Dungeons & Dragons's blog listings. Feed Zend_Feed_Writer 1.10.8 (http://framework.zend.com) http://community.wizards.com/dungeonsanddragons Exploration and Discovery When thinking back at fond memories of playing Dungeons & Dragons, I almost always recall sessions and situations where a greater goal was completed. The moments that have stuck the most in my head are the ones where the group completed a quest/mission that had meaning, and ultimately smoothed out the rough edges of a longer story. I bring this up because as I journey through my own personal goal of becoming a better game designer, I want to find ways that provide for this experience in a more meaningful way.

Around the time that I started work on Monster Vault : Threats to the Nentir Vale in 2010, I was exploring the more philosophical foundations of RPG design principles. What I had learned from mentors and experience alike, is that exploration and discovery are just as important (if not more) than system architecture. With a simple change in tone and message, you could inspire readers to paths you never considered prior.

 

Fast forward to today. As we approach the release of Into the Unknown: The Dungeon Survival Handbook, it fills me with excitement that readers might find that same familiar spark. So, I pose to you these questions:

What was your favorite moment of exploration? Did you ever have a revelation as you discovered something that just made the story click?  Finally, what is the single most important thing that all adventurers should bring with them into a dungeon?


About the Author

Matt James is a freelance game designer from Washington, DC. In addition to many articles in Dragon and Dungeon magazine, his works include Soldiers of Fortune (Open Design/Kobold Quarterly),  Monster Vault: Threats to the Nentir Vale, Into the Unknown: The Dungeon Survival Handbook, and Lair Assault: Attack of the Tyrantclaw. Follow Matt on Twitter at www.twitter.com/matt_james_rpg

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]]> Fri, 27 Apr 2012 08:43:31 -0500 http://community.wizards.com/dungeonsanddragons/blog/2012/04/27/exploration_and_discovery http://community.wizards.com/dungeonsanddragons/blog/2012/04/27/exploration_and_discovery When thinking back at fond memories of playing Dungeons & Dragons, I almost always recall sessions and situations where a greater goal was completed. The moments that have stuck the most in my head are the ones where the group completed a quest/mission that had meaning, and ultimately smoothed out the rough edges of a longer story. I bring this up because as I journey through my own personal goal of becoming a better game designer, I want to find ways that provide for this experience in a more meaningful way.

Around the time that I started work on Monster Vault : Threats to the Nentir Vale in 2010, I was exploring the more philosophical foundations of RPG design principles. What I had learned from mentors and experience alike, is that exploration and discovery are just as important (if not more) than system architecture. With a simple change in tone and message, you could inspire readers to paths you never considered prior.

 

Fast forward to today. As we approach the release of Into the Unknown: The Dungeon Survival Handbook, it fills me with excitement that readers might find that same familiar spark. So, I pose to you these questions:

What was your favorite moment of exploration? Did you ever have a revelation as you discovered something that just made the story click?  Finally, what is the single most important thing that all adventurers should bring with them into a dungeon?


About the Author

Matt James is a freelance game designer from Washington, DC. In addition to many articles in Dragon and Dungeon magazine, his works include Soldiers of Fortune (Open Design/Kobold Quarterly),  Monster Vault: Threats to the Nentir Vale, Into the Unknown: The Dungeon Survival Handbook, and Lair Assault: Attack of the Tyrantclaw. Follow Matt on Twitter at www.twitter.com/matt_james_rpg

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]]> 0 Advanced Dungeon Master: Death is not an option I have been engaging with some D&D regulars on Twitter over the possible outcomes of adventures and their story. In many regards, a lot of adventures and plots usually climax with a rigorous fight—one where success is contingent upon slaying the antagonist. But what if you want something more dynamic than that? What if success and failure revolved around something less defined? Let’s delve into this and more.

Sly Flourish
Image from SlyFlourish.com. Artist: Jared Von Hindman

I’ll be honest. In 1988, when my older brother first introduced me to Dungeons & Dragons, I was captivated by the idea of kicking butt with a sword, and slaying foul beasts with my physical might. Back then; I was a snot-nosed little kid that was inspired by movies like the Labyrinth, The Dark Crystal, and Willow. I had no idea what plot-development was, or how to craft a story through any structured means. I had to base it on mediums I understood—namely, movies.

Now that I am older (notice I didn’t say more mature?), to simply slay the dragon is not enough. There needs to be meat and substance; a roll of anticipation that leads to a thought-provoking resolution. Following a linear arch to completion, where the antagonist is killed, is just not going to cut it anymore.

I have plenty of unfinished stories stuffed in my brain. I usually aim to provoke some form of thought in my players, and present options that are both obvious and not. Here is an example we’ll work with.

The Idea
We are crafting a story whereby a group of orcs has been pillaging a border-town. The mayor is willing to pay to have someone remove the threat.

Basic Success: The heroes track down the orcs, slay them, and return victorious. The mayor pays them for their success and they continue on.

Basic Failure: The heroes die a glorious death while fighting the orcs. Game over.

Evaluation
This is the simplest idea that just about anyone can figure out. The players’ purpose, direction, and motivation are clear and cut. Bing. Bang. Done! This can be enjoyable. Some groups want simple things to do, and as a designer, I could write this out into a full-blown adventure, chalk-full of awesome maps, tokens, sidebars, and compelling monster stat-blocks. There is nothing wrong with this kind of design. In fact, it just might be what you need to help bridge sections of your campaign. That being said, it isn’t terribly thought provoking, and it plays upon the orc-flaying meme that has existed since 1974.

Now let’s look at something more dynamic.

The Idea
We are crafting a story whereby a group of orcs has been pillaging a border-town. The mayor is willing to pay to have someone remove the threat. In the course of gathering information about this adventure, the players might become aware that the mayor is hiding something. Little do the players know that the mayor has been secretly sending thieves to steal crops from the orc-farmers that reside on the outskirt of town. The orcs, who do not speak common, are merely reacting to the provocation of the mayor. In order to appear as a strong and capable leader, to impress a local baroness, the mayor is gaining from both the increased resources, and his ability to lead an attack against the barbaric orc tribe!

Advanced Success: The heroes track down the orcs through the course of investigation, and learn breadcrumbs about the possible treachery. While it might not be obvious, it will present itself as the heroes learn more and more about the plot. The heroes might engage the mayor and call him out for his indiscretions, which will lead to a political scene where they discredit him. The heroes are praised by the local populous for their unveiling of the crook mayor, and establish a healthy, symbiotic relationship with the orc tribe.

Advanced Failure: The heroes die a glorious death while fighting the orcs, fighting the mayor, or being completely oblivious to the contextual clues. The rift between the orc tribe and the town grows over time and the battles become bloodier. The mayor usurps more power through his devious ways and soon becomes a tyrant of his own right. The story continues, and an even more powerful antagonist is created.

Evaluation
This should be self-evident. The heroes are engaged in something much more complex and dynamic than the basic version. They must make meaningful choices that will have lasting effects. Even in failure, they have gained something. And you, the advanced dungeon master, have much more to work with. With the advanced version, death isn’t even an option. The heroes do not have to slay anyone, and instead must use wit and resolve to save the day.

About the Author

Matt James is a freelance game designer from Washington, DC. In addition to many articles in Dragon and Dungeon magazine, his works include Soldiers of Fortune (Open Design),  Monster Vault: Threats to the Nentir Vale, Into the Unknown: The Dungeon Survival Handbook, and Lair Assault: Attack of the Tyrantclaw. Follow Matt on Twitter at www.twitter.com/matt_james_rpg

 

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]]> Sat, 31 Mar 2012 10:37:37 -0500 http://community.wizards.com/dungeonsanddragons/blog/2012/03/31/advanced_dungeon_master:_death_is_not_an_option http://community.wizards.com/dungeonsanddragons/blog/2012/03/31/advanced_dungeon_master:_death_is_not_an_option I have been engaging with some D&D regulars on Twitter over the possible outcomes of adventures and their story. In many regards, a lot of adventures and plots usually climax with a rigorous fight—one where success is contingent upon slaying the antagonist. But what if you want something more dynamic than that? What if success and failure revolved around something less defined? Let’s delve into this and more.

Sly Flourish
Image from SlyFlourish.com. Artist: Jared Von Hindman

I’ll be honest. In 1988, when my older brother first introduced me to Dungeons & Dragons, I was captivated by the idea of kicking butt with a sword, and slaying foul beasts with my physical might. Back then; I was a snot-nosed little kid that was inspired by movies like the Labyrinth, The Dark Crystal, and Willow. I had no idea what plot-development was, or how to craft a story through any structured means. I had to base it on mediums I understood—namely, movies.

Now that I am older (notice I didn’t say more mature?), to simply slay the dragon is not enough. There needs to be meat and substance; a roll of anticipation that leads to a thought-provoking resolution. Following a linear arch to completion, where the antagonist is killed, is just not going to cut it anymore.

I have plenty of unfinished stories stuffed in my brain. I usually aim to provoke some form of thought in my players, and present options that are both obvious and not. Here is an example we’ll work with.

The Idea
We are crafting a story whereby a group of orcs has been pillaging a border-town. The mayor is willing to pay to have someone remove the threat.

Basic Success: The heroes track down the orcs, slay them, and return victorious. The mayor pays them for their success and they continue on.

Basic Failure: The heroes die a glorious death while fighting the orcs. Game over.

Evaluation
This is the simplest idea that just about anyone can figure out. The players’ purpose, direction, and motivation are clear and cut. Bing. Bang. Done! This can be enjoyable. Some groups want simple things to do, and as a designer, I could write this out into a full-blown adventure, chalk-full of awesome maps, tokens, sidebars, and compelling monster stat-blocks. There is nothing wrong with this kind of design. In fact, it just might be what you need to help bridge sections of your campaign. That being said, it isn’t terribly thought provoking, and it plays upon the orc-flaying meme that has existed since 1974.

Now let’s look at something more dynamic.

The Idea
We are crafting a story whereby a group of orcs has been pillaging a border-town. The mayor is willing to pay to have someone remove the threat. In the course of gathering information about this adventure, the players might become aware that the mayor is hiding something. Little do the players know that the mayor has been secretly sending thieves to steal crops from the orc-farmers that reside on the outskirt of town. The orcs, who do not speak common, are merely reacting to the provocation of the mayor. In order to appear as a strong and capable leader, to impress a local baroness, the mayor is gaining from both the increased resources, and his ability to lead an attack against the barbaric orc tribe!

Advanced Success: The heroes track down the orcs through the course of investigation, and learn breadcrumbs about the possible treachery. While it might not be obvious, it will present itself as the heroes learn more and more about the plot. The heroes might engage the mayor and call him out for his indiscretions, which will lead to a political scene where they discredit him. The heroes are praised by the local populous for their unveiling of the crook mayor, and establish a healthy, symbiotic relationship with the orc tribe.

Advanced Failure: The heroes die a glorious death while fighting the orcs, fighting the mayor, or being completely oblivious to the contextual clues. The rift between the orc tribe and the town grows over time and the battles become bloodier. The mayor usurps more power through his devious ways and soon becomes a tyrant of his own right. The story continues, and an even more powerful antagonist is created.

Evaluation
This should be self-evident. The heroes are engaged in something much more complex and dynamic than the basic version. They must make meaningful choices that will have lasting effects. Even in failure, they have gained something. And you, the advanced dungeon master, have much more to work with. With the advanced version, death isn’t even an option. The heroes do not have to slay anyone, and instead must use wit and resolve to save the day.

About the Author

Matt James is a freelance game designer from Washington, DC. In addition to many articles in Dragon and Dungeon magazine, his works include Soldiers of Fortune (Open Design),  Monster Vault: Threats to the Nentir Vale, Into the Unknown: The Dungeon Survival Handbook, and Lair Assault: Attack of the Tyrantclaw. Follow Matt on Twitter at www.twitter.com/matt_james_rpg

 

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]]> 0 Live Chat with Chris Perkins and Logan Bonner We had a live chat with Chris Perkins and Logan bonner on January 18th, focusing on the design and development of D&D Lair Assault: Talon of Umberlee, as well as some general R&D topics and breaking into the business. Below is the transcript of that chat.

_____________________

WotC_Trevor: Alright! Moderation is working which means we can get started. Let me explain a couple things first.
WotC_Trevor: Moderated chat means that only moderators and our guests can talk.
WotC_Trevor: For you lovely people in the crowd, when you type something up and send it, we get it on a little side bar here.
christopher_perkins: Can I get drinks at the side bar?
WotC_Trevor: I'll be choosing questions from the side and posting them to the room, along with other questions we've collected from our community.
WotC_Trevor: I think technically you're working, and that's against company policy. Logan however, is free to check it out.
christopher_perkins: Poo.
Logan_Bonner: Is there a button to trigger a hook that will pull Chris offstage if he makes another joke like that?
WotC_Trevor: Logan and Chris will be the one's answering and providing you with today's entertainment (as you can see).
WotC_Trevor: I could do that, but I'm worried it will hurt my chances to be in a future campaign of his.
christopher_perkins: The party's been lost ever since their moral compass moved to Iowa.
WotC_Trevor: This chat will focus on the Lair Assault that Logan and Chris both worked on - Talon of Umberlee. There's also space for general design, development, DM, freelance, and basic D&D questions.
WotC_Trevor: We won't be talking about D&D Next, but hopefully you'll see some of that in a future chat session.

WotC_Trevor: Well, at least Rhasgar was good for something :)
WotC_Trevor: And on that note, I'll leave it to these two fine gentleman to introduce themselves.
WotC_Trevor: Why don't you introduce yourself first Chris.
christopher_perkins: I'm Chris Perkins. Canadian with the half-shark template. My job is to make D&D stuff and keep the magazines from running around the office naked.
Logan_Bonner: And I'm Logan Bonner. Edited late 3.5, became a designer during 4E, currently a freelancer.
WotC_Trevor: Alright. First question.
WotC_Trevor: From Alphastream1: In designing Lair Assault, what is the hardest part of assessing the challenge level? How much do you rely upon feel, upon playtesting, or upon math to feel good about your final version?
WotC_Trevor: Let's just keep the same format of Chris going first and Logan following with his info.
christopher_perkins: We do a lot of playtesting, since Lair Assaults are not just about fighting monsters but also dealing with the perils of the location.
Logan_Bonner: For the initial design, it was mostly feel rather than just looking at levels/math. The fine-tuning WotC does uses the playtesting.
christopher_perkins: Lair Assaults are supposed to be deadly, but not so deadly that players think there’s no hope of success. That’s a tricky balancing act that requires lots of playtesting and rewrites.
Logan_Bonner: There are certain things you look for to make sure the challenge is still fun, but hard.
Logan_Bonner: Most of that is intuitive, at least for me.
WotC_Trevor: From SlyFlourish: For a guy about to run this latest Lair Assault. What three top tactical tips do you have for me to make the players cry?
christopher_perkins: Try to hit one player as often as possible, rather than spread the damage around. And my "player," I mean "character." Most of the time.

christopher_perkins: Take 'em out one at a time, like they do in the movies.
Logan_Bonner: Play the monsters as total bastards. Really just be utterly brutal. Focus fire, like Chris said.
christopher_perkins: Coup de grace! Coup de grace!
Logan_Bonner: Go after the cleric or wizard or whoever looks weakest first.
christopher_perkins: Ah, yes, the cleric MUST die first.
Logan_Bonner: Try to sense what your players want their characters to do, and don't let them.
christopher_perkins: When they're on a ship, throw in a swarm of bloodsucking seagulls.
WotC_Trevor: Nice!
Logan_Bonner: Or let them fall in the water and drown. Great fun.
christopher_perkins: Next question!
WotC_Trevor: Before we go too much further I want to point out a little bit about the process. Logan did an initial design for Talon of Umberlee, and then it got into Chris's hands and he changed everything! :P
WotC_Trevor: Well, not exactly.
christopher_perkins: No, that's EXACTLY what happened. :-)
Logan_Bonner: Pretty much.
WotC_Trevor: Hehe. In seriousness what gets designed and how it changes when developed often look somewhat if not very different. So Logan and Chris will definitely have different takes on things and will be able to talk about different parts of the process.
Logan_Bonner: Basically, I got the task to do a Neverwinter-themed Lair Assault, and a really rough version of the first LA.
WotC_Trevor: Which leads in nicely to our next question...
WotC_Trevor: When a freelancer submits something, how often and how much of it is changed before the final release? How involved is the freelancer in those changes?
Logan_Bonner: It varies from project to project.
christopher_perkins: Depends. Short articles tend to change very little. If we think a freelancer can make the changes we're asking for, we send the work back for revisions. If the work just needs editorial tweaks, we take care of that.
Logan_Bonner: For this one...
Logan_Bonner: ...and for many projects where the format hasn't really been settled yet, there will be bigger changes.
Logan_Bonner: A lot of the changes in Talon were due to the style of Lair Assaults getting nailed down and morphing during the product's development. Or fixing things that arose from me not understanding the finer points of the format.
christopher_perkins: In the case of Talon of Umberlee, we were up against a wall timing-wise, and there had been a lot of internal playtesting notes that were easier for me to integrate than kick back to Logan. I think Logan did one revision before I dove in.
christopher_perkins: They’re short but compact. You have to pack a lot of stuff in a tight amount of space, including plot and monster tactics. That’s hard. You would think that Lair Assaults are “cookie cutter” adventures, but they’re not. Every one is different, with it’s own situational rules. It’s like designing a new board game each time.
Logan_Bonner: Yeah, and I think I had some other big projects on my plate at the time. It was much smoother for someone in-house to handle it.
WotC_Trevor: From mbeacom: How does pacing effect the design? In my admittedly limited experience with Lair Assault, I find that people really spend a lot of time to make decisions, because its' so deadly. How do you take this into account when designing the encounters, if at all?
christopher_perkins: Lair Assault isn't a timed event, so I didn't concern myself too much with the time it took to complete the challenge. Playtesting gave me a fair idea.
christopher_perkins: It's hard to predict because every group is different. One slow player can really have an impact.
Logan_Bonner: For a tactics-oriented event, I didn't worry too much about the time the players were spending. The only thing I put in to mitigate that was giving them clear goals. You really don't want people to spend time during a Lair Assault wondering what to do—just figuring out how to execute will take long enough.
Logan_Bonner: I do try to use monsters that aren't too fiddly. They get in there and smash guys. Make the DM's turn run quickly, but leave a big mess for the PCs to clean up on their turns.
christopher_perkins: With Talon of Umberlee, I noticed some groups spent a lot of up-front time figuring out how to explore the pirate base without triggering a fight. Other groups just stormed the place.
WotC_Trevor: Switching gears a little here...
WotC_Trevor: From Reasonableguy: I have one question: How would one with a passion for D&D become involved with its development, testing, playing, or writing, in a professional capacity?
christopher_perkins: If Bilsland was here, I'd ask him where he finds playtest groups these days. (Most of the groups we use are folks in Organized Play). With regard to writing for D&D, anyone can pitch a magazine article (as per our submission guidelines). My best advice for writers is to be patient and professional. If you are easy to work with, eager to improve, and mindful of deadlines, we’ll remember you as something we want to work with again.
christopher_perkins: A lot of folks in R&D got their start writing for the magazines.
christopher_perkins: Myself included.
Logan_Bonner: My biggest advice is to not do it alone. Get involved with the community first. See what other people are saying about D&D design and game design. Share what you're working on, start a blog. Follow game designers on Twitter.
Logan_Bonner: Do things nobody's seen before.
christopher_perkins: Like type an RPG supplement while standing on your head.
Logan_Bonner: As Chris says, being a pro to work with will really help. Hit those deadlines (something I'm still not the best at).
Logan_Bonner: And above all, recognize that you'll need to improve. Don't be a prima donna or have a big ego. Take criticism to heart and be willing to change and practice.
christopher_perkins: Next question . . .
WotC_Trevor: From Style75: What have you learned from the two Lair Assault offerings? Will future versions be different as a result?
christopher_perkins: We've learned that variety is good. We want each Lair Assault to be its own wild animal. Next one is set on the Isle of Dread, co-written by Matt James. We have another one in the works featuring drow.
christopher_perkins: We never run out of fiendish ways to kill PCs.
WotC_Trevor: From Seeker95: Have you ever designed a Lair Assault that *you* couldn't defeat in playtesting?
Logan_Bonner: The way my dice roll, I don't think I could create one I *could* defeat and not have it be a cakewalk for everybody else.
Logan_Bonner: "Does an 8 hit? Still no, huh?"
christopher_perkins: The only Lair Assault I've co-designed so far is Talon of Umberlee, which I DMed many times but never played. I never had a group succeed. I died many times playtesting the first one, however.
christopher_perkins: I got eaten by a Tyrannosaurus Rex in the next one . . .
WotC_Trevor: Since I know you're both good DMs and good story tellers, this one seems like a good chioce..
WotC_Trevor: From SwampDog: I'm looking for ideas for the middle of a combat encounter, when it's been going on for 30+ minutes and it starts to get bogged down. My players generally don't like it when I have the mobs retreat, so I'm seeking suggestions for mid-encounter spice.
christopher_perkins: The bad guys could turn on each other or surrender. You could also try a "battle montage" (describe in words the next couple rounds of combat, take away a healing surge from everyone, and kill off a bunch of monsters that were probably going to die anyway). You could also have the monsters take extra damage from every hit, again if they're gonna die anyway.
christopher_perkins: Have something in the environment change. Earthquakes are great. :)
Logan_Bonner: Yeah, retreat's not the only monster option. Have them offer up a devil's bargain, or switch sides to fight alongside you.
Logan_Bonner: Have the monsters do something that could only make sense for a monster, and will make the players puzzled.
Logan_Bonner: Panic's always an option, too. Monsters running screaming, provoking opportunity attacks.
WotC_Trevor: Back to some Lair Assault questions...
WotC_Trevor: How important is story to you guys when making these one off encounters?
christopher_perkins: We’re always looking for a fun situation or setting to put the heroes in, where wacky hijinks are likely to ensue, but the party’s objective is one of the first things we think about.
christopher_perkins: If the story itself is simple ("retrieve the artifact"), we try to add layers to it ("retrieve the artifact from a bunch of drunken pirates without waking all of them").
Logan_Bonner: My turnover was pretty light on story. Chris added in quite a bit, especially in the first encounter. Lair Assault doesn't demand story as strongly as a normal adventure or an Encounters season.
WotC_Trevor: From SlyFlourish: If Captain Bloodbath and her pirate cronies happened to be sitting around playing #dndnext, what races would they select?
WotC_Trevor: Okay, so we can't actually answer that one, but it was fun.
christopher_perkins: Dwarves . . . It's the rum.
WotC_Trevor: How about, what characters do you think they would play from any edition of the game instead?
christopher_perkins: Dwarves . . . it's the rum.
WotC_Trevor: Can't argue with that.
Logan_Bonner: There's a lot of duplicity within this crowd.
Logan_Bonner: So I think they'd play very straightforward classes so as not to arouse suspicion.
Logan_Bonner: "I am a dwarf fighter, and there is nothing more to it than that."
christopher_perkins: Darla Deadeye's already a changeling, so any choice she'd make would probably be a disappointment.
WotC_Trevor: From Hzurr: Are there any plans to publish the Lair Assault adventures, or make them available in DDI?
christopher_perkins: Not at this time. We created them to get folks into their neighborhood gaming stores.
WotC_Trevor: Since that one was mostly for Chris, here's one for Logan
WotC_Trevor: From Alphastream1: Logan, you have been involved in so many projects with so many game systems (Fiasco, Mistborn by Crafty Games, etc., etc., etc.). What keeps you going back to freelancing with Wizards on D&D? How did you get your start in the industry?
christopher_perkins: We have his cat.
Logan_Bonner: I got my start on D&D as an editor, then became a designer later.
Logan_Bonner: So I branched out into other games post-Wizards.
Logan_Bonner: I go back because 1. D&D is pretty great. You might have noticed. 2. I'm very comfortable with the system, process, and folks working on it. 3. The money's really good for the games industry.
Logan_Bonner: And 4. There's plenty of ground D&D hasn't covered.
Logan_Bonner: Working on other games also gives me new tech to fold back into D&D.
WotC_Trevor: Alright, time's almost up so we'll end on a light question and then I'll un-moderate the chat so everyone can say goodbye.
WotC_Trevor: From Matt_James: Favorite type of food?
christopher_perkins: Eggs. Potatoes. Tuna sushi. Children.
christopher_perkins: Not in that order.
Logan_Bonner: Sauteed Realms fan, served over pasta.
Logan_Bonner: (I'm still trying to fatten up your brother.)
WotC_Trevor: Alright then! Thanks everyone for coming out and giving us such great questions. I'm going to turn the moderation off so everybody can say their goodbyes.
christopher_perkins: Thanks y'all. I look forward to doing this again soon!
Logan_Bonner: Thanks, everybody!

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]]> Wed, 18 Jan 2012 16:05:04 -0600 http://community.wizards.com/dungeonsanddragons/blog/2012/01/18/live_chat_with_chris_perkins_and_logan_bonner http://community.wizards.com/dungeonsanddragons/blog/2012/01/18/live_chat_with_chris_perkins_and_logan_bonner We had a live chat with Chris Perkins and Logan bonner on January 18th, focusing on the design and development of D&D Lair Assault: Talon of Umberlee, as well as some general R&D topics and breaking into the business. Below is the transcript of that chat.

_____________________

WotC_Trevor: Alright! Moderation is working which means we can get started. Let me explain a couple things first.
WotC_Trevor: Moderated chat means that only moderators and our guests can talk.
WotC_Trevor: For you lovely people in the crowd, when you type something up and send it, we get it on a little side bar here.
christopher_perkins: Can I get drinks at the side bar?
WotC_Trevor: I'll be choosing questions from the side and posting them to the room, along with other questions we've collected from our community.
WotC_Trevor: I think technically you're working, and that's against company policy. Logan however, is free to check it out.
christopher_perkins: Poo.
Logan_Bonner: Is there a button to trigger a hook that will pull Chris offstage if he makes another joke like that?
WotC_Trevor: Logan and Chris will be the one's answering and providing you with today's entertainment (as you can see).
WotC_Trevor: I could do that, but I'm worried it will hurt my chances to be in a future campaign of his.
christopher_perkins: The party's been lost ever since their moral compass moved to Iowa.
WotC_Trevor: This chat will focus on the Lair Assault that Logan and Chris both worked on - Talon of Umberlee. There's also space for general design, development, DM, freelance, and basic D&D questions.
WotC_Trevor: We won't be talking about D&D Next, but hopefully you'll see some of that in a future chat session.

WotC_Trevor: Well, at least Rhasgar was good for something :)
WotC_Trevor: And on that note, I'll leave it to these two fine gentleman to introduce themselves.
WotC_Trevor: Why don't you introduce yourself first Chris.
christopher_perkins: I'm Chris Perkins. Canadian with the half-shark template. My job is to make D&D stuff and keep the magazines from running around the office naked.
Logan_Bonner: And I'm Logan Bonner. Edited late 3.5, became a designer during 4E, currently a freelancer.
WotC_Trevor: Alright. First question.
WotC_Trevor: From Alphastream1: In designing Lair Assault, what is the hardest part of assessing the challenge level? How much do you rely upon feel, upon playtesting, or upon math to feel good about your final version?
WotC_Trevor: Let's just keep the same format of Chris going first and Logan following with his info.
christopher_perkins: We do a lot of playtesting, since Lair Assaults are not just about fighting monsters but also dealing with the perils of the location.
Logan_Bonner: For the initial design, it was mostly feel rather than just looking at levels/math. The fine-tuning WotC does uses the playtesting.
christopher_perkins: Lair Assaults are supposed to be deadly, but not so deadly that players think there’s no hope of success. That’s a tricky balancing act that requires lots of playtesting and rewrites.
Logan_Bonner: There are certain things you look for to make sure the challenge is still fun, but hard.
Logan_Bonner: Most of that is intuitive, at least for me.
WotC_Trevor: From SlyFlourish: For a guy about to run this latest Lair Assault. What three top tactical tips do you have for me to make the players cry?
christopher_perkins: Try to hit one player as often as possible, rather than spread the damage around. And my "player," I mean "character." Most of the time.

christopher_perkins: Take 'em out one at a time, like they do in the movies.
Logan_Bonner: Play the monsters as total bastards. Really just be utterly brutal. Focus fire, like Chris said.
christopher_perkins: Coup de grace! Coup de grace!
Logan_Bonner: Go after the cleric or wizard or whoever looks weakest first.
christopher_perkins: Ah, yes, the cleric MUST die first.
Logan_Bonner: Try to sense what your players want their characters to do, and don't let them.
christopher_perkins: When they're on a ship, throw in a swarm of bloodsucking seagulls.
WotC_Trevor: Nice!
Logan_Bonner: Or let them fall in the water and drown. Great fun.
christopher_perkins: Next question!
WotC_Trevor: Before we go too much further I want to point out a little bit about the process. Logan did an initial design for Talon of Umberlee, and then it got into Chris's hands and he changed everything! :P
WotC_Trevor: Well, not exactly.
christopher_perkins: No, that's EXACTLY what happened. :-)
Logan_Bonner: Pretty much.
WotC_Trevor: Hehe. In seriousness what gets designed and how it changes when developed often look somewhat if not very different. So Logan and Chris will definitely have different takes on things and will be able to talk about different parts of the process.
Logan_Bonner: Basically, I got the task to do a Neverwinter-themed Lair Assault, and a really rough version of the first LA.
WotC_Trevor: Which leads in nicely to our next question...
WotC_Trevor: When a freelancer submits something, how often and how much of it is changed before the final release? How involved is the freelancer in those changes?
Logan_Bonner: It varies from project to project.
christopher_perkins: Depends. Short articles tend to change very little. If we think a freelancer can make the changes we're asking for, we send the work back for revisions. If the work just needs editorial tweaks, we take care of that.
Logan_Bonner: For this one...
Logan_Bonner: ...and for many projects where the format hasn't really been settled yet, there will be bigger changes.
Logan_Bonner: A lot of the changes in Talon were due to the style of Lair Assaults getting nailed down and morphing during the product's development. Or fixing things that arose from me not understanding the finer points of the format.
christopher_perkins: In the case of Talon of Umberlee, we were up against a wall timing-wise, and there had been a lot of internal playtesting notes that were easier for me to integrate than kick back to Logan. I think Logan did one revision before I dove in.
christopher_perkins: They’re short but compact. You have to pack a lot of stuff in a tight amount of space, including plot and monster tactics. That’s hard. You would think that Lair Assaults are “cookie cutter” adventures, but they’re not. Every one is different, with it’s own situational rules. It’s like designing a new board game each time.
Logan_Bonner: Yeah, and I think I had some other big projects on my plate at the time. It was much smoother for someone in-house to handle it.
WotC_Trevor: From mbeacom: How does pacing effect the design? In my admittedly limited experience with Lair Assault, I find that people really spend a lot of time to make decisions, because its' so deadly. How do you take this into account when designing the encounters, if at all?
christopher_perkins: Lair Assault isn't a timed event, so I didn't concern myself too much with the time it took to complete the challenge. Playtesting gave me a fair idea.
christopher_perkins: It's hard to predict because every group is different. One slow player can really have an impact.
Logan_Bonner: For a tactics-oriented event, I didn't worry too much about the time the players were spending. The only thing I put in to mitigate that was giving them clear goals. You really don't want people to spend time during a Lair Assault wondering what to do—just figuring out how to execute will take long enough.
Logan_Bonner: I do try to use monsters that aren't too fiddly. They get in there and smash guys. Make the DM's turn run quickly, but leave a big mess for the PCs to clean up on their turns.
christopher_perkins: With Talon of Umberlee, I noticed some groups spent a lot of up-front time figuring out how to explore the pirate base without triggering a fight. Other groups just stormed the place.
WotC_Trevor: Switching gears a little here...
WotC_Trevor: From Reasonableguy: I have one question: How would one with a passion for D&D become involved with its development, testing, playing, or writing, in a professional capacity?
christopher_perkins: If Bilsland was here, I'd ask him where he finds playtest groups these days. (Most of the groups we use are folks in Organized Play). With regard to writing for D&D, anyone can pitch a magazine article (as per our submission guidelines). My best advice for writers is to be patient and professional. If you are easy to work with, eager to improve, and mindful of deadlines, we’ll remember you as something we want to work with again.
christopher_perkins: A lot of folks in R&D got their start writing for the magazines.
christopher_perkins: Myself included.
Logan_Bonner: My biggest advice is to not do it alone. Get involved with the community first. See what other people are saying about D&D design and game design. Share what you're working on, start a blog. Follow game designers on Twitter.
Logan_Bonner: Do things nobody's seen before.
christopher_perkins: Like type an RPG supplement while standing on your head.
Logan_Bonner: As Chris says, being a pro to work with will really help. Hit those deadlines (something I'm still not the best at).
Logan_Bonner: And above all, recognize that you'll need to improve. Don't be a prima donna or have a big ego. Take criticism to heart and be willing to change and practice.
christopher_perkins: Next question . . .
WotC_Trevor: From Style75: What have you learned from the two Lair Assault offerings? Will future versions be different as a result?
christopher_perkins: We've learned that variety is good. We want each Lair Assault to be its own wild animal. Next one is set on the Isle of Dread, co-written by Matt James. We have another one in the works featuring drow.
christopher_perkins: We never run out of fiendish ways to kill PCs.
WotC_Trevor: From Seeker95: Have you ever designed a Lair Assault that *you* couldn't defeat in playtesting?
Logan_Bonner: The way my dice roll, I don't think I could create one I *could* defeat and not have it be a cakewalk for everybody else.
Logan_Bonner: "Does an 8 hit? Still no, huh?"
christopher_perkins: The only Lair Assault I've co-designed so far is Talon of Umberlee, which I DMed many times but never played. I never had a group succeed. I died many times playtesting the first one, however.
christopher_perkins: I got eaten by a Tyrannosaurus Rex in the next one . . .
WotC_Trevor: Since I know you're both good DMs and good story tellers, this one seems like a good chioce..
WotC_Trevor: From SwampDog: I'm looking for ideas for the middle of a combat encounter, when it's been going on for 30+ minutes and it starts to get bogged down. My players generally don't like it when I have the mobs retreat, so I'm seeking suggestions for mid-encounter spice.
christopher_perkins: The bad guys could turn on each other or surrender. You could also try a "battle montage" (describe in words the next couple rounds of combat, take away a healing surge from everyone, and kill off a bunch of monsters that were probably going to die anyway). You could also have the monsters take extra damage from every hit, again if they're gonna die anyway.
christopher_perkins: Have something in the environment change. Earthquakes are great. :)
Logan_Bonner: Yeah, retreat's not the only monster option. Have them offer up a devil's bargain, or switch sides to fight alongside you.
Logan_Bonner: Have the monsters do something that could only make sense for a monster, and will make the players puzzled.
Logan_Bonner: Panic's always an option, too. Monsters running screaming, provoking opportunity attacks.
WotC_Trevor: Back to some Lair Assault questions...
WotC_Trevor: How important is story to you guys when making these one off encounters?
christopher_perkins: We’re always looking for a fun situation or setting to put the heroes in, where wacky hijinks are likely to ensue, but the party’s objective is one of the first things we think about.
christopher_perkins: If the story itself is simple ("retrieve the artifact"), we try to add layers to it ("retrieve the artifact from a bunch of drunken pirates without waking all of them").
Logan_Bonner: My turnover was pretty light on story. Chris added in quite a bit, especially in the first encounter. Lair Assault doesn't demand story as strongly as a normal adventure or an Encounters season.
WotC_Trevor: From SlyFlourish: If Captain Bloodbath and her pirate cronies happened to be sitting around playing #dndnext, what races would they select?
WotC_Trevor: Okay, so we can't actually answer that one, but it was fun.
christopher_perkins: Dwarves . . . It's the rum.
WotC_Trevor: How about, what characters do you think they would play from any edition of the game instead?
christopher_perkins: Dwarves . . . it's the rum.
WotC_Trevor: Can't argue with that.
Logan_Bonner: There's a lot of duplicity within this crowd.
Logan_Bonner: So I think they'd play very straightforward classes so as not to arouse suspicion.
Logan_Bonner: "I am a dwarf fighter, and there is nothing more to it than that."
christopher_perkins: Darla Deadeye's already a changeling, so any choice she'd make would probably be a disappointment.
WotC_Trevor: From Hzurr: Are there any plans to publish the Lair Assault adventures, or make them available in DDI?
christopher_perkins: Not at this time. We created them to get folks into their neighborhood gaming stores.
WotC_Trevor: Since that one was mostly for Chris, here's one for Logan
WotC_Trevor: From Alphastream1: Logan, you have been involved in so many projects with so many game systems (Fiasco, Mistborn by Crafty Games, etc., etc., etc.). What keeps you going back to freelancing with Wizards on D&D? How did you get your start in the industry?
christopher_perkins: We have his cat.
Logan_Bonner: I got my start on D&D as an editor, then became a designer later.
Logan_Bonner: So I branched out into other games post-Wizards.
Logan_Bonner: I go back because 1. D&D is pretty great. You might have noticed. 2. I'm very comfortable with the system, process, and folks working on it. 3. The money's really good for the games industry.
Logan_Bonner: And 4. There's plenty of ground D&D hasn't covered.
Logan_Bonner: Working on other games also gives me new tech to fold back into D&D.
WotC_Trevor: Alright, time's almost up so we'll end on a light question and then I'll un-moderate the chat so everyone can say goodbye.
WotC_Trevor: From Matt_James: Favorite type of food?
christopher_perkins: Eggs. Potatoes. Tuna sushi. Children.
christopher_perkins: Not in that order.
Logan_Bonner: Sauteed Realms fan, served over pasta.
Logan_Bonner: (I'm still trying to fatten up your brother.)
WotC_Trevor: Alright then! Thanks everyone for coming out and giving us such great questions. I'm going to turn the moderation off so everybody can say their goodbyes.
christopher_perkins: Thanks y'all. I look forward to doing this again soon!
Logan_Bonner: Thanks, everybody!

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]]> 0 The Future of Dungeons & Dragons By now many of you have heard the exciting news regarding the development of the next iteration of Dungeons & Dragons. If you haven’t already, take some time to read over the recent Lore & Legend article by Mike Mearls. wizards.com/dnd/Article.aspx?x=dnd/4ll/2...

Based on what we already know, and what possibilities lie ahead, what are some of the core intrinsic features of the game you would like to see enhanced? Are there any specific parts of the game that you feel contrast D&D from other popular tabletop roleplaying games? Why do you feel it is important to emphasize. Exciting times are ahead and with Wizards of the Coast’s inclusion of fans and customers alike, we are sure to find a equitable game to keep us gathered around the table for the next 40 years.

If you have questions, comments, or anything else, please leave a comment. As well, you can follow me on Twitter. My website is Loremaster.org.

-Matt James

8 Comments - Leave a Comment
]]> Tue, 10 Jan 2012 09:34:33 -0600 http://community.wizards.com/dungeonsanddragons/blog/2012/01/10/the_future_of_dungeons__dragons http://community.wizards.com/dungeonsanddragons/blog/2012/01/10/the_future_of_dungeons__dragons By now many of you have heard the exciting news regarding the development of the next iteration of Dungeons & Dragons. If you haven’t already, take some time to read over the recent Lore & Legend article by Mike Mearls. wizards.com/dnd/Article.aspx?x=dnd/4ll/2...

Based on what we already know, and what possibilities lie ahead, what are some of the core intrinsic features of the game you would like to see enhanced? Are there any specific parts of the game that you feel contrast D&D from other popular tabletop roleplaying games? Why do you feel it is important to emphasize. Exciting times are ahead and with Wizards of the Coast’s inclusion of fans and customers alike, we are sure to find a equitable game to keep us gathered around the table for the next 40 years.

If you have questions, comments, or anything else, please leave a comment. As well, you can follow me on Twitter. My website is Loremaster.org.

-Matt James

8 Comments - Leave a Comment
]]> 0 Choose the Illusion Being a successful Game Master is relative to an array of deciding factors: The makeup of your gaming group, the personalities involved, and the actual game being played all make this job difficult and demanding.

I have been playing games such as Dungeons & Dragons since I was very young—even before I really knew what roleplaying was. I often tout that I was a bushy-eyed 6 year old when my experience with gaming began. Some might be deceived in believing this would make me far superior in my storytelling ability. Well, what with my vast experience, surely I am a god amongst men! Honestly, this means crap. It should in no way suggest that I am better in my ability to portray a scene, or communicate the fantasy world that surrounds my players. It just means I might have potential.

Humans are an interesting animal. For all of our glorious and vast intelligence, we have an innate primal struggle to do things the easy way. Sure, there are exceptions to all things, but overall, we’re a lazy animal. The television’s remote control is possibly the best example I can use that encompasses every single person reading this. There is more to this, and I promise I’ll make the connection later on. For now, let’s talk about story development.

When designing a story adventure* we often tend to think linearly in our progression. In grade school, we were taught the elements of a story, and were trained to think this way when moving from Point A (the beginning) to Point B (the ending). This line of thinking was reinforced every time we watched a television show or a blockbuster movie. The protagonist is introduced, a problem is presented, they go on to deal with the problem, and eventually it is resolved with some solution. Easy, right? Not so fast.

When engaged in collaborative storytelling (also known as roleplaying games), you have to take the normal dimension of a story’s creation and bring it into the third dimension. Imagine if J.R.R. Tolkein wrote the Lord of the Rings as a choose-your-own adventure. What if you had the choice of deciding how Frodo got to Mount Doom, commanding each decision along the way? Well, that would be a massive book—one that could not reasonably be crafted. So what does this mean for your game? There’s no quick or easy answer, but I’ll provide to you something that I have been doing for a very long time. You can find a hint of it in my first published D&D adventure Monument of the Ancients (Dungeon #170). That adventure was commissioned to my older brother Brian R. James and me with an original target word count of 10,000. When all was said and done, we wrote 22,000. Why you might ask? Because we needed to add that third dimension, and stretch the main plot.

Use of a Grid Matrix to give the illusion of choice!

When starting the design of your adventure, grab no less than 9 blank index cards (more can be used if you are comfortable doing so). Lay them out on a table in three rows and three columns. You can easily do the same thing in Microsoft’s Excel, but I am very visual and find this to be easier. Your mileage may vary. Now, grab one additional card. This will be your adventure’s beginning. It will have the name of your adventure along the top, and you will write the primary conflict of story. For example it might read:

Title: The King’s Precious Treasure

Premise: The newborn child of King Tanner has been kidnapped. The only clue is a single piece of parchment with an odd riddle scribed on it.

This will set up the other 9 cards you have already laid out. Place the card at the top of the others and you have your start. Now, take one new card and write out the conclusion. In the case of The King’s Precious Treasure, you might have two possible outcomes. Either the players rescue the child, or they do not. Write down the possible outcomes and then place it at the bottom of the, now, 10 cards.

You should have a total of 11 cards; one start card, one conclusion card, and 9 blank ones in between. On each of the 9 cards, start to fill in the encounters they will engage in, and include how they will proceed to the next step. You want to design each of the encounters so that they lead to one of the other 9 cards. Remember to keep the flow of the encounters tight. You want to incentivize a natural progression to the end card.

This type of design takes some practice, but you will find a great reward in developing your campaigns or adventures this way. The players should be given the ability to choose, but you ultimate control the end.

If you have questions, comments, or anything else, please leave a comment. As well, you can follow me on Twitter. My website is Loremaster.org.

Thanks for reading and happy gaming!

-Matt James

 EDIT: I'll add some better pictures as soon as I can.

 

*I use the term story adventure, because it denotes a specific contrast to combat adventures—ones where continuity is less critical to the adventure’s conclusion.

5 Comments - Leave a Comment
]]> Thu, 22 Dec 2011 05:46:57 -0600 http://community.wizards.com/dungeonsanddragons/blog/2011/12/22/choose_the_illusion http://community.wizards.com/dungeonsanddragons/blog/2011/12/22/choose_the_illusion Being a successful Game Master is relative to an array of deciding factors: The makeup of your gaming group, the personalities involved, and the actual game being played all make this job difficult and demanding.

I have been playing games such as Dungeons & Dragons since I was very young—even before I really knew what roleplaying was. I often tout that I was a bushy-eyed 6 year old when my experience with gaming began. Some might be deceived in believing this would make me far superior in my storytelling ability. Well, what with my vast experience, surely I am a god amongst men! Honestly, this means crap. It should in no way suggest that I am better in my ability to portray a scene, or communicate the fantasy world that surrounds my players. It just means I might have potential.

Humans are an interesting animal. For all of our glorious and vast intelligence, we have an innate primal struggle to do things the easy way. Sure, there are exceptions to all things, but overall, we’re a lazy animal. The television’s remote control is possibly the best example I can use that encompasses every single person reading this. There is more to this, and I promise I’ll make the connection later on. For now, let’s talk about story development.

When designing a story adventure* we often tend to think linearly in our progression. In grade school, we were taught the elements of a story, and were trained to think this way when moving from Point A (the beginning) to Point B (the ending). This line of thinking was reinforced every time we watched a television show or a blockbuster movie. The protagonist is introduced, a problem is presented, they go on to deal with the problem, and eventually it is resolved with some solution. Easy, right? Not so fast.

When engaged in collaborative storytelling (also known as roleplaying games), you have to take the normal dimension of a story’s creation and bring it into the third dimension. Imagine if J.R.R. Tolkein wrote the Lord of the Rings as a choose-your-own adventure. What if you had the choice of deciding how Frodo got to Mount Doom, commanding each decision along the way? Well, that would be a massive book—one that could not reasonably be crafted. So what does this mean for your game? There’s no quick or easy answer, but I’ll provide to you something that I have been doing for a very long time. You can find a hint of it in my first published D&D adventure Monument of the Ancients (Dungeon #170). That adventure was commissioned to my older brother Brian R. James and me with an original target word count of 10,000. When all was said and done, we wrote 22,000. Why you might ask? Because we needed to add that third dimension, and stretch the main plot.

Use of a Grid Matrix to give the illusion of choice!

When starting the design of your adventure, grab no less than 9 blank index cards (more can be used if you are comfortable doing so). Lay them out on a table in three rows and three columns. You can easily do the same thing in Microsoft’s Excel, but I am very visual and find this to be easier. Your mileage may vary. Now, grab one additional card. This will be your adventure’s beginning. It will have the name of your adventure along the top, and you will write the primary conflict of story. For example it might read:

Title: The King’s Precious Treasure

Premise: The newborn child of King Tanner has been kidnapped. The only clue is a single piece of parchment with an odd riddle scribed on it.

This will set up the other 9 cards you have already laid out. Place the card at the top of the others and you have your start. Now, take one new card and write out the conclusion. In the case of The King’s Precious Treasure, you might have two possible outcomes. Either the players rescue the child, or they do not. Write down the possible outcomes and then place it at the bottom of the, now, 10 cards.

You should have a total of 11 cards; one start card, one conclusion card, and 9 blank ones in between. On each of the 9 cards, start to fill in the encounters they will engage in, and include how they will proceed to the next step. You want to design each of the encounters so that they lead to one of the other 9 cards. Remember to keep the flow of the encounters tight. You want to incentivize a natural progression to the end card.

This type of design takes some practice, but you will find a great reward in developing your campaigns or adventures this way. The players should be given the ability to choose, but you ultimate control the end.

If you have questions, comments, or anything else, please leave a comment. As well, you can follow me on Twitter. My website is Loremaster.org.

Thanks for reading and happy gaming!

-Matt James

 EDIT: I'll add some better pictures as soon as I can.

 

*I use the term story adventure, because it denotes a specific contrast to combat adventures—ones where continuity is less critical to the adventure’s conclusion.

5 Comments - Leave a Comment
]]> 0