Saturday, November 7, 2009

Lessons From Yet Another Fantasy Gamer Comic

Yet Another Fantasy Gamer Comic is a little on the adult side so NSFW!

In short, it's essentially a Dungeons and Dragons based comic with a little more of an 'evil' slant to it. Characters have motivations, go on quests, meet strange and interesting cultures, etc...

Over here and over here are examples of what I would call non-combat related rewards.

In the former, it showcases the value of family without invoking drama. It presents events over the course of a visit, over a holiday.

In the latter, it brings to the conclusion a long running bit on the halfling Clover. It's something that doesn't necessarily make her more powerful in terms of fighting ability, but it does present a new level of potential wealth.

The real question the game master should ask after looking at something like the strips above, is what motivates the players outside of wealth?

Political position: The character is a member of a guild and seeks advancement in it or beyond it.

Love: The character has relatives he has not seen in a long time.

Exploration: Not all ruins are haunted and not all unmapped territories need to have death at every corner.

Hobbies: What things can the character be looking to expand on when not actually preparing for battle?

Bring opportunities for the characters to have encounters outside the dungeon that can't be solved with steel and fire and see how the players react.

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