The Unseen Servant forums

JustDave wrote: ↑Sun Jun 16, 2024 2:27 pm Hey folks - the party is about to have a very tiny thief. He will have a pony, so that's exciting.

Couple questions as a finish my character:

Studded leather for thieves, yay or nay? (See p. 34): "Thieves are restricted to leather or padded armour. Some
kindly GMs permit thieves to use studded leather or elfin mail."

Good question, DM call. Let's wait for him.

JustDave wrote: ↑Sun Jun 16, 2024 2:27 pm I gathered from previous posts that we are rolling starting money per the book and adding 50gp. is that correct?

As far as I can tell, yes. Unless you're the guy under the tree; it could get lively very quickly.

JustDave wrote: ↑Sun Jun 16, 2024 2:27 pm Any idea if the price listed for rations in the OSRIC rules is an error? It says 2gp per DAY for standard and 6gp per DAY for trail (i.e. iron) rations. The PHB, though, lists those at 3gp and 5gp per WEEK, respectively. I'm guessing the price is OSRIC is actually supposed to be per week?

Excellent catch!

JustDave wrote: ↑Sun Jun 16, 2024 2:27 pm Studded leather for thieves, yay or nay? (See p. 34): "Thieves are restricted to leather or padded armour. Some
kindly GMs permit thieves to use studded leather or elfin mail."

Per OSRIC, page 25:

JustDave wrote: ↑Sun Jun 16, 2024 2:27 pmI gathered from previous posts that we are rolling starting money per the book and adding 50gp. is that correct?

Yes, correct.

JustDave wrote: ↑Sun Jun 16, 2024 2:27 pmAny idea if the price listed for rations in the OSRIC rules is an error? It says 2gp per DAY for standard and 6gp per DAY for trail (i.e. iron) rations.

This is what we're using. I posted it somewhere (I'll try to track it down), but the order of resolution when it comes to determining what rules apply when there's a discrepancy is:


In this case, OSRIC wins.


Let me know once you're ready and I'll figure out a way to work your character into the game.

dmw71 wrote: ↑Sun Jun 16, 2024 7:43 pm I posted it somewhere (I'll try to track it down), but the order of resolution when it comes to determining what rules apply when there's a discrepancy is:

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OSRIC
DM's ruling/house rule
Official 1e rules

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In this case, OSRIC wins.

This was previously posted in the 'About' post for this game.

The order is slightly different between the two -- previously, I listed DM ahead of OSRIC -- but, I'm going to update the original post to reflect what is shown above... and below:

1. OSRIC
2. DM
3. Official 1e

Got it, thanks!

Just discovered this (very) expanded list of OSRIC items that Stuart Marshall (OSCRIC's author) published in Footprints No. 18, pp. 35-43:

https://www.dragonsfoot.org/files/pdf/F ... tsNo18.pdf

Dave, don't know if you want to use this or not but thought I'd throw it out there.

Ah, yes. I forgot that existed. I do love me some equipment, so I'm fine with anyone using that list. Just do so relatively quickly, before things get too involved.


That said, I've pretty much decided that I'm going to keep this game short: Resolve this current situation you're walking into, then wrap it.

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• Can I run what is essentially a pick-up game, with little to no preparations?
  I think I can.
• Do I like it?
  No. It just doesn't vibe with how I like my games to run.

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I've already started to look ahead, and there are a few different "things" I'm actively preparing considering for my next game.

I still think separating "vision" from "preparation" might change your mind. I've run three holiday-season games in the past few years, and they seem to go okay. On one I knew the rules, on another I had read the rules but never really played, and on the other I was making up the rules as players gave me their intentions. Players come up with interesting (!?!?) concepts and then do the dangedest things. I mostly had the opening scene in mind, the final conflict concept, and played off the player's from there.

Those holiday-season games are always short, though. A long campaign might be different. I'm reading "The Ill Made Knight" and getting ideas for a fantasy campaign, though. It'll deal with things I've never really played in before, like alliances, loyalties, and such. I'm not even sure there are rules for that sort of thing.

Leitz wrote: ↑Mon Jun 17, 2024 6:57 pm I still think separating "vision" from "preparation" might change your mind... I mostly had the opening scene in mind, the final conflict concept, and played off the player's from there.

That's a good distinction.

This game started with a single basic detail of a "what if" situation. Not even an idea for any details round that situation, much less an opening or closing scene.

As it turns out, that "what if" situation isn't even relevant anymore because that original idea was scrapped at the last minute.


So, yes, I can run an impromptu game. I still don't know how this one is going to play out -- I just came up with the background which led to this opening scene -- but I feel good about seeing it through. Whether it will be any good or not... eh? We'll see.

My problem is, the more I do think about something, the more everything changes from my original idea (which is fine). I can just run with it. I just don't want to run a longer campaign that way, not if I don't have to.


I'm definitely more comfortable having something more solid in place ahead of time.

dmw71 wrote: ↑Mon Jun 17, 2024 7:11 pm I'm definitely more comfortable having something more solid in place ahead of time.

It's always a lot of fun to see other DM's preferred styles, and see them trying something new. It's interesting, because I'm the opposite of you (though I've never run more than a oneshot in a DnD-esque system face to face, only other systems, FATE and the Sentinels Comics Roleplaying Game in particular). I work best when all I have is some background, and NPC's prepared and a vague problem or two for the players to engage with. When I first started running games, I tried to prepare a lot more, and found myself having a hard time rolling with my player's curve balls. I'd end up stuck in a rutt. I'm much more comfortable riffing off player actions, and my own understanding of the game's context.

I think the first truly *good* session that I ran was a last minute one-shot fleshing out a bit of one of the characters' backstories, because a player couldn't make it. Had no idea what I was going to do past the starting scene that I came up with in my head on the way to my friend's house.

archolewa wrote: ↑Mon Jun 17, 2024 7:29 pm I work best when all I have is some background, and NPC's prepared and a vague problem or two for the players to engage with.

Full transparency:

The 'what if' scenario I thought would be fun to explore was:


At the time, I didn't know:

• Anything about the magic-user,
  Who or what took their spellbook,
  Where the spellbook was,
  Etc...

I came up with a few ideas (including the mountaintop idea, where a mating pair of birds used the spellbook as one "ingredient" to build its nest), but I never did settle on that starting point to set the game off.

For me, I prefer to have the rules (and house rules) firmly in place before I start a game. All the character creation questions: I like to have as many of them already thought out and answered ahead of time.

I like to have some idea of the place in the world where the game will start. For instance, there's a cleric in this game, and I hadn't given any thought to any deities or pantheons available. That's kind of a big deal.

The expanded list of equipment was shared. I love that kind of detail! I would feel much better about this game if I had remembered that list ahead of time, and customized a list of "what's available" for the players to use to equip their characters. No questions about pricing, availability, one handed versus two, etc...


The more I type about this, the more I realize that the "preparations" I like/need to have in place center about game details. Not necessarily the adventure itself.

dmw71 wrote: ↑Mon Jun 17, 2024 6:17 pmThat said, I've pretty much decided that I'm going to keep this game short: Resolve this current situation you're walking into, then wrap it.

I hope my blunt approach the other day did not spoil the game for you... But I find it a good thing that you have come to the conclusion early on this is not the kind of game you want to run.

Curiously enough, one of the things I appreciate about PbP, and asynchronous play in general, is that I feel you don't need to have everything sorted before you begin playing - you always have time to consider questions, player character questions, house rules, etc, due to the very nature of PbP. That for me is very important. But like archolewa pointed out, DM styles are varied, there is no right or wrong, as long as everyone is enjoying themselves. Sometimes people leave the DM out of this equation, but it is a mistake - if the DM is not enjoying him/herself, the game is destined to fail.

Edeldhur wrote: ↑Mon Jun 17, 2024 9:37 pmI hope my blunt approach the other day did not spoil the game for you...

No, no. Not at all.

I’d honestly forgotten an about that as your reply came during the chaotic period of my still trying to figure the game out.

I’ve just — independently — had thoughts of other things I might like to try, and I’m more excited about the long term potential of those than I am of this game (which, considering it was just an attempt to come up with a simple answer to a simple scenario, was always kind of meant to be more limited in scope and duration).

Besides…

Interesting new Dave. Now I need to start working on figuring out how I can swing getting there.

dmw71 wrote: ↑Mon Jun 17, 2024 7:50 pm The expanded list of equipment was shared. I love that kind of detail! I would feel much better about this game if I had remembered that list ahead of time, and customized a list of "what's available" for the players to use to equip their characters. No questions about pricing, availability, one handed versus two, etc...

Ha! Players are always questionable. Err...questioning.

Maybe put OSRIC and some good links in the Scenario Simulator?

Leitz wrote: ↑Tue Jun 18, 2024 5:01 pm Maybe put OSRIC and some good links in the Scenario Simulator?

I created this.

dmw71 wrote: ↑Tue Jun 18, 2024 6:55 pm

Leitz wrote: ↑Tue Jun 18, 2024 5:01 pm Maybe put OSRIC and some good links in the Scenario Simulator?

I created this.

Nice!

My AD&D repository keeps growing!

Edeldhur wrote: ↑Tue Jun 18, 2024 9:53 pm My AD&D repository keeps growing!

Mine has exploded in the last year or two.

I went from having a single physical hardback book for 1e to having... waaaaay more than I need! (Thanks, eBay! )

dmw71 wrote: ↑Tue Jun 18, 2024 10:14 pm

Edeldhur wrote: ↑Tue Jun 18, 2024 9:53 pm My AD&D repository keeps growing!

Mine has exploded in the last year or two.

I went from having a single physical hardback book for 1e to having... waaaaay more than I need! (Thanks, eBay! )

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The single book I did own prior to my shopping spree wasn't even an official book, but a monstrous "Monster Manual" (it's 718 pages!) that my brother assembled and had printed.

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I've been split as heck between scouring the interwebs and simply grabbing the reprints from DTRPG.
So far I have some originals - the PHB, DMG, UA, WSG and DSG with the orange spine.
Then I gave in and grabbed the reprint of A0-4