Ashrem Bayle
Explorer
I want to talk about how role playing game in general are prepped for. Read any given D&D module, and you'll see the same basic format, a room number and what's in it. That's all well and good, but is there a better/different way?
I've been looking into GURPS, and taking the "thinking outside the box" train of thought, I got off on how RPGs adventures are typically put together, and then started thinking about how I wish there was a way to implement something like the PC/XBox360 game, Oblivion's, radiant AI into a pen-and-paper RPG. For a DM of 17 years, a different way of laying out the adventure is a welcome break from the norm.
Now obviously the advantage a computer has is that it can randomly generate thousands of possibilities in seconds, and you don't have that luxury at the gaming table. But what about a dumbed down version of it?
Here's what I came up with. It's essentially a random encounter table tied to each location in the "dungeon". For example:
This is tagged on a hallway. Simply put, the first time a character enters or looks into the hall, you roll 3d6 to determine if anyone of the Fort's inhabitants are in the hall, and who that person is. If it is an NPC they know to be located elsewhere, reroll or declare it empty. Same if that NPC is dead. (Apply common sense as needed)
For a room:
This simulates NPCs who are active and don't just sit in their assigned rooms waiting to be killed. Now obviously, and good GM is going to have his NPCs react in a realistic fashion to the sounds of battle down the hall or in an adjacent room, but I think this adds a level of realism when the PCs are trying to sneak into a location, and it helps the DM fairly determine who is where.
Thoughts? Do you have any ideas that would improve upon this system? As a DM, I think it's interesting to let the dice decide how the adventure will play out, removing some of the work, while allowing for more realistic and dynamic situations that wouldn't normally arise in your typical "structured" adventure.
I've been looking into GURPS, and taking the "thinking outside the box" train of thought, I got off on how RPGs adventures are typically put together, and then started thinking about how I wish there was a way to implement something like the PC/XBox360 game, Oblivion's, radiant AI into a pen-and-paper RPG. For a DM of 17 years, a different way of laying out the adventure is a welcome break from the norm.
Now obviously the advantage a computer has is that it can randomly generate thousands of possibilities in seconds, and you don't have that luxury at the gaming table. But what about a dumbed down version of it?
Here's what I came up with. It's essentially a random encounter table tied to each location in the "dungeon". For example:
Code:
Area A & B - Hallway
Check for encounter each time the hall is entered. Check again if characters leave the hall for five minutes and return. If characters stay in hall, check every three minutes. At night, check after an hour, or every thirty minutes.
Bandit Day / Night
Tannis 3 --
Joryn 4 --
Kallib 5 3
Remus 6 4
None 7-11 5-14
Farber 12-13 15
Severn 14-15 16
Aeman 16 17
Branson 17 18
-Roll Twice 18 --
This is tagged on a hallway. Simply put, the first time a character enters or looks into the hall, you roll 3d6 to determine if anyone of the Fort's inhabitants are in the hall, and who that person is. If it is an NPC they know to be located elsewhere, reroll or declare it empty. Same if that NPC is dead. (Apply common sense as needed)
For a room:
Code:
Area 9 - Training
Two standing training dummies, an archery target board, a rack full of lower quality swords, spears, axes, and maces.
Bandit Day / Night
Barnell -- 3
Dorrien -- 4
Tannis 3 --
Joryn 4 --
Kallib 5 --
Remus 6 --
None 7-9 5-11
Farber 10-11 12-13
Severn 12-13 14-15
Aeman 14 16
Branson 15 17
-Roll 1d3 times 16-18 18
This simulates NPCs who are active and don't just sit in their assigned rooms waiting to be killed. Now obviously, and good GM is going to have his NPCs react in a realistic fashion to the sounds of battle down the hall or in an adjacent room, but I think this adds a level of realism when the PCs are trying to sneak into a location, and it helps the DM fairly determine who is where.
Thoughts? Do you have any ideas that would improve upon this system? As a DM, I think it's interesting to let the dice decide how the adventure will play out, removing some of the work, while allowing for more realistic and dynamic situations that wouldn't normally arise in your typical "structured" adventure.
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