The Good End Part 3 (It never ends rambling?)

I thought about just making this a "Merry Christmas" post, but I'd rather give you guys some content with all the excuses why things are again slow at Disoriented Ranger Publishing. And now I'm late too. Ha! So have the excuses up front: I wasn't as fast as I'd have liked to be, which is entirely my fault (well, my fault in that I'm totally stressed out by current events and rarely work at capacity, so to say). That said, I'm making progress. be67 is at 62 pages and growing (I think I'll end up at around 90, maybe?) and the collection of posts just needs a proper layout, the rest is already where it needs to be. Small steps. Anyway ... Today I want to talk about satisfying campaign endings. Let's talk about that.

I already started talking about Good Endings in 2019 (see how slow my brain works?), so get some basics in Part 1 and Part 2 before we dive into BIG endings.

An end to all things?

What is an ending? What qualifies as a "good" or "bad" ending? And how do we engineer that in our stories? First of all, there are different forms of endings, naturally:

• A gaming session can end and should with its ending get people stoked for the next session.
• An adventure might end, and that should maybe bring some closure to most (if not all) the elements that made that adventure tick.
• A character might die, which is an end worth considering.
• A narrative arc comes to a close, breaking a continious loop of some story elements, and that might deserve some highlighting to make it an end worth recognizing.
• Or things might fall apart and people discontinue playing, which is another end in itself (although not a good). 

This isn't, of course, a complete list. It's what the last two posts covered, more or less. It should make obvious that lots of interactions in our games need their endings acknowledged so that the story (or the participants) can move on.

Wise words ... heh [source]

Maybe that's the main take-away, generally speaking. We need closure to move on, so it should be one of the main tasks for a DM to find those endings and make them worthwhile, if only to build towards the next.

There is, however, one more ending I came to encounter in the last two years more consciously, and that would be something like the grand finale, the end of not only an adventure, but the end of a grand campaign. The final tally, if you will.

It takes special consideration in that it should (ideally) be the remarkable end note of a very long story (or collection of stories). D&D had always tried its hand on designs for this, at least up until the advent of 3E (which just paid lip service to the concept, imo), and if one would only see the decline of the attempt as far as role-playing games are concerned, one could come to the conclusion that it faded out of the books because it's not worth the time one would need to invest to make it happen.

Alas, we know that it works very well in other games, especially computer games with lose ties to the rpg genre, which is where I came to encounter it. 

The things I have seen ...

[This will contain some spoilers for the games I've played ... they are old games, but you are warned]

The first time I saw this done well was in Far Cry 3 for the xbox 360. It's basically a sandbox with some rpg character development for good measure and lots of freedom to free an island from pirate occupation by shooting at them. That's one dimension. The main story, however, is less free-form and way more scripted, which allows for some memorable set-pieces and a distinct story arc in it's own right.

That story is about a soft guy becoming a "warrior" after being confronted with violence and its brutal reality. FC3 was lauded for how that story plays out, and rightfully so. In the end (spoiler!), the player has to decide if they want to embrace being a killer by sacrificing their friends or if they try to leave the violence behind by reconnecting with the friends they rescued.

You, the player, have to make that decision. Either way, the decision is not as important as the questions leading to that decision. Is there such a thing as a "Path of the Warrior", and what does that mean? Is there a way back from killing a shit-load of people? Honestly, playing a shooter all through to the end, killing all opposition, to then get asked what it does to the soul? That's powerful stuff and it makes for a great end. It stays with me to this day.

[source]

At that point I did not think about writing this post, though.

The next game that did a great job with its ending was Dungeon Siege 3 (also for the xbox 360). The game itself was a somewhat enjoyable gaming experience, mostly because of the couch-coop (something the spouse and I really enjoy). It is somewhat forgettable, as far as playing it goes, but not outright bad ... linear progression and gameplay, nice to look at, very rpg-lite. But okay.

What really worked, though, was the end. The boss fight was very well balanced and felt epic (which is great!), but the main feature was seeing how all your decisions throughout the game played out in the end. See, there had been some minor decisions to be made every here and there. Do I kill this enemy or am I friendly towards them? Do I support this queen or should I force an alliance with someone else, more capable ... stuff like that. Somewhat disconnected from the gameplay, weirdly enough, but something to discuss during cut scenes.

The pay-off for this was very satisfying, I must say. Well done. In a way, the decisions made in between mapped the game, and when it all came together, it brought the whole game alive again. You did something a certain way and the people liked that, which led to XY. You didn't do another thing, and a region turned unstable, which resulted in XY, but due to your influence, it turned out alright ... Which is another aspect worth mentioning: it all mostly had a positive spin.

Admittedly, a lower achievement than what FC3 did, but worthwhile. A good end that actually manages to lift the whole experience to something worth reminiscing about. Nicely done.

Yet, there is a third game I need to talk about to bring that point home.

Because another game ending that impressed me was that of Far Cry 4 (also xbox 360, and yes, I got lots of gaming done in the last 2 years ...). The recipe was very much that of FC3: very open sandbox (different setting, this time in the Himalayas) with some rpg elements for character development and a strong main story for when you want to engage with it.

It is, however (and imo) the more mature game in that the punch the end carries isn't as hot-blooded as in FC3 but far more calculated. The main character is a guy that goes back to the place of his birth to bury the ashes of his mother. That fictive country suffers under a dictatorship, with oppressive forces, violence and slavery ... all the bad things one could imagine.

Your mother had been big with the resistance and you coming back puts you directly between the lines. And personally so, since the leaders of the resistance as well as the dictator (the main villain, of course) are aware of you and you actually get to know them from the beginning.

A couple of things happen in the game that give a player agency and make the game somehow more personal, although the main bad guy is barely there ... Mostly, because he starts talking to you right from the beginning, then he calls you every now and then to tells you some fucked up shit, then you go around fighting his propaganda machine AND you see what his soldiers do to the people. The villain becomes a constant presence through his actions and interactions but without being a target. The sandbox is saturated with his presence, so to say.

So when the final confrontation comes (spoiler!), he's just sitting there, waiting for you, completely being nice and charming, asking you to just not shot him in the head and how boring that would be.

I did not hestitate to shoot him in the head.

And the game went directly to the end credits! No bells and whistles, just creating facts. It was great. Shook me even more than the end in FC3. Was it the right thing to just pull the trigger? Should I have waited and sit down to eat with the guy instead, as he had offered? However, he was a murderer and torturer and bat-shit crazy! I saw what he and his goons did to the country, talked to the people ... He had it coming. For sure (I ended up thinking about a bunch of pixels). Would have poisoned me anyway. Or something. Right?

So after the credits the world is free to be roamed again. I went back to his place, see if the ashes went where they should. And there is the final revelation: the character's mother had killed the dictators 2 year old daughter as a punishment for the woman who fell in love with him. Dark shit ... Honestly, I might play the game again just to explore those angles a bit more.

It's a good story, with an even better presentation. That isn't all, though. The resistance, you see, has two leaders and they don't agree at all how to free their country. There is a modern, more money oriented way and a traditional, more religiously oriented way. And you have to decide several times if you go with the one side or the other.

Both come with severe consequences (if you do the one, it has dire consequences for the other). You help shaping the country by bringing one of them to power with the other being dismissed. That was also very good story-telling which left me thinking more than once that I might have done a mistake there with my decisions. Good shit, well worth a replay for that alone.

FC4 in a nutshell? [source]

 Of course those are just a couple of samples. Good story-telling in computer games wasn't that rare up until a couple of years ago ...

You see how in all cases the campaigns are wrapped up nicely, giving you something along for the way? What's more, the elements that made me engage with the games that way had nothing to do with playing the game, it was more about the interaction with the game over the course of the campaign. And that, of course, directly relates to the analogue role-playing games we are talking about here ...

What RPGs don't do (anymore)?

Classic D&D had immense level ranges. Levels 1 to 36 with the D&D Rules Cyclopedia alone, AD&D wasn't far behind that and you could always extend the game to godhood (which meant for some classes in the D&D RC to go the complete distance 1 to 36 AGAIN). Lots of play, with campaigns potentially lasting for decades and one of the main reasons to have loads of campaign settings in AD&D.

We are not talking about how intimidating the prospect of a campaign like that can be. What we are focusing on instead is what was done to actually make it manifest in the game. One would have to consider that characters get more powerful, of course, and all role-playing games do that. Actually, it is the one thing most role-playing games kept intact in their games: power curves demand adequate challenges. The bare-bones concession that there is a development that needs to be addressed.

Considering that more powerful monsters bring with them a higher impact on a campaign, we already have some intrinsic change in play-styles along the power curves that level advancement produce. That it in itself is not enough, is quite well obvious in the fact that most "old school" campaigns favor a range of 1 to 6 or 8 levels, with newer games thwarting that somewhat by diluting the early levels, starting directly more or less with mid-level gaming.

Both approaches show the problem and the solution, imo. Classic D&D lends itself to low level play while the tools for mid- and high-level games are available, but get mostly ignored. That mid-level game has a market is obvious in newer editions, as characters already start with the equivalent of level 3, adding a steep powercurve and fast development, resulting (arguably) in something comparable with, say, levels 6 to 12 in classic D&D terms.

It's not sold that way, but it most certainly reads that way. Going by that trajectory, D&D 6 will be about allmighty and genderless gods in a fantastic world of equity :)

AD&D, arguably, does a great job at offering good high level play. However, the main problem with high level campaigns is the workload, which is why there aren't many of them to buy, and I'm not even talking about quality here. You want a good "end game" module (and the pdf for FREE, no less), check out The Dreams of Ruin ... I wrote a bit about it here. That's Labyrinth Lord, so we are talking BX here, showcasing it can be done, but is very difficult to pull of commercially (among other things) and complex to boot. Dreams will give you scope.

The thing is, the big campaign arc isn't done anymore or very rarely. And not only because it is hard to prepare or write an end game module from the system-side alone. Megadungeons could fill the bill, maybe. However, if they just present the challenges without taking the implications into account (which is easy to do if the big bad monsters are trapped in a dungeon, or, in other words, a highly controlled playing field), it'll fall short in encouraging high level play or risks feeling "the same" just with higher levels and longer combat sessions.

As I said above, in a way one could argue that campaign play was just flawed design that failed enough commercially to be reduced to lip service in modern products. And while it might hold true, commercially speaking, it's thinking like this that reduces the playing experience to lots of blinking lights and short-lived amusement park entertainment, with the hard work of keeping it all together left to the Gamemaster ...

Anyway, I digress. The point is, it isn't done anymore, or not to a degree that actually helps DMs to play one single game for that long. Not taking The Campaign serious as an important part of a games design and instead relying on shiny facets that entertain only for as long as it takes to offer the next product is entirely grounded in product-oriented thinking and not at all in terms of game design.

Actually, most games even lack the advice for DMs completely, as a capable DM goes against the idea of selling more product. The DM part in general is also the most difficult part to write, lets not forget that. Easier production makes faster product and why risk something outside of popular mainstream when the easy road earns pretty cash? So all that complex stuff gets tossed ...

... and we are back on track, I guess: campaign play is not there anymore (as far as I can see), there are reasons for it, but what we are talking about here is how to utilize it and why it makes sense to do so.

What went wrong, then?

So we know those rules exist, and we know they don't work (to some extent). No one I'm aware of took the time to dissect those rules and check why they might be problematic (I assume they are necessary for the reasons summoned above).

I think that the main problem is the original approach that came to be known as "name level". It assumes a stage in character development where a character is elevated beyond level to represent more in the gaming world than they actually are. It is something of an advancement, but it doesn't work that way, mainly because it mimics a status that should emerge naturally through play, and that's a bit like getting a trophy for something you didn't achieve.

It carries no meaning as such to become a "paladin" (with additional rules, even!), if that's nothing you have worked towards but solely because you are lawful (as per the Rules Cyclopedia). There is no fun in reaching a level and class appropriate moniker if it isn't earned or even reflected in the gaming environment (for which it mostly is too abstract to even apply, considering different cultures and all that).

There is a strange array of additional rules patched unto this design, like having those characters in use groom low level characters (AD&D 2e), just in case of character death (or retirement, actually), the idea being that players have control over generations of characters with different power levels over the course of a campaign ... Yeah. A very small minority did that, would be my guess.

It even spawned a whole campaign setting making mid-level gaming a focus (Birthright, also AD&D), but it shifted the rules-focus so much, it ended up being a different game. Not unsuccessful, just very niche.

Birthright ... when the campaign map is the character sheet :D [source]

 When all is said and done, players won't care that much. The design in the first three generations of D&D is mostly so unobtrusive that only those who really care will end up utilizing it, and there's few of those.

But if you don't use it, characters barely evolve above the original first scope of development, and the campaign ends because people would rather experience that development arc again instead getting the feeling of stagnating with a character. It is an end in itself, I suppose, just not at its full potential (or good).

The main problem with all those rules, imho, was that they are only loosely attached to character development and need player-attention to be manifest in the game without offering enough incentives to bother. That's just not how players work, in my experience. It's also in conflict with the "Rule of 7", as it keeps adding and adding to a character. With too many balls in the air, most people will lose interest quick (I guess with games 5 is a good average, but go for 3 with low effort games).

So while early designers certainly have seen the necessity for an campaign arc beyond what levels offer, it was never successfully incorporated into the game. Therefor, producing a good grand finale for a campaign was not impossible, but left entirely in the hands of the DM, with barely any advice to go by.

What to do about it? (be67 edition)

The simple solution is: have the DM orchestrate it all and have some systems in place that support what the DM is doing. A campaign needn't be highly structured, as you can't plan with anything concrete over a long time. But what you can (and should!) do is making setting markers and making them count.

 It is no secret that a wide power range makes different pacing necessary. You basically should have a major shift in setting and tone about every fifth of a given power range. For the D&D RC that'd look like this:

Levels 1 to 7 = Low-Level Gaming (The Rise), establish setting & possible future shifts on horizon, characters are unknown & looking for their opportunity to make themselves known

Time passes

Levels 8 to 14 = Low to Mid Level Gaming (The Great Opportunity), first major shift in setting (major conflict starts, maybe an invasion or a revolt), characters have to face bigger challenges & with more direct responsibility for others (owning land or titles, having an army, being higher ranking guild members, something like that, all facing the new challenge one way ro another), they might be able to have a hand in the next shift (their decisions certainly will have an effect on their surroundings), characters are known locally, big players start noticing & try to use the characters for their goals

Time passes (months, even)

Levels 15 to 21 = Mid Level Gaming (The Reckoning), second major setting shift (major conflict escalates or ends under new management with even more severe problems on the rise), character's actions after the first shift should be evident & saturate the gaming experience in this phase, characters are not only known, but people have an opinion on them & act accordingly, characters are now big enough with influence to be a threat to opposition they might not even be aware of & will have to fight to keep what they achieved (one way or the other), characters have a BIG part in how the next shift manifests

Time passes (might be years here)

Levels 22 to 28 = Mid to High Level Gaming (The Reign), third major setting shift (however the chips fell from the last phase, the characters are known for their involvement & are on the front line for whatever consequences arose), 

Time passes (lots of time, probably decades)

Levels 29 to end = High Level Gaming (The Legacy) last major shift (the last hurrah, a final new challenge, ideally something connected to the past, something the characters are somehow responsible for), whatever the setting looks like now, the characters are major players in it & established through their deeds, although that final shift might be personal, its consequences are cataclystic for the whole setting, but alliances have shifted & old allies might be gone or missing, creating need for new, powerful allies

... and it all will end in one epic finale. A good end.

Somehow this came to mind: Buffy from season to season ... [source]

 Anyway, as I said, it is a very general frame, just to give you an example here. The game I'm writing on (be67 - a b/x retroclone-mutant, so to say) will have detailed rules for those transitions. But it is all there: plan a phase very generally, ideally have some major story per story arc (or distinct features for sandbox play).

It doesn't matter as much if the characters hit exactly that level range. A level more or less doesn't hurt (and characters die, people fluctuate ... you know the drill), but when a phase ends, shift focus for the transition. Let time pass by and have the players build on how the last phase ended. Collect tidbits for that moment and give the players a feel for what impact they had.

Offer them opportunities for growth: land or titles, marriages (political or otherwise), business opportunities, an army to lead or something academic ... just as characters and level allow (start small, build on that ... not from grunt to admiral in one go, for instance). Use future phases to build on that, maybe even threaten it. Make them work for it.

To bring that experience home, I'd allow a level up in the transition phase. That way it feels like part of the level up and the end of a phase needn't correlate with a "naturally occuring" level up. Just finish the phase as appropriate and treat the new phase just like you'd treat character creation: you set the new stage and the players arrange their characters accordingly.

The End

There is power in new beginnings, but a lot of that power is derived from the end that happened before that.

If you apply the general frame described above and keep your notes straight, you can make your rpg campaign a very distinct experience for everyone involved, with lots of good little ends in between and one big final end note to finish it all.

I should leave it at that. Took me three days to get here, so if this isn't done, I'll do a part 4 ...

But I hope you guys found something of value in those ramblings. It turned out to be a long one again. Did any of you reading this have long lasting campaigns. Does what I wrote resonate with you? Or are there other ways to sustain a long-lasting campaign? How about good endings. How important do you think they are? 

FC3 GIF made me laugh ... [source]

------------------------ 

If you are interested in a completely realized science fiction role-playing game with lots of theory and a huge DM section, you can check out a free preview of Ø2\\'3|| (that rpg I published) right here (or go and check out the first reviews here).I'm still doing a sale on it ...

If you already checked it out, please know that I appreciate you :) It'll certainly help to keep the lights on here!

Just look at that beauty ...

 

 

This Blog Turns 10 Years This Month ... Let's Celebrate!

Alright, so this happened: I'll be doing this for 10 years come November 7th. For me, that's huge. It's something that had helped me countless times with all kinds of stuff, be it discussions about games and game design (being able to point out that I had done a post about a subject is priceless) or even getting a job (it shows dedication, if nothing else, but people can also get an idea what you are about, if they are willing to take the time). I'd say I got at least one date out of it, too :) So while The Disoriented Ranger never was among the really popular blogs out there, it was useful and has been read and interacted with. I'll take this month to look back a bit (and maybe even forward).

Partytime, excellent ...

This will be a short little post about what I'm planning to get done this month and what else is in store. Looking back I found that while it short-term never helped the blog to stay clear from day-to-day blog-politics (click-bait and controversy drive a lot of traffic, I've seen it happen elsewhere ...) and keep it long-form instead of, say, posting little things daily, the material gathered that way is still very much readable regardless of when it was written. Most of it, anyway. And one thing I always wanted to have (you know, for my own book-shelf) was a nice little compilation of the blog.

I've spent most of last month going through all that, collecting and sorting what I think would make me happy. It's not done yet, but I have a cover to show you and I aim to get at least the pdf out there on the 7th. Not for free, but dirt cheap (as I learned a lesson there: free/PWYW just don't track with OBS ... it needs to cost at least a buck to be useful on the site). I'm thinking 1.99 USD for a pdf that will amount to round about 300 pages A5. Behold a cover:

I'm happy with that cover. Thoughts?

After that I'll prepare that for PoD and order the test print. Depending on how fast that will turn up, the print version should be available at the end of the month (I really hope so!).

One thing I'll really miss in the book will be all the great memes I used on the blog over the years, so I think I'll do at least one post about those. And I guess I have to talk about  unfinished project, since that was a big thing here as well ... It's not the "disoriented ranger" for nothing.

So expect a more lively blog here this month!

While we are at it ...

To mark the occasion, I've put a heavy discount on that dystopian/cyberpunk role-playing game I wrote with the very obscure name Ø2\\'3|| (hint: it's leetspeak ... the whole game is all sorts of innuendos and easter eggs, very much in the spirit of the setting). I'll keep that discount up for the whole month.

Not sure what I can tell you about it that you might not already know. It's an original system and, if I may say so, solid design. With a huge theoretical part for the aspiring gamemaster as well. It wouldn't exist without the work done here on the blog.

If you already checked it out, I'd be happy to hear about it!

Let the festivities commence!

10 years, friends and neighbors! It's been a ride. If you joined the blog at some point and stayed, I appreciate you. This has been a hobby endeavor, unedited at that, rambling at times, opiniated about game design, but unheard. Ha! I really love the opportunity to put down my thoughts about playing role-playing games and get an audience for it, too.

Google meanwhile shanked exposure at least two times in the last 10 years and who knows how long blogger will last. The OSR (which was what got me to blogging to begin with) didn't ... as such. Ruins left to explore, as another blogger said the other day in an interview. I like that. True too, if somewhat sad.

Met lots of people, have seen people disappear, die even (Dreams of Mythical Fantasy is still dreaming, people ... James is dearly missed and yet I get traffic from his blog every now and then as if nothing significant had changed). Some ended up being 'internet friends' for the blink of a screen just to be gone again, others stayed friends.

The beauty of insignificance is that the trolls seem to stay away. Mostly. Either way, I had some great interactions here on the blog, basically from the beginning. Not sure where I'm headed right now or where that spark is that carried so much of it up until a couple of years ago, but I'm glad I made it up to this point and I'm sure something will come up in the future ...

Anyway, I'm rambling. Love you all. Stay tuned for more (maybe even more substance)!

In Defense of Randomized Content in RPGs (with bonus 1d20 Random Table for megadungeons)

Just tropping by to leave a little something here on the blog. It's been a busy month, and November will be just as busy (for relevant reasons yet to be disclosed to you, gentle reader). So here's a little something I did for a project that didn't make the cut ... Incidentally it also connects nicely with the last post and further explores my thinking in that regard. The Random Table in the end is just icing.

True randomness, you say?

Many gamers believe that the use of random tables in role-playing games is an old school staple and has no place in newer designs. Let me try and change your mind on this.

First of all: the use of random tables, for instance, to create some encounters or an encounter reaction, is not necessarily as ‘random’ as one would define the word. Let’s see a definition. ‘Randomness’ is, according to the main definition offered by the Oxford Language Dictionary:

‘The quality or state of lacking a pattern or principle of organization; unpredictability.’

Most rpg random tables are a collection of terms (or mechanics) that are considered compatible with the purpose of the random table and therefore will produce results that are within an expected spectrum or range. It’s when random tables start to work in conjunction and use more abstract terms that you’ll get results that are a bit more unpredictable.

So what I’m saying is that a one column table with 20 or even 100 entries doesn’t really qualify as something that produces random results. It’s a start, but not where the true potential lies. Or its reason …

Gimme Danger (the narrative whispered)

Gamemasters have to describe versatile environments and how all of that interacts with the players and the game. Improvising all of that is never advised. A good game will do some of the heavy lifting and some notes and maps along with some moderate documentation will be enough to keep a campaign running, if the improvisation it needs to bring the game to life and connect all the dots is actually up to the task.

Just make it work, right? [source]

So improvisation is where it’s at. The flow of the game, the interface between players, rules and narrative across time. It’s a crucial junction and delivering or not decides between everyone having a good time and destroying the Suspension of Disbelief. It takes tact and rhythm, an idea how the narrative’s past and its future could connect and everything in between. If you are a gifted (or experienced) storyteller, you can get away with a lot before there is any danger of being repetitive or running the narrative into the ground. If not, this is where you’ll struggle, even if the rest works.

Ultimately, we all have our ways and tastes and styles. We are subjective individuals and it’s only human to prefer certain outcomes or stories. However, it makes us lose sight of the possibilities. This is where Random Tables figure into the equation. This is where they shine, because random tables are in that weird space between rules and improvisation.

The best results make no sense on their own

It’s about unpredictability, just like they say in the definition above. Checking if an encounter is friendly by any chance instead of just assuming that they’ll always look for combat will open up every game. And context will always give you some opportunity to make it part of the story. Why is that slime the group just encountered so shyly engaging and not at all aggressive? That’s a story worth some curiosity.

And you can’t plan for it in a meaningful way. Not without cheating (as in: forcing it on the players). However, if you allow it as an option, the best way to give something unexpected a way of occurring is by making it ‘random’ in a way that contradicts what you are going for just enough to expand the narrative by elements you wouldn’t have thought of on the fly without leaving the realm of possible and expected occurrences.

Now, that's a mouthful. Since I had this next part laying around, doing nothing (as I mentioned in the beginning), I'll end this one with an example, for a change. The premisse with this one is that the characters hang out in a city that is on top (or near) a megadungeon of some sort. The idea is to have a number of incidents that will occur on a regular basis, but vary by circumtsances enough to have them recognized as a general theme. It's abstract enough to be that and should easily adapt to every fantasy setting.

Behold (and check out the conclusion at the end):

You have a megadungeon under the city, so once a week you will experience (roll 1d20):

1. … ghosts of adventurers, talking about their past failings.
2. … strange gasses emanating on random locations.
3. … underground detonations.
4. … currency lost all value for now as treasure floods the city.
5. … weird visitors from another dimension (planescape tourists).
6. … humanoid tribe occupying a district, seeking asylum and protection from a bigger threat.
7. … fissures appear, roll additional 1d20 (1 meaning a minor fissure, a 20 toppling houses).
8. … mobilisation of an adventurer guild for a (1d3) rescue/retaliation/reinforcement mission.
9. … parade of high level heroes coming back from a dungeon deep-dive.
10. … a water body (toss coin) in or close to the city drops significantly with lots of gurgling.
11. … random magic wildfire (1d3: no magic possible/weird side effects/triple effects).
12. … monster meat is back on the menu! Butchers sell cuts of rare beasts.
13. … city watch enforces an immediate evacuation of a district, no reasons given.
14. … magic items show weird but harmless glitches (1d3: sparks/talks nonsense/vibrates).
15. … underground fight with (random encounter) is carried out to the surface (1d3: neighbourhood joins in/turns into a wild chase/ends up being a slaughter).
16. … rich and drunk adventurers partying too hard, being annoying.
17. … exotic funeral, financed by an adventure guild, paid bards constantly sing praise of a dead adventurer all over the place.
18. … drama between two famous adventurers is the buzz of the town. Bets are taken.
19. … city prepares for an invasion from below (1 in 6 chance small army (1d100% of the population) of 1d6 combined Random Encounters will make the attempt).
20. … that the psychosphere in your corner of town shifts to an extreme for a short time (1d3: ecstatic/aggressive/depressed).

Conclusion

Our understanding of what 'random' means in role-playing games, is pretty basic at best, so it should be safe to say that games in general benefit from what they add to a game. Since they mostly stay within the narrative scope of what a given game might allow (and considering misfires are easily navigated, I might add), there are actually no good arguments against using random tables. Not that I can see, anyway (and I've thought a bit about it, too).

As a matter of fact, random tables help game designers in helping gamemasters in bringing their vision to life, and that's just as important. Role-playing games are about telling stories, and in the end it is all about the impulses a game offers to make it what it intents to be. Specific words, ideas or inspirations are all easily enough transported into the game through random tables, and easily enough implemented, since they are part of playing the game and not just an info dump somewhere in the rule book.

What do you guys think? Do you see any reasons to not have random tables as a standard tool in every game? 

 

Good boy ... [source]

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If you are interested in a completely realized game heavily utilizing random tables of all sorts, you can check out a free preview of Ø2\\'3|| (that rpg I published) right here (or go and check out the first reviews here). We will definitely do a sale in November. Stay tuned for that ...

If you already checked it out, please know that I appreciate you :) It'll certainly help to keep the lights on here!

Just look at that beauty ...

 

The Monkey Business Ruin Generator in Action (Part 1: Basic Results & 1st Area)

So a good friend of mine recently informed me that the Ruin Generator I provided in Monkey Business (that OSR module I wrote) had no merit at all. The results were too vanilla and for the time you'd spend using it, nothing of value would be produced. He admitted, though, that this judgement was superficial and only based on his read-through, not on actually testing it. Fair enough. I value his observations a great deal, so I should pay attention. If my description of it wasn't enough to inspire him to use it, I'd go as far as agreeing that I failed to make him use it. That doesn't mean, however, that the tool doesn't have merit, it means I failed to make my case properly. This series of post will try to rectify that (this is going to be a big one, so I decided to go with two parts or more here).

Presumptions 1: Can Complex Environments be Randomized?

DMs using the tools provided will create a huge jungle sandbox from scratch, including factions, villages, treasure and ruins as well as having an idea how those interact. It is a tall order and people seem to mostly find it all usefull. Treasure got some heat, but I make my case about that in the post linked above ... in short, I believe the treasure generator gives a DM a shitload of information to build on while IMPROVISING treasure on the fly, even creating quest items (among of lots of other things). Test it in specific gaming situations (it needs the context of the game to build on) then tell me it doesn't work and, more importantly, why.

Anyway. The Ruin Generator got no love at all and was deemed to baroque to be even used. I mean, it definitely is high concept and not using it will have you missing out (imo), but not hinder you from using the module at all. It is just (and here's why I even bothered to write it) that a DM will create 19 hex fields with each containing an average of 3 ruins, some of them small (not so much work), some of them huge (that'd be modules in themselves, actually).

You don't have to have all of them prepared (players will only explore one hex at a time ...), but you'd be well advised to have the hex prepared the characters are in and the adjacent hexes as well. Starting at the border of the hex map would mean you'd have some concepts for round about 12 ruins ready enough for the characters to explore on a whim. Looky here (from the module):

Open in new tab for details ...

Now, either way you prepare for that will be lots of work, because that's just what it is. You sure can have some maps handy or some other product or even some random online generator to help you through this, but you will not get around preparing all of that. At the least you'll have to adjust what you get to your game.

The problem is, obviously, the level of detail players will expect when exploring ruins or a dungeon. It can barely be handwaved (if at all) and it'll have lots of moving pieces in the air as the players gather information about structure and inhabitants and how to work that to their benefit.

My design goal for the ruin generator had been to have a system easy enough to complete in a couple of steps, but with complex enough results to allow for depth and variety while summoning all the little tropes one could encounter in such an environment in the order they would be encountered.

That last part ("the order in which they are encounteres") turned out to be the crucial part, as it mirrors the hierarchy of information from "most general" to "most detailed" when the narrative starts zooming in on something that warrants more detail. Having the information build up that way a DM will have at all times a superficial pattern on hand to expand on as well as some detailed hot spots to work with as the characters explore.

That is, admittedly, a tall order. But if pulled off properly, it'd be a mighty tool for a DM to get all of those ruins prepared within some reasonable time frame (imo). If a DM has fun doing so (because we are nerds like that), it'd be even better. It'd be the DM playing AND creating at the same time (like, you know, How To Host A Dungeon, for instance). If nothing else, DMs using this tool will spend time creating something themselves instead of learning to use something someone else wrote (well, it's kind of both ... you know what I mean).

Naturally, one could critizice now that you don't buy a module to do something yourself that should be provided instead. However, that argument does not stand with all the sandbox creation tools I have encountered so far. It is always assumed that the DM interprets and builds on the pattern any such tool would provide. Why should this be different with ruins or treasure created that way?

It isn't different at all, imo. The DM creates. Ideally a module will provide a great frame to make what they create shine and maybe even give it some direction. But DMs will create or they end up being the mouth piece for something someone else created, and where's the fun in that?

Anyway, I digress. Sorry. I believe that a certain amount of complexity for such a tool as described above is warranted, even necessary to get results worth anything (considering said complexity). Still not saying I managed to create such a tool, but I hope I was able to explain where I'm coming from in this and how I went about it.

Show, don't tell, man!

Alright, lets get rolling. I'll just go ahead and use the module as intended so you guys get an idea what's happening. Our hex-field is a 52, that'd be "rolling plains with some jungle". The Resource Level is a bit lower here (-1), so we get to roll 2d6 for ruins here ... a 7. That means we have one medium sized ruin hiding here as well as two overgrown remains (a piece of road, a pillar, something like that). As for factions, this hex also contains a hidden Gorilla Base (with 2 orangutans, 3 chimpanzee ninjas and 9 goblins stationed here) and two hidden drug stashes, 2 Cannibal Villages, some mushroom artwork (5 times, spread across hex) and some artifact and weird effects from the Alien presence as well as some (4) areas showing signs of radiation.

First, the Cannibal Village (just going with the dice here) actually is within the ruins. They currently have lots of wounded due to some sort of war and people are afraid of something (quest is indicated!), but are poorly equipped. They have a shaman who's faking his magic abilities (which is somehow connected to the people being afraid) and have a crazy chieftain (reason for the wounded and the poor equipment, although they live within the ruins).

The second Cannibal Village fights with some sickness but has the population happy as something nice had just happened (I'd go with them finding a cure or remedy). They are quite primitive and have only basic farming and rudimentary tools available, but their fighters are capable veterans and have a level 3 Shaman that is in contact with the spirits. Their chieftain, however, is quite incompetent.

There are no conflicts in the area, but the next time the gorillas will expand here, it'll mean to go to open war with the cannibals, so tension is high.

That's the stage as far as we'll need it for this example (we'll ignore the surrounding hexes and the vistas they'd add to this as well as the results about what the villages would exactly look like). This is what's going on in the 790 square kilometers of this hex (an area about two-thirds as big as Los Angeles) ... everything is in a distance equivalent to couple of hours travel across those plains. 

What ruin over yonder?

This is for the results!

Now for the Medium Ruin. First roll is 1d100+50 to see how big we'll go ... that'd be 115 points for building this. The result of our first Ruin Section is 9 (d12), 20 (d20), 5 (d8), 10 (d10) and 2 (d6) (a total of 46). First sign of those ruins is a big overgrown Stone Arc (adds includes Inside Area). It should be in a jungle area this hex is featuring, visible between the green growth.

The Theme for those Ancient Ruins is "Time Loop Destruction" and it'll feature some Residual Magic of sorts. There are also some harmless ghosts here and a zombie problem as well as Kobolds. One Jungle Treasure can be found here.

TREASURE 1: 17 (d20), 2 (d20), 1 (d12), 6 (d8) - This is one dose of a rare drug made from vermin and worth 208 gp.   

Our 115 are reduced by the value of that first roll (46) to a 69.

For the second Ruin Section (an Inside area) the results are 3 (d12), 5 (d6), 7 (d10), 20 (d20) and 7 (d8) (a total of 42). This is a former Green House. The entrance to it is hidden, Stone Faces are heavily featured in this area, it is quite swampy and here are some crude and natural traps. Here are two factions present: Kobolds and Troglodytes, but it also has a Dragon! So a dragon has its lair in a tower here ... Furthermore adventurers might find 4 Jungle Treasures and access to clean water here (additionally to what the Factions and the beasties carry, that is).

TREASURE 1: 4 (d20), 15 (d20), 2 (d12), 5 (d8) - This is some ancient weapon made out of iron and worth 130 gp.

TREASURE 2: 1 (d20), 12 (d20), 8 (d12), 7 (d8) - This is some alien wear made out a strange leather with usability 8 (high) and worth 56 gp.

TREASURE 3: 6 (d20), 10 (d20), 4 (d12), 1 (d8) - This is some crested container made out of wood with a usability of 4 and worth 21 gp.

TREASURE 4: 2 (d20), 1 (d20), 5 (d12), 7 (d8) - This is 5 doses of some alien alcohol made out of herd animals and worth 30 gp.

Our remaining 69 are reduced by the value of that second roll (42) to a 27.

On to the next area. The results are 15 (d20), 4 (d6), 4 (d12), 5 (d10) and 2 (d8) (a total of 30). First Impression here is a "Mountain Side", which should translate to something like a cliff of sorts with the features "hiding" in the jungle atop the cliff. I'd go as far as saying this is a wonderful stone wall featuring a mountain scene and hiding some stairs that lead to the top. The high result here also adds one Inside and one Feature Area to this.

Main Theme here is "Roots"and the Complication is "Uneven Footing", both adding to the hidden aspect of this area. Some harmless monkeys reside here and there's one Jungle Treasure hidden here as well. I'd put the cannibals here in relative distance to the Kobolds and the Zombies (and the Dragon, for that matter).

TREASURE 1: 3 (d20), 16 (d20), 11 (d12), 1 (d8) - This is an ancient artwork made from salt and worth 62 gp.

Our remaining 27 are reduced now below 0, but there are still two areas to be resolved (an Inside and a Feature). After that the ruins are complete (for now).

For our Inside in this area we get 6 (d10), 5 (d6), 5 (d12), 1 (d8) and 5 (d20). This is a Boneyard (a huge hall, at that) with the Stone Faces returning as a Theme, more harmless ghosts and some termites. Three Jungle Treasures can be found here. The Cannibals are aware of this area, but mostly avoid it because of the ghosts.

TREASURE 1: 13 (d20), 13 (d20), 3 (d12), 6 (d8) - This is some mysterious knowledge conserved on iron sheets with a usability of 3 (low) and worth 70 gp.

TREASURE 2: 15 (d20), 1 (d20), 9 (d12), 7 (d8) - This is 9 doses of some primitive alcohol made out of herd animals (blood?) and worth 32 gp.

TREASURE 3: 4 (d20), 8 (d20), 1 (d12), 1 (d8) - This is some big ancient accessory made out of bone with a usability of 1 (very low) and worth 14 gp. 

The Feature is connected to the Inside and for that we get 3 (d8), 13 (d20), 3 (d12), 1 (d6) and 2 (d10). An Ancient Gallery with some hidden spaces can be found here. The main Theme is "Bridges" and these ancient halls still have some magic working here. The complication here is that it's crawling with insects, mostly Termites, it seems. One Jungle Treasure can be found here.

TREASURE 1: 17 (d20), 13 (d20), 2 (d12), 2 (d8) - This is some rare knowledge written on some vermin based medium with a usability of 2 (low) and worth 272 gp.

That's it for the random results and what they sum up to. All of this is somewhat basic, so far. What we haven't done yet is interpreting how the dice used for those results connect with each other and what that looks like. A map, so to say (see below).

And all that for what?

I had scribbled on the side how all of this comes together, roughly. This will need some fleshing out in places as well as produce some very specific necessities for the ruins here (mostly due to residual magic and a dragon).

What I will do now is putting in some extra effort, since this is a blog and not a DM notebook. If I were doing this for my home game, I'd just make a sketch, put down some notes and be done with it, which would be much faster. Since this is also a proof of concept, I'll go the distance and show how the provided information helps creating a very individual and fitting location for Monkey Business.

It goes without saying that this has a very high variation due to basic variables like location alone. Have this location high in the mountains and it will look totally different as well as offering different challenges (different hidden areas, different ways to get from A to B, different populations, ...).

Other than that, there might be many different reasons to explore those ruins derived from how the adventure is going. Those cannibals have a problem that needs solving. The dragon could be a problem in the area or even a possible ally versus the gorillas ... or it's all just treasure hunting (again, that dragon will have a hoard!).

You won't get the same result twice, so there is that as well. In the end, if you do 12 ruins like that, even without fleshing them out properly (there are cheat sheets to keep the information straight and with that it should be easy to even improvise a ruin), they all will be distinguishably different with lots of variety for exploration and enough information established to keep the players busy for some time.

And now for the first Area ... this is me as the DM now, building on the established. The map for what is presented here looks like this (preliminary and to be expanded on, of course, but this is what you get):

Just a sketch, but all the pieces are there!

The Hidden Everdying Galleries of Karrik-Thazzar

These ruins of a long lost civilization once flaunted its greatest achievements and victories for its people to indulge in. It featured a magical gallery where the rooms connected via magical bridges, a boneyard where the remains of overcome foes could be admired in artful displays and a green house showcasing the most beautiful and magical blossoms throughout the realm.

It fell, as all things do eventually. Now only the ghosts and ruins left behind give careful observers a hint of the serene beauty this place once held.

This location contains five major areas, some of them hidden, as well as two factions to interact with (Cannibals & Dragon Crew). It's low in treasure and in traps.

The whole complex is hidden under heavy plant growth and the easiest access to the ruins is through a overgrown but still well visible artificial and ornate stone arc.

Encounters as per rules for exploration (in this case using Labyrinth Lord and the module itself).

Random Encounter Table (1d12)

1-2     Ghosts 

3-5     Signs of Dragon Presence

6-7     Sight of Dragon in Distance

8-9     Kobolds on Patrol

10      Troglodytes having Fun   

11     Cannibals, but lost

12      Dragon Close-By

Add (1d4-1) 1 Random Jungle Encounter, as per the module (results 12 & 8):

There are some stoned lower monkeys somewhere in the location (where the DM thinks it appropriate ... I decided for Area 1 Site 3).

AREA 1

Basic mixture of jungle and ruins. Sites are connected via paths that allow easy traversion. Cutting through the jungle between sites is (mostly) possible, but tiring and time consuming in comparison. Sites are between 30 and 50 meters apart, visibility of surroundings is noted if applicable.

There is some Magic Residue in this Area with a "Time Loop" as a theme. Let's have some fun with this one: once per character (not enough magic to trigger this more than once per character!) death in this area creates a loop where the character is sent one combat round back in time instead. First time this happens, the character has to make a successful check to not be surprised and just die again (because, duh!). Second time around they know what's happening and can take the knowledge about their surroundings and the fight into account to avoid their death. Each time they willingly die to learn from the experience, they either get +1 to attacks or -1 to AC until death is avoided (as for the DM: that last and deadly last attack will stay the same, of course ... no additional rolls needed!).

If they die more than 10 times, a succesful Save versus Death Rays becomes necessary to stay sane. Unsuccessful save implicates fear against [mode of death] and means that each time a character is confronted with similar situations (same weapon, same monster, whatever applies) they have to make a Save versus Paralysation to not freeze in place instead of acting.

Please encourage players to come up with creative alternatives to allow their survival. Characters willingly facing death in this Area after surviving their first loop, will just die as per the rules of the game you are using.

Area 1 Site 1: A once glorious Arc

The top of this arc is well visible when the jungle containing those ruins is approached from the plins due south. Even when entering the jungle during daylight, the top of the arc will function as an easily visible guide to the location.

On site, this turns out to be a roughly 40 meters high, 60 meters wide, 20 meters deep triumphal arc. Very ornate heavy stone blocks that mostly feature edged but expressive stone faces.

Features:

• An eery whisper is omnipresent here. It sounds like the distnat buzz of a town.
  
• The remains of a cobblestone street lead downhill towards WWN (Area 1 Site 2).
• The surrounding jungle is littered with big overgrown stones, but no complete structures are visible.
• Everything but the arch seems thrashed.
• Climbing the arch will reveal two more close-by features: a half-sunken building with a tower due NE and a massive cliff artificially cut to appear like a mountain panorama due west (Area 3 Site 1). The panorama can be recognized and located in the distance after a succesfull INT check (and might lead to other locations, if the DM so desires).
  

Area 1 Site 2: Kobolds & Decaying Ghost Shadows

This has been a plaza of sorts, located at the foot of a artificially altered, 30 meters high cliff bordering it due W. The cobblestones here resisted some of the roots reclaiming this area, resulting in a bit of a clearing. Still, it's full of big debris and growth, making this the perfect camp for the kobolds residing here. They are the preliminary guard for the Dragon living in Area 2 Site 5.

Features:

• The residual magic remaining in this place makes things even more irritating: glimpses of the past of this location flitter ghostly over the remains, making the whole area very restless with ghostly people and buildings telling of the downfall of this place, if one cares enough to observe the phenomenon for a long enough time (at least 4 days before it loops back to the beginning).
• The Kobolds are well hidden here, allowing for an ambush 4 in 6 times.
• An optical illusion hides a staircase up that cliff (leading to Area 3 Site 1).
• Rests of one cobblestreet leads up SEE to the arch, one leads up NEE (to Area 1 Site 3)
  

12 Kobolds, 1d4 HD (4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 3, 3, 2, 2, 1, 1, 1), AC 7, C, 1 Attack, D 1d4 or Weapon-1, Saves 0 level Human, Morale 6, Hoard Class I

Area 1 Site 3: Hidden Durst Jamboree

This clearing borders above a swampy area due N (some 20 meters down from the clearing). It has only big debris marking the area, like overgrown partial walls and half broken passage ways. Some stoned monkeys have set up camp here (the Random Jungle Encounter set up above ... it fits here quite well becaus of the Treasure hidden here). There's a shabby tent, some carpets, wooden boxes and dirty cushions. There's also a table set up with six monkeys playing poker and five more commenting on it (in Common Tongue, of course). It's a lively scene and they are unafraid and relaxed (the Dragon allows their presence, thinks them entertaining). The monkeys are not associated with the Hidden Gorilla Camp in the area (just customers ... those monkeys are too flimsy for military duty).

Features:

• From here the half sunken building due N (Area 2) is well visible.
• The monkeys will allow characters joining the poker game, but they cheat and are careless about it. Still will take the gold, though. They are easily threatened and intimated, however, and will make concessions if pushed hard enough.
  
• One shady monkey will offer the character some Durst (see Monkey Business p. 42 & 43), but has no idea what the dose is actually worth (or what the drug does ... he'll sell it hard, though). He'll claim 100 gp, but can be haggled down to 60 gp.
  
• One path leads down due W into swampy territory (to Area 1 Site 4), one leads down due WWS (to Area 1 Site 2)
  

[using the Monkey Generator provided in the module, adding the stats myself:]

11 White Howler Monkeys with flat wide faces and naked prehensile tails (black skin), 1d4+2 HD (6, 6, 6, 5, 5, 5, 5, 5, 4, 4, 3), AC 4, C, 1 Attack, D 1d6-1 or Weapon, Saves 2 level Human, Morale 4, Hoard Class IV

Area 1 Site 4: A damp place, but sunny

This little clearing is bordering on a swampy area with a half sunken building due NNE surrounded by lots of water patches between the dense jungle as a main feature (Area 2). Other than that, there's not much else to be seen on a first glance. There's no such thing as an empty space, though. It's quite nice here, actually. And no ghosts at all. Coming to rest here, one can admire the beauty of nature integrating what's left of this once thriving place. Thick roots, rustling green, ornate stones and sunlight glittering on water ...

However, spending more than half an hour here will trigger an encounter as described above.

Features:

• Taking the time to enjoy the scenery will heal 1d3 HP.
• There are two hidden paths leading away from this location. Finding will take 10+1d20 minutes each (unless characters very actively look in the right places, going by the description the DM provides).
  
• One leads underwater NE and into the building adjacent to this site (into Area 2 Site 1, sidenote: the building can be entered by climbing as well, see entry Area 2) and can be discovered by looking into the clear water between this site and the building (which will reveal a stone doorway). Characters will have to dive through it into the building (simple CON check will suffice, though).
• The other leads through an ascending tunnel due N (to Area 1 Site 5). The Stone doorway leading into the tunnel is hidden behind some rubble (covering the lower third) and heavy undergrowth. This is former service tunnel used by slaves and it is very well intact, even features some graffiti mocking the long dead masters of those long dead slaves (texts will need read magic to be deciphered, the pictures of profanities speak for themselves).
  
• There is one obvious path leading up and due E (to Area 1 Site 3).

Area 1 Site 5: Foul Kitchen Service

The building that stood here is long gone and only some foundation and debris are left to frame this site. The service tunnel this site is entered by opens into what has been a kitchen (which could be found out if someone where to study the remaining foundations). This is not a clearing, but somehow bushes did not overwhelm this part of the ruins. The jungle only gets thick right behind the remaining stones marking where the building stood. The Dragon Crew is not aware of this area, which would make it a nice place to hang out. However ...

Features:

• Main remaining feature in this place is an open well with a 2m diameter. The water deep down is black and muddy. On opposing sides of this well, somewhat hidden below earth and grass, it has two skeletons. The rests of their clothing indicate that they had been soldiers of some kind. They seem to have stood guard here.
• Only the night reveals the tragedy that befell this place, albeit only incomplete. The scenery will come to life ghostly, showing the two soldiers forcing what seems to be the household into the well, with all the tears and drama one would imagine. Women trying to protect their children, people trying to climb out of the well only to be cut down. The soldiers do their job relentlessly, but with tears streaming down their stoic faces. 20 people die in that well. The Soldiers commit suicide after the deed and die where their skeletons are found.
• Those 20 souls forced into the well are Zombies now that will climb out as soon as they sense the living above. It'll take them two rounds to get out of the well, and even though characters being aware of what's coming will be able to shoot some of them down before they get out, most sure will make it. And they will follow those adventurers mercilessly unless destroyed.
• Service tunnel leads out of there due S (to Area 1 Site 4).
  

20 Zombies, 2d8 HD (adults: 15, 13, 12, 12, 11, 11, 10, 9, 9, 9, 8, 8, 8, 7 children: 7, 7, 7, 5, 4, 3), AC 8, C, 1 Attack, D 1d8 or Weapon, Saves F1, Morale 12, Hoard None 

That's enough for now ...

I think it's already a lot, actually. The rest will follow as I get down to it. As I said above, just going with the notes and sketches is way less work intensive, especially if the DM is somewhat familiar with the tool and uses the provided Cheat Sheets.

Okay, I have to admit this was more fun than I thought it would be :P Reminded me why I enjoyed writing MB to begin with. However, as I stated above: if you actually use the tool, you'll get lots to play with and it does allow for a deeper exploration of the setting while allowing room for what the module established. This is an, I'd say, average result (you can get a crystal skull, ffs, and more quests that connect this with the hex ... a lot can happen).

In realted news, since the PoD version of this is overdue and a revision is warranted (it is my first, and I love it for that, but it can be better!), I'll aim for a Kickstarter of the Revision in 2022. So stay tuned! You want a teaser? You'll get a teaser :)

Sexy, no? More 2022 ...

The module itself already does a lot, of course, so make sure to check that out if haven't already! It is PWYW, so you can get it for free, give it a try and show some love afterwards, if you are so inclined. This beast of a module received 3 five star ratings since the reviews had dropped. From people I do not know, I might add (and still love for their commitment!), so this actually is received quite well.

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If you are thirsty for more,  you can check out a free preview of the Ø2\\'3|| (that rpg I published) right here (or go and check out the first reviews here). We will do a sale in October when the banner goes live. Stay tuned for that ...

If you are in Europe, I'd put this on hold for a bit (wishlist it, or something). OBS still prints in the UK and since that isn't Europe anymore, tolls are mandated. No one needs those extra costs. They are working on the problem, and I'll do a happy sale as soon as they switch printers.

If you already checked it out, please know that I appreciate you :) It'll certainly help to keep the lights on here!

Just look at that beauty ...

Design Structure of D&D Basic on One Page A4 ... or is it?

Among other things, I'm working on The be67 Supplement. As the name on the tin says, it's not a complete set of rules, which was a difficult decision to make ... Can you play this without knowing D&D Basic or Labyrinth Lord or any of the other clones? I'm not sure. So to be on the safe side, I decided to go with the supplement approach. For that I felt it necessary to give the reader an designer's approach to tinkering with D&D by explaining what all the pieces are and how they work together. What's more, I wanted all that on a double page A5. It's ... a tall order, I guess. Still gave it a shot, and I'm reasonably happy with it. However, I wanted some eyes on this, so here we are. What do you guys think?

Well ... not saying it's not. [source]

Basic D&D and Labyrinth Lord, Quick and Dirty

This is the general overview of the elements that make the game. Knowing this (and knowing LL or D&D Basic) will help you understand what we did here and where we deviate. How that comes together and how it plays will be explained in the subsequent pages of this supplement. So, buckle up.

What kind of game?

Role-playing games, as we understand them in the context of the original game, are about telling fantastic stories with a specific set of rules that allow a group of PLAYERS narrating setting-specific roles, with the game system and a GAMEMASTER (GM or Labyrinth Lord or Dungeon Master) providing the stage, feedback and rulings for their actions. The GM is considered to be the final arbiter in the game.

The interplay between players and GM creates an ongoing story while the system offers tools to specify and resolve turning points in said story, usually by using an assortment of dice and with the system output shaping the narrative in a way that produces a very specific playing experience.

What kind of playing experience?

System and GM provide SETTING, STAGE and OPTIONS how to interact with all that. Stage means a basic set-up what kind of story is offered in the greater context of the setting. Classically, we are speaking of some sort of fantasy world filled with wonder and magic and monsters, with the stage being anything from a town for adventurers exploring dungeons for fame and glory to the chance to play political intrigue on a king’s court. A starting point like that is usually aimed to result in a collection of ADVENTURES that sums up to what is called a CAMPAIGN.

With the stage set like that, players will chose the CHARACTERS (the “roles”) they want to use to explore their possibilities. This is considered a team effort, as the original game doesn’t allow all tools for every role, but instead different facets of the whole for different roles. That distinction is called CLASSES. The classes available are heroes one would expect in the gaming world (or setting), like archetypes of a sort.

To simulate growth for classes, characters collect EXPERIENCE. Experience is a measure of the success the characters have in their adventures and the players’ skill. Experience is collected in points (EXPERIENCE POINTS or XP) and character growth occurs in stages. With reaching a certain point limit, characters gain what is called a LEVEL (they LEVEL-UP). Each level-up comes with certain benefits that give a character more powerful tools to overcome the challenges GM and system are proposing in a campaign.

The core gaming experience, then, is about playing specific characters in an on-going campaign while using the tools available to the group to interact with the story in order to gain XP and levels utilizing dice and wits against an adjusting and intelligent opposition in form of the GM and the system.

What game tools, then?

The tools available to characters generally are expressed in abstract values and fall into four categories: active, passive, intermediate and special. Active tools interact, passive tools react, intermediate have qualities of both or are derived from the first two and special is everything else (for instance class-related abilities).

The active values are called ATTRIBUTES and comprise of the physical (STRENGTH, DEXTERITY, CONSTITUTION) and mental (INTELLIGENCE, WISDOM, CHARISMA) capacities of a character.

Attributes are expressed in numbers between 3 (low) and 18 (high) and give a basic understanding of how a character measures against other characters or the gaming world. It also shows strengths and weaknesses a character has, with high values giving bonuses and low ones giving penalties (usually range from -4 to +4).

The main passive values are called SAVING THROWS, classically comprised of BREATH ATTACKS, POISON or DEATH, PETRIFY or PARALYZE, WANDS as well as SPELLS or SPELL-LIKE DEVICES.

They mirror the attributes but map more the gaming world than representing individual characters. Attributes deviate between characters but remain static as the character grows. Saving throws change depending on class and level but aren’t individualized between characters.

Intermediate tools are HIT POINTS (HP), which give a measure of a character’s life force, ARMOR CLASS (AC), which measures how well a character is protected against harm, and an ATTACK VALUE, which shows the chances a character has to hit successfully against an AC. All intermediate tools are decided by class, change as characters gain levels and are modified by attribute bonuses.

Special tools can be anything from THIEVES SKILLS to SPELLS and MAGIC ITEMS classes or characters might have access to. They are usually very specific and give classes or characters some depth or flavor. DM TOOLS (like MORALE of non-player entities, e.g.) also fall into this last category and differ greatly between between editions and variants.

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And that's that. If the rules variants and additions in the supplement follow up on this scheme, would the understanding of it (and the original game, of course) add to the reading/playing experience? Is it necessary at all? And is it "complete", as in, did I succeed? Please, help a guy out, if you can :)

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In other news,  you can check out a free preview of the Ø2\\'3|| (that rpg I published) right here (or go and check out the first reviews here). This will be with the general populace for a little while now, but we will do some sales in the near future, of course. If you are in Europe, I'd put this on hold for a bit (wishlist it, or something). OBS still prints in the UK and since that isn't Europe anymore, tolls are mandated. No one needs those extra costs. They are working on the problem, and I'll do a happy sale as soon as they switch printers ...

If you already checked it out, please know that I appreciate you :) It'll certainly help to keep the lights on here ...

Just look at that beauty ...

Announcing THE RISE OF ROBO-HITLER (and how to stop him)

Some might have heard rumors, some saw the signs here on the blog, some had been warned back in the day on g+ ... This is going to happen now, folks. Or rather: it is happening already for a long time and now we are playing it and artwork is being drawn and level-design is (almost) done ... we are way beyond the point of no return. It'll be just as gonzo and wild as people know from Monkey Business. So far it's one hell of a trip and, well, let's say, going places. #bunkersploitation

Daniel has been trying his pen a bit on some of the ideas I threw his way and we decided to use it for the first official announcement. Behold:

This tells a lot on one side, but not much on the other, so here's the pitch:

It's the year 1967 when US intelligence agencies discover a bunker full of Nazis deep in the Austrian Alps. They seem to be working on something monumental. Something that will change the face of earth, if it comes to pass. So world governments throw their ressources together to send a rag-tag team of professionals to face the unbelievable darkness that brews deep down in this bunker full of bogey men (and women) from a past thought overcome. This module will feature Lizard-Men!, Mutants!, Dark Science!, lots of Nazi cannon-fodder!, uncanny robotics! AND - of course - the titular ROBO-HITLER!!1!

- includes all the gore you can imagine -

This will be crazy-grindhouse fun and huge. Four levels with sub-levels, new monsters and items your wizard shouldn't own and morale dilemmas (maybe). Definitely lots of action and bombs and gunplay. We have way too much fun playing this (and I hope that will translate). It'll also feature additional rules to tweak Labyrinth Lord towards more of a grindhouse experience. It'll be called be67 (or "The be67 Supplement") and I've already given the tour for that here on the blog (looky here, for starters).

Expect more details in the very near future :)

Needs a revision, but here we go ...

Oh, and of course you stop him by playing this. Hehe