Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Joni-san 12-11-04, 08:40 PM	I Co-DM'ed my first Eberron Adventure earlier today :). All I can say is that it didn't go so well :raincloud. The reasons? Here: I got a warning three days in advance that we are starting I did not have enough time to prepare (I had just gotten through reading the Draconomicon, Libris Mortis and the MM's when I started on the Eberron and Sharn book) and I didn't have enough time to write the adventure. They told me to make everyones PCs. Wich failed because I didn't get enough sleep the night earlier. Allthough I was going to do it... Then they offered to make the Characters. And they failed to even write down the race and class traits of the characters even though I gave them instructions (All they did was write Race, Class and stats on the paper). I decided with the other players to go with pre-gen characters to avoid this I had decided with the players that we were going to play a "Detecive" campaign and that everyone would have a important role but the midget had to object stating that he had to regain his "Rogue-skills" And the day before the game they told me once where and when we were going to play. The problem was lack of sleep imparing my memory, broken bike and the fact that the place is on the other side of town The party was incomplete becuase some of the players were absent. I didn't have time to explain the setting to the players We had a trouble inventing names. (Except for the midget who came up with names completely unfit for the setting) and what religions the PCs followed The Co-DM was bloody incompetent and the way he DM'd didn't help the new players learn how to play I had to leave early because of my part time job and I had to leave my books with the midget and the Co-DM (who are notoriously unreliable). Did I mention that I had not written down what was supposed to happen at the end of the adventure? Sorry for all the *****ing :rant: and for giving excuses but I had a bad day and my week has not been the best possible. :allalone: I've thought of using diplomacy and placing the game on fridays when it won't get in the way with my part time job. However it seems like that is not possible because all of the players seem to have something they have to do on fridays. I'll have to try compromising with the players The most important thing to do right now would be to get all the players to a place where we could discuss what they would want to play, how they want to play and when/where to play. And to describe Eberron to the best of my ability I feel like a horrible DM. :raincloud :ghosted: Ps: Please excuse me if all of this doesn't make sence. I'm a bit tired at the moment :help:
hiryuu 12-11-04, 08:44 PM	Ouch. Sounds like a bad day.... However. I, hiryuu, ask permission for Eberron to be run as a sci-fi crime drama..... (someone must follow up the joke)
Gilgiga of the Hunt 12-11-04, 09:39 PM	well last time I checked Warforged didn't folow the three laws...
Foxboy2000 12-11-04, 10:17 PM	Ouch. Sounds like a bad day.... However. I, hiryuu, ask permission for Eberron to be run as a sci-fi crime drama..... (someone must follow up the joke) Sorry, hiryuu, Koshi Rikdo refused. So no Excel Sag . . . er, Eberron sci-fi crime drama... Now a Fantasy Crime Drama? *STAMP* Here ya go.
ThanisKartaleon 12-11-04, 11:35 PM	I feel like a horrible DM. :raincloud :ghosted: Not your fault. If they expected you to DM, then a) they should have informed you of when and where they wanted to play *much* earlier, and done so so that no one, especially the DM, has a conflicting schedule. b) they need to make their own !@$%ing characters. If that means they have to take the time to come over and see you so they can read the proper books, that's what they have to do. c) if they do make their own characters, they have to follow the rules. There's a reason this game has rules... d) if they wanted you to be there, then they had either be there or have a #@$& good reason not to be. other stuff too, but from what it sounds like, they don't understand the concept of social interaction, let alone D&D or Eberron. I wouldn't hang around these people if they kept this stuff up for any amount of time. You've been an active and pleasant poster on this board, and I've read and liked quite a few of your ideas. And above all, a DM needs his preparation time. Don't lose hope. ~Thanis
markvi58 12-12-04, 10:24 AM	If the players force (which I think is stupid on their parts) you to make characters for them, just crap them out of a random character generator. They will be relatively weak and won't have decent spell lists and more than likely won't have some of the great races and abilities that come in ECS. Then proceed to obliterate them with easy challenges that any decent group of characters should be able to defeat. When they start griping about how weak their characters are, then tell them how they can make really cool characters on their own that have better skills/magic/feats/etc that will be able to defeat a dire rat next time. When they do come to their senses, require them to create character backgrounds that you can generate later adventure hooks from. That'll make your job easier, and they should have more fun playing when they meet that long lost relative that they alluded to in their background.
shadowpavement 12-12-04, 10:26 AM	I feel your pain. I ended my first Eberron game after the second session beacuse my players were unreliable and a hastle to deal with with any sort of consistency. I had lost hope for quite a while there but I managed to keep my interest by surfing the boards and reading the Sharn book, and I slowly built up another group of reliable players that I can count on (albeit a small group) With any luck we'll be starting up again this coming friday. YAY :-) and it looks like things will be much better. Hang in there man. We're all pulling for you.
hiryuu 12-12-04, 12:12 PM	You know what? I just realized something. Next time someone asks you to make them a character, you say "congratulations, you have amnesia." Give them a character sheet with race, intelligence, wisdom, and charisma, then never tell them what class they are or what skills they have. Just say "roll your reflex save and add x," or various other sundry bonuses or penalties. Then the strange situation of all those characters with amnesia coming together has plot potential.
krappleby 12-13-04, 05:19 AM	You know what? I just realized something. Next time someone asks you to make them a character, you say "congratulations, you have amnesia." Give them a character sheet with race, intelligence, wisdom, and charisma, then never tell them what class they are or what skills they have. Just say "roll your reflex save and add x," or various other sundry bonuses or penalties. Then the strange situation of all those characters with amnesia coming together has plot potential. Wow man.. That is a great idea.. i will have to remember that one.. nothing better than a group of adventurers waking up to a fireball, comming from someone who didnt know he had the power.. LOL.. Ill try that idea to the next person who asks me for a character.. :D
Brastan 12-13-04, 07:12 AM	:pbbbtt: on that group. I've canceled sessions because I wasn't prepared. With that time frame (3 days) and a part time job I would have told the Co-DM to take story telling charge that session. Your situation reminds me of what happened to Cyre. Mainly because the aftermath has a similar sense of utter destruction. I'd cut what has been done off now and start over from scratch. Rethink your definition of the campaign to just Dark Intrigue. This makes it more open. Take one whole session were the players will make their characters. This will define the campaign even more as each characters abilities will define what sorts of adventures they will be suited for. Then you have characters in hand (yes take the completed characters with you) and until next session to create(find/buy/modify) an adventure that fits the characters and the campaign theme. If your doing the story your Co-DM will be tasked with rule arbitration. If your current Co-DM does not know the rules he should not be DMing and should be sitting with the new players. No the other position is for your Co-DM to handle story and you handle mechanics. This formation gives you the ability to blunt his "bad" DMing until he figures it out. I don't consider PCs in Eberron to be super special until they hit the Mid-levels. This is when Kings or House rulers take personal interest in them. The current adventure set The Forgotten Forge, Shadows of the Last War, Whisper of the Vampires Blade work with both swashbuckling or the darker investigative style you want to do. Its a question of how they are presented(word use and description) and how the Players deiced to act. Its also great that these adventures are leaps and bounds ahead of the initial 3rd Ed. Adventures which were atrocious. Mix in the adventures from Dungeon if you have them and you have 3 to 6 adventures already done and of some quality. The main thing for you to do is read them, take notes, and maybe do some alteration. My current campaign(which as be on a 3-month hiatus) has had no plot or story for 8 levels. The characters have literally wandered around Korivare(starting in the Principalities, bad spot to start) have gotten in there own trouble(or the adventure I happen to have ready or bought at the time). I would recommend most first time Eberron campaigns should start with simi-random adventuring until players and DM(s) get aquatinted with the setting and each other. The last adventure was The Standing Stone which I made 3.5 and did some Eberron cosmetic work to. Bad choice of adventure on my part. I know you didn't want to hear all of this but you got caught in a messed up situation that no DM should be forced into. Next session push the rest button (which is your prerogative as lead DM). If you can contact the players ask them to develop a character concept (minus class stats and race). They will present these ideas to you next session and you and the Co-DM and any other experienced players will assist in translating those ideas to characters. I hope you mange to salvage this but don't feel like to have to respond to every demand. You are the Dungeon Master, and do the hardest work, the players can wait for you. If this means starting later or not at all then so be it. If you find that you don't have the time to DM then you shouldn't be and someone with the time should be doing it. Good luck.
hiryuu 12-13-04, 11:50 AM	Wow man.. That is a great idea.. i will have to remember that one.. nothing better than a group of adventurers waking up to a fireball, comming from someone who didnt know he had the power.. LOL.. Ill try that idea to the next person who asks me for a character.. :D Oh, it's great fun; sometimes I do it to myself. Especially if I'm with a DM that says "give me a character history or I'll do it for you, and make sure it's at least two pages." It's the DM's job to be retentive to himself, not the other players. You should be able to plot the PCs in the face with just two paragraphs and some names, this is the art of the DM. I also offer it as an Unearthed Arcana-style flaw. If you want amnesia, I make your character, and you get two bonus feats. But again...I pick everything but race, gender, and class (no sense in forcing a player into a character he won't find fun to play unless he's being a jerk about it).
ENHenry 12-13-04, 02:22 PM	Sorry to hear it; sounds like it would have been a great night for Magic:the Gathering or Scrabble instead of gaming. I've done this, before, rather than try to start something serious; or, I just pulled out the 3E books (or another simpler RPG) and just had them roll 5-minute characters and throw them into a sheer bash or dungeon-crawl. I learned my lesson to NEVER run a serious campaign when I wasn't prepped. If someone complains about not running the game they expected, I'd invite them to run it. :)
Joni-san 12-13-04, 02:51 PM	Thanks for the support, I needed it :cloud9: Oh and today I heard about what happened after I left (in no particular order): One of the players left a roughly a hour after I had left. The Warforged Fighter started killing random fleshlings and looting the corpses. He also intimidated a merchant infront of 200 eye-witnesses. Was later demolished under a block of lead (wich dropped because of the Rogue) and resurrected. The Talenta Sorecerer got a GF. And the group got to level three (We started at level one) And they played for rougly four more hours after I had left Oy Gevalt :blink: I'll try talking with the players and organize an evening where I will explain Eberron in detail. However the two troublemakers object to this. Seems like I have to tell them to back off untill they can play with some manners. Well, I'll try re-starting the campaign this weekend. Wish me luck
RadicalTaoist 12-13-04, 03:13 PM	Sorry, hiryuu, Koshi Rikdo refused. So no Excel Sag . . . er, Eberron sci-fi crime drama... Now a Fantasy Crime Drama? *STAMP* Here ya go."HATCHAAAAAAAAAAAAN!!!"