Subject: MYSTARA-L Digest - 24 Nov 2004 to 25 Nov 2004 (#2004-253) From: Automatic digest processor Date: 26/11/2004, 19:00 To: Recipients of MYSTARA-L digests Reply-to: Mystara RPG Discussion There are 4 messages totalling 261 lines in this issue. Topics of the day: 1. Help with War Machine (2) 2. Partying up in HW (2) ******************************************************************** The Other Worlds Homepage: http://www.wizards.com/dnd/OtherWorlds.asp The Mystara Homepage: http://www.mystaranet.jamm.com/vaults/default.aspx To unsubscribe, send email to LISTSERV@ORACLE.WIZARDS.COM with UNSUB MYSTARA-L in the body of the message. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Thu, 25 Nov 2004 16:50:01 +0200 From: =?ISO-8859-1?Q?Ville_V_L=E4hde?= Subject: Re: Help with War Machine I run through the X10 campaign module with War Machine. You can find some stuff in Shawn Vaults under Campaign ideas --> Twin Campaigns But I'd suggest that you use the Battlesystem rules, perhaps modified somewhat, in running any climatic adventure. Of course they might be had to come by now, if you don't have them. We used them in our final battle, and they worked well enough. If you wish to use War Machine in a single large battle, you might consider breaking up the battle into smaller engagements and running each with WM. That would bring in some dramatic falour to the otherwise quite straightforward combat system. The War Machine rules don't give any good options to integrating machinery and such, they are too coarse. The Siege Machine rules seem to work, but there the machines have a specific function as opposed to battlefield bombardment etc. I'd suggest just giving a nice bonus to a unit that has them, a bit like the special bonuses given in the rules for prior knowledge of battle plans etc. The bonus is determined by several factors, like do the machines have immunities, can they really kill many people in one stroke (a catapult stone can only attack a few people at a time), and of course flying. Of course if you have a substantian number of such machines, you can count them as "troops", one machine counting as 10 men for example. Then you apply the flying/magic/immunity bonuses if the machines account for big enough percentage of the unit. Ville ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 25 Nov 2004 14:55:47 -0000 From: "N. M." Subject: Partying up in HW Fellers, If you recall, I was putting together a new D&D 3E game a while back. After discussing it with my gaming group, we opted for the default setting from the Core Rules, which is apparently Greyhawk. (Since none of us were familiar with the setting, we decided it wouldn't matter if we just ran with it and made it up as we went along.) I'm planning on another D&D game though, with the players I had to turn down for the first (because of numbers). As before, these players were most familiar with Forgotten Realms. Since my only experience with FR has been in CRPGs, and I refuse to spend money on the campaign setting book, I have the same dilemma: I want a setting we're either all familiar with, or we're all unfamiliar with. In fact, Hollow World would be ideal, with a minor change. I have the Hollow World boxed set, but I've only ever run a few adventures there, using Known World player characters, so I don't know it in any detail. The setting isn't as developed as the Known World anyway, and just gives you enough to get your creativity flowing. I'd change it so there was a large floating island very close to the sun, so that you had a sort of night and day, but other than that HW seems good to go. My question for you is: HW has a very different feel from other D&D settings. A sort of pre-historic feel. Assuming player characters could be from any race/culture in HW, how did you DMs go about partying them up? This would seem to be the hardest part of the whole thing. If the characters were all from one village, same race/culture, that would be perfect. But if they're not... Ta, Neil ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 25 Nov 2004 10:21:17 -0500 From: Donald Eric Kesler Subject: Re: Help with War Machine > I run through the X10 campaign module with War Machine. You can find some > stuff in Shawn Vaults under Campaign ideas --> Twin Campaigns Thanks. I'll take a look at his work. > But I'd suggest that you use the Battlesystem rules, perhaps modified > somewhat, in running any climatic adventure. Of course they might be had > to come by now, if you don't have them. We used them in our final battle, > and they worked well enough. I have Battlesystem, but it has been so long since I even looked at the material. I'll dig it out today and give it a go. > If you wish to use War Machine in a single large battle, you might > consider breaking up the battle into smaller engagements and running each > with WM. That would bring in some dramatic falour to the otherwise quite > straightforward combat system. Agreed. In my campaign, King Uther is going to assign each player a portion of his forces to command. I am also going to prepare a bit of color text in advance to describe the battle scenes. > The War Machine rules don't give any good options to integrating machinery > and such, they are too coarse. The Siege Machine rules seem to work, but > there the machines have a specific function as opposed to battlefield > bombardment etc. I'd suggest just giving a nice bonus to a unit that has > them, a bit like the special bonuses given in the rules for prior > knowledge of battle plans etc. The bonus is determined by several factors, > like do the machines have immunities, can they really kill many people in > one stroke (a catapult stone can only attack a few people at a time), and > of course flying. > Of course if you have a substantian number of such machines, you can count > them as "troops", one machine counting as 10 men for example. Then you > apply the flying/magic/immunity bonuses if the machines account for big > enough percentage of the unit. > > Ville These are some good thoughts. Thanks. Regards and Best Wishes, Donald Eric Kesler ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 25 Nov 2004 19:47:09 +0100 From: Havard Faanes Subject: Re: Partying up in HW I've been warming up to the HW setting myself, lately. I love the mix of a prehistoric world and classic age type cultures. But you're right, how to run a mixed party can be a bit of a challenge. One way to do it is to have all of the characters be outcasts from their own culture. Or they may have left their home of other reasons. Perhaps they have all heard tales of a magical ring, that was lost, but now has reappeared? In any case, if you start the campaign in a country where all of the PCs is a forreigner, the fact that they are forreigners could be enough to bring them together. I know from personal experience how people from different countries tend to stick together if they are all in a forreign country. If that doesn't do it, you could have the PCs be agents of the Lighthouse, described in the HW set as a place where people from different cultures come together. Let us know how it goes! Oh, and feel free to share your 3E conversions for the HW with us... :) Håvard --- "N. M." skrev: > Fellers, > > If you recall, I was putting together a new D&D 3E > game a while back. After > discussing it with my gaming group, we opted for the > default setting from > the Core Rules, which is apparently Greyhawk. (Since > none of us were > familiar with the setting, we decided it wouldn't > matter if we just ran with > it and made it up as we went along.) > > I'm planning on another D&D game though, with the > players I had to turn down > for the first (because of numbers). As before, these > players were most > familiar with Forgotten Realms. Since my only > experience with FR has been in > CRPGs, and I refuse to spend money on the campaign > setting book, I have the > same dilemma: I want a setting we're either all > familiar with, or we're all > unfamiliar with. > > In fact, Hollow World would be ideal, with a minor > change. > > I have the Hollow World boxed set, but I've only > ever run a few adventures > there, using Known World player characters, so I > don't know it in any > detail. The setting isn't as developed as the Known > World anyway, and just > gives you enough to get your creativity flowing. > > I'd change it so there was a large floating island > very close to the sun, so > that you had a sort of night and day, but other than > that HW seems good to > go. > > My question for you is: > > HW has a very different feel from other D&D > settings. A sort of pre-historic > feel. Assuming player characters could be from any > race/culture in HW, how > did you DMs go about partying them up? > > This would seem to be the hardest part of the whole > thing. > > If the characters were all from one village, same > race/culture, that would > be perfect. But if they're not... > > Ta, > > Neil > > ******************************************************************** > The Other Worlds Homepage: > http://www.wizards.com/dnd/OtherWorlds.asp > The Mystara Homepage: > http://www.mystaranet.jamm.com/vaults/default.aspx > To unsubscribe, send email to > LISTSERV@ORACLE.WIZARDS.COM > with UNSUB MYSTARA-L in the body of the message. > ===== *** Håvard R. Faanes www.stud.ntnu.no/~havardfa ------------------------------ End of MYSTARA-L Digest - 24 Nov 2004 to 25 Nov 2004 (#2004-253) ****************************************************************