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Games To Build Up Your Skills

8/29/2020

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Wait, when did this become an EDUCATIONAL blog!?  
  Blasphemy, I know, but hear me out for a moment.  When spending time with my extended family, I'm often the one called upon to entertain or regale them with a new game to play that they've never heard of.  Unlike my side of the family, though, this other side doesn't necessarily share the same intuitive enthusiasm for tabletop play and focus.  However, my niece and father in law are both very curious, and will always try something new with fervor and flexibility, even if it isn't their norm. 
  So each night of our socially distant "vacation", I have taught them a game.  Nothing too crazy - no Power Grid or Defenders of the Realm territory; this is NOT the population to play-test my RPG-in-a-box (the last test, though awesome, ran 4 hours straight).  No, I'm giving them games that are completed in 15-30 minutes tops.  Games with simple rules that are easy to pick up, but challenging to master.  And in playing and teaching these games, I noticed something revealing.
I've played these games before, but not extensively.  The rules and mechanics are few, but structuring and planning your moves takes forethought, organization...and MATH.  Yeah, you heard me.  Organizational, quick recall, multiplication, probability, and risk assessment. 
  I am not a genius [though I've never been tested ;) ].  I have struggled with so many facets of my life that others excel at in common practice.  And yet, I was executing key functions of my play in record time (apparently).  Chunking numbers and weighing moves with precision and poise, ready to help my fellows immediately if asked, because I could SEE all of their options laid out.  And to think on this more deeply, it is simply that I have had more PRACTICE utilizing these skills than they have.  
  I've always had a good "math brain."  Numbers and probability blended with mechanics and organization; this is why business and budgeting come so easily.  And when I play these games with others who have also a history of tabletop gaming, I find that they, too, have obtained a general skill-set in "quick" math and organization, and I venture that this is because they practiced like I did.

We practiced through play.

So let me share with you three simple games that are quick on the draw and you can be certain are also helping you and your kid master some math facts (DON'T TELL THEM).

Chunking and Pairing - Quixx

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Quixx is a game you learn in minutes.
  On your turn you roll six dice (2 white, then one each of Blue, Yellow, Green, and Red); then you make one or two choices based on what you rolled.  You make these decisions in order.
1) You add the two White dice together, and decide to use that number or not (and other players can do this).
2) You pair ONE White die with one of the colored dice and add those together (only the active player does this).
You decide to use one or both of the numbers you've "chunked" and cross them off - white is any color you want (#1), color is the color that white is paired with (#2).
The thing to remember in Quixx is that each row is accessed from left to right in sequence.  This means that if you cross out your Red 4, the game actually tells you to put a line through 2 and 3 on your sheet.  That's because you no longer have access to them, even if you roll a "2" or "3" later.  And you HAVE to cross off SOMETHING, whether it be the White, the Color Pair, OR, if neither of those are desired or possible, a Penalty Box (the game ends after four of those are crossed off). 
  As you cross off more colors, your end score is multiplying, so more crosses in any color is a good idea.  However, after you have at least FIVE crosses in a color, if you roll (or someone else rolls with White on their turn) the furthest number to the right, you can cross off THAT number and the Lock symbol next to it, and LOCK that color.  This removes it from the game, and nets you two more crosses for your total.  When two colors are Locked, the game ends.
  With that impetus, the game becomes a balance between holding out for those low or high numbers, trying to avoid penalty boxes, and trying to end the game faster by Locking two colors.
Building Skills: every turn you're rolling dice, chunking quick addition, and comparing those values to desired outcomes.  Us D&D folks do this all the time when we roll our favorite greatsword or fireball, so our eyes are used to putting together the numbers into easier sets to add, but the additional value comparison and choice of strategy adds a new layer to that judgement.  Simple, yet complex.  Anyone playing will get A LOT of practice in quick number crunching and value assignment.

Probability and Risk Management - Category 5 / 6 Nimmt

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The game known as 6 Nimmt was a joy to play in my household growing up.  Introduced to us by my eldest brother, the deceptive German game involves placing numbers in rows by the closest ascending value, filling slots in each row.  If your number WOULD HAVE filled the sixth slot in a row, you must collect the five previous cards and add them to your score pile.  Your "sixth" card then becomes the first in the new row.
  This is a game like golf.  Points are bad.  Each card has upon it a certain number of oxen, each worth a point.  Cards have anywhere from one to seven points, and with how the game is played, some rows can add up VERY QUICKLY.  But it's not all terrible.
  The game uses a deck of 104 cards and can be played with anywhere from 2 - 10 players.  Each player starts with a hand of 10 cards each and selects in secret each round what card they'll play.  After 10 rounds, everyone's hands are empty and we total up how much each of us took.  This keeps rounds moving, but how many people are actually playing MATTERS in terms of probability. 
  See, with 2 players, you deal 10 to each player, then set out 4 cards to begin each of the four rows.  That's only 24 cards out of 104 that are in play.  You don't draw cards during the round, so what you have is what you have.  Now why does that matter?  
  We each select a card every round and place it face down in front of us.  When each of us has selected a card, we flip them at the same time.  After that, the outcome to the round is mostly automated.  The lowest number is placed first - it goes in ascending order within the closest distance to a number.  If we use the above example, where the right-most number in each row is what we are comparing against, and with three players, we had the following numbers: 54, 16, 87.  
  16 is placed first, settling in right next to the 14.  It is the closest row number in ascending order.  After that, 54 is placed...next to the 50, but not the 60, as 60 is higher than 54.  The 87...is placed next to the 60.  But wait!  87 is closer to 100 than it is to 60!  But the numbers must be in ascending order.  100 to 87 would be a DEscending order.  Say there were more cards in those rows, and the row ending in 50 was one of them.  The fifth card in the row is 50, 54 would be its sixth card - but each row can only have 5 cards, so the 50 row is collected by the player who played the 54, and their 54 starts the new row.  That stack of 5 cards?  Well congratulations!  Add those to your score pile and get ready for the next round!
  But what if someone plays a card that's lower than all of the right-most numbers?  Well, my dear adventurers, that person (if they go first), will have a choice.  If your number is lower than everything, you choose the row you want (some are better than others), taking the lesser of two evils, and your card becomes the new row (regardless if the old row had 1 or 3 or 5 or any number cards).  Pay attention, though; as the row you take may mess up another's plans in probability...
  The reason this game changes so dramatically with the number of players is clear when you think about probability.  the game runs 10 players at max with 10 cards each (that's 100 cards), then 4 cards to get things started.  That means...EVERY number from 1-104 is now in play.  Now your decisions have a lot more variables to consider, many of them in the form of OTHER PEOPLE and their own strategies.  With less people, you can gauge different risk with less ranges of cards in play each round.
  It's a fascinating, fast game, with a deep strategic backbone, and a rule set of a few sentences.

Building skills: risk management, probability, judgement, counting, and chunking.

Sometime in the span of 10 years ago, 6 Nimmt went out of print, but its mechanics and rights were bought and reprinted in the form of Category 5.  Same game, but with hurricanes instead of bulls.  *shrug*

Investment, Multiplication, and Risk Management - Lost Cities

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In Lost Cities, you take the form of an archaeologist or mining explorer, seeking treasure and profit from five possible sites, and competing with only one other person.  
  Another game involving ascending order, you place numbers in sequential order to accumulate points (profit) in the sites you want to invest in.  You can't always get all the numbers you want, though, and will have to make choices carefully on when to place that 9 when you're still holding out for the 8.  But I'm getting ahead of myself.
  On your turn, you Play A Card - investing in a dig, or "discarding" a color onto the divider that splits the board in two equal sides - then Draw A Card [either from the ever-diminishing deck OR from the top of a discard pile from the divider].  "One man's trash" and all that.

INVESTING IN A DIG
You invest in a dig by placing a card on your side of the divide in front of the color you desire.  The number and color should match.  From here, on subsequent turns, you try to place as many cards as you can in the dig to make a profit, but it ain't easy.  There are two main factors in your way: 1) Ascending Sequence and 2) ...Costs.  
  Ascending Sequence means that the numbers you place must be in ascending order.  You put down a 3 one turn, then a 4 next turn, then a 6 after that (and draw a 5!)...you cannot place that 5.  It's too late.  Each color only has 2-10 to work with in this regard.
  Costs refer to the upfront cost of your dig.  It comes up in end-game scoring, but you NEED to keep it in mind up front.  ANY DIG you start automatically incurs a -20 point penalty.  Things cost things.  Tough.  HOWEVER, the full range of numbers at your disposal can usually bump you over 20 points if you're paying attention.  For example, I start digging in Red and over many turns put down 3-5-6-8-9-10.  Add all those up and you've got 41...  Subtract 20 for costs, and my score ends up being 21 for that dig.  Factor in that you'll probably invest in 2 or 3 digs per game and that can add up...or 2 go really well and 1 BOMBS.
  But there's a third factor that can work for you or against you: PARTNERS.  Represented by a little card of gentlemen shaking hands, you can have up to 3 partners (probably investors, but you get the idea) in your dig's stack, but they must be played at the beginning of the sequence.  One card takes your end score (after the -20) and multiplies it by 2.  2 cards = x3.  3 cards = x4.  Sounds pretty great, right?  Except this can backfire.  If you don't turn a profit, your partners don't either, and those multipliers count with negative points too.
  So I've got two partners up front, then my 21 in total from above.  21 x 3 = 63 points.  Huzzah!  But my other dig has three partners up front and I only managed to get a measly 3 and 9 on it.  12 - 20 = -8... x 4 = -32.  All told, I'm actually back to 41, but that was an ouch, and if you're not careful with your spread, things can get real tough for you when the piper comes to collect his debts.

Building Skills: My wife and I LOVE this game.  There are many strategies to win and it's a great way to cultivate patience, risk management, and portfolio business.  Plus, with the game ending once the deck is depleted, using that "discard" option is a leet hacker play to prolong the game so you can get that last...10...down!


Happy gaming.
-Adamus
  
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Moonriver Bar #12 - Alligators and Crocodiles

8/27/2020

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Today we're going to revisit my youth and share with you one of the first drinks I ever learned, and continue to enjoy!
  I first learned about this drink while visiting a friend in Maine, and it stuck with me.  However, it seems that very few people actually know about it.  When I ask for it, I'm often met with a confused look.  Luckily, it was burned into my memory, so every time I might order it I get to teach someone a new drink.  Also, in my responsible social gatherings, this was the drink of request for many of my friends; they knew I could mix it and it was downright delicious. 
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Sex With An Alligator / The Alligator Tail

Ordering this is often hilarious.  It usually comes out as "Could I have a Sex With An Alligator?"  The waitress would nod, walk away...then return after about five minutes and ask, "You want the drink, right?"  ...I didn't realize the alternative was an option?

The "Alligator" is a layered drink.  You are to pour each element in order, so as to build a certain aesthetic as well as the progression of flavors.


The Recipe I Learned
1. Midori (melon liqueur) - usually 2 oz
2. Pineapple Juice - 2 oz
3. Raspberry Liqueur (Razzmatazz or Chambord will work great) - 2 oz
4. Thin layer of Jagermeister - about 1/2 oz or less, depending on preference, floats on top

The visual effect...is a murky swamp.  Like the home of our favorite big scaly body of teeth.  
This is a shooter, approximately 3-4 shots total.  A little licorice at the front, then nothing but candy.  It sneaks up on you, though.  Make sure to respect the big green.


Want a little more orange in your drink?  Then you want my Crocodile variation.  Just switch out the Pineapple juice for Orange juice instead.

Other versions cite using Whiskey Sour mix, but that wasn't the tasty version I learned.  You want it?  Switch out the Pineapple juice for a Sweet and Sour mix, or the Whiskey Sour.  Go figure.

Shoot Responsibly.
-Adamus
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Study Hall #5 - Ten Questions For Deeper Characters

8/26/2020

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A while ago, Adamus released a blog post detailing ten questions that he asks his players in order to create dynamic stories and engaging characters. Recently, I did a similar practice, and asked ten of my own questions as part of a session zero for my latest story-based campaign. This is due to some profound discoveries I’ve made about myself and my relationship with Dungeons and Dragons, including that I’m energized by story developments over combat, and that my focus on mechanics has been motivated by story reasons, not quantitative ones. I want to tell my character’s story, not have it told to me by the Dungeon Master.

The centerpiece of all my favorite stories is the characters.  A hackneyed plot can be saved by unique and deep character development, while often the opposite can’t be true. I tend to reject stories that have deep world building that lack great characters. So what makes a great character?
Personally, I find my favorite characters to have the following traits:
 
1) Great characters have some kind of conflict, whether it’s the conflict of their view versus reality, or a conflict between what they preach versus how they act.  However this conflict manifests, it’s something that hangs over their head.
 
2). Great characters learn as they go. They aren’t the same person at the end of their story as they were at the beginning. I find characters that repeat the same mistakes over and over again to be frustrating, especially if the lesson they learn is the same one. That doesn’t mean their character has to do a 180 every time they fail, but there should be some kind of change, even if it’s gradual.
 
3). Great characters have a goal, even if it changes as it goes. Sometimes I’ll hear, “My character doesn’t have a goal. They’re just in it for the coin.” THAT’S A GOAL!  They do stuff because they want stuff. And just because they start a journey where they’re in it for the money doesn’t mean they don’t create attachments and relationships as the story progresses. In fact, that may create a conflict that they learn from, changing their goal as they go. It can be a cycle.
 
Obviously this is a gross reduction of the complexity we could discuss when it comes to great characterization, but the last point I’d like to make is that none of these traits have to be big in scope. Some of my favorite stories are more intimate, personal journeys than they are grand quests that span the globe. Aang’s quest (from Avatar: The Last Airbender, now on Netflix and you should totally watch it) to convey his feelings to Katara is just as if not more important to him than defeating Fire Lord Ozai and saving the world from the Fire Nation military. Another great example is the Mandalorian, where the titular character’s quest of protecting Baby Yoda (don’t care what his canon name is) tends to be more praised than the entirety of The Rise of Skywalker. The rise of stakes does not mean the rise of investment, and often it’s the little changes that make the biggest difference.

So with that in mind, the ten questions I asked my players were intended to ignite their creative energy and deepen their understanding of the characters they wanted to portray. I started by asking my players these questions sequentially, gave them some time to let them simmer, and then worked through each question with the players in one-on-one follow up conversations. That way, they wouldn’t feel silly in front of other people. It was just them and me.
            Here are the ten (and some of them have multiple parts):
 
1). Where were you born, and who was your family? Are any of them still alive?
2). Did you grow up in poverty, nobility, or the middle class?
3). How did you come upon your current profession (character class)? Who trained you?
4). Who else helped or hindered you along the way?
5). What’s your character’s view on politics and religion? (Ambivalence is a perfectly fine answer)
6). What is your character’s current goal(s)?
7). What does your character regret?
8). What lie does your character tell themselves to make things easier?
9). How does your character see their story ending?
10). How is your character acquainted with the party, or what about the mission hooked them in?
 
Now the first six are standard fare session zero questions. There are plenty of content creators that have spoken eloquently to the value of considering those factors when designing a character and their story, especially if you want to prepare your players to be situated in the world.
Question 1 allows the DM to give you extra information on your home town or region that you as a player can leverage in-game by calling out specific details that heighten the table’s immersion.
Questions 2 and 5 may heavily impact your outlook on the world and social dynamics.
Question 3 grounds your character’s abilities in the world.
The second half of Question 1, the second half of Question 3, and all of Question 4 help create NPCs that the DM can use as informants, allies, and even possibly rivals for your character.
And, Question 6 gives your character a motive and direction to create their own objectives if they so choose.

You’d be surprised how many players have trouble with Question 6. Until they get into gameplay, goals may feel abstract or silly. After all, the DM gives the party their initial mission that then helps the players leverage into proactive goals, right?
Questions 7 and 8 are the ones I noticed give my players pause. At Session Zero, nothing about them seemed too out of the ordinary, but in one-on-one conversations, every single one of my players had to take extra time to answer them. They’re hard questions we as a culture don’t have enough practice in exploring in an articulate way, and by making Dungeons and Dragons a safe space where you get to make an entirely new person to explore these questions, it can give us judgment-free practice to ask these questions of ourselves.
Now to pause for a second, let me make this clear: D&D is not therapy. It can feel therapeutic, but it is not a substitute for therapy. Your friends are not therapists, and even if they are, a recreational game is not the place for dealing with very real issues of mental health and wellness. What I’m saying here is that tabletop role-playing can be a launch pad for personal growth and development, but I will repeat: This is not therapy. Therapy is therapy. D&D is D&D. Both are valuable, both have their place, and there are many professionals much smarter and much more equipped than me that can speak to D&D’s relationship to therapy as a supplement, not a substitute.
With that out of the way, we have another interesting thought experiment with Question 9. How does your character see their story ending? This can be an easy one to dismiss by saying “They don’t think about that”, but if forced to come up with an answer, what would you say? It’s another hard question, but again allows for a safe space exercise to really map out your character’s arc. And just like any of these questions, the answer can change over time.
And then Question 10…is just more standard stuff. Build an adventurer, someone who can at least have a coworker relationship with the party if not an invested friendship.
Really, the meat and potatoes of these questions are 7, 8, and 9, and how they can inform the answers for earlier questions. I can’t tell you the number of times having conversations that a player would give me a regret and I would reply “Does that inform your goal?” or “That sounds like someone that hindered you along the way”. These questions aren’t disconnected from each other.
Now just to give an example of how these questions fit together, let’s go back to talk about our Last Airbender, Aang, and how we might answer these questions for him:
 
1). Aang comes from the Southern Air Temple, and his family is unknown.
 
2). Aang grew up with the Air Nomads, meaning he lives outside of the economic hierarchy of most communities. Technically, this also means he’s impoverished.
 
3). Aang was trained by Monk Gyatso, who taught him everything he knows about Airbending (abilities of which would be reflected in his character class). Later, he learns to communicate with his past life, Avatar Roku, in order to learn what it means to be the Avatar (again, reflected in his character class).
 
4). Aang is helped by the waterbender that discovered him, Katara, and her brother Sokka. He is often hindered by his rival, the Firebending Prince Zuko (we’re talking just season 1, so no spoilers).

5). Aang is technically the center of a loose religion dedicated to the Avatar, of which he’s a Messiah figure tasked to rebalance the world. He detests the War, and has vowed to defeat Fire Lord Ozai to end it.
 
6). Aang’s current goal (season 1) is to travel to the North Pole and learn waterbending, after which he’ll learn earth and fire so he’ll be properly trained when taking on Ozai.
 
7). Aang regrets leaving the Southern Air Temple, believing he could’ve helped fight off the Fire Nation invaders if he had stayed behind.
 
8). One of the reasons Aang is such a dynamic character is because of how he lies to himself. One of the best lies is “I’m just a simple monk” before entertaining a flock of young girls.
 
9). Aang isn’t sure how his story will end, but as he progresses through Season 1, he can at least see the end of his current arc: becoming a master waterbender.
 
10). Aang joined the party when Katara discovered him in the iceberg.

Now to drive this point home further, Avatar was awarded the Peabody award for excellent character development. Part of this is that Aang’s rival, Prince Zuko, can answer these questions as well (if not better) than the protagonist himself.
 
1). Fire Prince Zuko is the son of Fire Lord Ozai of the Fire Nation.
 
2). He was born into nobility and is accustomed to underlings following his orders.
 
3). He’s still being taught firebending and philosophy by his Uncle Iroh, who is his greatest ally on the hunt for the Avatar.
 
4). His father permanently scarred his face after publically forcing him into a duel after “dishonoring” him, and his current efforts are often hindered by the interference of the Fire Nation’s Commander Zhao.
 
5). Zuko believes the Fire Nation will win the war, and although he believes the Avatar is still alive, he rejects any worship of him.
 
6). Zuko’s current goal is to defeat the Avatar and regain his lost honor following the duel with his father, Fire Lord Ozai.
 
7). Zuko regrets having spoken up at a war meeting, where he criticized the heartless tactics of a high ranking Fire Lord officer. His father interpreted this as dishonoring his family, and the Fire Lord punished him in a highly publicized duel where Zuko was scarred.
 
8). The lie Zuko tells himself is that if he defeats the Avatar, his father will finally love him.
 
9). Zuko sees his story ending by defeating Aang in combat and returning home with honor, where he’ll inherit the throne of the Fire Lord.
 
10). Zuko met the party after seeing a column of light caused by Aang’s reawakening from the Iceberg.

Now you tell me. Which character sounds more compelling? I’ve done this exercise myself with the character’s I’m currently playing, and it’s revealed a lot about them and my preferences in character creation. Maybe you’ll learn something about yourself too as you answer them for your characters.
I’m excited to hear your thoughts about this. If you found this blog through Facebook, make sure to comment below or shoot us an email at dmshowerthoughts@gmail.com.

Study Hard, Play Hard,
-John

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Moonriver Bar #11 - Lord Masa and the Manhattan

8/20/2020

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Next on our simple "classics" is the Manhattan.  
   Clearly a vehicle for Rye whiskey, the Manhattan is a staple in any bartender's repertoire.  It's simple, clean, and a deep amber.  Another "gentleman" drink.
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The Classic Manhattan

1 oz Rye Whiskey
1/2 oz Sweet Vermouth
3 dashes Aromatic Bitters
Garnish with a cherry

Masa's Manhattan

So, how can I screw this up?
  Most variations on this classic mess with the basic components.  Substitute Bourbon instead of Rye, and you have something new.  Use Chocolate Bitters for some weird new brew.
I want something that honors the "spirit" of the Manhattan, but changes it around so some schmuck like me can enjoy it like a Real Man.


So.
Let's make a syrup.
  Nothing too complicated.  Just something to add a little spice and sugar to this lovely thing.

​I propose the following preparation:

The Royal "Syrup"
  1 oz Fireball (Cinnamon Whiskey)
  1/2 oz Drambuie
  1 tsp brown sugar
  1-1.5 oz Dr. McGillicuddy's Cherry Liqueur
Stir that up.


Masa's Manhattan

1.5 oz Jack Honey (Tennessee Whiskey)
1/2 oz Sweet Vermouth
5 dashes Aromatic Bitters


Pour Masa into a high ball glass with ice, then pour the Royal over that.  
Sit back by the fire and sip away as you watch the dragonkin gamble across the way.

Not smooth enough for ya?  Then do the blasphemous thing and pour some Coca-Cola to fill the glass.  You won't be disappointed.

Sip responsibly, travelers.
​-Adamus
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The Knight In The Gray - Lessons II

8/15/2020

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The following words are a reflection on the strange progression from last November (when the community center I once DM'ed professionally for closed) until now.  More lessons, better observations, and a stronger step forward.  Come along into my head and heart.

Death and Rebirth

When you're running a business, certain theologies creep in.  You're constantly weighing cost and benefit, risk and reward, with every new endeavor.  Often, you take risk - to stretch your creative muscles, to seek new tiers, and to press your luck for that big win.  Sometimes that works, often it doesn't.  And when you're running games professionally as one facet of a much larger business, the pressure to perform just to stay afloat can create subconscious perspective and habit, some of which are more detrimental than affirming.

To be frank, putting pressure on myself to put "butts in seats" in order to simply run a game...destroyed me.  

I was constantly pressuring myself to strike a balance between margin and equity.  The quantity of players mingling with the quality of the experience.  Now, I went along with this idea, because, let's be honest, Game On! (my section of the larger business) knew what it was doing, and it was doing pretty well for the small tribe it had fostered.  If it were ONLY that, perhaps the total might have survived.
  But it wasn't, and the added pressure to carry the weight of everything else going on forces you to consider adding one more player when 5 was plenty, because one more player allows the class to cover its overhead, and actually make a sliver of  profit for once; one more player keeps the lights on a little longer, the heat running.
  And some players clash.  Some tables work with a certain group of 4, but that 5th player throws it all out of whack, while other tables struggle with 5 only to synergize with 6.  Some can grow and get over it, and others just can't.  But these people are customers, so I would weigh the business's success to form a Social Contract, and hold players to it.  This helped some groups tighten up; achieve a greater synergy, and augment play to new heights.  Others, it drove the nail into the coffin.  Players stopped showing up (which means they weren't paying), or would "forget" to pay.  Do that enough, and now it costs too much to even run the game and the campaign gets scrapped.  

  
  When a single player at a table is the difference between your business succeeding or failing, it can CHANGE the way you view your game mastering.  You tend to sacrifice more of yourself to make the clients "happy" or satisfied; you bend over backwards to make it work with way more players than the table should have; and you put up with things that legitimately bother you because the alternative is that client quitting.
  It wasn't like this all the time, and as we went along, I became more acclimated to the idea of "owning" my tables.  We set boundaries, we stopped and hashed things out, we posted clear and precise expectations for our tables.  We adapted, and made our experiences tighter and more immersive with every new lesson.  I am a thousand-times grateful for the professionalism I gained by treating this pursuit as my full-time job.  
And.
When the business as a whole shuttered its doors and I had 5 campaigns unfinished without a space to play...we adapted.
  The most splendid tribe of people in history rolled with the changes and followed just me instead.  I did my best to honor the rapport I had cultivated over the last three years and kept the transition as seamless as possible.  So, games once in a community center are run in a dojo, or a home, or a rented game store.  Wherever we can gather, we play.
  And THEN.  A pandemic.
We moved every campaign to online play only, and kept rolling as I learned the ropes.  And, just recently, I finished one of those massive campaigns (Knight Owls Season 3 just ended this evening - it was AMAZING).  
  As humans approach the close of something, they often become much more reflective on the whole experience.  At the end of June, I was BURNT OUT.  Creatively spent, frustrated, emotionally exhausted; I needed time to reacclimate to my stories, and find the fire again.  
  I did.  And.  I thought deeply about the future.  I thought about Knight Owls Season 4 here and there, toying with curious scenarios.  I thought about Pugmire, and Exalted, and my old 4th Edition Knights Of The Round campaign from college.  But most of all, I thought about Gray Owls; where it was headed, where I lost my players, where I lost myself, and my excitement when I considered the NEXT campaign.  All the things I would fix for NEXT TIME; lessons learned once more.

Lesson 1 - It Took Loss To Free Me

To be blunt: Questers' Way needed to close in order for me to flourish.  It took the loss of that job to allow the space to restructure EVERYTHING on MY terms.  
Finally.
  To not worry about overhead, and mark down some of the best experiences I've been able to run at a table, digital or otherwise.  All that professional training to justify a price tag still pays off, but play to play and player to player, how that price resolves...has no pressure on the electric bill.
  This means I can adapt to the needs of others based on what I'M comfortable with...because I'm the boss. 

Lesson 2 - This Is MY Table

And I will run it well.
  However, just as some players don't always fit together, some GMs and their style don't jive with certain players.  I'm pretty easy-going, but over the years I've established some strict boundaries.  These help with having clear expectations at the table, meeting my players as fellow human beings, being patient and kind, and allowing everyone (including myself) a bad day.  And the best thing?  My brand is my own.  It won't be bigger than me.  So I expect my players to talk to me if something's up.  In fact, they kind of have to, there's no one else.  Meaning I'm not out of the loop on the stuff that matters.
  In order to run an effective table, I need to know what's going on.  When I was working in a larger organization, it was a weekly occurrence that I would be "out of the loop" on something that affected me and my campaigns directly; the communication infrastructure was terrible sometimes - there were just too many heads to the hydra and it never got back to the heart.  Not anymore.
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Looking Forward
- Gray Owls Book 2 + Knight Owls Season 4

With Knight Owls Season 3 finished, and Gray Owls Book 1 ("campaign" 1) nearing its climax and conclusion, I have been doing some deep thinking on both formats: where they shine, where they struggle, what makes them special and distinct, and how I want to run things in the future for the betterment of my table as a whole.
SOCIAL CONTRACT
This one is a no-brainer.  OF COURSE we have a Social Contract, established and agreed to at our Session 0.  We'd often verbally establish this before the start of a new campaign, hanging out in the larger business's cafe and fielding questions casually.  However, not everyone could make it, AND, it seemed, some would forget what they signed up for.  It happens, so this time around we seek clarity and consistency.
  Moving Forward: There will be a written Social Contract that is shared with everyone in the campaign, discussed and edited where needed at our Session 0.  We all agree to it, and hold ourselves to its ideal to the best of our abilities to ensure a comfortable table and campaign experience for all (DM included).  
  Now, we (our community) understand most of these already (don't be a jerk, respect others' time, etc.) - nothing too untoward here - but it's nice to have it in writing.  If you can't agree to it, then maybe this isn't the table for you, but at least we know that up front.  

  
IMMERSION MATERIALS + LIVING DOCUMENTS
Sometimes I use props.  Often I'm building custom miniatures and terrain.  I've recently taken up digital map-making, including battle maps for spaces like Roll20.
  No matter your campaign or party, I want to have professional and comprehensive maps of regions, cities, and the known cosmology before Session 1.  I aim to split up Gray Owls chapters with in-game "news clippings", and focus on NPC "journal entries" to mark the passage of time in Knight Owls.  These elements are special to each campaign, and a little exclusive to those playing, so I'll give them openly to each party for each campaign as appropriate.
  An evolving document of world lore and glossary of people, places, factions, and items will be shared with every party in every campaign.  This aligns and grounds everyone in the setting, and ensures that they have the same information I have (they can still keep their secrets, but this ensures that common knowledge and party knowledge are consistent).
  Not only will this help to center the players and their characters table to table, it will also help ME tremendously with internal consistency, bookkeeping, and dripping information clearly.  Even at tables where I am impeccable with my word, there's still going to be a player that heard something differently; so this way we can literally stay on the same page.


PARTY SIZE
It wasn't just the transition to Roll20 and balancing bandwidth and banter that brought about this consideration.  As noted above, bigger parties kept the lights on, and now, smaller parties work well online.  
And.  There is a certain magic to a party of 5 that you don't tend to achieve with 6.  Turns are exponentially faster.  Spotlights are shared more easily.  Social interactions carry stronger weight with less interruptions.  We can play for less hours and get more done, feeling like we cheated time.
  And I have run smooth games with 8 people, and rickety ones with 4, but with the allowance to pursue smaller party compositions, there have been so many more satisfying and dynamic games with a party of 5 (with two I can name with 6).  It's like the game was built for that or something.  So, looking forward:

Knight Owls: Party of 5 maximum, once a month for 5-hours.  If the interest is high enough, I'll run a second party where appropriate each month (but not every month).  Tighter games, tighter turns, more fun.
Gray Owls Book 2: Party of 4 and Party of 6, each once a month for 6-7 hours.  Two groups with two very different stories pursuing different tracks in the same timeline, but on different ends of the world.


​PLAY STRUCTURE AND WEIGHT
I've spoken on this idea before, but I'll reiterate it here for clarity.  Knight Owls and Gray Owls are not the same.  Not even close.  And that has to do with more than just the fact that Knights is for ages 12 and up, and Grays is a 21+ mature campaign.  It also has to do with the weight that I place on each Pillar Of Play.
  D&D and many tabletop games like it factor out play into three Pillars.  Social Interaction, Exploration, and Combat.  
Social Interaction is how the players interact with other creatures, characters, and entities in the world.  This includes each other.  They build rapport, make connections, form alliances, make enemies, pursue goals, and secure goods.  It's extensive what you can do, but it can be very player driven.  There's a back and forth to it all; a give and take.
Exploration is how the players navigate and interact with the world.  They research, explore, investigate, traverse, observe, and interpret the world around them.  Often this is mostly DM territory with descriptions first, then player with the exploring, but it goes a lot deeper than that.  Exploration is a pillar of DISCOVERY.  This is where my players see what they can see, listen to the details, piece things together, and gather valuable information.  They dig in deep to the story of the world they're collectively playing in and seek to add to our cooperative story.
Combat is where the majority of our classes and features come into play.  Time slows down and we take things in terms of turns and actions and rolls and damage.  This is where the game becomes a GAME.  It is the most mechanically-driven part of the experience; always a puzzle of strategy, risk, reward, and luck.
  In short, I've said that Knight Owls is more Combat focused and Gray Owls is more Exploration focused, but if I had to be more specific...it's a weighted system.  There are three pillars, so we weight the most important pillar to the experience with 3.  Thinking like that, we can use the following setup to understand the difference between each style:


Knight Owls _______________________
Social Interaction: 1
Exploration: 2
Combat: 3
**This doesn't mean that characters never talk to anyone or that the only solution is to "hit it until it dies", and each Knight Owls episode is presented with a clear problem and a mission to solve it.  That overall decision is presented at the onset, like a serialized adventure show, a monster-of-the-week approach.  I admit that this last Season had a lot more organic moments that built player-character investment I did not expect, and that also speaks to the organic nature of every game and campaign.  It is allowed to evolve, but the core emphasis won't change.  The Owls are mercenary soldiers at their base; an opportunity to have a rotating cast without consequence where you can test your combat and play styles as you mess around being D&D superheroes.


Gray Owls_________________________
Social Interaction: 3
Exploration: 3
Combat: 2
**I know that looks a little tricky.  Social and Exploration are weighted the same because they tend to intertwine in a "cloak and dagger" campaign.  Information is both currency and weapon, and you need to explore and interact to get it.  But combat is still dangerous (in fact, at least at the start, avoiding it is the smarter option), it just isn't as common.  What it means is that we could go a solid 6 hours exploring and learning about stuff, and then fight for an hour in a tense knife duel that has sweeping implications.  The power of our mature story is that our decisions have weight and consequence; there's a lot going on, so everyone does the best they can with what they have.  Sometimes that ends in conflict, and sometimes it gets bloody; you walk away with lasting injuries, new scars, and pick yourself up, scraping through by the skin of teeth.  It's gritty, it's dangerous, and its restrictions breed creativity, so when you rise victorious, it is that much sweeter.  


INVESTMENT
I'll go quick on this one, because it makes sense for my planning and ties directly back to our Social Contract.

Knight Owls...is casual.  You opt in or out every month as you like.  Hence the rotating party, passage of time, and episodic nature of it all.  We have players who opt in every single time, and others who jump in every couple of months.  It works that way, so I'm keeping it.

Gray Owls...is a commitment.  This a full campaign story with a beginning, middle, and end over the course of 2-3 years of play.  I know that sounds intense (and it is), and it's also freaking amazing.  That's 24 -36 sessions maximum.  A lot can happen in that time and I'll be spinning custom content for each of my players every session.  If I'm going to dedicate that much time and energy up front to a player, I expect them to invest a measure in this campaign too.  That's the truth - which means, if there is a problem, I EXPECT them to talk to me about it.  Players have done this (I discuss it with them, we adapt, and everything gets better), some have not (it festers, it grows, it explodes), so it bears repeating.  This is a mature experience - it's gonna' go dark places, difficult places, and won't always be forgiving - and I'll be there for you if you choose to meet me.  You have my word.  I need yours too.
So there it is.  My plan for the future of the DM's Den and my industrious Owls.
Like it?  Hate it?  Let me know.  
I'll meet you at the table.
​-Adamus
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Moonriver Bar #10 - Eldritch Sidecar

8/13/2020

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It's time to go Old School.
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Though the origin of this particular recipe is shrouded in layers of complicated debate, the colloquial agreement is that it is a direct reference to the mixture left behind in a shaker, drawn and poured as a chaser.  This is referred to as the ever-delicious Sidecar.

Original Sidecar Recipe

Certain drinks stand the test of time often for their simplicity and accessibility, and this "high class" gentleman's drink is no exception.  The garnishes are optional, but depending on your region or the era of your audience, may end up being requirements or at least a spot of debate.

The original Sidecar is a vehicle to elevate Cognac, a white-wine brandy.  We splash it with elements of an orange liqueur like Grand Marnier, and, usually, "freshly-squeezed" lemon juice.  After this point, you can garnish with an orange slice and/or coat the rim of the glass with sugar.
Proper amounts are as follows:
 
1.5 oz Cognac
3/4 oz Grand Marnier
3/4 oz Lemon Juice
Garnish with orange slice or twist
Garnish rim with sugar

Eldritch Sidecar

So what happens if I have no Cognac?  
  Well, there are many Brandys, some more flexible than others.  I could substitute a Blackberry Brandy, but I'm concerned for the Orange Liqueur being "corrupted" by the Blackberry.  The Wild Cherry Brandy might swing the other way, but still spoil the batch.  So what if we avoid the Brandy altogether?
  And that's where this little recipe came into being.
I'm a super nerd, and I love me some Eldritch Horror.  Let's make a pact, you and I.

1.5 oz Kraken or Captain Morgan spiced rum
3/4 oz Grand Marnier
3/4 oz Lemon Juice
2-4 dashes of Aromatic Bitters
Splash of 151 Rum on top
...then light that sucker on fire for a few seconds.  
Blow it out (and wait a bit to cool) and enjoy the smoked rum of your pact with the ancient Kraken.
Sugar and twist are, again, purely optional.


For me?  Not so much.  But I know some of you out there love this stuff.  
To make this a little more palatable for peeps like me, add these to the Eldritch Sidecar:

1 more oz of either Kraken or Captain Morgan Rum
2 oz of Whiskey Sour
A splash of seltzer
Fill glass with Orange Juice to help out that orange liqueur


Enjoy responsibly.
-Adamus
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Lore Drop: The Difficult Case Of Kuriale

8/11/2020

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Campaign: Ionian Shadowfell, across the Ocean Styx
When: as Styx is flooded in direct parallel to the Material Plane being flooded, we must be somewhere in the 4th Age Of Shar.

The Ionian Shadowfell

In Dungeons & Dragons's legacy, the Shadowfell is a bleak, desolate place full of decay and death.  A dark reflection of the Material Plane, like a mourning echo, it is said to pull color and vitality away from those that pass into it, like color itself were bleached from its lands.  As a mirror to the Material world, its geography is similar, but not identical, and because it passes into the prime world much the same way the Ethereal Plane would, skilled arcanists and cosmologists can use the Shadowfell as a means to travel great distances across the known world.
  But to LIVE in the Shadowfell is very different.  Adventurers of any merit would have been unheard of, as it is assumed that creatures who reside here are so devoid of hope and purpose that they would never amount to more than a pile of sad, broken bits of useless flesh and bone...  

But that's boring and stupid sad.  
  So in Ionian Lore, there came a moment in cosmological history called The Sewing.  As the Astral Seas churned, the Material Plane found its seasons in the Elemental Chaos, its laws and legends by the positive and negative planes beyond, and its magic from the influences of the multiverse.  And the days and nights...from the Feywild and Shadowfell.  
  At the close of the 3rd Age of Io, when an Ancient called The Riftskin tore open the Plane Of Water and the battlefields of Acheron, a flood of magic and mayhem spilled across the Material Plane.  However, its echoes - the Feywild and the Shadowfell, so too mirrored this cataclysm, and what they tore open...was each other.
  Influences of the Fey seeped into the lands of Shadow, while dark beings wormed their way into the lands of fairies beyond.  The Darklands gained surges of color and inspiration, and the Torchwick gained its first true form of depression and malice.  Tears and veils between both worlds; pockets and portals shifting with the tides.  These connections - new threads of travel and magic - would help maintain the vitality of both planes.  At least, for now...

And with this, a surge of vitality.  Inspiration, heroism, and creatures who come from dark beginnings fighting for purpose and perhaps a small measure of good, whilst surrounded by vampire lords, devilish valkyries, and a flooded ocean of the dead.
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The War Of Dominion (Shar 146-195)

As the pirate lords of The Ashen Horn and Scarborough battled for dominance over the new world in the Material Plane, their parallels did the same, carving out new territory across the Ocean Styx and claiming dominion over the ruined and dissonant nations still scrambling to survive.  
  During this time, five cities arose to seize power. 

The Valkurym Of The Evernight - the Honor Guard of the Shadowfell's Capitol
The Thuulian Imperium - a motivated sect of Mindflayer engineers and alchemists.
The Brakenork of Krakenspire - The Orks of the Blake - an orc-like civilization that values strength and renown.
The Factories Of Kennrock - Eldritch machines and industrial weaponry.
The Gladiators Of Jotunheim - a city of many races, battle, and coin.

The next 50 years would cut a bloody swath across the dark sea, where no nation was safe and no action disavowed.  In the chaos, the Valkurym, with their dread wings and fallen celestial tactics, easily seized control of the skies.  After only 10 years in the fray, they rained fire upon Jotunheim and Kennrock, reducing the proud cities nearly to rubble.  Each swore allegiance to the Evernight, if only to cease the heavenly onslaught.  
  Meanwhile, the seas churned with cannon fire, blood, and steel.  Dennisen Thuul, Lord King Corsair of the Mindscythe, was busy.  The Mindscythe is a ship of legend; living and breathing and slicing through the black sea, it sails as if to drink the ocean dry.  Flanked by his vicious Echo Fleet, Dennisen, in the name of the Imperium, continued to stake and stretch the borders on his massive nation.  Only the proud barbarian Orks of the Blake were able to push Dennisen back from their waters, but only just.  And as the Mindflayer nation continued to sink its tendrils into the fallen ruins and outposts deep beneath the Styx, a sixth nation chose neutrality in the conflict.


These would be the Artisans of the Kuriale.

A nation of twin cities, Onyxheart and Undraaken, Kuriale was tasked with protecting the ancient relics drudged up from the flooded ruins beneath the Ocean Styx.  They are a mixed people of elven tribes; beliefs in high art, study, and creative expression rule their ideals, laws, and exports.  In fact, marked at the edge of the Azraelian Kretch, they are the region's main source of magical weapons, items, potions, scrolls, and magical services.  
  Though news of the War reached their shores quickly, the people of Kuriale decided against entering the conflict.  In fact, when Jotunheim and Krakenspire each approached the Artisan Guilds for aid, the Drow council of Onyxheart emphatically refused.  Even the sister city of Undraaken, and their Council of Seven, spoke no ill will of the visiting nations, but declared themselves neutral ground to any side.  No trade, however, was to be given to participants in the conflict.

And though Kuriale remained neutral in this conflict for its total 54 years of bloodshed, this choice painted them as cowards on every side.  Their kindness was exploited, and their artisan work raided and plundered by every city.  Though they remain nearly pacifists, the backlash following the Dominion War has forced the city to raise its own elemental protections.

The Plight Of The Drow

Under the Evernight Vale (the region where our main campaign began) Drow women are not treated particularly badly, but they tend to be pushed toward lower class work and servanthood.  However, the males of the species, are treated more like cattle.  Creatures to be herded, expendable, and worthless; a leftover stigma from the soldiers of Lolth.  
  This belief, especially the latter, has informed an extra layer of prejudice toward the Kuriale, especially their "princes."  The Vampire Lords, their Courts, and others with cruel, long memory enjoy dominating these Drow; crushing their will and expression, as a last insult to their neutrality.  Even the White Court, the most empathetic of the Vampire Lords, deem these creatures "mongrels," as they chose indecision over carving their own destiny...so they must deserve to be forever used and manipulated.  Many Lords will take these Drow and use them as humiliating labor, then toss them to the hounds, or sell them to another Lord as a joke.  But those that have been around long enough realize the value a Kuriale can have, even as a bargaining chip, and will risk renown and rebuke to protect all those that cross their threshold, even if they dominate them first to steal claim from another more vicious lord.

The Difficulty Of Prejudice and Racism

Though these elements exist in the world, none of them are painted in a positive light.  When they have shown up, the players are distinctly uncomfortable or frustrated, and will find ways to either divert attention away, cause a disturbance, or even try to undermine the system from within.  They know it's wrong, and though they don't have a lot of power yet, they're planning to fix it.  No matter our setting, the players nor the DM are siding with these manipulative Lords and Ladies; it's definitely NOT a good thing.
  But it IS the Shadowfell, and I am honored to share a table with people mature enough to tackle these painful challenges and seek the light on the other side.  
No matter what realm we share, it's worth it to fight for one another.


See you at the table.
​-Adamus
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    Adam Summerer

    Professional Game Master musician, music teacher, game designer, amateur bartender, and aspiring fiction author.  
    ​In short, I'M A BIG NERD.

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