Articles from August 2010
Posted by Ravyn on August 21, 2010
I talked a lot this week about the introduction of new players to a system in general and a game in particular. I’ve reason: my game was supposed to add two this week (we canceled due to a couple of scheduling conflicts, though). Both are people I’ve gamed with before, in different online contexts, but [...]
Categories: For Roleplayers, Impractical Applications |
Tags: impractical applications, loose threads, new players | 
3 Comments »
Posted by Ravyn on August 20, 2010
A picture paints a thousand words; a picture with context can say a lot about a game; but explanations of the random sketches of an artist-gamer can say the most of all. In this series, I look at the just-had-to-draw-them images distilled from my games: what they are, what they mean, why they demanded drawing, [...]
Categories: For Roleplayers, For Writers, Tales from the Sketchbook |
Tags: roleplaying, Tales from the Sketchbook, Tsubame, writing | 1 Comment »
Posted by Ravyn on August 19, 2010
It’s rough being a new player in an unfamiliar system, particularly when there isn’t much time to learn, or you’re the only one who’s functionally a new player. Particularly when there are two ways of figuring out what you’re supposed to be doing; look through the book again, and ask questions. (Probably ask questions; I [...]
Categories: For Roleplayers, Player Advice, RPGs for the Uninitiated, The Real World |
Tags: new players, questions, roleplaying | No Comments »
Posted by Ravyn on August 18, 2010
Another one for RPG Blog Carnival.
The most intimidating thing about a new player joining a game, particularly an old game, is the knowledge barrier—not only for the newbie, who has to absorb all the requisite information, but for whoever brought the newbie in, usually the GM. After all, that’s the one who has to make [...]
Categories: Concepts, For Roleplayers, GM Advice, Technique, The Real World |
Tags: knowledge, new players, roleplaying, RPG Blog Carnival, teaching new systems | No Comments »
Posted by Ravyn on August 17, 2010
Playstyle, I think, is one of the likeliest things to drive a group apart. When you’ve got a full group on the same style, and on the same wavelength with the GM, it goes well. When you don’t…. well, you’ve got one person cursing things another was directly encouraging, the GM’s about ready to scream [...]
Categories: Description, For Roleplayers, GM Advice, Mood, Technique, The Real World, Voice and Style |
Tags: game tone, new players, roleplaying, show don't tell | 1 Comment »
Posted by Ravyn on August 16, 2010
RPG Blog Carnival this month, over at Evil Machinations, is on teaching the game to new players, whether they’re raw beginners or just inexperienced with your particular system.
I’ve had a lot of occasion to learn this one from my end. I see the game and its immersion as the main end, and the mechanics as [...]
Categories: For Roleplayers, GM Advice, Motivation, Technique, The Real World |
Tags: maintaining interest, new players, roleplaying, teaching new systems | 5 Comments »
Posted by Ravyn on August 15, 2010
We’ve spoken about having allies, even having friends. But that’s not all. There is one thing can be the greatest ally to any Hand of Darkness; one force that bestows greater longevity than a thousand mysterious artifacts; one thing that should be sought, taken advantage of, and a part of your plan from the beginning. [...]
Categories: Generic Villain |
Tags: advice for antagonists, Generic Villain, status quo | No Comments »
Posted by Ravyn on August 14, 2010
I talked a while ago about a fight I’d run in my solo game, where the sole (and rather noncombatant) PC Kiriko was witness to a fight between her two allies, three enemies, and, at the very end, a third NPC. It was a formless, initiativeless, and pretty much unscripted fight, involving a whole lot [...]
Categories: For Roleplayers, Impractical Applications |
Tags: group scenes, impractical applications, Kiriko | No Comments »
Posted by Ravyn on August 13, 2010
Yesterday, I talked about how a GM or a writer can keep from misplacing characters in a character-dense scene. But while it’s harder for someone who controls multiple characters to keep perfect track of all of them, it’s still possible for even a PC to be misplaced in a scene. Everyone’s talking too fast, it’s [...]
Categories: Dialogue, For Roleplayers, Player Advice, Technique |
Tags: group scenes, keeping track of characters, player tips, roleplaying, writing | No Comments »
Posted by Ravyn on August 12, 2010
One of the biggest problems with having four or five people operating in the same scene, regardless of its type, is the risk that the better-imaged ones will take over and the less-definite ones will get lost in the shuffle. A couple days ago, UZ asked how to avoid that without creating a completely patterned [...]
Categories: Concepts, Dialogue, For Roleplayers, For Writers, GM Advice, Technique |
Tags: combat, conversations, group scenes, keeping track of characters, roleplaying, writing | 4 Comments »