DM Delegation

many hands make light work


I recently came across a comment about how some Game Masters assigned administrative duties to their players. At times it becomes necessary to delegate. It may be because of the particular game system or part of the characteristics of the gaming group.

We used to assign a Technical GM or Tech GM for particularly rules heavy game systems. We would also assign at least one where there was an unusually large number of players present. The Tech GM's duty was primarily in combat. He tracked initiative orders, looked up bonuses and penalties, located spell descriptions and did all the things that would slow down the game if we let the GM do the task.

For less rules heavy systems like BESM. there was less need for the Tech GM. Instead, other duties were farmed out to volunteers. One would be Music Tech. Because BESM is cinematic, we felt the need to incorporate as much sensory cues as possible. Music is one of them. Armed with our CD's and MP3's,  the Music Tech played the appropriate music during the game. He could choose which music to play, much like how the music director would define the soundtrack of a movie.

Mage Knight: The Resurrection

an old favorite comes back from limbo

Mage Knight was the first collectible Miniatures Game and the first to use the clix system created by Wizkids. Tabletop skirmishers felt the loss when Wizkids closed shop. By that time, Mage Knight went into stasis. Although people continued to play the game, its just different when you know the original creators are no longer around.

Well, it seems the dark ages are over because Wizkids/ NECA announced a relaunch for Mage Knight. Details are sketchy at the moment. What they did say was that the first release would be a boardgame. Then Mage Knight would branch out to other media like card games and perhaps an rpg.

The New Mage Knight Logo

I'm sure plenty of gamers the world over would welcome this development! It makes me hopeful that Wizkids would revive some of their other games. I'm particularly interested in the Fate of the Mechwarrior miniatures game. The milieu is one I find interesting and I always thought the clix version possessed its own merits. I hope more patience pays off.

The Watchers

Organization for Greyhawk


I've always wondered about how places like Furyondy dealt with the issue of espionage. As a generally Lawful Good state there should some cultural distaste for the matter. However, we know that not everyone follows this, an alignment tendency is merely that. Plus, there is a need for counter-espionage given all the spies and saboteurs you would expect from that state's enemies.  The idea of a counter espionage organization in a LG culture sounded like an intriguing challenge.

I chose not to create a Prestige Class because I envisioned this organization to be centered on NPCs. A Prestige Class, on the other hand, is too centered on the PC. It also means expending much effort. Why spend the time to detail a Prestige Class when only the GM will see the stats? Plus it may give the players the wrong impression - that the campaign is all about espionage. Maybe a Prestige Class would be appropriate in the future but this will do for now.

Also, I believe that the organization logically has low level members who have a degree of authority despite their weak combat prowess. So I turn to the rules for creating PC Organizations outlined in the DMG2. It uses few rules additions and is less involved than a prestige class. At the same time, it is slightly more powerful than the Guild and gives more benefits which may attract higher level NPCs. Further on, this organization could be fleshed out and expanded to make it an attractive option for PCs.

Tower of Gygax

Keith Baker appreciates Gygax. In tribute to the co creator of DnD, Kieth conceptualized "The Tower of Gygax" a massive dungeon of ever changing rooms. Seems this event has been running for 3 years now since being first played in 2008. It seems a fitting tribute and Kieth deserves to be recognized for this.

Read more about it on Gloomforge

Prestige Classes Foundations

thoughts on immersion through rules

I like adding little bits to customize a setting. In a previous post I noted some of my opinions on the use of prestige classes to flavor a setting. One of the ways to immerse a DnD player is to make his character an integral part of the rules set. The characters' playing mechanics become entwined with the flavor of the world. The Player's method of play thus becomes integrated as well. To achieve this means tweaking existing Prestige Classes or custom building one form scratch.

This is the first guideline from the DnDWiki:

Prestige classes should be campaign/setting/race/occupation/role/organization specific, and designed around a clear theme. (Example: Sherwood Bowman, Dutch Trader, Damascus Smith, Naval Officer)

Prestige Classes on DnDWiki

Lets expound:

Campaign
The campaign means the thematic focus of the current series of games. It is a narrower definition of Setting. Think of it as "what is important for this series of scenarios."  When playing the One Well game we could have very specific classes like Liberation Army Veteran or perhaps Bakluni Archaeologist. Contrast these to broader concepts like Myrmidon or Loremaster. They may be similar but the former generate more impact in the campaign's flavor. This is done my focusing on the specific characteristics of the campaign.

Setting
The Setting refers to the game world. It should offer several ideas based on history, current events and location.

Race
Racial archetypes can be further enhanced by adding Prestige Classes. Highlight what each culture values.

Occupation
Similar to race but more focused on a broader social grouping. Seafaring nations may have a Mariner Prestige class that can be taken by all races.

Role
Perhaps you need a type of character that fulfills a specific role in gameplay. The ultimate ranged combatant as a combat role could go to Deepwood Sniper or Bow Initiate.

Organization
The more the characters interact with society the more important is this criteria. A prestige class can highlight what is important to these groups.