Kickstarters and Playtests

Posted on July 10, 2013 by Iron Tavern Guest Blogger

It is not ground breaking to say that Kickstarters and Open Playtests are changing the RPG Industry. They have been going on for years and have helped get books published that might not have otherwise. It is interesting to see the discussions on these topics though. I have backed only a handful of Kickstarters but I know people that have backed hundreds. I do tend to back at larger amounts though, so when I see something to invest in I go in with gusto. But they have also allowed more transparency into what goes on in RPG publishing and I am not sure the companies are better for it.

The biggest thing with Kickstarter is the misperception people and companies have for it. I know many people look at it like a preorder system but it is an investment. It is clever that companies are instead offering product instead of a gain on the capital investment. It amazes me how popular these things are because it seems that helping a Kickstarter get funded doesn’t really save much money for the investor. It would cost about the same to get the book once it comes out or even save quite a bit of money by getting it through Amazon. I know not everything on Kickstarter will end up on Amazon but it at least a company can save the investor some money by making it a better deal than buying it through a store.

The most frustrating thing with Kickstarters though is how late these companies are in getting out what was promised to their investors. I’ve not participated in many but only one has had the product shipped on time. I’m waiting on two, To Slay a Dragon and the 20^th Anniversary of Werewolf. Both of those are over six months late and are ready to be printed or something like that but we are in limbo. I don’t work in publishing but I do know if any of my projects ran this late I’d be fired unless I had a fantastic reason. The companies though are not held accountable. The fans will keep buying the books and allow them to be disorganized and late with no consequence. Both of the companies even started new Kickstarters before the other is compete which I won’t back. The Werewolf people at least mentioned it in one of their updates and I give them credit for that. In the end when seeing the money I spent and the time between a stated return and the actual return has made these bad investments. I might not lose my shirt in the end as I do believe the books will eventually be printed and delivered. But anyone that knows investing knows that there are many ways to lose besides losing everything.

Open Playtests are also something new to the industry. Some smaller companies have done them from time to time but I think when Paizo and now Wizards of the Coast doing one it really shows how beneficial they can be. I hate them. I have no interest in playing an incomplete game. It’s hard enough to get people together for once a week gaming and I’d hate to waste that on a system that’s every changing. I don’t feel the feedback really does much good. There is just too much of it and there will be feedback that contradicts other feedback. The designers are going to do what they have planned. It just seems like the Open Playtest is a marketing ploy to keep people aware of the new game that is coming out.

When the game comes out I’ll try it but until then I’ll devote my time to finished games. Even worse is the preview copies of games that get sold by the companies. Paizo did it with Pathfinder, though at least they had a PDF copy for free. Last year at Gen Con there was the new Star Wars game and this year I think the same is going to be done for Firefly. These are all games I am interested in and will probably buy. But I think it is a rip off to sell an incomplete preview version to fans. The preview version will be worthless and obsolete once the game comes out. It is just taking advantage of a company’s fans to get more money out of them.

In the end though the fans will come with money and not care about how the company treats them. Many fans are probably unaware on how bad companies treat them. This is not a problem unique to gaming by any means. But it would be nice to see companies treat their fans a little better at times.

Chris Gath. I’ve been gaming since 1980 playing all kinds of games since then. In the past year I’ve run Pathfinder, Dungeon Crawl Classic, Paranoia, and Mini d6. My current campaign is mini d6 and we are using that for a modern supernatural conspiracy investigative game. On some forums I’m known as Crothian and I’ve written a few hundred reviews though I took a sabbatical from reviewing for a few years as it burnt me out. I was also an judge for the Gen Con awards (ENnies) six times. Jeff, the owner of this blog, is one of my players and a good friend.

Injecting A Little Horror Into Your Game

Posted on July 8, 2013 by Iron Tavern Guest Blogger

I have always been a fan of horror in my games. In fact the games that I remember the most have been those that I have centred around a horror fantasy concept. But not just any horror. If you are after a horror game that will make the players sweat bullets and jump at your every word then you are trying to create a setting that is the hardest to pull off. It is a prize I have tried for many times and failed each time. But if you want to run a game which will leave the players at the end with open mouths because of the horror story that has just been told read on.

A horror game that leaves an impression needs to be a story game on the whole. Every horror story that has been successful for me has had at its heart a tale of tragedy. Every single game that I recall was based on an innocent situation gone wrong. If you look to popular culture for examples of horror you will find a broader range of possibilities available to you but some of those are really precluded by the style of game we play. For example, the slasher flicks like Halloween or Friday the 13th are not really recreatable in Fantasy Horror as everyone has Combat abilities so the only way this style can deliver horror to the players is through the NPC’s they kill in gruesome ways. If that happens it becomes a story game rather than a gore fest. Movies like Jaws could be created but rely on a lot of suspense. Having a creature that lives in an environment like the shadow/astral plane that attacks from surprise may be an option but how long you could sustain that suspense may be limited. I must admit I have never really tried that style of game and I will put it on my to do list.

The horror that really leaves me and my players in love with an adventure are those that detail tragic circumstances leading to a horrific manifestation of evil. In my games this tends to gravitate to ghost stories but in reality it can be any style, vampire, zombie, ghoul, werecreature etc. that involves transformation from a normal innocent being into a creature of malevolence. I use ghosts a lot because I am a fan of them, especially Japanese spirits who are rich in story detail. Not to mention there are a massive amount of Japanese spirits out there to draw information on. So many you could create an entire campaign around the theme. For some idea check out http://hyakumonogatari.com which translates traditional Japanese spirit stories into English.

Once you have chosen the style of threat you want you need to weave a story around it. To be fully effective the story should be one of terrible corruption and circumstance. I will give you a few ideas for you to work with.

A girl married in secret to her love murdered by her own mother (who did not know she was married) who caught her in the act of consummating the marriage
A husband finds a box filled with letters to his wife from an admirer. Not realising they had never been opened (and therefore it is a love not returned) the man kills his wife and then commits suicide
A child born with an affliction (mental impairment or physical deformity) is kept in a sealed room until their death to save shame on the family
A vicious werewolf attack barely scrapes a baby in the wound as the mother is killed. The baby transforms into a horrid thing come the full moon…
A demon possesses the body of an innocent girl who is then convicted of witchcraft and burnt at the stake

This gives you a few basic ideas that you can turn into your own games or you can build your own from these ideas. At the heart of them all is one concept and that is innocent corrupted. If you want to look at a great (and cheap) module that follows this style designed for Pathfinder look at the recent release Haiku of Horror for inspiration!

Why is this corruption necessary? Well it may not be but in every game that I have run that seemed to get the best reaction it was at the point that the players put together the story. They find the journal that details the neglect, they find the box of letters and realise three quarters of them are still unopened etc. It is these twists in the tale where the players realise that the horror was built out of misunderstanding or prejudice that really hammer home that horror. These adventures make great side track adventures and tend to bring out a lot of roleplaying in a group if you can get them interested in the story to begin with which may be a challenge.

So how do you get them interested? Well, the easiest way is a reward. The town mayor wants to know why all his townfolk are turning into werewolves. A young couple have moved into the previous home of the murder/suicide and the parents seek the help of the players to find out what is behind their increasingly unusual behaviour. Reward is good, but then the players are not overly concerned if it goes poorly and they just don’t get the reward. Try to get them personally interested as characters (and players)! If you are playing Pathfinder, grab the Gamemaster Guide or go the the reference document and read up on haunts. You can use haunts subtly or overtly to drag the players into a game. The walls of the basement begin to ooze blood, the player gets distracted by a sound, looks back blood gone. Or something as simple as the innkeeper warning them not to wander around the Inn at night. No reason, just “Stay in your room under all circumstances!” Players love to break rules.

To keep the interest in the story really requires good pacing. String out a series of events that alternate between storytelling and supernatural activity. The players need to get a sense that there is a story to be had before they pursue it. Make the first visitation of a spirit enticing and the players will be seeking information from NPC’s everywhere. Have every NPC have a variation of a story, and throw in a couple of red herrings too. Watch them try to chase down the truth. Prepare artifacts (props) for the players to handle (the box with the letters or an old toy etc.) that will increase the interest in the story. If you feel that your players will not buy into the story without some fights make them mean something. Have the players rewarded after the battle by a bit of the story, e.g. a diary or a map that shows a secret basement level of the house.

The climax of an adventure should not be a battle with the spirit or creature. It certainly should happen though. What needs to happen is the players have to finish what they have started or the problem continues. With a spirit, they just continue to show up! You have to bring to light the circumstances that lead to the malevolent spirit coming into being. Remove the body from the hidden basement and have the parents arrested (Lawful Good) or seal them into the same room (Neutral!) should do it. One way or another the players need to continue to pursue the story until its end. It is when they put all the pieces together that you will get the response you are after. That wow factor from them as they complete their investigation and they marvel at the evil that can be done to even the most innocent amongst us.

I strongly suggest you give this style of game a go once you have run some regular games and are looking for a challenge to your GMing. To run one of these games well takes a good amount of skill and they do not always work, but when they do they have a lasting effect on your game. The players will get a boost out of solving a story based option and may reach for a roleplaying situation first. Or they may just talk about the game a lot. Both are satisfying for a GM either way!

Mark Knights is 39 year old guy living in a small rural town called Elliott in Tasmania, Australia. I have been role playing since I was 11 years old playing the original versions of Dungeons and Dragons, MERP, Elric, Dragon Warriors and the like amongst other genre games. I played D&D 2nd Edition through the 90′s but I ran Earthdawn for my fantasy setting and loved it as a GM. When 3rd Edition came out for D&D I tried it but found it too heavy on rules. I ignored the 3.5 edition of DnD in favour of Earthdawn (big mistake) as I thought it was just a money spinner. When 4th Edition DnD came on my players and I gave it a red hot go but hated what it had dumbed the game down to be. On a trip to Melbourne to buy some 4E stuff from a hobby store an old mate of mine pointed me at Pathfinder and in a Fantasy setting I have never looked back.

Geologic Time

Posted on July 5, 2013 by Iron Tavern Guest Blogger

photo by meckimac from commons.wikimedia.org

As GMs and players we have an odd obsession with time. When it comes to combat, we track it down to rounds of a few seconds, making sure we know who acts when to keep order at the table. We track it as our characters cross expanses of wilderness, caves, or dungeons to gauge when random encounters may occur, when magical effects expire, and when daylight appears or disappears…

But time for world designers is a different beast. Was an area always forest? At what point did the seas form or boil away? How long did a particular type of creature or organization rule unopposed over the landscape?

When this type of question appears, I try to look at time from a different perspective.

If it’s a question involving individuals or small groups of people (families, organizations, and so on), it happens on a much smaller scale. Months, years, decades, or centuries usually. These events occur in the span of mortal lifetimes.

If it’s a question involving civilization, I look at things in terms of decades, centuries, or millennia. This is more of a generational time frame, where organizations can pass knowledge and prejudices over a longer span of time. I also keep in mind the effects of the “telephone game.” Time, like space or any other context, can change how a message is interpreted down the line.

If it’s a question involving nature, I use the same scale but expand it to multiple millennia or even millions or billions of years. Look at how the jungles of many parts of the world have hidden the ruins of fallen civilizations effectively for hundreds or thousands of years. Or how rising waters have swallowed entire portions of continents. The landscape of the dinosaurs was far different than what we see today.

If it’s a question involving geology, it gets expanded to the wide end of the time spectrum as well unless the world is technologically adept at terraforming. Tectonic plates can shift. Mountains rise. Land falls into the sea. Rivers carve canyons. Glaciers advance and recede creating valleys.

As GMs we are in a great position to use time as another tool in the box. Do we want a culture to be in decline after ruling the world for thousands of years? Figure out where they were at the height of their empire and then determine how that has been whittled away year by year, decade by decade, century by century.

Or imagine a world in the throes of great geologic change where land bridges form and dissolve, allowing civilizations and animal populations a way to shift and become isolated over time, changing from what they were in the beginning.

Brian “Fitz” Fitzpatrick is a Software Engineer who manages (or is that mangles) Game Knight Reviews and tinkers with writing game materials via his Moebius Adventures imprint. When he’s not writing about gaming, he’s actually gaming or at least thinking about gaming in some capacity. During the non-writing, non-gaming time he’s likely trying to keep up with his wife and two daughters or wrangling code for a living!

Review: Masks

Posted on July 3, 2013 by Iron Tavern Guest Blogger

One of the things I have a lot of in my RPG book collection is generic books that help with setting. I like books on NPCs, businesses, countries, cities, or just odd encounters I can borrow and use. A good friend of mine who was one of the ENnie Judges in 2012 bought this for me for Christmas. It was in his opinion one of the best and most useful RPG books he saw that year and as an ENnie Judge he saw a lot. It also won the Gold medal for Best Aid and Accessory so a few other people agreed with his judgment. It is not an adventure but it is one of the more useful books I’ve found. The book is called Masks by Engine Publishing and written by the guys at Gnome Stew. It is a collection of one thousand NPCs and has been used each session of my current campaign.

Masks is an over three hundred page book of a thousand NPCs. The NPCs are written up without stats or attempts at stats. Sometimes a system less book tries to give combat ratings or make up their own stats that don’t correlate to any game. They don’t do that here and that makes me happy. The book is simply divided into modern, fantasy, and science fiction sections. Each of those sections is then divided into villains, neutrals, and allies. I have found though that I can search for a useful NPC outside of the genre I’m playing. The current campaign is a modern game but I’ve found NPCs in this book from the Fantasy and science fictions sections that work and work well.

The most useful aspect of the book are the indexes. They make it easy to keep track of the NPCs one uses. Each NPC is numbered one to one thousand. They each have a list of traits on them and in one of the indexes all the traits are listed with page number of an NPC that has that trait. So, if you need a mysterious NPC it is easy to find them. There is also an index of all the NPCs in alphabetic order. The index I found most useful though is one that collects NPCs into different groups. If one needs a crime lord and his minions they list the NPCs that would work for that. I would have liked if they would have done more of that.

With a thousand NPCs they are not all winners but there are plenty there to be easily used. This is the only book I have used for each game session and taken with me to each session. The main rule book we use doesn’t even get used as much as this book. One of the biggest uses for me is just names. I used to use a book called Everyone Everywhere that was a great name generator. Now we have the internet and names can be found much easier. Many times just the smallest spark is all that is needed to really get an NPC moving and this book defiantly provides that.

Using Published Modules In A Home Campaign

Posted on July 1, 2013 by Iron Tavern Guest Blogger

When building your own campaign it can be taxing coming up with adventures on a schedule that matches your games. Sometimes you just want to pick up the module you have been reading and play that for a few sessions. That way most of the work is done. Isn’t it?

Well, it may surprise you that it can actually be just as much work building a module into a running campaign as it is to create one of your own. Especially with modern styled adventures, that tend to be styled toward sequential play. So what should you be looking at doing to run a module in your existing campaign?

The first thing that you have to do like you would if you were just running a store bought module is read it. Make sure you know your material and the flow of the module. Get familiar with the major characters and NPC’s and the background to the module. While you are doing this make sure you work out what parts of the story are going to be apparent to the players openly or through investigation. There is always material in modules that is given for GM understanding that the players never get to see but some of the information may come out in play.

Once you have a working knowledge of the module you would normally be ready to play it. But as you are adapting the module to your campaign you will now have a bit of work to do before it is playable in your campaign. First of all, tackle the easier things like how to incorporate the geography into the game. Each module will likely contain a pile of maps that show the surrounding area as well as where the action happens. You need to consider this material. Normally modules start in a town or somewhere similar. Do you have a settlement that closely matches the descriptions provided in the module? Can you slip it directly into the campaign unaltered or do you need to adjust the material in some way as the players may have already visited the settlement and expect something else. Do you need to add it all in somewhere else on the map or expand the map for this to occur?

The next step is looking at the story of the module. Many modules of today’s gaming systems are part of a larger narrative with more modules that make up a whole story. To do this the writers of the modules will consider the series as a whole and implement certain themes as well as links to other modules in recurring characters or items. It is your job to go through the module now and find those bits and pieces and adjust them if need be. If part of the module is set up building a desire in the players to tackle the next module you have to pull them out (unless you want to move on to the next module).

From a story perspective what works with the theme of your campaign and what does not. Eliminate those things that will confuse the players with their inclusion. If you are running a campaign in a world full of undead and the module is about a visit of fey inspired creatures it may jar the players from the overall campaign that you are working with. You may need to alter the creatures or the overall theme of the module to allow the narrative arc of your campaign to survive the modules length.

Alter the module so that it now includes items your players you will find useful and use the NPC’s to involve strands of your own campaign you want them to follow on with. Think of how you can turn this module even further into an adventure that the players would not know the difference between your regular campaign and the module. Alter the look and feel of things. Alter read aloud text (if you use it) to a style that is consistent with your own. Turn the dungeon into a tomb. Turn the mountain that dominates the adventure into the statue that exists in your major city. Swap all the monsters out for creatures of a different kind and drop your own NPC’s in. Modules are so called because they are modular and meant to be used in this manner.

Once all this is done take one last look at what you have done. Is all this work still going to have the module achieve what you want? If you say yes then you are ready to run. But if you are still asking questions about something you may still have some work to do. Go back through what you have done with a fine tooth comb and make sure it is at the point you are happy with before running the game.

I am always amused at the snobbery that goes on between some GM’s when you do not make your own adventures or you introduce a module into a campaign. I actually find altering a module to suit my group play time consuming when I am running an adventure path. When you integrate a module into an existing campaign it is even more work! Using modules is not the act of a GM with no imagination, sometimes you read a module that inspires you so use it! But if you are running your own campaign you will likely find slotting a module in to be a lot of work.

Keep your eye on modules that come out, especially if they are one shots! They can be really useful tools when you need a bit of a break. The more you use them too the easier it will get but it still requires work to get a seamless feel to the adventure. Every now and then you will read a module that just suits your style of play and it would be a shame not to use them! Keep on rolling.

Family Ties

Posted on June 28, 2013 by Iron Tavern Guest Blogger

Character histories seem to be one of those things that players seem to love or hate. But they help put our characters into a bit of context in the world they live in.

Our characters live in terms we can all identify with… They are born, live a while, then die. In between, they live in terms of all those delineations we’ve come to accept – from seconds to days, months to years, decades and even centuries. Not many of us may live to the century mark in the real world, but our family memories can stretch far beyond a single life into the lives of whole generations. So why don’t we use the generational view to help define our characters a bit better?

When we construct character histories, we often ask things like:

How old are they?
Do they have any siblings?
Are their parents still alive? Grandparents?
What do they know?
Who do they know? Friends or enemies?
What do they do?

But sometimes it can be fun to ask some questions on a more macro level:

How far back can you trace their family tree?
Who were the heroes and villains in their family history?
What major historical events did their family participate in?
Where did their family start?
Is the family known for anything in particular?
Is the family name recognized beyond the confines of their particular neighborhood, town, city, nation, etc?

Obviously when we delve deeper like this we need our GMs to buy into the process, but basically we’re seeking ways to clarify how the character fits into the greater scheme of things. And asking questions about one family can raise points about other families that they may have crossed paths with along the way. Are there any family rivalries? Feuds? Rifts? It can become a much larger thing than one single character.

Yes, I understand that every bit of information you come up with for your characters can potentially become a hook for your GM to tug on mercilessly during a campaign, but isn’t that the goal? Each hook means that the character is that much more an actual part of the world they inhabit. It becomes that much easier to find ways to motivate your character and the characters around them to do heroic (or dastardly) things if you can put events into a perspective that they understand.

Plus, this broadens the conversation that you can have with your GM or DM to learn more about the history of the world and how your character is woven into it. That way even if your character should die in the telling of a particular story, perhaps they become part of the larger narrative even in death that you, the GM, or other players could then build upon.

Obviously this is just one avenue to explore when building a character. What other avenues have you explored as players or GMs to help the world seem more alive to PCs and NPCs?

Zombies!

Posted on June 26, 2013 by Iron Tavern Guest Blogger

World War Z opened this weekend, the Walking Dead series seems to still be going strong, and more and more zombie related fiction seems to be coming out in increasing numbers. I thought Zombies might have reached saturation with the less than stellar Marvel Zombie series but the craze seemed to survive that. I admit I enjoy the Zombie craze. I even watch those bad SyFy movies about zombies along with reading many different Zombie novels (almost 90 at this point). Most of them are not worth talking about but even in the bad ones comes the occasionally cool or clever idea. I doubt I’ll ever get to run a Zombie Apocalypse game but as most gamers know the next best thing to running on is planning one.

A number of questions need addressed in planning a zombie apocalypse game. In many of the RPGs that follow this theme they answer them for the reader but don’t really address the questions well. All Flesh Must Be Eaten is the one RPG I recommend for this as it is more of a toolbox then a firm setting like the others I’ve seen.

I think the first thing needing done is defining the setting. The assumption is usually modern day but I’ve read some cool settings that deal with near future a few decades or a century after the Zombies first appear. There have been some cool super heroes zombie settings but I’d advise staying away from Rotten Capes RPG. Even setting it back ten or twenty years can severely impact the game as communication has really become a lot easier in that time.

While in many cases the cause is not revealed I believe a GM needs to have an idea for it to help the game. It is very possible that the PCs will eventually take the game from just survival to something more and discovering the cause is a likely mystery to attempt to deal with. Now that doesn’t mean it has to be possible for the PCs to ever learn the cause. And as a GM I would include call kinds of rumors from alien spores to natural pandemic and everything in between. Knowing the cause can help define how it is transferred, if there is a cure, and other likely characteristics of whatever is causing the Zombie Plague.

The big question though is fast or slow zombies. On the big screen the zombies have become faster and faster because it looks better on the big screen that way. It is more difficult to make people feel threatened all the time by slow zombies, but they should be no less scary. I think World War Z the book did a great job of showing how they can be frightening. I like a good mix though. In one series I read slow zombies were actually herded by the faster zombies who used them as distractions. It was cool to see pack tactics being used by zombies. I also like the settings showing reasons for the different kinds. Fast zombies might be charged by radiation from nuclear bombs that failed to kill them. Or they just might be bodies that are less decayed or damaged.

GMs can spring the apocalypse on the PCs or give them time to prepare. Some good novels have shown that the outbreak starts on one nearby city and gives the characters a day or so along with everyone else to prepare or panic. Also, a GM can take the PCs through the start of the chaos or just spring them in the middle like Walking Dead does. I almost feel it would be a good bait and switch scenario allowing the players to think it is one type of campaign and then surprise them with the walking dead showing up. That can help so all the PCs are not ex-military survivalist. Showcasing more normal characters and how they deal with the onslaught is one of better aspects of the games then just making it well armed militia men ready for the end.

One of the bigger complaints I see is that in the books and movies there has to be tension between characters. Some of these actually seem more like soap operas with zombies and I think it comes from writers not fully embracing the conflicts that can happen. There doesn’t need to be infighting to create drama. It can be challenging enough just trying to find food and shelter and stay safe. Sure it is good to have rival gangs of people or even other groups that are not evil but don’t agree with the PCs. But too often it seems aside from the main characters most of the humans they run into are worse than the Zombies. It just happens way too often that it becomes boring and predictable.

The most important aspect that I think many of the novels and movies lack but I feel is more important for an RPG is hope. If the game seems hopeless and there is no chance for improvement I think players get bored and frustrated. It’s not fun anymore even if it might be completely realistic. I would allow the PCs to build a community or gather in a caravan. That is why I would give hints of a cause and a possible cure. It allows the PCs to work towards something.

My Old Mate Al Chemist

Posted on June 24, 2013 by Iron Tavern Guest Blogger

No, I am not trying to introduce you to a drug dealer! Instead I am going to be taking a look at the Pathfinder classes one by one. It will be a theme that I return to irregularly at the Iron Tavern and so I have decided to do it in the time old tradition of alphabetically. I will cover all core rules base classes and then I may even go on to look at the prestige classes if it is a popular series. So without further ado, let me introduce you to Al Chemist.

The Alchemist

“I awoke one morning to the sound of flame and explosion. Looking up I saw Seroquel literally grinding the eye of newt into a paste so he could add it to his boom boom juice. I have no idea what that is and I dislike the Gnome in his original form so I told him to wake me when he let Hank out to play.” Excerpt from Gelik Aberwhinge’s journal, Saventh-Yhi, Mwangi Expanse.

First introduced in the Advanced Players Guide the Alchemist class fills the needs of all those people who have a little mad scientist in them. They are a quasi-magical class with a range of abilities that can shape the character in a variety of different configurations. I have had the pleasure of being the GM to two Alchemist’s so far and I have to say that they are a fun class inclusion in a party. Both players though took the same path so I have seen only one configuration of the Alchemist played out and that is the feral or Mr Hyde variant.

The Alchemist class relies on infusions that are brewed every morning. Much like a mad scientist they must follow a group of formulae from a formula book and have the ability (or skill) to infuse a certain number of extracts per day. These operate essentially by applying or drinking the extract and using the body as a conduit for the alchemical reaction. The effect is like that of a spell, and in fact uses standard spells as the description for these extracts. The spell list for the class is pretty good but the spells are mainly those that operate on the individual themselves. You will see no overt ranged attack spells like magic missile or fireball amongst the allowable spells due to this fact. Also, all actions to “cast” these spells draw an attack of opportunity i.e. draw vial from backpack: move action that attracts attack of opportunity; drink extract: standard action that draws an attack of opportunity. With this in mind it pays to remain out of melee range if you are intending on making your spells the main focus of the class.

But spells are but one part of the Alchemist’s many stringed bow. The class also receives the ability to create a number of explosive devices, or “bombs” that are ranged attack grenades if you wish to think of them that way. The Alchemist creates a two part infusion, both inert unless mixed and are the only class that can mix these reagents together. These bombs are super effective against individual foes and also have a splash damage to those surrounding the target. They also gain in effectiveness with the more class levels the Alchemist obtains, adding more and more damage. They start as a base of fire damage but through the use of discoveries the Alchemist can actually vary the energy type when they make the bombs.

The discoveries that an Alchemist can make along the way may vary a lot about the class and it is through these discoveries that you can customise the character to a theme. As I stated in the introduction the two Alchemists I have GMed were of the type that followed a Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde configuration. Mild mannered scientist who, upon drinking a mixture (called a mutagen) became a mighty fighter full of rage. The other stream of customisation actually takes the character more down the road of an expert bomber or demolitionist. It gives them a wide range of different energy types, delay explosions, smoke bombs and a bunch of other types. Some of these discoveries can only be taken at certain levels so there is a good range of powered abilities that the character can access through their career.

The second to last of the mad scientist abilities is the mutagen power. The mutagen is a concoction that the Alchemist can only make one of a day. When they make it they pick a physical statistic (strength, dexterity or constitution) that it will affect. Once the Alchemist drinks the mutagen they receive a +2 to natural armour as their skin hardens and a +4 to the ability that was chosen. The downside is one of the mental attributes (intelligence, willpower or charisma) takes a -2 hit. the choice is dependent on the statistic chosen to boost. It is like the Alchemist becomes a new, more feral version, of themselves and some Alchemists actually see it as a new personality and give them a name (as in the flavour text that headed this blog). The mutagen lasts for ten minutes per class level and can be an absolute life saver!

The last ability allows the Alchemist to use poison which in my opinion is not often used unless taking poison bombs. One of the Alchemist players I have GMed collected a lot of poisons but never really used them as it is a power quickly outclassed by many of the other special abilities that they pick up along the way. This power seems to be “tacked on” somehow and I am yet to see it truly benefit the class in play.

Ultimate Combat expands the Alchemist by providing new discoveries for the class, largely in the bombing area. It also provides two archetypes in the Beastmorph and the Ragechemist. Both of these classes target the mutagen powers to provide different abilities. The Beastmorph takes on animal features as they mutagen and some powers along with it. The Ragechemist is a Strength focussed class that creates a very angry alchemist indeed! Ultimate Magic provides a lot more discoveries with a much broader range from any of the previous rules sources. They do not just focus on bombs but on abnormalities too like vestigial limbs and a great variety of different powers that need to be investigated when playing the class. The book also provides no less than eight new archetypes that I will list but not go into. The archetypes are Chirirgeon, Clone Master, Internal Alchemist, Mindchemist, Peservationist, Psychonaut, Reanimator and the Vivisectionist. Needless to say, Ultimate Magic is a go to if considering playing this class.

The Alchemist is on a whole one of my absolute favourite classes. They are quirky, scientific and utterly weird which is exactly why I like them. I strongly suggest you look at the Alchemist if you are considering wanting to play a spellcaster as they really are an alternative to the arcane type spellcasters you can get. The opportunity for colourful role playing of this class is excellent and they will be embarrassing and weird, creating all kinds of fun in a group of bold adventurers. I would rate the Alchemist at 9.5 steaming beakers out of 10 for an enjoyable class to play in Pathfinder.

Paranoia at Origins

Posted on June 19, 2013 by Iron Tavern Guest Blogger

It is odd that such a niche game could become so popular and well known. Comedy RPGs are very tough to do right. Most games have comedy in them but that is not the focus of the game like Paranoia. There was a time 15 years ago that most games I would run into would at least understand the phrase “The Computer is my friend” or “Happiness is Mandatory.” I’m not sure that is the case anymore. I see less and less Paranoia being run at conventions. The yearly Paranoia LARP at Origins it appears to me attendance goes down each year. To help the cause I ran two sessions of Paranoia at Origins and it was a great experience.

Paranoia for anyone that is not familiar with it is an RPG that first came out in 1984. In looking that up I wonder if they did that on purpose because the setting is inspired by Orwell’s classic novel 1984. The setting is a futuristic city called Alpha Complex. The city is immense and most of the times the characters never leave or even learn anything of what exists outside the city. Where the city is – be it underground, in a dome, a space station, or even on another planet rarely will matter. The city is run by the Computer, an immensely advanced Artificial Intelligence. Characters are all clones and part of a Troubleshooting team. Their job is to shoot trouble. Alpha Complex exists with the cold war mentality so communists are the enemies as are mutants and traitors. The player characters are all going to be commies, mutants, and or traitors though none of them will know if the others are or not. So, it is a game where you are trying to accomplish missions while trying to not let the other PCs learn your secrets. It can sound dark and serious and can be played that way. But most games go zany and silly with incompetence and bureaucratic complications.

It can be more complicated than that and is not an easy game to explain. But if you have ever seen it played it often looks like that table is having the most fun in a room of games. Paranoia is a great game because people don’t need to understand the rules or be that familiar with the setting. I would say that sometimes knowing less and being ignorant of the rules or setting makes for a better game. I like tables that are a good mix of experienced paranoia players and ones new to the game. I always give the new players the role of Team Leader and try to put them in the lime light a little more often as long as they feel comfortable with that. Paranoia is also a game I see lots of people wanting to generic into at conventions. I run a game for six players since that is the assumed Troubleshooting team number but do allow for two additional players to play an infrared or lower ranked character. The Team Leader can promote them if they do something to impress him and the Loyalty Officer can demote them.

I have a few standard items that I throw into almost every game like the trouble of getting from point A to point B. Alpha Complex is a labyrinth of rooms and hallways with no map that is accurate at least at the Character’s security clearance. I enjoy the chaos when they find a vehicle that does not have enough seats for everyone. In one game this past weekend at Origins when the Happiness Officer was unable to get a seat she cleverly lead the group in a game of musical chairs and was able to get a seat that way.

Paranoia is one of my favorite games and possible one of the few games that I don’t mind hearing about other people’s characters. Paranoia stories are usually pretty funny and there are ideas in them that can be borrowed and used. Inspiration can come from most places for this game. Origins theme this year was Superheroes so I based a Paranoia adventure off of the Avengers. I seemed to have been the only GM to attempt to fuse Paranoia with the theme and I think it may be fun to try that again next year once Origins announces there next theme.

Settings From Different Cultures

Posted on June 17, 2013 by Iron Tavern Guest Blogger

Wow, what a weekend! For some it was Origins, for others it was the online Let Us Game Convention (L.U.G.Con) on Google+ Hangouts and for others (I am sure) there was more gaming as usual. I do wish that I had been going to Origins, and I am putting it on my wishlist for next year, but living in Australia may make this a little bit of an expensive trip! So it was L.U.G.Con for me and I hit L.U.G.Con with a force this weekend.

I ran four games at L.U.G.Con over the weekend, two of them were Pathfinder games set in the Land of Kaidan, the Oriental (Japanese style) contribution from Rite Publishing for Pathfinder. I have to say that the quality of roleplaying that the game promoted was excellent. Both of the games were the same (except for the players) and were based on the recent module added to the setting called Haiku of Horror. The module is a short (perfect for a con or side adventure) module set in a Japanese style bath house.

To use the module I expanded it out with 12th level pregenerated characters, most of them Samurai taken from the Way of the Samurai sourcebook from the same setting. This book gives an excellent write up of different archetypes of samurai branching off not only the Samurai class from Ultimate Combat but from the Ranger, Paladin and Wizard as well. This sourcebook gave me a real education about samurai and it was a great read with character classes being a treat to make. There was such a great variety of Samurai to choose from. To give you an idea I will include the blurb that I gave the players to help them choose their Samurai for the game.

The following all belong to the Samurai caste in Kaiden but may not be variants of the Samurai class (that will be explained in game if it confuses)

Yamabushi is a Paladin offshoot. A divine warrior monk who draws his power from the Yomi (Realm of the Dead). They generally serve as spiritual advisors to the clan head. Their powers come from a combination of inner strength and spiritual enlightenment.

Bugyo is a Prestige Class. They are a Samurai who has been given a great deal of authority. They are often magistrates, tax collectors but officials of the Daimyo who gave them their title.

Tajiya is a Samurai archetype. Champions of the natural world they seek to eradicate the blight of unnatural creatures. They stand against all supernatural foes and generally do not sign on with a Lord to avoid conflicts so they are considered Ronin.

Kuge is a Samurai archetype. They are Samurai born into a life of wealth and privilege. They start training later in life than most Samurai and spend a good deal of their training focussing on refined culture than others. They are often the ranking officers in Samurai outfits.

Onmyoji is a Wizard archetype. Respected and feared, these magicians are the court wizards of the Samurai. Their magic is delivered in the form of origami spells that when cast burst into flames as the magical energies consume them.

Yojimbo is a Ranger archetype. The Yojimbo literally translates as bodyguard. Generally serves the lord as a trouble solver travelling to areas and “fixing” problems that the lord foresees.

Mosa is a prestige class. These are the warriors that stand their ground to the last. Firmly planting their feet on the ground they draw on an inner strength to fight beyond the ken of normal man.

Nitojutsu Sensei is a Samurai archetype. These are Ronin Samurai who dedicate their entire life to the study of fighting with the Katana and Wakazashi. Fearsome warriors they are champions that need to be coerced to join a cause.

So you can see that there is a pretty comprehensive selection in the sourcebook, and that was not even all the archetypes included!

Enough about Kaidan (though I strongly recommend looking at it) and more about the game. This is my first ever attempt at running an oriental setting game. Sure I have run futuristic games with Yakuza etc. but never a fantasy setting rich with spiritual lore and the focus on oriental styled play. So I did not know what to expect but I tried to oriental it up. I fired up a Japanese random name generator, watched Fast and Furious Tokyo Drift (note: not a great help), set up Roll20 and then made the characters. Sounds easy? Wipe about a full two days off the calendar…

But the game surprised me! A lot. It has made me excited about my decision to run my own Land of Kaidan campaign after my current Adventure Path from Paizo is complete. The players in this game took to the Samurai wholeheartedly with the idea of honor and caste, really focusing on how they should authentically act in character. Plus, the module is really geared toward an investigative mode style of play. In both games there was opportunity for two or more combats but in each game the players chose diplomacy first so each game ended up with only one combat. The combat in both cases was swift and led the players on to more investigation as it created more questions than it answered.

I would suggest that if you have a tendency toward running more traditional Western fantasy that you branch out. In my two forays in different culture (Kaidan and Serpent Skull adventure path has a lot of African mythology connections but is still largely Western styled) I have had a great time and experienced some great role playing from my players. Just the fact of trying something new will have everyone nervous and excited and guaranteed to get some great responses to a new styled game.

For me, I have a respect for Japan and its heritage but little actual understanding of its real social structure. This has been changing recently as I have been gaming with some players that are in Japan so I am beginning to understand the culture and mindset of the country a little more. This is what initially attracted me to running an oriental styled game. Plus the third edition addition to Earthdawn of the Cathay setting which I so dearly want to run. Ah if only I could clone myself and find a group that still loves Earthdawn…

So, that is my suggestion, nay challenge to all of you this fine Monday. Think of an unusual setting to put your next games in. It might even be based on a traditional “Western” setting but from the cultural history and folklore of its people rather than populating it with trolls and ogres populate it with Bunyips and Rainbow Serpents (Aboriginal mythology from Australia) and think of some innovative archetypes that will bring out the best in your players as they explore something new. Do it as a one off to inject some relief into a long campaign, or build a campaign from the ground up. But please, if you have the opportunity, give it a try!

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