new to FC not to D20 GM--please share your advice

[Charlie D]

I've played AD&D 1E and 2E, D&D 3.0, 3.5, and 4E and Pathfinder. I'm about to start a two year journey to attempt to take a FC campaign fromst 1st level to 20th level.

I've already received good advice about mages (I'll be limiting them to one school for spells) and I've read about the drake's flight (I'm not sure whether to allow drakes or not, still considering). I'm also wondering about monsters (does scaling work well and do I have enough for 20 levels--should I convert PF Bestaries maybe?), magic items (how hard are they to make in a long game, should I convert from the Magic Compendium for 3.5 or maybe the old D&D magic item book?), and gunpowder (yes or no).

I'd love to hear any advice, pitfalls to watch out for, opportunities not to miss etc. I really want this campaign to run as smooth as possible and any helpful advice would be appreciated.

Thanks!

[ludomastro]

Welcome aboard if no one has said it.

Here's my 2s.

Do scaling monsters work well?
I have not had any issues with them at all.  One of the features (or bugs, depends on your POV) is that scaling is slower than PC development.  So while that dragon you used at 1st level will still be a challenge at 20th, it will be proportionally less of a challenge.  (Not a lot, but enough that you will notice.)

Do I have enough for 20 levels?
Printed in the book?  Perhaps not.  Given the extreme ease of the NPC creation system, absolutely! 
Should I convert PF Bestaries maybe?  Entirely your call.  Again, the NPC system makes this almost trivial so I've never worried about it.

How hard are magic items to make in a long game?
Make in the sense of a character crafting them?  OR  Make in the sense of the GM maintaining balance?
Since magic items are far less powerful in FC, the second isn't as much of an issue.  Most of my players have never bothered with item creation so I can't speak from experience.  However, the rules are straight forward.  You may want to allow for banking the reputation created via the crafting rules.  Unless you are making sure they have plenty of down-time.

That brings up another point.  Don't forget down-time if you want your players to use Crafting.  In my first table-top campaign, I didn't do much by way of down-time and consequently, no one used Crafting.

Should I convert magic items from the Magic Compendium for 3.5 or maybe the old D&D magic item book?  Given the nature of most d20 products to abuse magic items and to make them far more powerful than needed, I would say no.  However, if you can keep a light touch, go for it.

Should I include gunpowder?
Depends on what you want.  Yes, it's a bit of cop-out answer.  I don't favor it but it can have a place in the rough equivalent of the late Fuedal or Renaisance periods.  I would suggest that you test it.  Have a one shot with everyone using it (the bad guys too) and see how your group likes it.  If they vote to keep it, then do so, just remind them that the bad guys have access to the Deadeye class abilities too.

Things to watch out for?
In the immortal words of the little green one: You must unlearn what you have learned.

Seriously, that is the best advice for you as the GM as well as your players.  While FC shares a lot of similaries with other d20 products, it isn't a clone with a few house-rules stiched on.  The biggest pitfalls we have encountered have been those associated with assumptions about the system.  I've fallen into most of them but that doesn't mean I don't still fall into them occasionally.

This may seem to flow from the other, but give yourself and your group enough time to get comfortable with the system.

Oh, and don't forget the zeroth law: Have fun!

[spinningdice]

Scaling works to a point, but characters do get more competent against the same monsters. So if you run a monster against a level 1 party and a level 20 party the level 20 party has an easier time of it. Monsters are very simple to create, especially using meadicus' npc generator, you can throw out monsters in 10 minutes or so (I've thrown one together during a session before when the party went off the rails.
Magic Items are a pretty flexible system as is, though it is limited in power compared to D&D (though I view this as a good thing), also bear in mind that Magic Items never feel necessary in FantasyCraft, the hero eschewing magic completely doesn't fall behind the rest. Gunpowder is personal choice, it's not "better" than bows etc, long load times do a lot to balance them to everything else, and while you can overcome it (bandoleers, Quick Draw etc) you do have to invest in doing so in your character build.

One thing I would recommend, at least for your first few sessions do some prep, ensure you have the damage types you'll be using to hand (either on reference cards or bookmarked), monsters ready to go at the appropriate level etc. There's quite a lot in FC to keep track off, and while it does become second nature, it takes a bit to pick up.

[pawsplay]

I've played AD&D 1E and 2E, D&D 3.0, 3.5, and 4E and Pathfinder. I'm about to start a two year journey to attempt to take a FC campaign fromst 1st level to 20th level.

I think that's a cool idea. I did that with 3.5 and I'd like to do that with FC, too.

I've already received good advice about mages (I'll be limiting them to one school for spells)

Sure, although perhaps not necessary. If you take this route, are you going to use the specialist caster types instead of the Mage?

and I've read about the drake's flight (I'm not sure whether to allow drakes or not, still considering).

My main concerns about drakes are the social aspects. I've never found flight to be the big issue in-game that some people feel it is, especially winged flight, which usually requires room to take off and maneuver.

I'm also wondering about monsters (does scaling work well and do I have enough for 20 levels--should I convert PF Bestaries maybe?),

People overestimate how many monsters they need, as a rule. The point of having huge bestiaries is to have lots of choices. So if you see something you want to convert, do it! I wouldn't bother to convert them en masse. I concerted a small horde of monsters from the Miniatures Handbook a while back, but it was a pretty slim monster section, and I did partially because of the obscurity of the material. Be sure to check out the [ulr=http://fantasycraftdb.com]Fantasy Craft DB[/url] and the Wiki on this site.

Scaling works pretty well. The "hidden scaling" is that higher level PCs probably face higher XP opponents to match their more varied abilities. The central strength is that you can take any given opponent, like a band of orcs, and throw them in without figuring out how they are supposed to work. That doesn't mean all encounters are equally appropriate, just that if you perceive them to be appropriate, they should work. Does that make sense?

magic items (how hard are they to make in a long game, should I convert from the Magic Compendium for 3.5 or maybe the old D&D magic item book?),

You probably won't need a ton of items. Even with the Greater Magic Items rule, which I would recommend for most high fantasy games, most magic items in FC are going to be more tightly focused. If you like powerful items, my recommendation would be to allow each PC to acquire an artifact at some point in the campaign, after an appropriate challenge.

and gunpowder (yes or no).

I've played in settings without it (most D&D, GURPS Fantasy, etc) and some with (Warhammer Fantasy). It doesn't make as much a difference as you might think. For one thing, historically, gunpowder had a larger impact on mass combat than on personal combat until well into the late 19th century, which is pretty well reflected in many RPGs, including FC. However, it does raise some interesting worldbuilding questions.

I'd love to hear any advice, pitfalls to watch out for, opportunities not to miss etc. I really want this campaign to run as smooth as possible and any helpful advice would be appreciated.

Thanks!

Probably the big thing is realizing that your players will need some guidance. For all that FC resembles other d20 games, it's still a new game and should be treated as such. In some cases, you may need to "translate" tropes they are familiar with into FC terms. For instance, if someone wants to make a wall-crawling thief, it may not be obvious that Burglar and Explorer are the closest fits, while a member of most classes could fill that role with the right choice of origin skills, Specialty, and feats.

[The_Grand_User]

and I've read about the drake's flight (I'm not sure whether to allow drakes or not, still considering).

My main concerns about drakes are the social aspects. I've never found flight to be the big issue in-game that some people feel it is, especially winged flight, which usually requires room to take off and maneuver.

Which is only reflected by the Reviled trait in the rules, the rest is completely up to the GM. You could make a world where drakes are almost savage beasts content to live out in the wild lands, and the humans/elves/dwarves/etc in their cities hardly ever see a drake. Or you could go such that drakes are fully integrated into a society, they just make some people a bit nervous, but can have a full life in the city. Or something in between.

Or something between the two, one kingdom/nation/region has drakes living in society with humans, another they're living in the wild, another place could be only drakes.

The Temeraire books would be good examples for this, where in England/Europe, the dragons are mostly confined to country side and for military purposes, whereas in China, they're treated just like people, just with different capabilities and needs.

[pawsplay]

Even in a setting in which they are intregrated, drakes are still aloof, Large carnivores that use different tools and furnishings, which can definitely impact how they are able to interact in some scenes.

[The_Grand_User]

So not much different from making them the aristocracy, besides the large size

[pawsplay]

So not much different from making them the aristocracy, besides the large size

That's actually a very apt comparision. Including a drake in a fantasy party invites many of the same difficulities as would including a crown prince in a group of freemen mercenaries.

[Charlie D]

Really helpful information everyone, thanks.

I liked what I was reading in FC but now that I'm hearing that much of the system actually does work during actual play I'm even more pleased. I also like finding out that I likely won't need as many monsters or magic items as I might have thought from playing other D20 fantasy games.

Selling FC to some of my players may take a bit of work, so knowing what I'm getting into up front really helps.

[magustoad]

On Drakes an other non(standard)-folk.

It is all about the setting and how drakes, rootwalkers, oni, etc fit into the fluff.  I would recommend nailing this down.  What it does is give context to these races.  It's what helps set them apart.

In the game I am playing in we are kind of writing bits of the setting in as we go.  The world was originally drafted for D&D and we are retrofitting some FC bits like drakes and 'walkers. 

The way it is working out with drakes so far is they are kind of wildcards.  They generally keep to themselves, and are fairly uncommon in Folk-settled areas.  People tend to view them as you would a storm on the horizon... does it bear life-giving rain or decimation at the end of a tornado?  That said, they aren't invincible.  Dragon-kin and Folk know each other's tricks and tactics well enough due to a long history of clashes. 

A drake does not buzz the 'tower or fly over the walls without expecting incoming fire.  When in Folk-lands they recognize that while they are the superior beings, they can still be torn apart when the collective ire of their lessers is raised.

Folk give a deference born of bloody tales, and sometimes recent memory of those who crossed a drake or wandered unbidden unto its marked territory.  They could be sages of immense age, potent allies, or the most terrible of enemies.  Many folk simply wish the drakes to move on and not discover which they might be. 

Nobody wants to be one of the ones ripped asunder or charred with flame in conflict, the same way a drake doesn't want to die of 'a thousand cuts.'  It makes for a delicious feel of "Old West Politeness" where neither side (generally) wants to draw guns and acts accordingly with giving others their due and space.

Some fun things about mine: He has consumed folk before.  He views it like smoking, tastes terrible and bad for your health... why would you willingly make it a habit?  He goes among the folk and observes them like a scientist would a pre-industrial tribe in the jungle.  He found the art of Cooking to be much to his liking, even sinking a good deal of coin into a cook's kit that gives him a passable, if somewhat comical, set of tools to work with.  He has a soft spot for rare, exotic, and exquisite cooking gear.

While delving into an ancient tower that recently re-surfaced from its long absence he nearly got killed due to hubris and over-eagerness.  They found a large kitchen, long forgotten and he about ran over the other party members in his rush to look for lost goodies.  He found a recently roused, and very irritated, pride of displacer beasts had already laid claim to the area.  Nothing like a surprise round with your front quarters and head stuffed into a dusty-ass pantry and the kitties attacking your flanks.    

Anyways I hope you see my drift here.

[vardeman]

In the immortal words of the little green one: You must unlearn what you have learned.

Kermit?