Month: January 2014

S1E11: The Quest – Inter-player Relationships

Published on by Jeff

In this episode we talk a little bit about how players interact with each other and how their characters feel about each other and their NPC counterparts.

The show notes for this episode are very bad…I know.

Here is a copy of the FFG Star Wars RPG Age of Rebellion Beta book: http://www.miniaturemarket.com/ffgbta006.html

I did not do a “final thought” for this episode, but here it is:

Relationships between players and characters is what separates RPGs from other types of games. Without those relationships, we might as well be playing Monopoly or Poker. Take your relationships in game seriously, and work hard to understand and expand those eras of your game. The reward is, almost, always worth it!

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S1E10: The Quest – NPC’s

Published on by Jeff

The show notes for this episode are lackluster due to time constraints. We recorded on Friday September 20th and I needed to get the show up quickly and had little time to edit and all that…so sorry for the abridged notes! Will do better next show.

The Quest for News!

http://www.tabletopgamingnews.com/2013/09/14/78356/

Melior Via has launched a Kickstarter campaign in order to fund Accursed, their fantasy RPG setting book for Savage Worlds system where the monsters show that they need love, too.

A dark fantasy tabletop RPG setting for the Savage Worlds game system, where heroic monsters fight for redemption.

In a world of dark fantasy and perilous adventure, the forces of evil have triumphed. Those who remain uncorrupted by wickedness must rely upon monsters to fight against the darkness. Witches have ruled the land since the last battles of conquest, but their Grand Coven has been sundered, leaving behind remnants of a once-mighty army. The remnants of the horde include captured citizens of the conquered nations that fought as the Witches’ shock troops.

http://www.tabletopgamingnews.com/2013/09/10/78114/

Pyre Studios have created a new tool for DMs/GMs to help create NPCs on the fly during games via their new Encounter Dice. They’re looking for funding over on Kickstarter.

Simply put; dice with full colour RPG tropes on them that allow you to quickly and inventively generate NPCs, characters, adventures, items, treasure, locales, monsters, bosses etc…

In our initial set, the focus of this campaign, we have a set of six dice covering the following concepts/characters and items; Race, Class, Alignment, Weaponry, Armour and Loot. With these dice you can create NPC archetypes for your party to encounter and also add a character’s demeanour, intent and with the “item” dice add some variety to chests, drop treasure etc…

http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2013/jul/29/after-40-years-popularity-tabletop-gaming-ri/

On a blue-sky summer afternoon, 10 teens are gathered on the second floor of the Chattanooga Public Library, sitting around a pair of tables littered with books, sheets of paper and pencils. The big-screen TV behind them is dark, and the video game consoles connected to it as lifeless as the unplugged “Ms. Pac-man” arcade cabinet a little farther down the wall. To some, the idea of teens ignoring their 360s and PS 3s in favor of a style of gaming that first became popular the ’70s and ’80s might seem like a surprising anachronism. Yet D&D and other tabletop games have persisted for 40 years in the face of increasingly sophisticated competition from high-tech forms of entertainment. In a 2000 survey, Wizards of the Coast — the current owners of the D&D universe of products — estimated that 5.5 million people in the U.S. regularly play tabletop roleplaying games.  Tabletop gamers, new and old alike, say they are drawn to the freedom of a game system that doesn’t limit their choices.

Final Thoughts

Be mindful of NPC’s. they are not just background fluff to be kicked around but the big damn heroes. NPC’s are people too!!!

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S1E9: The Quest – Building Your Campaign

Published on by Jeff

The Quest for News

From RPGNEWS.com

Last Man Standing (1 of 16 in UNFASHIONED CREATURES)

Hey, you got Zombies in my Frankenstein! In the midst of an undead apocalypse, one scientist tries to sustain the human race by cloning himself (again.) Unfortunately, things don’t work out exactly as planned.

But then, do they ever?

In Last Man Standing, writer Monica Valentinelli and artist Josie Pi Grant do a modern twist on the first, great literary zombie. The digital download includes a BONUS page from “Monsters and the Monsters Who Make Them,” a mini-series written by James McGee and illustrated by Alex Cormack.

UNFASHIONED CREATURES, A Frankenstein Anthology, is a collection of original comic art and stories inspired by Mary Shelley’s classic horror novel “Frankenstein, or The Modern Prometheus.” Edited by Enrica Jang.

From TABLETOPGAMINGNEWS.com

Mage Company has launched their Kickstarter campaign for The Amityville Project, a miniatures game where you’re trying to play on the fears of the other players, trying to become the dominant personality inside an asylum patient.

Phobos is a Horror Strategy Miniature game for 2-4 players. Each player takes on the role of one of these personalities which were created in the detective’s mind. Your goal is to eliminate the personalities of your opponent(s). Once accomplished then your personality prevails allowing you to control the detective.

Each of you chooses a Mentality board, 8 Ghost Miniatures, 12 Mentality Tokens, a D12 Die and 3 Action cards. Players then each get 3 Phobos cards (from 12 different possibilities) and keep these face down.

From TABLETOPGAMINGNEWS.com

Fantasy Flight Games has released their Wave 3 ships for their Star Wars X-Wing Miniatures Game. Four new starship expansions have now arrived to forever redefine the dramatic space battles of X-Wing™!

The Lambda-class Shuttle, HWK-290, B-Wing, and TIE Bomber Expansion Packs each feature a detailed model, faithfully rendered at 1/270 scale, as well as a maneuver dial, and all the ship cards, upgrades, and tokens you need to make these starships a dynamic part of your X-Wing battles. Head to your local retailer today to pick up your copies.

Building Your Campaign.

A great place to start thinking about a campaign is your players. A good place to start to learn how to be a great GM, John Wick’s book Play Dirty!

Another great resource for helping you set up a campaign is a system created for the 7th sea RPG, called “The Other Hundred Points”. The idea was you give the players a list of options regarding your campaign and let them rank each option on how much they would enjoy each aspect and then you build your game around those suggestions.

Here is a link to the AEG 7th Sea GM Sheet for campaign building:

Also, here is an e-bay link for the AD&D Birthright Campaign.

Final Thoughts

Use your players as a resource to build a campaign you can have fun with, and if you can’t do that, have fun with the campaign you get!

In Closing

Don’t forget to like us on Facebook or follow us on twitter! You can also find us on iTunes. Be sure to leave comments on iTunes and share us with your friends.
You can contact The Quest via email at thequest [at] dancinggriaffe [dot] net!

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S1E8: The Quest – Death and Dying

Published on by Jeff

This episode DOES contain SPOILERS!!!!

This episode was recirded on Friday September 6th, 2013!

We had a lot more planned for this eppisode, but my Joss Whedon rant took up a lot of time. We will cover this topic again in season 2!

The Quest for News

http://mashable.com/2013/07/01/lucas-cultural-arts-museum/

Lucas has been working behind the scenes on his proposed Cultural Arts Museum — not just a home for all the art he’s collected over the last four decades, but a place to tell the story of visual storytelling.

The Lucas Cultural Arts Museum is one of three finalists competing for a coveted spot in the San Francisco Presidio, right by the waterfront, with a commanding view of the Golden Gate Bridge. The three have been whittled down from an initial 16 proposals.

Lucas insiders say that if the Presidio doesn’t choose his proposal, he won’t look elsewhere in the Bay Area — he’ll build it in Chicago, where Mayor Rahm Emmanuel awaits with open arms. “It’ll be a nice wedding present for Mellody,” the former Lucasfilm chief has said.

Though San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee has come out in favor of the Lucas proposal, the Trust’s decision is no slam dunk. Lucas faces some stiff competition in the form of the Presidio Exchange — an “open source” and partly open air museum that would host many kinds of free events and act as a cultural center for the Presidio. The third proposal is a Sustainability Institute; read about that here [PDF link].

Check out the videos on mashable, for more.

http://palladiumbooks.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=651%3Aprepare-for-invasion&catid=53%3Aproduct-features

 

Robotech® RPG Tactics™ – Coming Fall 2013

If you’re a Robotech® fan, this is the game you’ve wanted for decades, with beautifully sculpted, in scale, game pieces and the fast action of Robotech®.

Robotech® RPG Tactics™ is a fast-paced, tabletop combat game that captures the action and adventure of the Robotech® anime. Two or more players can engage in small squad skirmishes or scale up to massive battles. Relive the clashes of the First Robotech War, engage in stand-alone tactical games or use the dynamic game pieces to enhance your Robotech® RPG experience. Or simply collect your favorite mecha from an expanding range of top notch game pieces.

Mecha vs Mecha. Take command of the fighting forces of the United Earth Defense Force (UEDF) valiantly defending Earth from alien annihilation. Or lead the massive clone armies of the Zentraedi Armada to recover an alien artifact of immense power and enslave humankind.

Go to Palladium.com for a detailed list for the boxed set.

http://oceanicgamer.com/2013/09/swtor-game-update-2-3-2-full-patch-notes/

Game Update 2.3.2 Patch Notes

9/4/2013

Highlights

  • New Vehicle! The Desler Nomad is a new rare drop from the final boss of all level 55 Hard Mode Flashpoints.
  • Vendor Update! Emergency Medical Table and Mood: Outraged have been added to the Bounty Supply Company Vendor. Each item is bind on pickup and available for 1 credit to all players, regardless of Bounty Supply Company Reputation rank.
  • New Feature! Players can now purchase Cartel Coins in-game through the “Add Coins” interface within the Cartel Market:
    • This feature requires that players opt-in before it can be accessed. For additional details, please refer to this News Article.
    • Subscribers receive a 50% discount on the first purchase made using the in-game feature. Please note: this offer does not apply to Cartel Coin purchases made using the website.

Talking about Death and Dying

A lot of times, players and GM’s are afriad of killing a character in a RPG. Don’t be…it can be a great story telling element (and besides, sometimes players need to be reminded that winning is not a foregone conclusion).

Many times death of a character can mean some of the most motivating factors for other characters. George R.R Martin kills lots of characters in the Song of Ice and Fire. som of these deaths are almost meaningless, but they all seem to weave together to tell a compelling story.

;

Star Wars has many meaingful deaths as well. Ben Kenobi dies and transends reality to help Luke and to give Luke a solidifying motivation to join the Rebellion and fight the evil. Vader dies and brings closer to Luke and Anikin’s stories.

Firefly was a sunning show, and the fear of, and presence of death throught the 14 original episodes was very real, even though none of the main chracters died. Serenity on the other hand put death right in the faces fo the characters and made you question everything (including Joss’s commitment to quality storytelling).


Final Thoughts

Death is an improtant part of life. You should not rush headlong into it, but neither should you fear it. Character’s should fear death, but the players and GM’s should be ready and willing to tell that part of a characters story.

 

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S1E7: The Quest -Conflict Changes Characters

Published on by Jeff

The Quest for News

From: EscapistMagazine.com

Minecraft has been a work in progress for its entire existence.  In the current version, the many different terrain biomes are often placed awkwardly next to each other, with deserts randomly juxtaposed against arctic tundra. Meanwhile, massive oceans interrupt the typical brick-breaking gameplay and force players to either avoid them or slowly sail through. In a blog update, lead developer Jens Bergensten  mentioned three specific issues that he intends to address: oceans being too large, uneven biome placement, and lack of variation. To fix that, Mojang’s overhauling the code that generates the maps. Future Minecraft worlds should have far less oceans, logical biome placement, and alternate configurations of those biomes for variety.  Along with the new terrain maps, players can also expect new biomes, new rare and uncommon biome variations, and new flowers and trees to look at/harvest along the way.

http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/127304-Minecraft-to-Overhaul-the-World-with-1-7-Update

From: Geek.com

Few game franchises have been as consistently loved over the years as DOOM. Even with years in between installments, fans still can’t wait to get their paws on a new DOOM game. in typical fashion, DOOM 4 has been in development for a long, long time, but you can tide yourself over with these nifty pewter miniatures of all your favorite DOOM monsters from Bethesda. The first run is already gone, but you can sign up for email notifications. Even at $200 these miniatures are hot.

There are 15 miniatures including all the classics — the cyberdemon, Arch-vile, Hell Knight, our anonymous protagonist, and all the rest. These miniatures are re-castings of a set originally sold by Reaper Miniatures in the late 90’s.

http://www.geek.com/games/bethesda-is-offering-a-doom-pewter-miniatures-set-for-200-1569092/

From: GameSkinny.com

Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn, set for release on August 27, has received quite a few inquiries from players in the MMORPG community about the possibility of marriage.

Same-sex marriage, in particular, is causing quite the stir. Recent developments within the LGBTQ community and their fight for marriage equality, such as the repeal of Prop 8 and DOMA, have definitely softened the taboo for some of these issues to be discussed within certain industries, and in this case, the gaming industry.

The folks on the development team, when asked about marriage in the game, stated:

“As for same-sex marriage, this is an extremely controversial topic that has been under discussion in the MMO world for the past few years. First we would like to start out with opposite-sex marriage, and then consider the feedback from our players in order to make a careful decision.”

Although I do respect them for at least considering the idea of equality, I can’t help but think of the other games out there that already allow for same-sex relations. Mass Effect and Fable 3, for example, did just fine despite having this option.

http://www.gameskinny.com/x59ao/final-fantasy-xiv-a-realm-reborn-to-allow-same-sex-marriage

Conflict Changes Characters

Games within Games

Many games give you opportunities to play, well, games inside of the. A prime example is Star Wars: Knights of te Old Republic’s Pazzak or Legend of the Five Rings Go. These games can be mundane and menial, but they can also be great opportunities for growth as a character and story advancement.

How, you ask?

Easy, the strategy a GM uses for in-game games is often to give subtle clues, hints, or opportunities to their players through the interactions of the NPC during the game. Now, this is not always the case. Sometimes a game of Poker is just a game of poker, but generally, if your GM takes the time to include a game within their game, you may want to pay close attention to details.

Narrative Combat

There are 3 types of role-playing game (more or less): Mechanical, Narrative, and Cooperative. Most “Pen & Paper” games are cooperative or mechanical, but sometimes you come across Narrative games or highly narrative GM’s.

These types of games can be enormous amounts of fun, as the GM describes the actions of the NPC, the PC’s describe their actions, and the GM describes the consequences for those actions.

Personally, I use this fairly limited in my campaigns as I prefer to have that mechanical variation that makes a narrative game cooperative. While a narrative game can have a very “cinematic” feel, and can lead to some outstanding RP, I personally have always felt that the dice add a certain element of chance and make, not only the players, but the GM’s storytelling more dynamic.

The notable exception this is LARP, where there are (in most cases) no dice or random factors. If you can succeed at something, then you succeed.

It takes a really quick and resourceful GM to tell great narrative combats in table-top, but it only takes a passionate with an idea of where they want the story to go and a will to let he players and dice take them their.

Investigative Games

Investigations are conflicts! It is your character, and your wit, against the GM’s devious and cunning plots and machinations. Sherlock Holmes grew as a character in (some) of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s stories. This can be true of your character as well.

Some of the best storytelling you can have in a game is finding clues, piecing together hints and following trials to their inevitable ends…and then finding out months later your where duped!

Investigation style games tend to be slow burning fuses that will lead to epic RP through subtle growth.

Is Violence in RPG’s Even Needed?

The short answer is no, but conflict is.

I personally don’t think I have ever run a game that didn’t have violence in it, but you can minimize that violence through cunning and guile. If you are looking to run a purely passive have, I wish you the very best of luck, and am very curious to know how it goes.

Personally, I think violence is just another type of conflict for characters, and it can be a great enhancement if used properly, and a great detractor if over done. This is the crux of my main issue with may games like D&D. They are almost mindlessly violent.

Sure, you are reusing the princes from the dragon (who inevitably hides her in a different castle), and that can be a lot of fun, but making choices that alter the very fabric of a story is so much more rewarding.

So…I guess the long answer is, if the violence is used in the same vein as other types of conflict, to tell a meaningful story and provide opportunities for character growth, then use it. But if you can achieve those same goals with out it, then don’t use it.

Final Thoughts

I am a horrible slacker…but that aside:

Conflict in RPG’s is a tool that provides players with the opportunities to change their characters and to grow them into living fantasies.

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S1E6: The Quest – PhysReps and Gaming Aids

Published on by Jeff

Physical Representations & Gaming Aids

While I don’t normally use minis in games I run, they can certainly have an enhancing effect for many players. Don’t let them become the focus though. Minis are intended to make the game more fun, not to become the game.

If you hvae ever seen it, take a look at HeroQuest! Fun game, although a littly pricy now-a-days.

http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_trksid=p2050601.m570.l1311.R1.TR8.TRC1.A0.XHeroQuest&_nkw=heroquest&_sacat=0&_from=R40

Using a Virtual Table to play a game has been a fun experiance, something relitivly new to any of my groups. The only real drawback has been getting everyone’s technical issues sorted.

Live Action

Costuming is king in a LARP. It is the ultimate gaming aid, and you need to invest a conciderable amount of though, if not money, into your costume, weapons and armor. It really can make or break your gaming experiance.

I recomment The Ren Store, or your local Ren Fair for starting out.

http://stores.renstore.com/StoreFront.bok

CosPlay

The devil is in the details…CosPlay is often less about the RP and more about the costumeing. Its like LARP Lite on Steroids.

Some judges will rob you of points for store bought items, so know your CosPlay judges and what is expected. If you are just doing it for the fun of a little lite RP at a con, go with what works and don’t worry so much about handcrafting every little bit.

BUT…never underestimate how much more awesome it is to be the person that shows up in a handmade, articulated Iron Man outfit!

Virtual

Die rollers can be convinent, but nothing beats the sweet, sweet sound of a die bouncing off the table and the collective death rattle of your players when they score a critical faliure!

Fillable character sheets can be nice…but it can lead to deforstiation. Save the planet!

Character Generators do make life a little easier. Here are some links to CG’s we mentioned in the show:

AD&D Core Rules – http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_odkw=heroquest&_osacat=0&_from=R40&_trksid=p2045573.m570.l1313.TR0.TRC0.XAD%26D+core+rules+program&_nkw=AD%26D+core+rules+program&_sacat=0

L5R CM – https://code.google.com/p/l5rcm/

And…while not a “CG” as such, HeroMachine is still cool – http://www.heromachine.com/heromachine-3-lab/

Other ideas

[advanced_iframe securitykey=”ffbb85f20fc6148b7a31a7a4a8e81381f99050ed” src=”http://rcm-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/cm?t=dancinggimet-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&asins=B00ADW4I9O&ref=tf_til&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr” height=”240″ width=”320″ frameborder=”0″ marginwidth=”0″ marginheight=”0″ scrolling=”no”]

Final Thought

Using physreps can add a lot to your game, but they can also make it feel more mechanical and limit your imagination. Before you get too carried away, take stock of what you actually need and how much those physreps can really bring to your game.

You can end up spending a lot of money on physreps, make sure they are things you are actually gonna use. There is nothng like having thousands of dollers worth of gaming equipment you are never gonna use again. Your imagination can be one of the greatest assets you have in gaming, don’t waste a lot of money suppressing it.

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S1E5: The Quest – Distractions in Role-Playing

Published on by Jeff

Distractions

There are a lot of things that can cause distractions. Infact…we were so distracted with this episode, we didn’t even do hardly any prep and only managed to get about half a show!

More will come though…so don’t fret.

Mitigating Distraction

TURN THE TV OFF

Don’t be a dick!

You know…

Final Thoughts

LISTEN TO THE SHOW….I did bad show notes this time. Sorry!

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S1E4: The Quest – Gaming Systems

Published on by Jeff

We found some nice treasure while Questing for the latest RPG related news:

Here is some quick RPG News!

CCP Games

CCP Games, creators of the successful space MMORPG EVE Online, have announced they will be harvesting stories from within the game to create comic books, a TV series, and possibly even films set in the EVE universe. EVE has never set records for the size of its userbase, but it’s long been known as a game that generates some of the best emergent gameplay in the industry. From battles involving thousands of players to in-game confidence schemes involving currency worth tens of thousands of real dollars, it’s likely you’ve heard about players’ exploits even if you haven’t played the game. CCP is now looking to bring the EVE universe to a wider audience, and rather than having a group of writers dictate all of the lore, they’re letting the players take part. They’ve set up a site where users can share their tales and vote on those of others. CCP has partnered with Dark Horse Comics to make a comic book out of the stories, and with a production company to make a live-action TV show.

SWOTR:

http://massively.joystiq.com/2013/07/16/bioware-teases-swtors-2-4-pve-and-pvp-content/

WIZARDS OF THE COAST:

http://company.wizards.com/content/magic-2014-core-set-launches-today

The Nature of Attributes

Your attributes are how your character’s make-up is defined. The gifts you where born with, your physical and metal charactirisitcs.

There is a sweet spot for attrubutes though, nobody wants to be the guy who is stupid, ugly and physically impared. By the same token, playing Adonis isn’t as much fin as one might think either, and its not fun to run games for.

You can play any attributes scores, but you may have to change your core concept.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alignment_(role-playing_games)

Do you need skills in an RPG?

Generally speaking, skills are needed in most RPG’s. These are how you, as a character seperates themselves from the pack. What you can do in the real world help define your role in sociaty, and skills in an RPG are no different.

Don’t let skills dictate the role-palying though. They are there to enhance your experiance, not define it.Skills should be used as a way to help tell the story but if you if can out RP the NPC, then good on you!

Don’t get carried away either. Some games can have to many skills. As a GM you don’t want to spread out the need for skills to much because it will overly complicate not only your storytelling and slow down your characters effectivness.

Combat

While not every game NEEDS combat, conflict is almost always inevitable in some stories. After all, how do we grow without overcoming adversity?

Comabt can become a problem though. It slows down te flow of games and can become overly mechanical. You need to keep the players engaged in the story. You can do this through narration or just speedy combat systems like the New World of Darkness system.

As a player or GM, you should always strive to make combats fun for everyone and keep peoples attention. Don’t let the mechanics limit your creativity.

If your characters find themselves in a huge mass battle, you may find it tough to feel like you are making a difference. You are the heroes of the setting, and your charaters should almost always have some way to affect the tides of battle. Be it through heroic oppertuinits like L5R or small raids away from the fighting that can stall the enemy just long enough to give your side the edge, Mass Combat can be a solid tool for epic storytelling.

House Rules – the Good, the Bad & the Ugly

Sometimes the rules just don’t fit the style of story you want to tell, but you can make it happen with a couple fo tweeks. Thats what house rules are for.Sometimes you can just make a couple of small tweeks like changing how inititive works, to adding in entire new rules systems for doing things.

Personally, our groups almost always ad things like hero points and drama dice as a way to allow the players to help tell the story!

The sky is the limit for house rules though. If a rule gets in the way, change it!

Does System Even Matter?

Well, the answer is maybe. While the players really do make the difference, sometimes the system can hinder the storytelling styles of both the GM and the players. The system is how your characters interact with the world around them, and some systems do not work well for some worlds.

If you want a Pirates of the Carrabian or Princess Bride style game, you may not want to strugle with the mechanical nature of d20 when the swashbukling system for 7th sea is already built for that.

Systems can also become so much a part of the setting that the setting itself does not work outside of its original shell. 7th Sea and Legend of the Five Rings became Swashbukling and Oriential Adventures in d20 3/3.5, but lost almost all of their charm and wonder.

Choosing Your System

A lot goes into choosing a system, but in theend it comes down to knowing your style of play and the story you want to run. Choose a system that meets your needs, and allows you to tell the type of story you really want to tell.

Final Thoughts

Every system has its pros and cons, and all that really matters is you have fun. If something doesn’t work, change it!

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S1E3 – The Quest: Parties & Characters

Published on by Jeff

We found some nice treasure while Questing for the latest RPG related news:

http://www.talltalesrpg.com/
http://www.l5r.com/2013/07/19/q-workshop-and-aeg-announce-l5r-dice/
http://www.margaretweis.com/shop#!/~/product/category=5447006&id=22891059

Alignment

Remember that your alignment is a tool to help you role-play, not a leash to limit you. There are aspects of alignment that will restrain your character and make you, the player, consider that the actions you are contemplating might not be what your character would do.

Role-playing is about being someone else, and alignments can help you define who that someone else is and guide you through their life and decisions, rather than your own.

Many, many games have alignment systems. Look at games other than the one you are playing when considering how to RP your alignment.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alignment_(role-playing_games)

Unbalanced vs Balanced Parties

Having a balanced party goes beyond class and level. Your personalities can conflict and cause an unbalancing of a group.

You can run a balanced game of like characters with great success. Don’t limit the role you choose to play in a game based on what others are playing, but keep in mind how you will be able to interact with them.

The traditional D&D party can be a good start, but isn’t needed, and can get a little boring to play over and over. Think outside the box.

Avoid being a Mary Sue! http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary_Sue

Playing the Sidekick

Not everyone always gets to be the hero, and sometimes the sidekick can be the most fun to play. Whether you are Dick Grayson or Sancho Panza, the sidekick is always in intractable part of the story, even if not the focus.

Sidekicks can be some of the most beloved characters in a story as well. Han Solo is, in essence, a sidekick to Luke Skywalker for much of the story. Sure, it can be argued that Han is a “co-hero”, but really, that comes a little later.

Few people remain the sidekick forever.  Han becomes one of the main heroes of the Star Wars universe, Dick Grayson becomes NightWing.

How Easy Should it be to Change Your Character in a Game?

This is a complex question, and the variety of answers is just as complex.

The most important thing to think about before making any changes to your character is, “can I change this through role-play?”

While changing a character can be a mechanical change on a character sheet, the intent of role-playing games is to experience life, and life can change us as people. Let the game change your character, roll with the changes, and if you don’t like something about the character, role-playing the character trying to change that thing about themselves.

Character Naming

What’s in a name? The answer can be harder than one may think.

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2013/07/130724-names-psychology-meaning-royal-baby-william-kate/?utm_source=Facebook&utm_medium=Social&utm_content=link_fb20130724news-namebab&utm_campaign=Content

Naming a character is a lot like naming a child. This name will help define who that person is and what they will accomplish in their lives. It affects the way others see them, and often, how they see themselves.

There are a lot of resources that one can use when choosing names, and several different methods as well.

Here are a few places to look for names:

http://www.amazon.com/books/dp/1582979200

http://www.behindthename.com/random/

http://www.babynames.com/

Remember that your name should be something you remember. You should not have to look at your sheet when someone asks you who you are. Make the name something that helps you define the character you are playing.

Final thoughts

Your character is important, but don’t be a hindrance to your party. Add something to the story and have some personality without being obnoxious.

Remember, there is always an honorable way out!

motivator

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