I am a member of a group on facebook where there are frequent discussions about what exactly makes a good roleplaying campaign. The problem with these conversations is that the answer isn't the same for everyone but some people think it should be. There's no way that you can design and Dungeons and Dragons campaign that is going to satisfy all the people all of the time. This is why it's important to talk to your player's and find out exactly what sort of game they're hoping for. Some people love a good dungeon crawl, other people find them boring and tedious but most of the time you can find some type of balance to keep everyone interested.
It's been awhile since I was actually involved in any roleplaying game. Our Monday night group changed things up quite a bit trying new games and occasional just doing board games but that ended almost a year ago now due to increased obligations and scheduling conflicts. We played in a game every Sunday for a long time (It's actually where I met my husband) but with it being the only day Bear and I have off together it got to be too much. They've since switched it a Saturday game so he rejoined and games while I'm at work.
For a while now I've been thinking about doing a post about the sort of game that I'd like to play in if I had the opportunity but been hesitant. I don't really know for sure how many of the people from my previous gaming experiences read this blog but there may be things that make them feel like they've been doing it wrong and that's not what I'm going for. So, obviously, at this point, I've decided to just plunge ahead and do it but with a small disclaimer. If you recognize yourself in any of the stories below or disagree in any manner with what I'm saying here, it doesn't mean I think you're wrong or in any way dislike you as an individual, it just means we probably aren't very compatible gaming buddies.
1. I want to play in a world I know. (Unless there's a reason I don't know things.)
Somehow before I really started gaming much I read a bunch of the Dragonlance novels but when I actual joined a Dungeons and Dragons game everything was set in the Forgotten Realms world. While I don't recall the exact details anymore I clearly remember a session where the party found some kind of emblem or patch on the ground. When it was described everyone else in the game immediately recognized it but I didn't. So I had to ask what was going on which was frustrating. Since then I've read some of the novels from other settings but not many, so I continue to try and convince people they should run a game in Kyrnn.
There are ways to handle this kind of thing that make it better. For instance, if you've watched the Harry Potter movies you'll remember the part where the dark mark first shows up and Harry has no idea what's going on. First of all, there is an explanation built into the story for why Harry doesn't recognize it and second, Ron and Hermione immediately explain things to him.
My husband has been trying to create his own game world so he can include all the miscellaneous elements he enjoys in one place. He ran a campaign in this setting (although it was only partly formed at the time) where the players are all from the same isolated mountain village and don't know much of anything about the outside world. The idea was that they could all explore, discover, and learn about the world as they went. Unfortunately, the party didn't spend a lot of time wandering or asking questions about how things worked, but I like that everyone started with same base knowledge.
2. No one wants to die.
Let's be honest here, I take FOREVER to make a character. I've spent hours just trying to pick the right name, and unlike others, I play with I don't have dozens of character ideas just hanging out ready to go. So I don't want my character to die. I don't want to have to start over and find a reason to get shoehorned into the plot/party. This goes includes my familiar/ animal companion. If you kill them I will be sad. I will find a replacement so that the ability doesn't go to waste but it'll never be the same as the original.
However, I also feel that having zero threat to your character can make things pretty boring. I don't necessarily want to automatically win any challenge I come up against. There's a certain fun in retreating to have a strategy session with the party where you need to find a better approach to the fight or way to avoid that fight altogether. Which, coincidentally, brings us to my third point...
3. Non-combat Challenges
I completely understand that some people play Dungeons and Dragons for the express purpose of killing things. Maybe you had a difficult week and struggled to keep your temper in check and just want to relax by smashing some goblin skulls. I've been there. But I'd still like a chance to have some non-combat encounters. Is there a way to bluff or charm my way in instead of killing the guards? Can I sneak by? Maybe make some kind of knowledge check to find a weakness and trap my enemies with a cave-in?
4. Not (Always) the End of the World
I'm not sure why but it seems like the last several campaigns I was involved with were all super serious if you don't stop this the world is going to end style stories. It's not the end of world scenario itself that bothers me really. It's being a first or second level character who's told that without their intervention the entire universe will be destroyed. I know our characters are supposed to be heroic and stuff but that's a lot of pressure. I think what I would prefer is to start out at low levels with a couple of quests that don't necessarily seem connected. Then as you investigate what's happening you begin to discover how they relate and by the time you put everything together to discover the world ending plot you've come too far with everything to back out. (And happen to have leveled up to a point where taking on that sort of challenge makes sense.)
5. Downtime and Crafting
I would really like to be able to do some item crafting. Part of the issues with this are no longer valid. As I said it's been a while since I played in a game. There was a point where making your own magic items came with an experience point cost, which meant that you ended up being lower level than the rest of the party and that sucked. However, downtime has always been a thing. What does your party do when you aren't out adventuring? Do you all have a place together or separate apartments? Do you have day jobs?
Some people may feel that this is a waste of time but I don't. It can help to create connections between party member and offer easy ways to get information into the party. If you are out shopping you might overhear something related to the plot without actually having set out to gather info. I mean, I'm not saying there might not need to be some kind of listen check or something but it offers a means to have the party stumble across things sometimes. I also think that taking the time to role-play some of the typical downtime activities, like selling loot, offer a chance to use skills more creatively. No one ever takes the appraise skill anymore, at least no one in the groups we play in because it doesn't get used. All the loot just gets kind of automatically traded in for standard value. But that's boring. What if you knew that weapon seller was trying to con you? Offering low prices for a valuable item? Would you still just sell the item or try to find a way to use it? Maybe hold onto it until you find another shop to sell to? What happens then, are you carrying too much stuff, do you start your own shop? I really think that could add another level of interest to the game.
The idea of playing a married couple in a game came up in conversation and I had the idea to take it a step further and have kids as well. Well, obviously kids can't come and be involved in combat so what do you do with them? Enter the Nanny follower. We decided that if one of the parents took the leadership feat and had a follower they could 'hire' a nanny and we started brainstorming what the best class would be for a nanny. The character isn't completely finished but we created a half-orc bard/ nanny. Bards get perform skills, they can have storytelling and music to keep the kids entertained and lull them to sleep. They tend to be high dex high charisma characters so they can use diplomacy to convince the kids to behave, bluff them into believing vegetables have magic powers and use slight of hand to hide the last cookie so no one fights over it. However, it's likely none of those things will ever come up if you aren't actually roleplaying your downtime.
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. Talk to your players about what kind of game you're planning
I have, occasionally, gotten stuck with a character idea that just doesn't fit in a campaign. I appreciate gamemasters who are willing to let me play something a bit odd but be honest about how it is going to fit in. A druid isn't going to the most useful class if all the action takes place in a city. A halfling who rides a dinosaur is awesome until the dino can't fit into half the locations you visit and ends up waiting outside. It's no fun to be stuck with something that isn't working in the context of the adventure so do everyone a favor and be upfront about things that might be a problem.
7. Character Connections and Motivation
It is a cliche that every DnD adventure starts in a tavern, but you know, sometimes they do. If the party meets for the first time at the start of the adventure then sometimes it can be difficult to keep it together. After the initial danger has passed, why do you continue to travel together? Most of the games I've been in this just gets glossed over. You stay together because it's what you need to do to stay in the game, or everyone is motivated to get more loot. While money and treasure are certainly a valid motivation it can get old and sometimes doesn't really work for the characters, for example, monks with the vow of poverty. Having some other kind of motivation to keep the players engaged in the story is important. Maybe your family's honor is at stake or the villains have recruited your brother to be a part of their plot and you need to find a way to not only stop them but do it in a way that saves him from his poor life choices.
This gets easier if you start with a party that already knows each other. Some games like Fate Core have built in connections between players and because of that you get dragged along into things you're character might normally avoid. For instance, I had a character who, as part of the backstory was kidnapped by evil wizards for some kind of weird ritual. Turns out that one of the other players was the son and heir to one of the lead wizards and decided to try and stop the ritual and rescue everyone. Now, my character didn't need a ton of help but once you go through some crazy kidnapping scenario which someone you are more likely to show up when they call later needing backup.
8. Props
Some props are obvious, like having a map to visualize where you are in relation to the enemy during battle. Others can help you feel more immersed by involving your physical senses. Actually holding that ransom note makes it more real. Sometimes puzzles are easier to solve when you can see the components or physically manipulate them like your character would. Picture of a real place that you think help evoke the feel of the place your players are visiting could also add some wider context and maybe save time reading descriptions by just showing the visual.
One of my favorite gaming moments connects back to a prop. We played a game in
Ptolus which has a ton of visual aids and such that come with the setting. At the beginning of the adventure the party meet for lunch and we had the actual menu for the place we stopped. Well, it led to an out of character conversation about the type of place it was. We finally decided it maybe kind of like the Cheesecake Factory. Later, when we discovered the restaurant was a front for one of the cities crime families we ended up breaking in to steal some information. As part of the heist we searched for and found the secret cheesecake recipe and it never would have come about without the menu prop.
I like the idea of using more props in games and having the physical connection to things but I admit I don't have good ideas about how to do it. We have some really cool fantasy coins that I'd love to use somehow but so far haven't had any ideas about. Right now we mostly use them as score tokens for board games.
9. Character vs Player Skills
This is a hard one to do well. Part of the appeal of roleplaying games is having a chance to be someone you're not or at least a more heroic version of yourself. Since I am a very quiet introverted person for me that can mean playing a character more outgoing and talkative than myself. This requires a lot of patience on the part of the GM and other players. Just because my character is charismatic and knows what to say and how to it say it diplomatically doesn't mean that I do and it certainly doesn't mean I can do it spur of the moment. I'm going to need a bit of time to think about how I want to say things and may not always have a great way to phrase thing. I may only be able to offer a general idea of what I want to say, not actually lay it all out exactly as I want it said. I understand that that is not great roleplay but I need a group that understands my skills don't always match up with my character's skills and will be willing to work with me to get better and get out of my comfort zone sometimes.
10. Setting and Game Length
Over the years I've played in games of various lengths and results vary as well. If you have a free day it can be tempting to schedule a marathon session but that might not be the best plan. It is hard to keep your focus for long period of time even while doing something you love. You get restless and have to shift around or your mind starts to wander. If you have a session that's long enough to require a break for a meal, that makes it even harder to focus. For a long time, we had a game that included a dinner break but was a fend for yourself kind of situation. So I'd often find my mind wandering during combat to where I could go for dinner that was close and in my budget. Then after waiting for everyone to return it took a while for everyone to settle back down and refocus on the game. On the other end of the scale, we hosted a weeknight game from 6-10pm that started with dinner. It gave everyone a chance to talk and catch up while eating then we were full and ready to focus on the fun game ahead.
The other factor to consider is where you want to play. If you opt for the couch everyone will be comfortable, but it can be hard for everyone to see any maps you might use and it makes dice rolling difficult. Plus, people can be too comfortable and fall asleep, I've seen it happen. If you game at a table everyone can see the map, reach to position their own mini, and has a surface to roll on. Yeah, you might have more comfort issues but as long as you keep sessions to a reasonable length it shouldn't be a big deal.
Someday I hope to be able to afford something like this so that we can game in style.
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