Messages

181

RPGs / Re: Question or two about DnD 4 ed.

« on: March 20, 2009, 05:00:22 PM »

Alright...so in really simplified terms the Will defense becomes the AC for this attack.  If their Will is 15, i need to roll 1d20 + my Constitution ability modifier + any other applicable modifiers that would pertain to this example.  And thus rolling a 16, i beat their Will, causing a hit, and thus damage (hopefully).  Alright, wow that clears up A LOT.  Thank you very much!  I will post any other questions I have here in the future.

182

RPGs / Question or two about DnD 4 ed.

« on: March 20, 2009, 04:09:09 PM »

Alright, just a few days ago I received my order of the 3 core rule books for DnD 4 ed. and ive been reading them with great enthusiasm.  however I have a question or two about some thing and It would be nice if someone could take a minute to answer them with their vast knowledge of awesomeness 

Alright, so first off I made a character just to learn the process, lets say a lvl 1 Warlock, and one of the spells (Vampiric Embrace) says that for the Attack, I roll a Constitution vs. Will.  I dont know what I need to do.  Do I roll 1d20 and add Constitution modifiers for attack and Will for enemies defence?  Please explain.

Aaand ummm... blah I hate being new to things... For a simple melee attack, it's just a 1d20 + modifiers to hit vs. enemy AC, and then damage is the weapon's damage + modifiers, correct?  Reading over the rulebook is making me second guess everything.

183

General Chaos / Re: Looking to avoid a bad book

« on: March 20, 2009, 02:59:00 AM »

The Left Behind series. Read the Slackivist's extensive commentary (page by page!) for reasons why it sucks.  http://exharpazo.blogspot.com/2007/01/index-to-slactivists-left-behind.html

Ooooh boy...I started that book when I was in junior high, didn't even know what it was about until I think the third book, and by that time i just had to have a good sit and think about what I had read...then kill myself (i joke).  But honestly I hate that series...good series to add

184

RPGs / Re: Bad GM habits

« on: March 19, 2009, 01:25:49 PM »

I tend to reiterate the same descriptions over and over.

Also, I sometimes have a hard time finding the balance between leading players along to the next event and letting them run wild with no purpose.

Then again, this is something all GMs face I think.

Yeah, I've done that a lot.  Over time Ive gotten better at being more diverse in my descriptions and narrations.  Along with leading players to the next event, I tend to let them run wild doing whatever they want until I know I can create something interesting out of what they do.  In my mind it prepares me, for when I actually get serious, to be able to make things up on the fly when the players do something unexpected.

185

General Chaos / Looking to avoid a bad book

« on: March 18, 2009, 12:14:38 AM »

Looking for a good book
      http://slangdesign.com/forums/index.php?topic=16.0

Terry Goodkind is terrible
      http://slangdesign.com/forums/index.php?topic=24.0

After thinking about these two I want to know what kind of book series to avoid and with ample reason to avoid them.  Like now I have reasons to avoid the Sword of Truth series, dosent mean I wont read it or something (I wont), but now I have good reasons to avoid it.

186

General Chaos / Re: Could your players survive the Zombacalypse

« on: March 18, 2009, 12:10:28 AM »

Just interpret the question to be whatever zombies.  If we were to get into detail we would need another entire forum to argue and discuss the type of zombies.  Assume its the kind that like to eat brains but dont go around saying so.

187

General Chaos / Could your players survive the Zombacalypse

« on: March 17, 2009, 04:27:06 PM »

Would the group you play with now be able to survive?

188

RPGs / Re: Bad GM habits

« on: March 17, 2009, 04:17:25 PM »

I know right off the bat that I usually don't plan ahead.  Because my group and I don't usually even use a system, just make something up and it usually works, we have a lot of weird and crazy sessions.  I tend to make things up as we go which has a 50/50 chance of working, and if it doesn't the players (thank gods) will do something to make it work out and make it fun.  I started doing this just so i could work on my..improvisation.  When i finally get serious with a campaign I think I will be better able to manage the things my players want to do.

Another one of my flaws is that I tend to kill off the players...  I know that's bad but in my mind if they actually thought about how they could beat the monster, they would beat it.  Instead one player, who lets say was a timid journalist, runs forward screaming and tries to stab the monster with a pen.  I'm not saying I have elaborate death plans on how players must kill the enemies, but rather...they just run in and try to stab everything, even allies.  Ive tried to run hack and slashes with them, but THEN they get too tactical and their plans backfire and they die.  Ive tried really hard to make things easier but they seem attracted to dying.

I know i have plenty more flaws, but those I'll have to discover more about as I GM more.

189

General Chaos / Re: Terry Goodkind is terrible

« on: March 17, 2009, 04:02:04 PM »

Hahahahaha, Wow!  Just going down the list I really have to ask myself what the hell that writer was thinking!  Those are really funny quotes from the book and the funny thing is I believe my friend just got into them and loves the series.  Wow, am I going to have alot of fun joking about it with him.

190

General Chaos / Re: Intoduction

« on: March 17, 2009, 03:46:09 PM »

Howdy

My names Kyle, 19,  live in California and am currently attending a community college.  I'm an amateur GM for a group of close friends and we have all at some point GM'd with each other for fun.  I'm trying to get better and learn what I can so I can be a better and more practical GM and make it a fun and exciting experience for my group.

Sadly my first real experience into role playing came from Rifts, which was/is a complicated system for us.  Before we realized this my friend had bought about 15 of the books and then it hit us that this system sucked.  Another friend of mine who we has recently taken interest in RP has decided he will GM a campaign from his favorite book series Wheel of Time.  As long as he enjoys it ill keep playing cause i know that we all need experience as both players, and sometimes GM when someone can't.

Ive just ordered the 3 main books for D&D 4th Ed. and i cant wait to get them.  Ive seen other groups play with D&D and its a system I can understand.  So ya, that's all I really have to say about me.  I'm always open to tips and advice about GMing

191

RPGs / Re: Unusual items in games?

« on: March 15, 2009, 07:50:48 PM »

That is an awesome resource!  I just spent some time randomly giving it numbers and the stuff it gives you is pretty neat.  I will definitely use this somehow.

192

RPGs / Unusual items in games?

« on: March 14, 2009, 12:57:51 PM »

Id like to continue this thread from the Old forums.  http://slangdesign.com/rppr/bbpress/topic.php?id=98  Id like to see other interesting things thought up by players and GM's.  Ill start by posting another item...

Oh!  It was simple, but in a Rifts game my friends had a pen that when writing the ink changed color.  It was really simple, but when we came to a barbarian village, they freaked out over the changing ink on some letters we had and tried to smash us.  So ya, even really simple items can have a big effect in games.

193

General Chaos / Re: Looking for a good book

« on: March 14, 2009, 01:09:19 AM »

Armor is a good read.  It's a military science fiction novel by John Steakley.  Im not that big on sci-fi military but this one was really interesting and its not a hard read.  In short, a conman is forced onto a planet where he find a special Scout Armor used in the military and a scientist who has managed to scavenge the video memory of the previous user.  The memories are awesome as the user was forced to fight for his life again and again in a never ending battle against these 3-meter-tall insectoids.  If you liked Starship troopers you'll like this one.

The Prince of Nothing series by R. Scott Bakker is another fantasy novel but a very interesting plot with subplot after subplot after subplot that all tie together.  The way it's written you really get a feel for the characters and want them to accomplish what they try to do and it's just a great read.

194

RPGs / Most boring campaign?

« on: March 11, 2009, 09:55:04 PM »

What experiences have you had with boring campaigns.  Ones where even though you don't want to play you somehow muster up the willpower (no saving throws  >.<) to continue on.

For example one of the most boring campaigns I'm playing is with my friends Wheel of Time rpg.  Its made for people who have read the book, and being only the GM has read the series its really confusing for us players.  All the references to characters and events that would be really cool and awesome are just lost on us as we try to comprehend why the events that are unfolding before us have any real meaning.

But the only reason I'm really playing it still is that it's my friends first introduction to being a GM and he's having a blast.