2/17/2015

50 Shades of Greyhawk

“It is a bit embarrassing to have been concerned with the human problem all one’s life and find at the end that one has no more to offer by way of advice than ‘Try to be a little kinder.’”
— Aldous Huxley

I started this blog to vent about gaming and Game Mastering. I had trouble wrapping my head around one of the biggest problems. I didn't know it at the time, but not everyone was really playing the game. Some of the players were trying to break the game. It's not always obvious. I was reading, the not always eloquent, but usually on point "AngryDM" and found this blog entry. The proverbial light-bulb switched on and I had an "ahh I see it now " moment.
   I have been trying to reboot my oldest and longest running game for years. Constantly listening to complaints and rants by or about one player or another. Accepting constructive and destructive criticism. My original group stopped playing years ago. We've stayed in touch and the possibility of playing again comes up a few times a year. It always falls apart for the same reasons. I thought I could fix that.
   A few of us had even found another gaming group. The same old debates followed. They even gained momentum and size, because this group had it's own history. I thought I might be able to use my experience as a DM and years of playing different games to fix this. Hell, I read Dragon magazine and had been playing since AD&D was a thing. I played Basic D&D and Expert D&D. AD&D 2nd Edition and D20. I played Call of Cthulhu, Shadowrun, Top Secret ....well you get the idea. I gamed. But I couldn't fix it. I had rules and theory up the wazoo, but what I lacked was not obvious, so I didn't know it was missing. I just assumed everyone was there to play and wanted the same kind of game. It never occurred to me that anyone would show up, with the intention of trying to break the game on purpose. It's a real thing. It's also very common. Game groups actually have to draw up contracts with intentions and house rules. It's like a dating contract complete with safe words.
   Part of me laughs at how ridiculous this sounds. At the same time, I realize, this is exactly what I have been trying to fix all along. There is no game rule or campaign supplement that can resolve this. It's not something that you can open a book and point to. It is about people agreeing to play the same game, the same way.



 
 
 

2/15/2015

My favorite place.

I had to steal this. I think I agree with most of it. It does make me think about my own games and reasons for liking Greyhawk so much.
For more articles like this, visit the Lair of the Evil DM

What Makes Greyhawk Greyt?

By Randy Richards

1) Nostalgia
The World of Greyhawk is the first published role-playing world. Many AD&D fans have been playing in Greyhawk since its inception in 1975, as "Supplement I: Greyhawk". When you get used to something, you begin to desire it more. Original Greyhawk patrons are now in their 30's and 40's.

2) PCs As Heroes
The PC's are the heroes of the adventures and campaigns, not ultra-godlike NPCs who have powers the PCs can't even possess. Greyhawk is the ultimate role-playing world. Greyhawk's heroes seldom kill the bad guys, only temporarily put a crimp in his or her plans. Success brings the PCs notoriety, and NPC heroes exist to recognize these accomplishments, but they will have likely played little role in the victory itself. The major events in recent Flanaess history are all presented in such a way that the PCs may play a role, perhaps even a leading one. PCs fought the Greyhawk Wars, defeated Zuggtmoy and the her Temple of Elemental Evil, Iggwilv's daughter Drelnza, the Giants and Drow in league with Lolth, and could have helped Iuz defeat Vecna.

3) Medium Fantasy
The World of Greyhawk is what might be called a "medium" fantasy setting. Masque of the Red Death is a low fantasy setting; the Forgotten Realms is a high fantasy setting, and the World of Greyhawk falls in the middle. The structure of the world is grounded more in reality than a heavy reliance upon powerful magic and encumbering PCs with magical items. This emphasizes role-playing over roll-playing, and helps prevent the "Monty Haul" campaign blight without denigrating magic overall.

4) Neutrality
While there are good vs. evil conflicts, Greyhawk has historically been anchored deep in active, almost militant, neutrality. A prime example of this is the Circle of Eight, but the Flanaess druids certainly deserve some credit. Conflicts may also include good vs. good, good vs. neutral, evil vs. neutral, or evil vs. evil. The world is not black and white, but a firm shade of grey.

5) Personified Adversaries
The complexity of a sentient mind are too often diluted by the simplistic nine alignments. Adversaries in Greyhawk have both desirable and undesirable traits at the same time making the line between god and evil seem a bit blurred.

IUZ is a diabolical overlord who controls a vast realm, and who has caused many problems over decades and decades. A fiendish cambion born of Iggwilv and Graz'zt, he was imprisoned by Zagyg for years, then set free to wreak havoc upon the Flanaess for even more years to come. He became a demi-god, and a force to terrorize and threaten even the mightiest of parties for many a campaign.

THE SCARLET BROTHERHOOD was founded in 5091 SD to prevent the "dilution of Suel virtues". As a result, the most determined Suel nobility who escaped the Rain of Colorless Fire gravitated toward the Tilvanot Peninsula. The Brotherhood seeks to re-establish the glories of the ancient Suloise society: slaveholding, assassination, ritual torture, and employment of goblinoid mercenaries. Their methods of conquest usually involve assassination, duplicity, and mutants. In contrast, they also revere the highest magical and materials arts.
In the "Fate of Istus" module, we discover the Scarlet Brotherhood learned its monk-style fighting abilities from Oriental Kara-Tur natives (they came through a portal). They are responsible for giving the Scarlet Brotherhood one of its unique traits. Sadly, monks were eliminated in this adventure, blanding the Brotherhood mystique a bit.

RARY seeks order on his own terms. Rary was a member of the Circle of Eight who killed several of his colleagues, namely Tenser and Otiluke. He is now living in exile with Lord Robilar, his military advisor, in the Bright Desert. Rary is currently examing the remnants of the Flan Empire of Sulm, and attempting to obtain a cursed artifact the "Scorpion Crown" from Shattados. His future plans are presently unclear.

6) Celebrity Magic
Magic of the Flanaess is personalized. Take a gander at the magic items, spells, and artifacts even in the "Core Rules" Dungeon Masters Guide. AD&D players are familiar with the Quiver of Ehlonna, Boccob's Blessed Book,
Murlynd's Spoon, Heward's Handy Haversack, Bigby's Crushing Hand, or Tenser's Floating Disc? The World of Greyhawk has its share of famous artifacts too. The Hand and Eye of Vecna, the once lich, now demi-god, are first to come to mind, as is the Sword of Kas (Kas being Vecna's treacherous friend turned nemesis). The Rod of Many Parts first appeared as part of that setting, as well as Baba Yaga's Dancing Hut, both of which are now generic AD&D modules. Let us also not forget Heward's Mystical Organ, the Mace of Cuthbert, Wand of Orcus (recently appearing in the Dead Gods product), glowing ruby Rod of Asmodeus, and the acid secreting wavy-bladed Sword of Graz'zt. All of these personages originate from the World of Greyhawk. Magic in Greyhawk has a documented history.

7) Unexplored Territory
The Flanaess, and in Oerth as a whole, unlike so many other worlds is still relatively unexplored. The Flanaess residents are only just now uncovering the remnants of the old empires. Like the Aztec-styled Olman Empire, remnants of the Aerdi Empire, and the Flan. The Flan Empire of Sulm produced the Bright Desert, and is currently being explored by Rary. The Suel Empire became the Sea of Dust after the Rain of Colorless Fire.... difficult to reach ruins are now being explored there, as well as easier to reach ones in the migrated eastern lands. The Baklunish Empire has few ruins since most buildings were destroyed by the Invoked Devastation, however, some Bakluni relics like Tovag Baragu still remain, as do the buildings of the Baklarran dwarves.
On the fold-out Darlene map we notice Hepmonaland, Land of Black Ice, Amedio Jungle, and the Sea of Dust as unknown quantities. Oerth has other areas besides the Flanaess, as sketched by quasi-deity Heward in Dragon Annual #1. The map contains labels such as the Celestial Imperium, Empire of Lynn, Hyperboria, Erypt, Polaria, Fireland, Tharquish Empire, Nippon Dominion, Orcreich, Dragons Island, Kingdoms of the Marches, and Elven Lands among others. And don't forget Greyspace with Luna, Celene, the Grinder and more. We've only touched the surface of Greyhawk!

8) Plots Within Plots
Wheels within wheels. Subplots with even more acute subplots. As demonstrated by early modules, and the later Falcon trilogy, we see a plot avocado peeled away to reveal even deeper layers of plots. In the center we find an unexpected enemy who can be thwarted by the PCs.

9) Linked History
Greyhawk's history is a delicately part of the setting that links the races, monsters, countries, and gods into a complex whole. Greyhawk products build on this history and incorporate it, but leave enough loose threads to allow for further development by the DM. This is a special Greyhawk quality.

10) No Gunpowder
Gunpowder does not work on the planet Oerth, although it does work in other areas of Greyspace. The only published exception to this rule is the quasi-deity Murlynd (played originally by Don Kay). There has been talk of allowing priests of this demi-deity to be allowed to use them.

11) Fan Support
The World of Greyhawk was discontinued and then brought back into the mainstream by fan support. This fact alone speaks volumes on its popularity and appeal to the average gamer.

2/9/15

I left Boston in 2007 to escape the thin job market. At the time, there was work down here in sunny Florida. The prospect of gaming again seemed slim. I had a few opportunities to game with my old group from back home, via email, Facebook or some other web based medium. Old disagreements and general lack of interest continue to kill that venue.

   If you type "ruin D&D game" into a search engine, you will get thousands of very similar sounding rants and blogs. You have arguments about the rules as written(RAW), the rules as intended(RAI), rule zero(The DM is always right), and variations on creativity/imagination. I think everyone has an example of a D&D game being broken. For example: D&D breaking is bad

   One of the things you don't see often is a player or game master admitting human error. It's not always the game rules or game system. Sometimes players and GMs want to debate the game rather than play it. Amateur lawyers and sports bar refugees can't gather without trolling for a heated conversation. The odds are good that any gaming group has at least one OCD or Asperger Syndrome type personality in attendance. In my groups, that would be me. More than likely it's a half to majority ratio. Throw in a scholar of human behavior. You know the type. He or she can't resist throwing a banana peel and or a wrench onto the table. Sociopaths are just as drawn to this hobby as introverts.

   You end up with a group of people who can't resist pushing other peoples buttons and people who get all tangled up if their buttons are pushed. Another blog mentions this behavior. It sums up ways of dealing with offenses and offenders. It's a downward spiral. It starts by mentioning the issue to the offender and goes down the list of time outs, voting off the island to outright kicking them out of the game. Dealing with players who disagree. In my experience, the average role player is just happy to have friends and a group to play with. The idea of removing even a disruptive force from the table is counter intuitive on a very deep level. Some groups have been "friends" for years.

   Simple human pride dictates that we never ever mention such things. The truth is, RPGing is a tribal hobby. Camaraderie and pride are tangible boundaries in this venue. Rules lawyers don't ruin a game. They are it's backbone. Min maxing is not a sin or crime, it's gaming excellence. But...and here is a big but.... the campaign background is the base for all of it. The  GM must have a tangible universe that has immutable laws, especially if it's a fantasy game. If you min-max or power game and have a concept, well that's just awesome. Unless of course, your concept is not possible or likely to exist within the campaign. This is where people get defensive.

    After 25 years of listening to various complaints about game balance, Dungeons and Dragons 3rd edition (D&D3e) happened. It IMHO was a long overdue fix for a fun yet broken hobby.  I hadn't DM'd in a while and had started to seriously consider reviving the old game. With the new rules, old problems could be smoothed out and fixed.

   If you're an old gamer, you understand Advanced Dungeons and Dragons (AD&D or 1e) was brilliant, yet it lacked many things. If you had the energy to argue longer and louder than your opponent, you could use this as an in game advantage. You didn't have to be right. Belligerence was more than enough.

   When the d20 system first showed up, it seemed like a long awaited cure. Prior to this, there were dozens of games and systems. Now, there were three kinds of games. D20, based on d20 and non d20. Most of the D20 games were very loyal to this new set of rules. The basic theme seemed to be about balance and having a benchmark to work with in order to have a group of players and characters that had a similar power level. To be continued........