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Acknowledgements ln anticipation of the lovingmemoryof GrandMasterFrank Troy ForJeffGrubb,Dave'Zeb'Cook,MarkAcres,DougNiles,Allen Hammack, Denning,EdGreenwood, AndriaHayday,BruceNesmith,BruceHeard,Haroldlohnson, MerleRasmussen, Tim Kilpin,AnneMcCready, Kim Mohan,RogerMoore,Jim Lowder,Jon Pickens, MikePrice,lamesWard,SkipWilliams,SteveWinter,Mary Kirchoff,ClydeCaldwell, Easley, LarryElmore, andDaveSutherland." leff lim HollowanKeithParkinson*, to E. GaryGygax*andDaveArneson* And especially pioneers And for alltheothercreative at TSR,Incfrom | 982 through| 985. I am gratefuleachdaythatyou let meworknextto you, playgames with you andwasgiven --TracyHickman friendship by you. andCurtisHickman
ForMikeSylvester andHarryWigley,whoplayedDelDwith me whenI wastwelve.For Matt Christensen, andRandyandBillTaylerfor playingDerDwith me whenI waseighteen. ForDaveBrady,Sandra Tayler,andRossandTeresaBenedict who playedRifu with me when I wastwenty-six. Rebecca And for TimothyBurgess, Wilson,JaredDavis,Tim Longwell,Drew Olds,andlanciOldswho dragged me into the lron Kingdoms whenI wasthirty-eight. Oh, andfor BobDefendi,whomI knewto be anXDM beforeI reallyknewwhatan XDM was. .-Howard Tayler *Gonefromusbutnever forgotten.
Credits WrittenBy TracyHickman CurtisHickman
Editing StacyL. Whitman Tayler Sandra Peltier losh
Illustrated By HowardTayler
Interiorl-ayout Tayler Sandra
CoverColors JimZubkavich
LogoDesign lndlgoKelleiglr
ChartsgTables MelisaMayhew
Playtesting RobertJ. Defendi
X-TremeDungeon Masterytext copyrightTracyHickmanandCurtisHickman2009 X-TremeDungeon Masteryillustrations copyrightHowardTayler2009 No partof thisbookmaybe usedor reproduced in anymanner withoutwrittenpermission exceptin thecaseof reprintsin the contextof reviews.For fuftherinformationseewww.xtremedungeonmastery.com fsBN978-0-977907 4-6-5 FirstPrinting, August2009 Printedin China 10987654321
fAnmoFfoNrENrs Introduction TheSecretHistoryof XDMs Pu b l iV c e rsi o n .....
............... 6 ..........9
Getting Started asanXDM .........15 Chapter One: ls BeinganXdmRightfor You?.... l6 X D MC o m p a ti b i lTi ty e st............................. I6 Chapter Two:Welcome to theCult..........18 Do-it-yourself SecretInitiation Rituals ... l8 XDM Levels:WhyYou Can a n dP l a ye C rsa n 't........................ 20 T h eT h e o rof y XDM .................23 Chapter Three:lt's aboutthePlayers ...... 24 Player Types .... 24 Fulfilling Elemens of GameDesign ...... 25 Puttinglt AII on the Page ... 26 Executing lt All in theGame: P o ll i nagn dJu g g l i n............. ........ 27 g Chapter Four:Storyis Everythinel ...........29 TheCampbellian Monomyth .............. 30 Mystery andSurprise.......................... 34 Hickman andSon'sCheapTrick for Surprise in Storytelling ............36 Random StoryGenerator..................... 38 Chapter Five:Designing for Story.............42 HandmeyourNoseRing (Linear Design) ...........42 (OpenMatrix)...........43 Like,Whatever! NarrativeBumperPool ( C l o seMa d tri x)..... ......44 Chapter Six:Selddir ...............46 Physical Puzzles . 48 , It'sa Trap! .......49 T o oM ucho r N o t E n o u g h.................50 ? Chapter Seven: ThouShaltPrepare! .........51 T h eM a pi sth eT e rri to ry .................... 5l
Puttinglt All Together: TheAdventure Text Organization: Timevs.Space Tricksof AdventureWriting
......55 55 56
Being theXDM....... ....59 ChapterEighftAll theGame'sa Stage.........60 Gameplay, theXDMWay!.................... 60 XDM:TheModernBard .......60 KeepRolling in theRole......... ...............61 Smellof the Grease Paint, Roarof theOrcs ........... 65 Ethics, or "Try Telling THATto anAngryMob!" ............. 66 Chapter Nine: Livingthrough theRevolution........... 68 TheJackBauer Rule......... ....68 TheAustralian Rule ............. 69 There's ALWAYSAnotherRule,Rule.... 69 TheXD20Rule......... ..........7O Ultim ate XDM....... Chapter Ten:Atmosphere Sound Lights Lasers Hologr ams Fog..........
.....71 .........72 ................72 ................73 ................73 ..........74 ..........76
Chapter Eleven: Devil's Touch ...77 Flash Paper .........78 Flash Pots! ..........79 A GiantIncr edible Fir eball!! .................. 80 TheArmageddon Hellstorm .................. I 1 Chapter Twelve: Wonders of theGods........83 Contact ..... .............83 Juggling Appear ances ............ ...........86 Cards Aren'tOnlyCollectables .............. 8I DieTricks andOtherPointless Miracles ...........95
Chapter Thirteen: KillerBreakfast to Go .... | 0l A BriefHistoryof KillerBreakfast.........l0l KiflerBasics .......1O2 DeathTakesPlanning: Themes, Props, andStunts ............ 103 K i l l eB r e ats ........105 R u n n i nt g h eGa u n tl e.......................... t l 08
K e n n yBa keGa r me............................ I l0 Murderin theDarkGame ... I l0 XDM:the Player's Section ..........l I l ChapterFourteen: H o wY o uP l a yth eGa me.............. l l2 TheDeadly Dungeon Session ............... l l4 TheBoringLongLifeCharacter ...........I l4 ThingsWhichYouCanDo to MakeYourGameBetter........... I l5 BeCreative .......l 16 C o n c l u si o............. ns ..........1l7 XD20RolePlaying System 19 ..........1 Fifteen: Chapter TheXD2OBasic Game....l20 Introduction to RolePlaying ................ 120 Aboutthe XD20 RolePlaying System ...l2l WhatYouNeedto Play(Setting Up) ....l2l O b i e cot f th eGa me ...........l2l P l a y i nt g h eGa me ...............122 XD 2 0En g i n e ....122 YourCharacter Creating ......... ............| 22 ChapterSixteen: TheXD20 Advanced Player's Guide.............. 125
AdvancedXD20 Character Generation ..125 Stuff:Skills,Weapons, Supplies, Ar mor ...... .....126 DoingStuff:Movement andActions.....127 HittingStuff:CombatResolution ..........l28 Thinking Stuff: SureYouThinkYou'reSmart........129 Casting Spells andMystical Stuff........... l30 lmprovement: Character Gaining Levels....... .......131 fromOtherSystems Conversion ...........132 ChapterSeventeen: XD20 Dungeon Mastery Handbook.......... l 34 Introduction to XD2Ofor XDMs..........134 Theoryof GameRelativiry ...134 Adventure Design .............. 135 Adventure Translation ........136 TargetDiffrculty Determination ............ 136 Dealing withDoingStuff......... ............ 138 Dealing withHittingStuff.................... l38 Dealing withMagic(or not)................ 139 Resolving thelmpossible ..................... l 39 ChapterEighteen: XD20Creature Codex.....l 4l Appendices .............. 149 Offrcially Sanctioned XDM Merchandise ....... l50 XDMCompatibility TestScoring .................. l5l Answers to Riddles ....152 Glossar y ...l 54 XD20Resuls Table....... ............ 156 Waiting for Gygax ..... l58
Thisain'tyour mama's sorry,saggy oldadventure supplement We'retalking thedifference between'bad' DMsand 'wicked bad'DMs.We'retalkingabout your uking sleepy-eyed, hit-point-countin', players, wait-it-out-in-the-middle-of-the-party grabbing themby the front of theirstained T-shin andshakin' theirworld'til theirdicefall XDM goesbeyondthe rule book-way beyond-withadvice,tips, techniques, andideasdesigned to take anycomplacent, sounds-like-a-stockholders-meeting roleplayingadventure group andbusttheirgamewideopen. Thetextcoverseverything from radical theatrical techniques to sleightof hand andhowto downrightcheatif necessary in quest practical, the of extremefun. Sometimes sometimes insanely ridiculous, andalwaysenteruining,XDM is the GameMaster'sGuidefor
the restof us. Takingthe performance craft of runninganentertaining dungeon to the veryedge! Whywouldanyonewritea book likethis?Because whenwe seea poorkid sittingnextto a gamingtablewith a half-painted miniature in hishand,we thinkwhatyouthink. Thisroomneedslasers. Biglasers, andpossiblyfrre.In fact,the nexttimewe hear guywith a plastic somethirty-something slipcover character sheettry andtell usthatgamingisall about"levelingup," we mayjuststringhimup by hisVelcroshoelaces. We livein anagewherepyrotechnics, animatronics,andthe greatest illusions in historyarereadyto orderfrom our homecomputers-and we sayit's time to usethem.Thisis the GameMaster's Guidefor the restof us. And sinceyou didn'twriteit, we did.
lNrnonucrroNr ReadThis EvenThoughYou Don't Want To
BeinganXDM is muchmorethanjustanotherkindof gamereferee. (Wescoffwith hearryderision at theveryidea!)lt is a calling, a discipline, a mission, anda metaphor for life.lt is not a pathfor everyone. Only the heartiest games-wefew,we happyfew,we bandof XDMs.Gamerselsemasters of roleplaying wherewhoshunthiscallingshallthinkthemselves accursed theywerenot countedamongus,andholdtheir manhood cheapwhilstanywhisper thenameof XDM. You mayverywellask"whatqualifications thesethreehaveto teachme howto be an XDM?" Theshort answerislots.lf that'sgoodenoughfor you, skipto the nextfewparagraphs.
TracyHickmania a worldrenowned, best-selling fantasy authorwith hundreds of thousands of worksto gamedesigner hisname,rHe isthe adventure of such cfassics asRavenloft andDragonlance2 whichwerecreatedin collaboration with hisgorgeous, talented-and XDM in herownright-wife,LauraHickman. His awardwinningeffortsin the gamingcommunityhave caused manyto admirehimbothfor hisskillandhis hygiene. He hassuccessfully hunteddragons in lava,is pilot,anda conductor anaward-winning sailplane of the DallasCowboys Cheerleaders.3 Hisamazing talentfor dungeonmastering hasshaped the worldaswe know it.aAnyway,whatit comesdownto is he haswritten books-including several thisone.He is alsoa 496th levelXDM (a GrandPaladin-lord HornedDragons). Laurais a 99th levelXDM (a GrandLadyPegasus) for reasons which,we wouldthink,areobvious. I lf you count indlvidualwords. 2 Thesetitlesare copyrightedand trademarked by Wlzardsof the Coastiust like almosteverythingelsein roleplaying games,or so they tell us. They are usedhere without permissionsinceit is a "statementof fact" rather than an "lnfringement." The truth is that we don't haveto put this footnote down hereat all with this disclalmer exceptthat we're enioyingusingthesethlngswithoutthe permission of Wizardsof the Coastand want to callattentionto the fact. 3 No, it's true! Tracy actuallyfound and sawwith hls own eyesa Komodo dragonin the SurabayaZoo in easternJava;won the ,flour-bombingcontest, at the ageof seventeen in Heber,Utah whilein a traininggliderand-belng scaredstiff at flyingwith the backwindowopen-panickedand droppedthe sackof flower, hitting the target out of sheerdumb luck; and once, asa stagehand at the Osmond Studiosin Orem, Utah, lead the entire DallasCowboys cheerleading squadfrom the rehearsal hall to the soundstage,promptlyembarrassing himselfby gettingstuckin a backdropcurtain. 4 lf by "world" you takeit to meanfive or more membersof your localroleplaying gaminggroup, 5 All XDMs havea numericLevelof Masterywhichindicatestheir proficiencyin XDM craft. Eachlevelis accompanied by a descriptivenameusually takenfrom an mythicanimaland often, at higherlevels,combinedwith titles.You'll frndthe XDM levelingsystem on page21.)
(if sucha CurtisHickmanis a respected magician thingexists)andsonof TracyHickman.You mayknow name,the AmazingCurtis.You him by hisprofessional mayalsoseean illusionhe helpedinnovatein the Mac in LasVegas.r Hisothermagical Kingshowat Harrah's inventions havebeenseenin actsaroundthe world including an effectrecentlyperformedby CrissAngel for hisinternational television series "Mind Freak."He wasa reviewerfor a nationalmagicmagazine, andhis publications.2 writingshaveappeared in numerous Curtis is a reknowned 378th LevelXDM (a GrandMega-lord TalonedGriffin)whohasspentthe lastfouryearstraining for 379th level.s
HowardTaylerhasdrawnover | 5,0004picturesin the lastnineyears.Othercartoonistss eyehisunbroken streakof dailyupdates at schlockmercenary.com with a mixtureof iealousy andawe.He hasbeencartooning since of 2000, lately over of and sen/es up a terabyte data lune to voracious readers eachmonth.He is onlya I lOth-level XDM, but hiscross-training in webtoonist andpublisher hasgivenhim anothertwo hundredandthreeeffective levelsbringinghistotalto 3l 3th level. . . oncethisbook published, hasbeenillustrated, andhasearnedsufficient moneyto convince GrandMasterFrankthat thoselevels shouldcount. Whenyou combinefifteenyearsof magical with thirtyyearsof fantasygamedesign studyandinvention, you'reboundto endup with something andstorytelling, with nineyearsof cartooning experience, asspectacular asXtremeDungeon Mastery. Sothereyou haveit. Threeguyswho lovegames andwhoaretryingto givebackin the bestwaythey you'll frnda seaof awesome knowhow,by bringingforththe secrets of XDM gaming.In the followingpages things thatcouldmakeyour nextroleplayingadventure a hugesuccess. Youwill alsofindthingsthatyou would haveto becompletely certifrable to attempt.In fact,the publisher told usthatthe onlywaywe couldavoid beingsuedwasto issuea greatdealof warnings throughout the book.6 I And really,there is no greaterglory for a magicianthan to seehis belovedwork vlolently slaughterednight after night before a drunkenaudienceof gambling seniorcitizens. 2 Althougfrin somecasesthe librarywasn'ttoo happyaboutit sincehe wrote in them in ink. 3 Cunlsnotes:I blameGrandChancellorFrankfor my slowprogress to level379. 4 Countingindlvldualpanels. 5 Theyknow who they are. We shan't embarrassthem. 6 Waming!Readingcan causeeye fatigueand over many, many yearsmay evenslightlyaffect your vision.Papercuts and bruisescould resultfrom the improperhandllngof this book. Never read XDM materialsif the book ls on frre or you yourselfare on fire. Also, neverread this text while you are pflotingan alrcraft,disarminga nuclearmissile,or are at a bonfire party with the Archbishopof Granada.This book cannotbe usedas a flotation deviceor asan altematesourceof food.
"QE7ZLTETZL'S TAN6LIN6VINE'I@NORES SKILLENHANCEilIENTS,
FOROOT TO AOO lN fHE +2
FOR -NI,VIBLE
JHE$rcnrr flrsronvoFXDMsPusrrc{rnsroN TheSecresof the SociCtC de I'UItimel4aitreshavebeencloselyguardedfor centuries-and withgoodreason!Theirprinciples shattermanyof themostcommonassumptions aboutroleplaying games, howtheyshouldbe played,andevencalls intoquestion the entireconceptof leveling-up. Manyconsider suchconcepts heretical. Suchknowledge wouldbe devastating were it to fallinto the wronghands(see"Rosenbergs" below).Forthisreason, the true historyof Xrreme Dungeon Masteryhasbeenguardedby XDM Masters downthroughthe centuries andremains carefully maintained to thisday. paintsa Whatcanbe told, howeversparsely, pictureof the movement vividandtantalizing from itsfoundations in ancientSumeria andBabylon, throughis classical Greekrevivalperiod,its ruthless oppression underRomanlaw,its adaptation of Ottophilosophies, manEmpireandMing Dynasty its near extinction with the KnightsTemplarandexileamong theAztecstates, the adventof roleplayinggames in the I 97Os,andXfremeDungeonl4astery's resurgencein morerecenttimesin the Utahdesert.
Early Foundationsof XDMs Thefrrstrudimentary roleplayinggameshave beenshrouded in the mistsof ancientSumeria and Babylon, stemming fromthe 24th centuryB.C. Fragmens of writingsfoundfrom thosetimes-most prominently the DM Shield of Kish.'SomeSocidtd researchers believethatthe Codeof Hammurabi wasoriginally a failedattemptto codifythe firstrole playing game. It is believed thatsometime duringthe l2th century8.C.,a younggamerby the nameof Trakasi stofethe DM Shield of Kshfromthe palaceof the king andmadechanges to the rulesoriginallylaiddown by Hammurabi-thus is the foundation of Xtreme Dungeon Mastery. ClassicalXtreme TragediesGt Comedies Bythe sixthCentuUB.C.,roleplayinggames (backward astheywereby today'sstandards) had * Thisfamoussetof threestonetablets,whiledamagedand partial, showsrudimentary"to hit" tablesand a weaponslist consistingof the ltems ttsroner" t'speaf,"and "fist", "stick," "hand-heldrock flinger," This last item is consideredto havebeena fancifullyimaginedobiect rather than a weaponthat existed.
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l[sronv foundtheirwayonto the Greekmainland. Kurkisof lcaria,youngerbrotherto Thespis, broughtthe concept of theatricsinto rudimentaryXtremeDungeon Mastery games. No dicewereinvolvedin conflictresolution; rather,it is believed that a form of "Rock,Papyrus, Knife"wasutilizedto determine results.lf surviving illustrations arecredible,thoseholdingthe knifealways won.
gameeverproduced, asit wasoriginally writtenon boundbambooslas.Thethirteenchapters of the bookoriginallydealtlargelywith miniatures and gaming but two of the lastthreechapters simulation of the work-"TheNineSituations"and"The Useof Intelligence"t broughtin moreroleplayingelements. from SunTzu'sworkareat the Quotations philosophical heartof all XDM philosophies andthe sourceof constant studyto plumbthe depthsof their meaning. Forexample: Thereforeonehundredvictoriesin one hundredbattlesis not the mostskillful. Seizingthe enemywithoutfightingis the most skillful. And theXDM mantra:
AIIwarfareis basedon deception. Bythe fourthCenturyB.C.,Socrates, andlater Plato-bothinvolvedin whatwasbecoming the protoConfucius, a populargamerafterSunTzu, XDM movement-introduced anunconventional chronicles hisownexperiences in roleplayingin his approach to roleplayingoriginally calledthe"Socratic Analects of Confucius.Manyhaveconsidered this Method." Thenamewaslatermisinterpreted asapworkto be Confucius'attempt to establish a more plyingto anotherphilosophy. With thisnewapproach, free-formdialogue basedroleplayingsystem. players arguedfor or against fatesfrom the gods. Aboutthissametime-considered Thesegames couldlastfor months. the GoldenAge of Eastern role 8AT]! THE "6REEK' ln thethirdCentury8.C.,Euclid playing-Siddhartha Gautama QrcIAL SUSTyPEaQANTS tAE +5 TO ?ol9Otl RESfSTANCE, providedthesolution:the first palace left his at the ageof AN? fiy W)SOOtt ff@lOtFtER. polyhedral dice,whichXDMsquickly twenty-nine to attendoneof adoptedasbeingfarsuperior to the the frrstgamingconventions.His 'knife'method. encounters with pooranddecaying gamers depressed him so muchthat heabandoned hisprevious lifeto embarkon a iourney EasternRolePlay:Birth of the towardenlightenment. In Campaign producedthe so doing, he WhileWesterngamers were firstcampaign setting. struggling with the fundamentals of roleplaying,greatadvances in the art werealsobeingmadein the Eastwhich wouldprofoundlyaffectthe foundations of developmental X-treme Dungeon Mastery. Theeasternphilosophies, whichwould laterbe unifiedinto the globalXDM movement, r Thls chapterls consideredthe first adventuremodule. foundan earlyproponentin SunTzuduringthesixth Thlschapterin partlculardealswith the role of the'lntelligence'or t centuryB.C.Ihe Art of Waris considered by all Sociltf 'Wlsdom' sutistic in gamlngalthough is usewasso bound up in eastern research scholars to be the firsthardcoverroleplaying philosophythat generalgamersstill do not undentand it's proper usages.
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l[sronv The Colloseumof Rome: Early LARPs The XDMs Templar After the collapse of the RomanEmpireandthe Theriseof the prominence of the RomanRepubthe Great,the centerof all Western licmeantthat the centerof roleplayingwasremoved ruleof Constantine power philosophical shifted to CatholicChurch,whoseinfluence the fromits rootsin Greece-specifically the Thracian Socieryof Roleplaying-and re-established as overthe courtsof Europewasoftenabsolute. It wasnot untilabout1132 A.D. thata splinter theWarriorsof the Codexwestward in Rome. group fromthe KnightsTemplarestablished themselves As the Empiregrew,someregions accepted as the Extraordinaire Who Dungeoned in RPGs morereadilythanothers..Thisledto the as"HumbleGamers of theTemple"or, moresimply,the similation of otherculturaltraditions intothegames Mindin the Shadow lnitiallysanctioned by the Churchwith wasplayinglarge-scale XDMSTemplar. of the Empire.Sooneveryone playing games gaming (the Live-Action Role frrstLARPs). anopen license, by l3O5 A.D. PopeClemgenerated These suchinterestamongthe generalpop- entV decided to rescind allopengaminglicenses and grand ulace that andmagnificent arenas andcoliseumsto consolidate all gamerulesbackunderthe personal wereerectedthroughoutthe Republic to containthe system. On Friday,the | 3'hof October,1307 A.D., whilestillin allXDMSTemplar spectators of theseLARPs.Unfortunately, werearrested andtheiropengaming theirprimitiveform,the gameshadsomeearlyissues licenses revoked. justhowreal withconflictresolution anddetermining Disenfranchised, thosefewXDMsremaining forThiswasespecially to makethe combatresults. difsooktheirTemplarnames andwentintohiding.They frcultin the "Christians 8r Lions"LARP,whereearly playtess failedto resolve someinherentgamebalance traveledto the FarEastwheretheyadoptedthe Eastphilosophies ernX-fremeDungeon Mastery of SunTzu. problems. Theyhid in Tibet,largelyforgotten,untilwellinto the l700s. OtherXDMsTemplarfilteredthemselves in amongthe MasonicOrderswhosesecretgatherings had longbeensuspected asmerelya faqade for miniature VAMPIRES, SKELET ONS,tAUttt/tt99,,, gamingrole-playing, andcards.
WE'LLgE FINE, WEHAVEN'TFOUNO ANYTHINoTHISOOESN'T WORKON,
* TheRomanmotto atop manyof its battlestandards read"S,P.Q.R." whichhasbeenhistoricallymisinterpretedto mean "SenatusPopulusQue RomanuJ" or "The Senateand the Peopleof Rome."XDM scholars have recently discovered that this inscriptionfoundon the Arch of Titusjust southeast of the Colloseumof Romeactuallywasinterpretedas "Simulo (role of an actor) Personae QuaRegu/ae."Sirnu/o(to makellke) Personae (a rule, patternor model).Thus,the new and Qua(by wayof) Regulae rendering secret of S.P.Q.R.knownonly to XDM insiderslike you is better rendered in English as'We role playby our own rules!"
The Aztecs Littleis knownaboutearlyroleplayinggames in the NewWorld.Thosefewexamples of RPGsthat (who, havesurvived the conquistadors it mustbe understood, systematically destroyed all Mesoamerican giveonly RPGbooksandmaterials for beingheretical) glimpses presented of the possibilities tantalizing by a fewcaruings on the wallsof theirabandoned temples.lt seems clear,however,thatthe Aztec,Toltec,andMayanculturespracticed a form of roleplayingbut without a clearunderstanding of theconcept.lt appears thatcharacter deathwasoftenconfused with player games. TrueXDMswouldneyerallow deathin these in theirgames andthuswe seethat suchconfusion part theseearlyMesoAmericans cannotbeconsidered progress of the X-tremeDungeon Masterymovement's throughhistory.
[[sronv excluded from "Maitre'd"t andweresystematically The FoundingXDMs gaming thecourtsandtheirexcessive andextravagant Thefounding of thecolonies in theNewWorld parties.TheSocietyof UltimateMasters of the Game by GreatBritainwasa naturaloutgrowthof numerous public from the thenretreated stageduringthe French gaminggroupswhocameto theAmerican in continent Revolution. gamerules.TheBritish,howsearchof lessrestrictive ever,wereintenton maintaining the rulesestablished in England imposing and themon thegamers in the Riseof the Cons colonies. Thesecrethistoryof X-tremeDungeon Mastery Thisallcameto a dramatic headin 1773A.D. becomes cloudedwith mysteryat thispoint.We do passed whenthe BritishParliament theTeaAct. A drovethe movement into hiding provisionof thatact,asit waspassed, little-read called knowthat persecutions becoming after implicated in a titanic sea disaster on for the imposition of a tax on polyhedral diceimported andunrelated from the Orientby the EastIndiaTradingCompany. April | zth,1914.+Otherunfortunate kepttheXDMshiddenthroughthe l940ssand As polyhedral dicewereonlyavailable throughthe East events did theSocidtC lndiaTradingCompany," thiswasa grievous burdento intothe l950s1.Onlyon rareoccasions or the X-treme Dungeon Mastery movement becomea colonialgamers. Theirbattlecry of "Taxationwithout Theinfamous Rosenberg Trials representation? No dice!"wasunfortunately too longto matterof publicinterest. theselling of thesecretadvenpopulace catchon withthe general andwassummarily of l95 | alsoinvolved turemastering techniques catalogued by the SocidtC to shortened into a morecatchyphrase. the Soviet Union but was overshadowed by the larger No lessprominent an XDM thanSamuel Adams issues of nuclearsecrets."Thisleadto an XDM-gap himself stoodup in Old SouthChurchandsaid,"This between the Soviets andthe Westthatwasnot resolved meeting cando nothingmoreto savethecountry!" Thiswasa secretcodeto the Sonsof Liberty-hislocal untillatein the l97O's TheXDM underground movement,ii havingbeen gaminggroup-togo downto theharborin theirgaming oppressed for decades, decidedto stageprotestsagainst costumes andaddress the problemdirectly.Theshipthe government andthe other"powersthat be" in mentof polyhedral dicehadbeencleverly hiddenby the "antiCaptainRoachof the Daftmouth insidebalesof tea.The 1969.Themostnotedeffortwasarranging war against XDMs" in Washington march that | 5trof XtremeDungeon Masterygamers threwthe diceoverboardand,for the sakeof expedience, theteaalong Gamestoresbeingdlffrcultto run and makea profrt (asalways),the f with it. Soci6td de I'UItime Maitres de leu (Maitre d') TheFrenchMonarchists oftenindulged in role playinggames-mostly LARPsthat wererun on vast countryestates. However,XDMsof theirdaywere excluded fromthe courtof Louisthe XVI asbeing, by defrnition, "radicals."ThisgaverisetheSocidtide I'UltimeMaitres de Jeu(the Societyof the Ultimate Masters of the Game).XDMswerethenknownasthe
* Anecdotalevidencesuggests that thesediceacquiredby the EastIndia TradingCompanywereactuallymanufactured by XDMS Templarin exilein the Far East,
XDMsof the Societyof UltimateMastenof the Gameoften ran their gamingenterprisesin coniunctionwlth taverns,restaurants,and hostelries. Thisnot only led to laterconfuslonof the meaningof maitred but alsomay help us understand why so manyadventuregamesbeginIn tavems. lt wasreponed that the Titanic'senglneroom crew thought First Offrcer f Murdochwasjust "playingthat barmygame"whenhe ordered"all back full" from the bridgethus resultingin a delayin their response.lt would havemadeno differenceto the outcome.Still,rumorsthat both Fredrick Fleetand ReginaldLeewere playingan RPGin the crow'snestpersistedlong after the coun of inquiry. $ Somesaidthat Adolf Hitler losta five-daykiegspielin | 938 and, in a purple rage,vowed to "prove the gamewasbadly designed"by actually conqueringthe world. In a terriblemiscalculation, the Wehrmachttook him up on it and plungedthe world into caustrophicwar. secretthat loseph McCarthy wasactually !f lt wasan ultra-classified lookingfor XDMs. * * According to AlexandreFeklisov,the former Sovietagentwho wasthe Rosenberg's cont:rct,he had not provided Russiawith any usefulmaterial aboutthe SociCtd or any X-tremeDungeonMasterysecres,"[He] didn't understand anythingaboutRPGsand couldn't help us." ++ Two guysnamedLarryand a taco namedHal.
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l[sronv LEYEL@!
T'I' TT]EK'N6 OF TTIEUORLO!
withanother November. Thisunfortunately coincided protesttakingplacethatday.'Unbelievable asit may sound,no oneamongthe hundreds of thousands of peoplethereremember the two guysin the backyelling "Hell no,wewon'troll." proMeanwhile, in China,the CulturalRevolution from Chairman Mao-alittleread ducedthe Quotafions to bookthatwasa blatantattemptby the government rulesvariants stampout wide-spread andself-published gamesupplements. Thebookimposed a specific official setof rules,fromwhichno onewasallowedto deviate. Mainland Chinese XDMswereheavilypersecuted at the to roleplaying timebecause of theirradicalapproach games whichcontradicted the dictates of the Cultural Revolution andthe wayMao preferredto playRPGs. Thiscontinues today.r TheXDM underground is unheralded continued publishing work, andmanuals theirradicalmanifestos machines andXeroxsheesuntilGary on mimeograph the first GygaxledanAmerican-based teamto establish The economically viableRPGto landon storeshelves. popularity playing games renewed the urgent of role fromtheirhidingplaces callfor XDMsto emerge andto greatgaming champion onceagain. Butit wasnot to be:by the 1980sandintothe 1990splayers became increasingly withmore obsessed rulessets,leveling complicated up theircharacters andacquiring unprecedented itemsto overpower and gamerefRegular unbalance theirgames. on-the-line players besieged by whotook ereeswereincreasingly whilestillplayingpoorly,andby rules overtheirgames andeditionssappedtheir setswhoseconstantrevisions witha single, coherent abilityto runtheirgames setof rules. It wasnot until2005, whenTracyandCurtis Hickman-the secretleaders of the Sociitd-determined beganto to comeforward,that the XDM movement emerge fromtheshadows. Then,in 2009, the Hickmanssoldthe print righaof the Sociitd'smostsecret * You can imaginetheir excitementas half a millionpeopleturnedout... followedquicklyby gravedisappointment and angerat Hal for choosingthe date. lf you haveread the ENTIREhistoryof the SociCtd de I'Ultime f Maitresde Jeu,you haveunwittinglybecomean unofficiallevelrwo XDM. you are now at the levelof "FesteringNewt." We will make Congratulations, thisoffrciallateron.
QrrrrNc$rnnrEDASAr{XDM
o \'-*]--
ri::/
c
RtCHrFOR]OUr f,HarrERoNE,[S$uNGAr.rXDM ls beingan XDM for you?| knowyou'veasked l. Howmanysidesareon a dodecahedron? yourself thisquestion not hundreds-of dozens-if times. A. Two you sawan XDM recruitment posterandfelt Perhaps B. Four thestirrings of dutyat thesightof theuniform.Perhaps C. Six you knewanXDM personally andthrilledto their D. Twelve you sawa movieaboutXDMs heroictales.Perhaps E. Doesit matter? andhowtheyplayeda vitalrolein savingWestern you civilization duringthe Second WorldWar.Perhaps wereevenluckyenoughto haveanXDM run a game 2. Mostof the players in yourgamearehaving for you-andiustknewthat oneday,you wouldbeiust a goodtimebut oneyoungplayerat the endof the likethem! tableis lookingdistracted. Youreactto thisby: Well,it isn'tthat easy,friend!Not everyone is A. Makingfunof himandhumiliating him cut out to become an XDM. Sure,it &rkes trainingand in frontof the otherplayersin orderto practice andlotsof plain,hardworkbut it alsotakesa teachhim character andbackbone, the quality-the lessdefrnable soulof anXDM. littlewuss! lf you wantto knowif you havethat inner B. Lettinghim playyour computer/video games an XDM fromthe munsothat the restof you more "something"thatseparates gamers dane,drone-voiced DM of a commonRPG.Thenyou serious canstopdragging hisdead cantakethissimpletestto determine if you arecut out weightalongin thegame. to wearthe proud,blackt-shirtof anXDM. C. Stopping the gameandconducting a meaningful with all the players session XDM CompatibilityTest abouttheirfeelings andwillingness to Answereachquestion by selecting themultiple includeall members of society. choiceresponse thatyou believemostcloselyreflecs D. Attackinghischaracter in the game,having yourown.In the caseof essay questions, answer as hisenemyengage himin parleyanddrop completely aspossible in thespaceallotted.Scoring hins aboutthe nextstepin the game. resultsarefoundon page| 5l . Do nof referto the E. Turningup the fogmachine, lasers, sound your responses scoringpagebeforecompleting to the effects,andpyrotechnics. test.
ls $rnrcAr.r XDMRtcurron{our 5. A playerin yourgamerollsa natural20 on andNewYorkat 3. Two trainsleaveChicago rulethat he misses. to-hit his diceandyou mistakenly on the same thesametime in oppositedirections Indiana. The Theplayeriumpsup fromthetable,quotingyouthe trackwhichpasses throughIndianapolis, of the rulethat saysthat he his the toul disunceof the trip is 828 miles.lt is | 69 miles pageandparagraph himby... Youanswer fromChicago Thetrainfrom Chicago monster. to Indianapolis. A. Telling him to sit downandshutup. isgoingeastat an average speedof twelveanda half and for the oversight B. Apologizing milesper hour.Thetrainfrom NewYorktravelswest problem. immediately correcting the milesper hour. atanaverage speedof sixry-three for the C. Tellinghimyou'rea beta-tester you areon the Chicago train,will you be Assuming version X+ 2 which negates rules upcoming ableto getoff the trainto attendthe GenconGame the ruleheiustquoted. train beforeyour fierydeathin a head-on Convention hasiustdiscovered D. Tellinghimhischaracter collision? a SECRET from the game. A. Yes,the trainswill collideafterI getto lasers, sound E. Turn up the fogmachine, Gencon. effecgandpyrotechnics. B. No, the trainswill collidebeforel getto Gencon. C. Neither,thetrainswill collideAT Gencon. driveto Gencon D. l'll be frnesinceI always to savemoneyto buyXDM-sanctioned beforetakingthis 6. Didyou lookat the answers merchandise. test? E. What'sa Gencon? of A. No! Youtold me not to at the beginning the test! B. I looked-butI didn'tread. 4. Haveyou everbeena memberof the C. In orderto breakthe rules,you haveto Party? Communist knowwhytheyexistin the firstplace.l'll A. Never!Whywouldyou evenasksucha andthen question? iusttakethe test,readthe answers the test again. take B. I neverstoppeddoubting,comrade! I D. HowelsewasI goingto getall the answers anythingfrom my C. I don't remember needed? years... college E.Thiswasa TEST? D. Do theyplayclassic ADETD or Second Edition? E.Whatis a communist?
17
rHECurx WsrcoMETo fHenrEnJWo, into our Congratulations on youracceptance you've past exclusive andsecretsociety!Now that our rigorousexaminationsandhavebeenrecommendedby a fellowXDM of no Iessthat 20'hlevelt, you arenowreadyto be officiallyinductedinto our cult+(eventhough,beingsecretive, we neverreferto ourselves asa cults). E. GaryGygaxtookwhatexistedin miniatures gamingin the 1970s-andturnedit intoa bigdeal. Sincethosewonderfulearlydaysof roleplaying games,however,it all seems to havegonestale,waitingfor someone to comealongandstirthingsup a bit. That'sexactlywhatbeinganXDM is allabout.
Do-it-yourself SecretInitiation Rituals Everysecretorganization worthanythinghas theirown initiationrituals.Theseritualsstandas ' Or, in other words, havefinally frguredout how to get the bestscore on the XDM CompatibllityTeston page16. This recommendation requirementis alsofulftlledby purchasing thls f book. A "cult" in this case,takesthe commonusageascoinedfrom 1920 f onward referringto a cohesivesocialgroup and their beliefsor practices, whichthe surroundingpopulatlon-orin this casegamingcommunityconsidersto be ouside the mainstream.Yeah,baby, that's us. $ You neverrefer to XDMs as"a cult" becauseit soundstoo much like "occr.rlt"and most peoplecan't tell the differenceevenif you explain it to them until you are blue in the face.They will instantlyinslstthat you're tellingthem you're somesort of demonicworshipers, whichis how Dungeons8[ Dragonsfrgot into that whole sorry nonsensein the frrst place,
guardians between the mundaneplayersandthe realmsof powerandmagicinhabitedby the XDMs.r (See"Threshold Crossing" on page31.) Soit isthat the secrecy of theserituals,handshakes andsalutesthe verysymbols that identifyXDMsto oneanother out of themundane rabble-have beeniealously kept passed from the knowledge of the worldand down fromXDM to XDM in privateceremonies down throughthe agesof time. Butsinceyou boughtthe book,andin the interestof timeandpersonal we areprovidconvenience, ingyou with the new,updateddo-it-yourself secret you perform ritualsandceremonies that can in the convenience of yourown home,hotelroom,or even people! a largepublicspacefilledwithincredulous Step1: Completethe initiationfee New membersarerequiredto submitan initiationfeeof twenty dollars($201in UnitedStatescurrencypayable directlyto eitherTracyHickman,CurtisHickman,or HowardTaylerdirectlyandin person.Special Circumsfances: However,thisinitiationfeelS WAIVED you purchase whenever COMPLETELY a copyof this bookfrom anauthorized retailer'.OR by purchasinganyofherXDM merchandisert toulingmorethan
referredto as"the Denny'soff Exit38." Sometimes f * * Or outof thetrunkof theauthor's car. throughourwebsite at www,xtremedungeonmastery,co t+ Available
18
Wsrcovrro rHEf,urr ($201in UnitedStates twenty dollars currency. lf you purchased please have notalready thisbookthen do sobeforeproceeding. Completing the do-it-yourself initiation withouthavingfulfilledthisrequirement willdoyounogoodandwill not makeyou an official XDM-. Step2: Learnthe XDM SecretSaluteYougive andreplyto the XDM saluteby performing the fol(a) Facing lowing: theotherXDM (eitherwalking or sunding), bringbothhandsin frontof yourchestat about thelevelof yourheart.(b) OpenyourRIGHT palmandstrikeit withyourLEFTfrstlevelwithand infrontof yourheart.(c) Thenimmediately open yourLEFTpalmandstrikeit withyourRIGHTfrstin your approximately thesamelocation WHILEnodding head forward,your chinpointeddowntoward sharply yourhands at yourchest. Youwill performthissaluteat all secretmeetings ofXDMstand in thehallsof sci-fr/fantasy or gaming conventions, wherepeoplewill not consider it strange.
conventions or gamestoresfar from the pryingeyes public. of an unsuspecting andunsympathetic Thisis completed by simplystanding upright, feetslightlyapart,performing the XDM SecretSalute (seeabove)andthenrepeating aloudthe following: l, (sayyour nameheres)vowin a nonbindingway To exemplify theideals of the Societe of XDMs, To runmy games with extraordinary strengl,h, courage,imagination andflair, To mike makethe gamefun andexcitingfor everyone. To tossout theruleswhentheyarein thewayof a goodtime. Io tossout dicewhentheyarein the wayof a goodtime. Io fossout players whentheyarein the wayof a goodtime. Andto useONLYofficiallysanctioned XDMgamemerchandise wheneyer is available. suchmerchandise IMMEDIATELY at the endof theoath,you mustperformthe nextstep!
Step4: Performthe secretXDM Ceremonial Dance:Thisisactually not a dancepersesomuchas a second salute.lt is alsousedto conclude meetings of XDM tribes. Step5: Takethe XDM Oath Havingfulfrlled Theceremonial danceis performed by standtherequirements of membership+, it is timefor you ingwithyourfeetslightly apart,headup, andhands totaketheXDMoath.Thisancient at yoursides.(a) Youthenraisebothhandsat the oath,originally your forearms your chest found ona scrolldatingfromthetimeof Hammurabi, sametime,crossing across preserved hasbeencarefully by XDMSdownthrough (leftarmovertherightarm),forminganX withboth theages. Whiletheversionof the oaththatwe know handsin fists,at theopposite shoulder whileshoutpushyourleftarmstraight todayhasbeenretranslated into morecompatible ing"Xl" (b) lmmediately modern terms,it hasnevertheless beenunchanged downto yourside,keeping the left fistabouta foot initsessential sentiment sinceit wasfirstperformed fromyourlefthip,andshout,"D!" (c) Do thesame anciently. Today,it is performedat the beginof all withyour rightarm,pushing the rightfrststraight XDMTribemeetings or officialfunctions-usually down until it is at aboutonefoot fromthe righthip as youshoutout "M!" (d) Finish the moveby once iGliJ-*v .rro r..",r, in curseddice rottsfor an unspecifredperiod of time again raising both hands in frontof yourchestand in thefuture.You'vebeenwarned! t lfyou don't knowwherethe secretmeetingsare heldlook in the programbookofyour conventionor fanusy/sci-fievent for a big picture andmapto its location.Can't missit. f In otherwords,havingfrnallyboughtsomething.
$ lf you actuallyspokethe words"sayyour namehere" ratherthan your own actualname,you gainone levelasan XDM immediately.
QerrrNc$renrEDASANTXDM performing the secretXDM Saluteasdescribed above Thismaystrikesomepeopleashypocritical but,at the nod,alsoiumpingup in theairsothat players considering standagainst theXDM'sadamant both feethit the groundat the sametime. leveling lmprovement: Gaining at all.(See"Character Levels" isthatleveling on page| 31.) Thedifference Youarenowofficially characters Step5: Congratulationst levelingXDMs,that'sreal! is artifrcial; an XDM!Youmaynowclaimasyourstheproud All XDMshavetwo secretnameswhichdesigtraditionof XDMsdownthroughthe agesandknow natetheirlevel.Youcandetermine whatyoursecret thatyou areoneof the elitegamemasters whoarea levelnameis by referringto the followingtables.To cut abovethe rest. your levelname,findyour level'sAspect determine firstandthentype.Any XDM belowlevell0 uses XDM Levels:Why you can and the'00'type. Menandwomenhavedifferent(but players can't equal)tables. Unless instructed otherwise,. all newXDMsbeIn additiontherearecertaintitlesthat arereginat levelone.Thismeansthatyou haveiustbegun servedfor the differentleaders of the SociitC;Crand your path on towardXDM enlightenment andhave Masterfor exampleis reserved for thosewho are yearsof earning manyglorious additional levels based at the highestlevelsof leadership and in the Socidtd and onlyin useby TracyHickman on yourexperience andamountof moneyyouhave thusarecurrently include Curtis Hickman.+ Other titles Chief, General, spenton XDM merchandise. NumberTwo,anda few XDM levels of eitherestablishing NumberOne,Emeritus, area means may alsobe preceded by the yoursuperiority overlesser-level XDMsor of gloat- others,someof which grand in word combination. Howard Tayler or used ingaboutyourpureandhumblestatus beneath the for is known as a Number One example "GrandChief prouder,jadedhigher-level XDMs.lt's howwe keep ArchdukeFanged Titan." score,establishing the irrefutable socialorderamong Sinceit isup to the abovethreeGrandXDMsto our fellowX-tremeDungeon Masters andmaintaining determine anyoneoverlevelI O0 sutusin the orgaour hierarchal worldwide. leadership Leveling XDMs nization,it's a safebet that theywill remainthe only keepsthe world'schaosat bay. GrandlevelXDMsfor quitesometimeto come.r
*
Meaningthat evenasa beginningXDM you may haveinadvertently leveledup.
+ Thiswill probablyneverchange. Frankis alsotechnicallya Grandlevelalthoughno one seemsto f rememberwhy.
20
til/slcoh/E To THEf,Ur
. l{undrrds
Tltle
000
Tenr
Dpa
00
Newt
Wet
Oncs
Aspcct
100
Duchess
10
Pixie
Nub
200
Lady
20
Fae
Festering
300
Mega-Lady
30
Dwarf
Lurching
400
Paladin-Lady
40
Selkie
Flashing
500
*
50
Etf
Shining
600
*
60
Dryad
Horned
700
*
70
Siren
Fanged
800
*
80
Unicorn
Taloned
900
tf
90
Pegasus
Flaming
Tltle
Tenr
Typc
Ones
trepcct
00
Newt
0
Wet
, Hundreds 000 100
Archduke
t0
Kobold
1
Nub
200
Lord
20
Gargoyle
2
Festering
300
Mega-Lord
30
Dwarf
3
Lurching
400
Paladin-Lord
40
Manticore
4
Flashing
500
*
50
Elf
5
Shining
600
*
60
Griffon
6
Horned
700
*
70
Sphinx
7
Fanged
800
80
Titan
8
Taloned
900
90
Dragon
9
Flaming
Levelsabove40O are secretand the exact progressionof theselevels,the criteria for advancement,and the namesof eachof the levelsis a closely guarded secretof XDMs and may only be knownor discussed by thoseXDMs who attainGrandMasterstatus.It's that or we haven'tmadeup our mlndsaboutit yet ... but YOU'LL neverknow!
21
QernNcgrenrEDASANTXDM An XDM... . .
Makes an effort to make the game fun and exciting for everyone. Tossesout the rules when they are in the way of a good time.
. Tossesout the dice when they are in the way of a good time. . Tossesout the players when they are in the way of a good time. .
Paints the picture with style! (Show,don't tell.)
.
Never cheats the players!
.
Makes up the rules when necassary.
.
Listensto his/her audience!
.
Knows that the better the prep, the better the game.
o Always knows where the exit is,and keeps it handy. . Uses stagecraft, pyrotechnics, sleight-of-hand, AND lasers! .
Playsout ALL consequences.
.
Plays out ethics until the players squeal!
.
Knows the difference between a good story and a bad joke.
.
And ... uses ONLYofficially sanctioned XDM black t-shirts,jeans, dice, and protective gear.
An XDM NEVER... o Caves in to ANY rules-lawyering. .
Backsdown from a call: the'No, pigs can actually fly here'rule.
.
Reads aloud from the adventure description text.
.
Refersto the rules book ... EVER!
o Makes up the adventure as it goes. o Starts a fire they cannot put out. o Saws anyone in half they cannot put back together. o Allows players to make simulated damage real. .
Listensto the voices ... the terrible voices in your head . ..
.
And ... uses ANYTHINGbut officially sanctioned XDM black t-shirts, jeans, dice, and protective gear.
22
llTJHToRYoFXDM
NO CHEETOS BROCCOLT? UNTIL1 HEAR.SOME ACTUALROLE-PUY FROII THEPARTY, TSTHAT
INKEEP' HASTTHOU MOREOF THATELVEN AftN-PUFFEOCHEOOAR? ANP aEWOF THE
f,HmTERTHREE: lr's ABourrHEp,nvrns EveryXDM knowsin theirheartof hearuthat roleplayingis aboutthe players.lf you'reoneof those gamemasters adventure whobelieves that runninga gamefor your friendsis an exercise in demonstrating howverymuchsmarteryou arethanall of them,how powerfulyou areasa gamereferee,andthe smugsatisfactionthattheyhaveto do whatyou say.. . in short, if beinga gamerefereeis all aboutyou,thenyou'rejust the kindof guyor galwe wantasa playerin anXDM game.On the otherhand,if we catchyou actuallytryingto run a game,we feelperfectlyjustifred in taking you downsomebackalleysomewhere andbeatingyou senseless with a rubberdodecahedron. Putmoresimplystill,gamemasters whothinkthat runninga gameis allaboutthemselves arescumthat shouldbe banished to whatever darkplaneof existence theyhavecreatedfor the suffering tormentof their players. hapless Powertrips,selfaggrandizement, nerdrevenge ... a trueXDM caresnot for suchthinp. Whata trueXDM thinksaboutis howto givethe biggest, killerperformance of a dungeon the worldhas everseen!
Player Types In orderto transcend the typical,dreadfulgame
master,you mustfirstattaina zenstatewhilemeditatingon your players. Youwill cometo discover, as haveso manyXDMsbeforeyou, that therearebasiyou will encounter callythreetypesof players during the runningof yourgame.Thesearethethree"Spiris of the Player"andfamiliarity with themis the key to achieving theXDM experience in yourgame.' Warrior Player "lf it moves, kill it. lf it doesn't move,kickit'til icmoyes.Iakeits stuff. Bry bigger weapons.Kiilbiggerthings." Thewarrior playerisallabout combat.Theylove to pit theircharacter andhisarsenal
@8
* Perhaps you obiectphllosophically to the gros generalization of all playen into three typesasa kind of gamerprofiling. Well, if you do, then you iust losta level!We workedhard on thls pan of the text, under an extremedeadlineof our own. And theseare the types of players you're goingto find in games,so iust get over it, And loseanother level whileyou're at it.
2+
It's RnoutrHEp,evrns weapons. Adventurers of thistypedo not justneeda perceivable goalto win, they demand it. These gamers oftenthink of themselves as "true gamers"and seemobsessed with "gettingon" with the adventure. Theyhate games campaign that SocialPlayer but havea setting no talkto it. lf it doesn'tmove,talk "lf it moves, goal. definable ABOUT it. Stayin character andspeak withan affected Givingsuchplayers a clearobjective is not enough. voice," Theymustconstantly be reassured, duringthe game, Thesothattheyaremakingprogress. Theyarealwaysvoted cialplayeris all MostLikelyto Ask"What'sNext?"lf you havean puttingthe about you needto providethem entiregroupof theseplayers, "role"into role puzzles, with a clearobjective, andobstacles alongthe playing. They way. You haveto findsomewayto makethemthink sometimes attend theyareextremely cleverregardless of the intelligence games in costume player of eitherthe or the character theyareplaying. andmayhavean extensive wardFulfrllingElementsof GameDesign robededicated lf therewereonlyonetypeof playeror another totheirplayer your advenformingyour gaminggroup,thendesigning characters. lf you turewouldbesomuchsimpler.But,asyourmother happen to have probablytold you, "life isn'tfair. Evenif your games anentireparty haveto be balanced."' Yourgaminggroupisn'tgoing your bestmoveis to set ofthese socialadventurers, to bemadeup of anyoneparticular typeof player. themin a colorfultavern,getthemall crlkingto each You'regoingto havea coupleof warriortypes,two otherin character andthengo out for pizza.Odds or threesocialplayers, anda fewthinkingplayersall arethattheywill stillbe ulkingto eachotherentirely jumbled togetherin your gamegroup,eachof them-to incharacter whenyou getback.Campaign settings onedegree or another-wanting something entirely aretheirdream.Badversions of old English and different out of theirgaming experience. Complicating (andfrequently unrecognizable shifting)accentsare thisfurtheris the factthat no singleplayeractuallyfits hallmarks of the socialplayer. into anyoneof thesetypescompletely.Eachgamer will probablybea composite of allthreein varying degrees.t gameneedsto In a practical anyadventure sense, ThinkingPlayer: all threeelements: combat,roleplaying,and "lf it moves,howcanI usethatto helpmewin?If address problem solving,bothin the designandin the execuit doesn't move,howcanI usethatto helpme win?The play. tion of lt alsomeansthat all threeelements need worldis fullof obstacles between me andwinning,and I'll usewhatever strategy I needto overcome them." * lf your motherdidn't tell you this,then you obvlouslyweremissing Thethinkingplayeris all aboutwinning. somethingin your upbringing.Maybesheiust shortenedit for you. Thinktype-A,drivenpersonality armedwith lethal f There... are you'profiler'peoplehappynow?Loseanotherlevel.
of deathagainst anyandall monsters thatcometheir way.lf yourentirepartyof adventurers weremade you upof thistypeof gamer,all wouldneedis to put themin the Interplane Arenaof DeathMatchesand pushat thema never-ending succession of creatures to bash.Logicneednot applyoutsideof the combat rules. Settingis irrelevant unless it meansmorecombat.Dicerolling,cheering, andtestosterone arethe primary game. elements for thistypeof
25
JHrJHeonvoFXDM to beavailable duringthegameat anygiventime.Let's SOMETHING nearbyon whichyourplayers canvent takea lookat eachof thesein turn. physical game. their frustrations insidethe
Putting lt All on the Page Whenwe'retalkingaboutgamedesign here, we'reactually talkingaboutthe design of the adventure itself-notthe rulesby whichyou areplayingthe game.All decentRPGgameshaverulesabouthowto hit stuff,howto damage stuff,howto talkto stuff,and howto thinkthroughstuff.And, what'smore,all of thatis included in our veryownXD20 RPC systemat the backof thisverybook,soyou're alreadycoveredon that score. And we'renot talkingyet abouthowto your entireadventure; organize that'sadvanced structural theorywhichyouwill not be mentally prepared to receiveuntilat leasttwo chapters from now.Let'sjuststartwith the basiccontent of encounters in youradventure. Therealtrick is designing an adventure with encounters thatmakeproperuseof allof thoseelements andprovides the XDM with the ammo-l mean,tools-thattheyneedto create killeradventure that engage encounters all types Not everyencounter of players. needsto haveall (although threeelements it's greatif theydo). Butallthreeelements needto beavailable within proximity. reasonable Everyencounter areain the gameneedsto providean answerto the followingquestions:
Whatherewill saysomethingto me? Thisisa lot trickierthanit sounds. lt isn'tlimited your players to creatures thatwill engage in dialogue (although that certainlyfrllsthe bill) but canalsobe someaspectof storythat appeals to the romanceof yourplayers.
i',i41",.1;
What canI bashor breakhere? ls theresomething herethatI cansmackdown with my biggest Youneedto providesomeweapon? thingthatthe players canbeatup on, or likelyasnot, be beatenup by. Thisdoesnot haveto be presentin everyparticular encounter, but the opportunityfor it doesneedto exist-either througha randomencounter or wandering monster table;or perhaps a nearby locationfrom whichcreatures canbe attractedby the sounds of the blundering anticsof yourplayers. AIso,don'tforgetthe imporUnce of suspense ... sometimes the anticipation of combatmakes anylater combatall that muchbetter.Players needto feelthe threatof doomallaroundthem,evenif thatdoomis theadventure location. iustin thewayyou describe you do, however,be sureto include Whatever
7"
v'tA!
----:-:
--
Thinkalsoin termsof somepatronof thearu in anart galleryandmusing standing overwhatthis painting "says"to them.lf thereisn'tanyonein the roomworthtalkingto, thenthereneedsto be somethingin the areaworthtalkingabout.Consider, for group example, whatwouldhappenif the foundlying on the groundin a room,a pagetorn from a logbook. Thepageis barelylegible,but it tellsof a former adventurer whosepartyhadcomethiswayandnearly mettheirdoom.Thegrouplooksaroundandfrnds the bonesandrustedequipment of whatlooksto be party.Then,in themembers of a long-dead adventure you frndan occaa succession of roomsafterward, page, sionaladditional eachonehastilywritten,torn andtossedto the ground. Theromanticideaof thisprevious adventurerhispastandhisfate-cannot onlysatisffthe needsof
25
It's erotrrrHEp,evrns ture:Thethinkingplayers allwantto feelliketheyare player,but will oftenresultin trainingyour asocial makingprogress thattheycanput on a chart. players to followthe breadcrumbs of thesepiecesof paper rightinto someextremely elaborate trap. you Whichreminds methat alsohaveto learn powerof nottellingyour characters theromantic ev- Executingit all in the game3Polling Youhaveto leavethemwith somemystery and luggling erything. All wellandgoodto havethesethingsin your inorderto keepthemcomingbackfor more.(See butwhatdo youdo withthemin the"real the Castle on the DistantHill" on page gamedesign "Romancing playing world" thegame? of 34.) Well,we recommend iuggling.. In we this case, also call thisthe "flyingemphasis" Whatherebringsus closerto winning? wayof saying whichis anX-tremeDungeon Mastery Something in eachencounter needs to going game what's in the on to keepthe "Change the feelingthattheyhave $vetheplayers players interested." Here,by wayof example, is how thatmovesthem accomplished something it works: closer to theendof thegame.lt's likethose longbackandforthqueues at amusement l. You silentlypoll your playersby lookingat parks.Theygiveyou the illusionthat eachof themasthoughtheywereanaudience at youaremakingprogress in a linethat your standup comedy act. Don't ask them what youcanseethe "isn'tthatlong"because and theythinkof thegame-that wouldbecrass just endof it a fewdozenfeetaway. Nevget you for banned several months from the ermindthatit will takeyou forty-frveminutes Societfde I'UItimeMairres-butlookat themand toactualfy arriveat that magical spot.Players, XDM powtry to divinewithyourinestimable too,needto feelliketheyhavemadesomesort howtheyfeelaboutwhatis ersof observation in the game. ofprogress game going in the rightnow. on Thisfeelingof progress canbe evokedby many different kindsof things.Overcoming ob2. Determinewhat kind of event(warrior, sacles isone. Players alwaysfeelthattheyhave social,thinker)will benefityour players progress made whentheygetpastanykind the most. Youdetermine thatyour betweenthemandwinning ofobstruction players who mostliketo grabtheir thegame.(Whatever theybelievethaf weapons are andattacksomething Puzzles, riddles,andtraps toentail.) feeling a bit listless, so ... areallgoodanswers to thisquestionbecause theyareobvious 3. Executethe type of obstacles thatmustbe solvedto eventthat your players continue on to thegoal. need. Suddenly, theyare Sometimes thiscan by marauding attacked bethephysical layoutof 'A pirates! Sabers clashand ("We're theadventure iself the sounds of battle frllthe nearly a mileunderground. We air ... must begetting close!")Or sometimes theenvironment cangiveyoutheseclues("lt's 4. Repeatthe process ad infinitum.Yourwarrior getting hotterin here.We mustbegettingclose!"). players pretty with the outcomeof the are happy Adventure for story(see"Narrastructures designed furiousbattlebut nowyour socialplayersaren't givethe tiveBumper Pool"on page44) cannaturally players thesense of movement throughthe medium * No, notthatkindof juggling... we DO although plot of arc. page but recommend on 83, that's not thekindof iuggling youradven- iuggling Keepthisin mindasyouconstruct we'retalking abouthere.
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in what'sgoingon, so . . .one lookingasinterested piratesis only mostlydead!He of the vanquished a for air,cursing the dayhe became is gasping pirate,andthat darkdaywhenhewascaptured backto visithissickmother.Now whilesailing players all areexcitedto hearthistragic social the what arewondering tale,but thethinkingplayers do mission to rescue of this has to with their all from the seaside tower. Sonowthe the princess pirate gasps. wasentrusted alone mostlydead "l to the seaof thesecretentrance with knowledge players thinking arein Suddenly, the sidetower." the gameagain. Thepointhereis to haveall theseelements at of the handandthenemphasize whichever element gamethe playersaremostlackingat anygiventime.By available, andbeingwillingto havingall threeelements you will haveplayemphasis eachof themasnecessary, excited,and ersat your tablewho arealwaysengaged, pafticipating.
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(\ \./
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r f HemERFouR $ronv rs EVERYTHTNG Tracy'sfrrstencounter with adventures wasback playing games. inthedawnof role In thosedays, adventure settings werelargelyunderground ruins, whose architecture wasverywideandnot particularly verticali something of a ranch-style designin ancient architecture. And, again,in thosedaysyou didn't have to delveparticularly deepbeforeyou encouna monster tered thatmadeabsolutely no sense being there. It wasduringthoseprimaldaysthatLauraHickmansuggested that a gameshouldbe builtthat made sense-if therewasa vampirein thedungeon, then $ereshouldbe a prettygoodreason whytherewas avampire in thatdungeon.' Morethanthat,there bea storythat underscored should the adventure. Whatwe did not knowat thetime-andhave learned since asoneof the centralsecrets of the XDM movement-is that reason andstoryareinextricably, naturally, andunalterably linkedin the foundations of thehumanexperience. Narrative:How We Make Senseof the Chaos Welivein a worldof chaos.Moreandmore complexity entersinto our liveseveryday.Noiseand information bombardusandconflicting datasurrounds usat everyturn in our lives. r Thedirectresultof this particularconversation wasthe adventure module now knownas'Ravenloft.'
Theonefunctionof our mindthathelpsusthe mostin makingsense of thisworldof chaoticexperiencesis narrative context. Narrativecontextis a process wherebyour mind encodes andorganizes the information in theworld aroundusinto a formthat bringsmeaning to the chaos aroundus.NasibTalebin hischallenging andexcellent book,Ihe BlackSwan, callsthisthe "narrativefallacy." He believes thatwe,ashumanbeings,mistake the selfwarpingandPlatonifying narrative we constructfor ourselves for the truth. He is partiallyright thisnarrative mapwe constructfor ourselves is not the trueterritory of our experience. However,storyis the only meanswe haveof making sense of the chaosaroundus. Here'sa littlethoughtexperiment: You'redriving downthe interstate. Someone in anothercarspeeds aroundyou, cuttingyou off in the flowof traffic. you becomethe valiantmotorist,besetby Suddenly, theevildriverof theothercarwhohasjustviciously blockedyour path.Everyrandomeventin your life is givenmeaning because everything thathappens to usis put into the contextof story. Thisis a wonderfulandconvenient shorthand for us,but at the sametime,if we'reunaware of it, story is oftenusedagainst us.In the old days,newspaper reportswentout to getthe "facts."Todaytheygo out to getthe "story." Everynewsstoryhasa slant,which
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JHTJHEonvoFXDM is anotherwayof sayingthatthe reportingis framedas viewpointor iudgment The CampbellianMonomyth the particular a storyreflecting of the reporter.Sincethe reporterframesthestoryfor thisis the key Storyis importantis because given is to players.Story that your only interpretation that is the meaning, with the rootsof to connecting the eventfor us.In a way,framingthe newsprethinks asWilliamGoldmansays,andthisstrucis structure, sorted through the already reporter has because the us intoyour tureisonethatwill bringlifeandmeaning andonly whatshethinksis irrelevant facts,discarded games. We'regoingto showyou howto incorporate presents relevantinformation. designs in chapter intoyour adventure storytelling Thisis equallytrueof currentpoliticsin the for Story,"but for nowit is important frve"Designing UnitedStates.Whilewe livein a freesociety,whatwe thatyou keepin mindthe basicstructurefor the epic by shaped thinkandhowwe thinkaboutit is largely in hisseminal by JosephCampbell storyasquantified get. an to make We all want we that the information Faces. We'vemadea booklhe Herowitha Thousand canwe bewhen fewlittlemodifrcations but howinformed informeddecision, it remains hererbut essentially number a limited from comes all of our information model: theCampbell if they of newssources.Particularly witheachother allshareinformation on andeachof themis morefocused profitthaninformation?We areall JHnrsHoro freeto makeour owndecisions-but JirnrsHorn f,nossrttc floturcol,trNc on whichwe base if the information RFTURN and BROTHER_BAITI"E is carefullyselected thosedecisions RESCUEFROI\4 presented for to usin the "pre-thought WITHOUT DMGON.BATTLE Tns lhREsHoLD you" form of a story,thenhowmuch RESURRECTION ROADOF CRUCIFIXION canwe make? of an informeddecision TRIALS THRESHOLD The pointhereis thatstoryis a WHALE'SBELLY STRUGGT-E flrreEns powerful framework whichcommuniA properlypresented catesmeaning. story,evenif it's onlya myth,canbe thananypileof far morepersuasive factsno matterhowcarefullychecked. NTATNTNG JHEpruze We will believethe storyis the truth FATHERATONEMENT SACREDMARfuAGE pile quicker data. thanany of much ELIXIRTHEFT APOTHEOSIS avoidfactsas Thatis why politicians muchaspossible andtry to sellyou a mytholstory,a dream,a vision,or anythingresembling Call to Adventure people movie Oliver Stone's believe ogy.More JFKto Thishappens FirstcomestheCallto Adventure. than be the true historyof the Kennedyassassination to the heroat home-aplaceof comfortandfamiliarof thetrue history thosewho haveanyunderstanding beginin whysomanyadventures ity. Thisis,perhaps, of the event..Whoevercontrolsthestory,controlsthe a tavern,andl'll makeno furthercommenton what people. thissaysaboutgamers. Or, in our case,thegame. or a farmhouse, Thisplacemaybe a Kansas Hereisyour crashcoursein the structureof the your pleasant Uncleand in the Shire,or residence epicstory.Useit wisely. Aunt'sVaporatorfarmon Tatooine. * Historyis full of falsestoriestold to simplifureality.CaptainKidd wasnt Theherois in a placeof homeostasis-reasonin math). a goodstudent(especially an infamouspirate.Einsteinwasalways comesalongthat thensomething content-but ably Ben Franklin'skite wasneverstruck by lightning.GeorgeWashing[onnever allof this. changes had woodenteethand nevercut down a cherrytree. The greatpyramids of Egyptwere built by Egyptiancitizenswho were well treated and paid (seriously). And so on...
f
Our versionwill makepoint five pastlight speed.
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$ronv rs EVERYTHTNG
'.4
i{
TheMentor Nexttheheromeetsomeone whochanges andbringsa catalystfor changeinto his everything otherwise humdrumlife.Thispersonis usuallysomewhatpowerfulbut not omnipotent-they haveto be to some extent limited in theirabilities or theywould justgooff andfix whateverproblemwasat hand andnot botherwith lookingfor a allbythemselves hero. Thispersoncanbe someguynamedProfeshot dogsout of the backof his sorMaruelroasting grey-robed or wizardknownmostlyas wagon; some with greatfireworks or crazy atroubfemaker displaysi oldBenKenobilivingin a mudhutwhooping at the People likean old guytellingkidsto getoff Sand hislawn.Thesecharacters becomementorsin some but in all cases cases, theyprovidethe bootin the pants (usually figuratively) that motivates the heroof ourstoryto getout the front doorandon the path ofadventure.
Roadof Trials As the herotravelstowardhisgoalor destiny, he is facedwith trialsalongthe way.Thesetestscan comein a numberof differentforms:manvs.man, manvs.machine, manvs.self,manvs.nature,andthe like.Thesetestsaredesigned to keepthe herofrom achieving himfrom hisgoaleitherthroughdissuading purpose, his him,or barringthat,flat out discouraging ThresholdCrossing killing him. Thismentorthenbringsour heroto the threshThesaying"Thatwhichdoesnot kill usmakesus (realor imagined) old.Thisisa boundary that stronger" applieshere.Thisroadof trialsthat our hero separates the mundane worldof commonlife from walkscanbe asevidentasa yellowbrickroador as of magicandpower.Thisis usuallyprotherealms obscure asthe paththroughCirithUngolinto Mordor. who preventthe commonfolk tected by guardians run in lessthat fromwandering into the realmsof magicandpower. It canevenrequiremakingthe Kessel parsecs twelve and flying right down some trenchto (lf anyold fool couldwanderacross the threshold port. Whatever dropa bombdowna thermalexhaust whenever theywantedto, whatwouldbethe point the challenges or obstacles, forge these trials the hero's inneeding a hero?) Crossing thisthreshold from the commonworld metalor breakit. intothemagical andpowerful,canbe extremely violent; asin ridinga twisterup into the sky,or hopingintoa 'pieceof iunk' andhurtlingskywardfrom Tatooine. Or it canbe extremely subtle.ln Peter The Fellowship of the Ring movie,it is an lackson's yet important subtlemoment. SamandFrodoarewalkingthrougha fieldwhen Samstopsandsays,"lf I takeonemorestep,l'll havegonefurtherthanl've evergonebefore." It is soimportantthat Frodocomesbackand helps Samtakethat nextstep.Togethertheycross fromtheirprevious livesinto theirnewlives. Whetherit is calmor violent,thisThreshold/ Boundary is an importantonethatseparates the life beforefromwhateverhappens afterward.
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JHrJHronvoFXDM as"There'sno placelikehome."Luke a phrase Skywalker dealswith classic FatherAtonementwhen at lasthe says,"l am a ledi, likemy fatherbefore me." Frodoultimatelyfailshisapotheosis at the very lastmoment-although Samdoesnot. Now, a wordof warninghereto you all: in recentyearsa dreadfultrendhasdeveloped in movies andon television to iustendthe storyat thispoint. I mean,the prizehasbeenwonandsowhy bother shooting anymorefrlm?Thecarchaseisover,the big effectsshotshaveall blownup the sets,andall the exciting stuffhasjusthappened. Let'siustpackit in andgo hometo waitfor the boxofficereceipts. Butthe storyis onlyhalffrnished! a prettygoodstory: Consider whatis otherwise Attaining the Prize Petersen frlmAir ForceOne. This the 1997 Wolfgang Assuming thatthetrialsareallovercome andthe frlmhaddramaandswings of power in the balance helpersareeffectivein theirassistance, thenthe hero president between the terrorisrandthe beleaguered attainsthe prize. Butthisprizecanbe manydifferent HarrisonFord.Theonly problemfor mostof the frlm things. wasthat the arguements of GaryOldman'sterrorist mademoresense character thanthoseof the presil. SacredMarriageBedent. Thenthe heartof the movieevolved.A consticomingonewithGodandthe tutionalcrisiseruptedoverwhetheror not the Presi1l knowledge of God.Thisrepre- dentshouldbe relieved of hisauthoritybecause he sentsmasterof life. wasunderpersonal duress.Ultimatelyfacedwith the possible deathof hiswifeandchildrightin front of 2. FatherAtonementRecogni- him,our stalwart, otherwise kick-butt,HarrisonFord tion by Cod or forgiveness. The doescavein to terroristdemands. ThePresident's vow heroreconciles thetyrantand neverto negotiate with terrorists evaporates andthe mercifulaspects of a father-like wholepointof the 25tramendment to the United authorityfigureandin sodoing States Constitution is broughtinto question. comesto knowhimself. Fortunately, at the lastmoment,our heroicPresident(let'sremember thisis a fantasy)killsthe terror3. Apotheosis Achievingthe plane; ist;takesbackthe hisfamilyandmost andsaves divineselfor perfection. The of the crewbeforethe planecrashes in a dramatic hero'sideaof himselfis changed; hisegolostin justice poetic visualeffectcompletewith asthe traitor greater.Thisallowshimto seethe something is the only personleft aboard. worldfrom a largerpointof view,allowinghimto HarrisonFordis savedand Our heroicPresident sacrifice himselfto a greatercause. achieves the prize. Themovieends. 4. Obtainingthe PrizeKnowledge or powerof the What?lust likethat?Whataboutthe factthat he Godseithergivenor taken.He is readyto receive didcavein to the terroristdemands? Whataboutthe an obiector evenan ideaor newawareness that 25'hAmendment Won't andtheConstitutional Crisis? he setout to achieve andtakeit backto hiscom- therebe consequences for the factthat the President munityto bettertheirlives. failedin hisdutyto protecthiscountryandthe world whentheyneededhim most? Theseprizesarequitefamiliarto usif often Thepointis thatstoriesdo not andmusfnof end diverse.Dorothyachieves apotheosis in sosimple with attaining the prize. Thisis an incomplete story;a HelpersAlong the Road Heroeson thispathdo not walkit alone,for there helpers arealways aswellaschallenges. Thesehelpers particularly powerful arenot in andof themselves but theyprovidethat extranecessary something for the herojustwhentheyneedit most. Helpersarealsodiverseandsometimes hardto recognize. Theymayevenappearasenemies at first. Theycanbe tin woodsmen, scarecrows, or cowardly lions.Theycanevenbe littledogsnamedToto.Sometimestheytakethe form of droidsor scruffy-lookingnerfherders.Theycanbe asregalaskingsof the Rohirrimor ashumbleashobbis.Theycanevenbe namedSmdagol.
,et
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storywithoutconsequences. Because it is an incom- ThresholdReturn pleteargument, it is a lie. lt teaches thatthereareno Havinggoneto the realmsof powerandmagic, larger consequences for characters, actions. the heromustnowcrossbackoverthe thresholdin Newsreportsof carchases alwaysseems to orderto returnto the mundane worldandthe life they endthesameway. The (usually young)perperra- onceleft behind. Dorothyclicksher healstogether, torsitsin the backof a policecar.Thelookon his Frodoreturnsto the shire,andLukecomesbackto the faceisnot oneof anger,rage,or evendefiance-itis Ewoks-adifferenthomefor him. always of shocked surprise. Why?Because the movie Butcominghomeisn,teyerwhatwe expectit to didn'tendandthe credigdidn,troll.He issurprised be in theepiccycle. because thestorykeptgoing.Howdid he thinkit was going to end? With a glorious,somehow liberating, moment freeof consequences? WEL'KENAIURE,ANOWE Therearethreemorestepsin a completehero,s oo ftla Bt6,HoMECOM\N6' YA) FOR601 "HAICIFEET,' SCENES journey.Whentheyareignored,theyrob the AT THE ENOOF n1g EPIC,FACE IT, participans of something essential in completing the WE'RETHESAIIE, cycleandmakingrhestorywhole.XDMsknowthat YUS-YUB. thejourneyis not completeuntilthe circleis ctosed. ReturnFlight Oncetheherohasachieved (or failedto achieve) i whateverit is he setout to do, thenhe hasto frnda way back.lt,snot enoughjustto tossa ir bucket of wateron the witch,Dorothyhasto drag herbroomstick backto OZ, andthenshestillhas to figureout a waybackto Kansas. Sure,the ring isfrnally disposed of despitea littlesetback at the endandlosinga finger,but now Frodoissittingon thesideof an erupting volcanoandit,sa longwalk backto the Shire.Lukefiguredout hisissues with his black-armored dad,but the Deathstar mark2 is comingdownaroundhim so,nowwhat? It isn'tenoughto achieve the goal,you haveto getbackwith the prize.Thisjourneycanbe a long one(ponyridesfrom Rohanto the Shiretakea long time)or a shortone ("Thoserubyslippers canhave youhomein two seconds,,), but it mustbemade. There's anold saying amongpeoplewhoclimb Mt. Everest. goal The isnotgettingto the top.People whohave thegoalof gettingto thetop usuallydie andremainup there. Therealgoalis to ger backfromthe top.
Homecoming Sothe circleis completeandthe heroreturns home.. .or doeshe? Theold adagethatyou can,tgo homeagain maywellbe ruer thanwe know.Theherois often changed in the courseof hisjourney,and,because of thischange, findsit impossible to go home.Therearea numberof possible outcomes in the hero,sjourney: 1. Refusalof the R.eturnTheherohasfoundthat he reallyfikesit herein the realmsof powerand doesn'treallyconnectwith hisformerlifeanylonger.In the movieStargate for example, the EgyptologistDaniellacksonstaysbehindat the endof thefrlm.
2. Rescue from Wthout Theheroin thiscaseneeds Mysteryand Surprise by forcesfromthe ordinaryworldto be rescued Romancingthe Castleon the Distant Hill eitherbecause the herohasrefused to returnon Therearea fewmorepointsthat needto be hisis beingblockedfrom hisown,or because madeaboutstory. Oneof themis the ideathat disreturningwith the boon. tanceis compelling. XDMsknowthatyou needto havesomething on 3. Crossingof the ReturnThresholdHerethe hero beyond the of the wall, something the hoother side worldand hisreturnto the everyday doesmanage on a distanthill barelyseenthrough to do rizon,something mustacceptthatworldasreal.sammanages far the misu and the fog.That'sbecause something thisbut Frododoesnot. romantic. away-andunreachable-is No, not thatkind of romantic. I mean the kind romantic that is comof 4. Masterof Two WorldsIn thiscase,the hero pelling, evocative, andmysterious. for returnswith an understanding andappreciation following: Youandyour wizard power Consider the Luke boththe realmsof andthe mundane. companion areridinghorses across the hillson your perhaps frs thisbill. Skywalker wayto the king'scity.You bothcresta hill andstop. 5. Freedomto Liveksentiallythe heroreturnswith At the far endof a broadvalleyyou canseea single toweratopa distanthillwhosewallsappearcastin it to the betterment the prizeandpresents of the Yourcompanion shadow. turnsto youand Dorothydoesthisin herpronounce- continual community. says,"That is the Towerof Sorrows. A greattragedy ment. took placetherelongago,andis gatesareforever Wewill honorthe memoryof thosewho poins out onemostinteresting sealed. JosephCampbell foughtto keepis peace.Nonego therenow." by his fact:Theherois oftenso personally changed Now, don't you wantto go there?Hey,who thathe (l ) losesall interest in or hopefor experience thisnext:Let'ssaywe do go thesorrows of themundane world,(2) sounbalances wouldn't?Butconsider there, desecrate the honored memoryof, like,whopowers the that onceexistedthattheyreactsharplyand destroyhim,or (3) returnsto a communitythat meets ever,andopenthe gates.We go inside,mapout the himwithsuchblankmisunderstanding anddisregard brokenwalls,checkout the collapsed roof and from thosewhomhe hascometo helpthat hiscareer takea coupleof stonesfor souvenirs. Maybewriteour nameon thewall collapses. whocomeslater. for someone At the endof the Peterlacksonversionof The Aside from beingcomplete Returnof theKing,thehobbishavereturnedto the jerks, just we've lostsomething. ale.A Shireandonceagainsit in thetaverndrinking We lost thatverysamecompelling great about farmercomesin andthereisa commotion fdesirethat broughtushere.The a pumpkin.Frodo,Sam,Merry,andPippinallstareat of distance hasbecome I eachother. Thefour of themhavesavedthe worldand romance \ areexcitedaboutis thisoversizedfactandin thatwe havebeen all theirfellowcitizens I diminished. vegetable? In the UnitedStates we often Thisrealization turnssomberfor Frodountil harp our to know." about eventually he hasto leavefor the GrayHavens. As he "right i'l thereare explains, "We savedthe Shire,Sam.. .butnot for me." Well,tough,because thingsI reallydon'fwantto know. l l And...what'syourpoint? is to lose To knowsomething That'sit: Thegreatmythiccycleand,yes,it's l' 1- 1 part is natureand you of compelling importantevenin the adventures that design.lt is itsappeal. the overallstructurefor the storyyou aregoingto be Justdon'teven about how to make your game. ask tellingwith sausage.
3+
$ronvrs EVERYTHTNG (or Thepointhereisthatdistant,unattainable things unlikemagic,thesecretmustbemoreentertaining protects. interesting) the falsehood it lt's than interarecompelling andbringmysteryintotheworldof estingthatBruceWillishelpsa kidthatcanseedead yourstory.Yourplayersdo not havethe rightto people.lt's waymoreinteresting that BruceWillisis one explore everynookandcrannyof yourworld,and itt betterfor themif theydon't. Theremustbe unat- of thosedeadpeople. uinable horizons andcompelling vistasin the distance tomakethembelievethatthereis moreto thisworld It StartsWith a Lie Thefoundation of surprise is deception. In order thanwhatison the page. to createa startlingrevelation in your gameyou will haveto lie to your players. Thisis nothingnewto a true Twistingin the Wind: the Nature of Surprise instead of fudgingdicerolls,we are Anotheringredient in thedark,beautiful elixirof XDM.However, attempting to artfullyveilreality. motheXDMgameissurprise. Thatbreath-stealing Thereareonlytwo typesof deception: mentof revelation canturn an average into adventure l. ActiveDeception infernoof shockandawe.. . or, at least,a aroaring Deception. 2. Passive experience. "neato" Firstwe haveto understand whatsurprise really Generally speaking, when the bestdeception form: Surprise is.Let'sboilit downto is simplest is passive is deception. Thisis because revelation of an unknown thesudden or unanticipatedrelatedto surprise by is verynaturelacksevidence by ironically,deception truth.Therefore, is the founda- thelieof omission whichto condemn it. Thetelevision showLostisswimis built.Thisis because tionuponwhichsurprise the passive mingin bothsoruof deception but especially truthmustbe hiddento somedegreein orderfor you lf don'tknowwhysomething crazy astonishment to cometo pass. Afterall,if thecorrect deception. it is because theyhaveomittedthekey natures of all eventsat handareproperlyportrayed, is happening you needto understand it. And if they of unanticipated factsmayoccur. information thennorevelation aredoingtheiriobsthatkeybit of information is super Onemightthinkthat a greatwayto studysurprise isto studythe craftof the magician.Theyseem interesting. Whencreating our foundation out of the above likesimilar flelds.In manywaystheyare,exceptthat thereisonerulethatmustbeobeyedat all thebestmagicis foundedin theunseen, or unimag- deceptions, youraudience. principle, Don't times. cheat in ined while storythesecretmustbe imagIn orderto providecredence andpreventthe parlt hasto besomething inable. thatyouraudience feels part ticipant from feeling cheated the best recourse is to pronatural isa of the storyandis totallylogical. videthe truth withinthe frameof the story.In magic, Thegoalof surprise in magicis to entertainby thereareonlythreewaysto makesomething disappear. of means deception. Youcanhidethe object,you canmovethe obiect,or it Thegoalof surprise in storyis to entertainby was neverthereto beginwith. Interestingly enoughthis means of revelation. not onlytrueof objects,but evenof something asetheIt'sfunny:Somemagicis sodevilishly clever. real as truth. ways in Three to truth a story: Socleverin fact,thatthe secretis moreentertaining "vanish" thantheeffectitself.However,mosttricks(like990/o 1. Movethe truth. ofthem)release a waveof disappointment whenthey o Literallymovekeyfacs of an eventto another arediscovered. partof thestory,placing you themnon-linearly in the meanthat it's a trickknife?"Either "Oh timeline. way,it isof littleimportance. Whenit comesto mago Displace keyfactsby ascribing themto truthsnot the be ic, secret can brilliantor it canbemoronic.lt withthe matterat hand. associated really doesn'tmatter,because the audience is never o Use time-shifting techniques to alterthetimeat supposed to know. whichkeyfacshappened. Ontheotherhand,thepurpose in of surprise storyisfor thesecretbe madeknown.Therefore,
morning. No, asit turnsout the manhadno hidden fortuneandin factwasa lot of moneyin debt. When thingsdidn'tgo asplanned,a fightbetween the two plottersensued andshotsrangout. Butwe couldn't leavetheold manasa witness. No, something hadto bedone." thattheaudience Thefrrstassumption isthatthe butlerdidn'tdo it-afterall makes 3.The Truth WasNeverThereto Begin wouldn't be muchof a storyhereif he there wirh. did. Sowe playoff thatassumption. Then o Thetruth alludedto is laterrevealed we truth the alter the by saying that to neverhaveexisted. deadmanon the floorof the kitchen is Jerry(whichwewill laterlearnhe is To understand this,let'slookat a not).Finally, we includetheideathat typicalmurdermysteryplot. gun the used creates a certaingunpowA wealthyold manis killedin derstainon the fingerswhenfrred. the kitchenby hisyoungbutlerJerry Thisisthe unknown truth.Other gun. aftera scufflewith a Jerrythen assumptions andalterations are alsoshootshimself.Our detective, Sir policemen good, made: are the WallySmokepipe, is investigating the old manwasshotfor the money, scenedespite theinsistence of the police andthereis onlyonemanthat that the caseis closed.After a series wasin on it. of events,eachof whichreveals several I grantyou that it isn'tthe clues,we arereadyto beshocked by the finalrevelabeststory,but it doesillustrate the tion. point. you And if didn't like it, that's isJerrythe Butler!"Eacheye "The murderer finewithme.Oddsareyoualready turnsto SirWallyasif theyweregoingto say,"You're boughtthisbookanyway. jokingright?" Theaboveisall frnein theory. continues, "Howeverr"Smokepipe "thisman But nowyou'resaying "How is all isnot Jerry!No! TherealJerryhasn'tlivedherefor going thatnonsense to helpme weekshashe?"Theinspector looksdownat thebutler. withthegamel'm runningin like Thecorpsedenies nothing. ten minutes."Foryou,my lucky "Wellhowdo you knowthathe didn'tjustshoot procrastinator, I presentthe foltheblokehimselP"A womansays,kickingthecold lowing.Useit wisely. bodyon the kitchenfloor. pistolwould Yousee,thisparticular "His hands. haveleft a distinctive stainof gunpowder on hisfingers. Hickman and Son's CheapTricks for Surprisein Storytelling. policeman a bearded in the "But inspector," l.Leadthemdownthe gardenpath. crowdinterrupted , "Why wouldanyoneagreeto preDeliberately leavecluesintendedto causethe t e n d . ". . andincorrect spectator to followa thinly-veiled theyknewthatsomeone "Theywouldn't.Unless, leftlipstick line of logic. We learn that the killer police perhaps on the forcecouldhelpthemescape, goblet. We alsolearnthatthekillerwas on the promising thempartof theold man'shiddenfortune. polka-dotted a blouse.However,in the wearing It wouldhaveto be someone newto the forcethough, endwe learnthatthe killerwasnot a woman, wouldn'tit?" Smokepipe turnsto Cadetlohnny BinkyManlydude, a traveling but wasinstead Goodguy,andrepeats, "Wouldn'tit?" Goodguystaru circusclown. to perspire heavily. "However,nothingwentaccording It's importantto remember theremustbe plan. Thekitchenlooksasif therewasa fight, to previous evidence to supportyour revelabut the old mancouldhardlygetout of bedin the 2. Hidethe truth. o Camouflage keyfactswith otherunimportant facts,red herrings, or othermeans. o Misrepresent keyfactsasunimportant. o Ascribekeyfactsasbelongingtoother eventS.
36
$ronv rs EvERYTHTNc toryclaim.If in theaboveexample I saidthat thekillerwasthe ghostof Timmythe dolphin trainer. l'm suremy audience wouldfeelcheated to saythe least.
PRINNN@fiI9 IN
SLACKANOWHffE,YOU
xot s ARE60tNo To
HAVE10 PREIENO 6REYIS REO,
2.leadthemoff the gardenpath. Modernreaders areveryfamiliarwith the garden pathandmostwill not wantto stayon it. Onewayaroundthisis to makethe firstand obvious revelation a completefalsehood. Thisis likesetting thehusband up asthekiller,andthen revealing that it's actuallyhisbrother-presenting thatrevelation asthe wist. However,in the final hour,we learnthatthe brothercouldn'thave doneit because he diedtwo weeksbeforethe murder. Perhaps it wasthe husband afterall,or another keyfigurein the story(or if you wanted to takeit evenfurther,maybewe thenlearn thatthebrotherdidn't actuallydieandwasnow 4. Usetheir knowledge againstthem. readyto kill again). great The other thing aboutthe movieScream peopletoo far off the pathwill evenLeading is howWesCravenusedcommonhorrormovie tuallyconfuse andcheatthemunless the reason knowledge against the viewer.Our heroinewould for doingso is amazingly cleaver. backintoa doorwayandthe audience would at cringe what would be coming next. paintit red. 3.lf youwantto hidesomething Andthen...nothing. the bestwayto hidesomething Sometimes is Nothingwouldhappen, thatis untilyou reto makepeopledismiss it asbeingwaytoo obvilaxed.Then-BAM.Youshoulddo thisto your ous.Againyou haveto be a bit carefulhereas player'sconstantly. Keepthemguessing. Butagain, youraudience will feelcheatedout of a mystery do soartfully.Youdon't wantto frustratethem, if therewasn'toneto beginwith.A greatexyou wantto entertainthem. ampleis from the movieScream. Thevillainof thestoryis introducedrightaway,andhe is so 5.Timedisplacement. overthetop thatyou tell yourselfhe obviously A favoritegimmickof television showsand didn'tdo it. Well,hedid.Whatmakes it acceptmystery novels is use to time displacement to ableisthatit wasn'tiusthim.Theaudience was movekeyfactsto differenttimesin the narrative lookingfor onekiller.In fact,thereweretwo. structure. Magicians do thistoo. A lot. Theideais Thesecondguywasalsodiscredited at the start simpleyet cantakea momentto understand. of thefilm for beingtoo obvious. A mangoesto the policestationto report A wayto usethisin a roleplayingsituationis phonecallsheandhiswifehave somethreatening to havethe biggrandentrance intothe Labyrinth getting. been While he is there,a callis madeto of Mayhem,andthena littlewaysoff a small 9l I . lt's hiswifesaying thatsomeone is in the secret entrance-an entrance thatyour adventurhouse and is trying kill to her. She Then, screams. ersfindto be loadedwith boobytrapsandother nothing. sortsof peril.lt turnsout thatthe bestwayin is Theyrushovertherebut it's too late.What bythegiantgate.Of courseyou needa logical happened? Well,we learnoverthe courseof the reason to do that,otherthanjustto messwith story that familyusesan internetphoneservice the them.Anywaythisleadsusto our nexttrick.
37
goesoff to workthat likeSkype.Thehusband 1. Slowdown.Whereis the frre?Milk the momorningandcomesbacklaterwearing a skimask. ment.Letit dawnon them.Civethemthatone Beinga techguy,he previously riggedthephone go lastclue,andthenaftera shortbeat,someone sothatanycallsto 9 | 1 wouldn't through,but (or allof them)willsay,"Holy crap!"And then on hiscomputer wouldgetanswered andrecorded pleas for you. instead.It wouldrespond to hiswife's comtheywill startto recitethe evidence pletewitha fake"91 I what'syouremergency?" Youcaniustsit backandknowthatit all played out according to yourplan. andrecordeverything. After the deedis done,he setshiscomputer (withan hourauto-delay)to 9l I andplay RandomStory Generator autodial backherhalfof therecording. Hethengoesto the policestation.Presto! Youhavea murderer that of Heyfolks,steprightup andhearthewonders phito havecommitted thecrimeat an impos- theamazing, seems tantalizing, invigorating, hypothesizing, siblemoment.Thepolicearehisalibi.Hesimply losophizing Random to StoryGenerator!.Guaranteed put thedancein your dice,thesizzlein your story,and shiftedtheapparent timethattheeventtook place. themojoin your module!Readyto cureallyour writer's itselfwascreatedwith blockwoes!Why,Dragonlance thehelpof thislittlewondertlNowyou, too,canform The Revelation amazing storieswith this+! lust asthereis a rightwayanda wrongwayto Whatwe havehereis a systemfor creating hidethetruth,thereis alsoa rightandwrongwayto adventure/story ideasin a matterof moments.lt's revealit. However, thisoneis easy:"Don't blurtit out, a helpfultoolandfunbesides. lf you areeverstuck dummy.Youjustspenta lot of timeandenergiy on for adventure ideasor needsomething to do on a this-don'tkill it now."Thisis the payoff.Soyouneed Tuesday night,turn here. to do two things: How it works: 1. Proveit. lf everyone hasforgottenthat Kanako Pickoneof thesentences in the "Storythings" the bloodmysticis left-handed andhatesdwarves. section below.Any onewill do-or if you must-roll Thenit won'tmeanmuchif yourrevelation is for one.Youwill frllin the blanks by randomly choosfoundedon thesetwo poins.At theendof a numbered inga wordon thecorresponding chart. good(andI stress good)M. Night.Shyamalan filmyouwillseea flashback, a rapidreviewof Forexample a sentence will looklikethis: that supports where thetwistis coming evidence, from. A 2 I is 6 inga lor 3 witha 5 lf you knowthattheyremember it, or other 3 in a/the 5 4 .s wisefeelthat sucha reviewis unnecessary, then don't worryaboutit. However,for thosesurprises Which,frlledout mightlooklikethis: thatarea littlemoreout there(soyou'resaying A power-hungry Gnomeis trickinga witchwith a pixthat all our characters arein reality,princess cave. floatinghourglass in a mystical ies?)youwill needto showby practical evidence * Perhaps you do not feelyou needa storygenerator.You instinctively is possible. Howdo you do howthe revelation know how to craft brilliant and epic storiesthat will live through the ages, wayI knowof is to tell Well, we'll seeaboutthat later,but if you everget stuck,then thissystem thisin a game?Theeasiest may be all you needto iump-startyour stalledimagination.Remember: themsomething like, randomlygenerated conceptsare only dotson the page.You are the one yourmindsarefloodedwith "...immediately who must connectthem into a solidlystructuredstory. the memoryof recentevents,howthe Bartender f No, it wasn't. f No, you can't. Well. . , we haven'tseenthis happenyet. But you calledyou "miss,"howyoucan'tstandanything could be the frrst. but thetasteof nectar.etc."]usttellthemwhat 5 Justreadingthe numbersthis way can sounda bit dirty. Try to keepit together.Besides, it couldbe worse.We originallyusedlettersinsteadof it. theyremember andtheywill remember numbers.
38
Or princess Animmortal is freeing a giantwithan invisible swordin thefrozenvalley.
herland. Or perhaps sheis on thevergeof losingher placein immortality andsheneeds the giantto do her dirty work.Sheusesa swordto freehim. Butit,snot There!Two perfectlygoodjumping-off placesfor invisible-no it's madefromsoulslonglostto her evil even betterideasto sparkfrom. Someof thesentenc- ways.And on andon it goes.Manytimesyour final eswon'tquiteworkthe firsttime.Feelfreeto re-pick storyor adventure plot will not resemble the onegiven anyblankyouwish.Thereareno offrcialruleshere. you by the storygenerator-and great. thatrs In fact, Afteryou haveyour storyline,the firststepis that'showit's supposed to work. tothinkwhywouldthesethingsbe happening? Finally,takethatconceptyou formedandusethe The second isto thenchangethe ideathe generator gave manytoolsin thisbook;andyou havegot yourselfan youto fit your"why" better. adventure betterthanmostyou paygoodmoneyfor. go Soif I withthesecond Thebestpartis: lt's yours. sentence. Whyisthe princess freeinga giant?Maybesheneedshim to save
The Storythings A 2 l is 6 inga lor3 5 ina/the 4 3.
witha 4
Thelongforgotten 5 6 bya 2 |
Thelegendof the 5 and the
The 4 5 of the I bya groupof I s.
The 4 3.
I
3 hasbeen 6
5 hasbeen
Of course,feelfreeto makeyour ownblank to usewith the ubles. "Storythings"
TT SAYS HERET'M SUPPOSEO .5lxfN6A FIVE,'1 WANTTHAI 70 8E TO ffiEAN "EATINO A PIE,'
JHTJHEonvoFXDM l.
Ranger
16.
Void
31.
Serpent
46.
Sheriff
2.
Rogue
17.
Kingdom
32.
Queen
47.
Gnome
61.
Fairy (Nymph, DryadSylvan)
3.
Knight
18.
Hunter
33.
Warlock
48.
Dwarf
62.
Barbarlan
4.
Druid
19.
Shaman
34.
Witch
49.
Crone
63.
Prophet
5.
Wlzard
20.
Troll
35.
Banshee
50.
Gypsy
64.
Cripple
5.
Priest
21,
Ghost
36.
lmp
51.
Wanderer
65.
Orc
7.
Magician
22.
Thief
t7.
Monk
52.
Alchemist
66.
Messenger
8.
Warrior
23.
Creature
38.
Traveller
53.
Glant
67.
Evil
9.
God
24.
Devil
39.
Stranger
54.
Halfling
68.
Plague
1O. Spirlt
25.
Angel
40.
Hero
55.
Historlan
69.
Emperor
11.
Phantom
26.
Demon
41.
Monster
56.
Beggar
70.
Judge
Possessed
65.
Small
12.
Vampire
27,
Dragon
42.
Zombie
57.
Easillsk
13.
King
28.
Gryphon
43.
Maiden
58.
Satyr
14.
Prince
29.
Princess
44.
Paladln
59.
Cleric
15.
Peasant
30.
Etf
45.
Mist
60.
ConJuror
1.
Unknown
77.
2,
Forgotten
3.
Lost
4,
Ancient
33.
Angelic
49.
18.
Horrible
34.
Dying
50.
Haunted
66.
Dishonorable
19.
Terrible
35.
Noble
51.
Secret
67.
Traitorous
Wandering
20.
Magnificent
t6.
Eloodthirsty
52.
Melancholy
68.
Thieving
5.
Cursed
21.
Escaped
37.
Alien
53.
Mischievous
69.
Bleeding
6.
Diseased
22.
Winged
38.
Missing
54.
False
70.
Scholarly
7.
lntan€
23.
Apocalyptic
39.
Invisible
55,
lmaginary
71.
Enchanted
8.
Powerful
24.
Silent
40.
Mystic
56.
Deceptive
72.
Silver
9.
Divine
25.
Ghostly
41.
Courageous
57.
Cannibalistic
73.
Golden
1O.
Fallen
26.
Evil
42.
Valiant
58.
Shadowy
74.
Legendary
1 1.
Eeautiful
27.
Demonic
43.
Weak-minded
59.
Ethereal
75.
Exiled
12.
Dark
28.
Undead
44.
lmmortal
60.
Rich
76.
lmmoral
13.
Clockwork
29.
Cowardly
45.
Giant
61.
Lying
14.
Wicked
30.
Dead
46.
Mighty
62.
Hideous
15.
Power-Hungry
31.
Weeping
47.
Malignant
63,
Magic
16.
Heroic
32.
Damned
48.
Deadly
64.
Foreign
1.
Hell
8.
Faraway Land
15,
Desert
22.
Ruin
29.
Clouds
2.
Heaven
9.
Sky
16.
Cave
23.
lnn
30.
Plalns
3.
Crypt
1O.
Grotto
17,
Mountains
24.
Purgatory
31.
Oasis
4.
Abyss
1 1.
Forest
16,
Swamp
25.
Valley
32.
World
5.
Dungeon
12.
Ocean
19.
Lake
26.
Cllffs
33.
Nation
6.
Castle
13.
River
20.
City
27.
Labyrinth
34.
Country
7.
Village
14.
lsland
21.
Tavern
28,
Graveyard
35.
Continent
40
$ronv rs EVERYTHTNG
)'
1.
Shining
16.
Burning
31,
Redeemed
46.
Decaying
61.
lmaginary
2.
Buried
17.
Plagued
32.
Massive
47.
Dark
62.
Putrid
3.
Lost
18,
Destroyed
33.
Small
48.
Evil
63.
Exotic
4.
Forgotten
19.
Magical
34.
Living
49.
Sinking
64.
Distant
5.
Submerged
20.
Lurh
35.
Hostile
50.
Forbidden
65.
Wicked
6.
Cursed
21.
Damned
36.
Charmed
51.
Quarantined
66.
Ancient
7.
Enchanted
22.
Uncovered
?7.
thadowy
52.
Surreal
67.
Magnificent
L
Dead
23.
Desolate
38.
Veiled
53.
Dismal
68.
Fo?eign
9.
Ghostly
24.
Blessed
39.
lnvisible
54.
Righteous
69.
Beautiful
lO.
Haunted
25.
Consecrated
40.
Dissapearing
55.
Distant
70.
Demonic
11.
Windy
26.
Chosen
41.
Changing
56.
Overrun
77.
Misty
12.
Abandoned
27.
Captured
42.
Malevolent
57,
Conquered
72.
Glass
13.
Frozen
28.
Perilous
43.
Mystical
58.
Heavenly
73.
Golden
14.
Ruined
29.
Wealthy
44.
Legendary
59.
Slumbering
74.
Silver
15.
Floating
30.
Flooded
45.
Besieged
60.
Enslaved
1.
Skull
1s.
Ship
29.
Tome
43.
Tablet
57.
Parchment
2.
Vial
16.
Bomb
30.
Orb
44.
Coffin
5a.
Scroll
3.
Potion
17.
Sword
31.
Tower
45.
Storm
59.
Fruit
4.
Ring
18,
Axe
32,
Dust
46.
F€ather
60.
Song
5.
Hourglass
19.
Spear
33.
Spell
47.
Rope
61.
Key
6.
Runestones
20.
Dagger
34,
Heart
48,
Banner
62.
Doorway
7.
Jewel
21.
Meteorite
35.
Raven
49.
Claw
63.
Trinket
8.
Crystal Eall
22.
Compass
36.
Robe
50.
Relic
64,
Herb
9.
Beast
23.
Goblet
37.
Poison
51.
Recipe
65.
Wine
f0,
Dragon
24.
Map
38.
Water
52.
Ancestor
66,
Blood
f 1,
Armies
25.
Chest
39.
lce
53.
Glover
67.
Quest
12.
Fire
26.
Necklace
40.
8ow
54.
Flower
68.
Riddle
69.
Portal
13.
Treasure
27,
Crown
41.
Wind
55,
Vine
14.
Land
28.
Wand
42.
Lightning
56.
Secret
l.
Attack
lO.
Abuse
19.
Escapefrom
2,
Destroy
11.
Bewitch
20.
Love
3.
Find
12.
Control
27.
Purify
4.
Burn,Scorch
13.
Condemn
22.
Enchant
5.
Freeze
14.
Trick
23.
6.
Curce
15.
Casta spell on
24,
7.
Enslave
16.
Damn
8.
Capture
17.
Punish
9.
Steal
18.
Takerevenge
Discredit, Besmirch
34.
Blind, Desolate
2A.
Deceive
35.
29.
Challenge
Eradicate, Eliminate
Summon
30.
Exploit
36.
Undermine
Free
31.
Plunder
37.
Necrofy
25.
Ransom
32.
Flood, Drown
38.
vilify
26,
Torture
33.
Entangle, Stupefy
39.
Disenchant
40.
Hide from
a ;. i
s '*
27.
+1
THI
ftIAT lHE AWENTUREUPO4IJ
EI,ECTRICSI,IDING EOHIPPUS
WIICH WESHALLgE EilBARKINa HASITSBE@INNINaS IN A ,.) )1
')-
f HerrERFrvE,[EsrcmNcFoR$ronv you learned In the previous chapter, allabout the structureof storyandits importance asa tool for communicating withthe restof thosehumans out there. That'sall wellandgoodfor novelists andfolksingers, you maysay,but howdoesthat haveanythingto do with games? How doesstoryapplyto adventures? And youcallyourself anXDM! Theprevious chapterwasn'tcalled"Storyis Everything!" for nothing. . . €r, something likethat. point The is thatyou caneffectively tell a storyin a role playingadventure if you havethe righttools. Let'sstartby takinga lookat the differentkindsof basicadventure designforms.
o-@=O-m-
players Leading aroundby the noseringcomes to mind. In termsof story,thisis the easiest to control: Yousimplyplugin yourplot poinsat various locationsdownthe line,andtheplayers haveno choice but to followyour iron-cladscriptfrom predictable beginning to entirelyalltoo predictable endwithout everhavingto worryaboutthosebothersome ideasof freechoice,play,gaming,or roleplaying. Hand me your Nose Ring (Linear Thisstructureis idealfor games whereyou want Design) to evaluate the progress of differentgroups-likea Thefirstkindof design is linear,whichmeans "in tournament, for example. Yousimplydetermine who (andcontrolling) a line."Thisis the mostcontrolled de- got furtheralongdownthe linethananyoneelseand signconcept.Players enterthe gameat pointA. They declare game thewinner.lt's not unlikea ]apanese haveno choicebut to advance to pointB. There,they show-Ninja Warriorcomesto mind. beatup a monster,takeis stuffand-guess what?-get Theothergoodthingaboutthisgamestructure to advance to pointC withno otheroptionsavailable. is that it hasultimateeconomy.The designer of the periodof timeuntil Thisproceeds for anexcruciating gameknowsthat everysinglelocationin the game (andfate-demanded) the players reachthe predictable thathedesigns will be utilized andvisitedat onepoint pointE wherethe gamecomesto a predictable (and or another. No partof yourdesign will bewasted. same)endingeverytime. As if thatwasimportant!
+2
pesrcllxcron$ronv Thedownside-and it is a hugedownside-is that keepsexpanding outwardthe furtherthe playersgo in youhaveto stripall the fun thingsaboutroleplaying the campaign, of constantly expanding the boundaries game players outof the in orderto forcethe down theirknowledge of the andpushing backthe frontiers thestoryline. Sure,theymayhavea greatdealof world. freedom insfdethe individualnodesof the adventure, Thisseems likea dandyfrnedesign,so far asthe buttheresultis alwaysthe same:there'sonlyone players areconcerned. lt givesthe players the ultimate exitto the restof the adventure. Forgetaboutthink- in freewill; theycan,with veryfewlimits,go pretty ingoutside the box;no boxcanexistin a straight muchwherever theywantto go andkeepexploring line. newplaces. Yes,it's a greatplacefor players. . . anda livLike,Whatever! (Open Matrix) ingnightmare for adventure creators.Let'ssay,for Thesecond kindof design is at theopposite end example, you're designing a campaign worldfor that ofthespectrum, theopenmatrixdesign. Youmight your players-the you haveiust Realmof Subar-and knowthisby is morecommonnamein roleplaying spentthe lastsixweeks creating an incredibly detailed circles, thecampaign. andpoignantly Kingdomof Lost storiedunderground for a campaign Wishes. It'seasyto showthe branching for lt's enormous! lt's epic!lt's thebestdesign Youstartessentially setting. at the centralpointA. gameevercreated anadventure andallyourplayers Usuallythisis a tavernin a townbecause, aswe your haveto do is follow clevertrailof cluesto its gates know,all adventures already beginin a familiarplace to makethisdreama realityfor everyone. thatwethinkof ashome..Thenthecharacters can you thatyour players, I canguarantee fllledwith wander outsideof the tavernto the streetat B, or theirownfreewill andchoice,will eitherstayput in the to thebakerat C, or to the cooperat D, or to the or tavernandtalkendlessly to eachotherin character, stable at E, or to the blacksmith at F. We haven't theywill neverpickup thetrailyou havesocarefully travelled morethantwentyfeetso far, andwe're laidfor them,or theywill getthe cluesandgo in any locations. already up to fiveadditional branching But directionexcept wherethe cluesleadthem. whathappens if we go a fewfeetfurtherout, past thestreetor the bakeror the cooperor the stable? Well,wait!There'smore!Thiscampaign matrixjust WECANOO AITYU']ERE?7 NEEOA UTTLE II1ORE 1HANIHAT, OO gACK 10 THE OIQECIION
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. I dorr,tevenwant to beginanalyzing why gameplayersall think of a tavernashome.
43
V)LLA6EANO OPEN I
Whilecampaign design hasanappealing appearance, the realityis not verysatisfactory for most players. Campaigns do not makefor goodstorytelling because theyhaveno realstructureon whichto hang plot. the Soif you werewondering if the wonderful campaign thatyour playershavebeenslogging through for the lasttwentyyearswill makea greatbook,l'm afraidtheanswer is no. Campaigns arenotstories. Worstof all, campaigns requiretheircreators to designexponentially morewith everypassing day.You haveto fightto keepthe designaheadof the players,andultimatelyyou sfillhaveno story,justevents withoutstructure.
Narrative Bumper Pool (Closed Matrix) Thethird typeof designgivesthe illusion of free will foundin the openmatrixcreation whileproviding the structureandflowof the lineardesign.lt wasfirst quantified duringthe earlyyearsof designing the Dragonlanceseriesandhaslargelybecomea lostart today. We callthistheclosedmatrix. Thetruth is thatyou haveprobablyalready workedsomewhat in thiskindof designalready.Any a closedmatrixdesign "dungeoncrawl"is essentially sinceyou'reprettymuchlimitedto thehalls,rooms, shafu,doors,andstairs.Thisformof designbecomes moreimportant,however,onceyou moveout of the dungeon andintotheopenair. Theclosedmatrixconceptlooksa gooddealmore complicated thanit actuallyis in practice.Players start at thebeginning of theadventure A (yes,it is probably a tavern).Theyhavethe choices essentially of goingto B or C or D. That'sa significant numberof choices, but theyarechoices that havedirection. Theyarechoices that movetowardthe endof the adventure andshow advancement towardthe obiective. Otherchoices the players mightmakeallencounter eitherhardor soft"edges."Theseedgesactlike rubberbumpers, redirecting, or "bouncing" theplayersbacktowardthe centerof the designmatrix.These bumpers canbeanyof a numberof differentkinds of thingsto motivate(soft)or force(hard)playerto remaininsidethe limis of thegamedesign. Forexample,thesebumpers mightbewhatwe calla "timelock."Thisisthe equivalent of a tickingbombcount down.lf doomis goingto fallat a certaintimethen
the players aremotivatedto movein the directionof thesolution.Traveling awayfromthesolution will wasteprecious time.Anotherchoiceisthe "option lock"wherethe optionsavailable to the characters getmoreandmorenarrowoverthe passage of time. Thirdisthephysical lockwherethe physical boundariesof the gameiself preventthe playersfrom leavinguntilthesolutionis foundor timerunsout. Forexample: Yourplayers arein a tavern(sigh) andtheyhearthatto the eastthereis a castlewhere princess thebeautiful Mirandahasbeencruellyimprisoned by theWizardof the BlueBeardandthathis armiesaremarauding overthe countryside. Everyone knowsthatthe Wizardof the BlueBeardis never goodnewsfor anyprincess. lf onlytherewassomeoneto freeher! Soyour playersnaturallygo wesc. Whiletravellingwestdownthe road,theyencounter a courier whohasbeenwounded in battle.He slipsfromhis horseiustasyour playersarrive.Gasping for breath, hehandsyourplayers a message thatmustbedeliv-
+4
4
eredto theprincess to the easfor all is lost.(He is a softbumper,tryingto motivatethe players to take go thehintand east.) Soyourplayersnaturallycontinuewesf.There theyencounter forcesof the kingwhoarefleeing earffromthe battlefront.TheWizardof the Blue Beard's forcesareoverwhelming. Unlessthe powers of theprincess canbe freedfrom her imprisonment to theEASI,thenthe kingdomwill be lost.(Thisis a second, moreemphatic, softbumper.) players, The asonemightexpect,continue to thewest.Theyactuallyftndthe battlefrontand discover for themselves that the armiesof the Blue Beard Wizardare,indeed,ovenvhelmingly powerful andtheirlinesimpassable. At thispoint,the players have encountered a hardboundary. lf theyinsist oncontinuing west,well,theydeserye to die in whatever wayseems the mostignominious. Natural selection reallyshouldapplyto heroes. playingfleldof thegame, Withinthedesigned
of course,the playersarefreeto go anddo asthey please andmakeasmanyof theirownfreewill choices astheywish. Butnoticethat regardless of the choices made,the closedmatrixhasa naturalandorganicflow fromthe top to the bottom.Theplayersalwayshave a sense thattheyaremakingprogress, andthe later encounters canmovethe storyforwardbecause the general matrixiself is flowingin the directionof the plot. As theendof thegamenears, theoptionswill narrow untilthe conclusion of the gamemerges with the climaxof thestory.Youmighthaveonlyoneconclusionin your designX or you mighthavetwo or three Y g. Z but it is important thatyou havea finitenumber of endings to dealwith sothatthe restof the storycan flowtowardthem. Closedmatrixdesignis a lostart. Butif you master it, thenyou'll be a trueXDM!
F'NE! VIE'LL
60 EAgr!
+5
.THI Rry-FVE INl ELLIaENCE,
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f,Hamrn$rx'$ErnorR check:Puzzles the Senses the Stupid. ScrewYouIntelligence to Bewitch andConfound Thingsthatmakeyour players actually haveto because therecan'tbejustonerightanswer. game priceless. Thereasons whyareapln magician termsthisis knownas"multiple thinkin a are given parent,anythingthat ges you awayfrom the diceand outs."Yourjob is to interpretthe answers for a minuteor two is worthwhile. talky-talky Puzzles youaccording to theknownintelligence, wisdom, forceplayersto changegearsandthinkwith a different or streetsmarts eachplayer's character has.lt is the partof theirbrain. responsibility of the playerto comeup withandjusMostimportantly, theyallowa deeperconnection tify answers to riddles-whatever thoseanswers may player punish between andcharacter thatis not onlyhealthy be.As anXDM,feelfreeto helpor themas but doesn'tinvolvea life-size Thunderdome in your needed. backyard. Fora moment,theplayeris actually A quickexample:Thepartyreaches thinktheThree ingin placeof theircharacter. No intelligence checks Doorsof MegaDoomandareconfronted with riddle //R-l,, (seenextpage). (at leastnot usually).Justthemanda puzzle. I could go on aboutthedualityimbedded in a player-character Go aroundyourgroupasking, "Whatdo you relationship, but andtheboundsof thatrelationship, think?"lf theyarenewto thisidea,perhaps speciff youwouldn'treadiq youwouldjustskipdownto the by saying,"Tell your partywhatyour character puzzles.lf you haven'talready. Oh, andby theway thinksyoushoulddo." Thepointhereisto force Selddirissimply"riddles"spelled backwards. themto roleplay.Not to talkamongSt themselves whilstoneguygetson hisiPhone to lookup theanRiddles swer-nothisis an RPG-iftheydon'tlikeit theyneed Riddles likethe onesbelowhavebeenusedbefore, to go playa regularold G. Anyway,Princess the many,manytimesbefore,in RPGs aroundtheglobe. Barbarian says,"We shouldgo in a differentway-me Theproblemis that usuallytheyarepresented wrong. hatepuzzles." Wilikers theWizardsays,"We should Thepoint,asmentioned, is to getyour playerthinking go in the third gate."Therestof the groupis lostin you aren'task- variousdegrees in placeof theircharacter. Nevertheless, of stupor. ingyour buddyEdwhatthe answeris,you areasking Finally theyallagreeto do whattheWizard hischaracter. Ed mustanswerfor "Princess the Barbar- says.Sonow,askthe wizardwhyhercharacter thinks for the DM ian" not for Ed.Thismakes it interesting
+6
that.lf shesays,"mehit'sjusta hunch."Fine,let themgotowardthe third door.Theywill hearanevil sound comefrom oneof the othertwo doors.Ask themif theywantto continue or change theirmind. lf Wilikers theWizardsayssomething like"Let's keepgoing.I wantto kill stuff"Well,thatwasn'ta veryintellectual response wasit? Wizards shouldbe intellectual. Punish Wilikers. lf theplayersayssomething like,"Well,threeis anoddnumber, andthe riddlesays..."(stillnot the rightanswer) Fine,awesome, rewardher."Wilikers" issmart,andif the playeris creativeenoughto give asmart-sounding answer thenWilikers shouldbe rewarded or punished according to hercreativity. Thkalsomeans thatwhilea playerwithgreat intelligence cangivea relatively wronganswerand stillberight,an idiot character canbe righton the money andstillbetotallywrong-alldepending on givenfor the character thereasons comingup with thatanswer. Thisis a greatsystemwhenyou havecreative people in your group.A partyfull of creativepeople, however, is a rarity.So,if presented with a problem thatyourgroupcan'tfigureout but theircharacters defrnitely could...it'stimeto roll thedice.Thereisa system for thisin the XD20 sectionof thisbook. Whatfollowsarea numberof riddlesthatwe have enjoyedpresenting overthe years.Someof arelateralthinkingproblems, these andothersare purelogic,stillothersarejuststupid.Thediffrculty levelof the puzzles is varied,but everyone is different soyoushoulddecidehowhardor easysomething is. Someof themarecommonandothersnot socommon.Remember: eventhe morecommon puzzles youshouldchange havea place.Naturally thecircumstances of eachriddleto fit your particular (Youmayfrndthe answers situation. in the Appedicesat theendof the book.)
changeyourmind,you canstillgo into gateone,two, or three.Whichgateshouldyou choose? R-2: Twentydoorsarelinedup oneafterthe otheralonga largewall.Abovethe doors,scratched into the stoneareancientsymbols that,whentranslated,say: "Thepathyou desire,the onethatis right, will leadyou to gold,glory, andlight, 19 sonsof evilweretrappedherefirst; to freeoneof themisa dark,dreadcurse." Whichdoordo you choose? R.-3:A crazyold manin the streetstopsyou and sayssomething abouta bet. Pulling out a goldcoin,he tosses it in theairandcatches it deftlyin hishand.He thenlooksat it secretly anddoesthesamethingagain. He nowlooksat you andsays,"One of my flipslandedheads up.Whataretheodds that it landedheadsup the other time?"
R.-4:Thatsame crazyold manthen youa pieceof hands paperthat hasbeen foldedup andtells you to hold on to it. He saysthat
he haswritten a prediction in thepaper andhewill giveyou 2I oddsthat you can'tguess whether or not it will cometrue. "lf youthinkit will cometruewrite'Yes'on it. R.-1:Threelargegatesarebeforeyou. Eachgate lf youthinkit won't,write youa pen. looks thesamein everydetail.On an old signstand- 'No'." He hands you ingbeforethe gates,a message reads, Whatdo write,yesor two liesevil. Only onethe suregate no? "Behind with choose the not by odds,and fate." lust you chose Afteryourselection is made(let'sassume R-5:Your thefirstgate)the secondgatestartsto rattleanddark partyentersa mistpoursfrom betweenthe bars.lt's not too lateto secretroomwith threechests, eachof
\r,
47
whichbearsan inscription. In thecornerof the room desperate needof helpfrom the elvesthat livethere. standsa childwith dark,soulless eyes.Shesaysthat in Theyagreeto helpyou on onecondition,that you onechestis a rubyof greatvalue.Anotherchestholds answera questionabouttheirforest."Our treesgrow a disease, anothera curse.Thechestwith the disease doubletheirheighteachdayuntilafter 1OOdays hasa trueinscription, the chestwiththecursea false theyhavereached theirfull height.After howmany one,andthechestwiththerubyhasan inscription that dayswouldtheybe at onlyhalfof theirheight?" couldbeeithertrueor false.Youmayonlyopenone. Theinscriptions read: R-11: Onceagainthatsamecrazyold man Chestl: Thischestcontains theruby comesup to you,andthistimehe flipstwo coinsin theair (a coppercoinanda thufr2,I'trt'inscirpi.ronon chestoneis true. silvercointhateachweighthe chestholdsthecurse. Chest3: Thesecond them.You same)andcatches Whichchestdo youopen? don'tseewhichhandcaught whichcoin.Thenhetellsyou R-6: After walkingfor sometime,your party a at thecenterof whichstands thatthesilvercoinlandsheads comesto a garden, up andasks,"Whatarethe statue.In the righthandof thatstatueisa swordof greatpower.ln thelefthandis a bell.Legend hasit that oddsthat bothlandedheads up?" (TheXDM maywishto the swordcoulddestroyanyfoewith oneblow.Howremember the answerto R'3 ever,no onehasbeenableto takeit, for the statue's grip uponit is greaterthananyforceknownbeneath if thecolorof the andaskhimself anydifference.) coinsmakes You mayaskthe statueoneyesor no the heavens. question.lt will ringthe belloncefor yesandtwicefor Couldyou ask R-12:A crazyold man-let'ssaythatit'sthe no. Thestatuemustgivea true answer. you in the grip reasons-stops its on sameonefor consistency that wouldforceit to release it a question woodsand,pointingto a fallentree,asks,"The tree the sword? was25 feethighandfour feetaroundbeforeit fell, but wascut a foot abovethe base.lf the treehad R-7:Yourpartyis in an inn (wow,there'sa new sailorputsa rarecoinin a bottle, threefeetremovedfrom its top sixyearsago...how idea)anda drunken you to getthe coin highwouldit be now?" whichhe thencorks.He challenges out. Youcan'ttakethecorkout,youcan'tbreakthe Puzzles elseto do it for you. Physical bottle,andyou can'tgetsomeone abovearefrne likethe onesmentioned Riddles Whatdo you do? of howto changethingsup everynow asan exarnple sortof R-8:Thecrazyold manfindsyouagainandshows andthen,but theyareprobablythe weakest puzzle.In fact,theyareto be usedsparingly. Also, youa holein theground.Hestarurantingabouthow group your taketoo longto figureone is thanyours.Hisquestion don't everlet hismathskillsaregreater of thesethingsout. As in goodcooking,if you add this,"How muchdirt is in a holethatis l5 feetin you will poisonyour too muchof oneingredient, but a merefourfeetin depth?" diameter, guests.Okaythat'snot usuallytrue,but you getthe point. in an inn tellsyou thisstory:"A R-9: A stranger Thereis a muchbetterwayto forceyour playfatheraskedhissonto go into an inn andbuyhim some aren'thardto make. told the boy ersto think:the puzzle.Puzzles ale.Whenthe boy entered,the bartender arenothingmore lf you thinkaboutit, mostpuzzles the boy Ieftthe inn andreturned to leave.Defeated, plus turnedto me and thana handfulof chaos a cluehowto orderit. Thebartender homeemptyhanded. 'Did you knowthatwasmy son?'" Thestranger Theycanbe simple-likethreepoolsof water,eacha said, that match differentcolor,andthreeorbselsewhere thenasksyou, "How is that possible?" thosecolors.Or theycanbe a bit moreinvolved, R-10:Youentera magicforestwhereyouarein
48
$mnoln puzzlein your game. suchasfiguringout whichvillagerstolethe sacred adoptthemasa physical diamond by askingquestions. Thegoalis to provide arethosethat existfor a Thebestkindsof puzzles go theplayers with somesomof problem,a bit of chaos, purpose. Peopledon't to the troubleandenormous anda cluefor themto solveandorderthatchaos. expense of buildinga teleportmazecoveringan entire Entireadventure environments canbe a puzzle. floorof theircastlewithoutgoodreason.lf thereis Of course, anymysteryis essentially a puzzle.Tracy someelaborate mechanism for placingcertaincolored oncewrotean adventure calledTheAnvilof Timefor stonesin certaincoloredbraziers in orderto determine theDragonlance sett:ngwherean entireunderground a sequence of doorsopeninglikea safecombination complex turnedout to beoneenormous mechanism thenthosedoorshadbetterbe guarding something fortimetravelthat requiredthe characters to move reasonably valuable. fromroomto roomandlevelto levelto setup the device andgetit to work.Thegenius.in thisdesign It's a Trap! wasin making the mechanism so bigthatthecharacterscouldn'tseethewholethingat onceandcould onlyunderstand is purposeaftermovingovermultiplelevelsandthrougha varietyof rooms. NO, OEl SOMEBOOY Likemagic,puzzles canalsoinvolvea considELSETO SAYIT. erable ln theold Pharaoh amountof misdirection. adventure by TracyEr LauraHickman,the designers wanted to put in a maze.Theproblemwith a maze ina traditional role playinggameis that the players aremaking a mapon theirgraphpaper.Howpuzzlingcanthe mazebe if the mapis therein front of Theirbrillianttsolutioncamein theformof them? maze.Theentiremazewascomprised of ateleport tenfootwideby thirty foot longidenticalpassages withmagical mist-frlled archesat bothends,andtwo morefacingeachotheron eitherside.Stepthrough in whatlookslikethesame themistandfrndyourself roomyou iustleft. TracyandLaurareasoned, however,thatover passing theyearsadventurers into the mazewould (liketheirdecaying behindsomedifferences leave Trapsarelikepuzzles, onlydeadlier.Puzzles bodies, for example), whichallowed subsequent ad- canbe benignwaysof makingyou scratchyour head, venturers someadvantage in workingout the maze. but trapsaremeantto stopyourcharacter cold-or puzzles Youcanfindinspiration in for physical kill your character dead.Traps,by theirverynature, An old family anykindof process or mechanism. aresupposed to be a surprise, something to catch game from 1962 called"HighGear"wouldhave you completely unaware whileyou aretrespassing on madea reallygreatpuzzlearoundwhichyou could someone else'sturf. Therehavebeenentiredungeons buildanentireadventure.+ A goodsourcefor for onedeadly the existence of whichwasiustan excuse inspiration mightalsocomefrom TheWayThings surprise afteranother.s whereyou canseehow Workby DavidMacaulay, Here'sthe problemwith traps:Theyaremost workandthen anynumberof mechanisms actually in oftenemployed asa weaponby badgamereferees theirsupposed theirsuperiority over struggle to assert ' The word 'genius'herewasactuallywrittenby Tracyabouthimself. players.Unless theyare theyareproperlyhandled, It isthissort of honestyand integritythat is the hallmarkof XDMs. primarily punitive players. to t Again,Tracy'sinsertedword reflectingan XDMs aversionto false modesty. * Why did I iust givethat away!
5
Gary Gygax's'Tombof Horrors'comesto mind.
49
I
Youalsoneedto remember that if yourtrap is XDMsalwayssettrapsproperlyusingtheseguidein in yourgame,then the way of an essential element lines: routeby whichthe playTheheroiccharacters you musfhavean alternate Trapsmustbe foreshadowed. get your ers can to that element. Youdo not wantyour slogging through dungeondesignmusthave all tossing themselves like at leastsomekindof warningthat theyareenter- foolishplayers'characters just lemmings onto for the same trap hours on end inga minefreld.Thiscanbe asobvious asa sign you didn'tgivethemanyotherchoice. because carvedinto the wallsaying"Beware!No Living Personnel AllowedBeyond ThisPoint!"or as subtteasan unseenbreezebrushing up the hairson Too much or not enough? With riddles,puzzles, or traps,you will always neck,but theyhaveto the backof the character's Howmuchdo I tell havesomecluethatthereissomething badahead endup withthesamequestion: my of them. Players? Thisis a balancing act,andyes,it involves the players puzzles, whole between what difference know and Trapsmustmakesense.Like the locationof know.However,the mostimArchitecsof EvilLairs whattheircharacters trapsmusthavea purpose. portant getthe mostsatisfaction players put is thing that do not iust expensive andelaborate trapswillynillyin the kitchenhallwayout of artisticlicense. lf out of solvingthe riddlesin the gamethemselves.r purpose. However,it is oftendiffrcultto iudgehowmany the trap is there,it hasto havea or howblatantthe cluesyour stalwartplayerswill requireto figurethingsout. Therehasto be anotherway. All trapshavea Thebestwayto dealwith thisproblemis inside mechanism for disarming them andwe'renot 'Stinky.' game the Foreverymind-bending design. riddle, named talkingabouta thiefcharacter complexpuzzle,or fearsome trap,you needto seed Thereis alwaysan actualphysical meansof shutyes, the clues and solutions elsewhere in the design.As tingoff the trapand, it will be locatedsomea rule,threewill usuallycoverit: the firstclueonly wherethat makessense. Theexception to this a subtlenudge,thesecond a bit moreblatant,and wouldbe anadventure dealing witha treasure the headsaying, housewhoseowneraccidently secured hisgoldtoo the third a whoppingsmackacross your THIS dummy!"* By these insidethe seeding wellandnowhashired adventurers to break "try designitself,it allowsyou to providethe players what into hisowntreasure housefor him.. theyneedto solvethe riddlewithoutresorting to callinganyonenamesat the uble. Betterstill,since theytheyobtainedthe cluesthrough theirownefforts,the players will + feelincredibly universally clever no matterhowblatantthe clue required. -::^-:
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___
-
*
Oh, no! | iust gaveawayanothergreat adventureidea!
Or at leastfeelingasthoughthey did. f + We are speakingentirely metaphoricallyhere, of course,referring to the degreesof blatantcyin the cluesor hints provided.We do not advocateactuallysmackingyour playeruacrossthe headregardless of your personalfeelingon the matter,
s0
f, HarrrngrvrN,JFlouSHerrpnrlenrr Soyouhavethe basicstructureof the adventure ls it possible to takethispreparation too far?One inmind.You'vestructured it aroundtheCampbelliancanspeculate thattherearegamereferees who have Monomyth. You'vefittedit with mysteryandriddles. spententirelytoo muchtimeworkingon a campaign Youarea creativedynamo. worldwhichno oneelsewill eversee,thosewhoare Guess what?Creativepeopleareamazingly "foreverdesigning but nevercomingto a performance commonplace amonggameplayers.lf you,replaying of thegame.".Therecomesa timewhenyoujusthave aroleplayinggameyou had betterbe creative! We, to movepastthe designandplayit. A gamethat is not despite our being448,hLevelXDMs,certainlydo playedis unfulfrlled. yourcreativity.Butit isn,tthe ceative notquestion people whomakethe grade!Creativityis easy,disciplined creativity is a rareandbeautifulthing.lt isn,t The Map is the Territoly enough to comeup with the coolestadventure of all Themosteasilyrecognized organizational tool you time.Youhaveto be ableto execufe the designin a canhavefor youradventure design is a solidmap.Bewaythatis useful,organized, andcoherent. causeyouradventure will takeplacealmostexclusively in yourmindandthemindsof yourplayers, thismap Preparation Time and When to Know How Far thatyou createactuallywill bethe territoryof your b Too Far game. Theruleis prettystraightforward: Thesuccess of Yourmapis morethanjusta representation of the youradventure is directlyproportional to the amount worldfor yourgame.lt is the playingfreldon whichall you put into it. If you justslaptoofpreparation activities happen. Elemeng of thismaprepresent some gether a map,iot downsomenotes,anddetermine to of the hardandsoftbordersof your overallgamein a justmakeup the restof it whenyou getthere,we,re closedmatrixdesign.lt is alsoa graphic representation going to tearyour XDM patches of the variousencounters off your pajamas of your gamedesignandtheir physical attheverynextregionalmeeting!No XDM worth interrelationships. A goodmapcanmakeyour work as an XDM ever hisdicewouldapproach so much game easier. a withsucha casual, sloppy approachl . Ap"$rpt"l
3""k of the XDM, 6t122
Takeinto consideration all of the followingelementswhendesigning the mapfor yourgame:
likelywill not wantto seethe servants, but will certainlywantthemhandy.Howdo the servants enterthe areasof the royalty?Howarethey keptseparate? Howdoestrafficof individuals andtheirpurposes flowthroughthe structure? Thisalsoappliesto the layoutof towns.A studyof medieval citiesshowsthat theirstreets areterriblyconvoluted because it wasa defensive strategy to confuseinvading armies.Are your streetsintentionally confusingor did you iust drawa badmap?
l. Themapneedsto makesense. Youshouldhave somebasicconceptof howcartography functions. Cartographers aroundthe worldhavebeenmakingmapsaslongaspeoplehavebeenwalking. Thesystems whichtheyhavedeveloped overthe millenniahaveevolvedinto theircurrentform for a reason. Adopttheirtools. 2. The locationsneedto makesense.Thinkabout (likecastles, anystructures villages, or dungeons) in termsof theiruse.Picturepeople(or monsters) actually livingthere.ls thisa defensive structure (asmostcastles are)?lf so,thenwhereareallof goingto be housed? thoseguards Theywill all needto be fedandtheirmesshallswill needto be nearboththe barracks andthe kitchenfacilities. Theroyaltytheyareprotectin&however,most
3. Considerrenderinga profileview of any major building.Mostadventure dungeons, werethey actuallyconstructed, wouldhavesomething of a ranchstyleappearance floor with a sprawling planspread out verywidelyovera singlelevel. Thereis no reasonwhy anyonewouldactually buildsucha ridiculous structure.
SAY?THOSEWON'TgE A PROgLEilFOR.OLO "SPOT|EO
52
pnrraner THou$Harr CastleRavenloft-from the classic TSR"lnc. adventure moduleRavenloft-was actually reverse engineered by studyingthe layoutsof FrenchandGermancastles, notingthevarious required andtheirrelationships, spaces andthen drawing the exferiorof whatthe castlelooked likefirstandthensegmenting it into levelsand drawing floorplansfor eachlevel.lt istruethat iterationgoingon in the therewasconsiderable process; the elevation drawingwouldbe modifredasthe requiredinteriorspaces wereput in placeor the interiorspaces wouldbe modifled to suita betterlookto the elevation drawing. Theresultwasa buildingthat actuallylooked likea castle wouldwantto build. thatsomeone (thanks in a uniquemapdesign It alsoresulted to thebrilliance of DaveSutherland) with,as befrts an actualcastle,a lot of goingup the stairs andcomingdownthemaswell.This,in turn, hada tendency to getthe playerscompletely lostinsidethe castle,a wonderfulsidebenefit. lf yourdungeon or building wouldlooksquat andsquashed wereit actually to be built,then youshouldconsider takingthe structurevertical, ratherthanhorizontal. 4 Weknowthis is supposedto be fantast but getreal. Yourwildestimagination onlyworks whenit is grounded in something familiar or that at leastmakessense.Beforeyou startdrawing a mapof yourworldthat lookslesslikesomethingfromTolkienandmoreIikesomething from"How I SpentMy Summer Vacation,"yotJ waysto makeit morereal. mightconsider Forexample, startwith thesebasicconcepts geography, aboutgeology, andgeopolitics: hasa hugeimpacton civilizations. Geography Startby slamming a fewlandmasses together. Prevailing winds,mountain rangeplacement, andthelocations of largebodiesof waterlargely rainfall.(Rainfallson thewindward determine sideandlandtendsto bedrieron the leeward side.Howfertileis the ground?Howoftendoes plusits it rain?Theanswers to thesequestions, the typesof elevation abovesealeveldetermine vegetation foundthere.Rainfallson the mounuinsandtheirslopedetermines wherethe rivers
run. (Duh!)Moreimportantly, follow civilizations (because the courseof riversin theirestablishment riversarethe mostefficientwayof travelinglong distances, naturalroads).Usethosesameriversas a guidefor the classical spreadof your civilization. beforeyou go plantSpeaking of civilizations, ingruinsall overyour map,consider someof questions: the following Whobuiltthesethings here?Whendid theybuildthemandwhy?What happened whoeverbuiltthesethings thatcaused hereto abandon them?(Comeon! Nobodybuilds "ruins.")Doessomeof thestufftheyoriginally builtherestillwork?Why?lf monsters nowinhabit theseruins,whatcaused themto movein here? Howhavetheyadaptedthisplaceto theirown livingrequiremens? 5. lf you eversay"becauseit's magic"again,I $ rear.. . You haveexactlyfiveseconds to launch into an extensive discourse on howmagicworks in yourworld,whythismagicstillworksafterall pieceof magic thistime,andwhythisparticular just pansy-sissy isn't someweak,milkquetoast, DM hiswayout of a baddesign. lf at whiningto excuse anypointin yourexplanation anyXDM withinthe soundof yourvoiceget'seventhe slightest feeling thatyouaresomehow DougHenning channeling 'lt's you sayin& Magic!'then losetwo levelsasan XDM andmustimmediately makea saving throw for your designor startall over! Magichadbetterbe a reason andnot an excuse. Fartoo manyfantasy andscience fictionstoriesor games fallbackon thistiredwimp-out."Hey, why is it that a pairof rubyslippers cangetyou home in two seconds?" it's magicl"Nuc! You "Because prepared hadbetterbe to explainwhy it is that with thecrystalline structure of rubycombined its color the chromiumthat givesthe gemstone interacts to mergethe etherealfieldsurrounding planet fold between the to producea space-time parallel worlds-one and of whichis in Technicolor theotherin a sepiatonebrownandwhite.. * This fold effect had better alsobe known to causeextremeweather conditionson both sidesof the paralleluniverseoften resultingin an phenomenonknownas"a Twista!" atmospheric
suchproblems in yourdesign. When to solving Laura+ andTracywereworkingon thesecond bookfor theirBronzeCanticles series,Mystic Quesf,Tracywasfacedwith a problemof an ancient underground empirewhichconnected the northernandsouthernsections of a continent.Therewassomething the map on called Dwarven to be Road" that was supposed "the a bigdealtransportation systemthat hadlong from use.lt didn't make sincebeenabandoned sense thattherewouldbe theseenormously long tunnelsunderground. Surethe mountains were difficultto getthrough,but howcouldforging a windingpaththroughthe mountainpasses be moredifficultor expensive tunnel thandigginga throughsolidrockfor hundreds of miles?Moreover,whowouldwantto bestuckin a tunnel hundreds of mileslongon theirox cart?Where wouldyou camp?Wherewouldyou feedyour ox andyourselPAnd whowouldwantto stay for week underground iusttryingto getto the lightat the endof the DwaryenRoad? It justdidn'tmakesense andfor the longest timeTracycouldn'tfigureout howto dealwith it. Thena differentapproach occurredto him. "Hey, I don't haveto figureout howto do it. Thedwarves who livedherealready did that.All I haveto figureout is howthe dwarves would havedoneit." Theresultwasthe discovery that the DwarvenRoadwasn'ta roadat all. lt wasa rivers,with ocsetof directedunderground casional andviaducts cuts,conduits, thatlinked underground lakes. Youdidn'ttakea cart.You rodethe river. lf you havea problemin the structureof yourstory game,or adventure neyerpatchit put your overwith magic.Rollup your sleeves, thinkingcapon andlookat thewholeprocess as a challenge. Nevergiveup! Neversurrender to magic!5
lf anyof usevercatchyou plastering overa plot poorly hole,badcharacter motivationor designed structurewith the words"because it's magic,"we will huntyou down. Creatingsolutions to plot problems that arenot your by waving not-so-magical wand iustdismissed is partof the challenge worlds andfun of creating andtheadventure thatreflectthem.WhenMargaret.andTracywereworkingon the Dearhgate Cyclethe firstof the worldsfeaturedfloatingland masses in a seemingly endless sky. Now, asidefrom thisbeingapparently inspired by a traumatictrip to the recordstorewhenTracy wasa youngteenager, why did thesemassive islands floatin thissky?Wasit magic?NOI Tracy considered howit wouldbethathugelandmasses wouldactuallyfloatin the slqf.Eithertheywere in a regionwithoutgravity-which wouldreally complicate the storysincehe reallyneededgravity to workhere-ortherewassomething aboutthe islands that floatedthemin the sky. themselves Whatelsefloats?Wood?Very smallrocks?A duck?tHowaboutzeppelins They anddirigibles? floatbecause theydisplace moreairthantheir totalweight,the samereasonironshipsfloat. So,howis it that theseislands weighso littleand displace Perhaps somuchspace? theyaremostly hollow-like volcanic rockmixedwithairwhenit cools-and thentherewouldbesomething that frlledthosevoidswith a gaswith lessdensitythan the surrounding atmosphere. Whatif therewere growing fungus insidethosespaces whichcreated suchliftinggases aspartof theirexistence. Of course,thiswouldmeanthatthe islands in the sky weremostlyporousandthereforewouldn'thold waterverywell... whichmeantthatmy inhabitantswouldhaveto workprettyhardto keepany waterthat cametheirway.Waterwouldtherefore be prettyvaluable asa commodity,whichmeant perhaps that waterwastheirmediumof exchange. the problemhadledusto a really Suddenly interesting worldfrlledwith newpossibilities. it helpsto takea differentapproach Sometimes *
MargaretWeis,world-renownfantasynovelistwhosenamewe are casuallydroppingherebecause we want you to know how cool we are being ableto iust referto suchan excellentpersonby her frrstnamealone. f You knew that there would needto be at leastone referenceto Monty Wthon and the Holy Grailsomewherein this book.
you with the peoplewe know,we mention { Once againimpressing LauraHickman,the beautifuland talentedwife of Tracy Hickmanand his writing partner aswell. Pleasetell her that this footnote is in the book next time you seeher. $ You knew there would haveto be a GalaxyQuesfreference somewhere aswell, didn't you?
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TLlou$HetrPnrpanrr up. Textis one tientwhilethe restof the classcatches information.. Youhaveto readit in a line dimensional for anymeaning to comeout of the andin sequence words.Youcannotreada wordon pageten, flip back to pageonefor anotherwordandthento pagesixand expectthe randomlychosenwordsfor form a cohesive one-dimensional sentence. Charuarealsoessentially aswell.tTables andmapsmakea fineshowof step(heightand pingthingsup intothesecond dimension breadth).Thesetogetherarethe completed design,the game which in reality is four experience, to the "map" imagined whichnot dimensional-a stateof existence, dimensions of width,depth, onlyhasthethreeclassical andheight,but all of whichareforevermovingforward throughthefourthdimension of time. It's a realchallenge to figureout howto do that effectively. the It istheseverylimis in dimension thatposes heartof anyapproach to writingdowna gamedesign. Thefirstthingyou needto decidein your adventure, in your dimension theniswhichisthemoreimportant game:space or time?"
lHE PLANSLOOK 6000,
gul wERE60tNO 10 HAVE10 gUYSOAISFROMTHEELVES,
Organization:Time vs. Space Therearetwo basicguidingoptionswhenyou whichyou caneasily try to writedownyour adventure your by self thisquestion: choose between asking forceon the characters ls the primarymotivating limitedoptionsor limitedtime? Thefirstiscalledanoptionlockwhilethesecond iscalleda timelock.
As for makinga prettymap, therearea numprograms berof reallyfabulous mapping available to games. prefers Tracy Profancreators of adventure tasy's Campaign Cartographer andFractileTerrain packages. Althoughby the timeyou actually software getaroundto readingthispartof the bookthey've probably developed an entirelynewsetof software systems. toolsandpossibly threemoreoperating
l. OptionlockThismeans thattheoptionsavailwill diminish of ableto the players overthe course theadventure untiltheyliterallyrunout of opwhoaremakingtheirwaythrough tions.Players underground dungeon areprimarilyfacedwith an that anoptionlock;thereareonlyso manyplaces
Puttingit all together: the adventure text You'vegot the tools,you'veevengot all the parts. Nowyou haveto put the wholethingtogether lt intoa working, well-oiled, andfunctional machine. helps if youhavea planandan instruction manual. Thefirstthingyou shouldconsider is that a writtenadventure is a one-dimensional stringof informamap tion(text)usedto transforma two-dimensional intoa four dimensional dynamicstate. Fine,we'llexplain thisfor the lowerlevelXDMs reading book for this the firsttime. lf you already iust you'll knowwhatwe'resayin& iusthaveto be pa-
*
OK, whineyphysicspeople,we knowthat the text exiss in the third The ink, no matter how thin, hasits own three dimensionphysically. beyondis width dimensional spaceand the pageceruinly hasa thickness and height.We're not talkingaboutthe physicalpropertiesof the page, we're talkingabout the dimensionsof the informationitself, Feedthat to Schrddinger's cat . . . who may or may not be aroundto chewon it. new XDMs, a "chart" comparesone t For you gamedesignchallenged, set of numbersto a matchedpair of results.A "tdble" crossreferencestwo fields(acrossthe top and down the side)to find the resultat the intersection of the two fields.Now you can refer to charu and tablescorrectly and not havepeoplesnickerbehindyour backany longerat gamedesign conferences.
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theycango andeventhoughtheyarefreeto wan- certainlya lot of creativeelements in an adventure der aroundall theywant,no onewantsto go back module,it's all aboutthe performance in the end. you your room. to an empty Sotheykeepexploringuntil When write adventure, it is more properlythanhow the limitof theiroptionsis reached andtheyfrnally importantthat it is organized arriveat the endof the adventure. floweryyour purpleproseflowson the page.OrgaOptionlock dealmorewithspace andchoices nizationandeaseof reference arethe watchwords. your performance thanwithtime.Classic andoutdoor dungeons It's fromthesenotesthat matters your scriptthe better in a closedmatrixwithwelldefined adventures moreandthe moreorganized your performance. boundaries arebothexamples of optionlockenvironments. No matterhowlongthe players wander around,eventually theywill runout of options Cut Scenes for placesto visit.In thistypeof adventure the You'rean XDM, a masterof the game!Why bestapproachis to makeyour text referprimarily overburden yourselfwith mundane deuilssuchas, to mapsandlocations independent fromtimed say,doingthe exposition for your adventure? Why you events. should do all the workwhileyour playersiust sit aroundthe tablepretending that theyhearwhat you 2. TimelockThismeans thattheclockis tickingon aresay,but all the whilearesecretly wishingyou the bombandthattheamountof timeavailable wouldstopreadingthat longdescription text andget for the characters to solvethe problemwill dimin- on with bashing in the headsof a fewmonsters? ishwith everypassing second.Thisis,obviously, a Hey,why is thatyourproblem? bit moreurgenton timeconstraints for the playWe humblysuggest thatyou usescriptsand ers.lf yourplayers suddenly wakeup anddiscover cut scenes to getyou throughthoseawkwardmotheyarestanding nextto a thermonuclear device ments. in the 100 kilotonyieldrangein the middleof A cut sceneis a videogameterm for a sequence the New Mexicodesertwith a loudvoicecountinsidethegameoverwhichthe playerhaslitingdownfromthetenminutemark,andnothing tle or no control.Theyareprimarilyusedto advance plot,or background for transportation but the RedBallJetsneakers on character, issues insidethe game. theirfeet. . . that'sa time lockfor you that no Theyalsoprovidetexture,flavor,andatmosphere for amountof runningawaywillsolve. the game.Youmightthinkof theselittlescenes as Timelockrelatesmoreto timethanto spaceor thosesamelong,boringdescriptions thatyou'vebeen givingin everygame.Until now. options.Youwill needlocations and,no doubt, maps,but the primaryconcernof the adventureWe suggest that you scriptthesecut scenes your the veryheartof performthem.Youcaneven organization of the text-will andhaveyour players producetheseascut sheets-copies needto centeraroundsequences of eventsand of the script theirrelationship to choices. whichonlyhavethe spokenlinesfor eachof the playNow thatyou'vefrguredout the general approach erson them. (linear,open,or closedmatrix)and to your adventure is primaryconcern(optionor timelocked)it's timeget lmplied Story thewholethingorganized. Actorson a stageareoftenencouraged to look not justoverthe audience but to gazeto the left or Tricks of AdventureWriting rightof the proscenium. Thiseffectively extends the The Script stagebecause the audience, followingthe sightlines of All XDMsknowthat the textof your adventure is the performer's eyes,believes that thereis morein a script.lt's a reference workthat isn'tmeantto beread the character's worldthat is contained on the stage guide performance. but a Thismeansthatwriting to iself. a goodadventure hasmoreto do with technical writThisis alsotrue in the descriptions thatyou ingthanit doeswith creativewriting.Whilethereare writefor the variousencounter locations in your
adventure. Mostof the writingin encounter locations Whowerethesepeople?Whyaretheyhere?What isdullanddry stuff,but the description text isyour happened? oneopportunity to imbuethe encounter with sights, Remember that it is the natureof humanityto sounds, smells, all the emotionandsense that brings completestories-especially wherenoneis given.Every aplaceto life in your players'minds.lt is helpful, timeplayers areconfronted with whatlookslikea story then,whenconsidering whatto put in thesepieces theywill complete it in theirminds,makingup whatevofdescriptive text,to look"beyondthe proscenium" er pleases themto fill in the gapsandmakeit complete. andextendthe encounter throughthe useof implied Thewonderfulthingaboutthisis that it involves the story. players morecompletely because it engages theirimagiplacing lmpliedstorymeans descriptions innation,allowingthemto actuallycontributesomething sidethetextthat hint at greatereventsthat havehap- of theirowncreativityto the adventure. pened herein the past.Try the followingexamples: Foundation As you openthedoor,you seethat the back A goodmysterystoryincludes a surprise endingat of it is charred.Theroombeyondappears to be whichyou canlookbackandsaythatall the clueswere the remains of a library.Thebookshereareall thereallalong. charred,standing on shelyesthat skewawayfrom In storytelling, we callthat foundation. You laythe theblackcraterin the centerof theroom. foundation for the workthat comeslaterin the telling. Thesameis truein designing roleplayingadventures; Whathappened here?Whodid this?Are they you cannothavea monsterthat no onehas anywhere aroundor is thissomething seenbeforeandhasneverbeenmentioned thathappened longago? jumpout of nowhere and Whataboutthisdescription: Themummified 7 BETIHERE'S remains of a woman A STOWBEHINP Iayatopan altar.On THISSrffiuq, rhesfairsbelowit, two skeletal figureslayfrozenin thegripof combat,theirrustingarmorall that remains of theirclothing.One's bonyhandgripswisps of hairon hisopponent'sskullwhile theother'shand wrapsaroundhis enemy's throat,Both holdshortswords in theirremainplunged hands, throughoneanother'sribcages.
57
expectthat creatureto makesense. Soif you have guy your an ultimatebad at the endof adventure, somebody betterbe talkingabouthim verynearthe beginning.
does.Two examples: In oneof the early asRayenlofr hallways encountered is a suitof armor.Thisis describedin detail,andit is notedfor the playersthat, whilethe restof the hallis frlledwith cobwebs and andclean.This,of course, dust,thisarmorisshining players it is soout of place.But freaks because out Misleading the truth is thatthereis nothingwrongwith the arDetailcallsattentionto itselfin a roleplaying mor. lt's justthereto freakplayersout. game.Themoredetailyou givesomething, the more in Americanfootballalways important certainthe playersarethat thereis something lust asquarterbacks playearlyin a setof least running try to use at one you you aboutwhat aredescribin& otherwise wouldn't youshoulduseasan downs,toneof thetechniques be describing it! Theotherpartof that axiomis that XDM is occasionally-not always but occasionallyto game, you detailslowsdownthe but thisis something it in theadventure andthendescribe by purposefully misleading picksomething canuseto your advantage players questions you in intricate detail. Then, as ask players the with detail. secretlyroll somemeaningless dice Ravenloft Forexample,in the classic adventure by aboutit, always for before and then look at the ceiling a moment prevailing Tracy8t LauraHickman,' the overburdened like,"No, you don't see answering with something descriptions, whicharepervasive throughout the text, anything unusual after inspecting the thirty-foottall lendan airof impending doom.Detailcallsattention to iself. Thismeansthat if you t:tkethe timeto describe claystatueof the grimmanwhoseeyesstaredownat you with hollowcoldness heat despitethe oppressive something, thenit mustbe importantto the players. in the room.. . at leastfor now!" Players, of course,pickup on thisearlyin theirgamThat'scalled"keeping themhonest." ing-whichmeans thatyou canuseit against them,iust
*
496s and 349'hlevelXDMs who, asyou might haveguessed, are the two premiereadventuregamedesignersalivetoday.
t lf you are unfamiliarwith AmericanFootballthen you are eitherfrom somenationotherthan the United Statesor havebeenlivingtoo long in the basement.
58
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{LL THEQevn'sA $rncr IHnrTERBGHT: It isn't whetherthey live or die, it's how you PLAYtheir game. story(see"Narrative:HowWe MakeSense of the page on Chaos" 29). As early humans struggled to game, Thereis nothinglikea nothingin theworld! the worldaroundthem,theyhadstoWhenyou'replaying anXDM-rungame,thatis.We're understand rytellers who wouldpassdownthe storiesof their pedal-to-the-metal, ulkinga no-holds-barred, fullandpeople,defrning theirheritage andpast throttleadventure that grabsplayercharacters by their ancestors generations and instructing future their on the their plate bent-armor chest anddragstheminto the heartof socialnorms.Thismayfirsthavehappened excitement. How do you getto thisplace?Youneeda society's around the communal frreor insidea protectivecave. committed XDM. is at the heartof the humanexperience. An XDM gameis morethana game-it'sa perfor- Storytelling Down through the technologies the millennia, for mance,a fully-orchestrated improvisational theaterwith greatly, but the needfor you asthe combination directorandmainactor.Your tellingstorieshavechanged hasremained thesame.Bardsandstoryplayersin the gameonlyhaveto worryaboutportray- tellingstories across the faceof the worldbrought you haveto takeallthe otherpartsas tellerswandering ingonecharacter; philisopies news and from far awayand,with them, (through your wellasfabricate the setting descriptions). of cognitivedissonance-challenging You alsosetthe paceof the gameandstory;keepa pic- the firstinstances thoughs and behaviors locally.Magicians, too, began your performture in mindof the interactions of allthe touringthe worldwith theiracts,bringingwonderand ers;andinterpretthe resultsof physical, social,emoto storytelling. TheGreeksformalized storytional,andethicalconsequences of character actions; all spectacle plays. tellinginto dramatics and Theseformseventugamerules. whilesimultaneously adiudicating ally led Shakespeare, to Gilbert and Sullivan, Rogers That'swhatbeinga trueXDM is all about! andHammerstein, andAndrewLloydWebber. Radio allowed thesoundof storytelling to be XDM: The Modern Bard broadcast overlargedistances and to massaudiences Fromour verybeginnings ashumanbeings, we play the radio was Movies born. similarly allowed the pointed previhavebeenstorytellers. As we have out visualsceneof storytelling to be conveyed to large ously,storyis hard-wired into usashumans. We perprins would audiences as be sent across the country. ceivethe worldthroughthe lensandframework of Quicklybothweremeldedtogetherinto the "talkies"
Gameplay,the XDM tlfay!
60
AurHE Qevr'sa $rncr (motionpictures withsound)andonecouldbothsee to novellas, to epicpoemsso lengthyasto put Homer andhearthe storybeingconveyed in the flickering to sleep. lightof a darkened localtheater.Thentelevision took Oftenduringthe courseof the gameyou will have upthe cause,broadcasting sightandsoundrightinto otherexpositional momentsaswell,wherethe playhomes.Thegreatstoryteller became available with ersmayhaveuncovered a newpieceof information, theflickof a switchandthe turn of a dial. or triggered someevent,whichtheywill thenneed We havea universe frlledwith peopletryingto to observe or understand moreexposition in orderto sellusstoriesconstantly. Commercials arelittlestories forwardthe game'splot. interrupting biggerstories.Theinternetis frlledwith Theproblemwith exposition is that it bringsplayer people, all speaking at thesametime,witha relativelyactionto a standstill. All the characters in the game veryfew peoplebothering to listen.We arebomhaveto iustsortof standaroundwhileyou dumpinforbardedincessantly with noisetryingto pullour atten- mationon top of them. youareconveying tionto someone else'sstory.We are,in short,being Unless theinformation is an jaw-dropping divertedto death. absolutely revelation that electrifies their Butthe XDM issomething special, a modern-dayinterest(oddsareagainst it) thenyou needto finda bardwho hasthe opportunitynot onlyto entertain, morecreative wayof conveying thisinformation. butenlighten, inspire, andconnect withotherson a Cut Scenes Onewaywe havealready mentioned is personal performing (see"cut scenes" level.Youaren't for a massive throughthe useof cutscenes on page56). Lettheplayers audience;. a roleplayinggameis a socialconnecactout the exposition tion betweena fewplayersgathered to createa story whileyousitbackandwatch.lf you havea really goodgroupof players, you mightgivethemeach together withthe helpof somecommonrulesand dicerolls. a pieceof the criticalinformation that everyone Regardless of howwellor poorlytheyplay,the needsto knowandthenchallenge themto create actualsuccess of the gamedepends largelyon you, theirown"improv"cut scene. Theymustwork themodernBard. intotheirconversation the information thatthey haveon theircard.Tellthemthey'llgetextra pointsfor doinga reallygoodiob. Keep Rolling in the Role perform your roleasthe Knowinghowto best XDMin yourgameis perhaps themostdifficult,deExpositional PropsYoucancrowbar partof yourcalling. manding andrewarding Youhave a tremendous amountof exposiprepared your players, for thismoment,considered tion into a prop.Prepare lettersin andchosen or craftedyouradventure to suittheir advance containing the expositional needs. Youhaveeverything at hand. information thatyou wishthe players put them Thecurtainis aboutto go up. Success rests to discover, entirely on yourshoulders. lt's showtime! Hereare on parchment andusecool, sometechniques to helpyourgameexperience beas mystic-looking fontswhen you printthemout.t Don't X-tremeasyouwish. tellyour players aboutthe ExpositionYourself! fragment of the maptheyjust games Mostadventure startout with a setup. giveit to themso discovered, piecewherethesettingand Thisis an expositional that theycanpawanddrool storyof the gameareall laidout for the players so alloverit on theirowntime. thattheyhavesomereference framework in which Go to yourlocalcuriosity theircharacter's actions makesense. Thisis calledexshop,antiquestore,TaiPan positionandit canrangefrom something assimpleas "Youareallsittingarounda tableat the localtavern" * Unless, you'rerunning of course, a KillerBreakfast event.(Seepage
r0t.)
whichwould be * You couldactuallyresortto handletteredcalligraphy evencooler,but that'sentirelyup to you and ygur calligraphic skills.
51
TradingCompany,.or importstoreandfindsome in the nextsection)but we aretalkingabouthowyou inexpensive odditythatyou canworkinto your sayit. game.Then put the secretmessage insidethatobLet'sstartwith somebasics thatyou will complaying games: monly in role encounter iect. Go MultimediaIn an agewhereeveryone seems DungeonCrawlingWhenyour playersarejust to haveaccess to a videocamera,editingequipment, movingthroughenclosed spaces andyou have andtheflrm beliefthattheirvideo(unliketheresfof you give somedescription needto them,congood... well,thisleadsto all kinds YouTube) is actually siderloweringthe volumeof your voiceslightly your ownexposition for producing of possibilities video andspeaking in slower,hushed tones.Not only whichyou canshowto your players throughthe "magic willyourquietvoicehavea tendency to bring you decideto callyour television window"or whatever player's volume voices downthe of the but the or computer monitor. slowerpacewill serveyou shortly. Howeveryou decideto handleexposition, remempossible Foreshadowing berthatit shouldalways be brokenup whenever andAnticipationWhensomething soasnot to slowdowna game. bigis aboutto happento your players-whether it is goodor bad-youshouldgiveyour players Dramatic Pause:Pacein the Game a dramatic heads up for the hairon theback Yourmasteryof storytelling canmakeor breaka of theirnecks.Lowerthevolumeof yourvoice game,andyour masteryoveryourvoicewill makeor your andslowdownthe paceperceptibly. Speak breakyour storytelling. wordswith emphasis, asthougheachonewere yourself Picture stuckin a seatin themiddleof vital.AlfredHitchcock, the masterof suspense, a largevenuefull of people.An expertor authorityis sowiselysaid,"Thereis no terrorin the bang, sundingat a podiumin frontof youspeaking on a subonlyin theanticipation of it." lf you aregoing fascinating-to them.Youmightbe iectthat is absolutely to giveyour playersa reallygoodscare,then interested in the topic,but the speaker hasa voicewith you haveto allowthemto anticipate it, and onlyonelevelof pitch,onetoneof delivery andone thenrelieye themof it for a splitsecondbefore cadence in theirvoice.+ Theygo on, andon, andon. . . you hit themfrom behind. pace the samevoice,the samepitch,thesamerelentless ThemotionpictureAlienfor examplemakes betweentheirwords. surethatyou areafraidlongbeforeyou geta It's likewatertorture. chanceto seethe monster.Musicandmoody gamereferees Eachday,unfeeling aresubiecting settings, allowyou to be steeped in anticipation gameplayers thousands of innocent to theseinhumane beforethe monstereverevenappears. Youradexperiences for hourson end.Thereis no respiteor ventures needto makeuseof the sameanticiparelieffor thesegamers, manyof whomknowof no other tion.Theuseof longandelaborate descriptions gamingexistence. points will heighten while at such anticipation you cando to help. Butthereis something automatically slowingdownthe game. No, you do not needto sendusmoneymonthly gamers,t to adoptoneof theseunfortunate but you do And ... Action Whenthe players suddenly frnd power pace needto be awareof the of varying andvocal you in diredistress, mustmakeit themselves your game. deliveryin performing mustincrease dire!Thepaceabsolutely tremenWe'renot talkingabout whatyouaresaying(that's point pitch your douslyat this andthe of voice in the excitement. You cannotexpectyour rise * Thismentionof the Tai PanTradingCompanywasmadewithout players to be excitedif you do not conveyit promotionalconsideration ... but we're not abovetakingit, shouldthey offer withyourvoice.Everything musthappenfast. us compensationfor it. You might considerthinkingof BenSteinplayingthe teacherin 'Ferris f problem: Here'sthe real combatin roleplayBueller'sDay Off' at this point for inspiration. inggames-the onemomentin the gamethat + Although we are consideringsettingup a mostly not for profit foundation to assisttheseunfortunates.
52
e $rncr An rHEQRirne's yours,will probably Manyadventures, including requires speed-isinvariably the most absolutely because text.Thisis important while complicated, overburdened, andsystem-laden includedescriptive will probably partof the rules.Thesystemasksyou to slow the restof the encounter description (andratherdry) materials related at the momentyou mustspeed involverules-intensive downprecisely to the mechanics of running theencounter, the descripthingsup. Thisis the dilemma of theages.But tivetext is the onechanceyou haveto conveyall the we'regoingto address thisin "off-loading"on page64. ambiance, nuance andcolorthatthisparticular encounter involves. Whatyou mustachieve duringanyaction Theproblemis that mostgamereferees sequence is a highdegreeof energyin your iustread printed portrayalandasmuchcolorin your descriptionsthistextverbatimfrom the words on the page, makes themasdry andlifeless asthe rules asyou canmanage at that levelof speed.Rather whichusually players'success text. or thansimplyinterpreting Descriptive text,eventhe mostprosaic, should failurein combatas"a hit" or "a missr"do your the XDM bestto describe the resultsin graphictermssuch neverbe readverbatimby an XDM. Instead, shouldreadthe text beforehand to geta sense of the as"your cutlass slicesinto the sideof the Orc picture overall that it is tryingto conveyandthen,in whohowlsin agony!"or "Your cutlass stroke goeswide,slamming herownwordsdescribe the areato the players. By doagainst thetablewith picture ingso,theXDM hasthe of theareain hermind enoughforceto sloshaleout of the mugs." andcanaddress withherdescription anyquestions that PurpleProse:How Not to ReadDescriptions players you the mayhave.Thisis importantsothat can Oneof yourresponsibilities asanXDM isto maintainthe effect,tone,mood,andambience of the thatyouareresponsi- encounter "paintthescene."Thismeans longafteryou haverun out of the descriptive giving blefor the descriptions that makethe universe texton the page.And speaking of the "picture".. . alivein the imagination While come of theplayers. Keepingthe Picture youcando a numberof thingsto helpyou in this Any XDM worthhislevelshouldpracticemainosk(suchascreatingexactminiaturerepresentations your players' uining the"picture"at alltimes.Thisis a flightschool characters areexploring), oftheareas andbasictool in the XDM'sarsenal is termwherepilos areaskedto keepa mentalpictureof themost-used just playthespace aroundtheiraircraftin mindat alltimes.In to the expositional description: conveying of the players the relativepositions erswhattheircharacters seethroughyourwordsand roleplayinggames, gestures. andtheirsurrounding environment canbeof greathelp
tNfTtATtye, ANo IHENLEI'STAKE A BIO-BREAK, lHE NEXTIHIRW SECONOS OF TIiE AWENTURE
ts oorNo To IAKEAgoul
53
to theXDM in maintaining a consistent andbelievable for the players. experience Thisis especially truewhen the mechanics of a gamestartinterfering with the verisimilitude'of theexperience. Forexample, if the combatmechanics of your gamerequirethat all combatants taketurnsbashing eachother,it canbeginto soundridiculously tedious quote ratherthanexciting.Foran example, a from Stephen Leacock'sr Nonsense Novels,GuidotheGimlet of Ghent:A Romance of Chivalryz FirstGuido,raisinghismacehighin the air withboth hands, broughtit downwith terribleforce on Tancred's mailedhead.ThenGuidostoodstill, andTancredraisinghismacein the airbroughtit downuponGuido'shead.ThenTancred stoodstill andturnedhisback,andGuido,swinging hrsmace gavehima terrificblowfrom behind, sideways, midway,rightcentre.Tancredreturnedtheblow. ThenTancred kneltdownon hishands andknees and Guidobroughtthe macedownon hisback.lt wasa sheercontestof skillandagility.Fora timetheissue wasdoubtful.ThenTancred's armourbeganto bend, hisblowsweakened, he fell prone.Guidopressed his advantage andhammered himout asflatasa sardine can.Thenplacinghisfoot on Tancred's chest,he Ioweredhisvizorandlookedaroundabouthim. Combatin mostroleplayinggames comesacross verymuchthiswaybecause everyone takesturnsbashingeachother. However, asanXDM, if you canmaintain the picture of allof the characters andcreatures in the combat andtakeinto accounttheiractionsasa wholethenthe description of the combat(andtheresults) canbecome far moredramatic.Ratherthandolingout damage one slugat a time,haveallyourplayers makealltheirattacks-inturn if you like-andallof thecreatures they areattacking maketheirownattacks.Keeptrackof the damages donein sequence andgetthesemechanics all out of the wayasquicklyaspossible. Then(andonly * Verisimilitudeis the appearance of beingtrue or real;likeness or resemblance of the truth or reality. lt is a very big word to be usedin role playinggames,but sincethe levelof realismin gamesis of almostobsessive concernto gamers,you shouldspringthis word on them now and then wheneverthey sun quotingrulesat you. StephenLeacock(1869-1944) wasCanada'spremierelecturer, t humorist,and author. His NonsenseNove/sremain fun to read today. He is the favoriteauthor of Tracy Hickman- go frgure.
then)do you describe the combatin full, takinginto account thefactthatsomepeoplelaunching their bowsfrom the backof the partymightbe interfered with by thosein front of them,thata completely fumbledblowby the knightin the front of the groupmightwellaffectthe two companions whoare standing on eithersideof him.Thepicturewill be your constantly changing-with the pacethat matches game. Pollingand Shifting Emphasis We'vealsomentioned thisbefore("Executing lt All in the Game:PollingandJuggling" on page27) but it is so importantthatwe neededto mentionit againhere.Youhavemanydifferenttypesof players in yourgameandeachof themhavedifferentneeds theyarelookingto be fulfrlled.Whethertheyare warrior,social,or thinkingplayers, eachonewill be Iookingfor somedifferentaspectin the gameplay thatwill satisfythem. Youshouldconstantly be pollingthe playersas to whethertheirneedsarebeingmet.Thisis always donesilentlyandwill requireyou to developsome your players. observational skillsregarding Are they gettingbored?Whatworksfor them?As an XDM, you mustbe prepared to shiftthe emphaconstantly sisin your gameto that whichwill bringyour playersalongwithyou. lt's a balancing actnot unlikea stand-up comedian tryingto figureout whichjokes areworkingwith that particular crowdon that particularnight. Offloading As anXDM,youhavea lot on yourplate. You'reresponsible for keeping the gamepaceup, liveor die,weaving a tapesiudgingwhichcharacters try of the experience by creatinganddescribing settings,andplayingthe paru of all those"extras"that keepappearing aroundthe player's characters. Sowhyshouldyou do all the work? Any gamemechanics or busywork choresthat youcanoffloadontoyour players you shouldoffload andrightfrom the verybeginning. Whyshouldyou performall the heavycalculations your because playerhasa plus-this swordandis minus-that when frghtingcanaries? lt's theircomplexcharacter; let yourplayersdo the heavylifting. Havethemtell you whatyou needto know:whatnumbertheyhaveto
54
n $rncr {nrHE Qevm's rollin orderto succeed. Theyshouldtell you how muchdamage theythinktheydid. Youcanalways correct that if necessary. Players shouldbe in chargeof theirownmap (especially if theygetit wrong)andtheyshouldkeep trackof theirowntreasure(whatthe XDM giveth, theXDMcantakethaway). Whenyou areworkingwith players whoarenew to roleplayinggaming,thenyou'll needto helpthem outandtell themwhichdiceto roll. Butsoonenough you'lltrainthemrightandthey'llbewhitewashing thefence.for you in everygame.Neverdo anymore workasan XDM thanyou must.
Smellof the GreasePaint, Roar of the Orcs
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Showmanship duringgameplayis oneof the mostimportantthingsyou canlearn.lf you wantthe quickest wayto improveyour game,learnhowto present the gamebetter.lf you learnonlyonegreat andimportanttruth aboutgamingfromthisbooklet it bethis: ' Asin TomSawyer gettingall theotherchildrento whitewashhis AuntPolly'sfencein MarkTwain'snovel,Iom Sanyer.lf you stilldon't undentand thisreference thenI havea fun fenceI'd liketo showyou.
An XDM is an actor playingthe part of an XDMi. Thismeansthat all the rulesof rhetoricandthespianism+ applyto you. To makethisaspainless aspossiblewe haveconstructed a listof somethingsto work on andkeepin mind. | . "Umm" Don'tsay"ummmt'. lt's a badhabit fallsinto. Youareperforming here. that everyone Whenyou say"Ummm" it soundslike(andprobablymeans)thatyou don't knowwhatyou are thisword (andsimilar talkingabout.Eliminate verbalcrutches) asmuchasposfromyourspeech sible.s 2. Speakclearlyandwith emphasis.No onewants to playa gamewith a mumblingfool. To entertain you haveto be understood. 3.Actingis not so muchactingasit is reacting. Trueactingisn'treallyactingat all. lt's reacting to the elements that affectit. Peoplearethisway. Something happens andyou reactto it. Your reactionmakesotherpeoplereact.Howthey reactmakesyou react.And on andon it goes. Don'tthinkthismeans losingcontrol.lt doesn't.lt means understanding whatthe correctreaction an NPC,environment, or you personally shouldhave funny? to a situation. Dida playerdo something Laugh-loud.Makehim feelgoodfor contributingto the entertaining experience of the game.Do all drunksin tavernsreactthe samewhentheyare pushed. No! And don'talways let somedietell you whattheydo either.You knowthisNPC,act for him. Thisideabringsusto a veryimportantplace. justblowup a silo?Whatis the Didyourplayers reaction of the NPCsin thearea?Whatdid the explosion do?Whataboutthe smoke?Someone musthaveseenit. Howyouasan XDM reactto thisis key.To be honestthisis the mostimportant thingin the book.And we will discuss it ad nauseam furtherbelow.lt's thatessential. Thk is actuallya slightlyalteredbit of plagiarism. The realquote is "A f magicianis an actorplayingthe part of a magician."lt is accreditedto Jean EugdneRobert-Houdin, the fatherof modem maglc.But that doesn'tmake it any lesstrue for XDMs. * Insertold and tasteless ioke here. 5 lf you ever catch one of us saying"Ummm," we dld it on purposeand areallowedto'causewe makethe rules.
55
SeTNcTHEXDM 4.Acting is not makingfaces.Whenplayingthe role of an NPC,don't fall into the old trapthat acting means sadmeansmakinga sadface.Depression well,andprobablyanatnot eating,not sleeping temptto hideit. Again,if the NPCis sad,howwill isa reaction.A Everything he reactto that sadness? goodXDM will showan emotion,not iustsaythat is cryingandthenspeakfor him in the character whythe NPC a weepyvoice.He will understand feelsthatwayandact (react)accordingly.
Ethics,os "Try telling THAT to an
Angry Mob!"
from thecity Thethief, recentlyreleased dungeon,walk up to a womannearthe main gateof thecity and asks,"Excuseme,where is therichestpartof town?" Thewoman'seyesnarrowasshelooksat him,"Whydoyou ask?" oOh,' the thief says,thinkingon hisfeet for thefirsttime,"it's my Uncle,He sentfor paft to livein the richest me andhe happens of town,soI'm tryingto find him." at him says, Thewoman,still squinting "Indeed,andwhatis thenameof your Uncle?" "Uh... Frank/'thethiefrepfieswitha smile.Thewomancallsthecity guardswho dragoff the thiefto thecity dungeon.
asyou iudgeyour One lastthingto consider games asanXDM:the ethicsin yourgamemustbe dynamic,andhaveconsequences. functional, consistent, Hereis an examplefrom a typicalroleplaying game.The nameshavebeenchanged to protectthe Thisis a city,isn'tit? Peopleherearesuspicious of a complete peoplewho mayyet purchase thisbook: of eachotherandceftainlysuspicious Thiswomanprobablylivesin the city andno stranger. gates of morewantsa thiefherethananyoneelse.OK, we'll Thethiefcomesin throughthe let thisonego for now. thecity. He walksup to oneof the localsand part asks, "Excuseme,whereis therichest of town?"Thelocalwomansmilesandpoints "Uh...Frank/'thethiefreplieswitha smile.Thewomandoesnot callthe cityguard downtheroad."Rightdownthere!Turnleft at but says, the goldenstatueandyou can't missit." The "lt's nearthecenterof town.You purse andfollows hadbestfindyour unclerightaway.Thecity thief stealsthe localwoman's guards don't takekindlyto outsiders."The He arrivesat the goldenstatue, her directions. thief nods,thentriesto stealher purse.The stealsit, andthenftndsthe richesthomeon the womanfightshim for it! Shestartsbeating block.He entersthefront door andencounters for himon the headwith her purse,screaming a blindanddeafretainer.Hesneaksinto the l0,OOOpieceof gold,stealsit, the guard.Othersin the squarerushto her house,discovers aid,andtheystarf beatingon the thief. There out,of thehouse. andthensneaks arecriesto hanghimfromthecW gateslHe pounding the CityGuardrescues excitement. is onlysavedbecause Wow.Howdroll. Heart him,dragshimoff to thecitydungeonwhere, Let'stry thisagain: a yearlater... Thethiefcomesin throughthe gates Somuchfor thatsimplepursesnatch.Maybehe of thecity. Thecity guard-muchheartier won't try that.He'lliustgo for the bigscoreinstead. menthanonemightsuppose-tpyhimat questioning onceanddraghim intoa corner, Thethiefmakeshiswayto the golden him thoroughly.Theydeuin himin theciA go st fueand attemptsto stealit.., for a weekbeforelettinghim with dungeons a sternadmonition. Haveyou anyideahowmucha goldenstatue withouta He can'ttakeit anywhere morelikely,doesn'tit? I meanthe wouldweigh? Wellthisseems .. Forget thestatue. guyis a thief.He continues on. wagonanda teamof drafthorses.
n $race An rHEQenm's wasthe frrsttimeTracyhadeverseenthe lynchingof playercharacters. Thepointhereis that games withoutinternal ethics,withoutsociallyenforcedconsequences for the game, inside actions the areboring.Worse,theyteach a falsehood, thatwe arenot responsible for our actions. play game XDMsalways the ethicsinsidetheir to the absolute hilt not justbecause it makesfor moreexciting gameplay,but betterpeopleafterthe gameis done.
Thethieffindsthe richesthomeon the street.Dodging a far morevigilantgroupof cityguards,he waitsuntil nightandmanages to makeit into thefront doorof thehouse. Heencounters the recainer whois blindand deaf-butnot stupid!He sounds the alarm! Thethiefgrabsa goldencandlestick-the onlytreasure at hand-andleapsout the back window.Theguardsarebackthere,too! He quicklythrowsopenthecoverto the sewer, Ieaps downinto it, andtriesto makehisway out.Heis lostin itsmazeof tunnels,getsterriblysick,andat lastis forcedto comeback out to the surface- wherethe City Guards arewaitingfor him.Theysawwherehe went andknewit wasonlya matterof time.The thiefis hungby hiswristsfrom a wallin the dungeon. .. Now,isn'tthat moreexciting? That'sadventurel that'saction!That'sdreadfullyhardon the character inthegame,but he hadit coming. Thepointhereis that gamesplayedwithout internal ethicsareboring.lt's likeSuperman without Kryptonite. lf you cangetawaywith anything inside thegamethenwhereis the challenge, the danger,the thrill? son,oncehada group Jarod,TracyHickman's ofhisiuniorhighschoolfriendscometo hishouse to pfayin hisdad'sRavenloft adventure. Admittedly, these wereiuniorhighschoolboys,sojusthowmuch couldyouexpectfromthem?Anyway,we gavethem allcharacters with swordsandthe adventure began. Theseboysmanaged to maketheirwayinto townandfollowedthe soundof a womanweeping inconsolably in the upperfloorof herhome.They foundherthere,sobbingoverthe fateof her lost Well,theseboyshadmadea lot of trouble daughter. coming into townanda mobwasgathering outside. Mindyou,you'llnot findthiswrittenin themodule, butit madesensein the settingthat thetownsfolk wouldgatherbecause the XDM waskeeping the picturein hismindduringthegame.Seeing whole the mobouside,oneof the boysdecidedthe bestwayto escape the situationwasto throwthe sobbing woman outof thewindowto distractthemob. Youcanguess whatthe incensed mobdid! lt
57
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fHnnrun\frwr,fivrNcrHRoucHTHEfipvoruuoN Whatto do whenyour playersturn uglierthanthey alreadyare! 'em.r In anyXDM gamethereis the possibility, no ]ustshoot matterhowremote,thatthe playersmayactuallyatAs an XDM, whenconfronted with a player temptto question the authorityof the gamereferee.As to absurdasthisappears on the faceof it, thereareindeed terroristwho is tryingto holdyour gamehostage you some obscure rule that he insisg follow or she numerous reportsof sucheventsactuallytakingplace. protractednegotiais Youmayneverhaveoccasion to comeacross a player andwho willingto enterinto tionswhileholdingall the otherplayersof your game so foolishasto attemptthisbut, shouldyou somehow yammering hostage to incessant abouthowhe or she frndyourselfin thissituation,therearea fewtechniques is beingwronged... whichyou canuseto staveoff the unthinkable. You'retheXDM.Justkilltheircharacter.+ Dropa safeon themout of a clearbluesky. The fack BauerRule Hey,it couldhappen, andshould.Havethe ground Played superbly by KieferSutherland,. lackBauer beneath theirfeetopenup from an earthquake and is a counter-terrorist agentfor a secretUnitedStates swallowthemwhole.A vortexopensup andinstantly agency on theTV show24. Because theshow'sentire teleportsthemto an alternate wherethe universe season takesplacein 24 contiguous hoursof non-stop ruletheyarequotingactuallyworks.. . far fromyour game. action,JackBauerhaslittletimeto enterinto overlyProblemsolved. lengthynegotiations with the terrorists that he counters. gotten Whenever he senses that he has everything he hasout of themandthattheyaresimplystalling for f Disclaimer:We do not advocateor condonein any way the actual shootingof playersor anyoneelsefor that matter. Role playinggamesand time,he hasa universal solutionto the problem. pretend * Who alsovoiced the part of Raistlinin the Dragonlance: Dragonsof Autumn Twiligftt movie.
fantastictelevisionshowsmay to bump off charactennightly, but the only gun in a gameroom shouldbe lockedsafelyin your imagination. { Disclaimer:When we say "kill their character"we do not intend or in any way meanto portray that you shouldenter into any sort of character assasinationon the actualplayerthemselvesno matter how deserving. We wish to clarify that you are to kill their characterin the game.
68
fvrNc JHnoucH THERFVOLUTTON ALWAYS anotherrulethatyou canapply... evenif you haveto makeit up.t A newlyinitiatedXDM in Brisbane, Australia you in mainuining To assist whoattended controlof yourXDM the CenconOZ Convention therein 2008actuallygaineda levelon the spotfor coming games{, we provideyou nowwith the handyQuantum upwiththisrule.lf he everbuysthisrulesbook,he Universal Incredulous RulesandKnowledge Generator, getsan additional automatically mo levels.' (seepage70) Thishandytable or QUIRKGenerator. PopQuiz:A playerat yourtablestaruquoting will allowyou,with the surreptitious roll of a fewdice, verbatim to you an obscurerulethat contradicts a to createa reasonable-sounding rule,sureto confound youhavejustmade.Shereadsout of the rule ruling playerwho is tryingto hiiackyour anyrules-lawyer bookto emphasize herpointandlooksentirelysmug game. about herabilityto usean index.Whatdo you do? All you needto do is roll four times,oncefor Onesolutionmightbewhatwe nowcallthe eachcolumn,andcombine the phrase in orderfrom Australian Rule.Yousimplyreachacross the table you wantabout A throughD. Thenmakeup whatever anduke hercharacter sheetfromher,placing it howit supporuyour position. entirely out of herview.You thensayto her, you,quotingsome Example: A playerchallenges "Fromthismomenton, you playyourcharacter geta + 5 bonuswhenusing ruleabouthowhalflings without everlookingat your character sheet.You He is gettingbelligercanstillplaythe samecharacter, but terriblethings cookingtoolsassiegeweapons. willhappen to it if you makea mistake on anyof ent andchallenging bothyourauthorityandabilities yourstatistics, rolls,or items." asanXDM.Youdecidemagnanimously not to usethe Punish the character whenever the player misquotes anyof is statistics or callsfor an itemthe sheet doesnot have.Kill the character if the player makes a bigenoughmistake. You mightbe mercifuleventually andtellthe playeryouwill returnher sheet if shewill put downher rulebookandnever lookat it again. WewouldhavecalledthistheTurnabout ls FairPlayrulebut we thinkAustralian Rulesounds eversomuchclassier. TTIATI1ALF.
TheAustralianRule
TROLLOCSOOT
'THE There'sALWAYSAnother Rule, R.ule OESUFFEO IN ORIaINALAUftIORS' Oneof the greatthingsabouthavingso many -PLAYER INTENT different roleplayinggamesaroundwith exceedingly SUPPLEMENT,' complex rulessetsis that thereareliterallytoo many oo Iw 10 rules for anyonehumanto keeptrackof at one KEEPUP. time.lt's likeadvanced mathematics: solongasyou you areapplyinga rulefrom a differtellsomeone entbranch of the science thereis littletheycando except helplessly whimper. note that the originalAdvancedDungeons and DragonsDungeon f Please Soif someone startsquotingrulesat you that MastersGuidecontained,in an obscureplacein that labyrinthinetome, a rule that said,"Regardlessof anythingwritten in theserules,whateverthe your authority,assert aremeantto question their dungeonmastersaysis the rule supersedes the ruleswrittenin this book." lf ownplayersuperiority, or simplymesswith you as one wereto considerthe logicalextensionof thissimplephrasethen there no needfor any of us to buy all thosebook aftenvardsincewe could anXDM,you don't haveto takeit because there's was makeup any old rule we wanted.Your word asXDM remainslaw in the r Butwe're not giving him his money back for the book. Justthe extra levels.
rather limited universeof your gameso makethe most of it and losethe guilt over usingthis chan. And put theseuppity playersin their place. f
AO vt
theplayerhappens to bethe lack BauerRulebecause brotherof a womanyou'rehopingto date.Soyou say, the ..." then "Ah, but you'renot takingintoaccount you roflfourd2Os.Theresults are | 5, 3, 7, and18. Youthencontinue with"... UpdatedToolsvs.lmpact you FAQ." Youthenexplain thatthisrule-which your game received with materials and recently updated exthe pfayerobviously doesnot yet have-completely plainswhyhisparticular halfling is at thismomentbeing cookedby the monsterin hisown fryingpan.
Roll (1d20)
The XD2O Rule lf you wiselychooseto playyour gameusing the XD20 systemit will be hardfor a terroristto take the rules, overthe game,sincehe doesn'tunderstand andthe XD20 systemis soheavilydependent on the wouldbeat a XDM anyway, thatanyrulesbasher loss. anothersystem andarehaving lf youareplaying troublewith players whowantto run your gamefor you, we suggest switching overto the XD20 system eitherhavelearnedbettermanners untilyour players or decidethattheypreferthisgameafterall.
Column A
Column B
Column
c
Column D
1111
New
Weaponsvs.
Armor Modifiers
Table
2112
Revised
Creature vs.
StatsAdjustments
Chart
3113
Online
Toolsvs.
F i n i t eS l i d i n gS c a l e Variant
4114
Official
Comparative
SpeedSpectrums
Appendix
5l1s
Updated
BlastRadiusand
RangeModifiers
Module
6116
Corrected
Magicvs.
Trajectory
Supplement
7117
Advanced
DivineAid vs.
lmpact
Rerelease
8/18
Designer's
Action and
Penetration
FAQ
9119
O r i g i n aA l uthor's
Charactervs.
PlayerIntent
PublishedErrata
10120
Canonical
ChaosTheoryvs.
QuantumReality
BetaTest
70
UTTTMATEXDM
VANOE 6R,MF OENE(UIOR?YES!
PARTYLEARNSTIAT MOSES, ,llERLfN,ANOTESLAAQE ALLTTIESAilEOW,
unnrERTEN:Af,\lospHERE f Enough Fog,Lights,Music,md Lasers to-causeAll Manner
of seizures.
Beyond Sanityand at the Edgeof Reality-The UITIMATE XDM TheatricatSetupYouwill needa buddyanda pyrotechnician to be managing thingsfrom a controlcenter.Theywill haveaccess to all your lights,sound,lasers, holograms, fog,andfire.Yourbuddywill messwith the firstfive. Thepyrotechnician will messwith the lastone-and probably eatyourfood..
Sound I . Useasmanyspeakers asyour receiver cantake. 2. Setyourspeaker distribution to pumpyouraudio throughall7 + speakers. Thespeakers shouldbe placedin the roomsoasto completely surround your players.Includea bigsub-woofer andhave everything hookedthroughyour receiver to a computerr.
* Let him. You don't want guy a who lightsfiresfor a livingmad at you, especially now that he knowswhereyou live, You advanceduserscan add a mixingboardin there,causeit makesyou f look cool.
3. Next,makea playlistof dramatic,epic,andoth. enrrise adventure-esque music+.UseiTunesfor thislist-fromnowon we will callthisthe ,,music list". 4. UseWindowsMediaPlayers to makea playlistof soundeffecsthatwill matchthe upcomingeventsin youradventure. Dungeon doors opening, armiesmarching, etc.rAlsobesureto includefrghting/action musicin thismix. From nowon wewill callthisthe',SFXlist,,. 5. Besureto keepyour musictrackrelatively low. Themusiclististhesoundtrack of youradventureandyou don't wantit to distractfrom the game. 6. YourSFXlistshouldbeoff, but anygivenitem on that listcanbe playedto adddramaticand The Dragonlance movle soundtrackis a great resource.Readthat again f and be sureyou know we are talkingabout the soundtrack-whichwas awesome.We haveno officialcommenthereaboutthe restof the movie, S Thk is so you can haveyour soundeffecs playon cue over your music.Thereare other waysto do this, this is lust the way we havedone it. Yesthis ls stuff foundonline. f
72
AIMOSPHERE Other waysto makeyour tightingmoredramatic. A. Usea chinaballwitha lightbulbinside.This will diffusethe lightandcreatea softlookacross in the roomthat is fantastic. everyone Moviesuse this all the time. It is important to remember thattheaudiois B. WhiteChristmas lighs.Hangsomeblacknetting to whatthe XDM is saying.The totallysecondary your gaming above areaandweaveyour lightson yell XDMshouldneverhaveto overhisownsound it. Whocanforgetthisold yet goldengem?A bit effecs.Furthermore, the XDM andhisbuddymust perhaps cliched but stillcoollooking. bein syncfor whena givensoundshouldbe played. C. Usereadinglighsor floodlighsto createdraThiscomeswith practiceandexperience. maticlightandshadow walls,largesheets against thathanganddrapein coolways.Theripplesin Lights the sheetor in the texturedpaintwill createcool go-to lightingis a must.A XDM's Dramatic shadows. movewith lightinginvolves the useof a gobo.Gobos patterns of lightin the air or splashing interestcreate Dimmers andswitches areeasyto wireandeverylf you have anddesigns across surfaces. Ingshapes thing should be hooked back to your controlcenter. your windowandseenwhatis ofeverlookedout of tenreferredto as"God Light"piercingthe cloudsin Yourbuddyis thereat the rightmomentto shutoff all wellthanyou haveseena giantgobo the lighs,dim the lighs,turn on the gobos.. . whatafewof places, evereffectis needed. atwork. To makea simpleyet effectivegobo: relevant effectto the game.ls therea thunder stormapproaching? Canthe grouphearcrickdragon etsin the freld?ls therean avalanche, breathing frre,windin the cave?
l. Go buysomeblackwrap.Youcanflndthis onlinewithoutanytrouble.lt's a lot liketin foil exceptthickerand... black. 2. Geta reading lightwitha clamp. 3. Pullout a bigpieceof blackwrapand cutoutcooldesigns in it. Remember that whatyou cut out will bewhatis written in lightlater.We liketo puncha bunch of holesof varioussizesinto the sheetas the brokenup lightstreaming across the roomlookswickedcool.
Lasers The PoorMan'sLaserShow It's easierto createa sweetlasershowthanyou think.Becarefulthatyousetyourlaserdisplay up so get that it can't in anyone's eyes.
71'S ALL6000, T LEARNEO -rtllLLlWATT' lHe OIFFERENCE EETWEEN ANO UWATT,' ANO I 60T A COOLEYE-PATCH!
4. Bendthe blackwraparoundtheconeof your readinglight,placingyour designin perfectpositionfor is projection. 5. Clampyourconvened lightto something nearthe ceilingor downnearthefloor andpointit in theopposite direction. roomwith justenough Usein a darkened fogto allowyour guests to seethe effect.
73
[/rnunrEXDM I . Geta handheldlaser-notoneof thosethatburn motorandshineyour laser to a slowspinning your green a holein skin.The kindareeasier to throughit onto a wall.Youcanget reallyamazseebut a bit moredangerous andexpensive. Neyer ing patterns thisway. Iookdirectlyat a laserl'Eventhe lasersthat are weakanddiffrcultto seecando damage afteronly All of the controlsfor your laserspectacular a fewseconds. shouldbe routedto yourcontrolcenter. 2. Geta penspring.Thisis a littlespringlikewhat youwouldfrndin a "clicky"pen.
Holograms
Okay,whatwe cando isn'ttechnically "Holography."Thetruth is,thisis better.Believe it or not 3. Geta smallmirror.No biggerthantwo inches therehavebeenwaysto makerealistic threedimenacross. sionalproiections sincethe l8O0's.Our favorite methodfor doingthissortof thingis with the Pepper'sGhostprinciple.+ 4. Attachthe mirrorto thespringandthe springto Whenyoulookout a window something heavy,a blockof woodshouldbe fine. at nightyou canseeyour reflection-even if thereis you looklikeyou a full moonout. ln the reflection 5. Setyourlaserpointersothatit's pointedat an arestanding outsidethe windowin a semi'transparent angleto your mirror. state.Pepper's Ghostusesthe sameprinciple.lf you haveeverbeento the HauntedMansionin Disney you haveseenthisspectacular 6. Add somefog to a darkroomandgiveyour World/Land, illusion springmirrora flick.Thislookswaycool. cometo lifewith the ghostsin the largediningroom. Hereis whatyou shoulddo to getthe sameeffectin yourgamelocation.Forthe purposes Other cheapwaysof doingsupercool laser of thisexplainashows tion we areassuming thatyou arebuilidinga setlarge ghost.Theinstructions A. Buysomediffractiongrating(youcanfind it enoughfor a human-sized can online)andattachit to a slowturningmotor.The bescaled downfor smaller illusions. diffractiongratingwill splityour beamin to several First,frnda placein your housethat makesan beamsat variousangles. Add anotherrotatingdif- "L" or crossshape. lt couldbea hallway thathasa fractiongrating(in the oppositedirection)which roomhalfiA,ay downit, or threeroomsthat areconyour firstgrating,andyou'vegot nectedto eachother,or evensomething slightlyoverlaps assimpleas yourselfa freldof laserbeamsgoingevery-which- a doorway.Builda "blackart" setlikethe oneseen way,yet movingin a pattern. on page8 7 but withoutthe platform-justa bigblack void.Depending on thescaleof yourillusion the (notthe B. Attacha smallmirrorto anold speaker setcouldbebigor small.Yoursetshouldbe in the but the actualspeaker). screen, Pointyourlaserat adioining roomor space-somewhere the players can't play it and something trippyfor music-driven laser see. go getasbiga pieceof clearPlexiglass effecs. Second, asyou canfrnd. lt needsto be at leastthe height C. Attacha smallmirrorto a PCfanat a slight fromyour ceilingto the floorandlongerthanthe angler.Fireyourlaserdirectlyat it. Thelaserwill lengthof yourset.lf you can'tgeta pieceof Plexibounceoff themirrorcreating a cone.Thisisthe glassthatbig,geta smalleroneandmaskthe edgesin popular"time tunnel"effect. As alwaysbesure a creativewaysothat no onecanseethemor suspect to addfog. them.Setthat giantpieceof acrylicglassat a forty frvedegreeangleto the blackart set. D. Geta pieceof texturedglass.Differenttextures It isveryimportantthatyou lightthe area give you differentresults. will Attachthe glass
+
Duh. Not whileit'sstillin yourPC.
Originally calledthe "DircksianPhanusmagoria"-atrick of optlcs * inventedby Henry Dirksand further developedby lohn Henry Pepperin the 1850's.
74
AWoSPHERE behind theacrylicglass iustright.Thelightingin thisareashouldbe dim but not dark.A bit brighter perhaps. Becareful,you don't want thancandlelight iaelfsincethespecuanylightto shineon the glass giveaway. will be a dead Theblackart larhighlighs shouldbe lit by lighs hookedto dimmersand area masked off withsomeblackwrap.Thelighswill be by yourbuddyat in XDM central controlled command. anda Place chairB behindthe Plexiglass similar blackchairA in the blackart area.Test from the black tomakesurethat the distance glass to the distance to the is equidistant chair fromtheglassto the normalchair.Thisis easy sit in chairA. Lookinto totest.Havesomeone fromwhereyour players will besitting. theglass ghost lf helookslikea sittingin chairB, you've doneit. If he lookslikea guyfloatingin front of chairB backandforthuntilthe orbehind-move illusion is perfect. Nowyou'reready.
Youcando morewith thisof course.We liketo havethe spiritinteractwith thingsthat arebehindthe glass. A bit of thread,andsomegoodtiming,canmake your ghostknockovera vaseor eventhe chairhewas askhimquestions sittingon. Youcanhavetheplayers beforehevanishes in an instant.
l. Makesureno onegoesdownthathallor intothat room.As funnyasit wouldbe to wall. seethemjustslamintoan invisible 2. Haveyourghostactorin theblackart area,iustsittingthereuntilit's time.Maybe youcouldconvince to the pyrotechnition do this,sincehe isn'tbusyiustnow.Your ghostshouldbe in a costume (nothing youwantto do a floating black,unless spirit you head,whichmaybe do) andwearing makeup. 3). Whenyouwanta ghostto appearin the chair,yourbuddyin thecontrolboothwill iustturnthe lighsup a bit in theblackart set. Thebrighterthe lights,the moresolid theghostbecomes. Havethe ghostdeliver hismessage andthenvanishfromwhenceit came.
PLAYERS
Besureto usetwo dimmers.Onceyour ghost hasappeared, fadeoneup andtheother down.Thenviceversa.Thiswill createmoreof anethereal effectaspartsof the ghostfadein andout.
75
[rnvarEXDM Fog
4. As alwaysmakesurefog canbe controlledfrom yourmasterhubat command central.Youare game runninga anddon'tneedto bethinking aboutthe lights,music,fog,andwhatnot.
Thereisn'tmuchto sayhere.Fogmachines are actuallyquitecommonnowdays.Go to anyTargetat Halloween andyou will frndbothfloor foggers andair foggers. Keepin mind: l. Youwantto getwaterbasedfog,not oil based. (Mucheasier to cleanup.) 2. Youcanmakeyour own floorfoggerwith dry ice,a largedrumanda heating element, but they arenot assafeor evenusuallyeffective. 3. Smokemachines will setoff yoursmokealarm.
-/
FOe! I
-\
HOPE IIIAI'S AS gAO AS 1HISB@K
I I
I
76
f, HmrERELEVEN: lrvrr,'s TbucH Pyrotechnics and Other Waysto Makethe Fire DepartmentMad NOIE: TheBATF,NISB, Department of Homeland shoulders) andthe burningdownof yourhouse Security, andSmokeythe Bearhaverequested'thatwe a second time-allin the nameof preserving the makea numberof editorialchanges in thischapter,with communityfromthe influences of an activitythat whichwe havereluctantlycomplied. is obviously dangerous evenwithoutthe useof fire. properstorytelling After learning andbasicXDM technique, nothingwill short-cutyou to a bettergame On soberreflection, the downsides of usingfirein for andagainst thanfrre.Therearearguments usingthis yourXDM gameseriously outweighthe benefrs. shortcut: Still,we knowyou. You'realways lookingfor waysof takingyour . Theplussideisthatfirecanbringanelement gameout at the edge.You'rea maverick in game performance. of mood,excitement, andverisimilitude to your We alsoknowthat,whenit comesto game-aswellaspossibly players you (like wakeup who are frre, all the restof us)arenot to be trusted. noddingoff. Sofromhereto theendof thechapterYOU AREON YOUROWN. . Thedownsideis thatfireis uncontrollable, lf you burndowna smallnationwith a gamegone unprepsycho, dictable, anddownright dangerous evenunderthe don'tshowup on the newspointingat the bestof circumstances. Whenusedin conjunction XDM book. playing game, with a role fire is the gameprop We arein no wayresponsible for whatyou decide mostlikelyto landthe entiregamingindustryback to do with thisinformation. Feelfreeto suesomeone page your you on the front localnewspaper. involvingfrre of Then elsebecause we warned thatanything parentsandreligious theremaybe concerned We alsowarnedyou that anyoneusing is dangerous. leaders callingfor yourhead(if it isstillon your anyof the information in thisbookwithoutthe utteris iustaskingfor badthings - R.td ,hrt d.ttrd.d or elsethey will withholdall our economicstimulous mostcareandresponsibility, bribesand investlgateour tax-freestatusfor the next hundredyears. to happen.
77
[rnnnnrEXDM Our favoriteistheMestopholies FireBallLauncher created by JimPace.lt not onlywill launcha ballof frrefromyour handsup to fifteenfeetaway,but also A.K.A. "Burning Carpet" paper. TheXDM arsonist's bestfriendis flash lt is hasa reel,sothatthe devicewill leapbackintoyour greatstuff.lt feelsa bit likeroughtissuepaperandcan sleeve the momentafteryou useit. Thisallowsyour be foldedandwrittenon. Whenlit, it burstsinto bright handsto be displayed asempty.TheMestopholies flames,leaves no residue, andis spectacular canbe foundonlineat www. to see.You FireBallLauncher canfrndflashpaperat anygoodmagicshop.Theysell iimpacemagic.com. Whileyouarethere,besureto it in largesheets andin littlepackes.Youwill usually checkout hisotherfireproducts including firewallets, geta betterdealby buyingit in the bigsheesandthen invisible torches, andthe like.Greatstuff. cuttingthatsheetup asnecessary. Thebestthingabout FlashPaperisthatit is relatively' safe.lf youdo decide How to Make FlashPaper: lf you needflashpaper,iustgo buysome.You to do anything in thischapterdespite our manywarnwill savetime,money,andfingers.Butfor the sakeof ingsthatyoushouldn't.i Thisis a goodbet. andagainst our own betteriudgment Whenyou getyour flashpaperit will bewet.lust completeness, provide you with the followingrecipe. leaveit lyingout undera fanfor a shorttime.lt will dry we get Go some I ancI out quickly.Alwaysstoreit in a coolplaceandinsidea We'rekidding. plasticcontainer. Neverleaveit in a hot car,or neara window.Thestuffwanfsto burn+.
FlashPaper
Usesfor FlashPaper Cutout a pieceof flashpaperabout2" x 4" shoulddo. Wadthe paperup intoa ball.Leavea little tabfor youto pinchwithyourlefthand.Holda lighter in your righthand.Usethe lighterto lightthe flashpaperat the balledup end.Themomentit is lit,stossthe flamingballup andawayfromyou.Thisis likethrowing a real-life frreball. lt looksamazing. Youcanwrapflashpaperaroundthingslikeplayingcards,coins,glass, etc.Theflashpaperwill burnbut theobiectwill not.t Youcanbuya flashpaperlauncher. Yestheyexist.
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Note that sincewe're talkingaboutfire here. Whenwe say,,relatively safe"we meanin comparisonto suchthingsasnitroglycerin,fuel/air explosives, and military-grade incendiaryordnance. unpredictable, f Did we mentionthat fire is uncontrollable, and downright dangerous? lust thoughtwe shouldmentionthis again.lf you iust haveto havea flamingeffect,then flashpaperis asfar asyou reallyneedto go. Oh, and did we mentionthat frreis uncontrollable, unpredictable, and downright dangerous? f Curtisnotes:When I wastwelveI almostburnt down my parent,s housewith this stuff. I had a pad of flashpaper.I removedone pieceand attachedit to a regularpieceof paper,then lit it. The flashpaperwent poof. It vanished,leavingthe paperto burn slowly.I panickedand droppedthe flamingpaper-ontothe pile of flashpaper.WOW WHAT A BLAZEIThe blazefreakedme our evenmore, so I pushedthe flamingflashpaperoff my deskand onto the floor. Fortunately,it burneddown aftera momentor two, leavinga puddleof meltedcarperasa remindernot to do reallystupid things. 5 Whenwe say"moment" we seriouslymeanmoment.lf you wait for a confirmationfrom your friend that the flashpaperis lit, you will havea fireballin your handinsteadof in the air. f Don't do thiswith the flashpaperaroundregularpaperbecause the regularpaperwill alsobum. Seethe previousfootnoteon whenCurtiswas twelve.Yes,apparentlyhe reallywasthat stupid.Learnfrom his mistakes, grasshopper,and be wise,
78
@0Afin
DEVIL'S TOUCH Thethingis,we couldtell you exactly howto makeprofessional flashpaper,but you wouldprobably justendup deadandwe wouldgetput on somesort of list.' Instead we'vedecidedto giveyou the recipe to makeghettoflashpaper.Theprocess is stillreally dangerous, but not ashorridor involvedasthe professionalway. Youwill need I . To put on protectivegoggles andwearlatexgloves the entiretime. Do everything outsideandaway from your homer.Wellyou canput the goggles on insidebut. . .youknowwhatI mean.
yourcookingpan.Thenmixin two tablespoons of
I
I
Step2:Placethe panontoyour burnerandcookon a very low heatfor around45 minutes.A thin frlmwill formon the top. Step3: Remove the panfrom the heatandskimoff iustthissyrupyfilm into the smallglasspan.Put yourI intothe pan,making surethatit is totallycovered.LettheI soakfor lO-2O minutes. Step4: Remove tneI bakingtray.
(sometimes 2. A bottleof I+ knownas I) thisis foundin hardware stores andis usedasa I.
andplaceit on a
Step5: Youhavetwo choiceshere.Youcanplace thetrayin theI for aboutanI at around youcanlaytheI Iot in theI untilit is dry. Eitherway,you haveto watchit, or it will burstintoflames. Thenyourlifewill be ruined. Youwill knowit is dry whenit looksgolden yellow.
3.I innards. Cutonelengthwise overa bigsheetof I. Insidethef aresmall I. Carefully collectthemandput themin a Ziplockbaggyfor nows.Don't loseany pyrotechnic of thatlts dangerous capabilities will lightyour homeaflame,givingno thoughtfor poorlittle Simkin.
Step6: lt is ready!Remember to storeyour flash paperin a cooldry place.Forlong-termstorage of your flashpaper,frrstmoistenit with water.
4. A smallpropane burner. paper.Somethingl. 5.I Many peopleliketo useI. Cut theI into smallsquares. About 2 inchesby 4 inches shoulddo.
Again,is all thisreallyworththe effort?Go buy someinstead.
FlashCotton, FlashString FlashBills: Thesearejustwhattheysoundlike.Flashstring pan,anda bak- burnsfromoneendto the other.Flashcottonis used 6. A smallcookingpan,a smallglass ingtray. in a numberof fireutilitydevices. FlashBillslooklike currency,but arein factflashpaper.lYoucanfrndall 7. A frreextinguisher. thisstuffonline. . .justin case. Whatyou will do: Step1: Pouroneor two cupsof theI
FlashPots!
into
* The Departmentof HomelandSecurityassures us that there is sucha list and that we may, or may not, alreadybe on lt. Likeout by the Unibomber'scabin.No, wait. That'stoo flammable. t Perhaps somewhere insidethe NevadaNuclearTest Range. We would like to thank the Unlted StateForestServicefor their kind t (and insistence) assistance in editingthis sectionof the book. We apologize for whateverunlntentionalamblguitymay haveresultedasa resultof their edltorialguidance. $ You are gettingcloseto reproducinga moment from someweird, gritty 70s drug frlm. lt's probably best if your neighborsdon't seewhat you are dolng.
A.K.A. "Arson" pots Flash arepyrotechnic devices usedfor creatingsmall,controlledexplosions on stage.lmage theshock(andincontinency) resulting froman f I don't knowwhy you would needflashbillsfor your XDM game,but thereit is. Wait! You couldtell your playersthat the billsrepresenttheir treasuregatheredfrom the last adventure,and that somewizard is making their treasurevanishunlessthey hurry and stop him from, well, you get the idea.
79
[/rnunrEXDM explosion happening duringyour game.Whatcrarysort of RPGhasexplosions? Our kind! Thisisn'tthesortof thingthatyouwoulddo while sittingaroundyour mother'skitchentable,or actually insideanymoderately sizedenclosed space. Onlyusea pot parking flash in a lot, your driveway,or an auditorium-somelargeopenspace-and alwayswith several fireextinguishers at hand. Truthfully,flashpaperis bettersuitedfor role playinggames.FlashPotsaremoreapplicable to LARPs or othergames that areplayedoverlargespaces. lt is importantthatyou getyour mother'spermission to use theseif you area maleunderfifty yearsof age..
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alshere,but greatwhenproperlyused.Only usein smallamountsin a flashpot. lt's usuallymadeup of Go onlineandyoucanfindit in variouscolorsandforms. Black Powder (for smoke): Blackpowderis actuallysaferthanflashpowder. lf you wantyour flashto havea smallburstof flame anda bigpuff of smokethisis yourstuff. Againadd someI for evenmoreeffect.
(for sparkle): Lookfor I onlineif you wantto iazz up your flashpot explosions with frerybitsof sparkle. Again,it's bestto justbuythe stuff.We'veseen methodsto makeyourown involvinga coffeegrinder, a rocktumbler,anda myriadof otherthings,but we recommend iustgoingonlineandbuyingthe professionalI Thatwayyou knowit wiil work, andyou don't haveto worryaboutbuyinga powder thatisn'tfineenough.
A Giant lncredible+Fireball!! '11
<\
A.K.A. "HomelandSecurity Warchlist"
lf youarea diehardXDM gamerand wantto continueyour gamingcareerin prison,this shoulddo it. Saythatyou'rerunningyour XDM role How to makea flashpot: playing gamein the middleof a plowedfield,or open Thisis too complicated for usto describe here.lf yardssquare you wantto makeyour desertspace onehundred on a side. you hasgooddesign.Eventhe old classic Naturally, wouldwanttheattackof yourgiant you can, flamingdragonto havea visceral impacton your play. f hasa veryniceworkabledesign.r you ers.What needis theGiantIncredible of course,frndprofessional Fireballl flashpotsonline-theyrun Thisshouldall bedoneon yourfavoritegame aboutfifty dollars. site,locatediustpastthe middleof nowhere.l'm To worka flashpot, all you do is placeabouta playyour gamein the middleof an sureyou regularly teaspoonful of powderinto the receptacle andflip the place. appropriate switchat theappropriate time.Kaboom! open,barren
Whatyou will need: FlashPowder (for flash): Thispowderburstsinto a quickexplosion of bright flamewhenlit. lt is morehazardous thanothermateriwell.Youq4ngetthisin 25lb bagsfrom a * Men cannotbe trustedto f supplystore.s havegoodjudgmentwhen it comesto
pyrotechnics. All malesunderthe ageof frfty remainthe mentalequivalent of twelve-years-old when it comesto explosivedevices. We want to thankthe Bureauof Alcohol, Tobacco,and Firearmsfor t their asistancein editingthe flashpot portionof the book. Theyalsoask us to tell you not to smokeor drink irresponsibly.Or is that not to smoke irresponsibly or to drink?Whichever,don,t do it.
; f The Depanmentof HomelandSecurityaskedthat we changethe actual nameof this deviceand we havedutifullyand patrioticallycompliedwith their request.Did we havea choice? S Ahhoughprobablynot after the publicationof this book.
80
t
h( al in
DEVIL,STOUCH frllthe canmorethantwo thirdsof the way uDat the mostror elsethe wholethinc will
2.Theessential andmostdangerous ingredient -
paper.Thefacialkindwouldbe frnehere 3.Tissue butmakeabsolutely no certainthat it contains
Step7: Makesurethe areais clear.Becarfulthat no oneis goingto walkup at thewrongmoment got in the can?"Assuming asking, "Hey what-cha is safe,I andgetawayto everything a minimum disteance of 45 feet.Youwill feelthe will ignite heatof thisthing!TheI whichwill blowtheE into the air and,at the sarRe time,setthe resulting Theresultis nothingshortof speccloudaflame. tacular.
I 4.Visco"Safetyfuse". 5.A #10 sizecan.Thisisthesizecanyoufrndin restaurants andbulkfoodstores. Whatyou will do: Step'l: Diga littlepit thatyouwill setthisthingin. Do not makeit too deep. Step2: Puncha holein the canusinga sharpawl.i It needsto beiustbigenoughfor the Viscofuse to fit through.
The ArmageddonHellstorm
Step3: Putyourfuseinsidesothatoneendis in the middleof thebottomof thecan. The remaining lengthshouldextendoutside thecan. It is a safetyfuseso it will burnslowly,but we don't trustyou, so usemorethanyou thinkyou need.
Haveyou everbeenrunninga gamefor your friendsandthought,"Boy! | reallycouldusea realistic volcanic-inferno that engulfs entirecity blocksin a highly-concussive fireball.Thatwouldbethe perfect endof tonight's adventure!" youhave!Whohasn't? Well,of course questionis the ArmaOur solutionto thispressing geddonHellstormDisplay. Hereisthesimplest wayto buildoneout of you probably materials havearoundyourownhome: First,obtaina microwave safecasserole dish.
Step4: Pouryourlegally obtained intothecan.lt doesn'tneedto bemuch,but youshouldn'tbe ableto seethe bottomof the canwhenttreI arespreadout. Neyer precisely usemorethanthe described amount.
A.K.A. "NSA BlackopsHitlist"
Step5: Cutout a circleof tissuepaperthe diameterof yourcanandplaceit overyour
;,*=;,1:T'#"""u'n"ni"iili*,,,o After your planelandsyou will crossthe borderinto -.
blowupthe can,killingyou,andyourdog,and yourneighbor's dog,too).
pour Step5: Carefully intothe canon top of yourtissuepaper makingabsolutely certainI. Neyer As it hassafetyin the title, we are allowedto print this. Awlscan be dangerous. Useawlswith caution.Never run while oldingan awl. Never allowsmallchildrento playwith an awl. Never llowpes nearan awl. Do not attemptto usean awl while underthe tffuence of certainmedications. Do not drink and usean awl.
thereyou wiil findsomelyans. I Whenyou talkto the Ivans besureto askfor gradeI the weapons andnot theI that theytry andpassoff asthe realI. Nexr, wrtn tNrrNr l E L,.KE you genry I
in heretoo? You bet. Sprinklesomein f Canyou usethe I asyou pour in the I for a little extraglimmerin your bang. 5 And we're not kidding!It will do this and probablymuchworsel
81
[frnnnerEXDM a minimumdistanceof fivemiles. It is fun to pretendto do thingslikethis,but that is the entirepointof roleplayinggames-to imagine things.Indeed, thegreatest display thatyou couldevercreatewill neverrivalthe imagination of your players. Youshouldfirstandforemostrely on thembeingimagnitively enthralled by thegame, ratherthantricksandgimmicks-especially dangerous ones. lf allelsefails,remember thatthisinformation pyro-magic guysin wasgivento you by non-certified a bookaboutgaming. We'remagicians, shouldyou reallytrustus?
[o,E I',,VlNOT OETT\NO THAT CASSEROLE OISH
aACKNOW,AM 7?
82i
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f,umrenf{trlVE: WoNorRsoFTHEQons Die tricksand other pointlessmiraclesto bewitchthe senses and impressdates.
Contactluggling
Nothingwill makeyou lookmorelikeyouhave powersbeyondwhatthisworldcanmanifest mystical thancontactiuggling.lt is an art thatwhensuccessfullyperformed yourgamers will mesmerize andhelp break downthe wallsof reality.Unfortunately it is, far andaway,thehardest thingyoucanlearnfromthis book.Contactjugglingcantakeyearsto masterfor some, andmanyyearsfor others,but don't worry, most of youwill giveup longbeforethen.Still,for thefewbraveXDMswhosurvive,you will havean amazing tool thatyoucanuseduringcharacter monoplot exposition, logs, andanytimeyou feelboredand justwantto showoff your awesomeness. Whatthe heckis it? Formanyof you,it will suffrce to saythat contactiugglingis whatyousaw David Bowieperformwith a smallcrystalspherein the ftlmLabyrinth. Forthe unfortunate fewof you who have neverseenthemusical with]enniferConnelly anda barrage of Muppetgoblins, let me do my best juggling, todescribe it. (Contact not themovie,which woulddo nothingmorethanmakeyousay,"People paidmoneyto seethat?"Butlistenherebuddy,you paidgoodmoneyfor a bookabouthowto be an "xtremegamemastet,"so let'snot throwstones.) Theycallit contactjugglingbecause the ball
6'
neverleaves contactwithyour body.Instead the ball rollsfluidlyfromonesideof the handto the otherand backagainin an organicandhypnotizing motion.lt mightthenroll downyourarm,across yourchest,and ontothebackof yourotherhand.Again,the ballnever leaves contactwith your body.Witnesses sometimes describe it aswatching a bubblefloateffortlessly from handto handin smooth,sweeping motions. Contactiuggling wasdeveloped by MichelMotion (whoalsoperformed it for DavidBowiein the movie) andhassincegrownso popularthat almosteveryprojugglerwill useelements fessional of it, evenduringa regular"tossjuggling"demonstration. Therearevariouspatterns andmovesassociated withthisformof juggling. Theseareusually dividedinto groupssuchaspalmspins,bodyrolls,walks,holds,and soon. Herewe areprimarily concerned withtheiconic moveknownas"the butterfly." Preparation Professionals sometimes disagree on the bestway to learn,however,mostof themrecommend starting with a practiceballspecifrcally designed for contactiuggling.TheMisterBabache ContactBallissuchan item with a relatively low cost,largesize,andlightweight. However,feelfreeto useanythingyou canfrnd.A
tY t- t
[JrnnnerEXDM smallsilicone ballis alsoa viableoption.Curtisstarted with a clearacrylicball.Thesehavea bit of weightto themandcanbreakthingswhendropped(thingslike lamps,windows,andfeet),but whenyou'rewatching yourselfin the mirror,it lookswaycoolerthansome lameplasticball.Youmayalsoconsider startingwith a poolball,asit hasa similarweightto it but is less Finally,no matterwhatballyou use costlyto damage. be prepared to drop it overandoverandoveragain. Droppingis the onlythingyou will knowhowto do reallywellfrom the start.Congratulations.
down,andanyotherdirectionyou can,again whilestillendingwiththe ballin the cradle.
The Butterfly It lookslikea dance.In fact,it is namedafter a MiddleEastern The dancethatlooksa bit similar. movements area tad awkwardto learnandevenmore awkwardto put in motion,so it is usuallytaughtin paru thencombinedto createthe whole.So,takea deepbreathaswe startyou on the pathfewXDMswill dareto tread. l. First,youshouldgetusedto holdingthe ballon the backof yourhand.Thisis doneby placing theballin the "cradle".Thecradleis madeup of the frrst,second,andthird fingers.Thesecond fingeris belowthe othertwo, creatinga dip or gap between them.Theballisthenprimarily balanced andheldby the firstandthird frngers.
Onceyou arein thispositionyou needto get usedto the feelof holdingthe ballthere.Move your handaroundsothatthe ballrollsoveryour knuckles andthenbackintothecradle.Then quicklyshake yourhandleftandright,up and
2.The nextthingyou haveto learnis howto hold the ballin "homeposition."Holdyourmain hand(whichever handyou writewith) sothat the palmis facingthe flooriustbelowshoulder level,thearmparallel withthechest.Yourelbow shouldbeslightlybelowthe wristandthe hand fromthe body(about a comfortable distance four or frveinchesshoulddo it). Thefingersare pointedto your left if you arerighthanded.The ballshouldbe in thecradle.Thisisthe insideor "home"position. 3. Now tossthe ballfrom homepositionup into the air iusta littleandcatchit backin the cradle withthearmstillin homeposition. Continue to do thisuntilyou feelcomfortable with large tosses andcangetthe ballbackinto the cradle evenif it movesout ontothe smoothpartof the hand. 4. Now moveyour handsothatthe palmis horizontalto the ceiling.Yourarmtakesthe shape, moreor less,of a servercarryinga tray.Thisis "outside"position.
yourtossing in ousideposi5. Practice exercises tionaswell.lt will be mucheasier. 6. Now the time hascometo put the two together.Thisiswhereour methodof teaching
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oF rHEQons WoNosRS
HalfButterfly
variesfrom others.Otherstell you to nowtoss theballfrom ousidepositionto insideposition. Goingbackandforth alwaysmakingyourtoss smaller Try rollingtheball andsmaller. Instead: in homepositionwith a movement of yourwrist your andelbowover fingertips andintoyour palmin ousideposition. Thisprobably won't work,but it will at leastgiveyou a betteridea of whatwe areattempting to accomplish. Next, pickthe ballup off the floorandput it backin homeposition. Thistime,roll theballup into theair off your fingersandcatchit in ouside position. Thendo thesamethingbackto home. Thefocushereis rollingtheballandlearning to controlits motion.Practice this,makingthe motionsmaller andsmaller untilyouaregiving the balliustenoughenergyto go overthe top of the fingersandroll downinto outsideposition. Repeat thisstepuntilboth directions aresecondnatureandthe ballneverleaves contactwith yourhand.lf you do, youwill be performing a halfbutterfly.' 7. Now learnto do it with the otherhand. 8. Beforewe continue,let me saythat if you've reallymadeit thisfar, congratulations. Onceyou you cando halfbutterflies in eachhand needto t Thisdoeslook betterasyou get more heightandmoreof the ball is nvealed. Still,it's harder.The cheapway of doinglt is to makethe ball roll your first andsecondfingers.Doingthis fromthecradleup andlust in-between (eatesa trackthat greatlyhelpskeepthe ball undercontrol.Practlcewhile slnlngon thecouch.Thearmsof the couchwlll keepthe ballfrom rollingtoo farawayfrom you and makespracticein generalmorecomfonable
put themtogetherto form the full butterfly.This canbe donein manywaysbut the coolestway (andconsequently way)is by doingthe thehardest back-to-back transfer. Holdtheballin homeposition withyourmain hand.Now put yourotherhandin homeposition in frontof that.Youaregoingto roll the ballout of the cradledownthe smoothpartof your hand overthe smoothpartof your otherhandandinto its cradle.Practice thisby simplymovingthe back handunderneath andin frontof the handthatjust caughtthe ball.By repeating thisoverandover, youwill not onlygeta hangof it but whendone fluidlyit's a trickknownasthe staircase.
CHEAPTRICK To makeback-to-back transfereasier,shorten the distance the ballrollson the smoothpart of the hand.lf you must,roll it from cradle to cradleoverthe knuckles. Keepworking on makingthat disuncelonger,asit loola far moreimpressive. Youcould,of course,iustskipthe back-tobacktransferandusethe palm-to-palm whichis simpler.Thisis donewhenthe ballis in outside position.Thehandsmoveto meetin front of the body(yourfingerspointedawayfrom you thistime)andthe ballis rolledinto the palm of the receiving hand.Thathandthenmoves position backto outside anddoesis halfof the butterfly.
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[JrnunrEXDM
9. Onceyou havethe back-to-back transferdown, it's a simplematterof transferring the balland continuing thebutterflyin thereceiving hand,then reversing the motionto theotherside,andsoon. In the full butterfly,theballshouldneverstop moving.lt is onefluid,continuous motionandis a wonderto behold.
CHEAPTRICK In the middleof a butterflyor half butterflytry this:Movefrom ougideto insideposition,only don't roll the ballto the backof your hand.Insteadkeepit there in the palm. isn'tdone,the ball Granted,if something is destinedto fly directlytowardthe nearest fragileobiect.Sopressor hookyour thumb to the backof the ballandpressit against yourhand.Thethumbshouldendup near the bottom,but not at the bottom,of the ball.Thiscreates the illusionthatthe ball is stuckto the handanddefyinggravity. Tilt your handiustslightlytowardyour bodyif necessary to helphideyourthumb. Continuebackto outsidepositionandthen butterflyasusual.The pacingof thisis important.Justkeepthe movementof the handandarm consistent with the restof your butterflies. lt's funnyandwhendone right,a touchdisarming.
Finally ContactJuggling isa hardthingto learnand puttinga smallroutinetogether. entire books have been writtenon the subiect.lf you Startby doing a half butterfly, wouldlikemoreinformation thanwe haveroomto then movingto the otherside provide, including with tricks multipleballs,body and doing a half butterflyin roffs,walks,andmuchmuchmore,checkout Contact that hand.Next, moveinto a by JamesErnest.Therearealsoa numberof Juggling full butterflymixingpalm-toout there,sofeelfreeto palmtransfers with back-to-back DVDsandotherresources Google it. ones.Thena staircase, andend backin yourstarting handwiththe ballbeautifully at the Appearances displayed Effect:TheXDM walksoverto a cornerof the fingertips.lf you feellikeit, room andstands on a platformwhichyoucansee throwin the following cheap trick,asit will drawsome underandto the sides.He lifu a largesheetup into theairanddropsit dramatically, revealing a longlost gasps whendoneright. player,an NPCcometo life,or thepizzadude.All with the helpof a littleblackart. 10.
lf yougetthatdown,try
WoxosRSoF rHEQoos It isn'tactually aspaganasit sounds.. Magicians .O4o/o) mustbe compensated for by the useof blinding forgenerations haveamazed the publicandaccom- lights,alsocalled"blinders." Theselightsarepointed plished all mannerof featsusingthisancient techdirectlytowardyour audience andactasthe street nique. In factit isstillusedin fantastic multimillion lightdid in our example above.Goodblackart will use dollarillusionshowstoday,from DavidCopperfreld blinders Forexample, in a stage assubtlyaspossible.s Angel.Youcando thesamethingin your toCriss illusionCurtisoncecreated,the blinders werenothing garage for around30 bucks. morethanthe onesetof rearlighsslightlylowered thestarsat night.Now placea bright lmagine andangledtowardthe audience, therebygivingthe you in street light the middleof thatscene. Can still impression that it wasmerelybacklightingfor the scene seestarsaroundit? Thedynamicrangeof yourvision with no ulteriormotive. isnotlargeenoughto makeout boththe dim stars andthebrightlightall at once.Soif therewasa persondrapedin blackbehindthatlight,youwouldn't beableto seethemeither.Takingthisbasicprinciple possible a bit further,it becomes to vanish,float,and youwantwitha bit of black basically do anything cloth.t lmaginea stagewherethe entirebackground is draped in blackvelvet.A brightwhiteballis in the middle of thatstage.Dimlightssurround thearea pointing to theaudience, them.lf a subtlyblinding blackvelvet-covered stickwereto movethatwhite ballaroundthe audience wouldseenothingmore thana whiteballfloatingin a blackvoid.Thisis a bitobvious,but, whenusedmoresubtly,canreally amaze anaudience and,yes,evena gamer.But,hey Onewayto furtherfrll in the blackvoidandindon't evenif they freakout, it's aboutentertainment crease the dynamicrangeof yoursettingis to useblack/ morethanamazement in theXDM business. bulbvarietyarethe best, UV lighs.Theflorescent however,the cheaper bulbsyou flnd in a iokeor party shopwillworkaswell.Byaddingflorescent materials to the scene,the dynamicrangeincreases dueto the glow CrashCourse in BlackArt that overpowers black the darkness of the material.lt Firstyou, aregoingto needa lot of blackcloth. lf youarerich (or owna velvetfactory),thengetting canbe diffrcultmakingthisworkright,assomedustwill yardsuponyardsof the perfectblackmaterialshould glowunderblacklightsaswell.Keepa lint rollerhandy. Howdo you useblackart in your game?Saythat notbea problem.The restof you haveto settle players your haveenteredthe realmof doomanda forthe blackest felt you canfind.Thedifference beautifulmagicspiritappears to tell the groupwhatto liesin the "reflectioncoefficient"eachof your next. Forget telling it. Let'sdo it. do them about possesses. materials In otherwords,howmuchlight Thefirstthingyouwill needto buildis a backa givenobiectwill reflect.Someof the finestblack that isall black.We'llleavethispartmostlyup drop velvets will havea reflectioncoefficient of aslittleas to you, howeverwe will mentionthatsomePVCpipe, .04o/o.+ Whatever the little Iightleftover(likethat buckets full of rocks,andsomeclampscangetthe iob * Although,to be fair, more than one spiritualist cult hasusedthis donequicklyandcheaply. Youwill alsoneedto cover technique to strikefear into the hearu ofcrippled childrenand orphaned the floor with the black material, same at leastthearea widows.This is only okay if your gameis beingplayedby iust sucha group, beneath andaroundwhereyourplatformwill go.
U D
of the audience,and only whenon a black i Only from the perspective an set.Robbinga bankwith a blacksheeton your headwill probablylust getyou shot. { TheNew Make-upof Magic,MickyHades,1974, P.37,
blindyour $ Despitethe name,"blinders"are NOT meantto permanently audience.
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Next,you needthe platform.Thisis thestandthat The "Criss-Cross" forcet yourspiritwill appearon. A goodcheapoptionis to Step1: Havesomeone cutthedeckbutnotcombuilda makeshift stageout of four or morecinderblocks pleteit. piece plywood. anda large of Atuch your blackmaterialto the backof your plywoodandhaveit hangdown Step2: Placethe cut-toportionon top of theother behindyour cinderblocks. Now placeyour blinders, halfasif you wereto naturallycompletethecut, perhaps addsomefogandlasers, andyou'redone(see onlyinsteadplaceit on top crosswise. Heresay the pictureon page87). thatyouwill "mark"theircut. getinto positionbehindyour Haveyour assistant blackaft screen(theblackmaterialattached to your board).Shecancrawltherefroma holein thebackground,or iustbe lyingtherewaitingallnightuntilher momentarrives.Whenthe timecomesfor thespiritto manifest herself, simplyholdup a coverof somekind (usuallya cloth)and,whenshestepsinto position,let it go. Naturally,you will wantsomestoryto go along withallof this.Makingpeople appearis all frneand dandybut a reasonfor all your odd actionsis preferable. Step3: Allow a momentfor time misdirection. Cardsaren't only Collectables Thenlift the crossing halfoff the bottomhalfand turn overthe "cut-tocard"this,again,is thetop cardof thedeck. Use the Force...* probably Thefirstthing,and the mostuseful,you The "Touch" Force canlearnaboutcardmagicis the force.A "force" is you So have learnedhowto havethemcut the a handywayto makesomeone "randomly"selectthe cardsto forcethem,but whatif you wantto do that specificcardor objectthatyou secretly wantthemto. thingwherethe cardsarespreadbeYes,it reallyis a sortof ledit thing.We will go overthe handymagician manyadvantages of the forcein a moment,but firstgo tweenthe handsandtheyiustpickone?Try this: getyour Preparation Whenno oneis watching, geta deckof cardsandfollowalong. forcedcardto the top of the deck.Let'ssaythat you areusingthe sixof diamonds. The "Cut a Little Deeper" Force A handywayto forcesomeone to "randomly" Step1 Holdthecardsin yourdealing handand selectthe cardthat you secretly wantthemto, via your startto dealoff a fewcardsinto otherhand. cutting.Thenameiaelfimplies whatyouwill bedo(For you simplicity let's right assume are iust ing.You havethemcut the deck,but not too deep. handed.) You should now have a few cards in Thefirstcut is placedfaceup on the deckthenyou ask your righthandandthe restof the deckin your themto "cut a littledeeper"andturn all of thosecards left hand.Do thisasyou say,"Let'shaveyou faceup on top of the deck.Finally,you askthemto picka cerd." spreadthroughthe nowface-upcardsuntiltheygetto a facedowncard.This,you tell them,is theirrandomStep2 Withoutpausing, startto spreadthe deck ly-cut-tocard.Handilyenoughfor you, it alsohappens fromyour left handintoyour right-overthe to be the originaltop cardof the pack. threeor four cardsalreadyin that hand.All you haveto do hereis keepthisstockof cards underneath the spreadcards.Youcando thisby *
We swearwe haveneverheardof this Sar Warsyou speakof... despite what we may sayelsewherein this book. PleaseGeorge,don't sueus. f l'm sorryGeorge. I can't seemto shutup.
{ Thiswasinventedby Max Holdenin 1925.lt doesn'tmatterhowold it is, iust how well it works.
keeping the rightfingerswrappedaroundthem andallowing thespread cardsto glideoverthe frngertips. Saysomething herelike,"ln fact,you canchoosefrom anywhere in the deckjusttouch anycardyou like.".
Step5 Oncethe righthandpacketissquared' (and you areconfidentthatthe cardsareall generally aligned), tilt yourrighthandup andshowthe bottomcardto the spectators. . .err players.+ lf gone everything has according to planthisshould betheoriginal top card:or thesixof diamonds.
Now What? Sowhatcanyou do with a forcedcard?We can promise youthatthe mostamazing thingsyou have everseenwith cardswereaccomplished with a force. Froma selected cardappearing on theothersideof a gfass windowto a "freely"selected cardbeingpredicted Step3 Continueto slowlyspreadthroughthe cards yearsin advance, a cardforcewasbehindit all.Below untilyourvictimtouches a card.Separate the aresomeof the thingsthat I liketo do with it. As you cardsbelowthe placetheyindicated. Youare readtheseplease do sowith XDM eyesandtry to see nowholdingabouthalfthe deckin onehandand howtheseeffecscanbe usedto entertainyour players theremaining balance of cardsin theotherwith in the naturalcourse of a game. thetouchedcardat the bottomof the righthand spread. Hickman'sSpectatorCuts the Aces cutsthe aces"is a veryold magic "Spectator theme,a problemthatsomeof the finestmindsin magichavestruggled to accomplish. Theproblemis thatyou needto somehow finaglethe endresult(the fouraces)eventhoughthe cardsareunderthe control of thevolunteer almosttheentiretime.Thisusually means thatthemagician hasto performsomeabsurdor awkwardmovein the actionof turningthe four cut-to selections over. Thisis,of course, whenalltheheatison andrareStep4 Now, usethe cardsin the left handto close ly in magicdo you wantto performthe secretactionas the righthand'sspreadoveryourconcealed everyone watches the exactplaceyou do it. Thisis why packetof cards.Theconcealed packetcombines we havemisdirection. Unfortunately, in thiseffectyou naturally withthe othercardsandeverything is reallycan'tmisdirect too muchbecause anydirection heldtogether awayfromthe cardsis a bit conspicuous, andyour goal is not to leadthemawayfromthe effect,but fowards it. Still,aswesaidbefore,manymagicians havecome up withastounding waysof performing thisparticular feat.However,noneof themmeetthe directness that ( wouldcomefromthe spectator actuallycuttingto the \ aceswithno sleight of handfromthe magician. Letme presentto you Hickman's Spectator Cutsthe Aces. The Secret:Theyactuallycut to the aces. Mindblowingisn'tit. t Besureto emphasize "touch" sinceif they pull a cardout you,re hosed, You can alsohavethem iustyell stop,whichis usuallyeaslerin situations with lots of peopleand largetables.
f You may wishto givethe right-handpacketan additionaltap on the top to squarethem all the way around. f I like to turn my headawayto emphasize that I couldn,tknow which card it is.
QO vt
[JrnuerEXDM 1l
is,how?Wellif you didn'tskipthe Thequestion youbecause above,thenthe answer shouldn't surprise it's reallysimple.In fact,we cansumit up by saying that it's a combination of two Cut a LittleDeeperforces anda Crisscross force.Whenyou combinethemin a pieceof magic. particular way,you geta verydeceptive Preparation Placethreeaceson the top of the deck andoneaceon the bottom. Step1 Tellthe playerthathe is goingto playa quick gameof "TexasSmoky"with Jackthe Grifter. Thewinnergetswhateveris relevantto the story, maybea talkingkangaroo. Step2 Havethe spectator do the Cut a LittleDeeper place forcetwice.Eachtime the cut-tocardface to placethe redownandto the side.Remember face-up maining cardsbackintothemiddleof the deckfacedown,leaving thetop andbottomcards always the same.. force.In the Step3 Endby doingthe Crisscross time misdirection" aforementioned "momentof showthatthe firstandsecondcardstheycut to wereaces.Thenmovebackto the"markedcut." Pickup the top halfwith your righthandandturn overthe facedowncardon the bottomhalfwith your left saying,"whatis reallystrange is thatyou your turn righthand alsocut to thethird.. ." now palm-up, showing the bottommostcardin thetop halfof the cut saying, ". . .andfourthace." Youhavejustcreated a Maverick-esque moment for a playerwhois aboutto be the luckyrecipientof lf you do thisrightit will foolthe a talkingkangaroo. pantsoff peoplel.
youwant)on yourforearm.Youwill do thisin a shorthand form.So"The Sixof Diamonds" because otherbecomes, "61." Useshorthand wiseit takesa longarmanda lot of ChapStick. Havea pieceof paper,a pencil,a lighter,andan ashtrayor smallbowlhandy. cardon someone. StepI Forcethe sixof diamonds Feelfreeto useanymethodyou like.sIn this wouldusethe Touchforce. case,I personally Oncetheyknowtheircard,gatherthe deckand put it away. Step2 Tellyourhelperto "thinkof yourcard andconcentrate on it." Lookintotheirsouland struggle for a moment.Tellthemthat perhaps theyshouldwritethe nameof theircarddownto helpthemfocus.Lookawayastheydo thisand havethemcrumpletheirscrappaperintoa little ballwhentheyarefrnished. Step3 Takeout the lighterandthe bowl.Settheir prediction it to burnalltheway aflame, allowing out in the bowl.Youshouldhavea littlepileof left.Waita moment,twentyfrveseconds ashes arecool. or so,to makesuretheashes writingon Step4 Rubtheashes overtheChapStick yourarm.Theashes willstickto theChapStick andrevealthenameof the cardtheyarethinking of in ash. Anything canbewrittenon your armandrevealedin ashes; of a clueto yourgame;the location Thisis a fun trick,but the magicwhasit,anything. the principle canbeusedfor a myriadof coolgame moments.
"Quill of EYIL" Duringyouradventurer's travels theycome quillof evil.Thequillissaidto foreacross a strange "Revealedin Ashes" Revealing the nameof a selected objectby rubbing tellthe future.At differentpoinsduringthe advenashes lt's weirdanda tureanyonecanpickup thequillandwritewithit. on yourarmgoesbackcenturies. game'. little freaky.Perfectfor a latenight Thecurseof the quillis thatanyonewho triesto look goesblindfor a Preparation Go getyourself In someChapStick. at the predictionbeforeit happens private,writethe nameof your forcecard(We'll shorttime.Aftera numberof predictions aremade, usethesixof diamonds again.Youusewhatever thequillrunsout of inkandthe papers areread.Each prediction, someof whichareveryspecific,hascome pass. to " My favorite way to accomplishthis is to shufflethe cardstogethermaking surethat the top and bottom cardssuy iust wherethey aresupposedto. The Secret:lf a playereverasksto usethe Shufflinglike this will alsoreallyconfuseanyonewho may think they know quill you will pickup a penandsmallpieceof paper what you are doing. f t
Not literally.Which in most casesis a REALLYgood thing. This usesfire. Be careful.Duh.
$ No guns.
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(about Post-it.sizeis good)andostensibly door writedown TheXDMwriteson a pieceof paper"the second prediction prediction be will chosen." That is tossed in withthe a abouta specific eventthatisaboutto othersandtheXDM announces thatthequillisout of takeplace.Perhaps something likewhichdoorthe players maybe read.Of course willchoose, they specifics aboutwhatwill happen inkandthe predictions inthenextbattle,or go for brokeandpredictactual allcameto pass.Doyouseehowtimedisplacement possible?t canmakejustaboutanything Anyway,it'sa dierolls.Whateverfloatsyour boat*youwill be one percentrighteachtime.Howcouldsuch funwayto makesomething asodd asa magicquillthat hundred much more real. exist? devilry Butwaita second. Thisis a gameafterall.What It'seasywithour old friendtimedisplacement. party you happens if my prediction frnds a wayto readthe predictions What writedownfor numberoneis in Well,asthe veritablegodof their factthelasfeventthatwill happen-an eventthatwill beforetheyhappen? you preventsuchthingsfrom hapworld player. can naturally prediction beforceduponthe Thenthenext peningbut we havea betteridea. youwillmakewill be for the frrstevent.Yourthird prediction Letthem.Evenhelpthemto find a wayto do your will be for event,andsoon. second gamedynamic. it. lt creates a reallyinteresting Allowusto illustrate. So Thequillof evilstartsto pen perhaps your players after doing the of evil effect, movebefore theyfind entera room.Sothe XDM picks a vialof waterthat grantsthemimmortalsightfor a up a pieceof paperandwrites"Thequeenof moment.Nowyou mustwriteon the paperaboutan will bechosen"crumples hearu the paperup and yet.Like,"Sherrythe elf it into a bowl.Erikthe Vicarsearches tosses for traps. eventthathasn'thappened princess kills magic the with a rock."Now you have Heflndsonebut stilltakesa frstfullof poisonto the to makesurethat no matterwhatthe pafi does,the face. eventcomesto pass.lf Sherrycommigsuicidebefore you haveto makeup a wayfor anything elsehappens, whatyouwroteto happen. Perhaps Sherryrollsa 20 on hersuicide roll.Youcouldsaythatherforceand conviction weresostrongthat Sherry'sbladeshattered in herhand,preventing herdeathandforcingthe rocks to shake andfallon theprincess. Basically no amount of ingenuity or dierollingwill undowhatthe penhas written.lt's a fun dynamic, especially if the predictions theyreadareunfortuitous. lsn'tthatnot iustcheating, but a complete massacreof therulesof the game? No. Firstlet me remind youthattheQuillof Evilis evil.Second, deciding Sometimegoesby andthe players the cometo fateof your players oncetheyhavediscovered howto frvedoorsbut canonlychoose one."Thequillof withoutgoingblindis not cheatevilstaru to write,"andtheXDM picksup another readthepredictions ingor rulegenocide at all. (Evenif it waswe doubt bitof paperandon it secretly writes"Erikwill finda poison paper that we would care.) Butit is perfectlyfltting.Still,for trap".The is balledup andplacedwith the sakeof yoursanity,allowusto illustrate whywith theother.Theplayers choose thesecond door.In an told folktalke gypsy oft narrated by Angel the of Death thenextrooman old womanis foundwith a herself: deckof cards.Sheaskssomeone in the partyto cut in Baghdad who sent thedeckandshemarksthecut by placing "Therewasa merchant it crosswise (Crisscross hisservant to marketto buy provisions andin a little Force)on the otherpack.Beforethe cutquill to cardis lookedat, the of evilstaruto write. * Post-itis yet anothertrademarkthat we haveusedin total disregard for lawsthat might preventus from doingso. Also, if you actuallydo thiseffectusingactualPost-its,you will be deducted20 XDM levelsand forcedto wearthe "l took XDM too literally"signto our next meeting.
f This is yet anotherreferenceto the sectionin this book called"Twisting in the Wind." lt's a reallygoodsection.lf you skippedall that stuff in the beginningand somehowgot herefirst-weoffrciallydemoteyou down to a levelTwo SkuzzPuff. But then for you LevelOne Nub Cakes,I guessthat's a promotion, 5o. . . good work.
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[rnunrEXDM whilethe seruantcameback,whiteandtrembling, andsaid,l{aster,justnowwhenI wasin the marketplace I wasjostledby a womanin thecrowdand whenI turnedI sawit wasDeaththatjostledme. gesture, Shelookedat me andmadea threatening now,lendmeyour horse,andI will rideawayfrom thiscityandavoidmy fate. I willgo to Samarra and thereDeathwillnot find me. Themerchant lenthim hishorse,andthe sevantmountedit, andhedug hisspursin its flanksandasfastasthe horsecould gallophe went. Thenthe merchant wentdownto the marketplace andhe sawme standing in thecrowd andhe cameto meandsaid,"Whydidyou makea gesture threatening to my servant whenyou sawhim gesture, thismorning?"Thatwasnota threatening I said,it wasonlya startof surprise.I wasastonished to seehimin Baghdad, for I hadan appointment with himtonightin Samarra."
you need a fortunebuyingthesecards.Basically, Bicycle cards.. Please notethatto saveusall a lot of confusion in thissectionwe will be assuming thatyou areright handedtoo. lf you arenot, we aresurethatwe're not the firstto pity you. Stilldespiteyour sadlot in lifewe iustknowyou candrumup enoughmoxieto convertthe followingtext to fit your specialneeds. The nuo handedfan Fourducksat firstglance, but reallyit's probably morelikeoneor two. Step1 Holdthecardsin yourlefthand.The cardsshouldbe in the crotchof the thumb, angledtowardyou slightly.Thethumbis putting pressure on the packat the bottomnearcorner
Therearea millionthingsyoucando witha forcedcard.Takea duplicate of the forcecardandput it in yourbuddy'swallet.Havethenameof theforce cardrevealed in laserfire andfrreworks. Beinventive! You'reanXDM-that'syourjob. Card Flourishes: Whetheryou'rea cardcheatin the old west,a gypsy,aboutto playanyoneof the billions wandering of cardgamesout there,or doingan effectfromthis book,you needto knowhowto do sowith flair.Card flourishes areanart of theirown. Manyof themlook impressive and,if donecorrectly,areeasy.Thatis the idea.Thereis anold magicsaying, "Makethediffrcult lookeasyandthe easylookdifficult." Whatfollowsarejusta fewof thethousands of cardflourishes out there. To makeit simplewe'verated eachoneon a scaleof ducks.Fiveducksbeinghard, oneduckbeingeasy.(Whyducks? we don'tknow. Whystars?)We'renot goingto venturetoo far into the fiveduckcategory,because thereareplentyof amazing flourishes that don't requirenearlyasmuchwork. Beforewe begin,please notethatyou shouldgo out andgeta qualirydeckof cards!Don'tevenlook at that horridexcuse for a decksittingin your kitchen drawer.You neednewcards.You needqualitynonplasticcoatedcards.Youalsodon't wantto spend
Step2 Therighthandnowcomesover,andwith itsthumb,his the nearlongedgeof the cardsat the top left corner.lt thenmakesan arcaround the otherthumb,puttingthe majorityof its pressure on the uppermost card.Thefingersin backsupportthe fan.
*
Bicycleis a trademarkof the U.S. PlayingCardCompany.Rumorhas it that their mainofficesare madeof 85,720,645,496 playingcards carefullystackedby a bllndChineseman. It's alsoa modeof transportation.
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WoNnsRsoF THEQoos The One HandedFan Onelittleduck Thisis a fanthat by itselfis onlymildlyimpressive, but whentwo handsof themarecombinedyou getone veryimpressive displayknowasthe S-fan. Step1 Placehalfthe deckon the fingersof the right handsothatthe longedgesof the packareparallel to them.Yourrightthumbcontacts the bottom innercorner. pressure withthethumb Step2 Whilemaintaining andbottomfingers,makea fist.Unlikethe fistyou mightuseto beata leveloneorphancleric,this the palm, fistis madewith the fingersflat against the bentindexfinger'sknuckle. thumbsetagainst
The snapbackfan close you did the lastoneright, two ducks. Assuming Thisis a cleverandmagical lookingwayof closing the two handedfan. Step1 Bringyour left indexfingerto the bottom of the fan.Thetip of thatfrngershouldbe in contactwith the bottomcenterof the lowermostcard.Themiddlefingershouldbemostly in contactwith the spreadabovethat bottom card.
Step2 Two thingsaregoingto happenat the same time.You extendthe indexfinger,forcingthe cardfanto beginto close.Themiddlefrnger pullsdownon the fan,thusforcingit to closein anarc. Step3 Onceyou can'tloweryour middlefingeror extendyour indexfingeranyfurther,reverse the motionto pullthe fancompletely shutwith the indexfrnger.Leavethe middlefingerwhereit is. It's doneits iob anddeserves a break. Somethingsto keepin mind Thefanshouldclosefast.Remember itsthe snapback close.Whenviewedfromthe front it should looklikethe fanis closingitself.
The S Fan Theevilwarlordtwinbrotherof thelastlittleducR Step1 Do a onehandedfanin bothhands.lt's really not thathard.. Step2 Movethe handssothat the top of onefan comesin contactwith the bottomof the other therebycreatingan S shapewith the cards.
CHEAPTRICKI gag pretend lf youwantto do an old-fashioned to graba pieceof hair andtie lt to the fan. Thenclosethe fanwlth the left handpretendto pullthe invtsibleline,asif shuttingthe fanwlth thehalr.lt migfrtseemsllly,but world-famous , magicians still usethis bit in their performances.
Andreallydoeslookcool.
" Havingiust re-readthis before goingto print, it seemsto us that this is and ignorantthingto saysincewe can alreadydo it. lf sort of an insensitive you wereoffendedfeelfreeto blamegrandmasterFrank. We usuallydo.
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[JrnunrEXDM To closeReverse the motionsof creatingthe fans andbringthe two handstogether.Thecards shouldcollapse neatlyintothehands. Note:Curtishasbeendoingmagicfor a longtime andstillgetsasgreata reactionfrom the S fanashe doeswhenperforming a complicated version of the (a SybilCut Sybilcut beinga twentyon the fiveduck scale, andtoo complicated for usto describe here). you Speaking of cuts,les introduce to anold friendof themagiccommunity knownastheCharlier cut. The One HandedCut or Charlier Cut probablythebiggerhalf Twoanda half ducks... Step1 Holdthe packat your left handfingertips, lengthwise betweenthe fingersandthumb.Your pinkyshouldbe at the bottomedgeof the packto helpkeepthingstidy. Step2 Now release thebottomhalfof the deckby rollingyourthumbup a bit sothatit loses the lowerhalfandkeeps thetop half.
a The Card Spread Oneduck Step1 Grip the decklengthwise betweenthe fingersof your handandspreadthe cardson the table.Thepressure comesfrom the deckpushing quickly downon thecardsasthe handsweeps across the table.Thefingersdon't dragthe cards but ratherregulate the distribution of the cards. A lighttouchis neededanda littlepracticeto makeit smoothandeven,but really,howhard couldthisbe? Step2 (We'renot doneyet?)Now tilt the first cardin thespread up andwiththe frngerridethe crestof the waveyou justcreated.Rideit both downandup thespread. lt shouldlooklikea peakor wavemovingdownthespread. In factif youmovethewaveto the middleof thespread andthensplitthe wavewith the otherhandyou canmovetwo wavesaround.
-' ' :-..':,' =.--
Step 3 Whenyou get tired of this or feel the spreadstaftingto fall apart, bring the waveto the end of the, fan thusflippingall the cardsface
Step3 Usingyour indexfinger,pushup on the bottom packetuntilyou haveforcedthat packetto iustclearthetop packet.Now loweryourfinger anduseyourremaining fingers to helpbringthe newlowerpacketunderthenewtop packet.
up. Note:Thiswon'tworkon smoothsurfaces. In fact,if you everattemptthison glass,feelfreeto give yourself 5 moronpoints. Springingthe Deck FiveDucksanda Yeti Likeanythingthisstartsout hardandthenwith practicegetsto besosecond-nature you will look backandwonderwhywe'recallingit fiveducks (granted, you maylookbackon thisandsaythat anyway).Still,juststartingto learnhowto springthe deckfrom handto handcanbe quiteaggravating, pickingup cards.Trust especially if you areconstantly me, it's wortheverymomentyou put into it. Step1 Holdthecardsin yourrighthandwiththe four fingerson the top shortedgeandthe thumb on the bottomshortedge.
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Die tricks and other PointlessMiracles Vanishes
Step2 Squeeze the deck,creatinga concave bend intoyourpalm. Step3 Nowspringthe cardsby releasing them with the fingers.Thisis doneby straightening the knuckles out andevenlyregulating the flowof thecards. Step4 Catchthe cardsin yourlefthandwhichis heldjustbelow,in front,andto thesideof your righthand.Thehandsfingerscreatea bowlfor thecardsto fall into. (l apologize to thosethat did stepthreewithoutreadingstepfour first.Let thatbe a lesson to you.) Step5 Square the cardsandknowthat,yes,you lookedcool. CHEAPTRICKI Therels a wayto totallycheatat the card spring.lf you do thls rlght,you mlghtgetaway with lt. On the other hand,it letsyou do some reallyfunnyflourishes, evenlf the gimmicklt is obvious. l. Sapleor otherwise connectaltemating endsof your cards.In otherwordssuple the shortend ofthe top cardto the next card.Thentekethat cardandstaplethe opposlteendto the cardbeneathit. You will end up with a deckthat is one bigzigzagconnectedpack. 2. Now you canreleasethe cardsfrom one handto the other from greatdistances and perfectly(if a bit zlgthey will cascade zagged)everytime. Note: lf you are doingthisandrryingto getawaywith lt, you will wantto concealthe deckwlth the handuntilthe lastposiblemoment.After all, peoplemightgetsuspicious of the largepiecesof metalstuckto your cards.
Theabilityfor a XDM to vanish diceat will is... wellpointless. . . but fun.After all,thereis no wizard or creature thatwouldhaveactualdiceto makevanish. Perhaps it's bestusedasa symbolof fatevaporizing, the creaturedisappearing, or someotherreallyesoteric nonsense. As mentioned earlier,thereareonlythreeways of making anything vanish. Bymovingtheobiect,hidingtheobject,or it wasneverthereto beginwith.. So,in an effortto deliverthe XDMsof the worldthe bestin illusiontechnologies, we will provideyou with a fewtechniques thatinvolvea combination of allthree methods. Die Vanishl: FeaturingThe French Drop(akaLe tourniquet Vanisht) Step1 Thedieis hetdbetween the thumband forefinger of yourpalm-up hand.Theotherhand movesoverto takethe die.
Step2 Themomentthesecond handiscovering the dieyourfirsthandreleases its gripon the die allowing it to fallintothe palm.Thesecond hand thenwrapsis fingersaroundemptyspace. Step3 Tenseup thehandthatnowholdsnothing (butsupposedly holdsthe die)andrelaxthe hand that nowconceals it. Youreyesshouldbe fixed on thehandthatapparently tookthe die...andI meanriyefedon it asif your eyeballs wereliterally super-glued to it. of Magicby mo guyswho havenever beenin my kitchen " ThePsychology before. + WARNING: A toumiguershouldonly be usedasa lasrresortif all other efforu to controlbleedinghavefailed. lfyour playersare bleedingduring your game,you're doingsomethingwrong.
[rnuerEXDM Step,l Finally,massage the emptyspacein the second handandslowlyrevealthevanish of the die.
Step1 Tossthe D20 from handto handa few times.Thehandsshouldbe relatively close togetherwhiledoingthis.Therighthandrotates overthe left andthe left handoverthe right.
Step5 Reveal or ditchthe concealed die in the first hand: A. Produceit fromyour elbow,behinda player's ear,or out of a cheese sandwich. Justreachover you plucked withthe firsthandandactlike the objectfrom the netherregion. youcancasually B. lf youareseated, let thedie your dropinto lapundercoverof thetable'sedge. C. lf youarestanding andhavebeenpracticing your misdirection, you cando this:Leanforward withthesecondhandandbeginto vanish thedie. As you do thisturn your bodya bit to the side andwhenall eyesareon yoursecond handallow your firsthandto drop its die into a convenient pocket(iacket,pants,etc).Thissortof thingtakes practicebut whendonecorrectlycanbe amazing. Havingsaidthat,I don'trecommend thatyoudo it, at leastnot for a longtime.lt's not thatI don't trustyou-it justtakesa bit of practice.
Step2 Now dumpthe dieinto the left hand,its quicklyclosing fingers aroundthedie. Step3 Yourrighthandimmediately movesinto the iacketandup to the left breastpocket.Removethe pencilanddisplayit sayingsomething witty like,"Hereis my magicpencil." devilishly Step4 Wavethe penciloverthe left handand openit to revealthe die is stillthere.No one will be impressed, I hope.
Youcan,of course, makeanything smallvanish withthismethod.Justremember whatthefatherof modernmagicsaid:
Step5 Saythatyou musthavedonesomething wrong.Placethe pencilbackinto your innerleft breastpocketandsayyou will try again.Repeat Stepl.
asa conjurer,threethingsarees"To succeed sential-first, dexterity;second, dexterity; andthird, dexterity." Robert-Houdin Die Vanishll Thereturnof the DieVanish(Thistimeit's personal) EffectTheXDM causes a D20 to vanishfrom his handusingthe waveof a pencil.Witha second wave,thediereappears in thatsamehand. Thiseffectis a classic of magicand,despite beingsupereasy,is high-impact whenperformed correctly.'Thebadnewsis you haveto be wearing a jacket or sportcoat.Placethe pencil/pen in the inneriacketpocketandyou arereadyto perform. * A wonderfultrick accreditedto JamesF. Herpick.Yes,someof the footnotesare real.
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ffiil \ l\Y
Step6 Now makethe samemotionof the right Volatilis Sors (latin handdumping/tossing the die into the left as for oWingedFortune") youdid in Step2but thistimeuseyourthumb Thisis an amazing featthat datesbackto a small your (frgure to clipthe die behind fringesocietyof XDMslivingin hiddencavesnear closedfrngers 3 exposed view).Closeyour left handaround Oman.Theydidn'twantto giveup theirsecretbut theempryspaceasthoughit heldthedie.The threatsweremadeandMountainDews*wereconfisillusionshouldlookalmostidenticalto a regucated. lar actionof tossingandcatching the die.You Effect:You roll your D20 anddon't likethe result shouldbestaringat your left handwhichis now soyou makea smallwavingmotionoverthe die tense.Yourrighthandshouldbe an afterthought andit literallyandvisuallyre-rollsiself. lf you andappearrelaxed. don't likethat resultyou canalwayswaveagain, or snapyour fingers,gettingthe dieto floatback Step7 Yourrighthandoncemoremovesunder up intoyour hands,readyto be rolled.lf someone jacket pocket. the andup to the innerleft There complains feelfreeto handthemthe D20 to see it will release the D2Ointo the sleeveandtake how normalit reallyis. utterly iust pencil out the oncemore.Yourleftarmshould alreadybe bentso thatthe die doesn'tmakeit IMPORTANTI pastthe elbow. Step8 Tapthe pencilagainst the handagain,preyoursuperior senfing intellect by saying, "l think I haveto tap it." Step9 "And nowit will vanish!"Slowlyopenyour left handto revealthatthe dieis nowgone. Step1OA momentlater,clearlyshowyourright your handemptyexceptfor the pencilfinishing by saying,"Completely." statement Step1 1 Now raiseyour righthandasyou singthe praises of the magicpencil.Yourlefthandwill nownaturallydropto yoursidewith its fingers relaxedandcuruedinward,readyto catchthe diethat is aboutto fallrightinto it. (Besureto pencil.Rememlookonlyat theallwonderful ber,theywill lookwhereyou look.) Step12 Closeyour left handaroundthe diebut keepthe handrelaxedandraiseit backinto position.Now say,"But if I wereto giveit three taps.. ." andtapthehandthreetimes. Step13 Openthe handto showthe diehas grudgin gly returned.Acceptstanding ovations because no onelikesa Mr. SmartyPang.
Whatyou areaboutto tearnls a trldr pry morc,,tlnnthe,prheof thls nragide,nr bookto ham" Wo-dtfrq0eil,ml$tlff orcr wlretheror not to,lMpdelt h$re"$rh dsdded that lf you areserlousenougftto hry thb book,thenyou anercrlou$enougftto,dp $'het followswlth respectandgoodfudgment.' Thlslsn't I Srg.Thh ls ln*youdacc,peeyour-pants,slapyou-around mrglcl lf you practlce handle can't the anddll|gencelt wlll require,fust sklplt rnd addsod(pupp€tsto your nextgame.
VolatilisSorsPreparation PartOne Thefrrstthingyou will needto do is go out andbuysomeblackthreadWoolyNylonExtra. lt's usedfor serging andshouldbe foundiust aboutanywhere sewing supplies aresold.Don't useanyotherkindof serging thread.lt won't work. Theeasiest wayto findthe stuffis iustto go onlineandordersome.Alsopickup someof thattackystuffyou useon posters. Keepsome tapehandy. * lf you didn't buy this book and are readingthis in a store or off some photocopiedversionfound on a torrent or other P2P network, you are undoubtedlygoingto the "specialhell". Go buy a real copy, you wonhless shellof a humanbeing,and saveyour alreadytatteredsoul from unspeakable destructlon.Oh, and lose3 levels.
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[JrnnnarEXDM PartTwo In the supersecretandhiddenroomyou areusingfor preparation, placea brightwhite sheetof paperdownon yourworksurface. lt will help.
PartSeven:Puta bit of tapeat the baseof your singled-out strandandbreakit off from the bulkof thethread. PartEight:Younowhaveto attachit to a die. We likeusethe 20 sideddiebecause it,scommon, but reallyit's yourchoice.Thecolorof dieyou useis important.Darksemitransparent dicearegood, sincethe threadis harderto seeagainst them. Neyerusewhitedice.Duh.Thetapeyou will use to attachit with is alsoimportant.Glossytape(not matte,invisible frnish)tapeworksmuchbetter,but yourresultsmayvary.Cut off a smallbit of your tapeandplacethe bottomof your invisible thread across the die.Affrxthe tapeto oneor moreof the triangles trappingthe threadin between.Break off the excess lengthof thread.Smoothout the tapeandremoveanyextrabits,so it becomes invisible on thedie.
PartThree:Unwinda stretchof the nylon(about the lengthof yourarmshoulddo). Thisstuffis wonderful. lt's a lifetimesupplyof real-nokidding-invisible thread.Eachlengthof WoofyNyton is madeup of manyteenytiny littlestrands, strip oneof thoseout andyou,vegot yourselfa wisp of threadthat'sthinnerthana humanhairyet can supporta D2O,andundertherightconditions, is impossible to see.. PartFour:Lookat the veryendof your lengthof threadandfindiustonestrandpokingout with the rest.Makesureit,sjustone.Useyourpaper anda brightlightto helpwiththis.pinchit with onehandandslipthe remaining strands downthis singlestrands length.lt will clumpup a bit-that justmeansyou'redoingit right.
TRI,TI ANO SMOOTITAPE
\
cuT EXCESS THREAO
PartNine: Now takethe tackystuffandplaceit underyourbeltto the rightsideof yourbody(or leftif you rollwiththathand).Makesurethat your clothesaredarkcolored,but preferably not black. PartFive:Takeyourtackystuffandroll it around thesinglestrandyouareholding.Now stickthis littleballof fun ro the table.
PartTen:Carefullyput the die in your pocket. You'rereadyto do somecrazyamazing stuffallat yourwhim.
PartSix:Continueto slipthe otherthreadsdownthe VolatilisSorsPerformance lengthof theonethread,grabbing StepOne:At anytimeyouwish,pullyourD20 belowwhere theclumpisandmovingthestrands out of your pocket.Takecarenot to breakthe thread. untilit clumps again.Now reachup andslipmorethreads down the linetowardthe newclump.Repeat thisuntil you havesingled out a pieceof invisible thread at the aforementioned length,strippedfrom the others. * lt alsobreaksuper easy.onceyourearniusthowmuchit cantakeand howto handleit, threadbreakswill becomemuchlesscommon.
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I I i
I I
WoNorRSoF THEQons StepTwo: Holdthe die in your handasyou norwouldto roll a die.With your handpalmup the mally thread will run underthethumb StepThree:Rollthe dielikeyou normallywould. Besureto standcloseenoughto the tableto allowslack intheline.Thedie mustmovefreely.
\
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\.-
StepFour:Withthe linestillhookedunderthe ftumb, turnyourhandpalmup overthe die.The hreadshouldnowmakea firm linefromyourwaist, yourthumbanddownto the die.Becarefulnot around h make thelinetoo firmor the diewill moveprema0rely. StepFive:Keepyour fingersclosetogetherand bend themtowardyour palmquickly-asif you were doing thefrrsthalfof a "comehere"gesture to the die).Bytuggingon thethreadthe diewill iump tabled upinto theair no morethanan inchandbasically re-roll itself.Thethreadhasn'treallygoneanywhere youiusttuggedat it for a moment.To your playersit willlook likeyou did a magicwaveoverthedieandit re-rolled iself.
2.Invisible threadis greatin florescent lightingor any sortof diffusedindirectlighting.Daylightis horrible.Lightyourenvironment evenly.Youwant thebackground lit iustaswellasthe foreground. Thethreadlooksinvisible, not because it's too your smallto see,but because eyescan'tfocuson it. Oneglintof thethreadandthegigis up. This is whywearing a blackoutfrtisn'tthe bestidea.A niceredwith a bit of a designis perfect.lf you can findsomething likethatwhichlooksgoodon you, great,otherwise mostanythingwill work+.]eans areidealsincethecolorandgrainworkwonderfullyasa backdrop.Don'tforgetthe uble either. lf yourtableiswhite,you'redoomed.Wooden tablesareperfect. 3. Practice this.A lot. And we meana lot. Practice in frontof a mirroror videocamera.Do thisbeforeyou showanyone.Eventhen,showsomeone you cantrustfirst.VolatilisSorstakesa greatdeal of practice.
StepSix:Repeat if youwish(don'toverdoit) and,if youfeellikeit, havethe die floatup intoyour waiting hand.Thedieshouldbeon thetableandthe $readstillunderyour thumb(in the crotchof the your right $umbbetween the thumbandforefinger) hand turnedpalmdown.Slowlymoveyourwaistback your as righthandmovesup andforward..Thediewill riseintoyourhandwhereyou will catchit. Don'tdo thistooslowlybecause it will lookweird-likea threadis hoisting the die into the air. Do it iusttad slower slowly thanthereverse speedof gravity.r i Don't iustthrustyour hipsback.That'sweird. Leanforwarda bit-as if pu weretrying to get a closerlook at what you were doing. The hip moves hckwardasa result. t Which,if you think aboutit, is relativelyfast.
lmportant tips! 1. Youcan'unhook'your thumbat anytimeto allow yourhandsfull rangeof motion.And viceversa. Startby rollingthedieandthenleaving it on the tableuntilthe nexttimeyou haveto roll. Then getthe threadbackinto position.Youdon't have to seethe threadto do this.Youknowwhereit is. Don'tmakea bigdealout of it, youcanfeelwhen it's in the rightplace.
4. THISISTHEMOSTIMPORTANT THING!DO IT ONCEA GAMEONCEEVERYTWO TO SIX MONIHS,AND DON'TTELLANYONEHOW lT WORKSIEVERIThisis a secretof theXDMs andwewouldliketo keepit thatway.lt won'tbe specialif everytimeyou reachfor a die,it jumps up intoyourhands. Youdo thismorethanonce game, in a andtheywill catchyou. Thefirsttime TIMEAFTERTHAT lT'S it's puremagic-EVERY give A PUZZLE. Don't thema secondchanceto frgureit out. Useit sparingly. f Do this in a whiteshin and you will be seeingme at your door with my cavedwellingfriendsfrom Oman. Eachof us with a MountainDew in one handand a mini bat in the other.
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StepThree:Do sometrick. Whenthe diestartsto slowdown,floatit up into your hand.
5. lf the trick is not working,try adiusting the length placement of threadandthe of the tackystuff.
Uber Volatilis SorsTricks: your To float the die up Hookthe threadbetween thumbandforefinger. Moveyour handforward andleanbackat thesametime.Thediewill put the thumbof your opporise.Alternatively, 7. Youcanrig the tapeon the dieto comeoff sitehandon the lineandpushthe threaddown. easily.Providing a quickout, iustin caseanyonewants passthe die througha hoop of frngersCreate people. To to lookat the die.Performthisawayfrom They a hoopout ofyour fingers aroundthethread aregrabby.Justleavea littletab of tapethatyou can grip in an emergency. above the die and in that samemotionpassthe Or breakthethreadat the very hoopdownandaroundthe die. edgeof the epe. What'sthe playergoingto say,"Oh I got your you Cageof WonderCarefully createa cageby knowhow do it. You've tapeon die?" puttingthefingertipsofyour handstogether and your your palms. arching fingers to Do this separate Uber Volatitis Sors (l-atinfor "Aber WingedFortune") aroundthespinning die,thethreadgoingin the yourthumbsandforefingers middle of the big hole Effect:TheXDM decides to ignoreeverything he has everlearned aboutbeingsubtleanddo a fullfloat created.Now rotatethe cagearoundthe dieasbest you canwithouthittingthe thread. of a D2O.Perhaps to impress a lovedone. Preparation: Sameasin VolatilisSors.Only this time,stripout a threadthat is a fewincheslonger. Placea bit of tapeoverthe ucky stuffandhideit by placing it frrmlybehindyourear,allowing the thread,anddie,to hangdownin frontof you. Placethe die in your breastpocketor iustholdit in yourhand. 6. Usethissubtlyandwithoutanysortof buildup. It iusthappens. Doingthiswithoutdrawingattentionto it makesit that muchmorepowerful.
Performance: StepOne: Keepthediehandy.Thisisn'tan impromptueffect,but do your bestto makeit look likesuch.Pullthedieout andholdit in frontof you sothat gravirymakesthe threadtaut,almost to the pointof liftingit off yourhand.Youshould be leaningforwardslightly.
Aroundthe Back:Thisis a bit...ummhardand gutsy.Butheyif you'relookingfor a challenge this StepTwo: Grabthe die in bothhandsby itsedges is it. Usea touchmorethreadfor thisone.Spinthe andspinit likeyou wouldon a table.Leanto your dieto your rightwith a throwingmotionandleanin thatdirection too. Thediewill clearyourbodyand leftandthespinning diewill floatleft.Leanto your rightandit will floatright.Useyour handsas startto archaroundthe backside.Helpit on itsway to leanyour headwhereit needsto go. neededagainst the threadto helpcontrolit. Your by continuing The will thread wrapigelf aroundyour neck.Lower handsshouldalways lookliketheyarecontrolling yourshoulder andmoveout of the wayasthe die to thinkthatthe the die.Youwantthe players your comes around the otherside.Catchthe diewhenit magicis in hands,not in someinvisible confinished is iourney.Reverse the actionsto untangle nectionto your head. the threadfromyour neck.
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I(rren $nrerrnsrro Qo f,HenrER TFTTRTEEN, pushedthe horizons XDMshavetraditionally of lf you havepurchased thisbookandhappento roleplayinggaming. Neverwasthissoevidentthanin livein a suruivalist compoundcut off from the interKillerBreakfast, theeventwhere"You'llDieLaughing!"netor civilization in general andstillwantto know lf you haveattendeda KillerBreakfast asthey whatKillerBreakfast is about,we'lltry describing it, you havebeenrun at selectconventions aroundthe world, but shouldknowthat l'm worriedaboutyou and you havejustgoneup a levelasan hopeyou finda wayto escape thencongratulations, soon. personally parody XDM!KillerBreakfast hasbeenrun by Tracy KillerBreakfast is a of traditionalrole andLauraHickman(Level829 and262 XDMsrespec- playinggamesperformedin frontof an audience and participants. tively)at the LUCCAConvention in Lucca,ltaly,' at usingaudience members as lt takesrole gamerulesandturnsthemon theirheadin theGenconOZ Convention in Brisbane, Australia,and playing hasbecome a hallmark of theGenconConvention in the grandest traditionof XDMs. Indianapolis, lndiana. Whenyou performa KillerBreakfastyou arecontinuing an international tradition! A Brief History of Killer Breakfast: lf you haveneverattendeda KillerBreakfast Thisbizarremethodof playingroleplayinggames you. thenthe restof usfeelverysorryfor Youshould cameaboutsomeyearsagowhenTracyHickman not hesitate onemoremomentandgo to www. decidedto auctionoff a game.He realized-after the you players killerbreakfast.com where canwatchoneof our in thatgamehadspendquiteanamazing sum performances morespectacular throughthe miracle for the privilege-that a lot of peopleprobablywanted Youcanevensubscribe of onlinevideostreaming. to playin hisgamebut therewereonlyso manyseats to it throughiTunes.Thereis no betterwayto learn thata gamesession couldaccommodate at a time.He whatKillerBreakfast is allaboutthanwatching it being wondered if therewasa wayto sharehisXDM skills performed. with morepeopleduringa singlesession. ThusKillerBreakfast wasborn:a fun gamethat * This wasconductedin Englishby Tracy EI Lauraand convertedinto couldinvolvea lot of peopleat once.Let.each of lulian by our incredibletranslators. Player'sresponses werein ltalian play them for a shorttime,kill theircharacter, and convertedinto English.We're not entirely sure if we got everythingright but move to the next. aseveryonehad a goodtime we cannotcomplain.Seephoto on p | 02.
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Herearethebasicrulesof a properlyrun Killer Breakfast: is:YOUWILL l. Thefirstruleof KillerBreakfast begging, or DlE. No amountof ruleslawyering, in whiningwill change thisfact.Yourcharacter the gameis goingto dieshortlyafteryou start playing.Getusedto the idearightnow. 2. Players Thisis startwitha firstlevelcharacter. a pre-generated character sheetwhichhasthe for a character not evena kindergarten statistics is givento teacherwouldlove.Thischaracter momentbefore the playerat the lastpossible comingon stageso thattheywill haveaslittle emotional to the character asposattachment sible. Theconceptwassimple,andit wasfirstperformed 3. Players sitdownat an emptyspotat thetableon at theGenconGameConvention thenbeingheldin stage. At thismoment,the playeris askedto Wisconsin. Thegamewasinitiallycalled Milwaukee, writedownthetime,including seconds, thathis year,a program but on a subsequent "KillerDungeon" life" character to meaning the moment "sprang directorfor the convention took a disliketo Tracyand, he or she sat downat the gametable. in a punitivemove,programmed the eventto take placeat 9:00 a.m.on Saturday morning, unquestion4. Newplayers how their at thetablemustexplain ablytheworstpossible timeto holda GenconEvent. particular point at this in the character arrived Ratherthantakeoffense,Tracydecidedto wear lf players'explanations of howtheir adventure. it asa badgeof honor.Fromthattimeonwardwe have got here not suffrciently character are entertainproudlyruneachof our KillerBreakfasts on Saturday ing,valiant,or clever,thentheyDIEat onceand by drawing morning,defyingconvention traditions huge crowds.Theonlyexception hasbeenon those I WASfiA ilERINa,ANO7 ool yearswhenwe havemovedthe eventto Friday SOAPfN ,ilY EY9S,FLALLINO AROUN?,7 ACCIOENTALLY in orderto accommodate our devoutJewish INVOKEO-ARCANEPOKTAL,' ANO HERE7 4fi, gamers.
Killer Basics game Thebasicideaisthatthisisa roleplaying gamebeingrun by the mostunjust,unsympathetic player's masterwho everlivedto make livesmiserable. Deathcomesquicklyin thisgame,andif it evercomes justly,it is almostalways by accident. At least,that'sthe player'sperspective on the ioke. XDMsknowdifferently. Havinga ierkfor a game masterisn'tfun or funny. Creatinganoutrageous caricature of a badgamemasteris funny.Makinga ioke games? out of all thebadwayspeopleplayroleplaying Thatis hilarious.
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OOE| ANYONE HAVEA SPAREPAIR OF PANIS?
CONaPaTULATION', YOU LIVE,FOR,
trrmn$nraxresrroQo mustIeavethetable.lf theirexplanation istoo Beforewarned: Running a properKillerBreakfastis a grueling lt is the equivalent of dolong,too boring, or too stupid-thentheyDlE, challenge. getup from the tableandmakeroomfor the next ingtwo hoursof improvisational theaterandstandup playerto be moreinteresting. comedyat thesametime.lt isnot for the faintof heart. fromroundto 5. Ihere arethreewaysto survive round. Yourpatheticcharacter will be pitted Death Takes Planning:Themes,Props and Stunts against creatures so horrible,sovicious,andso powerfulthattheywill kill you on an initiativeroll Preparing requires a anXDM KillerBreakfast greatdealof advance planning. TheKillerBreakfasts alone.Theonlywayyou will survivefrom one preparation roundto the nextis if you do oneof the followat Genconincludetheadvance of a ingthreethings:A something incredibly brave, DVDwithuniquevideosegments. specially-authored B something incredibly YourKillerBreakfast doesnot haveto be that elabostupid(almostalways incredibly ratebut you shouldknowthat preparation for a propthesamethingasA), or C something entertaining. Themomentyour deathis funnierthan erlyrun eventcantakeconsiderable timeandeffort. you are,you DIE! You'llhaveto be amazing to live First,you shouldsettleon a themefor your from roundto round. KillerBreakfast. In recentyearswe'veenioyed runningour eventsascrosses betweenpopularsci-fi genres; Now, thesearethe rulesof the gamebut thereis a andfantasy andmusicformsto create"Killer Musicals. Dragonlance lot moreto a KillerBreakfast thaniustoffrngcharacters.Breakfast " We'vecrossed We've is easy. Comedy, that's hard" is the absolute with the broadway musical Grease. crossed "Dying mantraof a KillerBreakfast. lt's no trickto killa StarWarswith the BackStreetBoys.We'vecrossed in a roleplayinggame,but gettingthe player TheLordof theRingswith lohn Cash.(Someone character performance describe thisparticular asFrodomeets to laughwhileyou'redoingit is the realchallenge.
"Gameover,man!"
"Beamme up, Scotty!"
"l have a bad feeling about this!"
" H e ' sd e a d , J i m ! "
"Surrender,Dorothy!"
"Nevergive up! NEVER surrenderl"
"Thisgroup will selfdestruct in ten seconds ...goodluck,Jim."
"Usethe force,stupid!"
"Godzilla!Godzilla!"
" B yG r a b t h a r ' s h a m m e r . . . y o us h a l lb e avenged!"
"Snakes.Why did it haveto be snakes?"
"Run,Forest!Runl"
"Theenginesjust can't take it anymore!"
"Activatethe O m e g a1 3 ! " "
"l'llget you,my pretty... andyour littledog,too!""
"Danger!Danger, WillRobinson!" " S h a - n a - n a - n.a. . s h a - n a - n a - n .a. . hey,hey ... goodbye!"
" l ' l lb e b a h c k ! "
"Runaway!Runaway!" "Hastala vista,baby!"
"Setfor stun ... NOT!"
't :
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t
-
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"lt'sonly a model!"
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overon theirownquiteeasily.
NASCAR.)Thepointis thatyou needa themefor your KillerBreakfast that is off-beatandrifewith comedicpossibilities. Youshouldthenstartcollecting itemsandprops for your performance. We suggest the following: . GenericTicketsYoucanpicktheseup a most localoffrcesupplyor department stores.Get yourself a roll of numbered tickes.Thiscanhelp your crewkeepthe audience in orderby giving out ticketsin the orderpeoplearriveandthen callingthemup to playin thatsameorder.lt alsohelpsyou to knowaftenrardjusthowmany players you managed to off duringthe performance.
HideousToysEveryyearwe go to the localToy Liquidator's Outletstoreto searchfor truly hideoustoys-toysthat areridiculous or whichone mightthinkwouldgivechildrennightmares. Then we bringthemwith usfor KillerBreakfast. Thus, players be by can confronted suchthingsasa mechanical dragondesigned to latchontoyourarm andgrowl.Usingbizarretoysassetpiecesin your performance KillerBreakfast canbe a realboost.
t
WASALIIIOSTLEVEL
Watchwith a secondhandlt's alwayshelpfulto havean offrcialtime keeperwhocanclockthem in andclockthemout whentheyaredonewith onestandard officialtime.
t s
I I 1
CharacterSheetsYou needto preparethese in advance. TrueXDMsusethe XD20 system games. asthe basisfor theirKillerBreakfast Prepare sixKillerBreakfast character sheets or downloadthe traditionalonesfrom www. xtremedungeonmastery.com. Besureto create enoughcopiesof all sixof thesecharacter sheets you expectto to coverthe numberof characters blowawayduringthecourse of thegame. CueCardsKillerBreakfast doesnot iustinvolve the playerson the stage.lt getsthe audience into the game,too. You needto havecuecards for the audience containing thingsfor themto shoutout in unisonduringthegame.We included a shortlistof our favorites for yourconvepopular niencebut any fantasy or sci-frphrase will work. . BadMiniaturesThesearemorefor showthan actualuseduringthe game,astheregenerallyisn'tenoughtimeto dealwith positioning miniatures. We personally recommend the use of Legopeopleasminiatures-especially the little people. medieval or sci-frLego Theyareeasyto transport,do not requireanypainting,andfall
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Pilesof diceWe usuallybringa largenumberof dice,not so muchto determine anythingat all, but mostlyto strikefearin the hearuof gamers. There'snothinglikeseeingthe lookon theirface whenyou say,"The dragonhitsyou! Let'sroll for damage. . ." andyou pickup aboutflfty dicein bothhands. . Audio/Visuals lf you aregoingto featuremusic in your KillerBreakfast-and whatXDM wouldn't? you'll parody Then needto write lyricsthat frt your gameto the music,obtaina karaoke version get you of the song,figureout how will thewords (eitherproiectthemfor the to your audience
10+
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ro So Klrren$nrmresr audience or providethemwith photocopies), and figureout howto playthe musicandsingit at thesametime.Thiswill largelydependon your capabilities andthetechnical available equipment you you performing. where are Learnto deal to withthe unexpected.
Holdtheaudience the roomif possible outside but besureto allowenoughtime for themto enter the roomandfind a seat.Depending on the sizeof theaudience thiscantakeupwardof halfan houranotherreasonwhyyou shouldarriveso early.Spend thisentrytimepacingup anddownin frontof the audience likea cagedtiger,eyeingthemhungrily.lust beforethe gamebegins, do a fewcalisthenics to show themthatthisis serious business.
Wealsorecommend thatyou getyourselfa crew, especially if you areexpecting to run thiseventfor a large numberof people.A crewcanbe invaluable to you anXDMin KillerBreakfasq haveenoughto worry The Grand Opening Youshouldbegintheshowby explaining the about withoutdealingwith crowdcontrol,ticketcollecrules Killer Breakfast to in to them the most entergiving, tion,ticket timing,andothergeneralhousekeepTracyandLaurahaveanonline Ingitems.A well-trained crewcanmeanthedifference tainingwaypossible. videocalfedthe KillerBreakfast SaferyPresentation between eventfor your playersanda an enjoyable provides proper which a startto anyKillerBreakfast. sluggish one. XDMsmayavailthemselves of thisvideoaswellas Foroverten yearsnow,LauraandTracyhave basic by cheers special ordering the DVD (NTSC privileged perbeen in our KillerBreakfast to be assisted format)throughthe XDM website. formances by a groupcallingthemselves the Kokomo After you havegottenthe rulesexplanation out lnegulars. Thesegallantvolunteers eachyearcometo game you the of way, it's time to open the itself. lf theGenconConvention andprovidestaffsupportfor oureventthatis unparalleled andunexcelled. Youcan't areusingmusicduringthe game,thiswouldbe the numberwhichshouldset have them:Theyareoursandwe'llfightyou for them. idealtimefor theopening the themeandtonefor the game.Forexample, in the performance 2OO7GenconKillerBreakfast Phanfoms KillerBeats of Ravenloft, the we opened with following the lyrics Soyouarestillintenton runninga KillerBreakfast, (with set apologies) to the tune of the of "Phantom eh?Don'tsaywe didn't warnyou. Thenextstepis Opera:" foryouto createa beatchartthat includes the timing (LAURA) your performance. of KillerBreakfast Youonlyhavea games We wrote adventure / for TSR llmited timeto performandyou needto makesureyou Butoneabovefheresf/ Wasquitebizarre. geteverything you in beforethe nextseminardemands Now it's returnedagain / thoughnot thesame... $veupthe room. Thewritersof theRavenloft havecome... you arerunninga two-hour Thisbeatassumes play game! To their KillerBreakfast. (TRACY) Preshow Comeplaymy RPG/ for thesetwo hours Beforethe gamebeginsyou shouldarriveabout We'llkill morecharacters / thantenJackBauers! anhourearlyif possible. Youwill needto makesure It's KillerBreakfast time.Youglance behind... thatanyaudio/visual needshavebeenproperlysetup Themakers of theRavenloft return... andthattheyareworkingasyou expect.Do thisevenif To blowyourmind! youhaveperformedin thisvenuebefore,because there arealways lastminutechanges, whichwill needto be It wasat thispointthat LauraandTracyboth deah withpromptly.Setout your character sheets, look climbedaboarda recently-procured luggage dollyand attheroomwith an eyetowardhowpeoplewill flow hadour crewpushusthroughtheaudience whilewe through the room,wheretheywill gettheircharacter sang. (rAuRA) sheet, whichsidetheywill comeup to the stage,and which sidetheywill departthesuge. Thosewho haveplayedthe game,draw backin
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dread.Characters springto life.. . (TRACY) Thendropdowndead! (DUET) Andthoughyou pleadandbeg/ androllyour dice.. . TheDM of the Ravenloft will kill. . . Andnot think twice!
a bottomless crevasse, andSet2 wasthe JungleCruise througha dragon-infested swamp. lmportantTip: Youshouldtry to completely clearthetableof players-in otherwords,kill allof you changesets.lt makesfor a themat once-before nicetransitionfor the audience andletsyou startfresh, with littlebaggage in eachset.
Thisis exactlythe kindof bigproductionnumber Bothof thesesetsshouldtakejustaboutten thatXDMslivefor! Planon theseopening sequences minuteseach,bringingyour gameto aboutthe thirty (including the gameintroduction) to takeup no more minutemark.You'llneeda pacingbreakat thispoint, thanten minutes.You needto getthe playersinto so givecontroloverto your associate to run the first the game. LauraQuest.
Set#1s.2 Nextyou needto planon a coupleof sets.A is essentially a scenelikein "set" in KillerBreakfast a playor a movie.lt usually takesplacein a specific settingor location(youwon't havemuchtimeto do jokeor dilemma more)anddealswitha specific that is relatedto the generaltheme. Forexample, in the2008 editionknownas AnimatedKillerBreakfast, we usedthe themeof role playingmeetsWaltDisney.Theentireadventure wasstructured arounda bizarreversionof Disneyland.Players startedin a tavernset(wherethe Town Square is located)andthenproceeded to encounter bizarresetsthat mirroredthe JungleCruise,Pirates of the Caribbean, the Matterhorn,andlt's a Small World.In thiscase,SetI wouldbe represented by the TownSquareTavern,whichwassurrounded by
LauraQuest #1 participation LauraQuesuarelittleaudience games that breakup the KillerBreakfast andgivethe XDM runningit a chance Theyarenamed to breathe. afterLauraHickman, whooriginated the LauraQuest andwho hasbeenperforming themnowfor years. TherearethreetraditionalLauraQuests: l. AlienAbductionThisinvolves beachballsbeing throwninto the audience, askingthat theybounce it backandforthovertheirheadsuntilthe music stops.Thosestillholdingthe ballwhenthe music stopsgetsa prize.Thisis oftena specialT-shirtbut canalsobesomething asmind-blowingly exciting asbeingbumpedto the frontof the lineto come on stage.
1 IHINK 1HISfIEANSTHERESA
sETCHANaECOMIN6.,,,
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2. RedShirtAptitudeTestThisis basedon a South Now, Dungeonmaster" to the tuneof ,rDonrtCry for game American calledCai.In thisgame,the Me, Argentina." leaderon stagedemonstrates four differentpositions-hands formingvisorovereyes,armscrossing It waswayfoolish.. . chest,onearmbentwiththeotherarmtouching ThatmoveI made.. . theelbow,andarnis.at sideswithhandson waist I forgotandjustopenedthedoor.. . - thentellsthe audience thatwhensheshousCai Andmy dex-ter-i-ty didn,thelpme onebit, theymustperformoneof the threehandpositions ButI'm a cleric, that is differentthanthe onesheis doing.lf they Andchecking for trapsisn,twhatI should matchher,theyareout. do. job, That'sFrank's 3. Diceof the GodsThisis a gamewherepeople becausehe' saThief... areaskedto rolltheirD20 die.Anyonewhorolls anything I blamehim,andthinkyoushould,too! otherthana 20 isout. Keeprollinguntil yougetthenumberof liars. . . I meanwinners To run thisgame'snot easy. downto a manageable size. Youshouldgetpaid. For suffering throughplaythat,spoor, Thesequestsareimportantastheyprovideanopfrom idiotslikeFrank, portunityfor theaudience to be involvedandtheyallow whoreallyshouldquit. theXDM to gatherhisor herthoughsbeforelaunching Youarea GEN-IOUS! intothe nextsets.Planon thistakingyou to about35 Quotingtablesandchartsoff thetop of your minutes intothe performance. head. And I thinkyour hygiene,squitegood, Set#3 no matterwhatanyonesays! Thisisa bit longersinglesetthatyoushouldplan you on taking to aboutthe frftyminutemarkin the Don't kill menow,dungeonmaster! performance. lt will be important pace to keepthe Thetruthis.. . I don't deserve of it! thegamehighthroughthisset. Nl throughmy wildplay, the mapsthatwedrew! LauraQuest #2 I broughtDor-i-tos. .. Yougetanotherbreakhereat the fifty minute Andalways likedyou! mark.ThisLauraQuestshouldagaintakeaboutfive minutesandgetyou backinto the gamefreshat just Thismusical numbershouldtakeyouiustpast beforethe hourmark. theonehour,twentyminutemarkandsetyou up for the pushtowardthe endof the game. Set #4 Makethisonea ten minutesetandperformit with Set #5 ener€iy. Youwill flnishthisat abouttheonehourten Thissetis aboutfifteenminutesandshouldtake minutemarkin the performance. you intoyour finalLauraQuest.lt is easyto let your guarddownin thisset. Keepyourenergyup andthe Stretch Song deathcounthigh.Planon thissetrunningto theone You reallyneeda breatherat thispointin the hourthirty-fiveminutemark. perfect marathon, placeto performthe so thisis the StretchSong.Thisis the middlesongof thethreethat LauraQuest #3 makeup yourperformance andis intended to give Thisisthe finalLauraQuestandyourlast everyone a littlerest.Thissongcanevenbe a ballad, breather beforethe endof the performance. lt so longasyou havesomeone whocanperformit. In just you should leave with go. twenty minutes ,,Don,t to 2OO7,for example, Lauraperformed KillMe
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lJrnHnnrEXDM Set #6 Yourfrnalsetandyoushouldmakethisone Craftthissetarounda largescalebattlein special. you which Thissetneeds to caninvolvetheaudience. bespectacular andhaveanepicscaleto it. lt should explosive. lt is not uncommon to alsobe devastatingly reachfor eitherthe HolyHandGrenade of Antioch deviceat thispoint.Finish off the or a thermonuclear whileyouareat it*andleavethem entireaudience with a bang!
whatis trulyfunnybasedasmuchaspossible on the you getfromthe players in the actionsor descriptions game. One technique for makingthisworkis to get actiondescriptions fromallof the players at thetable beforeyou determine the results of theiractions. You needto keepa picturein your headof all of these actionsandconsider howthosesameactionsmightcon. tradictor clashwith eachother.Bycombining character actionsyou canoftencomeup with outrageous consequences. Big Finish isstompForexample: A giantlapanese monster Havingthusdestroyed not onlythe players onyour players' ingdownthe streettoward characters. stagebut the entireaudience aswell,thereis nothing Youaskeachof the players at the tablewhattheirchar. leftto do but singthe closing song.Traditionally, this acteris goingto do. Onesayssheis goingto leapintoa Woman"to the tankanddriveit towardthe monster.Thenextsayshe hasbeenour rendition of "Chainmail tuneof RoyOrbison's"PrettyWoman"but you can will pulla missile out of hisbackpack andfrreit toward chooseyour ownappropriate closerasyou seefrt. themonster. Thethirdsaysshewilliumpout of the fourth way.The alsoiumpsinto the tankandfrresits Running the Gauntlet gun.Thefrfthhidesunderthe tank.And the sixthcalh Now thatyou havethe basicmechanics in mind for the Air Force.Theeasyinterpretation of lapanese we abouthowto put togethera KillerBreakfast, this,afterall the actionshavebeendeclared is thatthe cometo the mostimportant anddifficultpaft. front third character leapsin of the secondcharacter's Thatwouldbeyou. missile, carried by is away the missile, but hisweightde. KillerBreakfast Why?That'sbecause a successful flecs the rocketdownunderthe tankwhereit his the reliesmostheavilyon the expertperformance of a (killfive,killthree),blowingup LevelXDM and frfth,hidingcharacter worfd-class XDM. Tracyisa 1772nd (kill the tank kill four) one, iustasthe shellis firedinto he frndsthe performance equivalent to a marathon. Air amongthe planes of theJapanese Theultimatesuccess or failureof a KillerBreak- theair,exploding Force, from into causing to fall the sky thestreet several fastrestsfirmlyon the shoulders of the XDM running belowasflamingdebris(killtwo, killsix). the show.You haveto thinkquicklyon your feet, be prepared to changedirectionfrom momentto momentandkeepyourmindsearching for the next interpretation of playeractionsandhowtheymight be construed-ormisconstrued-in the mostentertainACTUALLY PRETTY ingfashion. Haveno illusions: Performing a Killer Breakfast is aboutbeinginstantlyfunnyfor two hours beingthrownat you usingmaterialthat is constantly players from veryintelligent whowouldlikenothing betterthanto put you off your game. What's So Funny? Thefirstlawof XDMinga KillerBreakfast is that you it mustbe entertaining-which means mustbe Havinga sense entertaining. of humor,timing,and pacingarecriticalto making yourKillerBreakfast function. you needto havea sense of More importantly,
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(rmn$neerrnsrroQo Keepingthe Lid On, While StayingOff the Bottom: Don't counton the players to provideentertainyou'll comeacross ment;sometimes a goldenplayer whenthat happens, whois truly entertaining-and it your job so mucheasier, makes andyou shouldkeep themaroundaslongaspbssible. Butfor the mostpart, youcancounton playersin anyKillerBreakfast game to feedoff the bottom-to reachfor the lowestcommon denominator of potty humorandthe grossly iuvenile. It isyourjob asan XDM to bothkeepthe lid on, meaning thatyou ensurethatthe gamedoesnot get your outof hand,andkeepyour playersfrom dragging gamedowninto the muck. Whenwe talkaboutkeeping the lid on,whatwe aremostlytalkingaboutis maintaining frrmcontrolof perfortheperformance. Players in a KillerBreakfast mance will naturallyattemptto wrestcontrolof the gameawayfrom the XDM. Someplayersmisukenlysee thisasa contestbetweenyou andthem,ratherthanas anentertainment. Kill theircharacter. Do it now.Do not passgo, do notcollect$200 . . . iustkillthem. At the sametime,you needto keepeveryone out of the gutter.Themomentsomeone staruusingbawdy humorandtriesto dragyour gamewith theminto the gutter. . . well,you shouldjustkill them,too. Senda message that you will not toleratesuchbehaviorin your game;XDMsdo notdwellin the gutterl Tempo! Tempot Tempo! Comedyis allabouttiming,andin thiscasethat alsomeanstempo!You haveto keepthe energyhighall throughthe performance. Themomentyou slackoff, you'reshowing weakness andyourplayers will pounce! game Paceyourself duringthe andtakeallthe advantage of the songsandLauraQueststo giveour overheating braina rest. Butwhenthe bellrings,you haveto comeout swinging andnot let up untilit'sall over.
arguewith them(theydon't deserve it), neverexplain anything to them(theywon'tunderstand it), and (they don't listento themraveon aren'tworththe time). Justkill them,bootthemoff the stage,and moveon withthegame.You'reanXDM! Standtall! You'resupposed to off theircharacter andyou don't owean explanation for it to anyone,leastof all some pansy,whinyplayer. Dealingwith Bribes,for Fun and Profit Finally, onetraditionhasmadeis wayinto Killer Breakfast for goodor ill, andthat is bribes.In many roleplayinggames, bribingthe gamemaster is a tried getting yourwaywhenthediceare andtruemeans of you. Thisis reflected not helping in the KillerBreakparody games. fast of such A fewTwizzlers anda bagof Doritosis fine,but sometimes thesegifu cangetentirelyout of hand.So we havetriedto establish the followingasiron-clad rules: l. No CashBribesAn XDM nevertakesa cash bribe.The onlyexception to thisruleis when the gameis beingrun asa charityfundraiser andthenonlyif all the moneygivenasbribesis donateddirectlyto the charity. Endof story.
A IHOUSANOOOLLA?,PONATION
10 lHE ORPHANA6E,,, CONERfrTULfrT'ONS ! lHE SHARK IHAT IS EAT|n.l,O YOUONLY HASTI]REEROWS OF TEEIH,
Death ls Firm, Final, and Unquestioned! Themomentyou sense someone at the tableis goyou your ingto arguewith or challenge callratherthan playwith you, kill theircharacter. Rightnow. Killtheircharacter anddo soin the mostemphatic andunquestionable waypossible. Never
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2. NeverRewardExtravagant BribesYoumust neverrewardan expensive bribewith anymore consideration thanan inexpensive one.Killone quickly astheother. iustas
the wizardis nowthe gamemaster.Thegamemaster, of course,is nowthe warrior.
Murder in the Dark Game
Murderin the Darkis a gamethatyouthplayat parties.Theconceptis sound,however,andelements of it mightbe useto createsomeveryinteresting and KennyBakerGame strange dynamics duringa roleplayinggame. TheKennyBakerGameisa reallyfunconcept Forexample, if you havefiveplayers, thenyou that Tracy'sdaughter, Angel,mentioned at one havefrveslipsof paper. Eachonesayssomething difpoint.Duringthisgamethe roleof the gamemasteris ferent.Perhaps onesays,"You havejoinedthisgroup constantly changing from personto person.In fact,in in orderto kill the veryKingyou aretryingto save.,, an idealKennyBaker.situation, thiswouldatsomean And another says,"Youowea debtto the Kingand that all the playersrotateaswell. In otherwords,every havejoinedthisgroupin orderto preventhisassasso manyminutes( | 5?) everyone at the tablemoves sination." Thethingis,thepapers arepassed out at overa spot.Theguywhowasplayingthe warrioris random,andnot necessarily at the startof the game. nowplaying theelf,thegirlwhowasplaying theelf is Eventhe gamemasterdoesn'tknowwhateveryone,s playing now the wizard,andthe guywhowasplaying motivesare. Deathwasnevermeantto bethismuchfun.
(ANlrS PARry ERl,Vq REALLY
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Tlre reasonitt calledthe Kenny BakerGame is basedon a variation of heartsthat our relativeKennyBakercameup with, in whichafter each round,the handyou haveis passedto your left,
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f, HamER FoURTEEN: HowYouF-nvrHEQelce krdan slogskneedeepthroughthe black,foul waters.Hismassive bicepstwitchwith anticipation, their powerbarelyheldin check.Eachbone-chilling enormous stephe takesthroughthe ankledeepwaterabouthim heightens hisbuildingrage,nearlyblindinghimin hislust for justiceandrevenge. Almostforgottenarehiscompatriots,fivetruefriendswho havepledgedtheirlifeto him andmaywellbe calleduponto redeemthatpledgethis verynight. Threedaysbefore,the mightywarriorandhiscompanionsfoughttheirwayinto the MountainTempleof Thog-kjara in search betrothed, of Kardan's thePrincess Illirion.Thebarbarian's mortalenemy,lmhothisof Chaos, threatenedher death.krdan knewthat the HighPriest Imhothiscarednothingonewayor the otherconcerning pain the lifeof a princess.Hisonly thoughtwasto cause to thebarbarian lord beyondanywoundthat weapons of steelmight inflict.ln this,Kardanknewwith clenchedteethsuretythat Imhothishadsucceeded.Hislove sufferedbecause of him,andthe knowledge of it burnedhis souL KardandrewhisgreatswordEiric,flameslicking downits shininglength.Its flickeringbluelight,illuminated the deepest corridorof the templedungeon.Rotting woodencelldoorssagged in their stoneframeworkon eitherside,their ranksdisappearing into the blackness
beyondthe lightof hisburningsword.krdan bared histeeth,growlingashe advanced throughthe swirling blackwatersaroundhisfeet. Kardan's mammoth bodyshookat the Suddenly, soundof a scream.lllirion! Hervoicepiercedhissoul! Thesoundhadcomefrom justbeyondthedoor to hisright! Freeze frame.Popquiz.Multiplechoice,and please feelfreeto rereadthe abovetext againbefore eachanswer. Kardan's nextactionwill be: l. Kardan will checkfor traps.lf hedoesnot have thisability,Kardanwillturnto a memberof the partybehindhimanddetermine whichof them cancheckfor traps. 2. Kardanwill takethisopportunityto searchfor secretdoors.Thisshouldtakeaboutten minutes. 3. Kardansimplyassumes thatthe dooristrapped anddevises a complex means of opening the doorfrom a safeandprudentlocationdown the corridorutilizingfifty feetof rope,several
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PrnvrHE HowYou Qmm block,tackle,andpulleys, spikes, whichhe has notedon hischaracter sheet.
ALLEN:"Right!"(To DM) "Whatkindof wooden dooris it?"
4. Kardan,to be fair to the otherpartymembers, asksthemto voteon whattheyshoulddo next.
DM: (Somewhat flustered, hismemoryfor searching the typesof woodhe learnedin shopclassbut cannotthinkof any.)"A wooden woodendoor!"
5. Kardanwill moveto the backof the partyand allowthe thiefwith betterstatsto takecareof thisone. Beforeyou answerthissimplequiz,let'stakea momentto join anotheradventure in anotherplace andtimeandseeif thisis morefamiliarto you.The scene: a kitchentable.Thepizzais cold,the drinks arewarm,andthe eternaldungeongoeson. . . and on...andon... DM: "Like,uh,you arein thishallway andit ends in a door." ALLAN: "A door!" (Turningto fellowplayers Betty,Charlie,andEthel.)"Hey, it's a door. Whatdo we do for a door?" (To Allan.)"Whatkindof dooris it?" CHARLIE: ALLAN: (To the DM, suspiciously.) "Right!What kindof dooris it?" DM: (Checks notes.Thedescription in theadventuredoesnot tell himthe kindof door.DM momenurilyconsiders whetherthereis a Random DoorTypeTablesomewhere in the Dungeon l4aster's Cuidethat he is not awareof andthen responds.) "lt's ... a woodendoor!"
ETHEL:(Fromthe middleof the party. Ethel learnedlongagothatthosewhostandat the back of the partycangetattacked there,too.) "Which waydoesthe dooropen?" DM: "Towardyou,intothecorridor." ETHEL: "Whatkindof handle?" DM: "Oh, for cryingout. . . a regular handle,likea lever." ETHEL: "Okay!Now, I climbthewalloverthe door with and my hammerdrivea spikeinto the stoneworkoverthe door,thenI go downthe hallback the waywe camefrom. . . oh, 30 feetanddrive anotherspikeinto the wall.ThenI takemy 50' pieceof rope-see,it's righthereon my character sheet-and makea loopin it, andusingmy tenfoot pole..." DM: "You dragged a ten-footpoleinto the dungeon?"
ALLAN: (To fellowplayers.) "lt's a woodendoor! Okay.Whatdo we do for a woodendoor?"
ETHEL:"See!lt's righthereon my character sheet. pole Anyway,I usemy ten-foot anddrapethe loopoverthe handle. ThenI bringtheropeover the spikeandoverthe otherspikeandthen, standing thirty feetawayfromthe doorwith my backagainst thewall,I pullthe ropeandopenthe door."
BETTY:(Leafrng throughherspellbookpages) think there might bea spellfor thiskindof "l thing.Fireball. . .Flamestrike. . ."
DM: (After a shortpausewhilethe DM considers whetherhewantsto botherwith the actualphysics involved in thisfeatof engineering.) "Okay."
(To Allen.)"Ask himwhatkindof CHARLIE: woodendoorit is."
ALLEN:"Wait!We flattenourselves the wall, against tool
XDMrHEFnvsRsSECrroN Thedoorisopen." DM: "Fine.Whatever. ETHEL:"l climbup overthedoorandpeekdown carefullyfrom the top of the windowcasement. Whatdo I see?" pause). . .a ten-foot DM: "You see.. . (bigdramatic widecorridorrunningthirty feetin frontof you. At the endyousee.. ." ALLEN:(Filledwithdread)"Yes?lYes?!Whatis it?" DM: "lt's. . . anotherdoor!" in thisgame! You knowthisgame.You'veplayed why"Knightsof the DinnerTable"was It isthe reason place first we turnedto whenwe got our copyof the 'DragonMagazine' eachmonth.(Whenit stillwasa magazine with pages.)We'veall satat B.l.'stable.
The Deadly DungeonSession session. He Thishappened to Tracyin a dungeon playing by the barbarian character surrounded was a Evof forensicaccountants. dungeoning equivalent paint have chips sent we came upon had to erydoor to the labfor cobaltcarbondating.Thepartywould spendthirty minuteson sucha door.Theywouldwaste anentireevening on a singleroom.Untiltheyfinally Theroomdescription endedup in anornatechamber. statedthat thewallsandpillarswerecoveredwith runes but gaveno furtherdetails.Theplayersquiteliterally couldn'treadthewritingon thewall,butyoucouldn't convince the playersof that.Theyspentall nightin that thatjustwasn'tthere. oneroomlookingfor something playing Tracy wasangryand session, After that saidto him, discouraged. Oneof the otherplayers you're barbarian. Be barbaric!" a "Hey, thing. An ideacanbe a dangerous to play Thenextweek,Tracywasdetermined hisbarbarian likea barbarian. Thegamestartedin that samerunecoveredroom. TheDM said,"Well,you arein a roomwhere runescoverthewalls." said,"lf I And oneof the forensic accountants gnome holdthe upsidedown,canshereadthe runes?" Tracyturnedto the DM andsaid,"Whereisthe to my character?" doornearest "to yourleftyouseean "Wellr"hesaidsolemnly,
intricately carveddoorwith images of-" Tracydidn'twaitfor him. "l go andopenthe door." A stunned silence aroundtheuble ... then chaos! Theotherplayers shouted,"No he doesn't!" 'YES,I DO!" Tracyshouted, to be inhabitedby two Thenextroomhappened minotaurs, who hadheardthe shoutinglongbeforethe barbarian chargedin. Oneof the partywas took somebadlumps, criticallyinjuredandseveral including the barbarian. lust asthe clericwaswrappingup a roundof healing, Tracyturnedto the DM. "ls thereanotherdoorin the room?" "behinda massive "Wel|" he saidcautiously, stonealtar,a bandedmetaldooris-" "l openit!" Thepartymusthavegonethroughthirty rooms thatbarbarian allaroundthat thatnight.Theychased they dungeonfromonemessto the next.Eventually cameuponan evilwizard.Tracy'sforensicaccounwereobviously settlinginto tant fellowadventurers prolonged, parley pointless, with the a andtediously old mystic. Thenandthere,Tracydecidedthat hisbarbarian hatedwizards. He concocted somestoryaboutthe barbarian's sisterbeingturnedinto a goatfor a while whenhewasyoun&andhe neverhadgottenoverit. Thebarbarian walkedup to the wizardandspit in hisface. Whata battle! Thepartyfell backinto the corridor;the magic got flew!Theparty'sownwizard,in the excitement, carriedawayandthrewa frreballinto the roomwhich wasonlythirty feetsquarewith a ten foot ceiling. Toasties! that night. Manya bravePCwascharbroiled Butwhata greatstoryto tell!
The Boring Long Life Character To be boring?Do Whydo we playthesegames? get nextweek we sayto ourselves, all together "Let's and,instead of leadingour everydanboringlives,Iets leadingboring makebelievewe arefantasy characters lives." Truthbetold, we don't carefor PCswhoare
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HowYouF-nvrHE Qmm of higher than8th level.We aredeeplysuspicious (69th thosewhoclaimto havea thief/druid/assassin levelin each)witha swordof +2O Instantly Kill lmpenetraand + 60 Armorof Weightless Anything goldpieces. Suchcharacters bilityand50 bazillion areasboringastheycome.Theyareno fun. They Whatkindof storycanyou aren'teveninteresting. likethat? tellabouta character my character waschallenged by Zeusto a "Oh, matchandl, like,killedeveryone on Olymwrestling puslastnight." Yawn. Manyyearsago,whileTracyworked asgamedesigner at TSR,he talkedto a fellowoverthe phone. Thisyoungster had with a question and called theswitchboard senthim upto Tracy. in my "The characters game areall around65 and, like,if theykilleda god,would badhappento them? anything l, mean,wouldthe clericsbe pissed or something?" Perplexed, Tracy asked thiskid if he used theoffrcialADetD modules. "Yesr"he replied,"we go throughabout threeor four of themeveryFriday night." MontyHaulhasfounda newstandard! No, thankyou!Giveusa character thatdoes a character which we can bravedeedslGiveus about tella goodstory evenif he doesbuythe farm! It wasBenFranklin whosaid,"To be rememworth bered,eitherwritea bookor do something book about." writinga Themistaken notion,whichwasbuiltup over years,is that in a roleplaying last twenty-five the gamesurviving meanswinning. Thisphilosophy resultedin a lot of peoplegivingup heroicsfor secu-
points rity. Youcansoakup anawfullot of experience by sittingbackandlettingothercharacters do the dying for you, but whereis the fun in that? Youmuststartby makingup yourmindto be heroic,evenif your character dies. Look,we knowyour character is special to you but hecoulddiefromsomeDM'sdumbtrapandwhat wouldyou have?No storyworthtelling.lf your character is boringalive,thenhe isworsethandead. Whatis the alternative? Become the herothatyou longto be. lt isn'twhetheryou liveor die,it's howyou playthe game.Soif you'regoingto play,playwell!Be a hero!
Things Which You Can Do to Make Your Game Better Therearesomespecificthingsthat you cando thatwill makeyour character better.
Findyour Character's Kryptonite Weallknowhowhelpful character backgrounds canbe. Don'tiustlet your character spring out of nothing-givehima place hecomesfrom anda background. You'llbesurprised howmuchthis littleexercise in storymaking will you help definethelikesand of yourcharacter. dislikes However,asyou arecreat===*-+=,ingthe background story takea lessonfrom Kryptonite.Did you everwonderwhytherearesomany differentkindsof Kryptonite? Why is thisstuff(a supplanetfar posedlyultrarareelementfrom a destroyed fromour own)soreadilyavailable to nefarious underworldfigureswhentheyneedit? Surprisingly wouldbe Supersimple:Superman borewithoutit. Hewouldbeunstoppable, andwhereis the storyin that? has Achilleshadhisheelandeverygoodcharacter hadhisor herequivalent since.Yourcharacter needs andyou arejustthe personto seehe somevulnerability getsit.
XDM rHEEeveRsSECrioN Give your characterautomatic reactions Of course,we realizethatthe appealof roleplaying games Thisdoesn'thaveto be asrestrictive is that it canbe a cooperative asit sounds. enYoushouldgiveyour character: deavor.We heartilyencourage a spiritof camaraderie amongpartymembers. l. Threethingshe will fight over Thiscanbe anyButif the resultis not heroic,thenit,stimeto thing:A ladyin distress; take mattersout of the handsof the committee. a manin distress; injustice to the poor;iniustice We suggest to the rich ... whatever your the followingguidelines: your character background If mightindicate. character hasnotdoneanythingin the last five minutes,do something.Anything! 2. One thing he will quailfrom evelytime. Fear If you cannotsolvea puzzlein ten minufes.Leaye of anythingworksfinehere.Fearof anytypeof it. lf you can'tsolveit, you eitherhaven,tfound monsteror obiector action.Tracyoncehada enoughinformation to dealwith it properly,or the clericwho professed a profoundfearof rope.This DM isn'tdoinghisiob right.Theanswer lieselseseemed harmless where,not in standing enoughto the restof the party aroundandpondering. lf you you havea solution,comeback. Otheruntiltheyremembered the entrance to think the dungeon wasdowna wise,geton with it. thirty foot shaft.This I 1HINK Be dramatic forcedanotherplayer HE CAME lf youhaveanytraining to tell Tracy'scleric THIS WAY ! in theater,useit. Yourvoiceis a storyabouthis your mostpowerfultool in any "magicrope roleplayinggame.Through powder"which your voiceyou paintthe wouldmakeany pictureof your character. ropeabsolutely safe. Let your voiceportray Thatthe mysteriyour feelings. ouspowderwas Also,drawon saltwasnever realfeelings. Don't mentioned in your let character front of the justwanderlike fearfulcleric. hulk .: a mindless 'throughyour 3. One thinghe will games. Yourown fight to the deathfor. Makeit a goodone,becangivedepthof understanding to what causethismaybe the lastone.Don,tbeshy;pick experiences your character is feeling. something wellbeyondtheabilities of mortalmen. Something nobleandimpossible good.you sounds Be creative mightalsopreparea tear-jerking speech to deTry to takean innovative lookat everything liverfor your deathsceneif whatever you picked your that is around character in the dungeon.Using provedto be a littlebeyondyour range. everything aroundyou: lf you canseeit, oddsareyou Take charge of your own destiny canuseit to somedramaticadvantage. Thismeans No onecontrolsyour character trainingyourselfto obserye or shouldconeverything aroundyou trol your character but you. Whatyourcharacter to useit. does andhavethe innovation shouldbe up to you andnot somecommittee OnceTracywasin a dungeon of others. wherethe party ln your handsis the abilityto controlthe gameflow.lf raninto a library.lt wasobviousthat the bookin the you canchangethat.lf the game centerof the room(theonewith the columnof light the gameis dragging, is too fast-well,it's nevertoo fast. shiningon it) wasthe onethe DM wantedusto look
Qnnne HowYouF,nvrHE aswellastheircapabilities, strengths, andweaknesses. at. Tracy,however,startedaskingaboutthe other your party is and as balanced works to utilizeall the bookin the library. lust talengof its groupto its advantage: sotoo mustyour "]ust books"saidthe DM. game group work together for the best success. me some titlesr" Tracy replied. "Give TheDM, thinkingto embarrass him,cameup Conclusions with someterribletitleslike LoveRituals of theOrcs Consider this:Whatarethe hit dice,armorclass, andPassion Dances of theOgres. anddamage statistics of a minotaurthatyou discover Tracy'scharacter took the books. afterhastilybustingdowna door? The DM thenforgotall aboutthem.. . Now, whatarethe hit dice,armorclass,anddam. . .Untilthe partywasconfrontedby a groupof of a minotaurthatyou creepup on after orcsandTracypulledthose(fullyillustrated) works agestatistics spending twentyminutes checking a door? out anddisplayed themto the attackers. Theyarethe same.Statistically, settingasidefirst Now, thatdistracted the orcs! factors,thereis no realstatistical differlf it's described, it canbe used.Driveyour DM roundsurprise gonzo, you frnd,be encebetweenbeingcarefulandbeing hang-itcrezy.Evenif you don't useeverything over-the-edge, to-the-wall brave. aware of it sothatyou Tracyoncehada paladinthatwasthe worst coulduseit if you gIO OUY, BLACKHAIQ,, pain-in-the-rear paladin youcould needed to. MacSHEEPSKIN IOOA, CARRIES possibly hopeto avoid.He was Guweroftenescapes gIO AXE? A REALLY Mr. Cleanalltheway.Tracyhad withnothingbut a paperclip. workedout a dealwith the DM that, lf you have so longasthe members of the parry a paperclip, thenuseit. did not conductanyoutwardly Inanimate objecu questionable actof evil,thepalaarenot the onlythings dinwouldnot checktheiralignthatyou canuseto youradvantage. ment.Thismeantthat NPCs, we hada paladinin whenrun properly,are a partyof neutraland a $eat sourceof chaoticevilPCs.But,oh, information about howcarefulthosePCshad whatis goingon to be. aroundyourcharOur questwasto retake acteraswellasoccasiona castle,ownedby a goodking, allyproviding directhelp. whichhadbeentakenoverby an NPCscanbe fun if you evilwizard.At onepoint,the palausethemright.Don't din stoppedthe partyfrom breakengage in meaningless parleys ingdowna dooron thegrounds unless allyouare thatthe doorwasactuallythe propertyof a goodman afteris pleasant conversa(theking)andthatwrecking hispropertywouldbe tion. wrong. Be Thoughtful of Other Players'Needs Thisgroupgotin thehabitof sending the paladin your rush individuality, In headlong toward to "scoutahead"quitea bit. remember that the needsof otherplayersin your At onepoint,whilethe paladin was"scouting grouparegoingto be differentthanyoursandare aheadr" the partyturnedrightwherethe paladin had justasimportantasyour own.Youmustkeepyour goneleft,andencountered guardswatchtwo bugbear otherplayersin mindin the samewaythat a goodPC inga smalltreasure. Thegnomewastheonlymember wouldkeeptheothermembers of hispartyin mind, of the partywhospokebugbear and,beingsomething
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xDM rHEEeveRsSECrroN of a rascal,begannegotiating with the bugbears. lf the bugbears wouldtell uswherethe reallybigtreasure was, thenthe partywouldretreatandnobodywouldget hurt.Thisseemed agreeable to the creatures sincethey wouldstillbeguarding theirowntreasure. It wasat aboutthistimethepaladin returned. Seeing the bugbears, he drewhisswordat onceand charged. yourgame Playing a gamethiswaynot onlymakes play improvebut it demands that others betteraswell. Theplayerof thegnomecharacter hadonlyseconds to think.He turnedto me andheldup hishands, saying, "No! Stop!Theywantto repent!" Thepaladin stopped. Holdinghisgreatsword with the tip downandrestpalms paladin inghis on is hilt,the thegnome asked
to address the bugbears for him in theirbaseand fallentongue. Thepaladin began,"lf theywill but repent.. ." Thegnometranslated, "lF YOU WILLBUT TELLUS.. . "Of yourevilways.. ." THETREASURE IS.. . " "WHERE your will I spare lives!" "Then "WEWON'TSICHIM ON YOU!" Thebugbear's eyesgrewwide,thenthey repliedwith veryexplicitdirections to the larger treasure. Thegnometurnedto the paladin andsaid, agree." "They It isn'twhetheryou liveor die.. .
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ffi IHImERFTFTEEN: JHeXDzo$asrcQnnm Oncein an XDM'slifetime,a revolutionary effort,andcreativityon games whichareso complipowermanifests conceptof unprecedented itselfto catedlydaunting thatyou arethe onlypersonin your playthem.Let'sfaceit: the gamingworld.Forthe gamers of the Renaissancehousewhocouldpossibly it wasthe inventionof the twenty-sided die.Foryou Wearesurrounded by games thatno oneiswillingto playwith us.lndeed,thereis a highlikelyhood my luckyfriend,it's the XD20 gamesystem. You that learnthissimplesystemonceandyou will neverhave yourspouse, friend,mother,father,sister,brother, to learnanothersystem.. . everagain.Everwanted or childrenfleeat the verymentionof oneof your to playa ledi masterwho fighs LordSothin Toon roleplayinggames. Town,withouthavingto do insanecalculations Wellnot anymorel that breakdown the veryphysics of timeandspace? Ever Welcometo the XD20 BasicAll-Purpose Role wishedyoucouldteachyourbuddyhowto play PlayGame.Foryou RoleplayingAfficianados out hisfirstdungeoncrawlwithouthavingto handhim there,thisis the Basicversionof the XD20 game volumeaftervolumeof player'sreferences, tables, system. TheAdvanced versioncontains a lot more andcharu?Everwanteda systemthatwill makeit wordsandstrives to maintain theillusion of being possible (however actually unlikely) for a levelone overlycomplicated. Butthisbasicversionis the game you canplaywith your parents, halfling to kill a level24 deathknight? My dear spouse, friends, friendsof the XDM fraternity,the time hascome. siblings, or kids. Welcome to theXD20 Roleplaying GameSystem! Thinkof it asanolivebranch,the bridge proTheXD20 RoleplayingGameSystem, between our worldandthe restof humanity. ducedexclusively for XDMs,is a shiftin gaming paradigms. youwillsoonbe Withthisgamesystem takingyour players on fantastic adventures thatare lntroduction to Role Playing filledwith the sameexcitement, wonder,andimwithroleplayinggames, lf youaren'tfamiliar pendingdoomthatyou recallso fondlyfromwhen whatareyoudoingreading aboutthisone?Only games adventure werenew. offrcially XDMsareallowedto havethis sanctioned lf you'relikeus,you'vespenta lot of time, book-andif theycan'texplain whata roleplaying
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gameis about,thentell themtheyhaveiustlostfour levels. Youwon't knowwhatyou said,but it will probably shockthesock off them! Actually,XD20 is a reallygoodsystemfor peoplewhoarenewto roleplayingwhat teaching is all about.You're thisgameof heroism-on-the-edge goingto takea part,iustlikein a play,onlythe lines aren'twrittenfor you-you'llbe makingup whatyour character doesalongthe way.Thinkof it aslow-pressure,improvisational theater. . . or playpretendif youprefer. Look,justgetsomedice.YourXDM will show youwhichoneto roll andwhen.
.h.L).{-tw ftADr\J ufuvrE
. One regulationXDM+Gamemaster. That'sall you need.Thisis the basicgame, remember?
Obiect of the game Theobiectof your gamewill bewhatevercrary thingyourXDM saysis the objectof the game.lt could beto recoverthe Arc of the Covenant, rescuing the jewelrybackinto princess froma DeathStar,or tossing the volcanothat it wasforgedin. lt canevenbe getting your XDM says backto AuntieEmin Kansas. Whatever game, is the obiectof the that'sthe obiectof the game. Get usedto it.
About the XD2O Role Playing System
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TheXD20 roleplayinggamesystemis designed to adaptto anygenreof gaming.Youcan playgenericspaceadventures, genericfantasy adgenerichorroradventures, genericmystery ventures, genericromanceadventures . . . not to adventures, in anyheavilytradementionclandestine adventures markedandcopyrighted story-world that may,by the wildest of coincidence, seemto modelSar Wars-like' worldto whichyou mayor or Lordof theRrngs-liket maynot havepaida franchise fee.
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You,asan XDM, canmodelanything with this system, includingall yourotherfavoriteroleplaying games. Knockyourself out.
What you need to play (setting up) Youneedthe followingitemsin orderto playa gameof XD20. . One (minimum)nrenty-sided die (moredice arebetteranda full setof polyhedral diceare bestof all ... asksomeone if you don'tknow whattheseare).
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. One properlycompletedXD20 BasicCharacter Sheetfor everyplayer.(Seepage122 for fillingout a basiccharacter sheet.)
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Starlt/arsis the unquestionedcopyrightof Lucasfrlm,Ltd. and is used We are, of course,referringhereonly herewithouttheir permission. to sirnilarmilieusthat may containcommon elementswith that heavily guardedwork, I Lord of the Ringsis certainlycopyrightedby the J.R.R.Tolkien Esuteand is usedherewithout their permission. We wouldn't think of condoningyour useof the word "hobbit" in your game-cenainlynot in print.
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XDroRoLEp,nuNcsYSrEM XD2O Engine
Howdo you knowwhenyou'vewon?TheXDM will tellyouwhenyou'vewon.Howdo you knowif you'velost?Sameway.
all (andwe do TheXD20 systemresolves with the roll of a twenty-sided meanALL) issues in a rangeother a numberis needed die.Whenever thanD20,usetheXD20 Resulstablefoundin the (pagel56) to determine the resulting Appendices number. you couldactuallygeta setof Or, we suppose diceandmakeyourlifemuchsimallthesedifferent pler,but we reallywantedyou to feellikeyou were gettingyour gamingmoney'sworthandthat meant puttingin an overlycomplicated andelaborate table somewhere in the book.
Playing the game Hereis howthe gameis played: whereyour characters Step1 TheXDM describes in whichtheyfrnd arelocatedandthesituation yoursettinglikehe Hewill describe themselves. is tellinga story.He mightincludelasers andfog machines if it will help. to betheir Step2 Eachof the players,pretending playing") (hence describes the character, "role actions of theircharacter to theXDM.Possible actionsincludemoving,hittingstuff,doingstuff, your actions likeyou aretelling or tafking.Describe a story.
CreatingYour Character Theheartof anyroleplayinggameis the of paperwhich character andthesheet(or sheets) itemsownedandusable, spell detailtheircapabilities, lissof specifrc skills. details, andendless Butnot here.
Step5 TheXDM may(but is not requiredto) have the variousplayersat the tableroll diceto deter- BasicXD2O CharacterGeneration | . Writeyournameon yourBASICcharacter mineif theirdescribed actions succeed or not.The sheet' XDM tellsthe playera "targetnumber"which at theymustequalor exceedin orderto succeed nameon your BASIC 2. Writeyour character theirdescribed action.Thisnumberis basedon the character sheet.Youcanmakeup anyname character,s sheetandis STATfromtheircharacter you in your Try to pictureyour character wish. modifiedby factorssuchashowdifficultthe action give you it a namethatthe mindsothat don't wouldbe to perform.TheXDM will takecareof giggle players will at. other thisfor you. Trustthe XDM. succeeds or Step4 Whetherthe actiondescribed not,the XDM will describe theresult.lf the player's character is hurtasa resultof anyactions, thenthe XDM will haveyou subtractanydamage healthasnotedon your from your character's your healthdropsbelow sheet.lf character's has" died"in thestory, zerothenyour character anotherwayof endingthegame.TheXDM will describe the results likehe istellinga story. havStep5 The players'locationandcircumstances ingchanged because andthoseof of theiractions anycreatures theyhaveencountered, the XDM takeseverybody backto stepone.Repeatuntilthe win or loseconditions of thegamehavebeenmet.
youare whatTYPEof character 3. Determine playing.Somesuggestions from othergames knight,bard,cleric,assassin, thief, include: pilot, wizard, rogue,raider,or archeologist. for the game whateveris appropriate Choose yourXDM issettingup. yourcharacter's STAT.Thatis gam4. Determine ln BASICXD20youonly er-talkfor "statistic." haveone.lt's called"My Stat."Youdetermine yourSTATby rollingoned8 (that'saneightnumberfrom sideddie)andsubtractingthat fifteen.Thisresulsin a numberbetweenseven in the XD20 system, andfourteen.Remember the loweryour statnumber,the betteryour
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Qavr JHrXDzoSnsrc Thinkof it asif youareat a football character.. gameandshouting "We'renumberone!"t TYPE 5.Modifyyour STAT.lf yourcharacter (cancastspells or healother hasmysticabilities mystically) thencheckthe MYSTIC characters boxand add2 to your STAT.
yourHEALTH.Thisis howmuchpun7. Determine yourcharacter ishment cantakebeforedropping deadand,likely,fallingout of the game.Write downyourSTATnumberx 2. yourCharacter Level.Writethe 8. Determine number1 in thespaceprovided.
6. Writedownyour STATin the 'MY STAT' spaceprovided.
YourBASICXD20 Congratulations! is nowcompletely detailedin every character necessary way.
ON YOUR CHAQ,ACIER fiEET IS NOT IT1ESAilE AS PUTTINoIT IN
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* This aspectof XD20 systemis one of our favoritesbecauseit totaily RPGgamers.They look at their messes with the mindsof established charactersheetfor the first time and often start out by braggingto other playersaboutwhat high statsthey havefor their characters. Shouting"We're numbertwelve!"would not be nearlyasgoodas t shouting"We're numbersix!"
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AdvancedXD2O Character Generation AdvancedXD20 characters arefar morecomplicatedthanthe basiccharacter andvastlyexpandyour optionsin play.t Followtheseinstructions carefullyandyou will soonbe readyto playin the high-powered worldof Advanced XD20. I . Writeyour nameon youradvanced character sheet. 2.Write your characfer nameon your advanced character sheet.(Seebasiccharacter instructions on names.) 3. Determine you areplaying. the typeof character (Advanced XD20 characrers followthe same
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typesasthosementioned for basicXD20 characters,but if it makesyou feelsuperior,you can believethat advanced characters allowfor a vastly widervariety.) your characters 4. Determine STATS!Yes,you now havethreeratherthaniustone.Thesestatseach havea name:TAC, PSYCH, andWAH. TAC standsfor "Toughness andConstitutionr" repreyour physical senting strengthandhealth;PSYCH your intelligence, represents wisdom,smaru;and your mysticalpower,karma,and WAH represents evenluck.Determine thesethreenumbers by the samemethodasin BasicCharacter Generation. Foreachof your STATS,you roll oned8 (that,s an eight-sided die) andsubtract that numberfrom fifteen.Thisresultsin a numberbetween sevenand fourteen. Remember: in XD20 system,the /oweryour stat-number thebetteryourcharacter. Do thisfor eachof your STATSseparately. Thisresultsin threeseparate numbers, eachbetweensevenand fourteen. 5. Modiff your STATS:lf yourcharacrer type has (can anymystical abilities castspellsor healother characters mystically or do anythingelsebeyond
25
XDro Rorep,nvrNcSYSTEM the powersof mortalmen)thensubtract2 from your character's WAH STATandadd4 totalto yourTAC and/orPSYCH STATS..
Look,let'sfaceit, whatyou haveon you at any giventimeis goingto be dependent on (l ) howpreparedyou werein the firstplaceand(2) the situation you findyourselfin. 6. Writedowneachof yourmodifred STATSin the Ask if you arecarryinga battleaxe. Well,if yourcharacter threeboxesprovided. typeis "warrior"or especially if it is "knight"andthe gamewe areplayingis setin a your character's 7. Determine health:Thisis how fantasy versionof MedievalEuropethenl'd saythe physical muchpunishment, or mental,thatyour oddsareprettygoodyou'vegot sucha weaponon character cantakebeforedroppingdeador going you. On the otherhand,if you askme if you are nutsand,in eithercase,mostlikelyfallingout of carryingthatsamebattleaxe andyour the game.Totalthe two lowestnumbers of your character typeis "paleontologist" and STATSandwritethisnumberin the HEALTH the gamewe'replayingis seton a presspaceprovided. ent-daydinosaur island, thenthechances aregoingto be muchmoreslightunless yourCharacter you'rereferringratherirreverently 8. Determine Level:Write to a '|' in thespace downthenumber mother-in-law ratherthantheweapon. EILL provided. you claimto be caraUISARME, lf, however, Ar YOUR. SEWICE, ryinga thermonuclear weaponandyour iloNstEuR.! YourAdvanced Congratulations! character typeis a "cabinboy" playingin pirategame? XD20 Character is nowcompletely ubera sixteenth centuryCaribbean detailedin everywaythat counts! Let'sjustsaythatthe chances of thisparticularitemappearing areastronomically (moreon whythisis Stuff: Skills, Weapons, badbut stillpossible Supplies,Armor later).Likemostthingsin roleplaying,it you your if Okay.So wantto know comesdownto a quickroll.YourXDM you a numberthatyou haveto isa blackbeltin TaeKwanDo, character will assign youroddsaregood,the is carrying a Bill-guisarmet, roll on d2O.lf hasenough a rationsfor an expedition roll will be easy.lf your oddsarebad,the to the South Poleor Kevlarbodyarmor?Suchcritical rollwill be hard.lf youroddsareclown questions your oddsarenear areanswered by theXDM using shoesridiculous, official the anddefinitive XD20 rulesstatement: impossible. you Sometimes in roleplayinggames, "Maybe." quality findvaryinglevels of in equipment. This is usually expressed asa lf askedfor a clarification of thisrule,you ,\, Kt "plus"or a "minus"weaponor device mayanswer with: simifyingits modifrcation to something or other. "Thatdepends." lmportantSafetyTip In the XD20 system * Youcansubtract all fourfromeitheryourTACor yourPSYCH 5TAT, lowernumbers arebetter.Thereforeif someone or you cansubtractonefromyourTAC STATandthreefromyourPSYCH wantsto handyoua " + 70 dragon-slayer sword," STAT,oryou cansubtract twoeachfromyourTACandPSYCH STAT, or you cansubtractthreefromyourPSYCHSTATandonlyonefromyour you shouldiustlaughat themfor tryingto pawnoff TAC STAT,or you cansubtractall four poins fromyourPSYCHSTAT. sucha cursedpieceof iunkon you! Whatyoureally Hey,that'swhythisisADVANCEDI gisarme (sometimes or bisarme) wasa poleweapon used t A guisarme wantisa "-5 rusting sword"because it will not only in Europe between I000- | 4OOA.D. lt wasusedprimarily to dismount your improve in d20 die roll combat by 25o/obutwill knigtsandhorsemen. Likemostpolearms it wasdeveloped by peasans by combining handtoolswithlongpoles:in thiscaseby puttinga pruning hook probably alsocauseruston the target. onto a spearshaft.Thisweaponis,in moderntimes,knownonlyto RPG Yes,we reallyintendto messwith established gamercould fanatics asgenerally themostuseless weapon anyroleplaying possibly choose. role-players' headshere.
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THEXD2o {nveNcED pLAyERsGUrDE Remember to writedownstuffwhenyou getit sothat you canremindthe XDM laterthat hewas foolishenoughto haveallowedyou to haveit in the firstplace.
for a fewminutesbeforebeingmiraculously revived by a nurseor a medicor whatever. Now, instead of beingout in the freshair, out of yourmom'shair,andgettingsomedecentsun, we'vemovedthe wholethingindoors,onto your Doing Stuff: Movement and Actions mom'stable.Thenwe playthesamemindgames in Thisis a roleplayinggamesoyou'reonly a moretroll-likeexistence.i Moreimportantly, howpretending to be doingstuff..That'swhywe have ever,we haverulesanddicethatdetermine whether rulesto determine whetherthe stuffyou imagine thethingswe imagine actually succeed or not. yourselfdoingactuallyworkswith whateveryone you attemptto do something else Whenever in an issupposed to be imagining together. XD20 game,it justworks.Unlessyou aretryingto Okay,that didn't makethat muchsense to do something that hasa reasonable expectation of meeither.Thepointisthatwhenyouwereout in failure.I mean,it wouldbemind-blowingly annoying your backyard playingarmy,or copsandrobbers,or for everyone to roll a dieeverytimetheytook a step Rambo,or whatever, it alwayscamedownto oneguy downthestreet.("Did I trip?""Did I trip?")On saying, the otherhand,if you weretryingto stepacross a "Bang!You'redead!" ten-thousand foot deepcrevasse bridgedonlyby a And thenthe otherkid saying, one-inch thickgreased steelcable.. . well,not only "Nu-huh!| shotyou frrst!" wouldthatbe far moreexcitingthatjustwalking go Thisargument would backandforthuntil downthe streetbut mostdefrnitely requiresome onekid eitherwenthomeor laiddownon the ground seriously considered dicerolls.
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* In theory,althoughthis being an XDM game,you,ll probablybe doingmore than iust sittingaroundthe tablesuckingdown iunk food in your questfor ultimarevalor.
The very quintessence of progress.
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XDro Rgrs fr,nvrNcSYSTEM substitute for punching someone, but throwingdicewill justhaveto do. We certainlyrecommend pretending with a swordoverthe realthing. Yourcharacter hasjustencountered a monster l. Describethe actionWhenyou do something game, for now which, reasons but which madesense in the unclear describe it. lt's assimpleassaying, at the time,deserves to be put downandrightnow.As "l walkdownto the endof the corridor,"or, you catchthe bearand goes, saying the old sometimes mouth,brandishing "l leapintothedragon's you ... but whichis it? sometimes the bearcatches my hatpin." That'swhywe havecombatresolution. lf it's timeto smackthe monsteror seeif the 2. ShouldI bother?TheXDM shouldthenask you, usethe followingbasiccombat smacks monster herself whetherthisactionwarrants anykindof dicerolling.ls therea possibility of interesting resolution: go failure?lf something might wrong,thenyou probablyneedto roll somedice. l. CombatroundsAll combatis resolved in Rounds-like boxingrounds,but usuallywith a lot moredeadlyforceinvolved.Generafly, everybody 3. Determinethe TargetSuccess NumberThe ges involved in the donnybrook current to takea XDM will lookat the mostappropriate characturn doingsomething-swinging, screaming, fleeing, ter STATand,usingthatasa base,determine praying-during round. a combat a success number.Easier thingshavelower numbers. Harderthingshavehighernumbers. 2. Who shotfrrst?What'son second?| dunno, Remember, whenit comesto die rollsfor sucthird baseUnlikereallife,combatroundsin most cesslessis best.TheXDM will addto (bad)or (good) your ofherroleplayinggames areusuallyorderedaffairs subtractfrom basicstatnumberto with everyone takingturnsbeatingoneanother's determine thistargetsuccess number. brainsinto the floor.Thinkof thisasthewaythe Britishwouldhavepreferredto frghtthe war in the 4. Roll one d20 for basicsuccess lf you roll the you Americasif thosepeskycolonists hadn'tcheated targetnumberor higher,then succeed. you fail. by ducking behindtreesandfiringtheirgunswhenOtherwise, evertheywanted,insteadof takingturns. That'snot theXDM way-asif you hadn't 5. Roll one d2Ofor degreeYou nowroll l d20 guessed getto t:tke your by now.Players andmonsters dieto determine the degree of success or theiractions duringa roundwhenever failure.Youmightsucceed theXDM with spectacularly you saystheydo. lf that meansthat all the playersget a roll of a 20, or mightfailspectacularly to taketheirturn andthenthe monsters all attack, withthatsame20 if you blewyoursuccess roll. that'sfine.lf thatmeans thatthe monsters attack firstandthenthe playersgetto react,that'sfine 6. XDM explainswhat happened asa resultThe too. lf that meansthat the XDM iustpointsto the XDM nowinterprets the resultbasedon whethplayerwhenit istheirturnto actandthewhole er you succeeded or not andto whatdegree you succeeded your thingis mixedup andcrazyin a waythatmore or failed.Take lumpsand geton with it. resembles actuallife,thenthaf'sfinetoo. Solong getsto do asoneruleis alwaysfollowed:everyone something at somepointin a combatround. (Or Hitting Stuff: Combat R.esolution probably you'll more if the XDM saystheycan.) Thisis theonething be rolling the mostdicefor so let'sgetit overwith. Players prettymuch 3. Did l hit him?Combatis resolved loveto bashthings;theywantto takeout their likeanyotheraction.TheXDM determines lifetimeof frustrations a by pretending they'rebeating Target based Success Number on the character the livingdaylights out of something. lt's no real Thebasicprocess for resolving anyphysical action in the gameis asfollows:
128
THEXDZO ADVAI{CEDPLAYERSGUIDE or monster's rnostappropriate STAT.TheXDM will addto (bad)or subtractfrom (good)your basicsut numberto determine thistargetsuccess number.
6. Assigndamage Anyonedamaged in the gamecharacters controlledby the players, or monsterscontrolledby the XDM-subtracts damage fromtheirHealthStat.Onceyour Healthstat dropsbelowl, you hadbetterbe prepared to do somefancybegging to keepyour character alivebecause unless the XDM saysothenrise, your character is dead.Deadcharacters are honorable andreveredin all XDM games,but onlyif theydie in heroicways.Dyingstupid is causefor ridicule.Deathmaybe mitigated in theXD20system by healing or miracles or magicandthe like.Theseshouldbe treatedas, respectively, "doingstuff"or "mysticalstuff."
4. Roll one d20 to determinebasicsuccess lf you you rofl the targetnumberor higher, then succeed. you fail. Remember Othenruise, thatyou always succeed with any20 rolledandyou alwaysfail spectacularly withanyroll of a l.
you do is de5.RolldamageHow muchdamage terminedby whatyou'reusingto do the damage,duh!Usinga fistagainst is a whole someone differentstorythanusinga tacticalthermonuclear weapon.OnceyourXDM establishes thedamage Thinking Stuff: SureYou Think a weapondoes,you shouldprobablywriteit down You're Smart andkeepit. Othenvise, askthe XDM howmuch Hereis the basicproblemwith "mental" your weapondoesin dicetermsandthen mechanics damage andproblems in roleplayinggames: You you'replaying roll thosedicefor damage. andthecharacter almostcertainly do not havethe samementalabilities.Faceit, when you rolledup your character in your favoriteother FOR.AS 9ULKYAS YOUR playing game, you role somehow knewthat WANOOF O|S\NTEO(/4.T|ON tS, 7 SOKI your character wassmarterthanyou in real OF EXPECTEO I1 TO BC FRIENPlife.Normally,that'sokay- because if your FOE OISCRIMINATINo, is brokenin the game,you wanfto roll starship diceto fix that hyperdrive ratherthanhavethe DM handyoua wrenchanda boxof washing paruandtellyouto buildone. machine On theotherhand,if you come up to a pairof talkingdoorswhereone alwaysliesandthe otheralwaystellsthe truth,andyou'vewatchedLabyrinth moretimesthanthe DM, you knowthe answer to thisriddlecold.Theprobyou are lemis thatthe idiot character playing game in the mightnot.' is least There at onegame out therethat getsaroundthis particular problemby iustassuming thatthe dice aresmarterthan you-or at least, *
lt seemedlike sucha good idea to trade out those"mental" points for "strength" polntswhen you createdyour character.I mean,what gamecharacterever actuallyusesthosementalstatisticsanyway.Stay tuned.
129
XDro RoLEp,avrNcSYSTEM the properarbiterof howsmartyour character is in CastingSpellsand Mystical Stuff game. the Yourcharacter comesup to a sphinxand Wait!Wait!Whataremy spells? Wherearemy powerfulcritterposesyou "the ques- spells? the massively Hereisthethingthatcouldblowyourmind: tion of the ages."Nevermindwhatthatquestionis, Feelfreeto castanythingyou want.I mean,you'relike priest,voodoosomething, or what"four legsin the morning,two in the after- a magician, right?Surely magic is based on fundamentals rather noonandthreein theevening" hasto do withman's thanprefab progression the XDM saysotherwise, inventany throughthismortalcoil.All you haveto unis. Sounless you you spell want for the are in. circumstances your character's do is roll your diceagainst smartgetsit or nessfactorandeitheryour character you doesn't-whether do or not. Whilethismakes a certainlevelof TT{AOSURRENPER' game-sense, I mean,comeon! Thisis a THAA'URENOER! gameplayedmainlyon theimaginary stageof yourmind,the placewherepuzzles andriddlesare supposed to be solved.Whereis the problem-solving in roleplayingif the diceiustsolvethe problemfor you?And theydon't evengiveyou the solution but iusttellyouthatthe problem"is solved," muchthe samewaythe government worksin economic bail-outs. Here'sthe rulein XD20 games: Think your game of in the character asthoughhe wereyourbuddysittingnextto you..lf the gamepresents you with a puzzlerequiringthe useof higher-order differential calculus and you don't happento be into thatsortof thingrecreationally, thenturn to your playercharacter, roll the dicefor him or herand Bewarned,however. lt is up to theXDM'sdiscreseeif theyknow.YourXDM will consider theiraption asto your oddsof castingit, andwhatthe efpropriateSTATor PSYCHscorein the samewayas fectsare.Magic,beingwhatit is,canoccasionally-ok, doingphysical stuff.+ often-gowrong.Forthe mostpart,castingspellsis the On the otherhand,if you happento be a foren- sameashittingstufFwhenthe magicyou'recooking sicpathologist in reallifeandareplaying anXD2O up is intendedto do damage.lf, however,you wantto gamebeingrun by a forensicpathologist casta utilityspell,likemasssleep,do the following: andall the otherplayersat the tablealsohappento be forensic l. Tell the XDM all aboutthe magicalspectacular pathologists, it is legitimate for your partyto do an you wouldlike to createIf you havetriedto pull extensive autopsyon anydeadbodiesthatyou might off thissamespellbefore,justgiveit a name.lf frndlyingaroundin the dungeon+ . . .evenif your you'vecookedup specialfor the it is something playercharacter hasan intelligence of 18. occasion, or if the XDM wantsmorespecifics out you, you're going of have to to be a bit more your player character " On the other hand,ifyou actuallybelievethat is sitting next to you or speakingto you from his miniatureon the descriptive aboutwhatyou expectout of your table, pleasehavesomeoneat the uble assistyou to the nearesthealth magical effect. professional available. t See"Doing stuff Movementand Actions" on page127. f Sure,laughifyou dare ... but I haveactuallyheardofsuch a group of role playinggamers.
5 See"Hitting Stuff:CombatResolution"on page128.
130
THEXDzo {nvnNcED PLAYERS GUrDE arounda tableclutching the papercharacter shees whileplayingin massive or hunched overa keyboard playershavehad multiplayer onlineenvironments-all overriding onesingular, obsession: To levelup. Untilnow. Leveling is, for the XDM, a plaguethat has infectedthe otherwise healthybodyof roleplaying.lt 3. Wimp or wow? Rollyour secondd20 to determeasure thathasno application minethe degree of success or failureof thespell. isanentirelyartificial in the realworld.lt is truethat in militaryforces,a to Private by your Private(E-2)maybe proudto be advanced 4. Whator whatever?lf deemednecessary (E-3) First-Class andthatceruinlylookslikeleveling XDM,you mayneedto roll additional d20sto justbecause thatE-2is nowan E-3 determine otherrandomfactors,suchasduration, up. However, makehimappreciably harderto doesn'tnecessarily location,etc. shootat, nor doesit allowhim to takemoredamageunderfrre.Evenif he makes it all thewayto E-8 Example Youarefacingan armyof stonewarriors (MasterSergeant) whilehewill,admittedly, beone soyou say,"l will casta sleepspell!"TheXDM, you probably generous, shouldn'tmesswith feelingunusually tellsyouthatit flatout toughhombrethat in a barfight,he is stillequallysusceptible to damage failsbecause stonewarriorsdon't sleep.As they grenade froma betweenhisfeetasthatsameE-2. you reviseyour previous continueto approach, glacial We're not sayingthat characters shouldn'f ideaanddeclare will sleep the cast on "l advance. We all wantto getbetterandyour player stonewarriors." is no exception. WhatXDM isagainst is the TheXDM wantsto knowwhatit is aboutglacial character player youthinkit wouldmakeanydif- ideathat any with enoughlevels characters sleepthatmakes anindestructible tankon legs. ferenceto stonewarriors.You explainthat glacial becomes We weregoingto throwout the wholeleveling spellagainst stonewarriorsthat sleep"is a special but everyone startedto whineand makethemfall into a frozenstatesimilarto human thingaltogether, cry so.. .fine!Youcanhavea leveling systemand sleep." hereit is. TheXDM asksyouyourlevel.Yousay7. The pointsfor just about You accumulate experience XDM asksyouyourWAH. Yousay| 3. He then anythingyou think you shouldaccumulate says,"Okayroll an | 8 or better."Yourollyour pointsfor doing.Theseareawarded experience d20 andgeta l9! TheXDM grumbles andthen entirelyat the discretion of the XDM andit is says,"Creatthe glacialsleepspellhis the stone noneof yourbusiness howtheydetermine this warriors.Rollfor effect." get number. roll The XDM You againand a 5. interprets thisandsaysthat abouta quarterof the warriors Whenyou haveaccumulated suffrcientexperiarefrozenin theirtracks. your encepoints, character will go up to the pointsare next level.Howmanyexperience won'trequiresomuch Of coursemanyspells requiredto getto the nextlevelis a complicated you hadbeena level rolling.lf, in the aboveexample, formula,partof whichinvolves concentrated 18casting sleepon a smallarmyof levelonepeasants meditation. YourXDM will let you knowwhen theXDM wouldprobablyaskyou to roll for success (perhaps this has happened. l2 or better) and that's it. a 2. Flightor fnzle?TheXDM will modifyyour appropriatestatistic(whichwill beyour STATin the game)and basicgameor WAH in the Advanced tell you whatyou haveto roll for your attemptat thisto workat all.
Characterlmprovement3Gaining Levels Sincethe beginning of themodernroleplaying game,playersaroundthe globe-whether crouched
Whenyour charactergoesup a level,addthe numberof levelsthat your XDM tellsyou to add-hopefully,iustone-to your previous you wereIevel level.lf, for example, character
XDro Rgre p,evrNcSYSTEM I beforeandhavejustadvanced onelevel,your is nowlevel2 andhasaccess character to altthe privileges provides. rightsand that thisnewlevel
Conversionfrom Other Systems
You'vespenthundreds-ifnot thousands of dollarson otherroleplayinggamerystems, havea redwagonfull of reference boolsthatyou love,and That'sit. lt doesnot affectyourotherstatistics one you iustcan'tgo coldturkeywith the superior(if bit. Youdo not getmorehealthpoints.You do XD20 system. abbreviated) We undersund.We even not getmoreTAC, PSYCHor WAH poins (if sympathize. All you reallyneededwasthisbook,but you'replaying withAdvanced XD20characters). it's too latefor that now. Mostof the statistics for you All the levelallows to do is sayto the XDM, XD20 games aregenerated basedentirelyon the "But, hey,I shouldbe ableto hit thisuntrained expertandhighly-trained iudgmentof the XDM. So goonmoreeasilybecause my character is level2!" if someone wantsto usea weaponor magicalartifact or, "l thinkI couldcastwaterlilyon themenacing fromanothergame,glanceat the overlycomplex child,causel've finallyreached level| 8!" Your statistics for the device,assign it a TAC statanda XDM will takethisintoaccount-ornot. Damage stat-Healthstator evena PSYCHor WAH statif you feelinclined-and callit good.
132
ADVAr{cED XDzo,,f,HanncrER$Hrrr p,nvrnlrfmm f,Hnnncrrn\fmnr fHanecrrnJYnr
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prnsoNnr, NoN-BTNDiNG BAsrccHARACTER NorES
This mess age srill selFdestpuct in lO secosrdsMinimum saFe distaflce is Foun hundned sneterrs-
Hawe a shopl day!
flnxonooK f, HemER SEVENTEEN: XDzoltrucroN MASTERv for the bookratherthaniustreadingit in the store. Foryou will be subjectto thiscurse.All the powers YouareanXDM. Oneof thefew.Oneof the of thegaming spiritsshallbewithdrawn andleave proud.Oneof thoseselectfewwho havebeenpriviyou in vainfor a gamethat desolate. Youshallsearch legedto be admittedinto the innercircleof knowledge andeachshall will satisfyyour lustfor entertainment, passed XDMsbringlifeand downfromthe ancients. your in hands.You havebeen turn to dry cardboard fun backintogaming. warned!r purchased the franchise You havefoughtfor this, righs,. andnowarereadyto bewhatso manyhave Theory of Game Relativity XDMI dreamed of becoming.A fully-fledged Anythingthathappens in a game,or that mightworkin a game,or that playerswantto do in a game,is relativeto its storysettingsurroundings. A revolvermightbe reasonably commonin a you'd be hardpressed to 1920shorrorsettin&but with the Likewise, come up one during Crusades. XDM and lf you arenot anoffrcially sanctioned mightcomein handyduringthe Battle a phaser+ you arereadingthissectionof the book,thenyou the right of Thermopylae, but goodluckfrnding shouldknowthat thispartof the bookis protectedby batteries. downfrom SunTzu, an ancientTibetancurse,passed Whileyour players seemto havethe abilityto whichwill affectallof yourdierollsduringperiods of pull iusttherightrabbitout of theirhac at anygiven thefull moonandmanyof yourotherdierollsat all | pulla tactical moment('Oh, soXeryesis attacking? othertimes.Woeuntoyou who lookuponthewords MasteryHandbook without of theXD20 Dungeon havingpurchased f Likewe couldreallystopyou, but this did giveus the opponunityto firsthavingbeenpurified,or possibly franchise righs,or at a minimumpaidfullcoverprice write a cool curse.It's the way they did copyrightbackin the old days
lntroduction to XD2O for XDMs
* lf you haven'tpurchased your localfranchiserights,you might consider doingso!
before governmentsgot around to it, so we thought it might be effective here.Oh, that remindsme, this book is copyrighted. energyweaponfrom the StarTrek f Phaseris a direct-fire,beam-based, universe,and we're sorry for borrowingit here.
13+
XDZO DUNGEoNMASTERY HANDBoOK nukeout of my backpack!") theymaybe verylimited by the rulesof the settingin your game.Youdecide if yourworldis basedcloselyon historical classical Greekmythology-inwhichcaseyou canforgetthe tacticalnuclearweaponevenremotelyshowingup, andyou shouldsmackanyplayersuggesting it-or you gonzoand candecidethatyourworldis completely Spartans actuallydid havetacticalweapons of mass destruction available to them. HOWEVE&(anddidyou noticehowbigwe madethat however)you mustdo the followingor foreverloseyour statusasan XDM: (l ) Establish the rulesof yoursettingfromthe beginning. (2) Onlychange themunderexfreme duress. An XDM muif be consistent in hisinterpretation of the settingrules.You maynot givephasers to Spartans withoutgivingdisruptors to the Persians.
this,too. Wecalledit "ChapterFive:Designing for Story"andit ison page42.You shouldselect openmatrix,or closedmatrix eitherlineardesign, for youradventure. Mountthison the narrative frame.Thinkof it asthe bodyof the car-thegeneralshapeinto whicheverything elsewill frt. 3. Createa basicbeatchartfor your adventureA in your beatchartis an outlineof the encounters An example adventure. canbe foundin "Killer Beats"on pageI05 Thenatureandapproach to thisbeatchartwill dependuponwhichmatrixyou iustchosefor the game.ln everycasemakesure riseswith the rising thatdifficultyof the encounters action.
Adventure Design You'vecomeup with the basicrulesfor your setting(anythingfrom strictlyhistorical, to anythinggoesgonzo),andit's timeto createthe designfor the actualadventure. Here'swhatyou do to makeit all cometogether: 1. Establish the basicstructureof your adventure your adventure You do thisby frrstconsidering in termsof the Cambellian Monomyth(seepage 30). Yes,youshoulddo thisevenif yourgame is aboutmutantclownsattacking Sheboygan your withcream-pie bazookas.. ]ustbecause gameis goofy,doesn'tmeanyou canignore games structure. lf anything, aboutmutant clownsattacking Sheboygan requiremoreattentionto structure.Narrativestructureis the frameon whichyouwill hangeverything elsein the game.Makeit strong.
TRIP LOOKS
LIKEtT'SOOINO rO 681 HAQOER AS WEOET
cLosEQ.l0 rHE IOP,
2. Determinethe generalmatrixapproachfor your adventureWe'vealreadytalkedabout *
with their Cream-Pie Bazookas" is "Mutant ClownsAttack Sheboygan a trademarkof Tracy Hickman,CurtisHickman,and HowardTaylerand is usedherewith their permission. Adventuresbasedon this incredibly markeubleideashouldobtainthe permission of the copyrightholders beforebeingwritten.XDMs desiringto write adventures in the "Mutant ClownsAttack Sheboyganwith their Cream-PieBazookas"settingmay obtainthe non-exclusive rightsto do so by sending$5 U.5. to the copyright holders.Copyright 2009, all rightsreserved.
135
|tt, ,;
XDzoR9LEp,avlxc SYSTEM XDM'siudgmentis key.Youhaveto makethatiudgin yourgameat mentcallbased on what'shappening thetime. We can'tbe thereandholdyour handduringthe gamecall,but we cangiveyou someguidelines about Try whatmightconstitute a decentgeneralmodifrer. your game. work in theseandseeif they
lf you'reusinga Lineardesignthenthisbeat of encounters one chartwill simplybe a series afterthe other.In thiscaseit is importantto establish directlyin the chartthe arcof thestory will havea clearincrease in iself. Encounters diffrcultyup to the climax. lf you areusinganopenmatrixcampaign designthenyou will stillwantto chartsome sortof story,but it will be almostwithoutany dependence on location.Youwill stilltell a story the but it will unfoldprettymuchwherever playersfrndit. lf you areusinga closedmatrix-thenyou are a trueXDM! Createyour beatchartbasedon makesurethestoryarcis expanding locations, established throughoutthe flowof the matrix, game gamers andimpress with your incredible design skills.
WHAT c/00s
oo YouotvE
4. Fill in the restYou haveprettymuchall you needto run the adventure at thispoint,but if you wantto lockmoreof it downon paper, by designcoolandimpressive maps.Beprepared you feelareneedful. fillingin allthe blanks
AdventureTranslation One of the coolthingsaboutthe XD20 system is thatyou caniustprettymuchlift anyold advengamesystemandstillhavea good ture from anyone's time.Youhaveto throwout alltheircumbersome mechanics but, hey,that'swhatbeingan XDM is all adventure modulelikea about!Approacha published fromthe adventure chopshop:Takewhat'svaluable andleavethe restin a canal. Theimportantthingis thatyou takethe awethenmountthemon an somepartsof an adventure, XDM chassis.
TLL FETCH YOUR,CLOWN
Target Diffrculty Determination Thisis the bigone,the veryheartof XDM resolution.lt's up to youto makethiscallandno oneelse cando it for you. Everything staruwith the baseSTATfor any action-whether that is frghting,moving,thinking, reasonable or magic.Thetrickcomesin assigning modifiers to anyactionin the game.Thatis wherean
135
XD zo DUNGEoNMASTERY HANDBooK
9erlously. Wa mean llke brcrthlng.lf someonc In your game ls golng to try and ure gravity on Earth, thls modifler would rpply You kidding me?
-12
Forgetabout itl
-1O
Relax,everyonel
-8
Walk in the park
-6
No problem
-4
I got it
-3
Donethis before
-2
Not so tough
-1
Theseare various degreesof easy,ranging from the almost sure bet,to the casualapproachto somethingthat shouldn'tbe a big problem.
lf no other factors apply,thsn modlflers don't elthca Lct thom rofl agalnst thGir st.t. Not sure
+1
Newto me
+2
Anybody else?
+3
Tricky
+4
Palmswet, mouth dry
+5
Sweatin'bulletshere
+6
Must change shirt
+7
Changesomethingelse...
+8
No way l'm doing thatl
+9
Who do you think I am?
+1O
Let me outt Let me outl
+11
lmprobable
+12
Astronomical
+13
lmpossible
+14
Inconceivablel
+15
On this side are the various degrees of hard, ranging from a bit tricky,to who in their right mind would even attempt this.
"Clown Shoes" lr our XDM code for somethlng eo polntlcrely rldiculous that brlnglng lt up is laughable. "l'm golng to try dlvlng Into the sun and comlng out th. other ide." Yeah,buddy, roll the dice and wc'll soc. "Clown ShoesRldiculous" ir the ONLY tim€ the automati< 2Orucccss rulc is changed. Theflrct roll determlnes lf the attempt camc off at all. Thc second ndur.l 20 would lndlcate succesr,with any other rerult Intorproted as a degree of failure. We gotta draw the line somewhere.
137
XDro Rgrp p.nvINcSYSTEM Now that you haveyour nicebigtableto lookat, we aregoingto tell you a basicXDM secretthatyou mustkeepfromyour playersand,for that matter,from on the planet. all theother,non-XDMgamereferees Thissecretis so powerfulthat,shouldit getinto the aswe wronghands,it coulddestroyhobbygaming knowit:
stuffbackon page127. That'sfinefor mechanics, into but your realiob asanXDM is to bringmeaning you game. need that That means of this the numbers to interpretthe resultsfor the players. the XDMsfrom the Hereis wherewe separate of the meaneveryday wimps:Yourinterpretetion ingbehindthe roll is criticalto thegame.Do nottell a playerhe hasfailedhischeck.Tellhimwhatthat Giveit to him in graphicdetail.You failuremeans! your TAC check.I mustneversay"Oh, you missed guess you didn'tmakeit overthatchasm."lnstead you shouldsay,"You leapacross the gapingchasm with the raven' by your lastencounter but, weakened ousYak,yourlegsfailyou!Youclawa the air butyou alreadyknowyou won't makethe ledgeon the far the far chasmwall,the side.Yourbodyslamsagainst you intothe emptygulfbelow..." forcerebounding It isyouriob to interpretthe dicerollsand give not iustreport meaning andimpactto theirresults, Jportsscores.
you try to makeyour No matterhowrealistic game,no matterhowdetailedthe rulesor the modidie roll thatcan fiers,it stillcomesdownto a single Thismeans withoneof twentynumbers. onlyrespond canonly thatthe resolution scaleof the gamesresponse comein 5oloincrements. withcharuwhich Youcanspendall daydealing try to grapplewith the ideathat oneweaponessentially is .03olomoreaccurate thanthe nextweaponon the moredamage. list,but thesecond weapondoes.2650lo Butin theend,you'restillrollingthatsamed20 andit is physically impossible to accurately simulate anydifferencelessthan5ol0. Youcanspendall daywindingdownthrough andit stillis only accuracy charsandtablesfor absolute goingto comedownto the resolution of the diceyou roll. investigations We'renot doingaircraftaccident here,andwe don'tneedthatlevelof realism. Justcut numberandgeton to thechase, assign a reasonable with the game.
CAN 1 RC-ROLL
Dealingwith Doing Stuff Yes,we alreadytold you howto takecareof doing * Yes,we know all aboutbell probabilirycurveswhentouling multipledice thrown and how it givesa finer resolutionthan the one we're talkingabout. We havebeendoing this for over a quarter of a century. However,the point is that whileyou get a niceprobabilirybell curveout of throwingtwo or three six sideddice, it still comesdown to only six possibleresultsper die thrown.Justget usedto the ldeathat the finer the resolutionofthe game it becomes.Dealwith it. system,the more complex and unplayable
a o
138
XD z o DUNGEoN MAsrERyHANDBooK Dealingwith Hitting Stuff We alreadydealtwith thisa lot in the player section on page128.l'm sureyouwouldlikeus give you los of additionalruleslikehowto to dealwith partialcover,hardcover,movingcover, covercharges, sofacovers,andotherreallysmalldetailsimulation issues thatcropup in all such games. you wouldlikea tablethat liss the Perhaps penetration modifiersfor varioustypesof fences, walls,crates,andtrashcansversus a varietyof crossbow bolts,rocks,depleted-uranium howitzer shells, andbeam-energy weapons. Gee,doesn'tthat soundlikefun! Well,we'renot goingto do it. Haven,tyou beenpayingattention? lf you reallywantallthat stuff,go aheadandbuyotherpeople's RPGs. Use theirinformation asa guideline for makingyour call.lt all comesdownto themodifrers youassign to the roll and,let'sbe honest, whoamongyourplayersshouldquestionyourjudgment? lf you wantto includeall thatstuffin yourcalculations on a finaltargetnumberfor the roll, that'sfinewith us.Solongas you remember the XDM secretwe gaveyou above. Youshouldcreatively interpret themeaning of combatdicerolls.Temperyourdescriptions your for audience. Keepit lightfor younger, or moresensitive,players.
Dealingwith Magic (or not)
Got a character standing underan Armageddon-sized meteoraboutto annihilate the knownworldandall you cancomeup with is. . .well,maybethat,sa bad example, butthe pointisthatmagic,unless handled properly,is a crutch. Too oftenmagicis viewedasthe exception to the rule,ratherthana subsetof the rulesthemselves. This ratherscientific-logic sounding statement means that in mostroleplayinggames theyspendseveral chapters tellingyou howthe physics of theuniverse arehandled (combat,movement, skills,actionresolution) andthen, afteryou barelyhaveyour headwrappedaroundthose presentyou with a sectionon magicthat concepts, turnsall thaton its headwith a completely differentset of rules. Nutzto that. Whatareyou goingto do?Hereis howyou,asan XDM,shoulddealwithmagic.Someof it starubefore the gamebegins. 1. How relevantis magicin your game?Remember whenwe hadthatfatherlytalkon page134 about the Theoryof GameRelativity? Youfirstneedto decideiusthowmuchmagicis invofved in your game.ls thereno magicat all?Doesit flowlike water,to the pointwhereeveryone cancastspells willy-nilly? Doesit requireconsiderably trainingto evenachieve thesmallest effector is it an incredibly powerfulforcewhichcaneasilygetout of handif not carefully controlled? All of theseare possible you and haveto knowthat beforethe gamestartsandmakeit clearto your playersiust howit's goingto be.
Thisis probablywhereyou haveto workthe mostin a game.Magicis,admittedly, a problem because a properXDM doeshisbestto put thework off onto playersin the game.Still,therecanbe no 2. Adjustall magicfor relevance helpfor it, soyou'lljusthaveto suckit up anddo it. Onceyou establish howmagicwork in your game,stickwith it and problemwith magicis that it is Thebiggest alwaysstartwith the samegeneraladjustmens so...generic. Manyhackauthors for throughtheages your magic setting. whowishedto getaroundplot-holes theydugfor themselves knowyou cansmoothanythingoverwith 3. Do not treat magicasan exceptionto the rutes a liberalapplication of magic.Theheroiccharacter, Youmustalwaystreatmagicasan integralpartof your who readers will followthrougha contracted youruniverse, not asanexception. three-book Consistency series, is suspended in a thousand feetin treating magic is the key. the air by chains froma cavernceilingovera hungry lavadragon.He is doomedandthisis onlybookone. As with all otherresolutions Savehim with magic.Yourprincess of die rollsin the is thrownoveryouriob with magicnot to justgive boardfromthe pirateshipwitha cannonstrapped game,it remains the results butto interpret theirmeaning to her daintyfeetandhands.Saveherwith magic. aswell.
XDro Rgre p,evrNcSYSTEM Thepointis thatcharacters mustdie in games so people play get real that who them don't wrong the point game your Youcometo a in the where idea.Gameswherecharacters do not die-or where playersareaskingto do thingsthat aresimply they never fail-do a huge diservice to the worldby your impossible in setting. people teaching these thattheycando stupidthings Thentheycan'tdo it. lsn'tthatthe definitionof and be right. all impossible? No matterhowmuchtheywantto clap Moreover,unless thereis someelementof for the fairyandwishwith all theirheartthatthe giant game-in risk in the this case,adventurers risktheir forty-thousand ton boulderrollingoverthemwill not game purpose lives-then loses the all andchallenge. flattentheminto an unrecognizable stickymass,well,it game if So, the characters in the wouldrather wouldbe a disservice to themto let themliveiustto be die, let then themdo soanddecrease the surplus nice. player population. character people Whatisthis"beingnice" keeptellingme aboutanyway?
Resolvingthe lmpossible
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APPENDICES
.IHIS SHIRTFEELS
YOU WENTUP A LEVELWHEN
OpprcrAlly$nNcuoNrDXDMffrncHnworsr Putyourselfon the pathto gamingfortuneand yourownXDM franchise! by establishing success For the investment of a fewdollars,you cangetin on the groundfloorof oneof role-playing gaming's fastestgrowinginternational pseudo-phenomenon.' Foryour investment of $20 you will be granted yourownoffrcial the semi-irrevocable rightto establish XDM Triberightout of yourownhomeor business! And there'smore:t
o Privateandsecureaccess to our onlineblog for XDM ClanMasters onlyandyour personal digitalcodekeythatwill allowyou access to Tribemeetings, secretmessages, Q8tA and clandestine convention events. . A signedphotographs of the GrandMasters of XDM suitable for framedadoration.
. One officialcertifrcate your semi-irreestablishing Simplyvisitour websiteat vocablestatusasan officialXDM ClanMasterand www.xtremedungeonmastery.com for more your elevation to XDM level2 status- possibly information regarding thisopportunity. signedby the GrandXDM masters themselves+. TrueXDMsusesonlyofficiallysanctioned XDM jeans, protective gear. blackt-shiru, dice,and A . TwelveblankXDM certifrcates for you to assign completelistof available officialXDM itemscanbe (at your personal discretion) to thoseXDM refoundat www.xtremedungeonmastery.com cruig thatyou bringinto your localTribe. * Look,we iust got stanedwith this,so how much of a phenomenoncan it be if we're letting you in on the ground floor? f Total valueof itemsincludeddoesnot exceed$2. Why shouldour scam be any differentthan other scams? $ Well, we signedthe original.We cannotvouchfor the multiplecopieswe printed, subsequently
5
Okay we will actuallysignthe picture.We can't be completejerk,
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XDMf ouranBrlrrYTbsrgconrNc l. Howmanysidesareon a dodecahedron? A. O-Youdon't understand basicphysics, do you?. B. 2-Well,at leastit isan ODDsizefor dice. C. 1-Monopolydice,friend. D. I O-Technically correct. E. 2O-XDM'srarelyseethe needfor dice! 2. Oneyoungplayerat theendof thetable.. . A. O-And don'tcomeback! B. 2-Neverleavea playerbehind! C. O-YouNEVERstopthe gamefor psychobable! D. 20-Excellent technique for frguring out his style! E. I O-lustbecause it'scool!
3. Two trains. . . A. lO-Technically correctbutyou'llstillhave to waitfor your badge. B. 2-At leastyou triedto do the math. C. I -lt onlyFEELS liketrainscollideat Gencon. D. 2O-Thinking outside the box. A bribe on thistestdoesn'thurt. E. O-Whyareyou evenreadingthisbook? 4. Haveyou everbeena memberof the Communist Party? A. 4-Showscommitment. B. 4-Showscommitment. C. 2-Not fastenough. D. lO-Your priorities arein the rightplace. E. 0-Too muchsolitare.
C. 20-Totalfabrication; the making of an XDM. D. lO-Goodtechnique if you cancomeup with a reasonbehindit. E. 5-OK technique, but betterto solvethe problem.
6. Did you lookat the answers beforetakingthis test? A. lO-for beinghonest. B. 2-You mightbe president oneday,but not XDM. an C. 2O-Thisistheessence of beinganXDM! D. 5-For beinghonestaboutcheating. E.O-Youmayhavea futureasa non-player character.
Score Results 1 2o r less
13-30 Haveyou considered becominga professiona l'Non-player Character'? 3 1 - 6 0 Congratulations! Withsignificant,, trainingyoucanbecomean XDM.' 61-80 Congratulations! Youarenatural bornXDMmaterial!2 8 1 - 1 2 0 Congratulations!You arean XDM! Youqualifyfor ouradvanced placement program.3
5. Theplayerjumpsup fromthetable. . . A. 2-Technically correct,butalsoleadsto bloodyfighs. B. O-Neverapologize for a ruling!
* The Mdbiusdie hasyet to be invented.We haveXDMs in Turkey workingon it.
Youarea perfectcandidatefor gettingthe pizzafor the game.
Remedial mathematics coursesare nowopenat yourlocalHighSchool
I Your trainingwill startat level I assoonasyou purchase this book. this book,you will be admittedat onceinto your XDM 2 By purchasing trainingprogramat frrstlevel. 3 Advancedplacementprogrammeansthat all of your initiationfeeshave beenwaived. All you will needto purchaseis this book asyour coursework materials. You stan as a level I Wet Newt XDM
51
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QrossARY BlackArt Whena magician usescombinations of blackclothandbrightlightto performillusions.
prop Any objectthat assists Expositional the XDM in conveying informatlon aboutthegame.
CampaignA commonnamefor a largescalerole playingadventure whereplayers cango in any direction theychoose.(seeLinearDesign)
Force A magician's technique to geta spectator to "randomly"selectexactlythe cardthe ma$cianwishes herto pick.
Campbellian Monomyth Thebasicstructurefor epic quantified storyas by Joseph Campbell in hisbook TheHerowitha Thousand Faces.We tell you all aboutit starting on page30.
GameMaster (seeDungeon Master) GameReferee (seeDungeon Master)lt's right up therein the D section.
Matrix Therecommended Closed form of gamedesignfor all XDMs. Players areallowedfreechoice withina rangeof directedevents.
GM (seeDungeon Master)No, D comes beforeG.
Aown ShoesRidiculousThisis our XDM codefor something sopointlessly ridiculous thatevenbringingit up is laughable. Codex Thelatinword for book. In currentusage it implieseitherageor importance. Weiustthinkit sounds cool. That'swhywe put onein our book. It is full of creatures. CrazyOldMan What? Him again?We thoughtwe hadhim trappedin chaptersix. Who left the gate open? CutScenesShortsegments of storywherethe playershaveno controloverevents.Commonly foundin videogames. DM (SeeDungeon Master) Dungeon Master (AlsocalledDM, GM, Game Master,GameReferee) Thisis the personwho is in chargeof organizing anddirecting a roleplaygame. ing Thetraditional Dungeon Masterrelies heavilyon charts,tables,andpilesof booksto run the game.lf you knowa Dungeon Master,you shouldrunout andbuyhima copyof thisbook rightaway.
Hickman, Curtis A GrandMega-lord Taloned GriffrnXDM andco-author of thisbook.You canlookhimup in the introduction. Hickman, Laura A CrandLadyPegasus XDM andwifeof TracyHickman.She'smentioned in the introduction too. Hickman, Tracy A GrandPaladin-lord Horned DragonXDM andco-author of thisbook. Did you not readthe introduction? Implied Story Whenthe description or obiects in an adventure locationcausethe players to createstoriesin theirmindsaboutwhatmight haveoccurred. KillerBreakfastJustfindout wherethe nearest oneis to your locationandgo to it. Thatwill workfar betterthananyexplanation we can give. Or you couldiustgo readthe whole chapter'we devotedto talkingaboutit. Weare you areiust startingto suspect that perhaps flippingthroughthe bookat a storeandhaven't readit at all. lauraQuest Youstillhaven'treadthe Killer Breakfast chapter?Honestly.
15+
Qrossnnv LinearDesignA formof gamedesignwherethe playersareled from eventto eventwithoutbeingableto deviatefrom the setpath.
Selddir Go backandreadchaptersixagain.We already toldyouwhatselddirmeans at theendof paragraph. thesecond
Magic ls neverto be usedby XDMsasan excuse to plasterovershoddygamedesign; Prestidigitation, illusion, legerdemain, andblack art usedby an XDM to drawattentionaway gamedesign. from shocidy
Societe del' Ultimel4aitres The Societyof the UltimateMasters of the Game.We talkaboutthem on page9.
Offloading Whenan XDM assigns a gametaskto someone otherthanhimself. OpenMatrix A formof gamedesignwherethe playerscanventurein anydirectiontheychoose andthe GM mustworkto stayaheadof them. Alsoknownasa campaign. OptionLock An adventure designwherethe optionsavailable to the players diminish overtime untiltheyareleftwithonlya singlecourse to follow. PictureA flightschooltermwherepilos are instructed to keepa mentalpictureof the space aroundtheiraircraftat all times.In roleplaying the GM is expected to do thisfor the adventuringcharacters sothatshecanplanaheadfor the nextencounter. Polling
Storything Theamazing XDM systemfor creating storyor adventure ideasin a matterof moments. Youcanflndit on pages 38-41. Timemisdirection A magician's technique usinga delayto causethe spectators to forgetpartof whatwentbefore,thusallowing the magician to foolthem. Tayler, Howard An up-and-coming Wet Archduke KoboldXDM who drewthe picturesfor thisbook. Why did we writethat introduction if you'renot evengoingto readit? TimeLock A formof adventure designwherethe players arelimitedby theamountof timeavailable beforea largeeventoccurs.
When an XDM looksaroundthetableto seeif the player's needsarebeingmet.(seepage27)
XD20 RolePlayingSystem Thisis the hottestthing to hit gaming sincegaming.lt issohot, it iscool; andsocool,it is hot. We wroteseveral chapters devotedentirelyto XD20. Go readthemnow.
Purpleprose A literarytermusedto describe passages, or sometimes entirebooks,writtenin wordssooverlyextravagant, ornate,or flowery asto breakthe flow anddrawattentionto iself. Adventuremodulesarefull of thisstuff. We tellyou howto dealwithit on page63.
X-tremeDungeon Mastery Thisis the bookthat you read. On the otherhand,if you hadactually iust readthe bookyou wouldnot needto be lookingit up in the glossary.lf you havenot readthe book, go backto pageoneandstartover.
RolePlaying Game Thepremiereform of entertainmentin theworld,wherea groupof people gatherto createa sharedimaginative adventure story.
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POPCHUTES, EVERYBOOY!
# WESHOULOHAVE ROLLEOUP CHA(24.CTERS BEFOREJUIIPINO,
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A.rrERwoRD WArnNGFoRQvcnx yourfirstroleplayinggame? Do you remember Youdidn'tknowwhichof those your strangedicewereusedfor what, character sheetwaslargelya mysteryto you, rulesweresomething tookcareof, andtherewasa coldcoreof thatyourgamereferee pit your fearsomewhere downin the of thatwhatever waslurkingbehindthe stomach nextturn in the corridor,or behindthe nextdoor,wouldsuddenly leapat you, be too you your muchfor to handle,andbringthe curtaindownon character in the game. And it waswonderful.lt wasexciting, andunknown, andyou felt it morethan knewit. Theearlyrole playinggamesby E. GaryGygaxandDaveArnesonwerefusions of traditional tabletopminiature war-games andplaypretend.Theyweresimplein theirbasicformandnearlyopaquein theiradvanced stages. Youreallyfeltyou had you your accomplished something if slogged waythroughtheoriginalDungeon Master's Guideandmadeanysense of it. lt wasa frontierandwe wereall pioneers, blazing new play games. trailsanddiscovering newwaysto happened Thatwasthen.Butsomething to our wildlyexciting andalmost playing rebellious role lt became experience. oftendo. The "tamed"aswildernesses thrillof the unknownbecame replaced with formalized rulessets,complexsimulations, procedures. ln somewaysgames became andexacting easier to learn,but alsoless challenging, andlessunexpected. Everyone knewthe precise for everypossible statistics monsteror nemesis restcamedownto the mathematics theymightencounter-the pavedroad,roleplayinggames of probability. Somewhere alongthissmoothed, no processes games, longerdealtso muchwith roles.Theybecame morelike than and completely lostsightof thetruemeaning of theword"play." LikeGodot,we beganwaitingfor anotherGygax,but thatgoodmanwassadly gonefrom usandour radicalgames hadtransformed intoa business. play, ft'stimeto takebackour timeto rediscover, oncemore,whywe played thesegames in the firstplace.Theywereoncethrilling,exciting, andfun.Theycould be again. That'swhywe aregameplayers whostillbelieve therearefrontiers to bewon in playing games. role That'swhywe areXDMs. TracyHickman CurtisHickman
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