I got a bit of a surprise last week when the Wizards of the Coast video DM Support Group showed up in my YouTube feed. Turns out my best friend is portraying Rick, the Dungeon Master harried by magic item hungry players... boy can I relate. Rick includes a reference to a particularly frustrating player named Jeff (Geoff?) which I am going to say is a shout out to me, even if it's not.
Note: I have never played in nor run a campaign with my bestie. I have also never shuffled multiple decks of many things together. However, I can definitely relate to DM's suffering from players who are walking magic arsenals. Perhaps I should try attunement.
Warning, this post contains a minor spoiler for anyone who hasn't read ANY of the Table Titans comics, but who intends to start with season two... for some inexplicable reason.
16 pages in, a player character appears.
I started reading Scott Kurtz's D&D comic Table Titans when it was a little ways into its first season, so I was understandably excited when he began season two, "Winter of the Iron Dwarf" late last year. If you're not familiar, Table Titans follows the in- and out-of-game adventures of a runner-up group of D&D players who frequently haunt an actual Seattle gaming parlor in an effort to build their nerd cred and win the coveted "Winotaur". The comics are beautifully drawn by Kurtz, the characters have depth, and the portrayal of gamers feels real... as it should, since Scott himself is an avid player.
As Season Two began, however, something didn't feel right. "Winter of The Iron Dwarf" starts with an expository focus on a caravan of dwarves traveling from a besieged fortress in search of reinforcements. I thought... interesting, I bet the PCs are going to be escorts! Nope. These NPC dwarves were on their own... then they get to their destination just fine and ask the king about soliciting the aid of a great warrior (also not a PC). Through all of this exposition, the comic treats us to an uneventful journey, some decent travel talk, lush visuals and a rich feeling world. Only in the 10th page of in-game time in the comic... 16th page overall are we set up for a reveal that the warrior the NPC dwarves get is not the one they seek, but his daughter... one of the PCs.
Don't get me wrong, the art is still gorgeous. The story is definitely intriguing from a comic standpoint... But as it drew on without the input of the story's heroes, I grew antsy. See, while this technique of establishing the story's focus through supporting characters is great for comics. It's horrible for RPGs. Kurtz's DM character spends way too much time in exposition that is entirely devoid of input from his players.
Because this is a comic about a fantasy game, not just a fantasy world, the player in me began to get anxious until my inner voice was screaming, "WHY HASN'T ONE OF THE PLAYERS TOLD THIS JACKASS DM TO GET TO THE GOOD PART!?"
I was honestly torn, because as a story alone, it's really cool. I think, however, that it serves as an excellent example of the potential pitfalls of media crossovers and a DM who is too deep into his world. Expository introductions that focus on minor or supporting characters are common and work great in film, literature and even comics. The opening focus on C3P0 and R2 in Star Wars is a great example of this, as is the beginning of the LOTR films with Elrond and Isildur battling Sauron, or most of R.A. Salvatore's books, it seems. It works great in those media, because they are unidirectional. There is a storyteller, and a reader/watcher/listener who is taking it in. The exposition establishes the mood and draws the player in.
This can certainly also work in a game, but it's limited by the players' attention and desire to get in on the action. It's a perilous trap for DM's who have spent so much time lovingly crafting a world. They want to roll around in it, to share it with others... "see! look at this gorgeous thing I made!" But players, unlike readers aren't as interested in what YOU made. They want to get in on the creation process to add to or tear down your beautifully crafted world and make it their own.
Perhaps things would have been better of beginning with a focus on the dwarven messengers arriving to summon the wrong Bronzebottom. Is her dad unavailable? missing? Is the messenger just incompetent and doesn't realize he's called on the wrong person, or is the younger Bronzebottom so eager to prove herself that she dissembles or doesn't mention she's not the one they seek. Perhaps with such an adjustment to the opening, "Winter of the Iron Dwarf" would feel like both a great comic and an interesting game.
If you've been following this blog for a while, you know that I've been running my regular D&D game from a Microsoft Surface RT. Ever since I got my organization system settled down, I've been looking for a way to record the on-screen setup I use. Unfortunately, I have not found any screen recording apps for the Surface (at least the non-Pro version).
Well, last night I ran a test to see what would happen if I just pointed my new web cam at the screen while walking through a little demonstration. The results were workable, if not ideal. Nevertheless, I threw together a little video that shows how I put everything together on game night to run the session from the Surface.
Hope you enjoy, and let me know if you would like me to dive further into any particular part!
Dungeon Mastering is largely learned through experience and observation. As you run games, you (hopefully) have a chance to take in what works and what doesn't, learning from your mistakes, tucking away new tricks and honing your skills to a fine +5 edge.
Running a game, however, is very taxing on the ol' brain goo. While in the heat of a session, flailing to hold together some semblance of a logical storyline that your players managed to shred on first contact, it can be really difficult to leave some brain space for reflection. Your whole brain is likely saying things like, "What do you mean you want to know the names of the mad Duke's entire serving staff!?" and "is the spell the cleric just pulled out of obscure splat book 963 subject to spell resistance or no?"... ergo, not a lot of time to process what is and is not working. I can't count on all my limbs the number of times I've reached the end of a session only to look down at my game notes to see something like:
Santiago drinks
Rayne eats some cheese and
onions
Lanna on the prowl
While that is quite a lovely haiku, it's not very informative about how the session played out, much less as an analysis of my own DMing skill. The point is, a DM cannot rely on self-reflection alone.
That's where observation comes in. I have learned a lot from watching other DMs, and have picked up bits and pieces of things that work well, and not so well. Some of the things that I have learned and incorporated from GMs I've played with include:
Having two DMs alternate games on opposite weeks takes the pressure off of them while making it feel like everyone is playing regularly.
You must want to play as much, if not more than your players, or the schedule will fall apart.
Causing permanent harm to the PCs is not always a bad thing. It can also make for really interesting roleplay.
Taking away the PC's stuff can lead to greater creativity.
Sometimes being a bastard helps increase emotional investment.
Death is not always the most interesting penalty.
And these are just a few of the things I've picked up... wow, most of those examples make me sound like an aspiring jerkwad! I'm not changing them though!
Getting to the other side of the DM screen, or even to a spot hovering around the table can provide some wonderful perspective on how to improve your own game. Furthermore, watching other GMs is often more valuable than reading about good DMing. Even if the good or bad techniques are not spelled out as explicitly, seeing them first hand in context beats the pants off of reading a list of best practices.
Lately, I've become rather enamored with watching recorded game sessions, especially those hosted by Chris Perkins. I love the way he manages to walk back retcons* while remaining in character and in the scene. I love that he is so calm, where I tend to be a bit frenetic, and watching how he describes a scene as the events are unfolding. Some DMs, liken watching a tabletop game to watching paint dry, which can certainly be true, but if the game is running well, you're in the right mood, and you're watching for the right reasons, you could learn a lot from a DM.
This GenCon game is pretty cool to watch.
Perkins DMing with two of the world's most prominent D&D authors as players
Fellow gamers, do you enjoy watching others game? If so, have any particular favorite DMs to watch?
*retroactive continuity or correcting a misread roll after the fact
Our household
recently acquired a Microsoft Surface RT tablet. I say "household",
because the Fiancee actually acquired it, but I have been the one doing most of
the using.
The Surface is
Microsoft's entry into the increasingly crowded tablet market that is still
dominated by the iPad. The characteristics of the Surface v. iPad seem to
mirror the characteristics of PCs v. Macs. In both cases, the Apple offering is
glossy and geared towards intuitive use (i.e. simple enough that a
not-particularly-bright 3 year old can get it) The Surface, on the other hand,
has a bit of a learning curve just like its PC older brother. Get past that
initial curve, however, and there are some pretty damn cool custom things you
can do with the Surface such as multi-task, run full wordprocessing and other
business-oriented programs, etc. In a nutshell, it does more than run apps and
play movies.
Last night was my
first time back in the GM chair since before the holidays and I had been
itching to try my hand at running a game from the Surface.
...in sickness and in health, stunned or shaken,
blessed or cursed with lycanthropy?
Any tabletop RPG system is really intended to serve as a framework for the game. Rulebooks and the like provide a play-tested foundation on which a GM and his/her players can build their interactive story. However, regardless of the chosen framework, each individual game’s true nature is determined by what the GM and the players bring to it. Often, it is the extra touches added above and beyond the core rules that help push a game into the realm of awesome. They are the icing on the dungeon cake.
In my own gaming experience, I have had the good fortune to roll with GM’s (roll... get it!?) who are not afraid to add custom elements of awesome to their games. Now, a list of examples! Yay!!!
Last year, I had the opportunity to play a session of Adventure! in a group run by a friend of mine. This particular group had developed a system by which the players could influence the course of a scene. The Adventure rules include a system for “will and inspiration”, which this group had combined into “willspiration” which acts similar to action points in D&D 4E. Essentially, each player is allotted a certain number of points (in this case represented by poker chips). They can spend these points to influence the outcome of a scene in which they are involved, bending the very reality of the game world to their wishes. Well, this particular group added an additional element, called “shadow willspiration” by which any player could influence a scene in which they were not involved. They could throw a metaphorical or literal banana peel under the feet of their fellow adventurers, or nudge circumstances in their favor.
The 4E game I just began playing with GM Tendrilsfor20 includes a system of cards, dealt out to the players at the beginning of each session. The cards each describe a situation that can alter an in-game scenario. For example, one card reads “You spot a tactically advantageous piece of terrain. Describe what you see. Final decision is up to the GM.” Another card says “The cavalry arrives. A group of 5 npcs of your level shows up to lend assistance” During my first session, nobody got the opportunity to use a card, but the concept is intriguing and I long to witness the conversion of potential to kinetic awesome.
For my own game, (that’s right, toot toot goes my horn!) I have added the rule of awesome. In order to encourage my players to think outside the rules, I have developed a system by which they can make a single dice roll to determine the outcome of complex feats of daring-do. The roll is modified by any relevant character skill the player utilizes, how well they describe what they are attempting and how awesome I think the whole situation is. So, when the group’s monk wanted to charge across the deck of an airship, vault off the cargo crane and land on the back of an escaping wyvern rider, damn straght I let him try! When he rolled a 96 out of 100, the results were EPIC!
Then, there is this guy. I’ll let you read the interview for details, but it sounds like his idea for “open in the event of” envelopes adds a wonderful layer of mystery to a game session. You never know what secrets your fellow PCs might be hiding!
Anyway, custom rules and game mechanics like these are some of my favorite elements in role-playing games. My biggest challenge is learning to add them in moderation so as not to overwhelm my players with added flavor.
