#RPGaDay2015 16: Longest Game Session Played

Last year we celebrated Autocratik’s #RPGaDay, where we spend a month celebrating RPGs, discussing what we love and what we love about them. Here are the responses of the TRF crew. Be sure to tweet, blog, or post your own with the #RPGaDay!

For August 16, What is the longest game session you’ve played?
Aser: I think that would still be the first Old Gods of the North, clocking in at about 4.5 hours, or one heck of a first date… 😛
Chuck: 18 hours, an AD&D game over a Labor day weekend in ’87
John: Probably first time as Call of Cthulhu Keeper for TRFpodcast: ‘The Madman’ went 5 hours!
Jonn: 11am to 11pm, but there was a two hours for food and bio breaks.
Landan: I think any session played when I was in High School was routinely over 12 hours on various weekends. Many times played from sunset to sunrise.
Matt: I’m pretty sure I’ve played in (and ran) some 12+ hour games. I recall having folks over where everyone brought over breakfast, we ran out to grab lunch, ordered in dinner, and had some drinks before everyone had to go home. Good times.
Megan: I don’t think I’ve ever gone over 5 hours. I think it’s easier to do in person then over the internet, and I don’t get many chances to play in person at the moment.
Patrick: Six hours, what a trainwreck.
Rob: 12 hours of RIFTS

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#RPGaDay2015 15: Longest Campaign Played

Last year we celebrated Autocratik’s #RPGaDay, where we spend a month celebrating RPGs, discussing what we love and what we love about them. Here are the responses of the TRF crew. Be sure to tweet, blog, or post your own with the #RPGaDay!

For August 15, What is the longest campaign you’ve played?
Aser: Our current longest running campaign is Numenéra, though Pathfinder is bound to overtake it soon due to sheer regularity.
Chuck: 3 years D&D 3.5
John: PX Poker Night was the longest coherent game with the same characters.
Jonn: Longest campaign has been about 3 years. Longest game group about 4 years.
Landan: It would be the Mysteries of the Ninth World played in Numenera for TRF actually.
Matt: I ran a 4e D&D game for some buddies that went on for a long time. It was a home-brew world I had rolling around in my head for some time that I would like to take another crack at some time, just not in 4e D&D.
Megan: Mysteries of the Ninth World. It’s been running for a year and a few months, and we haven’t been able to play as consistently as we wanted, but we’ve had a ton of fun along the way.
Patrick: Rise of the Rune Lords
Rob: Firefly RPG, for The Firefly Podcast

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GM Advice: The TPK

I have written about death in your game in a previous article and with recent event in my own game I thought it was time for me to write about the dreaded Total Party Kill. TPKs happen, often unexpectedly, but they don’t necessarily spell the end of your carefully crafted story.

First I want to take a look at the probable causes of the party’s demise. When a single player character dies on their own it is often boiled down to a poor decision on a player’s part. I myself have fallen victim to the “I got this.” mentality when my characters died more times than I can count. Other times a named monster or villain gets a lucky shot in at just the wrong moment; or worse it comes down to a failed save versus something deadly; just poor luck there really. But what about when the entire party bites the big one? Where does the fault lie?

A die roll or a series of rolls?

GM fiat?

A string of poor decisions made by one player who is having a bad day and has decided to blow it all to the ninth circle of hell?

It could be all of the above really. The first thing you want to do as a GM is derail the train of thought about placing blame. It will lead to the dark side and can drive a nail into the heart of the most hard-boiled groups. Break things up by taking a break, get snacks or drinks while you think on where to go next. When the game reconvenes, talk to your players and get their perspective on what they want to do next, and then plan accordingly. If the TPK happens early into your game night, spend the rest of the evening playing a different game (Zombicide often hits my table) and get everyone back into a good headspace. After the night is over, plan your next move.

And what move should that be? With an (almost) fresh start it can be whatever you want it to be. The sky is the limit. Why (almost)? Well, just because the party is dead it doesn’t have to mean that you are done with them. In a fantasy setting you can now run an adventure of an indeterminate length of the party trying to fight through the underworld for the right to live again and continue where they left off. And if they succeed, a time jump to a few years or even decades from when they died can be a possibility. In a more modern or sci-fi game may be the party is captured by the evil scientist or group and brought back to life with “enhancements” insert devious giggle here. Heck it doesn’t even have to be the bad guys doing the experimenting. Perchance your players own employer dispatched a group to retrieve the bodies of the party and then goes to work on them. You can even have the players play the rescuers.

I also like the idea of the next group of adventures living in the world that the old characters failed to save. You can make the world as dystopic as you want. Or maybe even the changes that the old party turned out to be for the better but it is now a totalitarian society that new party is rebelling against. You have a wealth of opportunities when the party suffers a total kill. Even a random wipe.

Now that you have ideas to work in a random TPK and not have everything go to heck. Why not try a deliberate TPK. You don’t even have to tell your players that you are planning it ahead of time. Just drop it on them at a moment of high tension. Have your story guide them to a point where victory almost seems at hand and then push them off the cliff with a backup plan to screw things for them. At the time it may seem like all their effort was for naught and could lead to some hard feelings so the purposeful party wipe is not for the faint of heart. Your group needs to have faith in your ability to weave a story and not leave them out in the cold.

One thing that worked for me as a player is that my GM brought me in on the plan and my character was to turn traitor in the battle that lead to the “wipe”; after the things happened we handed in our sheets at the end of the session and there was a few days of radio silence from the GM. Then when we were about to get together for our normal game, the preceding day we received our characters back. The other had slight modifications, extra perks or enhancements whilst I made a new character. My original one had become an NPC and the new focus for the party to hunt down. Good times.

If you really want to go the distance and have the mental fortitude and dedication you can have several TPKs or wipes. Even if they don’t involve the party dying; really, a wipe is simply starting over. If your party is particularly successful you can have the original group of characters retire or start their own long term plans and run a multi-generational game where the new party is their descendants or servants. The options are whatever you want to make them. Talk it out with your players outside of the game and see what they thing about long term goals, they may surprise you.

In short when faced with a TPK, remember this:

Picture1

Until you say it is.

Thank you for reading and happy rolling.

#RPGaDay2015 14: Favorite RPG Accessory

Last year we celebrated Autocratik’s #RPGaDay, where we spend a month celebrating RPGs, discussing what we love and what we love about them. Here are the responses of the TRF crew. Be sure to tweet, blog, or post your own with the #RPGaDay!

For August 14, What is your favorite RPG accessory?
Aser: I have this great dice rolling octagon that Megan got me. It’s sort of the centerpiece of my physical gaming space. It possesses a great deal of sentimental value as it is yet another expression of her thoughtfulness and love.
Chuck: Roll20
John: Dropbox.
Jonn: Friends
Landan: Well for Pathfinder if you don’t do too much homebrewing I am a fan of the Hero Lab program but it can get pricey. It also works with several other RPG’s if you purchase the license to unlock it.
Matt: My iPad, for sure. It can do basically anything I need it to, from referencing books, to rolling “dice”, to storing notes, to tracking initiative, etc. It’s nice to be able to grab one thing to go gaming and be sure I’m not forgetting something important.
Megan: Dice! Aser gets them for me almost every time I visit him, and I like collecting cool ones from Kickstarter.
Patrick: The mechanical Pencil. If you don’t know why, you never will.
Rob: Those Octagonal dice boxes

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#RPGaDay2015 13: Favorite RPG Podcast

Last year we celebrated Autocratik’s #RPGaDay, where we spend a month celebrating RPGs, discussing what we love and what we love about them. Here are the responses of the TRF crew. Be sure to tweet, blog, or post your own with the #RPGaDay!

For August 13, What is your favorite RPG podcast? (Don’t worry, it wasn’t a requirement to choose TRF)
Aser: This would have to be RPPR and their actual play feed. So many of the games I love and much of what I love about gaming, I learned from Ross Payton’s gang of lovable murder hobos.
Chuck: Fandible
John: The Redacted Files! Tied for second: Miskatonic University Podcast, The Good Friends of Jackson Elias, Grim Dark Podcast.
Jonn: Cthulhu & Friends.
Landan: Omitting TRF I would have to say Firefly Podcast: Balls and Bayonets Brigade, Cthulhu and Friends, and Drunks and Dragons.
Matt: I’m going to cheat and name two (aside from TRF): One Shot and THACO. The former is another fun actual-play podcast that tends towards the silly with lots of random (and amusing) 80s and 90s pop culture references. The latter is focused on general geekery, and the crew there is fun to listen to (I’ve been listening since their Fell Calls days, totaling over 500 episodes between the two).
Megan: This is almost exclusively what I listen to. TRF of course. Firefly Podcast, Fandible, Godsfall, One Shot and Campaign, Cthulhu and Friends, and the Adventure Zone. I’ve been working to add some new ones to the list like The Leviathan Files and RPG Academy.
Patrick: Nerd Poker, Just because I’ve listened to more of it.
Rob: Cthulhu and Friends

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#RPGaDay2015 12: Favorite RPG Illustration

Last year we celebrated Autocratik’s #RPGaDay, where we spend a month celebrating RPGs, discussing what we love and what we love about them. Here are the responses of the TRF crew. Be sure to tweet, blog, or post your own with the #RPGaDay!

For August 12, What is your favorite RPG illustration?
Aser: That thing with Cthulhu in power armor count? 😛
Chuck: Anyone doing work for Monte Cook Games
John: Maybe the PCs/NPCs from Warhammer 40K Dark Heresy 2nd Edition.
Landan: I love most the art in my RPG books but I think I will just say the Pathfinder Bestiary 1,2,3, and 4. It has the most pictures in it.
Matt: I really liked the old Planescape art, especially the maps by Robert Lazzeretti.
Megan: I love the Strange and Numenera Bestiaries. I think the best image in each of them is the size comparison of the various monsters to a human.
Patrick: In the Montaigne Nation Book for 7th Sea there is a drawing of a nobleman using a servants back as a writing desk. It’s just so goddamned weird
Rob: Anything Cthulhu

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#RPGaDay2015 11: Favorite RPG Writer

Last year we celebrated Autocratik’s #RPGaDay, where we spend a month celebrating RPGs, discussing what we love and what we love about them. Here are the responses of the TRF crew. Be sure to tweet, blog, or post your own with the #RPGaDay!

For August 11, Who is your favorite RPG writer?
Aser: Adam Scott Glancy: I like ridiculously well researched historical Cthulhu games setting in very bleak places. He’s my guy for that.
Chuck: Shanna Germain
John: Ken Hite.
Jonn: It sucks that this isn’t plural. So I’m going to go with my Favorite RPG writer in the last couple of years. Erin M Evans
Landan: I am bad with names the only one I can think of offhand is Shanna Germain.
Matt: Vincent Baker (Lumpley Games). Not only are his own games amazing, but the games that have spun off of his work (like Dungeon World) are really great, too.
Megan: Shanna Germain, Monte Cook, Bruce Cordell, and Kenneth Hite.
Patrick: Rob Vaux, if only because my copy of the Freiburg expansion of 7th Sea was signed by him.
Rob: Monica Valentinelli

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What’s Cool on Kickstarter

There’s many interesting items to be found on Kickstarter, and here are the coolest ones this week.

Numenera: Into the Ninth World
I already discussed this a bit when the kickstarter started, but I wanted to reiterate that you guys should check out these supplements for Numenera. It’s an amzing game, and these are only going to expand the opportunities within it. There will be three books, and stretch goals include a novel written by Shanna Germain, poster maps, glimmers, and more.

“Over a billion years of Earth’s future, great civilizations have risen and fallen, each attaining wonders beyond our wildest dreams and furthest imaginings. The remnants of these civilizations shaped the Ninth World into a place of incredible beauty, wonder, and danger. And weirdness. Oh, so much weirdness. Explorers who undertake the challenges presented by the Ninth World look not only to the wilderness, but also to the night sky, the ocean depths, and even into the worlds beyond that they cannot easily perceive.

This Kickstarter campaign takes us into these realms through several new titles that expand the Ninth World beyond Earth’s shores. We’re launching this campaign to fund Into the Night, Into the Deep, and Into the Outside, each an all-new 160-page hardcover supplement, along with the 100-card Numenera Artifact Deck. But with your help, we’ll take these books even further, and maybe add some new titles as well!”

 

AcadeCon 2015
AcadeCon is a small gaming convention put on by the RPG Academy. What makes this really special is that is limited to 150 tickets, only available through the kickstarter, and has some big guests like James D’Amato, Kat Murphy, DM Mitch, John Wick, and more! We talked to Mike and Caleb about AcadeCon here, but you should check it out!

“AcadeCon 2015 is our third annual gaming convention. We’ve hosted two successful cons, but they have been invite-only due to space limitations. This year, we are taking AcadeCon out into the wild and opening the doors to the public this November 13th, 14th, and 15th.

AcadeCon is specifically designed to be a small, non-traditional convention. We are not trying (nor do we want to) compete with or replace the huge conventions that attract a national audience. At our convention, you’re going to get access to 24-hour gaming, a better chance to play in games and spend time with special guests, and time to hang out with some of the best gamers in the world – the fans of our show!

Whether you are one of our listeners, are interested in meeting and playing with some of our special guests, or just found us by accident, we hope you’ll consider attending our convention or simply donating to the cause.”

 

The Things We Leave Behind
We’re always on the lookout for cool new scenarios, and this collection of modern day 7e Call of Cthulhu scenarios quickly caught our attention. It includes five scenarios set in the modern day that involve psychological horror.

“Taking its inspirational cues from Delta Green, Fargo, Blood Simple, and True Detective, the book takes a mature look at the horror of human nature and its ability to be just as disturbing as anything from the Mythos.

The scenarios deal with unavoidable fates, dark secrets, and seriously bad choices made by the antagonists. As so often is the case, there are no winners when fate has trapped you in a dice game for doom or destiny. As such, please be aware that some of themes are quite mature and are suitable for adult gamers only.”

 

Zodiac Empires
This looks like a pretty interesting new setting for Pathfinder and RPG. I like the combination of magic and technology, and that seems to play heavily into the bones of this setting.

“The realm of Vathis is a world in an age of early industrialization where the line between magic and technology is obscure at best, and oftentimes indistinguishable. Rich in history and lore, adventurers roam lands dotted with sprawling empires, devious hidden cults, and ruins shrouded in darkness. While revered heroes march headlong into battle, recently reawakened dragons take flight, transforming both land and sky into battlegrounds. Gritty realism and high fantasy come together in Zodiac Empires, a world built on the memory of great wars, political intrigue, and imperialism.

Notable moments in real-world history, such as the Age of Sail, Prohibition Era Organized Crime, and both World Wars, as well as media sources such as the novels in the ASoIaF series and video games such as Dishonored, have all left their mark on the setting. Expect to experience fierce nationalism, streets filled with pulp action, scenes of noir intrigue, evils lurking in the dark, and corruption both political and physical as you travel between nations.”

 

Meta Dice
They aren’t really the prettiest dice, but they work very easily for several tasks.

“Meta Dice are 16mm PolyEurea plastic etched dice designed to be compatible with a variety of pen & paper RPGs. These dice can, for instance, double as Fudge/Fate dice and regular d6. They can also be used with games such as Burning Wheel, Mouse Guard, Torchbearer, the FU RPG, Dying Earth, Ubiquity, Prince Valiant, Story Engine, Foreign Element, and countless others that use a success/failure dynamic.

The hit locations correspond with those used in the Warhammer 40k RPGs, the older Warhammer Fantasy RPG, Reign, the OD&D supplement ‘Blackmoor,’ and many, many others. Heck, more limber people could use these for a really complex game of Twister!”

 

Still active!

Starvation Cheap: Planetary Warfare for Stars Without Number
Downfall
Dungeons on Demand 2
Marked for Death: A Comedic Fate module about assassins
Cultists of Cthulhu
RPG Coasters
Pennypult
Fablestone Dice
Wheel of Flame Candle

#RPGaDay2015 10: Favorite RPG Publisher

Last year we celebrated Autocratik’s #RPGaDay, where we spend a month celebrating RPGs, discussing what we love and what we love about them. Here are the responses of the TRF crew. Be sure to tweet, blog, or post your own with the #RPGaDay!

For August 10, Who is your favorite RPG publisher?
Aser: Pagan Publishing: The little CoC publisher that could, they’ve been around since the 90s or something like that and gave us Delta Green, then and now. Need I say more?
Chuck: Monte Cook Games
John: Fantasy Flight Games.
Jonn: This is a hard one for me. I have bought more Wizard of the Coast and Fantasy Flight products than anything else. However that is more because it was always easier to find groups playing those systems. I’ll have to go with Margaret Weis Production because I have gotten the most enjoyment out of those systems.
Landan: I think it would have to be Paizo since I own most of their stuff with Monte Cook Games being next in line.
Matt: Lumpley Games (Apocalypse World, Dogs in the Vineyard, etc.). Monte Cook games is a close second, though.
Megan: I refuse to choose between Monte Cook Games and Pelgrane Press. The things that I love playing and running the most come from these groups and I’m willing to try anything they offer sight unseen.
Patrick: White Wolf, they may run things weirdly but Mage was solid.
Rob: Steve Jackson Games

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#RPGaDay2015 9: Favorite Media you wish was an RPG

Last year we celebrated Autocratik’s #RPGaDay, where we spend a month celebrating RPGs, discussing what we love and what we love about them. Here are the responses of the TRF crew. Be sure to tweet, blog, or post your own with the #RPGaDay!

For August 9, What is your favorite media you wish was an RPG?

Aser: I’d like to see another Star Trek RPG, old continuity of course.
Chuck: What hasn’t been made into a RPG yet?
John: The Dark Crystal and Trans-Formers.
Jonn: I can’t think of one that isn’t a RPG already. I would be surprised if even MSNBC, Fox News or CNN lacked a TTRPG. -_-
Landan: Well I think with the Cypher System Rulebook being as open ended as it seems so far most things you can make into one if you either can’t find a system or don’t like the one that was created.
Matt: I’m sure it exists and I just haven’t seen it, but I would enjoy a Star Trek RPG. I’ve only given the Firefly RPG a cursory glance, but I’ve toyed with the idea of trying to reskin it to fit more of a Star Trek aesthetic
Megan: I would love to play a game in Rapture or Columbia. I love the Bioshock worlds and it would be a lot of fun.
Patrick: The Furies of Calderon by Jim Butcher
Rob: Gravity Falls

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