Recent content by CF07

I play online mostly so VTT maps are helpful. That said, there are times when they just end up being more burden than they're worth. Speedbump fights, ones that are very hard to visualize, other things that happen suddenly when I haven't had a chance to prepare are examples.

I think there are ways to handle some of your issues but not all of them. Subtle differences require a map to handle, for sure. The DMG5E.2014 has suggestions for this, actually. And I can definitely attest from having played a lot of mapless D&D back in the day, we did pay attention to this...

Didn't have the money for minis to start with and I didn't play with them for quite a while. I started using tactical sketch maps in the mid 90s a lot and over time added minis. Now I mostly play using a VTT, even for in person settings. Like everything else there are pros and cons to using...

I've used war as a background. For example in my very long-running campaign, the PCs needed to resolve a war in the homeland of one of the PCs. I usually don't make it the focus of the campaign overall, but wars can certainly make for good story arcs. They also help the world actually change...

I've never seen that book. Will check it out. Yeah I usually want a bit more than that, though I do reuse cool maps, rotate them, drop obstacles, terrain features, etc. A big dungeon can be really great in this context, too, because they're essentially a limited area sandbox. I also don't mind...

So I don't die under prep burden I give PCs freedom of selection of a few choices and ask about what choice they want and prep that. I usually have a rough idea of what's in the other directions in case they decide to check out an option and then go with a different one. This is super important...

For an RPG I think a good bit of that is necessary to be able to adapt to PC actions. Too much top down is going to push towards the railroad.

I tend to have some big design principles and then fill in specific details as needed, so a mixture. One thing I tend to do is fill in details based on expressed player interest, either in character or out of character. If the players keep talking about a specific region or a specific person...

This seems like an ideal time for a check of some sort, e.g., Survival (or whatever parallel skill there is) to see how scattered the party has gotten. It also means that a wilderness skilled character like a ranger in 5E has an opportunity to be valuable. 100%.

Good point. I think I'd probably plan for those monsters to show up at points where a fixed marching order would be required, e.g., where things narrow or at a river crossing. That helps break up the party and makes weaker characters have to deal with the problem and give the ambush predators a...

I've done this, too. If someone's dithering they get moved down in the initiative. Nobody loses a turn but the game gets moved on.

Very important issue. The 5 minute adventuring day issue has been around for a long time in D&D. In the old days one consequence of random encounters was to get the PCs to hustle up but as they've gone out of fashion the 5 minute work day has gotten worse.

Long turns are the bane of many a game, especially long combat turns. My turns tend to be on the shorter side but I have played with people who are legendary for long turns. Everyone else starts messing with phones, doodling, heading to the kitchen for a drink, the bathroom to get rid of the...

Yes, and aqueducts are a thing, too. Adding to what you just said one really big issue that people are overlooking with the "but it's not realistic, bruh" argument is that in a fantasy world there might well be reasons for a city to be in an area that otherwise seems to make no sense...

That's true, though I think it's important to remember that having a true to life simulation of a real world is probably overkill for most people. The idea is to have a feeling of verisimilitude that keeps the players invested. So Shelzar being the big trade emporium might be enough to tell good...