[RPG] Wetlands Encounter Tables-

Here's the LINK to a 2 page .pdf.
--Hopefully you'll find it useful. :)

[Gaming][RPG] Macro-Mini-game in the Works-

I am currently writing up a fairly complex mini-game that has three stages of competition:

1). Mapping, Navigating, and Utilising a randomly determined Marketplace, including micro-quests and random events (attacks, happen-stance, etc.), toward the goal of completing a list of items/ingredients/invitations.
:: During this stage, as Wins are accumulated, Power increases, making Tests easier to pass as well as earning spending coin. At each graduation to a higher Power score, a Test to gain employment with an Adventurer is offered. Declining or failing a Hire Test instead rewards the character with a Booster Die, used to slightly improve one's odds in any Test by substituting its result, if better, with any one die in the normal pool.
:: Since the Hire Test can be refused, it is possible for some characters to voluntarily remain at that stage.

2). Hired On-
:: Winning the Hire Test results in the second stage of the game, in which the character acts as either a Hireling, or a more-trusted Hench, each with their own strengths and weaknesses, and a possibility to switch types during play.
:: Exposure to traps, creatures, and environmental hazards has treasure and continued personal development (prowess and skill) toward the goal of the Graduate Challenge as its reward.

3). Graduate Challenge-
:: In this final stage of the game, the character has gone from a simple errand-runner to an Adventurer, if terribly naive about the scale of dangers and riches that await those good enough to live by their wits. Now, they must face-off in a true combat to rank the Graduates and determine what grade of Adventuring Party each is hired by. Ranking low can dramatically reduce the PC's chances of survival, but that will have to wait for RPG sessions, because, by this time, a fully-formed RPG character has been created, ready to get the chosen system's (by default, UWoM) scores converted and standard count (coin) determined toward equipping.

I'd say more, but I'd better get back to writing.
--I'll blog around the next few days, but may be otherwise silent.
See you in a few.

[Gaming] Praise of a Blank Planet v. Fear of Failure?-

The guys in the OSR are still feeling their way through the issue of legitimacy regarding 'Each Hexism' versus 'Grand Visionism', which still baffles me to a great deal.

Having thought it wiser a few times to not publish remarks to various blog posts on this subject, I have instead mulled it over and have this incomplete thought to offer for derision or consideration:

Urutsk started out as a single city, Kryssan, but by the end of that first discussion (not session, as the system hadn't even been created, let alone an existing game system chosen) with my players, everything else began to follow as links in a chain, until, very shortly thereafter, I had a nation, culture, and internal politics. This 'big picture thinking' was, and still is, one of the things I am most noted for in gaming, fiction, and analysis.

I am not entirely certain why the OS seems afraid to embrace the middle-path between philosophically-engineered settings and the pride of retaining ignorance about what is in the rest of the one hex on the map.
--Isn't it 'game how you like'? Why expound dogmatic philosophies; selectively cite the 'Elders'; and then reward likemindedness while deriding holistic vision as part of the dreaded Third Wave Railroading / 'Frustrared Writer' syndrome, when nothing about it is that absolute or soluble to a repeatable process, let alone a design philosophy (supposedly 'the FORGE'-istic in nature)?

I think (as in, the jury of my mind is still in deliberation, and this is not a dogmatic opinion from which I cannot be dissuaded) complete worlds make many folks fearful that they'll 'play it wrongly', and it is that rather than the case of their taking some sort of moral highground that randomised exploration of each hex is the superior path to gaming enjoyment.
--As such, it may be difficult for (mostly) men to admit that sort of fear/sour grapes, and instead meet in agreement of the clan's chosen method and proceed in happy perpetuation of the 'tradition', so as to reassure that theirs is the One True Way (even though some make a real effort to make clear that their words, however unintentionally weighty, are not imperial edicts, but rather merely their own opinions, based upon their careful investigations and interpretations of the source materials).

While I would be glad to host such a debate here, I offer [a] Middle Path, namely, knowing what one wants the world-setting to be like in general, while still employing the 'Hexploration' methods to detail one's individual conception of an established and well-documented setting.
--I, too, believe in the 'Oracular power of dice', but also believe that preparation makes for more effective and safer undertakings.

Just a few Monday-midday thoughts. Nothing absolute, dogmatic, nor intentionally inflammatory.

Thoughts?

*{Ramble}*[RPG] Hard Limits, Starting Characters & Background in Context--

I realise the following contains references you folks don't yet have available, but I occasionally write these, 'for the record', as it were. I hope it is at least moderately interesting.

After 'refreshing' the Spectral Index to make it more intuitive, I rolled up a 'long-form' character and spotted a tweak or two in the order of tables, or a formatting glitch that needed correcting.
--I then decided to see if the background skills (Environmental Activities, and Training points) could be abused RaW, and when I saw that it could, I then placed a hard limit on the letter code (skill level in common parlance) that could be purchased. Now (although 'levelled' figures can increase Training through Adventure Points), starting folk (such as NPCs and the Base PC), cannot be more than an average of 75% proficient in any given Activity. When I upload the Spectral Index this will all make good sense.

I must make certain that even casual readers of the Players' Manual will not be able to confuse the 'long form' character generation routine with the 'roll-and-go' (ostensibly 'old school') method which allows for importation of many/most other 3d6-based characters.
--That EPT thread on Dragonsfoot sent shivers down my spine. I don't want to deal with anything of the sort.

My decision to switch over to a Gamma World scale for a figure's 'HPs' and weapons damage makes me very happy, and opens up a lot of great official and fan-based GW material for cross-pollination, so to speak.
--Since I've always favoured GW over D&D, this is a sort of 'homecoming' for me in a similar way to many OS bloggers'/gamers' re-discovery of 'the old ways.' That Mutant Future is enjoying the fan-success that it is only bolsters my confidence in my decision.

Now, parallel to that change, the implementation of many of the ideas/principles found in Ward's MA articles in The Dragon, and a general memory of Jorune chargen, 'long form' PCs are very playable without one drop of Point Design prior to game-start, which was one of my goals that hadn't been made clear in the beta .pdf, to my chagrin.

Since UWoM is another creature altogether, and I am not in the Orthodox Old School church, ;) I strongly believe in games that have official settings:

* Tekumel
* Greyhawk (don't kid yourselves, you know 1e was keyed to reflect Greyhawk)
* The Vilani Imperium
* Glorantha
* The Warden
* Gamma Earth/Terra via its series of adventures literally expanding the known world's map
* The Morrow Project's earth
* The world of Palladium
* Car Wars' earth
* Jorune, among others.

--Having a strong setting in no way diminishes one's ability to 'sandbox', and some of the above required one to do so if only due to the grandeur of the setting.

With a strong setting comes the knowledge of the world's baseline and the origins from whence a character arose. The parents/guardians, the local environs, pastimes and home-education in familial trades/crafts and culture-ways, as well as years of hearing of the daily goings-on 'at work', if not actually apprenticing in that field. Then the local society and its concerns, diversions, interests, mores and standards of conduct, pastimes, philosophies, religious thoughts and ideals (if any), sexual congress rites, and burial practises, etc.
--In game terms, even if a young (teens) character is rolled, these things are already resident within the person, and figure into their ability to navigate the considerable dangers upon Urutsk, while the player is still the one in charge, and the one challenged. The details of a character's background are a goldmine for gaming possibilities.

So, for gamers who enjoy Urutsk as a backdrop, but want to roll 3d6 six times in order and optionally pick a class, it'll work fine, as will it for folks who'll find rolling up a native in their full glory to be rather nifty.

[RPG] Encounters by Environment-

(c) Copyright 2009 Kyrinn S. Eis

This is an early draft:

DESIGNING ADVENTURES-

Encounter Procedures-

I use d12 rolls to determine Frequency, Intensity, and Proximity (FIP). The higher the result, the likelier things will be encountered, the more powerful those things are, and how close they are to the characters.
Read the d12 as a clock-face when rolling for exact placement of the Encounter relative to the party in question. A 12 is directly in front, and 11 and 1 as being to adjacent forward locations, and 7, 6, and 5 as rear of the party, 9 left, 3 right, etc.

--Example:

I'm rolling Frequency, and see that the area the characters are in is +5 in that category. I get an adjusted 11, which is generally an Encounter for my games under most circumstances. Okay, an Encounter has been confirmed.

Ruins are also +5 to Intensity, making them much more likely to spawn powerful creatures and dwellers. I roll a 12, for a total of +17. This is something significantly more powerful than the characters, at least 5 Fight Dice greater than their highest, if not higher. Let's see how close it is to them.

The terrain imposes a -2 on Proximity, likely due to the sheer impassibility of much of the area. My roll is a 4, which is adjusted to 2 -- not very close at all.

Now, what does this information tell me as a Referee? Plenty.
I am free to choose which creature of that power-level, that makes sense for the terrain (ruins), and place it far enough away that I have time to blend its appearance into my descriptions (tracks or other evidence, sensory clues, etc.)


Rolling 2d6, using this same method, provides more uniform and average results, and specifically gives those discovering the encounter more distance, on average, before coming face-to-face with it, as it were.


Sd6 is a notation for rolling d6 twice, reading it serially, like d%. The range is 36 numbers running from 11-66, and only read up to 6, making the next number after 16, ...21, etc. If asked to roll #Sd6, simply add the Sd6 result together.


Terrain Generator: d12
1). Rough
2). Ruins
3). Settlement
4). Woods
5). Grassland
6). Wetlands
7). Grassland
8). Wetlands
9). Grassland
10). Woods
11). Ruins
12). Rough


* Grassland: +2 to Frequency| +0 to Intensity| -4 to Proximity
:: Short or tall grasses, wide open or dotted with ground cover and copse of trees, generally good visibility. Whatever concealment that may be present is most likely to be dense scrub or light woods before it is any sort of Ancient landscaping or structural elements, as demonstrated in the following tables. If nothing is indicated, then the flat, relatively featurelessness persists unabated throughout the area of 3d8 miles. The land supports many useful herbs and berries, and small game is often plentiful (+45%) for both hunting and trapping. However, it must be remembered that grasslands and any other open areas regardless of climate, are corridors for the movement of creatures, and with large numbers of herbivores and omnivores come the carnivorous predators. Nighttime is especially likely (+5 overall Frequency) for curious omnivores and carnivores to roam into human/humanoid areas looking for an easy meal.
:: Roll d12: 1-9). Nothing, 10+). Concealment
:: Roll d12: 1-10). #x5% concealment, 11). 55% +1d4 Armour, 12). 60% +1d6 Armour
:: 11-12). Roll d12:
1). Outlying defence post and the wilderness around it, +5 to all Encounter rolls
2). Cache: 1). Junk| 2). Data II| 3). Devices| 4). Data IV| 5). Arms/Armour| 6). Anything Referee determines
3). Warehouse, 15% occupied, 1d6 miscreants 1-3 FD, comparable arms
4). |
5). |
6-7). } Roll on Ruins, now overgrown
8). |
9). |
10). Shady Watering Hole 90% Frequency, + 3 Intensity, + 5 Proximity, animals 90% of encounters
11). Warehouses have a 10% chance of being occupied and guarded, and a 2% chance of finding something useful
12). Outlying defence post and the wilderness around it, +3 to all Encounter rolls


* Rough: -2 to Frequency| +2 to Intensity| +1 to Proximity
:: Anything from a rocky mound to flattened debris as fits the other terrain around it. If adjacent to Ruins, then these are the outskirts comprised of sundered warehouses and factories, etc. If in the wilds, it is most likely (01-95%) simply a rock formation or at most, a mound of earth. Burrowing and rock-crevace creatures will be most prevalent, including both serpents and stinging/biting arthropods (scorpions and spiders). Flying creatures often fight over the right to roost upon the highest points of rough terrain, whether a rocky crag,
or a toppled monument. Rough terrain can also be boggy, or littered with dangerous elements, or a very narrow path through a dangerous environment, such as a rope-bridge across lava.
:: Roll d12: 1-6). Nothing, 7+). Concealment
:: Roll d12: 1-10). #x10% concealment, 11). 100% +1d8 Armour, 12). 100% +1d10 Armour


* Ruins: +5 to Frequency| +5 to Intensity| -2 to Proximity
:: Can consist of any large structural debris either from complete structures or those under construction at the time of the destruction. Roll 5Sd6+133 prior-Population to understand scope of the immediate location you are describing. Many other sorts of locations (factories, offices, drink halls, public eating, parks, etc.) are to be described as surrounding these locations, and may (must) be fleshed out in similar terms as you continue to run scenarios or encounters in these locales. As Referee, you must adequately describe the destruction's effects (toppled towers scattered across broad roads and into former mansions, flooded streets and sink holes, animal occupation of ruins and unexpected nesting sites with subsequent peculiar terrain in territorial disputes). Imagine a city you have visited or seen, and think of two thousand years of disrepair, of no significant number of humans to affect the place, as well as the reclamation of nature in the form of creeping vines, trees uprooting the pavement and plazas, and quarters frequented by all manner of animals, as well as monsters and brigands, travellers, and other explorers. The most famous ruin in an area is often used as a rallying point for organised exploration, and in these cases (often), the ruins serve as the basis of a new settlement.
:: Type of location: Roll 1d12
1). Outlying barrens of ruins and the wilderness around it, +2 to all Encounter rolls
2). Store: 1). Junk| 2). Data III| 3). Devices| 4). Data V| 5). Arms/Armour| 6). Anything Referee determines
3). Market Larder/Food Distribution Centre, 33% viable food, 1d6+4 servings, 1d6 miscreants 1 FD, lesser arms
4). Carriage Lot with 1d10 vehicles, 30% ea. intact contents; +50% Type IV-I loot
5). Dwelling for 2 or fewer persons, animals dwelling in rooms likely, +15% Type IV-I loot
6-7). Dwelling for 3 or more persons, +50% Type IV-I loot
8). Dwelling for 2 or fewer persons, recently used by humanoids for shelter, +30% Type IV-I loot
9). Library full of knowledge and a world of mystery, animals dwelling likely, most likely herbivore
10). Water Works is a prize if it could be restarted, general encounters on site
11). Warehouses have a 45% chance of being intact, and a general 5% chance of finding something useful
12). Outlying barrens of ruins and the wilderness around it, +2 to all Encounter rolls


* Settlement: +7 to Frequency| +3-5 to Intensity| +3 Proximity
:: From the tents of nomadic Dokirin and old world Yirinn, to ancient metropoli -- seats to dozens of empires.
:: Type of location: Roll 1d12
1). Outlying defence post and the wilderness around it, +5 to all Encounter rolls
2). Store: 1). Junk| 2). Data II| 3). Devices| 4). Data IV| 5). Arms/Armour| 6). Anything Referee determines
3). Market Larder/Food Distribution Centre, 33% charity, 1d4 servings, 1d4 miscreants 1 FD, lesser arms
4). Personal Transport Sales Lot and Merchant; Bicycles to Beasts of Burden
5). Dwelling for 2 or fewer persons, animals dwelling in rooms likely, +30% Type III-I loot
6-7). Dwelling for 3 or more persons, +100% Type III-I loot
8). Dwelling for 2 or fewer persons, recently used by humanoids for shelter, +60% Type III-I loot
9). Library full of knowledge and a world of mystery, guarded and well staffed by knowledgeable scribes
10). Bath House and Public Tap
11). Warehouses have a 90% chance of being occupied and guarded, and a 25% chance of finding something useful
12). Outlying defence post and the wilderness around it, +5 to all Encounter rolls


* Wetlands: +4 to Frequency| +1 to Intensity| -2 to Proximity
:: Wetlands are incredibly diverse ecosystems. Plants found therein include: cypress, ferns, lichens, mangrove, mosses, rushes, sedges, black spruce, tamarack, water lilies, gum, among others. Wetlands are rife with foetid amphibians of every conceivable sort, powerful and resourceful mammal and marsupial predators and opportunists, highly intelligent and specialised birds, and tenacious and often ferocious fur-bearing insectoids and reptiles, alike. Small, biting insects are ubiquitous beyond all consternation.
:: Type of location: Roll 1d12
1). Island Dwelling for 2 or fewer persons, animals dwelling in rooms likely, +30% Type III-I loot
2). Dwelling for 3 or more persons, +100% Type III-I loot
3). River Community: Sd6 Population 67% adult, roll d12 for Disposition: 12 = Best, 1 = Worst
4). Creek and Woods on an island of solid ground, roll on Woods if they get in deep
5). Lake: 33% Encounter at +1 to all FIP, roll 1d10: 1-8). Small, 9). Large, 10). V. Large Lake
6-7). 3d8 Miles of everglades: + 3 to all FIP each Hour until clear
8). Lake: 67% Encounter at +0 to all FIP, roll 1d10: 1-6). Small, 7-9). Large, 10). V. Large Lake
9). Creek and Scrub on an island of solid ground, roll on Grassland if they follow
10). River Community: 3Sd6 Population 55% adult, roll 2d6 for Disposition: 11-12 = Best, 2 = Worst
11). Stilt Dwelling for 3 or more persons, +100% Type III-I loot
12). Houseboat for 2 or fewer persons, recently used by human(oid)s for shelter, +10% Type IV-I loot


* Woods: +5 to Frequency| +2 to Intensity| +3 to Proximity
:: Woodland is a low-density of trees, with an open habitat, allowing only limited shade. Ground cover may include shrubs and seeding plants (and grasses). Shrubland may form under drier conditions or during early stages of vegetative succession. A Forest is a higher density of trees with thick, shaded canopy which replaces shrubs with ferns and mosses, as well as increased fungal growth and lichens. Many sorts of creatures, intelligent and otherwise, find a great bounty within woodlands areas, and so the breadth of encounter types should be exercised.
:: Type of location: Roll 1d12
:: 1-6). Nothing, 7+). Concealment
:: 7+ Roll d12: 1-10). #x10% concealment, 11). 100% +1d6 Armour, 12). 100% +1d8 Armour
:: 11-12). Roll d12:
1). Outlying defence post and the wilderness around it, +5 to all Encounter rolls
2). Cache: 1). Junk| 2). Data II| 3). Devices| 4). Data IV| 5). Arms/Armour| 6). Anything Referee determines
3). Warehouse, 15% occupied, 2d4 miscreants 2-5 FD, comparable arms, some of these are hidden in reserve
4). |
5). |
6-7). } Roll on Ruins, now enveloped by the woods, -2 on all FIP rolls
8). |
9). |
10). Ritual Grove shelter 10% daylight Frequency, 33% night Frequency and 1d4 Clerics 2d6 Fighters 3d8 faithful
11). Warehouses have a 8% chance of being occupied and guarded, and a 23% chance of finding something useful
12). Outlying defence post and the wilderness around it, +3 to all Encounter rolls


Critters would then be listed in an index under the environments they most frequent.