PlayerHUD

Here is an idea I think I'll try with my group tomorrow.  First the roots of the idea:

1. James Raggi posted about having players put two index cards in front of them on the table showing what was in their hands (because he was tired of what characters had at hand being nebulous to their advantage).*

2. Cyclopeatron gave a little orange lantern-card to place on the table in front of the person holding the party's light source.

3. My friends have gotten very excited about Munchkin and it helped clarify things immensely when my friend got the deluxe edition for his birthday, because it has a visual way of showing everyone's level.

Now, I know you need to know someone's level in Munchkin because it's a competition, but it made me think of one of the most common questions my players ask each other: "How many hit points do you have left?"

I thought it might be easier to build a sense of tension if they saw how hurt their comrades were.  That the ever present decision of how far to push it would be more visible to everyone if they could see some more information about each other right on the table.  So here is a draft at a display to try and do that:

I figure I would print it 8.5x5.5 inches and have each player place one in front of them.  A paperclip could be slid along the track to indicate HP.  Obviously this only works for low levels.  I suppose I could ditch the numbers and just have boxes represent full, 1/2, 1/4 hitpoints or something to make it useful for higher levels.

I put a place for a shield card so players that can carry shield will remember they have one to splinter, also a spot to place a big d30 card.  I put those because in the heat of things players sometimes forget these options and their party mates will better be able to remind them.

The middle space is for Brendan's roles idea.  I thought it would be neat to make cards for vanguard, rearguard etc. and have players think about what they'll be doing rather than just where they are standing in line. They pick their role, grab that card and plop it down.  If they get hurt and change roles, they need to change cards.

I don't have an explicit space for light source, or what weapon players have (though that might be less important).  But maybe the light could be in front of all this.  Or I could just make smaller boxes.

*I don't think that I read that when it was first posted, but it has been years since I did.  I'm always surprised at how long ideas will burble on the back burner.

Update: Here's draft 2 with cards:

I don't think I'll need the "light bearer" role if we just use the torch/lantern card to indicate that.  I don't see the roles as set in stone, in fact what is so cool about them is that it can be an aid to renegotiating who is doing what; if you lose half your hit points you may want to shift roles and then everyone else needs to think about theirs too.

I think the shield slot can pretty much substitute for tracking both hands closely; if a fighter is carrying a lantern and a weapons, no shield, etc.  Of course the possibilities are endless, but what they are holding has been less a problem in my group then what each of them are doing.
 

Harryhausen

92 is a good age, so I'm not sad, but I want to pay respects for such a fundamental influence on my idea of the fantastic.  Rest in peace. 

OSR on Boing Boing

Boing Boing, if you aren't familiar with it, is very popular web magazine that deals mostly with pop culture.  There is a essay on the front page today about the OSR.  I'll let you go read it.

So, if you read it the same way I do, it seems to be the exact narrative I was afraid was taking hold when I wrote My OSR.  The story is that the OSR was made up of nostalgic grognards that held the AD&D rules in OSRIC form until WotC noticed the error of their ways.

If the narrative shows up on the radar of a site like that I think it won.  Welcome to the history of your hobby.

Silohuettes XLIX

For your charts, maps, and player handouts, these are all public domain, so use them as you wish.

First, a halfling, hobbit, or maybe a barkeep:

When I did dogs I never posted a greyhound, so here's one:

Here is an archer or bowman:

and finally, a peddler, vendor or monger of some sort:

These have all been added as vector graphics to the zip file linked in my sidebar to the right.  I also converted a few more images in that file to svg and renamed some files.  Incremental improvement is the name of the game for me.  Otherwise, it would seem like too much and I'd be procrastinating on something else.

The last guy certainly isn't imposing, and can't even represent a character, but I just figure I'll offer up the best crisp, distinct images that could possibly be useful and let it work itself out.  It is really hard to find good stuff.  In all the years I've been doing this I'm starting to wonder if Archive.org has added any new books with illustrations from the 1900's, because I seem to be scouring the same works over and over.  Ah well, hope you are having a great weekend.

The Last of Your Kind

I understand the need and use of classes but they do give the sense that the world can be pretty cleanly categorized and cataloged.  But what if you could play a weird one-off?  This idea is for experienced players who have played all the traditional classes many times.

I'm thinking kind of like Elric, kind of like Ishi.  It's a melancholy, last-days type of thing, but also you have abilities and knowledge no one else has anymore.  But I don't have those details worked out.  I thought I'd throw it out to you. 

You could let people pick singular spells (like levitate) that they can do once a day, but then make them take a limitation normally assigned that class (no armor).  But that would make the Last One feel pretty familiar, like a hodgepodge fighter-mage.  I'm thinking something weirder.

What about mixing abilities with means.  So you might have thief''s abilities but they functions as spells (you have to pick a few each day, not all.  Do you want to be able to climb today?).  Or maybe the fighter's ability to hit multiples of low-HD creatures, but you must petition a power for it, like a miracle.

That's a little weirder.  How about we let this Last One use a monster power, like the Umber Hulk look or a siren song?

If the player is experienced they may have always wanted something-- like the beastmaster's ability to see through the eyes of animals. Sure, why not.  The idea of this is to let them do something different and new.  You could also make a chart with a lot of these possibilities and just roll randomly.

I would say they cannot train anyone in these abilities and, even if they have offspring, the traits will not be passed on.  They really are doomed to be the last.  Maybe even make it impossible for other experienced players to pick the same set of traits later.

I also feel we could make it a little more doomed by giving them something like a curse (and this could be from a chart too).  Something like: you can't die in combat but if you would have someone fighting next to you (or someone you know) dies instead.  Though it sounds powerful, that could be a real challenge to play out in a party.

What non-traditional abilities would you want if you had your choice?