Post sneaky shit you do and why>tell players I won't pull punches in the first few combats>everyone needs to have a backup ready, complete with reason why they're helping the party>kill off anyone playing an edgy/loner/whackjob character and get their "I'm here for the team first!" characterI'm surprised no one's picked up on it
click one of these every once in a while, attention perks up whenever I do
>>93194430Roll dice behind your screen every once in a while for no reason, and then hmmm loudly before acting like nothing happened. That keeps them on their toes and the game running. Do it randomly, not only when things are stalled, otherwise they pick up on it.
Usually just quantum ogre sort of shit.Give an illusion of choice when players start drifting off, but every choice is just a different flavor of the same thing.Ive never really fucked with my players mechanically, but the closest I can get is what was an unintentional horror game.It was just the standard horror trope of being trapped in a location with monsters. I didn't intend for it to be spooky, but everyone said it was, which was a pleasant surprise since I never thought I could pull off horror games.Tl;dr for it, scifi game, icey moon, research station. Station went dark, so player team was sent to investigate and repair the facility if need be. My wife was the engineer. Turns out those eggheads discovered alien ruins and unleashed ancient nanotech that infests bodies, absorbing their memories and turning them super strong. There was a blizzard rolling in, which on that moon meant death within seconds of stepping outside, even in an environmental suit. So they were trapped in that facility struggling to hide and survive until the blizzard passed and they could thaw their ship and get the fuck out.But one of the "ferrofluid vampires" got aboard and caused a panic, but the party handled it perfectly. Upon reporting to the megacorp though, the corp started capturing and weaponizing the nano machines, unleashing them on the ocean planet humanity was immigrating to. Fucked up shit ensues.
>>93194622>illusion of choiceIf the players don't notice, isn't it all the same?
>>93194528devilishly clever semore..
>>93196959they will inevitably notice and depending on their personalities and if they valued actual choice it will ruin things It ruined it for me and most of the party with my old dm
>host at my place place >sniff the female player's seat after the session while jerking off
>>93194430Slip sleeping pills into the drink of whoever you hate at your table. When they start yawning and looking tired, accuse them of not giving a shit. Do this until they get frustrated and leave
>>93194430I randomly ask them for perception rolls.Makes them shit bricks every time.
>>93194430Have a very obvious timer (a tally counter, a die, even just writing it down) visible to everyone. Whenever the part wastes time tick it down. When it reaches 0, something that requires immediate attention happens.Helps curb those long rest spams, extremely long shopping trips, or fucking around with unimportant diversions. If the players KNOW their time matters they're much more likely to get to the point
>>93194430>set up a BBEG for a while>players finally meet BBEG>they have a fight>players do really well>BBEG swears that this isn't over>tries to escape like a video game cutscene>BBEG casts Teleport>wizard casts Counterspell>swear under my breath and start shuffling through my notes>let the other players have their turns>they demolish the BBEG and kill him>end the session with a reminder that the BBEG's closest followers are still alive and can still continue the plan>players are still high-fiving the guy who cast counterspell and celebrating their winThere's just one little secret.I set it all up. Having the BBEG die prematurely was my plan all along.I looked at their character sheets beforehand and made sure the wizard had Counterspell. I kept track of his spell slots and made sure he didn't expend his level 7 one.My heart was racing the entire fight because I was afraid he wouldn't take the bait and that the BBEG would have to actually escape, but it all worked out and my players still talk about the time they got one over on me.
I don’t do tricks, I’m very open with my players unless it’s an upcoming event in game or piece of information they wouldn’t know. I like the shoot the shit after the session and say what stuff was improv, what stuff was prep, what stuff I thought was cool in the session. It’s cool, makes the players more involved and see it as a game and not some faggy tv show that normal ttrpg practices encourage
>>93198199A player taking stuff on his sheet for a reason and a GM pickign up on that reason is the acme of TTRPGs.
>>93194430There's a mentally ill dwarf exiled from his fortress for hatred of elves. Not excessive hatred. Simple hatred of elves, it's all. The local dwarves keep apologizing for him or her, too. Remarkably effective in keeping away 'that guy'.
>>93194430Find out about what they seek in a partner, what makes them like an npc. Even their kinks sometimes. It gets them invested. Then betrayal or death This shit never gets old
>>93194430>Have player I HATE>Take their character >Remake it as an asshole NPC for my good players to kill
>>93198302I do this often, helps make my fellow players understand the GM is supposed to be a player too.
>>93198302Yo, the post session "shoot the shit" is also the best.
>>93194430Then everyone stood up and clapped.
I randomly adjust the player's resources between games on roll20 to see if they're actually paying attention>10 less arrows here>3 less rations there>a couple healing potions gone...
>>93194528>unironically clicker training your playersIs it unethical to install a pavlovian response in your group if it makes them more attentive?
>>93194430I made a cute and endearing goblin with a funny voice knowing my party would adopt him, just so I could kill him to make them hate the villain more.
>>93196959Players will notice it far before you notice their noticing>t. noooticer who learned his lesson as a dm
>>93194430my players roll ALL the dice at my table. this came from years of people accusing me of cheating when i rolled well for bad guys. i dont play with any of the people who used to accuse me of that anymore but i like having my players roll all the dice. it keeps their attention on the game.i do group initiative, rolling every round. my players are notoriously bad about remembering who i pointed to and said "bad guys" and who i pointed to and said "PC's" when asking for rolls. so for YEARS i would take the better roll for the bad guys, usually 1 time per combat to keep anyone from catching on. it wasn't until fairly recently i got caught. we all had a laugh about it.I also run a version of palladium's Heroes Unlimited. in that system a 5 or better is a hit. the target. the rules say "any roll above a 4 is a hit" for years i have altered the rule by saying "5 or better hits" or "5 or less misses" to create story drama at the table. i have done that for a decade with many people coming in and out of the group without anyone ever pointing out i was doing it wrong half the time.
>>93207968Yes, just keep an eye on the time ffs. Why are GMs so fucking weird.
>>93214171Did something similar with a street urchin, then had him die in the paladin's arms and, to twist the knife, the enemy group were disguised as the party and the paladin being covered in rhe kid's blood in a town full of desd locals got them all arrested.
I use Mass Effect Tropes as NPC Behaviors.players love to interact with Krogans, even if they're humans.
>>93196959Most people notice but it's not "all over", most people understand that the GM has prepared a certain thing for the game tonight and they'll play along to get to play the game.Again, not too big a thing, if you want to make your players feel like they have true choice that's on you, but usually it's not important since most people actually like being directed to do something (more than being self-directed)
Every campaign i give Players archetypes and rolę without them knowing. I then base some part of the reward when hit or miss that archetypes. I often give them asymetrical goals or party vs self goal. I usually create petty opportunities for them for dicking each other or oneupping.It just plays itself and makes 30%+ percent of the session/campaign lessening my load as gm considerably. IT JUST WORKS. TODD
>>93214939Yes, the honourable but condescending gentleman (tyrian) and brute goodheart barbarian(krogan) are tropes usually enjoyed most by my Group as well.
>>93194430When the game started getting a bit repetitive for me (DM) I made a bingo sheet for my players. It was filled with the stuff they usually do during sessions, one guy usually says the same exact phrase, one guy will reminisce about something stupid like high school, and the same guy would always get him back on track.It couldn't be biased if I wanted to prove my point, so I didn't show it during the session. We all had a laugh after the session ended when I showed them the sheet and we realised they'd scored a bingo. It was funny and they stopped doing all the annoying repetitive things I'd almost gotten used to.I know my friends well enough to fuck with them in-game too. One guy was too logical and always playing 'optimally', so to mess with his logic I added a 10gp pearl to one days loot. Later on he sold it to a wizard for 10gp, but the npc offered to sell it back to him for 100gp so it could be a spellcasting component. He had a spell which specifically needed a pearl worth 100gp, and if he bought it at that price why shouldn't it work? Once again we all had a good laugh when the PC learnt his lesson and couldn't cast his spell.
>>93200320>The local dwarves keep apologizing for him or her, too."My fellow dwarves, isn't it time we stopped all this hatred for elves? They have a rich and vibrant culture, and dwarves shouldn't keep the Deep Kingdom to them- uh, ourselves"
>>93194430>sneaky shitI basically just end up winging every session: my one player chews up content like a meat grinder and I almost always run out of prepared material.
>>93196959It's like cheating on your partner. As long as they don't know yeah, ti's fine and fun. The moment shit comes out, that's it. You lost that trust forever, nothing you can do will bring it back and anyone who gets to know you will think the same too, because from now on every time they play with you the idea that you might be fudging will live rent free in their head because there's a precedent. What >>93215340 is also true, altho he's mixing a GM redirecting the party with dice fidging. Redirecting isn't fudging, is jsut making it easier or more obvious where to go. Fudging is outright changing the outcome of a dice roll or making a dice roll you called irrelevant.Players might go with it, but do take itno account this makes the realsie they're not playing a game but just listening to what the GM wants to tell you.
>>93194430I deliberately build encounters in a way that both exemplifies my players' strengths and weaknesses.I don't change statblocks, fudge rolls, or lie about HP. My players are smart enough to know if I'm doing that.But I do make the enemies target the players' weaknesses when the players are doing too well, and target their strengths when they're doing poorly.
>>93227192This is the way. This is just good craftmanship.
>>93227192Players should not know monster statblocks.
>>93228171Players should read the rules.
>>93228171GMs should never be allowed to play
>>93229019The rules are ULTRAVIOLET clearance, citizen.
>>93194430After the first few sessions I made a little 'campaign poster' for our group as a fun little thing.I included the end villain in the back and have refused to acknowledge that it exists or what it means, they still dont know who it is and probably wont get all the pieces for another few months. Makes them think much more about how various pieces fit together since they have some hyper mysterious end goal of the story to direct their energy towards.
>>93215340>Most people notice but it's not "all over", most people understand that the GM has prepared a certain thing for the game tonight and they'll play along to get to play the game.Sometimes I just explain to the players that [xyz] is what I had prepared for the night and if they go too far off the beaten path I'm going to have to start making up shit on the fly and it's going to be less fun for everyone.
>>93194622>illusion of choiceLazy. Don't need to read the rest. If you're that lazy, I'll be lazy too.
>>93198302I disagree, it’s a weakness of will that leads to peeling back the screen constantly and your ‘game’ is undoubtedly worse for it
>>93237474No it's a fagginess that deludes you into thinking you're making high art instead of playing a game. Screens are meant for DMs to hide behind and suck cocks.
>>93232958Making shit up on the fly should be the norm. I prepare a bunch of shit for every session and nine times out of ten they blast past most of it. A solid 60% of my three year campaign has been made up on the fly, and my players can never tell the difference between what’s prepared and what I pull out of my ass on the spot. That’s what makes it “emergent storytelling” and not just some shit I made up alone in my room that I force my friends to play for me. Nut the fuck up and improve your improv skills, anon. >>93198302Tremendously based, this is what a good DM looks like.
>>93194430>new players have to do 25 clean form push ups.
>>93239360>Nut the fuck up and improve your improv skills, anon. how?I can never think of names on the fly.
>>93194430I have a few tricks, varies by system.>D&D/PFI bum the bloodied condition from 4e and staple effects to it. For example a barbarian could have "anger management", generating rounds of rage when he takes damage up to a limit (usually 1/2 class level) but only as long as he's below half health, and when he does get knocked to half health he can swing on whoever did it 1/day. I do this by class for PCs and by creature type for monsters that don't have class levels. This buffs the PCs a bit, the monsters a bit, but the most important thing it does is make them pay attention. If they want to abuse it they have to ride that redline because it all goes away if they go over half hp, and they have to pay attention to the enemy because they also get bloodied triggers. It's also immediate feedback, if an enemy gets a bloodied trigger it means they're half dead. I don't have to tell them "oh he looks beat up", they know because the trigger happened, and they know the trigger happened because they were paying attention and that's all I wanted.I also steal minions from 4e, but that's because they're binary and I dislike keeping track of twenty or so hp pools. Players like killing things and minions are a good way to reward people who choose to blast or take cleave, and it gives them a reason to do that at all. It's good incentive to flip the power attack switch to the off position for once.>FF40kRPGDuring the first combat crits are on for everyone so the PCs can see what'll happen to them if they're not careful. It's also hilarious. >HERODanger room. I usually end up building the PCs in HERO so I run them through an XMan style danger room to make sure they are playing what they like and there's nothing they forgot about.>>93239967We have a local publication called Jailbirds which has mugshots and names of the recently arrested, it's a great resource for on-the-fly names. I am still accused of making them up.
>>93239967Start trying. Sometimes my off the cuff names suck, sometimes they’re awesome. Last session they asked me to meet with two sketch artists which totally caught me off guard, and I already forgot what the horrible names I gave them were. But the old guy they met on their way out the door? I just called him Bjorn and they fucking love that guy now. They’re on their way to meet up with Rickety Stan, another terrible name I thought was stupid, but they like that guy too.
>>93230851I really like Paranoia’s stance that the players should know as little as possible. I am starting to think most other games should be played like that. It should be at the discretion of the GM to dole out tidbits of info. I don’t need my players min-maxing and keeping excel sheets of effective damage options. The game is always more fun if the GM is always right and the players trust the GM. Another point they got right: “Be entertaining or die”, NOT be optimally efficient at killing goblins.Another glorious gift from our friend, The Computer.
>>93194528I do a similar thing but I'll randomly roll dice and say "don't worry about it" when asked why I did that.
>>93239967I have few pages of random stuff every time i gm.100 names, trinkets, possible loot etc.It's all in there for free.When i improvise a scenę i just look at the names i have not crosswd yet and assign a npc to it.Same with items, weather etc.It's ok to be bad im some areas. There's no excuse to not do Little Preppy ahead for all future uses from areas you're bad improvising at.Especially in chatpgt Times "Gib me 10 ork names with Z"
>>93194430why don't you just let your friends know that edgy characters aren't appropriate for the campaign?
>>93196959If you don't want the players to make decisions, why did you invite them?
>>93198035What is the point of make believe?
>>93198199this is some next level cope lmao
>>93200320why would you need such a method? you can choose not to invite people.
>>93207968why don't you get some social skills?
>>93198302ThisTricks and shit make it seem like the GM is on the other teamI'm not trying to win and beat my players
>>93218825why didn't it work?
>>93232958you don't know what's fun for other people.
>>93239967because you're trying too hard to think of cool names.
>>93243983which works until the first time someone who has run a game plays in one.
>>93243983why are bad DMs so afraid of players being good at anything?
I spring lethal traps on them. No, I'm unrepentant
>>93244585Derailment paranoia by control freaks. As if their Rails are any good, mad cuz bad case.
>>93244580>pitching AND catching>>93244585my players have more fun when you take off the burden of every decision needing to be a “perfect” one. obviously they should still be good enough to do what they want to do>>93244831derailment is fun and has its place and knowing rules has no effect on whether or not that happens. i don’t understand what you’re trying to argue
>>93194430If I know my players are overconfident, I like to use my "Mousetrap" technique.>Dangle Irresistible Target of Opportunity>Cocky Players go for the bait>Wait until they are close to the "cheese">Ambush with small force of low level looks>Players slaughter them with ease>Another group comes>Same thing happens, players get bloodlust>Then larger group attacks from two sides>Murderboner.png>But this time enemy reenforcements arrive>Path of escape cut off>More and more keep coming>Players quickly realize they are in deep shit>Let this play out until everyone is wounded, out of ammo or both>About to be overrun>Powerful enemy shows up out of nowhere>Suddenly friendly airstrike!>Cavalry arrives and saves their ass>Enemy breaks and runs>Players forced to sit through brief AAR>Politely inform them friendly forces won't normally be there to pull their cock out of the mosetrap>Learn them somethingOnce they know this isn't the sort of setting where they are basically gods, they either quit or play smart. Anyone that sticks around, I let them know that the gloves are off going forward, and while I won't be unfair to them again, I also won't be giving them any help they didn't earn. That last part isn't entirely true, I want them to succeed and have a good time after all, but I want them to play seriously so I don't let them know that.
>>93194622>ancient nanotech that infests bodies, absorbing their memories and turning them super strong.Sick.
>>93245127Personal experience.Maybe it clicked better in my brain. Let me give an example. I play in 2 regular groups for years.We switch as gms.We had a player who always likes to play high (high Fantasy, high stakes, high society yoy get it) but when he DMs its always mudcore, low level, pc at the bottom of foodchain.Why? He never fully reads/gets the rules as a whole so anything going beyond his predefined world/scope (and sometimes outcome) fails. You can play the scenario he got, but it's all scripted ogre now. Good storyteller, so we're still up for the ride, but shit at math and mechanics and consistency. Hence bad at rules=stuff rails
>>93217976>today's episode: anon invents Burning Wheel
>>93194430And then it's edgy loners all the way down and you played nobody but yourself.
>>93228171Players should absolutely know monster statblocks.
Ankle deep water. The things you can do with ankle deep water is incredible. >perfectly legit and believable in a dungeon>10' or 20' deep pit is perfectly concealed. Anyone wearing heavy armor will sink to the bottom. They have to cut the straps in order to escape it. >invisibility becomes nearly useless as any enemy can see the impressions made by an invisible character>movement is slowed>noise from splashing>concealed skeletons laying in the waterwaiting to grab or ambush PCs>unconscious PCs may drown
>>93245535ah that makes sense. i’ll concede that lore shouldn’t have a tight lock on it. limiting material makes it harder to improv and react (as a new GM) to a lot of situations. also, my POV is definitely skewed because i’ve been exclusively GM with my two dedicated groups. but still… love seeing players figure out over long term how something vague i threw at them actually works
Long dungeon room + darkness = The KillboxOne thing DMs often forget is the effect of simple darkness. Take a simple 65' long dungeon room. Whoever or whatever is in that last 5' increment is invisible to someone with a torch or who has darkvision (you shouldn't be playing with darkvision, btw.) Put some skeleton archers down there. Or kobolds, whatever. >players enter large chamber. Their torches cannot see the other end. >skeleton archers can see their torch, however. Start firing>PCs start taking arrow hits from the darkness. >nothing to fire back at. Cannot target>maybe skeletons have cover, hehe>maybe there's a gate that slams down behind them, maybe party is separated>maybe there is ankle deep water, slowing their movement -- they can't throw a torch to increase their sight range or the torch will be snuffed>players have notoriously high AC or good luck? Make a LOT of skeletons or kobolds or goblins or whatever. Roll an enormous handful of d20s. Something has got to hit, even if a nat 20 is required. >put the skeletons at an elevated level, with the stairs up all crumbled. No cover or concealment in the room for those adventurers who want to dash forward and find their enemy. Remember, it's DARK and that light source is a huge target for the archers
>>93244109This has become such a pet peeve of mine.Its one of those things that I found humorous when I first got into the hobby, but as it spread and become omnipresent it's just become incredibly grating and annoying to me. A joke that has long since overstayed it's welcome.
>>93244109I'll randomly roll dice, but it's just to see what I feel like doing in the same way you might flip a coin only to ignore the results of the flip.
>>93244526My local shop has an open table.
>>93245848>rocks fall everyone dies, but the GM has a complexity addiction
>>93196959I personally stopped caring about getting secretly railroaded by the GM after several of my campaigns fell apart due to being unfocused. I still expect some choice while playing, but I don't expect the GM to account for every possibility like a massive computer simulation. I'm satisfied with a simple, "Does your party go left or do they go right?" choice that lets us pick between predetermined outcomes for the most part, even if once in a blue moon we're dissatisfied with the options and choose to make our own.Too many games have broken down into the players deliberately testing the GM by deviating at every chance they get, it taxes the GM and ultimately leads to a less enjoyable experience so I'm fine with being the player that actively goes long with the GM's plans... 98% of the time.
>>93198377>A player taking stuff on his sheet for a reason and a GM pickign up on that reason is the acme of TTRPGs.I'm not disagreeing, but it's counterspell. Of course the Wizard is going to take it. I've never seen a Wizard not take counterspell.
>>93194430Whenever I run out of material prepped for the week, or worry that I'm getting too close, I give the players a piece of loot that's good for all of them so that they can argue over it and use up session time.
>>93248451>I've never seen a Wizard not take counterspell.I envy you. I've had Wizard players who only pick damage spells.
>>93207968No. Players are of dog-level intelligence, analogous to the IQ of the average sub-Saharan. It would be unethical NOT to train them.
>>93245848I cast Daylight.
>>93250602Oh fuck our wizard is awful for this.>Multiple abilities that makes his debuffs better>Ability that increases forced movement >Ability that increases AoEsNone of his spells have any forced movement or debuffing beyond a single ice spell slowing monsters movement - he invariably casts this into melee where the slow is irrelevant. I have literally never seen him open up with this to keep a monster from acting. His AoE spells are all unfriendly so can almost never benefit from being expanded.I don't know why he didn't play a striker instead of trying to play a controller that deals damage.Bonus: Hides in a corner and panics at the slightest hint of damage, meaning the party is often splitting damage 3 ways instead of 4 as the monsters tend not to prioritise him because his damage is so low. Cool character, good roleplayer but it's frustrating knowing just one or two different spells would stop the group from getting it's ass kicked.
>>93198302Same. I've gone as far as giving them my notes after we were done with a campaign. The process of preparation is part of the fun as a GM so I want them to see what it's like.
I roll dice at random like many people but I don't discard the results. I write them down to make a random number lookup table. Rolling for random encounter? Just use the lookup table and cross out the used number. I tend to start a session with a dozen values but go through those quickly.
>>93245848>you shouldn't be playing with darkvisionwhy
>>93245848>cast fireball at other end of the roomheh, nothen personell kiddo.
>>93252228Because the players having good access to tools and options reduces his ability to jack off over elaborate scenarios where he "wins" and ruins the game for everyone in the process.
>>93194430The most devious GM trick is just having fun with your players so they forgive your fuckups and so you have fun too so you forgive theirs.
>>93201919After only the first time, I would NEVER get attached to NPCs in your games ever again. Why gain interest if death or Betrayal is all it leads to? I would become less invested in games, not more, especially if it happened more than once.
>>93245848>continual light on a stone
>>93247932I'm sure you can still say who you are unwilling to game with any longer. These kind of no-communication anti social behaviors are not good. I flat out do not talk to a little bitch faggot that shows up for blood bowl and magic tournaments since he was a dipshit to me once in a major way, and he thought he could get away with it. Nobody likes him by now. I don't even shake his hands before kickoff, just not and say 'game on'. Flips him every time, for years now. I also play extremely un-fun against him, and grind him down in a way that is just debilitating to sit through. He brought this up with the tournament organizer once, I told them openly that I have a seanfhaltanas against him but I will in no way mistreat him during games. Just not shaking hands again. Even the organizer said 'you probably deserve that' before dismissing the case. Fat faggot conceded all his games and went home that day. Haven't seen him since. Good riddance. If you are here reading this you fat wank stain I hope you get aids one day.
>>93201919I will never understand people who do shit like this.It just sounds like you want to be a sadistic ass.
>>93250889>>93252244>>93252924I like these quantum players. The point is "GM tricks" and one of those tricks is firing at characters from extended range in the darkness. It doesn't even need to be long range. Want to use a turn throwing a continual light stone or casting a fireball? Feel free. I can do this all day. The fun comes from challenging players with something they thought they had total control over. Remind them the darkness is scary. >>93252369Truth.>>93252228Because it takes some of the fun out of the game by ameliorating a need: If your players have goodberry and are playing (sleepless) elves with darkvision and can cast Tiny Hut and are also asexual wanderers with no families or friends then there's nothing they really need, is there?
>>93194430When I'm caught off guard/unprepared, I ask for all sorts of random rolls and save, pretend I'm consulting tables, and give bullshit descriptions and reveals to keep them distracted. It typically goes like>Fuck I completely botched what was going on here>Hmm, everyone roll me perception checks>What a high roll, you passed.>Give me an int save>You failed? Interesting... Let me just check my table to double check... Oh, VERY INTERESTING> *dramatic pause* You hear a faint whisper in a language you don't recogniseand then I swiftly move on with the actual scene
