Praecurrere

[osxmallard]

GM Name: praecurrere
Forum Name: osXmallard
Bioware Name: osXmallard
Real Name: Paul
Age: 38
Location: Honolulu (PST)

About me:

My avatar name is latin for 'precursor' or 'go before', so it was meant to be the precursor to your death. *insert Dr. Horrible laugh here*

I started playing RPG's back on the Commodore 64 (take that!) with games like The Bard's Tale and the Ultima series. Then I took a long time off from gaming... I played shooters after college such as Unreal Tournament, Counterstrike, and countless others (Heretic, Doom, Quake, etc.). A group of friends at a new job got me into Layonara back in the fall of 2005 and I've been here since. Before that, I never really did any RP of any kind, and hadn't played DnD before, but I like it and I continue to learn more from 'expert' players in every interaction.

I am currently serving on active duty in the US Navy in the Submarine Force.

My plans as a GM:

My impromptus will be random and I do them A LOT. I prefer them over calendar quests because it is hard for me to justify why all of a sudden a herd of people show up in one area and wait around for 'something' to happen. I enjoy quests involving undead, vampires, and cultist activity, so you'll be sure to see some of those. I also prefer quests that border on the evil and questionable side, so I welcome Corathites to apply for a GCDQ! I have several long running series that I dredge up every now and again, so you may see my characters over time in different scenarios.

I normally run CDQ's for prestige classes (except shadowdancers) and enjoy them for the most part even though they are more 'scripted' types of quests.

My attention span is short most of the time. I do not expect to have long quests; two or three hours at a maximum. If it exceeds that, then there will generally be a continuation (or one massive battle which kills everyone and ends the series ).

Quest Considerations:

* Be flexible and open minded. Use what you see and what is available to you even if it is part of the layout. If it makes sense, then I will try to incorporate it. If I don't want you to use it, then you will fail using it, it will break, etc., but you are more than welcome to give it a try.
* Party roles and your character. Know what your character can do and the skills that he/she possess. Know your character's place in the party. If there is a powerful NPC there and you are being disrespectful to the NPC, then do not be surprised if it involves an action appropriate to what the NPC would do in a situation.
* Looting. If I was on a quest and had to accomplish a mission, would I be stopping and going through the clothes of the creatures I just killed? Think logically and put yourself in your character's shoes. I'm not saying no, just be aware of the situation.
* Resting. Basically, my stance on resting is about the same as it is on looting. Just because you can do it doesn't mean that it is right. I will try to prompt the party when it is a good time.
* Participation. Participation is required by all. My definition of participation does not always mean that it has to be in line with the quest. If your character is easily distracted, then so be it. RP is a must from everyone. I really try to pay attention to everyone. If you don't get a response, send me a tell, I probably missed something.
* Emoting. Emoting every single thing your character does while standing around waiting or while one person interacts drives me crazy. Emote when you need to emote... and certainly emote everything that involves a ROLL. If you do not emote what you are doing descriptively, then don't even bother rolling... because it will be ignored.
* Accountability. You will be held accountable for your actions; even if it is someone in the back mumbling something out loud. This goes back to the participation thing.
* Party Limits. I usually don't have party limits... so, for a combat quest I may break people into smaller combat parties or allow the people on the quest to decide when it is too large to continue. I hate excluding people from quests, so if you want to risk coming, then come along.

That's about it! Ask questions, have fun, and see you out there. I took some of the above from Sea Dog's thread since my thinking is inline with his (as a GM anyway, heh) so he gets partial credit for some of the 'rules'.

- osX