Those Notes are Important

Only recently have I started passing notes in my games. From a humble start, notes have transformed the way I share information with the players, empowering them to role-play their characters as they see fit.

Note passing was something that I started as an experiment in my games. At first, the notes only contained information about treasure such as armor, weapons, or gold.

Most players would share that information with everybody at the table. The party would then divide the items between the characters and we would continue the session.

Since nothing extra was done with the information on those notes, the whole affair seemed like a giant waste of time. I did not see any apparent benefit from all the effort I was putting into them. As a consequence, my interest was slowly fading away.

During one session, a player received 100 pieces of gold from one of his kills. When asked about the loot by the other characters, he told them that he would share with them all the 20 pieces. For he was a giving person and would die for each and everyone in the group. His party was very important to him.

Nobody bat an eye at the situation and they were reassured of his camaraderie. The loot was divided as usual and we continued with the session.

That event sparkled my imagination. The player took control of the information and used it to the best effect for his character. That action was only possible because the true contents of the loot where only known to him and nobody else in his party.

My use of notes was invigorated after that incident. Soon after, I started passing notes for everything and anything that was pertinent to the individual characters.

The players were thus empowered in every area of the game. Options that were once ignored, were now immensely important. The opportunities for role-playing were enhanced and the game became much more involved than before.

Notes became a value addition to my games. Opening, to the individual players, opportunities for role-play not available before them.

Meeting Expectations

After completing a task, there is always the expectation of a reward by the players. Even though material rewards are common in most situations, meeting the players expectation is all that is needed to reward them for their adventures.

For example: The party goes adventuring in a very poor area of the country, full of dangers but very poor in spoils. While they may be fighting a lot, there will be very little in terms of treasure for them.

Under those situations, the players need to be rewarded with something other than money or loot. That reward has to possess some inherent value to the players. Enough of it to compensate them for their efforts.

In the example above: The locals, while poor, could be rich in their gratitude to the party. Organizing events in their honor, singing songs about their exploits, even naming their children after the characters.

These gifts by the local population will have value to the players. Having their characters cherished and loved will give the players a sense of accomplishment further enticing the party to adventure.

Meeting expectations is all that is needed to reward the players. That reward can be material or anything else the party may value.

Starting with Zombies

Zombies are an incredible means to start off a campaign. My current campaign uses them to define the antagonists and to incorporate other monster's types into the game.

The demands associated with having a medium size zombie army helped define the antagonists in my current campaign. No single person could come up with that many monsters on his own. Therefore, the main villain in the story had to seek some support from the local populace.

This support did not come right away. It took years of work and the right circumstances to secure their loyalty. Once enough people were signed in, this new formed group moved forward with their plan.

The main villain is a Mayan shaman. His goal is simple, repel the conquistadors any way he could.

Using the Mayan religion and customs, he preached a return to the old ways. His followers shared in his vision and started to take captives from the smaller tribes in the area.

Using an ancient artifact, they transformed the captives into zombies. This artifact is a tool of great power. Many warnings were known about it, but in his quest to banish the Spaniards, the evil shaman decided to forgo them.

Most of the captives possessed no innate magical abilities and were transformed into zombies. Those that did, however, were transformed into other undead types. These new types, while not as easily controlled as the zombies, offered the evil shaman with many options not available with the zombies.

The artifact also functioned as a gateway between our world and the hellish world were its power emanated from. This is the main reason most other shamans avoided using it.

Once the gateway is open, many powerful beings could crossover into our world. Fighting them is a matter of survival. One which is really hard to achieve with a being that is indomitable and evil.

This is what has transpired in my campaign so far. Using zombies was a good way to start things off and define the antagonists while also including several different types of monsters in the game.

Share, Share, Share

Too many times, I was forced to guess the likes and dislikes of my fellow gaming buddies. Constant guessing would lead to several problems, some of which could easily anger or disappoint those at the table. An open communication was all that was needed to ensure an enjoyable time during play.

Are you interested in high fantasy games only? Do not withhold that information from the group, but instead let them know about it. There is nothing wrong with having a particular preference, but you shouldn't force others to guess that from you.

Share with the group your play-style and GMing style. Tell them what you have loved and hated about your previous experiences so they can better understand you.

While the focus of the group is on gaming, sharing a little information outside of it may also help. Particularly if you have a strong political, religious, or any other believe that may become the focus of a campaign or conversation.

My current campaign has a strong racial message burried in the main plot line. I asked everyone's permission before touching such a sensitive topic. Had anyone objected to it, I would have changed the story. I did not want to anger or disappoint the players by including something they were not comfortable with.

In the past, I have had a few players that were distressed by about just anything I did. The reasons behind their distress were not clear, what was clear was the fact we were not a good match for each other.

To avoid those bad matches, I often use this blog as a communications' tool. I point those interested in joining the group to it. I think there is a lot here to let a person make a good judgement on our ability to play together.

Do let not leave others in the dark, share about yourself with the group. Help everyone understand you better so we can all enjoy a good game at the table.

GMing Style

The stories on my campaigns are a mixture of dark and heroic fantasy genres. That's my personal GMing style. If you sit down at one of my games, that's probably the type of adventure I will run.

The main plots on my stories are remarkably similar. I have switched settings three times and systems twice, and I still find myself running basically the same type of game.

The party gets hired for some work. In the course of fulfilling their contractual obligations, they slowly start to unveil a much larger plot. This plot entails the fate of an entire region and they become major actors in that scheme. At that point, they may have aroused the interests of several competing factions. Some want them as allies, while others will be glad to hunt them down.

The sense of dread in my games is really high. The players often feel they don't have quite enough to fight their enemies. They are constantly managing their meager resources. Rushing head first, as opposed to careful planing, often results in dire consequences.

To me, that style of campaign would be labeled as dark heroic fantasy. Since, it does feel like a cross of at least two popular literary genres. The characters are heroes but at the same time, the world around them is not quite what it seems. There are a lot of 'things' lurking in the shadows.

This style is truly not for everyone. I have had people that liked it, and looked forward to the games, while others totally despised it.

It is a matter of taste. It is not because a person doesn't like that style that he is a bad player. Often times, these individuals are merely looking for something a little lighter.

That is why I make sure to clearly state my GMing style to the players. If I run a game, chances are, it is a dark heroic fantasy campaign.