23 Questions, Answered

Zak Asked too many questions.  My answers...


1. If you had to pick a single invention in a game you were most proud of what would it be?

Hmmm, "proud" and "invented" are too strong.  But, I enjoy eliminating modifiers and rolling 2 (or more) dice.  e.g. attacking invisible target, roll two attacks take worst result.  charge, roll two take best.  Ranged into melee, both must succeed to hit target.  If only one does you've hit some other random target in the melee



2. When was the last time you GMed?

Last Sunday, Jan 15th



3. When was the last time you played?

Within a month.  But, I don't play nearly enough.



4. Give us a one-sentence pitch for an adventure you haven't run but would like to.

The Dirty Dozen - Twelve humanoids prisoners, given option of beheading or suicide mission to sneak into the Fey Court's Winter Festival and slaughter as many Elven Princes, Princessess, and Generals as possible.



5. What do you do while you wait for players to do things?

Pester players to do something, review notes, go pee, remember to take notes (rarely)



6. What, if anything, do you eat while you play?

Nothing. Take break for food.



7. Do you find GMing physically exhausting?

No.  I tend to GM standing which I find tiring, significantly less extreme than exhausting



8. What was the last interesting (to you, anyway) thing you remember a PC you were running doing?

My elephant ex-butler arm wresting a wolf biker for his chopper. (After the Bomb)



9. Do your players take your serious setting and make it unserious? Vice versa? Neither?

Neither. Setting and players are, happily, middle of the road, nice mix of serious and sillyness.



10. What do you do with goblins?

Create unique tribes of them. Butt-stink(stink bombs & disease), Fart-knockers (flaming gas attacks), Poo-eaters (poo toss attack), Red Eye & Runny Nose tribes related tribes addicted to snorting zombie "blow", Mud Face (mud covered, +sneak, favor swamps/rivers).
Like all humanoids I use the basic stats and reflavor them.  Need pygmy orcs, use goblin stats.



11. What was the last non-RPG thing you saw that you converted into game material (background, setting, trap, etc.)?

Conan the Barbarian orgy scene -> Toad God's pleasure chamber and complex were strange lotus incense is used to convert the faithful into God's image ala "Innosmouth Look".  But, I do this constantly.  I'm not creative, but I am good at mixing/mashing/converting.


12. What's the funniest table moment you can remember right now?

I have bad memory.  The players deciding to drink all together at same time the potions of "water breathing"(actually poison) that the EHP (whom the deal with far too often) gave them.  So, instead of being able to swim down to the Black Dragon's lair while he was being distracted,  1/3 party was dead, rest injured with very perturbed Black Dragon almost done destroying distraction and looking for those responsible.  Very funny to me, players not so much.  I (NPCs) told them to not mess with dragon, but player agency and all that ;)


13. What was the last game book you looked at--aside from things you referenced in a game--why were you looking at it?

Latest Fight On! Cause it just arrived in mail!



14. Who's your idea of the perfect RPG illustrator?

Illustrator's work varies.  A "Perfect" RPG illustration inspires me to create or play RPG.



15. Does your game ever make your players genuinely afraid?

Once that I remember.  Got the players so paranoid and afraid of each other the each put back to different wall and drew weapons on each other until they finally figured out there was an invisible tormentor in their midst.

Now days they're mostly just shell-shocked.  "Pfft! Your character only died?  My guy in Norm's campaign had his soul stripped away who knows where.  He's not dead, not undead, just drooling."



16. What was the best time you ever had running an adventure you didn't write? (If ever)

Caves of Chaos at various conventions.



17. What would be the ideal physical set up to run a game in?

DM at end of long table, DM surrounded by shelfs and cases, side table for DM's stuff.  NO DM Shield!  Lots of decoration for "ambience".  That or someplace with lots of "traffic" to recruit new people to hobby, game store, mall.



18. If you had to think of the two most disparate games or game products that you like what would they be?

I will limit answer to RPG games.  "Bunnies and Burrows"  "Pallidum Rifts"


19. If you had to think of the most disparate influences overall on your game, what would they be?

Serving in the U.S. Navy.  Reading Jeff's Gameblog.



20. As a GM, what kind of player do you want at your table?

Engaged, well-adjusted, mature.



21. What's a real life experience you've translated into game terms?

I use my military and tactics training when running Hobgoblins, Gnolls, and elite soldiers.  Which really (sadly) fucks up players who for the most part don't know doodle about tactics.



22. Is there an RPG product that you wish existed but doesn't?

Nope.  There's more existing now than I can possibly ever use.



23. Is there anyone you know who you talk about RPGs with who doesn't play? How do those conversations go?

Lot's of people; Sister, friends, co-workers.  Some are simply humoring me, thanks sis!  Others don't understand why people "do" RPGs and are vastly interested.   Many are into other games / programming and like to discuss mechanics, world creation, player interactions, etc.