Can We Talk About Pen And Paper Games In Here?

[Skywalkre]

 

I have been stunned in the last week how very many people are playing tabletop RPGs these days vs. MMORPGs. Like almost everyone I work with is in one campaign or another. Simply amazing. Not surprisingly though, there are very few DMs compared to players. I had a talk with someone who is DMing a group (and one of his players) and learned that the DM's party NPC has taken over as the lead... Before I realized I was doing it, I tossed the turd in the punchbowl that "it sounds like you need a new DM. If the DM wants to play, someone else should take over as DM."

 

Only, nobody seems to want to DM. I find I enjoy DMing far more than playing (well, I really, really enjoy worldbuilding).

 

Yeah it really does seem like A Trend -- it's a pretty big deal where I live among the early-middle-aged dudes, and like you alluded to, most of them are guys who got sick of playing World of Warcraft or something.

 

Probably helps that these PnP games let those involved be (and the main focus of the product is to let them be) players instead of payers to the big gaming companies.

[CT96]

So... what I'm hearing is... I need to really finish fitting out my setting, and start being a DM for hire...

[Skywalkre]

So... what I'm hearing is... I need to really finish fitting out my setting, and start being a DM for hire...

No joke... you could probably make some money doing it. Throw in a library of fantasy music for every occasion ready to go along with some other special effects (a guy I played with up in UT had a table with lights underneath that helped 'set the mood' during different enouncters) and you'd probably have no shortage of interest.

 

Don't expect to get rich, though.

[CT96]

The fact that a couple of people who have had a weekly game for the last decade, who haven't played a game with me as a DM in over 5 years but so enjoyed my games that they're willing to rearrange schedules for me to do it... I feel like I should actually know what I'm doing for the amount of reputation I apparently have.

[Stargrunt6]

Character rolled, am playing a dwarven barbarian with an abysmal intelligence. it is so bad that the gm and his gf debated about letting me reroll or trade stats with other players. I decided to stick with it. He IS a barbarian and also he more than makes up for it in the physical stats. When it comes down to combat, I will be doing the heavy lifting.

 

Don't sweat it CT, rpg is a cooperative endeavor, so it is not all in you. I think most players just want a decent, fun story.

[Harold Jones]

You might give this a look. If I had a regular gaming group I'd definitely try it.

 

https://youtu.be/mKc5XhvkC8M

[Ssnake]

Character rolled, am playing a dwarven barbarian with an abysmal intelligence. it is so bad that the gm and his gf debated about letting me reroll or trade stats with other players.

 

Years ago, in a Shadowrun group featuring a Troll with INT 1.

 

Comes Mr. Johnson tasking the group to find a girl that has gone missing. Players ask all kinds of useful questions like "where last seen", "who are friends", "got a photo?". Troll player finishes the round asking "Most important: Where is she?!"

[Chris Werb]

A friend who played did this quick sketch of the gang at the beginning of their adventures - most characters look like their players

 

 

 

 

Your friend is really talented! I love the drawing!

[Panzermann]

 

Character rolled, am playing a dwarven barbarian with an abysmal intelligence. it is so bad that the gm and his gf debated about letting me reroll or trade stats with other players.

 

Years ago, in a Shadowrun group featuring a Troll with INT 1.

 

Comes Mr. Johnson tasking the group to find a girl that has gone missing. Players ask all kinds of useful questions like "where last seen", "who are friends", "got a photo?". Troll player finishes the round asking "Most important: Where is she?!"

 

 

Low int, but high wisdom. As everybody knows a Johnson fucks you at least twice and then betrays you. Quite probable the johnson kidnapped the girl.

[Stargrunt6]

 

 

Character rolled, am playing a dwarven barbarian with an abysmal intelligence. it is so bad that the gm and his gf debated about letting me reroll or trade stats with other players.

Years ago, in a Shadowrun group featuring a Troll with INT 1.

 

Comes Mr. Johnson tasking the group to find a girl that has gone missing. Players ask all kinds of useful questions like "where last seen", "who are friends", "got a photo?". Troll player finishes the round asking "Most important: Where is she?!"

LOL

 

Strength stat ought to help with "enhanced" interrogations.

[Stargrunt6]

blarg

Edited December 11, 2018 by Stargrunt6

[CT96]

 

 

Character rolled, am playing a dwarven barbarian with an abysmal intelligence. it is so bad that the gm and his gf debated about letting me reroll or trade stats with other players.

Years ago, in a Shadowrun group featuring a Troll with INT 1.

 

Comes Mr. Johnson tasking the group to find a girl that has gone missing. Players ask all kinds of useful questions like "where last seen", "who are friends", "got a photo?". Troll player finishes the round asking "Most important: Where is she?!"

LOL

 

Strength stat ought to help with "enhanced" interrogations.

 

​

[Stargrunt6]

Word.

 

I have a friend who can say all the dialogue in the movie from start to finish. I know this because he ruined movie night for everyone. Except me, I wasn't in the mood for it because I had cable in the 80's.

[CT96]

The wild thing is because of age disparity, it's likely that at least two of my new players haven't seen the movie. I'm trying to decided how many tropes to play up straight, and how many to subvert.... since it's going to be a mostly female group, I'm thinking about a Prince in Distress

[Skywalkre]

The folks at Critical Role are living the nerdy-PnP-player dream.  For many (all?) their day job is playing D&D every week and their first campaign just got turned into a cartoon (well... the first half of their first campaign... the 2nd half is apparently season 2).  I highly recommend it if anyone hasn't seen it.  Worth it to watch even if you're not subbed currently to Amazon Prime.

[DB]

Let's just hope Peter Jackson doesn't get his hands on it, he'd turn the argument of divvying up the treasure into 6 movies each 3 hours long.

[Skywalkre]

In Jackson's defense he was brought onto that project late after the original director bowed out and the studio was apparently the one pushing for making it into a trilogy.  As to this latter point why Jackson didn't push back or simply bow out himself is a big question I have.  Still... I went back and re-watched the Hobbit trilogy and while they certainly weren't up to the level of the LotR trilogy... they weren't awful, either.  There's just so little good fantasy out there in film/TV that they're still worth watching (at least once).

[Skywalkre]

Aaaaand back to the focus of this thread.  It looks like my Pathfinder campaigns will pick up again in the near future.  I was running two adventure paths at the same time and even with COVID we were able to keep playing... until adulting put both campaigns on indefinite hiatus.  One of my players was in both campaigns but has a bizarre custody arrangement with his ex regarding the kids.  That coupled to work stress last holiday season left both campaigns up in the air.  I won't lie... he was one of my favorite players (got into the RP side and actually built characters and not just spreadsheets) but it looks like we found a good replacement.

Sadly one campaign is completely axed (another player in that campaign just doesn't want to play... and I won't miss him) but the good news is one of my players is going to run an adventure path so that I can finally be a player!  This will be the first time since back in Korea 15 years ago that I'll get to be a PC.  I've spent most of the last two weekends building and comparing characters.  I'll likely only get to do this once so want it to count!

There was some concern if we'd ever play again at all.  I host all the games but my apt is kicking me out in the coming weeks (they want to renovate the place so they can charge an additional $600/month... I passed on moving into one of the already renovated apartments).  Even with Maricopa County being one of the worst places in the country for rent hikes (on average they've gone up 30% in just the last year) every apt that pops up is snagged almost immediately.  Thankfully it looks like I have something locked down so the games can continue!

[Tim the Tank Nut]

rent is through the roof everywhere.

I hosted some computer based Neverwinter Nights games over the cold weather.  It's awfully good fun and compared to a night out on the town its a value too.

I think pen and paper isn't quite as dead as some may think.

Amazon had a program called "Eye of the Beholder" about DnD art.  I really enjoyed it.

 

[AETiglathPZ]

Been running Battletech at Gamers Plus on Wednesdays in Mt Prospect, Illinois for over 2 years. A friend of mine and I started during Covid. Now we have a regular group of 6-7 players. First campaign was a Alt History 3020 War on a planet in the former Rim World Republic. Current campaign is a 3049 Operation Revival invasion of the Oberon Star Empire.