The Douchey DM » Adventure Design
Episode Preview: Keeping Role-playing in Combat
Tweet It’s a common lament: Once the minis come out, the role-playing stops And it’s very often true. Many games — GURPS, HERO, Savage Worlds, DnD4e — start life as any other role-playing game, but once combat starts, in-game time slows to a crawl and what we do looks more like a tactical board game. Is there a way to keep on role-playing during combat? I think there is, but often it’s an uphill battle, and success needs to be … Read entire article »
Filed under: Adventure Design, Alternate Views, General Gaming
Creating a Scene in an RPG
Tweet Scenes are the building blocks of an adventure. They are those moments when the player characters interact with the setting, be it NPCs, searching a site for clues, etc. Organizing your adventure in scenes is, to my mind, the most flexible way to craft an adventure, but there are several questions the GM must ask himself in order to keep that flexibility and have a satisfying session. What Is the Purpose of the Scene? First and foremost, you need to know what your’e trying to accomplish with the scene. Does the scene exist to: Bring about combat or possibly bring it about? Provide the PCs with information? Allow the PCs to gather information? Give time to develop the PCs? Make time for PC-to-PC interaction? Introduce or develop an NPC? Introduce a MacGuffin? There are countess other possible reasons, I just listed … Read entire article »
Filed under: Adventure Design, Advice
JiB on GM’ing: Handling NPC Actions
Tweet A shadow spilled through the open door as two big men lumbered into the back room from the alley. That in itself wasn’t unusual, that they were basically carrying a third between them was. “What happened,” Stock’s voice was heavy with long years of hard drinking. Carmine shifted nervously looking down at his feet. “Well?” the boss’s eyes narrowed at the delay. It was Tony who responded, “Schmidt wasn’t there boss. No sign of ‘em.” “So, what happened to Frankie?” “We was ambushed in the clock shop there was at least four of ‘em,” Carmine still wouldn’t meet his boss’s eyes. “The cops?” Stock knew that no cop in the docks district would mess with Burns’ men. Tony shook his head, “No, boss. Don’t know who they were but they weren’t cops.” … You can see where this could … Read entire article »
Filed under: Adventure Design, Advice, Alternate Views, Inspiration
Reactive Prep: Is Less More?
Tweet I received some feedback from the last L5R session that I’d like to share. The player said, “I feel like the actions we take have a direct effect on the story.” And they do. The basic premise of the story as it’s developed is this: the younger brother of a minor Daimyo, (Japanese feudal lord) finds himself lord of an unexpectedly wealthy holding. As his domain grows, he relies on three samurai (the party) who are his only blood relations. My prep for this game consists of answering two questions: How will last week’s events affect the story/setting? How can I complicate the story this week? Clearly, I can’t answer the first question until the previous session is over, and the second question often requires the context of what the party will do in the next … Read entire article »
Filed under: Adventure Design
