I've Got Your "Critical Role" Right Here

Back around July 26th I started writing a post called "Time Warp." My family had taken another road trip, this time to visit Fort Casey State Park: a massive concrete gun emplacement on Whidbey Island, built (and decommissioned) before the start of the Great War with the objective of protecting the Sound from invasion by sea. It's a pretty impressive monument and window in the past, but an even thicker dose of "history" was served up to us when we stopped at the Scuttlebutt Brewery (in Everett, WA) for dinner. Celebrating their 25th anniversary, the menu, food, and the staff, looked straight out of the early 90's.

Whether by design or not (insert mandatory joke about Everett's local culture), our waiter...who could not have been older than 25 himself...looked like he'd stepped straight out of Lynnwood circa 1991. Black t-shirt with the sleeves cut off (to display the tats), black shorts (didn't check to see if he was wearing Converse high-tops), incredible mullet, mustache, baseball cap, and earrings. Oh my...he was rocking it. The hostess wearing a rolled-up sleeve flannel over rock t-shirt was vintage grunge as well. The service and grub was excellent (I love a good patty melt) and the dude got a huge tip, as well as praise on his retro-style from both the wife and myself.

[it should be noted that my wife has only lived in Seattle since 1997, so this look was already out by then, but there were still remnants of this even in the late '90s...especially amongst the company I kept]

It is said that "the past is a foreign country" and that "you can't go home again," much as we try to do so...I mean that's part of what the OSR was all about right? But sometimes, sometimes you can get glimpses into it. Today, I got a great glimpse, which is why I've bothered to excavate and re-write this post:

Check This Out

Matrox Lusch is a Bay Area based gamer that's a bit older than myself, and has been playing D&D (in various forms) since 1978. His blog (which I'd never heard of before today) is a deep well of his personal gaming experience. In 1990 he was gifted with a VHS camera to celebrate the birth of his first child, and he immediately began using it to record his long-running (1989-2005) AD&D campaign. He has since posted clips of this to YouTube, each being edited and cut to about 5 minutes to focus on the gaming.

In addition to being genuinely amusing, this is great historical stuff. I've run into plenty of youngsters the last five or so years that have "learned" more about how to play D&D from watching Critical Role (and similar) videos, then from reading (or playing!) the game. Such players could benefit greatly from the window into the past provided by these videos of Matrox's "Blipping Campaign." Sloppy, raunchy, and uncouth affairs featuring a bunch of 20-something white dudes drinking beer and rolling dice, not a laptop to be seen (all paper notes and character sheets), a "soundtrack" of background metal music, and ZERO play-acting...this is/was Dungeons & Dragons for a Very Long Time. 

[for people just interested in viewing an apartment circa this era, I strongly recommend episode 1.8 "The Downfall of Aeriath." My hiatus from D&D was in full swing by 1990, but my buddies' apartments...and our gaming sessions...looked a LOT like this (though being Seattle beer-snobs even then, our fridges were full of bottles, not cans). And our games of Rifts or Vampire looked pretty much like this, except there were always at least a couple ladies present]

[can I just say I kind of love the guy smoking a cigarette IN THE HOUSE and the passed out "thief" on the couch. Ah...brings back memories...]

However, besides general nostalgia the thing I mostly want folks to take away from these videos is the ENJOYMENT these cats are having. Ridiculous or not, too serious or not, too 'white male' or not, these guys played this campaign for a decade and a half. That is a LONG ASS TIME. And they played it with (more or less) 1st edition AD&D. Not 2nd, not 3rd, not 4th, not 5th. A simple system, without "feats" or "at will powers" or "death saves." Perhaps including Drow PCs (I'd be surprised if they weren't using Unearthed Arcana in 1990), but probably not "Tieflings" or "Dragonborn" or whatever. 

Can people imagine? And by "people" I mean folks who only got into the hobby in the last ten or fifteen years. How could they possibly keep the game fresh and on-going for so many years? Without new options and special specials and whatnot? How could they find such a clunky old rule system from 1978 with its segments and group initiative to be "fun?" With a DM who's prep doesn't seem to have included theater and voice-acting classes? With broken pencils and beer-stained, lined paper instead of tablets and cell phones?

This, I'm sure, is a big "duh" to many of my readers who are middle-aged geezers like me (whether physically or at heart). But folks, please: spread the word. There ARE other examples of how to play D&D that don't lead to one succumbing to the so-called "Mercer Effect." Actual video evidence exists that one can run a long-term campaign, even up into high levels, without the need for character backstories or ascending armor class. Maybe that will be amazing to some folks who haven't had the chance to game this way or who, perhaps, have a hard time believing that the game can work without a long list of skills based on the roll of a D20.

I don't find it all that amazing. I'm running AD&D these days. 

'Course, I don't run my game quite so haphazard as I did in my youth (and to be clear, in the 80s the games were just as ramshackle as the 90s, except we were hopped up on sodapop and hormones, rather than beer and weed). I've grown and learned and can spend a lot more time thinking critically about design and setting and approach the game with a more mature demeanor. But the principle remains the same: the game works, the game is fun, the game can hold one's interest and attention for years.

Sometimes it feels like we've forgotten those things. Or, rather, it feels like we don't give them enough attention.

All right, that's it for now. Cheers.

Vancouver Problems

I'm having a tough time.

Currently, I'm typing in yet another darkened hotel room; this one in Vancouver, Washington. Folks unfamiliar with the Northwest Territories may have only ever heard of Vancouver, British Columbia, the thriving metropolis a couple hours north of Seattle (both were named for the explorer, George Vancouver). However, despite being only a quarter (or less) of the Canadian city's size (and probably less than that in terms of prestige), the American Vancouver is the older, dare I say "the Original," city to hold the name. It is, in fact, older than Seattle and at one time was (briefly) the capital of the state. When I was a kid, my father would sometimes have business trips that would take him to Vancouver...in those days (the 1970s) the two cities (Seattle and Vancouver) were far closer in terms of scale and economic impact than they are today.

Getting here was a bitch...a 2.5 hour drive turned into four by a combination of road construction and a near endless string of car accidents (seriously...there were not less than four collisions on the interstate that would cause an incredible slowdown every 30 miles or so). We're in town for a three-day soccer jamboree for the boy, and we barely managed to make it to the field prior to the Friday night game (kid changed in the car during a 7.5 mile stretch that took as an hour to traverse). But make it we did. 

Perhaps, understandably, our team had some frustrations to work out, and they shellacked the other guys 6-0. It could have easily been 10. We'll see how today's games go.

But that's for later, after everyone's awake and breakfasted and I've had something to drink besides hotel room instant coffee (a Keurig machine, actually, which has a nice Italian roast, but forces me to get up and fill the damn thing for every cup I drink). Since the kennel fiasco that led to the death of my dog in July, all our road trips have included the original "running beagle," and she was happy to get me up at the crack of dawn for her morning meal and walk. She now dozes (with the family) while I sit typing in the dark. As usual. Having a tough time.

Problem: okay, here it is. I have four days left to write this damn adventure for Prince's contest. I've got the maps done and PDF'd (getting better with Ye Old "Dungeon Doodler"), I've got the encounters named and numbered, I've got the treasure catalogued to the copper piece, I've got my monsters and traps and tricks lined up and ready...

I'm having a damned hard time writing it all up.

And I'm not sure what it is that's stopping me. I've got into a habit with my recent adventure writing of using a simple, three bullet-point system: #1 is general description, #2 is monster stuff (if any), and #3 is any treasure (valuable or not). Here are a couple examples from my DL1 re-mix:

29. Sage Front

• Rotten books stained with green fungus line the decrepit shelves on the north side of this room. The air smells of decay and rotting paper.
• The books crumble if handled. All are worthless. 

30. Sage’s Court

• Unlike the outer room, the interior is meticulously clean and uncluttered, though the stench of decay is still strong. Several shelves of intact books grace the walls; a gold-painted chair stands near a solid oak table. A single, emaciated figure works in the darkness.
• The unliving sage putters around the room, working to keep his remaining books in excellent condition. Unless approached with politeness, he assumes intruders are thieves and attack. WIGHT (AC 5, HD 4+3, HPs 25, MM100). Though amenable to seekers of knowledge, the creature will only talk for D4 minutes before attacking in a fit of life-starved hunger.
• Treasure: the wight obsessively cares for and preserves many of his most valuable books. He has 20 tomes worth an average of 100 g.p. each, as well as a tome of clear thought (8,000 x.p.), a tome of leadership and influence (7,500 x.p.), and a tome of understanding (8,000 x.p.).

Stuff like that. However, I'm having a hard time using this format for my "No ArtPunk" adventure. For one thing, it's a high-level affair: an AD&D scenario suitable for a band of characters levels 10th-14th. Which, in my opinion, requires a bit more tactical description in order to challenge such experienced PCs. And writing that up is a wordy affair, cluttering up bullet-points and/or rendering them a joke. The bullet points are, after all, supposed to be there for the convenience of the DM reading the text.

No, it's not that I'm writing stuff like "if the PCs do X, then monsters do Y, otherwise they do Z." I just mean there has to be more than "the Beholder attacks!" For example, in the previously mentioned adventure, the creature with the largest tactical description is (duh) the black dragon at the end of the module. Here's how I wrote up that encounter:

84. Dragon’s Lair

• An immense chamber rises four stories to a cracked and broken translucent dome. A black dragon, reclines on an enormous horde of coins, precious jewels, and exquisite items. This is Onyx, and she was old three centuries ago, before the city was buried beneath the swamp.
• ANCIENT HUGE BLACK DRAGON (AC 3, HD 8, HPs 64); she is a warlock and may cast the following spells: charm person, detect magic, identify, unseen servant, darkness 15’ radius, knock, locate object, dispel magic, hold person, protection from normal missiles, curse, and minor globe of invulnerability. Onyx expects submission and abject worship. If the party has been able to enter without noise (such as through #83) there is a 50% she is sleeping. She will have otherwise taken the chance to cast protection from normal missiles on herself in preparation for intruders. Her first action will be to fly out of melee range and bellow for her guardsmen (any left within the palace will immediately hear her call and respond). If she sees characters engaged in spell-casting she will cast minor globe of invulnerability; otherwise she will cast hold person on any obvious melee types. She will then attack lightly armored characters in melee. Onyx will try not to use her breath weapon inside the chamber, so as save her treasure; however, if the party proves powerful, she will (sadly) do so.
• Treasure: The dragon’s hoard is immense and growing larger as her minions gather more spoils on her behalf. 20,000 c.p., 25,000 s.p., 30,000 e.p., 18,000 g.p., 3,000 p.p., 56 200 g.p. gems, platinum miter (10,000 g.p.), platinum encrusted staff (8,750 g.p.), potion of flying (500 x.p.), clerical spell scroll with raise dead and restoration (1,200 x.p.), shield +4 (1,200 x.p.), spear +3 (1,750 x.p.), periapt of health (1,000 x.p.), and splint armor +1 (700 x.p.). All treasure is loose and will take hours to collect, count, and examine.

That's a lot of text regarding spell use and tactics, and it still makes a lot of assumptions...for example, there's no mention of the awe/fear effect ancient dragons cause, assuming the DM will be well aware of that when running the encounter (low level henchfolk and hirelings tend to scatter or cower when a dragon pops up). Nor does it detail the dragon's longterm plans or motivation (though it hints at her general greed and arrogance).

However, the adventure I'm writing now (or, rather, not writing; instead, just blogging about) has to have MANY "dragon-level" encounters...encounters that work together with each other in a sensible, interlocked fashion that provides a decent challenge to PCs possessing extraordinary resources of magic ad might. And maybe I don't trust DMs to be able to run high-level adventures without a bit of handholding: there's just such a dearth of genuine interest in such adventures to be found on the internet these days (and a plethora of pundits decrying attempts to push adventures past mid-levels). It feels a bit like I'm trying to write some sort of primer/tutorial for DMs, not just a modular adventure. And that's weighing on my mind.

Then again, maybe that's not it at all. Maybe it's just that I'm writing this thing for a dude who's made a name for himself doing scathing reviews of published adventures and I'm too concerned with creating something of sheer awesomeness, something so beyond reproach (and criticism) that ALL will be forced to BOW DOWN BEFORE MY MONUMENTAL SKILLS. And the simplistic manner that I'd normally use...just...isn't...good...enough.

*sigh*

Ego. Perfectionism. Procrastination. All contributing to a lack of constructive action. Maybe I just need to let shit go and get it done. Worry about the "editing for perfection" later.

Time's running out, after all.

Okay, everyone's up. The call of the wild. Time to hunt and gather.

How 'Bout A New Poll?

So, Saturday I had my interview with the Save or Die podcast people. Fortunately, it was not "live" and they will be editing it prior to broadcast in a couple weeks. UNfortunately, I still managed to stick my foot in my mouth and/or ramble on more than was quite necessary on several questions. Hopefully their editing will make me sound like less of a simpering idiot/arrogant bastard...but I'm not too hopeful.

ANYway, one area in which I wish I'd stayed a little more tight-lipped was on my upcoming, as yet unnamed (here anyway), B/X supplement. Well, unnamed till the interview...they backed me into a corner! Ugh! Well, we'll just have to talk more about it on the blog in the next week or so. Brian, I hope that cover art is almost done!

; )

I suppose it's time to give folks a little taste of what they'll be finding in the book, so as a "bone" for my readers, I'll offer one of the spell-casting classes for perusal as a downloadable .pdf (the spell lists make them too long to just throw up as a blog post). There's a new poll posted to the blog (over on the right) for people to vote on which class they want to see. You've got a few days to consider and vote.

Oh, yeah...you can still purchase the B/X Companion. The PayPal button has just been moved down under the poll.

: )

Your high INT won't save you, kid...

You know what I just realized? Black Dougal of B/X fame had an Intelligence score of 18!

Being a B/X thief in Tom Moldvay's Basic set means the character is a human...there are no other types of thief in the Basic rules. And yet when Black Dougal hears muttering voices listening at the door of a dungeon chamber his character asks:

"Do I understand them? I speak Common, Orc, Goblin, and Elvish."

Human adventurers in B/X are limited to the common tongue in B/X unless they have a high INT score. In order to have three (3) bonus languages, the thief must have an 18 for his Intelligence score.

As a 2nd level thief, one has to wonder what his DEX is that he would retain such a score (in B/X, one may raise his or her prime requisite by reducing STR, INT, or WIS). I would figure it to be at least a 16 if not an 18. Black Dougal would appear to be no slouch in combat given his survival in the fight against half a dozen goblins later in the example (and in melee, too! With 2D4 hit points and nothing but leather armor to protect himself what were his STR and CON scores?!).

Interesting...of course, none of this does anything to save him from a poison needle trap. Felled by a failed saving throw, a 2nd level thief with 18s across the board has the same poison save as a 1st level character with a 3 in every score: 13. That's a 60% chance of death for the player character, and we can see that with those kind of odds, well, the house generally wins.

Poor guy. He just wasn't smart enough!

; )

But really, who cares about HOT ELF CHICKS...

...when one can have totally badass orc girls, instead. Also with guns, of course!

[for troll chicks, you'll have to check out Ron Edwards' Trollbabe game. Sorry]

In all seriousness, I found this pic floating around the internet, and was totally inspired. Does anyone know where this illustration originated? And the artist behind it? Maybe it's from Shadowrun 4? I'm just curious, 'cause I think it's a great, dynamic piece. I'd read a comic book about that character.

Hell, I'm inspired to write up a character for her in my own game. Let's see:

• A few random rolls: 10, 13, 9, 14, 6, 15.
• Choose priorities: Abilities (A), Resources (B), Skills (C), Metatype (D)
• Add it all up.

Handle: Show (as in "Showboat" or "the Big Show")

Alignment: Professional

Level: 1

STR: 14 (16)

INT: 16

WIL: 13

DEX: 18 (19)

CON: 10

CHA: 18 (11.6)

IB: 17 (18)

SPD: 55 (Strong)

HPs: 14

Skills: Combat 1, Stealth 1, Military 1

Cybernetics: Custom Wired Reflexes 2, Custom Muscle Enhancement 1

Gear: Armor clothing, 2 medium pistols (both with fire modification), 200 rounds of ammo, flash grenades (4), grapple gun, commlink, combat drugs (1 dose), boosters (4 doses), survival kit, shuriken (4), road hog bike, High lifestyle (1 month), 1050 cr

Combat Stats:

Defensive Class: 4

Shock: 13

Initiative: +5+2D6

THDC0: 16 (pistol/shuriken), 15 (pistol, burst), 16 (unarmed)

Cooperation and Your Own Objectives (Part 3)

[please refer to post 1 and post 2 to see what the heck I'm talking about]

***EXAMPLES OF THE DISCONNECT***

Example #1

As a DM running a "sand boxy campaign" like, say, the Goblin Wars, I outline a broad overview of the campaign setting and throw out some "teasers," possible adventure ideas players might explore. One PC states he's interested in reclaiming his ancestral dwarvish home, lost in the war (specific objective). Another PC is intrigued by the possibility of discovering ancient ruins from pre-recorded history, possibly to uncover lore that will make him a powerful magic-user (semi-specific objective). A third wants to make some quick cash doing bodyguard work (weak objective). The other PCs are just "along for the ride" at this point, waiting to see what the DM is going to throw at them. How do we reconcile the separate objectives with the standard "party-up-and-adventure" assumption/imperative?

Possible Resolutions of Example #1

• DM ignores party objectives ("putting them off till later," whenever that might be) in favor of an adventure he's crafted for the party.
• DM chooses one PC's objective and crafts an adventure specific to it (whichever one grabs his interest/appears easiest); other PC objectives are ignored or "put off till later."
• DM attempts to craft an adventure that addresses ALL party objectives at once. Tricky to do (and cumbersome as well).

None of these possible resolutions are particularly satisfying. When I encountered this example, I chose to go with the first resolution (i.e. ignoring everyone). Which raises the follow-up question: why bother crafting a sandbox with options at all? See also my recent Traveller experience at last summer's Dragonflight Convention for a similar scenario.

Example #2

Party is exploring a site-based (dungeon) adventure. Characters are engaged in defeating monsters, avoiding traps, and acquiring treasure. Party consists of a mixed bag of individuals including mostly chaotic neutrals and goods (there is a drow character that is lawful neutral). One player, a newbie to the table-top game is playing a thief. The thief is out-classed by the other PCs in the party in both the fighting and magic departments, and so turns to what she knows: stealing (newbie playing a thief? Perfect sense). Character palms and pockets choice treasures from hordes while the other PCs engage monsters in combat. Later, players are upset with the PC's actions, and "rough up" her character, including strip-searching her making her turn over everything that looks like it might have been "suspiciously pocketed." The player was role-playing in character, but has compromised the "cooperative spirit" of the group. As a DM, how do you handle this situation?

Possible Resolutions of Example #2

• DM allows the extortion/humiliation of the thief to occur (PC pays the price for going against the group); newbie learns to "get along" with the cooperative spirit or go back to video RPGs.
• DM institutes a "note passing" policy (or something similar) so players don't know what actions are being taken by other party members (though when the thief starts passing notes or calling for "out-of-room conferences" they still know what's going on and force the thief to cough up the loot).
• DM exercises "DM force" to preclude PCs from acting against each other unless a character is caught "red-handed;" breeding resentment in players.

All of these resolutions suck...they all seem to be enabling the overall immaturity at the table rather than addressing it, and none of these possible resolutions encourage a character to engage in role-playing, should their character be a scurrilous rogue and thief. Honestly, I haven't encountered this kind of situation since I was a kid, but this specific one is taken from an actual play post taken from the blog of an adult role-player.

Example #3

Players are playing Shadowrun; their run involves kidnapping a celebrity movie starlet (or the Shadowrun equivalent), and holding her for three days so she misses her scheduled commercial appearances. One PC is a sleazy, low-life mage (you know the type...), who decides to have some "fun" with their captive while the group waits for their payday; he has spells that can control the celeb's mind and she has a weak will anyway so he makes her fall hopelessly in lust with him so he can have his way with her in the sleazy motel where they're held up. While this opens all sorts of interesting possibilities, the whole situation makes the other players incredibly uncomfortable...and yet none of them do anything about it, as they don't want to start an intra-party conflict. And it's not like the mage is "hurting her," right? Clearly, the objectives of the player is having a distressing effect but this time it is the PCs with more "wholesome objectives" (um...kidnapping people for pay?) that are being subjugated by the "cooperative spirit." How should the GM address something like this...especially considering there are no mechanical consequences from just being an outright bastard?

Possible Resolutions of Example #3

• GM lets the game play out as the most natural thing in the world...no harm, no foul and the other players aren't saying "boo;" screw 'em.
• GM draws the line on what lines can and can't be crossed in the game world, instituting a morality that isn't present within the game text for the peace of mind of the other players.
• GM takes the player aside and asks him to refrain from indulging his sick fantasies in this particular instance, if only for the good of the "group spirit;" considers not inviting the player to future games.

As usual, I'm not a fan of any of these resolutions. In this instance, the problem is (for me) a lack of morality or rules of conduct within the game system. Certainly, if this were D&D and a chaotic wizard was pulling these shenanigans, the party paladin would step in and clean his clock; here, there are no alignments. In a world where everything is permitted...well, you get the idea.

In reality, this particular scenario happened in a game of Shadowrun I was running, and the "sleaze mage" in question was an NPC the other PCs had hired. I had the NPC engage in his lewd behavior and questionable conduct specifically to force a reaction from the players...but their only reaction was to be turned off by the whole thing. They had no interest in intervening or worrying about ethical questions. Bunch o' pansies, if you ask me...however, I place it here as an example of disconnect between "cooperative play" and "individual objectives" because I can see myself doing this as a player, given the right set of circumstances. Why not? Cyberpunk (even fantasy cyberpunk) IS sleazy...sex, drugs, and chrome. But some folks just want to shoot imaginary guns I guess...

Example #4

The game is Vampire the Masquerade, there are eight players besides the GM. All characters reside in the same city, which has a small group of NPC vamps in addition to the PC. Each player creates their own character the "White Wolf way:" character concept, backstory, some ties or connections to the city. Characters are not expected to be a "party;" they are expected to be interesting characters and get involved in the drama of undead life. The players are all smart, hip college students...they all are able to come up with fairly specific concepts for their characters if not outright objectives. For example, the sewer-living Nosferatu wants to dig up dirt on all the vampires of the city so that he can blackmail them all as a way to power. The Ventrue club owner just wants to own a really cool bar that is popular with kindred and kine alike (and, in fact, already has the bar as part of his backstory and background points "spent" during character creation). You, as the Storyteller (GM), have some ideas for possible conflicts but the group seems hopelessly disparate...how do you get them all involved in a scenario or plot and still provide them with in-roads for meeting their objectives?

Possible Resolutions for Example #4

• Storyteller ignores the player objectives in favor of his own plot, railroading as necessary to get PCs involved (such as blowing up the Ventrue's bar in the opening scene).
• Storyteller offers his conflict/plot without railroading, possibly "throwing bones" here or there for PCs to pick up or not (like allowing the Nosferatu to find useful pieces of blackmail material during the session).
• Storyteller takes all the character sheets home with him after session #1 and attempts to craft a scenario that addresses all stated objectives in some coherent fashion...and then throws his hands up in disgust and walks away from the game.

Once again, these are all pretty awful ideas, even the 2nd one which is immensely difficult to do in practice (it requires both specificity of objective AND a clever player to pick up the clues/indicators laid down...unless you're just rubbing it in his face).

In actuality, I (the GM in this story) did kind of a combo of these ideas, though mostly number one and number three. It's just damn hard to craft an open-ended scenario for this many players...though in my defense, I played in other White Wolf games run by other storytellers (including both Ars Magica and Mage the Awakening) that had FEWER players and yet still completely failed (and for pretty much the exact same reason). At least my game got to session 3 before I bailed...

Now I can hear certain game designers reading through these examples and my last two posts and yelling, "Who the f-- cares, JB?!" They may offer suggestions like:

a) cut down on the number of players (to better manage individual player's objectives better), OR

b) choose the players that sit at your table carefully so that they don't get any "funny ideas" in their heads and "roll off the rails," OR

c) play a game where the object isn't anything more than using your abilities tactically (and in cooperation) to beat up monsters and take their loot. Who needs the other silly drama stuff?

Ugh, people! That's defeating the whole point of my posts!

Here's what I'd like to see happen:

[oh, wait...it's 2:14am...I am going to bed, folks...we'll continue this tomorrow...]

zzzzz...

The Art of Auto-Kill

No, we’re not talking about vehicular homicide or Car Wars.

One of the great things about the Tom Moldvay edited Basic set is the many wonderful examples present throughout the text. Like Pat over at O2BD, I find these examples entertaining reading, as well as illustrative of game play. I wish I had more room in my B/X Companion to include similar examples, perhaps even re-visiting the characters (Morgan, Silver Leaf, Sister Rebecca) introduced in Moldvay’s game.

As a young lad teaching himself to play (no mentor for me), these examples helped shape my views on how the game should go. And one thing in the text that seems fairly different from later edition examples is the frequency and regularity of player character death. Not henchmen, not nameless torch bearers, but the death of actual PLAYER characters. In two solid examples (one of combat, one of dungeon exploration) we have an equal number of PCs dying through misadventure (one during combat, another from a poison trap).

I believe these examples were fairly influential to my “gaming development” as a youngster. Later, I would get my own copy of the AD&D Dungeon Master’s Guide (a tome written earlier than Moldvay’s) which provides even more gruesome examples on the mortality of player characters (the party on party combat is deadly enough, but then the “snacking ghouls?” yowza!).

Put these examples together and perhaps you’ll see why I didn’t feel inclined to give much mercy to the player characters in my games.

Oh, that’s not to say there may not have been “fudging” with dice on occasion (though I can’t seem to recall any off-hand…maybe that didn’t begin till later with the far more “wiggly” Marvel Superheroes RPG) for some dramatic imperative or other, but mostly we let the chips (and dice) fall as they did. After all, a character could always be raised or wished back to life, right?

As far as I was concerned, my job as DM was to challenge the players as hard as possible while still being “fair and balanced.” Monsters/NPCs were to be played to the best of their ability and PCs were richly rewarded…if they survived.

‘Course, if they DO survive the whole job of “challenging” the players (i.e. attempting to kill them off in a fair and balanced manner) can become desperately hard.

[yes, if this smacks of the text in Hackmaster, that’s a fair assessment of how we played the game back in the day...probably one of the reasons I find so much humor in the HM texts. Of course, I wasn’t nearly as stingy with the treasure as a true “Hackmaster certified” GM should be]

It didn’t help that early on we were calculating hit points wrong. High level characters are just damn tough to kill anyway…they already have obscene armor classes and hitting power thanks to their magical accoutrements. Then add onto that their excellent saving throws and few have anything to fear from giant scorpions or the gaze of a medusa. Remember that early (pre-3rd) editions of D&D are NOT “scalable;” target numbers (for attacks and saves) don’t rise along with player level. Once something becomes easy, it remains easy, which can make the job of a “Killer DM” (like me) extremely tough. At least, if one is playing “fair.”

Which is why modules like S1: Tomb of Horrors were such a boon…so many traps and tricks that “broke” the normal rules of the game…and yet did so in an “official capacity” (with TSR stamped right on the cover). This wasn’t some random DM making an “impossibly hard” dungeon; this was official licensed product, certainly tested rigorously in the field!

However, the number of modules we ran was small in comparison to the number of adventures we created. After all, you could only “solve” a module once, after which it was “forever cleaned out”…at least in our on-going, continuous campaign world.

SO…since I would have felt like I was acting un-fair to create killer traps like the ones in Tomb of Horrors, I strove to find ways of offing my players’ characters in-game using only the “proper” methods open to me…i.e. the stuff in the books. And the best method of doing that is including auto-kill items in the game.

By “auto-kill” I really mean “auto-effect:” effects that occur (in general) without saving throw. This is to avoid the frustration of trying to poison or hex a character that (in addition to being high level) is sporting cloaks of protection and periapts of proof against poison and rings of spell turning.

The archetypal example of an “auto-kill” weapon is the vorpal sword. If the enemy rolls high enough, the opponent/victim is decapitated (dead-dead-dead) with no saving throw, and regardless of hit points.

However, I almost NEVER included vorpal weapons in the game. They were fairly useless for my purpose, being extremely random in action (high level characters having a good enough AC that the sword would only hit on a 19 or 20) and difficult to justify in-game (I wasn’t simply stocking the dungeons with random, high-level fighters!). Not to mention, giving a monster/NPC a vorpal weapon meant giving the party a vorpal weapon as there would undoubtedly be some survivors that would claim the blade. Also, when stocking dungeons I generally rolled treasure randomly (“more fair”)…in all the years I played D&D I can only ever remember one PC ever owning a vorpal blade, and that was one of mine!

A better example (for my purposes) would be the garrote from the Unearthed Arcana. Why have a thief backstab someone for a measly x3 or x4 damage when you could auto-kill ‘em in a couple rounds, no saving throw? Simple and effective.

Similarly, why include a sphere of annihilation (releasing a powerful item into the game), when you could give characters a deck of many things to play with instead? There were monsters that fit the bill for this kind of thing (it seems to me jermalain fit the bill, as did rot grub and mind flayers) as well as some high level spells (imprisonment, irresistable dance) but most of them escape my memory right now…it’s been years since I combed through books looking for proper “secret weapons” to unload on my players.

After all, I’m not a killer DM anymore.

[by the way, artifacts and relics might SEEM like a way to auto-kill…or auto-screw…players, but they didn’t work for my purposes. As I said, I tried to be FAIR, using only those things already in the game, and CHOOSING terrible, awful malevolent effects would have been akin to CHEATING…besides which most of my players would have felt that the negative side effects out-weighed any potential benefit of artifacts and relics anyway. That’s a subject for a whole different post, really]

No, I don’t attempt to off my players anymore. My “challenge dials” for RPGs are turned WAY down these days (except, perhaps, as a player). After all, I’m grown up and mature these days…I’m smart enough to recognize that the field is already tilted in the DM’s favor, and the REAL challenge is moderating the difficulty so that your players can have fun without A) getting overly slaughtered, or B) the DM being forced to “fudge” or call “do-overs.”

[come to think of it, I really find this a little sad, and to me it again raises the question, “why would anyone want to be a DM?”]

That being said, I still have an appreciation for auto-kill effects when I see ‘em, both as a DM and as a player (hammer of thunderbolts anyone?). And in reading through The Compleat Adventurer for more potential B/X classes, I see that there are a total of FOUR classes that have auto-kill abilities. They are:

- The Scout
- The Spy
- The Swordsman
- The Harlequin (!!)

Three of the four DO provide a saving throw of sorts…a roll under the Constitution of the victim prevents the auto-kill effect from occurring. However, as Con does not increase over time like true saving throws (in fact it DECREASES in AD&D…with every resurrection!) there are fairly good odds that even a low level NPC can take out a high level PC with one of these special attacks.

The last one of the four (the spy’s improved Waylay attack) does NOT have a save of any sort associated with it, but is instead represented by a percentage chance of success. However, since the success chance is based solely on the spy’s level (not the victim’s!) it’s a particularly mean effect.

Anyway, I have an increased respect for saving throws these days (and the ability of players to blow their rolls), so any B/X write-ups of new character classes will probably carry regular “save versus death” stipulations. Probably.

[by the way, I do NOT think there’s anything inherently “un-fair” about non-savable effects…whether we’re talking energy drain, Power Word Kill, or a rust monster attack. I think that D&D from its inception was full of certain irregular/unique obstacles ON PURPOSE that make the game both more challenging and less mechanical. “Dumbing down” everything to scalable dice rolls…whether attack versus armor, save versus effect, or skill versus difficulty…just turns the game into an exercise in rolling dice. And if I wanted to throw craps, I would. RPGs can be MORE than that, and the occasional “uh-oh! THAT’s outside the box!” helps to break that dice-throwing, probability-crunching boredom. At least for me]

: )

Combat with Dooku - Round 2 (Part 2)

CONTINUED FROM HERE


Chris: "What am I going to do?" I’m going to bum rush…er, Bantha Rush this geezer, THAT's what!

JB: Wait a second…I thought your new feat was “Power Attack!”

Chris: No, no…I made a mistake earlier. I meant to say “Rapid Strike” – hey, I missed anyway! But look, you can see I have “Bantha Rush” right here on my character sheet.

JB (*incredulous*): Hmmm…okay, Bantha Rush. But I’m going to remember this for the future!

Chris: Right! So I struggle to my feet as a move action and charge the guy as a standard action…I’m more than two “squares” away [rolls 13+15=25+2 for charging =27] I’ll spend a Force point on the effort [rolls 2D8 because Anakin is “Strong in the Force” and takes the higher roll of 7] That’s a total of 34, better than your Reflex defense since you’ve left your guard down. I’m knocking him over the balcony.

Lee: I’ll land break my fall and roll to my feet using Acrobatics [rolls 4+13=17].

Chris: Don’t forget damage, though! [rolls 2D8+14 and rolls up a 24 total]. Are you feeling that?

Lee: Your measly kicks don’t even come close to my Damage Threshold. You coming down here, boy?

Chris: I leap down from the balcony and attack him with a Rapid Strike!

JB: Roll your Jump…this will count as a charge if successful. [Chris rolls a 14+14=28] Good enough; continue with your attack [Chris rolls 2+14+2-2=16] Mmm. Not enough. Dooku blocks everything you throw at him.

Lee: I keep my Makashi going as a swift action, and as a standard action I’ll use my new Temptation talent to goad him. “I sense much fear in you Skywalker…you have anger but you don’t use it…you have hatred but you keep it pent up like a caged animal. Give into your feelings!” [rolls Persuasion 18+17=35 easily eclipsing Anakin’s Will defense of 26] Ha! Now you can’t use Force points without gaining a Dark Side point or suffering a Condition penalty!

Chris: You know what? I’m going to let the “hatred flow” a bit. I use Dark Rage as a swift action and press the attack…I’ll spend a Force point to keep the Rage on for the remainder of the encounter [rolls a 19+12-1 (for his mechanical arm) = 30! This gives Anakin a +6 to attack and damage]. Now rolling to hit [rolls 12+15+6=33, not enough].

JB: That’s TWO Dark Side points kid…one for the Dark Rage and one for spending a Force point. However, since you’ve chosen the Destiny “Destroy Dooku” your actions in aid of your quest will give you a +2 bonus to all damage rolls for the next 24 hours.

Chris: Totally worth it.

Lee: I attack him two-handed! [rolls 12+20=32] Hit! Damage is [rolls 2D8+16] 21 points of damage.

Chris: I use Djem So to make an immediate attack of opportunity [rolls 13+15+6=34] That beats you without your fancy Deflection bonus.

Lee: I’ll Block [rolls 7+22=29] AND spend a Force point [rolls 3D6 and takes the best roll, a 5]…that brings me up to 34, stopping your attack!

Chris: I’m going to spend a Destiny point to steal Initiative and act out of turn.

Lee: What?!

JB: Turnabout is fair play. As I told Lee, you can only do this once per encounter.

Chris: Fine by me. I make a Double Attack and I’m going to spend two more Destiny points to make each blow Critical.

Lee: No way! Can he do that?!

JB (*consulting rule book*): Hmm…Destiny points do not cost any actions to use, and there’s no limit on how many you can use per round…unlike Force points.

Lee (*panicking*): I can still try to Block both attacks as reactions right?

JB: Yes, but remember that you suffer a cumulative -5 penalty to each successive Block attack attempted before your next turn, and you’ve already used one against his Djem So attack. You also already used a Force point (for that same Block) so you can’t use any more to boost your Block checks.

Lee: Ugh! And I’m out of Destiny points, too! Oh, well…here goes! [rolls a 10+22-5=27 and a 4+22-10=16].

JB: Lee, that was pathetic. Anakin’s attacks count as Criticals, so you needed to roll at least 35s…excuse me, 41s because of his Dark Rage! Go ahead and roll damage, Chris, and don’t forget to double it; roll separate for each attack.

Chris: [rolls 2D8+22 for each, including the +2 Destiny bonus and +6 Dark Rage] Damage results after doubling is 64 and 66! However, I will use my severing strike ability to simply cut off both his arms below the elbow.

Lee: You little bastard!

Chris: Hey, “do unto others,” buddy. And you’re too dangerous with those sword hands. Don’t worry - you can always get cybernetic replacements…isn’t that what you told me?

JB: All right, all right…Lee, the first blow shears through your right wrist for 32 points of damage, the second through your left for 31. Since both meet or exceed your Damage Threshold of 33, both blows drop you an additional -1 on the Condition track for a total of -4 (including -1 for each severing blow). You’re on your knees in front of him, can only move at half speed, and receive a -10 to all defenses, skill rolls, and attacks –

Chris: Assuming you want to try kicking me!

JB: …but at least he let you live, Lee. Of course, Chancellor Palpatine is still in the background, and he tells Anakin “you should kill him…he’s too dangerous to let live!”

Lee: I refuse to beg for my life.

Chris: It’s not the Jedi way to kill a helpless prisoner.

JB: It’s your call; he IS the most dangerous leader of the Separatists with the possible exception of General Grievous. Who knows what might happen once he gets some mechanical hands. But you WILL pick up a Dark Side point if you do it.

Chris: Ah, what the hell. It’s my Destiny to destroy him after all. I decapitate him with a swift blow.

Lee: Crap…do I get to play Mace now?

JB: Sure, man. Anakin, as you free the chancellor he commends you for defeating Dooku. “The Sith was too dangerous to let live…plus it’s only natural you’d want some payback for your arm. What did you do to the Tusken Raiders, after all? Now let’s get out of this place!” He’s heading for the door.

Chris: Wait, I want to go check on Obi-Wan first…

Combat with Dooku - Round 2 (Part 1)

**CAST OF CHARACTERS**

Count Dooku/Darth Tyranus (CL 17)

Venerable medium human Jedi 7/Jedi Knight 5/Jedi Master 2/Noble 1/Sith Apprentice 1/Sith Lord 1

Destiny 1 Force Points 15 Dark Side 15

STR 5 DEX 14 CON 8 INT 13 WIS 15 CHA 18

Ref 33 For 30 Wil 33

Hps 99 Damage Threshold 30

General Obi-Wan Kenobi (CL 14)

Adult medium human Jedi 7/Jedi Knight 4/Soldier 1/Officer 1/Jedi Master 1

Destiny 11 Force Points 14 Dark Side 0

STR 14 DEX 14 CON 14 INT 13 WIS 14 CHA 10

Ref 29 For 29 Wil 29

Hps 129 Damage Threshold 35

Anakin Skywalker (CL 13)

Adult medium human Scout 1/Jedi 7/Ace Pilot 2/Jedi Knight 3

Destiny 10 Force 12 Dark Side 9

STR 16 DEX 13 CON 15 INT 12 WIS 13 CHA 12

Ref 28 For 27 Wil 26

Hps 114 Damage Threshold 27

JB, Lee, Chris, and Evan are once again playing D20 Star Wars. The latest session takes place three years in the (campaign/game's) future. All characters have been advanced the same amount of XP and aged three years. Frustrating as this is for Lee (whose elderly Dark Jedi has now passed into the realm of the venerable), he is confident that his newly gained power is more than enough to face down his nemesis foes. Francis is once again at the store getting snacks.

After a pitched star fighter battle the Jedi Knights have managed to make it to the observation bridge of the Invisible Hand warship, where they intend to free the kidnapped Chancellor of the Republic Senate.

JB: As you look for a way to free the Chancellor from his bindings, a glance over your shoulder shows Count Dooku has arrived from the upper floor balcony. Behind him are too, huge B2 battle droids. Palpatine tells you both to leave him and find help...that Dooku is a Sith Lord, more than match for you two!

Evan (*smirking*): Chancellor, "Sith Lords" are out speciality!

Lee: I tumble down to the ground [rolls acrobatics 19+15=34]. That would have been Olympic gold boys!

JB: What is everyone doing? Let's roll for initiative. Remember, we only roll ONE TIME for the entire battle...after that, you can only change your Initiative order through delaying actions. There's no need to roll Perception as none of you are surprised. [all players roll Initiative. Lee gets a 16+15=31. Obi-Wan gets a 19+9=28. Chris rolls a 9+12=21. This will be the order for the rest of the battle]

Evan: This time, we'll take him together instead of splitting up.

Chris: I was just thinking the same thing.

Lee: I'm going to use Adept Negotiator to weaken Kenobi's resolve. "Put up your swords...we wouldn't want to make a mess in front of the poor chancellor." [rolls Persuasion 19+17=36; this greater than Obi-Wan's Will defense and so his Condition monitor is moved to -1]. "Ha, I can feel your fear, Kenobi!" As a move action I activate my lightsaber, and as a swift action, I will use my lightsaber defense with one-handed Makashi.

Evan: I am going to move past Dooku using tumble and spend my standard action to aid Anakin by forcing Dooku to defend himself against me. [rolls Acrobatics 13+14-1=26; his attack roll to aid Anakin is an 8+17-1=24; Evan only needed to roll a 15 for the former and a 10 for the latter to succeed]. Ha yourself...I force Dooku to face me (my lightsaber was drawn and activated during my move) giving Anakin a +2 bonus, plus another +2 as we are now flanking him!

Chris: Here we go...just a straight move and attack [rolls a 5+15+4=24, not even close to Dooku's Reflex defense of 36]. Ugh!

JB: Your go, Lee.

Lee: I move backwards, keeping the Makashi up as a swift move, and continue to intimidate Kenobi with my Adept Negotiator, making him think the cause is hopeless. "I've been looking forward to a re-match; I was hoping you'd improved your technique." [rolls another(!) 19+17=36; Obi-Wan is now down to condition -2]. Crumble in despair, Evan.

Evan: You just keep focused on me, pal. Still assisting [rolls 18+17-2=33] and still keeping Dooku flanked. Try that attack again, Anakin!

Chris: Yes, sir! [rolls 17+15+4=36; exactly matching his Reflex and thus hitting] "You'll find my powers have doubled since the last time we fought, Count." [rolls damage 8+14=22; Dooku is down to 77].

Lee: "Twice the pride, double the fall, boy!" I'm going to Force Slam Obi-Wan while backing up the stairs, and keeping the lightsaber defense up. [rolls 12+22=34]. That'll knock him out right?

JB: It knocks him down. Roll damage.

Lee: I'm spending a Force point to up the damage. [rolls 25; Obi- is down to 104].

Evan: Not enough to keep me down. I kip up as a swift action [rolls 11+14-2=23; he needed a 15] and I'm going to spend two swift actions towards recovering back up to -1.

Chris: I'm going to do a Power Attack at -2 and spending a Force point. [rolls 7+15-2+6=26] Ugh! I was really feeling that one.

Lee: I disengage back up the stairs using a full defense, with Makashi...though still ready to make an Attack of Opportunity. I signal to the battle droids to head down the stairs and blast the good General.

JB: I'll roll for the droids...they're both rapid firing, just trying to score a critical. [rolls a 9 and 15, getting scores of 13 and 19]. No hits.

Evan: I'll Deflect both shots as a reaction.

JB: You can only redirect ONE shot per round. Just roll once for Deflect and once for the attack; the second shot misses.

Evan: [rolls 7+12=19, deflecting the first shot. The attack roll is 6+16-1= 21. Damage to the droid is 4D8+7. Ewan rolls a total of 22 destroying the droid]. Since it's my turn now I use a swift action to finish raising my Condition to -1, move up the stairs and Rapid Strike the second droid. [rolls 9+16-3=22; rolling damage of 3D8+11 and gets a total of 26, whittling the droid into several small pieces]. It's going to take more than a couple droids to stand in my way!

Chris: Now we've got him in the pincers! I'm going to assist Obi-Wan with an aid roll [rolls a 20+15=35; a bit of over-kill for a DC 10 check!]. Dammit! Why can't I roll that for an attack!

Lee: I hit Skywalker and use a swift action to continue my Makashi defense [rolls 2+20=22 and misses].

Evan: I hit him with a single attack and use a Force point [rolls 13+16+4-1=32+6 (the result of the Force check)=38, just enough to exceed Dooku's adjusted defense of 36]. Right on!

Lee: I Block as a reaction [rolls 12+22=34] and spend a Force point [+6=38]. Now it's the next round and my turn. I will grab Obi-Wan with a Force Grip [rolls Use the Force at 9+22=31, holding him fast and doing 29 points of damage reducing him to 75]. Then I spend a Force point to Quicken the Force Thrust power as a swift action knocking Anakin back into a wall [rolls 14+22=36; Anakin rolls a Strength check of 6+11=17 and flies 6 meters back taking 6 points of damage and being knocked prone]. Ha!

Chris: Is it my turn yet?

JB: Since Obi-Wan is helpless (except for one swift action per turn), yes.

Lee: Wait! I want to spend my one Destiny point to act out of turn and steal initiative.

JB: Okay, but you can only use that ability once per encounter.

Lee: As I said, I only have one Destiny point from going up a level. I sling Obi-Wan away using Move Object, hurling him under the plasteel bulkhead a few meters away, then spend a Force point to Quicken Move Object again to move the bulkhead crushing him!

Evan: You bastard!

Lee: Sorry old friend, you chose the wrong side. [rolls 10+22=32 for the hurl doing 8D6 damage for a total of 33; then rolls an 18+22=40 for the crush doing 10D6 damage for 42 points of damage! A total of 75 bringing him down to 0] That's a death I'm afraid, as that 42 certainly exceeds your Damage Threshold.

Evan: I'm spending a Force point to stay alive!

JB: No problem. You are unconscious and at 0 hit points, but you are NOT dead. Chris, it's your turn.

Lee: Just you and me, boy!

TO BE CONTINUED....