For some reason I cannot fathom, my posts from the weekend didn’t go up right away. Instead, they both posted Monday. Monday’s and Tuesday’s posts were about to go the same route, but I seemed to have fixed the issue. So I apologize if you got post spammed Monday. To cut down on that, I incorporated Mon/Tue post into today’s post. So you get three for the price of one today, you lucky devils!

Supposedly random game events that keep recurring!?

As a game master, the one recurring thread through all my games is low rolls from my big bads. When the party are facing off against minor monsters and baddies, my dice stay relatively hot. But as soon as the party are facing off against whatever the main bad guy is for a particular chapter of the game, my supposedly random dice start pumping out 1’s and 2’s like it’s their job. My incredibly skilled, dangerous evil-doers suddenly become imbeciles. Super fun for my players, of course, because they are kicking ass all over the place. Not so great for me, since I actually like the climactic fight to be, you know, a climax. Dice, can’t live with them, can’t punish them enough.

Share one of your ‘Worst Luck’ stories.

Back in the D&D 3.5e days, I played a sorcerer named Septimus in an Underdark campaign. Septimus had draconic heritage, and was on the hunt for the dragon who had killed his sire and mentor. Septimus was actually the second character I created for this campaign; the first, a dwarf, had died fairly early on. Septimus, however, had a great run, despite one issue: no matter how he managed to buff his armour class, every monster or NPC the party encountered was able to beat it. From his creation until the party reached their final objective, Septimus’ armour protected him from exactly zero attacks. Despite this and with copious amounts of healing, he survived and successfully infiltrated the fortress with his party. Then he opened a door and took a maximized disintegrate spell square in the face from a drow spellcaster. Failed his save, lost all his hit points, and became a pile of dust in the Underdark. So let that be a lesson: sometimes you will fight and strive and overcome, and still get shot in the face by a surprised drow wizard. It’s an oddly specific lesson, but worth remembering.

What is the game you are most likely to give to others?

I’m choosing to interpret this as what game am I most likely to give to others if they want to try RPGs. Otherwise, the answer is going to vary widely from person to person, depending on what I know they like and what games they already play.

For teens and adults, I’m still partial to the Pathfinder Beginner Box.  It is just such a good product, with the right level of complexity and geared toward starting players. Plus it’s packed with everything you need to start playing right away; miniatures, a map sheet, dice, and a cool starting adventure to wet everyone’s appetite. Combine that with the free material available from the website, which expands on the Beginner Box and aides in the transition to standard Pathfinder, and you have a pretty easy path into the RPG hobby.

For young kids, though, I’d go with No Thank You, Evil! from Monte Cook Games. This is an imaginative story-telling introduction to RPGs, and a great way for parents to get their kids involved in the hobby. The kids essentially play as super versions of themselves, in a fantasy world similar to their own but packed with everything they think is cool. They are the heroes who must fight whatever evil threatens their world! It is sometimes silly, always fun, and the perfect game for getting young kids into RPGs. Heck, it’s pretty fun for adults, too, so definitely check it out.

That’s it for today. Have something to add? Hit me up in the comments.