For many who have played D&D over multiple editions, especially those from the TSR days, the rate of healing and recovery in 5th Edition may seem a bit fast. PCs come into every fight feeling fresh and energetic, which is a bit counter to the old school play style.
I wanted to be a healing and death to be a little more gritty than standard 5th Edition. I also wanted falling unconscious to be more dangerous and the possibility of instant death more likely. My desire was to removes some of the pop-tart effect of constantly letting the fighters drop to 0 hit points only to spring back up 6 seconds later. The healers should be doing their jobs before the front line falls unconscious.
When considering the changes, I thought the 7-day long rest variant as outlined in the Dungeon Master's Guide was overdoing it. While want healing magic to become a more important resource to be managed, I did not wish to alter other long rest recharge powers. In that vein, I wrote up a slower healing variant for B/X-5, my own home brew homage to Old School D&D. I think this modification strikes a balance between seemingly fast default healing and overly slow variants I've seen. Healing works essentially the same as in 5th Edition with some minor changes highlighted below.
Monday, April 30, 2018
Wednesday, April 25, 2018
Star Wars Wrasslin' Wroundup
This is a bit of a diversion from the regular blog, but I decided to just have a Star Wars conversation with two RPG luminaries... for no other reason than because I wanted to.
Join me, Marty "Raging Owlbear" Walser, Tom "Dungeon Bastard" Lommel, and Chris "King Torg" O'Neill (All Hail King Torg!) for a fireside chat minus the fire, about all kinds of Star Wars adjacent topics, from science fiction and fandom to prequels and sequels.
I want to thank Tom Lommel (@DungeonBastard) and Chris O'Neill (@AllHailKingTorg) for humoring me in this effort. The conversation was tangential, unruly, unexpectedly weird at times, and funny.
Join me, Marty "Raging Owlbear" Walser, Tom "Dungeon Bastard" Lommel, and Chris "King Torg" O'Neill (All Hail King Torg!) for a fireside chat minus the fire, about all kinds of Star Wars adjacent topics, from science fiction and fandom to prequels and sequels.
I want to thank Tom Lommel (@DungeonBastard) and Chris O'Neill (@AllHailKingTorg) for humoring me in this effort. The conversation was tangential, unruly, unexpectedly weird at times, and funny.
Thursday, April 12, 2018
D&D 5e: There's No School Like Old School
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| Artist: Bill Willingham |
The gist of the post was that a DM had his players roll 3d6 in order to determine their character's ability scores and the now 5th level Rogue was concerned about his exceptionally low hit points (which they are also rolling for) due to a low Constitution and some bad die rolls.
Of course, there was a combination of "Your DM sucks!" and "This is old school... Suck it up and have fun with it." responses, which all somewhat miss the point because Session 0 should have set the expectations for that game...
But I digress... because that's not what this post is about. It's about B/X-5.
You see, a couple years back I had actually started to compile a list of rules for an 5th Edition compatible "old school" game based upon the D&D 5th Edition System Reference Document (SRD5). But, you know how life can sometimes get in the way of shit you want to do.
Anyway, after seeing this post, I took some of the pieces of my original idea and crafted a document for anyone who wants to try their own version of Old School 5th Edition. You can view the Google document here.
Thursday, March 15, 2018
Ep 7: Humor, Mass Combat, Foreshadowing - Running Storm King's Thunder
In Episode 7 of Running Storm King's Thunder, I discuss humor at the table, the good and the bad, and what can be done if it is getting out of hand. Also, how to involve PCs in a mass combat (or run it "off screen"). Lastly, I talk a bit about my player's progress to Grud Haug and how it has given me some challenges in game.
(2:20) Humor vs. Disruptive Humor at the table
(4:00) Setting expectations with Session 0
(6:15) Talking to disruptive players about the tone
(8:00) Does the DM want a heavy tone and the players wants something lighter?
(12:00) Stop passive-aggressive bullying “humor”
(16:35) Using DM humor to set a different tone for a scene
(16:55) Meta Humor in Storm King’s Thunder
(18:30) Heartbreak Old Tower
(21:00) Mass Combat options
(23:45) Building a PC encounter while running the mass combat “off stage”
(25:00) Focusing on the character actions in a “narrative” mass combat
(27:45) Setting up a set-piece encounter as a part of a mass battle
(31:10) Creating tension in a mass combat by ratcheting up the encounter challenge
(35:00) Using NPCs as a buffer against a TPK in a dangerous battle
(38:00) Foreshadowing important NPCs (redux)
(43:00) Player Motivation prior to the Eye
(43:45) Assault on Grudd Haug
(49:31) Giving the players “the objective”
(56:00) Sewer pieces I’m 3D printing for an upcoming session
(2:20) Humor vs. Disruptive Humor at the table
(4:00) Setting expectations with Session 0
(6:15) Talking to disruptive players about the tone
(8:00) Does the DM want a heavy tone and the players wants something lighter?
(12:00) Stop passive-aggressive bullying “humor”
(16:35) Using DM humor to set a different tone for a scene
(16:55) Meta Humor in Storm King’s Thunder
(18:30) Heartbreak Old Tower
(21:00) Mass Combat options
(23:45) Building a PC encounter while running the mass combat “off stage”
(25:00) Focusing on the character actions in a “narrative” mass combat
(27:45) Setting up a set-piece encounter as a part of a mass battle
(31:10) Creating tension in a mass combat by ratcheting up the encounter challenge
(35:00) Using NPCs as a buffer against a TPK in a dangerous battle
(38:00) Foreshadowing important NPCs (redux)
(43:00) Player Motivation prior to the Eye
(43:45) Assault on Grudd Haug
(49:31) Giving the players “the objective”
(56:00) Sewer pieces I’m 3D printing for an upcoming session
Wednesday, February 28, 2018
Ep 6: Metagaming and Memorable NPCs - Running Storm King's Thunder
In episode 6, I briefly recap recent blog posts. I go into a little more detail on my recent DMing failure related to meta-gaming. Give advice on ways to set up important NPCs in Storm King's Thunder in advance of their appearance in the book as written, and tips to make NPCs stand out in the players' minds.
(02:45) GM 101 Blog Series
(04:28) Giving Love To Other Small Publishers
(09:52) Don’t Make My Metagame Mistake
(11:05) As a good player, don’t spoil it for others!
(12:45) Players shouldn’t need to metagame to succeed in the game.
(14:45) Mistake 1: Scouting Grudd Haug
(19:03) Mistake 2: Sneaking into Grudd Haug
(19:30) What I should have done.
(27:42) Making NPCs memorable
(27:42) Challenges making NPC memorable in SKT
(29:30) Better utilizing major NPCs like Zephyros and Harshnag
(31:32) Improve the hooks by introducing or foreshadowing the NPCs earlier
(42:35) Use NPC letters of introduction
(44:25) NPCs On the Fly
(44:25) Have a list of game world or culturally appropriate names ready.
(50:20) Make short notes on accent and personality
(54:10) Pick a couple quirks or affectations to make the NPCs stick in the player’s minds
(56:30) Go against type, subvert expectations
(59:35) Transitioning from Starter Set (Lost Mines)
(02:45) GM 101 Blog Series
(04:28) Giving Love To Other Small Publishers
(09:52) Don’t Make My Metagame Mistake
(11:05) As a good player, don’t spoil it for others!
(12:45) Players shouldn’t need to metagame to succeed in the game.
(14:45) Mistake 1: Scouting Grudd Haug
(19:03) Mistake 2: Sneaking into Grudd Haug
(19:30) What I should have done.
(27:42) Making NPCs memorable
(27:42) Challenges making NPC memorable in SKT
(29:30) Better utilizing major NPCs like Zephyros and Harshnag
(31:32) Improve the hooks by introducing or foreshadowing the NPCs earlier
(42:35) Use NPC letters of introduction
(44:25) NPCs On the Fly
(44:25) Have a list of game world or culturally appropriate names ready.
(50:20) Make short notes on accent and personality
(54:10) Pick a couple quirks or affectations to make the NPCs stick in the player’s minds
(56:30) Go against type, subvert expectations
(59:35) Transitioning from Starter Set (Lost Mines)
Thursday, February 22, 2018
Don't Forget the Little People
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| Trolls, Kobolds, and Good Men are worthy of your attention. |
Matt Colville has made over $1 Million on his Kickstarter and well on his way to $1.5 M… That’s great. I’m not jealous. Really, I’m not… (ok, maybe just a bit).
I’ve been lucky enough to have a moderately successful blog that nets me just about enough advertising to buy 1 hardback book every 6 months or so. I’m reasonably pleased with my mild “success”, but I’m not trying to make a living in RPGs. Many others are (or at least supplementing their income).
This is a little reminder that there are a lot of creators out there working hard for the love of the game. Some have Patreons, some have Kickstarters, and some are full time game designers who really deserve your attention as well because they have amazing products. I’d like to highlight a few of them who have helped my game out.
Tuesday, February 20, 2018
GM 101: Don't Sweat the Meta (too much)
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| Artist: Jim Holloway (Dragon #88) |
You see, I have this blind spot when it comes to metagaming.
I like the world to be mysterious. I want the characters (and therefore the players) to know only what they should know in the game. I want the mechanics to fade into the background as much as possible, so the “reality” of the situation is pure from a story perspective.
But sometimes I let that desire to have a metagame-free session get in the way of the what's best at the table.
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