GMing Tips at Fiery Dragon!

[FDP Mike]

I'm not sure if this is the right place for such a thread, but what the hay ....

Some of you may know that Fiery Dragon posts a weekly column on our web site, called The Dragon's Breath. The topics are rather random, but for the past few weeks we seem to be on a "GMing tips" sort of run.

Sooooooooo, just in case you might have missed some recent DB articles, here's a quick look at what the FDP guys have written on lately:

• Claudio Pozas turned to comic book archetypes for different campaign types that bring PCs together for the first time.
• Scott Holden-Jones wrote a 3-part piece on ways to use a PC's or NPC's stats to develop character.
• James Bell discussed several possibilities for kicking off campaigns other than the usual "you meet in a tavern" beginning.
• Todd Secord has this week delved into some strategies that GM's can use when forced to improvise during a session.

Pop on by the FDP web site and have a look at the DB articles! Also, don't hesitate to stop in at the Dragon's Breath forum on our boards to discuss any of the articles.

Thanks for reading, eh!


Take care,
Mike

 

[WizarDru]

Great stuff, as always. Thanks for the links. I hadn't been to FD's site in a while. Very spiffy looking.

 

[FDP Mike]

Thanks for taking a look, WizardDru!

Spiffy, you bet your .... Um, yes, quite!




Take care,
Mike

 

[Desdichado]

Although I was told to keep my eyes on the site for full size versions of the some of the counter collection and counter pack artwork, which I still haven't seen. bah! humbug!

Although I will be checking out those GM tips -- I remember reading Claudio's and finding it very interesting.

 

[mmadsen]

Claudio Pozas turned to comic book archetypes for different campaign types that bring PCs together for the first time.

I actually liked every element on his "avoid" list for Heroes of the Realm:

• Having the leader be a paladin with an "S"-shaped dragon emblazoned on his armor.
• Having the rogue with a Cloak of the Bat.
• Having the PCs based on a tower on the moon or an orbiting castle.

Out of context -- not linked to the Justice League -- I think they work.

 

[FDP Mike]

Re: Re: GMing Tips at Fiery Dragon!

I actually liked every element on his "avoid" list for Heroes of the Realm:

[...]

Out of context -- not linked to the Justice League -- I think they work.

You know, that's a nice twist on looking at what Claudio suggests in his piece. If the context of inspiration is not so obvious, having the PCs based in an orbiting castle could make for quite a good campaign. I guess the idea is to avoid the outright clichés or at least give them new life in a new context (as Alexander Pope wrote, it's not always what you say that's original but how you say it).

Hmm, and now that I think of it, in some ways Superman is the very paragon of a paladin ....




Take care,
Mike

 

[mmadsen]

Re: Re: Re: GMing Tips at Fiery Dragon!

You know, that's a nice twist on looking at what Claudio suggests in his piece. If the context of inspiration is not so obvious, having the PCs based in an orbiting castle could make for quite a good campaign. I guess the idea is to avoid the outright clichés or at least give them new life in a new context (as Alexander Pope wrote, it's not always what you say that's original but how you say it).

If no one "ruins" it for you by giving you the context, a party of adventurers based in their cloud castle works. The dragon-S works. The Cloak of the Bat works. The Amazon warrior works. The mercuric swashbuckler works. Even the green-skinned Wizard can work.

 

[Klaus]

Mmadsen - I wouldn't be able to touch the Heroes of the Realms with a 20-foot pole, since most all of my gaming buddies over the past years were also comic-book fans!

But yes, it can be made to work, specially if you take your time to disguise the context.

For instance, I once had a tiefling rogue PC who could cast dimension door 3x day. He had indigo-blue skin, yellow eyes, three-fingered and two-toed hads and feet and a pointy tail...

No one noticed!







Who am I kidding? I got flak for that for about three months...

 

[mmadsen]

Mmadsen - I wouldn't be able to touch the Heroes of the Realms with a 20-foot pole, since most all of my gaming buddies over the past years were also comic-book fans!

If you file off the serial numbers and don't get too close to the original, I think it can work -- if you use the original as inspiration and nothing more.

For instance, I once had a tiefling rogue PC who could cast dimension door 3x day. He had indigo-blue skin, yellow eyes, three-fingered and two-toed hads and feet and a pointy tail...

No one noticed! Who am I kidding? I got flak for that for about three months...

Yeah, you deserved flak for that one.

I might try fiendish, teleporting goblins though...