Adventure Mondays! - Part 6

As promised, every Monday gets you ten more seeds for your games.

• An Unstoppable Monster is coming to destroy everything. Who do you save and how?
• The players are caught between soldiers and separatist rebels, and must choose sides.
• People turn up missing right after a town reverses its fortunes. Has someone cut a deal with the devil?
• The Heroes are hired to retrieve an important invention that their patron claims was stolen from him. Unfortunately true ownership is in question.
•  Hostages have been taken and the heroes are hired to end the standoff.
• An ancient machine or creature is accidentally set loose. Can the heroes stop it?
• The heroes get wind of a slave ship in the area leaving port soon. Someone should put a stop to this.
• Someone has arisen that appears to have miraculous abilities to heal and prophesize, but is there a darker secret to this gift?
• A cursed item has been making rounds and wreaking havoc. The heroes must track it down before it causes more harm.
•  A cult is selling a popular remedy that actually causes dire suffering.

Free Stuff Fridays! - Alien Race Guide - Meet the Kesh

So, Free Stuff Fridays takes up the most of my time per post. As such, I am bound to falter on the weekly thing, especially since my idea tank is running low. In fact my current mind state will be addressed in the next GM Wednesday post. 

Today's post is certainly last minute. I have forgone the typical paper craft standee upload today in favor of Alien One Sheets as a celebration of the Sci-Fi Companion and the hopefully soon to be released "Last Parsec" by Pinnacle Entertainment.

So lets meet The Kesh...

This was not just a weekly update, but an experiment with digital coloration. I admit I am a terrible inker and colorer, but I like to think I am getting better.

By the Way, if you are looking for "Truly Alien" aliens for your game, you might be disappointed. I prefer the Star Warsy type aliens of pulp to the "talking jellyfish" of harder sci-fi. I am trying to design aliens that are more than a simple rubber forehead away from humans, but near-human aliens are also a part of the trope and they will be making an appearance.

GM Wednesday! - Improvising Conflict

Time to talk about Conflict.

Conflict is they key to an interesting plot. It doesn't necessarily need to be violent conflict. It could be as simple as getting information. The hero wants some information so he goes to a known street rat to get it. If the street rat gives it up immediately then there is no conflict. In other words it is boring and could easily have been narrated away without the player's input. It's more interesting if the street rat has reasons to not give it up, but to make the hero earn it. Maybe the street rat is afraid of being found out as a snitch, maybe he is greedy and must be bartered with for the information, or maybe he just sees no reason to help the heroes until they earn his fear or respect.

Here's another example: The heroes are sneaking through the villain's manor when one of the party guests wanders into the room where they are hiding. The guest isn't actively searching for the heroes but his mere presence can make their heart skip a beat.

When you improvise conflict, just remember this simple formula. The heroes want something, but then something gets in the way of that goal. That's conflict.

It could just be something as simple as the heroes want to search the room for treasure, but then there is an irate Minotaur in the way. That is the conflict of most early D&D dungeon modules (aka dungeon crawls), and in some cases that is enough.

This may read like it's all very basic stuff, but the panic of improvising can make you forget some very basic things.

So as your players drift from your pre-planned story line and begin to explore a different path, you must be ready to introduce Conflict.

Finesse

Now it's time to talk about the art and the skills you will need so that you don't frustrate your players with the Conflicts you introduce.

While it's okay to throw a seemingly impossible task in front of the players every now and then that forces them to really think, it's bad form to do this for every Conflict. The more difficult you make a task, the more time it will take for the players to figure out a way through it. Too many of these tasks will bog down the game and your players will get bored. Try to keep some level of fairness in mind with your challenges with respect to the game world. The challenges should be solvable by your heroes, otherwise the game cannot continue. 

One GM I played with ran a Star Wars game where we as rebel mercenaries had to get our assignment from a covert operative on a space station. Weapons were not allowed on the station so we had to go in unarmed to get our assignment. The conflict our GM threw at us was that the contact was crazy (why then would the rebellion trust or use him as a middle-man?), he had an explosive vest strapped to his chest (on a station where weapons were strictly forbidden), and he wouldn't give us our assignment unless we paid him an exorbitant amount of money (that we didn't have). 

So paying him was not an option, reasoning with him was not an option, and threatening him was not an option. We did what any mercenary would do in that circumstance. We said screw the money and we left. Game over. 

It is the job of the GM to challenge the players, not to defeat them. After all you control the final ruling, the setting, and the infinite number of villains. What sort of challenge is it for you to beat the players when your are god.

Twists and Turns

Next lets talk about spicing up your conflict. Think about things that can add a twist to your conflict. Let's say the heroes want the info from that street rat. I gave you a bunch of examples of standard motivations and solutions but what about something not so standard. 
What if the street rat is desperate to free his girl from a drug den so they can run off and make a fresh start, but he lacks the strength and firepower to rescue her? So he has a price for the heroes, but his motive isn't greed.

Let's say the heroes are entering a cavern to slay monsters and get treasure. Here's a twist: The monsters are organized and have built defensive fortifications.

And Then the Ninjas Attacked! 

Sometimes the heroes may get confused and not know where to go. Or the players might be getting bored with too much character acting or puzzle solving. If the pace of your game starts to drag, it's time to send in the ninjas. BTW it's always good to have a generic "Thug/Ninja" npc statted out for your game in case your need one...or a dozen.

Throwing an action scene at the players should wake them up. Basically the villain has had enough of the heroes asking questions and sends a death squad to "take care of them" (I hate that cliched line). And oops, their just happens to be a clue on one of the death squad members that can lead the party back on track.

This is a good trick to keep in your repertoire. The players will be so happy that something is happening that it's unlikely they will complain about the obvious tactic.

Summary

So when you have to improvise a conflict, remember to make it a challenge but not an impossible task, especially if the plot cannot move forward unless the heroes deal with this conflict. 

Make it fit with the setting and what is going on. Always leave a path for the heroes to succeed. And given that this is improv, if your players come up with a cool idea to deal with the situation that you hadn't thought of, go with it.

Adventure Monday! - Part 5

Woop Woop! It's that time again. I hope these are helping people. I don't get much feedback, so it's difficult to tell.

• A Monster has settled into an area that the locals need access to and it must be removed or killed.
• While on a long voyage the heroes’ vehicle is waylaid by hijackers.
• Two government’s dispute over ownership of a recent find threatens to drive the region into war.
• The heroes are caught up in an attempted coup.
• All of the children of a town have mysteriously disappeared.
• A demon possesses a living person to fulfill an ancient obligation made with a person no longer alive.
• A dying miner claims to have found a mother lode and asks the players to pass on its location to his kin. The people who killed the miner have other ideas.
• The players discover an operation underway that uses slave labor. The slavers are cruel and armed.
•  The heroes are hired to hunt down a person of noble intent who seems to have become corrupted by greed, power, drugs, or a cursed item.
• There is a creature loose at the local shipyard and no one seems inclined to do much about it. The Dock-Masters offer a bounty but are much more interested in seizing the abandoned ships of the creature’s victims.

Last week I played the Free RPG day scenario "Risen From the Sands" in the Pathfinder Society. TPK (Total Party Kill) in 29 minutes at the first encounter. Skip this one. It really shows off the lack of playtest some Paizo products get.

I'm all for tough scenarios but the first encounter was a "Square Pyramid" (geometry buffs are cringing on that one) that Tramples all the heroes each round in a narrow corridor (no cover) and deals enough damage to drop any character in one blow (it's a 2-4 level adventure). BTW this "Square Pyramid" also has Reach (WTF?), over 50 hp, and Hardness of 8.

AND I thought I would remind you that this is a free rpg being run on Free RPG Day as a marketing ploy that is supposed to draw in new players. Wanna play an RPG? Oops, yer dead. Did you have fun? Paizo Fail.

Free Stuff Fridays! - Computer Banks

What is the point of invading an Imperial Base if there aren't any computer systems to loot? So here you are, some computer bank standees to provide hours of cover under withering Imperial blaster fire. I just hope it survives the barrage long enough for you to clear your browser history.

Computer Bank Standees

GM Wednesday - Improvisation/ Story

Today's post is about running off of the cuff, at the edge of your wits, and when things go so Wednesday that even you don't know how it's going to end. It's about the fun part of GMing.

Let start with the basics. There are three things that will require improv skills: Story, Conflict, and Dialogue. Conflict and Dialogue will be covered in later posts.

Story

So you think you know how things are supposed to go. Unfortunately your players have decided that the most important person in the game must be the decrepit Hobgoblin on the outskirts of town who is trying to peddle his homemade snot-balls to anyone passing by. He was just a foot-note in your city description but your players think he is the Evil Mastermind of a yet undisclosed plot and they intend to spend the next hour or two getting to the bottom of his true purpose.

What do you do? Do you keep telling your players he is just a nobody and steer them back onto your plot rails or... do you go with it?

Here's the thing, if you go with it but don't let on that you're having to improvise everything that is happening, your players will think they have outsmarted you. They will feel a sense of accomplishment that they have bypassed all of your clues and found the real culprit. Just keep your mouth shut and smile, things are going your way. The Hobgoblin just got a promotion.

I like to add a big twist. Yes he is up to something, but it's not at all what the players think he is up to. Maybe he is a scout for an invasion force. Maybe his snot-balls are actually healing snot (taken orally) and the Hobgoblin is a prophet. Maybe he was hired by the real villain to keep an eye on who is coming and going to the town. That last option can be used to lead the heroes back onto your original plot if necessary.

Or you could provide them with proof of his innocence by making him the victim. Perhaps the real Big Bad Evil Guy needs something from the Hobgoblin Peddler and has sent some minions to rough him up.

The hard part here is pulling another story out of your brain pan. If you're used to playing things loose with the adventure you had in mind then you should be in good shape. If you have a very tightly woven adventure where things need to happen in a specific order, you are going to be frustrated and panicked (and neither is conducive to creativity).

The best thing you can do is just have fun. Make up something outrageous, and don't worry about the details too much. Flesh it out as you go. Answer only those questions that come up. It may sound terrifying but just trust yourself and let it go. Just make sure that it has a thread that ties it all together.

For instance, if my villain is a desert prince but I decide his servants are shark-men it won't make much sense for the two to work together UNLESS the desert prince has hatched a plan to flood his lands to make them more fertile (which will likely wipe out his neighbors ecosystems but what does he care). Newly submerged territory would be something the shark men would be very interested in. The water plot ties these two disparate groups together.

The GMs Secret Stalling Tactic!

Let's say your players have completely blindsided you and you aren't ready to bounce back at them. You need a moment to collect your thoughts and regroup. Don't worry, take a break. If you don't want to tell them why (and why should you?) just call for a bio break. Then take a few deep breaths and regroup. I don't recommend taking a smoke break. I used to smoke and I'm glad I quit. Also, I have never had a moment to think while I smoked because some of my friends would join me or take the opportunity to ask me questions. The point is you need to be alone for a few seconds so go to the bathroom...alone...preferably. Just don't take too many of these breaks or your players may become suspicious...or worried.

Now just focus on...

What You Need

Remember, the object is to keep yourself loose so you can spring in any direction you need to go. You aren't going to flesh out an entirely new adventure in the bathroom, and nor should you since your players will just derail that as well. All you need is an Adventure Seed (just like the one's I have been tossing your way every Monday).

You just need a Villain, a Villainous Plan, and an idea about the consequences should he/she/it be allowed to succeed.

Letting the Players Write Your Adventure

Okay, so we're back to that Hobgoblin. The players are convinced he's a bad guy. You've decided that he's actually peddling a narcotic while scouting the town for an invasion. Your player's don't know any of that yet.

Then one of your players says "He may be consorting with a demon. We should check that out. We'll follow him and use detect evil."

The Hobgoblin wasn't consorting with a demon a second ago, but that actually sounds cool to you so TAKE IT.

"As you follow him into the deeper forest he begins to radiate Evil," you say.

Player 1 - "Ha! I knew it."
Player 2- "Wait, why didn't he radiate evil before?"

Don't answer him. See if another player answers him first. This happens a lot at my table.

Player 1 - "Obviously there is something in the woods that keeps him from hiding his Evil."

That is how players will do all the work for you. Staying flexible. You have gone from the Hobgoblin being a flavor NPC, to a spy and drug peddler, to a Demon whose lair is deep in the forest. All you've had to do was change your adventure seed. After a while, your players will settle into the story and then you can start planning Conflicts.

Where Things Are Likely to Go Wrong

Information Gathering
In this part, the players learn about what is going on, what is really going on, and who the villain is. For mystery games, this is 75% of the adventure. For your typical Pathfinder Society game, this is the first 20% of the adventure because you are handed a mission, told what is going on, and who the bad guy is.

This is also the most likely place for your pre-planned adventure to go off the rails. It's the place where your players are still looking for direction and focus and may go off on a different tangent. That is one of the reasons Pathfinder Society skips that by handing you most or all of the information the PCs need up front.

The heroes are unlikely to enter combat in this section so you won't really need any NPC's with combat stats at this point. Honestly all you need is your adventure seed and a rough idea of where it is going to go. If you have proactive players like in the above example, they may end up creating this entire section for you.

At the end of this part, your heroes will have their story and now they just need to assault the villain's base and take him down or catch him in the middle of his villainous plot and stop him.

So Why Do I Like Improv So Much?

Because I'm not just reading an adventure to my friends and waiting for them to get the right response. I am thinking, planning, restrategizing, and I don't know what's happening next. In short, I may be running things but I am also playing. I think too many GMs don't actually play when they run, which is why I think so few people want to GM.

Game On!

Adventure Monday - Part 4

Back again with ten more seeds.

• A Poisonous Monster must be killed and a sample of its poison must be returned.
• A Valuable Monster is loose and must be captured alive.
• The Heroes fame as made them a target by wannabes that want to prove themselves.
• A Wronged Noble needs a champion to fight in a duel of honor.
• The players are caught between soldiers and separatist rebels, and must choose sides.
• Mischievous creatures have targeted the heroes for fun. They must be appeased or destroyed.
• The Heroes fame as made them a target by wannabes that want to prove themselves.
• The Heroes are hired to bring peace to a restless ghost, allowing it to fade away.
• A power player is getting advice from their dead consort. Is it real or is there a dark secret?
• The Heroes are hired to plant listening devices into a rival company’s system so that a competitor can listen in.
• The Heroes are sent into the bowels of a planet’s machinery to capture a rebel leader, only to find out they have captured a patsy, or have they?