Comments on: Treasure Tells A Story

By: The Alexandrian » Blog Archive » Random GM Tips: Accumulated Lore

The Alexandrian » Blog Archive » Random GM Tips: Accumulated Lore — Fri, 15 Apr 2011 21:39:49 +0000

[...] Treasure Tells a Story (Ben Robbins) [...]

By: The Alexandrian » Blog Archive » Random GM Tips: Getting the Players to Care

Tue, 15 Mar 2011 18:14:11 +0000

[...] Let me clue you into the Golden Rule of Gaming, by way of Ben Robbins: [...]

By: Adam

Adam — Fri, 01 Oct 2010 14:48:18 +0000

I’ve never handed out a +1 sword that some dude was using. Of course, it depends on the world, some high magic campaigns have this stuff mass produce in the hands of just about everyone.

But I digress, I find it’s best to never hand out a mundane item, where’s the fun? Sure it will appeal to the power gamer, but that’s a shallow kind of pleasure. It’s not a heck of a lot of prep time to add some personality to a weapon, leave a sword over the tomb of a warrior in a crypt, all of a sudden you’ll have morality debates about whether it’s right to take it, and the weapon has an instant attachment. There’s a joy in a player noting he wants to research the tomb when he returns to town.

By: Expedition to the Upper East Side « The Mule Abides

Expedition to the Upper East Side « The Mule Abides — Sun, 06 Dec 2009 02:48:28 +0000

[...] I rush straight into town and find the emerald guy. What’s he give me for it?” As Ben “Mr. West Marches” Robbins mentions, players will actually listen to exposition when it’s described through treasure. But also, [...]

By: Magic Items Should Do the Impossible « The Mule Abides

Magic Items Should Do the Impossible « The Mule Abides — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 14:32:18 +0000

[...] Alexander and Ben Robbins have written great essays on how to making magic items feel magical by linking them to the [...]

By: Dionysus

Dionysus — Fri, 22 Aug 2008 17:09:50 +0000

Awesome.
Why didn’t I think of this before!!!.

A great place to further the story and give out information without using “narrator NPC” to tell the players/characters explicitly…

once more: awesome

By: cr0m

cr0m — Sat, 05 Jul 2008 20:38:34 +0000

“Why is the bugbear’s rusted breastplate engraved with dwarven symbols of an anvil and thunderbolt? What is a pilgrim’s reliquary doing here in the middle of the wilderness? Why is the hidden strongbox painted with crude wolf symbols?”

I think you can do it either way. That dragon bane axe could have symbols that say “dead dragons” just as easily.

However, I do think Identify sucks. My favorite thing about the Neverwinter Nights video game was the Lore skill that let the party identify magic items on their own. The Bard ought to have that ability. Also, that would make the Bard useful.

By: Noumenon

Noumenon — Sat, 05 Jul 2008 06:02:21 +0000

But doing away with identify makes this easier. “This dwarf’s axe and his crossbow — just like the last two dwarves you fought — are both enchanted with dragon’s bane. I wonder what this outpost was built to defend against, and whether it’s coming back?”

As opposed to “Remember that dwarf you fought, before you fought the ooze and the ettins and before you walked back to town and went to the wizard’s guild for identify? His axe was a +2 dragons bane.” Player reaction — “…oh. I sell it.” And now it’s too late to search the rest of the outpost for clues.

By: TMan

TMan — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 23:28:34 +0000

Noumenon- yes, you certainly can do that. But this article is about the extra little details that could make your players wonder about the last owner of the cloak when they find a small scrap of paper in an inner pocket. Who was the mage who made this wand – is that his personal sigil on the handle? I think your bardic knowledge might recognize that – gimme a roll. I wonder if he lost it, sold it, or what?

By: cr0m

cr0m — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 23:27:37 +0000

Although I agree with Noumenon, I think that’s not the point. The point isn’t whether that’s a Hammer of Thunderbolts or a plain old warhammer. The point is that “the hammer is of ancient dwarven make, engraved with the rune “Emza”, the makersmark of Mim Ibuniz, legendary weaponsmith to the Last King Under the Mountain. A weapon like this would always be part of a hoard…”

By: Noumenon

Noumenon — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 12:29:48 +0000

Once treasure is in someone’s backpack it’s no different than anything else you describe in the game world — you’ve already passed the magic moment of anticipation.

That’s why I think it totally kills the excitement of treasure when you have to identify everything. “Yay, you got treasure! … but you won’t know what it is until after the adventure, when you go back to town and identify everything in a half-hour session of bookkeeping.” Wouldn’t it be so much more fun to just tell the players “You found a cloak of resistance and a wand of scorching hands” and give them their happiness right away? And then they could use them in the rest of the adventure. Would it be against the rules of D&D if every chest came with a packing list?

By: Gnome Rodeo: Special Early and Late Edition - Gnome Stew, the Game Mastering Blog

Thu, 03 Jul 2008 07:44:48 +0000

[...] ars ludi: Is treasure in your fantasy campaign just GP in a less convenient form? Read Treasure Tells a [...]