Classic D&D tropes you've never mastered

[Hussar]

Sandbox.

I love playing sandbox style games, and given my choice, would only GM that type of game. But sooner or later, they seem to bog down - lose direction, lose focus, lose something.

This is definitely my Achilles heel as well. I get a great idea, start it off and then it fizzles and dies a lame duck death.

But it doesn't deter me from trying again from time to time.

 

[haakon1]

I also have trouble with hooks. In my last campaign, I simply had the local nobility put out a call for mercenaries to solve local problems. As to why they didn't use their own troops/guard, there was a war in the south so local manpower was extremely limited. After the party was successful on their first mission, the powers-that-be granted them an ongoing contract. The war in the south also gave the players and out if they wanted to get off the rails for a while, they could just go down there and see what they could do to help if they wanted to.

Seems fine to me.

 

[haakon1]

Most smart evil things are essentially lawful evil in my games. Just think of an evil army (say, the Imperials in Star Wars). If they weren't lawful, they wouldn't be able to have any structure and would be more like a horde of orcs.

Or, imagine an evil bureaucrat/politician. They use the lawful system in place for their own ends while doing lip-service to their duty.

Nod, Lawful Evil is far more flavorful than Chaotic Evil. Totalitarians who believe in their ignoble cause or let the ends dictate the means, mafiosi, ninja, illuminati, the real world and fictional world are full of interesting LE examples.

CE seems less motivated -- in it only for self-gain, and far too often in a nutty way. CE cause he's crazy = laziest villain design EVER!

Given the choice of roleplaying the meticulous and motivated LE villains in "Saving Private Ryan" versus the random and pointless CE villains in Charles Bronson "Deathwish", I'd definitely pick the former!