Michael Shea - October 2024 Sly Flourish Patreon Q&A

My players are also my coworkers. Our campaign is based loosely and metaphorically on our work. This is great because they understand a lot of the meta behind what’s going on in the campaign. In fact, they feel proactive about their adventures because they understand what to do! So much fun. A few months into the campaign, and I’m already in a bind. The bad guys must send spies to the party to subvert their planned actions. With my players, subterfuge cannot be subtle. What’s left for spies to do? You’ve talked a lot about betrayal, and I agree with you–I’m happy to lose the characters’ trust, but not the players’ trust. What are other options? The players have a plan that the villains understand. The bad guys know that they’ll be in trouble unless it fails. If the players fail spectacularly, they’ll be able to try again. If the players fail subtly, the villains win. Got any helpful ideas? Got any novels, movies, or adventures with helpful examples? Comically bad spying isn't available anymore–I’ve already used a cult of accidentally successful idiots. PS: Sorry I’m so vague. You asked for short questions, and explaining our jobs is neither short nor interesting.

Fred and some dogs

2024-12-26 03:24:15 +0000 UTC

I'd treat each player based on their desires and what they want to bring to the table. Some players are definitely more proactive and love building the world out from the prompts of the GM. Others are happy to go along for the ride. I think its fine to build out hooks for the second group that you build out yourself rather than put them on the spot. You can also talk to them offline to get their desires for such things.

Michael Shea

2024-11-01 13:52:13 +0000 UTC

It does happen but I tended not to worry about it. If I recall, I made it clear to the characters that time was critical but they didn't delay so they got there just when they needed to. It's contrived but its ok I think. You can watch my various Empire of the Ghouls videos for other ideas on what I did for the campaign: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLb39x-29puaolX3T6CTCA7gYbgZiIXgXQ

Michael Shea

2024-11-01 13:50:23 +0000 UTC

Make sure they have some magic items or capabilities to keep them on their feet like healing items. Even at 18th level, two characters are pretty vulnerable because it only takes both of them being down to be a TPK. Consider what sort of big threat is suitable for 18th level characters – usually multiverse ending sorts of things. If you're looking for inspiration, it could be great fun to have a collision of worlds sort of event that opens up rifts to other dark worlds. See my thought about Dreadful Incursions in my Wild Beyond the Witchlight game: https://slyflourish.com/dreadful_incursions.html

Michael Shea

2024-11-01 13:48:50 +0000 UTC

I'd let the ending come organically from session to session. Too much preparation ahead of time to think about where it ends goes against the idea of letting the situation and dice dictate where things head which I think is core to the Shadowdark experience. During the game I tend to find a good stopping point close to the end of the game. It might be before a big piece of tension, like a battle, or it might just be a good stopping point in the story. This can work just as well for high-fantasy RPGs as well as more old-school fantasy RPGs. One thing to keep in mind, though, is to get big decisions out at the end of a session so you know what to prep for the next one. If you're offering several quests, make sure you offer them up close to the end so you can prep them.

Michael Shea

2024-11-01 13:46:43 +0000 UTC

Hi, Mike! First time patreon, but long time fan of your work! To my question: In my tables, I usually run published campaigns in a homebrew world. I keep the interesting bits of the adventure and try to add a lot of connections to the PC's backstories and their interests. However, I'm struggling a bit to add connections for more quiet or shy players at the table, which often leads them to having less spotlight during the game. To give you an example, I'm currently running Tyrrany of Dragons for my group. At some point in the middle portion of the story, I had separate one- or two-session archs focused on each character (or group of PCs), which allowed the players to guide and influence the plot (either side quests related to their background or to advance the main plot in some way). Personal archs like these often lead to players adding details to the world, creating strong ties to NPCs, places, or items, and overall enables character changes through the story. Even though it requires a lot of preparation and effort from my end, I received a lot of good feedback on these sessions. As you can imagine, more proactive players always have ideas of quests or connections that they want to explore in these single sessions. However, more quiet and shy players struggle to come up with ideas for these adventures and (to some degree) to connect to the world. I know the players are still having fun, but I want them to have the spotlight as well from time to time. Do you have any suggestion on how I can foster these creative freedom and/or connections between the characters and the world?

Rafael Padilha

2024-10-31 17:28:33 +0000 UTC

I am DMing Empire of the Ghouls and having a great time playing it. One concern I have is that too often you appear to turn up at a location to catch an event in progress (Sacrifice, Wedding), did you feel this too and did you change anything to avoid it becoming a trope? Also what additional adventures did to add to you campaign? We did the Den of Rotten Kings in Zobeck and I plan to run Blood Vaults of Sister Alkava later. Wanted to add some dungeon exploration which I also feel is missing. Thanks

Matthew King

2024-10-31 03:32:25 +0000 UTC

Thanks Mike.

Kurt M. Loy

2024-10-30 20:50:54 +0000 UTC

I am going to run a special one shot for two 18th level 2014 characters. A monk and a sorlock or possibly paladin. Wanted to base it on Die Hard. They will be attending a party in the Feywild. Was thinking a group of demons or possibly devils crash the party a la Hans Gruber. Any suggestions?

Steven Billings

2024-10-30 17:51:12 +0000 UTC

I'm starting a Shadowdark campaign next week and thinking about how to end each session of play. Shadowdark seems to be built around the dungeon crawl/oneshot: players travel to dungeon, run in, get treasure, retreat back to town, carouse and level up. Rinse and repeat. In a campaign or megadungeon this might not make narrative or logistical sense. How did you approach it?

Kaleb C2

2024-10-29 22:52:47 +0000 UTC

This is golden wisdom 🤯🤯 thank you for the response!

coots

2024-10-25 13:52:14 +0000 UTC

Good thought to not put too much spotlight on the NPC. I think its safe to have the NPC continually reference the characters for instructions on how to proceed. Maybe they have some way to telepathically talk to him during any given conversations? Maybe some other way to guide them during the scene? Keep the players' decisions in play even when its an NPC doing the talking.

Michael Shea

2024-10-25 13:20:17 +0000 UTC

I don't know that we have to categorize it at all really. I think when we sit down with our own group and decide which sources come in, we're building our own custom 5e that works for this particular campaign. I did the same with Empire of the Ghouls by using the 2014 PHB, Tome of Heroes, and Midgard Heroes. Very different books with different options. Another campaign I run uses 2014 D&D with Tasha's and Xanathars and some modifications to Tashas (no twilight or peace clerics). That game feels different too. Other games include house rules like drinking potions as bonus actions, free 1st level feats, flanking, and other optional rules which feel different from any other 5e game. I think that's the nature of the games we play and I don't think we have to categorize it too much. It's still 5e. We can say "I'm running D&D 2014 using Grim Hollow stuff" and that's good enough. Cross-game compatibility only really matters in organized play.

Michael Shea

2024-10-25 13:19:15 +0000 UTC

I love mid-campaign session zeros. I think you can run it a lot like a normal one, by refreshing everyone on what's happened and where things are going next. Talk about the characters. Talk to the players about what they want. Give them a pitch on the next arc of the campaign. Reiterate any table-rules that need to be refreshed. Add in stars and wishes. Write it all down!! I think an out-of-game conversation about an in-game continuation of a campaign is a fantastic idea.

Michael Shea

2024-10-25 13:15:38 +0000 UTC

Having run a lot of Kickstarters, I can tell you that things have changed since the old days. The more of a deal you give new backers, the more you lose if the Kickstarter becomes popular. A lot of things have changed in the past five years. Shipping rates have exploded. Manufacturing is harder. Moving products around the world is hard. It's pretty ugly to back a Kickstarter and then see a book drop in price after you backed it. We have a rule that a book won't be discounted for at least a year after we fulfill a Kickstarter. Sometimes older back-catalog stuff will drop down below a Kickstarter add-on price but there's little we can do about that given how opportunities for sales roll around. It's not within everyone's means but the true purpose of Kickstarter is to help a publisher get the money they need to make a book and build up enough inventory to make it viable. If you like the company and their work, you can help them when they need it the most. It's not about getting the best deal. The best deal is almost always waiting until they're part of a bundle – at least for PDFs. Instead backing a Kickstarter is about supporting a creator at the point when they really need it to make a product viable.

Michael Shea

2024-10-25 13:14:11 +0000 UTC

There's a definite balance that must be struck in offering multiple paths but not making the paths so urgent that either they feel like they have to pick one of them or they feel like no matter which path they pick, two others are going to get away from them. That dial of urgency shouldn't really be played unless you want them to go down one particular route or you really want that agonizing choice to be in play. If you do the latter, make sure not to do it too often. I've made this mistake and some players really hated the feeling that, no matter what they chose, they were always two steps back for every step forward. My recommendation is to really have dials of urgency ready for any given quest and don't make quests super-urgent when multiple hooks are put out in front of the characters. Give them room to decide which to pick based on what they want to do. Bad guys can get lost too. They might not yet know what to do which means there's time for the heroes to choose other paths. New information might not yet be available. A kidnapping might be the result of a situation, not the intro to it. Instead it's more of an investigation that may lead to a kidnapping should they choose it. Keep your hands on that urgency dial and dial it back so players have some agency to choose what they want to choose. Fantastic question!

Michael Shea

2024-10-25 13:10:46 +0000 UTC

In my own experience, sometimes people with a particular playstyle that doesn't directly fit the game you're running will move on. Either they'll join other games or step away as other things in their lives take up the time. If that doesn't happen, some individual and adult conversations can help – talking about the kind of game you like to run and how that either matches or doesn't match the sort of game they want to play in. I doubt any game is a perfect fit for any given player – we all need to compromise. During a session zero you can make it clear what sort of game it's going to be – including directly addressing the murder-hoboing. I think its common for groups to not really state clearly the expected behavior of the characters. Pausing for a minute in specific circumstances but also laying out the appropriate behavior for this particular campaign can at least get the murder-hobos to recognize that their characters won't be playing in that style in a given campaign.

Michael Shea

2024-10-25 13:04:21 +0000 UTC

Long story short: my players had a bandit they kidnapped polymorphed into a likeness of a hobgoblin prince they killed in order to infiltrate the royal treasury. How do you best approach an NPC being the focal point of a role play-heavy plan without it feeling like the players are spectators to their own plan?

Dylan

2024-10-24 18:21:54 +0000 UTC

I picked up copies of Ghostfire Gaming's Grim Hollow Player's Guide, Campaign Guide, and Monster Grimoire at Gencon this year. (Just in time for them to be updated, I realize.) There are plenty of alternate and/or additional mechanics in there for 5e (e.g. transformations, advanced backgrounds and weapon properties). It is arguably as divergent from "vanilla" 5e as something like Tales of the Valiant, for example (though that may be hard to quantify). It raises the question of what the hallmarks of a "variant" of 5e are. Should playing in Grim Hollow be thought of as playing 5e or a variant thereof? If it is not a variant, is there a term that we can use for mechanics-heavy settings like this to set them apart from less mechanically-distinct settings like Forgotten Realms?

Luke Baumstark

2024-10-24 16:05:26 +0000 UTC

My players and I have started our current campaign a couple years back with the goal of playing from level 1 to 20. The group just finished off a big boss battle that represents the end of the first act of the grand narrative and made it to level 9 after 54 games. The battle came with lots of big plot moments, NPC deaths and status quo changing events. I decided to take a quick break to recalibrate and organize my plans for the remainder of the campaign. I had the idea of doing a sort of session 0 game to go over what is working and what is not. What advice do you have when coordinating a mid campaign check in?

John Johnstone

2024-10-24 16:03:42 +0000 UTC

I don't feel incentivized to back any TTRPG Kickstarters recently. Why do these funding projects require that the backers pay what feels like full price or more? It used to be that it was at a discount, but now its not then what a published book is.

Jacques of Hearts

2024-10-22 23:29:04 +0000 UTC

Hey Sly! Grateful for everything you do for the community! I have a question on how to design quest hooks that are compelling, but not SO compelling that they can't be ignored Following your advice on quest design, I want my players to be able to decide between 3 quest hooks and I want each of them to be compelling and have a sense of urgency and stakes — but I am finding that I end up designing scenarios that are too urgent for the players to feel comfortable ignoring them in favor of something else. If a beloved NPC is put into peril and they are the only ones that can do something about it, do they really have a choice? And am I therefore subverting their ability to choose through the high stakes that I've established How do you find a line between making things seem urgent, but still giving freedom for the players to go their own way?

coots

2024-10-21 17:49:25 +0000 UTC

Sure! I think it's a great way to enjoy D&D! There's nothing particularly complicated about Ravenloft that requires deeper experience than any other D&D game.

Michael Shea

2024-10-21 15:28:59 +0000 UTC

So what is the best way to deal with having two groups of gaming personalities at the same table aside from splitting them into two games? I have a group that is split right down the middle between murder hobos and heavy role-players and it's difficult to find the right balance.

Kurt M. Loy

2024-10-21 15:28:27 +0000 UTC

Here are some! - When you die, your new character returns at the same level as your old character but with no experience. - The first time you cast a spell, you don't lose it if you fail. - You lose one round of your death countdown if you take damage while at zero hit points. Those jump out at me but there are probably more!

Michael Shea

2024-10-21 15:27:44 +0000 UTC

I don't track feats but I do ask the characters to let me know what they take at any given level so I can showcase their cool stuff with lighting rods (https://slyflourish.com/lightning_rods.html). D&D 2024 does have the ability score boost as a feat so you can probably just tell your players that that is the only feat available to them and it should work just fine. I think you can tell them that they can take the ability score feat and, instead, they can likely do some of the things that feats did in the moment by using ability checks or the like. Sort of a stunt-type system from Fate or the AGE system. I think D&D 2024 can work just fine if you only allow the ability score feat.

Michael Shea

2024-10-21 15:26:11 +0000 UTC

It's actually in the rules! Use the average number listed and then roll the dice value. or you can just double the static damage which is a little high but works well enough. You can also double the static damage and subtract the dice modifier in the dice equation. I just double it...

Michael Shea

2024-10-21 15:22:17 +0000 UTC

Having written them it's not hard for me to remember them but there are a few things in the workbook that the companion really doesn't cover like the monsters by dungeon level tables that never seem to make it in other books. Also the spiral on the side helps me see the difference =) I tend to take both books for me. I even cut mine up and took the most valuable pages in my trapper keeper.

Michael Shea

2024-10-21 15:21:06 +0000 UTC

Fantastic question! I had this same worry and, because of it, I tend not to use any extended markdown if it can be helped. Markdown doesn't have any default for internal linking for example so I don't interlink my pages very much. I try to keep my notes as simple as possible to avoid using proprietary markdown tags and still get the advantage of a tool like Obsidian. This means my lazy RPG template for Obsidian is far simpler than that of my Notion template of old. Hope that helps!

Michael Shea

2024-10-21 15:19:35 +0000 UTC

We'll find out! I have it on good authority that my own Lazy Encounter Benchmark is likely superior to the system they ended up with tin the DMG. I don't know why they decided to go back to experience points again....

Michael Shea

2024-10-21 15:17:03 +0000 UTC

Hi Graham! I think that sort of limitation can be good! If you have a good theme for the campaign, try pitching it to your players and seeing if they resonate with it for the same reasons. I think these sorts of limitations help focus on a unique story they aren't likely to have any other way.

Michael Shea

2024-10-21 15:16:15 +0000 UTC

Thank you so much! If we want to dive in and find the time, I'll definitely be in touch!

Michael Shea

2024-10-21 15:14:39 +0000 UTC

Sure! It sounds cool! I don't know much (anything?) about Ashlar so I don't really have any other useful advice. Sorry!

Michael Shea

2024-10-21 15:14:07 +0000 UTC

Yes! It was a duo-game where I DMed and she played. I wrote up the results of our experiences here: https://slyflourish.com/running_one-on-one_dnd_games.html https://slyflourish.com/framework_for_one_on_one_dnd.html https://slyflourish.com/balancing_combat_for_one_on_one.html I also have a section on it in the Lazy DM's Companion!

Michael Shea

2024-10-21 15:13:26 +0000 UTC

Hi Cee-Jay! Honestly, my trick is to not worry about them and let them come up organically during play. I set the situations and focus on the next game (and maybe the hooks for the one after that) and let the players and their actions dictate future lines. Even if it's not directly plotting, even thinking about the interwoven tapestry of potential paths is a ton of work that may provide very little benefit if the characters find a new path. I believe in a more "pool table" sort of approach where you have a bound pool table with a bunch of balls on it and you crack them and see where they go. You can find more about this here: https://slyflourish.com/pool_table_barovia.html

Michael Shea

2024-10-21 15:12:30 +0000 UTC

Thanks Mike!

Ben Gutteridge

2024-10-21 15:12:21 +0000 UTC

I have started to implement old-school RPG roles to the players: cartography, scribe, quartermaster, and caller. I'm lucky that usually one or two players in each of my groups are great at taking notes. I'd consider really asking the players if they could take notes or even assign themselves a notetaker. You might also stress that it really is a more fun way to interact with the game. It keeps them engaged. It provides a valuable service. They're more present when they're taking notes even if its more effort. Asking them to share those notes with the group also puts a greater responsibility on them to stay on it. Good luck!

Michael Shea

2024-10-21 15:08:36 +0000 UTC

I usually get to play enough to play what I want. I don't have some magical build I always hope to play. I love playing straight-forward fighter types. There are systems I'd love to play: Mothership Shadow of the Weird Wizard Shadowdark Those are the ones that come to mind. I got to play some Tales of the Valiant, AD&D, Numenera, and Pirate Borg at Gamehole Con this past week!

Michael Shea

2024-10-21 15:06:28 +0000 UTC

That can be tough. On the one side, he likes his crunchy character stuff – lots of players do. But on the other, your fun is important too. Maybe you can talk to him off-line and just make sure he's ok playing this. Maybe he can find other groups that scratch his character-driven itch. There are also other fun but crunchier RPGs you both might like like Shadow of the Weird Wizard or 13th Age.

Michael Shea

2024-10-21 15:04:42 +0000 UTC

I think a lot of the advice you've gotten here is good. Keep adventures simple and straight forward. Focus on the kids who are really into it and then let them learn as they learn – as we did when the world was new. We have a bunch of free resources on our sponsorship page here: https://slyflourish.com/sponsorships/

Michael Shea

2024-10-21 15:02:53 +0000 UTC

Doing terrible things within the bounds of your lines and veils is good. Villains doing terrible things for understandable reasons is good. I think seeing the results of the villains' actions is good too. Avoid "fridging" beloved NPCs where the characters come back and find their favorite character chopped up in a refrigerator. That's over-used. I always like the idea of the villain just meeting the characters in a bar and talking to them so they can see what the villain is really like without being in an opportunity to kill them. I haven't done it but I'm thinking about it for my current game...

Michael Shea

2024-10-21 15:01:37 +0000 UTC

I think the idea of an abstract oracle die like the one in Ironsworn really helps stretch our brains to head in directions it wouldn't always head really helps. I'm not super-experienced in solo games so that's about the best I have.

Michael Shea

2024-10-21 14:59:40 +0000 UTC

It depends on the level but usually, above 3rd level, I tend not to see characters killed and above another level the characters have ways to bring dead characters back. I personally don't worry about it since it takes so much to kill characters anyway. I just go with the flow as they say. Sometimes a character death in such a circumstance is meaningful. We had a character die in the last dungeon of our big campaign and it had a big effect when they allied with a demon prince to come back so they could kill another villain. I'd say go with the flow and keep your hands on the dials in case it steers a direction that really isn't fun.

Michael Shea

2024-10-21 14:58:19 +0000 UTC

Would you recommend running the Ravenloft Shadowdark Halloween special for new players to TTRPGs? If so, what changes would you make?

Justin Underland

2024-10-21 04:39:52 +0000 UTC

Now that you’ve completed a year long Shadowdark campaign. If you were to start a new SD campaign, would there be (say 3 or so) rules tweaks and/or house rules you would implement?

Gavin the Mystic

2024-10-20 01:59:19 +0000 UTC

Hey Mike, I am "worried" about the non-optional feats and weapon mastery bits added to 5E 2024. My group may be one of the few playing without Feats. Mostly because I am an old 1E/2E DM who never liked the Feats from 3E and beyond. Do you keep track of all the PC feats at the table and do you consider them when DM'ing? It has happened in 3E that in my enthusiasm I rule-of-cooled things and allowed players to do stuff that others had invested in to be able to do. This has lead to disappointment. I don't want to keep track of all the options and abilities my players have. I also don't want to disappoint by seeming to give shiny options away for free. But I would like to be able to create fantastic moments without being bothered by bookkeeping stuff. And yes: we can stick with 5E 2014 (we actually may), or can even go back to playing 2E, we got the books :) but that is not really the point of my question ;) Cheers! Gert

GertjanF

2024-10-18 11:03:37 +0000 UTC

Hi Mike - how do you handle crit damage when using static damage?

Jason

2024-10-17 16:41:34 +0000 UTC

This may seem like a weird question but how do you remember the difference between The Lazy DM's Workbook and the Lazy DM's Companion? Looking through them, it is clear that the Workbook is maybe the one I would take with me when I might GM - great for on the spot improvisation whereas the Companion is more about planning the next session. My trouble is that I always have to go back and relearn that. They are both super helpful but is there a good way (some mnemonic or something) to remember which is which?

thePooka

2024-10-17 14:59:36 +0000 UTC

I've been pondering using Obsidian for some time now. I really like the idea of owning all my created content locally. This way I can have robust and tranferable notes to refer back to for the rest of my life. However, looking into Markdown and I've come to learn that there an many flavors of Markdown that extend its original, somewhat vague, functionality. With all these different flavors, I worry my notes won't be as robust or as transferable, because they may work in Obsidian, but not a future application of my choice. Am I worrying too much about a non-issue? I've considered using more standardized markup languages like Asciidoc and Org, but they seem much more limited in terms of widespread application support.

Brandon Dickerson

2024-10-16 21:33:15 +0000 UTC

Do you think the new 2024 DMG will provide tools and advice for Dungeon Masters that hasn't been covered by the tables and advice in your books? The new edition currently feels more exciting for players than Dungeon Masters.

Pim van der Honing

2024-10-16 10:48:53 +0000 UTC

Mike, what are your thoughts on limiting players' choices for race/species/lineage? I am planning a future Midgard campaign, and read this sidebar in the Midgard Worldbook, pg 26, titled "Greater Unity by Limiting Variety" (which is also a title you do not want to take out of context). :) In it, the authors talk about gaining "party unity" by focusing on havng one or two, at most three, different races in a party. Although I have considered limiting character races to suit a campaign sotry ("you are all Mountain Dwarves from the same clan"), I generally just require my players to explain their reasoning for wanting to play a "weird" race. I can see wanting "party unity" by the characters having aligned goals, or overlapping backstories, but this sidebar about limiting racial choices took me by surprise. Cheers, Graham D

Graham Dyer

2024-10-16 04:23:49 +0000 UTC

Mike! I have enjoyed your videos. I saw that you had gotten the Call of Cthulhu bundle. This is not really a question, just an offer. If you and friends ever want to play in a Call of Cthulhu scenario using Roll20 and there is a mutually agreeable time that would work, I would be delighted to run. Cheers!

Adam Preset

2024-10-15 21:27:49 +0000 UTC

Hey Mike, im running a shadowdark adventure in the gloaming. I want to expand the setting and thought of placing Ashlar and its borderlands campaign right next to it. Gloaming being within the forest of gray spires, where the players can exit the gloaming and enter Ashlan through the adjacent Forest. As you have played both, do you think that this can work and feel like a natural connection between the two settings?

ManMa

2024-10-15 15:28:27 +0000 UTC

You've mentioned running a solo game for your wife, could you expand on how running/prepping a game like that is different?

Agnieszka Shick

2024-10-15 13:57:31 +0000 UTC

Probably TSRPG (Travel-Sized RPG) is what you are looking for.

Andreas Melhorn

2024-10-15 06:14:09 +0000 UTC

One trick is to let your players help you. You encounter a troll. Player A, what is the distinguishing physical feature of this troll? Player B, what's your characters' read of this Troll? What do you think they are trying to do?" ... and just kind of get inspired by peoples ideas and go with it.

Cee-Jay

2024-10-15 03:39:10 +0000 UTC

I guess he likes the way it plays, player options, crunchy mechanics and mostly, dnd beyond

Cesar Barbosa

2024-10-15 03:36:49 +0000 UTC

What's the thing about 5e that he misses most?

Cee-Jay

2024-10-15 03:34:44 +0000 UTC

Hi Kathy, I suggest my players appt someone to keep an online campaign journal. If they do, then they have one. If they don't, then they don't... all they get is a minimal recap from me, less than 1 minute, if they choose the later. In my personal experience (which may or may not generalize well), almost nobody actually reads those things anyway and internalizes the notes.... yet they still seem to have fun. What do you think might happen a) if you gave only a minimal recap and b) let them play how they wanted to and also let them deal with the consequences of their actions, including if they didn't do the "right" thing? Might be worth a try to see what happens. I'm not Mike, but hopefully this is helpful. In any case, good luck!

Cee-Jay

2024-10-15 03:33:50 +0000 UTC

Question: What specific sources do you use for inspiration on interconnected plot lines, twists and tropes? Background: Mike, one thing I'm learning is that the hooks that come with a published adventure (even the best ones), are almost always insufficient. Part of my job is working to make a compelling reason(s) for the specific players at my table to engage the adventure, which includes the hook but is actually much more than merely the hook... intertwined plots lines and such. And doing this in a way that's still very open (as opposed to a very linear adventure novel type of presentation, which is not something I enjoy) is both art and skill. Would love to learn about specific sources you mine for these types of interconnected plot lines (which in many ways are tropes/cliches but that's okay). I'm not asking for random tables, but more like "I steal from this persons' books" or "i borrow from movies by so and so" kind of a thing. Or maybe, "here's a trick I use to get my players to articulate what they think their characters care about". Or maybe there is a book you can buy of common plot twists / conflict scenarios? Thanks so much! PS: If my question is too vague, PDM at Dungeon Craft is a huge inspiration for me. If you watch his remake of the Keep on the Borderlands series, you'll know what I mean... he really brings these things to life in a visceral way that's easy to connect to and that anybody who reads books/watches movies can recognize or "get" (assuming you like grim-dark). PPS: That said, another thing I've learned is that I can't do all the work. Players have to be willing and able to engage and co-create. The DM matters a lot, but at the end of the day you can't have a great game w/out also having great players. I'd rather have great players with an adequate DM than a great DM with adequate players... players are important!

Cee-Jay

2024-10-15 03:08:58 +0000 UTC

I would honestly stick with one shots and loosely connect them. Run it almost like AL if you can!

Alex W.

2024-10-13 23:31:33 +0000 UTC

Hello, Mike! Thank you so much for your hard work. I especially enjoy your weekly Lazy DM Prep video/podcast. QUESTION: Do your players take notes? Mine don't. I've asked them to do so, even emphasizing that it would make my GMing easier and their gaming more fun. Usually they just laugh and say they're not good at taking notes. What kills me is that they get upset when I end up doing the majority of the talking during the pre-game recap, or when I interject during the game with "Your character would remember that the last time they were here...." They tell me I'm steering the game instead of letting them play. What more can I do to encourage them to take notes?

Kathy

2024-10-13 19:43:07 +0000 UTC

Hey Mike, what’s an adventure/game and character you have always wanted to play, considering you are usually the DM?

Great Diviner Games

2024-10-11 21:21:40 +0000 UTC

I agree completely. It’s great and I’ve done that. But it’s so short, it’s more the “now what?” dming something with beyond and closer to the full rules is where I’m at an impasse. How did you move them beyond peril?

Delaney Nevins

2024-10-11 15:47:43 +0000 UTC

(Not Mike but I recently had the same problem! I went from running 1 after-school group with 11 kids to having 6 different dm's and almost 40 kids. Peril in Pinebrook is the way!)

Alex W.

2024-10-11 15:34:08 +0000 UTC

Hey Mike! Over the past four years, my group and I have played almost exclusively 5e, except for a period when we tried out Shadowdark, which I personally enjoyed a lot and seemed to resonate well with most of the players. With the exception of one of them, who is a big fan of 5e. At the end of our last campaign, we decided to put 5e aside for a while and started playing Dolmenwood, using Shadowdark’s rules. I’m enjoying it a lot more, and I’ve noticed that most of the players are too. However, I know that the player who prefers 5e is enjoying it less and really wants to go back to 5e. He’s been playing with me for as long as I can remember, and he’s a great friend. I don’t want to disappoint him, but I’m honestly burnt out on 5e, and the revised rules haven’t reignited my interest either. Is there any way we could find some middle ground?

Cesar Barbosa

2024-10-11 13:24:07 +0000 UTC

I’m running an after-school group for 12-14 year olds. I’d be able to host a lot more if I could convince and train some of my group to DM. Do you have any advice or know of resources that would help these students learn the role as simply as possible?

Delaney Nevins

2024-10-11 13:20:15 +0000 UTC

What are your tips for making villains feel villainous? You've spoken before about fronts, villain quests etc, but how can we make villainous NPCs actually menacing at the table (when players will invariably goof off and tease them). Heck, should we even try, or just let things be goofy?

Ben Gutteridge

2024-10-11 12:36:35 +0000 UTC

Thanks Mike I will have to get it. I do have Ghost of Saltmarsh and that one as wells as a book call underwater campaign have amazing material. I am just seeking out new gear and equipment for total underwater Aquatic... been making them up but I like to see others peoples ideas and opinions. Thank you again and all your books. (especially the Foe one) . helping become less detailed (my weakness..LOL)

Jonathan Gerolami

2024-10-11 11:40:01 +0000 UTC

Hello Mike, I hope you’re doing well. I’m getting into solo play and would appreciate your thoughts on what mechanics you believe really helped/enhanced this style of play in your experience. Thank you.

Kairos

2024-10-11 11:08:25 +0000 UTC

Planning an adventure for the end of the campaign, but I am nervous because I wouldn't want a PC to die before the battle with the final boss, at the same time I want some challenging encounters to prepare for the finale. How do you handle the last game(s) before the end of the campaign to avoid an anticlimactic PC death? Is it something you think about or just go with the flow? Probably it is a question for 5e-style games and not OSR style games

Peter S.

2024-10-11 10:55:24 +0000 UTC

One way to find out is to try it and see! Lots of people have played Shadowdark and it worked fine for them to improvise encounters. Some of the improvised encounters in my own campaign changed the whole course of the game and it was great. Secrets and clues can help. You can abstract information you might reveal to the characters from the NPCs so whatever NPC they run into might have information to share. That's one of the intentions of keeping secrets abstracted – you can decide to drop them in whenever they make sense but still have something to run with. As an exercise, you can roll on some Shadowdark tables, roll the monster, roll the attitude, and roll the activity and see if you can improvise something. I usually don't need more than a name to riff for a while. Try it on your own and see how it goes!

Michael Shea

2024-10-11 10:28:55 +0000 UTC

I think having outer and inner rings can be cool. Different sects with their own unique names and the further you go, the deeper into the cult's secret inner rings you get. We can have cultists of many different CRs, all the way up to the top with planar champions and archpriests and what not. Paranoia within a cult may make it fun and interesting for the characters to unravel the organization, trying to climb their way to the top. I'd start by listing out five or ten sects of the cult and think about whose on top and who's on the bottom of that list.

Michael Shea

2024-10-11 10:26:10 +0000 UTC

That sounds awesome but no RPG leaps out to me that can be played without any sort of character sheet. You might ask around on the SF Discord server and see if anyone has any ideas.

Michael Shea

2024-10-11 10:24:12 +0000 UTC

I have a copy sitting on my virtual desk but I haven't dug into it. I didn't realize it had yet been released to the public! I'll put it on my list! I just didn't get word about its release yet.

Michael Shea

2024-10-11 10:16:57 +0000 UTC

Hi there! I answered your question over on the September 2024 Q&A thread. Welcome to the hobby!!!

Michael Shea

2024-10-11 10:16:08 +0000 UTC

Level Up Advanced 5e's Trials and Treasure has awesome hazards and encounters in it. It's really an amazing book – maybe the best GM's book I've seen. I continually find myself coming back to it. I don't know about underwater books but Ghosts of Saltmarsh has a lot of waterborne stuff in it.

Michael Shea

2024-10-11 10:15:40 +0000 UTC

I think digging into other systems can really help. So can playing solo RPGs which is like cross-training for larger group RPGs. Here are a couple of articles with suggestions: https://slyflourish.com/path_for_dm_expertise.html https://slyflourish.com/dms_reading_list.html Sounds like a great thought to keep learning this wonderful craft of ours!!

Michael Shea

2024-10-11 10:14:34 +0000 UTC

Sorry, I don't really have any advice for this. It sounds like a lot of fun! I'd just say keep it simple at first and see how things go instead of walking in with a big shared-world plan. Sounds great!!

Michael Shea

2024-10-11 10:12:30 +0000 UTC

Obviously my own in Sly Flourish's Fantastic Adventures, Ruins of the Grendleroot, and Fantastic Lairs! I think the short adventures WOTC has published are good ones – Dragon of Icespire Peak, Radiant Citadel, Candlekeep Mysteries, and so on. Arcane Library has some awesome short adventures you can dig into as well. I also love Kobold Press's various "Lairs" books, often tied to their campaigns or monster books. Eldritch Lairs, Tome of Beasts Lairs, and so on. Those are great location-specific adventures easily reskinned and pieced together into larger stories.

Michael Shea

2024-10-11 10:11:34 +0000 UTC

I would keep the timers abstract instead of specific so you have room to decide yourself during the game how much time they take. I know people want a clean system but the reality is you don't know and you don't want the whole thing to fall apart because you picked a timer that's either way too easy or impossible. Give yourself a dial you can turn to increase or decrease the pressure on timed events as you play. Instead of saying "you have three rounds until the tidal wave is coming" you can just say "the tidal wave is coming! Time is critical!" So make it less systemic and give yourself more room to scale up the intensity of the situation yourself as you run it.

Michael Shea

2024-10-11 10:09:17 +0000 UTC

Lately I've really enjoyed the things that aren't core stats in 5e monster books. The Monstrous Menagerie's inclusion of monster knowledge checks, monster group encounters (so I know what monsters go well with other monsters), treasure for monsters, tactics, activities, and the like. A5e does a better job at this than any other monster book I've seen. I like simpler stat blocks too but thats not a huge deal for me. I can always make one with Forge of Foes if I desire.

Michael Shea

2024-10-11 10:06:08 +0000 UTC

Two systems I'd look at, were it me, are 13th Age which is a great take on high heroic fantasy and the path system of Shadow of the Demon Lord and Shadow of the Weird Wizard which does a great job offering paths to any core class so each path has a lot more versatility. If I were making a simpler version of a heroic 5e, one thing I'd dig into is making subclasses work across all, or many, classes so you can have a much wider variety of characters with fewer overall subclasses.

Michael Shea

2024-10-11 10:04:46 +0000 UTC

I think stretching your improv muscles is a good way to do it. Also listening to swashbuckling sword and sorcery audiobooks can work. The combination of weapons, attacks, armor, physiology of monsters, and other details can make every description unique. It doesn't need to be an RA Salvatore-style fencing instruction manual every time someone makes an attack but something more than "you hit" is a good idea to keep people into the fiction. You can also ask the players to describe their attacks if they're comfortable doing so.

Michael Shea

2024-10-11 10:02:48 +0000 UTC

Good question and something I'm working on now in my own COA campaign. I like to ensure the characters have three or so quests to choose from and ensure that whatever the main thread is, they don't have to complete it right away. They get to choose if they want to go on a side quest or go for the main quest. You can also limit information. The next part of the main quest might not be available to them yet but they can do some side quests while their quest-giving NPC figures out the next big branch of the main quest. I may do that in my own game but the characters are going to high eighth level pretty soon so I better get rolling!!

Michael Shea

2024-10-11 10:00:50 +0000 UTC

Hi there and welcome to the hobby! Return of the Lazy Dungeon Master has my best advice for running a session zero and preparing a campaign. You can find more information here: https://slyflourish.com/running_session_zeros.html Try to keep things focused. Worry about the next game you're going to run instead of worrying about the two-year campaign you might have in your head. Keep things simple.

Michael Shea

2024-10-11 09:59:03 +0000 UTC

Don't put options in a survey you don't want to run. Only put the stuff you really want to run in your proposal. I think it also helps to have an in-person discussion about such options. I usually start such conversations a month or so before we actually come to a conclusion so players can think about it and really digest what they might want to do. Hope that helps!

Michael Shea

2024-10-11 09:56:53 +0000 UTC

Hi Ben! Here's my latest list of great fiction that grabs me: https://slyflourish.com/getting_ideas_for_dd.html

Michael Shea

2024-10-11 09:55:18 +0000 UTC

Honestly, I don't use puzzles. For me, the whole adventure and storyline is a puzzle the players can explore. I tried using puzzles before but no one really cared and no one has ever mentioned wishing I had more puzzles than I do. So I just don't do them. You can find some of the puzzles I used before by searching Sly Flourish: https://slyflourish.com/search.html?q=puzzle And here's more: https://youtu.be/dpsfWuKRFl0?t=3259s https://slyflourish.com/talk_show_database_897a3ca6dac5f425b98d1ac85cd6962d/?t=3335s https://youtube.com/watch?v=PkN-IAf4irk&t=2062s https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HKqqEqn0EaA&list=PLb39x-29puaoZke5BVk7fjyyyjWXcxCu1&index=21&t=3269s https://slyflourish.com/sf_patreon_files_898123050001223/qa/?id=1806 https://slyflourish.com/sf_patreon_files_898123050001223/qa/?id=1360

Michael Shea

2024-10-11 09:54:23 +0000 UTC

There's no law that you have to run a sandbox. There are also ways to run a sandbox adventure that still has overarching goals and stories taking place but with lots of options for the characters to explore. I think the Dragon of Icespire Peak model is a great one: The characters have three quests to choose from. They pick one, than another, and the third is thrown out. Then they get three new quests. This isn't a true sandbox but it gives them options between every quest and clears out the ones they're not interested in. Its important to remember that a sandbox has sides. It's not a true open world RPG – there are boundaries around the sandbox. It still has a focus. From a published adventure standpoint, Curse of Strahd, Storm King's Thunder, and Tomb of Annihilation are all sandbox adventures that still have a clear goal. There's nothing wrong with having a guiding light so the characters aren't just wandering around.

Michael Shea

2024-10-11 09:50:30 +0000 UTC

I think I've written about my desire for simplicity in all things in TTRPGs. The eight steps from return are intended to be as simple as they need to be. One of my reasons to avoid diving head-first into all of the plugins for Obsidian is that I really enjoy printing out my notes on paper and using them in my big RPG trapper keeper. But yeah, I'm a big fan of simplicity wherever I can do it. For me, I try to use as few tools as I can to get the job done and only seek out those tools that really help me run a better game.

Michael Shea

2024-10-11 09:47:31 +0000 UTC

I think we should feel free to take a setting from a system and run it with another system if we choose. I think we should also feel free to take the system and run it in a setting of our choice. That's one of the wonderful things about TTRPGs. Once we've purchased the product, we can use it however we wish. There's no shame in doing one or the other. We get to decide what makes sense for our table. So you have to decide yourself if a setting from a system is worth enough to buy the product. No one else can decide that for you.

Michael Shea

2024-10-11 09:44:57 +0000 UTC

Hi Mike! I have really enjoyed listening to your Shadowdark game develop over the course of time. I am interested in running the game, but I am hesitant due to the randomised nature of the game. When I run D&D I tend to think up in advance a narrative for any NPCs. If it's a true random encounter (for me at least) it's usually combat focused, or if it's not I have a pretty good pre-thought plan of what that character is motivated by. For example, if my players randomly encountered a friendly troll in the woods, I may I just draw a blank as to what they should do or say. I feel like the random and improv nature of Shadowdark would make me feel pressured as a GM to come up with something on the fly. Any suggestions to make this easier?

Richard White

2024-10-11 08:31:40 +0000 UTC

Hey Mike, I am about to start a new City of Arches campaign, and plan on trying the Collision of Worlds campaign arch. Do you have any advice on running cults across multiple campaign acts, making them feel like a real organization, and an exciting threat for the players and characters?

Eric Heisler

2024-10-11 07:16:55 +0000 UTC

I introduced a number of my friends to some TTRPG at a camping trip recently. I utilized the Shadowdark quick start and we had a great time, it was an awesome FREE intro to that RPG and was really easy to run without much fuss. ANYWAYS, one friend off-handedly asked if we could just play around the fire, and it got me thinking. Any RPG's out there focused on an ultra rules-lite that could be basically played without a character sheet, just friends sitting around a fire? It got the mental juices flowing and I have some ideas.... but curious if you are aware of anything out there like this.

Reluctanse

2024-10-11 04:54:18 +0000 UTC

Hi Mike, Last month Keith Baker released his final product for Eberron, "Frontiers of Eberron: Quick stone". On your most recent episode of The Lazy RPG Podcast, I noticed you hilighted that Grimhollow Transformed were re-releasing their content for the updated 2024 rules and it made me realise that I hadn't heard you mention Frontiers of Eberron on the podcast, which also features rules for 2024 character creation, most notably a remake for the Warforged race/species/origin and also the Dragonmarked houses. I was wondering, unless I've somehow missed it, you planned to do a spotlight for this product? I know you have described as one of your favourite settings so I assumed it'd be a natural product spotlight for you. Thanks, Cameron

Cameron Hall

2024-10-11 04:53:33 +0000 UTC

Hey Mike, I'm DMing for the first time and really I'm really enjoying it, but I really struggle to just knuckle down and prep. I've done lots of world building and systems building but just prepping for the upcoming session, I find myself waiting until the night before and halfarsing it. Do you have any advice for just locking in and putting in the hardyards to make a fun and engaging session?

tim wills

2024-10-10 21:20:14 +0000 UTC

Hi Mike, i was wondering if you had any 3rd party source idea for Underwater campaign equipment (not magical , weapon or armor have plenty of those).Other question similar to first (if only one pick one, doesn't matter) do you know a good book or supplement that give interesting hazard challenges... dust storm, mud slide, avalanche, rock fall, typhoon etc.

Jonathan Gerolami

2024-10-10 20:27:40 +0000 UTC

I’ve been running games for quite a few years now, and I feel like my experience based improvement has plateaued. What are some good books I can read to help step up my game? I already have the Lazy GM’s set. Looking for everything from being a better story teller to books of tables etc. to use at the table. I prefer physical books so I can annotate and they are just easier for me to read.

Joe Christensen

2024-10-10 19:51:44 +0000 UTC

Hi Mike, I'm going to have the opportunity to run games at my workplace as a team-building activity. I want to keep the entry threshold low by using a light, easy system and running short, episodic expeditions. I plan to try an open table with a persistent world, where different groups can adventure and either continue from where earlier expeditions left off or start something new. Participation would certainly not be compulsory—only colleagues who are interested would join. Do you have any immediate thoughts on this or any things I should watch out for?

Sebastian Rieger

2024-10-10 18:43:05 +0000 UTC

Hey Mike - do you have a list of recommendations for short modules and adventures? I like building campaigns by using shorter adventures and combining them together as I see fit, would really appreciate what your favourites are :) Have a good one, cheers!

kaasimir

2024-10-10 18:19:22 +0000 UTC

Hey Mike! I recently ran a Sahuagin assault on Saltmarsh and based my approach on a suggestion of yours in one of your videos. I did 3 phases + a final confrontation. Each phase had 3 events that the players could choose from that would affect the final outcome (burning ships, mages doing rituals, monsters breaking down gates, etc.). As they partook in these events, I described the siege and mayhem going on around them. The players absolutely loved this approach, and it was a blast to run! My one issue when planning for this was... timers, so to speak. For example: the players need to stop the monsters from destroying the gate. Now, obviously this needs to be timed somehow. But how? How do you decide the HP for the gate, and how do you decide how many monsters are attacking it, and how much damage they do? You obviously also need to take into account player level - how does that come into the equation? You can also ditch the HP and damage, and just say they have 3 rounds to kill the monsters. But how do you then decide the number of monsters? Another example: priests are summoning a tidal wave. How do you time this? Do you give them 3 rounds until the summoning is complete? How many priests are there? How many bodyguards? Does killing 1 priest increase the number of rounds they have? How many rounds? I think you get my point... Are there any formulas/thought processes to help with this? For my session I kind of eyeballed it, and it went pretty good in most cases, but in some I had to do quite a bit of improv. Which I don't really mind, but it would be great if there was some sort of framework for these kinds of events. Thanks, and sorry for the ramble.

Boštjan

2024-10-10 17:52:55 +0000 UTC

Hey Mike, when looking at Monster Books what is your criteria for what a “good monster book” is. There are so many out there that it’s difficult at times to have an understanding of what makes one better than the other. Obviously there’s a lot of personal preferences but would be interested in why your favorite book is your favorite.

Nate Gerlach

2024-10-10 16:43:40 +0000 UTC

What would be on your wish list for a more heroic 5e variant that is streamlined and simple like Shadowdark? I’m currently noodling away at some ideas for a first draft design. Things I’m working with (not married to): core 6 stats as modifiers only, one action per turn, advantage over math bonuses where possible, equipment is more abstract, static damage in both sides (only d20s get rolled), spell effects more narrative/abstract to encourage improvisation outside combat.

Ryan McIntyre

2024-10-10 16:41:33 +0000 UTC

When running combat, I struggle to keep descriptions interesting or flavorful. Every time someone hits an enemy, it’s difficult to find the balance of not enough (you hit) vs too much too often (can’t be slicing off limbs every time). Sometimes I ask the players to assist but looking for general advice to make this part of combat less painful and more interesting.

PhD20

2024-10-10 16:37:25 +0000 UTC

I lovvvvve the campaign arcs in CoA. The level by level questing scratches an itch in my planning brain. My question is there’s also so many amazing story hooks in the CoA preview that I’d also love to incorporate into my sessions. How do you balance the campaign arc outline with side hooks and story quests without bogging down the pacing or getting off track on leveling?

Olivia Adams

2024-10-10 16:35:25 +0000 UTC

Hey! New dm here. Played a few games with friends and wanna do a homebrew game with them now. What's your advice on the session 0 and 1? How to no overwhelm my friends and myself with the workload?

Sebastian Adam

2024-10-10 16:33:49 +0000 UTC

Hi Mike! I know you somewhat-recently started an A5E City of Arches campaign and have been prepping the ToV campaign, and I'm finding myself in the same boat. My group, comprised of mostly newer players, is wrapping up a 5E campaign in the Dolmenwood setting and I'd love to continue, but we had a group shakeup and we all agreed it's best just to start something new. I was wondering if you could talk a bit about pitching campaign ideas to your group? Do you usually do this during the Session Zero, or before? What's that process like for you and what do you recommend? As for me, I made a survey for them but I'm hesitant because there are options I am kinda hoping they don't pick! (The options are Mothership --they won't pick this, I already know...sigh-- Shadowdark, Broken Weave, a new Dolmenwood adventure, or Tomb of Annihilation)

Alex W.

2024-10-10 16:18:17 +0000 UTC

Hey Mike, you have given advice before to use fiction to fuel ideas for your game. What are your favorite tv shows, books, games or movies that are currently fueling your games?

Ben Hodges

2024-10-10 16:18:10 +0000 UTC

Hey Mike, I'm still a fairly new DM, and your resources have been a godsend for me. My question is, how do you plan a good, engaging puzzle for your players while making sure they don't get bored or your puzzle is too complex? Striking that balance has been quite difficult for me, as some puzzles are enjoyable but are solved very easily, whereas others take forever to solve as my PCs overlook the one detail that would let them solve the puzzle. I appreciate you for these Q and As!

Kush poddar

2024-10-10 16:15:09 +0000 UTC

Mike, I could use some advice. I have been a DM for a long, long time (since 1981) but I have never run a sandbox game before. I've always used modules that I modify to make my own, but there has always been some kind of overarching story or questline that the players follow. Setting up and running a sandbox feels overwhelming because I am constantly worried that having to add things on the fly--encounters, NPCs, locations--will negatively impact the pacing of the game. Any thoughts or advice? Thanks for all that you do, and for shepherding such a positive and supportive community!

Michael Cremin

2024-10-10 16:12:58 +0000 UTC

Hey Mike! A few episodes ago, you mentioned that you were slowly migrating from Notion to Obsidian but I was really surprised to hear you also decide to lean into minimalism in doing so. I made the swap from Notion to Obsidian not too long ago and found there's far greater support for 5e due to all the community plugins so I was really surprised to hear you aren't going to be taking advantage of these. Is there any particular reason for going basically raw markdown with your notes in Obsidian? Are there any plugins you know you'll be using? Thanks!

Michael Cole

2024-10-10 16:11:45 +0000 UTC

When buying a TTRPG what weight should you put on the setting and on the system? I ask because I seen a lot of games where I like the setting but not the system and also the other way around.

Drunken Yoda

2024-10-10 16:08:30 +0000 UTC

October 2024 Sly Flourish Patreon Q&A

Comments

Thanks Mike.

I am going to run a special one shot for two 18th level 2014 characters. A monk and a sorlock or possibly paladin. Wanted to base it on Die Hard. They will be attending a party in the Feywild. Was thinking a group of demons or possibly devils crash the party a la Hans Gruber. Any suggestions?

This is golden wisdom 🤯🤯 thank you for the response!

I don't feel incentivized to back any TTRPG Kickstarters recently. Why do these funding projects require that the backers pay what feels like full price or more? It used to be that it was at a discount, but now its not then what a published book is.

Sure! I think it's a great way to enjoy D&D! There's nothing particularly complicated about Ravenloft that requires deeper experience than any other D&D game.

So what is the best way to deal with having two groups of gaming personalities at the same table aside from splitting them into two games? I have a group that is split right down the middle between murder hobos and heavy role-players and it's difficult to find the right balance.

It's actually in the rules! Use the average number listed and then roll the dice value. or you can just double the static damage which is a little high but works well enough. You can also double the static damage and subtract the dice modifier in the dice equation. I just double it...

We'll find out! I have it on good authority that my own Lazy Encounter Benchmark is likely superior to the system they ended up with tin the DMG. I don't know why they decided to go back to experience points again....

Hi Graham! I think that sort of limitation can be good! If you have a good theme for the campaign, try pitching it to your players and seeing if they resonate with it for the same reasons. I think these sorts of limitations help focus on a unique story they aren't likely to have any other way.

Thank you so much! If we want to dive in and find the time, I'll definitely be in touch!

Sure! It sounds cool! I don't know much (anything?) about Ashlar so I don't really have any other useful advice. Sorry!

Thanks Mike!

I think the idea of an abstract oracle die like the one in Ironsworn really helps stretch our brains to head in directions it wouldn't always head really helps. I'm not super-experienced in solo games so that's about the best I have.

Would you recommend running the Ravenloft Shadowdark Halloween special for new players to TTRPGs? If so, what changes would you make?

Now that you’ve completed a year long Shadowdark campaign. If you were to start a new SD campaign, would there be (say 3 or so) rules tweaks and/or house rules you would implement?

Hi Mike - how do you handle crit damage when using static damage?

Do you think the new 2024 DMG will provide tools and advice for Dungeon Masters that hasn't been covered by the tables and advice in your books? The new edition currently feels more exciting for players than Dungeon Masters.

You've mentioned running a solo game for your wife, could you expand on how running/prepping a game like that is different?

Probably TSRPG (Travel-Sized RPG) is what you are looking for.

One trick is to let your players help you. You encounter a troll. Player A, what is the distinguishing physical feature of this troll? Player B, what's your characters' read of this Troll? What do you think they are trying to do?" ... and just kind of get inspired by peoples ideas and go with it.

I guess he likes the way it plays, player options, crunchy mechanics and mostly, dnd beyond

What's the thing about 5e that he misses most?

I would honestly stick with one shots and loosely connect them. Run it almost like AL if you can!

Hey Mike, what’s an adventure/game and character you have always wanted to play, considering you are usually the DM?

I agree completely. It’s great and I’ve done that. But it’s so short, it’s more the “now what?” dming something with beyond and closer to the full rules is where I’m at an impasse. How did you move them beyond peril?

(Not Mike but I recently had the same problem! I went from running 1 after-school group with 11 kids to having 6 different dm's and almost 40 kids. Peril in Pinebrook is the way!)

I’m running an after-school group for 12-14 year olds. I’d be able to host a lot more if I could convince and train some of my group to DM. Do you have any advice or know of resources that would help these students learn the role as simply as possible?

What are your tips for making villains *feel* villainous? You've spoken before about fronts, villain quests etc, but how can we make villainous NPCs actually menacing at the table (when players will invariably goof off and tease them). Heck, should we even try, or just let things be goofy?

Hello Mike, I hope you’re doing well. I’m getting into solo play and would appreciate your thoughts on what mechanics you believe really helped/enhanced this style of play in your experience. Thank you.

That sounds awesome but no RPG leaps out to me that can be played without any sort of character sheet. You might ask around on the SF Discord server and see if anyone has any ideas.

I have a copy sitting on my virtual desk but I haven't dug into it. I didn't realize it had yet been released to the public! I'll put it on my list! I just didn't get word about its release yet.

Hi there! I answered your question over on the September 2024 Q&A thread. Welcome to the hobby!!!

Level Up Advanced 5e's Trials and Treasure has awesome hazards and encounters in it. It's really an amazing book – maybe the best GM's book I've seen. I continually find myself coming back to it. I don't know about underwater books but Ghosts of Saltmarsh has a lot of waterborne stuff in it.

Sorry, I don't really have any advice for this. It sounds like a lot of fun! I'd just say keep it simple at first and see how things go instead of walking in with a big shared-world plan. Sounds great!!

Hi Ben! Here's my latest list of great fiction that grabs me: https://slyflourish.com/getting_ideas_for_dd.html

Hey Mike, I am about to start a new City of Arches campaign, and plan on trying the Collision of Worlds campaign arch. Do you have any advice on running cults across multiple campaign acts, making them feel like a real organization, and an exciting threat for the players and characters?

Hey Mike - do you have a list of recommendations for short modules and adventures? I like building campaigns by using shorter adventures and combining them together as I see fit, would really appreciate what your favourites are :) Have a good one, cheers!

Hey! New dm here. Played a few games with friends and wanna do a homebrew game with them now. What's your advice on the session 0 and 1? How to no overwhelm my friends and myself with the workload?

Hey Mike, you have given advice before to use fiction to fuel ideas for your game. What are your favorite tv shows, books, games or movies that are currently fueling your games?

When buying a TTRPG what weight should you put on the setting and on the system? I ask because I seen a lot of games where I like the setting but not the system and also the other way around.

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What are your tips for making villains feel villainous? You've spoken before about fronts, villain quests etc, but how can we make villainous NPCs actually menacing at the table (when players will invariably goof off and tease them). Heck, should we even try, or just let things be goofy?