D&D (2024) Unloading some DM duties to the players.

[payn]

I tried giving initiative tracker and such to players a go. It was a total disaster, even slower than before. I found I have to manage a lot of that as GM to keep a good pace going. I dont mind the extra load as it allows players to just sink into their characters and the situation and play it out.

However, VTT has actually taken over all this and is good for everyone. Though, I do so miss face to face.

 

[mellored]

I was going to ask why this is in 5.5's forum, when I realized that all of the above are probably going to be 5.5 problems

They are re-doing the DMG as well.

What about my favorite PC jobs: mapper, treasurer, leader, and chronicler?

Job titles sounds like a decent way of displaying it.

You may assign one or more of the following jobs to your players. Jobs can be freely reassigned as needed to fit the situation and the group. For instance, if players are lost in a magical fog, you might want to do the mapping in secret until they get out.

Mapper: ...
Initiative Tracker: ...
Damage Tracker: ...
Chronicler: ...
...

I tried giving initiative tracker and such to players a go. It was a total disaster, even slower than before. I found I have to manage a lot of that as GM to keep a good pace going. I dont mind the extra load as it allows players to just sink into their characters and the situation and play it out.

Different people can handle different loads.

Imagine if one of your players ever wanted to DM... would it be helpful if you tracked initiative and damage so they could sink into their story?

 

[payn]

Different people can handle different loads.

Imagine if one of your players ever wanted to DM... would it be helpful if you tracked initiative and damage so they could sink into their story?

Maybe? I'm not saying this shouldn't be done, I'm just saying it backfired with my players. Also, VTT seems like a win for everybody except folks who don't like using them of course.

 

[kigmatzomat]

It's a matter of aptitude. The vast majority of DMs I have had do not write a game log. I am sure not all of them even kept a timeline.

Meanwhile, I always write a game summary, as player or dm. (Assuming someone else isn't already doing it).

As a GM, I prefer to track my own initiatives and damages. It let's me conceal resistances, helps me track actions by creatures not visible/present, etc.

Mapping is a frustration of player vs character skill. A ranger with a survival skill of 9 and cartographer proficiency is far better than the players. I generally don't worry about it and just have them make skill checks if they do something under stress (i.e. fleeing from a kobold army)

 

[Clint_L]

Something I've been doing at my table for a while, is assigning certain aspects of the game to the players.

Mainly, I have one player track initiative, and one track damage delt to the monsters (who die when it exceeds max HP). And occasionally a friendly NPC to role play.

Doing so really helps keep things moving, keeps players involved off turn, and allows the DM to focus more on the story than the numbers.

These are great suggestions; I used to do them, especially for initiative. Then I got DnDBeyond, so tracking initiative, damage, etc. is no longer something I have to worry about.

But I unload lots of other DM duties to the players, like basic world-building. For instance, when the party walked into a bar and a player asked me who she saw, I responded with "you tell me." Then she decided that her estranged sister was there, which led to some fun roleplay and an interesting plot development, all improvised.

 

[codo]

A few years ago I was DMing a big fight and ending up getting confused and was applying damage to the wrong monsters. One of my players noticed and offered to help and track initiative. It is amazing, and I will never go back to tracking it myself again. It actually really improved my dming.

Tracking initiative doesn't take all that much mental energy, but it is enough that not doing it ends up allowing for me to better focus on running my monsters. I end up making a lot fewer mistakes like forgetting about monsters abilities.