The Witcher Pen & Paper RPG

by Cody Pondsmith

  ture, and even when it seems like a duel it’s a off as much as they want, but the threat will keep going.

  managed duel for fun.

  keep finding them until they finish their

  mission.

  Invisible Walls

  One of the main problems that new GMs Better Treasure: For some players, the siren

  run into is the peril of invisible wal s. Many song of treasure is enough. Find some way

  times when a new GM starts a game, they to get it across to your players that if they

  aren’t completely used to their campaign, continue on the path there will be a hell of a

  their party, or controlling a game. When lot more for them to gain. For some players

  players get a little out of hand or don’t follow the treasure may not be gold.

  the path they have set out, a nervous GM

  may put up invisible wal s.

  Tie It to Lifepath: If your players ran Life-

  These are not logical obstacles or paths for their characters, use them. Maybe

  arguments to dissuade the players from do- one of your players has an enemy from long

  ing something or going somewhere, they are ago that the player forgot about. Tie that

  just blocks: no matter what the players try, into the plot. Did somebody have a lover they can never do the thing they wanted to who went missing a few years ago? Guess

  do or go on the path they want to follow. The where they are now! Any murdered family

  GM keeps throwing more and more hasty or deadly diseases? Finishing the mission

  blocks in front of them to trap them on the might resolve that problem!

  right path. If this continues, the players will

  quickly start fighting back or just get listless. Little Hints: Interestingly enough, down-Some players may get so upset by it they just playing a mystery may get your players more

  quit, or worse, get mad at you personal y.

  interested. Put your players in a situation

  The best way to avoid invisible wal s with a lot of big things and drop in one tiny

  is to remember that as the GM you control clue to your mystery. Nothing huge: may-

  every aspect of the game except your play- be an open door in a room or a loose floor

  ers. You can’t control them, and shouldn’t. If panel. But make a point of mentioning it. In they want to go somewhere or do something many cases your players will go straight to

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  it. Hey, you wouldn’t mention it if it wasn’t In gaming there is a concept called plot

  important—obviously the other things are armor: a special, secret form of protection just distractions!

  that shows up when someone is about to die

  but you need to have them live. It can block

  Make it Personal: When all else fails, make power attacks and even (in some cases) re-it personal. If you’re running a real y hard- vive dead enemies. Plot armor is not tangi-

  core game, get your players back on track ble and it’s not on a character sheet.

  the Witcher way! Take something they love

  It simply comes down to this:

  from them. You don’t necessarily have to de- “Gwen shot the corrupt Baron Blastingot in

  stroy it, but make it clear that they have to the heart with and arrow and it should kill

  pursue the mission to get it back. This works him. But I need Baron Blastingot to show up especial y well when your players are trying later in the plot, to unwittingly perform the

  to settle down and start a happy life with a blood ceremony and summon the wraiths

  loving significant other and a few children.

  of Ard Skellig. I’ll have him get shot but I’ll

  put a mage in his retinue who can heal him

  Your “Special Snowflake” from this seemingly mortal wound.”

  & Plot Armor

  You can also, and in many cases

  I should start by saying it’s perfectly okay to should, give plot armor to players. Maybe

  have a character in your own game. Many, Lord Blastingot’s mercenary body guard

  many GMs do it. Usual y their character is rol s REALLY well to stab Gwen. He should

  an NPC who is the constant companion to kill her but you don’t want her to die yet, so

  the players. This character can be special to you fudge some numbers so she just loses an

  you. You can love them with all your heart arm.

  and give them cool moments. But. Your

  However, plot armor should al-

  character is almost never the focus of the ways be secret, especial y when it applies game unless they are a McGuffin.

  to an enemy. Enemies should always sur-

  The world should not revolve vive through greater skill than the players,

  around your character. They should not better planning, or more support. Keep co-

  always be right. They should not always be incidences to a minimum. If your players the best at any task. If they save your players catch wise that the enemy has plot armor, from something, it should not be as a de- their morale will plummet. After al , what’s

  scending god who can handle any and all the point in fighting something you know

  challenges. Your character should general y you will never defeat? Remember to always be at the same level as your players and, if make plot armor seem natural, with ene-possible, with complementary abilities and mies or even with your players.

  skills.

  Your players are there to have fun

  and do exciting things. They are not there to

  follow behind the cool character you made

  and bask in their awesomeness. If you have

  an uber-character who solves all problems

  and is always special and wonderful and

  amazing, your players will get sick of them

  very quickly. So remember: it’s okay to have

  a personal character, but give them most of

  the same limits your players have.

  This also applies to some extents

  to your vil ains and important characters.

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  Romance & How to Not al ude to it all day, make suggestive com-

  Make It Weird

  ments, or have pillow talk, but if you find

  This may seem like an odd section, but over yourself calculating ‘lasting’ time based on

  the years I’ve found that romance can be your Stamina score and making opposing

  very awkward to run, especial y in a mature Seduction rol s to see who can ‘finish off’

  setting like The Witcher. It can be easy for the other first, you should probably stop, people to misconstrue things, read too far take a cold shower, and move on.

  into it, and become very uncomfortable.

  A real y good first step to set up ro- Beat Charts

  mance in a roleplaying game is to establish When you’re setting up a game it can be

  how good all of your players—and indeed hard to keep everything in mind. Let’s face

  you—are at separation. Often, very deep it, you’re plotting multiple hours of enter-

  “character roleplayers” who real y enjoy tainment, with possible variations based on

  playing and getting real y deep into their random decisions by your players. It’s much

  character have a hard time separating them- easier to break the game down into what we

  selves from the character, and this can make call beats and write it all down. That gives romance uncomfortable. I once found my- you something to refer to, and sets every ma-self running a romantic scene with a friend jor point in the game out separately so you

  and realized halfway through that it felt a can switch them around if needed. There are

  hell of a lot like they were flirting with me. four beat types that make up a Beat Chart: Needless to say it made things a bit awkward. Good separatio
n also means the play- The Hook: The hook is a moment or occur-ers won’t get as upset when things go wrong rence that draws your players into the story.

  in a fictional relationship.

  Lastly, separation helps you run ro- The Development: The development is a

  mances with people you would never feel more cerebral moment where your players

  romantic toward. Sure, it’s easy to run a realize, learn, or gain something that pro-

  romance for a crush or a significant other. gresses the story.

  It gets difficult when you have to run a ro-

  mance for your father, for instance, or you The Cliff-Hanger: The cliff-hanger is a dra-have to pretend the big hairy dude across matic, action-packed moment in the story

  the table is a lusty, buxom sorceress who where the players are fighting or chasing or

  wants to mark you as another notch on her doing something active.

  bedpost.

  Speaking of notches on bed posts... The Climax: The climax is when a sto-

  sex. It’s bound to happen in a mature game ry comes to an end. A campaign often has

  such as The Witcher and Lord only knows more than one climax: one at the end of

  how, shall we say, “adventurous” it may get. each story arc, then a big one when you de-

  The thing is, in most cases, the rest of your cide to end it.

  players don’t want to have it play out in front

  of them. In the Top Ten list of ways to make To run your game smoothly, find a hook for

  a game awkward, describing the sex is prob- each player, then string together interesting

  ably third or fourth. There are some groups developments with exciting cliff-hangers

  where everyone knows each other well until you’re ready to put in your climax.

  enough, are open enough, or perhaps want

  to see it and that’s fine. But unless you know

  your group is in that demographic, stick to

  this rule: all sex happens off screen. You can

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  For Example:

  planned is gone. They know they’re walk-

  The game begins with a hook: Gwen, who ing into an ambush. It can be the same for Pre-Rolling

  is an Aen Seidhe bard from Cidaris, wakes Awareness checks. Your players are walking Awareness

  up to fire and screaming. Her home town is down a hal way and you have them make

  If you want you can have

  being raided by Nilfgaard! As she runs out an Awareness check. Nobody makes it, so players pre-roll Awareness.

  she encounters the development. She sees the the whole party sits around searching until Before the game starts, have

  head of the Nilfgaardians, a tall man with they spot the trap. Once again, this is less of all of your players roll ten or

  long black hair and elegant black and gold ar- a problem for players who can separate, but twenty Awareness rol s and

  mor. Then, a cliff-hanger comes: she is spot- it can real y ruin a surprise.

  mark them down (in order)

  ted by Nilfgaardians. With few weapons and

  The truth is that some rol s don’t

  on a piece of paper. With

  light armor, she can’t beat five battle-primed need to be obvious. In situations where your your player’s awareness rol s

  Nilfgaardians in full plate with heavy weap- players are trying to tell if someone is lying writ en down, you can refer

  ons. It would do her best to run and plot for or how they are feeling, or rol s to find hid-to them each time you need

  her revenge.

  den things, it helps to make the players think

  to have your players make an

  The next development comes when, for themselves. If the traveler offering direc-Awareness rol. Make sure to

  after escaping the Nilfgaardians, she comes tions seems sketchy, let the players decide to cross off each Awareness re-across two other refugees, a doctor and a make a Human Perception check. Now it’s

  sult when you use it so you

  mercenary. They agree to team up temporar- them opposing the traveller, who could be don’t re-use results.

  ily to kill the head of the Nilfgaardian troop. total y normal and they’re just paranoid. It’s The next cliff-hanger comes when they lay not as obvious as if you make them make a an ambush for the Nilfgaardians, setting a check. Same for traps. The great part about bunch of traps along their path. Then a de- this method is that it makes your players

  velopment comes when, as they are slipping paranoid. They start checking everything back into the shadows, they are fol owed. A and you know you’ve got them invested.

  young Nilfgaardian soldier has fol owed them

  and tel s them that he is wil ing to help them Blue Booking

  kill the general if they help him escape the Blue booking is a wonderful option to get military. In the next cliff-hanger they are your players real y involved in your game.

  brought to the general by the defector under Get one or more of your players to keep a the pretences that he caught them. They break journal for their character. This can be notes their loose bonds and attack the general and on their characters, thoughts or secrets their his guards. The climax comes when they kill character has, plans, past history, or just a the Nilfgaardian general.

  general story of the events of the game.

  This is a particularly good idea for players

  Using a beat chart helps you focus and or- of bards. Over al , blue booking is a good

  ganize your game around your players.

  way to keep track of the game, but can be an

  excellent way to engage an otherwise unin-

  Not Every Roll Has To Be volved player. Even a player who doesn’t get

  Obvious

  that involved in the game may real y enjoy

  You may experience this when running chronicling it.

  your game: your players encounter a seem-

  ingly innocent traveller who will lead them

  in the right direction if they let him come

  with. You have everybody roll a Human

  Perception check! Nobody makes it...but

  now they know he’s lying. Sure, this is fine if

  your players can separate themselves from

  their characters, but any surprise you had

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  The “Hero”

  The world of the Witcher isn’t

  Running Witcher

  epic fantasy and you won’t

  When running a Witcher game there are of the Rings™ or Dungeons and Dragons™.

  run into brilliant, gleaming

  a few things to keep in mind to get your You’re not fighting for the fate of the planet, heroes...very often. In this

  players in the right mood. This short sec- and nothing is ever as black and white as it dark and grim world there

  tion will give you the basics.

  seems.

  are some people who at-

  tempt to uphold codes of

  This Isn’t Epic Fantasy

  Monsters Aren’t The Only Evil

  chivalry and other ideals that

  When you sit down to run your game, it’s In The Witcher the monsters aren’t the only most people think of as anti-important to remember that The Witcher is things that you have to worry about. Be-

  quated. It’s often interesting

  not a high fantasy epic setting. In the Witch- tween bloody power struggles, hate crimes, to throw one of these more

  er stories, despite overarching plots such as and general unrest, the people of the Con-idealistic characters into a

  the prophecy of the Elder Blood or Mad Eti- tinent can be just as dangerous as the mon-

  group of cynical heroes and

  bald’s prophecy of the Black Sun, the main sters. In some ways, even more deadly; at

  see how they deal with the

  plot is never one of
epic heroes. Geralt nev- least with a monster you know where you

  drastic difference in world

  er picks up a magic sword handed down to stand. You’re not safe within the wal s of a

  view.

  him by the gods and slays an army of de- city. There may be guards and “civilized”

  However, keep

  mons, never travels to hell to defeat an evil people surrounding you. You may be behind

  two things in mind. First, the

  god, and never sets out to save the world.

  meter-thick stone wal s guarded by archers,

  “Hero” is never 100% right.

  The world of The Witcher is down but watch your back because there’s some-

  They may get the job done

  to earth and revolves around understanda- one in every hamlet willing to slip a knife

  and people may like them,

  ble concepts. Many early stories have Ger- between your ribs, for your money, for re-

  but they still exist in a dark

  alt dealing with interpersonal problems and venge, or just because they don’t like you.

  fantasy world. The world

  grudges that get out of hand. Even with the

  shouldn’t start changing to fit

  invasion of Nilfgaard and the Wild Hunt Racism & How It Effects You

  how this idealistic character

  scouring the land, Geralt’s goal is still very Being one of the elderfolk in the Northern

  operates. Second, this ideal-

  simple: get Ciri back.

  Kingdoms is a very dangerous thing. This is

  istic character should never

  Your

  Witcher game shouldn’t have because in the previous Nilfgaardian War,

  feel like a mandatory role

  the players traveling to the sacred mountain most of the elves and dwarves aided Nilf-

  model for players. They’re

  to gain mythic power and unite the world gaard in its invasion of the North. Now elves

  there to show a contrast

  with magical might. Instead, pick a plot that and dwarves live in ghettos in most human

  and play around with the

  hits home with your players. Perhaps they societies and are tormented daily. Hate