> For myself and my group, as far as equipment goes, I
> thought up some other things as well that the LR's
> might need and put them into a couple lists. Both my
> players and I felt that the items given in the
> beginning weren't entirely adaquate.

Depends on what you're planning on doing. The standard equipment has
always sufficed in my games, but if you add stuff to the adventures or
stray from the text....well, there's no telling what you might need then.

> As far as money was concerned, I let them roll for d10
> gold coins to start. We also modified the currency
> exchange in the game to make it simpler to use. Sort
> of a coppers > silvers > gold pieces kind of thing.
> They then use the money to purchase additional
> equipment they felt they might need.

If you're going to add equipment, this is probably a good way to do it.
It keeps the players from bringing anything their hearts might desire,
adds a little accountability and responsibility. 

> Love your ideas concerning making contests between
> various classes and groups at the Academy! I think it
> could be used as an opportunity to learn the rules
> better and earn a few MU's. I smell a beginning
> adventure, sort of a pre-Lightraider Test adventure.
> You could weave a plot line into it for teaching
> purposes, like things that happen outside of the
> contests, interaction with NPCs, etc. Like what if
> there was an instructor with dark leanings and the
> students uncover a plot?

There's been a few ideas kicked around over the years concerning a
Liberated Land adventure. I don't know what the possibilities are, but I
think some brief Academy contests could be made to work, especially if a
few inward conflicts were thrown in (players with low Peace or Love could
get a little envious watching better warriors, bitterness might arise
against a player who defeated you, etc.). I think the notion of an
Academy professor leaning toward the dark side is a little farfetched,
though, both because it's hard to swallow and because that's a little
heavy for a novice adventure. On the other hand, something like that
might make a decent advanced supplement, if there were someone willing to
take the time to develop it....

> Actually, just simply for the sake of discussion. One
> of the biggest complaints from my group was the amount
> of teaching situations that were presented in the
> Moonbridge Raid. They felt like every time they turned
> around there was a verse being thrown at them or other
> teaching situation and it became overloaded at times.
> I was just wondering if anyone else felt that way who
> had played Moonbridge I, II, & III? I mean the main
> teaching point on each island was great; but there are
> hexes that seemed to have these random teaching
> points, and it began to slow the flow of the game.
> Just wondering if anyone else felt that way or if
> anyone had come up with a solution. For my part, I
> began to cut out some of the random teaching simply to
> keep the game moving at a reasonable pace.

The teaching situations are the central reason for playing DR (or at
least the primary reason it exists). It's understood that there are AM's
and players out there--particuarly the ones with prior RPG
experience--who will always want to spice things up or otherwise make DR
comparable to D&D. There's not much we can do about that, but I can say
for certain that there are currently no plans to reduce the number of
teaching situations available, either in any of the existing adventures
or in any new ones that come down the line.

One of the keys to making these teaching situations work is keeping the
scene dramatic any way you can. Many Adventure Masters, even the ones who
are great at making combat and normal role-playing realistic and
interesting, can have a tendency to relegate the discipleship situations
to the back burner and play them out at monotone level. Maybe they're a
little gun shy when it comes to dealing directly with biblical teachings;
maybe they just see less action in it, and want to skim over it as quick
as possible. With a little effort, though, those scenes can (and should)
become as significant as any other part of the adventure. Try investing
the NPC's--whether they're people, talking animals, or angels--with
distinctive voicings. Beef 'em up, give them character, allow them to
enter the players' lives, even if it's only for a brief time. If there
are no NPC's involved in the scene (say, if they're watching something
from a distance or checking out a locale), do what you can to add some
mystique to the scenario, like there's a puzzle that needs solving. Most
of this is on the AM's shoulders; he or she has to use their primary
tool--their voice--to set the tone. 

Remember also that those teaching situations are a great opportunity for
stocking up on MU's, which can accelerate the process toward Special
Character Roles, higher SS ratings (meaning access to more powerful
WordRunes), and the like. Most importantly, they're some of the best
chances you have to connect your players to God's Word through the game,
which should be why you're there to begin with. Treat them as the
opportunities they are--and no matter how you feel, don't let on to your
players that you're bored with them.  

- Scott

________________________________________________________________
The best thing to hit the Internet in years - Juno SpeedBand!
Surf the Web up to FIVE TIMES FASTER!
Only $14.95/ month - visit www.juno.com to sign up today!