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Morithias
2010-12-01, 04:39 AM
As anyone who has ever loved superheros and comedy could tell you, one of the best examples in this person's opinion is the battle between Superman and Mr. Myxzplk (or however it's spelled). Where Superman has to trick him into saying his name backwards to defeat him, needless to say it's not always easy as Mr. M is a reality warper who is really just bored rather than evil.

So I was thinking of putting a side character in a campaign called "Mr. Murez" (Zerum or Zero in latin backwards, as this character is literally the embodiment of rule zero able to do anything) who basically does this to the characters, has them basically play games with him (as a sidequest) in order to earn extra powers and riches (maybe even a retcon with enough wins).

So wondering has any of you ever done this? Kinda side mini-games and quests for comedy and fun. If not would you consider it? Got any suggestions?

Riva
2010-12-01, 05:03 AM
Honestly, that doesn't sound like fun at all. It sounds like you're gelding the PC's and having a GM fantasy wank all in one swoop.

I would avoid this idea by jumping through a hogshead of real fire, if need be.

Might I suggest a system lite game like Resu, or taking a break from DND and finding a copy of Paranoia? After all, friend, its against the rules for the players to know the rules*.

*Just present your players with character sheets as they walk in, it'll be fun.

Psyx
2010-12-01, 06:14 AM
It sounds like you're gelding the PC's and having a GM fantasy wank all in one swoop.


^This.


How annoying was Q in Startrek?

Very.

Morithias
2010-12-01, 06:49 AM
^This.


How annoying was Q in Startrek?

Very.

Think less "forcing them to do it" and more "Want to play a game of cards and if you win get a +2 to holding your breathe underwater?"

He's playing games, not being a jerk. They don't HAVE to do it, but let's face it, if beating a person at a game of Go would earn you another +1 for your magic sword, how many of your characters could you honestly say would turn it down?

Reluctance
2010-12-01, 07:19 AM
"Omnipotent superbeing messing with people for kicks" is an annoying trope for its own reasons. Anything operating on that level would be running pranks far wider in scope than playing scrabble with one person. Think more "guiding the evolution of a religion over centuries such that, read acrostically in the language used at its height, their most important commandments describe obscene sex acts". Anything that operates on an individual human(oid)'s scale reads like a lazy plot device.

Sidequests to upgrade your gear are alright, but ideally the PCs own efforts are a key part in said upgrade. Having to find the Celestial Forge to enhance your blade by another +1 is cool and feels like an adventure. Having to play scrabble feels like the DM is either wasting time, or would really rather be playing scrabble tonight.

Morithias
2010-12-01, 10:18 AM
"Omnipotent superbeing messing with people for kicks" is an annoying trope for its own reasons. Anything operating on that level would be running pranks far wider in scope than playing scrabble with one person. Think more "guiding the evolution of a religion over centuries such that, read acrostically in the language used at its height, their most important commandments describe obscene sex acts". Anything that operates on an individual human(oid)'s scale reads like a lazy plot device.

Sidequests to upgrade your gear are alright, but ideally the PCs own efforts are a key part in said upgrade. Having to find the Celestial Forge to enhance your blade by another +1 is cool and feels like an adventure. Having to play scrabble feels like the DM is either wasting time, or would really rather be playing scrabble tonight.

So apparently, tabletop games are the one place you can't do this. It's find to have triple triad in final fantasy 8, the slot machines in pokemon and golden sun. Etc, etc, but there's no place for such things in a tabletop game?

Sillycomic
2010-12-01, 10:34 AM
Personally I always found those side games annoying in FF. I just recently played FF 10 where I had to learn how to play Blitzball. Are you kidding me? I spend all this time figuring out combat and magic and the summoning stuff, and then you throw an entire rules system for soccer that is actually more complicated than the battle tutorial at me?

I just wanna fight monsters and advance the plot. If I wanted to play a crappy version of soccer, I would have put in a crappy soccer game.

I lost and thought to myself, "good, at least I don't have to do that anymore. Can we get on with Sin destroying innocent people please?"


I think if you should do it, you should stick with your Superman idea. Mr. Mxylptck wasn't a sidequest for Superman to get a brand new cape, he was a villain who was bored and thought messing with the rules of the universe was pretty cool.

That in and of itself could be a fun villain. A wizard that enjoys playing with physics and turning them around. It's up to the adventurers to stop him... and since he's so powerful only a battle of wits or ingenius creativity will stop him. Unsure how well that would work in a DND game. Battle of wits are easier when you are writing a story and can plan out how the hero figures out how to defeat the supervillain (maybe leaving clues, or an old adventurer who has defeated this particular mage beforehand, I don't know)

But, that aspect of it at least could be workable in a game.

And once the adventurers do defeat him, if their weapons happen to have some cool new features because of it I don't think anyone would complain that much. Win/win.

Fishy
2010-12-01, 10:37 AM
See, here's the thing, though: the party already has an evil omnipotent force rewriting the laws of reality simply to screw with them for its own amusement.

Morithias
2010-12-01, 10:39 AM
Personally I always found those side games annoying in FF. I just recently played FF 10 where I had to learn how to play Blitzball. Are you kidding me? I spend all this time figuring out combat and magic and the summoning stuff, and then you throw an entire rules system for soccer that is actually more complicated than the battle tutorial at me?

I just wanna fight monsters and advance the plot. If I wanted to play a crappy version of soccer, I would have put in a crappy soccer game.

I lost and thought to myself, "good, at least I don't have to do that anymore. Can we get on with Sin destroying innocent people please?"


I think if you should do it, you should stick with your Superman idea. Mr. Mxylptck wasn't a sidequest for Superman to get a brand new cape, he was a villain who was bored and thought messing with the rules of the universe was pretty cool.

That in and of itself could be a fun villain. A wizard that enjoys playing with physics and turning them around. It's up to the adventurers to stop him... and since he's so powerful only a battle of wits or ingenius creativity will stop him. Unsure how well that would work in a DND game. Battle of wits are easier when you are writing a story and can plan out how the hero figures out how to defeat the supervillain (maybe leaving clues, or an old adventurer who has defeated this particular mage beforehand, I don't know)

But, that aspect of it at least could be workable in a game.

And once the adventurers do defeat him, if their weapons happen to have some cool new features because of it I don't think anyone would complain that much. Win/win.

Well basically it is a battle of wills, he's just bored with reality. The bonuses are his incentive for you to keep coming back, because I really don't want to be as petty as to say "trick the guy or rocks fall everyone dies" even though that's basically canon in that episode, let's face facts, in Dnd we call that railroading and it's generally seen as a sign of bad Dming.

"I've played with commoners to and frow, but you? You're adventures, the top of the top, smarter and stronger than any average man, you my friends are what I need in my boring old life!"

Not evil. Just bored, really really bored. Living forever does that.

Arbane
2010-12-01, 02:01 PM
See, here's the thing, though: the party already has an evil omnipotent force rewriting the laws of reality simply to screw with them for its own amusement.

Fishy wins the thread. We're done here.