DM Course pt 1
The only things you need to play Agondar is this site and a d20. While that is true a DM is not limited in the ways they bring their game seasons and episodes to life. Some are quite old fashioned and prefer the theater of the mind, in which everything is fueled by imagination. Others may like to use maps and miniatures, while even more may want to incorporate interactive media. Anything is possible. Everything in parts one and two is background. You have numerous events and NPCs to choose from, and there are a wide variety of opponents for your PCs to face in Part Seven if you are experienced with RPGs and want to customize your own season of episodes.
Here is one formula for helping you create your own season of adventures:
INTRODUCTION
The PCs will first need to meet and then be given choices. Ex: if you have certain plans you want the PCs to unfold in-story you will need to give them clues as to which paths they should take. A princess has been kidnapped and her father will pay handsomely for her safe return. How do they know this? Maybe it was posted all over the city and a variety of mercenaries will be competing for the reward. Or maybe local officials have brought them in for questioning. Seems they look an awful lot like the bandits that kidnapped the princess. To clear their names they had better capture the real bandits, and rescue the princess while they're at it.
DEVELOPMENT
Take the time to build the story around your PCs. Everything they do should affect the story. Their choices matter.
BUILD A BETTER BATTLE
A central focus of PCs tends to be an obsession for battle. Most RPGs reward battle with XP. Agondar is designed to simplify battle and keep the pace of the game moving. But it does not cater to battle alone for gaining XP. Further, after a number of battles in which all the PCs do is kill monsters, game-play becomes boring and redundant. And so the key to keeping the players interested is in how you switch it up on them.
If you remain aware of time management you should be able to keep game sessions at about two hours. Ideally you want two challenges in those two hours. Those challenges can be battle, of course. But try throwing in a puzzle in the first hour followed by a battle in the next.
By the time of the battle the PCs are ready for a good fight, and you're going to give them just that.
THUGS
The first barrage you want to throw at them are thugs. The basic henchmen of your villain. Thugs can be creatures or monsters but usually not beasts. Beasts should be encountered before this battle. It's a good way to knock off a few CP and helps teach the PCs the value of making sure they're at full CP when entering a threatening situation.
LONG RANGE SUPPORT
The thugs should have a little support so assign a few archers or gunmen at a distance who will rain down hell to pluck them off.
HEAVY HITTERS
Next come the heavy hitters. These opponents should be much tougher than the thugs with higher CP.
MAGES
Now the whole group needs support. This is when you reveal the mages. Mages can be used at close or long range, and if the PCs aren't careful a magic attack may kill them.
Is that it? No.
VILLAIN
Now reveal your villain. This does not need to be your primary villain, the big bad they'll be going after throughout a whole season. But it does need to be an NPC who you want to antagonize them for at least a few episodes. Make it someone the PCs will really want to kill. Especially after they escape!
An NPC making an escape every episode becomes annoying and tiresome, so don't make a habit of it. Be prepared for the PCs to succeed and interrogate this NPC.
However it goes you need two more things for writing your own episodes.
A TWIST
Now you really get to mess with the PCs. That princess? She is a mage and has been hiding her tattoos. When her father learned of this he made plans to sell her to Mage Hunters. She found out and ran off then hired mercenaries to make it look like she had been kidnapped and probably killed. If the PCs take her back they'll be condemning her to death
CONCLUSION
How your PCs resolve the problem will result in how you reward XP. Did they come up with some method of setting the princess free from a father who was going to sell her to Mage Hunters? If their actions were honorable you will need to reward their Ingenuity. If not you may have to knock off a few Ethics and/or Sanity Points.
HOW TO KEEP THEIR ATTENTION
While running an episode of Dragon Lords you may have occasion to look at the players and notice they don't seem to be engaged in what you're doing. You've lost their attention. Here are a few ways you can keep them interested.
Role Play
This seems obvious for a role playing game, but if you're only telling the players what an NPC has done and/or is telling them while using your own voice, you won't keep their attention for very long. Try using different voices for different characters. If that's not something you're very good at or comfortable with, try different mannerisms and gestures. Anything to help differentiate the NPCs. But do avoid being too aggressive. No one wants you up in their face and some players can be socially awkward or even a little introverted. Use your best judgment.
Open Communication
Ideally you want to start your very first episode with each player introducing their characters to the other players before the adventure starts. This is also the time to announce any table rules you the DM are setting in place. This can be anything from not taking non-emergency calls at the table during gameplay to your own tweaks on the game mechanics. Also be clear about the importance of communicating with the other players, and if they have questions they can always approach you. In this way everyone will know what to expect and won't be too worried if they need your assistance.
Check In
Be sure you are asking the players about their characters and the game. They may not be happy with the character they created, or they want something specific to happen in the game. Some players like more puzzles than battles. There's always time to give a player a chance to shine. One player wants to save the group by kicking major butt, another wants to save the group by getting them out of a deadly trap. Both can be heroes. Or maybe someone is going through a tough time and they just want some light-hearted gameplay. Point is, talk to your players. Customize your episodes based on their needs.
Backstories
You probably read elsewhere that a lengthy backstory isn't terribly important. Alright, while that is true it doesn't mean your players won't care about their characters' history. Take the time to learn what those backstories are and incorporate them into the game. They'll love that.
Use A Timer
Many times a group of players want to talk out their plan of attack before the battle begins. In some situations this is alright. But don't let them do that all the time. Make it fun by getting a timer of some sort and telling them they have thirty seconds (or some other time you determine) before the opponents start attacking. This can apply for other situations as well: a room is filling with water; They have ten minutes of real time to escape before they all drown.
Explosions
Yes, a good explosion in your favorite show will get your attention. This one is a little problematic. Anything can explode with very little reason for it. A building they're in exploded because a mage miscast their spell and they were almost caught in the blast. The trick is you need to follow the explosion up with something just as unexpected as the explosion: the mage survived the explosion and is now trying to escape through a portal. They've got seconds to stop them. But you can't use explosions very often or they'll lose that element of surprise.
Pacing
Your episode needs both elements of excitement and refrain. In an RPG setting this can be more difficult than it seems. You must know when the party has spent too much time in town at the tavern and it's time to get a move on. And believe it or not, exposition is just as important as action. The story must unfold with each decision the PCs make. Knowing where to place exposition and where to place excitement is key to the pacing of the game. The only hindrance to this is how much time you leave them to their own devices. Let them do what they want, yes. But poke them when they need it.
Don't Forget to Eat
After some time of roleplaying you will come to appreciate this. One of the best things about an RPG is losing track of time, which is why it is recommended that you write your episodes with the intent of two hours of gameplay. You are going to lose track of time. That's a good thing, but in doing so your group needs to be aware that maybe they should have some snacks on hand.
