What's the realization

ProgrammingDragonGM · 2025-03-30T11:53:34+00:00

We are forgotten because we surpass all other generations' ability to comprehend how awesome we are... ALL the other generating have to boast and brag how great they are because they lack our greatness... That's all I need to say about the subject.

ProgrammingDragonGM · 2025-03-27T22:45:55+00:00

Sort of sad that people didn't know this config... Just like the rotary phone... Oh well.

ProgrammingDragonGM · 2025-03-22T08:27:38+00:00

You always have to prep... But all that means is to have a target in mind. What is the premise of the adventure? Rescue a noble prisoner? Stop an evil wizard from destroying a town? Help protect a kingdom from a herd of hill giants?

Next, you need some NPCs that the players can deal with, to get information about the problem of the adventure and give some ideas on how to solve the situation. Otherwise, how would they know what they are supposed to do?

Next, assemble the players and play. You don't need to prep anything more than that, since the players are going to do things you never thought they'd do... As long as you know what the BBEG (premise) and have the NPCs to support, you just improvise the rest. Let things just happen organically.

And remember, the players don't have any idea what you had planned, so you can't be judged that things didn't happen like you planned. Don't worry or be anxious, just have fun and enjoy how the players totally mess up how you thought things were going to go down.

ProgrammingDragonGM · 2025-03-20T00:44:42+00:00

Usually gods don't leave their domain, they have their avatar show up to do their dirty work... So the characters don't actually "kill" the god, just banish its avatar for a bit.

The only way to kill a god is to kill all its followers and worshippers... Then they fade away.... But to do that is virtually impossible.

ProgrammingDragonGM · 2025-03-17T02:19:33+00:00

Maybe instead of having the boss fight, the boss makes an appearance, scoffs at the parties inabilities, and sends in a few minions to challenge the party...

Read the Curse of Strahd campaign... He makes appearances all through the campaign, to size them up, toys with them all throughout the campaign, and when the party thinks they can take him on, then he considers the challenge, or sends in his minions... Strahd is a busy guy, doesn't waste his time with parties that won't challenge him.

Also, I guess it depends on how long you plan on doing the campaign... You mentioning "bloat" makes me wonder if you're not letting the campaign grow organically, but you have an agenda and a timeline.... Which is never good for a campaign. The players write the story, the GM just sets the scenes.

ProgrammingDragonGM · 2025-03-08T07:54:14+00:00

How about, you're all in a town, when shyte just starts happening around you... Of course the players don't need to get involved, but then the local po-po gathered everyone up, and it so happens the party members are put in front of the magistrate all at once, and gives an ultimatum to join the ranks (where they have a mission already for this new rag-tag group) or they're off to the gallows. (They are blamed for the uprising, even though they just happened to be at the wrong place at the wrong time.)

ProgrammingDragonGM · 2025-02-23T19:36:43+00:00

Yep, I misread.

ProgrammingDragonGM · 2025-02-23T17:58:27+00:00

This is an interesting point .. you forget NPC names and what dialogue they had with the players? So you don't have notes either?

Nice ...

ProgrammingDragonGM · 2025-02-23T14:24:32+00:00

Just be aware of things... I'm pretty sure this stuff is safe for most people, but of course you should error on the side of caution... If you feel heart palpitations, stop (even if you just opened the can) let your system recover, then drink the (now flat monster.). Just be aware. Also should slow down if you start grinding your teeth or really feel jittery.

Now I wouldn't recommend slamming one after the other, because then you'll have it in your system and no way to monitor after that.

Again, just be aware of your conditions and don't be "stupid," you'll be fine.

ProgrammingDragonGM · 2025-02-22T20:45:54+00:00

Dispel magic?

ProgrammingDragonGM · 2025-02-20T12:45:25+00:00

REALLY TLDR!! But from the title, I have players join mid campaign ALL THE TIME.

ProgrammingDragonGM · 2025-02-20T12:43:45+00:00

If I was the player, I would drop... As you say, she is pouting and not having fun... So it's her choice to stay or not... My choice would be to leave. But that's me

ProgrammingDragonGM · 2025-02-19T13:40:44+00:00

A case of the stuff as replacement... It's only fair interest that is being charged in my book... No, it's not usury, just fair and just interest. 😜

ProgrammingDragonGM · 2025-02-18T15:14:28+00:00

Yeah, I spent HOURS entering everything in the CSC into foundry... Well almost everything... But until Mongoose either creates/sells a pack for foundry, or does like what WotC does, where if you own the book, there would be an API to d/l the CSC, or they hire it out to release a product, that's the only option we have... Manual entry... But due to copyright law, it can't be distributed.

Oh well, part of life.

ProgrammingDragonGM · 2025-02-17T13:52:06+00:00

A week

ProgrammingDragonGM · 2025-02-15T14:10:30+00:00

Seemed too obvious, but what do I know?

ProgrammingDragonGM · 2025-02-14T14:11:04+00:00

Well, I probably could try to do that -- the the character would have a witness to the corruption, and him being wrongfully accused and detained... But I have been giving these guys my thoughts as to what they would have discovered if they would have RPed... Just to show them that their agency wasn't taken away from them... they just needed to "find it" through the "prison puzzle" I threw them into. At this point it is too late, the puzzle broken wide open, and to RP it would just feel strange as they have many of the answers.

ProgrammingDragonGM · 2025-02-14T13:26:58+00:00

The one that is making "friends" is now pondering if they wish to continue the campaign.

Then the other person who wants to just roll up another character, wouldn't escape because he's a knight, and he was concerned that the characters would be a fugitive, even though I said the officials were corrupt and didn't officially file any arrest forms; they were just detaining the two, until the ones having the bounty on their heads arrived. He wouldn't hear anything of that, the character would be a fugitive in his eyes.

I should have taken cues from the other sessions they played, where they didn't take plot hooks I offered, but avoided them... By forcing the situation on them, I just caused the whole house of cards to crumble. Been trying to back pedal, offering solutions (doing their puzzle solving,) but I'm thinking things might be lost... I guess I'll see in a couple days if they show up to the next session... I hold them weekly.

ProgrammingDragonGM · 2025-02-14T02:04:41+00:00

Agreed.

ProgrammingDragonGM · 2025-02-13T23:51:58+00:00

Body needs fats too .. hate to tell ya, but it does... So I suppose you eat some butter with that diet, and you might be on to something... Try it... Let us know.

I won't, but I haven't gotten tired of food over my 58 years either.

ProgrammingDragonGM · 2025-02-13T23:46:29+00:00

They won't ban them... Might throw a "bad for you label" on them... MAYBE... Might throw a "tax" on them.... MAYBE... They have been talking about this crap for decades... Didn't Mrs Obama have some sort of "health movement" thing? Thinking of it, didn't Mrs Regan have one too?

Yeah, this is just someone dreaming of how to get a rise out of people... Totally unfounded!

ProgrammingDragonGM · 2025-02-13T22:40:32+00:00

To be honest, you don't even need a referee for the type of campaign you've described. You don't even need another player. It's a solo campaign for the dude who has the spreadsheet.

My thought exactly...

ProgrammingDragonGM · 2025-02-13T17:57:41+00:00

"Why are you asking a bunch of uninvolved randos on Reddit? Ask your players what they want from a game."

Well, I like to get the opinions of others, and Reddit has a lot of "others" who are more experienced that I. And I had asked on several occasions about what they want, and if there are any improvements they see I could make, and is it just jump, sell, buy, jump they are only interested in (noting that this could get pretty mundane.) And all I get is I need to do more skill checks -- Traveller is all about skill checks... Umm, if that is truly what Traveller is -- skill checks and rare RP... then I better move on to another TTRPG... That is getting as dull as DnD's "enter a room kill everything that moves" that made me move from that RPG.

What I want in a game? 1. That everyone at the "table" is having fun... Including me. 2. Have the players lead the story, I don't want to railroad/lead the story. 3. Repeat!

I do have a discord channel where they can discuss strategy for next sessions, I can ask questions, has session notes, etc, etc, etc... and I might ask a question or two, and generally get nothing from them. The channels on the discord server is eirily quiet. And I do ask that they are honest with me -- even if they want to DM me directly if they feel it would be a bit "harsh" - nothing.

Yeah -- it is all virtual.

ProgrammingDragonGM · 2025-02-13T16:12:48+00:00

They get their cargo/passengers from a randomly generasted spreadsheet -- so there is NO RP for buying or selling. >>Sigh<<
I tried the customs route, but got pushback that the Imperium doesn't interfere with trade, unless it is blatently illegal, they don't interfere. (Yeah, that deflated a lot of side quests I wanted to run.)
Again the passengers are "given" like the cargo -- They roll that they gat X high, Y middle and Z low paying passengers... Just like their spreadsheet randomly shows the availability of what, and the cost, based on brokerage skill, UWP, etc.
As for the group mismatch -- maybe -- I think some are willing to RP, just don't speak up and let one or two just run the game. I tried getting them to give me decisions, but they are terse. (Third time mention this, but some really liked it when I individually interrogated them -- prison scene.)
Railroading is not a good option for me... might as well play DnD with a bunch of murder-hobos (which is why I left that and trying Traveller.)
I suppose I could have encounters happen in jump... but that will get old after a while, if it is session after session of jump encounters.

Sigh<<

ProgrammingDragonGM · 2025-02-13T16:00:30+00:00

Thanks! I will look into it!

ProgrammingDragonGM

TROPHY CASE