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Challenge! If there's no challenge in a module, it's flat out lame. It's booring..but when you add the capability of a PC's death to the module--it all changes. I've been called the DM of Death because eveyone's character gets hurt or wounded. To me it's just a game, I don't even care if characters die--so I make challenging modules. More importantly than challenging the characters in the modules though, I like to develop situations where players are more challenged than the characters. If I can come up with a plot or a situation where players get frustrated when it's getting to hard, I feel like I've given a good challenge. I help players through some of it--othertimes I give no help at all and see what happens. I love to "DM" politics and national-scope events. Wars between nations, and the cold-war environment involving Orisians and the Triconians and the Cyrans is all my creating, but I've had wonderful ideas and help, and endless development with Jason, Robb, Trav and Mike. I have a knack for knocking around ideas of how fucked-up politics can be (and does get), and I love to throw that into my modules. When I "DM", I want my players to think...not kill. Brain power over gunpower is more importnt in my modules. Finding peaceful resolutions to problems is a volid module tactic. I've thrown two player characters together and brought them to a face-to face to shoot each other, too...for one of them to survive, one has to die. Hard Core DMin'g. Unfortunately, character creation in Robo is like a blessing, and losing a character is often motivation to stop playing the game for a while. It was never like that for me, though. I find that it all comes down to Adventure! I use sledgehammer tactics when "DM"ing to impress upon the player that his/her character is hurt or dying. I spend just as much time describing how bunk the character's situation is just to try and get the player to say Damn! It's so easy to dissasociate your character from the realities of getting shot and beaten, losing a race...winning...some people I've "DM"ed just don't get it: your character is shot in the legs and yeah..."Sure! You're gonna RUN down the HALL losing pints of blood per SECOND...and then you PICK UP YOUR WOUNDED FRIEND and carry him to the space ship?" With fractured femurs? I don't think so. It's all TV to some players. Feel the pain! And so after I finish masticating your very first Robo character, there will be two things:
O.K...I admit it. I'm the DM of Death(tm!) but they keep coming back for more! And your characters (if you don't play them too inanely) will keep getting more and more developed, and more and more poweful! --JED (Thank you...now smeg off!) |