Confusion Fu, a.k.a. Unusual Attack Maneuvers

Babbling at the Counter #14 - Pen and Paper 

Confusion Fu, a.k.a. Unusual Attack Maneuvers

Unusual attacks can be a pain in the ass for a GM. If a punch and a sword swing do different amounts of damage (can you believe that?) then dropping a shelve over an enemy should do its own damage too.

I'll give the specific example that brought this to my attention: a friend and I were working on our own system, so I run a "test drive" for him. At first everything went fine. It was when he was chopping some hay golems when he got an idea. Instead of attacking them individually, he wanted to squash them pushing a ruined column. The system was simple enough to allow a Strength check as an attack, but the damage was problematic. As they were flunkies, I ruled instant death, but it opened the door to a full adventure of unusual attacks.

Dropping statues from some flights of stairs, setting straw golems on fire and dropping a giant bell on the final boss were only some of the multiple maneuvers he did. It was like he didn't even wanted to use his damned sword! On the end, I had to drop the whole "damage" aspect of the game and measure the enemies on "moves". “Weaklings” required a single move to kill and could be destroyed in numbers. “Though ones” required one or two moves, but could be attacked one at a time. The Boss was slowly eroded, taking some "status effects" as results of attacks (he immobilized him first, and then stopped it from attacking him physically, though it could still use its magic) and, finally, dying.

The whole HP concept and the Str equation for damage turned out to be useless... but we did manage. So, how do you deal with unusual combat maneuvers? Is there a good system to check out for ideas? I liked mine, but I fell it won't work on more complex systems. Could try, though.

- The Storeman

HeroCore, Lone Hero vs Robot Overlord

Review #14 – Free Video Game

HeroCore, Lone Hero vs Robot Overlord

From the creator of Hyper Princess Pitch we also have Herocore, a deep space shooter where you take control of Flip Hero, and take upon yourself the task of stopping the Cruiser Tetron once and for all.

Its black and white graphics are very simple, as is the gameplay. Nevertheless, it’s full of unique enemies and all the bosses have great themes and are a nice challenge. Talking about challenge, this HeroCore offers different difficulty settings, I’m sure you’ll like one of them.

The only real “complain” one can have about this game is the decision to have two different attack buttons, one for left and one for right*. Though it’s weird at first, you get used to it pretty fast.

This retro game is a shinning example of how great free games can be.

- The Storeman

* This could be a throwback to some kind of old video games, I’m not sure. As far as I can tell I’ve never played with that particular mechanic before.

Disclaimer: I didn’t upload any of the content in the following link. I have downloaded and checked it as I always do. I have even executed it in my own computer and did not experience any kind of problems. But I can’t ensure that it is free of virus and/or malware that my anti-virus programs couldn’t find. That’s the author’s responsibility.

External Link: http://www.remar.se/daniel/herocore.php

Why do we play?

Babbling at the Counter #13 – Pen and Paper

Why do we play?

I’m not going to answer that. I can’t. I can tell you why “I” play, maybe even why some of my friends do, but not why you do. Now, ask yourselves: Can you tell ME why YOU play?

Once, a friend asked my why I did get up in the morning. Even though I wouldn’t give the same answer today, coming up with that answer was really fun. Roleplaying, especially if you are the GM, requires a lot of effort. There must be a very good reason why you do it, don’t you think?

You are going to get tired sometimes. You are going to get angry with another player. You are going to get bored on more than one session. But there is a reason why you play. Find it, and keep it in mind. Make sure you get what you want of the game. And if you don’t, don’t be too afraid to go looking for it. Maybe your group can try something new. Maybe you need a new group. Your fun is up to you.

Just sitting down for a while and thinking about it can be fun, too. So ask yourselves: Why do you play?

- The Storeman

God of Change, Fight the Flicker Finger of Fortune

Review #13 – Free Video Game

God of Change, Fight the Flicker Finger of Fortune

Another Rogue-like with a new twist. Not only the map and the item distribution are random, but the actual abilities and behavior of the enemies also are, and they keep changing as you play.

In this game, you take the role of a hero trying to defeat the God a Change, a god of Fortune and Luck. If you want to defeat him, you have to destroy his nexus, the conduct for his power.

God of Change makes itself different from the rest by making the monsters change over time. They not necessarily get better, but more often than not they'll get new power with which to kill you.

It also uses a behavior system and lots of information getting powers. The creatures can be Territorial, Aggressive, Apathic, Cowardly, Friendly or Allied, changing the way they react to you. And they can also get abilities like a Hive Mind, or Telepathy, that allows them to get information about you even if they don't actually see you.

Now, you might want to know how to defend yourself. Well, first, every time you grab a weapon or armor, your equipment improves. Then you have both Scrolls and Wands. Scrolls are one shot magical effects, while wands recharge over time.

And believe me, you’ll need them. The powerful God of Change can not only change the creatures around you, but also the very dungeon in which you are.

As always, I'll warn about the difficulty level. It's pretty high, even for a Rouge-like. But as the game is also a little short, I think it balances out.

- The Storeman

Disclaimer: I didn’t upload any of the content in the following link. I have downloaded and checked it as I always do. I have even executed it in my own computer and did not experience any kind of problems. But I can’t ensure that it is free of virus and/or malware that my anti-virus programs couldn’t find. That’s the author’s responsibility.

Link: http://code.google.com/p/godofchange/

Get out of my mind!

Babbling an the Counter #12 – Pen and Paper

Get out of my mind!

Miscommunication can kill a character. We’ve all seen it on more than one occasion: the player says what the character is doing and the GM can’t comprehend “why” he is doing it. Most often than not it’s because someone didn’t understand something, either the player didn’t express himself clearly or the GM had set the scene in a weird way.

But there might be something else at play here: Maybe the player wants to keep something from the NPCs, and that’s why he didn’t explain his whole reasoning to the GM.

As GM, you should make everything you can to prevent this from happening. You should never use that kind of information to wreck some character’s plan, because all you are going to get is players that don’t want to share their character’s thinking with you.

It’s especially important because it’s an easy mistake to make. If you have the information, you can improve the NPCs behavior, so why shouldn’t you? But, I repeat, don’t do it. Clever characters make better stories, and clever players are happy when their plans pay off.

- The Storeman

Backworld, a tale of two worlds

Review #12 - Free Video Game

Backworld, a tale of two worlds

This little puzzle-plataformer here is a rather inspired one. Backworld takes us to a black and white environment that's made up of two slightly different worlds: the "front" one, the one we easily see; and a "back" world, accessible by painting with the mouse. Some elements exist only in one or the other, while others (like our character) exist in both.

The dual reality mechanic is really exploited to it' fullest, making each level a completely different experience to the one before. If you haven't played it, what are you waiting to download it?

-The Storeman

Disclaimer: I didn’t upload any of the content in the following link. I have downloaded and checked it as I always do. I have even executed it in my own computer and did not experience any kind of problems. But I can’t ensure that it is free of virus and/or malware that my anti-virus programs couldn’t find. That’s the author’s responsibility.

External Link: http://forums.tigsource.com/index.php?topic=9738.0

When is a railroad not a railroad?

Babbling at the Counter #11 – Pen and Paper

When is a railroad not a railroad?

I was reading this post Sandboxes vs Railroads at The Space Masters and it got me thinking.

While I agree with most of the ideas expressed there (mainly about the dangers of the sandbox style), I think that railroading should be a last recourse option for a GM. Instead, I offer two alternatives to start a campaign or to keep the motivation up and the story moving forward:

Heroes and other White Hats

First of all, unless you are playing a survival-kind of game, it’s assumed the characters are going to be on the adventurous side. They should have their own reasons to go out and risk life and limb on quests. If they didn’t, they’d be innkeepers instead of wandering swordsmen, right?

Maybe they do want to avenge their homeland; but why would they help a poor farmer if they are not heroes fighting the good fight?

Unless each and every action they take is tied to the main plot, they’ll have to go out of their way every now and then to complete a mission, and they should be as motivated as ever.

That’s why most fantasy characters are noble and/or greedy. It’s not just about the Big Bad threatening the universe; it’s about saving damsels from bandits, too. You don’t need to threaten the party with “Save the world or suffer the consequences” if they are Heroes. You just need to point them towards an injustice and they’ll take care of the rest *.

*For greedy characters, replace “injustice” with “treasure” or “monetary reward”.

You brought this on yourselves

Now, this is a neat idea. Start your campaign with a sandbox kind of world. Let the players do whatever they want. Then, use that to create the main problem to solve. You see, instead of taking aim at the characters’ motivation, shoot for the players directly.

Maybe they survived the zombie attack, kudos! Oh, wait, remember that little girl they saved? Yeah, should’ve taken a look to be sure she wasn’t infected. Now they have to hunt her and everyone she bit down before they infect the city. That’s a good campaign starting point.

Or perhaps the dungeon they destroyed on their way out was the prison of a demon. Better put it back, pronto!

The idea here is not to tell them what to do, it’s to say: “Well, what you did caused that, are you going to do something about it?”. If they refuse, they clearly don’t want to play this kind of game. What about backgammon or something else?

Final Thought

Yes, a campaign with no motivation is bad. But one with a player driven motivation is even better than the railroaded alternative.

What do you all think?

-The Storeman

Extra reading: A way to railroad stealthily, if you absolutely need to. 2 Links (Schrödinger'sGun a.k.a. RailSchroding)

Hero, Captain, King; Champions shape the Destiny of the World

Review #11 – Free Pen and Paper RPG

Hero, Captain, King; Champions shape the Destiny of the World

This here today is a heroic GM-less RPG, where the players create and save a fantasy world together. “What’s new?” you maybe thinking. Well, unlike other fantasy RPGs, this is not focused on the heroes, but on the world as a whole. Even if players take the role of one character each, after an adventure times passes, organizations rise and fall, legends spread, heroes die or get corrupted and new champions must answer the call.

Hero, Captain, King plays much like Dawn of Worlds, but with a “right there on the battlefield” feeling. The champions can create legacies that outlive them (and can become inspiration for the next generation) and PvP is fun and simple.

Try it for improvisational fun.

- The Storeman

Disclaimer: I didn’t upload any of the content in the following link. I have downloaded and checked it as I always do. I have even executed it in my own computer and did not experience any kind of problems. But I can’t ensure that it is free of virus and/or malware that my anti-virus programs couldn’t find. That’s the author’s responsibility.

External Link: http://boardgamegeek.com/filepage/64828/24-hour-rpg-contest-version

DMs, don’t hog the spotlight

Babbling at the Counter #11 – Pen and Paper

DMs, don’t hog the spotlight

Here's a little tip: No one knows your character better than you. So, who is qualified to describe him and his powers? You.

Something great happened last time I was GMing. A friend was playing a witch, and she needed to get some information out of a dude. Instead of asking, she went right for the magiks. The witch drugged him, and then entered his mind. Kind of overkill, I'm aware, but it was for the best.

"I enter his mind as the coven has taught me, by visualizing a big castle full of his thoughts and memories" she said, and just like that I had a mindscape to play with.

 

Junior Libby, Public Domain

We hadn't agreed on how a mind was from the inside, I mean, heck, we hadn't even talked about this kind of spells. She was winging it; she had as much idea of what would happen as I did. So she described her actions (throwing in a little backstory for good measure) and rolled the dice.

It was very nice to see the player take the lead on setting the scene. We have all seen those players that just roll the dice and wait for an answer, and that sometimes is because lots of GMs work that way.

If that works for you, keep on rocking. Me? I'll let the others do the heavy lifting and just keep sending trouble and bad guys their way. Most of the time, what they come up with is a hundred times better than what I had in mind.

- The Storeman