tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post7616797062618014230..comments2024-03-28T01:53:34.870-04:00Comments on GROGNARDIA: The Articles of Dragon: "The Making of a Milieu"James Maliszewskihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00341941102398271464noreply@blogger.comBlogger12125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-23825599877508894602012-03-16T08:13:38.998-04:002012-03-16T08:13:38.998-04:00Curiously, I think running a pre-packaged setting ...Curiously, I think running a pre-packaged setting takes a lot more time and effort than doing it yourself. Learning a campaign setting sufficiently well to run it is similar to studying for a major exam or something, whereas doing it yourself can't possibly be wrong, so as long as you make a few notes as you go to keep from contradicting yourself later, you can literally make stuff up right on the spot if needed. No prep time necessary.<br /><br />Or at least very little. <br /><br />Nice job on the passive aggressive suggestion that homebrewers don't have lives, by the way.Desdichadohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14774274812688958457noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-28739078793601453542012-03-14T19:57:02.195-04:002012-03-14T19:57:02.195-04:00This article was very influential on me, and it st...This article was very influential on me, and it still affects how I think about my campaign elements to this day. I don't do all the work he did, but I like how small of a scale he works on, I like the continuing characters idea (and I still use it), and I like the photocopying maps bit. I still do that, to this day, for everything from area maps to dungeons. I don't advance time like he did but I sure like the basic concept.Peter Dhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14246000382321978462noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-15338924339840852222012-03-14T12:52:45.098-04:002012-03-14T12:52:45.098-04:00So, if there are managers and world builders, and ...So, if there are managers and world builders, and this article is meant to help us grow as world builders... what articles were good to help DMs grow as managers?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-25895313214232071792012-03-14T10:48:41.389-04:002012-03-14T10:48:41.389-04:00> Interminable Series of Ponderous Tomes
That ...> Interminable Series of Ponderous Tomes<br /><br />That can't be a real series. It doesn't have 'Chronicles' or 'Saga' in the name.anarchisthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05546197561922726279noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-18776012059101431712012-03-14T00:20:29.816-04:002012-03-14T00:20:29.816-04:00I'm also very fond of Arthur Collins's art...I'm also very fond of Arthur Collins's articles. I make it a point to include Great Stony and the Order of St. Raphael in most of my campaign settings, in some form.faoladhhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03691952430041394614noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-45312875280973193652012-03-13T19:55:07.573-04:002012-03-13T19:55:07.573-04:00That article had a huge impact on my gaming over t...That article had a huge impact on my gaming over the years, all good, I think!Keith Sloanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07319879076978887933noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-54885949422115826772012-03-13T19:30:06.485-04:002012-03-13T19:30:06.485-04:00I keep photocopies of his Dragon articles in a bin...I keep photocopies of his Dragon articles in a binder, too. "What<br />Not to Include" should be required reading for DMs.Jelpermanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08634380660076987391noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-8792535336046808022012-03-13T18:21:28.775-04:002012-03-13T18:21:28.775-04:00That is a great article. Lots of clever ideas in ...That is a great article. Lots of clever ideas in there. Years ago, I photocopied that article and put it in my big grey DMs binder. I too, am more of an improviser now, but how I loved creating the foundational content of my world years ago. Thanks.Jimhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18158916950442942918noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-62827727328376058622012-03-13T17:32:03.059-04:002012-03-13T17:32:03.059-04:00and that's from over 30 years of gaming...&quo...and that's from over 30 years of gaming..."<br /><br />Mine isn't one of the ones you think of, but the D&D gameworld I still use goes back 35 years to my childhood. Began as a dungeon with a tavern nearby, and grew from there. Stuff I added, stuff players added through character background or action. It grows. So not everybody has a lifetime to grow it, but by the time I was 20 years old the world was full, brimming, and fairly sketched out. History made up by both GM and players cannot be beat for immersion. I'm thinking the collaberative worlds of fantasy authors are the only things that come close to that. <br /><br />If anybody plans to be playing D&D for at least 5 years, no matter their age, I suggest start with that tavern and dungeon and work your way up.Kevin Machttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14122665488285424578noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-36938051548979583662012-03-13T17:29:08.666-04:002012-03-13T17:29:08.666-04:00One of my biggest problems as a ref was world buil...One of my biggest problems as a ref was world building. Not that I couldn't or didn't do it but I became too obsessed with it. I'd develop a world, its history and map it out and then run it for some weeks. Then some new idea would wallop me and I'd find myself drafting a whole new campaign world. I can't remember how many times I started new campaigns just to scratch some sort of creative itch.The Wasphttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08636805818054637966noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-89115343134444984222012-03-13T17:23:28.738-04:002012-03-13T17:23:28.738-04:00I disagree.
World of Greyhawk, Forgotten Realms, ...I disagree.<br /><br />World of Greyhawk, Forgotten Realms, Harn, etc. are wonderful campaign settings for a DM to use as his own game world.<br /><br />Besides, once the PCs start interacting with that world, it becomes unique unto itself.<br /><br />They are not a "poor substitute" as the article suggests. In fact, many of us have very little time to devote to creating their own game world. Some of us have lives beyond the gaming table (GASP!).<br /><br />And I'm not knocking anyone who can devote the time and energy to create something of their own. Kudos to you...<br /><br />If you can make it work and it doesn't suck.<br /><br />Because in my experience, most of the "home-brewed" game worlds I've encountered were monumental loads of crap.<br /><br />Which is funny, because the DMs who created these worlds were soo in love with them that they couldn't see the sh*t from the good. Because no matter how much you polish a turd..It's still a turd.<br /><br />I can only think of one or two home brewed game worlds that was cool to adventure in...and that's from over 30 years of gaming.blackstonehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11205963961656803303noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-16444590843205496032012-03-13T16:55:17.854-04:002012-03-13T16:55:17.854-04:00You've motivated me to pull out that excellent...You've motivated me to pull out that excellent old article and re-read it. That alone is worth a thank you!Stevehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11677895164302972957noreply@blogger.com