Nolinquisitor
Journeyman Douchebag
Next Project: BrigadeCon, RPGS 2 Your Science Fantasy Toolkit Supersetting
Posts: 162
Preferred Game Systems: GURPS, M&M, 7th Sea, Cypher System
Currently Playing: Playing is for the weak.
Currently Running: Cypher System, D&D 5E + Freeport
Favorite Species of Monkey: Dr. Zaius
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Post by Nolinquisitor on Jul 30, 2012 5:15:29 GMT -8
About Stu not being able to find an important piece of information in his notebook, having read Never Unprepared and being in a state of re-evaluating all my GM prep, here's some thoughts:
a) Constantly evaluate your tool. If a notebook won't doing it, find what will work, what will be easy.
b) Don't forget the "review" phase of the prep. You must see down and review your stuff because going behind the screen.
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Post by jazzisblues on Jul 30, 2012 6:29:21 GMT -8
I have recently been retooling my game prep and have started using Microsoft One Note to organize my games. I like the way I can organize things into digital notebooks with sections and then pages within sections and I can mix and match information, text, images, sounds pretty much anything that will be useful for the game in one easy place. So right now I have the following notebooks - Sturmgeist
- Ghost River
- Revolution
- Tools of the Trade
Each notebook gets the following tabs (sections) - Background (Where I write the background and setup information for the game)
- PDF (Where I link in pdf's of rules and supplements relevant to the game)
- Dramatis Personae (player characters and npc's of note, each gets their own page)
Items of Interest (Information about any item that is of interest to the game, eg the Stone of Scone has been of interest in my pulp game so all the research and all the notes I've made about that item appear here.)
- Plots and Happenings (Any plot lines / Story elements that are of interest)
- Notes (This is where I keep notes on the games, I'm not actually as good at this as I should be)
- Anything else that might be useful
My only gripe with One Note is that it's a Microsoft product and I'm fairly anti-Microsoft but not so much I won't use the tool. Unfortunately I haven't been able to find a good substitute. Open Office doesn't have this capability yet. Cheers, JiB
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Nolinquisitor
Journeyman Douchebag
Next Project: BrigadeCon, RPGS 2 Your Science Fantasy Toolkit Supersetting
Posts: 162
Preferred Game Systems: GURPS, M&M, 7th Sea, Cypher System
Currently Playing: Playing is for the weak.
Currently Running: Cypher System, D&D 5E + Freeport
Favorite Species of Monkey: Dr. Zaius
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Post by Nolinquisitor on Jul 30, 2012 9:05:18 GMT -8
Something to add to my previous post: I'm not sure if browsing through your brainstorm notes is an optimized way to find crucial informations. If you format your brainstorm during the conceptualisation/documentation phase you have a chance at structuring your thoughts. Later during the review phase you are then able to anticipate what information will be critical to have at hand during play. I share your feeling on Microsoft JiB. I'm starting to use OneNote as a result of reading Never Unprepared. I find it more organized than GoogleDocs with the tabs and all. Until Google come up with something like OneNote I will use it. My only small gripe with OneNote is that sometimes it won't synchronize well with my iPad. Sometimes it won't synchronize fast enough and it creates conflict (and sometimes duplicate files) but if I give it 20 minutes it's fine. Here's my current prep plan: For brainstorm: Use paper/notebook and pen. I'm an artist and it is the greatest way for me to brainstorm. I can draw map, npc's, write stuff on the same page. For selection, conceptualisation, documentation (aka writing): I use OneNote (or OpenOffice if no cloud is available). For review: PDF! PDF are easy to read and easy to load up the iPad. I have to find a solution to create PDF easily from OneNote like I used to do in OpenOffice.
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Post by Kainguru on Jul 30, 2012 9:21:12 GMT -8
Cool podcast guys - couple of bits of feedback: 1) The immersive GM . . . Totally brilliant and kudos but I do agree with whoever shouted 'sadistic' - manipulating peoples emotions is a little too much like going to work for my personal taste (when I think about it the fucker might actually be indirectly contributing to my work load ) 2) Kimi be wary of the paradigm dogma - when it comes to understanding information processing in the human mind : it's ALL theory and supposition NOT fact or proven . . . there is always another study that counters the findings of the first (it's really long and complicated and I'm just too lazy to explain it but I do find myself moved to exposition when the 'opposition' succeed in passing theories as facts to the front line practitioners. eg neuro science is vogue at the moment but not the final word on the topic very far from it, the UK BPS is frequently critical of the interpretation of many results). 3) Educational board/RPG games - Machiavelli !!! The bastard evil brother of Diplomacy. Sometimes you get to even simulate real life melee in real life (especially if you've all had a drink or 10) 4) The jury is still out on multiple personality disorders . . . Loads of arguments for and against. More to do with it being either a disorder in its own right or symptom of something else entirely different (again too lazy to detail but the popular press has really made an arse of promoting a very distorted view of this condition). 5) Gygax's second system was Dangerous Journey's a skill based generic system of which only the fantasy option Mythus was released (before Lorraine * cough * ran to court to stop it . . . Nearly bankrupting GDW in the process). There is a PDF of the horror supplement around but it was never printed - I think it was called Unhallowed. DJ was a misunderstood system, it was several games in one : Mythus prime (basic rules light) and Advanced Mythus (crunchy with optional/ modular rules for increasing levels of crunchiness dependant on GM preference and desired gameplay flavour. Sound familiar? *cough*Next*). He worked with troll lords C&C but didn't (directly) design the game system itself. 6) for a game master course - swords and wizardry for an example of extreme rules light and FREE!!!. Nb: S&W is not AD&D - OSRIC is though (fighters in AD&D get more than increased thac0 . . .weapon specialisation anyone?) 7) The worst character I ever heard of was a dwarven martial monk in Middle Earth??? (the GM approved it because it "was in the rule book" . . . Which wasn't written specifically for Middle Earth) I'd have the angry sardonic cigar chomping pixie wizard any day - fucking awesome!!!! Keep keeping us entertained and inspired people's
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freyki
Apprentice Douchebag
Posts: 86
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Post by freyki on Jul 30, 2012 10:31:08 GMT -8
For my prep note taking, I use evernote. It sounds pretty similar to Jib's description of One note. But it's not microsoft! Yay!
Evernote has notebooks for organizing at the top level, and tags for when I want to drill down into detail.
Not trying to sell anybody on my tool, just saying what works for me.
-Freyki-
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Post by jazzisblues on Jul 30, 2012 10:36:42 GMT -8
For my prep note taking, I use evernote. It sounds pretty similar to Jib's description of One note. But it's not microsoft! Yay! Evernote has notebooks for organizing at the top level, and tags for when I want to drill down into detail. Not trying to sell anybody on my tool, just saying what works for me. -Freyki- I'm always open to other ideas. Interesting. I will dl it and see if I like it tonight. JiB
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Post by jazzisblues on Jul 30, 2012 10:43:19 GMT -8
In addition to OneNote, I keep a gaming journal with me at all times. I could (and have) used a spiral bound notebook, but I like the hardbound executive journals because of their archival properties.
So the whole process goes like this,
Scribble thought into journal Expand on thought and format tidily into OneNote Research specifics of the idea and get links and images
Before running the game Review notes Put images into a usable form Print as necessary
By the time I've done all of this I have been over the material several times which means I won't have to look when we get into the game. This is also why I don't run published modules. I never know them well enough to not have t look.
Cheers,
JiB
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Post by CreativeCowboy on Jul 30, 2012 11:12:54 GMT -8
I have as great a long-term memory as I have poor short-term memory. So I learn things by repeated experience, including rules. I do not read well. But you know that by the way I sometimes misunderstand things here. I write like a genius because I do not let things go with the send button lightly… but sometimes I have to say “what?” and hit the send button multiple times. So I Post-It Note index my reference books. And I make it my religion to have no reference book at the table. (But I play close to my bookshelf.) I spend allot of time writing the novel of what happens to a situation before the players arrive. I know my world. (I avoid playing published worlds or setting.) I write down the power structures in a notebook of quad paper that doubles as my “dungeon” mapper, and I have an interpretation of who represents the right and who represents the left. I try to make left and right the factor of many decisions from real people I call NPCs. I have a laminated table for all player characters. I am able to accommodate up-to 10 players’ characters on a really large piece of paper that could function as a placemat. At the end of this table, I have calculated the mean average numbers for NPCs the party will meet. I also have the lowest and highest numbers in ever ability. I tailor NPCs on the fly. I have a list of stereotypical ethnic names. This comes in handy because I do not like to break player engrossment by declaring out of game dialogue. Cliff Ore is obviously a Hill Dwarf and non-Dwarves would simply refer to him as a Dwarf but players will get to know the difference. I spent allot of time preparing this list with a Thesaurus. Some of this is up on a world Wiki. I laminate flash cards of game mechanics: combat, spell casting, travel (I like overland travel and do not hand-wave it), random wilderness encounters, etc., and equipment lists with particular attention to Armour and Weapon values. These last flash cards I use with the 1-inch square monster counters I created. There are statistics on one side and possessions on the other. I assign letters to the 20 spaces I have on this sheet to distinguish leaders and grunts and mark off their HP as they fluctuate. I like to keep all this on a neat page in front of me, assigning the letters to attack the PCs. I can cut these out, if need be, to represent miniatures for the less abstract visualizing players. If I do that, I just let them loot the bodies by flipping over their nearby dead opponents. This Monster Grid has the defense and attack values of naked monsters and I use the laminated equipment flash cards to help me correctly value them in a given situation. This allows me to reuse a grid IF (more like when) I get stuck and have the players face the “same” monsters. I can tweak them. I don’t do anything about the treasure unless it involves a plot point or makes the encounter obviously the same with a little different window dressing. Also, and this is because I learn by doing and do not like reference books at table, I type out the monsters to be encountered on their own page that I keep in the session’s potential encounter binder section. This has been useful in describing subtle differences in things that can associate each monster to something – which usually goes unnoticed. Not a big deal if the players cannot judge one race of Goblin from another, but I get a sense that I am doing my job, which is the benefit I get from it. I feel the players are in a world and miss things the same as we all do. It also reminds me that clues and “answers” should never be down to the subtle notes I make on these pages. On these monster pages, I also have the spell sequences written out so that I only administer what the monster would do in my care. It stops me, the GM, from holding up the game while I decide what spell is best to use on the spot, and more accurately reflects the character of each individual monster. I have a binder so [/b]I keep authentic handouts in pockets[/b] (like the coffee baked paper map, etc). I keep all the PCs in the binder, in their own plastic sheet pockets. Sheet pockets are the rage in Poland where they have never heard of a hole punch. I bought mine on eBay. I pay a political game but my players are 1st level, gaining experience by hunting but maybe not rats…. www.youtube.com/watch?v=A47d3fjDNSQSo my players are not yet on the radar of the political situation or its players. But I have a mind map of these NPCs. But more: I write out the cut scenes happening at court. I do not believe in dramatic readings of cut scenes so this is just for my reference, to mark significant events on the campaign timeline and to keep me interested (and HONEST) as the game progresses. Eventually, when the players are of sufficient level and politically connected, NPCs will make reference to these cut scenes (from their POV) through their interaction with the PCs. Some NPCs might even die offscreen, potentially affecting NPC-PC relations later. This honesty is important. Unlike the players, I do not have the luxury of changing my tactics in mid-stream. Such a thing would be *unfair (*to them) because I would use my knowledge of the PC’s decisions and either cheat or (*to me) have to metagame if I did not have the overall arch of the story already written about the NPCs (power base, personality, moral alignment, etc.). That’s not to say an NPC might not set up the PCs based on what he/she would know in-game. But I do have things written down so no one cries foul. It is way to easy to fall into the perception of being adversarial when the GM is responsible for the situation; the scenario, the problems and the obstacles the players overcome (or, maybe, even succumb to).
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Post by henryhankovitch on Jul 30, 2012 15:35:43 GMT -8
Regarding the discussion of the "Honor-Bound" disadvantage and the powergamer... A perfect illustration of this sort of conflict is in Saving Private Ryan, when the soldiers take German prisoners at the machine-gun nest.
Upham (the effete translator guy) is in the honor-bound role: he doesn't want the prisoners to be summarily shot, because it's against the rules of war, human decency, et al. The other soldiers are generally in favor of shooting them because their good friend the medic just got killed and they want payback. The captain (Tom Hanks' character) doesn't want to let the Germans go because they're likely to just re-join a German unit and keep fighting; they might even manage to re-occupy the position after the Americans leave. And the sergeant (Tom Sizemore) is basically acting as the shield between the officer and his men. He doesn't express any opinion about the morality of the situation; his job is to make sure that the captain's orders are carried out, whatever they are. He ends up threatening to shoot one of the American soldiers not because he's opposed to executing the Germans, but because they're questioning orders and threatening to mutiny.
So if you statted out all those characters as PCs with various traits or disads, you could see how they conflict in a quite realistic scenario. I don't think there's much argument to be had regarding the situation in the listener email; I just thought this made for a good illustration of a situation that the minmaxer had argued was farfetched or contrived.
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Post by henryhankovitch on Jul 30, 2012 15:40:36 GMT -8
On planning: I've used the 5x5 method several times for brainstorming and diagramming multiple plotlines. I don't know where I first heard of it, which means it may have been mentioned in the steamy HJ backlog somewhere. It's been quite useful in my recent Rogue Trader campaign, where I have PC-specific plotlines interlacing with the "main quests," and so forth.
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SirGuido
Supporter
Drizztmas Santa
Ask me about the Drizztmas Exchange!
Posts: 2,127
Preferred Game Systems: L5R, Traveller, Fate Accelerated, Masks
Currently Playing: Nothing.
Currently Running: Nothing.
Favorite Species of Monkey: Anything in a Cage.
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Post by SirGuido on Jul 30, 2012 15:48:43 GMT -8
Ok, a few things... First off, they already make a whiteboard GM screen. And Stu owns one. The pocket GM screens. Duh. Just toss a white piece of paper in the pocket and go buy some Vis a Vis marker. Done. Second... OSR is going crazy for a reason. Nostalgia. I'm playing through all these different editions, like I mentioned in a previous voicemail, and honestly Tyler is right. Can't believe I just typed that... Its true though, older editions have some things that are awesome(like less rules so you can make shit up as you go) and it has some things that really suck(like less rules so you can make shit up as you go). No, that wasn't a typo. Third... Who the hell is giving rooms to people who run their games?!? I have a press pass already, I just need a place to stay. Tyler! Inquiring minds NEED to know. Seriously. Hook me up. Fourth... Rewinding a bit, I prep in a lot of ways. If I'm doing a low prep type game then I just toss some notes on a single page, broken down into scenes. Each scene has things that MUST happen and things that CAN happen. The MUST happen things aren't so much railroady as they are a guideline for me. So, if its a piece of information they have to have I know that I can give that piece of information to any NPC in order to get it to the players, but they players have to have it. I also like to have a little stack of notecards that have notes on them for things like NPCs, locations, etc. Lastly, if its something like Pathfinder where you can find a ton of information online because of the OGL, I pull up something like d20pfsrd.com, bookmark everything I could possible need into one big folder and when I'm setting up, I log in and open those bookmarks. So I have direct access to monsters, spells, combat mechanics, etc.
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kroh
Supporter
Posts: 132
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Post by kroh on Jul 31, 2012 0:47:49 GMT -8
So... codes of honor was mentioned and talk of superman as something other than the all American Golden Boy: For those looking for a simple system that can be easy enough for teaching but still maintains enough fiddly bits for the hard core gamer... BASH! was originally designed to teach multiplication (and gaming) as an activity by a school teacher who was into games. There you can see the cover on my lovely high speed googly tablet. Which is excellent for reading peedee-effs. A friend recently came back from the Google Conference with a Nexus 7 (which oddly enough has an add on your forum) and if folks are looking to throw a butt ton of game books on a platform with a great experience... a solid buy for 200 bucks. As far as the DM's white board goes... You can go out and buy a piece of acrylic. In the Military we use to use small pieces of acrylic to protect our maps (now maps are either laminated or they are uploaded to on-board computers and GPS systems making my acrylic board just look silly). Take two pieces and some average binder clips and you can stick a piece of white paper in between. Here is the one that I made in 94 and I still use it (although the 'hunnit mile an hour tape' on the outside is showing it's age a bit). Combine the board with alcohol or water soluble pens and bamo... instant gm writee thingee. Of course you could do the same thing with the pens, some paper, and the Savage Worlds interchangeable DM's screen and there ya go. Now if you want the pocket edition of a gm's screen... www.pocketmod.com/oh and my dog is totally into cosplay Regards, Walt
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freyki
Apprentice Douchebag
Posts: 86
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Post by freyki on Jul 31, 2012 6:45:02 GMT -8
I read the communist superman logo as Super Red Manson... :-)
-Freyki-
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Post by Kainguru on Jul 31, 2012 7:14:13 GMT -8
Superman : Red Son was an awesome read . . . A good lesson in taking a canonical setting and making it your own.
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Post by rickno7 on Jul 31, 2012 9:58:48 GMT -8
I still think its up to the GM to invent ways to make things a Hindrance.
I never looked at the Hindrances as a system you are able to cheat around by choosing things that rarely come up. I have seen players take Code of Honor because they think "well my character would do the right thing anyway". When they take it you ask "ok, what part of that is a major Hindrance for you?" If they don't tell you something like "50% of my profits go to my organization" or something like that, the GM is free to make the hindrance as he wishes. Also you have a few that are minor/major, and I never saw that as a guide for the players, I saw that as a guide to the GM about how much of a Hindrance to make it. What's the use of letting a player have Hard of Hearing(Major) if you never sprinkle sound based events into your game. What's the point of letting a player take Mean if you never use Charisma based encounters?
If the player is able to pick major hindrances and they are never hindrances, that is the GM's problem/fault. If the player can get out of a Hindrance being a Hindrance, then he shouldn't have his points, or the GM should have him take something that is. Players only game the system if the GM lets them.
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