Three GMing Tricks

As I noted in my very first post, I'm very interested in making things better. I'm always on the lookout for new ways of doing things, new tricks that work well, and new ways to streamline processes. And so, taking a break from tedious discussions of mechanics and despairing rants about D&D, I now present two tricks that I have picked up along the way.

I should note that I didn't originate these ideas - I got them from other blogs I read some months ago. Unfortunately, I forget which blogs, so can't provide proper references.

Five Things You Know About...

It's always a tricky question - how do you get world information into the hands of the players? I mean, let's be honest, lots of players have difficulty keeping track of that stuff (or even tracking NPC names!), and if you spend five minutes outlining the minutae of the ancient Giant civilisation of lost Menechtarun you can watch their eyes glaze over.

The DM trick I read for this one is to prepare a short handout to give out at the start of each session, "Five Things You Know About..." Pick some random topic, preferably one at least vaguely related to the session at hand, and write a five-point bulleted list of things that the PCs know about it. Each session, pick one new topic, and write a new list.

This has several advantages. The first is that it's really short, so doesn't represent a huge amount of additional prep work. The second is that it's a bite-size piece of information, that the players should be able to digest easily. And, of course, if it is relevant to the session, they're all the more likely to be interested. And the third, of course, is that it gets setting information into the players' hands (and heads) where it can then be referenced in the game - if you note that the Gnomish Dragonmarked house are obsessed with secrecy and misdirection, and also that their Dragonmark can cast the whispering wind spell, this then serves as a clue when the PCs go looking for secret doors in the Gnomish enclave...

Bullet Points, not Boxed Text

This one can be expressed quite easily: when writing "boxed text" for your adventures... don't.

The problem with boxed text is the same as with any pre-written speech or training material - when presented it gets deadly dull. (Besides, it's often wrong or changeable - what happens if the PCs approach from another direction, or send a scout and then come back later, or...) Sure, it gets the information across, mostly, but it will always lack the immediacy of a speech given off the cuff, or with reference to light notes.

So, instead, picture the scene in your head. Then, produce a short bulleted list of the salient features, starting with the most noticeable, and working down to minor details. Be sure to reference as many senses as possible - sight, hearing, smell, touch, taste (that order is usually best - as that is the order the characters are likely to interact with a scene). Be sure, also, to note any powerful auras that apply, especially if the PCs commonly use any magical senses - are there powerful magics at work, a palpable sense of evil, or do they sense a presence they haven't felt since...?

Oh, and end the list with a final bullet that is nothing but a list of adjectives and adverbs that are suitable for describing the scene. You get a vastly different impression if the witch cackles than if the witch titters. ("Take a note of the word 'gobbledegook'. I like it, and want to use it in conversation.")

Having done that, when the PCs come to the scene, you just grab the index card containing the scene description (you do put all these things on cards, don't you?), scan the list, and describe the scene as the PCs see it now. And when it changes, note those changes right on the card so that next time, you're ready again.

The Three Clue Rule

This is a simple one. Anything the PCs don't know is a mystery - whether it is the identity of the murderer, if it's the prince's collection of fine china dolls, the location of a secret door, or whatever.

In general, the DM wants the PCs to discover these things he's hidden in his world, since a secret that goes uncovered is just wasted prep work (although, of course, you should also have strong recycling policies). And so, you need some sane mechanism for the players to figure out the mystery. (Having the players just roll dice for their characters works, but it's much more satisfying if the player figures out the clues.)

So: for every conclusion you want the players to reach, provide three clues.

Why three? Well, they'll inevitably miss one, they'll misinterpret one, and they'll finally "get it" on the third. Sure, it's not perfect, but it works reasonably well. (Oh, yeah - be sure to note the clues on both the card containing the mystery itself and the card for the scene where the clue is found, so you don't forget!)

I should probably note that my implementation of this one is very much a work-in-progress. I'm finding that the sheer mechanical weight of 3e is such that my prep time is almost all in the form of preparing stat blocks and lists of treasure, leaving very little for preparing scenes or placing clues. And so, on more than a few occasions there has been a puzzle without the requisite clues for actually solving it. Which isn't too good, really.

(And for this one, I can provide a proper reference. The Three Clue Rule comes from the Alexandrian.)