Introduction

Welcome to the Brigadungeon, home of session reports and DM musings from my gaming experiences as DM, Patron, and Player. The first several will be from my ongoing table top game of Adventurer, Conqueror, King System (ACKS) set in the world of Greyhawk because, well, I like Greyhawk. 

We use 1:1 time, where one day in game equals one day in RL. We also use Patrons, powerful NPCs that instead of being controlled by the DM are controlled by patron players who for whatever reason (proximity, schedule, etc) can't make it to the live game. It is necessary to have a strict and consistent measure of time when utilizing Patrons so that all the moving parts are properly accounted for. This has a side-effect of allowing for multiple PC parties as well, giving players opportunities to try different strategies and character types that they would normally not get. It also opens up a world of downtime activity that can truly shape the nature of the world.

I as a DM am attempting to forget some of the habits that I learned from running plot-driven games and stick to a more old school approach of adhering to randomly generated encounters and giving players as much agency as I possibly can. We are a disparate group from many different gaming backgrounds so it's a learning experience for all of us to retrain ourselves for this old school renaissance situation. I think the biggest thing each of us is learning is resilience. Take our lumps when something doesn't work out and get back at it the next week. This goes for the DM botching rules and whiffing on opportunities for interesting events as well as the players losing characters to the admittedly much more lethal old school mechanics of ACKS.

At the time of this writing we're 24 sessions into the game, at 4-5 hours a pop with fairly regular game sessions. We claim no ownership over any of the game mechanics mentioned above. I was turned onto them by friends of mine in the gaming community, who in turn discovered them in the old 1st Edition D&D DMG and wondered why they were rarely if ever applied anymore. A whole scene broke out which led to many of us applying them to our own games. Session reports are an important part of this type of endeavor, to apply a theory, test it, and show the findings rather than sit around and talk about "what ifs". So, I'll do my part and share my table's successes and failures in the pursuit of more enjoyable gaming.

I've found that the inclusion of the aforementioned mechanics is a net positive for the game for a few reasons. First, I as a DM am not "telling a story". I've no plotline predetermined, no "arc" for the characters to follow. It is not my story to tell. Rather, it is OUR story to tell, as a group, PCs, Patrons, and DM, as the game emerges during play. The actions of those in the game determine the eventual arc and there's no pressure to hit the predetermined milestones that are so popular in more widely produced modern materials.

Second, the events of the game are driven by player excitement. The Patron players will think of things that as a DM I'd never consider. They'll offer resources to the PCs to go get things that they can't be assed to get themselves. They'll interact with each other and the PCs in ways that as a DM one might question; "is this balanced if the PCs suddenly gain a castle and extensive lands to govern?" or "is this balanced if the PC party is severely punished for actions taken in the game?" or "do I really have the energy for these two NPCs to have a war right now?" The PCs will pursue endeavors that they're excited about because of the events in the game, not to meet some milestone to get their handout. They'll trip over a random or unexpected encounter and suddenly that becomes the session, next few sessions, or their demise. Complete player agency drives the game, and concerns over balance are best left to PVP video games.

Finally, it encourages those involved to GROW AS PLAYERS. If a player has a tendency to play only fighter types, well what's he going to do with the high intelligence low strength stat set he's got? If he's smart, he'll broaden his horizons into a mage and see what happens. The same goes for the DM. If a player is interested in a mechanic or downtime activity that I've never considered, then we learn the rules together and implement them and we both grow for the experience. Getting out of your ruts, particularly in a hobby you've spent 30+ years in, is good for you. Stretch your wings, try new stuff. If it doesn't work out well, you're probably going to die and re-roll anyway.