Tuesday, September 29, 2009

Quentin Tarantino Style Combat Part I.

I like vivid blood and gore Quentin Tarantino type combat. Most players love it as well. Take your game to a "whole nuther level". I will site 3 examples. Boring mechanical combat, textbook exciting combat, and then Quentin Tarantino Style over the top Grindhouse combat. Combat is a fury of blows and one combat roll is a successful combination of all your character's deadliness not just his one weapon attack. Try it in your game. Always come up with some new way for an enemy to die. Remember that a fighter will not only use his sword. He has a shield, fist, feet, and whatever else is in the room. Use the furniture and fixtures to cause death on your enemies!

Example 1: You attack with the sword. Roll. You hit you do 5 points of damage. The goblin dies.

Example 2: Your sword lands a solid blow. Blood sprays from the goblin's chest as he dies messily.

Example 3: Your shield bashes the goblin in the face and blood and goblin teeth fly across the room landing on the three other goblins who flinch in fear. You come forward with an elbow smash to the nose then a stab to the goblin's chest follows. Blood sprays as the goblin falls.

More on Part II

Tuesday, September 22, 2009

Backgrounds and Variations on a Theme of a Fighter Part II

Alas why do we need skill list?

I mean skills are great in some systems but in S&W is it needed?

YES and NO!

The background of a character is his or her skills.

A character raised in the wilderness or raised in the city would be different.

What I do is allow a simple 1d20 roll plus level plus attribute bonus.

The higher the better.

For "thieves" this is what I do as well.

I give them a simple 1d6+1 per level HPs as well.

"Ranger" types will be handled the same way as well.

A ruling on the spot with no game stopping delay.

I have many players ask about "Feats".

All characters have all "feats" and can try to do anything such as trips, pushes, and power attacks.

A simple attack roll with a possible + or - to the roll and to damage.

Being a Referee for S&W is fun and easy.

Sunday, September 20, 2009

Backgrounds and Variations on a Theme of a Fighter Part I

Backgrounds and Variations on a Theme of a Fighter Part I

A fighter is rolled up.
Str 14
Dex 11
Con 15
Int 12
Wis 14
Cha 16

What to do? How do I make this a character and not just a dead sheet of stats?

Ah yes! A background and a theme! Such as the magic of old school.

First idea is a chiseled and well disciplined soldier trained in the roughest of fighting academies ready to go to war. He is stout and his hair is cut very short. He is disciplined and serious. A leader of men.

or

He is a streetwise and scummy type tested in the streets of a big fantasy city. He is wiry yet cut used to using his muscles for various labor jobs. Tested is street brawls and gang fights this long haired scraggly fighter has a roughcast appeal to the ladies.

or

A very well dressed son of former noble who now penniless and is adventuring to remake his fortune.

More variations later...

Tuesday, September 15, 2009

Temple of the Monkey God part deux!

When I get back home TOTMG is going to get finished. I went back over the module and corrected much of the grammatical errors as well as took out some of the cartoonish artwork. I am going to redo all the maps. I will have one of my old friends produce some artwork for the project. I had many people interested in the module so I need to finish it. I will be adding many of Matt's suggestions as he seems to know a lil bit about gaming. There are going to be at least 5 more areas to explore if the players get off the trail.

Monday, September 14, 2009

Got 99 problems but a dice ain't one.

Well I am still on a job that has been going on for the last 42 days at 13 hours a day. Stuck in El Dorado, Ar a place void of all game shops. Thought I did meet an AD&D2nd player. There are maybe 20 gamers is all of mid south Arkansas. Was sick tonight. The first time I ever missed a day on the road EVER.

My two gaming groups are falling apart as I am not there to keep it real.

EDITED out the details...

How will this effect our group? Damn I wish people would act right...

NOW for something completely different.

I watched all the players seemingly have fun with my S&W game. I typed out all the cool things that happened. Was I deceived by those nights of gaming and great story flow? BUT now I find out that nobody seemed to like it as it was not 4th edition.

WHAT!?!
I really do love the 4th edition in may ways as it has a great flow and is definitively far more simple than 3.5.

Some of the players are so very defensive of "their" 4th edition that they will play nothing else. I have even been told by one player that he has invested lots of money in 4th and that's all he is gonna play. I guess they seem to forget my entire 14' x 20' mead hall full of games.

They ain't invested nutin compared to me. I have been at it for 29 years!

Nuff said on that!

My plans are to play 4th edition when I get back. Write some 4th edition adventures. Try and run my S&W sandbox setting with my daughters and their friends and maybe some of mine.

Well ANON!