Why We Do It

When I tell someone what my favorite hobby is and I see them give me a weird look I know exactly what they are thinking; Why do you play those games? or Why don't you just play a video game? So I guess it's time for a little explanation. Why do we do it?

It's not because it's easy. Writing games can take hours or days of trying to puzzle out every conceivable outcome for several situations. You have to spend time trying to find people with your same interest and cultivate your group carefully. You devote several hours to reading books and studying their contents until you can quickly repeat them, or at least find them again, if necessary. You spend days carefully crafting an individual and figuring out their motivations. We never got into the hobby because it was "cool".

For some of us it is about an escape. We need to take a break from our daily lives and be someone else for a little while or we need to experience adventures that we can't possibly have in real life. For some of us it is about cultivating a skill. The reading you do is both technical and narrative and you do so much writing that you become adept at captivating an audience. For others it is about cost. A video game cost around $60 and you will probably play through it once or twice. An rpg is about $35 for the book and an additional $15 for the dice for a game you can play for an untold amount of times.

For all of us it is about having fun. We get to be involved in a riveting story that unfolds with each game. We get to pit our minds against challenges and feel the rush of achievement every time we overcome them. We get to experience a world of infinite possibilities bound only by the limits of our imagination. We get to delight in the retelling of our greatest adventures and most hilarious moments. We get to make friends with others like us and with characters that we have grown fond of. We get to be in on a secret world that most will never see. So why do we do it?

We do it because the only thing can't fathom is life without them.

Including Taboo or Touchy Subjects in Games

I thought this subject would best be presented in the form of a podcast. There are some subjects that are difficult to include in any game but rpgs can mirror what goes on in our world and sometimes we can't ignore the worst of it.

Playing Online

When everyone is gathered around the kitchen table/ coffee table/ living room floor and the dice are rolling and the soda is flowing its easy to stay focused on the game. There are little distractions, plenty to interact with, and side conversations can be carried on without disrupting the game's progress. However, as time progresses and people move, it can become harder to get together to play. When this happens most people will try to find another local group but that can be difficult as we are a secretive bunch or we have become accustomed to a certain style of game play that other groups might be against. The other option is not to play and, as any serious rpg player will tell you, that is no option at all. Luckily, thanks to the internet, distance is no longer an issue. The game can continue and the group will survive but new challenges arise from playing online.

The biggest issue comes from distractions. With everyone in different places it becomes harder to shut out every little thing that can pop up. This ranges from family, things laying about the room, the television being on, and the Internet itself (we've all had that moment where we meant to do one thing and then an hour later...). The best way to avoid distractions from the outside world is to have a set playing schedule and try to stick to it. Let others know that this is your gaming time and you can't be bothered. This will limit the incursions of those pesky friends and family members who feel the need to interrupt you. The next best way to keep distractions down are to have a little self-discipline. Turn off the television, remove any toys that might be about (I'm guilty of airsoft target practice), and refrain yourself from finding and posting funny pictures/videos unless relevant to the game. I'm not saying you need to be cloistered from all earthly distractions like a monk but, if they are going to be a problem it's best to remove the issue. Virtual tabletops (check my Resources page for a few of them) can also help by giving everyone something on which to focus.

The next issue I've noticed comes from side conversations. With everyone on the same channel it is almost impossible to have a side conversation without interrupting the game. This becomes more of an issue since you all don't see each other everyday and you want to catch up as well as play. Some programs, such a Skype, have the abilities to use text in conjunction with voice chat which can be useful for side conversations. Another option is just to police yourself. The GM should be the referee to side conversations as they are the only one who can accurately gauge how much time can be used in this manner. If side conversations are becoming too much of an issue then I would set aside some time before the game to just get it out of everyone's system. You know your group best so do whatever works best for you all.

Mood and Tone

In literature the tone of a piece of writing is the attitude of the author towards the subject matter and mood is the atmosphere and character's feeling created. The same can be said for an rpg but the definitions change slightly due to the nature of the beast. In this case the tone of an rpg is how the GM and players choose to play the game and the mood is the feel of the setting as determined by the system. Both mood and tone will be co-created by the GM and players since rpgs are all about collective story telling. These should be roughly decided before the game begins.

The tone of the game is basically whether its a comedy, tragedy, or epic. It also describes how light-hearted or serious the game is. When most people think of an rpg campaign they tend to think of an epic. These are generally longer stories with a more serious tone that focus on the character's quest. They contain larger-than-life characters that overcome incredible odds to achieve their goals with serious implications for success or failure. Games like Dungeons and Dragons exemplify this style of game-play. In a comedy game the challenges the characters must overcome are usually fairly simple and the consequences are less than dire with a high chance for success. The whole point is that, in the end, all the characters live happily ever after. When most people think comedy they think humorous and, while that is not necessarily the case, the GM should create plenty of situations for humorous events to arise. The old Ghostbusters rpg is a good example of a game that was never meant to be taken seriously. Then you have tragedies, the games in which the characters are doomed for failure. These are not common but, as they offer a rich story telling experience, they are worth mentioning. In these games the character's chance for success is bleak and usually because of some flaw within the character themselves.The Call of Cthulhu series is the best example of a tragic game. A good story will generally have several elements of all of these but the tone is where the groups chooses to focus.

The mood of the game is the genre in which the story occupies. For the most part the mood is determined by the game the group selects. Shadowrun wouldn't be the same if it wasn't in the cyberpunk genre and World of Darkness would have to change its name if it wasn't a horror game. While mood is predetermined that isn't to say that the GM and players don't have some wiggle room within them. By focusing on certain aspects of the game over others the mood can be shifted slightly. GMs should be warned about changing the mood of a game too much as most people, when they decide to play a particular game, have all ready decided they want to play within that genre.

Character Goals

A character's motivation helps define the character and can help shape the story. Some goals will naturally occur during the game but those are largely GM created. Those type of goals help move a story along but they hardly motivate a character. It is important for a player to come up with a few goals for their character. These should range from a few short term goals and at least one long term goal.

Short term goals should only take a handful of games to complete. Short term goals could be a smaller step towards the long term goal or just another task they wish to complete. Having a few of these will give your character some extra motivation and a good GM will tie them into the story arch. This will take some of the pressure off the GM to try to rope your character into action while making the story more personal and more fun. Completion of short term goals should be rewarded with either additional experience points or an additional benefit.

Long term goals should take most of the campaign to complete. These goals should be something that a character would not possibly be able to achieve in the beginning of the game. Some larger goals could become the focus of the game and I encourage GMs to make use of this fact. Some larger goals might just tie into the end of the campaign and might be completed only after the story arch has ended.Long term goals will affect the game world in a significant way or at least the character's part of the world.  Long term goals are rewards in there own right and won't confer experience points or additional mechanical benefits unless you intend to use the character through multiple campaigns. Long term benefits should bring closure to the game and for the characters.

Campaign Length

When it comes to any form of writing, one piece of advice has always stuck with me: a story should be like a woman's skirt, long enough to cover everything it should but short enough to still be interesting. This holds true for rpg campaigns. Depending on what type of game you're running you will want to adjust the length of the campaign.

When most people think of an rpg campaign they think about these long, epic games with story lines that will take months to get through. Story lines like this usually consist of several smaller issues that the characters must overcome to complete their ultimate objective or dealing with complications that arise because of forces working against them. The ultimate objective will be difficult for a beginning group of characters to overcome but will be easier once the characters have more experience. These campaigns incorporate many different aspects of the game into the story arch and use the diversity to keep the characters guessing about what will happen next. This type of campaign is generally best suited for players that are looking to experience all aspects of the game or for large groups that need and can handle a large array of issue that arise. A GM working on creating a campaign like this will need to focus on establishing several plot points and key adversaries to keep up the level of interest.

My group has recently gotten into running short campaigns. They generally consist of campaigns that may last only a few weeks. These types of campaigns are usually more focused on a clear objective. The level of the characters tends not to be as important as the game will be finished before too much experience is gained. Campaigns of this sort tend to focus on one or two aspects of the game but explores them in much greater depth. This type of campaign is great for smaller groups that wish to really engage a particular part of the game. It is also nice for groups that tend to lose focus quickly but have no issue playing a game several times in different incarnations. A GM working on a campaign of this nature should do plenty of research into the various aspects the players wish to explore and keep the game topical.

Pacing

It's important to be aware of how much time you have to work with and block out your story accordingly. My group plays in four hour blocks so I know I have to recap a little from the last game, introduce the new problems, handle the action, control any goofing off, and conclude within a four hour period. Seems easy enough until you take into account all the things that can make the game go longer. However, with a bit of forethought about how your group operates, time management can be a simple and effective process.

Some groups prefer plenty of combat in their games and these groups tend to have to deal with pacing more than most. Combat is by far the most time consuming aspect of any game. If combat is beginning to overtake what time you had set aside for it then it is a good idea to interrupt the combat from the outside. Deus ex machina (latin for god from the machine) is the ultimate tool of the GM and is most appropriately used for pacing. This could be in the form of the enemies fleeing to regroup, an outside authority figure stepping in, or some natural event; whatever is most appropriate for the setting.

Since my games tend to be light on combat I allow for plenty of time for characterization. This means that I block time for my characters to socialize with other people in the game. This is usually pretty easy to manage as eventually the characters will run out of meaningful things to discuss but at moments it can start to run on. Easiest way to handle this is to remind your players that there is still more to accomplish and to wrap it up.

Last thing I want to mention is goofing off. It's gonna happen and there is no stopping it. Whether someone says something humorous and side conversations go on an interesting tangent distractions happen. This is sometimes the most fun part of playing a rpg but as the GM it is important to reign it in after awhile. Maintaining focus is the role of the GM; don't rely on your players to do this as they are not aware of all that needs to be accomplished in a given time frame.

The Death of a Character

                      I posted this up here for anyone who has recently lost a character. It's a helpful video on coping with the death of a loved one by Wellcast.
It might seem a little strange but people do get really attached to their characters. They are almost like children; you create them, you invest time in their development, and you hope that everyone works out for them. However, sometimes things don't work out and the worst possible scenario happens. This post will give some tips on how players should deal with character death.

A certain level of maturity is expected when you start playing a more difficult and involved game. RPGs are suppose to mimic real life in some form and death is a part of life. Death isn't the end of the story for you, just your character. Use this moment to reflect on the actions of the character and figure out what you want to do for the rest of the game. A good player will turn the tragedy into an opportunity to create a more meaningful story.

The most important thing to remember for a player whose character has just died is to not take it personally. Sometimes the dice just aren't on your side during combat. I know it sucks, I've lost a character or two myself, but the best thing is just accept it and make a new character. It's just a game after all. If you played your hero well then their death will just make them legends that will be retold around the kitchen table for years to come.

Dedicated to the memory of Hephaestus

Killing a Character: GM Tips

This subject is probably one of the hardest for aspects of a game for a GM to pull off properly as most people aren't fond of the idea of losing a character. Whether it's part of the story or the dice just fell wrong character death happens. If handled with tact this can be an opportunity for a rich storytelling experience. If handled poorly you will alienate your players and they might never play with you again. I offer a few tips to GMs to prevent this from happening.

Provide a warning- If you've planned a game where a character might die give your players a heads up before the game. You don't have to tell them how, just that it might happen. This way they will be more accepting of the death if it does happen. This goes for in-game as well. If you have a player is walking into a dire situation then give them a warning. A simple "Are you sure about that?" is all you need to provide.

Give a chance for success- This seems pretty basic but it bears mentioning. This usually applies more towards story events rather than combat as combat all ready provides them a chance at success. Nothing will piss off your player faster than just killing off their character. If they are in a dangerous situation then you must provide them the means to succeed or at least escape. It doesn't have to be easy but it does have to exist.

Make the death meaningful- It is a waste of a perfectly good story opportunity to mindlessly murder a character. The death of a character provides a profound moment of tragedy and reality for the other characters. Whether the character sacrificed themselves to allow the others to survive or was brutally cut down by an opponent this provides motivation for the other characters to act. Most groups will want to try to bring the offender to justice or will be effected by it in some other way. This provides some great story points for the upcoming games.

Don't make it personal- The worst thing you can do is take a personal issue out on someone's character. This is petty and vindictive but it does happen. Killing a character for personal reasons will halt your game and may devolve into an actual fight. I do not blame the player who punches their GM in the face because of this.

Non-Player Characters: Enemy Combatants

Conflict is central to a storyline and no conflict is more straight forward than a physical confrontation. At some point you will push the characters of your story into a violent conflict (unless you are one of the very few groups that no interest in combat in games) and you'll need to populate your world with a few bad guys to be serve as the physical manifestation of conflict. This post will cover what you need to remember when creating these enemy characters.

First thing to remember is to not worry too much about the finer details of these characters as their only purpose is to be beaten up or killed. Names are typically only given to "bosses", combative NPCs with special skills or motivations, to signal their importance. Most of your throw-away villains, minions, and other One-shot Johnny's will only be around for a scene, unless they are reoccurring, and will only require a brief descriptor for a name such as thug or mercenary.

The most important part of creating a combative NPC is listing their fight skills and ranks. You have to focus more on the mechanical side of the game for these NPCs as combat is the most rules heavy portion of the game. However, these NPCs still don't require a full sheet of stats as long as you have what they can do with a fight. Minions should be weaker than your PCs and Bosses should be a few levels above. Most minions will not have any speical abilities but your "Bosses" should have a few tricks up their sleeve to keep the battle interesting.

Health and armor are also good things to consider as they will let you know what your NPC can handle. The same rule applies to health and armor as it does to combat skill level; minions should be lower and bosses should be at the level or better than PCs. To humanize my combative NPCs I tend to make a note at what level of damage do they lose morale and flee since most people aren't willing to throw their life away if they can help it. Not only does this help to shorten the time consumption of battles it also makes sure that not everyone you create for a fight is part of a suicidal death squad.


Once the mechanics are in place all that is left to decide is what items the NPCs have on them. Looting the bodies of the fallen takes place in many games so it would be wise to figure this out beforehand. For the most part this equates to money and small items that might prove useful or interesting to the character. This can also be a good time to work in a few story elements as you never know what you might find in the pockets of a dead man.

Non-Player Characters: Friends and Allies

At some point your player characters are going to encounter other people, non-player characters, and interact with them. Creating these characters helpful characters is a fairly simple process that only requires you to pay attention to a few key aspects of the character. This post will focus on helpful NPCs whether they provide a service, information, or companionship for the player characters.

The first thing most players are going to want to know about a NPC is their name. Not every NPC you create needs to have a full name, just what they are generally referred as. How detailed the name of a NPC is can give the players a sense of how important the character is to the story. A character just named "Shopkeeper" is probably not important to the story but a character with a full name like Dale Johnson is probably someone the players should note.

Next would be to give a quick description of the character. This should be the first things a PC notices about a NPC such as eye/hair color, relative height and weight, and any distinguishing features. However, this means more than just giving a few physical traits. It is also important to note some personality traits as well. It is a good idea to write down at least three adjectives that describe the character. I prefer to write down two that are obvious for the archetype and then one that has nothing to do with the archetype but focuses on what makes them different. While they don't have to be as detailed PCs there should be at least a little depth to NPCs.

PCs interact with friendly NPCs because NPCs have some sort of item, skill, or influence that the PC wishes to utilize. This is the mechanical portion of NPC creation. I would then list any relevant skills or areas of knowledge or influence the character has and a note about how many dice or level of modifier needed when a roll is called for. NPCs tend to be more specialized than PCs so most of their skills will be relevant to their archetype. Adding a few skills outside of the usual can make the NPC more interesting and engaging.

Depending on how recurring a NPC is a short bio might be useful. This is just to give a brief overview of the NPCs motivation, skill set, or relation to a PC. This could also list possible places to encounter the NPC or what the character might be doing in their spare time. Just because they are not a main character doesn't mean that they just hang out until the PCs need their assistance. NPCs are people too.

Setting: There is time and a place for it

This is the part of game writing that I have the most issue with since I tend to leave the details to the imagination of the players. This is a bad habit and shame on myself and others who are in this boat. Not only should the GM outline and describe the events that take place they should also describe the world in which these events take place. This will give the players a sense of the world in which their characters exist as well as provide details that will allow for better role playing. A good way I've learned to get around the issue of description is to try to find as close to the experience as you can. If there is a part of your city that loosely represents the kind of area you are describing then go there and start taking notes.

Photo courtesy of Proteon

      However, plenty of rpgs are in fantasy or sci-fi settings so finding a real source for inspiration may be difficult. In this case, there is another exercise you can do that will help you describe your setting. Find a picture similar to your setting and describe it and then adjust your description to add whatever little details you'd like to make it your own. As an example I provided a picture I found of an old tavern the likes of which could be used in a Dungeon and Dragon's campaign. I would spend at least 5 minutes just writing down details from this picture to help me describe my own tavern. By practicing using descriptors with pictures you will become proficient at describing your own worlds. Some online tabletop resources might allow sharing of pictures in which case by finding a suitable photo the hard part is done for you.
      The key to describing a setting isn't just mentioning what is seen but also to engage the other senses. Does the place have a strange smell? What sort of background noise is going on? What type of people are in the area if anyone at all? Little details like this will help you create a world for the players just as vivid as you see when you close your eyes.

Bringing Combat to Life Part 2

I’d much rather describe the scene and let the players figure it out for themselves. In real life, opponents don’t have a health bar above them, you just have to guess how well you did. A good idea is to find a thesaurus and look up words to describe attacks and wounds. Not only can it be fun (or I think so at least) but it will help bring the action to life. Keep words like graze and glancing for the small damage and save words like gouge, sunder, and decimate for when the players really give ‘em hell. Not only do these words better inform the players, they tend to smile more when you can add some dramatic verbiage.

Depending on much health the character has left you can loosely tell your players by describing the after effects of the attack. If they just cuss and swing back in a furious rage then they know that the attack wasn’t effective but if he wobbles on his feet, breathing labored while he steadies himself then they know he’s on the ropes. The after effects are what really bring the reality of the situation home as people always react to the things around them. No matter how bad ass the antagonist might be, they will notice if they are injured. This is also a good chance to bring up extra details of the setting and additional action, further elaborating on the scene.  By narrating the mechanics rather than just repeating results you’ll get a more interactive scene. To tie this all together, let’s look at the first example if done properly.

Player: I’m shooting that guy *rolls dice*

GM: Okay, now damage

Player: *rolls dice*

GM: You steady yourself, trying to get a bead on the man. The gun barks as the bullet collides with his shoulder, knocking him off his feet, swearing as blood erupts from the wound. He steadies himself against a wall, leaving a dark crimson mark against the wallpaper. Desperately, he raises his hand in a gesture of surrender.

See how much better that sounds while providing more information. This way your epic action scene remains epic and not just a series of numbers that drags down the feel of the game. I can promise you that by heeding this advice your players will talk about their battles like old soldiers and you will enjoy writing these scenes just as much.

Dealing with Problem Players

I've played with a lot of groups before finding one group that fits well with my preferences. I played with people I didn't much care for because I love the game more than I hate that one person. It's a sad, simple fact that sometimes within a group certain players can drag down a game. If you are lucky you won't run into these types or at least they won't make their issue everyone's issue, but that is not always the case. Dealing with those players can be difficult and most books do not cover this subject, the most notable exception being Victoriana second edition by Cublicle Seven, a fantastic rpg for anyone interested in Steampunk. To help a new GM combat these various types of players I'll outline a few of the archetypes and give a few tips on how to handle them.

Type: Anti-social Players
Description: These players make characters that almost seem bent of ruining the other players good time. They rarely say anything productive, their actions ruin any chance for advancement, and the character has a hard time fitting into the group. Sometimes this can create dramatic tension but usually it just pisses everyone off.
How to Handle: This character, by their very nature, is a lightning rod for misfortune and it should be demonstrated. People with poor people skills that make bad decisions rarely have good things happen to them; karma is a bitch. All else fails, kill them.

Type: Attention Hogs
Description: These players try to take up the spot light in every scene. They sometimes run off on their own, yell over other players to get their point across, or speak up before anyone else can react even to the point of cutting off the GM. These players forget that there are more than just them involved
How to Handle: The first step is just to tell them to take a step back and let someone else do something. In the case of them running off ahead of the group just make something bad happen to them. Keep is less than death but more than just a loss of hit points. A random kidnapping is a good way to remove them from the scene for a little while but giving them something else to focus on doesn't hurt either.

Type: Inattentive Players
Description: They might be present but they are not involved. They tend to surf the internet, text others, or play video games while you are trying to run your game. While not game wrecking it can be disrespectful. This is my least favorite type of player.
How to Handle: If you have to see whether they need to leave for any reason. If they say they are involved but still don't participate then have misfortune befall the character or just withhold experience points. Do not hold back.

Type: Min-Maxers
Description: These types of players are generally associated most with unstoppable death machines and the archetype can be closely associated with Power Players as well. They put all their character points into only a few stats and skills while leaving the rest nearly empty. These highly specialized characters tend to easily overcome certain obstacles and are usually unrealistic characters.
How to Handle:The nice part about this archetype is they are easily beaten by any task they are not specialized in. A simple locked door or bit of knowledge can separate the Min-maxer from their goal and help stress the need for a little diversity.

Type: Munchkin
Description: This person is a real minimalist in terms of story. The character is little more than a collection of stats. The character seems to have no past, goals, or plans other than to "be better".
How to Handle: Since the character has no set backstory you should use it. You can withhold extra story based bonuses from them. Completing personal goals generally merit more experience or additional bonuses but those are hard to achieve if the player doesn't have any. Reward your players that complete story arcs. Since most Munchkins are concerned with gaining as much experience points as they can they will be more motivated to add some story to their character.

Type: Power Player
Description: These are the types that focus more on the "game" aspect than the role playing and have this idea in their head that they can "win" the game. This is usually accomplished by killing everyone in their path as would be the case if it was a video game.
How to Handle: The easiest way to beat the power player is to create a task that can not be accomplished through brute force but through role playing. Give them a social engagement where they have to gather information and where people would notice somebody bullying a NPC or cleaving them in two.

Type: Rule Lawyers
Description: When kept in check a rule lawyer can be useful as they tend to know the mechanics of the game system. They can help speed the game along by remembering that one rule you forgot but they can also slow it down the same way. This player is the most likely to try to get a GM to overturn their ruling or call them out when something is not canon.
How to Handle: The easiest way to handle them is to simply remind them who is running the game. It's the role of the GM, not the player, to judge what is what. If you have a good reason for the change then be free to let them know why, story trumps mechanics every time. If you don't have a good reason then maybe you should listen to the lawyer.

Type: Secret Keepers
Description: This person tries to keep other players in the dark, usually for their own benefit. This type can also try to keep secrets from the GM in an attempt to blindside the story, once again, for their own benefit. They will try to work ahead of everyone else or undermine the group. Sometimes this can help build story but most of the time if just makes running a game difficult.
How to Handle: This is an easy one. Just find a way to drop the information into another character's lap.

Type: Whiners
Description: It doesn't matter what how poorly they play or how many benefits you give them, the minute any misfortune befalls their character they have to complain or claim something isn't fair. This is obnoxious due to the fact that sometimes things just don't work out and that's life.
How to Handle: There isn't too much you can do about this player except remind them that they could always run a game if they aren't enjoying playing yours, leave the game entirely, or just suck it up. Remind them that conflict is a part of life, which the game loosely represents, and no one wins all the time.

Dealing with Writer’s Block

            At some point it is going to happen, you have a game to coming up in a few days and you got nothing. People are relying on you to have another scenario created, hopefully as good as the last one, and you keep starring at a blank page just hoping an idea will spontaneously appear upon it. This is the moment you yell to the gods “Why did I sign up for this? Am I crazy?” The short answer is yes but this problem is easily overcome with one or more of the tips I will outline. As a man currently deep in this issue with my own game I felt it was important to elaborate on this issue. Fear not, the problem is not a severe as it would first appear.

            The real trick is to clear your mind. That worry you have built up will not help you. Instead of thinking about the game you will spend the whole time thinking about the repercussions of not being ready. For some this is easier than for others (I fall into the other category) but this is the first step to finding that missing piece that will break the creative gates wide open. If you can just clear your mind and refocus on the task at hand, more power to you, but as I’m not that way I know that others will be unable to do so. Here are a few more tricks to free yourself from your own anxieties.

            Listen to music, preferably with a similar theme or feeling to what you have to write. Music is a real simple distraction that doesn’t take away from being about to sit and think or write. By feeling a few of the emotions that will come about from listening to music you might find yourself better able to tap into the world in which you have created. With all the portable devices that play music anymore you can use this method in conjunction with a few of the other tips provided. I tend to have preferred Pandora.com stations I create for various games since I use this method more than any others.

            Find a suitable change of scenery. Staring at the same four walls, if it isn’t working, probably won’t suddenly start working. Go out and find some other place that might have more visual stimulation or just some other place that has a mood you wish to tap into. Try a few places if your first idea doesn’t work out until you find one that just works. As strange as it may sound I’m a big fan of wondering around cemeteries when I get stuck since they are generally well-kept, quiet, and if I get stuck with a character name then there are several name ideas engraved into stone all around me. I’ve also had a lot of success that laundry mats. You never know where inspiration will strike so be open to new places.

            Change your mental state. Now I don’t want to be the guy saying that drugs and alcohol are great or that they make you more creative but having a drink or two can help clear your mind or come up with different ideas. I’ve written some of my best action scenes with this method, however it doesn’t work very well for the finer details. If you use this method I also recommend going back over what you wrote down (hopefully you remembered to do that too) to make sure it still sounds just a great to you as it did when you first came up with it. As Hemmingway said “Write drunk, edit sober”.

Get some exercise. This might seem like strange advice but it helps. I’m not saying you have to go out and get your pump on, just do something that requires some movement. Getting the blood flowing is a good way to kick your brainpower up a notch. I’ve always been a pacer which tends to help me out a little. For me this tip is more about clearing your head than finding new creativity.

Talk with other people not involved in the game. Sometimes all you need is to blurt out whatever is on the tip of your tongue and see if it sounds as good out loud as it does in your head. Having someone else to listen makes you A) seem less crazy and B) gives you the chance to see the reaction on someone’s face as they listen to you. They might also think of something you didn’t which will add a new dimension to your game. I’ve worked with a buddy of mine to help another friend write a game for his group and the finished product is still talked about among that group even several years later. Collaboration has the added benefit of preventing your ideas from stagnating and being redundant.

With any luck these tips will help you when you need it most. The main trick is to find some sort of ritual that works well to get your creative juices flowing and repeat it every time you run into writer’s block. Once you have it figured out, writer’s block will no longer be an issue.

Bringing Combat to Life Part 1

         While conflict is central to any good story I find that combat can really bog down a game. Each turn usually only represents seconds in game time but it can take minutes to roll the dice and record the results meaning that this is the one place where action slows down. In my experience, too many epic battles tend to end up like this

Player: I’m shooting that guy. *rolls dice* Did I hit em?

GM: You got em by three points, roll damage

Player: *rolls dice*

GM: Okay, looks like you did five points of damage

And this repeats several times until the fight is over. If that sounds boring and repetitive it’s because it is. Just telling your players the mechanical portion of combat is what makes this process drag on. However, combat doesn’t have to be this way. It should be way more exciting; this is the scene in the action movie where all the action happens.

The trick is to narrate the mechanics behind the game. This involves translating the numbers on the dice to describe how the scene looks. If a player just barely manages to score a hit then it’s best to describe how the opponent put up a struggle before the blow landed or if they beat them by a wide margin then it’s best to describe the total lack of skill and defense of the opponent. Listen to the difference between “You beat his defense by three points” and “You fire at your opponent, striking him through the shoulder”, which sounds more interesting? The second option sounds much better and all I had to do was translate the marginal success to mean non-vital area. Had they been more successful I would have just changed the placement. The trick is to show rather than tell.

Same can be said for damage. The above example of lackluster combat tells the player how much damage they did mechanically but overall that doesn’t really tell the players much. If he has ten hit points then it’s a lot of damage but if he has seventy then that is nothing special. It doesn’t explain how much further the players have to go to slay the man, how effective it was in bringing them down, or contain any story elements to it. It’s best to translate the damage with descriptors like how the blow landed and how terrible of a wound it left. To keep with the above example of the shoulder shot if the damage is minimal in total when you can mention that “the bullet just grazed his shoulder, leaving a small trickle of blood” or if more grievous you can say “the bullet blasted through his shoulder, causing him to cry out in pain as it shatters bone and rips through muscle”; now that is an action scene right there.