Add your GM Anecdotes, please [March Fo(u)rth for GM's Day!]

[JoeGKushner]

I usually GM in my group. Let me tell you, it is hard work. Worst of all, if you don't have a steady group who gives the game at least a little consideration, its mental masterbation. You might as well right a book. Now that the minor complaint is out of the way, let me tell you about a time when I was a player...

It was a Scarred Lands campaign, one that's off and on again due to player participation. I was playing a wizard, Enrin, invoker specialist with a Mowz from Liber Bestiary for a familiar (didn't want no damn Toad!). One frined, a dwarf with a hammer and a massive amount of armor. Another a two sword fighter. Another a paladin, another a paladin. We were leading a group of Madriel priestess and Corean Paladins to clear out some awoken creatures under the city.

One of the NPCs we were with was controlled at the last second and took out three of the 'big boy' NPCs who were leading the fight. This Druid-Ranger had a Scythe Falcon for a familiar and it almost managed to kill me as well.

All the while the other characters are fighting the dudes who turned the Ranger Druid, "Bloodhawk", against us. My Mowz and that Falcon get into it and the Mowz wins!

Afterwards, I had a Rod (one of the feat rods) that allows me to Maximize my spells. A few lightning bolts later, the area was cleared out pretty good save for the Psionicist who escaped. (turns out he was the one who had changed the NPC, not magic. Also responsible for awakening the evil under the city.)

It was an excellent reminder about pace, timing and surprises. Better yet, my Mowz took several feathers and made a headress out of 'em.

 

[William Ronald]

I haven't really DMed much of late, but here are a few stories.

I tend to do a lot of the map making for my campaign, as well as working on countries and cultures. Once I brought a very detailed continent map of the campaign world that I play in (my friend Jim is our primary DM), and a former player said that she got the joke on the map. I asked what joke. She said the part of the map that was home to a large territory of the undead looked like the face in the painting The Executioner's Mask. I said that was not my intent, and I merely modeled the territory to fit the previous descriptions of the area and surrounding geographic features. I then looked at the area and realized that it did bear a resemblance to the face in the painting. I am certain I did it unconsciously.

Morale: Sometimes let the spirit move you when you design something. You can come up with some pleasant surprises.

The night before the first EN World Gameday, I was up late adding the finishing touches for characters in a game I DMed. I only got three hours of sleep before going to Games Plus. I surprised Eric Noah by mentally keeping track of monster hit points in a big battle with several characters and creatures. Everyone seemed to have a good time.

Morale: While I do not recommend DMing on three hours of sleep, do try to take care of bookkeeping matters before a game. The extra flourishes added to the characters, including a brief history, were appreciated by the players.

 

[Mark Chance]

Gaming with the Famous

While stationed at Ft. Bragg, I gamed with the Dr. Lewis Pulsipher, contributor of articles to ancient Dragon magazines and creator of some of the monsters in the original 1E Fiend Folio.

During one session, after our characters had been caught in a torrential downpour, Lew informed us that our characters' bows would not function properly until dried.

This sparked an argument between a U.S. Army captain/amateur historian with Lew, the professional historian, about whether or not longbows could be rendered inoperable by a thorough drenching. Each side cited this battle and that battle (i.e., the defeat of the French at Agincourt).

Finally, in a fit of pique (during which Lew looked very much like a manic John Cleese), Lew bellowed some to the effect of:

"I have the PhD! I'm right, and you're wrong!"

Rude hand gestures were then exchanged in between bouts of laughter.

 

[xrpsuzi]

DM's are great

I've only had a handful of DMs, but the most memorable DM was the first DM. He ran a home brew and came up with some great stories. Once, he ran this huge long combat, involving demons and born again avatars (as in back from the dead, not converted ) and half good/half evil babies, and of course saving a goodly gnome village. Unfortunately, he killed us. We then reminded him that we all had protection from evil on and it was a summoned demon that turned into a dragon and killed us.

He then threw in the chips and said, "ah hell.... ok, everyone's alive again."

Flexibility, a DM's greatest asset after death dice.

suzi
p.s. I suppose I also like my first DM because I ended up taking him home and marrying him. I guess that makes me slightly biased.

 

[xrpsuzi]

I'll bet there are a lot of families that play together.

Ah, one word of caution.... don't be a player when your little brother is DM.... suddenly he remembers that you use to play mummy with him as a kid and he had to be the mummy.....

suzi

 

[William Ronald]

A tribute to a co-DM

My friend Jim and I have seen our share of interesting experiences as DMs and gamers.

Back in the early 1980s, we ran several games out of a Chicago Public library branch. The idea is that gamers would check out books, which would increase circulation and the library's budget. (It worked well for a while.) Once, Jim was running an adventure -- I believe it was either Keep on the Borderlands or A!1: Secret of the Slaver's Stockade for some people at the library. Some people asked if they could tell a friend. More people showed up, and Jim asked me to help run things. More people showed up. By the end of the afternoon, Jim, another player, and I were DMing some 40 people. The monsters and other foes were overrun by the equivalent of an army brigade. After this, we mutually agreed that the library program had run its course ... due to DM fatigue on both our parts.

More importantly, I would like to thank my friend Jim for letting me work as a co-DM. The campaign has lasted 23 years, and many wonderful stories have been told by Jim and the members of our group. Three cheers to all hard working DMs everywhere!!

 

[lordbasl]

My GM story

Scene: Late 1980s. Group: about a dozen ex- and -current military types ranging in age from late 20s to late 40s gathered at the Alpha Geek's garage to play a blend of GURPS and BattleTech -- mech battles and roleplaying. At this time, Original BT, NOT that dumbed-down version WhizKids is selling, was the hottest game around. Our GM, Hal, made two great tastes taste great together by taking the best of both systems.

The game was the best I've ever played. But to seal Hal in the GM Hall o' Fame, I have to relate what happened to my first character, Mak Flannery. I built Mak as a social animal with passable 'Mech skills -- the rest of the group used every opportunity to min-max their characters into lean, mean, killin' machines. Looking at what was happening, I asked myself "WHO'S GOING TO NEGOTIATE THE MERC CONTRACTS?" Hal took one look at my character and handed it back with a smile. During the meet-up adventure, Mak's social skills made al the difference. As a result, the team elected him CO of our new PC mercenary mech unit.

Mak led the killing machines on several lucretive missions in the Inner Sphere and even into the Periphery (this was during the Fourth Succession War period, before the coming of the Clans). Hal was giving me plenty to do that did not involve bang-bang, but still I managed to see battle. I was in gamer heaven!

Mak's luck ran out on a nameless Periphery rock chasing pirates. He wrote a daring plan to lure the pirates into a fire sack sealed by pre-plotted artllery fire from Long Tom heavy guns and his Command Lance. He and his lancemates hid in a lake while the rest of the company lured the pirates to their death . . .

At the appropriate time, Mak and company spring the ambush. Mak popped out of the lake and laid waste to one enemy 'Mech, claiming his fifth confirmed kill for the campaign and Ace status. The enemy's deadly-accurate return fire was the stuff of legend: FOUR Golden BB shots -- medium lasers all -- hit, with the following results: 1. Center Torso Critical, Gyro destroyed. 2. Head 3. Center Torso Critical, Engine. 4. Head destroyed. Mak took severe frag damage from the first Head hit, the second one is USUALLY fatal to the pilot in a normal BT game...HOWEVER, Hal had some special rules for pilots surviving head hits like mine. Mak took enough damage to knock him out cold (0 HT in GURPS terms), but Hal ruled that Mak had ejected from the 'Mech before passing out. The amount of laser damage (20 points) plus the Gyro hit forced a Pilot skill roll, which Mak failed, causing the 'mech to fall down. Mak's ejection seat flew in a random direction (d6 scatter diagram on a hex grid for d6 hexes). I looked at the map and realized that a bad roll would put Mak right in the hexes where Long Tom artillery would land next turn!

Sure enough, Mak's luck continued true to form. he ejected right into the path of the artillery strike. Long Toms are your basic 8-inch artillery firing cluster munitions; troops caught in the open are mulched

Hal shook his head and said: By rights Mak should be dead dead dead. However, given that the dice had SO COMPLETELY betrayed you, here is a chance for redemption: Make 7 HT rolls and Mak lives. Blow even ONE, and your PC is Mak-burger.

To make Mak a social god, I paid a price: Mak skimped on HT. Mak need seven rolls of 10 or less on 3d6 to live. You do the math! I grimly took the dice and made five of the rolls. The 6th was an 11. The table groaned. Even Hal looked sad. He told me later that I had the most miserable dice luck he'd ever seen.

Hal makes the Hall because he was fair. He gave Mak a chance when the dice said he was HOSED, and that's all a player can ask for!

 

[Mark CMG]

Great stories! Keep 'em coming! Happy GM's Day!