Out of Bullet Points

I've been thinking alot recently about how I structure my prep work for my weekly meatspace game, using a classic 3 Act format, with loose detail s given in bullet points i'm able to quickly map the intended course of the adventure. The loose structure relies on improv to flesh it out at the table, but thats ok - it gives me a skeleton to riff off and gently exercises the part of my brain that deals with quick thinking. A big plus is that if the players derail, your plot is flexible enough to adapt.

It pretty much went according to plan, some changes but the players enjoyed it, it would be interesting to run the adventure again - change a few dials and see how it plays differently.

Here's how I wrote up the last 3 sessions:

Act 1

Present the Threat

Scene1

Arrival at tower

• Merchants carrying exotic overland goods, large crowd growing outside shut gates.
• Rumours of one brother acting strangely after returning from an adventuring trip
• After a time the Speaking face will sound the alarm, the doors will bursts open unleashing swarms of clockwork pirates.
• If un-reacted to the genies guards begin to lose and merchant will urge anyone with strength to help.

Scene2

Fight to the Top

• Several combat encounters up the tower

Scene3

The Brother Plight

• Two of the genie's are lying unconscious in their rooms, under a demonic curse.
• Merchants will know where the Pirates came from, and why its important that whatever affects the brothers be stopped, them re-united and made well (they are the only ones who can open the gates to the overmarch)

Act 2

Ramp Up The Tension

Scene1

Flight to Red Roost

• The genies have a roost of Hippogryphs
• Red Roost must be navigated to.
• Pirates patrols can be avoided or tackled 
• the final patrol is at sunset.

Scene2

Finding a Way Inside

• Gain entry to the Red Roost fortes via stealth or strength, either skill challenges or combat encounters.

Scene3

Showdown with Red

• Djinn has glamour cast upon him, he's really demon
• Fight with the 3rd demon-bound clone of brother
• A large talisman will open a pocket dimension to the Abyss.

Act 3 

Finale and onwards

Scene1

Through the Portal

• Search the Demense
• Encounter weird Abyssal entities
• Possible chance of combat encounters.

Scene2

Showdown

• Fight with Arch-Demon guarding the 3rd Brother
• Brother kept in purpqle energy cage

Scene3

Back to the Tower

• When free'd the brother will teleport everyone back to the tower and revive his brothers, Open the gate to the overmarch.

ICON is here!

Im reposting this from my other blog - grab your copy of ICON here.

Tracking magic item 'quirks'

Whilst I really do appreciate a magic item can provide an excellent spring board for interesting roleplay I often find that they inevitably take a back seat in the story or are forgotten completely. So i'm thinking of a way to enhance the experience at my table - Im looking at giving each magic item (that is powerful enough to have a personality and quirks) a requirement that must be satisfied in order for the item to function. I'll do it per session, not fixed to any in game time scales, so if the requirement isnt met this session - you wont get benefit from its Effect next session. I like to keep it simple.

So for example:

Ragga's Shinsplitter, Ancestral Orcish Warblade
+1 Light Melee Weapon
Effect: When Staggered any recovery dice results of 1 may be rerolled. 
Requirement: An enemy must be slain in single combat.

Thats a fairly simple requirement built around a weapon (and accompanying story) that exists in my home campaign - but you can really start to have fun with the requirements, creating obstacles and challenges for players. What about magic items whose requirements oppose each other? Im not suggesting that this type of resource juggling should become a theme however, just an interesting distraction.

When building a requirement look to the items personality or backstory, and if there isn't either of those elements you could work in reverse. Choose an interesting and fun requirement and build a story from it. And remember your looking to encourage roleplaying and story generation, so kill an enemy in combat wont be all that fun. If you need to have a 'simple' requirement like this, at least give it a twist.

Here are some that come to mind

"A secret must be stolen"
"The player must be noticed"
"An enemy must become a friend"
"The item must bask in true sorrow"

Until next time.

ICON Sub Deadline

A quick repost from ICON fanzine - the deadline for submissions is in a week, you can get more info here. That is all.

ICON blog is now live.

Just quick one to let you guys know that i've setup a blog space for ICON, I'll still post news about ICON here - but also on the ICON blog, just so it doesn't get overlooked.

You can visit here.

The Bitterstone Dwarves

On G+ +Chad Rose wrote:

How much would the Dwarves charge folks wanting to use the Undermarch, the underworld trade route, for travel between Anvil and Forge? I mean, they have maintenance and security to think about after all and that ain't cheap.

This got me to thinking, not really about how much - but to whom you would pay, and why. I've reposted my thoughts here so they more permanent and accessible.

The Bitterstone Dwarves

The dwarves of the Bitterstone clan have controlled the majority of the Undermarch passage for nearly 500 years. The rights to levy the travellers on the inhospitable and forlorn route was gifted to them by the Dwarf King, seen by many as an act of punishment for Oaths long broken, a punishment because, as every dwarf knows, those who would make a living from taxation and at the expense of others labour are amongst the lowest of dwarven society. And no dwarf has ever, or ever would, dare refuse a gift from the Dwarven King.

The Bitterstones have grown rich by burdening a heavy toll on those who would attempt to travel through the Undermarch, it has has brought them little discernible comfort however, as other clans are loathe to openly ally or trade with 'Coin Crows' let alone those who do it with such fervour and greed.

And so they have grown angry and resentful, rich in purse yet poor in soul, ostracised from their kin and perpetually consumed by a cycle of taxation and hunting those who would attempt to avoid their tolls - of which there is no short supply. In fact that such a volume of people are willing to risk death or worse, in order to avoid the draconian overlook of the Bitterstones has prompted an explosion in people daring enough to guide the poor - or those too miserly to pay the Bitterstone's their due through the warren like passages that make up the  Undermarch.

Icon - Release Schedule

Just for clarity and everyone who has requested to submit content here is the intended release schedule for Icon. I've also included submission deadlines for the releases, there's essentially a week before release where i'll stop including articles and run them in the following month - giving me enough time to finalise and layout the pages.

1st of May Issue
Submissions deadline 24th April

1st of June Issue

Submissions deadline 25th May

1st July Issue

Submissions deadline4 24th June

Interested in submitting? email david@8bitfactory.co.uk