Plot Hooks/Twists

One thing that always seems to add a bit to a campaign (at least to me) is the good ol' plot twist. For some reason, I like doing them, unfortunately, they're usually cliche and because of this, they really aren't entertaining. Suddenly saying "you're working for the bad guys" doesn't ring as close as it should I feel. As such, I am trying to think how to twist the story in an interesting way that doesn't become generic and boring for everyone involved. Ultimately though, I want to think of something. Betrayal always adds a bit of intrigue I feel. The double agent or some higher up screwing around and messing things up always adds that bit of fun (think The Third Man with the American screwing around). Lots of fun.

Suggestions on how to make this work? Any tips? ideas at all? Comment!

Second Session

So, Saturday was a busy day! Managed to play for (I think) about 7 hours! It was a lot of fun and lets just say, a lot of stuff died :-D.

Started out by having the players be told they were going to Argentina to protect a certain plant from becoming an ingredient in the Zombie Virus creation process (story has it that it was planted in the Andes as that was the best place for it to grow). Ultimately though, as they flew down there, their plane got shot down (egads!) and they had to foot it all the way to the location. On the way, they ran into a couple of drug runners, an ambush and (what I thought would be a challenge) they crossed a rather large river. I really didn't consider how much they would tear up their plane for goods! It was a lot of fun though.

In the end, the players managed to get to the site and defend it using home made explosives. That was a TON of fun. Effectively making landmines, they held off waves and waves of the enemies, and even took down a minotaur at level 2!! Good times all around, and a few unlucky rolls made them all come out with (practically) full health. Finally, I had a chopper come in to rescue them, and right as it got there, waves upon waves of enemies marched in. Chainguns blazing, the party was saved because of the helicopter. So much fun. Next week is (I think) the last session before zombies start popping up! that should be a really good time. I'm not sure how i'm going to deal with them honestly... I haven't picked a main type of zombie, but might just take the zombies from the D20 Apocalypse book. Anyways, that's it for today, tomorrow I might discuss more rules...

Wealth (continued) and Requisition

One thing I forgot to mention yesterday about wealth was that your wealth bonus may never decrease below 0. However, at this point, characters cannot attempt to buy anything that has a Purchase DC of 10 or higher. Pretty clear I feel.

On to the next subject: Requisition. I am not sure how I feel about this in the game, and unless the characters try to requisition goods tomorrow, I doubt I will make up my mind on the matter. I feel that at times it might be beneficial to get goods that might help through this process (such as if they could not normally get it) but I so far have been giving players the things they need from their contact. One thing that intrigues me is that they haven't tried to figure out any more information on their overarching organization (not that I'm complaining, I haven't really created that story yet). I should probably work on that tomorrow, but I figure I might just do it as some sort of large non-profit organization... or maybe the government... or maybe the characters think they're working for the good guys when in fact they are not. Either way, gotta figure it out soon. Game tomorrow at 4!

Wealth

One thing that people have struggled with over the two semesters in my campaign is the Wealth system. It is rather confusing to a lot of the players and so I hope to clarify a bit here.

After playing in the D&D system, a lot of people get used to the gold coins and how those work, unfortunately, switching to a new system (or having never played before) the idea of a "wealth bonus" is quite abstract (as the rules introduce it as). With this, the idea of a fluctuating wealth bonus is confusing. Basically, wealth bonuses vary based on the purchases you make. When you want to buy something, you roll a D20 and add the value of the wealth bonus you have to the number that you roll on the die. If you purchase something which is worth more (by the purchase DC it has) than 15... you decrease your characters wealth bonus by 1.

EXAMPLE: Your character, Johnny, has a wealth bonus of 17. He is looking at buying a PDA (from the consumer electronics section) with a Purchase DC of 16. With this, he must roll a d20 (which he rolls a 7 on) and adds his wealth bonus to the result. With this he gets a 7(d20)+17(wealth bonus)= 24. He can successfully buy the PDA. As the PDA was worth more than a Purchase DC of 15, he reduces his wealth bonus to a 16.

Not so hard is it? Next, if an item is worth more than the wealth bonus you have, you subtract a value from your Wealth Bonus based on how different the two numbers are. If it is an item that has a Purchase DC of 1-10 points higher than your Wealth Bonus, you decrease your wealth bonus by 1. If it is an item that has a Purchase DC 11-15 points higher than your Wealth Bonus, you reduce your wealth by 1d6 (roll a 6 sided die and subtract the number shown from your wealth bonus). if it is an item that has a Purchase DC 16 or higher than your Wealth Bonus, you reduce your wealth by 2d6.

EXAMPLE: Your character, Johnny, has a wealth bonus of 2. He is looking at buying a Gas Mask (from the survival equipment section) with a Purchase DC of 13. With this, he must roll a d20 (which he rolls a 14 on) and adds his wealth bonus to the result. With this he gets a 14(d20)+2(wealth bonus)= 16. He can successfully buy the PDA. As the Gas Mask was worth 11 points more than his wealth bonus, he rolls a six sided die (result was a 1) and subtracts that value from his wealth bonus. He keeps a wealth bonus of 1.

Not too difficult is it?

Guns and Damage

Ok, as I said yesterday, everyone in the party got a gun to use in the campaign and with that, they're now forced to be concerned with bullets flying at them. With that, guns do a lot of damage and they are definitely something to be afraid of. So far, they flipped a table to get 3/4 cover (kept them from getting hurt badly) and avoided getting shot.

Next session, they're likely to get damaged however, as they'll be running into a jungle not sure where shots are potentially coming from. I understand how concealment works and imagine i'll be using that as underbrush does not provide much protection but still, I remain concerned about them actually getting hit. I only hope nothing too serious happens and that they all live to get away. I figure this might be an opportunity to teach them a few things about retreating tactically and surprising their enemies. Last time I was particularly impressed as they made Molotov Cocktails to throw at their enemies. I figure, that they might not be a great idea in a Jungle in the Andes, but we'll see what happens. Any one have any ideas to mitigate damage from guns? I look forward to any ideas!

First Session

Hey all, sorry about not posting yesterday, unfortunately some personal life issues came up yesterday and i was not in a psychologically strong point to write anything. But I'm "better" now, at least enough to write about the first session we had this semester.

Anyways! Yes, we played on Saturday and there was much joy to be had. The group size has shrunk considerably (and beneficially) from last year and because of that, we can get things done much faster. We played for darn near 4 hours and managed to get two of the characters leveled up (the other two just need to do my EXP earning background story), and they got the prized possession of the d20 modern system: GUNS. Man they're deadly... I mean seriously, they REALLY dangerous. One person got "hit" accidentally once (i screwed up and rolled for an extra enemy, turns out that enemy had died the last round and the damage wasn't done to him) and lost i think it was 8/10 hit points. Bang!

Beneficially, the players took my warning of "GET IN COVER OR MAKE IT" and flipped a pool table... i gave them a pretty hefty bonus to defense, but I figure it will in the future determine concealment or cover depending on the stopping power of the materials they're behind. Other than that, it was a great session, and we're on step closer to ZOMBIES!

A quick summary of what happened: They spied on a meeting in the subway maintenance tunnels and learned of the zombie virus. Following this they investigated the chief thug's home (a Goblin named Vehec), got in a fire fight and then are being sent to Argentina next to stop the harvesting of a Zombie virus ingredient. Should be a blast!

Player Character Backrounds

Hello again everyone, new topic today (I hope... I may have mentioned this earlier) about Player Characters (PCs) and the backgrounds that I like people to choose.

Personally, I love roleplaying. I feel that when playing an RPG, the RP part of it is one of the most important (right up there with "fun"). With that being said, I've noticed that a lot of the people I play with don't actually go out of their way to roleplay and generally make characters like themself.

While this can be ok, it doesn't provide for them to think as someone else, one of the joys of the game I feel. As a result, I have required all the players to choose something they don't fit into on a daily basis, after all, we interact with each other every day, why not make a new interaction possible? Just cause we're friends in real life, doesn't mean our characters will be friends or as close. As a result, I required the players to make unique characters for them to play as and so far I feel it's been fairly successful. Another thing i've chosen to do is to give exp rewards for when people really show their roleplaying (and lack of metagaming [thinking outside the game, knowing things they otherwise wouldn't]).

And on that note, let me know what you think!

Party NPCs

I had a brilliant topic to talk about!

Then I forgot.

Anyways, I'll talk about the role of NPC party members. I am going to be facing a few character swap in and outs because of schedule conflicts and such so I'm not sure how to face the situation. Possible options are to just *blip* the characters out... or to start playing for them. The thing with this is I fear that it will seem I just am trying to play my own game. Perhaps a hybrid will be best with those characters becoming a "deus ex machina" tactic. When things are getting bad, they can make the "sudden and brilliant" counter move to win a battle, or beat someone at a logic game.

What are your thoughts on doing this? Is a party NPC just the GM trying to have a character too? or are they a good thing just in case the worst possible things happen? Let me know what you think!

Tact-tiles (or other such boards)

So as I started yesterday, I like having things as easy as possible, and with that being said, I like a game mat. It's easy to draw the map, show where people are, and with counters, layout a full scene. It's a blast. The one downside comes from my lack of funds (as I am a poor college student). With this, I wondered for a long time how to make a battle mat for use. After a long enough period of time, and enough searching online, I found the solution:

Sheet Vinyl.

Sounds silly right? Well apparently not. I bought some clear sheet vinyl, and on one side drew the grid with a sharpie, and as it's clear I use the other side as the mat. nice and simple. Unfortunately, dry erase markers are best for htis, and if you ever use rubbing alcohol to clean the board, you're going to be wiping off the sharpie marker as well. So remember to use the opposite side for games!

The other solution is one I have yet to try, but found online. It's an attempt to create a modern representation of the Tact-tile boards that were once common. Unfortunately, they're hard to find now a days (or are just downright expensive) so someone figured out a way to do them on the cheap and easy. Take foamboard, cover it in sheet laminate (you can buy rolls of it from staples and such), use dry erase markers! It is that simple. I plan on making a bunch of tiles in the near future, and will let everyone know how they work (trusting my game gets started again of course!). Got the idea from: http://gmfoundation.wordpress.com/2007/07/25/how-to-make-your-own-tact-tiles/

Other thoughts? suggestions? ideas? just general comments? Feel free to leave them!

Second weekend has passed...

Ok, sorry for the delay folks! I got a little bummed when we didn't play for the second weekend back on campus but I am currently in the process of getting a game set for Sunday! Other that that little bit of excitement, I am currently thinking of markers for my campaign and a new battle mat. I am excited at the prospect of continuing the game and should it get started again I'm looking at how to represent the endless zombie hordes (once we get to the apocalypse).

I am all about visual representation, i think that it adds a lot to the game to see where you are and to also see where the enemy is. And since I'm all about visual representation, I try to do my best to get characters figurines as close to the character as possible. I also work hard to get models that visually represent the enemy. With that being said, I was very excited to hear about the Wargames Factory: Zombie Horde. A box at a cheap rate (about 1/2 the price of Warhammer zombies) with a more modern feel! I'm looking into getting one of these boxes, maybe two. Here's the companies page on them: http://www.wargamesfactory.com/_product_16676/Zombie_Horde

I think they're pretty cool. I also made a few small purchases this summer. I found that the old Star Wars miniatures line from Wizards of the Coast had some good female characters that could be painted to look like modern individuals. I got two of them, and am looking at purchasing a few more to round out the group. Should be exciting. Next time I'll talk about the battle mat I have, and what I plan to do to add to the mapping ability.

ALSO!!!! If anyone has any ideas about topics i should discuss, OR just have an idea of something for the campaign, ADD A COMMENT AND TELL ME! I am all for new ideas, or ideas about something I said or anything! Look forward to hearing from you readers!

It's late, I'm tired

Short post tonight:

www.everydaydecay.com

www.thezombiehunters.com

Two webcomics I found today, add a bit of a interesting take on the zombie thing... I'm partial towards Everyday Decay so far but both are fun reads. If players are reading this, take a look, you might enjoy them and if not, well... that's your thing :-D.

hope to have more for tomorrow, sorry it's so short. Basically just more ideas about the zombie uprising (yeah, there're a buncha us nuts out there preparing, thinking, planning, waiting, watching etc.... but we're more likely just bored than being actually crazy ;-) ).

Happy Labor Day

Happy Labor Day everyone. Unfortunately, since I did not post on Friday, I am now posting today. Anyways, today's topic will revolve around idea of City creation. Currently on the d20 official boards, some members (including myself) are attempting to build a "city" for use in a zombie apocalypse scenario. After working on a defensive strong hold (and yes, in my campaign i might use both the city and The Tower), we turned to the city to try and keep the creative juices flowing.

What this has in turn caused me to think about is the dynamics of a city, how it works, who lives there, what they do, etc. With an influx of fantasy type creatures in my campaign, I have not focused enough on the more mundane life in the city I created. I didn't put much thought into things like ethnicities, or religions, or other defining characteristics of a city. I didn't focus on population levels or industry types. Unfortunately, I'm rather busy this week but before the zombies arise, I will definitely be interested in bulking up the story of my city. When I get the chance, I might even have the players do a few missions for ordinary people before all hell breaks loose.

Gaming Committee

Weeeeeell. Today I got tasked with leading the Anime Club's gaming committee... That'll be interesting as I am not entirely sure what it means. Problem is, I have ideas but unfortunately, lack the funding to actually make things happen so far. What I am hoping to do is set up a list of different d&d and d20 modern campaigns and participants so we can keep an order going of who's doing what and possibly let others get an idea of who to speak to about playing if they wish. So yeah, I'm gonna start working on that and who knows, i might incorporate that into this blog a bit. Other than that, nothing new has really come up today so have a good evening all!

Game Sessions and Reliability

Sorry for not posting yesterday, unfortunately, I was unable to come up with a topic for discussion. Anyways, today I will be touching on the idea of game preparation. From the various groups I have played with, I have seen a few different approaches to starting games and running game sessions.

With my first group, we generally played on weekends and for the better part of two years, were dependent completely on the DM and when he wished to play. If he was too busy playing World of Warcraft, we skipped that week (usually to my and the other players disappointment). When someone else from the group started a campaign, the same thing happened but amazingly enough, school work was almost never the reason for not playing. With this being said, the players often are at a disadvantage due to being dependent on the DM/GM to continue play.

With the second group I have played with, the DM largely was more reliable. Unfortunately, the campaign fell apart after he was unreasonably strict and seemed to target specific players to unfairly punish. With this, the test did not arise when he was unwilling to run a session.

Finally, I picked up the torch and am leading a campaign now. I honestly want to be as reliable as possible but remain uncertain as to how to "punish" myself for missing sessions or having to postpone. Ultimately, I like running the games and hanging out with people so I hope nothing comes up, but if it does, I am trying to come up with something I could do to make it up to people. Maybe a free round at the bar on me would be fair.

I welcome any suggestions from players and other GMs over how to not miss sessions.