| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| zemd |
Posted - 10 Jul 2003 : 09:52:05
Questions to the DMs:
"how far do you use your players' background?"
"have you ever changed one of your player's background just to fit your ideas?" I mean, for example that i changed all of the Eilinel's background. I made it just like Alias' one, everything is made, so false... |
| 30 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| The Sage |
Posted - 25 Jul 2003 : 13:35:03
Actually the PC never got far enough to fight any creatures. If you know what Malbolge is like, then you will understand  .
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| Bookwyrm |
Posted - 25 Jul 2003 : 13:12:10
DM: You hit the strange-looking beast for 48 points total.
Player: Right on! Okay, I put my weapons away and sit down to rest.
DM: The creature attacks you.
Player: What? But I killed it!
DM: I never said that. Now, since you weren't paying attention, you lose your dexterity bonus and suffer 83 points of damage . . . .
Okay, I don't know how combat really goes, especially not in 2e. But hey, I thought it was funny.  |
| The Sage |
Posted - 25 Jul 2003 : 12:40:40
I had a player like that once, although he was a 27th level fighter in 2e. He thought himself king of his particular mountain and treated everyone else in the campaign accordingly.
A trip through the deadly sixth layer of Baator (Malbolge) alone soon cured him of that delusion .
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| Bookwyrm |
Posted - 25 Jul 2003 : 10:22:48
Reminds me of resolution #24 of the Evil Overlord List:
I will maintain a realistic assessment of my strengths and weaknesses. Even though this takes some of the fun out of the job, at least I will never utter the line "No, this cannot be! I AM INVINCIBLE!!!" (After that, death is usually instantaneous.)
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| zemd |
Posted - 25 Jul 2003 : 09:53:11
And how delightful it is to watch his face while he learns his mistake!
"Dead! No! It's not possible!" |
| PathWarden |
Posted - 24 Jul 2003 : 18:03:44
quote:
Originally posted by Mythander
quote:
Originally posted by PathWarden
[quote]Originally posted by zemd
Questions to the DMs:
"how far do you use your players' background?"
"have you ever changed one of your player's background just to fit your ideas?" I mean, for example that i changed all of the Eilinel's background. I made it just like Alias' one, everything is made, so false...
I think players backgrounds are great to use. The only thing I find is that you have to walk the line of not making a player the main charecter of your storyline. I have had a game get blown apart by some bad party choices and perm. player death.
Agreed. I have had to make sure there is a defining line in the game and the background, so no one character is made out to be "DM's pet". Like Zemd, I had a character that fancied hisself the center of the universe and was convinced that if I allowed him to die, the game would end. He learned otherwise. |
| zemd |
Posted - 24 Jul 2003 : 09:01:11
In the game i DM, the main plot was around one character's background and that character thought it was around him. I don't know if you get the difference. He was persuaded that i would permit him to die (he found quickly that he made a mistake).
Now everyone is involved but the backgrounds of the other character rise from time to time: to save your daugther or to run after the main villain? |
| Mythander |
Posted - 23 Jul 2003 : 20:16:06
quote:
Originally posted by PathWarden
[quote]Originally posted by zemd
Questions to the DMs:
"how far do you use your players' background?"
"have you ever changed one of your player's background just to fit your ideas?" I mean, for example that i changed all of the Eilinel's background. I made it just like Alias' one, everything is made, so false...
I think players backgrounds are great to use. The only thing I find is that you have to walk the line of not making a player the main charecter of your storyline. I have had a game get blown apart by some bad party choices and perm. player death. |
| PathWarden |
Posted - 23 Jul 2003 : 17:48:07
quote:
Originally posted by zemd
Questions to the DMs:
"how far do you use your players' background?"
"have you ever changed one of your player's background just to fit your ideas?" I mean, for example that i changed all of the Eilinel's background. I made it just like Alias' one, everything is made, so false...
I try to work my players background, or at least one of the player's history, into the main theme of my games. I find in giving the players a more vested personal interest in a quest or adventure, tends to lead to a more enjoyable session for everyone.
I ask that players write up a background for their characters, making it as detailed or as vague as they want. I can then use these histories in the games I run, bringing in old rivals, former loves, long lost family members, etc, using them as bait, links to quests, or whatever else I can devise.
I also find that having the characters take the time to write a history for their characters makes the characters more "real" to them, makes them something more than stats on a character sheet. This leads to them playing the characters more realistically, not wading in to hack and slash, as that would not be how they would act if it were them in that situation. |
| MuadDib |
Posted - 23 Jul 2003 : 06:03:32
Indeed I did, thanks a lot
Im gonna go check it out later today |
| The Sage |
Posted - 22 Jul 2003 : 14:58:56
I wouldn't worry too much about all of that MuadDib. Sometimes with so many people from many different cultures and countries all trying communicate with a (nearly impossible to master) language like English, the way things are written here at Candlekeep can easily be misinterpreted.
An interesting thing though, I was just participating in a discussion on the D&D WotC forums, and I found out that the SRD has been completely updated. Apparently they thought it was simply useless to just update previously released information, instead opting to update the whole thing. Everything has been updated to 3.5e in the SRD except the 'all-in-one' SRD download zip file.
Just thought you'd all like to know.
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| Liliana |
Posted - 22 Jul 2003 : 14:52:45
Smiling to MuadDib Liliana says with a wink
"You shouldn't taste the drinks of you customers..." |
| MuadDib |
Posted - 22 Jul 2003 : 14:48:01
::MuadDib curls up into a small ball, and blushing furiously digs a small hole to crawl into and die
Seriously though....I have to stop making myself look so dumb...people will start getting the right idea |
| The Sage |
Posted - 22 Jul 2003 : 14:08:23
That's right zemd, I was talking about 12:00AM.
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| zemd |
Posted - 22 Jul 2003 : 14:06:35
Lol, they don't speak about the character but about the hour SRD will be updated |
| MuadDib |
Posted - 22 Jul 2003 : 13:58:32
As agreed in another thread im sticking my head in here
and this time i dont know what you're talking about
midnight? Im lost now... |
| The Sage |
Posted - 22 Jul 2003 : 13:12:28
Those revisions in the SRD are only the material that has been released previously as part of the monthly 'Revision Spotlight' column and Dragon Magazine updates. The other official rule changes that have not been released previously will take effect July 24th.
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| Bookwyrm |
Posted - 22 Jul 2003 : 13:06:52
Sage, that page says it's already been revised. |
| The Sage |
Posted - 22 Jul 2003 : 13:01:36
No, it is midnight, at least according to the state and timezone WotC are located in.
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| Bookwyrm |
Posted - 22 Jul 2003 : 12:40:18
Hmm. Interesting. But which midnight would that be? Remember, there are four time zones in the continuous states alone; I assume it's not midnight in Alaska or Hawaii. |
| MuadDib |
Posted - 22 Jul 2003 : 12:39:00
Will do!
::MuadDib once more casts Draw Upon Holy Bandwidth and goes off in search of his PDF tome:: |
| The Sage |
Posted - 22 Jul 2003 : 12:36:47
A reminder to everyone interested, the SRD will be updated to 3.5e on Midnight (US time) 24th July.
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| Bookwyrm |
Posted - 22 Jul 2003 : 12:04:31
Yes, I have that PDF myself, along with the PHB and DMG. MuadDib, I suggest you download it right away; it should answer a lot of questions for you. |
| The Sage |
Posted - 22 Jul 2003 : 11:10:19
MuadDib, if you can get a copy of the 3e DMG, or even the 'new and improved' 3.5 DMG, that should detail and provide everything you need to know about DMing.
And if you can't get your hands on the DMG, I suggest you look here. It is the d20 SRD, or System Resource Document. It contains all the mechanics and rules from the PHB, DMG, and MM. It has details on all the D&D spells from the core rule-books as well. It should help provide a taste at least of what DMing is all about.
Oh, and I was not offended by what you wrote. I understood what you meant .
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| MuadDib |
Posted - 22 Jul 2003 : 09:58:41
I dont know how being a DM works as I've never had the opportunity to see, but i can say this:
Having a BOFH DM could be good, as it would create a feeling of the other players versus the DM, and the quickest way, as everyone knows, to make a friend is to have a common enemy. Frank Herbert said it best, 'the enemy of my enemy is my friend'
That being said, about the subtlety, it was not meant to offend anyone and i sincerely hope it did not. It was not aimed at anyone here, it is a strictly techie term referring mainly to script kiddies hiding behind their anonymity and their parents' fortunes and causing hell in other people's lives simply because they can.
Noone on this board is a BOFH, and i would never intentionally call anyone here that... |
| The Sage |
Posted - 22 Jul 2003 : 09:27:44
That's a good point, but I really don't consider Ravenloft anymore difficult to DM, than say Gamma World, or Planescape. For me the Realms has always been easy, every since the fantastic introduction guide to DMing in the Realms that was released with the first FR boxed set in 1987.
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| zemd |
Posted - 22 Jul 2003 : 09:18:29
I don't think so. IMO Ravenloft is harder to DM than FR. A lot is based on the ambiance of the game. You need to make your player fear for their lives without discouraging (eng?) them. It's a little bit like Cthulhu. But maybe i find the Realms easier because i know a lot about it... |
| The Sage |
Posted - 22 Jul 2003 : 09:10:34
Isn't that though really all dependent upon the campaign setting you are playing in. I mean for example, a party playing in the Ravenloft, or Gamma World, or even Planescape setting really wouldn't have to have an 'evil' (BOFH) as a DM, in order to create 'Wars, Death, Villains', as you say. These themes already run pretty heavily in the background of those settings anyway, so it takes little work to actually utilise these themes. Whereas, the Forgotten Realms and Dragonlance settings would probably need a DM like this if these types of themes were to be used in a campaign.
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| zemd |
Posted - 22 Jul 2003 : 08:45:59
But i'm sure players like when DMs are BOFHs. After all, you must have a little of Hell to be a DM. An Angel as a DM would be a bore! To create Wars, Death, Villains,... you have to think evil |
| The Sage |
Posted - 22 Jul 2003 : 08:27:44
Well..., there was nothing subtle about that explanation now was there? . |
