EdOWar
Level 5 Thaumaturgist
Posts: 315
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Post by EdOWar on Dec 14, 2009 17:16:16 GMT -6
These one page maps are cool! What program are you using to make the maps themselves?
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Post by howandwhy99 on Dec 14, 2009 22:32:37 GMT -6
I don't believe improvisation is what a Referee does. ever. They follow the rules. Players aren't really engaged in improvising either, but their actions certainly aren't scripted, so they are authoring their own actions. I've found one page games to be useful for Freeform gaming, but not for serious games where the pleasure had is not in the story created or "let's just say this cool things happens". I prefer RPGs were strategy is essential and every action matters.
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Post by geordie on Dec 15, 2009 1:12:01 GMT -6
These one page maps are cool! What program are you using to make the maps themselves? I used Chgowiz's Wilderness Templates, putting the Hexmap in Paint to edit and draw stuff, cut and pasting Coffee's map key.
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Post by geordie on Dec 15, 2009 1:30:42 GMT -6
I've found one page games to be useful for Freeform gaming, but not for serious games. Two pages, then ? IMHO Refereeing is being in a dialogue with the rules, testing each other out. It's a dance and I'm gonna lead.
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eris
Level 4 Theurgist
Posts: 161
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Post by eris on Dec 15, 2009 14:54:34 GMT -6
I don't believe improvisation is what a Referee does. ever. They follow the rules. Players aren't really engaged in improvising either, but their actions certainly aren't scripted, so they are authoring their own actions. I've found one page games to be useful for Freeform gaming, but not for serious games where the pleasure had is not in the story created or "let's just say this cool things happens". I prefer RPGs were strategy is essential and every action matters. I also prefer games where strategy is essential and every action matters...but that's about all I agree with in your post. I Referee, or DM if you prefer seeing what board we are on, and I improvise all the time. I look at rules as guidelines. The "rules" don't rule in a game, the DM does and the game depends on his *rulings*, not rules in a book. Frankly, I don't sweat the details nor worry overly much about "consistency" in how I apply my rulings either...and my players don't seem to mind. I trust them and they trust me. This does not make my games freeform, non-serious, or "let's just say this cool things happen." Roleplaying at it's best...IMO...is very much like jazz music. In jazz, there is order and structure, but that core is only the framework for the improvisation that takes the music to another level. Each player in an ensemble brings a different style, different "riffs" (if you will), to the performance of a song. It is quite possible that no two performances of the same song will be the same, and each performance can be just as good as any other...different, but just as good. Similarly, how a party and referee "play" a scenario in an RPG might go differently each time. Different players, or different choices by the same players, different rulings by the referee, different rolls of the dice, but in all cases there is a chance that the outcome will be just as much fun for player and ref as any other. I envision the referee as being the player in the ensemble that drives the melody, but that doesn't mean he can't improvise himself, nor that the other players in the game can't carry the melody line now and then, too. Like in a jazz band, we take turns, we lead and we follow, and we have fun. However, a musician has to learn the basics of music before they can successfully begin to improvise. As a jazz musician matures they begin to leave strict rules behind and begin to explore sound and rhythm. What were rules are now guidelines for "what might sound good", but the musician is free to move outside those guidelines, in and out, over and around them. In role playing, it is often the same. The beginning Referee and player often needs more rules, but as they mature they can start to leave rules behind and begin to explore role and scenario. What works, what sounds right, what feels right...common sense and cooperation based on trust replaces rules. One page games like Searchers of the Unknown can provide enough structure to make a game a real RPG, not just "let's pretend." ODD (where I started) had a lot more pages and a lot more rules, but a lot less structure. After playing (and reffing) through a few sessions of ODD, I began to shed rules left and right, and I started to improvise...and everybody at the table started having more fun! IMO, SotU squeezes in more than enough structure for even beginning players to start role playing, and it does it in one page. Beginning Refs, DMs, might need a bit more, but I don't think most players do. Finally, I think the common goal here is to "have fun." So, if you want rules in your game, and playing that way is fun for you, then that's great! I doubt you and I would enjoy the same game, though.
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EdOWar
Level 5 Thaumaturgist
Posts: 315
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Post by EdOWar on Dec 15, 2009 15:16:53 GMT -6
These one page maps are cool! What program are you using to make the maps themselves? I used Chgowiz's Wilderness Templates, putting the Hexmap in Paint to edit and draw stuff, cut and pasting Coffee's map key. Thank you for the link.
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Post by howandwhy99 on Dec 15, 2009 19:08:04 GMT -6
I doubt you and I would enjoy the same game, though. Good post and good point. I don't see us playing the same category of game either. I don't know where strategy comes into play for you, but it sounds like you prefer a storytelling game rather than a strategy game. I prefer the latter kind of RPG. I'll admit I should not have said serious gaming is strictly found in strategy RPGs. Obviously you take storygaming very seriously. For me, the fun of an RPG is not found in storytelling and only incidentally in character portrayal, but rather the rewarding of correct inductive reasoning, exploring the magic and mystery of the world by guessing as precisely as possible about what is going on, and the ability to win the game in traditional RPGs.
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Post by tavis on Dec 15, 2009 20:08:06 GMT -6
Curses! My attempts to move this discussion out of the one-page thread and into the Styles of Play one do not seem to be taking hold! We should remember that, as members of the OD&D boards, we are all virtually certain to enjoy the same game. What we're talking about here is, I think, how we think about what it is that we enjoy. Perhaps also we enjoy different aspects of the same game, and each of us might DM a session and form a group style of play that derives some aspects of the LBBs more and others less - but I don't think we understand each other well enough yet to even tell if that's true. (Any chance we could get together and try the experiment - at GaryCon maybe?) For sure, I don't understand what you mean by traditional RPGs offering the ability to win the game, howandwhy99. I do want to grok where you're coming from, and I hope you'll explain in the other thread.
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eris
Level 4 Theurgist
Posts: 161
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Post by eris on Jan 2, 2010 18:42:06 GMT -6
I'm preparing to run a game and I thought you all might be interested in this... The Lesser Dragon Lake...I'd love to hear some comments. I left a lot of empty/undescribed hexes on the map on purpose. For me some of the fun of the sandbox is discovering the unknown...even as the DM. I also wanted to leave plenty of "scope" for any other referee that might like to use the map. When I run this, I'll probably show the players a map showing just the lake border and the three towns. Everything else they'll have to discover though exploration.
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Post by greyharp on Jan 2, 2010 21:51:34 GMT -6
Nicely done Eris, a bit of everything. Very useful. Oh and love the inclusion of the Balrog in the Wandering Monsters table. Thanks for sharing.
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Post by coffee on Jan 2, 2010 22:20:34 GMT -6
Sorry, Eris, I'd love to comment but I can't get the link to work.
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Valandil
Level 2 Seer
Master Of Dungeons
Posts: 44
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Post by Valandil on Jan 3, 2010 2:40:45 GMT -6
Sorry, Eris, I'd love to comment but I can't get the link to work. Same thing here.
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Post by geordie on Jan 3, 2010 4:26:06 GMT -6
2d6 Cockatrices - excellent !
Nice one eris, have an Exalt !
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Post by badger2305 on Jan 3, 2010 9:08:13 GMT -6
Nicely done! Thanks, Eris! (and thanks for all of your Traveller work, too!)
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eris
Level 4 Theurgist
Posts: 161
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Post by eris on Jan 3, 2010 12:32:41 GMT -6
Sorry, Eris, I'd love to comment but I can't get the link to work. I'm scratching my head! Coffee, you should be able to simply click the link and go to the directory. The Lesser Dragon LakeHowever, I'll also put in a direct download link where you can right-click and "Save Target As"... Direct Link Does this work?
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eris
Level 4 Theurgist
Posts: 161
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Post by eris on Jan 3, 2010 12:48:42 GMT -6
Nicely done Eris, a bit of everything. Very useful. Oh and love the inclusion of the Balrog in the Wandering Monsters table. Thanks for sharing. Thanks! Did you notice I used Hobbit, not Halfling, too? They were Blarog and Hobbit in OD&D, so that's what I called them.
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eris
Level 4 Theurgist
Posts: 161
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Post by eris on Jan 3, 2010 13:42:40 GMT -6
2d6 Cockatrices - excellent ! Nice one eris, have an Exalt ! Thanks! 2d6 Cockatrice...a flock with one rooster and the rest hens. Nicely done! Thanks, Eris! (and thanks for all of your Traveller work, too!) You are very welcome! I haven't done much with Traveller material recently, but it's still my choice for SF games. I've been thinking about working on a couple of thing using Mongoose's SRD. I've been more focused on pulp fantasy recently so I haven't gotten a round to it...maybe in 2010. I've been running the Traveller PBEM Akus Moby for over a decade now, but I had to transition it from my home brewed setting to the OTU (Imperium) to keep it going a couple of years ago. I want, very much, to get another game started in my Quental Main setting....sandbox Traveller focusing on exploration. I simply can't find any players for ftf Traveller where I live, so that's going to have to online if I do it. In the pump fantasy area, my long running Silverband PBEM is *starting* to move toward its conclusion. I told the players that this was the last adventure in this campaign, of course, as a PBEM this last adventure has taken over a year so far, and there is probably another year to go (baring a TPK) before they complete it. I want to start another campaign in the Lesser Dragon Lake area. I *might* be able to get a ftf group for it, but I plan to also run it online. I'm just not sure whether to run it on a Forum (pbp, like here) or with a Mailing List (pbem, like I've done with Silverband).
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Post by greyharp on Jan 3, 2010 13:45:57 GMT -6
Did you notice I used Hobbit, not Halfling, too? Yes. It's my turn to DM in our group and I've decided they're going to have to get used to calling them "hobbits", but I don't think they'll mind.
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Valandil
Level 2 Seer
Master Of Dungeons
Posts: 44
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Post by Valandil on Jan 3, 2010 16:38:51 GMT -6
That last link worked for me Eris, thank you. And nice work too! I'm going to take a better look at it when I have some free time.
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jasmith
Level 5 Thaumaturgist
Posts: 316
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Post by jasmith on Jan 3, 2010 19:46:53 GMT -6
Thanks for posting this! I love hexmaps.
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Post by coffee on Jan 4, 2010 10:48:28 GMT -6
Okay, here at work I have no trouble getting the page to open, even from the original link. The only difference I can see is that I was using a Linux netbook at home, and this is a Windows box here at work.
Weird.
Anyway, I've downloaded it and will take a look at it shortly. But my first impression is that it looks very good. Have an exalt!
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Post by thebane on Jan 4, 2010 17:21:58 GMT -6
No Download here either with Linux... Hopefully I will be able to get to it at work from a Window$ box without the filters picking it up. Look forward to seeing what everyone seems to have praise for. I need the encouragement to get my own One-Sheet-Setting done and out.
Best, The Bane
<EDIT> Trying a few things to get the DL to work... wondering if it might be a conversion issue with Mozilla and TinyURL.... do you have the full link? </EDIT>
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Aos
Level 1 Medium
Posts: 10
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Post by Aos on Jan 25, 2010 22:01:31 GMT -6
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Post by coffee on Jan 26, 2010 3:56:42 GMT -6
I get an "Invalid or Deleted File" message at that url.
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Aos
Level 1 Medium
Posts: 10
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Post by Aos on Jan 26, 2010 9:04:42 GMT -6
oops, fixed.
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Post by geordie on Jan 26, 2010 10:34:29 GMT -6
Marvellous ! ;D. all killer, no filler, thanks for sharing and have an exalt for your trouble.
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EdOWar
Level 5 Thaumaturgist
Posts: 315
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Post by EdOWar on Jan 28, 2010 22:36:25 GMT -6
Wow, that's really cool! Also, I look forward to reading more adventures on Metal Earth.
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Aos
Level 1 Medium
Posts: 10
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Post by Aos on Apr 3, 2010 15:35:18 GMT -6
www.mediafire.com/?eoj0jzjgody1 page dungeon made with beginners in mind. Resides in HEX 0501 of the wilderness from my previous post. Also I have some house rules and more "art" up on my blog, which is linked in my sig. Thanks.
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