tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28751902.post6136419437918822379..comments2024-03-26T02:31:48.024-05:00Comments on Trollsmyth: Mysterious Magical Itemstrollsmythhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01895349218958093151noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28751902.post-36792877407530438332008-09-20T16:30:00.000-05:002008-09-20T16:30:00.000-05:00Thanks, Nick. As I get older, and my gaming time ...Thanks, Nick. As I get older, and my gaming time becomes more precious, I find I'm pushed to make my game more efficient. By this, I mean I need to accomplish more with less: less time, less background, less detail. I have to paint in broader strokes and trust my players to fill in the details, which can be tricky since I prefer odd settings. <BR/><BR/>One way I accomplish this is to make sure the things I do use in my game accomplish multiple goals at once. The treasure map not only points to another adventure location, but hints at the history of people buried there. The emerald and sapphire necklace is not only a simple bit of jewelry worth 500 gp, but the pattern of the stones contains a hint on how to penetrate the inner crypts. And my magic swords are not just bonuses to damage, but also reasons for the players to dig more deeply into the setting.<BR/><BR/>Yeah, I know that's not quite what you were talking about, but they are related, and I got to what you said by way of what I just wrote here. But as you say, players are very good at focusing on what really matters when the dice hit the table. "Blah, blah, blah, go to Whispervine Vale, blah, blah, blah, bring me back seven troll ears, blah, blah, BLAH, blah, blah..." If it's not important, it's not retained. So you need to make it important, and make sure the players understand it's important.<BR/><BR/>Nice start on <A HREF="http://sepiasnakesigil.blogspot.com/" REL="nofollow">your blog</A>. I love the title. Can't wait to see what you and your players do with LL.<BR/><BR/>- Briantrollsmythhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01895349218958093151noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28751902.post-77217933940255188732008-09-20T11:02:00.000-05:002008-09-20T11:02:00.000-05:00I really like the way you put it- that you have to...I really like the way you put it- that you have to make details matter.<BR/><BR/>It's not fair to get mad at players or DMs for ignoring the juicy little details you put into your creations, when it doesn't make a difference to anybody involved.<BR/><BR/>Good reading!Nick Crayonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17075159116888738920noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28751902.post-13629250036251689262008-09-11T21:38:00.000-05:002008-09-11T21:38:00.000-05:00Thus further argument for the idea that ALL magic ...Thus further argument for the idea that ALL magic items should be, in some way, unique, even with regards to something as mundane as their mechanics - i.e., there should never be a simple "+1 Long Sword". Give even such a simple magic item a bit of a tweak, such as having it generate blue light in a 10' radius upon command, and players will remember it for more than just it's bonus to hit and damage.<BR/><BR/>Thinking back to the Dragonlance stories, the one thing I remember about Raistlin's staff isn't the statline it has in the rulebook, it's the word "Shirak" and how it made the crystal orb in the dragon's claw glow. It's little things like that, which make magic items cool.Jack Badelairehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10932441028544500024noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28751902.post-45853177793492027992008-09-10T15:58:00.000-05:002008-09-10T15:58:00.000-05:00Oh yeah, LotR is a great example. Anduril, reforg...Oh yeah, LotR is a great example. Anduril, reforged from shards of Narsil, is Sauron's bane and a symbol of the rebirth of the line of Numinor. It is part of what gives Aragorn the authority to command the undead traitors his ancestor cursed. Having your magic items reflect the themes and plot, assuming you're using such things, is another way to make them more than just slottable bonuses.<BR/><BR/>- Briantrollsmythhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01895349218958093151noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28751902.post-87027170704575254172008-09-10T08:14:00.000-05:002008-09-10T08:14:00.000-05:00Burning Wheel has a pretty cool mechanic for using...Burning Wheel has a pretty cool mechanic for using magic. Basically spellcasters make a skill test after each successful spell; if they fail it, their Willpower analog stat starts decreasing, with requisite narrative effects. Our spellcaster character ended up limping around on a cane, not because it was a +3 Staff of Striking, but because he needed the sucker to keep himself upright.Patrick W. Rollenshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12832604648690667589noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28751902.post-59445151066586747962008-09-10T07:15:00.000-05:002008-09-10T07:15:00.000-05:00Certainly interesting ideas. Usually my group doe...Certainly interesting ideas. Usually my group doesn't get much into the history of the world when we play, and this would have the secondary effect of possibly creating some interest there. To be honest, I should have thought of this as well; part of the reason I went on that spiel was that I had been reading The Lord of the Rings again, with all the legendary blades that people carry and use for the entire campaign.<BR/><BR/>Re: Magic doing more than it's supposed to, my group uses that basically as a way of making encounters more fun. It's perhaps dulling the mage's power in a bar brawl a bit, but flinging <I>Fireball</I>, or even <I>Burning Hands</I>, around tends to light everything on fire and get everyone arrested. In the forest, nothing happens because it slows things down.<BR/><BR/>Anyway thanks for the post and ideas here, interesting stuff.Davidhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10546100677119484489noreply@blogger.com