My dilemma on sandbox versus railroad.

High Expectations.

I've been accused a few times of giving the players too many options. This is because I want to be able to improvise new things and enjoy the unexpected during the game. That is what is exciting for me when I run a session. I want a game where players feel free to explore and go find out what is behind the waterfall. The problem is that my players will never see the waterfall because most of my players only see what is directly in front of them.

In one of my longer games, my players are ignoring all the side quests that I have given them and are just focusing on the main story. These players have gotten tons of hints in game and me as the DM specifically telling them where to go, and they still aren't doing it. I had 3 different portals put in front of them and they only went through one. Each portal leads to another part of the story and after at least 6 sessions, the players are still ignoring them after my constant reminders.

I am annoyed by this because I have stories prepared that will never been seen by my players. At the same time, I want my players to choose to go somewhere and explore as well as getting the job done. There should be time for both.

I have played in games where the railroading was so bad, that we as players couldn't look around or talk to the characters we wanted to. So I will always want to give my players as many choices as possible.

Prepare for specific players.

 A good player will take their time to ask questions and explore the world around them instead of waiting for the DM to lead them by the hand. The players are supposed to be the main characters but that means they need to be actively trying to move the story along. That is what I expect in my games. I'm sure other DM's will be different.

The answer to this is simple. if you don't want your players to miss anything, you'll need to put them on a track. I guess I will have to railroad them. Whatever I want them to deal with, will just be placed in front of them. For me, this means I'm a DM who railroads. At least for this specific game for these specific players.

The problem is that my players will never see the waterfall because they only see what is directly in front of them. So I'll have to put the waterfall right in their path in order for them to explore it.

Bad pacing leaves no time to explore.

In one of my recent games online, I set up some hobgoblins who were kidnapping slaves from a village. The players had to track them down and rescue the villagers. I also had a separate plot thread about a couple who was smuggling a baby through that same village. I expected the players to find the baby in a hidden cellar, under one of the ruined houses.

The problem in this case was my pacing. The players didn't do any exploring. Which was my fault. I had enemy goblins nearby and the players wanted to chase them down. My placing enemies in their path distracted them from exploring. So they never ended up finding the baby that was acting as a plot hook.

In this specific case, my timing was off. If I had the bad guys show up later, maybe the players would take their time to look around. Give them downtime so they feel like they have the freedom to explore. When I want the story to move forward, That is when I let the players notice the bad guys.

It is okay to railroad when you have to.

It all depends on the situation and how good you are at pacing and working with specific players. If the players aren't good at exploring you'll have place everything in front of them. If a player doesn't want to look around, then they get stuck on a track.

Another tactic for helping them along is to have NPC's tell the players exactly what to do and where to go. Help them along with a local guide or a mentor, even a bad guy during a battle can leave clues before he gets muder-hoboed by the players.

The trick is to leave clues and plot hooks wherever the players choose to go. If your players are the exploring type, you can leave things that you have prepared wherever the players go. This gives the players the illusion of choice, they choose where to go and what to do, but they still get the plot hooks and everything you have prepared. Then you won't be seen as a railroading DM.

"The benefit to loosing is that you get to learn from your mistakes." -MegaMind

The pacing and set ups will always be changing.

For example, I could have had my goblins in the village lead the players to where the cellar is instead of having them run away distracting the players. Or I could have had a villager ask the players for help. My expectation was that the players would find the cellar on their own, let them do the exploring.

Going forward, my fix to this specific problem will be to move the cellar forward and have them find it after they defeat the current set of goblins. It will be right in their path, ready to start off the next session. It would actually make better sense to have the house outside of the village, more suited for baby smuggling.

What Critical Role teaches us about being good RPG players

Critical role is a you tube show where an exciting group of professionals play some Dungeons and Dragons. Here is a link to Season 2. Because its better. https://youtu.be/byva0hOj8CU

If you are here you probably already know what all this is. so I'll get on with it!

Watching others play role playing games such as Critical Role or Adventure Zone can help you learn how to be a better role player and actor. We always want to learn from the best! Here are some excellent takeaways that I got from critical role.

Good players pay attention and are prepared.

During a battle, the players are always ready for their turns and they know what they want to do. Making a choice on their turn is always better than stalling. You'll never see the CR cast wasting time by not making a decision. If they don't know what to do, they ask for help, in character, and the group role plays to get to a solution.

Act like you are reading from a script. Accept the fact that your character is not in every scene and they shouldn't be in order to make a good story. Your character is not talking in every conversation. Good players know that some scenes are not all about them, other players need their own screen time too. Caleb doesn't interrupt when Fjord and Beau are having a conversation, unless it adds to the interaction.

Wait for your turn before your characters speaks. Wait until a scene is over before you try to start a new one or try to change the subject. Wait for a conversation to be over before starting a new one.

Good Players Don't Interrupt
The players in Critical Role never interrupt the DM. They always wait for Matt Mercer to finish his story or describe what is going on before they do any talking. They show the ultimate respect for their DM and the other players.

The players never argue with the DM, whatever he says goes. The only thing that arguing accomplishes is wasting your game time.

Don't be the player who is always interrupting. The players need to hear the GM so they know what is going on. You should be listening too. A good GM will give you a chance to role play or make decisions, you'll just have to wait for it. It's okay to ask questions and offer suggestions. But never interrupt the GM or the players who are trying to role play. Role playing is a collaborative experience, and it only works when you let other people have a turn to talk. 

Another player interrupting or trying to change the subject will always destroy the flow of a conversation and therefore the flow of the game. Wait for the scene to play out before you take your turn. You will never see players on Critical Role  interrupting or trying to take up all the attention.

A story can only develop when a scene comes to its conclusion.
Allow yourself as a player to sit back and watch the game unfold. Take your time with the game and let the story develop naturally, one scene at a time.

 Don't try to advance a scene until the previous one is over. This is especially important for GM's who ignore or dismiss a player trying to role play. Matt Mercer never interrupts his players when they are role playing. Matt is usually in character as an NPC, role playing along with them.

When the other players are done talking, that is your cue to either react and say something in character. Do not interrupt or change the subject until that story beat or plot point is concluded.

A game is only as good as it's players.

The players rarely bring up side conversations, and if it happens, they are still very quiet and focused on the story. There is no talk that is completely out of game. Save it for the commercial break. If a pop culture reference is mentioned, they still keep it within the confines of the story. The players never go off on tangents and talk about a subject that isn't part of the game.

Everyone in critical role acts like respectful adults who go with the flow of the game and they are mature enough to listen and wait patiently for their turns. When Nott and Jester are playing cards, the other 5 players listen patiently and let the scene play out to it's conclusion. Only one conversation should be happening at a time, no matter who is talking.

Role play doesn't work unless at least two characters are involved and interacting with each other. The cast is constantly reacting and asking questions in character to keep the energy and role play alive.

If you want more role play in your group, you need to react in character to whatever is going on. When you react to another player, who is role playing, it gets you into the scene and lets the other characters role play with you.

If a character says something and no one else reacts or get involved, then the role play dies.  Role-play won't ever happen if other players are dismissive or don't engage in the conversation. A lot of lines that are spoken in character fall flat simply because other players never respond to them. 

The cast of critical role are always engaged and always ready to react. Their performances are fun and entertaining because of how much energy they put into staying in the action and paying attention.

The CR Players are confident in their characters, choices and actions. They think before they speak. Having confidence means knowing you can handle whatever comes up. A good player learns and grows along with their character.

Support your game to make it endure.

Why does critical role work so well? Why do they have a game full of energy and continues to work for multiple seasons?
Aside from them being professional actors, they do whatever they can to support the game and the story.

Critical Role avoids all the pitfalls of game ending behaviors. There isn't a player who is constantly trying to get all the attention. They always share the scenes with other players. There is no interruptive player who messes things up for other players. They are all great listeners and they know how to react and engage in the story without upstaging others.

The PC's are always supporting each other to keep the story moving forward. Make sure your character is supporting the other characters with their goals or plans. The more effort you put into the characters friendship, the more you will get out of it. You won't get a Beau and Jester without that conscious effort. Your characters are always playing and fighting together they should become friends pretty quickly.

 If you want your game to last 6 seasons and a movie, then give the DM and PC's all of your attention and support.

The DM is a great listener too, he doesn't rush a scene forward, he takes the time to listen to his players role play.

 But the most important reason that this show has gone on so long is that everyone continually supports each other. The players take the time to make sure their characters genuinely care for and support the other characters during the game. Supporting other characters goals and plans,  creates a lasting bond you will never see in other games.

You will never see a lone wolf edge lord character who is only out for himself in Critical Role. Because it is a group game. A game where supportive characters make a better story. The loner has no place in a group game and Critical Role knows it.

Be kind and respectful
If you want a good story and you want to put on a good show, remember to always be attentive, always be ready for your turn. Do not interrupt or try to change focus when a scene is already in play. Do not hog the spotlight. Be active in the story by reacting and engaging, in character,  with what is going on. Go with the flow.

Be supportive of all the players and make an effort to include them all. This applies to players and game masters alike. If you aren't including others,  no one will want to play with you.

And most importantly be a good listener. The best way to get support from other players is to support them first. Listen to other ideas and work with each other. The player who listens is the player that will be included.

The four major principles of being a great Dungeon Master

1. Listening

Listening means paying attention to what the players want out of the game, and making sure they know that you have heard them.

Listening means stepping back to allow players to solve problems and plan strategies. Instead of micromanaging and telling players what to do, give players the freedom to think of things you might never have thought of. Step back to allow the groups creativity to flow.

Pay attention to the characters goals. Listen to what they want and where they are headed. Listen to your NPCs as well. Great role-playing and character moments will come more naturally when you can see what characters want. Send characters in a certain direction and make the story happen by putting obstacles in the way.

If you have an idea, no matter how weird or silly it is, write it down. Listen to yourself and your ideas when planning a session. Don't dismiss your thoughts and ideas. Allow yourself to use crazy situations. The goal of the game is to be creative, allow yourself to create. Always listen to yourself and your fun ideas. You never know when they could come in handy. Stay open to new ideas. It's okay to plan something just for fun!

Pay attention to players predictions and ideas about the plot or the story. Their ideas might be better or more interesting than what you already had prepared. Use them. Change your plans if you hear a more exciting idea. Adapt your plans to make a story more exciting. This makes your story more interesting and lets the players think they are smart for predicting things.

Listen to feedback. This is the only way you will be able to grow and become a better game master. Be open to criticism and new ideas. Don't take it personally. Your ego is not your game. Your game will improve infinitely if you can listen to feedback and adapt to new ideas and techniques.

2. Adapting 

Adapt to the feedback.
Allow yourself to be able to change and grow. Listening and learning mean nothing if you can't adapt to the new ideas. Take action and adapt the game to what you have learned. Learning and growing only happen when you try new things. Take action.

Change your best laid plans and adjust the pacing to let your game flow smoothly. Allow the story and plot to change when you need it to. Be adaptable as to how you get to your ultimate goal. It's okay to change paths and allow new paths to reach the same conclusion or encounter you have planned. The ideas of "how to get there" might become different every session.

The more you stick to trying to keep the players on one story path, the more rigid and boring your story becomes.

Allow you and your players to try new things and take new paths. Let those new paths lead to something you already had planned anyway. This will make the pacing and creativity flow a lot better and allows players freedom to come up with their own ideas about what to do.

Learn to change and alter course along the way. Adapt to different terrain on the path that is your story. You need to be adaptable enough to step over roots and turn corners when the path demands. The more you cling to staying on one path, the more frustrated you and your players will get when the story doesn't follow your exact plan.

Choose to be adaptable on the path that is a fun game, or stick to the and rigid path of ruin. Don't focus so much on getting to the goal that you might miss out on the fun along the way.

Let your villains and NPCs adapt and react to what is going on. The more your villains can immediately respond and adapt, the more believable and alive your story will become. Role play your NPC's and improvise their characters as you go along. Spend your attention on being a specific character instead of trying to run the whole game.

Adapt your mindset to running your characters instead of being a game master that is just talking to the players.  If you are in a specific encounter with a villain or NPC, try to play the role instead of trying to run the game.

Stories and game sessions need to flow freely, improvise with creativity and fun as the ultimate goal. Allow yourself to let go of your plans to let something new develop. Every game and every session will be different. Give them room to grow.

Adapt to players styles and ideas. The nature of the game is ever changing. Work with the group and their play styles. You don't necessarily need to change your style, but you should be able to let players play how they want. Unless it gets disruptive or problematic. Everyone at the table should be allowing different play styles, not just the DM.

The game will always have numerous moving parts with many people who have different ideas and play styles. Accept that the game is ever changing and allow yourself to adapt to that. The quicker you can accept the change, the quicker your game will get better.

The ultimate goal of the game is to have fun, if a member of the group is dismissing or disrupting someones play style, then that person is taking the fun away from someone else.

Create a more believable and interactive world by constantly adjusting it. Players will want to explore and find out new things about your world all the time. Don't be afraid to improvise and make things up. Giving the players something to see and interact with right away is always more interesting than giving them nothing or denying your players a chance to explore.

How do you listen and adapt without going crazy? Balance.

3. Balancing

How can you listen and adapt without loosing total control? Try to balance the game as much as you can.

A good game master isn't the captain of the ship nor the helmsman. The Good GM is the navigator, who can see where the ship is headed and what path it needs to stay on. The good GM nudges players and story in the right direction without fighting for the wheel. A great GM can balance between what all the players want and adjust the movement of the game into something exciting for everyone.

The smart GM navigates by advising and adapting to ever changing situations without railroading.

Balance your story along with the players ideas. Balance is adding what the players want without stepping off of the path altogether.

Balance means running encounters that are focused on role-play or exploring instead of just continuous combat.

Balance means having a few easy battles among the harder ones.

Give every player a chance to role-play and a chance to use their different abilities to solve problems. Instead of letting just one player trying to control everything. Balance means giving every player an equal amount of attention and game time.

Balance means seeing problems with players and the game. Take care of those problems and get them back in harmony before they destroy the entire game.

A campaign needs balance between the high stakes-high energy sessions and the quieter character driven storytelling sessions. Use some simple plots to balance out the intensity.

Balance how much information and lore you are giving your players. Instead of pausing the game and making everyone wait for you to spout exposition to a single player, write down what is important and hand it to the player when you have time.

If you are droning on about the history of your dwarven cities, you need to pay attention to how the players are reacting to the information. Are they paying attention? Or are they bored out of their minds? Balance means being brief and giving players only the relevant information and then moving on.

Take a short rest to re-gain your GM spell slots!

Take breaks from the game every few hours. Let yourself and your players relax without feeling the need to constantly be preforming. Renew your mental batteries. Drink water.

It's okay to take breaks between sessions and campaigns. Take a break from running games if it gets to stressful or too much work. If you allow yourself to get burnt out, the game won't be enjoyable for anyone. A tired and stressed out game master means a boring game.

4. Most importantly, HAVE FUN

Having fun is being together with your friends. Having fun means playing with people you actually want to be around.

Have a safe place to be creative, without worrying about other agendas.

Having fun means experiencing good interactions and feeling connected to the group.

Having fun means the game isn't stressing you out or making you worried about it.

Having fun means you are excited to run a game and you are excited to see what your players can come up with.

Having fun means your story line is moving forward and you are confident in where you are going.

Having fun means that you enjoy the creative process, working with your players and adapting to create a story together.

Having fun means you are excited to play again.

If you aren't having fun, then you should not be doing all the work to run a game.

If you are stressed out and feeling pressure to preform, or have anxiety about the next game, then you probably aren't having fun.

Having fun means making sure your players are having fun too.

Having fun means feeling accepted and respected by your players. Your players are willing to work with you and your story. Your players are accepting your play style. Your players are not arguing or complaining about your game.

If you are not having fun, why you are doing this?

How to Improve your tabletop role-playing. (Without too much Improvisation.)

If you want more role-playing at your table, or you want to improve your skills, as a player or a game master, you came to the right place. This article will help you play a character that people will be talking about for years to come.

 Here you will learn how to implement new character aspects you can use right away to improve your role playing skills.

Improvising is important, but if you aren't good at that, it's okay. We'll look at strategies that you can prepare for almost any situation, instead of feeling the pressure to improvise.

Using just a few of these fundamental tools will help you and your character be ready for any situation.

Put some extra thought into your character. (This should be obvious, people.)

First of all make sure you have a backstory created and a simple goal for your character to eventually accomplish. Having even a few sentences of your characters backstory and goals is a lot better than nothing at all. Check this for how to create a character.

If you are lucky enough to have a session zero, make sure to be utilizing that time. 

If you jump into a game and don't have time to prepare a character, that's okay. When you have nothing to work with, you can help out the other characters work toward their goals. It's great to be a supporting player, as long as you are consciously making decisions and using your abilities that help out the rest of your party. The DM will definitely make it clear where your party needs to go.

It's totally okay to develop your character in game. It happens all the time. Players are always making decisions about their characters during the game. Let them evolve naturally instead of trying to force every personality detail right away.

 The more time you spend with the character and the more encounters they are exposed to, the more you will get to know them.

Create a catch-phrase so you don't have to improvise every time you have to talk in character.

If you do have a catch-phrase, I would suggest making it reflect you characters goals or alignments. 

Captain America says "I could do this all day." This shows that he will always stand up to bullies and never back down. 

Maybe your catchphrase reflects what you believe in or what you care about. "Night gathers, and now my watch begins. It shall not end until my death. I pledge my life and honor to the Night's Watch, for this night and all the nights to come." 

Or a specific philosophy, "Do, or do not, there is no try."

You don't need to read that deeply into it. "I’m really bad at stealthing. We should go."
–Scanlan, Critical Roll episode 6.

How about a fighter or barbarian who says, "It's clobberin' time!"  Ben Grimm knows what he is good at and isn't afraid to say so.

Say something that reflects your goals. "You killed my father, prepare to die."

What specific actions or habits does your character have?

How does your cleric or wizard meditate? What does it look like when they cast their spells?

What does your character do when they are spending alone time standing watch? Does your character have a victory dance they do after they make a kill? Are they obsessed with making sure all the adventuring gear is organized? 

Do they take time to talk to horses or other pets? Is your character always using magic to change their hair color?

 Does your character keep a journal? Do they write poems or songs? Are they always doing some kind of research?

Does your character like to whittle or carve wood? Make toys? Forge weapons? Tell stories? Buy low and sell high? Knit sweaters? Make jewelry? Constantly make bets? Flirt? Host parties? Wear costumes?

Making small character habits will prepare you when you need to make more drastic choices. 

Use actions that don't disrupt the game flow or stop other players from doing what they want to do.

Simple choices can be made to  participate in the game. These pre-prepared actions give you something that you are ready to do instead of having to improvise.

What are your characters social circles?

being part of a group or a club gives your character something to talk about and connects your character to the world.

Is your character part of an athletic or a golf club? A group of adventurers? Do they frequent a specific tavern or coffee shop or weapon smith? 

Do they hang out with old college buddies on the weekend? Are they a part of a study group? Are they in a choir or a acting troupe? Do they gamble or attend a poker night?

Or maybe your character wants to get back to town just to have a drink with the boys.

Being part of a social circle makes your character more connected, you could get help or contacts you might not normally have. Having your character be initiated into a specific guild or legion could become a huge plot point.

Give your character a specific item that they can't live without.

This is another thing to prepare for before the session starts. Another trick to have prepared instead of improvising.

Arthur Dent just wants to find a good cup of tea. Sam-wise always has his pots and pans with him. Gandalf is always puffing on his pipe.

Maybe your character has a pocket watch that belonged to their grandpa. Or a locket with your lovers picture in it. 

Get specific weapons or armor that you can't leave without. Or other accessories. A very comfy robe you need to travel with. Or that impressive cape you like to wear to parties.

If your character is awkward at a party, you can tug at your fancy cape, or fiddle with your necklace.

Hold up your holy symbol and pray to your gods that the awkwardness will end soon.

Bring a real life props to the table.

Having something specific that your character plays with gives you something to focus on when you don't know what else to do. If you don't have a plan, fall back on sharpening your sword or tuning your lute.

Don't think about how intelligent your character is, instead think about how your character is intelligent.

Everybody is smart in some way, or an expert in some specific area. Make your knowledge and skills mean more than what is on your character sheet. With your DM's permission.

This isn't limited to what you get from your class or background. Your characters skills go beyond just a profession. I'm talking about what your character enjoys and excels at.

Do you know how to play five different musical instruments? Do you know all the landmarks between here and the mountains? Can you track every deer trail and footprint you see?

Can you read magic without a second thought? Can you navigate your way through any social situation?

You might not be able to read but you know all the critical areas of the human body and know exactly where to strike. You may be knowledgeable about 17 different types of poison and their effects.

Maybe you can recount every bit of gossip or scandal in the royal court? You can talk endlessly about the history of the region and never be bored of it.

Can you identify 53 different species of monster or magical creatures and list their weaknesses? Do you understand all the trade agreements from 7 different countries?

Do you know how to sail a ship? Identify weather patterns?

Is your character a talented artist or sculptor? Can you brew potions and recognize every spell component?

You might not know how to act in front of the queen, but you can forge the strongest sword out of any type of metal available.

These ideas can be another weapon in your arsenal when you want to contribute to the story or you don't know what else your character can talk about.

What subject is your character an expert in.

Figure out what your characters likes and dislikes about themselves.

Are you proud to be a dragon-born or ashamed to be half demon? Are you hiding the fact that you are half-goblin? Do you agree with the fact that your fellow dwarves might have dug too deep?

Do you support your elfin nation making alliances with the orcs?

What part of your backstory are you ashamed of? What does your character regret?

What abilities do you resent? Are you ashamed of being born as a sorcerer? Do you hate the fact that you can sing to inspire people? Are you constantly healing people that don't deserve being healed? Are you dismayed of turning into a rage monster whenever you get angry?

How does your character react when they know they can't do something? Or fail to do something? Are they afraid of change or scared to try something new?

What about your backstory are you the most proud of? What do you like to brag about?

Knowing what your character likes or supports, goes a long way toward knowing how to react and respond to specific situations during the game.

Set the Scene. Ask players about their characters. 

Now that you have more inspiration prepared about your character, you need to put your character into the action. Don't be afraid to start a conversation or set the scene. Relate your character to the other characters.

If you want to role play, you can't do it by yourself, involve others in it too!

Ask the monk where he learned how to fight. Ask your wizard why he wastes so much time reading. Talk about your family or why your character wants to protect innocent people.

 Ask another player why they need that fancy cape at all the parties. 

Have your character tell the other characters what they care about. Show off your magic sword you got from the holy order of knights. Talk about why the pots and pans always need to be clean.

Tell other characters why you are so good at picking locks. Brag about your favorite things in your backstory.

Tell the players that you are ashamed of being a sorcerer and you didn't choose to be born with it.

The more you work with others to develop characters the more they will work with you too. This is how character moments are created together.

A good DM will let the players role play a scene without interrupting the players or rushing the plot forward.

Support and react to other players actions.

I am always baffled by how many players don't do this. Your party is travelling together, camping out together,  fighting side by side constantly, and yet so many players don't react or play off of the other characters.

A great game master, who wants to emphasize roll play, will always be reacting or responding in character.

React to other players stories and support their character arcs.

If you want good role play and character development, this is how you do it. Create friendship and camaraderie with the party members. Grow your personalities and interactions together!

 Include the other characters in your story!

Interacting with other players characters will create so many chances for good role-play and too many players don't even think about this! 

React to your friends making a great kill or executing a creative plan. 

Support other players when they are role playing, get involved with the conversation. If you aren't good at improvising, have catch phrases and other stuff ready to use.

Work with your DM and players to create your characters story. You should be helping them do the same.

If you want to plan a character arc, make sure the group knows about it.

If the party knows what is going on, they can, and should be helping you out with your character development.

Especially if your character is insufferable. Make sure the other players know that your character will learn his lesson. This way the players will actually be patient with you when your character acts like a jerk.

Other players can then make informed decisions and role-play their reactions, based on where they know your character wants to go.

The DM can work with you to prepare specific scenes and opportunities to role play towards that goal.

Work together to emphasize characters abilities. 

Ask other PC's to help you out.

Get the fighter to cause a distraction. Ask the rogue to scout ahead or pick some locks. Ask the cleric to turn the undead. Ask the bard to help talk your way out of a situation.

Work together with other players to plan ahead and use each others' skills to support each other. This is why it's a group game.

Take advantage of your skill proficiencies, spells and racial bonuses. These are what makes your character unique. This is how you contribute to working with the party.

Do not dismiss other players' ideas.

Be inclusive, adaptable and supportive.

Let other players try out their ideas. Next time you have a creative idea they might listen to you.

The crazier the idea, the more interesting the game will be. Tabletop RPGs are designed to allow freedom of creativity.

If you are denying creative freedom, you are denying a main element of the game and denying what makes the game fun in the first place.

If players are afraid to be wrong, or make the wrong choice, they won't be able to create anything. Be supportive so you won't be the reason why people  are afraid to be creative.

Get the hint! React and respond to the story.

If the NPC gnomes tell you that their friends were kidnapped by goblins, you should get the hint and maybe go save them.

Getting the hint means moving the plot forward. Ask questions. Why were the goblins kidnapping people in the first place? Why are the goblins working with a bunch of skeletons?

What happened in your tragic backstory that is relatable to this situation? 

When anyone is talking about their character or their goals, there is a chance for role play. Get the hint and start interacting.

How does it make your character feel when the bad guys plans are revealed? 

How offended are you when someone raises the dead? What is motivating you to catch the bad guys?

Are you scared or nervous when you find a terrible cursed item?

Make sure you have clear actions that support your characters goals.

Having a cool backstory and a goal doesn't mean much if you aren't including it in the game. Use your goals to drive your character and the role-playing ever forward.

Use backstories, goals, and alignments to inform your characters decisions.

Use your backstory to relate to other characters and whatever else is going on in game.

Make sure you and your character adapts to the group dynamic and play style.

You need to know why your paladin is willing to travel with a bunch of thieves. Why does your necromancer work with a group of clerics? How does a wizard work with a bunch of hack-n-slash barbarians who can't read?

Adapt to the DM's style of play. If the DM wants a game about killing monsters and you want to role-play, put some effort into making a compromise and work together.

Some of the best role play I've seen is during battle. Don't just attack on your turn during battle. Take advantage of the spotlight on your turn to role play as well as fight.

Make sure the DM knows how you want to play so you both can adapt to each others styles.

If the Dungeon Master doesn't know what you want out of the game, they can't give it to you. It's your job to communicate to them what you want and how you want to play.

If that doesn't work, you need to find a different group to play with.

All of this goes along with how to be a good player in general.

Be responsible for your character.

Be responsible for moving your story forward. Your character won't evolve or grow unless you put effort into cultivating them. It is your responsibility to continue moving forward.

Be proud of what you create. Be confident in your choices.

The more confidence you have, the more realistic your character becomes.

Don't rely on the DM to remember that you sent a love letter to your main squeeze. Remind the DM that you are waiting for a reply. Ask the DM if you recognize someone specific from your backstory.

The more you ask about things, the more likely the dungeon master will add things in for you.

Take your special magic sword to the blacksmith for repairs. Go home to visit your family. Create your potions and scrolls. Look for leads to solve a mystery. Find out what kind of enemies you are fighting next and get their weaknesses.

Do not wait for the DM to say what you are going to do. You need to take action and make decisions for your character. Ask if you can try something. Tell the DM what you are planning on doing.

If your character isn't making decisions or taking action, you aren't role playing. 

Deciding to stay back at the farmhouse while the rest of the players continue the game without you, is not a decision. If you choose to stay behind, you deserve to be left behind.

The DM can only give you so many options as far as where to go and what to do. Make smart choices based off of those options.

You are responsible for how much role-playing you want to do and how much fun you have with it. No one else is going to play your character for you. No one else can control your attitude at the table.

Remember why you are playing in the first place. Have fun with it.

The more effort you put into the game, the more you will enjoy it.

Lets face it, you will have to improvise a little bit.

In fact you will probably be improvising a lot, thus is the nature of the game. But you can be prepared for it. And practice it.

It's okay if you aren't good at improvising. Use these tricks, your backstory, and your characters goals to inform your decisions.

It's totally okay to plan what you want to say beforehand or follow another players' lead. You can even print out the ideas here or other character questionnaires to motivate you in the midst of the game.

 As long as you can interact with the game you will be role playing.

When you don't know what to do, have something prepared that your character can say or do. This gives you something to fall back on. Your character can play with props, do a little dance, using specific sayings, etc.

Put some effort into your game. Experiment with what works and what doesn't. 

You'll never get good at anything if you don't test things out and practice. It's okay to experiment who your character is.

Trying new things is the only way to grow and learn.

Don't be afraid to change something you don't like about your character. That is what experimenting is.

Practice asking questions in character.

Practice relating your character to the story and ask how they feel about what is going on.

Practice improvising.

Take the time to listen and allow other players to role-play. Don't dismiss others ideas. This is a group game and everyone deserves a chance to role play too.

Drive your characters story forward.

Use these skills to find out who your character is, and what is working for you.

Mistakes I've Made As A DM, And What I should Have Done Differently.

I let a player torture a goblin for hours in game.

One of my first mistakes as a brand new DM was letting a PC torture an innocent goblin for hours in game. The player left the party and stayed behind to torture my poor NPC. Even after the party had already gotten the info they needed. I don't remember the details of the story or even what the player was asking about.

I played the goblin, saying over and over that the players already had the info. I don't know anything else! The player continued to stay separated from the party and described in detail what he wanted to do to the goblin, like putting the point of a dagger under the goblins fingernails.

 The player didn't get my hints and continued to try to torture this poor guy even after he knew that the goblin didn't know anything else. It was really creepy and weird. It still leaves a bad taste in my mouth to this day, over 15 years later.

Since I was new to the game, I didn't know what to do or how to handle it. My only strategy at the time was to repeat over and over again that I didn't know anything. I felt so uncomfortable and just wanted the player to get back to the group and on with the game.

Back then my stories and sessions didn't get very far. But I'll never forget this creepy torture players choices. It was really weird to me that someone would do that. Weird power fantasies I guess. I don't know how long it took in real time, but it felt like forever.

Looking back, there are a lot of things I could have done.

Most simply, I could have just said "You torture the goblin for a few hours and you get no other information from him. Now back to the players who are actually playing the game..."

 I let this gross player hog the spotlight and hog my attention instead of focusing on the players who were trying to advance the story.

I could have made the goblin suddenly get a lot stronger and just beat the player to a pulp. Good revenge, right?

I could have made that player miss out on the next battle or loot cache. He wasted so much time in game that I could have ruled that he wasn't there to join in with what the  group was doing.

I could have said, "The goblin doesn't know anything, you would just be wasting your time."

But being the nice guy I am, I let him role play that nastiness. Never again.


I stopped a fight mid-battle because I wanted to move on to the next dungeon. 

The players were around level 3 in Pathfinder. They were fighting some large trolls and the BBEG who was a female elf wizard. My plan was to set up how powerful the villain was by having her kill some NPC's and ultimately capture the players. I wanted the players to wake up in the next dungeon so I could get them to where the plot needed them to be.

The plan didn't go well.

I was being really lazy that day and didn't put any energy into the baddies goals or characterization. So the battle was droning on, and I got bored. I cut the fight so early that I didn't even get a chance to establish how powerful the enemy was. The players had no idea that they were supposed to lose.

I had no clue how to plan for this. But I know now what to do.

During battle, on my turn, I should have made the enemies hit harder right away. Establishing the story and plot points in round one.

I should have told them that there would be a transition cut scene, and they would get a good chance to escape afterwords. If the players knew this, they probably would have trusted me more as a DM and enjoyed the story.

Instead of a cool story scene introducing the bag guy, it was an awkward and abrupt cut mid-battle. The players didn't know what was going on.

I didn't communicate to the players and I didn't put any energy into telling a good story.

In the end. I told them that they were captured and left in a dungeon. I got them to the content I had prepared so the game would be easier for me, at the cost of some great storytelling.

I had no patience for myself, and the lack of confidence in telling the story.


I gave my players a powerful magic item and two MacGuffins without making them work for it.

I felt bad because that session only had two players, and they ran into a really hard encounter without the rest of the party to help out.

The encounter I prepared was hard because the PC's had just gotten to 5th level in 5e. They all got to attack twice per turn now. So I decided that all my enemies had multi-attack as well as a few hell-hound creatures that have a powerful fire breath weapon.

Since it was pretty hard and there were only two of them, I let them sneak past a few enemies and let the players find some magical stuff like a broom of flying.

Since I let them sneak past a lot of my encounter, I didn't have anything else specifically prepared and I wanted to wait until the next session for the other players.

I also didn't have much of the world prepared and I definitely didn't plan on the players having the power to fly wherever they wanted.

Most of the session had to be improvised and role-played because I let them skip past the prepared content. Since things weren't prepared properly, I was panicking about what to do.

 They were searching for MacGuffins and I gave those to them relatively easy too. I let them charm and steal from two different NPC's I had just made up and neither of them put up a real fight.

I knew beforehand that a player wanted a magic broom, and I should have prepared for it. I should have made them go on a quest for it. Make them explore and work for their items instead of just dropping exactly what they want in front of them.

In that session, I became a pushover DM. I knew what the players wanted and I gave it to them. Without any real obstacles in their way.

I screwed myself over in 4 ways. Giving them powerful items, Preparing an encounter that depended on a specific player who didn't show up, and letting them sneak past the obstacles that was supposed to be the entire session of content, and Improvising pushover NPC's who didn't have specific goals or character personalities. Therefore the NPC's were really lame obstacles that the players easily got past. These are all bad ideas.

In my career as a DM I have gotten more and more scared of railroading. In that fear, I have tried to say "yes" to just about anything my players want to do. Usually I can improvise my way out of most situations and get the players back on track, but this time, I let it go too far.

I became out of balance with my preparation and my improv.  My neediness to allow players to make  choices destroyed the session.

Overall, I think the players still had fun, they had a great time role-playing and charming NPC's. They were freaking out because the battle was super hard. The session had ups and downs like any good story. And at the end of the session they did ultimately beat the baddies, after I fudged the dice and lowered some HP. The fact that they were worried the whole time mad it an intense experience.

I also could have given players more hints to make the battle easier for them. "Do you have any spells or items that don't use up spell slots?" "Do you have something that does ice damage to hurt the flaming hell-hounds?"

The main lessons I have learned here is to plan correctly and follow that plan even if the story becomes a bit too linear. Communicate better with players to tell them where to go and what to do.

I always give advice to people about not planning too much and now it's bitten me in the ass. I still think you should only prepare for no more than 2 or 3 sessions at a time, because you still won't know what might happen. In my case I didn't prepare a single session properly.

I have grown a big ego about being able to improvise my way out of most game situations. This situation got me into trouble because I was too nice and unprepared.

How to handle players that are too powerful. (Killing the villain before its time.)

   Good job! They win. Game over. Go home.

  You have a high level werewolf that you set up as a big bad? But the players somehow kill him before the final boss fight. Let them do it! Give them a victory, especially if it is a very clever way of winning. Being a good DM means being adaptable and working with what the players want to do. Within reason. Don't let them burn down your city. But Let them kill your big bad early. They'll feel accomplished for taking down something powerful and they'll appreciate you for allowing them to be creative. Anyway you "had a plan" all along.

   Maybe the werewolf was part of a pack of werewolves that the players will now have to deal with. Maybe the werewolf infected a bunch of towns-people who now need to be saved before they turn. Just because a big bad is dead, doesn't mean the story is over. It means you will have to adapt and improvise your way through the story. Use a new boss with the same exact stats you already prepared. The enemies should be adaptable too. They heard about what the players did and now the new boss can prepare for that situation.

   The vampire lord, that got killed too early, has an evil step sister who now wants revenge for her brothers death. Use the same final battle you had planned with the same stats but a different character. The story isn't over. In the star wars books, the emperor cloned himself. Final battles for days! There will always be one more power orb to destroy, one more magic weapon to find. One more town to save. The story isn't over. The players might have killed your robber baron but they still have to find the deed to the ranch. The Players still need to clear out the dungeon of kobold minions and evil cultists who were working for the dead boss. Don't give up and don't let the players stop your game. There is always something else that needs to get done.

   Fudge the dice! Change your stats mid-battle! This is one of the best powers a DM has at her disposal.  If you have 5 players attacking one bad guy, that's 5 attacks versus the bad guys one turn.  If you see the players are doing too much damage to your big bad, ending your epic fight too early, give your big bad 100 extra HP. Your baddies can take a powerful healing potion! Give your bad guys resistances or a powerful magical shield that the players can't penetrate until you decide when the baddie gets hurt. Use your plot armor wisely.
 
   Give the big bad an extra spell every turn. The players won't know. This can become a problem at higher levels when the party gets too strong. Let your big bad get in an extra attack or special spell to control the flow of battle. Let your boss go into a rage that lets him deal out extra damage. Have a second or third wave of minions come in to help the boss out. The players can't take down your big bad right away if they have to deal with his bodyguards first. Let the big bad run away. The big bad can use a teleport or fly spell to escape a loosing battle.

   Make sure the players have a goal that is more complicated then just killing the bad guys. They need to turn off the doomsday machine before time runs out. Dispel or de-power the magic orb the enemy was using to open portals. If you have set goals, you can put in as many obstacles in the way as you want. This way when the boss does die too early, your story can continue and the players still have things to do.

   If you need more time to prepare, send some skeletons or robots after the party. They won't be able to talk or charm their way out of battle with mindless creatures. During the battle you can have some time to think up whats next.

 Take a 10-15 minute break to think up something new.

Article inspired by this story.

Preparing your first D&D/RPG game

Preparation.

First you'll need a story idea. You don't need to create an entire world or an entire village. Just focus on a simple quest or character goal that can start your story. Offer a few story ideas for your players to choose from.

You can also work with your players to create a story along during session zero.

Start with one "dungeon" or "encounter" and work from there. A dungeon basically means anywhere you will have the players explore with while fighting monsters and role playing with non-player characters. A dungeon could be whatever you want. A city, a forest, ancient ruins, a cave, or anything else you can think of.

Don't over prepare. Just plan on the first session and a few ideas of where the story could go after that. Unless you are playing all day, one 3-4 hour session shouldn't have more than 3 or 4 encounters. Including at least one encounter that involves role-playing instead of combat.

The easiest way to start a story, or create a quest, is to create something the party needs and then put obstacles in the players way. Obstacles like monsters, traps, city guards, pickpockets, or villains who are trying to achieve the same goal as the players.

Here are some more ideas for coming up with a story.

   

Draw a map. Add Some Bad Guys

I think it is easier to start small. Especially when you are first starting. Draw one map of your dungeon, village, or cave. It doesn't have to be a pretty work of art or be to scale, this is for your own notes. Add where the monsters, animals, and traps could be.

Where are the NPC's that the players will run into?

Your dungeon doesn't have to be huge and complicated either. One night of play won't need more than five to ten dungeon rooms. 

Does your game start with someone giving the players a job? Do the players get what they want right away or do they have to go through multiple steps that take up a lot of sessions to finish the story? It can be as long or as short as you want it to be.

Aside from the map, Make a list of monsters or enemies that you might want to use during play. I say "might" because a good role player can talk their way out of some deadly situations. Have you list of enemies with all the stats you think the monsters might need.

This extra list will give you something to add just in case you run out of prepared content and need to insert another encounter quickly. Having this ready will enable you to avoid making players wait while you prepare another monster or the next step in the story.

To keep things simple, just focus on the enemies HP, AC, Attacks, special moves and ability checks or saving throws. I usually don't prepare ability scores or saves, unless they are big important bosses or long term villains. 

Make sure you have lots of extra blank paper to keep track of hit points and other notes during the game session.

To keep things easy, look up the challenge rating of monsters. For your first game it's OK to keep them simple. Challenge rating 1 or lower. For level 1 players.

I hate math and therefore I don't waste time and energy keeping track of experience points. Instead, have characters level up at the end of a session or at the end of a specific quest.

Once you know what classes your players have, you can add class specific details to your map. If you know you have a rogue, add some locked doors or traps they can disarm. If there is a druid or ranger, add an encounter with a mundane animal or horses so they can use their handle animal abilities.

For your magic users, add some runes or a scroll for them to read. If you have a paladin, cleric, or monk, make sure they have a temple or monastery to visit.

Add some NPC's with the same classes that your players might want to interact with, a fellow soldier, explorer, or contacts in a temple or thieves guild.

Add some loot and treasure to your map for the players to find. If you are playing 5th edition, there won't be any magic items at level 1. Always have some healing potions available at low levels.

Host Session Zero.   

Once you have a good story idea, ask your players if they are down with it. Sometimes play styles can get very different and dungeon masters have different styles as well. So make sure everyone is on the same page at first.

Session zero is spent making characters, getting to know play styles, establishing rules and other fine details of the game. 

The most important aspect of a session zero is getting each of the players characters to have a specific goal to work towards. If players start with a specific goal, they have something that motivates them to be a part of your game world. Character goals are a huge help to you as the DM because you can craft a lot of story around what a character wants to do.

This is also good to have the characters backgrounds intertwined. The first session is so much easier without the awkward role-play from brand new characters. I say skip it. Make the party already know each other and have already agreed to work together. 

Characters develop more in game than they do out of the game anyway. The players won't break your game as easily either. If they're already working together, it won't be awkward when one player wants to try to kill the bartender. The other players should help each other out and should jump in to stop some murder-hobo foolishness.

If this is your first time running a game, keep the character creation simple, so your group won't be overwhelmed with too many rules. Have your players start at level 1. Have them only use the races and classes in the handbook. You'll have enough to worry about without having to look up some obscure spells or abilities. More on session zero.

Be Adaptable When Running the Game.

Don't expect the players to do exactly what you want them to do. This turns into railroading and the players will end up with no choices at all. Being adaptable and being able to make stuff up right away is one of the best skills a DM can have.

There will always be something the players will ask about that you didn't think of preparing. Don't be afraid to make things up in the moment. No matter how much you prepare, there will always be something to improvise.

It is totally OK to have traps or encounters that don't have a planned ending. This gives your players a chance to be creative and lets you have fun with the players problem solving. You set it up, they knock it down.

Let your players try ridiculous things. If you are saying "no" to every good idea they come up with, the players won't have any fun and will see that trying to be creative is a bad thing. This destroys the spirit of the game. RPG's group games are designed for people to work together to solve problems. Don't destroy the dynamic by saying no to every great idea that pops up. A good DM works with the players.

Give your players the illusion of choice. Do they want to go explore in the forest? Or head to the ancient ruins? Either way, they will come across the one dungeon you have prepared. Because your job is to put obstacles in their way. You don't need to invent an entire new map just because the players chose to go right instead of left. Make it easy for yourself. Put the players where they need to be to advance the story. Skip travel time if you have nothing planned for it.

More Ideas about being adaptable here.

Running the Game.

This is where all your preparation and over thinking will pay off.

Instead of wasting time traveling, start the players off in front of the dungeon. Start where the action is. Set up the scene and then let them decide what to do. How will the characters get across a moat with no drawbridge? How will they get past the magic stone door blocking the entrance to the dungeon?

Make sure you are sharing the spotlight. If one player wants to do a thing, pause that player and ask what the other players are doing. Make sure every player is involved. Even if it's just to follow what the main player is doing. At least give each player a chance for their ideas to be heard. Let them talk one at a time, make them take turns talking if you have to.

As the dungeon master, you decide when to start and stop the action. If a player tells you that they are doing a thing, then say that the character does the thing. When the DM says it, it lets the party know what's happening and you can describe it in order to move the story forward. It also tells your players that you have heard and acknowledged what they want to do. If the DM doesn't say it, it didn't happen.

Make name tags for the player characters, so you and the group know the characters names. It's also good to have their race, class, HP, and AC recorded so you don't have to ask them every turn.

During battle, have a player keep track of initiative or put the name tags in initiative order. This will speed things up for you.

Have players look up rules so you aren't slowing down the battle. If someone needs to look something up, move on to the next turn so the whole table isn't waiting around.

Tell players that you expect them to know what dice to roll for their attacks and what their spells and abilities do before they get to their turn.

If you want to stay sane, take breaks at least every two hours. Don't be afraid to ask if players want to take a break.

If something comes up and you want to think about what to do next, it's OK to pause, and take a break, and think about it for a awhile. You aren't the computer running a video game. You need breaks too. 

Have fun! 

The most important rule is to have fun.

Don't overwork yourself and turn the game into another job.

Creating worlds and stories is supposed to be exciting. Being creative is the best thing we can do in this life.

Enjoy it.

Take a break if you aren't enjoying the game.

Don't overwhelm yourself thinking about building an entire world from scratch. Steal stories from books and movies. If you feel bad about stealing ideas, read this.

Use published adventures if you don't want to create your own. No one cares that an idea or two is stolen. The players are there for the same reason you are, To have fun!

   

For more insight, information and inspiration please visit gamesmastery.com 

  

How to stop players from destroying your game

   Some nerd told me a story about how his players killed everyone in the tavern before the group even formed. This is disappointing that some players even act that way. No respect for the game or the master. Set up your expectations and rules before you start.
 
   The best way to avoid this game breaking stuff is to prevent it in the first place. Your evil druid wants to bash in in the skull of the bartender? Your edge-lord warlock wants to let loose a fireball in the weapons shop? The rogue wants to put an arrow in the queens face? As a DM you'll have to be the one to stop the action.

   Appeal to your players, or the offending player. Say something like, "You see johnny Mc-Edgelord about to cast a spell in the shop. Are you going to let him ruin your negotiations? What are you going to do about this? You know there are towns guards and the city watch right around the corner." Or appeal to the specific attacking player. "Are you sure you want to kill the barkeep? There isn't anywhere else to eat and sleep in this small town, if you make an attack, the entire town won't deal with you at all. You won't be able to buy weapons or rent horses." Prevent something before it happens.

   If talking doesn't sway the party right away, you can send in the troops. Don't even wait for the second round of initiative. Right after the player makes the first attack, the tavern guests run and get the guard. The guard shows up in the first turn to stop the battle. They're all level 20 and they immediately beat players to a pulp. If you don't want the players or player to be killed right away, they can be locked up. Knocked out. Charmed to be agreeable. Or anything else you can think of. This is your game and you wont tolerate the shenanigans. Make the barkeep level 20 and he can just knock the player out right away. Catch the players red-handed. Teach them that there are consequences to every action.

   If your game has lots of magic or technology, the shops and taverns will have magical wards, alarms, force fields, magic shields, etc.  The tavern has automatic detect poison spells set up. Or purification spells to protect the food. A player attacks the bartender with his staff? A magical force field stops the staff in mid swing and the player is hit with an entangle or hold person spell. In a lawless world, no one is surprised to see turrets in the ceiling of their fine dining experience. The bartender has a magical cup that is actually a port-key to teleport unruly guests out of his shop. It could lead a rude guest to a dungeon or the drunk tank lock up. Have anti-magic fields set up so mages can't mess things up, or zones of truth around the bar. Have magic mouth or message spells set up to alert the guards right away. Have a bard playing songs to control or sooth the crowd.

   Does your player want to set everything on fire? The city is enchanted with fireproof wood. The firemen use create water spells. Endure element spells. Control element spells. They can animate objects to make flying buckets of water to put out fires right away.

   The kings royal court will have high level mages or powerful generals who can take out a player in one hit. Take them out before initiative is rolled. The 5 guards against the wall have been holding their actions for days just in case some idiot player decides to attack the king.

   If the party or one player does get away with something, have an NPC witness the event. The guards or the nobles find out and send assassins or bounty hunters after the player. Put up wanted posters in every town and tavern. No one will work with these social outcasts. Have the players deal with being constantly chased. If they want to act like criminals, the world will treat them like criminals.

  Another problem my friend had was that the players hadn't even formed the group when the tavern was attacked. The players had no loyalty to each other and it turned to chaos. I prevent this problem by having a session zero or something like it. Start the game with the players already knowing each other and already agreeing to work together. It gets even better when the players have a pre-established common goal. This way the players will actually help and support each other without becoming murder hobos.

   Do the characters even want to travel with someone who is constantly attacking when they're trying to get weapons made or their loot being divided up. The cleric or paladin will not want to be associated with someone who just tried to commit regicide.  Will the characters tolerate being with someone who tried to assassinate the king? Have the group role play it out. The offending player will have to decide whether to change their character a bit or play a new one.

    If you don't want to give consequences in game, you'll have to be an adult and talk to your players. Talk to the offending player in private out of the game. Tell him you don't want everything to be destroyed. Tell him you have a story to tell and other players to work with. If the people playing aren't having fun then it's not worth it. Tell the player that it is a co-operative game and you guys have to work together. Tell the player they won't be invited back to the next game if they keep wanting to destroy everything. Don't invite him again. Put them on time out. Being a group game means that the players and the DM need to work together. If you can, try to establish these rules during session zero.

   If your player wants to continue destroying stuff, tell them to go play grand theft auto all by themselves.

Good luck and have fun!

 



 

Be An Adaptable DM For an Immersive Game

  Telling your players that they can't do something will suck the fun out of any game.

   Be able to improvise. Let the players try to seduce the dragon. Let them steal the deed to the ranch. The more you can adapt to what the players want, the more fun you'll have and the more interesting stories you'll get to tell.

  If a player can justify how they can jump 20 feet into the air, let them do it. Tell me how exactly your ranger grew up jumping through the trees I'll let you roll for it. Then maybe it will happen.

   Some one wants to charm the dwarf princess? Let them try. Make them tell you precisely what they want to say to her. Not only will they have to roll for it, but the have to say it. Have them turn on the charm for you along with making a roll. If the performance is good and they roll well, the princess just might be charmed, or at least a little more friendly. Let a player try something instead of denying their efforts right away.

  A player wants to try to kill the king? They can certainly try. The 20 guards and the court of wizards might have a say about it. As a DM you have the power to stop and start the action. An action won't happen unless you say it does.

   Let the players try things, but make them work for it. They want to dress as guards and try to sneak into the city? Have them roll charisma or intuition checks. Have them make knowledge checks too.
"Were you the guards who were coming back from hunting wolves? I don't see any pelts on you"

   Be adaptive to the rules too. Don't look something up because it always slows the game down. Come up with a decision on the spot. Have a player look it up when it's not their turn. Make up your own house rules. Look up the rule later and then adapt to it if works with your story.

  Don't be afraid to make things up and add detail and character to your world. Players will always have questions, and it is nearly impossible to prepare everything. So stay flexible with your in-game world building. If a player asks the name of a random NPC on the street, make it up. If it's a random person, the name doesn't have to be special, just call him John Doe. Who cares. You definitely won't need to prepare stats for him. Make sure you write down his name so it maintains continuity if the players ever ask about him again.

 Do the players want to explore a cave or a building that wasn't prepared? Make it up. Do it. Let them explore. Give them something simple to find. Maybe some one stashed a small weapon or a coin purse in the cave. Or there's evidence of an animal sleeping there. Or they find a silver ring under the rocks. You don't have to make up something epic or exciting. Have something there, even if it is simple. Finding something will always be better than a player finding nothing at all. Your world will seem a lot more "lived in" and interesting if there is something there to find. No one wants to play in an empty world. Discovering two gold pieces is always better than finding nothing at all.

 It's also OK to tell the players that you haven't prepared something. They'll understand. It's easier to tell that truth than to try to lie you way out of something. If you start making up crappy excuses as to why players can't do something, they'll feel railroaded and see right through it. Your world suddenly got rigid and and fake. So tell them that something wasn't prepared. Give them something rather than nothing.

  Be patient with players and expect your players to do the same for the group. Every player wants to do something epic and exciting every turn. A lot of players take their time to plan tactics and strategy,  or try to figure out what to do. If your players are having a hard time making a decision, it's OK to help your players and give them hints. Sometimes making a simple attack is the best option.

If the players are stuck on puzzles or riddles, give hints in the guise of the characters knowledge and experience. Say something like, "Your character has fought these creatures before, you know that they are weak to fire." Or, "You've lived in these woods along side the elf tribes for a long time, you remember the elvish word for 'friend'."
   A players knowledge of the world will be a lot less than what their characters know. You as the DM will always know more about your world, so help your players out. The group doesn't gain anything from a secretive DM. No one will want to play with an unhelpful dungeon master, so don't be that guy.

  Players can get frustrated easily when they are stuck on something. Help them out. You and your players will enjoy the game a lot more when you help them out, instead of allowing the party to be stuck for a long time. You have control over how long something takes. Try to get a sense of how your players are feeling. Don't let them get stuck or frustrated.

  If a player wants do a cool move or attack on their turn, go ahead and let them. If their choices don't impede on your story or the players enjoyment, why the hell not!? Let your player do a parkour move off the side of a boulder in order to stab an enemy in the neck. Let them make a dexterity or tumble check along with their attack roll. If they succeed, they'll feel great for pulling off a cool move. If they fail, it will still be a lot more interesting for the player than being denied that option. Don't immediately dismiss their ideas. You can make the situation a lot more interesting if they do fail. Maybe the bad guys catches them in the air, or the player slips off the rocks and falls on their face.         Whatever happens will be more memorable than you saying "No" and sucking the fun out of the game. The whole point of the game is to provide fun for the group as a whole. Let your players try things. Do not be a fun-sucker. No one wants to play with a nitpicking micromanaging DM.

  Let your players leave the table if it isn't their turn. Let them come and go and they'll still find enjoyment out of the game. Battles can last a long time, and people will need breaks. Take a break at least every two hours. Reset and refresh your mind, especially as a Dungeon Master. It doesn't matter how long you play, as long as there are breaks happening. If you have the right players, you can go all night!

  If you have something prepared and the players don't find it, let them find it anyway. There is no point in letting your hidden treasure go to waste. If you don't want to give players a straight answer, at least give them clues or a lead they can follow. Give them the choice to explore, let them ask questions. If they don't, then you at least gave them the option to unravel your thread of clues. If you don't give hints or clues the players won't know what to do. You need to tell them something. It is your job to communicate to your group. If you don't say anything, they won't know about it. You cannot expect players to find something if you haven't told them about it. Don't expect players to know what to do, if you haven't laid the groundwork for them first.

  The goal of the game is to have fun. Every time you dismiss an idea or say no, the less fun players will have. We want more fun, not less.

  Good luck and have fun!

Creating an Unforgettable D&D Character

   Today I'm focusing more on personality traits and backstories. Nothing here about numbers or stats. So you can use these ideas for any rpg system.

   There will be a lot of questions for you to think about. Get brainstorming!

   Choose a Race. 

Do you want pointy ears? Demon Horns? or the extra abilities you get as a more versatile human?
 
   A lot of players choose race to boost their stats based on their class. You want to be a strong fighter, be a half orc or a dwarf that boosts strength. A halfling thief will have more dexterity than most. I'm sure you want to do something you don't get to do in real life.

   Don't be that player who wants to be a dragon. It makes the game harder for everyone. You can totally do it if your DM lets you of course, but you should definitely ask about that one first.

Find the class and their abilities that are right for you.

How does your character like to fight?

How brave/stupid are they?

Would they rather heal their friends instead of seeking out a fight? Be a cleric or a bard.

Would they make tactical plans instead of jumping headfirst into battle?

Would they prefer to make weapons or brew potions instead of fighting?

Would they rather sneak up behind their enemies or karate chop them to death? Rogue or monk.

Would you like to throw fireballs or sing a song to inspire your friends?

Do you spend all your time hugging trees and raising animals? Druid.

Personalities are not classes!

Classes are simply what determines the abilities your character uses.

Personality is how they act and feel, how they interact with the world around them.

Remember, that classes aren't necessarily a characters personality. 

All barbarians aren't stupid, like Bruce Banner. All clerics aren't brainwashed religious nuts. 

The comic Rat Queens does very well to turn character tropes around. A fighters day job could be a talented chef.

Batman's personality is a lot different than Deadpool's. But their goals are almost the same. Protect innocence people and make their world a better place.

   Use a personality you like. if you can't think of a good idea it is okay to copy a famous movie star or character from any other media. 

  Do you want to be Indiana Jones or Jack Burton? Are you John Wick or Marty Mcfly? Is your character more like Jack Black than Will Smith? Could you be the next Picard or Mal Reynolds? Steal a personality idea and make it your own. Are you Arya Stark or John Snow? Are you more like Legolas or Bilbo?

  Find words that describe a personality or emotion you can base your character on. Are you loving or closed off? Boisterous or stoic? Lazy or intense? Bossy or rude? How do other people perceive your character? Do they want you at all their dinner parties? Or do they tolerate you like an offensively dull co-worker? Is your character only nice to certain people? Are they introverts who can only talk to laid back people?
 
Develop a voice or accent for your character.

   This adds personality right away. It also helps everyone at the table know if it's you or your character talking. Do you want to sound like LeeLoo or Wonder Woman?

   Maybe your character was burnt in a planet full of lava and now you sound like Darth Vader or Stephen Hawking. You don't have to have a specific accent. Maybe your character talks slower or faster than you do.

 Simple backstories are the most effective.

Try to tone down the idea into two or three sentences.
 
   Give us a simple elevator pitch; I'm a cut purse who grew up on the streets of a shady port town. I ended up traveling with a caravan of merchants to sell snake oil. Now I'm adventuring to meet my long lost sister and maybe make some extra gold along the way.

   If you can tone it down this simply, it becomes a lot more memorable and exciting. No one wants to read your 5 page history. You can write that history of course, but find a way to tone it down and get an essence of the character.

  How did your characters family die? Oh wait, not everyone is an orphan?! Your aunt and uncle didn't die in a fire and inspire you to fight the empire? Maybe your parents got killed when you were a baby and now their killer is a dark lord who wants to attack your high school.

As far as backstories go, you can make up whatever you want. Don't worry about being totally original, because it's all been done before. Put your own spin on it. Who cares if it's already been done, as long as you enjoy it.

  Keep your backstory pretty simple. If it gets too long, it gets harder to add things to it later on during the game. The DM needs something to work off of and your fellow party members should have a way to add their characters to your story.

   Plan with the other players and dungeon master. Maybe the players are all from the same village that was destroyed by orc bandits during the rat wars and now all of you want to get revenge. Maybe your character is a mob boss and your party needs to take out a few rival gang members.

Make sure your character has a goal

  I think the most important thing for a character is a goal. This can directly be related to how you character sees the world and how the world sees you. Do you want to find love? Or do you just want the world to see how smart you are?

   A goal could be as simple as wanting to live alone in your swamp and it eventually brings you love and adventure. Having a goal or a mission will help out the DM with adding your character to the story. Give the DM something to use so your character can be directly involved with whatever is going on.

   Are you looking for your missing brother? Trying to save a soldier named Ryan? Do you want to learn a new powerful spell? Or obtain a legendary weapon? Do you want money?  Or fame? Do you want to save your homeland from a dragon who invaded years ago? Did your mommy get killed by vampires and now you have sworn revenge?

Character goals work with personality.

What does your character care about?

If your character had to fight, what would it be for? Family? Friends? Money? Political power?

Does your character want to control armies or own a large shipping company?

Would your character fight for her homeland or find the easiest way to survive?

Is your character an explorer or scientist? Do they want to study magic or exotic creatures?

Do you want to study mythology or history of your world?

Do you want to craft epic magical weapons or technology to make life easier?

Does your character want to see an elf city in the trees or visit the astral plane and talk to angels?

Do you want to own a castle and have a fancy title?

Don't create a character that won't interact or play well with the group. 

RPG's are group games! You need to be interacting with the party and helping them out.

  Your lone wolf type won't be every fun if they aren't talking to anyone. It's OK to be a loner as long as you are still a part of the game. There is no reason a group of characters would work with someone who doesn't work with them. The characters have every right to kick your character out of  the party if they aren't playing well.

   If you want to lone wolf it, talk to a DM about running a solo game. Or make sure the rest of the group agrees before the game starts.

Work Together
   Create with the entire group brainstorming ideas. It also makes the beginning of the game easier if all the characters already know each other and have a common goal.

How to plan a new RPG campaign with your players; Session Zero

Session zero is the first session starting a campaign for your game.

This is when you first get your players together, everyone meets to create characters and decide on the type of game and play style. 

Session zero will be more character building and planning than playing. The players and the DM work together to come up with a story. 

A good DM will add the players stories to their pre-planned campaign.  

How do you roll your stats?   

Do your players want to roll stats before or after choosing a class? 

Are you rolling stats and then choosing classes based on the rolls? 

Are you min-maxing? Point buying?

Right now, I make up the stats for players without rolling, just to save time. 

Whatever you do, make sure everyone rolls the same way, then no one will be cheating with unbalanced high numbers.

Keep character creation simple, especially if you are a new DM. 

Stick with simple races and classes from the core handbook.

If you are starting as a new DM, there are enough rules and other things you will need to keep track of.

Don't let your first game get bogged down because a player wants to be a half-dragon half-owlbear sorcerer with special abilities. You'll end up wasting most of your time looking up weird abilities and game rules instead of actually playing. This will also leave other players behind who are playing more traditional characters.

Starting simply is the best way for you and your new players to get used to the game mechanics and how the game flows.

Once you have some more experience with your players, you can create new characters and add them to the game. 
     
Say no during creation and yes during game play. This works well to keep things simple to start with, and then during the game say yes (within reason) to all the fun things players will want to try. 

Make the Characters already know each other before the game starts. 

How do the characters know each other?

Did they meet in a tavern like every other story? 

Were they all hired for a job to do together? 

I like starting the game with the players already knowing each other and working together. This makes planning a lot easier and more creative fun for the players to imagine how they met and decided to be friends. Instead of the awkward tavern scene where everyone is trying to introduce themselves.

This will make planning a story easier for the DM, there will be multiple backstories at play with adventure hooks or character goals already set up.

 What are the player character goals?

 What are your characters wants and needs? 

The first story ideas should be taken from your players and their backstories that you establish in session zero.

 A characters parents were killed by a tribe of orcs? Murdered by roaming bandits? Those can be your villains!

By making it personal to the characters, the players will be more invested in your story.

Maybe a player wants revenge against a six-fingered man and ends up in a plot where the evil prince wants to take over a kingdom.

By adding obstacles, random encounters, run-ins with bad guys, and swamps that are on fire, you can turn a characters goal into a 12 session long campaign. Just based on a simple backstory.

Establish the first mission or story line, directly related to one of the characters goals. 

If the PC's are already established as friends, they'll be that much more willing to help each other with their characters goals. And you won't need a traditional adventure hook.

 Add characters and their back-stories to your world.

 Do you have and elf from a forest? A rogue  from the city? Have them come from the city you have already created. The forest you already have established in your world.

This makes the players feel like they are actually a part of the world. Create the story together instead of telling your characters what they want and where they are from.

Establish your house rules. 

Before each session, players should be reminded of how you expect them to act during play, and what the consequences are if they don't. RPGs are designed to be played in groups, so every needs to be on the same page. Play along to get along. 

If players are not following the rules, don't invite them to the next session. Don't waste time with people who are ruining your fun. having fun is the only way to win D&D.

Set boundaries right away. 
(do you let players fight each other? do you confirm critical hits?).

 No cheating on dice rolls. 

Teach the players that they should know what they are going to do before their turn. 

Make sure players know what dice to roll and what their bonuses are.

Are you using experience points or leveling by story arcs?

Do you use Inspiration points or Bennies in your game?

What is your maximum limit of players? How do you handle a player who doesn't show up?

Establish tone and genre of the game.

 I'm sure you already have a few ideas for stories. Give your story ideas to the players and let them choose what to go with. 

Is it funny fantasy adventure or a super serious spy thriller? It is a gritty western or a space exploration game?

Figure out a general tone as well. If you are trying to play in a haunted house or a Lovecraftian horror setting, it won't go very well if the players aren't acting horrified or allowing themselves to go a little crazy. Make sure the players are playing along and buying in with the tone of the game.

Establish a party alignment.

Are all the players good, and want to answer every distress call they hear?

Do you have an evil player who is planning on betraying the group? If so, will the players characters even work with someone like that?

Do your players want to be murder hobos and disregard the ramifications of their actions?

Will players want to do an evil campaign where players just want to see the word burn?

What is your play style? Does it match with the players style?

Do your players want to hack-and-slash everything and take the loot?

 Do you want to run a role play heavy story full of intrigue and moral dilemmas? 

Do players want to solve puzzles and get past traps?

 Is exploration important to the players?

 Do players want to be entertained and watch the DM act things out all night? 

If the players don't agree with your DMing style, that's O.K.! They can play in another group.
As a DM you can always find more players.

Some new players won't even know what they want until they've played a few sessions. 

 Start the game with a practice battle or encounter. 

This is especially important for beginning players and dungeon masters. Take time in session zero to figure out the flow of battle. 

How long does it take for someone to take a turn? 

How much damage does your characters normally do? 
What are the basic rules? Standard actions, and bonus actions. 

My favorite session zero game was when the players wanted their own pirate ship. The first battle I gave them was to kill the captain and take command of the ship. Help the new players learn to use their skills and abilities. 

 It's okay if people make mistakes. Especially when it's someone's first game. Let it happen and move on.

Make a Schedule and stick to it.

How long will this game last? Is it a one shot or an ongoing story?

Will your prepared story last 4 sessions or 2 years?

 Set a group schedule for the next few sessions so the group wont fall apart right away. 
Games always eventually fall apart no matter how excited everyone is. 
A game that lasts years is a lot more rare than you would think.

 People are always busy. So plan as much as you can with as many group members as possible.
If you plan in advance, everyone will be more likely to commit to a time. 

Talk about trigger warnings. 

Establish what your players don't want to happen during the game. 

How will you handle romance, torture, and other sensitive subjects?

The simplest way is to fade to black. Characters go to sleep together, fade to black and now it is the next morning. Skip the details. 

As a GM, do you want to roleplay flirting and romance? Will you spend time playing a character who is getting tortured?

Every group is different and every situation is different, so it is important to establish this beforehand.

A simple and common method is using a card with an X drawn on it. leave it in the center of the table and if the subject gets too intense or unwanted, players and point to it showing you that the subject should be skipped or avoided. Work with your group to agree on the details.

Thank you!

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