhaps skydiving isn't for y....wait, wrong saying...
Anyway, the point I was trying to make is that when you have lots of fish, but you aren't getting the bites on the hooks, sometimes you're better off slinging in the dynamite and forcing results...at least at first. I'm partially to blame, don't get me wrong. I just spent over a year running a game that followed the "Adventure Path" structure. Even though I tried to make that as loose as possible, I think, perhaps, that the cushion of direct storyline still acted as a crutch, as did party dynamics.
I can understand the phenomenon. It's hard to break from molds that you're used to, especially when you've got little experience. I'm also very aware that there are a million OSR blogs out there saying that what I want to do is doomed for failure out the gates because of the system I use (3.x,) but Ben Robbins proved that the model of sand box play fits it with his Western Marches. I think it all boils down to attitude.
I'm trying to...not force this on my players, but work them into the style, and give them the freedom to develop their characters in ways that the path or story-driven campaigns (I hate calling them that...isn't every campaign story-driven?) might not allow. To me, it looks like opportunity...to my players, I don't know? I feel like I failed in the pitch.
Josh is right, I think, but I keep thinking "What if that, fails, too?" Well, then I know that it's just not the right time or group to run the game with. That happens.
I'll give it a few more weeks before I call it. I really wanna see this game get out of the gates. I love the setting. I love the group I play with. I think that this can work, the game just needs a boot to the ass to get it going.
I hope...it's even gotten me doubting any game I might run in its stead if it fails, which is a horrible feeling. I've never, in my 13 years of DMing felt that. Blah.
Edit: Sorry this post is all over the place. Just one of those things.
Showing posts with label Dark Sun. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Dark Sun. Show all posts
2.27.2010
The Dark Sun Game So Far...
So, I already aired some stuff about the DS game, but I didn't really discuss anything that has happened so far within the game, or anything about the characters. I'll take some time here to do just that.
As I mentioned before, the campaign has begun in the city-state of Tyr. It's important to note that this is the pre-Prism Pentad Tyr, as presented in the original Dark Sun box set, and that the happenings of those novels might later impact my game.
As it stands, Kalak's ziggurat is about 1/3 of the way done, and there hasn't been the push for slaves yet that is presented in the fiction and in the adventure Freedom. I have, however, ran a couple of encounters from Freedom that haven't had a real tie to timeline. Already, there have been some uncertainties about the political climate within Tyr, as well as all the weirdness that needs to take place in an rpg.
And now on to our cast and what they've been up to...
Rhine Lockwood(Taylor) - [Dwarf Expert 3] Rhine has been able to use some old connections to enter into the society of the wealthy, playing the dual roles of sycophant and historian, recording the dynasties of the nobles of Tyr and trying to work into the graces of those he encounters. There have been plenty of opportunities for deeds both base and heroic presenting themselves to the dwarf, but almost all have been either overlooked or turned down. His true motives remain mysterious, though he has started a cordial relationship with one of Kalak's templars. Where this will go remains to be seen.
Kitcliff(David B.) - [Halfling Swordsage 3] Kitcliff has mostly been doing his job and hunting. While working, the roost he cleans for an innkeep that offers a room to aaracokra has had some stray body parts, and a ring...which made him inadvertently stumble into contact with a group of men who claim to be against those who defile the face of Athas. The halfling has now pledged his service to this group, but he's uncertain, as of yet, how that will impact his life.
Kal-Mek(Paul) - [Mul Gladiator 2] Kal-Mek has, of yet, done nothing too much more than work at a stone carver's shop. On one excursion out of the city to let his inix have room to run, he did encounter an odd kank herder who introduced herself as Krysta, and he has an existing relationship to Han, the Rain Cleric. Other than this, his employer's shop being taken as the property of the King has been the only thing that has affected the mul.
Khaz(John C.) - [Tari Rogue 2] Khaz has established himself as a brave member of his people, though other Tari might call him foolish. Upon hearing of/noticing a rash of disappearances among the ratfolk, he immediately went in search of answers, which led him and some of his mischief(pack/tribe) to venture to what they thought was the source, just to lose one of their number to a beast the likes of which none of them had seen before...a modified hook horror! Though they turned back at that point, our "hero" is undaunted, and still wishes to get to the bottom of things.
Han Daarken(Chris S.) - [Human Cleric of Rain 3] Han is the most junior member of the three-man clergy at his "temple," and as such has been tasked with carrying out the day-to-day wishes of anyone who wants something of the church. This has manifested itself, most recently, into a joint effort with the Ministry of Public Works of King Kalak to construct a fountain to "complement the ziggurat." To protect the work til the finish of the ziggurat, the fountain is to be completed inside a building, and it will be a stylized statue of the Sorceror-King, and has no basin, but drainage holes going into the ground.
Yor 'Kov Ent'Sieqe(Steve C.) - [Tarek Truenamer 1] Yor has yet to come into the game, due to Steve's inability to make it to the sessions.
Krysta(Angela) - [Half-Elf Druid 3] Krysta is a young half-elf who has been left to her own devices out in the wilds, and lives among a herd of wild kank a few miles out from Tyr. Recently, she discovered a dead, ashy-looking circle on the ground that has begun to expand after almost every night. After a few nights, she also discovered a few of her herd stripped of larger portions of carapace. Despite all this, she has yet to show any want to investigate or otherwise aid her herd. She does, however look forward to speaking with Kal-mek again, since they crossed paths earlier.
Knaun Orzan(Andrew) - [Human Psion(Shaper) 3] Knaun has actually done some of the most pro-active stuff in the game, and has had a run-in with a templar that might crop up again during the course of the game. Afterwards, our psion found his way to a flop house where he practically killed a guy who was trying to steal from him, making him run before he had another encounter with the templarate. Last we left off, he had shacked up in a nice place, but Andrew hasn't been back to the game. Hope it's not lame to him.
And there's our characters and some of the stuff they've been up to.
I find it kinda funny that, out of all the characters in the game, only 2 are from Tyr. It might become clearer why that amuses me once I can let the cat out of the bag about some of the character's backstories.
More to come on the Dark Sun game. It's something that's on my mind quite a bit lately.
As I mentioned before, the campaign has begun in the city-state of Tyr. It's important to note that this is the pre-Prism Pentad Tyr, as presented in the original Dark Sun box set, and that the happenings of those novels might later impact my game.
As it stands, Kalak's ziggurat is about 1/3 of the way done, and there hasn't been the push for slaves yet that is presented in the fiction and in the adventure Freedom. I have, however, ran a couple of encounters from Freedom that haven't had a real tie to timeline. Already, there have been some uncertainties about the political climate within Tyr, as well as all the weirdness that needs to take place in an rpg.
And now on to our cast and what they've been up to...
Rhine Lockwood(Taylor) - [Dwarf Expert 3] Rhine has been able to use some old connections to enter into the society of the wealthy, playing the dual roles of sycophant and historian, recording the dynasties of the nobles of Tyr and trying to work into the graces of those he encounters. There have been plenty of opportunities for deeds both base and heroic presenting themselves to the dwarf, but almost all have been either overlooked or turned down. His true motives remain mysterious, though he has started a cordial relationship with one of Kalak's templars. Where this will go remains to be seen.
Kitcliff(David B.) - [Halfling Swordsage 3] Kitcliff has mostly been doing his job and hunting. While working, the roost he cleans for an innkeep that offers a room to aaracokra has had some stray body parts, and a ring...which made him inadvertently stumble into contact with a group of men who claim to be against those who defile the face of Athas. The halfling has now pledged his service to this group, but he's uncertain, as of yet, how that will impact his life.
Kal-Mek(Paul) - [Mul Gladiator 2] Kal-Mek has, of yet, done nothing too much more than work at a stone carver's shop. On one excursion out of the city to let his inix have room to run, he did encounter an odd kank herder who introduced herself as Krysta, and he has an existing relationship to Han, the Rain Cleric. Other than this, his employer's shop being taken as the property of the King has been the only thing that has affected the mul.
Khaz(John C.) - [Tari Rogue 2] Khaz has established himself as a brave member of his people, though other Tari might call him foolish. Upon hearing of/noticing a rash of disappearances among the ratfolk, he immediately went in search of answers, which led him and some of his mischief(pack/tribe) to venture to what they thought was the source, just to lose one of their number to a beast the likes of which none of them had seen before...a modified hook horror! Though they turned back at that point, our "hero" is undaunted, and still wishes to get to the bottom of things.
Han Daarken(Chris S.) - [Human Cleric of Rain 3] Han is the most junior member of the three-man clergy at his "temple," and as such has been tasked with carrying out the day-to-day wishes of anyone who wants something of the church. This has manifested itself, most recently, into a joint effort with the Ministry of Public Works of King Kalak to construct a fountain to "complement the ziggurat." To protect the work til the finish of the ziggurat, the fountain is to be completed inside a building, and it will be a stylized statue of the Sorceror-King, and has no basin, but drainage holes going into the ground.
Yor 'Kov Ent'Sieqe(Steve C.) - [Tarek Truenamer 1] Yor has yet to come into the game, due to Steve's inability to make it to the sessions.
Krysta(Angela) - [Half-Elf Druid 3] Krysta is a young half-elf who has been left to her own devices out in the wilds, and lives among a herd of wild kank a few miles out from Tyr. Recently, she discovered a dead, ashy-looking circle on the ground that has begun to expand after almost every night. After a few nights, she also discovered a few of her herd stripped of larger portions of carapace. Despite all this, she has yet to show any want to investigate or otherwise aid her herd. She does, however look forward to speaking with Kal-mek again, since they crossed paths earlier.
Knaun Orzan(Andrew) - [Human Psion(Shaper) 3] Knaun has actually done some of the most pro-active stuff in the game, and has had a run-in with a templar that might crop up again during the course of the game. Afterwards, our psion found his way to a flop house where he practically killed a guy who was trying to steal from him, making him run before he had another encounter with the templarate. Last we left off, he had shacked up in a nice place, but Andrew hasn't been back to the game. Hope it's not lame to him.
And there's our characters and some of the stuff they've been up to.
I find it kinda funny that, out of all the characters in the game, only 2 are from Tyr. It might become clearer why that amuses me once I can let the cat out of the bag about some of the character's backstories.
More to come on the Dark Sun game. It's something that's on my mind quite a bit lately.
Is Dark Sun Already Growing Tyr-ing?
I know we're just a little bit into the Dark Sun campaign, but it already seems to not be moving along. I thought the "ensemble" style would help fill out characters and give people alot to work with for their characters before they actually got together with other PCs, if ever.
When I pitched the concept, people seemed to like the idea, immediately picking up on how the dynamics worked, since most had seen the show Heroes, and were familiar with the style. Through character creation, things went smoothly, and everyone was pitching ideas and asking questions to help fill out the personalities and such, and I had no problem placing them in my version of Tyr.
Then actual game play came up.
Things are sluggish. It's hard getting characters motivated to want to do anything other than their workaday jobs, and pacing is killing me. It takes a whole session to knock one day out, because it seems like there's an assumption that you HAVE to play out your whole day, even if you do nothing. I don't know where this assumption came from, as I never stated that's how you have to do things. It seems common sense to me NOT to play out going to work, if that work is uneventful. I try to hit the high spots, like if anything changes, and then push the action along to cue my players, but it doesn't seem to work.
I have tried my hardest to lace everyone's action with hooks, teasers, and threads that they can ride if they want, but perhaps they aren't juicy enough. This makes me wonder what, if anything WILL be enough to make them want to look at the world outside of their non-PC lives. I would say non-adventurer, but I don't necessarily want them out dungeoneering or conquering the wastes one braxat at a time. I just want to see pro-action, and I'm stumped on how to do that. I've postponed my game for two weeks (and Paul has started running The World's Largest Dungeon alternatively) to give myself more prep time and think about how to better integrate things that would personally motivate or intrigue each character.
If anyone out there can give me some hints/tips/suggestions, then that would be awesome. I feel like I'm spinning my wheels on this campaign, and that makes me sad, because of how much I love the setting
When I pitched the concept, people seemed to like the idea, immediately picking up on how the dynamics worked, since most had seen the show Heroes, and were familiar with the style. Through character creation, things went smoothly, and everyone was pitching ideas and asking questions to help fill out the personalities and such, and I had no problem placing them in my version of Tyr.
Then actual game play came up.
Things are sluggish. It's hard getting characters motivated to want to do anything other than their workaday jobs, and pacing is killing me. It takes a whole session to knock one day out, because it seems like there's an assumption that you HAVE to play out your whole day, even if you do nothing. I don't know where this assumption came from, as I never stated that's how you have to do things. It seems common sense to me NOT to play out going to work, if that work is uneventful. I try to hit the high spots, like if anything changes, and then push the action along to cue my players, but it doesn't seem to work.
I have tried my hardest to lace everyone's action with hooks, teasers, and threads that they can ride if they want, but perhaps they aren't juicy enough. This makes me wonder what, if anything WILL be enough to make them want to look at the world outside of their non-PC lives. I would say non-adventurer, but I don't necessarily want them out dungeoneering or conquering the wastes one braxat at a time. I just want to see pro-action, and I'm stumped on how to do that. I've postponed my game for two weeks (and Paul has started running The World's Largest Dungeon alternatively) to give myself more prep time and think about how to better integrate things that would personally motivate or intrigue each character.
If anyone out there can give me some hints/tips/suggestions, then that would be awesome. I feel like I'm spinning my wheels on this campaign, and that makes me sad, because of how much I love the setting
12.26.2009
Dark Sun On The Horizon
Well...more like really soon. "On the horizon" makes me think of a ways off, but in just a couple of weeks, the DS campaign will be underway and hopefully off to a good start.
Though I've thrown out the group models for DS, I haven't truly thrown out other things I've spoken of. The sandbox model, for instance, isn't necessarily out, it's just modified for my purposes. As it stands, perhaps only one or two characters will know each other at the start of the game. This creates a powerful dynamic, much like the shows Lost or Heroes, who the characters are will be easier to define because there's not a default group mechanic to deal with right out of the gate.
Truth be told, I don't know how the ensemble cast thing will work. I really am just hoping for the best on this. I think it will go well, though. I've always ran Vampire like that in the past, and I think it's a workable model in D&D, though I've not used it before.
I'm not saying, also, that things won't bring certain characters together. There might just be story elements that will do just that, but that all depends on the characters themselves.
Having everyone with a developed character is primary to me, as well as introducing the things that make Athas a unique D&D world, and the adversity to playing that this might bring to the table. Gameplay might be profoundly different with the model I have in mind, and it might challenge some of those who are fairly new to gaming, but I want to build up a campaign that everyone will continue to want to play in for some time.
It all sounds really pretentious, but do I think I'm reinventing the wheel with this game? Not at all, and I'm not going to sit here and say that I'm implementing things that NOBODY has ever done before. I'm just taking all my past experience, and all these thoughts and inspirations that I've gathered from various sources and blending them into a style of gamemastering that will be new to me, and new (most likely) to some of my players.
In addition to the ensemble style, with everyone doing their own things, I've also been thinking about pitching dynamic storytelling to my players. I know that "shared experience" gaming is huge with some groups, but the concepts posited by my fellow bloggers and the online communities out there fails to reach my group.
And so, I'm hoping that a situation might crop up similar to this:
Me: "As you finally take stock of your surroundings, you note that this room is, strangely, more damp than the last few, with molds creeping up the walls of the far corners. The only other feature other than a door leading out the opposite way is a rusty axe with strange runic carvings on the blade."
Paul: "These carvings look familiar. Almost exactly likes the ones on that onyx orb that guy tried to sell me the other day. He claimed it was a relic of the Green Age!"
Sure, I might have to tell Paul he's on the wrong track once he studies the runes more, but to have that kind of spontaneous interaction with the game would make things much richer, not just for me, but for the players and their characters, as well.
There are a few other things...optional crit and fumble rules, alternative social interaction resolution, variants on initiative and combat. These will be addressed later in the blog, and spoken about with the group, but there are a fair amount of changes I want to go over with the players to see what they think will work and what won't, and perhaps someone else will have a suggestion that will be implemented.
Though I've thrown out the group models for DS, I haven't truly thrown out other things I've spoken of. The sandbox model, for instance, isn't necessarily out, it's just modified for my purposes. As it stands, perhaps only one or two characters will know each other at the start of the game. This creates a powerful dynamic, much like the shows Lost or Heroes, who the characters are will be easier to define because there's not a default group mechanic to deal with right out of the gate.
Truth be told, I don't know how the ensemble cast thing will work. I really am just hoping for the best on this. I think it will go well, though. I've always ran Vampire like that in the past, and I think it's a workable model in D&D, though I've not used it before.
I'm not saying, also, that things won't bring certain characters together. There might just be story elements that will do just that, but that all depends on the characters themselves.
Having everyone with a developed character is primary to me, as well as introducing the things that make Athas a unique D&D world, and the adversity to playing that this might bring to the table. Gameplay might be profoundly different with the model I have in mind, and it might challenge some of those who are fairly new to gaming, but I want to build up a campaign that everyone will continue to want to play in for some time.
It all sounds really pretentious, but do I think I'm reinventing the wheel with this game? Not at all, and I'm not going to sit here and say that I'm implementing things that NOBODY has ever done before. I'm just taking all my past experience, and all these thoughts and inspirations that I've gathered from various sources and blending them into a style of gamemastering that will be new to me, and new (most likely) to some of my players.
In addition to the ensemble style, with everyone doing their own things, I've also been thinking about pitching dynamic storytelling to my players. I know that "shared experience" gaming is huge with some groups, but the concepts posited by my fellow bloggers and the online communities out there fails to reach my group.
And so, I'm hoping that a situation might crop up similar to this:
Me: "As you finally take stock of your surroundings, you note that this room is, strangely, more damp than the last few, with molds creeping up the walls of the far corners. The only other feature other than a door leading out the opposite way is a rusty axe with strange runic carvings on the blade."
Paul: "These carvings look familiar. Almost exactly likes the ones on that onyx orb that guy tried to sell me the other day. He claimed it was a relic of the Green Age!"
Sure, I might have to tell Paul he's on the wrong track once he studies the runes more, but to have that kind of spontaneous interaction with the game would make things much richer, not just for me, but for the players and their characters, as well.
There are a few other things...optional crit and fumble rules, alternative social interaction resolution, variants on initiative and combat. These will be addressed later in the blog, and spoken about with the group, but there are a fair amount of changes I want to go over with the players to see what they think will work and what won't, and perhaps someone else will have a suggestion that will be implemented.
9.22.2009
The Newer System Sandbox
This is more a quick musing than anything else, but I was wondering why it seems that everyone who talks about such things doesn't seem to think that newer versions of the old Double D and the Ampersand can make a Sandbox campaign.
Why?
What, inherently, sends this model to the grave prematurely? The tropes that create the Sandbox... free-roaming adventure, on-the-fly gaming, stripped-down fun...why are these system-specific, as so many claim? I think that's bogus, really. I think anyone, if so inclined, can run any type of game they want within the system, and it's spurred me to rethink the direction of my upcoming Dark Sun game.
I've always felt that adventuring in Athas kinda lends itself to those things, anyway. Survival is key to success when playing in Dark Sun adventures, so why not let the PCs go where they will and experience the world on their terms to achieve those goals? The more I think about it, the more the setting seems to have been written with that playstyle in mind. I wonder then, what some of the playtesting was like for the setting, and if anyone who happens to be reading this has a story or two to recant about Athas? I know at least one of my readers has experience with the setting.
Don't get me wrong, I'm a fan of the games and flow of ideas that the Old School Renaissance has spawned, but truth be told, it's easier for me to get people interested in 3.x than in any other system out there. I'm not trying to add to the system war, as I just love the hobby of gaming, and if it doesn't matter what rules you throw at me as long as there's fun to be had.
So...in addition to working on the Sandbox I was already putting effort into, as well as the other things I mentioned in a previous post, I'm gonna start putting together some thoughts on attacking my Dark Sun game as...hmm, what would you call it? An established Sandbox? Not really sure if taking a pre-existing setting as the backdrop still qualifies it as the game type intended. Oh well, I'm doing it anyway!
Now, I need to look at the hexmaps from Dark Sun and figure out the scale.
Why?
What, inherently, sends this model to the grave prematurely? The tropes that create the Sandbox... free-roaming adventure, on-the-fly gaming, stripped-down fun...why are these system-specific, as so many claim? I think that's bogus, really. I think anyone, if so inclined, can run any type of game they want within the system, and it's spurred me to rethink the direction of my upcoming Dark Sun game.
I've always felt that adventuring in Athas kinda lends itself to those things, anyway. Survival is key to success when playing in Dark Sun adventures, so why not let the PCs go where they will and experience the world on their terms to achieve those goals? The more I think about it, the more the setting seems to have been written with that playstyle in mind. I wonder then, what some of the playtesting was like for the setting, and if anyone who happens to be reading this has a story or two to recant about Athas? I know at least one of my readers has experience with the setting.
Don't get me wrong, I'm a fan of the games and flow of ideas that the Old School Renaissance has spawned, but truth be told, it's easier for me to get people interested in 3.x than in any other system out there. I'm not trying to add to the system war, as I just love the hobby of gaming, and if it doesn't matter what rules you throw at me as long as there's fun to be had.
So...in addition to working on the Sandbox I was already putting effort into, as well as the other things I mentioned in a previous post, I'm gonna start putting together some thoughts on attacking my Dark Sun game as...hmm, what would you call it? An established Sandbox? Not really sure if taking a pre-existing setting as the backdrop still qualifies it as the game type intended. Oh well, I'm doing it anyway!
Now, I need to look at the hexmaps from Dark Sun and figure out the scale.
7.16.2009
Dark Sun And Other Current "In the Works..."
As I mentioned in an earlier post, a 3.5 D&D Dark Sun game was voted in as the next game to be played on Tuesdays. In my preliminary notes for the campaign, I was looking to make it a really free-form game focused mainly on roleplay, perhaps without the dynamics of a party unless circumstances bring multiple characters together. Now, though, I'm a little worried that a game like that might not go over too well, since I've seen how the current campaign is going and how well the players take to city adventures (Speaker in Dreams went not so well for the group due to nobody taking a hint).
I'm going to bring that up Tuesday when I try to get opinions on the current campaign and see what people think. I might just take the list with me again and recast the votes for the game. See how they turn out with our smaller group. It's weird...I guess Ox and his pals didn't like the game because it wasn't fight fight fight, but they haven't showed up in three weeks now.
In addition to working up the starting notes for Dark Sun, I've also been looking into older systems, or games that simulate such, and thanks to Jeff over at the Gameblog, I've become interested in Labyrinth Lord. I think a system that's still D&D, but isn't as much a numbers game would be a pretty nice diversion for the group and we'd all enjoy it. Maybe. Perhaps.
I've also been tossing around the idea of running a supers game. Not sure what system, though I have a couple at my disposal. I'm liking Aberrant the most strictly from a storyline perspective, but Marvel Super Heroes Adventure Game (the SAGA system one) can be fun for some wonky power limits and the gamble behind saving cards or blowing them.
There's alot going on in my noggin as far as gaming goes, I just need to actually take the time to work it all out on paper or something.
I'm going to bring that up Tuesday when I try to get opinions on the current campaign and see what people think. I might just take the list with me again and recast the votes for the game. See how they turn out with our smaller group. It's weird...I guess Ox and his pals didn't like the game because it wasn't fight fight fight, but they haven't showed up in three weeks now.
In addition to working up the starting notes for Dark Sun, I've also been looking into older systems, or games that simulate such, and thanks to Jeff over at the Gameblog, I've become interested in Labyrinth Lord. I think a system that's still D&D, but isn't as much a numbers game would be a pretty nice diversion for the group and we'd all enjoy it. Maybe. Perhaps.
I've also been tossing around the idea of running a supers game. Not sure what system, though I have a couple at my disposal. I'm liking Aberrant the most strictly from a storyline perspective, but Marvel Super Heroes Adventure Game (the SAGA system one) can be fun for some wonky power limits and the gamble behind saving cards or blowing them.
There's alot going on in my noggin as far as gaming goes, I just need to actually take the time to work it all out on paper or something.
9.28.2007
Dark Sun so far...
As I mentioned before, I run a Dark Sun game. I had originally planned to set the game in a period well before the events of the Prism Pentad novels and most published material, but I happened to acquire a copy of the adventure Freedom right before go time, so I scrapped my idea and decided to use it as the backbone of my game. I have all the other adventures, too...I might modify and run them as well. Time will tell.
Paul and Henry are the only two players for this campaign, and actually there's just been the three of us for all but one session.
Paul's playing a Human Psion (Seer) named Goal. That's his "thing;" he likes psions and knows the powers well enough to not only use them, but use them in unique ways. He's kickass at it, too. Of course, he's also been playing D&D as long as I've been alive, so I'm sure that helps.
Henry has a Mul Gladiator named Hass. I've played very little with Henry before this game, but he's the kind of player who relishes in his characters "doing what they do." When combat rolls around, he's in that noise until there are no foes left. I see him being the same about any other character type he would play. He mentioned wanting some arena action last time we played, and that's forthcoming!
When we started the game, the party immediately turned to crime to benefit their coin pouches, working for a Templar as a press gang, "recruiting" workers for Kalak's ziggurat construction and even kidnapping a noble for him through a clever ruse. Their adventures in Tyr did much to swell their wealth and earn them respect and hate from those on the streets, but a crossing with Verrasi of Minthur led to their incarceration in a slave holding teeming with those they locked away and various other factions.
Paul and Henry are the only two players for this campaign, and actually there's just been the three of us for all but one session.
Paul's playing a Human Psion (Seer) named Goal. That's his "thing;" he likes psions and knows the powers well enough to not only use them, but use them in unique ways. He's kickass at it, too. Of course, he's also been playing D&D as long as I've been alive, so I'm sure that helps.
Henry has a Mul Gladiator named Hass. I've played very little with Henry before this game, but he's the kind of player who relishes in his characters "doing what they do." When combat rolls around, he's in that noise until there are no foes left. I see him being the same about any other character type he would play. He mentioned wanting some arena action last time we played, and that's forthcoming!
When we started the game, the party immediately turned to crime to benefit their coin pouches, working for a Templar as a press gang, "recruiting" workers for Kalak's ziggurat construction and even kidnapping a noble for him through a clever ruse. Their adventures in Tyr did much to swell their wealth and earn them respect and hate from those on the streets, but a crossing with Verrasi of Minthur led to their incarceration in a slave holding teeming with those they locked away and various other factions.
Hass has befriended a powerful Half-Giant named Urrgos through coming to the brute's aid in combat and a female Human Gladiator named Lissan, whom he trains with regularly when not working. He's caught the eye of the Master of Games and Lissan has put in word to her trainer, strengthening his chances of fighting in the grand tournaments that are coming. Paul's character Goal, on the other hand, has infiltrated a small group of conspirators who are planning a breakout and has, through his connections with his and Hass' Templar employer, concocted a set-up for the rebellious slaves which will most likely lead to their deaths.
The completion of the ziggurat draws ever closer and the various plots of Goal and Hass quickly move toward fruition. I'm interested in seeing how the PCs react to coming events. Should be action-packed and zany.
The two PCs are teamed with a DM PC (a concept I'm not a fan of, but I didn't want to have to scale down every encounter) who only chips in when things seem grim, and a couple of NPCs which the players have taken as secondary characters, which gives me the opportunity now to drop the DM PC. Things are running fairly smoothly, but I would like to recruit some more players to the game. We're moving from my house to Paul's for gaming purposes now, so maybe change of venue and playing earlier in the evening will aid in that.
I'll keep you updated, in any case...and next time, I'll delve into Paul's "Lich Lord" game.
The completion of the ziggurat draws ever closer and the various plots of Goal and Hass quickly move toward fruition. I'm interested in seeing how the PCs react to coming events. Should be action-packed and zany.
The two PCs are teamed with a DM PC (a concept I'm not a fan of, but I didn't want to have to scale down every encounter) who only chips in when things seem grim, and a couple of NPCs which the players have taken as secondary characters, which gives me the opportunity now to drop the DM PC. Things are running fairly smoothly, but I would like to recruit some more players to the game. We're moving from my house to Paul's for gaming purposes now, so maybe change of venue and playing earlier in the evening will aid in that.
I'll keep you updated, in any case...and next time, I'll delve into Paul's "Lich Lord" game.
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