D&D 5E Why Don't We Simplify 5e?

[overgeeked]

I used to discount random tables, but I've come around on them. Heck, AEG's book of tables is actually good value. But I do think DMs need more in a prospective Simplified 5e/6e(?). I think Skill challenges need to come back, revamped and fixed, given the bad rap they got in 4e. Probably drop "Skill" and just call them Challenges. They are already in 5e as a way to run naval encounters in Saltmarsh ... and having such a good tool hidden in a suplemental book is sad.

The stuff in Saltmarsh is closer to expanded group checks than skill challenges. Though I agree some form of skill challenge needs to make a come back. Even something as simple as "this obstacle requires X successes to overcome" and peppering several obstacles into a room to make a "skill challenge".

 

[mrpopstar]

I used to discount random tables, but I've come around on them. Heck, AEG's book of tables is actually good value. But I do think DMs need more in a prospective Simplified 5e/6e(?). I think Skill challenges need to come back, revamped and fixed, given the bad rap they got in 4e. Probably drop "Skill" and just call them Challenges. They are already in 5e as a way to run naval encounters in Saltmarsh ... and having such a good tool hidden in a suplemental book is sad.

I find them indispensable. They rein me in, keep me focused, are instructive as to the level of depth the game assumes, and help me bang out NPCs like wildfire.

I'm beginning to realize that I'm a lone evangelist promoting the game's approach to personality, background and characterization, but the core support makes it all so much easier.

It's my observation that many just way over think it.

 

[overgeeked]

The Dungeon Master's Guide makes it super easy to flesh out detailed NPCs in ten sentences.

Anybody good at math? How many different combinations are possible using the 8 tables provided?

About 12.4 billion.

The tables on DMG, p89+. It's this: 20 (appearance) x 6 (high stat) x 5 (low stat, high and low can't be the same) x 20 (talent) x 20 (mannerism) x 12 (interaction) x 6 (ideal) x 6 (ideal mark 2) x 10 (bond) x 12 (flaw or secret).

I assumed two ideals because it makes for a more complex and interesting character to have two. Without that assumption the math works out to only 2.07 billion.

 

[mrpopstar]

The stuff in Saltmarsh is closer to expanded group checks than skill challenges. Though I agree some form of skill challenge needs to make a come back. Even something as simple as "this obstacle requires X successes to overcome" and peppering several obstacles into a room to make a "skill challenge".

I also see a lot of "characters can overcome this same obstacle using skill X, skill Y, or skill Z," which is an approach that renders most challenges rather moot.

 

[Thomas Shey]

The Dungeon Master's Guide makes it super easy to flesh out detailed NPCs in ten sentences.

That doesn't mean they'll be interesting.

 

[Thomas Shey]

I also see a lot of "characters can overcome this same obstacle using skill X, skill Y, or skill Z," which is an approach that renders most challenges rather moot.

Unfortunately, the alternative is to make at least some problems a massive potential chokepoint.

 

[Ancalagon]

I can't help but wonder why a Dungeon Master would take the time to map out filler-grade material. Could it be because they simply need more experience as the DM, struggle with pacing, or maybe just aren't intuitive as to the player's interests?

It's in part about time

How much time do you have as a GM to prepare? How much time does the group have to play? And what do you want to focus you prep time and your play time doing?

For example, I use to run a Yoon-Suin game and the party had to travel far to explore this rather large dungeon due to a dire prophecy. The trip there was 6 weeks - big journey!. So I had a number of encounters of all kinds on the way - a troll inkeeper, brigands, local politics, an oracle, rival priest etc etc on the way. But we only play 3 hours every 2 weeks. After a few sessions, we were still not at the dungeon yet!

So we just skipped ahead the rest of the way.

 

[mrpopstar]

That doesn't mean they'll be interesting.

I mean, merchants:

• sell necessities and luxuries
• have far-reaching contacts across the region
• pass on gossip and adventure hooks
• hire guards to keep their goods safe
• carry news from town to town
• report situations that cry out for the attention of adventurers

Those things should be the focus of the encounter, not the merchant themselves.

 

[MichaelSomething]

That doesn't mean they'll be interesting.

You just need the right inspiration...

 

[mrpopstar]

Unfortunately, the alternative is to make at least some problems a massive potential chokepoint.

Any encounter you create needs to account for the standard three possible outcomes: The characters succeed, the characters partly succeed, or the characters fail. A chokepoint exists only if you fail to account for failure and what that might mean for the forward momentum of the adventure.

It's in part about time

How much time do you have as a GM to prepare? How much time does the group have to play? And what do you want to focus you prep time and your play time doing?

For example, I use to run a Yoon-Suin game and the party had to travel far to explore this rather large dungeon due to a dire prophecy. The trip there was 6 weeks - big journey!. So I had a number of encounters of all kinds on the way - a troll inkeeper, brigands, local politics, an oracle, rival priest etc etc on the way. But we only play 3 hours every 2 weeks. After a few sessions, we were still not at the dungeon yet!

So we just skipped ahead the rest of the way.

The random tables are huge time-savers (at least for me). Takes literally a minute to roll up an NPC and a few more to fill out the ten sentences. Set aside an hour or so on your off week (we play every other Thursday and I do my planning on the off Thursdays) and you can get a lot accomplished.

I'm good at jotting down inspirations as they come while musing through my days, which gives me a lot to work with when I sit down with intention. My ideas are big and fluid and fantastical, but following the basic outlines helps me materialize something focused and useful.

I've got a stack of potential encounters. As one gets crossed off the random encounter table, I just pencil the next one in.

The secret is in being able to let things go. I don't insist upon niggling details. Like, merchant dude just needs X, Y, and Z. Nothing else matters, despite how awesome it sounds in my imagination.

Totally with you on skipping ahead if the destination is more interesting than the journey, though! I think that's just a natural decision based on how you wish to enjoy the game.