Adamus Drake DM - Home of the DM's Den, GM's Corner, and Gray Owls
  • The Nexus
  • GM's Corner
    • Voidspeaker
  • DM Podcast
  • Knight Owls
    • The Gray Owls Initiative (21+) >
      • Gray Races
      • Gray Classes
    • KO Event Dates - Descriptions
    • Knight Owls Armory >
      • Protection
      • Potions, Scrolls, and Consumables
      • Weaponry
      • Rings and Wares
      • Adventurer Essentials
      • Custom Mixes and Crafting Rules
    • Owls History
    • Assets
  • Dungeons and Dragons
    • Character Creation - D&D >
      • FEATS
      • PRESTIGE CLASSES
    • Spell Compendium - D&D 5e >
      • Custom Crafted
      • Expanded Invocations List

Apprentice Notes #3 - The Lesson Of Practice

6/16/2020

0 Comments

 
Foreword: Apprentice Ian has been hard at work developing a successful Curse of Strahd campaign...between two groups.  Now, it would always work out that one group (meeting monthly) would take place before the other (meeting weekly), allowing the DM to take the lessons learned from the first group and apply them with great success with the second.  This is the lesson of practice and learning from the feedback you receive through play to make satisfying encounters.  His main struggle here is trying to re-apply the successful lessons from the second group to the first, so that both tables have satisfying sessions.
Originally Transcribed on 5/12/20
As a new DM, one of my greatest goals is to create an engaging and satisfying story for both myself and my Players to enjoy. In my eyes, the ultimate goal of a game like Dungeons & Dragons is to have fun with your friends. And so, when a social encounter I’ve set up falls a little flat, for either of us, it feels disappointing. Now, it’s important to take this with a grain of salt - even the most experienced DMs will go through this, and it’s not the end of the campaign just because your goblin merchant doesn’t quite harmonize with the Party. These things happen.
    But it’s not what this entry is about.
    I am in a fortunate position as a new DM: I am able to take what is essentially the same encounter, and present it to two groups, one after the other. Because of this, I am able to learn from any missteps I make, and enhance the things that went well. However, I want to take even the lessons I learn from the second chance, and apply them to the future scenarios I set up for the first group. And so, I have found myself asking a few questions.
    What are the goals of my PCs, and of the Party in general? This is important to understand, because each session should feel as though the Party has in some way furthered their goals in the campaign. Whether this means defeating an ancient dragon, removing a political figure from power, or seeking revenge against a Big Bad Guy, the encounter must somehow relate to that goal. 
    What are the goals of my NPCs, and what knowledge do they hold? When I begin to plan my encounter, one of the top things in my mind is to create an interesting NPC with depth of character. This means that the character will have their own motives, which may not be aligned with the Party’s. The answer to this question which shapes the dynamic of the conversation, and determines whether the NPC can be considered antagonistic or protagonistic in the eyes of the Party.
    Finally, how do I best reward the Party for their time invested in the encounter? This is honestly one of the things that concerns me most. An encounter that does not have a significant impact on the Party is meaningless, and a waste of time. The Party members are making an investment each time they interact with an NPC, so it’s important that they feel like it changed their perception of the world, helped them further their goals, or fleshed out the setting overall. For example, learning the location of a magical artifact, understanding the motives of a powerful enemy, or making a crucial ally who will provide safe harbor from the city guard.
    These are not all of the questions one could ask when creating a rewarding and satisfying encounter, but they are effective at enhancing a DM’s creative faculties. They touch on key points that will bring your interactions to life - even when improvising the lines. I am confident that this lesson will prove invaluable in all of my campaigns, and I hope it will help you as well.

Good luck on your journeys.
- Ian


0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    Adam Summerer

    Professional Game Master musician, music teacher, game designer, amateur bartender, and aspiring fiction author.  
    ​In short, I'M A BIG NERD.

    1st Saturday: Etsy updates*
    2nd Saturday: Monster
    3rd Saturday: Worldbuilding
    ​4th Saturday: REST DAY

    Buy me a Mocha CoffeeBuy me a Mocha Coffee

    Archives

    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    November 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017

    Categories

    All
    4th Edition
    Buff DM
    Builds
    Call Of Cthulhu
    Cloudsinger D&D
    Cocktail Recipes
    Custom Rules
    D&D Rules
    Disney Plus
    DM's Book Club
    Drinking And Dragons
    Drinks
    Dungeons & Dragons
    Eberron
    Education
    Feywild
    Game Mastering
    Gaming
    Group Dynamics
    High Rollers
    Homebrew
    Homeschool
    Io Lore
    John's Study Hall
    Life Lessons
    Lore Drop
    Martial Arts
    MEAD
    Miniatures
    Monster Of The Week
    Moonriver
    Movies
    Music
    Notes From The Apprentice
    NPC Rewind
    One-Shot Wonders
    Pathfinder RPG
    Player Tips
    Shadowfell Campaign
    Shows
    Star Wars
    Star Wars Saga Edition
    The End Of The World RPG

    RSS Feed














    Become a Patron!

Quick Links

Knight Owls
​
Gray Owls
D&D Campaign Info

Professional Links

© COPYRIGHT 2015. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
  • The Nexus
  • GM's Corner
    • Voidspeaker
  • DM Podcast
  • Knight Owls
    • The Gray Owls Initiative (21+) >
      • Gray Races
      • Gray Classes
    • KO Event Dates - Descriptions
    • Knight Owls Armory >
      • Protection
      • Potions, Scrolls, and Consumables
      • Weaponry
      • Rings and Wares
      • Adventurer Essentials
      • Custom Mixes and Crafting Rules
    • Owls History
    • Assets
  • Dungeons and Dragons
    • Character Creation - D&D >
      • FEATS
      • PRESTIGE CLASSES
    • Spell Compendium - D&D 5e >
      • Custom Crafted
      • Expanded Invocations List