Out Now on the DMs Guild
Wintry Blast |
When my DM duties lightened up recently, I was eager to get in on some action as a player. This lead me to the great site Start Playing Games. If you are unfamiliar, this is a site that helps connect players to DMs. The games themselves take place on Roll20, Discord, or some other platform, Start Playing Games just serves as the catalyst to get people connected. The platform supports not just D&D 5e, but other games as well. You can choose from one-shots or ongoing campaigns, too.
Because I was just dipping my toe in the water, I found a one-shot that fit with my schedule and budget (yes, the DM can charge a fee for their games, some are free). The one I signed up for was $10/person and it was well worth it! The DM, Tyler, did a great job at navigating this group of five strangers through a three-hour one-shot. We were all engaged, had our moments to shine, utilized all three pillars of D&D, etc. It truly was fantastic. That positive experience got me thinking, more games should be like one-shots. The great thing about a one-shot is the pacing. There is often a very clear objective. Characters are also often swept away into the ongoing events of the world around them. There is no time wasted meeting in the bar, haggling with a vendor, not trusting the rogue, etc. A certain set of assumptions instantly immerse the characters and set them on the path of adventure. I was so inspired by that game, that I started rewriting Lost Mine of Phandelver into a series of one-shots. I know what you might be thinking, "Isn't a series of one-shots a campaign?" Yes, and no. The idea is that a character needs not to have participated in Episode I, for example, or even Episode II, to take part in Episode III. In my rewriting of Lost Mine, Episode I is the Goblin Caves, Episode II is the Redbrand Hideout, and Episode III is Wave Echo Cave. When I run a one-shot of Episode III, players simply need to show up with a level 4 character. I give a bit of background as to the general events that lead up to the party now staring into the wide and dark mouth of this ancient cave system, and off we go. I make sure the objective is clear. For this example, get to the Forge of Spells before the Black Spider does and rescue any dwarf prisoners you may come across. Other episodes, like one just solely focused on Venomfang and Thundertree, can be adapted as well. I highly recommend the YouTube series by Matthew Perkins on how t o tweak Lost Mine to make it even better. If you are familiar with that adventure, you know there are a lot of side quests and NPCs that can be overwhelming (especially for new players). Matthew's advice streamlines the story and the action. I also highly recommend the recent video by Professor Dungeon Master, 4 Pro Secrets for Designing D&D Adventures That Don't Suck. The advice here marries well with the idea of one-shots. The four concepts are:
Let's hammer this point home by talking about The Mandalorian (don't worry, no spoilers). To me, each episode of The Mandalorian is a one-shot. Sure, there is an overarching narrative that ties the episodes together, but each is like a mini-adventure on their own. String together enough mini-adventures, you have a campaign. The show is full of action across all three pillars of play. Each episode has a climax and a satisfying conclusion. For me, personally, the show suffers from a constantly moving MacGuffin (sorry Mando, the princess is in a different castle). But the point is, the formula works for our D&D games. From this point forward, every game session I run will be prepped through the lens of a one-shot. I will make sure to have all four elements listed by Professor DM. I will make sure to rewrite or cut parts of a published adventure that detract from the whole, as Matthew Perkins suggests. I will employ more cut scenes. Meaning, instead of worrying about how the PCs get the looted goods and the injured Sildar from the Goblin Caves at the start of Lost Mine, we will jump to their arrival at Phandalin. We don't need to worry about those boring details in between. Episode I ends with the party slaying Klarg, Episode II starts with them navigating Phandalin. Jump to the action. What are your thoughts on this? Any other tips or advice to share from your experiences? Hit me up on Twitter to discuss.
0 Comments
It's easy for us who know how to play D&D or other TTRPGs to take some things for granted. My wife reminds me that when I was teaching her and her friends to play that I failed to explain a core, unwritten concept, that they only later discovered after several sessions. What was that concept? I guess you could describe it as the "illusion of choice?" Or, perhaps, "the myth of the right answer?"
My wife is a very resource-minded and deliberate individual. These traits carry over into her roleplaying. Her early days of D&D were plagued with the fear of making the "wrong" choice. I think many new players can relate to this. It's as if they treat the game as a "choose your own adventure" book. Decide poorly, turn to page 47, and you die. Game over. In reality, we know that good GMs and DMs do not run games this way. This fear of choosing wrong resulted in my wife and her friend group trying to avoid as much conflict in game as possible. If one hallway smelled of orcs, they chose the other hallway. Obviously, as DM, I then had an ochre jelly or some other baddy ready for them down that path. Once they realized that there isn't a right answer and that you can't win the game through a successful series of correct decisions, they relaxed and started enjoying the game more. I kept this lesson in mind when explaining "how to play" D&D to my brother-in-law over a recent beer. Off the cuff I came up with a plausible example of gameplay that involved milking info from the town guard. I explained the core mechanic:
I was reminded of all this recently when reading through the Pathfinder 2e Core Rulebook. On page 14 of that text starts an "Example of Play." I'm sure other books, including D&D books include something like this, but I was really impressed with way Pathfinder laid it out. I wish I had this on hand to give my wife and her friends early on in their TTRPG education. Asking a bunch of new players, "What do you do?" can be overwhelming for them. The Pathfinder example illustrates rich options that are a mix of roleplay, mechanics, and out-of-character elements. I strongly encourage you to track down this short section of the Core Rulebook and give it a read. I will definitely be using it (or a version of it) as I bring new people into the hobby. One key part of that "Example of Play" touches on initiative. In 5e, Dexterity is a god-stat. It impacts some important skills, some attacks, your armor class, and your initiative. I was struck by how Pathfinder 2e uses Perception for initiative instead, with the option of using other stats as appropriate. In the example from the Core Rulebook, one of the characters gets to use Stealth for initiative since they were hiding when the fight began. I love this. I'd like to experiment with using this system in my 5e games. I could see Insight being a good skill to use for initiative when negotiations with a thug or bandit goes sideways as the character intuits that the foe is done talking and is ready to pull his blade. What are your thoughts on this? What other skills might be used for initiative in the right situation? Also, how do you explain the broad brushstrokes of D&D to a curious new initiate? Comment below or hit me up on Twitter (@rjquestgiver). Thanks for reading! Quick Note: After a long hiatus due to the BBEG that is 2020, I am back and rededicated to regular blog postings on this site. I hope you enjoy.
If you haven't read my original post about Crit Fails and Successes, I recommend you do so as I'm not regurgitating those thoughts here, just expanding on them. My views on Crit Fails and Successes have evolved since that original post. Initially, I suggested throwing caution to the wind and using all threat levels of cards regardless of the level of your party. After seeing my players straight up annihilate some bosses and mini-bosses, I've reassessed. The Crit Hit Deck for Players and the Crit Fail Deck for Players each have four tiers of severity. The lowest tier is recommended for first level players, with the second tier suggested at level 5. The lower tier cards still offer plenty of flavor and dramatic moments for your game without totally breaking it early on. I've also recently added the Critical Hit Deck for GMs to my arsenal. With this, it is definitely important to stick to the recommended threat levels since low level characters are so squishy to begin with. This crit hit deck replaces my previous house rule of calling for a DC 12 Con Save when a player is nat 20'd by a monster (suffering a level of exhaustion on a failed save). I've learned that exhaustion is hard to track and doesn't really offer a great dramatic flair. There is no critical fail deck for GMs, so I still use my rule of the monster automatically granting advantage for the next attack against it. And since so many of us are playing online these days, I recommend turning off the feature in your virtual tabletop (VTT) that auto rolls crit damage. My groups use Roll20 and having that crit damage auto roll causes unnecessary confusion when using these crit decks. The decks are designed to replace normal crit rules, not lay on top of them. For example, if a card says to triple damage, you are tripling the damage of a normal hit, not tripling the damage of what would have been the regular crit. Lastly, each of these decks (when used in their entirety) provide 208 outcomes. Mechanics aside, the vibrancy they bring to your story and combat narration is enriching. I, personally, sometimes struggle with combat narration as a DM (and as a player for that matter). This is skill I'm working on and these decks help develop that vocabulary and flow. Instead some simply stating, "Your 12 misses the orc." I can more naturally say, "Your blade strikes the orc's hide armor and slides off without harm." Thank you for your time and hit me up on Twitter (@rjquestgiver) if you have questions, comments, or would like to further the conversation. |
AuthorD&D 5e enthusiast. Creator on DMsguild. Supporter of creators, content and good times. Follow me on Twitter @rjquestgiver Archives
July 2021
Categories |