I always start my day with a healthy breakfast, Orcus prefers cereal. He loves Raisin Bran, he loves the two scoops but it’s never enough so he adds extra raisins. He also wants everyone to know they keep him “regular”

Tuesdays are “Chores day” everyone in the house has to draw a set of chores out of the hat and get them done before end of the day. Orcus drew Dishes and Laundry this week I had to clean the bathroom.

He always gets s o pissy when some one leaves pots and pans in the sink with out rinsing them out.

Dude is an animal when it comes to scrubbing.

He is also a bit anal about how the dishes are arranged in the dishwasher. He always has to inspect them before he runs it.

The great thing about having the prince of undeath in house is that I know I can trust him with my delicates. If he is careful enough to steal human souls with out the Raven Queen knowing about it you know he can handle his silks.

Nothing but laundry.

Yup, just doing laundry with Orcus, not every day is a party you know.

Now that the laundry is done we can have some real fun, and by fun I mean fixing my computer. It died a few weeks back and Orcus decided that he would help me “Undeath” it.

He’s getting into it.

It was at about this point that Orcus admitted that he can’t undeath anything that doesn’t have a soul.

Tuesdays we have our mid day D&D game so we had to jump in the Sabb and get to Guardian Games.

Orcus rules the dice, and the character sheet, and the minis. Honestly I’m just his ride, but I get to watch as long as I keep quiet.

After the game we head home and Orcus does what he does best.

Watching you on Twitter!!!!!

T.

WyattSalazar: Play a single encounter using a pregen against a few random weak critters with your GM. Learn through experience.

adamdray: Download the D&D 4E Quick Start rules and read them. Sums up the basics quickly.

SlyFlourish: Take it slow. Start at level 1. Start with combat against minions. Ignore skill challenges for a while and stick to skill checks.

countingku: Sit them down and play, and make sure they ask questions as they go.

sajflorida: Forget the rules. Let your imagination fly. Think what your character would do, not the rules that may govern it. Let the DM rule

delibriand: listen to the first DnD podcast with the Penny Arcade guys. They were rookies to 4th edition, and Chis Perkins rules!

KatoKatonian: I try to introduce players to rules as they happen. Every time rule comes into play, I repeat how the rule works to reinforce it. I tell them right off that bat that if they only remember one rule, it’s that in most cases you roll a d20 and add to it.

JoeGKushner: start with the basics; read the fing book!

bensrpgpile: Listen to a 4e game podcast (many choices). Look at your character sheet ahead of time. Browse a PHB. Never be afraid to ask Qs.

dreadgazeebo: grab the “quickstart” rules off the wizards site where they have “Sample dnd” it covers a lot in a few pages

WolfSamurai:Buy. A. PHB. I see so many people struggle with the rules and realise that they haven’t even bought a copy to read. (more) Instead they just try to learn at the table without ever looking at the rulebook themselves or just by using DDI.

ethankillett: I try to relate it to a video game or a real life situation. A lot of my new players come from WoW so it’s easy to relate things.

LeStew: run a session or 10… Easiest way to learn the important rules and what’s important

symatt: new players can just jump straight in and play with no rule knowledge and seasoned players help and teach

psychopez: Have them listen to the first encounter of the first Penny Arcade/PvP podcast. Gives them enough ground to ask better questions.

Macadosche: Download the free character builder, use it to build your 1st character while you flip through the PHB to ease the learning curve

Alberand: I find the best way is to play a few rounds with them, explaining things as we go. For reading, quickstart rules from WotC site.

countingku: I think the best way to get familiar is just playing and answering questions as you go.

Rugsrat: tip Take it slow. Set it up like video game tutorial (move here, hit this), preferably one on one with the new player.

Question #2: What do you do when some of your players can’t make it to the game?

WolfSamurai: Depending on how many are gone, I might cancel. If there are only 1-2 missing, I hand their PCs out to other players.

theprint: If 1 player can’t make it we play anyway. If 2+ can’t make it, we play boardgames/a standalone instead.

ethankillett: I have an NPC McGuffin that whisks missing characters away for special op missions in the Astral Sea.

theweem: In my campaign we don’t play – but missing games is rare so that works out well

KatoKatonian: If it’s just one, and it’s okay w/them to continue play, their character fades to the background but still receives XP.

GeekyLyndsay: Legit reason, the group guides the character’s actions in a sort of party democracy. Bad reason, DM guides the character. You don’t want the DM to guide your character.

jmpress: if the players lets me know early enough, I try to reschedule with the rest of the group. If that doesn’t work, we play without. But if two or more people can’t make it to any night of that week, we cancel for the week.

DrOct: If it’s just one we’ll play without them. More than that we’ll cancel or play a board game or something else.

bensrpgpile: For missing plyrs, we have some1 @ the table just double up or invite a stand-in. I never just sit that char out = hurts story.

deadorcs: We have the attending players play the missing player’s character. We have 6 players, our quorum is 3.

Macadosche: That character becomes an NPC run by group decision. They can only use at-wills. Keeps dm from nerfing encounters, xp stays even.

ObsidianCrane: I have Companion versions of the PCs now so we play with the other players managing dice rolls etc

pdunwin: We cancel. I push for 1-offs of #dnd or another system, but there are never any takers.

psychopez: Play without them, have someone else play the char. A player misses a few in the row, alt chars and delves til they come back.

Level30yinzer: we reschedule. More important to us to play together than to stick to a rigid schedule.

SlyFlourish: have a pool of six players with 1 on call. If I can get five we go ahead. If less, we cancel for next week. I usually have six.

IllusiveDreams: Most of the time, someone else would pick up the missing PC & play them that session. If multiple people missin, than off.

DaveTheGame: I have 10 players who I schedule on a week by week basis, so we almost always have a game if I’m ready to run.

priesmeyer: Our old group had a quorum rule. If we could get 4 of 6 we went ahead.

Alberand: Never been short enough with this group for cancellation. PCs whose player is absent are still there, but “off-screen.”

LeStew: usually just go on without them, as if they’re just off screen.

symatt: I shadow there PC or write in a reason that their PC had to do something elsewhere

MynameisJard: We have a character-building session (PCs walk around town for odd jobs that turn into mini-adventures)

b_s_lynn: We play any how, because it is once a month

thetwixt: If it’s just one player, Spontaneous Existence Failure and I NPC. More than one, one off or Munchkin.

digitaldraco: I usually postpone and we’ll play something else. I loathe the awkwardness of a PC suddenly “disappearing” in-game.

DMfumbl: if it’s more than 2 players, I’ll cancel, otherwise I run the PC, but in a way that the other PCs shine

DMSamuel: Run something else usually

Question #3: In a year how many first time players do you DM?

deadorcs: Less than 1. All my players have at least 1 year experience playing #dnd in some version.

GSLLC:  Couldn’t begin to answer. I run #dndenc, et al. Boatloads.

pdunwin: Usually a few. Some at Game Days, some at personal games.

Alberand: Several dozen, at least, due to monthly Meetup games.

DMSamuel: probably only 4 to 5, sadly. new to my table, 4-5 per year, new to 4e #dnd, maybe 1

JesterOC: My average is less than zero.

AlioTheFool: Me too.

bensrpgpile: We seem to get 1 new player a session as it’s fun to mix in co-workers (great team bond kinda thing). So I’ll say on avg, 12.

WolfSamurai: In the last year or so, I’ve taught about a half-dozen. I don’t anticipate teaching a lot more soon though.

Macadosche: one or two

geekken: Regular static group and pretty tough getting new players. I’d say maybe 1/year

LeStew: very few…

Level30yinzer: we have a handful of neighborhood teens we introduced to the game. I’m delighted every time they come back for more.

digitaldraco: Usually zero, but I’m always happy to introduce someone new to the game!

symatt: not GMed dnd for a while now but when I could I had a new player every week

KatoKatonian: This year I have DM’ed five first-time players, and two additional “first time playing 4e”

DMfumbl: haven’t had a new to the game player in a while, but like bringing new folks along

Question #4: What was the best purchase you made this year?

JesterOC: Best so far is my continued DDI subscription.

deadorcs: The year’s not over However, I suspect it will be my set from Dwarven Forge that I’m saving for. Hoping for next week.

LeStew: ddi subscription second to that delve book and Eberron Campaign guide

AceDrummer_CLB: Dark Platypus – Bendy dungeons and status flags, hands down.

symatt: the Players Strategy Guide. It is deceiving the amount of use you can get out of it.

WastexGames: DMG2 and MM3 tie for best purchase so far this year.

ChrisSSims: Geez! Hard question. I have to say Demonomicon has some darn cool stuff in it, and I don’t like demons that much.

dreadgazeebo: Probably MM3, Darksun CC or my Paizo flipmat

WolfSamurai: I’m with @jesterOC, the best D&D purchase I’ve made this year continues to be my DDI subscription.

ConflictAddict: Dracolich mini. Hands down, the best one they’ve made.

DMfumbl: dungeon tiles and flipmats… I like my visuals

ArcaneSpringbrd: Monster Manual 3, by a longshot.

DrOct: Wow, tough question! Maybe the MM3? I also really liked The Plane Above, Underdark, and Demonomicon…

psychopez: My world works games PDFs I just got yesterday, used in conjuction with my Battlegraph dry erase boards and Dungeon Tiles.

DMSamuel: DMG2, probably, and Underdark, also ddi and my YETI mic

thetwixt: Has to be the ddi subscription, esp after realizing Dungeon & Dragon mags work great on my nook e-reader

IllusiveDreams: Best purchase was probably the darksun books. Next best is MM3 or DMG2

pdunwin: My DDI subscription.

AlioTheFool: My laptop. It’s by far my most useful tool for #dnd. I bought most of the books this year but haven’t read any of them.

countingku: Best purchase, I am going to have to go with DDI, Character Builder make like so much easier.

Macadosche: The Chessex dice set I gave my best friend, the computer-only RPGer. Their siren song is leading him to#dndenc next week!

For this Friday’s free post I am going to create a new villain for my Dresden Files RPG, it could easily be used in my Dungeons and Dragons game as well.

Chapter 1: Getting Started With the Forces of Darkness

The book starts off with a basic introduction to evil and its many forms. The first useful section in chapter 1 is choosing an evil name. There is a very small but fun name generator included in this section. It’s a simple three column list which asks you to choose one name from each column; mixing and matching names until you get one which has the feel you are looking for. Our new villain for today will be “Duke Beast Heart” now this is just his evil name. Those who don’t know of his criminal or evil intentions might know him by a more mundane name such as Carl.

This is a concept which I think DM/GMs could easily co-opt, start with this basic list from the book and then expound on it until you have a full page of interchangeable titles and names. It might come in useful if you have to introduce a new foe on the fly and you are not feeling all that creative at the time.

Right next to the name generator is, what I feel, one of the most integral components of creating a villain: “Evil Branding”. I don’t think DM/GMs spend enough time giving their villains enough personal flair to make them stand out from the other mundane enemies which they face through out their campaigns. Other than having more power and making appearances though out the story they are often as vanilla as everyone else.

I play in a 4th edition D&D  game where in the current villain is heavy into theatrics. Every thing she does is over the top and must be done with a certain amount of style. This often angers the players as she flaunts her victories and even in her escapes makes us feel like fools; we will remember her.

Under the branding the author suggests a few options to help your villain make their mark.

1. A Slogan: It is explained as 3 to five words which sums up your evil ways in an intimidating fashion. This is very much akin to the “aspects” of the Dresden Files RPG. The book gives the example of “Mercy is not an option!” I think I’ll use that for our Duke Beast Heart.
2. A Jingle: I’m not a jingle guy but I do know that theme music for a villain can help the characters feel the mood and presence of a particularly bad dude. Taking a page out of the SlyFlouish play book I would recommend choosing a song from a CD and playing it every time the players interact with the villain. For me I’ll use Track 4 from the Wrath of the Lich King sound track.
3. A Trade Mark Gesture: Perhaps your villain laughs and throws his/her cape in a wild style before he fights. Perhaps they leave a calling card at each scene. Gimmicks always help distinguish true villains from vanilla law breakers. Count Beast Heart will howl at the moon every time he exits a scene or begins a battle.
4. A literary Legacy: Placing your villain in lore and story before your players ever interact with them is a great way to build a bit of fear in their hearts. One tip for doing this is dropping stories or rumors of a evil being who does great evil in a campaign prior to the campaign in which they appear. While your players are dealing with one villain start building up their next.

So now we have have Duke Beat Heart for whom “Mercy is not an Option”. When he enters the room eerie music plays and he lets out a blood curdling howl. Your players are all looking at each other saying “Is this the guy we heard about weeks ago? The one who did *blank* to the *blank*?” Only one chapter in we have a foe who stand out like a sun rod in a perilous pit. The angry orc captain has got nothing on our Duke.

next up is Motives, I’m not going to list them all out here; you need some reasons to read the book. I have selected from the list Insanity. Our evildoer has, after years of exposure to magic from beyond the gate or the far realm, gone insane. He no longer cares about money, power, or any other trappings of the mortal life. The Duke is now haunted by visions of a twisted reality and he now yearns for one thing, making this world just like his twisted visions.

Chapter 2 Discovering the Methods of Your Mayhem

This is all about figuring out how your villain goes about doing his villainous deeds. What method does our Duke use to bring his madness to fruition? The first section of the chapter is focused on selecting an evil occupation, not their day job (in most cases) but more their “night” job; heroes often have civilian jobs, so does evil. I have selected for our villain “avatar of a supernatural creature beyond all comprehension”. Something had to drive our Duke insane, a creature beyond all comprehension might just do the trick.

Next up on the recipe would be Evil Objectives. All of the usual susspects can be found in this list: world domination, power, money. This is something which you have already partially decided when the motives are selected. Someone who wants to destroy the world might not really be interested in world domination; no world no domination. So some attention needs to be paid to the villains motivation while selecting this goals.

The Duke is a prime candidate for Wide Spread Misery as his goal. His objective to meet that goal will be Unleashing the great old ones. Perhaps they are cousins to the power which has driven him mad.

So at the end of part 1 of How to build a Villain we have Carl by day some mundane member of society by night Duke Beast Heart, the howling insane villain who is bent of unleashing the power of the Great Old Ones to bring suffering to the world. All at the behest of a super natural creature which is beyond all comprehension. Not bad for a days work, hell it really only took me 5 minutes to put that all together. I’ll take the Duke over random evil wizard guy who just wants to rule the world.

Look for part 2 next week where I’ll cover: Tools of the Trade, Minions, and Costumes.

T.

Question #1: What do you do if an answer you need isn’t in any published resource?

Squach: Create an answer. DMs are creative by definition, it’s what we do. I come up with a system myself. I’m pretty brilliant so it always goes awesomely, of course.

cintain: That’s simple: make it up.

richgreen01‎: check EnWorld and it that doesn’t work, make it up!

SlyFlourish‎: Make a ruling and move on.

AlioTheFool‎: Make it up. If it’s not written down, it’s my call.

pdunwin‎: Make it up, perhaps with input from the community or those in the know, if possible.

MynameisJard: I make it up, or, if it really matters to the players, let them convince me why they should have it their way.

WolfSamurai: I make an immediate ruling, with the caveat that I will consider it more outside of game to ensure it’s the best interpretation.

TheAngryDM: What DMs have done since time immemorial: make a ruling. I do that even if it’s in a book. Don’t like to check books during game.

ObsidianCrane: Make a ruling and get on with the fun. My rulings lean towards “fun” or “cool”

blindgeekuk: make it up to try and keep the game flowing. then spend days argueing over email with our resident rules lawyer

bensrpgpile: for non-pub answers, we use the#wotc forum, good ol’ Twitter posts, & Google search. If nothing there, it’s house rule time:)

DMSamuel: I make up the answer to any problems on the spot, if needed I’ll revisit after the game, but I do not retroactively I make up the answer to any problems on the spot, if needed I’ll revisit after the game, but I do not retroactively

mercutio531: Err on the side of Awesome, but fair.

michaelrobles: Depending on the question: You make it up! That’s part of the fun of improvising as a DM! (at least for me anyways).

rdonoghue: Make Shit Up.

SlyFlourish: Ask my Rules Lawyer for a ruling and then move on. My rules lawyer is even handed and fair so we go with his judgement.

DrOct: Make a ruling that make’s enough sense to everyone and keep the game moving!

KatoKatonian: I consult the internet (forums, twitter, etc.) and then make my best judgment based on how similar situations are handled.

DMfumbl: I make up what I want, and then my decision supersedes any later official answer (usually setting details)

JoeGKushner: wing it to keep the game moving than codify it so that if it happens again I’m ready

deadorcs: Dude, I just make that s##t up as I go along.

Question # 2: Have you ever danced with the Devil in the pale moon light?

tadbo‎:  …no, look what that got Bruce Wayne?

countingku‎: No, but I’ve danced with the devil with a blue dress on.

pdunwin‎: Not since Perform (Dance) was removed from the game.

AlioTheFool‎: Yes. With all of my prey.

theprint: Dude. I’ve BEEN the devil in the pale moon light. Many times.

KatoKatonian: Yea, but then he never called me again. Also, he wanted to go “dutch” for dinner. Cheapskate.

b_s_lynn: If I could dance she wood make me dance w/ her every nite

priesmeyer: I always as that of all my prey. I just like the sound of it.

deadorcs: Do you ask that off all your friends, or do you just like the sound of it?

Question #3: DMs: Do you ever give out non enhancing rewards i.e. titles?

CaptCalamitous‎: definitely, clothing, jewellery, titles, basically anything they can roleplay with.

Level30yinzer‎: @ThadeousC The cleric in my party just found out he’s been declared a saint

pdunwin‎: @CubeSteve wants his eladrin baron to become a viscount so I might do that eventually.

jonathanshade‎: Yes, I do. Knights, bishop, etc are common.

Entropicurity‎:  I’ve found giving them a home base to work out that they earn to be well worth the adventuring, gives them a sense of home

KatoKatonian: Only informally thus far. In Keep on the Shadowfell, my players are currently known as “Friends of Winterhaven” for their help.

Level30yinzer: I just sainted the party cleric, in fact. Another gained leadership of the rebel militia. So yeah, rep is a great reward.

CaptCalamitous: mostly the only rewards I hand out.

rdonoghue: All the freaking time.

TheAngryDM‎: I did, briefly, modeled on video game acheivements, I found I was spending more time on the #%$@ingacheivements than the game.

lamentation: I have in the past, in 3.5, but not yet in 4e

WolfSamurai: Not yet, but I have every intention of doing so soon, complete with unwelcome attention and complications. Bwahaha.

JoeGKushner: titles, alliances, favors, maps, information…

ObsidianCrane: I give out non-loot awards when appropriate. Which will be soon in my home game.

SlyFlourish: I gave a salted meat store in Thunderspire and a brothel in Sigil as rewards to my group. Now they just won a Chaos Ship.

Question #4: How much drinking takes place at your game table?

scottmalt‎:  Nothing alcoholic. Our beverage of choice is Cherry Coke

ThursdayKnights‎: Very little. Each person will keep it to a beer or two max throughout the whole night. No getting drunk.

ChrisSSims: None. Of course, we start play on Sunday morning.

pdunwin‎: The answer is: none. None drinking.

CubeSteve‎: Not entirely true, we have had a hard lemonade or two. But nothing heavier.

AlioTheFool‎: None sadly. I’d love to play drunk D&D

Macadosche‎:  Don’t know exactly how much, but between beer & Mt Dew… Let’s just say there’s a healthy pile of cans at the end of the night!

ChrisSSims‎: None. Of course, we start play on Sunday morning.

JoeGKushner‎: the always true answer is not enough!

mjbrenner‎: My once a month group drinks very little. My weekly group drinks beer and whiskey like they are going out of style.

ahill7‎:  I have a beer or two, but only to relax my nerves while DM’ing and running things. I offer and allow players, but not many do

TheAngryDM‎: None – or very occasionally a little. I have learned the hard way that drinking and serious #dnd don’t mix well. Are we talking soda, juice, coffee, or booze? In that order: lots, some, way lots, none.

psychopez‎: Granted, I game with one person who grew up LDS and has no compunction to drink. Tends to ignore that caffeine rule though…

DMSamuel‎: none, we aren’t big drinkers and all have to drive home

icu_seamus‎:  when I’ve been in a live game, myself & 1 other usually kill off a 12-pack.

lamentation: My games are pretty dry usually, once had a bit of pot tho.

TimsMartini: By the characters or the players? For the former, remember that I have an entire party of dwarves…

Alterus: just the occasional beer or two, nothing more usually

DrOct: Not too much drinking, most of us have 1-3 (I have 2 usually) beers/drinks per session, some don’t drink at all during play.

TheLastRogue: My game is like a beer and pretzel . . . and beer and vodka with a tequila shot or 7 game.

ObsidianCrane: in 26 years there has been alcohol 3 times at a game, and 1of those was mead so we could try it.

WastexGames: The people playing or in-character drinking? None at the table, tons in the tavern.

Everyone enjoys a good ego stroke and I like to be told that I am doing a good job as much as the next guy, but that also isn’t the focus of this article. “What is the point?” you might ask. His enjoyment of the control I gave him over a scene involving his character as the main protagonist.

What happened? I set the scene, I brought the NPCs and the players into a setting and described it with moderate detail and then pointed to the player and said “since it’s your character you tell me what happens”. For the next five minutes or so the player described what was taking place and the interactions his character had with the NPC and the environment. If a skill check was needed I would stop him and ask him or someone in the group to roll. Once the scene was complete I took over and resumed DMing the game.

One of the best parts of being a DM is being able to influence the world in which the characters play. Getting to be creative, not just imagining a story but sharing it with other. Sharing that influence is a great way to enhance players enjoyment of any RPG. How can you do this while still maintaining continuity and story flow? Here are a few suggestions on how you can share some of your DM power.

#1. Skill Check hand off: When a skill check is needed give your players the chance to describe what failure or success means. As the DM moderate to make sure what they describe is plausible and add small details but allow them to decided what happens when they fail a diplomacy check or if they crush a stealth check.

#2. Scene control: If there is a scene in the story which focuses heavily on one or two players let them narrate the scene. Start them off by describing the setting and give them what ever important information the NPCs might give them and then let your players run with it.

#3. Consequences of Action: If your players do something which could have wide spread consequences for the world at large ask them for input as to what it should be. Did the party topple an evil king? Who steps in to take his place? Perhaps your players might enjoy the kingdom collapsing into chaos, or the installation of a kind hearted young queen. Did they destroy an evil necromancer who was raising an army of the undead? What happened to his army? Are they free to roam the world and wreak havok? Do they start their own undead civilization? Let your players decide.

#4. City Building: The Dresden Files RPG has a great deal of good ideas for gaming, one of them being cooperative world building. This is a really useful way to get your players more involved and interested in the world in which they play.  Asking each player to create a place of interest and an NPC which the other players don’t know about can be very rewarding to the players. This gives each player a little inside knowledge about the city which the others in the group don’t. If each player creates one of these places of interest they will have have some special information they will enjoy sharing with the party, or using to their own advantage.

#5. NPC control: Often players will take a special interest in NPCs who they feel an affinity for; perhaps they enjoy something quirky about the NPC or they just think it’s funny. The DMG2 has some great rules for creating a companion character for your players. Taking an NPC your players like and turning it into a companion for a while gives them a bit of constant control over their world. Allow them to determine their companions reactions to situations and stimuli. Let them write some of the back story for the NPC if they want.

Creativity is at the heart of role playing games, and sharing the ability to be creative with your players is a great way to allow them to shine and enjoy their game even more. Even control freaks and evil DMs can benefit their games by allowing players to have some creative control. Giving them some rope with which to hang them selves can always be fun.

T.

“Are you sure it’s them?”
Walking up to the crest of the hill, Ory regarded the older gentleman stretched out behind the ridge. Holding a spyglass in one hand, the older gentleman grabbed Ory by the pant leg with the other to pull him down to the ground.
“Get down, you idiot! Do you want them to see you? And yes, it’s them. Do you know anyone else that routinely exercises five hundred head of cattle in the middle of a hidden valley?”
“I…uh…no?” Ory squinted in the late afternoon light, trying to catch more of the action below.
Shifting his gaze, once again to the older gentleman, Ory continued, “Morbus, I don’t get why we had to follow them out here this far? Won’t the King’s constables be able to catch the thieves?”
Setting the spyglass down, Morbus eyed his younger companion, “Ory, you remember as well as I do, that the these cattle thieves disguise the cattle by dyeing them. Right now, those very thieves are trying to negotiate a deal with the King’s half-brother, the Duke. The Duke doesn’t know these are the
King’s cattle. While the Duke doesn’t care where the cows come from, he will care if he finds out the cattle belong to the King.
The pained looked of trying to understand a simple concept persisted on Ory’s face. Morbus waited patiently for the inevitable next question. “But…Morbus…if the cattle are dyed, how will the Duke find out before the thieves make their escape? The Duke’s not gonna think to wash the cattle, is he?”
Morbus chuckled at his young companion, “No, Ory…he’s not. That’s where we come in. The King’s security officer commissioned me to uncover the thieves and expose their treachery. Now, if you’ll give me two shakes, I intend to do just that.”
Ory opened his mouth to ask how, but was silenced by a single familiar gesture from Morbus. As his young companion continued to look on curiously, Morbus removed a small glass orb from his vest pocket and shook it gently. The green liquid swirled within, almost as if a small storm were brewing within
the glass. Setting the orb on a flat rock in front of him, Morbus knelt before it, speaking a language that Ory was only beginning to understand. Inching away from Morbus and the orb, Ory was fascinated with the display, but wouldn’t dare run from his master.
Speaking to no one specifically, Morbus continued to focus on the globe. “This is the part that’s going to hurt.”
With a sudden movement, Morbus raised a fist and brought it smashing down onto the globe. Shattering with a bright tinkling sound, the now thoroughly broken globe released a puff of vapor and moisture into the air. Wincing, Morbus stood up, picking shards of glass out of his hand. As he discarded the first piece, a distant thunder rolled through the valley.
“Morbus, wasn’t that a weather ritual? How are we going to stop thieves with a rainstorm?” Ory drew his cape over his head in order to avoid the first drops of rain.
Handing his apprentice his spyglass, Morbus gestured toward the cattle below, “take a look at the cattle, Ory”.
Ory peered through the spyglass, as the first big drops of rain made their appearance. Large blobs of brownish red dripped from the various cattle. Looking over to his master in alarm, Ory
commented nervously, “Master, it looks like the cattle are bleeding. I thought you cast a weather ritual?”
Morbus looked at his apprentice with near contempt. Why the boy was referred to as a magical genius was beyond him. Nevertheless, he tried to explain again. “Look again, Ory. Focus on the hind quarters of one of the cows.”
Peering more carefully this time, Ory watched as the rain beat down on the backs of the cows. The brownish red stuff still dripped off the cattle, but now he could see the glaring white marks of the King’s brand showing on the rump of each cow. Suddenly, his master’s plan began to dawn on him.
“Morbus, I can see the King’s brand on each of the cows! The rain has washed the dye away!”
“Yes, Ory. Now take a look over by the tents.” Morbus adjusted his own cloak to cover his head, and began to move over to where the horses were tied up. Ory once again looked through the spyglass. While he couldn’t here it up here on the valley ridge, he could see the angry shouting faces of the Duke’s
men. Crossbows drawn, the Duke’s men quickly rounded up the would be cattle thieves. Mounting their horses, Ory looked at his master.
“Morbus, how long will the rain last?”
Morbus shivered slightly in the rain, and sighed, “About four hours, give or take. Which reminds me. Did you pack the umbrellas, Ory?”
Ory shrugged, frustrated, “But Master, it was bright and sunny out this morning, why would I…?”
Morbus shook his head.
“And that is why you’re still an apprentice, Ory.

Flavor text by Randall Walker – Initiative or what

Question #1:  what tasks i.e. Init tracking, do you give to your players to lighten your load?

TheAngryDM: None, really – I am a control freak. But I don’t recommend other DMs follow me in that. Use your players.  As if I’d trust my players. Ha! Seriously, I’m kind of a control freak – I do it all myself.

WolfSamurai: I don’t really give the players much to do aside from things like moving minis or helping set up dungeon tiles.

iTavman: I have them occasionally go to the bathroom for me. It usually doesn’t work out well, though…

ethankillett: They bring me cookies as I DM, though that might be them sucking up to me. I do most of the work during the game. They just play!

mjbrenner: I have players make the cardboard markers for their attack effects. I handle everything else, as their turns usually take longer.

pdunwin: Mine help with initiative, placing condition markers & live-tweeting. Also, @CubeSteve brings his huge battlemat & the steel sheets for the @aleatools.

SlyFlourish: Rules lawering, Initiative pushing, turn speed. We tried monster damage, that wasn’t bad.

CubeSteve: The snacks!

MynameisJard: I’m Jesus: I do it all!

lamentation: Roll monster power refreshes.

ObsidianCrane: they manage allied NPCs. I use #masterplan for organising and running games so basic stuff like init etc is handled readily.

DMfumbl: leading the recap at the beginning of each session… I think players are more involved that way

bensrpgpile: our player duties include init board, effect flags, effect cards, end counter, body tiles, milestone sheet, terrain layout assist

DMSamuel: the only thing my players are responsible for is being ready for their turn, I have a good sized group (4) so it works But when I have larger groups, 1 does init tracking, 1 does a timer for turn decisions, 1 does marks and condition markers.

Question #2: What is your favorite monster? Why?

kleebakrr: Aboleths. I like how ancient they are and that they remember they’re ancestors entire history.

Level30yinzer: Favorite monster: ME! muahahaha

AlioTheFool: Gnolls. I love their “look,” their ferocity, and Yeenoghu. 2nd place is dragons. Goblins 3rd.

deadorcs: I love me some MODRONS! Also, I’m a big fan of the Githyanki. WotC, if you’re listening, I will write your Modrons for you.

ArcaneSpringbrd: Beholders. Unmistakeable look, incredible arrogance with power, 4e’s version rocks (once you use the MM3 damage

WolfSamurai: My favorite monsters are humanoids. So much variety. So many interesting things. So impossible for PCs to predict.

pdunwin: Displacer beasts. Cool name, cool look, cool power. I like the quori. They messed with your dreams

SarahDarkmagic: I love dragons, but when I need variety, I love me some aberrants. So easy to terrify my players that way

SlyFlourish: I love lichs of all types, draco, demi, whatever. They’re bad-ass and frighten players.

JamieFirth: bugbears and kobolds

ChrisSSims: Goblins of all types. Lots of personality for roleplaying and lots of character as monsters.

blindgeekuk: kobolds -sneaky, shifty. gnolls – visceral imagery

Macadosche: Mind Flayers! One is evil enough, but a pack of em, an Elder Brain, & an army of thralls? Badass. Uncle Squidface Wants YOU!

DMSamuel: Definitely the Mind Flayer – just the thought of tentacles and eating brains, it’s awesome. Beholder would be a close second though, just those many creepy eyes!

symatt: Umber Hulk. it makes use of the darkness so well, a single one is good against a party. great imagery in my games. Kobold. Trickery, shear numbers, versatility. Trap building. And I have lots of figures.

icu_seamus: the Tarrasque. It represents almost insurmountable destruction. Read rpgmusings.com for more info!

jmpress: Kobolds! they’re small, sneaky, and people underestimate their cleverness.

ObsidianCrane: Spriggans atm. Because they kick PCs when they are down. Hilarious stuff. I also love elites of all types as they are flexible.

Ufgood: My favourite monsters are kobolds. Because they just right piss the PCs off!

ExaltedDarkness: gonna go with Draconians from Dragonlance. It’s always fun to see the PCs face when they realize they forgot about Death Throes!

theprint: My favorite monster is and always will be your basic Orc. They can be threatening and scary or funny and dumb. Orcs FTW!

deadorcs: Favorite monsters? Modrons, Githyanki & Peeved Cultists (not necessarily in that order).

b_s_lynn: D&D Past ed.s it was shape changers Bcuz U could make them hidden threats

dreadgazeebo: Zombies, and simply because everyone loves killing them no matter what setting. They are the nazi soldiers of the tabletop world.

psychopez: Any intelligent medium sized creature that’s of a player playable race. Because it could be anything I want it to be. They see a dragon, they know what to expect. They see a humonoid, the players are always wondering, thinking, engaging it.

DnDPrincessAria: salt golems. Killer hugs. Enough said : P

D_Gibb: My favorite dnd monster is probably the Gelatinous Cube to use when PCs aren’t expecting it!

DMfumbl: since I play #dragonlance, draconians are my fav, their death throws abilities can be a nice harassment

TheAngryDM: Elementals (and demons). Especially 4E mix-n-match elementals like the Icerock Firethunderer or the Coldacid Cycloneshard. Don’t know why. I just like ‘em.

richgreen01: the ixitxachitl. Intelligent vampiric Demogorgon-worshiping rays! What’s not to like?

theweem: Call me old fashioned or boring, but I love Goblins

MTMorris: I love Kenku. Something about sneaky greasy humanoid black crows just seem awesome.

ironregime: I used mindflayers as abducting aliens for fantasy-horror fun. I enjoy putting old school in a new light.

countingku: I’m with TheWeem. I have a soft spot in my heart for the goblins. #TeamSplug all the way, hey!

sajflorida: Favorite Monster? Undead. All Undead. Lich. Dracolich. Yeah.

Question #3: What is your favorite character class and why?

pdunwin: I love the mechanics of the Shaman. It’s very 4e. What I mean is that it’s abstract enough to allow a lot of player description & wasn’t workable in past editions.

countingku: You can’t pick just one. Bard, Avenger, Warden. Haven’t had the chance to play controller, so I don’t have a fave yet.

DMSamuel:  Cleric because they are badass; they giveth HP and taketh away

Macadosche: I favor bard. Fits my personality, a bit of this, a bit of that. Plus, manifesting power through music is just so Rockstar!

deadorcs: Hard to pick one with 4e.Played only 1 of them. I’m liking my Storm Sorcerer, & I really want to take the Assassin out for a run.

gregbilsland: Essentials Warlock! Err, um, I mean… I’d have to go with the warden, because I enjoy how the mechanics blend with the fluff.

mhasko: Warlords. They can cover any martial archtype to fit any type of character. I have 4, might be making a 5th.

AlioTheFool: Wizard then Bard. I love magic, and clearly my name says I love the jester type character.

SarahDarkmagic: I love the assassin class. Playing a darker character, teleportation and shade form, shrouds and ki focus are my top reasons.

WolfSamurai: I have a hard time picking just one. I’ve made really interesting, awesome, or unique characters of almost every class. If I could only play 1 class ever, I’d play the monk. I like many classes, but the monk edges them out.

icu_seamus: I’ve always had a soft spot for the Barbarian. Rages can mean so many different things when role-played properly. Invoker. I love the idea of calling down the holy name of one’s deity to stop the enemy.

esspkay: The monk. I love the idea of taking on dragons, evil sorcerers and armies of no-goodniks with nothing but my fists

RCarlton87: I prefer rogues and wizards, both for their incredibly vast playability. Sneaky or flirty, what school of magic, etc.

IllusiveDreams: I really like the feel & play style of the avenger class. But fall back would be a dual weapon ranger.

deadorcs: re: Character Class. In no particular order: Assassin, Bard, Rogue, & Sorcerer.

dreadgazeebo: Rogues – The ultimate badasses, whether an assasin, swashbuckler, cutthroat, thief or general shifty person. Espionage = win. “Rogues” of notable influence on my brain: Garret from the Thief PC games. Altair / Ezio from assassins creed. Capn’ Jack sparrow

steve_the_dm: In 3rd, the cleric. In 4th: I have had lots of fun with *every* class I’ve played, and have yet to find a bad choice. All fun!

symatt: Cleric, they are a team player & there are so many directions they can take. helping the party makes me feel good.

JesterOC: The rogue. Effective in combat, effective in skill challenges, very mobile.

WyattSalazar: Wizard’s, because it’s all about the reality-warping magic baby~

Neldar: Assassin. You are dead or close to it before you see them.

WastexGames: I’ve really enjoyed the Sorcerer and the Avenger in 4e.

pdunwin: Fighter. Iconic, flexible, & the beneficiary of a lot of compensation for years of being hosed.

theweem:Rogue: Love the idea of a vagabond doing what needs to be done to survive, laws be damned. Not a killer, rather a crafty wanderer

countingku: Avenger, Bard, and Warden are my favorite and go-to classes in #4e currently.

Question #4: Have you ever or would you asked your players to pitch in for game supplies?

theweem:  Nope and Nope

deadorcs: I have, with mixed results. I really try not to ask unless I know everyone in the group will get the same benefit.

MTMorris: No, though I wouldn’t mind if they did. I just don’t ask.

RCarlton87: Not to pitch in for source books or accessories, but I do require them to own their own dice. Oh, and buy pizza!

azaroth42: define game supplies? Books? Minis? Dice? Battlemat? Pens? Printer paper? Ddi subscription?

maxqtime: the only thing I ask my players bring is dice and a pencil, if they’re really new I might even pregen chars for them

bensrpgpile: Game supplies – nah. The game board is a DM’s pleasure & masterpiece. I do ask the guys to bring some of the food though.

pdunwin: My players have supplied minis, battle mats, @aleatools & modules.

blindgeekuk: re: game supplies – sweets/drinks sure. some bring their own dice minis and sheets, but I do a lot of printing for them

ArcaneSpringbrd: No, but if they want to use rules from a book I don’t own, I require them to get it. Not as much of an issue in 4e.

richgreen01: No – got them to buy beer tho’

mjbrenner: I never ask them to, but they have donated to the collection. Two recently gave me a 2′x2′ box full of minis from a yard sale.

steve_the_dm: Nope. Players buy beer and bring snacks. DMs steal the company’s color printer ink. >:)

countingku: I’d have them buy food and drinks, but I wouldn’t ever ask them to buy game stuff. If they offered, I’d consider

theinsomniakid: I usually ask them to bring their own dice, but I provide pretty much everything else.

WastexGames: not for supplies, but I will ask for it if we order pizza

dreadgazeebo: Nope, but I might ask for them to chip in for a pizza, beer, etc. Or buy their own PHB so I can stop passing mine around.

Macadosche: We’re lucky one of us collects minis, another all the books, etc. The rest have a smattering of #dnd gear so it works out great.

sajflorida: Just pizza and beer. Are there other supplies?

ironregime: I have never asked players to pitch in for game supplies.

July Recap

• I had way too much work to do so some really great people wrote guest articles for me

1. Rope Trick – by Dead Orcs
2. Magic Missile – by Obsidian Crane
3. Healing – by DMSamuel
4. Small Problem – by Alio the Fool

• I added a simple wish list to the downloads section of the site. My plan is to try to come up with more helpful low tech downloads for DMs and Players.
• I bought The Dresden Files RPG and an Orcus min or two. (One might become a giveaway) I can’t wait to write about the Dresden Files more but I’m waiting until I actually get to play with my group before I do.
• At some point this month Mydndgame.net got it’s 10.000th visitor I guess that’s pretty cool
• The DM’s Round Table Podcast recorded 3 new episodes this month and boy were they fun.
• The 4 geeks 4e Podcast is off the ground with three episodes and counting. Stop by and listen to me get my drunk on.

What does the future hold?

I have been pretty busy working on so many projects I have not even stopped to think about what I have in the bag for the next few months. This should be fun to write.

• Pax prime is only a month away! I’ll be there DMing a few games including a Gama World Preview.
• On a related note I am signed up to run the DMs challenge at PAX prime; wish me luck.
• I’m working out details with a few bloggers to contribute regularly to Mydndgame.net. I’m not going to say who they are yet only because nothing has been set in stone.
• I have a new T-shirt design ready to go, I’m looking for a new way to print and distribute so it might take a few weeks before it’s available to the public.
• More painting! I plan on painting a few more minis and posting some progress pictures. I had a lot of fun with the last one and I can’t wait to try my had at a few more. Who knows, I might just get better at it.

That about wraps it up! Summer is a slow season for me. It’s a very busy season at work and I have to utilize the time to save money for school. If I don’t I won’t have money all year to buy the fun games and toys that drive this site.

That’s all for July, see you all next month!

T.

T.

I’m home from work today because my wife is really sick and she can’t possibly take care of the kids. What does that mean? D&D planning bonus time!

As I grabbed my supplies this morning, I looked down at the bags of minis I already prepped for the dungeon I’m planning. If you care, I’m running a “Kill Bargle 4E” delve. It’s using the level 1 map from the original BECMI set, and the rest is maps I made using GridMapper (you can find my tutorial on using it here:  http://www.rpgmusings.com/2010/06/using-gridmapper-for-rpg-maps/ )

As I looked at the minis, all sorted into individual zip lock bags, I recalled how yesterday I planned a relatively weak encounter utilizing 3 Imp Assassins that will face the 5-member level 5 party. Why only 3? Am I being a Sissy DM, as @TheAngryDM would say? Actually, no. My “Bargle’s Manor” is a mid-heroic tier attempt at being a Tomb of Horrors. I want it to be difficult. So why is this encounter so weak? The simple answer is: I didn’t have enough miniatures to fill out the encounter.

Originally I had sort of handwaved it away and didn’t think about it again. However, I started reading @JaredVonHindman’s latest article on the D&D website, and came across the following tidbit:

“ProTip: Want to have some fun? Start using a criminally inappropriate miniature for your character and see how it subtly sneaks into your DM’s thinking. I used a Disney Princess I got in a cereal box as my gnoll barbarian for ages, and I feel guilty for how many times the DM, while getting into the mindset of the monster, decided I didn’t look too threatening and decided to attack someone else. Truth be told, I think that’s why I wrote this article . . . to tap into how visual style affects combat. Of course, you could go the extreme route and just use the “Fallen Villager” miniature. I mean, what monster is going to attack a guy who’s obviously already dead?”

Well, that’s interesting advice for a player, or even a DM (as I was actually using a stirge mini to signify an imp.) By interesting I mean, “That is really irritating and ‘off’ considering the game.” Now, I’m a more “modern” player/DM. I like minis in my game. I like the gridded combat and its structure. Besides my mother attempting to run the original “Kill Bargle” adventure in the old “Red Box” Basic edition for my brothers and me, I have never played D&D without a grid. I’m generally a fan of D&D 4E’s approach to combat, and I adore my minis collection (watching my 3 year old play with some of them yesterday while I was planning brought a big ol’ Kool-Aid smile to my face) so I love the opportunity to use them.

Except when I don’t have enough of the one I need. I only collect official Wizards of the Coast D&D Miniatures. I don’t paint, so most other manufacturers don’t serve my needs enough. I do have a few Reaper pre-paints and I use some old HeroQuest system unpainted hard-plastic figures, but that’s about it. When I’m planning encounters, I tend to only use monsters who are represented (at least reasonably, such as the stirge/imp) by the miniatures I can actually place on the table. The reason being, when I put those little plastic baddies on the table, I don’t look to “fool” the players. I’m trying to give them a proper representation of the monsters they’re actually facing. I don’t know about anyone else, but this is the one case where I “get” the “4E ruins role-playing” argument. If the mini doesn’t closely represent the monster being faced, it seems to become hard to visualize the actual encounter.

Now I’ve never truly bought into the whole “4E isn’t role-playing, it’s roll-playing!” argument. Role-playing doesn’t need rules to execute. How do I know? Well, I played out D&D adventures in my head for years as I sat with previous edition D&D books and no one willing to sit at a table with me. 4E is a battle system. It presents a structure by which you can run encounters involving combat and also includes a skill challenge system to help with heroic acts that you choose not to simply voice act. You can play the entire game without a grid and minis if you truly want, though I don’t see why you’d spend so much money on 4E books just to do that when you can probably get older books or other systems more cheaply that were specifically designed without grids in mind.

4E does use minis, and it really is “right” to do so. The system expects it. Besides, who doesn’t like to play with toys? I’m a mid-30s father of 3 and I love my little plastic armies. That said, when I run out of the minis I need for an encounter I often feel like that’s it, either stop including monsters or find minis of monsters that logically work with the ones already in place. Generally I have had enough of what I need. I played the official D&D Minis game for a few years before one of the guys at the store I played at convinced me to join his 4E group. I collected boatloads of goblins, kobolds, and other low-level “common” fodder. Now that we’re moving ahead in levels though, I’m starting to see my collection become a bit deficient for my needs. I have a lot of miniatures. By a lot I mean I’m on Greenpeace’s Most Wanted list for environmental damage. Still, I’ve found myself increasingly lacking enough minis to round out my encounters the way I’d like to.

So while D&D 4E doesn’t ruin “role-playing” the “roll-playing” sometimes does. Combats are fun, but I’d really like more of a “yeah I can see the 10 imps in my head even though I have 2 imps, 3 goblins, 4 arbalesters, and a stirge on the table” feeling in my game. Granted, a big part of that is my players and me failing to visualize ourselves due to laziness, but at the same time, the focus on miniature representation does lead to that laziness.

I’m curious to know how other DMs approach encounter-building. Do you plan what monsters you want your players to face, then do your best to fill in minis where necessary? Do you do what I do and stat out based on the minis you have to present? Do you perhaps use some sort of counters, such as coins, paper representations, etc.? Do you, your players, or all of you have trouble visualizing while in-combat? Talk back to me in the comments.

I’m not withholding from my players because I want to be mean or starve them of magic. I want to find the balance of having what they need but not being able to get every item that catches their eye. I have played in games where money and magic were so abundant that a brand new magic sword or gloves began to feel very mundane. It wasn’t special to find a magic item on an enemy or to make a trip to town to spend some hard earned gold it was an expectation.

When my players get something new I want it to have a hint of that Christmas morning feeling to it. I also want them to feel like they are walking around with something very special in their possessions. Lots of people carry swords in the world of D&D, but not many of them glow with intense power or alter aspects of reality. I have yet to find that balance but I’ll let you know if I do.

My point today is not that I want to teach anyone how to give out items but to show you what I am going to be using to keep track of what my players want and what I have given them. Behold the wish list!

Yeah I know lots of people use wish lists and I also know many people don’t like them. I for one don’t really have much feeling about them either way, but I intend to use one for my Monday night campaign.

Why a wish list? Well I don’t enjoy spending time selecting magic items for my treasure parcels only to have my players break them down or sell them to buy what they want; to me this adds up to a huge waste of time. I also don’t always remember what I have given out before and I don’t want to give out two shields to a warrior in the same level range.

Knowing what my players want also gives me a better idea of items they might like but have not looked at. If the avenger in my party wants a sword that allows him to teleport I might throw a pair of boots with the a similar power at him, or a belt.

I think players have a clear idea of how they want to optimize their characters, and what powers they want to play with. Giving them more opportunity to do so should in theory make the game more enjoyable.

My wish list sheet is easy to use (though not very pretty) and almost self explanatory. The DM fills out the level range in the upper right corner. This will give the players a range to chose from. A player listing all level 20 items for my heroic tier game won’t be helping me out any with this. If the players in the group are in early heroics the DM might cap the items at +1 giving an estimated range of level 1-5. From there it is up to the players to fill out the sheet with a few weapons, armor and random magical items they wish to receive through out the adventure.

The check boxes are for my own personal book keeping. A simple device for keeping track of which items I have handed out and which items I have not. As I have said before I’m not the most organized and I sometimes forget that I have already given the wizard a +3 staff of something or other.

Some one did ask why I included both level and cost because every level 1 item costs the same as every other level 1 item. Well I don’t really have cost to level memorized and I don’t really want to have to look it up. The point of this sheet is to keep all the information I need for creating a treasure parcel in one place.

I’m sure there are programs and trackers I could use for all of this but I continue to do most of my work in a low tech setting. I really want to get my feet under me as a DM before I begin to lean on my computer too much. I don’t always have access to the internet or my computer so I want tools which will allow me to DM in any setting.

If you are a design guru and want to spruce up my design please feel free. My work is yours to use as a base. If you have created your own and it is far superior to mine please let me know and I’ll link to it or host it here if you wish.

Download the wish list:

• JPG format
• PDF format
  

T.