Subject: MYSTARA-L Digest - 25 Nov 2004 to 26 Nov 2004 (#2004-254) From: Automatic digest processor Date: 27/11/2004, 19:00 To: Recipients of MYSTARA-L digests Reply-to: Mystara RPG Discussion There are 2 messages totalling 171 lines in this issue. Topics of the day: 1. Help with War Machine 2. Partying up in HW ******************************************************************** 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: Fri, 26 Nov 2004 11:15:12 -0500 From: Dan Eustace Subject: Re: Help with War Machine Hi, I mostly agree with Ville on the use of Battlesystem, but those games take many hours to complete, as well as the time needed for players to pick-up the rules, unless they are already war gamers. I have used both systems, usually Battle-Sys for final, climactic battles involving the PCs, and WM for the other battles in the war. In WM, I will always make use of the "heroics" option which gives the PCs a chance to impact the results. Basically, this is a mini-adventure where a PC needs to overcome key enemy opponents (one of those war turtles, say). Then after the heroics episode, we would roll for the outcome of the battle. I have also done some WM with flying ships, siege engines, etc. I will need to look up exactly what I did. I know I calculated BR for the flying castle in M2. A PC's army was annihilated by it when it attacked Norwold, including Vanya's Call of Dragons from M1! IIRC, I based some of the skyship modifications on what was done w. the Master's airboats in X10. ----- Original Message ----- From: "Donald Eric Kesler" To: Sent: Wednesday, November 24, 2004 10:16 AM Subject: [MYSTARA] Help with War Machine > Hello, > > Has anyone here made extansive use of the rules for War Machine? > > I am attempting to factor in the effective of war machines and flying > vessels on a forces battle rating. The Orcs of Thar Gazetteer provides some > information on War Machines; however, it seems as if something was omitted > from the final draft. > > "The efficiency level of the war machine corresponds to Orcwars counters. > A Battle Rating (BR) modifier is also provided here for use with the D&D > game's mass combat system, called ...the War Machine!" (GAZ10, DM Book, pg. > 34) > > It does provide the BR modifier for various seige equipment, but I could not > find anything for the overall battle rating for a war machine. Was this > information provided somewhere else? > > Currently, my players are running through DA1-4 in Blackmoor. I am planning > on ending their adventures in Blackmoor with a bang. Using the new weapons > and equipment that the party manages to acquire from the City of the Gods, > the forces of King Uther are going to drive off a massive invasion from the > Thonian Empire. > > One of the things that I cooked up for the the Thonian Empire is the War > Turtles. These are basically massive Turtles with small castles and > fortification built upon their shells. The smaller turtles, no larger than > thirty feet in length, have only one or two seige weapons. The largest, > well over a hundred feet in length, sports about a half dozen weapons of > war. > > Regards and Best Wishes, > > Donald Eric Kesler > > ******************************************************************** > 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: Fri, 26 Nov 2004 11:33:58 -0500 From: Dan Eustace Subject: Re: Partying up in HW In my HW campaign, the PC's started out from the surface, and picked up HW natives as they went. An Icevale elf, a Beastwoman, and an Azcan sorceress. It's a pretty interesting setting to play in. I like the idea of the HW day/night, although the eternal sun did cause problems for PCs (what time is it now? "It looks the same time as it always does", how long has it been since we left Milenia? "you don't really know. You've slept a few times, but it's kind of hard to know for sure."). One thing I did do was loosen up the rules on spells known to natives. Fighting MU's w/o the prospect of getting blasted by a battle spell now and then, just isn't as fun. I kept the ban on teleports, scrying, charms, and weakened invisibility (not sure what the official rules were on invis.). Getting all of the PCs together would depend on how diverse a group you wanted to have. Having a Milenian campaign, while including Traldar, Merry pirates, or Neathar, could be done. But getting Beastmen, Kubbits, Nithians, Krugel Orcs, and Schattenalfen in the same PC party is a different story! ----- Original Message ----- From: "N. M." To: Sent: Thursday, November 25, 2004 9:55 AM Subject: [MYSTARA] 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 > > ******************************************************************** > 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. ------------------------------ End of MYSTARA-L Digest - 25 Nov 2004 to 26 Nov 2004 (#2004-254) ****************************************************************