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Last month we discussed running roleplaying games with elements from other genres mixed in. Horror and espionage were the focus. This month we’ll continue talking about horror a bit and dive into drawing inspiration from non-gaming books and checking out different games to add variety to your gaming diet. ~ Topics ~ The way topics are chosen for this column is pretty straight forward. I take a sneak peek at the games, books, and supplements that are going to be included in the issue of GTM this column appears in and pick a few that look interesting or that can be linked together under a broader concept. Last month’s article about changing your games by adding elements from other genres was inspired by the fact that there were two books about that topic. This month is a bit more of a mixed bag because the three books that looked cool didn’t fit under a single banner. As time moves forward, you’ll see both types of articles appear under the Tricks of the Game Trade headline. ~ Reinforcing Mechanics ~
Apparently, the horror genre is on everyone’s mind lately. Wizards of the Coast just released the Curse of Strahd adventure and this month Paizo is releasing Horror Adventures for the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game. One of the areas we didn’t mention in last month’s article—but will certainly be covered heavily in Horror Adventures—was how game mechanics can be used to reinforce genre emulation and this book is packed with exactly that. Whenever you add a dash of another genre to your favorite roleplaying game, it helps to add descriptions and props to make the game “feel” more like the genre you’re trying to emulate, but another big area to consider is changing, adapting, or adding game mechanics that reinforce the genre in the rules of the game. Some typical rules changes to a game to add horror include such things as:
Most horror games that already exist feature mechanics like those outlined above for a reason—they add to the flavor of the game by making the game’s mechanics reinforce the overall feel of the game. Deadlands Reloaded wouldn’t be the same without its rules for Fear Levels. Call of Cthulhu wouldn’t be the same without its Sanity rules. Dread wouldn’t be the same without its tower of wooden blocks to create a very real sense of tension. When it’s time for you to add a genre to your game, think about how you can incorporate some game mechanics like those above to make the atmos-fear feel different than every game you’ve run before. In many cases you can simply lift mechanics you like from another game and drop them into your preferred game systems, of course sometimes it takes some work to adapt them correctly. The next time you want to add some flavor of genre to a game, take a look at other games already set in that genre and see how those rules make the game feel more like that genre. You’ll end up with a game that’s more fun and your players will thank you for it! ~ Trying a New Game ~ Having a regular gaming night with friends is great. Everyone shows up, is ready to play, you get to gab and gossip, and roll some dice to kill some critters ... except when everyone can’t make it and there’s only a few of you looking for something to do. Before you let out a laugh over how hard it is to assemble an army and paint it before you can play, read on! We’re at a time in which there are tons of pre-painted miniatures on the shelves of game stores. You probably have a collection of figures yourself, so it’s easy to find a miniatures game that makes it possible to substitute the figures you already have for the ones needed in the game. The game that inspired this article is Frostgrave. It’s a perfect game for roleplayers looking to try a miniatures game because it uses small bands of heroes, which includes a couple of spellcasters, can be played on a 3 foot x 3 foot table, uses only a d20 for rolls to hit and determine damage, and is playable as an ongoing campaign with linked adventures so characters can change and become more powerful over time. There are a couple of other nice things about this game that make it perfect as a fallback. Miniatures games are a lot of fun. They concentrate on combat and tactics as opposed to roleplaying, so they’re great for players who enjoy the challenge of If you’re looking to try a miniatures game, this is a great option, but really, find a game you and your friends will enjoy. Find a game with a theme or setting that sounds cool and pick up the rules or a starter set. Most miniatures game attempt to give new players a reasonably-priced way to give the game a try. And, remember, you don’t have to use the miniatures for the game you’re trying out. Feel free to substitute minis you already have until you’re convinced you want to keep playing. ~ Drawing Inspiration ~ Most core rulebooks for roleplaying games include some version of, “steal liberally from books, shows, and movies you and your friends enjoy.” The reasons for this are obvious: if you all love a movie, you’d likely enjoy and buy into a game that features a lot of the same ideas, and because you can always go back and re-watch the movie to get inspiration for new stories. These are the main reasons games based on licenses like Star Wars movies or The Song of Ice and Fire novels are so popular. Another great place to draw inspiration is history. There are a nearly endless number of intrigues and adventures you can pull out of historical events that make perfect fodder for roleplaying games. This is especially true of games set in a feudal or medieval time period, but events from any time period can be updated and adapted to almost any setting. Just because the Anglo-Zulu War took place in 1879 doesn’t mean you can’t alter a number of details and instead set it in your fantasy or science-fiction game.
Then there’s a new series of books from Osprey, all of which are written by Chris Pramas, who is an award-winning game designer and writer. He combines his love of roleplaying games, miniatures games, pop-culture, and history to produce some very entertaining books filled with creative ideas that are great inspiration for tabletop gaming. The books in the series are Orc Warfare, Dwarf Warfare, and (the newest) Elf Warfare. The books aren’t connected to a specific game line and are intended to give an overview of how orcs, dwarves, and elves might actually organize themselves and engage in warfare (hence the titles). Each book is filled with short descriptions of battles, tactics the races employ, histories, descriptions of siege weapons, and much more. They’re rich mines for gamemasters looking to dig up some new and interesting ideas for their games.
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Those usually make great nights for playing a favorite board game, but it can also be a great time to break out a miniatures game.
outplaying an opponent, but they’re also great for gamers who like to take a break from playing the same game every week. Finally, in a game like this, with its ongoing campaign structure, players who really enjoy storytelling can construct stories to explain why their warband is in Frostgrave trying to recover treasure and artifacts from the frozen city. The new expansion, Into the Breeding Pits, takes the characters into the catacombs, sewers, and dungeons of the city, which makes it even more like a roleplaying game!
