101 Game flow/fun techniques? [Archive] - Wizards Community

101 Game flow/fun techniques? [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
shadowoftreefrog
03-14-07, 12:57 PM Is there anything your gaming group does thats not specifically stated in the rules that makes your gaming flow smoother or easier to understand for the new players?

1. One of our players took all the combat actions and wrote each one on a 3*5 card that describes the attack and how its used mechanically. It seemed silly at first but if you haven't made a trip attack in a while or something like that sometimes its nice to just grab the stack of cards off the table and see real quick how it works. It really helps one of my newer players who doesn't seem to grasp what some of the other players are doing all the time

2. I laminated the grid sheet out of the back of the DMG, use the side with just the grids one it. (it stands up better to time and doesn't matter if something gets spilled on it, but wait it gets better) Then we use dry erase markers to outline buildings, or rooms or the road or whatever enviroment were fighting in. I don't know if other people do this or what, but it is honestly the best gaming idea we ever had.
FntsyWlkr
03-14-07, 02:43 PM 3X5 cards seems like such a great idea!
(I think I'll do that)

I'll roll up my multiple attacks all at once. So, I can say to the DM: "25, 10, 17,4" and he can say, "yes, no, yes, no."

As opposed to doing it one at a time.

We'll "cinematics" things. Such as;
"A week passes. What do you do?"
PLAYER1: I'm animating several trees around the village.
PLAYER2: Researching a new spell.
PLAYER3: I got into a fight at the inn, I tried to meet with the Duke, and I sold my armor.

... we'll give bullet points during that time, so we don't have to role play stuff that is borring but still necessary.
kshade
03-14-07, 09:57 PM 2. I laminated the grid sheet out of the back of the DMG
Nice, how did you laminate something that big?
shadowoftreefrog
03-14-07, 10:19 PM I took it to officemax and it just barely fit in their wide laminator. it was like 7 or 8 bucks to laminate but was worth it. The only thing about it is that lamination is not the same as a whiteboard coating and that if you forget to wipe your drawings off after a session they're a pain to get scrubbed off next time you use it, in a week or so.
Charlym_Zuardan
03-14-07, 11:43 PM I picked up an actual whiteboard and drew out a grid with permanent marker, and use dry erase markers to draw the room or area that they are currently in. :)

as shadow says it works great and doesnt matter if you spill on it
Aryxbez
03-14-07, 11:59 PM I wish I had done that, I had bought one of those vinyl maps
problem is I unsure what type of marker to use so it doesn't
stay on the map forever or erase the grid lines away.

The cards sounds kinda odd, couldn't one just simply show the
player how it works step by step when the event occurs?

Also does anyone have any tips for introducing a new player into
higher levels than one? levels like 6th or 10th.
Themightybiggun
03-15-07, 12:24 AM 1. One of our players took all the combat actions and wrote each one on a 3*5 card that describes the attack and how its used mechanically. It seemed silly at first but if you haven't made a trip attack in a while or something like that sometimes its nice to just grab the stack of cards off the table and see real quick how it works. It really helps one of my newer players who doesn't seem to grasp what some of the other players are doing all the time

You've just been ganked.
doink1212
03-15-07, 12:33 AM Our group lives and dies by the white board. We may not always draw to scale but it is just too convient. So much more creativity and correct visualization. We used to symbolize our characters as dots on the white board but now we put miniatures on the white board and it works fantastically.
Ack
03-15-07, 07:37 AM For online games, I use Google SketchUp (www.sketchup.com) to create actual dungeons, which I then take interior screenshots thereof. It's a bit of work at the start, but with the available textures ... well, they say a picture is worth a thousand words.

This could also be used on a laptop; as the players move from point to point in the dungeon, you can use the walkthrough function and then turn the screen to them and say, "This is what you can see. What do you do?"

Here's a few examples (note: these pictures are directly from screenshots. They have not been modified in any way).

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v372/Zapmaster/darkdungeon.jpghttp://img.photobucket.com/albums/v372/Zapmaster/darkdungeon2.jpghttp://img.photobucket.com/albums/v372/Zapmaster/TheExit.jpghttp://img.photobucket.com/albums/v372/Zapmaster/watertrap.jpg

Note that the last one can become a lava trap or a green slime trap with very little work :D

I've been working on making a dungeon maker kit with SketchUp, using modular sections for corridor lengths, etc. It also works well with modern settings, exchanging dungeon-brick walls for poured concrete and overhead gratings. When I've got it sorted to my satisfaction, I will upload it to the 3d Warehouse and post the link into my sig, so that everyone can access it at will.

EDIT: for less stringent uses, I have the battleboard (http://sketchup.google.com/3dwarehouse/details?mid=a411bdbface42be77761f7daec40 435), which can be used to set up combats in a flat open area (however, obstacles can be easily placed on it if necessary).
FntsyWlkr
03-15-07, 01:05 PM I know this sounds like a no-brainer, but:

Having players plan their moves one person ahead of them, on the intiative order.

As opposed to once it comes to them, "hmmmm ... I think I'll ..."
phelanarcetus
03-15-07, 02:55 PM If not earlier; I tend to try and work out what I want to do on my next turn as soon as I've finished my current turn. It tends to result in multiple possibilities that I can refine down to one as other actions are taken and resolved, but the value of starting to plan before your turn is incredible, especially if there are many players.

(The worst I've experienced is when playing online, with no available battlemap, and at the start of each player's turn he would have lost track of the battle enough that he had to ask for a fresh description of where everyone was, then make a decision.)

For combat, if at all possible use some sort of battle map. It can be a sheet of paper with a quickly-sketched grid and coins / dice / marbles / random nearby objects representing players and creatures, but it's a huge pain to have to try and keep the whole layout in mind, let alone explain it repeatedly. (It gets worse once flight is involved, unfortunately.)

The cards are useful, not so much for the first trip attempt, as for when it's a week later and someone doesn't remember. Quick-to-find explanation, possibly clearer than the PHB's. On a somewhat related note, since I tend to use homemade character sheets, typically text files rather than anything premade, I try to include a summary and page reference with as much of my sheet as possible. I haven't done this on a spellcaster yet, and I can imagine, especially for a wizard or cleric, that bloating the sheet to incredible levels. But if I can look at my sheet and see a summary of what each ability I have does, that saves me remembering or having to look it up. And if I need details, a book and page reference is right there.
DmMagnus
03-15-07, 05:08 PM Initiative Cards! 10x10cm cards with.

player name
Character name.
Important skills (listen, spot, sense motive and search) if i wanna roll hidden.

And a box where the players write what they got for initiative.

This way I dont mix up the initiative order anymore :)
Ezell Pike
03-15-07, 05:42 PM Sheet protectors on Characters sheets. Mekes them more resillient and you can use overhead markers to make note on them without making it permanent. Not sure about dry erase tho.

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
shadowoftreefrog 03-14-07, 12:57 PM	Is there anything your gaming group does thats not specifically stated in the rules that makes your gaming flow smoother or easier to understand for the new players? 1. One of our players took all the combat actions and wrote each one on a 3*5 card that describes the attack and how its used mechanically. It seemed silly at first but if you haven't made a trip attack in a while or something like that sometimes its nice to just grab the stack of cards off the table and see real quick how it works. It really helps one of my newer players who doesn't seem to grasp what some of the other players are doing all the time 2. I laminated the grid sheet out of the back of the DMG, use the side with just the grids one it. (it stands up better to time and doesn't matter if something gets spilled on it, but wait it gets better) Then we use dry erase markers to outline buildings, or rooms or the road or whatever enviroment were fighting in. I don't know if other people do this or what, but it is honestly the best gaming idea we ever had.
FntsyWlkr 03-14-07, 02:43 PM	3X5 cards seems like such a great idea! (I think I'll do that) I'll roll up my multiple attacks all at once. So, I can say to the DM: "25, 10, 17,4" and he can say, "yes, no, yes, no." As opposed to doing it one at a time. We'll "cinematics" things. Such as; "A week passes. What do you do?" PLAYER1: I'm animating several trees around the village. PLAYER2: Researching a new spell. PLAYER3: I got into a fight at the inn, I tried to meet with the Duke, and I sold my armor. ... we'll give bullet points during that time, so we don't have to role play stuff that is borring but still necessary.
kshade 03-14-07, 09:57 PM	2. I laminated the grid sheet out of the back of the DMG Nice, how did you laminate something that big?
shadowoftreefrog 03-14-07, 10:19 PM	I took it to officemax and it just barely fit in their wide laminator. it was like 7 or 8 bucks to laminate but was worth it. The only thing about it is that lamination is not the same as a whiteboard coating and that if you forget to wipe your drawings off after a session they're a pain to get scrubbed off next time you use it, in a week or so.
Charlym_Zuardan 03-14-07, 11:43 PM	I picked up an actual whiteboard and drew out a grid with permanent marker, and use dry erase markers to draw the room or area that they are currently in. :) as shadow says it works great and doesnt matter if you spill on it
Aryxbez 03-14-07, 11:59 PM	I wish I had done that, I had bought one of those vinyl maps problem is I unsure what type of marker to use so it doesn't stay on the map forever or erase the grid lines away. The cards sounds kinda odd, couldn't one just simply show the player how it works step by step when the event occurs? Also does anyone have any tips for introducing a new player into higher levels than one? levels like 6th or 10th.
Themightybiggun 03-15-07, 12:24 AM	1. One of our players took all the combat actions and wrote each one on a 3*5 card that describes the attack and how its used mechanically. It seemed silly at first but if you haven't made a trip attack in a while or something like that sometimes its nice to just grab the stack of cards off the table and see real quick how it works. It really helps one of my newer players who doesn't seem to grasp what some of the other players are doing all the time You've just been ganked.
doink1212 03-15-07, 12:33 AM	Our group lives and dies by the white board. We may not always draw to scale but it is just too convient. So much more creativity and correct visualization. We used to symbolize our characters as dots on the white board but now we put miniatures on the white board and it works fantastically.
Ack 03-15-07, 07:37 AM	For online games, I use Google SketchUp (www.sketchup.com) to create actual dungeons, which I then take interior screenshots thereof. It's a bit of work at the start, but with the available textures ... well, they say a picture is worth a thousand words. This could also be used on a laptop; as the players move from point to point in the dungeon, you can use the walkthrough function and then turn the screen to them and say, "This is what you can see. What do you do?" Here's a few examples (note: these pictures are directly from screenshots. They have not been modified in any way). http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v372/Zapmaster/darkdungeon.jpghttp://img.photobucket.com/albums/v372/Zapmaster/darkdungeon2.jpghttp://img.photobucket.com/albums/v372/Zapmaster/TheExit.jpghttp://img.photobucket.com/albums/v372/Zapmaster/watertrap.jpg Note that the last one can become a lava trap or a green slime trap with very little work :D I've been working on making a dungeon maker kit with SketchUp, using modular sections for corridor lengths, etc. It also works well with modern settings, exchanging dungeon-brick walls for poured concrete and overhead gratings. When I've got it sorted to my satisfaction, I will upload it to the 3d Warehouse and post the link into my sig, so that everyone can access it at will. EDIT: for less stringent uses, I have the battleboard (http://sketchup.google.com/3dwarehouse/details?mid=a411bdbface42be77761f7daec40 435), which can be used to set up combats in a flat open area (however, obstacles can be easily placed on it if necessary).
FntsyWlkr 03-15-07, 01:05 PM	I know this sounds like a no-brainer, but: Having players plan their moves one person ahead of them, on the intiative order. As opposed to once it comes to them, "hmmmm ... I think I'll ..."
phelanarcetus 03-15-07, 02:55 PM	If not earlier; I tend to try and work out what I want to do on my next turn as soon as I've finished my current turn. It tends to result in multiple possibilities that I can refine down to one as other actions are taken and resolved, but the value of starting to plan before your turn is incredible, especially if there are many players. (The worst I've experienced is when playing online, with no available battlemap, and at the start of each player's turn he would have lost track of the battle enough that he had to ask for a fresh description of where everyone was, then make a decision.) For combat, if at all possible use some sort of battle map. It can be a sheet of paper with a quickly-sketched grid and coins / dice / marbles / random nearby objects representing players and creatures, but it's a huge pain to have to try and keep the whole layout in mind, let alone explain it repeatedly. (It gets worse once flight is involved, unfortunately.) The cards are useful, not so much for the first trip attempt, as for when it's a week later and someone doesn't remember. Quick-to-find explanation, possibly clearer than the PHB's. On a somewhat related note, since I tend to use homemade character sheets, typically text files rather than anything premade, I try to include a summary and page reference with as much of my sheet as possible. I haven't done this on a spellcaster yet, and I can imagine, especially for a wizard or cleric, that bloating the sheet to incredible levels. But if I can look at my sheet and see a summary of what each ability I have does, that saves me remembering or having to look it up. And if I need details, a book and page reference is right there.
DmMagnus 03-15-07, 05:08 PM	Initiative Cards! 10x10cm cards with. player name Character name. Important skills (listen, spot, sense motive and search) if i wanna roll hidden. And a box where the players write what they got for initiative. This way I dont mix up the initiative order anymore :)
Ezell Pike 03-15-07, 05:42 PM	Sheet protectors on Characters sheets. Mekes them more resillient and you can use overhead markers to make note on them without making it permanent. Not sure about dry erase tho.