Gamer – Page 3 – Gamer Peak

The Horned King – Greatest Disney BBEG?

I’m one of those people who is very fond of Black Cauldron. Where most people find it too dark for Disney, to bleak and weird, I was very much on board.

Re-watching Black Cauldron for this blogpost, I found that I enjoyed the movie just as much as when I was young, but my thoughts on the main villain were altered greatly. I’d remember him as this all powerful tyrant that would be in contention for the topic TTRPG Disney villain, but he’s a little… wimpier than I remember.

That might not necessarily be a bad thing for your campaign though.

Festivals & Fisticuffs

The adventure is over. The dragon is defeated. The dungeon is delved. All the storylines are satisfying concluded. The character growth has… grown as much as it needs to.

But then what? Are the players ready to truly finish? Or do they want more? Has the DM got another villain or tougher adventure ready in the wings? If either is true, do the heroes not catch a break before chaos rains anew?

What happens between the epic adventures? I have an answer to that. If you’re one of the first few people reading this post, you can scoop the answer up for free:

Big Hero 6 – Greatest Disney BBEG?

Another Disney movie with a mystery villain. If you’ve seen Big Hero 6, you know who we’re talking about and we can discuss their potential as your Table Top Games big baddy. If you’re not up to speed, go give this cracking movie a watch and come back to us.

Dungeon23 – Week 12

Laboratories are a great place for horror. So are hospitals, anywhere that’s clean and white and sterile makes for a great contrast with whatever gore you want to paint on the walls.

That is the basis of Layer 3 in the megadungeon. A pristine living area, whose residents constantly fight back against the growths that fill the neighbouring laboratories.

So last week I finally got to invent and draw the icky part of this two-tone dungeon layer.

Atlantis: TLE– Greatest Disney BBEG?

I realise that my current naming convention could lead to spoilers. Most Disney villains are obvious from the outset, but occasionally we get a plot twist. I don’t care how old a movie is, I don’t like giving spoilers if I can avoid it.

So if you haven’t seen Atlantis: The Lost Empire, go and watch it. Now. Seriously. You should go and watch it immediately, it’s great. Then come back here, and we’ll talk about how that villain would make a great Big Bad for your Table Top game.

Dungeon23 – Week 11

If it wasn’t for the ever-present danger, the rooms I’ve been making this week would be rather cosy.

In direct defiance of the idea that every room in an adventure should be a threat, I’ve gone completely the other way and made the first half of layer 3 entirely habitable. Sure, if the adventurers again the residence it could quickly become a bloodbath, but if they play their cards right, the heroes will have a rather nice spot to rest.

TTRPGs with Kids – Rewarding Play

Young players can be the best players at your table. Whether you’re hosting a game for a group of students, one or more young family friends or your own kids, you’ll witness some great moments.

Young people have a way of seeing through problems in a way grown ups don’t. They are far more likely to think outside the box instead of trying to work out what ability is best to solve the problem or what rule they need to play on to win. They are not usually the best at the Role-Playing part – specifically doing what their character would do rather than what they would do – but they excel at coming up with awesome ideas for what their characters can do in the moment.

So what do we do to reward the awesomeness?

Edgar – Greatest Disney BBEG?

Well I hardly think we need look any further. Clearly we have found the most ultimate villain Disney has to offer. Who better to inspire the Big Bad for our TTRPG!

….

Alright, let’s get this over with.

TTRPGs with Kids – Mischief Abound

Not matter what Table Top Role-Playing Game you are a part of, chaos is always just around the corner. One joke, one poor roll, one mischievous player can send the narrative off the rails. Depending on the group you’re with, the errant tangents and loss of thread might be what makes the experience all the more special. Eventually though, too much chaos can begin to chip away at the fun for the whole table.

When young people play Roleplaying Games like D&D, Pathfinder, Call of Cthulhu, etc all the behaviour you can expect at the table with adults can appear in extremes. Students of mine have often been the best sort of players I have run games for, but they can also be the most challenging.

We must be careful with the “your fun is wrong” sort of mentality, but we can all be at fault of poor gaming from time-to-time, and its especially true for young players with less experience.

Dungeon 23 – Week 9

Boss battles are not necessary for a good adventure, but they sure can ensure a great one. Having a big enemy every not and then to contend with raises the stakes, and also boosts the feeling that you are making great progress.

Layer one of my megadungeon doesn’t really have a major boss. The leader of the Principles is slightly stronger, but not by a great margin. The leader of the Tungsten Line is very much Boss material.

So far in this dungeon, negotiating with the clans within can prove fruitful. Whilst the rest of the Tungsten Line are semi-rational creatures, ‘The Tungsten Supervisor’ is not going to let any unauthorised personnel wander ‘his domain’. When the party have to contend with this strange creature, the rest of the clan will be more than happy to look the other way; they aren’t fans of their Supervisor either…