GM’s Hotseat, Part II

Haven’t read Part I?  Click here.

Q. Tell me about Druid law?

Druidic law is perhaps best described by contrasting it with Imperial Law (the legal code that most former member states of the Empire, including Dracia, tend to rely upon).

Druidic law is memorized and considered too important and sacred to write down, while Imperial law often isn’t considered valid until it has been written, codified and studied.  That tradition has begun to change in the last few decades, particularly as druids begin to spread forth from their traditional stronghold among the Gaels and interact with the larger, often more literary, world.

This also means that Imperial Law relies more heavily on written precedent, where Druidic Law allows more room for interpretation by the individual judge.  There are no lawyers in Druidic Law… everyone is expected to state their case plainly, witnesses are called and questioned by the judge and a decision is rendered based on what the druid knows (which often varies based on the individual bias of the Druid).  In Imperial Law, law codes are often labyrinthine and make use of formal language that a layman usually does not understand, so barristers are all but required in arguing a case.  A judge under the Imperial system may interrogate witnesses, but they are charged only to make a decision based on what has come out during trial and case precedent, not based upon their personal biases towards the law or those involved.

Druidic Law tends to rely more heavily on civil fines, payable by the guilty party (or their family) to the defendant (or their family), rather than rely on corrective punishment.  The concept of the State needing justice over a criminal is somewhat alien to them… Druidic law is focused more on clan and familial associations than it is on the rights of a State or Monarch.  Executions are exceeding rare under Druidic Law: even in cases of murder, the convicted murderer (or his Clan) must pay a wergild to the victim’s immediate family and an honor price to his family to ensure there would be no retribution.  Of course, in times of war, this system gets a bit murky at best… no one expects a soldier to pay for killing someone on the battlefield, though a losing Clan Chief may expect to pay an honor price for every member of another Clan that was killed in the conflict.

Another important difference is that Kings, even High Kings, are not above the law and cannot create law.  They may act as judges in their realms, particularly over their direct subordinates, but only the Druids are keepers of the law and may alter the legal code (and even then, it is a major undertaking… druidic law is generally considered by conservative druids to be broad enough to not require significant alteration over time).  The Imperial legal codes, by contrast, are based on formal edicts from successive Emperors, Kings and, in States that give subordinate rulers such latitude, powerful landed nobles.  In most regions, the jurists are an extension of the Monarch’s or State’s will and are charged with enforcing it.  In Druidic Law, the law is separate from the rulership and the jurists are the Druids as the spiritual elite.  That said, some Imperial nations do rely on the clergy of Aridnus in a similar manner.  Druids tend to thing such exceptions are the result of ancient Druidic influence while worshipers of Aridnus tend to think the Druids borrowed the idea from them.

Druidic Law also tends to rely more heavily on surety than Imperial law does.  Basically, most legal contracts had to be witnessed by at least one surety called a Naidm for each side who promises to ensure the contractor fulfills their side of the bargain and is willing to pay if the contractor is not.  When there is no Naidm or that system is ineffective, a Druid can rule that the defaulter’s family or Clan must act as surety and work to recover the debt.  While Imperial nations have a concept of surety, particularly within merchant guilds, it relies much more heavily on punishing debtors unable to pay their debts (which often results in their being forced into indentured servitude).

That said, Druids also understand that when they are called to be jurists, they must do so under the laws of the region or nation they are in.  They work to be impartial and unbiased, though their focus on Clan/Family and Surety tends to trump the belief that the State has a stake in how a criminal is treated.

Q. Random encounters are a common mechanism for most GMs. But not all random encounters are truly random. How do you handle random encounters:

1. It’s truly random and no prep is made prior to game.
2. I prepare several random encounters but which of those are encountered is random.
3. I prepare specific random encounters but when they are encountered is random.
4. Some other arrangement (please describe).

A little from column 1 and 2.  Basically, if I know the group is traveling, I’ll roll some random encounters ahead of time to prevent myself from having to do it during the game.  But if they go beyond that or take a different route than I was expecting, I’ll do it on the fly.  Right now, I’m using encounter tables from other games as my basis, but I’m hoping to set up my own random encounter tables soon to rely on.

Q. What are potential applications of the “Weirdness Magnet” disadvantage? I understand that the cow level thing had something to do with it, but for example could it come into play during combat with some unexplained phenomenon while fighting?

Yep.  Basically, it can come into play anywhere.  It might be something completely weird and random, like running across the world’s only talking dog, or it might come into play by ‘ramping up’ the weirdness of encounters or even adventures from time to time (such as the village full of cows).  Basically, its an excuse for me to get goofy and/or strange from time to time.  Of course, that doesn’t mean you should discard anything as ‘oh, that’s just Weirdness Magnet again’.  Some of the weird can and likely will tie into what’s going on in the campaign as a whole, either on the personal level, the group level or the wider world level.

Q. Sometimes during play a specific dice roll, either to the betterment or detriment of the party, may interfere with the story the GM is telling. How do you handle this situation:

1. The roll of the dice is final and I go with it.
2. I will occasionally reroll a dice roll, but the second result is final.
3. A success is a success, and a failure is a failure, but I may redefine the specifics of success or failure to better serve the story.
4. The story is paramount. If I have to, I will change a die roll, keeping in mind that I do so in the best interest of the story.

New choice: 5. The story is paramount.  The roll of the dice is final and I go with it.

Basically, I disagree with the premise of the question.  I do not see the dice as a detractor from the story, but as an integral part of it.  To me, success and failure are an important part of storytelling and random determination is absolutely essential to the progress of the story.  Sometimes, random rolls will result in a particular encounter or adventure moving in directions I did expect which, honestly, I love.  It may make what I was hoping be an epic encounter become simple as a few well-placed crits end things fast and it may make what I figured would be a throw-away encounter a difficult and trying experience.  Both have happened in this game:

Early on, while still in the arena, there was a Minotaur who wanted a piece of Padraig.  I’d intended that to be a hard fight.  Daniel, however, got a solid hit on the guy’s face early in the fight, cut off his nose and put him down fast.  Not the story I was expecting, but it was awesome.  It enhanced Padraig’s story as the badass warrior he’d built his character to be.  I loved it.

A second example that comes to mind was a bit more recent: Cymry was shot in the throat during an encounter with random bandits.  Though not a crit, the damage was high enough to put her down in one hit.  Padraig got hit in the ankle and it put him prone and unable to move.  What I’d intended to be just a random encounter with some bandits along the road ended up being a life-and-death struggle.

Neither encounter was really what I’d intended, but because of the randomness of the dice, they ended up being memorable events.  Those are two solid examples of why I vastly prefer using dice to help tell the story rather than mediate over something (though I will mediate sometimes, particularly if its late and people are falling asleep!).

(I also don’t think of it as ‘the story the GM is telling’  I view it as ‘the story and stories the GM is facilitating’)

Q. Is it possible to find someone to train me in “Zen Archery” in this world? If so is there anything I can do to make that person easier to find?

Yes.  Start inquiring with professional archers for living people who might be legendary in their field.  They do exist in Feyworld, but might be really tricky to find.  Think of it in terms of finding a Kung Fu Master to learn from in an Eastern game.

Q. Can I get a list of the titles for this area and their medieval equivalents?

Yes!  I’ll add this to the wiki soon, but here’s the basic run-down of some terms for nobility and a smattering of other Dracian terms you’ll run into:

• Bȃn: The equivalent of a Baron.  They rule over a Banat, the equivalent of a Barony, and usually owe obligation to a Pârcălab, though some few owe fealty to a Voievod and a rising number of Vrăjitors (the Queen’s wizards) are being made Bȃn who owe fealty directly to her.  Generally, a Bȃn is the lowest noble that has a territory beyond his own estate, village or town and can claim hereditary rulership over their Banat.
• Cintorín: Cemetary
• Domn: The equivalent of a Lord.  These are the least of the nobles and generally do not hold territory beyond their own estate, village or town.  Often, these are second or third sons of a Bȃn who rules a territory and their own holdings may not be hereditary.
• Erőd: Fort (usually as part of a place name)
• Hram: Temple; this is usually an administrative center for a particular Church with a Bishop or Metropolitan in residence.
• Kolostor: Monastery; this is usually a rural structure intended for isolated contemplation of the deity’s goals.  Kolostors are usually smaller in population and usually subordinate to a nearby Opátstva (Abbey).
• Kovárna: Smithy
• Menšie: Smaller/Lesser (used in place names)
• Nemocnice: Hospital; almost always a monastic religious establishment intended to help heal the sick or provide comfort to the dying.
• Opátstva: Abbey; these are monasteries that have authority over other monasteries, typically with an Opát (Abbot) as its community leader.
• Pârcălab: The equivalent of a Count.  They rule over a Comitat, equivalent to a County, and usually owe obligation to a Voievod, though there are a few that owe fealty directly to the Queen, but are not considered important enough to qualify as a Voievod.
• Pevnost: Fortress (usually used in place names)
• Pokladna: Treasury; often a religious repository for the Temple of Minos
• Starý: Old (used in place names)
• Svätyne: Shrine; a small religious place, usually significant to a particularly holy event, which worshipers or pilgrims may pause at to pray.  They are sometimes manned and maintained by an individual priest or a handful of priests, but some have no direct caretakers.
• Torony: Tower (usually used in place names)
• Tvrz: Stronghold (used in place names)
• Vár: Castle; used in place names; larger than a Věž
• Věž: Keep; used in place names; smaller than a Vár
• Voievod: The equivalent of a Duke or Earl.  They rule over a Vojvodina, equivalent to a Duchy or Shire, and owe obligation directly to the monarch.  There are ten Voievods in Dracia and serve as the Queen’s advisory council.
• Völgy: Vale or Valley, usually used in place names
• Vrăjitor: Unofficial title used in reference to the Queen’s wizards; literal translation is ‘Charmer’

There are likely more, but this’ll get you started.

Q. What’s your least favorite rule in GURPS?

GURPS Magic.  Just about all of it.  Feyworld was originally written using the Dangerous Journey: Mythus rules set, which had over 1400 spells and a really detailed magic system based heavily on real-world theories of how magic works.  GURPS Magic just doesn’t have the right ‘feel’ to it… it is far, far too clinical, far too focused on what might be useful in an adventure, rather than reflecting how magic might actually work in a setting where it exists.  GURPS Magic is a magic system created by engineers trying to replicate D&D, not a unique system in an of itself and does not possess the verisimilitude that the rest of the rules have.

That said, I’m stuck with it until a new campaign starts, if ever.  We’re far too far down the rabbit hole for me to make substantive changes now without really disrupting the spellcasters in the game.

Q.  What do you enjoy most about the GM experience in this game?

You guys, my players.  The creativity at the table is awesome and you guys are gelling well as players.  I particularly like when you do something I don’t expect or take the story in directions I wasn’t expecting.  In the end, that’s my crack cocaine in GMing in any game and you guys don’t disappoint,.

Q. When preparing encounters for a game session, whether the encounters be combats, mysteries, or RP, do you consider the capabilities of the party? More than one answer may be true.

1. I design the encounters to fit the story, and intentionally try not to consider how the players will resolve them.
2. When designing encounters, I consider the capabilities, skills, and playstyle of the characters/players.
3. When designing encounters, I may design an encounter to provide specific characters an opportunity to shine, in order to give everyone (at different times) the opportunity to be in the limelight.
4. When designing encounters, I try for a variety of different encounter styles to encourage participation in different ways.

More 1 than anything else.  I might have a few ideas on how an encounter might be resolved, maybe even a secret weakness that may come out, but in general, I try to design encounters that make sense in the setting irrespective of the makeup of the party.  Now, to a point, there is some consideration of capabilities, skills and particularly the playstyle of the players, but in general its not the primary consideration.

Q. What has been your favorite moment so far in GMing this campaign?

Honestly, I have no idea how to pick one.  My favorite moments tend to be watching y’all roleplay or RPing an NPC with you.  That said, really, whenever I’m surprised I’m giddy as hell.  I think one of the earliest surprises was when Padraig not only decided to rob the arena while Kzerna burned, but decided to set fire to it as he left, quite literally burning the bridge behind you guys as you left.  That’s not my only favorite moment, but its an example.

Q. Is the bizarre out of season weather in Dracia right now connected to the general fuckery of the Ivory Queen or is part of a larger global story that we’ll be introduced to later on?

Real answer: Its cold, but not unnaturally so.  Think of it as a cold March/April.  That isn’t to say there isn’t a larger reason for it, but its not supernaturally cold.

Fun answer: Its actually a direct result of your flatulence at the gaming table.  The more you fart, the colder it gets in game.  Particularly Bobby.  I’m predicting an ice age.

…in other words… wait and see!!