What Does the RPG Hobby Need Now?

I would really like to see someone take the on-paper practicality of the Mothership Warden’s Guide and stretch that out to cover long campaign prep.

I’m kind of sick of “just prep one session in advance” or “don’t prep anything”. I don’t actually struggle to get people to the table, and frankly, there are many, many good resources for this model already.

What there isn’t is a GM focused book that walks you through structuring adventure arcs, and then chaining them together into longer games - despite that many, to borrow Matt Colville’s term, AAA games are ostensibly designed for this longer style of play. Where is the GM book that goes through, e.g.:

• Which types of antagonist and major campaign objectives work better than others (e.g. “the whole world is at stake on a timer” has lots of problems)
• Conceptualising a primary antagonist
• Using that concept and a monster book to build out a villainous hierarchy at all the tiers of play
• Structuring a starting adventure arc (distinctly different from future adventure arcs)
• Structuring a non-starting adventure arc
• Chaining arcs together
• Advice for seeding plot points that aren’t just relevant on a 2-5 session horizon, but a 10-20 session horizon

Almost all of this is stuff that we expect GM’s to just know based on their understanding of other narrative forms, e.g. books, films, TV. But a) understanding this for those forms is not the same as understanding it for tabletop and b) a lot of it isn’t easy for someone to understand!

There are bits of this peaking through in things like Mike’s Lazy Dungeon Master books or existing GM’s guides, but there is no cohesive “so you want to run a longer campaign” GM’s book.

Laurefindel said:

Honestly, there are so many things out there that I easily get dizzy and fall back to known games by default. It’s like going to the restaurant and be handed a 50-page menu spread over five different tables, a blackboard the entrance, another by the kitchen, on the back of the napkin dispenser, and some items only available by asking the chef. Chances are I’m just gonna ask for a burger with fries…

So what’s missing IMO isn’t so much content as some way of navigating and browsing what’s available with some kind of guidance that can help me search through it all.

Click to expand...

There's a flowchart:

Reynard said:

I am just so tired of the "it can't be done" attitude. No wonder RPGs have barely evolved over 45 years (the first 5 showed big change).

Click to expand...

?

I never said anything can't be done or argued against change in any way. I was trying to say that I don't feel like your proposal directly addresses or solves the root cause problem you complained about, and can in some cases be a step in the opposite direction. Apologies if that was offensive or regressive in some way.

Staffan said:

There's a flowchart:

Spoiler: Flowchart

View attachment 404135

Click to expand...

That's hilarious. I pity the orange and purple games on the right, you somehow have to make it all across the page to get to them

Staffan said:

There's a flowchart:

Spoiler: Flowchart

View attachment 404135

Click to expand...

I love that chart!

But in all seriousness, a beefed-up version of this done with a decent interface with images and extracts, third party reviews, in an overly-idealistic, critically-aware industry that allows parties to share descriptions of genres and uniform use of keywords…

That’d be my holy grail.

nightlight.zero said:

What there isn’t is a GM focused book that walks you through structuring adventure arcs, and then chaining them together into longer games - despite that many, to borrow Matt Colville’s term, AAA games are ostensibly designed for this longer style of play. Where is the GM book that goes through, e.g.:

Click to expand...

Haven't various games released these kinds of books in the past? Cyberpunk 2020 had Listen Up, You Primitive Screwheads!!!! from way back in 1994 which went over how to plan a campaign, including consulting the players about what they want (players get an opinion?), how to maintain a certain atmosphere, how to deal with players, etc., etc. In 1999, we got The GM's Survival Guide for Legend of the Five Rings which included advice on campaign and scenario structures. Both of these books have useful advice that is still applicable today.

MGibster said:

Haven't various games released these kinds of books in the past? Cyberpunk 2020 had Listen Up, You Primitive Screwheads!!!! from way back in 1994 which went over how to plan a campaign, including consulting the players about what they want (players get an opinion?), how to maintain a certain atmosphere, how to deal with players, etc., etc. In 1999, we got The GM's Survival Guide for Legend of the Five Rings which included advice on campaign and scenario structures. Both of these books have useful advice that is still applicable today.

Click to expand...

Both amazing books I'm proud to own.

Is there a "How to: Design Adventures!" ?

Thats something I think would be good if not.

Scribe said:

Is there a "How to: Design Adventures!" ?

Thats something I think would be good if not.

Click to expand...

Tome of Adventure Design by Matt Finch and How to Write Adventure Modules That Don’t Suck by various authors.