Posted today, instead of tomorrow, because.
So, on the one hundred mile drive to a hospital (ok, 96.4 mile drive) I had today, a few thoughts occurred to me. One of them was Pathfinder/DnD related. What would a campaign be like where the GM kept track of the player's hit points? What would a game be like where the GM kept all the magic pluses and abilities of weapons and armor and such secret? What would it be like if I just had a massive dice roller doing all the math of the game behind the screen for the group?
So, on the one hundred mile drive to a hospital (ok, 96.4 mile drive) I had today, a few thoughts occurred to me. One of them was Pathfinder/DnD related. What would a campaign be like where the GM kept track of the player's hit points? What would a game be like where the GM kept all the magic pluses and abilities of weapons and armor and such secret? What would it be like if I just had a massive dice roller doing all the math of the game behind the screen for the group?
Instead of your +5 mithril flaming burst short sword, you have a gleaming silvery blade that becomes scorched and blackened when it draws blood and erupts in flame when it splits armor and strikes foes. Instead of being at one hit point, your breath is coming in ragged gasps and you grow ever weaker as your lifeblood puddles at your feet and you strain to draw your blade. The ring upon your hand is not a +1 ring of protection, instead, it is a silver band of magic that grows warm when your are attacked and a blade halts before striking your flesh.
I'm not sure how feasible a campaign of this style would be, where the GM essentially rolls all the dice. Would players even enjoy that sort of thing? Part of the fun of the game is rolling dice to do stuff and being infuriated or excited by the result. It just seems more story-like and more conducive to role-playing, the players can experience things more I guess, rather than worry about math. Anyway, I'm not sure the idea has any merit, but I thought it might be neat.
I've read about some people doing this, but it really does levvy a lot of extra work on the DM (i.e. you). If the group is heavy into roleplay, this should make them moist. But a good balance might be to use something other than the item +n approach. It makes that item feel more unique.
ReplyDelete