Add this one house-rule, multiply your fun by ten!

I’m all about fun (that’s why we play the game, right?). So, let me talk about how adding one little house-rule can will add so much fun to your game. Ok, sure. Not everything appeals to everyone, but I’m going to add this house-rule to every game I run from now on…

In the past, I’ve cut up so many games and then put them back together according to “my vision,” all so that I could make the “perfect” game. Yes, had I been a pupil of Dr. Frankenstein, I would have made him proud. And no, my creations never delivered as expected, really. Actually, they usually ended up a bloody mess.

So, I vowed never to mess with games again. Until now…

We have a Playing with FATE series here at the Shack where we talk about and explore Mike McConnell’s “any setting” Strands of FATE (SoF). Aspects are such a large component of the game, yet are so easy to explain and implement into your own game, that I think it’s imperative for you to consider adding it.

“Sure, sure. But I don’t want to convert my game…”

I’m NOT talking about converting your game to FATE; I’m talking about adding one little part of it to your current game. Hey, if an aspect is so cool, if aspects are the mechanic of FATE, and if aspects make FATE incredibly fun, then why not take a small slice of that and add it to your game? It’s super easy to do, especially since we’re only giving your character one aspect.

  1. Really quickly, I’m going to explain what an Aspect is,
  2. explain why it’s so beneficial (to almost any game),
  3. and show you how easy it is to implement it into your favorite game.

Part 1:

We’ve talked about FATE and Aspects several times here, so this part is for those of you who are new to the concept. An aspect is a single phrase that says something significant about your character. This phrase is something that you (the player) would like to see come up in the game (usually often). Strong as an ox and Bound by the Jedi Counsel are two such aspects (I just made them up).

When a situation comes up in the game, and you think your aspect is relevant, spend a Fate Point to gain a bonus to whatever roll is appropriate. If you’re Strong as an ox, you might gain a bonus to melee attacks, withstand charge attacks, break down doors, etc. You could also get an occasional bonus to endurance or to resist poison. All you have to do is say why you think the aspect applies to the situation, and spend your Fate Point.

To replenish your Fate Points (or bank new ones), you need your aspect to work against you. For example, Strong as an ox implies strength and endurance, but it also implies slow and not very agile. So if you are making some sort of acrobatic stunt, you (or the GM, or even another player) can suggest that because you’re sometimes not very agile, you might get a penalty to certain checks (even if your stats say you’re very agile). Remember, taking a penalty gets you Fate Points, which are used to gain bonuses for your aspect.

To read further about how aspects work, check out this very informative article.

Part 2:

Ok, so you have the basic idea of what an aspect is and how it works, but why include it in your game? Because it’s one part of your character that may never make it into the story otherwise. An aspect adds more depth to your character. It makes your character unique in what could otherwise be a sea of cookie-cutter vanilla PCs. It helps you bring out the intricacies of your character, not because you’ve written down a piece of descriptive text, but because that descriptive text is now part of the mechanic of the game (Fate Points, bonuses, and penalties).

As aspect enhances your character with regard to making him more real, simply because the Fate Point mechanic encourages it to be brought into the story. I can put an 18 into my character’s Strength stat, but saying that he’s Strong as an ox (and having that come up in the game in creative ways) just says something so much more about him. It brings him so much more alive.

Part 3:

Under the Strands of FATE rules, using an aspect normally grants either a +2 or -2 modifier (which is a big modifier considering how FATE dice are rolled). And, since you would normally have at least 10 aspects, they would be coming into play constantly. This makes aspects a huge part of the system’s mechanic, and necessitates that the modifier be big.

I suggest you incorporate only a single aspect for your character, and that the modifier remain relatively small. As a house-rule, it’s important to not rock the boat too much. At this point, adding several aspects and/or large modifiers can simply be too heavy for games that don’t normally carry this concept.

For games like Shadowrun and Dungeons & Dragons (any edition), I’d say that a modifier of +2/-2 would do just fine. I also think that starting the session with one Fate Point is appropriate. One aspect, and one Fate Point – I think that is perfect as a house-rule. After you get comfortable with the house-rule (and if your group likes it), I’d say make two aspects for your character, and start the session with two Fate Points. And remember, you can get extra Fate Points by having your aspect used against you (a tactic that the smart player will utilize often).

If the GM wants to take it a step further, he can assign his major NPCs, major villains, and major monsters an aspect also (and yes, they can be used against monsters in the same way that a player’s aspect can be used against him).

That’s it. It’s that easy. Talk it over with your group and try it out. I really don’t think it will break your game, and will actually add loads of fun to it.

If you have any questions, read up on our Playing with FATE series for inspiration, or ask us questions below.

Good luck! (not that you need it).

Winners Announced for our $44 Giveaway!

All right…we had a giveaway for two Tourqen Panther Exotic Mounts, and then we upped the prize pool (an additional $15 worth of stuff from our Store, total of $22 worth of stuff, x2 winners). All you had to do was leave a comment, and you got extra chances by following us on Twitter @stuffershack, becoming a Tourq Stevens Facebook Friend, or a Tourq Stevens Google+… person.

Our winners were picked randomly, and they are

Sean Holland

and

Capn Frank

Sean Holland runs Sea of Stars RPG Design Journal, and Capn Frank is… well, an avid gamer! They both win a Tourqen Panther, plus $15 each worth of stuff from our Store.

Congratulations to both of you!

FantasyMuse App: A Review!

I’m not really an app kind of guy (I’m pretty sure app is short for application). I’m simply way behind the curve when it comes to iphones and apps, that there’s no hope for me to catch up. My son, however, got an Ipad a few months ago, and I’ve since developed an unhealthy obsession with Litebike 2, so at least I’m not completely oblivious.

Recently I had the chance to try out an app called FantasyMuse. I had to have my wife help me download it, not because it was hard to download, but because I usually have to ask her for help with such things. She showed me what to do, and it was actually a cinch. Hey, I have a deficiency in Technology (-5), so this was a milestone.

Not knowing what to expect, I found FantasyMuse super easy to use, and pretty darn convenient – well worth the $1.99 that I didn’t pay for, but would have.

Ok, but what does it do?

“This universal iOS app generates three types of content specifically for writers of fantasy fiction and roleplaying game material. The app can generate millions of different character outlines, factions and quest seeds, and the app allows you to save your favorites via email or simply using the clipboard on your iPhone or iPad.”

Basically, if you need a quick idea for a character or an NPC, a group or faction, or even a quest, one push of a button is all you need. For example:

To me, this is something that I could definitely benefit from. As a player, it could give me ideas for not only my character, but my character’s friends, family, acquaintances, and enemies. I might use the Faction generator as something that I belong to (or once did), and the Quest generator as something that I’ve attempted in the past.

Of course, a game master would get MUCH more mileage out of this program than a player. Quests can be fun little sidesteps that distract the PCs from the over-arching adventure, or be inspiration for an entire campaign. As for Characters and Factions, well, I can’t tell you how many times that I (as the GM) have produced the same cookie-cutter NPCs and enemies – this stops that rut in its tracks, pronto. Your NPCs and villains will certainly be different and fresh, making them much more memorable.

I’ve seen other random generators before, but this one rarely (if ever) produced silly results. For me, the meat of it would be the Character generator, as I would use that on-the-fly in practically every session I ran (the world is filled with NPCs, after all).

This app is designed for both iPhone and iPad

  • $1.99
  • Category: Utilities
  • Released: Aug 19, 2011
  • Version: 1.0
  • Size: 1.2 MB
  • Language: English
  • Seller: Rasmus Rasmussen
  • © 2011 Rasmus Rasmussen
Rated 12+ for the following:

  • Infrequent/Mild Alcohol, Tobacco, or Drug Use or References
  • Infrequent/Mild Mature/Suggestive Themes
  • Infrequent/Mild Cartoon or Fantasy Violence

Requirements: Compatible with iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad. Requires iOS 4.0 or later.

I wholeheartedly recommend this app. And the fact that it costs only $1.99 is icing on the cake (I don’t really know what other apps cost, though). I apologize for not having more examples of it’s random results, but I guess the free code I got was only temporary. Bummer. I’ll have to ask my wife how to buy it!

Win even more stuff! $22 worth! Today only!

This contest has closed. See the winners!

I have two favorite exotic mounts, the Bison and the Tourqen Panther. They’re both so freaking cool, and I can’t wait to use them.

Well, the Tourqen Panther is brand new, and tomorrow we’re giving two of them away. All you have to do for a chance to win is leave a comment below. If you want to a greater chance of winning, all you have to do is pledge your life-long friendship to us via Facebook, Google+, and/or Twitter!

But wait! Let’s give away more stuff!

Sure. why not?

Instead of coming up with combinations of prizes, I figured I’d leave it to the winners. So, if you win, you get the Tourqen Panther +$15 bucks worth of stuff from our Store. That’s $22 bucks worth of stuff! Plus, we’re going to have two winners!

Large-sized, 2-inch base

The Rules:

  1. You’ll get a chance to win if you leave a comment below.
  2. You’ll get an additional chance to win if you follow @stuffershack on Twitter.
  3. You’ll get an additional chance to win if you are a Tourq Stevens Facebook Friend, or a Tourq Stevens Google+… person.
  4. You’ll get an additional chance to win if you leave a comment under Brian’s article, “Tourqen Panther (steal this mount).”
  5. The free giveaway contest ends on Monday (Sept. 12), at 11:59 pm (Pacific). That’s tonight!
  6. Winners will be picked randomly.
  7. I pay for shipping in the U.S. For international winners, I pay for half of shipping, and the winner pays the other half (probably around $3.00 to $5.00). If the cost of shipping is more than $10, that means you probably live on the moon, and you’re out of luck (you’ll have to pay for shipping).
  8. If you find a way to cheat to increase your chances of winning, well, then you’ll increase your chances of winning.
  9. Stuffer Shack Staff are not eligible.

Good luck! And don’t forget to come back tomorrow to see who our winners are!!

Tourqen Panther (steal this mount)

You never see the Kathari elves until it’s too late. Quiet, they are, and quick as any man. Old King Draten thought to keep his men safe by only allowing mounted riders down the forest roads. That’s when the elves started training their cats. . .

These panthers are twice as large as regular pack leaders, and dark as the moonless sky. Their claws appear to be made of obsidian, with an eerie black shine, but suffer from no brittle state. When viewed in bright light, tendrils of darkness seem to waif up from below their rippling forms.

Loyal Companions

All panthers are fierce predators that no fey would want to face down in combat. The Kathari elves have been training the beasts for generations as hunting animals. Moving stealthily, side by side with the elven warriors, they could quickly take down prey or those who might intrude on their woodland homes.

When the humans began sending teams of mounted warriors trampling through their lands, and upsetting the primal spirits there, the elves again looked to the panthers for aid. One of their shamans gave up his mortal life to the great fire spirit, Tourq, in exchange for the remarkable transformation of their cats. No longer would they hunt by the elves’ side, but were now large enough to carry their hunting partners on their backs. Their powerful legs could keep up with any human horse, and tear open their soft flesh even faster.

Curse of Shadow

The Tourqen panthers generally sleep during the day, and seem unnaturally restless if forced to hunt while the sun still shines. This may be a trait shared by other, more normal cats, but for the Tourqen Panthers, it is readily apparent.

Today, some Kathari elves believe that Tourq was not truly a spirit of fire, but an ancient dark fey lord, trapped away in the shadowfell. Some say Tourq hoped that by having agents amongst the elves he could slowly seduce them with visions of dark power, and eventually use them to enact a ritual so that he could escape the shadowfell, and again terrorize the realm of man. He supposedly planted a sliver of his presence in these great cats during the ritual, but did not account for the will of these proud creatures, or their devotion to their elven masters.

Whether the story is true seems to matter little. While these panthers may walk a dark path, they still bear a stronger connection to the natural world. Those who command creatures of shadow will find no ally among them.

Featured image of panther (top) by J Alvarrsson. Black Panther Blue Night artist unknown.

Free Giveaway: New Exotic Mount: The Tourqen Panther!

This contest has closed. See the winners!

I’ve been gaming for years, and in that time my characters or enemies have gotten into many, many fights while riding a mount of some kind (usually a horse). For most gamers, I think that when the fight starts, most of us either forget or gloss over our mounts. This really changed when D&D 4e came out, as we suddenly had several mounts to choose from, and they had actual, usable combat stats (and rules to support mounted combat). Hey, at the very least, a mount lets your character move faster and farther in combat.

So, a couple of years ago I found a way to add mounts to our combat encounters by putting together Horse Minis. They worked out extremely well as they immediately added a new element to the game, enhancing combat and adding tactics (plus, they’re cool-looking). And (of course) I started selling them on Stuffer Shack, because they’re just too awesome not to share.

After a little while I was able to start providing Exotic Mounts, which complimented the Horse Minis perfectly. They cost a little bit more for me to acquire than the horses, but they fill a cool niche that really brings out that high-fantasy feel. I mean, how cool would it be to ride into battle on a griffon, unicorn, drake, great wolf, or even a freaking bison?!

I just made available in our Store a new Exotic Mount, the Tourqen Panther (large-sized, 2-inch base). Brian Liberge thought up the name (I swear), and wrote up a “Steal this Mount” article for tomorrow. This panther is simply too freaking cool. I want to make a new, darker character just so that he can ride into town on a freaking great cat. Personally, my top two favorites are the bison, and this cat.

I have a few other exotic mounts sitting around the office, but I don’t think they’re cool enough to sell on Stuffer Shack (who wants to ride into combat on the back of a giant goat?

The Tourqen Panther Mount is $6.99 (like the other exotic mounts), and shipping in the U.S. is always free. It comes with sticky tack so that your character will stick to the mount’s base securely, and don’t forget that tomorrow Brian will post a “Steal this Mount” article for it (including a stat block). It’s actually kind of cool.

So, let’s give two Tourqen Panthers away!

The Rules:

  1. You’ll get a chance to win if you leave a comment below.
  2. You’ll get an additional chance to win if you follow @stuffershack on Twitter.
  3. You’ll get an additional chance to win if you are a Tourq Stevens Facebook Friend, or a Tourq Stevens Google+… person.
  4. You’ll get an additional chance to win if you come back tomorrow and leave a comment under Brian’s article, “Tourqen Panther (steal this mount).”
  5. The free giveaway contest ends on Monday (Sept. 12), at 11:59 pm.
  6. Winners will be picked randomly.
  7. I pay for shipping in the U.S. For international winners, I pay for half of shipping, and the winner pays the other half (probably around $3.00 to $5.00). If the cost of shipping is more than $10, that means you probably live on the moon, and you’re out of luck (you’ll have to pay for shipping).
  8. If you find a way to cheat to increase your chances of winning, well, then you’ll increase your chances of winning.
  9. Stuffer Shack Staff are not eligible.

Good luck! And don’t forget to come back tomorrow for Brian’s article!

Favorite site of the Month: Sept/2011

It’s a new month, which means it’s time once again to showcase one of our favorite gaming blogs…

Roving Band of Misfits is a blog dedicated to all things D&D 4e. Benoit, the main contributor and founder of the site has a certain bent towards the arts & crafts side of things, so many of the articles focus on miniatures, Hirst Arts, and making accessories for your game table. That doesn’t mean that there’s a lack of other DM inspiration on the site, though. From large scale naval combat rules to how to describe a scene for your players to the new Two Page Mini Delves series, there is no shortage of stuff to steal for your game. And of course, how could anyone miss the 18 part series on Gamma World miniatures?

In the past six months, there have also been two major expansions to the site’s content. The first is the addition of the podcast “Level Up.” In the podcast, Benoit and Hamblin discuss 4e characters – options, choices, and creation. It is aimed squarely at D&D players instead of DMs, filling a niche that most D&D podcasts don’t address. As a result, the podcast has grown very quickly in popularity. The second content expansion was the founding of the Game Night Blog Carnival. In this carnival, a group of RPG bloggers take the last Tuesday of every month to go “off topic” and review some of their favorite non-RPG board and card games. Any and all RPG blogs are welcome to join the carnival, and submissions are always open.

For a blog that’s been around less than a year, Roving Band of Misfits has accomplished quite a bit. We hope to see them continue their great content for more years to come!

Adding substance to your game: Foreshadowing

ForeshadowingTelling stories is an art that has been with us as far back as cavemen drawing on cavern walls with mud and blood. Since that time, the art has expanded through different mediums – from cave paintings to verbal orations, ballads, poems, sculptures and hieroglyphs, plays, books, movies and yes, role-playing games. It has also evolved through the use of several different literary tools – alliteration, back-story, cliffhangers, first person narrative, flashbacks, red herrings, and foreshadowing (to name just a few). This article aims to help you improve the story of your adventure or campaign by effective use of foreshadowing.

First, what is foreshadowing, really?

  • The short version: To represent, indicate, or typify beforehand.
  • The long version: “Anything that links to, or reveals a glimpse of, or a hint about, a forthcoming story point or issue of characterization, but without yet being a salient story point itself in the moment it is revealed.”

Huh?!

When an element is introduced that doesn’t appear to be the focus of the story, it has the potential to be a foreshadowed event, or realization of things to come later on.

In your role-playing game, foreshadowing can be utilized in two ways. The first is to plan for major events, plots, or people that will have a significant impact on the story later on, and hint or briefly show those things earlier in the story. These are elements that are placed deliberately and with purpose. You’re hoping that the players, at some point, make the connection between the foreshadowed event and the actual event.

  • The NPC brother of a PC (coming to save the PCs in the beginning of the adventure) can be foreshadowing the reveal of the main enemy as the same NPC later in the adventure or campaign.
  • Detailing the baron’s beautiful dagger as he uses it to unseal a scroll’s wax seal can be a foreshadowing of how the young maiden is ritually sacrificed later (with the same knife).
  • The son of a slain bounty hunter mourning the loss of his father by embracing his father’s helmet – is a foreshadowed event of the boy eclipsing his father’s greatness.

The other way we can utilize foreshadowing is by way of the “loose noose” (that’s my term, I made it). What I mean is when you introduce, or your players discover a (usually random) story element, and then you zero-in on that element as an opportunity to enhance the story – that’s the loose noose technique. The unplanned (better-than-I-had-planned) events that pop up can make you a star in the eyes of your players, and they actually require less work.

  • Mid-adventure, the PCs come across an abandoned village. Inside the first home that they search is a painting of a woman. This woman is missing an arm as if from an injury or birth defect, and the players end up being really concerned about the painting. Because of this, you (as the GM) have decided that the PCs will eventually face this woman as a major adversary. You didn’t really plan it that way, but the players think you did and revere you as a talented game master.
  • In the Warhammer Fantasy RPG, insanity is a definite possibility for player characters. At the beginning of the adventure using this game, the PCs have to visit an insane asylum. By the end of the adventure (in which was filled with many fear, terror, and insanity checks), the PCs all eventually fall insane, ending up imprisoned at the original asylum. Sure, you probably didn’t plan for that to happen, but because of all the harrowing encounters the PCs had to endure, the PCs were almost fated to end up there, making it as though you may have planned for the possibility of it playing out that way.

Stale stories are a dime-a-dozen. That’s why we have dozens and dozens of literary techniques to make stories more and more fulfilling and rewarding. Don’t think of a role-playing game’s adventure as a series of events; think of it as a fantastic and compelling story waiting to be told, and the use of foreshadowing is a great way to help make that happen.

Klaus Eagle, Priest of Sigmar – steal this background

Klaus Eagle is a proud warrior priest, devout and unrelenting. He charges fiercely into combat with every intention of smiting the enemy, or die trying. He’s young, eager to prove his worth (perhaps a little too eager), and has a very black and white view of the world. As a warrior priest of Sigmar, he favors the great hammer, heavy armor, his prayer book, and the polished skull of his first fallen enemy – not much else is needed. With these prominent affectations, his commanding demeanor, and the amount of maintenance and cleaning that he gives to his equipment, his presence never goes unnoticed. When he travels into a town or village, soldiers and guardsmen readily welcome his blessings, and commoners sleep better knowing a Sigmarite is in the area.

His official title is that of Initiate of Sigmar, though he proudly announces himself as a priest (this is to be accepted by most). It’s unusual for such a young and inexperienced Initiate to be assigned duties away from the temple, but a prominent Witch Hunter (Kade) must see something in him of value. To Klaus, it’s clearly his strength, devotion, and talent that Kade has witnessed, but to others it must be something different. Klaus sees becoming an Initiate as a giant step in restoring his family’s honor, and the fact that he has been pulled for a special assignment makes him feel that Sigmar himself is blessing him.

Where is he from?

  • Two day’s ride south of Altdorf is Bischofsheim, a small community of 200 residents that sits quietly near Frederheim (an even smaller community). It’s located where the road from Altdorf splits for Delbertz and Middenheim.

What is his family like?

  • The Eagle Clan has been feuding with the Krueger family for five generations. Both families, though not especially prominent, have ties throughout Altdorf and its surrounding communities. About a century ago, both families entered into a business deal together involving trade distribution, only to see it all crumble to pieces. Blame was handed out generously, and the two families have been feuding ever since.
  • Henry Eagle (Klaus’s father) spent much of his adult life trying his hand at a variety of high-risk ventures, usually ending in failure. Not until he was in his 40’s did he finally strike gold (silver, actually). After buying a coal mine, he soon realized it also produced silver. This was a huge slap in the face of the Krueger clan, and Henry became very popular among his relatives. However, this endeavor backfired, as the mine produced much less silver than expected. Of course, the Krueger clan had a field day with this as the Eagle family felt nothing but shame and embarrassment. To add injury to insult, working the mine has caused Henry to fall gravely ill. Now, due to his affliction of Black-lung, he is usually bedridden, occasionally tended to by his young wife, Eliza. More often than not, however, he is tended to by Helga (the loyal family housemaid).
  • Eliza Eagle is a woman of less than 30 years, though has married a man in his 60’s. For ten years she has assumed the right side of the family estate, sitting next to Henry. With Klaus finally out of the house, she is no longer burdened with assuming the role of the “motherly” stepmother. Now she has more time to manipulate her oldest stepson (Ephraim).
  • Ephraim Eagle, the eldest of three brothers, has assumed the head of household, as his ailing father can no longer run the family mine. As the eldest brother, he never really had any words of encouragement for Klaus, and in truth, showed only disappointment toward him. Ephraim is now the man of the house, and the one most in charge of the mine, but Eliza has a definite hand in his decisions.
  • Matthias Eagle, the middle brother, joined the military and fought in several battles (mostly against greenskins). Stronger and better looking than Klaus, he always felt the need to one-up his younger brother. When he came home briefly to visit the family (and show off his new rank of lieutenant), he aggressively pursued the beautiful Anna Von Tera, the young woman Klaus was just beginning to court. They wed quickly, and Matthias soon after took his bride to his new station in Altdorf. There, he has risen to the rank of captain, and Klaus isn’t sure what his brother’s new duties really are.
  • Belle de Bach. As young adults, Klaus and Belle finally overcame their childish pranks, forming a close sibling bond. As the only daughter in the family, she has been wed to Owen de Bach. Klaus and his brother-in-law, Owen, get along well, and he hopes to one day visit Grunberg so that he may spend time with the family he knows and trusts.

What did he do before he started working for a Witch Hunter?

  • Throughout his childhood and path into adulthood, Klaus could never settle on one “thing” that he wanted to be. Also, it didn’t help that his two older brothers were either always in the limelight (taking over the family business, or marrying the pretty lady and promoting through the military). So for his teenage years he simply worked in the mine with the other laborers. Ephraim was not about to put him in charge of other workers, because, “You simply haven’t the mind for it.” His life finally changed when a lone Priest of Sigmar entered the Bischofsheim grounds in pursuit of a very large beastman. With all his might and glory, the Sigmarite struck down the abomination, and was revered by the villagers for weeks. Klaus finally knew what he was going to do with his life, and how he was to restore honor to his family’s name…

How religious is he?

  • Klaus is as religious as the next Reiklander, but differs in that he understands and respects the relationship between man and the gods better than most commoners.

Who are his friends and enemies?

  • He gets along very well with his sister and brother-in-law, and is commonly at odds with his brothers. To say that he’s gotten into a few scuffles with members of the Krueger family would be an understatement.

Who does he love/hate?

  • His sister’s new family is the one he wishes he could have grown up in.

What is his prized possession?

  • Though he doesn’t have any emotional attachments to any items, he certainly takes care of his gear so that his position in the cult of Sigmar can be readily seen. He believes that a priest who stands out in his duties will achieve greatness, and possibly one day sit in Sigmar’s court (a path this bold will no doubt also bring respect to the Eagle family name as well).

Who is he loyal to?

  • With a very black and white view of the world, he is unquestioningly loyal to Sigmar, and the many priests in the cult. This will most certainly blind him in other areas, and hopefully he can find the grey area once he gains some real-world experience.