Storyteller's Guide Ep 7 : Side Questing Like a Boss
When your PCs are distracted or do something unexpected, what do you do?
Our Guest DM's, @vincecaso @maudegarrett join @satinephoenix on https://t.co/WBSJBmjs9vSunday at 12pm PST pic.twitter.com/5uwuJzse0e
— GildingLight (@GildingLight) August 16, 2019
Storyteller's Guide Ep 6 : Introducing New Characters
Making a first impression with a new character can be hard, and the best storytellers introduce new PCs and NPCs in clever ways.
Our DM's @HapaBarbarian @vampiresnvino @satinephoenix
Tomorrow at Noon on https://t.co/ORTntRZy1S pic.twitter.com/hBhKfVqXLE— GildingLight (@GildingLight) August 11, 2019
1 hour until the Storyteller's Guide sets out for adventure with @satinephoenix @12pm today! Join us with @Hydra_Lord & @jasoncmiller on https://t.co/WBSJBmjs9v! #DnD5E #GildingLight #Storytelling Sponsored by: @idlechampions & @WorldAnvil https://t.co/HhCNPHr1kP pic.twitter.com/W8RNiN3d5m
— GildingLight (@GildingLight) June 30, 2019
1 hour until the Storyteller's Guide sets out for adventure with @satinephoenix @12pm today! Join us with @Hydra_Lord & @jasoncmiller on https://t.co/WBSJBmjs9v! #DnD5E #GildingLight #Storytelling Sponsored by: @idlechampions & @WorldAnvil https://t.co/HhCNPHr1kP pic.twitter.com/W8RNiN3d5m
— GildingLight (@GildingLight) June 30, 2019
#dnd tip for player management: the DMG identifies 7 player types: actor, explorer, instigator, fighter, optimizer, problem solver, and storyteller. Most players are a mixture of these, and we could use other monikers. Every way, there are ways to appeal to each of these types.
— Shawn Merwin (or a poor clone) (@shawnmerwin) April 4, 2019
As I discuss these player types, I'm not looking to judge them or call one better than another. I am looking at ways to identify these types and run fun games for them, regardless of who you are or what your DM style is.
— Shawn Merwin (or a poor clone) (@shawnmerwin) April 4, 2019
One of the best help to interact with this tyeps are the two 4e DMGs that deepen in every profile, how to manage and resolve negative behaviours. ⭐️
— Zoltar SageAdvice (@SageAdviceDnD) April 18, 2019
Categories are useful for educational purposes. Of course each player is different, but since I cannot talk individually about all the millions of people who play, this is a good place to start from, not necessarily to end at.
— Shawn Merwin (or a poor clone) (@shawnmerwin) April 4, 2019
But is it useful for individual DMs? It would make a good sociology study but it doesn’t help me figure out what each of my players is looking for.
Far be it from me to argue with Robin Laws, of course, but I know in my own use, I’ve found categorizing players not very useful. As I run convention games and try to bring the best experience for people I have never met, I certainly rely on this information all the time. Not always perfect, but it generally helps. Which is what I am going to talk about for the rest of the month.
— Shawn Merwin (or a poor clone) (@shawnmerwin) April 4, 2019
I want to be the problem solver but I’m probably the instigator. ⚔️ I am totally an instigator, although I try to dial it back when I am playing with DMs and players who aren't familiar with me. If I see that the table needs a little kick to get everyone more involved, I turn up the dial a little. 🙂
— Shawn Merwin (or a poor clone) (@shawnmerwin) April 4, 2019
None of my players have ever fallen perfectly into one category. They’re all blends which means its more useful for me to just talk to them and figure out what they like individually. Yep. If you have the time and luxury to spend time talking with players that's great. If you don't, relying on previous experience is certainly better than just saying, "Well, since I have not had the time to give each player a psych eval, I won't even try."
— Shawn Merwin (or a poor clone) (@shawnmerwin) April 4, 2019
I would suggest that if possible, seek to play with players of similar types and it will usually mesh better. I’m not suggesting exclusivity, any make up can work, just that like-minded types usually make for better flow. Sometimes, for sure. And sometimes having different types can add a depth to a game that everyone can enjoy in a different way. There are methods to blend a game to speak to different – or even opposite – player types at the same table.
— Shawn Merwin (or a poor clone) (@shawnmerwin) April 4, 2019
To use a marketing term, it is kinda like creating personas. Nobody is going to be exactly like that, but it gives a guide how to best serve them. When you are dealing with the numbers of players at a con, having those 'personas' in mind is invaluable as a GM.
— Justin 🇺🇸🏳️🌈🌊 (@ToHitAC0) April 4, 2019
Wow, I've been out of marketing for a whole year, and I already drove that term from my mind. But it is a great example. https://t.co/PhCxPbCF42
— Shawn Merwin (or a poor clone) (@shawnmerwin) April 4, 2019
The longer I am in marketing the more deeper i see it tied to being a DM. I don’t know if that is a good thing. I see it now that you mention it. I've seen it in terms of education. Students have different learning styles, including strengths, weaknesses, and challenges. You try to present material in different ways to allow information absorption and skill-building in different ways.
— Shawn Merwin (or a poor clone) (@shawnmerwin) April 4, 2019
When working on 5e, we decided to tilt accuracy in favor of characters but increase monster hit points a bit to make combat last a few rounds. People liked the feel of hitting more often, even if their damage as a percentage of monster HP was a little lower. (1/?)
— Mike Mearls (@mikemearls) August 5, 2018
The feeling of progress helped make combat feel like it was moving along toward a conclusion. Even though flat damage is easier and faster, people like rolling. A game designer would say rolling to hit and damage is bad, because two random events are creating one outcome.
— Mike Mearls (@mikemearls) August 5, 2018
Boiling it down to one roll might seem more efficient, but that forgets that TRPGs are descriptive rules sets. They reflect the vagaries of how humans process and enjoy narrative events in a game setting. They don’t dictate how we enjoy them.
— Mike Mearls (@mikemearls) August 5, 2018
And believe me, this makes many, many TRPG designers frustrated. A game’s design accounts for maybe 25% of your enjoyment of an RPG. But that’s another thread – we’re talking here about why you roll to hit and then roll for damage. Why do people like that?
— Mike Mearls (@mikemearls) August 5, 2018
I suspect it’s because the roll to hit is very dramatic, but giving someone one beat on their turn is a little too compact. Did we succeed? Yes, great! How well did we do? It’s a little, two act play that lingers just long enough to keep our attention.
— Mike Mearls (@mikemearls) August 5, 2018
Complex damage math likely means a big damage result, which is fun and dramatic enough to earn its time on stage. The huge damage rolls dished out by @JoeManganiello in our F&M game did not seem to bore the table – if anything, the players were excited to see the damage pile up.
— Mike Mearls (@mikemearls) August 5, 2018
What’s interesting is that we don’t extend this to skill checks, and I wonder if that is a mistake. So, here is a house rule to try:
— Mike Mearls (@mikemearls) August 5, 2018
Scale your DCs down by 5, but if a player succeeds have them roll a d10. The result * 10 is the percent of progress the player makes toward success. For complex checks that require multiple successes or teamwork, roll d4 * 10 instead.
— Mike Mearls (@mikemearls) August 5, 2018
For opposed checks, the winner rolls d10, first to 10 wins. This is like almost off the top of my head (started really zeroing in on this concept an hour ago, while washing dishes). I’m curious to see if this two step approach makes checks more fun.
— Mike Mearls (@mikemearls) August 5, 2018
If you try it, let me know how it works out.
— Mike Mearls (@mikemearls) August 5, 2018
Also, the next time someone asks you to wash the dishes instead of grumping about it instead think of it as a chance to zone out and think of the next half-baked TRPG design idea you’re going to throw up on Twitter.
— Mike Mearls (@mikemearls) August 5, 2018
That would make it seem that basically 90% of skill challenges wont result in the completion of the task, unless I am missing something? That is the intent! However, if that proves bogus one fix is to add the relevant stat mod to the d10 roll, then multiply by 10. The nice thing about that is you might get extra benefits for busting over 100% completion.
— Mike Mearls (@mikemearls) August 5, 2018
Would we then extend critical successes and failures into skill checks, as they factor into the "did we succeed" and "how well" considerations during combat?
— rob (@magreggins) August 5, 2018
I’d definitely consider it, with crit failures meaning we need to make more progress (or lose progress). That’s nice, because saying in combat a monster heals on a nat 1 is pretty dumb but 100% sensible from a game design POV. https://t.co/XEzzrm5LjW
— Mike Mearls (@mikemearls) August 5, 2018
I’m curious how this would work for stealth checks or other on-the-fly tasks
— Sexual Colossus (@Mbtgkt) August 5, 2018
Off the top of my head: the environment inately provides some % of success toward being hidden. Sensing – 50% they can hear you, know you are present, 100% locate you and pull you out of stealth. https://t.co/uzT9JPZnLu
— Mike Mearls (@mikemearls) August 5, 2018
First to 10 including modifier? maybe, if testing shows it drags adding mod is a sensible next step
— Mike Mearls (@mikemearls) August 5, 2018
