Stormhound

I have the same issue. Reading and learning a published module takes way more time and energy than making things up on the fly for a setting I know inside and out because I created it. I am running a campaign that uses a lot of published material related to the Tiamat books for 5e. But even there, whenever I can I just make things up because it is faster. What I do use modules for is their maps, NPC stat blocks, monsters/encounters, and occasionally a plot point that fits really well. My world maps I have to create, but I totally steal village/town maps, buildings, battle maps, dungeons etc wherever I can find a good one.

I wholeheartedly agree & run my games the way both of your game styles. In my view, a Module is a good template but limits the randomness, (Sandbox), factor. Knowing what I want my Players to accomplish & steering them there, despite their attempts to derail me & the challenge to get them back on track, is more fun than concerning myself with the flow on the turn of the page.

I've been a GM for decades & have multiple systems, images, & ideas that I pull from while using a Grided Dry Erase Board to draw the maps my players see/use. My current group has been playing a weekly game face to face for going on 9 years. My Campaign runs 12-18 months "On" with 6-12 months of Player run games to spell me "Off". For the last 6 months I've been living out of State, & that looks to continue, hence the reason I've started looking at F.G. Currently we Skype as it is still the Players' turn to run things & I can follow along via a PDF of the module's maps, but that is coming to an end in July. I'm perfectly fine in a "Wing-it" or "Freefall" situation but now that I have to construct something the fun is diminished, it has become less an exciting chaotic state to one of work, add to that I'm considering an attempt at making this a Campaign to be shared (making me think along stricter Module lines). Any suggestions on how to enjoy or push through the minutia? I know one answer is to skip the Module idea & just throw down my maps, tokens, & use my own DC checks, but that seems to trivialize F.G.

Originally Posted by ithix

I wholeheartedly agree & run my games the way both of your game styles. In my view, a Module is a good template but limits the randomness, (Sandbox), factor. Knowing what I want my Players to accomplish & steering them there, despite their attempts to derail me & the challenge to get them back on track, is more fun than concerning myself with the flow on the turn of the page.

You reminded me of a friend from college who once told me that in his view D&D is two games. The players are playing kindergarten playground make believe with rules and dice and DMs are playing "sim racetrack" but all the sims are drunk-driving bumper cars and if even one car fails to make it to the finish line the DM loses.

Originally Posted by GavinRuneblade

You reminded me of a friend from college who once told me that in his view D&D is two games. The players are playing kindergarten playground make believe with rules and dice and DMs are playing "sim racetrack" but all the sims are drunk-driving bumper cars and if even one car fails to make it to the finish line the DM loses.

Nice Gavin. No, it isn't a mad race to the end. I focus on story. I want my players to make it to the end. When I've thrown out doing Sci-Fi or other genres, they want to keep coming back to my Campaign. Even now with them in So Cal & me in Montana they are really hoping I can figure this out.

I've got enough to limp through at this point & I still have a month or so before it is game on. Your analogy does have some truth in that any RPG is 2 games. I do agree with that. The game the players have is more like go karts. The game I have as GM is finding out the best, most interesting, and challenging track for them to race on. I have about 50 books I'll regularly pull for reference, check DrivethruRPG.com on a weekly basis for ideas, & 500 GB of Pdfs to comb through if I'm really off my mark. They are playing in my World. One module may have some of what I want, say the map, others have the creatures I need, still another has the setting, (Mountainous, Desert, City, Jungle).


From the limping stage, I plan to figure out how to make this huge Sandbox into something other DM's can use. I like the Frog God approach https://www.drivethrurpg.com/browse....=&pto=&x=0&y=0 they seem to be doing the Sandbox well. If you know of some others, I'd appreciate some suggestions.

Thanks

Originally Posted by ithix

Nice Gavin. No, it isn't a mad race to the end. I focus on story. I want my players to make it to the end. When I've thrown out doing Sci-Fi or other genres, they want to keep coming back to my Campaign. Even now with them in So Cal & me in Montana they are really hoping I can figure this out.

I've got enough to limp through at this point & I still have a month or so before it is game on. Your analogy does have some truth in that any RPG is 2 games. I do agree with that. The game the players have is more like go karts. The game I have as GM is finding out the best, most interesting, and challenging track for them to race on. I have about 50 books I'll regularly pull for reference, check DrivethruRPG.com on a weekly basis for ideas, & 500 GB of Pdfs to comb through if I'm really off my mark. They are playing in my World. One module may have some of what I want, say the map, others have the creatures I need, still another has the setting, (Mountainous, Desert, City, Jungle).


From the limping stage, I plan to figure out how to make this huge Sandbox into something other DM's can use. I like the Frog God approach https://www.drivethrurpg.com/browse....=&pto=&x=0&y=0 they seem to be doing the Sandbox well. If you know of some others, I'd appreciate some suggestions.

Thanks

His point wasn't about a race to the end, more that players will always do crazy unexpected stuff and can push each other into areas you were never planning to develop or explore. So you have to be prepared for anything and still somehow have a coherent story happening even though no one is moving in straight lines.

I'm not particularly familiar with Frog God. What I use a lot is pinterest. There are maps, characters, costumes, scenery, etc. Story I can handle easily enough. NPCs and encounters and treasure I snag from different adventures here and there.

I know you're not active since years and I'm necroing this blog post [I cast: Summon Lonely GM] but I couldn't help myself after I read the term "the One Hook to Rule them All." Such an encompassing concept for things seemingly so scattered all over the board. It makes me wonder, what would that be? It can't be something specific or tailored for a certain character or group. So, it's like going deep into the fundamentals and think like a caveman philosopher (they rock! no pun intended).

"Exploration, at least for me, isn't work."

It's all about finding that shiny toy that runs your creative gears, something that resonates with you.

"It's a very top-down kind of process," you said but It can also be bottom-up process when it originates from the character to reach the game world.

So, one way of looking at the One Hook concept is from the character's pov: desires & motives which are the driving force of any character. Desires create motivation creates action results in reactions, and this chain goes on and on and shape the story, therefore, the world. PC wants (to have, to do) something, it's not within their reach and there you have motivation to Explore. It's just another way of looking things.

So, The One Hook can Rule through the character, as well as;

• Quest Givers; (NPC needs something they can't do themselves and hire the heroes. The One Hook is still desire.)
• Villains; (Villain wants something and the hero is in their way. Ditto)
• The Fantasy World Itself; (Now this is where it gets top-down. The world exist to be feast for the eyes. )
• Societies In the Fantasy World; (Now we can take the One Hook and apply it to a unified or divided people. In their point of view, the Hook is either the greater good of all, or oppression of the majority).
• Elite Groups In The World; (And we just topped down the The One Hook and twisted it from greater "good of all" to "greater good of select few.")

"Because I'm creating things based on my own logic, I don't have to memorize someone else's logic and apply that instead, so I can rapidly spool out additional related bits as needed based on my own deep understanding of my creation."

"And that, to me, is a lot less like work and more like fun." (this is what's important.)

Also, over time, the logic of adventure writers changed A LOT. I find new D&D adventures too generic and streamlined, like a summary of a summary and having hard time coming up with ideas that makes the adventure my own. But that's me.