D&D General The DM Shortage

[Vaalingrade]

I'm not even sure what people are talking about when they talk about "making maps." I grab a map from a five-room dungeon or Dyson Logos, upload it, and do the dynamic lighting. The latter isn't fun, but it's literally "tracing," and as long as I stick to smaller dungeons, it's fast and easy. Then I just have to drag-and-drop monster tokens from by compendium. When I think about the hours and hours I spent making dungeons in the 80s, really, it's a kind of magic.

Me draw rectangles, paint picture with words.

 

[Paul Farquhar]

I'm not even sure what people are talking about when they talk about "making maps."

<= Take a close look at my profile portrait.

 

[Xamnam]

I'm surprised to hear so many people suggest that VTTs add a lot of work for them. I'm not exactly tech savvy and it's so easy and convenient it would have set my teenage heart aflutter.

As someone's who is almost terminally online and tech heavy, I find these platforms endlessly tedious. I'm sure if I used them more consistently, I would build a workflow. However, the number of times I have know exactly what I want to do, but had to fiddle with the program for a dozen minutes to figure out what its internal process for doing the same thing has proven very frustrating. Making consistently linked Roll20 tokens, especially displaying the correct, varied information, is what stands out in my memory here. Dealing with their library of uploads is another.

I think the rub is that at the table, I'm generally fairly low effort on the visual side. I have a dry erase mat for maps, I use an old army of Skaven minis as my generic bad guy figures, and I can whiteboard out shorthand for keeping track of the baddies, their abilities, health, so on. But for every creature I want to use in a VTT, I have to do the data entry and make sure that I didn't break anything in the process. I want to find the right picture, and make the token. I want to get a 'good' map, because I have the ability to, so why am I wasting the opportunity this platform provides? And on top of that, I have to provide tech support for all my non-savvy players, and unbreak their character sheets, and walk them through every change they need.

The VTT may look better, but it definitely doesn't run smoother.

 

[Greg Benage]

<= Take a close look at my profile portrait.

That's amazing! I've noticed in the OSR forums, the hobby seems to have become one part D&D and one part Etsy. Lots of creative energy devoted to creating incredibly cool physical artifacts.

I love that naughty word (at least as an observer), but I hope it doesn't become a hurdle that new DMs feel like they have to clear.

 

[Paul Farquhar]

By the time I have figured out how to do something on Roll20 they have changed it to work differently!

 

[Greg Benage]

However, the number of times I have know exactly what I want to do, but had to fiddle with the program for a dozen minutes to figure out what its internal process for doing the same thing has proven very frustrating. Making consistently linked Roll20 tokens is what stands out in my memory here. Dealing with their library of uploads is another.

I'm...let's be honest, I'm technically inept. Like, "last kid who learned how to tie his shoe" inept, "would have tested genius IQ except for those damn shape-rotators and spatial reasoning sections" inept. I'm convinced there's a learning disability for this naughty word, and I have it. And I just don't have any of those problems. It's possible, being more tech savvy (at least minimally competent), you're trying to do more with the tools than I do. Map. Dynamic lighting. Tokens. Maybe some art handouts. Done.

 

[Paul Farquhar]

That's amazing! I've noticed in the OSR forums, the hobby seems to have become one part D&D and one part Etsy. Lots of creative energy devoted to creating incredibly cool physical artifacts.

I love that naughty word (at least as an observer), but I hope it doesn't become a hurdle that new DMs feel like they have to clear.

Oh, the dragon is just a toy (and what happened next was hilarious). But the important thing is to encourage new DMs to do whatever it is they are good at.

 

[iserith]

I'm surprised to hear so many people suggest that VTTs add a lot of work for them. I'm not exactly tech savvy and it's so easy and convenient it would have set my teenage heart aflutter.

At the risk of confirming my priors, I think the shift from dungeons to more plotted, narrative adventures have made it harder. Dungeons were the killer app of D&D and, I think, one of the reasons it established and maintained dominance in the hobby. For most players, narrative adventures are more challenging to create, more intimidating (especially for new DMs), and more difficult to run (at least with a level of game-mastery that avoids turning them into railroads).

My take: Dungeons with some narrative context (see Phandelver) are the way, but we've lost our way. That said, this ain't a new problem, so maybe it's just something to get used to.

Fully agreed on all counts.

For VTTs, any additional work I'm doing is really optional and by choice because I have the time and make some pretty slick games in Roll20. I could definitely pare that way down if I wanted to and it would be easier than making myself ready for the level of prep for in-person games I used to do.

As far as "narrative" versus dungeon adventures, I believe that plot-based games are easier to prep than a dungeon, but they are harder to run because they require certain DM skills to make sure the players stay on the path (which the DM is almost certainly hiding from them). I find those so weird and dissatisfying to run. A dungeon requires a bit more prep because you have to build the dungeon and populate it, plus perhaps tighten up the exploration rules. But they are so much easier to run and, for me, more fun as DM. Because attention spans aren't what they used to be, and everyone has a lot of demands on their time these days it seems, I can see why DMs gravitate toward plot-based games - they're less time to prep.

 

[hawkeyefan]

Yeah, and I've actually taken that approach to D&D for years on and off (most of my 2E days ran a lot like that) - I remember posting about how I "wrote scenarios not adventures" in the mid-90s and people thinking I was nuts lol. The problem is that I don't find it produces particularly satisfactory results with 5E (and was a car crash with 3.XE), when contrasted against a higher level of prep for D&D, or an even lower level of prep for Spire. I think both of them come out ahead. YMMV and all that though (with 4E's DDI and encounter design rules I could create a banger of an encounter in literally 10 minutes reliably so that was a bit different).

Further, I note for me at least this kind of thing was enough to influence which game I'm running, so I do think it matters.

I think it does depend on edition, absolutely. But 5e doesn’t require map and key type scenarios such as those required (or expected may be the better word) of early editions of the game. Resource management is less about supplies like torches and the like and more about daily uses if abilities and spells.

I think that shift hasn’t been as acknowledged by the rules and the designers as it should be. A bit tangential to the main point, but related.

Level of satisfaction may vary, as you suggest, but I think that from an instructional standpoint, it’s good to start simple. Both for beginners, and as a reminder to the DM with decades under their belt… you don’t need to do so much.

I also think it’s great advice to run/play other games. Or at the very least read some. Most game products offer something worthwhile, and you’ll get a slightly different perspective than just that of 5e.

 

[GMforPowergamers]

I use a VT (roll20) but I have about a dozen worlds written and prepped but my players vote on what one is next and then we modify it... so in theory at any time I could grab a mostly fleshed out game world, write a quick synapse and try to be a paid DM...

My group was talking about this a few weeks ago, you could also record (if everyone agrees) and post it on youtube or stream it on twitch and double dip on the pay out...