Lot of hoopla around the inter webs about Monte's blog. Really I can't understand what all the fuss is about. The crux of the argument seems to be about wether the bonus a dwarf gets for the use of an axe is a physical distinction or cultural one. The other aspect of the discussion centers around if the use of an axe should be supported, forced or ignored by the mechanical rules. Are the days of the race driven weapon proficiencies over?
4e held onto these tropes for only three races dwarves, elves and high elves (or eladrin if you prefer). But what are these proficiencies? Do they limit what your character can use? Nope they open up choices for them. Support check. Do they force your dwarven rogue to use an axe? Nope. Do they allow your cleric or wizard to tote around an axe yep. So what is the issue? On the surface it seems to hinge on a portion of the community telling another part of the community how to play at your table. It's as sad as the edition wars. "The secret we should never let the gamemasters know is that they don't need any rules."* Why people need permission from a book to employ fun baffles me.
I can't figure it out. At my table I have had a Minotaur make a case for being a dwarven defender. Raised in the dwarven mines by his adopted father, he developed a lower center of gravity yada yada. Alah Corporal Carot of Discworld+ he finds out he is an orphaned heir to the throne and sets off to win back his throne from his treacherous uncle and finds his two brothers in the process. King Kordek has shaped the world and left a lasting mark on our campaign setting. Did the mechanics force any of that... No really good role playing and commitment to a character concept did.
Like wise the draegarian race is a direct cause of the above. Not the Stephen Brust usage but a re-envisioning. The race is the offshoot of a dragonborn and minotaur union. The exact mating requirements aren't important but the result is a scaled minotaur with horns. Players select stats from one race, and racial benfits from another. Is it balanced? Seems to be working so far. Had Kordek never been, the dragon born, dwarf, Minotaur alliance would not have been formed to fight the aberrant threat and draegarians wouldn't exist. Also helps that a drawing in an old Gurps supplement sparked my imagination many, many moons ago. 240 of them and counting.
Point is half-races are more than just elves, orcs and humans. At least they are at my table. Inspired by Darksun¥'s Muls, Flanaess€'s gnome titans and players with a flare for asking what would happen if I wanted to play a half bladeling half tiefling. By the way, is that a halfling? What if a halfling mates with a tiefling is that a three quarterling.
Anyway, outside of organized play dm's should say yes. As for the rules I leave that to calmer minds, because I can't see the issue. Even broken combos supported by strong story can change the campaign world in ways a DM can never envision and for fun there ain't nothing better. Till next time, "Game On!"
*Attributed to Gary Gygax by Allan Varney in a sidebar to a review of the Amber Diceless Roleplaying Game: "AMBER DICELESS ROLEPLAYING: Thoughts at Non-Random" in Dragon Magazine #182 (June 1992)
+ Terry Pratchett's Discworld is a series that uses a fantasy setting to satire the modern world.
€Flanaess is the world of BA's campaign setting in Knight's Of The Dinner Table written by Jolly Blackburn. Gnome Titans are also a playable race in Hackmaster Fourth Edition. Both published by Kenzer Co. Gnome+Dwarf= Gnome Titans
¥ Darksun is a campaign setting published by Wizards of the Coast, a division of Hasbro. Dwarf+Human=Mul
Yes I realize both of the examples I know off the top my head are the union of dwarves with some other race. I did mention I was a dwarf lover didn't I?
Coming soon:
half and half = ? More mixed races.
Timing Weapons Sheathed or Drawn
Sunday, January 29, 2012
Sunday, December 4, 2011
Time in Game
Time is an illusion. Lunchtime doubly so.
Douglas Adams (1952-2001)
Time in RPG's is a tricky business to convey accurately. Over the various editions the rules have conveniently broken down some aspects and left others widely open to interpretation. In 4E a round is thought to occur in about 6 seconds. (Rules Compendium page 189) That means that all most all combats last less than a minute. With a typical combat taking 18 to 36 seconds in "Game Time". For the players thirty minutes to two hours will pass. Combat ends with a short rest, ie a few minutes to catch your breath from the flurry of activity. The day ends with a single extended rest. I like some of the alternate rules out there for limiting extended rests. Simply stating that only one extended rest a day does not seem to be enough. The idea of requiring a safe well sheltered location to rest in is one I wholeheartedly support, but not one I have thrust upon my own players over our campaigns.
In your typical linear or near linear campaign the entire career of a PC from 1st level to 30th can occur in only a few short months up to a year. The absolute minimum being 30 days (due to requiring at least 30 extended rests, one for each level. The typical party takes two to three rests a level in my experience. Adding in a few ten-days per level for travel and you arrive at about 300 days or one year to obtain immortality. I found this matter quite distressing during my first and second campaign. I have always pictured heroic tales taking more time. This may be based on my love of Lord of the Rings, but Bilbo's adventure was a little over a year and Frodo's closer to two. I might ascribe low Paragon to the latter tale but the former was barely mid heroic. Aragorn's tale spanned nearly 50 years before he was king. Surely, he was only mid to high paragon at its conclusion. I am also plagued by my early experience with 1st and 2nd edition. The levels came slower the higher you advanced. However, on the counter point a 1 to 30 level campaign takes about 16 months to 36 months to play depending on your game frequency and table speed. No easy solution there.
In my current sandbox game I have been toying with the weekly session taking a ten-day for party prep and research. This is facilitated by an on-line forum where in the Players role play, shop, level, research, gossip and can get more out of their PC's lives. One PC is marrying, others are dating, another has a blossoming business. It is a fine line between creating a SIMS like in environment and a roleplay challenge. The PC's have a weekly expense book. That is not to say that they have to buy every meal nor clothing and gifts and what not. The typical PC spends about 30 sp a week on food and lodging. All other non-adventuring expenses are said to occur in that allotment. That amount is deducted from their over all silver intake. PCs can do odd jobs, buy businesses or receive stipends (Clerics, nobles etc) based on their character generation choices. This soon slides into the background but does present challenges when choosing missions purely for non-financial reasons. Then it can interfere with the PCs ability to buy that new armor or eat for the week but I digress. The forums are a struggle in that that ten-day between sessions is very abstract. What one PC finds out on the first day of the week may occur before or after what another PC does on the fifth day of our week. Its all about time "In Game" vs. time IRL. Not everyone has the same availability. When you sit down to game you have everyone's attention and things occur chronologically. I thought about linking post times to the time in game but away from the table things require a little less rigidity. I don't want folks feeling that have to rush to participate or time will pass them by. After all the whole hobby and this concept in particular is for fun. Once it ceases to be so it is time to bin it.
The sandbox method does create the passage of time though. Seasons change; 12 weeks have passed and mid-autumn has given way to winter. The world moves but only incrementally. The party has leveled up to 3rd and by my calculations at least two years will pass if we continue to 30th. As the party gets higher level and accumulate wealth, I expect that months or even years will pass "In Game" while only a week will pass for us IRL. After all managing a fief, kingdom or astral domain should occupy time when things are well and be but a brief interlude when they are not. How else will you get moments like Pippin and Beregond sitting upon the walls of Minas Tirith watching the gathering gloom first feeling despair and then finding courage...
Do you deal with time in your game? and if so How do you reckon its passing?
Douglas Adams (1952-2001)
Time in RPG's is a tricky business to convey accurately. Over the various editions the rules have conveniently broken down some aspects and left others widely open to interpretation. In 4E a round is thought to occur in about 6 seconds. (Rules Compendium page 189) That means that all most all combats last less than a minute. With a typical combat taking 18 to 36 seconds in "Game Time". For the players thirty minutes to two hours will pass. Combat ends with a short rest, ie a few minutes to catch your breath from the flurry of activity. The day ends with a single extended rest. I like some of the alternate rules out there for limiting extended rests. Simply stating that only one extended rest a day does not seem to be enough. The idea of requiring a safe well sheltered location to rest in is one I wholeheartedly support, but not one I have thrust upon my own players over our campaigns.
In your typical linear or near linear campaign the entire career of a PC from 1st level to 30th can occur in only a few short months up to a year. The absolute minimum being 30 days (due to requiring at least 30 extended rests, one for each level. The typical party takes two to three rests a level in my experience. Adding in a few ten-days per level for travel and you arrive at about 300 days or one year to obtain immortality. I found this matter quite distressing during my first and second campaign. I have always pictured heroic tales taking more time. This may be based on my love of Lord of the Rings, but Bilbo's adventure was a little over a year and Frodo's closer to two. I might ascribe low Paragon to the latter tale but the former was barely mid heroic. Aragorn's tale spanned nearly 50 years before he was king. Surely, he was only mid to high paragon at its conclusion. I am also plagued by my early experience with 1st and 2nd edition. The levels came slower the higher you advanced. However, on the counter point a 1 to 30 level campaign takes about 16 months to 36 months to play depending on your game frequency and table speed. No easy solution there.
In my current sandbox game I have been toying with the weekly session taking a ten-day for party prep and research. This is facilitated by an on-line forum where in the Players role play, shop, level, research, gossip and can get more out of their PC's lives. One PC is marrying, others are dating, another has a blossoming business. It is a fine line between creating a SIMS like in environment and a roleplay challenge. The PC's have a weekly expense book. That is not to say that they have to buy every meal nor clothing and gifts and what not. The typical PC spends about 30 sp a week on food and lodging. All other non-adventuring expenses are said to occur in that allotment. That amount is deducted from their over all silver intake. PCs can do odd jobs, buy businesses or receive stipends (Clerics, nobles etc) based on their character generation choices. This soon slides into the background but does present challenges when choosing missions purely for non-financial reasons. Then it can interfere with the PCs ability to buy that new armor or eat for the week but I digress. The forums are a struggle in that that ten-day between sessions is very abstract. What one PC finds out on the first day of the week may occur before or after what another PC does on the fifth day of our week. Its all about time "In Game" vs. time IRL. Not everyone has the same availability. When you sit down to game you have everyone's attention and things occur chronologically. I thought about linking post times to the time in game but away from the table things require a little less rigidity. I don't want folks feeling that have to rush to participate or time will pass them by. After all the whole hobby and this concept in particular is for fun. Once it ceases to be so it is time to bin it.
The sandbox method does create the passage of time though. Seasons change; 12 weeks have passed and mid-autumn has given way to winter. The world moves but only incrementally. The party has leveled up to 3rd and by my calculations at least two years will pass if we continue to 30th. As the party gets higher level and accumulate wealth, I expect that months or even years will pass "In Game" while only a week will pass for us IRL. After all managing a fief, kingdom or astral domain should occupy time when things are well and be but a brief interlude when they are not. How else will you get moments like Pippin and Beregond sitting upon the walls of Minas Tirith watching the gathering gloom first feeling despair and then finding courage...
Do you deal with time in your game? and if so How do you reckon its passing?
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