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A little handy gaming advice #1: How to be invited back to a game table.

Started by The Good Reverend Roger, February 10, 2011, 04:57:59 PM

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Triple Zero

Quote from: The Good Reverend Roger on February 10, 2011, 07:08:43 PM
Quote from: Cramulus on February 10, 2011, 07:04:32 PM
what's that?

If the party clears a dungeon level/encounter region in one session, without their characters leaving the dungeon/etc, I give them a 10% bonus on all XP gained on that level/region.

Heh. I thought a "cleansweep bonus" referred to bonus XP for those who'd help clean up the table afterwards :)

We had something like that, not for cleaning, but for keeping the party journal. I forgot what the bonus was in D&D, but we also played Vampire with the same group, where we got 1XP for keeping the journal that night (1XP actually means something in Vampire). We still took turns, however, cause nobody liked the hassle very much, and the XP bonus always barely made up for it. But the next week (and especially the years after, just like a real journal) it was very useful to get a quick refresher what happened last time (there were always some minor details or just funny shit that you'd have forgotten). It was also a rule that whoever wrote it would read it aloud next week, because most of their handwriting was terrible (not mine though, I used to draw (non D&D) cartoons for a long time, no use if nobody can read the text balloons hehe).

Another thing was the DM would indeed give bonuses for good roleplaying and such, but always just a tiny bit, not much in relation to what everybody gained from the encounters that evening. He'd ask everybody to tell what their character had learned that evening. Which I thought was a really good way to get the players think about that sort of thing, progression of their character outside of just plain stats.

In another group, the DM would grant 1 XP (in D&D, so pretty much nothing)if somebody would crack a particularly good in-game joke or do something odd but awesome. Nobody ever leveled over a joke, of course, it was just his way of showing appreciation for really fun game moments.

Quote from: The Good Reverend Roger on February 10, 2011, 09:58:55 PM
Quote from: Requia ☣ on February 10, 2011, 09:55:05 PM
I do have to somewhat agree with Cramulus here (even if he is a filthy 4E player  :lulz:) Different people have different playstyles.  I'd *never* be able to run a game for Roger's group (though I do like playing in that style as well), my games are far too story oriented, and lack much in the way of encounters (a combat heavy session will have 3 fights).  It works great for the people I play with though.

GAH!

My players would have my ass if I showed up with only 3 fights.  TGG, in particular, tends to eyeball townsfolk if there's too much time spent buying shit, etc.

Buying shit is boring indeed, but we were never able to fit more than 3 or 4 fights in a night. I dunno, a good encounter always takes at least 20 minutes in our groups. But then, that was D&D 3.0, I believe they streamlined combat quite a lot in newer versions.

Additionally, we always had some characters that just weren't very good in a fight, but reading these gaming advice threads, I am now of the opinion that was not always a good idea. Cause they usually weren't very good at most other things either ... :)


About tabletalk, in one group (the longest running one, that played D&D and later Vampire and then back to D&D again) we always had the convention that in-character talk was in English, all the rest in Dutch. Since most in-game names and items and whatnot were english as well--oh and of course the dialogue from prefab adventures :)
Ex-Soviet Bloc Sexual Attack Swede of Tomorrow™
e-prime disclaimer: let it seem fairly unclear I understand the apparent subjectivity of the above statements. maybe.

INFORMATION SO POWERFUL, YOU ACTUALLY NEED LESS.

Requia ☣

Heh, thats a hell of a use for being bilingual (or however many languages you dutch really know, I've heard stories).
Inflatable dolls are not recognized flotation devices.

Triple Zero

We did shortly consider the idea of Common=English, Dwarfish=German, and Elvish=French ... :lol:

(not that the Elf in the party could speak more than a few half-sentences French, he didn't like it)
Ex-Soviet Bloc Sexual Attack Swede of Tomorrow™
e-prime disclaimer: let it seem fairly unclear I understand the apparent subjectivity of the above statements. maybe.

INFORMATION SO POWERFUL, YOU ACTUALLY NEED LESS.

The Good Reverend Roger

Quote from: Requia ☣ on February 11, 2011, 11:33:40 PM
I've never heard of a hobby shop hosting RPG games, they usually give the table space over to the wargamers and the CCG people.  You just have to know people really.

Um, every gameshop I've ever been to outside of a mall has a game area for RPGers.
" It's just that Depeche Mode were a bunch of optimistic loveburgers."
- TGRR, shaming himself forever, 7/8/2017

"Billy, when I say that ethics is our number one priority and safety is also our number one priority, you should take that to mean exactly what I said. Also quality. That's our number one priority as well. Don't look at me that way, you're in the corporate world now and this is how it works."
- TGRR, raising the bar at work.

The Good Reverend Roger

" It's just that Depeche Mode were a bunch of optimistic loveburgers."
- TGRR, shaming himself forever, 7/8/2017

"Billy, when I say that ethics is our number one priority and safety is also our number one priority, you should take that to mean exactly what I said. Also quality. That's our number one priority as well. Don't look at me that way, you're in the corporate world now and this is how it works."
- TGRR, raising the bar at work.

Requia ☣

Quote from: The Good Reverend Roger on February 12, 2011, 06:47:24 PM
Quote from: Requia ☣ on February 11, 2011, 11:33:40 PM
I've never heard of a hobby shop hosting RPG games, they usually give the table space over to the wargamers and the CCG people.  You just have to know people really.

Um, every gameshop I've ever been to outside of a mall has a game area for RPGers.

It's a player thing and not a shop thing in my experience.  The shops I've frequented had space for it, but I never saw anybody using it for that.
Inflatable dolls are not recognized flotation devices.

Luna

Quote from: Requia ☣ on February 12, 2011, 07:31:41 PM
Quote from: The Good Reverend Roger on February 12, 2011, 06:47:24 PM
Quote from: Requia ☣ on February 11, 2011, 11:33:40 PM
I've never heard of a hobby shop hosting RPG games, they usually give the table space over to the wargamers and the CCG people.  You just have to know people really.

Um, every gameshop I've ever been to outside of a mall has a game area for RPGers.

It's a player thing and not a shop thing in my experience.  The shops I've frequented had space for it, but I never saw anybody using it for that.

Part of the problem is that, at least from what I've seen, many players are selfconscous about roleplaying in public.
Death-dealing hormone freak of deliciousness
Pagan-Stomping Valkyrie of the Interbutts™
Rampaging Slayer of Shit-Fountain Habitues

"My father says that almost the whole world is asleep. Everybody you know, everybody you see, everybody you talk to. He says that only a few people are awake, and they live in a state of constant, total amazement."

Quote from: The Payne on November 16, 2011, 07:08:55 PM
If Luna was a furry, she'd sex humans and scream "BEASTIALITY!" at the top of her lungs at inopportune times.

Quote from: Nigel on March 24, 2011, 01:54:48 AM
I like the Luna one. She is a good one.

Quote
"Stop talking to yourself.  You don't like you any better than anyone else who knows you."

Telarus

I've noticed that as well. We once had a rip roaring Earthdawn session in the back corner of an Izzy's all you can eat Pizza. It helped that I was playing with my old theatre crowd from Hawaii. The Swordsmaster's sword was named "Chlamydia" ("FEEL THE FIERY BURN OF MY...").  The waitress loved us.

Quote from: The Good Reverend Roger on February 12, 2011, 07:27:23 PM


Telarus, KSC,
.__.  Keeper of the Contradictory Cephalopod, Zenarchist Swordsman,
(0o)  Tender to the Edible Zen Garden, Ratcheting Metallic Sex Doll of The End Times,
/||\   Episkopos of the Amorphous Dreams Cabal

Join the Doll Underground! Experience the Phantasmagorical Safari!

Luna

Quote from: Telarus on February 12, 2011, 10:22:09 PM
I've noticed that as well. We once had a rip roaring Earthdawn session in the back corner of an Izzy's all you can eat Pizza. It helped that I was playing with my old theatre crowd from Hawaii. The Swordsmaster's sword was named "Chlamydia" ("FEEL THE FIERY BURN OF MY...").  The waitress loved us.

:D

Sometimes it works.  Mostly, people would rather play cards in public, though, from what I've seen.
Death-dealing hormone freak of deliciousness
Pagan-Stomping Valkyrie of the Interbutts™
Rampaging Slayer of Shit-Fountain Habitues

"My father says that almost the whole world is asleep. Everybody you know, everybody you see, everybody you talk to. He says that only a few people are awake, and they live in a state of constant, total amazement."

Quote from: The Payne on November 16, 2011, 07:08:55 PM
If Luna was a furry, she'd sex humans and scream "BEASTIALITY!" at the top of her lungs at inopportune times.

Quote from: Nigel on March 24, 2011, 01:54:48 AM
I like the Luna one. She is a good one.

Quote
"Stop talking to yourself.  You don't like you any better than anyone else who knows you."

Requia ☣

There's also that people aren't as picky who they play other games with.
Inflatable dolls are not recognized flotation devices.

Luna

Quote from: Requia ☣ on February 12, 2011, 10:38:13 PM
There's also that people aren't as picky who they play other games with.

Very true.  I've met some good players at comic book stores... and others that my greatest desire was to see how many of their dice I could fit up their nose at the same time.
Death-dealing hormone freak of deliciousness
Pagan-Stomping Valkyrie of the Interbutts™
Rampaging Slayer of Shit-Fountain Habitues

"My father says that almost the whole world is asleep. Everybody you know, everybody you see, everybody you talk to. He says that only a few people are awake, and they live in a state of constant, total amazement."

Quote from: The Payne on November 16, 2011, 07:08:55 PM
If Luna was a furry, she'd sex humans and scream "BEASTIALITY!" at the top of her lungs at inopportune times.

Quote from: Nigel on March 24, 2011, 01:54:48 AM
I like the Luna one. She is a good one.

Quote
"Stop talking to yourself.  You don't like you any better than anyone else who knows you."

Don Coyote

Quote from: The Good Reverend Roger on February 10, 2011, 06:42:15 PM
Quote from: Cramulus on February 10, 2011, 06:37:48 PM
If a divine being appears, he should talk to the whole party, not just the cleric. get a new DM

Unless the PCs are epic level, Gods and their immediate henchthings shouldn't even have the PCs on their radar screens.

Quote from: The Good Reverend Roger on February 10, 2011, 06:54:17 PM
Quote from: Cramulus on February 10, 2011, 06:46:16 PM
That really depends on what your story is about and how you tell it.

Sure, if your players enjoy the notion of Odin showing up and chatting over tea when they're 3rd level, I guess that works.

But it smells a bit too Deus Ex Dungeon Master to me.

Now I can start to put my finger on why I don't want to game with group I was just with anymore...

Quote from: The Good Reverend Roger on February 10, 2011, 09:58:55 PM
Quote from: Requia ☣ on February 10, 2011, 09:55:05 PM
I do have to somewhat agree with Cramulus here (even if he is a filthy 4E player  :lulz:) Different people have different playstyles.  I'd *never* be able to run a game for Roger's group (though I do like playing in that style as well), my games are far too story oriented, and lack much in the way of encounters (a combat heavy session will have 3 fights).  It works great for the people I play with though.

GAH!

My players would have my ass if I showed up with only 3 fights.  TGG, in particular, tends to eyeball townsfolk if there's too much time spent buying shit, etc.

"There's no crits in the palace."
- TGG

Aaaaaaaand there is a second, although it was also, "only a few encounters per session? my wife's character is too hard to injure? I know make each encounter stupid tough ALL THE TIME"

Q. G. Pennyworth

On the subject of "wasting time buying things," two whole game sessions wasted trying to secure a place to live out of. GURPS cyberpunk. Please shoot me in the face.

Doktor Howl

Quote from: Queen Gogira Pennyworth, BSW on May 27, 2013, 01:57:23 AM
On the subject of "wasting time buying things," two whole game sessions wasted trying to secure a place to live out of. GURPS cyberpunk. Please shoot me in the face.

Well, there's:

1.  High fantasy.  Mundane details are not even glossed over.
2.  Medium fantasy.  Mundane details may be a plot hook.
3.  Low fantasy.  Mundane details may occasionally be a plot point.
4.  Why fucking bother.  Mundane details constitute 75% or more of the game, why not just balance your checkbook and award yourself the experience.
Molon Lube

Don Coyote

Quote from: Doktor Howl on May 28, 2013, 01:12:42 AM
Quote from: Queen Gogira Pennyworth, BSW on May 27, 2013, 01:57:23 AM
On the subject of "wasting time buying things," two whole game sessions wasted trying to secure a place to live out of. GURPS cyberpunk. Please shoot me in the face.

Well, there's:

1.  High fantasy.  Mundane details are not even glossed over.
2.  Medium fantasy.  Mundane details may be a plot hook.
3.  Low fantasy.  Mundane details may occasionally be a plot point.
4.  Why fucking bother.  Mundane details constitute 75% or more of the game, why not just balance your checkbook and award yourself the experience.
I really hate it when a GM bills a campaign as one thing, then randomly decides that stupid mundane details are important.
Not keeping track of food. Ok.
My bow string breaks because I fumble. WHELP CAN'T RESTRING IT BECAUSE I DON'T HAVE A BOW STRING LISTED ON MY CHARACTER SHEET!! THANKS FOR MY ENCOURAGING MY CHARACTER TO DO SOMETHING OTHER THAN DIPLOMACY BY LANCE POINT!!!