Familiars for Mages

 If you notice in my story, Duncan doesn't have a familiar like most fantasy mages.  Most of my mages don't.  It's not so much an oversight, but a personal decision.  Familiars need to fit the personality of your mage and most of my mages, and wizards, just don't have the right temperament for a familiar.

For most of my mages I use their staves as their "familiar".  They require the staff for most of the more consuming magics that take great power, but can still cast without the staff.  The same can be said for mages who have familiars.

I'm not against familiars in my world, but here are a few things to think on before giving your PC a familiar if you are playing in my world setting.

1) If a player gains a familiar, make sure they pay attention to it.  My husband off the cuff said if I rolled a 20 on a D20 I could have a pseudodragon for my first ever familiar.  Guess what, I ended up with a pseudodragon.  But he made me pay attention to that little booger. I had to make sure it had gems, plenty of ale and good food, and was pampered.  I paid for that power in spades.

2) Make the familiar a "player character".  The guys I played with would randomly take turns playing my wonderful familiar.  I think I lost more money to my own familiar then I did to paying for my equipment.  The point is to keep the familiar fresh and upfront.  Plus, as a bonus, those players who are not in the scene or actively playing can have something to do.

3) Ask your player what kind of familiar they would like.  This is as personal as making the character and the player should have a say.  But don't let them get wild and crazy.  No dragons, no demigods, no all powerful beings.  If the player can explain a good reason for that werewolf, think about it, but just remember it could unbalance your campaign.

Happy gaming!

A Living Campaign

As hard as it is to get an adventure put together, sometimes it's great to go the extra mile.  Sometimes, as you are putting that adventure together, you and your players forget that the characters are part of a bigger world.  So here are a few ideas I have to make your players feel part of a bigger world.

1) Rumors.  Have the bards in the near by tavern your characters frequent talk about the goings on in the nearby, and not so nearby, areas of the world.  This is a good way to sneak in an adventure hook, but also a good way to get your players knowledge of the world.

2) Town criers and newspaper.  Printing presses are rare, but in bigger cities they will be available.  Some of these cities will have local news in small papers.  They won't be like normal papers you see today, (certainly no comics or piles of advertisements), but they will definitely let you get some information out.  Same with the town criers sitting on a corner and shouting the newest news of the day.

3) A primer before you start.  Sometimes you can just give a list of major events that have happened since the last adventure in the world.  A king was crowned here, a kingdom taken down there.  This may give the players a wish to go somewhere new and give you more adventure ideas.

Happy Gaming!

When Gaming Becomes a Chore Part 3

My last thought on making gaming not a chore, but fun, like it should be, is to keep it simple.  I like great story arcs, spanning lots of adventures.  (Thus the writing thing.  Who would have guessed?)  But you don't have to be so elaborate.  Sometimes, just smashing some orcs or saving a group of slaves is enough.  I know when we prepared for exams in college, smashing orcs was always a good way to blow off steam.  I wouldn't recommend this sort of adventure every time, otherwise you're just playing a video game only slower, but on those weeks when you realize you don't have time to really work on a great adventure, throw a couple of random encounters in as the party goes from one point to another.  This is a rough time.  There aren't police and there are lots of bandits in those wide open wilds.  Use that to your advantage!

Happy Gaming!

When Gaming Becomes a Chore Part 2

A quick, easy fix to getting a roleplaying fix in a busy life is to cheat a bit and get a pre-generated adventure.  I know, I know.  I hear the groans from here.  A lot of those pre-generated adventures are awful.  I totally agree.  We refused to use them when we were in college and had tons of time on our hands, (granted we didn't know we had tons of time on our hands at the time...), to work on adventures.  But as time is so valuable, now, they look a lot more viable.  And the pre-generated adventures are a lot better put together, now.  I believe this is because people are willing to spend more money on good adventures and game makers are listening more to their customers to see what works.

Here's an example of what I mean.  My husband is running Rise of the Runelords by Paizo in the Pathfinder system and it is awesome.  Even NPC's that are in there for like a blink of the eye are given great backgrounds and reasons to be where they are.  If you really are into the roleplaying aspect, it's great.  And descriptions and flavor text are awesome.  I haven't got to look at a lot of it, since I'm not the GM, but what we've adventured through has been well done.  The best part is, my husband just has to read the adventure, tweak it a bit to fit our level (since we didn't start out at the start level), and make sure he is ready for any curve we might throw his way.  My daughter is playing a dwarf paladin and she wanted a mount.  There happens to be a lovely war horse, (mistreated, but still alive) in the goblin lair.  So my husband just made sure she was the one who got in there first to talk the horse out of the enclosure it was trapped in.  Instant Paladin mount!

All the XP awards and treasure are all there, (though a good GM makes sure there is treasure appropriate for his player characters), so there is very little work on the GM's part.

More on making things easier tomorrow!
Happy Gaming!

When Gaming Becomes a Chore Part 1

With the way my life is going I feel as if I'm going in five (or more) different directions at once.  When you were in college or single, there was time to game and do everything else you wanted to do.  With kids, jobs and volunteer activities, your life get's crowded and busy.  But if you are like my husband and I, you really want to game, as well.  The hard part is finding time to do so and not feeling as if it's just another chore on your list.  Let's discuss some things we do to still have fun and not feel like we are obligated to play roleplaying games.

My first advice is to try and make a little time every day to work on an adventure if you are the GM.  I don't always take this advice, sorta like I don't always write every day like I should, but if you try and spend ten or fifteen minutes a day on setting up stuff, it won't feel like a chore.  One day I might do a room description, the next make up a main bad guy or his minions.  If you take it a step at a time, it doesn't seem like a time a sink.  I usually do this in between my real chores or volunteer activities, so it feels like fun, versus a chore.

Tomorrow some ideas to help make planning easy.

Game Aide Hints for GMs Part 4

Food!  Gaming just wouldn't be gaming without food.  So here are a few ideas.

1) Have chips/nuts/other snacks on hand.  Soda or other drinks are always a good idea.  Maybe you take turns bringing it or maybe there is a money pool to buy it for the group. For those of you who like coffee, having someone bring creamer and you supply the coffee is always a good idea.

2) Potluck!  This is a good thing to try.  Everybody has to bring something and you can try different and new foods.  During my writing group days we would have potlucks and I learned to like a lot of different oriental foods made the traditional way, not Chinese restaurant ways.  Plus, it gives you lots of food to snack on for the four plus hours you may be playing!

3) Order in.  This isn't a good idea every session, but if you are capable, it is fun.  If you live in the sticks, like we do, then this option may not be so available.  When we were in college we'd order the midnight special from Dominos for 5 bucks and everyone would be ready for another few hours of play.  It does break up the play, but sometimes you need a break to gather your thoughts, whether a player or the GM.

Happy Gaming!

Game Aid Hints for GMs Part 3

Notes are always a good idea.  You have no idea how many times I've run a campaign and one of my players have remembered some obscure detail and I'm stumped.  So here are a few things I've done to help me remember the small things that sometimes aren't so small.

1) Keep a spiral!  Get the big highlights down, for sure, like NPCs you have to make up on the fly, spectacular fight highlights, and names of buildings you add in.  Anything else you can get down is gravy.  After an adventure, I always re-write my notes, whether in another spiral or on a running word document.

2) Have handy a cheat sheet of character stats.  Hit points, AC and saves are a good thing to have on hand so you can fudge if you need to, (though I know Hackmaster fans always let the dice lay), or roll those sneaky attacks or saves as needed.

3) I also keep a running list of ideas or items I need to expand on.  My daughter got side tracked with a disembodied voice in a ruin she wanted to "save" and named Bob, (for all those Jim Butcher fans).  So I kept a note on that and brought the voice in later for some other adventure.  Little things like this show the players you are paying attention and want them to have fun.

4) Cheat sheet of rules.  Most system have a GM screen with the need to know rules, but if not, make your own sheet up.  Simple things like DC for commonly used skills, common feats, and common battle options, (such as attacks of opportunities or attacks/spells that spawn attacks of opportunities), are good to have on hand.

Tomorrow the all important food.

Game Aid Hints for GMs Part 2

Physical aids are also very helpful when running a campaign.  Depending on the genre the aids may change a bit, but most should be consistent.  Here a few we use.

1) Hex mat and miniatures.  We actually have a square mat, but hex mats would probably be best, since that is easier to see diagonal alignments.  All good game stores sell these and if they don't have them in stock, should be able to get you one.  Miniatures can also be gotten at game stores.  There are a lot of pre-painted miniatures, now, so you don't have to paint them on your own, but games stores will also have non-painted ones and paints to make them as you like.  It's fun, after playing a character for a while, to pick a new miniature out for them.  This is a handy aid so players can see where they are in relation to other players and the bad guys and there is no confusion as to where they placed that fireball.

2) Hand drawn maps.  My husband loves drawing maps for ruins and areas, when he has time.  He use to do so when we were college to add spice to where we were going and we loved them.  Granted, you can always mislead, (on purpose or accident), your players with such maps, but they are fun to add.

3) Scrolls and other written material.  Ransom notes, notes on that secret treasure trove, the secret note to the rival noble, all these are fun to get in physical form and not just described.  It adds depth to what your discussing and if you do it enough, sometimes the players may not actually know for sure what is the important part and what is flavor text so you can keep them on their toes.

Next: Notes for the GM

Game Aids HInts for GMs Part 1

We've talked in the past about aids some one could use as a GM to help enhance the gaming experience. Let's start with music.

Music can really set the tone for a battle or an intimate meeting.  Why do you think video games spend so much money on having actual orchestras to play their music?  So here are some of my suggestions:

1) For battles, if they are big and epic, or even small ones.  I recommend music from Lord of the Rings, many video games, or other fantasy genre movies.  A lot of classical music is awesome for this as well, (In the Halls of the Mountain King, comes to mind). You can put them on loop for a long battle or pick a huge selection to make sure you have enough.  (We've had a single battle last 5 hours, so be prepared.)

2) For a certain area the party comes upon.  Wouldn't some creepy music for an old tomb be mood setting? Or light, airy music when they come upon a grand old forest housing the ruins of a fabled city?

3) Theme music.  I've mentioned this before, but having a "theme song" for each character is actually a fun idea.  Play it softly in the back ground while they are doing something awesome or character developing!

I know this puts more pressure on the GM, but your players will love the effort!

Next: Physical Aids

Races of Martapa Part II

   Humans are the most diverse and adaptable of all the races on Martapa.  They are independent thinkers, strong users of magic, and worship all of the Gods.  they also differ greatly from region to region.  Maratpa has two major continents, Tiana and Ariella.  The northern continent, Tiana, would be equivalent of say Ireland, northwest America, and the plains of North America all wrapped around by the typical northern hemisphere coasts.  The southern continent, Ariella, is a mixture of Africa and Australia, (just depending on where you are).  Ariella is by far the biggest, but Tiana is where I spend most of my story time, thus it is by far more flushed out, and thus, so are the races.
   The humans of Tiana vary by region. Tiana is separated by a large mountain range in the middle, Pacific northwest/Ireland region on the west, plains on the east side. On the west and the north would be more your Ireland region.  Here is the home of light skinned, red and brown haired, (and lack of a better term), barbarians.  They aren't really uncivilized but they are the most hand to hand trained, hulking humans of the kingdom of Tridon.  To the south lays your Pacific Northwest type people. They are lithe, blond and brown haired, blue eyes are common and these people would bring to mind your knights in shinning armor type of people.  On the east side of the mountains you have a lot of Native American looking people, (though in the time of my book there is a lot of western looking humans over on the east side, and a small pocket of Japanese looking people.
   To the south is the Empire of Ariella and free pockets of humanity.  The Empire covers nearly two-thirds of the continent, starting in the east, and the people here are black skinned, (though of varying hues,) and black haired.  To the west are the free pockets of humanity who live in free cities amongst the other races of Martapa. These people appear Indian, with olive skin and dark hair.

Tomorrow: Humans continued.

High King's Sword: The Roleplaying Game

I'm laughing as I type this.  My big project, now, since I'm only revising my stories at the moment, is to truly do a workable roleplaying game system.  Since my husband and I played so long in my world, you'd think it would be an easy task, but I'm beginning to see why it takes so many people to make a roleplaying game.  Over the next months, I'm going to try and write my blog articles like sections in a gaming book.  I'm hoping things will go smoothly, but we'll take it one day at a time.  Hopefully, by the end of this endeavor, I'll be able to give a person a working model of a roleplaying game system which they can just print out and go with.

I'm going with the assumption that this is more a supplement to a D20 gaming system, so all information will refer to rules for D20.  There are a lot of D20 gaming systems out there, though I recommend Pathfinder as your base D20 system.  Then, feel free to use my gaming world using that system.  I hope you have fun!

Tomorrow we will start with races!

Updating Your World

Just like writing a story, your roleplaying world may need to be revised from time to time.  As you play in your world you notice things, places, people which need to be changed in one way or another.  Perhaps the ability is not balanced, perhaps you found a better way to do something.  Here are a few ideas I have for putting these new items into your world without messing it up.

1) Keep track of your changes. Sometimes, in our busy lives, we forget what we've changed and players like continuity.  I changed my "Priest" title from "Mage" to "Priest" because it was just too confusing as to who was a Mage versus who was a Priest.  I had to go back through all my notes, (and stories) and fix all my "Mages" who needed to be "Priests".

2) Try not to make huge changes.  Don't suddenly make your world magical after having limited magic.  The repercussions in your campaign would be huge.  Try to keep them small, such as an item's ability changing from "protection from magic" to "protection from fire".  Try to keep the changes to your world small, unless there is a very good reason to change.

3) If you have to make a huge change, justify it.  I'm not sure about you, but when Dragonlance changed from super magical to no magic, I protested with my wallet.  Same can be said about the Star Wars series that went to a Borg like race.  Huge changes in the way a world has to make sense and not change the feel of the world.  Now if a huge earthquake rips the world apart, but doesn't change the use of magic, (or lack of use), but adds to the tension, then feel free to use it, just do so with caution.

Happy roleplaying!

Deciding What Should Be in Your World Part III

1) What is transportation like?  Are horses common or is walking on foot the norm?  Or is there some other transportation to fit in with a steam punk setting?  This is important because sometimes you don't want the characters to get somewhere quickly and if they have access to horseless carriages, that might be harder for you to do.

2) What do your races look like?  Are they just as the book says or are there important differences?  In my world, elves with red hair have a special legacy, they are descended from Veo Sunstar, and only that line can bare elves with red hair.  Things like this are not only fun to put in, but gives your world depth.

3) What groups can your characters inspire to be part of?  In my world there is the Wolf Warriors and the Society of the King.  In Forgotten Realms, there is the Harpers.  Little groups like this help give depth to your world and give your players some goal to reach.

Deciding What Should Be In Your World Part II

Here is a few more things to think about in your world when you are creating it.

1) Technology.  I mentioned magic, but what if you want some steam punk type objects in your fantasy world.  Think hard on this.  If you give it to your players, your bad guys need to have them too, and that may let things to get out of hand.  Another way to put tech in is simple things, like water flowing into houses, sewers, gas lights, but no weapons.

2) What classes do you want?  We always have the core classes, and with Pathfinder, a few newer ones.  But my husband and I have said no to prestige classes.  They are not balanced, no matter what the creators say, especially if you have your own "Brian" in the form of my husband.  If there is a loop hole, he'll exploit it.  If you do want prestige classes because one player really wants one, I suggest you have a bad guy, (or three) with the same class or one that can counter that class.  It may seem unfair to the player, but it really is the only way to balance out the prestige classes.

3) How does the hierarchy work?  Do you have Kings and Queens, Emperors, Democracy, village elders, clans?  Is there a mix in your world?  This is important so your characters have an idea where they are in the scheme of things.

Part III tomorrow

Deciding What Should Be In Your World

When taking on the project of being a GM, first you have to decide what setting and system you want to use.  Most of the time this is a group effort, because you want all your players to like the system you are using.  If you choose a genre and system, but make up your own world, (as I love to do), there are a few things you should consider:

1) Magic or no magic.  Depending on the system this may not even be a question.  You might want lots of magic, or no magic at all.  Maybe magic is hidden or hard to find or even frowned upon.

2) Treasure.  Will you hand out a lot or be stingy.  These are things to be determined before you start so you are consistent through out the campaign.

3) What races do you want?  Some people like lots of races, while other GMs don't like certain races at all.  Perhaps the elves are the bad guys in this world and you don't want your players to be elves.  In my world there are no gnomes or halflings.

4) Where do you adventure?  Is this a water world, sky world, or just a normal on the ground world.  It is good to establish this before you start so your players can take skills that will help in that world.

5)  What is the main evil?  This seems trivial, but every hero wants some huge darkness to fight.  Even if they don't get to that evil right away, they will work their way toward it.

Part II Tomorrow

Working with Your Players

So the point of playing roleplaying games is to have fun with the people who are playing with you.  The players and the GM need to remember a few things.  Here are a few things to keep in mind.

1) Your GM is taking time out of his or her schedule to make up a story world and story for your characters to follow.  Be nice.  If you have a criticism, take the GM aside, don't blow up in front of the group.  The GM is going to take the criticism better and won't feel so resentful toward you.

2) GMs need to remember that the players at the table with you are there to have fun.  If you make things too hard, (or even too easy), they are not going to have fun.

3) As a player, the point is for everyone to have fun.  Don't expect everything to be wrapped around you.  There are other players at the table.

4) As a GM remember there is more then one player, or your NPCs.  Make sure everyone at the table gets a little "shine" time.

Happy gaming!

Gaming Over Time

My family does a "Family Morning" every Sunday...cough, cough...  Okay, we try to do it every Sunday, but with two middle schoolers and all our volunteering, time doesn't always allow.  But when we do, each of us has a campaign that we run an alternating Sundays.  With no consist time between sessions, sometimes things are forgotten, so here are a few ideas to keep things straight.

1) Have your players take notes.  My youngest was doing that on her own, because she liked to keep track of every time she trashed my adventure, but it is a good idea.  Have them keep a spiral notebook or, if they are doing Pathfinder, make sure they take notes on the back of their character packet.

2) As GM, make sure you take notes.  As much as I'd like throw out all those monsters my characters trampled once they do so, I don't until I write in my spiral what happened and what treasure they found.  I also don't throw out treasure sheet until I know they have picked through it. (Though, I do try to keep track who has what magic items and where they got them.)

3)  Do a recap before you start the adventure.  Start with what butt-kicking they did last adventure, (or how they got their butt kicked), and answer any questions your players might have at that time.  My campaign has my characters looking for some lost artifacts from an ancient civilization so I remind them what info they found the last few adventures and what they are up to now.

Happy Gaming!

Eagle Companions and Your Characters

There are many character archetypes that have animal companions: druids, hunters, rangers and mages, for example.  Since we've been talking about eagles here are some things to keep in mind when allowing a player to have an eagle as a companion.

1)  An eagle has a wing span of 6 feet +.  Yes, bigger then a person might be tall.  Cool, huh?  Though they are a bird, they are still quite sizable and have wicked talons. (Though in most monster books normal eagles do very little damage, their talons do as much damage, in my opinion, as a dagger or even a short sword they just don't have the reach.) 

2) Allow the eagle to grow.  In Pathfinder, the druid's pet does actually grow as the druid advances in levels.  This allows for more damage, and if the character happens to be a gnome, they might become large enough to carry their gnome friend.  Even if your campaign system doesn't allow for growth, in either size or power, adjust.  This allows the character to have a cool companion that they won't want to swap out as soon as that cooler, stronger monster comes along.

3) Remind your character's player that eagles, and other flying creatures, do not necessarily like enclosed areas, making dungeon runs hard.  People tend to forget birds do not like caves and such and get mad at their DM for saying their companion doesn't want to follow.  If you remind them up front, they have no leg to stand on.

4) Remind the player to treat the animal right.  If the player forgets about their pets, except during a battle to save their but, perhaps the pet should suddenly not be there...

Happy Gaming!

Pirates and Ship Battles

Though most of the ideas I put forth are for on land battles and exploration, there is a lot of sailing around the world of Martapa.  Whether it is fishing or shipping or just exploring there are all sorts of ships that a player could encounter. And one thing a player could encounter on a ship could be fighting on a ship against pirates or just monsters in general.  Here are a few things to keep in mind:

1) Your area to fight is limited.  No wide open spaces, not walls to define where you are visibly.  As the GM you have to make sure your players are aware they only have so much room before falling into the drink.

2) It's sink or swim.  Most players do  not bother taking the swim skill.  And with heavy armor...  You, as the GM, should make the idea of falling into the water very frightening.  Say someone hits them, shoving them back. Have the player sit on the edge of the ship but recover, but make sure to mention the deep water below them.  Even with the swim skill being in armor won't be handy.

3) Ships move.  If a ship is docked, this isn't so much of a problem, but if the ship is out at sea or going down a large river, the ship is going to rock.  This is going to disrupt fighting sometimes.  I usually use the rocking of a ship to explain misses or to give that dramatic flare, but you can always give penalties for dex checks or attacks if you wish.

4) And speaking of moving...  Sea sickness.  This is totally open to you as the GM to say whether this is an issue.  But if a person has never been on a ship before they may not have a strong enough stomach to not be sea sick. This could cause penalties to activities on a ship, but it is totally up to your discretion.

Researching for Your Game

Here are some things that I do to get ready to write up an adventure.

1) I always write an outline, just like I would for any school paper or story I might write.  This helps me figure out where I'm going or where I'd like to go.  In doing so, sometimes I get more ideas.

2) Flip through your game's "monster" books. Sometimes, just looking at the monsters or NPCs might help you come up with an idea.  My son loves to just read through them and figure out how to fit in the odd and unusual monsters into his campaign, which sometimes works and sometimes doesn't.

3) Watch movies or read books of that genre.  Now, you don't want to send them on a Lord of Rings style adventure ever time you game, but what if you added in being rescued my giant eagles or something of the like which led to another aspect of another adventure?  Sometimes just watching movies or reading books will perk your imagination and get you going in the right direction.

4) Talk to your players.  What do they want to do?  Do they want to delve in a dungeon, trudge through the wilderness looking for ruins or do they want some intrigue in the city?  After all, its about you all having fun.  Sometimes just going with a one off dungeon delve is a great idea!

5) Read roleplaying forums.  There a tons of GMs out there waiting to share how they have dealt with stuff.  Maybe they'll get you on the right track.

Happy Gaming