Comments on: Legendary Achievements: Colouring Your Campaign with Anecdote and Legend

By: Ravenous Role Playing » Blog Archive » Sunday Six: 2009-11-01

Ravenous Role Playing » Blog Archive » Sunday Six: 2009-11-01 — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 16:37:33 +0000

[...] Legendary Achievements: Colouring Your Campaign with Anecdote and Legend I’ve recorded heroic feats that some of my characters have achieved, but that’s as a player. I wish I had done what Mike over at Campaign Mastery suggests and done it with the people in the games that I’ve run as well. It would make it so much easier to recall some of the great and heroic feats my players have pulled off in the past. Then I could use those moments to inspire my current players. [...]

By: "James Carter"

"James Carter" — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 12:24:12 +0000

You could say much the same thing with high level magic in a fantasy campaign. With proper abilities and magic enhancements (most) any extra-ordinary ability *could* be duplicated so that we could compete on par. The question then becomes when you have non-humanoid creatures could the playing field be leveled? For instance dragons Yes one can polymorph/ wildshape/ etc into one, but no matter what you’re not going to have their spell like abilities, and it’d be the rare human(oid) who would spend the time/ energy/ skill into specailizing in their weapons.

By: Mike

Mike — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 01:51:21 +0000

I don’t recall the incident, but it’s exactly the sort of thing that I’m talking about. Translated into a different genre and circumstance, you have a ready-made debating topic. In a high-tech/superhero campaign, it shows how tech is integrating with daily life (it’s not all smooth sailing); in a fantasy campaign, it can illuminate race relations.

By: Felix Ple?oianu

Felix Ple?oianu — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 18:35:14 +0000

Wasn’t there some time ago an athlete with prosthetic legs who was barred from a competition because he arguably had an unfair advantage over the other runners? It sparked quite an ethical debate back then.

By: "James Carter"

"James Carter" — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 12:40:50 +0000

I know the number 3 may be impressive according to numerology, but some cultures may record accomplishments in different numbers than 3, for instance, if in their culture the number 3 is bad luck — just like the number 13 is in ours. Remember in other cultures, it’s the “7 fold path” or the “8 ways” — but in doing that the accomplishments would (likely) be varried and diverse.

By: Cam Banks

Cam Banks — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 20:43:51 +0000

I’m reminded of the excellent suggestion found in Pendragon 4th Edition’s Pagan Shores supplement, which covers Ireland, of talking about things in threes. “That was one of the three greatest leaps” or “this was one of the three longest battles.” The Princess Bride does the same thing, with one of the three greatest kisses. Even if you don’t specify what those are, it’s still a cool folk schtick.

By: "James Carter"

"James Carter" — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 17:32:03 +0000

Besides sports, there’s such events in racial memory, such as famous medicine runs (think person X coming in the nick of time to to save a community from the plague), miracles “By the healing hands of Y” that saved a nation from disaster, or a war hero (besides awesome fighting, this person might not have been known for his physical prowess, but his brillian millitary strategy), or perhaps a brave act (think Hellen of Troy, but instead of people fighting over her, maybe she gave herself up so that her country would be spared war.

Just my 2cp

By: Mike

Mike — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 14:22:42 +0000

Thanks for the kind words, Rauthik, and you’re welcome. It’s always a fun subject to while away a few hours discussing!

By: Mike

Mike — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 14:18:16 +0000

@Robert: Thanks. One alternative is some form of handicapping; perhaps a given weight class of Ogre is considered a fair fight for a given weight class of Human.

But, you’re also right – it’s entirely possible for the two (and all other races) to compete seperately, making the nature of each competition another way of bringing the distinctiveness of their societies front and centre.

By: Robert

Robert — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 13:53:12 +0000

Yet another great article!

I personally think that when it comes to D&D races and sports, they would probably all compete seperately from one another, just like men and women usually compete seperately in real life. There is, after all, a big difference between a stronger-than-average human and a weak ogre that is still stronger than said human. Course if the various races were competing as a matter of pride or something…