Author: Scott Martin

I got a chance to play in a cool, very Halloween themed Pathfinder game over the weekend. It was fun, run by a great GM, with a table full of people I love playing beside. I got to try out a new class (my first Pathfinder sorcerer), and got to play as a twin to my wife’s self-doubting tiefling Cleric. All good, though even the parts that were successful brought some general issues to light. Bright Lights and Ambient Sound Setting the mood is important,…

A few weeks ago, I sketched out a few historical lower/lowest classes, in part one. This week I’ll add a few more examples–but more briefly and with a little more discussion about what you can do with them. An example of transition: Louisiana Louisiana had three eras of slavery. Initially, under French rule, the Code Noir was responsible for setting the limits and customs of slavery. The original Code Noir was empire wide, but locals attempted to modify it for local conditions. [This often involved…

I was recently reading a fascinating book, The accidental city : improvising New Orleans by Lawrence N. Powell. It was filled with a number of fascinating facts and historical events that were new to me–or made new by the context of the book. Even more, the chapters detailing the differences between the various Louisiana implementations of slavery led me to realize just how varied the experience could be. Visiting Monticello while reading the book, combined with the excellent work on Mulberry Row presentations at the…

Sometimes you need to remember to slow down and take a breath. Intermediate steps can provide a different sense of structured time. A scene is emphasized if it builds up and maintains dramatic focus. Unfortunately, exhortations to “play it out”, relying on the table to maintain dramatic narration and pacing, out often fall by the wayside. (How many of you have played in games where the rules recommend describing your actions in detail, but after a few sessions players report “I hit for seven damage”?)…

I get to play in a Doctor Who game this weekend–Jennifer’s running. I’m looking forward to it for many reasons–though primarily for the group of friends I get to play beside. We’re tackling a system that’s new to all of us. Jennifer cackled fiendishly as she read the GM’s book, but she wanted to make sure that someone else had read the player’s booklet. Since the book was already at hand, I read through it. And while the system is relatively simple, I don’t want…

I’m looking around and planning interesting ideas for new campaign pitches. Many of the ideas fit one common theme… but there’s another that keeps creeping in the side. I love the idea of time travel adventures. Photo credit: PatriciaEGreen from morguefile.com Does the complexity introduced by time travel doom any game? We experienced an increase in complexity, in our Time Preservers game–while part of the adjustment was to the system, another part was the complexity of plotting in time travel. It pays to be clear…

NPCs in Character Driven Play No matter what system you’re playing, NPCs make things come to life. Some of my favorite advice for creating NPCs comes from Dogs in the Vineyard, which encourages you to create passionate NPCs [via some specific prompts and guidelines], then encourages you to have them strive to accomplish their goals. They’re driven people, so what they do–whether good, short sighted, or villainous– is sure to draw the PCs’ involvement. Fundamental concepts for character driven play are developed in The Art…