Role-playing games

How goes things on the tabletop roleplaying front oh denizens of Forumshire?
I've never taken part of a full-on DnD style gaming routine myself, but I've found myself rather short on friends lately and though I might dabble in some local meet-ups for the heck of it. Anyone else have experience with such things? Cherished memories of the past? Exciting new prospects ahead?
Let's talk about DnD for a while! (or Not, as things go).   





(I was going to post some DnD images, but then I liked this OOTS stuff way more.  )

I was a DM for a long time- and in fact at the moment a friend of mine is trying to organise a game over the net with me as DM- not sure how it will work but if you wish to join in (assuming we ever get going) then you are more than welcome to Forest.

We are rather far apart in terms of timezones, but thank you very much for the offer Petty!

My mom tended towards the 1980s "DnD=Satanism" way of thinking, and so I was never really encouraged (haha, so to speak) to try it out when I was younger. Now that I'm an occasionally responsible adult I'm rather excited about the idea. I found a group in my own town that needed more players, but they have yet to respond after a week.  

I've been reading through a simpler version of the game called Castles and Crusades. It's quite fun looking, with an emphasis upon storytelling. It utilizes what they call the "SIEGE" system for most of the checks in the game (whatever they're called, I'm new to this) that has a base difficulty of 12 for primary attributes and 18 for secondary attributes. On top of that base number another number is added that accounts for the actual difficulty of the action (1-5 Easy, 6=10 Difficult, 11-15 Very Challenging, 16-20 Epic Challenge). The total is what you have to beat or tie. It's nice because it simplifies many of the math-oriented aspects of the game and unifies nearly everything into an easy-to-follow system that works with the d20.

Of course I'm new so I don't really know what I'm talking about, but the logic sounds good anyway.

I'm still reading through RotK and I had a great time imagining a campaign set in a place like the hills of the dwindling, and accursed, men who had betrayed Isildur. I forget the name of the place, but I really enjoy how Tolkien can briefly mention an area or people in Middle-Earth that propels you towards imagining more stories based around them.
And, of course, the Barrow Downs just lend themselves perfectly to DnD escapades.

What are your thoughts on online-DMing Petty? For myself I would imagine much preferring a nice casual sit-down in someones comfortable home to the prospect of yet more time spent alone at my computer desk. Old-School forever! Down in the grimy trenches, face-to-face with our own mortality!

P.S. How difficult was it to slip into the Dungeon Master role anyway? The prospect sounds really fun, but I'd imagine it is far easier if you have first played the game for some time.

P.P.S.
Those numbers concerning the so-called SIEGE engine/system may be way off, so don't put too much stock in them.

I am highly dubious of the viability of online D&D but willing to give it a go.
I have always played in a room with people.

The strange thing is however I have never technically played D&D. I have always been DM never been a player.


When it comes to rules there are loads to pick from- there is a new set of D&D rules about to be published that apparently are more like the old skool rules- which I would prefer, as far as I'm concerned anything after 3rd edition is a waste of time and there is no real need for anything above 2nd edition.

There used to be a  Tolkien based game, MERP, that whilst the game system had a few issues the modules were superb and so detailed they are worth having merely as part of your Tolkien collection.
There was of course a Paths of the Dead based one.
I particularly remember the Moria one however, just for the sheer weight of detail it had.


And in a shameful brazen example of promoting my own stuff I did put up on here an entire novel based on the last D&D game I DM'd.

You can find it here  if you are interested-  

http://www.hobbitmovieforum.com/t535-circle-of-stone-reprieve?highlight=circles+of+stone

Nice, thanks Petty.
I was wondering why the article had highlighted "of"s and realized you linked my your search results for "circles of stone."


I'm curious, why was it not received so well?

I have heard of MERP on here before, of course. It was a video game mod yes? Running on Skyrim engines or something?

The Paths of the Dead would be fun of course, so much haunted loot. But I was thinking more of an earlier time in Middle Earth. Back when some villages of the accursed hill-tribes were still around. I think it could be interesting, if perhaps a bit dark, to explore the idea of visiting somewhere that is populated by an actual cursed people. Perhaps some shades of gray could be wrangled out of such a story.   

Well anyway.

Grey ? GREY ? he's talking about GREY ! HERE! in Forumshire !   

It was a video game mod yes? Running on Skyrim engines or something?- Forest


Sort of, in that there was a mod for project for Skyrim by that name, but the original MERP was a table top D&D style game not a computer thing.

'But I was thinking more of an earlier time in Middle Earth.'

That is what makes the MERP modules so brilliant. As the GM could set the game at any point in ME history the module for somewhere, such as the Paths of the Dead or Moria covered all the historical periods, not just the TA. It was one of the reasons I loved the modules so much as you got a complete historical overview that covered the entire existence of a place.


'why was it not received so well?'

Do you mean Circle of Stone? If so I have no idea, possibly the style of the opening, possibly just too much for folks to read off a screen.
But I did some editing and reposted it, which is the link I gave above. Azriel read it through to the end (for which I am very grateful) and I believe she enjoyed it.

Yes, Azriel did   

Oops I meant grey.

I think we should do some more in this thread. I am fearly new to D&D and would love to learn more. I am thinking of doing some D&D with some friends (including Norc). What is the easiest way of learning D&D?

wohooo there is a dungeons and dragons thread here!! we're saved!

Stick to Gygax's original helpful instructions, dont trust any D&D book after 2nd edition, they just want to sell you stuff.

Gygax's advice is that the rules are guidelines only, not sacred. Every game is different depending on house rules, find rules that suit your game.

If your game is story and character driven you can get away with very few rules, needing rules only for actions- fighting, dodging stuff, picking locks that sort of thing.

If your group really likes stats then you can go the other way and use loads of rules for everything that happens.

Point is there is no set way, no set rules. So dont worry about abandoning some or even inventing your own, just make sure whatever rules you use are agreed upon by everyone and particularly the DM before you start the game.

A good starting place for a player is creating a character sheet. As you will learn what all the basic stats are, what they are for, and how they are used in doing so. Which covers 99% of what a player needs to know.
Only DM's need to know more. In my experience the less players know about the rules outside their character based ones, the better (this is why the DM rules come in a seperate book players arent meant to read)

Cool. Now I can't wait to get going with the D&D'ing

Forest Shepherd wrote:How goes things on the tabletop roleplaying front oh denizens of Forumshire?
I've never taken part of a full-on DnD style gaming routine myself, but I've found myself rather short on friends lately and though I might dabble in some local meet-ups for the heck of it. Anyone else have experience with such things? Cherished memories of the past? Exciting new prospects ahead?
Let's talk about DnD for a while! (or Not, as things go).   

I played D&D semi-regularly since 2002. I'm not playing now but that's because I have to commute to the South end of Manhattan which is a pain. But I'd still like to play and will if the circumstances are right.

I do a bit of miniature painting for the game too. The campaign started with unpainted miniatures, which the DM then painted, rather poorly, so I took it up.

I refuse to have miniatures in my games. If I cant create all the characters and world in the players heads I'm not doing my job probably. (They are fine if your playing warhammer or something where you need them, but in D&D they are just an excuse to dip your sporran and not at all necessary- all you need for D&D are a few die- six sided will do if its all youve got- and some bits of paper and some pens, the rest is in the imagination. This also has the benefit that even if you go off camping or something you can still play as you need so little)

huffjuff wrote:I think we should do some more in this thread. I am fearly new to D&D and would love to learn more. I am thinking of doing some D&D with some friends (including Norc). What is the easiest way of learning D&D?

Here's a good place to start to get a grasp of what the game's about:

http://www.d20pfsrd.com/

Pettytyrant101 wrote:I refuse to have miniatures in my games. If I cant create all the characters and world in the players heads I'm not doing my job probably. (They are fine if your playing warhammer or something where you need them, but in D&D they are just an excuse to dip your sporran and not at all necessary- all you need for D&D are a few die- six sided will do if its all youve got- and some bits of paper and some pens, the rest is in the imagination. This also has the benefit that even if you go off camping or something you can still play as you need so little)

You're right, of course, but I think they're fun

Our DM was the one who insisted on them; felt they were helpful in establishing spatial situations and what not. Even weapons and bags are represented.

Its a good example of what I mean by the house rules- if your players like all having figures to move about, and the DM finds them useful and they like using every rule on distance ect then its fine.
The downside I see to it as a DM is is slows everything right up and if you have 4 or 5 players a single round can stretch into a long time largely involving people looking up charts.
But its a preference of my style, and of my players, that we go for a faster less rule intense version.

Its about adapting the rules to suit the game style I feel.

In my experience, the miniatures slow things down the least. Basically, you just have the minis and floor grids (with 1" x 1" squares) to represent locales. I haven't found that the use of minis really slowed things down at all. I think if the campaigns I was in didn't have them, things would be even slower.

Looking stuff up does slow things down a bit, but the worst offender, in my perspective, is a lack of focus during combat, general blah blah blahing, arguments and (an excess of) goofing around.

Since starting this thread I have yet to get a real DnD game going of my own!
I tried to get my sister into a rules-light version of it, but she wouldn't even hear of trying out making a character. Go figure.

Anyway, Norc is starting a group with some Uni friends or some such? Awesome! Needless to say I am incredibly jealous Norc.

Here's an appropriately Fjordlandian-looking (to my mind) illustration!

FS, have you tried Meetup? I don't have much experience with it but it may be worth checking out.

http://dnd.meetup.com/

Forest Shepherd wrote:
Anyway, Norc is starting a group with some Uni friends or some such? Awesome! Needless to say I am incredibly jealous Norc.

i am?

Norc wrote:

Forest Shepherd wrote:
Anyway, Norc is starting a group with some Uni friends or some such? Awesome! Needless to say I am incredibly jealous Norc.

i am?

Yes ofcourse!!

I don't know.

But goodluck anyway!

the worst offender, in my perspective, is a lack of focus during combat, general blah blah blahing, arguments and (an excess of) goofing around.- Raddy

Probably the hardest bit of being a DM is getting the balance between letting people have fun and keeping it all going and on track. If you are too strict you risk being seen as a bit of a dick and if you dont get some control it can all get out of hand very easily.