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Cake day: July 3rd, 2023

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  • jjjalljs@ttrpg.networktoMemes@europe.pubHell
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    3 hours ago

    Sometimes I ask them to give me a summary of the problem before the call, so I can have some context.

    Sometimes if I’m lucky they’ll rubber duck themselves into a solution.

    But sometimes it just helps me context switch to whatever they’re going to talk about.




  • I’m going to assume this is DND 5e, but this advice is system agnostic

    Add objectives to your scenes that aren’t “kill everyone else”.

    Add traps and environmental hazards to your scenes. Add enemies they can’t kill.

    Add a third faction that has its own goals

    They need to get books out of the library before it burns down, while the crazed wizard and his fire elementals are doing a ritual that’s going to make things worse for everyone.

    The mansion is haunted, and this ball room in particular. Anyone who steps on the dance floor and doesn’t dance is accosted by angry ghosts.

    The room is filling with water. There are a series of levers to control the water. There are priceless works of macguffin that will be damaged by the water.

    Each egg host killed explodes into a mist of parasites, potentially infecting everyone nearby. Some enemies don’t care about being infected.

    Security just wants everyone out, both the PCs and the cultists they’re fighting. Security has powerful control abilities- a fire hose to push people, a sonic weapon to prone people. (Don’t stun your players or prevent them from actually playing on their turn, but move them around and add costs to some actions)

    Several NPCs are channeling spells. They are individually weak, but spread out. Each spell that completes adds consequences and complications. Perhaps they affect the current scene (eg: blow a hole in the wall allowing demons from outside to flow in) or maybe it affects the plot (they conjure a plague upon the player’s home city)



  • Oh, I personally agree. I want my players engaged and adding flavor to the world. If I didn’t, I’d be better off writing a book.

    But I used to be more of a “you’re having fun wrong” jerk in my youth, so I make extra effort now to be clear that something might not be for me, it’s okay if you’re all having harmless fun with it. ( I still struggle when people tell me about their game of modern day vampires doing political intrigue run in D&D 5e instead of Vampire, but we all have our foibles. )


  • I discovered a couple years ago that some players hate being given any creative control over the setting. They’re extremely passive and want to be told a story. that’s a valid way to play, but very alien to me.

    When I had a wizard character mention his wizard school I let him color in a lot of details. I’d intervene if it was badly breaking established canon (eg: we said it’s in a remote desert and now you want it to be in a coastal city), but generally it’s great.






  • Also the text says

    When Jesus heard this, he said to him, “You still lack one thing. Sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”

    That’s not a metaphor. The camel thing was a colorful metaphor to demonstrate the point.

    That’s luke 18:22

    Most people who call themselves Christians do a piss poor job of it. Some of them then go “oh well I’ll be forgiven it’s okay”. That’s not really following the intent. That’s trying to take advantage of someone’s kindness.