Need help DMing my s.o. (take pity on me!)

[WayneLigon]

Howandwhy99, though I love Lovecraft, I think that is where my excitment for Cthulhu ends. I know the D & D system, I know nothing of CoC.

I tihnk he's referring to basic Roleplaying, which is the basic RuneQuest system Chaosium used for many, many games in the 80's. Chthulhu just happens to be one of them. A number of solo adventures might be found in bargain bins, eBay, etc.

 

[Eldragon]

I think starting as a rogue is an excellent idea.

Just a couple of ideas to think about:

You might not want to use a campaign setting at all. They have a lot of details that are easy to get caught up in, and many have too much of a focus on fantastic creatures, magic, etc. Just place your campaign in a medieval town of your own creation. You will be free to make as much stuff up as you want.

Sit down and come up with a name of the land, the town name, the mayor, the innkeeper, blacksmith, and shopkeeper. Have a list of fantasy names handy when you play. The herobuilder guidebook is excellent for new players and DMs alike.

Perhaps have a single, easily recognizable fantastic creature as the plot's main villain, like a goblin, or a level 2 sorcerer and call her a witch.

A simple plot like the Mayor hires the main PC (the rogue) to investigate the disappearance of a villager is all you need.

A simple plot in a simple setting keeps the game simple for both you and the player. As you gain experience in DMing, and the lucky gal seems the enjoy the game, only then expand your setting with campaign books. You can use the simple village above with any campaign book.

 

[Dirt]

I wouldn't be so adverse to including fantasy creatures and magic - it's the element of the fantastical that draws people to that genre. Look at some of the films/books that you are citing as your girlfriend's interests - Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings both focus on that.

What I WOULD avoid doing is inundating the story with the mechanics/stats of creatures and spells. Introduce fantastical elements, but don't let them weigh down the story. For an example, look at Tolkein. If The Hobbit or the Lord of the Rings trilogy were written like Simarillion, it wouldn't have been terribly engaging.

Create broad, sweeping fantasy landscapes! If you need to, steal some descriptions from other fantasy novels.

Describe the effect of spells, rather than just plainly stating that a magic missile spell goes off.

Remember - this is her first time playing, so most of these concepts will be new to her. Approach it from that perspective when making characters, descriptions, and plots.

 

[Angcuru]

'Tis no problem you have there, Neg. 'Tis a gift.

Run a few single-PC sessions putting her up with some NPCs, possibly, and send her of on a quest to solve the mystery of some Noble's illness. A bit classic, but a good way to get started, and an alliance with said Noble could lead to good opportunities for plots.

 

[Centaur]

A couple of the ladies that are involved in our group got started jsut by comming to the gamming sesions and watching for a while. Once they got a feel for how things went, they asked to join in.

I know it's not what you were looking for, but it is something that might help her.

 

[neg]

Yeah, I am thinking of some basic "Fed Ex" quests and maybe something a little bit more tricky to start. Having read through a similar post that was linked earlier by Douane (thanks!), I think I will go with the Red Box basic edition and give her the feel of the game that way. If she takes a liking to it, we can start on the 3.5 stuff when it is available.

Woodelf, you were absolutley right about Shattered Peace (by Atlas Games). I found a copy at a comic book shop that was going out of business (50% off to boot!), and I had to pick it up. This will be right up her alley if she decides that the game is for her. The combination of political intrigue, role-playing, racial tension, and the de-emphasis of combat will work well. Heck I wish I was playing in it! If anyone sees it, take a look, very cool.

Sam, good advice on the blank notepad for later rule checks. Consider that taken. I will keep my eye out for the Wyvern Claw product as well.

Eldragon, all good plot points, and with Shattered Peace in my pocket, I have a place to start from.

I agree Fathead, I will have to snap out of the rut of saying the fireball does 29 points of damage, okay who attacks next? It needs to be more dramatic and dynamic.

Centaur, She has actually suggested I start hosting some of the games at our place, so she will eventually hear something at somepoint, so I can gage her reactions then.

And yes, she is a gift. Thanks for the advice. I have a nice few pages worth of notes as a result. Keep them coming.

-neg

 

[Praeco]

I've started a similar game with my fiance recently, and found it was really helpful to let her give you some ideas.

If you're stuck on a name, or a villain concept, or a location, let her help build it. If she throws some idea out on the fly, incorporate it into the game. Since you are not trying to please an entire group, it's really easy to tailor the stories to the individual's tastes. Plus it becomes more of a shared storytelling experience. I've done this in the middle of the game - I need a family member for her to interact with, she defines the personality, and I role-play that personality. The decisions that the NPC makes are still mine, but the tone of the character is partially her idea.

 

[Rel]

From the way you describe what you think she would like and not like, I think your Freeport idea would be good. Our group just got done with the first 3 Freeport modules and had a lot of fun with them.

You'll have to do plenty of adjusting on the encounters to tone them down for one player, but the module has built in "Clerical Support" for things like healing and such. A lone Rogue could prosper in that environment.

You mention that you are a novice DM but don't let that bother you. Only one person will be there to see you screw up and she likes you a lot already. Just relax and try and keep focused on what will make the game fun for her.

The great thing about one on one games is that you don't need to worry about balance between players. If you give her a cool magic item or spend an hour of game time with her character haggling with a weapon merchant, there's nobody else there to be jealous.

Hope you have fun.

 

[woodelf]

Pity me only in the sense that I can't DM and I could use a crash course, not on my social situation. Plus she is afraid to fly, sorry Agback.

[snip]

Woodelf, I saw the Dynasties book recently in FLGS. Didn't actually page through it, but I will take another look see as it has suddenly become relevant. And I am all about spending money to make it easier. Shattered Peace does sound interesting, and that is the first I have heard of it. I will check it out.

[snip]

Thanks and keep the ideas coming. Any adventures I can steal from or use completely?

Well, like i said, Shattered Peace is the *perfect* adventure--but i see now that you already know that. ;-)

For some reviews of Dynasties & Demagogues (which should have the Gming advice you need for this style of game, if Shattered Peace lets you down):

<http://www.rpg.net/reviews/archive/9/9340.phtml>
<http://www.rpg.net/reviews/archive/9/9345.phtml>
<http://www.enworld.org/reviews/index.php?sub=yes&where=currentprod&which=DaD>

I can't find any reviews of Shattered Peace, which seems sort of bizarre--i'm pretty certain i first heard about it by reading a review.

'Course, it'd probably help if i was looking for "Splintered Peace", since that's the actual name of the product. Doh! ...However, still no luck.

Anyway, here're the official websites for each, which have not only the obligatory product blurbs, but sample or extra content for download:

Dynasties: <http://www.atlas-games.com/product_tables/AG3220.html>
Splintered Peace:
<http://www.atlas-games.com/product_tables/AG3217.html>

Oh, and i know i'm pimpin' pretty hard here. Just so you know, i have no connection with Atlas Games other than being a pleased customer for more than a decade now. I'm just taking this opportunity to shout and wave about some of their stuff since it's relevant, and i think their Penumbra line hasn't gotten the exposure it deserves (compared to other D20 publishers/lines)--it is, IMHO, universally good, and almost-universally great.

Oh, crash course in GMing: Robin's Laws of Good Gamemastering. Published by SJG, but doesn't have any system-specific content. And it'll set you back a grand total of $7, IIRC. Captures more good GMing advice in a few dozen pages than several larger books put together. OTOH, if you want the larger books, you could try and track down The Dungeon Master's Design Kit (AD&D1, i think), or The Complete Villains Handbook (AD&D2), both of which are better than anything WotC's put out in that regard. I *really* recommend the Over the Edge Players' Survival Guide, too, for new players. Single best "how to be a player" resource i've ever read, and while it's intended for Over the Edge, i find most of the advice useful for pretty much any system (probably because the OtE system is so freeform and narrative). Not everyone (OtE fans included) agrees with me, but i give it to all my new players, and still pull it out when i'm looking for inspiration as a player.

Oh, wait, i'm going to contradict myself: Uncle Figgy's Guides [nearly forgot about them] may be the best single source of GMing and playing advice i've run across. Go here: <http://members.aol.com/dwcope/guides.htm> and read them. Though, actually, if you have the money, i'd still get Robin's Laws.


Finally, you might want to think about picking up a couple of the Citybooks, from Flying Buffalo. Full of personalities and capsule settings (mostly businesses) that you can drop into any system. Each establishment takes the form of a detailed description of the place, the associated NPCs, and several plot ideas. And most of the NPCs provide several more plot hooks, if you want. I found Port o' Call and On the Road a little bit weak, but none of them are less than good. [oh, for those of you that worry about these sorts of things, they're not D20, being generic instead, so you'll have to stat characters up yourself--but they give good guidelines, so it shouldn't be much effort to slap the right D20 numbers onto them, as needed.]