Session prep for D&D. I actually managed to do it in a single day, including the drawing for a region map. It's the urban fantasy campaign, and it'll take place in a small neighborhood in the city, so I went to Google Maps, scouted the location, drew all streets and put everything in it. Real locations, but fake people inside. There was a store that had a name that sounded more like an esoteric shop instead of a boutique, so I changed it into an esoteric shop.
I also decided to make it like a soap opera instead: a web of intrigue with a cast of NPCs related to one another in some way or another, and the players will disturb that web. Needless to say it saves me from writing an entire railroad, and I'll pretty much improvise anything and everything on the spot. All I did was prepare the region, the characters, the BBEG for the session, and the web of intrigue, which fitted nicely in a single sheet of paper with just the character names circled out, and a bunch of arrows connecting everything, with the relationship written on top of it.
I got interested with that because that's an idea I got from yesterday, during the power outage. There was a video from Black Lodge Games that adviced to build a campaign like a soap opera, and it got me thinking that I could experiment with that structure. In fact, I might use it more often than I think. It's very simple, and the story pretty much builds itself once you start making just two links. When I was linking the characters I noticed how I started to come up with links that otherwise wouldn't have made any sense, but now I have a web of intrigue that it sets it up for quite a dramatic comedy since that's the tone of the campaign so far: an high fantasy / urban fantasy comedy with some drama sprinkled in it. Yeah, I tossed everything in it to make it a more slice-of-life approach, and I like it better that way. There's always a new story, the hooks will be endless, and having characters locked in a low level makes it so that it doesn't break the game, and it keeps things contained so that I don't get to use the more epic stuff because it's turning into heroic fantasy now. If anything, I can always do a ruling for a higher level feature, or give out an improvised consummable item because it's always fun. Besides, it hasn't gotten stale yet. In fact, we're more than ever looking forward to this than the other stuff, especially since we all want to take a break from politics. No need to bring that up to our fantasy games. Let them be either about a party of four teenagers getting into mischief (one of them is the son of our Monk / Warlock), or a party of four bikers who enjoy to gossip a lot about the Monk / Warlock's web of love interests until he finally made things up with his ex wife.
We are still making fun of him for buying a brand new TV for her just because she went completely jealous for hanging out with a girl in the club that isn't even remotly interested in him. Don't get me started on last session when the Fighter got into a fight with him just because he didn't want to carry his bike in his truck. The player was so in character that we all broke into tears of laughter. Like I said, comedic fantasy; a slice-of-life thing.
Next session: the teens are summoning a ghost, and now the entire neighborhood is spooked. It's the usual slasher type of plot hook, with the twist that the ghost isn't haunting the rebellious teens, but is following an actual purpose that lies somewhere inside that neighborhood. They are actually afraid and looking forward into this becoming a Project X style of session. Whatever comes out from this unhinged comedy that will follow tomorrow, I am actually hoping that we get to do more stuff in this very same region, with the same characters. Having four teenagers completely destroy a rich neighborhood while chasing a ghost they summoned on an ouija board? That's sounds very D&D.
The party so far follows the same build-up from the other GM's campaign when it comes to races. It was actually his idea to make counterparts in the urban fantasy campaign. Because one of the characters is the son of his Fighter, and in my Cleric's backstory she got her life saved by the Monk he played when his Fighter died. His Fighter counterpart in th urban fantasy campaign is the Monk / Warlock, and he has two kids; one being the counterpart of a kid he adopted in the first campaign, and the teenage son being the counterpart of the GMPC he has in his campaign. The races remain the same: Half-elf, Tiefling, Dragonborn, and Bearkin. The classes are different though. So far we have a Warlock, my Artificer (Alchemist), a Druid, and I guess the Dragonborn will still remain a Bard? I haven't gotten the confirmation from it.
Nevertheless, the character build will be easier this time. Ability and Background proficiencies over Skill proficiencies, plus four Personality Trait proficiencies for situational moments. I'm also adding the proficiency die because it's fun. Since our characters have been done before, all we'll be doing is rolling them up and entering the game immediately.
Honestly 5e is so much better with less stuff.
August 31st, 2024
Kickboxing: Day 184
Morning Routine:
The Right Side + 10 Decline Push-ups
Sól Salutation - LVL I +EC
20-Seconds Legs
Before Breakfast Burpees
Daily Dare: 30 Alt Arm / Leg Raises +EC
Count: 1584 - 1580 +EC
Night Routine:
Mani Salutation - 1 Set
Five Rites
Virasana + 60 Seconds Meditation
Breaking the Habit of Being Yourself
Get to Bed on Time
Daily Gratitude
Counting Victories
Training Plan:
Altered Valkyrie + Fighter
Programs:
None yet
Bucket List:
Shadebound
Cardio & Abs
Workouts:
150 Burpees +EC
Glutes, Quads, Hamstrings & Calves
100/50 Strength
Pole Dance Stretches
DAREdice: 16 Squats +Weights
1 minute
Uttanasana w/Toe Reach
2-Minute Elbow Plank
Daily Walk
Shuffle Dance! (
#1,
#2,
#3,
H.A.T.E.R.)
Belly Dance
Dancing Days: 36
Challenges:
1000 Squats: Day 1 +Weights
Drawing Pin-up Girls Every Day for a Year: Day 60/365
Bucket List:
Empty right now
Writing progress:
Session prep
1500 Get!
Writing Tiers:
500 Words
1000 Words
1500 Words
Reading progress:
Can't Hurt Me - 35%
Mozart - 6/20 Chapters
Other Victories:
Drew a region map!