Attribute Assignment Overdose

Hey all,

This week, I'll be talking about some of the various methods, official or homebrew, that I've heard for determining attributes in tabletop roleplaying games. We'll start with The biggest distinguisher: Point Buy vs. Roll.

A point buy attribute system gives all players an equal amount of some currency which they use to build their characters, in games like D&D, this means checking a table at character creation and spending your points then and there on attributes only. In games like World of Darkness or GURPS, attributes are only one thing these points are spent on, and balancing points between attributes, skills, feats, etc. is part of the challenge of not only character creation, but point-based character advancement.

Rolling for attributes, on the other hand, adds a little more randomness to the whole thing. Opponents of rolling for attributes point out the randomness, and the chance for characters with widely different levels of competence. Within rolling for attributes, there are two major schools of thought: Roll Down, and Score Assignment.

Roll down is a fairly archaic system at this point, and few except for the most hardcore Old School Renaissance fans will default to this method. What roll down means is that the first number you roll is the score in your first attribute, usually Strength. The second number you roll is the score in your second attribute, usually Dexterity, and so on.

Score assignment just means that after you've rolled your scores, you decide which score to assign to which attribute. In score assignment, you might roll an 18, 14, 14, 10, 8, and 6. You would then decide which of six attributes to place each of these six scores into.

There are quite a few methods of rolling the scores themselves, and we'll finish up with a quick rundown of them.

3d6: Roll three six-sided dice and add the results together.
4d6 drop one: Roll four six-sided dice, remove the lowest scoring die, and add together the remaining three.
2d6+6: Roll two six-sided dice, add the results together, and add six to the sum for the final attribute score.

Beyond this, some GMs have thresholds to reroll. Usually, I've heard is as around 70 points in all attributes added together. Anything under this, reroll. It's also possible to not only drop the lowest die in a pool, but to roll one more attribute than needed, and drop the lowest attribute score roll. So a player might roll 18, 14, 14, 10, 8, 6, 4. They rolled seven scores to use in six attributes, and will use everything but the four to make their character.

As with anything that's been in the hands of the fans as long as tabletop gaming has been, you'll find six different preferred methods among any five players polled; but, hopefully, this article is a strong basis for considering what method will work best for your game. Happy gaming, all.

Fallout Denver Session Notes 2: The Journey to Mercy Hospital, and the Questionable Decisions Thereafter

read part one here

As Chance, Gadget, and Remington stepped outside of Vault 4 for the first time, they truly saw the devastation of the war which, to now, had been an old story of a bad memory. Emerging into daylight for the first time in their lives, they could see the span of the impact crater that held their now damaged and under-supported vault. Across the gap to the crater wall, the Angels gang had built up a bridge of scaffolding, leading to switchbacks, and finally up to the crater's edge.

Atop the crater, they were met with a sight they weren't prepared for. What, at first, appeared to them to be a decayed corpse in the road, stood and introduced himself. He called himself Drengo, and explained a little about ghouls like himself. He'd been walking the wastes for some time, and was in the market for a crew to join up with to make the journeying through the Denver wasteland a little safer.

It wasn't easy to trust some unknown stranger of even-less-known species; but the heroes had very little in the way of options. The services of a guide, it seemed, merited some trust. They still held back somewhat, but did let him know that they were looking for human settlements where they could trade for goods and services, and maybe some anti-radiation medicines. Drengo suggested Vault 57, also known as Mercy Hospital.

In the olden days, Vault 57 had been subjected to an experiment wherein only those with debilitating congenital birth defects had been admitted. Few know that Vault-Tec predicted failure for Vault 57. However; the little vault pulled together, and not only did they preserve many of the medical techniques of the old world; they made some small advances. Materials being in short supply, they're still well shy of the medical miracle workers of the the pre-war world, but no better medical service can be found anywhere in Denver. Even the raider gangs are more likely to make use of their services than to risk angering the vault in an assault.

After a day's trek up the I-225 corridor, the party arrived at Mercy Hospital. Once inside, Gadget headed for the cantina, where games of chance waited for a savvy gambler with just her skills. Thanks to a few shrewd bets, the party was able to buy a few important medical supplies. She also met a (relatively) docile supermutant named Brick with glorious, half-remembered stories of his time in the Master's Army and a desire to make his way to Borealis as soon as he could find a group to travel with.

Meanwhile, Drengo was asking around about finding anti-rad medications. A young woman named Flower Daveson pointed out the way to the pharmacy where a nearly decrepit old man named Arcade Ganon was working the dispensary. If you haven't played Fallout New Vegas, that name might not mean much to you, but let's just say he was a sarcastic man in his younger days, and old age hadn't made him any more pleasant. The encounter ended with Drengo punching him in the face, and Ganon kicking Drengo out of his pharmacy.

The party regrouped and, with no real options here to help their vault find a new home, and few other options, they decided to accompany Brick, and to make their way to the supermutant community in Borealis.

. . . and so concludes part two of our journey. Hopefully I got it all right, but if any of my players are reading, they can call me out on any corrections. Session three should be a little faster in coming than session two was, wish me luck on that!

And, as always, happy gaming, all.

Setting the Hook

Hey all,

Last week we talked about how players can work through their character design to give themselves reasons to come along for the quest, and avoid the dreaded lone wolf syndrome. If you're interested, you can read that post here.

This week, as I promised to Matt in last week's comments, we're tackling the same issue from a new angle. How can you, as the game master, establish a quest worth coming along for?

Something to keep in mind as you establish the inciting incident of the story is how you're going to draw the player characters into the story naturally. There's a balancing act, here. The players should have agency in deciding how their characters behave and, to an extent, how they have behaved in the past. Still, there's merit in saying "no" to a player who wants to, say start the game as the pope, for example.

Fundamentally, the three ways you can work with your players, not only in setting the adventure hooks, but in gaming in general is in-game, out-of-game, and Semper Gumby. Some might want to argue the comparative merits, but I'd recommend keeping all of these options open just to keep as many tools in your game master's toolbox as possible.

In-Game:
Two basic things can happen in-game to guarantee, or at least strongly encourage, player characters to be involved in the world around them. There are motivations specific to the character, and universal motivations.

Specific motivations have to do with the character's backstory. Family in need, mysteries relevant to their interests, or ideological loyalties can sway a character one way or the other. This does require a fairly strong grasp of the character's motivations and backstory, but shouldn't need anything that isn't be readily available to a game master.

Universal motivations require a lot less customization, and can often help to kick off an adventure as well as bringing a team together. This is any situation where refusal of the call would be a sign that a character genuinely lacks an instinct for self-preservation. Some classic in media include the inciting incident of Farscape. A prison ship breakout immediately puts the former prisoners into an alliance. Another would be Knights of the Old Republic: the ship is going down. An NPC offers the use of their escape ship to the party if they can help bring a critical item off of the ship with them. Basically, a universal motivation just means that for the players to expect to survive, they need to team up, at least for now, to work together to fight against or escape from an immediate common threat.

Out-of-Game:
At the outset of a new campaign, there's nothing wrong with talking to your players and just asking, "What do your characters each want? What would motivate them to get involved in a quest?"

Another thing to keep in mind is that you can periodically "debrief" your game sessions. "Hey guys, what did you like? What are you hoping to see in the games to come?" Basically, touch base to find out what's working and what's not working for your players, and see if you can work any of that in in the sessions to come.

Finally, and this is a last resort option, you have the option to just say, out of character, "Look, this is what's prepared, come on the one adventure I have for you, or don't" I don't recommend this, and some players, especially those who've never GM'ed before might take exception to it. Really, I only bring it up because it can sometimes help to know there's a last resort. Even when you don't invoke the "nuclear option" in this way, knowing you have it can sometimes be what gives you the confidence to not need it.

Semper Gumby: Always Flexible
This is less of a "start of the campaign" solution, and more of a technique for a campaign in progress.

"Semper Gumby" might be what some would call an "advanced technique", but it's actually pretty simple. Prepare a handful of bare-bones adventures, let the party do what they like with little to no direction, and throw the most logical pre-prepared obstacles into their path, fleshing out the details as you go.

You'll need a bit of improv to make this one work, but it can give a great vitality to your games if you can hit the sweet spot between rigid planning and improvisation.

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So, there it is. Some tips and tricks for the game master looking to draw their players into the story. Personally, I'd suggest keeping all three fresh in your mind as you game master. Use what works when it works, and be prepared to deviate to another track when one method starts to run dry.

What methods have you used as a game master to bring your players in? Let me know in the comments below. Thanks for reading, and until next time: happy gaming, all.

Say Yes to the Quest

Hey all,

I thought today I'd talk a little about a common pitfall in tabletop gaming, and what you can do to avoid it. At it's root, the issue stems from the fact that tabletop gaming is not only storytelling, it's a storytelling medium. There are some stories that simply work better in some media than in others. Bioshock works as a video game in a way it probably wouldn't work to tell that same story as a movie or miniseries. Ender's Game, in my opinion, worked better as a book than as a movie. A twenty minute episode of The Twilight Zone might become two lines of text if someone tried to novelize the series.

In the same way, there are tropes that work in some media, and not in others. A very common trope in most fiction, which doesn't tend to work well in role playing games, is the lone wolf archetype. The classic hero's journey in most media includes a refusal of the call. In contrast, experienced players at a tabletop game know that the pirate code applies: if you stay behind, you're left behind.

It's important to remember that role playing games are, among other things, improvisation games. Improvisation, famously, means saying "yes, and . . ." You agree with the world built, and you add to it. This can conflict with the player desiring a hero's journey experience. Most hero's journey heroes have the luxury of being pulled into the plot unwillingly by the machinations of fate. Sadly, in your tabletop game, "Fate" (the game master) has four other main characters to play with if you take your ball and go home.

That said, the hero's journey can be had by your character, it just needs a little more legwork than in other stories. Let's look at a few ways of getting the ball rolling on your character.

In Medias Res
Literally, "into the middle things", in medias res refers to beginning a story with the action begun. It means putting the inconvenient parts of your hero's journey into the backstory and saving the exciting character growth moments of your character's life for the game. For example, if you wanted to be Luke Skywalker, you don't start the game arguing with your uncle about chores, you write up a backstory and show up to session one ready for Mos Eisley, with a backstory and a justification for your involvement in the world.

Need Money
This is probably your simplest bet to get into the action with very little extra motivation. If there's a reward on the table, you don't care who's in danger, or what's at stake, you've got mouths to feed, or an heirloom to buy out of hock, or even just a family farm to sustain through a bad season.

Desire for Adventure
This is a little cliche, but at the same time, it can be magnificent if done well. Your character may be a seasoned adventurer along for curiosity, or even a cloistered youth with romanticized notions of what they'll experience in the wide world beyond their family estate.

Indebted/Sense of Duty
Typically associated with more stoic and serious characters, the sense of duty, debt, or obligation can motivate a character very well to set out on a quest. Whether this is to a lofty notion, to a king in need of champions, or to a single friend beset with troubles; your character can find in their beliefs and loyalties a reason to risk their life.

With any of these, you'll want to sit down with your game master and get a feel for the world. A game master might even drop a few hints as to the nature of the campaign's inciting incident to help you hash out your character's loyalties, needs, surroundings, etc. and how those elements of who your character is help to define them as someone willing, under present circumstances, to throw their lot in with a group of violent strangers set to take on a fool's errand.

So, what are your thoughts on getting into the story? If you have any additional ideas, or even stories about your own experiences at a gaming table, let's get a discussion going below. Happy gaming, all.

500: the outdoor game for gamer kids

Hey all,

I was at a church cookout a while ago, and saw some of my friends' kids playing a game that was just slightly familiar. I walked over because I was sure I recognized what they were playing, but I just couldn't put my finger on it. Then, it hit me. They were playing a game called 500.

I was shocked that I'd forgotten 500. Sure, it had been years since I'd played, but that game was an old favorite from my childhood, right up there with Egyptian Rat Screw, Liar, and British Bulldog. As I watched, I realized that this game was a much more potent educational tool than I'd ever realized at the time.

For those who aren't familiar with the game, to play 500, one player is made "it". They usually have a football, but any kind of ball or even a frisbee will do the trick. The rest of the players cluster together and wait for the football to be thrown to them. The person who is "it", calls out a number, and whichever player catches the ball gains that many points. The goal is to be the first player to reach 500 points.

So far, the game is pretty simple, but it's the little touches of added complexity that really make this game shine. If a player goes over 500 points, they bust and go back to zero. Additionally, there are a few extra things that the person who is "it" can call out. If they call a number, followed by the phrase "dead or alive", it means that the ball is worth points to the player who either catches it, or is the first to pick it up off the ground. The "it" can also call out "mystery box" which means the players catching the ball don't know until they catch it what it's worth, and it might even be an automatic bust!

These additional rules create a fast and intuitive incentive system. A player might not want to catch the ball to avoid busting, but they might still want to swat it down to prevent other players gaining points. The person who is "it" has to learn to balance good and bad results in the mystery boxes so that players still try for them, and players learn quickly that trying to hide bad results in every mystery box makes the mystery box undesirable to the players.

Besides all of this, the free-form style of play means that players can sometimes intuitively create new rules and test out how they work in play. While it's not in the official rules, it's fairly common for players to quickly create different values for dead and alive. A player might call out "50 dead, 150 alive", and the other players can usually pick up on what's meant quickly and easily. Players also usually invent some variation of "grenade" rules, where the first player to touch the ball gets the points. This is usually to handicap taller players who are swatting down balls they don't want to catch as a way of controlling the field.

Through this type of play, young children can be introduced to elements of game design and incentive systems design that could open up whole worlds of inquiry and interest later in life. For this reason, 500 is truly an asset to any child lucky enough to get the chance to play.

What are some of your favorite games from your childhood? Are there games that taught you more than you realized at the time? Hop down to the comments if you'd like to share.

Happy Gaming, all.