Rule 1: Make every encounter important

Gaming time is precious–too precious to waste with filler content. Every time to plan a combat encounter, make it an exciting and important one. If you’re designing a dungeon, do make a bunch of small rooms, each with a monster. Steal liberally from D&D 4 and make a single, complex encounter for an entire dungeon area. Have enemies come running from the entire area, only to flee from the canker worm.

Rule 2: Make every encounter unique

Two similar fights in a row quickly become boring and tedious. Always mix it up a little. While not everything has to be different, each combat encounter should have at least one new element. Something the players haven’t seen before, and that they will have to deal with.

This could be an new enemy type, a unique environment, a magical defense, or a trap. The options are limitless.

Rule 3: Create a plot seed for failure

Chances are, you know what will happen if the characters succeed in a fight, but what happens if the characters fail to defeat the enemy? If your combat encounters are important and challenging, then this can happen. You need to plan for this and find a way for the story to move on. You do this buy planning a specific plot hook in case the players fail.

For example, in the case on a TPK, perhaps the enemies take the player characters hostage instead of killing them, and now they have to escape or negotiate. Perhaps the canker worm takes a nap after consuming one of the players, allowing one of the others to regain consciousness and pull his comrades to safety.

There should be a penalty for failure, of course, but it shouldn’t be the end of the game. Characters can, and sometimes should, die. Wounds take time to heal, and now the enemies know the players are around and might ambush them while they are weakened.

Fortunately, for this rule, you can often plan only one or two of these failure hooks, and use them for most of your combat encounters. This allows you to develop these failures plots more deeply and add to the verisimilitude of your game.

It’s a Savage World out there, and Apathy Games provides the tools to survive it. First, check out our

Pinnacle Entertainment Group

Zombie Pirates of the Spanish Main! | Pinnacle Entertainment Group

With the release of Zombie Pirates on September 1st Pinnacle decided it would be awesome to give away copies of Pirates of the Spanish Main along with copies of Zombie Pirates.  So stop by RPGNow and pick up your copy!

Savage Licensees

Hellfrost Region Guide #21 & 22 | Triple Ace Games

Hellfrost Region Guide #21: Chalcis

The hardy citizens of Chalcis have weathered the yoke of the Anari Empire, withstood the terror of the Liche-Priest, and held strong in the Blizzard War, but now their realm is facing threats that cannot be so easily defeated. The metallic race known as the Scavengers plague the rich mines, while the borders of Witchwood encroach deeper into Chalcis each year, bringing with them hard winters.

This supplement delves deep into the realm of Chalcis, exploring it in greater detail. New locales and NPCs provide adventure seeds for the GM, while for players there is the cult of Eira and its major festivals. Two new minor deities, the god of the Scavengers, a new species of fey, and an NPC archetype round out the information.

Hellfrost Region Guide #22: Midmark

Fierce and proud, Midmark is a land beset by internal troubles. The queen rules uneasily, for the nobles supposedly loyal to her baulk at answering to a women, and the stench of rebellion is beginning to fill the air. Vile denizens from Spiderfell Wood make constant forays, while orcs and goblins plague the east. Trouble is brewing.

This supplement explores the Saxa realm of Midmark, providing new background information for players and GMs. The cult of Thunor is expanded, with guidelines for playing clerics and new festivals for heroes to participate in. As well as new locationa and NPCs, there is a range of elementals, fey, and spiders ready to thwart the heroes every move.

The Repository | White Haired Man

We first teased this in our interview with Viz, it’s exciting to finally see this out!

A mysterious cavern holds constructs inert since the end of an ancient war.

A thousands years ago, the Harlass Orn thrived in the swamps surrounding Kith’takharos. At the height of their achievements, the Harlass Orn fought a desperate war against extra-dimensional creatures called Veilwalkers. The Veilwalkers created numerous battle constructs and placed them in storage facilities called repositories.

The Repository is a Simple Scenario designed for 3-5 Veteran characters. A Simple Scenario is a set piece encounter or very short adventure the Gamemaster can insert when needed to fill a gap or spice up an ongoing adventure. In this Simple Scenario, the characters encounter a Veilwalker repository that houses a cache of deactivated constructs.

Do you like Savage News but want it more than once a week? Subscribe to our Twitter. We won’t promise to drown you in a flood of news, but we won’t promise not to, either. As always, if we missed something, let our readers know in the comments.

PAX covers tabletop games reasonably well.  It’s not GenCon, but it’s a good place to meet your fellows and see new stuff.

In the meantime, we’ll be back on Monday, so until them, farewell.

Dear Apathy,

We often use laptops at the gaming table for tracking information and secret communications. For a while it was working well, but now some of my players keep letting the laptops distract them. How do I remove the distraction without getting rid of the computers?

Thanks,

Ready to Drop Rocks, Bismarck, ND

Well, RDR, you’ve posed a tough question. As a rule, having laptops at the table seems like a terrible idea, but I have seen it used to good effect, so let’s try to solve the problem.

Obviously, the first thing to do is to ask your players to make a concerted effort not to get distracted. Have them turn off any programs with notifications like TweetDeck or Skype. These have a tendency to grab attention and distract you from —writing a post— the game. You could disconnect the Internet entirely, but that could seriously limit the effectiveness of having a computer at the table.

As a Game Master, do your best to keep each player engaged. Make sure the spotlight moves around. Have players consider and pre-roll their actions when it isn’t there turn, and don’t let them use electronic dice rollers so that they have to pull away from the laptop when rolling.

You could also try a punishment and reward system, such as giving bennies to players to don’t get distracted and reducing XP gained for those who do. Careful, though, as this can create sour feelings among your problem players, and exacerbate the problem.

Lastly, consider the placement of the laptops. Try to get the players to move them off to the side, with the screen tilted to where you can see it. Not only are you able to watch over people’s shoulders a bit, but it means that players have to turn their backs to you to use the laptop, making themselves more obvious.

If all else fails, require that the laptops be closed at the table, and only use them when sending messages.

Hopefully these tips help you. Thank you for asking Apathy, and don’t drop rocks on your players.

–Jeff Carlsen

Your Comments: Do you have any advice?  Please let our readers know.  If you have a question for Apathy, we’ll gladly answer them.  Leave your question in the comments, or email us at devteam@apathygames.com

Nothing happened.

Despite your conversation and your GM’s promises to make some changes, nothing changed. They continued forcing your face character through endless trials of blood, or persisted in plumbing the depths of depravity and darkness in their plotting. Maybe it even got worse, if their idea of solving the problem to bring everything to a dragged out conclusive ending.

Why are they doing this to me?

• Your GM wants to wrap up story threads or plots, and it is taking longer than they expected. They planned to have everything onto the new track within a few sessions but the actions of other characters or in game diversions are dragging it out longer than expected.
• Your GM is misguided, and thought that when you asked for things to change you meant “eventually” or “sometime this year”. What I mean by this is that they did not understand how much the problems were bothering you and took your one-on-one with them as game mastering advice, not a request for immediate change.
• Your GM tried to address your concerns, but after a short period of time fell back into bad habits.
• The other players really like the direction the story is headed or the rules changes.
• You are the odd man out and the GM does not really want to change the game in the way you desire.
• While they listened to you and pretended to agree to your proposals, your GM has no intention of changing their ways. They hope the whole thing will blow over if they just keep on doing what they were doing or that they will force you to leave (Unlikely but possible).

So, what now?

Regardless of how you feel, your GM has probably tried to address the problem. Pay attention and take note of positive changes. If a few sessions have passed and the problem remains, your only option is to talk to them again. Take note of the changes they have made and be prepared to explain why they are not sufficient. Once you are ready, pull your GM aside and explain that there is still a problem. Make it clear that you have seen the changes they have made and you appreciate them, but that there is still further to go. At this point your next actions are determined entirely by how they respond. They will either agree to work with you further, or make it clear that they will be inflexible. If the latter is the case, your only options are to suck it up or walk away. If they agree to work with you, try to set a time by which the changes will have been made. This will give them some room to work, but still hold them accountable.

And when that doesn’t work?

The first thing to do is talk to the other players. Do they share your concerns, or are you the only one with a problem? If so, you may want to consider finding or starting a different game. As I mentioned yesterday, sometimes your desires and those of your group will be so wildly different that this is the only option. If you choose to leave the game for a while, do it gracefully. Most people will understand and respect your decision if your reasons are clearly defined. Remember that this is everyone’s game, not just yours.

But the other players don’t like it either.

In this case an intervention may be required. If none of the players like the direction of the game it probably won’t be long until it falls apart. The best thing to do is discuss as a group what your problems are and what solution you would like to see. The problem with this approach is that when an entire group tells their GM they don’t like his game, feelings will be hurt. You run a strong risk of loosing them as a GM, and only a marginally smaller risk of loosing them as a friend.

Try to figure out a way to break it to them gently, and accentuate the positive. In most cases the problem will either be the story or the execution, not both. Try to focus on one or the other when you confront them. Make sure they understand that your problem is not with them but with the game, and that you still want to have them run a game, just not this game, or not this way. With any luck they will accept your concerns in a mature manner, and everyone’s experience will improve.

Have you had a situation where your GM was doing things you weren’t comfortable with? How did you deal with it?

• Quietly stew for months, not really enjoying the game but feeling obligated to stay until you finally drop out of the game, typically starting with bad attendance (so you are less involved and feel less obligated) and culminating in no call no show.
• Same as above but ending with a catastrophic shouting match centered around your issue or something completely unrelated.
• Sabotage the game through violence against other PCs, NPC’s or by ignoring the plot and or trying to waste entire sessions on diversions.
• Snippy comments and obvious passive aggressive behavior which make your DM feel stupid or inadequate.

Why shouldn’t I act this way?

This behavior is not only immature, it is pointless. Most GMs are either blazing egotists who cannot understand how the players are not enjoying what they are doing, or they lack self esteem and are in constant need of positive reinforcement. Or both. In either case, the above approaches do nothing but exacerbate the problem. The GM will see your behavior as offensive or disappointing, and will most likely see it as a personal attack, not a reasonable request for change.

What should I do instead?

Dealing with situations like these can be very difficult. We get together to have fun and play a game, not spend endless time arguing or being unpleasant to each other. Nothing tears a group up like player vs GM conflict. Even still, addressing the problem can be simplified by following a short set of rules:

• Try to head problems off early; a few words in private can be very effective. If you bring the problem to your GM’s attention early, it can typically be easily remedied.
• Don’t make it a performance. Your GM probably doesn’t need an intervention.  Calling them out in front of all the players will put them on the defensive, lowering your chances of getting a fair hearing.
• Don’t be angry, yell, scream, or be insulting.
• Stress the positive. Tell your GM what parts of the game you really enjoy.

Instead, explain what your problem is, and why it is a problem. If your argument is rules based, present evidence to support it. Reference similar rules or systems as support. If your GM decides to rule against you in regards to a certain ability, see if they will let you swap it for something else.

If the problem is based around what you want from the game or what your personal boundaries are for campaign content, explain what you want and clearly delineate where you are willing to have the campaign go. Most GMs know when they are pushing the envelope and will be willing to dial it back for the comfort of their players.

So my GM is running Star Wars Saga Edition, but I want to play Fuzzy Bunny Armada!

Sometimes the problem is not campaign elements that make you uncomfortable, or simple dissatisfaction with the game, but a desire to do something completely different. In these situations a different approach is required. If what you want is drastically different from the game your GM is trying to run, the time to raise objections is at the start of the campaign, not six months in. At that point, the chances that the GM will be willing to just drop all his intricate plotting and planning are very slim. If you really want something different, consider starting your own game on a different night, and with yourself as GM  This way, the story will contain the elements you want. In addition, every GM I have ever known has wanted to be a player but been unable to do so because “they are the GM”. Invite your GM and other players to your game and start telling your own stories.

Continued tomorrow in Part 2: What to do When Nothing Changes.

It’s a Savage World out there, and Apathy Games provides the tools to survive it. First, check out our

Update: Community News Added.

Pinnacle Entertainment Group

Space 1889: Red Sands Preorder Bundle | Pinnacle Entertainment Group

This week Pinnacle announced that pre-orders for Space 1889: Red Sands and their Red Sands preorder bundle are now available.  Stop by Pinnacle’s store and check it out.

Since Thomas Edison first explored the worlds with the help of his marvelous ether propeller, the British Empire has grown to include the red plains and stately canals of Mars, the steaming, dinosaur-infested swamps of Venus, and even a remote outpost in the twilight zone of Mercury. In 1889, the sun truly never sets on the British Empire! But deep inside the Empire, a core of revolt festers and grows. Martian cults cry out for the Earthling’s expulsion. Britain teeters at the edge of war with the Oenotrian Empire. In the midst of seething turmoil, the being known only as Kronos siezes the technology of a forgotten race to threaten the very future of mankind!

Savage Licensees

Daring Tales of Chivalry Adventure Compendium | Triple Ace Games

Out this week TAG announces five new adventures for their Daring Tales of Chivalry line all brought together in one comprehensive book!  Be daring in these new adventures

• A Knight’s Tales
• Death at the Joust
• The Danbury Curse
• Castle Fairstone
• The Madness of Sir Stephen

Hellfrost Encounters #1 |Triple Ace Games

Finally after months of teasing TAG released the Hellfrost Encounters Book #1.  Following up on their Preview Copy the book is finally released!

Designed with the busy GM in mind, this book contains 50 detailed encounters covering a variety of situations and locales.

Whether you’re after a random encounter that’s more than just a standup fight on featureless terrain, an exciting mini-adventure on the spur of the moment, something to break up the party’s travels, or a starting scene for an adventure of your own devising, this book has something for you.

To help speed up play, every encounter is designed to fit one or two pages containing all of its pertinent information, so there’s no need to flip between pages. Lavishly illustrated with maps, everything you need to play these encounters is within the covers of this fantastic book!

Although designed for the Hellfrost setting, each encounter contains the stats required for play, so it can be used in any Savage Worlds fantasy setting!

Hellfrost Region Guide #20: The Mistlands | Triple Ace Games

Out this week is #20 in the collectors series, The Mistlands brings even more guides to the Hellfrost setting.

Once famed for its prosperous silver mines, the Mistlands are now a haunted realm of perpetual mist and endless ruins. A realm of ghosts and memories, few adventurers are brave enough to explore the rugged hills, for many who do are never seen again.

This supplement explores the history of the former realm of Silverdale, and presents rules for adventuring in the mist-wreathed lands, as well as over half a dozen new locales. The cult of Niht is explored in greater detail, along with the minor gods of sleep and concealment. Finally there are three new monsters, including the much-feared shadow dragon.

Sundered Skies Companion |Triple Ace Games

Feeling a bit left out after all the releases forHellfrost?  Thinking that your Sundered Skies game needs a pick-me up?  Well your in luck! The crack team of writers at Triple Ace Games have released the Sundered Skies Companion.

The Sundered Skies Companion expands upon and compliments the information found in the Sundered Skies core book. Designed to be used by players and Gamemaster’s the Sundered Skies Companion is bursting with gaming goodness, including;

• A host of new Edges and Hindrances.
• Detailed information on day-to-day life in the Sundered Skies, including superstitions and commonly held beliefs. Game mechanics are included so they can have a direct influence on your game.
• Advanced dwarven munitions add even more explosive options to your arsenal of equipment.
• Several new ship designs, including the experimental flame dancer.
• New magic and spells, including a new goddess, The Beautiful One, and Voidomancy—where the caster draws on the void itself as a source for his spells.
• Holy days for god, each one dripping with role-playing and adventure potential.
• Expanded information on the isles of the skies, including four brand new island—The volcanic Atrium; frozen Frostrock, the desolate and tragic Remorse, and the mysterious jungle isle of Savannah.
• 16 cults and secret societies the heroes can join or oppose. Each goals and organisation is fully detailed, including unique Edges available to heroes who join.
• Over 25 new Savage Tales designed to be used alongside, and within the existing Plot Point found in Sundered Skies.
• Sundered Gods—a guide to what direction your campaign can take once the Plot Point is completed.
• A veritable horde of new monsters, opponents, and allies.
• And much, much more!

Savage Community

Forum Top Five | PEGInc Forums

Each week, I delve into the Pinnacle Forums to find you the very best stuff.  Here’s what this week has to offer:

Arcane Abilities: This subsystem is designed to add more magical flair to your fantasy campaign by augmenting the current edge and powers system.  Very cool stuff.

Multiple Personalities: Some people are of two minds about everything.  This covers a character who not only has multiple personalities, but how to integrate the two over time.

Vehicles and Chases: If you’ve ever had questions about how the rules for vehicles and chases work, this is your thread.

Animal Stat Blocks: The Savage Worlds: Explorer’s Edition doesn’t have a lot of animals listed, so this thread attempts to fill in some gaps.  Useful if you’re looking for a familiar.

Social Combat: This is a ruleset for social combat based on the Mass Combat rules.  I’d like to see it tested and developed further.

Do you like Savage News but want it more than once a week? Subscribe to our Twitter. We won’t promise to drown you in a flood of news, but we won’t promise not to, either.  As always, if we missed something, let our readers know in the comments.

Once per week we go behind the bar at Apathy Games and discuss gaming in more personal terms and ask you to respond. The best response will be featured the following week.

By the time you’ve started reading a blog about Savage Worlds, you’ve probably been around the roleplaying block and played your share of systems. I know I have. The truth is, there is no one ultimate system. We all know that. In the end, there is only the best system to suit your current needs.

But, even so, there are times when you see a core mechanic and something inside you screams, “Yes! That’s how it works!”. For me, that was Shadowrun Fourth Edition.

It’s a rather simple dice pool system. Attributes, Skills, Augmentations, and modifiers are all measured by the number of dice they add to your pool. You then roll them all, and every die that rolls five or higher is a hit. The difficulty of tasks is measured in the number of hits you need.

The reason I love it, other than the satisfaction of rolling a fistful of dice, is how every little edge your character has provides an additional opportunity for success. Like every skill you learn is a little soldier and the task is an enemy. The more soldiers you have, the more likely it is that one of them will kill the filthy bastard.

It’s a simple mechanic, but a complex system. Everything has a mechanical effect, however small. I love this, but it’s also why the system isn’t right for every game. Also, it’s very deadly. Shadowrun characters are often described as eggshells with hammers. It’s style of play I like, but not always.

Now Your Turn:  What is your favorite game system?

Leave your story in the comments, and next week we’ll post the best story. If you have any questions you’d like us to answer in a future Behind the Bar, let us know.

Last Weeks Winner is: Theron

The Questions was, “If you could game with any historical figure, who would it be?”, to which he wrote:

Gary Gygax and HG Welles, the father and grandfather of our noble hobby.

Theron makes a great point.  I would love to have had a chance to game with Gygax.  It’s still possible I suppose, and necromancy is fitting with the game.  Something to think on.

Dear Apathy,

How many dice is enough?

Al in Podunk, WA

Al,

The simple answer is, when your dice bag bursts, you may have too many. Or need to buy a new dice bag.

I try to keep three full sets of polyhedrals, one of one color and two of another. The first set is my primary set, used for all skill rolls, attacks, saves, or whatever. The other two sets are for damage. This works very well for Savage Worlds in particular, but you should find use for it in many a d20 game.

For savage worlds, I also have a special set of d6s to use as my wild die, and another, off color, for extra damage, so that I can roll everything at once. If I get a raise, I add in the extra d6. Otherwise, I just ignore it.

If you play a variety of games, you’ll want a brick of d6′s. Dice pool games, such as Shadowrun, use them, so you’ll want at least twenty. In addition, you’ll want a pack of ten d10′s for World of Darkness or Legend of the Five Rings.

This should cover everything you need, but it can be nice to have extra sets for new players to use.

Don’t buy all your dice all at once, unless you don’t like money. Picking out a set should be a special event, savored each time you get the opportunity. Start with a single set of what you need for the game you’re playing, and build upon that whenever you go to the game store. Soon enough, you’ll be asking us how to organize your massive collection. Until then, good gaming, and thank you for the question.

Your Comments: Do you have any advice?  Please let our readers know.  If you have a question for Apathy, we’ll gladly answer them.  Leave your question in the comments, or email us at devteam@apathygames.com

On the Other Hand….

Maybe not. Perhaps the rule is coming from a splat book that was underwritten or lightly playtested, if at all. Perhaps it comes from a third party supplement. Whatever the case may be, try not to act in haste. Changing rules can have long reaching and sometimes unexpected consequences, and those effects may be far worse than the current “problem rule”.

So What Do I Do?

The first step is to find examples of rules with a similar concept but different implementation than the problem rule. When you find a similar rule and it doesn’t cause any problems, you have found an easy fix. If you can’t find any, seriously consider the place of the rule in your game. In most cases rules exist to add depth to our simulations, and completely removing rules from a game may remove depth you or your players would rather keep. Review the rules in depth to determine if changes are really necessary.

How Do I Change It?

Think about ways to strengthen or weaken the problem rule other than its complete removal. Think about the situation where the rule was a problem and decide what the outcome of the rule should have been. Set the rule at that level as your starting point. Next, consider the effects of the rule on the next several adventures/encounters you have planned and try to figure out how your new version of the rule will play out. Then adjust accordingly.

Finally, decide if all this thinking has been merely a knee jerk reaction. Perhaps the characters have reached a new level of power or the players have dusted off some underused rules because they know they will be effective in the situations they have been presented with. If the usage of an unexpected rule was something you had not planned for it can be startling, and if it messes up your closely laid plains it can be very frustrating, but it is not necessarily a reason to act.

Methods of Implementation

Now that you have your shiny new rule all thought out, you must present it to the players. Present your new version and your justification for it before it comes up in game. Waiting until the players attempt to use the old rule to roll out the new one is immature. Next, if the rule you are changing is a newly selected ability of a character, give the player the option to trade it out for something else. The player chose the old ability, not the new one, and might not want your new version.

In many cases players will accept a watered down version of a rule in place of something everyone knows is overpowered. While players are always looking for an advantage, most understand game balance. Conversely, if the rule was too weak, it is unlikely you will get many complaints from the players when you change it–unless, of course, you are using your new version to increase the effectiveness of their opponents, in which case they will probably give you “the talk”.

And If My Changes Fail?

If your changes turn out to be a total unmitigated disaster, acknowledge that you were wrong and go back to the old version. Do not immediately go back to the drawing board, as it will take significant time away from the game and probably not give you the result you want. Try to find in-game ways to work around or solve the problem. If that fails, start the process over at the beginning.

Your Comments: Slaughtered any sacred cows in your game?  Tell of about a rule you have changed or removed.