D&D CATCH-ALL because Baron is dumb

I'd be game. I've been wanting to try it out.

I'm game if scheduling works out.

Pending scheduling, I could be interested.

I really should catch up with the more current rules so I can get in on some of this action.

mudbunny wrote:

So I picked up FG on the Steam sale, as well as all the 5E goodies.

Would anyone be interested in giving it a shot with me as DM?

Probably not until September to give me a chance to get familiar with it, plus to allow vacation and stuff.

Probably for 2 or 3 hours a week every 2 or 3 weeks.

I've already got a game, but if you want to test stuff out, have questions about how "this" or "that" works, etc - let me know.

The only feature I don't really grok is the effects tracker. The rest I've got pretty down pat.

*nods*

So I think my game may be on the death's bed. One of my players had his child and he was out for about two months then returned. Now I've scheduled two sessions (far in advance) and each time someone bailed by double booking. We've tried with a player missing and playing the absent player (apart from giving them the obligatory dick tattoo on their face) has been more of a distraction. My child is due in a few weeks now so I'll be out until at least September.

So after 5 months of a game on pause is there a way to go back? Or is it best to just start something new?

Flintheart Glomgold wrote:

So after 5 months of a game on pause is there a way to go back? Or is it best to just start something new?

I have found that the best way to deal with these problems is just to accept not everyone will be there every time.

In some games, I've just let continuity go hang and had absent players' characters not be present, in others ensure that it's structured so that the end of each session is a natural "end of mission".

My wife has a "weekly but really once every two or three weeks" game on Sundays, and that's how they deal with it. The GM has tried to morph toward self-contained sessions, but has no problem having people be cardboard cutouts when they can't make it to a session.

I need more D&D... so much so I think I might have to get back into the Neverwinter MMO. I prefer the tabletop version but my schedule is messed up enough it makes it difficult to get games going regularly...

I need my fix more often... The Perdita thread needs more DM's... I could DM myself, but that means less play time for me. It's the classic D&D issue. I need more so I'll have to DM... which means I need more players... which gets more hooked... Maybe D&D is a disease.

manta173 wrote:

I need more D&D... so much so I think I might have to get back into the Neverwinter MMO. I prefer the tabletop version but my schedule is messed up enough it makes it difficult to get games going regularly...

I need my fix more often... The Perdita thread needs more DM's... I could DM myself, but that means less play time for me. It's the classic D&D issue. I need more so I'll have to DM... which means I need more players... which gets more hooked... Maybe D&D is a disease.

Well I think my in-person semi regular game has petered out and I'm only interested in DMing. For me the main challenge is that my wife is very weirded out by the concept of chatting while playing games with people I don't know in real life. I have a ton of material and a flexible schedule otherwise--I could easily run a game weekly most of the time.

MikeSands wrote:
Flintheart Glomgold wrote:

So after 5 months of a game on pause is there a way to go back? Or is it best to just start something new?

I have found that the best way to deal with these problems is just to accept not everyone will be there every time.

In some games, I've just let continuity go hang and had absent players' characters not be present, in others ensure that it's structured so that the end of each session is a natural "end of mission".

Whenever I start a game I get everyone to agree to make games, I schedule them two or three weeks in advance and inevitably there has been a last minute drop out. I have found that the games where there is a missing teammate just isn't that much fun (the group of 4 I have click really good).

I was thinking that maybe it was how I run the game, or me in general and had a frank discussion about it but everyone swears that is not it. It is just life (I know) but no matter how much I love the pen, paper, and dice this type of thing frustrates me.

Flintheart Glomgold wrote:

Whenever I start a game I get everyone to agree to make games, I schedule them two or three weeks in advance and inevitably there has been a last minute drop out. I have found that the games where there is a missing teammate just isn't that much fun (the group of 4 I have click really good).

Yeah, four might be too few for that it to work so well. My regular group is bigger (partly because it is rare that everyone can make it), which helps.

I've also had some success with running with an alternate game for when not everyone is present - either a one shot to try out a new rpg, or something that works well as a "whoever is there is on the mission" style. For the latter, I've had good luck with World of Dungeons (especially using the Dark Heart of the Dreamer setting) and my own Monster of the Week (that play style was one of my design objectives).

MikeSands wrote:

I've also had some success with running with an alternate game for when not everyone is present - either a one shot to try out a new rpg, or something that works well as a "whoever is there is on the mission" style. For the latter, I've had good luck with World of Dungeons (especially using the Dark Heart of the Dreamer setting) and my own Monster of the Week (that play style was one of my design objectives).

Now I'm jealous because I haven't had an excuse to run Planarch Codex yet.

But yeah, I've also done this. it's a good excuse to break out Microscope / Fiasco / whatever I have sitting on my shelf that I haven't gotten to try out yet.

I agree that it helps is to deliberately pick a story setup that gives an excuse when people drop in and out. I ran Mouse Guard with a core of 2-3 and several more players who might or might not be there. Since the setting was that they were all members of the Guard, we just said they had different orders that week. Mouse Guard has rules for handling absent players, but the basic idea works with any rules, since it's just a story-fiction-thing.

Warriorpoet897 wrote:
manta173 wrote:

I need more D&D... so much so I think I might have to get back into the Neverwinter MMO. I prefer the tabletop version but my schedule is messed up enough it makes it difficult to get games going regularly...

I need my fix more often... The Perdita thread needs more DM's... I could DM myself, but that means less play time for me. It's the classic D&D issue. I need more so I'll have to DM... which means I need more players... which gets more hooked... Maybe D&D is a disease.

Well I think my in-person semi regular game has petered out and I'm only interested in DMing. For me the main challenge is that my wife is very weirded out by the concept of chatting while playing games with people I don't know in real life. I have a ton of material and a flexible schedule otherwise--I could easily run a game weekly most of the time.

I normally have 1 or 2 nights a week where I am free, but it's not always the same night unfortunately. We are a few pages deep, but it seems the Perdita thread is really just getting some momentum if you wanted to take up an adventure hook to DM.

Warriorpoet897 wrote:
manta173 wrote:

I need more D&D... so much so I think I might have to get back into the Neverwinter MMO. I prefer the tabletop version but my schedule is messed up enough it makes it difficult to get games going regularly...

I need my fix more often... The Perdita thread needs more DM's... I could DM myself, but that means less play time for me. It's the classic D&D issue. I need more so I'll have to DM... which means I need more players... which gets more hooked... Maybe D&D is a disease.

Well I think my in-person semi regular game has petered out and I'm only interested in DMing. For me the main challenge is that my wife is very weirded out by the concept of chatting while playing games with people I don't know in real life. I have a ton of material and a flexible schedule otherwise--I could easily run a game weekly most of the time.

We could certainly use more DMs over in Perdita! Especially if you have time and inclination! Strangers you haven't met in real life are just friends you haven't met in real life who you haven't played D&D with yet.

TheHarpoMarxist wrote:
Warriorpoet897 wrote:
manta173 wrote:

I need more D&D... so much so I think I might have to get back into the Neverwinter MMO. I prefer the tabletop version but my schedule is messed up enough it makes it difficult to get games going regularly...

I need my fix more often... The Perdita thread needs more DM's... I could DM myself, but that means less play time for me. It's the classic D&D issue. I need more so I'll have to DM... which means I need more players... which gets more hooked... Maybe D&D is a disease.

Well I think my in-person semi regular game has petered out and I'm only interested in DMing. For me the main challenge is that my wife is very weirded out by the concept of chatting while playing games with people I don't know in real life. I have a ton of material and a flexible schedule otherwise--I could easily run a game weekly most of the time.

We could certainly use more DMs over in Perdita! Especially if you have time and inclination! Strangers you haven't met in real life are just friends you haven't met in real life who you haven't played D&D with yet.

That's a good one to yoink for a sig I think.

I was trying to join Perdita as a player at first... I'll have to rethink this (but with new baby coming it may be a while).

I want to play and run more, but I need a more consistent schedule and player base

Well we can always try the moving target model. I think that was the goal for Perdita anyway... we all have random schedules so why not try to hit those nights when they line up.

If I had a nice one off set up, I would be happy to build a DM experience off of it, but right now I am a little too lazy to write it myself and have it be quality. I think I could do a good larger campaign... but I don't know how to do it in small chunks where players need to be able to drop in and out from session to session.

So I know this get asked in the various podcast related threads... but does anyone listen to D&D podcasts other than Adventure Zone? Once every two weeks is not enough for my driving schedule, and I want another 5e podcast. Critical Hit bores me and I am so far removed from 4e at this point I don't want to listen to it. Nerd Poker just isn't as good without Sarah and Sark.

I don't need them to be amazing... just entertaining and able to heard.

manta173 wrote:

So I know this get asked in the various podcast related threads... but does anyone listen to D&D podcasts other than Adventure Zone? Once every two weeks is not enough for my driving schedule, and I want another 5e podcast. Critical Hit bores me and I am so far removed from 4e at this point I don't want to listen to it. Nerd Poker just isn't as good without Sarah and Sark.

I listen to "Roll for Initiative" which is a first edition podcast but is awesome (although I'm trying to catch up from the start). For a running a game it does a good job about teaching about how to become a better dungeon master.

Does anyone have access to the Adventure League adventures? Are they worth the effort to set one up? I want stuff themed appropriately to go along with our Horde of the Dragon Queen run which is way behind the curve at this point, but setting up an open game will require a lot of effort on my part to get access to them since I don't have a relationship with a local store.

I'm playing in a pathfinder game and I'm playing a sheriff Investigator. I LOVE playing an Investigator!

I've never played a true pen and paper RPG in my life. I'd love to get into some kind of group at some point.

Kehama wrote:

I've never played a true pen and paper RPG in my life. I'd love to get into some kind of group at some point.

Seriously head over to the Perdita thread and sign up. This is a drop in drop out when you are free while a DM is free type set up. It is perfect for those of us with irregular schedules who still want to play. I'll even set up a google hangout to help you build a character if you want. It works better with more people.

Other than that, go to the Wizards of the Coast website to look for a local sponsored game they have a store/ event locator. A new series is starting up soon, and they are free and I have had mostly positive experiences when I have had the time.

There are also local facebook groups or meetup.com and even google+. Nearbygamers.com is can be good depending on your area.

It took me awhile, but I have a decent group to game with that is not 1.5 hours away from home. Unfortunately all the GWJ people in the area are in the 1.5 hours away thing which if I remember correctly is your situation. You might have to build the group yourself by playing board games at the library until you lure people in, but there are nerds everywhere. Eventually some will come out.

I'll second Perdita, it works better with more people and I've had a blast every time I've managed to play.

I love that on Saturday I'm getting a double dose of D&D - I have a buddy whose partner is out of town, so I'm going to run a solo for him the afternoon and then continue an ongoing play by Roll20 / Googlehangout campaign with some high school / college friends in the evening.

I've made good life choices.

Kehama wrote:

I've never played a true pen and paper RPG in my life. I'd love to get into some kind of group at some point.

I am working on getting a digital game (5E) going via Fantasy Grounds in the fall sometime. Goodjers will have dibs on spots.

manta173 wrote:

So I know this get asked in the various podcast related threads... but does anyone listen to D&D podcasts other than Adventure Zone? Once every two weeks is not enough for my driving schedule, and I want another 5e podcast. Critical Hit bores me and I am so far removed from 4e at this point I don't want to listen to it. Nerd Poker just isn't as good without Sarah and Sark.

I don't need them to be amazing... just entertaining and able to heard.

One Shot by James D'Amato. It's a bunch of Chicago improv comedians playing role-playing games, which sells it short, because every one of them is invested in the hobby, and not just using this as fodder for their next gag (although they are using all of this stuff as fodder for their gags). They tend to do more indy, non-D&D adventures, but they have done a 5e run-through, and they have a recurring campaign in Dungeon World that's freaking hysterical. I defy you not to enjoy the adventures of Cobb the hobbit and Buttercup the pony.

http://www.oneshotpodcast.com/