D&D Hoard of the Dragon Queen

[QueenBex]

Hey guys I finally really would like to understand the whole roleplaying game thing. With the rolling of dice etc. How does it work? And is it possible to do a game here on spritestitch? I mean I can easily get a dice or two, my comic book shop has loads of different shaped ones. It's going on my bucket list, to be able to understand and play a roleplaying game.

Anyone want to lay it out for me in a gentle ease into it way? And I wonder if you guys have some kind of dictionary for the terms used? Or does it change often or do you just make up your own?

[Kareesh]

Well, there are various different games. The major one is Dungeons and Dragons, though Pathfinder has quite a following.

Technically, it is possible to play it on the boards. It's not as good as playing in person or via Skype, but I've seen it done before. I'd be game (ha!) to participate if we started one here on the boards. ^_^

Anywho, I know enough to get by, but I think there are people here on the board who can explain it better than I can.

[QueenBex]

Is it a tabletop when you make up your own story and game? Or is it called something else? It would be awesome if we can get a game going specialised for spritestitch. I am soooooo clueless about all this... :p

[Kareesh]

Is it a tabletop when you make up your own story and game? Or is it called something else? It would be awesome if we can get a game going specialised for spritestitch. I am soooooo clueless about all this... :p

I think technically a tabletop game is any game you can play on a tabletop as opposed to a PC or console. But most people use the phrase in reference to the RP-type games where you make up a character with stats, and the DM/GM (dungeon master/game master) creates the world and stories. It's sort of like interactive story-telling.

Most tabletop RPGs (like D&D, Pathfinder, etc) use what's known as the d20 system. Basically what that means is that the results of your actions, and whether you succeed or fail, is based upon rolling dice, normally the 20 sided die. I typically play D&D 3.5e (the 3.5 edition of D&D that they've released), and in those rules, a lot more depends upon the dice throw than in other games. I've not really played any other games (just the Star Wars Saga edition, which I believe is pretty close to 3.5) so I can't say the rules for all those.

[RMDC]

Typically, tabletop RPGs have the following elements in common:

• at least one player who operates a character,
• at least one person who acts as the gamemaster - the referee and sometimes the person writing the setting and adventure plots,
• and a means of resolving actions with an uncertain outcome (usually the ruleset and dice).

Rules:

Spoiler

As Kareesh pointed out, the big dog in the pack of RPG rules, Dungeons & Dragons, has a relatively simple core mechanic: if a character wants to accomplish something where the outcome is unknown, a target number is set and a die is rolled. If the die result, plus any modifiers applied by the character's skills or attributes, meets or exceeds the target number, the attempt is successful. If not, the consequences depend on the circumstance.

For example: Barbara the Barbarian is trying to climb a fifteen-foot cliff to chase the Evil NPC. The cliff isn't too vertical and has plenty of knobby bits. On an ordinary day, she'd climb i easily. But this is a chase where speed is important, and the rocks are slick from a recent rain. On the other hand, Barbara is a trained climber - plus she has enough time to lace on her crampons before scrambling up the cliff. The GM sets the target number for Barbara's roll as 18 to reflect the conditions (I'll do a sidebar below to talk a bit about why 18). Barbara's training in climbing cliffs is reflected on her character sheet (in D&D 2.5 and later, characters spend points to purchase ranks in skills; other systems might use different means of differentiating trained and untrained characters). Her Climb skill is at +7: +4 for the ranks she purchased at character generation and +3 for her muscly muscles. That's the number she adds to her d20 roll every time she makes a climbing check. In this case, the GM rules that Barbara's crampons provide an additional +2 to her check, for a total of +9. Barbara's player rolls a d20 and gets a 9. If she was untrained, she'd be on her butt right now, but her experience gives her the edge she needs: 9 + 9 = 18, just at the target number. Barbara launches herself up the rocks, and the chase is on.

That's awfully wordy. Here's how it might go:

GM: You round the boulder to see that Evil NPC has left the path and is climbing a broken cliff face. He's most of the way up.
Sorceror: MAGIC MISSILE MAGIC MISSILE
Barbara: We need him alive, doofus! I'll go after him.
GM: Remember, it rained this morning. The cliff face is still wet.
Barbara (taking the hint that the GM just gave her - this will be harder than usual): Can I slip on my crampons?
GM: No, but you can carefully lace them on.
Barbara (rolling her eyes): Fine, but don't be a * about it, May. (She can get away with this. She provided the pizza this evening.)
GM (rolling some dice to pretend she's carefully determining every aspect of the situation by completely impartial probability, when in actuality she's covering for a few seconds while she decides what target number she'll choose): Okay, so while you're finishing the lace job, Evil NPC slips on the rocks and is delayed slightly. You still have a chance! Make your roll.
Barbara, hesitantly: 18? With my Climb mod and the +2 for the crampons?
GM (trollface): I dunno. Is it 18? You're the one who rolled it.
Barbara: MAY GODDAMMIT WE TALKED ABOUT THE * THING

Real time, less than thirty seconds. It doesn't take very long to get into the swing of it.

In most cases, the dice only come out when something's dicey. Dicey! Ha! I slay me! ("No you don't. Not unless you roll 12 or better on your attack, bucko.") Tabletop roleplaying is about the jokes and the funny voices the GM does for the individual NPCs and the pizza. The rules just help with the fiddly bits.

Completely optional target number sidebar if you're up for a teensy bit of the very lightest mathematics:

Spoiler

May, our fictional GM, chose 18 as the number to beat because she relied on a few simple rules of thumb. The first rule is based on the dice. An average roll on a 20 is a 10.5 (because you get average rolls by adding the minimum and the maximum and dividing by two, e.g. average 2d6 is the lowest result, 2, plus the highest, 12, and then the sum is divided by two to produce 7). So since 10.5 is our average, we can say that 11 or better is our 50% mark. Absent any other modifiers, a person rolling a d20 will meet or beat a target of 11 50% of the time. This is obvious on a single die, but if you know how to average dice, you can do it for any number of dice: a roll of 5d6 will yield an average result of 17.5, good to know for the D&D player who's about to toss a fireball or attempt a dangerous climbing maneuver at 50 feet above the ground, both of which might result in that many six-sided dice hitting the table to determine whether someone just got splattered.

But back to Barbara's climb. An average-strength, untrained person - in other words, a character with no modifiers to a climb attempt - can successfully climb a simple, easy cliff while under pressure on a roll of 11 or better. (We say "while under pressure" because, absent the stress, it would basically be an automatic success. In D&D, we call this "taking 20" - taking enough time to make sure you're doing it right, so that you don't roll any dice and the maximum die result, 20, is assumed. It's the pressure of time or stress that introduces the element of chance.) This can be expanded to the principle than an average, untrained person can succeed on an simple task with an uncertain outcome 50% of the time. It's is somewhat arbitrary, but it's an assumption that many d20-based systems make as part of the foundation of the rules, and it bears up somewhat in real-world testing for those who care about such things.

With that 11 as a baseline, May decides that the cliff face's wet surface brings it down from a 50% chance of success to a 25% chance of success, so she initially ratchets the TN up to 16. (This is the second rule of thumb. Going up the numbers on a d20 increments by 5% each time because 100 % / 20 = 5%. If May wants to go from 50% hard to 75% hard, she just counts by fives as she increments the target number until she gets to her desired difficulty. If 11 is 50% difficulty, then counting by fives for each 1 she adds to that 11 means she lands at 75% difficulty on a target number of 16. This is one reason the d20 has become one of the most popular dice to use for resolution mechanics. #dicenerd)

May decides to add a further element of drama. She reasons that Evil NPC's scrabbling loosens stones and roots from the cliff, removing some handholds and leaving detritus which might make the climb more uncertain. Here's where the third rule of thumb comes in. A circumstance that contributes to the action resolution, positively or negatively, can be represented by modifying the target or the roll up or down by 2. In our example, this rule of thumb applied to both the target number (16, plus 2 for the results of Evil NPC's scrabbling, for a final TN of 18) and to Barbara's skill check (9 on die, plus 7 for skill and strength, plus 2 for the crampons - a circumstance contributing positively to Barbara's check).

When you're starting out, all the numbers seem arbitrary and opaque. And that's okay. Ultimately, it's the job of the GM to handle the rules - and the oft-quoted "Rule Number Zero" is that the GM can toss the rules as she likes in order to keep the fun going or to encourage interesting events. But if you know that most of the rules about numbers in a d20-based system follow those three rules of thumb above (the 50% rule, the 5% increment rule, and the +/-2 rule), then a lot of the fog around the numbers in the rules is lifted.

Thoughts on forum roleplaying:

Spoiler

I used to do a lot of forum roleplaying. Forum roleplays differ from tabletop roleplaying in that they're mostly about characters interacting with each other or with their internal monologues and reflections. Most forum roleplays have simple rules that are variations on "don't be a *". In a few cases, simple resolution mechanics like an online dice-rolling service might be implemented to handle things like combats or interactions with NPCs, but at least in the forum RPs I was in during the nineties and early naughties, it was phrased as "take your hits" - if someone posted that they were going to swing a sword at your character, you should reasonably sprinkle a dodge here and a wincing recoil there, and if people complained that you always dodged and never got sliced, you were liable to be booted out.

Forum roleplaying is at its best when it allows for characters to respond to each other's quirks and attributes within a funky setting. My favorite forum RP of all time was a Final Fantasy RP where each character had been chosen by the deific representation of one of the magical elements to go on some quest or other. The plot was actually pretty good, but over ten years later what stuck with me was the character interaction. We guided our characters through dungeony temples for each element, with the player whose character was chosen by the element in question getting to define the setting of each temple and act as gamemaster for that segment. I remember the Dark temple because the player very skillfully made it less about puzzles and challenges and more about uncomfortable introspection and mistrust of other players. I had the Poison element, so I played up the inherency of and necessity for the distasteful aspects of the world and the self. By contrast, we all had a blast in the action-packed chase through the Air temple that had no parallel whatsoever in Character Depth and Development, and the Water temple player put in some really fantastic puzzles (you know, before Google and Wikipedia were really around ). In that roleplay, there really weren't any rules. One person came up with a concept and invited others to participate. We made simple character biographies and just dove right in.

Man, I miss that Poison character.

But for the absolute finest in forum roleplaying, the cream of my forum career, may I direct you here. I challenge you to read the forty-five posts within. May the Goddess have mercy on your soul.

Bex, and any other Sprite Stitchers who might be interested, if you want to do Skype or Google Hangout tabletop RPs, I could be up for GMing a weekly session.

[Kareesh]

Spoiler

But for the absolute finest in forum roleplaying, the cream of my forum career, may I direct you here. I challenge you to read the forty-five posts within. May the Goddess have mercy on your soul.

Oh. My. Goodness. I...I think I read, like, 5 posts and then I was done. I do a forum Play-by-Post over on Adventures in Caelereth. I've been there off and on for almost 13 years.

Bex, and any other Sprite Stitchers who might be interested, if you want to do Skype or Google Hangout tabletop RPs, I could be up for GMing a weekly session.

I dunno if I could do weekly, but perhaps biweekly.

Also, Bex, this is a great D&D 3.5 for total beginners.

[Eliste]

For me, the dice rolling is secondary to the purpose of any RPG- which, IMO, is to tell a story. I like to think of tabletop RPGs as collaborative storytelling and each person contributes to how the story goes in certain ways. So each person has a role, and that role dictates how you contribute to the game. In my experience, there are really only two roles and some games allow a blending of those (for example Fiasco is essentially a game where everyone is both GM and player).

Gamesmaster- The one who does homework for the session. The GM is in charge of creating the world you will exist in. He's in charge of the people who are not players in that world. He can be in charge of events that happen in that world. The GM also is in charge of making sure the rules get followed (although in my experience, the best GMs will sacrifice this if it makes for good storytelling). If you think of it in terms of video games, the GM is the games designer, the writer of the script, the designer of the visuals. Sometimes the GM is also in charge of the world's myths, physics/science, and religions too. GMs can get help in the creation of their world etc through RPG game designers and writers who regularly create worlds to explore and scenarios that can happen within them, complete with characters and plots. In that case, the GM still has to communicate the scenes, visuals, and world to the rest of the group, and guide them through the scenario.

Players- Those in this role don't usually have to do homework between sessions. Players are generally in charge of creating a single character (sometimes they can create extras). They are then required to examine, interpret, and express what that character would be doing in any given situation they find themselves in.

Dice- This is the element of chance, and represents the possibility that no matter how much we want to do something, sometimes things don't work out. The dice are really only there to see whether the grand plans of the GM or players succeed or fail, to what degree, and to keep it more realistic. It isn't realistic that I, a waif of a courtier, would be able to wield a sword against a giant and win. I might get lucky, which the dice usually allow for, but it helps to keep you from just acting like someone who is good at everything, all the time. Not only is it less fun to play such a person, but good storytelling usually has an element of people overcoming obstacles or working towards a goal rather than having everything handed to them on a platter.

As for how it actually goes, this is what my Tuesday night looks like every week:
6pm- I get home. Usually frantically tidy the house before people arrive.
7pm- Friends start arriving, usually before I've finished tidying. Food gets ordered, we sit around and chat.
7:45- Food arrives and people get a little quiet as they eat. This is usually when we switch from out of character to in character.
8pm- Game kicks off properly. Last week it was something like this:
GM: Ok, so if I recall correctly, you guys had just killed a bear in the middle of a very wet night up in Beidan Pass. It was a pretty miserable night and you're likely all feeling a bit rough, having not slept well with the torrential rain.
Me: Except my brother (another player) and I, who were in his tent.
GM: Right, so you guys slept ok. Everybody else needs to consider themselves not rested enough to get their Void Points back. (queue groaning from everyone else) What do you guys want to do now?
In that small exchange, you can see what I mean by the GM and Player roles. Our GM reminded us of what had happened, has told us of the outside sources we are having to deal with, and is ensuring that the rules of the game are being followed (by denying people Void Points). Conversely, you can see me as the player interjecting exactly what it is that my character was up to (sleeping in a tent) thereby affecting the outcome. If I hadn't been in a tent, I would not have had my Void Points either (which was crucial! CRUCIAL I tell ya).
From here, we say what our plans are and the GM either allows them to go as we state, or puts obstacles in our way (for instance we had intended to just sleep peacefully the game before, but the GM had a bear find our fire). He narrates what happens, or we narrate what we do. In that way we build the story together. If we get to a point where we as players don't know something, we can ask questions or choose to simply make something occur. The last few games, when we've been at a loss, for instance, two of our players have struck up a game of Go "in character" rolling dice in accordance with their skills and rules to see which one will win.

So for me, the quintessential part of RPGs is storytelling. Its like collaboratively writing a play, or movie. Some RPG games are based heavily on this aspect, some less so becoming more of a wargame or boardgame with some storytelling aspect. It really depends on what game you decide to play (sometimes this is really up to who is GM'ing as you need someone willing to run a certain system if you want to play in it). D&D is an interesting and good example because it is has gone through many iterations, spanning the gamut of heavy storytelling (in 1-3.5) to almost no storytelling (4th ed).

I know I've linked this before, but I really think this is a good example of RPG play. It is essentially a guy and his daughter where the dad is a GM and Bean is a player. Importantly, Bean gets that its about storytelling, as you can see at the end where she is trying to get her dad to play D&D with her some more. The rules are simplified, but it is fairly accurate of much of my experience playing table top RPGs over the past *cough* many years. Add in a friend or two with Bean, add in some complexity in both rules, descriptions, and characters, and you have it.

It may be because I grew up doing theatre, but I always think of it as part improv. You create your character and then express what that character is doing. People get more or less "in" character. I tend to be pretty in character, complete with the occasional uppercut to the air and shouted BAM!! when we're fighting. Others like my boyfriend are more reserved, but no less certain about what they're doing as they weave new dimensions to their characters by creating huge back stories that may never be seen "on screen" as it were. Being a player, I always think the important thing is defining your character in your head and being true to them with what you have them do. Sometimes characters take on a life of their own, as I've found in writing as well. But as long as it makes sense to the character and the situation, its a very free and easy way to play out different things.

This is getting long, but I hope it helps.

[Eliste]

I also want to address the question I get the most with tabletop RPGs which is "but what do you DO when you play?"

Quintessentially, we talk. Yes, some dice rolling happens. Yes, storytelling happens. Yes, character creation and characterisation happens. But it all boils down to talking. Sometimes, there a little figures used to represent things that people can push around on a table. Sometimes, there are paper and dice. But nothing happens if those who show up don't talk.

To an outside viewer, our group could just as easily be a group of friends sitting around, eating, drinking, and talking about a movie/book/whatever. That is essentially all we are doing. I have played games in public, and it can draw little to no attention or a lot depending on how you do it.

This is contrasted with LARPing, which is Live Action Role Playing, which can not be mistaken for almost anything else but it or some theatre experience going on. LARPing involves physically acting out what your character would do, rather than just narrating it. This has developed quite extensively and people who LARP often do so over long week/ends with others.

[QueenBex]

This is so cool, thanks for explaining. I doubt I could get the whole maths side of things but storytelling is something I know how to do!
A) what is Void points?
B) I like the sound of tabletop RPGs rather then those forum ones.
C) how exactly do go about creating a character and determining stats?
D) is a dice the only equipment you need as a player?
E) I haven't used Skype or Google Hangout before, are they free? Which would you prefer?
F) a bi-weekly session would be good.
G) what happens if a player can't make it to the session?

[lcockitt]

This is so cool, thanks for explaining. I doubt I could get the whole maths side of things but storytelling is something I know how to do!
A) what is Void points?
B) I like the sound of tabletop RPGs rather then those forum ones.
C) how exactly do go about creating a character and determining stats?
D) is a dice the only equipment you need as a player?
E) I haven't used Skype or Google Hangout before, are they free? Which would you prefer?
F) a bi-weekly session would be good.
G) what happens if a player can't make it to the session?

G) happened to our group recently (Star Wars themed game) and we 'took over' the other player's character - mainly by sending her running into rooms first to 'check' for traps and bad guys.

Also D) - you could possibly get away without using a dice - for rolls of up to 100 instead of using 2 d10s we use a random number generator. Rolling a dice is much more fun though!