My Life As A Gamer: Errors In RPGs (Part Five)- A Vision Of Remedy In Action

(Editorial Note: Monday's post is here and Tuesday's is here, and Wednesday's is here, and yesterday's is here.)

Introduction

This week's series focused upon common errors in tabletop role-playing games. As I said yesterday, seeing how they synergize into a cavalcade of catastrophe is not necessary. Just go to YouTube and do searches on D&D Horror Stories and you'll have years of videos alone all about all variations of these errors in action, see how they foment dysfunction, and result in the promise and potential of the medium being lost.

What needs to be done is to give an idea of what "normal" would look like to one too-long accustomed to the degraded form that these errors create. That is what this post is about, and that is all I intend to present: a vision. The details on making it happen will be next week's series.

The Loop Begins

The Dungeon Master (DM) sits at his desk, notes at hand, writing up the campaign newsletter to send out to the players on a Sunday afternoon. He eschews needless details, focusing instead on headline-level briefs on major actors--Patrons--making their moves in the campaign and what becomes of them, before summarizing what went down yesterday during play.

A link to a full session report, provided by one of the participating players, is put into the newsletter. So is an updated campaign map. At the end of the newsletter is a timekeeping account, noting which characters are available to play and any changes to what is allowed to play, before reminding the players to put in downtime orders by Tuesday evening, and to declare who's coming on Saturday to play by Wednesday so those coming can decide on what to do and who's playing what.

He gets up, refills his coffee cup, double-checks the draft and sends it. Now he waits.

The Remote Player

It's Monday afternoon. Peter's just finished with his last podcast appearance of the day, so he looks at the newsletter and opens up his email to send dispatch orders to the DM.

He has the Supreme Dark Lord dispatch Vile Faceless Minions to march through the Kingdom of the Serpent God to assassinate the Orc Warlord in thrall to the Gnome Illusionist of Cloud City, the Lich Queen of Reno dispatches a spy to seek out the Man In Black, and the Jade Princess sends forth a call for heroes to remove a curse upon her noble husband. He also has his Assassin character attempt to assassinate the Alchemist that the others are relying upon.

He also send the DM a map of the Lich Queen's lair, and submits a few original spells and items for the DM to consider as unique treasures.

That should keep the gang at the table busy while he's flying across the Atlantic to settle business deals in Malta and Dubai.

The Hobbyist Normies

Mary reads the newsletter during lunch while the kids are in the other room with their father. When the kids finish up and go outside, she briefs her husband. Her Magic-User isn't done with spell research yet, so that character remains unavailable. Her Thief is still recovering from near-death due to injury and disease, so that leaves only her Druid for this weekend.

Her husband has the option of his Ranger, Thief, or Monk to bring. If he brings his Ranger, they can focus on tracking that suspicious lizard man tribe into the swamps to see about that hunch about a Green Dragon is right, but that means needing someone else to play along with their aim. Mary sends the DM downtime orders for both of them for their characters, and notifies him that they're looking at pursuing that Green Dragon rumor if the others are up for it.

The Casual Guy

Bob gets the newsletter. He's got an Elf Fighter/Magic-User, but he hasn't played for a month due to needing to train both classes so he's covered for some of the married guys in the plumbing company he works for. He get a call from Mary just before the pizza arrives at his apartment that evening, asking if he's interested in hitting up a dragon's lair in the swamps deep in the forest. One check on his calendar later, and he says he's in- see you Saturday.

Unlike Mary and her husband, Bob doesn't bother much with hirelings or Henchman. He keeps some functionaries on retainer, but no one to take in the field with him. He just wants to hit things, zap things, and get loot with his friends. He still isn't certain that Peter is a real person, but he doesn't care so long as it's fun.

He Who Treads The Jeweled Thrones of the Earth

Paul reads the newsletter. Paul gets a call from Mary. Paul skips his Samurai, Bushi, Kensai, Barbarian, and Cavalier to rest upon his Paladin and his Fighter. He decides to bring the Fighter because this is probably not going to be a flat-out dragon-slaying expedition this time, but rather figures that they're going to be clearing out the dragon's minions instead.

Paul submits orders for his roster, which will make Peter chuckle, and lets the DM know he's bringing his Fighter this week, and then gets on with his research for that book for Osprey about the Partian Wars and setting out his clothes for the gym tomorrow morning and the dojo that evening.

The Referee Responds

Wednesday evening arrives and the DM lets his wife and children know who's coming over on Saturday and when. His children help him plot things on the campaign map, and he asks them what they think should happen. They get to roll the dice, and he uses the time to have them use the math skills they're learning as he adjudicates the results of the major actors' actions.

On Thursday he comes home from the office and looks over what Peter sent him. He sends back a simple "Approved" to Peter and files it away while he gets ready for Saturday's dragon hunt. A little time with the Monster Manual and the Dungeon Master's Guide gets him what he needs to draw up what he needs to run the game for the folks.

Time To Go Hunting

Everyone arrives Saturday afternoon just after lunchtime, settles in around the table and the DM reviews the plan that the group laid out over email the night before. Over the next three-to-four hours the group treks up the river deep into the forest and then beaches their boats to delve into the swamps. Paul had the right of it, as they did not find a dragon but instead several lizard men tribes coming together under a would-be king of that kind.

They ended up thrashing the gathered tribes in a series of skirmishes where the Ranger's Surprise adjustment, coupled with aid from Paul's men as well as Bob following Paul's lead on how to help and Mary's good use of the spells her Druid prepared, lead them coming away with plenty of treasure- but in bulk, like most of it being copper and silver. The lizard king got away, and so did some of the tribes that remained loyal to him, and interrogating survivors reveal where the lizard king's lair is- a follow-up is coming.

But, when they get back, they find that their Alchemist--whom they were going to call upon to help prepare for it--had been slain in their absence.

Bob's happy; his Elf gets to train to gain another Fighter level. Mary's happy, even if the Alchemist's assassination throws off her logistics (and Paul's also) because her Druid is able to train to level up now, but soon Name Level hits and that will hit a brick wall. Paul's happy, despite the setback, and he sends Peter a private message later on the assassination.

The Loop Completes

Sunday afternoon rolls around and the wife gets ready for people to come over for the big game. The DM writes up the week's actions for the newsletter and sends it out with prompts to submit downtime actions and so on--complete with an updated campaign map--just as the in-laws arrive. He has a hunch that the dragon will have to wait a week or two, and during half-time he sees that Peter sent him a private message betting him that they'll go after the Jade Princess.

Maybe. Maybe not. He doesn't know. He doesn't care. Not his decision to make. He's got a different game to enjoy today; they will let him know before next weekend.