A Mistake I Made

People are regularly intrigued when I mention that I play D&D every week. Most of my non-gamer crowds are just that, they have never played a role-playing game. Some of these people of various ages and genders will prod me to get a feel for what D&D is all about. I am not too bad up to now, I feel I have a fine way of describing the game and making it sound interesting. I am always open to expose people to the game, even if my particular game table is full. I may be able to take on a new player if they are a good match for my existing players. In any case, people are, to some degree, interested.

Where I have failed before is to invite people to watch the game as we play it. My players don't seem to mind, and it is not too much of a distraction. The game goes on, the guest watches, and that is it. At some point in the night, the watcher gets up to leave, with some fine platitudes about how cool it all seems, and then we never see them again. Others made it clear how parts of it are confusing - there is a strange language for the uninitiated. But frankly, the game is boring to watch. I am not talking about that situation where younger ones are going through the Tomb of Horrors and a bunch of grognards are over in the corner laughing.

So now if people are interested enough to come watch, then I will invite them to play. No more watching, no matter what they say. The best way to experience the game is, obviously, to play it. So, some afternoon sometime, I would invite the player over for a one-on-one situation. Characters would be made and a brief series of encounters would occur. If they need a friend along (I am an old guy inviting near strangers over to his house to play games after all), then that is fine. They will play too. The idea is to build interest and not just to confuse and bore.

Special Exceptions

From the Facebook, AD&D page: "Have you ever had someone try to introduce a very odd and over powered PC to your campaign? I once had a guy try to bring in Half Pink Dragon Lesbian that threw fireballs as a breath weapon. BTW this was a 1st level campaign. Needless to say I had to say no."

I have had players who want their characters to be extra cool. 'If the DM can give me extra consideration, then I will have more fun, being special' seems to be the thinking. In the past I have been more interested in having certain people play in my game, and so I would make allowances. Totally unfair, and of poor moral judgement on my part. I am not sure if it is just because I have behaved this way in the past that encourages players to seek allowances today... In any case, I recently had a player, one that we all liked, give me an ultimatum to receive a starting benefit for his new character. I refused and we lost him as a player. I felt pressure from all over, it is just a game after all. Why not? But, I am certain that I was right. Certain.

Remember folks, I am trying to keep my game going pretty much with no end in sight. I am not looking to just fill the next year or six months. I want a lasting campaign that mostly the same people will be playing in. I want lasting memories with my closest friends. I think we are all worth it. I think making special allowances for some players will also be remembered, but not in a good way.

Thought of the Day

If player Jim rolls thirty-five "twos" on thirty five in-game, combat, D20 rolls, what should the DM do to save Jim's character? Should the DM fudge thirty or so rolls so that the 1st level character doesn't die in combat?

So often I hear that the DM should fudge die rolls because they don't want the players to have a constant escalator of new characters. If the DM doesn't fudge, then the unlucky player will likely have to constantly be making new characters. That is not fun, so the DM should do something.

But what if a player's rolls will never hit even the weakest monster? After ten rounds of futility, will the monster run away? How is that fun? Okay, the character talks his way out of the futility and the monster leaves. That might be interesting. How many back-to-back fights will that work? To muddy the water, let's say player Jim on roll thirty-six says he rolled a 20 when he actually rolled another 2. Is that okay? Imagine the celebration and fun that would be had - A 20! And the next time Jim needs a 20, he can just say it, no matter the roll.

I am noting an absurd situation. But extremes should be considered when making policy. How sacred is that die roll?

For the DM who hides the roll to allow for fudging on his or her part, how do you feel about poker? If your friend is losing every hand at your poker party, and is down most of the actual money he came in with, will you throw in a few of your winning hands so that they might win? No? Why not? Because it's for money and not D&D? What contract did you sign?

Buy Original Lovecraft

Here is the EBAY LINK for this pulp.

Thrift Store Find

I went to Goodwill today and found all this stuff for $21.

It's Just A Game? ~ A Ramble

I have heard this from past players, that D&D is just a game, or is only a game. Okay, so are we talking a game like Monopoly? Is D&D on the same level as the Parker Brothers classic? While I am sure that some people get excited about playing Monopoly every Friday night, I wonder if the average D&D player would. People playing Monopoly get excited when they roll the perfect number, and the opposite, can get angry when they land on your hotel properties and have to pay. Is it those feelings that make Monopoly and D&D similar, as in, just a game? Is it the social involvement that makes something only a game?

Both games can be very involving. Paying and receiving cash, and especially dealing for properties, are huge in Monopoly, and distinctly social. A lot of that can go on in D&D as well. So if we accept that Monopoly is only a game, and it shares many important aspects with D&D, then is D&D only a game?

A game is described by Google as, "a form of play or sport, especially a competitive one played according to rules and decided by skill, strength, or luck." So a game doesn't have to be competitive, but it has rules and is "decided by" a series of things. So, sounds like D&D is just a game.

What is missing here is the focus on the word game versus the focus on the words "only" or "just." "It's a game" is a very different sentence than "It's only a game." Interestingly, "It's the greatest game" is only emphasized when changed to "It's only the greatest game." But I digress. I suggest that if D&D is "only a game" to you, then you are playing it wrong. Now, to unpack why...

Ronnie James Dio Auction

I'm sure some of this stuff could make for useful props. The dragon head for example:

Some Thoughts on Art

When I wrote my book, I didn't know what was going to happen to my characters, scene after scene. Like in D&D, I presented these characters with issues and problems, but then I figured out how they would respond to them. That and the governance of the dice are the differences.

But you must’ve had an ending in mind and some sort of outline. If not formally written down, then at least in your mind. If you did any editing at all, then it wasn’t an accident how it turned out.

Nope. No conclusions. I do not write to an outline, although I do not criticize those who do. Editing happens after the art is created. Art also isn’t an accident. Just because I don’t know where I am going doesn’t mean that arriving someplace is accidental. It isn’t random. If you like the taste of something you haven’t eaten before, then it follows that you would keep eating it. If you are driving with no particular place to go, you might see things on the side of the road that interest you, modifying the road you take.

Now for school, yup, you need an outline. You need to stick to directions and eat what you are served. But that is not art. That might give you tools you need to make art, as in grammar and words for writing.

In the end, I know my characters that I write about. That is the only thing I know going in. How can I test those characters? What cruelty lies in my heart that I need them to suffer through? How do they get along with other characters: Love them? Hate them? Murder them? The characters are the real part for me. The ‘all important story’ comes out of that character-driven process. Art is my chance to be a god, if in a uniquely solitary way. I answer to no one. My customers want more but I don’t write for them. If they didn’t want more and I never sell another book, then fine. And to bring it back to D&D, the same stands true. If my players don’t like my game, outside of player choices and bad rolls, then I won’t have a game. And if that were true, then not having a game would be for the best.

Back When I Was A Kid

Frankly, I had a terrible game when I was 13 (I'm 49). We all played such a loose game back then and fully embraced what would be called a "Monty Hall" style of play. Up until after high school, just awful. It took adulthood for my game to mature into something worth writing about. Your experience may vary. I disagree that today people in general are jaded by video games. That is not to say that many people don't prefer what video games have to offer - especially in light of bad table-top experiences. People look for quality in any format.

What makes a good DM

I was just looking at a post that was put up yesterday on a Facebook, AD&D page. It asked the question, "What makes a good DM?" About 200 comments into it I have learned that:

A: It is the DM's responsibility to insure that the game is fun for the players.
B: It is the DM's responsibility to know when to break the rules and when not to.
C: Most importantly, the DM needs to be flexible.
D: The DM must be a good story TELLER.
E: The DM is responsible for keeping the players engrossed.
F: The DM must be lucky enough to have good players and a good mentor.
G: The DM must be able to say no to his or her players.
H: The DM needs to have the ability to satisfy all of the players in-game desires.
I: Beer and snacks.
J: And then there are the catch-all statements that apply to ANY social situations: Adaptability, Creativity, Communication skills, Cooperation, and Agreeability.

I didn't look at the whole list, because why would I? And to be fair, being "organized" was included more than once. Most of the rest of it can be either assumed or thrown in the lake. To be clear, I disagreed with most of the statements made. I did not take any of the efforts represented here as serious.