tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28751902.post4952160208693298431..comments2024-03-26T02:31:48.024-05:00Comments on Trollsmyth: What is Interesting?trollsmythhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01895349218958093151noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28751902.post-52199830699714163702015-07-16T03:52:50.516-05:002015-07-16T03:52:50.516-05:00This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11060633445047647548noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28751902.post-83383388746050497162015-07-15T17:25:01.871-05:002015-07-15T17:25:01.871-05:00Agreed, each "monster" (using the term h...Agreed, each "monster" (using the term here to indicate opposition to the characters) should be a piece of the puzzle that forms a world and story.<br /><br />This is one of the many reasons I dropped humanoid monsters (like goblins and orcs) from my campaign world. It is easier for player characters to grasp that humans, dwarves and so on, may have actual, understandable reasons and motives for doing what they are doing and are not just ebil. Even bandits and pirates have a reason for doing what they are doing and it may well be deeper than looting.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28751902.post-63923993357265702512015-07-15T13:35:36.396-05:002015-07-15T13:35:36.396-05:00Any monster that's only seen through the lens ...Any monster that's only seen through the lens of combat is doomed to become boring.<br />Clever descriptions and reskinning 50 different types of golem doesn't help. <br />A good monster is part of a bigger story, a good monster can tell you things.<br />When I think of great monsters in books and films very few of them just show up to fight. <br />Good monsters have a tale to tell, they're part of bigger story and they KNOW things. Goblins generally have crappy treasure and aren't worth much XP... but goblins thrive in the dark places of the earth where most humans can't/won't go. They are chock full of secrets... and they'll share them if you can stay out of their cookpots and figure out their discordant chatter that seems so nonsensical at first.<br />Good monsters also WANT things... and not just the flesh, blood and souls of virgins and babies. <br />Combat really does seem to me the most boring and lazy way of interacting with a sentient creature. It's one of the reasons I favor systems that make combat dangerous and therefore a last resort. <br />Timmy Crabcakeshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14737954661234574830noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28751902.post-3510046168886066832015-07-15T09:03:23.141-05:002015-07-15T09:03:23.141-05:00I definitely concur with you that it's crucial...I definitely concur with you that it's crucial to make monsters a part of the world, taking action and having an effect on their surroundings. <br /><br />One of the best discussions of monster integration that comes to mind for me is Evan's XCOM method: http://inplacesdeep.blogspot.com/2013/04/monsters-in-your-campaign-x-com-method.html<br /><br />This winds up doing two things: providing a slow drip of information as to the capabilities of the various monsters, and allowing the players to ultimately make decisions about how to best confront / interact with their foes. <br /><br />Also, I'm not sure that there's THAT much difference between your notes here and Jack's outlook. His reskins use old stats, certainly, but the way that the monster interacts with the world hits either fairy-tale logic (black shuck) or noticeable impact on the world (Arachne sisters, if you spend a little more time on them). Allandaroshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01046079318999891967noreply@blogger.com