#RPGaDay 2016: Day 15 Your Best Source of Inspiration for RPGs?

My best source of inspiration for RPGs comes from reading books and comics.  I am an avid reader and I usually have at least 2 books going at any time.  Many of my best ideas for adventures and campaigns come from books or comics that I have read.  I never worry about being called out for stealing ideas.  Usually nobody has read the book that I have taken an idea from, or if they have read it they are super excited about it.

Here are a couple of the notable elements that I have used from books in my adventures.  I once tasked a group of adventurers to sneak the Red Death into Prospero's ball from Poe's "Masque of the Red Death."  I adapted the short story "In the Stacks" by Scott Lynch into a Pathfinder adventure.  The story is about a group of magicians that need to return a book to a magical library.  Imagine a library full of books that want to kill you, that is the idea of the story and a perfect setup for an RPG adventure.

The Red Death arrives on time!

Books are an infinite source of ideas.  I could problem grab an idea from every book that I have read for an RPG adventure.  If you need some ideas, grab a book and start reading.  To paraphrase Captain OG Readmore, "Reading is a trip!"

#RPGaDay 2016: Day 14 Alternate Question Time!

The question for today is who is your dream team of people that you used to game with?  I have kept in touch with my core group and we have gamed fairly frequently.  Therefore my dream team is more or less still around.  So I am answering an alternate question for RPGaDay 2016.

What is your preferred method of character improvement and why?

We are currently playing Hoard of the Dragon Queen with the D&D 5e rules.  Our DM is letting us level up after each session.  This is probably my favorite method of character improvement.  It is quick and simple.  It allows for our characters to grow and progress through the story.  Also, no one has to count or keep track of xp.  I am definitely going to put this method in my GM tool kit.

My second favorite method of character improvement is from Call of Cthulhu.  I love how characters get to roll to improve skills at the end of an adventure, and that the higher a skill is the harder it is to improve it.  The Call of Cthulhu method feels the most realistic to me.

#RPGaDay 2016: Day 13 What Makes a Successful Campaign?

What does make a successful campaign?  I believe that commitment from the group is one of the best ingredients for a campaign to flourish.  If everyone is ready to meet on game day and have fun, then the campaign can be successful.  In order to make sure that everyone has fun, the GM should include action and make sure that everybody's character is able to have their moment of glory.  That is what I believe it takes for a successful campaign.

#RPGaDay 2016: Day 12 Which Game is Your Group Most Likely to Play Next?

The game we are most likely to play next is DC Adventures by Green Ronin.  Everyone in our group is a big fan of comics and we all like the DC universe.  We might have a big argument as to which DC universe the game will be set.  I prefer either the pre-Crisis or Injustice: Gods Among Us settings.  Others might prefer New-52 or Rebirth.  Nothing is more invigorating than a nerd debate about comics continuity.

By the way, Green Ronin has a good quickstart available for their game.

#RPGaDay 2016: Day 11 Which Gamer Most Affected the Way You Play?

The gamer that has affected the way I play the most is my brother.  The reason is that he is the one who introduced me to role-playing.  My brother ran me through Keep on the Borderlands.  It was his stack of AD&D books and modules that I used to read.  It was his Grenadier miniatures that I used to play with.  Even though he killed my 1 hit point wizard (which made me cry), he was my first model for role-playing.

#RPGaDay 2016: Day 10 Largest In-Game Surprise I Have Experienced

Today's question is about the largest in-game surprise I have experienced.  This took place in a Pathfinder campaign that I was running.  In the adventure a wealthy patron was trying to recover a magical artifact that he suspected the players of stealing.  He invited them to diner and drugged them all so that everyone fell into a deep sleep.  He then had his mage place all of the characters into a dream realm which the patron controlled.

Part of the dream involved the players having to cross a room that was filled with a giant fishbowl.  The lip of the fishbowl was at the height of the doors, so the idea was that the players would open the door to the room and have to swim across the fishbowl.  I created a giant goldfish monster for the characters to fight and studied the rules for swimming and water combat.  Sure enough, one of the players cast spider climb.  They climbed across the ceiling, attached a rope to the other end of the room, and then the rest of the party used the rope to get across the room.  I was proud of their problem solving but disappointed that I did not get to have an underwater goldfish fight.

#RPGaDay 2016: Day 9 Beyond the Game, What's Involved in the Ideal Session?

So what is involved in the ideal session?  First, I need a space in which everyone is physically comfortable and allows for easy communication.  A nice table with plenty of space is great.  If the game is online, then the software used should allow for easy talking or chatting.  If the game is taking place in meat space, then some snacks and beverages are good additions.  I prefer game friendly snacks, such as pretzels and cut up vegetables.  Sauces, greasy foods, and other messy items add stress to the gaming environment.

There should be no time pressure so that the story can unfold, but the game should not take too long.  The players should be leveled up and prepared.  The GM should have notes ready.  Dice, paper, and pencils are available to all.  Miniatures or crude markers are nearby to show positions and distances.  Most importantly, every player is ready to have fun.  That is what would be involved in the ideal session.