tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2141372262111342844.post1905279042407313518..comments2024-03-27T21:18:33.034+00:00Comments on Fabled Lands: To live forever (scenario)Dave Morrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14468228790874490693noreply@blogger.comBlogger28125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2141372262111342844.post-83755528123016356712020-08-27T17:59:58.122+01:002020-08-27T17:59:58.122+01:00That's true. One of my favourite lines is Octa...That's true. One of my favourite lines is Octavius's in Anthony & Cleopatra when he says, "The time of universal peace is near." Hard to hear that without both a thrill and a shudder. Although, as it turned out, Octavius didn't do too badly. Let's hope She will be more of an Augustus-type absolute ruler and not so much of a Hitler/Stalin.Dave Morrishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14468228790874490693noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2141372262111342844.post-86283666696433901142020-08-27T16:49:18.515+01:002020-08-27T16:49:18.515+01:00On the other hand when it comes to "building ...On the other hand when it comes to "building a better world" you kind of have to ask "better for who and in what way?" I mean when it comes right down to it even Adolph Hitler was trying to build a better world. I don't think the rest of us would have enjoyed living in his better world. Those of us who were even allowed to live, anyway.johntfshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16005496604068259398noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2141372262111342844.post-32033053174541597662020-08-26T08:02:59.234+01:002020-08-26T08:02:59.234+01:00Same here, John -- though the referee has to guard...Same here, John -- though the referee has to guard against having favourite NPCs, she's definitely actually trying to build a better world while the PCs just run about playing at being heroes.Dave Morrishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14468228790874490693noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2141372262111342844.post-64026462362390572932020-08-26T02:50:46.797+01:002020-08-26T02:50:46.797+01:00At this point I'm kind of rooting for She to j...At this point I'm kind of rooting for She to just have the Spartans whacked so as to get them out of the way of the preparations that kind of desperately need to be made.johntfshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16005496604068259398noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2141372262111342844.post-79418899451366956042020-08-25T08:56:49.100+01:002020-08-25T08:56:49.100+01:00The PCs blew their best opportunities to get infor...The PCs blew their best opportunities to get information off the time travellers. Well, it was a war zone, so there were no campfire moments. I was being purposely vague anyway in case they decided to get behind Hiya's scheme after all, in which case the Mongols would never become a serious threat and they could have met the Black Death with hygiene and antibiotics. Something tells me that they'll always be too hidebound to change history that much.Dave Morrishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14468228790874490693noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2141372262111342844.post-29876396677520431032020-08-25T02:20:08.752+01:002020-08-25T02:20:08.752+01:00Did the time-travelers share any other tidbits of ...Did the time-travelers share any other tidbits of the future with the Spartans? Specifically did they mention the Molgols in the 1200s along with the Black Death in the mid-1300s - which would lead to a depopulated Europe just in time for the aliens to hit in 1391.johntfshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16005496604068259398noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2141372262111342844.post-64642472578880983482020-08-24T14:40:41.029+01:002020-08-24T14:40:41.029+01:00We haven't got to the Mongols yet, in the offi...We haven't got to the Mongols yet, in the official campaign at any rate. (We've had some non-canonical specials.) I could imagine by that stage Hiya -- well, Gaia as she's calling herself by then -- would just fortify Africa and leave the rest of them to it.<br /><br />Most of the Spartans were that in name only by this time. A couple had always based their idea of Sparta on Frank Miller, so were just psycho. A couple more were only interested in epicureanism. One (who had always had the nickname "the Attican") devoted himself to academic matters. Another took to living as a hermit. Others had become merchants. I think Oceanos (aka Omega; my character) was the only one who actually still upheld Spartan ideals, and even I had adopted some elements of Buddhism after a couple of lifetimes spent in India.Dave Morrishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14468228790874490693noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2141372262111342844.post-46869789607049290142020-08-24T14:09:32.127+01:002020-08-24T14:09:32.127+01:00Well, figure one issue is that your immortal PCs a...Well, figure one issue is that your immortal PCs are Spartans instead of being Athenians. Still, figure one potential alliance might come around the 1200s as figure both Spartans and She would want to oppose the Mongol attempt to conquer and "decivilize" damn near everything.johntfshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16005496604068259398noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2141372262111342844.post-25207040473378688972020-08-24T08:10:48.154+01:002020-08-24T08:10:48.154+01:00That sounds like an all-too-likely scenario. The S...That sounds like an all-too-likely scenario. The Spartans are born reactionaries, always ready to oppose a bold plan. And after all, what had they achieved in the 1300 years before they encountered Hiya? They'd set up an international bank and made themselves rich. In her 900 years she'd founded a kingdom and begun to pull the strings of history. Admittedly she hadn't begun educating her people much, and seems to have assumed that all scientific progress could only come from the Arab world, but I was a little constrained there by Haggard's book. Maybe I should have departed further from that and had the Spartans find Kor already well on its way to becoming something more like Wakanda.Dave Morrishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14468228790874490693noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2141372262111342844.post-72416072907071478372020-08-24T01:47:42.306+01:002020-08-24T01:47:42.306+01:00Well, maybe it would have accelerated technology. ...Well, maybe it would have accelerated technology. However, the time travelers just told them that Hiya's Gaia Empire was still around in, what, 1900 or so? Who's to say that if She kicks off Her plan with the Spartans things might go sideways. Maybe the Spartans might decide that they'd be better off ruling Her empire. Cue nasty civil war setting up an easy alien conquest.johntfshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16005496604068259398noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2141372262111342844.post-31138465035183843982020-08-23T16:06:38.212+01:002020-08-23T16:06:38.212+01:00Same here. If I ran an investigative scenario in L...Same here. If I ran an investigative scenario in Legend, it wouldn't be to transplant Holmesian rationalists into a medieval setting. Those people believe in signs, omens, curses and divine justice. The notion of analyzing the clues and drawing a logical conclusion shouldn't even occur to them.<br /><br />Even in more modern settings like our Victorian campaign, whenever I've run investigative scenarios the characters usually get the wrong end of the stick. I don't know if it matters too much. Maybe years later they'll get some fresh evidence and say, "Oh dear, I think we sent an innocent man to the gallows."Dave Morrishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14468228790874490693noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2141372262111342844.post-2267131195741069612020-08-23T14:15:33.222+01:002020-08-23T14:15:33.222+01:00Your thoughts on how to write and run a good inves...Your thoughts on how to write and run a good investigative scenario would be good too... I must confess I’m not a big fan of that type of adventure because I think it’s very difficult both as a GM and as a player to separate logic and meta problem solving skills from what the PCs, particularly in a quasi medieval superstitious world would know and how they would think. Most PCs and players aren’t Brother Cadfael! But that’s just my bias...Nigelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13008412474153353926noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2141372262111342844.post-38012998035202127922020-08-23T12:25:47.548+01:002020-08-23T12:25:47.548+01:00I know the temptation, Nigel. I do it myself with ...I know the temptation, Nigel. I do it myself with scenarios on the blog. A perfectly usable scenario would be brief and as dull as a tax accountant's spreadsheet, but when I'm writing it up for the blog I want to turn it into a good read. Often that makes for a better blog post, but it does mean the prospective referee has to do more work before they run the scenario. They have to read it as a story, extract the key points, and mentally repack those in the order they actually need them.<br /><br />A simple example is that investigative scenarios are usually written as a mystery. You only get told the important stuff at the end. But a really workable investigative scenario might begin: "Pierre Brodeur, the notary in Yonville, is a werewolf who has been killing people in the outlying farms and trying to frame the butcher." The published scenario would be full of clues and red herrings and might only reveal the werewolf's identity at the end.<br /><br />To be fair, though, the job of a published scenario is not only to give the referee the details they will need to run the game. It's also to get them stoked to run it. Making it a good, dramatic read helps to show them how they might build excitement and uncertainty in their players. <br /><br />I just looked at the upcoming Legend scenario for December. I've got it up to about 5000 words and Tim's notes for running it came to a tenth of that. In expanding it I'm giving a taste of what happened in our game. My worry is that might steer another referee away from doing something different but just as good.<br /><br />There's no easy answer!Dave Morrishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14468228790874490693noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2141372262111342844.post-4313420530211842772020-08-23T11:12:19.538+01:002020-08-23T11:12:19.538+01:00Will wait until next week! :-) Will wait until next week! :-) Nigelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13008412474153353926noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2141372262111342844.post-70563042680543965142020-08-23T10:57:02.383+01:002020-08-23T10:57:02.383+01:00Again Dave I agree, but lots of people want meticu...Again Dave I agree, but lots of people want meticulously thought out and detailed scenarios, albeit sometimes more for the background than the adventure per se.Nigelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13008412474153353926noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2141372262111342844.post-31329794007444487662020-08-23T10:41:48.901+01:002020-08-23T10:41:48.901+01:00I tend to treat everything I plan in advance as a ...I tend to treat everything I plan in advance as a safety net that I can use if inspiration fails me on the day. But the perfect outcome would be if the PCs went off in a totally unexpected direction, the ideas flowed like the Hippocrene spring, and I never needed any of the scenario I prepared.<br /><br />It's rarely one extreme or the other, of course, but I do find it helpful to think of all the scenario notes as simply a fallback. Otherwise there's too much temptation to regard it as a script you've got to work from.Dave Morrishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14468228790874490693noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2141372262111342844.post-1591109605113427662020-08-23T10:34:50.924+01:002020-08-23T10:34:50.924+01:00Knowing those characters, I really expected them t...Knowing those characters, I really expected them to fight Hiya rather than make a deal with her. They outnumbered her; seven Spartans went on the expedition, and even if three of them currently lacked regenerative powers they were still 820-pt GURPS characters. That's Steve Rogers territory. Admittedly, Hiya had flashier toys, as well as her elite bodyguard to call on.<br /><br />When the choice came up in 878 AD, they went to Britain rather than help her plan. That led to additional complications as they found themselves confronting time travellers from the 1900s who told them that in their own era the Empire of Gaia (Hiya's Wakanda-like core state) had been fighting alien invaders for 500 years. Despite that, the Spartans still failed to support Hiya's plan, which would have accelerated technology even further so as to be ready for the invasion in 1391 AD. You can see why I needed a continuity sheet for all this...Dave Morrishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14468228790874490693noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2141372262111342844.post-16618673472402010302020-08-23T00:43:41.468+01:002020-08-23T00:43:41.468+01:00What I meant to say was “waiting with baited breat...What I meant to say was “waiting with baited breath” but to go on and say it would be helpful in the context of “published” adventures (you having written quite a few) if you could touch on subjects like how much descriptive text you think appropriate, including GM tips and hints, guidance on combat tactics for key villains and battles, how to help PCs uncover and extract information without it feel like you’re spoon feeding the PCs or them interrogating every peasant. Alternative paths and endings. Giving real choice or the illusion of choice and the pragmatic reality of what the GM has prepared vs not. Recognising of course that at the end of the day it’s all made up and it just has to be consistently made up and as long as everyone has fun it’s probably all good...and how to avoid it feeling like everyone’s there to write the GM’s novel or play out his or her theatre of the mind loosely scripted play...Nigelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13008412474153353926noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2141372262111342844.post-42058368943365182292020-08-22T23:32:39.469+01:002020-08-22T23:32:39.469+01:00This comment has been removed by the author.Nigelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13008412474153353926noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2141372262111342844.post-62552988329533327962020-08-22T22:09:37.894+01:002020-08-22T22:09:37.894+01:00They failed to support her plan but did they activ...They failed to support her plan but did they actively oppose her? Especially to the point of violent conflict? Plus, figure that with their friends dying (of old age and such) there's every possibility that they'd have attacked to seize by force that which they'd initially simply requested.johntfshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16005496604068259398noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2141372262111342844.post-43320859776140099352020-08-22T18:39:46.325+01:002020-08-22T18:39:46.325+01:00Hmm, now you've really got me thinking. Can yo...Hmm, now you've really got me thinking. Can you wait a week, Nigel? I think it could be useful enough to put in a post rather than hidden away in the comments.Dave Morrishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14468228790874490693noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2141372262111342844.post-75381911590084129402020-08-22T17:15:19.396+01:002020-08-22T17:15:19.396+01:00Agreed, but for the purposes of writing adventures...Agreed, but for the purposes of writing adventures for others how do you get the level of detail right? Any tips?Nigelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13008412474153353926noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2141372262111342844.post-70730557258869146552020-08-22T14:52:31.886+01:002020-08-22T14:52:31.886+01:00Good question, Nigel. I was thinking recently abou...Good question, Nigel. I was thinking recently about Tim Harford's Christmas specials for Legend. I write these up every year for the blog, but Tim's notes are usually just a page or two, so what I add is a lot more detail *if* the adventure turns out the same way it did for us. Over-preparing tends to force the adventure to follow an expected pattern, so I think Tim's approach is the right one. Keep winging it!Dave Morrishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14468228790874490693noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2141372262111342844.post-47540003151706253182020-08-22T14:48:50.284+01:002020-08-22T14:48:50.284+01:00That was her thinking in our campaign. There were ...That was her thinking in our campaign. There were nine Spartans, of whom only three had lost their immortality, so she figured she may as well help them and have powerful allies rather than making enemies of the remaining ones. Eighty years later, when they failed to support her plan for a new world order, she started to regret her decision.Dave Morrishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14468228790874490693noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2141372262111342844.post-41532205755668249302020-08-22T13:00:42.816+01:002020-08-22T13:00:42.816+01:00One thing that's also missing is an answer to ...One thing that's also missing is an answer to "Why is Hiya helping them, AKA giving them the key to her own power?" Maybe part of it was unique to your campaign (the Spartans were already Immortals and by helping them restore their comrades She gets them to owe Her some big favors), but you'd think there'd something else like "The great "magic crystal"(power source) that energizes my stuff is going dark. Go in there and bring me out another one and I'll share my immortality with you."johntfshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16005496604068259398noreply@blogger.com