DM's Commentary

This section elaborates on miscellaneous topics, both in-game and out-of-game.

Romance, Love and Sex
I run a relatively clean game with occasional romance, occasional love and very little sex. I run the game in the same style as those old black-and-white Clark Gable movies; the description may be suggestive but is never graphic. Specifically, in terms of sex, sex is possible but extremely rare and usually the description follows the sex to the bedroom door but not beyond. There are some sexy and very attractive NPC women in my game but it is extremely difficult to seduce them. If a player truly desires to attain a tryst for his PC, he will have to dedicate a lot of time to roleplay a large number of elaborate overtures of love and, if done honestly and seriously, in time, an NPC woman may submit and allow him to have knowledge of her.
Debt Instead Of Death
Magic can cure nearly anything. Whether the PC has a hangnail or has been decapitated, there is probably a spell to cure it. If not, a spell can be researched and invented. It varies widely but, generally, the PCs can count on spending 10,000 gold pieces to get a Raise Dead or Stone to Flesh spell cast on a comrade.
Debt and Credit
When faced with an huge expense, like training or raising a dead comrade, I will usually provide the PC with three (er, four) options from NPCs of worth. The first is usually an nothing-down installment plan; that is, pay a few thousand gold pieces each year, starting one year from now. The second is usually a nothing-down pay some installments and do some service; that is, pay a few thousand gold pieces at a later date and kill a dragon, serve the NPC for a year or some such thing. The third is usually an all service plan; that is, no gold pieces are paid but the PC will have to provide some difficult or long-lasting service, such swearing fealty to the NPC for the rest of his life, sending a portion of all future treasure and so on. A fourth semi-option is to pay in full but PCs may not have the means to do that. But these options are usual; there are exceptions, variations and unusual options. An eccentric NPC might offer a incredibly simple and cheap task in exchange for his financing, or an impossible one. Some NPCs barter rather than pay cash. In the past, one NPC offered a gamble where the PC would get the service but might lose big time on a roll of the dice; the PC declined the opportunity. Many will ask for collateral, pledges and other assurances. Character is an important consideration in many cases; lawful good PCs will be offered better terms or need to vouch for other PCs. While the terms may be awful and oppressive (which should dissuade any PC from indiscriminately borrowing money), they are always playable; a deal is certain to be struck and the game goes on.
PC Knights and Their Servants
PC paladins and cavaliers are usually knights-errant. Many travel and adventure by themselves exclusively, like an ordinary PC. However, several players have opted to have servants for their PC knight, usually only one or two. These servants can be suggested as part of the initial PC or found later during the game. For the PC, servants provide prestige and take care of all kinds of boring tasks. For the player, they can give him more playing time and challenge (or a headache if the player does not enjoy the challenge). A player needs to keep track of his PC's servants, remember and roll their attacks and order them around or, at least, order the head servant around. Most PC knights are not fully outfitted with servants. But, a fully outfitted knight would have: 1-3 squires, 1 head servant, 1-2 servant boys, 1 storyteller and 1 trumpeteer.
A squire is a young knight that fights side-by-side with the PC and is usually a year or less away from going out on his own. A head servant hands weapons to a knight before and during the battle, organizes other servants, handles the PC's money, arranges meals and lodging and transports baggage and treasure for the PC. A servant boy carries messages, builds fires, fetches water, cooks and does miscellaneous chores. A storyteller memorizes or writes down stories about the PC's heroism and tells stories of his bravery. A trumpeteer announces the PC's presence, carries his standard and calls out challenges to other knights.
What use are these servants to the player? Well, squires fight so their use is obvious. A head servant can cart treasure to town and sell it, guard places temporarily and reduce hassle with other servants. A servant boy can let the player do two things at once: his PC can go somewhere while the boy delivers a message, guards something, buys a special weapon or hunts for food. A storyteller makes local NPCs treat the PC well, not like some out-of-town loser. A trumpeteer ensures that the PC is not ignored during a battle.
Depending on his finances, a knight will provide a riding horse or warhorse for himself, a mule for his baggage to carry his everyday clothing, fancy clothes, weapons, money and equipment and riding horses for his trumpeteer, storyteller, head servant and servant boys (in that order). By custom, squires pay for their own horses. Most knights do not outfit their entire entourage with horses; the knight and his mounted servants usually ride ahead and the rest, including the mules, follow several days behind, possibly even by a week or two.
In general, only squires will fight with the knight. However, if a PC knight is in danger of being killed or captured, all his servants will fight to try to rescue him, no matter how seriously outmatched. Being a knight's servant is dangerous work so at least a few servants will die in the course of a PC knight's career. It is assumed (without the player saying it) that some servants are trained in off hours; after a suitably long time, they will be "promoted" to squires.
Names, Names, Names!
I prefer that PCs have a first name and last name, along the same style as the names of the NPCs in the game. For example, Xeleo Saedrin, Zesura Val, Rath Zolo, Verit Gith, Formian Fellow, Kragen Wren, Xithas Sterling, Mael Goreo, Yinner Meadowlander and Uridell Prado are names of PCs and NPCs in the game. Good hobbit (er, halfling) names can be generated at Hobbit Name Generator. Please send e-mail to me if you need help with other names.
The Best Magic Items and Gold Are In Dungeons
Dungeons are money-makers. Dungeons easily allow me to give out lots of gold and magic items. If your PC is hard up for money or magic, head for the nearest dungeon. Dungeons make you rich. Contrast that with epic quests, wilderness adventures and city adventures. Epic quests may be fun but they are mostly charity work. Think about it: how can I make it believeable that somebody would pay you to save the world? Gandalf and Frodo end up satisfied that the world is a better place and, once a new crisis arises, they are pretty much back to square one. As for wilderness adventures, the bad guys just cannot hide much treasure behind a tree or rock. They've got to store it somehow and, if they leave it in the wilderness, somebody will have already happened by and taken it. Finally, with city adventures, the bad guys are smart enough to use the gold and magic items against the party. A xorn in a dungeon could easily have a wand of fire lying around unused; he cannot manipulate the wand with his claw-like fingers, assuming that he knows what it is. But, in a city, the bad guy is a person, just like the party, and is going to blow half the party away before they get that wand away from him (and that might only happen because the bad guy ran out of charges!). No, bad guys in the city have weaker magic items to keep the game from being a massacre. So, all the really good treasure and magic items end up in the dungeons. My advice to players: do the epic quests and all that other stuff but be aware that dungeons are always necessary to pay the bills.
10,000 g.p. = $1M
Long before me, several others have suggested that 1 gold piece is equivalent to about 100 modern U.S. dollars. It mostly works: a beer is $8 and a good horse is $2,000. If you get 10,000 g.p., you are essentially a millionaire. Finally, a king's palace might cost 300,000 g.p.; that is, $30 million, which is the right price range for the most expensive houses in the U.S.
Winning Using Time-Based Meta-Game Strategies
A standard Ethshar playing session last three hours. A short narrative gets the game going. There are one to three battles. Then, a short narrative at the end finishes the game. An analysis suggests a meta-gaming strategy. If the players kill a monster around the 2:30 mark, they will get full treasure, magic items and experience points. If they kill a monster too late, the narrative may describe a hasty retreat with only partial rewards. So, the players might subtly manipulate their actions to cut short or prolong a battle to get the full rewards. However, it is incorrect to conclude that the players should try to prolong a single battle across an entire session. Dithering or dragging will give the party access to fewer rewards since less ground is covered and less monsters are fought. A reasonable strategy might be to maximize the area covered and then maximize the monsters fought while ensuring that the final monster is defeated as close to the 2:30 mark as possible (maybe with a little buffer). So, a good time-based strategy might be: (1) Spend first 30 minutes getting your bearings; (2) Allot 40 minutes each for three monsters, religiously having escape plans, "instant kill" magic ready and so on to end battles quickly; and, (3) collecting rewards in the last 30 minutes. Fine-tuning such a plan should create a series of successful, fulfilling and rapidly paced adventures. Of course, don't let me catch you discussing such overt meta-gaming strategies during game time as I'm liable to become irritated and throw you curves!
Cherrypicking Magic Items and Spells
It is easy to love a magic item or spell that is very obvious. It is obvious why players like magic missile; it takes no imagination to cast it in a way useful to the party. Similarly, it is obvious why wearing bracers of defense would be a good idea. But, something like a potion of treasure finding is not obvious. Players may be tempted to ignore such a potion, not wanting to put effort into finding a creative use for it. Further, players may be tempted to divide magic items and spells into two groups: obvious (good) magic and not-immediately-obvious (worthless) magic. There is a tendency to try to cherrypick: try to collect as much obvious magic as possible and dispose of the rest for whatever obviously useful magic (or obviously useful gold pieces) that can be gotten for them. (As a side note, magic items are are very illiquid and difficult to sell, particularly when the subtext to the buyer is "I have no idea what use this magic item would be; that's why I'm trying to pawn it off on you!") PCs may even ask NPCs for "good" magic items and use not-very-subtle hints to me (the DM) about magic items and spells that they'd like to acquire. They may even insist on getting certain magic as rewards, by manipulating NPCs. Well, these attitudes and approaches are a recipe for the game to be very magic poor. Why? I introduce magic items if they improve the game. Creative use of magic items and spells makes the game fun and interesting; obvious use of magic items and spells usually only causes a sort of magic-based inflation. Now, I understand, sometimes magic missile is just the best way to get the job done, especially on a familiar and unimportant monster. And, sometimes, the party needs to raise money and selling a magic item is the best option. That is fine but, if the party never uses unusual magic items and unusual spells, there is no incentive for me to introduce more magic, of any kind. New magic items are put in the game only if existing magic items are used creatively and are improving the game. So, in general, seeking specific magic items (spells) or selling magic items is a no-no. Using all the magic items and spells that you have, creatively and to the best of your ability, is the key to encouraging the game to be magic rich.
Nobility 101
If you are lucky or smart, your PC might be elevated to the noble class. First off, congratulations! Most PCs never get there. As a noble, your PC will get privileges, such as peasants to boss around. But, along with those privileges, comes politics. Here's how it works. Let's pretend that your noble PC travels to another kingdom. Being noble, he requests an audience with the local king. Upon the king first seeing your PC, the DM will ask you to roll a save versus Charisma. Treat this save as a bonus or penalty. Success does not guarantee and failure does not doom your efforts but it does help or hurt. Having rolled to see your initial response, it is best to present a It is easy to love a magic item or spell that is very obvious. It is obvious why players like magic missile; it takes no imagination to cast it in a way useful to the party. Similarly, it is obvious why wearing bracers of defense would be a good idea. But, something like a potion of treasure finding is not obvious. Players may be tempted to ignore such a potion, not wanting to put effort into finding a creative use for it. Further, players may be tempted to divide magic items and spells into two groups: obvious (good) magic and not-immediately-obvious (worthless) magic. There is a tendency to try to cherrypick: try to collect as much obvious magic as possible and dispose of the rest for whatever obviously useful magic (or obviously useful gold pieces) that can be gotten for them. (As a side note, magic items are are very illiquid and difficult to sell, particularly when the subtext to the buyer is "I have no idea what use this magic item would be; that's why I'm trying to pawn it off on you!") PCs may even ask NPCs for "good" magic items and use not-very-subtle hints to me (the DM) about magic items and spells that they'd like to acquire. They may even insist on getting certain magic as rewards, by manipulating NPCs. Well, these attitudes and approaches are a recipe for the game to be very magic poor. Why? I introduce magic items if they improve the game. Creative use of magic items and spells makes the game fun and interesting; obvious use of magic items and spells usually only causes a sort of magic-based inflation. Now, I understand, sometimes magic missile is just the best way to get the job done, especially on a familiar and unimportant monster. And, sometimes, the party needs to raise money and selling a magic item is the best option. That is fine but, if the party never uses unusual magic items and unusual spells, there is no incentive for me to introduce more magic, of any kind. New magic items are put in the game only if existing magic items are used creatively and are improving the game. So, in general, seeking specific magic items (spells) or selling magic items is a no-no. Using all the magic items and spells that you have, creatively and to the best of your ability, is the key to encouraging the game to be magic rich.