Crit or Get out of the Chair

Now that I've made my interest in fifth edition Dungeons & Dragons known, I'm considering running a game. This may seem like a no-brainer, but honestly I have some anxiety around running D&D. To be completely honest, I've had very little luck with the game since my teen years.

In the late '90s, I ran second edition just a couple times—a "default D&D" game and a Ravenloft game. Neither moved into campaign play, and the Ravenloft game was a complete failure. The only saving grace of those sessions was that my wife had fun and I introduced my sister-in-law to gaming too.

When third edition came out, I liked what I read and attempted to run The Sunless Citadel. I never finished the module, handing over the DMing reigns to another player. I did get to play a full campaign in third edition, though, at least to 12th level. And I did run some X-Crawl which, while not purely D&D, went well and gave me a chance to flex my dungeon design muscles.

When fourth edition hit the shelves, I was really excited about the possibilities in the system. I attempted to run Keep on the Shadowfell, and for various it just didn't go well. Before long, I realized that fourth edition just didn't feel like D&D to me, and it stood as the last time I got involved with the game.

So here we are with the fifth edition of the best-known roleplaying game in the world, and frankly, I have no idea how to run it.

I certainly have a desire to run the game. Actually I've been itching to get D&D right for years. I think it's part of the reason I've had a tough time keeping other campaigns going—I get the fantasy itch and can't find a way to scratch it. Pathfinder is too complex for my tastes these days, and no other  game system has the feel I recall. I toyed with some retro-clones, but it felt weird "going backwards."

One thing the third and fourth editions taught me is that I need to not run modules, and one related thing in my favor is the amazingness that is the fifth edition Dungeon Master's Guide. If I do run D&D, I'll likely use the DMG to build my campaign and design my adventures. The plan would be to create a homebrew setting, semi-on-the-fly. I'd lean on my players for background information. For example, if a player selected a cleric, they'd help me design their deity.

If I run it, I'll report on the whole journey here.

Until next time, do good, avoid evil, and play more games!

[Read-Thru] Odyssey: The Complete Game Master's Guide to Campaign Management

I'm thinking of investing in one of those aluminum foil hats. You know, the kind that's supposed to prevent mind reading? Because I'm pretty sure the folks at Gnome Stew are scanning my brain for ideas. When Martin Ralya contacted me to find out if I wanted to do a pre-release review of the next Gnome Stew/Engine Publishing book, I was of course intrigued. Their last three entries were great, and I was pretty sure two of them were the result of reading my mind. Odyssey: The Complete Game Master's Guide to Campaign Management, by Phil Vecchione and Walt Ciechanowski, has me considering aluminum foil hats. The book has arrived as I'm feeling it's time to take starting and running a campaign seriously if I want to keep the buy-in of my group, who are all-too patient with my Game Mastering Multiple Personality Disorder (GMMPD). Odyssey should help me do just that.

The PDF is of the typical quality expected from Engine Publishing. That is to say it's bookmarked and hyperlinked, and it's just the right file size to make for a super-smooth read on my iPad Mini--or any tablet, I imagine. The font size should make for easy reading whether your tablet is 7" or 10". For fun, I put it on my wife's phone, which has a 4.75" screen, and I could read it just fine in landscape mode.

After the obligatory introduction material, which includes a foreword by the inimitable Kenneth Hite, the book is broken down into four sections. The first part is all about how the author views campaigns and why he thinks managing them properly is important. Given my current GMing situation, I didn't need much convincing, but I also identified with a lot of the explanation of when things work and when they don't, and why. If you want to give your GM (who clearly doesn't need any help--just ask him) a gentle nudge in the right direction, I'd recommend asking him to read this section before poo-pooing the book.

The main three sections of the book are Starting a Campaign, Managing a Campaign, and Ending a Campaign. Each section is broken down into steps, and each step provides questions you should ask, steps you should take, and examples of what happens when you do it right and if you don't do it so well. Throughout the book, Phil and Walt provide real life examples from their own campaigns. It was refreshing to read their mistakes as well as their successes. Also, there's a fictional gaming group that is used to help drive home each lesson in the book. I like that the group didn't seem fake. They were completely believable because I was able to see myself and other gaming friends in them.

After reading Odyssey, I came away feeling better about the mistakes I've made over the years, and feeling great about the things I know I've done well. I'm really excited to apply my newfound knowledge to future campaigns. This book will be a useful reference whenever I'm between sessions. Of course it's my hope I will spend more time in the middle of this book than in the other sections.

As I write this, it's my intention to do a "Play-Thru" of Odyssey. I'm about to start a new campaign. I may as well report on how each step works for me. The Starting a Campaign posts should come rather quickly. Perhaps Managing a Campaign posts would come as they apply. Hopefully, the Ending a Campaign posts will be farther into the future than might be usual for me.

So after writing this post, I've decided not to invest in an aluminum foil hat. If the guys at Gnome Stew really are scanning my brain for ideas, the information is clearly in good hands.

My Own Slump and Evolving My Style

I've been thinking about writing a post about how my gaming is evolving by necessity, but I've had a hard time framing the story. Until now. One of my favorite blogger's, Phil Vecchione over at Gnome Stew, recently released an article about getting into a slump. You should go read it. If you haven't already read it, I'd have to wonder why my blog isn't secondary to many others, especially the excellent Gnome Stew, and an article written by the guy behind the phenomenal Never Unprepared. Think of this article as a response to Phil's, or more appropriately, an attempt to commiserate with him--and hopefully you, if you're going through the same thing.

I've been in my slump for years. I'm not just talking about my well-documented "Ooh, Shiny" Syndrome (going forward, referred to as OSS), I mean a slump. I've spent the better part of the last few years miserable about my GMing, and wracked with guilt about changing the game on my players in search for what I needed to change how I felt. There have been several times I've almost quit GMing completely, but I love it so much I couldn't let it go. That said, it's become apparent that something has to change.

Presently, I'm involved with my friend, Sequoyah's, Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay 3rd Edition game. (Sequoyah's a blogger in his own right; you should check it out.) Sequoyah's game is unique in that he only runs it in short bursts of a few sessions. He also often changes out the players from time-to-time, me being an example. Despite the semi-fleeting nature of the game, Sequoyah manages to have an ongoing story, which still allows for a payoff for both him as a GM, and those players who stick around for more than one of his stories. Whether you're an old hand at his game, or a newcomer, you're guaranteed a solid, well-thought-out story.

Now my OSS prevents me from running the same setting in the way Sequoyah does (and I'm finally comfortable with that notion), but I think I can take something from this. This coming year, I'm starting a new way of running games. I am simply going to prep a story in whatever system/setting I'm feeling at the moment; then I'll invite folks to play. Over time I intend to build a stable of players, while checking off my bucket list of shiny new (and old) games I'd like to run.

I may go back to games from time-to-time--I'll tell my players to keep their characters just in case--but I won't promise anything. Players will be promised an engaging story, but with no long-term commitment, I won't have to feel guilty about changing the game. I'm hoping to expand my GMing skills by trying different styles of games. I want to challenge myself, and know if something doesn't work I can just move on to the next thing. It's also my hope to break my slump.

I can already talk about my first hurdle in this new endeavor. My OSS is thus far preventing me from deciding on my first game! Hopefully I'll be able to get past this and move on with my big plans.

I intend to keep my readers informed about the results of this little experiment, so stay tuned!