Host Your Own Old Time Radio Drama
Drama for the dinner table
Chapter 7. Getting Feedback Ok, we all like to get feedback from time to time. We all like to know how we are doing. And the skills we employ as a GM, like all skills, must be learned and developed. As such we like to find out how we are progressing. Anyone who has been […]
IMPROVISING RULES Two kinds of improvisation pop up within games, and always in response to player actions. The first is where a player asks a question about whether they can accomplish a particular task. “Can I use my fire magic to set the pond alight?”. “Can I throw my knife to smash the broach that […]
Unlike film, where the pace is controlled by cutting material together in a carefully chosen order, roleplaying takes place “live” at the table. Scenes of high action and excitement, scenes with loads of tension and uncertainty, demand fast pace and fast resolution. Scenes that involve exposition, drama, emotion, and emphasis require a slowing of the […]
ROLLING THE DICE Once you have queried the player, figured out what the player wants to do, how they want to do it, whether it is possible, what consequences are attendant upon it, how many steps are required to achieve it, how difficult it is to accomplish, and what skill should be used, it is […]
QUERYING YOUR PLAYERS When you have presented the scene to the players it is time to find out what they want to do next (query them). The easiest way is to simply ask. “What do you want to do?” is a perfectly satisfactory way to begin eliciting the actions your players want to carry out. […]
Advanced Play – Part 1 Preparing for the Game Being prepared (preparing) is the key to running a good game. Select a game that is appropriate for your group. Is your group made up of seasoned adventurers who are committed to long-term gaming? You may want to open a campaign. Is your group made up […]
Three Key Skills There are three basic skills (fundamentals if you will) that every beginning GM must have… 1. Narration – the ability to set the scene, roleplay the world, report the results and consequences of actions, and transition to new scenes. 2. Querying – the ability to draw out of players their goals and […]
