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The Grand Adventure (or, a first time DMs trials and tribulations)
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<blockquote data-quote="SweeneyTodd" data-source="post: 2459241" data-attributes="member: 9391"><p>This is so true it makes my teeth hurt. <img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f642.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=":)" title="Smile :)" data-smilie="1"data-shortname=":)" /> I'm glad to see it pointed out. People typically pick up "how to play" by osmosis, through joining experienced groups; it's not at all easy or obvious. I mean, prewritten modules handle the scenario design part, but what people actually do during a session still has to get figured out.</p><p></p><p>Good news, though: If everybody at the table is honest about what they like and don't like about the sessions, and everybody's supportive of each other, it's really not that hard to get everybody into a groove that works for that particular group. Heck, it'll probably be easier than it is for a lot of people, because it sounds like the people in the group were friends before the game started. </p><p></p><p>As for resources, there's a book called <em>Robin's Laws</em> that you can probably find on Amazon; it's pretty useful. <em>Dungeon</em> sometimes has some pretty good advice, and the shorter adventures are good examples of how little you can prep and still have an interesting session.</p><p></p><p>My other suggestion is a little "out there", but I've gotten a lot of use out of it. It sounds like you want to incorporate elements into the adventures that deal with the character's individual issues, which I love doing. I got a lot of value out of the book <em>Sorcerer & Sword</em>, which is available at <a href="http://www.indiepressrevolution.com/" target="_blank">http://www.indiepressrevolution.com/</a> and other places. It's technically a supplement for another RPG, but most of the book is solid, no-nonsense advice about how you can create scenarios, even whole campaigns, based on the classic sword & sorcery model. If you like R.E.Howard's original Conan stories, Moorcock's Elric, or Fritz Leiber's stuff, there's a lot you can draw from here.</p><p></p><p>What I like about Robin's Laws and S&Sword is that they're not specific about in-game stuff; they're about the players and GM working together to figure out what's the most fun for them. Get that part right, and believe me, any "mistakes" you make on the technical side aren't important.</p><p></p><p>The big thing is to relax and enjoy it. <img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f642.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=":)" title="Smile :)" data-smilie="1"data-shortname=":)" /> You don't need a lot of prep and backstory to have a fun campaign; stringing together modules, playing up the things the players get most interested in, and slowly dropping in some improvised stuff (and expanding it as your comfort level goes up), and you'll be golden.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="SweeneyTodd, post: 2459241, member: 9391"] This is so true it makes my teeth hurt. :) I'm glad to see it pointed out. People typically pick up "how to play" by osmosis, through joining experienced groups; it's not at all easy or obvious. I mean, prewritten modules handle the scenario design part, but what people actually do during a session still has to get figured out. Good news, though: If everybody at the table is honest about what they like and don't like about the sessions, and everybody's supportive of each other, it's really not that hard to get everybody into a groove that works for that particular group. Heck, it'll probably be easier than it is for a lot of people, because it sounds like the people in the group were friends before the game started. As for resources, there's a book called [i]Robin's Laws[/i] that you can probably find on Amazon; it's pretty useful. [i]Dungeon[/i] sometimes has some pretty good advice, and the shorter adventures are good examples of how little you can prep and still have an interesting session. My other suggestion is a little "out there", but I've gotten a lot of use out of it. It sounds like you want to incorporate elements into the adventures that deal with the character's individual issues, which I love doing. I got a lot of value out of the book [i]Sorcerer & Sword[/i], which is available at [url]http://www.indiepressrevolution.com/[/url] and other places. It's technically a supplement for another RPG, but most of the book is solid, no-nonsense advice about how you can create scenarios, even whole campaigns, based on the classic sword & sorcery model. If you like R.E.Howard's original Conan stories, Moorcock's Elric, or Fritz Leiber's stuff, there's a lot you can draw from here. What I like about Robin's Laws and S&Sword is that they're not specific about in-game stuff; they're about the players and GM working together to figure out what's the most fun for them. Get that part right, and believe me, any "mistakes" you make on the technical side aren't important. The big thing is to relax and enjoy it. :) You don't need a lot of prep and backstory to have a fun campaign; stringing together modules, playing up the things the players get most interested in, and slowly dropping in some improvised stuff (and expanding it as your comfort level goes up), and you'll be golden. [/QUOTE]
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