Dicegeeks Epic Newsletter
Dicegeeks Newsletter
I hope everyone is enjoying the holiday season. Also, I hope you are getting some good RPG action going.
This issue includes: a free dungeon map, a GM tip, notable generators, and a random post-apocalyptic weather chart.
Plus, at the bottom are some free RPGs from DriveThruRPG that I have selected and wanted to share.
Oh, don't miss the Fantasy Office Random 1D100 Search Chart I just published on dicegeeks.com.
If there are certain things you would like to see in the newsletter or you have ideas for improvements, please let me know. You can email me at dicegeeks@gmail.com.
Matt
Here's this month's free map. Yes, there will be a free map in each month's newsletter. I'm sorry about this one. It's not my best work, but it's free. Let me know how you use it.
If you would like more maps, I have a PDF of 14 on DriveThruRPG.
GM Tip: Never Say, “Do you go there?”
The April sun awakens the sleepy hamlet of Dunshore.
Inside the Lazy Sow Inn, an old man wipes the bar he’s cleaned more than a thousand times. In one corner, an achingly beautiful girl of 17 quietly sweeps the floor.
In another corner, three adventurers break their fast.
Randarr, the dwarf, angrily saws a thick ham steak. Truth be told, he was rarely angry, yet most perceived his manners that way.
Trayla, the elf, serenely nibbles a waycake while contemplating the mass of green leaves on her plate.
Harper Lown, the human, slowly downs honeyed breakfast ale. It tingles his throat and crisps his senses. It has been a long week…
The homey scene shatters as a child, no more than ten, crashes into the inn. Eyes wild and seized by a great panic, he stops in the middle of the hall gulping air.
“Pray child,” cries the old innkeeper, “what is wrong?”
“Goblins… orcs have assaulted the wall in the west quarter! It is ablaze even now!” responded the terrified boy.
“May the goddess protect us!” screamed the girl as the broom fell from her trembling hands.
The adventurers look at each other. There is a pause…
From out of the ether, there is a disembodied voice, which says in an annoyed lilt, “Do you go there?”
The scene is broken.
The inn shimmers away. In its place is a murky table littered with Mountain Dew bottles, Domino’s pizza boxes, Dorito bags, and dice… lots of dice.
Anyone whoever has been a Dungeon Master or a Game Master has uttered those four words in a moment of frustration. You’ve painted the scene. You’ve given the players a hook, but they don’t take the bait.
So, you break the scene wondering if they will join the game. Why didn’t one of the players have their character stand up and shout, “To the wall, my friends! We must defend the town!”
It’s easy for the GM to think the players don’t want to play or are just being difficult. But before we jump to conclusions, let’s examine this situation a bit.
First, the players may not have honed their improvising skills to a certain level yet. It honestly may not occur to them that the ball is in their court and they need to go to the wall to fight the goblins. So, it is our job as Game Masters to help.
Taking the example above, it is a common way many gaming sessions begin. But, it doesn’t really help the characters.
By beginning in a quiet relaxed setting, the players usually think they are supposed to talk or plan something or just have conversation in their roles. So when the action hook begins, there will be some confusion.
Also, players can experience choice paralysis when presented with a chaotic scene after a quiet opening. Should they protect the innkeeper and his granddaughter? Should they go fight? Should they flee the city to fetch reinforcements from the fort two miles away?
To avoid this confusion and keep the game intact as much as possible, begin in media res.
In media res simply means, “in the middle of things.” It is a literary term for starting your story in the middle of the action.
Instead of starting in the inn, place your characters on the wall in the middle of the attack. Give them no choice but to defend themselves and the town.
Don’t worry about railroading. Asking the dreaded, “Do you go there?” is railroading. Starting the session in the middle of combat is a device that increases excitement.
It also helps the characters bond and gives the players a shared experience right from the beginning.
Once the battle is over, present players with choices. You’ll find they are in a better position to make choices, and the story should be rolling by this point.
Never say, “Do you go there?” Think ahead. Help the players understand how to contribute to moving the story forward. Try in media res. You won’t regret it, and your players will love it.
Notable Generators
I thought I'd share a few generators. Two are Star Wars related, just because it seems to be on everyone's mind.
The Rancor Pit Planet Generator - A great, simple planet generator that gives some great info to get your creative juices flowing.
Star Wars Name Generator - The best Star Wars name generator I've found yet. It gives the option of generating a hundred names at once. I use this often while GMing.
Chaotic Shiny - You can get lost in all of the generators here! It is truly a sight to behold. Do yourself a favor and check out the Tavern Generator.
Random Post-Apocalyptic Weather Chart
I created this weather chart for my role-playing game, ANARCHY. Feel free to use however you wish. It's really added a new dimension to our sessions. The first time it rained fish the players nearly lost it.
Dice Roll Weather 1 Dust Storm 2 Rain (frogs) 3 Calm 4 High Winds 5 Rain (acid) 6 Lighting Storm 7 Rain (small rocks) 8 Tornado 9 Blizzard (clean) 10 Rain (fish) 11 Sunny 12 Sleet (dirty) 13 Partly Cloudy 14 Ice Storm (clean) 15 Rain (radioactive) 16 Ash Fall 17 Cloudy 18 Winter Mix 19 Sand Storm 20 Rain (clean fresh water)
Free RPG Stuff from DriveThruRPG
Lost Paradigm System - I haven't read through this game yet, but it looks interesting.
A Brief Study of TSR Book Design - I'm still reading through this. It's fun to look at how classic game books were laid out and designed.
d30 Fantasy Diseases Table - A fun random table of diseases. I don't have a d30, though there are ways around that.
Empires Bundle - Tons of free stuff in this bundle. Some great historical info.
Lerchanth - A very nice set of world maps. Download includes two gifs of the world rotating.