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GM Interview - Randy
29 Plays1 year ago
In this episode Mark and Ben interview a GM who's been an important influence on their games and growth as GMs. Meet Randy, whose homebrewed world began drawn with colored pencils on letter-sized paper inspired decades of gameplay with several local groups. We'll ask Randy about Kiras, about how he weaves character stories and player inputs into his world, and some of his mapping ideas. We hope you'll learn a few new tricks from his work ethic and attention to detail, just as we once did.
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Transcript
Role-Playing Games: The World of the Dungeon Master
00:00:00
Speaker
You see, in role-playing, one person is a dungeon master or game master or keeper. He or she controls the world and tells the players what they're experiencing, whether it be battling with a coal monster or just kicking back in a smelly old tavern with some roger shells. Played over a few hours, the game employs dice rolls to determine the outcome of certain events. Now, unlike most board games you might be familiar with, role-playing games often use a 20-sided dice.
Introducing the Guest: Nostalgia from the 90s
00:00:22
Speaker
Moz, I want to stop listening to this. I completely understand.
00:01:08
Speaker
Just keep it rolling man. I want to keep listening to that. That's a solid track Mark. What what what what did you feed it in terms of telling it what kind of what kind of song you wanted?
00:01:21
Speaker
you know I just described our our guest that we're going to have on today. I literally just described him and the AI just did the rest. Mark, why don't you describe our guest for today and let everyone know who's visiting.
00:01:34
Speaker
All right, well, welcome back everybody to Tabletop Tune Up. We got an exciting guest, at least exciting for me, exciting for Ben and our our five listeners out there.
Meeting Randy: The Choice of a Game Master
00:01:44
Speaker
Let's go back to the early 90s. Flannel was big. X-Files was just being born. I had been playing role-playing games for about five years, probably at this point.
00:01:55
Speaker
Randy and I both responded, I believe it was, to a pull tab flyer at our local community college. Now, for those who may not know, you youngins, back in the day before the internet, if you wanted to form a band, join a book club, gather a group of dorks to play D and&D, you would post a flyer. At the bottom of the flyer, there might be a series of pull tabs with a phone number, or it just might list a location where these interested parties could meet up and discuss the game. In this case,
00:02:25
Speaker
The meetup was held at our cafeteria at our college. Quite a large group showed up, actually enough for two separate groups. Randy was one of the two people, one of the two GMs offering to run a game. And I remember the other GM saying something along the lines of, my game is hardcore. If Norik wants to have his way with you, dice will be rolled. And hearing that, my choice was made. And despite Randy being a ginger, he was going to be my GM.
The Art of Storytelling: Randy's GM Approach
00:02:55
Speaker
so
00:02:58
Speaker
Randy introduced me to a couple of key things that shaped my gaming experience. First, he showed me what it meant to be a dedicated GM because he put in the work and it showed up in every session. and Second, he kind of introduced me to a style of this first-person, character-driven story. and I had been doing something similar on my own as a player, but I'd never really had it incorporated into like The game and never really had a GM kind of doing that style so that was that was really kind of cool and it was a kind of an immersive. Narrative that is pretty popular now you see it on shows like critical role but back in the early nineties and eighties.
00:03:41
Speaker
in the Even into the 70s, that was pretty rare. It had heavy heavy roots in war gaming tradition, so you just didn't see a whole lot of that. so We're going to talk about all that. Big red, welcome to the show.
00:03:56
Speaker
Thanks for having me. um I'm surprised when you plugged in my ah description to the AI, ah it didn't generate like a ah theme song for The Simpsons or something. No, this is what we got and we like it. Yes, I do too.
00:04:14
Speaker
like Like so many things, Randy, that you do, our description of you today was handcrafted. So you know game recognized game. Thank you. Thank you. Fair point. It's a pleasure. OK. So we're going to start with the first question for you, Randy.
The GM's Role: Preparation and Creativity
00:04:30
Speaker
What is the work of the GM? Oh, wow. The work of the GM. That's a pretty big question, actually. ah The work of the GM is like having a second job, except you don't get paid for it. ah for some people anyways. However, sort of the rewards are usually much more fulfilling. Although the amount of work you may but put into it varies from person to person in GMing style
00:04:55
Speaker
Some people are great at doing improv and creating things on the fly. Just make sure someone is taking notes if you're doing that. Otherwise, as we learned early, you tend to forget a lot of names and places and lore. I feel targeted. At some point, we started just kind of having people designate themselves as a keeper at the table for notes and stuff. And that really paid off in spades.
00:05:22
Speaker
um You know some people want just a a better structure to lay things out like an outline and then they fill in as they go And yet others will meticulously flush things out and even plan for if this then that options I've been all of these and to be honest when I was younger and my brain was sharper I could improv and create on the fly much better and But as I've gotten older, and I'm sure as you have known, I've found that I feel more comfortable putting everything down, like maximum verbosity, while trying to count for a variety of directions the players may take things. But to answer your question of what is the work of the GM, I think it's just to promulgate an environment where the DM players and dice all get to tell their story.
00:06:11
Speaker
I mean, it sounds simple like that. And in a way, it often can be at times. But ah sometimes it takes a lot of prep and execution to get the adventure going on all cylinders. But then there are those magical times where all the pieces are in place and players are engaged and pushing the narrative. And the dice are acting like an amplifier for everything. And all you have to do is sit back and enjoy it. It almost feels like the story is alive and telling itself.
Old School D&D: Grit, Danger, and Creativity
00:06:40
Speaker
That's really fascinating. I like this point about you talk about the story being alive and telling itself. I think there's a really interesting kind of, um, I don't know, like a synergy or a magic that starts showing up when all of those things start coming together in a smart way.
00:06:55
Speaker
And there's surprises and there's ah collaboration. And I think that can be really wonderful and unique. And I think that's what a lot of people are are fascinated by in this hobby. So um sometimes hard to get done. But ah I wanted to ask you, Randy, about ah something related to earlier editions of D and&D. My question for you is, as you're playing current editions, when you think back to some of those earlier editions, what are some of the things that are really cool about those earlier editions? What are some of those early edition things that you like?
00:07:29
Speaker
Well, I think that each edition really brings its own feel to the table. I mean, editions prior to fourth had a certain grit to them. Death was always seeming like it was right around the corner. The older systems were you know also a lot less structured and open to interpretation and house rules. A lot of things could be freely combined and the DM had to be really on top of knowing when to push or pull back.
00:07:55
Speaker
letting the characters get super creative and rewarding them for doing so. I remember times like you know a character would would die and everyone would just come together trying to bring someone back to life by throwing all sorts of potion concoctions, spells, magic items, etc. at them hoping it might save them. and you know If they're creative enough, a GM might might just go right with it, and we've had times like that. Older additions to me i mean more grit, danger, creativity. This also can create opportunities for very memorable sessions. I enjoy fifth, and the structure it provides, but I do so with an eye looking back to ways to bring just a little creativity and grit with me. In fifth, it can be difficult for characters to die,
00:08:43
Speaker
and creates kind of a fantasy superheroes experience, which I also find very enjoyable. I just I love looking for synergies and way to make something unique but functionally fun and interesting in fifth edition. As a GM, I think you need to assess and talk with your players about what types of games they enjoy or are up to trying. Not all campaigns have to be cut from the same cloth.
00:09:07
Speaker
I feel the older games grant a perspective if you want to try something new in fifth. And it doesn't even have to be from previous D&D editions. It could be how some other long-lost system implemented a feature that you really enjoyed. Just you know talk with your players. They might be interested too.
00:09:25
Speaker
One thing I noticed with a lot of that, particularly in second edition, because that's I guess that's pretty much where I learned to play D and&D, I guess, that's a thing. yeah There was a lot of rules that were ambiguous or or ah big swaths of the game were left somewhat underdeveloped. and they weren't Everything wasn't so intrinsically linked to each other that if you modified one thing, everything else would fall apart like a house of cards.
00:09:52
Speaker
Fifth is so tight and so well constructed to its credit. It just doesn't lead much to doing any sort of modifications. And that's one thing I like when I think about and I tell people about first and second edition is how
The World of Kiras: Map-Driven Storytelling
00:10:07
Speaker
fun it was to craft in it because there was lots of wide open space that you could kind of have fun with.
00:10:13
Speaker
Yeah, totally. you know and and the I think the very first page of the older editions, some of the first things they say is, it's open. ah you know Do what works for you you. You don't have to be tied to anything.
00:10:26
Speaker
In the book, you know, yeah let's not forget that there was this magazine called a dungeon or as a dragon dragon magazine entire every single issue that came out monthly had rules that you could implement into your game that were just Made up from whole cloth or or just new things you could implement It was crazy. It was such it was a completely different time a lot of homebrew A lot of homebrew. We'll definitely get into homebrew in a bit later, but I love that about some of the earlier editions too, some of that that grit and the fact that the death was almost final at some point. I mean, obviously you could have spells that might dictate things, but like when you went to like, what was it, negative 10? I'm sorry. that was that was that was ah That was a homebrew house rule that most tables implemented.
00:11:14
Speaker
because we're we're doing a series right now, Randy, on on world building. When I think of world building, you're like the first person person that came to mind. So like, of course I wanted to interview you while we're doing this. um So when you think about your realm that you built, curious, where did you start in the building process and why did you start there? Well, the map really is what it came down to, the map.
00:11:40
Speaker
Even though i'm I'm more of a writer, it's the visuals of a map that really get me thinking about possibilities. That's one of the things I really appreciate you about being able to make things in a visual ah representation.
00:11:53
Speaker
But ah the map, it reminds me of when I was in high school and would start reading a new fantasy book. I mean, the first thing I do is look at the map at the beginning of the book and all the land features and then the names, et cetera. I couldn't help but think, oh, what's going to happen there? What what mysteries are wrapped up in a specific location or the name of that place? you know And how it brings wonder and excitement.
00:12:17
Speaker
and Then I'd be super excited about reading the book and looking forward to the characters exploring all those places on the map. So when I first began to even conceive Kiras, I grabbed eight pieces of printer paper and laid them out on my bed. and I drew the outline and of the continent and then taped them all together.
00:12:36
Speaker
Fun little fact about that, on the ah east coast of Curis there was supposed to be a great delta that formed the confluence of the rivers that would eventually lead to Larkspur Sea towards the center of the continent, ah except when I taped all the map pieces together I accidentally had that piece of paper upside down.
00:12:55
Speaker
And it just so happened that the land borders were at the same exact place on the coastlines on top and bottom. So they lined up regardless of which way I had it. it's hilarious And after working on it, I realized my mistake and that great Delta ended up becoming the Trident Peninsula.
00:13:11
Speaker
That's amazing. Sure. The water flow of the rivers didn't make as much sense.
Collaborative Lore: Player Contributions
00:13:15
Speaker
Hey, it's fantasy. i got tell yeah When I first, before we even started the game, cause I remember we did this pull tap thing and you were going to be our GM. I remember seeing your, your map, you had, you just finished it and it was all in these pieces of paper. I remember putting this thing together and being like,
00:13:35
Speaker
Like my mind was swimming with possibilities. I was looking at this thing going like, Oh, where are we going to go? Yeah. That's the feeling I wanted. Um, you know, and you didn't even have names for those half the stuff on that map. Well, right. ninety percent of it actually After outlining the map, I began adding points of interest and giving them names that would make players interested to finally travel there and explore. I mean, it can be a lonely mountain on a tundra or dunes or ruins or even a bay that gets completely forgotten. Seriously, I can't even remember where that thing is on the map. That's that's how Kyris was born. I showed that map to you guys. And it was that same interest looking at the map and possible wonderment. And you know you don't have to have the entire world written and planned out. The first campaign started in a location. We
00:14:24
Speaker
filled in the lore for that area and that went during the campaign then the next campaign we focus on another one and then after multiple games and campaigns the world slowly filled in no longer was it just a cool map with interesting points of interest and now it had a lore in history I think it's a really fascinating approach. What you did effectively was you created this attractive lure. you know It was this mystery box. you know You'd look at this map and people would go, oh, I wonder what's over there. Why are those mountains there? I wonder you know what kinds of creatures live in that forest over there. And and so so did I because I didn't know, you know, we we had to create it as a group. And and really, that's how curious was born.
Character Integration: Enhancing Engagement
00:15:08
Speaker
That's wonderful. Well, Randy, you.
00:15:11
Speaker
As you've been talking about this, you've been talking about how you've involved players in the creation of Keras as well. It wasn't just you kind of behind the curtain writing everything out and then the players just sort of experience it. You actually brought players in to help detail that world a bit. Can you talk a little bit about how you did that and how you're thinking about how to bring players into the world creation process has been evolving and and what your view is?
00:15:39
Speaker
You know, i've I've always felt that Keras was a collaborative effort. Not only were the players their backgrounds and interests shaping the lore and the history of the world, but I gave mostly free agency to anyone that wanted to run a game in that world. Soon other players had turned to DMing and putting their mark and their unique ideas on Keras.
00:15:59
Speaker
um You know, it became much bigger than me even when groups separated and people in different ways They often took a version of curious with them and created their own campaigns and shaping their version of curious However, they wanted I have never had any ill feelings about others taking it with them and making it their own I mean on the contrary I'm flattered that I started something that was brought a lot of good times enjoy to other people and As somebody who's a run games in that realm, it's one that's ah obviously lived in my mind. It's shaped a lot of some of my creativity and how I approach games. So I love it. I love the fact that we have this world that we could we could share and and kind of explore. So it's really cool. Yeah, it feels like it kind of lives.
00:16:46
Speaker
beyond me actually, you know, so I'll be honest though, like when I, when I first ran the game and I think you were in as a player in the game that I i first ran, I think I went to you first and was like, I want to run this and curious. And like, I remember like asking you, like I had to ask permission or something and can i date your daughter, sir.
00:17:05
Speaker
ah Well, we were gaming with the group, Randy and I were, and they had been playing kind of the old mode of first and second edition, where we were playing fighter, rogue, bard. we We weren't even really character names, I would be honest. like we We would forget our character names after a while. Give this thing to the fighter over there, yeah. And I was like, I want to run a game for these yahoos. They were friends of mine. I liked them. I wanted to run a game. And I wanted to run a game
00:17:35
Speaker
Kind of like how Randy ran games for us, like a different type of game that they hadn't been introduced to. More personable. Yeah, exactly. And I want to take the things that I learned from some of the campaigns we had run and had played in in the past. And of course, I turned to curious because it was what I knew, you know, you want to run games in a, in a setting that you're familiar with, you can draw upon your knowledge. I couldn't do that with like forgotten realms. I just don't know it. I couldn't do it with, you know, Dragonlance. I just don't know it that well.
00:18:06
Speaker
So on that note, one of the things I learned is the importance of individual character stories that are weaved into the central plot. And I honestly had never seen this prior to your running games. Can you tell our listeners how you do this? What's, what's your, what's your tricks? Sure. That's yeah.
00:18:26
Speaker
Big question, long-winded. The older I got, the more important this actually became for me. At one point, it was like a light bulb that went off in some of our early games. We really tried to put things in each campaign that were goals or areas to shine for each character. From here, I realized that I could create a story, tie each player into that story with their own history, goals, tragedy, hidden agendas, et cetera, and wrap it up in the overarching theme of the campaign goal.
00:18:56
Speaker
If I did this for each player, it would give them a reason to want to be a part of it, really form those bonds with each other that makes up for great chemistry. And it helps to keep everyone going in the same direction and to eliminate you know problem player situations that randomly derail things. Not completely, but you know it helps. It also keeps players interested in big reveals that have a lot of pertinence to them. i mean Unraveling mysteries are are always fun.
00:19:24
Speaker
you know that's That's the why. the yeah The house is probably a bit more complex and different for every person. ah For me, yeah I feel like you you got to like mental puzzles because it's like custom building a puzzle and trying to fit all the pieces or players together.
00:19:39
Speaker
I'll start by letting the players know what kind of game it is and let them create the characters. I'll try and give them some guidance without spoiling the game. I'll ask them to go into details about their character, like things like quirks or weaknesses, things that have been traumatic in their past or where they would like to see their character grow in the future. ah Then it's time for me to go for a walk or whatever you like to do when you want to think. I would go for long walks with my recorder and brainstorm ideas on each character's past and I might incorporate personal interests, quests, goals into the main storyline. I come back home, I write up a detailed background so I could plant seeds in there for what's going to happen to them and ah further in the campaign and send it off the background off to them for tweaks they want to make and get their approval. Or, you know, I've had characters that they want to write their background and send it to me so I can tweak things and add stuff for integration into the campaign and send it back and forth for approval until we
00:20:36
Speaker
finally land on what you know both players and GM likes. And ah you know that depends on how much they enjoy writing it. But I will always have a fleshed out background for each character. I found it better when you could tie in and make things personal for them during the campaign and not just make random stuff happen to them with no foreshadowing.
00:20:56
Speaker
It's a lot of work and not everyone's going to do that. um But, you know, I'm a writer. I enjoy it. Let me ask you a little bit by way of follow up. Do you have like an example that comes to mind? Can you help our listeners who may be feeling like this is still like they're like, that sounds great, but what does that look like in practice? um You know, is there, can you just give us at a high level, maybe ah a character and some elements of what that character's story was and how you loop that into a larger campaign?
00:21:25
Speaker
um
00:21:28
Speaker
Sure, I can go with one that we did not end up using because the campaign got cut short um And is for a character that that person played in another campaign. I'm talking about mark of course with his Warlock that he had started for the last game I wanted to run. I feel really bad that campaign got cut, but... It happens. Yeah, he he had this idea of this relationship he wanted with both, I believe, with his mother, and he went through some really big traumatic experience that tied him spiritually to some entity. And, you know, he lost his mother in the in the process, or she disappeared, family disappeared. And the campaign took place in a remote faraway area.
00:22:12
Speaker
And so we put a lot of stuff in there, things that really created a horror factor for his character in the background, such as he wanted to have this, you know, scarred for life kind of ah moment in some ruins or temple in an archeological setting, which is where we first implemented this um dark force that was actually going to be part of the plot of the the main game. You know, he had reasons for wanting to find out what happened to his family years later.
00:22:42
Speaker
He was going to find out what his mother actually got involved in, why she disappeared. And, you know, I put in details, for example, she would spin this ring on her finger while humming a song. And in the future, he was going to find they're in a situation had to deal with mind flayers and abloths and ah find out that his mother had gone through the ceramorphosis.
00:23:07
Speaker
ah hold of rany I'm literally on the edge of my seat right now. like and And he was going to meet up with her and see this aura, this thing that's actually helping him get free from the Abilith.
00:23:21
Speaker
and his party. And he doesn't know what to think of it, but he's going to notice that this thing is spinning a ring on its finger and and humming this tune. And that was the only thing that kept her from fully being encased in the hive mind. It was the thing that kept her free, was her love for her child and thinking about him and being able to break away
House Rules vs. Modern Systems: A Contrast
00:23:43
Speaker
and help him. But it's stuff like that I had set up for every character, including yours, Ben. Yeah, there's i mean're things like I mean, that's Mystery Revolved, the world you guys in was a Matrix, not a real one. Created by Anapolis. So exciting, man. that I'm literally at the edge of my seat on that one. ah But as also for like for you GMs out there, for shorthand, if you're trying to you know tiptoe into this, um Fifth Edition does a good job of outline character progression.
00:24:16
Speaker
As a shorthand, you could look at the the elements of that character progression and start thinking about what story elements could coincide with some of that progression and make that progression stick. If a character gets some sort of wild, special new ability, incorporate that into the story.
00:24:34
Speaker
especially ah ah third level where ah Now, in the newer edition, everyone gets their subclass. I think that's a really good first step in making that a part of their character story, how that subclass happens. GM's out there. You have a little bit of a cheat sheet there that you could you go to. Think about those moments, how to make those moments memorable, as as Randy does with his games. I mean, I got memories, man. That was that was one right there I would have loved to experience.
00:25:04
Speaker
This is a lot of fun. We're going to pivot now to a slightly different question. And Randy, one of the things I've always known it was kind of a part of your way of of running your games. And I've always thought it was fascinating to see what you did with it was you do a lot of house ruling. You do a lot of um building extra systems and and interesting fiddly bits and stuff that is just ah there's a lot of really extra cool detail you like to put into your game in terms of how you modify and tweak the rules. A little while ago, we were talking about house rules. We did an episode on this. And one of the things that we talked about was that house rules really are helping people to have a certain kind of gameplay. You do it when you think there's more fun to be had and you're trying to create a certain kind of gameplay experience for people. So when you think about the house rules that you like to do, what kind of gameplay is it that you're trying to help people experience with your house rules?
00:25:58
Speaker
Not everyone has the same view on House Rules and homebrew. Some can be a little more resistant, others are, you know, wide open. And I think really, you know, for those that came later in our gaming groups, I don't think they had the perspective that the original gaming group had. The beginning of Kirus always had a hidden objective, and that was to keep trying to make it better. I mean, we would say that all the time. We had a philosophy that allowed us to be open about trying new things, tossing what didn't work, keeping what did. I mean, no matter what system things or rules came from, ah we weren't afraid to try something. I believe our game was better for it. Again, the system back then was much more open and everything you know was at the table. We didn't use websites to track characters where everything is
00:26:45
Speaker
kind of hard-coded. I mean, it was called pen and paper for a reason. Sometimes sometimes I may have wanted to implement certain house rules that had a big impact, like you said, Ben, on on the theme of the campaign I was starting. And there was a reason behind that. you know Maybe it took place in some astral area or whatnot or a horror setting or whatever. ah But mostly the house rules were just an attempt at our group trying new things to make the game better. House rules were a big part of older D&D editions. i mean Every table had house rules back then. It was expected. The idea of you know playing more by the book is really a newer phenomenon, most more closely associated with 4th and 5th editions. There was no such thing as rules as written
00:27:32
Speaker
With so much being online now has become even more codified to play by the book or with only a couple common house rules I mean my first attempt at DMing fifth was met with some pushback on the house rules um You know that was with another group And not necessarily with you guys, but I've come to accept that the way fifth has become mostly digital hinders trying a lot of those house rules or heavy modifications and it is what it is. So now I just look for small changes that have good improvements and I don't try and ham fist a bunch of stuff, especially on players that, you know, may not be all that interested, because it really does clash with the new environment and how we play the game.
00:28:16
Speaker
i I will say I think that a fair amount of that is also it's not just the digital piece. I think it's also that there's organized play leagues and there didn't used to be that. And so people have expectations around um the rules in the book because those organizations are intended to give for everybody the same experience. And I think, you know,
00:28:39
Speaker
you think back to prior to those things being around, you had a lot of groups that would, they would start up. And one of the first things that everybody would start asking about is, okay, what's this GM's house rule set going to look like? And is that the kind of game I want to play too? Sure.
00:28:54
Speaker
There's also some of the earlier editions. um Certain segments of, say, a character sheet were untethered from another. Skills might be untethered from like stats or things like that. So you could kind of play around with them without this butterfly effect that's just kind of running through the entire game that's breaking rules that you didn't expect to break.
00:29:18
Speaker
Fifth edition is so tight. It's so rules tight that you you mess with one thing You're you can cause an effect. You didn't realize further down the road when all a sudden somebody cast the spells as well, you know, so
Maps and Exploration: Inspiring Players
00:29:31
Speaker
It was a little easier. I would say you had more more room to wiggle You know, one thing we'd like to do here, we'd like to tune up every episode. We tune up somebody's idea. Somebody he sends us a an idea and we try to take it up, turn it up to 11. And when we have a guest on, we'd like to have them turn the tables and tune up one of our ideas. Our next episode is going to be on mapping. When I think of mapping, I think of your great map and what's one thing every great map should have.
00:30:00
Speaker
A great map should instill wonder, intrigue, and a sense of exploration. you know For me, I usually don't focus on political boundaries or kingdom markers because those aren't my types of games I play. I know some DMs are really into the high court and political intrigue.
00:30:17
Speaker
between various kingdoms and factions. That's great. My only advice is, you know, make sure that's what the players are interested as well. For me, it's more about adventuring to points of interest, POIs, getting lost in the dungeon, more of that than the city in High Court. Oh, and the loot, the marvelous loot. That's one thing I loved about older editions was the plethora of ah magical items and I don't mean Monty Hall style just you didn't have to worry about the two minutes and breaking the game with only a handful of magic items like you had just kind of talked about but the as far as the map I you just need to create this shiny object you know the shiny object syndrome instead of having something else come in on the game and pull players away from what you're doing the game the map can be a shiny object and you let your players really you know get lost in it
00:31:07
Speaker
can Can I give the audience just a little example of some of the shiny objects that I was presented with on the on the map? There were some mystery things we didn't know about. There was this lone mountain in the middle of this tundra. It just it was just by itself rose up, and I remember looking at things going like, there's bad things there.
00:31:28
Speaker
like There was also, on the other side of the map, there were these icy steps that would rise up later to be called the Ramirez Steps. And remember looking at those things going, what a cool geological feature.
00:31:43
Speaker
Like these are like wonders of the world kind of things. And they were on the map. And I remember like they were scattered around evenly spaced somewhat, but the every one of them, I would, my eyes would linger on thinking about like, Oh my God, like what, what's in that massive crevice of, of, you know, that's crossing the entire continent. Like what horrors are in that, in that crevice. So these are kind the kind of things that you're talking about. Like when you talk about little shiny objects, yeah points of interest. Yeah.
00:32:12
Speaker
Yeah natural wonders of the world or maybe unnatural ah Yeah, they're interesting like like the yeah that whole city that was a ruin decimated by wild magic You know where magic didn't even function in a massive radius anymore um just you create these ah areas of lore and Those points of interest that really make people wonder How the heck did that happen or you know, what's what's even there now?
00:32:42
Speaker
Yeah, there's kind of a nice point you're making here, which is that this is a fantasy realm. And when you're thinking about a fantasy realm, if everything goes according to standard rules for geography and meteorology and all the way that nature would normally produce a landscape, then in some sense, you might be missing an opportunity to tell fantastic stories that have reshaped the world and that should show up then on a map that leave their imprint on the terrain and the the land Yeah, born of magical you know magical forces or you know entities beyond the supernatural. you know I mean, when you look at the realm, what's what's the realm that they use for Pathfinder, Ben? Is that? Galarian. Galarian. I mean, when you look at that map, you can't help your eyes can't help but be drawn to that that whirlpool thing they got going on there. What a point of interest. like What is that?
00:33:38
Speaker
Why is it there? Why is it there persistently? yeah Yeah, it's those kind of things. They can really make your map special. Don't leave those those ideas out there.
Becoming a GM: Mapping Across Genres
00:33:49
Speaker
Don't waste those. yeah Don't try and be too mundane with with your map unless you're going for a historical type you know campaign.
00:33:57
Speaker
Randy, I think we're out of time for today. It has been great having you on and catching up a little bit. I hope you've enjoyed your time with us, and I hope our listeners have enjoyed their time with you. Friends, find yourself a good GM, drop a map, and then see where it takes you. For us, it's taken us through decades at this point of a lot of fun world building. Even better, don't just find a good GM, become a good GM. As you're doing that, keep tuning into Tabletop Tuneup.
00:34:22
Speaker
Send us your ideas for things that we can tune up for you, just like Randy's tuning up maps for us. We'll chat soon about how to do maps for your realm, whether it's fantasy, science fiction or other. And until we talk again, keep those dice rolling.