Aus's Suggestions for Navigating the Gaming Seas
(Also known as 'Aus's Rules for Char Loft RPG Adventuring')
1) The most important aspect of any game is to have fun -- if you're not having fun, something's wrong. Not every adventure will appeal to everyone - and I'm not likely to improve if nobody tells me what I'm doing wrong, so if the game isn't keeping your attention, or is bothering you, let me know why, and if it's something I can fix, I will.
2) That said, I tend to focus highly on improvisational game-mastering, with a framework for an adventure that is then adjusted and tweaked and twisted as befits the situation and what aspects the characters and their players are interested in.
This means that many adventures are likely to pattern to you and to what you do within it - characters who lean towards the violent aspects are more likely to be confronted with physical warfare (and weaponry with which to dish it out), while a group that focuses on parley will find more diplomatic options available. Granted, a zombie apocalypse story isn't likely to shy entirely away from the zombie killing (but you may need to rally survivors to fight with you), and a diplomatic mission isn't likely to turn into a bloodbath (unless they lock you in a gas chamber and try to kill you and you have to hack your way out with laser swords), but I do try to make sure that people's skills are considered, at least on my more plot-related adventures. The more you look for a plot, the more likely you are to find one...
3) If you can convince me that something's a good idea, you may just get to try it, no matter how peculiar. I may ask for a tough skill roll - or a Drama Point - or both, but if you can make it sound good (or better, funny), that's the first step. The more detailed you are in your description of what you are trying to accomplish, the more likely you are to evade penalties (and possibly even acquire bonuses); likewise, if you are vague in your intent, you may suffer penalties. In noncombat situations, particularly, a very good description may keep you from having to make a skill check at all.
4) There are almost always multiple ways to approach a problem, or to accomplish an overall goal. Some of these paths will be obvious; others the PCs will have to find (or create) for themselves. In dealing with a zombie horde as an obstacle, one could go the direct combat route, for instance, or look for escape, or try to get a vehicle to crash straight through, or take to the rooftops, or the sewers... or try to possess one. It's all in your abilities and skills and how you make use of them.
5) To a certain extent, the GM will scale the difficulty of combats and other activities to match your party and your objectives. If you have multiple highly powerful combatants in the party, the GM will plan accordingly to keep things interesting; likewise, every now and then those obscure skills just might come in handy. You may regret leaving the Music Trivia buff behind when the Black Knight challenges you to a Duel of Jazz Knowledge...
6) Speaking of adversarial confrontations, some adversaries do have skills - even those whom use a single Combat score for most things may use a modified score for others (for example, a Goblin Gunslinger might have a Combat of 12 normally, but a 16 with his Twin Cave Spider pistols.) Be ye duly warned.
7) Adversaries, even those unstatted, do indeed sometimes have their own Drama Points to spend. Whether they use them to elicit a swift escape or call in the cavalry (Plot Twist), recover after being trounced or severely battered (I Think I'm Okay), pull off an impossible defense or a damnably accurate lucky shot (Heroic Feat), or even go berserk and fight with every ounce of strength remaining (Righteous Fury), they can and will use them to save their own necks.
8) If a player character can have an advantage or drawback or skill, so can an enemy -- and they may or may not be polite enough to make what they can do clear before they do it. Surprise! Of course, perceptive characters who pay attention to detail might get some forewarning...
9) If your character (or the entire party!) is in trouble and a situation seems to be leading to semi-evitable doom, it may be cheaper to spend one Drama Point on a Plot Twist to attempt to change the scope of the situation, rather than to use up multiple Drama Points on Heroic Feats to win through sheer drama-power.
10) I handle Plot Twists in a peculiar manner -- you can suggest an overall goal that you want the Plot Twist to take, and the less specific you are, the more likely it is to be helpful in some fashion. (Demanding that the enemy leader's head be crushed by a falling rock for no good reason probably won't work. Inquiring as to whether the infantry that went into hiding at the beginning of the fight might return to assist at a dramatic moment, on the other hand, very well might.) Likewise, Plot Twists will require some effort on the part of the character in order to realize their full potential - if you use a Plot Twist to be knocked out and taken prisoner instead of getting killed, you may be able to use this to learn some useful information out, or make new friends... or just stew until your buddies can hopefully find you. Plot Twists will generally always have a net beneficial effect - they're wonderful things - but they will not solve an adventure on their own. (They might, however, help you find a clue you're missing, though, or a new source of information if you are completely stuck.)
11) Does the area description sound sparse? Typically, characters get as much description as they are overtly paying attention to to notice - if they are distracted, in particular, they often get a much less descriptive result than if they are carefully inspecting every inch of the room. If something hasn't been properly described yet and you're curious about it, ask! You may find that all it takes is looking in the right direction or sniffing the right object.
12) Still stuck in a tight spot? Don't forget that many skills have multiple applications - and many situations have multiple skills that might apply to them. While the GM will call for a roll in situations that obviously warrant it (trying to puzzle out the workings of an odd machine, attempting to decipher the writing on a door), sometimes you have to come up with your own ideas. Ask if you think you might have a skill that's applicable here - even if you're wrong, you might get an explanation of why that might hint at what you should be trying. (Perception + Sports -2 may give you some insight in the marching tactics of soldiers if they happen to resemble football strategies, for example; Perception and Sports won't typically help you figure out why the red light on the nuclear reactor is flashing, though.) You never know until you try.
13) Feel like you've overlooked something? Maybe you have. Perception plus Notice (and an applicable sense) is one of the simplest ways to get a feel for your environment. Of course, even a high roll won't help if you don't have the skills to interpret the information you find... but Perception plus the proper skill often will.
14) Find yourself struggling when trying to decide on a battle plan? Try putting some points in the Tactics skill - it effectively lets your character get some idea of whether their plan is a good or bad idea. (Granted, this is 'in the eyes of the GM'; just because a plan isn't a good idea doesn't necessarily mean it'll fail.)
15) Skill Checks are also occasionally used in situations where the character probably knows what they're doing, but the player(s) and/or GM don't necessarily bear the same level of wisdom. The player doesn't need to know how a nuclear reactor works - just that his character has the skills to explain it. (A bit of witticism on the subject almost never hurts, either.)
16) Playing online on a nonscheduled basis has its own unique problems - one of the big ones is that people may enter and leave at odd moments, nevermind that the Black Queen of Shadowmoor is about to disrobe and show her true form. How this is handled depends on the GM - here's my take on it.
If a substantial number of the party has to lose their players simultaneously -- game's paused. Period. Typically, combat and other challenges are geared or adjusted to handle the current size of the party, so if it drops rapidly, a fight that might've just been challenging becomes practically impossible with insufficient manpower.
Likewise, new characters wanting to join in an active adventure will typically have to wait until the current scene has been resolved or has reached a point where they can logically interrupt or arrive. This is mostly for the GM's sanity - it's much harder to handwave someone popping up in the middle of a combat, and not particularly fair, either.
If a character has to lose their player in the middle of a situation where their presence was vital (say, the combat monster in the middle of a massive brawl, or the party thief in the midst of a dungeon dripping with deathtraps), they will become an NPC (or possibly be played by a willing player temporarily, if allowed) for the duration. Characters whose players are absent earn no experience, and do not spend Drama Points (excepting to save their own lives), or earn Drama Points (even if the entire party is screwed over.)
17) XP and DP are earned for adventure segments - a significant amount of progress in an adventure (one to three sessions is a good average) - depending on what is accomplished in that time period.
Experience Points are awarded based on the amount of time the character was involved in the adventure, what they accomplished, whether they performed particularly well, and how well they participated. Extra experience may be awarded to specific skills used (or attempted) during the segment at the GM's option.
Drama Points are awarded based on participation and roleplaying at the end of a segment. Players can also earn one Drama Point per session for a particularly inspired (or funny) bit of roleplaying; for playing their character foibles and flaws to the hilt; for supporting their friends and companions in times of crisis; and for being the plot's victim (see below.)
18) Bad things do sometimes happen to good people. In some cases, this is a matter of difficult challenges - and in some cases, the plot just plain hoses you. Depending on how your characters handle it, and how badly hosed they are, the amount of drama points can vary - you might earn a base amount for the incident and bonuses for roleplaying, for instance. Remember, everyone has a day when things don't go smooth -- the question is whether they can win out even when misfortunes occur.
19) If you do not have a character sheet, the GM will assign your character some temporary stats. These will be reasonable, but less beneficial than if you'd filled out a sheet. Further, you cannot spend drama points unless you earn them during the session, and you cannot spend experience points earned unless you make a character sheet.
20) Yes, I know you hate the Random Number God, especially if it isn't rolling in your favor. However, I did program SpARCy, and really, it's just random numbers -- don't take it too hard if he happens to be rolling low or high on any particular day. That's just the way luck works - it's as fair as it can get.
21) My goal in running an adventure is to entertain and challenge the players - and to have as much fun as I can in the process. Hopefully I'm doing that when I run a game -- but if you aren't fond of my GM style, why not try running your own adventures? I enjoy playing at least as much as I do GMing, and I'm always interested in seeing how other people handle things. Let's see what stories we can tell, shall we?
1) The most important aspect of any game is to have fun -- if you're not having fun, something's wrong. Not every adventure will appeal to everyone - and I'm not likely to improve if nobody tells me what I'm doing wrong, so if the game isn't keeping your attention, or is bothering you, let me know why, and if it's something I can fix, I will.
2) That said, I tend to focus highly on improvisational game-mastering, with a framework for an adventure that is then adjusted and tweaked and twisted as befits the situation and what aspects the characters and their players are interested in.
This means that many adventures are likely to pattern to you and to what you do within it - characters who lean towards the violent aspects are more likely to be confronted with physical warfare (and weaponry with which to dish it out), while a group that focuses on parley will find more diplomatic options available. Granted, a zombie apocalypse story isn't likely to shy entirely away from the zombie killing (but you may need to rally survivors to fight with you), and a diplomatic mission isn't likely to turn into a bloodbath (unless they lock you in a gas chamber and try to kill you and you have to hack your way out with laser swords), but I do try to make sure that people's skills are considered, at least on my more plot-related adventures. The more you look for a plot, the more likely you are to find one...
3) If you can convince me that something's a good idea, you may just get to try it, no matter how peculiar. I may ask for a tough skill roll - or a Drama Point - or both, but if you can make it sound good (or better, funny), that's the first step. The more detailed you are in your description of what you are trying to accomplish, the more likely you are to evade penalties (and possibly even acquire bonuses); likewise, if you are vague in your intent, you may suffer penalties. In noncombat situations, particularly, a very good description may keep you from having to make a skill check at all.
4) There are almost always multiple ways to approach a problem, or to accomplish an overall goal. Some of these paths will be obvious; others the PCs will have to find (or create) for themselves. In dealing with a zombie horde as an obstacle, one could go the direct combat route, for instance, or look for escape, or try to get a vehicle to crash straight through, or take to the rooftops, or the sewers... or try to possess one. It's all in your abilities and skills and how you make use of them.
5) To a certain extent, the GM will scale the difficulty of combats and other activities to match your party and your objectives. If you have multiple highly powerful combatants in the party, the GM will plan accordingly to keep things interesting; likewise, every now and then those obscure skills just might come in handy. You may regret leaving the Music Trivia buff behind when the Black Knight challenges you to a Duel of Jazz Knowledge...
6) Speaking of adversarial confrontations, some adversaries do have skills - even those whom use a single Combat score for most things may use a modified score for others (for example, a Goblin Gunslinger might have a Combat of 12 normally, but a 16 with his Twin Cave Spider pistols.) Be ye duly warned.
7) Adversaries, even those unstatted, do indeed sometimes have their own Drama Points to spend. Whether they use them to elicit a swift escape or call in the cavalry (Plot Twist), recover after being trounced or severely battered (I Think I'm Okay), pull off an impossible defense or a damnably accurate lucky shot (Heroic Feat), or even go berserk and fight with every ounce of strength remaining (Righteous Fury), they can and will use them to save their own necks.
8) If a player character can have an advantage or drawback or skill, so can an enemy -- and they may or may not be polite enough to make what they can do clear before they do it. Surprise! Of course, perceptive characters who pay attention to detail might get some forewarning...
9) If your character (or the entire party!) is in trouble and a situation seems to be leading to semi-evitable doom, it may be cheaper to spend one Drama Point on a Plot Twist to attempt to change the scope of the situation, rather than to use up multiple Drama Points on Heroic Feats to win through sheer drama-power.
10) I handle Plot Twists in a peculiar manner -- you can suggest an overall goal that you want the Plot Twist to take, and the less specific you are, the more likely it is to be helpful in some fashion. (Demanding that the enemy leader's head be crushed by a falling rock for no good reason probably won't work. Inquiring as to whether the infantry that went into hiding at the beginning of the fight might return to assist at a dramatic moment, on the other hand, very well might.) Likewise, Plot Twists will require some effort on the part of the character in order to realize their full potential - if you use a Plot Twist to be knocked out and taken prisoner instead of getting killed, you may be able to use this to learn some useful information out, or make new friends... or just stew until your buddies can hopefully find you. Plot Twists will generally always have a net beneficial effect - they're wonderful things - but they will not solve an adventure on their own. (They might, however, help you find a clue you're missing, though, or a new source of information if you are completely stuck.)
11) Does the area description sound sparse? Typically, characters get as much description as they are overtly paying attention to to notice - if they are distracted, in particular, they often get a much less descriptive result than if they are carefully inspecting every inch of the room. If something hasn't been properly described yet and you're curious about it, ask! You may find that all it takes is looking in the right direction or sniffing the right object.
12) Still stuck in a tight spot? Don't forget that many skills have multiple applications - and many situations have multiple skills that might apply to them. While the GM will call for a roll in situations that obviously warrant it (trying to puzzle out the workings of an odd machine, attempting to decipher the writing on a door), sometimes you have to come up with your own ideas. Ask if you think you might have a skill that's applicable here - even if you're wrong, you might get an explanation of why that might hint at what you should be trying. (Perception + Sports -2 may give you some insight in the marching tactics of soldiers if they happen to resemble football strategies, for example; Perception and Sports won't typically help you figure out why the red light on the nuclear reactor is flashing, though.) You never know until you try.
13) Feel like you've overlooked something? Maybe you have. Perception plus Notice (and an applicable sense) is one of the simplest ways to get a feel for your environment. Of course, even a high roll won't help if you don't have the skills to interpret the information you find... but Perception plus the proper skill often will.
14) Find yourself struggling when trying to decide on a battle plan? Try putting some points in the Tactics skill - it effectively lets your character get some idea of whether their plan is a good or bad idea. (Granted, this is 'in the eyes of the GM'; just because a plan isn't a good idea doesn't necessarily mean it'll fail.)
15) Skill Checks are also occasionally used in situations where the character probably knows what they're doing, but the player(s) and/or GM don't necessarily bear the same level of wisdom. The player doesn't need to know how a nuclear reactor works - just that his character has the skills to explain it. (A bit of witticism on the subject almost never hurts, either.)
16) Playing online on a nonscheduled basis has its own unique problems - one of the big ones is that people may enter and leave at odd moments, nevermind that the Black Queen of Shadowmoor is about to disrobe and show her true form. How this is handled depends on the GM - here's my take on it.
If a substantial number of the party has to lose their players simultaneously -- game's paused. Period. Typically, combat and other challenges are geared or adjusted to handle the current size of the party, so if it drops rapidly, a fight that might've just been challenging becomes practically impossible with insufficient manpower.
Likewise, new characters wanting to join in an active adventure will typically have to wait until the current scene has been resolved or has reached a point where they can logically interrupt or arrive. This is mostly for the GM's sanity - it's much harder to handwave someone popping up in the middle of a combat, and not particularly fair, either.
If a character has to lose their player in the middle of a situation where their presence was vital (say, the combat monster in the middle of a massive brawl, or the party thief in the midst of a dungeon dripping with deathtraps), they will become an NPC (or possibly be played by a willing player temporarily, if allowed) for the duration. Characters whose players are absent earn no experience, and do not spend Drama Points (excepting to save their own lives), or earn Drama Points (even if the entire party is screwed over.)
17) XP and DP are earned for adventure segments - a significant amount of progress in an adventure (one to three sessions is a good average) - depending on what is accomplished in that time period.
Experience Points are awarded based on the amount of time the character was involved in the adventure, what they accomplished, whether they performed particularly well, and how well they participated. Extra experience may be awarded to specific skills used (or attempted) during the segment at the GM's option.
Drama Points are awarded based on participation and roleplaying at the end of a segment. Players can also earn one Drama Point per session for a particularly inspired (or funny) bit of roleplaying; for playing their character foibles and flaws to the hilt; for supporting their friends and companions in times of crisis; and for being the plot's victim (see below.)
18) Bad things do sometimes happen to good people. In some cases, this is a matter of difficult challenges - and in some cases, the plot just plain hoses you. Depending on how your characters handle it, and how badly hosed they are, the amount of drama points can vary - you might earn a base amount for the incident and bonuses for roleplaying, for instance. Remember, everyone has a day when things don't go smooth -- the question is whether they can win out even when misfortunes occur.
19) If you do not have a character sheet, the GM will assign your character some temporary stats. These will be reasonable, but less beneficial than if you'd filled out a sheet. Further, you cannot spend drama points unless you earn them during the session, and you cannot spend experience points earned unless you make a character sheet.
20) Yes, I know you hate the Random Number God, especially if it isn't rolling in your favor. However, I did program SpARCy, and really, it's just random numbers -- don't take it too hard if he happens to be rolling low or high on any particular day. That's just the way luck works - it's as fair as it can get.
21) My goal in running an adventure is to entertain and challenge the players - and to have as much fun as I can in the process. Hopefully I'm doing that when I run a game -- but if you aren't fond of my GM style, why not try running your own adventures? I enjoy playing at least as much as I do GMing, and I'm always interested in seeing how other people handle things. Let's see what stories we can tell, shall we?