"Out of the Frying Pan" - Book II: Catching the Spark (Part One)

[handforged]

I too am worried about the spellcasters. Jana has little chance of gaining new spells anytime soon, and her gift gives her significant minuses whereas Ratchis, one of the more powerful characters anyway got a very useful item. If the players are happy I guess that it is ok, but it seems like the spellcasters do get slighted.

~hf

 

[Ciaran]

Sounds good to me. Myths arise for a reason, though. I wondered if they players didn't feel frustrated. That's why balance is something designers work for. So everyone has fun. But it's clear they're all having fun, and how could they not with you driving the bus?

It really is kind of frustrating to be so far behind the power curve, but I blame that as much on my choice of Evocation as my banned school as anything else. I was trying to curb my natural tendency towards power-gaming, without realizing that in Aquerra, there are only two types of adventurers: the min-maxed and the dead. ;-)

- Eric

 

[Nail]

Nem (and players), great story, and.....

Myths arise for a reason, though. I wondered if they players didn't feel frustrated. That's why balance is something designers work for. So everyone has fun.

It really is kind of frustrating to be so far behind the power curve....
[snip]
.....in Aquerra, there are only two types of adventurers: the min-maxed and the dead. ;-)

Agreed.

action=>result

-Nail

...and really => good story hour

 

[el-remmen]

On arcane spell-casters:

As this is the furtherest I have gone with a 3E group, my recent change as to how wizards gain new spells was precipitated by the realization that the rules I had for limiting wizard spell-power in 2E were too crippling in the latest addition - thus, now wizards get a chance to gain new spells outside of trading, buying, training or finding (which was the only way they could get them before).

As for witches - remember they are basically sorcerers - Jana has few spells - but she can cast them a buttload of times.

Also, she has had other chances to gain more and different spells - but the inopportune time/place she summoned the creature from the baby wolf skull totem led to her having to destroy it - and another token she might have gotten she has not seen yet - and she avoided the sneaky thing and did not try to steal/borrow one of the elves' token all the times she has been in Aze-Nuquerna (the elven enclave).

I am a firm believer in vreating opportunities as DM - and PCs can discover and take them or not. . . Sometimes they are good opportunities and sometimes they are bad. . . but they are there, none-the-less.

in Aquerra, there are only two types of adventurers: the min-maxed and the dead.

Come now, Eric. . . I doubt anyone in the whole party is "min-maxed" - in fact the last "min-maxed" character I could think of in Aquerra was an elven cavalier in a 2E game many years ago.

In terms of the party's magic items: Personally, I beleive everyone got somethin very useful. Martin can finally take some damage without dropping, Jana has a better chance of getting her spells thru, Jeremy has a magic weapon, Ratchis is a better position to do his reconn thing, and Kazrack has a holy dwarven item that covers a broad number of situations.

 

[KidCthulhu]

Also, she [Jana] has had other chances to gain more and different spells - but the inopportune time/place she summoned the creature from the baby wolf skull totem led to her having to destroy it - and another token she might have gotten she has not seen yet - and she avoided the sneaky thing and did not try to steal/borrow one of the elves' token all the times she has been in Aze-Nuquerna (the elven enclave).

I'm going to put my game designer hat on for just a minute. Are these tokens and powers that you want or need to give to Jana? Is this stuff she needs to have in order to continue to be a productive and surviving member of the campaign? If yes, then while I'm all for branching opportunity structure, you can't just put them in the world and if she doesn't find them, oh well.

That's like making computer game players hunt all the pixels in the room for the one key that will open the door later. If the player really needs the "Key" to make the game possible and fun, make sure they can find it, either by multiple opportunities, or by making it clear. Challenging, yes. But clear.

If they're just cool extras that would be fun for her, then fine, so she misses some of them.

Pardon the donning of the dreaded hat, but I wasn't clear from your statement what you meant.

 

[el-remmen]

I'm going to put my game designer hat on for just a minute. Are these tokens and powers that you want or need to give to Jana? Is this stuff she needs to have in order to continue to be a productive and surviving member of the campaign? If yes, then while I'm all for branching opportunity structure, you can't just put them in the world and if she doesn't find them, oh well.

That's like making computer game players hunt all the pixels in the room for the one key that will open the door later. If the player really needs the "Key" to make the game possible and fun, make sure they can find it, either by multiple opportunities, or by making it clear. Challenging, yes. But clear.

If they're just cool extras that would be fun for her, then fine, so she misses some of them.

Pardon the donning of the dreaded hat, but I wasn't clear from your statement what you meant.

Well, I respectfully disagree - kind of. These tokens are needed for her to learn new spells, but she has had multiple opportunities - now whether or not all these opportunities were "clear" is another thing entirely - but a player does have a certain amount of responsibility to actively seek out the things they need to prosper in their adventures - whether it be newer or better armor for fighter-types, material components and such for wizards or better tools and gagdets for rogues, etc. . .

In addition, she has the means of creating new tokens - but has not taken the time to make one (basically, a kind of item creation feat). . .

But I think I am very fair in providing the opportunities for advancement.

There have been three chances to get new tokens since the campaign started:

1) The Wolf Skull - She found it, but destroyed it.

2) I cannot say what it is or where it was found - but a series of unforeseen events led her to not seeing it - but it is not out of the realm of possibility that she could still get her hands on it.

3) The eight different tokens in Aze-Nuquerna.

In addition, witches gain the Brew Potions feat at first level - Martin found an alchemist's kit in the valise he was given by the King of Gothanius (that belonged to the warlock that worked with Markle & Co.), but he has not mentioned it to anyone - but she could use that to start supplementing her abilities as well.

 

[KidCthulhu]

Well, I respectfully disagree - kind of.

K. You're allowed to. Just curious, really.

 

[el-remmen]

Heh.

I hope I didn't come off as defensive. . . I am not really into rules "crunchiness", as I am into "flavor" and I use DMing and story-telling skill to make sure everything balances alright - and that everyone has fun.

You need a DM with a slow hand, you need a DM with an easy touch. . .

 

[KidCthulhu]

No defensiveness at all. You'd be entitled to it, what with me baiting you in your lair, wearing my designer hat.

And I hope I didn't come across as implying you are wrong. No such intention!

 

[Piratecat]

Edit - easier to email my other metagame questions!

Nem, as always , this story hour is just plain cool. I'm curious; how long after the games do you write your story hours? How much of a lag is there between the game and what we're reading?