Goodman Games

Howdy folks! Like the subject says, I'm running my first DCC game this coming Friday night. I'm planning on taking the players through Portal Under The Stars. In addition to having familiarized myself with the module I've read the actual play posts here about the adventure, but I figured it couldn't hurt to see if anyone had any advice, caveats, etc.

To help clarify, here's a little bit about the people involved...

Personally, I've been playing & running RPGs for 30-odd years now (mostly TFT, Hero System, and BRP/CoC in recent decades, though there were plenty of B/X and 1e AD&D games back in the day as well as some Labyrinth Lord and Mutant Future stuff of late), and DCC just sings to me of the young and wild times.

The players will be Lomax (a lifelong friend, less gamery than I, but still with plenty of experience), Parker (a relatively recent friend who played when he was young and then got back into things hard once our friendship developed - he runs stuff as well as playing), and Saul (an ever newer friend who's quite new to this stuff, but really into the concept of old school style gaming). There's a slim chance another guy will join in, but for the moment it's likely it'll just be these three players.

I'm leaning towards having each guy play two 1st level characters rather than doing the full-on funnel thing, mostly because I am lame and don't quite dig the carnage that the funnel seems to promote. Actually, I do kind of dig it, but I'm not sure Lomax and Saul will. Parker, on the other hand, is utterly enamored with the funnel concept and really wants to go with 4 0-level schlubs. I don't see any real reason that he couldn't do that alongside the other guys' 1st level characters, but I'm curious if anyone has done that kind of party blending and, if so, how it went.

Parker might also roll a crit on his Personality check and con the other guys into going the funnel route, too, which would be fine with me. I just want to make sure everyone has the kind of good time that could lead to this being an ongoing thing rather than just a one-off.

So with the scene laid out, I'm all ears. Any input you fine folks might have is more than welcome.

Cheers!

I am a big fan of the 0-level funnel, so I would encourage you to try that with your players. Make sure to set their expectations, that yes - there will be carnage and there will be character death. When I ran it first with my son, the look on his face was one of astonishment as the first two characters went down near simultaneously. But then he smiled, and totally got that this was a different way of gaming. It was one of letting the dice fall as they may and to enjoy that randomness and difficulty.

For longer campaigns I am even more of a fan of the 0-level funnel. Here's why. I have seen tremendous amounts of character development happen during the 0-level funnel. You start with these weak, wanna' be heroes (or maybe just forced into the position of hero) and you might not feel much attachment to them. But as the adventure progresses you can't help but start to have a favorite or have a tale to tell of how you narrowly survived such and such encounter.

For example, I just started a campaign with a group who I had done a series of one-shots with. We started with 0-levels and one guy brought his 0-level over from a game that did not come to conclusion. Everyone was rooting for this 0-level as he had survived a partial funnel and was now tackling this new campaign start. Last night that character died. The post-game comments were all about how sorry they were that Elroy the dwarf had fallen in the adventure.

Another player in the same group admitted that in the first session they didn't have much attachment to their character. But by the time the second session ended there was some real attachment to the two still living characters (his third died due to friendly fire).

I think the 0-level funnel is as important for the long-term campaign as it is for a one-shot. In fact in many cases I think it is more valuable for the long-term campaign. I am seeing players with genuine interest in their character's survival and attachment. I think this will make for a great campaign as we wrap up the funnel next week and move into leveled play.

You have to allow them to play 4 chars, and they will certainly need all 4 of them. Trust me.

I had 5 players w/ 4 each and ended PoTS with 2 players with 2 chars each and 3 players with 1 char each. Expect the attrition rate to be high, even with veteran, skillful players running the characters. Sometimes the dice just don't work out. And if they're newbieish or if they like to charge into stuff headlong... you might want to consider letting them run 5 chars each.

Thanks for the feedback, IronWolf and beermotor. I will definitely weigh these thoughts as I poke around at PoTS more this evening.

The one thing that holds me back from hitting the funnel is that it's the nifty PC class mechanics (Mighty Deeds, Corruption & Deity Disapproval, Thiefly Luck burning, etc.) that truly interest me (and, I believe, two of my three players) about DCC. I've run more than my share of games with starting zeroes (1st level B/X Magic-Users, 32 point chumps in TFT, etc.) over the years. I'm not looking to start out with god-slaying uber-munchkin superheroes here. Just characters with access to the basic levels of nifty that DCC brings.

Still, I get where the funnel can be fun, and I'm open to the players pushing for the funnel if that's something they think they'll enjoy. So we'll see where this winds up. And I'll be sure to swing back by and let y'all know what goes down (and what the body count turned out to be )

The Venomous Pao wrote:The one thing that holds me back from hitting the funnel is that it's the nifty PC class mechanics (Mighty Deeds, Corruption & Deity Disapproval, Thiefly Luck burning, etc.) that truly interest me (and, I believe, two of my three players) about DCC. I've run more than my share of games with starting zeroes (1st level B/X Magic-Users, 32 point chumps in TFT, etc.) over the years.

Let me second IronWolf and beermotor's recommendations, especially emphasizing the need for at least 12 0-lvls for that adventure (15 is probably better). Since you have someone that is new (Saul) the funnel is especially important because it allows starting with a minimal ruleset. This way you can focus on the basic mechanics of the game, and by the time the funnel is over, enough of the basics will have been digested to move on to the classes. I think that trying to introduce a new player to the Warriors' MDoA mechanic, for example, while simultaneously teaching basic combat could be overwhelming. For what it is worth, it may be good to take your troops through both adventures in the rulebook with "dummy" PCs that you give them (helps with emotional detachment of PC death ). That way they get used to the funnel as well as high level play to absorb the ruleset, without stressing over dying. Then you can start them "for real" with characters that they roll up and hopefully get attached to. There are good funnels already commercially available...

I second that, and wanted to add that the Luck mechanic is plenty complex for 0s who will have to be reminded about many times before they retain it.

Thanks Pesky, and thanks again beermotor. I'm ruminatin', as we say here in Texas

Quick update: Both Parker *and* Lomax have now expressed a desire to do the funnel, with Lomax saying "I rather like the idea of rolling up several random toons and playing the ball as is it lies. I find the idea liberating. It feels vaguely like improv."

Saul hasn't weighed in either way, but I'd suspect he'll roll with things and go with the funnel as well. I've still left it open for him to choose to run a couple or so 1st level characters instead if that's what will bring him joy from the game. Which seems fair to me.

I'll let everyone know how tonight goes. Thanks again for all the input, folks!

The Venomous Pao wrote: I'll let everyone know how tonight goes. Thanks again for all the input, folks!

Good luck!

Well, the game went off pretty much exactly as I'd hoped last night. Everyone ultimately opted to do the funnel, so those of you who were preaching its import can be proud

Three players, 12 PCs total. Four PCs made it out alive. Parker leveled up a wizard, Saul a warrior, and Lomax a warrior and a dwarf.

The traps did most of the damage to the party, thanks to some insanely lucky dice rolls against Ssisssuraaaaggg. The fell beast took out one character to start, but never got another action! Four straight hits, one of them a crit, and it was over. High fives went around the table because, frankly, they all assumed they were going to die the second I described their opponent.

The award for most ignominious death goes not to the character who set of the first trap almost intentionally within the first minute of so of play, but to the poor schlub who fumbled, dropped his weapon, and was then critically ankle-bit by one of the denizens of the burial chamber. I guess things balance out in the end.

I won't get into a full session report now, but I may try to write it up later. The ultimate news, though, is that it was a definite success and all three players were so into getting together again that a date was actually set before they had exited the dungeon! That's what I call a win, and big props to DCC and the PUtS adventure for being awesome.

Now, about that wood from a dryad's tree...

Excellent! I am glad the game went great!

The Venomous Pao wrote:The ultimate news, though, is that it was a definite success and all three players were so into getting together again that a date was actually set before they had exited the dungeon!

Awesome, Pao. So glad to hear the session went well. Welcome aboard!

For what it is worth, it couldn't hurt for the PCs to hire on some 0-level henchmen before the next expedition ...

//H

Thanks, IronWolf!

Thanks, also to you, Harley. I'm planning on having the folks who only had one character survive taking at least two 0-level folks apiece on the next session, which will probably wind up being something I put together to address the dryad's wood loose end from PUtS. These guys aren't the sort to let something like that go unsolved.

With luck they'll have some survivors who make it to level 1 and their freshly leveled characters will make it about halfway to level 2, which will hopefully give them a strong enough party to consider tackling Doom of the Savage Kings. We'll see what happens in a couple of weeks