Players are notoriously stupid.

Any Dungeon Master trying to run a plot of political intrigue will tell you this. Player’s just don’t get it. They forget names, locations, make assumptions, miss subtle clues and so on, for frustration all round.

But really, it’s not because the players are always fools or disinterested, often it’s because the DM is writing their political intrigue like a novel and it’s far to complex to fully comprehend or appreciate in the space of one game.

DMs, relax. The rason your players don’t understand is that they didn’t spend hours making the campaign, creating subtle hints and nuances. Here are some tips for you to make everyone’s life a little easier, and the game smoother.

• Only make hints subtle if there’s going to be a great big obvious one later. You can reward players for picking things up early, but be prepared for them to miss it entirely.
• Write down names for them, and hand them the list. This encourages players to keep their own notes which, if you spent any length of time on this campaign, they’ll need to.
• Give them a clear starting point. It’s a big city, there are lots of people, and your players most likely wont have a clue where to start. It helps if somebody rattles off a list of suspects, where to find themand what they usually do.
• Use their non-combat skills to make your life easier or faster. Do they Gather Information or spend two hours or real time talking to everyone in the tavern? Take advantage of these skills when they really need a clue.

Good luck. Pe patient.

Categories: Designing Adventures
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Dear crazy people,

You know who you are.  There are a few important facts of life that I feel compelled to point out to you.

They’re just dice.

They’re not out to get you. They’re not on anybody’s ’side’. They have no will, they’re not trying to make your character die.

There is no such thing as ‘boy dice’ or ‘girl dice’. They’re not rolling worse for you because you have the wrong set of equipment in your pants.

‘Resting’ them with the highest number facing up between rolls doesn’t help.  Nor does arranging them into geometric patterns between rolls.

It’s all about chance. It’s all random. Your superstitions, rituals and dice religions won’t change how the numbers roll.

From,

The (completely sane) Corollax.

Categories: people who play
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It can be a real challenge for a DM to design an encounter that will adequately challenge a group of PCs without completely negating their abilities or stopping them from playing how they enjoy playing. On the other hand, you don’t want your big baddie to get his backside kicked into next week too soon.

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Categories: Designing Adventures
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 There is something immensely satisfying about swindling your players in such a way that doesn’t require you to lie to them at all. It takes luck and bluff to present them honestly with the scam that is before them, and have them not notice.

I have accomplished this once when the party went to find ‘The Silver Fox’, an arcane trickster living in the capital city. They knewhe was a thief, a trickster, and a highly successful one at that. I don’t know what it was that made them think they could walk away with more money than they came it with! That doesn’t happen if you’re walking with a master thief.

And the best part was that they were swindled out of their money without a roll of the dice.

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Categories: My games
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Before you start running a campaign, there is a checklist of things that any Dungeon Master should have prepared, no matter what your level of experience. Having the following list of items prepared will make your game run smoothly if you get stuck. Remember that it is simply impossible to prepare for every eventuality that may occur when playing with real people, but as a well-prepared DM there are are few things you can do to help yourself think quicker.

It wouldn’t be a Dungeons & Dragons game without some creativity and spontenaeity,  but as a good Dungeon Master you must be prepared to go with that the players want to do, without hiccups if possible, and avoid railroading them into what you had specifically prepared. It’s the little details which slow down a game, which is why I’m offering you this list to help you smooth things out.

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Categories: Uncategorized
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