RPG

[ApeTheDog]

If I can find a bunch of people interested in playing, and possible somebody willing to DM, could one of your fine admin types make a forum available for us to do it in?

[YardGnome]

Hey, that would be cool, I'd play if someone else were DM...

..although I have just recently started playing both Jade Empire and Planescape Torment... Just what I need, another character to try and keep track of...

[ApeTheDog]

Great. I'll DM if I really have to, but it would be in everybodies best interest if I didn't, since I've never played a tabletop role playing game before and I'm thinking the DM should be someone who knows the ropes.

[coffeezombie]

Great. I'll DM if I really have to, but it would be in everybodies best interest if I didn't, since I've never played a tabletop role playing game before and I'm thinking the DM should be someone who knows the ropes.

Maybe the game needs someone who hasn't DM'ed before. An experienced one might make it cliched.

[YardGnome]

That'd be a ditto on my part. I wouldn't know where to begin as far as being DM is concerned. I'm a bit shaky on the rules as well, I have only ever played pen and paper a few times The bioware RPGs are nice in that they handle all the dice rolling and bulk of the rules behind the scenes so you don't necesarilly need a deeper understanding of them as you would when playing with pen and paper. How would dice rolls be handled in the forum anyways?

[coffeezombie]

You could always have the DM roll everything. I've played in games like that before. I think there are servers too that once could connect to in order to roll dice, but I'm not sure where they are. I just read about them one time.

[YardGnome]

That's what I figured, so the DM will need all those funny dice...

[ApeTheDog]

Well, if I'm doing it, I'll just use a virtual dice roller. There are plenty java scripts out there that can handle those for you. I found one easily the last time I needed one.

edit: first one that popped up with the search 'java dice roller 20 100'. I'm sure there are hundreds more. http://www.softcom.net/users/mikey719/dice_roller_script/dice_roller.html

[glassmoon]

Excuse me, but what's DM?

[coffeezombie]

Dungeon master. The word "game master" or something like it is often used in games without dungeons, but DM tends to be used generically for most RPGs. They are the ones that control the reality of the game, basically.

[int]

What about a sub-forum of the Playground?

[cjs55]

This would be cool! I'd really like to be a part of this. I probably don't have enough experience to DM however. Though I have played D and D 3rd Ed. some amount and "know the ropes" at least. Hopefully someone will come around who actually knows what they are doing tho ; )

[ApeTheDog]

What about a sub-forum of the Playground?

Certainly. The place where it is put doesn't matter at all, as long as people can get there.

I'm warming up to the idea of DM'ing myself. It may actually be something I enjoy more than playing the game. I've thought up a little campaign already and I'd scrape together some ideas, plus add some from 'real' campaigns until I can find something enjoyable. But again, do consider that I have never played a tabletop role playing game before - so I'll suck at it, immensely. It does not look hard, but neither does riding the unicycle.

[cjs55]

It will be a helluva alot easier online than in real time, thats for sure.

DMing in real life is an art form, requiring capacity for visual detail, understanding what makes interest characters, ability to think on one's feet, and excellent understanding of rules (sucks when the DM has to look something up and everyone is sitting around).

[ApeTheDog]

Yeah, you're right. I'm sold already.

Now for the fast-reading of the DM's handbook...

[Sally]

What would participation be like in this thing? I tend to abandon projects and drift away from group dynamics...... But I've never done a dungeon-style RPG before and it might be kinda fun.

[ApeTheDog]

This explains how it plays out rather well, I think.

DM: You've been following this tunnel for about 120 yards. The water on the floor is ankle deep and very cold. Now and then you feel something brush against your foot. The smell of decay is getting stronger. The tunnel is gradually filling with a cold mist.
Fighter 1: I don't like this at all. Can we see anything up ahead that looks like a doorway, or a branch in the tunnel?
DM: Within the range of your torchlight, the tunnel is more or less straight. You don't see any branches or doorways.
Cleric: The wererat we hit had to come this way. There's nowhere else to go.
Fighter 1: Unless we missed a hidden door along the way. I hate this place; it gives me the creeps.
Fighter 2: We have to track down that wererat. I say we keep going.
Fighter 1: OK. We keep moving down the tunnel. But keep your eyes open for anything that might be a door.
DM: Another 30 or 35 yards down the tunnel, you find a stone block on the floor.
Fighter 1: A block? I take a closer look.
DM: It's a cut block, about 12 by 16 inches, and 18 inches or so high. It looks like a different kind of rock than the rest of the tunnel.
Fighter 2: Where is it? Is it in the center of the tunnel or off to the side?
DM: It's right up against the side.
Fighter 1: Can I move it?
DM (checking the character's Strength score): Yeah, you can push it around without too much trouble.
Fighter 1: Hmmm. This is obviously a marker of some sort. I want to check this area for secret doors. Spread out and examine the walls.
DM (rolls several dice behind his rule book, where players can't see the results): Nobody finds anything unusual along the walls.
Fighter 1: It has to be here somewhere. What about the ceiling?
DM: You can't reach the ceiling. It's about a foot beyond your reach.
Cleric: Of course! That block isn't a marker, it's a step. I climb up on the block and start prodding the ceiling.
DM (rolling a few more dice): You poke around for 20 seconds or so, then suddenly part of the tunnel roof shifts. You've found a panel that lifts away.
Fighter 1: Open it very carefully.
Cleric: I pop it up a few inches and push it aside slowly. Can I see anything?
DM: Your head is still below the level of the opening, but you see some dim light from one side.
Fighter 1: We boost him up so he can get a better look.
DM: OK, your friends boost you up into the room . . .
Fighter 1: No, no! We boost him just high enough to get his head through the opening.
DM: OK, you boost him up a foot. The two of you are each holding one of his legs. Cleric, you see another tunnel, pretty much like the one you were in, but it only goes off in one direction. Thee's a doorway about 10 yards away with a soft light inside. A line of muddy pawprints leads from the hole you're in to the doorway.
Cleric: Fine. I want the fighters to go first.
DM: As they're lowering you back to the block, everyone hears some grunts, splashing, and clanking weapons coming from further down the lower tunnel. They seem to be closing fast.
Cleric: Up! Up! Push me back up through the hole! I grab the ledge and haul myself up. I'll help pull the next guy up.
(All three characters scramble up through the hole.)
DM: What about the panel?
Fighter 1: We push it back into place.
DM: It slides back into its slot with a nice, loud "clunk." The grunting from below gets a lot louder.
Fighter 1: Great, they heard it. Cleric, get over here and stand on this panel. We're going to check out that doorway.
DM: Cleric, you hear some shouting and shuffling around below you, then there's a thump and the panel you're standing on lurches.
Cleric: They're trying to batter it open!
DM (to the fighters): When you peer around the doorway, you see a small, dirty room with a small cot, a table, and a couple of stools. On the cot is a wererat curled up into a ball. Its back is toward you. There's another door in the far wall and a small gong in the corner.
Fighter 1: Is the wererat moving?
DM: Not a bit. Cleric, the panel just thumped again. You can see a little crack in it now.
Cleric: Do something quick, you guys. When this panel starts coming apart, I'm getting off it.
Fighter 1: OK already! I step into the room and prod the wererat with my shield. What happens?
DM: Nothing. You see blood on the cot.
Fighter 1: Is this the same wererat we fought before?
DM: Who knows? All wererats look the same to you. Cleric, the panel thumps again. That crack is looking really big.
Cleric: That's it. I get off the panel, I'm moving into the room with everybody else.
DM: There's a tremendous smash and you hear chunks of rock banging around out in the corridor, followed by lots of snarling and squeaking. You see flashes of torchlight and wererat shadows through the doorway.
Fighter 1: All right, the other fighter and I move up to block the doorway. That's the narrowest area, they can only come through it one or two at a time. Cleric, you stay in the room and be ready with your spells.
Fighter 2: At last, a decent, stand-up fight!
DM: As the first wererat appears in the doorway with a spear in his paws, you hear a slam behind you.
Cleric: I spin around. What is it?
DM: The door in the back of the room is broken off its hinges. Standing in the doorway, holding a mace in each paw, is the biggest, ugliest wererat you've ever seen. A couple more pairs of red eyes are shining through the darkness behind him. He's licking his chops in a way that you find very unsettling.
Cleric: Aaaaarrrgh! I scream the name of my deity at the top of my lungs and then flip over the cot with the dead wererat on it so the body lands in front of him. I've got to have some help here, guys.
Fighter 1 (to fighter 2): Help him, I'll handle this end of the room. (To DM:) I'm attacking the wererat in the first doorway.
DM: While fighter 2 is switching positions, the big wererat looks at the body on the floor and his jaw drops. He looks back up and says, "That's Ignatz. He was my brother. You killed my brother." Then he raises both maces and leaps at you.

At this point a ferocious melee breaks out. The DM uses the combat rules to play out the battle. If the characters survive, they can continue on whatever course they choose.

[int]

OK. I'm not familiar (and not particularly interested in anything other than watching), so are there any other points that need to be addressed before it's created?

[ApeTheDog]

No. It would be very useful if you could make the DM a moderator of that particular subforum so he can split off threads and edit other peoples posts, but that can be done after the forum is created (and after we're sure who the DM will be, and who will play)

[cjs55]

Have you considered doing IRC at all for this Ape? I've seen these where combat is done with IRC, and whatever story/talking with NPC's is done in the forum.

[YardGnome]

Have you considered doing IRC at all for this Ape? I've seen these where combat is done with IRC, and whatever story/talking with NPC's is done in the forum.

I like the idea of doing it in a forum, that way it could be paced much slower and you could play at any given time kinda back and forth. Like playing chess against someone through the mail, that kinda thing... I don't have hours of time to dedicate to playing it, I'd like to jump in take a turn and pop back in to see if the DM acknowledged my turn and maybe take another, that kinda thing.

[ApeTheDog]

I also like the idea of doing it in a forum. You can think everything through that way and it would be less of a strain on everybodies time. I was thinking we would just do one round every day when there is combat going on or we're in a dangerous place so everybody can play, regardless of time zone, and doing it a bit faster if there's no danger.

[cjs55]

That's cool. I was just suggesting what I've seen before, I don't really care one way or the other. So...any thoughts on campaign settings?

[ApeTheDog]

Yeah. I think D&D 2nd edition because that's the only one I know anything at all about. It'd be really simple: everybody would be a level 1 character and you'd all basically be going down into a dungeon, for some purpose...

[cjs55]

hehe brilliant ; )

I've only done 3rd Ed. but I can figure out 2nd Ed. quick enough.

[YardGnome]

Wasn't 3rd edition tailored particularly for video games? I know that Baldur's gate / Icewind Dale user 3rd edition rules...

[coffeezombie]

Poor wererat. His brother just died. I hope the party didn't end up killing him too.

[cjs55]

Wasn't 3rd edition tailored particularly for video games? I know that Baldur's gate / Icewind Dale user 3rd edition rules...

Baldur's Gate / Icewind Dale/ Planescape: Torment all use 2nd Ed. Neverwinter Nights I believe was the first video game to use 3rd Ed. 3rd Ed was simply meant as a refined or different system for whatever use, tabletop or video games. I like 3rd Ed a bit better personally but I'm perfectly fine with 2nd Ed.

Some 2nd Ed. vs. 3rd Ed:

AC goes down vs. AC goes up
THACO vs. +to hit
More restricted multiclassing vs. Less restrictive
More complex saving throw system vs. simplified

[YardGnome]

Baldur's Gate / Icewind Dale/ Planescape: Torment all use 2nd Ed. Neverwinter Nights I believe was the first video game to use 3rd Ed. 3rd Ed was simply meant as a refined or different system for whatever use, tabletop or video games. I like 3rd Ed a bit better personally but I'm perfectly fine with 2nd Ed.

Some 2nd Ed. vs. 3rd Ed:

AC goes down vs. AC goes up
THACO vs. +to hit
More restricted multiclassing vs. Less restrictive
More complex saving throw system vs. simplified

Ah, I knew it was one of those Bioware games...

[Crazy]

I'd be in for some gameplay, but not to DM

[coffeezombie]

A straight dungeon crawl doesn't appeal to me. I prefer something with a more elaborate storyline.

[ApeTheDog]

I suppose I could do that, but my concern is about the time it will take for us to play through a campaign like that.

[YardGnome]

Perhaps this dungeon could be just the begining of a story arc that could grow more complex as time progresses?

[coffeezombie]

Perhaps this dungeon could be just the begining of a story arc that could grow more complex as time progresses?

That would probably work. It's a good idea, since people aren't sure they want to get into something big at this point, or if the whole online thing will work at all.

[ApeTheDog]

Yes, good idea. I'll try to work a campaign out tonight.

[cjs55]

Should we make characters? ; )

[ApeTheDog]

Yes, go ahead. I have an over-arcing plotline now. Now I just need to draw up the dungeon but I'll be done with that by tomorrow.

I'll start a thread in the entertainment forum to see if anybody else might be interested in joining and then we can begin.

[ApeTheDog]

Okay. The following people are in the game. I'll ask for 2 more people to join in the entertainment forum so you'll be 6 in total.

Yardgnome
Coffeezombie
cjs55
Crazy5711

[jimkopelli]

Ok, why not.

[paladinoflunaria]

Probably won't have time but I've been doing tabletop gaming for a decade so I know the ropes. I never get the chance to do anything other than DM so I don't really want to DM, but just let me know.

[paladinoflunaria]

Just so you know, there is a forum for this type of thing at www.dndonlinegames.com. I can understand wanting to do it here at INTP central but I encourage everyone to take a look.

[Stem]

Cool.

Wow, I am really glad to have you back, Paladinflunaria. :)

[ApeTheDog]

I'd prefer to do it here but if people like that place better I'm fine with that too.

paladinoflunaria. I'd be the DM. I'm fine with doing it. I didn't really get the purpose of your post. Do you want to join as a player or are you offering help as a DM?

[Stem]

I'd prefer to do it here but if people like that place better I'm fine with that too.

paladinoflunaria. I'd be the DM. I'm fine with doing it. I didn't really get the purpose of your post. Do you want to join as a player or are you offering help as a DM?


Long long ago, in a land not far away, Paladinoflunaria suggested that we have a DND subforum.

[Helios]

Dear God it took me waaaaay to long to figure this out, I am such a dork in my mind RPG is "rocket propelled grenade" and DM is always Depeche Mode!

[ApeTheDog]

But are you going to be playing, Helios?

Everybody: get ready. I have the first dungeon levels mapped out and the rest if just a formality. I still don't have a clue how I'm going to handle all the combat but we'll cross that bridge when we get there.

Start thinking about what character you want to create.

[Helios]

Well if you can't tell yet; I'll try anything (typically even more than once), so sure if you can tolerate my total ignorance of whatever we are doing.

[ApeTheDog]

My good woman. I am totally ignorant of what we're going to do as well, so I certainly would never hold that against you. I just hope none of you will hold it against me if it should take me some time to roll those dices.

[YardGnome]

My good woman. I am totally ignorant of what we're going to do as well, so I certainly would never hold that against you. I just hope none of you will hold it against me if it should take me some time to roll those dices.

Count me in as a D+D ignoramus as well (as far as the pencil and paper version is concerned...)

It's a learning experience here, and it should be fun.

[n0mad]

I believe those two seats are already taken, right?

[Crazy]

What kinds of character types and subtypes will be acceptable to play?

[coffeezombie]

Alignments too. Can we be chaotic evil? :devil:

[cjs55]

I just realized I don't even really know how to make characters in 2nd Ed. I need an old player's handbook!

[coffeezombie]

I just realized I don't even really know how to make characters in 2nd Ed. I need an old player's handbook!

I am hoping Ape will supply all necessary information.

[ApeTheDog]

You can play too, n0mad. You can all play as whatever you want, and you can be as evil or good as you want too. You can invent your own character class too in case you're not happy with what the game offers, but I'll be really strict in what I'll allow. I'll let you be a viking-type warrior, for example with extra resistance to cold and immunity to fear (but also a paired vulnerability to fire, of course and less weapon prowess) but I won't let you be jedi's or ultra-powerful cleric/mage/thieves. If you can come up with a character I'm sure we can do the rest.

I've uploaded a players handbook for 2nd edition here: http://rapidshare.de/files/1435944/Players_Handbook.rtf.html

When you create your character, skip the part where they tell you to roll for equipment and gold. You're supposed to come to the start of the game without money and wearing just basic clothing.

[jimkopelli]

Um... thought it was 3rd ed for some reason...

[ApeTheDog]

I heard 3rd edition sucks, and what little I know of the differences between the two it I'm inclined to agree. I don't like cleave and greater cleave, and I don't like sorcerers who can just cast whatever they want based on their charisma. It just doesn't make sense to me.

But if you all want to play 3rd edition, that's fine by me too. The rules we use are not important at all, it's the game that matters and I intend to fiddle with the rules whenever you guys want to do something that isn't in them.

[coffeezombie]

I prefer to play whatever one I can get my hands on the rules for without paying money.

[ApeTheDog]

A sound business ethic.

Hmm. If anybody wants to create their character the ultima way, I can come up with some dumb questions that will generate a character for you by answering them.

[YardGnome]

What rules are we going to use for this game? Have we decided on D&D 2nd edition? Is there a PDF version of the rules or something like that. I know it would be a mammoth file but I'd like to scan it over if that's what we decide to use...

And I have been thinking about a character... 8O

Edit: ...Ok ok smack me. I just read 2 posts up...

[ApeTheDog]

If you've created a character already, that's fantastic. If you haven't yet, then you might like to hold off doing so until we have our subforum, because I'll be posting some instructions on how you can do it (but you're still free to use any method you want) and a link to a java dice-roller you can use if you don't have any 6 sided dice.

[int]

OK. There is a sub-forum of the Playground called "RPG" now - ApeTheDog is DM and has moderator rights.

http://intpcentral.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=31