söndag 26 mars 2017

Kickstarter for Karvosti - The Witch Hammer

Greetings, once again, from somewhere within the Tabletop Multiverse.

Today we're diving into the world of the Swedish tabletop RPG sensation known as Symbaroum. Or, more precisely, the campaign they currently have on Kickstarter, namely: Karvosti - The Witch Hammer. It is for the english translation of the adventure, which is already out in swedish.

It's been up for a few days, but still has 15 days to go on it's Kickstarter run. Not that it really needs it as it has already been funded several times over. Then again, that also shows how much people are looking forward to its release. I think it is also a general indicator of the popularity that Symbaroum in general has been enjoying ever since its launch - and with good reasons! It is a great game to play, and has garnered a lot of interest. As a result it has already been translated in a few languages.

Did you enjoy adventuring in the Chronicle of the Throne of Thorns campaign? "Karvosti - the Witch Hammer" is a freestanding sequel to that campaign, following the "Thistle Hold - Wrath of the Warden" which was the first. It is going to be 152 pages of adventure.

From the Kickstarter:

Karvosti – The Witch Hammer is the second episode in the Chronicle of the Throne of Thorns. The 152 page book is a freestanding sequel to Thistle Hold – Wrath of the Warden and will be followed by five other episodes.
It is through these campaign and adventure modules that we will keep building the world of Symbaroum; aside from an in-depth introduction to a specific region in Ambria, Davokar or beyond, each book will introduce new optional rules and features: abilities, (monstrous) traits, mystical powers and rituals, creatures, artifacts, elixirs and much more.
Looking at this second episode in particular, it focuses on the cliff of Karvosti – the age-old thingstead of the barbarian High Chieftain, located deep within the forest of Davokar. The module is divided into three sections…
The Kickstarter is doing really well. With 15 days to go they have, at the time of me writing this, 418 backers, and have so far amassed SEK 327,429 (SEK = swedish kronor). Their goal was SEK 50,000.

Take a look at it if you haven't already, and if you like it give it a pledge. It'll help them unlock more stretch goals for what I think will be another really good product from them.

And if you haven't checked out the Symbaroum game, you can do so here.

Until next time!


söndag 12 mars 2017

Player influence on the setting & GM dice rolling trends

Greetings from somewhere inside the infinite expanse of the Tabletop Multiverse.

There's been a trend in the last few year - or longer? I'm honestly not sure - to make the GM's side of playing RPGs more 'lightweight' and streamlined, putting more of the focus on the players and giving them a greater influence in helping to build the world they are playing in. Some games even put the dice rolling in the hands of the players in order to free up the GM to focus more on the storytelling.

Generally speaking I am ok with this. Though I am not sure I understand it fully. As a GM, I am generally able to focus on the storytelling anyway. The rolling of dice has never really struck me as something that detracts from that. Though others might view it differently, of course. To me, it just feels like a natural part of it, that the GM rolls for the NPCs etc.

Then again, I fully agree that dice rolling should NEVER get in the way of the storytelling. Generally speaking, unless it actually matters you don't really need to roll dice for it. I am not going to make my players roll dice for walking down the street or do something that is routine for them unless there are external factors - like stress, gunfire, slippery surfaces, jumping over a chasm, or other things - that warrants them actually making rolls.

Having players be part of the world-building process through the medium of their characters is also something that feels kind of natural to me. It generally helps to build a fantastic world in the end, that will be more memorable to all due to the natural connection that the players, and their characters, feel to the world having had a part in shaping it. Also as a GM I find that it can be beneficial as it helps bring the world to life and someone else might think of something cool that you didn't think about. Only thing to keep an eye on is really to make sure that what they, the players, want to put into the world actually fits with the setting. If you can't justify a giant mech in your fantasy setting, don't put it in just because a player thinks it would be cool. Just saying. Then again, you might be able to re-flavour it into something that could fit a bit better. Taking the mech from the example above you might be able to re-flavour it into a golem or magical construct of some sort. In the end, you as a GM have the final say, and responsibility, to make it all fit together.

If you haven't tried letting your players have a say in the world-building, I would recommend it. At least give it a try and see what you think.

Granted, I don't always do that either. I think it depends a bit on who the players are, and also some projects you want full control as a GM. For example, I am not going to let the players help me design a dungeon for a dungeon crawl. I want it to be a surprise and give them the full experience of the dungeon crawl.

I think player influence is good, but I am personally not convinced by the whole 'putting all the dice rolling in the hands of the players' thing. Granted, there are games out there who does it really well and have a well thought out system and mechanics for it. I enjoy those as well, but I think my preference will always be for the GM to be able to roll dice as well. If that makes me 'old school' by today's standards, then so be it.

Nothing can make the players nervous like the GM suddenly rolling a few dice, silently nod to him- or herself, and then continue on with the storytelling as if nothing had happened.

Then again, to each their own. I would highly recommend you try a few different systems out to see what kind of system you and your players like best. That goes regardless of whether you are relatively new to the whole tabeltop roleplaying thing, or if you have played for years but mostly stuck to the same small group of games. Nothing wrong with the latter, but it can always be good to try and experience new things.

Until we meet again, somewhere in the vast expanse of the Tabletop Multiverse.