48 thoughts on “For Community Feedback…”

  1. Do not print out everything.  if you need to know the armor value of a gnoll ranger, just make it up.  Its a lot better then spending 1 out of every 5 minutes digging through papers just to not find it and make it up anyway like I did.  If you have to write stuff down make it a 1 page cheat sheet.  your first adventure probably wont cover as much ground as you expect anyway.

  2. Do not print out everything.  if you need to know the armor value of a gnoll ranger, just make it up.  Its a lot better then spending 1 out of every 5 minutes digging through papers just to not find it and make it up anyway like I did.  If you have to write stuff down make it a 1 page cheat sheet.  your first adventure probably wont cover as much ground as you expect anyway.

  3. I want to say “ask and listen”, but I’m gonna go with one that I care more strongly about, which I feel is even more foundational.

    Be honest. Honest with the players, honest with the mechanics, honest with the world, and honest with yourself.

    Honest with the players: don’t try to go misleading and tricking them with what you say. Honestly tell them what their characters would notice, what their characters should know, given the game. It’s hard enough to communicate effectively with four people at once; make sure they trust you as a reliable source of information. (Exception: Paranoia, where nothing is off-limits.)

    Honest with the mechanics: don’t ignore the dice, don’t ignore the mechanics–they exist for a reason.  Know when you can and can’t make stuff up on the fly (because most good systems do have room for you to improvise mechanics), and understand how the mechanics work. If the result seems unpalatable, stop and think about different ways to use the result to inform the game going forward.

    Honest with the world: you don’t need to pre-plan every detail, but you should know what reasonable assumptions are and aren’t. If SUDDENLY BEARS APPEAR, you should know better unless this is somewhere in the world where bears might be expected to suddenly appear. This is hard because you also have to be open to the nature of the world shifting, especially as players poke into areas that have been undefined.

    Honest with yourself: you know when you’re fudging the above rules, and you have to hold yourself accountable, because you’re the only person who will. You also know that sometimes, you have no idea what to do–and that’s when you tell players you need a moment to think. You know your strengths, and your weaknesses, and you know what your ideas about running games are. Use that as an asset.

  4. I want to say “ask and listen”, but I’m gonna go with one that I care more strongly about, which I feel is even more foundational.

    Be honest. Honest with the players, honest with the mechanics, honest with the world, and honest with yourself.

    Honest with the players: don’t try to go misleading and tricking them with what you say. Honestly tell them what their characters would notice, what their characters should know, given the game. It’s hard enough to communicate effectively with four people at once; make sure they trust you as a reliable source of information. (Exception: Paranoia, where nothing is off-limits.)

    Honest with the mechanics: don’t ignore the dice, don’t ignore the mechanics–they exist for a reason.  Know when you can and can’t make stuff up on the fly (because most good systems do have room for you to improvise mechanics), and understand how the mechanics work. If the result seems unpalatable, stop and think about different ways to use the result to inform the game going forward.

    Honest with the world: you don’t need to pre-plan every detail, but you should know what reasonable assumptions are and aren’t. If SUDDENLY BEARS APPEAR, you should know better unless this is somewhere in the world where bears might be expected to suddenly appear. This is hard because you also have to be open to the nature of the world shifting, especially as players poke into areas that have been undefined.

    Honest with yourself: you know when you’re fudging the above rules, and you have to hold yourself accountable, because you’re the only person who will. You also know that sometimes, you have no idea what to do–and that’s when you tell players you need a moment to think. You know your strengths, and your weaknesses, and you know what your ideas about running games are. Use that as an asset.

  9. keep it simple:  dungeon crawl, rooms and hallways, skeletons, a few traps and a boss at the end.  avoid riddles, puzzles, mimics, doppelgangers, genies, complex plots involving lies and misdirection.  Allow your players to come up with plans or strategies.  don’t write down the secret right answer and then hope they figure it out.  For your first game keep it simple and direct.  throw in some random loot and/or an NPC and let the players decide if they can figure out any way to make them useful.

  10. keep it simple:  dungeon crawl, rooms and hallways, skeletons, a few traps and a boss at the end.  avoid riddles, puzzles, mimics, doppelgangers, genies, complex plots involving lies and misdirection.  Allow your players to come up with plans or strategies.  don’t write down the secret right answer and then hope they figure it out.  For your first game keep it simple and direct.  throw in some random loot and/or an NPC and let the players decide if they can figure out any way to make them useful.

  11. be ready and willing to discard anything and everything you have planned-let the characters’ story develop organically from everyone’s input and it will almost always turn out more interesting for both you and the other players

  12. be ready and willing to discard anything and everything you have planned-let the characters’ story develop organically from everyone’s input and it will almost always turn out more interesting for both you and the other players

  13. All great examples. The one thing I would say is that I would tend towards recommending to only use the rules as a guideline. Many systems even go so far as call that out specifically. If something is over complicated, or in some capacity ruining your fun, ditch it. Along those lines, you also need to pay attention to the table. If the players are drifting off and aren’t engaged, you might need to adjust what you are doing to reel them back in.

  14. All great examples. The one thing I would say is that I would tend towards recommending to only use the rules as a guideline. Many systems even go so far as call that out specifically. If something is over complicated, or in some capacity ruining your fun, ditch it. Along those lines, you also need to pay attention to the table. If the players are drifting off and aren’t engaged, you might need to adjust what you are doing to reel them back in.

  17. dice are categorized by the number of their sides.  a d6 is a 6 sided solid, normally cubical in shape.  when rolled, each side has an equal probability of ending up on top.  the sides are numbered or otherwise identified so you can read the top side to understand the result.  2d6 would indicate two six sided dice.    in summery XdY means a quantity X of dice with Y equally probably sides each.  If you cannot recognize the dice by sight then simply count their faces or look for the highest number.  beware of the D10 as the ten is often represented with a zero.  this is not a 0 through 9 die, its a 1 through 10.  If you are not sure, locate a d20 and then divide the result by 2 and round up.

  18. dice are categorized by the number of their sides.  a d6 is a 6 sided solid, normally cubical in shape.  when rolled, each side has an equal probability of ending up on top.  the sides are numbered or otherwise identified so you can read the top side to understand the result.  2d6 would indicate two six sided dice.    in summery XdY means a quantity X of dice with Y equally probably sides each.  If you cannot recognize the dice by sight then simply count their faces or look for the highest number.  beware of the D10 as the ten is often represented with a zero.  this is not a 0 through 9 die, its a 1 through 10.  If you are not sure, locate a d20 and then divide the result by 2 and round up.

  19. Don’t entertain/enable the “game breakers”, overly literal, or obscenely detail-oriented.  Inevitably, new game groups find themselves with a person who wants to argue every tiny point, manipulate every word of speech in the DM’s descriptions or every word of text on their character sheets, and in general slow things down to a snail’s pace so they can show how “clever” they are.  Shut them down early; as much as they are annoying you, they are annoying the other players just as much if not more and the experience of the group is more important than the glee of a troll.

  20. Don’t entertain/enable the “game breakers”, overly literal, or obscenely detail-oriented.  Inevitably, new game groups find themselves with a person who wants to argue every tiny point, manipulate every word of speech in the DM’s descriptions or every word of text on their character sheets, and in general slow things down to a snail’s pace so they can show how “clever” they are.  Shut them down early; as much as they are annoying you, they are annoying the other players just as much if not more and the experience of the group is more important than the glee of a troll.

  21. Just download the “basic” free pdf of whatever you want to run (everything can be reskinned) then go get a copy of Vornheim: The Complete City Kit – which will demonstrate all the tips to make campaign design short and on-the-fly, but have a clear goal.

  22. Just download the “basic” free pdf of whatever you want to run (everything can be reskinned) then go get a copy of Vornheim: The Complete City Kit – which will demonstrate all the tips to make campaign design short and on-the-fly, but have a clear goal.

  27. I’m trying to space them out…

    Also, forget about it, get a haircut, shave, throw away your anime and pick a football team.  Don’t end up like me, you still have a chance!

  28. I’m trying to space them out…

    Also, forget about it, get a haircut, shave, throw away your anime and pick a football team.  Don’t end up like me, you still have a chance!

  31. Tell the story of the players, and don’t worry about telling your story. Make an interesting open ended world, have generally where you want the players to go, then let it be about them and how they overcome whatever danger finds them. Don’t be afraid to kill them, but don’t make it your goal to.

  32. Tell the story of the players, and don’t worry about telling your story. Make an interesting open ended world, have generally where you want the players to go, then let it be about them and how they overcome whatever danger finds them. Don’t be afraid to kill them, but don’t make it your goal to.

  33. Throw some jabs up front to set the tone and get everyone on the same page. This is your world. They and their character are just a writhing squirming pitiful toy for your personal enjoyment meant to be disposed of when they are no longer amusing. Treat them thusly and you will live a rich fulfilled life surrounded by your close friends.

  34. Throw some jabs up front to set the tone and get everyone on the same page. This is your world. They and their character are just a writhing squirming pitiful toy for your personal enjoyment meant to be disposed of when they are no longer amusing. Treat them thusly and you will live a rich fulfilled life surrounded by your close friends.

  35. Skip showering and brushing your teeth for at least a week before hand then set up in a cramped, dark and un-air conditioned space.  your players will really appreciate the emersion as they explore that ogre cave.

  36. Skip showering and brushing your teeth for at least a week before hand then set up in a cramped, dark and un-air conditioned space.  your players will really appreciate the emersion as they explore that ogre cave.

  39. sorry, ill stop

    remember to slow down and narrate.  don’t just say, “you see a goblin” say “a small creature comes running out of the cave, black pointy teeth parted in a kill scream as it throws its crude bone axe at your face”.  also “you hit”, “you miss” gets boring.  describe, or ask the player to describe what is happening in the fight.

  40. sorry, ill stop

    remember to slow down and narrate.  don’t just say, “you see a goblin” say “a small creature comes running out of the cave, black pointy teeth parted in a kill scream as it throws its crude bone axe at your face”.  also “you hit”, “you miss” gets boring.  describe, or ask the player to describe what is happening in the fight.

  41. Encourage wild crazy ideas, and frame the scenes like you’re filming a movie.  sure it’s normal to jump across and grab the stalactite in order to escape the goblin horde, but if your bard wants to try and negotiate, back your buddy up!  it makes for a great story that you’ll want to tell everyone next time!

  42. Encourage wild crazy ideas, and frame the scenes like you’re filming a movie.  sure it’s normal to jump across and grab the stalactite in order to escape the goblin horde, but if your bard wants to try and negotiate, back your buddy up!  it makes for a great story that you’ll want to tell everyone next time!

  43. Just relax! Just cause you’re the one “running” a game, you’re not such a big deal.  It’s everyone’s responsibility to come to the table and have a good time.  It’s gonna happen. Even if your first session isn’t the best one you’ve got in you, everybody’s gonna appreciate you did some of the prep and organizing and got your friends around the table in the first place.  It’s gonna be fine!

  44. Just relax! Just cause you’re the one “running” a game, you’re not such a big deal.  It’s everyone’s responsibility to come to the table and have a good time.  It’s gonna happen. Even if your first session isn’t the best one you’ve got in you, everybody’s gonna appreciate you did some of the prep and organizing and got your friends around the table in the first place.  It’s gonna be fine!

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