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Lord.Sorasen
2011-06-05, 02:56 AM
So, I view these forums looking for the answer to my problems, and I realize a trend. A majority of the roleplaying forum is people asking for help with their problems and advice on what may become a problem. I understand that this is the way the forum board functions, but all the same, I believed we could use something very different.

I figure we could use a thread where we thank the board for previous help, and talk of how advice given here has influenced the game for you and those around you. I thought it could be a positive bit of fun.

I want to start out: Last week I asked for help with my players not understanding my attempts at hinting to them things. I was flooded with advice, and today I tested this advice for the first time. I was able to hint that they might need the proper tools to inevitably fight these mummies off. That was enough: At the idea of treasure they took their chances with the mummies of Aurifar, and they learned what they needed to. It was a serious transformation. When the mummy told of the curse, the party's warforged acted appalled to hear they had been killing people who could not control their affliction. Roleplaying actually happened, and it was awesome. Then came a terrible fight, not terrible for it's design but terrible because a guest came at this time, and he and another party member talked about frat parties and such, stretching a single fight to a 2 hour period of boring. Then the guy who had been talking the whole time decided he was ready to leave so the group disbanded... But a beacon of light: three of the members wanted to keep going a bit longer. They actually avoided fights, going as far as to put their dice away to discourage fighting. It wasn't even about loot: they received from a drawer a journal entry, torn to pieces, with 2 missing but the rest reattachable. It was this puzzle element which kept them their, and the solving of this puzzle (which gave no exp or loot) which they considered their goal.

For the beginning few minutes, and the ending few minutes, it was incredible, and I have all you guys to thank for it. So, yeah! That's my go. I was wondering if others had stories as well.

Jornophelanthas
2011-06-05, 01:30 PM
Glad to hear that this forum has helped you.


It was this puzzle element which kept them their, and the solving of this puzzle (which gave no exp or loot) which they considered their goal.

Regarding the above, I would like to point out that solving puzzles in itself should be worth experience points (or whatever its equivalent, depending on the specific game you play). For example, in D&D traps, puzzles and other dungeon obstacles are worth XP, since they are essentially Encounters, just like hostile monsters. For another example, in Werewolf: the Apocalypse solving a (story-relevant) puzzle should prompt some Wisdom Renown.

Regardless of the game you play, you should reward your players for overcoming the obstacles you throw at them, whether it's combat, puzzles or (fully played out) negotiations with NPCs, expecially if it furthers the story.

Geigan
2011-06-05, 01:56 PM
Glad to see it worked out :D

Any thoughts on where you're taking them from here?

Lord.Sorasen
2011-06-06, 04:20 AM
They're right about the leave the prison town type thing. I think there's a "boss" of sorts left, though running is an option and it's going to be made really clear that it's an option at this point. They have enough of the letter to give them some key words. If they reach the King's private library, and search the right things given key words in the letters, they should be able to piece it together. Revealing this boss, whether they kill it or not, will answer a lot of their questions, which i think will work out really well hopefully maybe.

I'm not too fond of roleplaying exp but I might bring it in. But my group doesn't really feel a need to have it, incentive wise.

Kol Korran
2011-06-06, 08:11 AM
I'll chime in with my own "thank you" story/ies. I have come to DM a campaign after a loooooooong time of not DMing. so every once in awhile i come to the board's help. mainly in matters of either plot or dealing with game issues.

near the start of the campaign the PCs were captured. next was intended a "prison break" adventure/ scene, but two of the players got out quite well, in ingenious ways, while the other 3 decided to try and bide their time, learn more, and seek an opportunity. this is mostly due to the "harsh examples" they've seen of their captors cruelty. to make matters worse- the two escaped characters managed to througlhy humiliate the chief of the captors.

they were supposed to face grim punishment, quite possibly irrevocable torture (until they get access for high level spells)

the players showed their dislike of the idea, some began preparing new characters, so i came to the board for help.

long story short, the forumists advised to turn this into an opportunity- instead of torture, the captors recognize the characters' strength, and send them to a dangerous mission, under a curse that spell dire outcomes if they don't cooperate. this led to a fun mini adventure, and revenge on the captors, a memorable session!

other help came in the creative department, such as the discussion about the Mournland's organ peddler, and the creepy names to put on tombstones that is running around now.

so many thanks everyone! you make my fun even more fun! :smallbiggrin:

DontEatRawHagis
2011-06-06, 08:22 AM
I'd like to thank this board for a lot.

1. Helping me with my one-shot adventure that still hasn't happened yet. The group I'm in is very busy with work so the only time we can meet is Friday when we do another campaign. Since one of the members is moving later this summer I might have to push a bit to actually do it.

2. Having a place to post Funny stories as well as moments of fail.

3. Advice on Paranoia. :smallbiggrin:

Saintheart
2011-06-06, 08:36 AM
Many thanks to this board for having people do their campaign journals on Red Hand of Doom out here. Reading them was both a fun experience and a very useful exercise in creating the Handbook which is in my sig. It was also a lot of useful advice for my own RHOD campaign! :smallcool:

Toofey
2011-06-06, 03:46 PM
Why didn't solving the puzzle net them some XP?

Lord.Sorasen
2011-06-06, 05:39 PM
Why didn't solving the puzzle net them some XP?

I didn't consider it until now haha. Also we were tired and people were putting things away so the idea never came up. They literally were only staying to finish puzzle. What really I meant by the statement I made above was that my group has been very dungeon-crawl hack-'n-slash up until last session's last bit of time, so the idea that they would do something without expecting to get any metagame powers is really a change in mindset. I suppose if it's a good idea I'll start giving roleplaying exp. But the point was that there, I didn't really need to.

BluesEclipse
2011-06-06, 10:24 PM
@Lord.Sorasen: You keep calling it Roleplaying XP, but that's not what it is, really.

By solving that puzzle, the players overcame a challenge. It's no less an Encounter than fighting the mummies would have been. As such, it should result in some sort of XP award.

Roleplaying XP is awarded for significant roleplay events that take place outside of encounters. To reference a previous thread I saw here, a Paladin that refused to take items from an allied NPC that had died, and instead insisted on burying said NPC with his equipment in order to honor his death - that would, in my opinion, warrant a roleplaying XP award.

Admittedly, that's just my view on it, and I fully expect others here to disagree with me - so take this post with a grain of salt.

On Topic: I can only note that these boards have given me countless ideas for characters and campaigns, as well as teaching me optimization tricks I never thought possible.

Freylorn
2011-06-07, 12:35 AM
I'm primarily a board lurker. Occasionally I'll pop in on a thread if I feel I have something to contribute, but by and large I keep my mouth shut.

I do, however, turn here just about any time I have a question. Often times I feel like I'm an actual burden on the board, asking things without ever contributing that much back.

And yet, every single time, the board is ever polite, ever helpful, and ever pleasant. On top of that, I've learned a veritable hoard of information from lurking alone.

So for all the things I've asked and for all the things I haven't needed to, thank you, Playgrounders. You're the single greatest board I can have the pleasure of saying I belong to, and I don't expect that title to go anywhere any time soon.

Undercroft
2011-06-07, 01:51 PM
As for my thanks, a while back i asked for some advice on minions for a fleshwarper villain i was designing. I got a whole bunch of good suggestions. My players will be encountering the first of these in this week's session and i'm certain they'll have a fun time :)

Much thanks to the board for the help. Give them an idea and they'll run with it and churn up some new angles to look at it from.

Archwizard
2011-06-07, 08:25 PM
@Lord.Sorasen: You keep calling it Roleplaying XP, but that's not what it is, really.

By solving that puzzle, the players overcame a challenge. It's no less an Encounter than fighting the mummies would have been. As such, it should result in some sort of XP award.

Roleplaying XP is awarded for significant roleplay events that take place outside of encounters. To reference a previous thread I saw here, a Paladin that refused to take items from an allied NPC that had died, and instead insisted on burying said NPC with his equipment in order to honor his death - that would, in my opinion, warrant a roleplaying XP award.

Admittedly, that's just my view on it, and I fully expect others here to disagree with me - so take this post with a grain of salt.

On Topic: I can only note that these boards have given me countless ideas for characters and campaigns, as well as teaching me optimization tricks I never thought possible.

I definitely agree with this. Challenges that get overcome should result in XP.
I'm not a big fan of RP XP, I expect people to RP.

randomhero00
2011-06-07, 08:39 PM
I'd like to thank the board for being able to answer its questions! And occasionally have one answered myself!