Techniques gamemasters use to prepare for a game session.
9
votes
3answers
126 views
How should I properly lay out the expectations of my players for the campaign, and how do I support these expectations?
I've been planning on running my 1000 point Wild Talents campaign for some time now, and I think it diverges significantly in how it will be played from campaigns we've run in the past. My group has ...
2
votes
1answer
144 views
Creating NPCs from Real-Life People
I have some friends that would like to be part of my future D&D campaign as NPCs. What I need help with is creating stats for a NPC based on a person.
I am a player in this campaign. Our DM will ...
6
votes
5answers
439 views
Designing my own D&D Adventure
Currently I am part of a my first campaign of D&D(4E) as a player and been having fun.
Sometime in the near future I would like to host my own game of D&D with my own adventure. So far I ...
5
votes
3answers
266 views
Is there any good place on the internet that hosts monster playtests?
I've been a DM for a while for 3.5. I've run many NPC characters, however only a small fraction of monsters out of the books (comparatively). Also, I like to use templates liberally as well as advance ...
8
votes
2answers
195 views
What should be considered when deciding if and how to use props?
GMs and players who have experience with props in their games, what do you think about when considering props to use and how to use them?
How might props be used to further the game, instead of ...
6
votes
1answer
116 views
How much, and what kind of, advance planning is appropriate for a sandbox campaign?
New ZM attemping to get ideas for a campaign down something similar to a tabletop fallout game.
How much info is too much info for general prep? Can there ever be too much? Or is there a general ...
9
votes
2answers
229 views
DM organization ideas for Sandbox campaign
I have over the past couple months been putting together Ideas on how I would run an All Flesh Must Be Eaten campaign. How do other DMs organize their Bads or Locations that the PC's might wish to ...
5
votes
2answers
150 views
LFG: Looking for Guineapigs (aka players to test an encounter..or 4)
I'm setting up the end of my campaign and I have 4 "mini-boss" fights (& Final BOSS fight) that I'm trying to make extremely tough but also winnable. I don't want to just slaughter my PCs after ...
15
votes
4answers
349 views
How would I quickly put together a believable map of an area?
As part of my "Closed Circle" campaign, I'm looking for ways to quickly put together a believable map of a college campus and surrounding area, complete with believable building placement. "Quickly" ...
7
votes
3answers
224 views
How do I keep track of “hidden” in game variables without getting bogged down?
I'm currently designing a campaign that has a monumental amount of in-game variables to keep track of, which I'll need to check every time a certain kind of event happens. Reducing the number of ...
12
votes
3answers
278 views
Single player games suitable for session preparation
I found a demo version of How to Host a Dungeon, and somehow the idea really grew on me. Not just creating dungeons, but actually having methods of making gm prep work into a game.
I haven't seen ...
11
votes
8answers
266 views
Using Boardgames or Card Games to improve GMing or Playing [closed]
Do you know of any cases of successfully using props or cards from board games/card games (all kinds) to run a campaign, ease preparing for a session or the playing itself?
I am interested both in ...
10
votes
4answers
2k views
Is there a Masterplan-like tool for 3.5?
I'm looking for a tool like Masterplan or something near, but for a 3.5 / Pathfinder d20 game.
I don't mind if you know of something better ;)
6
votes
1answer
90 views
How can I balance and blend spotlight time between PCs of different Lodges?
Recently, one of the players in my Werewolf game has taken on the Lodge of Spires, which is effectively "Batman: The Lodge". One of the benefits of this lodge (for those who don't play, consider a ...
12
votes
2answers
250 views
Could a mouse kill a bear?
I'm planning for a Mouse Guard game that will culminate in the players facing down a bear!
The rules cover this far too briefly, only stating that you need 20,000 mice to do so (via the War skill). ...
