So ... You All Meet In A Bar

Biggus Geekus

Episode 152 Streamed Live Tuesday, August 15, 2023

Special Guests DM Blackwall and DM Nate

Horde Wars Basic is available on BGE

Campaign Analysis: So, you all meet in a bar.

1. Should Pcs be generated together (“session zero”) or individually/separately?

2. Should the Pcs know each other?

3. Many ways to start a campaign (the first adventure):

1. In a tavern with a mysterious stranger.

2. Hired as Caravan guards.

3. In media res.

4. Mission Impossible- your mission if you choose to accept it. No reason. Module or homebrew…just begin.

5. Full sandbox: players choose their starting place and see if the PCs meet up, maybe via some sort of event?

1. Jazzing up these beginnings:

1. Mysterious meeting with hermit sage outside the city.

2. PCs are mercenaries on a merchant ship defending against Pirates.

3. PCs are the only survivors of a battle on a hilltop.

4. PCs begin at the entrance of … (insert module or adventure)

5. PCs are lead to an alchemist who turns out dead ...

D&D Weirdness: Randomness

Why are we in the RPG sphere so attached to randomness?
The need for some element of failure/success
The random elementbrings excitement.

Removes arbitrary choices.
Combining success/failure with severity of effect:
Rolling a hit then getting 1 damage on a random roll, for instance?
Lean into randomness to improve the experience:

Make the success roll pivotal so it influences the effect, like the way crits work.

Dice Superstitions

Unlucky/lucky dice and players.

Don’t touch another gamer’s dice.

Put new dice through rituals to make them roll well

Must have dice of one-color set.

Roll with specific dice every time.

Random Geek-itude

Big Geek Con: September 22-23, 2023, at the Four Points Hotel in Saginaw, MI

Big Geek Adventures: Tragedy at Taigon’s Falls is done and will be posted on BGE soon!

Horde Wars Basic: https://biggeekemporium.com/product/horde-wars-basic/

Find Horde Wars at Grand Con: https://www.grand-con.com/exhibitors-2023

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