#RPGaDAY2018 DAY 17: Describe the best compliment you've had gaming.

What do we have today?

DAY 17: Describe the best compliment you've had gaming.

I have had some FANTASTIC experiences while playing games.

I used to run Ghosts of Albion games at Gen Con a lot.  Every year I would get the same group playing my games.  They told me, and others have as well, that would play ANY game I would run.
I thought that was a nice compliment.  These guys came from thousands of miles it was my games they enjoyed the most.

Interestingly enough, after I stopped running Ghosts (to enjoy the con more with my family) I played in a Buffy/Supernatural game.  The same guys were that too.
In that game, I got praise from the GM for playing the best Piper she ever had.

Kickstart Your Weekend: 5th Edition Players Guide to Aihrde

I want to feature this one again because it just looks like so much fun.

5th Edition Players Guide to Aihrde

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/676918054/5th-edition-players-guide-to-aihrde?ref=otherside

I LOVE Castles & Crusades.  I Love 5th Edition. But right now all I can get people to play is 5e.  So this feels like a good compromise.

Plus there are still plenty of stretch goals to unlock!

#RPGaDAY2018 DAY 16: Describe your plans for your next game.

What do we have today?

DAY 16: Describe your plans for your next game.

The Order of the Platinum Dragon are going to be split up in the Abyss and need to work to get back to each other.   One of the characters, the Dragonborn Paladin will actually be sent back in time to Abier the lost world of the Forgotten Realms to fight the Dragon lords.  It should be a lot of fun.

I am working with the players now to figure out where each of their characters go. Someplace nasty to be sure!

Can't wait to do my Year in the Abyss!

The Witch of Loch-Durnan

One of the things I love about GenCon are the booths selling cheap games.  There are lots books from the dismal 90s and a ton from the dawn of the d20 boom.

The Witch of Loch-Durnan was from the d20 dawn published by Mystic Eye Games who had a lot of cool books back then, some I still use.

This book though has vexed me.
First look at that Jhoneil Centeno art.  I can't recall seeing his work before or since.

Then I could never find it online at a decent price and there is no PDF to be had for money or love.

The 72-page adventure was written by Andrew Thomson. It is for four characters 5th to 7th level for the 3.0 flavor of the d20 system. There are some new monsters or more to the point a system of generating new mutations of monsters like scorpion dogs and goat men.

Then there is the eponymous witch herself.

Mellie, is the witch of Loch-Durnan.  She is also the central figure of this adventure.   Reading this makes me realize that this might in fact be the missing piece of my War of the Witch Queens adventures.  She certainly is worthy to join their ranks.

Mellie - The Witch of Loch-Durnan
for The Witch: A sourcebook for Basic Edition fantasy games

Female Half-elf
Witch 4th-level, Chaotic Neutral
White Witch* Tradition
Flock of the Moon Sisters Coven

Abilities
Strength: 14
Dexterity: 14
Constitution: 10
Intelligence: 10
Wisdom: 16
Charisma: 17

Saving Throws
Death Ray: 13
Magic Wands: 14
Paralysis or Turn to Stone: 13
Dragon Breath: 16
Spells: 15

+2 to magic based saves

Hit Points: 12
AC: 8
To hit AC 0: 19

Occult Powers
Familiar:

Spells 
Cantrips (5): Dancing Lights, Detect Magic, Ghost Sounds, Mend Minor Wounds, Message
First (2+2): Charm Person, Mend Light Wounds, Protection from Spirits, Speak with Animals
Second (2+2): Augury, Evil Eye, Knock, Mind Obscure

*The White Witch is a type of witch featured int he Hunt the Rise of Evil campaign from Mystic Eye Games.  It is pretty much what you think a white witch is. Non-evil, focused on healing, protection, and divination magic.

Pretty close to her d20 counterpart.  I like it! Can't wait to use her as a Witch Queen!

#RPGaDAY2018 DAY 15: Describe a Tricky RPG experience you enjoyed.

Here we are, the half-way mark!

DAY 15: Describe a Tricky RPG experience you enjoyed.

Back in my later college days, my old High School DM had moved down to my own.  We were not gaming together at this point; I was working on getting into grad school and he had a new girlfriend if I remember right.
But anyway he invited me over to help him run the "Nightmares of Barovia" adventure option found in I10: Ravenloft II House on Gryphon Hill.

He introduced me to his group and we began.  I ran Ravenloft II and everytime they characters fell asleep he would pick up with the same characters in Ravenloft I6.

We had to keep track of various things that players were totally oblivious too.

We played it at a marathon session over a Halloween Weekend.  This was back when my school (SIU) through some pretty notorious Halloween parties, but the city had shut it all down the university was send everyone home.

The adventures were great, individually.  Together...welll I don't think anyone at TSR actually ran the "Nightmare" option.   But it was great.  Though by hour 36-38 I was done.

Still it was hard, lots of juggling and so, so much fun as a DM.  I would do it again in the drop of a hat, but I'dd need someone that whose style would be a good match for this.  Plus we would need to meet ahead to discuss how to handle things not covered in the two adventures.

I'd also need a group of players that know of Strahd, but never played anything with him in it.  Or at least never played I6 or I10.

It would be fantastic!

#RPGaDAY2018 DAY 14: Describe a failure that became amazing!

Day 14, We are at the two-week mark!

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Today is day 14 and the question is Describe a failure that became amazing!

Hmm. That's a cool question really.

We have all had failures and some of mine have been spectacular failures!

One of mine was this old combat simulator we were working on for the Tandy Color Computer in BASIC.   The first big run a black dragon attacked my ninja, basically pulping him in the first attack and then spending the next 400 hp of damage in attacks on my poor dead ninja!

It was quite amusing to watch.

Another great failure was the first magic system of Ghosts of Albion.  I had been challenged with improving on the already great magic system from the Buffy game.  Version 1.0 was not it.  Version 1.0 had some additional rolls and other effects but it was all noise.  More to the point in the playing these extra fiddly bits slowed down play to a breaking point.
My playtesters were gleeful.  But, I did tell them to break it, and they did.

I went home with the tattered bits of my game and my pride and sat in front of my monitor, clueless about what to do next. When it hit me it was like lightning!  I trimmed it down and made it faster. And now the magic system is the jewel in the crown of Ghosts!

#RPGaDAY2018 DAY 13: Describe how your play has evolved

Lucky Day 13!

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My play has evolved?

Well for starters as a GM I no longer try to memorize rules.  Instead, I go for ease of play and general rulings.  For modern games that is pretty easy to do. D20 systems are all d20 + mods compare to a TN.  Unisystem is similar.

So I try to be more relaxed and let the game flow.  If that also means that the game goes in interesting places I had not planned, cool! Let's see where we are going.

I guess too I work more with the players than against them