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Some things I've learned as a journeyman Dungeon Master.
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<blockquote data-quote="Li Shenron" data-source="post: 6071383" data-attributes="member: 1465"><p>First of all, what [MENTION=19675]Dannyalcatraz[/MENTION] wrote:</p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p>I am not afraid of sometimes allowing some bold, over-the-top ideas to work (if you check my playtest report thread of last week, you'll read an example) and that also applies to players throwing guesses on the plot that I haven't planned at all, and making them happen. If you don't want to be too helpful or to make them discover you're using this trick, spin those player-generated ideas with a twist, or add an extra layer of secrets behind their solution.</p><p></p><p>A couple of more things I've learned through the years...</p><p></p><p>You can really improve your descriptions if you keep in mind that they can be based on five senses <img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite2" alt=";)" title="Wink ;)" loading="lazy" data-shortname=";)" /> Don't just describe the visuals, but add one or two at least additional sensory descriptors for each locale: how does it smell? what is the background noise? how does it taste (more difficult, but can be done to describe the atmosphere)? how does it feel on the skin (at least temperature, but you can add humidity or even an odd electric feeling)? It helps player to imagine the locales more vividly and remember them as they for instance navigate a dungeon.</p><p></p><p>A related thing is: remember to use weather. This helps differentiate different days, months and seasons. Make it rain sometimes as they enter a dungeon, and when they get out the rain has stopped and everything has a freshly smell.</p><p></p><p>There's some trade off between consistency and variation, when you describe locales. They both helps immersion and remembering things: if you make all villages identical, it will be hard to remember where is a certain NPC, and they will be dull as in "just another village". Pick 1 to 3 striking features for each village, and make them consistent, and it will help both you and the players: maybe one village is renowned for a magnificent obelisk, another one has all decrepit buildings, the third has a permanent fair. Our previous DM had a city where it was always, invariably raining, at least every single time the PCs were there. If then one day you have the rain stop, you can use such break in consistency to suggest that something's cooking.</p><p></p><p>One more thing I've learned, is that for long campaigns it's very useful to keep a calendar and/or a diary. Use the calendar to schedule future events that will happen no matter what the PCs do, and add new events as you decide they'll happen as a result of PC's actions. Use the diary to keep track of what the PCs have done (or discovered, even when they gather wrong knowledge), so that you can get ideas for later events that have a link to their past. Creating connections between events far in time is just as good as between events far in distance or far in terms of character relations.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Li Shenron, post: 6071383, member: 1465"] First of all, what [MENTION=19675]Dannyalcatraz[/MENTION] wrote: I am not afraid of sometimes allowing some bold, over-the-top ideas to work (if you check my playtest report thread of last week, you'll read an example) and that also applies to players throwing guesses on the plot that I haven't planned at all, and making them happen. If you don't want to be too helpful or to make them discover you're using this trick, spin those player-generated ideas with a twist, or add an extra layer of secrets behind their solution. A couple of more things I've learned through the years... You can really improve your descriptions if you keep in mind that they can be based on five senses ;) Don't just describe the visuals, but add one or two at least additional sensory descriptors for each locale: how does it smell? what is the background noise? how does it taste (more difficult, but can be done to describe the atmosphere)? how does it feel on the skin (at least temperature, but you can add humidity or even an odd electric feeling)? It helps player to imagine the locales more vividly and remember them as they for instance navigate a dungeon. A related thing is: remember to use weather. This helps differentiate different days, months and seasons. Make it rain sometimes as they enter a dungeon, and when they get out the rain has stopped and everything has a freshly smell. There's some trade off between consistency and variation, when you describe locales. They both helps immersion and remembering things: if you make all villages identical, it will be hard to remember where is a certain NPC, and they will be dull as in "just another village". Pick 1 to 3 striking features for each village, and make them consistent, and it will help both you and the players: maybe one village is renowned for a magnificent obelisk, another one has all decrepit buildings, the third has a permanent fair. Our previous DM had a city where it was always, invariably raining, at least every single time the PCs were there. If then one day you have the rain stop, you can use such break in consistency to suggest that something's cooking. One more thing I've learned, is that for long campaigns it's very useful to keep a calendar and/or a diary. Use the calendar to schedule future events that will happen no matter what the PCs do, and add new events as you decide they'll happen as a result of PC's actions. Use the diary to keep track of what the PCs have done (or discovered, even when they gather wrong knowledge), so that you can get ideas for later events that have a link to their past. Creating connections between events far in time is just as good as between events far in distance or far in terms of character relations. [/QUOTE]
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