• This Week's Tips Summarized
• A Brief Word From Johnn
• This Week's Tips: The Woes Of Rulership
• Tips Request: "Rules For Running Kingdoms or Domains"
• Readers' Tips Of The Week

1. Constant Danger
2. Lack Of Privacy
3. Lack Of Trust
4. Responsibilities
5. Fear For The Future

1. Building Realistic Traps
2. Epithets And Kings
3. Spice Up Combats With Vocabulary: 100 Pulse-Pounding Words
4. Two Quick Session Organization Tips
5. Fast Map Labels To Save Time

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1. Constant Danger
   
   A ruler is usually held ultimately responsible for the welfare of his kingdom and so, they face constant danger:
   
   • Foreign powers who might wish to see his lands become their own.
     
     
   • Rivals for power from within.
     
     
   • If things are not to the liking of the masses (and they usually aren't) a leader's own people might seek to harm him in the hopes that things will change.
     
     
   • In any society there are those who are "unbalanced". These individuals pose a threat out of proportion to their numbers as they are difficult, if not impossible, to predict.
   
   With all of these threats (and more) constantly looming over the head of the ruling individual, it is no wonder that where you find rulers, you find bodyguards.
   
   Characters might find themselves involved at any level of this potential conflict:
   
   • Posing a threat to the ruler.
     
     
   • Acting as bodyguards (the protection of rulers has become such a recognized problem that many game systems offer the bodyguard, or a variant, as a PC class).
     
     
   • Being in the position of authority themselves.
     

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2. Lack Of Privacy
   
   Though modern tabloids are famous for offering daily updates on the doings of people in authority, this is not really a new development. News of the activities of the king, queen, mayor, etc. has always been a staple of gossip from the barroom to the knitting circle.
   
   Some of the things you hear might even be true. Consider, however, the potential for error, particularly in the case of second, third, and fourth hand gossip. It might seem best to simply ignore such idle words, but the wise ruler knows that perception can all too soon become reality.
   
   Dealing with privacy issues can become an obsession, leading to rulers who hide their very identity through means both mundane and magical.
   
   PCs can become involved on either side of the issue:
   
   • Helping to protect the ruler's privacy.
     
     
   • Attempting to pierce the veil of secrecy that might surround a ruler.
     
     
   • Assisting a stir-crazy ruler to escape for a while.
   
   

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3. Lack Of Trust
   
   As the old saying goes, "it's lonely at the top". When you're in a position of power, it can be difficult to know who to trust. There'll always be people who will be after your job and the benefits they perceive it to entail. This means that everyone is a potential enemy.
   
   Every ruler must continuously ask difficult questions such as:
   
   • Are my advisors keeping my best interests in mind or are they just after my job?
     
     
   • Is my loving daughter approaching to embrace me, or do the folds of her gown hide a poisoned dagger?
     
     
   • Is this invitation to visit an old friend a welcome relief, or a trap?
   
   Characters might become involved in the tangled web of a ruler's mistrust in many ways:
   
   • Spying on the king's advisors.
     
     
   • Being set-up to draw attention away from a disloyal subject.
     
     
   • Being spied upon themselves (and how will they deal with a royal spy once the PCs catch him?)
   
   

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4. Responsibilities
   
   A common problem faced by rulers of all types is the burden of responsibility and the decisions it forces. The common man works for his living and at the end of the day he goes home to relax. A ruler, however, remains on duty for the duration of his reign, every hour of every day.
   
   Often, in high places, marriages are merely convenient arrangements. Passions can become squashed in the face of political pressures.
   
   Moral responsibilities can also present a quandary for a ruler:
   
   • Is it okay to sacrifice the lives of a few for the betterment of the many?
     
     
   • If one must die to save ten, would you be willing?
     
     
   • What if the one to be sacrificed is a friend or relative?
   
   There are few easy decisions when you are at the top. Also consider the ruler who does not wish to be one. Literature provides many examples of such cases, but one of my favourites is Perrin from Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time series. At every turn he attempts to avoid being put in charge, but fate has other things in store.
   
   Characters might be affected by a ruler's responsibilities both directly or indirectly:
   
   • A character's family dies as a result of a ruler's decision. Will the character now take revenge for what might have been a morally sound decision?
     
     
   • The princess is being forced to marry against her will to seal a treaty and prevent war; will the characters aid her escape or force her to stay?
     
     
   • A character in a position of power must make a decision that affects many lives.
     
     
   • A ruler has decided he no longer wants the job and asks the characters to assist his escape.
   
   

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5. Fear For The Future
   
   While your average civilian certainly worries about what the future might bring, history will generally not hold him responsible for how things turn out. A ruler faces the prospect of not only shame during her lifetime, but the potential to have her misdeeds preserved for posterity.
   
   Lines of succession are another great worry for many rulers. The birth of twins has been known to tear apart a kingdom before the children are even old enough to speak, let alone assume a throne.
   
   A weak child might be a burden to an ordinary family but to a ruling family it might mean disaster. Advisors and rivals alike are quick to note weakness in both father and son.
   
   Consider the implications such fears might have for characters:
   
   • The queen asks the characters to protect her incompetent son from ambitious rivals.
     
     
   • A mistake or misdeed must be covered up lest the reputation of the ruling family be tarnished for all time.
   
   Keep in mind that anything that applies to kings and queens of old applies equally to modern positions of power, whether those positions are political, religious, or commercial. The CEO of a major corporation might wield equal or greater power than the ruler of a small country, and religious leaders both past and present have been known to alter history with a single proclamation.
   
   

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1. Building Realistic Traps
   From: Nordic
   
   Johnn,
   
   Here is a quick tip for GMs on building realistic mechanical traps and getting in some quality family time to boot.
   
   I find that, if I want a mechanical trap, I'd like for it to be realistic, so I build it from my daughter's toys. Legos rule! And, I've found that she is just as capable as me, so I build these traps with her. She has even thrown in a twist or two I never thought of. Never underestimate the mind of a six year-old.
   
   Using children's toys like Legos, Lincoln logs, tinker toys, erector sets, and such, you can build working models of a mechanical trap that you can show to your players after the session. My players look forward to this now and have given a prize to my daughter for being very clever. Even those GMs who are not married or don't have kids might have nieces and nephews who would find it fun to build a mechanical trap that will stump the players for a while. Then, you as a GM can sit back and grin because a child is stumping a group of adults.
   
   

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2. Epithets And Kings
   From: Aytug
   
   About giving epithets to kings:
   
   First, some examples from the Ottoman Empire:
   
   • Suleyman the Lawmaker: For almost forming a whole law system, which was essential in later periods as well.
     
     
   • Sultan Mehmet the Conqueror: Over half of Ottoman rulers conquered, but this title is Mehmet II's alone, for the legendary conquest of Constantinople.
     
     
   • Beyazit the Lightning: For moving between the eastern and western borders constantly from battle to battle.
     
     
   • Ibrahim the Crazy of the Beads: Supposedly he was not quite sane, and for wearing beads.
   
   The hints:
   
   1. Don't limit yourself with "Lionheart" or "the Great". The epithet might be anything from a personality trait to a legendary feat to a single anecdote.
      
      
   2. The epithet has to have a reason. Many kings are mighty, so Barlac the Mighty should have doubled the territory or something. If you have an interesting name, you can never do without the story, it will be asked.
      
      
   3. It should sound good. Awkward nicknames just don't stick. The examples above flow perfectly in Turkish.
   
   

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3. Spice Up Combats With Vocabulary: 100 Pulse-Pounding Words
   From: Father Donz
   
   I keep a sheet with about a hundred combat descriptors for fights (in which there are many). It has words that can describe wounds, feelings of rage, movements, etc...
   
   It makes combat different every time!
   
   Here's the list:
   
   1. Ache
   2. Angry Wound
   3. Assault
   4. Bang
   5. Bash
   6. Batter
   7. Bayonet
   8. Beat
   9. Blow
   10. Bonk
   11. Burn
   12. Castigate
   13. Chastise
   14. Club
   15. Confusion
   16. Crack
   17. Crunch
   18. Cuff
   19. Cut
   20. Damage
   21. Dash
   22. Desecrate
   23. Destruction
   24. Devastate
   25. Disaster
   26. Discipline
   27. Disorder
   28. Dispel
   29. Disperse
   30. Dissipate
   31. Distress
   32. Eruption
   33. Exploits
   34. Gash
   35. Hack
   36. Hammer
   37. Harm
   38. Haul Over The Coals
   39. Hit
   40. Impair
   41. Insults
   42. Knock
   43. Lacerate
   44. Lash out
   45. Mangle
   46. Mar
   47. Mayhem
   48. Mess
   49. Mistreat
   50. Misuse
   51. Offend
   52. Pain
   53. Penalize
   54. Pierce
   55. Pound
   56. Pulverize
   57. Pummel
   58. Punch
   59. Punish
   60. Rap
   61. Ravage
   62. Raw
   63. Rebuke
   64. Reprimand
   65. Reprove
   66. Rip
   67. Run Through
   68. Scatter
   69. Scold
   70. Skewer
   71. Slam
   72. Slap
   73. Slash
   74. Slice
   75. Slit
   76. Smack
   77. Smolder
   78. Spank
   79. Spatter
   80. Spear
   81. Spike
   82. Splatter
   83. Spoil
   84. Spray
   85. Spread Chaos
   86. Squander
   87. Stab
   88. Sting
   89. Strike
   90. Swell
   91. Tap
   92. Tell Off
   93. Tender
   94. Thud
   95. Thump
   96. Upset Your Balance
   97. Wet
   98. Whack
   99. Whip
   100. Wound
   
   

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4. Two Quick Session Organization Tips
   From: Father Donz
   
   
   1. Session checklist. I number each session in my notes and then cut the corner of the page after the session ends so that I don't have to fumble through them in the middle of the next game.
      
      
   2. Buy pre-punched paper for home printers so you do not have to punch or, more precisely, mis-punch documents for binders.
   
   

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5. Fast Map Labels To Save Time
   From: Joe D.
   
   To keep track of your cities and villages, while at the same time saving time and map space, label them on your maps with just a number and the first letter of their type: v1, v2, c1, c2, and so on.
   
   First, you go over the map telling your players the names of the towns, villages and cities you feel they should know. Then, you tell them that you will give them the other names as they become relevant.
   
   

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6. World Analysis Creation
   From: Allen T.
   Founder Red Axe Guild
   http://www.redaxe.org
   
   Johnn,
   
   I am a recent subscriber to your letters, they are great, keep up the good work. I really enjoyed your recent email about world creation and making things seem alive, there were some great ideas and tips in there.
   
   I have a system I use for creating worlds. I am an admittedly lazy ref, (job, kids, etc. tend to get in the way), so I developed a way to quickly create new worlds that might be of interest to your subscribers.
   
   We all use a set of statistics to describe characters (Strength, Con, Agility, etc) right? Ergo, why not use a set of standard statistics to describe a country or region? A character sheet for a country, you might say. Or, perhaps call it a country sheet.
   
   I use some percentile dice to determine the basic stats I need to know and then go from there. Obviously, you have to adjust to the plot, and the main country is usually pre- planned out, but the random rolls give some basic ideas of ways to go, especially for regions you don't want to sit and detail.
   
   • Type of Government:
     Republic, Democracy, Monarchy, Patriarchy / Matriarchy, Theocracy, Plutocracy, Communal, Imperial, Military, Other
     
     
   • Centrality:
     How central is the government? (Even in a Monarchy the local Dukes may actually be in control, i.e. Scotland Middle Ages.)
     
     
   • Stability:
     How stable is the government? (Peace or Frequent Civil war.)
     
     
   • Control:
     How much control / military presence does the government have? (Some governments may be stable but have a small military such as Japan & Mexico.)
     
     
   • Rich Or Poor:
     (Bonus for good trade routes, rivers, ports, etc.)
     
     
   • Population Density:
     (Affected by terrain as well as wealth.)
   
   There could be others of course...depending on the genre and the GM's needs.
   
   A good example of this is when I "discovered" that Troll Culture is a Matriarchy, strictly controlled and stable. Hence, I decided that Troll females must be much smarter than males and even have a basic language, history and religion. This affected the plot as one PC made friends with an injured Troll and eventually the local Matriarch decided to teach him their language and history, primitive as it was. It added depth to the Trolls instead of just huge slobbering death machines.
   
   

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