Third Floor Wars

Day 8: Explore

Question: (d6 1) Who

Mood: (d10 2) Nostalgic

Subject: (d8 5) Accessory

I hate trees.

To rephrase, I love printed books. I love hardback, big, printed books. I lust over hardback, big-printed books with ribbon bookmarks sewn in from the spine.

I can easily explore a game on my computer or iPad. I can click a subject on the table of contents, and ZAP, it takes me there. I can click a word in the index, and ZAP, I am there. I can use CTRL-F and search for a word or phrase.

I can’t feel the weight of the book. I can’t feel the paper between my fingers. Somehow, I can’t seem to curl up on the couch with my iPad.

I back a lot of RPGs each year and, when it is available, I always choose the PDF + Physical backing tier. Maybe because I am old, or maybe I love having both. I find a lot more joy scanning the book spines on my shelves than I do the RPG folder on my computer.

I love books.

Day 7: Journey

Question: (d6 2) What

Mood: (d10 6) Optimistic

Subject: (d8 1) Adventure

Forbidden Lands is the longest game I’ve ever run. Next month we start session 43. It has taught me a lot about being a GM. Hex crawling and journeying from one place to another is a big part of the game.

The journey rules are procedural in the game. What I’ve learned is not to handwave, even if a random encounter isn’t rolled. The party is traveling and camping. My time hiking and camping helped me realize how much game there is in travel.

Please take a moment to describe the terrain’s appearance, but don’t forget how it smells, sounds, or feels. Is there weather? What does it feel like to trudge through muddy grasslands in a downpour? What does the air smell like before a snowstorm?

What are the critters doing? Are raccoons scoping them out as they set up camp?

Forbidden Lands helps with its mishap tables related to setting up camp, fishing, hunting, and foraging. It can be done anywhere, though. What does the campfire smell like? Are the skies clear enough to see the stars?

Sometimes, a simple prompt question can create a memorable moment or even half a session!

“Conan, as you sit by the fire after a day of fighting raiders and tending to the wound on your leg, what is running through your mind?”

“Sonya, you saved Conan’s life today. He seems lost in thought by the fire. Will you break the silence?”

Day 6: Motive

Question: (d6 4) When

Mood: (d10 3) Proud

Subject: (d8 4) Rule

I offer one rule I’ve added to every game I run: ask the player their motive. When a player is trying to do something, we can often misunderstand what they are going for.

Conan’s Player: “I want to fast-talk the bartender.”

This seems like a simple action called for by the player. Let them roll and tell them what happens!

GM: “You rolled an 18, success!”

Conan’s Player: “Great, then he will sell me the tavern for one silver” (record scratch)

When a character is taking an action, especially if it will summon a die roll, take a moment and find out their motive.

GM: “What are you trying to accomplish?”

Note that we don’t ask “What are you trying to do?”; instead, we ask about their motive and goal. What does success look like? Make the player explain what they wish would happen if they succeed. This tells you if you need to roll (“I want him to give me a fresh pint”), if a roll is necessary (“I want him to give me a FREE pint”), or if success is possible (“I want him to give me the tavern for FREE.”) This also gives you the chance to set the stakes of the roll by explaining what can happen if they FAIL the roll. If you and the player agree on what success and failure look like, it can prevent confusion. I first learned these concepts from Blades in the Dark, but I now do it in every game I run.

Day 5: Ancient

Question: (d6 5) Why

Mood: (d10 8) Grateful

Subject: (d8 3) Genre

It doesn’t have to play this way anymore. I am ancient in the lifespan of the hobby. I was playing Red Box D&D and witnessed the emergence of many of the second-gen games that followed. Throughout the 80s and 90s, we saw games innovate but never quite shake off the simulation style that was left over from miniature wargames.

A simulation ruleset that manages each move, action, and decision is perfect for many players. It was perfect for late teen Craig, too. I first realized I didn’t need that level of crunch when I started being selective about the rules I used in GURPS. One of the best things about GURPS was, for its time, a ruleset built to be as crunchy as you wanted.

When I returned to the hobby after the creative explosion of the 2000s, I was blown away. We didn’t need to play out and simulate everything. We could emulate and simplify. Increasingly, this ancient one finds running Cthulhu Dark a joy, but it doesn’t mean I’ll never play Call of Cthulhu again. Some scenarios fit Dark, and others fit CoC. The gift we have is the options. For that, I am very grateful.

Day 4: Message

Question: (2) What

Mood: (1) Envious

Subject: (1) Adventure

As Gamemasters, we often focus on how to send messages to our players. We wonder how we will convey those clues, how we will communicate about the world, its inhabitants, who is an ally, and who is a threat.

We also need to look beyond the fiction and consider how to send messages to the players (not the characters). It starts with the game pitch. What game will we play? Genre, subject matter, goals, expectations? I find using CATS (by P. R. O’Leary) does this in a repeatable format. When I share the game’s Concept, Aim, Tone, and Subject Matter, I send a message to players (and potential players) about what they can expect. Are they walking into high fantasy where they are great heroes who will reach superhuman power, or are they entering a gritty low-fantasy world where life is cheap? The character they start with is unlikely to be the one they will finish playing as. I also share touchstones in the CATS pitch. What other media gives them the look and feel of the game?

Before play starts, using Ron Edward’s Lines and Veils allows the table to send a message to the GM and the other players. What subjects are not allowed in the game (Lines) and what subjects can be in the game but will only happen “off screen” and not roleplayed (Veils)?

After each session, I ask the players to send me a message by sharing their thoughts, stars, and wishes. Thoughts reveal what they think of the game, especially its mechanics. What is working for them and where is the friction? Stars tell me where each player found the most fun. What stood out to them? The star moment? This is the player telling you what they loved, so you can try to push that aspect of the game more. They are telling you what they want more of!

Wishes are where the main messages often originate. What are they wishing to see more of, and what are they wishing they could see, but have not? What are they wishing for?

The key to Thoughts, Stars, and Wishes is to ask follow-up questions. Clarify the responses by engaging in a conversation with the player and the others at the table. Send clear messages to your players and listen to their messages when they are sent.

Day 3: Tavern

Question: (4) When

Mood: (2) Nostalgic

Subject: (1) Adventure

“The four of you meet in a Tavern.”

This is the classic opening to many a new session or campaign. We need the four characters to become a party. The Avatar Legends RPG has a fascinating twist on this idea. During the first session, after characters are created, the players outline the inciting incident that brought them together. It is a retelling of something that happened before the play begins. It provides a framework for crafting a complete 3-act narrative that brings them together. When they are done, they now have a history, potential NPCs, and Foes. It says, “What if the adventure we are starting today isn’t the FIRST adventure for our characters?”

Suddenly, they are meeting in the Tavern and retelling the adventure that happened yesterday, last week, or a month ago.

This can be done in any game. When I ran Outgunned on the channel, we started with some prompts asking questions about a previous mission. “What did Sara do to save the day and cover up your mistake?” Soon, they will reveal what their characters faced in their last mission, including who they are, how they acted, and how they work as a team. This is GOLD for a GM to start a new campaign.

Watch their faces in session 7 when you bring back an NPC they created in their retelling of an old mission.

Day 2: Prompt

Question: (2) What

Mood: (9) Contemplative

Subject: (3) Genre

For the Queen by Alex Roberts is in my top 10 RPGs list. It was the first game that showed me the power of prompts. My approach to prompts and what makes a good prompt has changed recently.

We are told this is a hobby where “you can do anything”. The issue is that we inherently don’t like that as much as we think we do. We like constraints and clear choices. As a GM, we prompt all the time as we run a game. “What are you going to do?” is a prompt. It implies they can do anything and can often create silence after you drop it.

“Conan, tell me how you feel about Sara.”

This is a prompt, but what if we add constraints and make it far more provocative?

“Conan, what about Sara makes you not fully trust her?”

I’ve added a constraint. Now Conan’s player knows Conan doesn’t trust her. Why? What does this mean for Conan? We spice it up with a constraint.

When you Ruin goes up in Trophy, or your Insight increases in Cthulhu Dark, the GM should press you to explain how your character is changed as they step closer to the inevitable ruin, or their mind takes in the unexplainable horrors previously unknown.

In Cthulhu Dark, I enjoy offering a constrained prompt as their Insight increases.

Not: “What happens to you as your Insight increases?”

Instead: “You hear a voice in your head that isn’t yours. You’ve never heard the voice before, but you know it’s always been there. What does it say to you right now?”

Now the player has something to work with, and I am pressing them to embrace how the horrors of reality are changing them. The same can be done with a simple location prompt. Instead of offering, “Conan, describe what you see as you enter the tavern,” you spice it up and focus the prompt: “Conan, you notice something as you enter the tavern that tells you the owner once worshipped Crom, what is it?”

Don’t be afraid to sharpen your prompts and create a table culture that gives the players the freedom of saying, “I do trust Sara because…” Any fear of them losing agency vanishes.

Day 1: Patron

Question: (rolled 4) When

Mood: (rolled 6) Optimistic

Subject: (rolled 1) Adventure

In the upcoming play of Monster of the Week on my channel, the players chose the Always on the Road Team Playbook with Family as the Style. The Team Playbooks in MotW offer a new Blades-like “Crew” sheet. One choice they make is for the Team’s Ally. This team chose:

Bingo, an always-online researcher into strangeness. They can put you in touch with people who need help, coordinate communication, and help you with research.

Essentially, Bingo will play as the Hunters’ patron.

I am excited to bring Bingo to life.

To start, I envisioned a mix of Penelope from Criminal Minds, Oracle from Batman comics, and Chloe from 24. A snarky southern woman who flirts while being the smartest member of the team. She will kick off the first session by giving the team a lead (while introducing herself to the players).

She will be mysterious, having never met her face-to-face, funny, sassy, but hyper competent. I am excited to see what the players latch onto. Will they treat her as a quest giver or realize she is a bevy of knowledge in an age before smartphones?

I want each of the four hunters to foster their relationship with her.

Bingo is yet another NPC whom I cannot wait to play and learn. I know she already exists, and I am excited to listen to her play and see who she is.

Patrons can give us GMs a character to act through, roleplay as a recurring character, and a lever to activate player character roleplay.