If you've spent any time as a Dungeon/Game Master, you know that an adventure or even a
whole campaign can run off the rails quickly and with unknowable consequences. This
is usually due to the players and their wacky ideas but every so often a DM can
make the wrong move and regret it. In that regard, here are three things to
keep in mind and save yourself from stepping in it:
#1-Don’t hand out magic items like Halloween
candy.
This can be very attractive at first. The
DM feels like being generous and
maybe the players deserve a really great reward
for accomplishing a difficult
task. However, the folly of this issue will eventually rear its ugly head.
Soon magic is flying everywhere and level four characters are
taking out level
eight monsters. This can also come back to haunt the DM
in the form of PC
expectations. For example, if you hand out +3 swords by
level four, what are
they going to be expecting by level six or ten? And to
make the situation
worse, some DMs (myself included in the past) make
the mistake of snatching
back the items at the last minute via dispel
magic, theft, or even killing the
character off. This is only a short term
solution if you don’t stop the source
of the problem. It’s also a great way
to make your players hate you for a very
long time and with good reason.
Instead: Make magic
items count for something.
When
you give out magic items make them small yet useful. Give the PC with the worst
AC the +1 cloak of protection. Give the PC with the really nasty DEX the +1
boots. Don’t let the min-max PCs become superheroes, when their party mates can’t
even skip rope without falling over. It is also helpful to spread the wealth
around. Don’t give the Knight in the party the +1 armor, the +1 sword, and the
+1 STR ring, when all the Rogue has is a potion of invisibility. To prevent
this, I developed a 1-in-3 system. Under this system I am trying to give each
character in my party one magical item for every three levels of experience.
Thus by level nine, each PC has three items. This seems to be a good balance
and keeps the magic respectable.
#2- Don’t choose the rules over the story.
As a DM, one of my main goals is to weave all of the
character’s backstories, aspirations, and adventures into one (relatively) cohesive
story. This brings satisfaction to me as a DM, and it brings a sense of
accomplishment to the PCs. However, and without fail, the rules of the game
will always attempt to ruin your best laid plans. You have a monster that needs
to take the PCs hostage? Well they just chopped his head off with a critical!
You want the PCs to fall into a trap? Too bad, they just passed all of their
near impossible DEX checks. And the opposite is true as well! Such as the PC
with the best CHR score rolling a one during the most crucial negotiation of
the campaign. While a few of these happenings can be seen as opportunities to
expand the game, too many can sour the soup.
Instead: Overrule the
rules, when necessary.
Sometimes you gotta’ take the bull by the horns. When
something absolutely needs to happen,
I usually take the dice and the numbers right out of the equation and go into
what I like to call “narration mode”. This is where I ask the PCs to describe
what they are doing in detail and we act it out like a script. I find this not
only eliminates the randomness, but PCs actually enjoy the opportunity to
roleplay such an intense scene, regardless of the outcome.
#3- Don’t go combat/roleplaying crazy.
If
asked, most players will tell you how they like their games. Some like a little
roleplaying with their combat and some a little combat with their roleplaying.
Don’t fall into the trap of diving deep into either one. A campaign with too
much roleplaying will seem dull and drawn out to the blood mongers, while too
much combat will stifle those players who are anxious to show off their
interaction skills.
Instead: Balance out
your games.
I
always aim for a balance, and by balance I mean 60% combat and 40% roleplaying.
Is it always possible to accomplish this? No. Sometimes combats run long and
sometimes roleplaying sessions can snowball into huge monstrosities, especially
when a tangent pops up that you weren't expecting. Sometimes the people in your
group are new and might be shy to the whole roleplaying aspect, ergo they might be skimmed
over for combat that is far less awkward. This is all perfectly fine
in moderation. As a DM, your chief concern should be your audience, and
that means your players. Don’t force situations on them, but don’t shy away
from pushing their comfort zones either. It may take some trial and error
but when you finally find the sweet spot your games will not only be fun, they
will also be memorable.
No comments:
Post a Comment