tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7370162161693557709.post142994094352083665..comments2023-06-08T08:26:07.304-05:00Comments on Advanced Gaming & Theory: QUICK TIPS TO KEEPING A GAME FRESHRipperXhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03506064393275174920noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7370162161693557709.post-40524946930120319042009-01-21T03:05:00.000-06:002009-01-21T03:05:00.000-06:00Oh, I'm definitely a player-friendly DM, after all...Oh, I'm definitely a player-friendly DM, after all - These ARE my friends I'm playing the game with :P<BR/><BR/>If a player complained about it, I might consider doing it differently but I've had some truly positive results by fudging dice.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7370162161693557709.post-66564347990194443342009-01-20T16:43:00.000-06:002009-01-20T16:43:00.000-06:00I for sure think that the notion of not letting sm...I for sure think that the notion of not letting smartly played characters die outright is only something that could come from a player-friendly DM. I count myself as that type of DM, for sure not the old stereotypical old school nasty DM who wants to trap and maim and kill players as his main enjoyment. Most of my enjoyment comes from character creation, and watching these characters interact as they explore my world.<BR/><BR/>However, I do think that most players want their characters to exist in a world were death is a very real possibility. I think it is important to have that tension in an RPG. Another thing that set's pen and paper apart from various video game clones.<BR/><BR/>Still, I do little things, like not generally letting a character die in their first game, that helps them along a bit. I think to this day, more characters die from the actions of other characters than from my challenges. But death is out there, around every corner...waiting...Kevin Machttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14122665488285424578noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7370162161693557709.post-83371552491742484382009-01-20T14:54:00.000-06:002009-01-20T14:54:00.000-06:00Tried trackbacking to you but it didn't work so he...Tried trackbacking to you but it didn't work so here's my take on the subject:<BR/><BR/>http://bardofvaliant.wordpress.com/2009/01/20/character-death-failure/Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7370162161693557709.post-77043183082607113242009-01-12T18:57:00.000-06:002009-01-12T18:57:00.000-06:00Each session should have it's own feel - I agree!I...Each session should have it's own feel - I agree!<BR/><BR/>In the 90's, most of my players were also friends, and there would always have to be that pre-game kick back and catch up session. But I never let us all be together for more than a half hour before getting into it. Gametime is precious! Especially if you only got to game once a month or so like I did. Those were 6-8 hour games, and I still wanted to get in as fast as possible. A little munching is ok, but I would avoid a dinner or anything major until after a game. Post game is a great time to talk about things inside and outside the game. <BR/><BR/>Cramming tons of stuff into a long session, then not playing for a few weeks, was always a recipe for player mindfarts about the details of the previous game. There would always be at least a half hour of catch-up. <BR/><BR/>I almost always reward players who can chime in with great notes about what happened. Let the player's know that they could get upwards of a 10% XP bonus if they are really really helpful (and the other players aren't). <BR/><BR/>My current group consists of people I just met in the last few months (except for one of my old schoolers), and most of us don't all hang out outside of games. So we usually get into things pretty fast. We are only getting about three or four hours in on a weeknight, but at least we play a couple of times a month. Even so, at the last session the players were having a hard time remembering shit, and the previous game had been a blast. <BR/><BR/>Just like the player said, I like to move slow and end big in a game session - but having a combat or other stimulating task resolution early on is helpful to get the energy up, especially if the next hour or two is all role play.Kevin Machttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14122665488285424578noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7370162161693557709.post-87795611771079656712009-01-11T14:35:00.000-06:002009-01-11T14:35:00.000-06:00Glad that you liked it. I find Adult Gaming to be ...Glad that you liked it. I find Adult Gaming to be a completely new animal. We just can't play the epic monsters that most of us played in our first years in the hobby. It took a while to gain this experience and find what works and what doesn't. I am sure that there are more tricks to managing adult games out there, hopefully somebody will share their own.RipperXhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03506064393275174920noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7370162161693557709.post-52188277515610691492009-01-11T04:10:00.000-06:002009-01-11T04:10:00.000-06:00I have to say, this is one of the finest pieces of...I have to say, this is one of the finest pieces of GMing advice I've read in a long time. Kudos!<BR/><BR/>One of the things I struggled for a long time is how to get the players' heads quickly into the game. I long subscribed to the theory that sessions should be a crescendo, starting slow and getting more intense with a big climax fight at the end, but then I tried putting an (easy) combat encounter at the beginning of the session, and it really makes the session kick off with energy. <BR/><BR/>I also totally recite the current game-world date and current events at the start of the session, it lets people know that the game is beginning and they should stop talking OOC. I got the idea from TV series which give you a summary of recent episodes at the beginning (Lost for instance). Most GMs in my group do not do this, they assume it is your work as a player to remember recent campaign events, but when you have a game every 3-4 weeks I don't think that's reasonable.Alfredo Amatriainhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03801608106391615049noreply@blogger.com