On The Shoulders Of Dwarves

A recurring event is something that the players can learn about, use, or be influenced by. How is society changed during this event? What is now permitted or expected? **3:00 Creating events quickly** Make any event special: It's not just any ball, it’s the princess’s birthday or an anniversary of some important battle. An implementation of the “Specific beats generic” rule. Have a list of types of things that people commemorate: [The Queen’s official birthday](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Queen's_Official_Birthday), a big historical event, a remarkable death, tax day, religious days. [Roman Triumphs](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roman_triumph) [Wikipedia's list of holidays](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lists_of_holidays) [Ars Magica](http://www.atlas-games.com/arm5/) You can also switch between cause an effect - in Laflaf Land you must celebrate the mid-winter eve, or the winter simply won’t pass. [Magical thinking](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magical_thinking) Each culture celebrates the main parts of

**2:35 Why would you want to play in a known setting?** You know and love the world and its setting. You want to explore ideas, concepts or characters from the main setting. You think your players could make a better plot than the original. **6:35 How to get the feel of the setting?** Check for the tropes of the specific setting, from [TV Tropes](http://tvtropes.org/). Example from Star Wars: * The heroes are usually outlaws of some sort, spies, criminals, rebels, smugglers, mercenaries etc. * Everything is dirty and mechanical. Only the villains have a clean and slick design. [Used Future](http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/UsedFuture) * No major cities and major systems. Most of the plot is in the rim or “outback”. [Cowboy Bebop](http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Anime/CowboyBebop) Not just tropes, but also themes: * Family ties * Trust and betrayal * Good vs evil, order vs chaos * Old order vs new order 14:40 Where and when to inject your game into the known setting? Some ideas: Alternative his

**00:36 Our email guidelines** **2:50 Lloyd’s email** [Our recap episode](https://dwarves.podiant.co/e/35b5aaeaa2ea42/). [11 ways to be a better roleplayer](http://lookrobot.co.uk/2013/06/20/11-ways-to-be-a-better-roleplayer/) The lack of engagement is a symptom, incentives won’t work here because they don’t address the root cause. **6:10 Dedicated Plotlines** Uri’s plot formula: the number of plots equals the number of PC +1. Each player character has its own plot line, plus one uber-plot. Every personal plot is the answer to the question “what does the character want to achieve?” or “what is the character running from”?. The uber plot is the answer to the question “why are all these characters staying together?” My parents were killed by orcs - [not necessarily unimaginative](http://www.dmsguild.com/product/198330/Three-Suggestions-for-Motivations-for-a-Character-Whose-Parents-Were-Killed-by-Orcs?affiliate_id=29668)! **11:35 Why do they come to the table?** There are many types of players, and they all enjo

The Dwarven Forge concept is directly inspired by [NPC Cast’s Campaign Crucibles](https://npccast.wordpress.com/tag/campaign-crucible/ "Link: https://npccast.wordpress.com/tag/campaign-crucible/"). Our previous forges, [in Hebrew](http://www.dwarves.org.il/tag/campaign-crucible), include: * Masterwork, a secret conflict in medieval times between guilds such as The Bakers, The Weavers and others, using the magical means of their craft; * It is Good to Die For Our Country, a horrific reimagining of the first few Aliyahs to Palestine, in which the dead were re-tooled to keep working for the Yishuv; * Skies of Loot, a Borderlands-like campaign in a barren world and tons of guns; * Binary Interference, the 20th century but with robots who are trying to be more human; * Teddy, Save Me, in which your toys come to life to combat the nightmares that come in the night; * and others. **2:45 The three elements** Uri: Secret government organizations Aviv: “Empire” - [Assassin’s Creed: Origins](https://assassinscreed.ubiso

What’s in a recap? Quite a lot, actually. **1:30 The ritual announcing the game has begun** Every session starts with 15 or so minutes of a social gathering. The recap usually marks the stage in which we enter the game: getting into character, reminding ourselves of the atmosphere, remembering the story, separating everything that happened so far from the game itself. We did a recap - the game has begun. [Fear the Boot podcast](http://www.feartheboot.com/ftb/). **4:08 The importance of rituals** Roleplay is a social activity and as such it requires boundaries. In a martial art dojo, there is always an opening ceremony. Bowing to one’s master, bowing to an opponent at the beginning and ending of each fight. These rituals are there for a reason. They allow us to decide to be something else for a limited time, with a trigger to be something else and to return to ourselves. More opening rituals: Uri had a campaign called the Lament of Prepartum, and every session started with the same verse: “The world is a story

What's the point of having random encounters? How to create them, how to utilize them, and why. [Xanathar's Guide to Everything](http://dnd.wizards.com/products/tabletop-games/rpg-products/xanathars-guide-everything), D&D's latest sourcebook, does random encounters right, mostly. **4:30 Why have random encounters?** Deliver information about the world: There are dragons in the mountains to the north. Sustain the illusion of a consistent world: Things are happening even when the characters are not around. Tell the "story" of the world: There used to be a dwarven empire in these lands. Create a certain atmosphere: Chill and unease, in preparation for the haunted castle. **6:15 Enriching the world with encounter tables** [Show, don't tell](http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/ShowDontTell) [Sandbox style](http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/WideOpenSandbox) [West Marches](http://arsludi.lamemage.com/index.php/78/grand-experiments-west-marches/) No such thing as "just goblins", see [our previous

2:35 What's a cliche? Tropes are not bad. Things are not cliched by themselves - it's the way we portray them, bring them into the game, that might make them cliche. Stereotypes can be useful tools, by establishing expectations. Drizzt Do'urden, the drow. 4:45 Two types of cliches At the character level, and/or the campaign world level. Orcs in Warhammer 7:30 Avoiding cliches Changing one thing - and asking "what's the reason for this?" On the personal level: Why is this person different in this way, from the rest of their race? On the campaign level: What are the consequences that must arise out of this change? How does this sub-race behave? 9:50 Retro justification creates depth Just avoiding a cliche isn't, really, enough. Usually, we also want to also add complexity. Consider not only what is different about this character, but also the reasons that this character decided on that change. 14:20 Sub-races and ethnic groups Having some sub-races in your campaign encourages the players and the GM to think abo

Typical dwarves, promise 30-40 minutes and talk for 50! This is mostly because of the need to introduce ourselves in the beginning; future episodes will be shorter. ** ** **00:10 What's this podcast about?** Originates in our Hebrew podcast (website, facebook page) **3:00 Who are we** And why you might want to listen to us talk. [Improv theatre](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Improvisational_theatre) [Lamabati](http://lamabati.com/english/) [Up to Four Players](http://www.uptofourplayers.com/) D&D and Pathfinder you probably know; here are [Exalted](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Exalted) and [Dungeon World](http://www.dungeon-world.com/) [Vanor](http://www.vanorgames.com/), the Hebrew translation of Dungeon World, by Aviv Manoach [Little Wizards](https://www.crafty-games.com/shop/little-wizards/), and in Hebrew ([קוסמים קטנים](http://littlewizards.co.il/)) [City of Mist](https://www.cityofmist.co/) **7:30 The Better Battle** Which sort of games is this advice applicable for? **8:50 More Dynamic** Keep thin