Wednesday, October 31, 2012
Wednesday, July 13, 2011
The Journal - pg. 1
Midday -
We've reached the edge of the so-called Lost Wood. After some discussion, we've decided to make camp approximately one mile away from the tree line. Some of those with me need time to calm their nerves despite my reassurances that the reputation this place has is only the result of the lies of a corrupt government before the war. Rather than force the issue, I've decided to give them the rest of today, and all day tomorrow, to rest and prepare. I'd rather waste a day or two than have the simpleminded fools panic and run off.
From where I sit, the forest appears to be a very peaceful place. The foliage seems healthy, with no obvious signs of blight. I've cast a few detection spells and found no sign of the supposed enchantment about the place. I suspected as much before we even set out, but it is good to have my suspicions proven correct.
Evening-
That idiot apprentice of mine spent so much time muttering about his "bad feeling" that he burned my dinner. I almost wish I'd left him behind. He is so obviously frightened to be this close to the forest that I took pity on him and only gave him three marks for the disaster he made of dinner. I, graciously, told him that instead of the full beating he deserved, he would be required to stand an additional watch every night for the next week.
The wind has changed direction, and my weather sense tells me tomorrow will be sunny and warm.
We've reached the edge of the so-called Lost Wood. After some discussion, we've decided to make camp approximately one mile away from the tree line. Some of those with me need time to calm their nerves despite my reassurances that the reputation this place has is only the result of the lies of a corrupt government before the war. Rather than force the issue, I've decided to give them the rest of today, and all day tomorrow, to rest and prepare. I'd rather waste a day or two than have the simpleminded fools panic and run off.
From where I sit, the forest appears to be a very peaceful place. The foliage seems healthy, with no obvious signs of blight. I've cast a few detection spells and found no sign of the supposed enchantment about the place. I suspected as much before we even set out, but it is good to have my suspicions proven correct.
Evening-
That idiot apprentice of mine spent so much time muttering about his "bad feeling" that he burned my dinner. I almost wish I'd left him behind. He is so obviously frightened to be this close to the forest that I took pity on him and only gave him three marks for the disaster he made of dinner. I, graciously, told him that instead of the full beating he deserved, he would be required to stand an additional watch every night for the next week.
The wind has changed direction, and my weather sense tells me tomorrow will be sunny and warm.
Thursday, July 7, 2011
Vision
I'm going to deviate a bit from my normal policy of posting campaign-specific notes that, frankly, are only of interest to my own group of players. The reason is because I've noticed an irritating trend among DMs. I'm not sure what the cause is, or if it's always been there, unnoticed by me. Maybe it's just because I'm getting old and cranky, and I think my way is the right way.
In any event, this fairly new irritation is this tendency to describe things from a top-down perspective. By that I mean describing a room, cave, building, whatever as it looks from above. A literal top-down view. I don't know if it's because so many people play MMORPGs, where your camera is always above the character, if it stems from battlemats and minis, if it's from watching television and movies, or if it's not a new thing at all and I was just never bothered by it before.
Don't do it. Unless the characters are actually above the place, of course.
When a character or group enters a location, and you give a description, describe it from the character's point of view. Think about what the characters see, hear, smell, and feel. If the tallest character, as an example, is 4' 5", the party isn't going to be able to see what's on the other side of that 5' high bookshelf unless it's something taller than 5'! Instead, tell them there's a bookshelf to their left that is obstructing the view of part of the room, and be ready to give more detail about it. Let yourself see the room from the door, and describe it that way.
Vision isn't the only sense characters have. Perhaps there is a faint creaking sound, heard only when the characters stand still for a moment, coming from behind the bookshelf. Maybe there's a scent of roses overlaid with the stench of rotting meat and burning tallow. The air might feel warmer, or colder, or more damp in here than it did in the hall. There could be a slight vibration of the floorboards in time with the creaking sound.
The same applies for your monsters or NPCs. They have blind spots too. Unless they are flying, they can't see everything from above. If one of the characters is silently drawing a sword, the zombie child in the rocking chair certainly isn't aware of it without some magical means to see on the other side of the bookshelf.
Sure, as the DM, you know where everything and everyone is, but none of the fictional characters or monsters do. Use that. It builds suspense. It invokes a sense of reality. It draws your players in, and gets them more deeply involved. Don't squander the opportunity because it's easier just to toss everything on a battlemat for everyone to see.
In any event, this fairly new irritation is this tendency to describe things from a top-down perspective. By that I mean describing a room, cave, building, whatever as it looks from above. A literal top-down view. I don't know if it's because so many people play MMORPGs, where your camera is always above the character, if it stems from battlemats and minis, if it's from watching television and movies, or if it's not a new thing at all and I was just never bothered by it before.
Don't do it. Unless the characters are actually above the place, of course.
When a character or group enters a location, and you give a description, describe it from the character's point of view. Think about what the characters see, hear, smell, and feel. If the tallest character, as an example, is 4' 5", the party isn't going to be able to see what's on the other side of that 5' high bookshelf unless it's something taller than 5'! Instead, tell them there's a bookshelf to their left that is obstructing the view of part of the room, and be ready to give more detail about it. Let yourself see the room from the door, and describe it that way.
Vision isn't the only sense characters have. Perhaps there is a faint creaking sound, heard only when the characters stand still for a moment, coming from behind the bookshelf. Maybe there's a scent of roses overlaid with the stench of rotting meat and burning tallow. The air might feel warmer, or colder, or more damp in here than it did in the hall. There could be a slight vibration of the floorboards in time with the creaking sound.
The same applies for your monsters or NPCs. They have blind spots too. Unless they are flying, they can't see everything from above. If one of the characters is silently drawing a sword, the zombie child in the rocking chair certainly isn't aware of it without some magical means to see on the other side of the bookshelf.
Sure, as the DM, you know where everything and everyone is, but none of the fictional characters or monsters do. Use that. It builds suspense. It invokes a sense of reality. It draws your players in, and gets them more deeply involved. Don't squander the opportunity because it's easier just to toss everything on a battlemat for everyone to see.
Wednesday, July 6, 2011
Well, I didn't see that coming.
This isn't really what I made this blog for, but it's become popular enough that I guess I'll post it here anyway. It's a little story I shared with the folks on the WotC forums. Yes, I am the original author, in case you were wondering.
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So there I am, watching my group bicker (in character) about how to get into the Temple of Akargon to retrieve the Rod of Improbability that's rumored to be there. The little one (she's 7), comes in from the next room, taps on one of my player's shoulder to get his attention, and says "I've got the key I can sell you."
Now, most groups would probably drop out of "game mode" at this point, humor her, and get back to playing. I don't play with most groups.
The player says to her (still in character) "What do you want for it?"
"Five thousand gold" she replies, "and an ice cream cone."
"An ice cream cone?! What's that? More to the point, where do I find one."
"There's an ice cream store over near the school, but they're closed now."
"What if I just give you six thousand gold instead?"
"Okay, six thousand gold...and an ice cream cone."
"No. No. I meant six thousand gold and no ice cream."
"No ice cream, no key." she says with her hands on her hips and a scowl on her face.
"I'm not sure it's worth it. We could just kick the door down."
"If you don't have the key, the guards will kill you. They're really tough. You'll never get to the door to kick it."
"According to our sources, there are no guards. Besides, a few soldiers shouldn't be much of a problem."
"They're statues that come to life if you don't have the key." [note: this is news to me]
"We can handle a couple statues if we have to."
"There's a thousand of them."
Another player chimes in (also in character). "If she's even half-right, we're going to need that key. I say we get her her ice cream. We're wasting time."
First player: "Okay, little one, we'll get you some ice cream. How do we find you when we've got it?"
"I live here, silly. I'll be in my room." She says, and heads off. [another note: the characters were having this conversation in a burned out ruin in the middle of a barren wasteland]
The characters head off on a quest for ice cream (minus one player, who went to the store to buy ice cream and cones).
Just thought I'd share.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
So there I am, watching my group bicker (in character) about how to get into the Temple of Akargon to retrieve the Rod of Improbability that's rumored to be there. The little one (she's 7), comes in from the next room, taps on one of my player's shoulder to get his attention, and says "I've got the key I can sell you."
Now, most groups would probably drop out of "game mode" at this point, humor her, and get back to playing. I don't play with most groups.
The player says to her (still in character) "What do you want for it?"
"Five thousand gold" she replies, "and an ice cream cone."
"An ice cream cone?! What's that? More to the point, where do I find one."
"There's an ice cream store over near the school, but they're closed now."
"What if I just give you six thousand gold instead?"
"Okay, six thousand gold...and an ice cream cone."
"No. No. I meant six thousand gold and no ice cream."
"No ice cream, no key." she says with her hands on her hips and a scowl on her face.
"I'm not sure it's worth it. We could just kick the door down."
"If you don't have the key, the guards will kill you. They're really tough. You'll never get to the door to kick it."
"According to our sources, there are no guards. Besides, a few soldiers shouldn't be much of a problem."
"They're statues that come to life if you don't have the key." [note: this is news to me]
"We can handle a couple statues if we have to."
"There's a thousand of them."
Another player chimes in (also in character). "If she's even half-right, we're going to need that key. I say we get her her ice cream. We're wasting time."
First player: "Okay, little one, we'll get you some ice cream. How do we find you when we've got it?"
"I live here, silly. I'll be in my room." She says, and heads off. [another note: the characters were having this conversation in a burned out ruin in the middle of a barren wasteland]
The characters head off on a quest for ice cream (minus one player, who went to the store to buy ice cream and cones).
Just thought I'd share.
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