Driven inside by the threat of illness and death around the globe, we have to deal with the isolation that brings. Ironically, most days of the year I am lamenting the lack of time to devote to my hobbies - gaming, writing, reading, etc. Now that I'm forced by a pandemic to remain inside I feel like I have less time available than ever.
Part of this stems from a shift in hours. Instead of working weekdays from 7-3, I'm working 3 or 4 10 hour days, from 8:30-6:30. On days I work I get home and sleep because I'm tired. On days I don't work, I try to sleep in and try to recuperate my energy. Needless to say, the overhanging threat of illness and uncertainty of a timeline for a return to normalcy causes so much stress that I barely sleep.
This is a difficult way to live. We've been lucky and able to go online with two of our D&D games, so that has kept us sane. I've been working to adapt to my new sleep schedule by taking time each day to open my computer and work on my D&D games. This is a new normal, and a work in progress, but it is necessary in order to make the most of the extra time at home.
Hopefully, a vaccine or cure or treatment for the COVID-19 pandemic will come sooner rather than later, and the world can return to a better routine. Until then, we are interested in making the most of the situation we are in. I am looking to remain productive and constructive. I realize I have a rare opportunity to think and work granted by the constraints on travel imposed on us as a population, and look to make the most of the opportunity.
For now, I've been able to do a lot more reading. That is a good start. We ported a two-year in-person FLGS game onto Roll20 and played within four days - with seven players and a first-time DM! We've been able to restart a stalled online game, and begun another this weekend. First steps appear small, but they can lead anywhere. Good luck to everyone in your own isolation.
Sunday, April 5, 2020
Tuesday, February 4, 2020
February Blues
Is nothing ever easy? January has fled into the night, and here we are, with little to show for its time with us.
At least, some of the mania of the last month has calmed, and I'm looking forward to making more of an effort here this month. Unfortunately, intention isn't the same as action.
To be honest, I've been so preoccupied with getting the internet issues I've had worked out that I've gotten out of the right frame of mind. We run the danger in our Thursday game of "jumping the shark." With nearly two years in hand, we've lost the focus on the game. Instead of bearing down on the cultists we're chasing (Princes of the Apocalypse), we've stalled out in the Temple of the Crushing Wave. Sessions have deteriorated to cheap jokes and selfish one-upmanship. It is unfortunate, given that we finally have a full group of players that like each other and enjoy the game on the same level. But the game is suffering.
We've started another game at the game store, and have one session under the belt. It would be a great campaign with 5 or 6 people playing... we had nine. It feels like it will be fun, but with so many players, it is hard to get anything done. It will be fun to see how it develops. The interesting part was building characters in a session zero. It is an experience we have been longing to put into play, and it was fun to actually do.
I think it still fell short of the full effect that could come from true collaboration, but at least nine different people came up with nine different characters. It was still nine people working separately, which seems to undermine the point of the process. There should be a way to meld backstories and entwine them. I think with a smaller group, we could have gotten this done. Part of the drawback was one helpful player who sought to advise everyone else about what they should build for their character. At least the information was insightful, if a little over the top.
For now, it will be fun to play in two games. Now, I need to focus on getting my Roll20 game back up and running.
At least, some of the mania of the last month has calmed, and I'm looking forward to making more of an effort here this month. Unfortunately, intention isn't the same as action.
To be honest, I've been so preoccupied with getting the internet issues I've had worked out that I've gotten out of the right frame of mind. We run the danger in our Thursday game of "jumping the shark." With nearly two years in hand, we've lost the focus on the game. Instead of bearing down on the cultists we're chasing (Princes of the Apocalypse), we've stalled out in the Temple of the Crushing Wave. Sessions have deteriorated to cheap jokes and selfish one-upmanship. It is unfortunate, given that we finally have a full group of players that like each other and enjoy the game on the same level. But the game is suffering.
We've started another game at the game store, and have one session under the belt. It would be a great campaign with 5 or 6 people playing... we had nine. It feels like it will be fun, but with so many players, it is hard to get anything done. It will be fun to see how it develops. The interesting part was building characters in a session zero. It is an experience we have been longing to put into play, and it was fun to actually do.
I think it still fell short of the full effect that could come from true collaboration, but at least nine different people came up with nine different characters. It was still nine people working separately, which seems to undermine the point of the process. There should be a way to meld backstories and entwine them. I think with a smaller group, we could have gotten this done. Part of the drawback was one helpful player who sought to advise everyone else about what they should build for their character. At least the information was insightful, if a little over the top.
For now, it will be fun to play in two games. Now, I need to focus on getting my Roll20 game back up and running.
Wednesday, January 15, 2020
Adventure Thoughts
I've been working on an adventure and its been wandering from theme to theme as they are wont to do at times. Lately, I've been going back through it trying to bring these disparate pieces together. Some of it comes together easily, but I've reached the point where there are parts that feel out of place.
Basically, as I was building the adventure, I placed an encounter with bugbears that led to their cave. Then, I skipped on to another section and started working on it. Looking at the whole, it feels like the bugbears would offer more of an interface with the party, and I'm trying to think of how to expand that.
I have a madman that is operating in the wilderness, and it struck me that he could be serving as a makeshift shaman leader for the bugbears. He doesn't feel any real attachment to them, but finds them useful for gathering information and ingredients. In return, they set themselves up near his base as their headquarters.
The fun of this will be that they look to him for guidance and direction, and he gives off the cuff advice. As a result, they start behaving very oddly for bugbears, and having strange ideas and "missions" into the surrounding area.
Basically, as I was building the adventure, I placed an encounter with bugbears that led to their cave. Then, I skipped on to another section and started working on it. Looking at the whole, it feels like the bugbears would offer more of an interface with the party, and I'm trying to think of how to expand that.
I have a madman that is operating in the wilderness, and it struck me that he could be serving as a makeshift shaman leader for the bugbears. He doesn't feel any real attachment to them, but finds them useful for gathering information and ingredients. In return, they set themselves up near his base as their headquarters.
The fun of this will be that they look to him for guidance and direction, and he gives off the cuff advice. As a result, they start behaving very oddly for bugbears, and having strange ideas and "missions" into the surrounding area.
Friday, January 10, 2020
Fighting Ennui
Every year brings retrospection at its translation from last to new. I internally declare my intentions to do "more," create "more" and so forth, but then fight the post-holiday letdown that invariably comes in January. This is only accentuated by working in retail, where the frenetic pace and hours of December turn to languid stagnation overnight with the passage of Christmas.
I have been working on a campaign arc for higher level characters, but while it occupies my thought daily, it doesn't always evolve at a uniform pace. Basically, I want to get on here every day and add something based on what I'm working on, but there isn't always anything to show. Often it is just thoughts ruminating in my brain.
One of those thoughts is about what to do daily with D&D that isn't strictly playing or building an adventure. I noticed an article on the official site today about DM's Guild and their Adept program. I don't know the full details of how it works, but it feels like their way of promoting popular or prolific contributors from the previous year by focusing on them. This makes it even more important in my mind to finally get past the barriers I've erected and produce sellable content. I'm not suggesting I should be made an Adept, but it is relevant that they didn't get there without producing. I want to produce, so the prospect of gaining some attention or recognition is certainly a fine carrot to dangle before me. If it motivates me to create and contribute.
Each year of reflection brings the understanding that work and life will always suppress the opportunity for me to play as often or in as many adventures as I would prefer. So, we create stories that never get told, and that is a shame. Someone surely can find the time to play even if we can't, and if we can give them ideas and moments to enrich their games, it can feel as rewarding as playing. In the end, the adventures I think up get played, even if by others. That is why I make them up.
I've never been big on resolutions, but there is definitely something to be said for having goals. I think my goal for 2020 is to create a complete adventure that I can post to DMs Guild for someone to download and play. It doesn't need to be more complicated than that. It's not about how much money it makes or how many downloads it gets. It is about building a series of encounters within a story, pushing it to completion, editing and polishing its most glaring blemishes, and passing it on for someone to actually play.
It won't be easy for me to do. Already, I'm struggling internally about whether to take something I already have and finish it up, or to start from scratch and build an adventure with the clear result in mind. At least, for now, I have time to think about it. As long as I remember to act before the time is all gone...
I have been working on a campaign arc for higher level characters, but while it occupies my thought daily, it doesn't always evolve at a uniform pace. Basically, I want to get on here every day and add something based on what I'm working on, but there isn't always anything to show. Often it is just thoughts ruminating in my brain.
One of those thoughts is about what to do daily with D&D that isn't strictly playing or building an adventure. I noticed an article on the official site today about DM's Guild and their Adept program. I don't know the full details of how it works, but it feels like their way of promoting popular or prolific contributors from the previous year by focusing on them. This makes it even more important in my mind to finally get past the barriers I've erected and produce sellable content. I'm not suggesting I should be made an Adept, but it is relevant that they didn't get there without producing. I want to produce, so the prospect of gaining some attention or recognition is certainly a fine carrot to dangle before me. If it motivates me to create and contribute.
Each year of reflection brings the understanding that work and life will always suppress the opportunity for me to play as often or in as many adventures as I would prefer. So, we create stories that never get told, and that is a shame. Someone surely can find the time to play even if we can't, and if we can give them ideas and moments to enrich their games, it can feel as rewarding as playing. In the end, the adventures I think up get played, even if by others. That is why I make them up.
I've never been big on resolutions, but there is definitely something to be said for having goals. I think my goal for 2020 is to create a complete adventure that I can post to DMs Guild for someone to download and play. It doesn't need to be more complicated than that. It's not about how much money it makes or how many downloads it gets. It is about building a series of encounters within a story, pushing it to completion, editing and polishing its most glaring blemishes, and passing it on for someone to actually play.
It won't be easy for me to do. Already, I'm struggling internally about whether to take something I already have and finish it up, or to start from scratch and build an adventure with the clear result in mind. At least, for now, I have time to think about it. As long as I remember to act before the time is all gone...
Looking Ahead at 2020
Finally a year made for D&D fans... 2020!
It's a new year and time to reflect on the past and look to the future. Last year ended up mildly disappointing overall. We never got the Roll20 game going beyond about two sessions, though that is mostly on me for putting it off for ages. Nothing seemed to go our way when it came to playing regularly. We did get to play many games through the year, but couldn't get any real rhythm going.
As I look back at these blogs, I see the same thing... early promise of activity, then long gaps of nothing. It is frustrating. Still, I only say mildly disappointing, despite how grim a picture I've painted. In other ways, the year was great. We continued playing our Thursday game in Augusta, and have been able to find a real comfortable style of play that is fun week to week for all of us.
There have been loads of new minis released, and we have scooped them up wholesale. For the last month, I've gotten a renewed interest in an idea I started working on this time last year, and feel like it is finally taking form as an adventure. It hasn't been perfect, but we are in a good place, and 2020 promises to send more our way.
Best of all, the malaise I felt last year (partly from taking a new position at work with no training) is gone, and I have a better energy this year. This is a brief note for now. I hope to be here more frequently this year, and with more content to offer.
Sunday, December 15, 2019
Slipping Away
Ha, ha! The year has slipped away now, not just the year. We managed to play one session of Tomb of Annnihilation on Roll20 this year. Perhaps we'll get one more in before the end of the year, but time is running short.
D&D has definitely slowed this year... Although the company released several products, only the first one The Ghosts of Saltmarsh really appealed to me. There are interesting elements to some of the others, but I'm not interested in exploring hell, playing games in Eberron or a cartoon reality, or dabbling in extra-planar nonsense. Of course, this almost certainly means another down year next year, too. That really depends on what they put out.
So, what do I expect? I expect a Dark Sun setting book, another updated release of an earlier edition product (Expedition to the Barrier Peaks??, along with a planar book), and a PHB 2 type of release like Xanathar's. This might not be too bad, all things considered. I think their planar book will focus on the Astral Plane and feature Githyanki, Githzerai, and Mind Flayers. That will be good, even in a ridiculous setting.
They've put out a lot of class enhancements featuring psychic powers that would work with either a Dark Sun setting, or with a Gith themed adventure on the Astral Plane. They've been working pysionics out for some time, and with the number of options they've brought out in the last two months, it seems likely they are nearly ready to actually release something featuring them.
We've had reasonably good luck playing, but haven't been able to find a consistent time to do so. Our weekly Thursday game is going great, but it too has seen interruptions. We have finally settled into a good playing group, and our style has really begun to mesh well with each other. This promises good things for the upcoming year.
D&D has definitely slowed this year... Although the company released several products, only the first one The Ghosts of Saltmarsh really appealed to me. There are interesting elements to some of the others, but I'm not interested in exploring hell, playing games in Eberron or a cartoon reality, or dabbling in extra-planar nonsense. Of course, this almost certainly means another down year next year, too. That really depends on what they put out.
So, what do I expect? I expect a Dark Sun setting book, another updated release of an earlier edition product (Expedition to the Barrier Peaks??, along with a planar book), and a PHB 2 type of release like Xanathar's. This might not be too bad, all things considered. I think their planar book will focus on the Astral Plane and feature Githyanki, Githzerai, and Mind Flayers. That will be good, even in a ridiculous setting.
They've put out a lot of class enhancements featuring psychic powers that would work with either a Dark Sun setting, or with a Gith themed adventure on the Astral Plane. They've been working pysionics out for some time, and with the number of options they've brought out in the last two months, it seems likely they are nearly ready to actually release something featuring them.
We've had reasonably good luck playing, but haven't been able to find a consistent time to do so. Our weekly Thursday game is going great, but it too has seen interruptions. We have finally settled into a good playing group, and our style has really begun to mesh well with each other. This promises good things for the upcoming year.
Thursday, January 17, 2019
Gentle Rumblings
The month is slipping away and the holidays fading into memory. With that the pressure is mounting to get back on track with playing.
That urge has got me looking at our online game. I needed to look into it and remind myself of where we were and what was going on. It's amazing to look back on something you haven't dealt with in two months and see how much you remember. It's also a little daunting when you realize you have no clue what the party can handle anymore, either.
It has been helpful to have a game that has continued through the season, and I think even now the process of restarting our online game is less stressful and daunting as a result. We still have to set a start date to begin playing again. I'd like to get a little more done before playing, just so I have a better feel for where to go with the game.
I've learned a couple of important points from running games online. First, over preparation can actually work against you. It can be easy sometimes to get caught up in creating scenarios, building all the variables, and so on, but often you'll get to use a third of it if you're lucky. A better way to prep seems to be to plot out two or three points, with a detail or two. Start things out, and let the course of the session, and in particular the players' actions, dictate how you develop things.
Secondly, while overdeveloping a session can be detrimental, it is essential to have some preparation done. Ironically, the better an online session works without a lot of encounter level prep, the worse the overall campaign seems to run on similar terms. It pays to be thinking two or three encounters out from where you are. I was watching a video recently discussing the difference between story and plot, and (presuming I remember the analysis correctly) that is the core of what I mean here.
Running online requires a good sense of plot. This is the goal, these are the bullet point locations of interest, whether for an encounter or some other kind of event. These need to be thought about and structured to some degree. They build a progression for the story to evolve through. The individual sessions become about the story being developed to fit the plot.
This may finally help me get a handle on the irritation that arises in me when people start talking about "railroading" and "sandboxing." I feel like there is value in plotting out an adventure path, knowing who the villains are, and where, knowing how they should be approached, and what order they should be dealt with. But there is equal value in letting the play of the game hold a stronger influence on the actual story that you are building.
The more memorable sessions we've had are ones where I said to myself "these are the pieces I want to use," and mostly reacted to the players' decisions within that arena. There are unique difficulties in playing online that make it difficult for too many things to happen or be said at one time. It is too difficult to hear and be heard unless everyone is willing to listen, and allowed equal opportunity to respond with their own thoughts. It is a good way to develop conversational skills like respect and attentiveness. The added benefit as a game master is to give you time to think on your feet and adapt the plot points of your adventure into the storyline developing as you play. It is a healthy trade-off.
That urge has got me looking at our online game. I needed to look into it and remind myself of where we were and what was going on. It's amazing to look back on something you haven't dealt with in two months and see how much you remember. It's also a little daunting when you realize you have no clue what the party can handle anymore, either.
It has been helpful to have a game that has continued through the season, and I think even now the process of restarting our online game is less stressful and daunting as a result. We still have to set a start date to begin playing again. I'd like to get a little more done before playing, just so I have a better feel for where to go with the game.
I've learned a couple of important points from running games online. First, over preparation can actually work against you. It can be easy sometimes to get caught up in creating scenarios, building all the variables, and so on, but often you'll get to use a third of it if you're lucky. A better way to prep seems to be to plot out two or three points, with a detail or two. Start things out, and let the course of the session, and in particular the players' actions, dictate how you develop things.
Secondly, while overdeveloping a session can be detrimental, it is essential to have some preparation done. Ironically, the better an online session works without a lot of encounter level prep, the worse the overall campaign seems to run on similar terms. It pays to be thinking two or three encounters out from where you are. I was watching a video recently discussing the difference between story and plot, and (presuming I remember the analysis correctly) that is the core of what I mean here.
Running online requires a good sense of plot. This is the goal, these are the bullet point locations of interest, whether for an encounter or some other kind of event. These need to be thought about and structured to some degree. They build a progression for the story to evolve through. The individual sessions become about the story being developed to fit the plot.
This may finally help me get a handle on the irritation that arises in me when people start talking about "railroading" and "sandboxing." I feel like there is value in plotting out an adventure path, knowing who the villains are, and where, knowing how they should be approached, and what order they should be dealt with. But there is equal value in letting the play of the game hold a stronger influence on the actual story that you are building.
The more memorable sessions we've had are ones where I said to myself "these are the pieces I want to use," and mostly reacted to the players' decisions within that arena. There are unique difficulties in playing online that make it difficult for too many things to happen or be said at one time. It is too difficult to hear and be heard unless everyone is willing to listen, and allowed equal opportunity to respond with their own thoughts. It is a good way to develop conversational skills like respect and attentiveness. The added benefit as a game master is to give you time to think on your feet and adapt the plot points of your adventure into the storyline developing as you play. It is a healthy trade-off.
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