gamemastermusings

[gamemastermusings]

Hello everyone! @lil-bearprince suggested that I put some ideas out there for possible oneshot concepts you can run during the spooky month of October. Thanks @lil-bearprince for the suggestion!

The audio quality is somewhat lower on this one as tumblr wouldn’t let me upload the full file in a higher quality, so apologies for that in advance.

As always, let me know if you have any comments or feedbacks!

I’ll be posting more episodes this month with Halloween-related oneshot ideas, so stay tuned!

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All Star, but it’s DnD

[gamemastermusings]

Hello everyone! Here is episode 3: Potential New Players - what do they need to know?

As always, please let me know if you have any feedback on the content or production, and if you have any questions or suggestions for topics to cover!

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Hello everyone! Here is the second audio recording, on Finding Players.

As always, I hope you enjoy and please let me know if you have any feedback or requested topics.

Have a great day, and happy gaming!

[gamemastermusings]

Hi everyone!

I now have some decent audio equipment and have started to record each previous Musing, and will be recording even more! I should be able to talk more freely and upload more consistently now that I’m recording everything.

I hope these are useful for you, and any feedback about the content and the recording is highly appreciated!

[gamemastermusings]

Hi everyone!

I finally have some decent audio equipment. I have started to record all my previous Game Master Musings and will be recording new ones as well! Hopefully now that I can record them I can upload more regularly and it will also be easier for people to navigate and learn from the content.

I hope these are useful for you. Please let me know any feedback about the content or the recording - it is much appreciated! Thanks and happy gaming.

[gamemastermusings]

Really well said. A couple of points I wanted to comment on

- the importance of Session Zero. Cannot overstate this. - As mentioned above, many GMs don’t allow chaotic evil characters in their games. Especially for beginner GMs or players, I would not recommend having evil PCs in the party. Ask your player “what do you want to be able to do?” when designing their character, and if  they want to cause mischief or not be bound by rules, explain to them the full range of Chaotic and Neutral. Evil may not be necessary at all. - Also, If you do decide to start incorporating evil PCs, I really recommend starting with Lawful Evil so that there is at least some code/sense of honor/structure that the PC adheres to, and likely that would at least include cooperating with party members. Chaotic Evil characters, in broad strokes, really dont care for much of anything and so trying to keep the tone of the character in contrast with the nature of team and goal-based gameplay is very, very difficult. - Bonus points if that evil alignment changes/does something interesting through interesting narrative and roleplaying!

Thanks @dmsden for the post, I really enjoyed how well you explained a tricky subject.

Diametrically Opposed – Having a chaotic evil character in a heroic party

We have a great Question from a Denizen this week, Gentle Readers. Maturon asks, “Maturon - Hi, I was wondering what are some ways to deal with having a player make an openly chaotic evil character in a campaign where the other player characters are primarily heroic. Is there a way to have the character in the story that won’t result in the other player characters babysitting them to make sure they don’t do anything evil, or making them play against character since they wouldn’t work with someone evil? Thanks”

This is a super-thorny issue, Maturon, and I will give you the best advice I can.

In the interest of being completely honest, I’m going to lay this out upfront – I don’t allow evil characters in my games. When I sit down to play D&D, I want to play a story of heroes doing amazing deeds, and possibly saving the world. It’s hard to imagine a chaotic evil character, if played well, joining up for an adventure for any reason other than personal gain. In a campaign that’s less story driven and more about finding dungeons and plundering them, chaotic evil is a 100% valid choice, but it rarely goes well in my experience, and it doesn’t mesh with the kind of campaigns I like to run.

This, by the way, is the exact kind of thing to lay out in a Session Zero. If you don’t want evil characters, say so right upfront. If you want to allow them, let the players know this instead, but make sure everyone’s okay with having an evil character in the party. If someone gets betrayed by a fellow player down the road, and they thought everyone in the party was good or neutral, this could lead to a lot of hurt feelings.

So, we’re going to move forward assuming you’re okay with an evil character in the party. I would sit down with that player and have a long chat. Find out what their motivation is in playing an evil character. Are they intending to betray the party? Are they just wanting to play someone who’s only out for themselves? Make sure they know that, if the party decides to oust them when their true colors show, you’re not going to pull DM fiat to keep them in the group…which hopefully you don’t intend to.

As an example of how to make this work, look at Out of the Abyss. This is a great example of a campaign where a number of characters, including evil NPCs, have to work together or remain as slaves in the Abyss. This might be a good model to look at, in order to give the evil PC a reason to work with the others. After all, someone who’s evil can still potentially make friends, and it might be interesting if your evil character has to wrestle with their own morality down the road if they have to decide between their own interests and those of people they’ve come to like.

You mention “babysitting” in your original question, as well as making people play against character if they wouldn’t want to hang with evil folks. Things like this are one of the main reasons I don’t allow evil characters. It defies logic to say that someone is going to remain in an adventuring party with someone they don’t feel they can trust with their lives. If someone is playing a cleric of a good god, it’s hard to imagine them willingly staying around an assassin for hire, or some other evil type. In this case, it may come down to a “it’s him or me” choice for the party. Again, we’re back to potential hurt feelings. And why would an evil party member stay around a group of people who’re constantly policing his or her actions? They would want to get off on their own where they can do what they want, especially a chaotic character who values freedom so highly.

I would make the player of the evil character really think about how they were going to act around the other party members and why they’d want to stay with these do-gooders. It shouldn’t be your job to make the players decide to accept each other. Unless they can find a way to get along, it might be that the player who wants to be evil should hold out until you decide to run an evil campaign and play the character there instead.

I hope this helps, Maturon. Just trying to be honest. There’s a reason why a lot of DMs don’t allow for evil characters; they can really disrupt a game. But for a mature group of players and someone who intends to be subtly evil, it can be doable and might even be a rewarding experience.

As a side note to finish on, I have played one evil character in a non-evil campaign. Raven was a cleric of a death goddess and was lawful evil. His temple had volunteered him to the service of a king who was employing the other PCs, so he had every reason not to betray them. He was callous about NPCs that were friends of the other PCs (“I don’t know this person, and this has nothing to do with the king’s mission. I’m not sticking my neck out for them.”) He was utterly ruthless in battle, often taking glee in the deaths of enemies. But he had sworn to aid the others, and he would’ve died to protect them, just as he would’ve given his life to see the mission through. Evil, yes, but not likely to betray the rest of the party.

[gamemastermusings]

New Podcast - Dungeons and Doctors!

Hey everyone!

In keeping the with the idea of recording some of the Musings to increase output and accessibility, I have partnered with PostCallGaming (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCrAWik5M-tnUB6-p-mZ6N2g/videos) to create a new podcast, Dungeons and Doctors!

In our first episode, we discuss the merits of playing tabletop rpgs and how potential barriers can be overcome to get people playing.

Listen to it here (YouTube, Twitter and Twitch links will be updated on this post, podcast will be up on PostCallGaming on iTunes within 7-10 days)

https://anchor.fm/dungeons-and-doctors?fbclid=IwAR3QkjChoRNL9aY-cQbXMVcz3zZFI_davnZ00VosK_5AM1Xbkg5MKLOEAAk

Tweet at https://twitter.com/postcallgaming, talk or send us an email at pcgdungeonsanddoctors@gmail.com, connect with us on facebook at https://www.facebook.com/postcallgaming/ or send me a message right here on tumblr!

I would love to hear your feedback, thoughts, and ideas. Let us know if there is anything you would like us to cover as well! I will be getting a better mic in the future so hopefully that should improve the sound quality.

[gamemastermusings]

Follower Musing - Urban Combat, Part 2 - Working with Space (or lack thereof)

Thanks peculiarpisces for requesting the topic!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=67lhVHyxnqw&feature=youtu.be&t=1m16s

Urban environments tend to be crowded, with limited space. That opens up tons of options for you, however.

Narratively, you can describe to really enhance the feeling of little space.

1. Actually say it’s cramped. “You barely managed to swing your sword, and while you successfully hit your assailant, your whole body tingles as your sword hits the wall of the cramped alley with a ping.” 2. Set the stage early. “You see that things will soon take a violent turn. Seeing that the two exits out of the tavern are guarded by Falan’s men, you take a moment to breathe before sliding on your brass knuckles. Things are about to get up close and personal. 3. Describe other sensations associated with a cramped space. “Dust from the concrete alleyway sprays into your eyes and nose as the mace you dodged impacts the wall.” “You see the sweat dripping on the neck of the gang boss as he moves in to punch you, despite the searing heat of the bar.”

Mechanistically, you can adjust things to further enhance the difference between an open field of combat. 1. Physically design your spaces to be cramped. When thinking of square footage, try to think “what’s the minimum realistic space I can have that can put pressure on the players but still give them a chance at succeeding?” Have a spellcaster that likes to hang out 60 feet away or more from the party while providing support? Having to figure out their role 10 feet from the action will certainly get that player thinking differently and really appreciating the unique circumstances their in.

The idea also works in the other direction as well. Who thrives with extra space? Your Fighter with Great Cleave can suddenly waste two or more foes with one swipe if they are lucky.

2. To highlight the urban nature of the space, also think about not just how big the space is designed, but think about where the obstacles are located in that space. A bar may be, for instance, 40x60 feet (let’s use this for the example), but the northwest 30x10 feet may actually just be full of liquor behind a bar table. Not to mention chairs, tables and other obstacles. If these obstacles are enough to hinder movement you add an extra level to the player to think about total available/ideal space, and if they secure this space they may be able to gain the advantage in the fight.

3. Escape routes can be either compromised or encouraged, depending on how you set it up! Due to the cramped space, maybe escape is impossible - or maybe across the brawl there is one tiny, 5ft corridor that your party members can sneak through but the large and muscular local gang boss cannot.

These mechanistic limitations (or opportunities) can add a level where the players not only being told how things are different in urban combat, but actually experiencing it and having it influence their decision-making.

On the next post we’ll talk about the nature of the opponents you’ll face in Urban Combat, again breaking it down from a narrative and mechanistic lens.

Let me know if you have any feedback or ideas! As we go on with the rest there will definitely be some other ideas that play with the space idea, but for now I wanted to highlight the concept in isolation and start here.

Thanks again to peculiarpisces for inspiring this series!

[gamemastermusings]

Follower Musing: Urban Combat, Part 1 - An Overview

Thanks peculiarpisces for requesting this topic! Their question: “Any ideas for combat within a civilized region (such as a city)?”

As with some of my other posts, what can really be helpful in making something distinct is focusing on how they contrast. Let’s begin with visualizing some potential differences. Consider the two pictures below:

What sort of differences could we surmise between both environments?

In the non-urban environment:

there may be significantly more space in order for combat to take place

opponents may be more natural (i.e. monsters, animals) and routine

the terrain may be more flat 

it may be less crowded

it may be in a more nondescript place (i.e. not near an important structure or landmark)

it may be unwitnessed (your party may be the only people in the vast, wide plains/desert/outdoor location)

it may be easier or harder to hide (depending on how the GM justifies this)

weather may impact these areas differently (consider the effect of rain in free land versus an aqueduct or a fountain that collects water and may overflow)

consequences may differ (fighting the random monster in the woods versus fighting the local vampire in the city may have very different narrative implications on the game world)

collateral damage may not be a factor (one tree succumbing to a Fireball spell may not have the same impact as a library catching fire)

distractions may not be a factor (i.e. does the fight serve as an impedance to reaching a time-sensitive goal, like a meeting or tribunal? out in the wild random encounters can have little consequence in terms of the time taken to complete them)

Examining this list, we can already see just how many ways urban combat can differ from non-urban combat. In this series of Follow Musings, I’ll be taking each separate point post-by-post to analyze how you both narratively and mechanistically focus your game to highlight and make the most of urban combat. Each day, starting tomorrow, there will be a new post, so check it out! As always, if you have any feedback feel free to send me a message!

Thanks again to peculiarpisces for requesting the topic!

[gamemastermusings]

Follower Musing: Narrative Description, Part 2.2 - Describing NPCs and Player Characters - Actions and Characteristic Phrases

Thanks @invizagoth for requesting this topic!

On the last post, we talked about camera and lighting effects when describing your NPC. Today, let’s talk about some other aspects, including intial actions and characteristic actions/phrases.

What do you gather about this character just from seeing them in action?

Even if we didn’t have an introduction to Strider (real name Aragorn) earlier, this does a lot to establish him as a powerful fighter.

The three hooded, menacing figures that have been threatening the lives of Frodo and the Hobbits are being fought off, successfully, by one guy.

This does so much to establish Aragorn’s prowess as a warrior without anyone telling you that he is an accomplished fighter. Rather, it is shown.

In a similar way, you can do this with your NPCs. As you walk into the lecture theatre, you see many students hanging on the professor’s every word. A number of complicated diagrams are all spread on the wall, the professor pointing to each in succession and explaining the intricate mechanism behind the machine’s engineering.

Or: You see the man sitting at the bench in the bar. He is isolated from anyone else. Five empty glasses occupy his table. With fervor he empties a sixth. You can give a character some introduction before words are even exchanged by using actions, which often speak louder than words.

Now, let’s talk about characteristic actions or phrases.

Remember Ocean’s Eleven?

Brad Pitt’s character is eating in almost every scene - something that made his character quite memorable.

Characteristic actions or phrases can help identify a character easily without directly mentioning their name. If I had a similar character in my game, and I mentioned that “you hear the familiar crunching of an apple around the corner, interspersed with a mild cough,” and I often described the character this way, players would immediately recognize who it is. It’s a great way of developing familiarity with a character.

Characteristic actions or phrases can also help identify a key item or important plot point.

What if a character in the tavern is constantly flipping a key or a coin? This could be a great way to not only introduce the character, but the key item that may play into the plot.

When it comes to characteristic phrases, there’s lots of things you can use. The NPC in question may perseverate on something plot related: “Get the gold... the lucky man gets the gold...” or it can be something more unique to their character. Maybe your character refuses to swear, so they curse with very nonthreatening language: “Puffins! Puffins, that hurt.”

Even better, they may have a characteristic phrase they use with the party, like my old wise Dwarf NPC who favours a bit of tough love. “A right mess you all are, but a useful mess nonetheless.” I had a great moment where they had saved the local dwarven town from a surprise attack, but ended up in a pile on the ground after jumping from a building. All I said was you hear footsteps approaching you, and all your hear is [using my dwarf voice], A right mess you all are, but a useful mess nonetheless.

Having a phrase associated with the party or a given character can increase familiarity and attachment with that particular NPC.

Let’s review our NPC introduction and description toolkit so far.

1) What is your camera doing? 2) What is the lighting of your scene/the NPC? 3) What is the NPC first doing or saying when the party meets them? [and what does it imply about their character or situation?] 4) What characteristic actions or phrases does this NPC have? On the next post, we’ll dive more into appearance, ongoing behaviours and personal effects.

Until then, thanks again to @invizagoth for inspiring this series, and I’ll see you all again soon!

[gamemastermusings]

Would anyone be interested in vocal recordings of each Musing?

Let me know! I was thinking people may like to listen instead of read each post.

I’d probably post the text and everything as usual but just have the audio attached.

[gamemastermusings]

Follower Musing: Narrative Description, Part 2.1 - Describing NPCs and Player Characters - Working the Camera and the Effect of Lighting

@invizagoth

Thanks for requesting the topic! Today, let’s talk about describing NPCs, and we’ll discuss Player Characters in a following post. We already went through some general principles for narration, but let’s dive deeper with this post. The first thing to consider is: what’s your “camera” doing? Take a look at these pictures and the following examples.

Notice in this clip of Colossus from Deadpool, we first see Colossus through a “low-angle” shot. This makes the character or scene in question appear more intimidating or imposing. For someone like Colossus, who is already, well, colossal, this adds even more to highlight his imposing stature and physical might without actually having any dialogue discussing it to that effect.

So, how might we use this in terms of introducing an NPC?

“Prepare for an audience with none other than Dragoth, Lord of the Giants!” As you and your comrades lay captive, hands tied and knees on the ground, an imposing figure approaches you. Looking up, you see him towering over with his massive, muscular body. His square and bony face, his beard and the glint overwhelm your vision as he maintains eye contact, sternly looking down on your all. Your eyes can’t escape.

In this clip, we see an example of “male gaze”, a technique used to prototypically introduce characters (prototypically females) who are sexually attractive or appealing. However, you could use this technique to describe a character who players should be in awe of, or admire their prowess, or has multiple features you wish to describe about the characters appearance, regardless of gender or sex.

Applied to a roleplaying perspective:

You enter the tavern. The first thing that strikes you is a smooth, red, silky, and seductive leg sprawled over a table. Your eyes follow to reveal the short skirt of Naella, a Tiefling barkeep. Your enchantment is quickly snapped when Naella erupts in laughter and stands on his two feet.

“Never fails. I once thought these hairless legs were a curse, but the customers always seem to order more when I start with this...”

Above we see an example of the Dutch Angle (though actually German in origin!) which tilts the camera in order to evoke a strong emotion or tension - whether it is implying that a character is unstable or aggressive, a situation is dire or in disarray - it all depends on how you use it, but the underlying feeling is tension.

So how do you work this in your game? You could say “the camera tilts” but you can also use words related to tilting, or being unsteady, or being deranged in your general description. As your players are listening, if they have any experience with film they may end up “Dutch Angling” the scene by suggestion alone.

“Die, die, die, die, die...”  Archibald’s fervor and constant repetition is making you and your comrades uneasy. As his mumbling persists, the claustrophobic nature of the space begins to bother you, even as it didn’t before. Archibald’s head tilts while looking over you and the whole world feels deranged. “...Today... is a good day to die!” He exclaims before proceeding to laugh maniacally.

The above pictures detail my last point for this post: Lighting. This can add so much depth in terms of “showing, not telling” about a character. Consider the two examples below.

The sun cascades through the open window of the bakery, glistening the glaze on many of the pastries. It also highlights the cheeks of Jayna, baker and owner of the shop, as she greets you wholeheartedly.

A looming shadow follows Narceus as he enters the room. The only faint light in the room adds to his menace as the shadow obscures his lower face, highlighting the red, malicious glint of his eyes.

That’s it for this post! I apologize for the long break as I had a couple of things I had to attend to in addition to work. Rest assured I will be back with regular content starting this week! On the next post, let’s talk about what your NPC may be carrying on them, their general appearance and what behaviours outside of their dialogue that can further enhance their description.

With regard to this post - I have given some examples on things you can do with angles and lighting and have left readers to experiment with ideas. However, if anyone wants me to create a more exhaustive list with examples for different angles and lighting ideas send me a message and let me know - I’d be happy to do a more in-depth post. Until then, thanks @invizagoth again for requesting the topic, and see you all very soon!

[gamemastermusings]

Hear hear!

ULTIMATE TIP FOR PEOPLE WHO WANT TO DM:

just do it. trust me. you can do it. 

[gamemastermusings]

Musings #3.3.1: Preparing for your first session, Part 3.1 - Helping your players create their characters - General Princples

Character creation can be difficult.

For people to create new, original characters to interact with your world, this can seem a daunting task. Your players may have questions like what class do I play? What should my backstory be? Do I have any relevance to the main plot? What do I look like?

Before we tackle these questions, let’s review some principles.

1. You need to provide some context for the world that the players find themselves in, and its major locations, groups, and themes. No one’s expecting you to have the entire map of your campaign drawn out, but some general notes on major cities, areas, and the overall feel of the people who live there can help give your character a place to live. A home is important (we’ll talk about that later), and the only way players will have a home to choose is to be offered potential ideas, or better yet, they come up with their own city and discuss with you, the GM, on how it fits into the game world! Let’s take “Flight of the Valkyries”, a potential campaign outlined in previous parts of this Musing. Say my player wants to be a part of Relis. I might say to them:

“Relis is a large land mass, divided into four main areas. Eksho, to the northeast; Dakna, to the west, Armata, to the south, and Estera, due east. Each area has its own leader, with the four regions meeting at the capital of Relis, Midima, in a tetra-sovereign council to discuss matters affecting all of Relis.

Eksho Relians tend to be specialists in magic. Their leader has attempting to develop magic such that they can prove that the “city in the sky” is not inhabited by Gods as many in the populace believe. Central to Eksho’s capital, there is a research lab... [and you can do a similar thing for as many areas of the game as you like.] You can give less, or more, detail as you prefer. My personal guideline is give detail until no longer asked for any further detail or the player finds something they identify with and starts to get an idea.

2. The most engaging characters are the ones that players create themselves. Often, you may have a person who seems overwhelmed by the process say “just make a character and a backstory for me.”

I personally am quite against this idea; for the reason that if the player is given a story, whimsies about their character and quirks that they don’t identify or personally create, its hard to care about playing that character when they don’t have a personal investment.

The similar in spirit, but fundamentally different in execution strategy I go to is coaching. So, instead of saying:

“Okay then. Well, why don’t you play a Relian Paladin who guards the church of Thealla, where people believe that the city in the sky above is home to gods who reward and punish them for their deeds.”

Try: “If you wanted to play a character, what sort of things would they like to do? Where would they want to be in society? Would they prefer science over religion? Do they even have a preference?” Essentially you’re just walking through the brainstorming process together, but believe me, this can be a miracle for players. I have had many players tell me that brainstorming in real time together with the GM really helped their character creation, and allowed them to ask questions about their character and check with the GM to see how their character could fit into the world. Just remember - the time you take to make your character and work through these things is worth it. Communicate this to your players.

3. Guide players into the mechanics with broad strokes. “What class do I play?” is a really common question. For new players, especially, I would start with want the player wants to do, and follow suit when giving recommendations. Similar as discussed in Musing 3.A:

“What class are you interested in playing in [Insert system here] ? If you aren’t familiar with [Insert system here] classes, what kind of fighting style/character do you see yourself playing as? What weapons and moves would they use? What abilities would they have inside and outside of combat?

(This question is really helpful for me, because often new players have no idea what they CAN do, but they know what they WANT to do. This allows me to suggest classes or builds ahead of time, or work on custom homebrew ones [that I can balance in the context of the game] to suit their needs. It also helps with experienced players - if they have an idea, you know exactly what you need to read up on as a GM adjudicating their gameplay.) 

4. When discussing relative pros and cons of classes, avoid jargon and use general language and broad strokes.

Exhibit A: “Well, a cleric can Channel Energy and but has limited slots per day, but has a higher hit die than a wizard.

Exhibit B: “Well, a cleric can heal others with Energy, but usually has less variety and amount of spells they can use than wizards. They tend to be able to take hits better than wizards, though.”

5. Embrace player imagination and creativity. One of my players, completely independent of my suggestion, looked up additional classes within the Pathfinder selection outside of the Core Rulebook ones I recommended for beginners. He said it looked challenging but wanted help to use it because it sounded really cool.

Embrace this when it happens. Seriously. Nothing is better than players taking their own initiative. Embrace this and encourage them to tell you their ideas and work on it with you. You will have a much more happy and engaged player as a result.

This principle really works for anything. Does a player have a backstory idea or idea of how they might fit in the main plot? Listen and highly consider how you might implement it.

6. Consider a “prep session.”

This is part of your first session, where your players have decided on narrative components of their characters, may have a name, some amount of backstory, but when you get together, you can start working on doing all the ability-score rolling, skill-point adding, character-sheet filling, and more granular rule stuff together. This is not only helpful because it may be difficult for players to do own their own, but it can build camaraderie and excitement for your game as everyone rolls their scores and “stats out” their character.

7. Provide accessible resources and be a resource to your players.

Try to connect your players with a copy of your system’s rulebook, or if that is unavailable, find an online reference document that contains the information. Otherwise, if that is unavailable, chat with your players on a regular basis and ask them what information they need, and try to facilitate them obtaining that knowledge (even if it’s just talking over Skype!) Supporting your players in character creation as a GM means trying to remove as many barriers as possible so they feel supported and independent in creating something unique and inviting to themselves for your game.

8. Emphasize the fun! Hype up the game!

Character creation is supposed to be fun. The numbers and the details you can figure out later. But I believe its important to keep everyone excited about the great game they are going to play - and how cool some of the backstory or abilities they’ve chosen for their character are and how awesome it will be when it plays out. My players and I, when I met with them to discuss their characters and backstory, often grinned and smiled when we came up with ideas because we were anticipating how great it would be when it played out in a real game. The payoff of reading about Fireball and then eventually casting it in-game is amazing. Share that energy with your players!

For readability, I’m going to split this part in two. We covered some general principles here - in the follow-up, let’s discuss topics like relevancy to plot, backstory, and appearance. There’s a lot that can be said and written about character creation, but I am hoping to keep it all organized so that you can best guide your players.

As always, please let me know what your thoughts are or if you have any feedback! Do you do anything differently? Do you have other thoughts? Send me a message or reply! As always, cheers and thanks for reading!

[gamemastermusings]

Follower Musing: Narrative Description, Part 1 - General Principles

@invizagoth

Thanks for requesting the topic!

So you’ve made an intriguing plot, designed characters, and have this detailed, beautiful picture in your head of your world and what is happening. And then, you remember...

And then you may have questions such as:

How can I enhance my narrative descriptions for my players? This would include how they look, describing their actions in and out of combat, and scenes in the story.

I gave this some thought, and I think before we break down specific stuff for each area, we should talk about general principles for narration and description.

1) You don’t need to describe every small detail. While you may want to highlight certain details, it’s great to let your players use their imagination with the details you have given them. Before the movies came out, I’m sure many people had their own ideas of what Harry Potter looked like. Now, everyone universally imagined him having a bolt-shaped scar on his forehead (which was an important detail relevant to the plot), but I’m sure we did not all envision a young Daniel Radcliffe. Notice I said need - some groups may actually want fuller descriptions, in which case tailor it to their tastes.

2) You need to alternate between describing less and describing more, because when you DO elaborate people will pay attention. People may think that high-quality narration means elaborate descriptions at every point in the game. However, I disagree, especially in the context of tabletop when you have to think about how much time you are taking out of the game, and also away from the player, when describing something to them. If I describe every 5-foot square that the player advances in a dim room of a dungeon, it will end up sounding redundant. However, the contrast is what makes your description (and your overall narration) shine. Once you hit a change, really bring home the description and it will be a major highlight.

“Having made through the 6th floor of this dreary, dark dungeon, with gray and crumbling walls, you are astounded as you enter the next room. The room itself is basked in a golden hue, and as you slowly open the door, your eyes are treated to a feast like no other. The walls are lined with gossamer curtains, that trail to a carpet that feels like silk on the soles of your feet. A large statue of D’wyn, the Elven Matriarch, overbears a varnished wooden dining table. It is awash with a variety of delicacies that you have not seen for a long while, as your journey has been long. The grapes are plentiful and they glisten, engorged with sweetness as if the juice were to burst out of them. A deep red, charred slab of meat is served on a glass plate at every seat, its smell permeating the air, inviting you in. For an adventurer like you, this room is not a dungeon. It is paradise.”

3) In general, make your description of the event or thing proportional to its importance. I have discussed this to some degree in the last two tips, but I really wanted to drive it home. Having a good contrast between what seems regular and mundane, and what isn’t, allows you to highlight both. For example, during a mass combat, you may have a general description for the chaos:

“You look around you and your eyes cannot find a single place of respite. Soldiers and goblins clash with swords and shields, the sounds echoing a cruel cacophony throughout the cave.”

But when the players’ big boss comes in: “The Eastern wall erupts in an amazing crash, with the deep rumbling of Abzug, Abzug, Abzug. A horrific figure emerges, towering over you and your fellow adventurers. His skin is coarse and grotesque, with scars upon scars from numerous battles. Some of them are hidden by the spiked pauldrons and guards on his person. But, proudly displayed for all to see are the severed,horrified heads of many Elven villagers, their expressions immortalized as they were made to take their last breath by this beast. His thick torso is guarded in spikes, which extends to his arms. He wields a massive spiked mace, easily the size of one of you, which he manages to swing with only one hand. He foams at the mouth, his lips unable to contain his crooked teeth. His mithril face mask hides the full extent of deep scars. You can only stare in awe as he roars, baring his fangs, and defeats three of your comrades with only one swing of his mace. Abzug is here.”

The opposite of this advice (i.e. giving less detail even though important) can be useful when you are trying to make it a detail that the player needs to notice or may require a Perception or related check as it bears influence on the outcome. “Heather smiles as she walks next to you. Laughing, she reaches up to fix her hair. You see it glisten briefly in the light.”

In this case, it could be a challenge for the player. What if she’s a thief? They may roll and find out more about what exactly is glistening.

4) Use more than one sense! Smell, sound, taste, touch. Even though we are trying to have our players see everything, part of role-playing is experiencing everything too. So, instead of discussing how delicious the bread looks, talk about: “The smell of the fresh bread is warm, inviting and immediately puts you at ease.” “As you put the bread into your mouth, you notice its initial saltiness, but as you chew through its soft centre, the sweetness subtly swells at the back of your tongue.” “You hear a sounds of strain and tension as you pull the chewy, doughy bread apart, but as the pieces separate the sound dissipates into the air.” “The bread feels rough on the outside as you pick it up from the basket. Giving it a squeeze, you notice its’ soft centre as it compresses easily in your hand. As you cut the bread, you notice flakes from the crust coming onto your hand, warming it.”

5) Use your voice and intonation.

With reference to the previous examples in this post:

I cannot sell how sumptuous and welcome that room with the feast is unless I add an element of excitement, of fulfillment, of hunger to my voice. I need to echo how the players may be feeling/how I am intending them to feel with what is presented before them.

The Abzug intro needs to be dark and menacing, with a component of fear and dread as I narrate. This enhances your description by setting the tone and enhances the vocabulary you choose to describe what is happening.

6) Read and watch! Continue to read posts like this one, read books by your favourite authors and notice how they describe scenes. Also, think of a movie where you actually noticed how well the camera was used to the capture the scene. Go back and watch it, and ask why? This can help with your description. We’ll talk about applying cinematic ideas and approaches to description in each part to come, as they have unique applications in describing people, places, combat and non-combat actions.

On the next part of this Follower Musing, we’re going to discuss tips on describing characters (PCs and NPCs). In later parts we’ll discuss combat and also describing a scene or major story event.

Thanks @invizagoth again for the suggestion! I really love taking suggestions and requests from my readers, so if you have any comments, additional pointers to add, or other topics you’d like to talk about send me a message or reply!

[gamemastermusings]

Mini-Musing: Music as inspiration for a campaign, Part 2

Hey everyone! Welcome to Part 2! Missed Part 1? You can read it here. https://gamemastermusings.tumblr.com/post/172607437303/mini-musing-music-as-inspiration-for-a-campaign As my friends will probably tell you, I’m not shy about my love for Initial D:

One of the songs in 5th Stage is called Crazy on Emotion from Ace. Aside from it being really catchy and fun to listen to, it inspired an idea for a campaign. Here’s the song in full:

What really gets me going from this song is definitely the lead up to the chorus and the chorus itself (0:56). Gotta let it go, move with the flow... of your soul!

The chorus is also extremely catchy, especially with the harmony.

These ideas of flow, emotion, letting go made me think of a very gray, dark, dreary futuristic city, where the streets are nearly empty as its dystopian ruler enforces a strict curfew. The only person who dares to stand in the rain outside of a historic clock tower is one of our heroes (the PCs).

I imagined a narrative where perhaps this society suppresses emotions, much like The Giver, but perhaps our PCs, for some reason (birth? genetics? destiny?) cannot seem to subdue their emotions and their expression as well as everyone else. Perhaps they innocuously begin to share these emotions and the benefits of creativity and expression with friends. This makes them a target, and flash forward a number of months where our PC now stands defiantly in front of the clock tower, expecting assailants. She has been attempting to listen to the council of her parents, who try to get her to comply like everyone else so that no harm comes to her. Maybe this translates to her mechanics! She is not as strong trying to stick to traditional, calculated fighting. However, under the rain, in front of the clock tower, she finally decides to move with the flow, and her powers begin to manifest as colorful neon streaks that juxtapose with the grey, dreary backdrop of the city. Initially scared she would fail from her attacks, once the chorus begins to flow, her true power (?lightning ?energy sword) begins to show. I was thinking while this may sound like a lot of YA novels or other similar setups, the real benefit from tabletop being an interactive narrative as this could be a powerful moment for the player role-playing this PC. Mechanistically, it could also highlight or begin the use of “emotion” as power, however the GM decides to homebrew that. Thanks as always for reading, and I’ll catch you next time with Part 3 of this initial series of Music as Inspiration! Until then, may your tofu deliveries may be smooth, fast and spill-free. Cheers!