Darths & Droids

Episode 898: Bossed in Translation

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 10:11:01 +0000

There's always a fallback plan. And it usually involves ramming something.

Thief can't pick the lock on the dungeon door? The fighters ram it with their bodies.

Security in the military complex you need to infiltrate to uncover evidence of a government cover-up of alien visitors is too tight? Ram the place with heavy construction equipment. (Preferably dropped from a zeppelin.)

Smarmy bad guy successfully sets himself up as the innocent victim while painting you as a crazed conspiracy theorist, resulting in the police dragging you away as you try to bust his lavish cocktail party to accuse him of being The Green Demon and plotting to destroy the city? Ram his face with your fist!

Episode 897: Down to the Bast Man

Sun, 16 Jun 2013 10:11:01 +0000

Speakerphones and similar not-easily-visible communications devices provide endless opportunities for PCs to say something when they're not supposed to.

Of course any meeting with a high-powered business executive has to have someone inconvenient listening in.

But imagine storming into the castle and demanding an audience with the king, bursting into the throne room and blurting out that his cousin is planning a plot to overthrow him and claim the crown for himself, only to have said cousin speak up from a previously unnoticed magical communication device, saying, "I told you you can't trust these lying so-called heroes!".

Episode 896: Y Worry

Thu, 13 Jun 2013 10:11:02 +0000

It can be easy to get a bit carried away in the heat of simulated gaming battle, especially if things are going badly for the heroes. If things get a bit intense, make sure everyone is okay.

Author note: The non-English translations in the comic are intended to be poor machine translations. The GM is not fluent in multiple languages, and is relying on something like Google Translate.

Episode 895: Doesn't Hold Water

Tue, 11 Jun 2013 10:11:02 +0000

Different units have different tactical roles in a battle. If you're aware of how this sort of thing works, you can use it to enhance the realism of mass combat scenes in games. If you care.

And if you don't care, no doubt one or more of your players will be all too happy to point out the tactical flaws in your NPC troop deployments.

(In future, you should recruit that player to help you plan the NPC side of the battle.)

Episode 894: What Goes Around, Comes Around

Sun, 9 Jun 2013 10:11:02 +0000

A player fixating on one tiny aspect of the greater picture can cause dischord. It's important to keep your players from going off on a tangent when there's a clear story arc you want them to encompass.