Using the Table to Your Advantage

When designing an adventure for a role-playing game, it is sometimes useful to consider not only what is happening in the fictive milieu, but also what is happening at the table.  By this I mean that the adventure designer should not only consider what the player characters are likely to do, but also what the players themselves are likely to do.

This may seem counter-intuitive, but bear with me.

From the standpoint of the players, they are assembled not only to take on the roles of fictional persons in a fantasy milieu, but also to play (and win) a game.  And, make no mistake, even if role-playing games have no preset “win conditions”, each player at the table has some idea at the end of any session whether or not he has done well or done poorly.  Players in role-playing games set their own win conditions.

In order to meet these win conditions, players develop meta-strategies.  By this I mean that, in addition to the strategies employed by the characters themselves, based upon the fictive milieu, players employ strategies based upon the meta-knowledge that the fictive milieu is a game.  This is both expected and encouraged by every “player advice” section of every game book ever written.  As a Game Master, you should not actively discourage this.  However, you should play with it and make it part of the game.

Every example hereafter is going to contain SPOILERS for one or more published adventures, so if you are a player, do yourself a favour and quit reading now.

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Okay, still here?  Let’s take a look at some expectations that tabletop players have.  To wit:

(1) Players tend to expect that open communication amongst themselves is always possible.

(2) Players tend to expect that characters are interchangeable.

(3) Players tend to expect that they can accept or reject additions made by the GM to their backstories.

(4) Players tend to expect that seating arrangements at the table don’t matter.

(5) Players tend to expect that they are working together towards a common goal.

(6) Players tend to expect that they know the rules under which they are operating.

I am sure that you can think of more without trying all that hard.  In fact, if you examine the earliest adventure modules available from the hobby, you will see that adventure writers began confounding some of these expectations early on.

(1) Players tend to expect that open communication amongst themselves is always possible.

Gary Gygax’s excellent The Keep on the Borderlands suggested that the DM assume that the characters say anything said by the players, and to react accordingly.  That is not practical for many people’s tables.  But what if an adventure forces the characters to remain silent?  What if transmitting certain information is dangerous, as in James Raggi’s also excellent Death Frost Doom?  Limiting inter-player communication – and, as a result, inter-character communication – forces the players to sit up and take notice.

(2) Players tend to expect that characters are interchangeable.

There is an expectation that the character class and/or race chosen (or other criteria in other games) will not matter…the GM will simply make it work.  But what if a particular location adds undue hardships to some characters, but not to others?  What if it grants some characters bonuses?  What if a traditional power that a particular character class relies upon is all but useless?  What if an area exploits a character type’s weaknesses?

Note that you want to even this out; if you make combat less viable in one scenario, you should even it out by making combat more viable in another.  This is what some of the so-called “gotcha” monsters were all about – a fighter could not typically rely upon brute strength when facing a rust monster, and casting spells at some jellies is just asking for trouble.

For example, both The Arwich Grinder and Silent Nightfall make use of the Dungeon Crawl Classics elf’s vulnerability to iron.  The Folk of Osmon turns a dwarf’s ability to smell gold into a problem. 

Another way to deal with this assumption is to grant treasures that cannot be passed on; they become intrinsic to the character.  This idea is used in different ways in Prince Charming, Reanimator and The Seven Deadly Skills of Sir Amoral the Misbegotten. 

(3) Players tend to expect that they can accept or reject additions made by the GM to their backstories.

And they should be able to do so…but you, as the GM, should also consider what happens when they reject a backstory element.  The results should not always be so pleasant as accepting it.  An example of this occurs in The Arwich Grinder, which is a 0-level funnel for the Dungeon Crawl Classics game appearing in Crawl! Fanzine issue #9.  Especially in the initial portions of a campaign, it is important that the players have agency to disagree with the GM about their characters’ pasts…but this does not come without limitation. 

(4) Players tend to expect that seating arrangements at the table don’t matter.

James Raggi’s Death Frost Doom gives the best example of where seating arrangements matter.  Certain events in the module instruct the GM to go clockwise or counter-clockwise around the table from a triggering character’s player until a saving throw is failed.  Sit close enough to Johnny-Pulls-the-Levers and you might find yourself wanting to change seats.

(5) Players tend to expect that they are working together towards a common goal.

You can subvert this in a couple of obvious ways.  One is to set a win condition that not all the characters can meet.  In an adventure in the DCC core rulebook, a living being must be left in the dungeon when the others depart.  If you killed all of the monsters, it will have to be one of you.

Another way is to forcibly split the party, even for a single encounter.  A wall drops in the middle of the room as monsters come in from both sides – suddenly the party cannot use its usual tactics.  An example of another way to forcibly split the party appears in the addendum in Crawl! #9.

(6) Players tend to expect that they know the rules under which they are operating.

The 1^st Edition Dungeon Master’s Guide gives advice on adventuring on other planes of existence.  The Dungeon Crawl Classics core rulebook suggests making magic work differently within the context of different locations.  Many classic modules include areas where some spells do not work, or the characters cannot act as they normally would…the floor is frictionless, gravity is reversed, etc.

The adventure designer should remember that, in addition to the PCs encountering a dungeon (or whatever), the players are encountering a game.  Just as the dungeon (or whatever) should afford unexpected elements, so too should the game.  By playing with what is occurring at the table, on the game level, the GM can make events far more memorable than yet another excursion to kill things and take their stuff.

Happy New Year: Crawl! #9!

If you are hankering for something special to toss at your players this month, Crawl! Fanzine #9 will be available a little later in January.  If you are a subscriber, you may already have it.

This issue contains a 0-level funnel I wrote, The Arwich Grinder, which is singularly the most Lovecraftian and most gruesome adventure I have ever written.  Think Bone Hoard of the Dancing Horror or Mermaids from Yuggoth on steroids.

To be quite honest, I think that you should pick up everything I write, but I have to say that I am very, very, very happy with how this adventure turned out, how the art and layout came together, and how Rev Dak through an older submission of mine in as an encounter at the end.

Hope you put some coin in Dak's coffers, hope you read it, and I really hope to hear how it played out in your home game.

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year!

Purple Duck Games rings in 2014 with AL 1-5 The Stars are Falling.

Forgotten tombs, ancient laboratories, the decadent palace of the God of Dreams, plundered and dusty dwarven holdfasts, and the ferociously defended territories of the Herders and Hounds of the Stars themselves!

There are mysteries to be solved within these pages, crafty and horrific enemies to defeat, and treasures both monetary and magical to claim for your own.  Pray to your gods, strap on your shield, and sharpen your knives: The Stars are Falling, and it is up to you to stop them-and make a little coin on the way...

Purple Duck Games' Adventure Locales One through Five for Dungeon Crawl Classics are here packaged with an intriguing framework story to take you on a story arc of wonder and fun for characters levels 1 to 3.

Dare you stop the stars from falling?

Old School/New School

I run a weekly Dungeon Crawl Classics campaign, where I am by far the oldest person in the room, and the youngest is 14.  Suffice it to say, I have found that experience in playing is the largest determinant as to whether a player prefers old or new school styles.

Prior to choosing DCC RPG as my game of choice, I was working on my own system, which was intended to provide the feel of pulp fiction and pulp fiction characters, but which did not work as well despite being far more "new school" in several respects.  There was an initial push against DCC on the basis of (1) character death and (2) lack of customization.

As to the first, the intent of the game is that it begins with a "0-level funnel" in which, say, 16 PCs go in and 4 come out.  These become the party of adventurers.  As time has gone on, my players have become very adept at using their brains rather than their die rolls to survive even these lethal challenges, with the result that they are choosing their primary characters out of a pool of seconds.  Also, the funnel has changed from a "let's see who dies in interesting ways" exercise to a "let's see how many we can keep alive" exercise.  It is a battle of wits and luck, and it is a lot of fun.

As to the second, DCC RPG has a "Quest for It" ethos that says you can customize your character however you like, but you must seek out and accomplish the means to do this.  One strikingly cool way ties back into the 0-level funnel - by playing certain funnels, you can emerge with unique character types.  For example, I have run The Albuquerque Starport as a funnel with great success - several surviving PCs then becoming mutants. This need not end with the funnel - Stars in the Darkness (3rd level) offers replacement characters (for those whose PCs die) from another universe.  In an old-school game, customization occurs through recognizing and seizing opportunities, or through seeking them out.  It is not the result of mere selection from a menu.

On the other hand, while I agree fully that s/he who runs the game is the absolute master of the game, I also agree that, if that person is not running a game you enjoy, you should not be playing in it.  If you are in, IMHO, you should accept that the person running the game has ultimate authority, and do so with good grace.  If you are not in, IMHO, you should be fully not in and not whine that the person is not running the game you want.  Run it yourself, if you can find that game no other way.  Not surprisingly, this is pretty much the advice Mr. Gygax gives players in the 1e PHB.

As an easy example of this, if you are going to fudge while running your game, I would prefer to do something else.  However, as much as I dislike fudging, I will also absolutely support your right to do so, should that be what you want, and should you be able to find even a single player who wants the same.  That's fair in my book; we all get to seek out the game we want.

I have found that, where menu options are available, players focus more on building characters and less on game play.  Game play is almost a test of the build, rather than the focus of the game.  OTOH, when building characters occurs only as the result of game play, the game takes on a vibrancy that otherwise does not exist.  Your table may differ.

I have also found that, where options exist not as a process of the game milieu, but as a result of menus, players tend to focus on outlandish options to the detriment of the game milieu overall.  In some games, a "kitchen sink" approach may work well; in many, it becomes difficult to explain why a Jedi, a gold dragon, a LEGO man, an alternate universe version of Ghandi, and a Teletubby ranger are exploring the World's Largest Dungeon together.  Such things may be fun on one level, but they lack the cohesiveness that makes a game last IME.

(As a point of fact, when I ran the World's Largest Dungeon with the d20 System books opened wide for players to make full use of the menus, only one of those example characters did not appear.  That particular campaign did not last long, as the players recognized the inherent silliness of adventuring like this.  It is worth noting that, for the majority, it was not their own character who was perceived as the problem, or part of the problem, so much as the wonkiness of the other players' characters.  There is a lesson to be learned there, I am certain.)

What all this rambling comes down to may be that the new-school style is easier to play, in that the options are based upon known quantities rather than uncovering the unknowns of the game milieu, but I find the old-school style more rewarding overall due to exactly the same factors - exploration of the milieu is not rewarded in gold and XP alone, but also by additional options for the characters (and players) bold enough to dare, lucky enough to succeed, and intelligent enough to understand.

YMMV.

Santa Claus in Appendix N

Santa Claus makes a brief cameo in Philp José Farmer’s Dark is the Sun, a novel which takes place at the end of the universe’s lifespan.  The earth is very old, and changed, having been shifted and saved many times by now-forgotten technologies.  Travelling across the world, the party discovers an ancient House:

The man sat stiffly, upright, unmoving, staring straight ahead.

Deyv had a creepy feeling that the man was looking into eternity.  Perhaps into infinity. 

He wore a cap of scarlet edged with white fur.  Its long tasselled top lay behind his head against the back of the chair.  Under it was a broad round face, red-nosed, red-cheeked, red-lipped.  The thick eyebrows were white, as was the long hair flowing from under the cap. 

A long and thick white beard fell over a large round paunch to the belt-line.  His jacket was scarlet, edged with white fur.  His belt was wide and black.  His pants were scarlet.  His calf-length boots were scarlet with white fur around the tops.  On the third finger of his left hand was a simple gold ring. 

“It certainly looks lifelike,” Sloosh said.  “It must be made of the same material as The House, though.” 

“I am not sure that it’s just a statue,” The Shemibob said. 

Deyv felt like leaving at once.  If he’d been alone, he might have.  However, if that had been the case, he wouldn’t have thought that it might be other than a figure made by the ancients. 

“Why do you say that?” Sloosh asked. 

“There’s no dust on it.  Also…” She swung the device so that they could see the floor in front of the block.  There were footprints in the dust.  They led away from the and to the block.

There is a bit more, of course, but it is a seasonal bit from an Appendix N author that, if you haven’t yet discovered, you may find in Chapter 40 (page 347 on my second printing edition).  

Compare the description with Clement Clark Moore's classic, 'Twas the Night Before Christmas:

His cheeks were like roses, his nose like a cherry.
His droll little mouth was drawn up like a bow,
and the beard on his chin was as white as the snow. 

The stump of a pipe he held tight in his teeth,
and the smoke it encircled his head like a wreath.
He had a broad face and a little round belly
that shook when he laughed like a bowlfull of jelly.

Coincidence?  I think not.

Happy Holidays!

Belshar of the Five Eyes

Wishing you & yours a wonderful holiday season & a happy new year! Raven Crowking's Nest proudly presents Belshar of the Five Eyes
From where within the strange depths of space and time sprang the strange creatures known as the Brotherhood of Ten Wizards none can say.  Each appears swathed in an illusion of being a humanoid figure, whose features are hidden by a dark-shadowed cowl, in which a number of glowing and moving eyes – seemingly upon stalks or tentacles – are all that can be seen.  Those who have penetrated even part of this illusion tell of disquieting spider-like beings, although they seem keen to protect the dominion of men and the integrity of worlds. There are only ten of these beings known, and each has a different number of apparent eyes, from none to nine.  The Eyeless Brother and the Brother of the Nine-Eyed Face are said to be the most powerful among them, but Belshar of the Five Eyes may be deemed a worthy patron in his own right.  Like his brethren, he seeks out good-hearted wizards and other champions, who he seeks to position to the benefit of his chosen milieu.  Many of the Ten enjoy meddling with each other, and Belshar of the Five Eyes is known to have such a relationship with both Mungblesh of the Three Eyes and desert-dwelling Jawag of the Two Eyes (who is perhaps the most normal-appearing of the Ten, although also the shortest).  It is not unknown for each of these three to act as patron for three members of the same party, delighting in setting the sponsored wizards and elves against each other in minor ways for their own amusement. The ceremony for Belshar of the Five Eyes may take place in any large urban area.
Invoke Patron check results:
12-13	The caster hears the dry, thin voice of his patron, encouraging him to his best endeavour, for no other aid is forthcoming.  This encouragement can be used to recall one lost spell to the caster’s mind, or to give the caster a +4 bonus on a single die roll, but not both.
14-17	Belshar has a moment to spare for the caster, and will psychically give the caster advice regarding his current situation, or a known situation that is upcoming.  While Belshar does not have as full a knowledge as the judge, he has broad knowledge about many subjects, and can generally offer some hidden information or excellent advice.  The nature of the advice should be determined both by the questions the caster asks, and Belshar’s motivations…which sometimes include his own amusement.  At the judge’s discretion, this advice can give a total bonus of no more than +8, to be split among one or more die rolls related to the advice given.
18-19	Belshar grants the caster a single-use magic item, such as a scroll or a potion, to aid him in his current quest.  This item is chosen for its usefulness, and can be as powerful as the judge desires.  For example, Belshar may offer a scroll that slays all other wizards within a mile radius, or a potion that can shrink the caster to a size needed to enter a maze of rat’s tunnels.  These are intended to be useful, but may result in amusing circumstances, as the Ten work to entertain themselves as well as to aid the multiverse.
20-23	The Five-Eyed One places some importance on the caster, or on the mission the caster is currently engaged in, and sends strong encouragement and an exhortation for the caster to succeed.  This is so encouraging that the caster immediately gains 5d4+CL bonus hit points.  All future damage comes from these hit points first, but damage already taken is unaffected.  Bonus hit points cannot be healed.  At the end of CLd6 x 10 minutes, whatever bonus hit points remain fade away.
24-27	Direct Intervention!  Belshar takes control of the caster, and casts a spell through him using his next Action Die.  This spell is cast with a +8 bonus on the spell check, and is determined randomly.  It does not matter if the spell caster cannot cast the spell, and there is no penalty (corruption or patron taint) to the caster for failure.  The spell otherwise acts as though the caster had cast it.  Roll 1d5:  (1) choking cloud, (2) colour spray, (3) enlarge, (4) magic missile, or (5) magic shield.
28-29	Direct Intervention!  Belshar takes control of the caster, and casts a spell through him using his next Action Die.  This spell is cast with a +10 bonus on the spell check, and is determined randomly.  It does not matter if the spell caster cannot cast the spell, and there is no penalty (corruption or patron taint) to the caster for failure.  The spell otherwise acts as though the caster had cast it.  Roll 1d5:  (1) invisibility, (2) mirror image, (3) monster summoning, (4) spider web, or (5) strength.
30-31	Direct Intervention!  Belshar takes control of the caster, and casts a spell through him using his next Action Die.  This spell is cast with a +12 bonus on the spell check, and is determined randomly.  It does not matter if the spell caster cannot cast the spell, and there is no penalty (corruption or patron taint) to the caster for failure.  The spell otherwise acts as though the caster had cast it.  Roll 1d5:  (1) fly, (2) gust of wind, (3) haste, (4) lightning bolt, or (5) planar step.
32+	Eyes From the Overworld.  A thousand thousand glowing eyes emerge from some celestial overworld or another plane of the multiverse, surrounding the caster and up to CL allies within 100’ of the caster, protecting them from all harm and shielding them from all effects within the plane the caster currently inhabits.  The eyes transport the caster and his affected allies up to 10 miles through the overworld, emerging at a place chosen by the caster (or a random location if the caster does not choose).  The characters have CL rounds before they are transported to use spells or other means to aid themselves while so protected.  Once the characters re-emerge, the eyes fade back to the overworld.

Patron Taint:  Belshar of the Five Eyes
Dealing with Belshar is more annoying than corrupting, and most of the patron taint associated with the Brotherhood of Ten Wizards results from this.  Once all patron taints at all levels have been attained, the caster need not roll for patron taint in the future.  In addition, the caster gains a +5 bonus on all future rolls to determine corruption.
Roll	Result
1	Irritation:  So irritating is Belshar’s sense of humour that it can become difficult to call upon him.  When this is first rolled, the caster must succeed in a DC 10 Will save to cast invoke patron to call upon Belshar.  If rolled a second time, the DC raises to 15.  If rolled a third time, the DC raises to 20.  Ignore all future rolls.
2	Spying Eyes:  When this patron taint is rolled, a glowing eye appears on a random part of the caster’s body, as determined below.  Although the eye is not functional for the character, it is an extension of Belshar’s eyes, and the patron can observe through them if he so wishes.  Once this is rolled five times, ignore all future rolls.  To determine eye location, roll 1d12:  (1) right hand, (2) left hand, (3) forehead, (4) back of the head, (5) chin, (6) chest, (7) back, (8) right knee, (9) left knee, (10) right foot, (11) left foot, or (12) nose.
3	Mission:  Belshar sends the caster on a mission to defend the integrity of the local world or the multiverse.  When this is first rolled, the mission requires the caster to travel no more than 1d5 hours, and requires the caster to defeat a minor threat whose Hit Dice are no more than the caster’s Caster Level (and are likely to be 1d3 less).  When this is rolled a second time, the threat is equal to the caster’s Caster Level, and the caster must travel no more than 1d5 days to meet this threat.  When this is rolled a third time, the threat is equal to the caster’s Caster Level +1d5, and the caster may be required to travel up to 1d5 weeks, or to another plane of existence, to meet it.  Once all three threats have been neutralized, ignore future rolls of this taint.
4	Amusement:  This seems similar to a mission, as of on a role of “3”, above, but when the caster encounters the supposed foe, it turns out to be a joke of Belshar’s.  The danger may be real, but the caster may find himself opposing a friend, discover that the adventure revolves around some horrid pun, or is otherwise designed for the amusement of the Brotherhood of Ten Wizards.  This can only be rolled three times, as with “mission”, above.
5	Lecture:  Belshar calls the caster to hear a lecture on some boring subject.  The first time this happens, the caster must travel for 1d5 x 10 minutes to attend Belshar, and must succeed in a DC 10 Will save, or he will fall asleep, and must repeat this level of patron taint before proceeding to the next when it is rolled again.  The next level of patron taint requires the caster to travel 1d5 hours out of his way, and requires a DC 15 Will save to stay awake.  The third (and final) level requires a DC 20 Will save and takes the character 1d5 days out of his way.  Although boring, each of these lectures has some relevance to events in the campaign milieu, or to the current adventure, and the caster gains a +4 bonus to a die roll of his choice in the next 24 hours if he manages to stay awake, as it pertains to the point Belshar was belabouring.
6	Mungblesh and Jawag:  If it is not enough to deal with Belshar’s sense of humour, the caster must also deal with the mad comedy of Mungblesh and Jawag.  Each time this patron taint is rolled, Belshar’s rivals play some dark joke on the caster, which is not intended to be deadly, but will make the caster’s life harder in some way.  The judge is encouraged to come up with the most twisted jests he can, and play them out against the caster in addition to the normal encounters of a given adventure.  This patron taint can only be rolled five times; ignore additional rolls.

Patron Spells:  Belshar of the Five Eyes

Belshar grants three unique spells, as follows:

Level 1:  Belshar’s Unwinking Eye.

Level 2:  Belshar’s All-Seeing Eye.

Level 3:  Belshar’s Rays of Burning Sight.

Spellburn:  Belshar of the Five Eyes
Belshar does not approve of spellburn, and grants it only reluctantly.  When a caster utilizes spellburn, roll 1d4 on the table below, or build off the ideas presented therein to create an event specific to your home campaign.
Roll	Spellburn Result
1	Belshar is repulsed by the idea of spellburn, and does not grant it at this time.  Unless the caster has another patron to call upon, he cannot utilize spellburn for the next hour.
2	Belshar reluctantly agrees to grant spellburn, but will grant no more than 5 points.  The caster’s soul is connected to a benign overworld, which drains his energy (manifesting as Strength, Agility, or Stamina loss).
3	Belshar grants the effect of 1d5 points of spellburn without cost.  Unless the caster has another patron to call upon, he cannot utilize spellburn for the next 1d5 hours.
4	Belshar grants the effect of 1d5 points of spellburn without cost.  Unless the caster has another patron to call upon, he cannot utilize spellburn for the next 1d5 days.

D.A.M.N! Issue 1

The inaugural issue of DCC RPG Adventure Magazine & News is now available at RPG Now.

Forsaken Reavers of Praeder Peak - Paul Wolfe

An adventure for 6 to 10 characters of levels 2 to 4. Taking place in the tropical setting of Praeder Island,  the players will have to brave the harsh wilderness, battle reptile ghuls and uncover a new patron, The Queen of Abominations.

The Mysterious Valley - Daniel J. Bishop

An adventure intended for use as a mini-sandbox. Inspired by the works of the late Ray Harryhausen, the players will learn of the wizard Harhasen. With laboratories beneath his tower, he bred monsters from both Men and Animals.

The Snow Queen - Garett Oliver

An adventure for 4 to 8 4th level characters,  or 4 to 6 6th level characters.

The City of Thalos, built by Elves, was said to be the City of Eternity. The city that was lost under ice,  has now been unearthed by Dwarves. The players must now battle both foes and the winter climate to uncover the mystery of The Snow Queen.

The Barbarian - Godric McKellan

A new warrior inspired class for DCC RPG,  The Barbarian offers players an alternative to the warrior class.

Converting Material to Dungeon Crawl Classics - Daniel J. Bishop

Want to run that favorite module for DCC RPG? Well now you can! Daniel offers the tools you need to convert material from other systems for use in DCC RPG.

The Thing in the Chimney at Wizard's Cache

He Is Here

At the waning of every year, as the sun grows closer to the horizon, and spends less time in the sky, there comes a time of terrible cold and deep snow to the lands of the north. The world waits with hushed breath for this, the longest night of the year, to be over. 

 Soon, the sun will begin to climb higher each day, and the days grow longer. Although long stretches of cold weather are yet to come, this is the night in which winter’s back is broken. After tonight, the world turns slowly back to warmth and light. 

 But that is after tonight. 

Perils of the Cinder Claws presents two holiday-themed adventures, The Thing in the Chimney (1st level) and The Nexus of Yule (3rd level), as well as the Cinder Claws himself as a potential patron (complete except spells).