RPGaDAY 2018: Day 8...How Can We Get More People Playing?

I'll quickly address today's prompt, "How Can We Get More People Playing?" by first saying that most of the companies today are doing exactly what they need to do to get more eyes on the product. Some of the most well-funded KickStarter projects are in the RPG genre. Both Wizards of the Coast and Paizo have made their products easily accessible both by posting free, simplified rules online and by publishing "beginner version" sets for what are the best selling RPGs in the United States. In general, from the launch of Dungeons and Dragons 5E, there has been a resurgence in gaming--this has extended to board games as well as traditional table top RPGs. The media--as much as I hate them as a card carrying deplorable ;) -- has been kind to RPGs for the most part in recent years with celebrity players such as Vinn Diesel and Stephen Colbert making their love for the genre known, and of course shows like Stranger Things--and earlier examples like Community and The Big Bang Theory--reaching more people--potential players--in a single episode than the entire marketing department for most game companies. Also, the advent of virtual table-tops like Roll*20, streaming campaigns like Critical Role and the synergy from video games such has grown the pool of potential players. I think the popularity of streaming games is responsible for removing much of the "mystique" that has always surrounded the hobby. When someone sees regular guys...and even girls?!...just like them playing and enjoying gaming, they'll most likely want to give it a shot. It doesn't look too difficult or scary.  As I mentioned in an earlier entry, today, I get to run Cyberpunk 2020--a game with its origins in 1990--largely because of interest in the upcoming video game, other groups streaming sample playthroughs, and having a place like Roll*20 to run the game. In summary, it's a great time to be a gamer.

What can WE do then to keep this potential audience and transition them from being curious in playing or observing a one-shot to being a full-fledged lifetime member of the gaming hobby? A few tips:

1.  If you have the time to run a game...do it! Too often we'll complain that there aren't any games to join, but nobody wants the big chair. As a teen, I ran some games for my younger brother and one of his friends, but after that I didn't GM for years. In my defense, opportunities even to play were few and far between, but nevertheless, I am guilty of being a player exclusively from age 18 until age 39. Now that we have Roll*20 and other services, there isn't any excuse. If we want the hobby to grow and even survive, those of us with experience should be running for the greenhorns.
2. Be patient, open and welcoming: Not everyone coming in will have the same experiences that you do. Watching a playthrough won't answer all of the new player's questions nor show them proper gaming etiquette. At least give them a chance to get their legs under them before kicking them from the table. It was a bigger problem back in my day, but, for example, if you have a female member of the opposite sex at your table, and she thinks its a good idea to talk with the dragon instead of run from and/or try to kill it, then let her try. She's bringing a different perspective to your game.  I only say this because a lot of the time--especially in the old days--the very basement dwelling geeks who should have been welcoming any girl they were lucky enough to get at the table,  would instead run them off and keep it a "boys only" hobby. I'm sure no tree-hugging, soyboy hipster, but diversity at the table is a good thing. It also keeps me from having to play female characters all the time. 
3. Participate in the wider community: Attend the cons, support the products and participate in things like RPGaDay or possibly even stream or post video of one of your own games...and it should go without saying that you should try to recruit your family members and friends as gamers, but sometimes that's easier said than done. Be careful of recruiting coworkers as some may still view RPGs as a tool of Satan and come at you with a torch and pitchfork. 

To wrap up, I am a partcipant in many nerdy hobbies and for me, playing RPGs is the most satisfying. Unfortunately, even with all the resources that are available to the initiate these days, RPGs are still kind of hard to get into without a helping hand from an experienced RPG aficionado. I think this is almost essential to gaining a new, long-term player, and it's where we can help grow the hobby. I'm not one who's going to specifically sell anyone's book, product or game system--except if it's Ryuutama, because it's so cool--but the activity itself is worth preserving and proselytizing for.

  

RPG a DAY 2018: Day 7...How Can a GM Make the Stakes Important?

If you're playing in a setting like Ravenloft, Worlds of Darkness or really any game with vampires you should give the stakes a bonus to damage and make them hard to get. Maybe they need to be blessed or made from a special type of rare wood...oh, not those kind of stakes...

How can the GM make the other kind of stakes important? The players have to have some "skin in the game" as our IRL saying goes. The epic story that you've written or the awesome module--do we still cal them that?--that you have found and want to run may have plots and villainous schemes with universal implications for your entire campaign world...But: What does a pirate care about that? He wants treasure, rum and a lady....What does a punk street urchin care about the big corporate war? She's already living at rock bottom and just wants her next fix and to survive another day...No matter how good of a job Jeremy Irons does at chewing the scenery, what does a barbarian half-orc care about warring factions of mages fighting among themselves to see who can control badly animated CGI dragons? Even if your story is actually good and had less Wayanses in it, this half-orc only cares about what's in front of him. He's not on real good terms with any of the political powers that be and couldn't care less which side won.

How can you make the players care about the epic badness going on? It has to affect them on a personal level. Have the self-righteous mayor impound the pirate's ship and close all brothels and taverns. Show the unfair, overly harsh treatment for criminals caught smuggling. Have the greater of the two evil corporations start cleaning up the streets of undesirables...by disposing of the "dregs" of society with extreme measures. Once some of her contacts are dead or these street sweepers come after her, then she'll have a reason to care. Maybe corporation X sucks, but at least they aren't lacing drugs with cyanide. As for the half-orc, maybe the only village that ever showed him any kindness is burned to the ground by that bald headed guy with the blue lipstick. Very few people can live their lives in a complete vacuum, even a savage, barbarian half-orc may have people he cares about...and if those people are taken away, then he'll be going on the warpath even if it means a trip to the big city.

Obviously, there are limitless ways that the GM can get the players to say, "This time it's personal", and that's really all you want. Find out what the PCs hold as important and then threaten that or take it away. Once they're motivated, you can then go into all those awesome details that you wrote or read that were so cool in the first place. 

RPG a Day 2018: Day 6...How Can Players Make a World Seem Real

For Day 6 and Week #2 the theme is 'How' and today's prompt is 'How Can Players Make a World Seem Real"

The biggest things are to show up consistently and be prepared to play.

Some of the potentially worst sessions are when a character suddenly has to go catatonic for a session because their player couldn't make it. Of course, we live in the real world and most of us have responsibilities in one way or another but when a character is a major part of the story and the player is hit and miss with showing up, it makes it hard to involve her center stage. When playing a more realistic game--such as I am now with Cyberpunk 2020--there isn't a spell or device that lets the missing character join up with the rest of the party out of nowhere. Sometimes the party may be split up by hours of travel. The alternatives are to bring the character in from the start and let them sit there like a mannequin, run the character as another NPC or to let a different player take over for the session. None of these are good options and the PC loses their "voice" in one way or another no matter how it's handled.

In my most recent case, I had to move on with a "main" story plot twist although much of it involved a missing player as I had already side-quested the group and had them spinning their wheels for the past two or three sessions. I'll write the whole frustrating scenario--week X the player is present and the wheels of the plot twist are in motion, week X2 player couldn't make it so the group got roped into a side quest, week X3 player makes the session and rejoins the group as they (nearly) complete the side quest, and week X4 player is missing again doesn't participate in the finish of side-quest and I wasn't about to rope the group into another, so I took over the character and presented the plot twist without the player.

Also, a player should be prepared to play. In my case, the campaign is on Roll*20 and I write a weekly recap in the forums. Players should at least try to give that a read even if they're not up on all the lore of the system setting. Players should certainly know what their own characters can do even if they aren't aware of the abilities of their friends. At least one of the players should make note of group money, equipment and contacts. Those contacts start getting too numerous and I'm thinking of making a document to list them all, but that's on me. The bottom line is that after the first few sessions, a player should at least know what his character can do, and be prepared to act on his/her turn so that things move at a decent pace. Keeping focused on the game also helps with that. If it's a live table, the TV and smart phones should definitely be put to the side. We are either there to play or we're not.

It might look like I'd be a hard person to play with, but the opposite is true. I'm laid back as a GM and player. Side conversations, stopping for snacks and drinks and making jokes are all a part of the fun of playing RPGs. If we have to look up a rule or if GM or Player forgets plot points, it's not a big deal really, but the world will be a lot more engaging and realistic if everyone tries to show up and pay attention when they are there.  

RPG a DAY 2018: Day 5...Favorite Recurring NPC

The hits keep coming. It won't be a short one today as I talk about a favorite recurring NPC. I talked about one of my own creations yesterday, so today I'll talk about a favorite from a campaign wherein I was a player instead of the GM and one made by the professionals over at John Wick Presents.

One of the other guys was running the weekly live table D&D game when he created this one. It was a male halfling barkeep named, Spittle. He earned this name because of the special drink he served to patrons on the cheap. Every night whatever drink wasn't finished in the glasses and mugs went into a big barrel. On the rare occasion that a wine was tasted rather than drank...the spat out wine would find its way into the barrel as well. As there wasn't typically much ale left in the tankards at the end of a given night, well water and maybe left over soup or hogwash may have been added for consistency's sake. On the plus side those who could stomach it got drunk fast and it only cost 2 coppers a serving. Much money was made in side betting as to whether or not someone was stout enough to keep it down. Spittle was also able to get his hands on rare items that we needed from time to time and he even invented a device that when attached to a person's legs extended his height by a few feet. Unfortunately, it only worked on halflings. Weeks later in a different town we found another 'Spittle's Tavern' that was run by a kobold...We weren't exactly pleased to learn that this location also carried the drink special.

The other favorite recurring NPC comes from the 7th Sea 2nd edition by John Wick Presents. that came out back in 2016. As previously mentioned I ran a Roll 20 Campaign from October of that year all the way until May of 2017. That campaign fell apart before this villain got her proper comeuppance, but that happens sometimes.

Her Name is Lotje Abbing. I'm going to paste a summary of  her story for you, and tell you a little about playing 7thSea.

The game takes place in the age of pirates on an alternate world with nations and events that mirror our real history. However, there is also magic and quite a few monsters. Lotje Abbing is from Eisen the systems version of Germany--but it's like Germany by way of Ravenloft.

History:
"Lotje Abbing was born during the War of the Cross to a minor noble family with extensive forested lands at the feet of the Drachenberg Mountains. She was raised strictly and indoctrinated into the family tradition of hunting the bandits and monsters that threatened the family lands.

As a young girl, Lotje savored the hunt. After fighting in the War, and mastering the versatile Drexel
zweihänder style, it became more important for her to not simply catch and slay her quarry. Instead, her enemy had to know he was beaten when she delivered the death stroke. She realized humans, more than any other creature, were able to appreciate their doom with exquisite clarity.

The War killed all her family save her twin brother, Lothar. Inseparable, the two kept each other alive
through all the horrors that beset Eisen, and they returned home set on rebuilding. Lothar assumed
the lordship, and assumed Lotje would support him.

Instead, she arranged a Grand Hunt in his honor, releasing a majestic stag, and while he celebrated over the body of the stag, she shot Lothar and took his head as a trophy.

Now Lotje’s home is a menagerie of pelts, taxidermy and trophies both exotic and ghastly. She has hunted all over Théah to bring its predatory marvels back for her enviable collection of the monstrously macabre.

Hidden from prying eyes, her private suites hold the mounted skulls of her human prey, with Lothar in pride of place. Someone who proves their dedication to the hunt, convincing her they are her equal—without being a threat—could get quite the tour of this collection, and solve many unexplained murders.

Despite her bloodthirsty tastes, Lotje is fiercely protective of the Bauern on her lands. While punishment for crimes is becoming the prey in one of Lotje’s hunts, the Bauern who follow their obligations to their lady are treated with grim respect.

Though neighboring lands still suffer hardship, and frequent missing persons in the forest, she and her huntsmen bring back enough meat to keep her own people surprisingly well fed.In return for this safety, her baueren report to her any vagrants, foreigners or other strangers that pass through.

Some are invited to stay, and some are even seen again. Her public reputation has been maintained
with care, and an invitation to her estate to hunt is still considered a treat by many (subjects), despite
the occasional unfortunate accident." (John Wick Presents: 7th Sea: Heroes and Villains pg. 164)

I don't know if I remember how to do that correctly or not, but it's best to always give credit where it's due in as best as one can. Anyways, who wouldn't want to play as a villain like that? In this game the villains get schemes that they should try to complete to gain their own experience, but you know it's all about the heroes and I would have let her go down had my duelist player stuck around for the final confrontation...but alas, these young college girls let their education get in the way of gaming. Such is the fate of a poor, old GM.

RPG a Day 2018: Day 4...Most Memorable NPC

For Day 4 this year we're talking about the most memorable NPC. I never miss the chance to sing the praises of Ryuutama, and I'm not letting this one pass me by. This game--described as Miyazaki's Oregon Trail--is all about the journey and making it from point A to point B..you know the stuff we usually skip over in modern D&D. It originated in Japan where it is very popular--as is Tunnels and Trolls if you haven't heard--but that's not why you called. An indy group KickStarted English translation released a very sturdy and pleasing to look at core book with a couple of free online supplements. There is said to be another hard cover supplement to come--not group funded--but it seems to have slowed, and I'm not sure of the current status, but I'm always keeping my eyes peeled for any update I can get.

One of the most unique features of Ryuutama is that the GM has a character called a Ryuujin. This character has its own character sheet, abilities, and experience chart. Being an older guy, the Ryuujin reminded me a lot of the "Dungeon Master" character in the old D&D cartoon except depending on how you handle her, she can be more proactive. My Ryuujin was a female green dragon named KiraKira which was the Japanese word for Glitter--again if you're old, you may remember Glitter was the name of the pixie in the 80's cartoon, Kidd Video.

So, these Ryuujin can take many different forms. Their true form is a dragon. I made KiraKira to be a green dragon which is the most 'classic adventures' of the lot. You could choose Red, Blue, or Black who have their own unique focus. The Ryuujin have at least two other forms--the first can be anything mundane that the PCs interact with. KiraKira was an articulate pixie marionette with blue green hair. The second form is a horned-humanoid with wings--Kirakira was a girl with blue green eyes and hair. Her hair was long enough to cover the horns and she kept her wings as hidden as she could. The final form is a dragon of over ten meters long. As the Ryuujin continues to grow one of her powers is either to appear as a brand new character with no memory who joins the party or to possess and control a different NPC. KiraKira possessed a young archaeologist named Akiko who also had blue green hair.

In theory, I actually have never liked having a GM player character, but in fact, due to being short of players, I've had to run one or more several times. Ryuutama is the first game I've ever played that had one built into the rules. KiraKira was most memorable because I played as her from October 2016 up until May of 2017. She grew with the party and I was able to do session recaps, teach the players, and somewhat railroad them without railroading them as to how to continue the plot all through her eyes. She helped the party through the difficult journey portion of the game--which really is a lot like Oregon Trail and far more dangerous than the actual enemies--and eventually, once she possessed Akiko she was able to give more physical help. I ran with her up until the max level where even more abilities opened up. The party really seemed to like her. After what ended up being the most epic battle we would have in the campaign, I had her disappear to be replaced with a new Red Ryuujin, but that was around the time my players had problems making the sessions. I lost the plot, let KiraKira come back for one more blow-out dungeon crawl and then put the campaign on hiatus where it has since remained. She'll always be a memorable NPC for me.

P.S. In the Japanese rules I could always bring KiraKira back to lead a new party of adventurers but I should have a paper signed by all my players to confirm how many sessions we played. Now is that just cute or what? You can learn more about Ryuutama here:  http://kotohi.com/ryuutama/

 

I don't know which anime these drawings really come from, but they were all re-purposed to be KiraKira...and the last one is Akiko.


    

RPG A Day 2018: Day 3...What Gives a Game Staying Power?

What Gives a Game Staying Power?

Settings and systems that are still finding an audience with younger players some thirty or better years after their initial releases can be said to have staying power. I think if the game developer put their hearts and souls into the project then their game is likely to have it. For a game to have a long life, it should get support from the developers. That may be in the form of supplements, maps, or answering questions about errata. I am old enough to remember that even before the days of the internet that player feedback and developer interaction was a must for the games that stuck around.
We can look at editions in a positive light as continuing to refine and support a setting that people love by tweaking a game mechanic or feature that may feel dated in today's world.

What gives a game..as in my campaign...staying power? Finding players that are available to play consistently, and hopefully being able to give them something to do. At a live table as long as the friends are friends, there's more to game night than just the game, so if you're kind of slogging through a session, at least you get to see everyone and have fun. At the virtual table...a bad outing or two might be all it takes to breakup the group. There needs to be plenty of things to do, and each session needs to seem different enough to keep the game interesting. Your players also need to feel like they are growing: leveling up, learning a new ability or spell, finding a weapon, making an impact on the world and hopefully progressing through the story will be enough to keep them coming back for more.  

RPG A Day 2018: Day 2...What do you look for in an RPG?

What Do I Look For In An RPG?

From yesterday, what I love most about playing RPGs is the different interactions I have with people and the new friends I get to make through the games, so what am I looking for in an RPG? I want to find the ones that are likely to attract the most people. The more widely available a game is or the easier it is to explain to someone the more opportunities I have for actual play. A few recent examples of game choices I have made:

D&D 5E:   It's a fact that the granddaddy of them all is the most well-known RPG. D&D is synonymous with RPGs. Everyone knows about it. 5E happens to be a good system with enough materials to play with for free available legally online. For most this is a good starting point and it's easy to teach this version. I play in a weekly live table game scheduled with rotating DMs that has been going on for three plus years now. 

Cyberpunk 2020: I've been running this on Roll*20 since May of this year. Due to a pending video game, this classic system has had a recent surge in popularity. I thought I'd be able to find interested players, and I wasn't disappointed. It's not as easy to teach as 5E and tweaking is a bit of a necessity due to the oldskool brutality, but there are so many people chomping at the bit to play Cyberpunk. It's a good time for an experienced GM to meet and play with lots of people. 

Ryuutama: I ran this from October 2017 to May 2018 on Roll*20. Described as Miyazaki's Oregon Trail, its wholesome artwork in that style appealed to me right away. I looked for groups on Roll*20 and saw many potential players, but no active games. This one was hit and miss as a campaign. I had tons of people sign up to play, but very few actually showed up. I went for a "west marches" style in the beginning, but eventually let that go for the more traditional weekly game. In any case, my theory was strong with all those players, but the majority never came around.

7th Sea 2E: Up until recently, this was the most successful KickStarter campaign for an RPG in its history. I knew there would be lots of players and since it was a new game we'd all be starting at the same level. I ran a bit at my regular live table, but the most success came from my first Roll*20 campaign which ran from October 2016 to May 2017.

No matter how good a game may be, it's of no use if you can't find players. Choosing the most popular games will usually result in the greatest pool of players to choose from for your campaign.