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<blockquote data-quote="Oofta" data-source="post: 7584641" data-attributes="member: 6801845">If people seem to be stuck I will on a fairly regular basis give them hints/nudges to move them forward.&nbsp; It's sometimes difficult, especially for newer gamers, to understand how much freedom they really have.&nbsp; So there are times when I will remind them of some breadcrumb they seem to have forgotten.&nbsp; Other times I'll just recap what's going on, especially if it involves something happened last session. At other times I'll have an NPC or familiar suggest an action, or even give them a non-combat &quot;side-kick&quot; that can offer helpful hints now and then.&nbsp; While you have to be careful with this because you don't want to play the PCs for the characters, it can be tough from behind the DM's screen to fully communicate a scene.&nbsp; On the other side of the screen people don't always understand what options are really available or remember details that you're super familiar with because you just prepped for the session.Another thing I do is have a sheet where I jot down what the various skills are, to kind of jog my memory.&nbsp; I sometimes also make quick notes about the PC's skills and backgrounds.&nbsp; Not the actual numbers, just what they're proficient in.&nbsp; If a PC has really played up some aspect of their character, like how they love wine I'll give them advantage on checks related to wine-making or alcohol in general.Hopefully some of this helps.&nbsp; I personally try to not get too caught up in detailed mechanics of skills and how people express what they are trying to do.&nbsp;&nbsp; I do try to set up an array of challenges that can have multiple solutions so I don't have 2-3 skills that are on the &quot;go-to&quot; list.Good luck!</blockquote>

[QUOTE="Oofta, post: 7584641, member: 6801845"] If people seem to be stuck I will on a fairly regular basis give them hints/nudges to move them forward. It's sometimes difficult, especially for newer gamers, to understand how much freedom they really have. So there are times when I will remind them of some breadcrumb they seem to have forgotten. Other times I'll just recap what's going on, especially if it involves something happened last session. At other times I'll have an NPC or familiar suggest an action, or even give them a non-combat "side-kick" that can offer helpful hints now and then. While you have to be careful with this because you don't want to play the PCs for the characters, it can be tough from behind the DM's screen to fully communicate a scene. On the other side of the screen people don't always understand what options are really available or remember details that you're super familiar with because you just prepped for the session. Another thing I do is have a sheet where I jot down what the various skills are, to kind of jog [I]my[/I] memory. I sometimes also make quick notes about the PC's skills and backgrounds. Not the actual numbers, just what they're proficient in. If a PC has really played up some aspect of their character, like how they love wine I'll give them advantage on checks related to wine-making or alcohol in general. Hopefully some of this helps. I personally try to not get too caught up in detailed mechanics of skills and how people express what they are trying to do. I do try to set up an array of challenges that can have multiple solutions so I don't have 2-3 skills that are on the "go-to" list. Good luck! [/QUOTE]

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