Re: Way Off-Topic: Question for RPGamers
Posted: Wed Dec 09, 2020 1:09 pm
I'm not sure you need suggestions from me. I think I need to play in one of your games. Seriously cool world building.
Internet Mormons, Chapel Mormons, Critics, Apologists, and Never-Mo's all welcome!
https://discussmormonism.com/
Thanks, Res, I appreciate that. I guess part of my issue stems from having been a DM most of the years I was involved in RPGs as well, so if it's been over 20 years since I've DM'd, it's been longer since I was on the other side of the table. And with this group of young players, about half of whom had only played a couple of one-shots before, I find some of the player feedback I get is nice but generic. "I likes that!" or "That one was a bit of a let down" are the majority of comments I've gotten out of them on the encounters. And ones I thought would be exciting were less so for many of them while others that I thought were generic hack-and-slash set-ups turned out to be fun for both the guy who is the power gamer and wants to stand in front of things while smashing them as well as the most experienced player who is a rouge and is always trying to upset the encounter in unexpected ways.
That's a good point, Schmo. Other than using parlay to either talk someone into doing something or convincing them they are better off walking away, is there anything you think you've seen a DM do that helps set that up? You mentioned puzzles. I'm curious about that.Some Schmo wrote: ↑Wed Dec 09, 2020 1:48 pmI saw this thread last night and thought, I'm not going to respond to this till I've read it thoroughly. I still haven't done that, but I'll come back.
What I can say up front is that my favorite encounters are ones where there are ways to get out of fighting if possible. Whether that's through persuasion, intimidation, solving a riddle, or whatever, I love trying to think my way out of combat. I enjoy playing a warlock, and that's one of his main character traits. He's a badass, but he's also a knowledge junkie, and only likes to use his combat skills after all other options are exhausted.
One puzzle encounter I've thought might be fun would be where the party enters a large square room in some enchanted castle (or somewhere similar) where the floor design is checkered, and each party member is captured and placed on a square in the room. They suddenly find themselves as pieces on a chess board, and the idea is for them to play their way out of a trap or bloody combat. Their movement would be determined by their starting position on the board (so if you're placed on the bishop square, you can only move diagonally, and so on).honorentheos wrote: ↑Wed Dec 09, 2020 2:19 pmThat's a good point, Schmo. Other than using parlay to either talk someone into doing something or convincing them they are better off walking away, is there anything you think you've seen a DM do that helps set that up? You mentioned puzzles. I'm curious about that.Some Schmo wrote: ↑Wed Dec 09, 2020 1:48 pmI saw this thread last night and thought, I'm not going to respond to this till I've read it thoroughly. I still haven't done that, but I'll come back.
What I can say up front is that my favorite encounters are ones where there are ways to get out of fighting if possible. Whether that's through persuasion, intimidation, solving a riddle, or whatever, I love trying to think my way out of combat. I enjoy playing a warlock, and that's one of his main character traits. He's a badass, but he's also a knowledge junkie, and only likes to use his combat skills after all other options are exhausted.
Thanks man. If you use it, let me know how it plays out and any adjustments you had to make.honorentheos wrote: ↑Wed Dec 09, 2020 6:45 pmI like it! A couple of them play chess so they'd probably be excited while also having to figure out how to work together. Good idea
I really like the concept of a resurrected/regenerated enemy who loses their form having a sense of their old identity that leads them to start looking into why they have certain memories, why they died, who was responsible, etc.Some Schmo wrote: ↑Thu Dec 10, 2020 1:30 amI feel like you could do something cool with the cultist doppelganger (is it Rakdos or Darvon?) Revealing that back to them should be it's own questline... started by the doppelganger himself.
Got me thinking...
What if, as part of the ritual the cult performed to raise the doppelganger, a tiny essence from the victim remained, and started them on a sort of quest to solve his own murder?