Call Me Kae

Peace, Love, Unity, Respect ...and a teaspoon of Attitude

[kaewritesfantasy]

As you can see, Grimoire Hart Academy, my fantasy academia campaign, is still chugging along! This little tidbit is an in-character introduction letter from the Director and is visible on the handbook's front page.

[kaewritesfantasy]

Recently, I've had a touch of nostalgia pop up. One of my favorite JRPG franchises, Grandia, popped up on my Steam, and needless to say, I had to have them.

Incidentally, that's gotten me to thinking about those stories and feels, namely of my two faves, Grandia and Grandia 2. Titles aside, the two games couldn't be more different, with one embodying the concept of adventure and epic fantasy, while the other leans into more towards a serious tone surrounding corruption and redemption. The only thing they shared was a vaguely similar combat system, and even that was pretty easy to tell apart.

These two stories, I think, played a huge role in shaping the way I wrote and design creative content, and as a result of re-immersing myself in them, I feel like I want to pay homage to them.

Thus, I've started designing yet another game concept, this time centered around some of the major ideas I loved from Grandia, with a little bit of influence from some of my other favorites.

In the same vein, I'm curious: what media, whether it's a game, a book, a show, or something else, can you look back on as a foundational part of how you write or run ttrpgs? If you could pay homage to one, what would that look like? What parts of that media would you try to capture?

[kaewritesfantasy]

Over the years, I have had the pleasure of DM/GMing for more than a few players, many of which have gone on to become spectacular GMs themselves. Recently, one such a player decided to put on the storytelling shoes for the first time, and they immediately came to me with questions. Some were pretty straightforward, like where to look for resources or how I converted this or created that. Things that I could write down a link or point to in a book.

Eventually, though, they slowly started to ask questions that were less simple, like what they should be concerned about most during their first session, how to gauge when it's time to slow down versus when to skip through something, and so on.

But the question that really made me happy to hear wasn't any of those.

Rather, they wanted to know how to tell if things are going well at their table, and how to make sure that everyone was having fun.

I adore this question, and not just because it is, to my mind, a genuine compliment that they come to me for the answer out of all the people and places they could have gone. But the simple fact of thinking to ask this question at all means that that budding GM already has a great outlook on how to run their table, and if I am proud of anything, it's producing a GM that cares about their players.

That being said which I did give them the usual advice of "watch your players' reactions and do more of what makes their eyes light up with wonder and interest", I made sure it wasn't the only takeaway.

I have, for a large part of my life, always been a bit of a people pleaser. I always try to look at my games first from the perspective of the players. And while, to some extent, that is still an important skill for any GM to have in their arsenal, it isn't the first piece of advice that comes to mind.

So often, in the thick of planning a game to match the interests of players, GMs, especially those just starting out, forget one key point: you're a part of this game too! And a GM's ultimate job is to make sure everyone at their table, including themselves, is having fun.

To that end, my single best piece of advice is to plan a story that you are going to have fun telling. And there are lots of ways to do just that!

For instance, if you like doing voices, plan some NPCs to use some of your favorites. If you're a sucker for a damsel (or dudesel or themsel) in distress, enjoy! And if you're like me and enjoy a good puzzle or mini game here or there, throw them in.

At session 0, when you ask players what they enjoy or want to do, you, the GM, should also be part of that conversation. Because at the end of the day, if you're not having as much fun as your friends, then all you're doing is working for free, and that's just going to eventually lead to burnout.

When I started designing Grimoire Hart Academy, my first question when deciding courses for players was "What kinds of classes am I, the GM, going to have the most fun roleplaying?"

So do yourself a favor, and when you plan your next campaign, ask yourself: "What do *I* want to do? What would *I* have fun with?" And once you know the answer to that question, you can mix in your players' interests and make someone that everyone will love. Trust me, your players will notice when you're enjoying yourself, and they will enjoy the game more if you are!

[kaewritesfantasy]

Aside from planning Grimoire Hart Academy, I'm also running another game using my Fables & Foxtales custom homebrew system called Epicurean: Made-to-Order Gourmet Adventures, and, as one might assume from the title, it's a cozy adventure fantasy that's all about traveling a fantastical world to find the rarest, most interesting cuisine.

But while there is a certain charm to walking long distances in search of grand bounties and cooking culinary creatures by campfire, I wanted my Epicureans to travel in a bit more style.

Introducing the Vandrarhärd, a magical wagon with the power to collect the energy of happy memories, which can then be used to change the interior of the vehicle.

As you can see, I crafted up some mechanics for how this actually works. The PCs gain Serenity by way of making meaningful memories on their journey, whether by sharing a delicious meal, accomplishing a great deed, or bonding with the world around them.

I left the ability to design these rooms up to the PCs, and so far, they've really seemed to enjoy it. One of my PCs is a centaur from a nomadic desert-dwelling society, so her room is large and round, and loaded with pillows.

Furthermore, I made the options vague enough to allow the PCs to come up with anything they could want, and thus craft up their own little 'dream headquarters' in a fantasy world. As someone who has always admired 'vanlife' and 'schoolie' builds online, but will no doubt never have the disposable income for such a thing, I rather enjoyed putting this together, and can't wait to see what my players do with it!

If one of your current characters suddenly became an Epicurean, what kind of place would their Vandrarhärd look like?

PS, for those wondering, the original artist of the placeholder image is Pang P, who you can find on Artstation. Obviously, I don't claim their art as my own, but the image directly inspired the look and feel of the Vandrarhärd, and I thought it would make a fun visual aid to include!

[kaewritesfantasy]

I've been listening to JRPG battle music all day, and now I'm in a writing mood. And yet, I am stuck at work. 🙄

[kaewritesfantasy]

Work continues ever more on Grimoire Hart Academy, my university-based fantasy RPG campaign. Recently, I've been playing around with what sorts of things students are bound to get up to in their off-time, which they will likely have a significant amount of.

To some extent, I'm happy to let students wander around the campus, take trips into town, or go on outings into the wider world. However, there also exists some need to keep people close to home as well, so that things don't go too far off the rails and players don't (intentionally or inadvertently) get their characters wrapped up in affairs that threaten their studies.

Or rather, I don't want to have to straight-up tell players that. So the best way (I think) to fill people's time is to give them an overwhelming amount of things to do or become involved in, closer to where I want them. In any other adventure-style game, a DM could do that with a simple quest board or a significant overload of NPCs pleading for help.

But this is academia, and what better way to make a student around than with extracirricular activities?

First, there are the clubs. If you're into anime at all, then the concept of after-school clubs might be familiar. Growing up in the US, my school didn't have things like this, but I think I certainly would've been interested in them!

Each club touches on a media that is either beyond what the school curriculum covers, or a more focused topic within a broader discipline. I tried to pick things that I would be interested in role-playing first, and as a lover of shows like Laid-Back Camp and similar cozy titles, I think the influence is obvious.

Student organizations and 'sports', on the other hand, were something I was a little more exposed to. Drama club, in particular, played some part in shaping me post-high school, and there was the ever-looming presence of sports, which I never found myself interested in.

To that end, I didn't really want this game to have direct rip-offs of popular competitive sports, but rather something that was more suited to a school that teaches dungeoncraft. Thus, the Mythic Raiders were born, and alongside that, the Mystic Masquerade took the place of the drama, band, and similar 'arts' clubs.

And of course, what academy is complete without a student council to loom over everything and meddle in the affairs of the average student?

All things considered, I think it came out well! What do you think? Would you be a part of any of these extracurricular groups? Or if you could start your own after-school club in a fantasy university, what would it be?

[kaewritesfantasy]

In addition to regular classes, students attending Grimoire Hart Academy have the ability to take Merit courses. These programs give more ways to expand and pursue different disciplines, as well as allow your character to express interest in other roles in society.

Personally, I'm looking forward to the Mentorship program, as it seems like the best place for wholesome stories!

[kaewritesfantasy]

As a collaborative storyteller, I love it when players want to contribute to and be a part of the world that I run games in. So I always make an effort to provide avenues for my players to do just that, both from the onset of the game and intermittently as the game progresses.

Needless to say, I wanted to do the same for Grimoire Hart Academy!

Since this game is meant to simulate the academic careers and school life of the player characters, what better way to give players an 'in' than by providing grant and scholarship opportunities?

Note that these are all optional, but they do offer active benefits, specifically in reducing the cost of living while the PCs are attending the school. There are plenty of other ways to offset their financial burden, too, such as the Work Study program, winning prizes in competitions, amateur adventuring/delving, and so forth.

Personally, I feel that 500 words is a fairly achievable goal, especially with how long some characters' backstories often are. That said, I'm open to critiques and suggestions for adjustments.

What do you think? Would you, as a prospective player, be willing to do one or two of these when creating a character for a game if it meant an easy income bonus?

[kaewritesfantasy]

Ok, but what if a witch rode a katana/sheath instead of a broom?

[kaewritesfantasy]

Back in the day, I used to play a lot of Pathfinder 1e, and my favorite games to run were the Adventure Paths. Each AP came with a Player's Guide, which was essentially a primer to help introduce the player to the immediate setting and relevant events to the story.

But my favorite to explore was the character backgrounds, which offered not only mechanical bonuses uniquely useful for the campaign, but also something that I hadn't encountered in prior d20 content: an established, emotional tie to an important character of the story.

I was no stranger to providing players with plot hooks for games, but it was always something that seemed to be done simply to put characters at a specific location at a specific time. Most modules just assume that the heroes are wandering adventurers who simply happen upon information that leads them on their next great quest.

Here, though, were hooks that gave players a connection with a meaning, and with that meaning came motivation. It wasn't simply about finding the lost treasure for the sake of glory or getting rich; these background hooks made the journey and its outcome matter on a completely different level.

Needless to say, I was instantly hooked on these background concepts and how I could use and improve them to fit into my own original adventures.

Recently, I've had the idea to revive a setting/storyline that fell off several years ago, turn the clock forward, and see what would happen if the worst had come to pass.

Thus, Crownfall was born: an epic saga in which players took on the role of prominent individuals within a kingdom who, following the assassination of the queen, were thrust into a perilous journey to restore the fractured lands before it plunged itself into a civil war.

For this game, players will select one of the following six backgrounds to apply to their character. In this way, the characters are not only immediately meaningful to the story, but are designed in a way for players to give their characters a clear identity and connections that will be consistently useful throughout the campaign.

What do you think? Have you set up backgrounds for your characters to embody? Or do you think it's better to let players have free rein over how they are tied to the events of the world?

[kaewritesfantasy]

One of my more ambitious ongoing tabletop role-playing game projects, Grimoire Hart Academy, is an anime-fantasy academia where players will attend a school for adventurers and dungeon delvers. To help give players the resources they need to succeed, I've developed several visual and textual aides and plopped them all into a Google Sheets workbook that I've dubbed the "Student Handbook". One of the sections inside this Handbook is the Course Catalog, which shows players what classes are available. This works hand-in-hand with the Degree Catalog, which displays each degree and what classes are required or optional. Previously, these were set up as separate lists for perusal. They looked like this:

Both of these lists are very long and, to be quite honest, a bit intimidating to look through. So, over time, I've been constantly looking for ways to make the document easier to browse. In addition, I've also been deepening my knowledge of spreadsheet formulae and coding.

So one day, I had a thought: wouldn't it be cool if I could turn these long, intimidating lists into a real, searchable catalog?

Thus, was the idea born! And this is the result:

While previously these two were separate sheets in the same workbook, they now occupy two sides of the same sheet for ease of searching, and both have search functions that work independently from one another, pulling from hidden data lists and outputting that content into select fields. All you do is change the listing in the drop-down box!

Personally, I think this looks much cleaner, and the side-by-side comparison of degrees and courses makes it easier to see what classes you need and what you can choose from.

However, while I think it looks quite nice, I'd be curious to know what everyone else thinks. Do you prefer the old lists, or do you find the searchable function better for perusal? What would you change? Or does this just seem way too over the top?

[luna-azzurra]

REPOST! •⩊•

Hi! For those who haven’t seen it yet, I’m giving away a freebie for everyone who loves villains. And normally this kind of thing is something I send only to my newsletter people, but today I wanted to share this one here too, because you’ve made me feel so supported lately, and I don’t know how to say thank you without overthinking it. 🖤

To get it, you just need to: click this link here and sign up for my newsletter

confirm your email (important, or the system ignores you), check your spam or promotions folder if it goes missing, they love hiding there, and give it a little time. It doesn’t arrive instantly; sometimes it takes a bit (don’t ask me why, email systems are weird).

~ Luna <3

[itsawritblr]

[kaewritesfantasy]

I didn't really expect my cozydark dungeon fantasy to take a turn into 'bubblegum punk' vibes, but I'm kinda here for it!

[kaewritesfantasy]

I always feel cathartic working on this project. Lillian is such a vibe.

[kaewritesfantasy]

I've been playing with Canva lately and decided to make temp covers for my various stories. This one surprised me a little, and went in a thematic direction I wasn't expecting. Definitely interested in pursuing this new vibe, though.

[kaewritesfantasy]

The north-eastern continent of Versae is home to many nations, great and small. To the people who live there, though, it is known by another, more historic name: Nevermore.