No one expects the Dragon Age Inquisition!

So Christmas, X-Mas, or what ever you want to call it has come and gone.  And with it has come a new game:  Dragon Age - Inquisition.

I'm only level 5 right now in the game and still have yet to come across any Monty Python jokes that were slipped in.  Seriously I want there to be a cut scene were a bunch of people are minding their own business and then someone say's the word "inquisition".  Then the doors bust open and someone say's "no one expects the inquisition".

But to the meat of things.

My copy is for the X-Box 360 so its graphics aren't on par with the X-Box One or PS4, but that's fine.  

Game play wise the game plays similarly to that of the original, but has some of the freedom from the second game.  The controls are easy to get used to.  And its easy to go out into the fields and adventure and to get to an area where you are in over your head.

But that just adds to the game's appeal.  I am playing on casual and the game still offers a challenge in spots like this.

I've also used Dragon Age Keep to straighten out my game plays from the other games.

But I'm only so far into it, but its been a fun romp so far.

So if you haven't picked up the game and enjoy a good RPG then Dragon Age is where you will find satisfaction.  And if you can't afford it there is always Gamefly...way better than that Redbox crap.

And what else have I gotten for X-Mas?  I got another set of dice for the Star Wars Edge of the Empire game, and a physical copy of the rule book.  I'll be working out a new game for this rule set soon and will likely be posting it online here for anyone who wants it.

So I hope everyone enjoyed their holiday and are ready for what the new year will bring.  I'm hoping that the new year will bring me a job.  I'm almost out of money since I needed to make sure my kids had a good Christmas.  Got enough in my line of credit for about 1 more month, after that...well lets hope I get something before then.

And finally I have decided to grow a beard.  I am being told I look good with it.  though I have to keep it trimmed, I don't want it to get too long...it itches after all.

Dragon Ball Z - Battle of Z Continued

Normally I like DBZ games, and this one started off well enough.  But once you get to Cell the difficulty ups on you suddenly.  Before in the past battles you could get by with just upgrading one character and occasionally giving an upgrade to one of the others.  Cell however is quick to show you that your going to need as much help and luck as you can get.  Even with Goku maxed out with +30/+35 upgrades Cell slaps you and your allies around like little children.  This would have been fine if it was story related because that is what happened in the anime.

Least to say that this is something I hate in games, where the difficulty just suddenly and inexplicably increases to make something nearly impossible to pass unless you spend a long time grinding your characters up to meet the challenge.  It also doesn't help that the commands you can issue to your allies are really not that helpful...in that they don't seem to work at all.  Gohan, who can heal, doesn't do it often enough or heals everyone else and allows your character to just lay there and die.

So with that I'm going to do is send it back to Gamefly and get the next one on my list.

Would I recomend this game?

Thats a hard question to answer.  There are some people who like a challenge and this game does offer that up.  But frankly I like my games with more story of an actual story.  So if your a bigger fan of DBZ than I am, then by all means pickup the game.  Other wise your better off just renting it through Gamefly and seeing if you like it or not.

But Christmas is only a few days away and with it will come a new game hopefully.  On the job front...still nothing though I did have one interview that went ok, but I'm likely not the right guy for the job since I don't have a schedule that allows me to be open to work any shift at the drop of a dime.  But its the holidays and its likely that no one will be doing any hiring until after the holidays.  So here's to hoping that come the new year things work out better.

Hero System Characters For You To Use

Hey everyone.  So I though about posting a few of my Hero System characters here for people to use who may need a character but don't have the time to build one themselves.

By the way I anyone does want a hero system character made I am willing to craft the character for them.  But here are some guidelines.

• Don't worry about giving me a background.
• Tell me how many points to use for the build and disadvantages/complications requirements.  Keep in mind I have 1 rule I always apply to characters - a minimum of 25pts will always go to non-combat skills.
• Give me a brief rundown on the setting so I have an idea on what powers may be called for.
• Give me a character archetype you want...in other words do you want a brick, speedster, gadgeteer, or something in between?  It also helps if you let me know if the GM has any particular restrictions on powers.
• Finally I will post the completed character online here if you do not give me an e-mail address to send it to.

========================================================================

So to start I'm going to post my primary backup character for my champions game.  This is a character I have in case my primary character kicks the bucket.  So with this character I borrowed the name of DBZ character Bardok - since its a good name - and put my own spin to it.


NAME:  Barton Murdok               AKA:  Bardok
Game Edition:  5th Edition
Base Points: 375     Max Disadvantages:  50     Total Starting Points:  425

CHARACTERISTICS
Val           Char     Base     Cost      Points      Roll        Notes
20/40_      STR       10         x1         10             13-/17-   HTH damage 4d6/8d6, Lift 400kg/6400kg,
                                                                                          0/2 END
17_           DEX      10         x3         21             12-          OCV 6     DCV 6
20/30_      CON      10         x2         20             13-/15-
15_           BODY   10         x2         10             12-
14_           INT        10         x1         4               12-          Perception Roll 14-
13_           EGO      10         x2         6               12-          Base ECV 4
20_           PRE       10         x1         10             13-          Base Presence Attack 4d6
16_           COM     10         x1/2      3               12-

Val           Char     Base                Cost      Points       Notes
20_           PD         (STR/5)               x1         20              Resistant PD 20     Total PD 20
20_           ED         (CON/5)              x1         20              Resistant ED 20     Total ED 20
5/6_          SPD       1+(DEX/10)         x10        23              Phases: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
15_           REC      (STR/5)+(CON/5)   x2         22
50_           END      (CON x 2)            x1/2      5
40_           STUN    BODY+              x1          15
                               (STR/2)+(CON/2)
TOTAL Characteristic Points:  185

SKILLS, PERKS, & TALENTS
Cost     Name                                    Roll
0           NON-COMBAT SKILLS
0           Climbing                               8-
3           Computer Programming       12-
3           Conversation                         13-
0           Deduction                             8-
3           Demolitions                          12-
3           Electronics                            12-
0           AK: Portland OR                  8-
1           AK: Seatle WA                    8-
2           KS: Engineering                   11-
1           KS: US military                    8-
0           Lang: English (completely fluent, literate)
3           Mechanics                            12-
0           Paramedics                           8-
3           Persuasion                            13-
3           PS: Mechanic                       13-
0           Shadowing                           8-
3           Streetwise                             13-
1           TF: Small Motorized Ground Vehicles

0           COMBAT SKILLS
3           Breakfall                              13-
3           Stealth                                  13-
6           +2 vs. Range Mods w/all attacks
3           WF: Small Arms, General Purpose/Heavy Machine Guns
TOTAL Skill Points: 44

0           MARTIAL ARTS
3           Martial Grab
3           Grappling Throw
4           Crush
TOTAL Martial Arts Points: 10

POWERS/EQUIPMENT
Cost     Power                                                                                        END
Evolved Genetics
6           +2 PER with all sense groups                                                    0
6           Penalty Skill Levels: +2 vs. Range Mods w/all Attacks            0
20         Damage Resistance:  20PD / 20ED                                           0
2           Guarded Mind - Mental Defense:  8 Def (5AP); Only              0
             works against Mind Control Powers (-1)
3           Dominate Power - Power Defense: 7 Def (7AP); Only             0
             works against powers that affect the PC's powers (-1)

Power Release - All Slots only in Heroic Identity (-1/4)                      
16         Form Activate - Physical Damage Reduction,                          8 Only to Activate
             Resistant, 25%, Hardened (+¼) (19 APs); Increased
             Endurance Cost (x2 END; -½), STUN Only (-½),
             Costs Endurance (Only Costs END to Activate; -¼),
             Only In Heroic Identity (-¼) plus Energy Damage
             Reduction, Resistant, 25%, Hardened (+¼) (19 APs);
             Increased Endurance Cost (x2 END; -½),
             STUN Only (-½), Costs Endurance (Only Costs END
             to Activate; -¼), Only In Heroic Identity (-¼)
11         +20 STR (20 APs); No Figured Characteristics (-½),              2
             Only In Heroic Identity (-¼)
11         +10 STR (20 APs); No Figured Characteristics (-½),
             Only In Heroic Identity (-¼)
8           +1 SPD (10 APs); Only In Heroic Identity (-¼)
4           +1 DCV (5 APs); Only In Heroic Identity (-¼)
4           +1 DCV (5 APs); Only In Heroic Identity (-¼)
5           +1 OCV w/HTH & Ranged Combat (6 APs); Only
             In Heroic Identity (-¼)
33         Flight 18", Position Shift (41APs); Only In Heroic                  4
             Identity (-¼)

48         Focused Power - Multipower, 60-point reserve
             (60APs); All Slots only in Heroic Identity (-1/4)
2u         1) God Like Might - +30 STR, Reduced Endurance                0
             (0 END; +½) (55 APs); No Figured Characteristics
             (-½), Only In Heroic Identity (-¼) (Modifiers affect
             Base Characteristic)
3u         2) God Like Pumeling - +20 STR, Reduced Endurance          1
             (½ END; +½), Autofire (5 shots; +½) (60 APs); No
             Figured Characteristics (-½), Only In Heroic Identity
             (-¼) (Modifiers affect Base Characteristic)
3u         3) God Like Bolt Strike - +20 STR, Reduced Endurance        1
             (½ END; +½), Half Range Modifier (+¼), Ranged (+½)
             (60 APs); No Figured Characteristics (-½), Only In
             Heroic Identity (-¼) (Modifiers affect Base Characteristic)
3u         2) God Like Strike - +20 STR, Reduced Endurance                1
             (½ END; +½), Double Knockback (+¾) (60 APs); No
             Figured Characteristics (-½), Only In Heroic Identity
             (-¼) (Modifiers affect Base Characteristic)
3u         2) God Like Thunderclap - +20 STR, Reduced Endurance     1
             (½ END; +½), AOE (6"cone) (+1¼) (55 APs); No
             Figured Characteristics (-½), Only In Heroic Identity
             (-¼) (Modifiers affect Base Characteristic)
TOTAL Power Points:  186

DISADVANTAGES
Cost     Disadvantage                                                                               Roll
15         Hunted: Lord Trion 8- (As powerful; NCI; Harshly Punish)       8-
20         Psychological Limitation: Overconfident (Very Common;
             Strong)
15         Psychological Limitation: Code of Honor (Common; Strong)
TOTAL Disadvantages Cost: 50

========================================================================

So for those of you new to the Hero System RPG, above is an example of a character built using the older 5th Edition rules.  This character is built to meet the my groups current milestone of 425pts.  In other words if a character dies or is forced to retire for some reason or another, the new character comes in at the "milestone" set by the GM.  Some times a GM keeps this at the group starting amount...which is unfair if the rest of the group has 50 or more points on the new character.

A milestone set at every 25pts ensures that a character can come in at a point equal to the rest of the group or close to that point so that there isn't too much of a gap between them and everyone else.

And anyone who has not seen a Hero System Character...well here you go.

From here I would flesh out his looks.  In his normal form he's fairly good looking and in great shape.  but when he assumes his "True Form" I go to a more DBZ sort of inspiration here.  His hair stands on end, turns red, and his muscle mass increases in density and in amount by a degree.  he ends up looking different enough from his normal form that people wouldn't draw a distinction between the two.

But feel free to use him for your game as well.

The next Gamefly game: Dragon Ball Z - Battle of Z

So I played the demo for this game a while back when it came out, but only just recently got the actual game.  So this is an interesting game that puts you into an action game with some tactical options available as you take charge of a single Z-Fighter and add other fighters of your choice to the team of 4.

Each character has a roll that they can play in the fight like melee, ranged, and a support roll.  The chief complaint I have with the game is that I cannot customize the controls to be more comfortable and intuitive with how I would play it.  But unfortunately you only get to choose a few layouts for your controls rather than assigning buttons as you like.

Now graphics are crisp and nice, but its nothing new for a DBZ game.  There is little storytelling present, but if your familiar with DBZ then you pretty much know how its supposed to work out.

Customizing your character is also not intuitive, but you figure it out fairly fast.  You do gain xp to improve on how useful your character is as well as acquiring cards that you use to actually bump up your character's various stats.  You're also limited in how many cards you can apply.

Also an unusual thing that occurs when you boot up the game is what happens when you try to watch the opening cut scene.  You get about only a minute or so into the cut scene and the game freezes up.  Its annoying but you can easily skip the opening scene which avoids this issue.

Now I haven't beaten the game yet, but it is an interesting game for the DBZ list.  Now if they could just put together an actual RPG like the old SNES game that came out only in Japan...but anyone can get the rom version of the game (complete with English conversion too if you want).

On a different note - still no job.

Conversions for Table Top RPG's - The Do's and Don'ts

Ok so to start with you have to know what a conversion is in regards to Table Top RPG's.  A conversion is when you create new rules for an existing game system that allows you to add new aspects to the game that do not exist in it otherwise.

Now there are several things you have to keep in mind.

1. Anything you make cannot be used unless the GM, and your group for that matter, agree to allow its use.  Now if your the GM it can fall completely to your discretion to include a conversion you created - however all players must be aware of its inclusion and be allowed to make use of it if they so desire.
2. Take criticism.  I know its difficult to have people tell you that something you made is complete crap, but its also important to know what it is that you need to change or add that will make the conversion that much better.
3. Take rejection.  Different from criticism, rejecting of a conversion will happen and you have to be willing to accept it.  Even if you are the GM and built something around the conversion.  If the group, as a whole, doesn't like the conversion then it should just be dropped and refined for use later.
4. Be prepared to do a lot of writing.  A simple conversion is not going to be something that is only a few pages long, though if you manage it - good on you...and using small sized fonts don't count for this.  Its very possible that your work could run quite long depending on just how involved you get with it.  This alone can be quite the turn off for some game groups to accept.
5. Posting on line is another hazard you can run into.  Posting a conversion of something online requires that you explicitly state that it is a conversion, that its a fan based production and is not in anyway affiliated with any game production company, or the object of which the conversion is based upon.  Now most game companies are ok with fans producing new things that make use of their rules so long as you are very clear in making it known that the before mentioned items are noted.  However some game companies, specifically Palladium Games, are not so open to conversions being made that use their rules and have been known to send threatening e-mails to people to have the conversions removed.  They typically don't care about freedom of speech and creativity and wish only to protect their own intellectual properties.  In Palladium's case a fan created a Star Wars conversion using their game rules.  Lucas Films found out and sued Palladium even though they had nothing to do with it.  Since then Palladium has had a knee jerked reaction to all conversions done.  This was way back in the late 1990's to early 2000's.  These days this sort of knee jerk reaction to a fan based creation wouldn't fly and a judge would toss the case out as it would be an infringement on freedom of speech of the fan.  Also you cannot charge for the conversion either, this is a big part to keep in mind.  If you charge for it then you cross the intellectual property line.  If you can talk to a lawyer or go to Lawyers.com and use the resources there to ask questions about the law and your rights.

So with all that in mind.  Where do you start?

The first step comes in understanding and research.  Take time to hop online and do your research on the subject.  For example when I created my Dragon Ball Z conversion years ago I spent countless hours looking up information on Saiyans, and Namekians, looking at pictures, reviewing episodes before writing something up.  It rook me months of work and I even came up with a total of 5 different rule sets.  The first 3 were for D&D 3rd edition.  The 4th was for D20 Modern.  And the 5th was a quick play set of rules based on the video games for D&D or D20 Modern.

Always start with a rough draft.  Use this as a means of keeping notes and working out your thoughts.  Then keep a second version which is more together and organized as your work on a final draft.

One of the big difficulties you will hit is mechanics.  Try not to add too much to the existing game mechanics.  This can be difficult when creating powers.  Also one key point is not to write in anything from the rule books, instead add references to pages.  This is important if you plan on posting on line as it forces the reader to have the book which makes the game company a bit happier about things.

Weapons can also be a difficult thing to figure out.  Look at weapons that already exist in the book and compare to the weapon being converted.

Here is an example.

VS.

Now rules already exist for lightsabers and long swords.  But lets say I want a lightsaber to exist in my Hero System game.  With those rules the conversion is easier mind you, but its a good jump off point.

So in Hero System a bastard sword is one and a half handed handed, and only does only 1 1/2d6 damage (thats 1d6 plus a half die).  This is a weapon that most closely resembles a lightsaber in terms of form and function.

The thing is that a lightsaber can cut through nearly anything except for certain special materials or energy barriers.  So when I craft my lightsaber I have to look at the advantages and limitations I can use to craft it.  Making it an NND (No Normal Damage) is appropriate, but an AVLD (Attack Vs. Limited Defense) might be more appropriate.

You see a lightsaber can cut through nearly everything, but only one material: Cortosis, can short out a lightsaber, completely negating its damage and shutting the weapon down.  Force Fields are also very effective against lightsabers too.

As such I decide that making my lightsaber AVLD is the better option.  Also some special materials can only resist a lightsaber but are not impervious to it.  Cortosis only shorts out a lightsaber if an object is coated heavily in the alloy (or made completely of).  Cortosis comes in lighter varients which can block a lightsaber but won't short out the weapon's blade.  Cortosis as a material would come with a Drain effect that targets the lightsaber, thus any object made with it would have to be built separately to include the Drain effect.  Now I use Drain because a lightsaber cannot be reactivated right away after forced deactivation.  But Suppress would also be applicable too, or Dispel.

The defense for the AVLD is Power Defense.  This would also mean that other super lasers like lightsabers would also use this rule.  I can then add in limitations to the ligthsaber to accomidate some things.  Like Force Fields are always treated as if having a Power Defense score equal to their Energy Defense when struck by a ligthsaber.

Damage I decide should be the same as that of a bastard sword, but I also make sure that the advantages also apply to damage bonuses gained from strength since there is resistance when a lightsaber strikes any surface.  I also have to add in limitations for how many hands are needed to hold it, weight, how easily it is to be taken away, if others can use it if taken away, and so on.  Another thing I might do is add an Adder (special bonus of advantagous penalty, or flat penalty) that increases the difficulty in wielding it if not properly trained.

So what else do you have to think about when doing a conversion?  Balance.  Not all games are like Hero system where balance comes from the expenditure of points and how things are bought.

Always try to keep your rules and changes in line with existing rules.  If crafting a new character class look at how the other classes are and keep the new class as close to one of the established classes as you can.

Lets say you want to make a Martial Artist class for D&D, different from that of a Monk.  They lack the spirituality of the Monk and are more combat capable than them.  Because the two classes are alike you would build your new class to be similar to that of the Monk.  Maybe you even want to grant them ki powers like that in some Anime &/or video games that are more combat related.  What you have to keep in mind is that balance is important, and sometimes for the sake of balance you can't cram everything into one class and might have to do a separate class to allow multi-classing as a means to get what you want.

Also one other thing you have to keep in mind is the level of power.  You might have to dial down the level of power in something to make it work in your game.

Goku from Dragon Ball, even as a kid, would be considered an exceptionally high level fighter in any game system.  He could lift boulders and crush them.  So least to say that in a game your not going to have those sort of things happening for a starting adventure with out some special high level powers or skills at your disposal.

One thing about knowing balance is testing.  Create characters at level 1, 5, and 10 if character levels are used.  Characters include the new class/character as well as two or three others.  Now roll a one on one fight against each a few times.  If your new character consistently wins and not because of lucky rolls then their over powered.  But if they loose as often as they win (now due to the luck of the roll) then they are fairly well balanced.  If character levels aren't an issue then follow a similar set of steps.  Make the characters with equal quantities of things in them and then give them a run.

Anyway do your best, talk with your game group and make sure you have fun.

A Return to Destiny

So I haven't played Destiny in quite a few weeks, and now there is the new DLC for it:

The expansion adds some new missions and additional content like new/improved armor and weapons.  But I didn't get too much into it.  Last night I joined a Fireteam for the first time to take on the Vault of glass.

This was challenging since they updated and patched the raid.  Getting in was a troublesome matter.  I am level 27, Titan (Defender).  Everyone else was level 29.

So it was a tough fight for me but I did well and held my own.  Once we got in it wasn't too difficult.  Our first hiccup after getting in was the Gorgans.

So we wasted a bit of time taking down one of them but then got caught by another.  Once past them we came to the jumping challenge of the level.

This was a pain to get through too, but not that difficult.  The pain came if you got across and fell, then you had to start all over again just to get across.

Then finally we reached the central chamber.  Luckily the other players knew what they were doing for the initial part of the thing.  Activate the teleporters, rush in and take out the one enemy inside.  Then you come out, and face the raid boss - Atheon.

This is where we had issues.  So we were doing well, but teams getting ported were running into trouble and getting KO'ed.  Then there's the suicidal minions that Atheon summons.

Now my armor was up to the task, but my weapon's I felt were lacking.  I had a bunch of new stuff that hasn't been leveled much.  Regardless of this we were consistently getting him to about half his health before things go south on us.  We gave up when it got to around 12:45am (west coast time).


Now I will say that this was alot of fun...but it did get me into trouble with the wife.  I forgot to dry the cloths...which included her work cloths.  Its not the first time this past week I've forgotten to dry the cloths and frankly I feel like crap for it.


I've been applying for jobs, but not hearing anything back, or just getting an e-mail saying that I don't meet their qualifications.  The problem I think I'm seeing is the fact that I've been doing private security work for over 16 years.  No one wants to give you a chance at this point.  Yes this does allow me to spend more time with my kids...but my wife just doesn't make enough money right now for us to live off of one income.  Thus I need a part time job just working 4hrs a week, Monday-Friday in the evenings (5pm to 11pm or somewhere in that time range).

Least to say nothing is panning out and I'm panicking, which probably isn't a great help with me remembering things on a consistent basis.  I'm loosing hope fast and feel defeated.

I'm going to try and find some time to talk more about table top games later, maybe doing a walk through on doing a conversion for anyone interested.

B-Day for My Son

So today is my kids 2nd birthday.  We're not having a party for him until Saturday though since its just easier that way.  But he should make out like a bandit since everyone is likely getting him Lego Duplo blocks...specifically the DC Heros ones.  Not that I'm a fan of DC comics, but they have yet bust out any Marvel ones, so I gotta make due.

[Yep these bricks...]

But luckily he's also getting some of these:

So it will all work out, lots of super heroes to be had, whether DC or Marvel.  Now lets just hope that he doesn't get any toys that make annoying sounds.

On the game front, beat the crapfest that is "The Amazing Spider-man 2 video game".  The game will be going back to Gamefly in the morning.  Now I could keep playing to get achievements, but that's not what I'm about.  I play a game to enjoy it, and I've gotten about as much joy as I can out of this game.

Anyway it is currently 10:40pm.  Nothing on the job front either which is depressing, but what can I do, right?

Blah Blah - No job - Blah Blah Blah - The Amazing Spider-man 2 Video Game

So its been a few days since I last made an entry.  Things aren't looking hot on the job search front.  I've applied to places but no one is interested or bothering to respond to me.  Well there's only so much I can do I suppose.

As for games I beat Far Cry 4.  I chose to side with Sabal, but let Amita escape rather than kill her.  But when I checked in on Sabal he was executing people who had sided with Amita in front of the kid they made a child-god...sorry I cannot remember her name.  But I already disliked Amita and Sabal and decided to end Sabal's reign of terror before it could get anywhere.  Its just too bad that there was no prompt to intervene sooner.

Another thing that bugged me about the game was that you should have had options to influence the two to change how they act at the end of the game.  Or maybe the option to take command of the Golden Path over the two.  But what can you do about it?

So I moved on to the next game I have from GAMEFLY:  The Amazing Spider-man 2. 

Now I've played nearly every Spider-man game that has been made...except for Spider-man 3 (the movie tie in game).

So the game has issues as anyone who has already played it knows.  Your notoriety drops with an unexpected quickness in the game, often regardless of how quickly you try to do the side missions that improve on it.  Web-slinging is not like it is in many of the other Spider-man games.  Its not better.  In past games you held a button to just keep swinging, or the controls were just more intuitive.  But in this game, not so much.  They make you pull a trigger for each web-line you shoot for the left or the right hand as you swing. There's no targeting with a lock on, and combat tries to mimic the Batman games but fails quite well at that.

The game is playable, but it lacks the fun that a game like "Web of Shadows" had.

Hopefully Activision will loose the rights to all Marvel games now that Disney owns them.  The company has lacked the ability to craft a decent game in some time.

So yeah, graphics are crap, gameplay is crap, story is ok.  Its definitely a game you rent and not buy.  I wounder just how is it that Activision is still in business when they keep creating bombs like this.

Well I started it, gotta finish it now, then get the next game in my Q which hopefully won't stink like this game does.

How to Craft a Campaign for your Table Top RPG

Ok, so I am back after surviving another game day on Monster Island vs. an evil Nazi tank that was exposed to radiation in which the crew were never able to leave the tank again, though it remains functional and with some unusual capabilities.

Anyway crafting a campaign can be long depending on just what you are looking to do.  A game can last one session, or two, or you can have it run a lot longer.

Here's the thing about a campaign, it is made up of several story lines that forms an over all story about your characters and their adventures.  A campaign ends when the group is ready to move on from their characters to others and to not give the old ones a glimpse again.


#1 - Jump On Point

A jump on point is a term used in comics that describes a point where new readers can "jump on" and join the story with out having to worry too much about who and what is going on.  This is often done in the form of "Issue #1" sort of stories or origin stories.  When you craft a campaign you need to figure out where to start a story and you have to ask yourself some questions:

• How skilled should the player characters (PC's) should be?  In this you should know how powerful they should start.  Are they just starting on their adventure, or have they already seen some action, or are they veterans of many battles?
• Just how will you bring them together once you figure out how strong to allow the PC's to be?
• And once you figure out how strong the PC's are, and how they should meet, you need to decide on how the first adventure in the campaign will go.  How challenging should it be for a starting adventure?

The next thing of course is the story.  A story is what gets your group to come each week to play.  You have to figure out what combat opportunities will come up, if they can be avoided in anyway, and just give the players a way to flesh out who their characters are and what they can do.

Once you have your first story in place its all about setting up encounters by following a script.

Like writing a the script for a movie you will have lines of dialogue outlined for certain encounters in your story, but its the players who will direct where the story goes.  Players have a habit of doing things you weren't planing for, so keep this in mind when writing your game up.  Keep things loose so that if the players go in a different direction than expected or wanted then either shift things around to get them to where you want them to go, or allow them to go off track a bit and let them get back to what you had planed later.

#2 - Flexibility

One of the best things you need to learn as a GM is how to be flexible.  And I don't mean by doing yoga.  No what I mean is like what I stated above, players will do unexpected things and you need to be ready and expecting for them to do that at any given time.

When you write up a game, come up with a few side missions, or short little points of interest that allows your players to have their moments away from the group, like developing a love interest.  Its up to to the player to go down that path should they find it, and if not its ok.

So while you may have your main story in place, having a few sites to see is always a good thing to have that adds layer to the story even if it doesn't add to the story.  And sometimes the side things may give little clues as to what is really happening in the main story if the players are willing to take a risk and look into things.  These are good ways of getting players who go off track to get back on track a bit.

For example:  Jason Greyholme, (aka Agent Greyholme of the FBI, aka the super hero known as Torrent - my character) is in the office filling out paper work.  The GM tells me, his player) that its lunch time and asks what I will do.  I decide to eat in the office cafe because I'm behind on paper work and the boss isn't happy with me right now.

Here I decided not to go with the hook the GM offered me to do something, instead the GM is forced to let me stay in the office and catch up on paperwork which my character needs to do, but its a minor blip on the radar of things that can be done.  My character could have gone and met a girl and started a relationship.  He could have gone out, gotten involved in a robbery where he steps up and takes down the robbers on his own earning him some accolades from the public.  Or any number of things could have happened.

A GM has to anticipate things like this.

Another good example is the recent one that occurred with my friend Ian and his character Jack-be-Nimble.  Now I talked about players doing things the GM doesn't account for and Ian did just that during our time on Monster Island...in fact I've probably mentioned it before.

So during an encounter we came across VIPER agents attacking some lizard men.  We attacked the VIPER agents and gave the lizard men, who were loosing, time to escape.  We also figured that since they were likely more indigenous to the island than the VIPER agents that we would aid them in hope that they may turn a blind eye to what we were doing.  Jack took it upon himself to take on the one VIPER agent who wore a higher quality red and gold uniform who seemed to have more skill than the other agents she was around.  Alicia (as we learned her name to be) was their commander and Jack not only started to disarm her, but also was hitting on her at every turn.  Being our speedster he is nearly impossible to hit most times, and he proved that easily with Alicia, or Boot-Alicia as he has come to call her (as she was indeed fairly attractive).  He disarmed her, blocked her attacks, thwarted her attempts to evade our group when she chose to flee, and was knocked out by him.

It then continued on as we went back to the UNTIL base on Monster Island where he visited her in the holding cells they have (which are meant for holding dangerous monsters - not people - but they work), and chatted with her all night turning her death threats into signs of love for him.

This was not something the GM could have anticipated in happening, but he used it.  She has sworn t make Jack pay for her disgrace and is thus his first Nemesis (which he is quite proud of).  Torrent/Jason - my character - told him to come talk to me when he's got two (like mine has).  It was a weak burn, but my character doesn't get a lot of times to do playful banter as he is often the butt of jokes as he is a government agent.

Now to get a bit off track...

Also an odd occurrence with my character is that he tends to get blown up a lot more than anyone else in the group.  I've rolled this unusual occurrence which the GM doesn't plan to happen, but it does, into my character complaining about it happening too often to him.  In this one in game day alone my character has been through 3 separate explosions.  The first was when he got hit by an a 20mm shell (admittedly, Valnovas took 3 hits from the same gun...but he's tougher than my character).  Then we faced off against the Nazi tank which shot a round at the ground to catch me in the explosion it would make since it had no turret and its cannon barrel could only adjust its aim so much - and I am flying...and holding a satchel charge to plant on it and blow it up.

First I get hit with the explosion of the first shell.  Then the satchel charge goes off in my arms.  I was lucky with the first hit that I was high enough off the ground that I reduced the damage taken enough to be survivable.  But then the second round of damage came and that was that, then there was the knock back and fall damage.  I survived but was knocked out (thanks to the GM rolling fairly low for damage = 32 Stun/11 Body, and 34/12 Body, and 24 Stun/8 Body).  Now luckily it was all separate occurrences which my defenses could apply to each separately.

Before this I think I was blown up at least 2 or maybe 3 other times.

Now because this has been an unusual occurrence of regularity for my character, which the GM has acknowledged, I can possibly buy some defensive powers to have against explosions because it has worked out in the game to allow for it.

Its things like this as a GM that you need to be sure to keep an eye out for and acknowledge when they happen.  Benefits can be something you just allow a player to get when they have the XP for it (like with Torrent), or maybe you give a reward of some other sort, like if a PC is always working out when not adventuring...maybe for their continued dedication to doing this in character you award them with an Ability score point or a free feat, or talent, or  something else that is appropriate.

#3 - The Next Game

The last thing you want to keep in mind is how to roll into the next game.  Where is a good cut off point in this game?  Are the players having fun?  Where do you go from here and how can you keep the players engaged?

Always look to the things you like for inspiration for games.  Books, video games, TV shows, movies - all can inspired idea's for game sessions.  And don't be afraid to deliberately borrow some things and make some tweaks here and there to make it your own.

And yes, there is "A Song of Ice & Fire" RPG for all you Game of Throne's fans.

Again if anyone has any questions or need help with an adventure, let me know and I'll assist in what ever way I can.

In the mean time, I got an almost 2yr old little boy on my lap right now who just does not want to fall asleep (its 10:11pm).  Time to play some video games because that always seems to work for some reason.

Later everyone.

Star Wars Teaser Trailer and Being a Game Master

Ok so the new Star Wars trailer is out and there is already some controversy about one thing that appears in it.  The Sith lightsaber that is ignited near the end.


[Yep, this one.]

The argument is that its impossible and that the blade hand guard wouldn't work unless the hilt was made from a lightsaber resistant material.  However another argument is this:  its intimidating.  The Sith draw their power from the dark side of the Force.  And what will a person do when they see this thing?  Their going to freak out a bit - fear.

Also the blade hand guard allows the user to punch with the hilt and do damage that way rather than relying on broad swings.  So I see this argument against it as invalid as people clearly haven't thought through all of the uses of the cross guard.  Also the blade's beam looks unusually long too.  Yes the grants better reach in a fight, but once inside one's guard that long main beam blade becomes a liability, so that can also be why the shorter beams are present in the cross guard.

But enough on those aesthetic problems.

--------------------------------------------------------

Being a Game Master
Ok, so this is mainly for anyone new to being a GM, as well as for some more seasoned GM's who may have problems that they need a new perspective on solving.  So lets start with the basics in what I call the Rules on GMing.

Rule 1
Its just a game, you want everyone to have a good time.



Now I've been in a few different gaming groups over the years and every GM has a different way of running their games.  And one key thing that I've seen that is often forgotten is that it is just a game.  Yes you could have been playing a campaign for years, and a character or two die through no one's fault but unfortunate die rolls.  As a GM you have to understand that yes people can become emotionally involved with a character, and when you take that character away or make drastic changes to them its best to take the player aside and chat with them a bit before you play out the event for everyone to see.

Now in some cases you can't do this because what you have planed is supposed to be a secret.  But you have to take time with the player affected and chat with them.  I've seen where a GM killed a character off and just said - go make a new one and I'll work you back in some how.  Not a good way of doing things at all.

When you take something away you have to give something back.  For example if a character dies you allow a new character to be brought in at the same level as the character that died, but minus the XP that the rest of the group has; unless they are all really close to leveling, in which case you could offer the new character to start 1 level above everyone else when they come in, but when XP is gotten for the adventure that would level everyone up they don't get to add any in XP to their character until everyone is at their level, so extra XP that flows over could be applied still.  This also could allow the new character to start with better gear than what their previous character may have had as higher level characters tend to have more money to spend for buying starting gear.

In Hero System we do the same thing.  We set land marks in point totals, so when a new character comes in they come in at that land mark. We started our adventures with 350pt characters.  We're now at close to 450pt characters.  Now if my character died, I could bring in a new one either at a point value equal to my lost character or at our land mark of 425pts (this would put me behind everyone else, but because of the nature of the Hero System its not a big deal).

In the end remember that as a GM your purpose is to make sure that the players - your friends - have fun, and yes you should have fun too.


Rule 2
If it takes away from the fun then is it really needed?

So one thing that can slow a game down are some of the rules.  And lets face it there are sometimes rules that just leave you scratching your head.  This is where House Rules come into play.  House Rules are something that not just your, but the entire group decides on.  They are rule changes and additions that are meant to improve on your gaming experience.  If you don't like a rule - cut it out and use something else in its place.

Now there are some players that are "Rule Lawyers".  They know all the rules, often by heart, and dislike changes.  The first thing you want to do is identify these people and talk with them about changes and why you are changing them, and get them on board with accepting the changes.  Make sure that you write down any changes you make though.


Rule 3
Problematic players can be handled.



One big thing that you have to remember as a GM is to communicate.  The problem you may face is the communication from the other way.  Some players can be problematic in this regard.  They tend to do what ever they want and not work with the group.  They create chaos and they tend to think its fun to get on the nerves of everyone.

This is why you talk to everyone in the group about their characters, get everyone on the same page.  If several players are going to be playing characters of dubious morals, then it is a good idea to have the other players and their characters on the same page - or close enough to it.  Just letting everyone play what ever they want with no communication is not a good idea.

Also its not necessarily a good idea to make everyone's character's for them...though an exception for this is if your trying out a new game system for the first time.

And even with all aspects of communication being used with the troubled player, they can still choose to be a complete and utter a-hole about things.  Its when you've tried every nice way to get them to be apart of the group and not have it work that you have to take a harder edge.  Here they have to know that they need to get on the same page as everyone or they need to move on.  And I understand that sometimes this means that you can loose two players because the problem player is the friend of someone else.  And if this other friend cannot get them to play along then you need to suck it up and accept that they need to go.

Letting a player go should be the last act for dealing with a problem, and your other players need to know what your thinking of doing.  You can get new players, they can be found.  Its never easy but think about how easy it was putting together the group for the first time to begin with.


Rule 4
Shooting the Breeze shouldn't dominate your time, but should be allowed.

So out of game talk happens a lot and it does detract from the game.  Something comes up in the game and it makes you think of a joke or maybe an odd occurrence for the game and you or someone else makes their thoughts known which derails the game a bit.

Here's the thing.  Its going to happen, make peace with it, have others make peace with it. Its part of the whole "getting together with friends to play a game" experience.  Of course you don't want the entire game session to be just this.  That's why as a GM you will want to let it go, but get people back on track in polite ways.

On the other hand make sure that if the player is saying something to get clarification on if its the player or the character talking, or thinking for that matter.  The player may decide that a funny comment made about another NPC may need to be said out loud as its just apart of who the character is - regardless of the consequences - which can lead for good role playing opportunities.  On the other hand an internal monologue may be better.

An example of this is a story my groups Champions campaign GM likes to tell.

He had a group of heroes facing off against the Dr. Destroyer.  Now Dr. Destroyer is over 1,000pts in his build.  He is a master villain like Dr. Doom.  Now Dr. Destroyer warned the heroes that if they interfere with his plans he would "smite them".

Then in a brilliant moment, and in character, a player decides to say: "Smite, who the hell say's smite?"

Now his character was a very tough brick, and yes he did learn what the word smite means when used by a master villain.  But it was one of those moments where he chose to say it rather than keeping it as internal monologue.  It resulted in a great scene.

Another moments like this was when a guy in my group was facing off against a Minotaur.  The GM warned us that saying "moo" to the Minotaur would be a bad idea.  But my friend threw caution to the wind and told the GM his character deliberately says it to the Minotaur to piss him off.



So be mindful of what the players are saying and if it gets out of hand institute the "in character/out of character rule".  This rule means that anything you say is in character unless you deliberately tell everyone you say it out of character.  Some GM's have use this rule to reign in on excess talking that seems to dominate a game session and slow things down.  But remember to talk to your players about why your doing it and ask them to be better about it next time.


Anyway it is now 12:00pm here in Oregon and I need to get going to my group.  Will we survive Monster Island?  Will Jack-be-Nimble get a kiss from the lady VIPER agent he has been courting (and by courting I mean harassing), will our lives ever be the same after Monster Island?  Can we live without Godzilla being no more than 20 miles away?

Who knows, but its time for the great escape from the Nazi lair of doom on Monster Island.

I'll be back later to talk more about building a campaign.

Happy Thanksgiving

Well happy turkey day to everyone.  I am currently with family and using my shitty tablet to make an entry for the day.

What tablet am I using that would invoke such dislike?  It is an ASUS Transformer T300.  It runs off of crappy android OS and is slow as heck.  If I could get a windows tablet I would but I still have no job and just have to make due.  It has a keyboard/back-up battery that does work...but it no longer holds a charge for its battery as my kids dropped the tablet while it was charging and the charging port got broke.

On the video game front I have finished out Chapter 2 in Far Cry 4 and unlocked the North now.  So just gotta push on in that front.

I am still planing on posting something on how to be a Game Master for new people, but I'll do that when I get home and a computer in front of me where I can easily add pictures.

Anyway thank you everyone for reading my blog and please get your friends to read it to and follow.  And if you have any questions on any table top RPG's that you would like to ask, please do so, I'll call you out and make a post to help.

(NOTE - On my computer now; has been updated with pics)