RPGaDAY 2016, Part II

As August ends, it is time for me to collect my answers from RPGaDay into a few massive posts.

RPGaDay is a month-long celebration of gaming via a series of questions about our gaming habits, stories and ideas. This week I'll present the second half of the month's questions (the 17th through the 31st).

August 17: What fictional character would best fit in your group? Why?

Okay I'm officially at a loss here. You might as well ask who of the 7 strangers billion people in the world you would like in your group (which applies to the previous day's question as well).

So I'm ignoring the question and focusing on the why. In other words what makes a person (fictional or not) a good fit for my group. A desire to roleplay as opposed to play a game, an interest in collaborating in story and world building, and the ability to give in to allow other players to enjoy the game as well.

Bonus question: How does your group like to start a session?

A bit of chit-chat and catching up on each others lives. Roleplaying is partially a social activity for us.

August 18: What innovation could RPG groups gain the most benefit from?

What I most want is a method to easily handle cards/bennies/aspects and the like in video chats. Something that is functionally a simple as writing a note on a post-it but which my players will be aware of during and between sessions.

August 19: What is the best way to learn a new game?

I believe in the easing people through the process. I teach them enough early on to create a character (likely with help from a more experienced player or the gamemaster). Then the first session introduces them a simple combat, some skill rolls, and whatever the main subsystems are. Later they explore the explore the more complicated rules as they become familiar with the larger game. Along the way, I allow them to adjust their character as their understanding grows.

August 20: What is the most challenging but rewarding system have you learned?

There are only a few games I have found challenging to learn and most of those were not rewarding (generally being hard to learn because they were poorly written). Fate is perhaps the biggest exception, not because it was poorly written (in fact the opposite) but because it was the most different from the other games I play and that difference was hard to wrap my brain around (I also had a lot of bad gamemaster experiences when I tried the game at conventions). Those difference of course are what make it rewarding, at least in terms of expanding my imagination of what is possible.

Microscope is a runner up for the same reasons.

August 21: What was the funniest misinterpretation of a game rule in your group?

In my early roleplaying days, I played the FASA Starwars system. Our group interpreted the rules that if a skill wasn't on your sheet that you couldn't attempt it. None of us had skill with the ship communicators which caused us to imagine our characters as primitive Ewoks poking at the controls with sticks.

August 22: What are some random events in your games that keep happening?

I don't do random. I've had no random monsters since high school, no random treasure in a decade, and no random tables ever.

The one random thing that does seem to come up often was in my recent Nights Black Agents game where players would consistently spend points so they could only failed on a 1 (and could easily spend more to avoid failure altogether). Then they proceeded to roll a 1.

August 23: Share one of your best 'Worst Luck' stories.

The ones that come to mind all involve my otherwise super competent characters getting trapped in a pit.

Story #1: While exploring a trap filled dungeon, my cleric became separated from the rest of the party. She pressed forward and tripped a clever pit trap. Essentially part of the wall fell outward while the floor fell up to replace it. And my armor bound cleric tumbled into a large chamber just below the main dungeon. A few feet of water cushioned her fall. She wasn't going to drown but she also couldn't climb out or break open the pit's roof from the inside. So she could only wait and call for help while hypothermia set in.

Story #2: While exploring a demiplane consisting purely of dungeon, my movement expert Fighter/Rogue was roundly rocking it. The direction of gravity would switch randomly as one traversed the corridors (so that you might suddenly find the tunnel you turned into was actually a pit). So he was scaling the floor, presuming that things might change at any moment (plus he had a monk-like slow fall ability). This worked well until we hit the water level (i.e. floor, ceiling, and walls were all made of water). He went exploring on his own and 'fell' into a pit. He was a good swimmer but swimming up a waterfall was beyond him. Luckily a random magical effect had granted him a bat familiar so he sent it off to get help.

August 24: What is the game you are most likely to give to others as a gift?

Depends on the person. In general, I'd probably give people something I think would expand their definition of gaming, something like Microscope.

August 25: What makes for a good character?

For me personally I need a central question, a pair of dramatic poles in Hillfolk terminology. Will the character choose to maintain their humanity or pursue magic? Remain a passive tool or seize their destiny? Become a destroyer or a creator? That tension then keeps the story exciting to me regardless of what else happens.

As a gamemaster, I like to see characters with depth (like the poles above) and connections to other characters and the setting. Motivation is key, both to serve as a tool to propel them forward and to encourage them to surprise me.

August 26: What hobbies go well with RPGs?

Most hobbies have some benefit in gaming if only in the expertise you can bring to the table. Hikers know about nature, movie buffs bring their knowledge of cinematic stories, and so on. The best ones involve consumption and creation of media: movies, books, television, etc. We are making stories and knowing stories helps with that.

August 27: Describe the most unusual circumstance or location in which you have gamed.

The oddest was probably roleplaying with my friend Mike while he was driving. The game wasn't odd, just a bit of character banter and between session planning. But doing it on the move was certainly odd.

The runner up would be a game of Fiasco that I played at Starbucks on a very small table with no prep.

August 28: What film or novel would you be most surprised that a friend had not seen or read?

I've had friends who never saw Star Wars so there is nothing that would surprise me much.

Bonus question: What is your preferred method of character improvement and why?

I'd say point buy in general with experience gained from propelling the game forward (via goals, roleplaying, and accepting interesting failures). It lets me evolve them the way I like.

Sometime however, I'd like to try a game with a robust (or at least generous) system for advancing/gaining what you accomplish in a story.

August 29: If you could host a game anywhere on Earth, where would that be?

If travel wasn't an issue, I'd run a game back on Long Island for my friends.

If the point is the location then I'd probably run a horror game in some nice creepy mansion somewhere like the Hearst Castle.

August 30: Describe the ideal game room if your budget were unlimited.

My ideal game room is fairly close to what I hope to have next year:

Walls of books surrounding a large gaming table that can be used for dining or miniatures (using an inset space to keep maps and game positions safe between sessions). I'd have a sound system set up to feed ambient music through the room from all directions, controllable from my laptop. Lighting would be easily adjusted allowing the players to see their sheets but otherwise allowing me to keep light levels where I want for ambiance.

August 31: What is the best piece of advice you were ever given for your game of choice?

I don't really have a game of choice but I think some Apocalypse World advice is pretty spot on: Play to See What Happens!