Day 9: Emerald Escapades

-
Taking a completely personal perspective, I'm feeling a bit re energized about some of my hobbies. Particularly the storytelling and gaming spaces. This week I re-launched the Tuesday night Pathfinder game with a mostly new group of players. I say mostly new because, well Jason and Aaron are not new at all.

Selecting the approach for this resurrected activity entailed figuring out just how much energy I have to "run" a game on a weekly basis. The answer probably is not enough. My intent was always to take a break from behind the stone screen, to reengage with that inner drive to be a character, not every other character in a story. Sometimes (meaning usually) things don't turn out quite as planned, so instead I'm the man again.

Pathfinder has a wonderful series of published adventures that now cover a large swath of the traditional fantasy setting conventions. While my last attempt - Secondary Shadows - was focused on a conspiracy from the underground dwelling dark elves to mess with the surface folk and cause a cataclysm, this outing I chose to execute a more traditional path.

The adventure path is called "The Jade Regent". You might guess it's flavor - an oriental adventure - but what drew me most to the series is the integration of strong NPC relationships, including... a relationship system for determining long term attitudes between the players and their traveling companions.

Add to that the ultimate "road movie" setting as the adventuring group join a merchant caravan headed to the mystical lands of Tien, and well it's the best of all probable worlds.

As with Secondary Shadows I am setting up a campaign website for those in the game or interested to follow the adventures of our interesting, if motley, crew. The approach is designed to show the journey of these characters from the beginning of their adventuring careers through to an experienced level of national conflict and intrigue.

Our cast includes a recurring figure in Aaron's Half-Celestial/Half Elf Druid-Ranger Elendil, Jason's as yet unnamed Half-Elf Gunslinger, Ryan's Ninja, Kyle's Human Magus and Anna's "Throw Anything" Female Dwarf Fighter/Tank. I'm intrigued by the mix and look forward to seeing them fashion this preconstructed tale into their own epic with in-jokes and insults along the way.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Brekton: Godfall Ascension - Character Concepts and Skills

-
Image
Today's post is a result of my ongoing discussion on game design and adapting your chosen system to fit your ideal setting. It'll get a little mechanical but I'll try and keep it out of the weeds for those who don't want to grok the mechanics of character advancement in the d20-ish systems. First off... lets talk about choices. Choices are the most important thing in my games. Sure there are these messy rules that limit what you or I can do in a simulated world, but ultimately for me to enjoy a game as either a storyteller or a player I have to feel like the results of the situation are based upon choice not fate. When I've most enjoyed games, especially tabletop role-playing games, I think back and realize that it was my sense of connection, ownership and agency that most contributed to maximizing the impact of the game. I resonate when I get to make a decision and see the outcome. This, I guess, is also true in life.
Read more

Brekton: Godfall Ascension -- Introduction

-
Image
Introduction Brekton: Godfall Ascension is a modern fantasy setting where the player characters take on the role of a long-forgotten god of the world. These gods, or “Incarnates” as they will become known, are the representations of the world’s ancient polytheistic belief systems who are reemerging in the modern world. In the past of Brekton, many magical creatures roamed its surface, skies and seas. Today, mankind has eclipsed these beings as the master of the world. Few in the modern age of technology, instant communication, Internet knowledge, and global travel believe any of these creatures truly existed. Even those who study the planet’s history and ancient cultures find little evidence that this fantastic place was real. The people of Brekton, the humans, had an enormous impact on its evolution. Once, humanity was one of numerous races. They existed alongside the elves, dragons, dwarves and every fantastic being you’ve read of in fairy tales and mythology.
Read more

Brekton: Godfall Ascension - Momentous Attributes

-
Image
Discussing game mechanics with those who don't play or run games is always a challenge. The goal is to explain how the rules work to enable the player to feel the progression and evolution of their characters while also maintaining some level of "fairness" and symmetry with the systems, math and capabilities of the obstacles and environment around them.
Read more