The finely crafted adventure, being in faraway lands and exotic cultures. Yes, we have combat. Scores, bonuses, more bonuses, and the D20 roll. But in the end, we play the game to escape to another world of fiction. One where art imitates the way we think life should be. We want to be the magnificent heroes from the exciting worlds we read about, watch on the screen, or even imagine in our dreams.
Sure, you build characters. You, finely pour over feat choices, where to put your ability scores, and generally tweak out the character into a killing machine, but in the end these are just the bones for an exciting character in an exciting campaign world.
Seriously, when you think of Conan, why would you want to be him? You want to travel across Hyperboria to the lands of Stygia, find the sorcerer Thoth-Amon, and kick his ass. You will have interesting encounters in strange lands but in the end you will conquer the opposition and depart a rich man (with girl no less – this is Conan after all) .
Or how about Lord of the Rings? The battle of Helms Deep was awesome - A mass combat in a refuge in an impenetrable fortress against all odds. The Lidless Eye is on the march and you are ready to hand him his first defeat. What is their not to love about that? Bring on the dice and let the orcs fall to the dirt.
The dice, combat, and statistics are the ground rules for players to interact. They are the launch pad for the story that brings you to the table and it is the story that keeps you coming back for more. It is the Story that tells us what victory means.
Today it may be a Wizard in Eberron and tomorrow it may be a demon in the Forgotten Realms, but the means of victory is a constant, binding glue that holds the game we love together. The story is a journey we enjoy and binds us to the game we love.
According to this test, I am a Lawful Good Gnome Paladin with the following ability scores:
Str. 10
Dex. 15
Con. 16
Int. 15
Wis. 10
Cha. 12
The test said it, not me. :\
Location: In the very bowels of Hell (A.K.A. Chicago)
Posts: 536
Quote:
Originally Posted by ChaosEvoker
Another brilliant observation. though the difficulty always comes in making a good story
I agree. My problem is that I come up with all these good ideas,but I have trouble writing them down, or making them work. This problem occurs both while gaming, and while trying to write. I believe it's my main flaw as a GM.
According to this test, I am a Lawful Good Gnome Paladin with the following ability scores:
Str. 10
Dex. 15
Con. 16
Int. 15
Wis. 10
Cha. 12
The test said it, not me. :\
I agree. My problem is that I come up with all these good ideas,but I have trouble writing them down, or making them work. This problem occurs both while gaming, and while trying to write. I believe it's my main flaw as a GM.
I can seriously appreciate your pain.
The reason I haven't updated my thread is do to my tendancy to constantly revamp something till I'm happy with it. As of late, that kind of time is not available...
The best advice I can give is to just do it anyway and keep practicing. It does get easier as you go. You'll find your style, then confidence, and you'll be rock'n along in no time at all
Location: In the 3rd level of the 5th demiplane of the Abyss on Eternal Damnation Drive
Posts: 212
Quote:
Originally Posted by Nightcloak
I can seriously appreciate your pain.
The reason I haven't updated my thread is do to my tendancy to constantly revamp something till I'm happy with it. As of late, that kind of time is not available...
The best advice I can give is to just do it anyway and keep practicing. It does get easier as you go. You'll find your style, then confidence, and you'll be rock'n along in no time at all
I agree with NC, Ive been writing fantasy for a while now, and what I do is I kind of pick one cool idea, stick with it, and build around it. I just end up writing a lot of stories, but its cool enthend
I agree. My problem is that I come up with all these good ideas,but I have trouble writing them down, or making them work. This problem occurs both while gaming, and while trying to write. I believe it's my main flaw as a GM.
I am the same way. Despite all the time I've had, I haven't gotten very far on working on my Eberron game.
Location: In the very bowels of Hell (A.K.A. Chicago)
Posts: 536
Yeah, I know what to say, but not how. Its really bugging, when you have a good idea, you know it's a good idea, anybody you could explain it to would say it was a good idea, but you find yourself saying "So, um, well, uh, yeah..."
According to this test, I am a Lawful Good Gnome Paladin with the following ability scores:
Str. 10
Dex. 15
Con. 16
Int. 15
Wis. 10
Cha. 12
The test said it, not me. :\
Yeah, I know what to say, but not how. Its really bugging, when you have a good idea, you know it's a good idea, anybody you could explain it to would say it was a good idea, but you find yourself saying "So, um, well, uh, yeah..."
Use Word association to help get you thoughts out on paper, or if the idea revolves around an object try drawing the object to get teh creative juices flowing, and if you do have a friends that doesn't play in your group use them as a sounding board to bounce ideas off of and the help you figure out how to explain the ideas better.
Well, I think the story that "develops" out of the game is great. I don't write stories for my players. I give them a framework, tell them what the situations are, and let them go from there. The story just sort of takes care of itself.
Fer instance:
Three plot hooks out there. 1. rescue the kidnapped son of the local cleric. 2. Explore the ancient ruin at the southern end of the country. 3. Spy mission for the local Baron who's trying to overthrow the king.
The story goes whichever way the PCs take it, and the rest continues to happen without them. If they rescue the kid, not much happens with the ruin, and the Baron sends another (inept) party to complete his mission. If they work for the Baron, the kid dies. (Yes it's cruel, but them's the breaks.) If they search the ruin for treasure, both other events happen, and maybe more depending on how long they are gone. The Baron may be brought before the king on charges of treason, the cleric may have gone mad with grief, who knows?
These were simplistic examples I know, but still applicable. That's the beauty of letting the story develop. It surprises me as much as the players sometimes.
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Mission continues.
__________________ derbacher
The old bald sage of the north. Just because you're paranoid doesn't mean they're not out to get you.
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