Recent content by Scott Christian

Huh? You literally just said this an hour ago: The thought about lesson is lessons. A singular session. A unit implies greater restriction and concentration. Grades need to be in on time, as does sometimes a level. Rewards need to be given as do magic items. Spotlights need to be given...

And here, I will point you to what I said earlier: It isn't for some players. I secede that part of the argument. But for some (not just me, but others I have talked to), it is a VERY big deal. And it is spotted from a million miles away with someone who improvs, which makes it even harder to...

I never said they weren't engaging. In fact, I even declared they could be GREAT STORIES! The only thing I said is that most tables that lean on improv are not as internally consistent as tables that do a "boatload of prep." No offense, but I have such a hard time believing anyone if they...

That is fair - you have never had a time limit on an RPG. OK. You have been in a privileged situation of: "Hey, Jenn is moving next month. She is being deployed, and she wants closure on the campaign?" or "Hey, Jim really wants to run Daggerheart next, so he needs to know when your campaign...

100% agree. No arguments there.

With respect, I never mentioned a high-prepped module. A collaborative table is a great thing. And by collaboration, I assume you mean that the players share, and then the GM reciprocates, meaning they add things the players shared. That is called an RPG table in my world. And that table is...

Well, my comment was for two things, not just pacing. I replied to: My statement replies to pacing and contradictory plot elements. Let's discuss pacing first since that was what your comment was about. I have taught for over 20 years. Lesson plans are almost identical to running a session...

I am going to start with this, because I think it is an area of the game not discussed enough. Outside the table talk, both during the campaign and after, is definitely how the story of the game gets remembered. Key scenes, key antagonists, key NPCs, key dialogue. It is very similar to a...

My answer is 1. But there should be some caveat. This allows the players to look like heroes (a la, Legolas taking out 15 orcs), but at times still feel overwhelmed because the caveat let the minions live. As an example, you can add that they have to roll "to hit" twice during their action to...

Classes: I have a like/dislike relationship with addition of core classes, especially when they work so hard to balance them. When playing D&D, there is a side of me that likes classes to fill a role. But, there is also a side as a player that says, "It's awesome that I am the cleric and not the...

I voted 1, just because I think any clever party above 6th level can try to manipulate the environment enough to get a long rest. That said, what I have found is that the tables I play at adhere to the social contract of the game and "want" to tell a story with drama and suspense. So, if the DM...

If issue #1 is 100% true, then stick to your course. This is especially true if issues #3 & 4 are 100% true. They'll be happy about it in the end. Memories are not just made by time, but by other factors as well. I ran a month-long campaign one time that my players still talk about. That was...

That's why "simple" can go various ways. I definitely see it as an "in game" situation, not "out of game" like session zero or when levelling up. You have all the time in the world when building a character or increasing a level. You can sit, one-on-one, with the player having difficulty and...

Yes, the cost can definitely add up. But I can say this about that business, if run with fidelity (and it seems the guy who runs ours does), it is a great way to meet players. But again, you are right, if you are paying for yourself and a child, and then you get drinks and something to eat while...

That's fair enough too. It's just if you have one-on-one time to explain it to the player, they seem to do really well. But, it is hard to explain over and over again how/when/where certain spells work. But you are right, both are elements that could be improved with a simple caster.