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Hey, everyone! Dice Monkey is now 1 year old! And to celebrate, we’re announcing our new web site: dicemonkey.net!
Check it out! And let us know what you all think!
I’ve been off and on RPOL for a few years. I’ll hop on, make a character in a game, then forget about it and leave it alone to disappear. But this time, I want it to be different.
I’m thinking about starting up a new PBP on RPOL, and was wondering if there were any takers? I’ve got the blog to keep me in line, as well as twitter. If I’m not keeping things going, you can message me here or on twitter for the world to see.
Most likely, I think we’d go for a Savage Worlds type game, but the genre of game is open to discussion.
Are you interested? Drop me a comment here, and we’ll begin the discussion by email.
Let me begin with a little administrative stuff. You’ll notice our pictures for who is writing change, as noted by the picture of me on the left there. Also, our new web site is near ready, but still under construction. If you are an expert at CSS, HTML, and/or WordPress, contact me, I could use some help.
If you checked out the latest RPG Circus podcast (and you really should), my co-host Jeff interviewed Michael of Old Guy RPG Blog about old-school gaming. In the interview, the two discuss what old-school means.
A few points they hit on were: 1. Ordinary people doing extraordinary things; 2. You are not defined by your character-sheet; and 3: Rulings, not rules. They mentioned the Quick Primer of Old-School Gaming, which can be found here.
Now, Michael, in the interview, said that old-school is defined both my attitude and rules, in that the rules should support the feel of an old-school game. I agree, but I think that attitude is much more important.
I run a 4e game of D&D, set in Eberron. One thing to note is that the heroes are involved in maybe one combat per session, have to figure out things through their own intellect, not their characters and, I believe, have to play ordinary people thrust into extraordinary circumstances. When we play, it’s not about combat (though some of my players want nothing more). If we have a rules question, I make a ruling, and we move on. We can look it up later.
In other words, I think I’m kind of an old-school gamer.
What about you? Do you think that you can make anything old-school with the right attitude? Let me know!
I’ve owned Burning Wheel for years. Since the Revised edition first came out, in fact. I love everything about it: The mechanics, the way character creation works, distances and stances, the duel of wits, burning up monsters, lifepaths… It’s phenomenal.
But I’ve never played it.
It continues to sit on my shelf, collecting dust, and I occasionally pull it out and look on it longingly, thumbing through the lifepath section, imagining what a character I made would look like.
So why haven’t I played it? I think one of the reasons is that our group gets together once a week and plays for only two hours. That’s not much time for gaming. The time we do get, we don’t want to spend learning new rules.
I think, also, it’s because I’m a little scared. For a couple of reasons.
One, I’m afraid we’ll sit down and play, and the game won’t be as cool as I thought it was going to be, ruining it for me. I’ve set it so high on a pedestal, I’m afraid I’m going to knock it down.
Also, I’m afraid that I won’t run it right. It requires a certain attitude to be able to pull of Burning Wheel, I think. And I’m worried I don’t have it.
What about all you all? Any suggestions on how I can sit down and actually play this thing?
Do any of you have any games you idolize, but just haven’t played?
We’re looking at doing some heavy revamps soon, incorporating some new content, as well as (possibly) bringing back some old ones. The layout will be changing, as well as the logo.
So, I pose the question to you: What are you looking for in the Dice Monkey blog? We’ve featured a lot of out there series (or the beginning of series), some varied content, as well as a formerly frequent posting schedule. Here’s a list of some of the series we’ve done, or tried to get off the ground. If you liked that series, let us know, so we can deliver the best content possible.
Off the shelf reviews: In which I review products I pull at random off my RPG shelf
Recipes of the Forgotten Realms: In which Bridget shows you new and interesting recipes that are quick and easy to make, perfect for your gaming nights.
Critical Failure: The web comic about the misadventures of a gaming group
The Star Wars Infinities campaign: Combining SW Miniatures and role-playing to see what would happen if things changed in the Star Wars universe.
Do you think Dice Monkey should be a more focused blog? Or is the random element what you’re looking for?
Let us know what you think. As much feedback as you can give is most welcome.
Skill checks are a fairly ubiquitous feature in RPGs. Whether they’re called “Skills”, or “Abilities” or “Talents”, in the end, your character is going to have to roll one. You may be rolling hot all night, but then, at that one fateful moment, the DM tells you, “roll for your Acrobatics check” and you roll… a 1.
What happens from there? It’s entirely up to the machinations of your DM. Some may simply say, “you don’t succeed” and you move on. Others, depending on the degree of failure, make you really fail.
I’m of the view that if the player attempts to do something that is potentially life-threatening that involves a roll, I warn them. “If you fail this check, you will probably die. Are you sure you want to do this?” If they do, it’s on their heads, not mine.
Here’s an example: It is the Star Wars galaxy, six months before the Trade Federation’s invasion of Naboo. One of the heroes is on the roof of one of the Coruscanti skyscrapers, miles above the surface of the earth. On the floor below, the rest of the heroes are engaged in combat with a group of smugglers, fighting for their lives. The rooftop hero, (we’ll call him Mike, because, ironically, that’s his name) decides that instead of taking the stairs, he’s going to do something heroic.
Him: “I want to jump over the edge of the building and swing in through one of the windows.”
Pause.
Me: “Are you serious?”
Him: “Dead serious.”
Me: “You do realize that if you fail this check, you’re going to fall. And fall. And fall.”
Him: “I do. But what an awesome way to die, huh?”
Me: “Roll.”
He rolled. He succeeded. With flying colors. Swinging in through the window, he took down one of the smugglers with a boot to the head. And play progressed.
There is of course, the flip side of the coin. What happens when players fail? Badly?
The player is warned that this dungeon is full of fatal traps, and fails to disarm one of them, causing massive wounds to themselves or other members of the party. They fail a critical piloting check, and now their A-Wing is barreling towards the side of a Star Destroyer. There’s no walking away from a fighter exploding in deep space.
Is it simply a risk that comes with the territory? Or is it something that should be mitigated by the DM? After all, Luke Skywalker never blew up and died. Should death be reserved for moments that matter, dramatic points in the story, or should that be left up to the dice?
I think that failures can lead to some great moments in RPGs. I’m not talking about a skill check failure that ends with someone’s death. I’m talking about the Rogue pickpocketing the city guard and rolling a 1. When that guard turns around and sees you, you’re going to have a decision to make.
When you are meeting with the king of some far-off kingdom and roll a 1 on your Diplomacy, you’re going to have a decision to make.
When you are trying to sneak into a room to steal a priceless artifact, and roll a 1 on your Sneak, alerting the guards, you have a decision to make.
How do things go in your game? Do you warn players about the consequences of failure? Have they ever surprised you with their successes?
After a 3 week wait, the Song of Ice and Fire RPG finally came in to my local game store. I picked it up a few hours ago, and have gotten a chance to look through the preliminary parts of the book. Right off the bat, I really like the index, as well as the layout. I wish they could have used some of the art from the Guardians of Order version of the game, but the art is usable. They have some great information on the Seven Kingdoms, and I’m digging their rules for house creation. I’ll keep you updated as I delve further into this silver-award-winning tome.
Progress on the Savage Worlds Automata supplement is… well… progressing. I’ve got 4 different Automaton races, a few NPCs, and some great new layout designs, including running “Clickwise” along the bottom of the page. Things are going nicely.
Today’s preview is simple: Here’s the cover.
It’s coming soon!
I’m the new official Norfolk RPG Examiner at Examiner.com.
I encourage everyone to check out my first article: Finding a new gaming group.
And definitely subscribe to my RSS Feed and tell all your friends!
A few people may have noticed on my Twitter feed, a discussion on converting Automata, the fantastic webcomic miniseries by Penny Arcade into an RPG, specifically, that of Savage Worlds.
Well, as the Penny Arcade guys are now continuing the story, it will allow me to complete the dark work I began. I’ll be posting up small previews of the material I’ve made so far, and get some feedback. Expect a complete PDF within a month or less. Please note that because the world of Automata has not been fully fleshed out, I will be filling in information on my own based purely off my own opinion of how things should be. The additional material is in no way reflective of any intentions of Gabe or Tycho.
Introduction
This is not the future you expected. It is the year 2023. Machine Intellect has been outlawed as the American people began to believe that man was not meant to “create life”. Introducing the 34th Amendment, “The Prohibition of the Creation of Artificially Intelligent Life”, Congress ordered all production plants to cease the manufacture of automata. That was 3 years ago.
But the question arises: What to do with the existing machines, fully sentient and aware? What rights should they hold in this grim world? Is their intellect real, a ghost in the machine, or simply a program? This is the question you and the other players at your table will explore as you delve into the world of Automata.
In Automata, you will play someone living in this strange new world of humanity and the legal automata that still exist as second
class citizens.
New Race: Swangee Men
The creation of Albert Swangee, Swangees are a more advanced stock than the Asimovs. Built to fit more into human society, Swangees are built with a human-like physique, but with emotionless faces and glowing blue eyes. Their dead expressions often set people on edge, and their voices carry an air of detachment. Most take on human names with the surname of Swangee.
Clickwise: All Automata are able to communicate with other automata through a language known as “Clickwise”. It sounds like an early 90’s modem, but transmits information between the automata at incredible speeds, allowing them to pass along information in a short amount of time.
Construct: +2 to recover from being Shaken, do not suffer wound penalties, and are immune to poison, diseas, suffocation. They gain a +4 to resist the effects of heat, cold and radiation.
Artificial Lifeform: Automata can’t heal and must be repaired if damaged.
Rare: Automata are becoming increasingly rare and getting parts could be difficult.
Electrical Susceptibility: Automata take an additional d6 damage from electrical attacks.
Outsider: Automata have a difficult time expressing their emotions and have difficulty relating to organic beings. They start with a -2 to their Charisma.
Eidetic Memory: Swangee Men have minds like cameras. They gain +2 bonuses on Common Knowledge rolls and on Smarts rolls made to remember something.
