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Hi all, just thinking it seems a little quiet around here at the moment. I am as guilty as anyone else of course, so here's a topic for discussion.

What are you playing/writing/creating currently?

Got bogged down, but actually Conspiracy Lives!

Currently a player in Cthulhu Dark Ages, I think it's a mini campaign titled Pagan Call, but don't quote me on that. It's a bit of a railroad but I'm enjoying it.

As GM running a 70s set Cthulhu campaign but using the MiniSix rules as they seemed a good fit for the pulpy tone I wanted.

Linden wrote:Currently a player in Cthulhu Dark Ages, I think it's a mini campaign titled Pagan Call, but don't quote me on that. It's a bit of a railroad but I'm enjoying it.

That's a great little campaign - although it was never quite finished (I have spoken with the author). To toot my own horn, I have previously written a CDA supplement to, IMHO, better represent the Dark Age feel here - http://www.unboundbook.org/?page_id=231 - although it's not 7th ed compliant...

Marcus

Marcus Bone wrote:
To toot my own horn, I have previously written a CDA supplement to, IMHO, better represent the Dark Age feel here - http://www.unboundbook.org/?page_id=231 - although it's not 7th ed compliant...

The GM assures me he's read it as part of his preparation for running the game. I've had a look through the main CDA rulebook and it's very nicely done. A shame there wasn't a bit more support for the setting.

Morthrai wrote:Hi all, just thinking it seems a little quiet around here at the moment. I am as guilty as anyone else of course, so here's a topic for discussion.

What are you playing/writing/creating currently?

The only real RPGing I'm doing at the moment is Dark Heresy 2nd ed via Skype. The plan had been to run a full campaign, but I think the general overload of rules (boy they've made a simple system very complex) is getting everyone down. As such something else might come out after the current adventure is over...

As for writing/creating? I maintain a blog covering all that over at http://marcuswritesstuff.blogspot.co.nz/. I update it weekly at the moment...

Linden wrote: The GM assures me he's read it as part of his preparation for running the game. I've had a look through the main CDA rulebook and it's very nicely done. A shame there wasn't a bit more support for the setting.

There is a second edition on the way (7th ed version) with Chad Bowser's excellent work on creating a 'home base' for the characters. However, yes it is a little short on support (which I really can't see changing )

I've written a few things for it, but nothing else worth publishing...

I am trying to revive my DC campaign and I prepare some more background and other stuff for it at the moment but it really goes slowly. As always, I'm reading a lot about giant rats.

Marcus Bone wrote: The only real RPGing I'm doing at the moment is Dark Heresy 2nd ed via Skype. The plan had been to run a full campaign, but I think the general overload of rules (boy they've made a simple system very complex) is getting everyone down.

I played in a Dark Heresy campaign a few years back. The GM got so fed up with the game system he knocked it on the head and flogged off all his books. It seemed to me the setting had some potential but the rules were just a rehash of WHFRP which was pretty clunky back in the eighties. They certainly haven't improved with age.

Zvezda wrote: As always, I'm reading a lot about giant rats.

I expect you've seen this one, but just in case…

http://www.bbc.co.uk/newsbeat/article/3 ... t-it-seems

May not be as big as first thought.

I am playing in a D&D 5e group at the moment. I will be taking a turn as GM soon, we'll be giving The Void a trial run (finally!)

I know some people don't approve of the sanity descriptions the publishers use, but it is a somewhat crunchier version of the Fate rules and that appeals to me and the fellows who played Fate with me previously.

If we like it, I have already stripped the setting from the rules set for use elsewhere, it will be easy to change settings with this one and a bunch of one-shot games/adventures are clamoring for release

Other than that, I have returned to college to learn a new trade. This is a pain in the ass but is necessary.

Well, I didn't manage a weekly topic BUT here's the next one - When running games, how much are you willing to bend things to favour the players? How far are you willing to deviate from your planned scenario if they start chasing something you intended to be merely a minor detail?

If it looks like the fun is about to leave, I try to have a couple of tools available to tip the balance, while being subtle. Usually "another minion hunter group", then a hook to get the PC's back to center stage.

I like to keep a few minor scenarios handy for those eventualities (when they go off on a tangent). Just enough to fill the remaining play time of a session, then I have plenty of time before the next play date to deal with the situation.

I do try to keep the scenarios at a bare bones level so they have a little more flexibility for on-the-fly application. Of course, a few feature length scenarios are also helpful. That is how my players first got mixed up with the Dwarf Gremlin subway meat-grinder

Morthrai wrote:Well, I didn't manage a weekly topic BUT here's the next one - When running games, how much are you willing to bend things to favour the players? How far are you willing to deviate from your planned scenario if they start chasing something you intended to be merely a minor detail?

I think it depends if the tangent is interesting/entertaining. If so I'll let them run with it. If not, I'll do something to nudge them back on track e.g. present them with a clue, have an NPC venture a suggestion. I try not to railroad them though. I don't like linear scenarios. Was a player in Bad Moon Rising a year or two back which is highly regarded in some quarters but I thought was dreadful. No autonomy for the players at all plus a climax featuring my pet hate "lots of reading from the book" by the GM/Keeper.

In regards to the question, "What are you playing/writing/creating currently?"

Playing: a friend's ShadowRun 5th ed. game
Writing: nothing, I'm having a long running battle with writer's block at the moment
Creating: I was running a D&D 5th ed. game, completed the adventure but it's on hold 'till further notice. One or two of the players have play styles that weren't very compatible with the rest of the group and also not particularly compatible with my sandbox-style of running games. It left me with little desire to continue a D&D campaign particularly when I would rather be running modern, near-future, post-apoc or conspiracy style games - I'm really jaded with fantasy rpgs at the moment and particularly the "power-gaming", "hack & slash" and "loot monkey" mentalities they encourage.

In regards to the question, "When running games, how much are you willing to bend things to favour the players? How far are you willing to deviate from your planned scenario if they start chasing something you intended to be merely a minor detail?"

Favour the players: a "reasonable" amount, I favour a maxim I borrowed from a friend (also a gamer) - no restrictions, only consequences. I'm entirely willing to let them do whatever they want, as long as they are prepared to pay the price for their actions - if they do something illegal, the law will be paying a lot more attention to them, if they do something stupid and get injured, break gear etc. etc., they have to suffer the consequences of doing something they should not have.
If they're playing well and enjoying the game, I'm happy to do some minor alterations to harsh results so they don't get bashed too badly - I'm not a GM who believes in the idea of a total party kill. If they do something stupid and get killed then too bad for them but if they just get stuck with some bad luck, I'm not too keen to kill/injure PCs. If a player is just having a "dumb" moment, I'm willing to forgive & forget but if they willfully pursue a bad and/or stupid course of action, I have no guilt for showing no mercy.

Willing to deviate: a hell of a lot more than I used to but along the lines of what others have said, e.g. Linden mentioned letting them wander off but then nudging them back on course.
I'm not willing to discard an adventure that they have been contracted for just because they decided to wander off and pursue something else. However if the adventure was one they had initiated or it was open-ended then I'm willing to let them wander a bit further before trying to re-establish the original adventure.