Review: “God of War III”
When I was in jr. high school, I checked out a couple books on Greek and Norse mythology from the school library and very quickly got hooked. I was our Scholastic Bowl team’s secret weapon. When other teams would score a lot of points of useless topics like math and science, my deep knowledge of how Hephaestus got maimed and how Freya got her beautiful necklace (gross) could snatch victory from the jaws of defeat faster than Hermes racing to the little deity’s room after a trip to White Castle.
[WARNING: God of War 1 spoilers!] A few years ago, I played the first God of War game on the PS2, and thoroughly enjoyed their spin on the Greek pantheon. The concept of interacting with the gods and visiting legendary locations was cool enough. Getting killed, thrown into Hades, crawling back out again, and finally kicking Ares’ ass was amazing. Having the series’ protagonist, Kratos, kill Ares and assume his job as the God of War at the end was nothing short of genius. At the time I played this game, I was going through a very stressful period of my life, and I’d never played anything so graphic and violent. Stomping on a harpy, ripping its wings off, grabbing another, and repeating as needed was downright therapeutic.
I never played God of War II, but when I was considering whether to play it before I tried out III, I’d heard there wasn’t much plot to speak of. Some quick research confirmed this was correct, and that it’s all about losing your powers, getting out of Hades again, and killing everything in sight. Okay, there’s a little more than that, but not so much that I absolutely needed to play it first. After finishing III, I am happy to say there was a lot of new plot, and almost all of it referenced only the first game. But enough about the old games. Let us discuss the third and mightiest in this series!
Let’s establish something first. Your opponents in God of War III are nothing less than the Greek gods themselves. Fortunately, Sony Computer Entertainment America is really, really good at epic, gigantic boss fights. You’re going to fight things that make some of the bosses in Shadow of the Colossus want to head to the gym to bulk up. For the love of Thanatos, you’re going to use one boss’s psoriasis as a climbing surface. That is huge.
The amazing sense of scale in God of War III extends far beyond mere boss fights. It is clear from the very beginning of the game that you are a tiny speck compared to the environments and creatures you will be maiming and destroying. It gives you a really excellent feeling that you are a tiny mortal dealing with forces much greater than yourself. At times, the camera pans out really far while you’re in the middle of a big fight with lots of enemies, and it looks bad ass. Normally, I would freak out when something like this happens because I can’t see what I’m doing, but fortunately this is a God of War game and all you typically have to do to kill a lot of weaker enemies is spin around repeatedly and let the ketchup flow all around you.
God of War III is incredibly violent, sometimes to the point where it made me a little uncomfortable. The entire game is based around you hunting down many of the Greek gods and pretty much murdering them. Kratos beats down his opponents, stalks them slowly as they beg for mercy, and then finishes them off in very creative and almost laughably gruesome ways. Almost. There are special finishing animations for pretty much every enemy in the game, usually involving decapitation, amputation, or disembowelment in some capacity. You’ll see them really often but fortunately it didn’t get particularly irritating.
There is also some sexual content in God of War III, but it is presented in such a way that I have trouble believing somebody at SCEA wasn’t trying to make a statement about this weird quasi-Puritanical “VIOLENCE GOOD! SEX BAD!” morality quandary we have going on in the United States. This is perhaps the most realistically violent game I’ve ever seen, and yet when the sex scene shows up, they pan away to two lesbians (no, really) giving non-descript but nevertheless spicy commentary on the totally epic sexual exploits unfolding before them. There’s also an action sequence, much like you would use in an extended finishing move, that very loosely simulates the sexual acts Kratos is performing. (Not since Rez’s Trance Vibrator feature has the Playstation’s hardware been so sexually provocative!) Other than that, there’s no shortage of bare breasts in the game, and they’re not afraid to show nipples either. Some of the monsters have decided to go topless for comfort as well, and, while still hideous, they are fortunately not apt to destroy any man’s future desire to mate like Dragon Age’s Broodmother.
You can perform a wide variety of different actions in God of War III, most of which have been designed to take the blood on the inside of something and put it on the outside. Given that you have four primary weapons by the end of the game, all of which have their own combo moves, this adds up to a lot of things to remember. Additionally, you can perform several comparatively peaceful actions like “jumping” and “dragging objects”. Consequently, the controls of the game have a bit of a learning curve – but even if you just button-mash for most fights, you will in most cases end up decapitating something. I found a couple of combinations with one or two weapons that suited me, spammed those the entire game, and still managed to render extinct at least three separate endangered species before I finished the game. (It may have been four, but I couldn’t really tell with all the blood.)
There were a couple things that annoyed me about the game, but they were relatively minor. The camera, though it at times performed feats of badassery in illustrating the scale of a large battle, frequently would place itself somewhere that made it difficult to see what I was doing. This was usually done just before a save point and somewhere I needed to jump across something that would kill me, making me waste 3-4 minutes each iteration. It also would occasionally obscure the passage out of a room, though I’m not sure if it was intentional or not. Also, the game was not particularly forthcoming about where you were supposed to go next, and I have a lot better things to do than backtrack all over the whole game in order to find a little hidey-hole I missed the first time through just to get to the next level. This game is supposed to be epic and fast-moving, not frustrating.
Though this game is pretty heavy on the “killing everybody” and relatively light on “plot”, I will say what plot is there is pretty good. Granted, 90% of this game’s cutscenes consist of some god uttering some variant of “lolz u suck kratos”, after which you’re given the opportunity to convert whoever said it into a lasagna-like substance. The dialogue between characters, though shallow and over the top, feels natural to the story and is well-delivered. The game’s biggest surprise for me, though, was the ending. After you kill the last boss, you’re treated to a very artfully done interactive end sequence that wraps up the series nicely. It took a really long time, but I found myself emotionally invested in what happened to Kratos for the first time since I saw his origin story way back in the first game. I couldn’t believe it. It was a welcome finish, and I felt like a got a couple scraps of my humanity back after so much murderin’. For those of you who are concerned about a touchy-feely ending, don’t worry. The game’s designers still remembered what game this was, and the very last thing you do in the game literally covers the screen with so much gore you can’t see anything anymore.
I don’t know if I completely agree with all the review sites that give God of War III a perfect 10/10 rating, or call it the “Best Game Ever” — but I will say this game kicks (literally) huge ass. At the very least, I can safely say this game is a must-play for anybody with a Playstation 3, or for any time travelers from ancient Greece who are having issues with their faith in the face of all these newfangled religions and want to take out their rage and frustration in a non-destructive way that reflects well upon the time-travel community.
From Different Walks
+1 Adventure Hook of Many
+1 Adventure Hook of Many
+1 Adventure Hook of Many
Players are very good at throwing curve balls at your plans and wandering away from everything you spent precious time preparing beforehand. When this happens it can be tempting to steer and force your players back on course: tempting but not advisable. Today I’m going to give you 10 adventure hook wielding NPC’s that can be picked up and thrown into your campaign when needed, whether it be from a player curveball, lack of preparation time or even an impromptu game session.
Rasgard – Watch Commander
Characteristics: Muscular, Stern, Hand always on sword hilt
Races: Human, Dwarf
Adventure Hook: Rasgard is an overly serious watch commander for a large city. A war veteran and ex-royal guard, he has little patience for commoners and adventurers. The barrel-chested commander will arrest vagrant adventurers on the spot, under the belief they cause more trouble than good within his city. Parties of adventurers need to decide carefully upon their course of action when dealing with Rasgard. Fight their way out and become outlaws of an entire kingdom or suffer through the legal proceedings and possibly serve unwarranted jail terms.
2. Heldris – The Old Crone
Characteristics: Rambles incoherently, Large mole upon face, Filthy clothes
Races: Elf, Eladrin
Adventure Hook: Heldris wanders around the forests and woods near her shanty home. Many people hear her inane babblings and smell her foul stench before they can see her. This sweet mannered elderly human woman will offer food and shelter to any passing adventurers she comes upon. However any that accept her hospitality quickly learn their folly. Any that enter her home are cursed to die unless they complete her quest. Heldris is actually a disguised sorcerer who covets a nearby treasure that happens to be in the hands of a Troll King. The adventurers can either take on the trolls and have the curse removed, or fight Heldris and search for a cure elsewhere.
3. Dante – The Shy Child
Characteristics: Never makes eye contact, Mouse like voice, Clumsy
Races: Human, Halfling
Adventure Hook: Tending to appear apparently out of nowhere within towns and cities, Dante will clumsily try and steal money from the adventurers. Always caught the boy cries and begs not to be hurt while retelling a tale of a life of misfortune and of a guild of thieves that plan to hurt his unfortunate family unless they can acquire a large sum of money. Truthfully, the crafty child is the son of an assassin guild master. The thieves guild and assassins guild of the city are at war, and the believable child hopes to trick adventurers into destroying the thieves for his father. Adventurers can attack the thieves guild or can investigate to discover the truth behind the boys lies.
4. Tefedris – The Caretaker
Characteristics: Warm Smile, Piercing Eyes, Foreign Accent
Races: Elf, Human
Adventure Hook: Tefedris will tentatively approach people as they are making or breaking their camps. With a well-crafted bow slung upon her back, Tefedris politely requests a minute of their time, as she describes the dire fate of her close friend, an adult male silver dragon. The dragon has fallen deathly ill and only a specific medicine, from the nearby elves will cure him. Tefedris would go herself but needs to tend to the dragon as much as possible. The ranger offers substantial reward if the party returns in time to cure the comatose dragon. Adventurers that complete the simple request are rewarded handsomely with one choice from the dragons hoard. Alternatively adventurers who enter the silver dragons lair, find the creature near death, with a massive and substantial hoard beneath it’s failing body. If greed should strike these adventurers Tefedris will defend her friend and mate to the death… revealing herself to be an adult red dragon.
5. Oltaren – The Voyager
Characteristics: Missing three fingers on right hand, Mischievous grin, Outlandish dress
Races: Goliath, Human
Adventure Hook: Obviously younger than most captains around him, Oltaren leads his weathered crew aboard the Nastien, a medium sized cargo ship. The oddly dressed captain can be found on docks and within seedy bars and is willing to offer voyage to anyone that is looking, he will even offer cheaper fare if they are willing to work while aboard his vessel. After a short time in his company, many people become endeared to the extremely likeable young man. His warm laugh and roguish eyes speak little of his amazing skill at the helm. However the charming man holds a dark secret. Hidden within the cargo hold, several young slaves cower in fear. During the voyage they are sold at sea to another vessel. Adventurers can confront the captains of the two vessels and stop the sale, or leave the overly likeable man to his own troubles. Either decision results in the appearance of the Navy who will arrest anyone aboard the vessels after the slave trade has been completed.
6. Rexted – The Honourable Murderer
Characteristics: Void of Emotions, Disturbingly Calm, Calculating Eyes, Soft Voice
Races: Eladrin, Tiefling
Adventure Hook: During a particularly dark night within the city or town in which Rexted dwells, the adventurers are awoken from their slumber by a nearby violent commotion. As they arrive upon the scene they learn that Rexted, a local serial killer, has struck again, only this time he didn’t succeed in his grisly task. The victim is an exceedingly wealthy merchant who offers an extraordinary reward to any that capture his would be murderer. The very next night the adventurers are visited by Rexted, although not for obvious reasons. Appearing from the darkness like a wisp of smoke, the murderer seeks the aid of noble heroes to help him in his dignified quest. Rexted hastily explains his goals to assassinate only the most vile and nefarious of people in order to free himself from a disturbing curse that requires him to kill a hundred people. Enquiries into Rexted’s tale prove him truthful, with all his previous targets being foul and horrid people. The same holds true for his current target who sacrifices the souls of children to acquire more wealth and good fortune. Adventurers caught in this predicament can hastily dispatch of Rexted and receive their reward or take their time and confront the true villain.
7. Preaslin – The Wizard’s Apprentice
Characteristics: Stutters when flustered, Nasal voice, Always dishevelled
Race: Gnome, Dwarf
Adventure Hook: Preaslin can be found stumbling around the marketplace of his city, obviously flustered and clumsily carrying large piles parchment and jars. Rushing along in a world of his own the young scruffy apprentice will walk straight into one of the adventurers, falling to the ground. On the verge of a break down, Preaslin looks away from his ruined items to see the adventurers. Knowing of their prior exploits the apprentice stumbles excitedly over his request for help. Due to the apprentice’s err; his master has been transported to the elemental chaos. Adventurers can undertake this dangerous task for little reward or ignore the stuttering apprentice and continue their more important duties. Adventurers who fail to help Preaslin are revisited by him sometime in the future. Only this time the apprentice seeks no help, but revenge. Having agreed to a warlocks pact in desperation, Preaslin didn’t save his master in time and now blames the adventurers.
8. Groth – A Drunken Adventurer
Characteristics: Boisterous laughter, Viciously scarred, Overly friendly
Races: Half-Orc, Goliath
Adventure Hook: Within a normally quiet tavern or inn, Groth can be found disrupting locals and making unwilling friends with his boisterous laugh and overly touchy manner. With the arrival or discover of other adventurers, Groth will saunter over and regale with several unbelievable stories of his prowess and magnificence. During these ramblings Groth lets slip some vital information about his parties current treasure hunt, revealing the presence and location of a powerful artefact within a nearby dungeon. Adventurers who choose to use this information must battle through the undead infested tower to retrieve a relic that proves as powerful as Groth’s inebriated tales. Adventurers who ignore the information distributed by the drunken warrior, are confronted the next day by the now sober Groth and his party. With a dour look upon his face and an attitude near opposite from the joyous giant the night before, Groth accuses the adventuring party of stealing the relic that is rightfully his. A claim he is willing to fight and die for.
9. Thergin – The Nervous Merchant
Characteristics: Sleazy, Fiddles and Fidgets, Nervously laughs regularly
Races: Gnome, Halfling
Adventure Hook: An unfortunate looking man, Thergin harps his simple wares throughout busy streets and market places. Constantly sweating and always rushing through his words, the salesman seems out of place amongst his competitors. Adventurers that near the little man are waved down emphatically, if ignored the small salesman chases after the party constantly spouting words like excuse me and please wait. When he eventually gets the groups attention, the nervous Thergin requests their help. If they escort him to a hidden storeroom outside the city unharmed, he shall reward them with the treasure trove of magical items stored within; an offer seemingly to good to be true. Thergin acquired the items by clerical error and has been hunted by a group of bandits since he mistakenly received the magical items. Having offered to return the items to the bandits to no avail and only just escaping with his life. Thergin hopes that the bandits will attack him and his entourage on their way to the storeroom, sorting out booth his problems at once. Ridding himself of the horrible bandits and of the troublesome weapons he never wanted. Failure to protect the merchant sees a vile group of zealots complete a collection of unholy armour, unleashing a demonic prince upon the world.
10. Bealis – The Not So Noble
Characteristics: Condescending to everyone, Openly rude and insulting, Pays more attention to her appearance than people.
Races: Human
Adventure Hook: Bealis’ stunning looks and graceful movements are spoiled by her rotten attitude and venomous tongue. The low ranking noble has only one desire, to sit upon the throne of the kingdom, a seat that the young woman is very far away from. To achieve this goal, Bealis wanders her city’s taverns and merchant quarters discreetly looking for adventurers she can hire to kill one of the heir’s inline before her. Bealis offers large monetary rewards and will often spin lies about the character of her sibling or cousin in order to get the heroes to agree. The many adventurers that have declined her offer have found themselves in serious trouble. After being rejected, Bealis will often rush off to complete the foul deed herself, then report seeing the adventurers near the now dead family member. Against the accurate description and word of a noble, most adventurers either flee the law or face an unfortunate end at the hands of the executioner.
Friday Chat: Spousal Interuption
So this morning I had a very inspiring email in my box.
Hi Chatty,
I have been following your blog for over a year now and find it the best thing to read.
Memo to self, edit that part out so I don’t look like a self-gratifying twerp. Oh, wait…
During that time you have mentioned you have a very loving and supportive wife. My question to you is how often does she interrupt your games and do you have a problem with the interruptions? Just curious and please don’t answer if you feel uncomfortable with the question.
I don’t mind at all. Alex, my oh-so beautiful non-RPG-but-very-geeky-wife, does not usually interrupt our games unless she has a very cool bit of geek lore to share with us that she thinks is worth it. I say that because she’s aware that she’ll feel the weird vibe as we more or less successfully switch from RPG-centric to casual social mode to accommodate her charming presence.
I am recently married and I game twice a week, one night at my house and the other night somewhere else. My wife seems to interrupt me at least 3 times a gaming session. I am just curious if you have any recommendations.
Now that’s an interesting question with not a lot to go on, but here’s my stab at it. In a couple’s household, when one half is playing in an RPG campaign and the other isn’t, there may be an ill-defined line between ‘me’ time and ‘us’ time that has not been mutually agreed upon. This is especially true if one member of said couple plays more than once a week.
In our friend’s case, she may find that the second game day, in her home, is a bit too much. As a newly married geek couple, some expectation of ‘togetherness’ is assumed but may not be quite shared, especially if the gamer is a guy (we’re a bit more obtuse about that). While our friend’s wife may not have challenged him openly about it (to avoid conflict) she may unwittingly interrupt many times as her coping mechanism for her frustration.
In the above case, my gut feeling is that she feels she’s not seeing her husband enough, and she might even be a bit jealous of the game. However, I wouldn’t advise confrontation. Rather, I suggested trying to understand why she interrupted his games and what motivated her to do it. Then I told him to try to find a way to avoid it. He could tell her to refrain from doing it, but before he did so, I suggested he made sure he could offer something in exchange that would make her satisfied and respect the “do not interrupt” request.
Chatty DM says: “Balanced couples are about partnership and compromises.” 
To know more about his situation, I asked him a few questions:
- Does she ‘get’ what being a gamer is?
- Do you encourage her to do social things in the house that do not involve you?
- Do you have couples night or some quality together time? An inviolable evening together that is a priority for both of you.
He rapidly answered:
I think she gets what a tabletop gamer is but doesn’t play RPG’s. She’s into World of Warcraft and Magic the Gathering, put come to think of it, she really plays those for the social aspects. I have tried to explain to her that “getting into the game” was very important.
I encourage her to do anything she wants to, like last night she went out with several other girls. I will have to admit she is still new to the area and therefore doesn’t know a lot of people. Yes, we have a couples night once a week and usually Sundays.
Wow Chatty I know you are not trying to but you are making me feel like a jerk.
Oops… my bad. Far from me to make him feel like a jerk. I had to ask, since the situation had limited input for me to work with. And many gaming geeks aren’t as ‘aware’ to the realities of a couple as our friend showed in his response above.
Honestly, my wife and I have a great relationship. Most days we have lunch together. We rarely fight and we do talk . I have tried to explain how I feel about it. But for some reason my games just seem to be a source of contention between the both of us. Recently I have just decided if that is the only source of “problems” in our relationship then we are doing pretty good.
Indeed you are doing pretty good.
My second gut feeling is that the game, being not important to her, can be interrupted without her thinking it’s an issue while it’s a big deal for him. A trick would be to suggest to her (if it is possible) that the game could be moved so that her private living space be freed… chances are, she’ll counter with an offer to try to interrupt less if she wants her hubby around more.
They could also negotiate to get our friend to drop one of his two games. Dude, I play once a week (when I can) and that’s the limit we’ve settled on, unless we invite people over for boardgame and geek movie nights.
(That wasn’t in my email response… he he he)
Finally, I suggested to have breaks in his game, like once every 2 hours where he’d go see her and have a 2-5 minute “hey babe, how are you doin’ did I miss anything cool?” chat/hug/kiss session.
Instant “Spousal Miles” points if you ask me. Take it from a 11 year marriage experience.
What about you, do you have interruption issues from your spouses, girl/boyfriends and or other people who live with you? Why do you think that’s the case and how do you/would you deal with it?
Sound off!
The 2009 One Page Dungeon Codex, Deluxe Edition
Almost one year after the launch of the contest that started it all, the 2009 One Page Dungeon Codex (Deluxe Edition) is finally here. It’s a 54 page book containing the 27 best entries of the contest and great essays on the history of the one page dungeon template and its uses.
I’m so happy to have this baby see the light of day. What started as a crazy idea at my mother’s cottage in the deep of winter became the biggest contest we ever ran. The hard work in judging all 112 entries and creating this document with both Michaels (Shorten and Wolf) almost did us in a few times, but we prevailed.
Distributed by our friends at Tabletop Adventures (one of the gracious sponsors of the contest), the Deluxe version features a gorgeous new theme, an awesome cover by artist Mark Allen and new exclusive art done by AvatarArt’s own Mates Laurentiu.
You can find it (for now) on these 2 sites:
Other PDF sites will be added. I’m also looking at options to get a Print on Demand version out (either through Lulu and/or RPGNow‘s upcoming service).
Oh, did I forget to mention, it’s completely free! So get a copy and tell your friends to get their own. It’s filled with awesome system-neutral dungeon goodness.
We plan to submit it to the Ennies for Best Free Product. I may call on you all if we get there
One project landed, woot!! That one and the new podcast, all in the same week. I like 2010 so far!
Thanks everyone for being there. You helped make this a idea a possibility!
Play Boldly
Following up on my last post, I intend to disparage no one, including my players past and present, but a malaise sets in on me occasionally when I’m playing a D&D game. Players seem lethargic. They don’t respond to the information given to them. Their characters act far different than the intrepid adventurers those characters should and must be.
Players should be as bold in game action as their characters are in the game world. Why? Because it pays off in fun and energy at the table.
I don’t mean that you should be the type of player who opens a closed door in the middle of combat or pushes every shiny, red button. Don’t go your own way at everyone else’s expense, despite what a certain famous D&D-playing author has said to the contrary. That’s jackassery rather than boldness. (Rule X: Don’t be a jackass!)
Instead, decide how the happenings in your game present opportunities for your character. Can you take cooperative actions that also work toward your character’s goals or display your character’s personality? If not, might you help further define the narrative or push the game onward? This can be as simple as making a deal with another character in a “you scratch my back, I’ll scratch yours” way. At other times, it’s a no-brainer how your character acts. Although some events in a game might fail to fit your character’s aims, think of how the smaller picture of the current situation might fit into the larger frame.
Whatever you do, don’t be afraid to take actions that make for a great game. Several bits of boldness follow.
Have Fun
Playing a D&D game is all about having fun. If you’re not having fun, say so constructively. Try to help figure out what’s going wrong. Maybe the subject of the game makes you uncomfortable. Perhaps play has bogged down. It could be you just crave some action. If you do say something (again, constructively), the game can be altered to accommodate your desires. A good DM wants you to have fun.
Ask Questions
Whenever you want more information, ask. A detail might be important to you or your character, and that’s fine. The game is about exploration and investigation, as well as fighting and character interaction. If you fail to ask questions, you might not receive some information you want or, worse, need. It’s not the DM’s job to give you every bit of information—sometimes you have to work for the goods. Further, detail should be built based on player interest rather than dumped by the DM in a way that slows the action. The DM is justified in assuming no one’s interested in details if no one asks any questions. By asking, you’re also telling the DM what you’re interested in.
Use Powers, Rituals, and Skills
Be familiar with your character’s abilities, and then use them whenever it seems appropriate. Suitability of use can be defined tactically, like the right spell for the right moment, or by roleplaying, such as how your character reacts to a situation. Most adventures are constructed assuming that a party has particular skills and abilities. If you have those abilities but don’t use them, the game might just go nowhere fast. Think about problems in terms of how your character’s abilities can solve them. It’s not the DM’s job to remind you of a ritual you have or to make sure you use your other abilities wisely. Know then do, bold one.
Have a Hunch
It’s the DM’s job to provide a situation, but few complex situations have clear-cut answers. Maybe you have an idea–it’s out there but it seems like a possibility. You might just be right, even if evidence suggests otherwise. Sharing your idea is always good for the game. If you have an opinion, then, voice it.
And don’t keep ideas to yourself just because your character might not know. Although your game might vary from mine, I see player discussion as the collective cleverness of the party. It’s fine to roleplay, after out-of-character discussion, that the wizard came up with the idea. It’s also possible that your barbarian just had an amazing flash of insight. (That could even become a permanent and regularly appearing character trait. How does she do it?)
The caveat here is that you avoid using knowledge the party has no way to know, such as verbatim attributes from Monster Manual. In my games, especially, relying on such player knowledge is a sure way to end up in trouble. Instead, use your player knowledge as a reason to use character skills and other abilities. It’s fine to ask for an Arcana check to learn about a monster, even though you, the player, think you already know some of the creature’s attributes. Perhaps it’s even fine to roleplay what your character assumes about a monster from details the DM has given. (“Careful with fire around this beast . . .”) Such roleplaying might even lead the DM to grant a bonus to your skill check.
Ham It Up
We all game to have fun creating a story about a group of awesome characters in fantastic situations. Part of the fun is the personalities of characters and how they interact with their world. As a DM, I use accents, changes in voice, scare tactics, and all sorts of theatrics to get across the situation or person I’m portraying. I do the same with my PCs when I’m on the other side of the table. You can too. Don’t be shy. Only a jackass would ridicule you for increasing the fun. (Rule X.1: Don’t game with jackasses.)
When in a game situation, consider how your character might react. Even if you try to focus on the cooperative alternatives, this can result in actions that seem inappropriate to the situation. Don’t worry about what other players think, unless their characters have a chance to react. (Try not to coach others on their own actions, as well.) Sometimes, however, your portrayal will rub another character the wrong way. This can lead to appropriate drama as long as everyone’s comfortable with that course of play.
A druid I play is very bold with her sense of righteousness and proper authority, and she also refuses to take any crap. She has to back down at times to please or appease her comrades. Her boldness has become part of the way the whole group plays. Something happens, and everyone wonders how she’s going to respond. It adds fun.
In all cases, though, it’s important to distinguish between what your character says in a scene and what you, as a player, are saying at the game table. It’s remarkably easy to become confused. (This is why I, as DM, try to use accents and voice changes when speaking as a non-player character.) One misunderstanding in this vein can send a whole scene awry.
Repeat: Be Bold
It happens that all it takes to get things going in a game is bold action on the part of one or more players through their characters. Player characters are supposed to be heroes, after all. Although the DM does provide the scenario, background characters, and plots, the game requires player (and thereby character) boldness to keep things moving. Like in life, timidity or inaction can be the worst choice. Lack of boldness can leave you with little but regret to nurse your wounds. Regret is a terrible bandage and a bitter medicine.
In a recent game, one player decided her male rogue character was too wounded to go toe-to-toe with the villain. He timidly hid, taking pot shots with shuriken, sans combat advantage. But he could have taken his mace, the clever strike power, and a little boldness to hit that guy dead in his face, with combat advantage, ending the battle dramatically and covering his wounded self in the glory. Instead, he just made me (the DM) sad and seemed a lot more like a punk than the tough guy he really is. Circumstances dictate that this might be the character’s final impression on the game. Double sad.
Don’t play to make others sad. To adhere to this point, you have a simple creed: when in doubt, just do something. Whenever possible, make that something audacious, cooperative, and entertaining. You won’t regret it.
Review: “The Plane Above: Secrets of the Astral Sea”
The Plane Above is the next 4th Edition D&D supplement that focuses specifically on the Astral Sea, denizens of the plane, a wide variety of locations found there, campaign ideas involving the plane and a handful of new monsters that can be found in the Astral Sea. While I initially thought this book fell short of the The Plane Below and Underdark books, after reading further into it I begin to really enjoy the more free-form, epic elements that are presented for the Astral Sea. While most games are still in the heroic and early paragon tier, this book presents a lot of material that can help tie divine/astral entities and themes into your game at lower levels. When your game does reach the late paragon and epic tiers, those themes will blossom into the detailed locales and brutal enemies detailed in The Plane Above.
Not surprisingly this book is very similar in format to The Plane Below, but whereas the Elemental Chaos book jumped right into specifics and rules for how to adventure in that plane The Plane Above begins with a bit more of an overview of what the Astral Sea is and why it exists. Just like the previous books it is almost 160 pages deep and contains 45 new types of monsters. The Astral Sea is presented as many things, including a former battlefield from the Dawn War, the home of the gods, the setting for the afterlives of mortal worshipers of the gods, and the home of native astral races such as the couatls, githyanki, maruts, and the quom. A relatively small amount of time is spent on the physical geography of the Astral Sea versus what was described of the Elemental Chaos and the Underdark, but that’s a good thing because the sea itself is relatively simple and the diversity of the plane comes from each individual island and dominion that sits in that sea. [Read the rest of this article]
Mighty Anthropomorphin’ Power Rangers
As the father of a 2 year old, it’s interesting for me having my son approach the age where I started remembering stuff. I remember bits and pieces of the tail end of being 2. I remember wearing Ernie footie pajamas at the drive-in theatre in town, watching Star Wars for the first time. I also had my first stuffed animal friend, a bear named Fluffy. My son hasn’t latched on to any toy in particular as a buddy yet, nor really given any of his toys any anthropomorphic qualities. I’m curious to see when he starts, and what personalities he starts assigning. Part of the reason this intrigues me is because I’d like a little insight into my own childhood. I used to name almost every toy I owned, and I can remember sleeping with my bed filled to capacity with little plastic toys so that they didn’t feel left out. I can definitely appreciate caring for the feelings of others, but in retrospect I think perhaps feeling empathy toward a Grimace comb obtained from a Happy Meal might have been a bit much. Trying to break myself of this behavior wasn’t easy. Basically, it involved putting my best friend in a box and telling myself he wasn’t real. Though I was aware at the time it was the mature, healthy thing to do, it still felt completely wrong. To this day, it’s still a little hard to watch Toy Story.
Looking back on my childhood, I’m not particularly surprised at this. I got mercilessly bullied as a child all the way through high school. My imagination has always been my playground and my sanctuary. Inventing my own friends who wouldn’t hurt me seems pretty logical under the circumstances. Hopefully, my son won’t need to do this. I don’t know if growing up this way is a common thing, especially among geeks, but I do know it colors my perspective on parenting.
We watch a lot of PBS around my house these days, and two of my son’s favorite shows are Thomas the Tank Engine and Bob the Builder. Both of these shows feature anthropomorphized machines, and they all have faces of some sort and speak and have feelings. Matter of fact, in both shows the machines are happiest when they are useful, and sad when they’re not. It makes sense for this type of show, and it helps little kids understand that it feels good to help others. That’s great — until I think about it too hard and ruin everything.
It was an episode of Thomas that set the dread wheels in motion. Somebody found a spot on a map that nobody had been to for years, and they sent a team to check it out. It was all overgrown and when they cleared it out, they found this old steam engine. 50 years ago, he had finished a day’s work and parked in his shed, and then nobody came back for him. They show him sadly waiting through a couple seasons, and eventually falling asleep until he was found. In the story, he was all happy to be found and they refurbish him and everything is great. But I’m thinking this engine is sitting alone, in the dark, unable to move or talk to anyone for half a century. He’s going to be crazy, incredibly pissed off, or both. And even if he’s not, he’s going to be really depressed that he could be forgotten that easily.
That got me wondering how the trains get built in such a way that they have personalities, and why they are all subservient to Sir Topham Hatt. What creature is born with an instinctive love of tourism and industry? Not long after, I saw an episode of Bob the Builder where Scoop is complaining he’s the only digger around, and so Bob’s dad calls the machine rental store and brings in a happy new member for the crew. Isn’t that slavery? (Does it count if you’re just renting them? I’m imagining a chain of stores called “INDENT-U-RENT”.) This, of course, is not a new concept to anyone who’s seen Star Wars. C3P0 has lots of stories to tell about all his former masters. They even made a cartoon series about it! But the droids are pretty nonchalant about all this, even quietly accepting their fate when Luke buys only Threepio and it seems they’re going to be separated.
It’s not always like that, of course. The Matrix is a great example of what happens when the machines are aware of their fate, have the physical capability to do something about it, and have no programming in place to dictate a course of action other than murdering us and turning us into Duracell batteries. This makes me worry about the eventual fate of Sir Topham Hatt and Bob The Builder and everyone in their worlds. What if the economy takes a dive and the work dries up? You’ll have all these frustrated, depressed machines with nothing better to do than destroy. What if they become aware of their plight and rebel? And what are you going to stop them with? All the tanks and planes probably have faces, too. You’ll be relying on Robert the Rocket Propelled Grenade and Friends.
It’s times like these when I consider giving in and turning on Dora the Explorer. Yes, she makes me want to saw off the top of my skull and scoop my own brains out to end my suffering, but at least I don’t generate apocalypse scenarios for Sunflower Valley. Sometimes I soothe myself by thinking this will help prepare mankind for the Singularity. I will hide in a bunker with people who are prepared for the Zombie Apocalypse, Alien invasions, and the Grey Goo scenario. We will form the League of Improbable Doom, and whip each other’s irrational fears into an unstoppable frenzy.
This is really making me want to play a golem-specialist wizard. Or just a golem. Or to invent an anthropomorphic steam-engine class for 4E. Warforged are for amateurs.
The Dungeon Master Guys, Episode 1
It’s been a long time in the making, so long in fact that we forget who had the idea. Suffice it to say that Dave, Newbie DM and ChattyDM thought it would be very cool to create a focused, high quality podcast for DMs, made by DMs.
We hope you enjoy it.
In this show:
- Adventure prepping
- Creating a cast-of-heroes type of campaign to allow players to switch PCs
- Using failures to make your games more interesting
Mentioned in the show:
Music:
- What you Want, ver. 2 by Kevin MacLeod
We are always on the lookout for questions (about being a D&D 4e DM or about GMing in general), comments and suggestions. You can leave them here in the comments, email us, or call us at 305-349-3026, and we’ll be more than happy to feature them in a future show.
Enough text, on with the show!
The Dungeon Master Guys Podcast Episode 1 (31 minutes, 21 MB)
[Download MP3 | Podcast Feed | iTunes Link]
Special thanks to Kyle for creating our awesome banner. Next time: An actual skill challenge, played during the show with star RPG bloggers, and more!
Critical Bits for the week ending 2010-04-11
- RT @Morrus: RPG iPhone/iPod apps updated list: http://www.enworld.org/forum/news/274552-monday-5-april-2010-a.html #
Star Crossed Dragons
Love Is In The Breath Weapon
Dragons are one of the most feared creatures within any fantasy setting. Their thick scales, razor sharp talons, brilliant minds and feared breath weapons make them one of the greatest threats to groups of adventurers and kingdoms alike. With this fearsome persona it is easy to forget that these cunning and sometimes sinister creatures are also capable of love. On especially rare occasions, these menacing creatures can forget their differences and come together with a different coloured dragon. These rare relationships can have startling results in the form of crossbred offspring. Below are the details on two of these unlikely beasts, the Tarnish Dragon and the Pale Dragon.
The Terrifying Tarnish Dragon
Sharing potent and devious intellects, green and copper dragons can occasionally find solace in each other’s company. The result of such a union is the unique and terrifying Tarnish Dragon. Large shield-like scales cover the immense form of these mottled dragons, as thick muscular legs easily carry the weight of their gigantic bodies. Thin long wings remain tucked across the great length of the beast’s spiked back, with a thick and jagged spiked tail ending in a cruel venom tipped stinger. Green and copper flecked orbs peer out over a broad snout that is filled with haphazard rows of protruding and croaked fangs.
The Tarnish Dragon is one of the most formidable beasts that an adventurer can confront. While the nearly flightless dragon is considered weak amongst it’s kin, any band of adventurers that confront the more commonly known Rust Dragon, fear it’s corrosive breath above the fire and ice of other dragons. Metal caught within the gaseous breath of the dragon begins to rust and corrode instantly, while swords and axes that connect with its thick plate-like scales also begin to quickly rust. The dragon’s scales and hide are infected with the same corrosive elements that infest it’s vile breath. The venom stored within the cruel tip of the dragon’s thick tale is potent enough to kill a human within hours and most dragons within days. The venom is a quick acting neurotoxin that breaks down the nerves of the victim, leaving them paralysed. Without immediate treatment the poison eventually begins to break down the brain killing the paralysed victim slowly. The movement of the dragon is restricted due to the large and brittle scales that cover it’s body, combined with it’s great size and weight flight is nearly impossible for the cumbersome beast. However when necessary, a Tarnish Dragon can use the long thin wings upon it’s back to glide for short distances. The mottled green dragon will uses it’s immense size and weight to crush foes, relying on it’s thick scales to protect it, while the dragon’s corrosive body and breath make any would be heroes defenceless against it’s jaws, tail, claws and venom. [Read the rest of this article]
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