Not related to any one particular system of rules.
22
votes
8answers
701 views
How do you discourage “player knowledge” as a GM?
As a trivial random encounter is winding down, a player thinks "That was too easy... The GM wouldn't give us an encounter that doesn't give XP," and starts searching for hidden bad guys or other ...
20
votes
4answers
377 views
How do I alert the rest of the party that a character within the party has stolen a major plot device?
I'm running a campaign in which a rogue has stolen a powerful necromantic focus (and is keeping it outside of the box that protects the world from it.) The party doesn't know, and I'm looking for a ...
10
votes
6answers
318 views
How to deal with broken combos?
Based on Rob Schwalb's article Stuck in the Middle:
How do you, as a player or DM, deal with choosing or forbidding broken combos in your character, group, and system?
13
votes
8answers
315 views
What are some proven methods of generating attachment to locations/objects in a campaign?
It is a truism that a GM can never really be sure what a group of players will do, or which NPCs they are going to grow fond of. Places and objects, however... are they the same? In games like Star ...
18
votes
8answers
382 views
Practices to mitigate player characters' conflicting agendas
You have a campaign that provides, by design, a high level of freedom for the players to pick the story threads, sides and whatnot for themselves.
In the long run, a conflict arises: some player ...
12
votes
5answers
457 views
High-Tech Dungeon Crawling in Hard Sci-Fi
I've started playing Eclipse Phase with a group of friends. Most of them have a Dungeons and Dragon history, and love getting magic items and such. I've already made up my mind to take the party on ...
12
votes
3answers
425 views
How can I depict three dimensional combats?
The dragon hovers 2 squares over the paladin, the ranger is perched 5 squares up in a tree, and the fighter is magically flying 3 squares off the ground. Aerial minions soar all about.
In tactically ...
11
votes
7answers
2k views
How do I make my own battle mats?
Premise: I live far from the US, and for me, paying U$S20+shipping for Chessex Battle Mats is out of the question (I just spent U$S 114 for a full lineup of DnD Essentials, and this extra expense ...
14
votes
5answers
526 views
A summary of visibility?
Does anyone have a pointer to a good (plain and simple, quick to use) guide to visibility ranges, or could someone please give me (us) a brief, basic summary of visibility? (How far can you see on a ...
11
votes
8answers
369 views
What are the pros, cons, and hitches of having only the players roll dice?
I ran a variant of DnD3.5 a few years a go with this house rule Player Only Rolls. The basic of the idea was that the referee never rolls at all. The players roll to attack vers the creatures AC. They ...
9
votes
2answers
429 views
Where can I find a horror adventure/campaign writing guide?
I seem to remember an old (ebook format?) book I read, with instructions on how to write a quality adventure based in the Ravenloft universe. The book was distinguished by writing in a general style, ...
10
votes
3answers
196 views
Looking for suggestions for quick character generation
I am considering setting up a semi-casual zombie-apocalypse game in which the player's characters will be based on "normal" people. [Rather than heroic characters.] This is not a game that I expect ...
5
votes
2answers
343 views
What are the pros and cons of having a party leader?
What are the pros and cons of having a player party leader, or leaders? Is it more fit for some situations than others?
