by Sonny Scott
by Sonny Scott
| Polyhedron | - | 1st Ed. AD&D | - | Polyhedron #21 |
| The Basics | - | Participation | - | For the DM |
I have been involved with playing the
ADVANCED DUNGEONS &
DRAGONS Game since 1977, and over
the years I have developed some views I
feel will be of interest to other members
of the RPGA Network.
To me, there is only one firm rule in
running or playing an ADVANCED
DUNGEONS & DRAGONS game -- it
must be fun; for the DM as well as for the
players. If the game isn't fun, then not
only will it be a short game, but over a
period of time you will find fewer and
fewer people taking the time to come over
and play.
First of all, you need an experienced,
informed DM. If the DM doesn't know
the material and the game rules, the
action will rapidly bog down while the
DM looks up rules or reads the mater<ial.> A
good DM tries to "KISS" (Keep It Simple,
Stupid). Don't try to add extra rules,
special magic, or new and different tables.
Try to avoid using monsters you are not
familiar with. Unusual things can be fun,
but too many of them can slow down the
flow of play.
You may be tempted at first to add
super-powerful NPCs or opponents, but
resist the inclination. Far from giving you
more control over the situation, you will
find that the more power you add to your
game, the more out of control it will
become. Like any world, the stronger
your opponents and friends become, the
stronger you will have to be in order to
survive. In the end, someone will become
so powerful that no one else can be tolerated
to exist in the same world.
Make sure everyone gets a chance to be
in on the action. To keep everyone interested,
keep the parties small and friendly.
I have run games with anywhere from
one player to twenty, and I feel that
groups of four to eight make for the best
quality gaming. Groups of less than four
force the players to be very creative, or
play two characters. When a player is
forced to divide his attention between two
characters, he does not have time to enjoy
what is happening in the game. Conversely,
groups of more than eight leave
the players with too much time on their
hands between moves.
Players hate to wait. This can be a
problem in problem in smaller groups if
the DM allows single monsters of the
group to wander around without the
others. It has been my experience that the
players have more fun if they can all stay
involved. No one likes to wait and do
nothing while the DM resolves issues for
another player. At times it is important to
let the players pursue solo activities, but
try to keep the solo play outside the regular
gaming sessions as much as possible,
and let the games involve all the players.
There is some argument that if players
break off, things will happen to them that
the rest of the group will not know about.
If you think the non-participating players
will not find out what happened to the
player who went off by himself, I've got
some land I want to talk to you about.
In closing, I want to touch on DM enjoyment.
When you involve numerous tables
and charts, you do not have enough time
to interact with players. Make sure you
give your NPC different qualities and
lifestyles so you can encourage interaction
with the players. At first you may feel
funny trying to sound like a girl or an old
man, but try anyway. Not only will the
game become more enjoyable for everyone,
but you may learn it's fun to be
some<one> else.
When you set up your game, try looking
around your everyday life for people
to base your NPCs on. Watch and listen
to older people and merchants. Watch
your friends in school and try to learn
what makes people do what they do.
Then apply it to your game. NPCs
are more fun if they behave like real people.
If you use a few of the suggestions I've
made today, I think you will find that you
and your friends will get much more
enjoyment out of your games. I know it is
not always possible to implement every
new idea, but try out any you think will
be useful to you.
Good luck and good gaming!