tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6670029344758253148.post7183594556076178032..comments2024-02-16T22:05:32.773+02:00Comments on LotFP: RPG: Jules Verne and the Anti-ActionJimLotFPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02992397707040836366noreply@blogger.comBlogger13125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6670029344758253148.post-1960191084340963112010-02-02T08:25:06.499+02:002010-02-02T08:25:06.499+02:00@JB: I was surprised by James' appreciation of...@JB: I was surprised by James' appreciation of the 'Grand Tour' story-telling device, not the device itself. :)Timeshadowshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09952601433965644275noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6670029344758253148.post-16959292429122354362010-01-31T18:16:39.402+02:002010-01-31T18:16:39.402+02:00Not as surprising for me, but certainly interestin...Not as surprising for me, but certainly interesting, And food for thought.<br /><br />I've long been a fan Jules Verne. : )JBhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08532311924539491087noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6670029344758253148.post-89056111518923274692010-01-31T07:57:41.290+02:002010-01-31T07:57:41.290+02:00An interesting and surprising post, James.An interesting and surprising post, James.Timeshadowshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09952601433965644275noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6670029344758253148.post-14623858335640430672010-01-30T21:10:26.076+02:002010-01-30T21:10:26.076+02:00Clark Ashton Smith does this sort of thing quite a...Clark Ashton Smith does this sort of thing quite a bit too, but... I dunno, when CAS has the "looking around this weird place where nothing happens," it seems far less engaging that when Verne does it.<br /><br />Probably because Verne is either talking about stuff that is or could be real and Smith just seems to try to hard to impress with pointless oddity.JimLotFPhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02992397707040836366noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6670029344758253148.post-60106809406520768872010-01-30T20:54:43.349+02:002010-01-30T20:54:43.349+02:00There is also very little "action" in Lo...There is also very little "action" in Lovecraft's masterpieces:<br /><br />At the Mountains of Madness<br />The Shadow out of Time<br />The Mound<br /><br />I suspect that action is often a "crutch", and this explains why books such as Forgotten Realms novels are just one fight after another. Because they have no sense of wonder, they are reduced to relying upon "action".<br /><br />(Another great book with very little action but a palpable sense of wonder is David Lindsay's A Voyage to Arcturus.)<br /><br />This entire conversation illustrates for me the essential heart of D&D: The exploration of the wondrous, or (as B1 puts it) "In Search of the Unknown". Any D&D player who wants any further "motivation" frankly baffles me.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6670029344758253148.post-19297372410575566882010-01-30T19:51:27.395+02:002010-01-30T19:51:27.395+02:00In my campaign one of the female PCs made out with...In my campaign one of the female PCs made out with Anthoni the incredibly handsome gypsy. <br />She rolled on Kellri's sexual encounters/reactions chart and got the result "get crabs" but she seemed to think he was worth it :-D<br /><br />http://kellri.truculent.org/CDD%234%20-%20ENCOUNTERS%20Reference.pdf<br /><br />Thye've still got the charm so it might save their asses down the line.Leopardihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00498290619991560357noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6670029344758253148.post-61479545221785911212010-01-30T19:18:05.761+02:002010-01-30T19:18:05.761+02:00>>I gave a modest story award it seemed chur...>>I gave a modest story award it seemed churlish to give nothing for an enjoyable and engrossing session.<br /><br />In my campaign, the murder mystery was actually a distraction for the PCs going on to Death Frost Doom.<br /><br />Although the XP for the session was very light, the charm given to the PCs saved one of their asses down in that dungeon (and they never knew it!).<br /><br />Also, the gypsies have popped up again a time or two on the road, always giving information and minor aid when they are encountered.<br /><br />A lack of XP doesn't necessarily mean a lack of rewards.JimLotFPhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02992397707040836366noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6670029344758253148.post-88337328247207914182010-01-30T19:11:18.453+02:002010-01-30T19:11:18.453+02:00Sorry for the nonsensical sentences and grammatica...Sorry for the nonsensical sentences and grammatical errors. I need to read what I have written before posting in future.Leopardihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00498290619991560357noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6670029344758253148.post-61280307174255142632010-01-30T19:07:38.458+02:002010-01-30T19:07:38.458+02:00It's an interesting one and I guess it links i...It's an interesting one and I guess it links into discussions about awarding xp. I ran the first adventure in "The Three Brides" and there was no combat, no loot except the reward for solving the mystery and the only dice-rolling was for some theify sneaky. I gave a modest story award it seemed churlish to give nothing for an enjoyable and engrossing session.Leopardihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00498290619991560357noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6670029344758253148.post-33501314560728525312010-01-30T18:48:56.839+02:002010-01-30T18:48:56.839+02:00Jim, I think that enviornment as character is some...Jim, I think that enviornment as character is something you have no trouble with. <br /><br />That being said, I seem to recall Jeff Rients posting something about xp for discovering certain locations in his campaign world. (At least, I think it was Jeff... it was awhile ago.) Someone told me that old Rolemaster used to award a certain number of xp for distance travelled. <br /><br />It is definitely something to consider. Some of the best sessions I've had in my weekly AD&D game have been those where the party simply explores and interacts with their enviornment, without killing or looting. Technically, these sessions should be worth 0 xp, but I always give them something because I find the exploration sessions so damned enjoyable. <br /><br />...also, now I want to read Jules Verne again.DMWieghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03682249561077936507noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6670029344758253148.post-51760878901076375082010-01-30T18:36:35.822+02:002010-01-30T18:36:35.822+02:00>>That said, I always preferred the Conan Do...>>That said, I always preferred the Conan Doyle's Professor Challenger stories (Lost World, The Day The Earth Screamed, The Deadly Cloud, etc.) to Verne.<br /><br />A collection of those stories is actually on the shelf, next on the list.JimLotFPhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02992397707040836366noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6670029344758253148.post-22817191232320577632010-01-30T18:32:26.707+02:002010-01-30T18:32:26.707+02:0019th century: the last great age of exploration. A...19th century: the last great age of exploration. A time when 'just going and looking at something' could be a heroic endeavour in itself. <br /><br />That said, I always preferred the Conan Doyle's Professor Challenger stories (Lost World, The Day The Earth Screamed, The Deadly Cloud, etc.) to Verne.<br /><br /><b>@sorcerers:</b> the XPloration idea that was doing the rounds a little while ago seems ideal for travelogue/touristquest adventures.Chrishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04072272223837426211noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6670029344758253148.post-59148118800978914892010-01-30T16:23:26.281+02:002010-01-30T16:23:26.281+02:00I would suggest that Jules Verne, among many other...I would suggest that Jules Verne, among many others of his time, might have considered exploration to actually be an 'action'.<br /><br />It opens up an issue with D&D - Should the act of travelling/exploring grant XP to characters, and if so, how much?<br /><br />If I don't kill any monsters or take any treasure, should my character progress at a slower rate than others?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com