G.M. and Player tips
Got your own tips to add or questions to ask? Well I'll be happy to assist, just e-mail me what you've got for the G.M.'s of the world.
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G.M. Tips:
-A group is too powerful, how to bring them down to size:
Ah, the classic power group, in combat if your group is just to strong or they always use psionics (i.e. paralyze) and magic on the villains just bring the down to size by having 20 henchman with the villain or large numbers of serphant rats attack them. So, if you have a powerful group on your hands the answer is not a higher level villain, add some numbers to the villains ranks. Also suggested is a large number of hidden archers, a few arrows, can cause a lot of misery. Also remember, and I know its a pain, but if the player characters are going to be paralyzing the enemies, there's nothing stopping you from having the enemies do the same thing to the P.C.'s (then listen to the P.C.'s whine because it's cheap - hehe)
Want to bring down a powerful group? Strategy is all you need. If you drop the powerhouse of the group then everyone else will panic. It is not unheard of for a villain to know a little about a PC, especially if they are high level and known. My brother has been taking advantage of out notoriety for quite some time now. Just figure out how you would beat them if you were a bad guy and go out and do it. Of course, give them a chance. (Sent in by Kevin Thorn)
-Killing P.C.'s
If your P.C.'s are dyeing before you reach second or third level then you know something's wrong. They didn't make the levels all the way up to level 15 just for the heck of it. The G.M., if he so chooses, might modify the damage so you don't die, now don't get me wrong here, this doesn't happen very often and it shouldn't. This might be used in cases in which the P.C. had little chance in preventing it. Say he was walking through a manmade cave and he set off a trap which should have killed him, but being the nice guy the G.M. is, he knows the P.C. couldn't have done a thing about it and limits the damage to the lowest possible role. Once again this is not to be used much at all. P.C.'s should be ready and pick the appropriate skills to deal with any circumstance. But... If it's their fault then read on...
Do not be afraid to kill a PC, especially if they do something incredibly stupid. We had a hard time dying for a while except by our own hands and it made things unruly. Characters were just running amuck over NPC's and charging into any fight. There was no consideration at all, just attack the enemy (and a lot of things fell into the category of enemy). It was so bad that 3 characters, 2 on horse, defeated a group of 30 Orc soldiers. People have died since, due to foolishness and there is a lot more caution even though the characters are more powerful now. (Sent in by Kevin Thorn)
-How To Keep Things Moving
To keep things moving, try 2 tactics. First, don't let people monopolize your time. If a person is always trying to get your attention, limit them to one action per turn speaking. This makes it more realistic also, since people can react to other characters actions. Second, never let them change their minds afterward. Do not fall for the, "Oh, that's not what I meant" line. It is not your job to correctly decipher the exact intentions of the PC's. It's like taking your hand off the piece in Chess - Once you say you did it, you did it. (Sent in by Kevin Thorn)
In combat, try and keep track of time and attacks. We started this practice while playing Robotech. If a character has 4 attacks a round, then he has roughly 4 secs to make that attack action. If he stalls, it is gone. This will speed up the game and make it more exciting since you have to make quick, intelligent decisions under stress. This also places a premium on thinking rather than adding up bonuses. The smart fighter will come out on top, which is usually how it works in real life. (Sent in by Kevin Thorn)
-N.P.C.'s
Try to keep the number of N.P.C.'s that travel with the group down to a minimum, there's nothing more boring to a P.C. then to sit and watch a G.M. during a battle with alot of N.P.C.'s in it. If it's unavoidable that you have a lot of N.P.C.'s what we do once a while is let the players control them DURING battle. This also pertains to "How to keep things moving".
-Improvisation
Make sure you IMPROVISE, can't stress that enough. For example.. The players are hacking through a locked door, and they want to know what the door is made of, the book might not say. So don't just say "I don't know", you think of something quickly ummm... "The door is made of rotting oak, and it's hinges are on the opposite side" That's all it takes, don't miss a beat. Make the players think that you've known this and were just waiting for them to ask it. Likewise when they ask someone's name. "Bryan" Boom... there it is. If you hesitate inexperienced players will use that to their advantage that this man they just met is not important in the adventure because you didn't know his name right off the bat. Don't give the players this opportunity.
On the same note, don't try to trick your players by pausing before you answer their questions or saying something like "I guess his name is..ummmm..Bryan" when actually you already knew, and just wanted the players to think he wasn't important. Nobody likes a G.M. who seems like he is against the players.
To make it more interesting and more realistic, don't have enemies always fight to the death, especially when they are grossly outnumbered or hurt. Enemies that have some intelligence (for instance a goblin), if he's losing the battle, he won't fight to the death. Maybe surrender or run away. Then you get to watch the players think of all the creative things to do with the goblin (With-in their alignment of course :)
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Player Tips:
-Divine Intervention
No Divine Intervention, unless a spell or psionic is used - When the group is split up the one half has no idea what the second half is doing None of this "I have an urge to take the left path up to city (A) instead of this other path to city (B)", if you know that your group is waiting at city "A" - Just flip a coin to determine the path. Always do your best to keep separate what you know as a player and what your character knows.
-New Players
Be considerate of new players. The problem with characters of varying levels is that the veterans do all the work and the new guys just stand around and watch. If there is something that the guy can do, then let them do it. There is no need for your character to be superman, just be able to extricate yourself from any sticky situations and let others give it their best shot before you pull their fat out of the fryer. If you are always telling them what to do you will not see much of an increase in the size of your group. (Sent in by Kevin Thorn)
Don't cheat. Hey, if you rolled a 3 then accept it. Don't go calling it a 13. The dice rolls are supposed to be RANDOM, let them be. Along these lines, try not to rely on the dice. The more you roll the less you are thinking. Usually there is a way to think yourself out of a situation without hacking and slashing. Of course, if you like that kind of thing (and don't we all a little?) then try to use your brain to give yourself as much tactical advantage as possible. People who engage in stand up fights usually don't stand up for long. (Sent in by Kevin Thorn)
-O.C.C. / R.C.C. Choices
Play a character you like. If you are going to be a sneaky, greedy, power mad bastard, then don't roll up a Palladin. It is moronic when people choose a class because of the bonuses only. If you want to protect the weak and defend honor, then go with a Knight or Palladin. If you are out for number one, try an Assassin or Mercenary. There is little difference in characters hand to hand, the differences come from levels, W.P.'s, and the special weapons. Please do not think that you are being original when you make up an evil Palladin or a good Assassin. Think how you want to be and mold the character to allow you to play it that way. (Sent in by Kevin Thorn)
-Playing Alignments / Disposition
Don't cry when others play their characters. If you play an arrogant, annoying, or otherwise unsavory character be prepared for the results. We had a guy who played a young female sorceress who did nothing but whine and get us into trouble. We constantly told this character to shape up and eventually just left town without her. The player was upset and felt that we had wronged him. It is not up to the players to find excuses to forgive your character. If you do something detrimental to the group then you should expect them to react adversely. It is fine for you to play your character any way you wish, just don't cry when others play their characters and bad things happen to you. (Sent in by Kevin Thorn)
-Listening to the G.M.
Listen to the GM. If you have never run a session before then pay close heed to this. GMing is hard. You have to keep track of a lot of minute details. Listen to the GM so he doesn't have to repeat himself and so the game isn't bogged down by people trying to go back 7 rounds and fix a mistake they made because they misheard. Also, don't argue every little point. Usually the GM is doing whatever he is doing for a reason. Have faith in him and let him run the game. (Sent in by Kevin Thorn)
-Power Struggles
Cut down on the compitetion. Too often gaming turns out to be a contest of who is the most powerful character in the group. Let me give you a tip. The great thing about Palladium is that it is easy to die. In other gaming systems (I decline to say which) a low level character could hack away at a high level guy and it would take forever to bring him down. If two characters fight, one will end up dead. I have seen this over and over again (okay, it is kind of fun to watch) where the almighty 20 brings someone down to size in one fell swoop. It just leads to vendettas. Once you have vendettas, things are going to go downhill quickly. (Sent in by Kevin Thorn)
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