D.T. Pints
Instigator
JACKERCON 2018: WITH GREAT POWER COMES GREAT RESPONSIBILITY June 22-July 1st
Posts: 2,857
Currently Playing: D&D 5e, Pathfinder, DUNGEONWORLD, Star Wars Edge of the Empire
Currently Running: DUNGEONWORLD, PATHFINDER
|
Post by D.T. Pints on Nov 23, 2013 8:32:49 GMT -8
Awesome show last night crew! And an oddly subdued philosophic chat room maxinstuff didn't show up until the end after all . I've had Never Unprepared on my list of things to eventually read but now I just ordered it! Phil was a great guest to have on the show. And now the gnome stew blog is going to swallow up massive amounts of my reading time. But it's very good! More to come after a re-listen, I was rather distracted by the chat room solving/causing the worlds problems. Cheers, Curt. *runs back* OH! One thing I thought amongst all those other things, Engine (the publisher of Never Unprepared) actually lists their Sales Figures!And they've never held a kick starter ...by the way someone with art skills... my stick figures won't do it justice...needs to draw Witchunter Stu vs The Foul Demons Of Shitty Kickstarters just in time for Thanksgiving (buckle hat and all!)
|
|
maxinstuff
Supporter
Posts: 1,939
Preferred Game Systems: DCC RPG, Shadowrun 5e, Savage Worlds, GURPS 4e, HERO 6e, Mongoose Traveller
Favorite Species of Monkey: Proboscis
|
Post by maxinstuff on Nov 24, 2013 12:24:03 GMT -8
Double post for justice.
|
|
maxinstuff
Supporter
Posts: 1,939
Preferred Game Systems: DCC RPG, Shadowrun 5e, Savage Worlds, GURPS 4e, HERO 6e, Mongoose Traveller
Favorite Species of Monkey: Proboscis
|
Post by maxinstuff on Nov 24, 2013 12:24:44 GMT -8
Awesome show last night crew! And an oddly subdued philosophic chat room maxinstuff didn't show up to the end after all . I've had Never Unprepared on my list of things to eventually read but now I just ordered it! Phil was a great guest to have on the show. And now the gnome stew blog is going to swallow up massive amounts of my reading time. But it's very good! More to come after a re-listen, I was rather distracted by the chat room solving/causing the worlds problems. Cheers, Curt. *runs back* OH! One thing I thought amongst all those other things, Engine (the publisher of Never Unprepared) actually lists their Sales Figures!And they've never held a kick starter ...by the way someone with art skills... my stick figures won't do it justice...needs to draw Witchunter Stu vs The Foul Demons Of Shitty Kickstarters just in time for Thanksgiving (buckle hat and all!) I showed up as you left. Just in time for the show to finish. First episode I've had to download in a while
|
|
|
Post by ericfromnj on Nov 26, 2013 10:37:18 GMT -8
In terms of modules, the crutch analogy bothered the hell out of me, but I think because it's probably right.
|
|
maxinstuff
Supporter
Posts: 1,939
Preferred Game Systems: DCC RPG, Shadowrun 5e, Savage Worlds, GURPS 4e, HERO 6e, Mongoose Traveller
Favorite Species of Monkey: Proboscis
|
Post by maxinstuff on Nov 26, 2013 12:36:55 GMT -8
They are only a crutch if you use them as one.
I use 'em. Usually as a 'what now' if the players turn left.
I don't have a lot of time to prep so pulling a module out of my bag with an hour to go in the session has saved my ass on more than one occasion.
|
|
|
Post by henryhankovitch on Nov 26, 2013 13:38:58 GMT -8
In his house at Pasadena, dread Stuthulhu waits drinking.
|
|
|
Post by Kainguru on Nov 26, 2013 14:00:19 GMT -8
In terms of modules, the crutch analogy bothered the hell out of me, but I think because it's probably right. It bothered the hell outta me because I think it's probably wrong. For me modules are zip files . . . I've got to unzip them and all that decompression comes from me making it relevant to the group. Time is precious why waste it reinventing the wheel because some hipster douchebagginess says it's 'not cool unless it's all yours man' - that sorta shit is crock for those lucky enough to work little for lots. How seamless it is done is the art of it. Really is there any difference between reskinning a set of prepublished encounters, running a module or stealing bits from different modules willy nilly. Dismissing modules as sources of inspiration is the same as saying 'don't look to that movie/book/graphic novel/video game for ideas as they will not genuinely be yours' - like I said hipster douchebagginess (the worst kind of douchebagginess possible IMHO). If stealing a good idea is a crime crucify me, I freely admit to lifting old historic maps of nearby towns to populate my campaign (eg: my town of 'Penwick' is actually Leeds circa 1560, I also plagerize from myth and legend, steal plots from old TV shows* etc etc and do not see the use of modules as being any different in achieving a justified end - a fun campaign Modules save time provided you don't let them constrain you and thats the key Aaron *thinking of which I have just discovered that only myself and one other person in our gaming group has ever seen Blakes 7 . . . <evil thoughts>
|
|
|
Post by jazzisblues on Nov 26, 2013 14:11:33 GMT -8
I tend to not use modules but for a totally different reason. I tend to not use modules because I feel like I never know them well enough to run them as smoothly as I would like. It is totally my failing and not a failing of the material.
JiB
|
|
|
Post by Stu Venable on Nov 26, 2013 14:16:43 GMT -8
I'm with Jib.
I can come up with two adventures in the them it takes to read a module cover-to-cover.
|
|
D.T. Pints
Instigator
JACKERCON 2018: WITH GREAT POWER COMES GREAT RESPONSIBILITY June 22-July 1st
Posts: 2,857
Currently Playing: D&D 5e, Pathfinder, DUNGEONWORLD, Star Wars Edge of the Empire
Currently Running: DUNGEONWORLD, PATHFINDER
|
Post by D.T. Pints on Nov 26, 2013 14:25:22 GMT -8
In his house at Pasadena, dread Stuthulhu waits drinking. STUTHULHU!! I like it!
|
|
fredrix
Master Douchebag
Posts: 2,142
Preferred Game Systems: Fate, L5R, Pendragon, Gumshoe, Feng Shui
Currently Playing: Pendragon, Song of Ice and Fire, L5R, Feng Shui, Traveller
Currently Running: Fate, Coriolis, Nights Black Agents
Favorite Species of Monkey: 1970's NTV, dubbed by the BBC (though The Water Margin beats it)
|
Post by fredrix on Nov 26, 2013 14:41:11 GMT -8
Modules. Most are only good enough to nick ideas and stat-blocks from. Until recently I'd NEVER used one to GM "as written". (and I've been doing this for over 30 years now) But, a funny thing has happened with L5R. Those modules are so damn good that I actually play them through. It was the intro scenario in the core book that did it for me. Then I downloaded a free one off their site and ram than one right through (with a little deviation from "the script" after the player took a slight left turn) and now I've bought second city. (As you have stu - given your comments above, why?) and I fully intend to play it.
Part of the reason why is they seem to be pretty free-flow they describe a situation, characters, motivations etc and let you and the players explore them without laying down tracks. The best written modules I've ever seen.
|
|
|
Post by Stu Venable on Nov 26, 2013 15:00:15 GMT -8
I just picked up the Naishou Province book. I would say about 1/3 of the book is a campaign length adventure. Yes, I got it to look for ideas, and see how L5R scenarios are put together, as I've never seen one from the AEG.
|
|
|
Post by Kainguru on Nov 27, 2013 7:37:37 GMT -8
Modules. Most are only good enough to nick ideas and stat-blocks from. Until recently I'd NEVER used one to GM "as written". (and I've been doing this for over 30 years now) But, a funny thing has happened with L5R. Those modules are so damn good that I actually play them through. It was the intro scenario in the core book that did it for me. Then I downloaded a free one off their site and ram than one right through (with a little deviation from "the script" after the player took a slight left turn) and now I've bought second city. (As you have stu - given your comments above, why?) and I fully intend to play it. Part of the reason why is they seem to be pretty free-flow they describe a situation, characters, motivations etc and let you and the players explore them without laying down tracks. The best written modules I've ever seen. The old modules survive as classics because they were very much like this, just a sandbox of encounters with no proper solution. Admittedly that was probably because of size restraints in printing . . . much like the maps all having to fit on the inside cover (and being printed in light blue to befuddle photocopiers). The tournament modules gave brief backgrounds and scored for solving problems without actually giving an 'offical' solution. Later modules have tended to disappear into obscurity because as time moved on the rail tracks started to be more firmly laid eg: Dragonlance (or as I prefer to call it: Pick-a-path-I've-got-the-motherfucking-halfelf-so-I'm-here to-the-end-bitches) . . . with only exceptional adventures then entering the collective consciousness of RPGers eg: "Masks of Nylarthotep" I'm currently running the classic Temple of Elemental Evil and over two thirds of it is my design to suit both my campaign and players . . . with changes in it's design as I see fit. In fact any online reference to the old TOEE module (not the computer based RPG) is always with the caveat that so much is left for the DM to develop and expand that no two campaigns are the same . . . to the point that the numerous ambiguities that arise from the many many typos in the original print run mean that such variations are almost unavoidable. Counter intuitively this variability, due to said print errors, has contributed towards its longevity . . . Aaron
|
|
D.T. Pints
Instigator
JACKERCON 2018: WITH GREAT POWER COMES GREAT RESPONSIBILITY June 22-July 1st
Posts: 2,857
Currently Playing: D&D 5e, Pathfinder, DUNGEONWORLD, Star Wars Edge of the Empire
Currently Running: DUNGEONWORLD, PATHFINDER
|
Post by D.T. Pints on Nov 27, 2013 8:33:55 GMT -8
Bill mentioned that there is a "common ground" element to running a published module similar to vidja gamers discussing the same game. I love hearing stories about TOEE because it was such a formative campaign for me. I also think that is some of the appeal of actual plays, everyone gets to experience the same adventure to talk about it.
With regards to game designers being good/bad GMs...it would be interesting to have Phil or other guests that create games/game materials run a one shot with the hosts via G+. Nice way for them to pimp their product and demo their particular play style.
That is the other aspect of RPG round table I'd like to see. Get a group of pontificators together and get 'em to actually play a game. Then the follow up would be a discussion about things that happened in game. Leading by example...
And to call back to Sir Guido's comment regarding the last guests from Nearly Enough Dice...I too could listen to that woman's brogue all day, even if she just read the classifieds.
|
|
|
Post by Stu Venable on Nov 27, 2013 9:38:43 GMT -8
Regarding the Roundtable and an Actual Play, Jim Ryan is trying to organize an actual play of RPG Podcasters on our G+ group.
|
|