GM Lounge - Bartenders Answer All Your Questions

Started by HockeyGod, January 02, 2012, 03:16:41 PM

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Moraline

Tools (Hex Mapmaker with little icons for buildings and stuff):   http://www.hexographer.com/free-version/

And lots of stuff and info here:  http://www.cartographersguild.com/content/

Chrystal

Quote from: Moraline on February 11, 2013, 12:51:22 PM
Tools (Hex Mapmaker with little icons for buildings and stuff):   http://www.hexographer.com/free-version/

And lots of stuff and info here:  http://www.cartographersguild.com/content/

*publicly falls at Moraline's feet and worships her* Wow, girl, I have been looking for software to do that for... let's see... about 30 years!

Please check out my latest A/A post.
I would rather watch a movie then have dinner than have dinner then watch a movie!

Thufir Hawat

Quote from: Chrystal on February 11, 2013, 10:53:27 AM
I'm now wondering how many people besides us two actually get the joke?
Until I have reason to believe someone didn't get it, I prefer to assume they did :P. After all, both the poetess and the book with the juice are pretty well-known.

Also, I've heard good things about Maptool from some friends, so you can at least check the option ;D!
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AndyZ

Maptools is good if you're willing to make your own maps.  For online tabletop gaming, I swear by it.

http://www.rptools.net/

You can also make up macros that can speed up games even more.  Imagine if every monster auto-rolls attack and damage with the click of a button and how much time that'll save the GM.
It's all good, and it's all in fun.  Now get in the pit and try to love someone.

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If I've owed you a post for at least a week, poke me.

Devil's Advocate

Quote from: Chrystal on January 31, 2013, 04:40:16 PM
Would you mind giving an example of the sort of character sheet you use? I would be interested to see how you weed out the players using it?

Chrystal, I apologize!  I totally lost track of this thread.  I'd direct you to the two games I'm running on this site in the information threads for the differing character sheets: https://elliquiy.com/forums/index.php?topic=165968.0 and https://elliquiy.com/forums/index.php?topic=161203.0

Quote from: Thufir Hawat on January 31, 2013, 09:59:11 PM
I agree, although I haven't made a sheet, I pretty much do the same. I usually start the game with 150% the number of players I want, if at all possible.
If they're all good, I can accommodate them. OTOH, if I needed to send someone away, I can do that as well.
I tend to favour shorter 12-18 months games, though. Although it all depends on how the game goes, of course!


That's actually a good theory.  Unfortunately, I goofed on that with Michigan Marvels here and now the game's suffering.  I'll have to figure out a method of gaining some new players and getting it up to par.

Quote from: Chrystal on February 01, 2013, 03:08:36 PM
Yep. That's what I'm talking about.

The game has been running just a month and has 1000 IC posts already. That's 32 posts a day.

It's not the number of posts I have to make that is the issue to me, it's the number I have to read! I have a lot of one-on-ones going, and if I'm to make time to post in them, I cannot spend every day reading 30 or so posts in one game!

Holy Christmas!  Congrats and truly impressive!  I thought I was doing well at 48 posts in 4 days....
O/o's

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The trouble with resisting temptation is that is may never come again!

LunarSage

Quote from: Devil's Advocate on February 21, 2013, 06:49:01 PM
Holy Christmas!  Congrats and truly impressive!  I thought I was doing well at 48 posts in 4 days....

Thank you.  :-)

We have slowed down quite a bit since we made that mark though... several key players are on leaves of absence and we're trying to work around them.

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HockeyGod

*dusts off the bar stools*

Hope all the GMs out there are enjoying their games!  ;D

Thufir Hawat

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Chrystal

*saunters in and orders a Bacardi & Coke*

Hey Alx, how's it going!

Okay, so someday, someone is going to come up with a solution to the ubiquitous problem of the one player everyone is waiting for posting to the OOC thread and saying "I'll post in a while, just having trouble working out what to post", three weeks after the last person posted to the IC thread, and then not posting anything for the next three weeks....

In the mean time, I guess that's another game on the dead list!

.................. How does this solution sound top other, more experienced GMs:

In the recruitment thread, specify that you only want people who are willing to post at least once per week, and if they find they are unable to post they are to tell you (the GM) straight away...?

The problem I just described doesn't occur with a bigger game. If you have fifteen or twenty player characters, you can generally find a way around a player dropping out. But if you have 8 or less, then all characters are key. Worse when one of them drops out of a scene that MUST be concluded before anything else can happen!

But I prefer small games. A small, select group. That's another possible solution, of course: "Select". Make the game "invitation only". But that raises the issue of actually getting enough players. You invite eight but only six reply and two of those say thanks but no thanks...

Oh well... It was showing such promise too, but died before it even got going...

Please check out my latest A/A post.
I would rather watch a movie then have dinner than have dinner then watch a movie!

Thufir Hawat

Quote from: Chrystal on March 04, 2013, 02:26:05 PM
*saunters in and orders a Bacardi & Coke*

Hey Alx, how's it going!

Okay, so someday, someone is going to come up with a solution to the ubiquitous problem of the one player everyone is waiting for posting to the OOC thread and saying "I'll post in a while, just having trouble working out what to post", three weeks after the last person posted to the IC thread, and then not posting anything for the next three weeks....

In the mean time, I guess that's another game on the dead list!

.................. How does this solution sound top other, more experienced GMs:

In the recruitment thread, specify that you only want people who are willing to post at least once per week, and if they find they are unable to post they are to tell you (the GM) straight away...?

The problem I just described doesn't occur with a bigger game. If you have fifteen or twenty player characters, you can generally find a way around a player dropping out. But if you have 8 or less, then all characters are key. Worse when one of them drops out of a scene that MUST be concluded before anything else can happen!

But I prefer small games. A small, select group. That's another possible solution, of course: "Select". Make the game "invitation only". But that raises the issue of actually getting enough players. You invite eight but only six reply and two of those say thanks but no thanks...

Oh well... It was showing such promise too, but died before it even got going...
I have a rather simple solution, that I seldom have to implement, but I feel I might need to do it again soon.
The solution is, the GM usually posts at a rate he or she knows. It's fair to allow the players the same time to respond, of course :P!
However, if you don't do it in the allotted time, the game doesn't stop for you, and I generally make that very clear in the recruitment thread. The character is NPCed, with the GM picking the options they find the most fun and the least work. I tend to be more inventive if the player slowed down without warning, but then I'm generally inventive in such situations ;D!

Call me a godmodder or whatever, but if you slow down a scene that must be concluded, whatever happens isn't my fault as GM. That's still true even if your character bites the dust >:)!
Now that I think of it, applying said solution has a rate close to 75% death.
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HockeyGod

Chrystal,

That is the crux of most of my group games and I too would like to hear options! It can gum up the whole darn game.

alx

Moraline

I think Chrystal gave the correct answer. It's something I included in my "List" elsewhere here.

A GM should post the pace that the game is going to run at in the recruitment thread. So if you expect a 1 post per week minimum then it should be said and probably reiterated when you get the game up and running.

I also agree with Thufir. If they don't post then just NPC them. 

I had to drop a group game recently and I just told them to NPC me (It makes sense and is the easiest thing to do, just NPC them out of the scene.) If a player has a problem with that then they probably shouldn't commit to group games with posting expectations. At the same token it's not good to have players fumble posting over top of other players. I'm a firm believer in posting rotations for everyone in the scene.

Also, if you made the mistake of not setting game pace expectations then it's on the GM to handle it as best that they can and understand that it's their fault for not setting the expectations in the first place. If a player is slow then your probably going to have to ask them to pick it up, leave, or be prepared for threads to die.

Chrystal

Seems to me that the ideal solution is the simplest one, as usual. Make your requirements plane and enforce them...

Everyone knows what to expect and if anyone is unhappy with that then they don't have to join.

Moraline, I noticed you added this to your really useful list!

Personally, I think your thread deserves a sticky. Is that something we can get staff to look at doing, by the way?

Please check out my latest A/A post.
I would rather watch a movie then have dinner than have dinner then watch a movie!

Ciosa

Quote from: Chrystal on March 05, 2013, 01:25:14 PM


Moraline, I noticed you added this to your really useful list!

Personally, I think your thread deserves a sticky. Is that something we can get staff to look at doing, by the way?

+1

When I was writing out my introduction post for Doomtown, I pretty much just wrote it as answers to all of those questions.  *gives Moraline a smooch for all the awesome suggestions*

HockeyGod

While not staff, I have been given the absolute power ability to sticky things. Consider it stickied!

Moraline

Quote from: alxnjsh on March 06, 2013, 08:46:04 AM
While not staff, I have been given the absolute power ability to sticky things. Consider it stickied!
Thanks for the sticky, Alxnjsh.

Chrystal

Excellent. I'm glad people agree with me that moraline's thread is one of the most useful I have ever seen!

I'm glad to have been able to contribute to it.

Please check out my latest A/A post.
I would rather watch a movie then have dinner than have dinner then watch a movie!

Silver

Is there a template anywhere regarding how to creating rules for a game, that would be quite helpful right now.
O/O's  Request Thread  A/A's
Now Playing: Star - ♡ Machinedrum (A$AP Ferg Remix)
People fear what they don't understand, But then they get mad because they don't dare to do it, Everybody a shinin' star, they ain't get far so they can't prove it, Most stars foolish, full of gas, useless, Pushin' bad influence, wonder what happened to 'em?, They say hurt people hurt people, guess that is proven, They put on a mask to mask feelings, Fill the universe with mass ceilings, Most people not even tappin' in...♡

Thufir Hawat

Quote from: Silver on March 27, 2013, 12:33:45 AM
Is there a template anywhere regarding how to creating rules for a game, that would be quite helpful right now.
What kind of rules you're looking for? The rules like "don't go missing for long or the GM takes your character and makes him or her act"? That would be in Moraline's thread in this forum.
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Silver

Quote from: Thufir Hawat on March 27, 2013, 03:00:15 AM
What kind of rules you're looking for? The rules like "don't go missing for long or the GM takes your character and makes him or her act"? That would be in Moraline's thread in this forum.

Oh jezz, I didn't even think about that.

I did take a look at her post while writing out my idea more fully, perhaps I just overlooked that part....
O/O's  Request Thread  A/A's
Now Playing: Star - ♡ Machinedrum (A$AP Ferg Remix)
People fear what they don't understand, But then they get mad because they don't dare to do it, Everybody a shinin' star, they ain't get far so they can't prove it, Most stars foolish, full of gas, useless, Pushin' bad influence, wonder what happened to 'em?, They say hurt people hurt people, guess that is proven, They put on a mask to mask feelings, Fill the universe with mass ceilings, Most people not even tappin' in...♡

Thufir Hawat

Quote from: Silver on March 27, 2013, 03:11:42 AM
Oh jezz, I didn't even think about that.

I did take a look at her post while writing out my idea more fully, perhaps I just overlooked that part....
So, problem solved, I take it :P?
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Silver

Quote from: Thufir Hawat on March 27, 2013, 12:37:36 PM
So, problem solved, I take it :P?

Just made up my own basic rules was all.

*shrugs*
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Now Playing: Star - ♡ Machinedrum (A$AP Ferg Remix)
People fear what they don't understand, But then they get mad because they don't dare to do it, Everybody a shinin' star, they ain't get far so they can't prove it, Most stars foolish, full of gas, useless, Pushin' bad influence, wonder what happened to 'em?, They say hurt people hurt people, guess that is proven, They put on a mask to mask feelings, Fill the universe with mass ceilings, Most people not even tappin' in...♡

Chrystal

Rules for a game, to be honest, are mostly common sense if it's a freeform game. System games are somewhat more complex and making up a set of system rules is time consuming and hard work. Probably easier to take an existing system and chop out the bits you don't need or don't want, and then amend what's left to add in extra bits... or something?

If you want specific player rules for a freeform game that may involve PvP or something like that, then it's down to you to design them based on the game concept.

At least that's my opinion.

I also feel that RoP for a non system game should be short, concise and relatively few in number and with only a few exceptions should be open to negotiation in case a player has some serious objection to one.

Please check out my latest A/A post.
I would rather watch a movie then have dinner than have dinner then watch a movie!

Thufir Hawat

Quote from: Silver on March 27, 2013, 12:43:17 PM
Just made up my own basic rules was all.

*shrugs*
Then the problem's still solved. Which is a positive thing in my book :P.

Quote from: Chrystal on March 27, 2013, 02:05:40 PM
Rules for a game, to be honest, are mostly common sense if it's a freeform game.
If only common sense was as common as the name suggests ;D!

QuoteSystem games are somewhat more complex and making up a set of system rules is time consuming and hard work. Probably easier to take an existing system and chop out the bits you don't need or don't want, and then amend what's left to add in extra bits... or something?
It's mostly time consuming if you ask me. But yes, it's easier to take an existing system and use it or houserule it, saves you time at the minimum.

QuoteIf you want specific player rules for a freeform game that may involve PvP or something like that, then it's down to you to design them based on the game concept.
Funny thing is, I've found such "rules for freeform games" to be often virtually indistinguishable from some systems I know, often of the "narrativist" or "old school" kinds. It's actually only logical. After all, they have to deal with either all conflicts or just fights, and set a pacing mechanism and a means to determine who gets the upper hand, with what consequences and who can narrate what parts of it.
But yeah, you should adapt them to the specific concept, and the specific people in the group, no matter whether it's nominally freeform or system >:)!
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Silver

Quote from: Chrystal on March 27, 2013, 02:05:40 PM
Rules for a game, to be honest, are mostly common sense if it's a freeform game. System games are somewhat more complex and making up a set of system rules is time consuming and hard work.

I also feel that RoP for a non system game should be short, concise and relatively few in number and with only a few exceptions should be open to negotiation in case a player has some serious objection to one.

*nods* I just made basic rules and will be adding more within the next 24 hours, I can even think of them.
O/O's  Request Thread  A/A's
Now Playing: Star - ♡ Machinedrum (A$AP Ferg Remix)
People fear what they don't understand, But then they get mad because they don't dare to do it, Everybody a shinin' star, they ain't get far so they can't prove it, Most stars foolish, full of gas, useless, Pushin' bad influence, wonder what happened to 'em?, They say hurt people hurt people, guess that is proven, They put on a mask to mask feelings, Fill the universe with mass ceilings, Most people not even tappin' in...♡