Adding a Horror Element Into Any RPG

There are role-playing games (RPGs) designed to take horror as the main theme, like horror novels. Games designed around the concept that there are events and things making people jump, or squirm, or go mad. However, there are elements of horror in most stories, those we read, see, hear, and play. Elements of horror are important in storytelling because they help in creating the mood for the people experience the story as it unravels to them. A problem with many RPGs is the elements of horror aren't used, skimmed over, or, even more common, missed by the players.

The party of adventures break through the doors of the unholy shrine after fighting through the cultist minions. They are facing the evil high priest who is standing behind a sacrificial altar. Spread before the priest is a scene of gruesome proportions: blood and body parts spread out and beyond the altar—blood has splattered to the corners of the room. The iron scent from the blood mixes with the incense and charcoal burning in the five braziers set at the points of a pentagram. And, the air is full of the moans of more cultists chained to the walls on either side. The wails take on an unworldly proportion. Each moan escaping their lips comes out a black wisp moving and curling together to make a cloud above the sacrifice.

The next move is, the party attacks the priest and dispatch the chained cultists.

The element of horror designed into the encounter becomes lost on the players as they are involved in the building of the story. The goal here, therefore, is to provide a mechanic allowing players to experience some level of the horror without slowing down the action or story building taking place.

This mechanic is based on a d20 system and it can be easily translated over to other systems. It is designed to give guidance and not to be an absolute rule.

A Character's Sanity Score

The Sanity score is an independent score that is adjusted like hit points through game play. The score reflects the mental health/strength/sanity of the character at the given moment in time.

From Night of the Living Dead

Characters start with a sanity score of +4. A game master (GM) can start at a higher level if they feel the characters have a better grip on events. The basic of the discussions held on the starting points is summed up here.

The argument for higher scores is that adventuring characters are subject to the horrors of adventuring so they are not as easily affected.

My argument for a lower starting number is most characters are not used to seeing these types of horrors. Further, in the discussions I noticed the argument was based more on what the players and GMs noted they had heard and faced over years of gaming from the viewpoints of different characters. Descriptions are given in adventures, but the full impact of the visual, odor, feeling of the scene is not as easily represented when players are focusing on the strategic elements of the upcoming battle.

As characters advance, their sanity score increases by 1d4 per level. This reflects the increasing mental fortitude of the character as they have become exposed to more horrific events and scenes. This combined total is the maximum sanity of the character. More on this when talking about recovery of sanity.

Creating a Horror Rating

Encounters are given a horror rating by the GM. This is purely a subjective number. At first, I put together some guidelines for how to score this rating. But, after discussions, it was easy to see each GM had a different concept of what they classify as horrific for the campaign they were running. For example, orcs are raised to a different level of brutality than merchants in colonial America. This also allows for the use of a lower starting number of points because the GM can moderate the horror rating of the encounters

Not every encounter needs a horror rating. When running an adventure and the scene is fitting to the campaign, the characters would probably not consider it to be horrific. Placing a slaughter house in an adventure would have very different impacts on characters from different eras.

Exposure to more horrific scenes will always have an impact on a character. This means any horror rating of 15 or greater will always have some effect on a character. Whereas, lesser scores may not.

Sanity Score Versus the Horror Rating

From Nosferatu

If the horror rating is equal to or less than the character's current sanity score, there is no affect. The character is mentally strong/sane enough to deal with the encounter. If the horror score is greater than the character's current sanity score, a check is required. Roll a d20 and add the sanity score to the roll to determine if there is an affect. When the combined total is equal to or greater than the horror rating, there is no affect. Otherwise, the character loses 1 point to their sanity score.

Any encounter that has a horror check of 15 or more always takes 1 sanity point from the character when they succeed a check, or 2 if the check fails.

If a player rolls a 1 on the d20 it is an automatic failure.

Example

The party rushes into the room encountering the evil priest amidst a sacrifice. The GM has decided the mixture of sight, sounds, and odors are enough to warrant a horror rating of 20.

Diane, playing a fighter, has a current sanity score of +25. The scene shakes her up a little, but because her sanity score is higher than the rating, she doesn't need to make a check. She loses 1 point and her sanity score is now +24.

Bob, playing a wizard, has a current sanity score of +16. He makes a check. The d20 rolls a 15. The 16 is added to the 15 for a total of 31, success. But, since the scene is so horrific his sanity score still goes down by 1 point to +15.

Dave's character comes into the room with a sanity score of +15, and he rolls a 4. Dave missed the check. He loses 2 point (1 for missing and 1 for the scene being above a 15) and his score adjusts to +13.

What This Does for the Players

This is not an absolute rule, or table to check against, telling players what is happening to their character and how to play them. It is provided as a guideline: a score to help them stay in the storyline with what the characters are encountering.

Film festival of fantasy, sci-fi, and horror

Consider any positive score as maintaining a sane state of being. The higher the score the more grounded the character is in their reality. The closer to zero the score gets the less stable they are becoming. The stresses of adventuring is slowly and steadily wearing their mental state down.

If a character reaches zero on their sanity score, their mentally state is in question. The further in the minus they go the worse they become. At -10 they are insane, which can only be cured magically, or through serious therapy.

Each player decides for their character how the character reacts. This might sound a little loose, but everyone responds differently. One person might develop a phobia, while another might do the opposite and embrace what they are seeing. Character quirks and flaws can develop over long or short term. They might go quieter, hoping to hide away from more encounters, or get louder. Giving the players the liberty to develop how they play allows the character's individual "sanity" to play a part. In playtesting one player started using it to argue for the group to turn back, even though most everyone else had been unaffected by what they had encountered.

Regaining Lost Sanity

Regaining points to a character's sanity score requires the character to spend time doing something to get balance back in their life.

Personal activity can be done to restore a sense of well-being, or balance. Exercises (like yoga, mental exercises, performing kata, martial training) or mediations (spending time in a comforting surrounding) or common forms dealing with stress. The surrounding would be a place the character is comfortable. This provides 1 point over 4 days of rest or activity where a least 2 hours a day are spent on the activity. This type of activity is individualized. What some people find relaxing others don't. The idea is to have the characters take some down time, relax, and deal with some of the stress they have been living through.

Counseling can be done in a group, or individually with a trained counselor. Counseling sessions are at least 1 hour in 1 day. And, a character needs 2 sessions (2 days of counseling) to regain 1 point. This is with a group, or counselor, who understands that what the character is seeing is in fact real. If the group or counselor don't believe the character, then the number of days is doubled (same as doing it on your own, but with less time each day).

Some activities can combine the personal and group activity and the best of the combination would help restore a person.

A recent horror read (review)

When dealing in magical settings, clerics could be used as counselors and spells can be used to restore sanity. This can be done along the same lines as curing wounds with spells designed to help the mental state instead of the physical (i.e., Cure Light Mental Infliction, Calm Nerves).

This sanity score works in different settings equally well and can be easily added in at any time. Along with the player who was trying to talk the party to retreat from possible more encounters, another play-tester used their misses as a guide to how they responded in the encounter. Both players used the score in different ways to enhance their role-playing.

The party advances into the room. The fighter charges forward letting out a war cry of her Amazonian tribe. The wizard steps to the side of the doorway and starts casting a spell targeting the evil priest. The cleric enters and stumbles a little from the scene. While the cleric gathers himself to focus on the gathering dark mass above the altar the thief pushes around him. The smell rocks him back on his heels for just a moment and he stuffs a cloth in his mouth to breathe through as he moves towards the cultists on the right wall.

Originally published on Stuffer Shack.

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Main Political Structure of Hork, a city of Orcs

From Lord of the Rings

Adjusting the City of Hork to a Location

In building the city of Hork I started out in a generic setting. However, due to some comments I received, the information presented for Hork will be part of Forgotten Realms by Wizards of the Coast. The responses have also been about developing in the older d20 systems so that it can be easily converted into Pathfinder and another system (they didn't say which one).

Main Political Structure

There are seven major tribes in the city of Hork. They continuously fight between themselves to better their political position. The fighting is rarely in the open, but there are times when the blood overflows into the tunnels. When one tribe is known as the attackers, there is almost always a level of retaliation from the attacked. Every tribe has decent numbers of warriors,           but retaliation by the smaller tribes is usually limited away from bloodshed because they would have a harder time of a war of attrition.

Alliances are common. The strength of any alliance is always in question. For, an alliance is only as good as it is serving your needs.

The Seven Main Tribes

After the King of Kings (Black Fang) there is no specified order of who is the next in line. Orcs are not well known for creating organized lines of ascension. Unless, there has been some level of influence pushed as one King of Kings ages the transition could break into a major battle. Two actions have prevented this breakdown so far. The first is the sitting king of the Black Fang has handed over his sit to a son before his death, and the temple of Gruumsh has blessed the new king as the rightful leader.

Black Fang

King (King of Kings): Tuagout

Black Fang has maintained the ruling seat since the conquering of the city Several times it has come close to losing control, but has come through each time. One of the major reasons for its ability to maintain power is its connection to the power of the priests of the temple of Gruumsh. The Black Fang also have a larger fighting force because they have taken control of smaller tribes that have entered the city, and instead of killing the new orcs, adopted them in as tribesmen.

Orc LARPing in Denmark

Leg Breakers

King: Spakak

This tribe of orcs has always kept to itself and maintain little control outside of their own area in an isolated set of tunnels. The tunnels are easily defended by orc and trap, making it hard to do any real damage to the tribe. The Leg Breakers took the heaviest losses when capturing the city and found a place where they could rebuild. Over the years, they have expanded their border slowly and methodically to maintain their protectiveness. This tribe, in many ways, is one of the best organized, especially in military matters.

Dark Death

King: Kollodob

In one of the higher levels of the city, close to one of the city gates to the surface, Dark Death has taken control. This tribe has maintained a stronger connection to the surface world than any other city tribe. This has played out for them in two ways. The first is they have members who are better on the surface, including the highest-ranking druid of the city. Kollodob has also maintained political connections with surface tribes of orcs and other monstrous races.

Fire Wolves

King: Looshik

It's understood by most orcs that Fire Wolves are connected with the assassins' guild. In fact, this is more of a ruse than anything else. The guild acts in its own interest, and not for any particular tribe. Because the rumor really only goes through the common orcs, and doesn't hurt their business, the guild has not tried to end it. Fire Wolves have allowed the ruse to continue so they can work on their own agenda with less interference.

Blood Swords

King: Gordung

Deeper in the tunnels of Hork, the Blood Swords have established their tribe's home. The Blood Swords control one of the major routes into the underdark. Their work in the section of tunnels has led to protecting the city from a couple of attacks from dwarves and they have been honored in the city. The Blood Swords have been expanding their territory out of the city and into other tunnels.

Dark Hammer

King: Abgod Queen: Uhucki

From Giantbomb

Abgod is the political front, but Dark Hammer is run by queen Uhucki. Within the tribe, the orcs know Uhucki is the voice to listen to, but they maintain the appearance that Abgod is their king for political reasons. They have built a stronger hold by working in areas of commerce. This has been by controlling the trade in one form or another. Dark Hammer is probably the richest tribe in the city, and they use the money for well-placed tributes (bribes) to maintain control over the flow of goods. They have been at odds with several bands of "smugglers." Not that what the smugglers are doing is illegal in the city, but they are circumventing the control Dark Hammer works to maintain.

Oozing Eye

King: Kruckak

This is currently the smallest tribe, or so it is believed. They don't get involved much with politics of the city and work on maintaining a control of the seedier elements of the city. They are willing to work with outside forces and have stronger connections than most realize with non-orc strengths. They are in a lower section of the city, away from Blood Sword territory. Unknown to most in the city, Oozing Eye controls a smaller entrance to the city, which they use to enter and leave the city without other tribes knowing.

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The Dark City, Hork: Political Power Structure

Orc King by Mananedo on Deviant Art

As a city ran by orcs, Hork is a place where leadership is based on strength and power. The Black Fang tribe has been able to maintain the controlling seat, but a large portion of that is because the clan has also been able to establish strong ties with the main temple and its ruling priests.

There are three main power based in the city of Hork. The tribes are the first level of political power by maintaining the most visible source of physical strength. The temples and priests are next. They demonstrate some of the same traits as the tribal leaders, but also maintain a level of under-current manipulation of politics because they can stir the hearts of the common orc. The last is the combined strength of the thieves' and assassins' guilds (or are they one), which have more control of what happens when a distraction draws the citizens of the city to look the other way.

The Tribes

There are seven major tribes of orcs in the city, and many smaller ones. The tribal structure is considered to be the main social structure, even though there are a number of other influences. Each of the seven major tribes has their king sitting on the Kings' council. Calling it a council is a loose term. The main authority is still in the hands of the Greater King, who, since the founding of the city, has been the leader of the Black Fangs.

An ever shifting balance is maintained between the Greater King and the Lesser Kings. The balance is almost always in a position of falling. But, it is maintained by a system of gifts, bribes, assassinations, alliances, and whatever else the different kings can use to advance their personal or tribal cause.

Alliances between tribes exist, and, like the rest of the politics, always in flux. Orcs are usually not subtle and maintain a level of order through many shows of force and intimidation. And, even though they are not as good at ruling by intrigue like other races, there are individuals who are capable practitioners. Each tribe, and many other organizations, maintain their own standing forces to use in protecting their interests. Many times, the only thing keeping full scale battles erupting in the tunnels of the city is the knowledge of retaliation.

The Temples

Orc Cleric by Ogurec-Ubica on Deviant Art

The orc priesthoods in the city are another potent force that allows some coherence between the tribes. The priests are from different tribes and are bound by their oaths to the temple they serve. The smaller tribes are overly represented in the priesthood (along as in many of the guilds), because of the additional protection the membership gives.

Like the tribal leaders, orc priests work to protect the interest of their chosen temple and deity. The conflict between the temples is not as open, but just as active. The orc Gods enjoy war and a show of strength and are known to reward those who demonstrate their worship in such a manner. Thus, small battles between the temples are more common than the tribes. It really is not uncommon for a lesser priest to go on an errand in the city and not return.

The clergy have continued to develop their ability to influence the kings as the voices of the Gods. Priests who are members of the stronger tribes can bend the ears more easily. But, even those from the lesser tribes eventually have some influence because the strength of the temple can provide enough influence in arms and followers to make a point in a council meeting.

The Guilds

Orc Assassin by Benedickbana on Deviant Art

Throughout Hork there are many guilds to help the lesser citizens gain some protection through association. The different trade guilds look after their own, and members who become skilled at what they do are found to be worthy of protection from other more powerful patrons. Each guild works at making their members valuable to the ruling classes and the strong individual citizens.

Two guilds, the thieves and assassins, have developed a place in the fringe of the workings of the other elements of power by being able to provide their particular brand of influence. They have never been seen openly as promoting a political agenda. The leadership is always cautious of maintaining a certain type of neutrality. So, when power is shifting the guilds can take advantage of the situation without losing their station.

Those in power in the city need to be prepared for the challenges their positions gain them. Each maintains their strength on different levels and ways. The level of intrigue in what other cities would call the royal court might not seem subtle to an outside observer. But there is also political intrigue taking place in other parts of the city: the markets, homes, back halls, and dark corners.

Along with the main political power sources there are individuals who exercise their will. The ebb and flow of strength shifts constantly and only those participating in the taking or power watch closely to maintain their positions.

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Creating a Dark City, of Orcs

Orcs from Lord of the Rings

Many campaigns touch on the idea of having a non-human city, a dark city, a city in the underdark. Creating these cities are really no different than creating cities game masters (GMs) create along the surface of their worlds. And, they don't have to be fantasy settings.

Dark cities can exist on other worlds, in other dimensions, on the space station orbiting the planet, or the island of pirates. Every one of them will have a reason for starting and flourishing. But, the reasons may be a little more nefarious. The same elements come about in the many of the same ways. The trade goods are probably different and acquired in a different manner, but, if the basic elements of the city aren't there the location wouldn't last.

In a recent conversation several GMs of different levels of experience were discussing some of the differences between a dark city and a regular city. in the conversation it was mentioned that several would like to have a dark city established in their campaign, but didn't want to put the time into its creation.

I've covered some basics about creating a location—how a town starts, then grows. I don't think it would do any good repeating those articles with just twisting it to a darker location, so I plan on approaching this in a different way.

I present to you the city of Hork. I have worked on Hork for over the years and have used it to one degree or another in different campaign.

You can use what I present, but I doubt I will be able to ever present it all, just like the other locations I have done, but I can hopefully give you a feel for the general atmosphere of the city and a number of locations and people (creatures) that live there. I understand time constraints and therefore give you the option of using what is presented as is or interweaving it into your locations.

Background of the city of Hork

Hork is a rough translation of the word home in the orcish language. And, for a number of generations now thousands have called the city their home. Just like in cities created by other creatures, some residents of Hork are born in the city and live out their entire lives there. It is a city of many races, a place where the differences might be more tolerated, in exchange for the "good to the society" they provide.

How the orcs came to live in the city is under some speculation as there are different histories, depending on who you talk to.

Orc history

A number of generations ago the chief of the Black Fang tribe, Kurruck, was given a vision of becoming a great tribe by overpowering the tribal enemies, dwarves. He took his vision to the tribal shaman who spoke to the strength and the truth of the vision from the orc gods, for it was the will of the gods for the orcs to be triumphant. Kurruck shared the vision not only to his own tribe but also to other tribes. Other shamans spoke to the truth of the vision and the leaders of the other tribes made Kurruck the Great War Chief, without a fight between the tribes.

The army of orcs marched on the city of dwarves and the dwarven gods left the short people because of the fear of the orc gods. The outer doors were torn asunder and the orcs marched in slaughtering the short warriors that stood against them while the women and children fled out secret passages.

The city was claimed and the tribes claimed the halls as theirs. Kurrick was made the first Great King of Hork. Guided by the shamans, Kurruck created the ruling council of kings, the leaders of the tribes that fought to capture the halls. Since then the orcs have ruled the area, above and below the surface.

Drawf by babagannoosh99 of deviant art

The Black Fang tribe is still one of the strongest orc tribes in the city, and seldom has it been out of the Great King's throne. And, then, only for a short period of time.

Dwarven history

Several generations ago during the time of transition between two kings in the halls of their ancestors the city was betrayed by an evil priest, legends now call him Pyrite, whose plans were thwarted by the dying king and the son who was to replace him.

Pyrite opened the gates of other planes while his servants worked at opening the gates of the city both to the lower caverns and to the surface, allowing hordes of enemies to swarm in. It was only through the work of the evil priesthood on the inside of the gates that allowed the city to fall. Most of the warriors, and many of the women and children, were killed by the advancing forces along because of the treachery.

Dark Elf history

For many years the high priestess Shebet worked to influence the dreams and demeanor of the weaker minded races around her city.  With her underlings and the wizards she slowly influenced the orcs, the dwarves, and several races in the deep caverns. Her goal was to accomplish put her own home in a state of relative safety. She manipulated specific individuals of the lesser races to believe they were on a holy quest of their gods, when, in fact, she they were doing her biding at the request of her god.

The dark elves watched as the races clashed, and relished the destruction that was created. They only threw in at the last when it appeared the dwarves might be able to secure the lower gates and consolidate their lines of fighting.

The dark elf wizard released their magic to unleash dark creatures into the city, creating more chaos for all the races in the battle. Each of the dark forces in the battle claimed it was from their gods, while the dwarven defenders cursed the traitor Shebet had nurtured.

The dark elves allowed the orcs to claim the city. Hork provides a buffer between the surface world and the dark elves. It is now a place the dark elves feel they can more easily manipulate. The orcs love to trade for the goods and services the elves can provide, even when they don't fully understand the price they are paying.

Who lives in Hork

The city is a mixture of races like most major cities. There are members of what most consider the dark, or monstrous, races. There are also those who come from the fairer races who live in the recesses of the city of Hork. Those who are drawn to the darkness or just hiding from the light.

Welcome to the city of Hork. Make sure you can show your strength because the weak die, or worse.

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Creating New Encounters by Providing a Twist to What You Already Have

Avid role-playing gamers are known to learn about the monsters they expect to encounter, especially players who also are game masters (GMs). This has made for a steady market for expansions for new monsters. But, then the race is on once again, as the players get a hold of the expansion and soon know about the new monsters. There are some "tricks" a GM can use to bring in "new" monsters their players won't know. Here are some ideas in creating monster encounters that will keep players guessing what they are running into.

I am not the only GM who has prepared a new role-playing game (RPG) adventure and wonder what monster I can use as an encounter that my players won't know. Since my gaming group has members who have been playing Dungeons and Dragons for over thirty years, and most of them over twenty, when we play they have a good understanding of the monsters in the standard works and many of the outlying supplements. Providing an encounter where they don't immediately know what the monster is, and how to defeat it, can be a hard hurdle to get over. This isn't just the long standing classic games either, players like to be prepared, and GMs can prepare as well.

Dealing with this escalation of knowledge can be handled in different ways. One of the popular ways is to buy another book of monsters for your game system. These books can be great resources for you to use and as long as there are enough people buying them, companies will keep writing them. These books provide a multitude of monsters to draw upon. For this to continue to work for surprising your party, you need to make sure others in your gaming group are not dipping into the pages. These additional books are great for games with complex creature building systems and you don't want to spend the time building up a new encounter.

Many people like building new monsters. Building your own creations allows you to specialize the monster to the setting, adventure, and encounter you want to run. Another advantage of having the monster be your own creation is you control the information. Unless you give it out, no one at the table is going to know the monster they are encountering. The downfall for creating these monsters is the time involved in making your creation.

I have used another method of creating encounters which is quicker and easier, and you can still surprise your players. I use existing monsters and provide variations to the look, stats, or another factor of the monster already presented. This has worked with my home group and where I have GMed a game at an open gaming table. Let me provide a couple of examples of what I have done recently.

 

I was GMing a party beginning characters, with new and experienced players. I wanted to make sure the new players would get the awe factor of the encounter without the experienced players voicing their knowledge about what was happening. The group entered a swamp and a number of creatures were swimming up the open channels and surrounding the small island the party was camped on. I described the creatures as overgrown frogs of 3–4 feet tall when they stood on the ground. The experienced players were making judgements of what the characters were seeing based on the players knowledge of the monsters. None of them were able to discern what they were really encountering. The new players were given the opportunity to play out the encounter without corrections about how they described it, or the actions they chose. In simplicity, I had changed the description of kobolds and gave them claws instead of spears.

I did a similar twist with another group of experienced players. They party was moving along a road through a forest and found a small outpost besieged by short, odd-shaped lizardmen. These were lizardmen straight from the Monster Manual with a twist on their description and fighting tactics. Because they didn't fit into the knowledge some players already had about lizardmen, the players maintained a steady conversation about how to handle them. They started referring to them as prehistoric lizard folk, further back in the evolutionary line. (That worked well because I used that point further on in the adventure.)

This also works well for larger, bigger, and meaner monsters. In past adventures I have used the statistics from a race of giants and with only minor changes and presented them to the party without them knowing what to do. And, who says a dragon has to look like a giant lizard? Yes, it makes them look mean. But, Asian dragons have always been described differently. With a little bit of a change a dragon can appear like a giant dog, a long coiled snake, a lion, or even a ferret. The concepts of demons and devils also open up great tweaks to existing statistics. The main block of statistics can be used with only a change in the description.

Even with my most experienced players, the changes in description and minor adjustments to abilities has kept them guessing at what they are dealing with. The other important item I have learned is, even when players are not meaning to, a certain level of meta-gaming occurs. To provide an encounter that limits the meta-gaming, don't work straight from the books. Players who also GM know the books, if they see where you are referencing in the common book of knowledge, they will have ideas of what type of creature you are working with. This, in turn, will modify their play. Keep your monster notes on another piece of paper, notebook, or laptop away from view of the players. This will help keep the suspense higher, which, in turn, will modify how the players react.

Another easy way of hiding what the party is encountering is by hiding them in plain sight. Use the hidden traits of skill, feat, advantages, training, or whatever is available in your game and drop them on a monster. This can be done as easily as changing a movement from climbing to swimming. I also reuse other resources.

I have also collected character sheets of player characters and non-player characters to use. When I need an easy encounter I have one already worked up. A few fast adjustments and it's ready to go. I did this awhile back with an encounter with orcs. The main part of the encounter was the basic abilities of a past character party with the stats dropped on the orcs. I have also done this by recycling the stats of an encounter from modules others have written. There is a wealth of available encounters in adventures from the past.

Creating your own adventures is rewarding. When you're running a campaign and have a regular weekly game, there is pressure to create new and exciting things for the rest of the group. It takes time to create the wonders when you have to do them from scratch. Luckily, there are years of material you can use, adjusting it to meet your needs and desires. I have never had players complain about me using these tactics to create adventures. Many times they were pleasantly surprised when they found out what I had done. With this strategy of creating encounters, I know at least one person who has taken up the position behind the screen because it alleviated some of the fear of running a game.

Originally posted on Stuffer Shack.

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Introducing New Game Systems to Your RPG Group

My group is not always sure what game I am going to be bring to the table. One thing I like to do when reviewing any game is play it. Reading through a rulebook gives a certain feel for the game, but actual play brings to light the uniqueness of the game, and why it does, or does not, stand on its own. This regular introduction to new games has led to the need of learning how to present a new role-playing game (RPG) system to the group.

Many convention gamers know what it is like to sit in on a game they have never played before, but there is a difference between playing at a con and playing with your home group.

Most convention games are designed to be played at one sitting. There are the leagues and societies that allow play of outside characters in a shared world, but when you step away from those tables the RPGs you're getting involved with are broken down into two other areas: the familiar game you don't get to play often and the new games that interest you. But, again, these are usually designed to be played at the con. How these games are presented to players works well for conventions and there are ideas that can be used with home groups.

Pre-generated characters are almost a must for convention games. When running a one-shot adventure with players who are not familiar with the system in a limited amount of time means you need to get things up and running. The game master (GM) therefore prepares the characters ahead of time with the pertinent information for the player. I saw the opposite done a year ago when a Shadow Run game was working to help new players create characters before the game. They spent almost two time slots, total of 6 hours, to complete a 2 hour adventure. At the end the new players I saw leaving the table had fun, but were done with the game because it took too much in time and mental energy to get started.

Getting the group started is the key. The difference with the home group is the GM is usually setting up an adventure that will go to go longer than one gaming session. I used to think it was acceptable to spend an entire game session preparing characters to start the next week. I found I was wrong. My players were showing up to the game to play. Learning how to create new characters, and spending all the gaming time creating new characters, was a waste of an evening for most of the players. In learning that, I thought it would work to give people a time frame to have characters created to start on a certain day. That failed. There will always be situations keeping people from getting the character built. So, I stepped back to setting things up like a game for a convention. There are some does and don'ts.

Don't treat your home group play like a convention game. Convention games are fun. They are one-shots designed to heighten the experience of the game in a short adventure. I only know of a couple of gaming groups that like playing one-shot adventures on a regular basis. Players like to have long-term characters they can work with, develop, and keep playing. More of the problem I have seen is people like to have their own characters. If your players are like mine, they want the character to be something they created, not a pre-generated one where they are playing the personality someone else created. This creates a problem when introducing a new system to your group. You need a quick start with something that introduces the game and be continuous with characters they built.

From the trials and errors of introducing new games on a fairly regular basis, my group has come up with a system that is working well. This process takes a little bit of time outside of the gaming session, but then provides a quicker, easier start when the game gets rolling.

Provide a rough sketch of the system to the players. The players need to know enough about the system/setting so they can follow the structure, even before they are completely comfortable with the system. I now give my players a quick write-up about the system in a couple of paragraphs. Start with what is familiar and then provide the basics of what makes the system unique. Give only a synopsis. Too much information usually leads to a quick death of starting the new game.

Provide a simple explanation of character types: abilities, classes, advancement, etc. This provides the players some ideas about how the characters tie into the premise of the game. Again, don't go into a lot of detail about everything, the details will develop as the group plays and learns the game.

The GM then gets the players to tell what type of character they want to play. We do this in simple terms. Usually in a discussion after a game, phone call, text, email. Don't try to get a full backstory on the character. For a new campaign I am building the responses have been as simple as, "a field medic with military background," "a street thief," and "a scientist who is trying to prove he's not going crazy."

The GM now does the harder part of character creation. Take the system to be introduced and build the mechanics of the character to fit the information you were given from the player. Don't create the backstory or personality, just the mechanical parts. Giving this back to the player on the start of the first game session allows them to drop the personality they started onto the framework.

An example of how this works.

I think everyone is familiar enough with the Star Wars universe. The presentation of the setting is simple: players are going to be rebel special unit sent out on missions against the empire. The mechanics are dice based with a pass/fail system that is open to stronger narrative from players and the GM. Characters are developed on using a skill based system tree-system, higher branches in the skills require pre-requisites.

The players then could say the basics of what they want to play. There could be the sniper, melee combat specialist, the force sensitive, a pilot. The GM takes the information and builds the character's skills to the desired level to start and then gives the character sheet to the player to drop the personality on top.

If the players give some clues to a backstory they are developing, the GM can add those into the mechanics of the character. "I am a geologist wanting to prove I am not going crazy because I suffer from claustrophobia."

I have found when I give the character sheet to the players, they have been working up the personality of the character since they told me about it. They can think about the personality without having to write it down. Now they have a place to write it down, and, usually within a few minutes players are ready to start the adventure and experience a new game system.

There are a lot of great games out there. I know some people don't want to try new ones. But if you want to give a go on all of the possibilities of gaming, give it a go. Check out the myriad of experiences you can have with your friends at your gaming table.

If you have a comment, suggestion, or critique please leave a comment here or send an email to guildmastergaming@gmail.com.

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More On Equipment; Following Up Conversations

Same picture of 4th edition equipment

I didn't know how the tracking of a character's equipment was affecting the roleplaying games people were playing. My article, Do You Have That On Your Character Sheet, generated a number of comments and discussions. There are different ways of handling the equipment issue: some game masters (GMs) are strict about how items are recorded while others are more fluid with their game (and, by-the-way, this covered the spectrum of wanting detailed lists to I don't give a frack). Neither is a problem. How the game runs is part of the agreement between the GM and the rest of the players in the gaming group.

I was reminded how some games use an all-inclusive system of an adventurer's availability of equipment. In the systems I have seen where this is used the character purchases a supply of a limited number of items that are not predetermined. When a character needs an item like rope, grappling hook, small clay pot, bag, etc. it is one of the uses of the gear pack. The limit is drawn with being items of lesser expense and of a non-magical nature. When this was brought up in discussion it was loved and hated.

Another way of dealing with the issue is the use of skills, advantages, feats, or another method the system provides for character enhancement. The one that were quickly pointed out was a character who is a scrounger, or having the ability to gadgeteer, or McGyver. The idea put forward was to allow the player character come up with a method of finding what they need, or making an improvised item. Kind of how my example in the first article went at the end. The person who presented this use is a little more flexible with his group.

When the party hits a point where they need something that they don't have, he allows for a check to be made at a level of difficulty he feels is appropriate for the item needed and where the party is at. If the player makes a successful check the character finds something that is suitable to use, the better the check the better the substitute. He did point out that he has one player who has become reliant upon the skill check, which at times creates an oversimplification of the encounter the party is facing.

This brings me to how this plays into GMing style.

I am over-simplifying this into two styles, which really are on a multi-linear scale and not opposing. This is based on the conversations and breaking the main lines of thought down. It really was more complex than this, but I do try to limit my articles in length so they can be easily read in a single sitting. The first style is going for the combat experience and the other is going for the puzzle solving.

Those who embraced the concept of easily available equipment were GMs who like to keep a game moving quicker and are more interested in cinematic games with high adventure. When dealing in a campaign, or adventure, based on the combat that is going to take place, getting there isn't really the focus of the game. The characters need to arrive at the appointed place, sometimes by an appointed time, to face off against the adversary. When running this style the equipment a character has isn't all that important and not having the right item plays against the plot.

Those who were set against the idea felt it gave too much leeway to the players, and allowed the players to easily foil an encounter meant to make them work through a problem. This style has more non-combat, puzzle solving encounters as part of the plot. When these encounters are used equipment becomes more of an integral part of what is happening. The situations require the players to work through the puzzle, or obstacle, to achieve their goal and the limitation on equipment plays into that scenario.

I enjoy writing both types of encounters. I've had entire game sessions without a weapon ever needing to be drawn, except for affect. Other times, there have been sessions which were one continuous fight. Both are good and both are fun. Most the time there is a combination of the two so we can create the ebb and flow that comes with every good plot.

The biggest takeaway I had from the conversations is the need of having good communication between you, the GM, and your players. Let your players know ahead of time how you are going to run your game.

If you have a comment, suggestion, or critique please leave a comment here or send an email to guildmastergaming@gmail.com.

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Do You Have That On Your Character Sheet? Handling Equipment In an RPG

4th edition adventurer's pack

Your party has been tracking down the dragon across the wilderness. Travelling over the plains took a long time. The forest was full of minions who harassed and ambushed you. Now, mountains loom ahead as you near the location of the creature's lair. Blocking your way is a deep gorge you need to cross and you are running short on time.

The wizard has assessed the distance and the fighter figures he can throw a grappling hook across the fissure so the thief can cross so you can make a rope bridge.

Confidently the fighter's player states, "I secure a grappling hook on the end of my rope and throw it across into the branches of a tree on the other side."

The game master responds, "Do you have a grappling hook written down on your character sheet?"

Everyone around the table stops, looks at each other, and then scan the sheets of paper sitting in front of them.

The equipment owned and carried by a party can be a regular point of contention in role-playing games (RPGs). It doesn't even matter what genre of game you are playing. And, even though, the example given above is along the lines of what most people (especially character players) think about, it also goes in other directions.

You can have the player who has listed every possible item on their character so they have it at a moment's notice. They have carefully neglected the fact of weight and they're playing a halfling who is carrying over 800 pounds of equipment in a normal backpack—but they did put their potions in their belt pouch so they wouldn't get broken.

Citadel's Complete Adventurer posted on Groblor-Littlemen

Depending on the story you are playing, the equipment being carried can be a crucial factor, or it can create unnecessary obstacles. Having different ways of handling equipment situations can create a better gaming session so everyone is having fun and the story isn't dragging. And, much of this is going to depend on the style of campaign you are running.

Characters working for a larger force, like Stargate, Monster Hunters International, or members of the king's loyal servants, are in settings where there is easy access to equipment before leaving on the individual adventure. I've run a merchant campaign where part of the concept was the party's wagons (could be a spaceship) have supplies that characters can easily pull basic items out of them. All of these settings a certain amount of ease for having the equipment available so the story doesn't slow down. These styles of campaigns can also cause problems.

The ease of these types of campaigns can also create a level of distress—if you are allowing the players to have access to all available basic equipment, you are allowing them to have all the basic equipment. For some adventures the trick becomes deciding what to take for the immediate activity. This has led my players to create some interesting prepared equipment lists. They have packs pre-packaged for different expected encounter settings, i.e., tombs, city, unknown space derelict. In one way this has given someone, or all of them the role of a quartermaster. As the GM, it allows me to create an adventure without concern about simple needs.

I know other GMs who do this by having adventure packs. These are usually undefined packs of equipment for the characters. The idea is the same, they have all the basics they would need while adventuring. The biggest argument I have heard from both players and GMs about this type of equipment availability is that it presumes that every character is either carrying the same items, or that choice of equipment doesn't matter. I have even had some players not want this open-ended supply of equipment so they must come up with ways of working around not having a lantern or a torch when they reach a cave entrance. It might be a way players define a character.

Equipment choice can play a role in the character's personality. This is demonstrated in books, movies, and real life. We all know people who have and need a particular item. Those items define how the person sees themselves and their profession. My father was a chef and he had his knives. I know people who wear scrubs and lab coats because they feel it is part of their uniform. Allowing, or having, players to choose their equipment gives the player an opportunity of defining their character and associating with them.

Not all players are concerned about the equipment their character is carrying. This is where the GM needs to know their players. If you have someone who enjoys tracking every torch, arrow, and burlap sack, let them do it. If you have players who are the other end, figure out a way to let them have the equipment readily available.

The players who want to have all the equipment, and have it all written down, are in the extreme middle. The laden down halfling is a variation of play every experienced gamer has seen. This takes a different level of handling because you don't want to take everything away from the player, but you may need to create a balance with the other characters. You can probably figure out a way of carrying or storing everything. You can take it a step further and have the players, or player, maintain a list of what the party has in their collective possession.

Ral Partha's Complete Adventurer posted on The Stuff of  Legends

The burdened character could also use pack animals and hirelings (these are separate topics that needs articles of their own).

There are also campaigns where the entire party has been shanghaied and lost all their equipment and supplies. In these campaigns the equipment and how the characters take it along become part of the adventure.

It all comes down to the choices you want to make as the GM. Most of the choices need to be made before the game begins. GMs usually know their players before sitting at the table. Use that knowledge of who you have in the other chairs. Create the situations that work best for them, you, and the adventure you want to play. Other choices come during game play. Decide how critical to the story is that grappling hook? How you answer the questions as they arise will direct the style of your game and the direction of the current adventure.

Role-playing games are about having fun. Keeping that fact in mind helps create a better situation.

No one in the party has a grappling hook. At first everyone looks at the GM with a mixture of hate, hope, and despise. Stares continue for a moment until the dwarf priest speaks up, "I have my hammer we can tie a rope to." The thief takes the hammer and starts securing the rope to the wrist thong.

"It's a lot heavier than a hook and not really designed for throwing that far. But, it might work." The fighter takes the hammer swings it around in a circle and lets it fly.

The first throw, along with the second, falls short.

The wizard speaks up, "Wait, I have a scroll that might help. On the next one, throw it higher up and I will use magic to push it across and over the branches."

The party succeeds on the next attempt. They cheer each other on as the thief starts crawling along the rope to the other side.

This article was first published on Stuffer Shack.

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A Help for Maintaining Pace in an RPG Adventure

In a conversation with some game masters (GMs), we got into a discussion about some of the issues we have faced over the years. Most of the issues GMs face with in their groups are temporary ones based on the mood of the players and how people are responding to the events in their daily lives. There isn't much we can do as a GM about those issues, but provide a good game. There are different elements in a good game and part of that is the pacing of the adventure.

Every good story, game, movie, book, has good pacing—how well the story moves along from beginning to end. In the more traditional tabletop games this is done with the mechanics of the game, and some of the same basics apply to Role-playing games (RPGs). However, because RPGs are designed to give players a wider range of options the pacing of the game becomes more about the application of the mechanics and not just the mechanics being used.

Application of game mechanics is a balance between player and character wants. There is a balance needing to be struck between what the characters know, understand, and would consider acceptable, against those the players have. Players have another level of knowledge based on the mechanics the characters are playing under.

Players are not always trying to metagame or manipulate the game mechanics for their advantage, even though we have all met those players who will squeeze the rules (I believe this is the main reason rulebooks keep getting thicker). Everyone has a natural disposition to look at the situation they are in and try to make it better. The GM then has the responsibility to allow a level of manipulation without overtaking the game completely.

Curtailing some of the manipulation of the mechanics helps the game's pacing. This allows players, and thus characters, to move from the mundane events to the action-packed ones.

This doesn't require creating a new mechanics on top of your game system. And, the idea I have for you doesn't have to be applied every time. You can apply it in a general sense and then allow the circumstances in the game to direct you easily to the times you find you shouldn't apply it.

Create situational responses that allow a single check for the group.

From Spreadshirt

For example, the party is carefully making their way through the pirate's castle on the alien world to rescue the young son of the merchant prince. The long empty hall has couple dozen closed doors. The first party member steps up to the first door and declares they listen at the door to determine if there is anyone on the other side. They don't hear anything, so they step aside and the next member repeats the action. Because the second party member doesn't hear anything either, they step aside for the next member of the party. And, this continues until somebody in the party hears something, or everyone has pressed their ear near the crack of the door. Then, they move on to the next door.

This level of action becomes tedious.

Creating a situational response before the adventure begins can allow this encounter with the doors to move quickly. The players decide which character is best for listening at doors and how the rest of the party is acting during that encounter with the closed door. Everyone understands the character who has the best chance of hearing something is listening for the entire group—if they don't hear something, no one else will either.

When the party enters the hallway with this pre-planned setup the GM can have already determined at which point the "party" hears something. This allows the story to move past the mundane action and get the party to exploring the rooms, or moving down the hall, quicker and easier.

This concept of group rolls can be applied to other actions. If you find there are times where your game slows down because everyone is taking the same action to confirm a result, hold a quick chat with the players and see if that would be a good situation to apply a single roll for the group.

One of the GMs in our discussion says he allows a bonus to the party for doing these types of rolls. This gives the party an additional reason to go with a single roll. Another GM told how he applies this same idea on his own. Whatever the result of the first character attempting to do something is, it becomes the result for the rest of the party. I think that might be a little extreme for my group. However, I must admit I can see where in the past if I had taken this action, it would have been a good thing.

There are times when the group roll doesn't work. Those times are usually obvious during play. We also allow players to repeat the action if they can give a good, in-character, reason for doing so.

In preparing adventures I can use this setup to create a much faster paced game. For checks that are made by the GM, instead of waiting until the time of the action I can have predetermined some of the information the party has gained. When I have done this it has worked well and allows for a more during a game session.

If you have a comment, suggestion, or critique please leave a comment here or send an email to guildmastergaming@gmail.com.

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