Everything I Ever Learned About DMing I Learned From Comic Books

[el-remmen]

Come on, there must be more to say about comic books and gaming. . .

Remember the Mid to Late 80's Amazing Spider Man with the on-going Hobgoblin mystery?

It was awesome with the twsist and turns - the hobgoblin that turned out to be a suicidal mind-controled patsy

Flash Thompson being framed as the Hobgoblin and Spider-Man contemplating breaking him out of prison - and the whole while the Scourge of the Underworld was running around wacking has-been bad guys (and some more well-known ones too when he got lucky) - Oohh, I may have to use a scourge like character one day. . . "Who is killing all the PC's enemies?"

In the end it turned out to be Ned Leeds, but then it wasn't Ned Leeds!

And the letters columns were awesome with everyone trying to figure it out and I'd sure the writers were using the speculation in the letters to give them ideas on where to go with the story - which is an old DM trick as well. . .

Always try to get your players to speculate aloud - you never know what ideas it might inspire.

 

[Agamon]

Funny, I used to be a big-time comic reader, I stil have them all, in fact. But I've never really used them for inspiration in D&D.

Most of my inspiration has come from TV shows like Buffy and X-Files. Especially X-Files; my games have layers upon layers of plots and sub-plots. One of my players last session was ready to start pulling his hair out, he thought they finally found some answers to questions they've had for months, and all they really got was a bunch more questions.

 

[kamosa]

Great Post!

I agree that B5 has lots to offer to GM's. Like you, I found the weaving of short, mid and long term stories very compelling and very instructive to me as a GM.

One source that definitly influenced me was the Seven Samuri.

Kirasowa (SP) does a great job laying out the village and the crux of the problem for the audience before the battle happens. Thus when we get to the battle the audience knows what to expect and can be part of the action, not just a confused bystander.

This technique of story telling has influenced me greatly. Now I try to think. How can I describe the adventure, setting and hook in such away to draw the players in and give them the greatest understanding of the challenge at hand.

I kinda cringed when I read the title, but actually I very much agree, although I guess we all have different reference sources, and I guess I view super hero comics in a different light Actually, I probably haven't read the "good" superhero comics, and having been "schooled" in European Bande Dessinée, what I expect of a comic is now auite different...

That being said, the two things that made my DMing evolve a lot in recent years were World of Darkness games and Vampire in particular, which showed me that setting based RPGing with great NPC depth was not only possible but enjoyable, and Babylon 5.

Babylon 5 had this thing which I really enjoyed and now replicate in all long-term campaigns I run : multiple layers of story arcs. In each episode of B5, you had

* a short-term story arc, usually resolved in the episode and/or within two or three episodes, which keeps you watching until the end of the episode,

* a contribution, sometimes minute, sometimes more important, to the main story arc. Usually, you didn't understand the impact of that contribution until later, but it was easy to spot some of the significant elements...

I loved that. In my current campaign, usually every three or four sessions, my players sit down and try to sort out the plot elements and tie in various story lines. They do this unprodded : they WANT to understand. I just love that !!! Makes me feel like I've done my job properly

And these rare moments when they bang their foreheads and go "Of course ! Such and such was the guy behind that crime there ! It makes sense !" are just pure DMing bliss !!

 

[Bloodsparrow]

Here's hoping the show stays good when Whedon is paying more attention to his new show & movies!

And here's to the hope that SOMEBODY will pick Firefly back up...
(A girl can dream...)

It's interesting how he's come up as an example of how to construct a good RP'ing experience, because one of the reasons that I liked that show so much...

I reminded me a whole lot of playing Fading Suns.

Find a crew, Find a job, Keep Flying...





Damn, I use a lot of elipses.

 

[Bloodsparrow]

Here's hoping the show stays good when Whedon is paying more attention to his new show & movies!

And here's to the hope that SOMEBODY will pick Firefly back up...
(A girl can dream...)

It's interesting how he's come up as an example of how to construct a good RP'ing experience, because one of the reasons that I liked that show so much...

I reminded me a whole lot of playing Fading Suns.

Find a crew, Find a job, Keep Flying...





Damn, I use a lot of elipses.

 

[alsih2o]

what was the name of that robot that the avengers (particularly the west coast avengers if i am not mistaken) battled over and oevr again, getting more and more powerful each time? he eventually was just a sled with a robot torso?

that is a recurring villian you could hate.

 

[Steverooo]

I realize now that all of my PCs are either:

1) Wolverine
2) Captain America
3) Spider Man
4) Dr. Doom, or
5) Some combination of the above.

My PCs are like a combination of:

1) Wolverine
2) TChalla (The Black Panther) minus the super-STR
3) Hawkeye/The Green Arrow (minus all the funky arrows that the stingy GMs won't let me have!)
4) The Black Knight (anyone else remember him?)

Maybe with just a touch of Magnus: Robot Fighter thrown in...

 

[Urbannen]

what was the name of that robot that the avengers (particularly the west coast avengers if i am not mistaken) battled over and oevr again, getting more and more powerful each time? he eventually was just a sled with a robot torso?

that is a recurring villian you could hate.

Ultron

 

[francisca]

And I thought this was going to be a thread about KoDT

Not a big comic fan here (read: I know better than to start up another time/money intensive hobby), but many of you have hit the nail right on the head in terms of recurring villians, iconic characters. Great thread, very thought provoking.

 

[Viktyr Gehrig]

I don't think it's coincidental how much overlap there is between comic fans and roleplayers-- in fact, all of the good gaming or comics shops I have been in sold both.

And I thought this was going to be a thread about KoDT

Not a big comic fan here (read: I know better than to start up another time/money intensive hobby), but many of you have hit the nail right on the head in terms of recurring villians, iconic characters. Great thread, very thought provoking.

Stick to the trade paperbacks. You get a more immersive read from them (no monthly wait) and they cost a lot less than the same comics in magazine form. You also don't have to put up with the ads.