Author Topic: questions about P&P RPG game play (Read 2626 times)

tarock ashar · « **on:** October 31, 2003, 12:27:33 AM »

Ok. I have some questions

First off
So far with the rpgs I have played (that being D&D) I have used a board and little peices to play. The Game play seems to revolve around playing on the board.

But I have been thinking of other ways to play without a board. I was thinking of trying a more Zork TExt Adventure type of map.
for those who are not familiar with text adventures basicly you have a bunch of squares connected by lines. Up is north, down is south, left is west and right is east. Each square have a name.

I was thinking of playing like this. With the DM describing each square when the player enters the room and having Feet or Meters as the base measurement used for interacting in the stuff in the room. Fett or meters basically take over the squares found on the board.

So the DM has a complete map and as the player's play he draws the square with a name and describes it and puts lines going out to other places they can go. As the players explore they connect all the lines with squares.

this will make the most sence to people who have played zork and/or text adventures.

I have more questions on P&P game play (I think the nexts ones are mor theoretical game play rules)

But I am tired and gonna go to bed now.
Night all.

Ria Hawk · « **Reply #1 on:** October 31, 2003, 12:57:49 AM »

Actually, I think that what you described is fairly close to a regular tabletop/p&p game. I know that when I play realside, the gm has a map, but the players never see one, nor do they need to. I suppose it depends on what level of description you like, and what your players want.

manfred · « **Reply #2 on:** October 31, 2003, 05:59:44 AM »

Quote from: "tarock ashar"

I was thinking of playing like this. With the DM describing each square when the player enters the room and having Feet or Meters as the base measurement used for interacting in the stuff in the room. Feet or meters basically take over the squares found on the board.

Like Ria said, it all depends on the level of detail you want at the given moment. Most of the time, you even don't need to tell the actual size of the rooms (very few eyes are that good... ), unless they measure it. Of course, intense combat may need a map, at least for the location.

Yes. The game play does not revolve around the board. It is in your mind and the players' minds. Use whatever you and your players are comfortible with.

CaptainPenguin · « **Reply #3 on:** November 01, 2003, 05:12:33 PM »

Uuh....I've never played an RPG with pieces and a board, except for Warhammer.

MoonHunter · « **Reply #4 on:** November 02, 2003, 12:45:19 AM »

For CP: Change the words Board for Battle Mat/map and Pieces for Miniatures, and I think you might of done it.

I play in narration, using no maps/ markers until I have a tactical situation that movement/ initiative/ speed/ and exact actions must be measured.

If I am running a tomb raiding or infiltration, my personal maps are little boxes connected by lines, with no real measurements. I know about how big they boxes are by the descriptions/ flavor text (See CueCards and Riffing) and draw the map up as I need it. They are designed in much the same way as Zork text maps and rooms are done.

Most of my players do not need a map and markers to visualize the situation. When we do need one, we draw out a crude one and mark the locations inthe room and use dice to show where the mobile people/ things are.

My players also trust me. They know I will not screw them over with positioning and space, because normally we do not keep track of exact positioning and space. If you are going to run a game without a map or battleboard, you need to de-emphasize the "playing field" aspect of the game.

Strolen · « **Reply #5 on:** November 10, 2003, 05:28:01 PM »

I have alternated between actually drawing the map and making the players draw the map from the descriptions.

Sometimes it is funner to make them keep track. Then when you erase the portion and they didn't copy it they have the opportunity to get lost

Not really though, but I make them sweat. In most cases the character knowledge will be adequate to get them out (memory or tracking ability) so that the players that aren't as smart as their characters don't get screwed.

Ylorea · « **Reply #6 on:** November 11, 2003, 01:43:43 AM »

I pretty much play like moonhunter.

Just for the fun of it, we tend to play our battles with miniatures. This also helps in understanding that it is not possible to sneak attack the goblin who is attacking the paladin, since there is little or no objects to hide behind.

But for the larger scale travel, most of the time I do not present my players with a map.
On the other hand, they have taken an hour to survey a valley, two sessions ago, so I did create a map for that... (scale: each hex is about 1/2 a mile)
With rough indications of a total of 10 goblin camps and the location of a floating castle.

On the other hand, on my internet site, you will find maps of most of the described islands. Knowing the general directions on the various islands does help a bit to have a understanding of your world I think.

In the end, I think it is best to follow what you feel comfortable with. And you are right, once the boards come onto the table, very quickly the game starts to be a boardgame and some of the roleplay goes away.

Yours, Ylorea

nitouken · « **Reply #7 on:** November 13, 2003, 09:55:13 AM »

BTW, Ylorea, in every system I play, Flanking allows sneak attack, but that is beside the point. I use a strange hybrid system. I hand the players a large tactical scale battlemat (Whatever the largest Crystal Caste is, I don't remember), and then describe it to them. That way we have a tactical map, so when they pace off rooms, I give them the dimensions, and then if they mess up, they are up a certain creek, sans paddle. It works well, allowing dungeons to be nice and tactical, but no maps elsewhere, unless they specifically draw one and survey, as Ylorea mentioned.

EDIT: And my players have gotten very good at playing by description, so we don't actually need the map anymore, but we are initiating a newbie, and she needs to be able to see the map. I find that for experienced players, it works just as well either way.

Ylorea · « **Reply #8 on:** November 18, 2003, 09:04:02 AM »

Quote from: "nitouken"

BTW, Ylorea, in every system I play, Flanking allows sneak attack

Ehhr not exactly, the roque was not flanking the goblin, as she was using a bow.
Now in D&D you can only sneak a opponent when you are flanking or when the opponent is flatfooted......

Reading sometimes is hard, but it is besides the point here.

I do agree that experienced players should not need to see what they are doing, but in my group everybody (including the experienced players) like to "battle it out" on a map, so we use it.

Yours, Ylorea

tarock ashar · « **Reply #9 on:** December 31, 2003, 12:14:09 AM »

Ok. Sorry for not posting a reply eralier. I was meaning to become more active but as you can see I have yet to be more active.
Thank you everyone who has so far replied.

Anyways I am working on my own P&P RPG (currently focusing on core rules beofre I go on to working on the setting and races but I do have a setting in mind) So my original intention is just to post some thoughts on parts that I am not too sure about, things that I would like to try but not sure if it will really work, the ify sort of stuff. If you all don't mind.

So the next thought I have that I wanted to put out in the open is a little hard to explain.

I work at a luggage store. One of the things we have is this little leg stash. Basicly it is like 4 inches big, you put it aorund your leg and you can put things like money in it. Or anything else you want to stash in it. (I bought one to keep my wallet in when i ride me bike or go on bus I dont have to worry about it falling out or being stolen that way)

But that got me to thinking. each person should have a limited amount of space to carry tiems (depending on whetehr they have backpacks, and or other things to keep items in) So far I have not seen an P&P RPG that goes into space limits for inventory. (but I have only really played D&D a little though)

So I was thinking of having a variety of backpacks and other items for putting stuff in with limits to inventory.
I know this probably is not making sence. I was thiking of applying some sort of rule for your inventory.

LIke you have a backpack so you can only carry small things that can fit in it. So then you can put some spell book or something in it. But if you dont have a back packthen you have to carry that spell book in your hands.
cant have like three swords on you unless you have something to carry them in. If you only have clothing then you can only carry waht your pockets allow. If that dagger can't fit in your pockets then you cant take it.
A more realistic look at the various tiems you might encounter and what you can do to store them.

I was thinking of catagorizing all items 1 - 10 according to weight and size of the item) Then I was thinking of giving the things like backpacks a number represetning how much they can hold. you add up the 1-10 number on the items that you put inside the backpack (or something like a back pack)
Example
POtion of healing 1
Spell book 8
Lock Picks 5
Large Potion of mana 3
backpack limit of 20

Lets say you put every one of the items listed abvoe into the back pack
Add all the numbers together 1+8+5+3=17 since the total is not above 20 it can all fit inside. an dyou have a space capacity of 3 left to put whatever does not exceed 3 into the pack.

So lets say you find three more potions of healing. Put those in your back pack you have reached its space capacity and cant put any more on it.

I have more to type but it is time for me to hit the hay. I wanted to get this out in the open. I toss it over in my head and post more.
sorry if this makes not sence what so ever.

tarock

MoonHunter · « **Reply #10 on:** December 31, 2003, 04:30:35 AM »

Go find a copy of RuneQuest, 2nd edition Call of Chthulu (non d20), or Ringworld (All from Chaosium). Those games have the encumbrance system you are describing.

(Some of the other older BRB games from Chaosium have the system as well, but they are not as clearly defined as in RQ).

nitouken · « **Reply #11 on:** December 31, 2003, 08:25:43 AM »

And if you play D&D in its 3.0, not the ebil 3.5, incarnation, you would have seen that it does have a similar system.

Strolen · « **Reply #12 on:** December 31, 2003, 05:26:04 PM »

-or- you could continue building your own set of rules if it is fun.

Everybody tweaks, changes, updates, makes their own house rules because it is fun. If you enjoy making up your own stats and are going to use them then just continue on the way you have been going.

If you find another system that fits exactly what you want then definately use it, but if not, then carry on and steal the good stuff from the systems that come close.

tarock ashar · « **Reply #13 on:** February 22, 2004, 11:38:41 PM »

Yeah I think I like what I posted above. I am kind of sleepy at the momment but I think I will more or less go with what is above. I cant really add anything to it.

I am building my own rules. The main reason I started this topic is that I am building my own rules but some of them I am unsure as to what other people who play P&PRPGs will think of them. I know of only a few peopel who like P&PRPGs and they are all new to them. So they know only from what I have told them and the times when we have played (with me being the DM)
so I wanted to run by the thoughts that I was unssrue of to people who have way more experience that I do with P&PRPGs.

so it woudl not be bad for me to take the rule concept from one PPRPG and put it into my own. Because I really want to one day publish my rpg that I am working on.

Third-Prophecy · « **Reply #14 on:** March 14, 2004, 07:06:07 PM »

With my players, I usually just read room descriptions, and they keep track by mapping... or they don't. When they forget, they learn real quick. As for miniatures? We started w/ just mass combat bein on graph paper and little risk figures, but now we'll just draw it crudely.. erasing and such. If they want, they can get their own miniature and paint it to represent their char, but we dont use them, they just sit next to their dice bags and such.