Tracking the passage of time!

When playing D&D and similar systems, often the passing of time is left out of the equation for simplicity sake. When players buff themselves it’s often considered that the buffs will last most of the dungeon, if not the whole thing.

One method I have switched to during areas where the passing of time is important is switching to initiative for asking what people are doing. The party rolls initiative, then until the next combat encounter we go down the list to ask what people are doing. On Roll20 I use a custom Round Counter that raises by 1 every time it comes up on the turn order. In person I use a handheld counter device that I bought for Hackmaster.

Structuring the gameplay in this manner may seem very board gamey, but it gives you an accurate passage of time as often one round is six seconds, so 10 rounds is one in-game minute. It also gives people a chance to roleplay, or get involved if they feel they may be stepping on the toes of their allies, or are shy to butt in. This system allows for ease in triggering and resolving traps as players move on their turn and thus, can accidentally get in front of a rogue who’s on the lookout for such devices.

I use a house rule that every x number of rounds an encounter roll is made. The rate of encounters varies based on the location. In a tomb in the middle of an old mountain pass the rate will be high, 15-20 rounds for a random encounter due to isolation. Places like a castle or a big bads hideout the rate may me 5-10 as more individuals are in the location to intercept the party.

It can slow the game down a bit, and some players can get confused on how to handle when actions happen. It’s best to make clear “when” actions happen, and if people are waiting for others to act first in the round. Delaying actions and readying is all easy to do, as long as no immediate threats are present. When it comes to moving on a per square basis (if you use a map) I usually just let everyone move at the system’s Run speed and still take an action for game flow sake.

A big takeaway from switching to this system is realistically it takes the average party of mine 3-5 minutes to clear a dungeon from start to finish. That can take all game session, but it really breaks down the scope of how time actually passes. It feels like in-game it should take literal hours but the 6 second round helps to make it feel fast and deadly. Another situation I find that my games have gone in when I switched to keeping people constrained to the initiative is people tend to separate from the party. The ability to feel as if they have to act on their own causes groups to form, and the party indeed becomes split, often times over large areas.

Three combats happening at once while the party is spread out over the dungeon.

Of course if you and your players enjoy a more organic turn and burn with no pauses that’s great! I always like to try to use the rules the best I can, and I found this is a good way to keep effects tracked and encounter rate balanced.

The World's Largest Dungeon, ugh.

I remember when I picked up this massive tome of a book with a parcel of maps attached. It was Gencon 2008, and the AEG booth had three copies left for 15 dollars each. I had always seen it in high school at the local game store, sitting on the shelf with a 100 dollar price tag. Finally able to satisfy my curiosity I grabbed a copy and took it home.

The map itself was massive, made up of 16 large posters which when put together would take up a 5' x 8' area. It was a beautiful map that hung in it's glory in my office for several years until I recently took it down to hang some D&D Walkthrough Maps. Each square was represented (Although small and almost unusable) and each room was labeled on the map with a number to help find it in the book.

800 pages thick and weighing in at several pounds the tome that came with these maps was about the only good things I could say about this book. The map aside, the dungeon itself was a slog and rather boring with weird difficulty spikes. The first 'map' of the dungeon is made for level 1 players but has CR 3+ encounters, monsters with the Fiendish template, and traps that will delete players immediately around most corners and doors. Any adventurer with a sound head on their shoulders would leave immediately, kicking the giant corpse on the way out.

If anyone is stupid enough to keep going they would find themselves in the next area which is full of Balance checks, rooms that seal when players enter with one only odd way out (or just turning around and tossing checks at the door to force it back open) and a host of monsters that will deal significant damage to a party that's having to spend resources to even get through more than two non-combat encounters. The monsters here are also extremely difficult with extra feats and in some cases class abilities. This theme would continue through the entire dungeon.

The way the dungeon is put together means you may not even go to the right region first, walking into an area where the party is under leveled and can get immediately wasted in the first encounter or trap they stumble upon. This is the issue my friends and I encountered when I tried to run it straight using 3.5 (which it was intended for), even after they had stumbled through the first map with half of the party replaced and a new found hatred of traps, they ended up going to the 'wrong' section which resulted in the first trap instantly killing the party's fighter through HP loss. Correcting course they went to the other attached map, only to find that the encounters were still brutal and the dungeon's own level of bullshit made them wonder if there was a third option.

I have tried to do a write up for this book but it's too terrible to even stomach anymore. A great tear down of this pile of shit can be found at the link below, where someone had the time and stomach to put into words just how horrible this is. Oriongates, you get a shout out for doing what needed to be done.

FATAL and Friends - The World's Largest Dungeon

These days the book rests on my shelf, forgotten in the closet. The maps are all nicely folded up and kept in a sleeve, as I do rather enjoy the map. I almost want to track down the World's Largest City but I am sure that the map is the only decent part of that mess as well.

About the only thing it is good for is keeping other books off of the ground

4th Edition, did it really butcher player choices?

When 4th Edition came out I was excited after seeing the preview materials at Gencon, playing a few demos in the second floor ballroom, and keeping tabs on it during it's late days of development. Before this edition even hit the shelves, I had to go to two different stores in order to secure a set of book at launch (the first store refused to order the books for me, a paying customer, because "I disagree with 4th Edition").

Throughout the life of the edition, I would find that my local group would slowly sour on the AEDU power system, eventually refusing to play in any games I ran with the system. My personal feelings were the opposite, I loved being able to keep combat to a level where I could focus on the small things to keep my players on their toes, instead of worrying if certain monsters could instantly tee off on unsuspecting players.

The biggest gripe my players had was they felt that AEDU power system took away agency... which made me scratch my head because these were the same players that rarely did anything more than say "I swing" and roll a D20. Suddenly I had players trying to 'break' the system by asking how they can jump off a table, do a cartwheel, and land and attack two enemies. If they failed at whatever check I gave them, they'd blame "these damn limiting powers" and grumble the rest of the session. "I don't like how I have WoW abilities" a player playing a fighter would say as they spend two turns masterfully navigating the battlefield and setting up a knock back that caused the entire party to be in range of a critical foe.

Spells worked on the AEDU power system in 4e, which I can understand made some people apprehensive since it tossed out some utility spells and made a lot of the standby spells Rituals (which were still usable, just required more time and some gold cost). Healing was redone to use Healing Surges, a system where each character can only recover hit points so many times between rests. The game focused on allowing 'healer' based characters to heal allies while attacking foes, and gave temporary hit points a greater focus to help mitigate damage between fights. When you were healed, often you spent a healing surge which meant you healed either a fixed dice type, or a number of dice equal to your class's Hit Dice. This meant heals scaled with level better based on a class's expected hit point pool.

Milestones happened if the party managed to clear multiple fights without taking a rest. A milestone gave players Action Points, essentially allowing them to spend them to gain an extra turn in combat, among other things. This gave incentive to avoid the ten minute workday, and for a party to push forward.

When I type all of this out I get a sick feeling in my stomach because I -love- all of this but know a majority of my friends hated it. From a DMs perspective 4th Edition took the combat of D&D and gave it a much needed work over. Roleplaying has always been a side effect of D&D, and when addressed in past editions has been very slim and relying on player/DM imagination.

I do think though all of the gripes are because 4th Edition did what past editions had tried to do but failed. It offered a combat system that put the tactical aspects past editions had talked about on the pedestal. Powers for each class gave you options to move around the battlefield, move others, shift, and manipulate space around your character from melee or afar to punish enemies and help allies. In other systems often combat boiled down to get near something and swing until it falls, or hope an ally has a spell to neutralize it. The option to knock things back, do a cartwheel off of a table and land on the other side of your target, or grapple someone and fall backwards was always there. When 4th Edition gave everyone the Dummies Guide to Doing More in combat through powers, people lost their minds because now it was the -system- saying they can do more. "Oh I have to spam this ability over and over" was a common complaint, which while there was a such a move for each class it was just "Basic Attack, but better based on your role". The simple act of adding a name to "I swing" and giving it a keyword turned people inside out.

So in retrospect, I don't think 4th Edition took away from player agency or from combat. It paired down the skill list, made combat more tactical, and allowed for staying power of the PCs to scale with level. The system had a section dedicated to doing 'off the wall' actions such as using improvised weapons, skill checks to do extra things, etc. If anything I think 4th Edition better prepared a DM and the party for thinking outside of the box, even if the Powers built a sort of odd 'wall' to see it. Granted 4th Edition had it's issues with horrible modules, bloated HP for some monsters in the first Monster Manual, and skill challenges.

I am sure there are other issues with 4th Edition no listed above, and I am sure there are other mechanics I have glossed over that people enjoyed or hated. Many of the smaller systems from 4th Edition were carried over into 5th Edition (Short Rest healing with Hit Dice, Recharge abilities on monsters being two immediately notable ones).

No system was or is perfect, but I do think 4th Edition received a bad shake. Here's to you 4th Edition, hopefully one day you'll get a revisit by WotC.

Energy in the GM - Makes or Breaks the Game

There are many, many nights when I get behind my GM podium, sigh, look at the table, and have a moment where I can feel the energy just run out of me at my feet. My players are ready to go, but I am lacking the energy to pull the trigger and announce the start.

It can be tough having a long day, then having to GM. Energy in the GM is the most important aspect that comes to the table. If the GM has energy, passion, and conviction for what they are going to run, it makes the session flow better. Smaller mistakes are easily overlooked by the players, and humor can flow seamlessly with the serious aspect of the game.

For me, staying on my feet while I GM is the key to staying focused and my energy up. I try my hardest to avoid being bland, to avoid sitting still for more than 20 minutes. While talking in character I walk around on my edge of the table, or walk around the table. I use voices, I am willing to use my hands and physical actions to talk for the NPCs. The GM's podium is nothing more than a vessel to carry my notes and to act as a surface to roll my dice. Some players will be intimidated by this approach, but I have found that there are a lot of players that are hesitant to RP who are knocked over the edge to start being in character for more than their actions.

Gathering a binder full of quick and easy notes to reference is one of the biggest aides to a GM. Name lists, encounter tables, monster stat blocks, etc. All of this can help keep your flow up and allow you to feel like king of the world. I went to Staples and grabbed a 2 dollar 2" binder during a back to school sale, and then snapped over to Amazon to grab a box of 100 paper sleeves for it. While it is a work in progress, just having some of the more basic GMing items already in it is perfect and saved my bacon in several games (especially the name list, I am terrible with names on the fly).

Keep snacks on hand for you, and only you, to reach. GMs while running can quickly be deprived of the group's snacks as players munch away, listening and acting accordingly while you are busy doing the prep work. Often I will buy myself a bag of chips and a 2 liter of cola to drink while I run my games. This is a minor thing, but it's a big step to keeping motivated to continue that narrative train.

Ultimately you need to figure out what keeps you going, and what keeps you in the game. I find standing, having my own snacks, and a binder full of quick nabbing notes is the key to staying in the game. What's yours??

It's never 'no', it's 'how'

Players all the time will look for ways to do things that are outlandish, and are completely out of left field. They will look at you from the front of the GM's screen, and will smile as they glance at their sheet and their fellow players.

"Can I use my Acrobatics to grab the propeller's rod, then run around and around to generate lift?"

The natural reaction is to roll your eyes until they generate an electrical arc, then say with a deadpan retort 'No'. People will get upset, the player will try to say that the +27 they have should allow them to do this feat. But ultimately, you knew the answer was no, and they were able to save the wrist strength on rolling the dice.

These sort of things take control away from the players, even if we know going into the situation that it is going to be a futile attempt. One of the biggest things about TTRPGs is the amount of 'freedom' players have. They are known for being a great escape from the boring, 9 to 5 monotony of the real world. This escape for many is the chance to do things that they would be unable to do. Some want to get swole, grab a sword, and take on 5 to 6 Orcs at once while weathering a sea of blows. Others want to wield arcane magics or serve a deity that blesses them with ultimate power. By itself, the very idea of these capabilities achieve a high level of choice to the characters.

When a player asks you a question you are sure you know the answer to already, avoid saying 'no', but 'how'.

How are you going to pull this one way door open?

How is your Fireball going to cook a row of chickens perfectly with zero error?

How will your character use their excellent Acrobatics skill to turn the propeller on the airship?

This does two things: It gives the illusion of choice, and it also keeps the level of narrative control in the player's hands consistent. Nobody likes being told no, and when it comes to something that is supposed to be an escape, it hurts even more. Players should be allowed to experiment and experience the pain of failure for their characters. In some moments, such an action as the propeller example above in a way make sense. It's a desperate attempt in a life or death situation. It adds tension, and the GM only had to ask how.

While the player is rolling their dice to determine how well they were unable to accomplish their task, you should use this time to plan an explanation that will make their attempt powerful. Players love to hear how well they do, for better or for worse. The key to delivering bad news is doing it with flare. It makes you feel more alive, and it lets your players know that you care.

Roll20 Marketplace Review - Greytale's Dungeon Items

I have spent more money on the Roll20 Marketplace than I frequently care to admit. Some nights, I lay in bed and think about the dollars that have went into various tile sets while my wife shows me paint ideas for our house.

This money has went to both good and bad items, however there is one provider on Roll20 that has given me the most bang for my buck: Greytale's Dungeon Blanks. I have purchased almost every set from the Roll20 page for Greytale's, and I find that everything that they have released is spot on 100% perfect. Every set has instructions on how to use the pieces in regards to sizing and how certain pieces will interact with others.

The biggest draw to me has been however the amount of customization that is possible with each set. The Blanks in particular have a great deal of mileage on them, and my players that play in my online games can attest to seeing Dungeon Blank Set #2 for almost every dungeon. Each piece if clear of any what I call 'identifying mark's. You will find no furniture baked into the tiles, no blood spots or even statues. Each piece is just the base terrain, which for me is a huge draw to the set. I like to do my best on making sure every dungeon is different, and having tiles that allow me to have a literal blank slate to work with is great. They offer a cavern set, which is amazing and speaks for itself.

Art wise every set is top notch, the furniture packs they offer are done in the same art style as the tiles which allows them to blend as if the entire set was done as one large piece. This seems like common sense to many people, after all it is probably done by the same artist. But a lot of sets in the Roll20 Marketplace under the same author have various styles, or colors that are off hue from one another. It is a real struggle to find good sets for dungeon layouts, and even harder to find them at acceptable prices. For me, Greytale covers both of these.

If Greytale's people ever read this, I do have one bit of feedback for you: release sets faster please! I still need to pickup the newest set as of this writing, Greytale Dungeon Blank # 4, but I can tell looking at it that I will enjoy using it. My players will enjoy the sight of ramps, and enjoy the change of scenery from the other 3 sets.

If you want to check out these sets for yourself, follow this link here to head to the Roll20 Marketplace and take a look at the sets!

Handling a Rules Lawyer at the Table

At some point in the life of a GM, there has been that one player whose knowledge of a system is infallible. They studied it, played it since they were but a mere child, and are ready to remind you of every little discrepancy in the rules even if it hurts their fellow party members. They can end games and ruin friendships, but most of all they can make the game a no fun quagmire for the GM.

Handling this sort of player is a true test of social skill, requiring a bit of a backbone as a GM. Before you even consider approaching them on this, look at a few factors:

-          Are the players verbally or visibly upset when the Rules Lawyer starts to grumble?

-          Is the Rules Lawyer only speaking up when it is in their favor?

-          Most importantly, is the Rules Lawyer hurting your enjoyment of the game?

If they tick any of these options above, then you need to take action immediately. If you let it linger, it will hurt the game in the long run and people will drop out. Worst of all, if it bothers you the most, it can hurt the quality of the game resulting in a massive degradation of player enjoyment that can be difficult to come back from.

Turning the negative energy the person at the table is generating into a positive one can be difficult. Often times many will understand if you tell them to bring any rules questions up after the game with you, in order to keep the table moving and play time unbroken. However, there are a few who will take this as a way of silencing them, being unwavering in their dedication to the written word of RAW (Rules as Written). The best way to handle this is turn that negative energy into something positive for the whole table. Let them know that you could use their expertise and knowledge in areas such as Skill Resolution, which is often times a section that many players are unfamiliar with. Have them help the group out by providing basic handouts on commonly misunderstood rules that can slow a table down if they get out of hand. Using the person as a tool instead of a hindrance is a great way to turn their energy into something that benefits all, and can help take a burden off of your shoulders!

It is sad to say however that there are many who will try to abuse their standing knowledge of the game for their own goals, or to harm other players at the table. Trying to speak with them can prove futile as they continue their old ways, or worse, start to become distraught at the table. These players should be cut from the roster and a replacement found, if possible. It is the hardest thing to do as a GM, but think of the game and your enjoyment. Think of the time and energy everyone else, including yourself, have put into the table. Will it sour some grapes? Yes, but in the long run it is worth a bit of heartbreak for a long term relief of knowing you can enjoy your own games.

Remember at the end of the day: The GM’s word is law, and for good reason. Never be afraid to back up your feelings or decisions.

In Defense of Group Character Creation

Oftentimes GMs will have their players create the character they need for the game at home before they arrive to the table for the first session of play. Arrays and point buys have eroded the need for ‘GM confirmed’ rolls for attributes and there are so many systems out there that allow for easy character generation for most major systems. Making the character before the game saves a session of time, but what is the cost of this convenience?

I have always felt that by having characters generated before the game starts, we lose out on a chance for our players to appreciate the setting. Watching over their shoulder while they consider their choices allows you to both make sure you are providing an adequate challenge, but you can also help strengthen their bond with the setting. Offer suggestions from the handout (if there is one) about how certain classes can tie in with existing organizations. Talk about the terrain and certain events while they create which can give them ideas as to what would be strong in the campaign. Talking about a setting will churn thoughts among your peers more than simply placing it on a piece of paper. Speak with a tone that shows you care about what you created and you can easily encourage your friends to think about their in-character choices.

With everyone in the same room, you also allow for the group to synergize better with one another. You have an easier time filling class roles, and people can work together to create a bond that works in-character for the campaign. Probably one of my biggest gripes is when players come to the table with multiple characters rolled ready to go when I ask them to roll at home. It gives of a feeling of caring only for the game portion of the campaign, not the setting itself. It’s a nice gesture in order to make sure roles are established to avoid shortcomings, but it feels hollow unless they have a good back story for each.

Newer players will always benefit the most from group creation, with veterans helping them determine the direction they should go for the idea the new player has in mind. Many systems that offer a lot of complex choices also suffer from the Ivory Tower gaming theory where certain options seem appealing, but are useless. These options are traps for new players who only know the basics, and can deteriorate playing experience in later sessions. The group experience can also make sure that the player’s character is in line and 100% correct for game time to help keep the game time flowing smoothly.

The best reason though to create characters as a group is the bonding aspect of it all. Knowing what design process went into each character, interacting with each other by providing suggestions and support for character ideas and themes, all of this can result in a greater experience at the table come game time.

Dungeon Cartography: The Tomb

Almost every campaign out there has featured at some point the party going head first into a forgotten tomb, ripe with treasures of the past and dangers of the undead variety. These places are often almost unrecognizable from a stereotypical surface dungeon, and generally are well stocked with period correct currency and magical potions that do what the potions down at Fantasy Drug and Bar do.

Tombs should be a section of the world that are a doorway to the past of a certain kind of people. They should be a place that helps establish a regional setting around it and inform the players about the people who once lived in the lands around it. If anything the fact that a tomb is around proves that the region has multiple historic layers. This heritage can be expressed in many ways that both affects the players on a mechanical level and on a personal level.

The easiest thing one can do to make a tomb immediately echo its age is any currency the players find is 'unique'. Gold coins of a different shape, weight, or even with other metals on their face are one of the easiest ways to bring this about as it gives the players something 'liquid' that they will feel they can take advantage of. It provides a doorway in-character for anyone in the party with street connections or metalworking experience to flex their skills. Suddenly what could of been 50 gold pieces is now something that may need to be smelted down and sold as bars, of could even be given to a private collector or a museum. One could even go farther and argue that it gives the party rogue/'face' a tool in which to barter with common men and women, arguing the rarity of the coin doubles the value. If a DM is feeling adventurous, they could instead make all of the currency in the tomb be crafted from Electrum, a metal alloy that is essentially 'unrefined gold'. During ancient times it was known for being more durable, and easier to craft and obtain than straight gold, but also had poor conversion costs globally with silver being deemed 'superior'. This sort of metal could be a great role-playing opportunity as the players would need to find a way to refine it, or even sell it off as is or in an ingot state. A DM could even go as far as using the sudden talk and appearance of this 'lost currency' as a mini adventure, bringing forth followers of the ancient ways who wish to meet those who sullied the good name of a local tomb.

Within the walls of a tomb it should be noted that more than wealth would be present. Taking a note from the Egyptians, many tombs were stocked with everyday goods such as bowls, utensils, clothes, and furniture. These objects were buried alongside the body throughout the tomb in order to help with the afterlife, and later were replaced with statues known as shabti, which were said to help the person in the afterlife by doing work for them. Many tombs had multiples of these statues, some numbering into the hundreds! For the players, such statues could represent past gods, or could even be clever traps that spring to life and attack would be robbers. Tapestries and paintings on the walls could tell tales of the person located in the tomb, their past deeds, life, and even how they will live in the afterlife. These can be either extremely simple for DMs who like to generate as they go, or they could be complex and tell an even deeper tale of how those in the past were viewed in society based on their actions.

While tombs are often explored because they have been 'sealed for many years' or just happen to be where a plot device is located in order to proceed with the main quest, a DM willing to give his players a challenge could also have the tomb be inhabited with more than the undead. Wild animals from the surrounding countryside could find an easy, dry, and warm home in the halls of the once sacred burial grounds, leaving proof of their lair by means of animal bones and dropping. Other tomb robbers such as small packs of highway men or aspiring adventurers sick of the everyday peasant life could be found stumbling along the corridors, in various states of cooperation with the party. The intrusion of such life should also affect the state of the wealth and items in the tomb. Past robbers could of taken the items out of a chest, but left the odd looking coinage due to weight and time constraints. Dead bodies with more recent goods on them could be found in hallways and within areas where animals live, providing possible hints of traps ahead or dangers abound. One could even branch out of the tomb and have tunnels poorly dug from outside of the tomb used as a way in for especially dedicated tomb robbers that were unable to break the door's seal. This tunnel could lead to a bandit hideout, or even to another tomb nearby.

Many tombs in fantasy lore are filled with traps and dangers that help keep the riches and valuable goods inside free from the hands of robbers. Often these traps are one shot in nature, but are often deadly. They provide the party rogue with the challenge of disabling these obstacles in order to allow safe passage. A good change of pace for a tomb if one finds their players to be expecting traps around every corner is to hide the traps in more than just triggered effects. Statues that animate upon life entering a room or touching them, gems that turn into poisonous vipers upon leaving the burial site, even cursed weapons are all good alternatives to the basic arrow or blade trap. For those who enjoy the classic style of traps that are more concrete, room flooding devices can provide quick tension for the party and force them to either quickly disable the mechanism or be sent running out of the tomb with what they have so far. Dried mixtures of poison could be covering key sections of the tomb, such as the lid of the main sarcophagus or the handles of doors. These poisons could be lessened in effect with age, only implying minor penalties on the player affected hours later after the initial delve, a reminder of the acts they had just committed.

Layouts of tombs throughout the period of human history have usually been a few rooms connected with varying lengths of tunnels. Even the Great Pyramid, despite its scale only has a few rooms inside of it. Small tombs in an adventure setting often get blown through within minutes of game time, so a DM must make them bigger and more like a traditional dungeon or ruin. To help keep with the theme of a tomb setting, it is important that one makes the rooms themed to the time and the person being buried. One could have multiple rooms dedicated to past family members complete with paintings, ashes in urns, or even their bodies in open air coffins. Rooms full of cheap offerings from people once ruled over, providing the party with an even bigger historical window into the past. An early room of the tomb itself could be out of place, upon further inspection revealed to be a break area for workers who dug or constructed the place. A central great hall with large statues of the person entombed there complete with now extinguished fire pits could serve as a central point of the tomb. Passages could be so small that only smaller races can enter and exit, meaning that the party needs to either employ magic to shrink down to enter, or risk sending one or two members in to see what lies beyond. Some passages could be collapsed and blocked to the party unless they wish to hire diggers or employ magic to clear the area.

For many people the above suggestions are common place, and when reading probably think to themselves 'well yeah, all of that is cool and most tombs have them'. Unfortunately it is easy to forget that tombs themselves are cultural in significance and often play a role that is far greater to the people living near it during their time of construction than we think of today. They are generally symbols, tokens of thanks and good luck in the afterlife to those who lay within. Many tombs in games could be re-labeled as a ruined building or a castle, and only have the monsters within possibly be the only connection to its once tomb designation. As a DM, having a strong tomb with many echoes to the past brings immersion to the game world and provides a sense of depth for the players. For more open minded Dms who like narrative changes, it can even provide hooks for players to use to help establish their character backgrounds. With a strong historical view into the past players could claim that they share ties with such past cultures, using it to entrench the murderhobo into the local history.

Hopefully someone out there will take a few queues from this and implement them to great success! :)