Lessons from Game Day [Spoiler Free]

[Verys Arkon]

Thanks Roger (OP) for DMing my first session of 4e as a player. It was a blast to be on the other side of the screen with a PH in my hand (the real one!). I was one of those 1 (C) - ouch - guys mentioned in the OP. Those statues are murder! On the other hand, the Dwarf's racial trait to make a save to avoid going prone is actually really, really handy despite my initial 'meh' opinion. Plays better than reads is true it seems.

Anyway, thanks for DMing. I'm looking forward to more.

 

[Roger]

Big thanks to everyone who's contributed to this thread with their own lessons learned, and everyone who hasn't hijacked it. Let's keep the signal high and the noise low!


Cheers,
Roger

 

[Rechan]

I'm curious about something: People are mentioning players coming up with cool ideas and situations and then saying to them, "Yes". I'm wondering what players came up with in the scenario? I didn't see a lot of opportunity for ingenuity in the Shadowhaunt situation.

So, Jonathan Tweet mentioned on his blog on Employee Game Day that he liked using transparency when teaching people the game, so I tried doing the same all day yesterday, and I think it works out fantastic for teaching the game. Rather than just reading the stat block, though, I just made sure that, when I used a monster ability, I explained it in detail. So, for example, when the white dragon got its bloodied breath, I stopped the game and explained it in detail, and then said, "OK, now, Durgen, this is a +6 against your Reflex Defense" before I rolled, etc.

In the course of a campaign, though, I wouldn't do that necessarily. However, it's a wonderful teaching tool, and really helps you highlight, "Yes, this system works on its own, without the need for me as the DM to completely alter it in order for us to have a good time." (Note that I'm not implying other games do require GM fudging to be fun, just pointing out that without transparency new player don't really have a chance to see the working system in action.)

Yes, that's how I took Tweet's post, versus "This is his ability, it's a plus seven versus fort that makes everyone in a two square blast easier to hit by undead" in response to a knowledge check before he threw the first punch (so to speak).

 

[Kwalish Kid]

I'm curious about something: People are mentioning players coming up with cool ideas and situations and then saying to them, "Yes". I'm wondering what players came up with in the scenario? I didn't see a lot of opportunity for ingenuity in the Shadowhaunt situation.

Well, this is supposed to be spoiler-free, but I suppose an sblock won't hurt.

[sblock]Every group figured out that the trapped sarcophagi could be turned on the hobgoblins. Every group. In my first group, the initial player to jump on the trap figured it out (and the trap didn't even hit him.)

In one game, the wizard used arcana to turn off the living statues. He thought that there might be some connection between the staff the bad guy used and the statues (since he is described as using the staff to summon them). I said, "yes," and let him do an arcana-based skill challenge on the staff to turn them off.

There were also some interesting combos with character powers, but those aren't anything specific to the adventure.[/sblock]

 

[Thunderfoot]

Here is my "spoiler" on ingenuity. (drag over to read)

Spoiler

As has been mentioned the sarcophagi trap was used against the monsters quite a bit, we charged the hobs and pushed them behind the second sarcophagi at which point I picked up the lantern from one of the other sarcophagi and hurled it at the one they were using for cover... A charge from the fighter to tip it over after it went up... well, you get the idea.