Category: Adventure preparation

Are your players having fun?

Are all your players having fun? Roleplaying games can be challenging, frustrating (particularly when the dice go against you), thrilling, exasperating. But they are a social pastime, and everyone should leave most sessions thinking “well, I’m glad I took part.” I recently made a big mistake. I forgot to think about that extra word “all” … Continue reading Are your players having fun? →

Interesting Combats from Unusual Monster Characteristics

How often do your combats turn out very similar? Attack, batter, dodge, fire bolt, try to flank, bash, slice, (stay in their faces because otherwise opportunity attack), batter, ouch!, heal, crunch, “oh they’re dead”. Even if you bring in terrain changes and cover to add interest, I’ve still been getting the feeling of things being … Continue reading Interesting Combats from Unusual Monster Characteristics →

Coping without equipment

Have you considered how your characters would cope without their equipment? What would they do? Suddenly both exploration and combat become rather different. Now think about it as a GM - you've set up a scenario where the players' characters have had their equipment taken away. How do you make it feel like an interesting … Continue reading Coping without equipment →

RPGaDay2020 Day 20: Investigate – missing woman…

The original RPGaDay2020 prompts graphic by @WillBrooks1989 Yesterday in RPGaDay2020 I looked at The Tower, an establishment of ill repute in Akorros. Today the theme is Investigate. Which is quite appropriate since we're starting back in our Akorros campaign after our summer break, and the characters will have an investigation on their hands. As I've … Continue reading RPGaDay2020 Day 20: Investigate – missing woman… →

RPGaDay2019 Day 31 – Last

It's August 31st, day 31 of #RPGaDay2019, and the Last day, following Connection yesterday and a whole month of posts. And the inspiration today, appropriately enough, is Last. This seems like an appropriate time to have a retrospective on the season. But first, I claim the triumph of completing it, and not only completing it, … Continue reading RPGaDay2019 Day 31 – Last →

RPGaDay2019 Day 26 – Idea

What's the Big Idea? That's the inspiration for day 26 of #RPGaDay2019, following the combined Triumph and Calamity yesterday. I have come to realise I definitely prefer running my own homebrew campaign to running a pre-published adventure. This means I have to come up with the idea for each encounter, session, location, setting and story … Continue reading RPGaDay2019 Day 26 – Idea →

RPGaDay2019 Day 21 – Vast

Vast. That's the inspiration for day 21 of #RPGaDay2019, following Noble yesterday. I love the vastness of the world now called Mystara, particularly the Known World. It is so vast in both scope and extent, particularly once you add the later adventures such as X4/X5 Master of the Desert Nomads, the journeys of the Princess … Continue reading RPGaDay2019 Day 21 – Vast →

RPGaDay2019 Day 13 – Mystery

Mystery. That's the inspiration for day 13 of #RPGaDay2019, following Friendship yesterday. How do you run a good Mystery in D&D? I've tried it once. It's a very different style to a dungeon crawl. With a dungeon crawl, you have a setting, you have encounters within it, and you (hopefully) have a goal to achieve … Continue reading RPGaDay2019 Day 13 – Mystery →

RPGaDay2019 Day 10 – Focus

Let's Focus. That's the inspiration for day 10 of #RPGaDay2019, following Critical yesterday. A bit ironic given that I've got a stinking cold and my mind feels stuffed with cotton wool... So what shall we focus on? Robin D. Laws, in Robin's Laws of Good Game Mastering, says The focus can be held by any … Continue reading RPGaDay2019 Day 10 – Focus →