Game Master's need breaks too! Thrassia, the continent of the eldest families

        I may or may not add a picture to this post, most of this only calls for writing and explanation. Greetings one and all once again! I keep skirting by, posting within the next week, but perhaps not  the next week when it comes to a 7 day week...erm well that aside this is most definitely curtailed to my players whom wait with avid excitement and brimming anticipation for the next game, they are coming! I was going to say winter is coming, but that doesn't fit perfectly into this post, though winter is my more enjoyable season so more games would abound then. In any case there are some days where I sit quietly staring at my map, thinking and contemplating the next step, there are days where I play video games, incessantly. Suffice to say my thoughts are predominantly on expanding and extrapolating on my world, Entrathia! Though coming out with the latest and greatest games to tantalize and entice you, oh avid players, is not an easy task. You see, there are many many many many many many GM's whom have a small haphazardly made map, a few notes here and there, a computer paper page filled with hooks and plots, and that's all she wrote, as a manner of speaking. With each twist and turn the players take, the GM twists and turns right back, as a reed in the wind, bamboo bending to the gusts and flurries. And then there's GM's like me...I was once a GM whom swayed and twisted, formed and changed alongside the players, keeping my story on a story by story evolution, having some notes and so on. Now, I am still in a certain way very much like this, as I cannot have everything in stone or I would surely explode from the stress and anguish over players going their own route, I have learned VERY quickly that ALL GM's, and if they deny this they are damned liars, all GM's keep things somewhat vague and up in the air, in order to sway and bend with the story. (This does not include Pathfinder Modules or pre-made scenarios, exclude that for now) Now as I was saying I bend and sway, yet also I now have a fully formed world, one and a half continents currently in production, and many more being thought up and worked on as much as I am able or willing. With this static world, with towns, cities, monuments, canyons, mountains, and all manner of things within, there comes a responsibility to create a cohesive and determinate timeline and setting and people. THIS.IS.NO.EASY.TASK! Now before you attempt to prove me wrong or believe I take this WAY to seriously (and I certainly may falter on the latter, that is something I accept), here are a few things my mind begins to get jumbled on when I think of making said cities and things related. Oh that's a cool name for a city, Port City Nerux, it's kinda like Neelix from Star Trek Voyager, and that guy was the tits! Oh oh oh oh, and inn's and taverns must be made and quickly...oh crap but then when were they founded? And have any interesting things happened in those past instances, whom used to own it, was it sold or part of the original settlement that became the Port City Nerux, and what vagabonds and villains have been berthen here? How about during all those great wars? What did they do? Did they stand idly by or did they take up arms? Did they just stick it out and bar tend to the next conquering armada? Is the tavern chaotic Neutral? Does the tavern master give a feck if evil bastards come through or are they thrown out right quick? Does it have a cellar with rats in it? That's too damned cliche, how about kobolds, Why in Earus' name would there be Kobolds down there? Is there a sewer entrance? Is that done too much? Maybe it should be something else? A secret tunnel, maybe they tunneled in through a natural cave nearby? That's a long ways to go, maybe the Tavern Master knows and is hiding something, has this been a constant thing hiring less than savory creatures to be down in the cellar, what's the point? Maybe they loot foolish tavern goers, maybe this tavern is chaotic neutral, or evil for that manner. Do the guards frequent this place? Or is it just patrons? Or maybe they have a legendary brew....or perhaps are looking for one, what are the quests, religions, people, places, things things things!!! ...........Yup, that's literally about a quarter of my thought process.....on an inn, a singular inn...yup. HAH! I gotta say I did chuckle slightly at that. SO what does this all pertain to? Why, GM breaks of course, while some GM's can keep on gaming and gaming and gaming and gaming, as if they were immortal and didn't sleep and had 500 heads and shat fire, I unfortunately do none of those things, save for a lot of super hot chicken wings the night before causing the latter...:3. So alas there may come a time, and I mean this as VERY rarely, as if it were a 'mew' under that damned pickup truck you had to tip over rare! I may need to take a week or two, sometimes three, in order to gain my bearings and catch up on everything I am so behind on. Now, this is never to spite you lovely players, NEVER, rather it gives me time to improve the world, expand on topics, sort out all that mess going on up in my noggin, it's quite the mess. While on my break I will play video games, watch movies, digest foods and books about fantasy...that eventually inspire me, usually, and all sorts of things; though rest assured I am and will work on this when I am done breathing and have taken enough notes to get something down on gods damned paper. So, Game Master's need breaks too, and we most certainly will take one, this is not out of anger or being tired of you, the players, it is to catch up and expand on the world we've created, and it will almost always be about that. This world will never be finished, I've come to an understanding about this, I may get every damned year written out for Entrathia, but the future, as they say, has no limits. So there will always be things need doing, and I will endeavor to do said things, and in the end, we will all enjoy it all the more for that, at least I sure as fuck hope so :D.
        THRASSIA! Just roles off the tongue doesn't it? Well this section will be very much smaller than the last as I don't have a whole lot on Thrassia yet, but that, and Alsanaan, and the old eastern continent the Seigi No Ha-ans....ins......eans......yeah, where the Hidden Empire natives came from. That one in particular I'll dedicate a massive post to, as that continent where the Hidden Empire people originated from is quite a doozey of an epic place, something we'll all get to enjoy soon enough, trust me! As for Thrassia, what I can tell you is that it is the continent is where supposedly all sentient beings, well... Elves, Dwarves, Men, Orcs, and so forth came from. As for the veracity of said statement, perhaps we'll have a neolithic game someday, that could be fun, be part of the very first progenitors...hmmmm. Also in Thrassia, what is accepted fact is that the eldest family names dwell there, and they are immensely powerful, they control a large amount of the wealth and commerce that is traded throughout the shores of their lands and Eharlith. Oh, and Thrassia is home to dragon riders, something which will be oh so epic to doll out, I look forward to that game, and like winter, it is coming soon! ....ish. Well after I manage to finish most of Alsanaan, which I should get back to, I believe I'll probably finish Georamia, so as to have the entirety of the massive continent of Eharlith, Alsanaan, and Georamia, which are all on the same land mass, completed and I will then be working on the next big thing. So much to do, so little time, literally, makes that GM break all the more prevalent, in any case I wont bitch too much, and look forward to when I have more done and ready to have you guys enjoy thoroughly, or at least hope you enjoy. With the creation of all these lands and backstory and the millions of other things, I am only doing this because, A. it's fun and we all love it, B. I want you guys to have a GREAT and memorable experience, C. I love drawing maps, I'm a cartographer at heart. Well then, that Thrassia section was short and rather disjointed, but my mind is foggy, and I think it's high time I veg out and maybe chomp on some chocolate. I hope this helped to, once again, give you some insight as to why I do what I do, and perhaps some things which help you be better players, or GM's?! Who knows right :).
As always
Till next post, Roll your D20
Ryan    

Powering up magic users and play testing for Conventions

        Firstly, I almost missed my week promise for updating, or at least my assurance that I would endeavor to constantly update my blog every week. All is well though, as for what these two subjects, as it is evolving always into two items, proclaimed, yes! Magic users and the need to play test for my up and coming convention bout. I have the sign up I need, I have the info for the most part, now all I need is to get a two day game ready and good to run, we shall see how that evolves later, as for the Magic users though, that is something that is in dire need for being extrapolated on.
        Magic users are the quintessential component of all parties, they use spells to enhance a situation, to eradicate monsters and threats, to the be the nuts and bolts, for lack of a better term, of the party. Yet they are drastically in need of fine tuning, and while another Gamer, GM, or rule maker may have already done this and to great effect, as far as I'm concerned I shall tackle this subject, and hopefully gain some ground on giving spell casters a chance to truly shine. As for the picture, it has always held a special, albeit dark, corner in my heart, as it is a seemingly magic user with a massive tome chained about his or her neck, with glowing orb like objects behind said caster, I enjoy the look and feel. Now, as for my attempt to enhance magic casters this will be done in a simple, hopefully, process, that is by granting spell casters new and stronger feats. For too long have the spell casters had to take "Meta magic" feats only to have to spend spells one higher, with great confusion intermingling with said spell expenditure, or having to use up two or more spells for one spell enhancement. I propose a different feat type methodology that taxes or balances magic casters in a different way whilst still granting a great boon to said magic users. There shall be a variety of changes, all of which will be focused on less spell expenditure and more on balancing in other ways, a very enlightened friend of mine suggested perhaps docking AC for a round, or perhaps sapping health in exchange for a powered up spell, all of which are intriguing ideas to me, as a spell caster using a powered up spell presumably would use his or her life force or mobility in exchange for enhanced magic. All these ideas are just that, Ideas, I will mull them over, play test them in different groups, question and ask as much as possible to make sure it is powerful but not over powered "OP". We shall see how the effect takes hold of new and better feats, some I may grant as bonus feats, I may give out a pamphlet to only spell casters to grant them multi casting, POSSIBLY, all to be seen I suppose.My intent here should be fairly obvious but I will make sure to touch base on it to make sure. This is not meant to change the rules in any way, or circumvent Pathfinder, I do not enjoy their magic feats as much but I am more than exuberant, TO THIS DAY, about their system and open ended-ness of gaming and RPG's and so forth. The only major change I MAY make is that of multi casting and so forth, though if I were to do such a thing it would be under strict combat rules and so forth, the rules of Pathfinder shall remain! I just might tweak it here and there. All in all I hope it adds some selection to me fellow casters and gives them more enjoyment and variation on their choice, not being inhibited by the lack of feats or seeming uselessness whereas fighters, melee, and ranged gets all sorts of benefits, we shall see.
        Play testing, it is something I am constantly undergoing and doing with each and every single game I GM, and play to some degree. I am a sponge, while in some areas I am dense rock, quite literally letting whatever is happening bounce off me and fly into the nether yonder, some things I ingrain into my very being. While I GM, play, and so on and so on, this is happening. I am ALWAYS looking for a way to enhance and expand my games, to make them better than the last, to offer something that makes the players go "O.O Wow, that's pretty damned impressive." Always I am on this quest to find this reaction, and to make a damned fine game, fun and enjoyable, immersive and leaving you on the edge, whether for revenge or more action, or more story, I always always always am looking to do this. Now, as for play testing for a convention, that is a whole other beast altogether. As my previous post makes clear, I just GM'ed my first con, Ever, it was quite the experience, and I must say GMing for a pack of random older gentlemen was a humbling and massively fun experience, especially because I could be lenient while still challenging them. (Slowly but surely I am toppling the wrongful reputation of GM's, we are not masters of death and annihilation, WE ARE HARBINGER OF STORY AND FUN, DAMNATION!) With that experience I found that GMing for a Con is not as impossible as I had thought, with a large amount of preparation and story conjured forth, it should be possible, though I surely cannot do this on my own. So I guess this is more an informative than opinion piece, I will be play testing and jotting down notes and ideas, winter is coming, and with that Pacificon and my hopes to GM an amazing and memorable game, that of course is to be seen. Should any of you have suggestions or comments, or anything for that matter, by all means, other wise I look forward to preparing for the eventual game that is to come, I just hope it can be as fun as I intend, my only little tiny tid bit on such game at this moment is, I am thinking of how far back I want to set it, it may in fact take place during one point in the "Calamity" again, this is nothing substantial at the moment, just vague ideas. I hope these two subjects, though it wont always be two, offered some amount of interest and intrigue to delight your minds, if so I am happy to grant as much, if not well I tried :).
As always
Till next post, Roll your D20
Ryan          

The fabled three 20's in a row, and stories within Entrathia

        You may not see it, oh and I think 8 spaces will make a good indent, but this is a third 20 rolled...in a row, by the gods it at last has happened!!! I may have some other friends whom have achieved this feat while completely indifferent to the fact, this took place during game, under duress, and with the hopes that the creatures be killed swiftly. When this took place one could imagine my expression, at the time I was behind my shield, none the wiser, but when I heard this was the third 20, after asking him to roll again, I was quite literally lost for words. Nigh on 10 years now I have waited, joked, and hoped for such a thing to happen, and it did. Jon Bernier, you my friend shall remain a legend amongst my games, written in the pages as much as I can spare. Now, not to belittle this victory I must add which creature he killed, NO IT WAS NOT A RAT! Quite the opposite, it was a powerful undead creature called a "Gaki" but they party being as high a level as they are, were dispatching them with little difficulty. You see the boss was waiting in the background, and after killing most "Gaki" the boss came forth in a flurry of vehement hatred and evil, sadly the thrice 20 was not on him, though I truly wish it had been. In any case the "Gaki" died instantaneously, as is my condition for rolling three 20's in a row, NO matter what creature or boss it is, and we all rejoiced. While it may have seemed wasted, I gave him a +2 to his AC for the boss fight, just as a way to give him a little extra against the real baddy. It was an epic game, and I was happy to have my wonderful crew to enjoy it with. I think this goes without saying that I have always spoken of the three 20's in a row, so this was a massive big deal to me, and am glad for it having happened. Good job Jon.

        Moving along! I am almost positive 99% of you will instantly recognize this for what it is, and will be all giddy over the Skyrim insert here, and it is for a definite reason I do this. I will make my opinion on this short and my explanation and reveal of my world longer. How many times have you gone through Oblivion or Skyrim seen the books, and been thoroughly impressed? I am sure all of you are in agreement that it is impressive, but I am also relatively sure that many have thought "Now these large old leathery books look amazing in their own right, and I am totes going to put those in my personal library, but for such a thick and weathered book, it is only a story of 5-20, 20 being the usual max! Now I am not overtly nit-picky and I am eternally grateful for the creators for going into such intricate detail, but I have always wanted a world where when you find books some may be slim pickings and short, but some, some may be Massive! I intend to make good on this, as we speak I am in the throes of making my massive book I have been berating games over for many many...many months now, actually a good 2 years in reality. Far to long if you ask me, as SO many of us loveable writers end up spending an eternity on these things and forgetting about them after reaching page 700, but we surely wont forget when we get a chance to brag or claim we are "Writing a novel." I don't wish to berate said people, they labor and want to create something magnificent, I truly understand that, but I am nearing my completion, or at least my breaking point, and will be...somehow...editing this piece, and inserting it into my world. Now I wont go into detail as I want this to be the ultimate surprise to my groups when I do, but when I insert this into my world, I solemnly swear you all will absolutely flip your Polyhedrons on what I have planned, and if you do not and have lied in my oath, well then I will stand there a dumbfounded and slightly disappointed GM. I suppose I should be a little more subjective, I do hope you flip your Polyhedrons, but truly I do not know, I do not know if you all have had similar thoughts about books in fantasy RPG's but I certainly have, and I am a complete sucker for immersive games, I mean the type of game you suddenly find yourself reiterating in real life *cough Nikki cough*. We shall see how this turns out, but as for the stories themselves, I have a few other shorter stories...though they may become bigger with time, about, you guessed it, Dragons, Artifacts, gods and goddesses, heroines and heroes, and all manner of glittering prizes. I do hope you all enjoy it, as I endeavor to GM games with great story and great action, action packed, as the old timely movies used to advertise.
Well As always
Till next post, Roll your D20
Ryan