The Douchey DM » Entries tagged with "gamemastering"
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
Dealing with Player Ignorance
Tweet I have GMed many convention games, but I ran into a new problem a few months ago. One of the players in my game had a fundamental misunderstanding of a pretty simple scientific principle. I will not go into specifics because I do not wish to embarrass that player or narrow down which game I am discussing. The players were engrossed in the game and having a blast trying to come up with a solution to my challenge. They were all great people and it was a very positive game, however suddenly one of them suggested an action that defied the laws of physics. Two other players jumped on board, and the remaining players looked at me with their eyebrows raised. I casually asked for clarification, hoping they’d catch the mistake themselves. … Read entire article »
Filed under: Advice
A Better GM Screen: Part One – Your Protagonists
Tweet Most GM screens give you either three or four 8.5×11 panels on either side for information. This is a very small amount of real estate, considering the size of most rule books. I’m sure there’s a great deal of consternation when game designers decides what to include and what to exclude from the screen. In some cases, it doesn’t seem there’s much thought at all. We’ve all looked at a particular table on a screen and wondered, “why that chart?” And as you gain confidence and experience with a system the information on the screen (if you use it at all) eventually becomes unnecessary. But what if we used that real estate for something else? What if, instead of using it to make us better rules authorities, we used it to make us … Read entire article »
Filed under: Advice, Alternate Views, General Gaming, Opinion
