Miniatures, Scenarios, Wargames, and Rules

I (personally) like miniatures, and I am sad that the D&D Miniatures range is at an end.

My love of miniatures harkens back to when I was a kid. I always liked Toy Soldiers - when ever I built a model kit (such as the Aurora Spindrift from Land of the Giants) I NEVER glued the crew in - that way I could use the model in my wild and wacky games I played on the back-garden rockery.

I spent HOURS out there, it was an alien planet - a fantasy land - or prehistoric times, depending on what game I was playing.

Mum would bring me out biscuits and a drink - or call me in if something was on I wanted to watch on TV.

What does all this have to do with Dungeons and Dragons I hear you asking (seriously, I do LoL) - a lot actually.

Imagination, whether it be with miniature gaming or role-playing is all about imagination. Something I had in spades as a kid, and I am (luckily) "well endowed" with as an adult.

Don't be afraid to "think outside the box" - using props found here and there, taking your players outside (even to a quarry as I did once, or out into the Woods at Portmerion) for a session!

If at home, even if you don't normally use miniatures, try using miniatures for chase scenes - its a great change of pace, and can revitalize your group.

I've even used costumes - and yes, I do feel silly when I do that - but its never stopped me if I want to achieve an effect "in game"!

Also, don't think JUST because D&D is in print in some form - that its your only option -

Try Googling the subject - there are LOADS of different free versions of the rules, Runequest based rulesets, even World of Darkness rules out there on the net for your D&D style campaigns.

If you are a fan as I am, Gary Gygax's creation lives firmly in your imagination - don't limit what you do with yours.

Dramatic Structure in Your Dungeon Crawls

There were some interesting thoughts this month over at D&D Insider, a Dungeon Editorial (from Dungeon # 185) about "Dramatic Structure".

Now I've never really thought about this personally, I just sort of "do it" without any bells and whistles or fuss.

You know, theres a beginning, a middle, and an end to every adventure - but it was REALLY interesting seeing it laid out and discussed like that.

Of course an RPG is different to other Mediums, but a lot of elements are the same - Protagonists (PC's & NPC's), Antagonists (NPC's & Monsters), the Setup (Act 1 if it were a Play - in RPG terms the PC's meet an NPC in a Tavern who "hires" or "Quests" them with a task), a steady build of conflic/tension through Confrontation & Encounters (Act 2), and sorts it all out for Better (Comedy/Resolution - funny moments in a game are very important, as is your Players achieving their goals, should they repeatedly fail - you WILL lose some or possibly all, of your group) or Worse (Tragedy/Resolution/Failiure - SOMETIMES your PC's HAVE to fail, for the sake of the plot - so you HAVE a "place" for them to go in your Game World) in the Final Part of a Scenario or Story (Act 3).

I've ALWAYS found Players enjoy "Dungeon Crawls" more than any other type of Scenario, now thats not to say that I DON'T run "non" Dungeon games - I do, its just that when I hear my Players chatting/reminiscing about games - the Dungeon "elements" always seem to stick in their minds. So I like to stick to whats fun, for both my players and myself.

One of the "pitfalls" DM's find when running extensive or repeated Dungeon based Scenarios is blandness, things always seem "the same" with no real variation in plot. Now THATS where following the rules of dramatic structure REALLY come in handy.

ALWAYS (and I mean always too LoL) follow the Dramatic Structure and you really cannot go wrong, by having a fairly "rigid" structure - you actually "free" your imagination up - giving you the ability to insert more "flavour" into your Dungeon based Scenarios.


ACT I - The Setup


Whether you actually run the Setup as part of the Scenario, or its just there as "fluff" for the players so they know why their characters are intering the Dungeon - it should be rich and fully realized. Don't skimp of detail, don't skimp on information. There SHOULDN'T be a Villain in every game, but by the same token don't have endless streams of "lost artifacts" for the PC's to retrieve.


Other options could be - rescue a Kidnap Victim, a Lost Child, Deliver a Message, Bury an NPC's Remains, or even (as I did in one scenario) rescue a lost Cat.


ACT II - The "Meat" of the Story


Keep things fresh, don't be afraid to "roll" with the punches your players throw at you. I remember one game I ran, the Party were storming through my carefully planned Dungeon - Kicking in EVERY wooden door. It was boring for me, so when they moved onto Level II - SUDDENLY all the Doors were stone, and very heavy (there was one moment in a Pit room with a sliding stone door, the Players spent nearly an HOUR trying to get out of that room. Searching for Secret Panels, JUMPING up and down to activate pressure plates etc - it didn't occur to them to check if it slid LoL).


ACT III - The Resolution


Again, keep things fresh and exciting - Don't "force" the ending. If someone Dies (a PC or beloved NPC) roll with it, play up the Pathos - ONLY ON VERY RARE OCCASIONS should you Plan to kill even an NPC. It just pisses of your Players when you do. By the same token, if your "Main Villain" (if you have one) fails to die, or manages to Escape - go with that too, then you have a Plot for later on (Revenge or Track him Down) - and never EVER get pissed off when your Players kill off a Carefully Crafted Major Villain or Monster! Thats what they are there for!!!


So, there you go - just some thoughts that I find useful and might help.

Smiles

I'd been sitting there writing some new Myths & Monsters notes for some time, and I realized Linda (my partner) had been standing behind me as I worked. "I never knew Gary" she said "But I'm sure he would have been impressed at all your effort" - she smiled at me, and I smiled back.

I'd like to think that might have brought a smile to Gary's face too . . . . .

Three Rules for being a good DM

1 - NEVER put your Ego before your players needs.
Example - So, you spent an hour creating that particular NPC - and another two hours painting him. So what if the players finish him off before your expected, thats the nature of the game - don't go out of your way for revenge or for the NPC to avoid being killed. Grow a Sack and be fair!

2 - Know your Game!
Example - Nothing BUT nothing destroys confidence than a DM thats constantly looking up rules in the books. Screens go a long way to resolve this, but a scratch pad is a wonderful tool. Any rules you aren't sure of, write them on the pad - no need to check out the book then. Also, if you make a house ruling - write it on your Scratch Pad. That way you can be consistent because you never forget anything!

3 - Never let the Rules get in the way of the Story.
Example - If for some reason the rules themselves get in the way of story flow - ignore the rules. Make a quick note on your Scratch Pad (so you don't forget) and carry on. Refer back to your Scratch Pad between games and rationalize your decision, or make it part of your core way of running things - NEVER explain things during a game ("all will be revealed" is my favourite phrase) if you do waver you can come over as uncertain (see rule number 2).

Beyond the above, make things as fun as possible - for both your players and yourself - there is nothing worse than a bored DM! These are generic ideas that shouldn't interfere with your individual DM'ing style!

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