This is going to be kind of disjointed. It’s not really an essay. Just collecting thoughts.
So many modules have missed the mark, and continue to miss the mark, because it’s impossible to write down what’s really good about D&D in a module! The magic that happens at the table requires some minimum amount of planning and structure, which a map and a key can give. But the magic part of D&D that keeps us coming back? You can't write that down and sell it. It's gotta just happen. It comes from the table interactions and from what’s inside us.
I just read a really cool essay over on the Classic RPG Realms blog here. One thing I learned (or re-learned I think) is, Dave Arneson left thousands of pages of notes and documents which he created over the years. They’re a mess and not a lot has come from them. The real magic was inside his head and it stayed in there.
Even - and I feel like such a heretic saying this - even Supplement II was really a huge mess. It was bad. I love Arnesonian D&D, but Supplement II was the pits.
Anyway.
Things don’t necessarily have to make complete sense to the referee when he plans the adventure and brings it to the several players. The players will make sense of things and follow the leads the ref didn’t even know were there. The ref will come up with fun stuff on the spot. Everyone will.
New conclusion I just thought of: therefore I would say that one of the skills of a great DM is he LISTENS TO HIS FELLOWS, and HAS A CONVERSATION INSTEAD OF A LECTURE, and puts the building blocks down for the several players to use to build their world. He says “yes, and...” far more than “no, no, no.” This has probably always been obvious to you but it just hit me.
As for my own reffing style...
...I have tried to reduce the mechanics down to almost board game simplicity without losing the essential elements that make D what it is. That way I can use my brain’s remaining computing power to play make-pretend at the table.
I’ve never played a campaign that was memorable because of what was planned. They’re all memorable because of what was spontaneous. All the best moments are unscripted and impossible to script.
But that means the players have to be thinking and creating too. They can't just be content tourists, like they're playing the single-player story in a video game. They gotta work at it, too.
Here are two ways that I encourage people to be active, to think, to bring ideas to me while we're at the table.
I just read a really cool essay over on the Classic RPG Realms blog here. One thing I learned (or re-learned I think) is, Dave Arneson left thousands of pages of notes and documents which he created over the years. They’re a mess and not a lot has come from them. The real magic was inside his head and it stayed in there.
Even - and I feel like such a heretic saying this - even Supplement II was really a huge mess. It was bad. I love Arnesonian D&D, but Supplement II was the pits.
Anyway.
Things don’t necessarily have to make complete sense to the referee when he plans the adventure and brings it to the several players. The players will make sense of things and follow the leads the ref didn’t even know were there. The ref will come up with fun stuff on the spot. Everyone will.
New conclusion I just thought of: therefore I would say that one of the skills of a great DM is he LISTENS TO HIS FELLOWS, and HAS A CONVERSATION INSTEAD OF A LECTURE, and puts the building blocks down for the several players to use to build their world. He says “yes, and...” far more than “no, no, no.” This has probably always been obvious to you but it just hit me.
As for my own reffing style...
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| Like this, but with more explosions |
...I have tried to reduce the mechanics down to almost board game simplicity without losing the essential elements that make D what it is. That way I can use my brain’s remaining computing power to play make-pretend at the table.
I’ve never played a campaign that was memorable because of what was planned. They’re all memorable because of what was spontaneous. All the best moments are unscripted and impossible to script.
But that means the players have to be thinking and creating too. They can't just be content tourists, like they're playing the single-player story in a video game. They gotta work at it, too.
Here are two ways that I encourage people to be active, to think, to bring ideas to me while we're at the table.
1) No thieves. Why is this a part of that? It means that everyone is trying thief stuff instead of just rolling percentile dice. It means they are imagining and asking questions - questions maybe I didn’t think of! That way we build the world together.
2) I assume general competence among adventurous types and I tell them so. So they’re always trying new stuff regardless of whether their character has the skill written down or whatever. They also think up fun new gear to bring and new uses for that gear.
These two elements get players thinking about what they themselves bring to the environment. And then thinking about it leads to actually bringing new things.
What other ways can you think up to help make refereeing a game into a two-way conversation?
2) I assume general competence among adventurous types and I tell them so. So they’re always trying new stuff regardless of whether their character has the skill written down or whatever. They also think up fun new gear to bring and new uses for that gear.
These two elements get players thinking about what they themselves bring to the environment. And then thinking about it leads to actually bringing new things.
What other ways can you think up to help make refereeing a game into a two-way conversation?
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