pay it forward

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JTwig
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Re: pay it forward

Unread post by JTwig »

bob the desolate one wrote:hey all i am a gm from florida and i've hit some hard times but on the upside my playgroup is a really cool bunch of guy who have been helping me make it by and i wanna do something cool for them anybody got any ideas just keep in mind money is a bit of a issue for me right now but i still wanna do them right any ideas?


The bake goods or home cooked meal are a good idea. Also if you, or a wife, know how to sew or knit a small home made items are also very nice to receive. Another thing is if you garden, home grown veggies are always better than store bought.
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lather
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Unread post by lather »

Inventory your skills and see what you can do well. Make, bake, write a poem or story, whatever, and you will do them right.
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Unread post by Greyaxe »

Any of the above make for good player appreciation days.

You can also have a sit down and ask them what they want to see in the game over said delicious treats. Make them feel they are a contributing force in their game rather than in your game. Maybe before each session have a 15 minute pow wow, snack on treats and discuss what they want. Introduce the choicest ideas into the game and see who bites. You will be surprised how much players appreciate being part of the game rather than just participating in a GM run adventure regardless how good it may be.
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lather
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Unread post by lather »

I like camping. I think that is a great idea.

Although the paper-soaking humidity and bugs can make things unpleasant when gaming.
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asajosh
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Unread post by asajosh »

Lucky wrote:Treat them to a camping trip.

It's cheap, fun, and I challenge you to find a better gaming environment than over a campfire in the woods at night.

`


But.. where will i plug in my laptop? :D
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lather
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Unread post by lather »

Depends where you camp. In the backwoods you won't.

But some areas have camp grounds and within the grounds some sites have electric, although you are not backwoods you can still have a fire what not. But that might be overkill ;)
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Unread post by asajosh »

Hmm, betwen me and the GM snoring, no critters would dare come near our camp! Of course no friendly wood nymphs either, but that's the price you pay I suppose :D
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Jesterzzn wrote:So just remember that its just the internet, and none of our opinions matter anyway, and you'll do fine. :)
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lather
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Unread post by lather »

:lol:

Fire keeps most things away. Fire and snoring, well, I think that has a Horror Factor of about 10000.

Yea and if you have bears nearby, hang your food up or at least do not keep it near you...
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lather
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Unread post by lather »

Yea when I saw from Florida the word humidity first came to mind.
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Unread post by Warwolf »

Can you write? If so, write their characters up in a short story and submit it to the Rifter (as long as you guys have no qualms with PB owning your characters). I know my group would probably flip if their characters ended up in any PB publication. :lol:
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Unread post by asajosh »

Ninjabunny wrote:Your group ain't the only ones My group would bow down and kiss kevins feet, Well I would at least.


I tried at the open house, Kevin is awful skittish and surprisingly nimble. Like a plump squirrel in tennis shoes! :lol:
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Carl Gleba wrote:My original line of thinking goes along with asajosh...
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Snuffy
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Unread post by Snuffy »

One thing I did for my players was to create a notebook for their characters. I put their characters in plastic sleeves and got white-out markers. I also got some pencils and a pocket (three ring) to put everything in for storage. Also, the notebooks had a plastic cover so you could put drawings or labels under for the guy's personal mark.

I didn't have much money at the time and did a bit of searching though Job-Lot & Dollar type stores to make the notebooks.

I guess it was kind a corny gift, but they seemed to really like them and use the notebooks.
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asajosh
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Unread post by asajosh »

sawg138 wrote::ok: Nice, simple idea that doesn't require cooking. I like it.


Aww its cool, Bob can cook (desolate as he is). :D
Be at peace, my people. All shall be looked up.
Carl Gleba wrote:My original line of thinking goes along with asajosh...
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Jesterzzn wrote:So just remember that its just the internet, and none of our opinions matter anyway, and you'll do fine. :)
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lather
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Unread post by lather »

sawg138 wrote:Good. :ok: If I cooked for my players, they'd think I want them all dead. :oops:

But you do, right? :P

Edit: yea characters not players. I am blinded by my GM megalomania sometimes.. :lol:
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lather
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Unread post by lather »

sawg138 wrote:
lather wrote:
sawg138 wrote:Good. :ok: If I cooked for my players, they'd think I want them all dead. :oops:

But you do, right? :P

Edit: yea characters not players. I am blinded by my GM megalomania sometimes.. :lol:

I do not GM to kill characters. I let them do it to themselves. I just hand them the rope.

Yea thems just jokes.
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lather
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Unread post by lather »

sawg138 wrote:
lather wrote:
sawg138 wrote:
lather wrote:
sawg138 wrote:Good. :ok: If I cooked for my players, they'd think I want them all dead. :oops:

But you do, right? :P

Edit: yea characters not players. I am blinded by my GM megalomania sometimes.. :lol:

I do not GM to kill characters. I let them do it to themselves. I just hand them the rope.

Yea thems just jokes.

My jokes are not so painful as to be lethal. :x :P

I... beg to differ :P
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lather
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Unread post by lather »

sawg138 wrote:
lather wrote:
sawg138 wrote:
lather wrote:
sawg138 wrote:
lather wrote:
sawg138 wrote:Good. :ok: If I cooked for my players, they'd think I want them all dead. :oops:

But you do, right? :P

Edit: yea characters not players. I am blinded by my GM megalomania sometimes.. :lol:

I do not GM to kill characters. I let them do it to themselves. I just hand them the rope.

Yea thems just jokes.

My jokes are not so painful as to be lethal. :x :P

I... beg to differ :P

Hey! :x :oops: :(

Thems just jokes :lol:
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CyCo
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Unread post by CyCo »

Snuffy wrote:One thing I did for my players was to create a notebook for their characters. I put their characters in plastic sleeves and got white-out markers. I also got some pencils and a pocket (three ring) to put everything in for storage. Also, the notebooks had a plastic cover so you could put drawings or labels under for the guy's personal mark.

I didn't have much money at the time and did a bit of searching though Job-Lot & Dollar type stores to make the notebooks.

I guess it was kind a corny gift, but they seemed to really like them and use the notebooks.


One extension of this idea is more than just a note book. You need to be a bit creative and good with your hands, but it looks great. Many moons ago, I made a spellbook for one of my favourate characters. I had found a place in one of the local markets that made wooden books with recycled paper in them for pages. He normally used joined pine, you know the stuff that slots together? And bolts with wingnuts to hold the two covers together. And piano hinges to actually open the covers. I had him make up one using 3 ply covers. And with brass bolts and and nuts to hold it all in place.

In between market days, I went to a craft store and a saddler (makes saddles, bit & bridles, etc), and got a few sheets of calf or thin leather. Also got some stain, and dug up one of my older sisters leather tools (one of her hobbies during her teens).

When I picked up the book, I covered it in the leather, punched in the name of my character on the cover, stained the leather, and painted in gold over the name.

I then photo copied each spell he had in his spell book, then used cut/paste to arrange them to fit the pages as I wanted. Of course, it didn't look the greatest like that, so I just used the tea bag method of staining each page after the glue dried. These day, I'd copy each spell into my computer and print them onto parchment paper.

Sadly, I lost the spell book years ago. :[

I'm not saying that you should go to all that work for each of your mates. But a wooden version would look great. And just use normal paper. You could work out the size you want (say, character sheet size...??), then increase it a little. Make one out of heavy card first, to make sure it all works out. Note down what size each piece is, and how many you need. Also try to work it out so it fits in a large rectangle. Go to a major hardware store that also sells timber. Select a timber (pines usually fairly cheap), and you'll probably find that they'll cut each piece out for you, maybe for free or for a small charge.

You'll also be able to find hinges and other fittings there that may enhance each book.

You could just say you're making up a book for your family tree for your parents and brothers & sisters.

8]
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lather
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Unread post by lather »

Wow that's cool.

Bummer you lost the book. *gets all emotional like sawg138*

:P
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Snuffy
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Awesome!

Unread post by Snuffy »

Cyco - what a great idea!!! A real shame the books was lost. How much do you think it cost to make it? Just a guestimate.
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Spinachcat
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Unread post by Spinachcat »

Good chow is always a great thank you. Just don't go cheap on the ingredients and use extra butter.

If you have a 99 cent store near you, I recommend browsing every month or two. I have found great anime DVDs and cool gaming props and occassionally odd books . . . "Hamlet in the Original Klingon" is probably my best score.

PS: Also offer to GM whatever they would like as a next campaign. Have them pick the game and decide what kind of campaign they would like you to develop. Kinda like a Custom Made To Order GM!
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CyCo
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Re: Awesome!

Unread post by CyCo »

Snuffy wrote:Cyco - what a great idea!!! A real shame the books was lost. How much do you think it cost to make it? Just a guestimate.


It was only one book, but how much did it cost..?? It's been awhile, but I think the guy made the basic 'book' for about $10 -$15. It may have been $20. But you could save some money for yourself by buying and cutting it up yourself. Use 3 ply, maybe even marine ply, as it's resistant to warping and swelling.

The leather was about the same, say $15. I got the bolts and nuts from a marine supply place from memory, as they were brass. A few dollars there.

As an aside, you can get brass battery terminals there for your car. The don't oxidize as much as 'standard' battery terminals. 8]

You can get piano hinges from most good hardware stores. Probably a few bucks.

You can pick up some imitation parchment paper from art supply stoes as well as some newsagents. I haven't bought any for years,but it's more expensive then standard printer paper.

Lets say around $40. And that's Australian, so about $33 US.

As for not having the carpenter skills to cut up the wood, the local hardware store here (Bunnings), would cut it to size for me, I'm almost totally positive on that one.

One thing I forgot to mention before was to get a short length of metal tubing, brass, copper, whatever, that fits just over the bolts for the book. That way you'll help protect the pages from the thread on the bolts. Ask for some off cuts at a hardware store, they probably have some somewhere, and it's probably free. If not, buy some from a hobby store, one that sells train sets will probably have some.

You could probably make a budget version if you wanted. Use mounting board or a suitable thick card. Vinyl offcuts from an unpholsters, or an old lounge. What ever bolts & nuts are availalbe. Normal printer paper.

Wont be as strong as one made of wood, but could be worth a shot.

8]
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Unread post by asajosh »

bob the desolate one wrote:really like your idea but i'm a horrible carpenter and kinda strapped for cash i think i will just make smore brownies (i'd make them not stacy josh :wink: ) and maybe do the binders if i can scrape up some cash :oops:


Thank god, then the brownies will be edible. Though I think the cat liked the Stacy Special, burned to a hard shell on the outside and just past raw on the inside! Ya can't bake things faster just by cranking up the oven heat! :?
:lol:
Be at peace, my people. All shall be looked up.
Carl Gleba wrote:My original line of thinking goes along with asajosh...
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Jesterzzn wrote:So just remember that its just the internet, and none of our opinions matter anyway, and you'll do fine. :)
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lather
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Unread post by lather »

Yea only burn them faster.
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lather
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Unread post by lather »

That's why I don't cook my food.
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Unread post by Aramanthus »

Ah so you eat out all of the time!
"Your Grace," she said, "I have only one question. Do you wish this man crippled or dead?"

"My Lady," the protector of Grayson told his Champion, "I do not wish him to leave this chamber alive."

"As you will it, your Grace."

HH....FIE
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lather
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Unread post by lather »

That or eat uncooked food. :)

Maybe I'll get a microwave and microwavable premades.
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Aramanthus
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Unread post by Aramanthus »

Then you just have to worry about parasites! Those can make your life really miserable!
"Your Grace," she said, "I have only one question. Do you wish this man crippled or dead?"

"My Lady," the protector of Grayson told his Champion, "I do not wish him to leave this chamber alive."

"As you will it, your Grace."

HH....FIE
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lather
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Unread post by lather »

Aramanthus wrote:Then you just have to worry about parasites!

Yes they are everywhere. Looks at his co-workers. :thwak:
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lather
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Unread post by lather »

If it walks the Earth... swims in the sea... for flies in the sky...

hehe
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lather
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Unread post by lather »

bob the desolate one wrote:
lather wrote:If it walks the Earth... swims in the sea... for flies in the sky...

hehe


for flies in the sky :lol:

crapola. or flies...
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