"Let's examine this apparently mundane rock."

[DanMcS]

or a even better yet, a knock-down, drag-out fight with a now-animate water pump.

I don't think I'd fight a water pump. I mean, it only has the one arm, which can swing up and down, and it's at just the right height... well, it would be like getting punched by a 4 year old, one with big steel fists.

Yessir, if you want to defend your mcguffin of ultimate doom from me and mine, invest in some animate water pumps. We will leave you alone.

 

[omnimpotent]

I agree. Just say "yes". How else would you wind up with something as cool as Chelsie, the magical riding cow?

 

[Dingleberry]

Anyone have a link to the classic "gazebo" story?

 

[Tiberius]

Reminds me of a candle we found in a game once on a dresser (in a game of Mage). If anyone removed it from the dresser, as soon as it was unobserved, it would reappear on the dresser.

Gah! That thing must have been a Paradox magnet! Were you, by chance, in a Horizon Realm or a sanctum at the time?

 

[Tilla the Hun (work)]

Anyone have a link to the classic "gazebo" story?

You can find it here:

http://www.3rdedition.org/dungeonmagic/index.htm

Interesting site. The gazebo story is in the anecdotes. Along with about 50 other similarly hilarious stories.



On topic - I've personally always been -amused- by the spending of a gaming session on the absolutely obviously mundane.

I frequently roll dice during this time, encouraging the players to no end. I refuse to comment on their actions whatsoever (which has begun to tip off some of the players in longer term campaigns) - I just roll dice.

You see, I'm rolling a d20 or a pair of d10's, approximately once every hour in-game (every 10 minutes if I'm getting bored) with a simple percentile chance of a) the mundane thing actually being something special (which gets really challenging the more things they think of trying on it) or b) something else coming along that does move the party on, one of the most famous of which was the infamous earthquake. It unfortunately occurred just when the dwarf rogue decided to try and -lift- the stone spike that came up out of the floor in an otherwise undecorated room.

They moved on pretty quick, apparently convinced that further playing would lead to their demise in a cave-in

In all honesty - provided they are having fun, and you are not too bored... Let 'em.

If you do get too bored, start using external things to let them know. Stand up, walk around, get a drink, use the bathroom, heck even flip on the TV or fiddle with the music in the background, and just respond to everything with 'uh-huh'.

And don't forget to -stop- rolling dice... If you roll dice every 5-10 minutes for the first hour, then stop and start fiddling with stuff outside the game, you'll be surprised at how fast they get the message and move on.

 

[Ranes]

The spontaneous examination of blatantly mundande rocks actually happened in an old campaign of mine, during the first session.

The were six players, one of whom was a newbie. The party had spent the first day acquiring equipment and encountering a potentially significant wagonner NPC. The next morning, a plot hook confronts the party at breakfast when a wealthy traveller calls on the militia after finding he has been robbed in his sleep.

The party decide they're going to recover the lost goods for the reward. Their initial investigation reveals that of the inn's guests, only the wagonner has left. A stable boy saw him leave just before dawn. The boy thinks the wagon went east.

The party walks two hundred yards to the east, where they encounter a dried river bed intersecting the road out of town. Fresh wagon tracks have cut the river bed and left a dark trail of mud heading eastwards along the road beyond.

One of the party (yes, it was the newbie) indicates that his character will investigate the river bed. I tell him his character finds stones, twigs, weeds and puddles and mud. He tells me his character is picking up one of the stones [I just mentioned, of course] and is examining it closely.

At this point one of the other players asks what the characters thinks he's doing. The newbie angrily retorts, "It might be a clue!"

Ah yes. It was then that I knew they would meet their doom.

 

[Taren Nighteyes]

Ahhhhh, this thread brings up one of my favorite 2nd edition stories....I affectionately title the story "Fishing for Balors"

Background - The heros are investigating the ruins of demon infested Myth Drannor. (Yes, in the forgotten realms)

Place - A grand hall within a large building that is still largely intact. There is a beautiful well in the center of a section of the hall.

Problem - One of the PCs believes the well is "special" and continues to play with the well......

After nearly 10 min of playing with the well.....

PC 1 - Ummm.....I pull out my grappling hook and throw it down the well. I start moving it around trying to hook onto something.

Me - *shrug* Fine - roll percentile dice....

PC 1 - Cool......I got a 03.

All Other PCs - We stand back....
(they look worried. low rolls mean bigger things...good or bad)

Me - OK. You've hooked onto something. Roll again...

PC 1 - Cool! Ummmm...I got a 01....

Me - Umm......do you try to yank the thing up?

PC 1 - Yep!

Me - OK.....after yanking a couple of times.....the rope goes slack and loud rumble comes from the well. A second later a large demon with an grin and sword in hand takes a swipe at you. (roll - 20) Um....everyone - the demons angry strike connects with PC 1's neck which causes his head to fly from his body and roll down the hall......

Everyone - *shock*

PC 2 - I use my ring of wishes and wish we were 20 mins before this happened.....

Me - OK. You are walking down the hall and see a beautiful well.....

Everyone - Oh no......

PC 1 - *laughing* I go and look at the well....

Me - As you move towards the well, you get this feeling of dread. You break out in a cold sweat and your neck begins to hurt.....

PC 1 - I GO AROUND!


Good times!

Taren Nighteyes

 

[Nifft]

This is where rolling is amazingly useful. It preserves the mystery of "is it a set piece or a clue?" without resorting to meta-gaming.

PC: I examine [useless-item] carefully.
DM: Okay, gimmie a Search roll.
PC: [Number.]
DM: [rolls random dice, moves paper] Okay, no matter how long you fiddle with it, you learn nothing new.


Idea = RP, execution of idea = dice.

-- N

 

[Richards]

The PCs in my high school Gamma World game were carrying around a Mickey Mouse alarm clock for months, trying to figure out what it was. They were sure it was something good from all of the elaborate gears and such they could see inside through the rusted back.

Johnathan

 

[Tilla the Hun (work)]

This is where rolling is amazingly useful. It preserves the mystery of "is it a set piece or a clue?" without resorting to meta-gaming.

PC: I examine [useless-item] carefully.
DM: Okay, gimmie a Search roll.
PC: [Number.]
DM: [rolls random dice, moves paper] Okay, no matter how long you fiddle with it, you learn nothing new.


Idea = RP, execution of idea = dice.

-- N

Absolutely correct - but do be careful not to confuse meta-gaming with in-game improvisation on the part of the GM...

Personally, I like the challenge of inventing a new plot hook on the spot... I usually give it about a 5% chance of actually happening per unit of time allotted (10 min/30 min/1 hr gametime) before I do anything.

I've learned that players don't generally like it when -everything- they focus on becomes important, so I have a very distinctly low chance. And of course, the constant rolling of dice behind the screen while the players investigate the apparently mundane rock (bare room) unnerves them to no end...