[Guest] GM Screen: Why You Should(n’t)

Image via Wikipedia (cc)

I've been playing RPGs for 26 years, and in that time I've seen all kinds of GM screens.  Some really cool (a castle wall, complete with towers and crenellations), and some not so cool (a cardboard box).  In all that time I've seen how they've been both helpful and hurtful to a game.  Regardless of your preference, take a look at some pros and cons of using (and not using) a GM screen.  You might alter the way you game, and be thankful you did.

Why you should use a GM Screen:

Rollin' with it: A place to call home...

First decision made:  I'll be running Pathfinder in Epic 6 mode because at least I know what I'm doing and I know my players like the system.

I'll also be going miniatureless - which is unusual for me, but worked well in Alternity and saves a lot of mini-and-map-related hassle!  Go go Gadget imagination.

Second decison made:  We'll be playing in Freeport, for multiple reasons:

[Guest] On games design and complexity

Malifaux: Image (cc) waferthinninja

I'm not going to lie to you, because, at root, this is a blog about Skrapyard, the skirmish miniatures game that Precinct Omega Publishing has in development.  But just to prove that I'm not randomly spamming adverts, I'm not going to provide a link for the lazy.  If you actually find this blog interesting, then why not do a Google search from Precinct Omega Skrapyard?  You're sure to find a link eventually. (or see my posts on the game - Tom)

But before we get to Skrapyard, I'm going to have a bit of a moan.

Giving Back Sunday #1

I have invented the blogback.  It's like a pingback or trackback, but more personal.  Here's the idea:  on a Sunday, every month (or once in a while), I'll go through my Analytics data and check out all the blogs that have sent us traffic.  I'll briefly link to something I found interesting or noteworthy, thus returning some traffic.  Networks don't count, they already get a feed and a badge!

Without further ado - Blogbacks for the last rolling month:

• Colonel Shofer has been sharing amazing amounts of great miniatures lately, including a - sadly photoshopped - Ork DreadKnight.  Waaaaagh indeed.
• Super Galactic Dreadnought continues to pump out more on space combat games than I could ever hope to get around to - and as such, should be saluted.
• The Savage Afterworld gets bonus points for a Haz-Mat suited Legoman and a post-apocalyptic take on the "hot elf chicks" meme, on top of the usual Thundarr-related goodness.
• In keeping with my own thoughts on RPG "adventure path" design - hinted at here - Errant RPG has very interesting discussions of the weaknesses inherent in modules, and seeds of a solution for no-prep GMing.
• http://tomsche69.blogspot.com has some very nice con pics, featuring painted models on some very nice terrain - loving the hexagonal modular stuff - which is refreshing :P  If only all battle reports had pics like this...
• diceRolla has me (pleasingly?) filed under "Itchy" - as opposed to Scratchy or Poochie - and would like some input on NEW GAMES as well as having some beautiful LandRaider pics.  Don't we all love finding new games..?
• Mad Brew Labs has been madly brewing an online Pathfinder character generator - see, it's good for me to get out there and see what's going on too! - which will be seeing quite a lot of use in the near future.  [And bonus points for making Tourq weep (again) because his group resists PFRPG... time to convert them, my friend!]
• On the subject of which: Stuffer Shack continues to go from strength to strength, accumulating staff like no-one's business and featuring helpfully topical (to me) articles on improvising and designing fantasy cities.  This is what happens when you open up guest blogging early!
• ...and finally, StalingradBob is still yet to tell us what's going on in the RuneQuest / SpyCraft game that will be run when Nathan's finished his spell as Pathfinder DM.  Hi Dave!

Make sure you jump on the blogback bandwagon join the craze sweeping the blogsphere and blogback - and post a comment telling us about it.

Thanks all, over and out.

Rollin' with it: The Zero-Prep GM Challenge!

The plan, following my jaunt into free-flowing GammaWorld goodness, is to structure my game-mastering so that:

• There is no "Adventure Path Railroad" my players have to follow, but there is still structure and plot.
• The heroes can choose their sides and actions without having to worry about derailing the abovementioned plot-train.
• I have minimal prep for each adventure / story arc, and can easily take the game wherever the players choose.
• We can roll dice, have fun, and tell stories without anyone having to write (or, for that matter, READ) pages of story and fluff that may not end up being relevant to the story anyway.  See points 1 and 2.

Sub-optimal character: Mounted Halfling Summoner

Let's face it, halflings have an enormous capacity for rpg cool.  See the DnD mini in the pic if you don't believe me...

I've been playing with my character's build for our upcoming Pathfinder game... and I decided to resist the urge to tweak myself an optimal character in favour of someone I wanted to play:

I've chosen a Halfling Sumoner.  For the sheer joy of riding around on my Eidolon shooting things with a longbow.  A small longbow.  Meanwhile my trusty steed, Snapper, will be using his combination of natural reach and "trip" on his bite attack - and AoOs - to keep the Enemy at arm's length.

Rollin' with it: Lessons learnt from GammaWorld...

...or: The ongoing Misadventures of Murtt and Bugeye.

My GW campaign is on hiatus - we've rotated DM, which means I get to play. Yay!  We'll be playing Pathfinder, but that's irrelevant...  I've been thinking about this for a while, as GW has been zero-prep for me over the last month, but still satisfying and great fun to run.

SO: What have I learnt from running Gamma World?

"Friday" Freebie: Resolute, Adventurer and Genius

A free RPG this week - and a day late due to internets being replaced.

RAG expands on the warmly received Warrior, Rogue and Mage by taking the WyRM system and using it in a pulp game.  Hurrah!  It's nice to see some love for the pulp genre in gaming - other than Thrilling Tales for SW, what else do we have?

System Hacking: Dragon Age

Image (cc) Andrew Becraft on Flickr

There's been much discussion of DARPG around - enough to warrant me reading the Players' Guide and GM Guide through quickly to see what all the fuss is about - with a lot of gripes leveled at the fact that the initial Set 1 release only caters for levels 1-5.

Personally, I think this is a good thing: let players grow into the game before you throw everything at them.  There's been a lot of discussion of broadening the classes over at darkAgeOracle, to cater for the likes of Clerics and Archers, and given my love of polyhedral dice (d6s are sooo dull) I soon developed an idea - probably spawned by WyRM's "define your character as a mix of Warrior, Rogue and Mage" spin on the traditional class idea...