On Being A Game Master: Saying Yes

I'm very grateful that my store's Adventurer's League for DnD 5th Edition is growing.  We've moved from 1 table to 3 in a fairly short period of time.

While I was enjoying playing in Ben B.'s game, the third table was a group of excited player's who were new to the hobby and I felt like I should be the one to guide them into our hobby.

I'm not trying to be vainglorious, it simply seemed that part of my job was to be the guy to introduce them to DnD.

A shortage of DM's was also a factor :)

Since I didn't have much time to prepare a session and I'm not terribly fond of Hoard of the Dragon Queen, we simply made characters.

At the end of character creation, I was overjoyed to see that every player had a name and goal for their PC.

One of player's goals was to find a light saber so that he could defeat the necromancer who killed his brother.  A purple light saber, in fact.

We all laughed and I pointed out he really wanted a magic sword and the player happily accepted this, as we were "playing DnD, not Star Wars."

Except we are playing DnD and why can't there be light sabers?  This occurred to me on the drive home.  I meant no disrespect at my earlier answer to the player, but why couldn't he get a light saber?
How would that break the game?

I'm an experienced enough DM that I don't mind saying "yes" to something and seeing where it goes. I'm philosophically geared to the game being about the players, especially if those players are brand new.

There is no need to filter my preconceived notions about what fantasy is in a game with trolls, vorpal swords, and Tiamat.

In short, the game isn't about me, its about my players.  Wether you call them wizards or jedi, its all just magic.

And in thinking about how that player could could get a light saber, I realized that his nemesis, the necromancer, could in fact be a Dark Lord of the Sith...

Cross Planes Drifter: Gunslinger for D&D 5th Edition

GUNSLINGER                                                                                         Medium humanoid (human), neutral                                       ________________________________________________

Armor Class 15 (leather armor)
Hit Points 60 (10d8 + 10) 

Speed 30 ft.
________________________________________________

   Str            Dex         Con           Int         Wis         Cha
12 (+1)     16 (+3)     13 (+1)     10 (+0)    15 (+2)     11 (+0)

________________________________________________

Saving Throws Dex +5, Wis +4
Skills Athletics +5, Perception +5

Tools Land Vehicle (Horse)
Senses passive Perception 12

Languages Any 2
Challenge 2 (450 XP)

________________________________________________

ACTIONS

________________________________________________

Multiattack. The gunslinger makes three ranged attacks with its revolver or one with its knife.

Revolver. Ranged Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, range 60/120 ft., one target. Hit: 10 (2d6 + 3) piercing damage. 

Knife. Melee Attack: +5 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 6 (1d4 + 3) piercing damage. 

On Being a Game Master: No Drama

Drama is something that has rocked my gaming groups for most of the twenty plus years I've been in the hobby.  As I've admitted in earlier posts, I'm at least 50% of any conflict or drama resulting from conflict that I've been apart of.

But, I've made concerted efforts to avoid drama both in my life and in my gaming life over the last decade.  Taking a sabbatical from gaming was a great first step in trying to reach this point in my life and I've worked diligently to avoid falling into old patterns.

Recently, a player in several of our group's games began a new romance.  And then he, well found a second romance.  Everyone's an adult, no one's married, its his life.  We noticed he was making excuses, constant excuses about showing up.  The group did a good job of letting him know they understood, but they missed him when he returned for a session and introduced us to one of his interests, who was welcomed at the table.

The following week, I sent out our reminder and he replied he was busy.  I asked if maybe he wanted to take a break and he said that he did because, "(he) felt bullied by two of the players because they made me feel guilty for not showing up."

I was there, no bullying occurred, it was obvious this player was looking to take a break, but maybe didn't no how.  So we talked honestly, and I think we both felt better.  I think he understood the group was trying to be supportive but not clingy.

The old me would have mishandled this, I freely admit it.  I would have missed that he needed help communicating his turmoil and would have been offended at his tactic.

The new me basically said take some time away and enjoy your new romances.  It's okay to do that, and you don't have to make excuses.

The old me would have burned that bridge.

The new me hopes my friend is enjoying himself and wishes him well, wherever that takes him.

The point is, sometimes you have a group and sometimes you don't, but no gaming is better than toxic gaming.  And there isn't a single conflict I've had over my beloved hobby that was ever worth it.

Sometimes you need to take break.  Give yourself permission.

Hard Times In Jarlsburg: Fall of the House of Dwyer?

The Hard Times is Jarlsburg's premier source of news (not necessarily truth) and routinely outsells it's competitor, The Cryer.

Extra!

Extra!

Just as House of Dwyer reals from yet more scandal due to the Bruth's eldest son, Kieron, this reporter is investigating reports that an unknown assailant has somehow entered into the Dwyer Suite at the Imperial Hotel and that both Kireon and his uncle Darius have been murdered!

An anonymous source has confirmed that Bruth was so angry over his son's over the involvement in the death of Tibido Hammerstone, Ambassador to Iron Hall, that he had his youngest brother Darius and a crack security team to keep round the clock watch on the Dwyer heir.

Word has come to me that at least two members of the Prime Minister's new Special Task Force on Cult Activity interviewed Kireon either prior to or during the assailant's attack.

While, the security detail were not injured, I am following up reports that one of their number had to be escorted out due to "something unnatural, something not right, something out of a nightmare", according to Yuber Yatos on staff with the Imperial Hotel.

No members of the Task Force could be reached for comment and House Dwyer is not being even remotely cooperative.

More as the story develops.

Pathos Gibraltar, Council Reporter
Evening Edition on the 1st Day of Jary in the Second Hundred and Twenty Second Year of Thronehold

Going Ape!

With the dawn of a New Year, I've been contemplating flexing my world building muscles.  While I love Jarlsburg as a setting (including the neighboring Duchy of St. Cuthbert), I'm contemplating a larger area to work within.

One of the first ideas I've been toying with the idea of replacing orcs with intelligent apes.

From there...well, I'm still figuring that out, including wether the apes are the classic version or the newer version.

I'm trying to decide if the apes are merely replacements for orcs or if I take a page from the Planet of the Apes series and have their civilization be dominant and the humans of the setting merely trying to survive...taking an additional cue from Points of Light theme.

Here is a link to a Intelligent Chimpanzee I worked up back in July.

More soon.

Happy New Year Everyone!

I hope that 2014 was a good year for you and yours.

More importantly, I wish you nothing but the best for 2015!

And hope you get to play more games!!

Looking Forward to 2015

So another year draws near.

With my oldest returning from Orlando, FL we should be getting back to nearly weekly board gaming.  I'm anxious to try FFG's Imperal Assault.

I'm hoping my second youngest daughter's DnD will get a second session and am trying to work that out right now.

I'm looking forward to playing in Ben B.'s game with my son.

I'm anxiously awaiting Star Wars: The Force Awakens.  Hopefully, I'm not being suckered again.

Other movies include Kingsman, Avengers 2, and Ant-Man.

Gaming has me looking forward to Robert J. Schwalb's Kickstarter for Shadow of the Demon Lord.

Princes of the Apocalypse for DnD 5th Edition seems to hold some Elemental Evilness and that always gets me going.

I'm we're lucky, 2015 will be filled with fun, good health, family and wonder.