Game Mastering

The following section is for the Gamemaster only. If you are a player, please stop reading here.

Running Warrior, Rogue & Mage

This game leaves a lot of room for interpretation in the rules. Not everything you can think of has been covered by the rules and in many cases GM fiat plays a major role. It shares this with a lot of early roleplaying games, which are now called “old school”. But that aspect of the game allows it to be a perfect toolbox for players and GMs alike. If there’s something missing from the game, you need for your campaign, just add it. If there’s something that bothers you, change it or drop it completely. The possibilities are endless and the rules-lite nature of the game allows you to make the game your own without having to fear you break the whole game.

Start Slow But Then Go Epic

Especially if you haven’t run this game before, you should start things slow. Don’t throw your players into an epic adventure at once but try to get a feel for the rules and the lethality of combat first. There’s nothing more frustrating for your gamers than to have to face a total party kill in the first session.

But after you’re more comfortable with the game you should turn things up a notch. This game is supposed to be epic fantasy. The setting included in the book hints at powerful artifacts, lost technologies and ruined cities. This is probably what the players expect when they sit down at the gaming table, so the GM should deliver.

GM Rulings Instead Of Rules

In most cases it’s much faster and better for the flow of the game if the GM makes rulings when there’s a rule discussion. Nothing destroys the mood of any game more than a lengthy discussion about some rules and the interpretation of what is printed in the book. To avoid that, the GM always has the last word in these cases. If the issue at hand still bothers you after the game, just look it up and make up your mind. But during the game you should just decide something instead of making a fuss about it.

Make It Your Own

I can’t stress this enough: make this game your own. GMs and players are encouraged to bring their own ideas to the table. Add new lands, create new monster, change the rules, write up your own spells. Whatever suits your fancy, do it. A lot of creativity went into the production of the game, but it definitely shouldn’t end there! This book contains several optional rules that you can use, but you can of course add your own house rules as well. And if you think there’s something critical or just very cool missing from the game, let us know!

Setting the Mood With Music

When it comes to setting the mood nothing is better than playing some epic music in the background. Some people prefer movie and computer game soundtracks, some people prefer heavy metal tunes. The important part is that you and your players are comfortable with the music and that it enhances the mood of the game. Playing music from a horror movie in the background is a great way to improve the immersion if you’re running a horror adventure.

Character Advancement

Characters in this game don’t have levels or need to amass experience points to improve their abilities. The GM decides when he thinks the characters are ready to advance. Usually this happens at the end of a successful adventure. If you want to let the characters advance faster, the you can allow them to advance after each session. Whenever the GM allows the players to advance they may do the following:

• Raise one attribute by one.
• Add 1d6 to either HP or Mana
• Gain an additional skill
• Gain a talent 1

1 Talents should be harder to get than an additional skill or HPs. The GM should send the player character on a sidequest to find a trainer, get admission to a special group or learn an ancient ritual that unlocks that talent.

Optional: The GM can allow players to add 3 points of HP or Mana when they level up instead of rolling the dice.

Non-combat Hazards

Aside from combat there are a lot of ways a character may be harmed. The table below lists a few possible hazards.

Hazards and Damage

Hazard	Damage
Fall	1d6 per 3 yards of fall
Suffocation/drowning	1d6 per round
Mild poison	1d3 initial damage, 1 dam./rnd. until successful Warrior check vs. DL 7.
Lethal poison	1d6 initial damage, 2 dam./rnd. until successful Warrior check vs. DL 11.
Fire	1d6 per round exposed to the flames