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ShortQuests -- individual adventure modules! An all-new collection of digest-sized D&D adventures designed to plug in to your game.

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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Torm" data-source="post: 2748182" data-attributes="member: 12706">And, I don't know that running an open game has ever meant more prep time for me. Usually less, really, and the more prep time I put in the worse the game session because I try to railroad the stuff I prepped into the game rather than going with the flow.Seven points I think are important for running an open game (Hopefully some others will chime in with more, or even disagree - not everything works for everyone, obviously. <img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f609.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=";)" title="Wink    ;)"  data-smilie="2"data-shortname=";)" /> ):1. Can you quickly figure out what creatures belong in an area that you've just decided exists in the first place? Up to an including statting entirely new creatures to the CR you've suddenly decided they should be? Note: This doesn't necessarily mean the creature isn't something that would overwhelm the party - in an open game, they should feel more like they can run away without screwing up your prep. Instead, it should be something appropriate to where they are. <img src="http://www.enworld.org/forum/images/smilies/devious.png"  class="smilie" loading="lazy" alt=":]" title="Devious    :]" data-shortname=":]" /> If not, practice this skill a bit in thought experiments before trying to run open.2. Sometimes players may, for example, decide to talk to an individual citizen in a town that I had nothing planned for. If this is no one important in my mind, I may not bother to give him a name, and if asked I may say, "he tells you his name, but it doesn't ring any bells" or something like that, since I'm not really good at making up names quickly. Would your players allow that and go on, or would they press you to flesh out this character that they really know at this point is unimportant? If the latter, they may not be ready to play in an open setting.3. If you DO end up making up a name for him (or details like that for anything else), write it down and flesh him out a bit after this first encounter in case they seek him out again.4. Run your game in a new campaign world. This gives you greater carte blanche to grab places and things and scenarios from your own memories of other games, books, and real places and historical things - and for once, you can trust your memory entirely, because you don't WANT to be so accurate that someone else recognises it. <img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f609.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=";)" title="Wink    ;)"  data-smilie="2"data-shortname=";)" />5. Random encounters are very important in an open style. In my experience, you want to have at least one combat or group challenge for every three hours of play. YMMV, depending on your group, but most of the RPG players I've met like killing stuff and taking its loot as a BIG part of the game and feel cheated if they don't get to every once in a while.6. Be careful with loot. Be a little stingy, because in an open environment some players are going to take advantage of the openness to farm for loot. ALWAYS be stingy with cash. You can get away with being a little generous with items you think the players will keep rather than sell, but remember to be equally generous to your made-up adversaries. <img src="http://www.enworld.org/forum/images/smilies/devious.png"  class="smilie" loading="lazy" alt=":]" title="Devious    :]" data-shortname=":]" /> 7. If you're like me, you will usually think you're really going to screw everything up because you don't have enough prepped .... right before your most successful sessions. <img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f615.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=":confused:" title="Confused    :confused:"  data-smilie="5"data-shortname=":confused:" />  <img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f600.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=":D" title="Big grin    :D"  data-smilie="8"data-shortname=":D" /></blockquote>

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