Something New: Wherein I review my first experience with Lamentations of the Flame Princess.

I recently had the opportunity to run the first in what I hope to be a long running game of Lamentations of the Flame Princess: Weird Fantasy Role-Playing (LotFP). My stated hopes to continue the game should be taken as the briefest possible review of the system. To make a short story long, here are my thoughts on the game in no particular order.

(Note: I fully realize that many of these thoughts apply to older editions of D&D, but I got started on 3rd edition with friends in high school and never had an old-school DM to show me these things. I'm coming into OSR-style content from the perspective of a 3.5/D20 player so this is the first game I've run in this style.)

I absolutely love the classes. They match up to the old first edition D&D classes, but that's not what I enjoy. I enjoy that the human classes pick a focus and pretty much just do that thing. The Clerics cast cleric spells and make holy water. That's it. Done. Next class. Fighters hit things. That's a three word class description. They can do some other stuff in combat (Press and Defensive Fighting, +2 To-Hit, -4 AC and the reverse respectively), but they're just other ways to hit things. Magic-Users do wizard things. They cast spells, research spells, write scrolls and brew potions. All are pretty much exactly what you'd expect something called a Magic-User to do. I have heard some complaints about calling them Magic-Users rather than mages or wizards, but I think it's perfect for this game. First, it's a callback to older versions of D&D, from which this game takes most of its inspiration. Second, to me the term Magic-User evokes the image of someone wielding something beyond their ability to fully control, rather than someone who has mastered sorcery like the other terms do. I think it fits way better with the magic rules . Finally (for the human classes), the Specialist is the one who does all of the mundane things. I like the Specialist for two reasons. First, having all the skills on once class makes character creation and level up way more simple than in the later editions of D&D that I'm used to playing. Second, the simple change from Thief/Rogue to Specialist, offloading his secondary combat role unless you spend points on Sneak Attack, firmly sets him as the "do everything else" guy in a well-rounded party.

As for the demi-humans, they're pretty much split-focus classes. The Dwarf and Elf can kinda fight with the extra attack options, but they're not very good at it. The Dwarf gets more hit points than other characters (by a hell of a lot) and can carry stuff and are good at looking at buildings. Elves get to cast spells, though they start with none in their spellbooks. The ability to cast with one hand is interesting. The bonus to search and surprise are nicely flavorful. Halflings being super dodgy and kinda sneaky in the wilderness is cool too. In all, though, I don't think I'd play a demi-human in a game. First because I don't think they fit in quite as well with the Early Modern Age/Weird Fantasy theme that LotFP is going for (very well, I might add). Second because their focus is just too split for them to be particularly good at anything.

Moving on, I love that the book is less than 200 pages. I've spent a lot of time playing and running crunchy, rules-heavy games, and I've got to say that it's refreshing to be able to hold the full text of the rules in one hand. I've also been enjoying the fact that the rules seem to be more of a starting point than an in-depth, "gotta cover everything," multi-book affair. If I don't know a rule off hand, it's not because it's buried on page 345 of the third core rulebook, but because it's meant for you to come up with at the table. Common actions are covered, and uncommon actions can be extrapolated using existing rules. I love that the entry for artillery (no distinction is made between different kinds because that would take pages and pages) notes that structures taking damage take it as ship hit points (SHP). Why do I like this? Because the rules for maritime adventures are already in the book, and ships are enough like buildings and the rules are abstract enough that they might as well be the same.

This post has already taken long enough and it's late so I'll close with what I think is the crown jewel of this game: the theme implied by the mechanics. Now, just flipping through the book, you see a lot of interesting (and often grotesque) artwork. The theme is pretty obvious. But I understood what these rules were going for when I had just the free art-less version. The mechanics imply a world that is not dissimilar from the fantasy RPGs with which most players are familiar, but is far more oppressive and more than a little dark. Take the rules for laboratory use. In 3.5, you didn't need a lab to make potions. In LotFP, not only do you need a lab (which requires owning significant property), they're expensive. And without the ability to purchase healing potions and the incredibly brutal rules for mundane recovery, you'll want one before long. Even once you have the lab, there's still a 5% chance every time you use it that it explodes, destroying all your progress and many of your supplies. It could even kill your Magic-User in the process. The world of LotFP is harsh and unforgiving, and that's before you even get into the "things" that can show up as monsters.

I'll probably have more thoughts once my second game rolls around (some time this weekend, I hope).

In other news, I have a 5e D&D game coming up that I should be streaming on Twitch.tv. More information on that as it becomes available.

Another Monster: Wherein I got bored earlier and made a thing

I got bored earlier today. When I get bored, sometimes I make things. This is one of those times.

Meet the Divolgo.

I apologize again for my non-existent art skills.

The Divolgo is a giant scorpion, who's body (not including claws and tail) grows up to eight feet long. The claws can cut a man in half. Giant bugs are scary and all, but even a cursory glance at that image will show you what makes the Divolgo interesting. Instead of a stinger, the creature has a woman's head at the end of it's tail. Curiously, it is always a woman's head at the end of the tail. Sages have wondered for ages if this is because all Divolgo are female (and if so, what the males look like) or if they were all created as female by some forgotten mage long ago. What is known about the Divolgo is that they are old. Very old. There are ancient tales from far away lands that talk of encounters with Divolgo. They're so old and have seen so much that they know terrible secrets about the world. Some say they know everything, but that's not the case.

Divolgo are intelligent and solitary creatures. They prefer to avoid the company of other intelligent creatures and even other Divolgo. While they are technically capable of speech (and indeed use that ability to defend themselves, see below) they generally don't communicate with other creatures. Divolgo speak using the head at the end of their tail. It seems to be capable of speaking any language (no one has ever encountered one that couldn't speak their tongue),

When attacked, a Divolgo will try to grapple the nearest attacker, then use its tail to whisper in the ear of it's target. The whispers are dark secrets that poison the mind. Victims often lose the will to fight. Which is fine with the Divolgo, who are generally docile provided no one approach them too close or attack first.

Divolgo are drawn to places where powerful magics were once at work, but are no longer in effect. This often means that abandoned wizard towers, ruined cultic templed or deserted druidic groves are homes to Divolgo. In the (all too common) event that someone visit these places, the Divolgo will attempt to hide by flattening its body to the ground; a task at it which it is very skilled.

A New Monster: Wherein I turn a dream into a creature

So I had a weird dream last night. There were some strange creatures in it, and I've decided to turn them into monsters.

Meet the Pollex. The pollex is an evil spirit that manifests as a giant humanoid creature made of stone or wood. Pollex move through the earth as though it were water. They spend their time almost completely under the ground, with the exception of their thumbs. One thumb of a pollex (usually the left) appears to be a completely normal person (usually a human or an elf, but dwarf-thumbed pollex are not unheard of and are called Pumilo; these are always made of stone). The pollex can make the thumb move to mimic a person, and can even make it speak, but the pollex can only speak in words and phrases it has heard before. The "feet" of the thumb can never leave the ground, as they are connected to the pollex's hand, but the pollex can make it appear that the thumb is shuffling along almost like a normal person.

Pollex are created by accident when dark magic disrupts the balance of nature. When a pollex is discovered, nearby druid groves will attempt to seek it out to confront it. A pollex whose deception is discovered emerges from the earth and will attack the discoverer; however, if the discoverer asks the pollex a question immediately after it emerges from the ground, it will delay attacking long enough to answer it. A pollex subsists on the despair of sentient creatures, so it uses its thumb to trick travelers into getting lost deep in the wilderness, then feeds on their emotions as they lose hope. A pollex who is slain will be replaced by a new one within one month as long as the dark magic that spawned the original is still around. Pollex always know the nature and location of this magic.

Although pollex can move and speak through their thumb, they cannot see, hear, smell or taste with it (they can still feel, it is still a thumb, after all). Pollex can sense anything that's on the ground by detecting vibrations in a manner similar to echolocation in bats. This sense also allows them to hear what's going on above them. They cannot see birds or other flying creatures that are in the air, but if it flies close enough to the protruding thumb, they might be able to hear wing beats.

I am not an artist. I apologize for my terrible picture.

Pollex are formed by dark magic that disrupts the balance of nature in a region. Many kinds of dark magic can form a pollex, but it is never intentional. Pollex are always the byproduct of an evil intention, never the intended result. Attempts to create one intentionally always fail. Here are some examples of occurrences that might create one:

1. An evil necromancer raising an army of undead bears.

2. A cult making regular virgin sacrifices to appease their dark god.

3. The ritual slaughter of unicorns to summon a demon.

4. A coven of witches killing animals to read their entrails.

I do hope you enjoy the pollex, and if you use it, please leave a comment about how it went.

I Made a Thing: Wherein I share a helpful document

5th edition is awesome. The 5th edition Player's Handbook is not awesome. It lacks convenient indexing and quick reference material. So I made a Google Doc to help make character creation a little easier.

5e Character Creation Quick Reference

I hope this helps someone.

-Daniel

Distractions: Wherein I discuss keeping players on track

I haven't posted in a while now, but not for lack of want. I simply haven't been able to get a session together. I did finally get one yesterday, but not of my normal game. This time it was a different group (with some substantial overlap) of players, and we were trying out the new D&D starter set running the Phandelver adventure. I don't know if it was because my brother was present and he tends to derail games (which is why I don't usually invite him) but it seemed like the session went off topic more than usual. I noticed numerous times where cross talk distracted some of the players (and even myself once or twice). There were also issues with players looking at their phones a lot, which slowed the game down causing other players to look at their phones. I'm making it sound worse than it really was, but it did slow the session down noticeably. I'm normally a pretty easy-going DM, but I think it's time I instate a few table rules to keep distractions to a minimum.

1. No phones at the table. Once one player starts looking at their phone and slows the game down, it makes other players take theirs out to do the same. I had one player Snapchatting, one on Reddit and a third reading Tumblr. I think this is the most important one to be strict about, since there were so many disruptions from phones. I'll probably amend it to allow checking texts, and obviously I'm not going to stop a player from picking up on an important phone call. Other than that, phones should be in pockets for the entire duration of the session.

2. Minimize off-topic chat. I like my players. We're all friends and we all hang out regularly. We like to talk about the things we all like, video games, TV shows, etc. But when we come to the table to play D&D, we should play D&D. There were several occasions where people started talking about what show someone else should watch, or what games they should play. I even got in on some of these conversations, so some of this is my fault. This one isn't so much a rule for the table as it is me needing to remember to cut those conversations short so we can focus on playing the game.

3. Manage speakers. Several times during the session, I couldn't hear what one player was saying because two others were talking at the same time, and slightly louder. This was probably the most disruptive problem, because I missed people rolling for things, asking if they could do certain actions and making inquiries about the scene. I can't pay attention to everyone at once, so I need to come up with a reasonable solution so I can hear what everyone has to say.

4. Make the players pick a course of action. It only happened once or twice, but the players spent a good ten to fifteen minutes discussing the pros and cons of two conflicting actions without actually getting anywhere. At some point, at least one of the players got bored and started staring at his phone (see 1 above), no longer contributing to the discussion, nor making any decisions. I don't really know how to fix this, other than maybe finding a more decisive player to add to the group. It's not usually a problem in the other game, because one of the players has taken kind of a leader role. I don't want to force the players into any action, because then they aren't making choices themselves and aren't really playing. At the same time, if they never make a choice, they aren't playing the game anyway.

Anyway, those are my thoughts on table distractions. I hope my regular game gets back on track so I have more things to post about.

-Daniel

Addition: Wherein I discuss adding new players to an established game

Due to general player flakiness real lives, I found myself short a few players in the last few sessions. To solve this problem, I invited two new players to the game. Unfortunately, it took rather longer than I would have liked to introduce them to the homebrew setting we use. I asked the other players to introduce their characters and explain what was happening, but it ended up being an out-of-character discussion that quickly became sidetracked. Maybe it's an issue with my players, but as a GM who is supposed to keep the game on track, I don't accept that. The players also had some difficulty explaining the variant rules we use, even though they demonstrably understand them.

In all, adding the new guys was a bit of a clusterfuck, and I need to come up with a more efficient method. I'm considering asking one of the players to write a kind of in-character journal entry at the end of each session. And possibly having them rotate if they would prefer that. This would actually solve several problems: first, adding new players would be a breeze, as they could simply read the journal to catch up on the story. Second, it would serve to refresh the players' memories at the start of each session, since we don't play weekly and they forget things sometimes. Third and finally, I think that it might get the players more invested in their characters. Plus, it might be funny to see the barbarian dictate his entries to the wizard, since he's illiterate.

I'll try it out and report back.

An Aside: Wherein I discuss something that happened to me in class

I am a student at a community college. Lots of people attend this school from all age groups and backgrounds. The semester is over, but what prompted this post happened on the first day of my Public Speaking class. About halfway through the class session, we were given an assignment to interview one of our classmates. We were then responsible for introducing our partners to the class in a very brief (under two minute) speech during the next class session. My partner, Lisa, was extremely nice and I ended up sitting next to her each class and chatting. While she was interviewing me, she asked what my hobbies were, so I told her about my D&D game. Now, Lisa is  most definitely not from a nerdy background. All of my friends are nerds, the shop I hang out at every week is a game shop filled with nerds, I live and breathe nerd-dom. So it was very jarring when she asked me, "What is an RPG?" She had never encountered the concept. I can't fault her for that, she just has different interests than me. I don't exactly remember my response, but it was brief and felt unsatisfying to me. So, for my own benefit, here is a real answer.

"What is a Role Playing Game?"

At its most basic level, an RPG is a form of storytelling. Storytelling and stories in general have been around pretty much as far back as archeologists have been able to look. As humans, we love telling stories and we love hearing stories, but more than that we like to make up our own stories. In the past, we invented stories about how the Earth was created, how the stars got in the sky and all sorts of other things. Even though we eventually learned where those things came from, stories still endure. What makes RPGs unique as a storytelling device is twofold. First, RPGs are cooperative storytelling. This is a point of contention with some GMs who would prefer that players not “trample” their carefully crafted narratives. These people forget that the players have free will and want (as most people do) to change the world based on their own ideals. The second way RPGs are unique is that they are storytelling gamified. There are concrete rules in place that determine how to adjudicate the way in which the players interact with the world and vice-versa.  Because success is not always guaranteed in the real world, the same should be true of our stories. If there is no possibility of failure, there is no dramatic tension. So we use dice or playing cards or tokens or even skillful tasks to determine success in the game world. The actual method of determining success is mostly irrelevant, so long as it is not simply an arbitrary choice.

Now that we know what an RPG is, why are there so many of them? RPGs only really differ in a few ways: different allocation of responsibilities, different systems for determining success and different niche roles. Many RPGs follow a very standard allocation of responsibility, the GM is the architect and arbiter of the world he or she has designed, and the players’ control extends only to the actions of his or her own character. This is not a bad system, but it does tend to discourage new players from attempting to fill this role due to the amount of information that the GM must keep track of. It’s a daunting task to even some veteran players. However, some systems give the players more ability to affect the game world than this. On the minor end of the spectrum are games in which the players are given some ability to simply change the world around them in the current scene. At the other are games where there is no GM at all, and the game is entirely cooperative. As for different systems to determine success, the majority of RPGs tend to use dice. While all of these games use the same type of tool, the way in which it is employed is often vastly different. Some games use one die per player; others require each player to have dozens of dice. Some games only use on type of die; others use several. Most games use normal dice, in the shape of the platonic solids (and the ten-sided die as well); at least one uses dice with unusual numbers of sides, such as three and five. The room for variety is very large. However, dice are not the only system used. Some games use playing cards drawn from a deck, others use tokens. At least one game uses a Jenga tower. Finally, different RPGs are designed to fulfill different desires, or different niches. Many are based in Tolkien-style fantasy, some are sword and sorcery. Some take place in space, or at least the distant future. Some involve magic, some don’t. Some are based on the horror genre, some on superheroes, and there are even ones about entire alien civilizations. Each serves a slightly different purpose, and shuffling them around is often not a good idea. Superheroes don’t work well in a game designed for horror any better than a wizard does in space (usually).

I don't think that Lisa really understood my description RPGs when I explained it in class. This is likely the work of my half-assed response. I did tell her about this blog, so maybe she'll come here and read it. Maybe she'll gain a better understanding. Or not. Regardless, this is a much more fitting description, and maybe now I'll stop perseverating over it and get back to writing my damn game. More likely, I'll get back to my crippling addiction to Diablo III.

-Daniel