Is there anything you do as GMing practice, be it related to how you handle the mechanics, gameplay, setting, or any other detail of GMing, that you've come to realize hardly anyone else does (or doesn't do it in your particular way)?
Well, I draw pictures of all the NPCs and then attach them to popsicle sticks and hold them up when they're talking sort of like little puppets...
Here's an example of some I did for a Cthulhu game pre-sticks...
(http://i289.photobucket.com/albums/ll237/bprdhellboy/null_zps2db824ea.jpg)
1) I use quilting swatches for battlefields.
Quilting swatches WTF? They are 9 x 9 inch or 12 x 12 inch squares of fabric that you can buy for $1 to $3 in fabric stores. Over the years, I have found several that make awesome and easy to travel battlefields if you just want to put down some minis for an abstract fight (not grids).
2) I wear Halloween masks/costume bits when roleplaying major monsters or NPCs. The $1 dollar store is freaking awesome for this. I just got a super creepy half skeleton mask that will be my go-to for my next lich.
3) For OD&D, I use a big D6 for group initiative and we pass it around like dice at craps table. When we roll initiative, the first player picks up the big D6 and rolls against me. Ties go to the heroes. If they win, that player gets to roll again next round. Otherwise, the big D6 passes to the next player who rolls initiative for the group for the next round.
I take notes. Recording important info on the campaign as it plays out in a spiral notebook to use as reference. I'm sure other GMs do this, but I have never seen it in Actual Play.
Simmilar to Tristam. I used to draw comics of the PCs adventures. I did one for a Beyond the Supernatural adventure and one for a Robotech: Sentinels adventure. Hopefully havent lost those.
Later when I started doing the conventions and meeting circuit artists I would commission illustrations of players characters or my own. Which isnt all that uncommon really. Julie Guthrie noted that people would commission her to sculpt minis of theirs or players characters even.
I have a 3e/4e paper & pencil initiative tracker system which I think is brilliant, but no one else agrees. :confused:
Quote from: jeff37923;800546I take notes. Recording important info on the campaign as it plays out in a spiral notebook to use as reference. I'm sure other GMs do this, but I have never seen it in Actual Play.
If its actual transcriptions of whats said and done then in Japan those are called "replays" and are a business over there as novels. How Record of Lodoss War kicked off as replay novellizations of their BX D&D campaign.
I video-recorded one of my Albedo sessions at a convention as I was hosting for a number of artists for that one. I thought it was a bit odd myself. But I wanted a record of it. Over the years its gotten alot more common.
I also make notes during play. Nothing fancy just shorthand reminders that I use to remember key things that happened during the session.
I also like making handouts to give the players as clues or just for reference such as a general map of the area they are starting in, the menu from the inn, wanted posters and notices that are tacked up in town, as well as things they find on their adventures like diary entries, letters and so forth.
Often these items contain valuable information about something important in the game world, some of which is not realized as significant until much later.
" Hey guys who has the letter we found from the orc chieftain?"
A real physical representation of that letter to pull out and reference is kind of fun.
I always have players roll for initiative before the session starts. This allows for an easier segue into combat, and gives a particular order whenever the table clamors during a social interaction with NPCs.
I write down memorable and weird table quotes on sticky notes and stick them to my GM screen. Things like "thank satan for boobs," "the high priest looks at you with dissaproval," or "no I won't check for traps by licking the wall."
Like a lot of people I take notes. I give out handouts or have the occasional prop. That's been the SOP for decades now.
Recently I've started doing three unusual things for Honor+Intrigue.
(1) Every non-trivial NPC has a picture as part of their NPC stats and such. To date that runs to 600+ NPCs.
(2) I give the players a handout every other session or so. The handout includes the pictures of the NPCs they are likely to encounter, the locations that may be important, items they may encounter, etc. (Since we play via Skype I have to pre-send the handouts. If we were playing face-to-face I'd give them a physical copy to look at when and if they encounter something then email the files to everyone after the session.)
(3) I write up the sessions afterwards in a short story format (typically 1-3 two column pages per session). This gives the players a record of what happened, what their PC did, who they met, how to spell the NPCs names etc.
Quote from: TristramEvans;800534Well, I draw pictures of all the NPCs and then attach them to popsicle sticks and hold them up when they're talking sort of like little puppets...
Those are great! Perfect for Call of Cthulhu.
Now if I had your artistic talent I wouldn't need to spend hours searching the Internet for pictures for NPCs. On the other hand, the searching has made me more knowledgeable about 16th and 17th century art.
- I take notes as well.
- The "screen of fame" is something I've done in the past too, keeping memorable quotes alive, as well as a character graveyard to remember the fallen.
- If I can manage a voice or accent I try to do those for memorable NPCs, using pictures as well to help the players see the NPC as I see them.
- I use music in some cases.
- No matter what game, I always make my own Excel spreadsheet to keep track of and autogenerate everything to make chargen as quick as possible. The player makes the choices, I have Excel do the math, and print out the sheet after.
- I provide handouts that are the literal item. If someone wants to copy it, they keep their own physical copy. If no one has any physical copies, they go off memory.
Some other random weird table rules that have been added over time (some by players).
- Rolling dice across the table to knock over a miniature is an automatic fumble.
- Rolling dice off the table is an automatic miss unless the player yells "Take it" before it hits the floor (if the carpet is thick, it's a miss usually anyway).
- Having your own painted miniature is worth a minor bonus at chargen.
- Any PvP rolls occur in the middle of the table, using dice I provide.
I fire players if they can't make it to two consecutive games in a row.
We play once every two weeks on a pre-determined date that everyone agrees upon.
In our group, whoever is hosting (most often me, and most often the DM--also me) makes a big meal. We typically game from 10am to 7pm or so, so a break right in the middle for dinner. And by big meal, I mean a huge roast, ham, or turkey with sides, or steaks, or something else of substantial nature.
Quote from: Necrozius;800640I fire players if they can't make it to two consecutive games in a row.
We play once every two weeks on a pre-determined date that everyone agrees upon.
That's not that weird; campaigns can definitely lose momentum if the players arent able to commit to a regular schedule. There are exceptions, but I assume that any adult that makes a scheduling commitment should be able to honour it. I've let many players go just for being flakes about that. Yes, I understand everyone has busy lives, but people make time for whats important to them, and if the rest of the gaming group's time isn't important enough to them, there's no reason to hold things up on their behalf.
That said, I once quit a game after the GM chewed me out in a 3 page email because I had to miss a session
to take my GF to the hospital. In that case I don't think I was the one with my priorities out of whack.
Quote from: RPGPundit;800532Is there anything you do as GMing practice, be it related to how you handle the mechanics, gameplay, setting, or any other detail of GMing, that you've come to realize hardly anyone else does (or doesn't do it in your particular way)?
Have the players roll initiative at the
end of combat and use the results the next time they fight.
Using this method, by the time combat starts, initiative is already completely resolved. As a result, there's no delay while you ask for initiative, the dice are rolled, your players tell you their results, and then you sort the results into order. This allows you to start combat off with a bang and keep the ball rolling with that same high intensity. It means that when the players are ambushed, you can maintain that adrenaline rush of surprise instead of immediately undermining it with the mundane task of collecting initiative.
This method also means that initiative results are generally being collected at a time when other bookkeeping chores are being done anyway: After the heat of battle, wounds are being healed; corpses are being looted; equipment lists are being updated; and options are being discussed.
I sometimes draw battlescenes that I found particularly interesting (after the event) and we have a pin up board to put pictures.
I encourage my kids to draw stuff from in game or whatever takes their fancy and pin their pics up too.
It encourages artistic skills.
I've seen a couple of these mentioned so I don't think they are all that unusual but:
Meals, yeah we try to have great meals for our home games, not sure which was the biggest priority really the meal or gaming...just having a good time.
Music always playing in the background
I did start giving the characters physical representations of their wealth with little card board gold coins used from a ccg "Pirates of the Spanish Main" and plastic beads for jewels. They kept their loot together in sandwich bags with character sheets to trade in when buying gear.
I always try to have a painted miniature for each players' pc. Even if we are not using minis in game the avatar in front of the player can sometimes inspire.
And not original.. but I have taken to the practice of some DCC gm s and handing out death certificates for pc deaths
This is probably more on my players but for AD&D we use a special pair of dice that are only used for initiative. One of my players introduced them into the game several years ago (and they all insist on their use)- sometimes I can't believe I can roll initiative with any old die when I play with other people.
- I take notes.
- I like to have picture of each non-trivial NPC. For some genres, cultures or historical periods these can be difficult to find.
- Each player gets a name plate with his character's portrait and name on it to put in front of him on the table.
- I sometimes allow players to roll damage dealt to their character by NPCs.
Quote from: MonsterSlayer;800658I've seen a couple of these mentioned so I don't think they are all that unusual but:
Meals, yeah we try to have great meals for our home games, not sure which was the biggest priority really the meal or gaming...just having a good time.
We did a weekender once where we all dressed in character.
For that I got a guy in to cook us a roast suckling pig and the meal actually took place in real game time with us all staying in character throughout.
Of course because of Murder Mysteries I actually don't think that is wierd at all as all MMs involve us eating a meal in character/costume.
If I have any weirdness it would probably that I usually have absolutely nothing prepared for any session. I might have thought through what will happen whilst I was cycling to work or having a shower or whatever but never have any notes or maps or anything, unless I want to give the PCs a physical prop, like a blueprint of a security facility or something.
We have a big stack of flipchart paper in the middle of the table and I sketch out maps on that as we go. We have been using coins, blutack or whatever as markers if Combat ever gets too complex (5 or 6 party members and a dozen bad guys). I think with 5 e we will start using Minis and I might let the combat get more "griddy' as the PCs seem to want to move in that direction.
As we have started playing D&D I am using a buch of magic cards as a wandering monster deck. They are tracking down a goblin advanced force so the deck is stacked with lots of goblins. But a few other folk and I have a deck for the civilised bit a deck for the wild bit and a night version of each as well.
So nothing weird from my end. very much BAU.
Hrm. I really can't think of much I do that's weird (and I'd say at least two-thirds of what I've read so far uptopic isn't, either). I go to lengths to get clipart for NPCs, but other people do that; I keep rigidly separate a set of dice for Bad Guy NPCs and one for Every Other Roll I'm Likely To Make, but other people do that too.
Maybe the only quirky thing I do is on the extremely rare occasions on which a cat jumps onto the battlemat during an engagement, her strikes are live. Given that to 25mm scale her paw is like the business end of a tree trunk, this is a formidable threat.
I put those little Andes chocolate mints along with the dice in the basket that I lower down the well to the players at the start of each session.
Quote from: Natty Bodak;800686I put those little Andes chocolate mints along with the dice in the basket that I lower down the well to the players at the start of each session.
OK that is weird. Of course I mean the mints, not the rest of it.
I don't know if it quite rises to weird, but I'll throw it in: I hand off npcs to players sometimes. Put a name, some personality traits, a goal, maybe a phrase or sentence to work into the conversation all on an index card and hand it to someone who's not in a scene.
The first time I tried it I was all set to take them back if the players tried taking advantage, but when you're playing with adults it works surprisingly well most times.
Also, to the "fired for missing two consecutive games." I don't have a formal rule like that, and I do assume family and work come first and second, with gaming third. Nevertheless, I broadly agree with the sentiment. If you can't make a majority of game sessions with a known day and time, free up the slot for someone who can.
Quote from: Saladman;800698I don't know if it quite rises to weird, but I'll throw it in: I hand off npcs to players sometimes. Put a name, some personality traits, a goal, maybe a phrase or sentence to work into the conversation all on an index card and hand it to someone who's not in a scene.
I've had GMs do that and thought it was fun. Adds a bit of variety.
I'll do it too if I have a Player who I think is good for it.
My own 'weird' thing, that isn't weird but I haven't seen it in action from a lot of other GMs... is that I try my best to keep secret information secret. If only one PC sees something, has a dream or a vision... comes upon some loot while no one else is around... then I notify them by post-it note, I don't blurt it out to the table for all to hear (and then try to ignore in-character).
I only do it for individuals though... not split groups... and only when I think it's something where they might want the option to keep to themselves.
Oh, and I usually ask for the note back.
I think I like it because it maintains an air of mystery sometimes... and because I really like 'fog of war' and 'friction' in wargames.
Back in the days before post it notes were on the market we used to always use secret notes or side meetings. As we have gotten older and busier and as most of my players became more comfortable compartmentalizing in character (IC) and out of character (OOC) knowledge I go to that effort less often. Currently I have one player who prefers not to have keep IC and OOC knowledge separate. So I keep OOC knowledge secret from her since that's what she prefers, but I don't keep OOC knowledge separate from the other players. Is that weird?
Yup, done cooking as well for the previous group I DMed for since we did marathon sessions and some of the players had to travel a distance to attend.
An odd one I participated in as a player was the oft mentioened one with me dead and reincarnated as an otter. That was a Double Blind session where we were split into two groups and played off against eachother with a DM for each party who co-ordinated.
Never seen that before or since.
Quote from: Simlasa;800702I've had GMs do that and thought it was fun. Adds a bit of variety.
I'll do it too if I have a Player who I think is good for it.
My own 'weird' thing, that isn't weird but I haven't seen it in action from a lot of other GMs... is that I try my best to keep secret information secret. If only one PC sees something, has a dream or a vision... comes upon some loot while no one else is around... then I notify them by post-it note, I don't blurt it out to the table for all to hear (and then try to ignore in-character).
I only do it for individuals though... not split groups... and only when I think it's something where they might want the option to keep to themselves.
Oh, and I usually ask for the note back.
I think I like it because it maintains an air of mystery sometimes... and because I really like 'fog of war' and 'friction' in wargames.
We always did that.
I ran a game once for I think 14 players. First hour no one spoke all notes, eventualy everyone split up across the house with different rooms with different stuff happening . Loads of PvP.
Amber is a game where there is so much note passing I actually think it works better if most of the game is online.
Quote from: TristramEvans;800534Well, I draw pictures of all the NPCs and then attach them to popsicle sticks and hold them up when they're talking sort of like little puppets...
Here's an example of some I did for a Cthulhu game pre-sticks...
(http://i289.photobucket.com/albums/ll237/bprdhellboy/null_zps2db824ea.jpg)
I would totally do that if I could draw.
For a Metamorphosis Alpha campaign all the players did up pics of their characters in HeroMachine. Sadly all that was lost. Think we'd do it in HM3 which looks alot better. (It was not around at the time)
Quote from: Saladman;800698Also, to the "fired for missing two consecutive games." I don't have a formal rule like that, and I do assume family and work come first and second, with gaming third. Nevertheless, I broadly agree with the sentiment. If you can't make a majority of game sessions with a known day and time, free up the slot for someone who can.
Agreed: real life commitments come first. Of course.
I've just been burned too many times by friends who do not have kids and who work monday-friday jobs. And who routinely go out for beers, movies, paintball games and other such activities. I mean, if you're not THAT interested or committed, don't join my game and stop wasting my time!!
(Insert obligatory joke about how maybe i just suck as a GM and my campaigns are horrible. Indeed that is possible: all of my players may indeed have been flat-out lying to me when they praised my skills and said that I was the best GM they'd ever had. Oh well, maybe they were just being nice and I'm just a fucker.)
Quote from: jibbajibba;800684We did a weekender once where we all dressed in character.
For that I got a guy in to cook us a roast suckling pig and the meal actually took place in real game time with us all staying in character throughout.
Of course because of Murder Mysteries I actually don't think that is wierd at all as all MMs involve us eating a meal in character/costume.
I can't help but think of Gamers II Dorkness Rising whenever I read about dressing up in character. :p
Due to an evolution of an old tactic I used on my children, I have a little chicken and duck figurine. When players are asking me stupid questions, and the answer is an obvious "no", I raise the duck above the screen. The players know the duck means no.
It's usually raised when a player wants to abuse a power or ability in some outrageous way. But every once in a while, the chicken comes up instead. Chicken means yes.
It's a thing.
Quote from: Coffee Zombie;800955Due to an evolution of an old tactic I used on my children, I have a little chicken and duck figurine. When players are asking me stupid questions, and the answer is an obvious "no", I raise the duck above the screen. The players know the duck means no.
It's usually raised when a player wants to abuse a power or ability in some outrageous way. But every once in a while, the chicken comes up instead. Chicken means yes.
It's a thing.
OK. That is odd. And maybe a little weird.
Also, is it just me or are other people envisioning Coffee Zombie's players sadly saying in unison, "No," whenever the duck appears and high fiving each other on the rare occasions when the chicken makes its appearence?
Quote from: TristramEvans;800534Well, I draw pictures of all the NPCs and then attach them to popsicle sticks and hold them up when they're talking sort of like little puppets...
Here's an example of some I did for a Cthulhu game pre-sticks...
(http://i289.photobucket.com/albums/ll237/bprdhellboy/null_zps2db824ea.jpg)
I love those illustrations!
Some interesting ideas here. I might have to implement the one about the D6 die and initiative!
i was recently infromed that it is odd that i do not assume that somebody who tryed to open a door and found it locked will open it as soon as it is unlocked i wait for the player to try and open it again instead
I will roll a die, say "You have just been surprised by," and then fart loudly.
Quote from: Old Geezer;801434I will roll a die, say "You have just been surprised by," and then fart loudly.
A gas spore? :p
On occassion, when playing with a matt, I have used snacks as tokens for monsters. You kill it, you eat it.
I prefer musik, played at an barely audible volume. Where it gets unusual, is that I tend to avoid movie theme and (pseudo-)medieval stuff (from what I gather, what most people use in fantasy gaming. I've used elektronik stuff before, but these days tend more towards using jazz or rock (instrumental, vokals tend to distract people).
Not from me, but one of my old gaming buddies, when DMing, would take an extended toilet break when he got stumped by us doing something unexpected.
Quote from: Justin Alexander;800653Have the players roll initiative at the end of combat and use the results the next time they fight.
Using this method, by the time combat starts, initiative is already completely resolved. As a result, there's no delay while you ask for initiative, the dice are rolled, your players tell you their results, and then you sort the results into order. This allows you to start combat off with a bang and keep the ball rolling with that same high intensity. It means that when the players are ambushed, you can maintain that adrenaline rush of surprise instead of immediately undermining it with the mundane task of collecting initiative.
This method also means that initiative results are generally being collected at a time when other bookkeeping chores are being done anyway: After the heat of battle, wounds are being healed; corpses are being looted; equipment lists are being updated; and options are being discussed.
This is great. Collecting initiative often brings my game to a screeching halt, which is the last thing one wants at the start of a combat. I'll try to remember bringing this to my table.
ive never found inititive to take very much time it has always confused me when people say it brings the game to a stop it really only takes about 20 seconds
I wear pants.
Unintentional. But I had this odd knack for appearing right behind one of my players when they were not expecting it. Theyd eventually notice and freak out. They were kinda squirrely. :eek:
It blows my mind that all you guys having players roll for initiative before combat don't get your group planning around that - "Ok, I rolled low for initiative in the upcoming fight, whenever that is - I'll move back away from the front of the marching order for the next section of exploration."
i dont know why some people have the players roll the inititive in play by post instead of having the gm rolling it
Quote from: Gold Roger;801447Not from me, but one of my old gaming buddies, when DMing, would take an extended toilet break when he got stumped by us doing something unexpected.
That's pretty common in my experience. "I'm not sure where to go with this so this is a good time to tap a kidney and get another beer while I think about it."
Quote from: Old Geezer;801521That's pretty common in my experience. "I'm not sure where to go with this so this is a good time to tap a kidney and get another beer while I think about it."
I'll have to remember that one. Honestly, though, I'm not often stumped so much as I drive the game to the point where the players basically take over and then I simply facilitate that. I find its much easier for me to improvise when playing off the ideas of others then ab initio.
OTOH, sometimes when I'm playing an NPC I simply don't know how to respond to a player. At least verbally. Many occasions I'll just be like "they don't acknowledge that with a response" or something to that effect, especially when players start treated NPCs like "Ask Jeeves". The more natural players are, the easier it is for me to respond in character, but I get stumped when the players don't really treat the NPCs like human beings.
Quote from: AndrewSFTSN;801481It blows my mind that all you guys having players roll for initiative before combat don't get your group planning around that - "Ok, I rolled low for initiative in the upcoming fight, whenever that is - I'll move back away from the front of the marching order for the next section of exploration."
Combination of:
(a) My players simply aren't that interested in exploiting metagame knowledge.
(b) My bad guys aren't so predictable that the next combat always conveniently comes from the direction they're traveling.
(c) There are a lot of other strategic and tactical concerns to deal within the dungeon other than combat.
(d) Positioning is frequently more important than initiative in any case.
Quote from: Old Geezer;801521That's pretty common in my experience. "I'm not sure where to go with this so this is a good time to tap a kidney and get another beer while I think about it."
Or the flip side of it, which is when I hand my players an unexpected hot potato, and figure that's a good time to hit the can, while they're blinking and trying to come up with a scheme ...
Quote from: TristramEvans;800534Well, I draw pictures of all the NPCs and then attach them to popsicle sticks and hold them up when they're talking sort of like little puppets...
Here's an example of some I did for a Cthulhu game pre-sticks...
(http://i289.photobucket.com/albums/ll237/bprdhellboy/null_zps2db824ea.jpg)
If I could buy those illustrations, I'd seriously consider doing so. Those are great. I think you're confusing the weird things thread with the awesome things thread.
Quote from: AndrewSFTSN;801481It blows my mind that all you guys having players roll for initiative before combat don't get your group planning around that - "Ok, I rolled low for initiative in the upcoming fight, whenever that is - I'll move back away from the front of the marching order for the next section of exploration."
Yup, I would think that a disadvantage of that method, which wouldn't be worth the small amount of time saved.
Quote from: RPGPundit;801808Yup, I would think that a disadvantage of that method, which wouldn't be worth the small amount of time saved.
To be clear: It saves absolutely no time whatsoever. Dice don't magically roll faster.
The benefit is that, when combat breaks out, the players remain focused on
what's happening in the game world, instead of taking their attention away from that in order to generate initiative numbers.
You can get a similar effect by changing your initiative mechanic entirely. (For example, Trail of Cthulhu's approach of having everyone declare their action and then resolving based on whoever has the highest pool in the action they're attempting.)
you can solve that (minor) problem by having the dm roll the inititive it takes a few seconds longer but it does not break the flow of combat like you say it does (to be clear i dont think inititive has any problems at all)
Quote from: D-503;801563If I could buy those illustrations, I'd seriously consider doing so. Those are great. I think you're confusing the weird things thread with the awesome things thread.
HA! Thanks. My artwork will have a new home on the web soon, along with the opportunity for people to purchase suuch things. I'm afraid these particular sketches were discarded after the adventure concluded, merely indicative of the sketches I do as part of prep for a game.
Canny viewers may notice that all of these NPCs are in fact historic personages.
Quote from: tuypo1;801826you can solve that (minor) problem by having the dm roll the inititive it takes a few seconds longer but it does not break the flow of combat like you say it does (to be clear i dont think inititive has any problems at all)
Yeah, I still don't know if this is really necessary, because as you say the problem seems minor to me, but this seems a better solution to avoid potential meta-gaming.
... I used to do aikijujitsu and jujitsu in highschool and college. During the winter when it was cold I'd sometimes wear my gi - it was a standard judo-gi, so it was super thick and heavy and WARM.
So when I stopped rolling on the mat, I used it as a bathrobe... which I just wore around the house and when I GMed I wore it since everyone was at my house and hey! who cares right?
Over the years it became kinda my stupid "GM Robe" as my players coined it. And it stuck until finally it gave out.
I have a very nice bathrobe I sometimes wear now over my clothes now... someday I'll get a Sun-God headress to match and conduct proper sacrifices. But I'm not up to that. Yet.
According to some accounts at least, the fact that I talk to my players about expectations and the direction of the game is weird.
Quote from: Old Geezer;802100According to some accounts at least, the fact that I talk to my players about expectations and the direction of the game is weird.
jeez people consider that weird im suprised hell a lot of my work as a gm involves helping guide people towards prestige classes they are interested in
would it be considered wierd that if my players only say they search a room i assume they have not looted the bodys
Quote from: tuypo1;802137would it be considered wierd that if my players only say they search a room i assume they have not looted the bodys
Weird, no. Dickhead GMing, yes.
That's what I call "zipper reffing." "You didn't specify you were zipping your pants so when you hit the dirt you skin your peener and get -2 on all dice rolls from now on."
i love a good analogy and thats a darn good analogy and i shall take its advice to heart even if it does fall down a little when you realise most adventureres wont use zippers and that they would have to put it down first for that still darn good analogy
Quote from: Bren;800958OK. That is odd. And maybe a little weird.
Also, is it just me or are other people envisioning Coffee Zombie's players sadly saying in unison, "No," whenever the duck appears and high fiving each other on the rare occasions when the chicken makes its appearence?
They love it, actually. Usually, they know when they get a Duck in response to a question, it was a silly question to begin with. Which makes it even more fun when they get a chicken.
In practical terms, while I'm busy RPing with another player, and I know another player is analyzing the conversation for magic use, or lies, or something, I can give a non verbal cue in the conversation without breaking up the RP.
But it's weird, I'll admit.
you know normaly i would say its silly to try and keep everything IC sometimes you just have to tell a player something but you do the duck thing so you get a pass
I mentioned before that I keep several boxes full of index cards. The cards have characters, monsters, treasures (including magic items), maps, pictures, encounters and other things I might want at a moment's notice.
I've gotten so used to flipping a card to a player with the relevant information that at first glance it looks like we're playing cards and I'm the dealer.
Quote from: Elfdart;803597I mentioned before that I keep several boxes full of index cards. The cards have characters, monsters, treasures (including magic items), maps, pictures, encounters and other things I might want at a moment's notice.
I've gotten so used to flipping a card to a player with the relevant information that at first glance it looks like we're playing cards and I'm the dealer.
I used to have index cards like that, years and years ago. Pretty much stopped when I could put the notes on a computer.
When I GM Basic D&D I have a time tracking sheet with little bubbles to fill in after every turn of dungeon of exploration. I hand these off to a player and make them the time tracker for the adventure. I make them color circles in red to track the duration of torches.
It's weird because I'm the only DM my players have had that's ever tracked time like this.
Quote from: Cave Bear;804081When I GM Basic D&D I have a time tracking sheet with little bubbles to fill in after every turn of dungeon of exploration. I hand these off to a player and make them the time tracker for the adventure. I make them color circles in red to track the duration of torches.
It's weird because I'm the only DM my players have had that's ever tracked time like this.
Nope, never even heard of that one.
Quote from: RPGPundit;804613Nope, never even heard of that one.
I even made my own sheet. https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B5lURTK3WQGPS3lSR1c3cEtsWDg/view?usp=sharing
Quote from: Cave Bear;804643I even made my own sheet. https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B5lURTK3WQGPS3lSR1c3cEtsWDg/view?usp=sharing
(http://static.comicvine.com/uploads/scale_super/5/52246/2060390-i_like_it.jpg)
I have a Python script on my ipad that I use to generate the Big 5 Personality Traits (http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Big_Five_personality_traits) on a standard normal curve so that NPCs don't end up being too similar but also not a parade of freaks.
If I can't be bothered to think about an NPC's appearance in advance, I have a script that does that, too.
I use Rory's Story Cubes (and some other custom made dice) to generate backstory/details/whatever with no prep.
I keep notes, too. However, I don't use index cards; they're in a Tiddlywiki and cross referenced on the fly.
I'm not sure how weird these are. However, they do save me a hell of a lot of time.
Quote from: Kashirigi;804649I have a Python script on my ipad that I use to generate the Big 5 Personality Traits (http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Big_Five_personality_traits) on a standard normal curve so that NPCs don't end up being too similar but also not a parade of freaks.
If I can't be bothered to think about an NPC's appearance in advance, I have a script that does that, too.
I use Rory's Story Cubes (and some other custom made dice) to generate backstory/details/whatever with no prep.
I keep notes, too. However, I don't use index cards; they're in a Tiddlywiki and cross referenced on the fly.
I'm not sure how weird these are. However, they do save me a hell of a lot of time.
That sounds cool. Is it something that could be translated into chart form do you think?
well not 30 seconds ago i got an artist hes not interested in playing but he wants to do some drawings of the world i am building does that count as weird
It counts as awesome :D
well thats cool
Quote from: tuypo1;804688well not 30 seconds ago i got an artist hes not interested in playing but he wants to do some drawings of the world i am building does that count as weird
No, thats perfectly normal
Quote from: RPGPundit;800532Is there anything you do as GMing practice, be it related to how you handle the mechanics, gameplay, setting, or any other detail of GMing, that you've come to realize hardly anyone else does (or doesn't do it in your particular way)?
I have no notes. I usually... often anyway, have not the faintest inkling of a plan, and if I do have a plan, I've done absolutely none of the prep work. In fact, the few times I have done prep work for a game, it has always gone miserably, if at all.
Also: I never, or almost never, use modules or pregenerated adventures. When I do things tend to go somewhat less smoothly than when I have nothing at all in front of me.
Also? I pretty much never use a GM screen, despite owning several very lovely and useful ones for various games.
And yet: most of my games go swimmingly, and my players shower me with gold and maidens in equal measure... or so I've heard.
Naturally: Every time I've sat down with another GM... ANY other GM, I am simultaineously appalled and guilt ridden to realize how much work they put into sessions.
Thus: I have signed myself up to GM a Shadowrun 5e game, despite having had the book for less than a week, and I plan to subtly?!? merge some of the creepy gnostic stuff from Kult into the game from day one. So... prep work!
It should fail spectacularly, if history is any indicator. Because I am actually attempting to do said prep work.
Quote from: TristramEvans;804652That sounds cool. Is it something that could be translated into chart form do you think?
You don't really need a chart. Rolling 3d6 will approximate the curve, and you can get a value of 3-18 for whichever of the big 5 characteristics you want.
If you want more weirdness use 2d8 or 10, or even a d20. The important thing is the distribution, not the range.
Quote from: Kashirigi;804715You don't really need a chart. Rolling 3d6 will approximate the curve, and you can get a value of 3-18 for whichever of the big 5 characteristics you want.
If you want more weirdness use 2d8 or 10, or even a d20. The important thing is the distribution, not the range.
oh, so you just go by the percentages. I was picturing having adjectives attached to the percentages, so someone with an OCEAN score of say 88-69-1-13-13 would generate "Intellectual, Reliable, Antisocial, Argumentative, and Willfull"
Quote from: TristramEvans;804719oh, so you just go by the percentages. I was picturing having adjectives attached to the percentages, so someone with an OCEAN score of say 88-69-1-13-13 would generate "Intellectual, Reliable, Antisocial, Argumentative, and Willfull"
I've been playing a lot of Traveller, so the OCEAN is a 5 digit hex code adjunct to the UPP. The great advantage of numbers vs adjectives is that it's easier to make the distinction between "not really a dick" and "kind of an asshole". Plus then I don't need to think up a bunch of descriptors.
I like the adjective idea in theory, but it's one more table lookup that reduces detail, unless you like having only 5 or so values.
Quote from: Spike;804714I have no notes. I usually... often anyway, have not the faintest inkling of a plan, and if I do have a plan, I've done absolutely none of the prep work. In fact, the few times I have done prep work for a game, it has always gone miserably, if at all.
Also: I never, or almost never, use modules or pregenerated adventures. When I do things tend to go somewhat less smoothly than when I have nothing at all in front of me.
Also? I pretty much never use a GM screen, despite owning several very lovely and useful ones for various games.
And yet: most of my games go swimmingly, and my players shower me with gold and maidens in equal measure... or so I've heard.
Naturally: Every time I've sat down with another GM... ANY other GM, I am simultaineously appalled and guilt ridden to realize how much work they put into sessions.
Thus: I have signed myself up to GM a Shadowrun 5e game, despite having had the book for less than a week, and I plan to subtly?!? merge some of the creepy gnostic stuff from Kult into the game from day one. So... prep work!
It should fail spectacularly, if history is any indicator. Because I am actually attempting to do said prep work.
Well you cant possibly do it subtly now you posted your plans on a public forum on the internet.
Quote from: tuypo1;804729Well you cant possibly do it subtly now you posted your plans on a public forum on the internet.
Noone actually reads anything that Spike posts on here anyway :)
I'm very aligned with Spike in that I don't prepare much, the best I might have are some notes about interesting things that are said around the table in terms of what might be the worst case scenarios. I found in my longest running game that NOTHING I could come up with as a GM could possibly hold a candle to some of the ideas that the group would come up with in speculation, so sometimes I just go with what they THINK might be happening because it's so much more exciting and entertaining.
Quote from: tuypo1;804688well not 30 seconds ago i got an artist hes not interested in playing but he wants to do some drawings of the world i am building does that count as weird
it will be good for both of us to he is still a training artist so he gets practise i get art
Quote from: Panzerkraken;804731Noone actually reads anything that Spike posts on here anyway
Which is why I only communicate in Smilies now.
Quote from: Spike;804714I have no notes. I usually... often anyway, have not the faintest inkling of a plan, and if I do have a plan, I've done absolutely none of the prep work. In fact, the few times I have done prep work for a game, it has always gone miserably, if at all.
Also: I never, or almost never, use modules or pregenerated adventures. When I do things tend to go somewhat less smoothly than when I have nothing at all in front of me.
Also? I pretty much never use a GM screen, despite owning several very lovely and useful ones for various games.
And yet: most of my games go swimmingly, and my players shower me with gold and maidens in equal measure... or so I've heard.
Naturally: Every time I've sat down with another GM... ANY other GM, I am simultaineously appalled and guilt ridden to realize how much work they put into sessions.
Thus: I have signed myself up to GM a Shadowrun 5e game, despite having had the book for less than a week, and I plan to subtly?!? merge some of the creepy gnostic stuff from Kult into the game from day one. So... prep work!
It should fail spectacularly, if history is any indicator. Because I am actually attempting to do said prep work.
Yeah I am exactly the same except I have never owned or used a GM screen. What is there to hide after all :)
Quote from: jibbajibba;804858Yeah I am exactly the same except I have never owned or used a GM screen. What is there to hide after all :)
I own a couple of GM screens but I always put them flat down on the table as a reference, not to hide anything behind.
I'll use a DM screen to hide a dungeon map I've prepped and combat stats for monsters who are taking damage (and I don't want roving eyes to see my notes there). The rest of the time, it gets in the way.
Otherwise, I like to smoke cannabis. Which isn't really weird, but some people get weird about it.
Quote from: jibbajibba;804858Yeah I am exactly the same except I have never owned or used a GM screen. What is there to hide after all :)
PLENTY!!!
I roll all combat rolls out in the open -just say no to fudging. I let the players see their fate rolled before their very eyes. Also it's fun doing an Ivan Drago impression when a character drops
If he dies, he dies. :p
There is still stuff I keep hidden:
General game notes
Hit point totals
Rolls for wandering monsters.
Rolls made for absolutely no reason whatsoever just to keep players guessing as to what I might be rolling for.
Sometimes these rolls DO mean something. Did the monster notice the sneaking thief? Did the monsters way over yonder actually hear that
Thunderwave spell when it went off?
Things are always happening, and the players are not always aware of what those things might be at times. Thus the screen. ;)