[QUOTE=Big Dumb American;49156150]How far ahead do you plan your campaigns as a DM? I started out just coming up with simple single quest ideas, but they're quickly tying into a larger overall theme and multi-act story-driven adventure. I know I can't get too ahead of myself with the specifics, since player decisions could always have impacts I didn't foresee that would change the outcome of planned events, but I also want to have a good idea of the relative direction of the campaign through each of the three major acts.
I mean, I'm a sucker for a great narrative, so my ultimate goal here is just to make sure that I've got a really well thought out and executed story for my players to get invested in. I just want to make sure that I'm not "keeping them on a rail" by planning myself into a hole and realizing that a particular decision they make throws the campaign off track, you know?[/QUOTE]
The best thing you can do is get a general idea of what's going to happen WITHOUT interaction from the players - work out who the major influencers are, what their motivations are and what they'll do without any input from player characters. Then, when PCs inevitably cause havoc, you'll be better equipped to think "well what would ____ do in response?"
Personally it depends on the game for me - as ASOIAF is a game with a subject matter that can last months if not years in-game, I've worked out what my major NPCs will do months in advance. Most of it has been completely invalidated thanks to the actions of my players but that's fine - that's what I was expecting to happen.
[QUOTE=Big Dumb American;49156150]How far ahead do you plan your campaigns as a DM? I started out just coming up with simple single quest ideas, but they're quickly tying into a larger overall theme and multi-act story-driven adventure. I know I can't get too ahead of myself with the specifics, since player decisions could always have impacts I didn't foresee that would change the outcome of planned events, but I also want to have a good idea of the relative direction of the campaign through each of the three major acts.
I mean, I'm a sucker for a great narrative, so my ultimate goal here is just to make sure that I've got a really well thought out and executed story for my players to get invested in. I just want to make sure that I'm not "keeping them on a rail" by planning myself into a hole and realizing that a particular decision they make throws the campaign off track, you know?[/QUOTE]
I make up 98% of my games as I go along. I quite literally have generally no idea what's gonna happen until I start saying it during the game. I throw in random far-out confusing bits that seem to make no sense at the time, then arbitrarily call back to them at a later date during a relevant moment and go "ha! I planned that all along!"
I base entire story events, plots and story arcs on a single picture or sentence, a snapshot of a moment of action that I may have seen somewhere and go from there. Over time my arbitrary callbacks and on-the-fly methods merge naturally into something roughly resembling an endgame in my mind.
The best way to keep them off the rails to build the train behind them.
[QUOTE=Rats808;49156347]Granted, part of the issue with that is I set it up from the beginning to have them looking for a murderer with no idea that he was a vampire, then made it initially look like the killer was one guy only to have it turn out to be another guy. They figured out it was probably the other guy as soon as he was introduced, but the vampire was still maintaining his innocence and holding out as long as he could, since there was almost no evidence pointing at him as the killer.[sp]If we hadn't stopped, the next session would have involved them finally seeing him as a vampire instead of just a charismatic playboy.[/sp][/QUOTE]
it was kind of hilarious just how obvious that he was the murderer
like he might as well have had a giant sign saying "hi i'm a serial killer" floating above him
i'm too genre-savvy for this shit
I more or less improvise, but always keep an endgame in mind. Early on I throw out a ton of stuff to see what sticks and what doesn't, and eventually build up that endgame using the elements the players like and keep interacting with
But basically anything that I use I try to keep in kind how it might fit into the big blowout I have in mind for the end
Which works pretty well, save my continued problem of having a suitably ridiculous, overdone halfway point in every game, then leaving it to take a break and never properly returning to it
Alright, I'm DM'ing a DND 4e session where a Shaman player wants to use the Tome Expertise feat, which basicly gives him combat advantages to everyone adjacent to his spirit companion.
[img]http://puu.sh/ltwNz/92ec651107.jpg[/img]
I've got some problem with this since it's basically changing the entire encounter planning because it will grant combat advantage against possibly any creature for anyone, I've looked up and even Orgus doesn't have immunity to fear, the entire idea just seems so silly to me.
They are level 8.
[QUOTE=Aperture fan;49157510]I make up 98% of my games as I go along. I quite literally have generally no idea what's gonna happen until I start saying it during the game. I throw in random far-out confusing bits that seem to make no sense at the time, then arbitrarily call back to them at a later date during a relevant moment and go "ha! I planned that all along!"
I base entire story events, plots and story arcs on a single picture or sentence, a snapshot of a moment of action that I may have seen somewhere and go from there. Over time my arbitrary callbacks and on-the-fly methods merge naturally into something roughly resembling an endgame in my mind.
The best way to keep them off the rails to build the train behind them.[/QUOTE]
Personally I base a lot of stuff on songs and general feel too
I'm still perturbed I haven't had an opportunity to set a firefight in a miami disco yet but one day
[I]one day[/I]
and yeah planning is overrated (unless we're taking about planning for what you'll do when your computer dies and you can't gm for a month+. whoops)
[QUOTE=darkgodmaste;49159750]Alright, I'm DM'ing a DND 4e session where a Shaman player wants to use the Tome Expertise feat, which basicly gives him combat advantages to everyone adjacent to his spirit companion.
[img]http://puu.sh/ltwNz/92ec651107.jpg[/img]
I've got some problem with this since it's basically changing the entire encounter planning because it will grant combat advantage against possibly any creature for anyone, I've looked up and even Orgus doesn't have immunity to fear, the entire idea just seems so silly to me.
They are level 8.[/QUOTE]
Hey man, your the GM, your word is law. If you don't want this feat in your game then that's that, and hopefully the player will respect your decision.
Players had fight with a possessed dryad that summoned obsidian elementals this session, Elowin killed two of them in one round with a lightning bolt, but also nearly killed himself since they explode in a shower of hot glass shards on death, he'd have gone down if he didn't succeed on his reflex save.
The duck also got reduced to negative HP but made it's save to stabilise and they managed to rescue the dryad. Mellow's kobold character got hit with a suggestion spell as well and got told to run, starting running out into the forest and met a creepy elf.
elves are never creepy
it's just superstition
what have I become
literally had a hot springs session of Pathfinder
everything is wonderful and also anime
Weeeeeeeeb
Holy fuck the Rogue Trader books are on sale for $5 at Fantasy Flight's website. Not including shipping of course, but still.
[B]MUST. GET.[/B]
Thank you based exploding dice.
GMing Mekton. So ElTaco, the schmuck that he is, has yet to be hit a single time in all the months we've been playing.
Dohoho. That all changed today.
They're underwater, infiltrating a genetic research station with the mission objective to fuck shit up. Seems they don't need to be here for that to happen, as some commotion later, a giant fucking fish swims towards them after they just watched it wreck a buncha mooks.
So after Sibs shotguns the fuck out of it, the fish goes to Taco as a tastier target. On a roll of 1d10+11, it scored a 48 to hit him.
None can escape the fish.
[QUOTE=Aperture fan;49162018]Thank you based exploding dice.
GMing Mekton. So ElTaco, the schmuck that he is, has yet to be hit a single time in all the months we've been playing.
Dohoho. That all changed today.
They're underwater, infiltrating a genetic research station with the mission objective to fuck shit up. Seems they don't need to be here for that to happen, as some commotion later, a giant fucking fish swims towards them after they just watched it wreck a buncha mooks.
So after Sibs shotguns the fuck out of it, the fish goes to Taco as a tastier target. On a roll of 1d10+11, it scored a 48 to hit him.
None can escape the fish.[/QUOTE]
And it only took 10 months. Frankly I'm amazed I didn't get pasted sooner.
And in my defense, I then proceeded to anime coolguy resist it's electric shock through TRUE GRIT AND DETERMINATION, and spin kick it in the face, caving it's skull in and killing it instantly. (With Smas' help of course)
Take that Moby Cunt, you fat fish bastard. See you in fish Hell. From regular Hell. Probably. Our Hell's better anyway, since it doesn't have any fish in it.
[QUOTE=ElTacoLad;49163028]And it only took 10 months. Frankly I'm amazed I didn't get pasted sooner.
And in my defense, I then proceeded to anime coolguy resist it's electric shock through TRUE GRIT AND DETERMINATION, and spin kick it in the face, caving it's skull in and killing it instantly. (With Smas' help of course)
Take that Moby Cunt, you fat fish bastard. See you in fish Hell. From regular Hell. Probably. Our Hell's better anyway, since it doesn't have any fish in it.[/QUOTE]
You've lived this far through my good graces alone. I reduced the tentacle damage so as to not OHKO you because I'm just so nice.
Better hope nobody hits you with an AoE attack though. Dohoho. Can't dodge an explosion like that.
[QUOTE=Aperture fan;49164788]You've lived this far through my good graces alone. I reduced the tentacle damage so as to not OHKO you because I'm just so nice.
Better hope nobody hits you with an AoE attack though. Dohoho. Can't dodge an explosion like that.[/QUOTE]
Not being able to dodge explosions is lame
I'm pretty sure all we'd need to do to win any war is make 10CP torsos with rocket engines and use them to suicide-bomb everything
[QUOTE=SiberysTranq;49164856]Not being able to dodge explosions is lame
I'm pretty sure all we'd need to do to win any war is make 10CP torsos with rocket engines and use them to suicide-bomb everything[/QUOTE]
We could actually make !Nukes for hella cheap. I just don't make them because missiles are so much more expensive to restock than a normal gun.
By cheap, I mean, all of those people were like "ooh lala, I can have nukes that cost like, 150 cp" in the mecha tournament, when they didn't realize they could just mess with the Missile creation stuff to make 2.5 kilometer diameter nuclear devices that did buttloads of damage for like, 10% of the price. Not that I was going to tell anyone that though. :v:
So yeah, if we're going to dump, 10, 15 CP into suicide bomb things, we might as well just build actual nukes to drop from the air and blow everyone up.
[QUOTE=SiberysTranq;49164856]Not being able to dodge explosions is lame
I'm pretty sure all we'd need to do to win any war is make 10CP torsos with rocket engines and use them to suicide-bomb everything[/QUOTE]
I guess I could allow a dodge roll that'd potentially use an action depending on how far you need to go to escape the blast. But it's not like you'd inherently know how big the blast is anyway. We'll work something out, but you literally saw Smas use an undodgeable explosion last night with the grenade.
[QUOTE=Aperture fan;49166273]I guess I could allow a dodge roll that'd potentially use an action depending on how far you need to go to escape the blast. But it's not like you'd inherently know how big the blast is anyway. We'll work something out, but you literally saw Smas use an undodgeable explosion last night with the grenade.[/QUOTE]
That was an ambush, though, it made sense it was undodgable
it's all these suicide-bomber torsos we keep leaving around that annoy me
Yeah, suicide bombers with nothing to lose are basically the worst. Makes doing melee or close range stuff a pain, at any rate, since they can "nope" out of there and land some damage, which wouldn't be so bad if our armor and crap wasn't basically paper due to the scale we're playing at.
Summary of the first session of my Exalted game:
[quote]The Dawn(Yu) and the Night(Riggari) are both drinking at the same pub. A woman comes in and reads out a message for Riggari, who is living openly as a Solar, telling him to follow her to a meeting place with one of the Three gods of the city, Talespinner.
The Zenith(Carwyn) gets a message at the same time, which falls out of the sky onto one of his soldiers while they're training. It gives directions to follow to a meeting place with another of the Three, Dayshield.
The Twilight(Ase) gets his message from a woman after he gives her some medicine for her insomnia. It gives directions to a meeting place with the last of the Three, Dreamweaver.
They all get there at about the same time, and introduce themselves to each other, then start talking with the Three about why they were called to the field they're in(tl;dr they just wanted them to meet each other because holy shit 3 solars in the city at the same time).
Meanwhile, Yu notices a man leaving the pub that is [I]probably[/I] possessed by a demon called a Marotte. He starts following him, then ends up chasing him. The Marotte makes the poor decision to turn into the field, where he runs into Dayshield's eponymous shield. Yu explains himself to the rest of the group, then he and Ase examine the demon with Spirit-Detecting Glance.
[t]https://db4sgowjqfwig.cloudfront.net/assets/275686/Marotte.png?1387602988[/t]
Yu does an iaijutsu strike on the central mass to try and kill it in one hit. He fucks up, and the guy it's puppeting draws a knife, but then he attacks it a second time and kills it. The guy it was controlling is unharmed.
The Three point out that being able to attack an immaterial demon is a pretty big deal, then realize that Yu is also a Solar. Then everyone spends about 10 minutes convincing him he is a Solar and he should stick with the other three, before the Three say they've got shit to do and fuck off to do other shit.
Ase checks on the guy the Marotte was controlling and declares him free and healthy, then the group all goes back to the pub to get drunk.[/quote]
TL;DR the day a demon learned not to trust seemingly empty fields.
So because a wraith had downed one of my players to one permanent health until he had a long rest, he got killed by taking a mug to the face :v:
On a scale from shit to epic how good is this Shadowrun campaign idea:
The world is in a Cold War-like state, with several major nations and companies at each others' throats and attempting to sabotage each other out of the public eye.
The PCs are a team working for a large PMC, MGSV Diamond Dogs-style: base in the middle of the ocean, not affiliated with anyone other than themselves, welcoming of all, etc etc. They suddenly start getting a large influx of jobs from numerous groups from all sides of the war, so they start making a lot of money and getting their name out there. After awhile, these major players start recognizing the group as aggressors and attack them, either directly or through proxies, making them yet another major player in this war.
Eventually, it will be revealed that all the jobs they had been receiving were orchestrated by a completely different faction that wants to end to this cold war and see the world united again, using this PMC as a catalyst, Watchmen-style. By painting this PMC as a group that could become immensely dangerous for everyone, this shadow group manages to unite the warring nations/corps and have them tear down this PMC.
After this, the PCs will probably want to take some super hard revenge.
If a corp wants you dead bad enough and knows where you are in SR, you're dead. If they actively declare war on the PCs, realistically what would happen is their base just gets bombed off the map, there's a reason why all the badasses in SR either are very hard to find or backed by a corp or nation.
If you're going to run a game like that the players need some way to stop other factions simply wiping them out with a few cruise missiles (and nukes don't really work in SR, magic messes with nuclear decay, they're unreliable at best).
[QUOTE=SiberysTranq;49160961]what have I become
literally had a hot springs session of Pathfinder
everything is wonderful and also anime[/QUOTE]
What's the dice table for hot springs look like.
[QUOTE=Rents;49167442]If a corp wants you dead bad enough and knows where you are in SR, you're dead. If they actively declare war on the PCs, realistically what would happen is their base just gets bombed off the map, there's a reason why all the badasses in SR either are very hard to find or backed by a corp or nation.
If you're going to run a game like that the players need some way to stop other factions simply wiping them out with a few cruise missiles (and nukes don't really work in SR, magic messes with nuclear decay, they're unreliable at best).[/QUOTE]
Maybe they have strong AA/anti-missile defense and attacking what would basically amount to an invasion of a floating city where literally everyone is a soldier would be incredibly difficult or something like that? Or would the corp care that little about their personnel's lives that they'd send them into the grinder?
I want the idea to be that the PMC is fucked but that reeks of railroading. I'd like there to still be a chance that the PCs could beat off an attack; it'd make for an epic finale.
[QUOTE=plunger435;49167520]What's the dice table for hot springs look like.[/QUOTE]
1-10: Nobody is there. Roll will save (DC10) or become Fascinated by the stars in the sky till the end of the night.
11-20: You enter the wrong side. Roll a reflex save (DC12) or suffer 1d6 damage from a thrown improvised weapon.
21-40: You're in a hot springs. You can hear people on the other side. With a successful (DC16) perception test, you find a hole in the wall to peek through.
41-50: The hot spring is home to a Nymph. Roll a fortitude save (DC21) to resist blindness.
51-55: The hot spring is home to a colony of 1d6 steam mephits.
56-60: The hot spring is closed for cleaning. Roll a will save (DC14) or suffer the effect of Crushing Despair.
61-70: The conversation in the hot spring inevitably moves to romantic attraction. Roll Bluff, opposed by Sense Motive to deny that you're interested in someone on the otherside. If you honestly aren't, you gain a +10 bonus to this test.
71-80: You accidentally bump into someone from the other side while returning to your changing room, and knock them over. Roll bluff to stammer out an apology or suffer 1d4 damage from a slap.
81-90: Mixed-gender changing room. GM's discretion as to the manner of perils faced therein.
91-92: You found the secret path to the hidden hot spring!
93-94: The hot spring is an advanced (12 HD) Water Weird.
95-96: The hot spring includes a drain that leads to the city of spirals.
97-98: INDECENT PROPOSITION. GM's discretion for exact challenges.
99: Nothing funny happens. God. Seriously. Immature, you guys.
100: The hot spring is, in fact, a giant mecha.
[QUOTE=Alsojames;49167619]Maybe they have strong AA/anti-missile defense and attacking what would basically amount to an invasion of a floating city where literally everyone is a soldier would be incredibly difficult or something like that? Or would the corp care that little about their personnel's lives that they'd send them into the grinder?
I want the idea to be that the PMC is fucked but that reeks of railroading. I'd like there to still be a chance that the PCs could beat off an attack; it'd make for an epic finale.[/QUOTE]
The thing is, at least in conventional shadowrun, that any serious hardpoint with no danger of collateral damage would be Thor-ed to death from orbit long before it could be a threat
unless it was mobile, or somehow impossible to hit, by being deep underground/underwater.
[QUOTE=SiberysTranq;49167918] being deep underground/underwater.[/QUOTE]
Now there's an idea!
[QUOTE=Alsojames;49168409]Now there's an idea![/QUOTE]
You already wanted the base to be in the ocean, why not a massive nuclear submarine base? You could even have base-building elements like XCOM.
[QUOTE=IrishBandit;49168436]You already wanted the base to be in the ocean, why not a massive nuclear submarine base? You could even have base-building elements like XCOM.[/QUOTE]
That actually sounds like a lot of fun. Massive underwater city or a huge, mobile, nuclear-powered sub.
Glad I came to this thread. Thanks for the ideas, guys!
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