Menu
News
All News
Dungeons & Dragons
Level Up: Advanced 5th Edition
Pathfinder
Starfinder
Warhammer
2d20 System
Year Zero Engine
Industry News
Reviews
Dragon Reflections
Columns
Weekly Digests
Weekly News Digest
Freebies, Sales & Bundles
RPG Print News
RPG Crowdfunding News
Game Content
ENterplanetary DimENsions
Mythological Figures
Opinion
Worlds of Design
Peregrine's Next
RPG Evolution
Other Columns
From the Freelancing Frontline
Monster ENcyclopedia
WotC/TSR Alumni Look Back
4 Hours w/RSD (Ryan Dancey)
The Road to 3E (Jonathan Tweet)
Greenwood's Realms (Ed Greenwood)
Drawmij's TSR (Jim Ward)
Community
Forums & Topics
Forum List
Latest Posts
Forum list
*Dungeons & Dragons
Level Up: Advanced 5th Edition
D&D Older Editions
*TTRPGs General
*Pathfinder & Starfinder
EN Publishing
*Geek Talk & Media
Search forums
Chat/Discord
Resources
Wiki
Pages
Latest activity
Media
New media
New comments
Search media
Downloads
Latest reviews
Search resources
EN Publishing
Store
EN5ider
Adventures in ZEITGEIST
Awfully Cheerful Engine
What's OLD is NEW
Judge Dredd & The Worlds Of 2000AD
War of the Burning Sky
Level Up: Advanced 5E
Events & Releases
Upcoming Events
Private Events
Featured Events
Socials!
Twitch
YouTube
Facebook (EN Publishing)
Facebook (EN World)
Twitter
Instagram
TikTok
Podcast
Features
Top 5 RPGs Compiled Charts 2004-Present
Adventure Game Industry Market Research Summary (RPGs) V1.0
Ryan Dancey: Acquiring TSR
Q&A With Gary Gygax
D&D Rules FAQs
TSR, WotC, & Paizo: A Comparative History
D&D Pronunciation Guide
Million Dollar TTRPG Kickstarters
Tabletop RPG Podcast Hall of Fame
Eric Noah's Unofficial D&D 3rd Edition News
D&D in the Mainstream
D&D & RPG History
About Morrus
Log in
Register
What's new
Search
Search
Search titles only
By:
Forums & Topics
Forum List
Latest Posts
Forum list
*Dungeons & Dragons
Level Up: Advanced 5th Edition
D&D Older Editions
*TTRPGs General
*Pathfinder & Starfinder
EN Publishing
*Geek Talk & Media
Search forums
Chat/Discord
Menu
Log in
Register
Install the app
Install
The
VOIDRUNNER'S CODEX
is coming! Explore new worlds, fight oppressive empires, fend off fearsome aliens, and wield deadly psionics with this comprehensive boxed set expansion for 5E and A5E!
Community
General Tabletop Discussion
*Dungeons & Dragons
You're doing what? Surprising the DM
JavaScript is disabled. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding.
You are using an out of date browser. It may not display this or other websites correctly.
You should upgrade or use an
alternative browser
.
Reply to thread
Message
<blockquote data-quote="JamesonCourage" data-source="post: 6109604" data-attributes="member: 6668292"><p>Well, okay, take the siege as a starting place to use as an example. We'll keep that in mind while we address the desert.</p><p></p><p>Okay, so you're going through the desert on the way to the city. Ahead, you see a large group of city people being led by nomads, with various bits of stuff they've got bundled in arms or in makeshift sacks. They're heading your way. Some are asking for help, or directions, since they've had to flee their city (the players don't know it, but the city has been attacked, or ransacked, or is under siege, or whatever). With them is a couple groups of mercenaries.</p><p></p><p>If the players shake their heads and keep walking, it's okay; if they stop to ask "where are you from" or "what happened" or whatever, they know this. If they don't, it won't surprise them when they get there; after all, now those refugees make sense. If they want to, they can even hire the mercenaries away from the refugees. They can ask the nomads questions. Whatever.</p><p></p><p>This, however, is not acceptable. It's been communicated as contrived, or irrelevant. But there's no need for it to be. You just make the scene relevant. If you want it to be even more relevant, have it be religious refugees, fleeing after the temple was sacked, or whatever. The temple in the city, where the goal is. You just tie it to what is relevant.</p><p></p><p>I don't want to accuse people of not wanting to budge just for the sake of argument, but the desert is being judged regardless of content (and continually assumed its irrelevant), while the siege is continually put into a light where it is relevant. Why can't they both be easily as tied to the city, or even the temple? Maybe it's just me, but I think they can be. As always, play what you like <img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite1" alt=":)" title="Smile :)" loading="lazy" data-shortname=":)" /></p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="JamesonCourage, post: 6109604, member: 6668292"] Well, okay, take the siege as a starting place to use as an example. We'll keep that in mind while we address the desert. Okay, so you're going through the desert on the way to the city. Ahead, you see a large group of city people being led by nomads, with various bits of stuff they've got bundled in arms or in makeshift sacks. They're heading your way. Some are asking for help, or directions, since they've had to flee their city (the players don't know it, but the city has been attacked, or ransacked, or is under siege, or whatever). With them is a couple groups of mercenaries. If the players shake their heads and keep walking, it's okay; if they stop to ask "where are you from" or "what happened" or whatever, they know this. If they don't, it won't surprise them when they get there; after all, now those refugees make sense. If they want to, they can even hire the mercenaries away from the refugees. They can ask the nomads questions. Whatever. This, however, is not acceptable. It's been communicated as contrived, or irrelevant. But there's no need for it to be. You just make the scene relevant. If you want it to be even more relevant, have it be religious refugees, fleeing after the temple was sacked, or whatever. The temple in the city, where the goal is. You just tie it to what is relevant. I don't want to accuse people of not wanting to budge just for the sake of argument, but the desert is being judged regardless of content (and continually assumed its irrelevant), while the siege is continually put into a light where it is relevant. Why can't they both be easily as tied to the city, or even the temple? Maybe it's just me, but I think they can be. As always, play what you like :) [/QUOTE]
Insert quotes…
Verification
Post reply
Community
General Tabletop Discussion
*Dungeons & Dragons
You're doing what? Surprising the DM
Top