Brainfood for burgeoning blogs part 2

Hello, internet. Here is part 2!

26: How could I go about acquiring a Gryphon mount?

A: Gryphons are about as rare as unicorns, bandersnatches, or questing beasts. Good luck!

27: How difficult is it to be brought back from the dead? Is such a thing even possible?

A: Do you want to live forever? 

28: How do you deal with any jitters or nerves before running a game?

A: I've only ever played with people I am good friends with, so I have never experienced any kind of worries about performance; we are all playing a game.

29: How do you determine if a character can successfully swim in your games?

A: Everyone can keep themselves afloat more or less, but only sailors or athletes can swim fast.

30: How do you determine the weather for the day or season in your game?

A: I tend to come up with it on the fly to set the mood, but if I want to be strict, I look for some random generators or roll 1d6 bad-to-best weather.

31: How do you feel about writing directly in RPG books? Forbidden or Useful?

A: Home printed PDF files are fine. Post-it notes are better for books, in my opinion, or even a companion notebook.

32: How do you handle a shy/quiet player? What about a spotlight-hungry one?

A: My table is nice enough to self-regulate in this regard. I do want to try having my players unable to plan together in some situations, such as an intense combat, as I think that would be interesting.

33: How do you make particularly efficient weapons stand out from inefficient ones?

A: Damage, accuracy, secondary effects, and lore.

34: How do you roll dice? In the open, behind a screen, let the players roll?

A: Everyone can see every die roll. The players roll for their characters; I roll for mine.

35: How do your players deal with losing a character? How do you get ’em back in play?

A: I let them have a retainer for the rest of the session, or alternatively make a new character on the spot. Details and stats will be determined as needed or later on.

36: How has access to Magic influenced Technology in your setting?

A: Depending on the games I've run, anywhere from nothing to replacing electricity.

37: How have video games/other media influenced the way you approach these games?

A: I like to treat role-playing as its own medium. 

38: How long does it take to have a custom set of armour made? A weapon?

A: I would look it up, but my estimate is at least a week for the armour and about a long afternoon for the weapon, as a baseline.

39: How long is your average session? Have they ever gone longer than expected? Why?

A: One hour and a half, at most. I have a strict bedtime limit for my sessions. 

40: How much are lifestyle expenses for your PCs "between adventures"?

A: This is one thing I am looking to incorporate in the future. So far, my players only buy rations and replacement equipment, so a system for wear and tear would be interesting.

41: How much Time do you spend Preparing between games? What's that look like?

A: Since I only play in the holidays, my prep is a few months before the game (when I feel like it, which is at most once a week), and then revision in between game nights (daily).

42: How were you introduced to these games? Share your history with them!

A: I learned about RPGs from my father, who played them when he was younger. I made some characters for 5th edition D&D, but I considered the system a bit cumbersome. The first game I played, I was running as game master for my brother and cousins, but I used Cogent RPG instead. Since then, I have run:

- Masks: a new generation

- Quest RPG

- Honey Heist

- Offworlders RPG

- Troika!

- Old School Essentials

- Knave

- Mythic Bastionland

- Murder Ballet

- Pride and Extreme Prejudice

- Electric Bastionland

- Thin Black Gulf

All that in three years, if I remember correctly.

43: How would a player go about brewing their own potion or making a scroll?

A: This is another subsystem for Househack. For potions, I'm wondering whether to take inspiration from Potion Craft. For scrolls, you need the right parchment, ink and a willing spell.

44: How would you describe a 60' x 60' square room with 4 cardinal doors to the players?

A: This room is a perfect square, with one door in the centre of each side. The walls are about 20 metres across.

45: How would you handle a party wanting to start a business or enterprise?

A: Before the next session I would look up some rules for that. To be specific, I would probably adapt Mythic Bastionland's rules for ruling the realm

46: Is it possible to play as something unusual in your setting? A dragon, Balrog, or minotaur?

A: Yes, but I usually already overwhelm my players with character options, so it has never come up in play. If a player asked for it, I wouldn't have too much trouble making something functional. I am currently making a Gloomhaven class at the moment, which I might post on this blog.

47: Is magic innate or something that can be learned by anyone? Why?

A: I didn't really care until I started working on Househack. Spells are creatures in my system. This takes inspiration from the Goblin Laws of Gaming, Jojo's Bizarre Adventure, Pokemon and True and the Rainbow Kingdom.

48: Is there a particular system or game that you are excited to run or play? Tell me about it!

A: Right, here we go:

- Nobilis

- Eureka

- City of Mist/Legend in the Mist

- AD&D.

- Blade Runner RPG

- Kill Sector

- D&D 5th edition

- The unofficial Hollow Knight RPG

- Into the Odd

- Rivers and Lakes

- Crescendo RPG

- Any system based on Disco Elysium, (I tried to write my own, and that needs a big rework)

- Going Rogue

- EUREKA RPG

- Trespasser RPG

- Subconscious Routine RPG

- Swords as subtext RPG

- THE COMPLETELY UNLICENSED AND UNOFFICIAL DISCWORLD TRIBUTE: A ONE IN A MILLION CHANCE AT ADVENTURE

- Up to Eleven Engine

- Ex Imp system

- Firelights

- The Goblin Laws of Gaming

- Maze Rats

- Hyper Light Drifter RPG

- The Final Monarch RPG

- The Slow Knife RPG

- Inhuman Conditions

- Any RPG I might make

- Cottonmouth stuff

- Authentic Role-playing D&D

I don't think I'm missing any...

49: Is there some kind of banking system/safe storage of treasure in your setting?

A: Time to make something up as I would at the table! Dwarven bankers melt large quantities of gold into huge ingots for safe storage, to then later be forged into coins again for the short lifespan of the human kingdoms. Gemstones and crystal fragments are used as larger change, and magic cheques are used in higher circles. 

50: Let me hear about your favourite character/NPC from a game! What made them special?

A: I really liked the secret spy from Kidnap the Archpriest. Having a character with a potential twist to be exploited is good fun in my book.

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Part 3 soon!