Halloween One-Shot for DCC RPG

[vodokar]

Come one, Come all. Please join me for a One-Shot DCC RPG adventure at 9:30 pm EDT (GMT - 4) on Oct 30th. Let's ring in the Scary Day by dying together in horrific manners inconceivable by mankind. :hurt:

No experience with Fantasy Grounds is necessary. I have an Ultimate license, so demo runners are welcome. No experience with DCC RPG is necessary, I will teach what you need to know. Come join the fun for this one night of horror.

This is a 6th level adventure and pre-gens will be provided. The plan is to play from approximately 9:30 pm till 1 am. If the adventure isn't concluded by then, we can discuss a continuation date at that time.

This is the horror I have in store for you:

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[vodokar]

My intent with the timeframe from 9:30 pm EDT to 1 am EDT on Oct 30th is so we could ring in the holiday at midnight, however, since I am not getting any responses, I will open it up for different time slot suggestions. I realize it is a little late for some people who have to go to work the next day, myself included.

The only hard and fast rule is that I can not begin until after 930 pm on Sundays thru Wednesdays. Thursdays, I could begin at any time, but would have to end no later than 730 pm. My fridays and saturdays are completely open. The time constraints are because my wife gets up at 730 pm and I drive her to work at 8:45 pm from Sun thru Thursday.

[damned]

You might see if you could cross post in leozeligs other DCC post. It has taken him a while to build up a group of DCC players. He may have an extra player or three to direct your way.

[Zhern]

My intent with the timeframe from 9:30 pm EDT to 1 am EDT on Oct 30th is so we could ring in the holiday at midnight, however, since I am not getting any responses, I will open it up for different time slot suggestions. I realize it is a little late for some people who have to go to work the next day, myself included.

The only hard and fast rule is that I can not begin until after 930 pm on Sundays thru Wednesdays. Thursdays, I could begin at any time, but would have to end no later than 730 pm. My fridays and saturdays are completely open. The time constraints are because my wife gets up at 730 pm and I drive her to work at 8:45 pm from Sun thru Thursday.

Depending on the time and day, I might be able to join. Friday and Saturday are out, though. I play in a game on Friday night (8pm) and run a game on Saturday night (also 8pm). Would definitely love to play if it works out, though!

[leozelig]

I like the midnight idea. I don't know for sure if I can play on Sunday, but if I'm around, I am definitely interested.

[GoddTodd]

Holey Moly!
I'm off that night!
Do I need to RSVP?

[Teufelhunde87]

Sunday night would be rough as I have a 0330am (EDT) reveille call monday, but this sounds interesting.

[vodokar]

I just found out this morning that I will no longer be driving my wife to work. It's a long story, but the gist is that she has pannick attacks due to PTSD from an accident a couple of years ago, so she didn't want to drive anymore. Only problem is, in order to be able to drive her, she needed to go into work early and leave early and her employer just set the foot down about doing that. So, she will need to make the drive whether she likes it or not.

So, the good news for us is that I will be able to start earlier than 9:30 pm, if necessary. Perhaps 7 pm will work. I'll still need to take a brief break to help my wife get out the door to work around 930, but otherwise should be uninterrupted.

As for the day for this, well, that is really up to the players. I am open to do it virtually any day next week. I just want to get the ball rolling. I haven't hosted a game for a couple years now. Looking forward to dm'ing again and looking very forward to meeting all of you.

[Teufelhunde87]

7 may be doable! Sleep is over-rated!

[ezjrny]

If the time has been officially moved up to 7pm, I would be all over this like white on rice. As I mentioned in my one and only other post, I haven't used FG before, but I used to run D&D out of the big red box and I have been a keeper in CoC so I'm pretty okay at picking up most RPGs. Am I correct in assuming that this will be pretty much hack'n'slash?

[vodokar]

7 pm is likely going to be a more convenient time and thus likely what will be chosen, but again, I am leaving the day and time open to the consensus of the players.

Would it be classified as Hack n'Slash? This particular module is a Halloween event, so I would come expecting more D&D survival horror than typical dungeon crawling hack n' slash. Come not only with a sharp axe, but your "Cap of Clear Thinking And Creative Problem Solving" and a pair of "Shoes of Fast Running". I'm sure that won't be a problem if you've experienced CoC.

That being said, this is a 6th level adventure and DCC RPG characters have plenty of power at their command at that level (perhaps equivalent to 10th level D&D characters) and there is sure to be plenty to fight your way thru.

[Trenloe]

Room for one more? I've not played DCC, but backed the 4th edition printing Kickstarter and would like to play if there's a space. Will be good to get some horror role-plying in the night before Halloween... :)

[vodokar]

Would be my honor to have you, Trenloe.

[Zhern]

Well, poop. You all have a good time! Maybe I can catch the next one. :)

[Trenloe]

Well, poop. You all have a good time! Maybe I can catch the next one. :)
Fantastic! Thanks. :)

Are we using voice or text chat? If voice, are we using the FG community TeamSpeak server or something else?

[vodokar]

I was planning on using google hangout.

[Trenloe]

I was planning on using google hangout.
OK, cool, never used that before. Do you send an invitation, or a URL or something else?

[vodokar]

Players will need to either post or pm their "google plus" name so that I can send out invites. Google Hangout is very cool. I used to use skype or teamspeak, but hangout works at least as well and has video, which is really nice for giving that actually there face to face feeling. Bear with me though, as I have not ran a campaign or used hangouts in a couple of years. Need to get the rust worked out.

[Trenloe]

Bear with me though, as I have not ran a campaign or used hangouts in a couple of years. Need to get the rust worked out.
No worries at all. I'm happy with a relaxed game.

[ezjrny]

Does this mean I need to go out and buy a webcam? :ninja:

[vodokar]

No, not at all ezjrny. Only if you want to. We can work with voice only or even text only in FG. Just do as you feel.

[Teufelhunde87]

If you still have room, I would like to give this a shot!
"T"

[vodokar]

By all means, please join us Teufelhunde87.

[Tanarion]

If you still have room I'm game, I have never played rpg's via VTT and I have never played this system but I have played numerous other systems. At the moment I'm scheduled in the other DCC game tomorrow night so I should have one session under my belt by Sunday.

[vodokar]

The consensus seems to be that we will be holding this on Sun Oct 30 starting at 7 pm EDT (GMT - 4). I will make that official, as of now. Ending time will be ? - up to the players. If not finished with the adventure, we will discuss having a continuation session (that will most likely be the case).

The current list of people that expressed interest is:

GoddTodd
Teufelhunde87
ezjrny
Trenloe
Tanarion
ryderofragnarok
and possibly leozelig
and possibly my son Charles Francis (not a member of the forums, but I dubb him Sir_CF :) )

Zhern also expressed interest, but couldn't make it. Very sorry. Look forward to meeting you. Hope to catch you another time.

As long as the player list is stable, I will not be accepting any more at the table at this time.

All players need to pm me with their google + info so that I can add you to my circle and send out hangout invites. If you don't have google + account yet, it's free. It isn't mandatory to join the hangout, but you won't have voice or video, if you don't. I always put "read aloud text" in FG chat as well as reading it out loud, so it's possible to play even if you have text only.

My server alias is: young pony xeno keep

Server will be up prior to 7 pm for log in.

I will post info on the assortment of pregen characters available once I have them finalized.

[Tanarion]

If you can, since I've never connected to another FG server before, mind having it open a bit earlier so I have time to work out any kinks. Would hate to hold things up on a one time shot. Also, I did not see a rule set in FG for DCC, do I need to download something and import it in the system?

[vodokar]

If you can, since I've never connected to another FG server before, mind having it open a bit earlier so I have time to work out any kinks. Would hate to hold things up on a one time shot. Also, I did not see a rule set in FG for DCC, do I need to download something and import it in the system?

I'm pretty sure that when you log in to my server, FG will automatically download the ruleset to your machine to play in my game.

However, if you want to permanently install it on your machine so that it appears as an option to create your own campaigns, you can get it here: https://www.fantasygrounds.com/forums...crawl+classics.
I would recommend going ahead and doing that, as leozelig did an outstanding job in creating the ruleset. All you have to do is download the file and manually place it into the "ruleset" directory of the Fantasy Ground Data Folder.

I work on sunday, and get home about 630 pm. I will start the server as soon as I get home. Pregen characters will be provided, info on that forthcoming, so it won't require any time creating characters. However, if people feel like logging on early and playing around with the ruleset, knock yourselves out.

DCC is a d20 system, so, aside from a few unique tweeks and twists, it isn't something that should be totally unfamiliar to most people.

[vodokar]

Double post.

[Tanarion]

That link is invalid for me, I'll see if I can search for it.

[vodokar]

That link is invalid for me, I'll see if I can search for it.

Try this one: https://www.fantasygrounds.com/forums/showthread.php?24890-DCC-RPG-Ruleset&highlight=dungeon+crawl+classics

[vodokar]

my google + info is [email protected]

[Tanarion]

I texted you via google+ to verify.

[vodokar]

I will repost this info since it is buried in the thread.

The current list of people that expressed interest is:

GoddTodd
Teufelhunde87
ezjrny
Trenloe
Tanarion
ryderofragnarok
and possibly leozelig
and possibly my son Charles Francis (not a member of the forums, but I dubb him Sir_CF )


All players need to pm me with their google + info so that I can add you to my circle and send out hangout invites. If you don't have google + account yet, it's free. It isn't mandatory to join the hangout, but you won't have voice or video, if you don't. I always put "read aloud text" in FG chat as well as reading it out loud, so it's possible to play even if you have text only.

As of right now, I still haven't heard from GoddTodd or ryderofragnarok with their info.


My server alias is: young pony xeno keep

Server will be up prior to 7 pm for log in.



Thus far, I have these pre-generated characters to make available:

2 Warriors (1 heavy armor sword/shield and 1 medium armor 2 handed sword)
1 Paladin (slow moving super-tank that can heal)
1 Thief (sneaky and deadly on a backstab)
1 Wizard (Power, but at a price)
1 Ranger (archer specialty)
1 Barbarian (damage resistant and wielding a two handed battleaxe)

I intend to make a few more so there will be a good selection.

[ezjrny]

Can I claim the thief? I love being backstabby!

[vodokar]

Thief is yours.

Added to the list:

Dwarven Priest (cleric with some warrior features)
Halfling Champion (Two weapon fighting halfling warrior)

[GoddTodd]

What's the word on this?

[vodokar]

Sun 30th at 7 pm EDT. Check info above.

[leozelig]

What's the word on this?

Send vodokar a PM with your Google+ or Gmail info if you have an account so he can add you to the Hangout for voice chat. If you want to skip the audio, just connect to FG at the scheduled time.

I will probably be a last minute entry if I am available - sorry for doing that. Don't save a spot for me or anything, but I am hoping to play! :)

[vodokar]

Please come if you can, Leo. Is fine if your late, because I expect the first hour or so to be training for the new people on DCC and/or FG.

[braincabin]

Can't make tomorrow night but would be happy to jump into a future game.

[vodokar]

Not to worry, braincabin, there will be plenty more chances. DCC is one of my favorite games. I figure that the current adventure may take us 2 or 3 sessions. Your welcome to join at a later date if that works out.

After that, I am tentatively trying to figure out a methodology to run a DCC tournament of "The Carnival of the Damned" using the hotseat style. If I can pull that off, it could be a ton of fun.

I'm also going to want to start an actual ongoing campaign at one point.

[vodokar]

I'm leaving my server logged in from now until game time tomorrow. Feel free to jump on and claim a character. Make sure it's the one you want before you claim it. If you claim it, it is unavailable for someone else. See you guys tomorrow.

[leozelig]

Looks like I will be tied up tonight - have fun!

[GoddTodd]

The consensus seems to be that we will be holding this on Sun Oct 30 starting at 7 pm EDT (GMT - 4).
I believe that's 4pm Pacific. I got a little thrown off because I'm used to being -8 when scheduling gaming sessions with friends in England.
Must be the Daylight Savings.

[Trenloe]

Losing my mind!

But enjoying it. I think... ;)

https://www.fantasygrounds.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=15922

[vodokar]

Awesome game guys. So glad you figured out the connection with the clocks. Probably saved a TPK. I had so much fun. You were so great to game with.

[Teufelhunde87]

I love the ruleset...except where my first swing fumbled , put me on my rear , and caused me 10 points damage! I was "lucky" to stand back up after 2 rounds!.
Great game, will definitely find a way to participate in the finale!
Greg

[GoddTodd]

Backatcha!
Great fun, great players, nasty bad guys, cool art, and a superb tutorial to boot.
Sancho approves.

[ezjrny]

So much fun in you little house of horrors. Also, I hit the gift shop and found this so Teufelhunde87 could stop looking out all the windows:

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So when we going to finish this bad boy? I'm available any weeknight this week. Anyone else?

[vodokar]

@ezjrny, love that postcard. Also, love your avatar. WW has always been one of my favorites. Really enjoyed her portrayal in the BvS movie. Stole the show. My favorite part was when she looked at Batman and just smiled confidently and simply said, "I have fought monsters before". Incidentally, so great to see more women gaming.

@GoddTodd, thanks regarding the tutorial. The share-screen feature was such a huge help. Would have been so much more difficult without it. I should really do a tutorial post about how to use it. Great resource. There were, however, some important things that, in hindsight, i forgot to mention.

@ ezjrny, Thieves: when you spend luck, you don't get +1 bonus for +1 luck burned like normal. You get a die roll (called your "luck die"). At level 6, it was a +1d7 per point of luck burned. At 5th, it is +1d6. So, sorry I forgot about that. Also, don't forget that you regen luck.

Warriors (pure, not hybrid) and Dwarves (not including the Dwarven Priest) and only them, can spend a luck point to negate a fumble i.e. raise a natural 1 to a natural 2 with a luck point. Again, sorry I forgot.

Barbarian: (already told my son, but just so you'll know in case he forgets), their main feature is to be damage resistant. They roll their mighty deed die and subtract it from the damage of each attack that hits. How cool is that?

I think that's everything, but it would behoove you to log in a little early next time and read thru the things in your ability section so you can up your game even more.

And Trenloe, when your ready to ride the bleeding edge as a DCC Wizard, there is one waiting for you. So much power; can't resist. What could possibly go wrong.


When are we going to play again? Completely up to you guys. I'm free any night of the week. One of the benefits of my wife working 3rd shift.

[Trenloe]

So much fun in you little house of horrors. Also, I hit the gift shop and found this so Teufelhunde87 could stop looking out all the windows:

15930

So when we going to finish this bad boy? I'm available any weeknight this week. Anyone else?
Haha, love it. :D

[Trenloe]

Barbarian: (already told my son, but just so you'll know in case he forgets), their main feature is to be damage resistant. They roll their mighty deed die and subtract it from the damage of each attack that hits. How cool is that?
OK, front and centre Mr. Barbarian!


And Trenloe, when your ready to ride the bleeding edge as a DCC Wizard, there is one waiting for you. So much power; can't resist. What could possibly go wrong.
Too much bleeding already, and chickens, and roiling seascapes, and chickens, and diaphanous hair, and dolls arms, and pipes in my belly, and chickens, and wardrobes, and bleeding, and chickens, and, and, and... Don't want to try the true bleeding edge just yet, thanks very much old chap.


When are we going to play again? Completely up to you guys. I'm free any night of the week. One of the benefits of my wife working 3rd shift.
I'm available Thursday, Friday and Saturday this week.

[Teufelhunde87]

So much fun in you little house of horrors. Also, I hit the gift shop and found this so Teufelhunde87 could stop looking out all the windows:

15930

So when we going to finish this bad boy? I'm available any weeknight this week. Anyone else?

I will make it a point to be available! Would miss this for anything! Great group chemistry, and a great game.
Thanks for the post card! I love it, but I'm still gonna look out windows!
Greg

[Zhern]

Sounds like you all had a good time! Maybe someone can post a recap?

[ezjrny]

I'm available Thursday, Friday and Saturday this week.

I can do Thursday or after 8pm Saturday.

[GoddTodd]

I'm GM'ing a Deadlands game on Thursday.
However, I get off work at 5:30 PST (8:30 EST) this Saturday.
You folks could go ahead and start at 8pmEST and I could join you a little late.
I'm also off at the same time on Friday.
I'm also completely free Wednesday.

[Trenloe]

Aaarrgghhh. Just found out I can't make Thursday or Saturday. Sorry. :( Can make Friday, Sunday, Monday or Tuesday.

[ezjrny]

Aaarrgghhh. Just found out I can't make Thursday or Saturday. Sorry. :( Can make Friday, Sunday, Monday or Tuesday.

Okay.....I'm going to say I can do Monday or Tuesday, but if Trenloe comes back and says that now he can only make it Friday or Sunday, I am going to get a complex. :cry:

[Trenloe]

... but if Trenloe comes back and says that now he can only make it Friday or Sunday, I am going to get a complex. :cry:
Standby!

;)

[Teufelhunde87]

Monday or Tuesday would work for me. Another sleep deprived work day won't hurt me, builds character! LOL
3.2 is out! Update and enjoy! Lots of goodies, check out the PHB Deluxe reference manual, etc....

[braincabin]

Hi all, been lurking... I'd love to join in and could play Thursday, Monday, or Tuesday.

[vodokar]

There might be a slight problem guys. I hit the update button. This means two things a) I have no clue how FG works anymore and b) some issues are occurring with the DCC ruleset. I'm sure both will get resolved.

In the mean time, I'm going to post the error messages I'm getting and maybe Trenloe or someone else knowledgeable will be able to steer LeoZelig in the right direction. Based on what I'm seeing, I doubt if it's a tough fix, fingers crossed.

Upon initial loading of the ruleset:

Ruleset Error: windowclass: Defined with a merge attribute, but the name attribute (imagelist) does not match an existing windowclass. Skipped. File (campaign/template_campaign.xml)

The ruleset does load and appears functional, but:

15967


I have duplicate buttons. The new ones are functional. The old ones produce messages like:

Runtime Error: desktop: Unable to create window with invalid class (encounterlist : encounter)

and

Runtime Error: desktop: Unable to create window with invalid class (notelist : notes)

Now, I am not knowledgable enough yet with ruleset development, but I'll take a guess that what is going on is an improper "merge" command which is giving both sets of buttons vice overriding the old ones with the new.

[leozelig]

I will work on it, but it will probably take me a few days.

[vodokar]

No hurry, Leo. It will likely take me a few days to figure out the new features and interface anyways.

[vodokar]

Okay. I have spent a few hours getting familiar with things. I think I feel comfortable enough to proceed. I just have to get used to seeing every button twice, lol.

[GoddTodd]

My tentative schedule is up.
Looks like I may get Monday and Tuesday off next week.

[braincabin]

Update: I could do Thursday, Friday, or Sunday nights (I'm on the west coast)

[vodokar]

So it appears to me that the consensus might be Monday?

[ezjrny]

Works for me.

[Trenloe]

So it appears to me that the consensus might be Monday?
Ah, doesn't work for me. :(



Just kidding. That should work...

:D

[GoddTodd]

Yup!

[Teufelhunde87]

Monday works for me!

[vodokar]

I have one additional correction for the ranger. After closely re-reading the class write-up, I found that he is supposed to add his deed die to all attacks made, but only gets mighty deeds with weapons associated with his chosen ranger path vice only adding the deed die to his weapons associated with his chosen ranger path. That means that Sancho gets to be even more awesome.

I have been busy today adding in all of the class leveling tables into story table entries so that I can share them with you. Also played around with the new story template feature for the purpose of character generation (works really well). Still so much work to do before I get my campaign where I really want it to be. Just chipping away at it, one day at a time.

I'll give another piece of information about the Barbarian, so we won't forget. If he rolls natural 18+, it forces a morale check against all enemies - success: he taunts them - fail: they try to run.

[leozelig]

I will try to have the ruleset cleaned up by Monday. The sidebar icons were an easy fix. Have you found any other problems since the update?

[vodokar]

I used it about 8 hours yesterday without issue. Have yet to test it in game with clients connected though.

[Trenloe]

So, are we going for Monday?

A quick Game Calendar (https://www.fantasygrounds.com/calendar/) Campaign entry might help to allow us to suggest dates/times and vote on them - and have the time display in our local time zone (assuming we've set that correctly in our profile). Maybe?

[vodokar]

As far as I am concerned, Monday is a go. I'll send out the google invite shortly. I can make a calendar entry also, I suppose.

[Trenloe]

As far as I am concerned, Monday is a go. I'll send out the google invite shortly. I can make a calendar entry also, I suppose.
If it's a go, and it's agreed, then no need. I just didn't know if it was... I'm happy with a googly invitation thingie. :D

[vodokar]

I'm glad, because, to be honest, the game calendar has always been problematic for me. For instance, I just posted one now, but can't get the time and date set right. Google is just so much easier.

[Trenloe]

but can't get the time and date set right.
Use HH:MM for the time format. If you're not using 24 hour format, include an am or pm at the end.

[vodokar]

I was missing the colon, apparently. How were we supposed to know to put a colon?

[Trenloe]

I was missing the colon, apparently. How were we supposed to know to put a colon?
Standard time notation? :p

[vodokar]

But, it isn't standard time notation when it has three computer data boxes. 16090 One would naturally assume that they are three independent data fields and thus, not requiring a colon to divide the data.:pirate:

[Trenloe]

But, it isn't standard time notation when it has three computer data boxes. 16090 One would naturally assume that they are three independent data fields and thus, not requiring a colon to divide the data.:pirate:
It's standard time notation for the "time" box. I didn't say it was standard "date" format! The other two boxes have, well, the day of the month and the month of the year - kinda like what the headings above say. ;)

Very poor performance, no one's ever going to call you MacGyver! ;)

[vodokar]

Aye, but it didn't work until I entered 07: in the first box and 11 in the 2nd box. When I entered 07 in the first box and 11 in the 2nd box, it just giggled at me. :confused: Only Siri has the right to do that.

[Trenloe]

Nah, you're doing it all wrong. I've never had to to enter a colon for the day.

I've just created two entries (in a different campaign) and I entered:

Day = 07 month = 11 time = 7pm
Day = 7 month = 11 time = 18:00

No complaints, no giggle, simply a nice little session entry in the game calendar:

https://www.fantasygrounds.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=16091

[vodokar]

I believe you. Just not sure what went wrong the first time. Maybe it was actually that I put 7:00 pm vice 7pm or 19:00 for the time; whereas the 2nd time, I put 19:00. At any rate, thanks to your help, it is up.

https://www.fantasygrounds.com/calendar/?id=2241

[leozelig]

The updated DCC ruleset should be ready later today. I added the ranger, paladin, and dwarven cleric classes for deed die and spells.

[GoddTodd]

I'm afraid they changed my schedule this week. I'll be working late shift Monday.
So sorry I can'y make it. :(
As much as I want to play this all the way through, I don't wan't to hold anyone up.
Hopefully we can all play something else in the near future. You folks are really fun to play with.
Cheers,
Sancho

[ezjrny]

Nooooo! Sancho!! We shall avenge you! And by avenge I mean leave your corpse as a reminder to all that this place will kill you!!

Also, did I see somewhere that you run Deadlands? I would like to subscribe to your newsletter.

[GoddTodd]

I don't run the company, just a campaign.
It's a tabletop real world game.
I've been trying to get the players on board with everyone using Fantasy Grounds but it's looking more like they want to play with dice and paper instead.

[vodokar]

The good news is that with the new manual dice feature, the DM can use Fantasy Grounds even if the players just want to use paper and dice.

[Teufelhunde87]

I'd like to get a FG Deadlands group going. Haven't played it yet, but I like the setting and I bought a few modules for it.

[Trenloe]

Playing with the ruleset dev! Feeling very privileged. :) Game on...

https://www.fantasygrounds.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=16164

[GoddTodd]

Nice.
The stairs!
Take the srairs!
Send more screenshots.

[Teufelhunde87]

We're on the stairs! They suck!
Tim is down , we need your help!

[ezjrny]

They killed me, Sancho! I got better, but then I turned into a six year old. I'm lost without you. :cry:

[Teufelhunde87]

And the brat (Tim) won't leave her toys so we can move on!!!!! Grrrrrr, gotta figure out what makes her tick!LOL!

[vodokar]

16180

[Teufelhunde87]

16180
Love it!

[vodokar]

16182 Sancho

[vodokar]

I was asked a very good question last night. I unfortunately am not very good at putting together a very good ad-lib verbal answer to such a relevant, thoughtful, meaningful and deep question. So, I would like to elaborate here a bit.

We were discussing Game Master styles and I was asked what I personally mean when I say "old school" style.

The TL;DR version would be that I agree with this statement:

“The worthy GM never purposely kills players' PCs, He presents opportunities for the rash and unthinking players to do that all on their own.”
― Gary Gygax

There is a continuum with the infamous Killer DM on one end and the Story Teller DM on the other end. I am in between. I feel that the judge should impartially judge the game. He presents dangerous places and situations to his players. The players know that their fate is up to the dice and their own wits and skill -- they can expect no fudging of the dice either for or against them. Indeed, they see almost all of my dice rolls. They often know their fate even before I do.

Here is the thing. RPG's are the greatest entertainment and story telling medium in the world. Why? Because no one knows what will happen. You watch a movie, guess what, the good guys win 99.99999% of the time. It's in the script. In an RPG, it's really possible for the heroes to lose. Not even the judge knows their fate. When the heroes win, success feels sweet. It was well earned. When the dangers are really there and your characters life hangs in the balance, you find yourself on the edge of your seat wanting to know how the story comes out. The judge sets that tone. When the players know he is pulling punches or faking results, the excitement isn't there. The fix is in and they know it. This is just my opinion, but game masters that focus so much on the story that they refuse to allow a character to be killed because it might mess up the story are cheating their players. It's easy to make a new character. You didn't kill the player, just some numbers on a piece of paper. The story can still be told with new pc's. And the most amazing stories sometimes come from the brutalist deaths. But, you can never recover the feel of excitement of the players if they ever feel the risk isn't really there.

Those are the ideals that I strive for. Not saying I'm there yet. But it is the style of game I was brought up in. Those beliefs run deep.

[leozelig]

The risk of PC death definitely increases the tension. Players react differently to that, with some hanging back to avoid the risk. Maybe in Gary's day, "rash and unthinking players" were more common since D&D was a more novel experience - I don't know. In my games, I feel like most players are smart enough to avoid the obvious pitfalls. They can accept the randomness of the dice, but I try to avoid PC deaths that feel too arbitrary.

The appeal of DCC for me is the deemphasis of complex character builds (i.e. the individual element of the game) and an attempt to recapture the unexpectedness of going on an adventure (a shared experience), allowing the game to focus more on mystery and exploration and the very real danger that goes along with that. The rarity of magic items and treasure is DCC's way of telling players that this game is not about building a superhero PC - it's about a group of underdogs working together to overcome improbable odds... and sometimes not.

Many DCC fans seem to expect PC death as an essential element for a "legitimate" DCC experience, but for me, it's more about unpredictability and discovery, including whether or not your character survives the adventure.

[Teufelhunde87]

I was asked a very good question last night. I unfortunately am not very good at putting together a very good ad-lib verbal answer to such a relevant, thoughtful, meaningful and deep question. So, I would like to elaborate here a bit.

We were discussing Game Master styles and I was asked what I personally mean when I say "old school" style.

The TL;DR version would be that I agree with this statement:

“The worthy GM never purposely kills players' PCs, He presents opportunities for the rash and unthinking players to do that all on their own.”
― Gary Gygax

There is a continuum with the infamous Killer DM on one end and the Story Teller DM on the other end. I am in between. I feel that the judge should impartially judge the game. He presents dangerous places and situations to his players. The players know that their fate is up to the dice and their own wits and skill -- they can expect no fudging of the dice either for or against them. Indeed, they see almost all of my dice rolls. They often know their fate even before I do.

Here is the thing. RPG's are the greatest entertainment and story telling medium in the world. Why? Because no one knows what will happen. You watch a movie, guess what, the good guys win 99.99999% of the time. It's in the script. In an RPG, it's really possible for the heroes to lose. Not even the judge knows their fate. When the heroes win, success feels sweet. It was well earned. When the dangers are really there and your characters life hangs in the balance, you find yourself on the edge of your seat wanting to know how the story comes out. The judge sets that tone. When the players know he is pulling punches or faking results, the excitement isn't there. The fix is in and they know it. This is just my opinion, but game masters that focus so much on the story that they refuse to allow a character to be killed because it might mess up the story are cheating their players. It's easy to make a new character. You didn't kill the player, just some numbers on a piece of paper. The story can still be told with new pc's. And the most amazing stories sometimes come from the brutalist deaths. But, you can never recover the feel of excitement of the players if they ever feel the risk isn't really there.

Those are the ideals that I strive for. Not saying I'm there yet. But it is the style of game I was brought up in. Those beliefs run deep.
You handled Tim's passing well, and have nudged us a little here and there where we may have missed something, so I think that shows up in our game. Fortunately , luck was on Tims side, and we still have the character around. I like this rule-set, (except I keep falling down) and like the way we have to think our way through it as well as fight our way through. I do like having to think out problems. It will be interesting to see how we resolve our current dilemma!

[vodokar]

The risk of PC death definitely increases the tension. Players react differently to that, with some hanging back to avoid the risk. Maybe in Gary's day, "rash and unthinking players" were more common since D&D was a more novel experience - I don't know. In my games, I feel like most players are smart enough to avoid the obvious pitfalls. They can accept the randomness of the dice, but I try to avoid PC deaths that feel too arbitrary.

The appeal of DCC for me is the deemphasis of complex character builds (i.e. the individual element of the game) and an attempt to recapture the unexpectedness of going on an adventure (a shared experience), allowing the game to focus more on mystery and exploration and the very real danger that goes along with that. The rarity of magic items and treasure is DCC's way of telling players that this game is not about building a superhero PC - it's about a group of underdogs working together to overcome improbable odds... and sometimes not.

Many DCC fans seem to expect PC death as an essential element for a "legitimate" DCC experience, but for me, it's more about unpredictability and discovery, including whether or not your character survives the adventure.

To the contrary, many of the guys that Gary played with were very experienced wargamers and were highly skilled. Old school play definitely plays to that because it emphasizes player skill to get you out of jams, solve puzzles and avoid traps rather than relying on the character making rolls. Not saying there aren't equally good players today, because of course there are (and I'm fortunate to have met some of them in this very game), but there are many more that were brought up in the era of looking for all the answers on their character sheet and expecting something written there to always be what solves the problem. (need I remind people of the 4e skill challenges system)

Regarding deaths that feel too arbitrary, that is simply the way life is. However, that is the very reason that I instituted my house rules. Dice are arbitrary by nature. But the players have agency to change the arbitrariness of the dice -- at a cost. Abuse it and it will come back to bite you, but it's totally in your own hands. Having meaningful choices to make is very good for the players. Seek not the answers on the piece of paper in front of you. Seek it between your own ears. The lack of a skill system in the original game was not because Gary didn't think of them, it is because he didn't want them, and never did believe in them even after he saw the invention of them. He felt they were limiting to your imagination. He envisioned that characters had lots of things they could do, just because they were adventurers, but setting that down on paper limited the players to having tunnel vision and not using their imagination.

In total agreement with everything else you said. That is especially good insight about capturing the unexpectedness of going on an adventure, which is what 0-level funnels do -- drag Bilbo out of his comfy bed and into the adventure of his lifetime where he forges his character into a hero in ways he never imagined he could ever be. The vary nature of old school play, with simpler characters and all of the other ascetics, redirect the focus back on the mystery and exploration and the very real danger that goes along with that.

[vodokar]

You handled Tim's passing well, and have nudged us a little here and there where we may have missed something, so I think that shows up in our game. Fortunately , luck was on Tims side, and we still have the character around. I like this rule-set, (except I keep falling down) and like the way we have to think our way through it as well as fight our way through. I do like having to think out problems. It will be interesting to see how we resolve our current dilemma!

Luck was on Tim's side, but also a judicious amount of skill as well. We are all still feeling our way about this game, getting used to how it plays, but all of you are on a very good climb up the ladder of mastery of your play. I don't know about you, but I was definitely on the edge of my seat when she made her roll. And I rejoice that Tim (now little Timmy) lives. What made it what it was is because you knew you could count on the fact that the judge would not intercede and fudge the result. Your successes are really your own.

[Teufelhunde87]

Agreed!

[leozelig]

To the contrary, many of the guys that Gary played with were very experienced wargamers and were highly skilled. Old school play definitely plays to that because it emphasizes player skill to get you out of jams, solve puzzles and avoid traps rather than relying on the character making rolls. Not saying there aren't equally good players today, because of course there are (and I'm fortunate to have met some of them in this very game), but there are many more that were brought up in the era of looking for all the answers on their character sheet and expecting something written there to always be what solves the problem. (need I remind people of the 4e skill challenges system)

Regarding deaths that feel too arbitrary, that is simply the way life is. However, that is the very reason that I instituted my house rules. Dice are arbitrary by nature. But the players have agency to change the arbitrariness of the dice -- at a cost. Abuse it and it will come back to bite you, but it's totally in your own hands. Having meaningful choices to make is very good for the players. Seek not the answers on the piece of paper in front of you. Seek it between your own ears. The lack of a skill system in the original game was not because Gary didn't think of them, it is because he didn't want them, and never did believe in them even after he saw the invention of them. He felt they were limiting to your imagination. He envisioned that characters had lots of things they could do, just because they were adventurers, but setting that down on paper limited the players to having tunnel vision and not using their imagination.

Interesting (and good) point about the wargamers. Your house rules were great, by the way. Personally, I enjoy seeing my PCs die horrible deaths, but as a DM, I am more self-conscious that a player might be upset at their character's sudden demise.

Skill challenges in 4e... There might never be a more tedious mechanic in a tabletop system again, or let's hope so anyway!

[vodokar]

Hah, it was a beautiful mechanic. But, it takes the idea of character rolls to its extreme. Oh, poor little Timmy, how are we going to solve the mystery of getting him out of the room and back to normal? Give me 3 religion checks, 4 personality checks and 2 athletic checks and 2 strength checks and the mystery will be solved. Sit there and roll a bunch of meaningless dice because I don't believe my players are smart enough to actually think about the mystery and solve it. No, I say. Nonsense.

Old school play does have a skill system - the assumption is that anyone can attempt to do anything at any time. At any time, the player can describe what they want to do and the DM will either tell them it succeeds outright because it is a great idea or will instruct them to roll something. But, having elaborate skill systems in place and especially entire skill challenge mechanisms really really destroys the mystery and is really setting the bar of expected player skill ridiculously low. I think far more of my players than that, and so did Gary. Regardless of what else you might say about the man, he really didn't believe in dumbing down things for his audience; you see that in his high gygaxian writing style; you also see it in his expectations of what the players could achieve; and yes, expecting those things of them sometimes meant they died horrible deaths, but they learned from that and came back better skilled.

And here is a copy of the house rules:

16205

[ezjrny]

You handled Tim's passing well...

Luck was on Tim's side, but also a judicious amount of skill as well.
Let’s not spend any more time dwelling on who did or didn’t die. Its really not that important. I have learned my lesson and that's what matters. Next time I will fall down like Greg & Martin instead of backstab and I will live.

Oh, poor little Timmy, how are we going to solve the mystery of getting him out of the room and back to normal?
↑↑↑ THIS! ↑↑↑ I feel that this is probably the most salient point made. I'm free on Sunday.....

[vodokar]

16224

Your right. This is definitely the way to go. I was way too kind with giving only a -2 modifier.

But more importantly: $20,000 DCC Conversion [UNLOCKED!] Dungeon Crawl Classics and OPERATION UNFATHOMABLE, two great tastes, brought together by Paul (Mystic Bull) Wolfe!

[Teufelhunde87]

Let’s not spend any more time dwelling on who did or didn’t die. Its really not that important. I have learned my lesson and that's what matters. Next time I will fall down like Greg & Martin instead of backstab and I will live.

It is so much more fun fighting on my ***!


↑↑↑ THIS! ↑↑↑ I feel that this is probably the most salient point made. I'm free on Sunday.....
Been thinking on this issue all week. I don't want the X door, because if we go to another room and you are still little Timmy, we could have issues ! I'm free on Sunday also.

[vodokar]

Not to change the subject, but I'll just float this idea.

After the conclusion of this adventure, and I think it can probably be finished up in our third meeting, I am planning to go off the grid for awhile with regards to running games.

This will be for two reasons,

a) because I stuck my foot in my mouth by volunteering to work on a ruleset; something I am very much looking forward to, but also intimidated by

and

b) when I re-emerge, I am seriously thinking of running a campaign of Crawling Under a Broken Moon (most likely mashed up with some standard DCC stuff and possibly Crawljammer); so I am going to need some time to get that up to speed.

Understandably, many of us have many irons in the fire both gaming life and real life, but if we look 2 to 3 months out or longer, might it be possible to reassemble this group together? Would be really great, because I really have enjoyed playing with each and every one of you. I can honestly say that it's been my best gaming experience ever on Fantasy Grounds.

[Trenloe]

That's fine with me - I signed up for this game because it was a one-shot and I was available. I don't have regular availability for a longer running game. As it is I'm struggling to make 3 sessions, but should be able to make it on Sunday evening.

[Teufelhunde87]

I should be available for a long running game, but before I can fully commit when the time and day are established. Just let me know when you are getting ready to start up what the time and days are and if at all possible, I will give it a go!

[ezjrny]

I should be available for a long running game, but before I can fully commit when the time and day are established. Just let me know when you are getting ready to start up what the time and days are and if at all possible, I will give it a go!

Ditto!

[vodokar]

Its looking like this sunday isn't going to work out. What about next sunday?

[Trenloe]

Its looking like this sunday isn't going to work out. What about next sunday?
Maybe, I'll let you know closer to the end of the week.

[Teufelhunde87]

I should be good for Sunday night. I will confirm as we get closer.

[ezjrny]

I can't do next Sunday. I can do any night this week. Sorry to be the weak link here.

[Teufelhunde87]

I could do a week night.

[GoddTodd]

By Thursday I should know what weeknights I have off next week.

[ezjrny]

By Thursday I should know what weeknights I have off next week.

But do you have any nights off this week? :ninja:

[GoddTodd]

I have Friday off.
Off work at 5:30 PDT on Thursday.

[Teufelhunde87]

Ugh, I have a game on Friday nights! I could probably handle a late Thursday night, sleep is over-rated!

[GoddTodd]

I could join a little late Thurs.

[Trenloe]

I can make Friday and Sunday evening.

[GoddTodd]

Thursday is out for me. Going to see King and I.
Firday I'm free.

[vodokar]

I hate to do this, because I really want to see this adventure to a conclusion, but as we can't find a night this week that everyone can make, and I really want to see all of you be able to and not be left out, lets try again this coming week.

[GoddTodd]

I have Tuesday off next week.
Also get off work 5:30 pacific time on Black Friday.