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This has been a ongoing conversation for decades. GMs talk about how mid/high level (and certainly beyond) Spellcasters (lets say level 9+) are not relatively overpowered (compared with their martial counterparts and the obstacles the PCs face) because a GM is capable of either proactively or...

Pretty sure there isn't a repository for this on here, so figured I'd start a thread. * Discovery is from Perilous Wild (I use this outstanding book for my games; Journey moves and Hirelings/Companion/Fortune rolls). Think of it like a 7-9 Spout Lore move. Something interesting to be...

On Tuesday, I'm starting a new game for 2 friends (late 30s and early 40s) who have never played TTRPGs in their lives (though they both have or do play video games and the love the genre). Something about Dungeon World has always bothered me: * The limits of the Parley Move (in general, but...

This was said in another thread recently: It seemed to me that the general bent of the thread's participants either actively agreed with this or didn't disagree with it enough to voice opposition. I thought this was interesting. Therefore, a poll. Is this commonplace among 5e GMs on these...

Alright, simple thread. Tell me/us about the machinery of a focused moment of play in your game. Format-wise, not looking for story-time. Looking for the following format: The Game: The Situation: The Decision-Point: The Mechanics’ Role in Resolution: So I'll start with an example The Game...

Immediate Disclaimer: This analysis is going to have to span a few posts. I'm going to examine my last 5e play Excerpt which was at level 18. That Tier is "Master's of the World": "...characters have superheroic capabilities, and their deeds and adventures are the stuff of legend. Ordinary...

First, the fiction. I feel like much of this will be self-evident, but lets just make sure. Each character in 4th edition will have (bare minimum), a Race, a Class, a Background, and a Theme (Heroic Tier). At every moment, a GM's job is to make the conflicts inherent to these PC build...

Figured I'd start a thread on one of the pivotal principles for running engaging, functional Skill Challenges: Change the Situation. Something goes wrong. A new threat emerges. Danger escalates or a related twist surfaces. A difficult choice or a branching course with consequences is faced...

Alright, should get some mileage out of this. Lets take a look at the effectiveness and application of the various Skill Utility Powers (Skill Powers, Theme Powers, Race Powers, Class Powers, Paragon Path Powers) on the following aspects of play: 1) Skill Challenges 2) Combat Stunting 3)...

This is going to run long so fair warning. Turn back now if ye of TLDR heart. Also, if you aren't into parsing text ("you're overthinking it...I HATE PEOPLE LIKE YOU"), again, turn back now. I'm going to start with my parsing of the nature and procedure of the system's DC setting: 1) During...

The primary agenda of play in 5e is described in several places in the Basic PDF and the core books. Repeatedly, you get one iteration or another of: "...to create an exciting story of bold adventurers who confront deadly perils." GMs role is described as: "lead storyteller and referee."...

We've done this many times before. Here is yet another repository for insight and guidance into the machinery and techniques that make noncombat action scenes in 4e hum. I'll start. What are Failures? These are Team PC's Hit Point Pool, Stress Track (what have you). They're the mechanical...

So I've run a few various one-off games (Basic, Dungeon World, Dogs in the Vineyard, Marvel Heroic) with a mix of (a) long time, exclusively D&D players, (b) casual players of lots of different games and genres, (c) more or less TTRPG virgins. These are all adults, 30s-40s. With respect to...

I've been doing some thinking as of late on the question in the thread title. There are lots of possible reasons. Amongst them are: 1) Because of the severe impact of two wargaming facets of D&D combat: Initiative and the action economy. 2) Because D&D's PCs, monsters, and combat...

For anyone following along this Play By Post, we're quickly drawing to a climax in this first part of the game. Curtain is going to drop pretty soon whether it be a TPK or victory parade for the good guys. We're pretty much indifferent whether we continue the game via Dungeon World or if we...

One of my favorite games, Dogs in the Vineyard, does a great job of putting the players in the emotional framework of their PCs. It does this via the conflict resolution mechanics that naturally tend to lead to escalation much of the time. When adrenaline is up and emotions are running high...

In another thread recently I was discussing the amalgamation of quasi-process sim task resolution and abstract conflict resolution that is D&D 5e's system for noncombat action resolution. I was talking about a few different tropes, and one of them was the age-old one of the wilderness...

found here. We're playing this one in real life now that we have some time, so I figure some folks who were following that adventure might be interested to find out what has happened to Saerie et al. So we left Saerie, her bear companion, Yamel, and his 4 remaining rangers as they were about...

This will be our PBP thread @Binks and @Tecklenburg and possibly our intrepid hero Scotsman at some point if they ever figure out that whole electricity thing. Please post: 1) Your characters, of which you should have two bonds with each other to start, one bond with any...

Perhaps weirdly (or naturally...not sure on this), I'm emboldened by running bad guys/monsters who are size large or bigger against my players. I don't mean I'm personally emboldened. I just mean that there is this oddly visceral response that I find comes with looking at the battlemat and...