Numbers or Color?

Justin Alexander · September 15, 2016, 02:06:12 PM

I've been recording all of my gaming sessions for several years now. I find it generally invaluable in looking at what actually happened during sessions instead of hypothetical ideals. Here's a randomly selected transcript from my D&D campaign. The PCs have been experimenting with some magical globes that extend an energy field between whichever two are closest to each other.

GM: The hiistiche dragon form swarms up and out of the hole directly at Nasira!
Elestra: It's coming back!
Nasira:
GM: Does a 38 hit?
Nasira: No.
GM: Double-check. 20 points for the damage.
Nasira:
GM: First full round. Eliavra. You hear Nasira screaming.
Elestra: Come back!
Eliavra: It really got the surprise on us, huh?
GM: Yeah. 39 on a tied check.
Elestra: To be fair, they're little tiny things...
Agnarr: Wait! Did each one of them make the check?

Eliavra: I back away. "Nope, nope, nope, nope, nope..."
GM: Nasira.
Nasira: Really?
GM: Yup. There's a swarm of bugs all around you. Your right arm is enmeshed inside the creature's buzzing maw.
Nasira: Okay. So I'm too close to actually withdraw, right?
GM: The problem is that Withdraw only works in the space you start from. It has a 15 foot reach, so... No.
Nasira: I'm going to cast defensively. Remove Fear.
GM: Okay. Go for it.
Elestra: That's interesting.
Nasira: Okay. It's d20 plus... I don't remember this. Plus Concentration, but then...
Elestra: Do you have Combat Casting? That gives +4.
Nasira: No. But my Concentration is 15.
Elestra: Never mind, then.
Nasira: And it's only a 1st level spell.
GM: I believe it's 15 + the level of the spell.
Nasira: I got 30.
GM: Okay. So you're good. So you cast defensively, and then Will negates, so what's the Will save?
Nasira: 14.
GM: It makes its save.
Nasira: It was worth a try. 5 foot step.
GM: 37, I'm assuming hits... So as you back away it still has its maw around your arm, despite the fact you cast defensively with the other. So as you pull back, it sort of elongates its neck so that its maw is still wrapped around you. Take 20 points of damage. Its anatomy grossly morphs as its claws rake past you, thousands of tiny stingers and wings slicing into your arms for 25 points of damage and...
Nasira: Oh no...
GM: 17 points of damage.
Nasira: I fail my Fortitude save.
GM: Nasira falls. Its tail lashes out towards Ranthir's head--
Ranthir: My head!
Tee: He has the banner on him.
GM: What's the effect of the banner?
Ranthir: Removes Fear effects from all creatures within 20 feet.
Elestra: Take that, hiistiche!
GM: Okay. So its tail seems to lash over Ranthir's head -- separating in half to pass around the banner and then rejoining to smash down towards Tor's head. 20 points of damage from the tail, and then -- as the tail blinds you for a moment -- the two wings descend like clouds of locusts down upon you. 12 points of damage from one and 9 from the other wing. Agnarr, its your turn.
Agnarr: Which spaces is the swarm actually taking up?
GM: 3 x 3 space.
Agnarr: Okay. Agnarr will slide down this side of him.
GM: You'll move there and provoke. Its tail whips out at your legs. Give me an opposed grapple check.
Agnarr: Oh, snap!
GM: 52.
Agnarr: That's 15.
GM: Okay. So Agnarr moves here, and as he does the tail whips back from Tor, wraps around his leg, and dashes him to the floor.
Agnarr: I stand up.
GM: That provokes. 13 plus 9... 22 points of damage as you basically stand up into a swarm of insects that descends upon you as its neck pulls back from Nasira, emerging through its own back to plunge down. A few of the insects do pass through the energy field between the globes held by Tor and Agnarr, and those drop dead... although with little seeming effect to the swarm as a whole. Tor... Okay, you've got an energy field extending between you and Agnarr right now.
Tor: Okay. On a charge, do you have to attack from the first square you can attack from, or from any square?
GM: Has to be the nearest square and attack from there.
Agnarr: You could charge to here.
Tor: I do have a double 5 foot step. I just want to get to the other side of him. I'll just go for it.
GM: Okay. Rushing to the other side will provoke. So opposed grapple check. 47.
Tor: Oh... right. Well... 7.
GM: Tor goes down. And as he falls, the energy field snaps back over to Ranthir. So... Elestra.
Elestra: I could try to run, but it would just knock me down... So I teleport over to here. 29!
Tor: Boo-yah!

GM: Okay, you teleport behind the glass cylinder. Ranthir.
Ranthir: I walk through the hiistiche.
GM: Okay, so--
Ranthir: Banner.
GM: Oh. Right.

GM: The energy field follows you, cleaving the swarm in half. It makes its Reflex save, so it avoids the energy field, but it's split in half. Tee. You see Ranthir part the red dragon.

This example probably has a bit more finagling over rules than normal because they're dealing with several unusual mechanics (swarm, reach, the behavior of the energy fields, and the interaction of the swarm with Remove Fear effects), but it's fairly representative. One thing I do that isn't represented in this particular example is to make several mechanical resolutions before figuring out how those narratively all flow into each other. The other thing not fully represented are small side conversations between the players when it's not their turn, but which aren't fully captured on the recording. (The players in this group tend to remain fully engaged even when it's not their turn: Either commenting on the action OOC, reacting to it IC, or strategizing with the others.)

rgrove0172 · September 15, 2016, 03:16:09 PM

And what are we supposed to take from all that? It was a pretty involved tactical exchange certainly but in my opinion suffered from exactly the kind of rules heavy, drama light dynamic that my group fights hard to avoid. A certain amount of it is unavoidable of course, some aspects of the rules have to be mentioned at least in brief but when the conversation at the table is dominated by it the whole scene becomes a tactical skirmish game instead of a roleplaying game. That's just my opinion though, Ill refrain from making openly demeaning statements about your game despite your inability to do the same for me.

Bren · September 15, 2016, 04:06:58 PM

Quote from: Justin Alexander;919563Elestra: It's coming back!
Nasira:

Nasira:

Eliavra: I back away. "Nope, nope, nope, nope, nope..."

Nasira: Oh no...

Quote from: rgrove0172;919584And what are we supposed to take from all that? It was a pretty involved tactical exchange certainly but in my opinion suffered from exactly the kind of rules heavy, drama light dynamic that my group fights hard to avoid.

Seriously? You don’t find players screaming in character and cheering indicative of dramatic play? :confused:

Justin Alexander · September 15, 2016, 05:07:54 PM

Quote from: rgrove0172;919584And what are we supposed to take from all that?

You started the thread. Have you really forgotten the question that you asked?

Quote from: Bren;919597Seriously? You don’t find players screaming in character and cheering indicative of dramatic play? :confused:

Let's be honest: I think it's becoming increasingly clear that he only considers it "dramatic play" if it's purple prose that he wrote before the game session and then railroaded his players into. And that he's only posting these threads so that he can passive aggressively attack other people while hypocritically pretending (a) not to and (b) to be the real victim.

rgrove0172 · September 15, 2016, 08:38:13 PM

Quote from: Justin Alexander;919613You started the thread. Have you really forgotten the question that you asked?

Let's be honest: I think it's becoming increasingly clear that he only considers it "dramatic play" if it's purple prose that he wrote before the game session and then railroaded his players into. And that he's only posting these threads so that he can passive aggressively attack other people while hypocritically pretending (a) not to and (b) to be the real victim.

Wrong on every account. Your example had some good exchanges but also a lot of dry mechanical ones. That's all I was saying.

Justin Alexander · September 15, 2016, 08:51:42 PM

Quote from: rgrove0172;919584And what are we supposed to take from all that? It was a pretty involved tactical exchange certainly but in my opinion suffered from exactly the kind of rules heavy, drama light dynamic that my group fights hard to avoid. A certain amount of it is unavoidable of course, some aspects of the rules have to be mentioned at least in brief but when the conversation at the table is dominated by it the whole scene becomes a tactical skirmish game instead of a roleplaying game. That's just my opinion though, Ill refrain from making openly demeaning statements about your game despite your inability to do the same for me.

Quote from: rgrove0172;919659Wrong on every account. Your example had some good exchanges but also a lot of dry mechanical ones. That's all I was saying.

Your transparent lie is transparent, troll.

darthfozzywig · September 15, 2016, 08:52:58 PM

Quote from: rgrove0172;919421I got it and admit that I am once again wrong... not just that I have a difference of opinion but TERRIBLY, COMPLETEY AND UTTERLY, someone please kill me and put me out of my ignorant misery WRONG.

I'd love to believe you were serious, but I doubt it. Out of curiosity, how many variations of the same thread are you going to post?

"I like to do [basic rpg activity] this way. How do people play? Oh, you play that way? Well, I guess you could do that, but I find it [juvenile/boring/inferior/disappointing/whatever]. That's just my opinion, of course, but I can't see why anyone would enjoy playing that way. What? Why are you so defensive? Don't you see my way is different in the way that is clearly better? Well, I guess no one can express an opinion here...so I'll start another thread!"

Keep at it, though, because these threads are pretty amusing.

rgrove0172 · September 15, 2016, 10:03:59 PM

Quote from: Justin Alexander;919662Your transparent lie is transparent, troll.

Ah, the Troll tactic... sort of like "your momma" or "up yours"... the place to go when you come up empty - as if after 9 pages any idiot would continue to participate for the "pleasure" of arguing. Maybe some, but sure as shit not me.

rgrove0172 · September 15, 2016, 10:06:16 PM

Quote from: darthfozzywig;919663I'd love to believe you were serious, but I doubt it. Out of curiosity, how many variations of the same thread are you going to post?

"I like to do [basic rpg activity] this way. How do people play? Oh, you play that way? Well, I guess you could do that, but I find it [juvenile/boring/inferior/disappointing/whatever]. That's just my opinion, of course, but I can't see why anyone would enjoy playing that way. What? Why are you so defensive? Don't you see my way is different in the way that is clearly better? Well, I guess no one can express an opinion here...so I'll start another thread!"

Keep at it, though, because these threads are pretty amusing.

Go back and read more closely. I start the thread being very neutral and open about the various opinions. Before long though, sometimes almost immediately Im insulted and even then I try to proceed without too much negativity but eventually it gets a little combative. Im sorry Im not more passive and open to having my own opinion ridiculed openly.

darthfozzywig · September 15, 2016, 11:40:07 PM

I can't wait for the next topic.

Skarg · September 16, 2016, 12:09:17 PM

Quote from: rgrove0172;919584And what are we supposed to take from all that?

Seems to me you started this thread with:

Quote from: rgroveHow do you describe this in your games?

RPGPundit · September 21, 2016, 07:05:43 AM

Quote from: rgrove0172;919036Well Im no fan of DW either but criticizing it for an element that is at its core seems kind of silly. Its like saying Monopoly is stupid because it uses money. It makes much more sense to just say you don't like it.

I can criticize it on the basis of the baseline of how regular RPGs are supposed to work.

Justin Alexander · September 21, 2016, 10:26:13 PM

Quote from: Justin Alexander;919613And that he's only posting these threads so that he can passive aggressively attack other people while hypocritically pretending (a) not to and (b) to be the real victim.

Quote from: rgrove0172;919688Go back and read more closely. I start the thread being very neutral and open about the various opinions. Before long though, sometimes almost immediately Im insulted and even then I try to proceed without too much negativity but eventually it gets a little combative. Im sorry Im not more passive and open to having my own opinion ridiculed openly.

Called it!

rgrove0172 · September 22, 2016, 09:30:29 AM

Quote from: Justin Alexander;920960Called it!

Called what exactly? This thread was done a while back and m9st of us have moved on.

Justin Alexander · September 23, 2016, 05:12:37 PM

Quote from: rgrove0172;921036Called what exactly? This thread was done a while back and m9st of us have moved on.

The thread had been "dead" for a little over three hours when I made my post.

Your transparent lie is transparent, troll.