Eryssel's Journeys

So far we've learned about the Generative GM Method and its steps. We've also explored some examples on how to find information about the location for the adventure and its plot hooks. Now, for the last part of the planning, I'm going to focus on the characters I'll be playing with.  When it comes to solo RPGing and player characters, there are two main schools of thought from what I've learned so far (here's an interesting example that explains some popular methods briefly):  You play your PCs as you normally would in a cooperative RPG session, consciously separating their actions and knowledge from those you have as GM. (the PC/GM-in-one approach) You emulate the PCs with the use of tools to keep the randomness of actual player decisions while focusing on GMing play as you would in a cooperative RPG session. (the PC-as-NPCs approach ) I've played as the PC/GM-in-one approach before, and even though it's interesting, I wanted some random

Ok, so this is the second part of the Generative GM Method. In this part, I'll be exploring plot hooks! Enjoy! We are in the city of Balirne. For more information about the city or about the Generative GM Method, go to Part 1 !  ----------------------------------------------------------------------  ---------------------------------------------------------------------- I printed a version of the map and colored the different sectors it had to make all information more evident. I also identified the different buildings I thought were interesting, such as the temples, inns, and other important locations. It was a fun process that allowed me to see this city under a new light.  ----------------------------------------------------------------------  ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Continuing with the Generative GM Method, I started ideating my plot hooks. The two steps for this were: Write down 3 to 5 loosely related plot ho

A few weeks ago I watched an interesting video that gave some advice on how to easily prepare campaigns and adventures when playing RPGs. Even though the advice was meant for GMs that are planning a new game for their group, it works wonders if you intend on playing solo. I took some notes (which I'm glad I did because I no longer remember the video), and here's my version of the method. ----------------------------------------------------------------------  ---------------------------------------------------------------------- The Generative GM Method, in a nutshell: 1. Pick an established setting. Somewhere easily googleable (i.e. lots of wiki info easily available). 2. Ask players what elements of the setting they want you to know. You don't need to know everything. This is your version of the setting. 3. Do some research on those locations your players are excited about (limit this to about an hour). Additionally, look at specific towns on the map and read

I've recently started playing Labyrinth Lord , the OSR game that inspired Scarlet Heroes . A cool thing about this system is that it is fully compatible with any and all B/X books and supplements , including bestiaries and adventures. It is a fantastic RPG, and it's very flexible. Thanks to this, I decided to publish my first two supplements for the game via DriveThruRPG! They offer new races, classes, and other goodies for Labyrinth Lord and Advanced LL . If you want to, you can also use them with other OSR titles. In case you're interested, you can find them here: New Race and Class Compendium for Fantasy Adventures    Some of the exciting new possibilities that are included in this supplement are: Light and Dark Aasimars 4 types of Genasi (Air, Fire, Earth, and Water) Tieflings Kobolds Aquatic species for underwater adventures Goliaths Half-dwarves (or Muls)    And more!! Mythic Fantasy: A Supplement of New Races, Classes, and Objects for OSR A

One vital part when it comes to creating your character (at least, if you're very visual) is choosing their portrait. Some gamers draw them, others use already existing images, and some others use online avatar generators. After trying several methods, I decided to try a fourth one: Photoshop. I wanted to create the portraits of my 4 main characters (which I use whenever I generate a party): Eryssel (a half-elf ranger), Daud (a human fighter), Gunnar (a human thief), and Jarmyel (a human monk). I got their custom miniatures from HeroForge a while ago, so I already had an idea of how they looked like. In fact, I even used the renders of the minis to create them as playable characters in my D&D Adventure System games. However, I wanted to complement their appearance by creating their actual portraits.  ---------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------------------------------- The first step I took was