I Hit It With My Axe: Episode 36: Why Are You Covered In Blood, May I Ask?

skibadaa

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Jun 13, 2009
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Anyone else think Zak sounded almost exactly like the Dongo inkeep from Doraleous & Associates Ep.21?
 

Jason Morris

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May 13, 2010
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formless777 said:
Did he say "the temple of Titivulva ?"
Titivilla. Zak discussed her creation a bit a while back on his blog.

http://dndwithpornstars.blogspot.com/2010/01/say-why-not-and-then-ask-why.html
 

Elijah Newton

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Sep 17, 2008
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Ditto to everyone's comments about great role playing and DM-ing. Don't think anyone's yet mentioned the editing - I'm particularly pleased with the divergence of the three paths and the way this video is cut together makes it easy to follow what's going on. Curious to see where this is all going.
 

MrAnalog

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Oct 21, 2010
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Wow, Either Connie or Satine (Couldn't tell which) mentions Granite City, Illinois out of nowhere, which cracked me up since I live about 10 miles in the next city over from there. Not sure what would bring one to Granite City if they didn't have to go since it's mostly a Steel Mill town that's lost most of it's work. Now I'm really curious.
 

DragonMyAce

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Jul 21, 2010
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MrAnalog said:
Wow, Either Connie or Satine (Couldn't tell which) mentions Granite City, Illinois out of nowhere, which cracked me up since I live about 10 miles in the next city over from there. Not sure what would bring one to Granite City if they didn't have to go since it's mostly a Steel Mill town that's lost most of it's work. Now I'm really curious.
Me too! Funny to think that Granite City made that much of an impression that somewhere so far from California was the town that imediately sprang to mind in that situation. Not that I disagree with this characterization of Granite...
 

jas11262009

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Feb 10, 2009
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So this is how DnD type games are played? Christ, I couldn't stand the annoyance of constantly being interrupted by mundane questions. Shut the hell up and allow the man to speak. There's only one DM, right? So, why is it that people try and suggest ideas for the current scenario? I'm fairly sure that a DM dictates the elements of the "adventure". I enjoy the idea in theory. In reality, I couldn't stand the game.
 

jas11262009

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Feb 10, 2009
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Funny that Granite City is mentioned. I lived there for 3 years but it was near the steel factory. The storms were something that caught my attention as the rain would sometimes fly sideways. It had great summers and the evenings would be warm enough to walk without a chill. The only complaint about the area were the roads. Those semi's tore them up and the city was terrible with handling funds.
 

BrashHulk

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Nov 4, 2010
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jas11262009 said:
So this is how DnD type games are played? Christ, I couldn't stand the annoyance of constantly being interrupted by mundane questions. Shut the hell up and allow the man to speak. There's only one DM, right? So, why is it that people try and suggest ideas for the current scenario? I'm fairly sure that a DM dictates the elements of the "adventure". I enjoy the idea in theory. In reality, I couldn't stand the game.
Well see, this is how it works: at a socially interactive, off-the-cuff gaming table with people who are playing to have FUN, this is called "normal". Tough concept to grasp, I realize. Conversely, a bunch of people sullenly staring at a GM for 8 hours while he or she runs the game like boot camp is the opposite of fun, and would pretty much guarantee an empty table rather quickly.
 

trooper6

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Jul 26, 2008
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jas11262009 said:
So this is how DnD type games are played? Christ, I couldn't stand the annoyance of constantly being interrupted by mundane questions. Shut the hell up and allow the man to speak. There's only one DM, right? So, why is it that people try and suggest ideas for the current scenario? I'm fairly sure that a DM dictates the elements of the "adventure". I enjoy the idea in theory. In reality, I couldn't stand the game.
There are different ways to play. I like to play in a simulationist/sandbox sort of style. So I don't dictate the adventure. I present a world, throw out some plot hooks and then I see what the players do. This then sets up a chain reaction...I react to their actions, they react to mine, and so on.

I say, "Someone wants to pay you a lot of money to ensure that a person from the planet Earth wins this interstellar ultimate fighting tournament...this has to do with proxy politics. You all, being from planet Earth can enter and fight yourselves if you like. The only stipulation your mysterious benefactor has is that it doesn't come back to him, and you don't get caught--or he will disavow all knowledge."

I provide the setup. The players can then do what they will. They might decide not to take the job and do something else. Or they may pretend to take the job, but actually screw over the benefactor. Or they might take the job. Then they tell me what they do.

I don't dictate the game. I'm not the sole storyteller. The game is cooperative. As a GM, I have a lot of fun being surprised by what they come up with...and that particular mission was really fun. Or as I like to think of it, the GM controls the game world, the players control their characters...and the world reacts to the characters just as much as the characters react to the world.
 

Feystar

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Jun 19, 2010
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trooper6 said:
There are different ways to play. I like to play in a simulationist/sandbox sort of style. So I don't dictate the adventure. I present a world, throw out some plot hooks and then I see what the players do. This then sets up a chain reaction...I react to their actions, they react to mine, and so on.
Personally I like to setup a multi-layered world for people to run around in and then let them loose to cause havoc. I normally start with the top level plot stuff first, whatever the main villain is and his intentions are, then we go down to a regional level and decide what nations are at war, what other factions are out there and where their zones of influence may be. Finally we drill down to the local level and flesh out the town or village the players will be in and what small town politics are occurring. I've found that by doing this it helps breath life and believability in to a campaign setting and grants the players the freedom to go wherever they feel.

This way you can have the local mayor's daughter be kidnapped by goblins, the blacksmith and inn keeper are having a disagreement over the price of that fancy new iron stove, a wounded messenger with reports of troop movement can arrive in town and there are reports of mysterious goings on at the church on the hill. The players could choose any or multiple of these paths or even go their own way completely it's up to them, but having it there adds depth and makes altering the shape of the world easier based on the choices they make.

jas11262009 said:
So this is how DnD type games are played? Christ, I couldn't stand the annoyance of constantly being interrupted by mundane questions. Shut the hell up and allow the man to speak. There's only one DM, right? So, why is it that people try and suggest ideas for the current scenario? I'm fairly sure that a DM dictates the elements of the "adventure". I enjoy the idea in theory. In reality, I couldn't stand the game.
This is how Zak runs his game and for that group it works, my guys are stereotypically British and a bit more reserved about it but the core principle is similar. By allowing the players to ask questions and just talk in general you can gauge the mood of the group and tailor the game to their needs, plus it shows that your players are engaged in the elaborate fantasy you spent time creating.
 

nipsen

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Sep 20, 2008
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Holy crap. When I used to play tabletops there was one girl in my town who were interested in role-playing. And she was so travelworn she had callouses on her asscheeks.

Awesome show, really enjoyed the scenario and the story :)
 

Connieparts

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May 20, 2010
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MrAnalog said:
Wow, Either Connie or Satine (Couldn't tell which) mentions Granite City, Illinois out of nowhere, which cracked me up since I live about 10 miles in the next city over from there. Not sure what would bring one to Granite City if they didn't have to go since it's mostly a Steel Mill town that's lost most of it's work. Now I'm really curious.
That was me :)
Actually visited a friend's family in Granite City last July.
 

Connieparts

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May 20, 2010
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ha ha, also, I was scrolling around a bunch and just quoted the first thing I saw that said "Granite city" Didn't realize that there were 3 whole different people who mentioned Granite City in the thread. GC, IL is officially poppin!
 

trooper6

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Jul 26, 2008
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Feystar said:
Personally I like to setup a multi-layered world for people to run around in and then let them loose to cause havoc. I normally start with the top level plot stuff first, whatever the main villain is and his intentions are, then we go down to a regional level and decide what nations are at war, what other factions are out there and where their zones of influence may be. Finally we drill down to the local level and flesh out the town or village the players will be in and what small town politics are occurring. I've found that by doing this it helps breath life and believability in to a campaign setting and grants the players the freedom to go wherever they feel.

This way you can have the local mayor's daughter be kidnapped by goblins, the blacksmith and inn keeper are having a disagreement over the price of that fancy new iron stove, a wounded messenger with reports of troop movement can arrive in town and there are reports of mysterious goings on at the church on the hill. The players could choose any or multiple of these paths or even go their own way completely it's up to them, but having it there adds depth and makes altering the shape of the world easier based on the choices they make.
I'm quite similar. I try to work out the motivations and intentions of all the important players, both major and minor, then let the players free. Though, I also tend to insist on a unifying campaign frame to start off with...which players are free to deviate from once the game starts...but something to kick off the campaign. This has ranged from: make a character who works on a small Firefly-esque star trader to make a character who is related to this New York businessman, to make a character who has reason to be in this run down diner in Chicago on New Years Eve, 1927.

I tend to be a bit more hands on in the character creation process precisely because I'm so hands off once the game starts.
 

xanderhunter

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Aug 26, 2009
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Anyone else think Zak's Innkeeper voice was a lot like Craig Ferguson? First person I thought of when he started talking.
 

trooper6

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Jul 26, 2008
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I just found out there'll be no more Ax here. This makes me very, very sad. At least there is still Rebecca Mayes. :(