I have not talked about my Gen Con games yet, so let's get on that.
We got down to Indy a day early so we could have some extra time on Wednesday, but it also gives Tuesday to Saturday to play at night.
The Order of the Platinum Dragon continued their trek through the underdark. A few random encounters including a run-in with Evelyn (and it was so satisfying to put her mini down on the table!) the party entered the Shrine of the Kuo-toa.
Of course, I had to make my own Blibdoolpoolp statue. Though I will freely admit I spent more time on making her than she saw in the game.
To clean out the shrine of the fish people took a couple of nights.
The Order worked their way through the Underdark where they defeated Belgos and Silussia who nearly took out the entire party. They finally entered the Vault of the Drow and the City of Erelhei-Cinlu.
Saturday, our last night we started really early and got right down to it. After spending some time in the city and avoiding a cult of hobgoblin assassins the Order managed to get to the Fane of Lolth where they were able to stop a ritual.
The trouble is the ritual, while keeping out the sun, was also keeping Lolth away. Oopps!
They defeated Lolth, at least on this plane,
The Order was all sucked into the Abyss and now they are all seperated from each other.
My kids wanted to do something different for their next level, 14 to 15. So I split them up.
I am going to run a series of one-shots all set in the Abyss. I am not sure what they will all be yet, but I know one now. The group's paladin and fighter are going to spend some quality time with Liberation of the Demon Slayer! It's now a realm trapped in (or near) the Abyss and should be a lot of fun.
I had always known I wanted to use this, I just needed an excuse. Well, Venger himself gave me an excuse when he put it up for free. Oh an read my original review of it here.
This is going to be great.
Facebook reminded me that it was today, 4 years ago that we created characters for this campaign. No records were broken for advancement, but it has been a great 4 years.
Today is Day 8 and the questions is How can we get more people playing?
Big question really. I just got back from Gen Con. I saw a lot of families bringing in the next generation of gamers. But that is largely the current generation bring their kids. So unless you are having kids, you are not helping this particular issue.
I saw an absolute ton of new gamers that appear to be attracted to RPGs from "Critical Role". I can't tell how many times I heard "is this the game they use on Critical Role?" and then watching the same people drop $250+ on a game. They are young, they have some disposable cash and are willing to learn.
The biggest way through is this.
We need to stop being a bunch of Gate-keeping dicks.
Seriously. Everything from pointless edition wars to telling people they are playing "wrong" to telling fans of the game they are not really apart of the game.
Look. I get it, there is a badge of honor to be able to say "I played when the Satanic Panic was at it's height" or whatever. I even do it. But looking down on people that started after you or *gasp* don't give a fuck what you do should not be derided. Don't like Dragonborn? Fine, don't play one. But don't tell me or others they are somehow "doing D&D wrong" because they do.
I have seen a lot of people come into this hobby. And I have seen a lot leave because the gamers around them couldn't stop being dicks for ten minutes. I saw it this last Gen Con in fact.
The Buffy crossover I did with Supernatural was so much fun I thought I would try something similar only this time for my favorite genre show of all time, Charmed.
Of course, this is not the first time I have done a Charmed / Buffy crossover. Back in the days of my Willow & Tara games, I had an episode/adventure "Semi-Charmed Life".
This one though is different. This one needs to live in the world of "Sunny Valey, OH". Thankfully, while transporting the cast of Buffy to 80s requires some tweaks, I can transport the entire cast of Charmed to the mid 80s (let's say 1986) with barely a change.
Ok, what do we need to know about Charmed in 1986 for a Dark Places & Demogorgons game?
Well. For starters, the girls are all young. Their mother, Patty, has been dead now for 8 years and they are being raised by their grandmother, Penny. Penny, or Penelope Halliwell has blocked their powers to keep a warlock from feeding on them. When Patty died she kept the power block in place to keep the girls safe. Penny was no witch to mess with either. While originally a peace-loving hippie witch, she soon learned that the only way to deal with demons and warlocks was to kill them.
Leo, the girls' Whitelihter and Piper's future husband, would also be watching the girls at this point.
We have a rule in writing Willow-centric adventures. Try to avoid having her spells go awry. It is lazy writing and unbecoming of someone that is supposed to be one of the most powerful witches in the world. BUT. This Willow isn't that yet is she? She is young. She is eager to learn. So let's say that one day she finds a spell to summon a witch teacher (this is a spell I actually use in my D&D games). She takes the spell to Tara, who advises caution but can see nothing wrong with it. There isn't until Willow casts the spell and asks not for a witch tutor, but the most powerful witches in the world. She is a little shocked when she gets three girls just a few years younger than herself.
For an adventure, I would have the Charmed girls either be NPCs to the regular cast OR as PCs if there are new people.
I see Pru as being angry at first that she was transported here, then angry at grams for hiding their powers. Pru comes up with the idea of blocking grams and Leo. Pru also enjoys going on patrol with Buffy (a nod to their real-life friendship).
Piper would be the most out of sorts and the angriest. I can see her having the most interactions with Willow; the both have issues with witchcraft to work out.
Phoebe would find this to be a great adventure and, this is 100% Phoebe, she is the one that learns Tara is in love with Willow.
Grams will scry for the girls, not get them, yell for Leo then yell at him. She will eventually find them, 100% safe and sound. I would not be too surprised if she didn't have a word or two with Willow.
Now my first Buffy/Charmed crossover has such a great title. What should I call one from the mid-80s?
Episode Title: How Soon is Now?
Pru Halliwell
Born: 10/28/1970
Age: 15*
(assuming early in Season 2, 1986)
Class: White Witch Level: 5 (temp)
Alignment: Good
Languages: English
Background
Lives with an overprotective grandmother. Acts as stand-in mother for Piper and Phoebe.
Class Abilities
+1 to saves involving magic, +3 to courage saves, healing touch 8/day, heal at double rate, summon light, see in darkness, advantage on saves, immune to fear, talk to animals and plants, create potions
Skills
Art +5, Math +1, Science +1, Knowledge (History) +5, Paranormal +4, Botany +3
Possessions
(none)
Money: none
Spells
Minor (4), Major (1)
Power: Telekeniss.
Piper Halliwell
Born: 08/07/1973
Age: 13
(assuming early in Season 2, 1986)
Class: White Witch Level: 3 (temp)
Alignment: Good
Languages: English
Background
Lives with an overprotective grandmother. Acts as peacemaker for Piper and Phoebe.
Class Abilities
+1 to saves involving magic, +3 to courage saves, healing touch 5/day, heal at double rate, summon light, see in darkness, advantage on saves, immune to fear, talk to animals and plants
This is hosted every year by Dave Chapman over at his blog AUTOCRATIK.
Today is Day 7 and How can a GM make the stakes important?
For me the GM can make the stakes important by getting player and character buy-in early on. While the normal carrot for adventurers is the gold, that might not be enough for some groups.
In my "Come Endless Darkness" games there is over-riding issue that the sun is out and the sun gods are all dead. The characters are invested because their world is in danger. The players want to keep playing in this world so they are working hard, even doing things they would not do if gold was the only motivator.
Of couse, if the stakes are important, then the rewards need to be equally important. One of my players is even asking what it takes to become a god now!
External motivation is good, but internal motivation will help get worlds built.
It's Monday and my first "live" posting of #RPGaDAY2018 since it started. So let's do it!
This week starts the "HOW" questions with How can Players make a world seem real?
There is actually a lot that players can do to be honest, but I find a couple of things really help the most. Invest one on who your character is and what he/she was "before" this adventuring life and what they plan to do afterward. Make their character into a whole person.
Also, players can interact with the world at a level the DM can't. They interact with all the NPCs, monsters and these interactions can help make the world seem more real. The DM can build the world and fill it with all sorts, but the players provide the needed glue to make it feel like a whole.
DMs and Players working together. Sounds great to me.
Currently, my favorite is in my Order of the Platinum Dragon game. She is an elven princess turned thief name Evelyn, or as she known in court, Lady Nightshade, heir to the House Nightshade and the Summer Throne. She has shown up, usually captured, in adventures going all the way back to my running of B2 Keep on the Borderlands.
She will reveal who she is if the players find the Deep Gnome encampment in D2, maybe even this weekend!
So many over the years. There was the annoying assassin Kirkroy that plagued my characters for years. I have used a vampire, Mal Havoc, to do the same to others.
I think my most memorable one had been the evil necromancer Magnus. He was the big bad of my 1st ed games, constantly appearing to either taunt or try to kill the PCs. He also, at times would help them, if it also helped himself.
