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[Rolan7]

Second fight of the campaign...  We found some rebels in a cave, fighting Santa's candy-men.   We weren't sure which side to help...  Until the rebels turned out to be powerful spellcasters, throwing 6th level spells (we're level 10).  Viva la revolution!

First action...  I run up and attempt to grapple one of the candymen, who just got shocked by a wall of lightning.  I want to try out the rake ability, so I go for a grapple.  Natural 1, then confirm the crit fail.  I stumble into the wall of electric energy.  Reflex roll:  2.  I take 80 damage, but my character's *very* tanky, +5 Con modifier.  Still, fort save to survive massive damage: nat 1.

oh roll20

Death isn't so easy in Christmas Town, though.  The candymen will put me back together (minus a HD)...  The question is, will they have questions for me.  Clearly I was just trying to pull the candyman away from the wall, see!

[Tawa]

This low-magic game you're talking about, is it the same one you mentioned a few months ago? About being Vikings?

Ja.

[SOLDIER First]

i can dig it

[Neonivek]

Man I never noticed how many systems print really terrible and useless books.

If I bought those books I sure would be EXTREMELY pissed...

Ohh wait... I did...

Gonna say this... RPG books have SERIOUS quality control issues.

[GiglameshDespair]

That's same as anything, not just rpg books.

[tonnot98]

So I had the first session of a new campaign yesterday, and it ended in a near TPK. I had balanced out all the encounters on them having full group strength, but they split up instead, and I changed little about the encounters, just adding some guard NPCs to help them. 4 KO's (all of them) and 1 instakill. The actual total was something like 7 KO's because of crit deathsaves and healing. The instakill was a hobgoblin commander with a greatsword that crit the poor 2nd level warlock in half. We had cursed dice, too. Their first two attacks were Nat 1's, and then the two guard archers supporting one of the groups both Nat 1'd on the same turn. There were so many crit fails on their side and crit hits on mine, it was as if RNGesus himself didn't want them to live.

Still a fun session.

[Neonivek]

Why are "Actually running the game" guides so uncommon?

I am aware the DM can run the game anyway he wants... but GOODNESS some hints sure would be nice.

The rules and the flow are two entirely different things.

[NullForceOmega]

Style.  No two GM/DMs will run the game the same way, they will have different dice conventions, character creation allowances, reliance on miniatures, reliance on maps, and the list of things that vary from DM to DM just goes on and on.  So the reason you don't find much in the way of 'how to run the game at the table' guides is due to the fact that no one runs the table the same way, and the differences are just to big to cover effectively.  The best you can get are some general pointers and maybe some suggestions.

[TheBiggerFish]

Style.  No two GM/DMs will run the game the same way, they will have different dice conventions, character creation allowances, reliance on miniatures, reliance on maps, and the list of things that vary from DM to DM just goes on and on.  So the reason you don't find much in the way of 'how to run the game at the table' guides is due to the fact that no one runs the table the same way, and the differences are just to big to cover effectively.  The best you can get are some general pointers and maybe some suggestions.

Yeah.

[Neonivek]

Style.  No two GM/DMs will run the game the same way, they will have different dice conventions, character creation allowances, reliance on miniatures, reliance on maps, and the list of things that vary from DM to DM just goes on and on.  So the reason you don't find much in the way of 'how to run the game at the table' guides is due to the fact that no one runs the table the same way, and the differences are just to big to cover effectively.  The best you can get are some general pointers and maybe some suggestions.

Yeah.

some don't even give those general pointers and suggestions.

A how to run doesn't need to give you the exact formula of a game.

Numinera has a "how to run guide" that is a chapter, AFMBE doesn't (it just has quest hooks and ideas)

Dungeons and Dragons SOMETIMES dedicates most of the DM book to just "how to run" the game (Other times they just have more rules and no real guide... 5e at least had a guide focus)... Exalted doesn't.

There is no need for a huge long book (there are plenty of guides for that) or even more than a single chapter. Even pointers for "What is a lot" and "What is a little" can go a long way and that would take up as little as one or two pages and could easily smooth over dozens or hundreds of sessions.

Nor does this guide have to be "The" way to play. It only needs to be a jump off point for new DMs. In fact the more stable and solid the idea is the more of a basis they have for creating their own styles of play.

MIND YOU one other reason why many books don't have these guides is to sell you adventure paths later. Assuming those adventure paths even have anything in them (Yeah... quality isn't strong in some games... I'd almost say that NEVER trust a non-core book... flat out... no matter who made it)

[Harry Baldman]

What's worked for my GMing is that I play in a game that I like and copy what I think the GM did right in overall style and gameplay.

Beyond that, you can look up stuff like The Angry GM or something similar. Here's a column on how to sort your plot threads, for instance, handy stuff that makes you think a little bit.

[Neonivek]

What's worked for my GMing is that I play in a game that I like and copy what I think the GM did right in overall style and gameplay.

Beyond that, you can look up stuff like The Angry GM or something similar. Here's a column on how to sort your plot threads, for instance, handy stuff that makes you think a little bit.

Plotting is probably some of the easier things to do and doesn't REALLY need to be elucidated on. (well ok... Easier and harder... But I mean easier in terms of needing to refer to the book and bend things around the book.)

But I'll put it this way.

Your party finds a apple that can grow on low oxygen planets. It might actually be a great way to either terraform planets OR a source of food for low oxygen colonies.

How much is it worth? How famous does it make the party?

Some systems this is incredibly easy to get a good amount (I'd have no trouble in say... Battletech, dungeons and dragons, or Call of Cthulhu... or even Exalted)... Traveler? GOODNESS! I give freeken up!

Battletech easily does it because it has a fame system built right in and the money is easily understandable (AND it even has guides on how to handle money built right in. Earning 10% of your total worth is a good starting point). Dungeons and Dragons has a wealth per level system and fame is purely a story construct MOST of the time. Call of Cthulhu and Exalted have somewhat extrapolated money AND CoC isn't based around money so this is more of a bonus.

Traveler has very specific very sporatic all over the place money (fame is relatively fine). You are required to know the system intimately to attempt to penetrate this.

---

Dusk City Dwellers (A REALLY interesting game I wish had character creation)... Has no issue here because money is no object. Sure you steal, but all the characters are typically independently wealthy and are doing it for both the entertainment value and for station within their families. They have no real want for expensive jewelry and gold.

[Harry Baldman]

How much it's worth (and how famous it makes you) is directly proportional to how much trouble the PCs went through to find it. You don't need the book to tell you an exact reward if you have, for instance, a wealth by level guideline as you do in D&D or Pathfinder or, failing that, a comparison of how much money your PCs have received in the past and an idea of how much you want to tempt them with in the future. It's not something where a hard and fast rule benefits you as much as a reasonable understanding of how much a spacebuck is worth in the economy.

As for that last bit about Dusk City Dwellers, have you considered Blades In The Dark? It's like a Powered By The Apocalypse game, except good! It's also got a lot of mechanics in place for exact rewards and an excellent grasp of making pacing as easy as possible. Oh, and a very generous section with GM tips from what I understand.

[Neonivek]

A post, just keeping it here to refer to Harry Baldman's post.

Mind you monetary reward is just one example.

As for that last bit about Dusk City Dwellers, have you considered Blades In The Dark? It's like a Powered By The Apocalypse game, except good! It's also got a lot of mechanics in place for exact rewards and an excellent grasp of making pacing as easy as possible.

I actually have no issue with Dusk City Dwellers apart from the lack of character creation (Well... unless there are other bad aspects...). I actually like the idea that money is no real object and the PCs are in it for the thrills and social standing even though they are essentially stealing what would make anyone else filthy rich. I was just using it as an interesting example of a game where the PCs often come into wealth but where it just flat out doesn't factor into the game.

But I'll check it out. Blades in the Dark?

If it can pull off heist games with a social-fu bend... along with a sort of "presence" it might be gold...

DANG it Dusk City Dwellers... I know you want to be pick up and play... but not even alternate character creation rules in like a side PDF?

[Harry Baldman]

Yeah, but ultimately you'll be rewarding PCs with stuff, powers or friends that convert between each other (pro bono jobs should get you powers or friends and so forth) so the principle remains the same.

But I'll check it out. Blades in the Dark?

If it can pull off heist games with a social-fu bend... along with a sort of "presence" it might be gold...

Its main great thing is that it takes away the need to plan a heist in that you make it up as you go along and then claim you planned it that way from the start because your character is considerably more competent than you are and works off more complete information than what your GM can effectively give you. It short-circuits a lot of the pace-killing stuff so you can get straight to stealing stuff or beating the shit out of people to steal their stuff or beating the shit out of people and making a point of not stealing their stuff, as the situation demands. I've tried it and it works as advertised - poached the better bits of Powered By The Apocalypse and other systems to make a nifty crime game (it's got a flow not unlike Fiasco sometimes).