A Role Playing Games Blog
Mutants & Masterminds
Unfinished business
0December 2, 2011
I think as a whole we human beings are completists. We want to complete what we began; we want the whole story. We crave to know the conclusion, and when we don’t get closure we often resent it. From famous court cases to cancelled TV series, we just don’t like it when we don’t know the end of the story.
No wonder hardcore fan-folk (and I use the term meaning no disrespect) often take this to the next level when it comes to the things they are passionate about. Be it the TV series they were really invested in and the networked axed, or the endless novel series whose author passed away before completing it. There can be righteous indignation in such occasions.
Superhero games are hard!
4July 27, 2011
If you’ve read any of my posts in the recent past you probably know I am currently running a Mutants & Masterminds 3rd edition game. After fantasy, which is my favorite RPG genre, Superheroes are my second favorite. I have started more supers campaigns that any other genre besides fantasy. Off the top of my head I can think of eight, and about two dozen more that were planned but never executed. Of those I considered one really successful, well until this one.
My current Dawn of a New Age campaign has become the favorite supers game I have run. Before that it used to be a Heroes Unlimited games that we played for a few months. I don’t recall exactly how long that other game ran (this was in 1992) but I think this one has surpassed it. Last night we played our 30th session, over seven and a half months of weekly games. I think the success is based on many factors. First and foremost a group of players interested and committed in the game.
Secondly preparation and I’m not talking about the weekly kind, but campaign prep. I did a survey to gather information on just what the players were interested and not interested in to use as a guide when preparing the campaign and possible adventures. Discussed their characters, went over expectations, so we all started knowing what to expect.
But you know what they say about best laid plans. As it is inevitable the plan has needed revisions. Players have changed characters, despite discussing expectations they were varied and sometimes contradictory and trying to mesh them all has not always been successful. Overall I think we have stuck to it and every so often there is something of interest to everyone. As will al role playing games not every session an highlight all the different plots for every character but there should be something for everyone to do.
Being a better Game Master: Credit where credit is due!
6May 18, 2011
Being a Dungeon Master, Game Master, Storyteller, Referee, call it what you may, is not an easy task. It requires a lot in terms of creativity, passion, preparation, but it’s not the thankless job they make it out to be. It’s a great creative outlet, if you like to tell stories well there is no better pastime, and you get to spend time with your friends, which to me is ultimately the greater reward.
I’m just fresh off from running my weekly Mutants & Masterminds games so many of these thoughts are fresh on my mind. One of the best pieces of advice I can give you is know that not all sessions will be perfect. You can please everybody all the time, strive for your best, listen to feedback and know that there is always next session.
Another thing I have been thinking about is where I’ve learned to be a better Game Master, and amazingly it’s by sitting at other Game Masters’ tables. In a way I’m saying, to be a better GM, be a player. Mind you some players are content with just playing out their characters and that’s that, but if you want to improve your performance at the other side of the screen watch and learn. Be attentive to what works, how they do it, what you like and what you don’t like.
I often say I am an awful player, but in retrospect I like to think I have improved, and in fact I’ve gamed with many fine Game Masters and learned a lot from them. Let’s give some credit to all these wonderful people and what they’ve taught me…
Names have been changed to protect the innocent! (No they have not…)
Mutants & Masterminds 3rd Edition Gamemaster’s Kit Unboxing
3May 10, 2011
This was a great weekend when my wife came home from a trip to the postoffice with my Green Ronin‘s Mutants & Masterminds (M&M) 3rd Edition Gamemaster’s Kit. I ordered this thing so long ago that I had all but forgotten about it. I pulled out my camera and took some quick photos of the items enclosed in the box. As you can see, true to form Green Ronin has made sure that this produced was packaged with care just like all of the products I have ordered from them.
M&M’s Gamemaster’s Kit came with two items. A black and white paperback QuickStart Character Generator and a full color Gamemaster’s Screen.
Ask the readers: Filing off the serial numbers
8March 28, 2011
If you follow me on twitter (@sunglar) or read my recent posts about Breaking the D20 Paradigm you may know I am struggling to find a system for a future sci-fi game (pun intended). While the game may be some time away, anywhere from 10 months to a year, I like to plan ahead and I want to work on a campaign knowing what the system can handle. I know the argument can be made that the system is irrelevant to the story but I like to be a little bit more pragmatic and know the strengths and limitations of the rules I’ll be working with.
Also, many of my players like some crunch in their game, and as a GM I like some myself, so the idea of going too indie or experimental, while maybe appropriate for a one shot, will not work for a long term campaign. To add to the complications I want to homebrew. I am not playing a pre-existing setting, but instead creating a new campaign.
Adult themes in RPGs
12March 24, 2011
WARNING – While this is NOT a post about Porn the RPG (imagine the stats for that game) or a review about the Book of Erotic Fantasy, it will deal with complex issues, or what may be called “adult” topics and whether they belong in an RPG game. If such themes offend you, disturb you, or are not appropriate, please read no further. That all thank you, now back to the post…
I have always liked to push the envelope in my games, let’s call it Shock GMing! Trying out new storytelling methods such as games where events occur in a non-linear fashion, dream sequences, gimmicks like dressing up as a villain (I know that is dangerously close to cosplay), handing out props like a plastic sword or a glass vial with a strangely colored liquid inside to represent magic items, to more mundane things like altering, tone, pitch and volume when I speak. I still remember the a session when I talking in a calm normal voice and unexpectedly shouted and pounded on the table to represent a startling situation during the game. One player almost jumped out of his skin!
These are far from the only tools in my GM Toolkit, but I also enjoy introducing moral, philosophical or controversial topics and situations in my games. I realize this approach may not be for everybody, after all we ultimately role-play to have fun, and dealing with such topics as religion, politics, may not be everybody’s idea of “fun”. But by the same token I enjoy telling complex stories that tackle such subjects and I believe that while the goal of the game is having fun, it should be fun for all concerned, including the GM. If all I could tell were stories about endless dungeon crawls in worlds of black and white morality, my GM days would be numbered.
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