Redbeard's Ravings

This is what you get when you open your game up and have no expectations; what happens when you present a problem to the player characters that can’t be solved by a skill check or a character ability; when the world is rich enough and has enough moving parts that the adventuring party can invent multiple possible solutions; they make a choice and change the campaign world, not once but several times. Is this the DM's version of "let me tell you about my character?" This group isn’t in my megadungeon , but is in a different part of the campaign world.   It’s a swamp with the southern portion occupied by the Barrow Maze (I call it the Swallowed Cairns) and the northern portion is the hex crawl swamp of Dyson’s Challenge ofthe Frog Idol .   The party needed a pilgrimage to clear a catastrophe effect , so they got a vision that the Alabaster Oracle (an NPC in Dyson’s module) could tell them of a pilgrimage; she sent them to the Frog God.   (I gave the player that ...

I wasn't the first to come up with this general idea.  But I've been running with it for a while.  I think it helps me run quicker and more interesting combats. Initiative House Rules Procedure: 1.    DM announces initiative and everyone rolls as per normal, d20 plus dexterity mod or other modifiers. 2.    DM uses their big spindown d20 to show the 1 opposing/monster initiative score 3.    Player to the DM’s left announces whether they beat/tied the opposing initiative score and if they do, take their turn. 4.    Play continues going around the table to the left, each player taking their turn if they beat the monsters’ score. 5.    DM takes the monsters’ turn for all the monsters.  DM removes the big spindown die so they don’t forget that the monsters had their turn (I… sometimes drink when I DM). 6.    Players then restart to the DM’s left, taking their turn if the monste...

14 sessions in one group and 4 in the other, I figure I should have sent this out already.   Story – There is no over-arching story and your character does not have a pre-determined role within it.   I intend to create a rich world with many interesting options for challenges and adventure, but the story if any is what you choose to do in the face of those options and adversities.   If there is a campaign villain, it is because you choose it.   Balance – The world is not balanced to your character’s level or the party’s current status.   Some challenges will be beyond you, combat would be a losing proposition, and the best course if a fight starts might be to run.   However, I would be at fault if there was not a way for you to learn your level of risk.   This does mean that you should pay attention to foreshadowing and choose your battles.   Dice and Chance – I make almost all rolls in front of you.   I do not control what wil...