PnP for the first time in ten years.

[jrizz]

I played D&D 4th edition this weekend with a group of six people. I forgot how great PnP is!

[Masterjack]

Yep PnP is fun when you have the right group. Now that my son is gone to college I no longer have a DM

[LordCove]

Sadly.. never done PnP.. though I admit I'd love to.

Where I come from.. er.. PnP and D&D is.. heh.. well... a taboo subject.

[miltonyorkcastle]

For those of you that haven't played PnP, the primary difference between a Layo (online) quest and a PnP sesssion is between the speed of combat and RP.

In PnP, a combat that would take the characters about a minute to accomplish often takes hours for the players to get through. However, RP'd interactions take about one-tenth of the time it does in an online (typing) environment.

In a Layo quest, combat is over in seconds; it almost moves too fast. But everything else, all the interaction and emoting, takes forever when compared to the ease of voiced chatting around a coffee table.

[jrizz]

Another very large dif is that you can do many things that are "out of the box" or beyond mechanics when in combat. It really lets you be creative in combat. And of course being face to face always incures more laughing

[miltonyorkcastle]

True that, J. One of my most favorite moments was when the GM gave me a free feat: Weapon Proficiency - Orc. Yeah, my barbarian had this habit of using his enemies as weapons rather than the weapons he had strapped to his back.

[Grid Blader]

As a GM for a few year's.  PnP was always great.  Also if I had thrown to much at the people I could scale it back a little bit on the fly.  Or if they did something really stupid I could do something really stupid back.  Mind you my group were grown adults.  

player "I will jump off the boat and swim across the rest of the river to  
          fight the Orc's on the other side bye myself since everyone is to  
          scared"
me "in fullplate your going to jump off the boat and swim across the rest of
      the river"
player "yes I am"
Me "Please hand me your character sheet"
player "Why?"
Me "Let me see it please"
player "O.K." Hands over character sheet
Me  Ripping the sheet in half "O.K. anyone else want to try that?"
player "But why?"

[SteveMaurer]

... Or if they did something really stupid I could do something really stupid back.  Mind you my group were grown adults.  

My, that's a ritual sacrifice GM type of response.   Just kill the PC.  Blarg.

This is the scenario, as I would have GMed it.

Player:  "I will jump off the boat and swim across the rest of the river to    fight the Orc's on the other side bye myself since everyone is to    scared"

Me: "Make a WIS check. "   (Mentally - DC 15+ I tell him, DC 10+ I give a hint)

Player:  "I roll 11."

Me: Minus 1 makes ten.  Thaarg isn't the smartest or wisest of warriors, is he?   OK, Tharg swings his foot over the boat, almost tipping it, and looks down into the black swirling waters of indeterminate depth.   The orcs don't seem to have seen him yet.   He still has his heavy backpack on."

Player: "Almost tipped over the boat, huh?"

Me: "Yes"  *sighs mentally*   "That is certainly one danger he managed to avoid."

Player: "OK I charge the orcs.  I roll a 14.  Hit!"

Me: "As Tharg jumps into the dark swirling waters that are considerably deeper than they appear, he suddenly realizes there was a flaw in his cunning plan."

Player: "There's something in the water?"

Me: "Yes.  Tharg.  In about 60 pounds of platemail.  Plus his 80 pound pack that he apparently did not take off." (*)    Please make a swim skill check.   Weighed down as you are, the DC is 25, but I'll allow a natural 20.

(*) Please note: real life platemail is nowhere near as heavy as D&D writers thought - tempered steel plate could be as light as 45 pounds.

Player: "I umm... but I..."

Me:   Staring, unamused.  "Roll."

Player: The die clatters.   "A 16!  Not bad!  You're not going to kill me, are you?"

Me: "Cold water rushes up around him everywhere, into his gorget.   He suddenly realizes has the striking inability to breathe.     What is he doing?"

Player: "I... uh..   I'm stripping off!   Yeah!"

Me: "What are you stripping off first?   Helmet?  Backpack?  Pauldrons?   Greaves?"

Player: (panicked) "Backpack"

Me: "Ah.  Okay.  Tharg's backpack is a quick-drop variety so as to allow you to quickly shed weight when about to move into combat.   Tharg doesn't even need a roll for that"

Player: "So, do I get a swim reroll?"

Me: "Just a moment."   To the rest of the players.  "In response to your overwhelming cowardice, your bloodthirsty companion swung over the side of the boat, let out his standard war-cry, and plunged over the side.   Ten seconds later, all you see are a few bubbles rising up from the depths.   The water itself is too murky to see to the bottom.   What are you doing?"

Player 2: "I grab my rope!   And throw one end in!"

Me:  "Your climbing rope?   It is a thieves rope, made from silks.  It is strong, thin, and light.   Unfortunately, this also means it floats.  Which is does, when you throw it in.   You do not see anyone reach a hand out of the water to grab it."

Player 3: "I throw the anchor over the side - right near where he went in!"

Me: Smiles.  "Ah.  Good thinking, magician."

(A few rolls later and the warrior is safely back in the boat, somehow not having capsized it.   It is only later that the magician realizes that he gave Tharg all his scrolls to carry, which are now laying waterlogged at the bottom of the river. And the PCs are treated to the sight of the Orcs, who have finally caught sight of them, rolling around on in the ground, howling in laughter. )

[miltonyorkcastle]

Or if they did something really stupid I could do something really stupid back. Mind you my group were grown adults.

My, that's a ritual sacrifice GM type of response. Just kill the PC. Blarg.

Ritual sacrifice or no, I had a nice chuckle at the expense of the poor fellow, player and drowning character alike.

[Skywatcher]

Based on this thread I joined a PnP group at my work.  I haven't played PnP since I was in high school over 20 years ago so I can't wait.

[Grid Blader]

I am sure you will like it.  Battles take a while but it is all good.  I wonder if there is a group I could join localy.  I can not ask at work there all big strong Union men never to be caught playing PnP, but there really closet PnP..  Most of my friends have been playing (Starts with a W and ends with a W and there is an O in the middle).

[Skywatcher]

The easiest place to look for a PnP D&D group is at a local comic book store.  Most comic book stores have space for groups to come and play various games.