As our Gamma World sessions come to an end it was time to start something new.  Tristan stepped up to the plate with the D&D second edition adventure Reverse Dungeon.

Now Reverse Dungeon is different from most D&D adventures as it actually puts you in the shoes  of the bad guys.  Well, I say bad guys but I guess it’s all a question of perspective.  Once you step into the Goblin mindset you suddenly realise that Goblins are a runt species just trying to survive…(Do Goblins even wear shoes?)

Unlike the heroes 3D6 you only get 2D6 for all your Abilities, except for Constitution where you get an extra +1 to the roll and Charisma where you have a Gobshite disadvantage of a -2.  So you can already see these guys are at a massive disadvantage and it’s no wonder you have to roll five characters. They’re not destined to last that long in this vicious hero filled land….

My Gang of Gobshites

So after character generation it was time to get into the ROLEPLAY and when I say the word ROLEPLAY I mean it…

Squeaky voices, foul language and the feeling that you wouldn’t turn your back of any of the little shites as they would steal your mother to trade her for mushrooms at the drop of a hat. (Goblin women apparently are quite low down on the social chain so trading them for mushrooms is probably quite a good deal – hate the game not the Goblin)

Playing from the other side of the combat with unwanted heroes turning up was quite an experience and gives  you a better understanding of why these creatures, who are only trying to survive, act they way they do.

Next up my first session report from the Reverse Dungeon….

…DG Out!

So, in my last post I was wondering if I was leaving out too much detail in my gaming sessions. Well tonight was the first session where I specifically wrote a lot more detail about the surroundings and even planned some of the skill checks to add relevant details that would otherwise go unnoticed.

Was it a success? Most definitely.

Not only did it help describing the areas the players were visiting but it also let me relax and enjoy the DMing more.

Gone were the worries about making up every last detail, allowing me time to concentrate on other areas of the game. Only problem? Not having to worry continually about what would happen next speeded up the game quite a bit and we blasted through all the area that I had described in detail. Balls and bugger! I was back to making things up again.

Was it a total success? Not not really.

I think that I created work by describing in detail areas that were not even used, this made some encounters missed opportunities.

So what could I do differently and what did I learn?

Yes, it’s all about the details but it’s also about the feel of the characters surroundings. Not everything has to be described in vast detail, just think about the feel of the surrounding. Come up with some descriptive words that define that area and think about how you could use them. Imagine what the character would be sensing and convey it to the players, they can then use their imagination to create the world their characters are living in.

The adventure I ran tonight would have been better if I had some descriptive sentences about the streets and a few descriptions of the run down houses. These do not have to be about specific houses at set locations but just a general piece of text that could be read to reinforce the imagery. Then describe specific locations where players are likely to visit in more detailed way. I would limit this to approx.100 words so you don’t send the players to sleep.

This experience has really opened my eyes to how enjoyable being a Dungeon Master can be. I can’t wait to create more of the world for my players to visit.

What do you think is important to planning a adventure? Do you have any pointer to give? Please let me know as I would love to hear from others about their DMing experiences.

I have been doing this Games Mastering for a while now but I’ve always wanted to improve and provide a better game experience for my players.   One of my bad habits is giving as little detail as possible just to get the players into the next fight.

Recently I added a forum to the Drunken Goblin website to start discussions with other GM’s to see if they have any pointers.  The first thing I wanted to ask about was world detail:

How much detail do you give when running a game?

After reading the comments I can see that I need to improve my planning stage.  I usually have a rough plan in my head and make things up as I go, but this puts me on the spot and doesn’t allow me to add many details to the encounter.  So its time to take it to the next level.  The first step is to look at where we left the adventure and rewrite the recap for my last session adding more details.  After telling the group my plans I will read it out at the beginning of the next session. Then I need to add descriptive set-ups for each planned encounter adding as much detail as possible ahead of time.

Here is the example I have written for Tuesday session:

Recap

Rune jabs the end of his torch against the webbing attached to the naturally formed stone bridge. At first they seem reluctant to catch but with a spluttering sound the strands finally start to burn. Erdan clinging to the web above pushes away from the attacking spider and makes a jump for the safety of the bridge and his companions below. Just making the jump with helping hands of his friends, Erdan stands up slowly brushing dust from the knees of his trousers.

Set-up

You stand in the darkness watching as the webbing continues to burn, slowly at first but accelerating quickly. As the flames move higher you notice blinking stars have started to appeared above you, then you realise the points of light are actually the flames reflecting from crystals embedded in the rock ceiling high above you. You hear sounds of heavy impacts below and in front of you a burnt carcass of a spider lands on the stone bridge,  slowly it slips off the side and falls into the darkness below.

As the last of the webbing burns itself to ash the darkness returns to the cavern leaving the torch as your only illumination. The heavy impact noises below begin to slow and then cease. Silence returns giving everything a muffled feel and the damp coldness of the air starts to penetrate your clothing.

I think that’s quite a nice start but I will let you know how the session goes…

If you like your D&D old style then ENworld has just published an article right you your street.

Detailing clones of your favourite D&D RPG editions from 1st right up to 3.5 including some which are free.  This article is well worth a read…

http://www.enworld.org/forum/columns/310462-retroclones-older-d-d-editions-updated.html

OK, so I know I have stated before that I didn’t like the D&D 4th Edition system…

…but there is something about it that just keeps on pulling me back into the d20 fold. Whether it’s the Wil Wheaton, PvP and Penny Arcade videos / podcasts or the fact that I have spent £££’s on the books, I’m not sure.

So this time I decided to push the boat out and write my own campaign. The first thing needed was to get back into the swing of using At-Will, Encounters and Daily powers. So, how best to introduce the players to the new world…by the classic battle in a tavern.

To set the scene I used narration to describe an old dwarf telling the story of the battle to a young child. This allowed me to throw the group into the battle without the need of much back-story, I could deal with that at a later date.

Scene 1 – Encounter – The Battle in the Bedrooms

The first encounter I designed was a rude night time awakening.  The Eladrin was woken from his trance by the sound of muffled screams and smashing plates from downstairs.  This was followed by the sounds of running from outside the door and screams coming from the other rooms.

Awakening the rest of the group they encountered a raiding party of Kobolds and goblins killing all the guests at the inn.  The group were not having this and beat the green buggers into a pulp.

So what did I learn from this encounter…

Having a bottleneck on the board, in this case a 2 space doorway, doesn’t lead to a very tactical game.  In fact it limits what the players can do as a group.  Once those spaces at the door are taken up and the enemies have the other side there’s not a lot the players can do.  In fact it got so bad one of the party shoulder charged the wall trying to break through.  He was then able to flank the bad guys in the hallway.

So the first thing I learned is give the part space to manoeuvre.

**UPDATE** Ok, so while talking to a member of my group he pointed out that this might not be a bad thing.  It made the players think of other ways to interact with the situation.  So now I’m thinking that putting problems in the characters way may not be that bad a thing to do….Mmmm, time to think about this some more, lols.

Scene 2 – Encounter – Pub Punch-up

Once the group had secured upstairs it was time to proceed downstairs to the common room.  Here they faced a group of Goblin minions and a slightly harder challenge in the form of a couple of Hobgoblins and a Hexer.  The group were worn down and their healing surges were running low but they were able to overcome their foe.

So what did I learn from this encounter…

Mixing up the enemies the group encounter is a must.  The Hexer throwing curses from the back of the room gave the party a goal to focus on.  Having all the same enemy in the encounter makes it predicable and a group of enemies that compliment each other on the battle field make the scene feel more alive.

So the second thing I learned is give the party a goal to focus on.

Scene Three – Encounter – Backroom Brawl

With scraping noises coming from the back rooms the group had the smell of blood and were off.  Opening the door they came face to face with a Beast Master and his three wolf companions who were on top of the tables helping themselves to the inns provisions.  Let’s just say they did not get to desserts…

So what did I learn from this encounter…

Again an issue with the doorway.  It was at this point that I realised that the Fortitude boosting magic shield I gave to the tank was not much use in this situation.  I swapped it out next session for a bashing shield allowing the players to move enemies.  I realised that Magical Items can assist in areas where the group has weaknesses.

So the third thing I learnt is give the party fun useful Magical Items.

So now I have some planning to do for the next session…

Recently my gaming group took a two week break and I suddenly found myself a player without a group.  So I thought this might be the perfect opportunity to try out a roleplay session at a friendly local  gaming store.

The first thing that needs to be addressed is what is it with gaming groups meeting up on Tuesday?  Seriously I think all gamers have decided that Tuesday is the day for gaming and typically that’s the day my group meet up.  Its just bloody typical, but hey that’s the way it goes…anyway.

So I contacted the game shop and they were happy to pass on my contact details to Marcus who was running a D&D 4th edition adventure.  After a few emails back and forth I was all set,  my ranger character had been vetted and had come back with a seal of approval.  So on Tuesday I grabbed my character box and I was off.

What followed was a great couple of weeks of gaming and I want to say a big thank you to the guys:

Marcus – for putting up with me correcting rules.

Casper – for introducing me to what can only be described as the most colourful characters I have ever seen.

Dave – for using his girlfriend’s sorcerer as a meat shield when she was unable to attend a session.

Anna – for all the Arcana checks and the most LUMINUS green cake I have ever seen.

The Games Bunker Guys – for making a wandering gamer feel welcome.

Keep up the good work you guys…..Thank you!