Comments on: Preparing to Improvise http://www.gnomestew.com/tools-for-gms/preparing-to-improvise The Game Mastering Blog Fri, 30 Jul 2010 13:01:29 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0.1 By: age http://www.gnomestew.com/tools-for-gms/preparing-to-improvise/comment-page-1#comment-417 age Fri, 23 May 2008 10:03:18 +0000 http://www.gnomestew.com/?p=116#comment-417 The preparation for improvisation philosophy is so true. A big one is NPC and encounter names. Nothing is funnier and more obvious than being a player and meeting Cassius Ironwood and Xander Rangard in one encounter, then speaking to Jack and Jill the next. Hmmmm....a tad inconsequential. So I find a List of Names a definite must for good improv so that the PCs don't know who are major NPCs and who are just fodder.<div class="comment-remix-meta"><a href="#" class="replyto" onclick="replyto('417','age'); return false;">Reply</a> </div> The preparation for improvisation philosophy is so true. A big one is NPC and encounter names. Nothing is funnier and more obvious than being a player and meeting Cassius Ironwood and Xander Rangard in one encounter, then speaking to Jack and Jill the next. Hmmmm….a tad inconsequential. So I find a List of Names a definite must for good improv so that the PCs don’t know who are major NPCs and who are just fodder.
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]]> By: Patrick Benson http://www.gnomestew.com/tools-for-gms/preparing-to-improvise/comment-page-1#comment-337 Patrick Benson Mon, 19 May 2008 20:28:50 +0000 http://www.gnomestew.com/?p=116#comment-337 Tallarn - Various sources, but most notably from the design notes of some of the D&D 4e designers where they were addressing what was wrong with 3/3.5e. It seems that when they did the math that at low levels and high levels the PCs would hit the 60% sweet spot. Yet the mid level PCs would either have it too easy or too tough in 3/3.5e by their criteria. One of the main goals with 4e's design was to smooth that out so that the PCs would hit the sweet spot from the lower levels all the way through to the higher levels. I'll see if I can post some links later to a source or two.<div class="comment-remix-meta"><a href="#" class="replyto" onclick="replyto('337','Patrick Benson'); return false;">Reply</a> </div> Tallarn – Various sources, but most notably from the design notes of some of the D&D 4e designers where they were addressing what was wrong with 3/3.5e. It seems that when they did the math that at low levels and high levels the PCs would hit the 60% sweet spot. Yet the mid level PCs would either have it too easy or too tough in 3/3.5e by their criteria. One of the main goals with 4e’s design was to smooth that out so that the PCs would hit the sweet spot from the lower levels all the way through to the higher levels.

I’ll see if I can post some links later to a source or two.

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]]> By: tallarn http://www.gnomestew.com/tools-for-gms/preparing-to-improvise/comment-page-1#comment-300 tallarn Mon, 19 May 2008 08:34:41 +0000 http://www.gnomestew.com/?p=116#comment-300 I'm curious about this 60% sweet spot you mentioned - it makes logical sense to me but do you have any information as to where you got that figure?<div class="comment-remix-meta"><a href="#" class="replyto" onclick="replyto('300','tallarn'); return false;">Reply</a> </div> I’m curious about this 60% sweet spot you mentioned – it makes logical sense to me but do you have any information as to where you got that figure?
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]]> By: Nephlm http://www.gnomestew.com/tools-for-gms/preparing-to-improvise/comment-page-1#comment-272 Nephlm Fri, 16 May 2008 15:36:16 +0000 http://www.gnomestew.com/?p=116#comment-272 For preparing to improvise plots don't forget familiarity with the big list of RPG plots: http://www.io.com/~sjohn/plots.htm Just plug and play as you go.<div class="comment-remix-meta"><a href="#" class="replyto" onclick="replyto('272','Nephlm'); return false;">Reply</a> </div> For preparing to improvise plots don’t forget familiarity with the big list of RPG plots: http://www.io.com/~sjohn/plots.htm Just plug and play as you go.
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]]> By: zacharythefirst http://www.gnomestew.com/tools-for-gms/preparing-to-improvise/comment-page-1#comment-264 zacharythefirst Fri, 16 May 2008 10:57:04 +0000 http://www.gnomestew.com/?p=116#comment-264 I have my go-to games that work great for improv sessions. I'm a big Risus fan, so that and its Cliches handles a lot of the silly one-shots I generate. Having been a Rifts GM for years, I don't even need to the book to create core characters. Our default premise, since our improv games are a shifting group of people, is that the characters are part of a merc company--MercHouse--who get hired out to do different jobs. It even allows for a little continuity as desired, but we can have a shifting roster with minimal disruption. I have a lot of free adventures I've downloaded throug the years--from fan sites, from WotC, etc, and I find that a lot of these have neat twists or limited scopes I'm able to build upon without them being familiar to players. Excellent point on the "bling!" Just good cinematic GM advice, period.<div class="comment-remix-meta"><a href="#" class="replyto" onclick="replyto('264','zacharythefirst'); return false;">Reply</a> </div> I have my go-to games that work great for improv sessions. I’m a big Risus fan, so that and its Cliches handles a lot of the silly one-shots I generate.

Having been a Rifts GM for years, I don’t even need to the book to create core characters. Our default premise, since our improv games are a shifting group of people, is that the characters are part of a merc company–MercHouse–who get hired out to do different jobs. It even allows for a little continuity as desired, but we can have a shifting roster with minimal disruption.

I have a lot of free adventures I’ve downloaded throug the years–from fan sites, from WotC, etc, and I find that a lot of these have neat twists or limited scopes I’m able to build upon without them being familiar to players.

Excellent point on the “bling!” Just good cinematic GM advice, period.

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]]> By: PaPeRoTTo http://www.gnomestew.com/tools-for-gms/preparing-to-improvise/comment-page-1#comment-260 PaPeRoTTo Fri, 16 May 2008 08:27:01 +0000 http://www.gnomestew.com/?p=116#comment-260 Fantastic article!! really! :) i enjoyed reading it very much. what can i say more than you.. oh yes.. i add a little thing to your "recyclable tools".. i'm a fan of wargaming terrain and i know that making something for players needs lot of time, so i try to make it versatile.. but at the same time i try to make it unique for that gaming session.. an example.. i'm doing a cliff with lots of stones and other particular "blings", it has 5 steps.. and it will take a lot of time.. but.. when i'll use it.. the next time i just split some steps from that cliff.. (maybe one with 2 steps, the other with 1 and another one with 2..) and it will be new to use again.. but the first time it hadn't been a "normal cliff".. it has been a dangerous cliff with spikey plants and stones, high.. difficult to climp upon it :) that's it.. make something unique and recyclable at the same time.. :)<div class="comment-remix-meta"><a href="#" class="replyto" onclick="replyto('260','PaPeRoTTo'); return false;">Reply</a> </div> Fantastic article!! really! :) i enjoyed reading it very much.

what can i say more than you..

oh yes.. i add a little thing to your “recyclable tools”.. i’m a fan of wargaming terrain and i know that making something for players needs lot of time, so i try to make it versatile.. but at the same time i try to make it unique for that gaming session..

an example.. i’m doing a cliff with lots of stones and other particular “blings”, it has 5 steps.. and it will take a lot of time.. but.. when i’ll use it.. the next time i just split some steps from that cliff.. (maybe one with 2 steps, the other with 1 and another one with 2..) and it will be new to use again.. but the first time it hadn’t been a “normal cliff”.. it has been a dangerous cliff with spikey plants and stones, high.. difficult to climp upon it :)

that’s it.. make something unique and recyclable at the same time.. :)

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