Go Back   EN World D&D / RPG News > General RPG Forums > General RPG Discussion

General RPG Discussion Discussion of all RPGs and non-system-specific topics. DM/GM/player issues, settings, etc. Rules discussion belongs in one the forums below.

Gamers Online Now: 1,233
241 members and 992 guests
Most users ever online was 4,029, 8th April 2009 at 05:04 PM.
Twitter Updates
Follow Morrus on Twitter

Follow us on Twitter!
Please Visit Our Sponsors
Latest Reviews
The Rite Preview
The Rite Review by Rite Publishing.

This product is 56 pages long and free. Cover, credits, intro and ToC take up 4 pages. I counted 17 pages of adds many of them for other Rite... [Read More]
Evocative City Sites Lorn's Entrepot (Abandoned Warehouse)
Evocative City Sites Lorn's Entrepot (Abandoned Warehouse) by Rite Publishing. I was given this product for the purposes of this review. This product is 47 pages long. Cover, Credits, two pages of... [Read More]
101 Feats
Feats 101 by Rite Publishing. I was given this product for the purposes of this review. I have not yet played using these feats my review is based on reading the feats and checking a few against... [Read More]
The Plane Below: Secrets of the Elemtnal Chaos
The Plane Below: Secrets of the Elemental Chaos is a 4e D&D product describing some of the different planes in the 4e Cosmology. The book is a typical hard bound book that Wizards of the Coast... [Read More]
101 Magical Weapon Properties
First I would like to say I got the PDF free for purposes of this review.

This product is 25 pages long. 1 page for cover, 1 for credits, 1 OGL at the end and 1 page of weapon table... [Read More]
The world's premier fan community for Dungeons & Dragons news and more!
Older News | Newsletter | Subscribers Content | Subscribe | War of the Burning Sky™ |  SPACE FIGHT!™ Send me a scoop!
Guidelines
 
Share LinkBack Thread Tools Display Modes
Old 5th October 2008, 09:41 AM   #16 (permalink)
Rouseketeer
 
Jack99's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2007
Location: Denmark
Posts: 4,582
Jack99 Bugbear Strangler (Lvl 6)
Quote:
Originally Posted by Sagiro View Post
That actually seems short to me! Piratecat's previous campaign, which just ended, lasted 16 years. And my own campaign, which still has a ways to go, will be 13 years old in November. Five to six years is just getting started!
How often do (did) you guys play in those campaigns?

(bookmarked for future awesomeness)
__________________
The Second Age - 40 hours played - Level 3

Musings of an Epic Virgin - 380 hours played - Ended in TPK
Jack99 is online now   Reply With Quote
Old 5th October 2008, 09:57 AM   #17 (permalink)
blargney the minute's son
 
blargney the second's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2003
Location: Victoria, BC
Posts: 6,187
blargney the second Goblin Sharpshooter (Lvl 2)
I just realized that you guys have no leader! What are you doing about healing and buffs?
-blarg
__________________
Red Hot Swing
"In Inspired Sarlona, nightmares have you!" -Klaus
blargney the second is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 5th October 2008, 08:34 PM   #18 (permalink)
Rodent of Uncertain Parentage
 
Sagiro's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2002
Location: Boston, MA
Posts: 549
Sagiro Orc Berserker (Lvl 4)
Quote:
Originally Posted by Neil Bishop View Post
Dr? Elijah? Caldwell? Logan? Cobalt? Cartwright? Strontium?

I've read Piratecat's story hours before and he puts a hell of a lot of effort into his games... so why did the players choose non-fantasy names that truly suck? They really break the verisimilitude unless, of course, this is consistent with the game world.
"Truly suck?" That's kind of a hostile way to present an opinion, and I also think your opinion is weird. You have a problem with "Caldwell" and "Cartwright?" Caldwell is a surname of Old English origin, meaning literally "cold well," commonly used in the middle ages. "Cartwright" was also common then, being a trade name like "Smith," "Chandler," "Baker" and "Potter." I can't imagine two more fantasy-game-appropriate last names than those. For the record, Cobalt is, literally, the son of a guy who makes carts and carriage wheels. Their distinctive paint color for their carts is cobalt blue, hence the name.

And if you think "Elijah," "Cobalt" and "Logan" aren't fantasy appropriate, well, I guess I'll just say we have very different ideas about names. For the record, Piratecat's NPC names so far include things like Runcible, Caleb, Brangle, Annabel and Nikos, so I don't see how "Cobalt" (colors aren't an unusual source of inspiration for names), "Logan" (Gaelic for "little hollow") and "Elijah" don't fit in with his game world.

Elijah is a doctor from a well-to-do family. He goes on at length about humors and vapours and such, and it's not jarring in the slightest that he's known as a doctor.

Finally, "Strontium" is an alkaline earth metal -- a perfect name that a brilliant cadre of wizards might give to their metallic Warforged creation.

Anyway, if Piratecat was unhappy with our names, I'm sure he'd tell us. He hasn't.
Sagiro is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 5th October 2008, 09:15 PM   #19 (permalink)
Registered User
 
Join Date: Mar 2005
Posts: 156
Blair Goatsblood Goblin Sharpshooter (Lvl 2)
No no no! Good fantasy names must have excessive apostrophes and syllables. Logan? Just jazz it up with some high fantasy flavor into Lyho'agha'Haan. Caldwell? Khalld'whell.

If you can easily pronounce it...it isn't high fantasy enough!
Blair Goatsblood is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 6th October 2008, 12:40 AM   #20 (permalink)
High Captain
 
Piratecat's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2002
Location: Boston, MA
Posts: 22,597
Piratecat Snaketongue Initiate (Lvl 7)Piratecat Snaketongue Initiate (Lvl 7)
Nope, I think the names are great. This campaign is set in a campaign world dominated by a continent-spanning empire. Universities exist, and people who attend them for higher education receive doctorates. In this case, Dr. Caldwell is an intellectual from a well-to-do family who got caught doing something more than a little bit... controversial. Given a choice of being hanged or joining the Grey Guard, he chose the latter. In addition, the advantage of a large empire is that you can have folks from different countries and cultures. You can be sure that naming customs vary based on where you're from.

And yeah, Hyp., I liked the name so much I repurposed it. Very different personalities, though.

The campaign premise is that the PCs are members of the Grey Guard, an empire-spanning and politically neutral organization that is dedicated to keeping monsters away from the citizens of the empire. It has a bit in common with GRRM's Night's Watch. It also has a horrible turnover, with most members dying young. It's a good thing that according to legend, monsters are repelled so long as the empire remains strong. And that certainly can't come back to bite anyone, can it?

I haven't started a new campaign in a very long time, and I had forgotten how intimidating it is. Incredible fun, though; new gods, new cartography, new plot. I have a campaign wiki I can share if anyone is curious. The players are the same as the players in my Defenders of Daybreak campaign, although Mara's player hasn't joined the group yet due to some timing issues. We have great chemistry as a gaming group.

I expect that my skill challenges will tend to be implicit instead of explicit. I haven't gotten the hang of explicit skill challenges yet. I make them meaningful, though; in thsi one, the PCs were racing back to their guardtower against a rival team. The total amount by which they made or failed their challenges (modified by a bonus or penalty for good or bad tactics) determined a final score, which I compared to their rivals. In this case, the rivals lost and had to stand watch all night while the PCs slept comfortable. Poor bastards.

That being said, the first game went differently than I had expected. the group chose not to pursue my big plot hook for the evening. I expected that might happen and had a backup plan prepared, but I hadn't really expected it. It creates interestingly plotty stuff for the future, at least.

Not next session, though. The PCs are being sent off to a small halfling fishing village where a legendary dog-eating monster has apparently reappeared. The PCs are headed off to help.

Jack, we play my game every other week, and Sagiro's game every other every other week. So about 25 times a year per.
__________________
- Piratecat, EN World Admin
Check out the membership drive and War of the Burning Sky adventure path. Support EN Publishing, get excellent modules!



Piratecat's story hour v2 (defunct but not dead!)

Last edited by Piratecat; 6th October 2008 at 12:51 AM..
Piratecat is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 6th October 2008, 12:43 AM   #21 (permalink)
High Captain
 
Piratecat's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2002
Location: Boston, MA
Posts: 22,597
Piratecat Snaketongue Initiate (Lvl 7)Piratecat Snaketongue Initiate (Lvl 7)
Quote:
Originally Posted by blargney the second View Post
I just realized that you guys have no leader! What are you doing about healing and buffs?
-blarg
My expectation? Suffering!

With a ton of strikers, they will annihilate anything they get the jump on (to wit, one extremely peeved and ineffectual snapjaw crocodile.) They may be in trouble in an extended fight. The ranger, Dr. Caldwell, also has substantial skill in healing. I have a possible NPC to help with this, but I don't want to use her unless the PCs need the backup.
__________________
- Piratecat, EN World Admin
Check out the membership drive and War of the Burning Sky adventure path. Support EN Publishing, get excellent modules!



Piratecat's story hour v2 (defunct but not dead!)

Last edited by Piratecat; 6th October 2008 at 12:52 AM..
Piratecat is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 6th October 2008, 01:00 AM   #22 (permalink)
Considering Fantasy Craft
 
mach1.9pants's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2007
Location: amongst the vines, NZ
Posts: 2,107
mach1.9pants Hobgoblin Soldier (Lvl 3)
Quote:
Originally Posted by Piratecat View Post
My expectation? Suffering!

With a ton of strikers, they will annihilate anything they get the jump on (to wit, one extremely peeved and ineffectual snapjaw crocodile.) They may be in trouble in an extended fight. The ranger, Dr. Caldwell, also has substantial skill in healing. I have a possible NPC to help with this, but I don't want to use her unless the PCs need the backup.
yeah they are going to have some swingy fights! That was my first thought..they will either slaughter baddies quickly or have to run away because of a lack of healing. Should be fun...

...for the DM :P

Be interesting to see how it goes..bookmarked
__________________
mach1.9pants is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 6th October 2008, 01:46 AM   #23 (permalink)
Moderatarrrrh...
 
Hypersmurf's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2002
Location: New Zealand
Posts: 25,580
Hypersmurf Orc Berserker (Lvl 4)
Quote:
Originally Posted by Piratecat View Post
And yeah, Hyp., I liked the name so much I repurposed it. Very different personalities, though.
So do either of them answer to 'Juicy'?

-Hyp.
Hypersmurf is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 6th October 2008, 01:50 AM   #24 (permalink)
Registered User
 
Fifth Element's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2006
Location: Fredericton, NB, Canada
Posts: 4,240
Fifth Element Gnoll Huntmaster (Lvl 5)
Quote:
Originally Posted by Neil Bishop View Post
I've read Piratecat's story hours before and he puts a hell of a lot of effort into his games... so why did the players choose non-fantasy names that truly suck? They really break the verisimilitude unless, of course, this is consistent with the game world.
Wow, that's, um...really hostile and insulting to a bunch of people you don't know from Adam.
__________________
Iain Fyffe

Original member of the Rouseketeers!

I have played 4E. And just like all other editions of D&D, it is awesome!

no one quotes me in sigs - Crothian

For some reason, this doesn't fill me with rage. I must be interwebbing wrong. - Cadfan

Fifth Element is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 6th October 2008, 07:32 AM   #25 (permalink)
Registered User
 
Foundry of Decay's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2002
Location: Edmonton
Posts: 231
Foundry of Decay Goblin Sharpshooter (Lvl 2)
I personally can't wait to read more on this. I enjoyed the last epic PirateCat storyhour and the subsequent discussions and revelations about the behind the scenes of the game itself.

I also love the fact that the players put in a great deal of work on their characters. And yes, that includes the names. (I'm still trying to get one of my players out of the habit of using terrible JRPG names and its starting to work.. Though the fact he had one character named 'Avec' was pushing it. 'With' isn't too epic a sounding name in any language.)

Looking forward to more reports!
__________________
Marshmellows.. The tofu of candy!
Foundry of Decay is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 6th October 2008, 07:58 AM   #26 (permalink)
blargney the minute's son
 
blargney the second's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2003
Location: Victoria, BC
Posts: 6,187
blargney the second Goblin Sharpshooter (Lvl 2)
Quote:
Originally Posted by Piratecat View Post
My expectation? Suffering!

With a ton of strikers, they will annihilate anything they get the jump on (to wit, one extremely peeved and ineffectual snapjaw crocodile.) They may be in trouble in an extended fight.
That sounds about right. My prediction is that they'll be able to get by at first, maybe second level. As soon as monster hps start ballooning past the point where they can drop them in one round, trouble's gonna come knockin'. Hard.
-blarg
__________________
Red Hot Swing
"In Inspired Sarlona, nightmares have you!" -Klaus
blargney the second is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 6th October 2008, 10:42 AM   #27 (permalink)
Registered User
 
Mathew_Freeman's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2002
Location: London, England
Posts: 6,264
Mathew_Freeman Orc Berserker (Lvl 4)
Did someone say Campaign Wiki? Where? Where?

I've always heard it said that you should never be afraid to steal good stuff from other people, and I reckon this is the group I could steal the most from! So, yes, I'd like to see it.

Sagiro, many thanks for starting this up - looking forward to reading more in a couple of weeks.
__________________
SussexGamer Blog - all about the games I'm playing, systems, and the people I game with.

DM of Adventure Path Story Hour (now in Thunderspire Labyrinth!):
Ryam Plays Dice - updated 8th June 09 (campaign on indefinite hiatus).
Player in Swordlands Story Hour:
The Vampires of Skeinwald - updated 8th March 2010.
Mathew_Freeman is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 6th October 2008, 01:08 PM   #28 (permalink)
Astral Admin - Mwahahaha!
 
Plane Sailing's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2002
Location: Harpenden, UK
Posts: 15,052
Plane Sailing Snaketongue Initiate (Lvl 7)Plane Sailing Snaketongue Initiate (Lvl 7)
Quote:
Originally Posted by Piratecat View Post
I have a campaign wiki I can share if anyone is curious.
You have to ask?
__________________
Plane Sailing
(Enworld Admin)
If you need to email me click here

"It makes as much sense as having Batman kill his parents and then go on to fight mutants from another dimension." - Rykion
Plane Sailing is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 6th October 2008, 01:18 PM   #29 (permalink)
Intrepid Procrastinator
 
Nikosandros's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2002
Location: Roma, Italy
Posts: 2,003
Nikosandros Goblin Sharpshooter (Lvl 2)
Quote:
Originally Posted by Piratecat View Post
Jack, we play my game every other week, and Sagiro's game every other every other week. So about 25 times a year per.
Will the advancement rate be slowed somewhat?
Nikosandros is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 6th October 2008, 02:14 PM   #30 (permalink)
Moderator Emeritus
 
el-remmen's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2002
Location: Planet of Brooklyn
Posts: 6,456
el-remmen Goblin Sharpshooter (Lvl 2)
I look forward to more.

A couple of comments:

On starting a new campaign: It was not as long between starting campaigns for me as for Piratecat (5 years, not 16), but I know the feeling of intimidation and worry. . . The previous campaign can have so much momentum and backstory built up it can be easier to figure out what to spring at the party next and what makes the most sense in terms of results/reactions. . . With a new campaign every decision has a greater potential to take the game in a whole new direction - and what if it is a sucky one?

On length: My current campaign is closing in on 2 years long and I feel like it is just getting past those "beginning stages" and finally getting to the meat of it. I expect the game to last 5 or 6 years - so I totally hear where Sagiro is coming from regarding feeling like a 5 or 6 years is just getting started.

On Names: Personally, I prefer real world names (or variation thereof) to too many crazy fantasy names. I mean, those are good too for the occasional villianous NPC or member of some bizarre culture - but typically I am happy taking names from the closest cultural analog to places in my campaign setting and using those. I remember when I first started my "Out of the Frying Pan" story hour someone made a comment about the names from the Bible I used for some NPCs and how his players would have been too taken out of it by such names. . . Personally, I'd rather use names the players can actually remember rather than something like Elamurix, or whatever. . .

Oh, and yeah, Cobalt should totally be nicknamed "Bait".
__________________
How to Write a Story Hour. | "Out of the Frying Pan" Story Hour Portal Thread


"Out of the Frying Pan" Story Hour Downloads: Book I | Book II | Book III | Book IV (coming sometime 2009)
el-remmen is offline   Reply With Quote


Bookmarks

Tags
campaign, commentary, pcat's, player, running

Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are On
Pingbacks are On
Refbacks are On


And yet another word from our sponsors
Community Supporter Subscriptions

LATEST EXCLUSIVE CONTENT FOR SUBSCRIBERS



Visit Our Sponsors
Powered by vBadvanced CMPS v3.0.1

All times are GMT +1. The time now is 04:57 PM.


Site Contents © 2008 ENWorld
PHP Ajax Multimedia Web Framework © 2008 Digital Media Graphix
Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.4
Copyright ©2000 - 2010, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.
Search Engine Optimization by vBSEO 3.2.0

"Vault Data" powered by VaultWiki v2.5.1.
Copyright © 2008 - 2010, Cracked Egg Studios.
diabetic desserts recipes recipes Diabetic Soups Holiday Pizza Recipes Popcorn Recipes Recipes For Microwave Pasta Recipes Casserole Recipes Chili Recipes Curry Recipes Crockpot Recipes Apples Recipes Bread Recipes Vegetarian Recipes Vegetable recipes Desserts Recipes Appetizers Ethnic Recipes Meat Dishes Barbecue Recipes Sauces Recipes Marinade Recipes Low Fat Recipes Frugal Gourmet Kitchen Classics Recipes On The Grill Cook Books Seafood Recipes Cajun Recipes Breads Low Fat Low Fat Breads Bread Machine Recipes Yeast Breads Quick Breads Fat Free Vegetarian Salad Recipes Eggplant Recipes Radish Recipes Tomato Recipes Jalapeno Recipes Potato Recipes Lettuce Recipes Cabbage Recipes Beans Ambrosia Recipes Biscotti Recipes Desserts Low Fat Cookie Recipes Cheesecake Recipes Cake Recipes Pie Recipes Muffin Recipes Custard Recipes Best Appetizers Appetizers Low Fat Salsa Recipes Dip Recipes International Recipes Afghan Recipes Alaska Recipes French Recipes German Recipes Greek Recipes Italian Recipes Spanish Recipes Thai Recipes Korean Recipes Chinese Recipes Mexican Recipes Indian Recipes Beef Recipes Pork Pork & Ham Pork Butts Pork Chop Recipes Pork Ribs Rulled Pork Poultry Recipes Stews Recipes Ground Beef Barbecue Grill Barbecue Smoker All Purpose Sauce BBQ Sauce Barbecue Sauce Carolina BBQ Sauce Pickle Recipes Marinades Smoking Low Fat Appetizers & Dips Low Fat Breakfast Low Fat Cakes Low Fat Cheesecakes Low Fat Cookies Low Fat Desserts Low Fat Fish & Seafood Low Fat Meats Low Fat Pasta Low Fat Pies Low Fat Salads Low Fat Sandwiches Low Fat Sauces & Condiments Low Fat Sides Low Fat Soups Low Fat Vegetarian Baker's Dozen Taste of Home Recipe Book Bon Appetit Cookbook Blacktie Cookbook Buster Cook Book Cookbook USA Cook Book Cook Book Sara's Cookbook Sara's Cookbook Appetizers and Dips Poultry recipes Diabetic recipes Holiday recipes Miscellaneous recipes 110 recipes 1986 Usenet cookbook 2900 recipes Cyberrealm recipes Great sysops of world Specialty recipes Ceideburg recipes Cheese recipes Chili recipes Fruits recipes Garlic recipes Great chefs of NY Londontowne recipes Raisins recipes Recipes for kids US Food Vegetarian recipes Bread recipes Drinks Meat Dishes Brisket recipes Caribou recipes Chicken recipes Filet mignons recipes Pork recipes Swordfish recipes Turkey recipes Pasta recipes Uncategorized recipes Ethnic recipes Canada recipes English recipes Ethiopia recipes Germany recipes Greece recipes Mexican recipes Philippines recipes Welsh recipes Microwave recipes Soups recipes Vegetable recipes Asparagus recipes Barley recipes Brown rice recipes Lentil recipes Mushrooms recipes Salads recipes Wild rice Desserts recipes Cakes recipes Chocolate recipes Cookies recipes Ice cream recipes