tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2465863144787683153.post6397540592286520156..comments2024-03-27T19:02:58.368-04:00Comments on BARKING ALIEN: A Little Holiday MagicAdam Dicksteinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04840144928096089178noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2465863144787683153.post-35983227178749009132011-12-08T17:30:54.788-05:002011-12-08T17:30:54.788-05:00Glad you're feeling less like crap. That's...Glad you're feeling less like crap. That's always a good thing.M Paxhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14096697282530998519noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2465863144787683153.post-19669072514098851702011-12-07T23:07:07.087-05:002011-12-07T23:07:07.087-05:00You hit a lot of points in your comment Blacksteel...You hit a lot of points in your comment Blacksteel and I'd like to respond to them but it could easily turn into something 'post length'. I will try to consolidate...<br /><br />I don't use published settings unless that are from noted IPs such as DC Comics, Marvel Comics, Star Wars, Star Trek, etc. Eberon? Seriously? No. World of Darkness? Eh, a bit. My WoD is inspired and influenced by White Wolf's but it certainly isn't the same.<br /><br />My campaigns, especially my D&D fantasy ones, are about everything. I could go with a different starter premise or vary my style and theme a bit but every one of my games needs to have in it anything and everything you can do in such a game.<br /><br />Sadly, there is almost no way I could run a D&D game set on my homebrew world in a place that doesn't know anything about the original elements or places without ruining some of the world's true surprises if I every change my mind and do set a game in the mainstay lands. <br /><br />A different era is something I've long considered. At one point or another we've seen glimpses into the distance past and far flung future but we've not yet explored them in detail. Good suggestion.<br /><br />I would love to forget D&D. Unfortunately, remembering it is a key component of this little excercise. :P<br /><br />This last part is very amusing in a way that is difficult to explain. Looking at the basic assumptions of D&D and finding a way to (A) retain them and stay true to these sacred cows while (B) twisting them inside out and upside down simultaneously has always been a hallmark of my D&D-But-Not campaigns. <br /><br />To take a totally different approach I'd either have to play D&D as written (can you imagine? The horror...) or...hmmm...I think I see where you're going with this. I could go back to the beginning and just do what I did last time but with new players, a new outlook and different art and images.<br /><br />That last idea is very intriguing...Adam Dicksteinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04840144928096089178noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2465863144787683153.post-79428196235772953192011-12-07T22:14:14.157-05:002011-12-07T22:14:14.157-05:00I tend to blow up published settings for most of m...I tend to blow up published settings for most of my campaigns - I consdier them expendable and expend them if neccessary for the campaign to work.<br /><br />As far as running them, I like to "go in a different direction" - if the last campaign was centered around a single city or dungeon, the next one is all about travelling. Had enough of the sailing and exotic jungle islands? Then the new campaign is exploring and reclaiming a ruined city. <br /><br />Setting-wise if you like your personal fantasy world, is there a way you can use it with another flavor? Set the new game on a different continent that may or may not (as the campaign demands) any knowledge of your original - but you do, and can decide how much of it carries over and how it's different. <br /><br />Not separate enough? Set it on a moon of your original world - an inhabitable moon no one knows about? <br /><br />Still not far enough? Set it on the mirror universe of your world and turn most of it inside out - if your players ever jump to your main world it will blow their minds, and it might cause you to think through some things that you hadn't previously.<br /><br />Physical distance not the problem? Set it in a different era - thousands of years forward or back in a fantasy game could mean different races and gods and landmasses and terrain and even changes in the way magic works.<br /><br />Maybe it's a mechanical thing - forget D&D and go with Fantasy Hero and see if different mechanics change your approach.<br /><br />For a Skype game that may well fail, maybe you need to change things up completely - look at the basic assmptions of D&D (if that's what you're starting from) and just let that be the starting point. As the questions come up, go with whatever works for you in that moment. To start a D&D game all you really need besides the PC's are a town and a dungeon - don't overthink it. Keep it small ... search your feelings ... relax and feel the force flowing through you ...Blacksteelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16289298640828309072noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2465863144787683153.post-61889496714686827082011-12-07T09:27:49.524-05:002011-12-07T09:27:49.524-05:00Thanks Astronut (and you too Whisk).
It's odd...Thanks Astronut (and you too Whisk).<br /><br />It's odd but because of my preference for Sci-Fi and Supers, I find it easier to create universes then worlds.<br /><br />My main homebrew world started as a sort of sandbox setting made out of parts from other peoples' campaigns and ended up being retconned several times into what I have now.<br /><br />My challenge this time around is that my players are big on setting. They need to know the world before hand in order to get excited about it. That is kind of counter to traditional D&D thinking IMO. It's also a hard road to take if you (like me) tend to think of most fantasy settings as not as cool as most space settings.<br /><br />The recommendations you make are solid and I will definitely check them out, for inspiration if nothing else. And isn't it inspiration I'm looking for? ;)Adam Dicksteinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04840144928096089178noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2465863144787683153.post-29571857798876395882011-12-07T09:11:15.723-05:002011-12-07T09:11:15.723-05:00I'm glad you're feeling better - the week&...I'm glad you're feeling better - the week's a little less fun without a dose of inspired lunacy ;-)<br /><br />Re: Skype - have you considered the G+ Hangouts option? I have no idea how well it would work, but if you have players with webcams you would get the more visual feedback cues that you seem to prefer? I keep thinking it would solve the problem I had with a Champions IM game I ran a while back - one player disappeared to cook dinner for an hour without warning...<br /><br />I'm afraid I've never really been in the restarting a game situation you describe, although I have designed a few campaigns from scratch. I'd seriously recommend making a list of what you'd really like to see in the campaign, maybe make a summary like this one (http://xbowvsbuddha.blogspot.com/2009/09/doctor-rotwang-rip-off-artist.html).<br /><br />You have an advantage with fantasy - everyone knows the tropes, feel and basic set-up, so figure out what's different about yours - I'd seriously consider fiddling with terrain, technology or magic. Another approach is to figure out what your game will be about, then build the setting around the plot - if it's a one-off campaign, you can even leave the whole thing irrevocably changed at the end (I keep meaning to do this but haven't managed it yet!).<br /><br />Above all, don't detail any more than you need to (or let the players do the work in their backgrounds - thealexandrian.net has some nice info on this approach), create and introduce it as you go.Astronuthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14595495803627874029noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2465863144787683153.post-86761262632565665282011-12-07T02:41:09.710-05:002011-12-07T02:41:09.710-05:00Here's the feeling, less like crap.Here's the feeling, less like crap.The Happy Whiskhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13438469476168485775noreply@blogger.com